Chris Snuggs - Berners/Halls 58-65: "The first time I ever saw Mr Johnston was in our first latin lesson in 1B in the right-hand room behind the assembly hall. He just strode into the room and wrote this on the board: insula We spent about 20 minutes chanting it as I recall and a further incomprehensible 20 minutes trying to understand his explanations of what it meant. Still, it didn't put me off latin, which I immensely enjoyed, mostly with Bryan Middlebrook in later years. Alan Gould - Oct 2013 "Dear Les Johnston, Many thanks for your letter. Yes, I remember you well, and I hope you will forgive the 11-year old schoolboy of 1960 speaking through the 44-year old man of 1994 if I say that yours was a very formidable presence. Only once in the intervening years have I met a schoolmaster who commanded the silence within silence that your sudden presence in a room of first formers at their prep could command. Though both my most prominent recollections of you are benign. One of these pictures the eruption of applause when one Thursday you announced quite unexpectedly at school assembly that the day was to be a holiday, and the second, also in that grey assembly hall, recalls the scenes of wild cheering when the school presented you with various golfing gear on the occasion of your leaving us. This was 1965, I think." Chris Fuller - Jan 2003: "I will never forget 'Johnny' reading extracts from T H White's 'The Sword in the Stone' and 'The Once and Future King' rather than trying to teach a bunch of unreceptive second formers significant historical dates. The readings were given with a great deal of gusto and characterisation as befitted a lover of theatre. The setting for these events, which were rather more infrequent than we would have liked, was the splendid History Room on the first floor of the Main Building. 'Johnny', after whom Johnston's House was named, was a sheet anchor for the school when Smitherman suddenly left. What a pity he did not become Headmaster in his place - it would have been a much better solution than that chosen by the powers that be. His gravitas was further enhanced when he bought his veteran Rolls Royce and wafted (almost) silently around the grounds in it." Merlin Channon wrote the following tribute to Leslie Johnston. "Woolverstone Hall was a very special place for those of us who were privileged to be part of the school in its earlier days: the beauty of its setting was complemented by the extraordinary characters who lived and worked there. Outstanding among these was the second master, known as Leslie J to his colleagues. "My own memories of this most kindly man are many. We shared an interest in cricket and music, as well as in the parties of our friends that we convened at the slightest opportunity. Depending on his current mood, Leslie might invite you to a drive in his splendid vintage Rolls Royce, or tell you exactly what he thought of you. He was a great family man, and my wife and I stayed in touch with him, his wife Valerie and their children long after we had moved on elsewhere. "Leslie and I worked closely in the production of operas at Woolverstone from 1959 until 1963. In 1958 we had been invited to supply school percussionists for the world premiere of Benjamin Britten's 'Noyes Fludde' at the Aldeburgh Festival that year. Eight of our boys (Can anyone recall their names? - Ed -- see link below) played a variety of percussion instruments, including the slung mugs. A review of that performance in a national newspaper was headed "Toddlers Play Teacups". "This production set in motion an extraordinary sequence of operatic productions. With the cooperation of the staff and girls at Ipswich High School, together with a few other friends, there followed Mozart's 'Magic Flute' and Weber's 'Der Freischutz', both given in 1960, and Smetana's 'Bartered Bride' in 1962. They were presented virtually in their entirety with full orchestral accompaniment. No one would claim that our performances of these masterpieces were faultless, but we enjoyed working at them and learning the splendid music they contained. "Leslie Johnston was the guiding hand in these productions, with something like a quarter of the school taking part. He undertook to act not only as producer but also as coordinator of the support of the many members of staff, parents and boys who were willing to help. Leslie's delight in these enterprises was obvious, although he once warned me that if I thought of suggesting Verdi's Aida for the next school production, I could count him out. He made it quite clear that he had no intention of directing elephants in any Woolverstone opera!" |