A photograph of Billingham North County Junior Mixed School Prefects 1956-7.
Photograph courtesy of Keith Parnaby.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A photograph of Billingham North County Junior Mixed School Prefects 1956-7.
Photograph courtesy of Keith Parnaby.
I spent my first few years at Billingham North Primary School, starting in the infants (Miss Kitching?) in 1958 and leaving the junior school to move house about 1962. I think my last teacher was Miss Castling.
I have many memories of the school, mainly the juniors, and especially remember Mr Phillips! He would fly into a temper for the stupidest of reasons. I always dreaded the days when the hymn ‘Immortal, Invisible’ was sung in assembly – we NEVER got past the first line without him shouting “STOP, STOP!” and telling us off for slurring the word “invisible” and saying it was “IN-VIS-I-BLE”, emphasising each syllable! He would make us start again, and keep stopping us every-time if just one person slurred. Often it seemed we were there for hours (probably not but it seemed like it) going over and over again until he was satisfied.
I also remember my last teacher there, Miss Castling, and I how she reacted when I made a mistake working out multiplication of money – those days of course Pounds, Shillings and Pence. I kept doing the same sum over and over again for several days and always getting it wrong – but always the same answer! I was told that in future I had to go to another class – a year lower – whenever we had a maths class! How on earth that would help I don’t know. My friend told my mother about the incident and she wanted to go and complain but I stopped her. So she asked if I could show her what I’d been doing. There was a local shop (D Miles) that sold a lot of school books and she went in search of B&A Book 2, which they fortunately had in stock!
I did the sum as I had done several times before, and straightaway my mother identified the problem – instead of dividing my pennies by 12 to get shillings, I was multiplying them! Once she explained WHY they should be divided, the penny (sorry) dropped! Now why couldn’t my teacher have done that?! That was a turning point for me and from then on Maths was one of my best subjects!
One of my other memories was the ‘outside’ toilet block which had no roof at the time. One of cubicles was always avoided by everyone, who called it “the fever toilet”! Why? Because there was a tap on the wall! I soon worked out that because everyone avoided using it, it was usually the cleanest and I started using it exclusively! 🙂
I’m sure there’s more but we are talking 50+ years ago! 🙂
Sadly, David McLeod passed away on the 29th November 2015. A gentleman and a good friend.
I was there, starting the year before Keith. However, the memories of teachers all seem to coincide in terms of character… I started in the infants’ school in 1949, with Miss Berry (who, I think, was a daughter or sister of Berry, the butcher in Wolviston.) Then it was Miss Mason and Mrs. Stewart (Jean) who lived close to us. Then in Juniors: Mrs. Marshall (first name, Jenny), who was adorable, Mrs. Almond, Mr. Unsworth, and last, Mr. Ebblewhite (Dennis) who was also a prince. Ebblewhite and Heslop (also a good guy) took a bunch of us camping in Crathorne in the summer after the last school year, I don’t think there was anything in it for them, they just liked the kids. Or maybe for them, digging latrines was a gas, who knows?
Everything said about Mr. Kitchen I echo. There was also a Miss Bell, with (at that time raising the suspicions of all our mothers) blonde hair, a sassy dresser, a 20″ waist and Barbie makeup, who was constantly interrupting Kitchen’s class (we had him for handwork, while she had the girls for needlework) to flirt.
Miss Melrose, the headmistress at first, was to our eyes older than God, and died that first year I was a junior. Although she seemed like a relic to 7-year-olds, she clearly was well-loved by her staff, because I remember Mrs. Marshall making the announcement to us with tears streaming down her cheeks. I’d never seen anyone our parents’ age cry. As a kid, I thought that was our job.
Came then Mr. Phillips, who till then had been a regular teacher, and everything said here is true… Once he became headmaster, he abandoned the motorbike and purchased a shiny, respectable status symbol, a black Ford Popular. His office was opposite one of our classrooms, and that cane got plenty of use; thank God, never on me. He created “houses” in the school, to compete with one another: Danes, Normans, Romans, Saxons. The ship became very tightly-run. He was very prone to anger-based actions, which, I think, he often regretted after taking them. I was head boy in my final year, and after some perceived transgression of mine, he stripped me of rank at the top of his voice, only to reinstate me, very sheepishly, the following day. I don’t view him with the same animus as some here. That generation had just come out of six years of war. We grew up with kids whose fathers had burned up over Germany, two of them lived on the same block as Keith Parnaby and I did. Nobody knew what PTSD even was then; people just thought servicemen came home irritable and moody.
I was captain of the football team 1966 / 7 and I remember Mr Phillips lining us up in the corridor after we only managed to draw with Holy Rosary in the cup final, shouting that we were a disgrace because we couldn’t beat a bunch of catholics !! We went on to win the replay! John Rigg
I was lynne Hepple when I was at north school from 1955 – 1959 I remember Mr Kitchen caning me several times, I had a slight chip on my shoulder. I remember Cynthia Harvey, Valerie Lax, Sandra Farnaby, Steven Fishburn, Jessie and Pauline Butters
Mr Phillips was a curious character. He ran the school on military lines eg.making us line off in classes when the bell went and putting hands on one another’s shoulders to gauge distance from the next person; you had to march to time into the school and march into assemblies to military brass band music.! On the one side he was given to the most vile temper. I remember his pacing up and down the stage, leaning on the side columns, moving from one to the other, while he venting his spleen !
He kept a ‘Nuisance List’; I know because I was on it ! Referred by Mrs McKinley (thanks for that !) for caning across the finger tips of both hands. I remember his shouting for silence during lunch when everyone, staff included, would have to place cutlery down and not so much as move a muscle ! He would pace around the hall waiting for the one individual to make the slightest sound, and woe betide that person!
However, the other side of him would see him join in any amount of games with us, especially snowball fights in the winter. I’ve seen him with his suit soaking wet where everyone had pelted him, laughing like a drain, no problem !
Happy days? Not really.
I remember Mr.Philips dragging Alan Dewison (who later fell and died climbing in the Himayas) up on stage in assembly, because he saw him take a short cut the day before, through the school to go to Sunday School. He then told him to leave the stage and then told him to get back on stage only to tell him to leave again. He did this several times. NICE MAN!
I am Keith Dewison. Alan and I are half cousins, his father Jack Dewison and my father Norman Dewison were Cousins. You are correct he died in the Himalayas, as far as I know his body was never found.
I remember Mr Phillips well. He was always strict, although I don’t remember getting the cane off him. I did get the cane a number of times off Mr Kitchen, he used to have names for his canes – one was called ‘Blue bell’ because he had blue tape around the handle. Other teachers I recall were Mr Heslop, Mr Unsworth, Mrs Webster ,Mrs Marshall and Miss McQuarrie. I was at the school 1953-59. Mr Phillips must have been a good age when he died, I’m sure I saw him in the 1980’s. Christine Carling was right when she suggested that Olwyn Reynalds was Olwyn Reynard. She was the older sister of a classmate of mine and lived at High Burntoft farm near Newton Bewley.
Mr. Phillips caned me too. ‘Sent’ to his office ‘for the cane’ by Miss Bell. I remember he had a fire on at the time – no questions – cane out – wallop! Third and fourth left back row are the Smith twins, David and Tom and the two girls sat beside Mr Phillips are Ann Venus and Valerie Walker.
Do you know of anyone who has old photos of around 1954/7 or 76 thereabouts I went to Pentland school and also my children did – would love to see some old pics. Oh the times.
Ah, Billy North! I left there in 77 when I went to Northfield, happy days. Mrs Lightowler, Miss Bance?, Mr Jackson, Mr Pratt, Mr Pritchard, Miss Castle?, Mrs Lonsdale, Mrs Woodhall – who I still see and talk to now, she remembers everyones name she ever taught. I call her my second fav teacher (to her face) cos Mr Robson was the best, putting money on cricket stumps so we could try and bowl him out and claim the cash! and letting us play football most afternoons instead of country dancing! reds against the colours! Always be Billy North to me, never Pentland Primary. Ooh, and the ‘comet’ original 1950s casey we used for the school football matches!
Brings back memories of Pentland school attended from I think about 1944 to 1950 in both the infants and juniors, we all remember Mr Phillips. He once caught me and my late father playing football on the school field (behind the school kitchens) it was a weekend and he had, what was called, a rather heated argument at first with my dad but at the end they were like old buddies, need more like him today in our schools. I played football for the junior team it was the first football team for the school, some of the names I remember in the the team were K Mawston goalie, Bob Small, Alex Swindon, Roy Stevens, Charlie Dobinson who passed away some years ago and Gerald Dunn, to name a few. I have a photo which I will submit to the site. Happy days.
I found a copy of this photo among my parents’ things – great to find Keith identifying us all. I agree with all except I think Olga Reynolds was actually Olwen Reynard. I remember she lived on a farm near Wolviston. I remember Davids Macleod and Stewart well as they lived in Conifer Crescent near my Gran. Other names from the class I recall are Christine Moss, Lorna Stewart, Sonia Birtles, Norma Binnie, David Guy, Cynthia Pixton…not sure any of them are in the photo. Our final year teacher was Mr Unsworth – I have often wondered if he became the novelist, Barry Unsworth – does anyone know? I visted what is now Pentland Junior a few years back and happened to run into the current head teacher – Mr Phillips apparently has quite a reputation – I remember him striding up and down on the platform in assembly.
Christine (Carling) asked a couple of years ago if Mr Unsworth, our form teacher in 1956/7 became the famous author Barry Unsworth. Barry Unsworth died last week and according to his obituary in The Times, he was a pupil at Stockton Grammar School before going on to Manchester University. Although he taught for a few years before becoming famous as an author, it appears that all his teaching posts were abroad so I don’t think he can have been ‘our’ Mr. Unsworth. I seem to recollect that his name was Tom but, more 55 years down the line, my memory could be playing tricks!
I remember Mr Phillips. If I remember correctly we had to stand out in the corridor if you were naughty in class hoping Mr Phillips did not catch you.
I think that is David Stewart in the fairisle jumper in the centre of the picture,possibly Peter Johnson third from the right on the back row Christine Carling centre front row and of course Sweeny Todd Phillips the demon headmaster on the front left. Despite him and because of our other teachers I hope you all have had a happy and successful life.Best wishes Tom
Blimey, that photo takes me back. I was in the same large class (50″ish) of baby boomers. I think Miss Marshall may have been our main teacher in this 11-plus year with Mr Phillips the headmaster. I recall he once ripped the lapel from my blazer during assembly in one of his mad moments. Following the 11-plus the successful boys went to Grangefield Grammar and the girls, to my regret, to Henry Smith”s. I”m still in touch with Dave McCleod and Tom Bowbeer. I last saw Brian Duncan in 1964 and Keith I remember you from our Grangefield days.
I was at Billingham North Junior for just one year between 1950-51 when Miss Melrose was the headteacher. I remember Mr. Phillips turning up each day on a black motor bike. After Bowesfield Lane in Stockton where we walked to Ropner park for games lessons that field behind Pentland Avenue was an absolute luxury.
phew ,Mr Phillips this brought back a lot of memories i was in pentland junior in 1963-1967 I can remember getting the cane off him once but was never naughty again he was a dab hand with it ,I will try my memory at a few other names of teachers at that time, Mr Phillips (Headmaster) Mr Jackson and his wife was a teacher,mrs Lighthowler,Mr Robson (pe teacher)Mrs Humphries english,Mrs Cliford, and Mr Blaire the old Caretaker, but I can remember my mother saying Mr Phillips taught her just as the war broke out then he left to join the RAF ,Billingham South Modern was the junior school for billingham then and pentland was the Infant, can allways remember my mam telling me that on pentland school they had trenches dug out on the field for air raid shelters,my grandfather was a arp warden in cheviot crescent and my granny used to cook for the italian prisoners
Is that Joan Guthrie standing next to Keith Parnaby, and Brian Duncan behind him?
I can remember some of the names of some of my fellow pupils in this photo. Back Row (L to R): ?,?,?,?,Brian Duncan,?, David Macleod, ?, Middle Row (L to R): Olga Reynolds,David Stewart, myself (Keith Parnaby), Joan Guthrie, Sylvia Foster, Front Row (L to R): Mr Phillips,?,?,Beryl Young, Christine Carling, Janice Rogers,?,? Can anyone help with the missing names or correct any mistakes I might have made?
This is a photograph of Billingham North County Junior Mixed School Prefects 1956-7. The headmaster in the photograph was Mr Jack Phillips.