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| "Ralph" Mordecai ! Deputy Headmaster. His coughing, spluttering,
wheezing and screaming heralded his imminent presence as he rampaged through
the school corridors, descendimg on terror stricken pupils who quivered
and convulsed at the very sight of him. Clouds of cigarette smoke whirled
around him, endlessly renewed by the half-Woodbine grafted onto his bottom
lip, while his black gown billowed in his wake stirring up wind devils
of crisp bags and Mars Bar wrappers.
Email me on: holte61@lycos.co.uk with your personal experiences and I'll include them here. Was he really such an Ogre ? |
| David Orr. (1968). |
| Mr Ralph Mordecai
You guys are wrong! I too held "Maud" in great fear & awe until he taught me A level statistics. I then realised what a really great person he was. He had a sense of humour & real compassion! He was a great teacher. His stern exterior as deputy head, kept the ship on an even keel. I wonder where he is now ?. |
| Dennis Moody. (1966). |
| I recall on one occasion, Ralph, with all guns blazing, laid into one of the boys for coming to school in winkle-picker shoes. After the verbal onslaught had subsided, the boy was made to remove his shoes and spend the remainder of the day in stockinged feet. |
| Freddie Bartle. (1966) |
| Hi Dennis,
I suppose being one of Mordecai's late arrivals. As in having my name taken by a prefect as the number 8 bus was invariably late, "well that's my excuse". Anyway, Mordy used to hand out these awful long additions of Pounds Shillings and pence called Long Tots and Cross Tots. I had recieved a few of these and a caning occasionally when in the pre-calculator era I got the bloody answers wrong. One day whilst in town I went in to the Midland Educational in Corporation Street. I seem to remember it was opposite either Rackham's or Lewiss's Stores. In the text book section there I espied the ANSWER BOOK for the dreaded calculations, reasonably priced at Two Shillings and Sixpence or 12 and a half p in funny money. Needless to say a transaction occurred and I owned the book. On arrival at school I showed this to others and sold the answers at 6d a time. I had quite a flourishing business until nemesis descended in a cloud of fag smoke from his lair in the turret above the front entrance. Colin Russell (Maths teacher) informed me that I was summoned to the prescence. AAAARRRRGGGGH. Mind working overtime I slowly climbed the stairs. The Great Man spoke. "Have you the Long Tots Answer Book Bartle?" . "Yes Sir" was my reply Dear Old Mordy Started Coughing And I noticed he was Shaking his head.This paroxysm continued for a while, and I realised the old bugger was actually laughing. "You will do five hundred lines". Said the Man. " The subject of the lines are lost in memory, but of course, after that no one was ever handed long tots and cross tots for being late. Freddie Bartle. |
| Paul Bennett. (1968) |
| G'day Dennis
My particular memory of Mordecai was in either first or second year. I was running down the stairs with a good friend of mine. You will recall that running in the school was verboten. Suddenly we heard a scream "YOU BOYS". We stopped and started shaking. "NAMES", "Bennett Sir", "Dennis Sir". A glare and the question repeated. "NAME BOY", "Dennis Sir". WHACK. "NAME BOY" (this is now very loud), "ALAN Dennis Sir". "OH, mumble mumble, very well carry on". No apology or recognition that he had done the wrong thing. Also, didn't Mordecai get his car painted by spray cans and adorned with toilet rolls one end of school year ? |
| Gus Romano. (1970) |
| Hi Dennis,
I certainly remember Mordecai from my time at Holte (1966-1970 ish). He was a legend, and whenever my kids watch any of the Harry Potter films, I can't help but think that he would have been a natural for Hogwarts! He was held in awe by most of my classmates, and we dreaded being summoned to his office for any minor misdemeanour. I remember turning up to school one day with non-regulation trousers having split my others the previous day and not having them repaired in time. Despite making my excuses (he always gave you the opportunity) I had two whacks of the cane. However, I was pretty lucky and managed to avoid any further punishment. My other knowledge of Mordecai was that he served the British during World War Two as a code breaker (this is why he was so good at maths), but I was never certain how true this was. |
| Christina Jebb (nee Blackband). (1967) |
| No, he wasn't really an ogre, though he could be pretty scary at times.
I only spent two years at Holte, in the Sixth Form (1965 - 1967). He was
a great Maths teacher.
You had to go to his study to ask for more writing paper for your files - and he weighed out the sheets on a balance! |
| Roger Walmsley. (1967) |
| I have very fond memories of Uncle Ralph.
Can anyone remember what happened if you met him going down the stairs if you were on the right and not on the left? I remember bouncing off his rotund stomach more than once. And having to kneel on the granite tiles outside his office? Can you imagine what would happen if that sort of treatment was dished out today? Strange thing is though, I liked him!! Roger Walmsley |
| Eric Hodges. (1970) |
| I remember being told to wait outside Mordecai's office after being caught throwing a snowball.When he arrived I had to quiveringly explain my "crime." He very kindly allowed me to select the cane with which I was to be punished. Following 3 full-blooded strokes I tearfully attended my maths period with Mr.Russell who chided me for being late and ridiculed me in front of the girls. I was 11 years old and had been at the school for 2 months. 2 years later my behaviour had still not improved and I was up before Mord again for defacing a "National Songs" book in Mr. Ashworths' music lesson, who told me that he had been trying to catch someone for 5 years! 3 strokes later and I had been deservedly dealt with.Apart from those 2 episodes Mr. Mordecai and myself never exchanged words in 5 years. |
| Thomas Fearns. (1950) |
| When I was at Aston Commercial School in the early 1950's, Mr Mordecai was my Maths and Science teacher. Although he had acquired quite a reputation for his mood swings, I quite liked the man. I will always have memories of the time that we had quite an animated discussion about the feasability of constructing a device that could shoot projectiles in almost total silence. By using a moving belt, driven by a small electric motor, with magnets attached to it, the magnets moved at very high speed below short sections of piano wire and thus created a rippling effect that transported the projectile at very high speed rom one end to the other. God forbid that we didn't use six-inch nails as projectiles! |
| Philip Webb. (1965) |
| I joined Holte in the 2nd year. During my first week we had all gone to play football on that windswept field they called the sports field. It was customary to walk there and catch the bus back. Following my pals I joined the bus queue, but when the bus arrived the boys ran forward and jumped on the bus in front of the girls who were first in the queue. Naturally being girls - they complained. That afternoon we were summoned to the Mords office where we saw the Head Mistress ( her name escapes me?) sat in a chair looking as if she had been gang banged by the Fourth Division of the Light Cavalry - we had only jumped the queue for goodness sake, that?s all, but we were made to feel like arch criminals. One of the culprits was missing and I was told to get him from room something or other, when I asked directions, Mord snorted and asked "how long have you been here boy?" My answer of "3 days" did not go down well, "You should be better behaved - now bend down!", there was a check of my bottom to make certain we hadn't secreted any padding like old books or such like before there was a whistle, a thwack and the most pain I had endured up to that moment of my life. Before I had chance to think I heard another whistle?? I'm 55 now and remember it as if it was yesterday - I don?t think there is anything wrong with corporal punishment as long as its measured and applied fairly - it certainly taught me a lesson ! I was never caned again. Hope Mords in the hereafter now - I'd still be terrified if I met him today! Philip Webb (Philip, he is in the hereafter and reached a ripe old age before he departed - God bless him - Dennis) |
| Mike Ashcroft. (1948/9) |
| I remember him well, in paticular for his scarlet face when in a rage and his accuracy with pieces of chalk and some times the blackboard rubber. However I liked him and he was fine if you behaved yourself. |