Alex Greenway & The School Song

Alex Greenway (below) taught English at Barkers' Butts, and wrote the school song as well as producing the christmas plays in 1934 & 35. He was a well liked and respected character.

"Where the bugle has blown and the arrow has flown

To the sound of the strings where our forefathers drew

On the bowstave of yew To thee, oh our school do we sing

 

Our hearts shall be the drawing arm that plucks the shaft to head

The stave shall be the purpose calm that makes the shaft well sped

The strings shall be the happiness that in our hearts shall rule

The aim shall be the honour, yes, the honour of our school."

Alex led the school to victory in the inter-school Voice Speaking Choir in 1935, and later sustained a head injury during the evacuation of Dunkirk which caused him many problems on his return to Coventry.

More remarkably, Steve Gibbons, a junior member of staff at Barkers Butts in the late 50s and now a Doctor), says that Alex actually served in BOTH world wars (too young in the first and too old in the second - lying about his age in both cases) and during his time at Dunkirk he sat among many dispirited soldiers during a very tough time. He couldn't believe his ears when amongst all the hubbub he heard voices singing the school song! Two former young lads from Barkers' had spotted him and broke into song.

For years after Alex was visibly moved by the recollection.

My thanks to Steve Gibbons who originally wrote the article in March 2001 for The Evening Telegraph and has contributed many photographs to Fuzzers.co.uk for which we are indebted.

Bradd Thompson also recalls: Alex had been in the Dunkirk evacuation where he had received a bad head wound, from which he suffered for the rest of his life I believe. He had a very flexible cane which we called "The Whistler". This cane was stolen by one of the recipients of its flexibility and was thrown under the temporary building (used as the canteen I seem to remember) where it was joined by several others over a period of time I believe."

Alex retired during my time at Barkers' (1948-1953). He was the music teacher and my memory of him was of a man who could be charming and all smiles one moment and be very angry the next. We knew of his wartime head wounds and assumed that they were the reason for the quick mood changes. I well remember his collection of canes but am happy to say that I wasn't on the receiving end of them!

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Also from the Telegraph:

John Spencer, of the Coventry sing-along group the Nostaligics, dropped in with some sheet music written by Alex Greenway, who was the music master at Barker Butts School around 1928.

The piece, called Old Man Traffic, highlighted the dangers of traffic for children.

It could have been written especially for John, as he became a very early road-traffic victim after being run over and dragged along by a car when he was just nine years old, resulting in two months off school.

John, now 83, said: "Alex Greenway used to keep a cabinet of canes. Each had a name like Brain Tickler and Excaliber. If you did anything wrong, you were invited to choose the cane you were to be punished with!"