AFSOUTH Map

Here is a map of AFSOUTH can you find the school building? It's in the lower left of the screen.

Teachers

(Credit Susan nee Gates Dominy) I was in the same form at the school for the entire time I was there (from 1961 - 1965). There were a dozen children of assorted ages and nationalities: Serpil from Turkey and John Kumantarakis from Greece among others. I think English, Italian and French were the only subjects I was taught for all four years - I am not sure I actually went to a maths class after the first year. During the last year I spent a great deal of time supervising little kids and not much time being taught anything. It is hardly surprising that I remember little about any of the teachers - certainly none that taught any core subjects.

There was Lulu Bench, a wonderful cockney lady, who taught us cookery for a little while. Her husband, Bill, was a giant of a man who had a pair of miniature dachshunds that totally ruled his life. Lulu was an avid animal advocate and used to yell at locals who beat their poor old bag-of-bones donkeys up the hill where she lived (Via Oratzio). On one memorable occasion she got the whip away from one hapless man and gave him a good thrashing.

Freddy Andrew's father taught us ballroom dancing for a term or two. He had a broad Glaswegian accent and a limp. It was mostly girls dancing with girls and boys hanging around the edges wide-eyed with horror at the prospect of being pulled in to participate. I am not sure we got beyond waltzing before he gave up.

There was a rather sour faced old lady (she was probably 23 or 24) who taught us music among other things. I disliked her intensely and the feeling was heartily reciprocated. I don't know what I did to provoke her into whacking me over the knuckles with the THIN edge of a ruler, but I probably deserved it. I took my bruised hand home and my father went nuts. Mr. Brotherton appeared at the house that evening and Miss Sourface had gone by the end of the week. I didn't know whether to gloat or hide my face in shame for having been responsible for her dismissal. It was years later I learned that the incident had been used as an excuse to send her back to U.K. Apparently she had become a bit of an embarrassment to the British contingent - not a good representative of how a proper young lady should behave - turns out the girl knew how to party!

Writing Skills

One of the skills Headmaster Tucker tried to encourage in the students of the fourth form was original thought. He did this by assigning compositions all of which recorded in a bluebook identified as R.A.F. Form 619. Most college graduates would recognize this immediately as a bluebook. Unfortunately the paper in the books was not of the highest quality had a tendency to snag. As a result, at least in my case, the pen tip freshly dipped in ink well would always leave a very large smudgy drop. Fortunately the headmaster did not take off or poor penmanship. If there is an award for penmanship I most certainly would've won! Tucker would always read every composition and often will leave his comments in red pen along the side. Additionally he would check with a red or blue pencil indicating he read it. I include an example of one barely legible effort .

We often had to read our compositions out loud to the class. I did well for original ideas but spelling and neatness not so much. I must thank my mother for having hid my composition book away for all those years. It is clearly the worse for wear but may be the only surviving document from the school the year I attended.

Period Photos

While I have no pictures of the school of my own I recently obtained several pictures of Naples from the time I was in the school in recently uncovered family slides. Expect to see these in the next few weeks as I dig through them and convert to digital format.

It's nice to see new followers I would be pleased to offer all of you the opportunity to add your own memories to the blog. You can send them to me or post them on your own (let me know so I can set permissions).

More Pictures

Daphne provided more pictures and says of them, " These photos were taken on a day trip to Rome. We should have most of the names already from the previous school photos. The extra boy with glasses standing behind the bus is called John Morris. Also on the photo with Mr Brotherton, his wife is in front of him and to the right is Mrs Woods who was our Italian teacher. On the photo with me and another girl, she is the daughter of Mrs Woods."

A Floor Plan of the School

(click link for larger picture)

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v12/Lensman/?action=view&current=RAFSCHOOLJPG.jpg

This is a floor plan of the school from memory. I have no recall of how the first form was laid out but it did have a large number of nap mats.

The Headmasters office had thin wood walls and glass windows all the way around. The single chairs just outside of the head masters office was the holding area for naughty children.

Map reading

Flt LT Tucker would occasionally run out of planned lesson content even though he was always prepared. On one occasion, we finished the mathematics assignment with a hour to spare. The rest of the school was gainfully employed and we were not to be left to our own devices. Tucker left the room and came back with military maps and for the next hour we learned how to read contour lines and map symbols. We even leaned how to manage the magnetic deviation shown on the map to orient it with a compass. I still wonder if he did not plan it because we discovered that mathematics was good for something practical. It could be actually fun! Some of life’s most useful skills are learned by accident.

On French Verbs

I was never a great student of French. The 4th Form had a French teacher who came in once a week. She was overbearing and relentless from our point of view. A common practice was to demonstrate mastery of a lesson by writing on the black board. Felicity Knight preceded me on one occasion to break down a French verb. She got it right and received praise for her efforts. The teacher then called me to the blackboard to perform the same task. I must confess a total blank. I noticed as I picked up the chalk that Felicity had covered for me because she did not erase her efforts completely thus enabling me to also complete the task successfully. The teacher was amazed because I was awful at French. She was so happy she awarded Hanover house 5 blue points.

I mentioned before that the school had 4 forms and 4 houses crossing all the forms. I was assigned to Hanover. Teachers awarded blue points for rewards and red points for sub standard performance. I collected a number of red points in French usually one at a time. Fortunately my other subjects were much better resulting in sufficient blue points to counter balance French.

I don’t think a class enjoys anything more that getting over on a teacher they don’t particularly like.

A visit by the 4th Form to the S.S Oriana

In the Spring of 1962 the 4th Form got a field trip to the S.S. Oriana when it docked in Naples. The school did not have buses so we were transported via a tour bus. Thses buses were well appointed -- practically royal when compared to the yellow American school buses I remember. Upon arrival we were given a tour of the engines, formal areas and the bridge. As I recall, everything was gleeming clean and all the brass highly shined. There was such a lot of brass! At this time the ship was just two year old and a beautiful example of the golden age of ocean crossing passenger ships.

When the tour was over the class was escorted to the Princess Lounge for tea. It was a grand tea!

S.S .Oriana was the last of the Orient Steam Navigation Company's ocean liners. It was launched on 3 November 1959 by Princess Alexandra. She was in service until 1984 with a lot of time in Asian ports. In 1986 she became a floating hotel at a tourist attraction in Japan and later in China. Unfortunately, a severe storm in 2004 severely damaged her and she was sold to the breakers in 2005 and destroyed.

Mermite Cans

One of the duties of the boys in the 4th form was to leave the school by the back door and go the right crossing the parking lot to a NATO Mess hall. The facility was always very hot steamy and humid. People in white stained tee-shirts with white cloth hats rushed about. The two boys designated for the run would pick up the sealed mermite can and carry it back to the school and to the school basement that served as the cafeteria.

The plate and bowls were light brown and similar in texture to bakalite. The two carriers usually were responsible for serving as well. The students of the school would be lined up in the hallway on the ground floor and closely supervised by the teachers. The students would file into the basement after the mermite can was open and ready to serve.



I recall the contents were either a stew or soup. For some strange reason the split-pea and ham soup I distinctly remember but I can not recall if was because the soup was really good or terrible bad.

The picture is not of the mess hall in question but it is close. I do recall that it had 4 huge boiling soup pots .

Daphne rembered them too: "Just to let you know that I also used to collect the soup in those huge cans from the kitchens next to us, in fact I still bear the scar on my ankle where the can hit it! The soup that used to freak us out most was oyster, because it was made with mostly milk with little grey oysters bobbing around in it - gross. My next door neighbour in Italy was one of the chefs who worked in the kitchen."

More Pictures

This is the 4th Form class room in 1963. It is reversed from 1962 when I attended.

Front Row: Susan Gates, Helen Rooney

Second Row: Daphney Barker, Judy Villa, Susan Brotherton

Third Row: Peter Sutherland, Alfred Andrew, John Koumantarakis

Daphney provided some more pictures

Back Row: Flight Lt. Brotherton

Left to right: Alfred Andrew Peter Sutherland John Koumantarakis Roberto Di Giovani John Zervo

Front Row: Susan Brotherton Judy Villa Susan Gates Yvonne Philips Me Helen Rooney Patricia Ransford

Reconstructed from memory

After doing the best with what memory I have left I constructed a VR model of the school feel free to explore and send me any memories you might have and I'll update the model.

ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS
The RAF Children's School Circa 1962 virtual reality model can be accessed from the world "Harps" in ActiveWorlds (free) here are the instructrions:

• Go to http://www.activeworlds.com/
  
• Download and install the application
  
• On initial start up select "Autoconfigure"
  
• Sign on as a tourist
  
• You will arrive in AW Gate ask the Gatekeeper any questions
  
• Read the “How to move” web page
  
• Look on the left side for the Tabs
  
• Select the Worlds TabScroll down the list and select "Harps“
  Click "Teleport" on the menu bar top left
  
• Pull down to "make this my home"- The next time you turn AW on you will arrive in Harps.


• Look for a navyblue sign on the right that says "RAF Children's School Model" and click it. The sign will teleport you to the site.

An extract of an RAF Report

Peter Jones provided a copy of the Naples school inspection report from 1962 which gives a bit of info about the early days of the school when it was known as Royal Air Force Children’s School Naples. Here’s an extract:

At the time of the inspection {12/03/62} there were 69 pupils in the school ranging in age from 5 to 14 and divided into 4 classes, infant, lower junior, upper junior and secondary. The lower junior class was the largest with 25 pupils and the secondary the smallest with 9 pupils. The school is accommodated on the ground and basement floors of a building at Headquarters, Allied Forces Southern Europe.”

Old Friends Rediscovered

I was recently contacted by a person named Peter Jones. Peter is apparently researching the history of the RAF Children's School in Naples Italy. On a service called "Friends Reunited" he discovered a picture of the fourth form in 1962. I took the liberty of identifying the people I recognize from the picture.

http://www.friendsreunited.com/

Starting on the left and going right : unknown blond guy, unknown girl in a wheel chair, the guy from Scotland in front kneeling is Alfred Andrew , tthe two behind him remain unidentified behind him (the one in front may be Christopher), Felicity Ann Knight, Susan Gates Helen Rooney and Daphne.

Missing are Peter Kay and myself.,Christa, The Iceland girls Steina Hansdottir and her sister.girls and the Tucker trwins.

I am not in the picture nor is Headmaster Tucker who according to Daphne had departed the school. This is probably in theearly 1963 or Late 1992 when I had departed for school in Rome. The guy from Scotland arrived just before I left.

I and amazed that there are any pictures at all. This one is the best find ever! Thanks to Daphne!

House Pins

After I left the RAF children's school in Naples I attended boarding school at Notre Dame International in Rome Italy. During my stay there my German hat with numerous hat pins vanished. Unfortunately all of the pins related to the RAF Children's School were fixed to the hat and lost forever.

About four years ago I stumbled across a Harry Potter house pin on eBay. It was exactly the same make and model of the house pin used in the RAF Children's School. Fortunately the picture of the back of the item gave the manufacturer. It was the Fattorini Company in Manchester England.

Following several communications with the customer relations woman, she was able to locate the original work order placed by headmaster Tucker in the early 60s. We communicated for several months. Many of the stories in this blog were taken from communications passed between the customer representative and myself regarding the school and what the pins looked like. Even more surprising she had several blanks that had never been shipped. They been in a drawer with a number on them related to the original order. Based on the information on her company was able to reproduce the original enamel paint colors and faithfully reproduce the house pins. My communications with the company reminded me why I am so fond of the British. In fact our mutual voyage of discovery resulted in the company sending me the reconstituted pins as examples at no cost. These I proudly display beneath my military medals on the wall in my family room.

The Coffee Tray

In the bazaars of Turkey men carry coffee to customers often using a Turkish coffee tray. The coffee tray uses centrifugal force to keep the drinks on it from spilling. With sufficient force it is possible to swing a tray in a complete circle without spilling a drop. During the swing it is possible to look up and see the drink upside down and the liquid firmly in place.

At a party in my parents villa in Naples this was demonstrated to Flt Lt Tucker using a coffee tray my father got in Turkey. Fascinated he asked if he could have a “go”. The drink was in my mother’s best crystal and had she been aware what the men were up to nothing would have come of it. Unfortunately, it was a big party and she was occupied elsewhere and unaware. He swung the tray but when it reached the top of the Arc he stopped swinging to see if the glass was indeed upside down. When the tray stopped the centrifugal force ceased as well and the drink came straight down crashing on the marble floor of the villa. In an effort to master the swing Tucker went through several glasses.
When My mother found out about it later, diplomat that she was, she said nothing and congratulated Tucker on his final successful swing. Flt Tucker was a gentleman in every regard and I suspect his wife may have had an hand in it but that is how my mother came to own Irish hand cut crystal.

The PTA

In America the PTA is a long standing alliance between parents and teachers. In 1962 the concept of a PTA in The RAF Children’s school was a totally new concept. In fact, the idea of a PTA to Flt Lt Tucker seemed to be an excellent excuse for parties.

The first party was to be a fund raiser and it was a casino night held on the roof of the school after dark. While the concept was sound the execution was flawed. The tables were honest and the PTA lost more money than it took in.

The solution was a drawing for a case of Beefeater Gin. It financially recovered the loss and even made money but the prize was won by a Muslim Colonel...

On the matter of chalk erasers

When some one misbehaved in class or did not pay attention Flt Lt Tucker would, with great accuracy, hurl a chalk dust loaded eraser hitting the student 100% of the time. The student would then pick up the eraser and return it to Tucker saying, “Excuse me sir I believed you dropped this…” the student would then go back to his or her seat after being thanked. If Tucker thought the situation warranted he would hit the student in the back with the eraser again and the student would bring the eraser back. This process would continue until Tucker was satisfied he had made his point. Parents could gage how well their children were behaving in class by the chalk marks left on the clothing when they got home.

The Ink Well Incident

In the RAF Children’s school the desks had inkwells and writing was done with quills. One job for those in the 4th form was mixing the ink by adding water to a blue dust. The resulting ink would then be placed in the wells at each desk. While mixing the ink Peter Kay became annoying. In the exchange of words I mentioned that if he did not “pipe down” I’d pour ink on his head. He then dared me to do it. Well, a dare in front of classmates must be answered. So I poured an inkwell on his head. When Peter Kay got home his mother saw the damage and called my mother directly. I was told that Mrs. Kay had an impressive collection of vulgar adjectives. Fortunately bulk of the assault was lost on my mother how, as an Americans, do not find being called a "pig" especially offensive if not a bit lame as curses go. The majority of the assault was in thick English accent to the point of encrypting the contained references. She did catch “me Darlin Peter Kay” often. My mother immediately called Flt Lt Tucker to get a translation. His only response to my mother was “Oh my god she’ll be calling me next!” I never heard a thing about the incident until my mother told me years later.

The Super Ball incident

One day in the late spring it was hot and raining. Flt Lt Tucker declared that the physical training class would be conducted in the basement of the school where we would play cricket. The room was thirty feet loog by 15 wide and the ceiling was seven feet high. It was solid concrete and the lights were recessed in the ceiling and cover with thick unbreakable glass. Walls floor and ceiling were all smooth. The wicket was wooden affairs held together by a bolt through three blocks of wood each supporting a wicket. The bowler would use a rubber ball not a regular cricket ball. The ball was dark blue and exactly the same size as the Wamo super ball. I substituted the super ball for the regular ball unbeknownst to all concerned. Tucker elected to be the batter. The Scottish student threw the ball fast and Tucker made a solid hit. The ball streaked across the room hitting ceiling wall floor at high speed. Chaos ensued as everyone ran about to avoid being hit by the high speed projectile In the center of this chaos was Tucker in his RAF uniform with short pants, high socks with a red ribbon at the top leaning on the cricket bat, stroking his mustache while he watched. All the time he kept saying “Capital! Positively Capital!”. The game of cricket was abandoned in exchange for this new form of dodge ball.