Soham Grammarians - Sir Philip Foreman 34-41

Born: 16 March 1923; son of late Frank and Mary Foreman; lived in Fordham and then Ely: married 1971, Margaret Cooke; one son.

Education: Soham Grammar School, Cambridgeshire; Loughborough College, Leicestershire. (DLC (Hons)).

Career: Royal Naval Scientific Service, 1943–58.
Short Brothers, 1958–88: Managing Director, 1967–88; Chairman, 1983–88.
Director: Simon Engineering Ltd, 1987–94 (Deputy Chairman, 1992; Chairman, 1993);
Progressive Building Society, 1987–2000 (Chairman, 1990–2000);
Ricardo Group (formerly Ricardo International) plc, 1988–97 (Chairman, 1992–97);

Member Council, 1986–98, Chairman, 1988–91, and President, 1994–98, British Standards Institution;
Member: Design Council, 1986–92; NI Economic Council, 1972–88; Chairman, Teaching Co. Management Committee, 1987–90;
Trustee, Scotch-Irish Trust, 1980–.
Member Senate, Queen's University Belfast, 1993–2002.

President, IMechE, 1985–86. FREng (FEng 1982); FIAE 1997; Fellow: Irish Management Institute, 1986; Irish Institute of Engineers, 1987; MInstD 1987; CCMI. FRSA 1978.

A Freeman, City of London, 1980; Liveryman, Engineers’ Company, 1992–.
DL Belfast, 1975. Hon. FRAeS 1983. Hon. DSc QUB, 1976; Hon. DTech Loughborough, 1983; DUniv Open, 1985.

Publications: papers to: Royal Aeronautical Society; Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

2008: Philip writes: I recently came across this snap in an old family album - Victor Ludorum 1940!

Soham Grammarian Summer 1941

EDITORIAL At this point it is fitting that we congratulate our popular Head Boy, PF Foreman, on his magnificent achievement. He has won a British Empire Open Scholarship and is to begin his course at Loughborough College in September.

On the result of an examination in April, PF Foreman has been awarded a Scholarship of the value of £75 a year tenable for three years at Loughborough College. Four others were awarded to pupils of scondary schools in the British Empire. [He was Captain of Rugby for his House (Cromwell) and played in the School's 1st XV and the Cricket 1st XI].

Soham Grammarian Autumn 1941

PF Foreman passed the Preliminary Examination in Mathematics and Physics at Loughborough College , and is thus excused one year of the full course. He is playing for the 1st XV.

from the 1937 School photo

Congratulations to .. P. F. Foreman on gaining First Class Honours in the Intermediate Year Examination in Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough College.

PF Foreman gained the 1st Class Honours Diploma in the Faculty of Engineering at Loughborough College.

from a local newspaper, probably the Ely Standard, presumably 1972, a cutting found in the papers of Mr TL Riley by his daughters Susan and Brigid.

A former Soham Grammar School boy who ins now managing director of Short, Brothers and Harland of Belfast and whose father lives in Ely has been awarded the CBE in the New Year Honours for service to export.

Mr Philip Foreman,, whose father Mr Frank Foreman, of 2 Downiham-road, Ely, has lived here since 1938, went to Loughborough College after leaving Soham. In 1943 he joined the Admiralty and for the following 15 years worked in the Royal Naval Scientific Service.

Much of his work was concerned with research and development in the field of high precision servo systems for gun mountings.

He joined Shorts, the famous Northern Ireland firm, in 1958 as head of ship equipment, responsible for the design and development of all depot and shipborne equipment for guided missiles projects. Responsible for all aspects of the Seacat missile programme, he became managing director in 1967.

6 Nov 2007: Wilkes Walton writes: Phil was a sturdy lad and pretty quick, who took some stopping on the rugby field. After he moved from Fordham to Ely I seem to remember him on the right wing with the round ball for Ely City FC or Ely Wanderers as I think they were called in wartime.

I played with Phil in the Cricket XI in 1941 - my first season and Phil's last year at school. By chance I still have the score-cards for the two games against Newmarket Secondary School.

If you can add further recollections or photos please contact the editor
page last updated 7 Nov 10