Happy Harry, Old Vic and the potato picking

After leaving Cranborne road primary school I went to Dulwich road Secondary Modern School until I left to start work as an apprentice Electrician with the MEB about 1950. Several of the teachers I remember were the headmaster was Mr Dolphin, Woodwork was Mr Yeomans and Mr Wood, History Mr Harrington (Happy Harry) Science Mr Porter, art was Mr Howe and Mr Norris ( looked a little like Ronny Corbet) PE was Mr Gardener (He was Stick Happy or in the Gym The Plimsoll), probably the most unpleasant was Mr Vicarage (Old Vic) and one of the nicest was Mr Jackson. Myself and Fred Pearce were milk monitors for quite a while. It was a good walk to school each day rain Hail or shine from Atlantic Road, no car rides in those days. My Newspaper round was from The post office to Hotspure Road and the back the other way to Harringay Rd and Streatham Grove. I’m surprised no one has mentioned the potato picking trips that you could volunteer for during the last two years at school, a ride out early morning in the truck and then a back breaking day trying to keep up with the tractor who would tell you to get a move on if you hadn’t cleared the patch that was marked out for each of you, by the end of the day you wondered why you had volunteered, but it was a different story when you had our pay in your pocket (the one without the hole) at the end of the week and you knew you would put your name down next year. I cant remember what we were paid when we went with the school, I know I was pretty knackerd when we finished, I then had to go and do my paper round. For old Miss Ryan from the Post Office on Kingstanding road. Mr Porter was the Science teacher when I was there, did you ever notice the size of his feet, they were about a size 15. I Lived in Atlantic Road, it ran from Dyas Road to Old Oscot Hill, it cut through Tresham road. There used to be a field next to our house that was known as ‘the Dip’.