TP ‘Pope’ Williams who appears here in two or three images was extraordinarily brutal. There were thoughtful, kind and effective teachers there in my day, but he wasn’t one of them! I wonder whether all the unique terms we used still exists. For example the washbasin rooms were called ‘Daylabs’.
@@llandoverycollegeoldllando4229 Yes. I'm 81 and my sojourn in the"college" was overshadowed not only by Pope's brutality but by the horrifying behaviour that he encouraged from his appointed prefects. Fallen Angels?
@@huwdavies8668 It is hard believe that this really happened. I have had so many emails from Old Llandoverians telling me what a horrendous time they had at Llandovery. Plus some who were sexually assaulted among other things. The list goes on.
I’m amazed that Pope seems to have been memorialised by a ‘stone’. He hit one boy in my year six times with a ‘plimpsol’ shoe (we’d call them ‘trainers’ today) so violently that he was black and blue with bruises edged in cuts. The blows sounded like small arms fire. He had a breakdown about two years later and was expelled. I think about him often thankful that I stood by him despite the onslaught. He died quite young of a heart attack.
@@huwdavies8668I am struck by your ‘fallen angels’ observation. I think the regime then pertaining at Llandovery College was indeed brutalising of some though interestingly not all. Indeed my friend who was assaulted so severely was never of any difficulty to we others despite the ritual humiliation he was put through (and subsequent bullying by other boys). His punishment took place last thing at night with hours, possibly days of advance warning. He was summoned from our dorm, C Dorm in Llandingat House and led off down that corridor and then the corridor to the right near the top of the stairs. He uttered no sound but the blows truly sounded like pistol shots fired just outside our room, though they were at least thirty five metres away. The black, blue, indigo, yellow and green bruises stood up from his skin by about four or five millimetres, perhaps more. A teacher at an ‘Approved School’ in North Wales had recently been jailed for violence but as our victim had cuts which were not bleeding, we determined that the assault upon him was probably legal. Whatever his crime it was minor, probably muttering something under his breath not meant to be heard, as I recall.
OMG, I can almost smell the place...
Me too. The room where we did prep in Ty Ddewi and listened to LPs played loud, had a definite smell which sometimes shaped itself into a pong!
TP ‘Pope’ Williams who appears here in two or three images was extraordinarily brutal. There were thoughtful, kind and effective teachers there in my day, but he wasn’t one of them!
I wonder whether all the unique terms we used still exists. For example the washbasin rooms were called ‘Daylabs’.
I am in complete agreement with you, life at the College was exceptional brutal under him. Many young men were affected for life.
@@llandoverycollegeoldllando4229 Yes. I'm 81 and my sojourn in the"college" was overshadowed not only by Pope's brutality but by the horrifying behaviour that he encouraged from his appointed prefects. Fallen Angels?
@@huwdavies8668 It is hard believe that this really happened. I have had so many emails from Old Llandoverians telling me what a horrendous time they had at Llandovery. Plus some who were sexually assaulted among other things. The list goes on.
I’m amazed that Pope seems to have been memorialised by a ‘stone’. He hit one boy in my year six times with a ‘plimpsol’ shoe (we’d call them ‘trainers’ today) so violently that he was black and blue with bruises edged in cuts. The blows sounded like small arms fire. He had a breakdown about two years later and was expelled. I think about him often thankful that I stood by him despite the onslaught. He died quite young of a heart attack.
@@huwdavies8668I am struck by your ‘fallen angels’ observation. I think the regime then pertaining at Llandovery College was indeed brutalising of some though interestingly not all. Indeed my friend who was assaulted so severely was never of any difficulty to we others despite the ritual humiliation he was put through (and subsequent bullying by other boys).
His punishment took place last thing at night with hours, possibly days of advance warning. He was summoned from our dorm, C Dorm in Llandingat House and led off down that corridor and then the corridor to the right near the top of the stairs.
He uttered no sound but the blows truly sounded like pistol shots fired just outside our room, though they were at least thirty five metres away.
The black, blue, indigo, yellow and green bruises stood up from his skin by about four or five millimetres, perhaps more.
A teacher at an ‘Approved School’ in North Wales had recently been jailed for violence but as our victim had cuts which were not bleeding, we determined that the assault upon him was probably legal.
Whatever his crime it was minor, probably muttering something under his breath not meant to be heard, as I recall.