THEY were among a unique school year who started life at William Ellis days after the end of the Second World War.

Seventy years later, the “old Ellisians” returned to the school in Highgate to speak to the current intake of students about a time when rationing was in force, an electrified trolley bus took pupils down to Camden Town and results soared under the auspices of the “great disciplinarian”, headteacher Francis Lockwood.

The group of old boys – 60 of the original 103 are still alive – have for 20 years met up in the foyer of the Festival Hall, but wanted to mark the anniversary with a trip down memory lane. 

Coordinator Terry Richmond, who is in his 80s, said: “1945 was a very important year for the English, but also for education. The Butler Act revolutionised the school system, making it free. 

“A lot of us came from as far as the Angel, King’s Cross, Somers Town – which was considered a really low area. 

“I came from the Camden Town back streets. What you had was a mixture of people who wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

The old boys remembered hair-raising trips on the trolley-bus – the number 613 and the 615 – which was powered by overhead wires. Tony Causton, who lived in Torriano Cottages, said: “The acceleration on the trolley bus was huge. It would go so fast down that hill to Kentish Town – the electricity poles would come off there. The driver had to get off and with these bamboo sticks put them back on.”

Mr Causton said one big difference was that, after leaving school, teenagers had two years of national service, mainly in the RAF.

He said: “You learned a trade doing national service – I was an electrician and I ended up doing defence electronics.”

The current pupils heard how the 1945 intake spawned chess and table tennis champions, and had a cricketer in the England side, Fred Titmus.

Mr Richmond added: “For us, the school motto was very important. We’ve always remembered it: ‘Rather Use Than Fame’. 

“If you look at our guys, we didn’t become prime ministers or chiefs of staff or what have you­ – but we all did jolly well and are a credit to the school.”