RIP Fr Eric Shorttle

One of the leading figures of life at St Mary’s during the 1960s. Known as ‘Yorkie’, due to his distinctive Teesside brogue, Fr Shorttle arrived at St Mary’s shortly after the move to the new site.

Fr Shorttle was born in Middlesbrough in March 1912 and had become headmaster at the Marist College in Winslade Park, Exeter at the age of 40, in 1952.

He is shown in the 1965 picture above, fourth from the left, along from Neville Wilkinson, Fr John McKeown and, headmaster, Fr Charles Howarth.

His main subject was Physics but he would be better known as the man with the scarier sounding title of ‘Discipline Master,’ a role he inherited from Fr John McKeown.

One of the favourite recollections I’ve heard about Fr Shorttle was him saying that, as a Yorkshireman, he’d often seen sheep looking over wooden gates. He then said he never expected he would ever see more stupid creatures peering at him over wood – “until I walked in here and saw you lads sitting behind your desks!”

 He could be quick-tempered and irascible but many boys also benefited from his pastoral capabilities.

When Fr Graystone started in 1967, Fr Shorttle became his deputy. He died suddenly on 12 April 1971, aged just 59, after which Terry Smith became deputy head.