Hugh Bell School

A Memory of Middlesbrough.

Seeing Norman Jackson's reflections on the teachers of Hugh Bell School conjured up all sorts of wonderful memories. I agree totally with his description of the two headmasters, "Taffy" Evans, the cane toting, foot stamping disciplinarian and Charles Harmer, a gentle man but with a persuasive manner. Mr. Evans at times took us for music and he would always push "Sweet Lass on Richmond Hill" to the point where we got fed up of it. I remember once the class singing Sweet Lass on Richmon Dill and we all thought he was going to "blow a gasket".
Looking at Norman's list of teachers I was reminded that my favourite subject was Maths with "Buller Madden". His teaching methods would certainly be outlawed today but in most cases got results. I am sure ex pupils will remember his entry into a classroom filled with silence, mark the register and then go to his "cane cupboard". Having selected his favourite for the day he would hit his desk top a few times and then start going around the class, "area of a square, you don't know get out, circumference of a circle, you don't know get out", and so on until everyone in the class had been asked a question on formulae. The "get out" instructed those who hadn't answered correctly to go to the front of the class where they would be caned and sent back to their seats. I have to say that I was never caned and can still remember all those formulae some 60 years on. Unfortunately there were those who were caned quite a lot, one in particular was a lad called Arthur Lee.
When I started at the school I was very small for my age and I know my parents worried that I may be bullied. However they need not have concerned themselves for two of the tallest lads in the class kept an eye out for me namely, "Polly" Wharton and "Dicky" Purvis. My best pal was Fred Kirby until his family emigrated to Australia.
Leaving school I went to Smith's Dock where I did an apprenticeship as a joiner, followed by two years National Service with the Royal Signals. Much of my army time was spent at NATO HQ in Germany where I was squadron chief clerk and this experience changed my view on the future totally. Instead of joinery I decided that commerce was to be my future occupation and thankfully was offered a position at Cochrane's as a transport clerk. That started a career in Transport and Distribution for the next 39 years.
I hope these "memories" stir someone else into sharing and in particular I would love to hear from any of my former classmates in 1a, 2a,3 p and 4p in the years 1945-1949....Cliff "Willie" Wilson.