The Air Gun Incident

My brother, Bernard Cummings, attended Xaverian College from 1956-62 approx. He attended the sixth form and left with ‘A’ levels and took a degree in geography at Manchester University. That meant in effect that he was on the same bus route, just had to get off a few stops earlier. He told me the following story which may or may not have appeared in the Manchester Evening News when the lid came off the story.

Bernard was stood in assembly which took place in the ‘quad’ (playground to us younger scholars). He was in line with the rest of his class as prayers were being taken by the teacher unlucky enough to have been assigned assembly duty. On this particular day it was Mr Halsted (Latin?). Bernard’s best friend was A.W. (he may still be alive for all I know) who kept repeating ‘I’m going to get him, I’m going to get him’. My brother looked in amazement as A.W. brought out a Webley from under his gabardine and took aim. He shot Mr Halsted in the neck. From what I can remember, A.W. was expelled, the police weren’t called and he was allowed back in school to take his ‘O’ levels.

Mike Ramsey remembers…

Who can forget one of the teachers being fired at by a lad with an air rifle? We were all lined up after lunch time outside in the playground. The teacher was taking us through the usual prayers when he suddenly grasped his forehead and staggered off towards the door.

We later discovered that a lad with a bit of a grudge ,had entered the sixth form block and from an open window used an air rifle to shoot at the teacher. I never heard what happened but I think the teacher was OK and the boy expelled.

11 thoughts on “The Air Gun Incident”

  1. I remember the incident but I thought Larry Halstead was shot in on his forehead.He was not my favourite teacher that was Mr. Price.

    Reply
    • Hi Ged

      The information I had was that he got it in the neck but of course, we have no way of knowing for certain this far in the future. I do remember there was a report in the Manchester Evening News at the time but finding this might be a bit ambitious!
      Thanks for you input – let me know if you find yourself on the 1961 photo.

      Bob

      Reply
      • Since posting about the “shooting” I vaguely recall a brief report in either the M/Cr Evening News or Evening Chronicle that really spoofed up the French Connection. It went something like “Who hasn’t at some time wished they could shoot their French teacher? It was a beastly prank and hard luck on le maître.”

        Reply
        • Yes but Halstead was a cruel bullying sadist who inhibited my learning French, a subject I actually liked. Used to tap me on the nose with a ruler while asking me questions.

          Anyone remember Charley Half Pint (teacher) the judo expert?

          Reply
    • Frank Price was a decent fella with a sense of humour too. I remember a history lesson in U42 when we were studying the Napoleonic Wars and the impacts etc and he had scribed several consequential factors on the board. One of them was a dramatic increase in prices so he asked the class why that was. There was a ginger-haired lad called Francis Green in our class and quick as a flash he fired back his answer “Daddy Price came back from the wars!” Even Frank had to stifle a smirk!!

      Reply
  2. Bob, Larry Halstead taught French. In fact, he was every inch your archetypal Frenchman. He rode to work on a sit-up and beg plain black bicycle, sported a French beret and a belted mackintosh to boot! I believe they term it “cultural immersion” these days mate!

    Reply
    • Yes, I remember the bike, beret and mac but never really associated them with Frenchness at the time – it seems pretty obvious now! Regarding the air gun incident – the several versions and culprits put it firmly in the urban myth category – although he did get shot in the neck!

      Reply
  3. Frank Price was a decent fella with a sense of humour too. I remember a history lesson in U42 when we were studying the Napoleonic Wars and the impacts etc and he had scribed several consequential factors on the board. One of them was a dramatic increase in prices so he asked the class why that was. There was a ginger-haired lad called Francis Green in our class and quick as a flash he fired back his answer “Daddy Price came back from the wars!” Even Frank had to stifle a smirk!!

    Reply
  4. I remember the shooting. It was from the upstairs sixth form window. I heard he was expelled, went to Manchester GS where he became head boy! Anyone remember me, please get in touch. I remember it as a cruel place, a sadistic head master Brother David, and kind history master Mr Deever.

    Reply

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