Departure of Embo headmaster Mr J G Phimister 1937

Date Added: 05 May 2012 Year: 2012 Institution Name: dnhhl Cat No: ◀ | 2012_015_05 | ▶ Picture No: 11075

Extract from Northern Times 'From our Old Files', article of February 4th 1937 recording the departure of Mr J G Phimister for over 30 years headmaster of the Embo village school

Dimensions: Newspaper clipping

3 Comments

My mother Maryann Mackay (Nee Cumming and known in Embo as Maryann aigh Dannagh) was nanny to Mr Phimister's young children for a few years prior to her marriage. She was a pupil at Embo School under Mr Moyes and then Mr Phimister from 1904 until about 1911. She later worked in Helensburgh and London as a nanny and then went to Canada where she married my father William Alexander Mackay (known in Embo as Willie â€œMâ€). He was also from Embo and also a former pupil of Mr Phimister. Mr Phimister was a kindly but strict man and took his teaching duties very seriously and with little humour. My father often told the story of how he and other village boys were taught signalling with the use of flags and other seamanship skills by Mr Phimister. In the flag signalling lessons Mr Phimister was very impatient with the rate at which the boys were learning this skill. Finally my father, on the encouragement of the other boys, signalled Mr Phimister the message, â€œRome was not built in a dayâ€. Mr Phimister, like Queen Victoria, was not amused. Mr Phimisterâ€™s teaching must have been effective as even into his old age my father could still signal using flags and had little difficulty pointing out stars that were important for navigation at sea. Comment left on 09 June 2012 at 21:20 by Kenneth Mackay

My father, Donald Fraser, and his sister, my Aunt Christina Furnival (nee Fraser, who lived in Detroit, Michigan, and Indianaplis, Indiana, USA), spoke of a Headmaster, Mr. Phimister. I do not remember any details spoken about him, but I clearly remember the name of Mr. Phimister. Comment left on 15 September 2012 at 16:02 by Flora M. Forbes (nee Fraser)

Christina Fraser Furnival (mentioned above) was my grandmother. I also remember her talking about Mr. Phimister. I believe she said he was a widower with a number of small children. My grandmother also mentioned that most of the subjects taught were related to the seamanship ship skills referenced above. At the time she was in school (she was born in 1905) there were not many girls in the school. She did baking and other homemaking tasks for Mr. Phimister. Her father (William Fraser, a fisherman) had her leave school at the age of 12, saying she could learn homemaking skills at home and was needed there. She always regretted that she did not have more formal education. She moved to London to work in service for wealthy families and immigrated to the States. She always spoke fondly of Embo and returned to visit many times. Comment left on 18 June 2016 at 18:08 by Sharon Tipton Andringa Many thanks for your additional information. Administrator

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