Staff photo April 1959. [Click on the faces to see the names]

How many were carrying slippers in their back pockets?Names have been put to some of the faces with help from Andrew Perry, Peter Spawforth, Bernard Cracknell , John Kaye & Roger Britton. Contact me if you can help with the missing names (or corrections).

Also view staff photos from 1950 1953 & 1956

Mr Watts doing some "chunky " calculus.
Photo taken by John Kaye 10th May 1956

John Stanley Barnshaw

West Leeds Boys High School:
Headmaster from Nov 1949 to retirement in 1969

Born: Stockport

Education:
Blackburn Grammar School & Kings College Cambridge
MA Cambridge 1 Class Maths ,II class Physics
BSc London 1 Class Maths

Experience:
Cambridge University 1930-32
Research in Theoretical Physics under P M S Blackett
Teaching:Royd's Hall Huddersfield 1932-37
Wolverhampton School 1937-1949
2nd Maths Master; Head of Science from 1947

Mr "Jesse" Owen (English) in Room 2.
Photo taken by John Kaye 10th May 1956

In the 4th year he introduced us to some modern writers such as Jack Schaeffer ( who wrote "Shane"), John Wyndham and George Orwell, which were fun to read and a refreshing change from the unpalatable diet of Dickens and Shakespeare we had been force-fed in previous years. JS.

Harry Sharrat
Another famous Bishop Auckland amateur international was eccentric goalkeeper Harry Sharratt, a West Leeds maths teacher who brought off more seemingly impossible saves than any other goalkeeper of the time. When the Bishops were on the attack he was also prone to read a newspaper loaned by a spectator and on one winters day when he had little to do, built a snowman on the goal line!

Mr Baddeley

Taught French from abt 1959. Left in 1966 to be head of French at Templemoor High, Halton, Leeds.

Ran the chess club and was Housemaster of DeLacy

Mr Baddeley was popular with us if only for being one of the youngest teachers in the school at the time. He taught me French from year 1 right through to O level. It can't have been easy teaching French to a bunch of lads in Yorkshire in the 60's. It is a tribute to him that I can still get by in French 40 years later never having had a lesson since. I remember one occasion when a school inspector (HMI) visited one of our French lessons and started working his way down my row asking questions in French. After a few incorrect answers the inspector was yelling "barbarisme " at the top of his voice at every kid who gave the wrong answer and when it came to my turn I was so rattled that I got it wrong too. Mr Baddely was pretty shaken up when the inspector left. Anyway if Mr B reads this, by any chance, I would like to apologise for letting him down with the school inspector, thank him for broadening my horizons, and wish him a happy retirement.
A votre sante Monsieur Baddeley. -John Swash

J H Duncan

"Chez"taught Chemistry at the school from 1953 until the early 1960's

He also ran Air Cadets. He had a Spitfire propellor in the small preparation room between the two chem labs. He is pictured here in RAF uniform at one of the annual camps for the air cadets in 1959.

"Ozzie" taught English at the school from 1919 until the nineteen fifties(1954).
He was a graduate of King's College, London. Served in Military Intelligence in Egypt during WW1. Author and editor of many books, including guidebooks of Yorkshire, and an occasional BBC broadcaster.

Fairly typical of the average King's student during the First World War was Oswald Harland, who writing home from Egypt, complained " that he had to some extent lost touch with King's. Perhaps, if I pull through safely to the end of the war, I may come back for a year or two's research. Meanwhile, ------ war!"

Stan Wilson, Head of PE was also a fanatic for swimming. It was his contract that all boys who left the school would be able to swim. And they could. He also ran a successful competitive team. I was his assistant coach and, thanks to his encouragement, became a qualified ASA Teacher of Swimming and an RLSS Teacher of Life-saving. He also encouraged me to keep fit by training one evening a week with the highly successful Old Boys' Rugby Club (Yorkshire Cup in 1957 - in spite of my presence at their training sessions !) - Also See " Stan or Superstan"

One nice anecdote. Before I was to take my first session at Armley baths, Stan reminded me to take my gear although he had always insisted that you taught/coached from the poolside in order to see what was happening. He explained that, after he finished his very first coaching session and was passing the poolside changing cubicles, he heard a voice say loudly " I bet the bugger can't even swim !" So, first session, strip off, best racing dive, fast length and out. And it worked. -Brian Palmer

Can't remember old what's his name who taught maths and whacked you with a size 12 slipper for wearing "loud" socks in 1962?
You may well find him on the staff list