Wigan Album

Excellent set of photographs Kevin.

Good to see excellent local photos from over a hundred years ago see the light of day again for a wider audience. Well posted.

Interesting photo of the pupils Kevin,including a splendid collection of the good old abrasive coconut mats.

Fascinating! I started at HAGS 54 years after these photos were taken.

My own mother, Wigan born and bred, had attended St Catharine's School when she passed her 11+, but lived in the Higher Ince end of Clarington Grove so she attended HAGS in 1932 rather than the Wigan Girls' High.

They all look happy , but what a horrible time they had to face in the next few years

Yes Tom, these HAGS pupils were snapped during the time known as The Great Unrest 1910-1914: When the working class shook Britain's capitalist foundations. Following that came the human slaughter and suffering of the so called Great War 1914-1918. Hell on earth one hundred years ago. Lest we forget. Another good photo Kevin. Wonder who the photographer was?

The photographer was a George Holdsworth, from Huddersfield. All the photos are in a little souvenir booklet - it seems that it was the photographers speciality and if you do a search for his name schools from all over the country pop up.

Thank's Kevin.