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Summer 1968 was the second "Summer of Love". Long hair, beads, kaftans, Hueys and Hue, LSD, pirate radio and pop music at its best. We saw little of this of course. What we did see wasn't even on one of those new colour TV sets. This Summer of Love also signalled the end for TS Mercury. The school closed in July 1968. This is what we got up to that summer....
Every Saturday night we had a filmshow on a 35mm Bell and Howell projector. That's right, 10 minutes between each reel and breakdowns a-plenty. Being in the 6th form I was one of those that was privileged to spend my A Level maths 'self study' periods in 'Noddy' Chambers' office leafing through the film distributor's catalogue selecting the films for the next term. These are the films I had some hand in subjecting the school to that summer:
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Blindfold
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The Trap
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Campbell's Kingdom
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Doctor at Sea
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The Longest Day
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Tobruk
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The Glass Bottom Boat
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That Riviera Touch
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Penelope
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The Liquidator
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A Taste of Honey
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Morgan, A Suitable Case for Treatment
The school had an active sports calendar. Here's the local teams we played that summer. The results are not known. I was always a football person so, I cannot claim to have played in any of these matches.
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Stanbridge School
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Embley Park School
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The Royal Greenjackets
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The School of Navigation, Warsash
The T. S. Mercury school band was very much modelled on Royal Navy or Royal Marines bands. I had found any form of music other than pop music pretty dull and particularly hated military music having been bought with it as an Army child. But there was one attraction of being a band member and that was the Saturday afternoon outings to such events as those listed here for that summer. Some were more thrilling than others!
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St George's Day Parade, Netley Abbey
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Fawley School May Fair
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Fawley Church Fete
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Women's Institute Garden Party, Durley
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Upham Church Fete
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Hedge End Carnival
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Locksheath Carnival
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School Final Closing Ceremony (on Southern TV)
Unfortunately cymbals, big drum and side drums were all taken. So bang went my easy ride into the band (sorry drummers!). I was given a trombone by Henry Capper the bandmaster and for this I remain ever thankful. I suddenly developed a passion for music. I spent every free moment in the bandroom practising suffering much ridicule. And do you know I even developed a liking for military music! I currently have about 10 CDs in my collection of military bands.
On leaving Mercury I tried a stint in several brass bands but found it very boring. Probably because I found myself in the company of old fogies rather than boys. So I took up guitar instead. So thanks to Henry Capper my wife, last year, had to tolerate my purchase of a very expensive vintage re-issue Fender Stratocaster!
No doubt the band's repertoire varied over the years. But that summer the following were at the top of the band's 'Hot One Hundred'. How we wanted to give 'Waterloo Sunset' or 'Whiter Shade of Pale' a go!
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When You're Smiling
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Hawaiian Samba
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High Society
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Over The Waves
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Congratulations (Yes, the Cliff Richard hit!)
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March No. 4
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My Fair Lady
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The Standard Of St. George
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HM Jollies
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Listen To The Band
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Theme from No Hiding Place
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When The Saints Go Marching In
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Pass Me By
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La Reve Passe
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Semper Fidelis
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The New Colonial
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All The Nice Girls Love A Sailor
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Rio Rita
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Evening Hymn and Sunset
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Anchors Aweigh
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The Great Little Army
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California Here I Come (We played this alongside Southampton Water when the Queen Mary departed for the last time)
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The Pirates of Penzance
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Under The Double Eagle
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Our Director
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Men of Harlech
Oh yes, nearly forgot, at the end of the day I guess we had to do some work! Here were the big exams that were held that summer just to spoil the fun!
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CSE: Mathematics and English
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GCE 'O' Level: Seamanship, Navigation, Geography, Physics, English Language, Additional Mathematics, Mathematics, English Literature and History
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GCE 'A' Level: Physics, Pure Mathematics and Geography