Wallace Tricketts BLOGG SPOT --26 ' School Days at the 'ALF'S .
Friday, 26 September 2008
Blog Spot 26 . Sept 25th 2008
We all have our memories of the good old
times at school, our friends , the teachers , the games etc we got up to , here
are some still active in my memory.
Itsapproaching the
summer school break of 1964 and soon my class at Roose school is to say
goodbye as we go into our allocated schools governed by the success rate of each
of us in the eleven plus exam. I recall that last Friday afternoon , well it was
the last for me , not quite for the rest of the class, as on arriving home I was
to prepare for hospital and a prolonged stopover taking in my 11th birthday just
prior to the end of term , so I never said a proper goodbye to any
one.
But
that's another chapter , I started at the ALFS (Alfred Barrow Boys ) in early
September, the first big change after Roose was the compulsory wearing of a
uniform , including a cap . The ALF'S badge on the blazer breast pocket and cap
was quite smart , with the letters A.B.S. inscribed in gold over red. Next was
the fact we had to catch a bus each day and back, and leave allot earlier than
that for Primary school . On arrival at the school it looked rather like a
prison , with the large netting around the perimeter , its large ominous three
storey building (Roose primary was one level) and no greenery after a very
generous playing field at primary. My goodness what a reality check this
was???
All the new lads were assembled in
the main hall and introduced to the masters, here are the teachers as I recall
that year.
Headmaster Joseph Caruthers, Deputy
Mr .Ben Lions,
Mr. Arthur Spencer,
Mr.Fred Hodgson, Mr.Peter Ainsworth , Mr.Charlie Scanlon,
Mr.William Westall, Mr.Jack Lancaster, Mr. Michael Fenton,
Mrs Fawcett, Mr Turner .Mr. Jack Bannister
Mr. Charlie Maddock. Mr.
Gregory
My first form teacher was Mr
Hodgeson, and he took us for art each Friday afternoon. As time went on he would
bring in a large tape recorder and play back the previous evenings Top of the
the Pops programme as we painted , this was only if we had behaved during the
week . The first week's passed , their was also a few undesirable prefects to
avoid who seemed to have a somewhat sadistic side believing they could get way
with anything -if in unity to gether so my friends and I used to stay clear of
them. The teacher to avoid was Mr Lions , by name and nature , and
remember this was in the days of corporal punishment . One only had to look at
Mr Lions to feel the wrath of vengeance breathing close to ones neck, however in
later years he became a good teacher to me and one I have never forgotten .
Due to the nature of the operations
I had had some months earlier I was not allowed contact sports , so each week we
would arrive at Croft park by school bus and whilst the rest of the lads would
don rugby gear I would be sent on a 3 mile hike around Furness Abbey. The
school had a set cross country run, and was in a lovely location , and
each year had its annual run when everyone took part. Back then there was no
issues about having scholars running around by themselves , and so I started to
really enjoy sports day -but not for cross country, oh no,........ I had other
plans .
As any youngster back then I loved
trains, and knowing the times of the services made it possible to nab a few
numbers whilst out on cross country . The mainline ran under the road at Furness
Abbey tunnel, with a walkway down to a crossing near it. I soon figured out that
by hiking it as fast as I could from Croft Park to that point would see at least
4 trains pass before having to belt it back to the playing fields just as
everyone is packing up ready to go home. Puffing and panting like blazes, the
masters were unaware I had only ran a few hundred yards back to catch the bus
home.
This went on each week, but when it
came to the real cross country there was no escaping that , and I do think it
made them suspicious when I came in near the last out of over 300 after a solid
years training on the course.
Another amusing thing with sports
was when we started to attend Abbey Road baths . We would walk down Dalton Road
to the public swimming baths, some weeks we had a bus to take us depending on
how many classes were booked .I had never been to the swimming baths before and
had little confidence in trying to stay afloat let alone move in the water. We
were all told to line up and given numbers , when my number came up I threw
myself into the water and the shock made me open my mouth , the next thing
I remember was the attendants leaning on my back squeezing water out of me, from
there on in I was in the beginners pool , and within a few months learnt
to swim passing all of the standards .
Our Religious teacher was Mr
Westall, one of the younger teachers at the school but still quite terrifying
when upset. The school purchased new desks about 1967 and we had to be so
careful not to spill ink or mark them. One day during a R.I .(Religious
Instruction) period Mr Westall went out for a few minutes. All hell broke loose
, with several of the lads causing trouble , flicking pellets etc and one desk
got tipped over. On his return , although the class seemed composed , he spotted
ink on several desks and the floor from the inkwells. He asked for those
responsible to own up, no takers , he asked again, . then he threatened to
punish the whole class, and when he says that he meant it , fire and brimstone
style , old testament , eye for an eye. However then several of the culprits
owned up, probably aware the rest of the class would deal to them if they did
not put their hand up, then a fight broke out in the classroom so Mr Westall
ordered those involved to the front of the classroom. The six boys were made to
bend over and he produced a three meter tee square and slowly lined each of them
up so every backside was in alignment. We all had to duck as he swung the tee
square and whacked the boys, but then more trouble. Two of them tried to tackle
him and take the tee square away, by now desks were getting knocked over left
right and centre and the noise altered Mr Scanlon in the adjoining room who came
to his aid. Next minute Mr Lions appeared and whilst I can not recall what
happened to the culprits I do remember out of around thirty desks over two
thirds had sustained ink blotches during the scuffle. Mr Westall was still a
very likable teacher , I think as we grew up he mellowed like many of the
masters but the 60's were a changing time .
When I see the way the young people
dress today for school and the general standards so low in manners and respect
to one another and their elders, I look back on my school days with affection
and in some ways wonder why have things changed so much.We did not have the
technology back then , yet we achieved and generally respected others and
boundaries . Next time I will conclude this chapter and show the only
known surviving cartoon I drew of the teachers , and how one day in English
class made me appreciate the power of the pen.
Until then,
kind regards,
Wallace
FOOTNOTE
ALFs is soon to close taking so many memories some of them mine as my MAM was a Dinner lady there until she retired after 40 odd years service to school meals -----JOHN (WEBMASTER )
PICTURE WITH THANKS TO BILL CLARKS southlakes site
Hello Wallace, yes in the early 60s the school kids still had manners then but by the time 2000 manners and respect went out of the window, my nieces and nephew went there, Mike he is 61 and Mary she would have been 60 and Gail 57 or 58 also one of my grandaughter goes there and one of my grandson's too, Alfred Barrow is a good school they have had some good results, but its like all pupil's its up to them on how they apply to their school work. Regards Doris
Nice blog Wallace, we had jack bannister as our p.e. teacher, at thorncliff,we also had a mr scanlon, don`t know if it`s the same one you had mid 40`s mousey coloured hair he was our careers teacher, but bannister a real tyrant nobody liked him, i still have memories of being wacked by a size 10 plimsolls cause i would`nt dance with a lass at the school disco, happy memories.
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