Manchester Central Grammar School for Boys

[soulman1949]

Gidday cobber! Nice to "meet you", Michael-D.

You've certainly seen a fair amount of the world, living and working in the countries you've mentioned. I did some travelling in Asia three years ago and that was an eye opener - hopefully, I'll be emigrating to the Philippines myself later in the year!

Yes, it's a great board, isn't it? I haven't been on here that long but it's enabled me to revisit some old memories.

Must have been quite a change for you moving "darn sarf" from the smokey North. Manchester has certainly seen a lot of changes over the years, as you can imagine - some for the better, others not. After a long period in the doldrums in the 80s in particular, the city has a great buzz about it these days. The rebuilding following the IRA bombing provided a big impetus and hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2002 did us a power of good, I think it really seemed to put us back on the international map. I don't know if you've made it back here - if you have, it would  be interesting to read your observations on the changes you've noticed.

Best wishes

Alan

[Michael-D]

G'day, Alan!  Thanks for the note!  Yes, moving "sarf" was a real culture shock and I got some strife over my "Coronation Street" accent!  However, I was able to adjust and mutual communication was eventually established!


When were you at MCGS?  My contemporaries were David Deanshaw, Charlie Bloom, Niel Landsmann, my particular friend Neal "Happy" Lawson, John Walker, "Ozzie Bird" and John "Jas" Haughton.  I was in the RAF Cadet force and went to camp at RAF Hendon, in 1955 I think.


I dropped into the new school once, in 1962 I think and met some of the staff that I once worked with, especially Winterbotham, Laws, Pope and the Headmaster, still the gentleman and I feel saddened that the school has since vanished

[soulman1949]

Hello Michael

Hehehehe, well someone has to do the "missionary work" "darn sarf" and show them how real folk speak! ;-) Funny thinking about accents, I never realised I had one until I went to Uni! One of the lads was from Southampton and I can still recall him saying to me in what sounded like a strangulated very southern accent "oh, you do talk funny, don't you?", while I was thinking much the same about him! :-)

Afraid none of your contemporaries rang any bells, as I was in the 1960 intake. By then we only had our first years at Whitworth Street, the rest of the school was at the new premises backing onto Belle Vue Zoo (don't laugh) on Kirkmanshulme Lane in Longsight. Ironic that, 50+ years down the line, Kirky Lane is no more and Whitworth Street is still standing proud, now well over a century old. And the building still looks great, both outside and in.

The staff were pretty well established when I was there and there wasn't a lot of staff movement, only the young 'uns moving for pastures new and the older guard retiring and being replaced. The big clear out occurred in 1967 as I was leaving - Manchester schools were going Comprehensive and a lot of the older staff probably had a foreboding of what was to come. Now the school is no more and, as the Old Boys die off, its name will disappear into the history sections of forums such as this when students research education systems in the 20th century. To be honest I get sad and angry when I think of this. MCGS and other schools like it gave working class boys such as me a chance to change their lives. Heyho, they call it progress.:-(

[Holmes]

I have recently heard of the death of two of my classmates from MCGS (1959-1964).
A couple of years ago Alan Keith BOTT passed away.
Alan was one of the most naturally-gifted athletes I have ever seen - he was Captain of the School's Rugby and Athletics teams for five years, he played rugby for Manchester and Lancashire Schools, he ran as a sprinter for Manchester and Lancashire Schools and was a very talented sprinter at Sale Harriers.
A great academic, Alan became a respected journalist and died suddenly two years ago.
He was a great friend, and I am saddened by his passing.
A few years ago David Fossatti passed away, another fellow athlete and a close friend of mine.
David played for the School's Rugby team and was a very accomplished middle distance runner who also starred as a member of Sale Harriers Athletics Club.
Both these good men died well before retirement age, both having families, and were men who served Manchester Central Grammar School magnificently well.
RIP guys.

[JohnDoyle]

Only just joined but does anyone realise that Dave Griffin aka Dave Lee Travis went to MCGS at Kirky lane
I was there from 1957-62 and he was one year ahead of me


Is there anyone on board who was in class 1C-5C??.
Form master in last year Mr Thomas???


John Doyle

[soulman1949]

Hi John

Welcome aboard, yes I was aware DLT was an Old Boy of the school but I was at MCGS from 1960-67, the first year being spent at Whitworth Street, so he would have left as I was moving up to Kirky Lane.

There's a Facebook group for the boys' school but the members there seem to be largely from the era after it went comprehensive in 1967. There was a Friends Reunited page but it doesn't seem to be active.

Alan

[TerryH]

I learned last week that Albert Pope died August 2104 aged 89. 

[derekphil]

I've just discovered this forum.
I'm one of the older ex-pupils, having been at Central High, later Central Grammar, from 1947 to 1956.
Replying to Alan "Soulman", there are two MCGS Facebook sites, confusingly. I set up a page in 2012 (Manchester Central Grammar School), not knowing that there was already "Manchester Central Grammar School for boys" in existence. Neither of them very active. The "MCGS for boys" site is mainly from the Kirkmanshulme Lane era.
Some memories revived with the rollcall of teachers' names that features in several of the posts. Mr Bowcott seems to be fondly remembered, but to me he was the dsicplinarian who administered the strap for misdemeanours. Corporal punishment was accepted as normal in those days.
Mr Chambers was head when I joined, replaced by Dr de la Perelle after my first year.
Mr Ford my first form master, 1E. R Ryder was my third form master.
Long, long time ago.

[Rocles]

This is the FB Group we set up, mainly as you say, the Era that left around 1974/5, at -
https://www.facebook.com/groups/centralhighmanchester/

[Hovis St.]

Some memories revived with the rollcall of teachers' names that features in several of the posts. Mr Bowcott seems to be fondly remembered, but to me he was the dsicplinarian who administered the strap for misdemeanours. Corporal punishment was accepted as normal in those days.
Mr Chambers was head when I joined, replaced by Dr de la Perelle after my first year.
Mr Ford my first form master, 1E. R Ryder was my third form master.
Long, long time ago.

Derek, I think that should be Mr, Cheney (Fred) not Mr. Chambers. Mr. Wyeth was my first form master (1945). Do you remember Mr. Rourke the music teacher,? he loved putting his hand up your trouser leg before spanking your [censored]. My favourite was Mr. M.L.T. Sinclair, he taught Geography, French and Spanish, he was often taken ill with Malaria which he caught when he was in the RAF during the war, a lovely man.

I also remember Mr. Bowcott, he was deputy head when I was there.

[derekphil]

Alec,
You're right, it was Cheney (Chaney?).
Don't remember the other two,though. Don't rememberany music classes at all--did we all take them, I wonder?

[BarryJ]

Hi,
I'm new on board and delighted to have stumbled across this forum. I left CGS in 1955, when L.P. de la Perrelle was headmaster. Over the years, my form masters included Ford, Harwood and Soulby. Delving through CGS memorabilia, I came across the attached photos of Mr Cheney (1933-1949), and Dr de la Perrelle and the staff in 1950. Enjoy your walk down memory lane...

[derekphil]

BarryJ
Welcome to the group.
Can you tell me where you got the 1950 staff picture from? I'd like to try for a better resolution picture--unless you can do that?
I left in 1954, so should be able to recognise most of them, but the resolution makes this difficult.
I got de la Perelle, of course, Judson ,Ford, Walters, Beale?, Bowcott? Stang?, and then I start to struggle.

[Hovis St.]

Hi,
I'm new on board and delighted to have stumbled across this forum. I left CGS in 1955, when L.P. de la Perrelle was headmaster. Over the years, my form masters included Ford, Harwood and Soulby. Delving through CGS memorabilia, I came across the attached photos of Mr Cheney (1933-1949), and Dr de la Perrelle and the staff in 1950. Enjoy your walk down memory lane...

Welcome to the board Barry, I left in 1950 and remember a few faces on the photo. I have blown it up but the resolution is not great as Derek says.
The ones that stand out for me are 2nd row from top 3rd from left, Messrs. Eckersley, Froggy Wilkinson and Prosser (games teacher, I think he played rugby for Wales).

On the left of Mr. de la Perelle looks like Messrs. Lever, Trueblood and Beal ? on his right, Mr.Bowcott.

Top row 3rd. from right Mr. Matthews.

I remember your Mr. Soulby (nicknamed unkindly "kipper feet") and Mr. Harwood.

Regards........Alec Sheldon

[BarryJ]

Derekphil, Alec,

Thanks for your welcome and interest.

The pictures are from"The School 1920-1950, a Supplement", by H.Lever, M.A. [a supplement to "A Short History of the Central High School for Boys", published in 1935]. It's a 48-page booklet that was handed out to all the boys in 1950, which, despite all my travels, is somehow still with me. Unfortunately, I can't improve the resolution, as the pages are now pretty yellow and, to make matters worse, the maximum permitted size for each photo on this forum is 100KB, with a maximum total size of 150, so I have had to reduce them. I'll attach a scan of the List of Staff in the picture and, hopefully, if you enlarge it on your monitor, you will be able to identify everyone.

Seeing Wilkinson again (third row, fourth from the left), took me straight back to his Latin classes: if you had the misfortune to make more than a couple of mistakes when asked to conjugate a verb or decline a noun, he would crook his index finger, "Approach me, boy!", take out a slipper from a little cupboard near the door and thwack your backside - a staunch believer in the value of negative reinforcement, like so many in those days.."Piggy" Stewart, who almost always sported a crumpled tweed suit, and taught us in our fifth year, was a gentleman, by comparison. I got on well with him - and with his dog, a well-behaved terrier (if memory serves) that sat quietly behind him throughout the lesson. So long ago...

I'm also attaching a scan of "The Evolution of the School" and will include a photo of Lever, Trueblood and Pollard ("A Hundred Years of Service") in my next post.

Regards,
Barry