Alleyne's School Expedition

School party setting off on an expedition August 1975

By Pauline Maryan

Alleyne's School party setting off on an expedition August 1975
Stevenage Museum PP1353

Do you know where they were going?

This page was added on 10/01/2011.

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  • I was a pupil of Mr Beattie’s [Beatty’s. Ed] at Alleynes and indeed became a Biology teacher myself.

    I didn’t go on the expedition but if you look very, very carefully, that white dot is me pathetically waving them goodbye with a small white lace handkerchief.

    John Hamilton Alleynes school prefect 1975 -1976

    By John Hamilton (03/12/2020)
  • My name is Jeff Beatty as mentioned in previous notes. Now living in Herefordshire, without dogs and indeed Land Rovers. Expedition to Morocco was a great delight and led many others from another school until retirement in 2002.

    By Dr Jeff Beatty (31/03/2017)
  • I was a pupil on that trip to Morocco. Mr Beatty, Mrs Solbe and Nick Hammond plus another teacher were drivers.
    I remember the exhaust falling off one of the landrovers in the Atlas Mountains.

     

    By Paul Eldred (06/10/2016)
  • Yes, definitely Mr Beattie. My brother, Richard Hooker, was involved with a later Beattie Land Rover trip to Egypt in around 1978. Mr Beattie tought me later on during the 6th form and I had a lot of time for him. Shame I never met his Border Collie as I’m never without mine now; I’d like to think he’d appreciate that!

    By John Hooker (27/08/2016)
  • i don’t recall the expedition but I was a first form pupil that year and remember the sketch in the yearly Music Hall, based on the Morocco adventure and the immortal line – ‘eh mister, you want dirty postcards ‘ . 

    By Karl Gibbs (19/04/2015)
  • The mature guy at the front squatting looks like Mr Beatty a biology master who took part in these expeditions.  He used to drive to school in a land-rover just like above, and had a border collie which he kept in the classroom (imagine that today??).  The dog was very well behaved and friendly, but Mr Beatty was not impressed when us lads once ate a box of Winalot during a practical lesson.  Surprisingly, they actually tasted quite nice and were perfectly edible. 

    By David Abram (30/01/2015)
  • This was the Alleyne’s Grammar School (as it was then) Sixth Form Expedition to Morocco. We travelled in two elderly Land Rovers and drove and reached the Sahara, making contact with a group of Cambridge scientists who were studying an oasis (and brewing the only beer for hundreds of miles).

    On the return trip one of vehicles broke a half axle in southern (Francoist) Spain. Not wanting to wait for a spare, the half axles were simply removed and the Land Rover driven across Spain in four wheel drive.

    It’s difficult to identify everyone in the small photo (I’m lurking in the back row). Being “between houses” at present, my souvenirs are in storage – I’ll look up a large photo when they get unpacked.

    By David Oliver (27/10/2014)