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Welcome to the Guestbook
Feel free to add messages relating to the site and the school. The only rules are: real names only, no personal attacks and no unrelated messages (inappropriate messages may be edited/withdrawn without warning).

It would be appreciated if you gave an email address, where you now live and said when you were at the school, but you don't have to.

Plase note that if you click on an email address below you will need to replace ~DOT~ with . and ~AT~ with @ in your email program. The Guestbook presents these this way to avoid email address harvesters collecting your email addresses from the page. I know it's a pain, but it's very much better than the alternative.

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Viewing messages 1 to 10

Neale Backhouse | neale1447~AT~gmail~DOT~com

Ok Alex. Thanks for the update. I do a lot of treadmilling metaphorically.It helps me to lie down with a clear conscience.
I think I might walk a treadmill but I can't see myself running very far.
I had hoped to see you on the trail because I'd seen you on one of the walking tours of old South Shields.
Oh incidently I got it wrong. The name of the TV show featuring Robson was Reckless not Restless

Thu 12-Jun-2025 00:18 - Victoria BC

Alex Patterson, VUA 1946 - 1951 | ad1935ap~AT~gmail~DOT~com

Hi Neale et al,
Thanks for the note, but when I said I'd walked with Robson Green, I should have inserted "metaphorically" somewhere. I was on the treadmill with my iPhone propped up on the dashboard watching the same three episodes that you saw...lots of trivia and pleasant to watch. I wish I had accompanied him, 'cause he seems a canny lad. Were you treadmilling while you watched it? I hope you were.
Take care of you,
Alex

Wed 11-Jun-2025 19:41 - North York, Ontario, Canada

Neale Backhouse | neale1447~AT~gmail~DOT~com

In your last entry, Alex, it was interesting to read that actor Robson Green was previously, in his early years, one of us.I can easily imagine that he much preferred cozying up to Francesca Annis (see "Restless", BBC 1997) to pushing a drawing pen! You mentioned meeting him during his making a documentary feature about a hike along the whole length of Hadrian's Wall. That caught my interest so I watched all three episodes, hoping to see Alex Patterson, but to no avail. Did you stay in the background or were you talking about a later feature starring the actor (he's done a lot).
I remember camping, as a teenager, near Once Brewed, in Northumberland, and hiking a section of the Wall. We had spent the previous night in an old barn nearby and were awakened during the night by a group of rock climbers who seemed to think we had trespassed on their property. Next day we passed them, or rather heard them, way up on the cragside, by the trail, yelling at us that we were going in the wrong direction. We survived!
Cheers, Neale.

Tue 10-Jun-2025 20:58 - Victoria BC

Bruce Graham | bsgraham~AT~btinternet~DOT~com

Thanks for the comment Alex.

I was in the A class - no difference , still a 9 month waiting list for the scout troop.

You may be right about the limited number of class photographs. Mind you photography was expensive back then.

Nowadays everybody seems photograph almost everything on their smart phones - though what they do with all of the images eludes me,

Sun 8-Jun-2025 20:40 - ruskington lincolnshie

Alex Patterson, VUA 1946 - 1951 | ad1935ap~AT~gmail~DOT~com

Hello Bruce,
I seem to remember input, from I think, Eric Moyse, years ago about the scout troop being limited to A form students only. Also that only A forms had class photos taken. I think that letter must have been about 15 years ago
Cheers,
Alex

Sun 8-Jun-2025 02:46 - North York, Ontario, Canada

Bruce Graham | bsgraham~AT~btinternet~DOT~com

Sort of linked into previous messages and sort of linked in to our old school.

When I joined the school in 1950 I was keen to joint the Scout Troop as my brother had done 5 years earlier. Major snag - there was a waiting list of several (9) months so I went off and joined a scout troop attached to St John's Presyterian church just behind the Town Hall.

As a result many happy camping trips in the wilds of County Durham and Northumberland including my First Class Hike which included a stretch along Hadrian's Wall and back to Haltwhistle.

Of course my Scout troop took part in the Good Friday parade/ demonstration which may or may not still exist.

Fri 6-Jun-2025 19:52 - ruskington lincolnshie

Alex Patterson, VUA 1946 - 1951 | ad1935ap~AT~gmail~DOT~com

Hello Mike, Neale and Bruce and everyone else,
It’s so good to see other inputs to our book and to know that you’re still competent enough to send emails.
As a footnote to my last entry I’ve walked Hadrian’s Wall in the company of Robson Green, the Geordie actor. The video is in three parts, about 40 minutes each section. When he’s passing through Hexham, where he was born and now lives, he bumped into an old colleague alongside whom he started his apprenticeship at Swan Hunter as a Ship Draughtsman. So Neale and I have something in common with a movie star.
He introduced his much older friend as his ‘mentor’ who was instrumental in Robson giving up ship draughting and taking up acting, with the wise words, “If it’s going to make you happy, go for it !!” And while Robson was relating the story he got quite emotional. He came across as a really nice humorous and unpretentious guy.
When I started at Hawthorn’s I had the same sort of overseer throughout my apprenticeship who was a “Journeyman”, someone who had already completed his apprenticeship and had been selected to look after a junior employee. I don’t know whether that position or concept still exists anymore. It was invaluable to me to be exposed to that follow-up training, which was invaluable to me. Peter Craggs was his name, he went to Vickers in Montreal as I did a few years later, and he ended up working for me. He said he taught me too well…and he did, He taught me not only the technicality of ship design, but about trying to do an honest day’s work and listen to the older members of the staff.
That’s all for this week, but it’s really great to see some letters again and know that you’re all still out there.
Best wishes from a sunny and warm evening in North York.
Alex

Fri 6-Jun-2025 00:43 - North York, Ontario, Canada

Neale Backhouse | neale1447~AT~gmail~DOT~com

Hi Mike,
This is great. The Guestbook is developing a party atmosphere.
First, thanks Alex for my ninety reminder. I think it's the 18th. At least that's the date my boys have insisted we should be celebrating.They wanted to do the Restaurant thing, but Liz said "Why spend all that money on the whole gang when us girls can do a fancy birthday lunch in the back garden." I liked that. So that's what we'll do.
You mentioned "Shields Walks" (I found them on You Tube). I feel that I don't need to visit the old town again, these walks are so well done. Much has changed and yet a lot remains to provide happy memories. Cars are everywhere, as they are in all urban areas these days. I also did Hexham and Rothbury and the sea front from Marsden to the pier. There is also an interesting car ride from Shields waterfront to Seaham. I felt I was sitting next to the driver as it wound it's way through a "new" Sunderland. (where we lived for four years).
Great to hear that you still enjoy the Gym experience, Alex. You're so right. If we hope to enjoy a few more years we have to stay mobile and pump the old heart rate up regularly.
Before I go I wonder if one of you has advice on how to free my computer of unwanted pop ups. I've tried one or two sites but the blighters keep showing up. And they're becoming more numerous.
Best wishes to all. Neale.

Wed 4-Jun-2025 21:29 - Victoria BC

Mike

I'm still here as well :-) ... a mere youngster, just turned 74 - and in haste (as always).

I don't think I saw the Vera episode in South Shields - night look it up. Occasionally there are bits from around here in Northumberland.

Rothbury has been a popular site for some films (well a couple) ... "The Currents Wars", some shot in Cragside ... "The Boy and the Bus", an independent film for which I edited a "behind the scenes" mini-documentary ... more recently, "28 Years Later", a zombie/virus horror from Danny Boyle, which comes out later this month.

Ann Cleeves never revealed where she got the name "stanhope" from in her books - but I would presume it was from Stanhope in Co Durham.

As for walking - not my scene at all!

Lovely to see a few continuing to contribute here - THANK YOU!

Tue 3-Jun-2025 12:37 - Rothbury

Alex Patterson, VUA 1946 - 1951 | ad1935ap~AT~gmail~DOT~com

Hello Bruce,
Thank goodness you're still with us. It's good to see that your computer is still working and you're still there to feed it. I was pleased to see that both of our erstwhile local teams have done well this year.
Speaking of “Vera”, I was in South Shields a few years ago when they were filming scenes with Brenda Blethyn opposite the library on Ocean road beside the ‘Man with the Donkey’ statue of Kirkpatrick. We later bumped into her at Minchella’s where they were filming on Beach Road, but the security was pretty tight. I think that must have been on our last visit in 2021. It’s been on TV here for maybe 10 years and we’ve seen a lot of the show. Her surname in the show is Stanhope, I don’t know whether or not that was a specific choice or just coincidental.
I notice that Mike Todd has been very vocal on Facebook about American politics and often manages to find some detrimental news or observations about Trump. Well Done Mike. Keep it up !!
I go to the gym here every day, using the treadmill, weights and floor exercises to keep me mobile. I find the treadmill a bit boring and thought I’d take my iPad down with me so I could at least watch something. My daughter Laura took me out for coffee the other day and while I was grizzling about the treadmill, she suggested I use podcasts to help pass the time. So I did, and the first one was ‘A Video-Walk, South Shields Market and Beach” It ran about 40 minutes and took me at walking speed from the ferry landing, The Word, market place, King Street, Ocean Road and sea front. There was no narration but the screeching of the seagulls was so irritating I had to switch the sound off. Since then I have done the “El Segundo Walk’ reliving our time in Los Angeles, Rothbury, Alnwick, Forres from my Airforce days and Hexham.
If you have a treadmill at home, give it a try…it beats looking at your reflection in the mirror, that’s what I otherwise do in our gym.
I just realized, this is my June contribution to my New Year’s Resolution.
Best wishes to all and to Neale birthday wishes for your 90th on the 8th, 18th or 28th, I can never remember, but there again, I’m already 90.
Alex from a delightfully sunny and warm North York.

Mon 2-Jun-2025 23:56 - North York, Ontario, Canada

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