Ryhall man's memories of St Martin's School in Stamford are recaptured in a pose

suzanne.moon@iliffepublishing.co.uk

Published: 06:00, 12 February 2022

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A fun-loving 92-year-old who was at school during the Second World War has re-enacted a pose first captured 80 years earlier.

Ted Haynes, who lives in Ryhall, was at St Martin’s School in Stamford in 1940, around the time a photo was taken of him and his classmates dressed for the stage.

“We put on small plays at the Odd Fellows Hall in All Saints Street to raise money to buy a Spitfire,” said Ted.

Ted Haynes is on the left, behind him is Harold Harvey, Dudley Potter is in the ladies' hat, Lennie Boyd is centre-back, Gerald Hodgkinson wears a crochet top, Peter Beasley was the ghost, Ivor Young was playing the Hitler-like character, Hubert Foottit is wearing the dark suit, Roy Rickett played Ted's wife and wore the round glasses, Martin 'Dick' Beasley is kneeling at the front. The boy with the face paint was known as 'Knocker' Gray and was a 'home boy' - he lived at a home for boys at the bottom of Drift Road. The boy wearing white with a dark hat is the only child whose name Ted can't remember - he may have been an evacuee from Manchester or Liverpool

Although he cannot remember what the production was called, he can name all but one of the cast, and remembers the plot.

“I played a old man who fell asleep and thought the character played by Harold Harvey then stole his Savings Certificates,” explained Ted.

“But he later wakes up and finds it was all a dream.”

Ted Haynes, aged 92, adopts a similar outfit and pose as in his school play photo

Harold, Ted remembers, went on to be a talented church organist, having later attended Uppingham School.

He also remembers Martin Beasley, at the front of the picture, smoked a pipe as a man, and was known locally as ‘Dick’ Beasley.

After reminiscing over the photo at home, Ted had the idea to pose now, as he had in his schoolboy picture.

“I realised that the way I look now, with a walking stick, is a bit like the character I was playing more than 80 years earlier,” said Ted.

“So I put on my dressing gown, like the one I wore for the play, and had a photo. Little did I realise, back then, that I would look like I do now!”

Ted, whose father worked at Blackstone’s and was in the Home Guard, remembers hearing bombers flying over the town on their way to attack Coventry and similar targets.

Can you remember the name of the evacuee in Ted's photo? Email smeditor@stamfordmercury.co.uk

Human Interest Nostalgia Stamford Suzanne Moon