Visitors 8
| 1. Kathleen Gainey (now Campbell) 1956-61 | |
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►I have today been to a mini-reunion with three pupils who were a year ahead of me at school. I had a lovely afternoon. Thank you to Peter Kaye, Dave McKenzie and Pat Cockburn for making me so welcome and making me feel "at home". I will certainly be contributing to the site in the weeks to come. I will be in touch with all my brothers, who no doubt will make their contributions too. Best wishes with the website. A fantastic idea. Kath Campbell (nee Gainey) (August 2003) |
| 2. Tony Pickering 1952-58 | |
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►Hi Dave, Many thanks to Ray Noble for putting me in contact with this site. Universal themes in all the comments on the site are the fond memories and gratitude to Hemsworth Grammar School; in this regard I am no exception. As a transfer scholar from the Modern School I had a lot of catching up to do - missing out 5th year and joining L6S and the competition of Jean Snookes et al. This did not hinder taking part in other school activities such as Colts rugby XV, 1st rugby XV, Tennis, Athletics, School Play and Inter-House competitions - all with great enjoyment apart from the cross-country run! Against this background of secondary education, I am eternally grateful to the old school in helping gain entrance to the Medical School of Edinburgh University. This month I have retired from clinical practice after 37 years, latterly spent as Consultant Eye-Surgeon here in Swansea- I just hope my elder daughter enjoys medical practice as much as I have. Time now for more travel and golf, and to contemplate with my male contemporaries, the prospect of being called an O.A.P. next year!! Best wishes, Tony Pickering Price House 1952-58 (August 2003) |
| 3. Doris Richardson 1944-49 | |
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►Hi Sheila, How great it was to get your message. I clicked in to the website immediately and found it to be a wonderful trip down Memory Lane. I know I have many, many reminiscences which I could add to what is already there. I was in the same form as Irene Wright when I started at H.G.S. and I am on the photo with her, sitting at the very end of the row on the left ---- the one with ringlets. I don't have ringlets now! I can name most of the class if necessary. I am also on a number of the panoramic photographs. |
| I'm sure you now must have the names of the L6A girls but in case you haven't here they are as far as I can remember. Definite names are --Norma Burden, Pat Commons, Sheila Davison, Jean Dillon, Ruth Eyre, Millicent Jones, Thelma Robinson, Maureen Sale. I THINK B. Heathcote was Barbara and that M. Walker was Mavis, but I'm not sure. I was in Price house and I remember in particular the House Prayer we used to say in what I think was room 7 or 8, every Tuesday morning. I entered the House Music competition and couldn't be stopped from entering the Drama Competition. Drama has always been my hobby, but I loved singing too. I have photos but I'm not yet clever enough to be able to send them via computer. I went to France with a school party in 1947. It was an 'Esperanto' trip and I had to sing 'Cherry Ripe' in Esperanto on my own at a concert we had. Once more may I say how lovely it was to hear from you and to read all the snippets of information. I could add masses of my own memories. Yes, I remember singing Labor Ipse Volup--sass. I also remember singing 'Lead us Heavenly Father, Lead us' in the final assembly of every term, before we went home for the holidays. I hope to have contact again. All the best to you, to Dave, and to the website, Doris Richardson (August 2003) | |
| 4. Alan Archer 1958-63 | |
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►Is any one dealing with the distant history of Hemsworth Grammar School? I have a letter marked "Hemsworth Hall" dated 1855. Could this be the same place? Alan Archer (August 2003) |
| This letter is now on the site. Go to the Memorabilia Index. | |
| 5. Richard Bateman 1954-62 | |
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►Many thanks, Sheila and Dave, for this tremendous web site. Dick (August 2003) |
| ►Dear Dick, Lovely to hear from you. The years since we last met have certainly flown. Thank you for your very positive web-site comment. As more of us re-establish contact it should get more interesting. We obviously have some way to go. If you could email any memories, photos or comments to me, please do. As ever, Dave ►Dave, I'll do a trawl through those dusty desk drawers and see if I have anything worth scanning in. Once again, well done. You are giving a lot of us a lot of fun. All the very best, Dick | |
| 6. Geoffrey Allen 1954-62 | |
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►Hi, Dave, Just found the HGS website and have relived many happy memories. I had forgotten so many names and faces of old schoolfriends and teachers. You were a chunky shotputter and I was a skinny sprinter. Glad to see you have not lost your youthful good looks. I'll be in contact later. Cheers, Geoff (Gubby) Allen (September 2003) |
| ►Dear Geoff, What a pleasant surprise! It has only been 41 years, but who's counting? I am glad that you have enjoyed visiting the website. I set it going as an independent site in March 2002. So many things are still fresh in my mind from those far-off days. Equally, many memories are/were very fragmented. As people get in touch the picture is becoming clearer. Please consider the site to be your own. We must have so many memories in common with the athletics, rugby, Prefects &c. It's lovely being in touch with Hilmians again. I have met so many recently. To be webmaster for a moment - if you can send anything to the site please do. It will fit somewhere. Best wishes, Dave | |
| 7. Mark Horbury 1962-69 | |
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►Hi, Ref. the 'Lolly' shop in the 'New' Block - I was one of a few of us who staffed it in the mid-Sixties; can't remember the school year exactly but think it was probably Fourth Form, 1965-66. The teacher in charge was Mr Groome, then new-ish Deputy Head. Several of us ran the shop on a day-to-day basis, serving and receiving the new stock, but I don't remember the supplier. We got into first sitting of 'dinner' with the younger school - usually on Maureen Dearden's table (oddly enough, she's now working with me nearly 40 years on!) so that we could get the shop open earlyish for all the 'sproggs' etc. I clearly remember the wasps and swatting them with rulers! Mark Horbury Price House 1962-69 Romans, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, L6S, U6S (September 2003) |
| ►Dear Mark, Thank you for getting in touch with the site. I hope your visits will prove to be both interesting and entertaining. You went to HGS in the September as I left in the July. I note that Miss. Ward was your 4A Form Teacher. She left HGS in 1968. Kath worked with me for many years at Willowgarth High School. The site does not have a great deal of information on the later years of the Grammar School. If you can help with anything at all, please do. Best wishes, Dave McKenzie | |
| 8. Melvyn Wheatcroft 1949-57 | |
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►Discovered the website today! Attended HGS from 1949 to 1957. I was a member of Holgate House. Returned to Britain for the first time in 20 years in June and July this year, and passed through Hemsworth on two occasions. Another former HGS student of the same period, Howard Peel, lives nearby, in Auckland. It is good to read about contemporaries who are still "going strong". Do your records indicate if any other of our peers live in NZ? Thank you for the effort that has been put/is being put into the website. I hope that it goes from strength to strength! One of my most lasting memories was the tobacco smoke one had to penetrate when entering the Head's office. I was in 1A and 2A, and joined the Arts side of the senior school. The "artificial" separation of the Arts and Science sides of the school was my only retrospective criticism of school organisation, but I expect that the total number of students in the school influenced that decision. Best wishes to all. Mel Wheatcroft (September 2003) |
| ►Dear Melvyn, Welcome to the HGS site. Thank you very much for your positive comments. We started building the site in March 2002. It is young but the reaction so far has been encouraging. Some others from your year have also been in touch including 6 of your Prefects. Their email addresses can be found on the site (Contacts A-Z). I think you are the first from New Zealand of the 49/50 intake. When you were a Prefect I was a pupil in 2A. Our Form Room was opposite RWH's study. A scary place and I do remember that smell of pipe smoke. Thanks for the memory. If you have kept anything to do with HGS or have any memories suitable for the site, please let me know. Best wishes, Dave McKenzie (1955-62 Holgate) | |
| 9. Howard Peel 1949-57 | |
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►What a great surprise to find this site. Passed on by my great friend Mel Wheatcroft in Whangarei. I tried to find some contact about a year ago via Hemsworth and South Elmsall Express, the Scots owners said they would pass on a message but nothing eventuated. |
| It was great to wallow in nostalgia looking at the pics on the site; I have unearthed several from the family pics that Mum and Dad gave me when they moved out to N.Z. and as soon as I get back from our end of term break I will scan them and get them to you. I have pics of some form I cannot identify as they didn't put little indicator boards as they do now. A good pic of the Festival of Britain Trip. All Males! Possibly they didn't trust this group with girls. Also the School Choir, Prefects, several school plays and a second 15 Rugby photo. Never made the number ones. Recently retired from teaching but am still active at school as Teacher Advisor and Science Tech. I have very happy memories of my time at H.G.S. Grew in confidence, made many friends, and I am sure it was the school and it's influence led me into my career as a Secondary School Teacher. My contempories along with Mel were Brian Toulson, Barry Longden, Alec Wall, Tony Gough, Tony Pickering, Peter Donaldson, just to mention a few. I hope the site continues to grow. Good Luck. Best wishes to all Hilmians. Howard Peel. Started in 1949 in 1B. Guest House. (September 2003) ►Dear Howard, Thank you for contacting the site and for your good wishes concerning its development. Mel got in touch quite recently. It is good to know that the new Hilmians network is growing. Several of your year are now back in contact. Their email addresses can be found on the site (Visitors - Contacts A-Z). You must remember Miss. Ward (Geography) and Mr. Farrar (Science). Both have provided excellent material for the site. Thank you for your offer of material for the site. Please scan at about 300dpi. You may wish to consider using my other email address davmckenz@aol.com as this seems very efficient at handling larger files. Your photos will be identified by someone. It is part of the fun of the site. Lovely to hear from you, Dave McKenzie ►Dear Howard, Attached is a memory of you as Rev. Canon Chasuble! I hope you enjoy this little bit of history which has recently come to light, and of course, if you wouldn't mind sharing any of your memories about the performance with me, or our website. Have you any idea who may have written this piece for the newspaper? Was a local reporter specially invited maybe? Did you audition for your role? When were the rehearsals, and how often? Did all the performances go smoothly? Did Mr. Leonard himself apply the make-up, or just the special effects? We always assume this was done in the Domestic Science room - was this the case? Did you help to create the set? Who supervised this? All these little details will help to create a true picture of School life in the '50's for the succeeding generations to read and appreciate. Mrs. Whittaker (Miss. Elliot) attended a reunion in Brierley in March of this year. Her photo, and many others from the evening's activities, appear on the site, and you'll see she has hardly changed! Looking forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Sheila. ►Dear Sheila, Sorry to have not replied before now, but have just returned from a lovely visit to OZ for 2 weeks. Do not remember much about the plays except make up and food was in the Dom. Sci. rooms. I think easy stuff was done by pupils, specialist stuff by Staff. Do you know what happened to Alec Wall? I have a programme from "Thunder Rock". That was an interesting one for H.G.S. Hope you are well. All the best, Howard. ►Dear Howard, Thanks for your last message, which just goes to prove that it's the smallest detail that can set us wondering and wandering in another direction of thought. You mention "make-up and food in the Dom. Sci. room". Of course, it figures that the actors would not have time to go home for their teas and return in time to have the make-up and costumes put on before the performances. I wonder, did Miss. Metcalfe or the Dinner ladies do sandwiches, or did the pupils take their own teas to eat before the show? I suppose many of the actors had "butterflies" anyway, and wouldn't have had much of an appetite, but that wouldn't necessarily apply to the stage hands and backstage helpers. This is where we ask you to dig deep into the memory-box, and tell us more! We haven't heard anything of Alec Wall, but will keep ears to the ground in future. Your mention of the programme for "Thunder Rock" was interesting. Are you willing to share it with the site? The read-up for that production is in the Drama Section on the Index Page of our website, and it certainly was an interesting departure for HGS. There isn't a photo to go with the account, and so a scan of your programme would be most welcome. Notice that the following year they went from the sublime to the ridiculous and did a Pantomime! Glad to hear you enjoyed your visit to Oz. We have had a whole month of rain, floods, and thunderstorms. Oh to be in England! Sincerely, Sheila. | |
| 10. John Basford 1964-71 | |
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►Dear Dave, My mother (Elizabeth Basford nee Smart : HGS from 1939 - 1945) contacted me about your site and, having now spent many enjoyable hours tuned in, I must congratulate you and all other contributors for establishing this amazing HGS home of memories!!! Her brother, Danny attended 1937 - 1943 and sister, Gwendolina (Ina) from 1941 - 1947. |
| I was proud to attend HGS from 1964 - 1971 (Price house) - unfortunately can't recall Form names/numbers but can recall most sporting moments! The rugby photo from Jeff Ennis and support work from Roy Whitehall (regards to you both) was a joy to behold - the only disappointment was my absence as I must have been away at the George ordering the beers. Anyway, just to put the record straight - Steve's surname was Iveson - and the 3rd player from the left on the front row was Alwyn (?) Hollins. Unfortunately all my old HGS photos were stolen some years ago (strange but true?) but I hope to find something of value to submit in due course. I believe there may be a re-union on the cards next year for the over-ripe (but solid centre) brigade and I look forward to receiving details. I have read many contributions within your site relating to the platform that HGS provided for later life - Labor ipse voluptas - has indeed served us all well. One of the Sons of Yorkshire, John Basford (September 2003) ►Dear John, Thank you for contacting the site and for your very positive comments about it. I do hope you will enjoy many more visits to the site. What a shame about your HGS photographs! Perhaps as more pupils from your time at HGS get to know about the site, their copies of the photos will be sent in and published. I assume that all your family was in Price House. Their names will be added to the House Lists. Lovely to hear from you. Best wishes, Dave McKenzie | |
| 11. Paul Toon 1954-59 | |
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►A few details:- House - Guest Form/Year 1A /1954-55 2A /1955-56 3A /1956-57 4S /1957-58 5S /1958-59 Keep up the good work! If I come across any memorabilia, I will let you have them. (September 2003) |
| ►Dear Paul, Thank you for contacting us and for your details. I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the site. Many people seem to have kept some things from their days at HGS. Anything at all will be very welcome. Our audience has quite an appetite for memorabilia. The simplest way to get it to the site is to email it to me at mdeemac@yahoo.com or to davmckenz@aol.com Best wishes, Dave McKenzie | |
| 12. Richard Hancock 1958-64 | |
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►Hello Sheila, Many thanks for pointing out your excellent web site. I enjoyed looking at it immensely. As a professional in multimedia I can see that you and David have put a lot of work into it. It's a great effort. I don't remember you, Sheila, but I can recall watching David scoring a try for the school on the 2nd team rugby pitch (top pitch alongside the 'North Walk') and a few years later, a glimpse of him playing for a Wakefield Rugby team through a gap in the fence as I walked past. He won't remember me. I was 'tickled pink' to see myself in a photo of 2A in 1959/60 and can give you a few of the missing names. Best Regards, Richard Hancock (October 2003) |
| ►Dear Richard, I would like to thank you for your message, and your compliment about the site. We have tried to give a positive picture of those far-off days. We particularly enjoy hearing about people linking up with each other due to the site's influence, and we hope that after browsing the site, one can put one's schooldays into a sort of perspective. I don't know about you, but when I was at School, I gave little attention to the fact that some of the Staff had been there during the War, or that the traditions had been laid down in the 1920's! It's such a shame that many of the Staff are no longer with us to see the messages of respect about them which are coming to the site from all over the world. We also know that there is a sizeable number of Hilmians who visit us without sending any message - or sometimes they eventually say "Hello", and then say they discovered the site months before. Anyway, we are always delighted when anyone 'checks in', as the site is for us all. Please consider it your own. Sincerely, Sheila. | |
| 13. Tony Foster 1951-56 | |
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►Dear Sheila, Thanks for your Email. I have quite a few items from the 50's that Dave might be able to use. I'll stick them in a jiffy bag and send them to him. I had a look at the website and had a very enjoyable hour or so bringing back happy memories from 1951-1956. Thanks for putting me in touch with the site. Best Wishes, Tony Foster(1951-6, Talbot) (October 2003) |
| ►Dear Tony, Lovely to hear from you, and we are delighted that you have something to share with us. Thank you for the compliment on the site - we try to capture the memories before they fade into oblivion! We are always interested in hearing about those memories which have been triggered by the association of the views of the grounds, or perhaps the Staff photos. Please treat the site as your own. Looking forward to hearing from you soon, Sincerely, Sheila. | |
| 14. Ron Newitt 1957-64 | |
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►Dear All, I have a number of photos that you could include but I am unable to put them on the site. I would be willing to send them to an address provided I would get them back. Regards, Ron Newitt (Holgate, 1957/64) (October 2003) |
| ►Dear Ron, Thanks for getting in touch with us and thank you for the offer of your photographs. It has been quite a time since we last met in the late Sixties. Where has the time gone? I will scan whatever you send and make it available for everyone on the HGS site. The photos will then be returned to you. Best wishes, Dave | |
| 15. Colin Richardson 1950-54 | |
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►Hi, Sheila. Many thanks for bringing the web site to my attention. Last night I lost over 2 hours in memories. I will return for more. Once again many thanks, Colin (October 2003) |
| ►Dear Colin, Delighted to hear from you! It seems that you had just 'cleared the premises' - (i.e. left HGS) as Dave and I were about to enter there as First-formers a year later. Most of the Staff and traditions would have been the same for us both - Sports Days, Speech Days, School Buses, School Dinners, the Uniform, Prefects and Plays, Assemblies and Music Concerts. It's a wonder we found time for lessons! We are happy to hear that you enjoyed your browse around the site, and when you have seen some more, will you let us know about some of your own memories? Which House were you in, and what was your path through School? (1A, 2B, 3A etc) We are trying our best to record all we can of those days - never to be repeated, no doubt - as there does not seem to be any other place of reference for them. Hilmians are scattered all over the world, so we are fortunate that technology enables us all to link up and enjoy a bit of reminiscing! Sincerely, Sheila. | |
| 16. Caleb Taylor 1949-53 | |
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►Dear Sheila, Thank you very much for the wonderful surprise photo from yesteryear. I was amazed to see myself standing shoulder to shoulder with Mr.Taylor, my old Chemistry teacher. I had no recollection of the photo being taken. I do however have 3 class photo's, Mr Allan's in 1950. Mr Swinbank's - 1951; & Miss. Ward's - 1952. I also have 3 rugby team photo's for the same years. Again heartfelt thanks. Keep up the good work. Best Regards, Caleb Taylor (1949 - 53 Talbot) (October 2003) |
| ►Dear Caleb, We're delighted to receive word from you, and very pleased to have surprised you with the photo. No doubt as you browse deeper into the website there will be more memories triggered - and we are here to catch them in our net, if you are willing to share them! Your mention of the Class and Sports photos you have is, we are hoping, an indication that you may be willing to send them to us for copying? If you don't have a scanner, then you could send them to the site and Dave will scan them and return them safely to you with our thanks. I have checked, and none of the class photos you mentioned have been seen on the site before, apart from the 1952 one, which you mention has Miss Ward as the form mistress for 1W in 1952. We are still in touch with her. If that was your form, then hopefully you will be able to send us some of the names of the pupils? Do have a look in 'Class Pages, Forms Index 1950's' and you may see that particular photo there. If you look in the Main Index, then Index 7 Sport, you may see some of the Rugby photos you have mentioned. There is a 'Taylor' in Junior Rugby for those years, but if that is not your good self, then we would appreciate seeing your team photos. It's true to say that the more you look at the faces from all those years ago, the easier it becomes to dredge up the names from the darkest recesses of the memory. Really! Hope to hear from you soon, Sincerely, Sheila | |