George Partridge

I was at Alleyne’s from 1958 to 1966, leaving after the sixth form expedition to Turkey during which we missed the World Cup semi finals and Final! George was a master there for the whole time I was there.

I travelled in both his Armstrong Siddeley and his Rolls – the Armstrong when he collected me one Saturday from school on the rugby team’s return from Dunstable where I had broken my leg. We travelled across Stevenage to my house with my leg propped up over the windscreen because I’d told George that the hospital had told me to keep the leg raised!

When my father greeted us at the back gate I learned that, years before, George’s father had been my father’s teacher at school and that George had once given my father a lift to hospital on the back of his bike when my father had had an accident with a small axe .

The trip in the Rolls came about when a friend and I were hitching somewhere on the Great North Road and George stopped to give us a lift.

It was always a tradition on sports day for George to enter the old boys’ race, be given a start and then be very rapidly caught by every other old boy – at which point they would all jog slowly behind him to ensure he always won. I will forever be disappointed that the year after I left that tradition was abandoned and everyone (except me) raced fast to leave him behind.

I remember the school song well and have been known to sing it all the way through from time to time although I’m sure we still sang the “King’s Highway“ despite the fact that Queen Elizabeth was then on the throne.

I have many sports team photos from the time, if you’re interested in having copies, and I also still have my school report – uncannily perceptive!

I have nothing but fond memories of my time at the school .