A bit of mystery surrounds this. The boy third from right on the front row is Robert Bramley who went to the Grammar School. Was the photo taken in Brinkburn grounds or Lauder Street ? The boys appear not to be wearing strict uniform but most do appear to be carrying gas masks over their shoulders.
Date (of image) : 1938
Donor : Brenda Wright
Location
A selection of images and documents relating to the 'Home Front', during the Second World War.
More detail »The School was opened in 1902 in Lauder Street. At that time it was known as West Hartlepool Secondary School and it provided education for both boys and girls. A modest annual fee was charged for entry to the school.
In 1912 the girls left for the newly-opened Girls' High School in Eldon Grove. The boys remained at Lauder Street until they moved to Brinkburn in Blakelock Road in 1938. The original house at Brinkburn had been the home of the Horsley family, who were shipowners and timber merchants. There were significant additions to the original building, including classrooms, laboratories, workshops, a gymnasium and a large assembly hall.
In 1944, as a consequence of the Butler Act, the School became the West Hartlepool Grammar School for Boys. In 1973, under the re-organisation of secondary education in the town. it became the Upper School of Brinkburn Comprehensive School. It is now, following considerable rebuilding, the Hartlepool Sixth Form College.
For more information see the West Hartlepool Grammar School Old Boys Association website at:
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