The following is an extract from the story of Shoreham Grammar School, an independent boys school in West Sussex as remembered by A. R. west and P. J. White.

As it was wartime the Cadet Force obviously became a major item in most of the pupil activities. Whilst it was strong in the early years at Milland House, the temporary residence for borders of Shoreham Grammar School, it really rose to the occasion on the coming of Bruce Main whose destiny as a professional soldier had obviously been decided at birth.

By the time he arrived at the school as a new pupil, he had the knowledge and forceful purpose to convert the Cadet Force from a number of youths playing games to a serious-minded, efficient, fighting force.

He rapidly made contact with the local Canadian forces from which we obtained the latest equipment, clothing and armaments and his keenness produced weapons which some units of the army had probably never used and the Home Guard, who were our main source for exercises, had not even heard of!

The force commenced night exercises and certain members of it went off on official training courses at Bramshott in the art of booby-trapping and other associated nasties.

On one memorable occasion in an exercise against the Home Guard, one patrol while on the north side of Ripley ran into the Canadians and caused them some concern by involving itself in their exercise, while another patrol on the south side, proceeded to make the Home Guard flee as they thought they were being fired upon with live ammunition.

On another occasion and the only one on which Bruce Main was actually outwitted, he placed himself in a growth of trees surrounded by clear common and told us to attack him.

This was obviously impossible until a friendly tank major loaned us a tank, and with all on board we were taken across the clear ground and after laying smoke, the tank deposited us in the middle of Main's position much to the consternation of his troop as they were about to be over-run.

The school had a rifle range, which at its target end had a summerhouse with a weathervane, and it was remarkable that nearly every misfire that happened on the range produced a spinning weathervane, which rapidly became more and more bedraggled.

Owing to his love of explosives, any bang around the School automatically produced a cry of 'Where's Main?' and on the day that Main left the School, just as he was shaking hands with the headmaster, a bang came from the field opposite and the headmaster was heard to remark, 'I don't know whether to shake your hand or cane you'.