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Many thanks to
Bill Johnston for these photos and images. Bill
taught at Pasir Panjang Junior School, Singapore (which became
Wessex
Junior School) from 1963 to 1969. |
Class 2A 1964. Some of my class of amazing
bright and happy second-year juniors. Julia White is in the
foreground with her lovely smile. |
Class 2A 1964. Another section of the class,
featuring Judith Beeston, Stuart Parkinson, Jenny Tippett-Iles, Wendy Haugh and Dave Robinson. |
Class 2A 1964. Paul Revell, Martin Harwood and
Joan Kent are on the right. |
Friday Recorder Group: The sweet sound of the 91
members of my beginners' recorder group was not appreciated by
the rest of the staff so we were banished to practise in the
infant school hall across the field. |
1st Football Team 1969
the only boy I remember is
Martin Cowley, fourth from left in the front row. This
was a highly successful team: look at the trophies they won in
1969!
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2nd Football Team 1969
Sadly none of the faces brings back the name! |
1st Netball Team 1969
the only girl I remember is Jennifer Ridge
(3rd from left, back row), eldest daughter of John Ridge, the
art teacher. |
2nd Netball Team 1969
How sad! All the faces are so familiar but I
can't remember any of the names. |
2nd Netball Team 1966
Front row is Susan Haywayd, Diane
and Wendy Haugh. |
Mr Webb and class in hall
Mr Tony Webb came to Singapore in 1964
and taught first at Alexandra Junior School under the
indomitable Mrs Bosewell before coming to Wessex. He became
Deputy Head, and, later, Head at the school in Penang. He is
well and we meet with the Johnses every year in Spain. |
Julia White
Class 2A at Pasir Panjang,
1964, showing the uniform and the PPJS badge based on 'Jimmy',
the Royal Signals mascot as we were the responsibility of 18th
Signal Regiment. |
Wessex News Board
As each of the 27 Changi Bus
Co (later, military buses) drew up at the steps to the school,
children read my message board updated daily with vital
information and frivolous drawings. (Someone else photographed
the board and the picture appeared on the back of Tommy
Atkins's Children, a history of army children's schools. |
The first two are
scenes from the annual Pasir Panjang Junior School Swimming
Gala, probably 1965. It was held at the pool in Gillman
Barracks, where Alexandra Secondary Modern School was situated,
until the new sports complex on Dover Road opened. |
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A nice shot of the
main buildings at PPJS with a class returning to its classroom
after assembly |
In the afternoons
the school became a Malay school for the children of Malay
soldiers in the British army. They used all the classrooms and
you can just make out the girls in their ankle-length blue
'cassocks' with long white 'surpilces' over them. |
Picture shows some
of my top, brilliant recorder group in 1965. Four of the girls
in the front row are Susan Hayward, Susan Ridge, Judith Beeston
and Jenny Tippett-Iles. The last two have got in touch since I
sent in an earlier picture and the three of us met at my home in
April, reminiscing and nattering for almost 6½ hours. We ended
the meeting by playing one of the recorder tunes they performed
at the concert pictured! |
Mr John Ridge, a close friend of Bill,
taught Art at Alexandra SM (later Bourne) School and became Head
of Art at St John's in Dover Road. He designed the covers of the
three Pasir Panjang Magazines and contributed many illustrations
within. |
Mr Brian Johns, another good friend of
Bill, taught at Pasir Panjang from 1964 and became deputy head
at Nee Soon in 1969. He also was a talented artist and designed
the lovely little cameo pictures that accompanied reports of
school activities in the magazines. |
Bourne school 1965 magazine cover |
Bourne school 1967 magazine cover |
Changi Grammar School 1965 magazine cover |
Naval Base School 1969 magazine cover |
Pasir Panjang School 1965 magazine cover
Bill produced Pasir Panjang and Wessex
Magazines from 1964 to 1969. |
Pasir Panjang School 1966 magazine cover |
Pasir Panjang School 1967 magazine cover |
Wessex Magazine 1968 |
Wessex Magazine 1969 |
My thanks to Jenny Tippett-Iles for this
photo
Pasir Panjang School photo circa 1964
(Jenny is fourth in from the left front row) |
Shows Portsdown Road at the end of the school day with a
Malay soldier doing traffic control, and some of the 27 buses that came
to pick up the widely scattered children of Pasir Panjang Junior School. |
The same view taken in 2009 by Bill Johnston.
The school in the background now is Tanglin Trust, a
very large, now all age, private school. |
Taken in 2009 a photo of one of the three storey flats on
the Wessex Estate, that were once married quarters for British
Servicemen and their families. |
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Two formal class photos from Mal Baxter
and one from Jackie Robinson |
Wessex Juniors 1969
Many thanks to Mal Baxter for sending in these
two photos of his classes at the Wessex Junior School. Mal is in
the centre of the back row. |
Wessex Juniors 1970
Mal is 4th left centre row. Mal does not
remember the class years or any of the names of his fellow pupils.
He does remember that the teacher was Mrs Mackie - who he
describes as 'a lovely Scottish teacher'.
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Wessex Juniors 1970
Many thanks to Jackie Robinson for this
photo believed to have been taken in 1970. |
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