Revolting

I had started at the catholic boarding Downside School in Somerset in April 1968.

Part of school life was the CCF - Combined Cadet Force - a weekly afternoon event. 500 odd pupils could choose between Army, Navy and Air Force for which we were given the appropriate uniforms - I think the only thing we had to buy were boots and I do remember hours of polishing them using a lit wax candle to somehow make the toe caps smoother and increase the shine.

Most of the time was spent on learning how to march around the large quadrangle of the school being drilled by a fearsome, small but fierce ex- Army sergeant-major - "Yes, Sir" to all of us but Mr Dalton in the list of staff where he also appeared as a Physical Exercise teacher. In time one got to like him and especially his very sharp humour but we always hated the "Quad Bashing" and were petrified by his measuring pace stick and the bellows that emitted from his mouth.

Just two months in to school life the thought of today's annual parade of the CCF to be inspected by a visiting Admiral Ritchie was frightening. We had spent the evening before ironing and polishing the uniform and setting it out for the next morning.

When we woke up, the uniforms were all gone. But we did find a note placed in it's place. There had been a revolution. Our uniforms were to be found in the swimming pool. There followed mass action in getting everything dry, pressed and wearable while the school maintenance man tried to clean up the walls of various buildings daubed with anti war slogans and the lock of the weapons armoury opened to get out our WWI, 303 rifles.

Somehow the inspection happened. The event was hushed up as much as possible by the school. The Blip is of the letter put out by the revolution leaders.

I suspect by evening the excitement had died down and we were far more interested in that evenings Top of the Pops on TV which we were allowed to watch in a packed hall. Bobby Goldsboro with Honey just beaten by Union Gaps, Young Girl at #1.

The worldwide Protests of 1968 had even got to a sleepy corner of rural Somerset and a catholic boarding school run by monks.