大象传媒

From a typescript by Tom Jehan, 2005

The Intermediate School premises in Brock Road had been taken over by the German Authorities, which meant we had to use the Catholic School premises of Notre Dame in Burnt Lane, St. Peter Port and three times a week soup would be prepared by the Nuns in the Convent next door and served in the school hall at midday. On one occasion the German teacher became very annoyed with a boy at lunch time and hit him on the head with an enamel soup bowl, just as the large soup container had been brought from the Convent and placed on the table. Pieces of enamel flew into the soup and so it was declared unfit for eating. There were some empty stomachs that day and no doubt a sore head!
Our schooling was interrupted many times as the Germans would suddenly take over school buildings for stores. On another occasion it was feared that there were unexploded bombs nearby so the school was closed. I went to school in at least seven different buildings, one of which was Rockmount Hotel.
One of my recollections of being at school at Rockmount Hotel is of the student who was training for the priesthood and who, due to the shortage of teachers, had been "pressed into service" because it was quite obvious that he had no interest in the job, preferring to read his books while the class was supposed to be busy with the exercise he had set them.
Finding it difficult to control a class often year-olds he said one day, "I only wish I had a cane". The next day, a boy (perhaps hoping to find favour with the teacher) brought him a thin branch from one of the apple trees at his home. "Here you are Sir, you said you wanted a cane". The teacher thanked him and made the comment that it would be very useful, particularly due to the fact that it had several nodules!
Later that day, the teacher became annoyed with the class and in an endeavour to show his authority he decided to use his new cane and chose the boy who had brought it to him that morning, to be the first to sample its effectiveness!!
I left school at the end of March 1945. In those days boys did not wear long trousers until they had left school, but in my case there were none available as the shops were empty, therefore I must be one of the few boys who started work wearing short trousers! The short trousers were also the cause of chilblains on my knees as I cycled in all weathers!

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