My Gomm the headmaster of St Andrew’s School – by GS

St. Andrew’s.  We all went there, well, not all of us, but obviously Chris Linehan, he went to St. Elizabeth’s, didn’t he, but most of the people in Ham at that stage went to St. Andrew’s.   I can still remember all the teachers’ names, or most of them: Mr. Gomm the Headmaster; Mr. Page was the Deputy Headmaster, he was quite a keen cricketer.  Just normal school days, I suppose I remember.

Did you enjoy school?  Yeah, I suppose, then I did, I think.  I’m not sure that I enjoyed it too much at the secondary school part, but you didn’t know any different, just got on with life in those days, didn’t you?  You just did what you had to do!  I remember one person in particular – I won’t mention his nickname – Jimmy Hanking, I remember him getting the cane from Mr Gomm.  Well, Mr. Gomm tried to give it to him but he wasn’t having any of it!   I can’t recall anybody being unfairly picked upon or what have you, no.  I think one particular teacher had a reputation, she was a bit nasty, Miss Ayres, she wasn’t particularly nice!

But Mr. Gomm, the Headmaster, was he…?  Oh yes, he was quite strict, yeah he was.  He had a habit, he used to get his knuckles like that, then hit you on the head with them!  It’s like all things in school life, the different punishments and things you get.  When I went to secondary, Sheen Grammar, the punishments there… whatever ones, you name it, I got it and I deserved it every time!  You can’t complain.