Recollections of an Old (but young at heart) Oswestrian, circa 1952 - EPISODE 5, PAPA'S NIGHTMARE AFTERNOON!
Cobber (Michael Walton) was bruised but unbowed by his lunchtime encounter with 'Rupert' (the name given by the boys to Mr Williamsons' cane). He had received 2 whacks behind the closed door of the Headmaster's study, along with a caution about future behaviour. However, he was soon ready for more action but this time he would play a supporting role.
It all started to kick off half way through a lesson when art Master, 'Papa' Webster, told Danny, one of the identical twins, to go and stand under the clock in the corridor for misbehaving.
As the 87 year old Master leaned over Cobber to look at his work, my brother Bernard, who was lurking nearby, turned off Papa's hearing aid causing him to shake it in confusion and disbelief. This diversionary tactic enabled my brother to set a prank in motion while Papa was preoccupied.
Taking a recently deceased mouse that had a long piece of string attached to it's tail, Bernard dangled it over the freestanding blackboard at the front of the classroom. The command center for this operation was a front row desk that Bernard had requisitioned from its occupant for the duration of the prank. It was now just a matter of time before the octogenarian would spot the mouse and the drama would begin to unfold.
Having restored the sound to his ears, the diminutive art Master turned around and spotted the mouse, seemingly running down the blackboard! As he attempted to shoo it away the puppet master jerked on the string from his position on the front row, causing the mouse to look as though it was running up and down the board in a frenzy.
Eventually the truth dawned on Papa, and taking hold of the string he admonished Bernard and headed for the door to dispose of the vermin. Exploding with anger, he spotted Parker, Danny's identical twin, sitting by the classroom door. "Get back under the clock boy until I send for you," Papa shouted (thinking he was talking to Danny). Parker grinned and meekly went out to join his brother under the clock near the bell rope.
It took the old gentleman several minutes to walk down the long corridor which ran the length of the building, out of the back door, past the Fives Court and Tuck Shop, and place the mouse in its final resting place. Bernard, following at a discreet distance, retrieved the mouse and was back in class via the front entrance of the School with ample time to leave it dangling, once more, over the front of the blackboard well before Papa returned.
Shuffling wearily back along the corridor, passing the Library full of Sixth Formers pretending to be working, the old-timer spotted, through his failing eyesight, not one, but two identical boys standing under the clock fiddling about with the bell rope. Rubbing his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief, Papa muttered to himself as he re-entered the classroom only to be greeted by complete silence. All eyes were focused on Papa in eager anticipation. What would his reaction be to this resurrection? We were soon to find out
Papa returned and, with a resigned sigh, he picked up his chalk and noticed the small motionless mouse. Bernard, by this time, no longer had the heart to continue the torment, and we all felt somewhat relieved and a little remorseful as the bell rang announcing the end of Papa's art lesson. The classroom was eerily still as we all sat quietly contemplating the events of the previous few minutes. Seconds later the silence was broken as the twins breezed through the door, left open by the departing art teacher, demanding to know what had happened. For once they had missed all the excitement! The mouse was ceremoniously buried next to the Infamous Holly Bush on the Lower Paddock.
As a postscript to this episode, I recall telling Mr Webster at some point during my time in Upper School that a painting, submitted by me to a local library exhibition, had been Highly Commended by none other than L.S. Lowry, the great Lancashire artist who had been invited to judge the artwork. Subsequent to this I found that I was invariably top in art while Bernard was always bottom apart from one year when our positions were reversed. We had a bit of a giggle as we thought Papa Webster had mixed us up (the moral of the story being that sometimes a bit of name dropping does not do you any harm).
It all started to kick off half way through a lesson when art Master, 'Papa' Webster, told Danny, one of the identical twins, to go and stand under the clock in the corridor for misbehaving.
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| The current clock can just be seen at the end of the corridor, next to the chain for the School House bell. |
As the 87 year old Master leaned over Cobber to look at his work, my brother Bernard, who was lurking nearby, turned off Papa's hearing aid causing him to shake it in confusion and disbelief. This diversionary tactic enabled my brother to set a prank in motion while Papa was preoccupied.
Taking a recently deceased mouse that had a long piece of string attached to it's tail, Bernard dangled it over the freestanding blackboard at the front of the classroom. The command center for this operation was a front row desk that Bernard had requisitioned from its occupant for the duration of the prank. It was now just a matter of time before the octogenarian would spot the mouse and the drama would begin to unfold.
Having restored the sound to his ears, the diminutive art Master turned around and spotted the mouse, seemingly running down the blackboard! As he attempted to shoo it away the puppet master jerked on the string from his position on the front row, causing the mouse to look as though it was running up and down the board in a frenzy.
Eventually the truth dawned on Papa, and taking hold of the string he admonished Bernard and headed for the door to dispose of the vermin. Exploding with anger, he spotted Parker, Danny's identical twin, sitting by the classroom door. "Get back under the clock boy until I send for you," Papa shouted (thinking he was talking to Danny). Parker grinned and meekly went out to join his brother under the clock near the bell rope.
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| The Fives Court can be seen on the far right hand side with a glass roof. |
Shuffling wearily back along the corridor, passing the Library full of Sixth Formers pretending to be working, the old-timer spotted, through his failing eyesight, not one, but two identical boys standing under the clock fiddling about with the bell rope. Rubbing his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief, Papa muttered to himself as he re-entered the classroom only to be greeted by complete silence. All eyes were focused on Papa in eager anticipation. What would his reaction be to this resurrection? We were soon to find out
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| From left to right: Lloyd, David Pickup, Jack Greves and Bernard Pickup |
Papa returned and, with a resigned sigh, he picked up his chalk and noticed the small motionless mouse. Bernard, by this time, no longer had the heart to continue the torment, and we all felt somewhat relieved and a little remorseful as the bell rang announcing the end of Papa's art lesson. The classroom was eerily still as we all sat quietly contemplating the events of the previous few minutes. Seconds later the silence was broken as the twins breezed through the door, left open by the departing art teacher, demanding to know what had happened. For once they had missed all the excitement! The mouse was ceremoniously buried next to the Infamous Holly Bush on the Lower Paddock.
As a postscript to this episode, I recall telling Mr Webster at some point during my time in Upper School that a painting, submitted by me to a local library exhibition, had been Highly Commended by none other than L.S. Lowry, the great Lancashire artist who had been invited to judge the artwork. Subsequent to this I found that I was invariably top in art while Bernard was always bottom apart from one year when our positions were reversed. We had a bit of a giggle as we thought Papa Webster had mixed us up (the moral of the story being that sometimes a bit of name dropping does not do you any harm).
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