Newsletter - March 2021

[Rogernoble]

White Star Newsletter
No 17 - March 2021

Dear All

We are now at 125 members (31 December - 125). The decision to add letters to the editor / memories of Hillside has continued to liven things up so keep them coming. I would welcome more contributions. I seem to be running out of copy for the literary corner for the moment so have replaced it with something on the staff, this time on Nigel Coates.

The Search
We are still struggling to find the remaining people on the “wanted” list so any help you can provide in finding them would be very helpful.
The Website and White Star Magazines
Martin Koronka has revised the web site which should now be much easier to use. You can also pick up the White Stars there as well. I have added all the old newsletters.
www.hillsideschool.org.uk
I have made a huge effort on the web site going through all my old emails loading everything which might be of interest. We now have all the White Stars and newsletters plus a much else so please sign up if you have not already done so.
We have been considering the longer term future as we have accumulated a lot of history and it would be a shame to lose it all when we have gone. With help from Mike Goodridge I have made contact with Godalming Museum and agreed with them that I will let them have a file with all the White Star newsletter, which can be updated on a quarterly basis. Robin has kindly agreed to also donate the bound copy of all the White Stars. It is envisaged that an online facility might be added in due course.
Photographs
For a long time we have been wondering what to do with photographs. In an effort to get everything on the web site in an orderly manner you will find I have opened a space in date order under “Annual School Photos” so that I can load the school photo and the hockey, cricket and football first team photos with names. In say 1960, which was my final year I have a full set. In other years I have entered what I can. On some occasions I have had to guess which year it is and the names of the players. If I have got these wrong please let know so that corrections can be made. Anyway there are many gaps so please, if you have photos, please help me fill in the gaps.

Lunch
We had arranged the bi-annual lunch for Saturday 20th June 2020 but sadly had to cancel. Once Covid is no longer an issue we will look at new arrangements.

Sports
This time I have centred on the swimming results

Individual Diving House
Champion Cup Winner

1952 Dakin S Chaplin-Jones Hawks
1953 J J Churcher R Bell Falcons
1954 J J Churcher R Bell Falcons
1955 Lorne R Bell Swifts
1956 Cancelled - polio epidemic
1957 B Groocock B Groocock Falcons
1958 R Secrett N Pedley Hawks
1959 N Pedley N Pedley Eagles
1960 R H Noble R H Noble Falcons
1961 P Hall P Hall Swifts
1962 A D Archer M J G Kempster Eagles
1963 M J G Kempster J R Blacker Swifts
1964 J R Blacker J R Blacker Falcons
1965 J P Walker I P McGibney Swifts
1966 D Henchman J F Gurrey Swifts
1967 J J T McGaw I P McGibney Falcons
1968 I P McGibney I P McGibney Falcons
1969 R G Simpson P Shires Eagles

Some reflections from the Jonathan Despres on his days at Hillside
I arrived at Hillside in September 1964, quite late in the month, as the school always seemed to return about two weeks later than the state schools. I was ten and severely deaf, as I have been since birth. I think it took Mr Whicker some adjusting to - especially the visits from my teacher of the deaf, who visited occasionally, to see how I was progressing and offer advice to the staff about how to teach deaf children. I think Mr Whicker’s view was that Hillside could cope without the nice young lady’s help, who had the modern ways of teaching, but did not know about ‘proper’ teaching.
I had arrived in my new Hillside uniform, thick grey shirt and I think a grey V necked jumper, green tie, thick warm shorts and long knee-length grey socks. We also had a green cap with a white star on it. I do not know what the significance of the white star was, but it was the name of the school magazine. I think every boy in the school wore shorts, whatever year group he was in, whether it was winter or summer, although those in the 6th form and the monitors were allowed to wear long trousers.
I remember the monitors had responsibility to check the younger boys had washed their hands before meals and had combed their hair. I think they also checked we had changed into our indoor shoes on entering the school. They had authority and could give boys a detention if we were not behaving as we should. I was a monitor in my last year and had the privileges that went with the role, one of which was an invitation to Mr Whicker’s study or drawing room, for end of term drinks.
For most of my years at Hillside I was a Day pupil, although in my last term in 1968, I was a boarder, my parents deciding it would be a good experience for me to try the boarding way of life. I even acquired my father’s old tuck box, with ‘Despres’ on the lid. It had an aroma that resulted from the vast amounts of cough candy and aniseed twist, some of which I had purchased for consumption by other boarders. I remember the main hallway was lined with all the tuck boxes, to which I added mine, when my time arrived.
So for the first three years of my time at Hillside, I travelled to school by car from home (located between Witley and Milford common), except when my father gave me a lift on his Honda 50. I remember the bike struggling up the very steep hill from the Lake Hotel to the grammar school at the top, often going at the same speed as children walking on the pavement, which I found a little embarrassing! I was often picked up at the end of the day, by my mother in our Morris Traveller, although I remember obtaining a bus pass and having to walk quickly down into Godalming to catch the 4.15 bus, if I was to arrive home in time for Children’s hour on television. My favourite shows being Blue Peter, Jackanory, The Magic Roundabout and Herge’s Adventures of Tintin, which some of you may remember.
I went straight into year two. I should have been in year three, but due to my deafness, it was considered that I should drop down a year so as to improve my English, and start Latin which was a new subject for me. My maths was good though and I ended the year top of the class with 93% in the summer Maths exam.
I remember there being five year groups, year one was in a small classroom near the front entrance to the school, year two at the end of the hall, year three in the icy cold hut, away from the main building, year four being in a large classroom that backed onto year two’s classroom and finally year five classroom was upstairs. This was accessed via the back staircase, as the main staircase was out of bounds for most of the year, only used by staff. The dining room was also used as a classroom.
The main teachers were Mr Whicker, Mr Redman, and Mr Coates. Mr Whicker mainly taught English, Latin and History to the top classes, taking Common Entrance, whilst Mr Coates taught English and Latin to the lower classes. In addition, I think Mr Coates taught Geography and History. Mr Redman taught Maths and Science, whilst Mrs Whicker taught Scripture, alongside all the domestic duties she performed in the school. I remember Mr Redman’s maths lessons where he was often fiddling with his mechanical calculator, where answers were produced by moving metal levers and turning a handle, the fore-runner of the electronic pocket calculator. He had an unusual way of marking questions right; instead of ticking, he would draw an elaborate squiggle that resembled the letter ‘R’.
I think I was a disappointment to Mr Whicker, when it came to Latin. I struggled to remember Latin verbs etc and was often in detention to try and learn the subject. I would be told to learn verbs etc, while most boys were out playing sport, which I loved. Mr Whicker would return to see how I was getting on and ask me a few questions. I think he made them easy for me, so I could join the boys for whatever sport we were playing. I don’t think I missed any sport because of a detention, bless him! I think I made him a happy man when I returned to Hillside, after I had left, to let him know that I was continuing to learn and progressing well in Latin at Frensham Heights, the school I attended after Hillside.
I enjoyed the sport at Hillside and improved my skills with Mr Whicker’s coaching. He was certainly able to bring out the best in me in hockey and other sports, which made up for my short-comings in Latin. He would organise drills to practice skills, which he would then expect us to demonstrate in the games. He would also expect us to show respect to the visiting parents and teams and to ensure the visitors were welcomed and received refreshments during the post-match teas. He was keen to make sure the pitches were in as good a condition as possible and often could be seen cutting the grass, rolling the pitches and marking them out, particularly on match days. He would often arrive in lessons carrying the match ball, and proceed to lace it up, check it was inflated correctly and then lovingly treat the leather, all while teaching the class. All the staff helped with the sport, but I remember particularly well that after we had all raced back to the school to prepare for our lunch, Mr Coates (the gentle giant) could often be seen walking up from the paddock laden down with numerous track suit tops that had been discarded by us. These would later have to be reclaimed from the lost property basket.
In the Autumn term we played football, the Spring term hockey and the Summer term cricket and athletics, although we also had some swimming sessions in a pool in the grounds belonging to an uncle of one of the boys. The pool itself was surrounded by shrubs and flowers with an unforgettable strong scent. We used to walk from the school to the swimming pool, although on occasions, an illegal number of boys would pile into either Mr Coates or Mr Redman’s car for the short journey.
We had sport on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings, when we would assemble on the veranda and Mr Whicker would divide us up into teams and allocate us to the top pitch or the lower one. We would also be told to change into whites or colours. The coloured shirts were quite thick and woollen which I found itchy, so I would put the more comfortable white cotton shirt underneath, if I was playing in colours. On most Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, we would play matches against other schools, either at home or away. Many of the schools were much larger than Hillside, which when I attended, had only around 50 boys in the entire school. On occasions, we would take a first and second eleven team, requiring a coach and half the school would be involved! If it was only the first team playing away, we would travel in Mr Whicker’s, Mr Coates’ and Mr Redman’s cars. Some of the schools I remember playing against, included Barfield, St Andrews and King Edwards. One of our star players (Morley-Clarke?), left Hillside and moved to King Edwards, which probably meant we lost when we played them.
We played football in the Autumn term and Mr Whicker used to publicise the fixtures on the notice board. I played for the first team in football but I am not sure which year I was in when that happened. I can remember playing King Edwards away. The school was much larger than ours and the team older than us and we lost 11-0. We then played them at home later in the term and losing 2-0 at half time. I remember racing down the paddock with the ball and giving it a good belt, their goal keeper misjudged it and I scored, making the score 2-1. Unfortunately, they scored again, but so did we and it was 3-2 until the final minute of the match, when they scored to make the final score 4-2. it was a big improvement on the first result and Mr Whicker was well pleased with us!
The pitches were all changed to hockey pitches in the spring term, with Mr Whicker spending more time rolling the pitch on the paddock to make it as smooth as possible to improve the playing conditions. I enjoyed the hockey most and I improved with Mr Whicker’s coaching, so much so, that when I left Hillside, I was one of the best players at Frensham Heights and later went on to play for Oxford Polytechnic’s first eleven. I remember scoring against an old boy’s eleven that Mr Whicker selected, which included his son (Michael Whicker), who played hockey at a high standard. I cannot remember who won, but it was a good match. (I recently found out it was a draw at 5-5). Another event, was participating in a hockey tournament which drew schools from around the country. Hillside did well to only lose 1-0 to a school who had drawn with the Dragon School (from Oxford). I believe the Dragon school may have gone on to be the eventual winners of the tournament.
In the summer term, the top field and the paddock became cricket pitches. I was not so confident with cricket, although I was able to bowl and field quite proficiently. Mr Whicker’s coaching was important and he used to have us out on the front lawn, where we stood in a line and he would hit the ball towards us. We would take turns to field the ball and throw it back to our wicket keeper who would be standing near Mr Whicker. Cricket was about looking the part. Our cricket kit would have to be spotlessly white and ironed and we had to make sure our cricket boots were clean; Mr Whicker checking that there was plenty of whitewash to apply to them.
Many of our matches were played on the top field, maybe because it was nearer to the kitchen, where it was easier to bring out the team teas at the break between innings. I remember beautifully prepared sandwiches and cake washed down with tea or cold drinks. I seem to remember we had to wait for visiting parents and the away team to help themselves to their tea, before we helped ourselves. Hillside taught us respect and manners.
One notable event was the annual cricket match against a father’s team. I cannot remember much from these matches, although my father played in one of the fathers’ matches. I warned him to be careful when facing Morley-Clark, as he was certainly the fastest bowler in the school and I was always nervous when facing him in practice games and house matches. In another fathers’ match, I can remember one of the fathers building up a large score and he hit a ball high up into the air and I was fielding at long on behind the bowler. I had plenty of time to watch it soaring up and across the line of the sun. I was right under it and usually have a safe pair of hands. However, on this occasion I dropped it, much to my embarrassment! Mr Whicker was not too pleased either.
Another match was away to a school, again far larger than Hillside. They batted first and built up a score of over a hundred for 7 declared. We went in and Mr Whicker, I think, had dosed off in a deckchair. He woke up and looked across at the score board, to find we had been bowled out for 5 runs; I scored at least one of them. It was embarrassing and not a good day for Hillside’s cricket. I did think if we had gone in first, we could have all gone home early!
I remember some warm summer days when we would be on the paddock and participating in athletics. We tried several events including high jump, long jump etc, but running was my event and I read in a recent white star newsletter that I was one of the boys that equalled the senior 4 x 110yards relay record in 1968, when we clocked a time of 60.6 seconds, which was set in 1963. Another event was the handicapped race, in which many of the boys took part. We were spaced around the 440 yard track according to our ability, with the fastest runners being placed a long way down the track.
I remember one summer, Mr Whicker and the staff took the entire school to the seaside for the day. I am not sure if this was an annual event or a one off, although I cannot remember going more than once. I think we went to Hayling Island in two coaches, where we spent time on the beach and had a picnic lunch prepared by Mrs Whicker and the kitchen staff, before returning to the school by the end of the day. Another year we all went to watch The Royal Tournament at Earl’s Court, in London.
Prize giving day was an annual event towards the end of the summer term, where we would all assemble on the front lawn with our parents and Mr Whicker would be seated with all the staff on the veranda outside the dining room. He would deliver a speech and invited guests would present the trophies and prizes to us. I remember being awarded the music prize on three consecutive years and proudly went up the steps to collect it with loud applause all around, in my last year at Hillside (1968). In the four years I was there, I do not remember it ever raining on speech day, although according to The White Star magazine, my memory may have failed me!
As I mentioned earlier, in my last term, the summer of 1968, I experienced life as a boarder. Once prep time was over, we were allowed to play outside in the grounds until bath time, after which we changed into our pyjamas and spent time reading or playing games quietly in the dormitory until lights out. My dormitory (the name of which escapes me) was the large room situated on the left as you entered the front door of the school. On the evening of Wednesday May 29th, Mr Whicker, as a special treat, allowed us to stay up to watch the European Cup Final in his drawing room. Benfica and Manchester United were playing at Wembley and we were all supporting Manchester United. United scored first, although later in the game Benfica equalised. As the game went into extra time, Mr Whicker said it was late and we should now return to our dormitories, much to our disappointment. So, there we were ‘trying to get to sleep’ and Mr Whicker kept bursting in to tell us, on each of the three occasions when Manchester United scored during the extra time period. Having not been allowed to get to sleep, due to Mr Whicker’s interruptions, I thought he could have allowed us to watch the entire historic match, the first time an English club had lifted the European Cup!
Eleven years after I had left Hillside, I returned in August 1979 with Mark Herbert who was at the school from 1964 to 1966. (We both started at the school at the same time, became friends and have kept in touch ever since. Last year, we met near Nottingham to celebrate our 55th anniversary, with another old Hillside pupil (David Smith 1964 to 1966)). Anyway, back to August 1979, when we called in to see Mrs Whicker, who was living in a house possibly where the front lawn used to be. Sadly, Mr Whicker had passed away and the school building had been demolished. Mark and I were allowed to walk around where the buildings and the grounds were. Mark took a photograph of me standing where the front door of the school used to be. Although there was nothing left of the building, we could still see where the walls used to be. We walked nostalgically around the grounds, through the woods and down towards the paddock. The paddock was now an overgrown field of long grass. Gone were the neatly mown pitches, but we were able to locate, with some difficulty, the long jump track and the remains of the long jump pit, bringing back memories of the long warm summers. Looking over to the far side of the paddock, it was almost possible to hear the faint voices of boys cheering, ‘2,4,6,8, who do you appreciate, Hillside!’
Mark returned to the road (The Drive), in which Hillside was located, on November 5th this year and was fortunate to be able to meet a man (Charles Secrett) who was a pupil, at the school in the early 1960s and who now lives in a house next to where the school grounds were. There is a photograph of C.Secrett, in which he appears as a member of the successful hockey team in 1960. (This can be found in Newsletter number 14 – June 2020)
A housing estate called the Paddock and houses along The Drive have been built over the site and so nothing remains of the school where I spent four years under the guidance of Mr Whicker and his staff. It was here that I acquired skills that allowed me to become a confident and accomplished sportsman, especially in hockey, with which I sometimes impressed Mr Whicker, although unfortunately not with my skills in Latin.
Jonathan Despres (1964 to 1968)

Hillside Culinary delights
Recently I saw reference to the multi-sided three penny bit. This is forever linked in my mind to the Sunday trip to Busbridge Church clutching the coin for the collection. This in turn produced memories of Sunday. It started with the glorious extra hour in bed. This was followed by the walk to Busbridge on which I fear our prayers were centred on hopes for a short sermon before returning for Sunday lunch. I believe Sunday was Mrs Milton’s day off so I think Mrs Whicker took over. I particularly remember the Yorkshire pudding which came on a flat tray. It did not rise so was really solid but I remember it being delicious and am sure it would have made strong lads of us. The other occasional treat was the Whicker’s Sunday afternoon soiree. I remember Mike Coverley doing a great impression of Craig Douglas (the singing milkman turned pop star). My memory is somewhat vague but I assume that the Whickers had a piano in their lounge and Mrs Whicker was accompanying Mike (was there anything she could not play?). I suspect that this was typical of RHRW’s wish to make us into well rounded gentleman but as ever in a very enjoyable manner.

The Staff
Nigel Coates
Having spent the war years serving with the RAF Nigel Coates went on to obtain a History degree at Trinity College, Cambridge. He taught for a short time at Charterhouse, living at the house of the Gordons, Peter at that time being at Hillside. After a brief stint in London in the restaurant business, he joined the staff at Hillside. He continued to live with Gordons during the holidays, now by then both Peter and John Gordon were at the school. He then spent the next twenty five years teaching mainly English and geography at Hillside. He was great with words, White Star will have many of his compositions. As an aside, the Richmond Arms would often see Nigel, Tiger and even the headmaster on lunchtime breaks.
Although he was born in Godalming, he became a Hampshire and Portsmouth supporter. Nigel was a lover of nature, birds and fish, and very active in the local National Trust. In later years, he looked after the takings from what some of us oldies will remember as Dr Fox’s Woods, (now of course Winkworth Arboretum) He also was a guide at Clandon House. He was one of the founder members and long-time secretary of the Godalming Trust. He also published in 1995, A Pictorial History of Godalming.
I always remember him as a kindly and approachable man. He was remembered for his labrador companions of whom there seemed to have been several over the years, I am certainly aware of Judy and Sioux and there may have been others. The dogs always accompanied him on his annual pilgrimage to the north of Scotland to fish. I recall pleasant evenings when a group of us would gather in his room near the top of the back stairs and discuss putting the world to rights.

Nigel Coates.jpg

His history background resulted in him becoming a founder member of the Godalming Trust in 1965
Anyway any article would not be complete without a picture of Nigel without one of his labradors, in this case Judy.
Roger Noble (with lots of help from Peter Gordon)


Literary Corner
Are any of the more recently acquired members hiding their lights about their published books. If so please let me know.

Letters to the editor

Dear Roger,
I read the newsletter with great enjoyment, and had never before seen the photo of George and myself at a return to Hillside – though I remember the occasion in the 1960s.
A further small pedant’s point. I believe Tiger Redmond served on the North-West frontier during his time in the Indian Army. (Incidentally, I find a letter to my grandparents mentioning that he arrived at Hillside for the Michaelmas term of 1947. But probably this is known already. He incidentally taught carpentry, and made me a fine wooden sabre on the model of Brigadier Gerard’s). For Christmas 1948 my grandparents gave me a capital collection of semi-autobiographical stories by Michael Burt, called Lean Brown Men. The author served before the war on the NW frontier with the Punjab Frontier Force, and I can strongly recommend the book. I vividly recall discussing it with Tiger, who had served either with the “Piffers” or a similar force. Unfortunately, all I can remember of his reminiscences is that he came in touch with a local tribe possessed of a formidable weapon. This was a smallish steel disc with razor-sharp edge and a hole in the middle, which the natives spun round on a forefinger and then sent spinning at the foe with deadly effect.
I wonder whether it was during this service that he acquired the nickname “Tiger”?
Nikolai Tolstoy

Hi Roger
Comps of the season and thanks for the latest newsletter. I really enjoyed reading about Mr Redman. I don’t know how you do it!
Steve
The simple answer is with a lot of help. The beautifully researched article on Tiger in the December newsletter was all Andrew Harvey. Many of you would also never have been found without Andrew’s painstaking research, with some help from Jack Fuller, on places like Ancestry. Also where would we be without Martin Koranka’s work on the web site and the laborious process of digitising some four hundred odd pages of the White Star magazines one page at a time. I feel it has all been worthwhile given the enthusiastic response this project has generated.
Roger

Hello Roger,
My parents had just moved to Reigate, but they must have been recommended to Hillside Godalming. In the early days if I wore my cap in Reigate I would get a few suspicious glances. I started school in the summer of 1948, not yet 8. I must have arrived early because when I was taken to my proposed form room which was right at the top of the house there was 2 impressive armies of tin soldiers- were they enacting The Battle of Waterloo? I believed they belonged to Robin Whicker and Nikolai Tolstoy, but they were gone the following morning when I attended Mrs Wakely’s class. My first dormitory was the small one right opposite the carpeted forbidden stairs. There were 4 of us. Godfrey Wooden, Charles or was it Peter Gethen, and I have forgotten the fourth member. My Jumbo and Panda, my cuddly toys were soon despatched – I think out of the window never to be seen again! But I still look back at my days at Hillside with a lot of fond memories. I must have done as Mr & Mrs Whicker came to our wedding in Reigate in 1965.
Incidentally Roger, had you just left? (ed – I left in December 1960).
Michael Bancroft

Pal’s corner
Jack Fuller has now located ten of the 1963 hockey team, but he is still anxious to locate Jonathan (?) Weale to get the full team. Can anyone help? A possible clue is that his father owned the bicycle shop in Godalming.
We have also accounted for ten of the 1960 football team. Can anyone help on the last member Tim Gibbs who was last heard of as a publican in Sutton. I have written to his sister but so far without success.

Roger Noble
roger.noble@btopenworld.com