Author Topic: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.  (Read 41178 times)

dougle

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North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« on: 18:24:55, 08/02/13 »
I passed my eleven plus and attended the above school; too poor for a uniform the headmaster singled me out for physical and verbal abuse.I left at fifteen. Anyone else had similar experiences?
John Mackenzie

Tonysavage

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #1 on: 23:57:53, 24/09/13 »
I am trying to make contact with Tom Dawson who may have attended North Manchester Grammar School from 1948 to 1955.  Tom lived in Harpurhey.  I was evacuated to his family in 1943/44 and have tried to find Tom over the years.  Anyone know where he is

Manx

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #2 on: 09:37:15, 25/09/13 »
There's a link to North Manchester Grammar School for Boys at friendsreunited that might be useful as a reference.

http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/north-manchester-high-school-for-boys/b/143dba02-6a4c-4b64-bdb0-86efbb52a517

Tonysavage

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #3 on: 10:45:03, 25/09/13 »
Many thanks Manx.  Will try this site.

Tonysavage

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #4 on: 08:43:55, 01/10/13 »
StIll trying to locate Tom Dawson and have checked the Friends Reunited site for North Manchester Grammar School but no sign of him there.  Any other ideas please ?

Michael426

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #5 on: 10:02:00, 12/02/14 »
I was at N.M.G.S. from 1958, when the headmaster was Sibson.
I remember him being fond of using the cane and stroking the upper thighs of victims whilst talking.

Michael426

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #6 on: 16:09:38, 14/04/14 »
I was there from 1958 to 1963.
The headmaster was Sibson, who would today be classed as a paedophile.
I was caned several times for being late and he would sit with his hand on the outside of my leg up my trousers whilst talking to me in his empty office.
Then I was caned.
He drove a black Ford Consul.

truthseeker

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #7 on: 15:12:38, 10/10/14 »
Ronald Archibald Sibson was a smirking perv, the Jimmy Savile of schoolmastering of his day. I remember him only too well (1956-1960) and his penchant for putting his hand down small boys' trousered backsides, before delivering a thrashing with gusto. Today, he'd be banged up in the high-security wing of one of HM's rest homes for lags. He was also a racist and vicious anti-Semite - along with Codface Roberts - and I can only hope this pair of nasties are stoking Beelzebub's furnace as I write. My time at NMGS was not a happy one and I'm delighted the damned place was bulldozed into oblivion.

shoddy

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #8 on: 18:43:47, 08/03/15 »
Sibson eh? Bit of a perv with young boys. Wish he was still alive so that I could tell him what I think of him :)

bel1941

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #9 on: 17:36:25, 30/03/15 »
Sibson's first names were Richard Martyn. I was at NM 1953-58.


Cod face Roberts used to get our class to learn a theorem in geometry every Monday night and his was the first lesson on Tuesday morning. You could know the thing backwards until his finger pointed round the room and finishing at you with the word 'enunciate '. The mind went blank until he thumped it back into you.

jtonroe

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #10 on: 20:07:30, 16/04/15 »
I was at NMGS 1951 to 1958. Cannot believe some of the correspondents ever went there. If they did they must have been lousy students who lay the blame for their failings at other peoples doors. Sibson may have been homosexual but he was certainly no pervert. Neither was he anti semitic. There was a high percentage of jews at the school and i never heard a single one say he was anti semitic. Neither did he use a cane. He used a leather strap known by everyone as black bess. I was thrashed 3 times by him and he never stroked my thighs, and I never heard anyone say he did (his trashings were the subject of endless debate) What he did do was pull the shirt flap from your trousers to ensure no padding. Of course he would not get away with this today but perhaps we are now far too soft on punishments for bad behavior
He was, in fact, a deeply religious man with old fashioned traditionalist views. He was feared by both staff and pupils alike - truly remarkable for a man of 5ft 3ins. He had the most piercing eyes of anybody I have EVER met. One look from him would turn you to jelly. He was discipline personified - a rare virtue that simply does not exist today.
I was deeply indebted to him as my family were poor and wanted me to start earning at 16. He somehow persuaded my parents to allow me to stay at the school to take A levels. The fact that I went on to university was entirely down to Sibson.

bel1941

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #11 on: 21:04:08, 16/04/15 »
I agree that RMS was a total disciplinarian with very high standards of behaviour , which did not go down well with many people.
As far as I can recall he resigned when the Comprehensive system came in. He did ,however, do great work in raising the standards of NMGS and I have great admiration for what he did.
I know that he married, late in life, a hospital matron in Bristol so where the homosexuality etc comes from I can't imagine.



jtonroe

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #12 on: 14:36:09, 17/04/15 »
Interesting that RMS married late in life, I did not know that and I am really pleased that the homosexual rumour has been laid to rest. He got this tag because he lived with his mother until his mid 50's.
You are right that he resigned when the comprehensive school system was introduced - a complete anathema to him. He then became Chief Inspector of Schools in Zambia where I had the good fortune to meet him again. I walked into his office unannounced and he knew my name immediately. A truly remarkable feat considering he had not laid eyes on me for 9 years. I should not have been surprised as he knew every pupil's name - amazing skill as there were over 700 boys at NMGS with a new intake every year of over 100. He taught Religious Instruction, as it was then known, to all first year classes so that he could get to know all new boys.
RMS was a brilliant and dedicated (if very strict) headmaster who had the betterment of all pupils at the heart of everything he did. It is nothing short of an outrage that failed students should choose to tell blatant lies about him.

bel1941

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #13 on: 17:47:37, 17/04/15 »
I think I did know about his going to Zambia but it is interesting that you were able to meet him there. In the late 40's I believe he worked in Palestine. It's strange that in the 50's homosexuality was not spoken about apart from vague references to Lord Montague. Tom Crossley was obviously a bit light on his feet but he was a perfect gentleman and nothing was ever said even in jest. By the way, only last week ,I printed out the words of the school hymn for an old boy who was there in the war. You will know that TAC wrote it along with Percy Penrose.


I don't remember being taught RI by RMS, but he did take our 4th year Latin set 'Just to keep myself sane' as he said.


In one year Bill Lewthwaite, gym master and pro Rugby League player, taught RI. His lessons consisted of explaining the OT miracles scientifically from a text book he had. He also taught German,but not very well, On a school trip to Mainz ,along with his senior,Bill Crompton, I was given six of the best ( shared between them) for writing rude words in the youth hostel visitors book. Am I the only pupil to have been flogged on a ,paid for, school holiday ?


I still have the 1956 school photo which you must be on somewhere.

tripehound

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Re: North Manchester Grammar School For Boys.
« Reply #14 on: 10:45:42, 10/06/15 »
My parents wrote a letter to Sibson, telling him that the rough underside of my ancient desk was rubbing at and wearing away the material of my trousers. He used this as an excuse to get me to unbuttoned my trousers and feel my upper thigh. I don't know whether he was anti-Semitic or not. I seem to remember that he used a strap rather than cane. I do remember that one lad who'd puncheddar holes in a library book showed us the result of Sibson's punishment. His backside was a  bloody mess and you could see from the marks that he'd been strapped on his naked backside. Whatever good Sibson may have done is totally eclipsed by the physical and psychological damage that he did to some of his charges. He was a colossal pervert and sadist.