Photos from The Eccles & Patricroft Journal August 29th 1973
I apologise for the poor quality. These are from photocopies of the press cutting.
The Staff of Eccles Secondary School in the early 1920's. Back row, left to right, are Miss Ward, Mr. J. Boardman. Mr. Foster Smith, Mr. Arthur Hollis, Mr. William Shercliffe, Mr. Owen, Mr J. H. Gunter, Mr. Frank Pollitt, and Miss Olive Grey, who left the staff 10 years later to marry Mr. Gunter. She loaned the picture to the Journal. Sitting, Left to right, are Miss Ida Petford, Miss Sadie Ingham, Mr. T.I. Cowlishaw (the head), Miss C. Jones, Miss Winnie Spearing, and Miss M. Sefton. At the front are a geography and French teacher; Miss Connie Castle, Miss A. Bent, and Miss Gaukrodger.
Two school groups separated by about 33 years
A group from the historical pageant put on by pupils in the winter of 1923-4. The period depicted is the time of Henry VIII, and fourth from the left is Hubert Bennett as Sir Walter Raleigh. He was later to become knighted in his own right. Second from the left is Robert Brookes as the king, and others on the picture are Bowden, Humphrey Phillips (now in Australia), Kitty Cowlishaw (the head's daughter, who was the school secretary), Madge Preston, Muriel Snelson and Irene Ashcroft.
The sixth-form prefects in 1957. Among them are Alan Rothwell, Russ Wolstenholme, Dai Charnock, Pete Sharples, Alan Coxhill, David Watts, Peter Hesford, Albert Holmer, Peter Collier, Jimmy Norbury, and Ann Blears (head pupils), teachers Mr. John Ball and Mrs. Niddrie, Joan Beswick, Eleanor Chapman, Philippa Lewis and Catherine Gunn.
Two Classes from 1923
Mr William Shercliffe's Class
Miss Ida Petford's Class. Her pupils included Calvert,Cook, McCullough Gaukrodger, Wilson, Ashcroft, Marion Prior, Jessie Entwistle, Betty Phillips, Nora Bateman, Annie Bentley, Kathleen Earl, Janet Briggs, Peggy Brookes (who loaned the group pictures to the Journal), Nancy Kinnear and Elsie Davies.
The Assembly room Hall was photographed by Eddie Bromley as a pupil in the 1950s.
If anyone wants better quality images then e-mail me and I will arrange to get them to you.