Weymouth Grammar School 1973–1978
My own memories of WGS are somewhat mixed: once puberty kicked in, my relationship with most teachers became somewhat strained, exasperating them and my parents alike with my wildly erratic academic (and sporting) endeavour: in one school report, a teacher remarked I had “gone-off” and another followed that with “gone-off is most apt”. And my standing with the majority of my fellow pupils wasn’t much better: I don't recall having a close friendship with anyone in particular (another report stated “rather a loner”), and the girls were pretty much on a different planet. However, for all that, I have come to realise that in that period of my life there existed a community spirit on a scale I have never come close to experiencing since - even if it was a bit of a jungle at times!
The formal pictures here (donated by class alumni) were taken when we were in the fourth form in 1977, as part of a “Silver Jubilee Souvenir” (I’m with the Sex Pistols on that one). Unless credited, the rest are courtesy of Ross Aldridge, who had the presence of mind (in an era where unlike today informal photography was comparatively scarce) to capture many images from what is now a bygone age – thanks Ross.
Form 4P
Top row: Neil Richards/Alan Reeson/Kathryn Jones/Peta Cooknell/Alison Chalker/Joanne Sansom/Colin Budd/Craig Hosford/Jacqueline Williams
Middle row: Elizabeth Bailey/Sandra Hodgkins/Alan Goodden/Andrew Coaker/Ann Wilson/Deborah Bartlett/Robert Mears/Ian Hawkins/Rebecca Grainger/Caroline Taylor
Bottom row: Carole Harvie/Mark Sawyer/John Bridle/Sharron Dalley/Gavin Underhill/Roy Moors/Helen Turrell/Jacqueline Court
Seated: Nicholas Camp/Mr Jones/Julie Cleaver Absent: John Jolliffe/Susan Baxter
Form 4Q
Top row: Marilyn Burgess/Mark Hurring/Thomas Rittenhouse/Paul Pitman/Diane Stevens/Spencer Bates/Julie Sansom/Karen Dunford/Shirley Dickinson
Middle row: Frances Pull/Sharon Bettesworth/Sharon Peaty/Hazel Morris/Elizabeth Kinder/Ian Hawkey/Paul Hodgkinson/Mark Jeanes/Paul Dancy
Bottom row: Sharon Ford/Jane Daker/Katharine Sheeran/Heather Jones/Sarah Crocker/Ian Taylor/David Colebrook/Michael Frost
Seated: Philip Robinson/Jacqueline Harrison/????/Jane Hawkins/David Greenstreet Absent: Ross Aldridge/Graham Condell
Form 4R
Top row: Ginnette Rosewell/Paul Stone/Iain Maule/Scott Horton/Sean Hale/Christopher Gibb/Karen Britton-Jones/Jane Maddison
Middle row: Fiona Williamson/Melanie Guy/Karen Stone/Lisa Broddle/Graham Underhill/Andrew Kerley/Anne Rogers/Clair Cattell/Anne Grimwood
Bottom row: Kim Partridge/Nicholas Cook/Jonathan Lanham/Christine Knight/David Stunt/Kenneth Adnams/Susan Stansfield
Seated: Janice Backholer/Steven Cowan/Miss Taylor/Ronnie Richards/Fay Haslam Absent: Caroline Prowse/Edward Liggins (?)
Form 4S
Top row: Stephen Duffy/Nicholas Crabb/Steven Roberts/Gillian Edmunds/Julia Bowen/Michael Arnold/Simon Jones/Colin Gilbert
Middle row: Shane McDonnell/Trudie Maskell/Sarah Moon/Lorraine Riglar/Sophia Nightingale/Lorraine Horlock/Kevin Vincent/Kim Dunford/John Vallintine
Bottom row: Vivien Silcock/Sally Corps/Karen Hawthorne/Richard Stubbs/Dawn Stembridge/Nicola Schwenk/Beverley Arnold/David Elrick
Seated: Jonathan Pullman/Lisa Scammell/Mr Archibald/Peter Shaw/Susan Palmer Absent: Andrew Collins/Anthony Harrison
Form 4T
Top row: Catherine Cook/Cheryl Scource/Sian Ellis/Mark Kirby/Mark White/Keith Jackson/Jane Stewkesbury/Janine Barnard/Jane Bowering/Jane Hackford
Middle row: Peter Henshaw/Patrick Mulligan/Andrew Williams/David Edwards/Catherine Russell/Linda Wheeler/Lorraine MacLeish/Sandra Newton
Bottom row: Paul Bishop/Richard Pask/Timothy Norman/Martin Day/Robert Druce/David Woodsford/Sheila Squibb/Karen Burns
Seated: Lynn Robertson/Nicholas Bool/Mrs Holdsworth (?)/Paul Steeples/Kathryn Voysey Absent: Mark Whitty/Janice Thomson
Form 4U
Top row: Catherine Hockey/Sarah Harbige/Matthew Dukes/Michael Palmer/Bernard Piggott/Martin Hendriks/????/Sally Cheeseman
Middle row: ????/????/????/????/Martin Cable/Brian Gay/Andrew Hunt/Sarah Cull/Myriam Hendriks/Bernadette Patterson
Bottom row: ????/Elizabeth Horton/Frances Symonds/Elaine Carlton/Jacqueline Evans(?)/Stuart Poynton/Andrew Hansford/Russell Lilley(?)/Nicholas Plunkett
Seated: ????/Steven Ellard/Mr ????/Deborah Dodge/Neil Coleman Absent: Simon Blundell
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backstage mayhem at the Pavilion... hey, isn't that me in there somewhere?
Adidas bags a go go
Q boys c.1974: such nice young boys...
Q boys c.1978: not so young, not so nice...?
the Andy Williams fan club (photo: Jane Bowering)
hard nuts rool OK! (photo: Jane Bowering)
hard nuts at the back
a variation on "jumpers for goalposts"
just good friends?
Syd: Ouch - these pebbles are pretty painful to walk on!
Iech: Yeah, but at least nobody can kick sand in our faces...
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put your own amusing captions to the rest:
photo: Jane Bowering
spot the swots!
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