From: Michael Kemp
Date: 2002-01-09
Time: 00:20:10 -0500
Here, as best as my memory (aided by a few old school magazines) will serve, is the staff list for the 1959 photograph. This must have been taken quite shortly after the opening of the Woodlands building in September 1959. A good proportion of the staff members were new to the school in that September, in part because of a number of retirements the previous year and also to cope with the expansion in the number of students.
The leftmost teacher is the one that puzzles me the most. It is probably Frank Binder, although at first sight it doesn't look all that much like him. He had been out sick for a significant part of the previous year (John Rice substituted), and retired at the end of the 59/60 school year.
Then come, reading from the left, Alan Anthony (German, French, Russian, who had succeeded Mr F Clarke) Norman A Gallagher (Divinity, 6th form Economics, Hockey) R C V Rose (Classics) Alan Jamieson (History, PE, who had succeeded Mr A E Jones) R Edwardson (PE), aka "Bullneck" Roy D James (newly arrived head of PE, established Rugby tours to/from his home territory of South Wales) Norman Stoddard (Mathematics, freshly returned to the school after serving as the Headmaster of the Friarage school) Len Wilmut, aka "Jack" (head of Mathematics replacing "Pike" Richardson, father of Dr Ian and grandfather of Dolly) Jack Ellis (Classics) D P Craven? (Handicrafts) G B Thomas? (Biology) G E Whalley (head of Biology, newly replacing D J Price) Keith Dutton (Handicrafts) Jack Speight (Physics) Eddie D Colenutt (Chemistry, junior school Biology) W C Potts (Physics), aka "Zenna" J R Liddicott (head of Chemistry), aka "Dai" H F Freeman (Deputy Head, replacing newly retired C H Bradley, ex Mathematics) H W Marsden (Headmaster), aka "Old Joe" H S P Taylor (Art), aka "Hap" Vernon H Smith (head of History, acquainted with a remarkable number of fathers), aka "Biff" Les Brown (head of Modern Languages) Eric H Rice (head of English), aka "Samuel Rockinghorse" J H Race (Mathematics) R J R Giblett (head of Geography) Robert A Watson (English) A John Perry (head of Handicrafts) Alan Wilson (French, Spanish, some German) Donald Hellmuth (English) Rob L Greenall (English) M J Hancock (Modern Languages) June Blakemore (School secretary, small bore rifle champion) Mlle. M F Allanche (Toulouse University, that year's French Assistante at the two high schools) G Arthur Costain (Music) Peter F Judson (Senior lab technician) ----------- (Lab technician) ----------- (Lab technician?)
Then comes John Hall, that year's school captain. Standing at the far right is Harry Johnson, long-time caretaker of the Westwood school, who had retired before the move from Westwood but who quickly reappeared as assistant caretaker at Woodlands for a few more years. Symmetrically standing on the left flank is the caretaker of the Woodlands school, a very pleasant gentleman whose name now escapes me.
Michael Kemp