I attended Hucklow Road School 1947-57 and then Hinde House when it first opened, for what I recall, seemed like 6 long months. I remember Mr Sisk as the most intense of teachers at Hucklow Road though he could sometimes indeed seem a bit scary and I do believe he had suffered greatly as a prisoner of war in the Far East during the second world war. He taught classes with this direct manner but during some difficult times for me, he had a considerable influence on my desire to explore and learn about things which I have never forgotten. I also chose his name for a security question and recall that in the 50s he then came to school on an extremely small scooter that seemed to be more suitable for a child. How interesting it would have been to get to know him better. I certainly felt he was a good man and without knowing Mr Sisk other than as a teacher, I still remember him as a sort of early role model for my own desire to learn. Teachers in those days were much stricter and physical punishment the norm for the time. Some classes including the woodwork could sometimes also be quite scary but in most respect my memories of the school are happy ones guided by a fine head teacher Mr Gambles who had two artificial legs, and I recall he seemed a very reassuring presence at the school. I also remember with a smile the Christmas and Mayday celebrations including the crowning of the May King and Queen in the main hall which was decked out with flowers for the occasion.
Very different world then on my journeys to the school stopping off at the top of Ellerton Rd at Mrs Pardoe's front room shop window for a glass of Tizer, and those yummy fishcakes and scraps from the Chippie, then owned by the family of Shah Basha who I think was resident at Hucklow Rd School for a while.
About school dinners they were ok given rationing had still existed since the war but whist I don’t recall any bullet peas, I do remember hating the boiled onions and sago pudding and being under some pressure from the circling teachers to eat it anyhow.
Over the years I have met up with a few classmates from that time and though I now live near Harrow I wonder if any others have memories from Firth Park 1947-57.
