St Dunstan’s School

The Mate’s Guide to Burnham of 1903 tells us that St Dunstan’s School was established in 1897 as a preparatory school for the Public Schools and the Royal Navy. Increasing enrolment necessitated a move to temporary accommodation in 1898 pending the completion of a purpose built schoolhouse, said to be in progress at the time of the guide. The guide informed that new building stood in over 5 acres of grounds and was to include a gym, laboratory and carpentry facilities. “Every care is being taken to render the new premises perfect in accordance with modern ideas, with respect to sanitation, and everything which affects the health and comfort of the pupils.”

The above picture from the guide, photographed from a plan by local photographer Montague Cooper, is not explained, so we do not know whether it represents the original or temporary premises. We have no other evidence of this building . Below is the  building  in Grove Rd off the Berrow Road, towards the beach which the school occupied, together with neighbouring properties, for most of its existence. Oddly this does not appear to fit with the Mate’s Guide description of purpose-built premises.

After WWI the school came under the headship of Evan Stokes, a teacher returning from the forces.

Talking to Ivor Punnett in the Burnham & Highbridge Weekly News in 1992 Mrs Stokes’ son Eric (who later took over headship) recalled:

“My father believed in hard work hard games and no frills. The school was run without any extravagance and the regime was quite strict. But he and his wife always put the wellbeing of the boys first and this was reflected in their achievements. Over the years we won a number of scholarships and we even had two to Winchester, a major achievement for a school of our size. We were also high in athletic achievements.”

In the same article Mr Bruce Broker, who taught at the school from 1940 to 1980 recalled:

“We had about 70 boarders when I arrived and I believe that was the ideal number. You could say life was a bit spartan, because there were no frills and until 1960 the boys had to wash in cold water every morning. Great emphasis was placed on team sports and we had a steady flow of pupils whose parents were working in India and Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, as tea planters. The fees were about £30 a term and a teacher was paid something like £50 a term. But there was no such thing as working to set hours. Teachers were always expected to be on call, organising games, looking after evening work and carrying out other projects for the benefit of the pupils. It was most interesting as much of your real work was done out of class, when you were close to the boys and able to influence them.”

If you have photos or a member of your family has recorded memories of this school please get in touch with us. Thank you.

The following images are from the school’s prospectus from   c1930- Thanks to John Mackie for the use of these images. 

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This image shows Mr Stokes, his staff and pupils from around 1921.Can you help us identify any of the other people?

[Charles Blanning has commented that this picture may be earlier than 1921. He says: “Sixth from right, sitting on the ground is Jack Harden, my father’s best friend, who looks about 9 or 10, making it 1918 or 1919. The puzzle for me is the absence of my father. He and Jack were inseparable.”]

The ‘New House’  was built in Allandale Rd, behind the main school building. David Bolland recalls that this was in 1930 and that the building contained two classrooms, a laboratory, and dormitories. He also informs us that Sandy Lodge was the headmaster’s house but also contained a small senior dormitory

In the picture below Sandy Lodge can be seen at left just behind the beach. Behind it can be seen  the front elevation of the main school building. St Margaret’s school can also be seen just left of centre.

Chris Brown tells us in comments on ‘The Mount’ page: “My house in the sixties, Sandy Lodge, in Grove Road ( still very much there ) , was a large square, two storey ‘Art Deco’ house, built from a framework of reinforced concrete – using coke from S Wales I believe – with brick walls. Tough as old boots. It was built in 1919, for Countess Kairns, as a weekend golfing lodge.  It was sold on to Captain and Mrs Stokes in WW2, as their home and as dormitories for St Dunstan’ s school boys. I bought it  ( for £3,400) in 1967”

In 1967 the school moved to Beaufort House in The Grove,  the premises  occupied at one time  by Gardenhurst school. Girls were admitted from 1976. It closed in 1982.

Francis Farr-Cox, who was a pupil at the school between 1959 and 1965 and who’s father taught there for nearly 40 years, has supplied us with the following plan, guide and reminiscences.

A. House occupied by Mr Martin.

B. House occupied by Mr Eric Stokes and family..

C ‘Wode (pronounced Wood) House’ – 3 classrooms and staff accommodation. Recreation hut in blue behind.

D ‘Old School House’ – 2 houses with communicating doors holding 4 classrooms, headmaster’s study, kitchen, and dormitories upstairs.

E. ‘Southleigh’ – art room, staff accommodation and dormitories (the intervening property, unlabelled, was a private residence unconnected with the school).

F. ‘New House’ – changing rooms, dormitories upstairs

G. Dining room

H. Gymnasium

I. Link between ‘Old School House’ and ‘New House’, known as ‘the Air Raid Shelter’ and may have been built as such as it had a substantial concrete roof.

J. Hobby rooms downstairs and staff accommodation upstairs. At one time Evan Stokes’ house.

Francis tells us that for most of its life the school was owned by the Stokes family but latterly became an Educational Trust. During his time there it was run jointly by Mr Rupert Martin and Mr Eric Stokes. Evan Stokes and his wife Hilda had taken over the school in 1919 when it had only about 20 boys, and retired in 1952, at which time it had grown to number 80 pupils.

Francis recalls that an area of dunes between Sandy Lodge and Herbert Rd was a favourite play area of the boys in his time and was also the site of an annual Guy Fawkes bonfire and firework display to which other schools were invited.

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There is an interesting account of the school in Vol 1 chapter 2 of David Bolland’s autobiographical website ‘The Life and Times of David Bolland’ which can be found here : http://davidbolland.co.uk/vol1_chapter2.htm

60 thoughts on “St Dunstan’s School”

  1. Does anyone remember my cousin Patrick Sladen? He was born in 1951, so am guessing he would have attended St Dunstan’s 1957-1962.
    Thanks, Giles Neville

    1. Indeed I do. He could bowl faster and deadlier than any other child at age 12 . 1st eleven and it would not surprise me to hear that he rose very high in the sport. Even wicket keepers quaked behind their gloves and pads.
      Peter Holland ’61 to ’64

  2. I stumbled across this website when looking for the name of the school my father attended. He was Michael Makins, probably attending from 1939. He was born end of 1927 but his parents closed their own prep school in Reading and moved to Burnham at the outbreak of war so he might have been a late arrival at St Dunstans. He subsequently went to Daunsteys School, Devizes, leaving there to join the navy just before the end of the war. He was not an academic, which may have disappointed his father, a classics graduate (Oxon). But he held his own on the sports field, excelling at rugby. I, in turn, may have been a disappointment to him in that regard!! He was very fond of the school and I think rather hero worshipped Eric Stokes. I also remember Bruce Broker and his wife Mary as being family friends in Burnham. Sadly my father died in 1971 at only 43 years of age, having suffered from mental ill-health. He would be 93 now. The opportunity to talk about his childhood was missed. I was 17 when he died, Filling in the gaps now is tricky. He married my mother, Heather Hagon, in 1952. She returned to Burnham in the 1970s and was well known there, but died in 1998. She was a good tennis player (my Dad was a slogger!) and they made a good couple I think. Any reminiscences or observations welcomed.

    1. Hello Ben and thank you for sharing your memories. As you will have seen this topic gets the most comments of any on this site. I hope other pupils will follow on from your interesting comments.
      John

      1. Thanks John. Do I get an alert if a post is made or do I just need to visit the site from time to time? Strickland is an interesting name to me. My parents were friends of John and Janet Strickland. Janet was nee Hauser (?) whose parents owned a hardware shop in Burnham. They lived in Shepton Mallet (in 50s / 60s) and later in Wiltshire. John was an estate / land agent I believe. Janet took one of the readings at my mothers’ funeral.

        1. Hello again Ben.
          You should get an alert if a comment is made against your entry but as there are so many comments it might be good to visit the site for other new entries on this subject.
          Thanks again for visiting us.
          John

    2. Dear Ben,

      I hope you don’t mind me trying to contact you through here.
      I work at Crosfields School in Reading which is the successor school to Marlborough House where your grandfather was headmaster and your father attended.
      It would be really good to chat with you as I have a lot of information about Marlborough House but would also like to find out more about your grandfather and father.
      My email is my full name @crosfields.com

      Kind regards,
      Paul Mason

      1. Hello Paul,

        Ben should get this notification and then get back to us regarding your request. We can then make the necessary arrangements for you to chat.
        John

  3. On 18th May Charles Blanning posted a comment on an ‘orphan’ page of the website about the group picture above. He says: ” This picture may be earlier than 1921. Sixth from right, sitting on the ground is Jack Harden, my father’s best friend, who looks about 9 or 10, making it 1918 or 1919. The puzzle for me is the absence of my father. He and Jack were inseparable.” I have reposted the comment here so that it can be seen, and below the picture above to which it applies.

  4. I was at St Dunstan’s from 1972 -1974 before going on to Prior Park College in Bath.
    Most of my memories of the school include flying board rubbers and chalk, courtesy of Mr Broker, who in spite of everything was my favourite teacher.
    I was rubbish at maths and as Mr Williams lived opposite us, my Dad paid him to give me one to one lessons out of school time!
    My favourite memories are all sports-related as I managed to get in the 1st XI’s for Football, Hockey and Cricket (only after Paul Randall had his front tooth knocked out against Millfield).
    And I remember the 1st XI v Teachers hockey match where I had the must fun clattering poor Mr Wood across the shins a few times. He took it with such grace. He never swore at me once!

  5. Can you please pass on my email address to Mr. Francis Farr-Cox in relation to the 4 framed photographs i.e. St. Dunstan’s – July 1925. We have chatted regarding these and I have agreed to hold on to them until a decision has been made as to what to do with them.

    1. Hello Valerie and sorry for this delay in my reply.
      I have now mailed Francis as you requested and thank you for thinking of this
      website with your offer.
      John

  6. Hi my parents have 3 school year photos from July 1925 that belonged to an old neighbours of theirs. Would you be interested I them. I can send you photos of them if you like?

    1. Thanks Liz, that would be a nice addition to the page. I will contact you at your personal email address with my email details.

  7. Great to read all of your comments, here are mine : I am a contemporary of James Tait, arriving in 1965 and leaving in 1971 (Allhallows). I do remember that James’ father was a Naval officer – in fact I worked with someone during my career who recalls being on one of Captain Tate’s submarines. I visit Burnham quite regularly, as I grew up there. Arnold Wood is still alive . Bruce Broker died in 1994, I went to his funeral at St. Andrew’s. I saw Richard Lewis-Bowen there, he had retired to Bude and died in 2017. Sadly, Bruce’s son my good friend Martin died in 2018 at 60. Patrick Stokes, the brother of Eric, died in 2020 aged 100. I am still in contact with Neil Mackie and James Travers, who attended the school in the 60s.

    1. Stephen, you lived next to the tennis club and we used to play there a lot. I cycled up from Highbridge. Also went St Dunstans ‘63 – ‘65. Happy days! Hope all well. Best wishes. Ian Jameson

  8. Although I was only ay St Dunstan’s for a year 1954-1955 ,and at the time it was not a success, I still have many warm memories and it was certainly a formative period in my life . Playing hockey on the beach, walking to the Church every Sunday morning and having to learn by heart the Lord’s Prayer and Apostles Creed and reciting them out loud to all the class. This in my case was an absolute ordeal due to my appalling stammer. My sister was at the neighbouring boarding school St Christopher’s and sometimes I would be allowed to go and see her and have cake in her Headmistress ‘s study. I remember Mr Martin particularly well and there was my form teacher Mr Nicholas who left a somewhat unhappier impression on me. He was something of a bully and used to torment me over being a ” a mummy’s boy” but I remember when he died suddenly of a heart attack feeling both relieved and guilty at the same.
    Yes overall that year at St Dunstan’s was a time I look back on with many affectionate memories. In 1966 while I was on a six month training cause in Bristol I spent a very enjoyable weekend in Burnham and Western super Mare visiting the school, church and the café where my father, a school inspector, used to take me for lunch on a Sunday visit. Happy memories. I am so glad I found this site. Please keep up the good work.

    1. Thank you John for sharing your memories of your time at this school. Should you remember anything else about your time in Burnham please feel free to share it with us.
      John

  9. So, I was at St. Dunstan’s from 1965 to 1970. During this time, the school moved from Berrow Road to the property of Gardenhurst, the girl’s school that closed down.

    In 1971, went to Sherborne (Westcott house).

    My father, John Tait, was also at the school, leaving in 1944 on a scholarship to RNC Dartmouth. Fastest way into inform he used say.

    Memories: Cold! Terrible food but we ate it all. The beach…., runs through the sand hills up to the second wreck, the lighthouse, those games of “football” with a huge pitch, lots of boys on each side and several balls including rugby balls.

    Masters: I remember many, some for not the right reasons which I won’t go into now, after so many years… , but of the others… Mr. Broker who also taught my father. Mr. Harrison, ex army and WWII tank commander (I think), who taught English. Another who couldn’t stand humming after being a POW, so we did unmercifully. And many others….!

    Mostly fond memories!

    1. Thank you James for sharing your memories of this time. I am interested you mention a second wreck ? Was this just a typo?
      John

      1. There was a second wreck as I recall. It was well past the first one and considered an ordeal to reach.
        James Travers I remember as a particular friend who came to stay with us in Jersey, where we lived then.
        I have a recollection of his getting his fingers caught in a closing car door. Ouch, poor James. Smashing lad.

  10. I attended St Dunstan’s from 1954-1959 with Eric Stokes and Rupert Martin as joint headmasters. I followed in the footsteps of my cousin Valentine Webster who was a few years older than me. His brother Rory Webster and my younger brother Nick Woodhead were also there. I returned in 1963 and taught there for two years. My salary was the princely sum of £50 per term. Brian Barnes, the golfer, was a good friend and a pretty good fast bowler. Bruce Broker taught me English and cricket and never washed his car in the belief that it would be better preserved if left unpolished.

    1. Hello Richard and thank you for sharing this memory. It’s lovely that so many past students and teachers are sharing times past here.

    2. Hello, I think from the dates you may have been at St D’s at the same time as my father, David Gliddon. He doesn’t use social media, but I know he would love to get in touch with any contemporaries who remember him -do you – and can this page maybe facilitate reconnecting, as the Facebook page didn’t seem to work?

      Jenny

      1. Hi Jenny,

        Thanks for your comment. Certainly if people wish to include their email address in the body of their comments then others viewing the page will be able to contact them to share memories. As a group we are not in a position to undertake any other form of contact facilitation. We would also wish people to be aware that if they do publicise their email address in their comments we cannot be responsible for who may choose to contact them.

    3. I was at the school during your teaching stint (64-67) and I remember you had a moth trap that was put out on the seaward facing lawn at Sandy Lodge (or was that somebody else – maybe Mr. Heslop?) Just in the last month I saw a similar moth trap on the detective show “Vera.” Other staff members I remember are Richard(?) Brierly who I can see now dribbling a rugby ball on the beach at high speed and with great skill, and (?) Lewis-Bowen who drove to Aberfan to help on the day of the disaster. I remember the beautiful French matron in New House and the strict matron in Southfield(?). I have fond memories of the end of term squad of senior boys run by Mr. Gatter to move all the trunks from dorms downstairs ready for the breakup.

    4. Richard, I remember you very kindly. For some reason I always thought you were Australian! I attended as a pupil from ‘63 til ‘65. In my class were Mark Creamer, Clive Weston, a couple of Williams, Merchant, Coldrey (cricketer), Holland. I remember Bennett’s, Frost, Kent, That school was a complete one-off. Thanks for your part in it. Best wishes. Ian Jameson

  11. Hello.

    I started a Facebook group for St Dunstans a few years ago and there are a number of pictures on it.

    I was there from 1960 to 64

    1. Hello Nick and thanks for your information. As there is now a link here to your group so would you be kind enough to reciprocate and put a link to this site .
      Thanks for your comment.
      John

  12. I actually live in one of the flats that the building is now occupied as and although it’s not memories I have of the place it would be great if there are any photos of it that anyone could possibly send. The building has 4 flats and it seems hard to imagine it as a school.

    1. Hello Paul and thank you for your interest and posting. I hope you get some images. I will also check and send you any I may have.

  13. Was at St Dunstan 1960-63. Remember cycling to games ground, runs to the lighthouse on the beach, and picnics at Break Down. R Brimblecombe, H Morris, R. Frost, A Broad & brother, Coward Brothers, ?Van ded Woerd ? Yeates, . Rupert Martin was headmaster.

    1. Hello Stewart and thank you for sharing your school days at St Dunstan. We would be interested in hearing more about this time and especially where the games ground was?
      Thanks again,
      John

    2. Stewart Flemming! I remember you well: we were fairly friendly when at St Dunstan’s but you, being a year older, went up to King’s School Bruton a year before me. The year was significant and at Bruton we no longer hung out with one another. I do remember that you invited me to join you on a day out one weekend and I went to spend the day (I think not the whole weekend??) at your home in Bristol. I have a couple of pics of you – one in the rugby team (I had guessed the year to be in ’64/65 but maybe not if the dates you give are right!). Also a pic of you with Peter Flaws, Robin Frost and Tony Copeland, and another of you on your bike at the playing fields! The playing fields were a bit of a way from the School (a ten minute walk?). They entrance to the playing fields was next to number 23 Stoddens Road (I know the number as when younger I had lived there). I believe the playing fields were sold off and a housing estate built there.
      I also recall the Brean Down picnics which were a reward for someone getting a scholarship of some sort! The picnics were great fun as was bonfire night! Remember the dance classes with Gardenhurst? Hahaha – great fun!!

    3. Good evening,Stewart.Charles Broad was the younger.His elder brother was killed at the age of 16 in a motorcycle crash.I am Hugh Morris(then known as Morris ii as Tom Morris was still on board-we are not related)and I remember you very well.My e-mail is my name followed by 227,lower register,no gaps,at aol.com

    4. Gosh Stewart, I was known as Holland or Holland 1 when at St Dunstan’s. I joined aged 10 in 1961 so did not do the full stint like my younger brother Alan who joined as Holland 2. We lived in Jersey and reliant on kind offers to have a weekend away. Remember shooting in your garden one weekend. Weekends also with the Coward family. Ian Travers, Morris, Cummings, Woodhead, and your contemporaries. I often wonder about Chad Rostron. I was foolishly throwing snowballs at the classroom window at the side of old house while he pulled faces inside. One too many and the window broke. A piece of glass broke his front tooth. I learned a hard lesson and never forgot.
      Runs on the beach were either to lighthouse, first wreck, or 2nd wreck, a fairly substantial double skinned wooden ship typical of small estuary sailing cargo types.
      I often wondered what the strange concrete S shaped structures were on the beach just upstream of the school. Parts off a Mulberry harbour I found out in later life. Gravity fenders. How did they end up there?
      Peter Holland

  14. I was at St Dunstan’s from 1946 to 1952, when i went on to Sherborne School. I remember:
    The annual outing to Brean Down, which became a cycle race
    The annual outing to the top of Brent Knoll
    Mr and Mrs Stokes and a second headmaster whose name I have forgotten
    Maths teacher with a pre war Austin 7.
    English and Latin teacher who struggled with diabetes (Mr. Broker?)
    Playing in the sand opposite the school, digging caves and making channels for marbles to run down
    Going for shooting lessons in town.
    Occasional swims in the sea at the end of the lane
    Fresh bread and marmalade for breakfast every day
    Any other readers who were there at this time???????????

    1. I was there from 1948-53, after which I also went to Sherborne (Westcott House). I do remember the name Evered. My parents lived in Burnham at one of the cottages attached to the Lighthouse. I also remember the items mentioned by Simon. The ‘other’ headmaster was Rupert Martin. He had an unusual cough which sounded like ‘oo-hoom’; naturally he was sometimes called this. The maths teacher was Mr Farr-Cox. It was Bruce Broker who had diabetes; he subsequently married one of the undermatrons, whose name I’ve forgotten but she was beautiful and adored by the boys. Going for shooting lessons in town at the local indoor range was an opportunity to shop for sweets which were rationed; you couldn’t actually get sweets as such, but we bought acceptable alternatives like Horlicks tablets and aniseed balls.
      For some reason I lost all my school photos, but was recently given one for the year 1950 by a fellow pupil whose name I’ve temporarily forgotten. What I do remember is that poliomyelitis was a health scare at the time. He was taken off to hospital with a stiff neck, but fortunately it was a false alarm.
      As for the photo, I found I could remember most of boys but in most cases only their surnames.

      1. Just stumbled across this when looking up the name of my Dad’s old school. Bruce Broker was a friend of my family and I think his beautiful wife was Mary. I remember them coming for Sunday drinks at my grandparents house in Gore Road in the 50s/60s and they seemed very glamorous to me. Bruce had taught my father, Michael Makins, who was probably there from 1934-5 (born end of 1927) before heading to Dauntseys School, leaving there and joining the Navy just before the end of the war. My Dad was not an academic, which was probably disappointing to his father, Harold, who was a Classics graduate (Oxon) and headmaster of his own prep school. However he held his own on the sports-field, especially rugby. I, in turn was probably a disappointment to him in that regard! Sadly Michel died too young at 43 years after suffering mental ill health. My step-grandfather, John Cary, was probably there ten years earlier. Any reminiscences welcome, though not sure how to track these.

    2. Do you recall Edward Stanford? He was born in 1936 so may have crossed paths just. He is still alive and talks of the school fondly although he did have a bad experience with one of the masters

      Cathy ( his eldest daughter)

    3. Simon Evered ! We were exact contemporaries, as were your brother Nicky and my brother Anthony. Your father worked for Rediffusion and it was in your house in ? Druid Stoke Road in Bristol that I first watched television. The second headmaster was Rupert Martin who joined the school in 1949 – I was in his first Greek class and perhaps you were too. Mr Farr-Cox had that lovely open Austin 7. Mr Broker was an excellent English teacher – I still remember a lot of the poetry that he made us learn by heart. Jack Street the French master. I’m in touch with Andrew Bowden, who went on to Clifton (I went to St.Edward’s, Oxford) and we joined up again at Worcester College, Oxford; another comtemporary there was Richard Hooper from Sherborne. I spent most of my working life as a solicitorin Sherborne, including 12 years as Clerk to the Governors of the School. Did you go to live in South Africa ?

      1. Hello David and thanks for sharing your memories. Of interest Mr. Farr-Cox’s son Francis still has the Austin 7 and it’s regularly seen around the town.

        John

  15. Tim Synge,

    G. Cox famously and amusingly forgot his lines in the 1972 Christmas play.
    Who, back in the day, at St Dunstan’s did not have a small tin containing the ‘Owzthat’ cricket game? No batteries required.

    Duncan

    1. Thanks for sharing your memories at the school. We would love to hear more about your time there if you wish.
      John

  16. Tony Heath! A contemporary of mine at both St Dunstan’s and at King’s College, Taunton! Hi, Tony! I think we were both in the first ever “S1” in 1975/76, the class introduced to start the School’s expansion from preparatory school towards O-Levels at the time when the earlier influx of pupils from the closed St Peter’s School in Weston-super-Mare a few years before had worked their way through the School and left, with a consequent adverse impact on pupil numbers.

    Random memories:
    – cross-country runs along the beach to Berrow.
    – walking along The Grove past the tennis club to and from the playing fields in Stoddens Road.
    – endless hours hunting for cricket balls in the rhynes (a good Somerset word) that bordered the cricket pitches.
    – the open air swimming pool at Gardenhurst.
    – the Airfix model competitions.
    – “dot cricket”.
    – house sports (Go, Brue!).
    – in addition to the classes numbered from 1 to 6, classes called (IIRC) Remove, Transition and Shell (a pupil once took the “S” off the name plate of the latter classroom, which caused a lot of trouble).
    – Round-the-table table tennis using books or hands because there weren’t enough bats.
    – shooting club at the rifle range at King Alfred’s School.
    – the dinner bell outside the main classroom block.
    – the language lab in the attic with sling-type fire evacuation equipment which you were supposed to lower through the dormer window onto some sort of slide on the pitched roof.
    – Crazes including “clackers” and a period when everyone was using small hypodermic plastic syringes as miniature water pistols (until the day when prefects confiscated the lot and stamped on them before the owners’ eyes).
    – the varied and memorable staff (it is probably not appropriate to comment on individuals in a public forum!) led by Eric Stokes.
    – feeding the locusts in the Science Lab at lunchtimes and “accidentally” releasing a pair in the hope of starting a plague of locusts in Burnham-on-Sea.
    – and a timely memory: Geoff Cox (now Attorney General) starring in school plays!

  17. I am currently researching my relative, Charles Herbert Strong, who was a Proprietor & School principal of St Dunstan’s School from the early 1900 to I presume about 1917, when he joined the Royal Flying Core aged 59 years. ( ref London Gazette) Which seems a bit unusual to say the least. So any detail you may have on the change of ownership such as exact dates etc would be very useful.
    Incidentally I enjoyed looking over your site which is very well set out

    1. Hello Bryan,
      Sorry for the delay in my posting your question. Fingers crossed you get an answer.
      John

  18. Oh lordy, I remember St Dunstans. I was there from winter 1973 to winter 1975, transferring to Kings College, Taunton for Spring 1976. I had a fair amount of fun there actually. Walks on the beach and exploring the dunes and the ruined house there. Trying not to freeze to death in the pool at the house behind the school during the first swim in spring. Keeping the Guy Fawkes fire going for about 2 weeks on the north half of the west lawn as it gradually hollowed out the stump at the center of the fire. The chestnut trees along the south end of the west lawn. Digging that attempted decorative pond out front of the main buiding. Watching World At War in the TV room. Sitting in the corridor on the top floor as a prefect during my last term reading borrowed comics for half an hour after lights out. Firing an actual small brass cannon (off one of those fancy sailing ship models) in the dorm room I shared with Sharda and Paul Land on the top floor, putting a neat hole through Land’s model Lancaster. Sharda got a bloody nose from being hit by the recoiling cannon. Nobody seemed to notice. Setting off a fountain firework in that same dorm room, scorching the cieling, melting the linoleum under it and filling the entire top floor with smoke 10 minutes before the master who lived on that floor (I forget his name, guy loved to give people lines) came up. Entire top floor of kids running up and down with all the windows open flapping smoke out and one kid emptying half the masters aerosol deoderiser along the hall, and STILL none of them asked what the hell happened. We got away with it too, god knows how. 😛 Coming back a couple of hours after lights-out from a late excursion to Weston-Super-Mare to watch a piano recital and surprising the assistant headmaster tending a burning barrel of paper just around the corner (from the point of view of upstairs) on the halfway landing of the dorm stairs to make people think the surprise fire drill they were just starting was real. (the light and shadows of dancing flames was very good actually, but I have no recollection of what happened with the smoke that must have been there too.) Spending my last couple of weeks there after exams before moving to Kings College sorting through all the paper in the assistant headmasters garage from the paper drive and collecting about Eleventy-billion Page 3’s from all the copies of The Sun.

    So much more to, especially since I was an american kid up till that point so actual English culture was all new to me, AND never having lived in a first-world country till then all the music was new too. All that and puberty too.

    Tony Heath
    Vancouver, BC

  19. A number of former pupils from St Dunstan’s have recently got together on Facebook and we are hoping to have a reunion later this year( 2015). further details about the group and the reunion can be found on our website which has been created to collate as much information as we have about St Dunstan’s which can be found at http://www.st-dunstans-school.co.uk

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