Sarah Baker -School Photos from 1968 - 72

Sarah Baker got in contact recently to share some of the material belonging to her father, Mr Baker a teacher at the school c1968 - 72. It will take a while to sort out her material but watch this space. If you follow the school facebook pages you may have already seen them - here a few to start off with.

Sarah says - Thank you for adding me to the group. I was never a pupil but I did live at City of Coventry School for the first 2 years of my life. I am the daughter of the late Philip Baker, who was a young and newly qualified master of geography and games from 1968 to 1972. I was born in November 1969 and came home from hospital to be greeted by the boys in my Dad's house, they bought me a teddy bear from the toy shop in the village and I still have it. At some point I'll dig out Dad's photos, which are mainly sports teams and Oliver! with a few of me as a toddler with the boys. My Dad also kept a diary at the time and there are daily reports of the antics of his pupils ! I have no memories of my own (I was just 2 when we left) but I am back in Shropshire for a little holiday next week and thought I'd try and pay a visit.

Sarah Baker says - "My late Dad, Mr Baker, with a very junior looking rugby team. No date given but will be between September 1968 and July 1972. Dad died in 2010 "

Dane John Mooney "I think the the chap back row 2nd from right ,surname was Naylor ? That's me 3rd from right on back row."

Tim Naylor "Back left is Richards,Henderson then to the right of Bruce Naylor is Foster, I can only remember Andy Hudson front row...he played till he was 50."

Paul Norman "At a quick glance I thought it was Alan Thorne!"

Chris Burrows "Not big enough or fearsome enough"

Sarah Baker Thank you. He loved coaching rugby and cricket. He was still playing cricket himself well into his 50s but had to leave rugby to younger men !

Tim Naylor At some point he was in the annex....and an excellent rugby coach

Sarah Baker In 1972 we returned to Devon, from whence they came ! He taught at Bradfield School near Cullompton, a senior boarding school for boys with special educational needs (known very un-PC as 'The Educationally Sub-normal' in the 1970s). When that school amalgamated with the version for girls in 1975 we moved to Teignmouth and then from there in 1977 he went on to become a live-in deputy head of a special school in Winchester, Hampshire and later the headteacher of the junior special school nearby. He retired in the 1990s and died in 2010 aged 72.

Martin Hull I remember your father as Mr Baker, I didn't know his first name, and I think he lived in a flat at the end of Junior Mortimer House. I remember everyone in the geography class writing to Cadbury's to get some information on Cocoa and hopefully some chocolate samples!

Sarah Baker Yes we did live in a flat that joined the dorm I think. When I was a baby my parents would go and dine with the other masters and their wives and the door between our flat and house would be left open so the boys could keep an eye on me ! Childcare was a bit different in those days....but I lived to tell the tale. We also had a black spaniel called Jane who growled if boys she didn't like approached my pram :)

Sarah Baker "My late Dad, Mr Baker, with a cricket team and the scorer (on the far left). No date given but somewhere between September 1968 and July 1972. Before she died, several years ago, my Mum was trying to tell me something about the scorer, she remembered his name quite clearly (I don't sadly) and was trying to tell me that there was something 'special' about him but I never could quite understand what she meant. Maybe someone knows who it was."

Lauri Lindsay "Sarah the scorers name was Robert Boyce, nick name “Click” ( the sound his walking sticks made when he walked).

I remember your Dad very well. He was a nice guy, don’t ever remember him getting mad or upset at any of us."

Sarah Baker "That sounds like Dad :) He was always calm and steady, never easily wound up or angry. He really enjoyed working with you boys and got a lot of satisfaction from his job. Thanks for your kind comments Lauri."

Raymond Bothwell "I remember Clicker Boyce,,,, nice lad .."

Peter Melhuish "The scorer was Boyce cannot remember his first name he had Polio so walked with sticks, nickname was clicker.
Also in the photo Bill Partridge, Garry Coulter, Terry Hudson, Steve Hudson."

Sarah Baker "That's why my mother referred to him as 'special' then ! I wonder what happened to him...and the rest ? Thank you very much for adding some names and information :)

Chris Burrows Boyce was in the Scouts too.
He was an excellent swimmer and won prizes at the District Scout Swimming competition.

Peter Melhuish Other names Messenger, Worrall.

Peter Ingram-Tedd Back row, 2nd from right ... it certainly looks like Gary Coulter but I thought he left in July '68, same year as me.

Sarah Baker Maybe he had a younger brother who looked similar ? I'm pretty sure this can't have been taken any earlier than September 1968 as Dad only qualified in the summer of that year and left St. Lukes Teacher Training College in Exeter, but there's no-one left alive in my family who can verify that sadly :(

Peter Melhuish He stayed on an extra year to improve his exam results.

Sarah Baker "Oliver asks for more ! My Dad, Philip Baker, played Mr Bumble and is far left (overacting ;) ) in this photo !"

Sarah Baker "I think this was the full cast photo of Oliver! My Dad, Philip Baker, is centre (Mr Bumble), wearing statement hat ! My Mum, who played Rose the maid (whilst a bit pregnant with me) is the head in the mop cap, back row 3rd from left. (Last photo from me for a while but I will find others in due course :) )"

Trev Teasdel "Yes, I think Rosemary, the Bursar's daughter posted some photos of Oliver and she is in that photo next to the guy with the top hat and Aileen Parker, the head's daughter, is in the same row, to the left with the longhair. Thanks Sarah."

Rosemary Webb Rehill "Ha! I knew I knew your dad! Such a sweet guy! Very gentle and kind."

Sarah Baker "Thank you...he was just that :) Before he died he said he hoped that all the many hundreds of people he'd met in his life would just think of him fondly...nothing more, nothing less. He was my Daddy, so obviously I think that but it's good to know that others, from a long while ago, felt the same. (Stop it now, getting leaky eyes !)"

Sarah Baker Rosemary Webb Rehill which one are you then ?

Rosemary Webb Rehill I’m to the right of the art dodger!

Sarah Baker My Dad was Mr Bumble, massive hat and sideburns, sang 'Boy for Sale' in a very deep baritone voice and over played his part quite a bit I imagine ;) . Have posted 2 Oliver! photos in the last hour. Have a look at them. Were you in the whole cast photo I wonder ?

Sarah Baker Mum was also in Oliver! She played Mr Brownlow's maid, who I think was called Rose. (I played the bump under her frock :O !)

Rosemary Webb Rehill Yes! I played Nancy.

Sarah Baker Really, that was you ?! I remember looking at the photos of Oliver! with Mum and I was confused that some of the girls were really girls, as there were no girl pupils at the school, and she told me that several of them were the older daughters of staff. She told me about you playing Nancy and being a bit of a star !

Gary Coulter Sarah Baker I played Mr Brownlow...I think the cricket photo was the same year, or a year before.
Sarah Baker Gary Coulter...ha ha ! So my Mum, pregnant with me played your maid :o ! I think cricket photo was same year summer of 1969. Dad started teaching at C of C in September of 1968, by which time the cricket season would have been over so the cricket photo ought to be the following summer. I think Oliver! was 69 also because the film came out and was a hit in 68 and I believe schools started putting it on the year after.