This is a photograph of guys from Head’s heavy and light machine shops on their annual trip to Blackpool probably around 1968/69.
The trips were organised by Peter McGann, who is probably taking the photo, unfortunately I can only name the younger ones but I am sure Len Nicholson with his fantastic memory will be able to fill in the missing names.
Seated on the floor left to right is Stevie Whitmarsh, Dave Pitt, Gordon Grant, behind them (l to r) me (Brian Parker) and Tommy Proctor I don’t know the third guy who I think was a mate of Tommy’s and didn’t work at Heads.
The trips were a good mixture of ages with constant laughter, banter, ribbing and practical jokes and I felt privileged to be part of them.

Photograph and details courtesy of Brian Parker.

This is the Billingham I remember from my teenage years, it was a great place to grow up in, the council was very forward looking and live music in the Town Centre was one of many things they did to enliven the town.

The five piece band, the drummer is hidden in the middle, could be The Johnny Taylor Five, they were often to be seen performing in the Town Centre. I don’t know if the crowd were there to see the band or were already there and taking advantage of the live entertainment.

One of the things that sticks in my mind about Billingham Town Centre was the fact that you would always meet somebody you knew or somebody you didn’t know who would speak to you, always friendly, Billingham people.

Brown Brothers & Taylor was one of the first shops to open in the Town Centre, this was in the mid 1950s, Finlays was a favourite place for youngsters as they had a record department where the young ladies behind the counter would play records of your choice, as in Leslie Browns in Stockton there were a couple of listening booths where we would get crammed in and listen to records by the likes of Guy Mitchell, Lonnie Donegan, Adam Faith and many others, the staff were very good as they knew full well that we had no money with which to buy records and most of us didn’t even have a gramaphone, this is what we called them before record player became the usual name, on which to play them.

At this time Billingham had fish ponds and aviaries in the Town Centre, not acceptable nowadays but an interesting feature at the time. A very lively place.

Photograph and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman.

I have attached a very early class photograph probably the first year I attended St Peter and Paul’s school. I would have been six years old at the time as my first year at school was spent at St Mary’s in Stockton. Some of the teachers from this time I remember are:
Miss Blenkinsop, Mrs Ferguson, Miss Holmes, Mrs Smith, Jim Doughty (Head master), Miss Gallagher, Mr Macintosh.

The names of the pupils I can remember (I hope) are; Back row (l-r): Peter Dee. Keith Codd, Gerard Downey, Anthony Monk, Terry Bainbridge, Brett, ?, Ken Salmon, Dave Cook, Francis Kane, Fred Burr, ?, John Mathews, ?.

Middle row (l-r); Carol Vettas, ?, Nertney, ?, Kathleen Rawlins, Sylvia Stottle, ?, ?, Patricia Roberts, Elisabeth Goldsmith, Linda Parker

Front Row (l-r); Alan Taylor, Brian Philips, Jimmy Shepherd, Eileen Burke, Elisabeth Condon, Christine Waters, Theresa Richardson.

Photograph and details courtesy of Ken Salmon.

These photographs show some of the residents of Lomond Avenue, Billingham around the time the Queens Coronation. I recognise a lot of the faces but the names I know for certain are:

In the football team, standing extreme right is Arthur Davies and 4th from the right is my Dad, John (Jack) Dunn. Kneeling 3rd from right is Eric Rhodes.

In this photograph my mum is standing 2nd from the left.

Photograph and details courtesy of Malcolm Dunn.

This is a photograph of Kestrel Patrol taken at our annual camp in Raby Park c1957. I think it was the day that our parents paid us a visit. In the back row from the left is me Malcolm Dunn (Patrol Leader believe it or not), John Donnachie and Chris Rhodes (my next door neighbour in Lomond Avenue).The names of those in the front row escape me.

Photograph and details courtesy of Malcolm Dunn.

I photograph showing the 4th Norton football team taken (I think) at Newham Grange park. Shame we didn’t have a kit, these were quite tough times though! These will have been taken in the summer of ’83 or ’84, despite the Datsun sponsor on the Boro strip (1980 – 1982).

Photograph and details courtesy of Neal Aberdeen.

A class photograph showing the children at Robert Atkinson Secondary Modern School c1949.

Photograph and details courtesy of Philip Moore

This photograph was given to me by my long standing friend John Hugill. We both attended the Roseberry schools, infants then juniors, between the years 1955 and 1962.

It shows a combined boys/girls running team taken in the school year 1961/1962. The male teacher is Mr O’Neil and the lady sat on his left is Miss Brooker. She was later married to Clive Bell who was head of Geography at Bede Hall. John can’t recall the other lady teachers name I’m afraid.

So onto the team itself starting with the boys. Going left to right in the back row we have Peter Bolton who’s still going strong in Billingham. The boy to his left is of course a very young Willie Maddren who went onto to find fame as both player and in time manager of Middlesbrough FC. He died quite a few years ago from Motor Neurone Disease.

This leaves the 3rd lad in the back row which is John Hugill himself. It’s worth recording that in this school year John was Head Boy. Looking back it must have been an average year!

This leaves the boy in the front row who is Geoff Mills. I’ve no idea what became of him but a pleasant lad from memory.

It’s also worth pointing out that all 4 of the boys were members of the all conquering Roseberry football team in that school year which won a league and cup double under the management of Ian Archer. ”Archie” was everyone’s favourite teacher.

John remembers the names of two of the girls. In the back row standing between Peter Bolton and Willie Maddrew is Diane Stephenson and the girl in the back row next to John Hugill is Lynn Harrison. We did used to have inter schools athletics meetings and John thinks the team may have been competing in something on those lines.

I really like this photograph and I hope you do as well. Mixed relay teams, whatever next!?

Photograph and details courtesy of Martin Birtle.

These women were students at Wynyard Hall Training College c1950. (L to R) Margaret ?, Elizabeth Ross, Ann McLoughlin, Vera?, ??, Irene?.

Can anyone fill in the gaps?

I don’t have a date or names but it looks as if it may be a presentation of some sort, retirement perhaps. If anybody has any information about any of these people or a possible date I will be very interested.

Photograph and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman.

My cousin Pauline Shaw nee Hough attended Grangefield Grammar School from 1962 to 1969. In both photos Pauline is seated to the left of the goalkeeper – she isn’t certain of the exact years but possibly between 1966 and 1968. Can anyone spot themselves or friends?

Image and details courtesy of Martin Birtle and Pauline Shaw.

This is a photograph of my paternal grandma, Annie Little, née Acomb, taken in 1897 when she was aged 1 in a rather old fashioned Victorian baby outfit.

On the reverse is: “A & G. Taylor, Artistic Photographers. Artists in Platinotype, Bromide and Carbon. The Largest Photographers in the World. By Special Royal Warrant Photographers to H.M.The Queen. 106. High Street, Stockton-on-Tees and 55 Lynn St., West Hartlepool”.

Photograph and details courtesy of Chris Little.