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Wigan Album

Wigan Grammar Schools

15 Comments

FIRST BOYS Sept 26th 1936
FIRST BOYS Sept 26th 1936
Photo: RON HUNT
Views: 2,961
Item #: 31821
Newspaper cutting showing the first boys to enter the "NEW" Grammar School

Comment by: Jarvo on 21st January 2020 at 21:54

The boys look visibly terrified. And one of the masters has his sleeves rolled up...Days of thuggery at Wigan Grammar? Or maybe not...

Comment by: Philip G. on 22nd January 2020 at 07:50

What colours had the boys played in, Jarvo? - red and black spring to mind - as does black & dull yellow for the 'Linacre.

Comment by: Roy on 22nd January 2020 at 11:04

I've played in the black and dull Linacre yellow a few times Philip AND against the black and red of the school opposite. Jarvo's colours are a 'posh' yellow, old gold !!

Comment by: Philip G. on 22nd January 2020 at 13:03

Many thanks for your sporting reply, Roy!
I've posted Jarvo a couple of times regarding the Old Gold of Wolves, in fact, informed him that the current strip is nothing like that seen on my 1950s set of Chix - Famous Footballers. I'd wanted them to reach last year's FA Cup Final too, when their earthy, full-length name would have looked splendid spread-eagled across the over-polished front cover of the programme.

Comment by: Jarvo on 22nd January 2020 at 13:17

Don't change the subject. The Grammar was famous for its brutality. Especially after the war when some masters returned from active service. Sadly, folk condoned it all then. Awful days.

Comment by: Carolaen on 22nd January 2020 at 13:49

Jarvo. I don't know about the 1930s the 1960s were bad enough. There was lots of rights and thuggery among the pupils not to mention the teachers. I (and others) have commented before about the casual approach to violence at the time all of which we just too for granted. For example Mr Hall (always referred to as Wes or Jem) was a very well liked geography teacher. His party trick was to keep a gym pump (called Rupert) and a chair leg (called Clarence). If you incurred his displeasure he would call you out, make you bend over, and whack you on the behind with one of these implements. And it wasn't just for bad behaviour. For example our A level geography set (ie a small group 17 year old well motivated and behaved lads) was set a test every Friday morning. If you got less than 50% you got to go out and be whacked with either Rupert or Clarence depending on the mood he was in.

Mind the worst case of punishment not fitting the crime at school I know of happened to my wife up in Scotland. When she was 7 (back in the 1950s) she was in hospital for a year, after contracting TB in her leg, from infected school milk. She was confined to bed for a long time with her treated leg strapped down. Teachers would come to the hospital. One day one of them hit her with the tawse (a leather strap) for "sighing" too loudly. Remember she was 7, confined to bed with a leg strapped down and miles away from her parents for a year, but woebetide you for not being cheery enough !

Comment by: RON HUNT on 22nd January 2020 at 15:32

"GOOD BYE MR CHIPS" with Robert Donat the PROPER and BEST version.

Comment by: ex-WGS on 22nd January 2020 at 20:58

Carolaen, you are absolutely accurate in your description of the 1960s Grammar School, even in your description of the apparent paradox of Mr.Hall being very popular in spite his use of Rupert and Clarence.

Comment by: Broady on 23rd January 2020 at 04:29

Wes Hall was our form master and our form room was on the top floor of the Linacre building and when the bell rang for us to be in the form room if you weren’t in his eye sight as the bell finished it was Rupert or Clarence. Mind you I thought Paddy Gore, he of the arrogant strutting walk, was the most cruel. He seemed to revel in caning pupils.

Comment by: Battered Boy on 23rd January 2020 at 18:14

Did anyone come across Bro Gleeson at John Rigby?

Comment by: Carolaen on 23rd January 2020 at 22:20

Broady. I quite agree that Paddy Gore had "something" offputting about him and I was more than glad to ditch Latin after 2 years even though I actually liked the subject. What is really interesting though is that amaongst all this violence and mayhem there were other teachers (Bri Holt-English, Bernie Stocks - History, mt Tarbuck - Economics spring to mind) who never seemed to indulge in such punishments , were highly respected and got very good results into the bargain. it was a funny old time.

Comment by: ex-WGS on 24th January 2020 at 18:50

Battered Boy, (if I'm reading you correctly) it was only after I left WGS that I came to realise that we were relatively fortunate with regard to corporal punishment in our school compared to others in the Borough.

Comment by: Donald Underwood on 24th January 2020 at 21:30

In 8 years at the School I witnessed very little physical punishment.The most notorious was had a 12 year old on the floor being thumped by a teacher.I can see the veins in the master's head 74 years later.The boy himself has no recollection of it.I can also still hear the rebounding slap across the chops administered by Mrs Stuart to a a boy provoking her with a rude word.To go back to the beginning Linacre's colour was red"red as the blood of the children of gram"l

Comment by: Donald Underwood on 25th January 2020 at 14:02

It has just dawned on me.The Linacre you youngsters are on about is the Thomas Linacre.I had in mind the Junior House ,Linacre,made redundant when the Preparatory Dept was made redundant by the 1944 Education Act & School fees were no more

Comment by: Tom on 31st January 2020 at 12:05

The parents could not do much about it them days thankfull it's changed now most teachers were bullys back then

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