I
was Linda Lewis when at school (now Linda Battye) and I was very pleased
to see the year books on the website as I was having difficulty
remembering the names after all these years.
I only moved to Northampton in June before starting at the then
Technical High School in the September of 1955, so I didn't know anyone
from junior school and it was a difficult beginning.
When we were in the 3rd form my friend Susan Ward and I decided we
wanted to study science - well Sue did and I thought it sounded
interesting. At that time girls were firmly segregated and did
needlework, cookery, art and music whilst the boys did metalwork,
woodwork, physics and chemistry. Everyone did English and maths of
course and then as a girl you either did French and history or geography
if you were in the Grammar stream or shorthand, typing and bookkeeping
if you were in the Commercial stream. The girls were all in one
form and there were 4 boys forms.
Buzzer did not think it was a good idea to let girls do science but our
mothers went to battle for us. Mr Newell made the mistake of
suggesting that we only wanted to study science so that we could be in a
class with the boys ........ after he was put back together and brushed
down (my mother took no prisoners - she was Welsh, just like Buzzer and
Mr Newell) we were duly allowed to start Physics and Chemistry. We
had a few weeks work to catch up but that was no problem. Trouble
was that we had stirred up a hornets nest and several girls decided they
wanted to study science because they wanted to be nurses, so a new
subject was introduced into the girls curriculum to solve that problem
and it was called 'Human anatomy, physiology and hygiene'. One
poor member of staff was given the job of teaching it. I can't
remember her name but she was the gym mistress. I learnt later
that she was one chapter ahead of us throughout the course and as a
result we were taught anatomy almost to medical student level, knew all
the requirements for building a chimney so that it drew air properly (so
the inhabitants didn't die of carbon monoxide poisoning I presume) and
all about cess pits and water purification !!!! She had no idea of
the level or detail we needed for the 'O' level exam. However, I
loved it and Physics and Chemistry. Later when I was in the lower
sixth some of the boys and I went to the Technical College evening
classes to take Biology and after that they started to teach biology at
'O' level too.
A couple of years later all the girls had to do science but it probably
wasn't our fault, we were just a little ahead of the trend.
Sue gave up science after 'O' level but I went into the 6th form and was
the first girl at Trinity to study 'A' level science. I
subsequently did a joint Physiology /Chemistry degree and went on to do
research for three years and then became a Physiology lecturer.
You will find my name in the 1961/62 year book listed as Head Girl and
in 6US. In 1960 the science 6th form went from 6 pupils to 20
pupils - 19 boys and me with Mr Newell as our form master. There
was never enough proper equipment to go around so often someone had to
make theirs from basic lab stuff and first principles - guess who that
was - still he did me a favour as I got a distinction in my physics 'A'
level practical and it helped me through my university part one exams
where I did physics as an ancillary subject.
We had some fun in the science labs, we once set up a broadcasting
station in the balance room between the physics and chemistry labs and
started broadcasting during lessons. The other chemistry teacher
whose name I forget (not Mr Guffogg aka Bilko) helped some of the boys
make a thermal bomb which they set off on the rugby pitch and made a
crater in it much to the games masters' disgust. We also used to
go exploring under the building in the ducts - need lab coats when you
do that to protect your clothes.
When I was in the 5th & 6th form we used to have dancing lessons once a
week in the Hall (cost 1 shilling a week) given by a lady who had a
dancing school on the corner of a road near to Abington Park and it
faced the road that the Cobblers entrance was on - it was a 'posh
house'. We could have given Come Dancing a run for it's money and
it made the school dances much more fun, we could do all the fancy steps
in the quickstep and cha cha the night away. There were great advantages
of going to a co-ed school, unfortunately it was wasted as I married a
lovely man with 2 left feet.
Apparently the girls in my year have had a couple of reunions already
and are planning another for this year.
I was a 'last heard of....' until I went on to Friends Reunited (which
is how I found this web site) because after I went off to university I
never went back to Northampton except to visit my mother and then she
moved form there about 14 years ago. I am going to the next
reunion though and will take the chance to visit the school for one last
time.
I feel like an original member of the tribe because when I started we
had all our lessons in the Technical College, then we used to spend our
time half in the college and half in the new school, and then finally we
moved into the new school.
Finally Trinity (or was it still The Technical High) took part in 'Top
of the Form' in the fifties and it was recorded in the Hall. I can't
remember whether we won or not.
Don't know if you got bored ages ago but I've had fun reminiscing
anyway.