Although my first school was Bailiff Bridge Infants, my stay was fairly short as Cliffe Hill J+I opened in 1953. Living on the Stoney Lane Estate made Cliffe Hill the obvious move and so I duly took my place as a budding genius.
That never came to fruition but the deputy head, Mr Crossland, created a sporting success on the football and cricket pitches. In the 1956/57 season we won the Inter Schools Football Cup and in 1957/58, the Cricket Shield. Photos of both teams are contained in the main body of this site and I am in both teams. I can name virtually all the players and wonder what became of them all. As I was not academically gifted, I duly failed the 11+ and went to St Martin's Secondary Modern in Brighouse. Again, my stay was short lived as I passed on the second chance after 9 months there.
My next stop was Hipperholme Grammar School, following the footsteps of my two older brothers, Peter & Bruce. Once again, I failed to set the world of education on fire but made a decent reputation on the sports field at rugby, cricket and running. I left HGS in 1963 with an underwhelming 3 O-levels, gaining an A-level in Art as a private student in 1965. HGS, in common with a lot of schools in those days, could be quite a violent place, if you upset the masters and, without naming names, I believe that one or two masters were somewhat deranged.
I went on to study Philosophy & Greek History at Leeds University at the tender age of 33 as a mature student. I now live in Greece and my passion for Greek history has allowed me the freedom to visit sites almost on my doorstep.
Dave van de Gevel, Zakynthos, Greece
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