WONDERFUL MAGAZINE

ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE WHO LEFT
PONTEFRACT MANY YEARS AGO

ADDED 27 MAY 2006

What a wonderful magazine the Digest is, especially for someone like me who left Pontefract so many years ago. It has inspired me to list some of my precious memories about the time I went to Love Lane Infants and Junior School. Memories play tricks however, so forgive me if I have got some names wrong. I would be delighted to hear from anyone who can correct me, or who has any other thoughts about the area of Love Lane between 1943 to 1949.

I lived in a bungalow at the end of Hartley Park Avenue right opposite the school and strangely enough, was often late! It was a happy school. Does anyone remember Miss Glasby? She was my first teacher when I was five years old in the first class in the infants. The other part of the infant school seemed a bit frightening, as it appeared to be closed off and dark. I think it was used as a first aid post at this time during the last three years of the war.

As I moved up the school I remember Miss Hood, Mrs Vear, Miss Rowe and Mr. Tomlinson the headmaster (not Head Teacher as they are called today). He gave me the cane once but I can’t remember why. Mr. Wheatley was our favourite teacher. Do you remember the nickname he gave you? We all had one. Mine was ‘Moselli’, the Italian ice-cream seller. He made little poems up about us all. I can’t remember mine but a friend of mine called Derek Davy had one and for some reason I can remember it so clearly. It went; "Derek Davy joined the navy, while eating a chip he fell out of the ship and his mother sent up for his gravy". I became a teacher myself but I know I never reached his popularity.

I also remember our Anderson shelter in the war. We were posh and had one in our garden however some reading this may remember the large communal concrete shelter in our field opposite the school. It was a wonderful place to play and even today the smell of concrete reminds me of it - as does the smell of a lighted candle.

What about the noises we could hear from the school and the area? The regular bursts of gunfire from the artillery practice at the Barracks and of course the bugles every morning and evening..

Does anyone remember the roundabout that appeared from time to time outside the school? For two jam jars you could have a ride. Also close to the school was Mr. Barton the barber. It was about three houses down towards Walkers shop. I notice there is still a mark on the wall where the barber’s pole used to be. He also had the famous wooden model of the concentric double staircase in the old church. I wonder where it is now?

I find remembering names so difficult as I have lived away from Pontefract for so long but I do recall Alan Horsewell, Beryl Scarth, Frankie and Michael Hiorns, Brian Hill, Taffy Hey and Derek Davy.

Well I hope some people reading this article will remember some of these things and write in to our brilliant magazine. I now live in the Lake District but would love to hear from anyone.

Richard Sainter Moseley
Magic Hills House
123 Appleby Road
Kendal
Cumbria,
LA9 6HF
E-mail: Ckm@ukgateway.net

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