Wigan Album

What a photo Andrew, climbing in your next best suit & a walking stick...must have warmer back then. Great photo.

Lad on the left has his school cap on. Looks like the summit of Helvellyn. We climbed it in 1952. It was our annual camp at Grasmere at Easter.

I went to HAGS in the sixties. This photo is brilliant! It somehow reminds me of the original Goodbye Mr. Chips where Robert Donat meets Greer Garson on the mountain in the mist. The writer of the book, James Hilton, was actually from Leigh, not that far away from Hindley Grammar.

I don't suppose this particular spot has changed much over the years, Andrew. Great picture.

Now search within your pockets, deep,
Upon this Lakeland rake,
For eager-sought then later bought,
Your treasured Kendal 'Cake.
Then Jim and I, will share with you,
This view from o'er the lakes,
And easy 'says' of Southey's ways,
Through clouds of relished flakes.

Yon mon on the right. Love the pants, do they do them in Matalalans?

No special clothes in those days, it fascinates me how tough they were. Reminds me a little at first glance of George Mallory somehow,with the mist behind them and perched on that ridge. The clothes they wore certainly weren't fit for the expeditions they faced.
I worked with the niece of Mr Hilton Irene, his manuscripts were sold and I think he went to live in America if I'm not mistaken....it's a long time ago anyway since I saw her.

These handsome, healthy, joyful lads, the back bone of England, were sorely put to the test, from September,1939 to September, 1945, may each of them have come through that war, unscathed.

It's the teacher in the middle that I admire. He appears to be wearing a suit with (and this is the bees knees) a collar and tie. Presumably if had started raining they would have taken a Gaberdine raincoat out of the rucksack and a trilby hat !!! I hope they enjoyed the celebratory fishpaste sandwiches and flask of cold tea on top of Helvellyn.

My mother was born in 1919 in Wigan and attended HAGS. These students would have been her contemporaries. I would have loved to have shown her this photo and asked her to identify individuals.

I think the trousers were called 'plus fours',don't know why though.

Janette - they were designed for walking/golfing/cycling etc., and got their name from the number of inches the fabric extended below the knee of the wearer.
There were also plus twos, sixes, and eights.

Wonderful photo. I believe the group to be on a pinnacle of Striding Edge called High Spying How with the summit to the right in the mist. The top of Helvellyn is as flat as a billiard table.

Thanks for info Mick LD.

Regular yearly trip that for Ashton-Secondary-Modern school, they took a full coach of 14 year old lads for a week to the Lake District, the teachers only picked a few to take on Striding Edge I was one of the lucky one's good photo, only two years ago a man living across the road from me lost his life crossing it R.I.P.

Stumbled upon this photo looking for something else.
Recognised my father, Arthur Latham (3rd from left).
Then saw it was posted by Andrew Evans who I last saw in Sidlaw Ave. in 1967. Arthur Latham went on to teach at Ashton Secondary Modern and was a regular on the trips to Grasmere.
You might have known him Dougie.

Yes never knew his first name they always got called second name like we did, unless you were talking to them then it was Sir or to any another teacher it was Mr Latham, he liver across from the farm at Garswood in the 40/50s nice teacher your dad took A2 when I was at school.