Old Boys, Girls and Teachers Guestbook

home > guestbook

home

past

Welcome to the Guestbook
Feel free to add messages relating to the site and the school. The only rules are: real names only, no personal attacks and no unrelated messages (inappropriate messages may be edited/withdrawn without warning).

It would be appreciated if you gave an email address, where you now live and said when you were at the school, but you don't have to.

Plase note that if you click on an email address below you will need to replace ~DOT~ with . and ~AT~ with @ in your email program. The Guestbook presents these this way to avoid email address harvesters collecting your email addresses from the page. I know it's a pain, but it's very much better than the alternative.

Add a message | Search

There are 500 messages in the guestbook
<<< 1 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 50 >>>
Viewing messages 161 to 170

Mike Todd

Just to add my 2p to the story ...

I commented on Facebook a couple of days
ago that, despite looking into it on and off over the past 30 years, I can't find any evidence that Wilson Keppel and Betty performed in South Shields.

As my grandfather was musical director at the Queens Theatre, but there's nothing in his papers with any reference to them at all.

However, they definitely appeared in Sunderland on a couple of occasions.

They didn't even have any connection with Shields - one from the midlands, one from Ireland and one from the USA if I remember rightly.

"Sanddancer" acts were very popular in the 19th and early 20th century all over the UK - and some of these did appear in Shields.

The earliest reference I can find to a "Sand Dancer" act was an American act called "Cobb & Chapman" in 1862

How people from South Shields got this nickname is a total mystery - nobody really knows.

Sun 13-Feb-2022 09:22 - Rothbury

Neale Backhouse

First things first.
Happy birthday Alex. Eighty seven today and hell bent on a hundred and five! Go for it old boy. I wonder how many of our 1951 VUA are still around. Any idea anyone?
OK, now back to Sanddancer. I'm surprised that after living 26 years in Sanddancer territory you are unfamiliar with the expression Alex. Nevertheless I feel obliged to revisit what I said earlier.
I have heard the term used in a derogatory fashion but now methinks by outsiders to describe residents of South Shields in general.The obvious reference is to people of Arabian descent.Who else dances in the sand.I will rest my case there.
Finally to Alan. Way to go old chap. I sense sixth form stuff here. We have a linguist in the camp!
Cheers, Neale.

Sat 12-Feb-2022 15:28 - Victoria BC

alan wightman

Buenos Diás, Neale

Creo que ya estás enterado que el Himno Español no tiene letras ¡Ha sido un `chiste´de mí parte!

`PartiSandancer´, ^Geordieland´.

Fri 11-Feb-2022 09:33

South Shields

Good Morning, Alex and everyone,

Despite the report that they never performed in the North-East this might not be true, but I don´t believe at the Pier Pavilion where we went to support our local drama group. However, I seem to recall watching their performance at the Sunderland Empire?

I´m sure you are aware that the origin of the term is contested. People who come from South Shields, now `Geordies´.

If you are really interested then you can refer to:-
www.jannaludlow.co.uk/entertainment/wkb

and a prize-winning book by Alan Stafford.

`Sandancer´ `Geordieland´.

Fri 11-Feb-2022 09:18

Alex Patterson, 1946-1951, VUA | ad1935ap~AT~gmail~DOT~com

Hello Mike,
I refer to Neale”s comments a couple of weeks ago regarding Alan’s pseudonym, “Sandancer”. I lived in the Laygate/High Shields neighbourhood for the first 26 years of my life then on the Lake Top for another two years and I can honestly say I never heard the term “Sandancer” being used in a derogatory fashion; In fact, I can’t remember ever hearing it at all, except when discussing Wilson, Keppel and Betty, (WKB) the comedic Egyptian style dance group. By the way, I always spell it ‘sanddancer’ with 2 d’s.
I’m sure I saw WKB at the Pier Pavillion at some time in the 50’s or 60’s or it may have been the Newcastle Empire. However I thought they were duff then, but I didn’t realize how popular they had been in their comic routine. They performed at two Royal Variety Shows and were on the same bill as Frank Sinatra at the London Palladium in 1950 and toured all over Britain and the States. Wikipedia gives them two separate entries, one of which refers to sand dancers and claims they never performed in the North East and the other has more details but no mention of South Shields.
So Alan, seeing that you are still in good old South Shields, could you find out if they ever appeared there and was it at the Pier Pavilion, if they did? Thank you in advance.
Alex Patterson,
From a cool but dry North York

P.S. Neale I’ve just finished reading your latest response to Alan and am dismayed that you’re talking about your demise…and in a couple of years. I think we’ll both be doing this correspondence well into the 2030/40’s. We’ll only be 105 by then and Newcastle might be top of the Premier by then.
Cheers,
Alex

Fri 11-Feb-2022 05:57 - North York, Ontario, Canada

Backhouse

I'd like to take you up on that Alan, but it may take a year or two before I learn sufficient Spanish and by that time any delivery might have been preceded by my demise. So the best I can do, in the meantime, is to pen the immortal lines of Guy Mitchel(circa 1950);
"Columbus say to the Spanish King
I'll let you in on a mighty fine thing
I aim to prove that the world is round
United States ain't never been found."

"Now gimme ships Columbus say, I'll
Sail to China in a shorter way.
King he say This world is flat
Sail too fur and where you at?"

OK not exactly Manuel Cervantes but the best I can do. It sounds better with the music.
Oh by the way, check your weather almanac for Victoria.

Cheers, Neale.

Fri 11-Feb-2022 03:05 - Vic BC

alan wightman

TAKE IT EASY! OLD BOYS! TAKE IT EASY!

The English & French versions include `archaic´ and `modern´. When I saw the French it inspired my application of lessons at school in the sense of a `challenge ´. However, not as a literal translation but as a `gist´. This by identifying `key´ words such as `droit´when driving in France. Then `terre, nos, fleuron glorieux, lépee, porter la croix, brilliants exploits, Protegera.

Thus my surprise at such a dedicated response by Alex! This time I hope Neale responds to the challenge of translating
the words of the Spanish National Anthem without any assistance from his wife!

`Sandancer´ `Geordieland´.

Thu 10-Feb-2022 12:00 - south Shields

alan wightman

I must act in haste, before it´s too late!

`It´s winter in Canada
And the gentle breezes
Blow thirty-five miles an hour
At thirty-five below in Victoria.
When the snow is up to your butt
And your brain gets frozen shut.
I could never leave Canada,
I´m frozen to the ground, O Canada!

`Sandancer´ `Geordieland´.

Thu 10-Feb-2022 09:11 - south Shields

Neale

Well done Alex! you seized the opportunity to shine. I knew that all those years spent in Montreal would pay off.
Actually my wiseacre Liz said "Why don't you go on line and look up the French version of "Oh Canada." And so I did and there it was, complete with English translation. I must say your effort was pretty close. It captured the Sturm und Drang of the original.
I hope that adding a few more lines here might eschew your foreboding that my one line effort heralded a descent into keyboard incompetence. Sometimes less is more. Cheers, Neale.

Thu 10-Feb-2022 03:50 - Vic BC.

Alex Patterson 1946-1951 | ad1935ap~AT~gmail~DOT~com

Hello Mike,
In response to Neale’s challenge I decided to have a go at translating the first verse of the French version of our Canadian national anthem. I thought it was a useless exercise until I realized that the French and English versions of the first verse. are quite different. I never thought about doing it prior to this exercise. Why Alan thought that we Anglophones would be singing the French version is a puzzle. Anyhow…here goes.

Official French Version
O, Canada! terre de nos aieux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux.
Car ton bras sait porter lépee,
il sait porter la croix.
Ton histoire est une epopee
Des plus brilliants exploits
Et ta valeur, de foi trempee,
Protegera nos foyers et nos droits,
Protegera nos foyers et nos droits.

Unofficial Patterson translation
O Canada! Land of our forefathers,
Your forehead is covered with garlands of beautiful flowers.
 And because your arm knows how to wield a sword,
 It also knows how to carry a cross.
 Your history is a saga of brilliant adventures,
 And your courage is steeped in faith.
 Protect our homes and rights,
 Protect our homes and rights.

I hope this is satisfactory Neale, I'm happy to see that you're still capable at the keyboard and Mike, I hope that you're feeling better and have your power permanently restored.
Best wishes to all,
Alex (From a sunny and warm (+4C Toronto)

Wed 9-Feb-2022 18:36 - North York, Ontario, Canada

<<< 1 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 50 >>>