In memory of St Paul's School Brierley - Your email

2009

2008 Email

Updated 17 February 2009

Hello Gary

I am not a former pupil, but my husband Keith was. Yesterday, I contacted Dave Nicoll, via Friends Reunited Brierley School site regarding a photograph I have of Miss Horseman's Class taken in July 1951 and he directed me here. My mum-in-law, Thelma Knight, came across it recently together with a list of the names of all the class. The list had been done by my father-in-law, Bill. Their son, Keith who was my husband is in the picture between Peter Kaye and Jean Draper. Keith and I met when he was at Liverpool University doing Electrical Engineering

I have attached the photo. I will have to get my mum-in-law down here when the snow has cleared so that she can reminisce. The family moved into the pre-fabs at Grimethorpe in the winter of '47.

Best wishes with what is obviously a labour of love and I look forward to further news.

Margaret Knight

Hi Margaret. Thank you for your email. I already have the photograph in the archives but your supply of names is very welcome. Some of the names do in fact conflict so I have written to David Nicoll, Gordon Steele and Christine Beard who are all on the photograph. Already Dave has written back with the conflict over the teachers name being Mrs Horseman or Horton. Dave informs me that they are both correct as Mrs Horseman became Mrs Horton after her wedding which I presume was after the photograph was taken.

Hi, Gary,

Talking to mum-in-law today and she told me that Keith was at the school from 1948-1953. During '53 the family moved from the Grimethorpe pre-fab with all mod-cons, including a built-in fridge, to a cottage on Great Houghton High Street, with no hot water, and a shared privy! However, it was next door to Gran and that counts for a lot.

Thanks Margaret

Hello Gary,

Regarding the photograph you have sent me to look at, in the teacher's name I remember she was Miss Horseman and then Mrs Horton on getting married. I will ponder on the pupil names and let you know.

Dave Nicoll Pogmoor.

Thanks Dave, that's one puzzle solved

Updated 5 February 2009

Hiya Gary, just quickie! A correction to my dates of attending St. Paul's school. They should read 1950 to1956! NOT as you have them on the web site. (1953 to 1958) I admit, it's not a great problem, thinking about it though it's made me a few years younger!!!!! (nice eh) The site is beginning to take shape, well done.

Regards from Gordon Steele Walton.

All changed Gordon

Hi Gary

I've spoken to my brother and asked him to email you about putting the family on the Brierley Village web site for your Where R you now page. I'm sure it will be ok.

You asked about the weather here in Dubai, it is cold and we are wearing jackets or jumpers especially at night but in fact it's 24C during the day and around 15C at night

I don't know why but the name Ernest Sheard makes a strong impression, if he is 56ish I think he sat in my class.

I haven't had time to look at the web sights this week we've had family staying with us.

I got an email from Sylvia Cavanagh, I last spoke to her when we were at college together, seems like several lifetimes ago! Thanks for putting us back in touch after all these years

Regards Veronica Goodwin Dubai (nee Holden ‘Marylynn’)

Ernest will be a little older than that, I think Brenda or Ken will be nearer 56.I was pleased to be able to put you and Sylvia back in touch.

Hello Gary

Congratulations on your new site. It is looking very good and has the potential to become as addictive as the Brierley site I am sure. I am only sorry that I don't have any more memorabilia to pass on to you. If I come across anything next time I am clearing out the loft I will be in touch!

Only a minor point Gary, on my entry on the Contacts page you have me living in Shafton, when I am actually in Royston.

Regards,

Christine Cheetham Royston

Thanks for those kind words Christine. I have corrected where you live on the contacts page.

Hiya Gary,

It's been a long time since I contacted you, so I thought I would break the silence!
Re the above mentioned photo, there is a possibility that my dad Wilfred Steele is the young boy in the centre of the front row. As you say in your script "it's not a good photo" but both my brother Ron and I are of the same opinion. I have yet to confirm this further with John, once I have I will definitely contact and confirm with you. Also David Nicoll and I have been in contact through the web site, and we will be meeting up in the not to distant future. There will of course be some photos which you may use on the web. You may also publish my details on the site; I attended St. Paul’s from 1950 to 1956. Form there I went on to Brierley/Grimethorpe Secondary School. (now Willowgarth)
No I haven't forgotten my school memories for the site------- I will get around to it-------one day!!!
You may print this on the school web site.

By the way, congratulations, both sites are coming along great.

Regards Gordon Steele Walton

Updated 11 January 2009

Hello Gary

I've just been looking at Dad's 'Potted History' on the St Paul's School website once again, and found a mistake, which you may wish to amend. In paragraph five, I stated that Dad was at Barnsley Mark Street Central School for 25 years - in fact it should have only stated 14 years (1930 to 1944). Sorry for this glaring error!!

May I take this opportunity to wish you a very enjoyable Christmas and a happy New Year from Nina and myself.

With all best wishes

Alan and Nina Balmforth

Spalding Lincolnshire

Hello Gary

What a great find!

My sister sent me a press cutting from the Barnsley Chronicle just before Christmas so I have been searching the school records.

I am featured in your picture C4, you have me down as Rita Holden, l am in fact Maralynn Holden and I am the one on the back row with a hair ribbon (2^nd along from Mrs Webster).

I do have photos of some of the school events but they are at my home in France. I will be back there in May and will copy them and forward them to you.

The photo was taken in 1958 not 1960.

Mrs Webster was the Vicar’s wife, she used to smoke in the classroom. I can remember her tying a boys’ hands behind his back with sellotape and then sticking him (quite literally) to the back of the piano with more sellotape and sticking more over his mouth because he was talking in the classroom. His name was Phillip Yoxall if I remember rightly. He lived after Hillside just before the long hill down into Grimethorpe.

My brother William was in the year below me and my sister Sandra enrolled in the school 3 years after him.

My memories of school are not good, Mrs Thorpe had put a map of North and South America into my book with an ink roller and I thought it had missed the area where the Panama Canal was so I carefully filled it in with my ink pen and got a slap on the hand with a ruler. Lesson learnt, from the age of 7 I knew what and where the Panama canal is.

Mrs Fox was my favourite teacher, she encouraged me to read as many books as I could get out of the library which was housed in her classroom.

Mr Balmforth scared me to death, we shared the same birthday of 29 March. Also the dash to the outside toilets at the back of the school during winter is a vivid memory.

I was a chorister in the church choir and was head chorister before the choir was disbanded after Avril Picking left the village to get married.

I was in church last October before coming out to Dubai where I live from October to May before going to my home in France for the summer. I met Susan Sheridan a younger pupil of the school and Mrs Peacock who was one of the later teachers.

I was enrolled on the register possibly as Veronica Maralynn Holden but used Maralynn as my Christian name. My brother is William Anthony and my sister Sandra Jane

I am now Veronica Maralynn Goodwin (I live in Dubai for 7 months of the year and France, near Toulouse, the rest of the year).

Thanks for the email Maralynn. I am not too sure but I think I remember the family. Did you have long blonde hair and live on Hilltop. I was brought up on the Hillside estate, My half brothers and sisters were the Sheards, do you remember them?. Where does your brother and sister live now. I think you were little older than me, I am 52 next year. I mated with Steven Wilkinson who lived on Hilltop. Try my other web site www.brierleyvillage.co.uk but beware you will be on it for hours.

I was at Brierley school from Easter 1957 -1962. I am 57 this year, my brother William was there from 1958 - 1963 and my sister Sandra from 1961 - 1966. We all followed on to Brierley Grimethorpe Secondary Modern which became Willowgarth High School the year I left 1966.

I have 2 older sisters called Rita and Anne Savage (our mother was widowed in the war) hence the mix up with names in photo C4 but in fact they never attended Brierley school.

We lived in Regina Crescent and my brother and I played football and cricket with the Kenyon boys who lived at the butchers shop opposite the Three Horse Shoes. His other mate was David Snowdon, Keith Sheridan and David Hartley. Our neighbours where Christine and Linda King.

I can remember my last year at the school, the back row of the class was Sherry Peacock, Geraldine Scott, Alan Thorpe and a boy called Danny. These 4 all went on to Grammar school, I sat in front of Sherry next to the wall.

I can remember running away from school on my 1st day there and being dragged back again by my mother.

I looked at the photo taken in what was the infants school for May Day and can see my sister Sandra about 4 from the back in the middle row, she has very white hair like I had.

I will send some photos when I get back to France in May and see my brother as I know he has some including a photo of our confirmation into the church.

I looked at the other site (www.brierleyvillage.co.uk) and was pleased to see a small piece from Avril Picking, she is being very reserved. Her and her mum ran the Sunday School and choir with choir practise every Thursday night. Her mum played the organ.

Please add my name to the contacts list as it would be good to speak to her, I really owe her a lot. Also Sylvia Cavanagh who was a very good friend of mine.

If you have any more queries please get in touch, by brother (now Bill Holden ) lives in Hemsworth and Sandra (now Watkiss) lives in South Elmsall. I think her sister in law plays the church organ now.

I left Brierley to work and live in York where I met and married my 1st husband moving down to live in the towns of Bromsrove in 1974 and then on top of the Malvern hills in 1985 in Worcestershire. I am now re-married and we sold up in 2004 when my husband was offered work first in the far east (Singapore and Vietnam) and now the middle east. I live in Dubai for 7 months of the year and France, near Toulouse, the rest of the year and visit my family twice a year.

I have a 36yr old son who served with the British army in N. Ireland, Bosnia, Cyprus and Iraq and who is now working in Odessa in the Ukraine as a teacher of English, he has 2 German children. My daughter is 34, lives near Bromsgrove in Worcestershire with 3 children under 9 and is training to be a nurse. My youngest is 24 and manages a nightclub in Warrington.

I am now blessed with a good and loving husband, 3 hardworking and supportive children and 5 adorable grandchildren who come to stay with me at our home in France for the whole of the summer holidays.

I hope you can use some of this information to add to both sites.

Regards, Veronica (Maralynn) Goodwin Dubai

P.S. The name Sheards does ring a bell

Hi Gary

Please could you alter spelling mistake in my maiden name it was Woolridge

Hope you have a lovely Christmas

and all the beat for 2009

Thanks

Kind Regards

Lynne Hall (nee Woolridge) Shafton

Sorry about that Lynne, I do it all the time with your name.

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