Slimming’s wife was assisted by husband & wife Pat and Bridie who helped to bathe the boys. Some of the first Assistant matrons were Miss Schneider (sympathetic and Swiss), Miss Mochler (kindly and Irish) and Miss McComiskey(fierce and Irish). Other Assistant matrons were Miss Barton, Miss Tillotson and Miss Birch. There were normally only two matrons at the school at any one time.
Slimming used to inspect the boys before they walked, crocodile fashion, across the park to Royal Hill Junior School.
Occasionally after inspection, he would sprint round the back of Greenwich Observatory to intercept us before we left the park on the other side, to check that we weren’t misbehaving. Once, a member of the public must have worried that we were being accosted by a dirty old man because the headmistress (Miss Broad) at Royal Hill was alerted and we were questioned by her after morning assembly.
An arrangement was made with some Americans for them to become “foster parents” to the boys. Each month we all had to sit down and write letters to them. Gifts were sent from America mainly at Xmas time. However some foster parents were far more generous than others and this led to a bit of resentment.
Unhappiness at the school was rife. Several boys ran away desperately trying to get home. As far as I recall none made it before the police returned them to school.
At the start of one meal, Miss Mockler, trying to get the boys to comport themselves decently, said, in her very Irish accent, "Poot yer hands onter the tearble", at which every obedient boy, thinking that "onter" meant "onto", and wondering what was going on, placed his hands on the table. "I said, poot yer hands ONTER the tearble!" At which the boys pressed their hands even more firmly onto the table top. I can't remember how that was resolved.
Each week the whole school was assembled to write letters to our mothers. There was hardly ever anything to say and the letters always began : “Dear Mum, I Hope you are well and happy as I am” even though that was a patent lie!
