Roy Curtis
After spending days and weeks looking for evidence in the many pictures and objects shown on this Memorabilia page I came across the WTS-Xmas Play Programme sent in by Mick Pusey, then it was ''Eureka'' The School Printing Club, I am not named but I know I printed that and lots of other tickets and programmes over 3 years. We had an ADANA hand printing press, every item was composed in the lunch time break over days and weeks in the old Physics Lab to the left of the main building just by the the small entrance from Eastern Street. After doing that for term after term we read everything from right to left and all the type was back to front for compositing and very inky fingers all round. Mr, Burton supervised and was very hands on helping us as much as he could.
My cousin Leslie Harold Curtis was remembered on the Roll of Honour List. Leslie was the son of Harold and Daisy and they lived in Lower Bowerdean Road High Wycombe. He was a Sergeant in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 44 (Rhodesia) Sqdn. He died on February 8th 1943 aged 21. His body was never found and he is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial.
Mike (Mick) Pusey - 1957 to '60
The 1920s photos I have added above I have harvested from the High Wycombe Furniture Archive which is held by the Buckinghamshire New University, or Wycombe College as we knew it! The legends mostly say "almost certainly ..... Wycombe Technical Institute" but I have looked at them carefully and I am certain they are pictures taken at the Old Tech.
You will certainly recognise the Woodwork Shops, the Metalwork shop and the Woodwork Machine Shop; where we used to get our starting materials cut up by Mr Barlow. The picture labelled School Lab. I think is the old physics lab., where there used to be a steam engine complete with flywheel that we used to tie unfortunates to and set spinning!!!
The picture of boys exercising in the yard is amazing with the old Fives Courts in the background and I felt I could still be there.
The examples of the students work includes some pieces that I think are really quite outstanding. Of course, the school was originally set up to supply skilled workers for the furniture trade in Wycombe.
It would be interesting to see if anyone recognises any of the people in the pictures as relatives and also if they can spot anything interesting in the scenes pictured.
Ivan (Spadger) Sparrow - 1957 to '60
School Report - 1958 (see file) Do not judge me harshly- my teachers did that. If you have a Report of yours, post it - don't be precious and select the "best" one - it will display the different teachers opinion of you at that time.
Thank God that "I" did not have to pay for my school uniform - 6ft 4+ins at 14yrs 6mths - 12st 2lbs - there really are reasons why I did not become famous as a Basket Ball player, or Ruckman in AFL, or a scaffold pole for the Millennium Dome. I decided to stop growing when I reached 6ft 6ins - because then I was paying for my own clothes. At least I "stood out", and others remember me for that - I just hope they also remember me as being an "all-round wonderful bloke" and one they wished to be associated with - How one's mind plays tricks on one. I will admit, it took "courage and strength", to support the rest of the class that was above me - as it would appear from my Report, quite a number of them. At least, they are all blokes that I have been proud and privileged to have known, (and supported).
Ivan (Spadger) Sparrow - 1957 to '60
Regarding the SPEECH DAY PROGRAMMES – 1960 and 1961 (please see files)
To be perfectly honest, I have no recollection whatsoever of these occasions, but as I have “copies” of the events, they must have occurred. I hope others will enlighten me. Nevertheless, they show many names. Each of whom will be glad to see them, especially if they did not have, or retain a copy. But that’s what this site is all about isn’t it. Recording History, and sharing with others.