[PhilStoor]

My name is Phil Stoor and I was at Sheerness Technical High School for Boys from 1960 to 1968. I have contacted Colin by email in the past and am in contact with Melvyn Ward, Graham Bentley, and Peter Coveney. I had very mixed feelings about my school days, but reading the accounts on this post and meeting with Melvyn and Peter recently has been personally enlightening and made me realise how lucky I was to have attended that school, received an education from good teachers, and met such good school friends who enriched my life and also educated me. I realise, especially now, that my individual memory cannot be totally relied upon, but the collective memory can be; and if I am to remember the good times especially I need the collective memory from meeting old friends and this site (thank you Colin). I will make further posts in the new year. Meanwhile I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year

[Timjen]

CDP, Models are 10 a penny (no pun intended), quality teachers, very rare. You made the right choice.
Here are a few more from my latest sort out. The first one is Terry Spice, Biffo "Jake" Jackson, and Banger Brown. Next is Mr Jackson talking to someone in the hall. My guess is Jim Hutley. Finally, Mr Johnson outside of the staff room.

[CDP]

Hello Timjen ,
Thanks for the  photo, nice one, ( Thinks !!! should I have been a model instead of a teacher ??)
Only joking

Thanks again, any more ?

CDP aka Colin.

[Timjen]

CDP, a few years ago you asked if I had any more pictures of you. Well, I didn't think I had any more,  then this one turned up in an old box of bits.

[CDP]

Is it that time of the year so soon ?? a friend has just reminded me.

Guy came down today and said he is coming on the 30th September - there is a get together of his year of the Tech. school at Sheppey school.

[CDP]

Hello Colin .
It is I, Colin !!
In my younger days I travelled a lot in a car with Colin Smith, Colin Penney, Colin (John ) Attwood and Colin ??
And when anybody  called " Colin ! "   we all replied  " Yes ? "  Happy days .

[colin haggart]

Mr. Cassell, I only know from when he had his bookshop.  Mr. Ryder, Mr. Millen and Mr. Bryant I knew at Sir Thomas Cheyne school in 1972.

Mr. Hutley was the head of the Sixth Form at the Sheppey School when I was there. The rest on the list I'm not sure about, although Colin Penney sounds familiar.

[CDP]

SOME TEACHERS AT THE SHEERNESS  TECH' 1962 TO 1970 .

JIM  B HUTLEY   JOHN BEATTIE   LES V BRYANT   ALAN C SAYER
TONY A CLENAGHEN    COLIN D PENNEY    ERIC A WRIGHT
ALAN C SAYER   NORMAN H BROMHAM   GEORGE A BROWN
LES G MILLEN      BRIAN L PALMER         TERRY E A SPICE
ALGY (LG) WELLAND     SULTAN ASHRAFI   CHARLES DUDDLE
GEORGE(JAKE) JACKSON    MRS F R NEWBY        OWEN J RYDER   

TREVOR N COSTIN   F G M EVANS   WILLIAM J A RALPH
M HAYNES-SMALLBONE              J P BERTRAM         P BOYCE
ARTHUR CASTLE   JOHN MULLET  JOHN THOMPSON
L D LISGARTEN   CHRIS SEARS

[CDP]

Re the last photo, I think Alan Hill? 4th row, 3rd from left and Derek Gallagher, 5th row top, 1st left.

[MelvynW]

My name is Melvyn Ward and I attended Sheerness Tech from 1960 to 1968 and went on to Imperial College to study Electrical Engineering from 1968 to 1971. I have just recently discovered this forum and will make several posts that may interest some of you. I was sent a copy of the band photograph by Colin Lowe who is on the right of the row next to the back with the Euphonium. I am next to him although you can barely see me since I was, at that time, rather small! The only other band member we were able to identify on the photo is Robert Waring (3rd from the left middle row). We had a common connection in that we all leant to play brass intruments at Sittingbourne Salvation Army. The teacher who started the band (Chris Sears) was the bandmaster at Gillingham Salvation Army. He didn't tell us this for some reason but we met him at a Salvation Army regional event. Colin Lowe now lives in Bournemouth. I visited him this year having not seen him for many years. He is still a keen member of the Salvation Army and plays in a very good band there. The best I can do now is occasional trumpet playing, mainly for pleasure, of dubious quality!
Although I recognise other faces in the pictures, I cannot put names to them. I now live in Leeds never having returned to Kent to live after graduating. Other past pupils of Sheerness Tech that I am still in contact with are Mike Moss, Phil Stoor, Peter Vigar and Peter Coveney who I met up with this year having not met for about 60 years!
I'll stop for now and post further in the New Year.

[CDP]

I always wondered what happened to that photo and no, I don't want it back thanks, but many thanks for showing it, it will bring back a few memories to lots of us.

[Timjen]

I've just found this photo which is from around 1964. The only faces I recognise are William "Bill" Barnett, Owen "Jack" Ryder, and on trombone, Rob "Drac" Hills. It's certainly before my time, 1965-70. Rob was our band leader for the first few years in the school band, but the other faces, while some are familiar, were a few years older.

I'm not proud of how this picture came into my possession, I actually pinched it from CDP's darkroom in the corner of the main hall, so I know it was produced at the school on the Gnome enlarger, sorry CDP.

Can anyone come up with any other names?

[Barry 5X]

Result.

By Googling “Sheerness Tech Reunion 2016” I have come across two web site references to the 2016 reunion.

https://www.facebook.com/SheernessTimesGuardian/photos/a.10150120312262468.331611.126840677467/10154603128812468/?type=3&theater

Which was Posted 24 February

Did you go to the old Boys’ Tech School? There’s a reunion for all former pupils tomorrow night (Thursday) at the Criterion Theatre in Blue Town Heritage Centre.
The evening will be hosted by Terry Spice, a former pupil of the Sheerness Technical High School for Boys who went on to teach PE there.
The school, which was in Sheerness Broadway, closed in 1970 and pupils were transferred to the new Sheppey Comprehensive. The building was demolished in 1975 to make way for Blackburn Lodge residential home.
The event starts at 7.30pm. Centre owner Jenny Hurkett tells us: "Admission is free. All we ask is that you bring your memories to share.”
For more information call 01795 662981.
Share your memories and photos with us, too. Email jnurden@thekmgroup.co.uk

The second web site below gives a detailed account of the reunion (with photos) written by ex tech boy - journalist John Nurden.

https://nurdensnotebook.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/are-school-days-really-the-best-days-of-your-life/

I knew Terry Spice as he was in my class (sitting 5 places to the left of Mrs Beer in the 1960 school photograph).  Sadly I missed the notice about the reunion otherwise I would have made an attempt to attend from the wilds of East Anglia.  Having attended many RAF reunions I realise how rewarding they are, with conversations starting where they left off many years ago when we were teenagers.  Maybe next time?

[Barry 5X]

Did the "The Technical School for Boys" event scheduled for February 2016 at the Bluetown Heritage Centre take place and if so did anyone on this forum go?

[Barry 5X]

Dave,

Sorry to disappoint you but I joined the RAF as an apprentice in 1961 as a member of the 99th Entry at Halton.

As stated in a previous message in 2013 (now archived) I joined this thread for a couple of reasons; the main one being the fact that my brother Brian and I both shared the same experience of attending the Sheerness Technical School, each leaving school to briefly work on a farm and then joining the RAF as teenagers. 

Brian Fagg, born in 1931 would have been at the Tech between 1943 and 1946 - whereas born in 1944 I was there between 1955 and 1961.  We were both taught by the following teachers; Kitcatt, MacArthur, and Joe Duddle; albeit 13 years apart.  As for the RAF trades we both became Aircraft Instrument Fitters; Brian joined as a Boy Entrant in 1946 and I joined as a Halton Apprentice in 1961.

Noting the various messages on this thread from ex Sheerness Tech pupils who joined the RAF, on finding the info about the 51st entry at Halton I simply posted it in case someone recognised the names. 

It is possible the Sheerness Tech pupils of the 51st may have known my brother who lived at the Wheatsheaf Inn at Warden Bay at the time.  He informed me he often played truant from the Tech whenever he had Algebra lessons.