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.

Everyone who knew the School realised that the Headmaster, Mr. Samuel Gregory-Taylor, 'Uncle Sam' or just 'Sam' to so many boys, was intent on making it famous.

Some critics have said that the School 'was made up of bits and pieces'. This is probably correct for he was always planning ahead for something the School - 'His School' - needed. It was his 'hobby', his life's work, and he was proud of it.

Mrs Taylor his wife, known as 'Queen Anne' to the boys, assisted him in his work. When he took over in 1894, there were less than fifty boys. When he passed away in 1930, there must have been nearly 300 boys at the School.

This was a large number in those days, though not considered so perhaps when compared to the huge comprehensives of modern times. How true was the inscription on his memorial tablet in the Chapel, 'If you seek his memorial - look around'.

Mr. Taylor worked extremely hard himself, and he expected all around him, both staff and boys, to do the same. He told Parents not to send their boys to Shoreham unless they were prepared to work.

One of his habits was to go around to each classroom on Friday afternoon and ask the form masters if they had any boy who was not doing his best to report. If any boy was reported, his name went down in Sam's book, and he was enquired about every week for the rest of the term.

If there was a second occasion when he was reported, then Sam gave him a 'little dose of sweet oil' in the shape of six-stroke caning in front of the class, and those canings hurt.

In those days, every form had a form master or mistress who took the class for nearly all subjects, and marks were given, certain totals for certain subjects, of a maximum of 1600 a week, this including 100 for a mathematics test on Wednesday night, and 100 for a general test on Friday evening's prep.

Prep formed a very important part of the daily curriculum and boarders had early morning prep from 7.10 till 7.55 am, when morning prayers were said in the class rooms. Evening prep lasted from 6 till 8 pm, when supper was taken, after which the boarders went up to the dormitories, and had their baths or showers. Lights were put out at 9.30 p.m.

When I first attended the School, the boys were entered for the various branches of the College of Preceptors Examinations lower forms, preliminary, junior and senior. Later there was a change over to the Cambridge Locals.

Every boy in every form taking the examinations was entered for every form subject, and the examinations were taken in December. As a preparation for this, the summer term was called 'paper work term' and all work set, whether in school or prep was returned unless you obtained half marks and in the case of maths, you had to do three sums by next day.

If they were not done you received a star, and if you got a double star, you had a 'whacking' (six strokes). The penalty for cheating was ten strokes. This was the system that was used at Shoreham to get such excellent examination results.

Sam was disappointed if we did not get at least one 'first in all England' medal, very often in bookkeeping, which he used to take himself. Another favourite was mathematics, a subject for which the School was well known and nearly always the percentage of passes was well above the national average. If it was lower, then there was an enquiry and sometimes it meant a change in the subject matter.

Mr. Taylor used to encourage his pupils by giving them small sums of money for outstanding efforts, both in work and games. Sometimes Sam took a subject himself to try to raise the standard and I well remember when he was taking French in some of the Senior Forms on Saturday mornings.

He would enter the classroom and tell us to take out our scribbles (or jotters) then he would write a phrase on the board and give us two minutes to write down the French for it.

This was often a French idiom. When he had written the correct version up, he would ask who had it right. He came round to see all those who put up their hands, and put 'Id' in thick black chalk on your book.

Sometimes you could get 6d or 8d in one lesson, and you obtained this money by taking your book to the office where he changed books at 8.30 am for the boarders and 9.00 am for the day boys. It was given to you then, and the marks in your book cancelled.

When the Examination results came through there were rewards in this way for boys who obtained first, second, or third class honours, and distinctions, and some boys received back more than the entrance fees charged.