Your Caretaker and Groundsman Memories

School Caretaker between 1949 and 1956 was Mr Fred Yates. The groundsman until about 1954 was Mr Gurney when he left to work for Everton at Goodison Park. He was a tyrant to anyone trespassing/damaging his /beloved grass. His daily ritual after first dinner was to stroll very slowly from his hut to remove the rope which he had stretched across the gap between the dining room and the sshool. Anyone crossing the line before the ritual was completed usually ended up "on the roller" for half an hour. His replacement, sadly, was by no means as competent or knowledgable about "matters horticultural". In the easter break of 1956 he covered the whole of the cricket square with a neat weed killer "because it was raining at the time". When we returned there was not a blade of grass to be seen. It is no wonder we didn't have a very good season that year. [Norman Bridge]

Groundsman at Prescot Grammar School during my spell there was a Mr.Gurney, who was rather unpleasant- well, he got a few of us into hot water with the Head, R.S.Briggs, culminating in a caning for all of us -myself, Keith Tattersall, Brian Speakman, Peter Berry and perhaps one or two more. We were in the bottom field playing `javelins` with spikes from an old railing when he turned up to stop our impromptu Olympics and reported us. I suppose it was an early example of the current `Health & Safety` preoccupation... [Gordon Williams]

I remember Ted the groundsman shouting about his cricket wicket at anyone who dared to trespass over it - what a shame we no longer have these secondary authoritative figures to be afraid of ; station masters (eggy Joe at Huyton station ) park keepers, cockey watchmen , hitler , I suppose the youth of today have no fear of authority ,safe in the knowledge they wont be called up to defend their country. [Anon]

I can not remember Ted but I do remember his hut where he kept all his gear. I also remember the cricket areas (lovely grass by the way) being vandalised and dug up before the start of the new season so he must have been going mental about that. Obviously a man who was kept busy because our playing fields were HUGE. "All Round The Fields (of St Helens Rd)", doesn't sound quite so good as the Kop version! [Anon]

The No 2 "groundsman" was Mr Beesley, the caretaker. He must have been there for ages for he retired in about 1946. He was replaced by someone whose name I cannot remember.

However, when in the 6th Form 50-53, a pal and I went moleing, ie exploring the passageways beneath the school. On one occasion, we got almost to the washrooms when we discovered a flood of hot water from a leaking pipe. We told the caretaker and he promised not to tell RSB. He told RSB that he had located the flood himself on a "routine inspection". Thereafter, we had much hotter water to wash our hands. [Dr. John Wilmott].