Rhubarb 2021

ST EDWARD’S

out and tip our tubs out onto the floor. If we did it all together and got it right the drain would not be able to cope with the water and would start flooding down the stairs; we only managed this once and it resulted in a painful encounter with the Housemaster. TEDDIES GYMNASTICS John Crosse (Sing’s,1955-1960) recalls how an early meeting with Warden Fisher led to the start of the Gymnastics Club at Teddies in 1956.

willing to have a go and so the Warden, as good as his word, made arrangements for the indoor swimming pool to be covered with wooden flooring and for gymnastic equipment to be installed. I was delighted to find that a number of boys wished to join the Gym Club and in the summer holidays of 1956, I attended a two-week intensive course at the Aldershot Army Camp where I was trained to become a PT Instructor by Company Sergeant Major Nik Stuart and Corporal Dick Gradley who both went on to represent Great Britain in the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics. With my newly acquired skills, I set about training our gymnasts in the use of the vaulting horse, horizontal bar and the painful parallel bars. Recognising our limitations, Peter Corlett and I persuaded the Warden to engage a full-time PT Instructor (Sergeant McQuinney) to train us in the use of the equipment. In my last two years at the School, we put on displays for the parents at Gaudy using the lower field near the Pavilion. In those days fear played no part in what were potentially dangerous exercises for all of us. In 1965, while serving as an officer in the Royal Regiment of Artillery, Martin Proudlock(Sing’s,1957-1960), an enthusiastic member of our team, was awarded the Military Cross for his gallantry while facing heavy machine gunfire near the Yemen Border.

FEATURE

Gymnastics at St Edward’s

My education at Teddies started in September 1955. A few weeks later, I made my way up the steps leading to Warden Fisher’s study after making sure that there was no one around who might see me. I had no wish to start a rumour that Crosse had committed a misdemeanour in his first term resulting in a summons from the Warden. ‘Yes Crosse, what can I do for you?’. How could he possibly know my name? ‘Well Sir, I have to say that I am After presenting what I thought was a carefully made case for having a gym, the Warden said ‘If you can find a master willing to supervise your activities, I shall see what I can do’. Word soon spread around the School and in no time I was approached by the Maths teacher Peter Corlett (MCR,1954-1989). disappointed that there are no facilities here for pursuing my interest in gymnastics.’

1960 Gaudy gymnasts

The photograph shows our team of gymnasts at my last Gaudy in 1960 and illustrates just how many members of the School were participating. Gym Club was a lot of fun and I hope many still cherish happy memories.

‘I hear you want support for a gymnasium.’ Although he had no experience of gymnastics he was

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