I have to start by stating that my memory of my Chandos school days are at best sketchy & quite random in my dotage.  So apologies if some facts are 'but not necessarily in the right order’…  if Eric Morecombe can get away with it re. André 'Previous’, so can I.

From the off, I must declare that I had a great time at Chandos.  I learnt a lot and it made me determined to leave my mark on the world.

My brother, Ian (he of the white hair - it was pure white since birth and into his twenties when it started to yellow slightly.  His nickname was 'Snowball’), and cousin, Alan Bristow, also attended Chandos in the following year.

It was a great disappointment to my parents that I failed my 11+ exams.  I was fairly bright academically but with a mop of red hair from my Scottish mum’s side mixed with my father’s Cockney family’s entrepreneurial background, there was a real rebel within me.  However I was always in the top class throughout my time in school.  I loved Maths, History, Geography, British Constitution, Art, and Sport particularly.  My priorities in school were to learn, have fun and to enjoy myself.

I joined the school brass band under the tutorage of art teacher Mr Harrison and played the bass trombone badly.  At home, I was dispatched to our garage to practise but eventually had to give it up due to complaints from suffering neigbours and my rapidly failing lack of enthusiasm.  I did play a couple of times with The Watford Silver Brass Band and received lessons from the bass trombonist at The London Symphony Orchestra thru the school.

So, back to teachers. Best: Albert Barclay (fun), Mr Kendall, Mr Jones (English & 6^th Form), 'Pete’ Gordon (History), Mr Morgan (Maths) Mr Webb, Monsiuer Boulangerie - Mr Baker (French).  Total losing it Nutters: Wilcox (Metalwork), Cornick (Woodwork).  Wary of: Mr Budd (dodgy).

Woodwork teacher, {Music Theory - CP} and choir master, Mr Cornick, was unable to control his classes.  So he resorted to wielding and thrashing his selection of canes on us pupils.  He had a foul temper and of course we used to wind him up.  Finally we had enough and got into his classroom at the end of school and glued all his canes into their slots on his bench.  The next day, after another riotous session, he went to grab his favoured cane and the bench came with him too - sending us into fits of laughter.

Talking in Class - In my latter years, Mr Kendall would be facing the blackboard and hear us talking behind him.  He would turn on the spot and throw the wooden-backed blackboard rubber often hitting the wrong pupil who would end up with a lump on his head.

Swing Doors - on a regular basis the adjacent girls’ school would have to come through the boys school to access the gym.  A class of girls would be briskly led by the gym teacher in her PE kit from the corridor on their side thrusting the doors wide open with some force into the corridor on the boys side.  Over a period of weeks we, as the prefects on corridor duty by these dividing swing doors, had noticed that the door hinges were coming away from the frame.  The girls’ PE teacher was often quite rude and dismissive of us.  So we said nothing until finally the day arrived.  The girls’ PE teacher powered the doors open as per usual except this time they fell crashing to the ground.  Angrily she blamed us but in truth it was her over-use of force that caused the damage.  Boys prefects were moved away from doors afterwards.

Albert Barclay’s Clandestine Hut Meetings.  We were aware that Albert & other batchelor teachers were having breaktime meet ups with some of the unattached female teachers from the girls school.  We liked to gather there too in our upper years but were banned.  So we devised a cunning plan.  A large amount of bicarb. was added to the teachers’ sugar stash in the hope that they would need the toilet sooner than usual so we could enter.  In fact Albert later told us they were confused as to why their hot drinks were frothy.  Mission failed!

Remember teachers being very excited because former pupil and now TV Talent Judge & Pop Empresario, Mickey Most, visited the school.  He lived in a big house in Totteridge Lane.

My brother and cousin both spent school time in the Remove Classes working on the garden in the quadrangle.  Alan was always breaking the rules…  crossing the white line in the playground daily to see the girls.  In later life he became a Police Officer.  He now lives in Dorset.  My brother, Ian, died unexpectedly in 2019 from a brain aneurism but was very successful in business.  His family live in Pinner.

School Dinners.  Still have a hatred of pilchards in tomato sauce.  In the 5^th & 6^th form I often got what the teachers ate as the head cook was a friend of my Scottish grandad.  School Milk - Great in winter but warm in summer.  Loved being a milk monitor.

6^th form Dance with the Girls’ School.  Dance classes after school in the hall were conducted by Mr Jones and one of the female teachers from the Girls’ School.  Waltz, Quickstep, and the Gavotte.  I don’t have any recollection of any professional dance instructor.

Playing a minor part in the school rock band, The Trolls.  Part- harmonica player/'Roadie'.