Norman Martin (1942-47) has sent in this photo of his form group taken in 1946 and featuring the renowned J.J. ‘Jasper’ Dodds. Norman writes:
My only memento of my time at Bournemouth School is [this] photograph taken in 1946 showing the 5th form of that year presided over by J.J. himself and flanked by two of the veterans of that form, Messers Mudway and Hunt. Some of the members of that form had carried over from previous years and as the youngest member, aged 15, (5th from the left, back row) I recall thinking that I had joined a class of young men. Charles Gray was another member of that form but was apparently absent that day. (Charles Gray was to become a famous actor – perhaps best known as Blofeld in Diamonds Are Forever?)
Jasper Dodds was indeed unlike any other member of staff at that time. He was a strict disciplinarian. He demanded (and got) everybody’s absolute attention, no one ever failed to hand in homework and his was the only class whose pupils always lined up outside the room whilst waiting for him to arrive for a lesson instead of sitting around larking about! And all this without ever having to raise his voice. Fifty years on, I have to say I count myself fortunate to have come under his wing and to have seen him in his prime.
At the time there were very few private cars on the road, Jasper drove to school in a pre-war Morris 8 registration number CEL 57. The fact that, even today, the number comes easily to mind speaks volumes. Everyone’s radar was tuned to this vehicle and it needed to be because to be spotted by J.J. walking along East Way from the bus stop in Charminster Road without wearing the school cap was practically a capital offence. The sight of CEL 57 appearing over the top of the hill as it approached the school was the signal for the bareheaded ones to make themselves scarce.
Of his own time since leaving the school, Norman says:
I left school to work for Preston & Redman the solicitors in Hinton Road. After National Service I joined the Trust Division of Lloyds Bank and managed branches in Guernsey, Ipswich and Nottingham before retiring as head of financial services in the North West region based in Liverpool.
I am 72 now but have never forgotten Jasper
Dodd. The worst teacher I ever knew
Yep I was there 1960 to 1967 and Jasper Dodds stays in my memory as the worst teacher ever. I learnt nothing about history. It was history wasn’t it that he was teaching. All Jasper seemed interested in was seeing us all sit up on the last two inches of our seats with our backs ram rod straight and our arms folded. We had to do that for the whole lesson. He was a weirdo to say the least. Who knows what was in his mind.
I was at Bournemouth School from 1966 – 1972. I lived in fear of Jasper and only ever encountered him once when I was in detention. A few of my 5th form contemporaries formed a rock band and called themselves “Jasper Dodds” – apparently he went mad over this but nothing was done.
Jasper taught both myself and my father so I had prior knowledge of the fearsome reputation of the man!!!
He certainly was an oddball with his ramrod sitting positions and strict discipline.
I can’t help but feel that in the swinging sixties his form of teaching was treated more with ridicule than fear
I attended Bournemouth School for only two terms, commencing in the autumn of 1959, and departing in early 1960, when my family moved to north London.
I was ten years old when I joined, and became eleven during my first term.
How busy we were, and what a high standard of teaching, and expectation from us there was.
I well remember Jasper Dodds, his compulsory two siiting positions for pupils, and the manner of standing in front of the class with your arms outstreched above your head for what seemed an age, for errant pupils caught in a minor misdemeanor in the classroom.
I learnt my history, but I was terrified.
I don’t think that the end justified the means.
Still I have enjoyed a wonderful career throughout the world in the international Oil & Gas Industry. I have, of course, met many very strange individuals throughout this time, often in high authority, so perhaps having Jasper as a teacher was an early straw in the wind.
I am now aged 72. Jasper Dodds taught me history for 4 years from 1954-1957.
I think it’s a pity that there are not more disciplinarians like Jasper in all our schools!
I must have been in Year 8. The foot steps would be heard, the heart would tremble, standing straight at your desk then sitting in the painful position, back so straight, not a word, a deadly silence. The master of control. The leap to attention and any look at a friend meant the corner by the door. Having been a teacher myself that control was remarkable yet does not teach the subject. I was taught the meaning of fear not the encouragement of expression,research, the will to knowledge and the pride that a student can ask a question and the teacher can say I don’t know try and find the sneer your self and stand up and tell the class and you will be the Jasper Dodds.
The brothers King (Joe and Jim – not in the same class) in the late fifties inadvertently provided an anecdote involving Mr. Dodds that has stayed with me as an example of humour erupting in the most forbidding of circumstances. I can’t remember precisely how this short exchange started but the feared Jasper had asked Jim King (approximately – in reply to something that had already got the sneer in gear) “er – boy – I hope you are joking?!” Comic genius – Jim shot back (approximately) “please sir, no sir, I’m Jim King!” Howls of laughter from everyone and I don’t remember the outcome. It’s possible even Jasper was amused at the incident and retold it in the Staff Room; it was my impression he wasn’t entirely humourless!
I attended Bournemouth School during wartime , when the buildings were shared with Southampton Grammar School . Jasper Dodds instilled into me a hatred of history which lasted into my old age (and much the same could be said of mathematics under Mr Laurence)
These two men ruined for me subjects which could have been very useful in my subsequent career (I ended up as a Principal Professional in the Civil Service.)
i was at the school 1964-69 and dodds was my teacher for 1 year. looking back,i think he really was all bark and no bite,albeit a quiet bark! his obsession with seating positions was quite ridiculous and he could ahve done with washing his clothes occasionally.The quality of teaching was ceretainly very variable-some truly awful eg stokoe,cushio,nwilliamson,and the deeply unpleasant Cutler (what was his problem??).some couldnt control their temper eg mccabe and walker and some excellent eg maxted,sanders,sefton. have standards improved since those days?
I was there from ’69 to ’74 (officially) and I would imagine standards must have improved or the place would, surely, have been shut down. I was fortunate enough to have had Mick Webb as a Form Master for two years and he made the place just about bearable. As to the rest of them, Reynish, Dodds, McCabe and their ilk I really don’t know how they got away with it. By the way Maxted took a serious beating at the hands of some sixth formers in the pavilion changing rooms for getting a little too friendly with someone in the showers. Oddly enough nothing was ever done about that.
Ron Chilcott on 1st February 2012
I was at the school from1949 to 1954 and well remember Dodds.To my mind he had a cruel streak which he took out on defenceless pupils.I well remember merely asking the chap in front of me to pass my football boots back to me and subsequently being dragged out into the corridor by JD and pushed around for speaking without permission.He would not get away with it these days
The favourite trick of dear old Jasper was to sneak up behind a boy and pinch his ear really hard. But he was a damned good teacher
I was at Bournemoth School from 1951-59 and loved almost every minute. Dodds was a low spot. Teaching consisting of a test on last lesson’s homework then setting the next homework. I dropped history as soon as possible and regret that I don’t have more knowledge of the subject. Frankly I think he had an inferiority complex and used his power over his unfortunate pupils as a form of compensation. Having been a teacher all my life the one thing he taught me was not to treat pupils like that! Ultimately I felt sorry for him
i am surprised that Len considered Dodds to be a good teacher.As derek clarke says,most of the lesson was a test on the latest homework!
it’s awful that violent unstable men like mccabe,walker(i was witness to his worst assault i ever saw in 1965),cushion and others were allowed to get away with their behaviour without anything being done. I guess we were all too young to speak out to anyone.
Oh dear! Perhaps it’s a good thing we don’t all have the same opinions! I found Walker (Johnny, I assume) to be inspirational. As a mere scientist (Physics degree) he gave me an interest in art that I have to this day .As a classical music enthusiast I respected his ability in that area too. We had many friendly exchanges on the subject. And Percy? He taught me for 4 years and, although strict, his logical methods suited me perfectly and I’ve never regretted all those years of latin. No, their methods would be frowned upon now, but the world has changed and they can only be judged in the approaches of that era.
But Dodds was another matter. He totally failed to interest anyone in history.
derek,i wouldnt dispute your comments regarding johnny walker.Nevertheless,I was 18 inches from his prolonged and unprovoked assault of a classmate which was far worse than anything else i witnessed in my time there.
I was at BSB from 63-70, and felt that many of the teachers in that era were both very knowledgeable and passionate about their subjects. However, they couldn’t really understand or cope with the youth of the sixties, who were probably less willing to accept the status quo than their predecessors. As a result, some teachers used fear and/or bullying more than was acceptable.
I doubt that Dodds had ever known different – he would probably have been dismissed today, either for all that fondling and touching, or for poor teaching standards.
I too witnessed a savage beating administered by Johnnie Walker in year 8, for a fairly innocuous remark by Steve Beck. Makes me shiver 45 years on. Passionate about art, but unacceptable anger problems.
There were, however, teachers who managed to actually communicate with you and “sell” you the subject. Tom Bircher, RJ Williams and David Hilliam spring to mind. I think the ethos of teaching in the school was definitely changing around the time I left (for the better).