Very few schools have made the transition from intermediate school to a grammar school before finally securing comprehensive status last year (1989).
The school, which depended financially on a maintenance grant and pupil’s fees, was first opened in 1897 after £2000 was raised from public subscriptions. Five pounds was donated by the fun fair which each year visited the town and gave part of its profits to local charities.
St Clears was considered as a possibility for the site of the new school but Whitland was favoured because of its rail junction, which provided better facilities for children from the Taf Valley. It was also central to both Pendine and Cwmbach, which were not served by a railway.
Forty girls were among the 100 pupils admitted, which was very uncommon, because at that time it was not considered necessary to educate girls.
The first entry in the Admissions Register was John Morgan Harries Rees, the son of a Whitland stationer, who in 1908 became a Methodist missionary in India.
Between 1900 and 1910 the average intake of pupils was 30.
The first headmaster was Evan Jones who had previously run the school at its first site at Aeron House near Tabernacle Chapel.
Local history has it that before his appointment as headmaster of the new school he was having trouble with unruly children at Aeron House and in order to secure the post of headmaster he was advised to ‘use a bit more of the cane’.
For the first few years he was assisted by a science master, S.Stephens; a headmistress Miss R.Evans; an arts master W.Jones and a music mistress Miss Cooke.
In 1921 he was succeeded by Davis Stanley Richards, who had previously been a science master at the school. The teachers, who felt the job should have gone to a senior master, walked out in protest at his appointment. However they were eventually persuaded to come back to work after talks with a senior master.
The first extension came in 1912 when the domestic science room was built. Further buildings were put up in 1932, and in 1959 the school hall was built, following criticism, of the lack of this facility, in a school inspector’s report the previous year.
At one time there were several temporary buildings to cope with n influx of children after the girls’ church school in Carmarthen was closed.
The Whitland school started off with four teachers, but at its peak when there were nearly 600 pupils the teaching staff numbered 33.
On the same site as the school there was a senior centre run by Clodwyn Phillips, who now lives in John Street Whitland.
The senior centre, which was linked to the Primary school, catered fro pupils who didn’t come up to grammar school standard. Before it was opened those children would have remained at primary school until they were 15.
The centre closed in 1966 when Ysgol Gryffydd Jones of St Clears was opened.
In 1949 T. Trevor Thomas succeeded D.S.Richards as headmaster. He remained at the school until 1969 when the headship went to E.C.Davies.
The last headmaster of the grammar school was George Bancroft, who was appointed in 1971.When the school turned comprehensive last year ((1989), Dr Keith Davies, a former pupil, was appointed headmaster.
In the last few months several new buildings have been put up to cater for the extra pupils who now attend the school.
Many of the children are currently taught at Ysgol Gyffydd Jones in St Clears, but they will all move to the Whitland campus once building work has been completed.
The former secondary school will then become one of the largest primary schools in the area.
The article (Then and Now No 487) was written by Debbie Bland with thanks extended to George Bancroft for his help in compiling the article and to Mary John of John Street Whitland for the laon of the old photograph.
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