Bill Applebee
My pal Harry Fulker was in the previous year at BCS and we joined the 42nd Battalion together. Our friendship came about by the fact that we were, to start with, in the Battersea High Street Salvation Army Boys Band, moving on at the age of 14 to the 'The Big Band' He was brilliant on euphonium and I was first trombone.
I got posted to Brigade H.Q. (seen typing by the Orderly Room RSM) and Harry, with the 42nd went, as a Desert Rat, to the Eighth Army, got captured and was a POW for four years. The 42nd was full compliment but we got in as we were Bandsmen.
I have a fairly good memory of the four years at BCS but all mainly routine.
Just a couple of happenings were out of the ordinary.
At the end of the third year we had had our exams.
One afternoon over in the science lab with Dr. Raine, he got called away. On his desk was a pile of papers found to the marked exam papers. So, with a look-out keeping cavey, another boy read out the marks. I had got 30 and was top. When I got my report it was shown as 13. Then I had the problem of how to bring this error to light, and I think it was something like 'someone had told me I had come top with 30 - can't remember who. 'Most difficult situation.
I had been in A form for the first two years but dropped to B in my third year.
The change in totals meant that I qualified to go back into A, so further problems, resulting in having to go and see Mr. Ling who offered either, be near the bottom of A or top of B. I preferred to be pulled along in A, and I duly improved and climbed.
The second occasion was when on a 'working party' which had collected together all the torn and damaged text books from the Class-rooms and laid out on tables in the corridor opposite the Headmaster's Office. The School Inspectors checked and a few were returned to be used. The rest Mr. Ling gave us the instruction, Inspectors hearing, to take all the rest down to the Boiler Room. Unseen, he pulled me to one side with the instruction "Go down and tell them not to burn any "So I learned an important lesson on recycling! Vic Myers and I were in Mr. Williams School P.T. Team that went to the London University Gym and made an eleven minute film for British Movietone News for the 'Keep Britain Fit' campaign.
Sir Kingsley Wood, the then Minister of Health was there, and made introductions to the film.
We also did the occasional show. It was always a great treat to be taken for a trip out and, not only that, get lashings of free brylcream from a huge jar.
At the School Camps, starting at Walmer, 1934 cost 30/- for the fortnight, I was the Trumpeter, first up in the morning to sound reveille, then 'come to the cook house door' etc.
I think you a have a photo of me with trumpet, borrowed from the Scout Troop that I was in. I was fortunate, good parents, in going to all four camps, and then again as an old boy, to Cooden Beach, Bexhill, 1939.
Kind regards, Bill Applebee
PS Having spent seven years in the Army, 1/9/39 to 30/8/46 I have recently been typing out a few memories.
One, condensed, facing west I got a bit of shrapnel in my right hip, facing north it would have been a quick sex change!
