Two silver trophies awarded in the 1940s to boys attending and competing at The Eagle Boys Club in Stockton. This club met at Woodlands, a large house on Yarm Lane next to Leybourne Terrace. The club was run by Frank Showell, when he was not teaching at the nearby Oxbridge Lane School. Mr Showell is described elsewhere on Picture Stockton as being “a wonderful teacher and a great motivator”. The names of the club members are engraved on the plaques, they include – Dennis Noble, A. Todd, R. Wiley and W Palfreeman. Has anybody any memories about this club?
Photograph and details courtesy of Cliff Thornton.
Picture Stockton Archive 
I apologise for not remembering Fred the Fish’s surname i am sure Anon will be able to help me out with this one. .
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Fred Pearce was his name Ben.
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Thanks Anon I was sure I could rely on you for the information. You still use the Anon nom de plume but I think I have your identity which I will keep a secret, Gran Cooper was also aware of your real name and I know that Ken Sawyer was always puzzled at not knowing the secret, both great friends no longer with us who enjoyed the site for many years.
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Yes it is a shame we have lost Gran Cooper & Ken Sawyer who like your good self were a great source of information especially sport in the area from the early forties to the sixties.
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Yes Anon I was deeply involved in Sport in England until I moved to South Africa in 1962, where I played in the National South African Professional league until returning to Teesside, then to Bristol, then Australia with a Company transfer with Rio Tinto, where I retired 28 years ago, I still keep an interest in local events on Teesside through this site. I arrived in Australia one month after the tragic death in the Melbourne Bridge disaster of Bill Harburn. Bill was the last man to die of the 37 construction workers killed in the Bridge Collapse after a struggle in Hospital in Melbourne, Bill was a great friend of mine as I was his apprentice at the Stockton Forge works of Heads Wrightsons in Tilery…
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Another snippet about Bill Harburn was that his football talents were soon recognised in Australia and he Captained the Australian football team in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. The Bridge Collapse was in November 1970.
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Norman Toulson was not only a good cricketer but a top Table Tennis Player with Whom I played in the Thornaby Boys Club Team. Norman was also a top Darts player, one of the best on Teesside. He worked at the Stockton Forge of Head Wrightsons and was rated a a first class Boiler Maker (Plater as we called them ) eventually becoming a Manager at one of Teesside Engineering Companies. A great all round Sports man and a well loved mate to Boot. Norman and I played at the Eagle club in the Teesside Table Tennis Competition. I seem to remember that Dennis Noble was also a top Table Tennis player and think he played for Durham County
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Norman worked in our fabrication dept. at Cunliffe Engineering when I was in charge of quality, he was also a keen photographer, I lent him a few photos of the old Primrose Hill teams so he could make copies, he remembered me as a youngster at Primrose Hill when they played at Norton Showfield when he used to come to games with Bob Harburn, Bob Wallace & friends.
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My Dad Norman Toulson always spoke with fond memories of the Eagle Boys Club. He made a lifelong friend of Dennis Noble one of the names on the trophy. When we were kids my Dad took us to see Dennis at his house in Fairfield regularly, where he lived with his wife Sophie. Dennis was a very good table tennis player, I think he played for Stockton Cricket Club but I could be wrong. He once gave me a book which he got from serving in the Navy ( like an sailors handbook) I still have it.
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Was this Norman Toulson a very good local cricketer, a slow spin bowler if my memory serves me well?
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He was a cricketer, played for Thornaby CC for best part of 50 yrs
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I remember playing table tennis against the Eagle Club for the Primrose Hill Club about 1952/53 time. One of their top players was Fred the Fish who later owned the fish and chip shop on Durham Road, I seem to remember that they played upstairs on the premises.. I think the club was some where near to Bowesfield Lane. .
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Who was the W. Palfreeman listed in the preamble.
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Harry, I suspect that W. Palfreeman was one of the teenagers who attended this boys club. His name appears on the plaque of the trophy on the right. He won a competition in 1945, but I do not know if it was William Palfreeman (b.1928), or Walter Palfreeman (b.1932).
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No , but I went to Oxbridge school from 1956 for four years… Then to Richard Hind.
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