Just remembered something about BISHOPS which I thought I
must share .
For the Sports day, PE display etc. there was always an
impressive March past by the four houses- Arnould, Bishops, Harding &
Mansfied. Bishops boys were known for their marching prowess.
During this time, House masters would get their boys
together and there would be hours and hours of rigorous practice – usually commencing
a month in advance.
As there was a great Inter House competition and intense
pride and fierce rivalry, all houses were always determined to come out on top
and hence House masters pushed their squad to the very maximum.
I was House Master of Bishops House and did likewise. As
house masters, we marched alongside our houses and shouted out orders and
commands – often getting hoarse in the bargain with all the dust we swallowed.
I must say I enjoyed every bit of it. It built a great house spirit and was a
lot of fun.
This was some serious competition indeed and no quarters
were asked for or given.
The heads held high, the chest out, the stomach in, the swinging
of the arms, the movement of the legs , the position of the shoe, the eyes
right , the eyes front, the hair cut , the uniform - all had to be perfect, with no room for error –
there was usually a Marching cake and a prestigious trophy to be won. Three judges
marked the squads as they marched past – usually army/ air force / naval officers
for obvious reasons. The marching trophy was usually a very close contest and
no one was ever happy with the results as each house felt it was the best!
We needed 15 rows of three boys in each row which made a
squad of 45, plus the captain in the front leading with the flag and usually
the Vice-captain at the back, to give the eyes front command. Anyway, the point
I am coming to are the dodgers.
These were boys who were
more than capable of marching, but for some reason or the other or just plain laziness,
they did not want to do so. A few did not march well on purpose and had their
own reasons and explanation for the same. Some feigned injury or sickness and
some said they did not know how to march. A boy once had the impunity to inform
me, that his parents did not permit him to march as it was a waste of time, and
he did so with a straight face.
At times, although boys were plentiful, houses struggled to
get the minimum number and that became quite an issue. House masters soon found
a solution to the perennial problem.
If boys marched poorly, they were usually kicked out of the
squad. They then went and sat down in the shade and were either seen chatting
to friends and having a good time, playing slyly in some corner, or slipping
off to class to complete some class or homework. Often, they would also be seen making fun of those practicing.
So, this was the solution. If you were kicked out of the squad,
sitting down, or slipping away was out of the question. This was just not
permitted.
Instead, these boys were formed into what came to be known
as an ‘awkward squad’ and they marched behind the main squad during all
practice sessions. A senior boy was usually put in charge of training them.
Some boys had two left feel and no sense of timing, and just could not march. Surprisingly,
the number of dodgers dropped drastically and they joined the main squad once
this system was put in place. Others just plodded on as members of the awkward squad.
For your information, the name ‘awkward squad’ was given by
Mr Roberts and he also enjoyed calling them out on the microphone from where
you could hear him shout - left, right left, right, left right ……..
So, dear boys – gentlemen now – put your hand up if you ever
dodged marching and tell me how and why - especially if you never got caught.
1 comment:
It was a matter of pride to be in the girls' squad. We were trained by personnel from the army, not only for marching but also for human pyramids of all kinds. Me being the thinnest and lightest always got the top position on the pyramid.
Good old memories.....
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