FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER 2008
A pdf version of this newsletter is available here.
Letter from the Chairman Colin Tattersall OW tie RGS in the 1930s New photos on John Saunders' site The Wycombiensian in 1997 
THE EDITOR WRITES:
First of all my apologies for the late publication of this newsletter. I was hoping to bring you full details of the Annual Dinner on 26 April, but these will be added to the newsletter as soon as we have them.
If you have tried to log onto this website in the last couple of months you will realise that it has not been possible to reach every section because the school website was being redesigned. We apologise for this and I am glad to report that normal service has been resumed!
There is a section in which OWs put their details. If you would your name and details to be added, please complete the form available here, or simply send me an email to: ianrclarkuk@yahoo.co.uk with your details and any other information you would like on the website.
ANNUAL MAGAZINE
We hope to send out he annual magazine/newsletter for members of the OW Club in late February with articles and news of OWs. If you are not a member of the Club, and would like to become one, either complete the application form to be found on the website, (please click here), or contact me and ask me to send you one. You will then be able to be on our mailing list. Life Membership for £30 must be regarded as very good value!
OLD WYCOMBIENSIANS' SPORTING REUNIONS, AGM AND ANNUAL DINNER
Saturday 26th April 2008
From 2.30 p.m.
An opportunity to play hockey or shoot and to meet old friends. An application form is on the attached sheet.
6.00 p.m.
A tour of the School for those who are interested. The bar opens.
6.30 p.m.
AGM in the School Library.
7.30 p.m.
Annual Dinner in the Queen's Hall.
I'm pleased to confirm that Colin Tattersall who was on the staff at RGS from 1984 to 2003 has consented to be our guest of honour at this year's dinner.
Colin Tattersall joined the RGS back in 1984 to teach Physical Education, having graduated from St Luke's College, Exeter, and having previously taught at Verulam School, St Albans. Colin was most noted for his work with the rugby teams but also helped teams to reach national finals in swimming, cricket and athletics. Colin was instrumental in the School's growth from a good rugby playing school in the county to the top rugby playing state school in the country. No fewer than seven of the sides that Colin was involved with having gone on to play at Twickenham in the Daily Mail Final. During his time at the School Colin also coached the England U16 side, having coached both the South West and London Divisions at this age group.
Colin helped launch the successful FRORGS, and led major tours to both South Africa and Australia. Former old boy Matt Dawson (Northampton, England and British Lion) came to the Sportsman's Dinner 2003 to pay tribute to Colin and the hard work that he had put in over the last 19 years. No fewer than 30 RGS boys achieved international honours at differing age groups in this period of time.
The Headmaster, Roy Page, who will have taught many of you over the last 34 years, will talk about the RGS present and future. A number of teachers and ex-teachers will also be there.
There will be a four-course meal, and it should be a very good one. A bar will be organised by the RGS Parents' Association and all profits go to school projects. As in past years we are reserving tables for those who play in the various sporting events in the afternoon. For everybody else we will try to arrange the seating to suit you. We hope that the formal part of the evening will be over by 9.45 p.m., so that there will be plenty of time for conversation. It should be a really enjoyable occasion.
How about contacting old friends that you have not perhaps seen for some time to arrange for a group to come together? If you would like us to advertise a group reunion on the website, please email Ian Clark. This year the cost of the Dinner will be £30. If you would like to come, please complete the enclosed form, and send it to Danny White as soon as possible, and by SATURDAY 12th APRIL at the very latest. You will receive the confirmation of your application and the Agenda of the AGM, by email or by letter but not before April 1st. If you would like a reply through the post, please send an SAE with your application.
Apart from the hockey and shooting on 26th April, we are arranging golf and cricket matches in the Summer Term. Dates are given on the attached reply slip. If you want to participate in either or both of the Sporting Reunions, please complete and send in the reply-slip. If you want further information, please do not hesitate to contact me (crispinmwhite@aol.com ).
We look forward to seeing you on April 26th.
Crispin White
Chairman
Ticket application form for the OW DinnerPlease return this form to: D White, 18 Coppice Way, Hedgerley, Bucks, SL2 3YL by Saturday 12 April.
SPORTING REUNIONS
If you are a hockey player, David Stone is organising a hockey match for Old Boys (OWs) on Saturday April 26th. If you used to shoot as part of the CCF programme, there is an OW match against the present school team scheduled again for April 26th. These activities will take place in the afternoon and in the evening is the Annual OW Dinner.
In the Summer Term, if you play cricket, on July 16th starting at 2.00pm, there will be the Annual cricket match between the OWs and the School Team for the Duncan Moore Trophy. If you play golf, and you do not have to be good, as it is based on handicap, there is a golf match against the teachers, played at Weston Turville near Aylesbury, starting about 4.00pm on Friday June 27th. If you would like to play in any of those events please complete the reply slip below.
Booking form for Sports Reunion Days
(click here for printable version)Please return this form to D White, 18 Coppice Way, Hedgerley, Bucks, SL2 3YL by Saturday 12 April for the April events, and June 1 for the June and July events
HELP!
D J LEES has written to Ian Clark recently - could he please contact Ian by email ianrclarkuk@yahoo.co.uk regarding the recent communication.
A LETTER FROM THE OW CHAIRMAN
January 2008
Dear Fellow Old Wycombiensian,
Last year I highlighted the "Shaping Our Destiny" Campaign to raise funds to provide the School with a new Sixth Form Centre, to improve sports changing facilities and to provide modern maths teaching facilities.
I am pleased to report that so far the Campaign has raised nearly £1.2m. With the phase one target of £1.25m nearly achieved, architects are being appointed and it is hoped initial building work will start during this summer's exam study leave period when space pressures round the School are reduced.
Whilst the Campaign has made a number of applications for grant funding, the School's historic success means that it is not necessarily viewed as a "deserving cause". In the case of government sourced grant funding this prejudice is often overt with most grants specifically designated "NFG", which stands for "Not for grammar schools".
Funds raised so far have come from the generosity of both parents and a number of Old Boys. Although there have been a number of major individual gifts, a significant proportion of the funds raised have come from pledges to make regular monthly payments.
A gift of £10 each month is worth £750 to the Campaign over a five year period when gift aid is added.
Aside from the generous larger gifts by Old Boys, I must confess to being disappointed at the level of pledges made by Old Boys. So when you consider that this monthly amount is less than the price of a decent bottle of wine, I hope every Old Boy who is not already supporting the Campaign will pledge a regular sum to the Campaign. Apart from helping the School, those who do will have the satisfaction of knowing they have forced the Chancellor of the Exchequer to support the Campaign and the School. Old Boys who are higher rate taxpayers will have the additional pleasure of forcing him to refund some tax to you. Not to mention the benefit to your liver foregoing those additional bottles of wine…
Any Old Boy who would like to know more about how to contribute to the Campaign is welcome to contact me by e-mail (crispinmwhite@aol.com) or to call the Campaign Office at the School on 01494 551412.
On Wednesday 25 June 2008, Old Boys generally are invited to attend the School's annual cricket match against the MCC when they will be able to join the Head and members of the Campaign Board for lunch which will include a short Information Event about the Campaign. Old Boys will have the opportunity to tour the School on the same day and to view the plans for the new buildings project although by that date we hope that the first phase construction work will be started. If you would like to attend the MCC Day, please e-mail me your contact details and I will arrange for you to be sent a formal invitation in due course.
Turning to the Annual Dinner, we are again running a number of sports events in the afternoon before the Dinner. These have proved popular, so please do give them your support, either as a player or spectator.
Those of you who read the electronic Club newsletters on the Old Boys' section of the School website, will appreciate Ian Clark's hard work in producing both news and recollections and in helping Old Boys keep in touch with the School and each other. On your behalf, I would like to thank Ian for all his hard work.
My thanks also go to Simon Molden for his work as editor of this magazine. As always, I am grateful for the support and hard work in its physical production given by Steph Russell and her team in the School Resources Centre. I should like to thank Chris Andrew and my brother Danny for all their hard work as Club Secretary and Treasurer respectively. Finally my thanks go my fellow committee members for their support and efforts on behalf of the Club, particularly in relation to the Annual Dinner and the associated Sports Reunions.
My best wishes for 2008.
Crispin White (1968 - 1975)
e-mail: crispinmwhite@aol.comOLD WYCOMBIENSIANS TIE
A new Old Wycombiensians' tie is being created and will be available in April 2008.
It will be predominantly navy blue with a regularly spaced band of gold-maroon-emerald-gold.
The ties will be 100% silk and cost £22 (plus £3 postage and packing). If you wish to order one, please fill in the form below and return it to Danny White. If you are intending to come to the dinner, they will be available for collection then.
Click for Reply slip for OW tie
Please return this form to: D White, 18 Coppice Way, Hedgerley, Bucks, SL2 3YL by Saturday 22 March.
Do you recognise this ex-RGS teacher?
THE RGS IN THE 1930s
Stanley Hoffman was a schoolboy at the RGS in the early and mid 1930s, straddling the Headmasterships of George Arnison and Edmund Tucker, and left as Head Boy in 1936. He subsequently took Holy Orders, and rose to be a Canon of Rochester Cathedral and one of the Royal chaplains. The first extract from his 1995 autobiography, 'Morning shows the Day: the making of a priest', appeared several newsletters ago. This is the second extract in which Stanley describes the RGS of seventy years ago.
Though the Grammar Schools were in theory 'selective', the scope of ability in the yearly intake was very wide, ranging from boys who would be capable in the final year of their schooling of obtaining University scholarships, to boys who would fail a number of school Certificate" subjects, later called 'O' (ordinary) Levels and now GCSEs.
Geography was a matter of learning the names of the rivers or mountains or cities from a map drawn in outline on the blackboard. The master, Sam Morgan, would indicate with a pointer a particular dot on his map and would say 'what town is that?' or a line representing a river: 'what river is that?' Then we would try to reproduce the facts in our exercise-books.
Music was taught by a visiting master, F.N. Crute, who ran the school choir, to which I belonged. He did this very well, and we were in demand at Christmas time in local churches and we gave a yearly concert in the hall for parents and friends, but teachin in class was pathetic. The blackboard was used to teach us the tonic solfa and other basics, and gramophone records of classical music were used to pick out the distinctive sounds of the instruments of the orchestra, but we played no instruments, we were taught nothing about opera, nothing about the great instrumental and vocal soloists of the day, nothing of the lives of the great composers. We were not taken to concerts as children are today. We were not even given a list of musical terms so that we might know what ' allegro' or 'lento' meant, though I do remember his efforts to teach us about breves and semibreves, minims and crotchets, quavers and semi-quavers. The idea of a hemidemisemiquaver appealed to me, as one sixty-fourth of a semi-breve! I can still remember how badly behaved and unruly poor Mr Crute's classes were. Yet, like so many masters who could not keep order or interest us in their subjects, he was a very pleasant and friendly man who had not been taught to teach.
We were taught English by W. Bicknell who was well versed in the subject and latter became a Headmaster. With him we studied Shakespeare - Macbeth in full and bits of Twelfth night, A mi-Summer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, Anthony and Cleopatra, Henry 4th Part 1 and King Lear. This was a heavy and unusual programme and it did not make me 'hate' Shakespeare. There is one boy among my contemporaries who I am certain became a hater of Shakespeare. He was the one in class reading had to say: 'Hark, I hear horses!' It came out as ''Ark, I hear 'orses!'
Poor fellow! A Grammar School boy who dropped his aspirates? Yes indeed. Many did. He was teased unmercifully for years afterwards. The earliest text we studied was Chaucer's Nun's Tale. Then we did Wordsworth's Sonnets and Milton's Odes and Keats and Shelley and all the other classic poets. We all hated Spenser's Faerie Queene. Of moderns we were introduced to Masefield, but surprisingly not to T. S. Eliot. He had written The Waste Land in 1922 and the Hollow Men in 1925, and in 1930 Ash Wednesday which marked his conversion to Anglicanism. He had been for a brief period, a master at the school, so we should have been introduced to his work.
Among the pre-Victorian and Victorian novelists (no others were studied!) we were introduced to Jane Austen, Thackeray, Dickens and the Brontes, George Eliot, and Stevenson, whose Travels With A Donkey In The Pyrenees was a delight. But why were we not introduced to Hardy, Kipling Wells, Galsworthy or those who began writing in the twenties? - Priestley, Hughes, Huxley, Greene, all men, or the women of the same era - Bowen, Macaulay, Lehmann? And again, why no other dramatists of the modern age?
History has been one of my abiding interests and it was covered by Captain J. C. Milner TD. He was in charge of the Officers' Training Corps, but had been too young, I think, to see active service in the Great War. He was a big man with heavy jowls and was nicknamed not very originally, 'Tiny'. History then was a matter of dates and battles, Empires and statesmen. For us in the twenties and thirties it was chopped into blocks of dates 1603-1649,1789-1815, and was centred on great generals, politicians and prime ministers. Wars and treaties, Benn's Sixpennies were popular 'cribs' and handbooks, because they summarized in a few pages all one needed to know about battles and prime ministers. Arthur Mee's Children Encyclopaedia was a much maligned source of invaluable additional information. I used to claim that I got through English and History from reading and re-reading its articles.
During this time I became Vice-Captain of my House, House House of all the absurd names! The School had only three houses for most of my time, East, West and House. Later more sense prevailed, and names were given- Arnison, Disraeli and such like.
It was a very small sixth form in those days, not more than seventeen of us, of whom only four went to University. In the year before me, Frank Essex went to Reading University, and I was the first for many years to go to Oxford. The school had no proper Library in the 1930s and the sixth form met in what was called the 'Library'. Because of its connections with the Disraeli family, the most prominent books were large, leather-bound copies, dozens of them it seemed, of Benjamin's novels, Vivian Grey, Sybil, Coningsby, Tancred and the rest. When a new Headmaster succeeded George Arnison, E.R. Tucker of Jesus College, Oxford, the school expanded and improved greatly academically.
To the chagrin of two of my fellows who had come up through the School with me, Tucker made me Head Boy. I had no prowess at Games, but I suppose I had been an efficient and loyal prefect and had a respectable examination record. Family who remember me at this time remark how ridiculous the school hat looked upon my head - we still had to wear school uniform and the cap, even at eighteen.
The Headmaster, Tucker, and I probably saw more of each other than most of my contemporaries because he tried in individual sessions in his study, to teach me Greek. He would also, surely an unprecedented thing for a Head to do in those days, consult me about people and happenings in the School He would not at that time have been more than twelve years older than me and he spent a large part of his time out of the school at various educational committees and meetings.
When I left High Wycombe to go to Oxford, the Headmaster gave me a glowing written testimonial. He said 'you may read what I have said, but don't believe it!' I guessed what he meant. Humility has never been one of my virtues.
Ed. If you were here at the RGS in those days, do you remember the teachers named above? Do send in your memories.
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| Gary Wise as Rose Maybud in 1973, and Gary Wise with son in 2004 |
OBITUARY
Geoffrey Walter Stevens
1926-2007
Died at his home in Loosley Row on 23 December 2007
Geoffrey left RGS after taking his School Certificate at the age of 15, and took employment with Norwich Union. He joined the Princes Risborough Home Guard at 16, and elected to serve in the Royal Navy from 1944-48. He saw action in the Mediterranean area, and elsewhere.
Geoffrey joined the local St Mary's Church choir as a boy, and later for many years was a Licensed Lay Minister In this capacity he became known to many people. He will be sadly missed for his unfailing good humour and firm friendship.
Ron Wynands
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Hi, Ian,
1. Great site. Keep up the excellent work!
2. You might add the name of Julian Horner to your list of missing OB's - that is, unless you have "recently" discovered him. His stint at RGS was probably the same as mine - 1936-1943.
3. Every time I look at the RGS / OB Home pages, I do grieve the loss of the beautiful front our school USED to present to the world. The replacement is functional, I'm sure, but aesthetically . . . . . .
Ian Fairnington
Ian,
Cricket photo in the last newsletter. Standing far right is Alan Harvey, seated far left is Freddy Hawkins and far right is Clive Ashby.
Chris Cunningham
Ian
Hope you are well.
Ray Dosser texted me about the chess photo on the Old Boys' website. I can't quite name everyone but here goes:
Back row - Mike Stott, Tim Mann, Jon Carr, Peter (?) Shirley-Quirk, Martin (?) Trendell, Malcolm Lewis, Andrew (?) Huxley
Middle row - David Dawson, Pat Jennings, Toby Freeman, Andrew Campbell, Brian Church, Chris Kennedy, David Robinson
Front row - Matthew Leigh, ? Robinson (younger brother of David in the middle row), Jonathan Melsom, ?, Matthew Dow (?)
The year is 1980-81
Best wishes for Christmas
Andrew Campbell
PS Mary Campbell also joined the staff in September 1977.
PPS Max Welby is at the front of the rugby photo; it may be Jon Coles directly behind and Chris Vladar out of the line
Dear Mr Clark
Mr Saunders gave me your address as you might know the whereabouts of Jamie Buchanan, who is a cousin of mine. He was at the RGS c.1966 and in the 1970 Grey Book. He lived at Bledlow Ridge then but his mother now lives in Wales.
I should be interested to hear anything about him.
BFN
John (J A Nurcombe 1955-1956)
Ed. Anybody know anything about Jamie?
Dear ex-RGS men,
I've added a couple more photos to the RGS 1960s photo website (http://www.rgs.saund.co.uk)...
... the 2nd XV rugby team of 1962/63 ( here ) and the same team for 1963/64 ( here ).
These scans were kindly sent in by Nicholas Brandes (1956-63). Hopefully some of you will be able to check his (and my) suggested identities and let me know if you can identify any more people.
Also, I'm hoping to have time to put up the 1958 junior school photo in the next few days. Anyone not wishing to let their children, grandchildren, wives, servants, etc, see photos of themselves in short trousers will be obliged to make a small donation to my favourite charity in order for their knees to remain unseen.
Regards
John Saunders
Dear OWs,
Just to let you know that I have now posted the RGS Junior School photo for April 1958 on my website (http://www.rgs.saund.co.uk). This shows people who were in the first two years of the school as of 1957/58, but also a handful of prefects who would have been at the school during the period of 1950-58 (I think I was able to recognise O.V.Volkonsky, R.C. (Roy) Jones and others amongst the older generation).
Incidentally, regarding the rugby photos I posted a couple of days ago: a number of people have sent in identifications, and also pointed out that they were for 1961/62 and 1962/63 (rather than a year later as I had incorrectly stated in my last email). Thanks for the feedback and corrections. As a well-known supermarket keeps reminding us, every little helps.
Regards and compliments of the season to everyone,
John Saunders
Dear Ian
Both the photographs published in the March newsletter were taken during the autumn term 1950. The pictures are of the School House prefects during that term.
The one of the 3 shows Hugh Platt, John Birch (Head prefect) and Peter Varley.
The second taken by Reg Howard on Amersham Hill on the way down to Sunday morning church shows Peter Varley, Hugh Platt, John Birch and myself.
Michael George
Dear Ian,
Did you know that the RGS had a fish named after it? The school mascot? It has some of the school colours. See the attached file. Thought you may get a kick out of it.
Cheers, Peter
1997
By way of contrast with article on life at the RGS in the 1930s, and for those of you who were at the RGS in 1997, and would like a walk down Memory Lane, here are some extracts from the Wycombiensian of that year.
Mike Moffatt, who had taught at the RGS since 1968, and had been Deputy Head for 24 years, retired from the RGS. Mike successfully worked on the timetable for many years, using coloured bits of Lego as an aid for the highly complex option scheme. (Ah, those were the days!) He taught Geography and was Head of Department. He coached rugby, cricket, athletics and shooting, and indeed played in the staff soccer, hockey, rugby, and cricket teams. He led Geography Field Trips, and a party to the USA. He represented teachers on the Bucks Education Committee. He was a jovial, avuncular man, who had a calm, relaxed air that indicated a very safe pair of hands. Mike was renowned for his wisdom, friendliness, and for his highly-coloured socks, and his West Country timbre.
Also retiring in that year Mike Darby, who taught Physics and ran the RAF section of the CCF, John Neal , part-time teacher of Maths, Meg Moffatt, teacher of Geography, PSHE and Careers, and Pam Blackwell, the HM's Secretary for almost 30 years.
The following moved to other jobs: James McKellar, teacher of Maths, and much involved in CCF and Games, Jane Costigan, teacher of Geography, and PSHE, who helped with the RAF, Margaret Royal, teacher of Biology, (Ed: She returned to the RGS and is still there.) Judith Grieve, who worked in the Library and Careers Department, John Ashworth, teacher of Economics, Politics and Business Studies, and Dee Batchelor, Assistant Secretary.
(Ed. If you have particular memories of Mike Moffatt or any of the other RGS staff, please send then in to be published)
The CCF flourished with its usual range of activities on Thursday afternoons, week-ends and traditional expeditions and camps.
Ed. What a wonderful lot of opportunities there were at the RGS in 1997, and I am sure there are now too!
NEXT NEWSLETTER
This will be published on Mar 31st. Please send in your contribution, your memories, and your photographs to me, Ian Clark ianrclarkuk@yahoo.co.uk. Ian edits the Newsletter, Judy De Gelas embellishes it and Martin Berry ensures that it appears on the website.
