Bristolienses - Issue 47

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Bristolienses August 2014

Issue 47


Management Committee 2014 — 2015 Officers President David Yeandle OBE 39 Templecombe Road Bishopstoke Eastleigh Hampshire SO50 8QJ h +44 (0) 2380 600 494 m +44 (0) 7770 431 486 dyeandle@btinternet.com

President Elect Michael Burmester c/o OBs Office mnj68b@gmail.com

Immediate Past President & Sports Club Officer Don Furze 103 Manor Road Keynsham Bristol BS31 1SF h +44 (0) 117 986 5222 Don.furze@btinternet.com

Chairman Phil Tottle 116 Monks Park Avenue Horfield Bristol BS7 0UL h +44 (0) 117 969 3541 o / f +44 (0) 117 979 9077 m +44 (0) 7970 697 020 p.tottle@btinternet.com

Vice-Chairman and Treasurer Jeremy Parrott Beechcroft Hannay Road Cheddar Somerset BS27 3LJ o +44 (0) 117 968 9500 Jeremy.parrott@brewin.co.uk

Secretary Dr Geoffrey Wright geoffrey.wright@southwest.nhs.uk

Assistant Secretary Philip Revill 55 High Street Wickwar Wotton-under-Edge GL12 8NP h +44 (0) 1454 294 466 pandarevill55@fsmail.net

Liaison Officer Ron Cockitt 245 Canford Lane Westbury on Trym Bristol BS9 3PD h +44 (0) 117 950 2800 o +44 (0) 117 923 7037 m +44 (0) 7747 786 967 ron@cockitt.net

AROPS Representative Peter Jakobek pjakobek@bgs.bristol.sch.uk

OB Archivist Anne Bradley 1 Rayleigh Road Stoke Bishop Bristol BS9 2AU h +44 (0) 117 968 5983 o +44 (0) 117 933 9610 m +44 (0) 7788 918 906 anne.bradley@blueyonder.co.uk abradley@bgs.bristol.sch.uk

Careers Co-ordinator Romesh Vaitilingam 89 Berkeley Road Bishopston Bristol BS7 8HQ h +44 (0) 117 983 8777 m +44 (0) 7768 661 095 romesh@vaitilingam.com


Bristolienses Editor Gary Willmott 21 Sunnyside Road Teddington Middlesex TW11 ORP h +44 (0) 20 8977 2159 m +44 (0) 7989 978 450 bristolienses@gmx.com

Co-opted members Jan Duncan c/o OBs Office o +44 (0) 117 923 7037

Kate Redshaw redshaw70@btinternet.com

Committee members

Godfrey (Tat) Ratcliffe

Membership Secretary Keith Gerrish

Hannah Rhodes

52 West Town Lane Brislington Bristol BS4 5DB h +44 (0) 117 977 7009 keithgerrish@blueyonder.co.uk

Sports’ Club Representative Tony Stirratt Chaney Lodge Nailsea Court Nailsea Bristol BS48 4DQ h +44 (0) 1275 853 138

h

+44 (0) 1275 374 570

hlrhodes@hotmail.com

Ian Rolling 24 Causeway View Nailsea Bristol BS48 2XG h +44 (0) 1275 790 580 ianrolling@blueyonder.co.uk

John Sisman John@sismanproperty.co.uk m +44 (0) 7920 806 896

David Watts dljwatts@tiscali.co.uk

Peter Jakobek p.jakobek@bgs.bristol.sch.uk

Richard Leonard richard.leonard@ukgateway.net

Trustees John Higson Julian Portch Jack Prowting Richard Smith


Diary dates 2014 – 2015 2014 Friday 5 September Luncheon Club Redland Green, 12:30 for 13:00 Wednesday 10 September Class of 2013 Lunch Reunion Great Hall, 13:30 – 15:00 Saturday 13 September Bristol Doors Open Day Great Hall, 10:00 – 16:00 Friday 3 October Luncheon Club Redland Green, 12:30 for 13:00 Monday 13 October (TBC) Management Committee Bristol Grammar School, 18:15 Friday 7 November Luncheon Club Redland Green, 12:30 for 13:00 Tuesday 11 November School Remembrance Service Great Hall, 10:30 Followed by reception in J16 – please contact the OB Office if you would like to attend Friday 5 December Luncheon Club Redland Green, 12:30 for 13:00 Thursday 11 December School Carol Service Great Hall, 17:30 Tickets from the OB office Tuesday 16 December London Drinks Reception Pavilion End Pub, EC4, from 18:00 Thursday 18 December Bristol Drinks Reception TBC Please contatct the OB office if you would like to attend either of the drinks receptions

2015 Friday 2 January Class of 2013 Bristol Drinks TBC Friday 9 January Luncheon Club Redland Green, 12:30 for 13:00 Monday 12 January Management Committee Bristol Grammar School, 18:15 Friday 6 February Luncheon Club Redland Green, 12:30 for 13:00 Friday 6 March Luncheon Club Redland Green, 12:30 for 13:00 Saturday 14 March Annual Dinner Great Hall, 18:15 for 19:00 Tuesday 17 March School Charter Day Service Bristol Cathedral, 14:30


Bristolienses

Issue 47 — August 2014 Management Committee Diary Dates Editorial

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From The President – David Yeandle

2–3

Society Report 2014 – Geoffrey Wright

5–8

OB Careers Event for the BGS Lower Sixth – Romesh Vaitilingam 9 AROPS 2014 Conference Report – Dina Stovell

10 – 11

Bristol Grammar School Foundation – Anna Freeman

12 – 14

From the Archives: Cricket blazers at BGS – Anne Bradley

15 – 17

Studying International Business with Mandarin – Adam de Lancey

18 – 21

Sochi Olympic experience – Katharine Eustace

22 – 24

Sounds of the Sixties – Mike Burmester

25 – 26

From the Archives: John Stuart Rymer – Archivist team

27

From the Archives: Diary of a young civil servant – Anne Bradley

28 – 29

From the Archives: The Great War Roll of Honour – Archivist team

29 – 30

Spring 2014 Events’ Report – Peter Jakobek

31 – 32

The Society’s 102nd Annual Dinner – Ian Rolling

33 – 34

The Annual Dinner: a different perspective – Patricia Yaker-Ekall

35 – 36

Annual Dinner photographs

37 – 42

Luncheon Club report and diary dates – Peter Tucker

43 – 48

OBs’ Hockey Club report – David McGinty

49 – 50

OBs’ Rugby Club report – Tristan Fowler

51 – 53

Old Bristolians around the world

54

News of Old Bristolians

55 – 58

Marriages

59 – 62

Obituaries

63 – 68

Honorary Members of the Society

69

Society Past Presidents

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Editorial I hope this finds you all well and enjoying a fine summer. As I write the breeze is blowing cool through a warm afternoon and the sun is shining in a bright blue sky. Let’s hope that by the time you receive this, the summer is set fair. Membership of the Society is increasing significantly and in turn the Annual Dinner seems to be going from strength to strength. This is also due, in large part, to the significant efforts of Phil Tottle and other members of the Committee. It’s great to see the event prospering and enjoyed by so many who now attend. There are two reports of this year’s Dinner – from Ian Rolling and from Patricia Yaker-Ekall – in this edition, supplemented by some lovely photographs. Our various Sports’ Clubs are also enjoying great success, and particular note should be give to the fantastic efforts of the Hockey Club’s top two teams in gaining promotion this season. The Rugby Club also had a good season consolidating their position in the league, to which they were promoted last time around. Reports of their achievements can be found from page 49 on. Pulling together this edition of Bristolienses made me realise more than ever before how sociable and fun-filled most of the events and activities that are arranged under the auspices of the Society are. Given this context I was interested to read Anne Freeman’s piece on the BGS Foundation and the attached Wordle diagram (page 13) that encapsulates the thoughts of recent leavers about the BGS community. It strikes me that if the exercise were to be conducted on the Society membership then the results would be much the same. It’s very positive and rather lovely to read. It’s also great to read so many pieces from archivist Anne Bradley, which all betray feelings of pride, affinity and inclusion. Of particular interest to me was the article about the use of the School Blazer (how great it would be to reinstate that tradition). When I saw the picture of the Fives team, my memory was taken back to the great times I had as part of that team (not that particular team I hasten to add) with great friends, having great fun. I always feel that the loss of the Fives courts was a really sad loss to the history of the school. Finally, thanks as always to all of the contributors. I am aware that writing content takes time and can, sometimes, be rather onerous. But hopefully when you see it in print it makes it all worthwhile! Please keep articles coming – you can email them direct to me or send them to the office – and rest assured that if they are not used immediately then they will be used at some point. It’s always great to get diverse content from a broad cross section of the membership. Gary Willmott (1974 – 1984) 1

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From The President More than 18 months ago, I was just getting out of a taxi in Whitehall on my way to a meeting in the Ministry of Defence when I had a phone call from Phil Tottle asking me whether I would be willing to be the President of the Old Bristolians’ Society for 2014/15. I have to admit that I was very surprised to get this call and it took me a few minutes to really take in what he had said before deciding to accept this position. I feel very honoured to be taking over this role from Don Furze and I only hope that I can do half as good a job as he and his predecessors have done over the years. It is now almost 50 years since, as a rather nervous 11 year old, I came into the Great Hall for the first time for a School Assembly under the watchful eye of my Housemaster. He was Tony Warren and I was therefore very pleased that he was there again to see me being installed as your President for 2014/15. I am sure that neither he nor I could have imagined when I left BGS in the spring of 1971 that I would one day be the President of the Old Bristolians’ Society. There have been a number of people who, over the years, have provided me with wise words and support during my education and career – often without my really appreciating at the time what they were doing. Tony Warren is certainly someone who has helped to provide this mentoring role for me - and I suspect for many other Old Bristolians – and, as I did at this year’s Annual Dinner, I want to take this opportunity to thank him for this. As I also mentioned at this year’s Annual Dinner, there are a few things that I would like to try to achieve during my term of office. First, I want to represent the Society at as many events as possible - both at the School and elsewhere - although the logistics of living in Hampshire and working part-time in London and Brussels may sometimes make this quite difficult. However, I have already been able to attend the School’s Annual Charter Day Service in Bristol Cathedral at which there was an interesting and thought-provoking sermon by Revd Dr Sam Wells (OB), the Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and a splendid rendition of the School Song. I represented the Society at the Annual Reunion Dinner of the Cathedralians’ Society, which provided me an opportunity to see how a similar, but Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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smaller, organisation does things and pick up a few ideas that we might adopt. I plan to discuss these with members of the Committee of the Old Bristolians’ Society later this year. I have also attended for the first time a couple of well-attended meetings of the Luncheon Club. These have been a good opportunity to meet a number of Old Bristolians as well as listen to some interesting and entertaining talks on subjects as diverse as Rio de Janeiro and Bristol Trams. Secondly, I want to try to encourage more of my contemporaries at School to attend the Annual Dinner. I have always been rather disappointed that, when looking through the list of those attending the Dinner there have been, with some honourable exceptions, few of them. I will therefore be contacting as many of my contemporaries as I can in the coming months in the hope that we can have a better attendance at the 2015 Annual Dinner. Thirdly, I would like to raise some more money from the Old Bristolians’ community for the School’s Bursary Fund. As someone who was fortunate to have been awarded a Scholarship from South Gloucestershire to attend BGS, I was able to benefit from the excellent educational experience that BGS provides – something that my parents would not have been able to afford. I would like to think that we can together raise some additional funds for the School’s Bursary Fund that will then enable some more young people to benefit from the BGS educational experience that they would otherwise not have had. David Yeandle (1964 – 1971) Old Bristolians’ Society President

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Insignia The Office has a good supply of OB ties and enamel crested cufflinks.

Enamelled crested cufflinks

£23.00

Maroon/dark blue crested ties

£12.00

Polyester striped ties

Silk ties

£8.00 £21.00

All prices quoted include postage If you are interested in purchasing any of the above items, or you require further information, please contact the OBs’ Office: +44 (0) 117 923 7037 obs@bgs.bristol.sch.uk

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Society Report 2014 Introduction At the AGM on Monday 10 March, we were looking towards the close of another year and Don Furze was preparing to hand over the office of President to David Yeandle at the Annual Dinner on Saturday 15 March. On behalf of the Society, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Don who has supported all the many activities of the Society enthusiastically and continued to be an important voice of the Sports’ Club. Finance Jeremy Parrott, our Treasurer, has kept a careful eye on the Society’s finances and assets and, despite the continuing poor economic climate, managed to maintain them in a healthy state. At the Management Committee Meeting on 14 October, he brought Jonathan Godfrey to update us on the portfolio. Margaret Barrington has given great support to Jeremy and we are pleased she will be doing so again next year. Our thanks go to her and to our auditor, Geraint Davies. The Society is pleased to continue its support to the School in various ways, including the Michael Booker bursary scheme, the School-leavers’ dinner and yearbook, the discretionary fund for ex-pupils and prizes for both Senior and Junior Schools. Editorial Bristolienses has had another good year and we are again very grateful to Gary Willmott for all his industry in putting the magazine together. It has reverted to its preferred portrait design and consideration is being given to an e-version available to those who elect not to be sent a hard copy. Long-term this would produce significant savings. Our thanks must also go to Ron Cockitt, Jan Duncan and Philip Revill for collating the content and the many contributors for providing it. Membership The UK mailing stands at 2,377 and the overseas at 63 – both up on last year’s numbers. Membership has been free to all leavers since 2002 and the paying membership, currently 590, is slowly shrinking, with only a few new paying members joining last year. Ian Rolling and Peter Jakobek work hard to promote the Society to recent leavers and we would like to thank them for this important enterprise. School Peter Jakobek has been in post as Assistant Head for Alumni and Events for over two years, now. Anna Freeman started in the summer as his PA and sits in the OBs’ office. 5

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We have been working closely together with him and Anna, strengthening the close relationship between the Society and the School and ensuring more effective contact with the many recent leavers. The Society’s section of the School website is being updated and our thanks go to Anna Freeman and Tony O’Callaghan for their input into this development. The third careers morning for the Lower Sixth in November was an even greater success this year. Romesh Vaitilingam and Melanie Guy, supported by about 40 OBs, worked tremendously hard to make the event happen and the feedback from the students has been most gratifying. It is one of those events where things come together and the whole is more than the sum of the parts. Sports’ Club The Sports’ Club held its AGM on Monday 3 March. The executive was returned unopposed. Tim Thorne continues as Chairman, Oli Pool as Secretary and Jeremy Kelsey as Treasurer. The accounts show an improved financial situation with a healthy cash balance. The Sports’ Club remains extremely keen to convert to corporate status. This would demonstrate security of tenure, which, in turn, would facilitate successful applications for loans and grants from bodies such as the RFU. With such funding, the Sports’ Club would hope to develop the Failand facilities without the need to involve the OBs’ Society financially. Discussion with the Society continues about his. The Ground continues to be well looked after by Russ Yandell, particularly with the new tractor that was purchased with the help of the Bequest Fund. Certain cosmetic improvements to the Clubhouse are scheduled for the immediate future. These include minor window repairs, new curtains, cleaning and stretching the carpets and fitting the tables with waxed fabrics. The Stirratt ATP was originally given a ten-year life span. The ten years have extended to fourteen and, although the pitch is still playable, the School is interested in renewing those components that are nearing the end of their life span. On the sporting front, the Cricket Club had a good summer with the First XI maintaining its league position with a mid-table finish. Hockey continues to thrive with six senior mens’ teams and five ladies’ teams. The men’s senior side is hoping for promotion. The Rugby Club is also thriving with nearly four hundred junior members. This popularity, however, causes administrative problems with pitch availability and parking. The loss of several First XV backs has had an effect all the senior teams. Finally, on the charity front, the Club has now raised over £200,000 for CLIC in memory of Robbie Stuart. Social Last year, I reported that this year’s Cambridge Dinner would be the last one that Richard Stibbs, President of Downing, would be helping with as he was about to retire. I am very sorry to say that he died on 31 August 2013. The Society is most indebted Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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to him for his efforts, his hospitality and his generosity with the provision of wines over the years. In his memory, the College is very happy to host our Cambridge Dinner and was to do so last November but it had to cancelled at the last minute due to the low numbers attending. We hope to arrange an event later this year. Whilst on the subject of loss, several people of considerable note to the Society and the School have passed on in the last year, including: Jim Ackland, (OB) former chairman, governor and President; and David Selwyn and Shaun Holman, both much-loved members of staff. Peter Jakobek, has organised a number of events. A London gathering for recent leavers before Christmas was well attended but two events further north did not take place because of lack of local support in making the necessary arrangements. The usual pre-Christmas London event did not take place but we had a May Dinner at Painters’ Hall. The ‘Channings’ event was very popular this year, with more than eighty people in attendance and our thanks go to Ian Rolling for arranging this so successfully. It is provisionally booked again for next year. The Luncheon Club continues to thrive and, over the last year, has provided talks on many interesting topics. Our thanks go to the organiser, John Crichard and to Peter Tucker for recruiting the speakers.

Imy Fry and Parisa Patel enjoyng the drinks evening at The Channings 7

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The Annual Dinner Please see Ian Rolling’s and Patricia Yaker-Ekall’s reports and attendant photographs from page 29 onwards. The Officers The Chairman, Phil Tottle, is now at the end of his second year in office and continued to work tirelessly for the Society even arranging the Annual Dinner again – despite protesting two years ago that that was the last time. Jeremy Parrott has continued to manage the Society’s finances with aplomb. I have just come to the end of third year as Secretary. It has been most enjoyable, with the greatest pleasures coming from the ability to give something back to the School and the opportunity to meet such a wide range of interesting people, including students, staff, fellow OBs, Governors and guests. It has been a challenge for us all, in the last year, to juggle our commitment to the OBs’ Society with personal and professional responsibilities. My hope is that next year will be as rewarding but perhaps less demanding! I would like to give my thanks to all the members of the Committee for all they have done in the last year and I look forward to working with you in the coming months. Infirmity has affected some and we regret this so much. Our thoughts and thanks go to those who can no longer participate. We need support, generally, from all the different generations of our membership and extra support from a few to provide a succession plan. One or two people have come forward to attend committee meetings and I hope that they will continue to come and that others will be encouraged to join them. Historically too few loyal people have carried the responsibility for the running of the Society and we really need more folk getting involved for the future good. A number of new initiatives have been put in place with plans for more dispersed and more informal gatherings both in London and further afield. This is a real attempt to create a continuity of support and fill the gap between ‘those who have just left’ and those who have ‘spiritually’ returned after years away. Last, but by no means least, we recognise and are very grateful to the Office Staff for keeping the Society’s day to day affairs in such good order. Thank you, Jan (Duncan), Anne (Bradley), Ron (Cockitt) and Philip (Revill). Geoff Wright (1956 – 1966) Honorary Secretary Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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OB Careers Event for the BGS Lower Sixth Following the success of the last three careers events for the Lower Sixth supported exclusively by Old Bristolians, Melanie Guy (BGS Careers Adviser) and Justin Harford (Director of Sixth Form) have invited OBs to return to school for a fourth great year. This year’s event will be on Friday 21 November 2014 from 09:00 to 13:00. Last year, a record 43 OBs provided the students with invaluable insights across a wide range of possible jobs in ten broad areas: engineering, science and technology; medicine, psychiatry and healthcare; investment banking, money management and economics; accountancy, tax, commercial banking and audit; media, journalism, broadcasting and public relations; the law and the civil service; architecture and property; retail, marketing and sales; business start-ups, self-employment and small business; and business, management, recruitment, human resources and information technology. The event began with a plenary panel on the theme of ‘careers journeys’, in which five OBs sketched out how their working lives had developed after leaving school. The opening session was followed by two ‘break-outs’, where smaller groups of sixth formers could talk to a handful of OBs in two of the career areas that most appealed to them. The morning concluded with a networking session over coffee in Great Hall and a final discussion among all the students and OBs on a variety of issues, including good interview practice; how to write your CV; what to do on your gap year; discovering what kind of work suits your personality; whether going to university should be an automatic choice when you leave school; aiming to end up ‘doing what you love’; opportunities to work overseas; the value of foreign languages in almost every walk of life; and the value of the OBs for career networking. The event was a very enjoyable reunion as well as being really useful for the sixth formers – and this year, we want to make it even bigger and better. If you would like to come along, please contact Romesh Vaitilingam by email at romesh@vaitilingam.com Romesh Vaitilingam (1973 – 1979) Careers co-ordinator

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AROPS 2014 Conference Report The Association Of Representatives of Old Pupils’ Societies (AROPS) 2014 Conference held at BGS on 10 May was a roaring success with delegates effusive in their praise for the venue, the organisation and the quality of presentations and workshops. Jane Pendry’s speech, Adapt or Perish, advised alumni societies to appreciate the challenges facing the schools they represent in order to remain relevant and therefore to survive while maintaining their independence. Her advice was practical, encouraging representatives to do a SWOT analysis to identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats facing their societies as well as their schools. Emily Roffe-Silvester, from Blundell’s School, gave a lively presentation on social media, highlighting the opportunities for low cost communication with alumni through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. She followed this with an afternoon workshop on LinkedIn groups. The Conference was opened by the AROPS Chairman, Bill Gillen, who highlighted the year’s activities including new regional meetings around the country and inviting the AROPS Administrator, Dina Stovell, to launch the new-look AROPS with a brighter, fresher logo and a new, far more accessible website which aims to feature member societies’ events and news and a frequently changing ‘teaser’ question to encourage revisits to the site. Roderick MacKinnon, Headmaster of Bristol Grammar School, welcomed the delegates and acknowledged the huge difference made to the life of the school by the Old Bristolians’ Society: ‘We take confidence and courage from our predecessors,’ he said. ‘The Old Bristolians’ Society can offer an appreciation of the changing needs of current students.’ The pace of change is much more dramatic now and old pupils’ associations can advise the students on how to make wise decisions. Taking up Jane Pendry’s theme, he reflected that the schools that no longer exist are the ones that would not adapt and the same is true of alumni societies. ‘If you focus only on the great old days, you will atrophy,’ he said. ‘Building links is beneficial to both the schools and the old pupils’ associations.’ In the afternoon sessions, Graycell Consulting presented the results of their survey, conducted for AROPS, of alumni software packages, after extensive interviews with a range of suppliers and, in particular, the school and alumni society users. Their report and presentation show societies the things they need to query when talking to software companies. Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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In the session on sports and music events, Jan Butler introduced AROPS’ list of alumni society events which she hopes to build into a resource available on the website, inviting members to let us know of sports, musical and cultural events that can be shared by other societies or used as inspiration. Rob Philips, Archivist at King Henry VIII School, advised on setting up an archive facility from scratch and also explained how to research WWI individuals for those wishing to make a special commemoration of the war’s centenary. Tim Neale’s session on subscriptions looked at the recent AROPS survey [click for link] and revealed that since more parents are striking alumni society contributions off the bill, there is a growing importance for grants and societies have the autonomy to use those grants. A full report of the Conference can be found on the AROPS website, www.arops.org.uk Dina Stovell

Do we have your email address? To: OB Society members From: OB Management Committee <obs@bgs.bristol.sch.uk> Subject: Email details The Society can save significant sums of money by using email rather than print and postage. If you are willing to allow us to email you, please let us know your preferred email address at obs@bgs.bristol.sch.uk. If you’re not sure whether we’re up to date, just email us anyway. This small effort on you part will reduce our adminstration costs and free up more money for the causes in which we all believe. Thank you all.

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Bristol Grammar School Foundation I joined Bristol Grammar School in late August 2013 and the time has seemingly flown by. As I write, the end of the summer term is approaching and the School is somewhat quiet, many of its classrooms given over to external examinations. Looking back has been a very busy and productive year for the Foundation Office. Tony and I have been busy making contact and reconnecting with many of our alumni, making sure that we keep Old Bristolians and friends of the School posted with news and events. We hope that many of you will have seen our Christmas message and our e-newsletter, which gives us the opportunity to update you with news of the School, and provides a link to the online edition of View magazine. We are also just about to undertake a big push on improving our data about former pupils. With the help of Friends Reunited, Facebook and LinkedIn and some willing Sixth-formers, we hope to reconnect with more ‘lost’ past pupils, so that they too may be made aware of the busy social programme we have planned for the coming year. One of the most interesting aspects of my job is making contact with OBs and hearing about their experiences. It has been fascinating to learn about how the School operated in the past: how the Form systems worked, the discipline, the structure of the day and what the teaching was like. It has all contributed to my greater understanding of the culture of expectation that has led to so many achievements among the Alumni. Over the months I have also heard many OBs reflect on the pride they feel at having studied at BGS – indeed in his modern history of the School Keith Robbins mentions how ‘the nature of the place always changes, but the pride remains’. I find this a recurring theme – the buildings and people may change but the spirit and culture stay constant. To this end I thought it would be interesting to interview Upper Sixth leavers and put together a pictorial representation of the words that sum up their experiences at BGS, which you see overleaf. I suspect that many of these words will have resonance for former pupils, staff and friends. Indeed I hypothesise that this ethos explains why so many of you choose to get involved with School long after your time here, through running the Society, helping with Careers and other extra-curricular events, or offering generous financial support. Your help really does make a difference, and I am delighted to be able to report that last year over £350,000 was donated, which allowed us to offer over a hundred children financial assistance with school fees. Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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I am very much looking forward, over the coming year, to working with our supporters to ensure that we continue to provide the necessary funding, be it in the form of legacy donations, bursary support or gifts for general development of the School’s facilities. If you would like more details about how to make a donation, please contact us in the Foundation Department; you can find details on the website at http://alumni.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk/Foundation. Anna Freeman Foundation Manager

Foundation Office Bristol Grammar School University Road Bristol BS8 1SR 0117 9339637

afreeman@bgs.bristol.sch.uk

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From the archives: Cricket blazers at BGS Several Old Bristolians who have distinguished themselves at games have given the School some item of sporting gear. One of the more colourful garments is what the Archivist has always been told is the Cricket blazer. It is hoped to put one on display, with a brief historical note, but at the moment that historical note is so brief as to be negligible. Can anyone help?

1920’s First XI – the first appearence of the Cricket blazer

The principal source is, naturally, the Chronicle. Most July issues carry a photograph of The First XI. The blazer makes its first appearance in 1920, and there is a reference in that issue to new arrangements; Mr Caudwell seems to take over coaching. No mention of the attractive new claret and cream sportswear. Another question, of course, is when the luscious ‘claret and cream’ gave way to the mundane ‘maroon and white’. In March 1923 we find the Fives team also in the blazers, and this team includes O.S. Franks. Most of the team are cricket players, but not all. Moreover only three of the six have been awarded colours, but all wear the Blazer, so although it apparently (there is no second team photograph available to cross check this) represents membership of a first team, it is not equivalent to colours and it is not confined to cricket. No footballer has been found wearing it, but there are occasions when the goalkeeper of the other First XI displays the striped coat. Decline begins during the War. In July 1942 the front row wear blazers, the back row (including T.W. Graveney) are in shirt sleeves. Was there perhaps a finite supply 15

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1923 and the Fives team now wear the blazer.

On a few decades and the blazer is still worn proudly but by fewer team members.

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The beginning of the end? Blazers still worn but now only by three team members.

that was passed from hand to hand within the school? Did rationing affect blazers as it affected the introduction of uniform? In July 1946 all have blazers, including R. MacEwen and D. Pople. This suggests rationing eased, but 1948 shows only three, 1950 just one, worn by the Captain, J.D. Currie, 1951 has three again. In 1952 there is a picture of the opening of the War Memorial Field, with the OB team and the School team. Seven of the School team have blazers including G.M. Cutter. The last years are 1955 and 1956; five reduces to three (including D. Watts) and then there are two lean years with no First XI photograph. Again, no note in the text even refers to the end of this sporting era. Perhaps authority discouraged the blazer as ‘swank’? Meanwhile, Mr Caudwell, who regularly coached the BGS cricketers, vanishes from coaching by 1933. As a Great War veteran (1916 – 1919) he forms part of that research work, and his staff record failed to give his date of retirement. In fact, the announcement of his retirement occurs in the Chronicle for December 1938, and when I found it I realised I should have known. M.L. Booker who also subsequently held the post of School Archivist succeeded Mr. Caudwell in the Classics Department and often mentioned the workload he took on. So I succeeded Mike as Archivist, and Mike had succeeded Caudwell as a classics master. This feels like my personal direct link to the Great War… does anyone have memories of Leonard Vernon Caudwell? Anne Bradley Archivist 17

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Studying International Business with Mandarin – in China... It was October 2009 and I remember ploughing my way through the rather agonising UCAS application process and ticking a box that read: ‘International Business with Mandarin with a year in China.’ ‘That sounds cool,’ I thought. And for the four years that followed, the bit about the year in China was simply something that I occasionally spoke about among friends and family alike as I moved from BGS to gap year to university. Fast-forward to 1 September 2013, somewhere in Heathrow Airport, and the reality of the situation kicked in as I checked in my suitcases among a crowd of Chinese people below a screen saying ‘Shanghai Pudong.’ It’s fair to say that my first week in China wasn’t the easiest week I’ve ever had. I was allocated a room in a 600 student dormitory building which had no electricity, no hot water, no internet and what can only be described as a bench for a bed: I started to wonder what on earth I was doing there. This was indeed a culture shock and I realised pretty quickly that things were going to be somewhat different from home. I knew that I was going to have to adapt immediately, and despite having two years of Mandarin lessons at Birmingham University, I was going to have to improve, and fast. I had travelled pretty extensively before this adventure, but nothing prepared me for the size and scale of Shanghai. Shanghai has a population of nearly 50 times that of Bristol and a land mass around five times the size of New York City. The sheer vastness of this international metropolis would be overwhelming for anyone, especially for someone from a reasonably quiet suburb of Bristol. As far as I’m aware, there are no rules on the roads, and when crossing the road a green man only eliminates the chance of being hit by a bus.

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I soon became accustomed to this manic lifestyle, settled into my Business course at Fudan University, made friends with some amazing like-minded people, got a job teaching English and discovered that Shanghai nightlife is comparable to no other. Experiencing first-hand China’s rapid growth and exploring all the sights that the city has to offer made me feel more like a local each day. Given the low cost of living (from a European perspective), the opportunity to explore threw up endless possibilities, such as a quiet weekend away in Hangzhou (which turned out to have a population of nearly ten million people). As autumn rolled into winter, I finally discovered the reason why so many people are put off by China – its astoundingly high air pollution levels. One day in November, the air quality was recorded at 600 PM2.5 (Particulate Matter up to 2.5 micrometers in size – a measure of air quality) and we received an email from our lecturers not to leave the building and even the airports were closed. Given that the average day in London is around 30, anything above about 300 is considered extremely dangerous, and the scale only usually goes up to 500, so I truly discovered how much of an issue it really is. December brought an end to my semester at Fudan University, but not in China. In February I returned for a semester studying Mandarin at Beijing Language and Culture University. This was a chance for another fresh start and an opportunity to explore the country’s capital that showcased the 2008 Olympics. Despite being in the same country, Shanghai and Beijing are two worlds apart. Shanghai is world-renowned for being an international trade and economic hub, whereas Beijing is the historical and cultural centre of China. For an international student, this meant that Beijing was much less welcome to Western culture, but the sights that it has to offer are much more impressive. Of course the futuristic skyline of Shanghai’s Bund is striking, but in my opinion, the phenomenal Great Wall, Forbidden City and Summer Palace easily outclass it. Furthermore, I was studying Mandarin taught in Mandarin rather than Business taught in English, and so the fact that Beijing is less international was no longer an obstacle. After every 20-hour week of classes my ability to communicate improved, and, having landed another teaching job, I was regularly practising my Chinese and indulging in local culture. It is now May and summer is approaching. I have a great social life including playing for the local Beijing Brothers rugby team. Despite the early morning start to lectures, I am enjoying class and the opportunity it is providing me with now and for later life. I am writing this on a train bound for Xi’an (home of the terracotta warriors). There is a 19

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superb sunset and I can honestly say that I’m very happy to be in China at the moment. Had I not chosen this course, I would now be at home doing my final exams and dissertation with the rest of my friends and I would have missed out on the incredible adventure that this year has provided me with.

The most amazing sunset over the Great Wall

Plank walking at Huashan Mountain – not for the faint hearted!

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To anyone considering choosing a course with a year abroad, do it. And to anyone considering learning Mandarin, do it. Both may seem extremely daunting at first, but I have never had such a rewarding year as this one. I feel that this year really has made me a more rounded person; it has most definitely taught me the meaning of patience and to appreciate just how easy living in England is. I could not recommend it more, and it is something that I will be talking about for the rest of my life. (Sorry!) Finally, I’d like to thank the Old Bristolians for their generous donation to my year, and the school itself for giving me the educational grounding necessary for my course. Adam de Lancey (2003 – 2010)

Polite Request From the Chairman On 21 September, at the age of 65, I will be running my first half marathon, having completed my first 10K in May. I am running to raise funds for the Stroke Association and the British Lung Foundation, and if there are any OBs who would be interested in sponsoring me, I would be most grateful if they would contact me by e-mail at p.tottle@btinternet.com. Eight years ago, I suffered a stroke, and I am anxious to support the Stroke Association who helped me then. Whilst recovering, I was inspired by someone on my fitness group who sadly suffers from lung disease and as a thank you I also wish to support his charity, the British Lung Foundation. Phil Tottle (1960 – 1968) Chairman

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Sochi Olympic experience The Olympics has been likened to a circus on many occasions. In the build up I was warned that there would be many distractions and that I would have to focus on the task at hand. There were many issues to contend with, especially all the security – entering the Olympic village was like entering an airport. Bags had to go through the scanner, all tickets or accreditations to be shown and checked off. Getting to venues involved getting in a bus with all our sleds and gear bags. We were scanned in and the doors were then taped shut. We drove to the track and then all scanned again to check we hadn’t picked up anyone on the way. This made a normally 15 minute ride into a 45 minute procedure. We also had endless food supplied at the Olympic village, 24 hours a day. This meant a lot of self control had to be used so that I didn’t eat too much! I made myself a one plate rule for the 10 days I was in the village before racing, after which I then allowed myself to try bits of all the International cuisine they had on offer. Other New Zealand athletes were competing, and due to my love of sport I just wanted to go and watch as much as possible. As I was competing in the middle weekend, I told myself that I could wait until after my event as I needed to preserve my energy for my races. I could then go and see as many events as I could fit in. The qualification process for the Olympics had been tough. I wasn’t selected by the NZ Olympic committee until the very last moment, despite earning a spot at the Games through the international sporting federation. In the last few races that I had done, I concentrated on what I had to do well to get good results, rather than the results themselves. Easier said than done when, in the back of your mind for every race, you are telling yourself ‘if I get a top 10 I could get selected for the Olympics’ – luckily I was. We arrived in Sochi about 10 days beforehand, had two days of training, a short gap and then our race week started. A normal race consists of three days of training with two runs per day. In this time you have to work out what equipment you want to use and find the fastest lines down the track for the current shape of the ice and the track conditions. Sochi was about 12C, not a normal temperature for a Winter Olympics. Race days consist of two runs per day over two days, the accumulation of all four runs counts and the quicker the time the better. So I trained hard, analysed lots of video and got myself in the best physical shape that Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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I could. I had a specific build up in terms of strength and conditioning training so that I would be 100% prepared for race days. Race day started. I had warned myself that it was going to be different from other races. Normally we don’t get many spectators at World Cup skeleton races but this time was different. There were lots of people there and all were cheering. I blocked it all out to focus on my lines down the track. It was great to see lots of the Kiwis who had already competed there to support me. I had two runs on the first day that were OK, nothing too bad but not exceptional. I was lying in 14th place. We had over 24 hours until our next runs. I did some more video analysis and decided to change some of my equipment – I changed the type of runner I had in my sled. I was a little And we’re off... more nervous the second day – I’m not sure why, as I thought after getting two runs under my belt I would be more relaxed. However, I kept telling myself that I knew what I had to do and to just get on and do it. After run three, I was still in 14th. For the last run I had nothing to lose. I pushed off as hard as I could and loaded onto my sled. I fully concentrated on my run, not letting my mind wander from the corner I was in and not worrying about my final position. I crossed the finish line and the clock flashed No. 1. This meant I had retained my spot and I would finish no worse than 14th. I waved to all the spectators who were cheering and took it all in for a few seconds, feeling slightly famous! I was tied with the Turin Olympic bronze medallist from Canada, Melissa Hollingsworth, who was also fifth at the Vancouver Games in 2010. So we both stood on top of the leader’s box waiting for the next athletes to come down. The first made a mistake and ended up going behind us - we were up to 13th place. Then it happened again and again! I couldn’t quite believe it and waved my NZ flag. We had moved up to 11th. It was time to move from the leader’s box and wait and see who would be the eventual winner. There were three Russians to come and Lizzy Yarnold (Great Britain) and Noelle Pikus-Pace (USA) who had been battling it out all season. In the end, it was Lizzy’s day. 23

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She had been the fastest on every single run and deserved to win. Noelle was second and Elina Nikitina (Russia) third.

Waving the flag! What a fantastic achievment.

It all felt a bit of a blur with the excitement of the race and the media wanting to talk to me. My team mates and competitors from other nations were all discussing how the race had gone. I rushed back up to the top of the track and met up with my Mum and Dad and other friends and family that had come to support me. It was all over pretty quickly but a memory and experience that I will always cherish. It made me realise that, if you are motivated and determined and put in the hard work, you really can achieve anything. Katharine Eustace (1986 – 1993)

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Sounds of the Sixties British historian and biographer Robert Lacey returned to his alma mater (1951 – 1962) in March to give the Sixth Form Lecture on Saudi Arabia. Robert’s book Inside the Kingdom is one of the leading reference works on that state. He is also recognised for his insight into and knowledge of the British Royal Family where his work Majesty looks at the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II and that institution. More recently Robert has been Royal Correspondent for both ITV and ABC’s Good Morning America. During the course of the lecture Robert explained that Saudi Arabia can be split up into three distinct entities. In the east and bordering the Gulf lie the oil wells - all very much a 21st century capitalist operation. In the middle is the homeland of the Al Saud royal family with its legion of princes and princesses. Interestingly succession is not by primogeniture, as in the British tradition, but rather a gathering of the families decides who would be best suited to succeed the recently departed. On the western flank can be found the deeply religious and fundamentalist Islamic sects with Mecca and Medina within its ambit. An interesting anecdote that is perhaps not too familiar to the world at large concerns events that took place shortly after the conference in 1945 at Yalta as Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill carved up Europe and beyond at the end of WW2. Roosevelt asked for the monarch’s help in establishing the state of Israel on Arab soil – and received it. In the event it was Palestine rather than Saudi Arabia that was chosen. In the photograph overleaf taken outside the Sixth Form centre Robert (second left) is seen with fellow BGS Army Cadet Force member, Mike Burmester; David Trott, Robert’s Housemaster – of the ‘green’ house and the immediate Past President of the OB Society and contemporary Don Furze. Mike Burmester (1953 – 1964)

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Mike Burmester, Robert Lacey, David Trott and Don Furze

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From the Archives: John Stuart Rymer The name of John Stuart Rymer is one of those inscribed on the Great War Memorial at BGS. He was born 26 October 1895 and he attended BGS 1907 – 1912. His father was John Rymer of Hambrook Farm, near Bristol. In 1921 there is the following entry in the Probate Records: ‘John Stuart Rymer of Crossley Farm, Winterbourne, Gloucestershire, farm pupil, died 4 October 1921 at the Pensions Hospital Bath. Probate Bristol 24 August to John Rymer agriculturist. Effects £963 3s 6d.’ The hospital appears to be the Bath War Hospital at Coombe Park, so called 1916 – 1922 and then renamed the Bath Ministry of Pensions Hospital until it was closed in 1929. This hospital certainly held Great War casualties some of whom died and were buried in Bath cemeteries; many of those injured in gas attacks died later, and John Rymer may have been one of them. So far however we have failed to find his grave in Bath or in Winterbourne, and there is no reference to him in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Although his name is on the memorial in the Great Hall, the Chronicle gives no information about his war service. His name must have been one of the last, perhaps even the last, notified to the school. Was the information correct? What happened between 1912 and 1921? There are of course records to check and online sites to consult, but they too need to be checked and sifted. Forces-War-Records has two John Rymers described as ‘Temporary Lieutenant 1919 Royal Warwickshire Regiment’, one described as ‘Lieutenant 1919 Royal Warwickshire Regiment’ and a J. Rymer, ‘Lieutenant 1918 Royal Warwickshire Regiment’. The new IWM Lives of the First World War has nothing. He lost his life, and his parents lost their son. He is, at the moment, our most perplexing casualty. There must be more to discover. The Archivists’ Team

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From the Archives: Diary of a Young Civil Servant The Chronicle July 1927 includes a book review: We have been permitted to see the first volume of the ‘Diary of a Young Civil Servant in Westminster, 1914 – 1918’. The book bears the name of Victor Smith, which conceals the identity of an Old Bristolian. He shared ‘digs’ in a Surrey town with ‘Sheridan’, another OB, killed in 1917, and ‘Harris’, a Colstonian, who is now Private Secretary to a Cabinet Minister. The volume records his impressions of the first sixteen months of the war… He seems to have thought for himself at a time when few of us were so intellectually adventurous; and he had glimpses then of what is now commonplace, and what was then said only in the most apologetic whisper. He gives a noble record of the absurdist rumours, not a little in the way of profane Civil Service gossip about the ‘Chiefs’, and a mass of really interesting information… He will not mind us saying that he was not an ‘Intellectual’… Who could this be? The Imperial War Museum identifies ‘Victor Smith (pseud)’ as P.H. Trenerry. According to the BGS register, Percival Halse Trenerry was born 31 Dec 1888. When he entered BGS he was living with his stepfather W Symes Jones, an accountant, at 8 Victoria Road, Cotham, and later at 38 Berkeley Road, Bishopston. He was in Tech.V.M. (hence no Intellectual) and left July 1904. The 1891 Scotland census lists Percival, aged 2, as the son of Albert E. and Annie Trenerry, of 4 Douane Quadrant, Maryhill, Barony, Lanarkshire. He had a 10 day old infant sibling. He died 6 May 1938; his address was 139 Cromwell Road, Bristol 6, but he died at Brislington House, near Bristol. Probate 4 July to the Public Trustee, effects £5656 15s 4d. Brislington House (later known as Long Fox Manor) was built as a private lunatic asylum. When it opened in 1806 it was one of the first purpose-built asylums in England. The asylum continued to be owned and run by physicians from the Fox family until the Second World War. Despite his sense of humour, Trenerry may not have been a happy person. What of the men who shared his digs? Two of the BGS casualties of 1917 are possible candidates for ‘Sheridan’. Reginald Arthur McGuire was at the Board of Trade 1908-1915 and joined the London Regiment in 1915. David Cuthbert Thomas attended BGS 1903-1911, he ‘left the School about 1910 with a scholarship at Oxford. He enlisted in the ranks of the Rifle Brigade, and was reported first missing and finally killed in action October 19th of last year. Many will remember his brilliant rendering of the part of Bob Acres in The Rivals in his last year at the School.’ (Chronicle Dec 1917) The 1911 Census solves this conundrum. Three people lived at Ethelhurst, Downs Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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Court Road, Purley, Surrey. The Head of this household was Francis Edward Carter, 24, born in Bristol. He may have been the Colstonian. His fellow lodgers were Percival Halse Trenerry, 22, a Civil Service 2nd Division clerk and Reginald Arthur McGuire, 22, also a Civil Service 2nd Division clerk. All three are described in the Ancestry index as female (!). The only Bristol Francis E Carter in 1901 is described as the daughter, aged 13, of Thomas and Martha Carter of 35 Alma Vale Road. If there is a Colston’s register entry for Francis Edward Carter the oddity may be cleared up; meanwhile one trusts it is the enumerator’s mental confusion with Francis and Frances. As to ‘The Rivals’, there is an account of this production in the Chronicle for April 1911, but there is no suggestion that there was any Sheridan production c 1906 for Reginald McGuire; however, Sheridan was popular and She Stoops to Conquer was performed in 1914, and maybe the Literary and Debating Society had performed Sheridan ‘readings’ in earlier years. The Diary may reveal more, and one must always allow for the private jest. Logic and research cannot solve every problem. Anne Bradley Archivist

The Great War Roll of Honour Two years ago we, the Archives Team, were asked for details of Great War casualties from this school. Almost immediately we found that the information at our disposal was not entirely accurate, and so far we have established the names of two and possibly three boys who attended BGS and died but for whom no record was kept. The first one emerged from a careful reading of Stanley Booker’s letters. Fitzroy Charles Phillpotts, son of the Rev Ernest Alfred Phillpotts MA, was born 30 May 1894 and attended BGS Sep – Dec 1915. No doubt his brief attendance explains his absence from the War Memorial. Stanley Booker refers to him twice during August and September 1915: ‘There have been several names I know in the casualty lists lately. One is an Old Bristolian, G C Machon, cousin of Roy Machon who was wounded at the Dardanelles. He is a lieutenant in the 5th Welsh Regt. Another name you will know is Philpotts, Lieutenant 7th Gloucesters, Tony Sumner’s friend: he too has been wounded at the Dardanelles. The 7th Gloucesters are a battalion of Kitchener’s army: the 5th Welsh a Territorial Unit.’ And then, ‘I see from the papers that Philpotts whom I told you of last week has died of his wounds but perhaps you have heard from the Vicar.’ He died on active service at Gallipoli in Turkey on 9 August 1915. 29

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The second additional name is Francis George Hardingham. We were asked by the Stoke Bishop Local History Society to check how many of the Stoke Bishop and Braidlea School casualties had attended BGS and when checking the registers we found this name. He had attended both Braidlea and BGS, but, probably because he had emigrated to Canada and his family moved to London, BGS never recorded his service with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion, his death on 23 March 1916 and his burial in Maple Copse Cemetery. We’ve made up for that omission, as the attached photograph from the School’s recent Battlefields Tour shows. He was born in June 1890, and was at BGS 1904 (in Shell A), 1905 and possibly part of 1906; even his school record is somewhat unclear. The third is not yet confirmed; probably confirmation will depend on information held (or not) by Bournemouth School and Forces War Records. His name is William Herbert Gunning, and I found him while checking the Chronicle for something completely different and checked the name purely on instinct. The Chronicle December 1933 p 483 says, ‘On Thursday August 24th 1933, the Rev R E Machon MC, MA, was inducted vicar of St Thomas, Claremont, Halifax. By a strange coincidence another OB was present, the Rev Gunning, who is vicar of the adjoining parish and was at the school at the same time as Mr Machon.’ Well, so many of Roy Machon’s contemporaries fought that it was worth a look. The two sons of John Gunning, engineer, of 10 Elmdale Road joined BGS in 1906 and left in 1909: John Robert White Gunning, born 22 March 1891and William Herbert Gunning, born 15 March 1893. The family apparently moved to Hampshire as John moved to Bournemouth School and William (the younger son, possibly less academic) went into his father’s business (presumably engineering). Neither was recorded here as serving, but we have learnt to double check. The Ancestry Medals site lists a William Herbert Gunning serving as a 2/Lt in the Hampshire Regiment. He received the Victory and British medals, and the 1915 star. His theatre of war is given as Salonika, where he arrived 6/10/1915 and where he died 31/10/1916. His father, J Gunning Esq., who applied for his medals, lived at ‘Holmwood’, 18 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth. There was no sign in this series of records of John, but it is worthwhile to contact Bournemouth School to see if they have any records of the family. William is commemorated at the Pieta Military Cemetery on Malta. Of course we are not yet sure of the identity of the Rev Gunning. If William were ordained, he cannot be buried on Malta; if John were ordained, the question remains open. The Archivist Team

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Spring 2014 Events’ Report The OBs’ London Dinner was a great success, held in the wonderful surroundings of Painters’ Hall, the home of one of the oldest Livery Companies in the City. We were the guests of Nick Leavens OB, who manages several of these venues in the Capital. Most of the diners were from London but a small group arrived with the Headmaster from Bristol. The evening started with champagne and canapés before moving into the dining room for the dinner. The food was outstanding and after a few words from the Headmaster and President elect Mike Burmester we departed to the bar. Before the Bristol group could get home there was the minor problem of extricating the minibus from the City of London School’s car park. The Class of 2004 celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a reunion in the JCR. The evening was well attended with some OBs setting foot in School for the first time since they left. I think this is something that we are keen to rectify and we would like to welcome back any former students who are keen to see how the School has changed over the years. The Class of 1994 are also planning their reunion event in July so I hope to have some photos in the next edition of Bristolienses. At the end of June the Class of 2014 will celebrate the end of their education at BGS with the Leavers’ Dinner. This is now a well-established event on the BGS calendar and is well attended by students and staff. Charter Day was celebrated by the whole School in Bristol Cathedral and our guest preacher was Revd Dr Sam Wells; OB Sam was Head of School in 1982 and 1983 and then went to Oxford University. Sam is currently Vicar of St Martin in the Fields Church in London. Sam really enjoyed his return to School and after a short tour he talked to some Sixth Form philosophy students and had lunch before walking down to the Cathedral to prepare for the Service. Although places are now limited for guests at the Charter Day Service, if you are keen to attend please do let me know so that we can allocate enough seats for OBs This term will conclude with Prize Giving and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Society and the many OBs who donate prizes for this annual event. Peter Jakobek (Staff, 1982 to date) Assistant Head (OBs and Events) 31

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Enjoying dinner at the Painters’Hall, London.

The Class of 2004. Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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The Society’s 102nd Annual Dinner The annual dinner was held on Saturday 15 March and was attended by Old Bristolians, their spouses and friends. All the talk before the formal dinner started was about the Six Nations’ rugby and the fact that Ireland had just narrowly beaten France to win the Championship and deny England. The dinner began with a welcome from our President, Don Furze, who explained the format for the evening. He then passed the microphone to Emily Buckley, Head of School, who also welcomed everyone. She then spoke briefly about the opportunities the school offered through academic study, sport and the many extra curricular activities open to students and how much she had benefited from them and enjoyed her time at BGS. She then said the Latin grace. Toasts were then proposed by the President, to the Queen and the Pious and Immortal Memory of Robert Thorne with the National Anthem and two verses of Carmen Bristolienses sung heartily. An enjoyable and very tasty three course meal followed which included smoked salmon roulade, fall apart beef in a rich red wine sauce and profiteroles. Mike Burmester explained how the annual draw raised funds for the Michael Booker Bursary fund and discretionary grants offered to Old Bristolians’ that were still in education. The interval followed.

Peter Jakobek, David Trott and Ian Rolling

The speeches began with the Headmaster, who fooled everyone involved in the sweepstake on the staff table with the shortness of his speech! He explained how 33

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much he valued the links between today’s students and the ‘vintage years’ represented by the majority of guests at the dinner. He was in awe of his predecessors’ years of service and their record of achievements. He was also very grateful for the massive support the Old Bristolians’ Society gives the school through financial donations, help with careers and in many other ways. Our President, Don Furze followed and spoke about growing up in Bristol and Redland Green being his playground in his early years. When secondary education arrived QEH was his first choice but he was offered a place at BGS and found out later his parents had altered his order of choices! He spoke about his life at BGS, the sporting opportunities it gave him and the extra curricular activities, particularly the Caving Club. He finished by talking about the roles he had played in the Old Bristolians’ Rugby Club and Sports’ Club and how much he had enjoyed his year in office. He made particular mention of Tat Ratcliffe, our previous President, who had given him so much support. He then handed over to our guest speaker, David Perkins, an Old Bristolian and former member of staff at QEH. David gave us a very amusing talk about his time at BGS. He explained that he had spent some time in a very academic school in Germany where extra curricular activities did not take place and compared it to all that he did as he progressed through life at BGS. He told us that he was involved in various play productions throughout his school career and was even a fairy in ‘A Merchant of Venice’. He was a very good rugby player and went on to play for Bristol but it was a cricket statistic that he said he was most proud of. He laced his talk with lots of stories about the teachers who took him and how their commitment and friendliness made BGS such a happy place to be educated in. He concluded his talk by paying tribute to the Housemasters, and in particular his own, who had such a big influence on the students in their care. The formal part of the evening finished with the President’s Chain of Office being passed to David Yeandle, the new President. He spoke briefly and had not realised that David Perkins, like himself, had attended the same Bristol primary school and both had been awarded scholarships from South Gloucestershire to enable them to attend BGS. He also announced that £869 plus some Canadian dollars had been collected in the draw! It was then time to relax at the bar and catch up on news from contemporaries and new friends from the Old Bristolians’ community. Phil Tottle, together with members from the OB office and committee are to be congratulated for arranging another successful dinner. Ian Rolling (Staff, 1970 – 2007)

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The Annual Dinner: a different perspective It is common knowledge that the Old Bristolians’ Dinner is an annual event, a tradition that is cherished by pupils and staff alike. This year the event took place on the Ides of March, a chilly evening that encouraged the prompt arrival of guests. The Great Hall made a fitting venue for this event: with its high ceilings and stained-glass windows, it created a lovely ambiance to the evening’s feasting and toasting. ‘Head Table’ was nowhere near as intimidating as it sounds, with the newly elected President of the Old Bristolians’ Society making the Head Girl feel at ease with his continuous banter and the other guests chiming in for the laugh. Sat between the deputy heads of school and talking tennis, exams and future plans, I felt at ease despite the formal setting. We, too, were surrounded by good company

Patricia Yaker-Ekall 35

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and I found that it was such a joy to finally converse with one of the ‘paintings,’ – that is, one of the school’s past Headmasters, something I had wanted to do from the first day I set foot in the Great Hall and tried to take in its grandeur, as well as the many faces that protected it. Roy Avery was charming from the evening’s start to finish and the list of things I will never forget about BGS was increased by his presence alone. As the evening progressed, we looked forward to the speeches – especially that of head girl Emily Buckley. Despite the formal setting, and no doubt the pressure felt by the speaker, the speech arrested the recipients with an unexpected warmth. By the end of the speech, Milly was close to tears. She would deny it, but it’s true. Another heartfelt speech came from the newly elected President of the Old Bristolians’ Society, David Yeandle, a privileged position, which was graciously handed down from the previous year’s OB, Don Furze. The speech was about the honour of being a part of such an organisation and the changes that would ensue. David promised to personally ensure that the bursary scheme is a priority during the course of his presidency. This topic was a personal one for the ex-librarian, who engaged the audience with a snippet from his earlier life and emphasized what a blessed education he was able to have, because of the bursary system that BGS proudly has in place. Poignantly, he reminded us that the school’s birth and sole purpose stemmed from the notion that its pupils, whether moneyed or not, would have all of the opportunities that a school could offer them. Other speeches ensued, some at times accompanied by calls of agreement, such as ‘Hear, Hear!’ One that attracted such a response in particular, was a charming speech by sports legend David Perkins. And thus the evening went on into the night as the food continued to appear before the guests, who were too lively to really notice the cautious discretion of the catering staff, and the wine continued to flow. It is no wonder, then, that the school song was sung with real gusto. ‘Do you think they shout ‘Quot quot,’’ asked Tristan Bacon, one of this year’s deputy heads. It is a beloved moment in the heart of the school’s delivery of the song, which amusingly (but only momentarily) dampens its serious academic appearance. They do by the way, as that, too, is a cherished tradition. Patricia Yaker-Ekall Upper Sixth Form student

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Chris Yates, Bob Buck, David Yates, Mike Burmester and Richard Smith

David Perkins, David Watts, Richard Smith and John Crichard

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Martin Evans, David Proops, Roger Chambers and David Powell

Tat Ratcliffe, Matthew Parham, Laura Ratcliffe and Jenny Ratcliffe

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Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47 Tony Stirratt, Rosemary Booker and Peter Nott


Back row: Georgie Bird, Sophie Archer, Sophie Enever and Laura Miles Front row: Rosie Crews, Chloe Hogg and Jo Lake

Headmaster Rod MacKinnon, Pauline Furze and Don Furze Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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Simon Smith, Richard Potterton, Bill Moore

Roger Chambers and Kate Redshaw

Jerry and Shirley Gyles 41

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Jennifer Ratcliffe and Jan Duncan

John Carr (staff) and Richard Rossiter

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Luncheon Club report December 2013 At this year’s excellent Christmas lunch our speaker was former BGS Headmaster and friend of the Luncheon club, Charles Martin. His talk took us on a virtual tour of the island of Skomer, which is owned by Nature Conservancy and situated off the Pembrokeshire coast in West Wales. Having been a warden on the island, he has got to know it intimately, both by day and night. His talk illustrated the flora and bird and animal life. The island is best known as the breeding ground for vast quantities of shearwaters and puffins. The former are graceful birds that fly low to the water, travel immense distances and display incredible navigational skills. Their nesting sites are buried in rabbit burrows beneath the ground. Puffins, by contrast, are small birds, cute in appearance, which spend most of their time at sea, only coming to land to nest on the grassy slopes. They have a predator in the peregrine falcon, which uses its amazing eyesight to swoop on its prey, thereby illustrating the brutal side of nature’s survival laws. They are unafraid of humans and inquisitive of man. Other birds to be seen and enjoyed are fulmars, once prized for their oil, guillemots, kittiwakes and choughs, whose image appears on the badge of Cornwall, not that far distant. There is evidence of man’s occupation of the islands in the walls and buildings of an ancient mill. It is beautiful, with the glowing rocks once used as an aid to navigation. Visits are permitted but numbers are limited partly due to the unpredictable weather! January 2014 Our guest at the first lunch of the year was David Cole from the Avon Valley Railway. David was an early helper when the railway returned to Bitton, having been a victim of the Beeching axe, and has been its Development Director for the last 12 years. He told the story of its rebirth, its coming back to life. Bitton is midway on the line that ran from St Philip’s station in Bristol to Bath Green Park, via Mangotsfield, an important junction for trains from the north. It had opened in 1869 and ran until its closure a century later. People liked railways, but they were not always an economic proposition, hence their demise. But it was not long before a group of enthusiasts took the first tentative step 43

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towards getting the line reopened, their aim being to preserve the memory of steam in the area. The task was immense, everything from the track rolling stock and station buildings having to be either bought or renovated. Voluntary labour has been used with all age groups participating. The line currently runs from Oldland in the north, three miles to Avon riverside in the south, where a link to boat trips can be made. A realistic target is to double its length to Newbridge, where it would meet up with the Bath park and ride. After 40 years of hard work a thriving base has been established at Bitton, with a new cafeteria and other facilities. Theme events such as Murder mysteries and Santa Specials bring in additional visitors to increase revenue. Hiring the location out for film and TV backdrops also helps the cause. February 2014 Our speakers this month were Andrew Edginton and Jenny Stirratt, who came to tell us about the ‘Talking Book Service’. Andrew introduced the talk giving some background details of the service, which started in 1930 to help those disabled in WW1 and is administered by the RNIB. He had become involved as a volunteer, having witnessed blindness in his own family and said that the charity acts in the interests of the blind people, helping them come to terms with their loss of sight and assisting with subsequent treatments and operations. It

Tony Stirratt with speakers Jenny Stirratt and Andrew Edginton Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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costs £6 million a year to run the service with the RNIB contributing two thirds and the remainder raised from users’ subscriptions. Jenny took over to tell of her experiences in a dark world. She has suffered from impaired vision for 10 years but fortunately has a little sight. She said what a boon talking books were to the visually handicapped, giving access to the literary world. There are some 20,000 books available on CD, all read by actors and broadcasters. Portable and powered CD players are now of a high standard, with built in stop/start facilities to aid the listener. She said that her introduction to talking books had been the first step in getting her life back on track. She refuses to let her disability inhibit her; she enjoys travelling and has done so widely. In thanking our guests John Evans congratulated Jenny on her stimulating and inspiring story. March 2014 In his talk ‘A Passage to India, and return’ our guest, Peter Budd, recounted his wartime voyage to the Far East. Conscripted into the Royal Navy in 1943, he was trained as a wireless operator for (unspecified) special Branch, and taught to recognize German, Italian and Japanese naval codes. Setting out from Glasgow on the liner Strathmore, now converted to a troopship, he soon fell prey to seasickness. However, he improved on the journey south and they passed through the Suez Canal en route to Bombay. He was appalled at the poverty on display there, and was no more impressed with the conditions on board an old destroyer that took them onto Colombo, in what was then Ceylon. He was put ashore on an island in the Indian Ocean to monitor messages from the Japanese fleet, which had a base in nearby Java. His three month posting lasted a year before the RAF arrived. He described the island as idyllic although lurking barracudas made swimming dangerous! He returned across India by train to Delhi, Bombay and Karachi, and then, with the war over, homeward via Aden and rioting, then Malta where he witnessed bomb damage. They had an enjoyable base in Algiers, then Gibraltar and home to Portsmouth. In Karachi, under naval rules, he had been advanced 18 months of money in lieu of pay. On his return to Plymouth he was summoned to the pay office, fearing the worst. However, they, assuming he had not been paid, promptly paid him again! He still fears that one day the Navy may yet catch up with him! 45

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April 2014 This month our speaker was Peter Goodchild, and on this occasion his talk was on Rio de Janeiro. He visited the city on the cruise ship, Infinity, and its arrival was timed to coincide with the annual carnival in February. The first shots we saw were from the deck of the ship as it entered the bay past the outlying islands. Next came views of the famous Copacabana beach and hotel and the colourful scenes and high rise buildings. Prominent is the beehive-shaped cathedral of San Sebastian, which can seat 5,000 people and has four enormous stained glass panels reaching up to the roof. Rio is crowned by the statue of Christ the Redeemer which sits on top of the Corcovado mountain nearly 3,000 ft high and is ascended by a funicular railway dating from 1885. The statue is 120 ft high, has an arm-width of 75ft and was completed in 1931. There is also the Sugarloaf mountain, the summit of which is reached by cable car. Needless to say the views of the city laid out below are spectacular. The carnival is a riot of colour, movement and music with elaborate costumes on display on the 100 floats and the parade takes place on two nights. It goes on well into the early hours, the weather is hot and the music deafening. Thousands take part and thousands of spectators line the route to watch what is described as the ‘greatest show on earth’. The two aspects of the city shown here depict its natural beauty and the carnival. A third, sporting, one will be seen this summer on TV, when Brazil hosts the World Cup, and again in 2016 when Rio plays host to the Olympic games.

Jack Stidard, David Miller and David Moon studying some of the tram memorabilia brought along by Peter Davey

May 2014 In May our guest was Peter Davey, who reminisced about the bygone world of trams. Peter is keen to keep this part of Bristol’s history alive and his talks help to keep the interest alive. He is also involved with the Clifton Rocks Railway, about which he spoke in December 2005. His father was a driver, who took many photographs of trams; one of which is a young Peter, stood with his sister, on a tram on the last day of operation in July 1939. ‘Collecting tramway memorabilia’ was the title of his talk, and he brought many exhibits: ticket punchers, including one from Bristol’s twin city of Hanover; frames of Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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tickets; destination boards; and signs of all sorts, some warning passengers to avoid standing near low bridges and not to touch the overhead wires! A driver’s handle operated the tram by engaging a series of notches – hence top speed, top notch. The spelling on a licence plate reminded us that trams had originated in Philadelphia. Trams were introduced into the city in 1875, firstly horse drawn, and then electrified by 1899. They ran for 40 years before they began to be replaced by buses. The final nail in their coffin came when a bomb at the beginning of the war destroyed the power station near Halfpenny Bridge. In expressing his gratitude to our old Cliftonian speaker, Mike Burmester thanked Peter for an enjoyable ramble down memory lane, saying it had been ‘just the ticket’. June 2014 An excellent turn out of fifty assembled for the last lunch of the season to hear our guest, Sir Peter Heap KCMG, give a very informative talk entitled ‘From Bristol to Brasilia, a diplomatic journey’. Sir Peter spoke firstly of his family roots in Bristol. He lived in Whitchurch and Horfield, attending Bishop Road School, as did Cary Grant, before winning a scholarship to the Cathedral School. His father worked for a tyre company and had served with the 8th army in North Africa during the war. He gained a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Merton College, Oxford before being called up for National Service. This took him to Ghana, where he served with the Royal African Rifles. Prospective career options included journalism, banking and the Civil Service: he opted for the diplomatic life in the UK, Foreign and Commonwealth Office. His assignments have included postings to Dublin, Ottawa, Colombo, Caracas and Lagos, and he was Deputy Director General of British Information Services in New York. He was also High Commissioner in Nassau and Trade Commissioner in Hong Kong. He described life in the diplomatic service highlighting the roles that are carried out, and the supplying of information as required by Government ministers. His last posting was as Ambassador to Brazil from 1992 to 1995 in the modern capital of Brasilia. He subsequently went into the private sector, and since 2000 has been Chairman of the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Britain Brazil Business Forum. He still travels to that country on a regular basis and worldwide. It was a most interesting talk, well worthy of the spontaneous applause that it engendered. Peter Tucker (1952 – 1958) 47

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Luncheon Club Diary Dates The Luncheon Club commences again in October with John Crichard at the helm. OBs and their guests are welcome to attend. Please note that guests may arrive at 12:30 but the lunch will start at 13:00. Contact John on +44 (0) 117 968 7451 to book your place(s) or to obtain more details.

2014 Friday 3 October

Dr Colin Bayne-Jardine Origins of WW1

Friday 7 November

Peter Jakobek Asst Head of BGS Events and OBs

Friday 5 December

Tim Lewis and Sheila Furneaux Wind in the Willows

2015 Friday 9 January

Pam Fisher Dance Voice

Friday 6 February

Miranda Krestovnikoff Wildlife in our Garden

Friday 6 March

Dr Andrew Dimberline and students BGS Expedition to Morocco

Friday 3 April

TBC

Friday 1 May

TBC

Friday 5 June

TBC

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OB Sports’ Club: Hockey Club report 2013/14 was an extremely successful season for the hockey section. There was much to celebrate with five promoted teams across the club and no relegations! The Mens’ section bounced back from a difficult last year. Both the First XI and the Second XI achieved promotion with a week to spare. The First XI produced a high quality run into the end of the season which saw them beat every team around them and made the Stirratt pitch a fortress where opposition feared to tread. Ultimately, they were promoted from second position, behind a strong Devizes side. The Second XI were promoted as champions! Averaging 4+ goals a game – they had a great year. The Ladies’ leagues are slightly tougher to get out of and this makes their feat of three promotions even more impressive. With just one team being promoted from each league, it took three title winning performances to achieve their three successes. The Youth section continues to grow and there are now 190 OBHC juniors on the list! Many of these now play and contribute to the success of the senior teams. The Men’s Fifth XI vs Sixth XI match was testament to this with 12 juniors on the pitch. Next year will see the reintroduction of the girls U16 team after the success of the girls U14 team this year. As I write this, there are a number of players currently on hockey tour in Barcelona, matching their skills with local sides at the Polo Club! Over 130 revellers attended this year’s annual dinner at the M-Shed, a great time was had by all and any sore heads in the morning were well deserved! The final social event of the year took place at the Stirratt Pitch on the first May Bank Holiday weekend. Teams from around the world (Germany, Dublin and also Slough) attended an inaugural tri-nations hockey festival. David McGinty OBHC Chairman

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Promoted as Champions! The Second XI team.

Festive fun in between the serious stuff - Juniors’ Christmas training.

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OB Sports’ Club: Rugby Club report Writing this, the morning after a great club dinner, gives me the opportunity to reflect on the season just gone, and a chance to look forward to next season’s campaign. As I was spared the task of delivering a speech (which would have given me the basis for this report) at the dinner this year, I have, to some extent, drawn on the words and thoughts of others. Last season – our first in Western Counties – was always going to be tough after the great success of the previous one when we won promotion. It was difficult playing in a league where we weren’t chasing any silverware after so much previous success. Our four senior teams actually achieved similar results and league rankings as the previous year, but this time around we needed to work a bit harder for it! We laboured to narrow losses, recorded some unlikely wins, and managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on more than one occasion. It was a relief to find that, as Easter approached, we were safe in all leagues. It’s the way of leagues and cup runs that noone can win every year, and it’s those seasons when all you can do is grind out a midtable standing that make the successful ones even more sweet. The summer gives us time for reflection and relaxation and to work on our fitness ahead of the start of the next season when we do it all again! Next year we have some changes: our Second and Third XVs will compete in the RFU-levelled Somerset leagues rather than the (to my mind) rather unfair and skewed Gloucester Merit Tables. The journeys down south, to Minehead and Chew Valley, will make refreshing changes from the Forest of Dean to the north and Clifton and Dings in Bristol. This change in leagues will bring us new places to play (and get lost on the way), new opposition sides, new faces, new pitches and clubhouses. There are new leagues and new cups to be won, new ground to be trodden, and this will provide excitement and refreshment. For our 1st XV the intention is that with a new invigoration lower down the club a stronger and more robust player base is created that challenges the First XV for their positions both on a Saturday and in training, and provides them the impetus to push themselves to achieve top-table placing rather than mid-table mediocrity. We’ve had our ‘consolidation season‘, now we look forward to progress and grow as individuals, as a squad, and as a club. Growth is important lest we face stagnation. We’ve gone from two senior teams as the entirety of the club to now fielding four senior teams and a Vets side. We’ve gone from the notion of a mini & junior section being suggested at committee meetings 51

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The Rugby Club looking smart before the club dinner gets into gear!

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to having over 400 registered children from U6s to U18s. This year will see the very first full crop of youngsters who have played at OBs from an early age making their debuts in senior rugby. Our mini section has had its first England cap – Ben Christie from BGS represented England Lambs U18s side with great success this year, and the senior section are immensely proud that one of their crop has achieved this from their teachings on the hallowed turf of Fortress Failand. We have to take this summer opportunity to remember what we have achieved in recent years as a club and as a group of players, and realise how far we have come and be proud of what we have done during these seasons. Perhaps this most recent one wasn’t the trophy-raising success of past years, but that is inevitable rather. We have still enormously enjoyed ourselves week-in, week-out and peals of laughter permeate through every changing room, such is the one-club ethos we have instilled in the playing group. Whilst we’ve not had the quantifiable success of promotion, this season has by no means been a failure, and next season will be even better, we can be sure of that. We’re a club with enormous potential that we are only now starting to realise. Past years have laid a very solid foundation for growth and success. There are plans afoot to re-develop the clubhouse and improve the facilities and to provide a lasting testament to those who have worked so hard for so long. We enjoy lots of ‘extracurricular events such as pub golf, Christmas carol singing, Club dinners and indoor training during the winter months. We have a new kit on its way with new corporate sponsors, such is the demand to be affiliated with the club. We’ve also got the Rugby World Cup to look forward to next year, and if that doesn’t inspire us to strive for even more success then I don’t know what will. So whether you’ve played since you were at school, or just looking to pull on the boots again for the first time in years, or simply like the idea of holding a pint glass whilst watching your old mates play the rugby, then get involved. We’re always recruiting players of all ages, from six to 60, so if you or anyone you know fancies a game then send them our way – they’ll be made immediately welcome and they can help us achieve further success and glory. We’re looking forward to next season already! Tristan Fowler (1993 – 2000) Club Captain

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Old Bristolians around the world The following contacts are keen to hear from fellow OBs in their country/continent:

USA Dr Richard Mason and Peter Williams are developing a US network and are keen to hear from other OB members in the USA. For information, please contact: Dr Richard Mason (1951 – 1957) Peter Williams (1951 – 1958) h +00 1 617 803 8425 112 Birchside Circle thepaulmason@hotmail.com Locus Grove VA 22508-5150 h +00 1 540 872 7117 m +00 1 540 237 2627 anglodane@adelphia.net

Canada

Australia

Martin Dash (1963 – 1970) is trying to develop a Canadian OB network. Please contact him at: 12146 Osprey Drive Richmond British Columbia V7E 3S6 h +00 1 604 275 4670 f +00 1 604 275 5684 martincharlesdash@hotmail.com

Peter Jones (1950) is keen to hear from OBs in Australia, regardless of distances. Please contact him at: 164 Keppel Lodge Runaway Bay Village 98 Bayview Street Runaway Bay Queensland 4216 h +00 61 7 5537 3173 prv.j@optusnet.com.au

South Africa

Chris Taylor (1952 – 1961) If any readers know of OBs living in South Africa who may not be paid-up members and do not, therefore, receive Bristolienses, it would be appreciated if they could pass on Chris’ contact details. Furthermore, if any OBs are planning a holiday in the Durban area, please do get in touch as it may be possible for us to organise another Dinner. h & f +00 27 31 539 4960 m +00 27 84 657 6188 chrismal@saol.com

Greece David Rolls (1998) David lives and works in Greece and is happy for OBs to use him as a contact there. h +00 30 6936 608 426 davidrolls@gmail.com Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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News of Old Bristolians Roger Ashley (1949 – 1956) was invited by the Provost of Worcester College, Oxford, his alma mater, to write a chapter covering 1540 – 1714 in Worcester: Portrait of an Oxford College (published February 2014). He trusts that he has followed CP Hill’s advice to make history readable! Mark Avery (1969 – 1975) is the author of A Message from Martha; The Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon and its Relevance Today, 2014 is the centenary year of the demise of the Passenger Pigeon. From being one of the most common birds in the world, the species became extinct with the death in Cincinnati Zoo of Martha, the last of her kind, in September 1914. Laura Barwick (née Goodchild (1988 – 1995) after graduating in Zoology from Nottingham University worked with the BBC Natural History Unit Picture Library and subsequently as a freelance wildlife picture editor. She has twice been on the judging panel for International Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards. She is presently an Image Consultant for BBC NHU on all series books and associated publicity, including the forthcoming Life Story series book (BBC1, Autumn 2014) as well as a 3D international movie release from BBC Earth called Enchanted Kingdom (Summer 2014). Emily Diamond (2002 – 2009) represented Great Britain in the 400m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting that was held in Oslo in June Katharine Eustace (1986 – 1993) qualified for New Zealand’s Winter Olympics team for Sochi in the skeleton bob (see Bristolienses 45) and as one of the oldest competitors in the event finishing a creditable 11th (see her article on page 21). Anna Francolini (1983 – 1988) played the part of Enid in the production of That Day We Sang at the Royal Exchange, Manchester over Christmas and the New Year 2013 – 2014. The production was described in The Times as ‘an absolute delight’. The play is inspired by the Manchester Schools’ performance of Purcell’s Nymphs and Shepherds that was recorded in 1929. Charlie Hamilton James (1986 – 1991) photojournalist and television presenter, last year bought 49 hectares of tropical 55

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rainforest on the edge of Manu National Park in south east Peru. His experiences in managing his property were recorded in the series, I Bought a Rainforest, that was shown on BBC2 this past summer. Richard Horton (1969 – 1980) editor of The Lancet, won the Edinburgh Medal, one of Scotland’s top science prizes, at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in 2007. It is awarded to an individual who has sought to improve the lives of the wider community. Going beyond what would be expected of an editor, he has campaigned for improving the health of the world’s poorest and neglected people, especially women. We apologise to Richard for not having recorded this distinction earlier! Nicholas (Nick) Hunt (1988 – 1999) is a travel writer, freelance journalist, fiction writer and storyteller. His first book, Walking the Woods and the Water was published this year. Peter Jackson (1945 – 1954) recently co-authored a book about a distinguished but largely unknown RAF officer, Eric Ackerman, a leading figure in the world of signals and electronic intelligence during WW2 and beyond. The book is Covert Radar and Signals Interception. Robert Lacey (1951 – 1962) returned to BGS in March to give a Sixth Form Lecture on Saudi Arabia. (See the article by Mike Burmester on page 25). Helen Molesworth (1988 – 1995) has been appointed the first Managing Director of the Gübelin Academy of Gemmology, newly opened in Hong Kong by an old-established Swiss firm of jewellers with a strong history of gemmological research. Jeremy Northam (1973 – 1980) played King Charles II in a Channel Four production, some scenes of which were filmed in the Great Hall. James Pearce (1978 – 1989) first worked for a Somerset construction company, but being made redundant he went travelling, training as a croupier on cruise ships around the Caribbean, South America, and to Hawaii and Alaska. Moving to Las Vegas in 2000, he set up a swimming pool maintenance company that he still runs. He got married in April. Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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Mike Roden (staff 1990 – 1995) has been appointed the first Principal of the University of Birmingham School opening in September 2014. Except for his time as Head of Geography at BGS, he has spent the rest of his career so far, 26 years, with the King Edward’s Foundation In Birmingham, most recently as Head of Camp Hill Boys. Peter Stirratt (2000 – 2004) having gained a 2.1 Hons in Politics and Russian Civilisation at Leeds University, is now working in London in the digital publishing industry. He has also founded a Cricket Team, called Bristol Exiles, with the side entirely made up of former pupils of BGS and Colstons Collegiate. Will Tavare (2001 – 2008) whose 2014 contract with Gloucestershire CCC was reported in the last issue, made a century in his first County Championship match in April, and another soon after. The Rev. Dr. Graham Tomlin (1966 – 1976) has written Looking through the Cross, chosen by the Archbishop of Canterbury as his Lent book this year. It arose from Good Friday addresses at Holy Trinity, Brompton. Since 2010 he has been the Dean of St Mellitus College, a new church training institution set up by the Bishops of London and Chelmsford, providing theological education across London and Essex. He is also Principal of St Paul’s Theological Centre, which is based at Holy Trinity, and part of the wider St Mellitus College. Phil Tottle (1962 – 1969) ran the Bristol 10K run May in 1hr 12m 35sec. Well done, the Chairman! Edward Towne (staff 1973 – 1983) married Jane Hotham in the chapel of Queens’ College, Cambridge on 18 July. We offer them our congratulations and best wishes. Alan Vaughan (1955 – 1962) was one of three local cricketers, along with others, to be honoured by the MCC for having played more than one hundred times for the club. Last November he was presented with a cap by the President of the MCC and former England captain, Mike Gatting. Alan played for Old Bristolians/Westbury CC and has served as Western League chairman and regional secretary for the MCC. 57

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Fred Wedlock (1953 – 1960) who died in 2010, has had a biography written by John Hudson, with the help of Fred’s widow Sue. It is called Fred Wedlock: Funnyman of Folk and was launched at a gathering of about a hundred in M Shed last November. It is published by Bristol Books at £12 and outlines Fred’s rise to fame through the folk clubs of Bristol and his career as a local television presenter. A line-up of musicians including Fred’s daughter, Hannah, paid tribute, playing a mixture of songs that he wrote or sang. The Rev. Dr. Samuel Wells (1976 – 1983) Vicar of St. Martin in the Fields, has published another book, Learning to Dream Again: Rediscovering the Heart of God. Reviewing it in The Church Times, Angela Tilby wrote that he ‘has gained a reputation as one of the most original and profound of contemporary Anglican writers…We are lucky to have him and this splendid book.’ He hosted BBC1’s Songs of Praise from St. Martin’s last February, and was the preacher at this year’s Charter Day service on 17 March.

This must be an OB record! – three OBs are working at the same hospital in Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand (information gathered by Ian Rolling): Anna Foster (née Rolling) (1987 – 1994) Is an Occupational Therapist working on the vascular, thoracic and cardiac surgery ward primarily with post cardiac surgery patients or with those with a new amputation. Katherine Kabala (1993 – 2000) Is an Emergency Medicine Doctor in the hospital. After studying Medicine in Bristol she has had an adventurous time and a lot of swimming, kite surfing, hiking and skiing. She has worked on five more climbs of Kilimanjaro and treks along the Great Wall of China, through the Sahara desert in Morocco, in the Indian Himalayas, to Everest Base Camp and Machu Picchu. She has also cycled across Costa Rica, Cuba and Vietnam! Tom Burrows (1992 – 1999) Is an anaesthetist in the hospital. He studied Medicine in Southampton, and having done a placement in Australia intended to find work there. However, getting his first job offer in New Zealand, he took it and has settled there, marrying a local girl, and is completing his training in Anaesthetics. He loves the country and clearly intends to stay there! Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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Marriages

Carly Durbin married Tom Gully (both 1998 – 2005)

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Hannah Perrin (1997 – 2004) married Jenny Haynes

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Lotte Waite married Tom Green (both 1999 – 2006)

Liz Ransome (1997 – 2004) married Sam Murphy 61

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Georgina Parr (1993 – 2000) married Graeme Elliott

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Obituaries It is with sadness that we record the deaths of the following Old Bristolians of which we have been notified, and we extend our condolences to their families and friends. It is now our usual practice, due to constraints of space, only to include obituaries of those who were members of the Society. Peter Ashman James

(1933 – 2939)

John Henry Robert Hurley

(1938 – 1945)

Edward John Salisbury Nichols

(1965 – 1975)

Peter Salter

(1946 – 1955)

(1930 – 1938)

Lawrence Francis Timothy Smith

(1950 – 1957)

Aubrey William Cottle Simons

Major-General Sir Ian Oliver John Sprackling, OBE (1948 – 1955) Bryan Stuart James Thompson

(1950 – 1956)

Hugh Gordon Thomson

(1930 – 1936)

Nicholas Richard Yelland

(Lower School staff 1973 – 1991)

Peter Asham James Peter Ashman James was born on 19 September 1921 at Nailsea and attended Bristol Grammar School from 1933 – 1939. He was awarded a Fenwick Richards Scholarship in 1936. He died peacefully at the age of 92 years in June 2013. Peter was a student at Bristol Medical School during the Second World War and went out with the First Aid Ambulance Unit during the blitz, taking his turn fire watching at the BristoI Royal Infirmary. After qualifying he was posted overseas to Bombay to join the Indian Army was appointed commander of an Indian Company in the 7th Indian Parachute Field Ambulance. He also gained his parachute wings. After the Japanese surrender in 1945 Peter was parachuted into Thailand (then Siam) to reconnoitre and was attached to an R.A.M.C. Malaria Forward Treatment Unit of the 14th Army at Kanchanaburi, near the Bridge over the River Kwai. In 1946 he returned to 7th Parachute Field Ambulance, stationed in Karachi, and took his pilot’s licence. Later back in Bristol he also qualified as a glider pilot as flying was too expensive. Back in England after demob he married Jean Tredegar, whom he had met at Bristol Medical School, at Shipham Parish Church in June 1947. 63

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Following post graduate training Peter was appointed the first consultant thoracic surgeon in the colonial service in Uganda in 1959. He was awarded the MBE in 1966 for Services to Thoracic Surgery in East Africa. After leaving Uganda, he retrained as radiologist, obtaining his second FRCS in 1971. He worked in Manchester as a consultant radiologist before taking his last post in Saudi Arabia as Head of the X ray Department in the newly built King Khalid National Guard Hospital in Jeddah. Following his retirement Peter moved to Dorset, near Ringwood, where he taught English and Maths to two dyslexic students. He and Jean played duplicate bridge and also competitive bowls. He joined Jean at her life art classes and on many holiday courses. He was devoted to her and they were happily married for 66 years. Although not having their own family he took great interest in their extended family, including two great-great nephews, seven godchildren, the Ugandan family he and Jean sponsored when the parents were killed in a car accident, and their many friends. Tess James – Peter’s cousin John Henry Robert Hurley (1939 – 1944) John Hurley died peacefully on 5 December 2013. Born in 1927, he attended BGS during World War Two, travelling to school by train and seeing much of the devastation from bombing. He valued greatly the education he received and the privilege he felt he had through attending the School stayed with him throughout his life; a lifelong member of the Society, his last visit to the School was for the 2012 Remembrance Service. He joined the Bristol Aircraft Corporation, as it then was called, as an apprentice and worked on a series of prestigious projects including the T188 and Concorde. He became part of the senior management and spent some time at Cranfield Institute of Technology. He was an active member of the Robert Thorne Masonic Lodge from 1968 until his death, becoming Worshipful Master in 1980. He gave the Centenary Oration to the Lodge in 2013, recalling his time at the School and the impact of the blitz, stressing the kindness of people and the common bond of fellowship at that time. He married June in 1953 and they enjoyed 56 years together. After early retirement from BAC, he joined her in the family business in Keynsham. He is survived by his two daughters, his son and six grandchildren. His great stature was matched only by his huge presence. He will be remembered for his generosity of spirit, his ability to see the best in everyone and his delight in life and laughter. Charlotte Fitch – John’s daughter Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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Edward John Salisbury Nichols (1965 – 1975) Edward Nichols died on 23 February in the Bristol Royal Infirmary. He joined the Lower School at the age of seven, continued through to the Upper School and left the sixth form in June 1976. He made many lifelong friends at BGS and it was good to see many of them at his funeral service on 17 March. He left school to attend Strathclyde University in Glasgow where he studied for a degree in Hotel and Catering Management. After graduation, he worked in restaurant and catering management in and around the London area. He met his wife, Gill, when working in school catering near London and they settled in Hampton. He worked in a number of catering management positions in and around the London area for many years. He moved back to Bristol in 2008 and worked for Sainsbury’s, and latterly voluntarily for the Salvation Army. Ed was a keen supporter of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and Bristol City Football Club and always dreamed of travelling to watch England in an overseas test series. Sadly this never came to pass. He was the son of the late Maurice Nichols, himself a BGS old boy and past president of the Old Bristolians. He is survived by his daughter Ria (Victoria), mother Pauline and brothers Matthew, John, Peter and Philip. Peter Salter (1944 – 1955) Peter was a pillar of school life, in the CCF, then in Sixth Modern under Frank Beecroft, propping Colin Norris with James Fells in the front row, and leading the prefects alongside Colin again. After national service in Germany, he read languages at Worcester College, Oxford, and soon took up teaching posts in Dover and Broadstairs, where he was successful and fulfilled, as shown by his ex-pupil, colleague and friend Richard Gretton at his funeral. His marriage to Pam brought great happiness, to them, three sons and a daughter, and to all who knew him. Sadly, Pam’s death came cruelly early. However, Christine, in their second marriage, brought her family and Peter’s close together, and she showed great strength after his crippling illness, when his reading and writing, and eventually his eloquent speech, were much weakened. At his funeral in Brentwood, near their home in Billericay, the opening music, the theme from ‘The Virginian’ and the leaving music, the Caribbean Victory Calypso from Ramadhin’s and Valentine’s glory-days in the 1950’s, illustrated the range of his life’s pleasures, if not the earthiness and loyalty of a well-educated mind and friend. Alan (‘Alg’) Keenan (1947 – 1955) 65

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Aubrey William Cottle Simons (1930 – 1938) Aubrey Simons died on 14 May at the age of 93. At BGS he was an outstanding cricketer and went on to gain a second team cap as a batsman with Gloucestershire. He was also a fine golfer and snooker player, but his greatest achievements were in table tennis, where with Johnny Leach and Richard Bergman he was a member of the last England team to win the world championship in 1953. He was still playing in the local leagues until three years ago and was President of the Bristol Table Tennis Association for many years. He also played golf at Henbury at the same age! He served in signals with the RAF in Burma during the Second World War and afterwards became a director and sales chief for Ta Ten Products in Bedminster, making table tennis bats, boomerangs and football supporters’ rattles. A long-time friend describes him as ‘one of the most modest people I have met despite his achievements’. Divorced and without children, he was cared for in his last years in a residential home in Clifton, Lawrence Francis Timothy Smith (1950 – 1957) Lawrence Smith died on 15 October 2013. After Bristol Grammar School, he won a scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge where he read History. On graduation he joined the Bank of England, where he remained for most of his working life, known to colleagues as ‘Tim’. After marrying in 1965, he and his wife moved four years later to Washington, where Lawrence spent three years as Personal Assistant to the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, developing his taste for international travel as he accompanied his boss around the globe. He returned to London in 1972, and in 1976 was posted to Tokyo as Financial Attaché at the British Embassy. Returning to London in 1979, Lawrence spent the rest of his time at the Bank working on international banking issues. After Eastern Europe he was made Senior Advisor on the Middle East. He had a passion for the region and was always very comfortable with and well read in Arab history and culture. Lawrence was the consummate international financial diplomat, greatly respected by all who worked with him: a calm, humorous and totally discreet Englishman in the great long-standing Bank of England style. After his retirement Lawrence was in 1997 made resident IMF Advisor to the Palestine Monetary Authority. After returning to England in early 1999 he became a founder member of the South East London Palestine Solidarity Campaign, a cause about which Bristolienses, August 2014, Issue 47

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he was passionate. His final work abroad was a consultancy funded by the EU in Egypt and in 2002 he was awarded the OBE. Back home he gradually became involved in the local community, playing a highly valued active role in environmental issues and in reinvigorating the local history group that had been set up through Goldsmiths College. Family was always central in Lawrence’s life, and was a source of great pleasure and pride. He is survived by his wife Judith, his three children, six grandchildren and a great-grandson. Major-General Sir Ian Oliver John Sprackling, OBE (1948 – 1955)

Ian Sprackling died on 28 March of a brain tumour. He was born in 1936 in Topsham, Devon, and attended Bristol Grammar School before enlisting as a private soldier in June 1955. His two years at Sandhurst were followed by a signals course at Catterick which bored him, but after a spell in the 3rd Division Signals Regiment he studied at RMCS Shrivenham. However, he failed his degree, but with a wife and family to support he decided to make the best of army life and eventually after service in Malaya, Singapore and Thailand he returned to Catterick as a signals instructor, finally gained his degree and qualified for the Staff College at Camberley in 1970. 67

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He became an expert in electronic warfare, which was of increasing importance, and served in Northern Ireland and Germany. Now a Lt-Col he volunteered to serve with the Sultan of Oman’s forces, in order to provide better for his family, and his success in this role gained him the Sultan’s DCM and an OBE in 1977. His Middle East experience proved invaluable and he was appointed to the Cabinet Office to advise on defence matters. He next became the MoD Director of Military Assistance Overseas covering all three Armed Services, taking him to Africa and the Caribbean where equipment and training advice were constantly in demand. His final military post in the rank of MajorGeneral was as Director-General of the Management and Support of Intelligence. On leaving the Army in 1988 he became an adviser to Andersen Consulting UK in London for three years and then ran its Moscow office for another four. He was Chairman and then President of the Topsham Branch of the Royal British Legion and of the Exmouth Branch of the Royal Signals Association from 2005 until his death. Gung-ho and not afraid to bend army rules – he once cut the lock on the gates of an empty barracks in the attractive Saxony town of Celle in order to find accommodation for his men - there was nothing conventional about Ian Sprackling. He was forcefully curious, instantly suspicious of received wisdom and bursting with ideas of his own. Originally he meant to use the Army to get a degree and then leave, but his career developed somewhat differently! He is survived by his wife, Ann, whom he married in 1959, two sons; Simon, a film director and producer; and Rob, a screenwriter; and four grandchildren.

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Honorary Members of the Society J R Avery Staff 1951 – 1959 Headmaster 1975 – 1986 N A Baldwin 1970 – 1980 Mrs M Barrington R Berry OB Sports’ Club Mrs R A Booker Mrs A V Bradley Archivist 1994 – M N J Burmester 1953 – 1964 J A F Burns Staff 1972 – 2005 R J Chambers 1957 – 1964 R A R Cockitt Staff 1963 – 1997 N Cousins 1964 – 1972 R A D Cox Staff 1973 – 2013 J J Crichard 1944 – 1951 R J Dawes 1947 – 1956 Mrs J H Duncan OB Society J C Edwards 1941 – 1950 J A E Evans 1941 – 1952 D Furze 1955 – 1962 K T Gerrish 1946 – 1957 R Gillam OB Sports’ Club D K Golledge 1959 – 1967 J E K Goodbody Bursar 1979 – 1993 T W Graveney 1938 – 1944 Andre Heintz 1934 – 1935 pupil 1955 exchange teacher J C Higson 1938 – 1944 G A Hodges 1953 – 1960 L R Jacobs 1930 – 1938 C T Jenkins 1949 – 1955 P Key OB Sports’ Club R F Kingscott 1948 – 1953 R D W Lacey 1951 – 1962 69

Bristolienses, January 2010, Issue 38

C C Luker 1962 – 1969 M P MacInnes 1941 – 1947 R I MacKinnon Headmaster 2008 – C E Martin Headmaster 1986 – 1999 D J Mascord Headmaster 1999 – 2008 D Nott Staff 1968 – 2005 D J Parfitt 1943 – 1949 J R Parrott 1975 – 1982 K D J Prowting 1950 – 1958 Dr A Primrose Headmistress Junior School 2001 – 2011 G E Ratcliffe 1943 – 1955 P J Revill Staff 1969 – 1998 K G Robbins 1949 – 1958 I H Rolling Staff 1970 – 2007 M Sisman 1953 – 1959 R W L Smith 1957 – 1965 N Stibbs 1964 – 1972 K J Stidard 1935 – 1940 A F Stirratt 1942 – 1952 P F Stirratt 1935 – 1942 P M Tottle 1960 – 1968 P J Tucker 1952 – 1958 E A Warren Staff 1954 – 1988 D L J Watts 1945 – 1955 G J Willmott 1974 – 1984 D J Yeandle OBE 1964 – 1971 G Davies OB Society Auditor P Jakobek Staff 1982 –


Society Past Presidents 1900 Herbert Ashman Bart 1901 Charles McArthur 1902 C E L Gardner 1903 Bourchier F Hawksley 1904 The Rev T W Openshaw MA 1905 Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith GCB, MA, BSc 1906 Professor H Lloyd Tanner DSc, FRS 1907 The Rev V P Wyatt MA 1908 Sir Hartman W Just CB, KCMG 1909 Philip W Worsley JP 1910 W Nicol Reid 1911 The Rev A W Oxford MA, MD 1912 T B Silcock BSc 1913 The Rev Canon F E Brightman MA D Phil, DD, FBA 1914 The Rev A B Beaven MA 1919 Sir Holman Gregory KC 1920 Sir Cyril Norwood MA, D Litt 1921 George Langford 1922 Col T H Openshaw CB, CMG, MS, MB, FRCS, LRCP 1923 The Rev Canon G A Weekes MA 1924 The Rev Canon Peter Barker MA 1925 D S Davies MD, LLD, DPH 1926 Col T M Carter OBE 1927 R C Hobbs 1928 Oscar Berry 1929 Sir Duncan Grey LLD 1930 Cyril Rootham MA, MusD 1931 Wilfrid E F Peake 1932 Sir Cyril Norwood MA, D Litt 1933 J Sumner Dury JP 1934 T Reaveley Glover MA, LLD, DD, Litt D 1935 Rear-Admiral V H T Weekes CB, CMG 1936 Charles W Stear 1937 E W B Gill OBE, MA, BSc 1938 Brigadier A L W Newth CBE, DSO, MC, TD, DL, JP, Legion of Merit (America) 1939 – 1945 Col G S Castle MC, TD, DL 1946 Brigadier M Angell James VC, DSO, MBE, MC, DL 1947 The Right Rev Henry McGowan MA, Bishop of Wakefield 1948 The Right Hon Lord Gridley KBE, MIEE, MP 1949 J E Barton MA, Hon RIBA 1950 The Rev Canon J M D Stancomb MBE, MA 1951 Sir W Marston Logan KBE, CMG 1952 Professor T F Hewer MD, FRCP, FLS 1953 Leslie Morris MA, BSc 1954 Sir Oliver Franks PC, GCMG, KCB, CBE, MA 1955 R C W Cottle 1956 Sir W Ivor Jennings KBE, LittD, LLD, QC 1957 H P Lucas BSc 1958 The Right Rev Bishop D B Hall BA 1959 C R Setter JP, FIOB 1960 Sir Douglas Veale CBE, MA 1961 Dr John Garrett MA, DLitt 1962 C H Clements 1963 E H Totterdill FCll FIArb

1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

K W Jones ACIS The Very Reverend D E W Harrison MA Alderman L K Stevenson H C H Punchard Col J B Cossins MBE J Angell James CBE, MD, FRCP, FRCS Philip E Maggs Edward V Colman Vivian H Ridler CBE, MA, FSIA Sir Paul Osmond CB, MA, CIMgt M E Dunscombe TD FBOA, FSMC Air Vice Marshal W J Maggs CB,OBE, MA R A Dolton D J Mann CBE, MA Dr J Mackay MA, DPhil Professor B H Harvey, CBE, MA, MSc J C Higson M L Booker MA The Very Rev S H Evans CBE, MA J B Ackland OBE, FRIBA G F Jarrett TD, MA D W Williams OBE, TD, DL E H Dehn BA J R Cottle MA P F Stirratt BSc (Econ) Major General I O J Sprackling OBE, BSc K J Stidard AE, DMS, MIMgt T L Beagley CB, MA, FCIT, FIRTE(Hon) M B Nichols FCA J R Avery MA, FRSA A F Stirratt MA Professor Keith Robbins MA, DPhil, DLitt, FRSE E A Warren MA K G H Binning CMG, MA K D J Prowting FCA His Honour Judge P N R Clark MA R Lacey MA M Sisman LLB C E Martin MA J A E Evans MA R F Kingscott Dip Arch (RWA) ARIBA R A R Cockitt BSc Professor Sir Nicholas (Nick) Wright MA, MD, PhD, DSc. FRCS, FRCP D L J Watts JP, MA, FRICS D Pople MA P J Revill MA KT Gerrish BA N A Baldwin G E Ratcliffe BDS, DDPHRCS D Furze MBCS, CITP

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Old Bristolians’ Centre Bristol Grammar School Bristol BS8 1SR +44 (0) 117 923 7037

obs@bgs.bristol.sch.uk www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk

During School terms, the office is normally staffed on Monday and Friday mornings. Messages may be left on the answerphone, faxed or e-mailed. Former pupils, who are willing for their e-mail addresses to be made public, are invited to record them on the School’s website.

Sumus Bristolienses

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