more or less in chronological order: surnames then in
bold, if married
Originally we captioned this as A
rather surreal photo of a 1930s gym class.
As stated above Rosemary Mahy (Cranwell) had two EHS aunts,
Florence and Dorothy Cranwell.
In January 2020 Rosemary came across this photo postcard in Aunt Flo's
possessions.
The reverse enables us to date the photo to Easter Term 1915: the
Gym Mistress is Miss Kingdon and the Form is Vb.
"Florence is at the right end of the bar as indicated by her as ‘myself on
bar’. I think she starts firstly by naming the girls
‘hanging’ from right to left and finishing with E. Lister standing behind
Miss K’s right shoulder." It is still a rather surreal photo!
The Gymnasium was at the front of Bedford House. In the 1940s and 1950s it
was an Art Room.
The image is also in the Cambridgeshire
Collection, neg ref 95-1-18
Back of the Easter 1915 Gym photo above: apart from Florence Cranwell
('myself') the names shown are P Cheesewright, May Leonard,
E Teverson, - , Connie Gimbert, Gym Mistress Miss Kingdon, Enid Lowther?,
Maude Mawby?, Florence Hunt, K Stapps, E.Lister
Originally thought to be 'Senior Girls', Rosemary Mahy (Cranwell)
has now found this image on a photo postcard in her aunt
Florence Cranwell's possessions: it is Gymnastic Team, Summer Term
1916.
back: Gladys Saunders - Enid Lowther - Florence Cranwell (FC) - Maude
Mawby - Maire Barbour - Dorothy Defew* - Florence Hunt*
middle: Kathleen Wright - Cynthia Goodin - Maud Fison - Clara Fuller
- Dorothy Knights - ? Fyson
front: Winifred Cutlack - Doris Ellis - Gertrude Goodin - Elsie
Teverson
It is also in the Cambridgeshire
Collection, neg ref 95-1-17
Names are given on the back of the postcard (below) and
have been added above assuming that they are in L-R order.
* The girl at the extreme right of the back row has also been identified
as Dorothy Defew.
A 1920s tug of war - taken in the grounds of the Theological College, Ely.
It was used for Sports Days for a number of years as was the Paradise
Field in Ely.
reproduced with the permission of the Cambridgeshire
Collection, neg ref 95-1-13: via Christine
Fuller (Bell)
Lining up for a race - note boys included: courtesy of Ely
Museum, from a batch of supposedly 1920s photos
Sack Race: courtesy of Ely
Museum, from a batch of supposedly 1920s photos
However it may be earlier, given that the ajudicator, a clergyman, is in
military uniform
Watching sports: courtesy of Ely
Museum, from a batch of supposedly 1920s photos
EHS event - Cycle race: courtesy of Ely
Museum, from a batch of supposedly 1920s photos
.
1920s or 1930s - Joan Taylor thinks the girls in a blazer beside the
flower pot could be Vera Jobson: source Joan Taylor
Tennis at EHS 1920s. The wooden huts were erected in 1919.
reproduced with the permission of the Cambridgeshire
Collection, neg ref 95-1-15: via Christine
Fuller (Bell)
Drill using small forms, date unknown: please click the image for a closer view of the faces
source: Brigid Knight (Riley) & Susan Riley from their mother's papers
(Brenda Taylor, whose mother was Mrs CM Taylor, for many years Hon Sec of the OGA)
Pram race, undated, Mary Taylor, aunt of Brigid & Susan Riley
source: Brigid Knight (Riley) & Susan Riley from their mother's papers
(Brenda Taylor, whose mother was Mrs CM Taylor, for many years Hon Sec of the OGA)
Pram race, undated. Could the girl at the left be Mary Taylor? Many similarities to the preceding photo, including girl ahead of her in that photo
source: Brigid Knight (Riley) & Susan Riley from their mother's papers
(Brenda Taylor, whose mother was Mrs CM Taylor, for many years Hon Sec of the OGA)
Race line-up, including a boy so this is a Preparatory School race: on back "? Brenda Taylor, later Mrs Riley"
source: Brigid Knight (Riley) & Susan Riley from their mother's papers
(Brenda Taylor, whose mother was Mrs CM Taylor, for many years Hon Sec of the OGA)
Race (what type?) photo #1
source: Brigid Knight (Riley) & Susan Riley from their mother's papers
(Brenda Taylor, whose mother was Mrs CM Taylor, for many years Hon Sec of the OGA)
Three-legged race, photo #2
source: Brigid Knight (Riley) & Susan Riley from their mother's papers
(Brenda Taylor, whose mother was Mrs CM Taylor, for many years Hon Sec of the OGA)
Preparatory school race, photo #5
source: Brigid Knight (Riley) & Susan Riley from their mother's papers
(Brenda Taylor, whose mother was Mrs CM Taylor, for many years Hon Sec of the OGA)
Sack race, photo #12: "School Sports Theological Grounds. Mary" [Mary Taylor x]
source: Brigid Knight (Riley) & Susan Riley from their mother's papers
(Brenda Taylor, whose mother was Mrs CM Taylor, for many years Hon Sec of the OGA)
Preparatory school race, photo #6
source: Brigid Knight (Riley) & Susan Riley from their mother's papers
(Brenda Taylor, whose mother was Mrs CM Taylor, for many years Hon Sec of the OGA)
Preparatory school race finish, photo #11: "School sports. Mary" - 5th from left, blue cross, Mary Taylor
source: Brigid Knight (Riley) & Susan Riley from their mother's papers
(Brenda Taylor, whose mother was Mrs CM Taylor, for many years Hon Sec of the OGA)
Race line-up, photo #13
source: Brigid Knight (Riley) & Susan Riley from their mother's papers
(Brenda Taylor, whose mother was Mrs CM Taylor, for many years Hon Sec of the OGA)
Ann Casey, daughter of Elizabeth Green, who left EHS in 1947, found this photo in her mother's photo album, marked
'School 6th Hockey team'. "Mum played hockey but was not in the 6th Form. There is a slight resemblance tothe girl on the right hand side at the back but we're not sure if it's her or not!"
Can you identify this team and year, adding names? Note the mascot ...
back: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
front: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Sports Day 1947 or 1948: Anne Blake (Russell) writes "My mother [Mary Handley] would have started at Ely High in September 1946.
She is the third girl from the right - the one with the looped up plaits."
via Anne Blake (Russell)
Ely Swimming Pool 1 - at the other end of Ely! c.1957-9: It was a quite good pool but immensely cold of course.
source: Stella Cork, PE 1957-59
Ely Swimming Pool 2 - at the other end of Ely! c.1957-9 source: Stella Cork, PE 1957-59
Jackie Sotheran (Bidwell) adds: The photos of Ely swimming pool show a much smaller pool than my memory recalls! Schools did not have their own pools in those days. The Pool was run by a single Life Guard assisted on public days by someone in the ticket office. The main rules seemed to be segregation of sexes for changing cubicles, no one to go past half way if they couldn't swim.In summer, we would be collected by buses parked outside the school for the trip down, but had to walk back feeling rather damp for second lunch sitting. It was some distance up Back Hill, past the Cathedral and then Downham Road but we did manage to get sweets to keep us going. There was a tuck shop on the Pool Site down near the Diving boards and a shop on the way back - did we enter with permission?
I do agree about the temperature! and the very spartan changing rooms along each side that had to be shared!
Many girls could not swim, and even those that could had to go back to basic instructions in order to perform strokes correctly as most of us had developed our own styles. I can remember one Swimming Gala where we had to represent our houses but I am not sure if this was an annual event?
I do not recall there being any school regulation for swimsuits. Did we just wear our own? In those days before stretch fabrics, cotton was the norm. Ruched and shirred to give shape and room for growth, so could have been quite a fashion show of hand-me-downs?
"Miss Stella Cork (PE) making herself heard all over the huge field"
source: Stella Cork, PE 1957-59
Margaret Allen receiving the Winning House Trophy on Sports Day 1966 from Mr Sneesby, she was the Etheldreda House sports captain
source: Margaret Cockburn (Allen)
Sports Day 1967?: Mr Ernest Rouse presents the Victrix Ludorum to Monica Vince.
On her right is Ruth Edmunds who shared the award with her: source Wendy Roberts (Imrie)
Sports Day 1967?: Ann Cheese wears a happy smile as she leads her house [Knut] to victory
in the junior relay race: source Wendy Roberts (Imrie)
1968 Sports Day event - Staff Egg & Spoon race - who else can you name?
Mr Thompson (Geography, extreme left), Mr Morris (Biology, 2nd from left), Mr Trotter (History, 3rd from left),
Miss Bentley (R.E., 4th from right), Miss Watson (English, 3rd from right), Miss Hearnshaw (Maths, 2nd from right); Miss Hatley (PE):
source Wendy Roberts (Imrie), with additional names from Anne Dixon (Low)
If you can add to this page please contact us
page created 16 Nov 2010: last update 18 June 17: 9 Nov 20
