Top, L to R: Celia Hopkins; Marilyn Weller; Duncan Purvis; Ian Teague; unknown; Sarah Hooper; Angela Quigley
Middle, L to R: Andrew Jones; Godfrey Hanham; Martin Welby; John Page; Andrew Humphries; Glyn Phillips
Bottom, L to R: Mrs Sterry, Ann Philpott; Susan George; Josie Read; Susan Jenkins; Clare Hughes; Linda James; Judith Faull.

Thanks also to Andrew Jones.

Graham Wildin added: (August 2012) "... Row 2, no 4 is Michael Luther, brother of the late Steven Luther who is sadly missed"

Peter Essex added: "Here's a mystery to solve. I am related to the Sterrys/Sterreys of Lydney but neither I nor any consulted relatives can so far pinpoint Mrs Sterry the teacher in this and the 1958 photo. My cousin attended the school and remembers her although he was never in her class but he also remembers asking his parents if she was a known relative they said no. Questions therefore:
Does anybody know what Mrs Sterry's first name was and/or her maiden name?
Do we know if she had children and if so their names/ages?
Does anyone recall her husband's first name not known but who apparently had a somewhat florid complexion?
Do we know when she retired?
Did she commute or did she live locally?
I've got half a dozen Sterry 'suspects' but I'm stuck.
Any answers to those questions could well narrow the field or scupper my chances. As a separate question is the Josie Read in this photo by any chance the Josie Read who married my cousin Peter Beard born 1947 who once lived in Lydney at 29 Albert Street but died in October 2006?.

Peter further added (August 2012):
"... Mrs Sterry has now been identified after various research. Thanks go to all involved.
Born Millicent May Barnett she was the wife of William Mitchell 'Mitch' Sterry. They lived in Lydney at Templeway and had two sons".

"Mitch was a great-grandson of Richard Sterry 1823 Blakeney - 1894 Lydney, by his second marriage which was to Caroline White. I am a great-great-grandson of Richard by his third marriage which was to Eliza Jay".

"Mitch was a leading light of the silver bands of Lydney and Bream from at least 1930 to 1954 conducting both at times".

"My grandfather Councillor W F Essex played in the Lydney band from 1903 to 1912 and retained an interest until his death in 1961 so he may well have known Mitch and yet Essexes and Sterrys attended Lydney C of E school in his wife's era without apparently realising that they were related to this teacher".

"We also have confirmation that Josie Read in this photo did indeed marry the late Peter Beard and she is still in Lydney. Peter too was a great-great-grandson down from Richard Sterry's third marriage".

Roger Price added (May 2013) "... For Mrs Sterry's relative, I recall Mrs Sterry very vividly. She was my first school teacher. I started at Lydney church school about 1957. She used to say 'upon my word' a lot. I recall her comforting Godfrey Hannan in the photo who came from Kent and cried a lot in his first week. She lived in Templeway, 10 minutes from school and had periods of illness I recall. Met her husband but cannot recall his name".

Linda James added (February 2018): "... I started Lydney C of E school in 1959 the very year of the photo which I appear on. I was 5 years old and remember the names of my classmates which all lived near me in Lydney. I am Linda James and lived in Oxford Street. We were friends with the Jones family Andrew, Colin, Carol and Valerie I remember being partnered with Andrew Jones in Country Dance held in Berry Hill. I moved to Glos in 1967".

David Essex added (August 2021): "... I knew Mrs Sterry at the C of E school, but was never in her class as I arrived there at the age of seven and went into Mrs Pepper's class. I, too, remember the arrival of Clifford and Godfrey Hanham, and became good friends with Cliff. Roger Price probably thinks they were from Kent because they came from Gillingham - but it was actually the one in Dorset, pronounced as it's spelt, not 'Jillingham', Kent".

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