Jock Dewar - Alleged Virgin

The Royal High's most famous virgin - he would boast about it almost every lesson! Latin was tedious so Dewar was teased endlessly by us about Miss Urqhart the Classical Greek teacher. And woe betide if you misbehaved in class - he had an arsenal of lethal weaponry in the cupboard: slipper, plimsoll, cane, leather tawse and he was not afraid to use them. But only if you were a boy. Because Dewar had only ever taught in boys schools and the admission of young teenage girls to the Royal High was too much for him to cope with. And he was too embarrassed to punish us! I remember at the start of every lesson he would walk up and down the rows between the desks, lifting every boy's trousers to check they were wearing the correct colour regulation socks. Those caught wearing red rugby socks or other exotic styles were lined up at the front for 6 of the best before he started teaching!

Louise Bolotin RHS 1978