Royal Liverpool Seamans Orphanage- Hillbark, Frankby,Cheshire evacuated during the war from it's original home in Newsham Park,Liverpool. I was enrolled as a scholar on 24thMarch,1940 at the age of 6 years and 11 months and remained there until March 1947. I suppose everyone sees their schooldays through different eyes and emotions and I can remember crying myself to sleep night after night for a long period before accepting the fact that my Mother was not coming to rescue me.

The first few months were spent in comfort as a member of the Infants but then reality took over and I was transferred to the"Big Boys" and given a number. All the boys worked on the number system for almost everything. The clarion call of Fall in for Baths in descending/ascending order would echo throughout the whole camp or the bugle calls for meals would sound and cause a scamper to see which of the two orders were required. It was wobetide anyone who happened to be any distance from the parade area and turned up later than the second call. He would certainly have his fortune read out for him.

These parades if my memory serves me correctly were called at the whim of the Master in charge for the day and many a cricket or football match had to be postponed until the parade bogie had been laid to rest.We were blessed with 4 main Masters and 1 Mistress for most of the time I was there. First of all there was the Headmaster, Mr R(Reggie) Barker  but heaven help the person caught calling him that.Mr F.C Jones (Taffy) ditto with being caught, Mr G.C.Corner (Charlie/Cropper/Starve the Barber)because of his long hair and last but not least Mr Binks or (Binkie). Reggie was an ex army officer and must have had the patience of a saint to put up with the antics and troubles we wrought upon him-but he was very fair-if you got the cane you got it and it was forgotten at least by him.

The Monster of Hillbark was without a shadow of doubt was Taffy. He was a maniac and loved to inflict pain as I'm sure everyone who crossed his path would agree. He more or less administered the strict discipline that he thought was necessary to control us. In woodwork class held in a converted garage he would prowl around inspecting the work being done and if he found something that he did not like he would pounce upon the nearest tool or block of wood and hammer it on the head ofthe poor soul he had caught.He had a system of sharpening carpenters pencils so the the points where completely symmetrical and if you dropped the pencil and broke the lead then you were guaranteed a bashing over the head.

His favourite punishment was to award 6 strokes of the cane. He had a Blackboard ruler about a metre long with a brass "D"handle in the middle. He would order you to stand with one foot either side of the handle and grip it with both hands.In this position he could wield his cane like a master swordsman. The only problem with this method was that you had to receive 6 strokes if they were awarded without letting go of the handle. This rule meant that you could finish up having 12 or more strokes.Taffy also was responsible for the inspection of wear and tear of Clothing,boots,toothbrushes,etc and a more diligent inspector never existed.

Our boots were studded with what were known as Segs and these segs were hammered in in a precise pattern by Taffy of course. Every so often the dreaded cry of Boot Inspection would be heard and everyone would assemble in one of the huts and remove their boots. They would then stand in lines (Numerical order of course) while Taffy would slowly walk down one line and up the next never lifting his eyes until he would suddenly pounce and grab someones boots and begin hammering them on the victims head counting how many Segs should have been in the boot.The number of boys caught this way was quite high so Taffy used to get lots of exercise.

The tyrant was Charlie Corner who we all thought a bit of a pansy because of his long hair and the lads used to rib him most of all the teachers,. Many a lad has squared up to Charlie with fists akimbo but I can't recall ever getting the cane off him. He often sent offenders to the Headmasters study to be dealt with.I don't think that during the whole time I was at the Orphanage I ever saw him without his scruffy old raincoat and green trilby. When I left the Orphanage and went out into the world to earn a living I often saw Charlie heading for one of the local schools in Bootle and yes he still had his old raincoat nad trilby.

Next to Taffy or on a par with him as far as cruelty was concerned was Binkie, he was definely a psycho. He used to tell us he was a war hero and had almost won the war singlehanded (I don't know which war he was referring to) but he was supposed to have cleaned out so many German machine gum posts single handed. Of course we took this with a pinch of salt but heaven help anyone who looked as though they even doubted his word. He reckoned that his army buddies used to call him Spring Heeled Jack because he was so fast on his feet. I can partly believe that because sometimes he would lose the plot and come charging in amongst us swinging arms,fists,and elbows llike a tornado. He also took the sports lessons and referreed and umpired the games. His decision of course was definitely final. Miss Dutton (Who became Mrs Barker- Not related to Reggie) was our most easygoing Teacher who allowed a little bit of leeway as far as discipline was concerned,but who could at times become a tigeress. She never punished anyone personnaly but sent offenders to Reggie to be chastised.

A favourite ploy was when sent for punishment hide under thehut for a few minutes and while there bang the palm of the hand on the brick pillars holding the hut up then walk into the classroom rubbing the hand and looking woeful. This worked most of the time but there was time when one of the boys carried out this deception only to find Reggie in the classroom when he returned. The evil and sadistic treatment could be talked about for ever, but as with all disciplinary measures I think we all realised that it did us all the power of good having endured it.   

The second feat of endurance was managing to live on the food that was served up to us. There was never any great variety to the meals which I suppose were adequate to sustain life.Breakfast on Monday,Wednesday and Friday was Bread and Milk (Pobs) and a mug of tea always with a skin on the surface. On Tuesday and Thursday we had porridge and Saturday and Sunday enough Cornflakes to cover the bottom of a bowl plus of course the inevitable tea with skin on. Dinner for six of the seven years I spent there was always Soup. Soup with chunks of fat and gristle in and occasionally a piece of potato would appear. It was taboo to leave any of this offering except for bones.

The bones were collected in a billycan and were taken to Reggies house for his dogs.Tea time was nothing to look forward to because we knew that all we would get was a slice of bread and margarine.sometimes the powers that be would give us a treat ahd we would get a slice of gammon with our bread.but as this was always full of fat it usually  finished up being pushed through a hole in the wooden floor. Supper was half a slice of bread and margarine and we slept in comfort on that. Reggie decided that we could have our own allotments to grow vegetables and produce but I cant remember anything grown there that actually reached maturity. Spring onions when they reached about an inch in length went to adorne the supper bread . The same with lettuce and other salad vegetables. Never during the whole period of my stay did we dine on chips or fish or even toast.Even during the rationing period none of these things appeared.

Our education was I must say about as high as could be obtained anywhere else and most of us left school a lot wiser than if we had been attending day school in the wide world. I left the Orphanage in 1947 to attend Bootle Technical College after coming top in the entrance examination to enter the Tech. Many of the lads left to continue their education at Naval Training Ships and some actually succeeded in business and commerce. A few including myself went away to fight for King and Country (Well National Service or Regular Service) and made a name for themselves in foreign lands.      

TO BE CONTINUED