St Gerard’s School Football Team c1955

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A photograph showing the Football Team from St Gerard’s School, Haverton Hill c1955. I do believe we won a game but cannot recall the name of our opponents, or if indeed it was just a dream…

Back row (l-r); Mr D Carroll (best teacher ever), Terry Lavery, Terry Callaghan, Cecil Crinnion, Petter Nugent, John Waller, Micky Daniels. Headmaster Mr Morrisey.
Front row (l-r); Frankie McGrogan, Tony Crinnion, Charlie Kennedy, Billy McGreal, Frankie Kennedy.
Nice to see old photographss of Haverton Hill to remind us of how things used to be.

Photograph and details courtesy of Cecil Crinnion.

Ashmore, Benson & Pease Company Memorial Plaques, August 2018

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The Ashmore, Benson & Pease Co., 1914 – 1918 memorial plaque from the Bowesfield Works. It reads:

“Lest We Forget”
To the enduring memory of comrades from these works, who gave their lives, in the Great War. 1914 – 1918
Appleby J, Evis P.C, Owen A, Branson F.A,  Foster C.E, Ramsey J, Brown E, Jackson E, Rowntree J.N, Clasper T.S, King J, Scott G.S, Craggs C.E., Martin W.H, Doughty H, O’Brien P.

Also nearby is the foundation/commemoration stone for South Works. It reads:

1873 – 1951
The Power Gas Corporation Ltd. Ashmore Benson & Pease Company
This stone commemorates the establishment of the South Works and was and was unveiled on the 14th July 1951 by Wilfred Beswick and Alfred Lonsdale

Both are in dubious condition and can be found in the car park of Jacobs office on Bowesfield.

Photographs and details courtesy of Alec Moody.

Thornaby Airfield c1958

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This photograph of Thornaby Airfield in 1958 reminded me of a visit to an airshow there with my father in the 1950s.

Two thing stick in my mind about that day out, the first was standing under the open bomb doors of an airplane and looking up at the racks, it seemed to me to be a huge space, it was about the same size as my mothers living room, the second thing was watching a jet plane taxiing along the runway, as it reached the end it turned ready for take off, the runway was edged in cinders and the crowd, myself included, was treated to a shot blasting session as the exhaust pointed toward us.

Another thing I remember at an airshow was an English Electric Lightning doing a fly past and going into a vertical climb and we were looking straight up its exhaust, I am not certain this was at Thornaby as I have been to many airshows over the years, does anybody know if a Lightning ever flew at Thornaby around about 1956.

I have no idea what type of plane this is in the photograph but I am sure somebody will know.

Photograph and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman.

Corporation Hall, Prince Regent Street

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The Corporation Hall on Prince Regent Street has stood empty and semi-derelict for a number of years and it’s impending demise was publicised in a story in the Gazette in October 2017 when a planning application was made by Stockton Council to demolish the hall and replace it with a 24 space car park. The press report went on to say;

“A planning application by Stockton Council said: “Corporation Hall has stood vacant for several years and is currently in a state of disrepair. The building has out-of-date space and poor mechanical and electrical service installations and would not meet the requirements of current day tenants seeking quality accommodation. Remodelling costs would be excessive and it is likely the building will continue to fall into a worse state of disrepair. Although the building has some character its design as a functional hall provides little or no enhancement to the streetscape, and it is generally of poor design and condition.”

Apart from this last opportunity to go inside and take some photographs I had never previously been inside the hall but do seem to recall it being used by a local model railway society to hold an exhibition some years ago but I’m sure other Picture Stockton visitors will have memories of the Corporation Hall in it’s prime? I certainly hope so as another piece of our heritage is razed to the ground to be replaced by yet another car park!

Photographs and details courtesy of David Thompson.

Richard Hind 1965, 2018

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The last single sex intake, also the last year when children could leave school at 15, 1969. We managed to get together again this year following our 2016 meeting with more numbers than last time. Who knows maybe we can get even more next time!

Back row; Dave “Sid” Foundling, Roger Thompson, Ian Reeve, Nigel Clegg, Dave “mini” Cooper, Brian Maddigan, George Thomson, Barry Moss, Keith Leonard, Keith Wild, Colin Mitchell, Norman Hill
Front row; Catherine Bell, Jean Ungurs, Liz Hindmarsh, Christine Fawdon, Valerie Goynes.

Graham “swag” Swales and Derek “Decca” Ferguson managed to miss the photo!
Friends no longer with us were also remembered, Dilys Heimer, Steve Bromfield, Alexander “dabsy” Westwood, Michael Douglas and David Napoleon.

The highs and the lows were well remembered.

Photograph and details courtesy of Norman Hill.

St John’s House

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Related to the recent pictures of the new Hub on Stockton High Street, I thought I’d send an image of an advert for the auction of the building when it was known as St. John’s House (1st June 1898).

It makes interesting reading and illustrates, along with the 1895 map, how grand a property it once was. Also noticed that the road alongside the house was called St John’s Road.

Images and details courtesy of Jonathan May.

Fitters on Transporter Bridge July 2018

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Here are Ray Branson and Brian Dodds, who is in the shadow and is wearing a cap. They are the two fitters who are called in when minor repairs on the Transporter Bridge are needed. We happened to catch them soon after they had done one of their jobs. I am in the middle of the group. Another couple of pictures shows them talking to Tony Barber from the Newcomen Society about what they had been doing.

Photographs and details courtesy of Fred Starr.

Billingham South Junior School c1954

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Mr Matthews class, 2nd year juniors, was taken c1954. Fortunately I listed the names of my classmates on the back of the photo otherwise I would have been really struggling for names. My apologies to the girl on the front row, 3rd from the right whose name I omitted from my original list. Sorry! Perhaps someone can fill in the gap.

With apologies for any misspellings.
BACK ROW: Brian Gibson, Leonard Hodgson, Leonard Partridge, Tony Guthrie, Jeffrey Carr, Keith Sedgwick, Peter Sanderson, Richard Baker, Roger Reay.

2nd BACK ROW: Roy Smith, John Lake, John Hutchinson, David Joseph, Leslie Rowe, Bill Gutteridge, Stewart Foster, Ted Catchpole, Trevor Davies.

2nd FRONT ROW: Elizabeth Weaver, Ann Barker, Pamela Dixon, Christine Stubbs, Andrea Tucker, Thelma Pooley, Ann Hutchinson, Christine Sowerby, Hazel Tinkler, Jean Hauxwell, Pauline Goodwin, Lyn Bowman.

FRONT ROW. Hilary Restall, Maureen Dodd, Edna Tomlinson, Barbara Patterson, Pat Dixon, Jaqueline Wissen, Mr (Peter?) Matthews, Mr Bagley (Head), Margaret Tierney, Brenda Redhead, Carol Griffiths, ?????, Maureen Besford , Jane Barker.

Anon.