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1920 – (Bond Street) Full School Photo

There was a full school photo taken in 1920. Whilst the quality is much lower than I would like, it is the best I can put together from the available resources and it does at least serve to provide a flavour of what the school was like at the time.

Whole School
Click here to view large image

The year was significant because the number of Grammar School pupils exceeded 200 for the first time. At this time, the vast majority of the school was fee paying and ‘School Certificates’ and ‘Higher School Certificates’ were the standard qualifications being some 32 years before the replacement by ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels.

In 1920, just 17 ‘School Certificates’ were awarded together with 3 ‘Higher School Certificates’.

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Prefects 1970-71

Back Row: John Sherratt, Keith Tomlinson, Andrew Livermore, David Jones, Peter Sharratt, Howard Ramsey, David Shilton, Bill Dunn
Middle Row: Ian Dilks, Andrew Woodland, Barry Smith, Kim Renwick, Richard Bugg, Ian Derratt, Brian Davis, Pat Oven
Front Row: Bob Barnes, John van der Merwe, George Wooley, Colin Beard (Headboy), Bill Gillion (Headmaster), Bob Lathbury, Steven Lakin, Rory Butler, Richard Hayes

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1920 – Dramatic Society First Production

The Burton-on-Trent Grammar School Dramatic Society was founded in early 1920 by Mr E.C. Nicholson who had arrived at the school the previous year to teach Chemistry.

On Friday and Saturday, the 17th and 18th December 1920, the Society staged its first production. It was a comedy in four acts written by Madeline Ryley called Jedbury Junior.

The cast is given below, which included Mr Nicholson himself who played the neice. Also, probably most notably was a young George Cooper, who can be seen on the extreme right, who was to go on to have the longest ever association with Burton Grammar School where he would retire as deputy headmaster some 48 years later!

CAST

Christopher Jedbury Senior (An East Indian Merchant)
F.J. Richards
Mrs Jedbury (wife)
J.J. Baker
Christopher Jedbury Junior (son)
F. Waterton
Nelly Jedbury (daughter)
E.W. Misater
Whimper (man-servant)
George Cooper
Job (valet to Jedbury Jnr.)
G.W. Britton
Major Hedway (retired soldier)
H. Lyon
Dora (neice)
E.C. Nicholson
Mr Glibb (President of the Society for the suppression of juvenille gambling)
H. Henson
Mrs Glibb (his wife)
S.D. Berry
Tom Bellaby (lawyer)
B.C. Saunders
Mr Simpson (Manager of the Bombay House)
F.B. Buxton

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1950 – Noah

Back Row: B01, Peter Dagley, Runcorn
Middle Row: Bill Leach, Brian Nolan, John Pickering, M04, M05
Front Row: Brian Spooner, F02, Bob Lester, F04, Julian Appleby

Play director, Norman John Cleave, seeming happy with the way things are going.

Hugh Richmond is seen here being fitted with his beard in readiness for playing the lead role.

Hugh Richmond can also be seen here aboard the Ark, complete with eskimo furs!

Dennis Grimsley joins the group, back left, for the final group photo. He was destined to return to the school to teach chemistry six years later.

The play certainly had some influence; It was Norman Cleave who provided the inspiration for Hugh Richmond to go on to become professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley.

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School Regulations – 1930/40s

The School Regulations for the late 1930s and early 1940s provide a good feel for the school in those times.

The standard fee which applied to almost all pupils was Five Guineas (£5.25) per term – not including text books on top of which had to be paid 9d (3.75p) for the Cygnet magazine subscription and 1 Shilling (5p) for the Hospital – a not insignificant fee at the time!

rules

Just to put all of this in context – at the time:

anglia An average three bedroom semi-detached house would be around £550

A new Ford Anglia de Luxe family car would set you back £140 and to keep it going, petrol was 1 shilling and sixpence a gallon (1.65p per litre).

Boy’s Flannel suit 25/-, shirt 7/6, jumper 7/6, shoes 16/- (total £2.80).

Mars bar from the tuck shop 6d (2.5p)

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1933/34 Sixth Form

B04 is C.H. (Bert) May, M07 is Stanley Dagley, who was Head Boy but for some reason, not taking the customary central position, and seated on the grass in the centre is John P Bull.

The following signatures also appear on the back of the photo and it would be nice to associate them with the correct faces:

A.H. Benton, E.H. Greenwood, W. Summers, W.S. Chambers, W.C. Cobb, G.R. Brotherhood, L. Watts, G.A. Staley

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