THE Shobrooke Friendly Club monthly meeting for February was held at Newton St Cyres Parish Hall.

Thirty members attended and the chairman Jack Fey introduced our speaker, Mr Reg Mears, former Headmaster of Newton St Cyres School.

Reg was born in 1922 and celebrated his 98th birthday on February 27.

The meeting was fascinated by Reg’s story of his life and work.

He explained he always wanted to be a teacher but after a long period in teaching he joined the Royal Navy during the 1939-1945 Second World War.

He served on a destroyer which was hit by a torpedo and began to sink.

The U-boat closed in for the kill but fortunately another British destroyer was in the area and the U-boat was unable to finish Reg’s ship off.

If this had happened all the sailors would have lost their lives, which Reg explained, was very fortunate for all the ship’s company.

Reg survived the rest of the War and went back to teaching history and mathematics.

He said that one school he joined was situated in a Cricket Pavilion with around 50 pupils in the class.

Reg was a very forthright character and pestered the education authorities for various needs in the school where he taught.

At one school the teaching staff were asked for a volunteer to teach 16 children who could not read.

They all declined except Reg, who persevered and was proud of the fact that eventually 14 of the 16 were able to read.

He became well-known and eventually was offered the post of Headmaster at Newton St Cyres Old School.

Once again he managed to get improvements done and new text books and equipment.

The school had a visit from Margaret Thatcher and Princess Alexandra and Reg showed photographs of them chatting to him.

The BBC then showed an interest in his work and spent a week making a documentary of the school, which was shown on television.

Reg spoke for an hour without a break and fully deserved the round of applause and his welcome cup of tea.

The next meeting is on Wednesday, March 18 at 2.15pm, also at Newton St Cyres Parish Hall.