These photographs were taken when Stockton Schools Football Association organised a training camp in the grounds of Ampleforth College for the summer of 1958. Courtesy of Peter Rigg. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
The Manchester United player Dennis Viollet was born 30th September 1933, he captained Manchester Boys in 1948.
Alan ‘Tiny’ Cornforth – was he a Manchester Schoolboy in the same team as Dennis Villet in 1946?
The dates seem about right.
Further to Dorothy Young’s question ,as I have stated elsewere on this site, my grandad was born in Scotland, I have since learned he was actually born in Glasgow in the infamous Gorbals. His wife Edith may was I’m led to believe born in Wales ,except for my uncle Jack (John),and aunt Katy and her husband Herbert ,i didn’t really keep in touch with our extended family. Until a couple of years ago, when I slightly got to know Kevin Turner, uncle Malcolm’s son ,as usual this happened due to the fact that his mother had died ,we now pass comments to one another through the medium of facebook,if you are researching a family tree i would be interested to know how you get on.
Hello again Mick, I am beginning to wonder if we have got the right family! I have done the ‘Tree’ as far as I can. My G.Grandmother was born in Springburn,Glasgow 13th September 1855. She was married to John Price but separated. Duncan Turner was married to Caroline Emily Ball from London and they were separated as well!
Margaret and Duncan got together and had eleven children(five died) and moved to Stockton around 1890 to live at 30,West Row where they ran a lodging house. By 1901 Duncan had gone back to Glasgow and Margaret and the children were at 12, Wyndham Street. Duncan died in Govan Hospital in 1908 from TB. The names of the surviving children were:-James,John,Duncan,Malcolm,Francis,Catherine,Margaret. James was killed in WW1. If it is also your family I will be pleased to pass on the Family Tree to you either in person or via Facebook
Already responded to a question you posed about the Turner family. Having seen this input I now have an idea of who you are. Your great grandmother Margaret I always referred to as Katie, a lovely lady and a character. Whenever I see your Aunty Pat to me its like looking in a mirror. As I have already said, any further info I can pass on I will be happy to do so.
Hello Mick, I hope we have got the right family! My great grandmother married Frank Calvert from Nicholson Street in 1901 after her partner Duncan Turner moved back to Glasgow. I have been trying to find her death but to no avail!
My grandmother Catherine married James Hill, a farmer, and lived in North Yorkshire. I live in Northallerton and would be glad to get any info you can give me about the family.
Thanks hopefully – Dot Young
I am trying to trace relatives of the Turner family who lived in Wyndham Street in 1901. Margaret Turner was my great grandmother and her daughter Catherine was my grandmother. I believe Margaret was still there in 1911 but with just two of her children, Malcolm and Frank. Can anyone help?Thanks hopefully. 14/05/2012 11:01:33
I don’t agree with your view on expenses Benny, is that why Norton & Stockton Ancients beat Whitby Town to win the Northern League Cup in 1982-83 season & were Durham Challenge Cup runners up the following season – these players did not receive any expenses and proves the money does not give you success(only helps). Trevor Cockerill & Ronnie Laverick were from local teams & were top men at Stockton.
Anon another point to think about is that not all the players in the team were paid the same expenses in the various Premier amateur teams in the North. You would not expect an International player, nor for that matter the established Senior player to be on the same expenses as the player just selected from the local team. The top teams offered the players the best expenses – that is why they retained the top players, and why they were the teams that won the trophies.
Re the comparison of player expenses over a 50 years period, the inflation factor must be taken into the calculation when trying to compare the different time periods. Remember fifty years ago in England you could buy a three bedroomed semi detached house for 2500 pounds. Say the present value of a similar house today is 175,000 pounds that is a factor increase of 70, therefore 3.50 pounds per match times the same factor 70 equals 245 pounds per match. You do not have to be Einstein to see the correlation of these figures. May I wish all the staff and readers of this excellent site a very Happy Christmas and New Year.
If two games expenses equalled a weeks wage over fifty years ago Benny you must have been at a different Stockton F.C. to the rest of us, this is why players worked over and trained at the Victoria Ground and played for other teams in the North Regional & Northern Leagues. The boy 8th from the right back-row is Bobby Goldsmith from St Bedes School.
I think Kidds was a very good place to serve your time as a fitter and turner. I served my time there and ended my career as manager of an engineering company. Another apprentice became a director of Cleveland Bridge. On the subject of Norton cricket club not wanting ‘us common lot’, most of the cricketers were from working class backgrounds.
Tommy Thompson was in the Great Britain squad that went to the 1960 Rome Olympics alongwith other local lads Arnold Coates,Evenwood Town and Micheal Greenwood,Bishop Auckland. Tommy, a Tilery lad, signed for Blackpool in 1961 making a 152 first team appearances,then he joined York City in 1970.
Anon if you look at the inflation figures over the last fifty years I remember that if I played two games a week which happened regularly at the begining of the season and the end of the season, my expenses were about equal to my weekly wage, so if you say 150 x 2 is equal to the weekly wage 0f 300 pounds, of say a tradesman you can see there is not a great deal of difference when you take inflation into account. I am guessing that a tradesman in England earns about 300 pounds per week or maybe more ?. As to being re-instated as an Amateur I know that many ex pros did take this path, Frank Seddon being a prime example. I do not know if Johnnie Pattison did?. In my own case I signed Pro in South Africa who were not part of the FIFA organisation in those days, due to The appartheid problem banning South Africa from International Sports. In the old days the Amateur players who were paid were known as Shamateurs. Not like today where every player is classed as a player. I remember Tommy Thompson coming to me when we were both playing for Stockton FC and telling me Blackpool wanted to sign him as a Pro, but Tommy wanted to represent Great Britain in the Olympics so he was in a quandry as to what to do. My advice was to grab the opportunity to play pro football with both hands and forget about the Olympics, which Tommy did and had a very succesful career with Blackpool. This situation would not occur today with all players being equal.
Signing professional forms did not stop you playing amateur football, if you could not get employment as a professional player you could get a permit to play amateur football in our day. Ralf Jordinson and Dougie Cattermole were permit players, nowadays it does not matter because they are all just players, that is why it is rumoured some Northern League players are on £150 to £200 a week.(How times have changed, Ben.)
That’s correct Pat I did meet up with Johnnie Pattison on one of my trips to Stockton but I seem to remember the golf was rained off so we had a nice cup of coffee and reminisced about the good old days. Johnnie was a wonderful outside right, very quick and a tremendous shot on him besides being a good crosser of the ball which gave Eddiie Wilkinson the chance to show off his wonderful heading skills. Eddie was one of the best headers of a football I have ever had the pleasure of playing with. Eddie is not very big, but a great jumper and timer of the ball. I think Jonnie Pattison signed pro forms for Stockton FC thus putting and end to his amateur career. Re your comments Frank, you may have the impression that I thought that Secondary Modern pupils all accepted their lot in life and never botherd to get any qualificaions, this is far from the truth as I know many who left the secondary modern fiasco, and went on to achieve senior posiitions in their chosen professions. In my own career with Rio Tinto, and that of two of my Nephews, one is now The Chief Executive Engineer for a German Company, one of the largest Engineering Companies in the World, his older brother is a full Partner in an American Company, one of the worlds biggest accountants and business companies. Both these boys left school at fifteen and furthered their education outside the Government run education system. So, as you pointed out, there are always opportunities for advancement, if you are prepared to put the effort in.
I remember at one of my exams at the RH they put different year pupils with my class. I was sat next to Johnnie Pattison. Before the exam, which was maths, he asked me if I was worried about anything. I told him ‘so and so’ and he explained to me how I should work it out. It was a method I use today and was better than anything I had been taught.
Benny, the Jonnie Pattison you mentioned playing for Richard Hind is my brother in law, still living in Stockton, he went on to become an accountant with Frank Brown and Walford and then Pickerings Lifts. My husband Dave also played for Richard Hind, althought he is younger. Dave says he had a game of golf with you when you were visiting several years ago, along with your late nephew Dave (Gabbler) Allison.
Again you may be right Benny, I could be one eyed when it comes to Richard Hind and their football teams, mind you when I was at RH for four years I think the school won the League four years on the trot but when I played we lost to Ronnie Walker’s Oxbridge in the final of the cup a very sad result for Mr Plummer and Mr’s Fenny and Rosser. I think Ken Sawyer took the team over after I left and went on to more great successes.
I think you are a bit one eyed in your assessment of the School teams of 1949/50 season in relation to their respective strengths Ken, as both teams had four members in the Stockton Boys team that year, in a team I had the honour of captaining. In respect of losing players half way through the season I put it to you, if we take out the respective players from the Richard Hind team that the Newham Grange Team lost at the Christmas break ie, both full backs in Lol Cann, and Eddie Simpson, plus our outside right and centre forward, the Richard Hind team would have had to complete their season without Edgar Fellows, Ken Baker, Jonnnie Pattinson, and my old mate Eddie Wilkinson if we discount the same position players for the Richard Hind School Team. Now if you tell me this team could have gone on without these players and achieved the success they did, I will eat hay with the donkeys. I do not know how many times Richard Hind won the League or the Salmon Cup between 1946 and my last season in 1950, maybe Anon knows these facts, but I do know that the honours were pretty well distributed while I was in the Newham Grange team for the four seasons 1947, 48, 49 and 50. Bailey Street, Tllery Oxbridge, and St Bedes were prominent in these seasons. I think we played Oxbridge in the Final of Salmon Cup in 1948 as I still have the runners up medal after losing 1-0 on the Victoria Ground. Schools football in those days was a fantastic experience due to the Teachers running the teams, our Mr Ray Irvine used to tell us you turn up for matches hail, rain, snow, or tempest, and we did. We made life long friends even from schools we were playing against, people like Eddie Wilkinson, Edgar Fellows, and many more I keep in touch with even today.
Benny when I played for Richard Hind I played right till the end of the football season and still left school early because at our age at fifteen we were playing senior school football as Ken will no doubt tell you. I don’t think the age level would have affected your chances at winning any medals that year because the team your good friend Eddie Wikkinson played for was a good team and if I remember corrctly and Ken will remember won many trophies. You are right Benny, when I was at Richard Hind the first two year classes were made up of forty plus boys which split into three classes and continued till the pupils left the school. Benny I’m sure your pal Kitty (Eddy) rubbed it in about the good teams RH always had and all the medals he had won.
It was not long after Benny Brown’s time at Newham Grange that the first leaving date was moved to end of March. Later in my career as more pupils sat examinations such as CSE (Certificate of Secondary Education) then more & more stayed for the whole school year. It is not simple to respond about school numbers per class at the end of my career. 1985. Classes or Forms were usually an administrative tool. More likely 30 in a form and 120 in a year group. Classes varied for different subjects and what in the jargon were called sets. I would have 5 sets in a year group so some 24 in a class. In subjects such as woodwork, metalwork, technical drawing, home economics/cookery or whatever was the fashionable title whereas at one time it would be boys only in woodwork and girls only in home economics I changed that so that pupils could opt for subjects of their choice. There might be 16 to 18 for Home Economics and at least 3 of them would be boys. Again class sizes depended upon school years. In years 1 and 2 (what are now 7 & 8) would be quite conventional and for classroom subjects (that exempts the crafts, PE etcetera)the size would be that of the form. Does that help Benny? I certainly experienced a lot of change in teaching group sizes from starting at Richard Hind in 1949 through to teaching at a magnificently equipped almost new C of E Secondary School in Rugby prior to moving to Halifax in 1968. What I can say is that I greatly enjoyed my career I particularly enjoyed stimulating and encouraging pupils to raise their expectations of themselves. I get e-mails from one boy who having failed the 11+ in Rugby is now a University Professor!
You are probably right Benny, we are on different timelines, mine being earlier than yours. We had football teams from almost every street back then. My best friend, Dennis Goldsbrough, played for Leven Road, was poached by Eamont road, then played for a Stockton team when he left the Frederick Nattras at 14. All the schools had teams but economics dictated what the teams achieved. My good friend sadly gone now. Noel Kiddle who’s mother, a widow, needed the money was absent from school from age twelve and apparently the School Bobby brought him back so many times only for him to be gone again to work with his beloved Co-op horses who had a stable in Railway Street back then. They gave up on him at age thirteen, he joined up at eighteen and spent three years in the Army PT Corp. Most lads not at high school, and quite a few who were, could not get out fast enough and into jobs that put some money in their pockets, a few shillings made all the difference to them and their families. My starting wage at sixteen was 13/4 a week, most of which I got back from my mother and was spent at the local dance halls. I can imagine sports masters at some schools just gave up when lads had one thought in their minds and that was to get away, you could not forward plan in those cases. Your leaving age was 15, it was supposedly 14 at general school and 16 at high school – in my time very few made it, my class of twenty dwindled to fourteen long before most were sixteen. Growing lads needed new uniforms and kit, a time would come when it was beyond some parents. All the boys played games and there was plenty of choice for team captains, football was not for me, rugby came to an end when I put my shoulder out and cricket which I loved did not appear to be the main school sport plus the fact Norton Cricket club did not want us common lot. All things are relevent to the time line they occupy, the 50-60’s was a good time for football but obviously not for some of the schools.
I think you may have missed my point Frank, I was trying to explain the reason why some Schoolboy footballers sometimes never saw the season out playing for their School team or the Stockton Boys teams, due to the different rule for being eligible to leave school. As I explained this only affected the Secondary Modern schoolboy footballers, who left school at the Christmas break if they had achieved the grand old age of 15 years. As for School numbers in the class at that time they were usually forty plus. not the ideal situation. Ken might like to give us an insight into what the School numbers were per class when he retired his Headship.
Thanks Brian it was for the boys representing Stockton then, in the photo of the boys 2nd row, 3rd left looks like Tommy Osbourne.
Anon, wanted to know if you had to pay to go this football course at Ampleforth College, not at all lads were picked out by the stockton boys football coaches. I myself went in 1957 with most of lads from the 1959 team. We had a wonderful time.
Well Benny, who said life was ever fair. There are two sides to every coin and it happens I was on the other side to yours. My parents could afford the things needed, so many could not, and I did as I was told (sometimes). In the great panic of 1940 having passed the eleven plus my sister and I found ourselves in a place we had never heard of called Deighton living with a lovely lady we called Aunt Rose, we went to school by bus each morning 5 miles to Brompton for half a day and me on to Northallerton Secondary which was overcrowded with evacuees from Sunderland area so massive classes and not much teaching, the Brompton School had smaller classes and good teachers. I ended up back home and mother was told I would have a place in the Grammar School but one year behind, no way said mother and ran me to the Richard Hind who took me straight in as I did get some Latin and French in Northallerton. I was very upset at the thought of being away from kids I had been to Norton Board with and then even more upset as they started to leave school from twelve years old onwards and earn what I thought good money to spend, very few made it to near 14 the correct leaving age. The outlook at those high schools was we would leave in time and take up posts in banks, building society’s or office jobs in factories, in my mothers case it was going to be on to the Durham Agricultural College and life as a gentleman farmer, well the best laid plans, I had other idea’s. After final exams we were allowed out of school to visit factories or work places who had written to ask the headmaster for suitable boys, I got a note to go to Kidds and as we arrived outside the building a lad we knew came out and said ‘do not come here it is terrible’ so back to school we went. The next was me going with John who had a note for Francis Browns, I watched totally fascinated by flying sparks, metal being formed and the wonderful shapes of dust extracting ducts. John had not done well in the exams so was offered a job in the wire works which he stayed at until he retired. Arthur asked me what I had done and was impressed with the Maths and technical drawing, after a long interview with Arthur and Norma, his wife, and much shaking of head by me he finally got a yes to serve my time but the deciding factor was I could hear the men singing over all the noise, men who sing must be happy? That meant night school although we did get half a day leave from work on a Friday which was not common back then. I have taken every opportunity to gain extra knowledge through my life, the Army Education system was very good and got me books I requested and some courses. ICI were hot on extra education, sending me back to college for 26 weeks quite late in life. My thoughts are; no matter how good or bad a start you get, it is then up to you. There were, and still are, excellent opportunities to take courses where you have lectures to put you on track but then having to research to get the knowledge you need handing in your papers to be assessed. Even after retirement I used the local college system for many courses including computing. Education does not end on leaving school whatever age that is, only when you feel enough is enough. I am not there yet and Stockton has a wonderful further education facility so why not use it. Sorry Benny, too far for you to come, but surely lifes hard knocks can only be put right by ourselves.
Frank you don’t mention quayside engineers…
If you need to know anything about Durham County Schools football you can obtain a book called Durham County Schools’ F.A. Centenary Celebration which costs £10 + £3 postage & package. Stockton have had three past chairmen in 1931-32 W.A. Salmon, 1951-52 H.Rigg & 1968-69 T.B.Buckle. The only two Stockton players mentioned are Gordon Jones whose omission from the D.C.S.F.A. under 15 squad because they said he ‘wasn’t big enough to play’ caused the Stockton Schools Chairman to offer his resignation to the county officials. Eric Young of Richard Hind played for England u15 in 1967-68 & Youth International,these are from the past notable Durham schoolboy players.
The point about Schoolboy footballers leaving School before the end of the Schools football season has always been a sore point with me, Richard Hind never suffered from this problem as they were required to stay to the end of the School term to sit their School Leaving Certificate, wheras the boys from the secondary Modern Schools, being the lowest level of school education, the powers that be thought it not necesary for these boys to be properly educated, therby allowing them to leave school without any qualifications, after all were they not to become the basic labour force of the factories etc, and not the high flyers of the Grammar and Secondary Grammar schools. I know when I was playing for Newham Grange we were locked in a very close battle with Richard Hind and by the end of the season we had lost four key members of our team due to this rule. Richard Hind went on to win the Durham County Cup that year. I discovered in later years that Newham Grange had been denied a match winning goal against Richard Hind in the Durham County Cup early round, the reason being that it was common knowledge the the Newham Grange Schoolboys Team would be decimated at the Christmas Holiday break, which is what happened, and if this was going to happen then Newham Grange Team would not be strong enough to win the Durham County Cup, therfore the winning goal was disallowed, and the replay was won by Richard Hind on their home ground at Grovenor Rd. So for the honour of a Stockton Winning the County Cup was put in place, on reflection Newham Grange would not have won the cup that year due to losing four of their key players. You may wonder where I got all this information from, well it was given to my father years later by the teacher who was the referee on that day, over a beer, when the teacher involved told my father that he owed me an appology for the incident which was then twenty odd years earlier, and had been on his concience ever since, as I had scored the winning goal only to be given offside after dribbling past two opponents to score making it impossible to be offside. No regrets now as it gave Stockton the County Cup for the 49/50, which they would not have won with any other team. Anon might know how many times Stockton have won the County Cup?
Was this training camp for the Stockton Boys representative team or was it for any schoolboy from the schools who was prepared to pay to attend the course, can anybody confirm this & identify the boys in the photo?
In both instances I referred to the teams that actually played in the games of 1946 and 1959,I never mentioned a squad,the point I was making is that Bailey Street and Tilery schools had a great tradition of having top sportspersons representing Stockton schools.
Anon is wrong about Bailey Street not having a player in the squad that got to semi-final, I played in every game up to the Hull City replay game. I left school after that game and could not play again.
Hi Brian, good to hear you’re still with us, in our days at school you were the best! I went on to become a football league referee, but now have plastic Knees for my efforts! keep going buddy, regards Barrie Miller.
You must of meant the best in your Bailey Street time, Barrie, but a lot come into that category, Bill Harburn was a champion schoolboy swimmer as well as a Stockton Boys footballer he still holds the record for goalscoring in a season for South Bank Juniors with a 129 goals and played for South Bank, Bishop Auckland and Crook Town in the late forties and early fifties before emigrating to Australia where he captained them in the 1956 Olympics, Sudron who played in goal for Stockton Boys in the 1946 National Final against Leicester Boys, then there is Brian Atkinson, Ernie Johnson and Maurice (Moggy) Robinson to name a few.
These photos were taken about a year before Stockton Boys reached the English Schools semi-final, two of the teachers Brother Francis & Ken Tiffin were players in the local leagues. The Stockton team that reached the semi-final had two lads from Newham Grange School- Donny Heath and Kenny Thomas – and the rest from different schools. Bailey Street & Tilery Schools were not represented, whereas the Stockton Boys that reached the final in 1946 had four from Richard Hind, three from Bailey Street, two from Newham Grange, one from St Bedes & Tilery.
Remembered you had a brother, Kay, thanks for reminding me of his name! Think we could write a book on Mr West. Took me back years when I saw his face in Peter Rigg’s photo’s! Hope I don’t have nightmares tonight lol!
Irene you certainly did, I was racking my brains trying to remember her name – I knew there was an important letter O in it, good on you. I remember my father going to the school after Mr West when he pushed my brother Ronnie over the milk crate and resulted in Ronnie going to the hospital, this was the one occasion when my father thought the punishment wasn’t deserved. By the way, going back to Miss Powell; she was a right harum scarum type of woman, I was really wary of her.
By golly I got it … Miss Powell! They say as you get older you can remember what happened years ago, but not what happened yesterday!! err what did happen yesterday??!!
Kay/Linda
Small world aint it! Laughing to myself here, Kay, very observant children we were, weren’t we! I remembered being sent out of class for talking on more than one occasion (who me!) but was with Norma Rayner one particular time. Quite enjoying ourselves until we spotted Mr Rigg coming, then we put our serious faces on and dashed back in the classroom only to start giggling. Mr West’s “perhaps the cane will stop you giggling” soon sobered us both up!! Just had a flashback… was the teacher Miss/Mrs Peacock?
Like you, Irene, I was no fan of Mr West. I remember the teacher you mentiond but I can’t recall her name, I remember she got her finger trapped in the blackboard and she sent me for Mr West to free her. I remember him striding down the corridor and me running after him and listening to him calling her all the bloody idiotic women he had ever met – he didn’t like her one bit. I think Miss Jones from infant 4 was his favourite.
I have photos of the wedding Linda, your Uncle Kenny was best man for Margarets husband. I remember your mam and gran with fondness, lovely ladies.
Kay Fiddess – I remember your mam very well in the pub at Portrack as my mam Elsie was a very good friend of hers and we visited every Friday night on the way to see my gran in Campbell Street. I was bridesmaid with you for your sister Margaret. Interested to read that you were in the same class at school as Irene King who later became a very good friend of mine when she moved to Mill Lane School.
For Mick Turner: I lived in No.6 – two up, two down, no bathroom, outside loo and a tin bath hanging in the yard! Jack, Myra and John lived next door but one. We had a gas lamp outside our house! Mr Brown was the lamplighter and his daughter Carol used to take me to Sunday School at St James Church. Herbert Turner died a short time ago and I met up with Kath, Pat and John at his funeral, also Kevin and Val Turner who are now close friends with my brother Peter. I am the eldest followed by Peter, Stephen and Julie. I think I remember you too, Mick. We didn’t have electricity when we lived in Wyndham Street and I remember when we moved to Browns Bridge we didn’t have a TV at first. Used to rush home from school, get tea then run up the road to Bert and Katy’s to watch The Lone Ranger.. they had moved before us and had a TV!!! Ah yes, Larges Mansion…. remember Mr & Mrs Large were in the Salvation Army, called ‘Mrs’.. Lydia I think. John, Margaret, Joyce, Frankie I remember too.
I always take the ‘scenic route’ and drive up Wyndham Street en route to Asda… happy days!
Hello Kay, lovely to hear from you. Yes we were at school together and I think your family had a pub on Portrack Lane. I am looking for a number of photo’s to scan on the website, will add that one to the list! Mr Grainger was lovely, came from Stokesley and never gave the girls the cane! Mr West was another matter! What was the name of the teacher with ginger hair and green eyes… used to go bright red and look really scary when she got mad! I remember starting school and walking home to Wyndham Street at playtime thinking it was hometime!
Hi Kay, my mum and dad had Portrack Cons Club during the late 1950s, I played with the Zephyrs Band with boys from Bailey Street school and played over most of the UK. I do remember nice memories of a colonial Portrack, where problems were sorted with our fists! Nice to see your still here, regards Barrie Miller
for Irene Horsburgh,my dad, I believe, was born and brought up in Wyndham Street(Jim Turner). I also had other relations living there round about the same time as yourself namely uncle Jack Turner his wife aunt Myra and there son John also uncle Bert and aunt Katy Howells and their children Herbert, Kath and Pat,also other distant relatives dads aunts etc. I myself lived in Nicholson St till I was about 10 or 11 then like you we moved to Browns Bridge. I do vaguely remember you and your family, I believe you have a younger brother??,whats interesting about Wyndham st is the fact it is still there all be it there are no houses but until a few years ago the street name was there to see but someone decided to rename it and make it part of Portrack Lane mainly i suppose that there are no buildings as such on that piece of road that once was Wyndham st just the side of a car sale room and the side of what is now a bus garage ,do you remember the house that was set back a little at the end of Wyndham st? The wall I seem to remember was were some would play hand ball, I think this house was known locally as Larges Mansion
For Irene Horsburgh. It would appear from the dates that you quoted Irene, that we were at Portrack Primary at the same time. I lived in Lambert Street at the time but during my school days I was known by my middle name which officially is Ronald, but was called Ronnie
I am sure I went to school with you, Irene, I was looking at a photo with Mr Grainger. He was a lovely man, I can name a few of the boys and a lot of the girls – Jackie Ingram , Norma Rayner Kathleen Hunter, Carol and Sandra White ,Christine Foley – it is possibly the same photo that you have.
For George Clement: Thanks George. I was born in Wyndham Street, Portrack. Attended Portrack Primary from approx 1950 to 1955 and then we moved to Browns Bridge and I went on to Mill Lane. I remember I had to travel back to sit the first half of the 11 plus! I have a class picture taken in Mr Grainger’s class will try and send it in.
Hello Peter Rigg, I have posted quite a few photos of your father with the kids who went to Switzerland in 1951. I am sure you can look them up. Regards, William
Mr Rigg had a penchant for knowing who was not paying attention during his lessons,his throwing of the chalk was almost 100%.We at Mill-Lane were very fortunate to have him as one of our teachers. Mr Cohen until his tragic accident was the Headmaster. Mr Rex,Miss Wright(how apt)I also remember with affection.
For Irene Horsburgh. Peter Rigg does mention that Harry Rigg was his father and it was the same Harry Rigg who was the headmaster at Portrack Primary School in St Anne’s Terrace during the 1950’s. In fact he moved from Portrack to become the headmaster of Tilery Road Boys School about 1957/58, I think, on the retirement of Albert Griffiths. I attended both schools in the 1950s as I lived in Portrack at the time and consequently had Harry as my headmaster almost throughout my time in school from about 1949 to 1959.
Just wondered if your father was the same Harry Rigg who was headmaster at Portrack Primary School, St Anne’s Terrace, around 1950’s
These two photographs are the only surviving records of this event from my father’s collection. Unfortunately there is no key to identify who is on either of the pictures; my two brothers and I have collectively identified most of the teachers but we have not been able to name any of the boys. Starting with the "Teachers" photograph our Dad, Harry Rigg, is in the foreground and working to the right are Ken Tiffin, Alan Cornforth and Brother Francis. On the left hand side of the picture are an unidentified member of the clergy and, I think, possibly Peter Muir (apologies to all concerned if I am mistaken). The group of teachers at the left-hand side of the group photograph includes a crouching Bill Campbell and possibly Peter Muir whilst at the right are Brother Francis, Harry Rigg, Ken Tiffin and Chris Laird.
My memories of the camp itself are neither many nor detailed, but I do have one from the latter stages of the preparations. When the blankets arrived a few days before the start of the camp it was quickly apparent that they were infested with unwanted forms of life. There was no time to organise an alternative supply of sterile bedding and fortunately the Stockton and Thornaby Hospital was able to retrieve the situation by fumigating the blankets!