Cofessions of a misspent youth

[happy daze john in oz]

During the week I received a letter from my youngest sister in England. Enclosed was a certificate from The Royal Society of Arts, Commerce and industry stating that i had passed examinations in English language and Mathematics both with merit. I had long forgotten about that as it was my final year examination on leaving secondary school. The school had been a new innovation in the early 1950's and was the South East London secondary Technical School. The concept of it being that as a student the first two years would be pure academic with the last three years dedicated to a trade. The choice being Electrical, my choice, or building. At the end of the three years you would then take up an apprenticeship in the one of your choice. The scheme was a joint department of education and industry. Somehow I got it wrong as on leaving I went to work with my step father on his pig farm, lasted all of three months before telling his partner his fortune and joining the M.N.
The title, 'Confessions of a misspent Youth', was the title of a paperback that did the rounds of my first ship. A well worn, stained, dogeared, well thumbed book that made Lady Chatterley's Lover pale into insignificance, but by today's standards would most likely be a bed time story. But I digress from my theme.
The school was an all male school, situated in New Cross South London. Two years prior to my leaving the principal had decided that an end of year dance for final year students would be a fitting end to their secondary education. To achieve this he had made contact with the local girls high school who had agreed to allow final year girls to attend. It was held in the main assembly hall.
The dances had to date been a great success and both principals had agreed they should continue.
The date was set for Friday one week prior to the end of term, our last term, to commence at 7 p.m. A small musical group from the girls school would provide the music in combination with a number of records of the era. Food, mainly sandwiches made by mothers, would be provided along with soft drinks.
Myself, Mervyn, Robin and Roger had agreed to meet up at 6 just outside the school gate.
Dressed in my best trousers and sports coat I met with the other three and Robin suggested we go to the local pub and have a drink. At 16 years of age drinking in pubs was forbidden and though we had all tasted beer and other such drinks none of us had ever been in a pub without an adult with us.
My alcoholic consumption to then had been a glass of stout or cider maybe once or twice a week but under the supervision of my step dad. I had been inside a pub with him but lemonade had been my limit then. This was to be a new venture and I was not sure we would succeed, but Robin said he knew a pub we could get into without and problem.
So off we went to a small pub down a back street not far from the school. We entered the public bar, a dark place smelling of tobacco smoke, stale beer and flatulence. There were quite a few in there, being Friday night most likely on their way home from work we thought. We approached the bar in a tentative manner not sure if we would be served or turfed out on our ears! The barman, a fat balding man in bracers and with a cigarette hanging from his lips did not appear perturbed by our presence. From the squint we concluded his eyesight was not the best and his main interest appeared to be on the group playing darts. The lighting was so poor I wondered how they managed to see the board, let alone hit it with a dart.
Robin took approached that if we did not try we would never know, went to the bar and asked for a pint of bitter. The barmen looked at him asking if we were all together? He began to pull the pint asking what the rest of us would like? Two more pints and an orange juice, trust Roger to be the odd one out, nothing new there. We took our drinks and moved to the corner of the bar away from prying eyes just in case anyone saw us and began to ask questions about us. But the company there were not interested in four young lads, the darts and the beer were their only concern. Having drunk our beer Robin suggested maybe a second pint? The first had tasted good, I had had a drop before but normally it was stout my dad gave me. Why not I replied, this is the dance night, and we are out to enjoy the night. we drank the second one and left confident we were in for a great time tonight.
We arrived at the school just after the start of the evening and slowly people began to arrive. the band had set up in one corner with a record player near by. The mothers had produced the food and it looked good set up to one side of the hall.
We stood around watching the girls arrive taking note of any we thought were good looking and might have been 'good sorts'. Slowly girls and boys began to mingle nad dance, the evening was taking a good form.
All was well until a young lady from the girls school approached me asking if I would care to dance with her. Me dance? My one previous attempt at dancing had been as a pupil of St. Vita's, I could never afford to go to the Victor Sylvester school of dancing for lessons. A Buddy Holly record was playing, maybe Peggy Sue, and this girl had all the moves, better than I as I attempted to keep up with her. Than fully the music came to an end, she thanked me and made her way back to her group of friends all giggling, no doubt at my attempt at dancing. Everyone else was making their way to the side as it had been announced there would be a short break.
I started to make my way to the side but something was wrong, was it as a result of the dancing which had been quite hectic, I did not feel too good just then. I had this sudden urge to talk with 'Huey' and quickly, so I began to move to-wards the toilets which unfortunately where at the other end of the hall to where I was stood. I tried to get there quickly but 'Huey' had other ideas, he wanted to talk and talk he did, a long protracted talk as it happened. The beer, food and goodness knows what else erupted from deep within me spraying onto the dance floor like some giant fountain.
Silence for a moment, then the screams from the girls, oh boy some night this is turning out to be I thought to myself. I stood there in a state of shock when i heard a voice say, the lad is sick we must help him. A male arm took hold of me guiding me to the side of the hall. Two more joined him asking about my welfare, was I alright, did I need something? I sat there for a few moments considering my plight, what do I do now?
One of the mothers acme over to ask if she could be of assistance, we must get the lad home I heard a voice say, yes maybe we should take him to the bus stop and see he gets on. Very few cars then so public transport was the main mode of travel. Then it hit me, these people have no sense of smell, the hall smelled like a brewery to me, surely they could smell it? One of the men then told me he would take me to the bus stop and made sure I got home.
I arrived home later not feeling the best, mum saw me and commented on the time, was I late or early, did mum have a problem with her sense of smell as well? Dad was more astute, saying that I should take smaller drinks at first.
Back at school on Monday I was the talk of the class, the janitor had to clean up the mess and the dance had been delayed for some time while he completed the task. But in the end all had enjoyed themselves.
Did I enjoy the night, not sure but there were to be many more like that when the call of 'Huey' could not be ignored.

[Captain Kong]

Good one John,
been there.
My mate, Fred, and I had just paid off a Shell tanker in 1954, we were 19 years old and had our first night on the ale for several months.
Many pints had been sunk and we ended up in the Palais de Dance. We were dancing with two girls when Fred spewed up full blast like an oil gusher full into the face of the young lady he was dancing with, what missed her went over her shouilder and over me and my young lady.
The two young ladies, mid scream, also started spewing and I followed. The stench was awful and a few gallons of the stuff was all over the dance floor. A few bouncers got hold of Fred and me and we were thrown out of the hall into the street. what a mess.
What happened in the Palais I never knew as we staggered off into the darkness. The suits were dhobied and then taken to the cleaners after. Fortunately we never saw the girls again.

[Pete Leonard (Bruno)]

When I was 16 I was over 6ft.tall and would pass for 18 so I had no trouble getting served in pubs. Things were a bit more lax in those days anyway and there was not that much of a problem with teenage bingers. I don't think the beer had the strength in those days anyway, I'm talking about just after the war. My Dad used to like to take me down to his local which was a bit boring, all old men smoking their Nosegay and Digger Shag. I would only ask for shandy for fear of the old man giving me a lecture. Anyway, one day I took my Dad into one of the pubs that I used to frequent and he bought me the usual shandy and complained about the beer not being to his taste. Then a couple of my mates came in " hello Pete, usual stout and mild ?" My Dad went bananas " you've been letting me buy you shandy when you drink stout & mild, do you realize that shandy is 1d. dearer ?" I don't think he ever forgave me that.

[alf corbyn]

i was in the sea cadets when i was 15 and 16 and i got my brother-in-laws cap silk with th name of his ship on and his old pay book and i managed to get in the pub and buy a drink. one night i was outside the pub with my mate who was in the army cadets and two sisters. he had his rifle with him. he also had a clip of five bullets which he had nicked and was showing us how to load the rifle. one o the girls grabbed it and pointed it at me saying hands up. i quickley pushed it away as i knew it still had a bullet in it. then the gun went off, luckily now pointing between me and her sister. the bullet went through the window into the pub and a woman screamed he's been shot. we panicked and ran over to a nearby tea bar and asked him to look after the rifle. no one was hurt and the police took my mate and the gun away. that was the nearest i came to death for a long time. had afew near misses since. alf

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates, my first drink of beer was not in a pub but from a brewery I lived not far from one on the way to school we had to pass it everyday, My school mate rollo who lived down the road, was big tee-leaf who never let any thing that could be stolen alone he notice crates of beer stacked up in the yard going on the drays, with no one watching them so he help himself to one and hid it on some waste ground under a bush ? it was drunk by a group of us school kids, on saturday it made us very ill { The beer was much stronger in them days} he never stole any more beer he learned his lesson The brewery closed down many years later What happen to Rollo he became a policeman now{ retired} high rank

[happy daze john in oz]

i was in the sea cadets when i was 15 and 16 and i got my brother-in-laws cap silk with th name of his ship on and his old pay book and i managed to get in the pub and buy a drink. one night i was outside the pub with my mate who was in the army cadets and two sisters. he had his rifle with him. he also had a clip of five bullets which he had nicked and was showing us how to load the rifle. one o the girls grabbed it and pointed it at me saying hands up. i quickley pushed it away as i knew it still had a bullet in it. then the gun went off, luckily now pointing between me and her sister. the bullet went through the window into the pub and a woman screamed he's been shot. we panicked and ran over to a nearby tea bar and asked him to look after the rifle. no one was hurt and the police took my mate and the gun away. that was the nearest i came to death for a long time. had afew near misses since. alf

Had a few misses since........Was that before or after you married?

[alf corbyn]

john. i shudder when i think of things from long ago. we used to run in front of trains on the main london to cambridge line. when i was 14 i went up the top of st pauls with my sister. there was som scaffolding on the outside balcony and i grabbed hold of a rope and swung out into thin air, didn't even check if it was secured. alf