School History 1930 First Part
World Leaders in 1930
Russia - Stalin - in office 1922-1953
Republic of China - Chiang Kai-shek - 1928-1975
Germany - Paul von Hindenburg - 1925-1934
Ethiopia - Emperor Haile Selassie - 1930-1974
Iraq - King Faisal bin Hussein - 1921-1933
Irish Free State - President William Cosgrave - 1922-1932
Italy - King Victor Emmanuel III - 1900-1946
Japan - Emperor Hirohito - 1926-1989
United States - President Herbert Hoover - 1929-1933
Papacy - Pope Pius X1 - 1922-1939
Australia - Rt Hon Jamed Scullin - 1929-1932
Iran - Reza Shah, Shah of Iran - 1925-1941
United Kingdom - King George V and Queen Mary - 1910-1936, Rt Hon James Ramsay MacDonald - Prime Minister 1929-1935
Tenders for the Extensions
No sooner had the New Year of 1930 - and the new decade - been rung in than the business of gathering information for the planned new buildings at Hemsworth Secondary School began. The Governors were considering the following tenders for "Phase 3":
Builder....J.W. Waller, South Elmsall, ....£6,041 / 15s / 8d
Joiner......J.W. Waller ....£2,342 / 11s / 5d
Asphalter..J.W. Waller .....£ 612 / 7s / 0d
Slater .....H. Parker, Leeds .......£ 421 / 18s / 0d
Plumber...E. Broley & Son, Barnsley ......£1,295 / 0s / 0d
Plasterer..H. Markwell, Barnsley ......£ 793 / 2s / 8d
Painter....S.W. Nicholson, Mexborough..£ 252 / 3s / 10d Total cost - £11,754 / 18s / 7d.
Rugby Achievers
[The weight of the Rugby Union ball in 1930 was increased from 13.5 ozs to 15 ozs].
Stanley Smith For England
Chosen to represent his country against the Australians in the next Rugby Test match in 1930 was Stanley Smith, of Fitzwilliam. He was then an old boy of the school, where he had been introduced to the handling code. A School Magazine during his schooldays described him as,
"Smith, a very light but fast and plucky three-quarter. A good tackler when he tries. Has a tendency to run into the middle of the field and to tackle too high on occasions."
By 1930, however, Smith's tackles had become deadly, and he was swift of foot. The Australians had a high opinion of Smith's capabilities, and it was felt that he had achieved his rightful place in the England team, and was likely to remain there for some considerable time.
Frank Rothera - Captain
Another old boy of the school, Frank J. Rothera was appointed captain of the Cheltenham College Rugby XV in 1930. This team was the champion college team of England, and Frank Rothera was described at the time as "very fast, and may reach a higher sphere of the sport."
February Governors' Meeting
Several mundane matters were discussed and settled at this meeting, presided over by Mr. J. Potts.
► The school holiday recommended during the Speech Day of the previous November was set for February 25th.
► A hard tennis court and a sports pavilion were to be provided at an estimated cost of between £90 and £200, and a footpath was to be provided at an approximate cost of £10 from the Games Fund.
► A previous application from the Old Students' Association for the use of the school for a dance on April 8th, which was granted on condition that the premises were vacated not later than 1a.m.was now followed by another request for a 2a.m. deadline. This application was not granted, but left open for further discussion. At a later meeting the 1a.m. deadline was judged to be adequate, much to the disappointment of the old students.
► The Governors recommended that the sum of £80 be included in the year's financial estimates to help with renewal of the fencing and re-pointing of the boundary walls each year, until such time as everything was in a good state of repair. Three tenders were subsequently received, and the lowest, that of Mr. C.H. Banks of South Hiendley, at £29 / 7s / 8d, was accepted the following April. This work may have been completed in the following weeks; however, in July later that year, the Governors were accepting a further tender (the cheapest of three) of £109 / 17s / 6d from William Gatrix and Sons of Walkden, Manchester for more boundary wall and fencing repairs.
► Mr. J.W. Waller having withdrawn his tenders, the Board of Education had approved the County Authority's proposal for the provision of the additional accommodation for metal work. The tenders were now:
Builder and Joiner.......Mr. E. Brown, Wath £8,800 Asphalter ..............Messrs. Robson & son... £624 / 10s / 6d
Assembly Hall Lectures
In the Spring of 1930 three lectures were delivered at the school, but there is no indication in the local reports as to whether the general public were openly invited, as in previous years, or whether the pupils and staff of the school formed the majority of the attendees.
The Palestine of Today
On Thursday evening, March 5th, 1930, the Rev. A. Howe gave an interesting lecture in the Assembly Hall entitled 'The Palestine of Today'. Mr. A.G. Jenkinson (Headmaster) presided, and Mr. J.W. Burroughs (Engineering master), who had served in Palestine, moved the vote of thanks. This lecture was given the day after Mohandas Gandhi had informed the British Viceroy of India that civil disobedience there was about to begin. There followed his campaign of passive resistance to British rule, leading to his arrest at the beginning of May.
Norway
There was a good attendance the following Wednesday evening of the 11th March, when Mr. J.A. Storer gave a lantern lecture on 'Norway' in the Assembly Hall which was illustrated with numerous photographs taken
by himself, and raised many interesting points about that country. Afterwards he was thanked on the motion of Miss W. Austin, a senior prefect.
Alpine Climbing and Winter Sports
On Wednesday evening April 2nd 1930 Mr. Guy Fothergill gave an interesting talk on the subject at the school, illustrating his remarks with lantern slides created from his own photographs. The Headmaster proposed the vote of thanks.
Teachers' Salaries
The Burnham Committee was a National body which considered the salaries and conditions of employment of teachers in Secondary schools from 1921 until its abolition by the Conservative Government in 1987. Lord Burnham was chairman of the Standing Joint Committee which formulated the scales of pay in all state schools, and which acted as arbitrator in any industrial disputes. In the Spring of 1930 the Headmaster reported to the Governors that all the members of the assistant staff "were eligible for any increments of salary that might be normally due under the Burnham scale." It is difficult to see why these members of staff were not already automatically receiving their due rates of pay, instead of the Headmaster's having to campaign for the increments. The new rates of pay had only recently been announced, and perhaps Mr. Jenkinson was just making sure they were initiated as soon as possible!
General Knowledge
"The results show quite a high standard of intelligence" stated the local newspaper in its report of the annual examination which took place at the school during March. The first ten pupils were:
1. Josephine Read (103)
2. Elizabeth Austin (100)
3. Basil A. Gibbon (95)
4. Fred Williamson and Leslie R. Smith (equal) (97)
6. Lawrence Frazer (92)
7. Richards J.(89)
8. E. John Barker (87)
9. Phyllis Howe (84)
10. Grayson G. (82)
Prizes were awarded to Josephine Read, Gibbon Minor (Form 4A with 79 marks), and Eric S. Whittle (2A, 24th with 62 marks)
Turn That Light Off!
The electricity bill for the quarter ending December 1930 was judged by the Governors to be excessive in comparison with the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Investigations were taking place at that time to find out what had caused the bill of £50 / 4s / 3d as against £27 / 18s./ 0d. in 1929. A report to the Governors on this matter was made, and they subsequently ordered that notices be made and displayed in the school drawing the attention of everyone to the need for economy with lighting and other uses of electricity.
Staff Entertainment
During the last week in March the staff gave its third annual entertainment and every seat was occupied on the Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The programme included three sketches which were all well-received, and give an idea of who was serving on the staff in 1930.
"Personally or by Letter"
Mr. R.T. Shiells.........Timothy
Mr. L.T. Hyde ..........Bill
Miss E. Hodgson.......Mrs. Grice
Mr. J.W. Burroughs...Mr. Grice
Miss G. Lockie..........Marjorie
"The Bathroom Door" (an excellent farce)
Mr. T. Manning........the Young Man
Miss I. Quayle.........the Young Lady
Mr. J.W. Burroughs..the Elderly Gentleman
Miss D.L. Prince.......the Elderly Lady
Miss E.V. Hinckley....the Prima Donna
Mr. J.A. Storer.........Boots
"Master Wayfarer"
Miss P.E.M. Wright............Phoebe
Mr. J.A. Storer.................Master Beamish
Mr. A.G. Jenkinson...........the Wayfarer
Mr. L.N. Collette...............Master Smeaton
In this latter piece, Mr. Jenkinson gave a good performance, singing songs "in a pleasing manner". Miss Phyllis Wright sang "The Flower" (Schubert arr. Clutsam) and "Hush-a-bye, Lullaby" and Mr. L.T. Hyde gave an interesting conjuring display. The music included "Melody", "Reapers' Song" and "Soldiers' March" by Schumann, arr. Fletcher, and the incidental music to "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Mendelssohn).
Far away in Turkey, on March 28th 1930 the Nationalists there changed the Greek name of Constantinople to Istanbul, and on the last day in March John Logie Baird installed a Televison receiver in 10 Downing Street. The Prime Minister, Ramsey MacDonald, wrote to Baird the following week, saying, "When I look at the transmissions I feel that the most wonderful miracle is being done under my eye......."
[Photo provided by Grace Mills] Pontefract Musical Festival
Back Row L-R: 1, Grace Mills, Barbara ?, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Third Row L-R: 1, 2, 3, Lorna Jagger, Estelle Rhodes, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Second Row L-R: 1, 2, 3, 4, Doris Hall, Mrs. Wilks (nee Miss Morgan Jones), 7, 8, Grace White, 10, 11
Front Row L-R: 1, 2, 3
On the same evening of April 2nd when Mr. Guy Fothergill was delivering his talk at the school on "Alpine Climbing" the drama class of the senior pupils were competing in Pontefract with their rendering of "Twelfth Night" Act 1 Scene 5. In awarding Hemsworth Secondary School first place, the judge remarked that the pupils had good pace and good phrasing.
In the choral class for Secondary Schools, Hemsworth secured third place with 174 marks. Ackworth Friends' School came first with 181 marks; Wakefield Girls' High School second with 177, and Wakefield Thorne's House fifth with 147. Commenting on Hemsworth's choir, the judge found its tone to be pure, but the top notes were not quite secure. The second test piece was a bright performance - one of the best he had ever heard.