Niddrie Marischal

School

Niddrie Marischal School   -  Class 2T3   -  1952 or 1953

School Photo

Thank you to Dave McKinlay for allowing me to reproduce this photograph of  his class, 2T3, at Niddrie Marischal school and for providing the names of most of the boys and of the teacher in the photo.

Dave wrote:

Science Teacher

"Mr Andrew Macintyre (standing at the end of the middle row) wrote the script for the Jimmy Logan radio show in the early-1950s.  He was our science teacher, and what a great teacher he was!"

Speakman

"Speakman was a nephew of Bill Speakman who was awarded the VC when serving with the Black Watch [RHR] at the Battle of the Hook, Korea. "

Dave McKinlay, New Zealand:  November 29, 2009

Further details of the battle in which Speakman was awarded the VC can be found on the Wikipedia web site.  It  describes Speakman as:

Speakman's VC

"William Speakman-m Pitt, born 1927, the first man to receive a  VC from Queen Elizabeth II, and one of the few living VC holders."

Describing the battle in which Speakman won his VC, Wikipedia says:

Speakman's Battle

"Private Speakman, on his own initiative, collected six men and a pile of grenades and led a series of charges.  He broke up several enemy attacks, causing heavy casualties and in spite of being wounded in the leg continued to lead charge after charge. He kept the enemy at bay long enough to enable his company to withdraw safely.

Press reports of the time reported that Private Speakman began throwing bottles at the enemy after running out of grenades.  The bottles were in fact beer bottles sent the line for platoon consumption (40 men, "approx 4 per man).  By the time the platoon were attacked, the bottles were empty, thus constituting suitable weaponry!"

Niddrie Marischal School Class  -  1952 or 1953

Names:  left to right in each row.

Back Row

Middle Row

Front Row

Sitting

Grant

?

?

O'Neill

R Borthwick

D McKinlay

Speakman

Cormack

?

Aitkin

McLaren

?

D McPherson

Brodie

Russell ?

?

C Adiss

Smith

D Miller

 McGinty

J Ward

Hutchison

?

Mr Andrew Macintyre

Paterson

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