Twists in the St Mary’s Infants tale

Pamela Dale, who now lives in Sydney, Australia, and is pictured fifth from right on the middle row, believes she has spotted a few discrepancies in the names which have so far been provided. Pamela thinks the girl fourth from right on the middle row is her school friend Margaret Ahern, and not Mike’s sister Anne. She also thinks the girl second from left is Kathleen Kane, and not Pamela Stanford, as she had previously been identified as. This seems to be confirmed by Terry Boyle, who has sent in a photo of his Infants II class, at St Mary’s in 1952. Terry, of Gordon Road, Shoreham, has managed to name most of his classmates, and identified Pamela Stanford as the girl at the front, holding the board. Terry and Pamela both think the girl fifth from right on the middle row is Christine Byrne, and not her sister Mary, as other readers have suggested. Terry also named Mary as one of the girls in his Infants II class. Pamela also named Anna Macdonald and Denise Burke as the girls who are first and third from left in the Infants I class. Terry identified Freddie Wickens, John McCall and Roger Simmonds as the boys on the back row, first, second and fourth from left, respectively. He also named Stuart Rowe as the boy second from left, on the front row, and Phillip McLachlan and Richard Tuck as the boys far right and second from right. Terry also thinks the boy holding the sign might be Neil O’Callahan, and not Patrick Taylor. The full line-up of names is listed below. Infants I class: Back row (from left to right) - Freddie Wickens; John McCall; ?; Roger Simmonds; Michael Provetti; Daniel Keegan; Phillip Hancock; Bernard Reynolds; ?; ?; ?. Middle row - Anna Macdonald; Kathleen Kane; Denise Burke; Frances Gillespie; Pamela Dale; Christine Byrne; Anne Dunne/Margaret Ahern (?); Mary Hill; Luana Townsend; Barbara Trott. Front row - ?; Stuart Rowe; Brian Hodgkinson; Patrick Taylor/Neil O’Callahan (?); ?; Mike Lelliott; Richard Tuck; Phillip McLachlan. Infants II class: Back row (from left to right) - William Wodman; Terry Boyle; Ralph Walker; David Pets; ?; David Coffin; Neil Fraser; Joe Smyth; Ted Barratt; Gerald O’Sullivan; Tom Brett; Kevin Curran. Middle row - Janet McLachlan; Janet Nicholls; Julia Cocher; Mary Keohane; Moira Daly; Valerie Cooper; Christine Pearce; Patricia Hollywood; Sandra Green; Anne Warren/Arthur (?); Mary Byrne. Front row - Bernard Dann/Gerald Kilty; John Yeomanson; Tony Mason; Maria White; Marion Austin; Frances Mandea; Pamela Stanford; Teresa Pedley; Valerie Wheeler; Gwyneth Davis; Brian or Patrick Bergin; Jimmy Fagin. The unknown names, and those which have been queried, are marked by a question mark. Get in touch if you can name any of the remaining children in the two Infants classes, or if you can clear up any of the confusion. If you have any of your own photos to share, please send them in. • Send your memories and photos to James Connaughton, via email to james.connaughton@jpress.co.uk, send them by post or pop into Cannon House, Chatsworth Road, Worthing, BN11 1NA. Telephone 01903 282351.