Matthews, yes. Took us for first-year (ancient) history. Think he became Head of the 'Junior' School after Freddie Paige retired. 'CAC' Coultas, yes. Took us for one (math?) class when another teacher was away. Rather a strange man, if I remember. The rest -- all new to me! No, I never did walk on the mosaic badge. Back in the day, we all showed manners and respect. How times have changed! (Witness the lack of both, on here.)
Thanks -- so my memory isn't quite knackered yet! It reinforces my guess that the (statue) date in the OP is probably wrong.
Ken Foster went to Kingston High, after I left. Danny Silverstone was geog teacher. Percy Wade...Perce Wade...was the older guy who was there alongside Garbutt (PE). Had an old sandshoe that he used to 'emphasize' things. It was known as Perce Wade's Persuader. Just rememberd Stan Carter, taught English, played Union for the OGs. On a Monday or Tuesday morning, we'd all have read how he'd decked somebody. We worshipped him cos he was our hero. Ace guy and very good teacher.
Then there was 'Fenners' (Fenney?) for metalwork, and (?) for woodwork. And what was the little janitor feller called?
Dunno, didn't do woodwork. Mick Mitchell was Physics. Also, David ('realised eschatogy') Hargreaves for Divinity during my last couple of years.
In my last year - 1959 - we had Divinity with a Rev who might have been from St.Martins, on Anlaby Road/North Road corner. Another form got to do Divinity GCE. We didn't Mild-mannered vicar, 30-odd 16-yr old lads, absolutely no reason to do Divinity. Riot. Checked only by the sound of the Boss's measured tread.
We had Dick Fenny for Metalwork right up to 'O'Level. I think the woodwork guy was Lenny Parr. There was a Mitchell who taught English and, I think, one who taught maths. You oldies will probaly remember; Stott - Geography Danny Silverstone - ran the tuck shp at the bottom of the stairs and was crushed every break Jim Matthews - was Head of Gee as well as Head of the Junior School. He took us for French. Geoff Rowlands - Head of English till 1970, went on to be a Headteacher and employed me! Geoff Stokes - English Plowman-Render - PE GAN - Northedge - Geography Digger Leigh - Maths - rumoured to have been a Desert Rat. Nellie Buckton - Science
Matthews for French? Wow! Our first French teacher was Fred Durrant, reported to have a really HOT daughter, though I was never lucky enough to get to check her out! 'GAN' -- I remember the nickname, but not the man. Digger! How did I forget him? He took us once when Feaster was away, then went on to show he was right when he said we knew more than he did about calculus! The rest are new to me, except Wally Stott, whom I mentioned earlier. I remember him falling arse over tit down the main staircase, much to the amusement of the students, but not Dog Ranson, who thought Wally might be dead. He wasn't, but suffered serious back problems thereafter.
After racking my brains all day, I've just remembered the janitor's nickname was Butch. Still not got his last name. I'll sleep on it.
I think you're right on Butch, Bengals. Also Digger/Rusty Leigh...how could I forget him? He was our form master in the 5th. 'My Stars!'
Butch Holliday, maybe? Probably not. I remember on the very first morning at school, before being let in, he had all the kids marching like soldiers in the playground. Quite a character, he was! Then there was the best nickname of all: Raggy Albert (Mr Gorbert? Latin?). My brother, five years my junior, once pretended to skid on the ice when passing him on that narrow cycle track from the railway bridge, and "accidentally" shoved the miserable sod into the snow. He apologised profusely, of course.
I can't remember Butch's surname, but it was deffo Butch. 'Raggy Albert' - I'd forgotten that. cos we had a Garbutt and Gorbett at the same time. And 'GAN' - was G.A.Northedge. Nickname 'Mad Alf' - used to lose his rag; madman. I remember him physically throwing a kid out of the classroom and slamming the door on him. Nearly took the kid's fingers off, cos he'd grabbed the door-frame on the way out. Big Les (The Boss) was rumoured to have warned Alf because of the incident.
GAN was called that because that's how he signed the reports. I'd never heard him called Mad Alf. He was though! Very easy to wind up. Matthews, who I actually liked, was responsible for me not doing anywhere near as well in French as I should have done. He set homework every week and then did a test on it. He set the pass mark at 8 out of 20 to avoid detentions. So, what did we all do? That's right. We made sure we got eight.
GAN I remember the signature. He was Mad Alf in the late 50s. I guess the name got lost. 'Dog' Ransome was mentioned earlier and I recall him being a nasty geezer. But a few of us bumped into him, some years after we'd left school and he was OK, friendly.
I never had him regularly. He became Head of the Sixth Form in the 1970s. He had a fearsome reputation. He was someone we avoided.
Forgot that little Welsh **** John Hoolighan the biology teacher. See him in Cott quite often. Told him he was a **** back in the day.
