My first teaching job was temporarily at Westfield Secondary School in Hinckley, Leicestershire but after getting my certificate from Loughborough College in 1951 I started four years at Stockingford County School in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. My assignments are described in the reference (modestly shown below) I received from Mr.Randle when I left for Bablake 1955. Most of the staff were ex-servicemen. Mike Cauchi was Maltese and ran a German prisoner of war camp where he was not kind to his charges. In the staff room full of cigarette smoke Ellis Thomas would have us rolling with his wartime stories .
Ellis Thomas and daughter Marian
The results of my art teaching were not saved largely due to the fact that I taught in a portable classroom and I was given no paper and resorted to painting large scenes on the wall. When I moved to the woodwork room, they were whitewashed over.
My handicraft syllabus was very simple- make things, starting small. Samples of the projects can be seen below with a newspaper article. How well dressed are the boys.
One of the projects can be seen on the table and being opened by Mr.Randle. It was a very politically incorrect cigarette box which I felt sure were used by the boys.
I built a canoe and tested it in the canal which ran alongside. I called it Sabrina after the then very popular "large fronted" film star. My son's first word was "barge" as each long boat chuffed by.
His pram would be a collector's item now.
My interest in boats triggered by three years in the navy prompted me to begin a canoe club to build canvas covered boats designed by a well known kayak builder Percy Blandford who I had met at Loughborough.
By 1955 we were ready to take to the water for a real trip.
