A very Welsh school

The school, looking back, was very Welsh – many of the teachers were escapees from the Welsh Valleys, and believed passionately in the power of education to change children’ lives. About H.R.O Dowell: the joke was that his initials, which were on his office door in front of his name, stood for ‘Horrible Rotten Old …’, although he was actually quite the opposite – a pretty genial Head, as I recall. As for the punishments: Mr Thomas and Mr Williams were quite free with what they called ‘the slipper’, which was a pump to us, and I got whacked a couple of times. But I think Mr Dowell was against corporal punishment and refused to use the cane – or at least I think I remember my Mum saying this. It was as you say, overwhelmingly a wonderful school and a wonderful time.