THANKS to Frederick Tebbutt of Sutton Poyntz for getting in touch after the picture of Weymouth Grammar School's production of The Mikado brought back memories.

Mr Tebbutt remembers being in the 1946 grammar school production of The Mikado as Oko.

He said: “I remember having to learn it all. We used to rehearse for the production once a week. I particularly recall the teacher who was mentioned in the piece, Bug Welford, was the rehearsal pianist.

“I remember having to wear Japanese costume for it!”

Mr Tebbutt also remembers a production of HMS Pinafore at the school the year before The Mikado.

“I remember seeing the pictures of all the school productions along the corridor. I often wonder where those pictures went or if they survived.

“Seeing the article on the grammar school certainly brought back a few memories!”

One such amusing memory involves teacher Jack Morgan, whose photo was featured in last week's Looking Back.

Mr Tebbutt said: “The first thing everyone remembers about him is he had a zip when all the other teachers had fly buttons on their trousers.

“I remember the girls were fascinated by it, they had never seen a man who had a zip on his trousers – I suppose he was a bit of a trendsetter!”

Although Mr Tebbutt doesn't remember his school days as the best of his life, Weymouth Grammar School was also attended by his wife, whom he never met at school but was four years below him. The pair have been married for 65 years.

We also heard from Sheila Dyer, nee Morris, of Broadwey, Weymouth, who was a student at Weymouth Grammar School in the 1950s and has particular memories of a few of the staff mentioned.

Sheila recalls: "I was in the second year (now year 8). I had done an end of term geography exam; Mr Welford (known as Bug to us minions – his brother, the music master, was Pug!!) had marked our efforts, and his modus operandi was to get the ones who had made mistakes to stand up in front of their seat.

"He was ex forces (as many teachers were in that period after the war) and terrified me.

"I was the unfortunate to be called to stand first. The words, which still bring a shudder, were “Stand up the Author”!! I have never forgotten it! I stood, quivering in my shoes, for what seemed a lifetime because I had written about the completely wrong animals, mentioning lassoing buffalo I recall!

"Every little misdemeanour was referred to; whatever the rest of the class had done wrong after my torture, he did not mention!"

Sheila affectionately remembers a teacher known as Mrs Price-Jones who had the nickname Mrs Plum Jam.

She said: "Mrs Price-Jones taught me in the first year (year 7) held at Connaught House in Cross Road. She had a habit of bringing pupils who had hiccups to the front of the class and getting them to hold their breath for 20 seconds; some chance when everyone in the class was “encouraging” you!

"She was a lovely teacher. I loved my time (just the one year) at Connaught House; beautiful grounds (now houses!) with an 'out of bounds' area which we would frequently inhabit during break times! "The first of two now demolished Holy Trinity Schools was being built next door to us. The younger children would file in to use some of our space on occasions. And when there was rain, and the wind was howling, you thought the Anderson Shelter with corrugated roof under which you ate your midday meal, was going to collapse!"

But Sheila doesn't have such pleasant memories of the headmaster Mr Parsons.

She said: "It was a different era. I was born with a dislocated hip, resulting in a 4 inch difference in the length of my legs. When, at the end of the fifth year (year 11), after we had taken our, then, GCEs, he summoned me to his study and asked why I was not staying on to take my A levels.

"I explained that my mother could not afford to keep me at school. He then said to me, you will have to stay on at school – no-one will employ you with that hip!

"I left school and started work as a junior insurance clerk at the Co-operative Insurance Society (above the Merrikins cake shop, now Boots), in St Thomas Street, Weymouth) just 10 days after leaving school!

Sheila thanks us for bringing back such memories, good and not so good.