Past Pupils

Maurice Phillips (1966)

Philip Nyman remembers

1)      He was a good rugby full-back but an even better footballer and played centre-half for Tottenham Boys (I watched him play at White Hart Lane in 1965).

2)      He was excluded from the 1964 panoramic school photograph by Mr Fred Fear (the Music Master, whom we had the dubious pleasure of having as our Form Master in 2H that year). He was, of course, Fear by name, fear by reputation. We also knew him as Fiery Fred, due to his flame coloured hair and we would regularly refer to him (of course, behind his back) as this, especially because of the great Yorkshire and England cricketer Fiery Fred Trueman, who was bowling wickets by the dozen and was talk of the school at this very time. It was in Mr Fear’s music lesson that Mo Phillips was asked to sing the School Song, as we were expected to know it off by heart and in tune. Well, Mo managed to get as far as the 4^th verse but he sang:

•                                                                     Then rouse ye, sing ye, shout again
                                                                                              Our watchword in the fiery strife Fred,

Of course, he did not get a chance to finish the song. Fred went ballistic, even though Mo tried to explain that minutes before the lesson had commenced, the class were speaking about cricket and Fiery Fred Trueman, and not Fear. However, Mr Fear was well aware of his own nickname and excluded Mo from the photograph which was being taken that morning. You will notice that Mr Fear is also not present in that photo. He stayed in the classroom to make sure that Mo did not sneak out and appear with rest of us. Mo Phillips was quite a rebel, and to this day, I do not know if that mistake was genuine.