Charles A. 'Tooms' Thomas   :   56-76 Head of Chemistry & Hm. Corners 4/59-12/66


Chris Snuggs - Berners/Halls 58-65: "I never did Chemistry or was involved in any of his school roles or activities - and so never spoke to him once in my 7 years. I did, however, find him a fascinating and colourful if somewhat eccentric presence around the school, and I never heard anyone say an unkind word about him."

Den Driver - Hansons 54-60: "His nickname 'Tombs' evolved from my calling his car a Khartoum (car tomb!) because police described his car as a death trap. The only other thing I know about that was that he was stopped for some reason and the police must have done a safety check because in the court case the brake fluid was described as "sludge".
A lot of people didn't like him but he was as good as gold if you showed a bit of interest in his subject. He was pretty weak and easy to play up when he started but after a while he went the other way; on one occasion he turned round to face the class after writing on the blackboard to face a sea of striped ties over left shoulders and instantly told me to stay behind (he correctly sussed the culprit).  But later, after class one day, when I asked him how to make something useful out of chemicals it was like I was his best friend (well, not quite but nearly)."

Charles Thomas