Our Territories

Channel Islands
England
Ireland
Isle of Man
Scotland
Wales

Our Categories

Home
Locations
Surnames
Articles
Library
Lookups

The Salesian Brothers who taught us maintained very strict discipline. Conditions at the college were hard there was a twelve foot high wall surrounded it. Us students were locked within this boundary wall throughout the 3 month term with only a weekly visit to the playing fields some half a mile walk away.

However on Saturdays we were allowed out under the strict supervision of a brother to attend the Army Swimming pool in Aldershot. On sunny, Sunday afternoons we might be lucky to get a long walk on the Aldershot common or along the canal. Otherwise we were never allowed out and were kept under tight control.

To me this boarding school was like serving a prison sentence but I must admit however that the change of school had the desired effect for I learnt more during one year here than ever I did at my earlier schools. This was mainly due to my fear of the cane or being kept in for detention! On my first evening at the college I was caught talking at table while waiting for supper. I soon learnt supper was to be taken in silence. I was called out to Brother Cornelius who at the time was distributing letters to the boys. He turned to me saying, “New boy, we do not talk at refectory!” and the next thing I knew was landing the other side of the table with a very sore cheek where his hand had landed.

The food was terrible and made most of us sick at least twice a week. It was normal routine to cut the green mildew from the edge of the packed sliced bread that was served to us.

Needless to say I hated it there and wrote home to say I would escape and run away. My letters were never received for all our mail was censored, so I had to wait until the end of term before I could tell my parents that I would not return to school after the holidays. My parents promised to get me moved but I had to be patient and stay until the end of the following term.

As it happened my father found he could just about afford the fees at St. George’s Weybridge and I was moved there after only two terms at the Salesian College.

St. George College, Weybridge was another boarding school, but a really wonderful place. It was run by the Belgium order of Josephites.

Mainly lay brothers carried out teaching while the school was in the most beautiful surroundings. The College had it’s own farm so I found overnight my diet changed from really poor quality to the very best. Food and plentiful in fact with the harsh rationing it was far superior to what we had at home.

From the religious point of view I was saved. The strict and unloving regime of the Salesians almost destroyed my faith and love of Christ. At St. George’s, I was taught to love Our Lord. There was a Mass every morning and although we had the same in Farnborough, here we could choose whether we attended or not. We chose to go because we wanted too, not for fear of the cane.

I had let my studies fall behind when at the Salvatorian College and my past was catching up on me. Just keeping up with my fellow students at St. George’s was proving very difficult. I wanted to do well but being dyslexic and already well behind I found I could not keep up despite my best efforts.

Towards the end of my first year at St. George’s, the fees were raised together with those for my brother Jo, at Reading University .Dad had found he was unable to

Previous | Index | Next