Sunday 24th December 2006 (UD06/31)
Poetry, Scouts, ATC and '10 mile radius.' In response to my request (UD06/28) below, Colin Fry has kindly filled in a number of gaps for me, which I hope you will find interesting:
Your query about the poem by Little John - it was put in by Mr Chadwick but whether he actually wrote it is debatable. I later saw it in a magazine and mentioned it to him but he did not comment. I think it may have been written by a friend at ICI.
Scouts at KS - were very successful and it was run by Mr Thompson who was also the deputy headmaster. Mr Benn was deputy scout master. We had 6 King scouts; I remember when they went to Windsor Castle to collect their awards from King George VI. For some reason they were allocated a separate room in the stable block above the science room. The ordinary scout meetings were held in a Nissen hut by the churchyard. There were three patrols, Peewits, Kestrels and Wood Pigeons. Two summer camps were held, one on Exmoor and the other in North Wales. One camp I attended was the North Cotswold camp at Upper Swell where we won the best troop award.
It all came to an end when Mr Thompson left. Rumour had it that he did not agree with JHM's corporal punishment regime.
Yes we did have ATC at KS; it was run by Geoff Perry. They used to have drill parades in the back yard by the tractor shed. There again, it all came to a halt when Geoff Perry left.
Best wishes,
Colin (Fry)
PS - It was great to hear that Patrick Delaney is in touch with the old boys. I remember the brothers well although I was junior to them. I think their parents were in Ceylon. Mike was a keen games man; Patrick was not. When JHM introduced compulsory games on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, Patrick persuaded JHM to allow a cycling club to be formed. He organised a cross country race which finished in the layby on the top road. Patrick won by a mile, cheered by a large crowd of boys. Perhaps Patrick could give us the full story about cycling outside the 10 mile radius!
An ordinance survey map was put on the notice board with a circle of 10 mile radius. Cycling outside the area was forbidden. I think Patrick extended this as rumours were circling that people were seen as far away as Cheltenham.
Sunday 29th October 2006 (UD06/28) Maybe someone can tell me why from 1949 when the school had a Scout Patrol (promising a further 2) and a Cub Scout Patrol, Plus an Air Training Corps - that when I arrived in 1951, to my knowledge - there were none! Also in this magazine the 4 Houses were still in evidence - yet when I arrived they had been merged to just two.
In fact Richard says: "I served my last 3 years in the RAF at Little Rissington, a very happy tour. Yet I have no recollection of there being an ATC Corps at school."
Brian has also provides us with further information regarding Brian Clifford:
25th October 2006 (UD06/27)
Response from Manos Ignatiadis to Richard's question about Pilots - See (8) in (UD06/26) below:
Richard Statham may be referring to Brian Clifford who was at King's when Pano and myself were there 1958-64 he was head boy in 1959??,so he was probably a pupil 1955-1960?? Eventually on leaving King's he went on and joined the RAF. In fact he visited us in Baghdad where we lived at the time, during one of our summer holidays when we flew out there.
Fred Bates writes: "Ken Bridge & Malcolm ie I & II came from St Helens. Unfortunately Ken died in 1974 - I have had no contact since that time. David Aukland was farming in Northamptonshire."
Monday 25th September 2006 (UD06/23)
All these canings were in the Great Hall in front of the whole school. This and a couple of other stories appear on Patrick's page in Anecdotes.
Saturday 16th September 2006 (UD06/22)
I have met a couple of local "old boys" Pete Griffen and David Willis but neither seem to be interested in joining in." (the Update - Ed.)
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Richard Statham writes:
I have been in contact with Patrick Delaney and he told me that his info was that Pete Pfaff had died when his aircraft ran off the end of the carrier and the ship ran over it. This was quite a common occurrence, mitigated by the introduction of the angled deck and from friends of mine who served in the FAA (Fleet Air Arm) the procedure was for the pilot to wait until he heard the ship go by before trying to exit. Why Pete ran off the end we don't know; either he ran out of fuel as he overshot (known as a "bolter") because he missed the wires or he suffered an engine failure. This could have happened either on takeoff or landing. I will see if I can find out more, but I doubt it. You are welcome to put this on the website but emphasise that it is speculation.
Patrick Delaney adds:
And again:
"... when I looked at my diary for 1950 I saw:
9 September 2006 (UD06/21)
Later he adds, "the other yanks name escapes me he was only there for a term or so; bit older than Lipman"
Sunday 3rd September 2006 (UD06/20)
2nd August 2006 (UD06/17)
Peter was much liked, an English Teacher at King's School from 1960 to 1963.
Saturday 15th July 2006 (UD06/15)
Interesting to note that J.G. Bennett gave a talk at Sherborne House in 1973. The J.G. Bennett site is here - if interested there is a link to a recording made at that time - click on the 'For Sale' link. No doubt of little relevance to King's School, but entered here because his organisation lived within the walls of the Sherborne House at that time. I was once quite interested in his and the writings of his contemporaries and have his book "Witness" in which there are a number of references to life in Sherborne House at that time.
For anyone interested in the Dutton family history there is a link to A Dutton Chronology, 1066 to 1784
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Tom Mosey has sent me some email correspondence he has had with Leeds University. It is confirmation of his father's Degree. He obtained a BA (Hons) in English in 1925. I have posted the final email - if anyone wants Barry Collinge's email address ask. (For security of his email address it is not posted here.) If anyone thinks it necessary to put the qualification on site - I do not - Tom will send me a scan. Hopefully this finally closes the debate.
Sunday 21st May 2006 (UD06/10)
Permission to quote from the book has been requested [Later granted. Ed]. Hopefully I will be able to let you know more very soon.
Thursday 19th May 2006 (UD06/09)
Sunday 19th March 2006 (UD06/05)
[ KS Directory ]
"Brian Clifford did in fact join the RAF after BOAC rejected him on some obscure medical grounds, and – amongst other things – flew Lightnings and Phantoms out of Leuchers in Scotland and also Coningsby in Lincolnshire on the protection of our airspace patrols. I have not seen him in many years. As I recollect he married a girl called Patrice in the sixties. The last time that I heard of him – and that was some time ago, I was told that he was working on the management team of (a well known store - name of such withheld. Ed.)."
Can anyone help with the whereabouts of Brian Clifford or what he did in the RAF? [Ed.]
Again from the Diary of Patrick Delaney:Wed. 1. Nov. Old man became fierce, efficiency campaign begun. Caned 2 boys.
Thur. 2. Nov. 2 more boys caned.
Fri. 3. Nov. 2 more boys caned. Slowly the lust for BLOOD is overcoming 'Him'.
Continuing the "I wonder what happened to" theme:
Bob Gabaldoni says:
"I feel that some more names must be added to that list.
Ken Bridges from Blackpool, Ted Edwards from the Wolverhampton area, a guy called Westhorpe whose Christian name I cannot remember. Another name that I can remember is George Young from Wishford on Salisbury plain - a farmer I believe. I met a vicar a few years ago now, who was vicar at Wishford and he told me that George was dead.
"...Anyway lets have some more names to cogitate on."
I thought the American boys' fathers were stationed at Brize Norton. I remember we turned right (south) off the A40 when being driven to the airbase.
Sun. 22. Oct. New boy Lippmann came. Son of brigadier at Yank air-base
near by.
Fri. 16. Nov. Another American, Anderson, came.
Sat 2. Dec. Went to see Yank football match with 10 others taken by
Anderson's and Lippmann's parents. Had tea at Lippmann's. Very
enjoyable day..."
Freddie Bates (F.I.B.) adds this information regarding Richard Statham's request for information about Lipman:
"Lipman’s father was a Colonel in USAF based at Upper Hayford air base.
His home town was Boston U.S.A
I shudder when I recall that I grabbed him by the hair for running in the passage outside 4a. He had very short hair but it still haunts me when I remember feeling his scalp lift although fortunately there where no ill effects at the time. But he is now probably as bald as a coot, He was a very pleasant guy, No doubt we can trace him - will try through various sources. F.I.B."
Richard Statham (KS 1947-52) has asked me to post the following:
"It suddenly occurred to me the other day that for a short time we had an American boy, Lippman, who came to us and I believe, though I'm not sure, that he was the son of Walter (?) Lippman (or Lipman) who was a well known journalist - NY Times? He didn't stay long, but my memory was jogged when I noticed a photo, or was it film, of a large "Yank tank" in the drive at the front of the school, pale purple with huge fins and all the acoutrements. I don't believe anyone else at that time could possibly have afforded such a vehicle. I wonder if anyone else can remember the boy or anything about him? He certainly came but my memory tells me no more."
Brian Bolton has asked me to post details of the Memorial Service to be held for the late Peter Thomas - just follow the link. There is also a link on the main page via "Teachers" in the margin index. As is my usual policy Margaret Thomas' address has been withheld - drop me an email if you require it.
Barbara Farmer has brought to my attention a book called "Sherborne, A Cotswold Village" by Walter Tufnell, Alice Tufnell and
Sybil Longhurst (local villagers I believe). Publisher: Sutton Publishing. Publication Date: 30 April 1992. ASIN / ISBN: 0750900814.
Hardcover, 192 Pages. List Price: £12.99 - I got mine second hand condition 'fine' for £8 plus £3.40 p/p from
Abe Books. In it are a number of references to King's School and the building in which it was
housed.
Clifford Jones II asks, "Has anybody got photos or memories of the school play ... Henry IV Part 1, especially as it went to
a Youth Festival at Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, produced and directed of course by Peter Thomas." He further comments, "By the
way I thought the American boy in Martin Fewings and Brian Winters recollections was Kippy Redda." Can anyone else recall either
Rector or Redda?
Nigel Dodds sent me this: "At the last reunion I told a few of you that I was going to make it my duty to find Sandra and Patricia
Winn. Well guess what I have found Sandra in Norfolk and Pat in Devon. Had a very interesting telephone conversation with Sandra today.
Sandra tells me that she has a lot of memorabilia as well as fond memories of King's School. I have, I hope, persuaded them both to
come to the reunion at the Belfry on 8 July 2006. I hope that makes a few more of you turn up now!" Full story