MALCOLM Cawthorne can still hum a popular school song by pupils at Barnsley Grammar School when he was a pupil from 1946-1950.

He told us: "We sang it in the hall before classes started in the morning and I knew it off by heart. I would like to know is who wrote it and when did it become the school song?"

Named as Carmen Holdgateianum it went as follows:

"Fortiter occupa portam." pray
What is the English of that?
"Ever be bold the gate to hold" -
There's the translation pat,
That Holgate with -d you used to spell,
Archbishop, is clearly seen;
"Fortiter occupa portam" - say
What is the gate you mean?
Whether young or old that gae we'll hold,
Whatever the gate may be,
Early or late we'll hold the gate,
Whatever the gate may be.
"There's a gate shall ope to a deathless hope,
In the realms beyond the sun,
And an entrance there through its portals fair,
Shall be, when the world is done;
"Tis the gate of the True and of wisdom too,"Tis the gate of the Pure and Free;
Oh ever be bold that gate to hold,
The gate of the World to be."
May young and old that gate all hold,
The gate of the World to be;
Early or late we'll hold the gate,
The gate of the World to be.
Does the song bring back happy memories (or otherwise) to other ex-pupils? If so, why not write and tell us about your memories? Contact Kath Parkin, Barnsley Chronicle, 47, Church Street, Barnsley.