Making an Engineer

I first met David in 1954 when we both started at Penarth County Grammar School (PenarthGS.jpg). I lived in Penarth and he did not so we had not met before. Also in the first year we were divided alphabetically into two forms and he was in form 1 and I was in form 1A. I can still recite the form 1A register – can he recite his? A school photo was taken in 1954 and I am not sure if you have it but I have extracted the part that includes David (PG54.jpg) and a photo of David from around that time (DBalston.jpg).

At the end of the first year we were placed in classes on the basis of our performance in the first year and so David and I were in the same form 2 (Form2.jpg – David is on the far left, I am 3rd from the right in the back row). I also have a photo of us when we were in form 4 or is it 5? (Form4.jpg – David 4th from right middle row, I am 4th from left same row). There was also a school photo taken in 1958 and I have again extracted a part (PG58.jpg – Of interest are the two teachers that we had for our A level subjects 1960-61 – Mr Daniels (pure maths, applied maths) arms folded and Mr Parsons (Physics) far right). At the school reunion in 2011 we were shown class registers and I took a photo of our class register for 1959 (Register59.jpg).

David and I took the same subjects in quite a small class – for maths it was less than 10 students. We became good friends and after finishing A levels we were both accepted at Bristol University to do Engineering – David electrical and I mechanical. We found and shared accommodation in Eastville (Goodhind St) and not in a hall of residence. I remember David’s parents drove us up from Wales to our new digs – I cannot remember if we used the Aust Ferry or went via Gloucester – no Severn Bridge then.

Eastville was a poorer part of Bristol with a not so good reputation. A few doors from where we lodged a woman had killed her husband a few months earlier! Also the husband of our landlady was a retired undertaker! David and I shared a bedroom and because of the sagging ceiling put our beds close to the wall. I recall finding jam under the meat one day. I also recall being rebuked because we turned the taps off too tight and ruined the washers!

There was another lodger, Peter Bourne also doing electrical engineering. There is a photo of us (Goodhind61.jpg – the mechanical engineer is between the two electricals). The information sent to new undergraduates had stated that we required undergraduate gowns. This may have been the case in a hall of residence but I only ever used mine for this photo. We are standing on land where a house was bombed in the war and our digs are the house to the right of the photo.

In 2007 I revisited Bristol to see if our digs were still there and took a photo (Goodhind07.jpg). The bomb site was still vacant. The upper window was our bedroom window. Initially we had to get a bus to the university but after 3 weeks I went back to Penarth and collected my Lambretta scooter. David was a passenger most days. As our digs were not so good we moved closer to the university and shared digs in Cotham with Mr and Mrs Shutt as our hosts. This was a great improvement except that the Shutts often had serious arguments with flying dishes.

While living in Eastville, David and I went to Kensington Baptist Church and there I met my wife Beryl. I think I may have been the first to marry from the class of 61. David and I went different ways after first year as I moved back into digs in Eastville (with a widow from the church) and was able to take Beryl to and from work while studying in between. David and I graduated on the same day in 1964. Beryl and I were married on September 5th 1964, I was 21 and David had just got to 22!

There was a school reunion in 2011 and I have many photos but the best of David and Heather are Reunion1.jpg and Reunion2.jpg.