T S 'Tommy' Lane (1883-1912) (Died April 1934, aged 81)
'Tommy' Lane came to Aston from one of its predecessors in Edward Street, where he had been both pupil (1863) and master. In the 'School Record' of 1933, he wrote about the experience of teaching in that 'rough' area of the city before transferring to the delights of Aston!
During his time there was a school porter with the same surname. If you weren't 'in the know' and asked for 'Mr Lane' you got the porter: for the master you had to ask for 'Tommy'!
G Johnson (1883-1897)
Someone has written on the back of this photograph "Did some teaching but mainly stamp collecting"!
H H Higgs (1886-1929) (Died 1953, aged 89)
Once single subject teaching came in, 'Higgie' concentrated on mathematics. Harry Tyson remembered meeting him at the first Annual Dinner after the Second World War. By this time well into his eighties, they tried to persuade him to speak but he wouldn't.
He was most famous for his 'tea parties' (i.e. detentions!), at which his erring pupils were invited to take tea and a biscuit. The latter, of the canine kind, was always declined, and became legendary as 'Higgs's biscuit'. Many years later it was auctioned off in aid of Rugby Club funds. You 'qualified' for the tea party by accruing 3 'nails in your coffin'!
E H Scott (1894-1902)
I don't know what he taught, but this photograph was taken in Freiburg i/B*. German maybe?
What is certain is that he was co-author, with Frank Jones, of a text book using the 'new' method of teaching Latin. They don't teach it by any method nowadays!
* I am indebted to my 'German' cousin Ann Schmidt (née Shakespeare), who tells me this stands for 'im Breisgau'.
Frank Jones (1896-1936) (Died 10th April 1961, aged 88)
Frank Jones had retired as a teacher three years before I was born, but he was still a star in the school's firmament when I was there. He was the first AOE to become a teacher at the school in 1896. Since then there has always been at least one AOE on the school's teaching staff. What a remarkable record! Frank was the younger of the first of three pairs of brothers to teach at Aston: the Tysons and the Crosthwaites were to follow. At my never-to-be-forgotten first Speech Day he was the second speaker - and he stole the show. To this day I can remember the tale he told: it brought the house down.
G W Samson (1898-1926) (Died April 1926, aged 51)
My father told the story of how Samson was walking down Upper Thomas Street when a ruffianly looking woman dashed out of one of the courtyards as he was passing and called to her scruffy offspring "Gwendoleeen!" He thought it an unlikely name for one such!!
Walter Allen (Aston 1922) tells of the tears in Joe Manton's eyes as he announced Samson's death to the school. It is believed they had been friends since boyhood.
Oliver Jones (1902-1929) (Died 1946, aged 79)
Elder brother of Frank, Oliver became Second Master, having previously served as acting Head following the untimely death of Ernest Floyd in 1912.
He was Second Master from 1918 until his retirement in 1929.
My father would often see him around town, usually arm in arm with Frank, for they were both inveterate 'clubbers' at a time when this word had a quite different connotation!
W C 'Beaky' Ross (1902-1935)
Almost universally disliked, this Wyggeston Grammar School* boy preceded George Painter as guardian of the stationery cupboard. He was notorious for his loathing of 'free place' boys, who would go to great lengths to conceal their status from him.
My father once recalled the undisguised antipathy between him and Frank Jones (very unprofessional!), which was known to all pupils. They thought it was because 'Beaky' was alleged to be an atheist. When I asked 'Chas' about it many years later, he said it was nothing more than a clash of two very forceful personalities. You still need that to be a schoolmaster!
Frank 'Doorpost' Dawson (1917-1949) (Died February 1951, aged 63)
Self appointed 'third' master, he was clearly 'miffed' to miss out by two years on the job held by Frank Bentley.
He was Scoutmaster of the troop which the lads had formed at Ashby. (Billy Chivers was his Assistant!) Originally a History specialist, he started to teach science during World War II when it was alleged that, in Chemistry, he was one chapter ahead of his students. That should have made for lively lessons!