I want to find that elusive Westfield Middle School photo taken after a water leak in 1976-1977 school year

I'm announcing my next The News/Sports Mail research project ...

To locate - if at all possible - a press cutting featuring a photo showing pupils at Westfield Middle School clearing up after a flood, which I secreted away at home at the time, but destroyed about two years later in a clear-out.
I remember the photo included someone who later appeared prominently in the Sports Mail on 16 June 1984 (see 29 August 2018 entry) who then wore a sleeveless jumper.

In 2001, I attempted to locate it when I consulted the papers at the former British Library newspaper reading room at Colindale, but time pressures because I was only there for the day from Yorkshire and the fact I only searched The News between 14 February-23 July 1977 might have resulted in me missing the article.
It could be that the article might have been omitted from the edition deposited at the British Library, because by then The News was an early adopter of computer typesetting and the paper ran several Portsmouth city editions every weekday, not also forgetting Gosport/Fareham, Havant and West Sussex editions.

Tonight, I re-discovered the articles that I arranged to be copied by library staff at Colindale in 2001 about Westfield pupils and staff. Apologies for the quality, they're reproductions of reproductions!
When I re-examine the newspapers, they'll be replaced with better quality photos.

The News, Thursday 17 March 1977

Six girls from King Richard School won the Southern Region final of the National Schools Under 13 Gymnastics Team Championships at Eastleigh, versus Westfield Middle School.

Westfield Middle School, back row, left to right: Carla Thompson, Julie Moody, Michelle Lucas, Tyree Smallwood, Sarah Smith, Julie Bowler, Wendy Elford.
They were managed by Mr I. Davis (Idris Davis).

 

Published late June 1977 (didn't write down the date) in The News, showing teacher Roy Smith (standing on right). Kevin White was one of the pupils who attended the special unit at the school and came in from Havant daily.

The headmaster at the time was Mr J. Odgers.

 

My strategy will be to search The News and Sports Mail from 1 September 1976 until 31 August 1977.
I'll note down all mentions of pupils - as far as possible - who attended Westfield Middle School who turned 12 between these dates - and staff - and all photos about individuals in my year group who attended the school, which were reported in the newspapers.
UPDATE 21 September 2018:
I've retrieved my records of ex-pupils obtained mainly from old electoral registers which I used as the basis for organising the school's 2002 reunion in order so that I can cross-check them when I come across mentions of them in The News' Chipper Club, etc.
On Monday 24th, I'll request The News/Sports Mail volumes from storage at the British Library, initially for September-October 1976 and August 1977.
UPDATE 26 September 2018:
I'm currently scanning July-August 1977 issues, then September-October 1976.
I'll post blog entries covering two months' issues at a time, plus a postscript on what happened to ex-pupils from my viewpoint.
UPDATE 29 September 2018:
Scanned September 1976 and July-August 1977 issues, photos of news articles will be taken and uploaded here on brief details of the school's football team which I hope to find out more information once more newspapers are scanned, including line-ups and results, and a participant in athletics during summer 1977. So far, most pupils' mentions relate to their 12th birthday celebrations in the paper's Chipper Club.
UPDATE 2 October 2018:
Completed covering July-August 1977 blog including all photography, finished scanning all October 1976 issues, will photograph relevant articles in the next few days or so.
UPDATE 5 October 2018:
Completed September-October 1976 blog entry. I'm scanning November 1976 issues and some names from Westfield's football team are mentioned for the first time.
UPDATE 8 October 2018:
All November and December 1976 issues now looked at in detail. Quite a few schools in Portsmouth had photos of nativity plays or other dramatic activity published in the period leading up to Christmas, but none for Westfield, I'll photograph articles in the next day or so.
UPDATE 12 October 2018:
Completed November-December 1976 blog entry. Requested two bound volumes of The News/Sports Mail covering January-March 1977 for consultation on 15th or 16th October.
UPDATE 15 October 2018:
Both bound volumes arrived, I've already scanned three weeks' issues of January 1977's newspapers, all very quiet about the school's pupils and staff so far.
UPDATE 19 October 2018:
Scanned January-February 1977 issues, will photograph articles next week.
UPDATE 24 October 2018:
January-February 1977 entry published, scanning March 1977 issues, requested mid-May, June 1977 issues - they're the remaining print-only volumes. April, mid-May 1977 issues now microfilmed and will be requested last of all.
UPDATE 31 October 2018:
All March, and mid-late May, June 1977 issues scanned and articles photographed, including the elusive Westfield Junior School flooding incident which sparked off the whole project. I'll request the April to mid-May 1977 microfilms in the next day or so.
UPDATE 22 November 2018:
All work completed and microfilms handed back for storage.

[Added photos on 18 September 2018]
[Revised 19 September 2018 announcing search strategy]
[Revised 21 September 2018 announcing intention to request back issues]
[Revised 22 September 2018 with more information on individual in missing photo and rewording of article]
[Revised 26 September 2018 progress report]

Ex-Priory and Westfield pupils competing in sports, as reported in the News and Sports Mail, May-August 1978

If I read through the sports pages of The News and Sports Mail during summer 1978, during my first year at Priory School, looking at athletics coverage, female power was all the rage.
(Fareham AC's "man mountain" followed some years later)

I knew Tracey Goodall (Priory) and Donna Hillyer (ex-Westfield Junior School, then at Springfield), via Tracey, who both competed for Portsmouth Atalanta athletics club.
They were reported almost on a weekly basis.

 

Tracey Goodall (note her first name was spelt incorrectly) Sports Mail, 5 August 1978

  

I've yet to locate a portrait of Donna Hillyer, but don't know if she's in this line-up for the Hampshire Schools Championship photo in The News, 9 June 1978 (please contact me)

 

Although Priory School's sports day at Alexandra Park in July 1978 wasn't reported, nevertheless Priory's pupils competed in sports, despite the fact that the school, because of its inner city location, never had a full-sized football pitch or athletics track for practice.

However, there was an open space, since built on, located within the school on the corner of Fawcett Road and Rugby Road, where there was a long jump run and pit. When the road layout was re-arranged around Bradford Junction (Victoria Road North) more space was created for tennis and hockey pitches.

For football (autumn and winter) and athletics (summer), pupils were bussed to open ground adjoining Warren Avenue, Milton. I remember walking home back to Southsea most Friday afternoons straight after football still wearing my claret and blue kit!

 

 

 

The Portsmouth Second Year Schools League held at Alexandra Park, reported in Sports Mail, 17 June 1978.

A Competition, Boys: Long jump, Mills (King Richard), 4.70m = Kevin? Mills,

Javelin, M. Tyler (King Richard), 27.0m = Mark Tyler

 

B Competition, Girls: 100m, Goodall (Priory), 14.4 sec = Tracey Goodall

High jump, R. Harvey (Priory), 1.20m = Rachel Harvey

 

The same event, reported in The News, 20 June 1978.

 

A Events, Boys: 400m: Vincent (Priory), 65.1 secs = (don't know his first name)

A Events, Girls: Long jump: Goodall (Priory),  4.49m = Tracey Goodall

B Events, Girls: Long jump: Marsh (Priory), 3.90m = Margaret Marsh

 

  

Finally, anyone remember teacher Roy Smith at Westfield Junior School? I remember seeing him about, but was never taught by him! Report in The News, 30 May 1978.

[Revised 14 September 2018 to correct title and include details of Priory School's outdoor sports facilities]

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My latest The News/Sports Mail research project - was Priory School's 1978 sports day reported in the paper?

I should add ...
I'm currently delving into issues of The News and Sports Mail, 15 May-15 August 1978 (the dates cover two bound volumes) because I wanted to find out if Priory School's sports day held sometime during July at the then-named Alexandra Park, was reported in the paper at the time.
I competed in the 200m and 4 x 100m relays and there were other track and field athletics events occurring simultaneously.

Even if this wasn't reported in the paper ...
so far I've found out stuff about Priory School's (and ex-Westfield Junior School's) individuals who competed in athletics, birthday mentions in the paper's Chipper Club, photos of a skateboarder and an athlete who attended Priory School, and a photo of a Westfield School teacher ...
I've searched up to 15 July, so more might crop up!

LATEST NEWS 10 September:
Both volumes have now been scanned, Priory School's sports day wasn't reported in the papers!
The school was very publicity-shy at the time, all references to Priory pupils who I found out about were from external sources.
My family never bought the pink Sports Mail supplement, yet it contained a lot of information about the local athletics scene including portraits of up-and-coming young athletes (often four per issue, but a few issues had eight)
I'll finally check outstanding Chipper Club birthday mentions plus checking if a photo of athlete Donna Hillyer was printed in the Sports Mail in the May-June volume.

[Revised 10 September 2018]

New web analytical software reveals level of interest

For some time I was concerned about how many readers actually read my blog.
Once I posted my 29/30 August entry and amendments, I installed new software to measure how much interest was generated.

I've had this for a week now and here are some of my findings:

During that time my blog was viewed from 11 UK locations;
11 users and 1 new user accessed the blog;
The longest individual session was an average of 10 mins 30 seconds from Fordingbridge;
A person from London viewed my blog most often - 11 times;
The most common time for viewing my blog was between 4-8pm;
There were 157 page views, of which 41 were unique;
The post which was viewed the longest, per session, at an average of 2 mins 29 seconds, was the 20 July post about my list of athletics events which I attended.

Considering some of the content took hours to put together; it appears that well-researched, original work with a human element attracts interest.
However it takes time and resources and it may be some time before I can produce similar content again.

[Revised and re-worded on 7 September 2018]

My first athletics event I attended

After some research in The News and Sports Mail, I can now proudly present my first athletics event I attended.

Happy Birthday, Neil Gray, 30 August!

It was the Hampshire Schools Championships held at the Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth, on Saturday 9 June 1984.

 

It was a warm, sunny afternoon, but I watched about two hours of the event. There appeared to be hundreds of competitors present and it was all of a blur, however, I actually remembered Neil's name mentioned over the public address system.

It was the only athletics event I attended that year. 

 

 

I was alerted to this event a week before in the Sports Mail on 2 June 1984.

I knew Neil initially at Greenfields, later named Westfield Junior School; I was one of his friends and playmates including Richard Devine, Phillip Pinhorne and Ian Murphy. Even then he was sporty and often played football in the playground; in the final year of junior school, he wore a monitor badge.

 In September 1977, he began his secondary education at City of Portsmouth Boys School, I went to Priory School, lost touch, attempted to meet him in 1983, but that fell through.

 

On Saturday 16 June 1984, an article appeared in the Sports Mail about him.

 

 

The bound volume of The News and Sports Mail which contained the articles at the British Library in Boston Spa. 

 

All outstanding gaps are now filled in my definitive list of athletics events I attended (see 20 July 2018 entry)

 

Subsequent developments from attending my first athletics event 

At the time I worked in the library at Portsmouth College of Art, Design and Further Education as a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) trainee, later taken on as an employee, and was interested in athletics to a big degree (this was the Sebastian Coe, Steve Cram and Steve Ovett era) as well as my model and prototype railway interests.

After reading Neil's Sports Mail article, it dawned on me that I had better chances seeking him out directly at athletics events than contacting him at home because his training and coaching commitments meant he was out much of the time.

On Sunday 19 May 1985, I recognised him for the first time since leaving junior school competing in the shot put at the Hampshire County Championships, Mountbatten Centre.
(Incidentally he finished in 5th place with a 14.70m best throw)

In September 1985, I moved to London to study for a degree in library and information studies at Ealing College of Higher Education. I wrote to him enclosing a passport photo of myself so he could recognise me at events, because by then I didn't wear glasses. About that time or just afterwards he joined Shaftesbury Harriers club in north London.

I saw him compete 11 times in all, but every time Sod's law dictated I was unable to say hello or introduce myself!

At three other events during my time I was interested in athletics, I heard his name over the public address (twice) or saw his final ranking on results sheets posted in the stadium (once), but didn't see him in person.

(Full details can be supplied on request)

I attended 39 events between 1984 and 2002, including the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and finally the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
However I was unsuccessful getting a ticket for the 4 August 2012 "Super Saturday" athletics evening session at the London Olympics, although earlier on in the day I watched the Mexico-Senegal football game at Wembley Stadium.

I was always interested in the bigger picture - over the years I attended a broad spectrum of events from major internationals down to national, regional and local meetings.

I don't know how many of Neil's old schoolmates and friends saw him compete, but I guess I saw him more often than most!

I felt it was time to reveal my past interest in watching athletics events because it developed only after I left school.

As a complete aside in 1986 I was one of the studio audience who saw former shot putter Geoff Capes perform live on BBC's That's Life programme in London throwing a wellington boot and describing the injury phenomenon known as "welly finger".

If Neil's reading this, please contact me as I'm delighted to hear more about his side of things and views what I've raised in this blog post ... and an opportunity to ask burning questions about his athletics career ... and meet up with him again please ...


[Posted just after midnight UK time 30 August, but time-stamped for Californian time 8 hours previously]
[Revised 1 September 2018]
[Revised 10 October 2018 removing Neil Gray's hyphenated surname as he prefers to be known by his original surname]

"Greenfields Jubilee Harriers" model railway layout diorama - part 2

In April this year, I decided at last to model the fictitious athletics club "Greenfields Jubilee Harriers" as though it existed during the 1980s and 90s, when I attended athletics events as a spectator.

On 20 April, I opened my box of sports and travel memorabilia in my spare room and unpacked a few of my stash of athletics programmes which had lain forgotten for years.

That very same day I first revealed them on a model railway web forum, I only later posted this image on Facebook.
It was a random selection consisting of five examples to show the variety of events I attended.

In parallel with disclosure of my experiences initially on Facebook and now here, I started accumulating materials to build a diorama so I could reasonably depict that era.

 

 

 

This is the rail-side view of 1980s/90s "Greenfields Jubilee Harriers" (715 x 297 mm). 

Note the club's more extensively developed, including:

Purpose-built 1950s style club house with "Lord Westgrove's Bar" on first floor (modified Triang-Hornby structure) with 1980s disabled persons' lift addition (white tower, scratchbuilt);

1950s style toilet block (modified Triang-Hornby structure);

"Westgrove Stand" covered spectator area (modified Subbuteo football stand)

The original private railway station "Westgrove Halt" shown in part 1 (the interwar era) fell into disuse and was demolished due to the rise in private transport.

A yuppie using a mobile stands to the right of the main public club house's entrance.

[On this diorama, a degree of imagination is needed, I'm imagining there's a huge car park on site as well as the 400m track finish and field event areas elsewhere]

 

In order to avoid damage to the ends of the railway track, they end 50mm from the edge and special 100mm linking pieces attached to bridge the gaps between boards.

 

 

This is the athletics track side of the club house and toilets.

There's a few athletes waiting for their mates outside the toilets and the club house entrance. Two onlookers are standing on the balcony.

 

 

Here's the spectator stand.

It represents an "open meeting" scenario, 30 years ago, with a few die-hard athletics followers sitting down and cheering, outnumbered by athletes resting and/or chatting.

Yours truly is modelled in his most garish 1980s outfit, wearing a lemon yellow shirt and dark turquoise trousers (I was mistaken for a shop assistant once)

Both model athletes wearing black and white striped kit (Shaftesbury Harriers) were modelled from memory in the mid-1990s for an abortive track and field athletics model layout scene. The tall, well-built white guy who's standing on his own on the left is based on someone I knew at school who competed at a high level.          

 

At long last, I'm now satisfied I've translated into model form something from my past experiences which has turned out to a reasonable standard.

 

 

Algeria still tops countries all-time on number of page views

I've been looking at my page view stats since my blog started here and as of today, 18th August, there are now all-time NINE page views from Algeria, three from the USA, two from the UK and one each from Belgium and the Netherlands.

I'm still very intrigued by the showing from Algeria even though there hasn't been much activity from there lately.
It seems my blog has generated a surprising amount of interest from abroad.

More material is being prepared as I speak, so I'll expect a rise in readership soon.