Remembering Jack Felton’s school days in 1920s Wellington

Ten-year-old Jack Felton was not quite top of the class, but he was up there.

Out of 41 scholars in Class III at Wellington’s Constitution Hill Boys’ School way back in December 1920, he was second.

"Has thoroughly earned his position. Very gratifying to his teacher," his teacher Mr J Parton wrote on his end of term report.

Jack died aged 85 in 1995, but his family would later come across fascinating material from his 1920s schooldays, including his old school report and copies of the school magazine, giving an insight into the world of education just over 100 years ago, as well as into the old Constitution Hill School, which closed in 1961.

Jack was the only son of three children and lived at The Lawns in Park Street, Wellington. He was goalkeeper in the school’s first XI - the school played home matches on the Bucks Head ground - and left at Christmas in 1923 aged 13 and then worked at GKN Sankey, Hadley. He moved to Wolverhampton in the late 1920s.

The School Herald is everything a school mag should be - a mix of anecdotes, factual articles, gossip, drawings, hobbies, sport and news. Jack's departure was recorded in the list of leavers in the Christmas 1923 issue: "John Felton 1st XI custodian; a hard willing worker," while the mag’s Soccer Review section says: “A reliable goalkeeper, whose anticipation is rarely at fault. Would do better if he would handle more instead of using his feet.”

For those who believe that education is not what it used to be and that the early years of the 20th century were golden years, here are some snippets from the School Herald.

An Inspection: "His Majesty Inspectors thoroughly tested and inspected the work of the Boys’ Dept. on Nov 7th and 8th. A very good Report has since been received, together with congratulations from the Shropshire Local Education Authority and the School Managers. We must now go forward determined to uphold the good name and honour of the ‘School on the Hill.’ Our Motto must continue to be ‘Excelsior’ - or ‘Good, better, best! Never let it rest, Till the good is better, and the better best!’ in Games, in Work, in Character, in Body, Mind, Soul.” (Dec 1923).

Attendance: “This Term has been very good, the average since Aug. 1st being 94 per cent - quite a record for a Christmas Term, and shows a healthy school.” (Dec 1923).

New technology: “The School Lantern Room is now an accomplished fact. During the Summer Vacation Class V room was fitted with apparatus for darkening the room so that lantern shows might be possible during the daytime.” (Christmas 1992).

Current affairs: “The Irish Free State comes into being on Dec 6th, 1922. This is the outstanding feature in the last 700 years of Irish History. The first Governor-General is Mr T Healy whose appointment has been approved by the King. Query - Will the Union Jack want altering?" (Christmas 1922)

Nothing changes: “Danger! Parents please warn your children of the dangers arising from increased motor traffic on our roads." (1921)

Pace of change: “The School playground has been given a more modern aspect. Instead of the old ‘sleepers’ we now have a smart iron fencing with concrete pillars at intervals. This improvement however has its disadvantages and we shall miss our old friends the ‘sleepers’ because many of the ball games which boys delight in are now rendered impossible. For many years those six-foot stawarts (the old railway sleepers) have formed a splendid boundary to the little yard where older boys were taught to play cricket and football. If the late wooden walls could speak what tales they would tell of the 10 minute matches when goal-scoring shots shots were banged into their ‘ribs’ and boundary hits thumped the ‘cork’ ball into their ‘sides’.” (1922)