South Yorkshire Times January 16, 1943
Thurnscoe Head Retiring
Mr. T. H. Bollans of the Hill School
Mr. T. H. Bollans headmaster of The Hill Modern Boys’ School, Thurnscoe, has announced his intention of retiring at the end of the present term.
A native of Nottingham, Mr. Bollans was educated at Mansfield Grammar School and Westminster Training College. On leaving College he served as an assistant master in Manchester, coming into the West Riding over 35 years ago as headmaster of Millhouse Council School, Penistone. After three years there he was appointed to open the new council school at Great Houghton, where he remained until he took over the headship of The Hill School at Thurnscoe six years ago.
For twelve years he was on the panel of oral examiners to County Minor Scholarship candidates, in this capacity visiting most of the secondary schools in South and for twelve years he was on the panel of oral examiners to County Minor Scholarship candidates, in this capacity visiting most of the secondary schools in South and West Yorkshire. Head of the Evening Institutes in connection with all his i schools, he was also interested in adult education. For many years he lectured on modern history to W.E.A. classes and in connection with the Joint Committee of Miners’ Welfare and W.E.A. he gave courses of lectures in a score of townships ranging as far as Mirfield, Flockton and Knottingley. For a, period he was editor of the Evening Institute section of the West Riding Bulletin on Further Education.
A scholarship boy himself, when 20 scholarships were the limit offered in the County of Notts., he has felt it a mission that every child in his charge likely to benefit should have a chance. Backed by enthusiastic staffs of teachers, over 100 scholarships were obtained in his last 12 years at Great Houghton, and at The Hill School 34 scholarships have been awarded in the last three years.
Mr. Bollans is on the Technical Examination Board of the Schofield Technical College, and last year was its chairman.
Sporting Interests
In the realms of sport he has had the pleasure of seeing some of his boys distinguish themselves. Will Copping, of Arsenal and Leeds United, the International footballer, received his education at the Great Houghton School, and Leslie Thompson in 1936, while still in school, had the honour of captaining the English schoolboy football team against Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
In the last five years boys at The Hill School have succeeded on three occasions in winning the Police Championship Cup offered for boxing to schools in South Yorkshire. Billie Thompson, a recent old boy is at present amateur featherweight champion of the North of England.
For nearly ten years Mr. Bollans was a contributor to the South Yorkshire Times. For two years he contributed a weekly article called ” The Seasons,’ which dealt topically with nature subjects, folk-lore and traditional customs.
The angling articles under the nom de plume of “Waterside” were his, and in 1928 he undertook the introduction of “The Children’s Corner,” a feature with which he was associated for seven years, masquerading to thousands of Yorkshire children and others much further afield as their ” Mystery Man.”
A lover of sport, open air and the countryside, in his younger days he played tennis for the Thurnscoe team. Later he became an enthusiastic golfer. A former captain of the Hickleton Golf Club, where he still plays to a handicap of 8, he has in the last 12 years won the Championship Cup on six occasions, the Humble Cup four times and once the Captain’s Prize. His other sports are trout and sea fishing, in which he hopes to indulge to a greater degree in his retirement.
Mr. and Mrs. Bolans expect to take up residence in Scarborough in due course.