This photograph shows the football team at St Johns School, Norton c1950. Courtesy of Brian Jameson. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This photograph shows the football team at St Johns School, Norton c1950. Courtesy of Brian Jameson.
This photo is definitely not me. The photo before this is me in goal.
The boy on the right of the front-row is the only one who has not been identified. Henry Fawcett was a member of the Johnnie Taylor Five group who played the dance halls in the sixties. Brian Summerhill and Brian Jameson went on to play for Richard Hind School later.
This photo of the St Johns team must have been season 1952-53.
The Sharp family shop is stirring some dust from my memories! Bernard was in my class at St Johns and I was born and lived in one of the Victorian terraced houses on Norton Road between Hallifield Street and Imperial Avenue, we lived with my grandparents, Lily and Will Storr. Grandad was caretaker of the Malleable Club, which was opposite our house, the old one that is, before it was demolished. He was also caretaker of the chapel on the corner of Victoria Avenue, which was Methodist I believe? I used to go into the Malleable club with him early on a Sunday morning and the smell of the beer and cigarettes was overwhelming, it all had to be cleaned before lunch time, I used to empty and clean the ashtrays for pocket money – maybe that is why I have never smoked!
Yes that was Sharps shop and they lived at the back and above the shop. They also had a stall in the Market which was just opposite the old Blacketts Shop. On the end of the stall was where he had all his bananas stacked. There was also a sister to Charlie.
The Sharps had a greengrocer’s shop at the end of Victoria Avenue, on the side opposite the Christ Church Mission. I think it belonged to them as I’m fairly sure they lived above the shop. Later the shop was a hairdresser’s.
Thank you Maggie Boyd for the name Bernard Sharp – it was one of the ones missing from my photo of St Johns in 1952 (ref t10263) on this site. He is standing next to your brother David Atkinson. At least I think it is him. Did the family have something to do with greengrocers?
Charlie had a younger brother, Bernard, who played with my brother David. I don’t remember a George, but he may have been older.
There was a George Sharp in the same class as me at Richard Hind who was also well known for his loud voice on Stockton market. Was Charlie, George’s brother.
His father had a vegetable stall on Stockton Market. The loudest voice in the Market when Charlie was shouting “Cheap Bananas.”
The football pitch when I was at St Johns ran parallel to the staff room and headmasters office and ran down towards the old Darlington Back Lane where I used to live. The ring road would run almost through the middle of where it used to be, the land between the two schools at that time were little allotment patches that the pupils used to attend to. I have forgotten what they called the school opposite but I don’t think they called it Ragworth school then, no doubt you will know Anon.
That is definitely Charlie Sharpe next to Mr Rowbotham. He lived at the end of our road and used to play with my brothers and me.
The ring road runs past St Johns School & the football pitch was between St Johns & Ragworth School & is still there. The ring road runs through the Norton Showfield which was the football pitches of Barkers Athletic & Primrose Hill.
I think it was Charlie Sharp, he lived on Norton Road just down from Henry Fawcets dads greengrocers. I think I was in the same class as them and remember George Lake, Vernon Jones and Ian Moodie well. I believe George Lakes brother Harold also went to St Johns. I had a few games for St Johns myself on the field where the ring road is now. I used to love this school and have some wonderful memories of it.
I recently found a picture of the St John’s football team which I think is a later group. I’ll dig it out and send it in. Seeing all those faces brings back happy memories as a lot of them were in my class.
I don’t think its Kenny Amos in this photo, Reg
Franks & Bob Smith were in the same year as us at Newham Grange & Kenny was in the year above. Is the Henry Fawcett the one that played the guitar in the Johnnie Taylor Five?
Back row; Sharpe, Robert Smith, Ian Moodie, Stephen Askey, Vernon Jones, Henry Fawcett Front row; George Lake, Reg Franks, Brian Jameson, Brian Summerhill, Kenny Amos.
I think that most of the names are accurate but any corrections are welcome.