Memories Of My Widnes School Days

A Memory of Widnes.

Having lived the first 25 years of my life in Widnes ,I have many happy memories of my school days there. Born in Dundalk Lane in 1940, from 1943 until 1945, I attended the Nursery,situated next to Ditton County Infants’ School, and then moved on to the Infants’ School itself, (often referred to as The Little School or Chestnut Lodge School), where I spent the next three years . The Headmistress at the time was Miss Friar and one of my teachers was Mrs Shirley.I loved the Little School . The classes were very small, a little over 20 pupils per class, and the teachers were kind ,approachable and always helpful. They were particularly keen to develop a sense of confidence and responsibility,and I recall just how proud I was made to feel upon being appointed milk monitor for the week,charged with the task of carrying a crate of small milk bottles into the classroom and ensuring their distribution to every pupil. I still have a photograph taken in the school playground of my particular class of 23 pupils, 10 boys and 13 girls in all, many of whose names (though not all of whose faces) I can still remember: Lois Owens,Joyce Steadman, Neville Leather,Bobby Nicholson,Eric Singleton,Edward Bevan, and Arthur Lightfoot. I would be happy to provide anyone interested in identifying themselves or members of their family with a copy of said photograph. In 1948 most of us moved on to Simms Cross Juniors where we encountered many more memorable teachers—Mr. McGregor,the loveable Mr.Jones and Miss Hartles,Mr Crampton and Mr. Sam Butterworth,not forgetting the Headmaster, Mr. (‘Dick’) Barton. 1951 saw many of us moving onto Fairfield Secondary School, where the Fates in the form of a dynamic Headmaster,Mr.Roberts (the ‘Cog’)and an inspirational group of teacher such as Mr.(Yozzer) Hughes,Mr. Stott,Mr. O’Farrell,Mr. Hesketh,Mr. Collier,Mr.Patmore etc, where the Fates ,then,conspired over the next seven years to offer us the opportunity to undertake O-and A-Level studies and thus the chance to go on in 1958-1961 to university. I will remain eternally grateful to these and other gifted teachers for enabling us to achieve dreams that we never thought we might fulfil. As for friends at Fairfield, I particularly remember from those seven years: Frank Nicholson,Walter Glover, Ron Ireland,Ted Reid, Robert Carson,Ike Gregory, Brian Daniels, Tom Bebbington, John Bingham, Norman Holleron,Ron Justin, ’Spiv’ Morris and the Faulkner twins.After university, in September 1961,I began teaching French and History at Bankfield Secondary school, some 500 yards from The Little School, where it had all begun.I left Bankfield in December 1965 and went on to teach in Coventry, Sandbach, Manchester and finally Tonbridge where I was Headmaster of an 11-18 High School for eleven happy years. Now retired, and living in East Sussex,I often return to Widnes,which I still regard as my spiritual home.I would love the opportunity to reconnect with pupils,friends and colleagues with whom I have worked during my Widnesian years . John Pye.

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