Ex Holgate / Grammar School Pupils

"Ever be bold the gate to hold.' there's the translation pat.

I once did a radio recording with Brian Glover. As he sat looking through the script on the other side of the glass, I said "I went to the same school as you Brian," He looked up and said " Did tha? sing t'school song then." I stood up and launched in to Fortita Occupa Portum...

"Alreight Alreight... tha did."

 

It was always men only on account of it being for former pupils of Holgate Grammar School for Boys. When the school went Comprehensive (70s I think) the rules still stuck. Probably a bit of snobbery about it so I don't think many Comprehensive students attended. It was mainly men over 50 when I went 20 years ago which is why I wondered if it was still thriving. Maybe when Holgate was closed some of the old Comprehensive pupils got nostalgic and joined. Jarvis and Goddard must be.in their late 80s or even 90 by now.

 

Being a pupil from 75-80, the third year intake of comprehensives, I never felt I'd be allowed to go lol.
As 'Spot' Avery used to regularly remind us...."you bloody comprehensive lot!"

 

That was Spot. And very very obviously in fact of course, if a new upper-class intake had come along it would have been the same...

""You bloody Eaton lot!"

 

fortiter occupa portum ---- see on You Tube.

 

I was 76 to 81. The girls started in my 3rd year, so that would make it 78.

 

Yes, I started there in 81 and there were still a couple of years of just lads. Must have been the 5th and 6th form then (did we have 6th formers there when it was just boys or did I dream it?).

 

Wasn't called Pat was he?

 

It's "portam" - feminine accusative. I was in the A stream, but I wasn't a rich kid. I lived in houses with no inside toilet throughout my schooldays. In fact, we didn't even have any hot water or a bathroom for the first seven and a half years of my life.

 

Hah but did you go to university?
What I meant was, the few people from the A stream who I spotted were from rich families. One was the son of a businessman and the other had a sports car bought for him after passing his test at 17. Both went to University when it was fairly rare back in those days. Most of the kids in the A stream were from working class backgrounds but not that many went to Uni despite passing all their exams (although lots like myself studied at Poly whilst holding down a full time job.) Sorry if it came across like I was having a dig.

 

Apology accepted! Yes, I did go to university, in London, and my elder brother went to Oxford. He was nearly 15 when we lived in the first house I mentioned. I forgot to mention, by the way, that our outside toilet, which was across the yard, was shared with our neighbours. Most of my classmates went to university, at least four to Oxford or Cambridge, though not all did. I remember one lad from the A form in the year above who was awarded grade 1 (the top grade, of course) in French, German, Latin and Greek and then went to work in the offices at his local pit, as his family was skint. There were a lot of clever lads in the B form too. One B former in my year went to Oxford to read Maths and a C former went to Cambridge to read History.

 

Most of the lads who went to Holgate back in the Grammar School days were clever having already passed the 11+. We only took 8 "O" levels back then and I noticed that when the results were published in the Chronicle, even boys in the lower streams were passing between 2-8 subjects. Given that French, Maths, English Literature and English Language were all compulsory at the time, I found that remarkable . I had a mate in the A stream who passed all 8 (I got 7) with grades 1 and 2 and didn't do his A levels but left to work in a bookies.

 

I spoke to Horace in the Allambra a few years ago,told him i went to Holgate 65 to 69.He asked my name but i said he wouldnt remember me as i was one of the thick ones and he replied. There were no thick people went to Holgate.

 

Obviously a very bright lad, to whom you refer there. As you probably recall, O-level exams were designed for only the top 20%, in terms of demonstrable academic ability, and the pass rate was roughly 50% in each subject. Only around 10% of 16 year olds gained 5 or more O-level passes. The relative rarity of this achievement was illustrated by a football headline which I recall from the late 60s, after a Barnsley victory: "O-level Evans nets points". The report began: "Johnny Evans, nicknamed "the prof" by his teammates....."

 

I was a 90's pupil there, so obviously the school was mixed with regard to the sexes.

For those of you that were there during the changeover, what was the feeling amongst the pupils that girls would be attending? I bet you were all like dogs on heat!

 

Did you have to learn the school song back in your day? It was drilled into us back in the 60's

 

No, never had to do that.

I had three uncles who went when it was a Grammar School, and they all knew it by heart though...

 

As a matter of interest, Eric Bray (Don't know if he comes on here, he's a huge Barnsley fan) was in the C stream when I was there and he went on to become a partner in the solicitors Heseltine, Bray and Welsh. Was talking to a bloke in the building society who had an unusual surname. I said, there was a lad in my year (Probably in the same class as Eric) with that name. Turned out it was his dad who had been a milkman since leaving school . I often wonder what the boys in my class were doing after leaving school. None of them were from my village so I lost contact when I left in 67.

 

I started in 1975, third year of comprehensive intake. We never had to learn the school song. Someone I used to work with was in the first year of comprehensives and he knew it off by heart.
Guess it gradually got dropped......

 

Jimmy Greenhoff was in Locke house. I played in the house football team he captained. I was a better rugby player and as a fifth former I played in the first xv with Dave Rollitt as Captain. I also remember the role of honour board. Interestingly I was at Shaw lane some months ago and was surprised to see the lectern with school coat of arms and 'Fortita Occuppa Portam' on the front panel. It was behind a curtain where some chairs were stacked.