Miss Beryl Hargreaves, (teacher of PE, 1954-1988) died in May 2012 in Leeds, aged 84 years Miss Hargreaves trained at Dartmouth College of Physical Education and then taught in Guernsey for a few years, before coming to WGHS in September 1954. She worked with Miss Bailey, who was Head of P.E., and was appointed Head of P.E. on Miss Bailey's retirement in 1955, a position she held until her retirement. The school was noted for its cricket at that time; three former pupils played in the England Ladies' cricket team against Australia. Miss Hargreaves organised a very extensive list of matches against other schools, in hockey, netball, cricket, rounders, and gave unsparingly of her time almost every Saturday, after having a full teaching timetable and after-school practices. During the 1960s, she became the Staff representative on the Parents' Guild Committee and continued for many years. Her early years on the committee were at a crucial stage in the school's history, with its existence threatened of closure by the local council. Hard work by the committee, who engaged a London Q.C., and tireless lobbying of M.P.s, together with ever-growing parental support, enabled the school to continue. Meanwhile, Miss Hargreaves was involved in every major school event and so it continued through the years, including long spells when we had no Head present. Some of those events were regular school functions, others were memorable, special ones. She was always a most capable helper and organiser. She knew every girl, learning about them from the time they entered the school, dealing with medicals and being involved in the teaching of everyone. She had the workings of the school "at her fingertips" and she was a much loved colleague, teacher and friend. The number of messages received from former girls and staff, before and since her death, indicate how much she was appreciated and remembered with affection. J.Woolley |
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