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St Anthony's School Around 1968 |
© Reproduced with acknowledgement to Eric Gold, South London (and his 'old sea dog mate' who took the photo)
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Comments 1. Eric Gold East End, London |
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Thank you to Eric Gold, formerly of Dumbiedykes and now living in East End, London, for sending me this photo. Eric wrote: |
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Pupils "This photo was given to me by an old sea dog mate of mine. It is of St Anthony's main school in Lochend Road. I don't know who the pupils were but one was a relative of my mate" |
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Teachers The teachers are: ABOVE THE SHIELD: Headmaster 'Big Jake' (Mr McLaughlin). The others in shot are my teachers Mr. Hallidy (far left), Mr. Cannon and Mr. Campanili. They were great teachers especially Mr. Hallidy. Mr Cannon, was our geography and was the only person I have ever met who could draw 2 different subjects on the drawing board at the same time. Mr Campanili was our maths teacher and was a great guy. |
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School and Annex "After I was top of the lowest class in St Anthony's Annex I was transferred to the main school in Lochend Road, Leith for 6 months. It did not stop me going to the Edina Café as I got the bus at the bottom of Easter Road (ha ha ha)." |
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Photographer "You can add this photo to your web site. It was taken by my mate, an old sea dogs uncle, an engineer that I sailed with on P&O lines. He is an engineer project manager at the Panama Canal Zone and is resident there in Panama City. He said: 'You will have a few hits on Big Jake' (ha ha ha)" |
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Eric Gold, East End, London: April 13 + 14, 2007 |
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Comments 2. Eric Gold East End, London |
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Eric Gold sent me another e-mail a couple of days later with more memories of St Anthony's school. Eric wrote: |
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'Big Jake' "I left St Anthony's school in 1963, three years before this photo was taken. I remember Big Jake (Mr McLaughlin) as the deputy headmaster, and then as headmaster when I left the school. He never smiled and when he gave you the strap (teacher's belt) you really felt it. I should know as I got his best six just two days before I left school. I can still feel it today (ha ha ha). Big Jake would look at you with his 'no smile' face, and you were frightened before he even spoke to you. |
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To Sea "I bumped in to Big Jake and another teacher, not in the photo, in a Café in Leith about 3 years after I left school. Big Jake said: 'Well, what are you doing?' I said I was a First Class Waiter on the Queen Mary. Big Jake said I had done well. That was like winning the lottery, getting a compliment from him, and he even bought me a tea! I was on cloud nine for months! I told my ex-classmates in the photo as we had a great drink in the Whitehoose in Craigmillar. My mates though I was drunk (ha ha ha ha) but I can assure you it's true." |
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Eric Gold, East End, London: April 15, 2007 |
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Comments 3. Mike Melrose Edinburgh |
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When I received this photo, it was described as being 1966. However, please see the comments from Michael Melrose below. |
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Michael wrote: Football Team 1968? "All these guys were from my year at St Anthony’s School. We only started at the school in 1966, so I am sure the photograph must have been later, possibly 1968. It was the year the team won virtually every local and national trophy that was available." |
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Michael added: Names I can name some of the players and all the staff. I hope this jogs some other people's memories. Back Row. Ist from the Left – Alex McNulty 2nd from the Left – Joe Phair 3rd from the Left – Jimmy Love Middle Row. 3rd from the Left – Steve Hancock 4th from the Left – Mark Williamson 5th from the Left – Gordon Knowles 6th form the Left – John McMullen 7th from the Left – Alex Wright Front Row. 1st from the Left – John Halliday - Woodwork Teacher **** 2nd from the Left – Paul Hegarty – now manager of Livingston FC 3rd from the Left – Joe Dykes - Maths Teacher * 4th from the Left – Big Jake Mclauchlin – Head Teacher 5th from the Left – Eric Canning – Geography Teacher ** 6th from the Left – Gavin Hancock 7th from the Left – (small boy) George Brough Junior *** son of 8th from the Left – George Brough Senior – PE Teacher **** |
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Mike Melrose, Edinburgh: February 23, 2009 |
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Football Thank you to Joe Phair, 2nd from left in the back row, for emailing me with the additional information about the teachers in this photo: * Joe Dykes was also Deputy Head ** Eric Canning was also Head of Football *** George Brough Jun. was the Football Team mascot. He seldom missed a game. **** John Halliday and George Brough Sen. were also Football Coaches Joe Phair: September 30, 2010 |
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Comments 3. Update Joe Phair |
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Thank you to Joe Phair (2nd from left in the back row) for emailing me with the additional information about the teachers in this photo. Joe told me: |
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Football * Joe Dykes was also Deputy Head ** Eric Canning was also Head of Football *** George Brough Jun. was the Football Team mascot. He seldom missed a game. **** John Halliday and George Brough Sen. were also Football Coaches Joe Phair: September 30, 2010 |
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Comments 4. Eric Gold East End, London |
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Eric Gold, who sent me this photo, wrote again after reading the comments from Michael Melrose (3 above). Eric wrote: |
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1968 Photo "I read Michael Melrose's note on the St Anthony’s School photo. He is probably right about the date of the photo being 1968, not 1966 a I thought it was." |
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Teachers "I remember Mr Hallidy being a great teacher as was Mr Cannon, who gave my class a geography lesson about Canada. He told us about the bears, and that started my interest in them and other animals too." |
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Eric Gold, East End, London: March 1, 2009 |
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Comments 5. Des Brittain London |
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Thank you to Des Britain for posting two messages in the EdinPhoto guest book after seeing this photo: Des wrote: |
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Teachers "I attended St. Anthony's briefly in 1960 when I was 12 years old. I hated the place and was terrified there most of the time. I remember well, Big Jake. He would wander round the classrooms looking for young kids to beat or stick in a corner. In the photo I recognise my old maths teacher sitting to our left of Jake. On entering his class he would have us all stand and fire off mental arithmetic questions to us all. When we got one right we would sit down. The last two standing would get the strap. Often it was me. Consequently I grew up with a fear of maths and was never any good at adding up in my head! More bullying!" |
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RAF Family "That school had to be the worst I ever attended. We were a RAF family, stationed for a year in Edinburgh after Kinloss. After Edinburgh we went to live in Cyprus for a few years. What a contrast to Edinburgh schooldays. I loved the city, but hated the school." |
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Dennis Coppola "Does anyone remember Dennis Coppola whose family owned a fish and chip shop in Leith Walk? We were good pals. He was only 12 but could sing like Mario Lanza and would sometimes sing opera on the stage in Princes Street Gardens. A child prodigy! The music teacher at St Anthony's would encourage him. The teacher was English, I think, and was a gentle sort. I'd love to find out what became of Dennis Coppola. he was quite a tubby little Italian kid with a hell of a voice. If anyone knows, please email me" *** |
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Lunchtime "How well I remember the half-crusties stuffed with crisps for our lunch and the warfare between the St. Anthony lads and those from the Academy! |
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School Gone "It's sad to see the old school is turned into flats now. The main building was still some kind of adult learning centre when I last visited about ten years ago." |
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Des Brittain, London:
Messages and email address posted |
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*** Reply to Des? If you'd like to send a reply to Des, please email me then I'll pass your message on to him. I do have Des' email address, but I've not added it to this page because I believe that adding other people's email addresses to pages on the EdinPhoto site may result in them getting spam. Peter Stubbs: September 21, 2010 |
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Thanks to Dave Buchanan for your reply. See 'Recollections 8' below |
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Comments 6. Johnni Stanton Peffermill |
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Johnni Stanton has been responsible for creating a valuable archive of old photos of Craigmillar. Some of these have been included in his exhibitions at Craigmillar. Here, Johnni comments on this photograph of teachers and pupils at St Anthony's school, taken around 1968. Johnni wrote: |
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Teachers "I've just been looking at the St Tony picture from the mid-1960s. I went there in 1964. I remember: - Adrian Secchi, the Music teacher. He was also Musical Director for the King's Theatre, and was probably my fave teacher. He got me into Classical Music. - Mr McDevitt (?) who taught English and Mr McCue. Both had transferred to St Tony's from my primary school, St Francis in Craigmillar. - Mr Cromarty, my register teacher. - Mr Hyde, my Science teacher, a worrying name to those of us who had read Robert Louis Stevenson - all one of me in my year! - the new Gym teacher who started at the same time I did. I hated him. He'd make you hang from the wall bars as a punishment." |
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School Friends The pupils that I knew best at school were: - David Curran - William Maltman - Denis Coleman |
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Snacks "I remember the crisps (Cheese 'n Onion) and the chips stuffed into half-a-crusty plus a drink for one shilling!" |
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Tony's Theme "There was 'Tony's Theme'. You soon became accustomed to it: - The Mainie for the brainy. - The Annexe for mechanics.
- And Strang's
college for knowledge! However, after two terms I was transferred to Niddrie Marischal, because of travel sickness from getting four buses every day. I was only there for less than six months before I started kipping school for nearly a whole year. Some people - like me - just didn't take to the brutality that was rife in State schools." |
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Johnni Stanton, Peffermill, Edinburgh: September 21, 2010 |
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Comments 7. Joe Phair East End, London |
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Thank you to Joe Phair (2nd from the left on the back row of this photo) for emailing me. |
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Football Jack provided the details that I have added in 'Comments 3 Update' above. |
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Jack added: 1966 "We all started secondary in 1966 - that year again! We won every competition we entered. In the photo there are:
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Two Scottish Schools Shields. - The Intermediate Shield. The picture was taken some time after May 1969, after the final was played at Firhill in Glasgow. We we won 5-0. Paul Hegarty got the first goal followed by 2 from me then 2 from Steve Hancock, Gavin's twin brother." |
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Joe Phair: September 30, 2010 |
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Comments 8. Derek Buchanan Australia |
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Thank you to Derek Buchanan for replying to Des Brittain's question in 'Recollections 5' above. |
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Derek wrote: Dennis Coppola "I also attended Tony's around 1960. Dennis Coppola was one of my classmates. He has a successful electrical business in Leith and lives in East Lothian where I used to live, before emigrating to Australia in 1998." Derek Buchanan, Australia: November 16, 2010 |
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Comments 9. Gerry O'Keefe Glasgow |
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Thank you to Gerry O'Keefe who wrote: |
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Football "I was at St Anthony's with Mike Melrose and Joe Phair and all the guys in the football team photo: I wasn't good enough to play for the top team. As Joe says, they were highly successful and many of the team got Scottish Schoolboy Medals, including, I think, Gordon Knowles (keeper) Paul Hegarty and Stevie Hancock (a brilliant player as I recall) and others?" |
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Teachers and Sport "Was it not Tom Canning who taught geography (the sorest ‘lash’ in school) and took football with George Brough and Jimmy Halliday? I remember going to a Scottish Schools Shield final at Brockville, Falkirk which we won. The school did well at sports. I think Pat Stanton’s brother Andy was in the Scottish schools basketball squad?" |
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1967 to 1972 "I was at St Anthony's (1966-71) then went on to the new school at Holyrood (1971-72) with Paul, Mike, Joe, Willie Rebus and many others. I remember the teachers: - Jimmy Christie - smelly cigars (Technical Drawing) - Mr Simpson (Mechanics) - Vincent McDevitt and Joe Dykes (Maths) - Eric Packham (History) - Stan Young (Modern Studies) - Felix McCullagh and Mr Creamer (both Art). Later on: - Pat McLaughlin (English after Jimmy McGravie) - Charlie Menzies (Economic History). - Jocky Hyde (‘Science’ and old football footage)" |
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Art "A good skive at Art was going down to Leith docks, to sketch in charcoal on a summer's day. Happy days, most of the time." |
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Gerry O'Keefe, Glasgow, Scotland: May 28, 2011 |
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Comments 10. Mike Cannon Sydney, NSW, Australia |
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Mike Cannon wrote: |
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PE Teacher "I was wondering if anybody had any information about George Brough, Senior, PE Teacher at St Anthony's school." Mike Cannon, Sydney, NSW, Australia: 7 February 2016 |
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Reply to Mike? If you have any information about the St Anthony's School PE Teacher, George Brough, Senior, and would like to pass it on to Mike Cannon, please email me to let me know, then I'll give you his email address. Thank you. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: 7 February, 2016 |
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Update Reply to Mike Thank you to Jimmy McManus for responding to Mike Cannon's request above for information about the St Anthony's School PE Teacher PE teacher, George Brough. I've passed on Mike's email address to Jimmy, so that Jimmy will be able to send the information direct to Mike. Acknowledgement: Jimmy McManus: 17 May 2016 |