I joined KS having just arrived from Cyprus in September 1948 with Joe Rahbe [now known as Carby-Hall] a family friend. I was placed in the top form because of my age presumably, and launched into preparing to take the School Cert at the end of the academic year; hard going as I had never even previously touched on the subjects involved.

I stayed at KS for 6 terms having been joined by brother Chris a year after my arrival at Sherborne. Incidentally I was known at KS as Albert – more formal than Bertie!

On my third term I was made acting Prefect and then full Prefect on the following term. John Hallam was School Captain during my first 3 terms followed by John Crook for the next. However J.M. or T.O.M. as we knew him decided he wanted that changed, electing yours truly to be S.C. for the final 2 terms!

During my time at K.S. being more mechanically minded than academic I was given the job of caring and maintaining the grounds machinery including the tractor which was just introduced and I had the job of cutting the grass on the top playing fields. I was also a Member of the school “orchestra” both playing and being accompanied on the piano by Mrs Kate Mosey every morning at assembly in the Great Hall. We also had film nights once a month on Sundays when films shown at cinemas were hired out by T.O.M. and guess who the projectionist was? Without any previous experience it was not surprising that on some of the earlier screenings pictures would run backwards, upside down etc.

During those years most things including sweets were rationed and I was given charge of the Tuck Shop selling to the school once a week according to the ration coupon and financial allowance they had.

Cycling was a favourite of mine going out either as a group or alone to Bourton or as far as Cheltenham/Cirencester to the West or Burford/Oxford to the East. We had a photographic club and an A.T.S. “squadron” of which I was an active member as well as dabbling with aero modelling. In the summer months small groups of us were “volunteered” to work in the veg garden at the back of the school.

While at K.S. we all had our little moans and complaints about anything and everything, the conditions, teachers, food etc. but since then I have always felt that we were given a good grounding to face the outside world. One thing I am always grateful to J.M. for is the introduction he gave some of us to Classical music, which I never cease to enjoy. He used to invite the Prefects now and then to his flat where we would spend a couple of hours listening to all time classics playing 12 inch records on his radiogram – very relaxing and enjoyable.