Struggles at school for a Showman's son...

I'm one of those people who gets reminded of my past on a fairly regular basis - this came up on my Facebook Memories today.

Facebook memory 13-10-19

 

I had another 'flashback' this morning.

We were living at Burnham-on-Sea at the time.

Like so many others, I'd just taken my 11+ exams but had failed them, so wasn't clever enough to be admitted to the local Grammar School.

The local Comprehensive school was King Alfred's in Highbridge but my parents didn't want me to go there because it had a lot of older kids that had been kicked out of their arcade and they didn't want me being bullied.

So they hunted around for another school and found one locally that was a prep school, St Dunstan's.

St Dunstan's was an Independent School, in which my education was available because my Parents had enough money to pay for it. I was to become a member of the elite school system apparently.

Far from removing me from a school where I may get bullied, they in effect sent me to another school where I'd be bullied for different reasons. The class system at its finest.

Most of the children at this school were following their old-monied parents' footsteps. People who'd been businessmen, well to do farmers and suchlike for generations. The children here were going on to Public Schools and the better things in life. Which made me stand out like a sore thumb.

I could tell straight away that I wasn't one of 'those' people.

Upon entering the student body, I was entered into my class and soon realised that I was no longer James Murphy, just Murphy.

Everyone was addressed by their surname. If you were at the school and you were an elder brother you'd be something like Jones 1 and the younger brother would be addressed as Jones 2.

If you shared a surname with someone else you'd be Murphy in class but Murphy J in the general population.

It soon became apparent that I was looked down upon by many of the boys (it was boys only back in those days).

Once they realised I wasn't from their 'stock' I started getting picked on. 'Smelly Gyppo, 'Pikey' and other names flew around. Apparently, I was only there because my parents were 'nouveau riche.'

Myself and Harry Parkin 1973

I recall a year later when I was in a class named 'Shell' with another Showman's son, Harry Parkin (I'm circled, Harry is next to me on my left), and I was getting picked on after being taken out of school for a 2 week holiday during Autumn term.

They didn't see why I was allowed to have a break when they didn't and so decided I need to be slapped about a bit.

What they didn't understand was that while they were on their 6-week trek across Europe or their holiday in the Bahamas, I was stuck inside an Arcade and Bingo 7 days a week working hard as it was my Parents' business' busiest time. And as with all of my family, we were expected to work! That 2 weeks was my Summer Holiday.

I used to complain to my Mum about it and she told me to stand up for myself and remember, 'Sticks & Stones may break my bones but names could never hurt me.'

And this is where the point of my story comes into play.

I put up with having to be picked on. I had a few fights along the way and eventually, it all stopped.

As well as teachers, there were the infamous 'Prefects' who lorded it over the younger pupils. They imposed their superiority wherever they could.

It was bad enough having teachers who could hit you with a bit of chalk or a blackboard eraser from fifty feet when you were gazing out of the window waiting for the day to end and taking no notice during a lesson. The prefects were another ballgame.

The system of 'fagging' still went on. The prefects would make the younger students go and fetch stuff for them. They'd make you go and do stuff (nothing weird, just stuff to eat up your free time) and they'd basically just be nasty little gits.

And one of those was someone called Cox G. I can't say that he stood out amongst the nastiest of them. In fact, at the time, he seemed no better or worse than the others.

Over the years, I'd forgotten all about him until I was reminded of him a few years ago.

Recently, he became known to a lot of people who've begun to take an interest in Parliament.

Because he is now the Attorney General. He's the guy who turned on the 'Remainers' and called them 'Traitors' and 'Turkeys.'

He's the one that received all the jeers and shouting in Parliament that day,

I have to say, it really made me laugh. I'm sure his time at St Dunstan's and his eventual Public School prepared him for his little performance in Parliament that day.

As for the raucous booing, hissing and grizzling. It was water off a duck's back to him. It also made me realise what a limp-wristed bunch of people are running our country.

They got all upset and caused a scene because someone called them a few names. Their little egos took a pummelling and they couldn't cope.

Well, that just reminded me of my Mum's words all those years ago. "Sticks and stones..."

St Dunstan's may not have saved me from the bullying, but it certainly toughened me up to be an adult in the real world. And for that, I'll be eternally grateful.

And it's given me my 15 minutes of fame because I now can say that I was at school with the UK's Attorney General.

So there!

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