JARROW CENTRAL SCHOOL 1943-1947

RON FRENCH. Attended Jarrow Central School from Sept. 1943 to June 1947. (Formerly at Hebburn Wesleyan and Hebburn Newtown Schools.) 

In 1943, the (11 +) examination system was as follows: - pupils, put forward from Junior Schools in the catchment area (Windy Nook, Felling, Pelaw, Bill Quay, Heworth, Wardley, Monkton, Primrose, Hebburn and Jarrow) were sent on allotted days, to 'sit' the entrance exam. For the individual Senior schools in the Jarrow area.

In our case, Hebburn Newtown School, we were sent as the 'likely pupils' representing our school and sat their 'entrance exam' for Jarrow Central, Jarrow Secondary (Grammar) and Clegwell Secondary Modern. Each school had their own version of both the exam and interview sessions. You then received (if successful) an 'offer' of a place at either Central or Secondary schools, with, Clegwell as the 'safety net' school if, you fai1ed to gain a place at either of the two Senior Schools.

Jarrow Central (later Oak Street Modern) and Jarrow Secondary (later Jarrow Grammar) were the preferred Senior School options and much pride was exhibited by parents if their little Albert or Audrey was offered a place at either! One-upmanship reigned at times!'

In my case, I was offered a 'place at both and opted for the Central, (to the puzzlement of many). The advantage of the Central over the 'Grammar' was that the Central gave you time to 'mature' a little by not taking Algebra, French, etc; until 13 years old when you selected the stream for your final years. These Streams were Commercial, Technical or 'Oxford' - Oxford being the School Leaving Certificate, which was basically the only Stream allowed for in the 'Grammar' School.

Thus I arrived at the Central School in Sept. 1943, just as the Allies invaded Sicily, much exciting stuff was going on outside of the School walls!              

I am under the distinct impression that the School had just arrived back from, being 'under green canvas' at Crook, County Durham? As I cannot envisage 'School Camps' in summer, 1943 I have always took it to mean, that they had been evacuated as a complete School? Can anyone out there, confirm, deny, or explain this memory?

As first-years we were soon quizzed by the slightly older lads, as to whose class we had been allocated to? When you said 'Mr. Jones' much mirth ensued and warnings were giver of his propensity (legendary) for keeping, his canes in a tube of pickling vinegar!! As Mr. John H. 'Taffy' Jones, was to be our Form Master for the next 4 years, I found him to be strict but fair and when he caned you, you knew why and 'appreciated! the fact.! He even greeted us at Evening Classes, after leaving School (minus cane) and exercised that baleful disciplinary glance when considered necessary!

On reflection, like many others, I grew to realise what a pivotal figure he was to us all. Apart from Maths, later Science, and P.E/Sports, he organised the School Dances{every Friday in winter) in order to 'hone up' our dancing skills for the Big Event of the year, the (separate evenings for First Year, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.) Xmas Party.

This was the time when we all waltzed, tangoed, and fox-trotted in our own tinpot ways, hopefully into the hearts of a fair damsel from 4C or wherever!         In Wartime of course, with rationing, we all had to bring an allotted amount, of tea and sugar etc, in previous weeks, to build up the stocks ...so that Domestic Science could produce their magic, at each Year's Party night. The Xmas Party was for 'dressing up' with Mr & Mrs. J.H.Jones, giving helpful short demonstrations of the dances as, required. before we were let loose on the floor with our bashful partners; does anyone recall the 'orchestra' at these occasions? Two very ancient retainers; in incredibly ancient evening dress, playing piano (lady) and violin (gentleman). I have no doubt some one will be able to put a name to them. As Bob Wightman recalls, they played all the 'latest' numbers and we fell in and out of love with our female schoolmates to the tunes of the day! Nostalgia not being what it was I: will just say, 60 years on, 'Alice where art thou indeed!'          

The winter Friday dances, were most attended in everyday outfits; most girls turned out in well-pressed gymslips and their bright House sashes. The 13-yr. old vision I fell for, wore a red Cuthbert House sash and lived out towards Primrose somewhere.

As it turned out, we were the 'shyest bairns in the class' and I just managed to ask her to be my partner for the supper dance. We were never in the same class at School: like many lads we went to a 'co-ed school' without seeing much of the girls! Separate playgrounds etc. and male and female staff who made it their business to keep little boys in their place across the hall!

Those lads lucky enough to be selected as la or 2a material and then opting later to go into the 'Oxford' stream through 3a, 4a; and 5a,'were of course in actual classroom contact with GIRLS. The downside, as explained to us, was that it 'wasn't that good to be in competition with these clever lasses, in public as it were!

So most girls opted for the Commercial stream in 3c (very few boys did that, Denis Morrison being the only one I can think of off hand) and the lads, to a man, were almost always to be found in the technical stream 3t and 4t onwards.

Speaking of Denis Morrison, his dad was the School caretaker and he could be found in the depths of the Boiler Room most days shaking up1arge quantities of ink to refill the inkwells on demand. This was via the 4pint stone bottles for recharging inkwells to be found on every classroom windowsill.

Some young wizard discovered that by scraping the carbide pencil found in old torch batteries into a dust and doctoring the stone ink bottles he could produce an ink          that looked good when used, but had gone invisible-the following day!

In addition, the bottle gave off an ignitable gas that looked like a lazy Bunsen flame! The resulting Inquisition never caught the culprit, mainly because he was a senior enough pupil to be in the investigative team! It was ever thus!

He would later take his undoubted subversive talents out to the Antipodes, on a normal assisted passage at H. M. Government's expense and not with the expected ball and chain.

Wartime 'school dinners' were not the multi-choice menued, gleaming affairs of today: we had occasionally to partake of them and 60 years on, I. am curious about the colours that came into play. We were in rig-of-the-day (sports jacket). Wartime Harris tweed came in only two colours, on Tyneside anyway, pale blue or rusty orange. Get the picture? Here we were in the dining hall being served semolina with a choice of exactly the same colours! And later at home, wallpaper being in short supply, my parents were decorating our living room with the two choices of emulsion available - pale blue or rusty orange'! Some civil servant at the Min. of Supply in Whitehall must have been larking about.

As the War moved on, one or two male teachers appeared, as the elderly ladies who had 'held the fort' decided to retire and we assumed that the men were returning heroes; not always the case! (Capt.)Albert J.Overton left Central in l941 and reappeared c.1946 having been Mentioned in Dispatches while serving in Italy. He immediately set about trying to solve the Schoolyard assembly lines sloppiness, as he saw it, and, urged the prefects to stop 'lurking in the lobbies' and set an example etc. He was a hero who made another name for himself in post-war Jarrow and is fondly remembered by many:

The time has now come to recall, while my memory holds out, those schoolmates of 60 years ago and the teachers whose initials I'm deciphering from the pages of my Report Book.

Class of 1947 (i.e. graduating then, having been there since 1943)

Jarrow; Bill Armstrong, Jim Cuthbert, Hector Cameron, Sammy Rumbles, Jimmy Errington, David Gardner, Tom McCulloch, Alan Logan, Denis Morrison.

Primrose, Bob McCutcheon, Dicky Young, Alan Yeoman, Hedley Morton, Arthur Jones, Ken Collinson. John Brown.

Felling, inc. Eric Hogg, Lyall Bolton, Noel Wearmouth.

Windy Nook,      Cliff Traynor, Jimmy Thornton,.      Dusty' Miller, Adrian: Greenhaff , Alan Campbell.    

Bill Quay. Bill Dixon, Les Marley.

Hebbum , Albert Carmichael, Billy Stewart, Ron French.

Bill Cummins, David Kew, John White, Colin Robson, JohnWind, Bob Towers.

That's some 35 names to conjure with, and we averaged about 28-32 pupils per term.

Nicknames. Guess 'who was called who' from this selection .

Sugar/ Cherry/ Minty/ Butch/ Tilly/ and so on … makes you think!

Girls in our year (1943-1948) in no 'preferential order, of course.

Stella Mankin,      Maureen Young, Margaret Robinson, Joyce Beattie, Ethel Semmence,

Isobel Smith. Sheila Potts, Irene Mason, Jean Humble. Jacqueline Paisley, Evelyn Hardisty,

Betty Gladden, Joan Reed, Tweedy sisters.

Older pupils there, during our time'( leaving before us, obviously)

Laurence Taylor, Cyril Lennox, Robert Klotz, Les Wappat, Les Javan, Neville Holtham.

               Alfie Middleton, Bob Smith, Ronnie Ross, Sid Burkitt, Charles Rogerson,         

Brian Wood, Les Callaghin, Tommy Henderson, Alan Howstan, Jerry Mitchell,

'Ding' Bell, Alan Fay, Tom 'Tiddler' Wheatley, Norman Anderson, Ben Nicod.

               Bill Kirtley, Les Walton, Donny Egner, Colin Potts, Doris Anderson, Jean Robinson,

Audrey Holtham, Olive Durber, Lucy Hall.

Younger pupils (then and later).

               Bill Lennox, Colin Davidson, Bob Cogle, Kathleen Cave, Margaret West, Amy Smith.

Martin and ? Lawson, School's left wing at soccer.

We come now to the task of remembering those educational heroes and heroines who battled on trying to save us all from ourselves and inculcate some learning whilst we were there at the Central for that short time in our lives!

Mr. Ernest M. Younson. M.Litt. B..Comm. (Headmastenc;1938 - 1953)

               Always 'The Boss' to we pupils, seemingly austere and aloof, and he probably was - we never found out!

During a recent Census search of Hebburn Quay! I found him in his very humble beginnings as one of a large family in the William Street area, father a riveted prob. in Palmers.

His story of how he made it to University via Central School and returned to the town as a quality headmaster? It should be worth checking out - go to it, researchers!

Mr. William M. Ramsey. 'Big Bill' to all who knew of him...34 years at the school I am informed, circa 1920-1954? Large irascible Science teacher

who did not suffer fools gladly, staff or pupils! Deputy Head on and off for years.

Mr. John H. Jones. 'Taffy' to all behind his back! He was probably well aware of his nickname anyway: Eagle-eyed, strict but fair you either loved or loathed him, I suppose. The jury is still out on that one! _As Form Master during our 4 years 1943-47, he would take it personally, if any of his Form had been to see the Head, for proxy punishment (Miss Mace would never cane you herself). Taffy would then arrive in, and inform us that all those who had BEEN caned earlier, would suffer at HIS hands as, well, for 'letting the Form down, reflecting on him! And they say 'it never harmed any of us' to the ban-caning do-gooders!

Mr. Archie M. Campbell. The Webster is full of nostalgic tales re Arch's activities!

He taught Eng. Drawing, and, Metalwork in my time. I did not know, until now, that he was a time-served pattern maker in Jarrow Palmers

His acerbic wit and asides could make pupils squirm at their benches. The woodwork room fire was kept blazing to heat gluepots etc. and supplied by the condemned test pieces of tenon-joints etc that were deemed to be pathetic or, miserable by him and Mr. Cooper.

The elderly Handicrafts master, 'Pop' Ridley, retired after our first year then left all to the tender mercies of. A. M. C.  He went on, of course, to become a local councillor and Mayor of Jarrow.  He lived to a good old age (92) and had: a bust of local hero Sir Charles Palmer in his garden.  He claimed he had saved for posterity a neglected piece of the town's history. The story ran for years with distant council grumbles!

He held court in the 'Lord Nelson' smokeroom, Monkton, every Sunday night.

Mr, Fred C. Giles, Brilliant, but flawed, Science teacher, died in 1946 in harness.  At school, dressed 'in loud bookmakers-checked tweed suits, with a dickey-bow.  On parade as head of Jarrow A.T.C. dressed in RAF officers uniform, he was the best-turned out man there, bar none. Unpredictable with many inner devils.

Mrs. S. Hall, 'Granny' Hall, retired c.1944, missed by all who knew her, a great English teacher who knew how to get the best out of people.

Miss Ella Carr,  Head of the Girls side of School during my time. Don't know what she taught. Vaguely remember her in Girls Training Corps uniform.

Miss F. T. Mackie, Quirky French teacher during our first two years there. She seemed to be dressed from an old Edwardian box! All lace cuffs, crocheted

shawls, pince-nez on the nose, and calling the register ,in our French names.

More memories of the teachers encountered, 1943-1947, Jarrow Central School.

Mr. Albert J. Overton. Taught us Maths/Science from 1946, on his return to the School, from a 'good war' he had had in Italy, being Mentioned in Dispatches as an Army Captain; Brought a good deal o£ discipline with him from the services, and tried with variable effect to instil it into us. He was a Jarrow born lad, whose folks had a shop on Monkton Road; he had been at the School until call-up in 1941.

I remember him rolling up to School in a dark red Austin Ruby on his return.  Early christened 'Olly' Overton, don't ask me why at this distance.

Mr. John Archbold, Taught us Geography, also was Armstrong Housemaster; tried to get us enthusiastic about House activities to little avail, not a lot of soccer talent (or anything else) in Armstrong those years, much to his and Alan Logan's annoyance.  Most people found J. A. a little pompous, I think.

Mr. Edwin Hoyle, Our mystery Art teacher, he seemed a cut above us all : lived in an ancient house in Monkton village. Highly irascible and never seemingly satisfied with our self-satisfied artistic efforts. Nickname 'Daddy' Hoyle. 

Mr. Thomas Dean, Taught us English and History, from1944. I think he'd been at Jarrow pre-war; lived up YorkAvenue  not everyone's cup of tea: very short fuse, dicky-bowed, shiny pate. Famous occasion when he walked into the class, the morning after the Atomic Bomb had been dropped on Japan ---'Right', he said, 'homework essay tonight on 'Atomic Energy' -consternation all round!  Class meeting later decided: if none of us do it; he can't do much about it; next morning; he comes in, no homework done, spokesman Logan explains, 'We had no time to get any information etc. Sir'. T.D. looks slowly around the class, getting redder by the minute,' and says, 'Has ANY boy done anything about it?' Everyone looks around at each other and sure enough, ONE hand slowly goes up (T.M. who else?) That was all T.D. required: all class bar one, given a good caning (Logan's tin of Zambuk ointment in great demand, for stinging palms). Then he tells us 'to pick up our pens!  He was made Headmaster in later years, in controversial circumstances I Believe.

Miss Davis,  We only observed her at a distance, supervising Girls sport, P. E. and Netball etc. Very sporty, Rugby shirt wearer?

Miss Elsie Scott,  Music teacher our first two years; always played the 'Class tunas we entered the room (Dvorak's Humouresque) we bet she played that for all the others too! Slightly unworldly we felt…. Remember singing our hearts out at some patriotic concert c.1944 at school, in honour of our Soviet allies.  I can still sing it now, " Steppeland, wide Steppeland, rolling grassy plains, wide Steppeland."  Imagine, 12 year olds trying to outsing the Red Army Choir, but we did give it some gusto!

Miss A. R. Scale, My love affair with Geography started here! She was a, young, breath of fresh air, in a staid  establishment at times. Broke a few juvenile hearts when we heard she was engaged!  Stayed on after marriage I think?

Miss J. W. Skinner (History) / _Miss L.N.J. Stringe ? (Geography) I Mr. Jukes (Commerce) Mr. John Taylor (Geography) ex-Army 1946; others above, elderly, even then.

Memories of Mavis (Head's secretary) a Jarrow girl, probably ex Central, always cool and calm. serenely bonny.  What a star.

Ron French June 2004