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I left school in 1959 following my family’s move to Halifax. I completed my education at the Crossley & Porter Boys’ Grammar School. Since then I have roamed around a good bit, including some
years in the North of Scotland working in North Sea Oil. I returned to Halifax
in 1980 and since then I have worked as a bus driver. I am now approaching
retirement and have a host of memories to ‘keep me warm’. I do not think that my three years at King James’s Grammar School conferred any benefit on the school, although I remember the
teachers and many school mates quite clearly. I don ’t suppose that anyone who remembers me will do so with much pleasure, none the
less I regard my short time at the school as a privilege.
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1942-1945 – Leeds University (BSc Civil Engineering) 1946-1948 – Corps of Royal Engineers, commissioned service in 1. Waziristan (North West
Frontier) attached Indian Army 2. Middle East Land Forces with construction
unit in Eygpt (canal zone) or Cyrenaica (Libya) 1948 – Demobbed and engaged in construction of London airport. 1949 – Engineering assistant with Wakefield Corporation waterworks on construction of
Baitings Dam. 1953 – Assistant Engineer, Manchester Corporation Waterworks on Construction of
Bouland Forest Tunnel – Hawes Water Aqueduct Scheme 1958 – Chief Engineering Assistant to Consulting Engineers on construction of Selset
Reservoir for Tees Valley Waterworks. 1960 – New works engineer, Leeds Corporation Waterworks. Resident engineer Thruscross Dam. 1968 – Supply Engineer, Leeds Corporation. 1971 – Chief Engineering Assistant, Leeds Corporation 1974 – Contracts Engineer, Yorkshire Water 1983 – Retired. Married in 1949, 2 sons, 1 daughter. Member of Institution of Civil
Engineers.
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After 30 years teaching in the North East of England, I then moved to the Czech
Republic to teach there for four years. Now back in Whitley Bay, spending
retirement organising Northumberland Schools Football, helping a furniture
charity, running several Rotary Club campaigns and playing golf.
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My wife and I returned to Weston-super-Mare in March 2006, where we have lived
with our family for nearly 30 years. In 1992 we had returned to Almondbury and
enjoyed re-visiting familiar places and discovering new ones. We also enjoyed
the company of old friends and relatives. For various reasons we decided to
move back to Weston and now live close to local amenities with easy access to
places of interest and also about two hours to the Devon or Dorset coast. We
miss our friends and relatives, Yorkshire, The village, I also miss watching
live rugby league.
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In 1942 volunteered for Royal Engineers in the Army. In 1943 first convoy
through the med to India to be with Indian troops, in Engineer Battalion with
Sikh C.O. Landed in Bombay, by rail to Mhow in Punjab. Went into Burma – Ramree. Went into Indonesia, Java then back to Singapore. Back to England in
Brittania to get BSc Tech at university. Specialised as Sewerage Engineer and
moved around, eventually Assistant Chief Civil Engineer in Sheffield. Next to
Severn Trent Water for two years. Took early retirement in 1980. Now aged 84 in
2007. Married in 1950, looking forward to 60 years in 2010.
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After school studied Chemistry at Newcastle. After graduating with a PhD worked
in Canterbury at UKC. Met my partner Rachel at UKC. Moved to Cardiff in 1990 to
work in radioactive manufacturing, I am still there although we are now part of
G.E. Healthcare. I played football and cricket until the legs gave up. Now
concentrate on golf and hope to get to the Gothard Cup one day. Lucky enough to
see Town at the Millenium Stadium along with Almondburians Ian Daffern and
Chris Dennis.
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I could not wait to leave school in September 1953 and rushed out into the world
with my three GCEs but without an idea in my head as to what my future
direction would be. In common with many of my contemporaries I became
apprenticed as a fitter at William Whiteley in Swan Lane, Lockwood. At this
firm I did all the things that apprentices did, swept floors, made tea, fetched
and carried sandwiches, chips and cigarettes, occasionally fitting in a little
fitter’s work. The princely wages that I earned at this job were not enough to keep me
in any style at all and certainly not one to which I wanted to become
accustomed. Following the advice of Ian Tunnicliffe I changed jobs and went to
work at Washpit Mills in Holmfirth. Here I would learn a skill that in later
life would enable me to recognise all the locations in
Last of the Summer Wine and little else. Now a definite uplift in my life came when the Queen changed my
life and invited me to join her Royal Air Force. First as a National Serviceman
and later extending my service as a regular. During my time with the ‘mob’ I served in many stations in the UK, Aden, Germany, Cyprus and the Far East.
Along the way I collected a wife, two sons and a daughter and we left the RAF
in 1973 to live and work in Stockport for a firm of engineers. Unfortunately I
was released for alternative employment in 1989 (made redundant) and became a
Technical Author at Vickers Shipbuilding in Barrow-in-Furness. The work
involved writing the instruction manuals and other technical documentation that
are needed by crews and maintainers of the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet. One catchy title that comes to mind is
The Maceration, Compaction and Ejection of Submarine Garbage, certainly a must for anybody’s bookshelf. Anyway as I became more senior in the job the common business
practice of holding interminable meetings at which much was discussed but
little decided led me to accept a voluntary redundancy package in 1993 and
retire on my laurels. So now I have come full circle. Out in the world without
an idea in my head as to what my future direction will be. I currently keep an
interest in local history and affairs having published books on Vickers Built
Submarines and Barrow Pubs. I delve into Family History and to be honest I do
not know how I used to find time to go to work. I find it curious that having
disliked my time at Almondbury Grammar School so much I am eager to meet again
my former fellow internees at the 400th Anniversary Dinner. Floreat Schola
Almondburiensis to you all.
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I spent 2 years working in an architects office in Huddersfield, whilst doing A
levels at ‘Tech’. 1968-1973 Leicester School of Art & Architecture. 1974 Registered Architect. Married Sandra July 1971 who taught
languages at KGS late 70 ’s early 80’s. We have two sons, Jonathan and Gregory. Worked in Leeds since 1978, now
director, looking after the Leeds office of a national architectural practice,
JM Architects. Lived in Slaithwaite for the last 30 years.
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Leaving KJGS I started a son-follows-father apprenticeship at David Browns Gears
Lockwood. Destiny was to provide an opportunity to continue engineering with
the Royal Air Force where I served for 23 years within Engineering and
Education Branches. During this time I married my best friend Edwina and we
have nurtured a smashing son, Nathan, now 18. I met up with other Old
Almondburians during my service, John Anderson (he was ‘A’; I was ‘Alpha’ at school) and Craig Bones who was at KJGS as it turned into a College and
moved up into the middle school. I left The Royal Air Force to work as head of
Learning and Development for a large food manufacturer in East Anglia leaving
there in 2007. Since then and to date I work within my own Company - Cascade
Learning & Development Ltd - running team and leadership development solutions throughout
Great Britain.
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1946-1947 Student Medical Laboratory Technician, Leeds Maternity Hospital
1947-1949 Medical Branch Royal Navy
1949-1952 Medical Laboratory Technician, Leeds Maternity Hospital
1952-1955 Chief Laboratory Technician, East African Medical Survey and Filarias
B Research Unit, Mwanza, Tanganyika
1955-1968 Medical Representative, South Yorkshire
1968-1970 Export Manager Burroughs Wellcome based at Crewe
1970-1973 Marketing Manager Burroughs Wellcome (South Africa) based at
Johannesburg
1973-1988 General Manager, Burroughs Wellcome (Indonesia) President Director, P.T. Wellsome (Indonesia)
1988 to date Retired and living in Norfolk
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