JRGS News Archive Page 47

Paul Graham (JRGS 1959-66) uncovers an Olympics link with Dorothy Tyler...

A recent article in The Guardian about six members of Britain's team for the 1948 Olympics included a profile of Dorothy Tyler MBE, whose two sons attended JRGS in the late-Fifties.
Click on any thumbnail to view a larger version. [More]

   Barry J. Tyler (born late-47) joined JRGS in 1959 and left after O-Levels in 1964. Barry was quite a sportsman. There are several references to him on The Mill website, and he is identified in some sporting group photos. For example, he is pictured in a JRGS Football XI photograph from the early-Sixties, and a photograph of the 1963 JRGS Cricket XI.
   His older brother was David R. Tyler (born summer 1946), whom I do not remember - he was in the year above me (JRGS 1958-63).
   Barry Tyler is listed on FriendsReunited.com, but not linked specifically to JR. He reports being married with children and living in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. He says: “I am a retired School Sports Teacher. I play drums in bands and I play golf and keep fit. I went to John Ruskin Grammar School, Croydon, Surrey, and London University Goldsmiths College from 1966 to 1970.”
   On the other hand, David Tyler is logged with JR on FriendsReunited.com, and reports being “Branch Manager with BTI Hogg Robinson, married to Hilary with two daughters, Sophie and Emma." After leaving school David joined Thomas Cooks, and then went to L & G at Kingswood. He reunited there with Roger Mantell and his twin brother Michael. "My memories of JR," he adds, "are of being slapped round the face by [Mr.] "Rhino" [Rees] in my first year of joining, for running down the corridor. I didn't see it coming, but I did feel it. [Mr.] "Joe" Lowe... what a terrible headmaster; [he was] only interested in his roses. [Mr.] "Wally" Cracknell was the better man, and should have been headmaster instead of deputy.”
   Some people remembered that their mother was an Olympic high jumper, and they are quite correct. Dorothy won Silver Medals in both the 1936 Berlin and 1948 London Olympic Games.
   Click on the following Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 | Article 4 for more information.
   As you can see from The Guardian article, Dorothy Tyler is still going strong, with a good sense of humour. There is a nice photo of her (not accessible on-line, but shown as the centre image above) that is dated July 1948. The little boy in the foreground is possibly two-year old David, but hardly Barry. Dorothy must have competed in the 1948 Olympics before Barry had reached his first birthday. ©Guardian News and Media Limited 2008

Paul Graham, Iver, Bucks, July 2008 Email

Terry Weight (JRGS 1959-65) adds: I also remember Barry Tyler clearly and knew David, his older brother too, who I used to see and recognise at school. I played football and cricket with Barry throughout my time at Ruskin. Barry played right half, as we called it then. He was very quick - more below - and worked very hard, running around a lot to very good effect, often winning the ball back for us. He could also hold the ball and must have scored a reasonable number of goals from right half. He was a very important player in our very successful team. I have less memory of his cricket.
   Barry was, however, a very strong athlete. He was - I'm fairly sure - a sprinter, perhaps 100 and 200 yards. But he probably did more too, probably high- and long-jump. I would bet he represented Croydon Schools too. I think he won far too much - from the perspective of the rest of us! - at the school sports day.
   I don't have any memory of arrogance about his skills; he was easy to play and be with.
   I attended Barry's birthday party at his home near Shirley Hills, probably in 1961 or 1962. Unfortunately, I don't think I knew at the time that I was meeting a twice Olympic medalist in his mother, and can't actually remember anything of her at the party. To be honest, I remember being concerned about whether I had dressed correctly or sufficiently well.
   It is good to see that Mrs. Tyler is still well.

ML adds: This image from Olympics Gallery is captioned: "Dorothy Tyler (née Odam) winner of silver medals at both the 1936 Berlin Games and the 1948 London Games, with her sons David (left) and Barry, July 1948."
Click on thumbnail right to view a larger version. ©2024 British Olympic Association [more]

According to Wikipedia.com, Dorothy Jennifer Beatrice Tyler-Odam MBE (born 14 March 1920) is a British athlete who competed mainly in the High Jump. She competed for Great Britain in the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany, in the High Jump where she won the silver medal. She repeated this feat in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, making her the only woman to win Olympic athletics medals before and after the war.

Mel Lambert (JRGS 1959-65) reviews the June and July issues of Your Croydon...


June 2008 edition		July 2008 edition

Once again, the June and July 2008 editions of Croydon Council's Your Croydon magazine include photo essays from Frazer Ashford (JRGS 1962-69) as part of his continuing series entitled From Here to Modernity, which charts Croydon during the past 25 years.
As in previous columns, Frazer looks at the dramatic changes that have taken place to local Croydon landmarks, but also the similarities between the town in the early Eighties and the same locations today.

   Specifically, in his June 2008 feature Frazer compares photos taken at East Croydon. Click each thumbnail below to view a larger version of Frazer's Then and Now images, or here to view the 24-page magazine in PDF format.
   As the article states: "Most of the archive pictures in this series have been selected from the images that I took for The Croydon Guide between 1978 and 1982. However, while digging into my dusty old archives I found an unmarked film that, by a process of elimination, appears to have been shot in about 1965. I had saved my money and bought my first camera, a PlusFlex 35mm SLR, from somewhere in Holborn when I was living as a schoolboy a short distance from East Croydon station. I got up very early the next day, a misty Sunday
morning, and set off into Croydon to test out this piece of technology.
   "So, this is not only one of my first pictures, it’s certainly from the first roll of film that I developed with an Ilford Home Photo Lab kit in my bedroom. I have included this image in the series not for its quality but for the strangely eerie and simple view of East Croydon. One bus stop, one car and not a soul in sight.
   "Apart from the old Victorian station on the left, the other interesting factor is that, through the mist, you can see an old house that I believe was a solicitor’s office. It was demolished not long after this photo was taken to make way for the NLA Tower, or the Threepenny-bit Building as it became known. How things have changed for this part of Croydon that is now the hub of the town’s transport system."

   For his July 2008 feature, Frazer compares photos taken of the former JRGS site on Tamworth Road, West Croydon. Click each thumbnail below to view a larger version of Frazer's Then and Now images, or here to view the 32-page magazine in PDF format.
   As the article states: "This image is of Tamworth Road looking north toward the London Road/North End junction. Apart from the fact that the area was mainly residential then, the outstanding point of interest is on the left-hand side of the view, Croydon House.
   "Some 13 years earlier, on 2 November, 1952, Christopher Craig and Derek Bentley tried to break into this building, the warehouse of confectionery manufacturer and wholesaler Barlow & Parker. The two youths were spotted climbing over the gate and up a drainpipe to the roof by a nine-year-old girl in a house across from the building, the wall of which can still be seen on the right-hand edge of both pictures. She alerted her parents and her father called the police from the nearest telephone box. As a result of events which are disputed to this day, PC Sidney Miles was shot dead. Albert Pierrepoint hanged Derek Bentley for the crime on 28 January, 1953, at Wandsworth Prison.
   "There have been many debates, campaigns and arguments over the judgment and the sentence, but
there is no dispute that Tamworth Road has earned its place in criminal history."

Anne Smith (JRGS/JRHS teacher and principal 1970-99) reveals some sad news...

Colleagues will be interested in reading about the Croydon review of its secondary schools, its proposals for the future and how to join the consultation. [more]
   The implications for John Ruskin College lie in the proposal that all secondary schools should have a sixth form, though of course none will be able to offer the breadth of curriculum that the colleges can offer. This is particularly true since there is a demographic fall coming the way of the secondary schools and, in due course, the colleges. The staff at John Ruskin have been told that the college is to close at the end of the next academic year so that the site can be used to accommodate part of the proposed split-site academy to be created by the closure of Selsdon High and Addington High. The staff at Selsdon High have been told that the school is to close at the end of next year and that the new school will be partly based on the Ruskin site.
   You will be able to make up your own minds as to the advisability of creating schools on more than one site; I understand that the current idea is that pupils aged 11-14 will occupy the Addington site and that they will move to the Ruskin site at 14. Many of you will wonder whether pupils whose families do not live on the New Addington estate will be prepared to travel onto the estate at 11 - it will be unprecedented if they do.
   Although the final future of the college is not up for consultation, since it does not belong to the council - though the council is to take over the financing of the colleges when the Learning Skills Councils are abolished, and there are sayings about holding purse strings - it does seem to me that questions may properly be asked.
   The other matter which should be raised, probably with the college itself, is the future of the Ruskin memorabilia which many of you will remember. If it is to be dispersed, where will it go? If it is to be sold, will those who studied and taught there be given a chance to bid for items if they wish? There is also a photograph of John Newnham on site (or was in my day) which might similarly be wanted by old Newnhamians.
   If Selsdon/Addington is to become an academy and a united school. as is proposed, it will need a new name; perhaps John Ruskin could figure somewhere in the name? It's worth starting the campaign now even if it goes nowhere.

Anne Smith, Croydon, Surrey. July 2008 Email

Mike Blamire (JRGS 1956-57) adds: In order to perpetuate the name for at least a few more years, could we campaign to have the part of the school on this site named "XX Secondary School - John Ruskin Campus" or something akin to that. (Please excuse the Canadian terminology.) Or, is this too demeaning for us to swallow?

Mike Etheridge (JRGS 1963-65) attends this year's Bromley Motoring Pageant ...

The Bromley Pageant of Motoring was held once again on Sunday, June 14, at Norman Park. Anyone with a pre-79 car is allowed to bring their vehicle to the site and park for free. As always, the event proved to be very relaxing and entertaining. Like previous gatherings, there was a great range of cars, lorries, buses and military vehicles, and a range of new cars for sale/viewing, etc.
I thought that the Alumni might be interested in seeing some of the photographs I secured of some favourite cars that date back to the Fifties and Sixties. Click here to reach the custom page.

Mike Etheridge, Sanderstead, Surrey. July 2008 Email

Mike Marsh (JRGS 1949-55) adds: Thanks to Mike Etheridge for his coverage of colourful old cars at Bromley. Takes you back, what?


Austin A30	Mk1 Ford Consul	Ford 107E OHV Prefect

Reminded me of the Mk1 Consul we went on honeymoon to Scotland back in 1962 ( centre), taken in or near the New Forest, I think, not on the honeymoon trip. Furthermore my wife had her father's and later her mother's Ford 107E OHV Prefect after her mother ceased to drive it (right). The first car we owned was an Austin A30, here seen - left - in Cornwall (when we were both a bit slimmer!). Click on any thumbnail to view a larger version.
Yesterday, I was at The Surprise in Upper Shirley Road for a Rover Scout Reunion. Met up with one chap who was at Ruskin rather earlier than me who I have not seen since the mid-Fifties: Ray Hambling.

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