Neil Taylor, Class of 1969 (1962 joiner), sent us this wonderful recollection of his time at The Latymer School. 

After leaving Latymer, Neil worked in IT throughout his career. He is twice married (firstly to Anne, née Robinson, Class of 1972 – 1965 joiner). He has two step-sons, and one in his own right. There are currently two step-grandchildren, and one newly arrived grandson to whom he is 'genuine' granddad!
Now retired, he enjoys writing, all sports (though spectating only these days!), and all sorts of competitive events, from crosswords and sudoku to cards and quiz nights. Neil seems to have become the hub for his year of 1962 starters, so regularly keeps in touch with his fellow Latymerians.

Whilst attending the school's 400th anniversary on 6th July, it occurred to me that in 1924 (thus the 300th anniversary), my mum and at least two of her siblings would have been at the school as well, and that, in turn, got me thinking about my first day, back in September 1962. Frank Ifield's "I Remember You" was No.1, which seems quite apt now! 

During the summer holidays, mum had taken me to look at the school from the outside, and the main thing I remember, coming from a small primary school of less than 300 children in total, was how big it seemed. With a North block, a Middle block, and a South block, it looked more like a mansion or palace than a school! But peering through the gates at the South end, what excited me hugely more than anything else was the glimpse of a school playing field! For a sport-mad kid such as myself, this was heaven, and from that moment I couldn't wait for the starting day to come. 

So, a few weeks later, the day arrived and I remember heading down the road with blazer and cap (WHY did we have to wear caps?!). Then, waiting at the 128 bus stop in Enfield I got talking to a man whom I'd seen before but never spoken to. He asked if it was my first day, and I said it was. "Don't worry", he said "you'll be alright". "Are you an old Latymer-ite then?" I asked, to which he replied "Yes, I am an Old LatymerIAN", with the accent very much on the 'ian' to correct my 'ite'! 

At the school gates, all the newbies were met by Mr Ager (who was the head of the North Block – first and second years). I remember being amazed that so many teachers were wearing gowns (though no mortar-boards as I recall !). That was completely new to me. Come to think of it, I was amazed at the number of teachers full stop, having come from a school where there were only eight. 

We were assigned our forms alphabetically by surname: 1L, 1T, 1Y, 1M, 1E, 1R, and I was in 1R (Room 6). Seemed odd to be in a class of just 30 rather than that of 46 hitherto! Our form teacher was Miss Lowenthal whom we also had for English. The other 1R teachers we had in that first year (or those I can remember) were Mrs ('Ma') Smith (Maths), Mr Hogarth (Chemistry), Miss Williamson (Biology) – she was also the senior mistress, as I recall, Mr ('Ernie') Taylor (History), Mr ('Soapy') Luxon (Geography), Mr ('Digger') Diamond (Physics), Mr McNeill (German), Mr Lazenby (RK), Miss Finlay (Music), Miss McKechnie (Speech Training – do they still do that at the school, I wonder?), Mr ('Ben') Clough (Art), Mr ('Spongy') Spurgeon (Metalwork), Mr Sprosen (PE), and then for games Mr ('Nobby') Clarke (History), and Mr ("Jet") Harris (can't remember his subject - French?) joined us to referee/umpire the various games (if indeed it was Mr. Harris (or 'Harries'(?), or maybe Mr. Davis (Davies?) - 62 year memory isn't what it was, maybe someone else can recall?). 

Then, coming up to Christmas each year, Mrs Shaw and the girls joined us as PE made way for dancing – ready for the Christmas party. How I hated that. Why did we have to give up PE just to learn the waltz (FORward, side, together, FORward side together!)? And at aged 11 or 12, the embarrassment was unbounded! 

The only other form teachers I remember from then (although we didn't have them for anything in 1R) were Miss Vincent (1L), and Mr Ray (1M). 1M was the music room wasn't it? Because it had a piano?? 

I remember our first assembly, going into the Great Hall – how absolutely huge it seemed – with a balcony all around, and an organ, and a stage, and curtains! Unbelievable! 

I think we had English homework that first day (and only English), and it was to learn the school song! Mind you, it must have worked because I still remember it more than 60 years later! One other English homework I remember was that we were given a choice of maybe three or four poems which of we had to learn one and recite it to the class the next day. It's been 62 years, but I still remember mine: 

While my mother ate her heart out and my father chewed the chairs
My sister worked in a factory calmly degutting pears
Green pears like spinach and yellow pears like sick
She carefully disemboweled them with a deft little flick
She jilted a tin carpenter, and then a labeler's mate
And finally she married the man who nails the crate
She had two lovely children called Dorothy and Clem
They're hanging her tomorrow for calmly degutting them. 

Would that I could remember all our lessons so well! 

Our gym back then was what became the Sixth Form Common Room (at least, that's what it was when we had our 50th reunion back in 2012) at the far south of the school. Strangely, the place we used as a changing room was the 'Tin Tab', which was an old corrugated iron construction at the far north end of the school. Perhaps we just used that for changing if we were on the field, if we were in the gym, perhaps we changed in the gym as well? I really can't remember. 

I remember that winter of 1963 when the snow started falling on Boxing Day and we didn't see the grass again until April. Once or twice, we were sent home early if the weather was particularly bad.(I also remember a certain young lady slapping my face because I threw a snowball at her! Ouch!

Another thing I also remember quite clearly though was that when our 'rough books' were full we had to present the old one to someone (Mr Ager?), and if there was too much doodling, we weren't just given a new one, we had to buy it. I recall sometimes going through it myself and tearing out any pages that were particularly full of 'nothing'! It cost 9d (just under 4p now!). And on the subject of costs, I'm sure our 'dinner money' was five bob (25p) a week, and my bus fare from Enfield to Haselbury Road was "Thrupenny half please"! What's that – just over 1p now! I think there were probably ten or twelve of us on that 128 route, and we often used to call in Lyons or ABC when we got back to Enfield for a cuppa and a chat, but the chats must have been quite noisy because it wasn't uncommon to be thrown out of said establishments! 

I've always said that I had a great time at school – not so much academically (or not at all, in my case!!), but the social side, the friendships we made, many of which have lasted to this day, contributed to make lifelong happy memories.