Welcome to the Navereau Site

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General navereau with AVM Godwin at the opening of the first school (1957)

General Navereau and Air Vice Marshall Godwin at the opening of the first school on October 9, 1956.

General Navereau School was established by the Canadian Department of National  Defence in Metz, France whose students were, for the most part the children of R.C.A.F. members serving at 1 Air Division Headquarters which was in Metz from 1954 through to 1967.

The site has two major purposes:

  1. Promotion of Reunions of former students and teachers
  2. An archive of the school — students, activities, yearbooks and so on

15 thoughts on “Welcome to the Navereau Site”

  1. Sorry to miss reunion next year. Malcolm and I are doing a “bucket list” trip this fall. We are in planning stage now leaving Calgary August 24 for Gatwick outside London and taking train up to Edinburgh and the highlands to ramble around old Robertson haunts. We then are planning to take train back thru London and over to Canadian war monuments along the coast of France and then swing over to Metz/Strasbourg/Nancy from Sep 2-10 when we leave for a 14 day trip to Israel.

    I was in Israel in 2006 and have a passion for Israel and the Jewish people.
    Any info or anyone in Metz from August 4-8 would be glad to meet up with.

    1. Hi Bruce. We were on the Yukon travelling home in 62. Do you remember the poem Malcolm wrote about Mr Bell?

    1. Is this Barbara Andrews who lived in pmq,#9? who went out with Jean Pierre?

  2. If you go to the photos section and click on Photos from the 50s and 60s, you can see photos from any year including 1964. You can also click on the Yearbooks link under resources and download the 1964(or any other yearbook)

    1. I click there and I get only two photos. While I was there, we went to a French School in Metz for a day or so. Then they opened some old staff quarters inside the Chateau gates to the left. The Gen Nav school started off as a line of something like portables.

  3. I have come across quite a few General Navereau (GNHS) crest lapel pins left over from one of the early reunions. They’re gold & black and look identical to the high school uniform blazer crest that the guys wore in the early 60’s.
    If you’d like one of these jewelers enamel pins, email me at rbauman@telus.net

  4. My family attended the school in 1962 and 1963. My 3 sisters also had gone there. My brothers were too young for school while there. We lived in the PMQ for 4 years. I was young but I do remember the huge weeping willow tree in back. I think I remember there being 2 buildings. We were in the front one on the 4th floor. There was a store and a tunnel in the basement. There was a sewer in the back and then beyond that was a camp. I remember playing on the arch going to school and the cobble stones. I only remember a little bit of snow. I remember going to see Bambi at the theater. We went by bus. We had a 1957 orange and white Chevy. We moved to Summerside Prince Edward Island here in Canada. My dad retired from the Air force after 25 years. His name was Barry Clarkson and he died about 17 years ago. He left Summerside to CFBGagetown in New Brunswick as his last posting then retired up to Cross Creek New Brunswick where he died of heart problems. My mother is Evelyn. She died at the age of 56 from breast cancer.

    1. I remember the arch and walking through it to go to school. We lived in entrance 13 which I think was part of the first building.

  5. My brother Gerry Williams (grade 10) and I (grade 12) were among the first few Americans allowed to attend General Navereau Canadian High School. Our father was a civilian Post Engineer assigned to the Depot in Metz for two years. The first year we were there, although my dad had petitioned the principal at the Canadian School to let us attend, he was told that Americans didn’t do well enough academically to be allowed in, so we lived in the dorms at Kaiserslaughtern, Germany to attend the American High School there. We both got excellent grades, and the principal finally allowed us to attend the next school year, which meant we could live at home and take a bus to the school. We highly valued attending this school and had excellent teachers and great friends.

    1. I remember you both…..often wandered where you were in the United States…..lost track of a few American friends
      Great to see you on this site…..

  6. Dad was a CF100 pilot, 445 Squadron. Grade 5 and grade 6, (1956-1958), I spent my time in a school attached to #1 Fighter Wing at Marville…I can not recall the school location. It must have been on PMQs, a large accumulation of apt. blocks just above the town of Longuyon, though it could have been at the base, which had a rec. centre we often were bussed to. Grade 7 and grade 8 were at General Navereau in Metz…I do remember that time well. I loved it. I lived in ‘B’ Block, ( the 2nd, shorter building), middle section, 3rd floor, looking out at Fort Jeanne dArc , and the Metz Cathedral, and the Metz Hills with the setting sun….and the German Gates. Loved playing ‘tether ball’, and ‘four square’ in the parking lot…and ‘run-sheep-run’ in the woods at evening time. Spent a lot of days exploring, and collecting WW2 artifacts in Fort Bellecroix, which was so close that we walked ( or bussed) through it to get to school, and many other forts surrounding Metz, traveling by bike. I remember there was an old, rusted, beat up 50 cal.machine gun abandoned in the garbage room of our block, down in the basement tunnel where all the lockers were . Exciting stuff, fun, could be dangerous…we lost a few.. Earned my first cash by climbing trees at Christmas time and collecting Mistletoe, which I peddled door to door throughout the apt. blocks. Thats me, 11 years old, shortest guy in Grade 7, in the 1958-59 Yearbook…Robbie Ireland. Great teachers…I especially remember Mr Weir, Mr Vellutini, and Miss Leggat. BRAT life could be rough, socially, some times…but , hey! What a rich experience.

  7. Dave Loney. I started school…kinder, grade 1 and grade 2 at General Navereau as my father was a radar guy at 61 Squadron attached to First Air Div. Good memories of playing in front of A & B Blocks and the baseball park. So long ago. Sister Janice is 5 years older. We left in the summer of 1963 on a Yukon back to Trenton, ON and then to St. Margarets NB.

  8. Howdy from God’s country here in North Vancouver.
    Don English calling.
    My (late) sister Debra and Wanda were students in Metz. They were grade school.
    I attended my first grade 9 year at GNHS and then we went to Lahr Deutschland for the duration of dad’s posting.
    I would really love to see some pictures of the school year book 1966 -67 and my grade 9 class. Sorry can’t remember the home room teacher etc. But do remember the principal Mr. Fezzan I think . And who can forget Don Taylor his 2IC. Anyway cheers everyone ! The Nipper

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