The Staff of FPGS 1939 (?)
" I think the young chap between Dr Eker and Jock Mackay (on the back row towards the right) is a lad called Bill Sedgwick who came quite often to our house at the beginning of the war. Dad was very friendly and helpful to him and was very upset when he died aged only in his early twenties" Jim Hartley
" The man standing between Dr Eker and Jock McKay was my Dad, Bill Sedgwick, a maths teacher at 'the Brushes' who died at the age of 36 after a Home Guard accident. Reginald Hartley was a much-loved man and an excellent teacher. I was one of his pupils during the late 1940's, having been a student there from 1945 to 1952. He was one of the many many teachers at Firth Park who gave us such an excellent start in life. " Tony Sedgwick (Bill Sedgwick's son who now lives in Australia)
" Another notable person on the photo is "Bill" ( I think his real name was Reg ) Bailey, second from left, next to the man with his HANDS IN HIS POCKETS ! He taught Latin, and in about 1946 moved to High Storrs where he had the honour of teaching me in the 6th. He had a farm in Nottinghamshire to which he would go in the holidays, and he was always pleading the cause of the farmer in his lessons . I saw him last in Sheffield library in about 1955. He was retired and crippled with rheumatism which he blamed on too much outdoor work. He lived near Beauchief station " Jim Hartley
" On the front row, seated on the left of Bill
Bailey is the redoutable Miss Zeiher (not sure how to spell it ). My brother
in law remembers her throwing a load of first formers out of the staffroom
in the turret, where they had gone to explore one sports day when they
thought nobody was about. The man in the dapper greatcoat is Draycot, who
lived in the Rivelin valley, and had extensive gardens with huge greenhouses
where he grew tomatoes. Dad always got his tomato plants from him.
Next to Draycot, on his left is Hipkins, then Padfield of course, then
Rhodes Gagahan (?spelling?)
On Dad's left is Freddy Wood. Third from the right on the middle row,
looking exactly like Wagner, is Carr the art master who was Known as Hoppy
eye-level, as he walked with a stick and taught perspective. The grumpy
looking man behind Bill Bailey is Over, who had lost his right hand in WW1
and always wore a leather glove. I hope some old stager will be able to add
a few more names. "
Jim Hartley
Somewhere in the photographs is (possibly) John Bridge "probably the bravest (and luckiest?) person who ever passed through Firth Park" according to Harold Burton. See more of John Bridge's life here.
(Above Photo courtesy of Jim Hartley and the below photo numbering thanks to Harold Burton and Marjorie Howard)
