I have recently obtained a P.C. and was surprised and delighted to come across the GOLDONIAN web site. It brought back many memories of past times and old friends, so I thought I would add my pennyworth.

I arrived at Goldings in September 1947 from Honingham Hall near Norwich. When I was picked up from Liverpool Street station in the Albion driven by Mr. Whitbread , there were several other boys already on board from various other homes who were heading for Goldings. I remember one boy in uniform from the Watts Naval School at Dereham. He was involved in a rather nasty incident, I think in the following year, when he stole a .22 rifle from Hertford Barracks and shot dead a vagrant. He was sentenced to be detained during His Majesties Pleasure. Does anyone remember this? The other thing that sticks out in my memory is the night the kitchen caught fire in February 1950 and we spent the night in the Chapel. We had Meals on Wheels until repairs were effected . If I remember rightly the cooks name was Mr. Sheppard.

I was placed in McCall House and my chosen trade was printing. I remember Slim Amos who taught the rudiments of composing and of printing visiting cards on a pair of Pearl platens( foot pedalled) . In charge of the Print Shop was Dusty Millar , a Canadian. In the Composing Room were Twitch Riley and Frank East. Mr. Stackwood ran the Linotypes and the Machine Room was in the care of Steve Penny ,later joined by Mr. Carter . Weedy Purkis was in command of the small machines whilst his brother Rags ran the Paper Warehouse.

In the Summer of 1948 I won the Junior VICTOR LUDORUM for athletics, and tied for the Senior VICTOR LUDORUM in 1950 with  another lad whose name I believe was Tabor. I also joined the Cadets and have fond memories of Skipper and Church Parades.

I served as a Wimbledon ball boy in 1950 when Budge Patty won the Mens Singles.

I was made a Prefect and later made House Captain of McCall in February 1950 and in November 1950 I rose to the dizzy height  of School Captain succeeding I believe Jimmy James I spent some time at Waterford Verney and at the end of 1951 I left to do my two year stint of National Service in the Army, returning to complete my apprenticeship . I went into digs at Ware and in the September of 1955 I left to take up a position at The Whitefriars Press at Tonbridge, Kent, where I spent the majority of my working life.

I never married and am now happily, spending my time in the garden , the pub and holidaying in Italy. This is a short assessment of my time at Goldings and maybe somebody out there remembers me.

David Smith
To Contact David click here

Good Luck to you all.

To see Davids memory of one of his old homes Honingham Hall click here