How wonderful to read on this Memories blog about all you (1957-61) guys again! I don't see many OP contemporaries these days, especially as I live in the south of the Isle of Wight. I particularly enjoyed Mike Nicholson's memoirs of his Pangbourne days and thought I would like to add something to them.
My reasons for going from prep school to the Nautical College Pangbourne were purely because I saw myself as Captain of a Royal Navy destroyer in the mode of Jack Hawkins. My father was always playing military officers in films during the 40's, 50's and 60's. His great chum Capt Anthony Kimmins suggested Pangbourne. The fact that the Common Entrance exam requirement was lower than most was also a great benefit.
I started a couple of years after Mike Nicholson (57-61) but my memories of Port Jackson are very similar to his. The heroic Fred Owens (55-60), a Miller Raynor man, was CCC when I arrived. I seem to remember him delegating the giving of cuts to his 2 I/C as he felt he might be a bit too strong for the us youngsters.
Early morning "Ackers" were unforgettable. A run to "Bart's arse" and back was a popular one. Shuffling in a line, heads bowed and softly singing "Hang down your head Tom Dooley" as we approached the freezing cold hose-down. Morning territories and kit inspection. The removal of bed covers because the NCP crests weren't in a straight line. Up the drive at the double for breakfast and morning divisions. All unforgetable.
I certainly was never bullied but I think there was a certain amount of 'mush-wacking' and I do remember some boys being made to hold heavy metal foot lasts out in front of them until their arms could take no more. This happened in the boot room where we learnt to pour molten shoe polish on our toe caps. All this cleaning and tidiness inculcated itself into my psyche. My wife can get pretty fed up with my insistance to this day that everything should be put in its right place and tidily.
I, too, went on to Macquarie. I'm sure we were given a choice and I chose Macquarie because it had, I thought, a slightly more risque reputation. I agree with Mike's analysis of Max's cuts. They weren't too painful but he was great believer in their effectiveness. I don't know why I was such a bad hat but I certainly held a few records for strokes rec'd.
Max Findlater was a great smoker of De Reske cigarettes and I well remember him scolding the 6' 8" Fenton (?which one), who had been caught smoking, with the immortal words "You shouldn't smoke. It will stunt your growth."
The Macquarie library that Mike refers to, also had a picture of Eugene Esmond VC launching a torpedo from his Fairey Swordfish at the Gniesenau. Years later I became great friends with his neice.
Mike mentions the KG5 annual swim. When I was at the NCP it was always won by Aune (K.E. Aune 58-62) who seemed to have webbed feet he swam so fast. Shags Potter (A.J. Potter 57-61) was very proud of the fact that he always came last. One day someone shouted encouragingly to him "Come on Potter, you're not last". This came as a surprise to Shags so he had to tread water until the offender had overtaken him.
Loads of dead animals did indeed float down the river. But on one occasion Flush Rimmer was supervising a whaler outing when there was a thump. " Have look over the side boy and report back". "It's a dead body, sir " was the ashen-faced reply. I remember that Flush didn't believe this and was visibly shaken when proved wrong. The poor lad who was sent to the police station to report the discovery was told "Oh, we've been waiting for him. He fell in at Goring"
Unlike my younger brother who was a boxer and cross country runner my sporting prowess never got past Maintop. I found I had much more interest in smoking, drinking and general truancy. Whether this was caused by my having a detached retina at 14 and subsequently realising that I'd never pass the eyesight tests for a deck officer in the RN, or whether I was just a bolshie teenager, I don't know. But I managed to gain a reputation.
It all came to a head in 1961 when Martin Stokes (58-61) and I were caught with a girl each in our arms, a little drunk and leaning against the wall of the Odeon Reading. We'd met the girls at the College dance and shown them the delights of the Band room. We then arranged to meet up again in Reading. This involved the forging of parental letters saying that we were being taken out for the day and making a run for it after Sunday morning parade (still in No 1's), onto the Reading train.We had a great day in the pub and then decided on the cinema. Unfortunately Barry Jerman (58-61) was out with his parents and spotted us. The charges, I think, were AWOL, drinking, uniform undone etc etc.
This was the 12 stroke occasion that Mike Nicholson referred to. We were joined on this famous Captain's Defaulters by a great bunch of guys who had been caught after a night time visit to Queen Anne's Caversham. All were sentenced to 12 strokes from Mr Finch, and Martin and I were sent home.
That, sadly, was the end of my education but not my bad behaviour. One fine evening in 1965 my brother Timmy, John Harvey and I managed to pinch a Routemaster from Wandsworth garage with the intention of parking it on the parade ground. Unfortunately, we were caught in Reading. So near! Thankfully the penalties in those days for this sort of behaviour were comparatively lenient. We did make the Braden Beat on TV.
I managed to prosper without further troubling the examiners. I went into the hotel business and was manager of the Dragon Hotel Swansea, a 4* Trust House hotel by the age of 24, having worked my way through all the hotel departments in the company around the UK and Germany. Then I worked around the world with Reuters and retired at 55, so Pangbourne must have done something for me.