I think every boy who went to St Marks played footie in the schoolyard using the wall of the coal merchants next door as one of the goals. We certainly did and "Old Man Entwistle" had a habit of keeping our ball if it went over the toilet block and into the coal yard. His son Jack, also carried on the tradition but I got to know Jack quite well years later and he was a good bloke really.
Hindle Gregory Class of 1952

Around 1963/64 I was being chased by a bully and his mates, It didn't dawn on me at the time that he was 3 years older and bigger and was once a pupil, but I was very hard to catch, but this day I was running for the gate I glanced round to see how far in front I was and as I was turning my head to look forward again BANG! straight into the gate that was left open, down I went with stars all over the places and my head thumping and my face smarting like hell, the ones who were in chase just went off laughing. Anyway when I got home I had recovered enough I thought, to enter our house but as soon as I got in my Mum said "what is that on your face? what have you done now?" she showed me the mirror and looking in the mirror I had two vertical welts that the railings on the gate had done, boy and it hurt like hell.
Dad got me an Alsatian dog some time after and at about the time school finished my Mum used to let Sue out (dogs name) and she sat on the doorstep and when I came round the corner of our street Sue used to come running up to greet me, but one day I was again being chased and they were gaining for some unknown reason and just as I ran round the corner of our street Sue saw me and came a running, the bullies weren't far behind me Sue was running faster than usual and I thought to myself she is going to bring me down the speed she's going at, but she ran straight past me and ran after them, their was screams and yelling and all kinds of commotion behind me but I weren't stopping. They never came round my street again, years later when I returned from a spell in Australia I went on to learn Karate, well Sue was no longer around was she, but she did teach me one thing 'bullies do not like being hit back'.
David Dixon site author Class of 1966