WOLVERHAMPTON MUNICIPAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
OLD PUPILS ASSOCIATION
Latest News
OPA AGM and LUNCHEON - Molineux Stadium have approached the OPA saying that they may be unable to host the Event as planned in April and have asked us to reschedule later in the year. I will update this page when the committee advise me of the new plan.
Our Chairman Mac McCurry is on the lookout for articles for the next newsletter so if anyone can put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and produce anything they think would be of interest to our members, he would be most grateful. In the unlikely event of him getting too many articles some could be held back for use in future newsletters.
Our Chairman Mac McCurry is on the lookout for articles for the next newsletter so if anyone can put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and produce anything they think would be of interest to our members, he would be most grateful. In the unlikely event of him getting too many articles some could be held back for use in future newsletters.
January 2021 - I recently found a picture from the 'Roger Taft' Collection of the bus outside the school which reminded me of an item on my own site regarding the end of day bus rush.
Maralyn Shine (Maralyn Windsor) remembers the buses we used to leave school and a minor accident she had one day:
Getting on the first available bus outside school at 4.15pm was survival of the fittest, almost a bloodsport. Amongst the lower school pupils the use of elbows, knees and hanging on to the person in front was the norm. Satchels, briefcases, hockey sticks, tennis racquets and domestic science baskets (with insecure loads) were just crammed onto the overcrowded bus. Other passengers were forced to fight past all our paraphernalia to get off the bus and many of us made the entire journey to town, standing on the steep, metal stairs. In those days the buses still had open rear platforms and it was common practice to leap on and off the moving buses, at the most convenient place. One morning I didn't leap off the bus but accidentally slipped off. A misguided survival instinct kept my hand clamped to the hand rail, resulting in my being dragged unceremoniously along on my backside for some yards. The bus and I came to a halt outside Beatties and I was left sitting in the gutter. I was more mortified by the amused bus queue than my extremely dented derriere.
Roger Taft sadly died a few years ago but I got permission from his family to use the picture on our site. There are many more of his pictures of the buses around the town on this History website.
Maralyn Shine (Maralyn Windsor) remembers the buses we used to leave school and a minor accident she had one day:
Getting on the first available bus outside school at 4.15pm was survival of the fittest, almost a bloodsport. Amongst the lower school pupils the use of elbows, knees and hanging on to the person in front was the norm. Satchels, briefcases, hockey sticks, tennis racquets and domestic science baskets (with insecure loads) were just crammed onto the overcrowded bus. Other passengers were forced to fight past all our paraphernalia to get off the bus and many of us made the entire journey to town, standing on the steep, metal stairs. In those days the buses still had open rear platforms and it was common practice to leap on and off the moving buses, at the most convenient place. One morning I didn't leap off the bus but accidentally slipped off. A misguided survival instinct kept my hand clamped to the hand rail, resulting in my being dragged unceremoniously along on my backside for some yards. The bus and I came to a halt outside Beatties and I was left sitting in the gutter. I was more mortified by the amused bus queue than my extremely dented derriere.
Roger Taft sadly died a few years ago but I got permission from his family to use the picture on our site. There are many more of his pictures of the buses around the town on this History website.
January 2021. - I had an interesting email today from a former Pupil Liz Thomas (now Liz O'Neill) who was a pupil at the school between 1948 and 1953 before a happy career as an Infant teacher. She tells me her brother Lionel Thomas (now 86) was also a pupil at the school between 1945 to 1952 before taking a degree at Birmingham University and becoming a Rocket Research Scientist.
Liz says she remembers the names of all the girls in her 5th year class and most of the boys, but can't remember what she did last week. (She's not alone there!).
From her schooldays she remembers Mr Foxon, who she says was inclined to be sarcastic, after he told her ”I can’t believe you are Thomas’s sister”. She also remembers Ms Moody a history teacher, who constantly folded her arms under her huge bra-less bosom, to the delight of the boys in the class.
She passed on one more memory from 1952, the form-master 'Lundy' Luddford, (geography), strode in to classroom, stern-faced, and told us that King George 6th had died, and the school was closing as a mark of respect. I am afraid we cheered, so he kept us in our seats, in silence, for over an hour.
Liz says she remembers the names of all the girls in her 5th year class and most of the boys, but can't remember what she did last week. (She's not alone there!).
From her schooldays she remembers Mr Foxon, who she says was inclined to be sarcastic, after he told her ”I can’t believe you are Thomas’s sister”. She also remembers Ms Moody a history teacher, who constantly folded her arms under her huge bra-less bosom, to the delight of the boys in the class.
She passed on one more memory from 1952, the form-master 'Lundy' Luddford, (geography), strode in to classroom, stern-faced, and told us that King George 6th had died, and the school was closing as a mark of respect. I am afraid we cheered, so he kept us in our seats, in silence, for over an hour.
January 2021 - Happy New Year - I have recently found a web page with a history of the school building which you can find here.
December 2020 - The latest issue of the newsletter has been published and should be on its way to you, although Royal Mail are very busy so it may take a few days to get to you.
November 2020 - The Committee elected in May 2019, continues to function despite the restrictions in force due to Covid-19. Issues are discussed by email and consensus decisions have been made which enables the Association to remain a viable organisation.
2020 Christmas Lunch and Deferred AGM
The overwhelming majority of our members are over 60 years old and particularly affected by the general advice prevalent at any one time, and by specific local lock downs which are put in place. We have reacted to these circumstances and as a result, were unable to arrange our customary Christmas Lunch at the Molineux, in December 2020 when we also intended to hold the 2020 AGM, which had been postponed in May 2020.
In the absence of an AGM, the Committee agreed to carry on and to hold virtual meetings.
Given the uncertainty of knowing when we would be able to organise any future events, the Committee has made tentative arrangements to hold a Spring Lunch and the AGM, to take place on 10 April 2021 at the Molineux. Clearly, we will be in the hands of the Covid-19 regulations but the recent encouraging news about the arrival of vaccines gives us some hope that we can meet up then.
The website will be our principal means of communicating with members and we will post news about matters as they arise.
The Winter 2020 Newsletter will be published and sent out in early December. In the meantime, please raise any questions, thoughts and ideas with us by emailing macmccurry39@gmail.com
Best wishes for a safe and healthy Christmas.
2020 Christmas Lunch and Deferred AGM
The overwhelming majority of our members are over 60 years old and particularly affected by the general advice prevalent at any one time, and by specific local lock downs which are put in place. We have reacted to these circumstances and as a result, were unable to arrange our customary Christmas Lunch at the Molineux, in December 2020 when we also intended to hold the 2020 AGM, which had been postponed in May 2020.
In the absence of an AGM, the Committee agreed to carry on and to hold virtual meetings.
Given the uncertainty of knowing when we would be able to organise any future events, the Committee has made tentative arrangements to hold a Spring Lunch and the AGM, to take place on 10 April 2021 at the Molineux. Clearly, we will be in the hands of the Covid-19 regulations but the recent encouraging news about the arrival of vaccines gives us some hope that we can meet up then.
The website will be our principal means of communicating with members and we will post news about matters as they arise.
The Winter 2020 Newsletter will be published and sent out in early December. In the meantime, please raise any questions, thoughts and ideas with us by emailing macmccurry39@gmail.com
Best wishes for a safe and healthy Christmas.
November 2020 - I have been asked for details of the Wartime Chess Club and who was involved with it, if anyone has any recollections of the Chess Club at that time or its links with the Kipping Chess club please let me know by emailing me at bob.tame@hotmail.co.uk. Thanks. It is for an article to go in the Black Country Bugle. Also if anyone recalls the first name or initials of Mr Parsons (deputy Head in 1960s) I'd like to know. I always knew him as 'Sid' Parsons.