While clearing out some of the rear rooms of the Chorister School over the summer holidays, a travel trunk was uncovered belong to a 'Mr C. Watson.' This was probably once the possession of Mr Cyril Watson, who, unfortunately, passed away earlier this year on the 4th March at the age of 94. At the time, we received a number of people writing in with fond memories of him, but the resurfacing of a box containing his possessions allows to gain even greater insight into his life and character. 

Cyril Watson was Assistant Master at the Chorister School from 1957-1964 and then again from 1966-1994. He ran the Debating Society, which, under Watson's hand, never faltered; the total number of club members was about 130, with the average attendance in a meeting being over 90. These would see a motion being debated by two boys on either side of the argument, with a formal vote being taken at the end. Occasionally, outside speakers came to give lectures, often accompanied by slides. 

His true love was producing the School's plays. Under his governance, these soon became grand affairs taking place in Durham University's Assembly Rooms. He would often devote every moment of his spare time to rehearsing the script and blocking the action. These would also involve lavish costumes provided by Mrs Crosby and Mrs Ruffle, as well as a growing sense of tension as opening night approached. 

"Panic stations usually began to set in in the final weeks and Cyril Watson annually was convinced that the production would not come off," wrote the Headmaster at the time. "But it always did and we have very good notices in the local press, and on one occasion 'The Times Educational Supplement' sent a reporter who commented most favourably. The overall control of Cyril Watson dominated everything and in the final week we all had to submit to his will." 

When casting George Bernard Shaw's St. Joan, he decided that the eccentric comedic Dauphin would be played by none other than Rowan Atkinson, who would later hone that comedic ability to great effect. Watson clearly had an affinity for the historical drama, producing plays depicting Ancient Greece and Rome (Terence Rattigan's Adventure Story, Bernard Shaw's Androcles and the Lion and Caesar and Cleopatra) and British royal history (Jean Anouilh's Becket, and Josephine Tey's Richard of Bordeaux). This love of drama translated to his teaching of history. Wealands Bell, who attended the Chorister School from 1973 to 1977, said that "All of his lessons were high-speed dramatic performances in which, armed with a few basic props – a rolled-up gown, a window pole, a pile of dusty books – he assumed the role of prelate or pike-man, unscrupulous courtier or threadbare peasant. Each week, the performances were summarised in a sheet of notes that were distilled from an Encyclopaedia Britannica and hammered out on an old Remington typewriter. These we learned for a test. Very old-fashioned, very effective." 

Old Chorister, poet and journalist James Fenton wrote a 1995 article for The Independent entitled 'Of Cathedrals, Class, and Clag' which recalled an amusing episode in which the father of a Chorister student complained to the school that his son was using bad language: 

 "The teacher, Mr Watson, inquired what sort of language the father meant. The example given was the word 'clag' (meaning to stick something together). At the next lesson [of the Carpentry Club] Mr Watson announced that none of our class was to use the word 'clag' ever again, on pain of a 'fleabite' (one stroke of the cane). And the results were predictable. Clag, which most of us had never heard before, became a vogue word. It was clag this, clag that, clag the other. Mr Watson himself, who nearly lost control of his carpentry lesson, became known simply as Clag." 

The contents of the trunk itself reflects Mr Watson's character. Much of the items relate to his role teaching history: four student exercise books, a package of replica documents relating to Clive of India, a pamphlet about Elizabeth I, a poster showing 'Famous Explorers' (with Captain Cook pride of place), documents about Roman hillforts and the turnpike roads, several former exam papers, a map of England depicting the monasteries dissolved by Henry VIII, and a poster about the Loch Ness Monster. Other items reflect the great drama productions that he would put on, including scripts for The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew, Becket, and The Boy David (during which, as Chorister legend has it, a live donkey appeared on stage). Still more interesting were the photographs from the various productions, showing the pupils dressed as Roman centurions, fifteenth century Bishops, and shepherds for the nativity. 

Ultimately, Cyril Watson was a teacher who is fondly remembered by those he taught.