GA Publications in the Internet Archive: Geography in Primary Schools (1970)

One of quite a few books that can be borrowed from the Internet Archive free of charge if you are interested in finding out more about the development of school geography (and the GA).

From 1970

https://archive.org/details/geographyinprima0000geog

Produced by a sub-committee, under the Chair of E. C Marchant (a former GA President)

Some former GA HQ staff also get a mention here.

More memories of Fulwood Road

My thanks to Hilary Bradley (nee Todd) for sending me some memories of her time as a GA Staff member.

My apologies also for not having posted them at the time as well. I rediscovered them when looking for something else recently.

I was a member of the GA staff, starting in September 1969 and leaving in spring of 1974 (cutting my ties with Sheffield). 

I ran the library and information service, with support from the Hon Librarian Mr (Jim) Jay (we were so formal back then, I had to look up his first name!). 

He was a lovely man and very supportive. I shared my office on the ground floor with the delightful Mrs (Mary) Ellis who was the editor of Geography. 

 My role also included editing assorted publications, including British landscapes through maps (series editor Professor KC Edwards of Nottingham University). 

We would travel to the Peak District to discuss issues in some convivial pub or other! 

I launched a new publication – Resources for geography - which would seem to still going strong in a new guise. And I shall not forget compiling the Dudley Stamp Memorial Index to Geography. 

All the entries were hand-written on index cards which were then alphabetised by computer at the University. So revolutionary was this technology that we wrote an appendix to the index explaining how it was done! (I was taken to see the computer, my second encounter with one – it filled an entire room.)

343 Fulwood Road was a substantial Victorian or Edwardian mansion set in a large garden in a very upmarket suburb of Sheffield. 

The Fleure Library took up most of the ground floor and the admin team worked upstairs. 

My office had a wonderful outlook over the garden – it was an idyllic place to work in, if a little unreal. It was a real treat then to travel to London for regular meetings of the executive committee, usually held in a room at LSE or King's, and the annual conference. These were happy times – a sense of shared purpose, a passion for geography, many wonderful and inspiring people. I looked up to them all as demi-gods.

I need a bit more time to put together a cast list of who was involved at that time. Sheila Jones is the person I best remember. As President she was unique as she was a hands-on secondary school teacher ‘working at the chalk face’ as she put it in her presidential address (I still remember that much!). 

All of her predecessors were in higher education I think. As most of our members were in secondary education, she must have been a real role model.

If this post has prompted some memories I'd love to hear from you.

343 Fulwood Road - memories wanted

Updated January 2021

Some memories of Fulwood Road from former President Sheila Jones. For some years, the GA HQ was based at a house on 343 Fulwood Road.

"It would have been a lovely family home. In the front there was parking space for 2/3 cars. On the ground floor was a sitting room and smaller room, which was used as an office. A winding staircase, beside which were some paintings of past Presidents (I wonder what happened to them? I wonder whether they are at Solly St.). The planned photos never happened!

On the first floor was a larger room, I suppose a wall had been knocked down, where the meetings of the council took place annually in Autumn. There was also a bathroom on this floor.

The library was in the basement, and the garden, mainly lawn, was quite large."

Any other memories, and images of Fulwood Road welcome... Thanks to some former GA Presidents for some memories which shall be added to later posts.

L J Jay - more details

I posted earlier in the week about L J Jay, who worked as the former GA librarian, and who wrote a great many reviews and contributions to 'Geography' - his initials were repeated many times in the journals across the decades. This has been substantially brought up to date with some new information from my former colleague at Solly Street: Frances Soar.

As we get nearer to the present day, you will see further contributions with a credit for the contributions of Frances Soar. She has very kindly offered to help with some updates as we get closer to her own time working at Solly Street.

Frances found a lot more information about L J Jay. Sometimes known as 'Jim' Jay.

Leslie Joseph Jay, born 25 Aug 1917 in Aston, Warks.  Parents Joseph Jay, described in 1939 as 'Inspector Engineering', and Martha (nee Green).

1936: Successful in the First Examination, Geography Dept, University of Birmingham (B'ham Daily Gazette, 2 Feb 1936)

1938: Awarded Geography Degree (II2) by the University of Birmingham (B'ham Daily Gazette, 30 Jun 1938)

1939: Passed the written examination for the Degree of MA (Birmingham Daily Post, 29 Jun 1939) 

1939: Living with his parents at 58 Caldwell Road, Birmingham.  Described as 'student, intending te[indistinct]'.  Possibly 'teacher' (From the WW2 Register, 1939)

1943 (25 Jan): Royal Navy 'Schoolmaster Candidate (entered for Hostilities only)' (Navy Lists for 1943ff).  Served at HMS Nabsford, a base in Australia for Royal Naval Aircraft maintenance.  [I've learnt more about RN ranks in the past hour than I ever thought I would need to know!]

1943: (4th quarter) Married Hilda Seal in Birmingham

1949: Awarded Master of Arts by University of Birmingham (Birmingham Daily Gazette, 30 Jun 1949)

1986 (24 Jan): Died Sheffield, having been living at 14 Overglade Gardens, Dore, Sheffield, leaving wife Hilda and children Heather and Paul 

He served in Australia during the war. While in Australia, he used his 'schoolmasterly' skills to edit and create a newsletter called Nabsford News.

The newsletters make entertaining reading if you take a look - lots of in-jokes for sure.
The newsletter copies were provided by L J Jay's son Paul.

You can also see several galleries of photos on the site, and one of them features L J - front row, first left.


29th April 1945: "The J6 Crowd" L to R: back row: Lt. (S) George Baker RNVR, Lt. Ted Folkard RNVR, Lt. (Sp. Br.) Bill Grant RNVR, Sub-Lt (A) Peter Bearcroft RNVR. Front row: Schoolmaster Jim Jay, Sub-Lt (A) I.Thomas RNVR, Sub-Lt (A) J. Pinch RNVR, Commissioned Store Officer Reg Goodhue.

An appreciation of L J Jay was printed in 'Geography' in 1986, written by former GA President Michael Wise. It turns out that he went to school with Michael Wise. There is a good mention of his geography teacher Mr. Cotton and also a mention for R H Kinvig

He wrote a humorous book on geography teaching called 'Geography teaching with a little latitude' which I've seen before, and was published in 1981. In it he said:

 "there is a ample scope for... an element of humour in the teaching of geography".

He taught at Wellingborough School apparently after the war before joining the University of Sheffield.

He joined the GA in 1943 and joined as Honorary Librarian in 1954. He stayed with the GA until 1973, also serving on the Council and Executive Committee. He was involved in the transfer of the library from Duke Street to Fulwood Road. He compiled the Dudley Stamp Index of 'Geography' articles with Hilary Todd.

He classified the work of Herbertson and wrote an appreciation of his work which I have previously added to the blog.

Before retirement he oversaw the transfer of the Fleure library to the University of Sheffield. A manuscript for a booklet for the GA called 'Starting to teach Geography' was completed just before his death.

The appreciation by Michael Wise ends with these two paragraphs:

One sentence there is a reminder for all teachers:

"he knew that gifts as a teacher were not sufficient without a continuous replenishment of the mind, without experimentation in method, without respect for pupils..."

Source:

Wise, M. J. “The Geographical Association.” Geography, vol. 71, no. 2, 1986, pp. 169–172. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40571093. Accessed 31 July 2020.

JAY, L. J. “A. J. Herbertson : His Services to School Geography.” Geography, vol. 50, no. 4, 1965, pp. 350–361. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40565960. Accessed 1 Aug. 2020.