Soham Grammarians - CJ Ford 1926-64

Mr. C. J. Ford BSc (Liverpool)
Chemistry 1926-64

From the Summer 1964 Soham Grammarian:
After thirty-eight years, Mr. C. J. Ford will be retiring from full-time teaching at the end of this term. His whole teaching life has been spent in the service of Soham Grammar School. He came here in 1926, during the headmastership of Mr. C. J. Platt, in time to see the transfer from the old school to the present site; served throughout the Headmasterships of Mr.B.J.A.Neill and Mr.S.Stubbs; and during the long reign of the present Headmaster, taking over the position of Second Master from Mr. L. G. Johnson when the latter retired in 1953.

Though primarily a chemist, Mr. Ford - the school being much smaller in those days - was responsible at first for Botany and Zoology, in addition to Chemistry. His skill as a teacher and his ability to command the full co-operation of his pupils combined to achieve a high level of success in his subjects. Many of his pupils have gone on to further successes, as witness the string of Ph.D.s - seven at least - who began their careers under his guidance.

For the first half of his career at Soham, Mr. Ford was responsible for the cricket of the school, in addition to acting as unpaid groundsman and giving useful service with football and athletics.

Mr C Chas/Charlie John Ford
from the Summer 1964 magazine
photo by Mr AE Lawrance

On the retirement of Mr. Johnson in 1953, he became Second Master: his promotion came in a period of expansion of numbers, staff and buildings; of experimentation in many fields - the breaking down of the old streaming system and its replacement by experimental option schemes, whose implementation in a two-stream school requires (in order to maintain the necessary balance) just that touch of genius which Mr. Ford possesses for the manipulation of time-tables. His modesty and unselfishness, his endless patience and tact, his ready sympathy and practical help, together with his ability to smooth the ruffled tempers of the Staff-room, have all contributed to his success in this position.

With all this, he still finds time to give a lead in public service: he has for many years been a regular Blood Donor and is Local Sector Warden in the Civil Defence Corps.

His coming retirement marks the end of an era in the school's history. He has seen its fortunes rise from the unhappy days when there was a serious threat of its extinction as a grammar school to its present proud position, and can claim some share of the credit for the change. We have the consolation of knowing that he will not be abandoning us entirely, but will continue to serve part-time for a while at least. His wit and wisdom and most of all his kindly understanding of all our particular problems and difficulties at all levels in the school, will still be at our disposal, for which, to name but two, the Headmaster and the writer of this article will be truly thankful.

newspaper cutting via Mrs Armitage

The lawns of Soham Grammar School and the school itself, were the scene of great activity on Saturday when the school held a mammoth fete in aid of the fund to build a Scout Hut.

Stalls and sideshows were laid out on the lawn and in the school exhibitions covering the whole range of school work were to be seen.

The fete was opened by Mrs CJ Ford, whose father built the house which is now the Grammar School, and whose association with the school has been continued through the years by the fact that her husband has been a member of the staff for 38 years.

This is also Mr Ford's last year on the staff and to mark his retirement the Old Boys' Association presented him with a powered lawn mower.

The presentation was made by Mr Lionel Fleet, a former pupil, who later returned to the school to teach in Mr Ford's department.

TWELFTH MAN

Accepting the gift, Mr Ford said he was unable properly to express his feelings of gratitude. Having completed his 114th term he felt it was time to "declare his innings closed" but hoped to be of some further use to the school having been asked to come back next term as "twelfth man."

At the opening Mrs Ford was presented with a magnificent travelling rug, a gift of the pupils, and the headmaster, Mr E Armitage, commented that in view of her long association with the school they had felt that the occasion should be commemorated with something more permanent than the usual gift of flowers.

Newmarket Journal, 18th July 1985
Mr John Ford, former deputy headmaster of Soham Grammar School, whose funeral took place on Thursday.
The funeral service took place at St Andrew's Church, Soham, on Thursday of the much loved former deputy headmaster of the old Soham Grammar School, Mr John Ford, who died in Newmarket General Hospital on July 5. He was 83. Mr Ford was born and educated in Liverpool but was a school master in Soham for all of his teaching career. His main subject was chemistry and his first post was as chemistry master at the Grammar School. He later became senior master and deputy headmaster.

He was well known and respected by everyone in Soham and will be long remembered for his kind nature which showed both in and out of his school life. Mr Ford was very interested in the work of the Bishop Laney Trust, to which he was educational adviser.

He was also an enthusiastic gardener and spent much of his latter years caring for his garden at Addison House, Sand Street, Soham. Mr Ford also enjoyed sport, particularly tennis and badminton. He leaves a widow, Mrs Winifred Ford, two daughters, Mrs Mary Wallis and Mrs Anne Jarman and five grandchildren.

Mrs Anne Jarman, one of his daughters, has provided this photo of CJF in costume for a part in Pygmalion with the Soham Players.

'SENEX' wrote in the Summer 1961 Soham Grammarian

Pygmalion was another evocation. When Mr CW Crouch joined the staff circa 1926 his ideas on music, painting and drama were soon felt, in the town as in the school. In due time he helped in getting together a drama group formed of like-minded Soham people, excluding SGS pupils. Their first production was Chas Hawtrey's The Private Secretary, a farce which delighted the full houses in the Conservative Hall and exploited a rich vein of comedy in Messrs. Crouch and Peet whose performances must still be remembered.

Mention of Mr Peet reminds me of an incident in the fourth form when a swallow found its way into a geography lesson. After a good deal of aimless darting about it found its exit through the window but not before leaving a visiting card on Mr Peet's gown.

Emboldened by the Hawtrey success the Soham Players put on Pygmalion which although it was better drama was not nearly so successful in that particular locale. It should be remembered that the typical Soham audience of those days had not had the opportunities of acquaintance with radio and television plays which is theirs today. The six-lettered word did not go down well with the chapel-goers who formed a large part of the audience.

The disadvantage of these goings-on from the point of view of the boys was that in the next few Art and English lessons we were required to draw and write (respectively) our impressions of the plays. full article

Do you have any appreciations, anecdotes or other photos relating to Mr Ford? please contact the editor

Terry Allen 39 (8 Mar 2005): Charley Ford (Chemistry): I never had him as a teacher but when I was in the Upper Fifth he was the form master. I remember that on one morning prior to prayers we were in class waiting our cue to go into the Hall and I was sitting in the front row (for some reason I was always made to sit in the front) Mr Ford was directly in front of me, about 3 feet away, and as you do, I accidentally pulled a cigarette out of my pocket which fell to the floor. Keeping my eyes firmly on him I reached down and blindly retrieved the cigarette. Whew! that was a close one.

Wilkes Walton 36 (26 Oct 2006): The ammunition train explosion at Soham station on 2 June 1944 involved Mr Ford as he was ARP Post Warden. The explosion was heard in Cambridge where I was on my RAF Short Course at Emmanuel, having left school at Easter. Dink Palmer [SG37] remembers his bedroom window being blown in.

Richard Watts (also a Soham lad [SG39]) passed on to me a book But for Men Such as These, by Anthony Day (SB Publications, 1994). The introduction says "The title words were spoken by the Reverend Fletcher Boughey in Soham church on Sunday 4th June 1944 in preface to his tribute to the four brave railwaymen who, two days earlier, had saved the town of Soham from virtual destruction". The list of acknowledgements includes Ann Jarman (née Ford) and Pat and Les Seal [SG32].

On p29 the book says "John Ford, the Biology and Chemistry Master and Deputy Headmaster at the Grammar School awoke in the belief , like many another, that this was a bombing from the air, inexplicably without siren warning. As ARP Post Warden he pulled his trousers over his pyjamas and cycled down Clay Street over glass - without getting a puncture - and joined the helpers. For a few days he was apt to be known as 'Bluey' for the colour of those pyjamas showing below his trousers. There had to be moments to ease the strain."

from the 1935 School photo	from the 1937 School photo	from the 1946 School photo
from the 1949 School photo	from the 1952 School photo	from the 1954 School photo
from the 1956 School photo	from the 1960 School photo	from the 1965 School photo