Mr. Campbell- Science and Biology

 

Mr Campbell taught Science and his specialist subject was Biology. He joined the staff at Tulketh in September 1976. He like quite a few of the teachers at the school at that time were young and fresh out of teacher training college and dressed in a more informal way to some of the older teachers with no tie, open necked shirts and customary 1970’s longish hair. He took my form 2o for Science in the 2^nd year. I remember at the time he took us for Biology in the 3^rd year the most.

I was late going back into the 3^rd year due to an appendicitis operation in August 1977.  I returned to school in the middle of September 1977. I remember Mr. Campbell being quite sympathetic and helpful with the work that I had missed.  One of the things I had to do was to go around to fellow pupil Steve Forshaw’s house and copy the notes he had made to get me up to scratch with the rest of the class. Steve at the time was a big Liverpool FC fan and inevitably we would end up talking about the aspirations of Bob Paisley’s squad quest for the FA Cup and the First Division title. These were days of Kevin Keegan, Tommy Smith, Steve Heighway and many more.

One day at the start of the lesson Mr. Campbell said that we were going to do some Biology field work. All our thoughts turned to exotic trips to locations up and down the length and breadth of the UK.

Instead, it was decided the school fields at the back of the school as the location. It was decided that we would look for worms to take back to class to cut up as I remember. This involved us being put into groups with someone having the responsibility of collecting the worms and placing them in the containers provided by Mr Campbell.

I was in one of six groups of five, with Jimmy Callaghan, Steve Forshaw, Ian Hodge, and Dave Thompson.  Ian Hodge was given the task of carrying the container which he did in between winging about the cold.

As we assembled on the school playing fields, Mr. Campbell remind us of the importance of these activities to the lesson. What started as a nice autumn day gradually became a quagmire after heavy rain after came as we traipsed through the fields at the back off the school. Even with our heavy coats on it was a bit of a wash out. We had collected quite a few large worms which were summarily dispatched with vigour by Ian Hodge to the container he oversaw. Mr. Campbell summons us all to the top of the Football Pitch behind the goal for a head count before going back in the school to discuss our findings. Our group was over by the brook which we had to cross when we did our cross country runs in winter. In our eagerness to get back into the classroom and out of the cold I slipped on the muddy grass and slid down into the freezing brook much to the laughter of my school colleagues and into the brook. I was immersed up to my waist in freezing water.

The commotion brought the rest of the class and Mr. Campbell to see what was going on. I was pulled out by Mr. Campbell he told me to ask the P.E teacher, Mr. Smith if I could have a shower and see if there were any spare uniform in the lost property office. Mr. Smith turned on the shower which at first was cold which he had a habit of doing during Games or P.E lessons and then warmed up. After id dried myself down with an old manky towel which they had in the changing rooms he came out with a pair black trousers odd socks and a pair of plimsoles, the trousers were at least a size to big and made me look like someone from one of those Laurel and Hardy films from the 1930’s. he said, “I’m afraid they’ll have to do”, young man.

I missed the rest of the lesson and headed home for lunch. The walk home always seems to take ages, but I had to get out of the ill-fitting trousers and get the wet clothes out of my schoolbag. Fortunately, there were a spare pair of trousers and socks. My mum was not happy about the state of my black Oxford brogues which were purchased from the catalogue and paid for every week. I headed back to school in the afternoon without much of a dinner due to the time being taken up changing my clothes and explaining the mishap at school. I managed a half of red Leicester cheese sandwich and a bag of Smith’s Oxo crisps washed down with Vimto.

In the afternoon registration class, Mrs Sawer asked me if everything was ok? Which was nice I thought. That afternoon we had double Maths with a supply teacher called Mr. Joyner followed by double English with Mrs. Pearson. Like a lot of things back then there were a lot of micky taking and banter, but it was soon forgotten about.

As for Biology I did not take it in my final two years at Tulketh. Mr. Campbell advised to do Chemistry after a miserable 39% result in the Easter exams in 1978.

Mr. Campbell, in later years became Head at Plekgate High School in Blackburn.