The new buildings could hold over double the number of boys (no girls) than the original and it was possible to add a number of Scholarship places within the County Education scheme. I was one of the first batch, having always been near the top of the class at Primary School, so with two other boys from Waltham Cross I was accepted and started there before I was 11 years old, which was supposed to be the minimum age. The other boys were Heathcote and Harold Williams, who was killed in the War. Dick Toogood from Cheshunt was also in the first batch and so I met up with him again.

We were not well off and for the first two years Dad had a County Travel Grant and I went to school by train. We could not get a Dinner Grant, and meals had to be paid for, so I took sandwiches. I didn't eat meat at that time, just like a lot of kids of that age, so it was no hardship and didn't worry me. It was a long day, 8.00 a.m. train there, 5.00 p.m. train back unless you missed it through games practice, and the next one was about 7.00 p.m. Six days a week, including Saturdays when afternoon games were compulsory, as they also were every Wednesday. If you did not play a game there was a Cross Country Run, at least three miles, unless medically excused, in which case it was watch the game or do extra lessons. I finished up in the School Cricket First Team and the Rugby XV. There should be photographs on the back corridor with me on. Our Cricket Coach was Reg Sinfield of England and Gloucestershire.

Until reaching Sixth Form there were no choices of subjects, but Housemasters would decide when a boy was out of his depth and drop him from a subject. So far as I was concerned I was dropped out of Geography and Chemistry, and I had to catch up from start on the latter when I started training in the Gas Company. My best subjects were English, Mathematics, Physics and Latin, which was a great help to me in later life when I went to Italy and Spain and started to learn Italian and Spanish, because the grammar and some of the words are similar. Some of the boys took Greek, which was a special option. I finished up as a Sixth Former with Cambridge Matric. Good in English and Mathematics but just short of a qualification for University. We could not have afforded it anyway.

There was a slight flavour of class distinction between fee-paying and scholarship boys, one of the indications being that we wore woollen gloves and they always seemed to have kid gloves, and it led to little squabbles which the Headmaster would not tolerate. We were all the same to him. So far as academic achievements were concerned, or sport activities, there was not a great deal of difference between us.

Just as after the War teenagers divided into Mods and Rockers, so did we have the same sort of factions - Sinatra fans were always against Bing Crosby fans.

As I mentioned, Dick Toogood became Head Boy and stayed on a year or so after I left. We had a foursome with George Turton from Goffs Oak, and Joe Clark from Cheshunt who became a member of Cheshunt Dramatic Society with Marjorie. His picture is in the Scrap Book. George was killed in World War 2 and his name is inscribed on the School Memorial in the Hall, with many others who were at Hertford with me. I had another friend there. Bob Sibley from Hertford Heath. I think he became Postmaster there.

The School used the cane, on hands or backside, but it was not often used - it was a great deterrent, as one boy found out when he was caught stealing and was whacked in front of the whole school at Assembly.

I liked my time at Hertford Grammar School and Mum and Dad were very proud of me.