Ryburgh Schooldays
The earliest depiction of Ryburgh Schooldays is probably a photograph dated 1905 taken outside the schoolhouse where Albert Foster the headteacher (1891-1928) is posing with the winning team members holding the newly inaugurated Marshall Trophy awarded at the Mileham Sports. The team members are too old to still be at the school but would have been past pupils. Unfortunately the surviving registers don't begin until the beginning of the C20th. There is a complimentary press report which names the team members:
The Board reads:
Ryburgh
Winners of
MARSHAL TROPHY
Mileham Sports
~~~~1905~~~~
Believed to be pictured from Left to Right
1
2
3 Charles T Steward?
4 George Salisbury
5
6
7Albert Foster
************
The majority of the early depictions are anonymous groups of children on postcards as follows:
Post 1903 and Pre 1911
Post 1911
************
The Great Ryburgh Scrapbook at Gressenhall Museum had the following clipping taken from a paper in 1977 and shows Ryburgh cricket team from not later than 1922 complete with remembered names:
************
Ernest Bernard Saunders was the headteacher from April 1928-1932 and is seen on photographs of both football and cricket teams of the period. These two images kindly donated by the late David Howe were both produced by the Scholastic Souvenir Co. Ltd. of Blackpool and possibly date from the same year 1930.
Back Row:
Ernest Saunders -- Jack Harris -- Nolan Toll -- Chris Howard -- Fernley Bear
Middle Row:
Jack Whiteside -- George Primrose -- Douglas Nelson -- Fred Stacy -- E Ashmore
Fron Row:
Reggie Fellowes -- Arthur Sizeland
The cricket team certanly has some of the same faces. Can you name any?
************
This splendid group depicting the 1931-32 Stool-ball team has just been sent in to us by the then 11 year old Thelma Scott, daughter of William Scott who worked as a foreman platelayer on the Railway, first at Ryburgh and then at North Elmham. Thelma is on the front row, second from the right.
Also on the picture Joan Beck, back row far right; Marjorie Eggleton, middle row, far left and Irene Jude , front row far left.
The teacher was Miss Florence Plummer later to be Mrs. Florrie Barnes who taught at the school for many years.
Thelma started at Ryburgh in the last years of headteacher, Albert Foster. She was there for the whole of Ernest Saunders' headship and for the start of Ronald Skipper's. She also remembers Mervyn White who taught at Ryburgh before becoming headteacher after Ronald Skipper.
The game of Stool-ball is an early forerunner of cricket and is still played today
************
The photograph below another of the late David Howe's collection is taken just a little after the above photo in 1934 of the school athletics team. Miss Florrie Plummer is again on the far left standing and headteacher Ronald Skipper (April 1932-1937) is on the far right.
June Clark contacted us after seeing this photograph and supplied us with a few names as her older brother Noel Hudson was in the photograph and it was the year he won the Victor Ludorum at the school sports
Do you recognise any more of the children?