Starting year 1944
Gateshead Secondary School
(later called Gateshead Grammar)

From the 1947 long Photo

Ken Norton writes

"I was in the school ACF and used the .22 rifle range under the hall.
A personality at this time was the groundsman called Bateman.
Two useful additions at the site were the canteen and the cycle shed.
1946 On 3 or 4 occasions pupils were asked to bring tins which were filled with chocolate powder to assist the rations!
The end of term was often “For all the saints who from their labours rest”
Foggy Coates was my uncle.1947 An American exchange teacher ,Mr. Smith,arrived.Took some English lessons;no written work but encouraged pupils to debate,converse and try mock interviews.
1949 5th and lower sixth group taken youth hostelling in the Lake District by JR Brown, H Morris and two lady members of staff. Hired boots;first experience of sleeping in a dormitory.Stayed at hostels in Keswick,Hawkshead,Troutbeck,Grasmere and Kendal.Remember –soaking wet and sheltering in Honister slate mine. John Hawkins stuffing JRB’s rucksack with his old copies of “The Times”-not found until the end of the week.
J R Brown was the teacher who had the biggest influence on my education at Gateshead and later on at Hexham.
MEN’S staff room –memories of peering in and seeing piles of books,unfinished games of chess through a thick cloud of cigarette smoke.
The staff had annual hockey,soccer, cricket and chess matches with the pupils.
Hobbies Exhibition at the end of every Christmas term (musicians and hobbies) staged in the Shipley Art Gallery.
Faint recollections of walking and cycling to school or taking the tramcar if it was wet.
I used to sit beside John Derry at Kells Lane school.Played countless games of cricket with him near his house.He used to take the part of DVP Wright the England leg spinner at the time. In contrast to his distinguished academic career I was lucky enough to play cricket for Northumberland in the Minor Counties competition from 1954-1981 taking a record 600 wickets and enjoyed league cricket for 50 years with Gateshead Fell,Tynedale,South Shields,Morpeth and Corbridge."

See Team Photos

John Derry in 1947
now
Professor John W. (Wesley) Derry
Gateshead Grammar School c 1944

John W. Derry is Professor Emeritus, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

See Famous Old Boys

John Hawkins, 1947, returned as a teacher

18 years later in 1965

Here he is in 1993 at the 40th Anniversary Concert of the Caprians. He died in 1995

See Staff 1965

June Picken, later June Salmon

Beth Faid, later Beth Smith