From the Grammar to Gargieston ….
Many people think the GKS on our school badge stands for Gargieston School, Kilmarnock. This is not the case. It actually stands for Kilmarnock Grammar School – the predecessor to Gargieston, the school which served the Dundonald Road area of Kilmarnock pre 1975. When Grammar closed its doors for the last time in June 1975, the badge moved on to Gargieston and has remained on our uniform ever since.
I had wondered this for a while! I’m enjoying reading about the history of Kilmarnock at the minute and these pages are fab thanks.
Thanks, Gillian. Delighted you are enjoying these pages!
Wow that is really interesting.😀
That is really interesting I was beginning to wonder what the GKS meant on our badges.
Do you have many old photos of Grammar School pupils from 40s and fifties, can only see one……
Hi Anna, thank you for looking at our school history. You’ll see the only one we have is actually one from you. Unfortunately we rely on people giving them to us or that I see on various Kilmarnock history websites, Facebook pages etc. If you have any more, Anna, I’d be only to happy to post them.
I have a large photograph of all the pupils and teachers from the Grammar school from the early 70,s as myself (Primary 1 at the time ) and Gregor Forbes ( Primary 7 at the time) presented the then lollipop man with his retrial gift . I will see if I can find it 👍
That would be great, Gillian! Thank you! I hope you enjoyed looking at our blog.
I think the Grammar School closed in 1972 .My daughter went to the Grammar in 1972 till the Xmas recess and then to the new Gargieston after the holiday.
Hi Thomas, thanks for your interest in our blog. The new school building opened in 1975 – we have the old school records which shows this. Would you like to see page 1? It also lists the staff who started then.
While I remember some classmates I don’t remember many, there were Hugh Martin, John Pollock deceased, Alister Young, David Shedden, and Nan Tarras, ( who I tried to communicate with and would have traveled down to Worksop England to visit, during a return trip back home to Scotland) but she declined suggested we simply with email but no to visiting? I thought what was the point, I thought I had an interest in her and her sister May, for many years I would wonder how the two of them made out in life? There was also a Jim Strachan who emigrated as a young boy to Canada. an Andrew Gibson, Ronald Spiers, a girl named Wilson I don’t remember her Christian name, she and Ronald were the smartest of the class. destined for professional lives. Regards Bill Kelly