There are no uninteresting things, there are only uninterested people.

SEND YOUR ITEM OF INTEREST.TO PAUL WHITNEY wpw1502@hotmail.co.uk thank you

DID YOU KNOW ?
1/ ST MARYS WAS THE FIRST CATHOLIC CHURCH TO BE BUILT ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE RIVER
2/ IT WAS A REQUEST MADE BY FATHER MICHAEL TRAPPES THE PRIEST-IN-CHARGE OF ST CHARLES CHURCH THAT BROUGHT THE NUNS TO HULL
3/AT FIRST ONLY 5 NUNS WHERE SENT TO HULL . HOWEVER WITHIN A FEW YEARS, MORE NUNS WHERE SENT TO HELP TO RUN THE SCHOOLS AND VISIT THE SICK AND POOR IN THE AREA
4/ MARY STARR AND JULIA KENNEDY BECAME NUNS IN IRELAND DURING 1852/1855 AND WHERE SENT TO A VIIAGE CALLED CLIFFORD NEAR BOSTON SPAR IN 1855
5/IN 1856 SISTER STARR WAS APPOINTED SUPERIOR WITH SISTER KENNEDY AS ASSISTANT AND BUSAR AT CLIFFORD AND LATER IN 1857 CAME TO HULL TO RUN AND LIVE AT THE SCHOOL OF ST MARYS
6/ BECAUSE OF THEHIGH COSTOF RUNNING 2 CONVENTS, THE CLIFFFORD CONVENT WAS CLOSED IN1867 AND THE NUNS WHERE ALL MOVED TO THE HULL CONVENT
7/ THE NUNS ONLY LIVED AT ST MARYS SCHOOL FOR ONE YEAR AND MOVED INTO A LARGE MANSION CALLED KEDDYS HALL AT THE CORNER OF ANLABY ROAD AND SOUTH PARADE


THOMAS BRADY
Thomas Brady was the father of my friend John Brady , Thomas who most people called Bill attended St Marys in 1924.
His daughter Jackie Brady says" He was a very intelligent person from being very young, he moved from St Mary's, and he went on to attend Charterhouse School down Charterhouse Lane. The Master in charge of the school told my Nanny & Grandad that he should go to college, but in those early days my Grandparents could not afford to send him. The nuns of St Mary's use to say to my brother John "You will never be as intelligent as you're father was" And my brother, by his own admission said " And I don't want to be".
paul says I notice that John said "and l dont want to be " .....he did not say ,,,,,,,"l could not be"

A GRACIOUS LADY
Rosemary Benstead borrowed this cutting of Ann Taylor on the night of the re-union so that it could be displayed on site l agree with Rosemary that there wont be a boy or girl who attend St Marys that does not remember Miss Ryder. If ever a teacher equaled the fame of "Goodbye Mr Chips" it would have to be this gracious Lady for she was truly a large part of St Marys schools history.thank you Rosemary for sending us this item of interest l am sure it will bring back many a memory to those that knew her

JOHN O’KANE (st marys school 1922 to 1931) by Paul Whitney

A couple of days before the school re-union Angie Moor told that John O’kane who’s age was 92 had attended St Mary’s school l rang Mr Okane and invited him to the reunion however he had just recovered from an illness so he felt that he was unable to attend the function. While on the phone to him he began to tell me a little about his-self, his life sounded very interesting and l arranged to visit him in the hope that l could hear more about his life I found him to be the most remarkable man l have ever met. He has a great memory and a wealth of information if ever there was a man who deserved a book written about him then it is Mr. John O’kane l am neither qualified or educated enough to write about this mans ex-ordinary’s life so it is best if l leave that to some one who is. so l have just added a brief outline

John was one of 7 children all of whom attended St Mary’s, he was born in 1917 down Kent Street but later the family moved to Arundell Street. He began his school life in 1922 at the age of 5 and stayed at St Mary’s until he was 14 in 1931. He was taught by nuns and female teachers has at that time there where no male teachers at the school and can remember his first day at the school. He says the lessons where very basic. He really enjoyed school and he soon became a school monitor some of his duties would be running errands for the teachers. Even at a early age he was devoted to the catholic church and learnt Latin very quickly at the age of nine he also became a alter boy. . Once a week the class would travel by tram to East Park for sports and games. They would also go for swimming lessons at east hull baths. The supervisor for the baths was a Mr. Gibson and paid for John to take a life saving course john passed this course and got a bronze medal, John also won a medal for rugby and he has still got the medal after all these years Most the children who attended the school where from the Irish community which lived in the groves area down by the river bank side these children where generally very rough yet firm discipline was kept by the nuns. One of these nuns was a Sister Mary Veronica nick named (Percy), she took the senior boys in their last years at the school, she was only a small lady but had one of the strongest characters in the whole school and nor lad dare step out of line During the war John served in the RAF he trained has a gunner but at an early stage in his training the RAF so that he had the ability to become a pilot and he was sent to the pilot training school John had different ideas and became an air navigator John flew on many dangerous missions over France and Norway and he sank at least 2 German ships for his gallant service John was award the Distinguished Flying Medal After the war John returned to Hull and joined the Police force he reach the rank of police inspector. After serving in the police force for 32 he retire in 1976

In His own words “a great achievement for a lad from St Mary’s “
O’kane family Catherine, Mary, James , John ,Eileen, Frank, Norah
Teachers he remembers Sister Mary Agness Miss Higgins, Sister Mary Thomas Miss Wrigglesworth, Miss foster, Miss O’connor Miss leary Miss Franklin Miss Toalster Sister Mary Voronica Miss Ryder Miss O’callaghan




Many thanks to Ann Garvey who sent me this remarkalbe item . once again the site has got a piece of the school history which may have long been fogotten it would be great if we could get hold of the original photos
thank you so much Ann for sending this in.














Mal Barnett has sent the site a copy of the St Marys newsletter produced by the senoir boys pupils in the 1950,s l wondr if the girls did the same thing and if so who has a copy of it because of is size l can not put the whole newsletter on the site but displayed a few items from it.

ST.MARY’S SENIOR IV BOYS
BLUE & WHITE MAGAZINE NO. 2 CONTENTS
The Queen Elizabeth M. Barnett
School’s Rugby K. McGowan
Do You Know? B. Moor
The Gene Vincent Story D. Meekin & M. Snee
The Mel Thorme Story K. McGowan
The History of Printing M. Rudd
Quotations D. Farrow & D.Frankland
Sports Quiz J. Crane
Crossword compiled by B. Hepton & K. Adams
Other Contributors R. Walton & A. McGlone
Cover Design M. Rudd
THE QUEEN ELIZABETH
This Cunard White Star Liner is the largest vessel in the world. She was built by John Brown & Co. Ltd., at Clydebank in March 1940 at the beginning of the Second World War. Her gross tonnage is 83,673 tons. She is 987 feet long and 118 feet wide, carries 2,200 passengers and a crew of 1,250. Her 27 boilers are heated by oil fuel. For the passengers comfort there are two swimming baths, shops, banks, a post office and gymnasium. The public rooms are very large and are richly furnished. During the war she was used as a troop carrier and carried 811,324 service men and women to all parts of the world and steamed 492,634 miles in doing so. At one time the Queen Elizabeth held the record for the Atlantic crossings, which she made in 1938, at an average speed of 31.69 knots. This record has since been beaten by the “United States” an American liner. The Queen Elizabeth runs between Southampton, Cherbourg and New York and maintains this run with her sister ship the Queen Mary. For navigational purposes she uses a gyro compass and two radar units of long and short ranges. She is the most important vessel in the Atlantic ferry and carries passengers luxuriously across the Atlantic in four days. Her service speed is 28½ knots. She belongs to the famous Cunard Line who own many other famous ships such as the “Queen Mary”, “Caronia” and the “Mauretainia”. The Queen Elizabeth is the flagship of the Cunard Line and carries the Commodore and a staff Captain. The letters which spell her name are nearly three feet high and it takes six tugs to dock her and many dockworkers to complete the work of docking. Each year many thousands of people travel in comfort and safety in this ship for, in spite of her age, she remains one of the outstanding and best known passenger vessels afloat.
M. Barnett

PUZZLES
1. What does the billiard ball do when it stops?
2. Why is a glove like a pip?
3. What is the difference between a car and a comma?
4. Which bus found room for the most people?
5. What did the gas meter say to the bob?
(See back page for answers) Robert Walton & Alan McGlone
If a brick weighs 7lb & ½ a brick, what does a brick and a half weigh?
Two Americans walking down a street, one was the father of the other one’s son.
I give you £100. With it you must buy 100 articles, no more or less. The articles cost £, £1 and 1/-. How many of each can you get without spending more or less than the £100?
D. Farrow.
The Mel Torme Story
Mel Torme was born on September 13th 1926. His stage career started when he was four years old. Until 18 months ago he was unknown in Great Britain and he was hardly known in the U.S.A., apart from the nights clubs where he was discovered by a disc jockey, while making an L.P. record for the “Vogue Coral” label at the fabulous Crescendo Night Club in Las Vegas. On this L.P., was the famous “Mountain Greenery” which sold over a million copies and reached fifth position in the U.S.A., best selling disc charts. Also on this L.P. was “Lady is a Tramp” “That old black magic” and “Jeepers Creepers” which all soared to the heights, both in America and over here. He also released an E.P. on the M.G.M. Label. Just recently he came to England on a most successful tour and became a great hit with parents and teenagers alike. Mel Torme can play nearly every instrument and is also a Comedian. He is nicknames “The Man with the velvet voice”.
K. McGowan

Do you know that the width of railway lines all over England is 4ft 81/2 ins.?
Also that once the Gobi Desert was a fertile country
and That 120,000,000 meteorites enter the world’s atmosphere every day, but only 4000 reach the Earth’s surface, every year? B. Moor
QUOTATIONS
SUNSET “The crimson brands of sunset fall” John Davidson
SUN “The glorious lamp of heaven” Robert Merrick
SNOWFLAKE “O filigree petal” Francis Thompson
NIGHTFALL “Drawing the blue curtains of the sky” William Blake
SWAN “Floating like high proud galleons” Andrew Young
SKYLARK’S SONG “Spilling rubbed and round pebbles of sound in the Air’s still lake” Cecil Day Lewis
FOUNTAIN “Opening their umbrellas of water” J.R. Rogers
STARLIGHT “Stars throwing down their spears” William Blake
AGE “Honest labour bears a lovely face” Thomas Decker
David Farr & David Frankland

Do you know that Easter Sunday could not fall earlier than March 22nd or later than April 25th?
That in a single cubic inch of human blood there are 82,000,000,000 red

THE HISTORY OF PRINTING In 1450 there were not then as many books in all Europe as a little library has today. Most of these books were hand written by the Greek and Roman writers but these books took years to write. John Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press was born in Mainz, Germany, in 1410. As a boy he was interested in making things and when he grew up he became a polisher of stones then aq maker of mirrors and in his spare time he carved block books. Through his hobby of carving wood, he became the first man to give the world a book printed in separate pieces of moveable type. His work caused the greatest revolutions in the history of knowledge. The first printing was made by cutting blocks of wood and ink was poured over them, this was called woodcut drawing only drawings could be made for it was far too long a process to cut words in the blocks. Another drawback was that the block could only be used once.
Gutenberg had the wonderful idea of using separate letters. This meant that the same letters could be used again and again. A rich man named John Fust provided two sums of money to enable him to buy his types. Gutenberg was unable to work in metal so he employed a man called Schaffer to make the separate letters by carving the letter on the end of a piece of metal and then with the metal letter he punched the letter in to a softer metal to make a mould. In this way, he made lots of letters. Gutneberg was the first man to print the Bible. It was completed in 1455 and it was in Latin. The Bible was bound in two great volumes. After Gutenberg, Frederick Konig, who was born in Eisleben, Germany, in 1774 invented the cylinder press. Up to this time, all printing was done on a flat press. With the cylinder press, the papers could be printed as fast as the cylinder could turn. The cylinder press printed 1,500 copies an hour. Nowadays a newspaper company can turn out 120,000 newspapers an hour.
Michael Rudd.
SCHOOL’S RUGBY
1956-57 season was the best season we have had for a long time. We had two teams, “A” and “C”. The “A” team were third in the league and reached the semi-final of the Cup. We had four boys in the City team, Meekin, Morley, McGowan and Bullock, who also gained his Yorkshire Cap. We played 18 matches, lost 5, drew 2 and won 11. The team was:- Full-back T. Watson D. Hunt R. Wing M. Lyons R. Centre M. Bullock (Captain) L. Centre D. Wilkinson L. Wing M. Hindley M. Snee Off Half A. Morley Scrum K. McGowan Props M. McIndoe A. McGlone Hooker D. Meekin S. Row J. Ellis D. Farr L. Forward J. Medcalfe The “C” team were not so lucky, winning only 3 matches but they reached the semi final of the Cup. K. McGowan


Do you know that the first football match to be played at the Empire Stadium, Wembley was in 1922-23 when Bolton Wanderers beat West Ham, 2-0? Do you know that Vesuvius has a chasm 900ft across, nearly a mile round and 300ft deep?
B. Moor.

SPORTS QUIZ
1. Who was the last player to win the mens Singles at Wimbledon three times in succession?
2. Who holds the record for the Mile?
3. Name ................ came 1st, 2nd & 3rd in the 1957 ...............?
4. Which English runner won an Olympic Games Gold Metal .........Melbourne?
5. On what date and year did Rocky Marciano win the Heavy weight Championship for the first time? Who did he beat? When did he retire from Processional Boxing?
6. How many times did Stanley Matthews win a winners cup-medal at Wembley? How many times did he get a losers medal?
7. Who won the Rugby League Cup Final in the years (a) 1937 (b) 1945 (c) 1948?
8. Which Test Cricketer scored his first century for England in 1937?
9. Which Test Cricket Team did J. McGlew play for?
10. Which Football grounds do these football teams play at (a) Bolton Wanderers (b) Newcastle United (c) Burnley?
11. Who was the first man to run the four minute mile?
12. What do you associate with the Calcutta Cup (a) Rugby Union (b) Soccer (c) Golf (d) Chess?
13. In what sport do you play for the Silver Goblet? (a) swimming (b) cycling (c) rowing (d) ice skating
14. Who did these test players play for (a) Risenvean (b) H. Sutcliffe (c) E. Weekes?
15. What sport is associated with the Boley Cup? (a) archery (b) Hockey (c) Rifle Shooting (d) Table Tennis
16. Only one First Division Club have never played in the second division. Which is it?
17. Who is the elder of the Bedser twins?
18. When were the Olympic Games revived?
John Crane

THE GENE VINSENT STORY
Gene Vinsent was born in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A. on July 21st 1935. He first acquired a guitar at the age of twelve. It was given to him by a friend in West Virginia while Vinsent was visiting him. Gene did a lot of singing with his sisters in Church. While travelling round Virginia, he heard some negroes singing Hill-Billy songs at a Country store. This so impressed Gene that he made up his mind to make a career out of singing and to transport these songs into jute-box style. At the age of seventeen, Gene joined the Navy. He used to spend many long nights aboard the tanker, singing and playing to his shipmates. After leaving the Navy, Gene went for an audition at a radio show where he came first out of hundreds of contestants. He then formed a group and called them his Bluecaps, made up of Lead guitar Gallopin Cliff Gallop, Rhythm Guitar, We Willie Williams, Bass, Sack Neal and Drums Be Bop-Harrell. The Capital Recording Company heard of Gene and soon signed him. His success continued and so popular did he and the Bluecaps become that they appeared in the film “The Girl Can’t Help It”, Gene doing the vocal accompanied by his Bluecaps.
D. Meekin & & M. Snee
Do you know that the stems of many climbing plants are capable of enormous constructive force. The seemingly innocent honey-suckle destroys young trees by strangling them. By contrast the water hyacinth has powers of increase so great that it rapidly blocks canals and rivers in many parts of the world? That the smallest bird in the world is a flower pecker and only weighs quarter of an ounce?
B. Moor

RALEIGH “Where will we find another such head” This piece was wrung from one of the spectators of the execution of Sir Walter Raleigh in the Old Place Yard on October 23rd 1618. Raleigh was born in Devonshire at Hayes, Barton, in the year 1552. He entered Oriel College, Oxford, but he only stayed a year before going out to France to fight with the Hugenouts in 1580. After this he went to the Netherlands to fight with the Dutch against Spain. The he moved again, but this time to Ireland to fight against the Irish at Cork and showed his great skill in fighting and soon appeared in the Court of Elizabeth I.
He gained great favours and he soon became the Queen’s favourite. He was made Captain of the Guards, was knighted and given a house in the Strand which was calling “Durham House”. He also owned 40,000 acres besides his estate in Dorset. He went o America and colonised the State of Virginia and named it after the Virgin Queen. Then sailing for the coast he discovered Guiana and he also founded the great gold mines of Minano. On returning home he brought back the potato plant which in those days was a newly found plant and he also brought back some tobacco. When he came back to England he was threatened with war with Spain and the Armada was on its way. He was made Vice-Admiral of Devon and chased the Spanish to Ireland where he sunk many a Spanish Galleon. Everything went well with Raleigh for he had married on of the Queen’s Maids of Honour but when the Queen died in 1603 James I came to the throne and no sooner had he done so he put Raleigh in the Tower of London on a charge of treason for gaining so many high positions during the Queen’s reign. It was thought he had done so through false pretences. He stayed in The Tower for thirteen years awaiting his sentence of death and while he waited, he wrote the book, “History of the World”. The King released Raleigh in 1617 but only for his own ends for he sent him on an expedition to the Orinoco River and to the Minano Gold Mines, but it met with disaster for half his ships were lost, so he returned home. When he returned, he was taken before a Court and charged with the same charge as in 1603. The very next day October 29th, 1618 he was executed. After the execution a bystander wrote this:- “I saw in all the standers by, Pale death only in thine are, Farewell truth, shall this story say We died, thou only lived that day”.
W. Wilson & M. Neylon.
HOUSE COMPETITIONS
Swimming Cup
1st St. Andrew 105 points
2nd St. David 98½ points
3rd St. George 95½ points
4th St. Patrick 71 points
Athletics Cup
1st St. Andrew 131 points
2nd St. David 130 points
3rd St. George 127 points
4th St. Patrick 98 points
Progress Cup
1st St. Patrick 142.6 points
2nd St. Andrew 139.9 points
3rd St. George 131.2 points
4th St. David 130.7 points
Conduct Cup
1st St. Andrew 294.4 points
2nd St. Patrick 284.2 points
3rd St. George 278.8 points
4th St. David 258.3 points
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES
PROBLEMS 1. 211lb 2. Husband and Wife 3. 19 @ £5, 1 @ £1 80 @ £1/-
RIDDLES 1. Looks round 2. Because they are in pairs. 3. One has claws at the end of the paws and the other is a pause at the end of a clause. 4. Columbus 5. I’m glad you dropped in bob, I was just going out.
SPORTS QUIZ 1. Fred Perry 2. John Landy 3. All Jaguars 4. Judy Grinham 5. September 3rd 1952, Jersey Joe Walcott, April 27th 1956. 6. 1 winner, 2 losers. 7. Widens, Hudderfield, Wigan 8. Len Hutton. 9. South Africa, 10. Burden Park, St. James Park, Turk Moor. 11. Roger Bannister 12. Rugby Union 13. Rowing 14. South Africa, England, West Indies. 15. Rifle Shooting 16. Sunderland 17. Eric by 10 minutes 18 1896. 19. Charles is the only coloured boxer the others are white. 20. 75 yards.



THE CONVENT

The convent of our lady of mercy is on anlaby road, and is a substantial Gothic building of red brick, with stone dressings, three stories in height.
The front elevation presents, in the centre of a large but plain block of buildings, with three tiers of six windows each, at the east angle is a tower, and at the west a gable. beneath which is a stone niche.
There is a chapel at the northwest angle, with a richly adorned sanctuary. In the rear are the schools, which accommodate 600 girls and infants in elementary classes, and 40 select pupils are taught in another portion of the building.
The present convent was erected in 1874. All the pupil teachers employed both here and in the schools at mill street, Wilton street, and in infants school in pryme street, reside here.
The number of children under the care of the sisters is over 1,500.
There are branch houses subject to this convent at Beverley, Whitby and north Ormsby near Middlesbrough.
The next step in the march of progress, was the erection of st Mary's school-chapel in Wilton street, for the catholics east of the river hull.This building which cost £3,000 was opened in October 8th 1856 and continued to be used as a church.
The next great work in connection with catholicity here was the introduction of the sisters of mercy in 1857, who were first located in a private mansion on anlaby road.
This was followed by the erection of a boy's school in pryme street, in 1863; of saint Patrick's chapel and schools in mill street , in 1870 and of st Mary's church, Wilton street in 1890.

ST MARY'S CHURCH
St Mary's Church, in Wilton street, is designed in the early English style of architecture, and consists of a nave 65 ft by 22 ft wide, with north and south aisles, 10ft wide, which terminate at the east end in side chapels.
The sanctuary has a circular apse, and is divided from the nave by a lofty arch,resting on a cluster of polished marble shafts, with richly carved capitals, of early English pattern, and molded bands and bases.
The nave is divided on either side from the aisles by an arcade of four bays of molded arches and labels on stone columns. In the spandrils of the arches are circular panels with angels in attitudes of devotion, and above the arcade is a clerestory lighted by lancet-shaped windows.
The nave is laid with wood blocks in a herringbone patter, whilst the sanctuary is laid with encaustic tiles, and the steps to the pridella are of polished Sicilian marble.The alter rails are of white ancaster stone, with polished alabastor rails.There are a large sacristy and two confessionals.
The six windows of the sanctuary are filled with stained glass. The high alter consists of arcaded niches, containing six large statues of saints.The pulpit , which is a very fine one,and the font are of ancaster stone, beautifully carved and enriched with green marble columns.
The west elevation is the principle feature. The two stone doorways are under one deeply recessed moulded brick arch, in the centre of which is a representation of Our Lord, crowned with thorns, and on either side spandrils of richly carved foliage.Over this arch is a crocketed gable , in the apex of which is a carved niche containing a statue of the Madonna and child.
Rising above this there is a deeply recessed triplet window, with stone columns and carved capitals.The church will accommodate 500 persons, and costs £2,000. It was built in 1090-1, from designs of Messrs. Smith& Broderick , and mr arthur lowther, the joint architects.
Anew organ was added in February 1892, adjoining the church are q the schools which, until the erection of the present church, were used for dual purposes of a school and chapel.It is neat red brick structure, in the early English style .

contributed by annieann to enlighten our members .

Nora Cross, Music Teacher 1929

Nora was born on May 21st. 1910. She was a delicate child, and at the age of 5 became ill with T.B. and wasn't expected to live. When she was 6 she was crowned May Queen in St. Mary's Church, Wilton Street, Hull for that very reason. This was young for a May Queen, so it was a lovely gesture. one l am sure must have pleased her family. Nora didn't start going to school until she was 9, and started taking music lessons at 10 years old. Her first degree was presented to her when she was 17, and at 19 years of age she received her second degree, from the London College of Music, enabling her to be a fully qualified music teacher. She married Ernir Bickerstaffe in 1930 at St. Mary's Church where she had been crowned May Queen. They had 5 children, Ernie junior (deceased), Paddy, Maureen, Sheila and Michael, then became grandparents to 10, and great grandparents to 8. Not bad for someone who was not expected to live beyond early childhood! Nora with her music degree. Nora died in 1990 at the age of 89 after a long and happy life, loved by everyone who knew her.

BELOW ARE THE ONLY 3 PAGES OF THE SCHOOL LOG THAT THE DIOCESE OF MIDLESBROUGH HAVE.
BECAUSE OF THE GIFTS FROM THE DIOCESE OF MIDDLESBROUGH THIS SITE NOW HAS ALL THE INFORMATION THAT IS HELD BY THEM ON ST MARYS SCHOOL
















BELOW IS A N ITEM THAT APPEARED IN THE LOCAL PAPER ABOUT ST MARYS SCHOOL BOYS GOING ON STRIKE IN 1911






2ND WORLD WAR DURING THE 2ND WORLD WAR THE CITY OF HULL WAS HEAVILY BOMBED AND OVER 75% OF HOUSING WAS DESTROYED OR DAMAGED. BELOW IS A MAP SHOWING WHERE BOMBS WHERE DROPPED.THE SCHOOL WAS VERY LUCKY HAS A PRIME TARGET FOR THE GERMAN BOMBERS WAS THE FACTORY OF RECKITTS AND COLEMANS THE BLACK CIRCLES AND DIAMONDS INDICATE WHERE BOMBS LANDED OTHER MARKING AGAIN INDICATES PARACHUTE LAND MINES AND OTHER TYPES OF BOMBS DROPPED ON HULL. BECAUSE THE SCHOOL PLAY GROUNDS WHERE NOT LARGE ENOUGH THE SENIOR SCHOOL BOYS USE TO HAVE TO GO ACROSS THE DAMSON LANE ROAD TO THE RECREATION GROUNDS FOR THEY PLAY BREAKS AND AFTER DINNER BREAKS. IT APPEARS DURING THE WAR THIS GROUND WAS USED BY THE WAAF. TO TRY TO PROTECT THE FACTORY BY LAUNCHING HUGE AIR BALLOONS. ETHEL POOLE GIVES AN ACCOUNT OF HER TIME SPENT DOWN DAMSON LANE

.........................................SCHOOL AND CHURCH.................................................................................................
Ethel Poole (nee Cooper) Location Hull Background to
story: Royal Air Force Article ID: A7850621 ..............................................................................................................

When the war broke out, I was two weeks from my 15th birthday. I went for a holiday to my aunt’s in Nottingham, and my mother wrote that I should stay there, because of the bombing in Hull. I stayed nearly two years.
I joined up with the WAAF in 1942, when I was 17 and a half. They only wanted cooks and balloon operators, and after the aptitude test I was sent to Sheffield to train as a balloon operator.
When we passed out they send me back to Hull, which I didn’t want, because I’d joined up to see the world, but they said we shouldn’t break the team up. So I went back to Hull, and we were stationed next to Reckitt’s on Damson Lane. The site’s still there.
The balloon was 63ft long, filled with half air and half hydrogen, with the hydrogen at the top and a wet cloth to keep the two separate so it wouldn’t catch fire. We had to wear gloves to fill it. It was attached to a very long line on a motorised winch on the back of a lorry. Operating the balloon was just like driving, except you were looking up.
When there was an air raid, we got the codeword ‘shine’: that meant take the balloon as high up as you can. When our fighters came along we had to bring it back down.
Once the engine broke down on the lorry and we couldn’t bring it down, and it was panic stations!
The wire could swing a lot with the wind, and when we took the balloon down, it would sometimes go into the trees between us and Reckitt’s with the crosswind. The men coming out of Reckitt’s were often surprised, because it was heading right for them. The guy ropes used to get round the trees too, and up went the trees, roots and everything. There was a ripcord on the side, and sometimes the balloon damaged itself when you took it down.
There was a crew of about 6 of us on the site, and 2 corporals, all women. We had two Nissen Huts on site that we lived in, so we didn’t go home very often while on duty. We had to do our own cooking (I was sent on a week’s cooking course to Sutton, at the big RAF camp). Once you were on site you were on your own. We did all sorts of stupid things like give each other rides on the balloon, but not very high up.
It was a filthy job: all mechanical, black, and wind blowing. We had to do wire splicing, rope splicing, and drive the winch. Only two of us ever drove it, the Hull girls, the only ones who’d been in air raids.
It worried my mum and dad. My mum used to send my dad round to see it I was all right. My dad was a tug-master, and he used to take supplies to crews that operated balloons on the Humbler. So you could say it was in the family