For those who were not there I will first give an idea of the layout. The school was in the form, more or less, of the letter E with the back of the E fronting the High Street. The main entrance which we were not allowed to use, although sometimes, if we were late, we slipped in that way, was in the centre. On the right was the Headmaster's room and on the left the cloakroom and wash-basins which I never remember being used as there was no water in the taps!

Opposite the main entrance was the Fourth-form room presided over hr Mr. Prouse (Mike). A long corridor ran parallel with the road-: at one end the long room, divided into three on occasion by revolving shutters, and at the other end the lecture hall with the chemical lab. out of it; the physics lab. was on the left At each corner of the arms and base were doors which we used from the playground.

We had no chance of swimming lessons at all, or manual training until 1897 or 8 when a woodwork shop was built. But even then it was looked upon as an extra as we boys who took it up had to take our instruction once a week after school, between 12 and 1 o'clock: consequently, if we lived at a distance, it meant bringing our dinner.

There were no meals served at school in those far-off days. I well remember eating mine in the classroom between the Head's room and lecture hall and being thirsty all afternoon afterwards, as there was no means of bringing drink, at any rate my mother never found one. There were no vacuum flasks then.

There was a shanty next to the school selling sweets, etc., where certain boys who came from Leytonstone were provided with a dinner, every day by arrangement, but they were favoured.

We used to have a Christmas breaking-np concert in the Victoria Hall, afterwards Victoria Theatre. We sang part songs, a carol, the School Song and finished up with Auld Lang Syne in which the audience joined. About half-way through there were progress reports, speeches by one or more of the Governors and distribution of prizes by some well-known lady. It was all jolly good fun and I can picture the "green-room" under the stage with bare jets in a wire balloon and an open spiral staircase up to the stage.

For some unaccountable reason I can't read a note of music but had a good ear, so Mr. Spivey picked me as one of the choir. about 20 of us, for leading the morning hymn, augmented to 50 or 60 for the concert. We were the envy of the other chaps as we had practice in the gym during school hours, towards the ' great day ' quite long ones.
I wonder if anyone remembers the little one-horse 'bus which to run between the Baker's Arms and Hoe Street station. I supose it was about the size of a modern tradesman's delivery van with a door in the centre of the back. The driver sat up level with the roof and when the 'bus was to start pulled a strap which shut the door. He then asked the passengers to put their money (2d. I think it was) through a slot by his seat. He collected the money, through a small flap in the roof and, if the money tallied with the number of passengers, he started. That was my school 'bus, but free!
One afternoon in the chemical lab. we were doing some experiements necessitating boiling a substance in a crucible on a sandbath. Mine being completed, I took it up to Mike on the sandbath, holding with a pair of tongs. He took hold of the crucible with his fingers and didn't know what to do with it, it was so hot! He got it back the bath and then, although he never made a sound, his lips
Moved with all the swear words he knew I should think. At last he said "Why didn't you tell me it was hot?" 1 ask you ! He should have known it would be hot.
Another amusing incident, looking back-though not for us at the time! After school one afternoon Mr. Spivey had some boys under detention in the playground end of the long room. He had left them while on some other business in some part of the school. It was the time the woodwork shop was being built and the builders had left a long length of hoop-iron lying about. Of course, two others and myself must have a lark with this by sticking it through the Tobin Tube ventilator and through the broken top so that it sticking up in the classroom by three or four feet. Before we could pull it down again, Spivey came in. It meant waiting until he went out again; he was not likely to notice it because it was in the corner behind his line of vision. As luck would have it, some kid in the junior class comes along and falls over it. One can imagine the clatter inside! Anyway, "Come to my desk tomorrow morning." We got a reprimand; perhaps because we stayed there and owned up.

How many people remember Bcaky Adams and his beastly habit of correcting inattention by coming behind the culprit and pulling up the short hairs at the nape of the neck. I don't think anyone
' loved ' him! Spivey and Mike were two of the best and were most popular in the school. I was lucky enough to have Spivey for my form-master during the three or four years I was at the school.
Mr. Allpass was all right but very much the Head Master and. except for the older boys in the fifth upper aud sixth forms, we did not see much of him.
The time I spent in the school was very happy and I am proud to be a Monovian. Whether I got all the benefit l should have from the excellent tutorship is a moot point, but if not, the fault was mine.

H.M.Lansdell
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