Old Boys, Girls and Teachers Guestbook

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Welcome to the Guestbook
Feel free to add messages relating to the site and the school. The only rules are: real names only, no personal attacks and no unrelated messages (inappropriate messages may be edited/withdrawn without warning).

It would be appreciated if you gave an email address, where you now live and said when you were at the school, but you don't have to.

Plase note that if you click on an email address below you will need to replace ~DOT~ with . and ~AT~ with @ in your email program. The Guestbook presents these this way to avoid email address harvesters collecting your email addresses from the page. I know it's a pain, but it's very much better than the alternative.

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There are 500 messages in the guestbook
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Viewing messages 361 to 370

Bruce Graham | bsgrahamZPIPEPIPEY~AT~btinternet~DOT~com

Just to keep the conversation going.

During the school half-term break in October we had our two granddaughters aged 13 and 11 (and their mother) to stay for a few days and decided to take them to see South Shields. Living in the home counties the north east is a foreign country to them. As their mother said "It's part of your heritage".

Having arrived, and after showing them the house in which I was born (111 Quarry Lane) the next place we went to was our old school.The girls were very impressed with the way the old and the new had been integrated.

Other parts of the tour had mixed results.

Marsden Bay - what a disappointment after their mother's very fond recollections from her own childhood.

Fish and chips for lunch - big thumbs up.

Cleadon Park (perhaps all of the town parks, I don't know) had no flower beds, no putting green, no tennis courts. Budget cuts?

However, the big star of the trip was a visit to the Roman fort area. What an amazing site this now is with all of the restoration and reconstruction that has gone on, and presumably more to come.

With all of that Roman heritage quite literally on our doorstep I don't remember being pointed in that direction in the first half of the 1950's.

Finally, it was great to see the input from Bill Egner's granddaughter. Perhaps she can provide further information concerning her father and grandfather.

Anyway, the compliments of the season to anyone reading the guestbook,

Sat 20-Dec-2014 19:10 - Ruskington, Lincolnshire

Alex Patterson | alexpatterson~AT~videotron~DOT~ca

Hello Mike,
It’s just started to snow here again and apropos of absolutely nothing I thought I’d drop a line before the mayhem of Christmas activities kicks in. We’re lucky that we’ve finished all our shopping and we’re in the wrapping phase right now. We’re heading off for lunch in a few minutes, but before I go I’d like to wish you and all your readers and correspondents a “Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year”. I would have added “wealthy” but it seems a bit crass.
I’ve enjoyed perusing the Great War entries in the Admission Register on the site, and as I went through it I couldn’t help noticing the misfortunes of one ‘H. Wylie’,...his name was Hubert. On the page listing soldiers who had been wounded, his name appears four times!!! He wasn’t the luckiest of men. I don’t know who kept the register, but the entries for ‘H. Wylie’ were very casual, viz.
Arm Accident in bomb throwing practice April 1916
Head Bomb (slight) Sept 1916
Knee (Some) Jan 1917
Abdomen Palestine Mar 1918

I note that his brother wasn’t so lucky and didn’t return from the war. He was 17 when he went to war, Hubert was 19...very young men. We owe them the debt of gratitude that they deserve and all our serving military personnel and those veterans who survive today. I hope our children and grandchildren will not be called upon to put on uniforms and fight in foreign lands.
Sorry about that. I wandered off topic, which was to wish you all that you hope for and that health and contentment are high on your list.
Lang may yer lum reek and best regards from Montreal,
Alex Patterson, 46 to 51

Thu 18-Dec-2014 22:55 - Montreal, Canada

Bruce Graham | bsgraham~AT~btinternet~DOT~com

Ed

First of all. I think we have you in the colonies to thank for the weather we are currently "enjoying" in the UK. The incredible news of early winter storms across the north american continent - with snowfalls of up to 6 feet or more - makes our memories of 1947 pale into insignificance.

You are correct, and Mike is correct, that the younger generation (would someone please define "younger") corresponds in a way that may not include historical information such as we are trying to preserve.

When I was in my 30's 40's and early 50's I was still looking forward to what might be achieved. The boring old f***s who got in the way were a distraction and it was only when I became one that I began to look back at all of the things had gone on in the background in terms of education and character development.

Which probably explains, in part, why there are so few responses from the younger generation - whatever that is.

Maybe, just maybe, there may be some response.

Thu 11-Dec-2014 19:03 - Ruskinton, Lincolnshire

Edward Forster | r2edforster~AT~live~DOT~ca

Disappointed at the lack of messages to the guestbook, the younger ones must just be texting & using Facebook.
I notice that neither my name & brother William's name are in not in the boys list. He was there from 1943 to 1950 & became school captain & the a chartered accountant & Durham county treasurer, anyway allthe best to you Mike & all from the old school.
Ed. from a stormy Island.

Thu 11-Dec-2014 10:35 - PEI Canada

From Mike T: Thanks Ed

I'm a bit disappointed too, but such is life I guess. As for your and your brother's names not being in the list, that's because you're not on any of the photos. You're both in the admissions register, but privacy laws prevent me from publishing that online (I plan to publish earlier admission details at some point very soon now).

From a blowy and snowy Rothbury.

Wendy Caroline (nee Egner) | gmwkc~AT~telkomsa~DOT~net

Hi just found you website. I am the granddaugher of Mr W E Egner who was the headmaster from 1955 to 1976. My dad, Geoffery Egner, was also a pupil at the school. ( you have a few photos of him on your photos page). Great to see these photo and share them with my children. Thank you!

Sun 30-Nov-2014 18:31 - South Africa

Clive Farmer | clivefarmer39~AT~virginmedia~DOT~com

Re Oxtoby listed as staff in the 1920's . This was Francis Edwin Oxtoby who later taught at Stationers Companys School Hornsey London for most of his career . He Served in WW1 in the KOYLI and later the Pay Corps apparently after he was wounded . His old home address was Murray Street Scarborough .

Thu 6-Nov-2014 17:10 - United Kingdom

Kevin Tighe | Familytighe~AT~btimternet~DOT~com

It was a real pleasure to scan through these pages and the school photos in particular. I was a sixth former between76-78. I don't return often to the North but will make a special visit to the school next time I am there.

Sun 21-Sep-2014 10:07 - Cambridgeshire

Bruce Graham | bsgraham~AT~btinternet~DOT~com

I know that Mike promised a review and update of the Famous Old Boys section but having just looked through it I recommend all of the regular visitors to re-read the contents.There is a considerable amount of additional information available.

The school really did produce some remarkable individuals in all sorts of fields and that is a great credit to the ethos that continued over the years.

Long may it continue.

Tue 19-Aug-2014 19:40 - Ruskington Lincolnshire

Edward Forster | r2edforster~AT~live~DOT~ca

I've been away from Tyneside for 63yrs.& get a pang of nostalgia when hearing any Geordie taak My sister who went to the girls High School has been away from Shields for 73yrs. & when talking about the weather said "the rain is stotting down" This reminded me of when in 1951 I played football in the Montreal league, I mentioned one day that the pitch was aal clarts, this created a blank stare. What are clarts ? I was asked I told them it was claggy mud, another blank stare.
From a hot PEI.

Mon 4-Aug-2014 22:11 - PEI Canada

Eric Moyse 1946 to 1954 | eric~DOT~moyse~AT~sky~DOT~com

I was in South Shields last week and went to the Customs House to see the Fred Grey exhibition. It made a fitting tribute to him and although it concentrated mostly on Fred's interest and expertise in birds there was enough on his other passions, namely Eng Lit and rugby to show the well-rounded man that he was. The exhibition is finished now but if you are interested you can still pick up a lot of stuff from the Gazette website.

Tue 27-May-2014 19:45 - Reading, United Kingdomm

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