My Fellow Schoolmates "Dai Lo s"
Unlike you both who started school at DBS before WWII, I joined DGS (at Jordan Rd) in February, 1946 as DBS was still closed after being used as a military hospital by the Japanese. The playing field was also partly used a burial ground and a dangerous goods or munitions magazine located at the bottom of the school drive. The school did not re-open until September, 1946 or thereabouts after some building renovation, exhumation of human remains and removal of all dangerous goods. Thereafter, all the boys temporary accommodated in DGS were transferred back to DBS with quite a lot of new enrolment as many people who sought refuge elsewhere during the war, (many in Macau) gradually returned to HK.
In those days, the lowest class was Class 7 (primary 5 in today’s reckoning). Having lost years of schooling during the war, many of us haven’t the faintest clue what was taught in class particularly when the medium of teaching was in English. I recall the late Oswald Cheung was the acting headmaster who got the school started, then followed by B.J Monks.
Headmaster G.A. Goodban did not join the school until late 1946 or early 1947 having spent some time in England recuperating from years of internment in HK during the war.
The war took a toll of many of our parents, particularly many fathers who were in the Services defending HK. As war orphans, many of us joined the school as boarders. Mrs Prew, the widow of Mr. Prew was the then matron. At that time, the food was rather bland but thankfully sufficient to satisfy our hunger after years of deprivation. Complaints were generally not entertained and she did not condone any waste or leftovers on the plates.
Canning was a very common form of discipline. School prefects wield tremendous authority and can send anyone for canning at the slightest of infringements, such as talking after lights-out, stepping on the lawns, running on corridors, etc. The after effects of canning could be quite devastating and scars and colouration on the backsides could last for months. The best way to extract revenge on prefects who perpetrated such punishment was to give them extremely offensive and repugnant nicknames. Believe it or not, some of these nicknames became such classics that the identity of those particular persons are still known to this very day.
Mr. Goodban could inflict very nasty and painful experience on those boys who constantly breached the school rules or discipline. A few notable characters treated their bruised and scarred bums as badges of honour and often displayed them proudly during evening showers. Mrs. Prew the matron was often more caring and sometimes express sympathy on seeing such tell tale signs. It was known she had sometimes applied soothing balm on those sensitive bums that were more severely affected. How did she come to know of such affliction in such sensitive part of the body ? She was always strategically placed in the shower room in the “Small” boys’ dormitory to ensure everyone was properly washed, particularly “behind the ears”. However, she never thought it necessary to supervise the “Middle” or “Senior” boys.
The many years as boarders, living, playing and schooling together created very special bonding between many of us even to this day. Although many of us went separate ways including living overseas, we still manage to keep in touch and attend gatherings whenever we were able to meet. The school, with its tremendous changes over the years, remains the magnet and a must visit place whenever I come back to Hong Kong. I’m sure other old boys share my sentiments and passion. Much credit must be given to our beloved Amy for her tireless effort to keep us up to date on the happenings and events of the Old Boys’ Association.
George Kotewall (54)
