Tom Hilton

There can't be many Old Priceans who weren't taught by Tom!  I had him for just the two years leading up to O-level Chemistry and my main recollection is that, having explained the laboratory method for doing whatever the experiment the day was, he then told us how it was done by industry in the real world.  This we encouraged, as it delayed actually doing any work.  My main recollection of his sterner side was when one of the buglers in the CCF band took his bugle mouthpiece, minus the instrument, into the cloakrooms, inserted it into one of the long metal tubes running along the coat-racks and sounded Reveille!  The acoustics made it echo round the building. Tom came rushing in, furious, but was most perplexed at not finding any culprit with a bugle!  (If you're reading this e-mail, Tom, now you know!)

Ron Garton

Another chemist, know by our generation not as 'Dome' but 'Gunge', which I understand was an abbreviation of 'Gunga Din' although no-one knew why.  (Does anyone out there?)  As younger boys, we were all a bit scared of him and his mantra of "It's your job to know these things!", said in a voice that always reminded me of Mr Growser in the 'Larry the Lamb'  children's serial.  (Good grief, how these things come back when you start reminiscing like this!).  He always seemed to start lessons by telling us what we had done last time and were about to do next time, so there was never very much time actually to do the lesson in hand.  He went up markedly in our estimation when we were told he had once played professional football for Arsenal.  Whether this was true or not I am not sure (I suspect it might have been for the Reserves) - but we were very impressionable at that age.

Cyril Briscoe

Woodwork and technical drawing master extraordinaire, and a real nice guy as one grew older and got to know him better.  He was i/c the RAF section of the CCF which, as he was actually an Army section captain, always struck me as as slightly perverse of him!  My abiding memory is the appalling smell of his fish glue boiling away in little iron pots in the old green hut which served as the woodwork shop!

Bruce Vail

Another character who terrified the younger boys (me included at the time).  He was always nicknamed 'Twitch' as I recall - his nervous tic together with his rather cold manner made me feel later on that he was actually extremely shy underneath.  I had him for Latin for most of my time at Price's, including A and S level.  He was very assiduous and put himself out to help you if he thought you were trying - but, as Kevin says, he always seemed rather aloof and remained so even with VIth formers.  He told us he had previously worked for the Coal Board, which I always thought an odd thing to do with a First in Classics, but there you are.  The one bit of humour I recall from him is his theory that schooling happens the wrong way round -children should go down mines and up chimneys when they are young and love getting dirty, but should then start their education in their twenties, which is when they usually start saying they wished they had paid attention at school.  I think this was said as a joke, but ....

Bob Gilbert

Unlike Kevin, I never thought Bob looked like Neil Sedaka - but then I knew him since we were both seven years old.  He and I both attended Funtley Primary School, along with Nigel Davies (and when am I going to get that e-mail, Nigel?).  Bob's father was headmaster there, and we all went on to Price's together.  He and I played quite a bit of music together at the time - Bob on piano, me on flute.  I also would like to know where he has got to - he's somewhere in the Far East, I have been told.

That will have to do for now.  But when are we going to hear more of the old time 'greats' (Bert Shaw, Royds Jones et al) - not to mention more about Tom!  Let' s hear from more of you out there!