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The 1930s..... and Our Earliest Photo
It has not been easy to find general school photos from the distant past. At the back end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, photography was largely the province of the professional and school photos were not a marketable at time when many local families were struggling to meet the cost of necessities! As a result, our earliest photo comes from the 1935 (approx)....
It was kindly sent to us by Jackie Evans (nee Ferrell) and it features her dad Jack Ferrell (third from the left in the middle row). As you can see, there is no evidence of a school uniform and this relaxed attitude to clothing continued until the early 1960s. However, there are some interesting fashion statements! Boys of this age wore short trousers and this was another feature that continued until the sophisticated fashions of the Swinging 60's. More short-lived were those woolen polo-necked shirts and ankle length boots! Now.... can we name the other pupils in the coming weeks?!
The Early 1940s... A Photo Ban
It is very unlikely that we will uncover photos from the period 1940-1945.... and, if we ever do, the shots will probably be illegal ones! John Harman (Canada) tells us that there was a general ban on photography during World War II and the embargo extended to schools.
Late 1940s/Early 1950s
Official class photos reappeared briefly in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The one below has been kindly forwarded by Stewart Tilley. It was taken circa 1949/50 and Stewart has been able to name all his classmates....
I am sure that some of them are still living locally. The shot below was kindly sent to us by John Wraight (Australia).....
John can name 27 or 28 of the boys... but if anyone would like to have a crack first, please email us! Denise and Roger Harris (Australia) have also located a class photo from their family collection....
Denise's comment about names shows the strict nature of schooling of the period... and it was applied in some rather unusual circumstances. During the 1957/58 academic year, I "served" in Class 2A with one Nigel Hake whose father (Mr Len Hake) was the teacher! Mr Hake referred to his son as "Hake"! It was a most peculiar arrangement but one that demonstrated some sense of equality. Denise's photo is very similar to another class shot taken in the 1952/53 academic year and kindly contributed to the site by John Butler...
Notice that all these post war photos were taken in the same location... with the same window and ventilation bricks in the background. It is also interesting to comparing the fashions with those of the 1930's photo. The boys were still wearing short trousers. However, boots had been replaced by normal shoes and, in summer months, leather sandals were making an appearance. The nation was recovering from the austerity of war and heading towards the period of Harold Macmillan's "You've never had it so good". A much greater variety of clothing was becoming available and this variety shows in all pictures of the early 1950s. New man-made materials and individuality were underway!
Late 1950s...
The above photos appear to have been officially commissioned mementoes. By the mid-to-late 1950s, the custom had disappeared. In my time as a pupil (1956-1959), individual mug shots were an annual event and they were used for school records but group photos were non-existent outside the sphere of school football teams. The school also turned a blind eye to emerging technology that allowed "whole school" photos to be taken by means of a "slowly rotating" camera. Mind you, that might have been wise. Children quickly realised that such devices could be hoodwinked if they popped up in several places as the camera rotated. (I seem to recall that Simon Langton GS actually were forced to arrange a retake of a photo in the 1960s as several pupils appeared in 3 or 4 places). Despite the school's camera shy attitude of the day, some unofficial photographs were taken. Ian Johnson has kindly forwarded a "half" photo of Mr Notcutt's class of 1956/57. It was taken by one of the pupils, Ivan Evans, who divided the pupils into two groups for the photo session. Here, is Ian's half.....
The location is easy to spot. It was taken on the school playing field just outside the pre-fab marked class 4B on our school plans. It is a view looking eastward towards the The Endowed Girls School overspill classrooms in the distant background. The senior school playground is obscured by the fence on the right. Long trousers were starting to make an appearance.
Can You Help?
If you can add to our collection, please let us know.
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