Join us as we take a trip down Memory Lane………

From opposite ends of the world………
Memento Plate, 1907
There are 2 known copies of this plate, the first one in New Zealand with the Elders Family, the second in California with the Farrell Family.
The Farrell plate was received at school by Mary’s dad, Jimmy Lyons, in 1907. It measures eight inches in diameter.
Mary Farrell
California
This plate was hung on our wall in Batley for years. It pre- dates the time when Joe’s father Willie or his mother Hilda Kilbride would have been pupils at St Mary’s School.
We thought that it might have been given to Joe’s uncle , another Joseph Elders, who was killed as a very young lad when he was at work at Lady Ann Mills Soothill, but there is no one left to confirm this.
I know that there there used to be another plate like this in the Staffroom at St Mary’s School, (but sadly that one was chipped ) and that Mary Farrell nee Lyons treasures one in California.
They were made by Adams of Tunstall and are a beautiful memento of the school outing in 1907.
It would be good to know if the School Records show a list of recipients and if there is a report on where it was that the children were taken on that summer day so long ago.
Mary Elders.
Tauranga, New Zealand.
Memento plate 1907
My mam got the plate when at she was at school. Mam gave us the plate when Cath and I got marred in 1953. Mam could not remember were the outing went to . Over the years the plate went with us.
Its on my kitchen wall it reminds of Mam and Cath.
Geoff Camponi

Sheila Asquith
May Procession 1963 – May Queen
On the day of the procession all the children assembled in the school hall with the nuns and teachers and we made our way through church and walked up Upton Street and around the streets of Cross Bank, where the school and playing fields are today.
My train bearers were Maureen Keelan (my younger sister), Jane Hemingway, Susan Lewis, Linda Ward, Ann Finn, Jacqueline Firth, Maria Brennan and Diane Maguire.
Here is my First Holy Communion certificate and my group classmates 15 July 1957. As you can see there is a great crowd of us – we were part of the Baby Boomers after the Second World War and we would be in our last year in the Infants School and aged 7 years old. We would have two streams in the year with up to 40 in each class – you sat at your desk facing the blackboard and didn’t move around!
After the photo in the rain we then went down to the hall for our breakfast after several hours of fasting which had been prepared by The Mothers Union (UCM). The hall would be filled with long tables and noisy happy chatter from seventy 7 year olds.
The Mothers Union here in St Marys started up 71 years ago – how do I know that? Well I was the first baby girl born in November to a member followed by Stephen Farrar in December as the first baby boy – both Mum (Mary Keelan) and Stephen’s Mum (Agnes Farrar) both received five shillings and baby matinee jacket! Happy days.
Pat Batchelor (Keelan)
On Saturday September 21st 1929, after years of fundraising efforts, the church of St Mary of the Angels was ready for consecration. The ceremony was carried out by Bishop Cowgill the culmination of which was a Solemn High Mass at which the school children provided the Gregorian Chant.
The following day the Bishop returned to celebrate a Pontifical High Mass at which he used vestments that he had bought in Rome in 1914. The sermon was preached by Fr McBride’s own parish priest from Ireland who preached again at the Solemn Benediction held in the evening. It was at this service that our handsome monstrance, the gift of an anonymous parishioner was used for the first time.
At a quiet moment during the celebrations the Bishop found time for a private prayer, which was when this picture was taken.