E. F. BARBANEL - from Phoenix 69 [undated - assumed post-October 1969]

At the end of last Summer Term we said goodbye to Mr. E. F. Barbanel. To a few of the older members of staff and to many of his former pupils his leaving marked the end of an epoch, for he was almost the last link with the birth of the school in 1930.

Mr. Sewell Allenby the first Headmaster, is dead, Miss M. Redman, the first Deputy Head, and Mr. P. H. Arnold, the first Senior Master, have long since retired. Mr. Barbanel completed the quartet who launched the then tiny school nearly forty years ago. In this they were greatly aided by Miss M. Scott who, fortunately, is still with us.

Frank Barbanel is unique because he is the sole member of staff to whom we have said farewell twice. He left us in 1954 to become Head of Department of General Studies at Ealing Technical College and subsequently he went to Eliots Green Grammar School as Deputy Headmaster. In 1963 he retired and returned to Drayton Manor on a part-time basis.

I find it difficult to do justice to his achievements. He founded the Modern Languages Department, and initially taught both French and German and took many parties to both France and Germany. His examination successes were remarkable and, when the department expanded, his expertise and kindliness were a source of inspiration to many young and inexperienced teachers, of whom I was one.

During the difficult years of the war half the school, together with Mr. Allenby, was evacuated to Torquay. The other hail, swollen in numbers by accretions from Ealing County and Chiswick Grammar, remained in Hanwell where Mr. Barbanel was Acting Headmaster. There he presided over the fortunes of the school, organising firewatchers who, incidentally, dealt with the incendiary bombs which penetrated the ceiling of the Master's Staff Room, and still teaching French and German, until the return of the evacuees.

In 1946 Mr. Allenby retired and then followed four difficult years until the appointment of our present Headmaster in 1950. During these troublesome years Mr. Barbanel by virtue of his integrity and industry, was largely responsible for upholding the standards of work and discipline in the school. It was with regret that we parted from him in 1954 and with pleasure that we welcomed him back in 1963.

It Is a mark of hie greatness as a man and as a teacher, that he, who had once acted as Headmaster of this school, cheerfully accepted a comparatively junior role and cheerfully did whatever he was asked by me, who was once his most junior member of staff and who eventually succeeded him, having learnt so much from his wise guidance. During his all too brief six years Mr. Barbanel proved that his hand has lost nothing of its cunning and his examination successes were still as remarkable as they had always been.

I hope I have been able to convey what Frank Barbanel had meant to Drayton Manor. I have the greatest respect and admiration for him and so have many old boys and girls who revered (and feared) Ba - Ba, as he was affectionately known.

F. R. J. Russell