Contributions from some of our readers…
Paul Richards remembers…
Many thanks to Paul Richards, now residing in Australia for his excellent memories at Xaverian and St Anne's Prep. If ...
Phil Blinkhorn remembers …
Thanks to Phil Blinkhorn for his amazing memory dredge, the level of detail is stunning. I was on the junior trip ...
My Xavs Experience – Phil Drinkwater
Thoughts on catholic education in the sixties A working class catholic background pre Xaverian Whilst Xaverian paid an important part ...
Mike Ramsay remembers…
Thanks to Mike Ramsay for sharing his memories from over 60 years ago Remembering Xaverian College Manchester Miss Eaton at ...
Alastair Macdonald remembers…
I was always called Angus at Xavs by both pupils and teachers, which was nice for a young Scot new ...
Henry Mantel recalls…
Thanks to Henry Mantell for some very interesting insights into Xavs and in particular Brother Cyril Birtles. As I have ...
Anthony Burgess aka Anthony Wilson
Thanks to Henry Mantel for supplying this interesting snippet regarding one of Xaverian College's more famous alumni, Anthony Wilson, better ...
Paul Jackson (1957 – 1964) Recalls
SO LONG AND SO FAR AWAY OR, ‘THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE THUGLY’ THE JOURNAL OF FUN LOVING BOY ...
Random Memories – 1952 – 1959 – By Anon
Introduction I attended this school as far as I recall from 1952 to 1959. I came from a primary school ...
Anthony Coombs recalls…
From Anthony Coombs I attended Xaverian Prep 1962-1965, and Xaverian College 1965-71. Before that I’d been at the Hollies Prep ...
James Kedian Remembers
A few personal remarks from James provide some interesting thoughts: Curtis. Another “head case, taught you nothing but loved to ...
Paul Hughes Remembers
My name is Paul Hughes and I started at Xaverian in 1972 and went right through until it became a ...
Xaverian School Captains
Thanks to Frank Lennon, we now know that the correct name for Xaverian Head Boys was 'School Captain'. As a ...
John Heffernan
John Heffernan reminisces 29th July 2020 I was at Xavs from 1956 to 1962. I had been at St Annes ...
Peter Ulleri – reunion
Peter Ulleri had a nostalgic evening in 2019 with Xavs chums from the 70’s in one of the South Manchester ...
Phillip Glennon
Phillip Glennon remembered Message from Hannah Hodgson regarding her father, Phillip Glennon. If anyone remembers him, please email me at ...
David Challinger
Chuck Sellars – David Challinger remembers… I remember Chuck SELLERS, and am grateful for the passion for music he instilled ...
John White writes…
Memories of some of the teaching staff are sometimes on point and sometimes blurred. Mr “Jack” Gleason was a good ...
Old Boy Memories
Contributions from some of our readers ...
St Anne’s Preparatory School
St Anne's Prep was the junior feeder school for Xaverian College Manchester. It was privately funded - I seem to ...
Terry Wain – Memories of Xaverian College 1961 – 1968
"Those of us who had migrated from the Prep School found the new intake of 11 plus boys to be ...
The Xaverian College Orchestra
Some Reflections on the Xaverian College Orchestra 1959 - Bob Postlethwaite Robert Postlethwaite My first experience of ‘Chuck’ Sellars' ‘ambition’ ...
The Paris Trip – 1962 and more nostalgia
By Norbet 'Nodge' Carnegie Paris, August 1962. I wonder who took the photograph – a copy of which was kindly ...
More 1961 Students
Xaverian photo 1961 – Boy's Names (More names will be added as they are identified) Second row from top, from ...
Re 1961 school photo, I’m third row down from top, eighth in from the left.
75 this coming Saturday.
Cheers Phil. Nice to hear your still in the game!!
Bill Cannon, same year as me and a few weeks younger, is still around and we are in regular contact.
Marvellous, as I am with Fred Wilson…
Maybe someone remembers an old classmate of mine at Xavs one Brian Morgan from St Anne’s Ancoats? Haven’t heard anything solid about him for years. There was a rumour manmy years back (as yet unsubstantiated) that he had met the daughter of an Anglican bishop and from that relationship there was a child followed shortly thereafter by a marriage. The rumour was that Brian then followed up by becolming an Anglican vicar. All this is unsubstantiated rumour but I wonder if ANYONE else had heard the same rumour or indeed heard the truth?
Not heard that one John. The only Anglican vicar reference I do know about was a classmate Robert Gleason who swopped over to C of E, and became a chaplain in a prison if I recall.
The last I heard of Brian was in the sixth form, when we became good mates. He was an active member of the ‘Brag Trio’ with myself and Tom McGrath, during Mr.Huntingdon’s inspiringLatin lessons. He was going out with a Loreto girl, he met at a school dance. He then became one of the great lost, “ What happened to him/them.”
One of life’s enduring mysteries Paul. As the Scousers night say “Warra bastard eh la?”
Further to the post about the dreaded French O level oral, I remember memorising a most useful phrase for that arduous and very real “no hiding place” event when the inquisitor poses a question about what you may do when on holiday en France.
Here it is. ” Je ne sais pas a ce moment, mais je verrai quand j’y serai.”
I left at 16 in 1955. Joined the family business
is anybody from this era reading this?
Jim McAndrew
Hi Jim- My brother-in -law, John Grisdale, and his younger brother, Jim, were at Xavs around that time. Perhaps you knew them? John, in particular, was especially good at cricket and became president of his local cricket club. Unfortunately both are now deceased.
SAME SCHOOL AND TEACHERS, TOTALLY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES AND OUTCOMES.
On arrival, we were all Catholics and mostly working or lower middle class. Reading how Xavs boys had such widely varying feelings and subsequent lives from mine, made me realize that:
– Our home backgrounds genes and prior events predetermined the way we behaved and were treated at school.
– Our fears and expectations governed our reactions to teachers and other kids.
– The teachers would have been influenced in the same way by their prior existences.
– Our subsequent lives were partly decided by Xavs.
– Xavs was one of the relatively few dominating factors in the rest of my life. For good and ill it made me.
My youngest sister recently went to her school reunion. The most interesting attendee had just come out of prison. Are those of us exploring these memories, just the most boring, smug, or self-satisfied Xaverians?
Hello Chris. I am responding to your question “Are those of us exploring these memories, just the most boring, smug, or self-satisfied Xaverians?” Well it’s safe to say that all the respondents are self selecting, ie they have chosen to post a piece, or respond to a piece on this forum. I guess that makes it more likely that people that boys that did quite well after leaving are more likely to post. But that does not mean that 100% of respondents would be in that category. I suspect that people who are retired tend to look back on their lives, perhaps with an element of nostalgia, or anger, or regret, or whatever other emotions come into play about their school days. And I don’t get the impression that most of the respondents are boring or smug. But then I would say that, wouldn’t I, because I myself am a respondent!
SAME SCHOOL AND TEACHERS, TOTALLY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES AND OUTCOMES.
Reading how Xavs boys had such widely varying feelings and subsequent lives from mine, made me realize that:
– Our home backgrounds genes and prior events predetermined the way we behaved and were treated at school.
– Our fears and expectations governed our reactions to teachers and other kids.
– The teachers would have been influenced in the same way by their prior existences.
– Our subsequent lives were partly decided by Xavs.
– Xavs was one of the relatively few dominating factors in the rest of my life. For good and ill it made me.
My youngest sister recently went to her school reunion. The most interesting attendee had just come out of prison. Are those of us exploring these memories, just the most boring, smug, or self-satisfied Xaverians?