Ah yes, Jock..............quite a character.
He loved smacking lads round the back of the head during Maths with his specs case. Would be done for assault now. He also took people to Accrington baths (probably would have drowned some if he could- although he himself never got in the water).
Made me chuckle when some lads had notes from their mothers in an attempt to excuse them from swimming, saying poor little Jimmy had a bad cold. Jock would have none of it and said getting in the water was good for colds and if they hadn't brought their trunks don't worry as he'd have brought some spare...lol.
Other teachers were Psycho Sims for Chemistry (used to do a weird kind of belch when you weren't ready for it). I assume that's why he got his nickname.
Tufty Smith for Physics nicknamed 'cos a lock of hair was always prevalent adjacent to his head. Many lads didn't like him but he was always ok with me as one day four of us were shouting 'Tufty' as well as a few other choice expletives as he was walking ahead of us. He turned and called each of us to be summoned to the Psychics lab one Friday morning. Only myself and another lad turned up, the other two thinking he'd forget who he'd asked to be there.
He did indeed forget who it was but not the number of us. He threatened myself and the other lad with the training shoe and he took great delight in showing it to us. He told us he'd go out of the room for a few minutes and on his return if we didn't say who the other two guys were we'd get six of the best. The other lad bottled it and told him who wasn't present and from that day forward I always got Tufty's respect.
Initially Vera Wallwork for English and laterly Mr Walmsley (Who wouldn't have given you a 10 even if you were a budding poet laureate) and finally Mrs O'Brien.
Ma Smith for French - She used to hide behind the classroom door after threatening to go and get the head
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Baggy Shaw for Latin - God she had a monotonous tone...........should have recorded something for insomniacs IMO.
Miss Melody for Geography............she used to say somethin and everythin, never added the 'G'. Lovely old dear though. I once fell asleep during one of her slide shows and she was kind enough to ask if I'd slept well when the bell went.
Also had Mr Fletcher for Geography who once remarked that he didn't think I had a geographical fact in my brain. Don't think he liked me much but the feeling was mutual. One snowy day vengeance was mine 'cos I lobbed a snowball a fair old distance from the tennis courts where we played football just as he was about to cross the plateau from the Cromwell building.
The Gods were looking down on me that day 'cos the snowball hit him directly on the back of his neck, so down on his *ss he went scattering the books he had under his arm as he fell.
Now I know how David must have felt when he took aim at Goliath!
Various teachers for History........Mr Scull, Katie Jones (always knew she was on her way down the corridor 'cos of the sound of her stilettos, or in her case steelettos). Tony Robbo and Bill Green.
Maths, aforementioned Jock Bentley, Mr Sutcliffe (on hearing he laterly became a prison warder I think he thought that was his job at school).
Mr Owen (Piggy Owen) was the best Maths teacher ever but left and went to Bacup I believe, which was a shame as everybody's grades went up with him, even thickos like me.
A funny story from this - my mum went up to parents evening in the early seventies and I told her there were two Mr Owen's, one who we called Piggy and the other called Winky as he had a tic. On returning from the evening my mum told me at fist she thought one of the teachers had made a pass at her and then she remembered what I'd said about old Winky Owen!
Music, Mr Dennison.
Art, Mr Williamson and then Mrs Ormerod, who said I'd never get an O level in Art but did just to spite her.
P.E. Sam Leach and Keith Windle.
Metalwork Mr Teale and woodwork Mr Scott.
Biology Mrs Cook and a few others who's names I can't remember.
Other teachers I had in passing were Mr and Mrs Roberts who was thought of as a carpet muncher with Miss Tomlinson
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Granny Gudgeon, Ralph Bailey, Pinky White, Mr Strivens,Ma Scull, Jungle Jim Bolton (whose shirt was always hanging out of his lap).Kenny Marsden - 'I will punish you severely, twenty-five lines!'
Frau Sandham for German, who once cracked me across the face for looking down out of the first floor window at all the lasses in their netball gear rather than listen to her droning on. I mean, what's a guy supposed to do when the testosterone levels are up during Summer?
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