Patcham Seniors - Class photograph 1958

Patcham School 1958
Private collection of Ben Breeds
Hollingbury Carden school
Carden School, Hollingbury c.1968. Photo by Martin Nimmo

I went to Patcham seniors in 1958 having been to Carden School since I was 9 years old. The change from juniors to seniors was daunting, as was facing the teachers for the first time, but as time went on they were not so bad. Mr Mann was one of the good ones and I got on very well with him, one reason was because I loved sport , and he was the sport master. I was so proud when I was chosen to be the leader of “B” team on the outward bounds course at Burwash.

The scarey Mr Ingham

I remember Mr Cresswell who took woodwork, I learnt a lot from him and all the knowledge I gained, helped me through life. The feared teachers were Mr Ingham who took science, he stood behind at the back of the classroom and when anyone was caught talking his cane crashed down on the desk, just missing their finger tips. When I left school I saw him at the bar in the Ladies Mile pub and told him that he was scary and very frightening, but he replied “Did you learn about science Breeds.” I nodded. and he replied well then I did a really good job then didn’t I, so get the drinks in lad.” So I got the drinks in and smiled, he was right.

The people in the photo I will name as many as I can remember

4th row- (2nd from the left) Ian Jefferies. (3rd from the left) Stephen Bartlet.
(5th from the left) Is me. Ben Breeds.
3rd row-(2nd from the left) Linda Ruff. (4th from the left) Lorna Green.
2nd row-(1st from the left) Michael Pope. (4th on the left) Sheila Pratt.
-(4th from the right) Sandra Wenham. (3rd from the right) Marjorie Hollow.
1st row- (3rd from the left) Raymond Drake. (4th from the left)Brian Laine.
(1st from the right) John Language.
If you see yourself, or recognise someone in the photo, could you please post a comment below, I will be looking forward to your remarks. Thank you.

Comments about this page

  • In Your photo, the only lad I recognise was Michael Pope who I was with in the Patcham Boys Brigade who used to meet in (the then new) Carden School. Some of the teachers I remember are: Mr Mann (PE) and Mr Creswell.
    I passed the 13+ exam and went to the BSBES In Hanover St. So Mr Ingham (who taught my wife) must have Mr Silverman in Science. I also remember Mr Goldsmith (a very cruel carpenter! ) a Miss (Daisy West) and my form teacher a young Miss Smart. Hope this jogs your memory. John C Snelling.

    By John Snelling (04/09/2020)
  • My wife, maiden name (Diana Valerie Bentley) tells me that she attended Patcham Seniors from 1956 – 1960 and does remember the dreaded Mr Ingham, Mr Mann (also hated as she was not into sport) and Daisy West. I believe Daisy West lived in a chalet type bungalow off Warmdean Road (on the RHS before the rise up to the school). Later (when at the BSSBE school in Hanover Terrace), we had to travel to Patcham playing field for games. She also remembers Mr Taylor who taught English and painted scenery for the school play “The Merchant of Venice). I remember a Mr Wills who (I think) taught English – he was on the upper floor. during this time we lived in Mayfield Crescent To get to school involved going down a footpath at the crown of the hill, into what I would think was Wilmington Close (Cul-De-Sac) , cutting accross waste ground (where the RC Church now stands and where we had the communal bonfire on Nov 5th. Crossing over garden Avenue and turning right into Warden Road. The alternative was to go down Mayfield Crescent, turn right into Wilmington Way, Cross garden Avenue opposite the sweetshop and go down the footpath turning right at the bottom into Warden Road. The bus into Brighton was then the No 35 which struggled up Braybon Avenue in 1st gear! Happy Days.

    By John C Snelling (05/09/2020)
  • Errata above. For garden Avenue read Carden. For Warden read ” Warmdean”. should be turn left into Carden Avenue not Garden :” Warmdean” Road again = not Warden. Zero marks for spellcheck!!

    By John C Snelling (05/09/2020)
  • I went to Patcham Secondary School which was quite a shock to my system as I had gone to Lourdes Convent until I was 11. I failed my 11+ and my parents deemed it necessary to send me back to a secondary school. My first shock was seeing the F word scrawled all over the toilets as I had never heard this word before. Next, I remember seeing the most awful bloodied fight in the locker room between two girls who apparently hated themselves so much, one being Lorna Green. I remember Mr Mann who was a super teacher and took us on ‘out of bound’ courses at Burwash Place which I loved. We did archery, orienteering, camping, canoeing and rock climbing. I remember Mr Cresswell, Mr Bosanko, Mr Jenni who I liked very much as he loved us reading plays and I always got a good part. Miss Smith who taught us English and Mrs Smith who was horrible. She taught domestic science and I remember our class cooking and she opened an oven and screamed and ran backwards as her eyebrows had gone and she had a sooty moustache. We were so frightened, no one did anything.
    Mr Ingram was a nasty evil teacher and would have been taken to an education tribunal had he been teaching in the 21st century. If someone misbehaved, he would make the whole class sit with their hands on their heads, he would throw the blackboard wiper into the class which was solid wood and come up behind pupils and hit them. He was an evil man and at the tender age of 12/13, we didn’t know how to complain.

    By Lesley Miles nee Goddard (08/11/2020)
  • Does Anyone recall a Mr Goldsmith who taught carpentry at Patcham Seniors in the early 50’s? He was cruel man who would run from one side of the Carpentry Class (in the prefabs) and whirl the strap, then bring it crashing down on your outstretched hand. I hope that someone reported him and got him sacked.

    By John Snelling (29/12/2020)
  • Hi Lesley. I had to laugh when you said about the two girls fighting in the locker room at Patcham school , and the one name that you remembered was Lorna Green. As you know by the school photo that I posted that she was in the same class as I was, the one person that you didn’t want to upset was Lorna, she was never the type of girl that fought by pulling hair and scratching, she pulled a mean punch. I kind of admired her in a way because she never took anything lying down she faced any problems full on.
    I was the leader of team B on the out of bounds at Burwash and during the weeks leading up to it we built a wooden two seater canoe in woodwork. I was paddling it down the river with one of the boys from my team and the canoe sprung several leaks, I saw Mr Mann and Miss Osborne sitting on a grass bank having a break so I shouted out to them that I was sinking. They both laughed hysterically and shouted back “Well you better paddle faster then”. Needless to say, but we sunk.
    Good memories.

    By ben breeds (11/01/2021)
  • Hi John.
    I remember Mr Goldsmith very well, he was in the end prefab. you are right about him, he was a bully.
    At the start of the last year at Patcham, I remember being in his woodwork class and I was working on a piece of wood when I accidently dropped the plane I was using. He came storming across the classroom and pushed me over. He reached into his drawer and pulled out his leather strap and told me to hold my hand out. He swung the strap at my out stretched arm, but just as it was going to make contact I pulled it away and quickly grabbed the strap out of his hand. I walked across the room and slung it out of a open window. He saw how angry I was and he backed away from me. I told him that he was never going to do that to me ever again. The whole class was quiet at first but then they started to titter between themselves. The sound of the bell rang telling us the lesson was over and we all left the room. I never had any more trouble from him again.
    Mr Mann saw me later that day , he never said anything but he patted me on my back .
    I found out later that none of other teachers liked Goldsmith.

    By ben breeds (11/01/2021)
  • I was very interested to read about these memories of Patcham School in the fifties. I left there in 1955, I was fifteen. The teachers were an assortment ranging from the horrendous (Ingham and Goldsmith, bullies) to the excellent (Packham, Smart) and the others. Cresswell, who delivered the strap to me on almost a daily basis. I can’t remember my crimes, mostly talking, I think. Charlie Mann, a man’s man but not a bad man! (he had a little stick to address your calves). Morris Packham was a gem and helped me get through some tricky times. Silverman, a strange character but likeable.
    Patcham was not a bad school and my days there were basically happy.I thought football (particularly in cold rain) and , to a lesser extent , rugby, were insane, and only for people who, like puppies, like to fetch balls. I boxed for the school and that , for me , was a meaningful fight, not a game. The eleven plus damaged the futures of many of us at that time but here’s to Patcham Sec. Mod. !!

    By Ian Tracy (28/02/2021)
  • In the early 50s I was a chorister in Christ the King which was then just a church hall. One evening I was with some other lads waiting to be let in for choir practice, when Mr Goldsmith appeared walking up Braybon Avenue. Feeling safe by being in a crowd, I shouted out “There’s Goldilocks” He looked round but, seeing there were quite a few of us decided to walk on. I have discovered a very small photo which must have been taken on Patcham School playing fields 1949 / 50. I have remembered some of the faces: Mr Wills, Michael Geary, Jack Raff, John Almond, Brian Page, xxxxxx Akehurst and Michael Gulliver. I’m now 83, I wonder if these lads are still with us.

    By john Snelling (11/06/2021)
  • I showed the patcham ’58 photo to my wife, her maiden name was Diana Bentley and she lived in the Council houses built circa 1946 in Carden Avenue, virtually opposite The Snipe pub (now a supermarket!). She has looked at the photo and thinks she could be 6th from left on the 2nd row from the bottom and to her left Pamela Watts, her best mate. I remember Douglas Pope who became a corporal in the 30th Boys Brigade at Carden School captained by “Bumble” Griffin from Mayfield Crescent, with Les Harris a lieutenant and a Mr Constable also a Lieutenant. Boys of my age I recall were Rodney Potts, Brian Griffin, Brian Page, Ken Smith, Michael Neighbour, David Marmory, Michael Turner, David Cottingham, Michael Geary, Pamela Tester, etc .

    By John Snelling (18/09/2021)
  • Attended Patcham 1958/62,
    Goldsmith cruel and Ingham was strict, he was my form teacher in the 4th year, the best teacher I had, got me through my final exams. In my class were John Langridge, Roger Lowrie , ‘Jaffa’ Mick Pope , Harris and I think Ben Breeds.
    I remember Lorna Green, Vivian Hall, Heather Ruff, Vanessa? plus Judith Knight.
    Lots of fun and the strap !

    By Cliff Marchant (07/06/2022)
  • Hi Cliff, (sounds rather steep!!)
    I knew Michael Pope who was in the 30th Boys Brigade and we were in the same tent during camp in Glynde near Lewes.
    He was a couple of years older than me. I also seem to remember Heather Ruff, but as I left in ’51 passing the 13+ to go to the BSBE school in Hanover Terrace, I could be wrong.

    By John Snelling (22/09/2022)
  • Just noticing a few mentions about Burwash Place outward bounds centre. My late father in law, Ken Gulliver and his wife Sheilah set up and ran the centre for the local education authority. They were there until 1980 when sadly Mrs Thatcher’s education cuts closed the place. Many people have very happy memories and experiences of a very special place where outdoor activities were celebrated and taught.

    By sharon gulliver (10/10/2022)

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