King John School - Late 50s early 60s

Photographs late 1950s/early 1960s

These photos are by courtesy of Anne Morrison who is a former pupil of The King John School.

Please click on the individual photos to enlarge the images

Class photo with Mr Bailey c. 1959/60
Ann Morrison collection
1. Vera Prime  2. Laura Green 3. Hillary Byles 4. Anne Miller 5. Gay O'Regan 6. Mr Bailey 7. Ken Ballard  8. Andrew Gates  9. Bernard Tracey 10. Michael Timms  11. Arthur Baxter 12. Tony Edwards 13. Steven Capp 14. Brian Jones  15. Tony Paptist  16. Unknown 17. Roy Willis  18. Gillian Stock  19. Mick Bamber  20. Unknown  21. Unknown  22.Carol Jones  23. Kathleen Trowell  24. David Miller  25. Melanie ?  26. Sandra Deacon  27. Tony Rochester 28. Ruth Seal  29. Jane Gray 30. Keith Gibbs 31. Julie Seymour.
Mr Neale (Science teacher) with two students. c.1960
Ann Morrison collection
Left to right: Mick Bamber, Dave Miller, Bernard Tracy and Jim Leadbetter c.1961
Ann Morrison collection
Class photo c. 1960
Ann Morrison collection
Left to right: Dave Lassiter, Les Hayes, Martin and Barry Lucas and Louis Phillips
Ann Morrison collection
Class photo c. 1957. Names suggested are Mr Harris (science), Mr Hilton and headmaster Mr Evans
Ann Morrison collection
Marriage of Miss McConnell (music teacher). To the right of Miss McConnell is Mr Melvyn Beddow (head of the music department). The King John School Choir sang at this wedding in 1958.
Ann Morrison collection
A scene from a school play c.1960
Ann Morrison collection
Biology class c.1960
Ann Morrison collection
King John 'Hot Rods' 1959/61. Left to right: David Miller, Adrian Chapman, Louis Phillips, Michael Dart and Andrew Gates.
Ann Morrison collection
King John School, Shipwrights Drive

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  • these pictures are up in our school everywhere as new decorations and corridor galleries. i am a current student of king john and it’s really cool to see how it used to be!!

    By jane (03/02/2023)
  • Maureen Plant… Any relation to John?

    By Chris German (13/12/2019)
  • I also went to King Johns although we just called it ‘Shipwrights’. I used to walk from Thundersley, through the Chase and along the London Road, saving my bus money for sweets…..I attended from 1961 to 1966 and remember the Head, Deputy, music teacher, art teacher and my fav the English teacher Mr J Garton… My time there was not all good as being the youngest in the class I did get a little ‘hassle’ … no names!
    I did one school trip to Brugge, sadly I have mislaid the photos taken with my Brownie 127 while on the ferry crossing.
    I have been doing some research and have found two old school photos taken at Dark Lane, 1959 and 1961, I was hoping there may have been some on here, maybe more will be posted…
    [Editor’s note: Michael, you will find more photos by clicking on this link to Thundersley School]

    By Michael Souter (26/02/2018)
  • My name was Maureen Plant and my year included Marilyn Woodland, Brenda Carter, John Maple…….. anyone remember me ?

    By Maureen Plant (26/02/2018)
  • Anne Burden, I was at King John from 1967 to 1972, I don’t know if you remember me? I was good friends with Stephen Roberts, Chris Malin, Nick Martland etc. I must admit I have mixed memories of the school! Have there been any reunions or are there any planned do you know?

    By Neil Salmon (28/01/2018)
  • I was at kjs in late 60s very early 70s my name was Ann Burden. Can remember some people in my class, we called the head and his sidekick naughty names, Batman and Robin. Fun days.

    By Ann Burden (09/05/2016)
  • I was at King John school from 1959 to 1963. Mr Evans was head, my first form teacher was Miss Arnold, I remember the Hotrods, and I was in the same band with Dave Miller about four years ago playing Beachboy covers, he is still alive and kicking and lives in Eastwood. I can remember Mr Bell the art teacher very flamboyant like Melvin Baddow. I can still remember most of the teachers but there names wont come out of my brain.  Put it down to age. Great days!

     

    By Michael Harding (16/09/2015)
  • As a past pupil and now working at the school, I felt I should reply to Doug Mansfield’s e-mail. More to let him know that we have a wonderful music department, enjoyed by many of our very talented pupils and students. The music department does come under the umbrella of Creative and Performing Arts as does drama, dance, photography and art. So please don’t worry Doug, as we are still singing, and playing loud and proud!

    By Bev Davis (15/07/2014)
  • Well now, here’s a thing about the Hot Rods double bass. I was the first bassist in Melvyn’s band. It all started when an assorted collection of battered and bruised instruments were delivered to the music room. Melvyn was busy doing something so we were just sitting around and talking amongst ourselves. I was sitting next to the piano and behind me was one of the two basses that were donated. Out of boredom, I turned around, placed a finger at the top of one string and plucked it with my other hand. Sliding my finger down the string created a rising scale.

    Melvyn spun around from behind his desk and roared “Who did that?’

    ‘Oh s..t” I thought. “I did sir”

    “Do you want to play it?”

    “Er, yes sir” I couldn’t read music and never did learn the Bass scales.

    Long story short. The band tentatively came to life and come the summer break, I asked if I could take the bass home and refurbish it as it was very scratched. The other bass was in an even worse condition. So home it went where I scraped and sanded the whole thing except the finger board.

    Now at the time, Bill Halley and the Rockets was all the craze and they had a white bass. So what did I do. Yep, I painted it white and put a black band around the edges. I’ll never understand how it didn’t ruin the bass’s voice bit it certainly caused quite a stir.

    Melvyn was dumb struck but I think, on the quiet, he liked it. At the annual schools music festival, I had to carry it, over my head, across the school theater stage. Gasps went up from the visiting schools. We were the only school with a bass, let alone a white one. Oh such happy days. So sad to hear that the school no longer has a music department.

    By Doug Mansfield (26/06/2014)
  • Yes The Hot Rods were the schools answer to the Shadows. They seemed very professional. They were great. I had a huge crush on Mick Dart and Lou Phillips. I wonder if they still live in the area. Does anyone know what they later went on to do after leaving King John?

    By Carol Powley nee Southward (15/06/2014)
  • I was at King John School from 1960 until 1965 and I clearly remember The Hotrods who were similar to The Shadows and some American bands. I can’t remember all the group but Lois Phillips and Mickey Dart were the two who the girls would idolise.

    I also remember going on 2 school trips, one to Holland and the other to Belgium. Mr.Neil the science teacher took the Holland trip. I also recall an R.E. and Maths teacher who we could always divert to telling us his war stories, one of which was how they trailed a submarine which turned out to be a whale.

     When I was at school my surname was Woodland.

    By Marilyn Lazell (13/06/2014)

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