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Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan



Wigan Album

St Stephen's, Whelley

16 Comments

Headmaster Mr Swift in classroom - 1952.
Headmaster Mr Swift in classroom - 1952.
Photo: Philip Harrison
Views: 3,862
Item #: 16785
Discussion during a maths lesson. Mr Swift was strict but always very helpful. The boy in front is Joseph Quinn. The photo was taken by a sikh student who was present for a few weeks at that time - 1952.

Comment by: dave b on 15th January 2011 at 19:18

i remember Mr Swift very well

Comment by: Gerry on 17th January 2011 at 18:20

Is he going to chop lads fingers off??

Comment by: dave b on 18th January 2011 at 08:25

can anyone name the other teachers?

Comment by: Philip Harrison on 18th January 2011 at 11:35

Hi dave b, do I know you? I can name the following in order from a long time ago - Miss McAvoy, Miss Maybury, Miss Brunton, Mrs Wilding, Mr Boardman and the Standard 4 teacher I can't remember at the moment.

Comment by: dave b on 18th January 2011 at 12:18

sorry phillip but your name does not ring a bell

Comment by: Philip Harrison on 18th January 2011 at 15:07

Dave - I have now remembered (it's an age thing), the other teacher, the name is Miss Ramsdale. Please say wether you knew these teachers please.

Comment by: dave b on 18th January 2011 at 17:19

yes i know the teachers as soon as you named them age thing as you say looking at the whelley school photo i think you where a couple of years above me

Comment by: Enid Swift on 22nd January 2011 at 19:07

Good to see my Dad has not been forgotten. He was Headmaster of St Stephen's School from 1941-1962

Comment by: Margaret Thompson on 24th January 2011 at 00:29

Mr Swift was my grandfather who I never had the opportunity to meet. Any stories you can share about him would be great to read!!

Comment by: Michael Swift on 29th January 2011 at 04:11

as with Margaret, I have few memories of Popa Swift. I'm very happy to read that people remember him well

Comment by: dave b on 29th January 2011 at 17:01

my memory of popa Swift we did not call him that to his face is of him taking assembly evey morning i do not remember him not taking it he was never of ill great man and a great teacher

Comment by: Frank Rylance on 22nd February 2011 at 00:31

I attended St Stephens Whelley in the early 1940's
I remember Mr Swift as a very stern looking man and on the odd occasions that I went into his room you couldn't help noticing the cane hung on the wall It looked well used !
He always seemed to have a bad cough-and I later heard that he had been in a gas attack in France in the 1914-18 war
The first class that I went in was Miss Browns. In the second year Miss Brunton.I remember her as someone who seemed to be in a world of her own much of the time and she occasionaly talked to herself,but she didn't stand any nonesence.She would creep up - grab a wrist and give it rap over the knuckles with a long pencil. I went into Mrs Ramsdale's class in the last year. Rev.Wiffen was the vicar at that time and occasionally took morning assembly.
John Ramsdale was the caretaker. The photo certainly brought back some happy memories of nearly 70 years ago.

Comment by: Enid Swift on 18th March 2011 at 17:58

Good to know that so many remember my Dad. He was in the Welsh Fusiliers in WW1 after training as a teacher at St Marks and St Johns in London and Chester College when St Marks was requisitioned. He served at Kinmel Barracks as an instructer ( firearms) and as far as I know was not gassed. During WW2 he was a Special Constable ( sergeant) in Wigan town centre The schools he taught at were ?St Thomas, St Catherines, All Saints Senior Boys under Mr Rigby and St Stephens. Does anyone remember Mr Rigby?

Comment by: judi littler on 25th June 2012 at 16:58

re haigh hall, hi i think it was you who was asking about thew stone circle at haigh hall. it was the ice house before electric came to the hall. it then became the kennels for the lords dogs when electric arrived.my great grandad was gamekeeper at the hall.

Comment by: Paul Entwistle on 12th November 2012 at 11:31

I still have the farthing that Mr. Swift gave to us all as that coin was being phased out of circulation. He said that one day we could show it to our grandchildren and indeed I have.

Comment by: kathy lee on 23rd March 2013 at 18:36

I remember Mr Swift telling us in assembly that mount Everest had been conquered and it was the highest mountain and that the next thing would be that they would try to get men on the moon and all the pupils laughed as it seemed ridiculous to us at the time I also remember him announcing that the king (George) was dead and that we would now have a Queen

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