A class photograph from Grangefield Grammar School, approximately 1958/9.
Photograph courtesy of Ron Watson.
Grangefield Grammar School c 1958/9
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A class photograph from Grangefield Grammar School, approximately 1958/9.
Photograph courtesy of Ron Watson.
The boy fifth from the left middle row is Ken Redfern and the boy fourth from the right front row is Terrence Boyd his best mate at school. Ken went on to be possibly one of this country’s greatest motor bike racer. He beat many of the worlds greatest ie Hailwood, Read, Sheene and many more of the best. He came second to Agostini twice who rode the works MV in International races when Ken was on a home made Norton. He was on the brink of going a full time professional racer in the GP’s with his best friend Keith Jeal as his mechanic but sadly lost his life at the age of 27 in a motorcycle road accident. He was the Laird of Croft autodrome and a trophy set up in his name was raced for, the past 50 years. He was a gentleman of gentlemen. RIP Ken.
An interesting photo. I’m wondering what the class number was? I was a pupil at Grangefield. In 1958/59 I was in class 5 Alpha aged 15/16.
I don’t recognise any of the faces or the quoted names. Geoff Proctor, residing in Oxbridge, was in 5A and he was killed in a TT race shortly after leaving school.
I was not aware that Ken Redfern was such an acclaimed rider, but aware he had an untimely end.
It is Terry Boyes, the younger brother of “Mick”, you have pointed out.
This class in 1961 either stayed on and attended sixth form, or took steps to improve the world(???)
Stan, Ken was a very acclaimed rider and if you google ‘Ken Redfern motorbike racer’ there is a lot of information about him. His other brother Mick was also a pretty good racer as well. Must have been something in their dna. I vaguely knew Terence Boyce and was introduced to him as ‘ bull ‘ or ‘wool the bull ‘, I think he went on to become a TV or film producer ?, he always carried a cini camera around with him.