Bedford School Association

Simon Briggs

As we have emerged in 2022 from the pandemic and its effects, we have seen a return to a more normal way of life, and a renewed appreciation for the benefits of community. Each of the constituent members of the Bedford School Association has worked tirelessly to maintain the school community ties, which is a key aspect of life at and after Bedford School. I would like to thank all of those who have contributed their time and efforts throughout the year, and the BSA team for their work in providing direction and support to its constituent members.

Events are at the heart of what the BSA does. Getting back to meeting in person, with the return to physical events - from talks, organised bike rides, coffee mornings or large social gatherings - has been fantastic. Some of our events, such as the OB Careers Fair, have remained online, as we have found that this provides a better environment to enable pupils (both from Bedford and other local schools) to get the most out of the experience.

We have seen an increase in BSA events that are open to all its constituent members, aimed at promoting and maintaining the interaction between them. A great example of this, is our Bedford Networking Event, which gives OBs, and current and past parents, the opportunity to connect and exchange ideas. 2022 has also been the centenary of the Parents’ Guild, and it would be remiss of me not to give special mention and thanks to Bev Hammond, Emily Hudson and the members of the two Guilds, for their hard work organising the Centenary Ball in July - it was a spectacular event!

Whether your connection to the school is present or past, I hope you will have the opportunity to continue or renew your relationship with the community. We’d love to see you!

Simon Briggs (77-82) Chairman, BSA Committee

Past Parents’ Association

The past year has seen the disruption of the pandemic diminish and once again, we have been able to come together as a community to enjoy various events and to mark milestones in both our lives and the lives of those around us.

It has been wonderful to see past parents take the opportunity to engage with the school and re-connect in a variety of ways. In the summer term, a good number returned to celebrate the centenary of the Parents’ Guild at the magnificent ball organised so brilliantly by the two guilds.

A large contingent of the whole Bedford School community joined in to support past parent, John Fordham, who organised a ‘Tour of Bedfordshire’. The group cycled 120 miles around the perimeter of the county to raise funds for local charity ‘Making Me’.

We have seen an increase in numbers of past parents attending our local networking events - enjoying the hospitality offered by Brewpoint, 3 St Peter’s and, most recently, Bedford Rowing Club, whilst making new contacts in a friendly and informal environment.

We are delighted that past parents, as well as their sons, are signing up to Eagle Connect - the BSA community's digital social and business networking hub, set up to enable all members of the wider school community to connect and support one another.

These are just a few of the ways the Past Parents' Association tries to maintain long-term relationships which were established whilst sons were at the school, and to continue to build connections across the community. There are events covering a broad range of interests, with new ideas and formats being developed by the amazing BSA team to keep everyone connected. Thank you to everyone who has supported the Past Parents events and to the BSA team for their tireless hard work and enthusiasm.

Philippa Smith Chairman, Past Parents’ Association

Parents’ Guild Centenary Anniversary 1922 - 2022

2022 has been a memorable year for the Parents’ Guild, one in which we celebrated our Centenary Birthday. The Mothers’ Guild, as it was originally known, was founded on 7th March 1922 with the aim of promoting friendship amongst mothers of boys at Bedford School. The Nearly New shop was formed during World War II when, like everything else, there was a severe lack of uniform for the boys. Today, the shop is still housed at Burnaby Road, as it was then.

Our centenary year of events kicked off with a commemorative chapel service followed by a delicious afternoon tea, which was attended by a mixture of parents and past members of the Parents’ Guild (old and new). It was a wonderful afternoon – where everyone enjoyed reminiscing over Mothers’ Guild events that have been held over the years. Our thanks go to Lesley Harrison, Bedford School Archivist, for her help in finding interesting facts and documents relating to our history.

We have held a variety of events linked to our centenary throughout the year, catering for all interests. In March, we held a drinks reception at the Choral Society Concert and, later, in April, we were also at the Bedfordshire Women in Art Exhibition. The highlight of our year was at the beginning of July, where we joined forces with The Prep Guild to host a Ball for 400 guests, comprising of current and past Bedford School Parents. The Ball was a huge success, with tickets selling out in record time! This was our first large gathering since pre-Covid times, which made it all the more special. Thank you to all those who attended - with a special thanks to the Ball Committee for helping to put on such a spectacular event.

This Autumn will see us end our year of celebrations by hosting past committee members at our final Centenary event –

the School Drama production of Bugsy Malone in collaboration with Bedford Girls School. When the Quarry Theatre was opened seven years ago, the Parents’ Guild donated a sum of £10,000 to help fund the hire and purchase of costumes and, Beverley Hammond therefore, it seems only fitting to invite these members back. We would like to kindly thank ALL parents for their generosity in donating their son’s outgrown school uniform to the Parents’ Guild Nearly New Shop. Without these donations we would not be able to donate funds to projects that benefit all boys in the school. There are too many projects to mention them all; however, it’s worth noting a few examples of how we have funded the boys this year: we donated a sum of £9,000 towards The Parents Partnership program; and we annually donate money towards the Leavers Ball and House Tug of War. The shop opening times can be found on both ClassList and Instagram (see below). I would like to thank the Parents’ Guild committee for all their continued help and support. Additionally, I would like to thank the Parents' Guild Shop volunteers. They are a dedicated team of parent volunteers who work selflessly in laundering, labelling, merchandising and selling uniform on behalf of our school community.

2021-2022 committee members

Please do follow us on Instagram for news on the Guild and Information regarding the Nearly New Shop: @bedfordschoolparentsguild

Beverley Hammond Chair, Parents’ Guild

Bedford School Foundation Trust

School’s Fundraising Charities Merge

For many years, the Bedford School Foundation (‘BSF’) and Bedford School Trust (‘BST’), each of which are separate charities, have supported the school to advance the education of current and former pupils by providing funds, items, services, facilities, and its charitable activities. Some recent examples include the Quarry Lance Feaver Theatre, refurbishment of the Sculpture Studio and the provision of numerous bursaries and scholarships.

As many of the activities of BSF and BST clearly overlapped, a small working group of Trustees from both charities looked into the feasibility of merging the two to create a single combined entity, which would remain independent from the School and the Harpur Trust. The group concluded that by merging the two it would increase visibility of fundraising activities, avoid duplication, streamline the operational processes, achieve meaningful cost savings and strengthen Governance. The proposal was therefore taken to the Foundation’s AGM in June, where the merger was approved by its members. All fundraising for the school will now be through the newly formed Bedford School Foundation Trust. Commemoration of Founders and Benefactors

This year’s Commemoration of Founders and Benefactors of Bedford School was an incredible success, and a fitting homage to those whose generosity and foresight helped create an educational institution that has shaped thousands of young minds over the years.

The event began with a reception in the Recital Hall in the Music School, where guests gathered to enjoy refreshments, and chat with old friends and new acquaintances. From there, attendees moved to the Chapel to watch the formal procession, led by school dignitaries, and featuring academic staff, and boarding pupils. During the service, we heard from the Head Master, James Hodgson, Head of School, Nathanael Lord, and Warden of New College, Oxford, Miles Young (6372). Miles shared his unique insights into the importance of one James Surtees Phillpotts (staff 1875-1903) - in Bedford, as well as in Oxford. Miles’ sermon took us on a historical journey that outlined Phillpotts’ indelible impact on the evolution of the school during his time as Head Master; something that continues to endure today.

Once the Chaplain had brought the service to a close, guests moved to the Great Hall for a delicious lunch. Lance Feaver (69-74) then shared an update on the newly formed Bedford School Foundation Trust, an organisation he will Chair, along with some examples of the impact of philanthropy throughout the estate. The Head Master took to the stage again to share the wonderful news that planning permission has been obtained to create a new academic building on Burnaby Road – a project that will shape the next 100 years of school life, and of which more information can be found on page xxx of this publication.

Many guests remarked that this year’s Commemoration was the best they had ever experienced and, while the unexpected warmth of the day surely contributed to this, it is more likely that this was the first event where the pandemic held no grimly distracting footing. Bedfordians, friends and colleagues were properly back together, remembering those that gave so bountifully so that young men could thrive.

Commemoration of Founders and Benefactors Service Commemoration of Founders and Benefactors Lunch

The Impact of Regular Giving

Our loyal community of OBs, past parents, current parents and friends of the school have continued to support the Foundation throughout the last year, enabling it to help the boys, and the school, by funding both bursaries and scholarships, capital projects, smaller initiatives and through gifts-in-kind. It has been wonderful to be able to see some building projects come to fruition and to welcome our donors back to physical events at the school. Find out more about the Foundation TRUST

The philanthropic generosity of our supporters has a direct impact on the current and future pupils and has a transformative effect on their education.

To find out more about the work of the Foundation Trust, please contact Development director, Vincent Gaten (vgaten@bedfordschool.org.uk).

Lance Feaver (69-74) Chairman, Bedford School Foundation Trust

Regular Giving

Thanks to the generosity of one of the members of our community who donates regularly to the Foundation Trust, the science department was able to purchase some new microscopes. Seen here being used by the Zoology Club, these powerful microscopes will enhance the learning of the boys in science subjects.

A STELLAR YEAR!

The goals and objectives of the Parents' Guild (formerly the Mothers’ Guild) remain largely the same a century after it was founded in 1922, namely to “enable mothers to meet to discuss their difficulties and have experts down to lecture on problems that beset Mothers in the upbringing of their children” and “to promote friendship amongst mothers of boys at Bedford School”. Over the years, the work of the Guild has grown to include supporting not only the mothers (and fathers), but also the wider Bedford town community, the boys, and the school. This year, the Guild provided financial support for the Parent Partnership, an initiative which aims to provide parents with plenty of food for thought and practical guidance to support their sons through the teenage years, helping them to thrive both mentally and academically. I suspect the founding mothers would have been delighted to see their vision formulated so many years ago still as relevant today, as it was then.

The school’s mission is to teach boys to think intelligently, act wisely and be fully engaged in a challenging and changing world. Every day, members of our whole community (Old Bedfordians, current and past parents) are helping to support this through an exhaustive list of activities including the annual careers fair, sixth form lectures, society talks and masterclasses. The Estate Masterplan unveiled by the Head Master in November will see the largest development since we moved to the current estate in 1891. The flagship will be a new, state-of-the-art academic building situated on Burnaby Road, which will be home to subjects and careers of the future - maths, computer science, economics, and business studies. It will also accommodate our community outreach and entrepreneurship hub. These are indeed exciting times for the school, and I would like to thank everyone involved in our community for their help and support in whatever capacity that takes. ■

Hugh Maltby (73-83) Director, BSA and Old Bedfordians Club

ob club

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

I take heart from the spirit and manner in which the school and our Club celebrated the life and service given over seventy years by Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A sad time for all, young and old, but your Club is facing the future in this new reign of His Majesty King Charles III in good shape, with an excellent relationship with the school and a burgeoning set of OB sports activities ranging from Fives to Rugby - For example, it was so good to see this September the boys, OBs and parents all together at a lunch preceding an afternoon of matches against Rugby. Fifteen teams were fielded of which ten were triumphant, two in which honours were even, and three sadly lost!

During my life I have received considerable help overseas from OBs giving me the entrées I needed to conduct my work in countries as far flung as Kenya and China. Indeed, for social reasons as well as work, just to bump into one of “us” through the recognition of our distinctive tie is a pleasure. However, in this time of diminishing formality, I have asked our Executive Committee, through its Chair Craig Mitchell, to look for additional symbols of recognition we might adopt for occasions when ties are no longer widely worn. I have already received a suggestion for consideration from New Zealand and I am sure Craig would join with me in welcoming practical ideas to add to those already submitted of, for example, a more distinctive lapel badge and even socks! Thinking caps on please from both old, and not so old, Bedfordians, including current pupils.

As you will know I, and our hard-working office, are anxious to reinvigorate networking amongst our overseas members. DVPs, please contact the office for help if required. As a small part of this drive, I had the great pleasure this September of meeting up with Peter France (67-73) (see photo) in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and after a most pleasant and entertaining time, presenting him with our tie.

I wish all my OB colleagues and current school pupils a happy and fulfilling upcoming year and look forward to seeing you at the various events the Club has organised for this new Carolean era.

Martin Snaith OBE (53-63) President, Old Bedfordians Club

Chairman’s report

Well, it has been quite a momentous year. Emerging from the global pandemic we have witnessed the invasion of Ukraine, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Lionesses triumphing at the Euros, the end of an Elizabethan era and the Proclamation of a new King. These events have probably affected us all, in some way or another.

Regarding the Old Bedfordians Club, we have been busy developing an Operational Plan to support the Club’s new five-year Strategy (bit.ly/GandSBS). The main focus is on supporting younger OBs. Other areas include increasing the number of Eagle Supporters (subscribing members), engaging with our OB community through the return of physical events and supporting the global DVP network. The Executive Committee and Office Team will be working hard to deliver this strategy and, through it, to help in strengthening our links with the school. We are always working hard to provide all our OBs with a significant range of free benefits, including Eagle Connect, the Careers Fair, Mentoring, University events and, more recently, ShopSt, a discount voucher scheme providing significant savings on your shopping. We don’t ask for much in return, but I would strongly encourage you to consider becoming an Eagle Supporter (bit. ly/EagleSupporter). For a modest subscription, unchanged for over 20 years, you would be assisting us to deliver our strategy and specifically helping those younger OBs as they are starting out at University, embarking on gap years or on their chosen career paths. They are the ones who are likely to benefit the most from your generosity, the proceeds of your subscriptions going directly to support them. They are, after all, the long-term future of the Club. Finally, I would like to wish you all the very best for a merry Christmas and a prosperous and enjoyable New Year.

Craig Mitchell (64-74) Chairman, Old Bedfordians Club

ob events

OB At Home and AGM on Speech Day

https://www.bedfordschool.org.uk/ob-at-home-2022/ We were blessed with glorious summer weather as we welcomed back OBs and guests for the much-anticipated return of the annual ‘At Home’ on Saturday 9h July 2022. The day kicked off with various year group reunions - including 16 OBs from the ’82 and ’83 leavers group - followed by tours of the school, the AGM, a drinks reception and finally, a delicious three-course lunch. Many who had not returned for some time, also commented on how impressed they were by recent developments, with one commenting, “It truly is wonderful to be back. To be standing in the same field I played rugby in as a boy. There is a sense of comfort in seeing that, although things have moved on with the times (as they should), some things have remained constant.”

At Home Lunch

Visiting the Home of the Codebreakers

Members of our community enjoyed a truly fascinating day at Bletchley Park, the home of the WW2 codebreakers. Our guide gave a full and informative tour, telling how the Park came to be set up, its history as the War progressed and the role played by Alan Turing (whose father and uncle were OBs). It was amazing to think that with approximately 9,000 people working there it was still the best-kept secret of WW2!

Networking By the River

Many thanks to members of the Bedford School community for making our BSA Business Networking event a resounding success. OBs, parents and past parents enjoyed drinks and canapés with stunning views of the river from the Bedford Rowing Club terrace.

Hugh Maltby, BSA Director, welcomed guests before giving a brief history of Bedford Rowing Club, where the event was held, and its strong links to Bedford School Boat Club, which is one of the oldest school rowing clubs in the country, having been formed in 1861. We are always on the lookout for possible venues for future events. If you are interested in being a host, please do get in touch with us at obclub@bedfordschool.org.uk, we’d love to hear from you.

After seeing how successful our London OB Networking events had been in helping Old Bedfordians increase their network and meet like-minded people, we thought, “Why not give ALL members of our community, including parents and past parents, this same fantastic opportunity?” The BSA Networking Forums seemed like a natural progression. So far, we have received extremely positive feedback, with many attendees telling us they have made valuable long-term connections. - Hugh Maltby

How to Achieve Your Goals Webinar

Many thanks to Ann Collins (Staff 96-99 and 02-05) (previously Miss Ridley) for hosting a truly thought-provoking coaching webinar. Ann, who works with leaders to help them realise their “impossible” goals, gave participants a little peek into the world of leadership coaching with a one-hour interactive webinar. With five key strategies, she walked everyone through how to start building on their personal strengths and the resources they already have and how to shift their thinking in order to become the next best version of themselves.

“Knowing how to maximise our own resources and take courageous steps forward is nothing short of life-changing! I so enjoyed seeing some familiar faces and connecting with some new OBs too - I’d like to thank them for coming along and for participating so actively.” Ann Collins

If you missed the event and would like to find out more, please visit www.anncollinscoaching.com

District vice president events

We are extremely fortunate to have a fantastic

network of District Vice Presidents (DVPs) who volunteer as OB Club representatives both in the UK and throughout the globe. Not only do they act as local contacts who can provide advice to visiting OBs, but many also organise local gatherings. We are always on the look up for proactive individuals who would like to act as our local representatives, so please do get in touch if you would like to be involved.

Contact details of all our current volunteer DVPs are available online bit.ly/DVPBedford

New DVP - Cambridgeshire

We are pleased to welcome Michael Kish (51-58) to our team of DVPs. Whilst studying at Bedford School, Michael’s main interests were in the Sciences, to support his desire to join the family baking business - fondly remembered by OBs for the supply of doughnuts and cream buns at morning break! This was followed by a food science degree obtained at Cambridge.

Michael lives in Ely with his wife Danusza. With their daughters having flown the nest and no time for retirement, he now owns his own company, doing what he loves, manufacturing products for the Model/Hobby market.

Michael and Danusza, kindly hosted their inaugural gathering in Ely, Cambridgeshire on Thursday 20th October. A delightful evening was had by all, with those unable to attend, due to other commitments, keen to know of forthcoming events planned for February & April 2023. Please keep an eye on our events calendar for further details.

Singapore DVP gathering

OBs in Singapore enjoyed gathering for dinner and drinks on 20th of October. The evening was kindly organised by DVP for the area, Russell de Chernatony (98-03) who said,

“We had a fantastic evening, with two new OBs joining us (James Hutchison (82-86) and Adrian Loh (86-88)). Both had been in Singapore a while and reached out to join, which was great!”

As ever, all OBs moving to or passing through Singapore are warmly invited to these events. Please do reach out to Russell (Russell. DeChernatony@thebodyshop.com) who is always very keen to host and meet up.

 Chukkas and Divots - Gloucestershire and Somerset

OBs and guests enjoyed a few chukkas at Cirencester Park Polo Club, the oldest Polo Club in the country. The gathering was kindly organised by DVP for Gloucestershire and Somerset, Mark Howson (65-74), and Tom Kidman (61-66). During lunch, Tom gave a fascinating talk about the history of the Club, the origins of the game and its rules and etiquette. Following lunch in the Ivy Lodge Restaurant, a spacious and comfortable converted Nissen Hut, left behind by the Canadians from WW2, guests went out to watch the semi-finals of The Kingscote Cup match.

Chapel Choir Tour - Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire

This year, the school’s Chapel Choir returned to the iconic Salisbury Cathedral, having previously toured there in 1991, performing the role of choir in residence. Members of the OB community congregated in the nave to listen to the choral evensong sung by the choir. Pieces included ‘Evening Canticles’ by Richard Shephard and ‘A New Song’ by Sir James Macmillan.

Following the service, DVP for Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire, Paul Mantell (66-71), kindly organised a gathering in a local hostelry for OBs and their partners. All reflected on the exceptionally high quality of the choir, which included current pupil, Alexander Olleson, who was named BBC Young Chorister of the Year in 2020.

NEWS OF OLD BEDFORDIANS

 Graeme Pagan (49-53) has published his second book “Don’t Mention The Coal Scuttle” which is a compilation of over fifty real stories from those facing the death of a loved one. Graeme hopes that sharing these genuine experiences will be very helpful for others facing what is undoubtedly one of life’s worst happenings. Humour plays a very important part in life and the book has many amusing moments. It has been said that somehow you can carry on in life even without your loved one if you can talk, laugh and cry.

Peter Shortell (49-57) recalled the events at school on the day King George VI died in 1952. It was a normal school day until, at the end of the morning lessons, they heard a Long Bell, which called the Upper School to the Great Hall. The Head Master made a brief announcement that King George VI had died, and that Queen Elizabeth II was now the reigning monarch. There was some disappointment at not getting the half-day holiday mingled with a feeling that something momentous had just happened!

 Simon Murray CBE (49-58) took the opportunity on a visit to Bedford in May to pop into the Library to sign a copy of his new book ‘Nobody Will Shoot You if You Make Them Laugh’, which tells his extraordinary life story from an orphanage in Leicester via the French Foreign Legion, to becoming one of the most successful businessmen operating out of Hong Kong.  Criminologist, Dr John MacLeod (53-59), has published his second book ‘Testing Criminal Career Theories in British and American Longitudinal Studies’, which is based on measures of the probability of reoffending and the frequency of offending. John is a Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Criminology, Cambridge.

 Mike Green (50-59) was delighted to be invited by the ECB to their executive box at Lord’s, to mark his 50 years of service to cricket, as a member of the Bedfordshire CCC committee, and was amazed to be congratulated by name by former Prime Minister Sir John Major!

 Michael Evison (51-59) enjoys meeting up with Colin Fleming (4859) from time to time. Colin lives on Vancouver Island and Michael in West Vancouver. Both are in their 80s and still able to stand up straight, enjoy lively conversation and, of course, the occasional glass of wine or pint of beer!

 Andrew Randall (61-66) held a Pre-War Car Party at the Tunbridge Wells Constitutional Club in May. Present were l-r

Bill Macnay (60-68), Dick Charnley (59-70), Stuart Wilkinson (59-66), Howard Dingwall (64-69), Peter Burns (59-66) and Andrew

 Martin Lawley (66-69) recently reconnected with old school friend Phil (John) Secretan (66-71) and convinced him to return for a visit. 51 years after leaving, Phil returned and bumped into the son of another of his old school friends, Paul Vann (66-70). Paul’s son, Henry (99-04), is a teacher at the school and Master in Charge of Fives, a sport that Phil thoroughly enjoyed playing during his  l-r Phil, Henry and Martin time at the school. 

 John Witherow (65-70), the Editor of The Times, has stepped down after a decade in charge, to become Chairman of Times

Newspapers.

 Warden of New College, Oxford, Miles Young (63-72), took time out of his busy schedule to give the IB students in the Lower Sixth a fantastic, guided tour of the college, which included an exclusive visit to the Warden’s lodgings and garden, as a part of their Theory of Knowledge course.

 Richard Joyce (64-73) returned to visit the school with his wife, Angela, in August. Richard has fond memories of his time at Bedford and, after reading Chemistry at university, went on to work at Wellcome, which became GlaxoSmithKlein.

 Author Jonathan Pinnock (63-73) has written a new book. Last Chance in Vegas is the latest title in the Mathematical Mystery series, starring disaster-prone Tom Winscombe. Jonathan is also the host of the, It’s Lit But Is It Funny?, podcast, which takes a critical look at one of the most neglected genres in literature: the funny book.

 Nigel Wilson (64-74) has published his first book, 'Has My French Love Affair Been Crushed?' is a collection of anecdotes about his relationship/ love affair with France over the past 50 years.

Ali Malek KC (68-74) was awarded the Commercial Litigation Silk of the Year at The Legal 500 Bar Awards 2022. In the Commercial Litigation rankings, Ali is described in the directory as, “A heavyweight. Ali talks and judges listen”.  Hugh Lloyd-Williams (68-77) tackled the notorious Devil’s Tower in the Black Hills in Wyoming, somewhere he had intended to visit since first introduced to it in David Money’s (staff 47-78) Geography classes. Perhaps not the ideal subject for a first attempt at ‘crack’ climbing!

 A large number of OBs joined to say a final farewell to friend and colleague Roddy

Caxton-Spencer (73-

78) at his Memorial Service and afterwards at Draper Hall. OBs included l-r Hugh Maltby (73-83), Boz Shannon (69-78), Bob Palmer (68-78), Simon Bradshaw (73-78), Brenda Roberts (staff 06-13),

Jason Leonard and David Marson (74-81)

Managing Director of British Interiors brand, Fired Earth, Toby Lousada (70-81) is delighted to collaborate once again with Marks & Spencer to create an exclusive collection of soft furnishings with their Paris and Marrakech ranges.

 Following in the footsteps of some of the School’s greatest aviators, such as Claude Grahame-White (1892-96), Roger Marks (71-82) and Julian Hilton-Johnson (79-82) recently flew into a sunny Old Warden for the inaugural meeting of the OB Flying Club. After a jovial lunch with Club Director, Hugh Maltby (73-83), both headed off into the clouds … leaving Hugh to cycle home alone.

Both are keen to encourage other OBs, who have their own aircraft to join them at future events. Do please get in touch if you would like to join them.

 Following on from the 2021 Annual Dinner Richard LysterBinns (77-82) arranged a get together for fellow 1982 leavers at his home at The Kestrel Inn, near Crickhowell, Powys. ’82 leavers included Athol Hendry (72-82), Ed Allen (72-82), Barry Tiffen (80-82), Chris Bell (73-82), Simon Smith (7782) Jon Dobson (77-82), Jamie Myers (77-82) and James

Bardner (78-82)

In Vaughan William’s anniversary year, Andrew Manze (7582) and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales performed his majestic, A Sea Symphony, alongside musical seascapes by Grace Williams and Doreen Carwithen, at the Royal Albert Hall in July.

Richard Galley (72-82) gave a warm welcome to members of the Gordon Highlanders Association when they visited Bedford recently. In 1915, Bedford played a significant role in the Scottish Highland Division’s preparations for active service in the first nine months of World War I. Richard has extensively researched the Highlanders' time in Bedford and has a wealth of information and photos.

 Simon Briggs (77-82) cycled the 300-mile King Alfred Way in 3 days. The circular off-road adventure route, through 10,000 years of history, connects some of England’s most iconic sites, including Stonehenge, Avebury stone circle, Iron Age hill forts, Farnham Castle, and Winchester and Salisbury Cathedrals.  DVP Chris

Sansome (78-83)

got together with Ted Shorrock (44-50) in Auckland for a pint or two, when Harry Jackson (05-16) and

Adit Shah (09-16)

were travelling round New Zealand in the summer.

 David Jones (73-83) met up with James Woodrow (74-84) on the touchline when their sons were in opposing teams in the Colts match v Oundle (narrow Bedford win!). They had been a year apart at Bedford and then James followed David to Magdalen College, Cambridge before spending over 30 years in the Far East.

 The USA Northwest OB reunion has grown by 200% in the past year when 3 OBs met up in June in Seattle. OBs in Washington State, do get in touch with DVP Mark Davies (78-83) to increase numbers for the next one! L-r Matthew Izzard (79-88), Colin Rowe (85-90) and Mark.

 Martin Bayfield (80-85) has published a book, A Very Tall Story, a hilarious and, at times, moving and soul-searching account of rugby union’s rollercoaster days in the 1990s. Martin has also been on tour this

Autumn from as far afield as Edinburgh to

Exeter, in conversation with other Rugby

Legends

 Chris Anderson (7585) returned to the school in August to drop off an oar that was presented to his grandfather at Henley Royal Regatta in 1918. His grandfather, William F Anderson (1912-18), was in the 1st VIII who raced against Eton and Shrewsbury, with Bedford School coming 2nd.

 Matthew Garner (76-86) took the opportunity to get together with fellow ’86 leavers at the Bedford Regatta in May. L-r Nick Stillwell (81-86), Garry Stanley (80-84), Andrew Murphy (75-86), Dr Richard Young (79-86) & Matthew.

 Professor Oliver Pybus (8792), Vice Principal for Research and Innovation at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), for his outstanding contribution to excellence in science.

 Writer and Producer Leon Butler (83-92) has become engaged to IT Sales Account Executive Keely Dean. The couple met in Chelsea at a film launch party and plan to get married in 2023.

 On 24th June, OB golfers Tom

Langley-Poole (96-06), Iain Pratt (83-93) and Colin Beesley

(90-98) took on the Longest Day Golf Challenge at Piltdown Golf Club, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Teeing off at 6am, 10am, 2pm and 6pm, they completed four rounds of golf in a single day: the equivalent of nearly a marathon, and in excess of 50,000 steps.

London’s Chelsea is to get a Basque-inspired gastro pub, King’s House on the King’s Road, overseen by 2010 MasterChef winner Dhruv Baker (89-94). Dhruv has teamed up with ex-Ledbury chef, Ben Floyd, to come up with a British/Basque menu.

 Fred Drew (90-95), his wife Charlotte and their daughters Lexi and Mimi, visited the school in June. They had travelled from their home in Melbourne, Australia to visit the UK and Europe for a month. Former school Chaplain, Canon Dr Brian Rees (staff 85-97), was delighted to conduct the service in the chapel in April for the wedding of Georgina Culley, daughter of former Bursar Lt Col Howard Culley (staff 86-07). It was to be Howard’s final visit to Bedford before his sad death in June and a fitting highpoint to his association with the school.

Adam Perkins (90-97) is looking forward to meeting up with New York DVP, Vivake Bhalla (87-93), when he starts his new position with PwC in the Autumn.

 William Vann (95-00) became a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians in July. He is seen here with a Past Master of the Company, Andrew Morris (Director of Music 1979-2011).

 During his visit to Nigeria for the UK Boarding Schools Exhibition, Prep School Headmaster, Ian Silk, met with Mubarak Gambo (96-03), who is living in Abuja and is Managing Partner for Intel Cost Associates, a Quantity Surveying and Construction Cost Consultancy Service.

 In June, Tom Baker (94-04) organised a 15-day tour for his parents, Colin (staff 79-16) and Jackie Baker, to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia to hike in the Caucasus Mountains, walking at over 5000m and, at its closest, only 8 miles from the Russian border. Unable to fly over Ukraine, they stopped over in Budapest and Warsaw, cities with wonderful cultural and heritage sites, with remarkable interlocking histories of conflict and comradeship. Blessed with exceptionally good weather, the mountain scenery was breath-taking.

 Adam Park (97-05) and his wife Jeanne are proud to announce the birth of their son, Sebastian, in June 2022.

 Rhys Ford (98-07), Sam Morel (99-07), Angus Gill (06-15) and Hadley Eames (04-14) ran the 'Challenge for Ophelia', a gruelling 4 miles, every 4 hours, for 48 hours - from Great Ormond Street Hospital to Keech Hospice. In 2020, Ophelia, the 5-month-old daughter of Rhys and Hannah Ford, was diagnosed with an incredibly rare genetic disease, known as Canavan disease. Currently there are no treatments for Canavan nor is it very well known as an illness. The challenge was created in the hope of spreading the word of the condition and raising money for Keech Hospice, who support children with terminal illnesses and their families.

l-r Angus, Hadley, Rhys and Sam

Reconstructive and Burns Surgeon, Dr Janak Bechar (0007), is raising money for a Primary School he visited whilst attending a conference in South Africa. The school, in a deprived area of Durban, has been targeted by criminals and Janak is raising money and awareness for their plight.

 Simon and Audrey Bannister (01-07) are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter, Amber, on the 18th August 2022.  Sam Morel (97-07) married former DAHS pupil, Sophie Gerlach, in May. OBs at the wedding included Best Man Rhys Ford (98-07), Master of Ceremonies, Doug Worboys (98-09), Ushers Dan Algar (98-09), Kishan Patel (98-09), and Dan Jackson (03-09), and Will Rosser (98-09), Matt Gerlach (97-08), Will Knight (98-09), Elliot Cross (07-09), Sean Goodman (02-09), Alex Schoenenberger (00-09), Sam Heath (98-09), Harry Beale (98-09), Tom Whitehouse (9809), Ryan Hudson (00-09), Will Wilkinson (04-09), Bhavesh Panchal (98-09), Alan Prescott Brann (85-95), Courtney Batson (99-08), and Eddie Parkin (12-14).

l-rt: Will Rosser, Kishan, Doug, Dan Algar, Sam, Rhys and Dan Jackson.

 Paris based Area Manager in Travel Retail for L’Oreal, Mark Girven (02-08), married Emanuela Achelles, in Ithaki, Greece, in August. Alex Wakely (96-07) was Best Man.

 Will Owen (01-08) married Tara Osborne in Sydney, Australia, in April 2022. They met in Brisbane before moving to Sydney where Will is a Senior Global Strategy Manager with Xero. Their two year old daughter, Matilda, was a bridesmaid and brother Rich (01-08) was an usher.

 Kenneth Leung (03-08) visited the school with his wife, Evania, in July, from his home in Hong Kong, where he is an Associate with DLA Piper. Pianist, Kenneth couldn’t resist the lure of the Grand Piano in the Music School and gave a quick performance!

 Dr Harry Beale (98-09) got engaged to Eloise Liddell whilst on holiday in Pembrokeshire. The couple met at Oxford University where Eloise was studying History and Harry medicine. Harry is currently a Trauma & Orthopaedic Registrar whilst Eloise is an Account Director with Gray. They plan to marry in summer 2023.

 Alex Phillips (00-09) married Rebecca Lally, in Maidenhead in September 2022. The couple met first met when Alex was working in Guildford in the Video Games Industry and Rebecca was working in HR for a financial company. They are about to embark on the next chapter of their lives when they move to California in early 2023, where Alex has a new post working for Activision Blizzard.

 When Tolu Omotoso (07-10) was visiting the UK from his home in Canada, he met up with David Adesida (07-13) and the pair were delighted to see their Prep School teacher, Simon Lincoln (94-96), when they came back to the school. Tolu is currently studying marketing at Dalhousie University, New Brunswick, whilst David has recently finished a Law degree at Lancaster.

l-r Ben Greenwood (97-08), Rebecca, Alex and Shawn Phillips (staff 1995-)

 Account Executive Tom Rossdale (06-11) married solicitor Rachel Girven (DAHS), in June. OBs at the wedding included Rachel’s brother, Mark Girven (02-08).

 Marketing Manager for UK Finance, Tom Bingham (02-11), became engaged to Claudia Smith, an Associate at Heather Smith Commercial, in September. The couple met whilst at Nottingham Trent University and plan to marry in 2024.

 Geoff Cheung (06-15) has been appearing in the Prime Video reality dating show, Lovestruck High, that transports 15 UK singles to a very special American High School setting for a second chance at finding love. Will Geoff secure a date to the prom and be named prom royalty?

 Harry Jackson (05-16) and Adit Shah (09-16) drove from Auckland to Queens Town, NZ over the summer. Some highlights included seeing the All Blacks lose to Argentina, skydiving, walking up Mount Cook and visiting Hobbiton. They took the opportunity to contact a number of OBs whilst there including Richard Brown (69-76) on his vineyard, Tironui Estate in Hawks Bay – great vintage! Adit, who is working for a tech start-up in London, has finally completed his Gold D of E by submitting the expedition write-up just a week before the deadline cut-off!

Jake Duxbury (11-16) returned to school in October to speak at the Languages/International Careers evening. Jake had spent a year working in Madrid as a Criminal Law and Legal Translation Intern before joining Slaughter & May as a paralegal and will be joining Dentons as a trainee Solicitor.

 Having appeared as Freddy Eynsford-Hill in the London Coliseum’s production of, My Fair Lady, Tom Liggins (12-17) is thrilled to have been chosen to continue the role during the UK and Ireland tour.

 Congratulation to Evan Case (09-18) who has graduated from Warwick University with a Master's degree in mechanical engineering.  Bruce Xiang (17-18), Arron Bian (16-20) and Harris Pan (17-19) took the opportunity to visit Bedford and the school in August.

 Old Bedfordians and past parents (PP) had a good turnout for the Tour of Bedfordshire cycle event in September, cycling 120 miles round the perimeter of the County to raise funds for the mental health charity, “Making Me”. OBs included Matt Fordham (07-18), Joe Fordham (08-19), David Pinkney (7889) and Hugh Maltby (73-83)

  Congratulations to

Tom Holland (08-19)

who graduated with a First in Philosophy and English from Warwick University. Tom is currently working as a Procurement Administrator for NHS London Procurement Partnership.

 Silas Sanders (13-19) (Cambridge), Tom Arnold (18-20) (Guildhall School of Music & Drama), Archie Young-Lee (07-18) (Royal Northern College of Music & Drama) and Tom Gulliver (06-17) (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) returned to the school in September, in person and online, as part of the Adrian Boult Society, to talk about their experience of studying Music and Music Technology at University.

University of Warwick History and Politics graduate, Enoch Mukungu (09-19), has started his new position as Assistant News Editor at ITV News.

 Music Scholar, Alex Watson (10-19), visited the school in July and was delighted to bump into a few of his old teachers including Bjorn Bantock, Thom Rooke and Joss Sanders. Alex is in his final year at the Royal Northern College of Music studying Composition.  Joe Young (13-20) and Henry

Poppleton (15-20)

visited the school in September. Both are keen musicians and Joe had performed at one of this year’s summer concerts in the Music School. His final school concert in 2020 was pulled due to COVID and he wanted to ‘close the door’ on that chapter of his school career.

 Lucas Inman (15-20) spent 2 months this summer at Capital Camps through the Camp America programme, as one of the Sports Counsellors, in charge of 11 and 12 year olds. In his spare time, he was able to travel to Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia and NYC, taking the opportunity to watch three live baseball games, including Boston Red Socks, and spend a day at the horse racing track. On his way home, he visited San Diego, LA, SFC and Sequoia National Park. It was such an amazing experience, he is tempted to sign up for next year!

 Harry McPhail (11-20) and Ed Blythman (09-20) were very proud to attend Buckingham Palace to receive their Gold Duke of Edinburgh awards.

 It’s always great to see old friends reunite by the side of the 1st XV pitch. L-r Ben Barnes (12-21), Will Barnes (11-19), Joe Fordham (08-19) and Matt Fordham (07-18) took the opportunity of the 1st XV fixture v Rugby School in September to return to the school.

Dylan Swain (11-22) took part in the Bedfordshire Youth Opera’s production of Sweeney Todd in September. Dylan played Anthony, termed as the ‘sole spotless person within the narrative’.  Following on from his win in the Colts category of the 2022 Beretta World English Sporting Championships, clay pigeon shooter, Darcy McBride (17-22), has been awarded a TEAMBrookes Sport Scholarship at Oxford Brooks for 2022-23.

 Ellis Morgan (17-22) is enjoying life at Rollins College, Florida, and has been relishing the challenge as a rookie Freshman, fighting for a spot on the soccer team amongst a squad of 37.

PARTICIPANTS IN THE LONDON MARATHON 2022

We were delighted to hear from a number of OBs who took part in the London Marathon in October 2022. These are a few of those who sent in a photo – we know there will be many more!

Dane Moore (02-07) running for Cardiac Risk in the Young, in memory of Rob Worboys (98-07) Ant Scott (00-10) running for Utange Orphans Charity

Phil Barnes (06-15) running for Mind l-r Harry Lanz (06-15), Charles Seamark (06-15), Matt Malindine (06-15),

Philip, James Winder (06-15) and Josh Wellington (06-15)

Jonathan Kane (5158) who came 2nd in his age group – 80+ James Maltby (03-13) running for Sue Ryder Charlie Esam (02-13) running for Contact

LIFE-CHANGING BUSINESS

We recognise that a Bedford education is a significant financial investment, and one that not all families are able to afford. Throughout the school’s history, generous benefactors have enabled us to provide bursaries - opening up a world of opportunities to talented boys who may otherwise be unable to attend the school, and give them the best possible start in life. "When bursary pupils join the school, it is the right time for them to gain the skills and confidence to be able to reach their full potential through their later schooling years, and indeed in life beyond school. There is no doubt that bursaries enrich the experience of every single pupil in the school; indeed, the entire Bedford community benefits.” James Hodgson, Head Master

We are often reminded that some of the greatest examples of accomplishment and progress - in academic, artistic, dramatic, sporting, and musical terms - come from those who, without financial support, would not otherwise be able to come to the school.

Leroy Knowles (92-97) was the recipient of just such a bursary which, in his own words, was life-changing. He had spent time in the foster care system with no guidance or role models from the community within which he lived. His mother worked tirelessly holding down two jobs, but often the payday lenders and bailiffs could be found entering the home and taking what few possessions they had left. Unfortunately, life for Leroy was going one way, the wrong way, with few opportunities and no way of stopping the downward spiral. His elder siblings had all left school without taking any qualifications, a path he was destined to follow.

He describes how growing up in poverty can affect all aspects of a child’s development, whether socially, educationally, or personally. Those who come from these backgrounds are less likely to go to university and more likely to suffer mental health issues. They need someone to guide them, care for them, look out for them and rescue them from following the wrong path. Without a father-figure present, there are often others who may provide this guidance, demonstrate an understanding of the circumstances, and offer one-to-one support.

Leroy was fortunate that, at the age of twelve, there were people who showed an interest in him, believed in him, and put him on the right path to fulfil his potential. A sports teacher laid out a path which would eventually lead him from poverty to the highest A-Level grades, eventually securing a place at Oxford University before having a successful career in investment banking. The teacher made clear that he was capable of more and put his name forward for Bedford School, in the hope that the school would grant a full bursary. In the run up to the exam, Leroy was given his first piece of homework to prepare for the assessment. His test scores demonstrated that he had potential if he had access to the correct teaching. The school saw that Leroy was a talented individual with great potential and offered him a full bursary.

Following the euphoria of accepting a place, he did not initially join the school. On the first day of term, he avoided the school in the belief that he did not fit the normal stereotype associated with an independent school. In his own mind, he was not “rich, white, or eloquent enough to attend such an establishment” where he was sure that he would feel uncomfortable, vulnerable, and out of place. The registrar at Leroy Knowles the time refused to let Leroy fifth form 200m turn down the opportunity and continuously phoned his mother to encourage a visit to reassure him that his fears were misplaced. The visit replaced fear with excitement and soon he was meeting boys from other ethnic minorities, some of whom were also on full bursaries. The school funded his uniform and, the next day, he was in lessons. Bedford School rightly had high expectations and continued to invest in and support Leroy throughout his time there and, later, at university.

“Thanks to a bursary, I was able to attend Bedford School. I believe this education provided me with three main benefits: First, the inspiring, down to earth, and supportive ethos of the school, which filters down to the individual teachers. Secondly, access to amazing sporting facilities, highly qualified coaching staff and opportunities for consistent participation and leadership in a variety of sports. Lastly, and most importantly, the house system and tutor system at Bedford gave me lifelong friends. I would definitely encourage anyone considering supporting Bedford’s scholarship and bursaries programme. Without both being available at Bedford, there will be many capable and talented boys who will not be able to access all that Bedford has to offer.” Leroy Knowles

Leroy, who is now an Associate Governor at the school, was our guest of honour at Speech Day (2021); and shared his inspirational journey to Bedford School and beyond, giving the 2021 leavers some invaluable advice, ”Whatever you decide to do next in your life - be courageous, be brave and be good men.” He is passionate about using his experience to give back to others and now enjoys mentoring those from poorer socio-economic backgrounds to help them reach their potential. In 2020, he was nominated as a Top 10 BAME inspirational leader in the UK by the Ethnicity Awards. He is a shining example of why bursaries matter and make a real difference to lives, opening opportunities up to those who would not ordinarily be given the chance. ■

If you would like to find out how you can support the school’s bursaries programme, please get in touch with our Development Director, Vincent Gaten, at VGaten@bedfordschool.org.uk

Enterprise at Bedford School

Entrepreneurialism is a trait that we are actively trying

to instil in our pupils, in their business exploits, and their lives in general. Entrepreneurs take risks, work hard, look for creativity and innovation, embrace change, and solve real-world problems. They are typically highly driven individuals who can see opportunities where others see only challenges. Over the coming years, we will be working hard to thread entrepreneurialism through every aspect of our curriculum to help our boys become driven, dedicated, and fearless young men.

The OB community is already rife with successful entrepreneurs, carving their chosen professional routes at different stages of their careers. It is these talented individuals who we hope will teach us how to instil the entrepreneurial mindset we believe our boys need to thrive in a challenging and changing world.

Q & A with Four Marketing Director, Ben Banks (77-87)

After leaving Bedford School, in 1987, Ben headed straight onto the management training scheme at Harrods, where he cut his teeth in the fashion industry. He subsequently joined a menswear luxury brand wholesale business, a further job change followed and, in 1997, along with three others, Ben founded Four Marketing Limited. The London-based company has grown into the UK’s most influential 360° fashion business, with over 200 employees and customers across the whole of Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Asia

Ben also has significant experience in mentoring young businesses and designers in the clothing and retail sectors, working closely over the years with the British Fashion Council and their sponsors.

Tell us a bit about your career / what you do?

I am the group CEO of the Four Marketing Group which works closely with brand partners. The business undertakes wholesale sales, brand distribution and retail (both physical stores and e-commerce) as a franchise partner, mainly in the UK. In addition to this, we own the women’s lingerie brand, Agent Provocateur.

What inspired you to start your business?

I’d say it was more a set of circumstances that came together at the right time. I was working with three other guys when an opportunity arose in the business we were in, which was in financial difficulty. This enabled us to start our own business and work with some of the brands that we were responsible for in that business at the time. It was as much about a set of opportunistic circumstances as it was any clever plan. It was a moment in time where all we had to do was be brave enough to leave our reasonably well-paid jobs and commit to the fact that we might not earn any money - certainly not for the foreseeable future.

How old would you have been at the time?

I was 27.

What challenges did you face at the beginning of your journey and how did you overcome them?

I think the early challenge was funding the business because we had to buy and sell stock. This meant we had to find funding to buy the stock in order to sell it to create the margin which would then enable us to pay the rent and staff.

The other challenge I faced was in going from being friends and colleagues to business partners with the people I started the business with. You must learn to adapt some of your behaviours and create more formality around how you behave amongst yourselves. I’d say that’s a sizeable challenge and probably one that you never fully overcome or, at least, one I don’t think we ever fully overcame.

Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would do differently if you were to start over?

There’s one decision which stands out. We had a business called Oki-Ni.com, which did brand collaborations with famous brands such as Adidas, Levi’s, Paul Smith. I remember that we had a meeting where I wanted to move away from collaborative product and buy and stock product already created by those brands. We didn’t have a consensus on that because it was not the founding principle concept of our business. That proved to be the wrong direction - we should have pivoted the business and I regret not being more forceful about my personal point of view at that point in time. It’s not to say that I would have been proven right, but it’s a very important recollection I have of a moment in time.

What advice would you give someone who is trying to become an entrepreneur?

You have to be brave, single minded, do your research and ultimately you can’t be afraid of failure. That’s easy to say and I think a lot of people would like to say they’re not afraid, when they probably are. I think, especially in this country, failure is held against you. In certain other countries, especially in the USA, it is often all part of a journey to success. Whereas I think, in the UK, we use failure as a stick to hit people with. If you take the school values for example, they’re all about giving it your best, trying your best and accepting that sometimes you can learn from failing. You’ll see that there’s a lot of entrepreneurs who failed before they were successful and similarly, there’s entrepreneurs who have been successful, then tried again and failed. That is how difficult it can be.

I also think that picking your moment, making sure you have a suitable level of experience before you start something on your own, is important.

What daily habits do you use to help you succeed?

I try to get into the office early before anybody else, which gives me time to prepare myself quietly for the day ahead. That’s something which is particularly important to me. I also think that you have to make sure that you create gaps in your day for time to reflect and re-prepare - this is something I wish I was better at doing. Time management is an incredible skill that comes naturally to some people and not so much to others.

I would also say that, in today’s world, being able to ‘decouple’ yourself from your devices - having the ability to not always answer your phone or react to every message immediately - is useful because these things can be a huge distraction when you’re trying to focus. Finding topics and focusing very intensely one topic at time, without distractions, can be very useful.

What do you feel are the key characteristics for being a successful entrepreneur?

Determination - I think that’s the word. You need to be determined because sometimes things happen by accident, by luck, but determination helps to drive success. There’s a famous golfing expression, “The harder I practice, the luckier I get”, and I think the same is true of determination - it’s an absolute driver.

Another important factor to consider is to select who you’re going to listen to for advice and try not to be too easily blown off course. Listening to too many people can be detrimental, whilst listening to nobody can also be a mistake. It’s about balance.

What plans do you have for the future?

Continuing to understand being a sole CEO without any of my partners of 20 to 25 years besides me. For the medium to long term future of the business, leading Agent Provocateur into significant profitability is an important part of the plan. From a long-term strategy point of view, trying to acquire more ownership of brands.

What is your fondest memory from your time at Bedford School?

Too many to mention, too old to remember, however, I cherish the longstanding friendships I made at school. Friendships that still exists today. ■

Bishop Fund Helps OB Through Pandemic

Stephen Lewis Elms (95 -03), who also goes by the stage name Silvar Laidlow, is a performing and recording artist based in the Northeast of England.

During his time at Bedford School, Stephen tragically lost his mother, Sheina Elms, a well-known fashion designer in the town. Sheina had left behind a large box of fabric that had sat

 We were thrilled to welcome Stephen and his fiancé back

to the school. Stephen hadn’t been back since leaving over 19 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed not only retracing his footsteps but also seeing the new developments, including the

‘new’ Music School, which was completed in November 2005.

gathering dust in the loft of Stephen’s family home. When his father, George Elms, suddenly passed away in 2018, Stephen found her box amongst other possessions and decided to take it back to his home in Newcastle, where it remained.

When the pandemic hit, Stephen faced immense struggles, having had his booked 100-date tour cancelled. Panic began to set in at the realisation that he and his fiancée Sharna no longer had an income and were falling through the cracks of

government support. This prompted Stephen to approach The Old Bedfordians Club who pointed to its Bishop Memorial Fund – a fund which was set up to help OBs in times of financial hardship or distress. The fund prides itself on turning round applications at speed and, within a week, he received a grant which helped him get back on his feet and, ultimately, get through the pandemic.

The money enabled him to purchase a heat press and two sewing machines and, along with his fiancée, he started producing face masks, initially, with the fabric from his mother’s box. His company flourished during the pandemic, whilst demand was high, and, at its peak, made customised masks for Chris Moyles, Slimming World and Dr Hilary Jones.

“The grant we received from the Bishop Memorial Fund really was our saving grace, enabling us to get through the pandemic. We were then able to return to making music and touring once again as things slowly returned to normality.”

Stephen became aware that the pandemic was leading to many children struggling with their mental health. He decided to draw from his own personal experience in overcoming the challenges he had faced to provide support for children in schools throughout the UK - using his stories as inspiration and motivation. Since they began their campaign in November 2021, he and Sharna have spoken to over 45,000 students and aim to double this figure by the end of 2022.

Their enthusiasm and hard work have received many plaudits – including a very special letter, “It was incredible to receive a letter from Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her jubilee celebrations. This was something I never expected to receive in my lifetime, and it will be framed and, hopefully, talked about with pride from my future generations.”

When asked about the Bishop Memorial Fund Stephen said “The fund has not only helped me in a rare moment of struggle, but it was a successful investment into my ability to help so many others. The realisation that, after so many years of silence, I could still turn to Bedford School for support, showed me that my parents not only made the best decision in sending me there but that the values and morals taught at the school really run through the veins of the whole organisation. I’m very proud to be an Old Bedfordian”

Stephen left Bedford School as a prominent Rugby League Player, under scholarship with London Broncos. He was then selected for the West Indies team to play South Africa in 2004 and then went on to sign professionally with Gateshead Thunder until 2006, when he turned his attention to the music industry.

In 2010, he appeared on Sky1’s ‘Must Be the Music’ alongside Jamie Cullum, Dizzee Rascal and Sharleen Spiteri. Six years later, he and his fiancée Sharna Bowman, wowed audiences on ‘The X Factor’, where they received four ‘yeses’ from the judges. The pair created ‘He Knows She Knows’, a performing duo and, together, they toured the country.

Stephen and his fiancée intend to continue working with young people. They have been nominated for two Northern Region Entertainment Awards and two National Entertainment Awards for 2022 and are hoping to take these home after winning the 2019, 2020 and 2021 awards respectively. ■

During the pandemic, the Bishop Memorial Fund was able to provide, very rapidly, a series of modest grants to several OBs in need and continues to be ready to help.

FIND OUT MORE HERE. www.bedfordschool.org.uk/association/ ob-club/bishop-memorial-fund/

The Queen and Prince Philip were greeted by Head Master, Ian Jones, when she visited Bedford in 1976 to officially open Bedford Modern School after it moved to its current site in Manton Lane.

Remembering Her Majesty, The Late Queen Elizabeth II

The start of the new academic year was a sombre

and reflective time at school as we marked the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday 8th September 2022. As a community we came together to pay our respects to the Royal family, and also, not least, to give gratitude and to celebrate a long life of unstinting service. Her profound sense of duty will remain admired throughout the world.

On the Friday, flags across the school estate were flown at half-mast, while the Chapel bells rang on between 12 and 1pm. The flags were raised for the Proclamation Day - and then returned to half-mast, where they remained until after the funeral. As a further mark of respect, the boys were given the option to wear blacks ties, a throw back to when the whole school wore black following the death of Queen Victoria.

The President of the Club, Emeritus Professor Martin Snaith (53-63), in keeping with tradition, on behalf of the Club, sent a letter of Condolence to His Majesty the King at Buckingham Palace.

It gave us a great sense of pride to see members of our community, including Old Bedfordians and members of staff (past and present), involved in honouring the life and memory of the Queen - below are just some of the examples that we are aware of. Please do get in touch to let us know if we have missed anyone.

Lt Col James Shaw is on the front row, second from left

Lt. Colonel James Shaw (90-98)

Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw is the Brigade Major of the Household Division and was in charge of the team that delivered the military element of Operation London Bridge. James was involved in all ten days of the operation - from the day of the Queen’s death through to the funeral. He was at the London Proclamation, the funeral procession moving Her Majesty to Lying in State, the State funeral and the procession in London and Windsor, where he marched at the front of the Gun Carriage procession. James had also been in charge of the team for HM The Queen’s Jubilee celebrations earlier in the year (see below).

“This was without doubt, the most important duty of my military career. It was the most intense ten days of my life, delivering one of the largest events in our country’s history and viewed by a global audience. It was the only event I’ve done in my life, where delivering perfect was not good enough; it had to be better. I was so honoured to be involved and am hugely proud of what we achieved.” James Shaw

Photo Credit: UK MOD © Crown copyright 2022

Anthony Strain (05-10)

Captain Anthony KirondeStrain, of the Royal Welsh, led the Proclamation Guard at the Proclamation Ceremony for King Charles III at Cardiff Castle.

“It’s something that I will never forget. An opportunity to play a small part in commemorating Her Majesty The Queen, but also celebrating the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. It’s something that we will be telling our children and grandchildren.”

Anthony Strain

Martyn Grisdale

Current Trumpet Teacher, Bedford School Martyn’s role in the funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, was as one of the 84 musicians in the Combined Bands of the RAF. The Band marched the RAF Contingent in the funeral procession from Horse Guards Parade to Wellington Arch. They then marched in slow time along The Mall, past Buckingham Palace and up Constitution Hill to Wellington Arch where they were joined by bands from the Royal Marines and the Royal Corps of Army Music to play God save the King as the funeral cortege left for Windsor Castle.

Air Specialist (Class 1) Martyn Grisdale

“I was extremely honoured to be part of such a momentous and poignant occasion, celebrating the life of our Commander-in-Chief, Her Majesty, The Late Queen Elizabeth II who served the country with resolve for over 70 years.”

Martyn Grisdale

Funeral Procession

Photos Credit: Crown Copyright 2022

James Lark

James was the composer-in-residence at Bedford School between 2008 and 2011. Currently, he is the Director of Music at Westminster Abbey Choir School where all of the choristers get both a general education and a specialist musical education.

“The start of each school year is a time of change for the Abbey choristers, with a new top year group finding their feet in a position of greater responsibility as younger pupils find themselves singing regularly for the first time, so it was a nerve-wracking stage of the year for them to be thrown into such a momentous occasion, let alone one which would be viewed by millions of people around the world. We needn’t have worried: the choristers performed splendidly, both in their musicianship and the way they coped with the huge demands placed on them. As the choir school is run exclusively for the choristers, there was little hope of getting much teaching done; instead, my role became one of chaperoning choristers from one rehearsal to another, a not-very-glamorous job which nevertheless took me to some very glamorous locations. It was naturally a privilege to be able to witness history in the making from such a vantage point, and looking back on a week in which music played such a crucial part, we are immensely proud of the contribution our pupils made.”

James Lark

Photo Credit: Westminster Abbey

The Reverend Dr James Hawkey

(Staff 02-05) The Reverend Dr James Hawkey is a Chaplain to HM The King, having first been appointed a Chaplain to HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2017. He is Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey, and Chair of the Westminster Abbey Institute.

“I am so proud of the team here at Westminster Abbey for their work over these incredible days. Especially our Precentor & musicians whose work articulated so much of the grief and thanksgiving felt by so many.”

Twitter (James Hawkey)

Jubilee Celebrations

Earlier in the year, two OBs, Lt Colonel James Shaw (9098) and Lt. Commander Tim Dunning (01-06), played leading roles in HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations, which took place Thursday, 2nd June.

Part of James’ role was to organise the Queen’s Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) and, the wider jubilee celebrations, where more than 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians came together to mark The Queen’s official birthday. For the Parade, he rode alone at the front and had the honour of leading the Royal Procession (joined by members of the Royal Family on horseback and in carriages) from Buckingham Palace down The Mall to Horse

Lt Colonel James Shaw

Lt. Commander Tim Dunning

Guard’s Parade. The Parade closed with the traditional flypast led by fellow OB, Tim Dunning, watched by The Queen and members of the Royal Family from the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Ahead of the celebrations, James told us “Without doubt leading the Royal Procession on the Queen’s Birthday Parade will be a life highlight and was a huge honour. Hopefully, my time in the school CCF was well spent! It is also lovely to know a fellow OB will be leading the flypast above me.”

Tim was selected to lead the tri-services Platinum Jubilee Flypast in his Wildcat helicopter. It was one of the biggest formation flypasts ever held, with 70 aircraft from the three services including the Red Arrows. Precision was of the essence as he needed to be over the balcony of Buckingham Palace at exactly 13.00! ■

As the longest-reigning British monarch, the Queen has been an enduring presence, in all our lives, for 70 years. All of us in the BSA Office offer our condolences to the Royal family and give thanks for the extraordinary life and work of Her Majesty, The Late Queen Elizabeth II.

Burnaby House Memoirs

As you will have read earlier, everything is on target to add an exciting new academic building to our estate. While everyone at the school is keen to move ahead with this important evolution of our campus environment, we recognise that, for some, change can be difficult – especially when that alters the physical landscape of happy childhood memories.

For those that lived or were taught in the existing facilities, it might be strange to see such a dramatic alteration to the spaces you remember. But please rest assured, while we are hoping to move forward into a bold new future, we will never forget the rich history that underpins our institution.

Each of the departments that currently call Burnaby Road home, will be moved into new, improved facilities that will enable our boys to better explore the subjects that some of you remember fondly. Burnaby House will retain its name but will move to a facility that has been known, over the years, as Kirkman’s House, the Study Centre, and George Godber House. It will continue to house boarders in a renovated home, that offers its residents an unrivalled boarding house existence. Everything of historical significance will be preserved and either rehoused in the new and renovated facilities or held in our Archives.

To celebrate the thousands of boys that have lived and learnt on Burnaby Road, we have asked past Burnaby House boys to share their school memories, and it is our pleasure to tell some of their stories over the coming pages.

Burnaby House 2021

Burnaby House 2022

William Watson (15-20)

“My two years in Burnaby were easily the highlight of my time at Bedford, and almost immediately it became my home. Late night trips to Budgens, break-time games of pool, movie nights, ball games, and general stupidity are all fond memories. And these were just the daily occurrences, let alone BBQs, Christmastime and House Competitions. Out of all this, it’s impossible to pick out one specific moment that shows how amazing Burnaby was, but I will always be grateful to Mr Heale, Mr Graham and all other staff for making it such a special place.”

Philip Alberti (16-18)

“One thing I really miss from my time at the school is that our house matron, Debbie, would always bake pancakes and crêpes on the weekends. We would add truly unhealthy amounts of Nutella, and everyone would eat as much as we possibly could. Usually, the whole house would gather around, and it was very wholesome. It’s just one of the small gestures that I am really grateful for, as it made the house feel like a home!”

Chris Tarrant (71-76)

“Leisure time, little as there was, involved listening to vinyl records on a radiogram - The Beatles, 10CC and The Who figured largely, repetitively and loudly. A large black and white TV was allowed to be watched only at weekends and was removed to Jim’s study during the week. We made our own enjoyment and of course there were no computers, mobile phones or anything ‘modern’. Mostly we lived in our school uniform, but there was weekend dispensation for ‘mufti’ – our own limited wardrobe and perhaps a sense of anonymity.

Boarding life in the 1970’s was happy and transitional. My memories are ones where we were all friends. We were not always as innocent and obedient as we were given credit. No names, no pack drill, but someone I knew ‘escaped’ to attend a David Bowie concert miles away from Bedford whilst the rest of us kept schtum. His empty bed was bolstered with pillows, and, by the time we were waking next morning, he had returned unmissed and undetected, emboldened by his great escape and the source of much envy.”

Tim Steel (71-75)

We’d like to thank Tim for sharing some photos from the 70s along with a copy of the program for the House play (he believes this took place in 1971) which was produced by Jim Davidson.

Alastair Cole (86-93)

“The openness of the boys and the building came from the relaxed attitudes of the preeminent housemasters of the time: Tim Machin and Alec Crow. They had different, but equally fair and laid-back styles that earned them the respect from L-r: Alastair and Douglas at all their charges. the OB Annual Dinner in 2018.

These were years of rapid transition for boarding culture, following the arrival of the Children’s Act in 1989. Fagging and drill runs were still openly conducted but they were dying out and would be obsolete by the mid ‘90s. These embers of a previous era ensured that hijinks and practical jokes were always just around the corner, but they never really got out of hand.

When I think of the boarding house in those years, I remember the raucous laughter and great camaraderie we shared with boarders and day pupils alike. Nestled next to the school, the house felt like it was always warm, welcoming and a safe place to be. Douglas Cole (‘88-’96) and I and are the only two brothers both to have been heads of Burnaby House.”

Burnaby 6th Form, 1975

 Nigel Sargeant (66-70)

“Burnaby’s refec got a new giant toaster and Simon Chandler and I were put on ‘toast duty’ the week it arrived. We under-estimated the speed it could make toast and we produced far too much. We had to then walk round all the breakfast tables persuading everyone to have seconds and thirds of toast so our felony wouldn’t be discovered. Perhaps a scene for Simon’s next film!”

Philip Smith (61-69)

“Jim Davidson took over as Housemaster after John Eyre, a year after I started boarding there. When I told my Dad we had a new housemaster, and his name, he said “Wait, Jim Davidson? I know Jim Davidson!” It turned out my father, Jim and a chap called John Sainsbury (listed his profession as ‘grocer!) served in the army together after WWII. Small world!”

Burnaby House Prefects 1967-68 - with Jim Davidson as Housemaster. Philip is on the front row, far right.

David Darlow (63-68)

“Before the Dining Hall was built, all meals were taken in Burnaby. I recall that the Housemaster and family usually ate with us and we didn’t sit down to eat until after grace had been said. In later years, the older boys were tasked to do the washing up after supper. The dining room was also where we did our prep and it acted as a gathering place for house meetings. Most memorably for me, it was where I learned of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I shall never forget the look of shock and horror on the face of our then Housemaster, John Eyre, when he came in during prep to announce the news. He was close to tears. That event was so momentous that we were gathered in the dining room later that evening to watch a report on television. Normally, the only other time a television came out was when there was a significant boxing match that we were encouraged to watch.”

Adrian Danby (61-66)

“I’m fairly certain it was a reasonably happy house and my only negative memory relates to the dreadful winter in '62 or '63 and the common room area only had two radiators. The warmer radiator was for the senior boys (first pipe), I believe, and we juniors were relegated to the second pipe.”

Peter Mellor (57-62)

“My housemaster, Owen Bevan, was a big influence in my enjoyment of Fives directly as well as my other attempts at Squash, Cricket and Rugby. He and his wife ensured a supportive and happy environment, a vital background to success at the school by whatever measurement.

Proximity to the school gave Burnaby a ‘special’ atmosphere. A group of us, me, Mark Coley, David Skinner, George Westropp, Graham Heard (and his ‘air’ trombone) and others listened intently and endlessly to Chris Barber and his Trad Jazz Band with Ottilie Patterson singing her heart out, on the gramophone, LPs and scratchy needle - the ultimate description of a great time! Play it on Spotify and imagine.”

John Howard (57-65)

“I was in Burnaby, leaving school in 1965, and have many happy memories. Our Housemaster was ‘Birdie ‘Eyre, and I remember the house plays he persuaded us all to perform in. I have found, in my Scrap Book, the programme and some photos of the play called ‘Chips with Everything’.”

George Westropp (57-60)

“On a Saturday night in December 1960, Burnaby House became the scene of the great beer bottle disaster.

Unknown to those of us in the top dormitory, the Burnaby Boys of the 1940s and 50s had been stashing their empty Saturday night beer bottles under the floorboards. We only discovered this at the beginning of term when a loose board popped up to reveal dozens of dusty bottles stretching as far as we could reach. The problem of what to do with our Saturday night empties was solved.

Unfortunately, one of our number forgot about the lifted board and walking back to his bed in the dark, stumbled and his right foot plunged down the hole and through the ceiling of the Monitor and Option’s dormitory below.

At that precise moment, Burnaby’s newish Housemaster Mr Eyre was delivering a lecture to the Monitors about the need to police the bad behaviour of the more senior boys in recent weeks.

Suddenly, a foot appeared through the ceiling above him followed, at first, by plaster and shouts of bad language from above and then the inevitable cascade of ancient Charles Wells and Bass bottles. “

Alan Park (54-59)

“Mr Davidson (the house tutor) directed a house play. One of the cast fell ill with two days to go and I was asked to fill in with only a day to learn the part. The role was ‘Stage Carpenter’. Halfway through, the stage flats all started to collapse and fall in for real. Enter ‘Stage Carpenter’ to the rescue! The audience probably thought it was supposed to happen.”

Professor John Allan, (49-59)

“At that time (mid-50s) we were known by our surnames - to each other and by the Housemaster. We always addressed him as Sir. We had a lot of fun together and 66 years later I still see and email some of those friends. Being cut off from our families (letter writing once a week on Sundays) close friendships gave meaning and pleasure.”

Burnaby House December 1957: “Freedom - School is out - Hats, coats and cigarettes”. Left to right Frogley, Clayton (now Dyne), Judge, Crane and Allan.

 Don Brewin (48-59)

“My father (Frank Brewin) was on the staff at Bedford School, so my brother (Peter, 3 years younger than me) and I joined the Inky at the age of 7, and then went up the school as day boys until my father got a new job away from Bedford in 1955. Then we continued as boarders - myself at Burnaby (as I had already joined Bromham House) and Peter initially at Farrars. I really enjoyed the experience of being a boarder, especially at Burnaby. There were various reasons for this. One was my long-standing friendship with Simon, the son of the then housemaster Owen Bevan. Another was its proximity to the school grounds - including the swimming pool, the location of many early morning dips during the summer terms. And a third was the sporting prowess of many members of the house.”

Bromham Rugby XV 1957 Burnaby House Play 1958-9

Burnaby 1958-59

Garth LAWRENCE (47-57)

“During my time there, I started off as a fag, doing all sorts of unnecessary things, including cleaning shoes and eventually ended up as Head of House. Owen Bevan (Beeve) was the Housemaster. He had a lovely daughter, Catherine, on whom we all had a crush.

Pastimes included mighty wrestling matches in which most of the house took part in the play room (did we really call it the ‘play room’?). We also spent time clustered round the wireless once a week to listen to the Goon Show.

Peter Howlett was my predecessor as head of the house and he set up a quasi-fanatically driven house spirit and we began to win house rugger, cricket matches which hadn’t often happened before.”

OLD BEDFORDIANS SPORT

cricket club

It was another hugely enjoyable and successful season for the Old Bedfordians Cricket Club in 2022 with more than 35 Old Boys representing the club across five matches in excellent spirit.

A wide collection of ages from 18 through to 50+ turned out, which was great to see and bodes well for the future.

The season began with a trip to Uppingham in the first round of the Cricketer Cup where a spirited fielding and bowling performance led by Peter Rowe (03-08) meant we restricted Uppingham to 249 all out with Shiv Patel (04-15) taking 3/45.

In response, the OBs were on track with 44 from Luke Adams (08-13) and 35 from Ed Wharton (07-12) at the top of the order, but a steady stream of wickets meant we were bowled out for 183 and so our tilt at Cricketer Cup glory will have to wait for another year.

Mercifully, availability improved through the season as the University holidays arrived and our ranks were also boosted by some very talented Upper Sixth leavers. A limited overs game was negotiated for the fixture against the MCC which looked a wise decision after they reached 290/5 from their 50 overs.

George Wood (83-94) rolled back the years with 59 at the top of the order in pursuit of the total but the star of the chase was Jonny Huggins (11-22) who scored a superb 107*. That almost took the OBs to a famous victory as they closed just ten short, on 280/9. During the traditional Cricket Week, we registered our first win of the season against the Ousels with runs for Sammy Kumar (99-10), Erik Castenskiold (80-85) and James Woodrow (74-84) helping us to post 163/5. The Ousels managed 120/8 in response with the wickets shared around.

The return of the popular two-day game after a pandemicinduced hiatus was welcomed by all the players and, on the opening day, the OBs won a crucial toss and scored 256/7 declared with 96 for Luke Adams and 50 for Will Aitkenhead (04-09). Some entertaining fielding aided the school in reply as they reached 227/5 declared and the OBs then set the school 252 to win in around 40 overs.

It was a tough ask but some crafty field setting, and canny bowling kept it interesting throughout, with both sides in with a chance of winning heading into the final hour. The school eventually closed out on 207/7 and an honourable draw was shared.

A thrilling 25 over game played out on the 2nd XI square as the school chased down 144 in the final over nine wickets down.

Will Aitkenhead (04-09)

A huge thank you must go to all of those that turned out for the Old Bedfordians this summer and all those who helped get the sides together and organise the matches including Will Aitkenhead, George Wood, Rahul Sheemar (12-19), Huw Turner (15-10), Shiv Patel, Will Barnes (11-19) and Ben Barnes (12-21).

We must also thank our outstanding scorer and newly appointed fielding coach, Peter Rowe. It is common for any Old Boys side to be routinely searching for last-minute players but rare never to have to worry about a scorer and we are hugely grateful for his commitment to the club.

With several talented cricketers leaving the Upper Sixth this year, we hope that many will form the core of the Old Bedfordians’ side in years to come and continue the excellent reputation that the club has.

If you are interested in joining, please do get in touch with the OB Cricket Club.

OBs vs Uppingham Cricket 2022

 Golf Society

The end of June/early July 2022 saw a return to wonderful West Hill on the edge of the Surrey belt for the Peter Burles and GL Mellin Salvers. The Peter Burles Salver is for two pairs playing foursomes/scratch aged 65 and over; the GL Mellin Salver is for three pairs playing foursomes/scratch aged 55 and over.

In the first round of the Peter Burles Salver, Bedford drew Loretto (current holders of the Halford Hewitt) in a rematch from a couple of years ago. Debutant Nigel Mobbs (69-74) playing with Burles/Mellin veteran, Tim Henderson (64-71), notched up comfortable win, ably supported by Andrew Rudkin (64-69) and Patrick Duke (66-70). The second round also saw a Bedford win 2-0 against Mill Hill, with both pairs playing some very solid golf. Sadly, it was at this point that Bedford had to concede the match, as Mobbs, Henderson and Rudkin were all required to play in the Mellin team the following day. Disappointingly, we found ourselves in a position where we did not have enough players to compete in both tournaments.

In the GL Mellin Salver first round against Loretto, Mobbs and Henderson continued their winning form out top pair. Mellin debutant Julian Ormerod (75-85) and Scott Goodson (69-79) secured the winning point easing up, with Kevin Dunbar (74-79) and Andrew Rudkin (64-69) agreeing a gentlemanly half. In the second round against Mill Hill, it is fair to say that we were well beaten by a better side. It is also fair to say that the back-to-back matches played by the Burles team, followed by the Mellin matches, took their toll. That said, a big thank you to the entire squad who all played their part.

If you are reading this, are aged over 55, have a handicap of 10 or better, and would like to play one of the best courses in the Surrey belt in a relaxed yet competivie format, please get in contact with Mark Orchart (74-79) at mark.orchart@btinternet.com. Your OB Golfing Society needs you!

Bedfordians Rifle Club

The shooting world has been beset with all sorts of challenges recently, what with questions over lead in ammunition and the Ukraine-Russian war causing problems with the supply of the stuff to boot - but nevertheless, the Bedfordians Rifle Club set out this season determined not to let these problems get in the way of some excellent socialising, sometimes with a spot of shooting thrown in.

There was a great turn out for the traditional small-bore match vs the School VIII at Bedford, led by Steve Lyon (73-84), where a mix of youth and (now decidedly grizzled) experience was dealt a solid lesson in consistency by a school team clearly stacked with talent. The school won 918 to 848 but it was nice to see some recent leavers back to show their mettle against their former comrades. Top scorer for the OBs was the ever-dependable Andy ‘Turbo’ Barnes (76-83) with 96/100 but was seen off by James Lumley-Wood, top-gunning for the school with an almost perfect 99/100.

Attention turned to the start of the full-bore Target Rifle (TR) season (outdoors, at distances of between 300 and 1000 yards), where a number of matches against other old school clubs were planned. Sadly, the call of country over club and other availability issues meant for some less than adequate performances from the teams, running up to Old Lancing in one match and then 4th in the next. Notwithstanding the slight drop in form, it was fantastic to see some OBs return to shooting with Will Young (91-93) and Marc Smith (86-93) picking up a rifle again after some years away.

Better news in June, as two OBs ventured up to Blair Atholl for the Scottish TR Open Championships. Robin Hatcher (6976) and Rupert Riley (79-89) both shot well during the first couple of days and were honoured with selection for England vs Scotland in the Lawrence team match, which England won in some style. Rupert went on to a commendable 4th place overall in the individual championships.

More good news followed at the beginning of the Imperial Meeting at Bisley, with excellent performances by the OB teams in the Schools Veterans Match: The OB ‘Ousels’ Team came in 9th ex 42 teams against some serious opposition (a lot of the better old school teams have plenty of current international shooters to select from), the ‘Eagles’ Team 7th ex 27 and even the tail-enders in the ‘Buzzards’ managed to keep off the bottom of the table, despite being a couple short in the team. Particularly pleasing was the presence of Dan Lumley-Wood (12-21), as a recent leaver, bringing his marksmanship (and much-needed youthful vigour!) to the teams.

The rest of the individual and team competitions featured a few notable performances: Andy Barnes, keen to continue to prove his England Captaincy credentials was 3rd in the Counties ‘Champion of Champions’ match (shooting for

OBs gather at a local hostelry to warm up for the match against the School in March.

Rupert Riley and Robin Hatcher selected for England vs Scotland at Blair Atholl.

OBs at the School Veterans Match, Bisley, July 2022: L-R: Peter Lumley-Wood (84-89); Marc Smith; Robin Hatcher; Andy Barnes; Rupert Riley; Jeremy Simpson (70-73); Phil Dawes (63-72); Julian Hilton-Johnson (79-82); Nick Hudleston (78-83); Dan Lumley-Wood.

Hertfordshire); very much carrying the Barnes flag, his two daughters Nia and Nyree* were selected for the Wales U25 team, shooting and a reserve respectively, and were also both reserves for the senior Welsh team. Robin Hatcher managed a creditable 42nd in the St Georges Final stage (from the top 100 from an original field of over 800) and 16th in the Prince of Wales. Paul Sykes* (son of Andy Sykes (62-73)) was 9th in the Wimbledon and he and Andy Barnes were also in the Queens Prize Final (16th and 82nd respectively from an original approx. 800 competitors). Not a vintage meeting as some before but still highly sociable and enjoyable.

The season is rapidly drawing to a close, but already looking to next season Andy Barnes and Rupert Riley will be training hard for the Kenyan and South African Championships in March 2023, as they will be touring with the England Team. Paul Sykes, recently selected for the GB squad to shoot in the World Championships in 2024 will also be joining them. Nia Barnes has also been selected as a reserve for the National Rifle Association Channel Islands tour in 2023.

The final mention, richly deserved, is that Andy Barnes capped off a superb individual weekend, winning the North London Rifle Club Open and Closed Championship in September with an unassailable 295 ex 300. *The Bedfordians Rifle Club was founded as a club to

Andy Barnes and Rupert Riley will tour Kenya and South Africa in 2023 with England.

which family members of OBs can join, so ‘second generation’ Bedfordians are now shooting very successfully in our ranks.

Any OB who has done some target shooting previously, either at school or elsewhere, is welcome to join the club and should enquire through the OB Club office.

Rupert Riley (79-89)

Rowing

Phoenix Rules the Ouse

There were thrills and spills on the banks of the River Great Ouse as the Bedford Regatta made a glorious return, on Saturday 7th May, after a two-year break caused by the pandemic.

In 2020, Phoenix Boat Club was re-established to give OBs the opportunity to race together at events around the country. The Club’s first competitive outing was at the 2021 Henley Royal Regatta where a coxless four and pair represented the Club.

Off the back of their Henley experience, the crews decided to enter an eight for Bedford Regatta. The crew made up of 2016 - 21 leavers, faced Pembroke College Cambridge in their first race. A steady start saw the Phoenix crew take full advantage of the stagger, from there they gradually eased out to a length and a half victory. In the following round, their opposition, Latymer Upper School, steered an erratic course resulting in a clash of oars shortly after Brewery Bend. Phoenix kept their composure, recording a length victory over their opposition.

The other half of the draw was dominated by the muchfancied Oriel College, Oxford. Oriel, winners of the 2022 Torpids, included Olympian and Boat Race winner Liam Corrigan. Off the start, Phoenix took an immediate lead, which they continued to build upon down the course despite a spirited charge by Oriel towards the finish line. The verdict, a one-length victory to Phoenix in 3 minutes 23 secs, the fastest time of the day.

The crew was presented with the Bedford Grand Challenge Cup by Regatta Secretary, Hugh Maltby (73-83), who ensured their tankards were filled with Bedford’s finest beer!

Phoenix crew:

• Cox Edwin Chan (15-19) • Stroke Harvey Toms (14-21) • 7 Connor Sheridan (07–18) • 6 Jared Sheridan (07-16) • 5 Harry Sivills (06-17) • 4 George Christian (08-18) • 3 Austin Roberts (17-19) • 2 George Whitcombe (11-20) • B Josh Lyon (10-20) • Coach: Michael Ruta (00-11)

Henley Royal Regatta

The sun shone and the conversation flowed at the Annual Drinks Reception at Henley Royal Regatta on Tuesday 28th June. It was an excellent opportunity for OBs, parents and past parents to get together again and catch up over a glass of Pimms or two before the 1st VIII race. A special thank you to those who made the trip from overseas and took time out of their busy schedule to join us.

Following the reception, spectators cheered from the Stewards’ Enclosure as our 1st VIII took on a very tough Shiplake College crew in The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup. Although our boys were unable to beat them, they definitely gave it their best shot. It was great to see a real mix

 of ages gathered to enjoy the truly unique experience that is Henley Royal Regatta…we look forward to welcoming you all again in 2023!

We were delighted to see a number of Old Bedfordians racing at the Regatta (see full list below). Josh Lyon (10-20), racing for Reading University Boat Club, reached the final of The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup for men’s quads, losing to a much-fancied Leander Club.

Other OBs racing at Henley included:

• Ben Giles (13-20) represented the University of Bristol Boat Club in The Temple Challenge Cup on the Tuesday. • Rory Boylen (17-19) represented Invicta Rowing Club in The Thames Challenge Cup on the Wednesday • Tom Christian (08-18) and Trent Abraham (10-19), who were in the same crew, represented Reading University ‘B’ in The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup on the Tuesday.

On the international front, it was great to see Benedict Eggeling (14-17) racing in the German national eight at the World Rowing Cup held in Lucerne, Switzerland. Benedict picked up a bronze medal.

If you are a keen rower and would like to join the Old Bedfordians Boat Club, Phoenix, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Phoenix Captain of Boats, George Christian (08-18) georgechristian0@gmail.com.

RUGBY

The Phoenix 7’s had success in their first outing in June in Milton Keynes when they won the ‘Social’ competition of the MKRuggerFest Rugby 7’s Festival. The Social group is for 1st and 2nd team players.

The team then went on to compete at the Olney 7s where they topped the social group but lost in the semis, the London International (LIT) 7s, where they topped the group but lost in the quarters, and then finally the Norwich 7s where they won the social tournament. Rather successful for the first year!

 Members of the team at MK: Back row L-R: Joe Wallace (16-18),

Alex Edun (15-22), Hector Stokes (11-20), Conor Finch (13-18), Will Kerr (12-17), Felix Iles (13-18) Front row L-R: Felix Mallalieu (08-19), Mike Phillips (09-20), George Seward (07-18), Jo Rogers (12-17), Alfie Orchard (13-18)

TENNIS

We were thrilled to see the return of the OBs vs boys annual fixture, after a two year covid-induced hiatus. On a beautiful July day, six Old Bedfordians returned to take on the boys at tennis – with some excellent matches. Regulars including Graham Saunders (58-64), Geoffrey Farr (50-56), Duncan Mclaren (61-68) and Jonathan Ellwood (71-81) were joined by Josh Kerton (19-21), who was representing the OB side for the first time. Josh injected some much-needed youth into the team. His increased pace was infectious and resulted in the OB side beating the boys 8 - 0. There was some sublime tennis taking place to achieve this result by all and it reminded us all just how much we had missed this regular event.

As always, we were treated to a delicious lunch to set us up for the afternoon. After our matches, the boys joined us for afternoon tea and we were able to have some very interesting conversations with them. We have always been fortunate that this event has been enjoyed by all those who take part and, as such, we would like to extend an invitation to other Old Bedfordians who might like to join us for the 2023 fixture. If you or anyone you know would like to get involved, please do get in touch with me at beaumontfarming@gmail.com.

Toby O’Dell (78-86)

OBITUARIES

William (Bill) Anderson Born 9 February 1937 Died 10 February 2022 - Aged 85 At Bedford School 1945-1954 – Ashburnham

Bill Anderson, was, among many things, a retired headteacher, loving husband and father, an active member of the Rotary Club, a volunteer at a hospice and a committed fundraiser for the charities Polio Plus, Coeliacs Society and Alzheimer’s Society. Although he was born in Bedford, Bill spent his early years living on a tea estate in the Nilgiri Hills of India, which his father managed. He was the only child of Ena (nee King), and William Anderson (12-18), also an Old Bedfordian and member of the 1918 1st VIII.

Bill joined Bedford school in 1945 at the age of 8, having been sent back to England. He excelled at sports and was a very keen tennis player. After leaving Bedford, Bill did his National Service, stationed in Germany and Sweden, worked briefly as a Redcoat for Pontins in Weston-Super-Mare before doing his teacher training and working at Kent College in Canterbury as a PE and Geography teacher.

Whilst at school, Bill met Judith Campion, a Bedford High School pupil, and so began a long and happy relationship. They married in 1961 and, shortly after, moved from Canterbury to Brampton and then to Bedford where they settled in 1968. They had two children by this time. Bill took a head teacher post in Raunds before finally settling as head of Walmsley House School in Bedford, from where many pupils went on to join the Harpur Trust schools. At the same time, Judith was teaching Classics at Dame Alice Harpur School.

In 2021, Bill and Judith celebrated 60 years of marriage. During the years leading up to his death, Bill was the primary carer for Judith, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, and as the illness progressed, she moved to Charter House, just along the road, and Bill was always on hand to help feed her and make sure that she was well cared for.

As the pandemic brought further challenges to Bill’s lifestyle, he embraced the technology of communication, which enabled the family to stay close.

Bill was a popular and respected member of the community as was evinced by a packed St Andrews Church at his Memorial Service. He is survived by his wife Judith, their children, Sally and Christopher (75-85), five grandchildren and a great granddaughter.

John L Atkinson Born 29 February 1932 Died 6 April 2022 - Aged 90 At Bedford School 1942-1950 - Ashburnham

John was born in Bedford to Ethel and Wilfred Atkinson. He won a scholarship to Bedford starting in the Inky at the age of 10 ½. While at school, the only sport he really enjoyed was rowing and before becoming too heavy he coxed the 4th and 3rd VIII’s. On leaving Bedford John worked on farms for a year so that he could take up a place at Shuttleworth Agricultural College. In 1955 he joined the Ministry of Agriculture as a Field Officer working on grant aided land improvement operations – mainly land drainage, farm water supplies and irrigation systems. In 1978 he was promoted to Divisional Drainage and Water Supplies Officer at Huntingdon. After some restructuring in the Ministry in 1978 he was posted to Devon. Over the next few years there were many changes. More and more emphasis was put on conservation, pollution prevention etc. together with the associated legislation and need for advice in feasibility terms as well as detailed design and management planning. He supervised all this for the counties of Devon and Cornwall.

John retired in 1992 and spent many happy years in retirement travelling the world and tending his garden.

He leaves a wife Jane, whom he married in 1959, two children Bridget and Simon, and six grandchildren.

David C Bach Born January 1949 Died 14 February 2022 - Aged 72 Bedford School Staff 1972-2002

Having graduated from St Peter’s College, Oxford, in 1972, David joined Bedford School as a teacher of Mathematics and the resident House tutor in Pemberley. From the very start he worked on the premise that if he were to get anything out of his new profession, he was going to have to put a great deal more in. This remained his maxim throughout his 33 years at Bedford.

Mathematician, computer expert, Housemaster of Bromham, rugby coach, hockey coach, cricket coach, football coach, basketball coach, organist, leader of the First Orchestra, chorister, outdoor education assistant: you name it, David has done it. In later years, whenever there was a new appointment on the staff who appeared willing to offer all-round assistance, Vice-Master Alan Thorp would summarise his potential contribution with the words, ‘He will do a David Bach for you.’ ‘Doing a David Bach’ became a euphemism for doing just about anything that was required. David was never the casual contributor: his pupils, in whatever activity, however lowly, mattered to him and each was carefully considered. A player in one of David’s sports sides had to show he desired and deserved selection and then had to perform with the necessary degree of application to ensure his continued presence in the side.

David moved from his first pastoral position in Pemberley 

 in 1976 to become the first assistant tutor in Crescent Day House. This appointment signalled the inauguration of the present House structure. At about the same time, just to ensure he was fully occupied, he was elected Secretary of the Common Room and also made responsible for the enormously important and time-consuming role of overseeing the external examinations. The Great Fire of 1979 presented David with huge challenges. The destruction of all the examination rooms saw him landed with the task of relocating all external exams to the Harpur Centre in St Peter’s Street.

In 1978, with the arrival of C.I.M. Jones and hockey, David switched his attention to hockey coaching, debuting as coach of the U16 2nd XI. In the Nineties, David achieved promotion and was put in charge of the 3rd XI, a role he held until he retired.

It was the teaching of Mathematics, however, that occupied most of David’s time and he continued patiently to edify even the most recalcitrant of his charges, instilling in them, if not always a love for the subject, at least a moderate tolerance. Many a non-mathematician was cajoled and persuaded into achieving a surprisingly high grade in his final exams. Bright pupils too, under David’s expert tuition, maximised their potential. David had the knack of coping with all levels of ability. With David there was always the commensurate degree of ‘value added’.

When David joined the School, the School computer was as big as a two bedroomed bungalow. Custodian, Major David Pegg, with his henchman, John Marchant, clucked around it, picking off flecks of dust and talking mysteriously of binaries and hexadecimals. Few listened and few wanted to understand. David, however, was the exception and he immediately embraced these new concepts, rapidly becoming an expert on all things computing. He served for a while as Head of Computing.

Not many on the staff would ever have envisaged David as a married man; the bachelor status seemed to suit him, and it seemed likely to last. Who could possibly put up with his flagrant disregard for any semblance of tidiness? David’s office always effected a credible impression of a room recently ransacked and his pigeonhole was a refuge for the produce of at least three medium-sized rainforests. It was something of a surprise, therefore, when in 1990 he tied the knot with fellow chorister Carole Robinson and inherited, in the process, a large extended family. His car got bigger, as did his beard and his waistline, but little else changed. David continued to dedicate much of his time to his profession; his office still resembled a scene from Grime Busters and his pigeonhole, despite the onset of email, still strained from the effort of containing a career’s worth of correspondence. David took to the role of step-fatherhood with the ease with which he had taken to all other areas of his life.

On retirement David and Carole moved to live near Penrith, Cumbria. David passed away after a prolonged fight against cancer and is survived by his wife Carole.

Adapted from the Valete by G M K Fletcher

Anthony B G Barcock Born 11 March 1936 Died 3 September 2021 - Aged 85 At Bedford School 1947-1953 - Ashburnham Anthony B Batten Born 7 September 1927 Died 23 February 2022 - Aged 94 At Bedford School 1938-1945 - Sanderson’s

Don J Bettle Born 2 April 1933 Died 26 December 2021 - Aged 88 At Bedford School 1944-1951 - St Peter’s

Don was born in Bedford in 1933, the only child of George and Olive Bettle. He was educated at The Convent in Bedford, Bedford School and Birmingham University where he graduated as a Metallurgist. Don met Fran Gass when they were students and they married in 1957, they had two daughters, Jane and Kate. Following University, Don joined the RAF 22 Squadron Air Sea Rescue to incorporate his deferred National Service. He then commenced work at ThomasHouston in Rugby in their Research Laboratory, before moving to Westlands Helicopters in Yeovil, Somerset. After a number of years there he moved to Wickman Wimitt in Coventry and then, prior to his retirement, he ended his career working with the Swedish company, Sandvik.

Don took early retirement in 1988 and he and Fran moved to Cornwall. He loved Cornwall, and they refurbished their Victorian house, Westwinds, into a home. Don threw himself into his new community enjoying village life, Parish activities and the fellowship of the Methodist Chapel where he had a wide circle of friends.

Don was very much a family person; he enjoyed having friends and family to stay and to share his love of Cornwall. The highlight of his year was having Kate, Kev and his grandchildren, Chloe and JJ to stay for Christmas and summer holidays.

In 2012 he had a spontaneous Cerebral Haemorrhage, affecting his mobility, sight, reading and writing. Don never complained but channelled his energy and determination into making the most of life through his rehabilitation, led by Fran (aka Bossy Boots!). He gained enormous pleasure from listening to his audio books in an afternoon which were supplied by the RNIB.

Don had a marvellous day, when friends and relatives from all over the country made the effort to attend his and Fran’s joint 80th Birthday celebrations at Westwinds in 2013. They celebrated 60 years of marriage in 2017 after they had moved to a Retirement Village in Nantwich to be nearer to their daughter, Jane.

Donald James Bettle known as ‘Don’, ‘Mr Don’, ‘Grandad Cornwall’ or ‘Grandad No Hair’ enjoyed living there until his health deteriorated, when after a spell in hospital he moved to Tabley House Nursing Home in Knutsford where he was happy despite his frailty.

Alan N Binder OBE Born 4 August 1931 Died 24 December 2021 - Aged 90 At Bedford School 1942-1949 - Ashburnham

Post Oxford (Magdalen College) Alan taught Chemistry at Eton College which he enjoyed for three and a half years. He

didn’t want to stay as a ‘beak’ forever so joined Shell on the Chemicals side in 1957 and almost immediately was posted out to Argentina because he could speak Spanish. He had married Gillian Wilson and his 2 daughters were born in Argentina and his son was born in Bogota. The family returned to the UK in 1964 and made Speldhurst, Kent their home base.

He moved over to the petroleum side of Shell and was posted out to America in 1966. The family lived in Connecticut and Alan commuted into New York. The Americans were amused by his little folding stool which he took with him on the train thus guaranteeing a seat whilst many had to stand. A lot of fun was had during the three years with lots of trips round the States, forays into Canada and Caribbean holidays. The family returned to England in 1969 for one year before being posted out to Cambodia. This was a very interesting 3 years which included the last years of the Vietnam war. This was when he was awarded an OBE which he was rather embarrassed by because the official reason was for his help given to various embassies, but he always said it was for letting the British Ambassador beat him on the tennis court!

Alan came back to England in 1973 and there were no more postings overseas. He transferred back to the chemicals side and there was a lot of travelling backwards and forwards to The Hague, which kept the family stocked up with Duty Free gin and cigarettes! He ended his career at Shell as Managing Director of Shell International Trading which he found great fun, with a young team and lots of travel to the Middle East on the company jet. The first 10 years of retirement were very busy as he was on many boards including Havas Avenir (a French advertising company which allowed him to use his fluent French), RJB Mining, and Chairman of Expro, which he took public.

Alan had a full and fascinating career, but his family was always most important and particularly family skiing holidays, Cornwall and canal boats. He gave rowing a last go in the veteran crew at Bewl Reservoir but had to concede his seat because their idea of a veteran was someone aged 55/60 not 70 plus! Parkinson’s slowed him down and losing his wife Gill 7 years ago was a bitter blow but he continued with normal life as much as possible; lunches at his various clubs, and attending Henley Royal Regatta and Glyndebourne albeit in a wheelchair, and managed a last holiday in Cornwall in 2021 to celebrate his 90th, surrounded by all his family.

The Revd John H L Blick Born 25 March 1936 Died 2022 - Aged 86 At Bedford School 1947-1954 - Bromham

Dr Antony C Branfoot Born 4 March 1932 Died 23 September 2022 - Aged 90 At Bedford School 1945-1950 - Burnaby

Antony went to Wadham College, Oxford and then trained at St Bartholomew’s. He was appointed Demonstrator in Pathology at Bristol University in 1962. He was later a histopathologist at Westminster Medical School. He married first June Lindsell and secondly, in 1963, Suzanna Stanbury.

Bryan J Buckby Born 14 July 1933 Died 12 November 2021 - Aged 88 At Bedford School 1943-1946 - St Cuthbert’s

Bryan was IT Manager for Texas Instruments. He married first Joan Heginbotham in 1957 and secondly Barbara (formerly Waller, neé Osborne) in 1988. He is survived by his daughters from his first marriage Claire & Eileen, and grandchildren Ashley, Christopher & Rachel.

Jeremy J B Buckwell Born 12 April 1934 Died 22 December 2021 - Aged 87 At Bedford School 1946-1952 - Glanyrafon

Jeremy read Law at Trinity Hall Cambridge and following National Service in the Navy, was a solicitor for many years in the Greater Brighton and Hove area. He married first Cynthia Heymanson in 1964, and secondly Gilda Buckwell in 1990

Patrick R Carlisle Born 6 March 1938 Died 20 June 2022 - Aged 84 At Bedford School 1945-1956 – Pemberley

Pat Carlisle was brought up in Henlow and was a boarder at Bedford for 11 years. A naturally gifted sportsman, he excelled at rugby and cricket, proudly representing the school in both sports. In his very first year he was one of a lucky few to meet Field-Marshal Montgomery on Speech Day, receiving a form prize on 28th June 1946.

After leaving Bedford, Pat undertook his National Service in the Royal Corps of Signals at Famagusta in Cyprus before returning home to study agriculture at Shuttleworth College from 1959 until 1961. He was an accomplished full-back in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s for Biggleswade and captained Shuttleworth before joining Bedford Rugby Club. He captained Bedford Wanderers and played over 20 games for the Bedford 1st XV, receiving his full club cap from another Old Bedfordian “Budge” Rogers in the 1964/65 season. Pat was also a keen cricketer playing for Shuttleworth, Bedford Town, Luton and Bedfordshire County Cricket Club, primarily as a fine batsman supplemented by a little spin bowling.

Pat married Margaret in 1965 at St. Andrews’ Church in Biggleswade and they made their home in Sawtry, where he started farming at Wood End Farm. In the early 1980’s, the family moved to Stamford, where Pat built a successful marquee hire business over more than 20 years. In retirement, he never lost his passion for sport, be it as a Luton Town fan or proudly supporting his grandchildren on the touchline. He remained a regular at Old Bedfordian golf days, dinners and reunions until recently.

He was the last surviving of four brothers Russell (42-46), Malcolm, and John (49-54). Margaret still lives in Stamford, as does daughter Joanna, while son Andrew lives in Winchester.

 Michael T Cartwright

Born 22 June 1929

Died 22 January 2022 - Aged 92

At Bedford School 1945-1947 - Paulo Pontine

Michael was born in Huntingdon after his mother Iris returned from India by sea to give birth. His father, Reginald had joined General Motors in Canada after serving in World War I and was sent to India to establish dealerships. He became Managing Director of General Motors Ltd., when World War II broke out and established new factories in England to support the war effort. He sent his family to Canada for the duration of the war.

Michael joined Bedford school in 1945 and the family bought a house in Rothsay Road. Their eldest sister Rachel attended Bedford High School. Michael went into the Remove whilst younger brother Robert (46-50) entered the last year of the Lower School. (Youngest brother John (59-65) attended

Bedford School much later).

Michael was the more academic of the two and studied

Literature and the Arts for pleasure. Robert was the sportsman and captained the XV and was secretary of the Cricket XI.

When Michael left school he did his National Service, partly in

Mombasa, whilst Robert went to RAF Cranwell.

In the mid-1950s Michael went to India where he worked for the Amalgamations Group in Madras, one of the distributors that his father had appointed in the 1920s. In

Madras (now Chennai) he took up rowing, using his 6ft 2” height to advantage and successfully amassed a few pots, mainly in 4s. He also spent a year in the famous old hill station of Ooty, in the Nilgiris Hills, as Company Representative.

He met his wife to be, Nina, in India, when she was performing with Holiday on Ice in New Delhi. He was himself a proficient skater having learnt on hockey skates in Canada.

He continued to skate in Cambridge and Oxford well into his sixties.

Michael and Nina married in 1962 and settled in Oxford where Nina initially qualified as a surgeon but subsequently ran a GP practice. They brought up their 3 sons in Oxford and the middle one, Giles, attended Bedford School (Sanderson’s/

Ashburnham) from 1978-1983.

On return from India, Michael set up an office equipment supply business based in Cambridge and Peterborough.

He was later joined by Robert who had several years earlier left Cranwell when he was found to be colour blind. Michael was for many years Secretary of SHEDA (The Storage and

Handling Equipment Distributors Association). The brothers ran the company together for 17 years until Robert died of cancer in 1988 at the age of 55. Michael closed the business a few years later and continued to live in Oxford. In retirement he took an Open University degree in Humanities and enjoyed his hobby of writing short stories.

His wife, Nina, died in July 2019 after suffering a long period of ill health, during which time Michael had nursed her at home. He resisted moving to a Nursing Home when his own health deteriorated and continued to live in the family home supported by regular visits from his sons.

John Cartwright (59-65) Roddy R Caxton-Spencer Born 5 July 1959 Died 2 August 2022 - Aged 63 At Bedford School 1973-1978 - Burnaby

Roderick Rudd Caxton-Spencer was born in Hillingdon Hospital to John CaxtonSpencer and his wife Gabrielle. His father was a licensed victualler. He went to Caldicott Prep School before joining Bedford. He later said that he specifically chose Bedford for its strength as a rugby school. When I arrived at Bedford in the 70s, I already had potential as a rugby player. But I certainly credit Bedford with developing my life-long passion for it. I was encouraged and pushed, made to take on new challenges and to try new things. It was simply expected of me ... of all of us. I ended up in the 1st XV for three consecutive years – and both played and worked with some great people throughout.

For me, it’s all about motivation, self-belief and raising your personal bar time after time. Looking back, at Bedford these attitudes very quickly, and permanently, became part of my lifeblood.

Roddy would become an outstanding rugby player. He was part of the Bedford VII that beat Plymouth 28-0 in the final of the Rosslyn Park tournament in 1978. He was spotted by Scotland rugby, picked for Scottish Schools for the match v English Schools at Richmond, the Scotland U19s side, and thence into the dark blue jersey of London Scottish FC, the beginning of a passion for that club that lasted the rest of his life.

Rugby wasn’t the only sport at which he excelled. He represented Bedford School at county level athletics and at the All-England Schools Championships in the 100m and relay. Later he would be an avid tennis player.

In 1982 Roddy joined the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) as a trooper but also to play rugby for the HAC RFC. Roddy normally played inside centre, he got a lot of the ball and was one of the stars. They played 20 to 25 games a season and toured the US, Portugal and France as well as all over England. Roddy played through until about 1997.

Meanwhile Roddy had side-stepped university and signed on at Lloyd’s of London. He started his career as a broker specialising in Fine Art and Precious Metals. He continued to specialise in that field for, successively, Alexander Howden, Gibbs Hartley Cooper, Bain Clarkson and Blackwall Green before spending the last 25 years at long-established Lloyd’s broker Besso Limited. He joined them in 1997 as Chairman, Managing Director, International/UK Division which he founded, and became Chairman and CEO of Overseas Operations, Executive Director Besso Group and from 2016, Deputy Chairman of Besso Limited.

An early success was to secure the first $1 billion placement for Lloyd’s for a Fine Arts Exhibition in St Petersburg. His international focus led him to establish new ventures in the Ukraine, Hong Kong and Turkey and later in New York and China. After hours, he chaired Arts 4 Dementia from 2010 to 2016 and in 2014 joined PAIAM (Professional Advisors to the International Art Market), a membership organisation consisting of lawyers, accountants, insurance

brokers, logistics experts, museum curators and others who provide a professional service to the art market.

He spoke French – more fluently after a glass or two - and had a good understanding of Turkish, Turkey being where he had a second home.

A member of the Council of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry since 2014, he joined its Board & Investment Committee in 2015, became chairman in 2019 and President in 2020. He joined the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars in 2014, chaired the Membership Committee for five years and was latterly a member of its Court of Assistants and Finance Committee and a Trustee. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Although his core passion was rugby, when he stopped playing, Roddy turned his attention to extreme sport and adventure as a means of raising funds for charity. In recent years he raised some £100,000 for mainly children’s charities and in the process tackled, among others, the World White Water Rafting Championships down the Zambezi (1997), the Marathon des Sables (2000), and the Himalayan 100-mile Marathon (2001) and an expedition to the north face of Mount Everest (2002). And he loved to sail, completing the Round Britain and Ireland yacht race, and the Global Challenge Round the World Yacht Race as part of Team Samsung (2004). From 2007-2012 he focused on the North Pole, making four Arctic expeditions and leading two of them. In 2012 he took to two wheels for the London to Monte Carlo Cycle Challenge which incorporates several iconic Tour de France alpine climbs.

Roddy was appointed to the London Scottish International Board in 2015 where he played an active role before his appointment as Chairman at the start of 2022. He had been seriously ill for some time but true to form, very few, even those close to him, were aware of his long battle against cancer; and a battle it was for this very private man, described by one who knew him well as a true warrior, who refused to give in to disease. It was a measure of the man that, when London Scottish needed a new chairman, Roddy could not refuse when asked that he take on the role; he, almost alone, knew just how ill he really was. This was after all a man who’d suffered a blood clot near the summit of Everest and survived to, well, not to tell the tale exactly, as he was too modest to make anything of it. Although Chairman for only a short amount of time it was recognised that his contribution had been immense, culminating in a successful partnership agreement with Harlequins.

Roddy met Nicky Ireland in 1990, who was working at the time for a musician in London; and they married on the Isle of Wight in 1994. Their daughter Georgina was born in 1995. Nicky and Georgina survive him as does his older brother Ian.

Graham M Clarke Born 5 March 1951 Died Aug 2022 - Aged 71 At Bedford School 1965-1969 – Pemberley

Graham spent his early years in Africa, mainly Kenya and South Africa, where his father Robert, was a traffic officer with the railways. His younger brother Ian, joined him at Bedford in 1966.

He married Veronica in the mid 1970’s and had a son, Russell and daughter, Lara. He ran a transport company near Leighton Buzzard for many years but sadly had cancer for the last 15 years or so of his life.

Richard J Comyn Born 1 October 1934 Died 29 March 2022 - Aged 87 At Bedford School 1947-1950 - Sanderson’s

Anyone who remembers Richard from his time at Bedford School will be more familiar with his surname at the time, ‘Common’ – a name that his wife, Cecily, persuaded him to change before agreeing to marry him! At Bedford he was a member of the Colts rugby XV as well as a keen athlete and cricketer. His academic prowess was not quite so accomplished. So, after passing his School Certificate in 1950, he attended the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester. Coming as he did from a farming family in the Borders of Scotland it was thought that he might also go into agriculture in some capacity.

However, following two years’ National Service, largely spent in a tank regiment posted to Germany, his life went in a very different direction. On discharge from the army, he became a sound engineer, soon moving into advertising as a producer in the newly emerging world of commercial television.

Over the next couple of decades, he worked at leading London advertising agencies including Young and Rubicam, J. Walter Thompson and Benton and Bowles. Tiring of the politics of the agency world, he then had a very successful period as a freelance producer working directly for clients including Omega watches.

Later in his career he returned to sound engineering and combined this with a role as audio visual producer creating displays and exhibitions for Grants Distillery and BP amongst others.

For most of his adult life Richard lived with his wife Cecily in southwest London but in 1992 the opportunity arose to run a small post office and village shop in Cavendish, Suffolk. So, they decided to leave London behind and start a new phase of their life. They quickly became popular members of the community, and it was only in 2009, following the death of Cecily, that Richard finally retired.

He stayed in Cavendish for the rest of his life, spending the last 18 months of it in the Devonshire House Care Home.

Richard, or Dick to everyone who knew him, will be remembered as a creative, kind and quietly witty man who loved photography, film making and snooker. He always kept in touch with one Old Bedfordian friend in particular, David Marchington (48-51), and was also always proud to share a Bedford connection with the English cricket captain Alastair Cook.

He is survived by his son, David, and grandchildren Oliver, Dylan and Amelia.

 Lt Col Richard S Corkran OBE

Born 28 July 1936

Died 9 March 2021 - Aged 84

At Bedford School 1943-1951 - Sanderson’s

After Bedford, Richard went to the Army Apprentices’ College at Arborfield. Championed by Grenadier friends of his grandfather, Arborfield was followed by officer cadet training at Eaton Hall, Cheshire and then Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1956, and joined the 2nd Battalion, followed in 1957 by the 3rd Battalion stationed in Cyprus during the EOKA emergency. In 1960, after a spell in the Guards Training Battalion, Richard re-joined the 3rd

Battalion as their Signals Officer. In 1962 he volunteered for service in the King’s African Rifles in Kenya. It was quite an experience as he was often the only British officer in a remote station, but it was one that he loved. He served with 5th

Battalion King’s African Rifles, the Military Training School and, after Kenyan independence, 3rd Kenya Rifles. He acted in a variety of roles: Administrative Officer, Training Officer, and

Adjutant. He threw himself into this secondment heart and soul, initially becoming a colloquial Swahili speaker and then graduating to linguist, which led to him instructing in Swahili at the Military Training School; Idi Amin being one of his pupils. Richard returned from Kenya to the Regiment in 1965 and completed a staff appointment in 4th Guards Brigade in Germany in 1967, before returning to the 2nd Battalion in

Wuppertal. 1967 was a significant year for Richard as, in October, he married Jane Paget, a marriage that was to be a source of great happiness to him for the next 53 years. Jane gave wonderful support to Richard in all his accompanied postings, even in the difficult conditions of Northern Ireland in the late 1970s. In Wuppertal, to Richard’s delight, the Army quarters in Germany had cellars and it was only then that Jane discovered his interest in railways. Knowledgeable about the history of railways around the world, he had an extensive library on them. In Wuppertal he very quickly set to and built a model railway and Jane, realising that if you cannot beat them, join them, rapidly became adept at building miniature stations and villages for his layout. At dinner parties all the men would often disappear to the cellar after their port to

‘play trains’.

Having attended the Staff College at Camberley, Richard returned to the 2nd Battalion and command of the Inkerman

Company which was to go to British Honduras as an independent company group in 1971. Soldiering with Richard was interesting, demanding, and great fun. The small garrison in British Honduras did not know what to expect of the

Grenadier Guards.

While in British Honduras Richard, an Open University

Foundation student, studied earnestly during quiet periods.

He had a sharp mind and a flair for maths and technology.

The tour ended with a threat of invasion by neighbouring

Guatemala and a dramatic deployment to the border.

Fortunately, nothing came of Guatemalan sabre-rattling, but it was certainly dramatic at the time. Richard’s rifle company was happy, wonderfully trained and returned to England having benefited enormously from the experience.

From British Honduras Richard and Jane went to Singapore where Richard had a key job in the British Army Staff working under another Grenadier, Colonel Peter Thwaites, in the trination ANZUK headquarters. Richard was in his element there and it was a job that became even busier when the British Army Staff was disbanded and Richard became the Brigade Major of 28 Infantry Brigade, a formation that was started from scratch with unknown staff and poor accommodation.

Richard, Jane, and their 13-month-old daughter, Claire, returned from Singapore at the end of 1974 when Richard became the Senior Major of the 1st Battalion. In 1975 he gained his Open University BA Honours Degree, an interdisciplinary degree which covered all manner of subjects. His love of technology was on display at their home in Berkshire where the family lived for 34 years. He constructed a swimming pool entirely by himself (apart from digging the actual hole). The walls were reinforced by earth and embedded bottles – many wine bottles amongst them! He devised a method of heating the pool water by painting old radiators black and passing water through them and what seemed like miles of black hosepipe heated by the sun, thence into the swimming pool – remarkably like modern ground source heat pumps.

Alexandra was born in 1976, the year in which Richard attended the National Defence College at Latimer before being selected for promotion and command of the 8th Battalion of the Ulster Defence Regiment based in Dungannon, East Tyrone, arguably one of the more difficult commands in the British Army. He made a great success of his command and transformed the Battalion, deservedly earning their respect.

The family returned to England and Richard to a series of staff jobs in London at the Ministry of Defence, Headquarters London District, and with the National Employers’ Liaison Council (NELC). Above all, it was with the secretariat of NELC that he made his mark. The Council was a new organisation and key to getting employers to understand the Territorial Army and the reserves. Richard was awarded an OBE for his work in 1991, the year he retired from the Army.

On retirement, Richard worked part time for the Foreign Office for a few months and then was appointed Chief Executive of the Berkshire County Blind Society (now Berkshire Vision), a job that he absolutely relished. His tenure there has been described as a veritable tour de force, when he focused on bringing as much comfort, companionship, and care to the Society’s individual members as he could. He also built up the activities and outings for visually challenged children. On retiring to Sussex, Richard ran the Saltdean and Peacehaven Blind Club and was, for a spell, a Trustee of the Sussex Blind Society. He always enjoyed helping others and bringing plenty of laughter into their lives, with his slightly eccentric sense of humour.

From 1991-2006 Richard was the Honorary Secretary of the King’s African Rifles and East African Forces Association and is credited with a long overdue modernisation of the Association. He organised their reunions and started ‘Rhino Link’, their newsletter. ‘Rhino Link’ drew an increasing following and generated considerable correspondence. It still does and is now a glossy biannual magazine with a circulation of 300.

Richard died in March aged 84 having suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for several years. He was the last of

several generations of Grenadiers in his family, including his maternal great grandfather, Colonel Horace Ricardo and his grandfather, Major General Sir Charles Corkran.

Adapted from The Guards Magazine

Harold Cottam Born 12 October 1938 Died 13 December 2021 - Aged 83 At Bedford School 1946-1954 - Ashburnham

Harold qualified as a chartered accountant after leaving school and worked in Tanzania for Deloitte & CO where he met his wife Lyn, and after a time in Peru with Deloitte he then became Head of Corporation Planning for SmithKline Beecham UK from 1964-66. He joined the Simon Engineering Group from 1966-68 as Commercial Director for Spain.

Returning to London in 1968 he became Managing Partner of Ernst & Young (he oversaw the merger of Ernst & WhinneyArthur Young in 1989) until 1992. He then combined various board roles, including being Chairman of the Britannic Group plc, and Executive Chairman of Pentwyn Renewables Ltd, with hill farming in Herefordshire.

He loved tennis, cricket, opera and his garden.

He married Lyn Minton in 1962 and they had 2 daughters. He is very much missed by Lyn, his daughters, and grandchildren.

Lt Col Howard A Culley Born 19 March 1944 Died 29 June 2022 - Aged 78 Bedford School Staff 1986-2007

Howard served as an Army officer with the Royal Corps of Signals, for twentyfour years during which time he had a variety of unusual jobs. He spent his twenty-first birthday in the jungles of Borneo, commanded an Arab infantry unit in the Gulf for three years, and was the military attaché in Beirut during the aftermath of the Lebanese Civil War. It was here he met and married his wife Carrie in 1979.

After leaving the Army he spent twenty-one years in the education sector, at Bedford School. He joined as Bursar in 1986 which he continued to do until he became the first Director of the Bedford School Foundation in 2002. His term as Bursar saw a period of unprecedented change which included the reorganisation of the ‘Inky’ and the Lower School, alongside major new developments across the estate, which included the new music school and library.

Howard took over the Bedford School Trust as Clerk and Treasurer. When he was appointed, he found an organisation in need of substantial and rapid updating, both organisationally and financially. The professionalism that Howard brought to the organisation was soon evident with it becoming an increasingly important contributor in all aspects of the day-to-day life of the school.

In 2002, Howard became the first Director of the newly formed Bedford School Foundation. Set up as a separate charity so as to enjoy the various tax advantages that go with such a status, it was tasked with the specific objective of devising and implementing an effective fundraising strategy for Bedford School and, on a broader basis, to work with the school and the Old Bedfordians Club to promote good relations with all those connected with the school. Since its formation, the Foundation has raised substantial funds which have been used to enrich the education of today’s students.

After leaving Bedford, Howard served on the board of two commercial companies and was a trustee of several national and local charities. His last job before retiring was as the finance director and company secretary of the Institute of Development Professionals in Education. Since retirement, he was involved in several historical projects and gave talks on historical subjects. He started writing historical fiction in 2013 and wrote ‘The Saga of Wessex’ and the ‘Earls of Northumbria’ book series amongst others.

For many years he and his wife, Carrie, lived between Holy Island and Berwick upon Tweed in northern Northumberland, the setting for many of his historical novels, but moved to Oxfordshire in 2020 to be nearer his children and grandchildren. He is survived by Carrie, their son James (8899) and daughters Georgina and Charlotte.

Ian A M Dakin Born 11 March 1953 Died 26 January 2022 - Aged 68 At Bedford School 1960-1970 - St Cuthbert’s

After school Ian worked in London with the Civil Service and then promotion took him to Barnstaple where he married Denise and enjoyed playing cricket.

Ian enjoyed listening to music and playing his keyboard.. He also read many books and had a great interest in old books which he bought and sold.

His father, Tony Dakin (30-42), also attended the school as did Tony`s brother, George (27-32), who sadly died aged 13 .

F Martin Day Born 2 March 1940 Died 12 May 2022 - Aged 82 At Bedford School 1951-1958 - Crescent

Martin was born to Frank and Alice on 2nd March 1940. At that time, they were living at The Bury, Houghton Conquest. The family then moved to the Mill House and Martin lived there for the rest of his life.

He attended the village school in Houghton Conquest and then went on to Bedford School. He gained a place at Reading University, where he studied Agriculture. After leaving university he ran the business known as Mill House Nurseries growing tomatoes in a large greenhouse. After his father died, he continued to live with his mother, with whom he was very close. When his mother died in 1995 and he continued to live at Mill House on his own. He developed an interest, and expertise, in growing trees. He was particularly interested in developing elm trees that were resistant to disease.

The Millennium Yew project was started in November 1996 as a collaboration between the Church of England and the Conservation Foundation, to provide yew cuttings for parishes to plant to commemorate the end of the 2nd millennium. The initial project was run by David Bellamy, and Martin was recruited to grow the cuttings. It was expected that a few hundred cuttings would be needed but the uptake was much bigger than expected and the project soon expanded. The cuttings, around 6 inches in height, taken from about 60 very old yew trees, were transported to Martin’s nursery, where he

 propagated them in his greenhouses. As a result of the project some 8,000 yews were planted in 7,000 Church of England parishes.

He took a great interest in village activities and served on the Parish Council. He was a familiar face as he walked down to the shop to pick up his newspaper each morning with his dog, Pippa. If you stopped to talk to him, you could be there for half an hour, as he always had a lot of interesting things to say.

Martin was an active member of the Gardening Club, Beds

Natural History Society, the Bedfordshire Geology Group and the Ampthill and District Archaeological and Local History

Society.

Charles Dumpleton Born 29 May 1946 Died 7 February 2022 - Aged 75 At Bedford School 1959-1962 - St Cuthbert’s

After School, Charles completed his education at Shuttleworth Agricultural College, Old Warden, reading agriculture.

Charles then moved directly to Devon where he farmed Town Barton Farm at Highampton and developed his interest in Red Ruby Devon Cattle. Charles farmed Town Barton continuously for 57 years, the last 51 of them with the help of his wife Margaret, whom he had married in 1970. Regretfully they were childless.

Charles became deeply engaged in village life and in local politics. He was a founder and strong advocate for Ruby Country, the brand for the rural area in which he lived and worked. Charles campaigned tirelessly for the future of the local farmers markets to the north of Dartmoor.

He had recently moved out of the old farmhouse and into his new home, a converted milking parlour with a spectacular view of Dartmoor, when he died suddenly in his sleep.

David H Duncombe Born 16 March 1944 Died 8 January 2019 - Aged 74 At Bedford School 1957-1962- St Cuthbert’s

David married Susan Gatehouse in 1972 and died in Norwich. His brother Ewart R Duncombe (55-59) died in April 2003.

John D W Duncombe Born 1 April 1933 Died 14 May 2022 - Aged 89 At Bedford School 1945-1950 - St Peter’s

John did National Service with the RAF after leaving Bedford being stationed in Pakistan. He then joined the Bank of England, working in Leeds for a while but being mainly based in London. He married Evelyn Hawkes in 1960 and they had 3 children, 2 sons and a daughter. Sadly, their son Adrian died in 1968 at the age of 4.

John is survived by his son, Alastair and their daughter, Evelyn having predeceased him in 2009.

Richard J H Foulkes Born 4 December 1939 Died 16 December 2020 - Aged 81 At Bedford School 1952-1957 - Pemberley

Born in Ruislip to a son of a Royal Marine Major, Richard joined the school as a boarder where he enjoyed an all-rounded school life, both academically and across the sports. As a pupil he spent many happy days designing, building and flying small combustion model aircrafts across the school playing fields. Amusingly noted in his school report “If Richard spent as much time on his academic studies as he did with his model aircrafts, he would be an outstanding student.”

Rowing was an instrumental part of his school life, a powerhouse and skilful oarsman within the 1957 1st VIII crew which attended Henley. In 2007 he organised a 50-year reunion for the 1st VIII where all but one member of the crew returned, travelling from across the globe to row the famous Ouse River. Rowing remained a part of Richard’s life as did flying light aircrafts during his university studies.

Practicing as a member of RIBA he founded and led a successful architectural practice for a number of years within rural Worcestershire. During his retirement he battled Parkinson’s disease with dignity and relentless spirit, yet remained resilient and active, enjoying travel with family and friends.

Richard passed peacefully with his family alongside; a joyous service was held at the Vale Crematorium, Worcestershire where some enchanting tales of a wonderful life were shared.

James W Francis Born 6 January 1940 Died 15 October 2021 - Aged 81 At Bedford School 1948-1958 - St Peter’s

James E Frost Born 28 March 1949 Died 14 October 2021 - Aged 72 At Bedford School 1962-1967 - Sanderson’s

On leaving School James modelled for a while for Calvin Klien, before moving to the Bahamas when he was 20. He built several homes in Nassau but was most fond of his home ‘Frosty’s Cove’ at Rose Island which he had built, brick by brick every week with a just a couple of helpers. He worked in the Atlantis Casino as a croupier for many years and loved

fishing and boating

James is survived by his 2 brothers, Charlie (65-69) and Nick (66-71), his daughter Bianca and grandchildren, Damian and Reece.

Timothy J L Goodwin Born 16 November 1968 Died September 2018 - Aged 49 At Bedford School 1980-1986 - Paulo Pontine

Colin Gosden Born 16 February 1934 Died 14 May 2022 - Aged 88 At Bedford School 1942-1952 - Pemberley

Colin was born in Bridlington, but the family moved to Barnet a year or two later. In 1940, after the start of World War 2, they moved to Bedford where Colin lived with his mother and baby sister, Christine, while his father was in the army. At the end of the war the family moved to Croydon but as Colin, then aged 11, was happy and settled at Bedford School neither he nor his parents wished him to change school. No boarding places were available, so he stayed with two other Bedford School families – firstly the Hartley Robertsons, but mainly with the Preston’s. The latter became firm family friends with the Gosdens and their younger son, Trevor (42-52), six years older became a lifelong friend of Colin’s.

At the age of 13 when he stated in the senior school, a boarding place in Pemberley House became available for Colin and he spent the rest of his schooldays there. He did well academically with distinctions in his matriculation and high marks in A’ and Scholarship levels. He also made friends with whom he kept up for many years – Colin Cox (35-41), Clive Eckert (46-51) and George Pink (47-52).

After leaving school Colin did National Service with the Royal Artillery in Hong Kong which he much enjoyed. He then took up a scholarship at Christs College, Cambridge to read an engineering degree, eventually specialising in Civil Engineering. During his three happy years there he met many Scandinavian students who came to Summer Schools in Cambridge and struck up many friendships. He taught himself to speak Danish, using language tapes and took a summer job in Copenhagen one year.

Following Cambridge, he took a two-year post in Australia working on many jobs including one on Sydney Harbour Bridge and also worked in the outback. After his return he took a job with the Copenhagen based Danish/Portuguese firm, Hojgaard & Schultz, and spent the rest of his working life with them. He was quickly assigned to a two-year job building a Harbour in the Azores. He immediately married Inger, whom he had met while working in Copenhagen during his summer job there and with whom he had kept in touch.

On his return he and Inger had two sons – Michael in 1963 and Patrick in 1965.

A few days after Patrick was born, they travelled to Luanda in Angola where Colin worked on a cement factory and a Grain Silo. They enjoyed their time there as part of an ex-pat multinational community, seeing the wildlife on safari holidays and using the sunny beaches at weekends.

They returned to Denmark in 1971 wanting the children to have a stable education in their native country. Colin became Security Manager for Hojgaard & Schultz, and then became Project Manager for all construction jobs in Africa – covering projects in Libya, Tanzania, Egypt, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Kenya among others.

Colin had a wide range of interests. He read copiously, visited the theatre, took part in amateur dramatics, and belonged to Louisiana Museum of Modern Art on the outskirts of Copenhagen. Sailing was a grand passion with him. He owned a yacht and spent many weekends and holidays sailing with his family and friends, including Trevor, visiting Germany and the other Scandinavian countries. He loved to travel and after his early retirement – due to heart problems - he visited as many countries as he could - some, like Vietnam – without Inger.

Their sons have both married and Colin and Inger had five grandchildren – four boys and a girl. Their family life gave them much joy, and during their latter years were a source of comfort and support.

J Mike Graham-Smith Born 4 October 1931 Died 25 December 2021 - Aged 90 At Bedford School 1938-1949 - St Cuthbert’s

Derek Gray Born 4 June 1926 Died 12 October 2021 - Aged 95 At Bedford School 1936-1944 - St Cuthbert’s

Derek was born in Whitley Bay, but the family moved to Bedford when he was a toddler. He attended Goldington Road School till the age of 10 when he won a scholarship to Bedford, joining the Inky in 1936. Although he got good French & German School Certificates, he changed disciplines to study Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Engineering Drawing for Higher Certificate, and won a State Bursary to study Mechanical Engineering at UCL. This enabled him to defer National Service until after graduation. Having completed basic training at HMS Royal Arthur in “Pompey” he undertook specialist mechanical & marine engineering training and became an Acting Sub Lieutenant (E) in the RNVR and was posted to the Mediterranean on HMS St. Brides Bay. Never having stepped foot outside the UK, joining the Navy provided marvellous opportunities to travel. Within a year of arriving in Malta, on the Troop ship “Empress of Australia”, he had been to Cyprus then, via the Suez Canal, Aqaba, Ras Gharib, Port Sudan, Al Hudaydah and Aden, returning via Italy where St. Brides Bay moored alongside Piazza San Marco in Venice. Tourism made easy!

He had met his future wife Hilary at UCL, where she was studying Spanish, French & Latin. It was love at first sight. She had just returned to London from New York at the end of the war having been evacuated from London in 1940 during the blitz. They married shortly after he completed his National Service. Their combined language skills greatly helped their future times abroad. Both had a love of travel which never left them. He combined this with his engineering career specialising in the design & build of sugar refineries around the world. Over the course of 30 years with Tate & Lyle Technical Services and T & L Engineering, he worked on projects in USA, Canada, Venezuela, Belize Rhodesia, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Israel, Tunisia, Iran, South Korea,

 Hong Kong & the Philippines.

Such travels meant Derek spent a lot of time away from home but fortunately Hilary was kept busy bringing up the 4 children whilst indulging in her charitable work with “Animal

Rescue” from the farmhouse in Keston, Kent in which they lived. Derek had an eclectic variety of hobbies & interests outside of work & travel which he actively pursued after taking early retirement. He was an accomplished gardener, having helped his father maintain the allotment during the war, and the family was largely self-sufficient with produce from the huge vegetable plot, orchard & chickens that he maintained for 35 years. His lifelong mantras were “go to work on an egg” and “5 fruit & veggies a day”. There were always two freezers chock-a-block with home grown produce. He was also a keen photographer and won many prizes at Beckenham

Photographic Society. Never having been particularly sporty at

School, he was however a keen swimmer & SCUBA diver, with the latter opening up a whole new “Cousteaunean” world for him. He loved to dive in the warm tropical waters of the Med, the Caribbean, or near the Great Barrier Reef. He particularly enjoyed Andros Island’s Blue Holes which he explored in over 40 years of visits there. In later life, gardening and then a daily swim, at the local leisure centre pool he had frequented for 45 years, ensured he got his daily exercise. Virgin Active even gave him Honorary Membership at the age of 92 because he was such a long standing regular!

He was a devout Christian and devoted much time to his local Church, St. John’s, West Wickham, where he was a

Church Warden & Bell Ringer. He volunteered his services to the clearing, reclaiming and restoration of the overgrown churchyard. This proved to be a huge task for the team, cutting and removing years of overgrown vegetation, removing or restoring fallen gravestones and generally making the churchyard respectable again.

He had a good bass voice and a love of classical music, which sprung from his time in the School Chapel Choir and from being able to watch the BBC Symphony Orchestra rehearsing in the Great Hall during WW2. It gave him great pleasure, more than 70 years later, to return to the school to be interviewed by BBC’s Shaun Peel to reminisce for the documentary “Somewhere in England”, about the BBC

Symphony Orchestra’s sojourn in Bedford during the war.

As an OB he regularly attended Kent reunions run by Tony

Tansley (43-48) and remained friends with Peter Poolman (3443), fellow OB and Beresford Road neighbour, for 90 years!

In the last phase of his life, he and Hilary decided to downsize, moving to a more manageable bungalow in Eden

Park, with a small but attractive garden. Alas Hilary was already developing Alzheimer’s, and this was quickly followed by a stroke which left her paralysed, bedridden & unable to speak. She went into a care home, but Derek never missed a single day’s visit to see & spend time with her over her 7 years there. His compassion, dedication and devotion to seeing that she was well cared for were exemplary. In contrast to her, his detailed long-term memory, coupled with his intense curiosity & interest in new technology, renewable energy, the environment & sustainability was extraordinary for someone in their 90s. He was always on his iPad - researching or keeping up with friends around the world.! He was blessed with 95 years of good health with only his last 3 weeks in hospital. Not a bad innings. He leaves behind 4 children, 8 grandchildren and, so far, 3 great grandchildren, with another on the way.

Alistair Gray (66-72)

Dr Thomas R Hailstone Born 1 November 1935 Died 23 September 2022 - Aged 85 At Bedford School 1943-1954 - St Peter’s

Thomas lived in Leicestershire since 1963 working as a family doctor and teaching at the University hospital. He was a member of Deanery and Diocesan Synod and an active member of village church. He was also a Trustee of Vista and a fundraiser for LRNI and many other charities. He married firstly Pamela Edgecombe in 1958 and secondly Norma Thomas in 1984.

He was extremely honoured to receive Royal Maundy Money from HM Queen Elizabeth II in April 2017 at Leicester Cathedral.

Tom was an enthusiastic sailor, he owned a Cornish crabber that he fitted out himself, a gardener, sports and music lover. Despite being registered blind he continued his hobbies for as long as possible.

John W Harrison Born 7 March 1936 Died 27 November 2021 - Aged 85 At Bedford School 1946-1954 - Burnaby

John Womack Harrison was born in Bromley, in 1936, one of four children of Herbert Harrison, a manager at Lloyd’s Bank, and his wife Margaret (née Womack). When war broke out his mother took the children to Ayr, on the west coast of Scotland. His father, who spent much of the war training new recruits in northern Scotland, was sent on active service to Germany in October 1944, but was wounded four months later and eventually awarded the Military Cross. John had learnt to read before starting primary school and was often chosen to read aloud in class. When someone joked that he should read the news, an ambition was born.

At the age of nine he was sent to board at Bedford, where he took up rowing and was a stage carpenter on theatrical productions. His interest in broadcasting was fostered early on when he was able to invest in a home tape recorder thanks to a £100 legacy from an aunt enabling him to record and edit interviews. Many happy hours were spent interviewing family members and editing their chats by cutting the tape and sticking the ends together.

During National Service with the RAF, he was posted to Lüneburg in northern Germany to monitor radar on the air corridors into Berlin. While there he secured an audition for the British Forces Network in Cologne, which involved announcing a concert by the Northwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt and became an announcer and newsreader. This led on to holiday relief work at the BBC during vacations when

studying PPE at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He continued rowing there and also worked on the student newspaper, Cherwell, becoming its editor. During his first vacation he read the local BBC television news in Belfast.

His 32-year career at the BBC started in 1960 as a television outside broadcasts stage manager in Birmingham directing regional documentaries, reading the news and helping to create the current affairs programme Midlands Today. One of his directing roles was on Come Dancing, which was particularly complicated because the contestants were in different parts of the country, the judges in another location and the whole show was broadcast live. One day in 1960 he was in the BBC canteen and seated with a group of new staff who were preparing for a test about the corporation. Among them was Gillian Thomas, who offered to give him a tennis lesson. Their first date was to see the thriller The Wages of Fear. Gillian was subsequently posted to the BBC News office in Paris, and they got engaged beside the Seine. They were married in 1964.

Moving to London to become a producer he worked on Top Firm, a quiz programme hosted by Kenneth Horne.

In 1975 he was seconded to the Ministry of Defence, given the rank of colonel, to set up a television service for servicemen and their families based in Germany. British Forces Broadcasting Service TV, a spin-off from the wellestablished radio service, was an early and rare example of co-operation between the BBC and ITV. Based in a portable building on a British army base at Celle, near Hanover, it used taped programmes supplied by both channels that were flown to Germany and rebroadcast. BFBS TV went live on September 18, 1975, at 7pm with a musical pageant from Wembley followed by The Benny Hill Show, the Miss United Kingdom contest and a feature film, The Virgin and the Gypsy. The only hiccup came at the close of transmission when the National Anthem was inadvertently played twice.

Before long BFBS TV was making its own programmes including Instant German, a series of short language lessons. Take Five featured chats with celebrities such as Frankie Howerd, Joanna Lumley and the Muppets, while in an attempt, perhaps, to make sure soldiers were not enjoying the station’s output too much, Brigadier (later General Sir) Martin Farndale, a future commander of the British Army of the Rhine, proposed Command, a series of interviews with senior officers. Though John thought this show sounded like it would be rather heavy going, he tactfully agreed to it, after first vetoing Farndale’s request for questions to be provided in advance.

It was not until 1982 that a live link with the UK was established, enabling BFBS TV to be broadcast from London. Returning to the BBC John joined BBC Enterprises, the department marketing programmes around the world. There he helped launch the ground-breaking BBC Microcomputer, one of the first home computers with half a million being sold in the first three years. He took early retirement when offered it in 1992 disillusioned that the BBC management seemed to be concentrating more on money than the quality of its programmes. This enabled him to join his wife, who was by then an established travel writer, on her travels and with her writing.

Weekends were spent in the garden cultivating large crops of apples and tomatoes. He was also keen on DIY. When his domestic tasks were completed, he enjoyed playing table tennis, deploying a range of unorthodox shots learnt at Bedford.

He was a school governor and a sidesman at the Church of the Ascension in Ealing, west London, on one occasion borrowing a Doctor Who Dalek from the BBC for the church fête. In the days before decent amplification, he was the ideal candidate to read the lessons, the words booming with absolute clarity.

When the family were young, John and Gillian took them on canal barge holidays, a tradition he was delighted to revive with the arrival of grandchildren. During the Covid pandemic he and Gillian resumed table tennis in the garage, playing 259 games, of which he won 114.

John contracted pancreatic cancer and died in November 2021. He is survived by his wife Gillian, their son, Andrew, who is a doctor, and their daughters, Bridget, a journalist, and Jacqui, an artist.

Adapted from The Times

Roger Harrison Born 21 May 1949 Died 1 June 2022 - Aged 73 At Bedford School 1958-1966 – Ashburnham

There were many shocked amateur musicians in Cape Town and the south of England when Roger passed away in Bournemouth on June 1st after a short battle

Roger (left) in the red cap with a vicious cancer. and elder brother, Ian (48-57) After Bedford Roger at the Severn Valley Heritage railway. worked for a brief time in London for the Civil Service before the family emigrated to South Africa in 1968.

His music career started in Cape Town where he took lessons in modern jazz and keyboard. Roger became involved in the “cover band” scene in Cape Town in the 1970s and spent many years playing keyboard, first on a Hammond and then on a Roland. He played quite regularly and made several friends in the amateur band scene, many of whom were to remain friends till the end. Roger had his own band, “Phoenix”, a Cliff/Shadows tribute band.

In 1998 he returned to the U.K. with his father and stayed here after his father died. Occasionally, he was asked to play keyboards with bands in the south of England. Also, while in England, he indulged his other passion, steam trains.

After a while, he missed the warmer climate and returned to South Africa, where he joined another Cliff & The Shadows tribute band. Their love and passion for that music drove the band and together they formed what was arguably the finest exponent of this genre of music in South Africa. The band “Tribute” comprised of 6 musicians from the old school, with Roger on keyboards.

However, Roger again tired of South Africa, and went to live in Spain. When Brexit came, he returned to England, as he said, “to wait until things settle”. When they did settle, he went back to Spain, and it was there in December 2021 that he lost his voice. A visit to the Doctor resulted in a Biopsy being done on a growth on his vocal cords. The result was that it was malignant. Despite radiation treatment and a return to England

 for more possible treatment, he succumbed to the cancer.

Roger leaves behind his widow Janet and his daughter from his first marriage, Stephanie.

Nicholas F Haynes Born 26 February 1951 Died 9 June 2021 – Aged 70 At Bedford School 1959-1969 – Kirkman’s

Nick was Head of School and after Bedford and six months teaching in Kenya, went to St Catharine’s College, Cambridge to read Law. He represented his college in both rugby and the Boat Club and in 1973 was stroking the College’s 1st VIII. He was elected as a Fellow Commoner of St Catharine’s College in 2005. He was a trombonist, had a love of music, especially choral works, a deep knowledge of wine, and a passion for Africa and its development since his early days there. All these interests made Nick an engaging dinner companion who could talk about prominent figures in the rowing world while, perhaps surprisingly, demonstrating a marine zoological knowledge, developed from his summer in 1972 and ’73 in the Sudanese Red Sea with the Cambridge Coral Starfish Research Group. He knew his Echinoidea from his Asteroidea! He kept in close contact with the many friends made during these expeditions and retained a life-long commitment to East Africa.

After Cambridge, Nick went to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst to be commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets, with whom he served for five years in West Germany, Berlin, Belize and Northern Ireland. A keen skier he led 3 Battalion’s patrol team at the British Nordic Ski Championships in Oberjoch, Germany in 1977. His devotion to the Green Jackets and their antecedents in the Peninsular Was, as part of the Rifle Corps and General More’s and Crauford’s Light Division, became central in later life to his interests and passion. Through meticulous research and the correlation of contemporary diaries and sketches with the lie of the ground, he became a leading authority on this period. Authors and artists alike consulted him on the finer details of campaigns, uniforms, weapons, combat units and personalities. Many others were transfixed by his detailed accounts on the ground of historical events. He published a book ‘Far in Advance’ telling the story of the Peninsular War of 1808-14 through the paintings of Christa Hoo.

After his military service Nick became a successful investment banker working in London, the Gulf, the Middle East (he was fascinated by Arab culture), and Europe (for several years running Klienwort’s banking operations in Geneva). Typically, he wore his skillset lightly, but his experience in the financial investment field made him an invaluable entrepreneurial consultant for those seeking opportunities in the developing world.

Nick was an adoring family man and his marriage to his vibrant Swedish wife, Ulrika, fostered a love of Scandinavia and its wild places. Most summer holidays were spent with their two sons, Thomas and Gus, at the family Stuga in Sweden’s Northwest, from which Nick absorbed, and tirelessly regaled his friends with, the benefits of Sweden’s culture and cuisine.

The sudden death in a house fire at his home in Oxfordshire of this genuinely good, funny, and loving man has left a huge hole in the lives of so many. He was a fine judge of character and a true and entertaining friend, who could always be relied upon for selfless support and advice. He never forgot the birthdays of his many godchildren. In everything he did he sought excellence, which drove him forward in all his work and interests, sometimes to the detriment of his own health.

Dr David R L Heald Born 14 August 1940 Died 22 September 2022 - Aged 81 At Bedford School 1949-1958 - Paulo Pontine

David entered Cuthbert Pickering’s form one 1IIc in the Inky in 1949, following in the footsteps of his maternal grandfather, two great uncles and uncle, all OBs. He left in Anton Barber’s FVI in 1958. After leaving School, David joined the Shell Company in the City, where his father and other relatives had been employees. After two happy years in the magnificent Shell club at Lensbury by Teddington Lock, he realised that commuting daily on the 7.27 to London hardly seemed an appealing prospect.

He parted company with Shell in 1960, and managed to win a place at King’s College, London to read German and French. His four years there included terms at the University of Bonn and Vienna. On graduating in 1964, his travels took him to Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore where he took an MA in 1965, and developed a taste for baseball and Schlitz tea. After a year’s graduate study in London, he was off again, this time as a Lektor (native English-speaking assistant), to the University of Münster, Germany until 1967. On his return to England, he started a full-time academic career at the University of Kent in Canterbury.

On taking early retirement in 1994 he indulged his freelance interests in translating, interpreting for the police, some journalism and private tuition.

He always had great affection for the school, returning on numerous occasions to school open days, prize-giving and other functions. Though he had an undistinguished record of sport as a cricketer and rugby player, he once turned out for the OB Club versus the XL Club and on several occasions for Murray Fletcher’s Christmas matches between the OBs and the School.

David donated a German prize, as well as cricket and rugby cups for junior players, and memorial benches to his grandfather and father, and a named seat in the new school theatre in memory of his father. He was DVP for the OB Club for the Kent area from 1995-2004.

Robert N Hector Born 21 May 1939 Died 4 September 2019 - Aged 80 At Bedford School 1952-1957 - Talbot’s

Robert read Mechanical Sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge and was an Electronics Engineer living in the Marlborough area.

He married Pricilla Halfpenny in 1962 and they had 3 children, Lucy, Jonathan, and Annabel.

John L Hicks Born 28 March 1939 Died 16 January 2022 - Aged 82 At Bedford School 1946-1957 - Paulo Pontine

Professor Richard E Hills Born 30 September 1945 Died 5 June 2022 - Aged 76 At Bedford School 1954-1963 - St Cuthbert’s

Prof Richard Hills was a world-leading expert on millimetre and submillimetre astronomy. He was a research scientist at the Max Planck Institute in Bonn from 1972-74, before returning to Cambridge, where he studied Natural Sciences at Queens’ College, to work on the development of telescopes and instrumentation for

Picture astronomy at wavelengths of around one courtesy of millimetre. This is the relatively unexplored

University of Cambridge spectral region lying between radio waves and infrared. He then went to the University of California, Berkeley to complete his doctorate.

He worked as a scientist at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Hawaii, where he observed distant, redshifted quasars and studied processes associated with star formation, and was closely involved with the design and operation of this highly successful telescope. For his outstanding contribution to this project, he was awarded the Jacksonian Gwilt Medal and Gift of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1989. In December 2007 he was appointed as Project Scientist for the ALMA telescope, a sub-millimeter interferometer in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile.

A fellow of St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, he was Director of Studies for Natural Sciences there from 1990 to 2007, as well as holding the position of Professor of Radio Astronomy for the same period. He was deputy head of the Department of Physics between 1999 and 2003, and Emeritus Professor of Radio Astronomy until his death

He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2014.

In a statement, the Department of Physics at Cambridge said: “Dr Richard Hills had a remarkable career as a world leading expert on millimetre and submillimetre astronomy, both astronomically and technically.

“His technical expertise was unparalleled, and he performed outstandingly in his roles as project scientist for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii and then project scientist in Chile for the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) on the high-altitude Atacama Desert. Both projects have been outstanding successes.”

He was the Guest of Honour at the Prep School Speech Day in 2017 which he attended with his wife Beverley, when he gave a great overview of his time at School and career, inspiring all present to ‘aim for the stars!’

V John Holley Born 29 August 1932 Died 1 October 2021 - Aged 89 At Bedford School 1943-1950 – Ashburnham

John did his National Service in the RAF becoming a Navigator. He married Peggy White in 1956 and had 2 daughters and a son.

Ian R Hooper Born 16 January 1927 Died 1 July 2022 - Aged 95 At Bedford School 1941-1944 - Bromham

Following Bedford Ian went to Cambridge and read Mechanical Sciences at Emmanuel College. He joined an English construction Company and worked in, amongst others, the Persian Gulf, Qatar, Wales and Scotland before being sent to Australia, where he liked it so much, he stayed, settling in Melbourne. In about 1984 he joined another construction company, Bechtel of San Francisco and was appointed the Manager for the South Pacific area. He travelled a great deal and spent a year in the western province of Papua New Guinea in connection with the construction of a gold mine. He said that twenty years before the natives had never seen a white man or even a wheel. Now they were operating bulldozers and were being trained in the use of gold processing plant!

Ian later moved to live near Sydney where he became the DVP for the OB Club until 2001, He married Jean Fry in 1966 and they had three sons, Mike, Phil and Jerry, all of whom survive him.

Peter R A Hopkisson Born 30 March 1966 Died 4 March 2022 - Aged 55 At Bedford School 1975-1984 – Pemberley

At school Pete was a Senior Monitor, stayed on for 7th term Oxbridge, played for the 1st XV at rugby, rowed in the 1st VIII and after a back injury turned out for the 1st XI playing soccer and 1st VI tennis squad. From Bedford, Pete went to Manchester to read History. He initially became a management consultant with Andersen Consulting and then Druid, but later retrained as a history teacher aged 40. Known as Mr Hop, he joined Benenden School in 2007 to coach tennis and immediately became a much-loved member of staff. He was a brilliant player and coach in sport but also a great mentor in life. Generations of girls will recall conversations at the net about school or relationship trouble just as much as they will his advice about top spin.

A few years later Pete joined the History Department as a teacher and later as Head of Department. His approach was at times interesting. There will be a number of students who recall being locked out of the classroom for being late or did time in ‘Muppets Corner’. In his diary Pete wrote: “If some of my methods were not entirely orthodox, I can only hope they will have benefited and inspired some”. Unorthodox maybe, but there is no doubt that there are generations of Benenden girls who were inspired by Pete’s passion for history.

He adored sport and was a talented oarsman, tennis and rugby player and cricketer. A loyal and loud supporter of countless school matches, he also competed in the annual Benenden Cross, the school’s cross-country race, completed many half marathons and ran the London Marathon in 2015. He cycled with his wife, Debbie, in his spare time and played

 golf. Fitness was important, sport trivia even more so.

To write only of Pete as a coach and teacher would be to miss something more important, he encouraged all to be better people. He wrote in his diary: “to me life is about respect, earning it, showing it and identifying the things that go towards achieving it, honesty, integrity, work ethic, loyalty. I have so many friends and colleagues who possess these qualities in spades, and I genuinely believe that with

KINDNESS probably the most important, everybody should focus on these.” Pete was loved and respected for his own honesty, integrity, work ethic, loyalty and kindness and one couldn’t help but try to be more like him. This surely was his greatest lesson.

Pete was diagnosed with a brain tumour in April 2021.

He faced his illness with such courage positivity and cheerfulness. He loved seeing all those who visited him, he was always interested and made everyone laugh right up until the end.

Pete was immensely proud of his daughters Ellie, Lucy, and

Freya. He loved Debbie his wife (who was at Bedford High

School) so much. They were true soul mates. He is greatly missed by all.

Brian H Howell Born 19 May 1935 Died 9 June 2014 - Aged 79 At Bedford School 1943-1953 - Paulo Pontine

Brian, and his twin sister Maureen, were born in Spain to John and Isabel Howell. He went out to Randfontein, Transvaal in 1959. He married Christine Chesser in 1963 in Edinburgh and they had 2 children.

‘Jimmy’ R James Born 7 December 1935 Died 1 August 2022 - Aged 86 At Bedford School 1945-1952 - Crescent

Born and raised in Bedford, Jimmy was a keen sportsman, particularly enjoying boxing, rugby, rowing, and then skiing after participating in the first unofficial school ski trip to Norway. Jimmy joined the Royal Marines during National Service and was was attached to the 4th Battalion the Nigeria Regiment and was one of the Queen’s guards at Government House at Kaduna during the royal tour in 1956. He transferred to a local regiment on the West African Frontier Force and was for a while based in Apapa, Nigeria.

Upon his return, he was offered a position working in London for Blackwood Hodge, an international mining and earth-moving equipment distributor. From London, he was sent to Southern & Northern Rhodesia, and thereafter Nigeria, becoming the company’s youngest managing director aged 29. He met his future wife, Lynda, in Paris, who was a bilingual BBC researcher, and they married in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1966 and had one daughter, Domini. Jimmy and family then moved to Zambia and in 1977 he became director for Africa region. He worked for the company for 30 years, eventually living in Northamptonshire.

Thereafter, on retirement, Jimmy and Lynda lived in Spain for a while, before returning to Bedford. However, their retirement plans were disrupted as Jimmy began caring for Lynda during her slow and lengthy decline into early-onset Alzheimer’s and then continued to visit her frequently in a care home until her death in 2015, aged 72.

However, Jimmy never relinquished his zest for life. He had a passion for adventure, whether that be taking off through the bush, skiing black runs or sailing tall ships, and despite ailing mobility in his latter years, he continued to travel undeterred and often solo around Europe. He remained an avid watcher of the Six Nations, and other televised sporting fixtures, and enjoyed a love of cars, owning a number of both sports and classic cars during his lifetime, ending his driving years with a classic Bentley Brooklands.

Jimmy was a sociable and engaging person, who made sure to maintain many friendships over the decades, and he was a proud Old Bedfordian. During his final 18 months, mobility became an issue, then his health began to falter as did his memory. However, he maintained a sense of humour and a fierce determination for life, continuing to enjoy the company of his two grandsons, Theo and Sacha, and benefitting from the ongoing care of his daughter Domini and son-in-law, Chris Down.

Piratheesh “Pira” Karunakaran Born 15 June 2003 Died 2 June 2022 - Aged 18 At Bedford School 2014-2021 - Crescent

Pira Karunakaran was a lovely, kind, young man, a mad keen cricketer and had left Bedford to take up a PWC degree apprenticeship at Reading University.

Captain Sydney L Kemp Born 30 October 1926 Died 20 September 2014 - Aged 87 At Bedford School 1938-1943 - Bromham

Ian R Letham Born 22 July 1938 Died 25 October 2021 - Aged 83 At Bedford School 1951-1956 - Sanderson’s

After Bedford Ian went to Manchester University to study Law. he then went on to study Accountancy and became a Chartered Accountant. He married Sandra Stott in Oldham in 1962 and they had 3 daughters.

Ian and Sandra lived the majority of his life in the village of Delph on the edge of the Pennines. He is survived by his wife, daughters and three grandchildren.

David W Lilley Born 10 July 1934 Died 25 October 2021 - Aged 87 At Bedford School 1948-1953 - St Peter’s

David went to Oxford following Bedford and rowed for Pembroke College at the 1956 Henley Royal Regatta. A keen oarsman he was a member of Bedford Rowing Club until 1973 and coached rowing at King’s School, Rochester and the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe. He was appointed as Biology teacher at the Royal Grammar School in 1966 and left in 1968 to take up Head of Department at Sutton High School,

Professor Peter W Lock Born 12 May 1931 Died 27 August 2020 - Aged 89 At Bedford School 1939-1949 - Burnaby

Peter was born in Desborough, England to William Edward Lock and Agnes (Nessie) Bonar Lock (nee Manson). At Bedford Peter had a love of sports, becoming a member of the school boxing team. Through a school organization he learned what would become one of his lifelong passions, sailing, on the lakes of the Norfolk Broads. Peter also developed a love of golf during his youth when he and his brother Richard (43-52) would often ride their bikes five miles to the local course. He would go on to enjoy playing and watching golf throughout his life. He had an appreciation for the outdoors and enjoyed camping with his parents and siblings Richard and Sue.

In 1946, during their first camping trip after World War II, they discovered Mother Ivey’s Bay in Cornwall, a place they would return to often. His family continues to take camping vacations in the area to this day.

Upon leaving school with a scholarship to Oxford University, Peter first did his National Service until 1951, achieving the rank of 2nd Lieutenant while stationed in Germany. He attended Oxford where he studied French and German, graduating with a B.A. He then travelled to Paris and Madrid to further his language studies over the next two years.

In 1956 Peter went to Canada and taught at Bishops College near Montreal for two years before he and a friend set off on an adventure around the United States. He eventually travelled up the west coast and ended up in the San Francisco Bay area, where he began work on his P.H.D. at Berkeley College, studying Spanish and Italian. It was there in 1958 that he met and married Marian Glasspool, and his two children were born, Chris in 1960, and Kim in 1963.

Upon finishing his P.H.D. at Berkeley in 1963, Peter and the family moved to New Hampshire, where he taught at Dartmouth College. After two years there he took a position as a Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota, teaching in the French department for the next 17 years. His book on Balzac, Balzac’s Method of Presenting Character, was published by the University of California Press in 1963.

In 1982 Peter retired early from the U of M and bought a sailboat in England. With his second wife, Melissa Anderson, he sailed across the English Channel, through the canals of France, and out into the Mediterranean, living on the boat and exploring for the next 3 years. They especially liked Greece and shared their wonderful adventures with many visiting family members and friends, creating lifetime memories for all.

When Peter returned to the U.S., he continued to teach and mentor through the U of M, and also worked as a technical writer. He was still involved in sailing, sharing his knowledge and passion with the Sailing Club of the University of Minnesota. He enjoyed travelling well into his eighties and, in his later years, continued to make new friends while always cherishing his long-time relationships. He will be missed by many. Peter is survived by his son Chris, daughter Kim, grandson Colin, and brother Richard.

Colin A M Macmillan Born 26 November 1935 Died 30 December 2021 - Aged 86 At Bedford School 1945-1955 - Talbot’s

Colin Archibald MacPhee Macmillan was born in Nottingham, one of 4 sons of Dr Duncan Macmillan, Consultant Psychiatrist and his wife, Mary. His father was to become a leading psychiatrist, internationally famous as a noted pioneer of ‘open’ psychiatric hospitals. His ground-breaking work was based in Mapperley Hospital, Nottingham, where he became Medical Superintendent. The family had their home within the gothic splendour of the hospital and the brothers had the freedom of the extensive grounds and the hospital’s community life.

Leaving Bedford, National Service beckoned. Colin was offered a commission in the Seaforth Highlanders, and he was lucky to be given an opportunity to travel; based in Gibraltar, he travelled in North Africa. This was the time of the Suez Crisis but fortunately it was all over before he was sent further. At the time, the American fleet was in the Mediterranean and it stopped off at Gibraltar. Colin enjoyed boxing in the army, and he was somewhat taken aback when he found he was to box against the US Navy boxing champion.

Returning from National Service Colin began work. Studying textiles part time, Colin first worked for some years within management in the Textile Industry, working for I & R Morley and Parsolds. However, Science was his first love, having originally been offered a place at Edinburgh to read Medicine, but his parents had decided he was too old to start a medical degree after finishing his National Service so encouraged him to take a job in the Textiles industry. With his strong Science background, he changed direction and embarked upon a sales career with the American pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly. It proved to be a perfect choice. After excelling in training, Colin found himself in his element. Eli Lilley is one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, responsible for developing some significant drugs. In due course, Colin’s work centred on psychiatric drugs, where he had an important role in the UK supporting clinicians. He worked for Eli Lilley for 25 years.

Colin married Diana Bailey in 1962 and they had 3 sons, Robert, Iain and Andrew and in time, 5 grandchildren.

Colin had many interests, but his primary interest was sport. A competitive and able sportsman, he played first team rugby for Nottingham, played golf and tennis, was a member of Nottingham Squash Racquets Club and an enthusiastic member of the Queen Anne’s Bowls Club in Nottingham. Active within the Parent Teachers Association at West Bridgford School, Colin played in its cricket team. Proud of his Scottish heritage Colin always supported Scottish teams which led to some lively competition with Diana whenever the England v Scotland rugby was on the TV. He was also a keen supporter in Nottingham Forest Football Cub. His season ticket, and going to matches with family, was one of the great pleasures in his life. He was also for many years the Old Bedfordians Club District Vice President for the Nottinghamshire area and organised reunion lunches for the East Midlands.

Always interested in music and with a long-standing ambition to join a choir, in later years Colin joined the Radcliffe

 on Trent Male Voice choir, where he thoroughly enjoyed the singing and fellowship. Colin and Diana were for many years members of the local carers group that was run by the

County Council. When funding for this was withdrawn and the group was to close, they, with others, made sure it continued independently as the Rushcliffe Mental Health Carers Group.

Colin also served as vice chairman of the Carers Council, where he made a significant contribution. This commitment to the support needs of carers did not go unnoticed. Colin and

Diana were invited to a Buckingham Palace Garden Party in recognition of their work for carers over 30 years.

Above all Colin was a devoted family man. Diana and their family meant everything to him. Friends speak of him as a courteous, kind and friendly man with an infectious smile. He enjoyed the company of others and was full of fun; colleagues became friends and although a gentle man and quietly spoken, he definitely knew his own mind.

He is survived by Diana, his sons and grandchildren.

Tony R Marshall Born 30 April 1930 Died 27 November 2021 - Aged 91 At Bedford School 1940-1948 - Paulo Pontine

Tony was the youngest ever player to represent the Bedford Blues, aged just 15 whilst still a pupil at Bedford School. He began his career at Goldington Road as a backrow forward before switching to the front row. A member of Bedford’s prestigious ‘200 club’, Tony made 241 appearances for the Blues between 1945-59, contributing 119 points, including 31 tries.

He was captain of the club in 1955/56, notably being part of the only father-son duo in history to have skippered the side. His father, Arthur, who made 250 appearances himself between 1922-33, led the team in the 1932-33 season.

After Bedford and National Service, when he played rugby for the Army, Tony went to Cambridge to study Law and Economics. He gained a Cambridge Blue. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant and worked for Coopers and Lybrand in Bedford.

Following retirement, Tony took up a role on the Blue’s committee for 20 years, became Bedford’s representative with the East Midlands and later became Treasurer for county board, a position he held for close to 30 years.

Tony and wife, Jill remained loyal and avid supporters of the club over the years, regularly attending home matches. Jill sadly died in 2016 and Tony is survived by his daughter and his son, Andrew Marshall (66-77).

Tony passed away peacefully on the 27th of November 2021 at the age of 91.

Michael S K Millen Born 9 July 1932 Died 8 June 2022 - Aged 89 At Bedford School 1946-1951 - Burnaby

After Bedford, Mike studied at Birmingham University to receive a BSc in dentistry. He practised dental surgery first in Cyprus as part of national service with the RAF as a flight lieutenant, and then returning to England where he owned and operated his dental practice, Strand Dental in Worthing.

Mike retired in 1990 and studied Italian art history for a postgraduate degree. He had a long and happy retirement with his third wife Chris, enjoying travelling and indulging in his love of wine and food. He was well-loved for his sense of humour and his egalitarianism, providing free dental care to many of his patients. He retained his love of rugby and his sweet tooth until the very end.

Sadly, Chris died of cancer in 2018 and Mike developed Multiple Sclerosis towards the end of his life

He is survived and dearly missed by his sister, Rosemary Foster, his nephew Robert Henchoz, and his children, Philip, Vivian, Karen, Lewis, Joe, Alexander, Benedict and Seymour.

Scott L Milway Born 13 October 1938 Died 11 November 2020 - Aged 72 At Bedford School 1958-1966 - Paulo Pontine

After leaving Bedford School Scott started out in banking. He then worked for an American oil company and, following a disastrous period of entrepreneurial business enterprises, moved to Plymouth wherein he commenced a long period in the Insurance business. He then became involved in personal development training and coaching, being particularly interested in Stress Management. He was Chairman of The International Regulator of Coaching and Mentoring CIC, complementing his belief in transparency and fairness in dealing with the buying public and commerce. He also worked as an Expert by Experience for the Care Quality Commission - CQC- and undertook some online commercial business.

Scott became involved with The Lymphoma Association since its inception in 1986 having been an inpatient and outpatient himself. Now called Lymphoma Action, Scott was a ‘Buddy,’ helping patients for over 20 years and sat on the Patients Advisory Panel. He was the organiser of the Plymouth Lymphoma Support Group for over 10 years and was chairman of the Plymouth Area Cancer Support Network (PACS). This network aims to help the current cancer support groups with their development and bring awareness to the community. He was a lay member with the School of Nursing and Midwifery and helped review training programmes and also spoke to the students giving the patients’ perspective.

Whilst living in Plymouth Scott enjoyed extensive travel with a second home in Thailand - elephant country - for several years. He believed that life is too serious and that one needs to ‘enliven the child within’. This can partly be accessed by meditating and many years ago he became a teacher of meditation, affiliated to The Chopra Centre for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California, founded by the renowned mind - body specialist, writer and poet-philosopher - Dr Deepak Chopra. He was also a certified hypnotherapist and has been a stress management consultant. He was particularly interested in the Far East and in Ayurveda, and practiced Tai Chi.

A member of the 1st VIII, Scott spent several years after School rowing for Bedford Town in various boats, at one time stroking the 1st VIII. However, after he moved to Plymouth

in 1978, his rowing career ended, sadly. Estuary rowing and clinker boats didn’t do it for him down there by the coast!

Scott is survived by his wife, Trudi and their 2 children.

Leo J Murdock MBE Born 20 May 1929 Died 19 December 2021 - Aged 92 At Bedford School 1940-1945 - Crescent

Leo worked in the oil and gas industry and was Product Quality Advisor for Esso Petroleum Company Ltd. He married Marie Gatehouse in 1951 and they had 2 children. Sadly, Marie died in 2021 just after they had been married for 70 years.

David R Oakley Born 24 February 1930 Died 2 June 2014 - Aged 84

At Bedford School 1939-1946 - Talbot’s

Harry G Parish Born 26 September 1928 Died 17 June 2019 - Aged 90 At Bedford School 1937-1945 - Paulo Pontine

The Revd Paul J C Pengelly Born 8 June 1937 Died 4 June 2022 - Aged 84 At Bedford School 1946-1955 - Talbot’s

After doing his National Service in the Navy, Paul read first Modern History at Corpus Christie College at Oxford and later Theology at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was ordained by the Bishop of Manchester in 1963 and appointed to St Philip with St Mark, Manchester.

David J Pitt Born 20 April 1935 Died 24 August 2021 - Aged 86 At Bedford School 1949-1953 - Pemberley

Gp Capt Peter V Pledger OBE RAF Born 24 March 1927 Died 6 March 2022 - Aged 94 At Bedford School 1940-1945 - Burnaby

After Bedford Peter went to RAF Cranwell. He graduated with the Sword of Honour, the Groves Memorial Prize and the Dickson Trophy. As a young Flying Officer on 13 Sqn, his career was nearly cut short when, in April 1950, the Mosquito he was flying swung on take-off and the undercarriage collapsed at RAF Asmara, Somalia. Both he and his navigator, Peter Bruce-Smith, were unhurt.

As a Wing Commander he was awarded the OBE in the 1966 Birthday Honours List. He was promoted to Group Captain on the 2nd of January 1970.

Peter passed away at home in North Yorkshire on the 6th of March 2022, aged 94.

Sir Allan J Ramsay KBE CMG Born 19 October 1937 Died 5 January 2022 - Aged 84 At Bedford School 1951-1955 - Ashburnham

Allan was the son of Norman Ramsay and his wife, Evelyn (née Sorel-Cameron). He spent his early years in India, where he witnessed the violence of nationalist protests and partition. Returning to England, he was sent to Salisbury Cathedral School and then to Bedford School, before going to Sandhurst. He joined the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry, where he served from 1957 to 1964. During a posting to Gibraltar, he became the unofficial aide-de-camp to General Sir John Bagot Glubb, the former commander of the Arab Legion. A fluent Arabic speaker, Allan was able to draw on long experience in the Arab world. He also served with the Trucial Oman Scouts for two years in Aden, in 1964-66, at the time of the violence before its independence and when there was a Marxist uprising in neighbouring Oman, before finally joining the Durham Light Infantry for the remainder of his service until 1970.

While serving in Berlin, he met and married Pauline Lescher in 1966, on a break from her work as a House of Commons researcher.

Allan went on to gain academic qualifications in Arabic, studying at Durham University and then at the Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, the Foreign Office language school in the Lebanese hills from 1968-69. He joined the Foreign Office in 1970 and three years later took up his first posting in the Arab world, arriving in Cairo in October during a lull in the Arab-Israeli war.

After Egypt, he was posted to Afghanistan, where the stark beauty of the country impressed him, followed by Iraq, where relations with Britain were far from smooth. Diplomats found it hard to have any real discussions with officials clearly terrified of Saddam Hussein’s henchmen.

Altogether Allan spent 40 years in the Arab world, mostly in countries in the throes of turmoil, where his understanding of the complexities of Arab history, together with a sense of humour and a sense of duty based on his Christian faith, served him well.

Allan was appointed British Ambassador to the Lebanon from 1988–1990 during the height of the civil war. Most other missions were closed, and the Americans shut their embassy in 1989, but Allan kept going, helped by a loyal Lebanese staff. Most of his colleagues left or moved away from the battle zone, but he insisted on staying, although there were shrapnel holes in his book-lined study, and he was discreetly shadowed by Britons with machineguns: his “close-protection” team. They once stopped him from accepting an invitation from the newly elected President René Mouawad to travel with him to a reception. Minutes later the president’s car was blown up by a bomb and Mouawad was killed. The Reuters journalist who reported on how the British embassy remained defiantly functioning during the mayhem was impressed. Tributes to Allan’s stoicism were paid in parliament. A government minister said the ambassador had kept the embassy open “under difficult and extremely dangerous conditions” as a sign of support for those working towards a settlement in Lebanon.

 After Lebanon, Allan was posted as ambassador to

Sudan from 1990 - 1991. Under Omar al-Bashir, the Islamist government was becoming increasingly extreme, and the

British embassy was considered a soft target for terrorists.

Again, a protection squad from the Royal Military Police was needed to guard staff, but eventually many spouses and diplomats were evacuated.

Diplomacy was easier in his last appointment, to Morocco from 1992-1996: Britain quadrupled its exports and signed a defence agreement. The Crown Prince, now King Mohammed

VI, was head of the Moroccan armed forces and was invited to pay an official visit to Britain.

In retirement in the northwest of France, Allan, who was knighted in 1992, spent time keeping bees, making a garden that was a sanctuary for birds and butterflies, and joining local

French clubs and associations.

Allan is survived by his wife Pauline and their three children:

Francis, a technical researcher, Ben, a colonel in the British

Army, and Isabella, who lives in Brittany.

Adapted from The Times

Jonathan G Randall Born 9 February 1951 Died 16 May 2022 - Aged 71 At Bedford School 1964-1969 - Sanderson’s

Jonathan was born in Chester. He attended Chester Cathedral Choir School before the family moved to Harpenden, where he was at Aldwickbury School before starting at Bedford as a Sanderson’s boarder in 1964. He studied Sciences in the 6th Form and gained 6 ‘A’ levels, including German. On the sporting side, Jonathan boxed for the school in 4 of his 5 years there. He was captain of the school cross-country team, and head of house.

He took a BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering at University College London, 1970-1973. During this time, he did part-time student training in production and manufacturing processes at Peter Brotherhood Ltd in Peterborough, a manufacturer of heavy industrial process machinery. After graduating, he joined WH Allen in Bedford, becoming a pump contract engineer in 1975.

In 1976 he joined Penspen Ltd as a mechanical engineer. Penspen was a London-based engineering consultancy for oil, gas, water, sewage and slurry pipelines. Jonathan was involved in overseas assignments in Nigeria, Qatar, Kuwait, USA, Russia and Italy.

In 1979 he joined the British National Oil Corporation (BNOC) as a project engineer, and qualified as a Chartered Engineer. In 1985 BNOC transitioned to a new organisation, the Oil & Pipelines Agency (OPA) which was part of the Ministry of Defence. Jonathan was appointed Commercial & Planning Manager for OPA in 1986 and stayed in that role until his retirement in 2010. His major achievement was to change the Government Pipeline and Storage System from being a passive provider of limited commercial services, to a leading and profitable force in transporting fuel to the key UK airports, including building the UK’s first independent and privatelyowned aviation fuel pipeline.

On retirement, Jonathan set up his own fuel pipeline consultancy, Avromar Ltd. He ran this for 10 years from his home in Harpenden, until he turned 70.

Apart from pipelines, Jonathan had a diverse range of enthusiasms. He was an excellent artist. His favourite subjects ranged from small furry creatures with big beady eyes to very realistic battle scenes, particularly of aerial combat. While at university, he had two cartoons published in Punch. He was interested in all forms of wildlife, but particularly insects. He was a longstanding member of, and donor to, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. He was keenly interested in classic/ vintage piston-driven aircraft and the airfields from which they operated. He was a member of the Savage Club, and of the London Intervarsity Club.

Jonathan was a complex and unorthodox individual. He could be obstinate, controlling, secretive and truculent. He was certainly eccentric in his views and behaviour and must have been a nightmare to manage! At the same time, he was a man of many talents; respected by colleagues and friends, a raconteur with a fund of good stories, adventurous, hardworking, observant, a successful businessman, kind and supportive to people and creatures in trouble, energetic, sociable, and never dull.

His sudden death at the age of 71 from sepsis caused by multiple myeloma was a big shock to the family. We were expecting at least another 20 years of Jonathan, given our parents’ longevity genes. We gave him a woodland burial in keeping with his affinity for nature and were gratified at his wake by the large turn-out of friends, former work colleagues and longstanding clients, all with ‘Jonathan anecdotes’. He had left his mark!

Andrew Randall (61-66)

Andrew L Rawlinson Born 20 September 1968 Died 23 September 2022 - Aged 53 At Bedford School 1976-1986 - St Cuthbert’s

Andy went all the way through Bedford School from the Inky to the final year of the Sixth Form. He was a keen rugby player and excelled as a hooker. He very much enjoyed drama and starred in the plays that many OBs may remember Robin Fletcher producing in the Lower School. Andy and Liz Rawlinson His father was Michael Rawlinson (Head of Maths, 1970-1986), and became housemaster of Kirkman’s in the late 1970s. Andy, along with his sister, Jill and mother, Liz, spent the next few years living as a family with 50 plus Bedfordians aged 13 – 18. This was sometimes challenging - and certainly taught Andy many life lessons.

Andy made lifelong friends during his time at Bedford School. Spencer Groves (76-86), one of these good friends, shares some memories during their time there together.

“Another thing about Andy is he always tried his best. He was a monitor at school and worked hard to ensure that he always represented his school and family very well. Out of our “group of friends” he was the “sensible” one and the one that worked hardest to do what was right. He was always the joker/ funny one as well.”

After school, Andy joined WHSmith on a management training scheme. Soon after he married and had a daughter,

Louise. Aged 40 he changed careers completely and joined the Metropolitan Police Service. He was a serving police officer at the time of his death and is remembered fondly by his colleagues as an outstanding officer, leader and mentor.

Liz Rawlinson – who worked in Kirkman’s alongside Mike as a supply teacher in the Bedford School Geography Department – passed away in 2021, aged 80. Her sudden death shook and saddened the whole family, and sadly Andy soon became ill himself, passing shortly after.

Andy’s brilliant sense of humour was remembered by many who attended his funeral at Hendon in March. It was lovely to be joined by some of Andrew’s school friends for the service, and for them to share their memories of him with the family.

Dr C Morven Robertson Born 1 August 1954 Died 12 June 2022 - Aged 65 At Bedford School 1962-1971 – Bromham

Morven was born to Charles Speirs & Nora Beatrice Robertson in Cambridge. The family relocated to Aylesbury before settling down at Moliver House in Bromham, Bedford where he shared fond memories with his siblings Iain Graham Robertson (69-78) and Lauren Lynne Robertson. They would often go on family trips to various walking spots in the Lake District and around Wales. He met his first wife, Martha Sadlick, at his local pub at the time, in South Kensington. They married in 1988 and share a daughter, Marion Robertson. He met his second wife, Christine Robertson, through their shared love of dance at the local dance hall in Bedford. They married in 2002 and remained together until his time of death.

Morven was awarded the Elgin scholarship by Bedford School, and an Exhibition to Queens’ College, Cambridge in 1972 for engineering, and was qualified with an MA and a PhD. He joined the optoelectronics group working for Prof. John Carroll. He was a Graduate Rep for the JCR committee and later joined the MCR Committee as its Steward. After graduation, he worked first in R&D on missile systems and subsequently for other leading high technology companies. He published papers in learned journals on scientific discoveries including the invention of laser interferometer. He was the CEO and director of a life-science and high-tech company, Speirs Robertson Ltd, for over 20 years where he enjoyed designing products and using his considerable scientific knowledge, combined with his strengths, to find solutions to complex multi-disciplinary problems. He enjoyed the social aspects of interacting with several business associates, designing products and in a way doing his part to contribute to medical research. He loved his work so much that he planned on never retiring, that is just who he was.

Morven had many interests including playing the piano, dancing, and a fondness for good food and wine, which was established at Cambridge when he joined the “Gourmet Society” which existed to teach people about fine dining. He was also blessed with a great sense of humour and had a lifelong love of Monty Python and Faulty Towers. He was very welcoming and enjoyed making people smile with his stories and jokes. He often made his grandchildren smile with his silly antics and made-up stories of frog soup.

Morven was incredibly passionate about ancient history, so much that he dedicated 20 years of study towards his book About Atlantis: Finding the lost city of Atlantis. He enjoyed travelling and did so extensively around the world with his wife Christine. He also frequently visited his daughter Marion in America, travelling to several states. He was enthusiastically in pursuit of the silk route in Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan on what would be his last trip, which they had planned for 2 years and had plans to take in the history, stay in a yurt, and meet eagle hunters. Unfortunately, it was a step too far for his heart and he did not make it. He leaves behind his loving wife, daughter, family and many friends.

Professor Richard O Robinson Born 20 August 1942 Died 23 September 2022 - Aged 79 At Bedford School 1955-1960 – Redburn

Richard was born in Bedford, to Eric Robinson, a teacher, and Beryl (nee Naftel). When he was six, the family moved to St Asaph in North Wales, where he spent much of his time roaming the countryside. He decided to become a doctor at the age of 8 after contracting Bright’s disease. His illness did not dull his academic precociousness. During his teenage years, Richard developed a love of climbing and learned to play the french horn to a high standard.

He was a boarder at Bedford, where his father had taught Chemistry (1920-47), and then to King’s College, Cambridge, to study natural sciences, graduating in 1963. He went on to become the youngest paediatric neurology consultant at Guy’s, London, after marrying the hospital’s youngest ward sister, Jennifer (“Jenny”) Morrison in 1967. He also became one of the UK’s youngest medical authors with the bestselling Medical Emergencies: Diagnosis and Management. It went into five editions. (His friend Robin Stott was a co-author in later editions.)

After completing preclinical years at King’s College, Cambridge and clinical training at Guy’s, Richard gained experience at Hammersmith Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, including training in adult and paediatric neurology. He also completed a two-year adult and paediatric neurology training fellowship in Lexington, Kentucky. Reinforcing his commitment to multidisciplinary and holistic care, Lexington—with more staff, more training, and more resources than NHS centres—proved the most formative part of his training.

In contrast, a yearning for more clinical experience had previously taken him to Ibadan, Nigeria, where he saw conditions unknown in the UK and many more infant deaths. He recalled rehydrating children without any electrolyte information and administering treatment blind, without any investigation results.

Appointed a consultant at the Evelina Children’s Hospital (then part of Guy’s) in 1980, Richard established paediatric neurology clinics in secondary care settings, was instrumental in setting up Guy’s world renowned One Small Step gait laboratory, launched the careers of many researchers, and carried out wide ranging clinical and academic work.

 Richard undertook research into severe neurological disorders and championed the use of vagal nerve stimulation in children with refractory epilepsy. He wrote numerous papers in journals and chapters in books. He later became head of – and professor of – paediatric neurology at Guy’s. He was a president of the British Paediatric Neurology Association and secretary general of the European Federation of Childhood

Neurological Societies.

Richard’s analytical skill was also deployed in his lifelong passion for botany, sparked by his father, who taught Richard and his sister, Anne, to identify plants, sometimes offering

“sixpence for a celandine”. Before he retired in 2007 Richard vowed to see in the wild each of the UK’s 57 native species of orchids. He saw all but one. A popular chair of the Hardy

Orchid Society and minuting secretary of the Botanical

Society of the British Isles, he was in demand as guest speaker at plant societies. In retirement he and Jenny enjoyed travelling the world to find wild plants.

Richard was also a keen singer, joining several choral societies while living in London. Thirty years previously he and Jenny had a serious car accident. Re-evaluating his work-life balance, he joined a choir in his home village of

Amberley, Sussex, and made a point of always being home by 8 pm for choir practice. He founded the Amberley Singers to encourage people to sing because he enjoyed it so much.

During the pandemic he and Jenny trained a group of volunteer “rapid responders.” It was central to the village’s unique response to the outbreak, helping to restrict local fatalities to one.

He is survived by Jenny, by their four children, Sarah,

Tom, Kate and Harry, and four grandchildren, Simeon, Luke,

Cassian and Eva, and by sister, Anne.

Adapted from The Guardian and the BMJ

Richard G Simmonds Born 30 March 1943 Died 29 January 2022 - Aged 78 At Bedford School 1950-1961 - Crescent

Neil Simms Born 24 June 1937 Died 10 November 2019 - Aged 82 At Bedford School 1947-1955 - Paulo Pontine

Neil was offered a post in 1960 at Christ’s Hospital School by his former Headmaster George Seaman (HM Bedford (51-55), who had left Bedford to become HM at Christ’s Hospital). The post was initially to teach Geography but eventually to develop the teaching of Economics and Politics; to which was later added Business Studies. Neil also taught Anthropology on a one-to one basis, the first time it had been taught at the school and was a bit of an experiment.

Neil was regarded by his pupils as quite quiet and not pushy as a junior housemaster, but very fair. He was very keen on all types of sport. An honest, fair and funny man who always had a smile on his face. He could often be seen on the tennis courts in summer evenings and took delight in racing lawn mowers.

Neil stayed at Christ’s Hospital for 33 years. He then became a Governor.

Cdr Tim J K Sloane OBE RN Born 27 July 1940 Died 26 May 2022 - Aged 81 At Bedford School 1950-1958 - Talbot’s

Following Bedford Tim went into the Royal Navy and was promoted to Lieutenant in March 1963. In 1965 after being posted to Australia he joined HMS Porpoise. He married Victoria Bowles in 1968. He served on ships HMS, Vernon, President, Repulse, Osiris, Orpheus, Warrior, and, Dolphin and was Flag Officer Submarines (FOSM). In the 1970s he was senior officer of the Hong Kong Squadron and commanding officer of. H.M.S. Wasperton.

Following active service, Tim joined the Navy’s Public Relations team. Following retirement from the Navy in 1994 Tim was the Clerk-Armourers & Brasiers 1994-2005 and chairman of the Clerks’ Association from 2002-03. Clerks’ Association was formed in 1937 as an informal gathering of Clerks to Livery Companies having halls. He was also the Chairman for 5 years of The Arts Society Vale of Aylesbury

Tim died after a short illness and is survived by his partner Diana, children Rupert, Candida, Sebastian and Sophie and his eleven grandchildren.

John Hall Spencer OBE Born 17 April 1928 Died 13 June 2022 - Aged 94 At Bedford School 1942-1945 – Burnaby

After Bedford John attended the Royal Naval College, Greenwich as part of his training as a regular officer of the Royal Marines before serving in Commando units and at sea with HMS Diadem. He later studied at the Oxford Business School.

His civilian life and business career began at Beaverbrook Newspapers, after which he joined J Walter Thompson (JWT), the advertising conglomerate whose headquarters was in Berkeley Square, London. Employees of the time remember him as an upright figure of military bearing whose aura of command was not something to lightly brook. He played a significant part in JWT activity on behalf of the London Stock Exchange, in which JWT had much behind the scenes influence. The pivotal nature of his role is to some extent still a closed book in official records and, in one instance, it could be assumed that a brief to JWT was to help avoid the installation of a ‘Securities and Exchange Commission’ SEC (part of the ‘New Deal’ of Franklin Roosevelt in the USA in the 1930s) type of controlling organisation in Britain, although nothing about this was expressed in writing to John.

The first assignment of JWT was to make a film ‘My Word is my Bond’. Other films followed, including ‘The Launching and Money-Go-Round’, an ambitious project in a pop idiom. They led to John’s connection to the British Academy of Film

and TV Arts, BAFTA, which became a client when he set up his own business, John Spencer Associates.

He is perhaps best remembered in public as an author, in which three books stand out.

Battle for Crete, published in 1962, received renewed critical acclaim after being republished in 2021. Building on his military experience, John researched extensively into the political and military background of the German invasion of Crete in WW2 and the bitter fighting after the first airborne assault on an island in history. It tells of confused negotiations between the British and Greek governments; the misunderstandings between Winston Churchill’s War Cabinet and commanders in the field; the near capture of the King of Greece; the lack of preparation by the defenders and the suppression of a critical post-battle report by General Wavell. It has vivid individual accounts of the fighting during the invasion, subsequent campaign and ultimate retreat and evacuation.

In 2009 a far-reaching revision of historical records by John was aired in Hitler and the King which was awarded the Elma Dangerfield Prize for literature by the European-Atlantic Group. It depicted the incredibly brave and subtle part played by King Boris of Bulgaria in saving the lives of thousands of Jews by inter alia personally hoodwinking Hitler. Churchill regarded King Boris as a ‘weak and vacillating cipher’ but in his book John corroborated the verdict of Herman Goering, Hitler’s Luftwaffe chief, that the King was ‘a cunning fox’. Boris’s son Simeon, King and subsequently Prime Minister of Bulgaria, later expressed his gratitude to Spencer for helping expose the dramatic truth about what went on in those days.

His thriller, The Wall Is Strong, published by Heinemann, was based on experience with Humphreys & Glasgow, a chemical engineering client of JWT, which organised extensive business behind the Iron Curtain. John made various visits to the Leipzig trade fair in East Germany. The book was so successful that it was in line for a James Bond film.

Ian Fleming’s literary estate considered allowing John to continue the series with 008, an ex-marine, as the protagonist and paying for the use of Flemings characters as Miss Moneypenny. Cubby Broccoli hated what could have been a remunerative concept because he thought it might damage the franchise of the James Bond films.

Having worked for 40 years for the London Federation of Boys Clubs where he ran the sports side for 400 clubs, John became Vice President and was appointed an OBE in 2011 largely for his business charity work helping disadvantaged young people in London. John was a keen golfer and was a member at Rye and Wentworth for forty years where he won the Captain’s prize with a gross 78 on the East course in 1978. He was Captain of the Carlton Club Golfing Society and Captain of the Aero Golfing Society. Spencer played second row forward rugby for Harlequins while living in Australia. He was also a keen member of Newbury Bridge Club most recently.

He was married to Edite Pommès-Barrère, daughter of General Jacques Pommès-Barrère in Melbourne, Australia in 1953. They had two sons, a daughter, a stepdaughter and grandchildren Mungo, Amber, Dan, Sophia and Jacob.

John passed away peacefully at Newbury Grove Care Home on 13th June 2022.

David H Stewart-Jones Born 28 November 1936 Died 14 September 2022 - Aged 85 At Bedford School 1948-1952 - Paulo Pontine

David did his National Service in the Royal Navy. Aboard the HMS Bulwark he visited Cyprus, Malta, Gibraltar and Tangier, Ireland, Denmark and Norway. Following National Service, he went to Shuttleworth College to study Agriculture. He moved out to Australia, firstly to Adelaide in South Australia before moving up to Queensland in the 90’s. He married Diana Runge in Queensland Australia in November 2000.

Nigel R Stocks Born 10 July 1934 Died 14 January 2022 - Aged 87 At Bedford School 1946-1952 – Pemberley

Nigel was brought up in North London attending University College School and later, after the war had ended, boarding at Bedford School until 1952. This is where he developed interests which he continued throughout life including chess, tennis, public speaking and poetry. With his innocent days of school CCF behind him, Nigel carried out National Service as 2nd Lieutenant with the Royal Artillery in the ‘Suez Canal zone’ before going up to New College where he gained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

A firm believer in the importance of education and putting it to good use, Nigel, after further study and qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor, had a long and successful career in local government before retiring as Chief Planning Officer of Trafford.

Nigel married Sue in 1963 and they went on to raise three children, initially in London before moving to Bowdon, Greater Manchester

By looking after his health and wellbeing, Sue enabled Nigel to flourish in retirement, which was largely spent living near family in Harpenden. Nigel was a polyglot, studying Greek and Italian and delighted in using his language skills, transforming into quite the talker on their many walking holidays together. Although they ventured far on holidays, Nigel would often claim “nowhere was quite as good as Snowdonia” and the family enjoyed many holidays at their cottage in Dolwyddelan.

Nigel was a proud father to Rupert, Adam and Hilary and took great interest in his five grandchildren – Jessica, Callum, Eleanor, Millie and Tom. For someone who claimed not to enjoy social gatherings, he relished family occasions celebrating with a ‘modest’ amount of wine and many wonderfully cooked meals. Nigel kept active, through walking and gardening, and died in hospital shortly after a fall, on January 14, 2022.

John E Tanner Born 18 May 1938 Died 3 November 2021 - Aged 83 At Bedford School 1945-1956 - Bromham



Richard J Talbot Born 24 January 1940 Died 11 June 2022 - Aged 82 At Bedford School 1951-1958 - St Cuthbert’s

Richard (Dick) Talbot died peacefully at home in Maxey, Peterborough aged 82. He won a county scholarship to Bedford School at the age of 11, which was something his whole family was always very proud of.

Dick went on to lead a happy life. Happily married for 53 years and a father and grandfather, he also enjoyed a successful career as an engineer and, later on, an international sales manager for Baker Perkins later APV, a well-established bakery engineering company in Peterborough.

Dick loved cricket and part of this was undoubtedly nurtured on the splendid cricket pitches at Bedford School. One of the family’s most prized possessions is a copy of the 1959 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack where he is included in the Bedford School team in the Public Schools section.

As part of our celebration of his life, his family went for lunch at De Parys Hotel and looked across from there to those pitches and the school buildings beyond where he had spent so many happy years.

Christopher M F Tingle Born 25 April 1932 Died 5 September 2020 - Aged 88 At Bedford School 1943-1950 - Glanyrafon

Richard L Wade Born 5 July 1938 Died 23 September 2022 - Aged 84 At Bedford School 1946-1956 - Pemberley

Richard Wade spent 23 years at the BBC first as a TV producer, including four years as Editor of Tomorrow’s World, rising to become deputy to the controller of BBC radio, Monica Sims. Richard was born in Harrow in 1938 and during the war was evacuated as a small child to an old Rectory in Wiltshire where he was taught to read by a local farmer’s wife before going to a local school where he was the only boy! From the age of eight, happy to be going to a boys’ school, he joined Bedford School and Pemberley House where he excelled academically but also on the rugby field and in the gymnastics team. He made lifelong friends at Bedford, especially through the ‘Caving Club’ which he always said taught him the essential skills of teamwork, bravery and putting up with very uncomfortable conditions without complaining. Until recently he happily attended the club’s regular reunions.

In spite of his sporting prowess, on leaving school Richard was rejected for national service as an asthmatic! So, while his peers did their national service, Richard took a job in Jamaica travelling out on a banana boat to tutor the son of the colonial secretary and another boy swatting for their Common Entrance, where he fell in love with the Caribbean and learned an essential life-skill – how to dance!

In 1957 Richard went up to New College, Oxford to read Arabic and Persian with Professor Freddie Beeston, where he walked into the first XV rugby team and captained the OU gymnastics club, for which he was awarded a Half Blue doing the routine he’d won a prize for at Bedford!

Never conventional, after Oxford, he placed an advertisement in The Times seeking an appointment and received two offers. Rejecting one to work on a sheep farm in the Australian outback, he went to West Africa to help run the United Nations-led 1961 plebiscite on whether British Cameroon should join Nigeria or the French Cameroon. Here he went from village to village on horseback with a clerk, cook and interpreter to draw up an electoral role. In the end, the territory was split and did both.

He returned to the UK to join Unilever as a management trainee selling Stork margarine to corner shops in the backstreets of Birmingham, but really wanted something more out of life and was lucky enough to be accepted into the BBC’s graduate trainee programme. After a short stint in the World Service he moved to Television, producing schools’ and children’s programmes under Monica Sims who gave Richard his first big break appointing him to produce Tom Tom, a weekly science series for children, bringing “new, unusual and fascinating stories and items of interest in a modern and changing world”. This experience paved the way for Richard’s Editorship of the BBC Television’s flagship science and technology programme, Tomorrow’s World with Raymond Baxter and James Burke presenting 135 live episodes over his four years as Editor, showcasing the wonders of digital watches (which Richard himself never wore!), pocket calculators and teletext.

In 1973 Richard took the first foreign TV crew into Mao’s China for a special Tomorrow’s World documentary, and in 1976 he was the executive producer of the BBC’s major two-part documentary The Inventing of America to celebrate the bicentenary of the United States, narrated by Raymond Burr. It was at this point he then re-joined Monica Sims, who was head of BBC Radio. During his time there he gave Douglas Adams his big break by airing The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy which soon became cult listening. He gave many presenters their first breaks and worked closely with household names like Roger Cook and started the Food Programme with Derek Cooper.

Richard left the BBC in 1986 to work briefly for Sir Norman Foster before becoming a director of the Prince of Wales’s charity Business in the Community, spending three years running urban regeneration projects in the north of England, which he described as one of the most difficult but most creative and enjoyable jobs he ever did. He later became Director General of the Advertising Association where he established the European Advertising Standards Alliance which today thrives in 27 countries as a pan European network to promote advertising self-regulation for which the Advertising Association paid tribute here. He then moved back to his beloved Oxford to become a Fellow of St. Edmund Hall where he was Director of Development.

Richard retired early to write a novel about cybercrime and global communications which years later Monica Sims tried to persuade him to dust off and publish. He was also able to pursue his love of photography, travelling the world

with fellow photographers and his wife and family. Never one to sit still Richard founded Freespeling.com as he wanted to promote a freer way to spell “for the comfort of the reader.” His campaign got a lot of attention including from that stickler for correct use of language, John Humphrys but when interviewing Richard on the Today programme they found they shared a lot in common especially when it came to the spelling of yacht!

Richard died following complications from an earlier stroke and is survived by his second wife Angela Mills Wade, his two daughters from his first marriage to Lee Mikhelson, Tanya Castell and Sophie Wade and his two stepchildren, Hannah Khalil and William Wade Mills.

John H Winton Born 16 December 1933 Died 9 August 2022 - Aged 88 At Bedford School 1941-1952 - St Peter’s

John Winton was the eldest son of Lionel and Vera Winton and with his brothers, Ronald ‘Sandy’ (47-52) and Antony (48-58), made the short walk from Pemberley Avenue to Bedford School together with sister Ailsa, who attended St Andrew’s School. At Bedford he was keen sportsman enjoying Gymnastics, as well as representing the school in the 1st VIII and the 2nd XV. He continued his love for rugby and played or supported rugby clubs wherever he was posted in the UK or around the world. He cheered on many a Bedford School crew at regattas around the country, including for a few years hosting the school VIII during training camps and at the Henley Royal Regatta.

Following National Service in the Royal Engineers, he followed in his father’s footsteps by choosing a career in Civil Engineering and studied at what was then Loughborough College, graduating in 1958. He cut his teeth as a young engineer at Taylor Woodrow Construction on coal mine projects and power stations and qualified as a chartered Civil Engineer. He then joined George Wimpey Construction in 1964 with postings around the UK as well as in Ethiopia, UAE, Guyana, Korea and Iran on major civil projects. While a young engineer in London he met, appropriately at an Osterley Rugby Club function, his first wife Elizabeth who ultimately had a Bedford School boat named after her. They were married in 1964 and went on to have two children Alexander ‘Jack’ (79-87) and Claire.

In 1977, as the North Sea oil and gas boomed, he was appointed Managing Director of Highlands Fabricators, a joint venture between Wimpey and the American firm Brown and Root, constructing steel jackets for the harsh environment and new frontier of the North Sea. He developed a love for the highlands and the people of Easter Ross and, with his family, returned there on holiday for many years.

He further built the company’s presence in oil and gas with Wimpey Offshore before being appointed UK Construction Director for the Channel Tunnel in 1986 at the early stages of its development. It was a role he relished, from building a winning construction consortium team to then working with parliamentarians to get the Channel Tunnel Act passed and then into construction. After a short stint back at Wimpey, which was in the throes of being converted from an international major project’s contractor to a domestic house builder, and not a place a returning ‘old soldier’ from the field, he moved onto a consulting role for a number of projects in the UAE, Algeria and railways in the UK including the Docklands Light Railway.

He retired to East Sussex having remarried, Shirin, in 1996 and continued to visit old friends in the Middle East, organize the Wimpey Construction ’old soldiers’ gatherings and attend local OB events. He continued to promote Civil Engineering in his retirement as an active member of Probus, in local schools and by attending Bedford School Careers Fairs.

He is survived by Jack and Claire and by his second wife Shirin.

Francis G Wright Born 3 September 1952 Died 26 May 2022 - Aged 69 At Bedford School 1961-1971 - Crescent

After leaving Bedford School Francis became a Chartered Surveyor, initially undertaking his articles in Leighton Buzzard with a firm of surveyors and auctioneers, before qualifying and moving to Bedfordshire County Council Valuers Department, where he met his wife, Liz. They were married in 1978 and in 1979 they were blessed with their only son Chris (1989-98). Francis subsequently worked for Milton Keynes Development Corporation at an exciting time, dealing with the formulation and management of the then new Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre and central infrastructure. He went on to manage the property assets for Prudential Assurance, commuting from Kempston to London every day for 27 years before retiring in 2012.

He loved the railways from an early age and studied BR steam railways throughout the UK. While living in Kempston, Francis was Vice-Chair of the local history society and his input to the Kempston Information Boards leaves a lasting memory of his contribution. He also loved the countryside and was a keen birdwatcher, working as a volunteer for the RSPB in Sandy before they moved to Devizes in 2015 to be near their family. They developed a love for the town and surrounding countryside, and he went walking with the local U3A walking groups and joined Art Appreciation and Local History, serving as Honorary Treasurer of U3A for several years. He also volunteered at Wiltshire Museum; and was an active supporter of the Canal & River Trust on the Kennet and Avon canal and Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Francis was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and received several years of treatment at Great Western Hospital and care at Dorothy House Hospice. Despite his illness Francis always tried to be happy and was determined to die with cancer and not from it! At his funeral Francis was remembered by his school contemporaries as a calm, thoughtful, supportive, reliable and loyal friend who will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife of 44 years Liz, sister of Paul Thompson (64-72). ■

OLD BEDFORDIAN NOTICES 2022

Get Connected with Eagle Connect

We’re thrilled to report that Eagle Connect, our online social and business networking hub, is going from strength to strength with nearly 2,000 active members. Designed to bring the Bedford School community closer together; it enables willing OBs, past and present Bedford parents, grandparents and staff to stay connected and support each other in all aspects of their life.

It differs to other social networks, as all members have a shared affection for Bedford School, enabling us to create a highly engaged and supportive online community.

Join today! bit.ly/BSEagleConnect

OB Club At Home

Save the Date: Saturday 8th July 2022

Join us at Bedford School for this very popular event, with tours of the school buildings, House receptions, the At Home Drinks Reception and a three-course lunch in a marquee on the playing fields. We are also welcoming Leavers from the Classes of 2013, 2003, 1993, 1983, 1973 and 1963 back for their 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 Year Reunions.

Further details will be available on our website: bit.ly/OBEventsCal

Bishop Memorial Fund

The Bishop Memorial Fund is for OBs, former staff and their dependants who may be in financial need. For more information, please contact the OB Club Director, Hugh Maltby. Please draw the existence of the Fund to the attention of anyone who may qualify for help.

Find out more: bit.ly/BishopMemFund

Support your Club and become an Eagle Supporter

All OBs are invited to become Eagle Supporters and take advantage of the benefits of this additional level of membership – all for £25 a year, that’s less than the price of a cup of coffee per month! You will: • Receive a hard copy of the Ousel magazine, full of School and Old Bedfordian articles, news, event write-ups and photographs. • Receive discounts to some key Club events, such as the Annual Dinner and ‘At Home’ lunch. • Be helping the long-term future of your Club!

Become an Eagle Supporter! bit.ly/OBSubscribingMembership