St Peters R/C Grammar school, Bury old Road, Prestwich

[Guyfawkes]

Peter.
I remember Rob Eli, was he the lad who at 16 had a beard and mad mad body hair??
Nigel

[Peter Coxhead]

That's the feller. He always looked more like mid-twenties than mid-teens.

[TerryL]

i was there 74-79

i remember Mr Green he was housemaster of Chadwick i think

then McVey who i think was woodwork - clueless

Mr Moran who was chemistry i think along with leggvagi   I think Moran was knocking around with the french teacher but don't remember her name

biology teacher was a nice chap but forgot his name (it was a while ago)

McGuire was headmaster but he was seriously hurt in a car crash i think so some numpty took over cant recall his name
Hopkins and Walker were both deputy heads i think

[sgt bilko]

I went from '71 to '75
Anyone remember having to wear the school cap..........It would be in my pocket until I nearly reached the gates then I'd pop It on........Where I lived If I'd have left my front door wearing It ....I'd never had make It to the end of the street.............
Anyone remember the week away in North Wales.....We climbed Snowdon...The Great Orm..Visited a Power Station had a tour of a lighthouse...........It was the only week of my school days I enjoyed

[Trollfoot]

1972-77 myself "SuperMac" just taken over from walker's acting headship. Don't much remember the "mafia" but do remember talk of a strike and a call up for volunteers to St Peter's Action Movement...SPAM...Well monty python was popular back then!!


As for staff certainly remember having my ear chewed by hopkins on my very fist day and not ten seconds after stepping through the gate because I wasn't listening to his instructions to the new boys!!! Anyone remember Riley (maths) Robson (RE) funny looking bod, had a permanent look of someone sucking a lemon!! Remember having Lynch for maths and music, I sucked at both but but must admit to being pretty good at pub quizzes!!!  Will never forget Levaggi's "little willy who wouldn't do his homework" or fitzgibbon (history-classical studies) spraying the front row in spit when extolling the virtues of war by timetable or Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon .  "Spud" murphy  OWEN's housemaster and english, who can forget Mr Berry in his lilac chalk gown, had a look of Freddie Mercury chewing a caramel
Had many a belting with sandiford's "oliver" during spanish.  Best teachers defo Mr Edwards Biology and Mr McVay  tech and form master o3,4 and 5.  But who the hell was the female physics teacher, thick bins, dark hair and face like a boaboon's butt?

[Trollfoot]

Amazing stuff whisky!!!  Miss Frere was the french teacher and about fourth year we had a week in bryn eithin on anglesey....yep definitely the best experience of a five year career!!!!!


Thanks st petes for making me the man I am today, boozing, smoking, flatulating...That's wind not whips guys!!!

[sgt bilko]

I remember Miss Frere ......Didn't she do Latin as well?
Seem to remember she was completely flat chested
so Latin was very very boring............
Bryn Eithin Hall is now a Residential Care Home
There's some photos on their website that brought back
memories.............The large wooden staircase that we wasn't
allowed to use.  Don't know why...As If we would have slid down
the bannisters !!

[Stuck in Yorkshire]

I was there from 76-81, a few names Miss Ross was the French teacher who married the science teacher Mr Moran.


Sadly Mr Handley (PE Teacher) passed away a few years ago, good bloke.


Mrs Davies took over teaching French, I remember her as being very attractive but on finding a work colleague went there much later than me he told me she wasn't. Well as it was all boys at the time I'm sticking with my memory!!

[elephantmemory]

I was there from '66-'72. Teachers remembered: Mr Pounder, Levaggi, Roach, Ackerley, Edwards, Hermolle, Walker, Duffy, Sandiford, Lynch, Finneron, Healey, Hopkins (History), Hopkins (PE), Bradley, Cummings, Slade, Mulligan and Sutton. Plus Miss Walker (married monsieur Lannelongue ?) and Miss Cadogen. Fond memories of smoker's corner, Heaton Park and the 62,75 and 35 buses.

[Claim To Fame Man]

Hello all,
Just had a read through of all the posts -great reading and memories. I started in 1966 from day one having deliberately failed my entrance exam for De la salle because they only played Rugby. Mr Brian Hopkins was the original PE.Teacher followed by Tony Mallalieu after about two years. He was the longest serving teacher upto his retirement fairly recently and even taught my two children. He played for United and always enjoyed showing off his Club badge but he was a great teacher and football coach....Mike Walsh Everton and Bury manager was one of his school teams' most successful Footballers.
Who ever said the Football Team was always losing was probably refering to the 2nd and 3rd year teams who only had a couple of classes to pick from while the school was still being built. The 1966 in take won it's first match 17-0 and the 2nd 11-0 (or vice versa) and reached the cup Final in the 3rd year only to get thrashed 8-0 in the final but we went on to win the League in 6th form under Mr.Sandiford's guidance. The 1967 intake won the Cup in their first year and I remember there was a rosette competition and a coach load of supporters went to watch.Mike Walsh, Trevor Albinson and others were destined for higher things. Trevor was a superb player but suffered a bad injury on the verge of becoming a top player. Gary Hulmes(Rochdale and Limerick) who came to the school later became a professional as did Paul Bowles who played for Crewe. The last time I saw him he was working as a coach for United along with Dave Ryan who played at Wembley in the F.A. Trophy Final.
Mr Levaggi died a few years ago and I met him in Tesco about a year before and he remembered me because my Mum sent a donation for the Chapel Fund every Monday.I was useless a t Chemistry but I think that 6d a week helped me avoid his wrath. He certainly had a good turn of phrase such as 'You Moston Guttersnipes'' and 'Bloody Fool' which would probably be punishable with the sack in todays language.
Met Mr Hester The English Teacher when I did my first Teaching practice at St.Joseph's Horwich where he had gone on to become Head. Mr Healey was my favourite teacher as I wanted to teach music which I achieved . Classes were hard work in Music but he helped me a lot with composition after school which I always appreciated and encouraged me to go into it despite my limited ability. He left right in the middle of our A levels but Miss Batty stood in for a term (yes that was really her name) and then Mr Heslop became Head of Music. I even ended up teaching the 3rd years as a sixth former with Mr Lynch helping with crowd control. That was a great move by the school because it helped me gain experience and probably saved them a fortune. They never paid me for it.
Mr Hopkins History is clearly not popular but in fairness he got the best results in the school and surely that is something that was of great benefit to both the school and individuals who used that to move on. I enjoyed his lessons and History became my second subject  so I think it right that someone should give the other side of his work. The six page home works punishment was used when I went into teaching and it certainly reinforced discipline in those days. I think when Mr Hopkins played in staff matches he got the most crunching tackles but never flinched. Tough guy and now the proud owner of an O.B.E.
I really enjoyed St.Peter's and I think those early students set a tone for the school which has led to the success of St.Monicas. It was a Grammar School for ordinary kids, not a snobby school - Then again the early intake couldn't get in schools like Xavarian St Bedes's De la Salle and the like. The Original Form Teachers (A-E) were Mr Pounder(1A), Mr Hopkins, Mr Duffy, Mr Levaggi (1C) plus one other Mr.Cummings,Mr Hester or Mr Mulligan maybe. More staff came in January when the 2nd and 3rd year groups came to the school from the secondary G streams. Mr Hermolle Headteacher and Mr Walker Deputy Head.
On the first day Mr Hermolle welcomed us in the Quadrangle as the Hall wasn't ready and said there were only three school rules
1. Show respect for people
2.Show respect for property
3. Use your common sense.
I thought at the time that was brilliant but within 5 years we seemed to have hundreds of rules including the corrider code.
Great days and the 1966 intake  should all be hitting 60 by next August. Where did it all go. and for those who reach 60 please spare a thought for those who didn't make it
Paul Devine (age 13) and Chris Conway(age 21) and no doubt many others I still think about you two guys and count my own blessings. R.I.P. to you both.

[citymike]

Don't much remember the "mafia" but do remember talk of a strike and a call up for volunteers to St Peter's Action Movement...SPAM...Well monty python was popular back then!!

I was there from 1969 til 1974. I remember the mafia, they had to kneel outside the staffroom for a week or so after they were caught. I got on well with a couple of them, after they were disbanded, and they weren't nasty people. That was their first year, I seem to remember.

I was playing truant the day of the strike. I was always playing truant. I remember going into school one day and I think everyone had forgotten me. Our form teacher didn't know who I was but he didn't give me a hard time, I think he realised that I was a lost cause. I wonder if anyone remembers him, he was from Liverpool and he controlled the class with an exceptional sense of humour that wasn't cruel in any way (in my 1 day's experience of him).

[Guyfawkes]

Does anyone remember the trip to Remagen in Germany?
Will be about 1970. I still laugh when I recall going to Koblenz and getting paralytic 😄😄😄😄

[endsord]

Re the trip to remagen, yes i was on it, i remember the Dunkel beer, week as anything but we thought it was great, also remember climbing the cliff on the other side of the Rhine (had a large cross on top of it) and the trip to cologne cathedral... Long time ago....

[endsord]

But  i think the trip was about 68, i am sure we had only been there a couple of years.

[Gazza]

I had forgotten all about remagen I shared a room with twinner on the day we were leaving slade called us both up to the room and screamed " who's responsible for this " held up the pillow which had Man City scrawled across it in blue magic marker. I replied that I was a Utd fan so twinner had to own up and was severely beaten about the head. I also remember the school fete when kids used to bring in stuff and leave it in the stockroom for collection, some idiot parent sent in a bottle of whiskey which was nicked and john "mocky" moxon got [censored] out of his head at lunch time and passed out in science oh how we laughed. Also another highlight for me was being sent out of maths for arsing about , stood out side with endsor and someone else walker came by and decided to strap us there and then told us we were getting 2 each on the hand, endsor kept pulling his hand away on the 2nd one and walker said right we'll start again , he ended up getting about 6 mad