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Neville Watson
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Neville Duncan Watson
| House: |
Scott |
| Year: |
1953-1959 |
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Born UK 1941, and moved to Dar-es-Salaam in 1946 when my farther joined the Overseas Civil Service initially to help map
out Tanganyika for the Ground Nut Scheme.
Went to:
Mbeya School 1949-52
Prince of Wales School 1953-59
Forms I b to VI Arts. Repeated Third Year, hence seven years spent at PoW.
Cambridge Overseas Higher School Certificates.
School Colours for Hockey and Swimming. School First XV Rugby.
Kenya National Record for 100 yards butterfly
Memories of School:
(a) Numerous masters
Jake (of course). Stalky, Pussy Minette, Fritz Goldsmith, Dougal Gammie, Johnnie Riddell, L.A.V. Walker, the Reverend
Capon, Bertie Lockhart, Kaz Caswell, Missing Link Seldon , GWO Outram and many others.
(b) Contemporaries
Barry Rowe, Peter Blunt, Keith Aitken, Jock Elliott, Robin Dine, Tim Sabin, Tim Turner, Tim Capon, Andy Davidson,
John Manussis, Bruce Nightingale, Willy Kent, John Keaton and Peter Simpson to name but a few.
(c) Some Recollections
Six of the best from Tom Peale (Head of Junior) in June 1953 for being caught on the roof of Junior Dormitory three days
before the Coronation.
Those watch towers and bamboo pallisades and the ‘only çoncrete after dark’ rule during 1953 and 1954 to protect the security patrols from us school kids.
Geoff Danby’s horrendous murder at Easter 1954.
Those pointless punishments set by power crazed prefects for non beatable offences when one had to write thousand word
essays on such esoteric subjects as “The inside of a ball-bearing “ or ‘The noise grass makes when growing”, and then read
them out to an assembled gathering of raucous prefects.
The food and the dreaded shout of ‘RABBLE”.
Trades.
Jake’s two lectures before one moved from Junior or Intermediate House to Senior House, the first on morality and the
second on the birds and the bees.
Being able to accurately copy PF’s signature for exeat passes!
Crown Bird, Four Aces and Ten Centis, the last for real men.
The underground smoking den beneath Clive House senior common room.
Short stockings and even shorter shorts.
Horace.
Wintergreen.
Elvis, the Everley Brothers and Lonnie Donnegan.
The camaraderie and the loyalty. The sense of belonging.
Jerry Sirley cleaning my shoes!!
Having to administer six of the best to some-one who was at least six inches taller and two stone heavier than me (NOT
Sirley!!).
Bertie “Buckets and Scrubbers” Lockhart playing ‘Who’s Sorry Now’ on the organ in the new Chapel on the strict
condition that no-one told PF.
The Scott House mascot – a teddy bear dressed in a maroon coloured shirt – which sometimes had its backside painted
green, usually by Clive House. One year it even had to be rescued from the Clock Tower.
Swimming Standards - who can remember the high dive? As for Athletics ….
Post School
As a Tanganyika resident, much to my regret I was ineligible for the Kenya Regiment.
In 1960 I went to Southampton University, and in 1964 I graduated with an Honours Degree in Economics.
In 1965 I joined a major British international commercial bank, and over the next 32 years served in London, Hong Kong,
Singapore, Manila and Rotterdam. I traveled very extensively over the Far East, Europe, North America and Africa in the
course of my work until I retired in 1996.
Married twice, divorced once, have one daughter (b.1965) and four sons (b. 1967,1972. 1985 and 1989) and, at the last
count, four grandchildren.
Now enjoying retirement – current interests include philately (I am a member of the King George VI Stamp Collectors
Society), reading (especially history), collecting Chinese porcelain, travelling over Europe after years of living in the
tropics and last but least, golf ( modest handicap). For my sins I have been a Southampton FC supporter ever since my
student days.
(Registered 10th April 2004)
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If anyone wishes to contact Neville, please e-mail webmaster@oldcambrians.com
to obtain his contact details
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