Figure 1.--Here is my school portrair in 1951. The colours of the blazer and cap were red, white and blue, woven in a gabardine cloth and worn together with grey flannels or worsted trousers. The badge bore a crest, a red lion above a silk rope holding in its mouth a green leaf (or was it the rotting head of some long-departed pupil?) all on a navy ground. The motto, which you cannot make, out was “Tempus fugit et irrevocable est” ( but should have been “Duris non frangor.”). I seem to be wearing some button or other, although I can’t remember what it is. Something tells me it was a House badge, and if so, would have said “Nelson”.

A HBC reader tells us about his experiencs at Balham Grammar School. "I saw your article about the Balham Grammar team. I attended the school in the 1950s. Here is my school portrair in 1951. The colours of the blazer and cap were red, white and blue, woven in a gabardine cloth and worn together with grey flannels or worsted trousers. The badge bore a crest, a red lion above a silk rope holding in its mouth a green leaf (or was it the rotting head of some long-departed pupil?) all on a navy ground. The motto, which you cannot make, out was “Tempus fugit et irrevocable est” ( but should have been “Duris non frangor.”). I seem to be wearing some button or other, although I can’t remember what it is. Something tells me it was a House badge, and if so, would have said “Nelson”. This was the summer uniform, thus I seem to have disregarded that I should have been wearing the school tie: that was a red, white and blue diagonal rayon “silk” tie, the narrow white stripes interposed between the wider stripes of alternating red & blue. The winter uniform, which I deigned never to wear, was a navy flannel blazer; for who would wish to pass anonymously through the winter streets when they could wear the lurid summer garb and get beaten up by every passing crowd of more soberly attired youths. I should be happy to describe my recollections of the place, secure in the knowledge that the laws of libel to not apply to the defunct. In any case, I shall number myself among that illustrious band long before any case could come to trial."

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Created: 11:16 PM 11/26/2007
Last updated: 11:16 PM 11/26/2007