Whitley Memorial

[norman]

The main thing I remember about Miss Pallister was that she always compared you with previous members of the family that had been at the Whitley before you, I was unfortunate in that I had 2 older brothers at the school, also my Dad, Uncles and Aunts and cousins all attended the school, and I don't know how old Miss Pallister was but she could remember teaching my dad and his younger brother and sisters. Another unfortunate thing was that my Uncle and one of  my Aunts were up there on the Role of Honour board and I remember being taken by her, using her favourite method of getting hold of the short hair on the side of your head, to stand in front of the boards  and told that my name would never appear there, this was for the heinous crime of talking in class.  

[Keith Scantlebury]

Matty Hall rived a  lump out of my ass  with his blackboard ruler. It had a crack in it and when it connected with my butt it nipped ,ripped my (short) trousers and took a  lump of flesh with it.  The crime ?  Two of us were caught drinking the milk and refilling(topping up) the bottles from a fire extinguisher. People I bump into to this day still talk about it.

[keith lockey]

I've never seen Matty for yonks.

[tonyg]

i heard Matty is in a Home now in Chester Court'

[mickypotts]

When I was in 3rd year at Whitley we Had Mrs. Platt.....a very nice teacher, anyone else remember her???

[mickypotts]

when I was in Mattys class I was the one who went to each class and took the numbers for milk and OJ, then I got to pick the delivery lads out and take them around with the crates, it was a way to be popular since I got to hand out the extras but I was always fair about it and never had bother with anyone at Whitley.

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Can anyone remember Miss Maize?

She was lovely,and Mr Dodds thought so too!

They were courting,when i was only about ten years old,and when they did playground duty,they walked around the yard,holding hands.

Us laddies used to gang up,a whole mass of us,and follow them around,singing......"Maizy dotes on quaker oats and semolina pudding....."

I have vivid memories of Miss Maize turning around,with the lovely smile she had,and just laughing at us all,no reprimanding,she took it in good fun all the time.[Mind,a canna say the same for Doddsy....he was a bit on the serious side....but a canny teacher,even though he was strict...a canna mind him giving me the strap or owt...]

[Maggie/915]

24th February 2014 at 7:30

The life and times of Canon Whitley a talk by Reverend Ian Hennebry

Bedlington History Society Coffin Chapel

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Hi Micky,you mentioned Allen's field,well,i wonder when it changed hands,cos from 1948,as far back as i remember it was alway's Knox'y's field.

We kids used to try and get into the air raid shelter,but in those days,it had been blocked off so you couldn't get in.

Once some of the big lads...[....big lads!...aboot 12 year old..!] [when i was aboot 8 or 9 years old..!]..dug out a wasp's nest,at the entrance to the shelter,

and when the swarm came out,they ran away,leaving a little tot about 3or 4 years old,if that,in the field on his own.

The swarm of wasps came down on the wee tot,and almost stung him to death,there were stings all over his little body,in his eyes ,up his nose,in his ears ,just everywhere......and guess who got his older sister's tongue lashing at him,and gettin all the blame....?

Yep!...poor HPW  seemed to get blamed for lots of things in those days!

Fortunately,after a lot of suffering ,the little tot recovered,but i never forgot the feeling of being accused by folk for something i knew nowt about cos i wasn't even in the field when that happened.

Hi Micky,recently saw a plan of the area,old one mind!,and it shows Allen's fields,as you rightly say,they were next to Knoxy's field.

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Mr Bebington was a crackerjack of a teacher,well-liked by everybody....good-humoured,so much so,that when you were in the middle of a math's lesson,you would ask him to wiggle his ears,and he would put his chalk down,and demonstrate the fine art of ear-wiggling,turning his head to one side so we could see better,and having us all in stitches...THAT was the way to get a class of 45 pupils eating out the palm of your hand without a strap or cane!

We found out about this from older Brother's and friends who had gone through his class before us!!!

[Canny lass]

There was a Mr. bebington at Westridge too, taught biology. Would it be the same one?

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Might have been,canny lass,was he aboot six foot four tall and stocky alang wi' it?

Smiley,cheery,face,and really canny-natured.

Wiggled his ears great!

[Canny lass]

That's him HPW!

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Heh heh!....couldn't be two ear-wigglers in our schools...could there?!!

Cheers!

Bill.

[Alan dickson]

H.P.W been given 2 copies of football team photo/s 1956 and 1957 Whitley Memorial but don't/ know how to put on this page.

Yours if you want them!!

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Cheers Alan!

That's chinkaplonka,aad love ti hae them Al,a saw one wi Mr Davidson,my aad teacher,at thi Whitley,standing wi thi fitba' team,which was mostly  my mates

and next-door neighbours at Hollymount Square,but a canna find it again! [ it was on the "Six Townships site,which is a great site.]

Can ye  mind Ken Bird?..[NACODS union secretary at Bates,at the latter end....]

Whey he mailed me a pic of my  rhythm group,taken in approx 1963-ish.[maybe a bit earlier,]which wor bass player's Son,who lives in Cambridgeshire,has posted up on the Six Township's site.

Av nivvor seen it before,so check the site oot if ye ain't done so aalriddy,like!!

Cheers Alan,and thanks!

[keith lockey]

TonyP has put this photo in the gallery. I have transferred it her for continuity sake. (Cheers Tony)

 

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

When I was in 3rd year at Whitley we Had Mrs. Platt.....a very nice teacher, anyone else remember her???

Hi Micky,was she the Wife of Mr Platt,who was one of the school governers in 1958-9..?

She wasn't teaching there when I left in 1959,unless my memory is slipping a clutch!!

Cheers!

[maubel]

I went to 'the Whitley' in about 1953. I started at 'the little school' the previous year and should have been there until I was 7. But because, being part of the baby boom, we were overcrowded they sent my class to the big school. In those days it took pupils up until they were 15, West ridge hadn't been built then. I remember Mr Hall, although he never taught me and the headmaster Mr Nicholson. He had quite a reputation. Does anyone remember Miss Molden? She had a scary reputation but she was lovely really as long as you behaved. I was sad to leave at 11 to go to the grammar school.

[maubel]

Did Mr Bebington marry Miss Shotton?

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Hi Maubel,welcome to the site!

Aye,Mrs Molden ["aad moldy cheese",was the kids nickname for her!...nae disrespect noo,seeing as we are adults....!],dragged me oot ti the front of thi class when a was aboot 8 years aad,for "taakin in class"..!

When a said a wasn't taakin in class,she mocked me,and raised her croaky voice ti the whole class,sayin...."Oh,so we weren't talking were we?.....then what,may I ask,were we doing?,if we weren't talking?"

Aa said "Please Miss,a was singing to myself".

She again mocked me,and said"Singing,boy,then come on,sing us a solo...."

[A] I didn't knaa wat a "Solo" was...!

If a had knaan,a wudda been too terrified ti try!

So a just stood in silence.

She wasn't content ti drop it,seeing as hoo a was shakin wi fear,at her booming voice,and continued on,"So what were you singing then?"

"Will the angels play their harps for me?"...[it was a shellac record from my granda's collection,in the aad windy-up gramaphone,from aboot 1920]

She mocked  me again,saying,"And do you think the Angels WILL play their harps for you?"

"No Miss"...I replied.

At that she finally sent me back to my chair.

My lasting impression of her wasn't a "Canny Lass"..!!

Nor was aad Nicky ,the headmaster!!

[Millbank]

I went to the Whitley with Pauline Brown and her family lived in the prefabs down Millfield then.

The Chivers family lived 2 doors away from the cut into the park and lived there for many years.

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Hi Millbank!

                   The Chivers family lived in Hollymount square,2 doors from the cut into Cornwall Crescent/Haig/Beattie Roads.[adjacent to old Hollymount hall]

That wasn't the Park cut,the Park cut was along from there leading from the "new hooses" [as we kids called them],which faced over to the Whitley school,and Knoxy's Field.It led straight onto the tennis courts area,with a short walk left ti the swings,and continuing through ti the main road and the Whitley School.

Old Frankie Latimer lived right on the cut at the right side,and he always chased us kids if we even showed our faces,not even daeing owt wrang!!

My earliest memory of little Billy[?] Chivers,was him hitting me,when I was aboot four yrs old,not yet at school.and me faatha gaan aroond wi me,and

telling me ti hit him back harder or HE would belt me!!

I vividly remember that traumatic day,having to run down and hit thi kid back,which was totally against my grain,cos I wasn't a fighter then,and I've never been a fighter in my life since....am aal for a peaceful life!!

I don't think they lived there very long after that incident.

My Parents were given number 13 Hollymount Square,as soon as it was completed being built,and the wall plaster was still not dried oot!!

In aboot 1948,as it was,there was nae waalpaper !!....aad-fashioned distemper stippled onti aal thi waals when they finally dried.

Ye taak aboot giving families chest complaints!!...thi new hoose was damper than Aad Storey's Buildings at Willow Bridge,in Choppington.

We had the end hoose,of the first half of the building programme,and they were still pulling the old colliery hooses doon,in Bell's Place,to allow for the completion of the square,a year or two later.

[Maggie/915]

Interesting action and reaction HPW.

I can remember similar instructions about standing up to bullies.

Trouble came when you picked up that stone that was thrown and returned it to sender.

In my case I ended up in trouble.

'Strike spot on'

Lesson learnt - no.

I would still get myself into trouble .

[Ovalteeny]

I recently posted this photo from 1929 from the Whitley Memorial School on Facebook / Bygone Bedlington. It has created some interest and whilst my Dad (Stan Kidd) is 3rd. from the right, front row, I've asked if anyone else can identify any of the others. That well known "whiz" of photos & screen shots "Eggy" suggested I also put the photo on here to see if HPW or Reedy (via his Dad) or anyone else can help spot and name any of the other children.