Update for ex-pupils

Wendy, Miss Watts and Patricia
From the private collection of Patricia Silsby
Something was funny!
From the private collection of Patricia Silsby

Hi everyone,

On a recent trip back to Blighty my sister and I caught up again with Miss Mary Watts, Headmistress of the old St Paul’s school for many years. She is the same as ever, although the ancient bones are not always doing what she tells them; believe me, her mind is as active as ever! We finally worked out – although she firmly refused to confirm or deny, and laughingly gave my hubby a telling off for asking a ladies age - that she must be in her 92nd year! I hope the photos I shall endeavour to send come out ok.

For those of you who may remember her, you will see from the pictures, Wendy is recovering from severe chemotherapy treatment but remains positive and just takes one day at a time. She is still in awe of Mary and still calls her Missy Otts!

Kind regards to all readers, Patricia Silsby

Comments about this page

  •  For those of you who may remember her, you will see from the pictures, Wendy is recovering from severe chemotherapy treatment but remains positive and just takes one day at a time. May all of them be filled with love and happiness.

    By Bridie (08/10/2009)
  • Would love to visit Miss Watts as my twin and I have fond memories of St Paul’s. Please e mail me to let us know where she is.

    By Belinda Lumsden (06/01/2010)
  • I was at St Paul’s between 1954 and 1961 and would love to hear from anyone who was also there at that time.

    By Janette Hammond (nee Saunders) (11/01/2010)
  • Nice to see Miss Watts is still alive. Her face seems to have changed little from when I was a boy.

    By Edward Castle (04/05/2010)
  • Hello again! Lovely to see some comments from names I remember so well. Edward – Miss Watts is indeed exactly the same as when we were children and remembered you when I was speaking to her about this site. We remember you as being so passionate about dinosaurs we were sure you were destined to become a paleontologist! Did you? Janette, Wendy and I remember you and Keith, particularly an occasion when we came back to your house after school for sugar butties. Keith was fixing up his bicycle and somehow you managed to get a nasty electric shock from a table lamp or something and frightened the life out of us all! By the way, I always wish you a happy birthday on the 4th April! Funny the things that stick in our minds! Good news at present is that Wendy is doing remarkably well fighting the good fight over the nasties and generally being inspirational all round.

    By Patricia Silsby (06/07/2010)
  • It’s me again! Just an update on our lives to date. Wendy is still fighting but not as mobile as she used to be. She still drives herself but has to use a mobility scooter as she can’t walk and breathe at the same time. Sadly, I lost my soulmate and hubby Allan last year from asbestos cancer. It was a big shock and he succumbed very quickly. On the brighter side, I am returning to UK for a last pilgrimage this year, from May until July. I will be all over the place, Cambridgeshire, Harrogate, Birmingham, Wales, Belfast and Jersey, but in Brighton from 26th -30th June, also just for one night on 8th July. I would dearly love to catch up with anyone who’s interested. Please contact me on my email, psilsby@optusnet.com.au or write to me at P O BOX 1029, PENRITH, NSW 2751, AUSTRALIA. In the meantime, I hope 2011 is a good year for you all so far. Warm regards, Patricia

    By Patricia Silsby (25/02/2011)
  • This is just to let you all know my Wendy passed away on 21st April. I am here now and will be visiting Mary Watts in the next few days. I’m not sure exactly how her health is, but at present she has round the clock carers looking after her. I think she may have recently had some sort of surgery. I will update again when I’ve been to see her.

    By Patricia Silsby (05/05/2011)
  • Hi Janet (nee Saunders). I was at school with you. You lived in Ivy Mews and I lived in Western St. You also lived next to George Pringle. Happy days. Fancy seeing Miss Watts. Regards Dudley

    By Dudley Peter Templeman (09/06/2011)
  • Hey, did you have a younger brother Keith? I was there till ’65 with him. He lived in the Western Star pub.

    By Alan Taylor (28/06/2011)
  • Hi Alan, yes my little brother went to St Paul’s too, as I did, and yes, we lived in the Western Star pub.

    By Dudley Templeman (30/11/2011)
  • Hi Dudley, Keith and I were just primary schoolboys together, no contact whatsoever since, but just human curiosity makes me ask what news of him and has his life gone well.

    By Alan Taylor (02/12/2011)
  • I went to St Pauls School in 1938. I was only 4 but I had a best friend called Larry Rushden. I lived at 4 Russell St which is where the Brighton Centre is now. When the war started, we had to shelter under the ice rink at the SS Brighton, as a practice in case of an air raid.

    By John Barton (06/02/2012)
  • Hi to Dudley and your brother Keith Templeman. My sister Belinda and I went to St Paul’s and our grandparents also lived at 20 Norfolk Square. We both had a crush on Keith when we were about seven or eight years of age and with another friend used to post love letters to Keith through the letter box of The Western Star. Please apologise to him for any embarrassment we might have caused him!

    By Vanessa Denyer (09/06/2012)
  • I can”t wait to tell all this to Keith.

    By Dudley Templeman (07/07/2012)
  • Hi to anyone who was at St Pauls school. I was there from 1955 to 1959. John Turner. Feel free to e-mail – bye for now

    By John Turner (09/07/2012)
  • I stumbled upon this page today and thought I would add an update. Sadly Mary Watts passes away in March 2014 at the grand old age of 96. Here’s an excerpt from her obituary.

    MARY WATTS Of St Ives and formerly Hemingford Abbots and Hove, East Sussex. Passed away peacefully after a short illness in Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon on 11th March 2014. Aged 96 years. A much loved and highly respected Aunt, Godmother and friend, and sister to the late Diane, Gabrielle, George and Peter. A great traveller, former Headmistress and wise counsel.

    By Richard Watts (13/03/2015)
  • I went to St Pauls 1961-1968 the last year being in the new school in St Nicholas Road. Mrs Stripp was the nursery teacher ably assisted by Mary Bibby. Patricia Silsby gave me our great headmistresses address so I wrote to Miss Watts, and received a three page handwritten reply, she remembered me and my parents! Who remembers trooping across the road for lunch, which arrived in large metal containers delivered by a van, the outside loos which froze in winter, and best of all the cod liver oil? We won a trophy at the school sports day at Withdean in 1967 and Miss Watts treated the team to ice creams. My claim to fame was 3rd year egg and spoon champion.

    By Sabine Watts (11/05/2015)
  • Hi, I was at St Pauls from 1957 to around 1963. In my class was Danny K, Andrew Clark, Alan Taylor, Richard Springer. Others’ names are on the tip of my tongue! Are there any photos or class mates from this time?

    By Ian Macauley (01/02/2016)
  • I also remember Miss Watts. Mr Parkinson was one of the teachers. I lived in St Nicholas Rd. Happy memories

    By Julie Bonwick nee Dowsett (13/04/2016)
  • Wow! Just seen this page. I was at St Paul’s from1968 – 1974 and remember Miss Watts so well… what a great lady. The other teachers I remember were Mr Grace, Miss Telford, Miss  Woodhouse and Mr Parkinson. Anyone else there around that time?

    By Ian Johnson (09/07/2016)
  • Hi Ian, I remember you really well, as we were in the same class for our last couple of years. I can still recall a lot of the pupils’ names from our year, and besides the teachers you’ve already mentioned, I also remember Miss Stanger (my favourite teacher), Mr Holland, Mrs Locke and Mr Filmer. I recall you having a real talent for the performing arts, which the school seemed to encourage and nurture. One Christmas you put on a ‘pantomuddle’ and I think you cast me as Little Red Riding Hood – happy times! Our year group wasn’t quite the same after pupils living in Hove had to leave St Paul’s and we were joined by pupils from Middle Street school. I hope life has been treating you well.

    By Ruth Bolton nee Newberry (13/02/2017)
  • Janette Hammond (Saunders) I remember you well, we were good friends back then and started at Varndean together.

    By Wendy Stoner (Meen) (07/10/2019)
  • So sad to learn that Miss Watts passed away in 2014. I was a pupil at St Paul’s from 1972 to 1977 when the school was already at its new site in St Nicholas Road.

    I clearly remember Miss Watts as headmistress, she was firm but fair and treated everyone equally and fairly. Mr Grace, who I think was deputy head was similarly strict but fair. Now that I’m a mature adult I can appreciate how good they were as teachers. Looking back now, they were probably some of the best days of my life.

    After Miss Watts retired, the new headmaster was Mr Saunders. Other teachers I can remember were, Mr Holland, Mrs Standing, Miss Telford, Miss Thorpe, Mrs Cross, Miss Stanger, Mrs Locke?, Miss McCleod, Miss Foster, Miss Holroyd, Miss York? and Miss Ashjiani? There was Mrs Norman the secretary, and I can remember the names of two of playground supervisors. One was Mrs Turner, mother of my classmate Graham Turner, the other one was Mrs Carol (I think) who was Mr Grace’s daughter. I also recall Mrs Grace (Mr Grace’s wife) employed there in some capacity but not as a teacher.

    By Waiman Lee (24/04/2020)

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