This following is copied from the FSNET site.
Webmaster’s Note:
This page is representative of the views of Colin O’Leary and various other pupils. I cannot personally express a view on those times having not been there. I welcome contributions from former pupils who attended the College at this time and I would like the opportunity to present an unbiased perspective. It is evident from conversations with former pupils that it was indeed a strict regime.
The Roger Killeen Years 1951 – 1959
There was a somewhat turbulent period in the College’s sixty five year history. This occurred was when Roger Killeen was its headmaster.
He was the son of a former RUC police officer who settled, after the partition of Ireland, in the small town of Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, which is not that far from Hitchin. He was one of four children and, by all accounts, became the favourite of his devout Catholic mother, because he chose the vocation of the priesthood. He was ordained during the 1940s.
He arrived at the College in the 1943/4 year as Bro Roger Killeen. He was a member of temporary staff and later in 1950 was appointed senior history teacher. Within a year of attaining that post, he became headmaster. Future events proved that, in the opinion of some, he was unsuitable to occupy this position. The Assumptionists possibly made an error of judgement in this appointment, which in later years they admitted.
The Autumn term of 1951 was the beginning of a period of austerity for the College. It must be emphasised that the eight years Roger Killeen held the position of headmaster is not at all representative of the College in previous or subsequent years. Former pupils who have contacted this site have confirmed that there were happier times.
Roger Killeen strove and demanded success for the College. He was not prepared to accept failure. His aim was for the College to be recognised as a grammar school, which he ultimately achieved. Children were called to his office at 3.40 pm if their monthly marks were not up to scratch, to be caned. If they failed in their five minute history tests, they too were caned at 3.40 pm. To be caned if they could not remember the date of the Battle of Hastings or some other historical event? It was accepted, in those days, that corporal punishment was the norm.
He was the longest serving headmaster in one term in that post. He then went on to further studies, it was reported he obtained an honorary degree from Nottingham University.
The last that was seen of him was in a TV programme when he was interviewed as the manager of a Emmanuel House Nottingham a day care centre for the homeless. He appeared in a wheel chair, having had his feet amputated. Roger Killeen died in the 1990s.
It is very disturbing to learn that some former pupils, some forty years or more after they left the College, are still affected by their experiences with Roger Killeen.
Below are extracts from e-mails that have been sent here from pupils who were at the College during Roger Killeen’s regime. They make rather horrendous reading and it is so sad really, when one thinks of it.
“I have to confess that my days at St. Michael’s did considerable damage to my emotional welfare which manifested itself later in my life, causing me several years of considerable pain and trauma which, with the help of some very caring people I managed to work through. I have now come to terms with the trauma of my days at St. Michael’s and although the wounds may have at last healed, the scars will remain forever. It just makes me so sad to think of all the damage those men did, the lives they blighted and the misery they caused. During my ‘recovery process’ part of my ‘therapy’ was to write to the present Provincial Superior of the order, seeking an apology for the abuse which the former members of his order had perpetrated. In one of my letters I said that I remembered two masters who were particularly brutal and vindictive, namely Fr. Richard Leppard and Fr. Sebastian Redmond. In his reply the Provincial Superior said that of the two I had singled out, one of them had been dismissed from the priesthood as totally unsuitable. I was left to wonder which! It is hard to choose between them and if I had had my way they would both have gone!” (editor’s note: This comment may be apocryphal – neither Fr Leppard nor Fr Redmond appear to have been dismissed so the above should be read with caution).
“I don’t know whether you were at the school at the time or whether you heard later the legend which must have passed into the annals of the school’s history. To my mind it marked the very lowest point to which the school sank. I refer to the public and ritual expulsion of the poor, sad, young boy who shall remain nameless. He was of delicate constitution, wearing both a dental brace and spectacles. He was very shy and introverted, and was of course picked on and bullied unmercifully by both the other boys and the sadistic members of staff. Consequently, he frequently absented himself from school, being too terrified to face the daily torments that lay waiting for him.
I remember one particular summer there was a large block of bricks that had been delivered to a site where there was a building development. It must have measured 20′ x 6′ x 6′. The site was not active and the bricks were obviously not going to be needed for a few weeks/months. During that summer ‘chinking’ noises were heard coming from the direction of the bricks. Upon further investigation it was discovered that poor boy had hollowed out the block of bricks and used to spend all day hiding inside the bricks like a frightened animal.
The sad story culminated one day with the whole school being summoned to attend a special assembly in the hall. No one knew what to expect, and everyone was stunned to see Roger Killeen call the lad from the back of the hall and summoned him to come up on stage where he and the entire staff were gathered. Killeen then ordered the staff to form a double line, each staff member to be armed with a plimsoll, strap or stick. He then ordered the boy to walk down the gangway between the two lines of staff while instructing the staff to beat and wallop him as he passed them. Killeen then dragged the terrified and tearful boy to the front of the stage where he proceeded to heap verbal abuse and humiliation on him. He lectured him on the evils of truancy, told him to get out and never come near the school again. With that, he kicked the boy off the stage, causing him to land on his face and break his spectacles. He scrambled to his feet and ran out of the hall, sobbing. The whole school, at this point, bridled as one and came within a whisker of spontaneously breaking loose and rioting. The tension was palpable and the air was filled with a mixture of fear and extreme anger. I would love to know whether this unfortunate boy managed to survive his schooldays, and whether in fact he is still alive. That episode is burned into my memory and has haunted me for years.”
“I remember one occasion, I think it was about 20 years ago, that I met an Old Michaelean, an old a contemporary of my brother. We met for about an hour in the bar of King’s Cross station one day that our paths crossed. I had not met him before, and the conversation proceeded along fairly mundane lines when, after a short lull in the conversation, I mentioned St. Michael’s. His demeanour changed dramatically from a confident, outgoing sales rep. He became rather agitated and somewhat distressed and asked if we could change the subject. When I enquired further he said that of the dozen or so boys that he had known fairly well, and with whom he had endeavoured to maintain some sort of contact, at least one of them had committed suicide, a couple had become alcoholics, several were divorced, at least one had joined the IRA and a couple had spent time in prison! This, he said, was their legacy from the men in black.”
“I must mention those members of staff who did not allow themselves to be drawn into the web of abuse, and indeed did what they could to ameliorate the effects of the more extreme excesses, although, such was the iron grip that Killeen appeared to have on his staff that most of them were too frightened to make a stand against him, and I do understand their predicament. Among the ranks of the goodies I have to mention Brother Aloysius, Brother Francis (Latin), ‘Spud’ Murphy (Latin) and the chief goodie Fr. Philip Lemmon. He frequently rode to my rescue and wasn’t afraid to dish out some summary justice to the bullies!
A little, sad footnote: Fr. Philip was later transferred to Rickmansworth and had been so happy there, immersing himself in his greatest love….his music. He had even had Julie Andrews and Val Doonican singing in the choir on several occasions! He was devastated when he was transferred from Rickmansworth to Bethnal Green and apparently after a short time there became seriously ill. Apparently his brain became infected and at the end he didn’t know anyone. He tragically died relatively young, at the height of his powers, and was much missed by many.”
St Michael's College, Hitchin 