Thursday 18 March 2010

Plunge bath...


Another personal shot here, possibly taken the same day as the pic of the two girls!

With one particular photo editing programme, (now lost unfortunately), I managed to darken the over exposed section with the chap on the left, and thought I recognised him, but now I'm not too sure...

This one somehow reminds me of the smell of the water (chlorine), when we used to go for early morning swims!

Blimey, I've only just remembered those after all these years!

8 comments:

John Rushworth said...

Hi, not really an old boy but I believe that my father was. He was born in 1909 and the family emigrated to NZ after WWI. I'm not sure what years he attended. Are there any records of any of those days?

Mike Armitage said...

I think this must have been in the Eastbourne days John, but good question!

So he must have been there about 1920 onwards? There aren't any official records from there, but some anecdotal evidence was researched in some of the Hydneye House magazines, which Gerald Brodribb started in the late 1950s.

I'll see if anything turns up from the few mags I have, but I'm afraid it won't be much...

Thanks for calling by anyway - where did he go after that?

Mike Armitage said...

John, I'm trawling the mags I have here, and have come up with the date that they left Eastbourne, in 1918.

The Maltbys were in charge (Father of son David Maltby - Dambuster!), and stayed until just before I joined in 1958.

Sorry to say that there's nothing which refers to those years!

Keep in touch though, because this blog is very new, and one day may receive many more calls from people like you!

Did you live locally?

John said...

Attended Hydneye House, Baldslow from around 1917.

They lived in Bishop's Stortford so, no, they did not live locally.

After emigrating from the UK, his father became a New Zealand MP and my father ended up as a minister in the Anglican Church.

I have visited the UK a few times but my father never returned.

BTW (your mention of the Dam Busters from WWII reminded me of this bit of trivia) my grandfather held a commission in the 7th City Of London Battalion. After loosing a leg at Loos he became a pilot in the R.F.C (56 Squadron, flying SE5's).

Mike Armitage said...

John, this is fascinating. It only takes a few clicks onto Wikipedia, and there is your story in a nutshell! Big Man your Grandfather!

I wish we had someone like him and his 'Country Party' here these days, farming really is shot at the moment!

Because this is only a personal blog so far, I can't claim to be a historian for Hydneye unfortunately. There should be some records elsewhere, and perhaps they may surface one day, but, this is the only place where anyone who was involved - and that of course includes you and your family - can at least ask a few questions, and if there's anyone else out there who has the answers, then we have achieved something!

By all means keep in touch though, because we may get a few more along soon...

Simon Tuite said...

John - were you a master at Hydneye?

Unknown said...

Fantastic job you did here Mike! Great memories of Hydneye, I was a spoilt little bastard who couldn't even tie up his shoes laces. We are taught at an early age how to build a swimming pool and an amphitheater!

Unknown said...

We would swim and have races.

I remember Hilder was the football coach, he taught Tom to be a good goalkeeper!

I remember the tuck box with wine gums and tins of small mandarines. Also midnight parties, eating Heinz baked beans! Listening to Radio Luxemburg, your station of the Stars. Cliff Richards and the Shadows, etc. Before the Beatles.

The grounds were really beautiful, everyday we would have to do some form of exercise.

Leave outs: the parents would come and take us out, spoil us, after this spartan life!