As well as Miss Longstaff the women teachers were Miss Hutchinson, Miss Harbut, Miss Veitch and Miss Green who took cookery down the stairs. My father’s room was upstairs with a view of the boys' yard. The girls' yard was on a vicious slope with dreadful toilets at the bottom. These were only used in a dire emergency. Actually the school has not changed much. The toilets are inside but the oblong hall with classrooms leading off on either side has not changed. All equipment is vastly improved but there is no woodwork or cookery as all the children move on at the age of 11.

When I was there the infant department was in charge of a rather vague lady called Miss Melvin. Her main aim was for her pupils to recite a poem for the chapel anniversary. I often heard my father say that he could never discuss anything with her as she insisted he heard a poem. She was also very deaf and would not admit to it. Hearing aids were not in use so many bizarre exchanges took place. My father heard the following. Small boy, “Please miss can I leave the room? Puzzling reply, “Yes pet get one in the cupboard?". I remember wishing I could say a piece at the anniversary but I went to the Church of England.

I felt safe at school despite the strap being used, as the main method of keeping order especially by 2 of the men. It was a quiet hard working place. My father was popular as he was firm but fair. I hated the way he asked every morning how I had done in mental arithmetic, which we had to do every morning. I don’t think I ever got 10 out of 10, 6 or 7 was the norm and not good enough. I did not like arithmetic at all though I knew my tables. The 11 plus exam dominated those early years. There were far too few places at Blaydon Grammar School for the large catchment area it covered. So many bright children missed their chance and if a school got more than 4 scholarships out of a class of 30 it was very good. Without any pressure I just knew how much it would mean to my father if I got a place. I was a voracious reader so I was good at English and had no problem with intelligence tests but my arithmetic dodgy and hating it and being scared did not help! As well as those interminable arithmetic lessons I did not like Group Reading. As I had the designated book finished first session and then had to endure weeks while the slower readers stumbled through it.

Another lesson caused problems and that was Needlework. I kept losing my needle and when I found it I could never thread it. My stitches were uneven and I always was way behind the others. Poor Miss Hutchinson despaired so much that on one occasion she told me to take the horrible grubby overall home and finish the seam. Needless to say I did not rush to do it and as my mother was a firm believer in a fixed bedtime I was ordered upstairs and SHE would finish it. As she was no better than me her handiwork was met with horror. “Take these stitches out,? shrieked Miss Hutchinson. “They are worse than ever", I seethed, lost my needle and was in a bad state when I confronted my unrepentant mother. Now my dad was a lovely man but guileless and innocent in many ways and he found the episode funny and actually told Miss Hutchinson who did not find it amusing at all and was mortified. So this trivial episode caused distress all round and I have never forgotten it.

In the years I was at this school Whickham was a PIT village with 2 working mines. Many boys joined their fathers and uncles working underground at 14. The girls went into service and worked for pitiable wages until they married. There were 2 commercial colleges teaching shorthand and typing and they were an escape for those who could pay the fees. It is hard to believe that in those days there were no facilities at all in the village. Once a week in the school hall in the evening Library was held. This meant battered trunks were hauled out and a meagre selection of books was displayed. How I longed for a new book but in vain.

As there was no park the streets were our playground and the Pit streets were ideal. Oh, the games we played and the fun we had! Often I would go into a house and to me they were wonderful. There was generally a blazing fire a lovely smell of baking, a baby to be nursed and on rare wonderful occasions a miner playing the accordion. My own house did not compare well!

I hated the girls' yard and I believe that today the vicious slope still causes problems. I confess that in the winter the slides were magnificent but the rest of the year it was awful. My friends and I were great at bays and I regularly spent half my week’s pocket money on a block of chalk bought at a shop next to the school gates from a nice lady called Mrs Egglestone. With the rest of my penny I would buy a concoction called a soda lunch. My mother behaved as though it was poison, but I liked them as the sherbet could last a long time!

Every year my father arranged a trip for the whole school. On one memorable occasion we all went to Edinburgh. It must have been hard to organise but it was a great success. We had a special train and we went to the zoo. I bought my mother a hideous tartan trinket, which I was sure she would love, as she was Scottish.

Other diversions within the school year were the choir festivals. Mr Ruddick always had a good choir and sometimes we won the shield. There were 2 festivals one in the City Hall and one at Ryton. Mr Ruddick was a very strict disciplinarian and to miss a choir practice was a mortal sin. As there were no school dinners if you lived a long way from the school it was not easy to get back in time but no excuses were accepted in those days.

Of course the boys always had the excitement of the football team in which my father took a keen interest. Somehow he got them all in a maroon and blue strip but even he could only manage one very precious leather football. It was prized and only used for home games. I heard years later that one teacher soaked the ball before a match. This made the ball as heavy as lead and he told the Whickham boys not to head it! My father would have been horrified IF he believed it. He was such a fair man he could not have believed in such unsportsmanlike behaviour.

One abiding memory I have is teachers pay day. There were no banks or cheques just actual money. My father went to the bank and collected the cash. It was then divided accurately and each teacher was called to collect, check and sign.