I bumped into...

Share your memories and stories from your days at school, and find out the truth behind the rumours....Remember the teachers and pupils, tell us who you remember and why...

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bap
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I bumped into...

Post by bap »

I caught a train from Horsham yesterday [14th December] and found myself standing next to Mr Rae and Mr Lorimer who were deep in conversation. Mr 'Rocker' Rae was my House Master in Lamb B - I don't remember ever talking to Mr Lorimer - and I hadn't seen him in 30 years; in fact I had assumed that he must be dead. I wasn't sure how to introduce myself so didn't - a decision I now regret
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Great Plum
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Post by Great Plum »

I believe they both retired to Horsham... quite a lot of retired teachers live relatively close to the school...
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sport!
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Post by sport! »

I remember Rocker's maths lessons well, he used to have some sort of blackboard on vertical runners, and used to give it an almighty kick with the sole of his shoe to ensure evryone's full attention...
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J.R.
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Post by J.R. »

Great Plum wrote:I believe they both retired to Horsham... quite a lot of retired teachers live relatively close to the school...
Quite correct, Matt.

'Rocker' Rae has lost NONE of his emphatic character with age. He just seems so much shorter these days ! (However, I am now 6ft-3" in 'old-money')
John Rutley. Prep B & Coleridge B. 1958-1963.
bap
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Post by bap »

You're right J.R. His voice is still incredibly powerful [even in conversation] but he appears significantly shorter than I remember, and I noticed he is using a walking stick. He always had a very distinctive laugh which ended in an extended "zzzzz" and I believe some nicknamed him "Hoz" as a result. Just for completeness, Mr Lorimer was sporting a jaunty, snow white, beard [colour, not cartoon character]
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J.R.
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Post by J.R. »

bap wrote:You're right J.R. His voice is still incredibly powerful [even in conversation] but he appears significantly shorter than I remember, and I noticed he is using a walking stick. He always had a very distinctive laugh which ended in an extended "zzzzz" and I believe some nicknamed him "Hoz" as a result. Just for completeness, Mr Lorimer was sporting a jaunty, snow white, beard [colour, not cartoon character]
I think I saw quite a recent photo of 'Log' Lorimer in a copy of The Blue. He attends one of the Surrey branches of the OB's. It was possibly around last Christmas. Must admit, I had to look twice.
John Rutley. Prep B & Coleridge B. 1958-1963.
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Post by Richard Ruck »

J.R. wrote:
bap wrote:You're right J.R. His voice is still incredibly powerful [even in conversation] but he appears significantly shorter than I remember, and I noticed he is using a walking stick. He always had a very distinctive laugh which ended in an extended "zzzzz" and I believe some nicknamed him "Hoz" as a result. Just for completeness, Mr Lorimer was sporting a jaunty, snow white, beard [colour, not cartoon character]
I think I saw quite a recent photo of 'Log' Lorimer in a copy of The Blue. He attends one of the Surrey branches of the OB's. It was possibly around last Christmas. Must admit, I had to look twice.
He also attends The Bax....
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Post by jhopgood »

J.R. wrote:
Great Plum wrote:I believe they both retired to Horsham... quite a lot of retired teachers live relatively close to the school...
Quite correct, Matt.

'Rocker' Rae has lost NONE of his emphatic character with age. He just seems so much shorter these days ! (However, I am now 6ft-3" in 'old-money')
I met Rae at a CH club AGM when he remembered me, despite the fact that I was in Barnes B. He tried to teach me maths at one stage, 3rd form I think.
I remember the blackboard, him throwing chalk to remind wandering minds that he was teaching, and the fact that when he came in, he leapt up on the raised platform in front of the blackboard and threw his leather brief case onto his desk, where it normally slid to a halt before falling off the end.
If it fell off the desk, it fell in a waste paper basket, which inspired someone to leave the adjacent window off the latch.
Sure enough, one day he threw the brief case, which slid across the desk and out of the window.
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J.R.
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Post by J.R. »

jhopgood wrote:
J.R. wrote:
Great Plum wrote:I believe they both retired to Horsham... quite a lot of retired teachers live relatively close to the school...
Quite correct, Matt.

'Rocker' Rae has lost NONE of his emphatic character with age. He just seems so much shorter these days ! (However, I am now 6ft-3" in 'old-money')
I met Rae at a CH club AGM when he remembered me, despite the fact that I was in Barnes B. He tried to teach me maths at one stage, 3rd form I think.
I remember the blackboard, him throwing chalk to remind wandering minds that he was teaching, and the fact that when he came in, he leapt up on the raised platform in front of the blackboard and threw his leather brief case onto his desk, where it normally slid to a halt before falling off the end.
If it fell off the desk, it fell in a waste paper basket, which inspired someone to leave the adjacent window off the latch.
Sure enough, one day he threw the brief case, which slid across the desk and out of the window.
Ar, the good old days, John ! I remember that incident well.
John Rutley. Prep B & Coleridge B. 1958-1963.
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Post by Richard Ruck »

Rae used to run the R.A.F. section of the C.C.F. - his uniform always looked a little too small for him!

When I was 15 I harboured some illogical idea that my future career might lie with the R.A.F., so he arranged for me to attend something called a 'test in advance' at the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre at Biggin Hill. For this I was permitted to be out of school for a couple of days.... :shock:

Other more deserving people have gone on to join the service, so I guess that he was in some way instrumental in helping them on their way.
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Post by cj »

Wing Commander Rae and Mr Lorimer were both at David Elliott's funeral last Friday. How come none of the staff look a day older than when I last saw them 16 years ago?
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Post by eloisec »

haha very true. Good to see Mr Hailey there too. He hadn't changed either.
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Post by cj »

eloisec wrote:haha very true. Good to see Mr Hailey there too. He hadn't changed either.
Who's he? It was a very surreal experience. Lots of faces that looked familiar, but I couldn't put a name to most of them. Having kids shrinks your brain, which is bad news if, like me, it was small to begin with. Can't remember what my husband's name is some days ...
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Post by eloisec »

Bob Hailey used to teach me French and Latin. A great teacher who made subjects I dreaded fun. His classroom was in the Prep Block.
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Post by cj »

And why the moniker 'Rocker' for Mr Rae? Was he a bit of one, quiff and beetlecrushers in his youth? JED seems to have discovered the elixir for eternal youth. Or parsing Latin verbs puts the ageing process into reverse.
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