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Sunday 31 August 2008

MEMORIES OF STAFF

Just added 8 pages of "Memories of Staff"
You'll find it in the "Recollections" section on the right.

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

John

I remember most of the teachers now. Fred Airey was really a lovely lovely man and I met him fifteen years or so ago teaching part time in Warrington. Taffy Edwards was my favourite teacher. Everybody was terrified of him but I thought he was ace. he was instumental in helping my football career and I owe him so much. Other teachers that have been described a lovely were in fact not so lovely. Jack Clancy and mr Gawlor were a nightmare. Mr Cox made me stay behind one evening to rub out some graffitti which I got blamed for, even though I was not guilty. he said i protested too much so it must have been me!
Mander was a bully who never forgave me for missing his Colomendy trip and for telling my Dad that he grabbed my sideburns when I dared to question him. My Dad was going to kill him, until he saw the size of him and thought better to leave a warning. Mr woodward was a gentleman, Mr Bradbury too, and he had a sense of humour which was unique. Bamber did not take kindly to my dislike of all things Leeds Utd and held it against me. Nuttall was a gent as was PJUJ but my all time favourite was the amiable Mr Crossman, allegedly one eye as I recall. A true gent in every sense of the word.

Anonymous said...

I was at the school 57 to 64, started in 3A with Dickie Darton,4B with Butch Hurst; can't recall the Remove form teacher, 5B with Russell Woodward, and 6beta Science with Norman(?) Derbyshire, left after that.
Many happy memories of the place, shame that it got burnt down.
Remember the terror of the Physics lab Mary Hill. She scared me so much that for some time I used to scive off when I was due to have physics. Finally sorted things out with Ken Croft,funny her attitude changed completely not only to me but to other lads who were also scared off her. She nearly put me off science subjects but thank God, Wally Langton and Harry Heyes - the best Chemistry teacher I have ever had - were able to keep my interest in the subject. Thanks to them, I finally ended up as a Chartered Chemical Engineer.
There were some characters on the staff, Jack Clancy, Sid (Major) Chalk, Pimp Yerbury(?), Don Cowie, Ellis Clarke - excellent rugby coach -, Don Langton, Dave Whitehead - looked too young to be a teacher - Jack Pritchard, Les Fitton -gym-, White, Williams - music - , Falconer to name but a few.
Many happy memories.

Anonymous said...

My first form master was Mr. Woodward, and he tried to get me to try out for his school rugby team. (No success there, I was too much in love with the round ball).He was alway attempting to be humerous, but if you upstaged him, he got quite upset.

Anonymous said...

I suffered along with the other boys the tyrannosaurus regina that was Miss Hill. Threw a set of weights across the lab when she could not get a balance lever to stay level, in a demonstration of moments of forces, and terrified all of us 11 year old boys! We gazed in wonder at the tram stop on Shaw Street as she streaked out into traffic in her Jowett Javelin. Small in stature, and larger than life. Most of her students were too terrified to actually learn any physics, and many of us used to get 10% or less on our tests.

Anonymous said...

Bertie Banyard haunted his dark and dingy ground floor room where we used to migrate for our history lessons. He occasionally threw chalk at inattentive students.

Anonymous said...

Miss Hill caught me asking what was the time six months later my report said "this boy is nothing but an idle clock watcher"

Anonymous said...

Miss Hill once gave me a DS for joking about the glass tanks she used in the Physics lab. The war was on and the slogan " tanks for Russia " was popular. I mistakenly
wondered out loud why they didn't take her blessed tanks !
I still think it's funny.

Anonymous said...

I remember Mr. Falconer keeping us entertained in French class with a little ditty "Combien sont ces six cent soixant saucisses, s'il vous plait?" "Ces six cent soixant saucisses sont six sous". The emphasis, of course, on the "s" sounds.

davidgoughart said...

I was there from 79 to 84-you could count on the fingers of your hand the good teachers from the ones with a Hitler complex, but of that retinue of great teachers-Mr Grimbledestin and the delectable Miss Lambo for English come immediately to mind. The standout favorite for me was Miss Hughes-the art teacher-whose encouragement and support led me to be the artist I am today. She expanded my young horizons by introducing me to influences that wouldn't have been available to me from a Liverpool council house. I'd love to thank her some day.

Anonymous said...

I remember being in a maths class with Jack Clancy and him asking why everyone called him 'Jacko' when his real name was Joe.

Anonymous said...

Bertie Banyard was also known for his endless stream of puns as well as his fondness for throwing pieces of chalk. In his (and my) last term we stood on our desks and sang "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow" as he reached a total of 100 for the term. When I left the Collegiate in 1956, I joined a a shipping office where I discovered during a discussion on the art of the pun that my boss, then in his fifties, had also been a pupil of Bertie Banyard though in his early days at the Oulton School.

Some of us escaped the attentions of Ma Hill's Physics and Chemistry lessons but there was little to choose between her and Biddy Jennings whose mantra was "The homework was abomibly done - no wonder the Jamaican laddies are getting all the jobs". Doubt you can say that these days.

patrick said...

Can I make contact with whoever is the prime mover in the DyingBreed - Collegiate OBs.
I am an SFX OB 41-48 and we too are a dying breed and we would like to join forces for our mutual benefit.
Pat Heery

heery.putney@virgin.net

Unknown said...

Does anyone remember Mr Darton and his party trick of picking a chair up by one leg?? he was tougher than he looked!! Also during the taking of the school photograph ( between 76 and 84) the sam dingle look-a-like assistant caretaker thought he would grab a spare seat near the front, the one reserved for "Elvis" !!! A word in his ear from cool-as-a-cucumber deputy Morris and he scooted away to the back somewhere.

Dee King said...

Sorry this may not be the most appropriate place to leave this comment but I can't quite see where else to leave it...

My Great Great Grandfather John Wetherell M.A. was Master at Liverpool Collegiate for 14 years 1876-1890. I was wondering if you have any info about him at all or his role at the school?

He went from Liverpool to become headmaster at a Grammar School in Towcester, Northants for 30 years. I also have a photo of him if you would like it for your flickr album?

Many thanks in advance
Dee

Frank Jolliffe said...

Merry Christmas to colleagues and remember Monty Bowvitz mad maths and wonderful Chalky White woodwork and ex Belsen soldier
Combined Cadet Force commander

Reg Johnson said...

My Grand Father George Chetwode Johnson was a gymnastics instructor many years ago. One of the boys he taught was Jack Balmer who played for Liverpool F.C.
Is there anyone around today that has any recolations of this time period
Regards
Reg Johnson
Canada

Robert said...

To Frank Joliffe, I think that your memory would have been of mathematics teacher, Mr. Monczybovicz, who taught my class co-ordinate geometry and algebra. He was a very interesting character, a Ukrainian who fled the Soviets. During the state visit of Kruschev and Bulganin to Britain, circa 1955, he wore a black arm-band, and this prompted questions from us 15 year-olds. Cryptically, Monczy answered "When you have rich lands, your enemies can be tempted to overrun you." A political lesson for us to ponder, amongst the graphs and symbols.

Robert said...

Does anyone else remember playing tricks on Ben Evans in his 4A class? He was very excitable, and we used to try to get him riled. He kept masses of books in a tall, locked cupboard. One day a group of us tilted the cupboard forward and shook it to allow the books to slide to the front when the door was opened. The plan was to have this happen in class, but he must have done it after school. We never did see the outcome, but our imagination ran riot in speculation anyway.

Alan Short said...

Ben Evans took us for Latin in the early fifties many will remember his classroom ,long benches rising on steps which meant there was a large under floor space with access through a small doorway.the whole class decided whilst awaiting Bens arrival to hide in there ,we heard him arrive tutter and leave ,we then came out and a few minutes before the bell Ben came back ready for the next class his face was a picture.Not too many of us liked Latin and we used to do our best to get him onto his other favourite topic RU especially as he was an ex Welsh International .

Anonymous said...

Mary Hill once asked me if you were rowing a boat in the sea what moved?The earth or the boat?

I was so petrified to be put under the spotlight of her manic glare I felt somehow compelled to say that the earth moved!To this day I don't know why!She kind of hypnotised me to say the wrong answer.

Now when I'm in a boat or a yacht I look out and think am I moving or is the earth moving?

Maybe she knew something I still don't know!Maybe I was right!

Anonymous said...

Just another thought.....Fat White...out of the room....Sid Dunne threw a board duster and caught me smack on the the head and caused a deep gash needing a couple of stitches.(Sid if you are out there let me know)he was doing an impression of Fat White in one of his more cantakerous moments.Anyway it was pure accident but I had to go to the Royal for a couple of stitches and get bandaged up like the Invisible Man.
Fat White took me home on the bus to tell my parents what had happened.
This was before HSE and "Drop of the Hat Litigation"and I always think of that man with huge affection:he didn't have to do that:suing was unheard of in those days so I've always thought that he had a genuine concern.

Anyway Sid Dunne,if you let me know your contact details my lawyers will be happy to speak to you!!!!

delboy53 said...

ai attended the collegiate from 64 until 69.i started in 3c imy name is Derick Devereux or Dev to the lads.i ended up in Remove B (i think) thats when i started enjoying mycelf.thats when i got in with Ged Warren, Sammy Irons, Nobby and the rest of the lads in the football team taken by Taffy Edwards and J>B>Jones because before that i did 3 years in the cross-country team.If any of the lads remember these times then let me know.viva tae sodolitas decus esmedulae .

Rod Edwards said...

I was there from 1960 - 1965 and I can't believe how many names I recognise from the other comments. Does anyone remember Miss Tan in the office?. Can't have been much fun for her walking into a classroom full of horny 16 year olds. For my part I seemed to be permanently short of whatever it was that they supplied in the office.

I also remember Miss Hill and trying to stifle a giggle as she lectured us on the secrets of her Kundt's tube

Rick Tarleton said...

i enjoyed the Collegiate, loved doing Classics, especially with Mr Kay and the lovely Mr Gain.But it was my English teachers (I went on to read English at Uni) GAT (Tyrrell), Robinson, a lovely man, brilliant teacher , originally from Blackburn and above all JAP who inspired me. I remember being in REM A and GAT read "Twelfth Night" and he read every part in different voices and at thirteen I loved a play totally unsuited to thirteen year old lads . Others I remember fondly were "Jeff" Jones, "Nobby" Clarke,"Tubby "Trubridge and my form-master in 4a , D.R. Hankey. A marvellous school which transformed a scrub from Liverpool 7 into someone who loved literature and the arts.

john shale said...

John Shale (1958-66)
Lots of good memories. Some bad, mostly of M.H.Hill (aka Murder,horror and hell). Some really bitter memories of her but I still ended up with a Physics degree.
Amazing how the names come back. Mr.White with his lottery tickets with a stamp from a French railway station. Definitely a source of motivation as well as a medium of exchange.
Mago,magere, maxi Falconer/ Do,Dare,Dickie Darton (the chair leg thing was good), Miss Tan (lovely),Dan Derbyshire (so tolerant of my misdeeds as a sixth former. It was probably him and Dickie Hewitt that stopped MHH putting me off physics. Sixth form Science Society was better than TV's Xmas lectures and taught us more than curriculum).
Woody (Mr.Woodward), a typical P.E. teacher gave me six on the bum, as V.P., and I never found out why.
All I can recall of Mr.Cox was our ability to concentrate and make him break his chalk (seemingly).
There was a R.E.teacher, whose name I can't recall but we ran a book on the number of times he'd need to hitch his trousers back up.
I remember Sid Chalk and his hatred of us. I recall him brushing me aside,me as he marched into school and I recall him throwing a chisel across the room, at an inattentive lad (probably thought he was holding the board duster, his usual weapon)
I remember (Pimple) Yerbury. OK bloke.(story that someone had poured picric acid along the corridor, which emphasised his deliberately heavy footfalls, with a series of detonations.
Mr. Heyes was a source of great inspiration, unfortunately A-level Chemistry was too much about cookery recipes and I was unable to maintain interest in the minutiae of methods of preparation of various organic compounds. I did carry out numerous home based experiments and was a frequent customer of Oakes-Eddons, which was just a street over from the School.
I recall a German teacher, who I caught wiping away tears as we sang "Worship, Honour, Glory, Blessing". The lads, who were taught by him seemed to like him and must have caused him to digress from lessons, because their favourite quoite was his "we must forge (forzhe) ahead, boys".
Other names ring a bell but don't resonate loud enogh to create an image.

Keith said...

Does anyone know when the Liverpool Collegiate School badge was designed, and by whom? Also when the tile mosaic in the entrance hall was created?
keith@k-type.com

Anonymous said...

Dave windrow.80 to85..in my time there most
teachers were good some bad. Mr christopherson was by far the best teacher for me.not for P.E but for commerce. I also remember if you got the cane you got respect,if you got the cane of the V.P you got ultimate respect,of the head, Mr Clarke you would have been a god.

colin clarke 45/50 said...

I was at the school 1945 to 1950, and remember dickie bell who came back from the war to teach french, mr sunderland a realy good maths teacher. Mr bamber who taught spanish, Herr Doktor Hirst for german.Mr griffiths who took french til he retired.Ma hill, who must have been the worst teacher I ever had... nobody did well under her.ai remember a particularly dislikeable bullying maths teacher, who liked to whack boys round the head with a corner of his gown!My last form master who taught english as Mr Woodward and was a really nice and very good teacher. There were many more who helped to give me a good education, after which uni was easy to handle. If only all schools had the same level of quality today, this cuntry would still be a REAL power.

colin clarke 45/50 said...

I was at the school 1945 to 1950, and remember dickie bell who came back from the war to teach french, mr sunderland a realy good maths teacher. Mr bamber who taught spanish, Herr Doktor Hirst for german.Mr griffiths who took french til he retired.Ma hill, who must have been the worst teacher I ever had... nobody did well under her.ai remember a particularly dislikeable bullying maths teacher, who liked to whack boys round the head with a corner of his gown!My last form master who taught english as Mr Woodward and was a really nice and very good teacher. There were many more who helped to give me a good education, after which uni was easy to handle. If only all schools had the same level of quality today, this cuntry would still be a REAL power.

Anonymous said...

I was there from 56-62 and remember Ma Hill rubbing her left forearm vigorously with ther right hand. Got some wonderful comments from her in my report book - did wonders for the self esteem of an 11 year old newt !
Dickie Darton, Max Falconer, Don Hankey, Ken Crofts,"Nippy Jim" Gain, Gat Tyrrell, all great teachers. Don Currie

Anonymous said...

My father was WEM Ashcroft, a teacher in the late 40s and early 50s. I have never since met a better man.

Anonymous said...

I was there from 57 to 64 and some of the comments I've read have brought back some "happy" memories.
I played in the Merseyside Junior Shield final at Anfield when we lost 2- 1 to Hillfoot Hey in 1960 ( I think). We were managed by Mr DerbyshireUnfortunately I lost my only photograph - does anyone have one?
JM

Jack Collighan said...

I was there from 1949-1955. Cyril (Woody) Woodward was marvelous. Ma Hill was a nutcase, always rubbing her left forearm with the right fist. Johnny (?) Gawler and Mr. Knean were strict but excellent teachers. K.A. Crofts(according to the Report books I still have at almost 76 years of age) was Headmaster, 'Ben' Evans, Mr. Bamber, Chalky White and so many others. School Camp in Glen Wyllin, Kirk Michael, IOM, my mates Wally Birch and George (??? -great artist, Bryan Myers, etc., etc. I was school rugby captain and a contemporary of the late Brian Labone, school footbal captain.
John (Jack) Collighan

Anonymous said...

I agree grimbo was a legend as was miss lambo specially for a 13 year old boy i took art and miss Hughes was lovely and helpful but my favourite was mr windever who was my form tutor for my last 2yrs.

George Clayton said...

George Clayton ('63 - '68) What a chance I missed in that glorious old place! I was always too much of a twit to realise the opportunity I had in the last throes of decent grammar-school education. Sid Chalk took me under his wing, Mary Hill gave me countless detentions ...the first about two minutes after setting eyes on her; she did, however point out a grammatical rule in english where if a word begins with the letter 'h' and the stress is on the second syllable, then the preceeding article is 'an'...not 'a'...illustrating it with the word 'an hypsometer'. Miss Allinson...a beauty who taught english and drove us adolescents to scribble rude things in our books about her. Dave Whitehead an excellent Latin master. Bob Brown who gave me my love for chemistry which ultimately led to a career in same. Mr Grosvenor an art teacher from whom I learned singular techniques in painting driving me initially to art college (before science set my real ambition) Nobby Clarke for his French classes which curiously helped me gain an latter-day MA in Spanish! really enjoyed the CCF remembering it seemed much like what National Service must have been. Ah! such memories...thank you Liverpool Collegiate and (nearly) all who taught me.

Al Parlo said...

I was there 73 to 78.I recall Mr Darton ...the vice principal Mr Morris( once threatened me with the cane till i told him if he hit me ill hit him)Mrs Muir,maths..Miss Hayes.English..a big fat teacher doing divinity and the welsh windbag Mr Thomas (THE bully) There was I think a teacher who had a proper army moustache and I recall trips to colomendy in north wales.

pax said...

I was there from '58 to Xmas '64. Started in 3B with Mr Lancaster as form master (I think he might have taught history, but not sure). Then to 4A with, I think, Mr Hankey (classics; also looked after a rather pitiful rugby team, in which I played for a while; was epileptic). Then RemoveA with Mr Shillaker (can't recall what he taught; he introduced Shinty and Hockey; and he had a gorgeous missus). Then to 5A, afraid I can't recall his name, took us for Latin). Then to 6th form, again can't recall the name but he taught us Economic History and he left in '64 or '65 to join Edge Hill College). Along the way, I remember: Mr Gillespie (but he demoted me to the lower maths stream, which I've always resented); 'watch out, Sid's about' Chalk; Mary Hill (did a great experiment involving a gas tap, a lidded tin with 2 holes in it, and a match; and we all rushed home to repeat it!); Mr Greaves (Geography); Fat White; Mr Monczybowicz (Maths - I think he was a WWII refugee from Poland, and I seem to remember a rumour that he'd been an academic at a Polish university); Mr Cox (Maths - I think we may have had him when he first joined the School, he was pretty humourless and not at all sympathetic, maybe he resented having to teach what by then had become the 'no-hoper' maths stream); H L Heyes (Chemistry, top notch); Smith (Geography in the 6th form, very good). I can't now remember the names of my 5A form master or the guy who took us for Economics A level - the latter left in '64 to go local government Educational admin. Other vague memories now are of a music teacher and an art teacher. K A Crofts was thought to be OK (never had any direct dealings with him). The VIP (Woodward)was a bit gung-ho with the cane (I was thrice on the receiving end), but otherwise he seemed OK, I remeber he seemed very proud of his MGA. Overall, a mixed experience for me, but I did OK afterwards so can't complain.

pax said...

I've remembered, the guy who took us for Economic & Social History in the 6th form from '62-'64, and who left to go to Edge Hill College, was Mr Trubshaw ('Tubby' was his nickname, I think).

Anonymous said...

Sorry, that should have been 'Tubby' Trubridge, and my 5A form master was Mr Gawlor....names never were my strong point.

Unknown said...

Ha ha remember Mary Hill well.

Unknown said...

Ha ha remember Mary Hill well.

Anonymous said...

I remember Mr Goldman the music teacher .his entire lesson had him playing piano speaking to the class .He would insult those of us who had mixed race though .a shame because he was a good entertaining tutor.But his comments about my lineage still hurt to this day Steve Pih

Anonymous said...


I joined in 63-69.i remember well some of the teachers, in 3d form teacher was Mr Dennis, never forgot the time Bailey had no ink in his fountain pen and JAD thought he was messing about. brought him to the front, and Bailey showed there was no ink by shaking it towards JAD next thing was ink over JADs face. 4d FORM teacher was Mr Hyde. Anone remember a teacher called Beavan taught History. we did the "what caused the Franco Prussian war for about 8 weeks. Mrs Muir for Maths, Miss Allinson for English.
Taffy Edwards and many more. What a gent Mr Woodward. A great teacher and head. Anyone remember "monkey man"

Mary Hill one queer cookie.. she had a go at us for noise, and then told us to read our text book as one of the form had only got 27% it was me. Good memories

pax said...

Anyone know what happened to Mr Monczybowicz? I can still hear him imploring us, when things were getting a tad out of hand in class, "boyss, boyss...."

Anonymous said...

Ma Hill (Mary) well remembered by many shivering students. I was so terrified of her one year I came top of the class the next. Physics is still mysterious to me.

My years at the Collegiate were from 1954 to 1959. I fell in love with the Arts Mistress even tho I could not even do a backwash. Big boobies hehehe.

"Golly" Goldman was our French teacher and our first form teacher. Talk about frugality. He would tear up a piece of 8x4 blotting paper and hand out about an inch square of the stuff to the students. Needless to say we all had inky fingers. Comment tally vous? Spelling permitted because of old age.

When we come to Biddy Jennings - I can't say much but he became a target and I now feel sure he wasn't up to the task. Not in an intellectual sense, but in his ability to discipline with a sense of fairness.

Nobby Clarke (Rugby) made all of us who had undies on strip in front of the girls at Holly Lodge..in front of the girls.

Mr Hume was our RE teacher. He had lots of those posters on the wall that you can swing. So sitting at the back of the class we started to swing them slightly as he became more and more mesmerised.

Berty Banyard was not popular.(See below). He was likely to explode at any given moment. As was the metal work teacher who threw a chisel at my friend one day and I had to stop the blood flowing from his leg.

Overall, my education at the old Collegiate has sustained me throughout life. I have only back to my school once and that was to investigate crime as I had become a detective. It was great, however to make a renewed acquaintance with the caretaker.

My footnote is to remember that some of our masters served through the war. Undoubtedly one or two may have been suffering PTSD from their personal memories of the horror they witnessed.

John Rooke
















Fi said...

My GGG Grandfather Charles Verschoyle Garland was principal of the Collegiate Insitute and was there from 1851 - 1872. I love googling the pictures of the building from around this time and imagining what it would have been like with the horses and carts outside.

I went to Liverpool to see the building for the first time today. It was incredible to think my GGG Grandfather would have stood on those same front steps as I was standing on. I would love any further info if anyone has any! I could see the logo on the tiled floor through the crack in the front doors but it was all coded as flats. I'd love to see inside.

uyp777@outlook.com

Unknown said...

From 62 to 67 First teacher in form 3C was Mr Morgan who was a Latin teacher anybody out there in my class the subject takes the nominative case the object takes the accusative case Tony Doran

Unknown said...

I do remember Monty Bowvitz, and how he used to throw the blackboard ruler at us if we got him talking about the war, and we accused him of being a Nazi spy...I was at collegiate from 1953 to 1958, 3A, ,4a, 5a, 6 beta classical....Us lads were very cruel to Monty, who was a nice man, when not angry.

Unknown said...

i remember it well. We used to pour milk through the keyhole of said cupboard, which contained his hat and scarf...he went into a right tantrum, because of us scalliwags. Steve Kendrick (Barrel), 3A,4A,5A,6 beta classics 1953 to 1958

Unknown said...

i remember that too

Anonymous said...

Does anybody remember the vice principal who we all called Ming the merciless?

Anonymous said...

Ming the merciless was the BP around 1974 to 1978

Anonymous said...

VP NOT BP sorry