Saltley College Guard 1907

These men are from Saltley College Guard and they posed for this photograph in 1907. Saltley Church of England College was a college for teacher training and was latterly known as St Peter’s College. Originally the Worcester, Lichfield & Hereford Diocesan Training College, it was built in open countryside in 1852 around a quadrangle in the Tudor style of an Oxford college and housed thirty students.

The college remained a small all-male community of some 300 students until the mid-1960s when the intake was significantly increased to cope with falling teacher numbers and rising school rolls. The first female students were admitted in 1966. The College closed in 1978.

These men, collectively named as Saltley College Guard are individually named on the back of this photograph as follows:

Back: Pte C Jaquiss, Pte B Sidaway, Pte H J Picken, Pte H B Ducé, Pte T Salmon, Pte G Johnson

Front: Pte A E Jones, Sgt W L Pinder, Cpl A G Stanway, Pte W D Wroe

My basic research fills in the following information about these individuals.

Pte C Jaquiss. Cyril Jaquiss appears on 1911 census as a 26-year-old elementary school teacher with London County Council. Born in Cradley, Worcs; living in Camberwell when census was taken.

Pte B Sidaway. Bertram Sidaway appears on 1911 census as a 22-year-old elementary school teacher, Worcestershire Education Committee; born at Lye, Worcestershire.

Pte H J Picken. Probably Harry Picken, a 23-year-old elementary school teacher living in Wolverhampton and employed by the Borough Council. Born in Shifnal, Shropshire.

Pte H B Ducé. Henry Bedford Ducé, appears on 1911 census as a 22-year-old schoolmaster employed by the Metropolitan Asylum Board; born at Upper Holloway, London. Emigrated to Australia and served as a 2nd Lt with the 32nd AIF, embarking from Adelaide on the 1st November 1915.

Pte T Salmon – nothing further known at present

Pte G Johnson. Possibly George Johnson, a 23-year-old elementary school teacher living at Sparkbrook and working for the Borough Council. Born in Bagnall, Staffordshire. On the same return as Arthur Ellis Jones, below.

Pte A E Jones. Possibly Arthur Ellis Jones, a 23-year-old elementary school teacher living at Sparkbrook and working for the Borough Council. Born in Codsall, Staffordshire. On the same return as George Johnson, above.

Sgt W L Pinder. Possibly William Lever Pinder, a 23-year-old Salvation Army Corps officer when the 1911 census was taken. Born in Wigan, Lancs; enumerated at Poole, Dorset.

Cpl A G Stanway. Arthur George Stanway, a 25-year-old teacher employed by Birmingham City Council when the 1911 census was taken. Born in Dawley, Shropshire, enumerated at Small Heath.

Pte W D Wroe. Lieutenant Wilfred Dent Wroe, 10th Lincolnshire Regiment; KiA 13th October 1915

Information about Saltley College taken from the St Peter’s College website.