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[englishangel]

BOYS, we confined ourselves to stinkbombs in the stationery cupboard.

[J.R.]

BOYS, we confined ourselves to stinkbombs in the stationery cupboard.

Spicy food at Hertford, eh, Mary ?

[Katharine]

Mary, I don't think you had the dubious pleasure of inkwells did you? I'm fairly sure they went in my time, JR is quite right that they gave rise to other uses of the luridly pink blotting paper we were issued

[jhopgood]

I do remember that they were very good for shunting.
Because of the wooden runners, it was possible to move to the side and up the aisle whilst everyone else shuffled back, and then in again at the front.
I recollect doing it whilst Tom Keely was asleep and in some other class, Bibby or Biddick I think, (but definitely not Rae, who caught us) whilst he was writing on the board. Well done, little noise was involved.
In 1959 there were new desks, with tubes instead of wrought iron, and these definitely had hinged lids. I remember them in Mrs Hurst's class

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Mary, I don't think you had the dubious pleasure of inkwells did you? I'm fairly sure they went in my time, JR is quite right that they gave rise to other uses of the luridly pink blotting paper we were issued

I remember them, and stains on rulers used to propel soggy bits of blotting paper across the room, not to mention stains on my fingers, particularly the middle finger of my right hand, and the big bottle of ink with a long, thin metal spout with which the Ink Monitress would roam the room in order to fill the inkpots.

I'm desperately scavenging my memories in order to determine whether the above ones are from my days at CH, or from primary school, but I have a vision of the CH desks with ink pot, and of Alex bearing a bottle of ink.

Please, someone, confirm or deny so that I can decide which medication is required today

[englishangel]

Confirmed, we did still have inkwells.

[kerrensimmonds]

I remember ink wells, and filling them from big bottles of 'Quink' (in the days before fountain pens had cartridges...and before we were allowed to use biros). I also remember red pencils, and sharpening them.
I think our desks had wooden runners at the side (though I don't remember sliding desks around) and I remember blackboards. On one occasion, in the Third Form, I think, I was aiming a ruler at the rather copious behind of the form mistress, who who had her back to us as she was was writing on the blackboard - only I let go, by mistake... Fortunately my aim was not very accurate, but it did make a lot of noise and what I had been trying to do was fairly obvious. Looking back, my heart goes out to those worthy women who had to put up with childish behaviour!

[J.R.]

Going back to Kerren's last post, I don't recall exactly where the ink actually came from. I notice she referes to QUINK, but I DO remember in my primary school in Farnham, Surrey, circa around 1956, the ink monitor had to MAKE the ink by mixing some dubious blue powder with water.

Thankfully, I never had to do it, but I do remember it was almost impossible without ending up with blue hands !!

[Vonny]

I seem to remember that if you lifted the lid and dropped it when the ink well was full, the ink went everywhere !

Blotting-paper balls, soaked in ink, then propelled at high speed across the classromm with the aid of a wooden ruler !

You sound as if you're an expert on the matter - not that it surprises me in the slightest

[J.R.]

I seem to remember that if you lifted the lid and dropped it when the ink well was full, the ink went everywhere !

Blotting-paper balls, soaked in ink, then propelled at high speed across the classromm with the aid of a wooden ruler !

You sound as if you're an expert on the matter - not that it surprises me in the slightest

Did I ever say I was a goody-goody at school ?

[midget]

It was one of the cardinal sins to raise the lid of your desk during a lesson, particularly if the teacher was Miss Blench. You were expected to have everything you would need for the lesson on top of the desk. I remember one poor girl who had forgotten something raising her desk lid about 2 inches and trying to slide her hand in without being spotted. Miss B was operating on an even shorter fuse than usual rushed up to her, grabbed the desk lid, throwing everything onto the floor, and then slammed the lid down in a rage. We were all terrified and hardly dared to breathe.

[kerrensimmonds]

My goodness, Maggie.. I am quaking! I remember the cardinal sin of opening the desk lid after the lesson had begun... and if one had forgotten something, trying to get inside quietly and unobtrusively. I am now feeling all shaky!!!
And you were there how many years before me.....??!!

[Vonny]

Did I ever say I was a goody-goody at school ?

Nope. I can just imagine you getting up to allsorts at school - I don't mean that in a horrible way at all!

[J.R.]

Did I ever say I was a goody-goody at school ?

Nope. I can just imagine you getting up to allsorts at school - I don't mean that in a horrible way at all!

Me and a couple of others from Coleridge B at least, one of whom went on to greater things, professionally, that is !!

There must be a moral there somewhere !

[kerrensimmonds]

Have you seen how that desk is going? Stands at £175, with six bids - all from the same person. And there are still four days to go.
a) Isn't that a lot more than any of the others fetched?
b) How come the same person is bidding against themselves? Feels dodgy....