Reminiscences and anecdotes

 

ANOTHER TRAWL DOWN MEMORY LANE

 STAFF NAMES 1945-51 that I remember

ART
Mrs.Berry
Mr. Hill
Max Underhill		 ENGLISH
Sammy Roddam
George Lordon		 R.E.
Rev. Trewella - vicar of Longnewton
MATHS
J A O'Neill "Pat"
Mr. Goldman "Bodmas"		 PHYSICS
Ken Hodgson "Pongo"		 FRENCH
Ben Thomas
Mr. Bateman - the man without an aspirate
Mr. Dixon
HISTORY
Mr. Dodd
Tom McManners		 CHEMISTRY
Charlie Golding		 LATIN
J O'Donnell "Mick"
  ODDS & ENDS
D W W Picksley		  

THE BOSS Tommy Ridley

 
 
SOME REMINISCENCES
GAMES AFTERNOONS -

Not being sports- minded, I have distinct memories of winter conditions - wet windy or freezing - on the games field.  One occasion was so foggy that the goal posts were not visible from the centre line.  But whatever conditions were like we were taken up there.  We used to try to keep on sweaters under our shirts, but the blighters would look to see if we were unsporting or unspartan enough to try that on.
HILL -

 a very decent chap, I suppose in his mid-forties, who in an art lesson in conversation with us said "This place is run like a concentration camp!"
BEN THOMAS -

 one day we balanced his chair on the edge of the dais in room 2 - he sat on it, the back legs dropped in the couple of inches space between the platform and the wall - bang - his head hit the wall with an awful wallop!  He left the school, not I think because of that incident, to go to Rawdon College Leeds.  He married a Thornaby woman, and he and Nancy went out to the Congo as missionaries with the Baptist Missionary Society.  He died out there of some malady he contracted.
PAT -

that famous statement from the most un-humorous of mortals, to laugh would have been tantamount to suicide, and the tension of course was unbearable,
"Now watch the board while I go through it!"
Geoff Parker who had Pat's respect - he was a star maths pupil - when asked what a particular diagram resembled had the temerity to say, "A WINKLE SIR."  Pat, so overcome, looked again at his art work,
"Well, I suppose it is."
MAX -

on one dinner duty, I had to bring from the caretakers house the only tray of gravy covered meat and I dropped it onto the hall floor. Max, who was looking after things on that occasion contemplated the problem and decided the only thing to do was to scoop up and use the meat.
Dinner was served, and I remember Mick's face when after he had finished his first course, Max leaned across the staff table and let him into the secret.
Soon after Max came to the school, before he was established in the Stockton area, I with four others - Tom Hornshaw, Derek Geldart, Syd Kemp, and John Goodey went on a cycle tour. Somehow we had discovered that Max lived in Cinderford, and as our route took in the Forest of Dean, we asked an obliging shopkeeper if he knew where Mr. Underhill lived - "Oh! everyone knows Max." he replied .  So we descended, unexpectedly on him. He gave us a great welcome, and how his mother, without notice, produced the grub she did for five ravenous teenagers I don't know, but that sumptuous repast still lives in the memory.

Phil - Here are some snapshots from July 1950.  My son regards some of them as proto-Monty Python

1.  Fifth Formers  L to R  John Clarke, Ian Sutherland, Jimmy Betts, David Hall, John Gallie, David Lawson(4th form), Mike Fenby

2. 6A Science Geoff Parker, ? Keating, Mike Wells, ?Ken? Hume. 

3. 6B on Hall Platform  John Binks, Trevor Purnell, Barry Pearce, Malcolm Everett, Peter Allinson, Michael Howard, John Harper 

4. 6B Private Study (in Lab Prep Room) Peter Allinson, Malcolm Everett, Trevor Purnell, John Binks 

5.  6B Musicians Malcolm Everett, Barry Pearce, John Binks, Peter Allinson, Bill Rosser, Trevor Purnell 

6.  6B Science Pose  Barry Pearce, Peter Allinson, Malcolm Everett, John Binks, Trevor Purnell 

7.  6B Science  Trevor Purnell  Barry Pearce  Peter allinson  John Binks 

8.   Form 5   L to R  Back Row David Hall, Eric Guy, John Little, John Clarke, Micky George, ???, Jimmy Betts, ?Eric? Clayton, ???, Ian Sutherland, Mike Fenby, Teddy Evans, ??? 

Front Row  ????,  John Gallie, Dennis Dietz,  Ken? De Groote, Keith Marley, ? Gillespie, Alan Anthoney, ???.  

9. attached Barry Pearce strikes, keeper David Hall, back stop Nicholson

10.  The "Dining Hall"  - muzzy, but perhaps it brings something back .... 

11. attached Malcolm Everett brandishing baseball bat

12.  Max 

13.  Max  - sculping Book Ends 

14.  K.R. (Konstantly Rong) Hodgson "Pongo" with a mix of 6A and 6B  John Binks,  a slice of Geoff Parker, Keating, Mike wells, Ken Hume, Trevor Purnell 

15.  6B Science at the bottle in the prep room   Trevor Purnell, John Binks, Malcolm Everett, Peter Allinson   

16.  The Manual Room   Max at the rear  Malcolm Everett painting, Peter Allinson in front of the painting, ? Dyer sawing in the foreground  

17. Table Prefects  Barry Pearce and Bill Rosser 

18. attached - Teddy Evans strikes again

With the hope that some memories will be evoked - certainly some have been in me as I looked out these bits of nostalgia  

Keep up the good work - there must be a lot more browsers who will hit on the website 

Cheers - Peter Allinson 

 

My name is Beldon Bensley and  I attended SGS from 1942 to 1948.  With such an unusual first name I have had a variety of nick names during my life but I cannot recall what I was called at SGS - certainly not Beldon!)  I am now a lively 70 year old and so we missed each other by a year or two!  On leaving, SGS I went on to Durham University to read Chemistry and stayed on to do a PhD.  After that I did 2 years in the Army (National Service) and then joined ICI but at the Paints Division in Stowmarket, Suffolk and then at Slough.  Not being over-adventurous, I remained with ICI all my working life and took early retirement in 1987.  My wife and I live at Charvil, just east of Reading.  My original home was in Billingham, but as I moved away after completing my education, I'm afraid I soon lost touch with the school, my former classmates - and indeed with Teesside.  (I am still a distant supporter of Middlesbrough FC but that can be a bit discouraging can't it!)

About 16 years ago I made a business trip to Teesside and finding myself staying overnight at a hotel at the south end of the High Street, I took a walk up to have a look at the old school in Garbutt Street.  Of course it wasn't there.  It had been replaced by a pub as you no doubt know.  I then walked the few yards along Yarm Lane to have a look at my previous school, Holy Trinity, but that wasn't there either.  I recall it has been replaced by a roundabout!  All of this was rather depressing but time did not allow me to investigate further.

And then the other day for no particular reason I browsed my way to your web site and the memories came flooding back.  I have your picture of the old school in front of me as I write and also the school photo of September 1949.  I can't recognise any of the pupils but I certainly recognise some of the staff!  I have attached the programme for the last Prize Day I attended in 1949 (which I am afraid a proud mother annotated) which lists quite a lot of the then pupils and staff.  (However, I am having problems with attachments and if you cannot open it I will post a photocopy to you if you let me have your address.)  Turning back to the school photo, the Head, Tom Ridley (known as "The Boss") is the master in line with the word SCHOOL in the caption.  He had a commanding presence - and a strong right arm when it came to delivering retribution with his cane!  To his left (the viewer's right) is Mr O'Donnell (Latin) - he wielded a slipper to good effect - then Mr Hodgson (Physics/Applied Maths).  On the Head's right is Mr O'Neill (Maths) and then Mr Goulding (Chemistry and Geography).  They were all characters in their different ways and to them all I owe a great deal although they probably considered me rather anti-social.

In those days there was a State Secondary School (in Nelson Terrace I think) which I imagine also had cramped premises and I believe we used to share some very primitive playing fields miles away in the Fairfield area.  I think the Secondary School subsequently became Grangefield School.  At that time entry to both of these schools was competitive by examination.  Those of us at Holy Trinity School were in no doubt as to which one we wanted to go to, and many of us did!

I learnt from your web site that SGS moved to new premises in Fairfield but it evidently ultimately lost its Grammar School status combining with another school to become a Comprehensive.  Perhaps, politics apart,  it was just too small to survive.  You may care to enlighten me.

You are probably more concerned with making contact with your contemporaries and my above ramblings may not be of very much interest after all this time.  I imagine your researches are somewhat hampered by living away from the area.  Would it be possible to enlist the help of some old boys who still live locally?

Those I was closest to were fellow members of the Sixth Form, most of whom are mentioned in the Prize Day programme.  Although I am not in touch with any of them, I give below a few notes about some of them which may be helpful in tracing them.  Of course, they may already have been in touch - I am probably the most remiss in losing contact.  

George Alderslade worked as a chemist for ICI at Billingham and may still live locally.

Robert Binks went on to St Andrews and I believe subsequently went to Bristol University as a member of staff.

J F Fenby went on to become a doctor and I believe practised locally.

Teddy McNee - he was the really bright one amongst us - became a dentist.

Peter Davis was the Head Boy in my last year.  He presumably ploughed his HSC but was quite an impressive chap - good at sport and music.  I am sure he will have made his mark in life.

Geoff Perks (not mentioned in the programme) probably took his HSC the following year and I believe went on to become a doctor, practising in Middlesbrough.

If I may make a suggestion in respect of your excellent web site, would it be possible to list on the web site those who have been in contact with you, together with their dates of attendance and contact details, so that their old classmates can contact them; you could make it clear that the listing of such information would be subject to permission being given.

In conclusion, thank you so much for showing the initiative to launch the web site.  I would be very glad to hear from you if you have the time.

Regards,

Beldon Bensley

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