This is a photograph of The 1st Wolviston Boy Scout Troup heading out to our annual weeks camp, I think it was to Staindrop in 1956, I could be wrong as it was a long time ago. Our Skipper or General Scout Master was Johnny Antrobus from Billingham, I look back and realise how much time and effort he put in to Scouting with no real recognition of his good work. He ran our troop with lots of fun and discipline, it was somewhere we all looked forward to going to every Friday Night. I believe Skip and Scouting gave me a good start in life. Some of our members I am still in touch with to this day.
Some of the names I can remember in this photograph are Alan Bell, George Caldwell, Oswald Dodds, Keith Humble, Brian Humble, Richard Nelson, Keith Nesbitt, Keith Parnaby, Derek Redfearn, Graham Smith, Dave Tatchell, Billy Woodall, Alan Weedall, George Walker, Dennis Young and the Pinder brothers whose first names I can’t remember.
Photograph and details courtesy of Ian Dalrymple.
Just come across this 5 years later! I’m not sure which one is Oswald Dodds but unless there were 2 of them he was in my class at Billingham North and was 9 in 1956.
Ditto David Tatchell, whom i didn’t know at school but who later married one of my friends from Henry Smith’s, Jennifer Adams. The last time I saw them, in the early 70s, they were living in Acton, she was a French teacher and he was doing a PhD at Imperial College.
I wonder if Alan Weedall was related to Phil Weedall, who would have been born in c. 1944, last seen at a Henry Smith’s reunion in 2002 looking exactly the same.
i went to Brownies & then Guides in Wolviston. we got the bus from The Swan in Billingham. i didn’t particularly enjoy it!
Front Row from the left – Kid with glasses is one of the Pinder brothers, next in the white shorts is me, ian Dalrymple, next poking his head in is Ozzie Dodds. Hope this helps.
Hello there
I just have seen your image of 1st Wolviston Boy Scouts c1956.
It reminded me about one similar , I replied to back in 2017.
Thank you for your kind comments regarding General Scout Master Johnny Antrobus from Billingham. Sounds about right for there were so many like him who were so selfless and community minded .
He was my Uncle John and lived at 13 (I think) Ravensworth Road Billingham with his wife Florence (nee Peverley) my Auntie Floss. Florence parents lived in Pentland but were originally from Sacriston. They lived there all their married lives pretty well, and in any case since those houses were built. since John passed on circa 1998 a few years after Floss who suffered long term M.S. not long before my own parents Eric and Margaret Howells (nee Antrobus ) in 2000. They lived in Ludlow Shropshire where dad came from. Connections as John’s youngest sister.I shared more details about this at the time back in 2017.
The boy in the front centre wearing the cap and leather looking jacket was my cousin Ian Hendry (known as Cope) in latter times. Ian lived for the most part at 274 Cotswold crescent, earlier times in the prefabs up by the old station. Ian was adopted by my Auntie Molly (John’s younger sister) and her then husband Biff Hendry. I think they were all pretty well known and others have posted comments a few years ago. Ian lived his latter years in Warwick, survived by his wife Trish.
In John’s latter years he was well cared for by my cousin Neill Antrobus and his family. Neill being John’s nephew Ian Antrobus , John’s youngest brother. I seem to have lost track of Neill in latter times, finding it hard to find him, hope they are all OK. Neill was living around Stockton last time we visited them. Covid has put paid to our visits to the North East too where I returned to take part in Great north Run with my daughter until I was 65.
Again I still live in Telford Shropshire. Missing Boro’ away matches and look forward like everyone else to get back to some kind of normal .
Hope this is of some help and interest, has helped me remember a happy childhood and youth with my family on Teesside.
Robert (Bob) Howells
I can’t help with identifying Oswald Dodds in the photo, Patricia but he would be a little older than suggested by the date in the heading. Ian was unsure of the precise date when he posted it but it would have been taken in 1958 if we were on our way to camp in Nawton, near Helmsley or 1959 if we were off to Staindrop.
I have kept in regular contact with David and Jennifer Tatchell since schooldays. David completed his PhD and started up his own very successful engineering company which eventually became listed on the stock exchange as a PLC. Jennifer continued to teach until their retirement which they are both enjoying where they now live in Dorking, Surrey.
Hi Keith
Thanks, Keith, the age thing makes sense because at 9 Ozzie would have still been in the Cubs.
I’m so pleased to know that David Tatchell did well and that both are happy. I regret having lost touch with them but perhaps you could let them know that I haven’t forgotten them. Jennifer and I were two out of only five, all girls, in our year who did A-level French. My surname in those days was Buttle and I was known as Pat, which I hated: none of the family had ever used it and I’d never been called it until we moved to Billingham (from Eaglescliffe) when I was 7. Unfortunately as half my class from Billingham North went to Henry Smith’s it followed me.
In the front row from the left is one of the Pinder brothers, next is a skinny kid in white shorts is me Ian Dalrymple, then peeking over my shoulder wearing a beret is Ozzie Dodds. I hope this helps Patricia
Thanks, Ian. I remember him as chunkier than that but it’s extremely unlikely there’d have been two of them.
Your right Bob. Biff Hendry was Ian’s adopted father. Ian’s mother, Molly, was John Antrobus’s sister. A bit of a mixture between the Hendry’s and the Antrobus’s. Ian later found his birth Mother living in Berwick Hills, and took his birth name of Cope. Biff left Molly in the early 1960’s, and was last heard of living in Saltash in Cornwall, according to Ian. Ian himself lived for a few years in Cornwall, before moving to Warwick, and I think he met him there.
Hello there
Just stumbled on by accident, amazed how much you know. Ian Hendry was my cousin, my name being Robert Howells. Ian has sadly passed away a few years ago from cancer, living in Warwick like you say with his wife Trish still living there.
I guess our Ian born in 1947/8 same age as my older brother Eric. I am 64 and connection being that my mam Margaret (Antrobus) Howells was molly’s sister – they were so close. They lived at 274 Cotswold Crescent and she was raised at 98 same road with John – molly and younger brother Ian now all deceased.
I spent so much of my childhood and youth on Teesside my spiritual home really. We moved to Ludlow, Shropshire where dad belonged very young and the family including Dad all worked for ICI. My dad being from there meeting mam from being wounded in the war as a nurse at Sedgfield hospital.
John and dad were both royal engineers veterans in WW2 serving in Europe. Grandad Jack was in WW1 at the Somme etc and disabled from then.
I remember all with great memories. Ian was my soul mate for years trailing round with him nights out drinking in the Tuc club by Kennedy flats or down boro’, Tenpin bowling at Billingham Brunswick bowl & fish &chips from Hoggs or over the tin lizzie to Cowpen.
His stepdad Biff passed on a few years ago but his step mother Ann (who was Uncle Ian’s first wife) still lives in Cornwall. Ian was a decent footballer and played around alongside at the time with Willie Maddren who went on to a great career at Boro. I recall impossible to get the ball off both were so good.
We were and I still am big Boro fans and Ian used to take me through the squeeze in the Holgate end at Ayresome park. I still follow Boro mainly at away games near my home in Telford since 1979.
Ian started work as a plater in Graythorp shipyard but later on when the decimation of industry Ian turned to become something of a full time gambler hence settling in Warwick near loads of racecourses. His bookies credit in Newquay and cornwall a bit too successful. He had a good heart though and spent years voluntary CAB in Brum.
Both uncle John and Ian were great with us and kind mentors and such humour and principles, the image was so real. I return periodically to the north east my kids grandkids proud with their Boro tops.
Interesting my uncle Ian who was a tanker driver was big pals with an Alan Bell on the image also a driver and my own engagement was at the ici club in 1978. they met in transport corner at the club.
Our nearest neighbours from memory were Fairweathers, Semple, Coates,Days, Moss and relations named Antrobus; offhandian had a friend david Fawcett also
—-all so long ago. hope this jogs a memory or two
regards
bob howells
I recognize Ian Dalrymple from the picture. A bit older than me but, always recognizable. Can’t place anyone else though.
The boy in the centre at the front is Ian Hendry(later Ian Cope). Ian died some years ago,after living in the West Midlands since the mid 1980’s. John Antrobus was Ian’s adopted mother’s brother.
Thanks for the Info on Ian Hendry David. Keith Parnaby and I could not come up with his name. I named one of the group as George Caldwell, it should have been Corfield, he was the Entertainer in the troop, Played guitar and sang mostly Lonnie Donnegan songs.
John Antrbus’s wife was the sister of Bif Hendry, I think that Ian was his son.