Memories of School

Memories of 1953: Springtime

The forthcoming coronation of King Charles III has prompted Malcolm FG Stevens (1944-1957) to recall the previous coronation back in 1953, along with other notable events of that year.

“Seventy years ago my Biology teachers at School were teaching about the wonders of Darwinian evolution and the smooth and wrinkled peas of Gregor Mendel. All that changed on 25th April when Watson and Crick published their two-page article in the journal Nature which started with the immortal words: “We wish to suggest a structure for the salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA)”. Since then the science of genetics has dominated biology and the lives of all Boltonians.

“Tragically, on 2nd May the Cup Final marked the defeat of the gutsy Trotters in what became known as “The Stanley Matthews Final”. The Bolton goalkeeper Stan Hanson could not really be blamed for more than three of the four goals conceded. Unlike today’s goalkeepers, who wear gauntlets which cling like Velco to a greasy ball, the hapless Stan was probably wearing gloves of the woollen variety, purchased from Marks & Spencer.

“A month later, on 2nd June, it was my fifteenth birthday and the School declared a special holiday to mark the event. Actually, that historic day marked the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and my parents had purchased their first television set (Ferranti) which was a handsome piece of furniture with opening doors. All the neighbours came round to watch the fuzzy grey images on the 12-inch screen. In those days it was necessary to switch the set on a full half-hour before viewing to warm up the valves. To celebrate the event the Summer Concert featured a rendition of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance No 1. The School symphony orchestra, conducted by my father (PAS Stevens), coped with the rousing Land of Hope and Glory, but the twiddly bits before and after were scored with far too many notes and the overall performance would have had poor Elgar turning in his grave.”

19th Bolton (Bolton School) Scout Group

David Grime (1943-1948) recalls a memorable Scout camp which inspired in him a love of hill walking.

“My first long camp was in August 1945 at Stonethwaite, Borrowdale. We travelled by train to Penrith and by single track line to Penrith. It was a hot sunny day, so some of us decided to sit in a first-class compartment with the window open. At a small halt a porter put his head through the window and we thought we were in trouble. All that the porter said was that Japan had surrendered and the war was over! On the Sunday morning we all went to the village church, about a hundred of us; they had probably never had such a large congregation before.

“To celebrate the end of the war it was decided by Pip Porter that we would have a bonfire on the nearest mountain and as the youngest Scout I was given a bucket of water to carry up the mountain to have a brew of cocoa. During the course of the singsong, a Rover Scout crept away, and Pip told us a story about John Peel who had hunted on these fells with his pack of hounds. And we were told that if we were all very quiet we would hear him. At this point the Rover set off a very loud firework that scared us to death!

New Digital Archive

“During the camp, Pip took us for a walk up Langstrath to High White Stones and on to Sprinkling Tarn over Stake Pass, Langdale Pikes, Bowfell, the Old Man of Coniston and Wetherlam and back to camp – about 22 miles – and the older Scouts complained that Pip must be getting old because we did not do proper walks any more. At the start of the day it was decided by Peewit Patrol that it would simplify matters if we only carried one rucksack containing our sandwiches and other items and that we would take it in turns to carry it. It was my turn as we climbed the first mountain.

“On the last day of the camp, there was a storm which destroyed half of our tents. I started the night in a two-man tent and when that collapsed we moved into an eight-man tent which already had 14 boys in it. The District Commissioner for Bolton was camping with us in his small tent and when he got up he asked “What storm?” – he had slept through it all and was not aware of it!

“If nothing else, it gave me a lifelong love of hill walking, although, at 90, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

The new, searchable digital archive for Bolton School is now available for Alumni to explore. The archives hold a wealth of material including editions of the School magazine and newsletters dating back to the 1890s. We hope you enjoy this new feature which can be found at www.boltonschool.org/about-us/digital-archive