source: The College Of Rock and Roll Knowledge Facebook page.
Suggested post by Pete Fisher
Pete Fisher… this reminded me of my days at Hastings Grammar School (1966-73)…
Terry Huggins… I was banned from the sweet shop for having long hair and from the post office for having a black girlfriend.
Jim Breeds… No wonder you never posted any sweets to me!
Mick O’Dowd… When I was at Grammar School, the Head (Mr Henshall) came up behind me and said”Am I hurting you boy?” “No sir” says I “I should be i’m standing on your hair!” I went home and had a “crew cut”. He didn’t speak to me for weeks. My time 1961-65 so ha “Spider” Hyder as well!
Chris Meachen… I was a frequent victim of ‘chick’ henshall’s anti-hair policy, was once sent home to shave as well.. I’ve made up for it since….
Phil Gill… I was told by Sporty Bourne that he wouldn’t let me do games afternoons until I had a haircut, because it was in my eyes and dangerous. I didn’t want to do either games or have a haircut, so….result!
Tony Davis… Chick didn’t like the fact that i used to have a Beatles fringe (alright stop laughing) and said I looked like a girl. My time there was 1964 to 1968
Angela France Gardner… I remember my mother saying that you couldn’t tell who was a boy and who was a girl because of their long hair!
Martyn Baker… Myself, Chris Wood and Nick Ali were forced to wear hair-nets in metalwork classes, after Chris got his hair caught in the drilling machine. Ouch!
Chris Wood… I remember it well…. we all go sent to George who insisted that we all had a haircut….. except me, because as a result of the drill machine incident, I had a bald patch which I needed to cover up. I also remember Nick turning up in a granny style sequined hair net just to piss them off. Good days.
Pete Fisher… I remember people being quite ingenious in trying to slip under the Henshall radar…tucking their hair under the back of their collar, and wrapping it behind their ears, which resulted in a lot of helmet hairstyles…he got on my case pretty seriously and pulled me aside after I had actually had a haircut one morning and told me to get it cut again (while telling me I shouldn’t be wasting my time playing in a “decadent beat group”)…told my Dad, who went up to the school and had a word with him, and he left me alone after that…
Paul Sleet… I got sent to Court Hughes hairdressers in Queens Road by Henshaw the week after I had had a haircut. He paid for it, and my mother refused to pay him back! They did slaughter your hair, that’s for sure.
Chris Meachen… I remember they had an instruction that anyone turning up in school uniform got short back & sides, no matter what they asked for…
Alan Esdaile… Had to have short back and sides at school, cut by Wally’s Hairdressers in St George’s Road. Once I left school determined to grow it as long as possible. The neighbourhood kids thought I was Catweazel. I remember when I worked in Stylus, the boss was always complaining my hair was too long and got his wife to cut it.
Lyn Humphrey… I can remember when I HAD hair!
Dave Nattress… Long hair – seriously guilty. After leaving school I just grew it and grew it, weekend hippie as I became. It was way past shoulder length eventually, fuzzy sideburns too, big Gold earring. Just to cap it off, the old Levi 501’s were split down the side-seams and had a piece of Green corduroy put in to make them flared – no flares of boot-cuts in those days!! I have some photo’s but they are so hideous – best one (or most hideous) was put on the fire-place many years ago to frighten the kids off from going too close to the fire – Yes an old, old gag, and not one of mine, but it works – just. I still have the old passport and photo from 46 years ago when I was 18, absolutely horrendous. I most certainly looked like a complete prat – first class!! Lynn, it was indeed nice to have hair, like you, I remember it well.