OLD WALLASEYANS WORLD WIDE

Newsletter No 52 August 2009

For former pupils of Wallasey School, Henry Meoles&Oxley Schools and Wallasey Grammar School

THE 78^th ANNUAL DINNER OF THE OLD WALLASEYANS WORLDWIDE

WILL BE HELD AT THE RAF CLUB 128 PICADDILY LONDON W1V 0PY

ON FRIDAY 16^th October 2009   The Speaker will be David Trapnell 1956-63

Dear Old Wallaseyan,

It is 26 years since I wrote the first newsletter.  During this time every edition has contained contributions from OW's all over the world.  It was this cosmopolitan nature which prompted us to style ourselves "Old Wallaseyans Worldwide" in 2004.  There is no doubt something special about the people who emerged from the schools, with such a wide and interesting range of experiences, providing fascinating reading.  Examples of this are Douglas Addison, OW yachtsman committee member and Derek West, our Vice-chairman who has set up his estate in France.  My thanks to Nial Reynolds for his enthusiastic comments about the Wirral Archives in Birkenhead.  If you are visiting the North West, a trip to Cheshire Lines Building, Canning Street, Birkenhead could be very rewarding. 

  On a personal note, I had a total hip replacement on the 1st May and now am getting around with the aid of a stick.  Being 80 means that recovery time is longer, but I hope that in three months I should be fully recovered.  Murphy's Law being what it is, I've now been clobbered with a hernia – serves me right for forgetting to be 80.  One thing has come home to me forcibly; we do not fully appreciate freedom until we have lost it.  Freedom to come and go as one pleases, freedom to walk and run and drive, and to follow those activities which give satisfaction and pleasure.  When I say take care of yourself, I do so with feeling.

Tony Simpson

 

News from Members

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Douglas Addison    48-55    galatea224@hotmail.com

Before heading off to my yacht, which has wintered in Demark, Judy and I in April motored down through France exploring medieval towns and churches, and then on to Barcelona in Spain.  Gaudi's famous art nouveau cathedral and his other works were highlights before wending our way exploring the Dordogne.  While we were there we met up with Derek and Jenny West, who made us very welcome.  They have settled in well to their country estate, enjoying the ambience of country life in France.  Derek mows lawns and cuts down trees and the locals hunt wild boar through their grounds.

With them we visited Les Eyzies de Tayac with its rock formations and houses built into the cliffs.  We still hope that Derek will make it to the occasional meeting in London and the annual dinner.

Back in Denmark, I launched  Galeta on the 13^th May at Thuro in Denmark.  Two years ago I sailed from Turku in Finland around the Northern Baltic crossing to Estonia.  I sailed down the Gulf of Riga and across to Gotland and back up the Stockholm archipelago through the Aland Islands to Turku.  Last year I sailed down the Baltic and visited Klaipeda in Lithuania and Gdansk in Poland.  The restoration of the city was most impressive and the monument to the shipyard workers most moving.  Then I sailed to Copenhagen for the Centenary rally of  the Cruising Association, before heading down to Germany and Travemunde and Lubeck.  I sailed into the fjords to Keppeln, where Dulcibella set off from in Riddle of the Sands. Now I have sailed up between Helsingor and Helsingborg and the West coast of Sweden to Gothenburg.  In 1832 a system of canals linking the large lakes in central Sweden was completed.  It provided a route from the Baltic to the North Sea, by-passing Denmark and avoiding the Danish tolls at Helsingor.  The Danes controlled the straits for hundreds of years and became rich.  Thomas Telford was the engineer for this engineering feat.

   There are 58 locks in the 190 kilometres long route and I am now at Sodorkoping with three locks to go before entering the Baltic. The Trollehatten locks were very large and deep allowing large commercial ships to enter Lake Venern. The other locks were smaller but big enough for narrow vessels and ferries.  As I was sailing before the season started I had to book in advance and travel to a timetable and in convoy in the Gota canal.  A Swedish yacht and motorboat and a Finnish yacht kept Galatea company.  The locks were just big enough for the four of us.  The water rushed in and we rose or dropped quickly with a lot of turbulence. On one occasion a rope jammed as Galatea was falling and I had to cut it quickly.  Two highlights in the lakes were mooring alongside castles, one at Lacko on Lake Vanern and one at Vadstena on Lake Vettern.  The weather has been a mixture of bitterly cold near gale force winds, occasional showers and some days of very hot sunshine.

   After often locking in at 9 am and sometimes locking out as late as 7 pm there were some exhausting days but today, Monday the 8^th June, the sun is shining and I am having a break before heading north to Stockholm and beyond.  Perhaps I will meet another OWW while sailing as we all lived by the sea.

 

 Professor Geoffrey Barrow   <<barrow@calumet.purdue.edu> Perdue University, Calumet Campas , 2200   169 Street, Hammond, Indiana   46323 USA

How can I get a copy of Eggleshaw's book?  [you might be able to get a copy from The Wallasey School, Birket Avenue, Moreton, Wirral    L46 1RB   Tel. 0151 677 7825  -  Ed.]

 

Norman Carter        nrmncarter6@gmail.com

Please note my new email address above.

 

Barrie Dunn   1947-1949   < barried@tadaust.org. au>

I am an Old  Wallaseyan who migrated to Australia with my family.  One of my friends at Wallasey Grammar was Harry Milburn.  I tried to contact him using the email address in Newsletter 47 but a delivery failure message was returned to me. (The correct address is harry@milburh.fsnet.co.uk -Ed.)

 

Rev (Major) Phyl N Fanning   1961-69     zajednop@hotmail.com                                                                   45 Roman Rd, Wattisham Airfield, Ipswich, Suffolk   IP7 7RW  Tel. 01449 744 518/07721 070 351

I have just discovered the website and have been intrigued by the memories it has evoked.

I was at Wallasey Grammar School from 1961 to 1969 and also spent some time on an exchange in the Schadowschule Gymnasium, one of the two schools we had links with.  The other was Horace Mann School in the USA.

zajedno is Serbo-Croat for harmony or togetherness…and is also the Scout Motto for Bosnia-Herzogovina…Those of us who helped out there in peace keeping (2004) and in particular personally working with the Scout Association adopted it as the base for our email addresses.

I am hoping to make it to the dinner in October…I am hoping for my Commanding Officer to let me know the dates when I might be out of the country in the next week or so.

 

Ian Gilmour   59-63

My email address is now: <ian.arfc@hotmail.co.uk>

 

Terry Goodall     [mailto:terryali@xtra.co.nz]

It's happened!  Last Friday Peter Robinson & his wife Marion hosted Ali &I for lunch at their Saddleworth "estate."  It's only 50 years since we last met!…  If you think it will fit on the website and if Robbo doesn't object, here are a couple of pix etc to commemorate the event….

Fifty years ago, the WGS 1^st eight swept all before them in winning the clinker divisions of both the North of England Head of the river on the Dee at Chester, and then the Tideway race over the Boat Race course in London.  Those Were The Days!

A mere half-century later, the oarsmen occupying the 4^th & 5^th seats met again high in the Lancs moors.

Terry Goodall, visiting from New Zealand, took the chance to envy Peter Robinson's amazing relic of those days – the "distinctive" (oh yes!) colours blazer.  We'd both love to know "whatever happened to " the other seven members of that very successful crew.    So – where are you now….bow – Brian Winstanley, #2-Juris Krumins, #3 –Robin Tomas, #6-Robin Tankard, #7-Alan Henney, str David Knowles, & Cox Les McFarlane, & of course our amazing coach – Mr Geoff (?) Gibbons aka "Sir". If anything known, please break cover and reveal all…..

 

Will Howard   1944-50  <whoward@ihug.co.nz

I was just reading through all the newsletters on the Old Walls website, and came across a posting from Ian Thomson in the March 2004 newsletter.  In it he said that he gets older nostalgia seems to grow, and I realised that he was right.  Why else would I be reading a 5-year-old newsletter??

But not only nostalgia.  Curiosity too.  Curiosity about what happened to all the people in my class,

UVA in 1949.    One fellow, Neville Andrews, is a regular contributor and I think in one newsletter he tells us that he actually went back to become a teacher at WGS.  But what about all the rest?  None of them appear to be using the Old Walls website – or if they are they are not writing to it.  Why not? Where are they? Has nostalgia not caught up with them, or have they just not been computer literate.

Reg Triplett, John Costain, "Piggy"Spoonley, Peter Coates, Julian Edwards, Michael Johnson, Vaughan Ruckley, George Haig, Peter Heaney, Bert Yates, (the second youngest in the class) – I was the youngest), Ian Crowther, Ian Kerr, Ivor Johnstone (whose father, an avid anti smoking campaigner, achieved his five minutes of fame by snatching a cigar from the mouth of Winston Churchill), Ian Speechley, Ian Kay, Peter Gamet, Stu Edgar I know died some years ago, Don Biddle, Tony Eccles, Harry Sherlock, Freddie Kin (the only Asian boy in the school), Neil Thomas, John Callow, (a late arrival at WGS) , Bill Tester, John Bennet, Denis Hind I know became a school teacher and is now retired in the Isle of Man.

   But what of the rest?  I find myself very curious.  Did they have good lives? Were mountains moved?

Was fame and fortune achieved? Are they still alive and kicking?  Had we had the Internet in 1949 I'm sure we would all have kept e-mail addresses and been able to find out what happened to people.

   And having just reminded myself of the Internet, I have done a few searches and discovered a Vaughan Ruckley – born 1934 – is now a prominent vascular surgeon in Scotland.  But is he the same Vaughan Ruckley of 1949 UVA?

   And it's funny how some teachers are mentioned over and over, and others never got a mention.  I didn't do woodwork, but I can recall Mr Colquett – an angry sort of man, and the only teacher I can recall with a motorcar – a light fifteen Citroen I think.  And Mr Moscrop is hardly mentioned.  He of prodigious memory and the perpetual cigarette with an inch of ash waiting to fall and leave yet another grey smudge on his gown or suit.  He took us for religious instruction and for forty minutes every week totally ignored our best efforts to upset of anger him.  And who ever mentions Ernie Preece?  The strictest disciplinarian in the school, but definitely one of the best teachers I ever had and certainly worth a mention in the newsletter.  Nobody ever tried to upset or anger Mr Preece.    More than their life was worth.  I can still remember some of his lessons almost verbatim. 

   And now my nostalgia and curiosity spell has come to an end.  Cut off abruptly by the arrival of a pre-prandial gin and tonic.  Bliss!

 

Brian G S Jones  1934-1942   35 Manor Road, Swanland, North Ferriby   HU14 3NZ

Really it was "Sarky"  Jo" who got me on this writing of letters.  Rarely did I distinguish myself in other subjects (except Geography, shades of "Spuddy Widlake" who taught me to swim)

These 2 masters along with "Cissy" Hales, were also masters at the farming camps in 1940 et seq.

   Foolishly I volunteered for the first of three week spells – potato picking – OH, my back!

The next year I went with Ray Smith and we were put to cleaning out the pigsties.  I think the farmer was trying to teach us something.  But we learnt to eat wedges of bread and cheese.  I detested cheese but soon learnt to eat anything.  There was a war on.  We slept on palliasses, and were entertained in the Village Halls by the local girls – most old enough to be our mothers.  The masters were the "cooks of the day".  Perhaps that will stir other memories.

Our tour to the Neiderrhein proved to be most interesting and very well organised by our German leaders. A tour to Klieve (HOW IS YOUR HISTORY?) was concluded by a tour on a Draisine [trolley] for a 14 km ride on an old railway line hauled by four cyclists.  The next day we rode "GECCOS"

with very hard saddles, a type of cycle but with seven pedlars and one steersman.  The peddler at the front was travelling backwards, others sideways, but all our efforts provided a forward movement.  It was hard work.  I noticed some slackers (including me) sneaking occasional rests.  I asked our leader what "GECCO" meant.  He replied" CRAZY".  I agreed, but apparently it is very popular in Germany and other parts of Europe.  We visited Xanten, a lovely old Roman city.  Then in the 20/21st Century built in a Roman style.  There to be dressed in Roman tabbards and to enjoy an excellent Roman meal.  

I know it all sounds daft but it proved to be very interesting.  One morning we left the site at 0800 to be taken into a deep forest where we enjoyed an excellent 5-course breakfast. 

2009 has not been so much fun.  At end of February, we set out for North Cape on a Huterroute ; one of the coastal ferries which sail every night from Bergen to North Cape.  A very luxurious ferry.

Unfortunately on the second night out, Celia collapsed after dinner.  She and I were taken to an excellent hospital, where we spent 4 days before being flown back home.  The insurance worked out very well (AGE CONCERN).  Since then, our travels have been confined to the UK.  (Cotswolds, Somerset, Cardiff (super), Bewdley, North Wales, Isle of Wight and shortly to Scotland.)  Celia's illness has not yet been diagnosed but may re-occur without warning.  Makes things difficult and restricts travel abroad.  I have just been invited as a guest to National Sea Scout Centenary Jamboree 1^st to 8^th August  (Memories of the 2^nd Wallasey Sea Scouts and R.N.)

 

Hugh Pritchard   44-52      hughwlpritchard@supanet.com        6 Holly Hill Mansion, Barnes Lane, Sarisbury Green, Hampshire   SO31 7BH

2^nd Wallasey Grammar School Scouts Old Boys Association

The 2009 Dinner at the Hollins Hey Hotel (Albion Street, New Brighton    CH45 3JQ   Tel. 0151 691 1171) has been booked for Saturday 24^th October 2009.

  I "volunteered" to be the Hon. Sec. in place of Dave Walker, who has done sterling service for us for many years.  There is a small informal committee – Garnet Walker, John Edge, Malcolm Henderson (Treasurer) and now yours truly.

 

Nial Reynolds    1947-1949  <lisrannal2@gmail.com> Heber City, Utah, USA.   Formerly of Caithness Drive, Wallasey

During the summer of 1949 about 20 students from the 3rd year together with Mr Parry, the Gym master and Mr DW (Kite) Cartwright, the French master set out on a cycling/camping trip to Paris.

The boys could not have been any more than 14 years old and I was still 13 at the time.  Shortly before the start of this epic camping holiday the local press came to the school and took a "pre-departure" photograph, which appeared in a local newspaper - perhaps the Liverpool Echo.

In retrospect I believe this was an exceptional enterprise - 20 young schoolboys with two masters cycling and camping under canvas all the way from Wallasey to Paris only a few years after the end of the Second World War.  I did have a rather grainy copy of the newspaper photograph which, after 60 years, was showing severe wear and tear.  I left WGS that summer (my family moved to Rugby) and so I do not know whether any report was ever published in the press following the safe return of our group.  I have tried on other occasions to track down any of the students who made that epic trip but without success.   Two names Stan Woolley and Brian McCurdy spring to mind.   I now live in the United States but I am sure that such an enterprise would be most unlikely these days for at least two reasons.  Firstly it would be considered too big a risk and secondly the possibility of finding 20 young boys capable of cycling hundreds of miles and sleeping in bivouacs on ex-army ground sheets is probably remote.  Today, a trip by plane or by coach would no doubt be more likely.

   Have you any information in your archives relating to this epic adventure, especially a copy of the above-mentioned photograph?  Should you be unable to help me yourselves perhaps you would be   able to refer me to any other local source, which might assist me.

[The Wirral Archives, Cheshire Lines Building, Canning Street, Birkenhead

and the School Archives at  The  Wallaseyans' Club,142 Grove Road, Wallasey  CH45 0JF

Tel. 0151-6392832   <oldwallaseyans@googlemail.com> and maybe The Wallaseyan school magazine might help - Ed.]

A further letter from Nial:  Thank you for your advice.  During my trip last month to the UK I visited the Wirral Archives in Birkenhead.  There I found the staff most helpful and cooperative. I also found the edition of the Wallasey News containing the sought after news item.  My wife took several digital photographs of it, which I have yet to download into my computer so I do not know how reproducible they will be.

Needless to say I was very excited to find the photograph although that would appear to be the sum total of the recording of the camping trip.

 If you are interested, and provided that the printouts are legible, perhaps I could email a copy of a picture of the camping group, which includes the two masters plus the Headmaster.

I very much appreciate our interest and advice in this matter – the outcome of which has been very satisfactory indeed.

Another letter from Nial:  I have mixed news on the missing original however.  I have found it – in a very poor state not surprisingly, but I have lost the left hand side of it comprising the first three students.  Hence the names that I can decipher of the remaining boys from left to right are as follows:

1.? 2.Carney  3.Waller  4. B McCurdy 5. S Woolley     6. S Walton       7. W Wood      8. M Johansson

9. R Rooney   10. Mr Cartwright  11. Mr Parry    12. T Wood   3.R Bott   14. N T Reynolds  15. K G Stewart  16. B Scott.  The Headmaster, Mr Allan is on the extreme right.  At least, the images on the left hand side of the photo are relatively clear and might be recognisable to someone.

Naturally I have a number of memories of the trip but most are personal anecdotes and I wonder how interesting they might be to a 21^st century readership 60 years on!  I recall the crossing from Newhaven to Dieppe was pretty hairy given that the Queen Mary was unable to berth at Southampton due to the appalling weather!  However that didn't stop our gallant skipper from ferrying us across the channel in what was a minute vessel when compared to today's massive ships.  Please add my email address to your website reminder service but I have to say that the chances of our meeting over dinner, whilst not impossible, are not very likely – it's a long way from the US but you never know!

 

Joanne Softley 12 Bond Street, West Hindmarsh 5007, South Australia  <pleasedtogreetu@gmail.com>   0011 61 0409 900 625

I am studying my family history and came to your site as my Uncle as mentioned below Mr David Softley was a student of yours.  I have visited your beautiful establishment on a few occasions and pictured the family there.  The person who wrote the section below is correct.  David sadly passed away at the tender age of 37 leaving a widow Dianna.  My family lost touch with Dianna and I am 

hoping to find out more about David Softley.  David's brother was my father, Edward Softly and the family became estranged but David always kept in touch.

  [Taken from Newsletter 41:     Neil Thomas   43-52

My main reason for dropping you a line is to respond to your item about the last Prefects at WGS at Withens Lane.  David Softley was Captain of Boats for a number of years and his parents were great supporters.  Sadly he died many years ago, in his 30s.  I employed his widow in the 80s.  Of the other names I guess I could find out more about David Wilson if you haven't had data from others. I shall be in Boston Mass for the Head of the Charles Races. [Neil Thomas has since died. - Ed.]

 

Andrew P Watson  30-36  apwatson13@hotmail.com

We are just getting ready to go to Australia where Mary's daughter has just given birth to a son.

I think I reported that the Wirral Archives welcomed the record of our dinners from 1960 through to c. 2002.  If anyone wants a photo of Polly Ffoulks – ask them and they will copy it!!

 

Keith Watson    - 1972    <keithw24a@googlemail.com>      Mob. 07931 681 958

I found your email on the grammar school website and wondered if any of my old school mates were still alive and kicking.  I was in U4 in 1972 before I went to Carlett Park.  I still have some school photos with the likes of Steve Moses, John Young, Robbie Marle, Dave Haleto to name but a few.

John Lander was my class teacher when I started at the grammar.  I also remember Wilf Allen, Maths teacher.  We had Mr Andrews for History and Mr & Mrs Oxenbold for Art and Mr Travis for RE.  Last but not least Mr J A Bruce Headmaster.  I used to cycle to school from Prenton.  I was one of only two pupils living outside the area.  I know John Lander died some years ago of stomach cancer; he was a Republic of Ireland fullback (rugby).

 

Bob Forest Webb    1936-46          forrestwebb@btopenworld.com

Came across your email address on an Internet site….God knows how old it is!  I have been living in the West Midlands for the past 32 years. Currently between Hereford and Monmouth.   I'm still in touch with a few school friends, and attended Doug Peers' 80^th a couple of months ago and celebrated my own in April.  Where have all the years gone?  Heard from Peter Moore only a few days ago, and Colin Wynne keeps in touch.  Sadly we are getting thinner on the ground

Alan Whitburn    1943-51   < ckwppsacks@btconnect.com >

Thank you for the DVD. It worked fine!  I very much enjoyed it.  If there any more DVDs of the earlier age with shot of the grand old men, that stayed over retirement age, in order to plug the gap made by masters serving in the forces I should be glad to have details please.  I did see Billy Barker & Co on the BBC some years back.

I saw Harben ringing the school bell.  In my day, the Head Porter was George.  He always rang the bell & took the attendance book.  At the beginning of school mornings & afternoons, he would put his head round the form room door to enquire, "Who is not here?"  This always raised a laugh.

The boys came into the school by the front & side gates.  Does anybody remember the Parrot at the side gate in a house overlooking the school yard?   In the summer there was a house with an upper window which opened above the school yard & the bird seemed to know when Miss Doyle or Miss Merriman came to the yard as it used to emit a very loud wolf whistle, much to our amusement!

The Prefect taking the name of the late boy was John Barry Taylor.  I remember he gave a very good performance in the first school play after the war, Thunder Rock.  The 2^nd play after the war was The Duke in Darkness.  JB Taylor opted out at short notice & Miss Silvey said that I had to stand in even though I was only a fourth former.  I had only 2 weeks to learn the lines, but I managed it. 

The first play on the DVD was the Duke in Darkness.  I saw myself briefly together with Anderson, Stevens and Brindle.  I afterwards played the title parts in the Admirable Crichton & the Devil's Disciple plus the part of the Major in Badger's Green.

I remember Pug Ridley's biology lesson with the model dead body named Jasper.  The Boy with the glasses paying very close attention was Bertie Brooker.  That was prophetic as Bert went on, I believe, to be a doctor.

   I was pleased to note that the other Early School Newsreels are still around, and that in due course you will be able to sort something out with them.  I would be delighted to see pictures of Bill Browning, Johnny Holland, Krupp Atchley & Billy Barker, Spud Widlake and the other grand old gentlemen members of staff & of course the boys, as they were, captured in a time warp. 

Maurice Eggleshaw shot the 1948 & 49 Sports Day Mile.  The School Record was set up by W C Richards in 1922 of 4 minutes 46 seconds. This time Anderson won and set a new School Record, D B Johnson was 2^nd.  I think Fred Kirkham was 3^rd, Bert Brooker was 4^th and I was 5^th and last. All five of us broke the 20 odd year old record.  That race would be interesting to see again. 

Regarding the OW Luncheon, Les Stockton kindly extended to me an invitation to attend, and I hope to attend on the 5^th May.  I look forward to seeing Stan Lawrence again & I am sure others of our generation.

 

Editor:  Tony Simpson   97 Fairdene Road, Coulsdon, Surrey   CR5 1RJ  Tel. 01737 553 462

Tel. 01883 627 607   <clive@lewis-jones.co.uk>

www.oldwallaseyans.co.uk

.

Information on the Wallaseyans' Club at 142 Grove Road, Wallasey   CH45 0JF  (Tel. 0151-639 2832) and its activities can now be found at the website:    www.wallaseyans.com