The following is an extract from the story of Shoreham Grammar School, an independent boys school in West Sussex as remembered by H.L. Wills and M.E. Barmen.

The Headmaster Mr. Samuel Gregory-Taylor, 'Uncle Sam' or just 'Sam' to so many boys, always had his breakfast with the borders, and when the bell went, he took up a position on one side of the door, with a prefect on the other side. As the boys came through they had to show their hands and have clean shoes.

If the Headmaster watched the hands, the prefect would be watching the shoes, or vice-versa. If a boy had dirty shoes or hands, he was sent back and had to clean them and write out his tables from 2-12, before he could come for his meal.

Sam used to supervise personally, the passing of the trays of bread and butter, rather thick 'door-steps' called 'dork', down the tables. At dinnertime, if there were seconds for the meat course, it was served up as shepherd's pie, and was known as 'sheps'. This was quite a favourite with the boys.

Certain days at teatime, you had a spoonful of jam or a piece of cake. It was 'Queen Anne's' department to see this given out (Mrs Taylor, Sam's wife and assistant was known as 'Queen Anne' to the boys). If you wanted more, you brought your own jam or cake, which could be kept in a cupboard in the dining-hall. This was opened just before grace, and locked up again after the meal was over.

Matron used to sit at a special small table and pour out tea for the staff, who usually sat at the end of the long tables. Boys liked to sit near the end of the table, next to a member of the Staff, because then they used to 'fag' for the Staff, in return for any thin bread and butter left over from the staff plate, or any other delicacy, which the staff did not want.

Sam was usually in charge of the senior dining-hall, while the junior one was looked after by the Head Prefect, working in conjunction with the Headmaster, who also did all the carving of the joints at the mid-day meal.

In those days, the Boarders went 'down town' into Shoreham only on Friday lunch times, so the 'day bugs' (day pupils) used to fag for them to 'Mother Marsh's, the tuck shop just around the corner in Western Road. It is still standing, but is now an antique shop, in two senses of the word.

At one time 'Butchers', the shop at the High Street end of John Street, used to send up cakes at break-time, which were sold at a small tuck-shop at the back of the School. Later, the drill-sergeant used to bring up cakes, and also hot potatoes baked in their skins on Saturday evening.

But when 'Pop' Chitty was caretaker, he and 'Ma' both of whom are well remembered by many of the Old Boys, ran a Tuck Shop at the school, open every day, and always full of attractive goodies.

In those days the food was very plain, but usually there was plenty of it. If you were fussy of course there were times when you wanted something else, but hunger was generally the best sauce.