KBGS Old Boys' Forum

A place to discuss Keighley Boys' Grammar School. 


Terms of use.  Anonymous, offensive, or malicious postings will  be deleted. School-related topics only please. If you need to add a "family notice" reply to any of the current messages in that thread, and remember to change the Subject to the name of the newsworthy person.

 

 

KBGS Old Boys' Forum
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Re: Terry Hollindrake

I have only just seen another name In your posting which registers. Chris Brereton! I do recall him playing at Keighley but I also recall him playing for Leeds. In 1947 my father took me to London to watch the Rugby League Cup Final at Wembley where the opponents were Bradford Northern and Leeds. I was thirteen years old; I wore short pants, a green blazer and a green school cap with a Smith House badge.. we travelled by coach from Keighley bus station leaving (I think) at 7.00am Friday morning arriving in London around 6.0m. No motorways back then! Funnily enough, I have more memories of the journey, the lodging house where we stayed and Wembley Stadium than I have of the match, but the only name I do remember is Chris Brereton. Not because he played an outstanding game - he was such a big guy! He was st8ll a big chap when he played at Keighley, but he didn’t run, he shambled!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1945 - 50

Current location (optional) Norfolk

Re: Billy Boston

Hi Peter,
We never met. You are much younger than myself. And living in Cape Town! Wonderful place - I have visited a couple of times. The reason for this post is the enquire whether you ever came across a lad who was in my form at KBGS who emigrated to Cape Town many years ago to work in the textile industry. His name was Henry Calow. Long shot but I thought I’d give it a try.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1945 - 50

Current location (optional) Norfolk

Re: Terry Hollindrake

Aye, it were easy for me, I lived in Lawnswood road, just over t'road from Lund Park. And yes, I remember going to t'Oxford picture 'ouse Satdy neets, couldn't see t'screen for blue smoke!!!!

Re: Terry Hollindrake. - it started off as Billy Boston!

Here’ is another who remembers Jackie Mills. He seemed to do nothing but kick.. In fact I recall most of the names you mention - my dad used to take me to Lawkholme Lane to watch Keighley after the war. We stood in the ‘scrattin shed’ to watch. But no body will remember a Charlie Pickles playing in the ‘forrad’s’. Yes! My dad played with the Steam Pigs in the 1920’s - or so he told me. And who remembers the name of the fellow who carried the magic sponge and bucket in the late 40’s. I do, because his day job was a bin man working in the Refuse Collection team at Skipton Urban Disrtrict Council and I was a trainee in the Health Department. I saw to it that he was paid - £6.8s.6p a week. Lucrative employment in those days! Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. His name was Tommy Parrington.



Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1945 - 50

Current location (optional) Norfolk

Rugby

Trevor PIckles
Aye, it were easy for me, I lived in Lawnswood road, just over t\'road from Lund Park. And yes, I remember going to t\'Oxford picture \'ouse Satdy neets, couldn\'t see t\'screen for blue smoke!!!!
Henry Calow Sorry Denis never knew the guy.

Mea culpa in introducing T Hollidrake to this thread.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1953-8

Current location (optional) Brighouse

Re: Rugby

I’m certainly not complaining. Just pleased that a few old boys are keeping this web site from folding. Hollingdrake came after my time.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1945 - 50

Current location (optional) Norfolk

Re: Rugby

The 'scrattin shed', Denis, with its huge logo along the front, 'Taylor's for Men of the North.' Whoever would have thought then that Taylor's would someday become the choice beer for men of the World, more or less anywhere in the World?

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

Current location (optional) Keswick

Timothy Taylor

Draught Landlord was available at my Golf club. The 19th hole. My handicap was the clubs.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1953-8

Current location (optional) Brighouse

Re: Timothy Taylor

The nineteenth hole! What a traveller! And you even found Taylor's Landlord at that far spot? Proves my point, doesn't it?

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

Current location (optional) Keswick

Re: Timothy Taylor At the Gold club.

Although I didn't realise it at the time, the Professional at the golf club was an ex Ryder Cup player.I should have taken lessons. The brother of a mate of mine did take lessons and ended up playing for Yorkshire.

Missed the boat again!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1953-58

Current location (optional) Brighouse

Re: Terry Hollindrake

On this topic, here's a bit of late news (as the two Ronnies used to say), mainly for Denis, but for anyone else who is interested. You say, Denis, you only remember the name of Chris Brereton from that nineteen forty-nine Leeds cup final team, but oddly enough, there were also two other members of that team who ended their playing days at Keighley (already mentioned in my earlier posts): Bert Cook and Dai Jenkins. Perhaps more interesting, however, is the fact that up to that cup final game, Leeds had not conceded a single point in any of their preceding five matches in the tournament - a record which still stands to this day.

The following year, Bradford Northern were at Wembley again, against Wigan, but this time they lost 8 points to 3 (Alan Edwards scoring Northern's only try. I can still see my dad, with his ear glued to the radio, screaming "he's over! Edwards is over!" - even though it availed them nothing in the end). But another interesting fact to come out of that match was that the Lance Todd trophy, for man of the match, went, most unusually, to a player on the losing side, in fact to prop forward Frank Whitcombe who, when he retired, not many years after, became the landlord at the Airdale Heiffer at Sandbeds. I believe his son eventually played rugby for the Keighlians and, if my memory is not playing tricks, has a stand named after him at the Keighley RUFC ground at Rose Cottage, Utley.

The year after that saw my first appearance at Wembley - Warrington (then my favourite team) against Widnes (score 19 nil), but I know what you mean, Denis, when you say you remember other things more than the match. In my case, it was the 'wonder' of London (which had already been mythologised for me by my parents who had been there in '37 to see Keighley lose to Widnes). I remember, we left Keighley on a special 'cup final' excursion train, at midnight, arrived in London Marylebone just after six, had breakfast at Lyons Corner House, Piccadilly, then went off to the Tower of London on the fabled tube, before heading off to Wembley. After the match - a mere nine-year-old - I was flagging badly, suffering real physical exhaustion, having been on my feet all day, and with hours still to kill yet before the train back to Keighley at midnight. We had some fish and chips, sitting on a wall (God knows where), the first time I had ever eaten skate in my life, and then we went into a cinema, just to have somewhere warm to sit down for a couple of hours. I haven't a clue what the film was because I slept (fitfully) through most of it, but I remember that in one of my hazy waking periods I looked up at the rail that ran, high up, along the cinema wall, and to my horror saw what were unmistakeably two huge rats chasing along the rail, back and forth, back and forth, maybe even a hallucination, but still with me seventy years later!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

Current location (optional) Keswick, Cumbria

Re: Terry Hollindrake

Doug - "The year after that saw my first appearance at Wembley" - which team were you playing for, Widnes or Warrington? At such a young age too!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1958-65

Current location (optional) Leeds

Re: Terry Hollindrake

Well done, Shaun, but I did want to keep it at least ambiguous if not quite a secret, being a very modest sort of fellow. But at nine, I was something of a prodigy (if quite untested...), and the answer to your question is, of course, Warrington, the team (aged nine) I always dreamed of playing for... But 1950 saw me at Wembley again (no, not a transfer to Wigan or Barrow) but on what became for several years an annual pilgrimage!

Doug

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

Current location (optional) Keswick, Cumbria

Re: Terry Hollindrake

Shaun, I couldn't agree more he was and still is the best home grown talent that ever graced Lawkholme Lane. He was tall, well built and fast.His try and goals tally was for Keighley Rugby phenomenal. He was the first Keighley player to register a 1,000 points. Signed in the year of my birth 1951 and retired in 1970.

After retiring he played local football and I was lucky enough to play alongside him. Me as a 20yo and him 37yo but we did well as twin strikers. I'm 6'2" but felt like a twig beside him, he was still fast and few defenders got near him at corners.

Great guy who sadly died in 2015 at 80 years of age, definitely a local hero.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1961-1967

Current location (optional) North Cyprus

Eddie Waring

To be honest I lost interest in Rugby League when the likeable Eddie Waring stopped commentating on Grandstand. Even now his phrases and exclamations still echo in my ears occasionally. Of course his favourite way of getting round the obvious severity of rugby league violence -- especially for southern TV viewers -- was something like *its an early bath for Vincent Karalius after accidentally clashing heads with Tom Van Vollenhoven. Most unfortunate." He ended up entertaining the attentive nurses in leafy Scaleboro Park at Mention.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1961-68

Current location (optional) Harrogate