Peter Everatt - pupil 1937 - 1942

I went to FPGS from 1937 till 1942 and our Form Master was Bertha Zeiher, sometimes known as "Detention".  This was despite the then Headmaster having told our parents that the school had an all male teaching staff.  She taught history, English and scripture and her lessons were usually accepted as being the most boring we had to endure.

Her classroom was in the corridor that led from the gymnasium and past the changing rooms.  The 1st classroom on the right-hand side of this corridor was tenanted by Mr Hipkins (alias Moke) who taught English and I never remember him teaching anything else.  He was one of the most harmless of teachers in the school but for all that he was no fool.

The next room was under the control of Mr Over who had lost the bottom half of his right arm in the First World War and did a good job of writing with his left hand.  He was noted for being the sternest teacher at the school and seemed to me to be totally devoid of a sense of humour.  He insisted on being called "Sir" because "I like it".  He taught Italian and had married an Italian woman who was very good-looking and they lived on Longley Lane opposite the park gate.

The next room on the corridor was under the control of Miss Zeiher (alias Flossy) and the next under Mr Carding-Wells, a portly remnant of WW1 whose incentive to thought was to give boys a rabbit punch.  He taught French and Spanish - particularly Spanish - and boys who could not learn a piece of Spanish had been known to be told to write it out 30 times.  He passed away whilst still employed at FPGS - the year would have been about 1941.  From memory his was the last room on the right-hand side of the corridor.

Related information:

• FPGS pupils