No sooner had research for this project begun, then old boys who attended St Mary’s in the 1950s and 1960s were sharing stories and anecdotes about Fr John McKeown who boys nicknamed ‘Mugsy.’

Fr McKeown, who died aged 76 on this day in 1993, was a dominant figure at St Mary’s and there are enough tales about him to fill a book on their own.

It is true that he divided opinion and while some boys endured a difficult relationship with him, others would have walked through brick walls for him.

Away from the school he could be charming and engaging but in school his approach was a no-nonsense one which some boys had difficulty with.

Fr McKeown was born in County Kildare on 1 August 1917 and was 36 when he arrived at St Mary’s College at the start of the 1953/54 term.

He loved sport and was extraordinarily competitive, not just for St Mary’s as a whole but for his beloved Campion, of which he was Housemaster for many years. He adored boxing and football but, when rugby union became the sole winter sport in 1964/65, he was one of the school’s biggest supporters. He was also an outstanding swimmer

His academic subject was History and his teaching style can only be described as ‘traditional’ in that he dictated long passages of text which he expected boys to learn by rote. The consequences of not doing so were often painful and he was an exponent of a punishment called the ‘lolly’ which St Mary’s boys of a certain age became rather familiar with.

Some old boys have told me they thought the world of him because he inspired them to achievements on the sports field they did not think they were capable of. Others are less effusive.

In 1967, the year Fr Graystone became headmaster, Fr McKeown became head at the Marist College in Clyst St Mary, near Exeter.

He returned to Sidcup in September 1972 and briefly became Head of History again after the departure of the much-admired Peter Ribbins. In that time, Fr Graystone had built a very different school in his image. In other words, things had moved on.

Once more Fr McKeown was a regular fixture on the sidelines at rugby matches urging his charges on and there are some great stories from 70s boys about his lessons. He left in 1974 but one or two boys did bump into him on occasions after leaving St Mary’s.

Whatever your thoughts on him, in terms of St Mary’s history, Fr McKeown was a giant.