Recollections of an Old (but young at heart) Oswestrian, circa 1952 - EPISODE 10, HEROES AND VILLAINS
Every boarder, without exception, will have had a hero, and certainly been inflicted by a villain whilst at Oswestry School in the 1950's; here are just a couple of mine...
Enjoying sporting activities so much, it is perhaps no surprise that characters such as 'Willie' J Martyn Welbourne, a fellow Lancastrian so talented that he could very easily have made a good living as a professional cricketer in county cricket, were high on my list. A boarder at Holbache House, with a wicked sense of humour, Martyn's antics on the cricket square were legendary. He was a very enthusiastic fielder who would often be seen hiding behind the square leg umpire, only to pop out once the ball left the bowler's hand. Martyn was a fine batsman and above he is pictured sporting a typical broad grin alongside his teammates, including the mighty Wes Hall who played 48 times for the West Indies.
He was also a very good long jumper. I remember being at the end of the pit talking to my brother Bernard as Willie was making his run up... there was a tremendous burst of wind as he took off and, as he landed, a huge grin spread over his face. "That helped put a few extra inches on," he guffawed, "Holbache House beans for you. You should get some at School House. And what's more, they work wonders in the high jump!"
Each era at Oswestry School has produced stand out sportsmen and, latterly, sportswomen. In the early part of the 1950's Pip Narroway was the athlete we all looked up to and admired. A beanpole of a boy, he towered above everyone and was unbeatable at longer distances; so much so that 'Fattie' Felton, deputy head and our cricket coach, who had played cricket at minor counties level, encouraged Pip to make athletics part of his life beyond school.
Tom Brown' Schooldays, a book written by Thomas Hughes in 1857, was based on his experiences at Rugby School. Before dispatching us to Oswestry in 1952 our well-meaning parents had the idea of preparing us for our new life by buying a copy and leaving it casually on the coffee table alongside The Dandy and The Beano.
By the time we arrived at Oswestry, we were all pumped up, sporting for a fight with any would-be ' Flashman', but as it happened there were more characters akin to those portrayed in the comic books, and neither of us experienced much bullying. Inevitably there were a few villains and The Tuckbox Terrorists were a group you would do well to avoid, as a call to the music/tuck room usually meant that your favorite goodies would be filched as you stood by helplessly.
In the annals of Oswestry School, 1958 will not be remembered kindly. For me, and many others, this was the start of a difficult time as Mr Frankland, an ex-military man, took up his position as Headmaster. During his three year tenure he became universally unpopular, and in 1960, the year I left school, a copy of this photo appeared on the school noticeboard with a drawing pin completely obscuring his face.
Mr Frankland was convinced Jack 'Grevo' Greves (Head Boy), Bernard and myself, were behind this and we were summoned to his office and threatened with reprisals if the culprit did not own up. Talk of reprisals made the prefects, who sat at the Headmaster's table see red, so deciding the Headmaster needed a break we sent him to Coventry for three weeks. He did not like us, the feeling was mutual, and we left at the end of the summer term without ever discovering who defaced the photograph.
"I hope you turn out better than the Pickup brothers and Jack Greves!" were the first words uttered to our replacements at the start of the new school year.
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| 'Willie' J Martyn Welbourne is second from left (back row) playing for Accrington in Lancashire League Cricket, 1961. |
Enjoying sporting activities so much, it is perhaps no surprise that characters such as 'Willie' J Martyn Welbourne, a fellow Lancastrian so talented that he could very easily have made a good living as a professional cricketer in county cricket, were high on my list. A boarder at Holbache House, with a wicked sense of humour, Martyn's antics on the cricket square were legendary. He was a very enthusiastic fielder who would often be seen hiding behind the square leg umpire, only to pop out once the ball left the bowler's hand. Martyn was a fine batsman and above he is pictured sporting a typical broad grin alongside his teammates, including the mighty Wes Hall who played 48 times for the West Indies.
He was also a very good long jumper. I remember being at the end of the pit talking to my brother Bernard as Willie was making his run up... there was a tremendous burst of wind as he took off and, as he landed, a huge grin spread over his face. "That helped put a few extra inches on," he guffawed, "Holbache House beans for you. You should get some at School House. And what's more, they work wonders in the high jump!"
 |
| David Pickup coming 2nd with a jump of 16' 2" (obviously the beans in School House were not as powerful as those at Holbache!). |
Each era at Oswestry School has produced stand out sportsmen and, latterly, sportswomen. In the early part of the 1950's Pip Narroway was the athlete we all looked up to and admired. A beanpole of a boy, he towered above everyone and was unbeatable at longer distances; so much so that 'Fattie' Felton, deputy head and our cricket coach, who had played cricket at minor counties level, encouraged Pip to make athletics part of his life beyond school.
Tom Brown' Schooldays, a book written by Thomas Hughes in 1857, was based on his experiences at Rugby School. Before dispatching us to Oswestry in 1952 our well-meaning parents had the idea of preparing us for our new life by buying a copy and leaving it casually on the coffee table alongside The Dandy and The Beano.
By the time we arrived at Oswestry, we were all pumped up, sporting for a fight with any would-be ' Flashman', but as it happened there were more characters akin to those portrayed in the comic books, and neither of us experienced much bullying. Inevitably there were a few villains and The Tuckbox Terrorists were a group you would do well to avoid, as a call to the music/tuck room usually meant that your favorite goodies would be filched as you stood by helplessly.
In the annals of Oswestry School, 1958 will not be remembered kindly. For me, and many others, this was the start of a difficult time as Mr Frankland, an ex-military man, took up his position as Headmaster. During his three year tenure he became universally unpopular, and in 1960, the year I left school, a copy of this photo appeared on the school noticeboard with a drawing pin completely obscuring his face.
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| (Back from left) A E Stevens, G Moffat, 'The Moth' Frankland, 'Bumble' H Morris (housemaster at Holbache), Tim C Moore-Bridger, Michael Harvey (Front from left) Edward Goff, Bernard Pickup, David Pickup, Trevor Ashworth, Jack B Greves. |
"I hope you turn out better than the Pickup brothers and Jack Greves!" were the first words uttered to our replacements at the start of the new school year.
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