Glengorse Reports

The contents of the old Arab chest are witness to the mementos my mother most wished to keep, like, for some reason, all my school reports. Many of the things she seemed to treasure I have thrown away to make space for those of the next generation's things which I consider important - mainly photographs.

However, I did keep my Glengorse reports, at least in part so that I could try to remind myself of how I survived there, but the sheer blandness of the comments destroys any such hope. The report above was for the end of that first, traumatic term in spring 1954. I love the Geography report, "Fair only. Rather bewildered at present but improving rapidly," and the Games one, written by Mr Stainton, the Head, "A very promising footballer, he is calm and aggressive."  Well, I would be, after learning my skills on the rock-hard surface at Mombasa Primary School where hoards of boys of every size pursued a ball which frequently disappeared into a thick cloud of dust.

This is my last report from the school, for the summer term 1958. It reminds me that I learned Latin, well enough to translate chunks of 'Caesar's Gallic Wars', which I did not enjoy, and French, where I had the serious handicap that, when I wracked my brain for a French word, it often came out in Swahili.

"A thoroughly confident swimmer," remarks Mr Stainton in 'Gymnasium', perhaps forgetting that I came from Mombasa. He goes on to write, against the 'Games' heading, "He was very keen and only (though it is the hardest thing to say) needs to get some confidence as the result of effort and experience," which is roughly what Mrs Dalgleish said in her report when I left MEPS some four years previously - see earlier post here.