Father Bernard remembered

When old boy Harry Enfield is interviewed in the media he sometimes mentions Worth. Usually he is less than positive about his brief time as a Worth boy but recently he had only good things to say, crediting Father Bernard’s unconventional teaching methods with his decision to become a comedian. Harry’s comments about Father Bernard (who died in 1996) received widespread coverage.

Bernard’s great enthusiasm for his subject and his passionate re-enactment in the classroom, with much gesturing and sound effects, of key moments in British history will be warmly remembered by many old boys; as will as his rather eccentric leadership of the (rather eccentric) Rutherford House.

Those of us who can still recall the Crimean War and Palmerston's gunboat diplomacy with such clarity that we wonder whether we weren’t perhaps there, will be grateful to Harry for sharing his memories of Bernard and reminding us of the tremendous spirit of the man.

Unfortnately some of the media couldn't resist the cheap puns... for example one publication gave the story the classic headline "Worth a giggle" and came up with the following gem: "Even today, many years later, it's plain from Harry's memories the teacher was Worth hearing."

Another item in a different publication was entitled "Monk Inspired Kevin the Teenager"... it quoted Harry recalling Bernard standing on a desk being a sepoy mutineer blown off an English cannon, while the class went "boom".

That particular performance was obviously honed over many years as I am sure I saw a version some 10 years later! Bernard's teaching may not have been very PC but he certainly never needed the Internet to bring history to life...

Who knows, were Bernard still with us he might well have become history's own answer to Sister Wendy, and proved himself a good match for Starkey!