Wigan Album

Owd Knocker Rigby he were a cure for constipation he were. Cause if you were sent to his office you fair sh*t youself.

Mr. Rigby is a good man/He goes to church on Sundays / He prays to god to give him strength/To belt us all on Mondays

Iwas an evacuee to All Saints in Oct.1940, and the first thing Mr.Rigby ask`d me was did I read "Key-Hole Kate" in the Dandy comic! as I was new to Wigan He even went to the trouble of seeing me home on the Bus. A great Headmaster.

In the four years I spent at Allsaints he spoke to me directly only once at the end of my final year when he told me he didn't think much of my choice of a career in farming. Fat lot he and his staff did towards providing any careers guidance or support. A few factory visits provided reinforcement to the idea we were fit for nothing other than unskilled work. In the four years I was their in the 50's one kid only turned up very occasionally, he worked throughout most of his school career on the canal barges. Sorry if I sound bitter but Rigby oversaw an unjust system of education in which you succeeded despite your education not because of it.
The great mystery to me is what did Rigby do each day for all of those years as the educational practice and Sec Mod ideal was set in stone at Allsaints so nothing much to manage. 1932 to 1957, 25 years of achieving sod all.

Contrary to some of the comments, lol sings provide a soun all round education which in many ways was superior to that at the grammar school! Arthur rugby was an excellent head.