Dec 2005
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A 1918 schoolboy - see the late Stan Morley, father of James Morley 47 - via Scrapbook 1910-19
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Where are we? A link in helpful points lists the postal sectors of SGs in the UK - you might find there is one near you!
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Contact made
Geoffrey Allen 58-65, London: now teaching part-time after a career in pharmaceutical research -
There were 28 email list additions in 2005: Bill (CW) Allen 35, Geoffrey Allen 58, David Angood 55, Derek Barker 41, Mike Barningham 60, Shaun Bokor 65, Tony Burton 60, Martyn Davies 66, Alan Dench 67, Peter Grange 53, Richard Harvey (Windibank) 55, Michael Hawes 69, Neil Howchin 67, Bob Lyons (sixth form 69-71), David Nash '41', Gary Mader 62, Stephen Murfitt 65, Andrew Murkin 65, Len Norman 49, Alan Parish '54', Robin (Bob) Parr 52, Charlie Phelps 50, Michael Plumb 54, Allan Rule 69, Ron Russell (English) 71-72, John Shelley 60-67, Rob Sowerby 55, Jonathan Wise 55.
Nov 2005
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Tony Burton 60 has provided the following team photos - all are large images so will take time to appear if you do not have broadband - if you print them set them up as Landscape - see History > History pages 2 > Archive > Sports photos:
- 1963 Schools Cross Country Teams - Champion School Fenland Schools Race
- U14 Football 1962-63
- U14 Football 1961-62
- Cricket 2nd XI 1960s as yet undated
- Cricket U14 XI 1963
- Athletics team 1964 Fenland Sports
Tony also reports that his brother in law Roger A Butler 59 died in 1988 - see In Memoriam -
Mrs Jarrett (now Mrs Jill Petrulewicz) Housekeeper 1960-72, recalls Mrs Mary Ball, one of the School Secretaries; and an incident in the kitchens that could have been interesting had there been seconds ... see Scrapbook > 1960s
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Via Peter Askem a magnificent photo of the June 1937 School & Old Boys' Open Air Production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. To this has been added the review from the Summer 1937 Soham Grammarian. The page includes the Dramatic Club's Rude Mechanicals' Underplot from a Midsummer Night's Dream, which they gave on Speech Day, March 3rd 1937, from the Lent 1937 Soham Grammarian - see History > History2 > Productions
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Contact made:
Tony Burton 60, a deputy head teacher of a London comprehensive: Tony has provided a number of team photos - see above
Robin (Bob) Parr 52, dairy farmer in Tasmania
Rob Sowerby 55, in Dorset, ex-Navy and retired from Sussex Fire Brigade
Harry Summerscales 40, in Cambridgeshire
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Photo updaters this month - see School Lists:
1956 School photo - Rob Sowerby 55
1960 School photo - Tony Burton 60, Jill Petrulewicz (Mrs Jarrett), Rob Sowerby 55
1965 School photo - Tony Burton 60 -
Bonfire Night, 5th November 2005 saw the 18,000th visit to this site
Oct 2005
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The Soham Grammarian through the years - how the cover of the school magazine changed over time - see History > History2 > Archive > School Magazines
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Les Seal 32 makes contact via his son Paul. Les worked on the Railway for most of his career and finally in the Magistrates Courts at Great Yarmouth. The Seals left Soham in 1954. Mrs Seal's father, Harry Oliver, was the Soham station master at the time of the explosion and Paul believes she is the last survivor of those who were directly involved.
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Jack Lockwood 25, probably the oldest of the Grammarians, has donated his Football Colours Cap and four athletics medals to the Archive at SVC - see History > History2 > Archive > Sports photos
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Malcom Coe 57 has loaned the Christmas 1920 issue of the Soham Grammarian from which you can read, via Scrapbook, an account of the first Old Boys' AGM which took place in December 1920. The Old Boys began in July 1919.
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Ralph Dunham 59 is a great railways enthusiast: he puts his primary teacher skills to use for the educational effort by the Severn Valley Railway - see Pages by/on SGs
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Contact has been made with Mrs Jill Jarrett (as was), Housekeeper 1960-72, living in Norfolk.
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Housekeeping: the history pages topic list has outgrown its left-side-of-screen menu space. It now comes in two menus, the core History pages1 menu, and linked to that the non-core History pages2 menu - you can swap between the two - see via History
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Pages have been started on the Scout Troop, the ACF and the Civil Defence Corps at SGS, initially covering 1963-66: these are based on reports in the Soham Grammarian (Spring issues for 1965-68 are sought). Other years and issues will be added as time permits. Participants are asked to provide their own anecdotes and photos on these activities - Terry Day 57 has come up with an ACF anecdote - see via History pages2.
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The October 8th Dinner: 109 were booked, including ten former members of staff. Given the number of regulars not able to come this year this was a very pleasing turnout.
A page of photos, which includes a message from Mrs Armitage, is available from the Reunion Dinners page and that will be updated with any other or better images that those present took. Please add names to the photos! Did anyone get a group photo of the staff present?
Dick Bozeat's interesting and amusing talk, which he summed up along the lines of when he left Soham Grammar School "I gave up a way of life for a job" has been transcribed and is now linked from that page.
That page also includes Peter Grange 53's account of the making of the lectern.
Now also linked to Dick's talk, and via Scrapbook, is Terry Day MBE 57's account of the Hole in the Ceiling incident referred to by Dick. Terry has also been added to our Honours page - see via School Lists.
A number of new items for the Archive and website were handed to the Editor at the Dinner, in particular some photos of productions, including some pre-war, from Peter Askem. Some colour photos from Twelfth Night, 1960, which have not kept too well, are the first to be added - see History > History2 > Productions
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Making contact:
Shaun Bokor 65-72, now in Leicestershire
Jack Lockwood 25, Norwich
Gary Mader 62
Rod Mayes 53-59, Cambridgeshire
Michael Miller 70-72, Suffolk
Les Seal, Norfolk 32
John Shelley 60-67, Cambridgeshire -
Photo updaters this month - see School Lists:
1935 School photo - Les Seal 32
1960 School photo - Terry Day 57
1965 School photo - Mike Barningham 60, Terry Day 57
1970 School photo - John Lester 65
Sep 2005
| Reunion Dinner
information and booking form letters were posted
on 22nd August to those Soham Grammarians known to us who
could not be emailed. For those of you on email, a message
was sent 20-22 August. Soham Grammarians not on our all IN touch list are asked to get in touch via Contact us. The Reunion letter can be printed off from the Reunion Dinners page. We hope to see ever more new faces this year. Richard Dick Bozeat is our guest speaker. |
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Barry Lowe 55 adds to the Chess page started this month by Stephen Murfitt 65. Barry recounts the start of the Chess Club in his time when Lionel Hart arrived in 1959, and adds a post-school anecdote.
Stephen provided the opening move for a Chess page with a photo from a 40 board competition in 1967: more chess photos and stories are welcome - see Scrapbook 1960s -
Stephen also adds a photo to the Sport collection - the U15 XI winners of the Fordham Cup in 1969 "unbeaten in 40 games" - History > Archive > Sports photos
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Congratulations to Peter Easy 63. "Napier University Edinburgh has appointed Dr Peter Easy as Vice-Principal Academic Quality & Customer Service. Dr Easy's is the first appointee to the University’s new senior management team when he takes up his position in September 2005. Currently working as a higher education consultant, Dr Easy’s most recent post within the sector was Vice-Principal & Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Gloucestershire - a position which he held from 2001–2004." see Pages by/on SGs
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Making contact:
David Nash '41' with wartime recollections - see Scrapbook > 1940s - Memories of some wartime staff
Martyn Davies 66 - now a solicitor in the South of England, adds a recollection to the XIV Legion page - see Scrapbook > 1960s -
Photo updaters this month
L6 Arts 1956 (via Scrapbook) - Neil Holmes 52, who adds "I think it is not a group photo of Lower 6th Arts, but a photo of all 6th form (Lower 6th, Upper 6th & Super 6th) students studying English (hence RN 'Archie' Joiner in the photo)."
Aug 2005
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Looks different? Research shows that the majority of visitors to our website are using higher resolution screen settings, 1024 x 768 rather than 800 x 600. The new font should be easier to read at the higher setting. Further work on layout is in hand.
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On Wednesday 14th September, 7.30pm at the Soham Methodist Church Hall, Berrycroft, Soham, the Soham History & Museum Society is having a talk by Dr Len Norman 49, about his experiences of living in the Cambridgeshire Fens and of his schooldays. Admission £1, all welcome - please support Len and the Society.
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Brian Alsop 52: his daughter Sharon Kent has asked for him to be added to our In Memoriam page: "He worked in the Middle East for many years and spent some time living in Texas. He died in 2002 eight months after diagnosis of cancer. We typed his name into Search last night and ended up printing off photographs from your web site that none of us had ever seen before - Mum hadn't seen them. We really enjoyed looking at him as a schoolboy. One of my sons has exactly the same hair as Dad did. I appreciated the opportunity to see him as a very young man."
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The novelist and freelance writer John Harding 62 - can anyone put us in touch? In the Aug 14 Sunday Times John Webster 59 spotted an interview with him about his childhood in Prickwillow and how he followed his father at SGS. Please contact the editor.
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Congratulations to Howard Gilbert, Principal of the Village College for the last six years and an Hon SG, who moves on to his new appointment as Headteacher of St Ivo Comprehensive School in St Ives - 1800 strong including a Sixth Form of 350. He has been a good friend to the Soham Grammarians. Vice-Principal Dr David Lunn is Acting Principal until a new appointment is made.
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Neil Holmes 52 has provided a photo of Form 3A, school year 1954-55 ... and almost completely named it!
see Scrapbook -
The Editor would be most grateful to hear from anyone who can dig out any of the annual School Lists for the years 1955-1960.
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Mrs June Lawrance has provided some articles about Punch's retirement as Warden of the Village College - see via In Memoriam
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June has also provided this undated photo of staff and boys. Slug's hair seems to be more than usually alarming, amusing the three behind him - click image for a close up. What was the occasion? Please add the missing names and provide a date. [Editor - given the dates for the staff shown it has to have been taken 1951-53: as Jugger/Bish Johnson is 'front+centre' could it have been to do with his retirement in 1953, before some 'proper' photo was done? ... but why this group?]
 click image for close up back: Willie Royston - Alan Cox - Colin Rouse - 4 - John Lenanton - Rodney Cutting? front: Mr Leon Bill Kitchen (51-57 "who taught history with verve and threw a board rubber with deadly accuracy"*) - Mr Riley - Mr Johnson (22-53) - Mr Thomas - Mr Rex Waller (49-60) identifiers: June Lawrance, Colin Cornwell 45, John Gothard 53, Neil Holmes 52, *Martin Shalders 54, Mike Rouse (SVC), Frank Haslam 59 |
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Did you sing in the school choir? More information and photos would be welcome - see Scrapbook,1960s
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Making contact:
David Angood BEM MBE 55 - retired from the RAF, living in Lincolnshire
Mike Barningham 60 - Royal Marine Commando then qualified as a Land Surveyor, gained a Civil Engineering degree in London, works around the world, home in Mexico. With Larry Arthur, John Shelley and Mark Taylor, all Air Training Corps Cadets before the ACF was introduced at SGS, Mike messed up the ACF ranks of brown with Air Force blue. Science Lab Technician BE Callan who held an RAFVR(T) Commission also paraded in blue, he recalls. -
Photo updaters this month - see School Lists:
1956 School photo - Neil Holmes 52
1965 School photo - Mike Barningham 60
L6 Arts 1956 (via Scrapbook) - Rob Hinze 52
Jul 2005
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2005 Reunion, Saturday 8 October We are making preparations for this year's Reunion Dinner and will be emailing and posting the booking form to those known to us, probably in late August. A well known member of staff with a strong sporting bias will be the speaker - more news soon. If you have not already made yourself known to us (see contact rolls via the Contact page), or not advised us of an address or email change, please contact Frank Haslam
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Peter Askem, from the latest issue of the Old Persean, notes the death on 27 Feb 2005 of Geoffrey D Watts, Biology 1955-61 - see In Memoriam for a link to an appreciation of him from his widow Elizabeth.
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British History Online has an interesting page on education in Soham ... perhaps one of you can compare it with the published history of the School ... see History > foot of the Early History page
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George E Varrow was one of the school's casualties in WW1 - he is also commemorated in St Mary's Church Wivenhoe, but not on the Wivenhoe War memorial
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Doug Cranwell 37 played rugby for the school and has been a stalwart of Ely City FC - see also Scrapbook > ATC E Cmnd Cross Country 18 March 1944 and the 1937 school photo
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In Memoriam - John Hawkins 51, d June 2002, aged 61: source Charlie Phelps 50, who was his best man - see In Memoriam
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60th Anniversary of the ending of WW2 in Europe in May and against Japan in August - please add your recollections of how the school celebrated and remembered in 1945. For a wartime diary see History pages > Wartime News
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Making contact:
Bob Lyons Sixth Form 69-71 - civil airline pilot who enjoyed his time at SGS - but don't get him going on Tabs
Andrew Murkin 65 - has created books on CD of interest to all Burwellians - see Pages by/on SGs
Jun 2005
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In Memoriam - Geoff Burton 50, of Haddenham and Cyprus, d 10 June 2005, aged 66 at home in Haddenham. Our condolences to his family: source John Favell 50
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Making contact:
Peter Grange 53 - retired and living in Oundle, alerted to our continued existence by another SG
Michael George Hawes 69, living in Soham, where he has an accountancy practice - see Pages by/on SGs
Neil Howchin 67 - a former military policeman, for many years now serving with the county force
Bill Wheeler 60 - at the Met Office in Exeter: his brother Richard was three years ahead of him at Soham -
School Photo updaters this month - see School Lists:
1960 - Bill Wheeler 60
1965 - Bill Wheeler 60
1970 - Neil Howchin 67
May 2005
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Making contact:
Richard Harvey 55 (my surname was Windibank when I was at SGS) I'm on the 1956 photo but left later in the year on moving to Hampshire. I now live in London.
Allan Rule 69, living in Cambridge
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School Photo updaters this month - see School Lists:
1954 - John Gothard 53
1956 - Richard Harvey 55 (Windibank at SGS)
1960 - Roger Smith 56
Apr 2005
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News of Tabby from John Favell 1950: Whilst on a golfing weekend earlier this month I had the chance to pop in to see Tabby at his flat in Loddon. I am pleased to say that for a 93 year old he seemed remarkable and was pleased to meet me even though I don't think he could place me. He seemed to have a clearer memory of the sixties than the fifties. It was nice to see him looking so well and being well looked after in pleasant surroundings when you realise what some of the retirement homes are like.
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Colin Thornhill 40 spotted a couple of omissions from the Staff List: Mr Crouch (Music) and Miss Margaret Lawson (French). A search of the website yielded a number of mentions of Mr Crouch including appearance on some photos but none of Miss Lawson. It appears that Mr CW Critchey Crouch ARCM was here from about 1926 and followed Mr Stubbs to the Perse in 1945. Colin recalls Miss Lawson as predecessor of Miss Goodison, whilst Mr Riley was at war.
Any other staff omissions? - see School Lists -
Maurie Wilmore ('50' - arrived during 1953 in 3rd form), from Australia provides a photo of Lower 6 Arts taken in 1956. We need help with some of the names - see Scrapbook
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School Photo updaters this month - see School Lists:
1949 - Colin Cornwell 45
1954 - Cliff Cobbin 50
Mar 2005
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Making contact:
Bill (CW) Allen 35, from Staffordshire: "I spent nearly two hours on the website last night and had a wonderful though nostalgic time. I recognised so many on the photos but I can't recall many names. I am only in touch with Frank Key apart from my brother Terry [see below]. One memory was of Johnie Norman when he came to the school after returning from his flying training in America. He was pleased to tell us that he had travelled on the Chattanooga Choochoo, a name well known at the time because of Glen Miller and his music. So many stories crowded back into my memory it would take ages to recall them all. Thanks for giving me the chance to relive so much of my time there from the filling of sandbags during what should have been our summer holiday, to recalling that three of us passed the Higher School Certificate in the Summer of 1942. Having lost our Maths and Physics teachers I opted for an Arts Higher but it took a lot of explaining when a year later I asked the local council for a loan so that I could go to University to do an Engineering Degree."
Derek Barker 41, in Leicestershire
Jonathan Wise 55 -
Terry Allen 39 pops in some brief anecdotes about the following members of staff: Charley Ford, Kate Goodison, George Farmer Jarge Hunt, Rev Thomas Hurdle, Bish Johnson, Herbert Peacock, Luke/Slug Riley, Taffy Thomas, Stanley Stubbs - see via School Lists > Staff or, where listed, in In Memoriam.
- Colin Cornwell 45 adds another on Slug in which Mr Riley uses wordplay on his nickname to re-focus minds on work!
- Colin Thornhill 40 says of his wartime days: "Of interest to the Littleport boys, and surely some of them must still be around, were our travel arrangements to school. We caught the train from Littleport to Ely, changed trains for Soham and invariably arrived late for assembly. We then had to leave early to catch the train to Ely and change to the Littleport train. All of this was in the middle of the blitz and the trains were often very late, which provided us with the opportunity of catching up on some homework or a game or two of chess on Ely station, Summer and Winter." -
Gil Linton '66' advises that the 1969-70 Football 1st XI photo is actually of the 2nd XI (as others have suspected) and probably a year later. He names some of the team and adds "I just looked at the first team picture for 1971-2 and realise that I've been defamed. I actually played one game for that team - but never got in the photograph or got a mention as an 'also played.' We lost my only first team match 2-0 at home to Kimbolton, so it's not exactly a track record to boast about." see History > Archive > Sports photos
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Piet Walton-Knight 52 updates the 1B 1952-53 and 4B 1955-56 photos (see via School Lists > Years > Sep 52): Piet also asks if anyone is in touch with John Kiernan?
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School Photo updaters this month - see School Lists:
1946 - John Kisby 43
1956 - Jonathan Wise 55
1960 - Jonathan Wise 55
Jeff Hollands 54 verifies himself on the 1S photo - see Scrapbook
Feb 2005
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Neil Holmes (52) provides an article from the Feb 16 Cambridge Evening News about his brother Paul (46) who retires on 28 February after 27 years on the Cambridge Bench and who on 15 February was at St James's Palace receiving commendation from the Queen - see Pages by/on SGs for the newspaper article
Another brother Michael (49) was also at SGS, so a Holmes brother was around from 1946 to 1960. Is this a record? -
Courtesy of Tim & Julie Webb of www.sohamroots.co.uk see some fascinating lists of exam results, prize winners and even a school list, for some of the years 1894-1914. Is someone in your family listed? - see Scrapbook
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Joss Ollet writes: My late father was Lorenzo Ernest Ollett. He was a "scholarship" boy at Soham from about 1921-1925. He cycled to school from Cheveley each day, and told me as a small boy about his admiration for "old Johnson" who taught him literature and the classics. As the 10th child of twelve, despite doing very well at Soham, my father had to leave education at 16 and come to London to find work. One of my fond memories is my father reciting a poem:
"Said Captain Grubb,
As he sat in his tub,
One thousand miles at sea,
No ship in view,
What can I do,
What is to become of me?"
Does anyone know if this was Mr. Johnson's work, or how I might discover more? It has only been worrying me 30 years since my father's early and unexpected death ..... I'll happily wait a while longer to find the answer. Trust you can help! Please contact the editor if you can -
John Wilson (46) now in Stamford reports the death of his SG contemporary and friend Keith Garwood at the age of 70: they had worked together in a company in Stamford.
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The great-grandaughter of William Mould, Headmaster 1885-1914, has made contact - see Messages
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Making contact:
Charlie Phelps (50), from near Bury St Edmunds -
School Photo updaters this month - see School Lists:
1956 - Michael Plumb 54
Jan 2005
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A Happy New Year to you all
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Clive Bray (50) has now added names to his photo of Form 3B in March 1953 to which John Favell (50) has also contributed - in some cases we still need first names please - see Scrapbook or 1950 entry
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Ed Reed (67) : I'm afraid I have to report the sad news that Frank Gamble (63) died on Saturday 15 Jan. I knew Frank very well from SGS days and we were both involved in the Church and he married Glenda, the girl who lived next door to me in Fordham. Frank had three children; Naomi, Adam and Rebecca and was also a grandfather. Many people may remember Frank with his guitar single handedly taking school assemblies. He was a superb example to us in those days and continued to be so throughout his life. Sadly Frank suffered ill health for a number of years and spent the last 10 years or so in a wheelchair. However this did not stop him touching and enriching the lives of all those around him.
The funeral is on Thursday 27 Jan at 12.45 pm, St Mary's Church (near the cathedral I think), Bury St Edmunds. -
Making contact:
Ron Russell (English 1971-2)
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