Banstead Village

W.H. Spearing had a son, Gerald (Gerry) who was at Sutton County (Grammar) School with me from 1942 to 1947.

Attended Banstead Secondary Boys School 1958 until 1963
Really enjoyed my school years there.

I just found the interesting note in the archive. The picture shows Naomi Mansfield-Clerk. I met her as a student at the University of Cologne in the summer of 1950 at a harvest camp in Hughenden near Wisbech [just North of High Wycombe in the UK]. We were friends and had a wonderful time despite the hard work. Anyone know about Naomi? How long was she a teacher at this school? Is she still alive and does someone know her address? Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Stratenwerth, Germany, Bergisch Gladbach

Note from LNW: Hello Dr. Wolfgang. Your friend has an unusual name so I will see what I can find out.

Following the request from Dr. Wolfgang I spent a couple of hours tracing Naomi Mansfield-Clarke and she turned out to be one amazing lady. I established that she went to New Zealand then disappeared for a while until she turned up again and married a Polish gentleman. Using her married name I traced her to Somerset where she has lived for some years.

I have now contacted Naomi and passed on her details to Wolfgang. She was delighted to be reminded of old times and is looking forward to receiving his photos from the time, by snail mail.

During my research I came across an interview she gave at the age of 82 describing years of travel on her own right across Asia.
You can listen to it here. (12 mins)

(https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b0194496)

Naomi Mansfield-Clarke wrote about sports in the 1948 edition of Wallington County School for Girls school magazine. She was an outstanding personality, remembered by such as myself with no interest in sports at all.

Hi Peter, I’ve just come across this photo; could unknown be Glyn Maddocks, woodwork (and rugby!). Best wishes, Bill Armstrong.
PS So sorry to read your posting re George Ford’s death.

I remember Naomi quite well with her New Zealand “twang”; a female PE teacher at an all boys’ secondary school was surely a mite unconventional.
Mr. Reeder I recall too and to me he seemed a gentleman in the truest sense. He had some text affixed on some walls of his classroom, high up, which read something like:- I shall pass through this world but once. Any kindness therefore that I can show to anyone let me do it now for I shall not pass this way again. He also had the newest car, a quite new Morris Minor. I remember boys calling him “Pop”; not to his face, of course.

Bill, as you can see from some of the posts above, Naomi is alive and well, although now widowed, and living in the West Country where she's also a tournament bridge player. She was at Picquets Way as a supply teacher only for a couple of terms, but boy, did she make an impact on her adolescent admirers... and she knew it!

As you recall, Mr Reeder was a gentleman. I don't remember the text in the classroom, but given that he'd lost his son in tragic circumstances a decade earlier, the biblical words now make poignant sense. Being the man he was, he never ever mentioned his son's death - but I suppose you didn't in those days. I knew nothing about it until I read Lewis Wood's book, 'These Men of Banstead'.

Peter, I’ve had further thoughts on the photo. Missing are our first form teacher, Dolly Ripon, Eric (?) Foster, in addition to the afore- mentioned Glynn Maddocks. If I recall correctly (no guarantees!) they all left at the end of the 1957 Summer term. Baldy Hutton is also absent; can you remember when he retired? Who then took us for maths? Was it Maurice Bramall and if so, who took over with history? I remember a Mr. Jones and now wonder whether he is the unknown, as he wasn’t very tall. Was it him who had the habit of screwing chalk of various hues on desk inkwell covers and then perching thereon? The seat of his trousers were quite arty! I think that he was replaced after not too long by Mr. Piers.

I attended this school from 1957, unfortunately I can’t remember any of the teachers names as I left about 1959 when we moved to Mitcham. There were many things that we did there that we never did at my next school sadly. Driving past today I see everything’s changed there. I do remember a pretty young lady, well girl of course, who lived in Tangier Way although my interest wasn’t returned, Oh well, I was relatively innocent when I left and grew up the hard way in Mitcham, I did enjoy this school.

I attended the girls school in Picquets Way, in 1956 - 1960 but can’t find any information or photos from the girls School.
Apart from the information on the 2 different headmistresses,
Teachers I remember are Mrs Friend, Mrs Greenhaugh, Mr Sutton,
Mrs Tucker, Mrs Cahill.
Has anyone got photos of the building or group photos etc of the staff.

The teacher 5th from right standing, was he the science master? Can anyone confirm?
Such easy going days compared with now.

No; when Mr. Ripon left, he was replaced by Mr. Adams. Mr. Judd taught what was termed General Subjects and I remember him as being a good distance runner, although some might think otherwise because of his build. I used to avoid cricket and football during the elongated games period, choosing a cross-country run as the lesser evil, not that there was much in the way of country en route. I recall that we'd join the A217 road opposite The Wheatsheaf pub, then it was down to Banstead cross-roads and turn right into Fir Tree Road, which was followed up onto Epsom Downs. The memory is now hazy - how far did we then go and what was the return route?

Norman, the teacher fifth from right standing was Stephen Judd. He wasn't the science teacher - as Bill Armstrong says, that was Norman Adams (third from right) and, earlier, 'Dolly' Rippon, not in this photograph.
Stephen Judd was a general teacher who taught the 'C' and 'D' streams, and he suffered awful abuse - sometimes physical - from the kids. As a matter of passing interest, his brother was Frank Judd MP (later Lord Judd), a highly regarded Labour politician who was, inter alia, Minister of State at the Foreign Office, and director of both Oxfam and VSO.

I never realised that Stephen Judd suffered abuse, especially of the physical kind; I did, of course know that some kids played him up. Quite remarkable how chinks in a teacher's armour can be found and then exploited.
What did Mr. Voss teach? I don't recall being taught by him.
Arthur Ramsden was another General Subjects bloke; when Peter and I started at Picquets Way, I'm sure that he had 1D, Stephen 1C. Revisiting the photo, I couldn't help but think how Arthur has a passing resemblance to that utterly detestable JR-M...

A further thought - with no Glyn Maddocks, who taught woodwork? I remember Ernie (?) Sutton but not when he started. Also, who took the photo; a pupil?

Ah yes, Mr Judd rings a bell now, I was there about 64 years ago and only for a couple of years, it was a traditional school with cross country runs, I only did one as I was overweight and didn't like running. I think we went out the back of the school and went Nork way I think, I think it was a very good school.

Jenny, I've found a photograph of the girls school (picture #795), taken around 1957. The quality isn't good, but perhaps it's better than nothing.

Bill, I'm pretty certain that Mr Sutton followed Glyn Maddocks. I remember him being a far more serious teacher than the Welsh rugby wizard. As for the photographer, I doubt it was one of the boys - I shouldn't think he'd have had the same attention from the staff as we see here. So I'd guess it was taken by another teacher.

Meanwhile, see picture #796 for a photo of Glyn Maddocks.

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