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Hi Chris
I do remember Cox's, though I never worked there, I had a Saturday Job at Baxters Butchers in the Town. Cox's and the Bakers shop on the corner used to donate sweets and cakes to the home around xmas time each year, though my memories become more opaque as time goes on, I think coxs would send all their unsold selection boxes after xmas to the home. The Bakers, on a weekly basis would send bread and cakes that had just started to get a bit stale and therefore couldn't be sold. We didn't care though, it was a treat to come home from school and find the table set for our tea, with cakes and malt loaf and the like(bearing in mind there were up to 20 of us kids and 3 adult workers in the home at any one time).
I'm not sure that I remember you, the name does not ring a bell, but maybe you know of some of the other guys that were in the home with me, or other names that I remember from Broadoak, here goes: In the home, lads who went to broadoak, (some of the lads went to wyvern) Adrian Hill, Raymond Derrick, Clive Edwards, Gerald Pope, Stephen Jasper, David, Colin and Johnny Dixon.
Other friends from Broadoak included, Gary Irwin, Michael Grace, Howard Bax, Chris Hazzard, Ian Towser, We all played Rugby for our year school teams from first year right up to when I left in the 4th year. Russel Bazely (I remember having a fight with him on the playing fields, and Mr Morgan the PE teacher broke it up and using arbitrary justice awarded us both with one of his infamous 'tony bonks' wich involved him clenching a (huge as I remember) fist, extending the middle knuckle of the middle finger, grab us in a headlock and bang us on the head with the knuckle, with not too little force!). I remember 3 sets of twins David and Charlie Boyce, Martin and ? Bidwell, and Julian and Robert Hedges.
I was in the school Army cadets, run by Captain Carter who was also a teacher at Broadoak. I recall we won the Army Cadet National Band Champioships in the mid 70's, I played the Bugle. Gary Bright was the Drum Major. I was in 1,2 then 3SJ (Scarlet House - Mr Jones) then when the house system changed I was in 4SM (Sherwood House, with the dreaded Mr Morgan!)
I remember the scary figure of Mr Brierly-Jones, who walked with sticks due to an accident in the Chemistry Department, (and he was teaching us chemistry!)
Teahcers I remember are Mr Blackmore, our head of year and french teacher, Mr Hammer - German, Mr Rose, Mr Davis and Mr Morgan - PE, Mr Rivers - woodwork ( he could fling a board rubber or wooden mallet the length of the classroom with unnerving accuracy!) Mr and Mrs Trench - English, Mr Kelly - History, Dr Hinton was the Headmaster. I recall getting the cane or slipper several times.
A popular pastime during lunch and breaktimes was running across the quad, for some reason considered a heinous crime! Also, without saying a name, partly due to lack of recall and partly due to 'protect the innocent' as they say in these true crime fly on the wall documentries, The school janitor, a red faced scotsman with a wicked temper, who always stank of whiskey!
Well, perhaps thats enough of the ramblings through the memory maze of a middle aged man.
Thankyou for your reply, I wish you well to you and yours
Garon (Gary) hawkes
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