Page 2
Back in England we returned to the area we came from, Croydon, Surrey, as it was then, and I had to be re-integrated back into the English educational system.
Now this proved to be something of a disaster. I was trundled off to the local secondary school, Bynes Road in South Croydon, and interviewed by the Headmaster to establish my Knowledge to date. After asking me a number of probing questions to determine my abilities he informed my Mother that to put me in a class with my own age group could lead to a considerable amount of Disturbance and Idleness as I was far in advance of that age groups abilities at that time due to the EXPERIENCES I had had over the last 12 months, so he recommended I be put in the class of 13 yrs olds. Remember in those days 14 was still the school leaving age so had I remained at that school I could have ended up in the same class for 3 years. Heaven forbid. Luckily the situation only lasted until the Easter break but my knowledge of certain aspects of life was advanced rather alarmingly. So much for the addage of my age group now "Now In Our Day" I can assure you it is all "Porkie Pies".
At Easter we had re-established ourselves in the area and my parents had bought a house in Caterham-on-the-Hill and yet another school had to be moved to, this time amongst my own age group.
Prior to emigrating, I had already passed to go to the area Grammar school, but as I had had such a long break from regular formal education, Surrey Education Department required me to re-sit the entrance exam as a 13+ student. This I passed and in September 1950 I finally entered the first regular education since the spring of 1948.
Purley County Grammar School -1953
Motto FAS ET PATRIA Queens Coronation
I also Joined the Sea Cadet Corps around 1951 as a pre-requisite to joining the service. At that time National Service was the order of the day for most 18yr olds and to enter the Royal Navy one had to have been a Sea Cadet in the main or one was condemned to the other two services
The R.N. were of the opinion it would take too long to introduce the personnel into the WAYS of the Service, therfore recruits would only be a burden and a danger to others on board a ship.
At one Evening Parade I was introduced to a visiting "Old Boy " who was serving as a, "Chippy", Shipwright 4th class . After much chat, that was it. My scholastic achievements in the main revolved around skills of the hand so I seemed well placed for a life as an ARTIFICER and to be a Chippy was my ambition. (Sadly this did not materialise but then one does have to work hard to achieve what one wants in life- A lesson I applied by the time I reached 4 class)
Time progressed and I found out the entrance requirements, either 5 "O" levels or passing the Admiralty Entrance Exams, plus one had to be under sixteen and a half on induction to the training school. Well as I was about 2 yrs behind in the system and had to plump for the Entrance exam. This meant extra work on mathmatics especially - I learnt how to use Logorithms in the month before. I had one chance at the exam and in September 1953 I was interred in a small room next to the Headmasters office to answer the Questions set by Admiralty.
The wait now began in anticiation of the Result