The class of 1916 with their teacher Mr Jump. The picture was printed in the Southport Visiter about 40 years ago

OUR search for Southport’s Greatest Teacher brought back memories of life in the classroom for generations of former pupils.
We named teachers you nominated from schools across the resort and crowned Tony McCoy from St John’s School, Crossens, winner of our primary competition.
Southport Visiter reader Kate Bond congratulated Mr McCoy and the happy, smiling year six pupils whose picture appeared in the Southport Visiter last month.
She said: “What a contrast to the photo of the class of 1916 with their dedicated headteacher Mr Jump which was printed in the Visiter about 40 years ago.
“My father, Bob Blundell, was one of the boys in the photo and contrary to how it would appear, he always assured me he did indeed enjoy his years at the Crossens School, as did we all!
“St John’s has a good reputation for turning out well educated, well balanced pupils and long may it continue.”

Classmates revealed

THE story and photograph as it appeared in the Southport Visiter around 1965.

WE KNOW people were straight-faced in photos in the old days and maybe the photographers of those times were right not to say “cheese” because we don’t normally go round with grins on our faces. But these children’s schooldays were obviously not the happiest days of their lives. Anyway, there is an elderly lady in Churchtown who was a girl on this photo of classes five and six at St John’s School, Crossens about 1916, and can still remember the names of all the pupils in this group. She prefers to remain anonymous, although she has given her name among the others in the following key. Back Row: Robert Blundell, Elsa Hollinworth, Alice Wareing, Molly Dodd, May Wilding, Alice Halsall, Mr William Jump (headmaster). Second row: Fred Todd, William Wareing, Albert Abram, John Smith, Henry Cartwright, Charles Watkinson, James Aughton. Third Row: Joe Sadler (ex-Visiter chief photographer), Angus Watkinson, Ellen Gregson, Frances Watkinson, Ruth Blundell, Alice Smith, Ada Robinson, Edith Nolan. Bottom Row: Edward Dodd, Ernest Lockwood, William Wareing, Robert Cropper, Togo Herbert, Leonard Wilkinson. More than half of these are still alive today, she says, and they will no doubt recognise themselves.

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