Jack an octogenarian was, through the good offices of Rev George She who was “Uncle George” to many; had me admitted to DBS. It was so long long ago and far far away but I believe the year was 1936 and I was eight years old- too old for St.Stephen’s Girls College at Lyttleton Road (Hongkong) Since I resided at 47 Conduit Road, St. Stephen’s was relatively close.
CBR Sargent MA (OXon) was the Headmaster. The Registrar was Mr.Mugford and Mistress of Class 6b was a Miss Bancroft, Master of Class 5b was Mr.Thomas. As boarder, I was housed happily in the “Small Boys dormitory” on our little beds with mosquito nets above – only to be dismantled on the last days of the term where we engaged in vigorous pillow fights- lots of fun and feathers. We had inspections with us standing at military attention besides our beds like little soldiers. After dinner, Prep time at the big hall allowed us to go to bed earlier at 7.30pm instead of later for the Middle and Big boys.
Some of the little fellows with me I now remember a few names such as Robert Parker,who had the model of the famous battleship HMS Hood, later sunk by the German pocket battleship with only 3 survivors. There was a Barney George Jenkins and of course a little shy boy David Todd who I believe has now been knighted and a renown Professor in Medicine. There were two black kids with Chinese names by the name of Fung kin Man and Fung kin Cheong – both were very good at marbles. We also caught tadpoles in a small pond with beautiful water lilies.
My bed was next to the dormitory prefect – Denham Crary, who I remembered as always dressed up like an american baseball player. Night patrol visitor came in the form of a Mr. Monks who would have the light switched on without warning, with some of us playing cards under illumination of flashlights under a blanket in someone else’s bed.
The Matron, supervised our baths – may be four to the only tub available. I remembered the image of her hand implanted on the back of one of the naughty boys she slapped, very vividly. There were nights when we stayed at the bath because, red hot peppers had been rubbed on our backs by our unpleasant dorm mates.
In Class, we also had good times and naughty times. “Stink” bombs a small spherical glass container with hydrogen sulphide perhaps, were carefully planted under the master’s chair designed to release the malodour as the man sat down. Another day in the middle of class, one of the boys released a tennis ball container full of butterflies causing the elderly and not too pretty class mistress to angrily say “You boys are terrible, you boys are terrible” —later we hummed her phrases into a song.
Who can forget the tuckshop where we bought Chinese doughnuts (without holes) with a splatter of hot sauce for 5 cents, or a bowl of hot chinese noodles for 20 cents which no doubt made our pocket money go a lot further.
Those very very happy boyhood memories are now rapidly fading into a distance and so I shall again fall back into the pages of history and anonymity.
Kwaan Hau Ming
In sunny California after years of toiling as a doctor in academia (Certified by the American Boards in General Surgery, Thoracic (Cardiac)Surgery and also in Radiology, Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine under my american name of Jack H.M.Kwaan, MD, F.A.C.S.
To the younger folks- an advice- Do Enjoy Enjoy and Enjoy
