| 04 Nov 2009 |
Two more Old Farnworthians from the post-war years would like to contact mislaid classmates.
 Click here for more information.
| 21 Oct 2009 |
An Old Farnworthian from the 1940s would like to contact a classmate.
Click here to see more.
| 13 Oct 2009 |
Harry Jack has compiled a list of the 121 FGS pupils who, to the best of his knowledge, wrote their School Certificate exams in 1950. If your name is on the list and you fancy attending the 60th anniversary reunion next March (see above) please let me know.
Click here to see Harry's list.
1951 Form Upper V beta.
| 25 Sep 2009 |
For the past two or three years the 1951 section of the Gallery has included a page entitled "Unknown form/group." I must now confess that the mystery was solved more than a year ago by Norman Lomas but I omitted to tidy it up.
1951 Form Upper V beta.
Norman has also written to say that he was very interested in Peter Castle's article about prostate cancer (PCa) [click here]. Norman, whose PCa was diagnosed in 2001, too late to be operable, writes: "If anyone wants to talk to me about PCa I am always willing, having had various Hormone therapies, Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy. Also there are very active support goups in the north west, including Bolton."
If you'd like to contact Norman, please e-mail me and I'll put you in touch. My email address is fgs @dnet.co.uk but I'm afraid you can't click on it here as it's been doctored in an attempt to foil the spam peddlers. Please type it in and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
| 16 Sep 2009 |
Three more of Derek Heywood's 1950s photographs added:
1949-50 Form UV alpha
1950-51 Form Lower VI
1954 Form Upper Vb
| 14 Sep 2009 |
Profile of Derek Heywood (FGS 1945-52) added, complete with recent photograph.
Profile: Derek Heywood
| 08 Sep 2009 |
Dorothy Yorke (FGS 1936-41), who is now Mrs. D. Gregory and must be a Very Senior Wrinkly indeed, has supplied the five missing names from the 1939-40 Form Lower VA photograph.
1939-40: Form Lower VA
| 05 Sep 2009 |
A one-time Head Girl of the school has lost touch with a friend from primary school and FGS days. Can we help?
Where Are You?
| 04 Sep 2009 |
Some new photographs, vintage late 1940s/early 1950s, plus additional names on some existing photos of the same vintage, from Derek Heywood:
1950: Henry V
1951-52: Soccer 1st XI
19xx: Sports Day
19xx: School Dance
1950-51: Soccer 2nd XI
1950: Third Form girls
1947: Form Lower IV alpha
1949: Form Lower Vb, Lakes holiday
1950: Norfolk Broads holiday
| 28 Aug 2009 |
The advance notice regarding next year's planned 60-year reunion for 1949 School Cert candidates now includes a list of all who joined FGS in the Third Form in 1945.
60-year reunion.
| 27 Aug 2009 |
Peter Castle has contributed a copy of a splendid article he wrote for a magazine in Australia where he lives. Although it's not specifically relevant to FGS, I feel that all male Wrinklies (FGS or otherwise) could benefit from reading it — as could all males approaching Wrinkliehood.
"What's a PSA?"
| 25 Aug 2009 |
Derek Heywood (FGS 1945-'52) and Ron Jones (ditto) are planning a sedate celebration next year to mark the 60th anniversary of their School Certificate exams.
Derek tells me that all FGS Wrinklies of roughly the same vintage will be warmly welcome.
Click here for more information.
| 08 Aug 2009 |
Marion Keating in New Zealand has asked me to repeat her appeal for news of the whereabouts of her old school friend Valerie Holmes. It appears that Valerie may have remarried and may be better known under her new surname.
Where Are You?
| 01 Aug 2009 |
Profile of Peter Brabbing (FGS 1951-1956) added, complete with recent photo.
Profile: Peter Brabbing.
| 22 Jun 2009 |
Profile of Ray Smith (FGS 1945-1950) added, complete with recent photo.
Profile: Ray Smith.
| 04 Jun 2009 |
Ray Smith (FGS 1945-1950) writes from his home in New Zealand with additional names, corrections and new information relating to several photographs from his time at FGS.
1949-50 UV beta
1952-53 UV alpha
1946 Group 5
1950 Group 2
1950 Group 4
1945-50 Teaching Staff
| 02 Jun 2009 |
Les Rothwell has sent a piece about Senior Citizens, culled from the internet and likely to start a few heads nodding in agreement, I think.
Senior Citizens.
| 12 May 2009 |
An e-mail from David Brankley (FGS 1956-'73) brings sad news.
"...I went into the school during its
demolition. I managed to salvage a small part of the hall's parquet floor,
and I'm afraid that I have some very bad news for you. The organ was still
in place, and very badly damaged. I think that we can assume that the organ
was not rescued and perished along with the building."
That's all the information I have. Quite apart from the considerable value of the organ as an instrument, I find it astonishing that anyone could even think of destroying part of the school's WW2 war memorial.
| 05 May 2009 |
Elsie Entwistle has sent two photographs of herself with some of her old friends from FGS days.
Elsie and friends.
Elsie has also asked me to repeat her appeal for news of the whereabouts of Vera Spencer. I'm aware of at least seven or eight people who would love to get in touch with Vera, so please contact me if you can help.
Where Are You?
| 14 April 2009 |
Keith Seddon has once again completed his careful annual count of named bodies on three of the whole-school panoramic photographs. The website had a quiet year in 2008 and the increases in names have been quite modest.
1946 panorama.
1950 panorama.
1953 panorama.
| 27 March 2009 |
Julie Thomas (FGS 1977-1982, now Mrs. Julie Treacy) has identified herself in Group 1 of the 1979 panorama, together with two other girls in that group and four in Group 2.
1979 panorama, Group 1
1979 panorama, Group 2
| 18 March 2009 |
Derek Chadwick has identified himself in Group 4 of the 1957 panorama, and Mrs. Chadwick (who was Eileen Cooper at FGS) has kindly offered to contact her cousin Beryl Cooper. Beryl has been the subject of an appeal on my Where Are You? page since January 2008, and I was pleased to be able to tell Vera Burrows in Oz (who was doing the looking) that she has been found.
1957 panorama, Group 4
Where Are You?
| 26 February 2009 |
An appeal made last December for information on the present whereabouts of an FGS teacher from the 1950s has borne fruit, thanks to Derek Chadwick (FGS 1951-1958).
Where Are You?
| 02 February 2009 |
Terence Luby has added fifteen names to the 1946 panorama; they're in Groups 1, 2, 4 & 7:
1946 panorama.
| 14 January 2009 |
More from the same source as yesterday's revisions. This time, Don has added some names of sixth-formers in Groups 1, 4 and 5 of the 1957 panorama.
1957 panorama, Group 1.
1957 panorama, Group 4
1957 panorama, Group 5
| 13 January 2009 |
Following a visit from his cousin Barbara Rowland (née Taylor) and her husband Ken, Don Catterall has written from Oz to make some additions and corrections to two of the gallery's photos from the 1950s.
1955 Cricket First XI.
1956 Lower VIth Form.
| 02 January 2009 |
Michael Haynes has kindly sent a photograph of the school's 1960 athletics team, complete with all names, courtesy of his friend Frank Thornley. Michael has also sent a press cutting listing the school's 1958 Sports Day results.
1960(?) athletics team
1958 Sports Day results
| 24 December 2008 |
Alan Burrows in Australia would like to make contact with the man who taught him English at FGS fifty and more years ago, and whose efforts shaped the course of Alan's career.
Where Are You?
| 16 December 2008 |
An e-mail from Ron Hodson brings the sad news that his cousin, Jim Pedley, passed away on Thursday December 11th 2008 at the age of 83. Jim was a prominent sportsman during his time at the school; his profile is on the website and he also appears in several team photographs of the time. Jim's funeral will take place on Thursday (December 18th) at Euxton Parish Church. We extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Profile: Jim Pedley.
| 25 November 2008 |
Les Rothwell has written with sad news of the death of Edna Holgate, who was a very senior Wrinkly indeed (she was 86 and would have started at FGS in the early to mid-1930s). Edna married Percy Holgate's son Max, and regularly attended Les's FGS get-togethers at the Stocks Hotel in Walkden. This website offers sincere condolences to all who knew her. Unfortunately we don't have a photograph.
| 10 November 2008 |
Norman Lomas has supplied the forenames of three of the boys in the 1946 Form IIIb photograph:
1946 Form IIIb.
| 28 October 2008 |
Jean Brown (FGS 1956-1959, now Jean Beale) writes from California to ask whether we can put her in touch with several of her old school friends:
Where Are You?
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Another new profile, namely that of Hilda Jones (FGS 1946-1951, now Hilda Wallace) is now on the website, complete with recent photograph.
Hilda Jones: profile.
|
FGS Personal Profiles must be like buses — nothing happens for ages and then two or three come along in close order. This one is from Deirdre (Dee) Seddon, who left FGS in 1966.
Deirdre would love to hear from anyone who remembers her at FGS; please contact me and I'll put you in touch.
Deirdre (Dee) Seddon: profile.
| 24 October 2008 |
Brian Wilson's profile, complete with recent photograph, is now on the website. Thanks, Brian...
...while Keith Seddon and Harry Jack have suggested more names for the 1951 Spartan girls' gym team photo.
Profile: Brian Wilson.
1951 Spartan girls' gym 8.
| 23 October 2008 |
Hilda Jones (now Wallace) has sent me a photograph of the 1951 Spartans girls' gymnastics team. Only three of the girls are named. Please e-mail me if you can name the teacher or any of the anonymous girls.
1951 Spartan girls' gym 8.
| 22 October 2008 |
Brian Wilson has sent a photograph of the 1946/47 Form IIIb, complete with the full names of all the girls. Most of the boys, however, are remembered only by their surnames (which is how boys were addressed at the time). Please e-mail me if you can supply any of the missing names.
1946/47 Form IIIb.
| 19 October 2008 |
A South African gentleman named Charl Heydenrich owns a book which was awarded as an FGS prize 83 years ago. It was awarded to an FGS pupil named K. Hall, and Mr. Heydenrich has kindly offered to pass it along to anyone who may be sufficiently interested to pay the cost of postage. Are there any descendants of K. Hall out there perhaps?
1925 prize: cover and bookplate.
| 14 October 2008 |
Alan Chapman has recognised himself in the 1953 whole-school panorama; he's in the front row of Group 5. Alan also tells me that the boy on his right was Trevor Parkinson.
1953 panorama, Group 5.
| 13 October 2008 |
Don Catterall in Oz has sent a photograph of himself and 1950s classmate Keith Seddon, taken during Don's recent trip to U.K.
1950s friends
| 07 October 2008 |
Freda Bentley is trying to re-establish contact with three of her friends from the early 1950s. We've already succeeded in finding one of them. Can you help to find the others?
Where Are You?
| 29 September 2008 |
Keith Seddon and Don Catterall have, between them, identified a lad named Didsbury who appears in Group 5 of the 1950 panorama and in both photographs of that year's performance of Henry V. Anyone know Didsbury's forename?
1950 panorama, Group 5.
1950, "Henry V"
| 05 September 2008 |
Norm Pickering recently got together with two friends from his FGS days 52 years ago. Their photograph is on the website.
Reunion, 52 years on.
| 21 August 2008 |
Elsie Hodgkiss has been out and about with her camera again, this time to photograph some once-familiar places around the centre of Farnworth as they are today. The pictures are not directly relevant to FGS but the locations would have been familiar to all pupils of the school, and what has happened to the town centre over the years will no doubt be of interest to fellow-exiles.
Farnworth town centre today.
| 06 August 2008 |
Elsie Entwistle (now Elsie Hodgkiss), who was the school's last Secretary, has sent nine recent photographs all taken in the vicinity of the school — or, more accurately, where the school once stood. Unsurprisingly, the area has changed hugely since I left in 1946, and I hope Elsie's photographs will prove as interesting to other FGS long-term exiles as they are to me.
All gone! — Where FGS once stood.
| 04 August 2008 |
Geoff Thomas has sent a more recent photograph for his Profile, and a splendid photo it is too — complete with Armed Forces Veterans' lapel badge unless I'm much mistaken.
Geoff Thomas: Profile
| 28 June 2008 |
Another name added to Group 3 of the 1972 panorama. Martin Critchley (FGS 1966-72) has written to say that the unnamed teacher sitting next to Mrs. Lumb is Mrs. Sharples.
1972 panorama, Group 3.
| 26 June 2008 |
Gail Challinor (now Mrs. G. Thornbury) has e-mailed from Australia to add her name to Group 3 of the 1972 panorama. Gail was also able to identify the previously unnamed teacher sitting next to Mr. Petty as relief Biology teacher Mr. Corfe.
1972 panorama, Group 3.
| 24 June 2008 |
Roy Eglon has added the names of Jean Haynes and Joyce Francis to the 1950 panorama (Groups 2 and 3 respectively). He has also identified one of the anonymous girls in the 1952 Form Upper V beta photograph as Joyce Cook(e).
1950 panorama, Group 2.
1950 panorama, Group 3.
1952 Form UV beta.
| 03 June 2008 |
W.A. (Bill) Clarke (FGS 1948-1955) married Barbara Schumacher at a civil ceremony in France on May 31st. I'm sure that all who knew Bill at FGS would wish to join me in offering our sincere best wishes to them both.
Bill Clarke's wedding.
| 29 May 2008 |
Ex-FGS secretary Elsie Entwistle (now Mrs. E. Hodgkiss) has sent me three pages from a notebook kept by her mother, who was the school's cook in the 1930s. I found it fascinating to read that, in 1935, pupils and staff enjoyed a two-course lunch for which they paid the equivalent of 3½p in today's money. I wonder whether people back then complained about the cost of living — I was only six years old in 1935 and not too interested in the price of groceries...)
1935 School Dinners.
| 15 May 2008 |
Roy Eglon (FGS 1947-52) has written to say that the boy on his left in Group 6 of the 1950 panorama is not Edwin Halliday but Kenneth Gosling.
1950 panorama, Group 6.
| 07 May 2008 |
Elsie Entwistle (now Hodgkiss) has sent four nostalgic photographs showing what has become of the pavilion and tennis/netball court at the sports field.
Also... Elsie is one of a group of Old Farnworthians from the 1940s who would dearly love to get in touch with one of their classmates.
Remembrance of Things Past.
Where Are You?
| 24 April 2008 |
Les Sumner has died in a Berkshire hospice following an illness. Les was a keen and able sportsman who played in FGS school teams in the late 1950s/early 1960s alongside future World Cup winner Alan Ball (click on the button below to see a photograph). The sad news was sent to me by Alan Burrows in Australia (thanks, Alan) and our sincere sympathy goes to Les's family and friends.
1960 Under-15s Soccer XI.
| 15 April 2008 |
Norman Lomas has added more names to the 1950-51 UV Beta photograph, which is now complete apart from a few forenames.
1950-51 Upper V Beta.
| 11 April 2008 |
Norman Lomas has identified the 1951 'mystery' form as Upper V Beta, and has also explained why at least two of the boys in that form also appear in the 1952 Upper V Beta photograph.
1950-51 Upper V Beta.
1951-52 Upper V Beta.
| 27 March 2008 |
Bill Warburton and his wife Betty (who was Betty Challinor at FGS) have sent no fewer than twelve photographs of forms and teams from the late 1930s and early 1940s. Some of the people in these photos are not yet identified. Please contact me if you can help.
1937 Form J III G
1938/39 Form Lower IV B
1938/39 Form Upper IV A
1939/40 Form Upper IV B
1939/40 Form Lower V A
1939/40 Form Upper V A
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1940/41 Form Lower V B
1941/42 Form Upper V A
1941/42 Soccer 1st XI
1942 Cricket 1st XI
1942 'Netball Beauties'
19..? Corinthians House
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| 22 February 2008 |
Keith Seddon has once again updated his careful head-count of the 1946, 1950 and 1953 panoramas. He also says that there must indeed have been two Betty Joneses*, namely the girl named in the 1952 UV Beta photo and in Group 2 of the 1950 panorama, and the girl who became Mrs. Wotton, who is shown among the sixth formers in 1950 Group 2.
* see entry dated 10 January 2008 below.
Keith also spotted the fact that Nina Turnbull's name appears twice in the 1953 panorama (in Groups 1 and 3). According to Keith the girl in Group 3 is Nina, so I've removed her name from Group 1.
1946 panorama.
1950 panorama.
1953 panorama.
| | 04 February 2008 |
Via his son David, who left FGS in 1972, Joseph Eric Boardman (FGS 1929-1934 — and hence a very senior Wrinkly), has added the name of maths teacher Mr. Weston to the 1931/32 staff photograph.
1931/32 Staff.
| 02 February 2008 |
Pat Dunn (now Mrs. Pat Kershaw), who was at FGS between 1953 and 1959, has written to add her name to the 1957 and 1959 panoramas. She is in Group 1 of each photograph.
1957 panorama, Group 1.
1959 panorama, Group 1.
| 19 January 2008 |
I've just had the sad new that Harry Hesketh (one of our very senior Wrinklies who left FGS in 1939) died on January 5th 2006. Harry's short essay on his memories of pre-war FGS is in the Wrinklies' Gallery.
MEMORIES by Harry Hesketh.
| 10 January 2008 |
Oh dear! The 1950 Group 2 photograph now seems to have two Betty Joneses... I guess it's unlikely that both identifications are correct (on the other hand they could both be wrong). There's also a Betty Jones on the front row of the 1952 UV beta photograph. Could anyone from the early 1950s settle this?
1950 panorama, Group 2.
1952 Form UV beta.
| 10 January 2008 |
One more name for Group 2 of the 1950 panorama, sent in by Joan Bottomley (now Coope) who has written to say that the girl seventh from the left in the third row down is Betty Jones*. If I've counted correctly there are now only 20 girls still unidentified in this group — not bad for a 58-year-old photograph!
* But please see the note immediately above this one...
1950 panorama, Group 2.
| 06 January 2008 |
Alan Burrows reports that his appeal for news of Les Drury, posted last September, has had a successful outcome.
Where Are You?
| 05 January 2008 |
Can we help Freda Jolley in Australia to get in touch with the girl who was her best friend at FGS in the mid- to late-1950s?
Where Are You?
| 02 January 2008 |
Between them, Alan Laking (FGS 1947-51) and his sister Joan (also ex-FGS) have identified no fewer than 26 people in the 1953 panorama, mostly in Groups 2, 3 and 6.
1953 panorama.
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