MEMORIES OF CASTLEFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL

My “academic” career started in September 1944 during the last year of the war at the age of 10 11/12.

I remember the feeling of dismay at once again, starting at the bottom of the heap. Schooling consisted of climbing the ladder to the top and then back to the bottom at each new school. C.G.S. was steeped in tradition with teachers dressed in black gowns and the walls of the main hall festooned with boards showing the names of former pupils and their achievements.

The whole school assembled in lines across the hall according to forms with the lower forms at the front and the upper 6th at the rear, teachers standing along the sides. The Head Master led the school in prayers and read out various notices and welcomed the new pupils. He usually played some music (“The flea” was very popular) at morning assembly.

All the newcomers were assigned to their forms and left the hall in their smart new uniforms , carrying shiny new leather satchels. My form was 1C with Miss Barraclough as the form teacher. Life at the new school was quite exciting in the first few days, writing out the timetable, finding our way round the school. Meeting our new teachers was quite a daunting prospect. We all looked forward to receiving homework. In a later year Miss Mahon was our form teacher and I recall her telling us to “Always take the teapot to the kettle, never take the kettle to the teapot”.

I had two sisters in the higher forms, Margaret was, I think in the lower 6th and Joan in the 3rd or 4th form. Both sisters were very good at sports, a tradition, which ran out when I appeared. I was very fond of tennis but this was for girls only. My brother John and sister Mary were former pupils so a strong family tradition was well established. John’s and Mary’s children and my own eldest daughter Julie who followed in later years continued this. I also married a CGS girl, Margaret Butterfield.

My recollections of the teachers are as follows: - Mr J.L. Hampson (Head Master), Mr E.P. Wilson (Chemistry and Deputy Head), Miss Woodward (Senior Mistress), Miss Barraclough (English), Miss Crisp ( Maths) Miss Haigh (History), Miss Philips (Geography),Miss Beswick, Mr Barnes (German) Mr Hughes (French), Mr Thatcher (Art),Mr “Cod” Atherton (PT), Mr “Punch” Ambler, ”Leafy” Bower (Science), Miss Oddy (Biology), Miss Benton (Geography), Miss Taylor (French), “Chippie” Ingham (Woodwork) ,Mr Bromley (Music & French), Mr Pat Delaney (Latin), Mr Gabriel with handlebar moustache (Sports),Miss Whiteside (taught shorthand ,was School Secretary and ran the Golden Eagle Society). Apologies for any omissions due to deterioration of brain cells.

During my second year Mr Ingham and Mr Morgan returned from the army and I believe Mr Gabriel came from the same source.

My favourite subject was French, followed by English (punctuation was never my strong point). My least favourite subject was Maths, although I came to use this a lot in my business life. I was a miserable failure at sports. I used to finish about 53rd in the cross-country race. I seem to recall that the leading light in this was one Johnny Morrison.

Break time involved walking up the hill or messing about in the quarry behind the fives court. At lunch time I went home to Glass Houghton on my bike arriving back at school to the sound of the school bell after taking the bend below the old Town Hall like a speedway rider. After a year or so school dinners became available, prepared in asbestos building at the girl’s side of the building, but I never partook of them.

I joined the Photographic Society run by Mr Wilson and thus started a life-long hobby. The darkroom was next to the lecture room and I was very impressed with Mr Wilson’s ingenuity, despite wartime shortages. He made an enlarger out of old boxes. Developer and fixer were produced from basic chemicals in the chemy lab.

Each year a Speech Day was held at the Picture House or Albion cinema when school prizes were presented and we received a pep talk from Ezra Taylor. There was always a much-rehearsed song by the whole school. I recall singing The Fishermen of England, England I Love You etc.

I feel the influence of the teachers at C.G.S. even now after all these years. When working in my darkroom I think of Mr Wilson who started me off with photography. If I do any joinery or metalwork with which I am particularly pleased, I think, ”There, Mr Ingham would be proud of me”. We don’t really value their efforts at the time but in later life we come to appreciate them.

Ralph Parkin