KAN 2024

OLD KINGSWOODIAN ASSOCIATION NEWS

Headmaster’s Welcome

Dear Old Kingswoodians, I suspect that many of you, reflecting on your own time at school, will recognise the two truths that I have observed about a Kingswood education: the first is that our pupils learn as much outside the classroom as they do inside it; the second is that they learn as much from their peers as they do from their teachers.

In this year’s Kingswood Association News, you will read several accounts from former pupils about the teachers who both inspired in them a love of learning and encouraged them to collaborate with classmates in many and various pursuits that developed character.

It remains true today that we are blessed with skilled and effective teachers who guide pupils to high levels of academic achievement – but that is only half the story. The other half of what we do relates to life skills development as we encourage our young people, individually and collectively, to find and make the most of their many talents. Finding and pursuing passions alongside friends and companions is always life changing and leads to school leavers who possess both excellent qualifications and the personal qualities required to lead fulfilling and meaningful lives that make a difference.

Once again, last year’s leavers, the class of 2023, did us proud and we were delighted with a very strong set of A Level results with 84% of all exams graded A*, A or B. With exam grade boundaries being brought back to pre-covid levels, it would have been logical to expect the summer 2023 results to be roughly in line with those of 2019. They were in fact a full 10 percentage points above the historic picture which is testament to the rigorous approach taken by our academic departments. Just as encouraging is the fact that 95% of leavers destined for university secured a place at an institution of their choice. At the same time, participation and performance in

excellent, underscoring the importance of a well-rounded education. There are few things that better teach young people invaluable lessons about teamwork, accountability, resilience, problem-solving, and the rewards of hard work.

We are closing in on our ambitious target of raising £2.75 million through the ‘275’ fundraising campaign. This initiative, aimed at supporting bursary candidates, refurbishing the Dixon Building, and enhancing our facilities, has garnered good support from our community for which I am very grateful. The refurbished Dixon Building promises to be a contemporary and inspiring space for our sixth form students, fostering a pre-university environment conducive to learning and growth. When it comes to bursaries, funds raised to date have already enabled us to support eight students on transformational awards, and we are delighted to offer three more such places next year, thanks in the main to generous contributions from alumni. The concert offered by OK’s Otty and Okiem Warmann and the SoundHouse Band both ‘raised the roof’ and raised the funds to support the programme.

In the final stretch of this campaign, we are launching a community appeal that invites parents and alumni to leave a lasting legacy by purchasing a paving stone. These will form a 275 Donor Pathway at the front of the school, symbolising the strong foundation upon which Kingswood is built. I hope you will consider adding your own name to the path, and do contact Michele on mgreene@kingswood.sch.uk

“...we continue to celebrate difference and emphasise the importance of serving others...”

You will be pleased to hear that Kingswood School continues to prosper in our local market, as well as appealing to a broad domestic and international boarding audience. Understandably given the complexities of the time we live in, families are attracted by our strong focus on pastoral care. A Kingswood education stands as an antidote to the polarised world we live in. Here, in the spirit of our founder, we continue to celebrate difference

and emphasise the importance of serving others, nurturing well-rounded individuals ready to make a positive impact on society.

I would like to extend my thanks to Graham Papenfus for his work with the Development and Alumni Office; we offer him our best wishes as he begins his new role at Wellingborough School. I am also indebted to Michele Greene, our Alumni and Community Manager, for her incredible efforts in delivering our many alumni events and communications. As we look to the future, we have plans to further strengthen our alumni engagement and development team. This effort is crucial as we continue to build and maintain the bonds that exist within this special community.

Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to Kingswood School. Together, we continue to build a legacy of excellence and generosity that will benefit generations to come.

Andrew Gordon-Brown Headmaster and Principal of the Kingswood Foundation

Governor Representative of the Association

GUY HINCHLEY (KS 1971-78) ON RECONNECTING

I left Kingswood more than 45 years ago, a couple of months before my 18th birthday. I was at the School in the 1970's, half a lifetime ago. Recently, I have reconnected and am now one of many volunteer governors.

Over the years I attended a few alumni events, but mostly I had lost contact until one of our leaver group (Thank you, Ian Falconer!) organised a 40 year reunion centred around the annual Association weekend in June.

Over the years I had often thought of my seven very formative years at KS, and I was lucky that most of my memories were good. About thirty of our leavers' group gathered for the reunion, and I could remember most of them. We had a good weekend and it was fun to reminisce.

Thanks to Ian, I decided to apply to become a governor, after I retired from a law firm career in 2019.

Reconnection has been a good experience. Whilst I was happy to retire, I am enjoying learning about the School, and serving on a board again. The Senior Management Team at Kingswood is excellent, and would be an asset to any outside business. It is great to work with them. I have enjoyed learning about the School and attending plays and musicals, and the moving annual remembrance service.

It's fun (mostly!) to be reminded of one's own Kingswood, and there are plenty of echoes of the past in the modern school.

Much has changed. Some familiar buildings have been re-purposed, and there are some good new facilities. The Prep School in the grounds of Summerhill is a delight.

My Kingswood was a (mostly boys) boarding school of about 450, where I was one of very few day boys. The Senior School is now 900 strong, but 80% of pupils are day. That said, the boarding offering is very good. The new Hall House is a terrific example of what a modern boarding house should be. The old 70 boy dorms with

cold water taps and no privacy are long gone. The new Hall House is worth a visit if you get the opportunity.

Kingswood is now one of the largest Independent Schools in the UK, but, because of its extraordinary estate still has a feeling of spaciousness, with plenty of outdoor green areas.

“It is a place I still recognise, as I am sure Old Kingswoodians of any generation will...”

I remember some very good teachers. In particular Mr (Chris) Stein (History) and Miss (Marjorie) Cross (Maths) stand out. It was wonderful for me to meet Miss Cross again recently at an event at the School. I was lucky to have been taught by them and they helped me achieve my goal of reading law at UCL, but KS in the 70's was not a very strong academic school. I remember some of my

friends not getting the grades they needed. This is something that has changed for the better in the modern school. Exam results are strong.

Happily that is balanced by a strong offering in Sport, Drama and Music, together with about 200 other clubs and societies!

I remember clubs and societies being strong in my day. It's great to see that ethos preserved and enhanced.

When I met Andrew GordonBrown for the first time when applying to become a Governor, I reflected on what I had taken from Kingswood.

Yes, it helped me achieve my academic goals, but there were some other really important things. Even though I was a small, weak child, and very bad at Sport, we were all required to participate. I loathed the whole School Cross Country run at the beginning of each year, and could only dream of the physical strength and skills of my contemporaries. Happily I grew about a foot between the ages of 14 and 18, and so took up running and rowing at University.

I am still running today, not particularly fast, but it became a habit for life.

Another thing that stands out is the diversity of my friends from school. I had come from a largely monocultural Junior School and my parents were uncomfortable with anyone who was not "like them". I had friends from around the world at KS. I did not realise just how well that would prepare me for life in modern Britain.

So, Kingswood then and now. I see a good moral compass in both eras.

I see good people working hard for the children entrusted to them.

The School is undoubtedly bigger and better now, but it is a place I still recognise, as I am sure Old Kingswoodians of any generation will.

Try to visit if you have not called in for a while, or attend one of our alumni events held around the UK and further afield.

Meet the Team

2023-24

The Association Team would like to thank all the guests who joined us at one of our 2023/2024 events. Going forward, we have already booked in everyone’s favourite events for this year. We hope you can join us.

Zoë Parsons School Archivist

Michele Greene

Alumni & Community Manager | Editor of KAN Magazine

Michele has been working with the Association since 2012, and as a former parent has very strong connections with the community. Michele works to build and maintain the database of Old Kingswoodians who want to keep in contact with Kingswood School, as well as organising events and reunions for Old Kingswoodians.

Since 2008, Zoë has been the Kingswood School Archivist. The Archives at Kingswood collects and preserves records relating to the School and makes them available for research. As well as the official records of Kingswood School, and some from Trinity Hall, Woodhouse Grove, Prior’s Court and the Kingswood Association, all aspects of School life are represented.

Rachel Bedding

Kirsty Allen Chair of the Association

As Chair, Kirsty leads the Association’s Executive Committee, a volunteer group that meets regularly to discuss how to continue to develop and foster relationships between Old Kingswoodians and the School.

Association Assistant 2023-2024 | Guest Editor of KAN 2023/24

Rachel has been a student at Kingswood from 2014, and after graduating in 2023 joined the Association department to support Michele and Zoë. She helps to connect recent leavers with the various events that the Association runs.

Please visit our Community Website for more details: https://community.kingswood.bath.sch.uk

Kingswood Afternoon Teas

A highlight of the last year for me has been the six Afternoon Teas hosted by different groups of students at Kingswood Pavilion.

The inspiration to launch this initiative was twofold. In my previous work I ran a Dementia Café where School children regularly came in to visit. It was amazing to see how both our older guests and the young people engaged and brought joy to the other. Knowing that social isolation is a big issue today, there also seemed an opportunity for Kingswood students to reach out and serve their local community.

On average, 30-40 guests come on a Tuesday afternoon, once every half term, for sandwiches, cake and conversation. Guests include members of the Lansdown Neighbourhood Association, Walcot Methodist Church, people living close to the School, and past Teachers and Governors. The young people make cakes and take responsibility to welcome and host a table. The tea making

has been a new experience for some, leading to some interesting cups of tea! Each student group and their tutor have hosted in their own way; the Rugby team gave a talk, some have brought games, others have sung and played musical instruments. Whatever the entertainment, the main focus has been engaging in conversation.

Some of the students have been apprehensive to begin with, being a step out of their comfort zone but our guests have quickly put them at their ease. Many have gone away buzzing with excitement! Our guests frequently comment on how impressed they are by the students. Past Governor Elizabeth Redman wrote,

Thank you for yesterday's delicious tea. All the boys who joined the table were a credit to the School. They were

charming, quietly confident without a shred of pomposity and totally at ease making conversation. Their cakes were also fit for any table. One small point - the tea was rather strong and I did see a boy diligently stirring three teabags in a cup!

I think these occasions are a valuable add-on to their education.

Our guests keep returning and are getting to know one another, which is an added bonus. Next month, our Beaconsfield younger boarders are going to host.

Rev. Katy Thomas kthomas@kingswood.bath.sch.uk

If you would like to join us for tea some time, please get in touch.

Gap Year Assistant

RACHEL BEDDING (KS 2014-23)

I knew since the start of Year Twelve that I wanted to take a gap year, as starting uni straight after two years of intense work was not something that spoke to me. The only qualm I had was what would I do in my year off – then the Association sent out their Gap Year opportunity.

Iapplied without really considering what this could mean for me, but it hit me in the first week of the placement, when the Deputy Head – Mr Davies – told me to call him John!

My placement at Kingswood has flown by, and I’ve really enjoyed every moment of it. I believe that its helped me grow in confidence and experience, allowing me to gain new skills whilst in an environment I’m familiar with.

Michele likes to say the assistant position here at Kingswood is “tailored” to whoever takes it, and I

have to agree. I don’t think I’ve spent a day working at Kingswood feeling bored, and the freedom to decide what I want to do in this job has been refreshing after the scheduled decisions of school life. I’ve been to see plays and aquariums on various school trips, commandeered the Old Kingswoodians Instagram page, led sports sessions with the senior school and KPS, and this is only a snippet of how I’ve spent my time here. This job has been great at teaching me the many different options you can choose when moving from full-time education to working, and it’s been really

“Kingswood has been such a big part of my life for the last ten years, that the transition into this job felt like a natural step...”

helpful in shaping what I want from the

future.

It doesn’t hurt to have really great people to work with. Michele and Zoë have really made me feel part of the team at the Association, taught me so many things and been generally wonderful company.

I’ve also had the benefit of living on site, which is really useful. Bath is a gorgeous, convenient city, which has made any travel for the Association or my own benefit really easy, and I’m near lots of my close friends from school. I’ve also been

allowed free rein of the School’s facilities, and by the end of the first month here, I’d used the KS pool more times than I had in total as a student. Living on site has helped me get to know the people here better, and see a different side to my teachers, whilst being properly on my own has allowed me to make full use of the skills I’ve learnt through boarding, and so I’m leaving feeling confident for what’s coming next.

By the time this magazine has been published, I will be in America. In November last year, I started the process of applying to a summer camp in America to fill the months between the placement at Kingswood and starting university. Now, having received both my position as a Water-sports counsellor at a camp in Vermont and my US visa, I’m all set to go. The experience I got from working at Kingswood has definitely assisted with my successful application, and since I was placed I’ve been able to get more practice working with the sports department coaching swimming activities to help prepare.

Kingswood has been such a big part of my life for the last ten years, that the transition into this job felt like a natural step, and a way to give back to the staff and institution here that has supported me all this way. Of course I’m going to miss the school, and now I am equally prepared to move on and make use of the education and life that was provided to me here. I want to extend my thanks to everyone at Kingswood who has made my time here so enjoyable!

Harri Master Leaver of 2023

SKI PLACEMENT

Ifirst discovered EA online, where they were offering the chance to spend a season working out in a ski resort and come back with a ski instructor qualification.

After applying for the course I had to go through some rounds of interviews in which I was asked about my experience in coaching as well as what experience I had with skiing in the past. When I passed, EA helped me with the long process of applying for the right documentation that would allow for me to work in Canada, as well as helping to arrange accommodation with other members who were on the same course. As part of the EA program, all members

were helped with either getting their Level 1 ski or snowboard qualification as well as ensuring a season of work on the mountain.

I chose to have a placement abroad for my gap year as I knew it would give me the chance to live away from home and gain some more real-life experience before joining university, whilst getting to experience another country and culture, and on top of that being able to make money doing something that I love. For the most part, I spend my time teaching people of all ages and abilities how to ski; my youngest students are a little over four years old and my oldest could be well into their fifties. In addition to this, we are expected to act as helpers on the mountain, answer questions that people may have, as well as sharing our knowledge of the mountain and area, so we

have to pretty knowledgeable about all things skiing.

My favourite thing about this placement (apart from being able to ski everyday) has been the freedom and independence that has come from living away from home. I’ve been lucky to be staying with a great group of people which has made the trip really enjoyable. However this year, Canada has had considerably less snow than it usually does, which means that the mountain has had to be closed for some of the ski season. Therefore, a challenge I’ve faced is accommodating the lessened work-load into my budget.

After the season ends, I plan on leaving Vancouver and exploring more of Canada before I head back to the UK. From there, I then have plans to travel around Europe and India before going to university.

Jack Byrne Leaver of 2023

INTO INDUSTRY

After the end of the Sixth Form summer, I was a bit stuck on what to do during my ‘gap year’. I needed to wait a year to ensure I wasn’t paying international fees for university, so I began to apply to various engineering internships whilst having a job as a bartender at an upmarket bar in Bath. A lot of this time was spent emailing the companies directly, and finally I was able to get an offer through a contact at Kingswood. The internship started in January which allowed me to go travelling for a month and a half, visiting Brussels and then Australia.

To get a placement at a company like AtkinsRéalis was very lucky, and I’ve found that the reputation of the company has reflected on my experiences here.

The first month consisted of a lot of in-office hours. However, as I’ve gained more

experience, I’ve been assigned productive work, so I only need to come into the office around three days a week, which saves me a one-and-a-half-hour drive each way. The experience of balancing working from home and going to the office has been valuable for me, as it is a rapidly developing choice for most office workers.

What I do varies day-to-day, ranging from administrative tasks to client-sided work. The work I do is mainly focused on fatigue analysis and similar topics, but due to the nature of working with the military, I can’t go into specifics. I will be pursuing a degree in engineering and statistical modelling at the University of Bristol this year, and so the work I am doing now is a great head start to both my degree, and any professional career thereafter.

A plus of this internship is that it offers a great worklife balance. I work similar hours to what I did at school, which means on the days I work at home I can dedicate almost 3 to 4 hours a day to various hobbies like music

production, and sports like football and golf. This offers a great standard to carry over into university and helps me delegate my time more effectively.

“This is a great head start to my degree...”

Although the internship lasted a full three months, it feels like it has gone by in an instant. At the moment, I am planning my next four months before uni. I am preparing for a placement at a summer camp in Canada teaching guitar, wakeboarding, and lifesaving. In the remainder of my summer I want to spend more time abroad, so I am planning on heading to Canada early to try and catch the ski season, and doing some solo travel. I am currently leaving the last month open as I predict it will be easy to fill with summer plans from friends and preparing for university etc.

Ollie Williams

Leaver of 2023

TRAILBLAZER

My friend and I did a one month rail trip around Japan which started in Tokyo, took us all the way up to Sapporo and then all the way down to Hiroshima. I chose Japan as I was inspired by what I'd heard about their polite, efficient culture.

There were so many experiences I treasured during

this trip. We skied the amazing powder at Niseko, reflected at the Hiroshima Peace museum and experienced the hundreds of beautiful temples in Kyoto. However, my favourite places were undoubtedly Osaka and Tokyo, which were two of the busiest and most technological cities I have ever seen.

Travelling to Japan with my friend taught me the importance of being ok with failing at something new (the trains) and not taking yourselves too seriously.

“My favourite places were undoubtedly Osaka and Tokyo, two of the busiest and most technological cities I have ever seen.”

Bert Fryer Leaver of 2023

INTERRAILING

For my gap year I chose to go interrailing around Europe on my own for three-and-a-half months. I’m doing a big loop of Europe; starting in Amsterdam, travelling across Belgium into Germany, then to Prague, Vienna, Hungary, and from Budapest into Croatia, Italy, Switzerland, France, and Spain.

I knew I wanted to go interrailing because there were lots of places in Europe I hadn’t been, and it was cheaper and safer to do on my own compared to other popular travel places like New Zealand and South America.

When I decided to interrail, I already had some cities and countries I wanted to visit in mind, so I planned my route around those and then some others that had been recommended to me. I was really looking forward to Amsterdam, and when I visited I found it so much fun. I’m also really excited to see Interlaken and Barcelona.

There were some issues I had to get around because I’m travelling on my own, but the hardest thing I’ve found so far is people who walk slowly in cities!

I didn’t think spending nearly four months with no other person would suit me, and being on my own allows me to explore the places I go in my own time and I get to experience the city how I want.

“I was really looking forward to Amsterdam, and when I visited I found it so much fun.”

Current Student Achievements

Emily Hersch Year 13 Pupil

WELSH NATIONAL HOCKEY TRAINING

In January 2023, I began training with the Welsh U18 Girls National Age Group Squad after attending several selection camps. The cycle targeted the European Hockey Championships in the Summer, held in Swansea. Over weekend and holiday camps in Cardiff, I quickly improved my hockey skills with exceptional specialist coaching, video analysis, nutrition guidance and strength and conditioning.

I enjoyed spending time with the team on and off the pitch and we became a cohesive group. I was delighted to be chosen to play Northern Ireland, England, and Hockey Mentors, and was thrilled to be selected for the European Championships squad. I was so proud to wear the Welsh kit and sing ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’ in front of the home crowd before each match.

Unfortunately, there was a disrupted schedule, with Ukraine and Russia unable to participate, but we still played four games and took away a silver medal!

For me personally, the highlight

of the tournament was scoring a goal against Turkey. It was an exceptional experience to play international hockey for the first time, and I will continue to play at university and perhaps re-enter the senior Wales programme in the future.

Callum Voisin Year 13 Pupil MOTORSPORTS - F3

Congratulations to Callum Voisin, Year 13 on his recent success in the GB3 Championship at Donington Park.

Callum had a very busy October during which he participated in Formula 3 testing events in Spain, at Jerez and Barcelona. He then followed the testing with two weekends of GB3 racing to finish his 2023 campaign.

He won his first race, placed second in race 2, and then performed very well in the final reverse ‘sprint’ race. As a consequence, we are delighted to announce that Callum won the overall GB3 Championship! This is a truly outstanding achievement for Callum.

Iona Stokes Year 12 Pupil EQUESTRIAN SPORTS

I’ve been heavily invested in equestrian sports since I was very young – four years old! During my early competitive career, I mainly focused on dressage, and I made it to the top of my age group with multiple wins at UK South West Youth Championships and National Pony Club Championships.

In my teens, I decided to branch out into the sport of Eventing, which encompasses the three main disciplines of equitation: Dressage, Show Jumping and Cross Country. It takes many years to become competent in this sport, as it requires an ultimate degree of body control and biomechanical understanding of horse and rider. Typically, a minimum of 10-15 years of daily training is needed to reach a high standard of proficiency.

Since last year I’ve had the opportunity to start flying the UK flag at international competitions and I’m currently on the British Eventing Youth Performance pathway, hoping to represent team GB at Junior international level over the next two years.

Charlie Ward, James Linegar, Leo Palmer & Evan Gallagher

KS BATH RUGBY PLAYERS CROWNED CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations to four students from Kingswood for their success in Premiership U18 Cup Final with Bath Academy. James, Evan, Charlie, and Leo were involved in the thrilling final of the season at Kingsholm Stadium, against the Northampton Saints U18.

All the boys played pivotal roles throughout the season, which started in August 2023.

The skill of our four boys helped the team reach the Cup Final, where in a tense match, Bath were trailing Saints 26-33 with ten minutes to play. James produced a drop goal from 40m out, that brought the team back into contention, and led Bath Rugby to their first-ever U18 Premiership title!

The victory concludes a thrilling unbeaten season for the Bath side.

We congratulate the boys for their dedication to this achievement over the years!

Heads of School

IZZY EVANS & FREDDIE WILLIAMSON, MARCH 2024

Hello, everyone! We are Izzy and Freddie, and we have had the pleasure of being Kingswood’s Heads of School for this year.

As we sit here, writing this, we can’t quite believe how quickly the year has flown by, and how much everyone has achieved in what has felt like just a couple of months since the summer holidays. We’ve had musicals, charity pantomimes, Philosophons, an incredible array of fixtures and so much more we couldn’t even begin to list here (we would simply run out of room!).

We think that this article is the perfect opportunity for us to take a moment to say just how proud we are to have been a member of this school for the last eight-or-so years. Now being in our final year at Kingswood (which we can’t quite believe!) we can confidently look back at our younger students knowing just how far they can come because of the environment fostered here. We really have been so fortunate to experience a school like Kingswood, and we are so grateful to everyone who has helped make our time here so special, shaping us into who we are today. In the classroom, on the sports pitches, and even in Friday morning Whole School Services, Kingswood and it’s amazing teachers have truly inspired us and many others. That is something that will stick with us long after we leave, as we’re sure it has many of you.

As we approach the end of our time as Heads of School, we can both agree that this year in particular is one we will never forget – one filled with friendship, kindness, charity and trust. Having spent eight wonderful years at this school, we think we have just about gained the expertise to tell you that the greatest lesson that Kingswood has taught us (besides all our A Level knowledge, of course!) is that you can be anything

you want, and there will always be the right people around you who will support you in getting there. The notion that Kingswood is a community is often thrown about, but it is more than true. All who are involved in Kingswood, from pupils to teachers, to support staff, alumni and beyond, make it a community, a home, for everyone.

Despite the sadness we feel about the prospect of leaving Kingswood soon, we are both certainly looking forward to heading off to university in the autumn. We are lucky to both hold offers from Durham University, so fingers crossed we aren’t sick of each other by the end of the next three years!

Kingswood is just one of those places you can never really leave; there will always be aspects and qualities of the School ingrained in everything we do. We hope this article gives you a little glimpse of what it has been like to attend Kingswood in 2024 – whilst we may have assemblies on AI and have the option of typing exams, it will not be much different to what you all will have experienced. Kindness still runs strong through the heart of Kingswood, and we are confident that it will do so long after we leave.

Thank you all for taking the time to read our thoughts. We will miss you, Kingswood!

2023 LEAVERS

Leavers' Destinations, 2023

NAME

COURSE

Daniel Adams Computer Science with Security & Forensics

Fadeke (Fade) Alayande Law

Amelie Antoniades Classics & English

Grace Asplin Animation

Leung Yat (Bryan) Au Yeung Gap Year

Tilly Bankes Performance Costume

Olivia Barron Gap Year

Rachel Bedding Gap Year; Archaeology

Oskar Billett Gap Year; Economics with Industrial Experience

Armorel Bird Gap Year

Cecilie Brooks Gap Year

Romilly Burke Gap Year

Florence Burton Gap Year

Rory Bushell Gap Year; Mechanical Engineering

Jackson Byrne Gap Year

Anouk Caney Gap Year; Chemistry with Study Abroad

Isabella Canham Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences

Oscar Canham Business & Marketing Management

Grace Cardwell Biology

Harry Charlesworth Gap Year; Geography

Perry Chiu Law

William Connors Gap Year; Geography

Ai-Ling Crossley Contemporary Media Practice with Foundation

Noah Davis Computer Science

Daniel du Pré Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)

Joseph Dunn Electronics & Computer Science

Elliot Ede Dental Surgery

Dominic Fairley Gap Year; Mechanical Engineering Foundation Programme

Elliot Fallows Aeronautics & Astronautics/Aerodynamics with Ind. Pl. Year

Sophie Farmer Gap Year

Phoebe Fendley Gap Year; Graphic Design

Elsa France Gap Year; Drama & Theatre Arts

Polly France Gap Year; Product & Industrial Design

INSTITUTION

Cardiff University

King's College, University of London

University of Nottingham

Bristol, University of the West of England

University of Edinburgh

Cardiff University

University of Exeter

Newcastle University

University of Bristol

University of Birmingham

Oxford Brookes University

University of Oxford

University of Leeds

University of Exeter

Newcastle University

University of Westminster

University of Leeds

University of Sheffield

University of Edinburgh

University of Sheffield

City, University of London

University of Southampton

Bristol, University of the West of England

Goldsmiths, University of London

University of the Arts, London

Alberta Fryer Gap Year; Geography with Professional Placement University of Manchester

Daria (Dasha) Gorbunova Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence

Lola Gulotti Gap Year; Liberal Arts with Study Abroad

James Hart Gap Year; Business Management

Rohan Harvey Computer Science

Aster Haydon Gap Year

Phoebe Hill Global Environmental Change & Sustainability

Charlotte Hollywood Gap Year

Jessica Iles Entering Employment (Estate Agency)

Sophia Jones Gap Year

Zara Kellagher Gap Year

Louis Kenyon Gap Year

Alexander Keogh Natural Sciences

Fergus Kerr Gap Year; Medicine

Queen Mary, University of London

University of Exeter

Northumbria University, Newcastle

University of Birmingham

University of Birmingham

Durham University

St George's, University of London

Evie Kidd Film Production Arts University Bournemouth

Tariq (Shafikh) Kintu Gap Year

Kwai Lung (Kenneth) Kok Computer Science with Cyber Security

University of York

Manaka Koreyasu Medicine University of Cambridge

Shu Ching (Kacie) Ku Biomedical Science University of Birmingham

Oscar Lambert Gap Year; Illustration Falmouth University

Tobina Laurence Gap Year; Sport & Exercise Sciences Hartpury University

Toluwani Lawal Aerospace Engineering University of Surrey

Anishia (Nisha) Lewis Watts Apprenticeship (Law)

Tongyan (Christine) Li Hospitality Management

Kit Marrack Gap Year

Hari Master Gap Year

Annie McCarthy Gap Year

Rory McLeod Apprenticeship (Outdoor Activities)

Beatrice (Bea) Meadowcroft Gap Year

Sebastian Miller Gap Year

Yamato (Matt) Miyamoto Mechanical Engineering

Olivia Mohr Computer Science with Industrial Year

Ciara Newcastle Psychology

Charlotte Nicholson Gap Year; Geography (Study Abroad)

EHL Hospitality Business School, Lausanne

Imperial College, London

University of Reading

University of Sheffield

Lancaster University

Zenzele Oluoch-Olunya Psychology University of Southampton

NAME COURSE

Alexander (Alex) Paris History & Politics

Evelyn Pilcher Interior & Spatial Design

INSTITUTION

University of Aberdeen

University of the Arts, London

Oscar Power Statistics University of Nottingham

Ishika Pun Economics University of Nottingham

Harry Rawlins Vocational Training (Army)

Anna Read Musical Theatre

Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts

Louis Record Gap Year; Geography with Innovation University of Bristol

Peter Rees Jones Gap Year

Sebastian (Seb) Roberts Gap Year

Sofia Ross Gap Year

Magnus Sankaran Linguistics & Italian

University of Manchester

Lily Saunders Gap Year: Geography University of Edinburgh

Thomas (Tom) Shakespeare Vocational Training (Army)

Connie Slater Biomedical Sciences

University of Southampton

Romany (Romy) Sloane Gap Year; English Literature & Spanish University of Manchester

Rufus Sokell Thompson Mechanical Engineering with an Industrial Placement Year University of Sheffield

Jocasta Spooner Psychology University of Birmingham

James Stobart Economics & Finance University of Southampton

Freddie Stockton Vocational Training

Isabella (Issey) Taylor Gap Year; Criminology/English Literature

Naomi Thomas Gap Year

William (Will) Thomas Vocational Training

Georgia Thompson Human & Social Sciences

Oxford Brookes University

Cardiff University

Joshua Thornton History University of Exeter

Aaron Turnquest Theoretical Physics

University of Sussex

Naoyoshi (Nao) Ueda Natural Sciences University of Cambridge

Paradi (Joni) Utamote Planning & Real Estate with Professional Placement

Harry Walsh Biochemistry

Sophie Walsh Gap Year

Andy Wang Computer Science

Bruin Ward Natural Sciences with International Study

Emily Watkins Medicine

University of Manchester

Cardiff University

University of Warwick

University of Exeter

University of Nottingham

Sienna Websper Medicine University of Liverpool

Hanya (Lainee) Weng Gap Year

Molly Williams Geography with Study Abroad

Oliver H. Williams Modern History & Politics

Oliver J. Williams Gap Year; Sport & Exercise Science

Liliana Williamson International Business & Management with Year Abroad

Eloise Wilson Politics & International Relations (with Study Abroad)

Hoi Yin (Eddie) Wong Civil Engineering

University of Exeter

Cardiff University

Cardiff Metropolitan University

University of Reading

University of Exeter

Imperial College, London

Kwun Ming William Wong Maths & Economics University of Toronto

Wan Yeung (Ricky) Wong Electronic Engineering with Artificial Intelligence

University of Southampton

Yuen Chi (Emma) Wong Psychology with Foundation Year University of Surrey

Grace Wood American Studies & English

University of Nottingham

Iris Worley History & Politics University of Warwick

POST A LEVEL APPLICANTS

Jemima Balgarnie History of Art

Courtauld Institute of Art, Univ. of London

Lauren Buxton Psychology University of Surrey

Hei Yi (Stephanie) Chan Management

Ningwa Chemjong Adult Nursing

Anisha Gofton Medical Physiology & Therapeutics

Jack Gould Sport, Physical Education & Coaching Science

Sunichi Gurung Physiotherapy

Zachary Hale Modern Languages & Economics

Cal Levitt Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence

Marnie Lister Medical Neuroscience

Benjamin Lockey Business of the Creative Industries

Storm Neech Creative Music Technology

Ciara O'Driscoll Physiotherapy

Thomas Roach Quantity Surveying & Commercial Management

Max Robless Product Design Engineering

Madelaine Sayce Modern Languages

Avery Trotter Acting & Theatre Arts

Maxim Waring Computer Science

Aaron Wright War, Peace & International Relations

London School of Economics

Bournemouth University

University of Nottingham

University of Birmingham

Bournemouth University

University of Leeds

University of Leeds

University of Sussex

University of York

Bath Spa University

Cardiff University

Bristol, University of the West of England

University of Glasgow

University of Exeter

University of Essex

University of Manchester

University of Reading

A Career in the Military

OWEN FEAVER

The Army was not always the career path that I had in mind, but it was always there in the back of my mind.

Alot of that was to do with the fact that my dad had been in the Army for the majority of my life at the time, though the fact that my friendship group at Kingswood was military family heavy didn’t hurt. If I was to narrow down the inspirations for where I am today, then my friends and experiences at Kingswood over those eight years would be a huge part of it.

I joined the Army reserves in 2017 just after leaving school and while studying History at Royal Holloway. This was an incredible experience, due to the friendships I made but also because I was being active and being paid for making

a difference. This led me to joining the Regular Army as an Officer and attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from January 2021. Sandhurst is an incredibly unique experience where you train in Military skills and Leadership for 44 weeks, alongside a host of different individuals. My experiences as a boarder at Kingswood for 5 years definitely helped a bit, though digging a hole to sleep in while watching it fill up with rainwater at the same time was a new experience. Sandhurst is an incredible place for self-development and by the end I was able to look back on a huge range of experiences, from navigating across Dartmoor in the darkness to deploying to

“I made decisions that very few people are ever empowered to make and oversaw the gradual change we were making for these people.”

Germany to lead my peers in tactical training in the snow.

I am now a Commissioned Lieutenant with the Royal Corps of Signals, in command of 23 bright young soldiers and enough equipment to invade Wiltshire. As a Lieutenant, I oversee the planning and management of my troop, making sure that they are ready to deploy within twenty days to provide communications to hundreds of users in a tactical environment. I am also responsible for the wellbeing of my soldiers, ensuring that they are mentally and physically looked after, both in and out of work. That is my job role, but the great thing about the Army is that we do

so much more that people don’t hear about.

At the end of 2023 I was commanding a site in the UK where we were temporarily housing rescued families from Afghanistan. These were the people that had risked their lives to help us. The Interpreters, High Court Judges, Police and their families kicked out of their own country, who we were now helping to get back on their feet. As the Officer in charge of a site of 250 Afghans, it was both the most difficult and rewarding thing I have ever done. I made decisions that very few people are ever empowered to make and oversaw the gradual change we were making for these people. I will never forget the sight of the children, many of which had spent the last 2 years in refugee camps, running around happily high-fiving people over the Christmas period.

Despite only having only been in the Army for under 4 years, I have already done so much. My next year involves deployments to Poland, Germany and the USA, all of which I am looking forward to. I remember some of the talks that Army recruiting did at Kingswood, although they never touch on the whole breadth of opportunities and experiences open to you if you join up. It is a career I wholeheartedly recommend people look into, and with what is going on in the world today the opportunities will only grow.

Lt Owen Feaver, 3 (UK)

Division Signal Regiment KS 2008-2016

ASSOCIATION DAY 2023

COMMUNITY SUPPERS

EDINBURGH RECEPTION

SOUTHAMPTON RECEPTION

BATH BREAKFAST RECEPTION

BOURNEMOUTH RECEPTION

APEX BATH

STAFF MEMORIES

MEMORIES FROM ROGER BANKS (KS 1983-2023)

After forty years of service at Kingswood, the vast majority of which he has spent in the Dixon, Roger Banks decided to retire. The term 'legend' is sometimes overused, but in Rog’s case it seems entirely appropriate.

MEMORIES FROM MILES THOMPSON (KS 2008-15)

Miles has recently returned to Kingswood as a Science Teacher and enjoyed catching up with a few of the fellow boarders from Middle House who all left in 2015. Especially Gerald Lau who he hasn't seen since they both left school. Gerald was the heartbeat of Middle House.

Currently on his fourth headmaster, he has looked after thousands of Kingswood students as they've passed through the Dixon, so much so that for generations of pupils he has become synonymous with the building and their memories of their Sixth Form years.

Endlessly patient, his easygoing manner has made him beloved and respected by staff and students alike. His absence will be felt keenly in September, but we wish him all the very best for a long, happy and well-deserved retirement.

L-R: Miles Thompson, Stanley Nokes, Gerald Lau, Ben Hepburn

THE

BUILDINGS ARE SMALLER, THE TREES ARE TALLER MEMORIES FROM JANE HAMMOND (KS 1988-93)

Monday 5 September, 1988. I was nervous, but I was ready. My first day at Secondary School was a welcome afternoon led by our Housemaster-to-be, Mr Allison (who I would come to know only as ‘Banger’). The late summer sun steeped the Beaconfield garden in an orange hue, as the adults mingled with a confidence I had no understanding of. I stood, self-consciously, beside the hedge, too scared to approach any of the other girls, and too agitated by my thick woollen tights, skirt, jumper, and too-big blazer to relax.

“The staff... work so hard, care so much and inspire me daily.”

I was about to burst from awkwardness, when another girl of roughly my age strode over to me, held out her hand and said, ‘You look cool, what’s your name?’ and so began one of the most important friendships of my life. (side note – I definitely did not look cool).

Until recently, my memories of my time at Kingswood have been solely about the friends I made there, the experiences we shared, and the multiple antics we got up to and (mostly) got away with.

And then I returned. As a teacher.

My route into teaching was unusual. Having had a successful career in television production for over twenty years, the pandemic inspired me to make a change. To do something ‘useful’. Three years later, I found myself accepting a maternity cover contract to teach English at my alma mater.

Kingswood is an exceptional school. In the 30 years since I left, academic achievement and pastoral care have caught up with the singular beauty of the estate and the powerful ethos inherited from John Wesley. After returning in September, I’ve witnessed with joy the fully rounded education on offer to the children in our care. The staff, in particular the English department, have been incredibly welcoming, approachable, and accommodating. They work so hard, care so much and inspire me daily. The children are just the best. I have caring, considerate, and creative critical thinkers in every class I teach. They are also, of course, often hilarious. Seeing the school from the ‘other’ side has been, frankly, wild.

There’s an idea that when you return to the place you grew up, you notice the buildings seem smaller and the trees seem taller. I didn’t really understand this expression until I returned to Kingswood. The Ferens, the Dixon and the grandly gothic front of main school used to be intimidating, hallowed spaces for learning. While they are still impressive buildings, they seem softer, less intimidating, warmly familiar. On the other hand, the

trees, which I used to take for granted and barely noticed - apart from when trudging reluctantly through Westwood Woods to the Upper - today inspire in me absolute awe and respect. Watching them change with the seasons, knowing that they have been going through the same cycle for the 30 years I’ve been away and for hundreds of years before that induces a sense of both insignificance and belonging. Oh… and the smell in The Ferens! I defy any old Kingswoodian to enter the Ferens and not immediately believe for a split second that they have time travelled back to their school days and are about to enter a lesson about Caecilius being in the atrium.

Being back at Kingswood has been a cathartic experience. Your school days shape you, and I wouldn’t be who I am, or do what I do, without Kingswood. In fact, my busiest (and favourite) WhatsApp group is the one I share with eleven women I met during my (first) time here. It’s been a privilege to be able to give something back to Kingswood, however small that might be.

Reflections

Laurie Campbell offered me a place in only the third year of KS co-education in 1974. I believe there were 35 of us, against 525 boys.

I’d been at boarding school in India from the age of 4, a punishing, isolating experience. At 11 I came to Kent College for girls in Pembury, a fine school. I had not discovered boys and was gently warned to expect that boys may be “gauche”. No idea what that meant. The sheer beauty and pageantry of Kingswood struck me; the formality of meals in the Moulton Hall, the echoes, formal high table bowing and each house’s variation, (think: Japanese tea ceremony), the Chapel, the choir (which I joined), Nick Thornes’ patient subtle direction, and proper auditions to place the Voice (alto). Singing the exquisite fully rehearsed Mozart requiem in Walcot church – the Chapel had good acoustics, and when some of the Introits soared – it was a heady place.

The sense of history as you took in the scale of that towered and symmetrically winged facade, the shadowy internal corridors leading to the Masters’ common room, the Piazza, the Tower itself, the Headmasters study etc. Fonthill, the girls’ house was over the road, a beauty of a Bath villa, with Tony Bigham and his wife in charge. Rooms up and down and across little landings, many friendships and trials over the years. One single landline, to be shared among us all, in the hallway, no mobiles then. Relationships were mainly worked through by letters, and fortunately a tiny red letterbox was embedded in a wall just 40 yards outside Fonthill.

Boys, so alien then, were guarded, but thawed gradually

to become known and sometimes friends. One boy in Upper house with me in the Dixon block made a lasting impression. Walid Skaf was an irrepressible, wonderfully witty, and joyful soul. He was a young Omid Djalili in looks and character, and he became such a pal. Charles Westcott, a Westwood prefect, was a special friend. Those boys worked in a small team with the newest boys, gently, performing fairly the work of staff; cajoling, instilling discipline, encouraging. He impressed me so much, introduced me to Sally Lunn, French connection in the fleapit, and Bath in general. I was best man at his wedding to Kate, but he was the best man, in truth.

Laurie Campbell, who even introduced himself as ‘Jock’ to

me, was ubiquitous, working his way round school, gown flying, always focused, wily even. He missed nothing – occasionally calling out ‘NPDOA!’ when needed. He took us in the Lower Sixth a couple of times for games. We went to the Upper, on foot, where he told us all to run steadily right round the entire field twice. He showed us how to breathe, telling us it was the mechanism he’d taught the Kenyan running team. Sort of two gulps in, two pants out. No one was left out. I recall flagging at the end of the first circuit, but look!, in front of me to the side, was Uli Bergmann, the German teacher, stripped to the waist, limbering up for shot-putt practice. It was an electrifying sight; I completed the second circuit with unusual alacrity.

I shared a study with Clare Boothroyd and Barbara Prowse. They were steadier than me, loyal, intelligent girls. Clare was an exceptional human being – she became a doctor, working from Queens medical centre in an outreach with the most unloved and complex in society, the homeless and violent drug addicts. She died some years ago, quite harrowing for all of us who loved her.

Ray Wilkinson and Andrew Smith were my main English

teachers. So talented, bringing so much to life, and I still have a couple of books from Précis, his own, given when I went to University; Samuel Butler’s ‘Erewhon’ and Orwell’s ‘1984’. Phil Gooden was also there, roundly commenting that an essay I had written was “unmarkable”, as it looked like a rehash of a Psychology manual. He was right, and how arrogant it was of me to submit it. I had a tutorial once with John Gardner, the erudite and esteemed Second Master, and a Classics expert. He was a towering, portly figure, with pebble glasses and a barrel-like physique, and I was intimidated when I learned I had a tutorial in his study up in the Tower. In a darkly panelled room, with huge windows, swagged with thick elderly velvet curtains, he intoned his views. His diction was slightly nasal, delivered with both authority and muffled sonorous tones, as if through a cushion. He would look past my head, or so it seemed, and ask me if I was trying to emulate another writer. Perhaps a little of his extraordinary ability did seep through to me eventually, and I got a First at University.

Bath was a backdrop of immense and perpetual romantic surprise. Laurie Campbell once told me I was in love with the idea of being

in love. I had fallen in love with Jonathan Ashley, then head of Hall. Blonde shoulder length curls, head of the second XV rugby and a gentlemanly honourable young man. He even asked permission to put his arm round my waist on our first afternoon in the Abbey Gardens. Laurie Campbell was right, but only in part, because it was real. We celebrate 44 years of marriage, with two beautiful daughters. When our eldest was 8 years old, we nearly lost her with a malignant brain tumour. There’s no testing of a relationship like that. We learn, we wait, we pray.

So…what have I learned from Kingswood, on careful reflection, after these many years?

From Laurie Campbell, to; Be the best version of yourself, that to err is human but if you do, take responsibility, repair, reflect and move on. Be stoical, life requires discipline, and above all, self-discipline.

From Rev. John Barrett (JCAB) Chaplain; Take each day as a special gift and leave the rest to God.

From Jonathan Ashley, Head of Hall House, that; Love never ends.

Rachel Ashley (née Mountford) KS 1974-1977

An inspiring environment

It is a privilege to write this article for the Old Kingswoodian. The Prep School is thriving with record numbers and the Nursery, in particular, is buoyant.

To give you an idea of how busy life is at KPS, let me share with you just some of the events of last week: we had music concerts, a Gala Concert, residential trips for Year 3 and Year 5, Egyptian Day for Year 4, a Mother’s Day Cream Tea in The Garden, rehearsals for the Year 6 production of ‘Shrek’, and World Book Day. The week culminated in our U11 Girls qualifying for the IAPS National Netball Finals - and next week the U11 Boys travel north for the National Hockey Finals. All this on top of a full programme of teaching, of course!

We are revisiting our STEM delivery for 2024/25. Our current curriculum has been in place since 2018 and with technology moving so quickly, it is imperative that we are ahead of the curve and are reacting to technological progress. The key is to encourage positive mindsets and creative problem solving, so that the children are not afraid to ‘fail,’ secure in the knowledge that they just need to revisit their thinking and try again. Dr TJ has been leading a Science of Learning Programme at KPS. There are three strands: educational neuroscience, educational research and cognitive psychology. All the Year groups have been discovering how our brains work. We have enjoyed staff meetings and parental information evenings, which have helped

us to manage our own learning more effectively. We have also developed learning champions, who make videos and send them to the other classrooms. The importance of the environment is constantly reinforced by the natural beauty of our campus, as well as the presence of devices such as CO2 monitors in the classrooms. It has been an informative and rich

learning experience for the children and the staff.

Opposite Science is our Art space, where Karen Fox continues to excel and the children continue to flourish. Standards are high and the children are loving their art.

Our Garden Nursery also goes from strength to strength and as the photographs opposite

show, the buildings are full of very happy children having a whole host of wonderful opportunities.

This year we celebrate three teaching staff who have a combined tally of over 90 years’ service at KPS - what an achievement! Our thanks to Mr Shrubsole, Mrs Cross and Mrs McGlynn for all that they have done for the School. Mrs Cross and Mrs McGlynn have also announced their intention to retire at the end of the academic year.

“The importance of kindness is embedded in the DNA of the School.”

I am often asked why KPS continues to be the No.1 choice in Bath for parents. It is not possible to answer this question with complete confidence, but I am convinced that our philosophy of high expectations, coupled with low anxiety, is a major factor. The able are stretched and those who require extra support receive it. Above all, the importance of kindness, and the need to take care of ourselves, each other, and the community as a whole, are embedded in the DNA of the School.

Yours,

Mark Brearey Head of KPS

Otty & Okiem Warmann

Thursday 7 March was the night of the concert with Okiem (KS 19952003), Otty (KS 1991-2000) and The SoundHouse Band, who certainly gave us a night to remember.

This project was spearheaded by Otty and was designed as an event to bring together all our musicians for a unique live music experience and staged to raise greater awareness of and funding for the school’s Transformational Bursary Fund as part of the Kingswood 275 campaign

“There surely cannot have been many previous occasions in our school theatre which had the entire audience on their feet, dancing to the beat!” says Mr Gordon-Brown. “Bringing together Old Kingswoodians, current pupils, parents, staff and members of the local community for the event felt very special indeed; there was a lot of love and positivity in the room.”

The whole event was an incredible success and is a day that will long live in Kingswood’s memory. Otty adds:

“I am quite used to being involved with up to 150 events each year. Some in exotic locations. Others for esteemed clientele. But few have given as much delight as returning to Kingswood for such a joyous and important occasion.

As a beneficiary of a sports bursary during my time as a student, the awareness of the difference it can make in a person's life is well understood. As such, there was a distinct feeling of honour, and indeed of privilege, for the opportunity to be part of a team curating this potentially life-

changing experience. Doing so alongside my brother, Okiem (who also attended Kingswood) and my team at The SoundHouse Band, was the icing on the cake.

Between the daytime workshops, rehearsals, and of course the evenings black tie concert, my hope is that students might have been left inspired, attendees “The fundraising total from the event so far is over £21,000...”

left entertained and the Transformational Bursary left enriched. Naturally, I wait excitedly to see who the first recipient of the award (that will sponsor one minority student through sixth form) might be, and the impact it could have them as well as the Kingswood community.

It should be noted however, that the intent for this event was to kick-start a legacy fund. Your continued support will be needed and I encourage you to give generously and, perhaps even consider a recurring donation. It would be towards a worthy and worthwhile cause.

Praise should go to the students who performed so beautifully during the concert, and thanks to all who were in attendance for the marvellous atmosphere they helped to create. To see some of my peers of over 20 years ago, as well as past and present staff members was truly heartwarming. Special thanks must also go to Emeli Sande who so kindly shared some words in support of this cause. Deserving of recognition are Head of Music, Andy Barton, who expertly coordinated the students, Headmaster Andrew for his support of the initiative, and finally to the Headmaster’s EA, Emilie Prior, who worked tirelessly from start to finish. The Kingswood community should be proud of a job well begun!”

The fundraising total from the event so far is over £21,000 which is an excellent contribution towards creating a transformational Sixth Form bursary place, although there’s more to be done to reach the target of £35,000 so that the place can be offered.

Andrew Gordon-Brown

“Wow what inspiration! Otty, Okiem and all band members were simply fantastic. It was a night to remember for such a good cause! My son also very much enjoyed the workshop he attended and the talk given by Otty and Okiem. As a parent I am very grateful that they all gave up their time to mentor the pupils. It will be an experience that they always remember.”

“The way Okiem incorporated the choir and orchestra was very inspiring”

Why I choose to support Kingswood

IAN FALCONER (KS 1972-78 & CURRENT KINGSWOOD GOVERNOR)

Ian Falconer is an Old Kingswoodian, along with his brother David and Ian’s son, Chris. In 2018, Ian became a Governor of the School, having recently retired and wanting to find ways he could make meaningful contributions to his former school.

Ian’s professional career began as a geologist and then he focused on new technology development and strategic marketing, working for 35 years for the global technology company, Schlumberger, in positions of increasing seniority.

But let’s go back to the beginning of Ian’s association with Kingswood which was in 1972 at the tender age of eleven. Ian remembers very well arriving at Westwood on his first day with his trunk and a new uniform that felt two sizes too big! He was joining his older brother, David, who had joined Kingswood three years prior.

The 1970s was a colourful and culturally important decade – from the breakup of the Beatles to the birth of Punk. For Ian, this period

was made reminiscent by the bands Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Yes. Beyond culture and music, the decade was marked by power cuts, strikes and a three-day working week imposed to conserve electricity during the miners’ strikes. It was also a period of significant social change, with increasing visibility and rights for women, ethnic minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community. During Ian’s school years, his good friends included John Mears, Tim Wright, Tim Selman, Vicky Plaxton, Claire Wynne Hughes and Sam Rowe. And two teachers in particular inspired young Ian greatly – Peter Essam and Chris Steane in Geology and History, respectively.

Ian reflects that Kingswood enabled him to succeed professionally by nurturing in him an ability to manage varying and diverse social environment, to be ‘street wise’ and above all to take on new challenges. And taking on new challenges is exactly what Ian did during his school years –his proudest Kingswood moment is completing Ten Tors – not once, but twice!

As well as mammoth hikes on Dartmoor, Ian recalls enjoyable Geology field excursions, skiing trips and

canal barge holidays, led by his Physics teacher, Peter Lewis (KS 1967-76).

Ian clearly has fond memories of Kingswood, and it was this fondness combined with a desire to give back that saw him accept the offer of becoming a member of the Board of Governors of the Kingswood Foundation, which spans both the Senior School and Preparatory School.

“When asked to sum up Kingswood in three words, Ian said, “Educational, caring and well-rounded.”

The Board of Governors meets regularly to review strategy, charitable objects (education, religion and public benefit) and the functioning of the Foundation. As well as Board members, Governors are also Trustees of the Charity, Kingswood School and Directors of Kingswood School Trustee Limited, the financial entity

of the Foundation. Currently, Ian serves as the Chair of the Development and Marketing Committee, sharing his significant expertise for the benefit of the School and its operations in these important areas.

When asked to sum up Kingswood in three words, Ian said, “Educational, caring and well-rounded” – and he sees the Foundation’s role as ensuring that the Schools continue to provide a comprehensive education (both academic and experiential) to all boys and girls to give the best opportunity to succeed and flourish in adult life. It is clear that this is exactly how Ian regards his own Kingswood experience and he believes this ethos has got even stronger.

Serving as a Governor is a significant volunteer role, and the combined contributions of the Board of Governors are

substantial and vital for the future of Kingswood.

However, Ian’s generosity and involvement do not stop there. He has also pledged a charitable gift to the Kingswood Foundation in his will.

“Kingswood brought a lot to me in terms of preparing me for my adult life and I attribute a lot of my career success and life fulfilment to Kingswood. I therefore want to give something back to the School, both in terms of some of my time (serving as a Governor) and via my legacy pledge.”

For the financial year 20222023, legacy income to charities across the UK reached £4bn arising from 140,000 bequests – and over the past decade, charitable giving in this way has risen by 43%. In 2013, 14% of UK charity supporters aged 40 plus stated they’d left a charitable gift in their will –today this figure is 20%.

As well as being a tax effective way of making a charitable gift - since a gift to a UK charity in a will is tax free and if you choose to gift 10% or more of your estate to charity, then the rate of inheritance tax paid on the remainder of your estate is reduced from 40% to 36%.

Finally, of course, a legacy gift doesn’t cost you a penny today. For Ian, it is very straightforward: “By allocating a portion of my estate to the school through my Will, there is no impact on my dayto-day finances and allows me to still manage my future family commitments.”

In fact, if you choose to gift 10% or more of your estate to charity, then the rate of inheritance tax paid on the rest of your estate is reduced from 40% to 36%.

For Ian, having an up-to-date will is vital: “You never know what is going to happen tomorrow and a will provides you with clear control of your assets to ensure proper support for all family members and causes that are important to you. Your personal circumstances change and so it is crucial that your will properly reflects your current position.”

Although Ian has a deeper insight of the machinations of Kingswood as a Governor,

he is happy for the School to determine how best to use his gift when the time comes.

“I don’t have anything specific that I would want a gift targeted towards, but I would simply hope that such funding can help the School continue to excel and support a broad range of pupils. Since becoming a Governor, I have a clearer insight into what it takes for the School to function; there is continuous financial pressure on the School, partially as a result of the need to maintain a series of very mature assets, a key part of our ethos. This in turn could restrict the School from doing things that would further enhance the pupils’ Kingswood experience and open up further opportunities to less fortunate children.”

By sharing his experiences and motivations in this

edition of Kingswood Association News, Ian hopes that other Old Kingswoodians will consider following his example by leaving a charitable bequest...

“Think about how fortunate you have been to have had the Kingswood experience and how it positioned you or your children for the future. Now think about helping provide this experience to others.”

If

MEMORIES

MEMORIES FROM RICHARD CORK (KS 1960-64)

Iam delighted to say that my latest book, Encounters With Artists, has just been published by Thames & Hudson. Over the last few decades, I have been lucky enough to interview a wonderful range of artists, from Louise Bourgeois, Henry Moore, Bridget Riley and Francis Bacon to Tracey Emin, Lucian Freud, Sarah Lucas, Sonia Boyce, Damien Hirst, Rachel Whiteread and David Hockney.

The earliest and most astonishing one occurred

a few months after I left Kingswood. With my schoolmate Tim Curry, I was visiting Cannes in 1965. Tim rushed over to me in a state of high excitement, and said "Richard! Look over there! Picasso is having lunch! You must go and introduce yourself, and ask him for his autograph!" So I went over to Picasso's table, had a chat with him and then enquired whether he would give me his autograph. Picasso did so, and even drew a delightful sketch beneath it.

I then went back to Tim Curry, who insisted that I go back to Picasso, who was only halfway through lunch, and draw his portrait in my large

sketchbook. So very nervously, I returned and began my drawing. Immediately Picasso realised what I was doing, he started grinning, rolling his enormous dark and intense eyes, sticking out his tongue and pulling funny faces. But then he sobered up and set his face in one position, thereby enabling me to draw him. After I had finished, Picasso asked to see my drawing. Very apprehensively, I handed it over. Picasso gave me a generous nod of approval, and then declared that he would draw my portrait on the same page. Astonished, I handed over my crayon. And Picasso swiftly executed a vivacious teenager's face, with one eye

in the middle of my nose and an irresistible grin. With a sense of wonder, I have been gazing at it ever since!

Ever since meeting Picasso, I have been fascinated to encounter many of the major artists I admire and talk to them, in depth, about their work. They often invited me to explore their studios, and David Hockney even took me in his car on an extensive tour of key Yorkshire landscape locations. I was shocked to discover, soon after visiting Francis Bacon and Roy Lichtenstein who were filled with creative vitality, that both of them had died very unexpectedly. I felt equally saddened by the death of Coosje van Bruggen, shortly before interviewing her husband and creative collaborator Claes Oldenburg.

“Picasso gave me a generous nod of approval, and then declared that he would draw my portrait on the same page. ”

But I was very lucky to enjoy two distinctive encounters with Louise Bourgeois, who even invited me to her extraordinary house in New York. I was also given access to Lucian Freud on a memorable evening when he was painting his partner, Alexandra Williams-Wynn, and I felt equally delighted to visit Rebecca Horn at her extensive studio buildings in irresistible German countryside. I became just as fascinated to encounter Rachel Whiteread in a colossal London workshop where she was making a sculpture for Trafalgar Square. Antony Gormley’s spectacular new studio, designed by David Chipperfield, was as unforgettable as the sculptor’s own thoughts on his work-in-progress. And Damien Hirst drove me through a verdant Devon landscape towards his newly-acquired farmhouse, surrounded by sunlit acres of countryside where he was ‘building a house for my Mum.’ Gesturing excitedly, Hirst also said that he wanted to fill a field with ‘a flock of sheep in formaldehyde.’ Plenty of artists derive inspiration from outdoor locations, and I will never forget Bridget Riley's delight when she showed me round her luminous and verdant back garden, alive with colour and irresistible vitality. Richard Cork

 Richard Cork Portrait, as Lewis the Dauphin, The Life  and Death of King John, 1963

MEMORIES FROM RICHARD O'BRIEN (KS 1960-68)

In Via Recta Celeriter, “In the right way, quickly”, I’m told - Latin was never one of my strong points, though I scraped O Level as I could at least answer the Roman history questions at the end. John Gardner promised he would tell us at the end of the year why learning Latin was important, and I remember his eventual response falling short of being convincing. Not a great deal of recta or celeriter for me on the Roman Road, even when overlooking Aquae Sulis from a great height.

The motto was ideal for a cross country runner, and even more so for my contemporaries being introduced to orienteering by David Lee – though simultaneously pushing the brain as well as the legs was something I never took up. I still have fond memories of the muddy Mustard Fields at PC, now tarmacked over by the M4, and of long Sunday walks to World’s End and to

Egypt, and less warm ones of ‘Jasper Night’ when the ghost of Chieveley was on the hunt for fresh victims. I’m rather pleased the school uses the image of our unbeaten crosscountry team to advertise its belief in the pursuit of excellence, in that instance when we were finishing our 24 Hour relay in 1968 around the streets of Bath in aid of BUSHA, Bath United Schools Hospitals Appeal.

The question is, however, what is the “right way”, especially if you don’t have any particular idea as to where you might want to go. The classic “What do you want be when you grow up” was a tough one, though the interrogator at least was implying that one was indeed going to grow up, sometime. It is sometimes translated as “In the straight way, quickly”, which sounds more like John Wesley.

Fortunately, KS offered many opportunities to try many things and in the revolutionary sixties more minor sports, and community work was introduced. Offering activities that didn’t require a love of

sport or athletic ability sent a powerful message that there were other ways one could be active and make a contribution. Exploring alternatives wasn’t just about long hair, revolution and the rest of it. My spell as a printer (proudly knowing my forebears had been compositors at the turn of the century) was handy, both in learning text-proofing signs and gaining some dexterity with the flywheel, zapping out KS literature faster than my desktop printer can today. And in those days some of us had to play the ladies’ roles in the plays. I never thought the name “Mrs Croaker” (in Goldsmith’s “The Good Natur’d Man”) was a good way to start a stage career, and I was right, though the Bath press reviews were gallant.

One thing that was drilled into me was to take opportunities when they are offered and not to waste them. If one is granted the great privilege of an education such as offered by KS at least you can respond by doing your best.

A wide curriculum allows experimentation on what you

might be able to achieve later, and more importantly, what is enjoyable – just as important, I’ve always thought, in order to be inspired to work hard and to stick at it when things get tough. I had to drop geography early on when choosing O Levels, which may have been subliminally responsible for the title of one of my books “The End of Geography”… actually the subject of geography has since widened its range immensely, unlike the days where it was all about copying out maps and remembering what commodities came from what far-flung place. I became an economist, despite starting the subject late at KS, and late at university (trial and error on the via recta) and then found one could make a career by forecasting the future, for which no-one knows the right answer… though my mantra became “everything that happens has been forecast”, in that whatever happens, you will find someone coming out of the woodwork saying

they forecast it (albeit alongside the many things that didn’t come right). The main thing is to react more quickly (celeriter?) than the competition when you get an early clue that you are not on the via recta.

I did have the welcome handicap of being able to pick out a tune quickly on the piano… when very young going home from the village churchyard in the 1950s on Remembrance Sunday and playing the doleful Last Post on the piano. I say handicap, as it was always more enjoyable playing a few tunes on the Joanna rather than endless plodding through the classics. ‘In via recta celeriter’, but you can choose how you travel. I can still manage Bach’s Prelude in C by heart though. But piano lessons at PC and KS didn’t see me break through to a musical career (unlike my good friend Reggie Tsiboe), but enough to write and release six albums of songs in my retirement - (the time to return to unfinished business)

- including putting words to the Moonlight Sonata (1st Movement, still manageable). There’s a time for everything. Do have a listen on www. richardrhysobrien.com. I did compete in the Pump Rooms in the Mid-Somerset Music Festival and was the top boy in my particular competition: however the rest of the competitors were girls, all ahead of me. I had most of the right notes even if I may have improvised the order (with apologies to Andrew Preview and Eric and Ernie).

Now I’m using my KS history training again, writing historical biography, currently finishing the second of two books on Margaret Lloyd George, the remarkable wife of Prime Minister David Lloyd George, The Campaigns of Margaret Lloyd George, and also running an online, on-going, work-in-progress study of 100 pioneering women of the 20th century in www.thedinnerpuzzle.com. Which in one sense does bring me back to KS… my Welsh maternal grandfather, the nonconformist Rev. J. T. Rhys, her private secretary at No. 10, left me a wonderful archive of unpublished

KS SENIOR ATHLETICS TEAM

papers from that time (my stint as the KS Library’s archivist helped there). A Congregational Minister, he sent his children to boarding schools run for the sons and daughters of the “Congereels”, (like KS), and arranged for Dame Margaret (albeit a Welsh Calvinistic Methodist) to open one of them. My aunt’s best friend married a Methodist minister, who later christened me in a Cambridge back garden, and himself being a KS governor was doubtless responsible for me going to KS. So when invited to become a KS governor I had to accept and it was good to see the school from that new perspective. Whilst I was a governor we closed PC, ended Saturday morning school, and I stood down once I had made sure at least Upper House would survive some of the other changes.

Perhaps one of my proudest moments around that time was when John Kingsnorth, then teaching at KS, wrote to say his son had finally demolished my steeplechase record after about a quarter of

“If

one is granted the great privilege of an education such as offered by KS at

least you can respond by doing your best.”

a century. When in 2018 the allconquering ‘68ers celebrated our 50th on the Upper before we all got “locked-down”, it was good to see almost all the school having a go at the water-splash, despite modern attention to ‘elf ’n safety. (Ref KS Association News 2018-19).

In Via Recta Celeriter, and it’s ok to get your feet wet. And there can be many “right ways” and lots of possible enjoyable destinations.

Richard O’Brien

MEMORIES FROM HUGH

JOHNSON

(KS 1961-66)

AJock-strap? I had no idea what it was. My mother had taken me, before the start of term, to the Kingswood clothing “emporium”. They said I needed a jockstrap for rugby. It was 1961. I’d come from a Grammar School where we played football so I had no knowledge about rugby.

Kingswood’s sports teachers taught me how to tackle, dummy, run and kick with the ball but most of all, to have ‘determination’ - you want that ball more than anything; and this has been such a valuable lesson for life. Of course, different teachers had different qualities; a History teacher who made history interesting; a Maths teacher who was able to communicate difficult theories easily; an English teacher who introduced me to the beauty of John Donne and a teacher who explained the leitmotifs of Wagner in his spare time, as well as an introducing me to Duke Ellington.

Kingswood took me through my teens. My mother sent me there because my father had died when I was 11 and she didn’t think living at home with her and my two sisters was healthy for a boy. So Kingswood became a sort of father figure to me. I really enjoyed my time there;

1968

L-R: Back row: JF Hatchings (SP), SR Woodhouse (SP), PWE Mantle (JT), JA Rose (HH), MF Hatchings (JT), NK Triboe (PV) Middle row: AM Hugman, RA Davies, JP Mantle (PV), CR Maclean (LJ, HJ), SD Crosbie, MH Fielder, PR Kirtley (HH, HJ), RL Trembath (DT, PV) Front row: DW Gumstone, JD Needlam, RYB Triboe (Vice Captain), RJ Saul (Captain), RR O'Brien, JM Goodridge, C Rawings

the atmosphere was calm but energetic. Kingswood gave me a wonderful base for life. I even managed to get a crush on a girl from the High School as we both went to arranged dancing lessons! (No girls at the School then.)

I enjoyed playing Hockey and Rugby for the School, instilling in me a sense of team and camaraderie, and later as Head of Upper House, a sense of responsibility.

When I left Kingswood I went to Leeds University where I read Economics.

I had a great time where I met people from all walks of life with very differing views on society.

I graduated not knowing what I really wanted to do, so I went to London. This was a shock for a West Country boy from Weston-super-Mare. There weren’t many jobs available due to the depression of the early seventies. I went for the few jobs available.

Rejections came but you had to keep going - determination. The first company to offer me a position was Thomson Newspapers, publisher of the Times at that time. I started in their sales department, going around ad agencies selling ‘space’. They gave me a car after six months! They also gave significant training.

So, I was now in Media where I have spent the rest of my career. (I wonder how many people’s career have been shaped by their first job.)

Following that, I went into marketing with IPC Magazines but then thought I should experience the stimulating medium of television so I

joined the marketing and research department of Thames TV (then an ITV contractor.) From there I became Research Manager of Southern TV and then a new ITV contractor, TVS. From this I experienced the enjoyment of being involved with new start-up companies.

In the eighties, satellite TV was just beginning to emerge and I was recruited to head up the Marketing and Research department of British Satellite Broadcasting, a rival to Murdoch’s Sky. We were both in a race to dominate satellite TV, and spent a lot of money in doing so.

Again, there was the thrill of setting up something new. BSB lasted two years before, the two companies merged

and effectively, BSB folded.

With ‘determination’, I spent a couple of years running my own Media Research Consultancy before I got a call from Channel 4 to create and head up their Research Department. It was an exciting time to be there. With a lot less competition around, C4 was the new young rebellious place to work.

After 15 years I retired but, despite my age, still have a consultancy with C4 which keeps me on my toes.

It’s been fun and it all started with a solid grounding and education from Kingswood.

I recently returned to the School and it evoked a lot of old, but good memories.

MEMORIES FROM MARTIN RUPP

(KS 1950-59)

Iam responding to your plea in your latest email, for memories and storiesin my case from 70 years ago. I offer a random selection of trivia.

First, a point of information. The surname missing from the photo of the Upper House prefects in 1958 (?) is that of Simon ADZEGHEDZE; the pronunciation of which caused Headmaster Sackett problems each September when he read through the entire school role to the whole school assembled in the Moulton Hall on the first day of the new school year.

Prior's Court

In 1951 the Headmaster, Mr Malty, rented out the whole of the top year (with our consent) to a local farmer for an afternoon's 'spud lifting'. The wages were used to hire an extra film – 'Scott of the Antarctic'. As we watched the saddest scene when the bodies of Scott and his men were being dug out of the snow, the mood suddenly altered when something went wrong with the projector and it began playing at triple speed.

KS under various headings

Chapel/prayers

At morning prayers one day we juniors in the gallery looked down in amazement as one of the seniors below suddenly leapt to his feet and hopped about trying frantically to remove his trousers within the confines of a crowded pew. Apparently a wasp had gone up his trouser leg.

The Rev. EC Urwin preached for a good fifty minutes. At the end of the service Mr Sykes - Director of Music - played Bach's version of ‘Now Thank We All Our God’ for which, (the grapevine had it), he was reprimanded by the Headmaster.

In dormitory prayers one evening the boy doing the bible reading began,"Valerie, Valerie, I say unto you..."

Rugby

As we came off the field after a convincing Colts' win away at Bristol Grammar School, we were surprised to be greeted by Sean Greenhill, one of our wing forwards already showered and dressed. He explained that he had heard the referee say 'Drop out'… so he had.

I recall only one instance of a KS player being sent off. In a 1st XV away match one of the forwards, who shall remain nameless, leapt upon

an opponent's head in the line-out. Playing without his usual very thick glasses, he had mistaken a player's head for the ball.

Snow

A snowy spell was guaranteed in those days. Indeed, one year ’55 or ’56, no school matches were played at all, as Somerset remained covered in snow for the whole Easter Term.

An annual highlight was the snowball fight between Westwood and the rest of the school. What Westwood lacked in strength of throw was offset by their higher position throwing down onto Fonthill Road.

Sledging down the Westons was exciting to watch. Ian Lindsay, superlative scrum-half, was the sledging champion. Equipped with a Nimbus 2000 level sledge, he raced down the hill at startling speed, with a quick jink at the end to negotiate a ridiculously

small gap in the hedge at the bottom of the run to get into the next field. FGR Fisher, Head of English, Housemaster and Hockey Coach, tried to emulate him, but managed to break his wrist.

Food

One day the entire serving of the school's ginger sponge had to be binned. The blame was laid on WSC Kennett who occasionally helped in the kitchen. He had apparently been tasked with adding the ginger to the mix but had rather overdone it. Pounds for ounces perhaps?

One regular Friday lunch dish was known as s**t pie. This consisted of a large serving dish covered in delicious golden puff pastry beneath which could be identified the reheated leftovers from the previous four days' lunches.

Whole holidays

At Westwood tea after my very first whole holiday, Prefect BG Holland said that two boys had been seen smoking in Wells earlier in the day and ‘we know who they were!' They were to report to Mr Trump's study after tea. My friend and I went apprehensively up the stairs only to find ourselves at the end of a queue of ten.

On another whole holiday, pairs of KS boys across Somerset were stopped and questioned by police. Two youths had absconded from the approved school at Kingswood in Bristol that morning.

That's quite enough for now. With best wishes Martin Rupp

HOW FOSSILISED REMAINS OF SCHOOL DINNERS PAST, ENDED UP BEING FOUND DURING THE DINING HALL RENOVATIONS

Sometime in the early 2010's a rather gruesome and mysterious discovery was made under the lids of the ancient heating ducts that run the length of the dining hall. Towards the far end, closest to the High Table, the decaying and mummified remains of what used to be food was discovered; the last remains of the former school caterers.

This is the story of how that came to be

Our story begins in the deep and distant past, 1995 to be exact - almost 30 years ago (yes you read that right!).

In those days the school catering was provided by an outside company and was of their typical quality: i.e. over-cooked, under seasoned and repetitive. It was general practice for day students to bring in more appetising fare from home. Thus it was noticed that a significant number of junior girls were returning full –or nearly full – plates to the racks at the end of meals, as they were not able to escape the herding instincts of the duty staff and prefects that took lunchtime registration, and thus ending up in the queue for food regardless of whether they intended to eat it or not.

So it was decided by the Beaconsfield staff, headed by the redoubtable John 'Banger' Allison, that it was required for all girls to show an empty plate to the duty member of staff before being allowed to leave the Dining Hall.

Now I am sure you can see where this is leading, but if you know anything about the dining hall it might puzzle you as to how a group of mildly desperate 12-13 year olds could lift the enormous lids of the heating ducts without being confounded by the students sitting on them, or being noticed by staff! Well this is where the location matters, for at the terminus of the ducts there are short lengths of lid that are separate from the whole, and thus can be lifted surreptitiously by pretty much anyone. (Attempting this now is fruitless as the lids have been nailed shut!)

So for a period of about a term, and periodically over the years that followed, certain elements of the female population of the school would arrange to sit at the far end of the dining hall, and whomever sat at the end of the table would receive the plates of any student who either couldn't, wouldn't, or didn't need to eat the day's offering of nominally nutritious and cheaply provided food. Perhaps worse than the story detailed above, was the discovery at a 10-year-reunion that the grossly mummified remains were still there!

From an Old Kingswoodian who wants to remain anonymous!

MEMORIES FROM ROB ENTICOTT

(KS 1983-90)

Iwas a nine-year old boy when my parents first mentioned Kingswood School, Bath.

My father was a Methodist minister, then in circuit in Wells; my mother had recently returned to supply teaching as my younger sister and I were both at school. Bath was the nearest “big City,” and we would occasionally be lucky enough to visit and - as imprinted on my young memory – enjoy the delicious Knickerbocker Glory at a restaurant near M&S. While I knew the concept of life at a boarding school from various novels, short stories and comic books, I never had any expectation that I would experience it for myself and no relatives that had blazed that path for me.

I understood the serious nature of the entrance exams that I would sit but had no idea about the financial

implications. It was only much later that I learned the full extent of the personal sacrifice my parents (and sister) had made, as well as the significance of the financial support provided. That support was provided by the Methodist Independent Schools Trust and a member, Miss Carlin, of the congregation in Sunderland (where my father was first in circuit and where I was born) as well as through academic scholarships.

For me, life at Kingswood created many very happy memories about times with my fellow pupils – including other children of the manse - and with teaching staff who created a warm and nurturing environment. My horizons expanded as I met and developed strong friendships with others from far flung towns, cities and countries creating in me a lasting desire to explore the world and an openness to different cultures and ideas. I was also fortunate to thrive academically (with the notable exception of my

French language skills) and more importantly, enhance my appreciation for community, meritocracy, and diversity of experience, all wrapped in a strong Methodist ethos. The skills and experiences stood me in good stead. First in creating the foundation for my wonderful time at Nottingham University (199194), then in enabling me to build a successful career with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, initially in Bristol and for the last 25 years in the US (Washington DC, New York, Charlotte, New Jersey and back to New York).

While I sometimes like to think these successes are my own doing, the reality is that my time at Kingswood changed the trajectory of my life and opened so many doors that would never have otherwise been in front of me. I am eternally grateful to those who enabled me to have the extraordinary privilege of such an exceptional education and hope I can do my small part to help others experience this too.

KS 1ST XI 1989

L-R: Back row: R Enticott, J Dyson, M Langstaff, C Earp, C Francis, T Gibbs, R Fewster Front row: N Job, G Williams, G Wallace-Stock, D Smith, B Eadie (scorer)

MEMORIES OF SIMON LUCAS (KS

Old friends of more than 50 years standing gathered for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Simon Lucas (KS 1970-76). The service took place on Thursday 18 May

1983-90)

2023 at St. Andrew's Church in Backwell and was conducted by Reverend Dr. Katy Garner, a former Kingswood parent.

The eulogy was given by

“A SCHOOL SET APART”, WRITTEN BY GARY BEST

(Kingswood Headmaster 1987 to 2008)

£15

(£20 inc P&P)

Pre-order your copy of Gary Best's latest book

A journey through time, tracing the legacy of Kingswood School and its Alumni from 1748 to 2023, as we commemorate 275 years of excellence in education.

HOW TO ORDER

A journey through time, tracing the legacy of Kingswood School and its Alumni from 1748 to 2023, as we commemorate 275 years of excellence in education

How to order

Click on the QR Code to order and pay for your book, choosing the 'Association' payment type

If you have opted for posting then please add your address in the payment description box

Scan the QR Code to order and pay for your book, choosing the ‘Association’ payment type. If you have opted for posting then please add your address in the payment description box.

Jeremy Wimpress (KS 1969-76, Chairman of the Kingswood Association 2009-13).

Simon's obituary is on page 67.

£15

(£20 inc P&P)

VISITORS TO

5.

KINGSWOOD

1 Mark Vernon (KS 1968-72) and family

2. Pam Grigsby, née Calder (KS 1991-96) and Zoe Strike (KS 1989-94)

3 Mark Ward (KS 1959-69) and Christopher Ward (KS 1955-64)

4 Cherry Tsang (KS 1992-95)

5. Adrian Matthews

6. Chun Hei Yeung

7 Fiona Li, left in 2010

8 Justin Folland (KS 1983-88)

9. Amy Greene (KS 1997-2012)

10 Jack Durling (KS 1998-2005) and family

James and Robert House visited on 22 June. One lives in New Zealand, the other in China.

Robert House (KS 2002-09) and James House (KS 2002-07) pictured with Pete MacDonald, Andrew Gordon-Brown and Craig Woodgate.

The Archives

The joys of being a school archivist were realised one Autumn afternoon whilst I was looking through a box of unsorted miscellaneous archive and I came across this little gem… an unassuming black notebook entitled, “Schools and Scholars” … little did I know the treasures inside its worn covers.

The notebook contained a history of its owner’s education: Samuel Jackson Wray. He attended Woodhouse Grove School (a sister school to Kingswood, situated near Leeds) from 1871 to 1875 and Kingswood in Bath for two years between 1875 and 1877.

In 1875 I went to Kingswood (Bath); still an idle ne’ver-do-well.

A boy’s will is the winds’ will and the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts. Longfellow.

There are many pages of “doodles,” notes and poems about various institutions. He wrote fondly about Kingswood in this poem, kindly transcribed by Rachel Bedding (KS Development and Alumni Assistant, 2023-2024).

Transcription:

The sunlight laughs upon its walls this glorious summer morn

And on the worn broad geranium beds that blaze around the lawn, There the laburnums droop with gold and fragrant is the May And from the lilacs thrushes sing throughout the joyous day.

The breezes free from Lansdown wold all soft and balmy come, And lazily there mounts to it the City’s drowsy hum, But now, unfettered for a time by kind restraint and rule, Its scores of bright and laughing lads have passed from Kingswood School.

The dear old school is far away from where I sojourn now But well do I remember it upon the steep hills brow; All round it bloom in red and white the leafy chestnut trees And odours from a thousand flowers are borne upon the breeze.

Portrait of Thomas George Osborn M. A. (Headmaster 1866-1885)

Portrait of The Rev. John Holt Lord (Governor 1873-1885)

I see again with fancy’s ken the old familiar place

The swallows wheeling through the air in neverending chase, The blazoned windows open flung to catch the breezes cool, Thin crimson gales and scarlet in the Hall of Kingswood School.

Some years have flown since I was there among The Kingswood Boys, A sharer in their fleeting griefs and in their careless joys, But still my memory bears me back and once again I see The old place rise amid the trees that once was home to me.

I see again the Governor’s kind face and snowy hair, And him who ruled us in the School, so wise and watchful there,

So skilled to cheer the plodding lad when foolish ones called “fool” –Ah! Men are not so kind outside the walls of Kingswood School. Still seasons wax and slowly wane while round those strong grey walls

The chestnuts glow with green until their Autumn foliage falls; And every year some lads go forth, the blessed of countless prayers

To take their part in demon(?) strife than any that was theirs.

Oh, Kingswood lads! Full(?) many pray that ye prove fine and true,

Our church with fondly watchful eyes beholdeth all you do,

Be wise and prayerful all. The year from Yule to following Yule. So will you please both God and men and honour Kingswood School.

June 1879

There are some great illustrations recording schoolboy anecdotes within the notebook. Here are a couple of examples:

A “deed of dining do.” Five of us sounded the gong by the dining hall one night at ten o’clock before the masters and prefects had retired. We went down stairs and through the long corridors one after the other and I was last.

We often had an explosion in the chemistry room.

Sadly, The Kingswood Magazine in September 1883, records his untimely death.

If you have any archive items relating to your time at school (documents, letters, photographs etc.) you no longer want, I would love to re-home them in the archive here at Kingswood. Many thanks in advance.

Zoë Parsons (School Archivist)

NEWS

John Higginbotham (KS 1954-63)

As I am nearing 80 years old, I am still fit thankfully, and manage to walk up to 8,000 steps daily, when it is sunny, but today, in the rain, only 3000.

Ihave the great pleasure of a large garden, and Toby the cocker spaniel loves to chase balls from a thrower which he fetches, and I throw them back from the bottom of the garden, repeated dozens of time...

Proper walks across the fields and lanes are just across the road from our house which is on the eastern edge of Lichfield.

Thankfully, I still have two of my male children and grandchildren living with me, and my daughter and her partner live nearby.

My elder son Douglas has lived in New York for decades and is a freelance TV cameraman working

for Bloomberg and several agencies – Trump and the President keep him busy too.

Enough said, I owe it all to Kingswood, followed by Chemistry Studies at Birmingham University, both BSc and PhD, 1966-69, then on to NYU Medical Centre in New York for two years Post Doc (1970-72) and finally back to the University of Bath for a year.

Since then, I worked for Tate & Lyle, who sent me around the world to find a new sweet plant extract to partially replace sucrose and its carcinogenicity.

I did eventually discover a very intense sweet extract (2000 times sweeter than

sucrose!) from a tropical plant in Ghana which is a protein, thus no tooth decay problems.

From then, various Institutes in Ghana for its agronomy, safety tests in many countries, FDA etc, giving lectures on its properties, obtaining safety tests approval around the world. I spent six weeks giving lectures to companies in Japan, as they developed many applications for drinks and Japanese food.

Then amazingly, the Japanese food company, San-Ei, requested to buy and patent the whole business! I have a magnificent rosewood bowl, engraved in gold and a beautiful framed picture of pressed Japanese flowers and an engraved company logo attached at the base. It’s dated ‘8th September 1986’

I retired eventually from Tate & Lyle in 2015, but I am still involved at Wade Street Church in Lichfield, after 50 years of teaching Junior Church age children.

‘Nuff said!

Very best wishes, John

MEMORIES FROM THE RYDERS

SARAH

RYDER (KS 2004-08) & ISABELLA WATSON (KS 2001-08)

Thank you so much to everyone who attended our wedding at Kingswood on 17 February 2024 and made it such a wonderful event.

Kingswood was a hugely significant place for both of us. It was, of course the place we met in 2008, but it was so meaningful to us because not only did we receive an excellent education, but we felt genuinely cared for by the staff. We were thrilled to be able to share the day with many of our previous teachers, and hopefully let them know what a hugely positive impact they had on us then and now.

The day itself was perfect. As you're all aware, Kingswood's grounds are stunning, and the catering

was phenomenal (even though they were sceptical when we said that we absolutely were serious that we wanted Australian crunch as our dessert). We both felt so lucky to be getting married in the place we both consider to be our home. Most gay people in this country (let alone in the rest of the world) cannot get married in their place of worship. We will be forever grateful to Reverend Katy, the Board of Governors, the staff, and all the other people who made it possible for us to have the first samesex wedding in Kingswood Chapel.

We will also be forever grateful to our wonderful friends for supporting us, always being there for us, but mainly for their ability to belt out Shine Jesus Shine.

THE KINGSWOOD GYM RENOVATION

Since the Athletic Development programme started in 2015, it has flourished in popularity. After mastering fundamental movement skills within the physical literacy block of the Core PE curriculum, many pupils chose to continue their journey into other forms of health-related fitness.

Over the past nine years, the gym club has become one of the most popular co-curricular clubs at Kingswood. Although great effort was put in to maximising the efficiency of the existing space, pupil interest far exceeded the capacity.

This barrier to growing and diversifying the offering required an innovative solution. Over the years there were numerous proposals and iterations for the redevelopment of the gym, and the final plan has allowed us to double our capacity and offer a greatly enhanced training facility. With contractors, SBS Design & Build, helping with some initial structural work, the remainder of the project was completed by our skilful in-house estates team. It was fantastic to work closely with this team as we shaped the new facility through smart design and problem solving. This relationship allowed us to facilitate the continuation of the co-curricular gym club throughout the build, even if it was a little dusty!

With the bulk of the building nearing completion, we needed to ensure that the space was equipped to an appropriate level. I took a proposal to the Friends of Kingswood (FoK) asking for their support in equipping this sought-after co-curricular space. One of the intended outcomes of this project was to grow and diversify pupil participation. This was something the FoK were pleased to support, and

they graciously granted us the funding. What followed was an exciting few months as the project neared completion, and I was able to recruit the support of a number of pupils to assist me in installing the new equipment.

The end result has been wholly transformative! The innovative design has opened the space and increased the training affordances, tenfold. The pupils have been incredibly grateful and complimentary of the new space and equipment, and it has become a magnet in attracting new pupils to the environment. Our offering has diversified, using the new facility for Core PE and ‘girlsonly’ sessions alongside the open gym club.

Since the beginning of the co-curricular gym club, the primary focus has been on building a positive and supportive health & fitness culture. Whether pupils are using the facility to improve their sports performance,

or to challenge themselves physically and mentally, there is a unifying mission statement which is printed on the walls in the new facility: ‘Be better people who inspire others’. Health and fitness is a personal quest, but what we have shown is that by pursuing this within a shared and supportive fitness community, the entire journey becomes more enjoyable. I am really proud that we finally have a facility which compliments the positivity, passion, and energy of the Kingswood health & fitness community.

Finally, this project was funded by a very generous former pupil, through The Tazaki Foundation, without whose donation it would not have been possible. Our heartfelt thanks for this act of kindness which is having such a positive impact on our pupils.

Digby Webb (Athletic Development Coordinator)

MEMORIES FROM CHRIS HUXTABLE (KS 1976-83)

The photo is of me and Andrew Turner (both of us being former members of Hall Houseleavers in 1983 and 1985 I think) at a dinner in the City of London - where we had a chance meeting (after 41 years!) and happened to be sat next to each other. We had a very enjoyable evening catchingup on the intervening years. After a very successful career I understand that Andrew retired from the RAF a couple of years ago and is now working with various companies in the private equity sector.

For your information, The Company of Pikemen and Musketeers, HAC are the Lord Mayor of London’s Royally Warranted ceremonial bodyguard. It is a veterans sub-unit of the Honourable Artillery Company (the oldest regiment in the British Army (which was granted it Royal Charter by King Henry VIII in 1537) and members of the P&M have to have served in the Active Unit of the HAC.

MEMORIES FROM DR KENNETH CHUNG (KS 1982-86)

Dr Kenneth Chung returned to Kingswood from his home in Hong Kong for a tour and to meet with Andrew Gordon-Brown. ‘It’s lovely to be back and being reminded what I was singing 40 years ago in the KS choir.’

He had lunch with a group of students who are interested in studying medicine and answered all their questions. He then travelled to London to be made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, which is a wonderful recognition of his many years of selfless service. He was seated on the ‘Top Table’ with other distinguished fellows and guests.

Ensign, Clerk & Adjutant Christopher Huxtable of The Company of Pikemen and Musketeers, HAC and Air Marshall Andrew Turner CB CBE CCMI at the Honourable Artillery Company Mess Club Civic Dinner where the principal guests were

The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor Alderman Michael Mainelli and The Rt Hon James Cleverly TD VR MP.

OBITUARIES

ADRIAN MARK AYLOTT (KS 1949-56)

Adrian died in Canberra at the age of 86. He leaves behind, his wife, Jenny, three children, Nerida, Sarah and Simon and five grand-children.

Adrian, as his brother Roger (KS 1949-55), were sons of a Methodist missionary family in China during the 30’s and the 40’s. The families, Aylott, Stediford, Tomlinson and Hooper as missionaries working in China during this period all had sons schooled at Kingswood.

Adrian and I were both born in the same Chinese village in the last months of 1937 towards the end of the Chino-Japanese war. We met again at KS in the 50’s, he was in “Upper” house. We had planned to go together to the 1964 Olympic games in Tokyo, but he left in 1963, alone, on a world tour that took him through India and into the Far East, (his parents

were then missionaries in Sarawak and you can imagine their joy when he arrived unannounced!).

He took a degree with the London Business School.

A man of many talents. He enjoyed reading serious literature, historical novels and biographies. For many years until his retirement, he worked with the Australian government as the National energy advisor. One of his first jobs was in New Zealand to read the evening news on television, here he met his wife, Jenny. The family moved with him on several long assignments, with the Eastern Development Bank to the Philippines, with the OCDE for a few years in Paris.

The sea was an important part of his life, he once said to me, with characteristic modesty, that an inscription on his tombstone might be “he was an able-bodied seaman!” National service in the navy, sailing the Norfolk broads, sailing in the Solent, crewing to travel the world, a job in ocean research, another in Sydney bay harbour management, his rowing-boat in NZ’s Parora bay, were amongst the many things he enjoyed.

Alas, during the last 4 years, Covid and a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease has prevented him from travelling to NZ’s north island where his

wife has a family home on a beach of rare beauty. He never complained.

This has been written by his good friend Tony Hooper KS The photo was taken in 2020, Tony on the left and Adrian with a beard on the right.

DR MARK FRAZER BIGGIN (KS 1945-54)

Mark Frazer Biggin, died August 14, 2023 aged 88. Born in Leeds May 18, 1935 son of a Methodist Minister Reverend Harry Biggin and wife Ivy Biggin, brother Mervyn Biggin. He leaves behind his wife Shirley Biggin and children Andrew, Alison, Helen and their respective families.

He attended Prior’s Court 1945-1948 and Kingswood School 1948-1954. Following Kingswood School he completed his MD at Guys

Hospital in London becoming a General Practitioner practicing in Burton-on-Trent, Sark in the Channel Islands and completing most of his medical career as Senior Partner at the Market Harborough Medical Centre, Leicestershire. After retirement from the Market Harborough Medical Centre he served as Ship’s Medical Doctor for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.

From his son, Andrew Biggin (KS 1972-79)

(KS 1968-75)

both in the UK and abroad before the family settled in Pembrokeshire.

Robert joined KS on the same day as me, on 8th September 1968. We were both in the Third Form and became firm friends from day one. After we progressed on from Westwood, Robert joined Middle House and left KS after the end of the Upper Sixth. Robert was a popular member of the School and had a wry sense of humour that never left him.

After Kingswood, Robert studied Town and Country Planning at Heriot Watt in Edinburgh. I remember him telling me that as part of a first-year project, he presented plans to site a safari park in the middle of a rough part of the city. Whilst researching this idea he met the local postman who said “Ye canna put lions in here, the locals would eat them!”

During his time at university Robert and I spent two successive summers seeing the world by “interrailing” around Europe and Scandinavia. We even bumped into someone from Kingswood in the middle of Amsterdam.

After leaving university Robert studied Business Management for a while in London. Once he recovered from a period of ill health, Robert joined Hart District Council, in Hampshire, as a Town Planner. He subsequently moved to Nottingham to take up a town planning position in the city.

years. Despite its debilitating effects Robert never complained much and as a man of strong Christian belief continued to take solace from his faith right until the end.

Robert died in Nottingham on 1 June 2023.

Written by his good friend George Batho (KS 1968-74)

REV. DONALD EADIE

(KS 1945-54)

You may have heard of the sad death of Donald Eadie (Rev. Donald, that is) after many years of disabling pain in his collapsing spine.

At the funeral wake John Cox revealed that he had known Donald since Prior’s Court days, stretching back maybe to 1950 or earlier! It is now 70 years since I arrived at KS, where Donald was already well established. I really didn’t get to know him until the fabulous last year 1957 to 1958. John Cox was Senior Prefect/Head Boy the following year (A B Sackett’s last).

Robert Douglas, 1957-2023, was born in London and as part of a military family he moved home several times

Sadly, in 2013 Robert was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease which steadily progressed over the next ten

Donald has been a beacon of pastoral light and warmth in his last years (actually over 20), especially for those like himself who have been in pain or in unremitting illness. His books “Grain in Winter” and (much less catchily) “Into the Foothills of Transformation” are extraordinary commentaries on his life-journeys. Both published by Wild Goose, the Iona community publishers.

Peter Gornall (KS 1953-58)

ROBERT DOUGLAS

Alexander John Martin Frank was born on 24 February 1939 at his parents’ home in Cuckfield, Sussex. His Father was a Chartered Accountant practicing in London and Lewes, and his mother was an organist and music teacher, who played the organ at the Methodist Church in Haywards Heath for more than 50 years.

A few months after he was born the Second World War started, and in the summer of 1940 it became evident that mid Sussex might become a battleground. Alec and his mother and brother evacuated to Braemar, far from any likely battles. After a few months the likelihood of invasion receded, and the family returned home.

Alec was sent to a local Preparatory School, where, by his own admission, he was not a great success. The words ‘conflict with authority’ often appeared in his reports. When he was 13, Alec went to Kingswood. It was reported that the Headmaster, A B Sackett said the he had never refused a brother. (This was before that time of girls at Kingswood.)

Alec did well at Kingswood. One of his friends was John Sutherland, (KS 1953-59) whose Father was a GP in Bath, and this set Alec’s mind working. In 1958 Alec left Kingswood, and enrolled at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, in London, and in due course graduated MB, BS. House jobs followed, in Winchester, and at Southlands Hospital, Shoreham by Sea.

In May 1963 Alec made what was probably the best decision in his life, when he married Anne Elizabeth Marr, (Lizzie) who was working for the LCC and later, trained to be a teacher, and taught at a school in Worthing. In due course Jim, Suzie and Richard joined the family.

When he was completing his house jobs, the opportunity of a junior partnership in the medical practice in Steyning a small downland town, near Shoreham by Sea, came up, and Alec started in practice with an older GP, who retired in due course, and Alec was the senior partner of the medical practice in Steyning. At about this time Alec was instrumental in overseeing the building of a new medical centre in Steyning.

Alec was a happy, sociable man with a wide circle of friends. He enjoyed travelling all over the world and was lucky enough to be a doctor on board cruises for many years enabling him and Lizzie to travel all over the med and further afield. He loved singing in choirs, attending the opera at Glyndebourne and entertaining people at home. He was a very supportive father and was involved in his children’s lives taking them camping

and on canal holidays. He enjoyed wine and dining out and would host family and friends as they meant everything to him, creating memories for all. He maintained friendships over many years, and at a social event he hosted recently, Christopher Treves Brown (KS 1951-57) and the widow of a pre Kingswood School friend were there.

He continued to practice until about 1997, when he and Lizzie retired and moved to Lewes.

Alec loved his time at Kingswood, and often returned to Bath to visit, also visiting Michael Bishop, (KS 1937-45, Staff 1950-87, School Archivist 1987-2000, Chairman of the Kingswood Association 1993-95).

During the last years of his working life, and for many years into his retirement, Alec worked, doing medical examinations with Helen Bamber’s Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, a job that he found very demanding, and very fulfilling. He was helping people who desperately needed help, in creating reports for the charity in its early stages.

In 2019 Lizzie, who had developed dementia, went to a home where she could receive more care than Alec could give, and the light went out in Alec’s life. Later Alec was diagnosed with cancer but continued to live as full a life as he could, seeing family and friends, latterly with the help of 24 hour care.

He died on 30 November 2023, at home, which is where he wanted to be.

ALEC FRANK (KS 1952-58)

JAMES ROBERT HUTCHESON (KS 1980-88)

Always smiling – an obituary for James Robert Hutcheson Born 23 June 1970. Died 25 May 2022.

It is hard to know where to start with an obituary, when it’s a life gone far too soon. Words never feel like they will be adequate to describe the loss felt by so many - of a son, brother, father, partner and friend.

James was always a very affable and happy-go-lucky chap at school and was known during his time there as ‘Hutch’ or ‘Hutchy’. After leaving school, he went on to work for the British Transport Police as an officer there for 28 years. His nickname morphed to ‘Jim’ during this time, and as well as being married to Sarah he was the proud father of two delightful boys, Tom and Cameron. As the boys were growing up he developed (and nurtured) a love of running and cycling. This culminated in him combining them with swimming; and he went on to complete multiple Iron Man triathlons (I guess all those sports afternoons on the Upper, with the “Siberian winds” blowing across, must have

laid the early foundations for these amazing sporting endeavours).

As an adult he continued to be a bit of a joker, and always loved sharing a good meme or cartoon (often on the irreverent side; but always hitting the spot for cheering others up!). He was such a sweet, kind and caring man, who was devoted to his sons, but also would always find time to look after and support friends when they needed a chat or a bit of a laugh with silly, cheeky messages and videos.

We are all so much the lesser with him now being gone. His infectious and constant smile, along with the little glint in his eye of potential upcoming mischief, will never be forgotten by those who were lucky enough to have known him.

There was a beautiful celebration of his life at West Wiltshire Crematorium,

Semington on 4 July 2022, followed by refreshments at Chippenham Rugby Club. It is testament to how much he was held in high regard from family and friends across the years (and all aspects of his life), in just how many came along to remember him that day. A man totally respected, and truly loved by all he knew.

To conclude we would like to share some of the words that Phil said after this celebration of his life – “No matter how different we are, and how different our life paths have taken us, we are part of a unique (and possibly slightly dysfunctional!) KS family of ’88, that will always look out for, and be there for one another like we were for James, either in person or in spirit.”

Mark Pillinger (Middle House, KS 1981-88), Phil Gasper (Middle House, KS 1981-88), Lara Kingsman née Sampson (School House, 1986-88) and Jonathan Davies (Hall House, 1981-88).

EDWARD MICHAEL JAKINS (KS

1957-64)

Mike was born in 1946, an only child. As his parents were college lecturers and

moved frequently, he was sent to Kingswood Prep School – Prior's Court in Chievely. He loved the family atmosphere and friendships. The houses were named after characters from Wind in the Willows and he was proud to be a Toad!

He then went to Kingswood in Bath into School House. He threw himself into school life and showed the most enthusiasm for practical subjects and extra curricular activities. He was chapel choir secretary, learned the clarinet and belonged to a few clubs. Many stories were told about his lighting, sound and special effects for school plays. His woodwork skills have been so useful. He never made life easy for himself and decided to make a standard lamp as a present for his parents. He carried this on three trains across country to his home in Kent. It now has pride of place in our lounge. He found it hard to live up to his parents’ expectations and they were particularly dismayed when he was gated on the last day’s holiday for his involvement in putting a Royal School dress on a statue of John Wesley.

On leaving school Mike spent some time in finance then went to the Methodist teacher training college Southlands in Wimbledon. He found that teaching was not for him but said it was a very worthwhile experience as he met his future wife (of 51 years) Celia. He went into management accountancy and worked for some large firms in London. After the marriage we moved to Worcester Park in Surrey where Mike was a Local Preacher in the Wimbledon circuit. Mike

and Celia belonged to an ecumenical music and drama group called Reflection which promoted modern worship through conferences, shows and visiting churches.

Mike joined Kingswood School Lodge, which meets four times a year in London, in the early seventies and became one of their youngest Masters. It amused him when at one time he was senior to his old headmaster! He then joined a number of different types of Masonic Lodge. Mike was an officer in the Boys’ Brigade for over 50 years and never actually gave up. One of his longest spells was with the 10th Sutton company in Worcester Park. Among other things he trained boys for expedition work for the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. He was an active member of the Boys’ Brigade Mountaineering Club and climbed to the summit of Mont Blanc in his fortieth year. The family moved to Midsomer Norton in 1988 as many large firms were moving out of London. For the last 20+ years his BB company has been the 2nd Bath at Weston Moravian Church. In addition to expedition work he added rock climbing as an activity.

In recent years he has developed Kayaking in the company. He obtained funding to train other officers and organised a specially built Kayak trailer. His vision was a National Boys’ Brigade Centre for rowing and kayaking and was part of a team which is still trying to make this happen on The Thames.

Mike has been an active member of the Liberal Party since the seventies – being

an agent for the Kingston parliamentary candidate in the 74 election. He was proud of the fact that the agents in two of the neighbouring boroughs were also KS Old Boys. In our home area he has recently stood as a candidate in local elections and was volunteering with the party only days before he died.

One of his many enthusiasms was Amateur Radio – call sign G8HKP. He belonged to RAYNET the emergency radio network and the local radio club. Apart from training to work in disasters he was on duty many times with Bath Half Marathon. Even when he could hardly stand he offered his services sitting down! He also went on training days for the Avon and Somerset Faith Communities emergency response team. They were formed to provide comfort and spiritual help in major emergencies.

For over 30 years Mike and Celia have run a part-time sound hire business. Mike was a qualified sound engineer and a member of a number of professional bodies. He did at least concede the fact that for the last couple of years he was not fit to grovel in the mud in the early hours setting up events.

For relaxation he joined choirs to sing choral music. The idea was that it was something he could just turn up for, enjoy and not organise anything. This did not prove to be quite the case. He built staging for performances and rigged lights when needed!

This is just scratching the surface of his interests –photography being one of

them. He was very proud of our daughter Liz and his grandsons Thomas and Sam. Their support was much needed. For the last three years Mike had to cope with kidney dialysis, prostate with bone cancer, a heart attack and finally terminal skin cancer. Despite this, his death was a shock. He had managed to escape Covid but was taken by pneumonia. Described by many as a character, he will not easily be forgotten. He has a tree planted in his memory near to the School Chapel.

Written by his wife Celia

HARRY RODERICK KEDWARD (KS 1948-56)

Through his books Resistance in Vichy France (1978), In Search of the Maquis (1993) and The French Resistance and its Legacy (2022), the historian Rod Kedward, who has died aged 86, transformed understanding of rural France under Nazi occupation during the second world war. His general history, La Vie en Bleu: France and the French Since 1900 (2005), also attracted a wide readership and the conferences he organised in 1984 and 1994 at

the University of Sussex on Resistance and Liberation in France turbo-charged the field.

Kedward’s interest in “history from below” – as experienced by ordinary individuals rather than governments or leaders – prompted his decision in the 1970s to work on the grassroots of resistance and conduct interviews with witnesses. It was a bold move. French colleagues warned of the possibility of fabrication and fantasy. Nonetheless he was determined to talk to witnesses from the time.

This was not just to allow them to have their own voice, which he ensured by incorporating passages from interviews into his books, but also to use oral history to inform his approach to the archival evidence.

Previous historians of the period had tended to focus on urban resistance and to assume that rural areas adhered to the regime of the collaborationist Vichy government of Philippe Pétain and supported Pétainist policies that valued farming and a return to agriculture. Kedward’s work showed that there was good evidence of a resistance culture in the countryside.

Drawing on “carnival” theory from anthropology (which examines how established order can be turned upside down) – Kedward showed how the maquis (the bands of rural resisters) subverted the Vichy rule of law in the name of higher justice, to create an “outlaw culture”.

In The French Resistance and Its Legacy, for instance, he relates a “test” in

resistance technique that he had to undergo in 1972 before being allowed to interview the resister Louis de la Bardonnie: “He made me steal a notice from the outside wall of a local police station before he would agree to talk, and then he made me put it back.”

Oral histories revealed a wide variety of motivations and levels of engagement in resistance depending on the resister’s location, culture and individual experience. Kedward’s research on southern France drew attention to tradition and folklore as sources of inspiration. Resisters in the Cévennes, for instance, linked their commitment to the 18th-century Camisard revolt against Louis XIV’s repression of Protestants, while in the neighbouring department of the Aude, they were motivated by the Catharheretics of the Middle Ages.

Kedward also highlighted how women used traditional gender roles to disguise their resistance activities. Their ruse to distribute clandestine publications or transport weapons in shopping bags and children’s prams was so effective that they escaped notice both at the time and by historians subsequently. Observations of women’s behaviour in interview led Kedward to discover how “the women at the doorway” had acted to distract and mislead, covering for a husband or accomplice.

Born in Hawkhurst, Kent, Rod was the younger son of the Rev. Neville Kedward, a Methodist minister, and Nancy (nee Judge), a drama teacher. He was educated

at Kingswood School in Bath, and studied history at Worcester College, Oxford. As a postgraduate student at St Antony’s College, he moved into French history and France became his preferred destination for holidays and sabbaticals. His love of France, its people and its provincial richness marks all his work.

In 1962, the historian Asa Briggs, vice-chancellor of the University of Sussex, invited Kedward to join what was the first of the new universities as lecturer in history. He thrived on the excitement of this new, “plate-glass” interdisciplinary university just outside Brighton, which caught the momentum of the 60s. He frequently borrowed models from anthropology, sociology, literary and film studies in his research and his writing illuminates how history can benefit from this cross-fertilisation of disciplines. He remained at Sussex, promoted in 1991 to professor of history, until his retirement in 2002.

Generous with his time, Kedward offered encouragement to generations of scholars. He was a charismatic and engaging speaker, whose students would applaud his lectures. Colleagues and former students became firm friends.

An active Labour party member with anarchist sympathies, Kedward campaigned against repression of all kinds. In the early 70s, he wrote for the alternative newspaper Brighton Voice, about issues including squatting, antiracism, individual rights and tenants’ protests. In 1973-74, he participated in the Larzac

farmers’ battle against the extension of a military base in south-west France and supported the movement to recognise the Occitan language of southern France and its border region.

Unusually for a British historian of France, Kedward’s work was translated and admired by the French. In 1994, In Search of the Maquis was awarded the Philippe Viannay prize for an outstanding contribution to the history of resistance and, in 2011, he was made a commandeur dans l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques for services to French culture.

In 2014, Kedward realised his ambition to link the French resistance to other resistance organisations, such as the civil rights movement, the anti-apartheid movement and dissidence in communist eastern Europe, with the creation of the Archive of Resistance Testimony at Sussex University. This has taken on a particular relevance since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Kedward was also prominent in the Secret World War Two Learning Network, which commemorates British heroes of the Special Operations Executive.

Family was central to Kedward’s life. In 1965, he married Carol Wimbleton, who survives him, along with their children, Josh and Jess, and grandchildren, Isabella, Niamh, Lucien and Rufus.

Harry Roderick Kedward, historian, born 26 March 1937; died 29 April 2023.

This Obituary appeared in The Guardian in May 2023

PHILIP ROBERT RODRICK KEDWARD (KS 1948-53) LOWER HOUSE

Philip Kedward was a pupil at Prior’s Court, Westwood and finally at the Lower House at the main school during the Sackett era. It was during this period that the school achieved a high set of university scholarships and excellence on the sporting field with pupils that made the Oxford University and the Royal Air Force sides in rugby union – an achievement that, to this day, has yet to be repeated.

Being a keen ornithologist, he was watching a pair of owls one evening on the Westerns (he should have been doing his prep) when a man approached him and tried to grab hold of his coat. He fled and returned to school to raise the alarm. It was only realised later that the man was John Straffon, a murderer on the run from the police! He was later thanked by the Chief Superintendent of the Bath Constabulary for pinpointing the whereabouts of Straffon at the time. Unfortunately, the House Master didn’t see him as an ‘unsung hero’, and he was given six of the best for being out of bounds and missing prep!

On leaving school, he did his National Service in the Royal Navy, during which he was in the United Services Rugby union side. He became a member of the Stock Exchange in 1963 and played in their rugby side.

He was a keen lover of antique silver and Irish paintings and, with the huge changes taking place at the stock exchange with the arrival of computers and the ‘Big Bang’, he decided on a career move into fine arts. He opened a fine arts business, the City Antique Company, at the end of the 1960s at Angel Court off Throgmorton Street in the City of London. Specialising in the 18th century English silver and English and Irish portrait miniatures, he ran it successfully for several years, before moving up to Worcestershire where he joined the Grants of Worcester as their auctioneer and later Bonhams in the 1990s. It was during his time with the Grants that he found a previously unknown work by the Irish artist Paul Henry (1876-1958). It was auctioned at grants and received a world record at their sale in the late 1980s. He also found a rare straw hat in a fitted lacquer case, which was traditionally thought to have belonged to Queen Elizabeth I. Writing for the Daily Mail, his weekly column in their Financial Section helped readers to collect in the everchanging antique market.

(KS 1960-65)

Richard was a renowned art historian and impressionist movement expert, specialising in the works of French painter Edgar Degas. He curated exhibits at major museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and the Tate Modern in London.

He was the author of many books with his wife Jill De Vonyar, a fellow art historian.

The 75 year old, who had Alzheimer’s disease was found dead by police in the woods of an upstate New York park five days after he was reported missing.

IAN MAXWELL LECK

(KS 1941-49)

My dad, otherwise known as Ian Maxwell Leck, was born in Coventry on Valentine’s Day in 1931. His own dad, Arthur Simpson Leck, was a Methodist minister and his mum Margaret Mortimer

Leck (née Jagger) was an equally active member of the church family.

Dad attended Kingswood School between 1941 and 1949, although he and the rest of his cohort were evacuated to Uppingham School in Rutland for some of this time as a result of the Second World War. We still have a book that was awarded to him by the School Governors for ‘Science Investigation’ in 1948 and his name is also recorded on a plaque in the Kingswood Dining Room as a result of his having received the Gabriel Prize for Science in 1949.

Dad entered the University of Birmingham Medical School in 1949 with an Open Scholarship and qualified in 1954 with distinction in social medicine. He began his working life as a houseman at Walsall Hospital, and this was also the year that he became a Methodist Local Preacher.

RICHARD JOHN KENDALL

He completed his National Service between 1955 and 1957, starting as a Lieutenant and then being promoted to a Captain in command of a Medical Reception Station at Chilwell near Nottingham.

It was while he was based at Chilwell that he was fortunate enough to meet our mum, Ann Patricia Sarson, at a Local Preachers’ conference where she and her twin sister Mary were helping out. This conference took place at Pembury in Kent and, in recognition of the importance of this key event in their lives, Pembury then became the name of all the houses that they ever lived in together.

Mum and dad got married in 1959, the year after mum had qualified as a teacher. Their first home together was in accommodation owned by Birmingham University as dad had started working there as a research fellow before then becoming a lecturer in their Department of Social Medicine. He obtained his PhD in 1961, with associated research having concerned malformations in children that were observed during their early years.

In 1966 Dad’s career as an academic epidemiologist took him to the UCL Medical

School in London where he worked as a senior lecturer. In 1971 he started working at Manchester University, first as a Reader and Honorary Medical Director before then becoming a Professor and Head of the Department of Community Medicine. He continued in these roles until his retirement in 1991.

Dad published widely throughout his professional career. His main interest remained in the causes of developmental abnormalities in children, ranging from the effects of drugs, including thalidomide, and the effects of infectious diseases, to maternal age and seasonal variation. He became a foundation fellow of the Faculty of Public Health in 1972, was awarded a DSc by Birmingham University in 1983 and became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1985 when distinguished fellows of faculties were so appointed.

Mum and dad’s final longdistance move was in 1992 following his retirement from full-time work and they then settled down in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Despite being technically in retirement, dad was awarded the title of emeritus professor and continued with some academic work as well as being secretary of the town and county Churches Together bodies.

All four of dad’s children were lucky enough to be sitting with mum to share his last sermon as a Local Preacher at Woodstock Methodist Church in 2022 and it was great to hear that he was still as eloquent as ever. Methodism was a core part of my dad and the man he was throughout his life, but he also had a deep interest in,

and respect for, all other faiths and everyone’s right to their own personal interpretation of God. It was love and acceptance rather than a specific doctrine that really lay at the heart of everything he did, said and believed.

Dad had an active life to say the least, and was fortunate enough to have visited an impressive total of 50 countries outside of the UK over his lifetime. His travels were sometimes in connection with his work and sometimes family holidays, but mostly they were adventures shared with my mum that were all about exploring and developing an appreciation of other cultures and lived experiences. He was a very special man and we could not have asked for more or better.

(KS STAFF 1973-92)

Jenny Lewis accompanied her husband Robin to KS in 1973, arriving with a tranche of eight new members of the teaching staff. She served Kingswood in supporting roles throughout her time, living in staff accommodation first in Summerhill House and then in North Lodge. Her roles gave her a unique insight into the KS ‘backroom workings’

JENNY LEWIS

during the ’70s and ’80s. She put this accumulated knowledge to good use.

Jenny’s initial post was in the old Matrons’ Sewing Room [adjacent to the glass passage]. She moved to the science laboratories, particularly Biology [she was a qualified Biology teacher] and became a Senior Housemaster’s wife, a particularly important yet somewhat hidden role, for School House when it accommodated boys. In her last few years at KS she took the role of Senior Matron, co-ordinating this often unseen work across all the boarding houses. Jenny and Robin’s daughter, Jo[anna] attended KS from 1990-92. She played the title role in the School’s first production of Oliver for which her mother masterminded the costumes, she made many of them, and arranged all the Green Room affairs.

A keen Christian and always active in the local church, Jenny wrote highly successful plays and especially pantomimes which delighted the audiences who packed the All Saints’ Centre in Weston, Bath, where they were performed.

Jenny died at peace in September 2023, two months after the diagnosis of a highly malignant brain tumour.

Robin & Jo Lewis, March 2024

SIMON LUCAS

(KS

1970-76)

On 18 May 2023 more than four hundred people attended the Thanksgiving Service that took place for Simon in Backwell, the place

that had become home and where his three children had grown up. This congregation of Simon’s family, friends, neighbours, colleagues and a number of his Kingswood contemporaries was a most fitting tribute to a man who had spread conviviality, friendship, wisdom and fun throughout his life.

Born in Bishopsworth on the 24 September 1957, Simon was the son of Mary and George and brother to Angela, Jolyon and, the then, soon to arrive Neil. His father was a General Practitioner and the family moved to live in the practice before transferring to Stoke Bishop.

Simon’s early education was at the XIV Preparatory School in Bristol, then moving to Kingswood where he started in September 1970. At School Simon soon became known for being an exceptionally gifted sportsman. He captained the first teams for both Rugby and Hockey. Although he was not captain of cricket he would still, many years later, remind me that he was in the First XI!

At Kingswood, as he was throughout his life, Simon was gregarious, kind and thoughtful. Thanks to his movie star good looks his popularity was only going in one direction when

Kingswood started the move to co-education in 1972.

In his final year Simon was made Head Prefect of his house, Middle. He was the obvious choice. His housemaster at the time, Tony Haines (KS Staff 19712012), remembers Simon well despite the passing decades. Tony recalls his Head Prefect as being a ‘strong character, not always easy, but he turned out well’. Tony also recalls that Simon was among those who were beneficiaries of Laurie Campbell’s (KS Headmaster 1970-87) exhortation to staff to ‘cherish our rebels’. Mr Haines’ comments reflect, I believe, Simon’s ability to take life on his own terms. This was a temperament that served him particularly well in the latter months of his life.

After Kingswood there was university and, of course, more sport, particularly his love of hockey. In the holidays our socialising steadily transferred to the bars and nightclubs of Bristol and Bath. With all the modesty of youth, Simon adopted Hot Chocolate’s ‘You Sexy Thing’ as his personal theme tune!

On graduation, he embarked on a career as an area manager for what was then called Courage Brewery. Some might say this was work that had a vocational element, but it was also an area in which his commercial expertise and considerable interpersonal skills were of great value. By the time of his retirement, he was a Divisional Director for Enterprise Inns.

Once he started work he very soon had his own place in Central Bristol and when his wife to be, Tracey, came

into his life it was as if she had always been there. They married in South Molton, Tracey’s hometown, and a move to Backwell followed. The arrival of their children; George, Rosie and Alice set them on the path to what were 35 years as husband and wife, loving parents, partners and best friends.

The Lucas home became a significant social hub for Backwell and beyond. A centre for family, friendship and fun. Many recall Simon disappearing to replenish drinks from the, seemingly endless, supply in the ‘fridge in the garage!

Simon and Tracey also had a profound effect on our lives, introducing Tracey’s best friend, Frances, and I. Back when we all went to South Molton for another wedding with, this time, Simon acting as best man.

Almost 20 years ago Simon suffered a near fatal heart attack. This could clearly have had a catastrophic impact on his young family. With hindsight, however, this dark cloud had something of a silver lining. It wasn’t long before Simon had opted to take early retirement and was free to concentrate on the important things in his life: Tracey, the children, his wider family and friends and…a little golf. Simon was immensely proud of Tracey in her career and extremely proud of her considerable achievements. He was also free to care, with great kindness, for his parents, particularly his mother, Mary, in her later years.

A lifelong Bristol City fan and a regular at Ashton Gate, Simon was once asked by a member of his medical team if he had

any allergies. ‘Only one’, came the reply, ‘Bristol Rovers!’.

Ten years ago, Simon and I started volunteering at Glastonbury Festival. This was a wonderful, enriching experience that we both thoroughly enjoyed and this enjoyment was enhanced, over the years, as were joined by our, by then, grown up children. Many wonderful moments were shared and, over that period, Simon and I spent weeks running into months living together in a tent. Never a cross word –although he did, slightly too often, like to remind me that I had dragged him halfway across the site to watch Yoko Ono!

Many words were used to describe Simon in the last months of his life: brave, courageous, strong spirited as well as my personal favourites, ‘good in a pub’. Simon was, without question, a man of numerous gifts. The greatest of these gifts was, I think, his friendship, for which I and many, many others will be eternally grateful.

Simon Lucas is survived by his wife Tracey and his children George, Rosie and Alice.

Jeremy Wimpress (KS 1969-76 & Chairman of the Kingswood Association 2009- 13)

KINGSLEY ROSS (KS

1955-61)

Mr Kingsley Ross Pilling sadly passed away at Myton Hospice Coventry on 6 June 2023 aged 77 years. Love and missed by all of his family.

(KS 1937-44)

My father, Kenneth Frank Smith, was a student at Kingswood School from 1937 to 1944. Born on 1 July 1926, he died peacefully at home on 1 March 2024. He always counted his time at Kingswood as the happiest days of his life, and the School shaped the man he was to become. As an avid reader of the School magazine, he would be proud and pleased if his obituary (which in typical fashion he wrote himself!) could be published in it. I enclose a picture of him aged 18 and another more recent one.

Kind regards Gillian Smith (daughter)

KENNETH FRANK SMITH

Obituary: Kenneth Frank Smith 1926-2024

Ken started at the Prep School (Westwood) in 1937 under Hugh Clutton-Brock. His consuming passion was music, and he joined Percy Hancock’s school orchestra in the brass section. He was also a keen member of the Chapel choir, moving from Treble through Alto and Tenor to the Bass section over the years. He was an enthusiastic member of A.J. (Inny) Milne’s Scout Troop, and became a King’s Scout and patrol leader.

In September 1939, Ken was due to move across the road to the Main School, but the Admiralty had commandeered the premises, and he moved with the School to Uppingham. The bonus for a 13-year-old was an extra week’s holiday tacked on to the long summer break which was needed to give the staff and the Sixth Formers time to transfer all the school equipment by special train to Rutland, where space had been offered ‘for the duration’ by Uppingham School.

Ken was a classics student up to the age of 16, but changed to science in the Sixth Form. He was called up into the Army in 1944 and was placed in the Education Department of the

R.A.O.C. at Derby, where he met Margaret (Peggy) Rodger, who was stationed there in the ATS. They married in January 1947 at Didcot Methodist Church, in a ceremony led by his father, the Reverend Ernest Smith. They had three children, two girls and a boy.

Throughout his working life as a Quantity Surveyor, Ken’s hobby was music of all genres: as a chorister singing and conducting, as musical director of his own Big Band, but above all as an enthusiastic member of the brass band movement, playing in several brass bands as well as in pit orchestras for musicals in West London.

He was a founder member and musical director of the Camping and Caravanning Club band, made up of players of all ages and abilities drawn from across the UK, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Ken was still playing with a local brass band until a few weeks before his death.

He was widowed in 2015 and at the age of 97 he died peacefully in his sleep in the house he himself had built. He leaves two children, (his son having pre-deceased him), 5 grandchildren and 10 greatgrandchildren. Ken always ranked his school days as among the happiest of his life.

JAMES STRAWSON

(KS 1959-68)

Friends - I saw the obituary in the Methodist Recorder this week for James Strawson, and no doubt a formal

obituary will be published from the Association in due course but I just wanted to add a few words myself.

Tony Law (KS1960-65) adds:

James Strawson was a valued colleague of mine in the Kingswood School Press, which operated in the Cottage below Fonthill Road. As Secretary to the Press, in my final year, I had in James and two of his contemporaries, a great leadership team, helping to organise the workload and to train and supervise the younger Printers and Compositors. James then succeeded me as Secretary. Incidentally, I understood that KSP was an offshoot from a similar enterprise at Uppingham, dating from the School's wartime exile, and I now find myself in the same Methodist Circuit as Uppingham where Kingswood's contribution there is remembered with gratitude.

James's expertise and design flair were greatly valued. He also operated a private press at home, and the creative freedom and initiative of that enterprise fed back into his work at KSP. As a Classics scholar he also bequeathed us a number of epithets and

phrases in dog Greek: John Gardner would no doubt have been horrified, but they remain memorable to this day. KSP was a significant part of my life at the School, and James was in turn a significant contributor to that experience.

PROFESSOR JOHN E THORPE (KS 1945-54)

With the death of John Thorpe at the age of 86 in mid-December 2022, we have lost a great salmon biologist, a generous mentor, and a major supporter of the FBI. John had an international reputation based on the ground-breaking contributions he made to our knowledge of the developmental and reproductive biology, ecology, behaviour and physiology of Atlantic salmon. He took an unusually broad approach to the study of salmonid biology, which resulted in his being as likely to give a keynote lecture at an aquaculture conference as at one focussed on wild fish. He also played a major role in mentoring and supporting the careers of numerous fish biologists through his extensive, worldwide collaborations.

John was born in Wolverhampton (central

England) in January 1935. After compulsory National Service, he studied Zoology at Cambridge University, graduating in 1959. Realising that he was then, in his words, 'in imminent danger of employment', he postponed facing that horror by leading a year-long expedition of fellow graduates to British Honduras (later re-named Belize). This multi-disciplinary expedition combined studies of the biology and distribution of coral reefs with archaeological excavations of Mayan-era buildings. He then obtained a position as an agronomist with Shell, based in Kent, but found the work dull; he therefore took up a position as an experimental officer at the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory in Pitlochry in 1963, the same year in which he married Judy. Clearly finding the study of fish more stimulating, he stayed at the Pitlochry Lab throughout his career, reaching the Senior Principal Scientific Officer level at the time of his retirement in 1995.

One of his earlier projects was on the International Biological Programme's major study of the biological production and food web of Loch Leven, which ran from 1966-72. John's remit was to study the fish in the Loch, primarily brown trout and perch; this resulted in a string of papers on their diet, daily food intake, growth, movements, population size and annual production. He then switched to working on Atlantic salmon, with a focus on understanding the causes of life history variation. He took advantage of the existence of the Fisheries Lab's Almondbank Smolt Rearing Unit, run by his

colleague Mike Miles and his team, and conducted a series of pioneering experiments over the following decades.

An early discovery was that each autumn there is a marked divergence in the growth rates of juvenile salmon, with fish that will undertake their seaward smolt migration in the forthcoming spring growing faster than any fish delaying smolting for another year. This results in a bimodal size distribution of juvenile salmon that is indicative of their subsequent life history trajectories. Importantly, this work revealed that the physiological 'decision' to stay or go is made many months earlier than was previously thought. Later experiments on maturing fish (including the now widely recognised 'sneaker' males - John hated the term 'precocious' since it implied that these males were somehow odd) showed that the decision to become sexually mature is also made months before it becomes evident from their external appearance. The maturational 'trigger' is related to energy reserves; John demonstrated the practical applications of this discovery by reducing the rate of early sexual maturation in farmed salmon through reductions in their rations at key times. His fascination with the environmentallydetermined triggers and consequences of life history decisions was a thread that persisted through much of his later work.

John's interest in smolts was broad, combining physiological studies of osmoregulation, tracking studies of the downstream migration of wild smolts, investigation of the circadian

and seasonal photoperiodic cues that trigger migration, and examination of the potential for salmon to be 'ranched' (i.e. released into a river at the smolt stage), such that they would imprint onto it and so later return to that river to be captured. This diversity of approach was typical, and was reflected in the diversity of his collaborators, which included physiologists, endocrinologists, reproductive biologists, fish farmers, muscle developmental biologists, chronobiologists, behavioural ecologists, and ecological modellers. This gave him a real breadth of vision and depth of knowledge: he regarded himself as a basic biologist who worked in a fisheries lab. However, he knew more about salmon than anyone else I have ever known, and his knowledge of the literature (including the 'grey' literature reports produced by fisheries organisations) was outstanding. An indication of his approach was that on realising that Russian fish biologists were doing interesting work that was unknown in the west, he taught himself Russian so that he could read and translate their papers.

John became a mentor to me when I first started working on salmon as a postdoc. and his effect on my career was transformative, as it was for many others. He was the most stimulating and supportive collaborator one could wish for, and was generous with his advice, time and willingness to give full access to the Lab's facilities. I remember asking on numerous occasions during our work together if it were at all possible for the Pitlochry Lab or Almondbank

to provide X or do Y; he would usually immediately say yes, but if not he would give me the more guarded 'leave it with me and I'll see what we can do...’; this latter response signalled that it would be difficult, but I knew he would do everything in his power to make it happen - and it usually did. This generosity extended to him going out of his way to introduce early career researchers to other scientists he thought they should know.

His published work has been hugely influential, as is evident from the fact that it has received an average of about 80 citations per paper (with many papers cited hundreds of times). John received international recognition, giving many invited lectures, being a Distinguished Lecturer for the Department of Fisheries & Oceans, Canada, and receiving a number of honours such as the Special Medal for Services to Science, University of Lódz, Poland, and our Society's own Beverton Medal. He was also made an Honorary Professor at the Universities of both Bergen and Glasgow. Towards the end of his career John took over as Editor in Chief of the Journal of Fish Biology. This was initially meant as a temporary stand-in, but he ended up doing it for 10 years, during which time the size of the journal (as measured by pages published) increased by 50%. As with all things, John took on this major role with calm efficiency: he invariably spoke quietly and politely, conveying great authority but with the minimum of fuss and no pomposity.

Over the last few years John developed heart problems that restricted his activities,

but he remained cheerful.

He died peacefully at home, cared for by Judy and his beloved collie dogs. He is survived by Judy and his son Peter; his other son Michael predeceased him.

W WOODWARD

MB, BS, FRCGP, DRCOG, DCH (KS 1948-56)

Recollections by Peter Gornall (KS 1953-58), Mike Crowe (KS1956-62) and his numerous family members.

Dr John Woodward was born in 1937 in Totnes but in his early years (1937-39) was shipped to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) with his parents Rev. Max (KS 1922-1924) and Mrs Kath Woodward. When Singapore fell the family were given 24 hours to leave the island and all women and children including John were put on a ship for England, sailing round the Cape, a journey which took six weeks. The family lived in the Manse at Dale Street Leamington, where his Grandfather Rev. A S Beaty was minister. His Father, having remained

JOHN

in Ceylon, eventually returned to England and was appointed as Chaplain to Naval bases in Gosport and Portsmouth for the remainder of the war. The family then returned to the Leamington circuit. John started at Prior's Court at the age of eight followed by Kingswood in 1948.

John was a popular and well-established figure in the Middle House Upper Fifth (O Level year) at Kingswood when Peter Gornall arrived in 1953. In the next three years their paths crossed more on the Rugby field than anywhere else. Both John and Peter were Rugby also-rans, and playing in the oft-victorious third XV was fun and rewarding. John was a nippy and fierce fly-half with good ball-handling skills. He joined merrily in the joke that he was successful because his legs were so bowed that a tackler was unlikely to grasp both of them together.

A story was told that A B Sackett, one day in 1956, had been showing around the School, the Secretary of the St Thomas’s Medical School Dr Allen Crockford. In the biology laboratory, Crockford asked a number of boys about their career intentions and was astonished (as was Sackett also) when, to a man, they replied that they had a place at St Thomas’s or were applying. John was one of them and had already won a place.

During John’s student days at St Thomas’s his father, the Rev. Max Woodward, was appointed the minister at Wesley’s Chapel (the “Mother Church of Methodism”) at City Road, London. John lived

at home when not on call and medical students at St Thomas’s were required to serve regular on-call weeks. On several Sunday mornings, John helped to organise a small service with a hymn, Bible Reading and prayer in the Chest Medicine wards at the hospital.

In 1959 John invited Peter Gornall to take, for the summer term, a spare room in the Manse and he saw at first hand John’s warm relations with members of the Wesley’s Chapel youth club of which, when he could, he was a leader. In 1957 John met his future wife Anne, who was training as a physiotherapist at St Thomas’s. They married shortly after he qualified as a doctor and they had two children, Joanna, a music teacher and Jeremy, a doctor and there are three grandchildren.

He took up a post as a partner in a General Practice in Sidcup in 1965 and stayed in the same partnership for 32 years until he retired as senior partner in 1997. He earned renown as a GP trainer and examiner with the Royal College of General Practitioners. During his years in practice, he contributed regularly to “Pulse”, a news journal for general practitioners. John was passionate about his work and passed on his infectious enthusiasm and accrued wisdom to his trainees. He maintained a deep sense of duty and service to his patients throughout his career and was a respected figure in the local community.

He was equally passionate about his broad interests outside of medicine including wildlife and photography,

music and poetry. He contributed a splendid selection of photographs to the book “Light Perpetual” written by his uncle, David Beaty MBE DFC and Bar (KS 1929-38) which records, in a number of churches, the stained glass windows commemorating various RAF squadrons.

After he retired, John and Anne moved to Hythe in Kent in 2000 and he took a City and Guilds qualification in photography, becoming a licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society and gave illustrated talks to local societies on his many hobbies. He became a local town guide and enthusiast for local history, contributing a small volume on photographs of the churches of Romney Marsh, accompanied by poems that he had written. He sang in a number of choirs, and memorably would gather people around to sing folk songs with him whilst accompanying on the guitar. In later years he enjoyed travelling and long-distance walks including the West Highland Way with Anne and their friends. Few who accompanied him will forget his encyclopaedic knowledge of the birds, insects and wildflowers encountered en-route or his enviable ability to recite classic poetry.

John died in November 2023 and a memorial service was held in January this year at The Church of St Peter & St Paul Saltwood attended by many local friends and relatives. Those unable to attend through distance or illness were able to join the service by means of the internet which gave everyone a chance to participate.

IN MEMORY OF

Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the following Old Kingswoodians and former staff whose passing was reported in the last year.

Dick Trafford

Brian J Lane

John P Romerill

Dr Mark Biggin

David J Foster

Dr Keith Scott

Professor Harry Roderick (Rod) Kedward

John W Woodward

David K Turner

Donald M Eadie

John Dobbin

Paul Brown

Alec Frank

Kingsley R Pilling

David Wilshire

James W A Strawson

Richard Kendall

Paul T Tanner

Simon Lucas

Jenny Lewis

James Hutcheson

KS 1936-44

KS 1942-50

KS 1945-49

KS 1945-54

KS 1947-57

KS 1948-55

KS 1948-56

KS 1948-56

KS 1949-56

KS 1949-58

KS 1950-54

KS 1952-58

KS 1952-58

KS 1955-61

KS 1955-62

KS 1959-68

KS 1960-65

KS 1962-66

KS 1970-76

Staff 1973-92

KS 1980-88

Jean Mountford Staff

William (Derek) Homfray-Davies Staff