School Journey to Germany, 1962
Roger Ruthen
1. A very long train trip on which most of us got very hungry.
2. Stopped at the Basel train station in Switzerland and got off for a continental breakfast. We had coffee and hot rolls with strawberry jam, the best breakfast I ever had.
3. The hotel was by the river 'Inn' which was a raging torrent, if anybody had fallen in that would have been the end of them.
4. We had a coach trip to Oberammergau in Bavaria Germany. This is where they have done a passion play every 10 years since 1634 in gratitude for the village being spared from the bubonic plague. All the blokes in the village were walking around with long hair and beards. I expected the three wise men to show up at any minute, instead they got us, the male equivalent of St. Trinians. If that didn't test their faith I don't know what would.
5. We had a coach trip to Germany's highest mountain the Zugspitze, where I got a dose of snow blindness.
6. One of the teachers told us that the police were going to search our rooms the following afternoon and any one found to have any 'permanently borrowed goods' in their possession would be deported and put on the first plane home. The following morning we went on a coach trip to somewhere, and all I can say is that that the coach was lighter coming back to the hotel than when it left. Of course, there never was any search by police or anyone else in the afternoon.
Dave Brearey
Easter 1962 saw a group of Lads accompanied By Mr Campbell, Mr Bath and I think, a female teacher, set off from London en route to Germany. We flew to Ostend and by coach to Bruges for an overnight stop in a small hotel. After a sort of continental style breakfast we were let loose to look around, then back on the coach bound for our holiday hotel in the town of Andernach. It seemed a long old journey and I think we were all pretty knackered when we arrived.
Rooms were allocated and I shared a room I think with Kenny Owen....well it was some time ago!. Next day we were off exploring the town during the day. After dinner that evening we were told to be careful and avoid the bars and clubs…. Well, what's the saying about red rags and bulls! With lager prices of forty pfennig (very cheap then), who could blame us for trying. The Germans in the bars were great and most of them keen to try a bit of broken English. Later that night who should walk into this particular bar, yes you've guessed Campbell & Bath. I'm pleased to say that they turned a blind eye to our festivities......No pun intended as Bath had a false eye! And we were allowed to drink as long as it was in moderation.
Many of the local shops had large selections of knives, including flick knives which to fifteen year olds from London was a fantastic must-have trophy and several of us - sorry, several of the others, bought one. There was a game at the time, I think it was called split, where two of you stood opposite each other and threw the knife into the ground next to your opponents foot. If it stuck in the ground he moved his foot to where the knife was, and the object was to win by overbalancing the other player. Yes, silly things that keeps you happy when you’re young!
I recall our many coach trips that we had to various places of interest, Cologne, Bonn...Got lost in Bonn and remembered the coach was parked near the river and on every corner asking people vo est die rhine bitte? I found the river and followed it back to the car park with just seconds to spare.
A river cruise to Koblenz, the cable car up to Koblenz castle, the horrible German sausage that filled the rolls that we were given as packed lunches, most of which were thrown out of the coach windows at cyclists going along the road. Oh, what horrible children we were! On our last leg of the trip we stayed overnight in Brussels and following the usual sightseeing it was en route back home.
Arriving back at customs we were all asked as a group what had we brought back; Fag's, Perfume, Knives! I think everyone was a bit shocked to hear that word, several had brought back Perfumes for mothers and other various gift's and nothing was said about that, until one idiot said I've got a knife! Look of horrors flashed as he produced a flick knife. The smiling expression on the customs officer's face changed to a serious one. ‘Have any more of you got these things?' he raged. We kept shtum until one lad produced a bow and some arrows that he had bought. I can't remember how long we were at the customs but it seemed a ruddy long time. I think the lad in question was of Italian stock? Any ideas? Were any of the GoBBs on this trip?
1. A very long train trip on which most of us got very hungry.
2. Stopped at the Basel train station in Switzerland and got off for a continental breakfast. We had coffee and hot rolls with strawberry jam, the best breakfast I ever had.
3. The hotel was by the river 'Inn' which was a raging torrent, if anybody had fallen in that would have been the end of them.
4. We had a coach trip to Oberammergau in Bavaria Germany. This is where they have done a passion play every 10 years since 1634 in gratitude for the village being spared from the bubonic plague. All the blokes in the village were walking around with long hair and beards. I expected the three wise men to show up at any minute, instead they got us, the male equivalent of St. Trinians. If that didn't test their faith I don't know what would.
5. We had a coach trip to Germany's highest mountain the Zugspitze, where I got a dose of snow blindness.
6. One of the teachers told us that the police were going to search our rooms the following afternoon and any one found to have any 'permanently borrowed goods' in their possession would be deported and put on the first plane home. The following morning we went on a coach trip to somewhere, and all I can say is that that the coach was lighter coming back to the hotel than when it left. Of course, there never was any search by police or anyone else in the afternoon.
Dave Brearey
Easter 1962 saw a group of Lads accompanied By Mr Campbell, Mr Bath and I think, a female teacher, set off from London en route to Germany. We flew to Ostend and by coach to Bruges for an overnight stop in a small hotel. After a sort of continental style breakfast we were let loose to look around, then back on the coach bound for our holiday hotel in the town of Andernach. It seemed a long old journey and I think we were all pretty knackered when we arrived.
Rooms were allocated and I shared a room I think with Kenny Owen....well it was some time ago!. Next day we were off exploring the town during the day. After dinner that evening we were told to be careful and avoid the bars and clubs…. Well, what's the saying about red rags and bulls! With lager prices of forty pfennig (very cheap then), who could blame us for trying. The Germans in the bars were great and most of them keen to try a bit of broken English. Later that night who should walk into this particular bar, yes you've guessed Campbell & Bath. I'm pleased to say that they turned a blind eye to our festivities......No pun intended as Bath had a false eye! And we were allowed to drink as long as it was in moderation.
Many of the local shops had large selections of knives, including flick knives which to fifteen year olds from London was a fantastic must-have trophy and several of us - sorry, several of the others, bought one. There was a game at the time, I think it was called split, where two of you stood opposite each other and threw the knife into the ground next to your opponents foot. If it stuck in the ground he moved his foot to where the knife was, and the object was to win by overbalancing the other player. Yes, silly things that keeps you happy when you’re young!
I recall our many coach trips that we had to various places of interest, Cologne, Bonn...Got lost in Bonn and remembered the coach was parked near the river and on every corner asking people vo est die rhine bitte? I found the river and followed it back to the car park with just seconds to spare.
A river cruise to Koblenz, the cable car up to Koblenz castle, the horrible German sausage that filled the rolls that we were given as packed lunches, most of which were thrown out of the coach windows at cyclists going along the road. Oh, what horrible children we were! On our last leg of the trip we stayed overnight in Brussels and following the usual sightseeing it was en route back home.
Arriving back at customs we were all asked as a group what had we brought back; Fag's, Perfume, Knives! I think everyone was a bit shocked to hear that word, several had brought back Perfumes for mothers and other various gift's and nothing was said about that, until one idiot said I've got a knife! Look of horrors flashed as he produced a flick knife. The smiling expression on the customs officer's face changed to a serious one. ‘Have any more of you got these things?' he raged. We kept shtum until one lad produced a bow and some arrows that he had bought. I can't remember how long we were at the customs but it seemed a ruddy long time. I think the lad in question was of Italian stock? Any ideas? Were any of the GoBBs on this trip?