Chris Snuggs: "Ben taught me woodwork for 5 years, and I was rather sad to have to give it up in the 6th form. He was a bit gruff, but never unkind, and his lessons were great. They followed a similar pattern to Fred Mudd's science lessons: a demonstration at the front of the class and then we trotted off to try to copy what he had shown us. Over the years we made a number of small pieces of furniture and other things. I made a small table and some shelves: both survived may years but eventually got lost in yet another house move. But the techniques he taught me were incredibly useful and I have done a huge number of DIY projects involving wood, including dovetails!

We met after many years at a reunion in Woolverstone and during a tea session at Doc Thornbery's I was able to chat to him about what he have taught me and how much I appreciated it. Sadly, he died not long afterwards."