Any one go to Owler Lane Intermediate school

[Joannie 10]

Bloody hell Siren or do you prefer Dennis?I was going to ask him the very same question.I do indeed remember you Alan.My name is Glyn Senior.I left HH in 65.

 

Hi Glyn, My name is Jo

(Evans). I think we were in the same class along with Ann Lawless, Jill Atkin, Melville ... Am I correct?

[parsleydiva 10]

Just wanted to bring us up front again!! Had a nice Christmas reunion and have met sisnce in January. Would love to see more classmates join us!

[Norrie 10]

Hello old Owler Lane Intermediates,

I wonder if you'd let me join in for a while. I was at the school from 1945 to leaving at Christmas1949. All of you seem to belong to the two years onwards after I'd left, but you mention many of the teachers when I was there. I started at the same time as Walter Gregory - the phantom fiddler if he hadn't got it with him when walking through the hall.

 

I'll give you a bit of potted history first, than a list of teachers and annual salaries. Here goes:

 

Owler Lane Council School Complex (Including Intermediate)

Opened in 1889 by Rev J. Gilman

Senior mixed opened by Mrs A.W. Warren. November 1901

Infants opened by Councillor S Osborne JP August 1911

Site 14,520 sq yds

 

Accommodation 600. Enlarged 1901 to 1,200 and again in 1911 to 1,650

1926 adapted for use as Intermediate School. Present accommodation for 1,260 scholars viz: 360 Intermediate, 500 mixed, 400 Juniors mixed and infants.

A handicraft centre and combined cookery, laundry work and housewifery centre are also provided.

Cost of site and building: £31,186 -12s -9d (that's old money, twelve shillings and ninepence)!

 

When I started there after passing the scholarship (as it was called before 11+) at Hatfield House Lane Junior and Infants, the staff was as follows and added to as the years went along: Salaries alongside per annum

 

Head: Walter Gregory £511

Anna Jean Snitch (Drawing, Needlework, Music) £288 (retired 1948)

George Croft (Maths, Science) later Principal of Granville College 1955. £183

George Slack (Music) £162

Alfred Moss (French, English, Geometry) £192

Dorothy Hardwick (English, PT, Biology, Science) £198

Walter Drabble (Maths, Music, English, PT, History) £204

Frederick P Glasbey (English, Music, Scripture) £336

Jean M. Murray (Domestic subjects) £420

Thomas E Wales(Handicraft, Geometry, Technical Drawing) £348

Thomas Corley ('The Colonel')( Maths,English,Science,Games,Geography)£366

Charles H Smith (Science, Maths, PT, Art) £288

Harold Hellewell (Boris as in Karloff due to shape of his skull) (Maths) £366

Constance Smith (Geography, Maths, English, Gardening) £288

Mary F Howard-Robinson (Miss Robinson!) (French, History) £468

Hilda Kelly (PT, English) £420

George Warren (Handicraft) £522

Maurice Lupton (PT, General Subjects) £406

Arthur Raper (General Subjects) £428

Mrs Mabel MacIntyre (A Scotswoman) (English) £336

Geoffrey Hook (English) £?

 

Some of the above female teachers only taught girls.

 

School Secretaries:

1942-48 Miss Constance Woodhouse Began with salary of £42 p.a. rising to £178 in 1948

1949-51 Mrs Constance A Chippendale

1951-55 Brenda Race

1955-6 Ann Crow

 

I've got lots of memories and stories plus a variety of retrospective character assassinations if any one is interested. Hope there are some of my era left to read this. There was a bike-shed by the way in the bottom school-yard, but nothing interesting ever took place there - unless you know different...

Just two comments for now:

Charles Smith the science master in the top-lab was the first to use his own transport to get to school; a motor-bike on which he wore a large leather overcoat complete with Biggles helmet and goggles.

 

Tom (the Colonel) Corley, a hated beast of a master in geography classes, was the first to use a car, a brand new Austin Somerset. Interference with either vehicle carried a heavy sentence (compared to which hanging would have been a mercy).

Cheers for now schoolmates,

Norrie

[parsleydiva 10]

Wow Norrie what a history lesson you gave us even though you were there before most of us. It was interesting to read all your news and many of the teachers you mention were still there for us. Of course we don't mind you joining in, it's great to hear from anyone. It's good to know that Pop Gregory as we called him, was walking around playing his invisible violin when you were there too!!

 

Hope to hear more from you

 

---------- Post added 05-02-2016 at 11:37 ----------

 

Wow Norrie what a history lesson you gave us even though you were there before most of us. It was interesting to read all your news and many of the teachers you mention were still there for us. Of course we don't mind you joining in, it's great to hear from anyone. It's good to know that Pop Gregory as we called him, was walking around playing his invisible violin when you were there too!! Ann Crow was secretary when I arrived at the school.

 

Hope to hear more from you

[Norrie 10]

Thanks for your invitation to the Forum PD (do you mind the abbreviation?) and for taking the trouble to write.

 

Glad you enjoyed the history lesson, it was a bit different to the history lessons I had at O.L.I. under Miss Robinson. I may as well start with a brief word on that.

She was small and wore a very long skirt and black tin glasses and spoke with a deep 'don't mess with me' voice. She was once droning on about the 100 years war and had reached about year 50 when I went into a trance, gazing at the wall ahead of me thinking about a certain blonde girl in 3G I was hoping to get to know (more another day!).

 

A sudden deafening explosion brought me painfully to my senses. Robinson had stepped in front of me - whom I continued to ignore so intense was my trance - and using the flat palms of both hands whacked me simultaneously on the flats of both my ears to rescue me from Miils and Boone and bring me back to the classroom. My head spun and ears sang with the pain. I couldn't hear for the rest of the day, luckily it was close to home-time. Dear old Pop Gregory got of hear of it (not from me) and I believe a reprimand took place- not of me but the History mistress.(I won't use a naughty word about her except to say 'MOO'. (Sorry Robbo, RIP).

 

A lot of stick was put about by some teachers in those years, some of it extremely painful even drawing blood in one case. Quite Dickensian.

 

I have the whole school history from day one including all the teachers that ever were and their salaries. Incidentally, George Croft one of my favourite Maths teachers was the Deputy Head to Walter G. until Mr.Croft left to take up his post as Principal of Granville College. He gave me a lot of help and advice in after school life re further education and career.

 

I've read all of the memories from your fellow pupils and recognise lots of the teaching personalities; I have so many vivid memories, I shall have to be circumspect and feed them out a bit of a time before I turn into 'Mary F Howard-Robinson' (she dropped the hyphenation for school use) and send everyone into a painful trance.

 

There are lots of references to Mr Glasbey - whose sometimes angry behaviour I don't really recognise (except once in my case).

 

He taught me all aspects of English grammar etc and lots of music, both subjects of which served me well in later life.

 

He encouraged us to go to Halle concerts on Friday fortnights at the City Hall and often came with us (just two or three of us). He would buy the tickets in advance, we paid him later, 1 shilling each to sit on the platform next to the Assyrian lions.

 

There were two of us in my form who were young active instrumantal musicians in an orchestra and a brass band - and when Mr Glasbey was teaching adult 'students' at night school after hours, he would ask my pal and me sometimes to come in to demonstrate certain aspects of musical composition. He never failed to thank us outside the classroom after our demo and always gave us a couple of bob each to get some chips and fish on the way home. By the time he taught your particular years, he would have been getting tired and fed up (been there since 1942), and like Alfred Moss the French teacher, disillusioned with teaching

 

His music room in my day was at the top of the stairs on the girls-school side of the hall that led down to the bottom lab. The bottom lab is where Dolly Hardwick taught me all I know about amoeba's, always encouraging us to read up about such things at home. I read a bit more than was required because I raised my hand and asked her 'Miss,what are fallopian tubes?.' "They're not relevant to this subject she squirmed, showing pink cheeks, better talk to your parents about that." No need Dolly, I already knew, my sister had filled me in!

 

I'd always wanted a propelling pencil and found one in the school yard - intending to hand it in to Miss Woodhouse (school secretary) who had a lost property cupboard.

 

Mr Glasbey saw me fiddling with it under the desk and quietly told me to stop.

Later I couldn't resist another little twiddle with this marvelous piece of expensive engineering.'I've already warned you about that haven't I? he said. 'I'm going to give you a choice, your name goes either into the punishment book or you can have two strokes of the cane.' I opted for cane, which was painful to me- but not so much physically as psychologically.

 

A confession here; because of being boringly top of the year ad nauseum in English (especially Grammar, Composition and Music) I seemed to have changed the colour of my eyes from hazel to blue. I foolishly thought I was safe from punishments from Mr G., I really enjoyed being taught by him. Being caned by him told me to change my eyes back to hazel; he was teaching me a lesson that teachers don't wittingly have blue-eyed boys or favourites. It really hurt to see him bringing the stick down; serves me right.

 

As for the punishment book, did you have it in later years after my lot left, 1950's onward?. It was kept open on a leather topped desk at one side of the hall along-side another book called 'The Honours Book'. Academic achievements of full marks for homework and neat presentation etc could earn one a small piece of paper from the teacher awarding the honour. This was given to Miss Kelly (I'll just stop a moment to take a cold shower) who entered it into the great book. These achievements were read out at every Monday morning assembly by the head or deputy along with the punishment book entries fro the previous week - a face reddening moment of naming and shaming. Before anyone who knew Miss Kelly are wondering about my eye-sight, remember that Hilda Kelly (with her leather sea-side sandals and wiggle walk) was 5-7 years younger when I knew her.

 

Another question if I may PD. In my years at the school, it was divided into four 'houses', Kelvin, Newton, Shakespeare and Tennyson(Blue, Green, Red & Yellow) I was apportioned to Shakespeare. At the end of the school hall with it's magnificent wooden beams and struts and tie-bars there was small stage. On the wall above it were four armorial shields representing the four houses. To my shame, I can only remember my own house shield having a lance across it in gold I think. Were they there in your time?

 

Our uniform then was navy blue and gold, Blazers had blue and gold piping round the edges and a twisted band round the sleeve ends. The girls wore the old-fashioned navy blue gymslips with black stockings (white ankle-socks in summer) and velour, wide brimmed hats with blue and gold band round. In my final year, these uniforms were changed to grey, the boys blazers having a flaming torch emblem on the top pocket instead if the much more attractive interwoven in gold monogram of O.L.I.S. and the girls much plainer gymslip type of garment. It was intended to rename the school Earl Marshall Technical School, named after the road above and behind the top of the school building. I don't recall that happening.

 

A final word for the mo. Walter G and Dolly H. actually eloped to either Westmorland or Scotland to marry, can't recall which, but my sources are reliable.

All good wishes.

 

---------- Post added 05-02-2016 at 20:08 ----------

 

Sorry to be back so soon, but I've been reading some early posts. In my time and slightly older than me, we had a Jessop (in Shakespeare House) who was a prefect; any relation to you Parsley.

 

Now I'm connected, I'll give the names of 34 of my classmates of 1950 (there were 40, but can't quite recall all of them) just in case some of them come across this post:

 

Rex Paramore (me - hence nickname Norrie as in Bandleader)

Ivan Priestley

Brian Tennyson

Derek Troughton

Michael Harthill

Alan Pidd

Derek Fox

Peter Bacon

Neil Fairest

Tommy Garner

Brian Lilley

Ted Howard

Bernard (Bunny) Smith

Brian Wheatley (school bellringer, you had to be tall, could tell the time and own a watch, he qualified for all three)

Jim Kenney

Brian Oates

Brian Lonsdale

Brian Pierce

Brian Sissons

Terence Bonell

-- Sykes

Dennis Tooley

Peter Myers

Peter Thatcher

Ted Allison

Harry Quanborough

Tony Pounder

Brian Moss

Derrick Bennett

Eric Cottam

Brian Godfrey

George Eardley

Douglass Wright

 

It's time for my bedtime Slippery Elm Food (Nurse - The screens!).

[parsleydiva 10]

Hello again Norrie, Some very interesting points again, what a memory!! The four houses were the same, Kelvin, Newton, Shakespeare and Tennyson. I was in Tennyson, yellow. The Jessop you mentioned no relation to me as far as I know. Uniform changed, we had grey and burgundy. I remember the music room being at the top of the girls staircase, down to Dolly Hardwick's lab. I always enjoyed music, especially singing and was in as many choirs as I could be! Obviously because we joined OLI in 1952 I don't remember any of your classmates, but some of the teachers were still there, including Alfred Moss, French, and by the time we arrived there was also another Mr.Moss teaching French - confusing.

 

Well thanks again for all your interesting news.

 

---------- Post added 10-02-2016 at 11:16 ----------

 

---------- Post added 10-02-2016 at 11:20 ----------

 

Well Norrie, we had a reunion of our classmates yesterday and I told them about your interesting input on here. They were all keen to hear about it and no doubt will be taking a look for themselves. We meet up every 6 weeks or so for coffee in Sheffield and some of us stay on for lunch. Always good to meet up with old schoolmates.

Edited February 10, 2016 by parsleydiva

[Elmambo 25]

The younger Mr. Moss, affected a very "French" style. He would often wear a beret and sported a pointy beard. A sort of English idea of what a Frenchman looked like. I remember him as being marginally less boring than the older Mr. Moss.

[Norrie 10]

Hello Parsley, Glad you enjoy your reunions, they're a good- and important- idea, and thanks for the generous remarks re my (wordy) inputs. No news of my own era though; don't know if the car-park could cope with all the zimmers anyway. Next time you meet, I might peer through the window and see if it's safe to come in...

 

Just a quick hello to Elmambo re MossBros. Moss the elder was my form master (4B) as well as French. I arrived a few unavoidable seconds late for an early French class.' Good of you to join us' he said. 'Remember, it's the early bird that catches the worm.' How I thought of it I don't know, but I replied;'Look what happened to the worm for being up early sir!'. He smothered a smile and muttered something to me in French, which I believe politely' translated was'Smart-bottom!' I recall him being slightly short tongued which helped his French accent all the years I knew him.

[FormCaptain 10]

HI all,

Just a reminder that I, FormCaptain found this forum while searching for Owler Lane in 2008. I joined on December 16, 2008.

I just spent a couple of hours re-reading the thread started by parsleydiva, bless her! It's like turning back the clock.

Following is what was my first post on that date:-

- I was in Mr.Glasby's, Form 2, with the above named boys and Linda McCartney sat in front of me. I always admired her long thick dark wavy hair held up in a pony tail. It was very sad when she died. I remember all of the boys named - sorry to hear that some of them have also passed away. I still have my old form pictures to put faces to the names. I remember Tony Oldale when I saw his name mentioned, but couldn't find out what it was about.

I also happen to be the "gorgeous blonde" in one of Jossman's posts. Hi Pete!

That really blew me away to see my name on the Internet!

I really hope to hear from somebody soon.

They call me Mo

lmccewan@sympatico.ca

 

I attended school from September 1954-June 1958 - enjoyed some of it, some not so much!

I remember the first day, sitting in the hall front of the stage with other nervous nellies waiting to be assigned a form room. I sat with Marie Wall, both of us watching the various teachers traversing the hall and seeing a tallish severe looking lady in a tweed skirt suit and hair in a bun - we both grimaced and butterflies fluttered when we were assigned to her class (Form 1a below principles office). Turns out, Miss Smith was the sweetest person!

Just shows appearances can be deceptive.

I was girls' Form Captain in 2a with Mr.Glasby - was it Margaret Dempsey who knew all the names to the classicals he played when no-one else could.

Loved being in the Sheffield School Choir at City Hall - hated solo bits in the school hall - my face is still scarlet!

At the end of the year I was rewarded with a 2 shilling piece for diligently carrying out the Form Captain duties, the height of which were regular errands to cross the main road to the sweet shop and return with a customary bag of broken biscuits. That wasn't Dollie's btw, that was out of bounds for fear of punishment - wonder what went on there .... hmm

3rd year was 3a in the portables with Mr. Moss (holey shoes). I remember we had Ma Fairest there for English Grammar. She used to send me on errands because I always finished the grammar questions first! To this day I go bananas when people get it wrong, e.g. The man was sentenced to jail for shooting a policeman in court today. grrr..

Anne Thorpe sat behind me and I'm happy to say that we now communicate by email and she keeps me up to date with the reunions she & some others have - she just sent some pics and I must say to those pictured, you hardly look a day older!! Sure wish I could join in sometime but it's a pretty long commute from Lindsay, Ontario.

My last year was in 4a with Mrs. Fairest. Won a shilling for second best picture of a Viking ship - first prize went to Carol Lowe - she got half a crown! I sat with Carol Lowe practically every year.

Some others in that year, Maureen Brown, Ann(e) Roe and some whose names are mentioned earlier in this thread but whose faces I still can see.

Passed 3 GCEs but failed History ... ooh was Ma Fairest ever mad - apparently I was the only one who did and she spread it around to the other classes. She never waved to me from the bus after that!

It's been good to reflect back but there's a lot more that springs to mind - another day...

It was sad to read that some of my peers have passed, but I'm hoping there are some out there with whom we can catch up with some news.

I have to get some shut eye now, it's 3am and I can picture most of you just enjoying a cup of tea for your breakfast at 8am.

Love to hear from you,

Maureen

they call me Mo

 

---------- Post added 11-02-2016 at 03:28 ----------

 

To BARRY BUTLER - I lived on Myton Road near Kettlebridge, Darnall.

To FLEETWOOD - my Grandparents lived on Skelwith Road, Grimesthorpe and I'm living in Ontario Canada.

Not sure if you were at Owlerlane during my time there.

It's interesting to see how far some ex-pats have travelled from mucky old Sheffield.

All the best,

Maureen

.. they call me Mo

[fleetwood 10]

Hi FormCaptain - I see quite a few Ex-Pats from Eastern Canada on the Forum but not to many in my neck of the woods. I was born and bred in the Botham St area of Grimesthorpe, I attended the other Owler Lane School not the Intermediate. Did you or Norrie come across a Brian Howe around 45 or 46ish, I know Norrie mentioned a lot of Brian's but I didn't see his name mentioned, it's only that he went to your school and he eventually married a girl from our class by the name of Jean Archer, they were really a nice couple and I knew them both. fleetwood

[FormCaptain 10]

Hi Fleetwood,

Sorry, I don't recognize any of the names that Norrie has listed - I see he was there around 1950, 4 years before me.

When did you come to Canada - I arrived on the 28th October 1971 on the Empress of Canada. 2 days out from Liverpool we encountered a force 8 gale! Everyone in turn was sea-sick as was most of the crew. Fortunately it didn't last for long.

We had been advised to be prepared for cold weather so we arrived in sheepskin coats and blankets, only to be met with 72degrees in Montreal!

Maureen

They call me Mo

[RonG 10]

To Parsleydiva Trying to unravel the recent threads which were very interesting & informative. What years were you at OLIS? When/where do you meet for periodic reunions?

RonG