A GROUP of 1960s classmates from Cardinal Hinsley Grammar School, in Tong, (later becoming Yorkshire Martyrs) and which includes former Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe, and Bradford and Pudsey Scooter Club (B Boys) member Peter Hughes is organising a 50-year reunion.

The school chums who left the school in 1969 are planning to hold their Class of '69 reunion later this year but are struggling to locate some of the class to let them all know.

Mr Hughes said: "As a class we all started at the new school, Cardinal Hinsley, in September 1963. We were all from the Bradford area. Some had come from St Josephs, in Manchester Road, some from St Michaels and some from St Annes as I remember.

"At the time that we were 1Q, the other classes I think were from Calderdale and Cleckheaton/Dewsbury areas, and they were 1A and 1G, I don’t know why we had the strange letters like that and also there were 30 pupils per class."

"In 5Q, most of the class left in 1969. Some obviously stayed on into 6th form and beyond and some have been successful - Gerry Sutcliffe MP Bradford South and who became Sports Minister; Bernard Strother is a successful actor living in London, Mick Murphy has a real estate business in Canada, and some have just been plodders, like myself, still working at A H Marks / Nufarm Ltd and in my 41st year after being a motor mechanic for nine years years at National Carriers Ltd.

"Our form master for five years was a teacher called Brian Moorhouse who has since died.

Mr Hughes said that a number of classmates have died and of the remaining he has managed to locate around half.

The ones he is still trying to contact are: Bernard Strother, Richard Wilks, Steve Williams, ? Reynolds, Slawco Sidelnik, Christopher Stoncil, John Murphy, Peter Holdsworth, Peter Hughes, ?Jackson, Graham Garvey and Robert Burton.

He added: "I’ve heard that Robert Burton is still a local lad and is a very big Bulls fan and John Murphy when I last heard was a sergeant in the railway police. He joined them when he left school.

"Reginald Kalinowski is unwell and won’t be coming, but he was a former teacher at Cardinal Hinsley as well as an old class mate.

"Graham Garvey’s mother married a teacher at Cardinal Hinsley. Terry Dolan and Gary Hudson, both former footballers were in the class above us but all new to the school when it opened."

Anyone with the whereabouts of some of the missing classmates can get in touch with Mr Hughes by email at: Peter.hughes@nufarm.com or on 07886900251 or 01274 696683.

There is also a public Facebook group called Cardinal Hinsley Old Boys where contact can be made.

Cardinal Hinsley Grammar School later merged with its sister girls' school, Blessed Margaret Clitherow Grammar School, and became a comprehensive called Yorkshire Martyrs in 1981.

It closed in 2010.