source unknown,
July 1968Ready for the fray!Mr John Chapman, chairman of Soham Grammar School Old Boys' Club makes final adjustments as headmaster Mr E Armitage prepares to receive wet sponges in a sporting role as "Aunt Sally". It happened during the school's Summer Fair on Saturday and not surprisingly this proved one of the most popular spots during the afternoon. [see also Mr Riley in same role] |
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NEWMARKET JOURNAL,
Thursday, May 28, 1970"This is your life - headmaster""Tonight, Mr Armitage, this is your life." But it would have been nice to have had some sort of advance warning all the same. Soham Grammar School headmaster. Mr E Armitage, pictured here with his wife, looks slightly abashed as he is confronted with "an Eamonn Andrews" in the form of pupil Paul Griffiths, who ploughs through the "murky past" of his "chief". But for Mr Armitage the whole thing was a surprise. He only went along to an "at-home" meeting of the sixth form on Thursday evening to say a few words about the school year. And there he was. right in the hot-seat. DEGREESA packed hall heard how Mr Armitage started his education in the North, and then obtained degrees at both Cambridge (honours) and also a degree at London - quite a rare feat even in these intellectual days. During the war, it was revealed, he served in the "something-or-other-intelligence", and was involved in radar - something about which there were no books written at the time. So - that's right, he wrote one. |
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PHYSICS
After the war - and instead of staying in the Services at a high rank - he went to help boys from his own type of background. So - and at a great financial loss, it was alleged - he came to the grammar school.
An expert in physics, he has the honour of setting university exam papers up and down the country. Mrs Armitage revealed a few humorous details from her husband's past. Perhaps that explains the bashful face on our photograph.
Photo: Peter Faulkes
cutting: via Mrs Armitage
Do you recall this occasion or were you involved in setting it up? Please contact the editor
28 Nov 2007: Mark Bishop 70: I have a vague memory of being caned by Ted Armitage and being given one less stroke than the other boys being punished at that time with the comment that I was the youngest boy he had to punish in that manner?
4 Nov 2011: David Plumb 56: Before the end of corporal punishment I spent several times in Ted's office being caned (usually six of the best). On one occasion I decided to tuck a magazine down the back of my trousers to lessen the pain but Ted was no fool and realised after the first whack. He then told me to leave his office and return once I had duly disposed of the pain accessory. On my return he informed me that, due to my transgression, I would now receive 12 of the best!
5 Sep 2013: Mike Hallam 51: Uncle Ted's role of Authority Figure was one that he had a natural gift for and we all benefitted from being part of a disciplined school in the 50s. The other face of Uncle Ted that few people knew was when he visited the boarders dormitories to say goodnight to us. Before lights out he would stay and chat for 10 minutes, sometimes we would play darts with him in our dressing gowns.
I once took a magician's trick pencil to school and showed him that by casting a spell on it I could make it stand up vertically on the wooden rail at the end of my bed and of course whatever he did he failed to make it stand up. I kept this up for a couple of nights but when I finally revealed the secret he told me I should have jealously guarded it.
He played cricket, tennis and table tennis with us, all of which I was useless at, but he could hardly join me in the body building I was mad on at the time.He took Geoff Burton and me out for the evening when we were sixth formers and I have never forgotten arriving back at night and sitting in his Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire in his garage in the dark listening to the end of Hancock's Half Hour.
And did anyone really use the words "This will hurt me more than it hurts you", when administering six of the best - yes, he did when I was sent to him for a formal caning (can't recall what I had done). It did me no lasting harm.
Please contact the editor if you have other photos or recollections of Mr Armitage/Edward/Ted/The Old Man
last update 17 Sep 13