Camera smiles; all our yesterdays COUNCIL AND CHURCH SCHOOLS in the 1930s.

A CLASS Act fan wrote recently to the Examiner to suggest that you could tell which decade a school picture was taken not just by the clothes the pupils wore but by the expressions on their faces.

The 30s were a time of shortages and gloom, and this was reflected in the children's faces.

Somebody forgot to tell most of these children to be glum, as there are a lot of smiles.

The picture above is of Oakes Council School, possibly in 1931. From back left, they are ?, Edgar Brawn, Frank Whitworth, Harold Boothroyd, Claude Dyson, Kenneth Archer,

Geoffrey Saxby, Brian Sykes, Peter Armitage, Geoffrey Haigh, James Kavanagh, Philip Newsome, Peter Quarmby, Joe Shaw and Harry Briar.

Less is known about the middle and front rows, which include Sheila Madden, Helen Thompson, Barbara Castle, Margaret Boothroyd, Sidney Jones, Clifford Waterhouse, Fred Book, Billy Casson, David Casson, Douglas Telford, Harold Hoyle and Mavis Holroyd.

Teachers at that time included the head, Mr H Morrell, Mr W Stencliffe and Mr P I Halstead..

Moving on five years, Barbara Fox, nee Bintley, of Honley, loaned us this photo of the pupils of Woodhouse Church of England School taken in June, 1936.

The pupils are (from back left) V Taylor, L Scott, A Whittell, D Elworthy, Barbara herself, E Nicholson, D Steel, B Walker, G Jenkinson, D Morgan, K Jenkinson; (middle row): M Seal, M Bird, J Dalby, J Malpass, H Dutton, J Crompton, J Sykes, J Hardcastle; (front row): B Senior, R West, E Milnes, J Oakes, B Morgan, R Sutcliffe, K Briggs, A Illingworth and W Fisher..

CAPTION(S):

A CLASS Act * IN THE YARD: Pupils of Oakes Council School, probably in 1931. ORDERLY FASHION: Pupils of Woodhouse Church of England School in June 1936, a picture from Mrs B Fox