Up For The Cup!

Following on from the previous blog there is a classic photo from the 1959-60 season showing Abbeydale Boys Grammar School Under 14 football team. It may give you an indication as to why the fortunes of the two Sheffield clubs have been so abject  over the years. Still I'd like to see Chris Morgan in those boots the team are wearing - they would literally be banned!

Down In The Old Schoolyard

Just posted some photos and recollections of a former inmate at Abbeydale Boys Grammar School who was sent down in 1958  

I probably did not stress it enough on the pages when I posted them, but the views I give are very much personal ones and in part are based on that wonderful commodity hindsight.

What really started me off were the articles in The Guardian which portrayed ABGS in the 1960's has some sort of educational idyll - an idyll that was destroyed by the imposition of comprehensive education. Well I certainly did not find ABGS idyllic,far from it. For many years I could not place my finger on why I was unhappy there but when you are a parent yourself you get a different perspective.

I came to the conclusion that it was not me that was at fault (you were always made to feel you were) but the system that existed. There were just too many teachers who should never have been let near a classroom in the sixties, they were just "unfit for purpose".

Maybe I am too critical of the school but for seven years they dominated my
life and the end product was not something they could have been proud of.
Perhaps I failed them but they certainly failed me.

Since I posted the pages quite a few years back - there was a paucity of material on ABGS online - quite a number of "old lags" have contacted me. Some have disagreed strongly with my views and said their time at the school was the best days of their lives, and even intimated that I was ungrateful for the opportunity I had been given. One even suggested that if I had found God all these troubles would have gone away!! . Well yes for certain people ABGS did work and provided them with a sound basis for their future careers and life.The majority to be fair have ambivalent feelings towards the school - yes there were faults but it could have been worse is the general line. But what has suprised me is the sizeable minority who demonstrate a real and lasting hatred for the place 40+ years on.

To quote

" Lousy, patronising bastards weren't they ,those tossers who pretended to teach us ? Not fit to look after my dog let alone children."

As for me I have no respect or fondness for ABGS as an institution at all, which is not how it should be. My children had a pleasant time at school and remember it
fondly and so perhaps things are improving in one sense.

Final thought a photograph of the teaching and secretarial staff from the summer of 1959 - spot the odd two out

The Crookes Trout

 

Taken from The Sheffield Telegraph - 1925

The strange death of Margaret Davies - December 2002

This cutting is from the Daily Telegraph dated 11th December 2002 - I never knew places like this existed in the British Isles but apparently they do. The link above is to a Guardian report dated 18th December 2002 which I have only just found. I firmly believe that her death was due more to mis-judgement and isolation rather than other causes that were touted about at the time

Kenneth Steel (1906-1970) Sheffield Artist

I've just posted an article to the site about another artist, Kenneth Steele who lived in Crookes for a time (Conduit Road), and whose works are now being sought after by collectors. To say that he had an "interesting" life is an understatement.  

 One of Kenneth's BR poster from the 1950's

"Painter in watercolour, engraver & lithographer of landscapes & street scenes; poster designer. Born Sheffield 9/7/1906, son of G.T.Steel, an artist and silver engraver. Studied at Sheffield College of Art under Anthony Betts. Represented in several public collections. Achieved a prolific output of artwork for the railways. Based in Crookes, Sheffield for years. Produced artwork for LNER Post-War, LMR Railway Architecture, Scottish Region series".

Roman Catholic Mortuary Chapel at City Road Cemetery, Sheffield

A week last Monday, I spent a couple of hours at City Road Cemetery like you do when you are on holiday. It had been a couple of years since I last went there and I was pleasantly surprised about the general condition of the Cemetery. It looks as though it is being cared for once again

However there was one exception to this general state of well-being and that is the Roman Catholic Mortuary Chapel which is situated inside the Cemetery. It is now in a state of severe disrepair and surrounded with security fencing that is in places toppling over.

Whhen I got home I checked it up and found that it had been listed as a grade 2 building in 1995. How it was allowed to get in this state is just beyond me. From what I can gather from the Sheffield City Council website it was last used in 1980 and since then it has been to deteriorating in an alarming fashion. As the photos show the Chapel is now totally derelict and neglected. In fact it can now be termed a dangerous strucure. It is a disgrace that such a striking and historic building should have been allowed to reach such a state. Sheffield is not over-endowed with Grade 2 listed buildings and so why was this chapel allowed to get in this state?

  

HORATIO BRIGHT - THE MAUSOLEUM AT MOSCAR SHEFFIELD

And talking of graves I have also posted an update on Horatio Bright and the Mausoleum at Moscar Sheffield. Horatio Bright was was of the first people I researched for the site as he lived "on the Hill" in 1861. He lived next door to our house, before moving on to Townend Street and then to Lydgate Hall in Crosspool. He led what can only be called "an interesting life" but the circumstances of his death (his funeral was positively gothic) and internment have also attracted a good deal of attention over the years

Joseph Haslam Hawksworth and Joseph Senior

Just posted one article and updated another article to my website that concern past residents of Crookes and Crookesmoor. In both cases I suppose you could say that they were the greatest artist and poet respectively that Crookes ever produced but in both cases there was very little about either of them on-line or in print.

The artist Joseph Haslam Hawksworth was unusual inasmuch as that he supported himself and  his family throughout his life on his earnings from being an artist-painter..He was according to critics "a highly accomplished English landscape painter" of the period

Joseph Senior on the other hand was a pen blade forger by trade and his poetry was purely for pleasure.Nevertheless he was widely known and respected in the district and in Sheffield  - see the list of subscribers to his book "Smithy Rhymes and Stithy Chimes: Or the Short and Simple Annals of the Poor, Spelt by the Unlettered Muse of Your Humble Bard" .

My next task in to try  and locate the graves of the two Joseph's and see if any mention is made of their talents

"Which Britons make our country truly great?"

Whilst all the media and politicians are getting lathered up about a phone hacking "scandal" that was initiated by staff at the now defunct "News of the World" I thought readers of this Blog might enjoy this litle gem from the Daily Telegraph dated October 2007. In a way it speaks even greater volumes about the parlous state of the press in this country,

"Britishness and the state of the union dominate the political agenda. But which Britons make our country truly great? Here Telegraph writers choose their favourites from this year across seven categories as the search begins for the Morgan Stanley Great Britons of 2007

·         Morgan Stanley Great Briton of 2007: Who gets your vote?

·         Great Britons of 2007: Telegraph writers' picks

BUSINESS

Our candidates in the business category have successfully flown the flag for Britain in the global economy, from banking to retailing and engineering to telecoms.

Sir Fred Goodwin is the leading British banker of his generation, having transformed Royal Bank of Scotland from a mid-sized provincial player into the world's fifth largest bank.

Seven years ago, he steered the bank through a successful £21billion hostile takeover of NatWest, a bank three times its size.

This year he surpassed that as Royal Bank led a consortium of Belgium's Fortis and Spain's Santander, beating competition from Barclays to buy Dutch bank ABN Amro for £49billion in the largest takeover in banking history."

Nick Clegg - A Man for All Sports

I am starting to wonder if Nick Clegg is hankering after sporting greatness. I caught a glimpse of him at the Champions League Final in May sitting in the best seats next to Mugabe's dear friend Sepp Blatter. And then blow me whilst Prime Minister Cameron was preparing to do his bit in Helmand province (Afghanistan), his deputy and wife were presiding over Centre Court at Wimledon for the Men's semi-finals. They were naturally in some of the best seats! In fact he is starting to look imperious, and aloof, something that the people of his constituency are starting to find vexing but I'm sure that he was at these venues "fighting for Britain"

You can see how far he has travelled in the last 18 months by reading the contents of this letter

 

I wonder where he and his family was lucky in obtaining tickets for the 2012 Olympics - many British people did not get any even though they are funding it! 

A Crookes Artist - Joseph Haslam Hawksworth (1827-1908)

Just posted an article to the website that I have been working on in the last couple of days. It is the first time that I've posted an article that pertains to the arts but I have just stuck to the facts of Joseph's life. No opinions, criticisms etc on his painting and art as I feel that I am not qualified in that respect. The only point I did make and this really applies to a lot of Victorian Art, is that it is not my "cup of tea"

Nevertheless Joseph spent his whole life as an artist and he certainly had some status and success in such circles. But oddly enough he moved very few times in his life. In fact during the last fifty years of his life he remained firmly in the Crookes/Crookesmoor area of Sheffield and so I suppose he could be called Crookes' Greatest Artist! 

Herbert W Thomas (1895 - 1916) - A Soldier from Spring Hill Sheffield

I've just posted the first new article to the website for nearly two months. In the interim I have been updating earlier articles and content with information from the 1911 Census.

I came across Herbert and his family through the Census - the family were living on "the Hill" one hundred years ago and continued to do so until the mid 1950's and possibly longer. I am now determined to find out all I can about the family and so if anyone can add anything I would be grateful

The Diary of Corporal John William Ballinger

Having access to the 1911 Census is proving to be a great asset. For instance I have had this newspaper cutting from the Daily Telegraph since 2007 but have never been able to incorporate it into the website
I came across it again when I was compiling the article on Walter Hutchinson and his diary and have now found John in 1911

 

(click on image to read text)

Name     John William Ballinger

Condition     Single
Gender Male   
Age 21 Estimated Year of Birth 1890
Occupation Nil
Employed No
Working at Home No
Place of Birth     Forest Gate Essex
Military Rank     Private 1st Bn Manchester Regiment
Enumerator Information
Address     Kamptee Town     Kamptee Inhabited     Y
Reference     RG14PN34980 RD641 SD5 ED1 SN9999 Administrative County     Overseas Military

Enumeration District     1 

Like Walter Hutchinson, John's diary makes for sobering reading

Page Woodcocks Wind Pills - "this most excellent medicine"

This appeared in The Sheffield & Rotherham Independent (Sheffield, England), Friday, June 23, 1899; pg. 7; Issue 13920 as an advertisement. And it started me wondering why these pills are no longer available because they seem to be a cure for those scourges of modern day life - wind, indigestion, liver complaints and biliousness

Sadly  a Google search revealed that Page Woodcock was in fact a purveyor of quack medicine but if that was the case why were his wind pills so successful over many years. Surely if they failed to resolve the symptoms, the patient/user would know about it 

Are You Happy With The Way Things Are In Britain Today?

A letter from Nick Clegg that was sent to me just over a year ago when he was just the leader of the Liberal Democrat party. If there is a reason why people have no confidence in politicians in general and Nick Clegg in particular this letter surely shows you why 

"Rich bankers, millionaires and polluters will all finally be made to pay their fair share" is just breathtaking in its naivety. Rich bankers, millionaires and polluters have never paid their fair share and never will - it is a fact of life and the sooner Nick Clegg grasps hold of this the sooner he and his party can "move" on.

PS I'm still paying tax on my first £10,000 I earn Nick - as it is at the heart of your plans, can you ensure that I don't otherwise you and your party will be seen as heartless!

Cameron - The Supreme Commander

"David Cameron criticises comments over Libya mission

The prime minister has criticised military chiefs who have spoken out in public about the UK's role in Libya.

It comes after the RAF's second-in-command said "huge" demands were being placed on equipment and personnel.

David Cameron said: "There are moments when I wake up and read the newspapers and think: 'I tell you what, you do the fighting and I'll do the talking'."

He said military leaders were "absolutely clear" the mission could be kept going for as long as necessary.

"Time is on our side, not on Gaddafi's side," he said in a news conference.

Last week, the First Sea Lord, Sir Mark Stanhope, warned that continuing operations in Libya beyond September would mean taking ships away from other tasks".

I know all British Prime Ministers see themselves as re-incarnations of Churchill, the most noticeable examples being Thatcher and Blair, and I think that Cameron and his deputy Clegg are heading that way.

Still if the military do become over-stretched in Libya and are unable to fulfill their "fighting" role, Cameron does have a back-up strategy - "he'll do the talking." Gaddafi you have been warned!!  

The War Graves Photographic Project

As readers of the blog have noticed the last couple of months I have been occupied with "grave matters" and more specifically WW1 graves. Whilst researching articles I came across the following site-The War Graves Photographic Project 

and to quote

"The aim of The War Graves Photographic Project is to photograph every war grave, individual memorial, MoD grave, and family memorial of serving military personnel from WWI to the present day and make these available within a searchable database.

Now working as a joint venture with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this will enable families, scholars and researchers to obtain, via the CWGC or TWGPP websites, a copy of the photograph of a grave or memorial which for many is impossible to visit due to the location".

But if you want a photograph of a grave or memorial that has been taken by a VOLUNTEER you have to make a donation of AT LEAST £3.00 for an e-mailed print or AT LEAST £5.00 for a 7x5" photograph. The Projects justification for the charges can be found on this link

Two things spring to mind - one is that I think the charges are very excessive especially for the e-mail print. A volunteer takes the photo at his own time and expense, sends the photo to the project who promply claim copyright, and then they sell it on to third parties.

And secondly all the photos on the site are watermarked and copyrighted - to quote

"Small print - Copyright remains with the CWGC/TWGPP/Donor. Those wishing to use photographs for publishing purposes should contact TWGPP for appropriate permission"

This site is a commercial venture that will undoubtedly make livelihood(s) and profits for those that run it.But it leaves a slightly bittter taste in my mouth for some reason. In the introduction they state
"make these available within a searchable database". when they should say "make these available at a cost to the user within a searchable database".


I find content and material from my website all over the place - sometimes people place an acknowledgement and sometimes they don't.But the one thing I will never do on my site is start charging for content and material.(not that anyone would pay me!)  If I did that I would be on par with Rupert Murdoch and that would be hard to stomach  

The Sad Death of Nellie Murfin

The cutting is from the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent dated 20th October 1899. It looks as though Nellie age 3 went on her own to the shop to buy a shuttlecock and on the way back was killed by a dray carrying mineral water.

 

The two elements of the report that are surprising from a modern day point of view is that young Nellie went to the shop on her own. If that happened nowadays the parents and/or guardians would be prosecuted for severe child neglect as an absolute minimum, and quite possibly manslaughter. And the second element is the mineral water dray. Attercliffe and district in the late C19th could hardly be described as "spa destinations." and so bottling and distributing the local spring water is a non -starter. It is far more likely that the district had to import water given that the local supplies would be heavily polluted by industry  

As for young Nellie she was buried six days later in Sheffield's Burngreave Cemetery

MURFIN, Nellie (Daughter of A Murfin, age 3). Died at 15-4 Attercliffe Road; Buried on October 25, 1889 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 15, Section K2 of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.

The grave contains 12 other bodies

Harry Poole 1916

I've just posted an article about Harry Poole to the site.


Harry was the eighth soldier that I have identified from Sheffield who enlisted in the British Army in WW1 and was executed for desertion. Harry was working class, just like the other seven soldiers from Sheffield who were executed by the British Army in the Great War. In fact it is now looking a distinct possibility that The British Army was harbouring some deep seated prjudices about the working classes in general, and particularly those who came from the industrial towns in the North.

 Harry's grave is at the front and to the right

I have also posted some information on William Randle who was executed two weeks prior to Harry. He occupies the grave directly behind Harry

George Orwell's Grave

Many years ago I visited the grave of one of the few writers that I would call a "literary hero" - George Orwell (Eric Blair). The grave is situated in the churchyard of All Saints Church in Sutton Courtenay in Berkshire. Photos were taken and then promptly lost by Tripleprint which meant that I did not have no photographic record of the visit. And since then the other point that has troubled me is why George was buried in Sutton Courtenay as he had, as far as I knew, no significant connection with the village.

However due to Wikipedia I now have both a photo of the grave. I should add that when I visited the grave I was rather dismayed about its general condition and neglect - the rose bush then was a rather a poor specimen to say the least!

His memorial bears the simple epitaph: "Here lies Eric Arthur Blair, born 25 June 1903, died 21 January 1950

AND I also ascertained from the same article why George was buried in Sutton Courtenay in the first place.   

 

"The churchyard is notable as the location of the burial place of Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name, George Orwell. As a child he fished in a local stream. He wanted to be buried in the churchyard of whichever was the nearest church to where he died. However he died in London and none of the local churches had any space in their graveyards. Thinking that he might have to be cremated against his wishes, his widow asked her friends whether they knew of a church that had space for him. David Astor, a friend of Orwell's who lived in Sutton Courtenay, explained the problem to his local vicar, and arrangements were made".

I have also found George in the 1911 Census as a 7 year old schoolboy

Name     Eric Blair Relationship to Head of Household     Son Gender     Male Age    7 Estimated Year of Birth     1904 Occupation     School Place of Birth     Rotilesri Bengal India Nationality     British Subject Enumerator Information Address     22 Western Road Henley Parish     Henley Upon Thames Town     Henley Type of Building     Private House Number of Rooms     9 Inhabited     Yes Reference     RG14PN8046 RG78PN406 RD150 SD1 ED12 SN88 Administrative County     Oxfordshire Registration District     Henley Registration Sub District     Henley Enumeration District     12