Did you attend Hamilton Secondary School, (Hemmy) if so I wonder if you have memory of where in that school lads where taught joinery? There's two views, one reckons there was a room off the Assembly Hall, the alternative suggests it was on the basement level, as was the Canteen it seems. Any thoughts very welcome. Thanks Erainn

It was in the basement and I think a Mr Parry was the teacher around 1957.
Although I stayed for school dinners I can't remember a single thing about them at any of the schools I went to except
1 St John's Primary where someone found a caterpillar in their cabbage which put me off eating cabbage for nearly 20 years.
2 Hemmy not a thing, not even where the dining rooms where.
3 B I not where the dining rooms were ,but remember there was a prefect who sat at the head of the table and dished out his food first from the various food containers which were then passed along to the rest to each take what they wanted

Remember in the basement at the back of the building where you made things out of paper mache (not sure if they had ovens (kilns?) to put them in.

I was there in 1961, if i remember correct they where in the basement

Thanks for the comments, looking so far like the Basement has the popular vote

Derek here's a tasty appetizer for your memory...tapioca pudding..semolina, with a blob of jam, or how about cheese and tomato pie?

Wouldn't mind buying some cheese and onion/or tomato pies sometime, but with proper cheeses in like they used to be.
Cheese pasties and cheese burghers seem to have a processed not as tasteful cheese nowadays.
Love mature cheeses

Those pies were a highlight of the canteen

Their was two woodwork depts, one was in the basement front run by the nutcase Parry, if you didn't dive out of the way you could get a chisel into you, we were young and cheeky and fast so we got away ok, the other was on the ground floor to the right just by the stairs leading to Billy McIntyre headmasters office, RIP Mr W McIntyre you were the greatest, JP or was it AP Pritchard ran it, what a school, set you up for life or prison.

mr kd parry was the teacher he taught joinery in the basement at the back of the school opposite the side of thompsons mission.jp and ap pritchard were two brothers one taughtjoinery one taught religion 'i left hemmy in 1961 .

davew3, arsenal, Pritchard defo rings a bell, how could anyone forget his life-changing RE lessons ;)I recall also woodwork rooms being in the basement. Could be a trick of fading memory but I have it in my mind that the teacher was someone called Charly Williams? Does that ring any bells, apart from the comedian on Wheeltappers & Shunters..or maybe it was Parry after all

We had a woodwork teacher, Mr pritchard at Eastham secondry 1978 which is now called south wirral high,He had this leather strap `which he used to whack the flat of your hand with if you misbehaved, Wonder if its him??
He took great pride in showing us at the first day of term etched on it were the words leather is good for you!!
He was alright though never seen him use it.

The woodwork room was on the ground or basement in the middle of the building if i remember right.Art was round the corner in an annexe.Girls from Conway sec for girls used to use it also.

Stanb, yep, I'm remembering it as being in the basement.

definetly mr parry. are you dava wigg from lowther st.

Strange that as I am being told it was TK Davies who took Woodwork..nope I am not that ex-inmate

You know I am.
Are you still up by Vulcan st, are you J or S

Hi! Arsenal thought I'de jump in on your forum, I was at Hemmie in 1958 till 1962.I can confirm Davew3 is correct down the steps in the playground into the basement was the dreaded crazed woodwork teacher, Parry! who loved throwing things like...Mallet's Chisels, Set Squares, whatever came to hand, scary to a twelve year old, Ok! lets start to unscramble them memories,L.T.Davice to Art & Craft and was the formaster for Lower 1A. J.L.Sulivan was in the next classroom to him, another Psycho who sang to you when he was rapping your Knuckles with a ruler, memories seeping through, Mr Cliff our Geography teacher came next, always moaning about his golf handicap, and of course who could forget Mr. Topham our Music Master who went off on one, when he put a 78" on the Gramaphone, always a classic I might add. the Classroom after him was Mr.Harry Lett our Mathematics teacher. Head of Scott House (Red) for the forgetful, across the hall was Wild Bill Hickock so ncknamed (W.B.Hayes deputy head)Mr. Winder being the Headmaster. enjoying the memories guy's, The Pritchard Brothers were nice, but dated alas, Mr.Topham came next as a junior P.T.Instructor nasty man, liked to use the slipper to often, the senior P.E.Master was Mr.A.G.Evans now then! this guy liked you to run and raced with you with a cane, no need to say you picked your pace up when running the laps at ashville Road training ground,and finally guys dear old Mr.Bentley! in the annexe (girls side)who took Science,I think we drove him to a nervous breakdown!but lets face It guys we were only young and unbroken. I'm done in now fellahs! but ive enjoyed the rememberence of time's gone bye. hope you have.thanks and Cheers to the past.

Wizzo, you make it sound like they were tyrants, when they were trying to save our souls from this nasty world, if you ever went to PT classes after school, the change to these teachers was unbelievable, Letts doing somersaults, Jack Sullivan vaulting over the horse, AG Evans and AW Roberts our PT teachers, if you came in white pt shorts and vest, you lived until the next time, if you didn't then the wrath fell on you, when we used to go up to Kings rd playing fields most of the lads liked football, I was with a group who hated it, now this group contained a number of athletes and the rest of us deadbeats, great fun was had, pretending to play something for 3/4 of an hour.

Fabulous memories, thanks for sharing, the slipper wielding psycho who took PE during my time at the 'Academy For Young Gentlemen' was Topping.

dave, wizzo what subject did Sullivan teach? cheers erainn

English, but the sounds came out as ouch!,sir, your hurting me, not fair I didn't say a word, as Jack Sullivan rapped your knuckles with the edge of a wooden ruler, by god it hurt, he wasn't teaching, he was our jailer.

i remember charlie williams

Hey George, really? I was beginning to worry there for a minute, as I had remembered him as teaching woodwork, while I was there 66 to 71.. Erainn

PS: Does TK Davies ring any bells?

hiya dava it is jr ex fox and vulcan st. you are spot on with your coments. great memories of hemmy .hope you and family are well.

Yes I have a memory of him as being on the nasty side, not quite as sadistic as Topping though

Family is fine arsenal, kids have flown the nest, I seem even busier even though Iv'e retired.

Erainn, thanks for the lookback in time but,I enjoyed Hamilton secondary for the sons of gentlemen, I think as kids we missed the real point, you have to remember that these teachers 15 years or so before had been at war, so things like discipline and your attention would have been expected as no doubt they had to do themselves years before,I may not have been grammar school material but I think the teachers we had were a great bunch and I know I didn't leave as a mental wreck but seemed to have had an all round education (when I was bothered to turn up).

dave, fair points

yes erainn you're right, Charlie Williams was our woodwork teacher.

tk davies yes i remember him wasnt he an english teacher ? do you remember mr fenner ?

Fenner..the History teacher, most surely do.

Yes, Charlie Williams was there: he must have come after Mr Parry.

Does anyone remember the natural history cabinet on the top landing. Just before you'd go up the stairs to the science labs which were on the top floor. It was Full of small skulls and ammonites and things in glass jars.It left a lasting impression on me