Hi there. Yes, I recognise Mr Thomas, my old English teacher, from your photograph. My name is Peter Jackson, I was a pupil at MCGS from 1960-1967 (one year at Whitworth Street and the rest of the time at Kirkmanshulme Lane) but I only discovered this interesting site yesterday!
I seem to remember you (sorry to be vague) but I did switch classes, I started somewhere at Whitworth St and ended up in 4X and 6C in the 'new' premises (I think - it was a very long time ago!)
I did notice some old posts - circa 2016 - from Robert Jones and David Arnold who were my classmates for several years, and I remember (as pals and colleagues) Alan Milewczyk (I was later to be the 'best man' at his wedding, circa 1971 in Cardiff) Stewart McGough (who worked, much later, as an architect on the Millennium Dome project - and whom I met for a brief time some 18 years ago) Colin Jackson (we travelled around Europe by train in the late 60s) and Steven Smith, who I remembered marrying a nice young lady called Veronica soon after they had left school. But I have lost touch with everyone.
I have fond memories of MCGS but I remember making 2 long bus journeys to school and 2 back home to West Didsbury, every day. And there were days when we would walk home for a good portion of the journey as the 'pea soup' fog descended on Greater Manchester! I had my fair share of caning - at the hands of Messrs de La Perelle, Caldbeck and others. But it was a regular occurrence for many then, and I probably deserved it!
Mr Caldbeck, the woodwork/metalwork teacher, and I never saw eye to eye. I was probably one of his worst students. Regularly I would receive some punishment - including the cane - until I discovered that Mr C was a patient of my father who had a dental practice on Lapwing Lane, West Didsbury. Armed with this information I used it as a shield, and I was spared the cane forever! Presumably the fear of receiving short shrift at the hands of the dentist far outweighed the pleasure of applying the cane.
I remember Arthur Panter (English) - he was a nice bloke and helped me achieve a good grade in my A level. I remember Albert Winterbottom, and the occasion when some of us (I have conveniently forgotten who!) sent a removal van to his house. It had been booked with the express request 'make it a large one please as I have a grand piano.' There were several terrified pupils one day when at the end of a French lesson Mr W told my class 'I know what you have done to me, and I shall make you pay for it.' Fortunately, it became clear later that he said exactly the same thing to the other classes whom he taught.
I also have good memories of Mr (Robert) Stellfox. Physics teacher. He was quite young, and fairly shy. We were cruel. When he turned his back to the class to write on the blackboard we would start to sing the Susan Maughan hit song 'I want to be Bobby's Girl' and quickly stop when he turned around - always red faced.
I went on to study Law at Birmingham University in the autumn of 1967 and I had a whale of a time. I joined several societies, drew cartoons for the Uni newspaper 'Redbrick' and organised some interesting debates, including one between Enoch Powell and Dame Shirley Williams, and a Uni colleague/pal of mine was Perry Christie who returned to the Bahamas and became Prime Minister there. Good stuff Perry. For my part I became disenchanted with Law and eventually packed it in and started a business selling old coins and related antiques. A childhood quirky passion which has served me reasonably well for the past 51 years! And I am probably now at an age (nearly 72) where nobody would employ me!
So all this is pure nostalgia. I did spend a few months in 1986 living in San Diego, and I have travelled the world, but I have lived for the rest of the time in Cheshire, between Wilmslow and Macclesfield with my long suffering wife and three boys ( 2 of whom are home from Uni off-and-on due to the Covid restrictions). I also have a daughter from a previous marriage. She has a family in Wilmslow but is employed by a London company.
Sad that MCGS is no more, but we all have our memories eh !?