Class photograph taken with Mr Byrne in 1963.
Photograph courtesy of Mike Baker.
Grangefield Grammar School Class Photo c1963
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Class photograph taken with Mr Byrne in 1963.
Photograph courtesy of Mike Baker.
Picture Stockton Archive 
Does anyone remember Dougie Brewster? He used to ride his bike with upturned handlebars.
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Hi Irene. I do remember Dougie Brewster from Grangefield and I think I recall you living in Bishopton Court near The Avenue where Maggie Davies lived? I’m now living close to the Peak District in Derbyshire and have been trying to contact Maggie (now Maggie Smith living in Hartburn) and Janet (was Roberts now Wells living near Melsonby)
Let me know if I’ve got the right person by replying on here or via Stockton Archive directly as they have my contact details.
Mike
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I’ve also just found a picture of Dougie Brewster in 3rd year 1960/61 which Stockton Archives haven’t yet published.
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That’s me. Clive Skilbeck and Harry and Irene Watson lived in the court too. Have been in touch with Irene via Cliff Thornton who posts regularly here. I found Grangefield hard work, coming from Primary school and being near the top of the class to a school where almost everyone was cleverer than me was a shock to the system. But looking back I think I had a good education and a year learning Latin stood me in good stead watching University Challenge years later !!!
Hope you manage to contact Janet and Maggie. We sometimes walked to school together.
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Good morning Irene.
I’m pleased that my memory was not playing me tricks and thanks for replying. Like you I was a top scholar at primary but failed at senior school, I think due to lack of application by me. I remember Clive’s name but not Harry and Irene Watson unless they were the parents of Cathy Watson from Grangefield who I guess was your age?
I bumped into Maggie Davies (now Maggie Smith) in the 60’s/70’s when she was working at the Department of Employment in Stockton and I was working in Personnel at the Malleable Works. Through this site I was told her mother had died “recently” and she was living in Hartburn but I’ve had no success in contacting her or Jan Roberts (now Jan Wells) who I believe lives in Melsonby near Richmond.
I’m in touch with Patricia Randall (nee Lyon’s) who lives down south and has been a great help in helping me find people. Pat and I discovered and didn’t know that we both went to Newtown Primary School.
Cliff Thornton was in my form and it would be good to make contact with him.
Hope you are well
Mike
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I was in the class and 4Y before it. The names are useful, Mike. I can remember most but not all. Form room was in a temporary building in the ‘playground’. Eddie Byrne was our form teacher for both years and also mine in the first form as well. Mr D G Bell for two years in between! Mr Byrne took us for Technical Drawing. What did 5X do instead of TD, Brian? Mr Byrne lived on Grangefield Estate and walked to school. He was a good teacher. Saw him a few times after leaving school. Met him on the sea front at North Bay, Scarborough in 1982 where he told me he was emigrating to Canada to join his son, who also went to GGS. John Heron came alll the way from Coxhoe each day!
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Good to hear from you John and hope you’re keeping well? I now live away from Teesside in Derbyshire close to the Peak District after retiring from a job in Human Resources (Personnel) and am heavily involved in voluntary work.
I remember a few pupils travelling in by bus, people like Archie Andrews and Trevor Burridge. I met up with David Paxton recently and spent a few hours reminiscing about the “good old days”
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5X did art.
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I was in same year but 5x. The lettering of the classes strikes me now as little insensitive. There was a 5Z which sounds as if it’s pupils were the lowest of the low.
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Wasn’t Mr Byrne nicknamed “Ed Cookie Byrne” as an homage to the 60’s American TV programme of the era, the name of which escapes me.
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Indeed he was. Although the similarity more or less ended with the surname
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77 Sunset Strip (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/77_Sunset_Strip#Broadcast_history), one of the main characters being Kookie. He was constantly combing his hair, hence the song Kookie, Kookie, lend me your comb. To a 14-15-year-old girl he was sex on legs!
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When I entered Grangefield in 1963 the 1st forms were 1x, 1y and 1z, purely based on alphabetical order of surnames.
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I remember Mr Byrne, a Canadian maths teacher who taught me in the first form and was my form teacher in the Upper 6th (Science). Very nice guy and dedicated teacher.
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I see a Paxton, a Whitehouse and a Nellist in the picture, all of whom I think had younger brothers in the school closer to my age.
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Dave Paxton was an only child and I got to know him well when I broke his leg, accidently of course, playing rugby. Made contact with him again recently after 50+years when I was in Stockton dealing with a family house sale.
Eric Whitehouse played guitar in a rock band , wonder if he’s still going strong?
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If you google StocktonStories -Eric Whitehouse, there’s a video of an interview done for the Globe re-opening. Also, the Blue Caps have a facebook page.
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Thanks Brian. I’m in contact with Patricia Randall ne Lyon who thinks you knew me at Stock/Bill Tech. I’ve been trying to make contact with some of the girls from GGGS Jan Roberts, Maggie Davis but no success.
my ideas?
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Hi Mike,
I’ve completely lost touch with people form school and the tech (where I think we did ONC Commerce). Are you on the two Stockton facebook sites? Familiar names crop up on there from time to time|. .
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He was the most dedicated teacher at Grangefield that I encountered. His enthusiasm about his subject was unequalled by any other teacher. And his trade-mark blowing the dust off the tip of his chalk, immediately before writing on the blackboard.
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Smart, look proud and impressive.
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Presumably this was a second-year class rather than 6th form so R. Butler would not be the Robert in the same infants class as me in Eaglescliffe?
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It was 5th year but I don’t know if Rob Butler went to Eaglescliffe.
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Thanks. The one I did definitely did so it can’t be the same one.
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Derr, I meant the one I knew!
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They don’t look like 2nd years to me. IIRC the dress code only allowed jackets and long trousers rather than school blazers and short trousers to be worn from 4th form onwards.
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I should know it was 5th year as I’m in the photograph and posted it. Who but a 15/16 year old would have a hair style like that? Oh for that hair now
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I thought they didn’t either but ‘2G’ threw me. 😉
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Mr Byrne and his VW Beetle!
Mr Byrne and his description of the Los Angeles Freeway!
Mr Byrne and his ability to teach me about a quadratic equation!!
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I don’t remember the Beetle, nor do I know how he came to be teaching in the UK! What I do remember is that another of our Maths teachers, Toddy Wilkinson, drove a Wartburg Knight that sounded as if it had a motor bike engine!
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They look very smart. Wonder where they are now.
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