MEMORIES

People, places, school trips, social events, amusing incidents, gossip, sport, who fancied who? - Please let us have any school related memories.

Also send in your messages for any old friends you would like to contact.

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Email received from Steve Clarke - August 2007  ---

I don't know if there have ever been better parties than those that took place at my house from about 1966 through 1969.  They were spectacular, with beer and wine flowing by the gallon as well as crap like Cinzano Bianco or Sweet Vermouth - anything to get the girls drunk. 
The biggest party had over a hundred people in the smallish three bed detached on Shevington Lane.  It took several "whip rounds" and multiple trips to the Plough %26 Harrow to keep the drinkers happy.  As if by magic, when my parents came home, the house was more or less back in order.
The longest party we had was in 1966 when my parents (foolishly) took a two week vacation to Spain while I had one week at Billy's Brothel in Pwhelli.  Amazingly, I was left to fend for myself for a whole delicious week.  We only had one party but it was a week long.  People showed up at noon on the Saturday the old folks left and didn't leave until the following week.  The names of the guilty parties probably should remain a mystery except for Helen and Peter Burchall who eventually made it alright by marrying each other.  One night four of us boys drunk an entire bottle of my father's scotch and spent the rest of the night sliding down the stairs, laughing and throwing up.  Peter was the house captain and had to go to school the next day to umpire a house cricket match.  I don't know how he could even stand up he was still so drink.  Gosh those were grand times.
If that house could talk what tales it could tell.  Our behavior had a lot in common with a Roman orgy and I was disappointed to learn as I watched I Claudius that we hadn't actually invented the orgy after all.   But, for sure, many a young teen made their first forays into adulthood at 54 Shevington Lane.
Now I am older and wiser, I realize that my parents must have had a fair idea what was going on.  The aromas alone should have been enough to give it away, never mind the ruffled sheets in their bed (I could never remake their bed like mum used to make it).  But, they never said anything about it. Not one word.  Not even about the red wine on their bedroom floor!  I can only assume that they thought everything we were doing we would do anyway and it was better if I was not driving to get home afterward.  If you have a better theory I would love to hear it.

Extracts from recent email received by David robinson from Steve Wright in Sydney, Australia. -                                             When I came to Australia in '66 I lost contact with almost all my friends but seeing the photo's from the reunion and looking through the website has fired up many fond memories. David, did you and I try our luck in a rock band with Steve Clarke and Peter Normanton, and did we dare to enter a talent contest ona holiday at Pwllhelli, what were we thinking? A couple of photos from the holiday attached. I am desparately dissappointed that I missed the MUGS school reunion in October last year ! You sent me a message through Friends Reunited and I unfortunately overlooked it at the time.... I would have come over to rekindle some of those valuable friendships.

Whom do I remember from the photos of the reunion? ..... Yourself David, Peter Normanton, Steve Clarke.. who was a very good friend to me, Mr Ellis of course .... the click of those heels walking into assembly still rings in my ears, Joan Smith.... who was my neighbour across Shevington Lane, Helen Ryder... we met on the school bus from standish and went out together for a while, Alison Gill, Harry Holcroft, Tommy Derbyshire, Jean Danson, George Ishmael, Geoff Hilton, Phil Banks.

I was a year ahead of your more social year. Who else do I remember, perhaps I can name a few : - Ray Holland (Sol), Graham Morley (Mog), Phil Roby, Bill Lyon, Jim Dutson (Dutty), Peter Edwards (Jimmy).... I can still hear Fenella .. "Wright and Edwards come and sit at the front", Chris Evans, Margaret Unsworth, Alison Caunce, Marjorie Mort, Susan Parker, Susan Green .... Susan would swoon over any passing sports car whilst waiting for the school bus at Shevington, Jaqui Blanchard .... I used to clean Jaqui's Mum and Dad's windows for 2/6d a week, John Blackledge .... for losing the cricket ball in the "rhinocerous bushes" near the tennis courts, Alan Beswick .... for rejecting my "sundie mate butties" (sunday meat sandwiches) one lunchtime, David Dickson ....for outrageously fast bowling, renditions of The Kinks "Louie Louie" and dragging me along to the "Skelebones" concerts at Billinge Hall, Fred Beale ...for his scouse accent and amazing transition from soccer to rugby, much more ably than i was able to do, Reg Dulson.... for his wicked sense of humour. Great times, great memories !   

 See contact page for more information about Steve and his email address. He would love to hear from anyone who remembers him.

     Steve Wright, Steve Clarke and David Robinson.

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Anyone remember going to Llandudno on a school trip and going up the Great Orme

Conway Castle - ( L to R ) Jean Danson, Helen Ryder , ? , Stephen Hall, Stuart Cadman , John Bamforth. (can you help with the missing name?)

Do you remember the "penny socials" in the main hall at lunchtimes. Do any particular songs bring back your memories of them. Two that always make me think of those lunchtime sessions are "Please Please Me" by the Beatles and "The Night has a Thousand Eyes" by Bobby Vee.

An email received from Tommy Derbyshire remembers an incident from 40years ago in the late Autumn of 1965  -  Tommy recalls - "At that time many events were held in order to raise money for the Pavillion Fund. As well as the daily "penny socials", several Saturday night dances were held as well. I recall one group who regularly played at these dances contained Michael Briggs (2yrs above me) on drums and Graham Finch (1yr above me) on guitar. I forget the name of the group, but they were excellent. I saw them perform several times at "Wigan's Room at the Top" and Hindley's "Monaco" as late as 1968. Anyway back to my tale of 1965. Do you recall one Monday morning assembly which followed one such Saturday dance? Mr Ellis addressed the school, his face like thunder, as he raged about "a quantity of empty beer bottles" which had been found in the cloakroom adjacent to the main hall, in the corridor which led to the prefect's room. He demanded that the perpetrators should own up to this heinous act "this very day", or all further dances "will be cancelled forthwith". No-one ever did own up, as certain expulsion would have followed, but thankfully Mr Ellis relented and the dances continued antway. Now after 40years I can reveal that Mick Harvey and I were the guilty parties. The two of us called in at the off licence in Moor Road, Orrell, as we walked to the dance. We purchased 8 bottles of Double Diamond pale ale (4 each), which were easily concealed in the gargantuan pockets of our fish-tailed parkas. It was then just a question of preventing the bottles from clinking together, as we paid our entrance fee to Mr Kilner in the foyer. I'd already had the forsight to bring a bottle opener with me, so once in school we just hung our parkas in the cloakroom. Mick and I then proceeded to adjourn there from the dance, as thirst periodically dictated. I must add finally that Mick and I who were always generous souls, allowed various others to have a quick swig of our Double Diamond, yet no-one grassed us up to Mr Ellis after his assembly rant. That was very gratifying."

An email from Graham Finch regarding the above story - Tommy Derbyshire's memory whilst kind in omment about the group which by the way was originally called the Fyrd but thru error became the Feared was erroneous. I sang, Frank Porter- guitar, John Ashcroft- guitar, Bill Worthington- bass, Mike Briggs- drums, and we never played Room at the Top mainly because you couldn't get anything up the stairs!!!

I remember being part of a group with Peter Normanton, Steve Clarke and Phil Rickman. Steve Wright replaced Phil for a while when we went on holiday to Butlins to enter a talent contest. I could never understand why they let me be part of their group when I had absolutely no musical talent whatsoever. I recently asked Peter and he informed me that I was the only one they could persuade to buy a drum !   (David Robinson)

What are the chances of two classmates from Upholland grammar endind up thirty odd years later teaching at the same university in America without knowing the other was there ? Christine Seddon (now - Christy Taylor ) and Steve Clarke both teach part time at Arizona State University and both were unaware that the other was there. Now happily the two have been  in contact and along with their respective spouses met up at a Pheonix restaurant and I am sure they had a lot of reminiscing to do. Thanks to Barry Clayton for putting me in contact with Christy.(David Robinson)    The photo shows them with Joan Smith meeting up again  at the reunion.

Do you remember the "Weekly Scandal" - a magazine written, drawn and edited by Phil Rickman with a little help from David Robinson and Peter Normanton. (Untill H.B. Ellis found out)  

  Here's Phil Rickmans recollection of it .....                                                            "what a great publication that was, containing lots of libellous stuff about the staff and essential info on who fancied whom. I was never in it on account of (a) I wrote most of it and (b) I was so small that nobody fancied me anyway. I have a bitter-sweet memory of somebody once telling me that Irene Danson (Irene Danson!) had said I'd be one of the best looking boys in the class if only I was taller. I spent the rest of the day beating my head on the desk and wondering if cuban heels might work!"

News for Phil Rickman - Nearly 40 yrs on Irene sends her profound apologies and says he was one of the best looking boys in the class !

Who remembers the school play shown below? Let me know if you were one of the people involved in it.

A memory from Peter Normanton regarding teacher Frank (Bullwinkle) Smith-It was during a class 2B geography lesson with Frank Smith around 1963ish. We were doing something on the history and formation of the Grand Canyon when Pete Burchall piped up that there had been a documentary about it on the TV the previous night covering it's formation. Frank was pleased at such a rare meaningful contribution from Pete and wanted to know more. So Pete obliged by rambling on about it - being the serious helpful boy he was at that time! What Frank didn't realise was that the "documentary" was the Flintstones. Fred Flintstone was looking at a tiny stream labelled The Grand Canyon and in a one liner to Barney Rubble said "they're expecting great things of this one day!" Everyone had seen this - except Frank - and he could not understand why there was uproar! Poor old Frank.

Another of Peters stories you may remember - Barney and the Maths teachers daughter ....  Keith Barnes (English) used to teach at Widnes Wade-Deacon Grammer just before coming to UGS and I had a friend who told me in advance about Barney. He thought Barney had married the Maths Teachers daughter. Not wanting to let fact stand in the way of a good rumour, I told a few people about this - including Tommy Derbyshire. Telling Tommy was much more effective than putting it on the school notice board and Barney was plagued with questions and comments about his married life as soon as he got to UGS.   There was not a word of truth in it I learned later - but in true UGS style, never let the truth stand in the way of a good story!

Oh for the return of those silly teen years !

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