Starting Year 1957
Gateshead Grammar School



Alan Bratton married Girls Grammar girl Pauline Kirton and emigrated to Canada where for most of his career he worked for General Motors. Two boys John and Scott. After 27 years he split from Pauline and is now with Cathy. Retired, he is a Canadian Snowbird... he winters in Florida, USA and summers in St. Catharines, Canada. Has a boat and still follows Newcastle United (not in the boat, on the TV)

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Bill Sives living in Guisborough, North Yorkshire. Born: 23 September 1944, Gateshead, Co. Durham, E-mail: bill@sives.co.uk Lived in: Gateshead, Hayes, Middlesex, Felling, Whickham, Ryton, Middlesbrough, Nunthorpe, Guisborough Education: Gateshead Grammar School for Boys, 1957 - 1961 Marital status: Married 2 Sept.1967 to the real Angel of the North, Brenda Dawn (née Gilroy).

2 Daughters - Abigail Charlotte and Annabelle Victoria.
Profession: Bill is a Commercial Photographer 
Business Website www.vikingstudios.co.uk  

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Lyndsay Brydon writes

"Jesus Ive been living abroad for many years 40 to be exact, married to a Swedish girl 2 kids aged 16,17 the lad plays ice hockey the girl football for Sweden's u17 team.What a surprise to find your site. 
I remember the faces as if it was yesterday especially the teachers (for want of a better word).I attended STALAG 17 between the years 1957-1962 love to hear from you.
med vänlig hälsningar "

Lyndsay Brydon further writes

"I would love to come to a school reunion time and venue no problem, it's only 3 hours from Sweden to Geordieland.  "

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Alvin Bakke lives in Newcastle, married, children, IT Manager


R. D. Rimer

The following three photos were submitted by Leslie Bush, living in Toronto Canada

Left click the photos to enlarge

6S2

Back row L to R

Stobbs,John Inkson,Lamb,Blenkinsop,Ron Donogue,Lindsay,John Mitchell,Ken Green, Leslie Bush

Front row L to R

Peter Baglee,Ian Tarbit,Scorer,Mr. GOODWIN, Eric Wiseman,John Kerr, Barry Evans

Missing from the photo is Dick Rimer son of Dr. Eric Rimer (physics teacher)

This one is 6S1 and has R D Rimer at extreme right on the front row



Form 2R

1st row L to R

John Inkson, John (I think) Ainsley,  Ian Tarbit,  Angus Shiell,  Nicholas (Nick) (I think) Wiseman, 

           Mr Ridley, Ainsley, Ian Jardine, Fred Irvine, Les (I think) Winter, John Morrison


2nd. row L to R

Bill Collier,  Les (I think) Stobbs,  John Mitchell,  Brian Boardman,  Peter Baglee,  

                        John (I think) Wardle, Lindsay, Horden, Geoffrey Taylor,  John Kerr


3rd. row L to R

Ian (I think) Younger, Dick Rimer, Les Pickles, Leslie (Les) Bush, William (Bill) Stalker, 

      Gordon Lamb, George Short (head boy 63-64)

4th row L to R

Quentin Hart, Barry Chater,  Alan Currie,  Ken Green,  Forster(I think),  Rogers


Additional and corrected names for above photo supplied by

Ken Green


visiting the North East from Australia in June 2012 and 54 years before in 1958 in Class 2R (Mr Ridley). and in 1963 in 6S2 (second from the right back row). See both photos above. He writes
Jon, thank you for the website which brings back many great memories of a great school, memorable teachers and friendships of long ago. I remember that we gave some of the teachers the salutation “Pop”. Pop Rimer was probably the toughest and most critical teacher.
I read on the website that one old boy said that he suffered under Mr Rimer …………and has been grateful ever since. I can echo the sentiment.
One day in the ACL lecture room which was tiered we were getting a roasting for being non-responsive to his questions. We incurred his wrath and he called us a bunch of cabbages (because our heads were mainly seen from the front of the room) and that’s probably what we looked like and we deserved it. I never forgot that. I regret that I never saw him after I left the school to thank him for everything that he did for me. He was a great teacher and an important influence in my life, more than he would ever have imagined. Thank you Pop Rimer.
It is amazing that over 50 years have passed. I can remember most of the names as if it was yesterday. Thanks to Les Bush for providing the photos. I have only met up with John Inkson after leaving the Grammar School and the North East. I often wonder what happened to everyone.
I got a degree in Chemistry at Newcastle University in 1967 and had a career in industry for over 30 years. I got married to Jenny in 1967 and we have just celebrated 46 years together. We have two children Paul (born 1970) and Jemma (born1973) and two grandchildren Elwyn and Alexander.
We lived in the USA in Minneapolis St Paul, Minnesota, in 1970 for year before returning to UK.
We emigrated to Australia in 1976 (when I was with 3M Company) and live in a small village, Blaxland, in the City of the Blue Mountains about 70kms to the west of Sydney. The Blue Mountains is a wonderful place to live and is a world heritage listed national park. The “City” comprises  a string of villages and small towns along the Highway from Glenbrook to Katoomba, about 40 kms in length.
We were in UK for a wedding in June 2012 and met up with some old friends. 


Here's Ken and wife Jenny at canny Whitley Bay in 2012

Terry Miller says "I attended GGS from 1957-1962. Alan Bratton and Lindsay Brydon were classmates !!!." He's on Facebook

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Chris Taylor writes
How pleased I was to stumble across your (our) site.

Going through the photos was really nostalgic but I can't understand why I can't find me on the 1961 long photo - have I changed that much????
Sad news for anyone who knew Dave Corker (1957 - 1962) who passed away some time ago and I've recently heard that Brian (Shorty) Short has also passed away.I have heard from little Jimmy Nicholson who lives down south somewhere and Bob Wilson who lives near me at the coast . They were both in my year.
Lyndsay Brydon - haven't heard his name for ages - must ask him what happened to Dorinda Fraser??Peter Tansley lives in Belford - Peter was a Franciscan 

monk for a time but he has now returned to the real world
Hope someone gets a reunion going

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Hugh Harker writes

 I was in the 1957 to 1962 intake block. Proceeded through the school in the second top form, finishing off I seem to remember in " if the left one don't get you then the right one will" Curry's form of 5B; a perfect handprint was obtained on one or two occasions for mis conjugations or perfect tense errors although I did get a pass at O level !

I was in class with Malcolm Pearl, Graham Thompson, Alan Turner, Bill Sives, Ron Cook, Raymond Cooper, Wes Reed to name but a few


I have followed the school's very good website for a few years now on and off and was pleased to see that I have now been fortunate enough to catch a reunion date as I've missed all previous ones.You can therefore put me down as coming to the above.


I am on the 1961 long picture (and no, I didn't run to both ends as I was stuck in the middle)

Although I'm originally from Low Fell, life has cast me about as per most of us and I've spent the last 31 yrs in East Yorkshire just outside Beverley happily retired for about 17 yrs and happily married with two very grown up kids ( son 36 and daughter 38) but no grand kinder. 

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