Association - Old Scarborians

1 

Tene Propositum 

SUMMER TIMES 

The Journal of the 

Old Scarborians’ Association 

Members of the Association are former pupils 

and members of staff of 

Scarborough High School for Boys 

Volume 62– May 2012 

Old Scarborians’ Association 

Web address: http://oldscarborians.org 

Price £3.00

2 

David Pottage 

IEng AMICE 

Managing Director 

John Jacobs Golf Associates Ltd 

Golf Course Architects and Consultants 

A Complete Service 

from 

Project Appraisal 

through 

Detailed Design 

to 

Turnkey Development 

70 Whitesmead Road 

Stevenage 

Hertfordshire SG1 3JZ UK 

Tel: +41 (0)1438 488922 

Mobile: +41(0) 7770 981618 

E-mail: pottaged@hotmail.co.uk 

Member: European Institute of Golf Course Architects

1 

EVENTS DIARY 2012 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2012 

TUESDAY 27th November 2012. SRUFC 7.30pm. ALL WELCOME. 

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS DINNER 2012 

FRIDAY, 7th December 2012, at 7pm for 8pm. To be held at SRUFC, 

Scalby Road, Scarborough. (The new club premises are between Scalby 

and Burniston on the right hand side of the road after leaving Scalby 

village) Price £27 which includes limited wine. All Members are welcome. 

Please use the enclosed form and book as soon as possible. Contact 

Bob Heaps with any queries. (Contact details page 2). 

ANNUAL BOWLS MATCH 2012 

FRIDAY 31st AUGUST 2012, Manor Road, Bowling Club. Please contact 

Chris Found for details. (Contact details on page 2) 

ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENTS 2012 

THURSDAY June 14 th & THURSDAY September 20 th . North Cliff Golf 

Club. Please contact John Brinkler for details. (Contact details on page 

3) 

OSA TIES— New style Association ties are available at £10. Please 

send your order accompanied by a cheque to the Treasurer. For new 

members please send £20 to include Life Membership. 

Please send items for the next Summer Times to Peter Newham, 

(address on page 2), as soon as possible please, but to reach him by 

15th August 2012. Items sent by e-mail are of great help, otherwise 

please type or write your letter and mail it on to him.

CONTENTS 

1. Events Diary 

2. Contents/ Committee Contacts 

4. Editorial 

4. Officer’s Reports 

8. Errata 

9. The Magazine 

11. Sporting Events 

12. From Here & There 

24. Further Cameos of Scarborough 

25. Ian Pryme writes 

25. Absence makes the heart … 

26. School Drama Programmes 

27. Gilbert Gray QC 

30. Secretarial Profiles 1 and 2 

32. Woodlands 

32. The Vice-President 

35. Annual Scarborough Dinner 

37. Scalby & Newby 

38. Torridon Camp 1958 

39. Nicknames 

39. Dai Liddicott 

39. Literati 

40. Faces from the past 

41. One foot in Eden 

42. Atkinson Grimshaw 

42. Mr Giblett 

43. Sports team photos 

44 Speech Day follow-up 

45. Graham Thorburn writes 

45. David Shaw writes 

45. Frank Binder 

47. Gerald Hinchliffe—90 years young 

49. Memories of TH Dawson 

56. Trivia & Universal Laws 

57 SBHS pays homage 

2 

SUMMER TIMES 

PRODUCTION: 

EDITOR 

Peter Newham 

‘Badger’s Rise’ 

8 Southcrest 

Hunsbury Hill 

Northampton NN4 9UD 

Tel: 01604 767895 

E-mail: the.newhams@btinternet.com 

DESIGN & LAYOUT 

David Fowler 

Farthings Publishing 

8 Christine House 

1 Avenue Victoria 

Scarborough. YO11 2QB 

Tel: 01723 365448 

E-mail: dgfowler@farthings.org.uk 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

2009/10 

PRESIDENT & MEMBERSHIP 

SECRETARY 

Geoff Winn 

‘Kingfishers 

5 Beech Court 

North Street, 

Scalby, 

Scarborough, YO13 0RU 

Tel: 01723 362414 

E-mail: Winn.geoff@talk21.com 

VICE-PRESIDENT 

William (Bill) Temple 

305A Scalby road, 

Newby 

Scarborough YO12 6TF 

Tel: 01723 362584 

E-mail: williiam-temple@sky.com

IMMEDIATE PAST 

PRESIDENT & TREASURER 

Chris Found 

Pinewood Cottage 

Silpho 

Scarborough North Yorkshire. 

YO13 0JP 

Tel: 01723 882343 

E-mail: deefound@btinternet.com 

SECRETARY 

Bob Heaps 

67 Newby Farm Road 

Newby 

SCARBOROUGH YO12 6UJ 

Tel: 01723 365597 

E-mail: bobheaps@yorkshire.net 

COMMITTEE: 

ARCHIVIST 

Peter Robson 

Forge Villa 

High Street 

Ebberston 

North Yorkshire. YO13 9PA 

Tel: 01723 859335 

E-mail: Peter.Robson@btinternet.com 

INDEPENDENT REVIEWERS 

Peter Berry 01723 362633 

Alan Thraves 01723 360851 

MAGAZINE ADVERTISING 

Chris Found 

Pinewood Cottage 

Silpho Scarborough 

North Yorkshire. YO13 0JP 

Tel: 01723 882343 

E-mail: deefound@btinternet.com 

PRESS & PUBLICITY 

Maurice Johnson 

Cottage Farm 

Foxholes, Driffield YO25 3QF 

Tel: 01262 470272 

E-mail: dairymagic@aol.com 

3 

SPORTING EVENTS - GOLF 

John Brinkler 

20 Barmoor Close 

Scalby 

Scarborough YO13 0RZ 

Tel: 01723 362665 

E-mail: jovalbrinkler@gmail.com 

SUMMER TIMES EDITOR 

Peter Newham 

‘Badger’s Rise’ 

8 Southcrest 

Hunsbury Hill 

Northampton NN4 9UD 

Tel: 01604 767895 

E-mail: the.newhams@btinternet.com 

WEB SITE MANAGER 

Bill Potts 

3636 Edison Avenue, Apt. 104 

Sacramento, CA 95821-2750 

USA 

Tel: +1-916-514-9974 

E-mail: osa@wfpconsulting.com 

Howard Acklam 01723 584061 

Colin Adamson 01723 364373 

Mick Bowman 01287 634650 

Don Graham 01723 850177 

Mick Peart 01723 864164 

HONORARY LIFE VICE- 

PRESIDENTS 

Frank Bamforth 01723 364432 

David Fowler 01723 365448 

Doug Owen 01723 360960 

Peter Robson 01723 859335

EDITORIAL 

It is both ironic and 

regrettable that the 

Magazine, having at 

long last become financially 

viable, at 

least for the near future, 

should increasingly 

struggle for 

contributions of material from the self 

-same Old Boys who have recently 

contributed so generously to its continuance, 

and whilst I perhaps always 

tend to err on the side of pessimism, 

can I please repeat my usual plea for 

more contributions, whether letters, 

articles, résumés, up-dates on careers/ 

retirements –– anything in fact which 

may be of interest to your contemporaries 

or stir the memories of related 

life in Scarborough in the 40’s, 50’s, 

60’s or early 70’s. The President has 

previously referred to the very welcome 

addition of a number of Members 

from the 1960s with their time at 

Woodlands, and they are the future for 

the Association, without, of course 

losing sight of the many of us with our 

equally nostalgic view of Westwood 

and its idiosyncrasies, long serving 

and autocratic staff included! 

It is strange that there is so much 

about the School in both its locations 

and about the town itself which, after 

all these years, still attracts a fierce 

loyalty and affection. Perhaps it is the 

epigram that you can take a Tyke out 

of Yorkshire but you cannot take Yorkshire 

out of a Tyke! –– and that is how 

it should be, no matter in which part of 

the world we end up! 

Peter Newham (1954-61) 

4 

PRESIDENTIAL 

The 2011 Christmas 

Dinner was again 

well attended and 

was thought by 

many of those present 

to have been 

one of the best ever. 

After the weather 

problems of the two previous years, 

we were blessed with much improved 

travelling conditions both locally and 

for those coming from away. Several 

new members joined us for the first 

time and it is hoped that, having renewed 

acquaintances with old school 

friends, they will make this an annual 

event in the diary. The Rugby Club 

again proved an ideal venue and the 

re-introduction of a speaker after the 

meal was well received. My thanks to 

John Oxley for his light-hearted and 

amusing anecdotes. 

At the 2011 AGM, Mick Bowman 

retired as Secretary after several years 

in post. On behalf of all the membership, 

I thank him for all the hard work 

he has put into the Association. He has 

agreed to remain on the Committee 

and this will assist in the transfer of 

responsibilities to our new Secretary, 

Bob Heaps. 

On 13 February this year, twenty five 

of us met up at Harts Restaurant in 

Nottingham to celebrate the 90th birthday 

of one of our best loved former 

teachers, Gerald Hinchliffe. He was on 

good form on the day and a full report 

on the lunch is given elsewhere in the 

Magazine.

I am sure you join with me in wishing 

him many more happy years. 

I have mentioned in my Membership 

report the new members who 

have joined over the past six months 

and this is very encouraging. However, 

we must now make a decision regarding 

those members who have 

failed to respond to the update requests 

in recent copies of Summer 

Times or the letter sent out to non- 

responders instead of the magazine 

last November. It is a difficult problem 

for the Committee to deal with, but if 

we do not hear from the 120 or so 

members who have not replied, we 

have no way of knowing whether they 

are still interested in the OSA, have 

moved without informing us or indeed 

passed on. We shall be dealing with 

this matter at our next committee 

meeting. 

Finally, I look forward to the London 

lunch at the East India Club on 17 

March which will in fact have taken 

place by the time you read this! Please 

support the golf and bowls events this 

year which involve the organisers in 

considerable time and effort and they 

would appreciate a good turnout. 

Geoff Winn (1949-56) 

SECRETARIAL 

As we prepare to go to print, Secretary 

Bob Heaps is abroad on holiday but he 

has provided a summary of his background 

which appears on page 31. 

5 

TREASURIAL 

YEAR ENDED 

31st OCTOBER 2011 

We have had a very 

successful year financially 

as donations 

made following our 

appeal in October 

2010 have continued 

to roll in and are still 

coming in. In addition Geoff Winn has 

kept up the pressure on recalcitrant 

potential members resulting in an increasing 

number of new joiners. 

A rather excessive profit was made 

on the London Lunch mainly because 

we had to advertise a price long before 

we were able to confirm a figure with 

the RAF Club. However, I believe that 

what we paid was very good value for 

what we received. Also our members 

drank a lot less wine than we had provided 

for. 

Our expenditure was almost exactly 

the same as last year. We have taken 

steps to reduce the cost of Summer 

Times by not mailing copies to those 

who have not returned the form confirming 

their continued existence and 

address. This has saved us in the region 

of £100 on the Autumn edition 

and the saving in a full year should be 

twice that sum. 

Support for our Golf and Bowls 

events has been a little disappointing 

this year, and this is a pity in view of 

how enjoyable the competitions 

proved to be. 

The Association is in a very healthy

financial position and we can look 

forward to carrying on our normal 

activities for a few years more without 

having to worry about our bank balance. 

INCOME 

6 

One last appeal to members - Please 

remember the Association in your 

Will! 

Chris Found (1951-59) 

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT 

YEAR ENDED 31st OCTOBER 2011 

2010 

£ £ £ £ 

Subscriptions and donations 4892 3950 

Profit on sale of ties 76 129 

Bank interest 2 1 

Profit on activities: 

Christmas Dinner (10) 

London Lunch 440 

Golf Dinner and Competitions 4 

Bowls Competition 18 

EXPENDITURE 

452 256 

___ ___ 

5422 4336 

Summer Times 1205 1259 

Postage and stationery 36 13 

Website costs 106 86 

Sundries 30 20 

Room hire 50 50 

____ ____ 

1427 1428 

Surplus for the year 3995 2908

Assets and Liabilities 

MEMBERSHIP 

SECRETARIAL 

Having said in my last Report that the 

tide had eventually turned and I was 

having to tell you that, over the past 

year, there had been more deaths than 

new members, lo and behold the last 

six months have produced an influx of 

new Members. These have been the 

following : 

Clayton, Colin (1937-42) 

Gough, Raymond (1944-49) 

Hartley, David (1965-70) 

7 

BALANCE SHEET 

AS AT 31st OCTOBER 2011 

2010 

£ £ 

Balance at Bank 10809 5312 

Stock of ties (at cost) 252 426 

Debtors and prepayments 325 325 

____ ____ 

11386 6063 

Less Creditors 1843 515 

Representing: 

9543 5548 

Accumulated Fund at 1st November 2010 5548 2640 

Surplus for the year 3995 2908 

_____ ____ 

Accumulated Fund at 31st October 2011 9543 5548 

===== ==== 

Hogg, Melvyn (1962-69) 

Mason, Alan (1962-69) 

Milner, Roger (1962-67) 

Moorhouse, Paul (1964-69) 

Pillar, Michael (1963-67) 

Radford, William (1966-70) 

Robinson, Philip (1962-68) 

Settle, John (1972-73) 

Shaw, David (1953-60) 

Southwick, Robert (1961-69) 

Tringham, Howard (1958-63) 

Trousdale, Graham (1958-63)

Those who have passed on are : 

Bowes, John (1949-55) 

Gilder, Barry (1949-55) 

Hoyland, David (1960-68) 

Kent, George (1941-45) 

Perfect, David (1953-61) 

Unfortunately, in the last ST, Ray 

Kidd was included among those who 

had died. I am happy to report that 

this was an error, and having spoken 

to him since, he was glad to tell me he 

is still alive and kicking and living in 

York. 

I have referred in my President’s 

report to the situation regarding Members 

who had not responded to the 

various requests to confirm their membership 

so will not dwell further on 

this. 

Can I just remind members that if 

they are still in contact with other Old 

Boys who are not Members, it would 

be helpful if you encouraged them to 

join and attend one of our events. 

Geoff Winn (1949-56) 

ARCHIVIST’S REPORT 

The only item I have 

added to the Archive 

this past six months is 

a cutting from The 

Yorkshire Post which 

reported that Kevin 

Young (1968-72) was 

awarded the CBE in 

the Queen’s birthday Honours of 2010. 

He attended the SBHS and the Scarborough 

Sixth Form College before 

being awarded undergraduate and 

8 

graduate degrees in Sports Science and 

Exercise at Liverpool John Moores 

University. For the past 11 years he 

has worked with Gilead Sciences in 

California where he is presently the 

chief executive. Gilead has developed 

Atripla, the only Single Tablet Regime 

for the treatment of HIV. Gilsead had 

made this medication available at no 

profit prices in 100 low income countries 

and at deeply discounted prices 

in 130 developing countries. 

Kevin’s father was until very recently 

a resident of Ebberston and his 

brother and sister are health professionals. 

Meanwhile a reminder that I will 

take any SBHS related memorabilia 

that you want to get rid of or indeed 

that you want preserving. 

Peter Robson (1945-53) 

Archivist 

ERRATA 

Following his receipt of the last issue I 

was somewhat embarrassed to receive 

a phone call from the “late” Ray Kidd 

indicating that, as Oscar Wilde succinctly 

said, reports of his death as 

have been greatly exaggerated! (See 

Membership Secretarial) and I am 

pleased both to apologize and put the 

record straight and to report that Ray 

remains very much with us and that 

our telephone conversation was in no 

way ethereal! 

Editor

THE MAGAZINE 

(correspondence) 

Tom Pindar (1936-45) 

writes … 

I’ve had a go at reading Summer 

Times off the screen. The idea of saving 

you guys work and the Association 

money appeals to me. The experience 

was not encouraging. Double column 

and so mousing up and down the page 

to get to column 2 is a bit of a ploughing 

through excessive nostalgic verbiage. 

In the paper version one can scan 

a column or page and train the eye/ 

mind to pick out salient areas of the 

prose. With large type on the screen 

you can lose the will to live as more 

Bar Room Bore paragraphs roll down. 

Of course the Mag. is unashamedly 

nostalgic so much content offers up the 

hazard for all to see, that is, unless one 

can mentally Sub Edit and keep the 

excellent, proud, worthwhile statements. 

Statements, that is of gratitude, 

amity, achievement etc. 

I suppose I am really wondering if 

it is feasible to make items more pithy 

and /or change the page format and 

page character count so screen use is 

pleasurable. If you do that will the 

same format work for a printed version? 

Is one necessary? Is an email 

one so much work for you that we 

should all pay up and just keep the 

print one, with email of it available to 

those who live in Timbuctoo to avoid 

crazy mail costs? 

These are simple thoughts, recognizing 

what a debt we all owe to you for a 

9 

great deal of work and Tene Propositum 

commitment. 

David Fowler (1949-55) - 

(Design and Layout) 

writes… 

Quite frankly I feel the same way as 

you and will keep you on the paper 

copy mailing list. I like to browse past 

issues in bed, or from a chair, and a 

laptop doesn’t give the same effect. 

At present we have around 30%+ of 

Members who have agreed to take a 

copy by email. If we can increase that 

percentage we can adjust the format to 

make for easier reading, but, certainly 

initially the email version will be similar 

to the paper version. 

The format was agreed to save paper 

and cost yet get as much content 

into the magazine as possible. With a 

small print point size a single column 

was felt to be too much of a strain for 

reading. Were we to get to the stage 

where the majority of members – and 

all overseas members where postal 

costs really escalate – would take 

emailed copies we could redesign the 

magazine for that medium. 

Incidentally, if you download the 

current free copy of Adobe Reader 

(version x) from www.adobe.com , the 

program allows you to adjust the 

viewing size for online reading. I fact 

your present version might already do 

so. 

If you agree, I’ll pass your message 

to Editor Peter Newham, as he has 

control of “what goes in.” I merely put 

the thing together.

The Editor writes…. 

David has passed to me your recent 

correspondence, with his response in 

relation to the online version of the 

Magazine, and I also confess to having 

a strong personal preference for a hard 

copy of the Magazine for the reasons 

outlined, and also my own computer 

deficiencies. A legal lifetime when everything 

was in hard print and could 

easily be read and reread does not sit 

easily with my now playing with a 

somewhat erratic machine, and at least 

while I am Editor we will continue to 

have a hard copy available for the technically 

challenged! 

With regard to the content, apart 

from the filler articles I write myself on 

local background and hopefully general 

interest, (and which would be further 

minimized if I received more material 

from Members!) you will appreciate 

that this is totally dictated by what I 

receive from them, which is frequently 

“unashamedly nostalgic”, but given 

that this is what we have in common, 

our respective ages and the celebration 

of our time at School, this is perhaps to 

be expected, and too much on the subsequent 

lives of members becomes of 

limited interest to other than their immediate 

contemporaries, though updating 

more generally is obviously more 

interesting. 

Hopefully we can, however, achieve 

a balance to provide enough of interest 

to everyone, and, if you do not mind, it 

may be useful to reproduce this exchange 

of views between the three of 

us in the next Magazine both to stimu- 

10 

late other views and hopefully encourage 

more contributions. 

Tom further adds… 

Maybe I did not explain very well? –– 

–There are 2 main points: 

1. The page layout which works with 

the printed version is slower to read on 

the screen. 

2. One cannot scan an item and skip 

parts of great interest to the writer and 

his year group, but of less interest to 

another group. Hence those items of 

lesser interest to one group of readers 

can stimulate a feeling of needless 

wordiness or undue nostalgia. 

But, if the layout is changed to allow 

easier scanning of screen wordage that 

negative influence could disappear. 

So, for a screen based publication to 

become the dominant variety a redesign 

would be needed. Obviously I like 

paper and print but the last half of my 

life has been spent also embracing the 

use of and developing digital technology, 

alongside, parallel with and as a 

replacement for conventional imaging 

and media. Readability or user friendliness 

are part of making any New Tech 

usage a success. 

None of this alters the fact that the 

Members owe a lot to those who do 

such a good job with the Association 

activities and it would be good to stimulate 

discussion of Summer Times . 

David Fowler further 

responds... 

I agree with Tom, assuming the online 

version is accepted by a majority of 

members. At present, having emailed

everyone, we have roughly 30% of 

members opting for an emailed version 

of Summer Times. And, of course, we 

have many mainly older members who 

don’t have, or don’t use, e-mail. 

The present paper version is fairly 

easily transferred into an online format 

and it is that version which was sent 

out as a sample to all those on e-mail. 

However, to prepare two versions 

with the same contents, but with different 

layouts to meet each medium 

would take me more time than I have 

available and I feel at present that the 

version which caters for the majority 

should have precedence. 

To meet Tom’s points we could possibly 

redesign the present layout to part 

meet both requirements, but, just as an 

example, were we to do away with the 

two columns to a page, whilst this 

could aid ‘skipping through’ the online 

version, it could deter many from reading 

the paper version. We need to use 

such a small font size to reduce costs, 

that, without two columns to each 

page, legibility would become more 

difficult. For the online version, of 

course, members can zoom the page 

size on their screen, have one or more 

pages showing and so on. 

Having said all this, the likelihood is 

that members will gradually move 

from paper to online and we must be 

prepared. I would be happy to join a 

small sub-committee to discuss how we 

could adapt the present design to better 

cater for both forms of media, as that 

way we would only be producing one 

version. That would assist me as the 

11 

time I have available is finite on a 

“freeby” basis. Maybe such a Sub- 

Committee could “meet” online initially 

as with Peter as Editor living in 

Northampton face to face meetings 

could be difficult and costly. I would 

suggest yourself (Peter), Tom and myself. 

Throughout I’ve been talking about 

my part in the process – the design, 

getting the copy into the magazine and 

getting the think printed twice a year. I 

‘pass’, on the content, which is between 

Peter as Editor, and the Members. 

I’ll pass this through Geoff Winn as 

President to seek his views, particularly 

on a Sub-Committee, but if we were to 

go ahead and whilst we could swop 

ideas before the next issue and maybe 

incorporate some improvements before 

then, my feeling is that it could be useful 

to have an article included in that 

issue to get the views of other members 

on both content and design. 

SPORTING ACTIVITIES 

CROWN GREEN BOWLS 

COMPETITION - 2011 

This took place on Friday 26th August 

2011 at Manor Road Bowling Club. 

Unfortunately because of heavy rain 

we were only able to reach the semifinal 

stage and the plate competition 

had to be abandoned altogether. 

However the weather did not dampen 

the enthusiasm of the competitors for 

the Glaves pork pies which were on 

offer afterwards. 

The semi-finals were re-arranged for

5th October but this had to be abandoned 

due to the Borough Bowling 

Club green being closed for end of 

season maintenance. However, a further 

date was fixed for 31st October 

and we finally managed to get a result, 

although with some difficulty. 

The original semi-final line up was 

Jack Binns (Borough) versus Les 

Stockell (Brid. Bay) and Chris Found 

(Borough) versus Bill Simmonds 

(Borough). Unfortunately Bill Simmonds 

had to go into hospital for an 

operation and so the three remaining 

contestants agreed to a three way play 

off in the form of a round robin. The 

results were Chris Found beat Les 

Stockell 21-11 but lost to Jack Binns 21- 

6. Les Stockell beat Jack Binns 21-11. 

As all finalists had won one game we 

had to have a count up of ends won 

and Jack and Les had an equal number 

of 32 ends. To produce a winner a 

short play off of 3 ends was held and 

Jack Binns won by a short head. 

Bill Temple, who will become our 

President in 2012, presented the Geoff 

Nalton Trophy to Jack and a bottle of 

dry sherry to Les as runner up. 

Next year’s competition will take 

place on Friday 31st August 2012. 

FROM HERE AND THERE 

Michael Corbyn (1954 -61) 

writes… 

A possibly interesting anecdote from 

my schooldays might be of interest: 

I started SBHS in September 1954 but 

prior to Easter of that year I unfortu- 

12 

nately fractured my femur one 

lunchtime on the playing field at Newby 

County Primary School. This resulted 

in 5 weeks in hospital. When discharged 

I was encased in plaster of 

paris around my leg and around my 

chest - joined at the groin so I was unable 

to sit. (Oh the joy of bedpans!!) For 

the rest of the summer term my father 

took one of our easy chairs from home 

in a wheelbarrow to the Primary 

School, (I followed on crutches), and it 

was placed in Mrs Green's classroom. I 

was able to recline in that and therefore 

attend lessons as normal. 

On the occasion of the parent's introductory 

evening for new entrants to 

SBHS I remember I had to stand in the 

central aisle of the assembly hall whilst 

'Joey' Marsden gave his talk. 

The plaster was removed before I 

started the new term but I was not allowed 

to do games/PE for 6 weeks or 

so until the medics were satisfied my 

leg was back to 'normal'. Scarborough 

Hospital certainly did a good job because 

I have no problems with it ever 

since. 

Once able to take part in PE I found 

that the rest of the class were fully acquainted 

with all procedures including 

'stripping off to take a shower' - they 

just got on with it, but a new recruit? – 

– well he just had to be checked out by 

the class just in case he was any different! 

That was not so bad, but on the 

odd occasion when Keith Dutton supervised 

our PE lesson he always 

seemed to get us to line up before going 

into the showers –– less said about 

that the better!

Jack Binns 

(Master 1962-73) writes…. 

The publication in the Scarborough 

Evening News on 29 November 2011 

of the photograph of staff and students 

of the Boys' High School taken in 1963 

re-awakened many personal memories 

of nearly half a century ago. On the 

photo the boys were too small and 

indistinct for my failing vision, but I 

could recognise and name almost every 

one of the staff, teaching and support. 

This was taken after my first 

year at SBHS, the first of eleven that 

remained of the School's life and perhaps, 

for that reason, my most memorable. 

Perhaps, also, I happen to have 

kept my mark book for 1962-3. Old 

boys beware! 

Though I was probably conceived in 

a boarding-house in Queen Street during 

Keighley Parish Feast week in August 

1933, I did not return (so to speak) 

to Scarborough until invited for interview 

for the post of history teacher in 

March 1962. By that time I had a wife 

and a two-month-old son living in 

Birkenhead and behind me nearly 

three years of teaching history at Wirral 

Boys' Grammar School. The prospect 

of going back to Yorkshire, after 

Cambridge, Cyprus, Newcastle and 

Merseyside, and living by the sea was 

enough to prompt my application for 

the job, but the interview day was well 

beyond my best expectations. 

From personal experience of other 

Boys' grammar schools at Wirral, 

Newcastle Royal and Keighley, I had 

assumed that school dinners were in- 

13 

evitable displays of chauvinist greed 

and disorder and the food was disgusting. 

But here the boys sat at tables; 

each table of eight was a miniature of 

the school from year one to year seven 

and attended by a master; the menu 

was divided equally on to eight plates; 

and after the meal tables were cleared 

and cleaned with amazing speed and 

efficiency. And the dinner was delicious 

and filling, thanks to a modem, 

on-site kitchen and superb cooks led 

by Mrs Standidge. As I later discovered, 

the presiding genial genius over 

these proceedings was a dynamo 

called Norman Stoddard. 

Of the interview itself with Alec 

Gardiner I remember little. He asked 

me whether history was really a study 

only for mature adults and not suitable 

for adolescent boys, but I can't recall 

my answer except that it was a good 

question that deserved a reply and still 

does. 

What I remember best of that day, 

apart from the school dinner, was the 

splendid location of the new school, its 

spacious playing fields, the magnificent 

gymnasium and, even in March, 

the natural light flooding through all 

those windows and plate glass and 

reflected in the moat! ––What a building! 

–– Even Nicholas Pevsner was 

impressed with it a few years later. 

And the staff room, the like of which I 

had never seen anywhere else. There 

were settees and armchairs; tableservice 

for coffee at break; and a separate, 

smoke-free marking room. 

Of course the building was then 

only two years old. The high alumina

cement ceilings had not yet begun to 

crumble, gaps between outer walls and 

roof had not yet appeared and the gym 

floor was still level, yet I have never 

known school architecture to match it 

before or since. At Keighley and Newcastle 

there were no adjacent playing 

fields and inside all was gloomy, overcrowded 

and out-of-date. Even Wirral 

GS, opened as late as 1938, was like a 

military outpost on the North-west 

frontier where the snow (not sand) blew 

into the classrooms across open balconies 

and the staff room was standing 

only. 

And finally there was the all-male 

teaching staff. All that I met were cheerful, 

welcoming and clearly content. 

That was another new experience for 

me. Naturally, the only one I spent any 

time with that day was "Biff" Smith. 

Why he was nicknamed "Biff" puzzled 

me deeply, then and thereafter, because 

I found him so considerate, quiet and 

thoughtful. Perhaps his received reputation 

for physical violence was decades 

out of date and by 1962 was certainly 

inappropriate and undeserved. To me it 

seemed that working with him in the 

history department could be only easy 

and pleasant. – 

Readers, I took the job! 

Clive Roberts (1954-59) 

writes……. 

I started at the School in 

September 1954 and 

joined Arthur Costain’s 

class 1L situated in the 

Music room on the top 

14 

floor – or was it called the Lecture Theatre? 

I used to cycle to School which 

allowed time to travel home for lunch. 

On arrival at school, the rules were that 

you could ride down the sloping driveway, 

but then had to dismount and 

walk along the level to the cycle racks at 

the end against the railings. Being a 

little cunning, or perhaps stupid, I soon 

discovered that it was possible to gather 

sufficient speed down the hill and then 

swing one leg over the saddle to stand 

on one pedal and coast along the level 

almost as far as the cycle racks. This I 

considered could hardly be classed as 

cycling if you were not actually astride 

the bike, and anyway it saved a few 

seconds if you were running late. 

One day performing this trick after 

lunch a breathless boy came running 

along as I parked the cycle in the rack 

and informed me that Bonn Clarke 

wished to speak to me. “Who’s Bonn 

Clarke?” I enquired, not having had the 

dubious pleasure of meeting him by 

that time. “He’s that chap at the foot of 

the slope” he replied. So I walked back 

towards this figure who was stomping 

along with an uneven gait. One leg appeared 

permanently bent at the knee 

and his face was purple with the veins 

on his head standing out. I thought any 

moment now this chap is going to explode! 

As I approached he asked was I 

not aware of the rule prohibiting cycling 

along the drive in front of the 

school. I replied that I was aware. He 

then asked me to answer politely, 

which I thought I already had. I realised 

that I had forgotten to add the word 

“Sir” so I replied again “Yes, I am sorry 

Sir” thinking that inevitably a detention

was going to follow. “Very well, seeing 

as you are a new boy I will let you 

off on this occasion”. So I turned and 

walked back to join the afternoon classes. 

That was my first encounter with 

the infamous Bonn Clarke. Subsequent 

meetings over the next five years were 

not exactly pleasurable either. 

One Master who I always got on 

well with was John Perry, who taught 

woodwork, metalwork and engineering 

drawing, all my favourite subjects. 

He used to organise the aero modellers 

club and as I was a keen modeller 

I used to take part. After school we 

used to fly rubber powered model 

aircraft on a line tethered to a pole in 

the middle of the hall. Someone 

brought a model powered by a ‘jetex’ 

engine which was in effect a jet propelled 

rocket using solid pellets of fuel 

ignited by a fuse. This would fly round 

in circles at tremendous speed leaving 

trails of foul smelling smoke. It surprised 

me that Joe Marsden allowed 

this to take place. 

Sometimes we would meet on a Saturday 

morning at Oliver’s Mount 

playing fields to fly our planes. Some 

of us had progressed to building models 

powered by diesel engines. This 

was more exciting and slightly more 

dangerous, particularly if you caught a 

finger in a propeller spinning at 10,000 

revs per minute – the scars took a 

while to heal! 

On a schoolboy’s pocket money, commercially 

available fuel was quite costly, 

so most of us blended our own. The 

basic ingredients were paraffin, castor 

15 

oil and ethyl ether mixed in more or 

less equal proportions. I used to buy 

mine from a chemist on Falsgrave who 

was quite relaxed about dispensing 

potentially harmful substances to 

schoolboys – how times have changed. 

We had many happy times flying 

and nobody came to any harm. Inevitably 

we would crash a plane, sometimes 

beyond repair, in which case we 

would take out the engine and fuel 

tank to save for a future model, pour 

some fuel over the wreckage and set 

fire to it as a sort of funeral pyre. Many 

more hours would then be spent building 

a subsequent model to fly again. 

On reflection, perhaps spending 

time in this manner instead of studying 

accounted for my poor performance 

academically. Oh the folly of 

youth ! 

Colin Moore (1945-50) – 

The Gang, North Bay Pool 

Colin Moore has forwarded the photograph 

of “the Gang” (next page) taken 

at the North Bay Pool, probably in 

1951, with the following comment -: 

As far as I can remember the girls 

were – Shirley Temple [second from 

right], Pat Harwood [second from left] 

and Margaret Mead [far right] whose 

father was Jack Mead, Groundsman at 

the North Marine Road cricket field. 

Margaret married Derek Terry, who 

sadly passed away recently. 

The four 'he-men' !! - On the back 

row – George London, Deryck Fawcett, 

Derek Terry and myself were all

pupils in the ''l'' form from 1945 to 

1950, when I left. I think the others all 

continued into the Sixth form. They 

were all good swimmers apart from 

me. (I think they liked me to enter because 

I made them look even better!!) 

Paul Gridley (1954-59) 

writes… 

Strange how a little natter with Mr 

Editor obliges one to trawl the 

memory of the good and bad times in 

the pursuit of the ephemeral 

16 

“THE GANG” 

“education”. 

I was not a happy pupil 

at the High School until 

the advent of the newer 

generation of teachers 

personified by Bob Watson, 

who put me back on the right 

path, with the correct application of 

carrot and stick. However, he was 

powerless in his contest with my 

Mum ! 

It was one of those winter days on

Oliver’s Mount with the wind driving 

the sleet across the Rugby pitches, the 

mud the consistency of “ordure”, and 

the cold sufficient to numb the acupuncture 

of the feet caused by the 

splinters from the changing room 

floor. It must have been a House 

match as Keith Dutton was the “ ref “ 

resplendent in his College rugby shirt 

fresh from the laundry, and in full 

voice, driving us on to bury ourselves 

in the mud. 

At one stage he yelled “Tackle him 

round the legs, Gridley!” Fine, but the 

“him” was Biff Smith’s son, commonly 

known as “Bifflet” and about the same 

size and weight as his father. Well I 

had no escape from Dutton’s exhortation, 

and down came Bifflet, taking 

most of my torso with him into the 

mud. “Good tackle” roars Dutton and 

the game moves on. Bifflet removes 

himself from my torso and I rise from 

the mud’s clutch. But no – I don’t rise. 

Bifflet trots off, and I manage to sit in 

the mud. “Get on Gridley” is the cry 

from Dutton - but I can’t. A blinding 

feeling of nausea stops me, and I sit in 

the cold mud confused. “I can’t get up 

Sir,” I gasp at Dutton, who seeing a 

gap in play comes over and assists me 

but has to hold me upright. He senses 

something that is not malingering and 

sends for Bob Watson, who is “reffing” 

a neighbouring game, resplendent in 

College blazer as well as full rugby rig. 

He guides me off the pitch and to 

the changing sheds very slowly. “I 

think you may have damaged a collar 

bone” he says, “ I’ll have to take you to 

the hospital.” Well, not knowing 

17 

what a collar bone was, but being in 

considerable pain, I stutter out, “But 

Sir, I have to meet my Mum in town at 

4.30!!” “We’ll sort it” he assureD me. 

So, off to the Hospital in Bob’s Ford 

Popular, every bump a nightmare. 

Bob ushers me round, oversees the 

binding of my injured part to the rest 

of my body, still in mud encrusted 

black shirt, and says, “Only a little late 

for your Mother” . When we arrive in 

the Ford outside the Georgian Grill in 

York Place, my Mum is pacing up and 

down with a face like thunder under 

her brolly, trying to peer out through 

the sleet. Bob parks next to her and 

exits the car, leaving me inside whilst 

he faces my Mum who does not instantly 

recognise the car or Bob, or her 

errant son. 

Bob introduces himself and Mum’s 

gaze falls upon the wounded warrior. 

“What have you done to my son with 

that brutish game?” she cries, and 

thwacks Bob across the shoulders with 

her brolly, and, warming to her task 

gives him a good work out with said 

brolly. I was scared, never mind Bob!! 

I don’t remember Bob running us 

home, all I remember is that I couldn’t 

have a bath for several days, indeed, I 

couldn’t move much with my broken 

collar bone. Only when I began to 

smell and had turned bright purple of 

torso was the shirt cut off. By that 

time Mum had lost patience with me 

as well as Bob, but by heck , a woman 

can do some damage with a brolly and 

a handbag!! 

Bob never forgot that day, and I

never got full use back of that arm, 

which dear Readers, explains why I am 

sometimes slow to put my hand in my 

pocket at the Bar!! 

Chris Ledgard (1952-59) 

writes … 

Tom Pindar (May 2011 edition) set me 

thinking – here are the results: 

I left SBHS in 1959 with mediocre 

academic results and went to work 

with Yorkshire Bank in Leeds, Ryedale 

and Scarborough until 1962. At this 

point I left to work for my father, a 

market gardener at Snainton with market 

stalls at Dewsbury and Batley and a 

shop at Snainton, whilst I prepared 

myself for the various academic and 

practical examinations which would 

equip me for acceptance for training for 

the Methodist Ministry at Wesley College, 

Headingley, Leeds – just a little 

later than John Dean (see May edition). 

I was a student and finished with a C. 

Theol. Thereafter I went to my first 

ministry in the Shetland Islands and 

stayed for 3 years. –– A very enjoyable 

experience. 

In 1970 I was approached to see if I 

was willing to be a chaplain in the RN, 

but eventually went to the RAF, serving 

for 16 years in uniform in England, 

Wales, The Gulf and Germany with 

brief spells in Cyprus and visits to Belgium 

and Sardinia. My denomination 

label was “Church of Scotland and Free 

Churches” – in other words anyone not 

C of E or RC plus people of other faiths 

and no faith! 

During the mid 1970’s I completed a 

18 

BA degree with the Open University – 

one of the earliest people to do so. 

In 1983 I went to RAF Lyneham for 

my last tour of duty, previously having 

been at RAF Brize Norton during the 

Falklands War, with all that involved. I 

remained at Lyneham until 1986, ending 

my years there as Senior Chaplain. 

This was an extremely demanding time 

with service people detached e.g. to 

Ethiopia for famine relief duties and at 

other places worldwide. We are aware 

of repatriations of deceased Service 

personnel through RAF Lyneham until 

recently – perhaps one or two at a time, 

but I was involved in the first repatriation 

at Lyneham when 17 bodies were 

brought home on one aircraft : the victims 

from a coach fire in Germany involving 

members of the RAF Germany 

Band. There was just a low key return 

with families and colleagues present… 

not the journey through Wootton Bassett 

– just quiet, dignified and exceptionally 

discreet. 

In 1986 I left the RAF Chaplain’s 

Branch in the relative rank of Wing 

Commander. In September 1986 and I 

became Methodist Minister in Whitby 

(alongside John Dean in the URC). I 

retained my RAF connection by being 

civilian Officiating Chaplain to RAF 

Fylingdales. 

In late 1989 I moved to Scotland and 

spent a 3¼ year period of charity fundraising 

in Edinburgh, I also served part 

time on the staff of St Giles’ Cathedral, 

Edinburgh. In late 1992, now married 

to Elizabeth, we moved to Parish Ministry 

in NE Scotland in Banffshire, Aberdeenshire 

and Moray. We moved to

the Borders in 2002 so I could spend 

the remainder of my parish ministry in 

Berwickshire. Soon after arriving I was 

taken ill and ended up taking medical 

early retirement. We have now settled 

at Chirnside, 10 miles west of Berwickupon-Tweed 

and 6 miles from Duns. 

The reason for early retirement was 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 

arising from my ministry as an RAF 

Chaplain and from other draining pastoral 

situations. With the help of Combat 

Stress I have now been able to find 

a much happier situation in life and 

many pressures are generally under 

control. 

Over many years - from 1978 – I 

have been working on a “History of 

the Royal Air Forces Chaplains’ 

Branch – from a Church of Scotland 

and Free Churches perspective”. It 

originally started as a MTh. thesis at 

University College, Cardiff but I ran 

out of time to present it, due to the 

extremely heavy workload of my later 

years as a Chaplain. However, over the 

years the work has developed and I 

19 

found what I think will be its final 

shape. Copies of this are now held at:- 

Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, 

New College, University of Edinburgh, 

John Rylands Library, University 

of Manchester and elsewhere. 

I have other projects underway but 

they have to be done “in slow time”. 

Recently I had a triple heart by-pass 

and a repair in the heart. I am now 

much improved and begin the last part 

of my treatment in September 2011 – 

this being physiotherapy and rehabilitation. 

This has been the “year of the garden” 

and gentle exercise has been a 

great help. Apart from visiting family, 

holidays are on hold and in that respect 

we look forward to future years 

and live with a great deal of hope. 

Dave Pettit (1964-66 and 

1970-73) writes… 

Following Stan Todd's letter in Summer 

Times it was great to renew contact. 

Stan could well hold the Guinness 

Book of Records record for playing at

the Ilkley Sevens in brand new boots. 

The only problem was they were both 

for the left foot! I enclose the photographs 

of the 1964-65 and 1965-66 1st 

XV Rugby teams. (above and on previous 

page) 

A Riposte from Michael 

Wearing – 

As a former Scarborough College student 

I shall probably be seen as an 

interloper. However, I beg permission 

to respond to Peter’s Dawson’s accusation 

(Summer Times, vol 61 ). He 

20 

claims that as a lad I sold him a dud 

bicycle that had a back pedal brake, a 

faulty front brake and a slack chain. 

This slur on my character was also 

included in the May issue. That’s really 

pushing it – the slur not the cycle! 

How do I know about these things? 

Well, from time to time I am “philled” 

in by two Old Scarborians – Phil 

Clarke and Phil Ruston. They have 

kindly informed me of Peter’s complaint 

– obviously it’s still niggling 

him. I can’t understand it – after all I

spent hours painting the frame a vibrant 

red. The gloss paint itself was 

worth 15/-. 

However, be that as it may. It was 

great to read of Peter’s reminiscences 

and to see his photo. I well remember 

him, his parents and his sister in Oakville 

Avenue. 

So many familiar names appeared in 

the November 2011 edition that was 

passed on to me. My wife Elizabeth 

(nee Taylor, of H O Taylor fame) also 

had recollection of so many – for example, 

Geoff Winn, Chris Found, Charlie 

Hall, Graham Thornton. She cannot 

remember meeting up with Peter – 

presumably her cycle was not as fast as 

his! 

I now live in Harrogate but am often 

in Scarborough. I do not know of Peter’s 

whereabouts but if I catch sight of 

him he’d better get on his bike and stop 

back-pedalling! 

To everyone who might recall us – 

Good Wishes and Happy Memories 

Michael Wearing 

David Bates (1964-1971) 

writes… 

I have been meaning to write a contribution 

to Summer Times for some 

time now, as there seems to be little 

contact in the OSA from my contemporaries. 

I am not sure how much to 

write, as I have many recollections of 

people and events, which are vivid 

reminders of the atmosphere of the 

times spent up Woodlands Drive. I 

suppose the best place to start is Sep- 

21 

tember 1964, when I cycled on my 

brand new bike, which was a reward 

for passing my 11 plus, from my grandmother, 

with some trepidation to the 

Scandinavian designed edifice between 

the hospital and the crematorium. 

Woodlands Drive, in some ways, was 

a metaphor for life’s journey. You were 

born in the hospital, made your way to 

that great place of learning, and further 

on up the road, the crematorium was 

where you would possibly end your 

time on the planet. I recall the first year 

boys were put into forms 1X, 1Y and 

1Z, and also into houses. I was in form 

1Y and Ruskin house. The first day was 

confusing, mainly because the staircases 

were all the same and one class room 

looked like another. After the relative 

simplicity of Newby County Primary 

school, this was scary. We were issued 

with our 6 day rotating timetable, and 

were left to fathom our where the classrooms 

for each lesson were. 

You could say I was not the most 

able when it came to sport, and I was 

not keen on Rugby, despite the fact my 

dad had played for Scarborough in the 

late 1940’s and up until 1953, when a 

broken leg and my arrival into the 

world ended his career. Life has a way 

of finding solutions to such difficulties, 

sometimes. In October 1965, a freak 

collision with a classmate, in the gym 

led to my fracturing my right wrist, 

thus ending my period of compulsory 

rugby, much to my delight. I found a 

new sport, which I liked Cross country 

running was easier than getting 

roughed up in rugby scrums. Unlike 

some of my fellow runners, who used

cross country as an excuse for a crafty 

fag and a leisurely stroll, I enjoyed 

trying to better my times. 

I had always liked cricket, but was 

not very good at it in my early years 

(nor my later years – come to think of 

it). In fact, I was scorer for the under 

14’s team. I did play for Ruskin in 

house matches, and remember becoming 

hero for 5 minutes when I took a 

catch on the mid wicket boundary, 

much to the amazement of my team 

mates. There were a lot of good cricketers 

at that time. Keith Poskitt and 

Dave Hartley were very good bowlers. 

In my year Mark Brumfitt (Richards as 

he is now) was always capable, even 

though made everything seem like 

hard work. I managed to progress 

from scoring to playing with the Colts 

under Pete Lewins ‘s captaincy, and 

eventually I spent two summers as 2nd 

eleven captain. I recall that I was very 

naïve about life, particularly about the 

activities of post pubescent boys. On a 

coach trip to play Bridlington Grammar 

school with the Colts, we shared 

the coach with the first eleven, which 

was made up of older boys. I was often 

the butt of mickey taking, and remember 

being asked, “Do you w**k?” to 

which I replied, “I don’t know because 

I don’t know what it is.” They all 

thought it was hilarious, but I was 

none the wiser. How cruel school children 

can be! Barry Beanland looked 

after the 2nd eleven, and he appointed 

me captain of the team. I never really 

knew why, until I asked him last year, 

at the Christmas Dinner. He said it 

was because of my knowledge and 

love of the game. Tactically, it seemed 

22 

to work out well, We played 8 matches 

and won 6 drawing the other two in 

one season. There were some exciting 

finishes, and some “inspired” (flukes 

more like) bowling changes, like the 

game at Hull Grammar, where we 

had about 20 minutes left to get a result 

and still needed 5 wickets. I 

turned to one of the younger spin 

bowlers John Stockhill. Lo and behold, 

he took 4 wickets, it may have been all 

5 , and we won. 

At Archbishops Holgate we witnessed 

one of the most spectacular 

catches off a full blooded drive to silly 

mid off you are ever likely to see. Let’s 

put it another way—if he (name escapes 

me) hadn’t caught it, his prospect 

of ever fathering children would 

have been in serious jeopardy!! We 

weren’t the most accomplished of 

players, but the team work was fantastic, 

and someone would always chip in 

with a performance, when we needed 

it. My own personal achievement was 

a stand of 103 with the late Alan 

Duguid. We had been set a target of 

186 by Fylinghall School, on the cricket 

pitch inside the athletics track. This 

seemed an impossible task, as we had 

a weakened side out. For some reason, 

I put myself in at number 4, I was no 

great shakes with a bat at all. We were 

3 wickets down for about 25, when I 

joined Alan in the middle. We put on 

103 for the 3rd wicket of which I 

scored only 24. Alan’s inspired batting 

got us an unlikely win, which capped 

off an unbeaten summer. 

Many of you will remember the 

Bright Bowl Junior cricket competition, 

and most years it was High School v

Scarborough College in the final. 

However in 1971, Scalby Village juniors, 

for whom I played reached the 

final against the High School first eleven. 

The High school team won, but it 

gave me my chance to play my only 

match at North Marine Road. I was 

disappointed not to get a bowl at my 

school adversaries and only batted at 

number 10. 

I did manage a couple of streaky 

boundaries off Messrs Poskitt and 

Hartley to finish top scorer on 10 not 

out, though. After the match, our pub 

crawl to celebrate our defeat ended up 

with my beer being spiked, and the 

first experience of being really drunk. 

It was a good job my school days were 

over, as I could not stand up until 

lunchtime the next day. As we do in 

those situations it was a case of 

“Never again” (which we all know is 

never the truth). 

I could go on and on reminiscing, but 

will try and cut it short. Listed below 

are a few highlights and fond memories: 

Natural History Society trips to 

Swaledale—Grinton Lodge YH. My 

interest was geology, which meant 

hours scouring the hills for galena – 

lead ore. I remember marmite sandwiches 

in our daily packed lunch, and 

older boys putting thistles in McFerran’s 

bed. 

1966 July trip to Hadrian’s Wall and 

seeing the Russia world cup squad 

training at Durham University 

1967 Lake District camp in Martin- 

23 

dale, Ullswater, It rained every day 

except the day we went on a coach trip 

to Windermere. The rain was so bad it 

made the stream in the field uncrossable. 

Whose idea was it to site the latrines 

at the other side of the stream? 

Not much fun trying to go to the loo in 

the middle of the night in the pouring 

rain!! August 14th, the end of pirate 

radio, I remember trying to listen on 

my transistor radio. 

1970 “The Prodigious Snob” school 

play, in which I and Martin Watts 

played flunkies. Spent 80% of the play 

standing like a couple of statues, 

Hardly any lines to say, which as an 

actor can be a banana skin, because 

it’s easy to miss your cue. Best part 

was after school/pre-performance listening 

to Blind Faith blasting out in 

the school hall. We were lucky to put 

all our performances on, as the rest of 

town was subjected to selective power 

cuts, due to industrial action. Fortunately 

, school was on the same circuit 

as the hospital so our supply was secure. 

Bridge School - every morning before 

school Tim Metcalfe, the late 

Chris Boddy, Nick Rogers and myself 

would get in early and play bridge. 

Were we mad or what?? 

Maths teacher John Davidson used 

to start the first lesson after the weekend 

talking about football. He was a 

big Middlesbrough fan… well I suppose 

someone has to be. 

There are many more memories, 

maybe I will submit more next time.

Michael Lester (1949-57) 

writes … 

The Eric Fenby Plaque at 

Scarborough Spa. 

Over the past three years Scarborough 

Spa, including the Grand Hall, has undergone 

a massive renovation costing 

about £6.5 million. The main work was 

finished in Spring 2011, and there was a 

grand civic re-opening in May. 

During this time many precious artefacts 

had to be removed and placed in 

safe storage including the plaque dedicated 

to Eric Fenby OBE who was an 

Old Scarborian from the Municipal 

School days. He attained world-wide 

recognition as the amanuensis of the 

blind and paralysed Yorkshire composer 

Frederick Delius. In September a 

sharp-eyed member of the Delius Society 

noticed that the plaque had not been 

put back by the end of the summer, and 

letters to the Spa manager met with no 

response. Contact was then made with 

a sympathetic local Councillor who 

was also the cabinet member for regeneration 

on Scarborough Council. There 

was some small panic as it was not 

known where the plaque had been 

stored, but it was eventually found 

securely wrapped and protected, and 

in a short time it was replaced. Although 

not in the same place as before, 

it is nearer the main entrance and will 

hopefully be seen by more people. 

Editor: Readers may recall a feature on 

Eric Fenby previously appeared in the 

May 2008 Issue of the Magazine. 

24 

FURTHER CAMEOS OF LIFE 

AT SCARBOROUGH IN THE 

50’S… 

Peter Dawson (1950-58) 

I can recall an incident with Derek 

Price. He and I were standing near the 

old United Bus Station when a car 

roared across Valley Bridge heading for 

South Cliff. Perched precariously on 

the back of this vehicle, with feet on the 

rear bumper were two boys singing 

and beating gongs - obviously part of a 

wedding party. 

Derek's keen eyesight recognized one 

of them immediately, though he was 

never in his class. It is a weird anomaly, 

that such daredevil behaviour was possible 

in the 50s, when I remember being 

reprimanded twice by the local constabulary 

- once at the bottom of Prospect 

Road when my bike stopped dutifully 

at the white line, but with the 

front wheel half over it, and secondly 

in an evening when my rear light wasn't 

working but there was a very adequate 

red reflector. 

Nowadays, cyclists are just as common 

riding the pavements as the roads, 

frequently without any lights at all and 

totally ignoring red traffic lights! 

Do you recall the stand of elms, between 

the Bus Station and the bridge, 

in which there was a rookery? Every 

year one or two nestlings would fall 

out and every year I would take one 

home to try and rear it. Only once was 

this successful. The rooklet grew very 

quickly and was very tame. It used to 

terrify my much younger sister, flap-

ping towards her and cawing loudly 

as soon as she came through the back 

garden gate from school, demanding 

to be fed. 

I got to the stage of throwing it out 

of the bathroom window to encourage 

it to fly. At this point my parents insisted 

on the bird being sent to a more 

appropriate home. So it went to a lad 

from the country where it was soon 

flying and kept coming back to his 

home for weeks afterwards. 

Do you remember the United Bus 

Station in the war years? When petrol 

was in very short supply, some buses 

pulled a trailer burning coke and producing 

a gaseous mixture of hydrogen 

and carbon monoxide which was 

burned in their engine much as LPG 

can be today. 

My father used to tell me, I couldn't 

remember, that on one weekend trip 

on the road to Helmsley, the underpowered 

bus could not make it up a 

hill and all the passengers had to get 

out and walk up rejoining their bus at 

the summit. 

Finally a little unrelated cameo — 

General Elections were taken very 

seriously at Westwood, with all 3 main 

parties campaigning and leading to a 

secret ballot. The Cons. usually came 

out on top, but very closely followed 

by the Liberals and the Socialists way 

down. At that time the Liberals only 

had about 6 MPs in Westminster. I 

don't think the Liberal support reflected 

the Liberal tradition in Scarborough 

(it had been a Liberal Borough) as 

much as an "up yours" to the establish- 

25 

ment. At one packed meeting in the 

music room, Charlie Rice's son was 

speaking for the Liberals on Home 

Policies and working up to one or other 

of the main Liberal policy planks at 

the time — proportional representation, 

or worker management...." 

and the magic word for this policy is 

"…...". “Abracadabra" — came the 

noisy heckler's riposte, from the back 

row - one of the 3rd year 6th sporting a 

blue bow tie. 

Just behind the Music Room, opposite 

the Chemistry labs lived the quiet, 

fair-haired lab. Technician Mr. Judson 

(a Methodist lay preacher) — always 

undervalued. Once when either Zenna 

Potts or Mr. Speight was unable to 

get to school, Mr. Judson deputised as 

teacher very adequately. He helped me 

construct a Russian exposure meter 

from a kit. I was into photography at 

this time. Joey caught me at work on it 

in Mr. Judson's tiny cell and was not at 

all pleased! 

Ian Pryme (1955-63) 

writes.. 

My career at SBHS commenced in 

1955 and ended in 1963. I then took up 

studies at the University of Newcastle 

upon Tyne (B.Sc. in Zoology and Physiology, 

followed by an M.Sc. in Clinical 

Biochemistry). Whilst a student at 

Newcastle a student-exchange programme 

took me to Bergen in Norway. 

Fate would have it that I returned to 

Bergen having completed my M.Sc. in 

October 1967. Since November 1967 I 

have been employed at the Medical

School at the University of Bergen, 

since 1996 as a professor in biochemistry 

and molecular biology. I have initiated 

from my research efforts over 

the years two spin-off companies - 

Palm Research and UniTargeting Research, 

both operating from, and 

based, in Bergen. 

At SBHS my interest in the biological 

sciences was stimulated first by 

Derek Price and then Gordon 

Whalley/Bernard Thomas. I was therefore 

a keen member of the Natural 

History Society. NHS weekend hikes 

and trips to the Lake District, the Shetland 

Islands and twice to Switzerland 

were major highlights of my days at 

SBHS! 

ABSENCE MAKES THE 

HEART GROW FONDER? 

The Editor… 

After being away from the home town 

for over half a lifetime, interspersed 

with the very occasional home visit, 

my own personal retirement routine 

has settled into one annual visit of 

some two days for the December Dinner. 

Without reprising the articles 

which have appeared already on 

“Scarborough Now and Then”, I wonder 

how many other Old Boys are in 

similar circumstances, their views of 

the town being similarly conditioned 

by a mixture of views from a distance 

coupled with rosy-tinted nostalgia? 

The changes, such as they are, must 

be seen in that context by expats., although 

I am conscious of the great 

number of Members who have either 

continued to work in the surrounding 

26 

area, or have retired back to the town. 

They will, through familiarity and the 

gradual nature of change, see things 

rather differently. Certainly, even 

from where I view it the town has 

changed relatively little, allowing for 

the lapse of 50 years: ––whether that 

is a good or bad thing is another question 

altogether, on which views will 

differ and on which it would be foolish 

to be drawn! –– Any contributions 

welcome however! 

SCHOOL CHRISTMAS 

DRAMA COVERS 1958- 

1962 – 

Courtesy of Mike Corbyn 

(1954 -61) 

Mike, who was noted for his artistic 

skills, has forwarded the four Drama 

Covers which follow, the design for 

“As You Like It” being his own, together 

with details of their production. 

This was effected in those days 

on scraper board. (Scraper board is 

made of plaster of paris or gypsum 

and has a smooth, white clay surface, 

usually covered in ink, in each case 

black, and can be scraped away to 

reveal white) ––– Mike still has the 

original for the design which he produced 

and the brown envelope in 

which his design was returned with 

his name on the front. 

These were then sent to Boucher & 

Brown printers in Scarborough. Mr 

Colenutt dealt with them – 

1. Merchant of Venice (design - A. E. J. 

Prosser )

2.Twelfth 

Night (design - 

Robert 

Willsher ) 

3. Julius Caesar 

(design - 

Nigel Cutts ) 

4. As You Like 

It (design Mike 

Corbyn ) 

27 

GILBERT GRAY QC 

By Tom Pindar (1936-46) 

One, if not the 

most colourful 

personalities of 

my school days 

until his death in 

Spring 2011 (see 

obituary in previous 

issue) was 

Gilbert Gray QC. 

We were pals from just before going 

into long trousers, aged 14, in 1942. A 

shared interest in listening to inspired 

eloquent preachers and politicians 

brought us closer together, and we 

were rather infused with the sheer 

pleasure of singing hymns in a 1000 

strong congregation at Queen Street 

Methodist Church. Gilbert had started 

with his parents at the Salvation Army 

but the preaching of greats such as 

Leslie Newman and Ken Waights, coupled 

with the Good Companions Youth 

club with numerous attractive girls, 

soon seduced him to Methodism. 

Our first 6th form excitement, after 

getting a motor cycle apiece (1940 AJS 

350 cc) was the School elections. Fewster 

was the Blue candidate; I forgot the 

Labour one, and GG was the Liberal. 

We had cottoned on to a basic fact, 

even a rather base one, namely that the 

masses like to be entertained whilst 

half-pretending to be serious. So we ran 

diversions, –– a tiddly winks competition 

was just one. Gilbert was already 

learning that getting the audience on 

your side is often more important than 

the intellectual rigour of your words. 

He was elected with a big majority –an 

outcome not shared across the UK with

the huge end of war swing to the left! 

I was of course his earnest stooge –– the 

Ernie Wise to Gilbert’s Morecambe. 

So straight after Highers we were off 

to the Call Up Centre. He to the Army 

where, after a spell at Gallowgate Richmond, 

he somehow ended up with a 

two year pip on his shoulder and a 

motor boat and crew based on an 

attractive Cornish harbour. He seemed 

to spend a lot of time sailing in interservice, 

inter-regiment, intereverything 

else competitions or being 

taken to the Scillies to review the 

corned beef stocks or some such vital 

military matter! 

As a dull plodder full of Air Training 

Corps zeal and being fooled by the 

promise that as ATC Air Force fame 

and fortune awaited me I went to the 

RAF at Padgate and then had some 

good times at the Parachute School and 

working on Avro Yorks that flew back 

and forth to Hong Kong and Singapore 

carrying important people and things. 

Ernie Bevin as Foreign Secretary left us 

a bottle of whisky, presumably as a 

thank you for a safe return. 

But I digress. Out of uniform GG 

went to Leeds to read Theology but 

remustered to Law. As he said “I realised 

money wasn’t everything” He 

gained a place as a barrister and was 

soon set on a route to stardom and a 

big income. 

His opponents would claim that his 

law was perhaps sketchy, but his ability 

to weigh up the case, the defendant 

and the jury and usually make the 

28 

prosecution seem inept, lacking in understanding 

and generally unfitted to 

get a guilty verdict was legendary. 

Coupled with these attributes and the 

great gravitas created by his half-moon 

glasses (which he didn’t need) he frequently 

unnerved his opponent and 

pulled off many spectacular acquittals, 

some of which were probably unjustified. 

He came to and spoke at a few Old 

Boys Dinners. 

The late Wm. Deedes of Daily Telegraph 

fame described Gilbert as one of 

the two best after-dinner speakers in 

the land. He was in great demand and 

his spread of acquaintanceships was 

immense. Despite having places in 

York, Grays’s Inn and Chichester his 

real home was Scarborough. His greatest 

joy was to use his cottage on Robin’s, 

Harwood Dale Farm, to teach 

country lore, practical sense and values 

to his twin grandsons and their sister. 

He was still working at fourscore 

years because he loved the buzz of the 

courts and playing for a win! 

One of his other great interests was the 

sea and seagoing people, especially 

those hardy souls in fishing boats and 

lifeboats. He held high office in the 

RNLI and was once dispatched to 

Tyneside to decorate the Tynemouth 

lifeboat crew. True to form he painted a 

verbal picture of the immense seas and 

storm at the time of the dire event 

which was being commemorated. 

There were few dry eyes when he had 

finished. The presiding person called 

on the coxswain to respond. This was

ief. “Thank you Mr Gray, –– if we’d 

known it was that dangerous we’d never 

have put to sea!” 

The North Eastern Bar circuit arranged 

a memorial service, well attended 

in York Minster, and many were 

reminded of GG’s ability and the sort of 

tensions that build up in almost every 

great public performer. GG had them 

just as did, say Tony Hancock but –– 

and he wouldn’t say it loudly –– his 

Christian faith and stable upbringing 

were the roots from which the tree of 

eloquence grew and continued to flourish. 

Peter Dawson (1950-58) 

recollects – 

I was sad to read of Gilbert’s death. 

Coming from a Liberal 

family, he was a 

hero standing up 

against the inevitable 

Tory victory at the 

polls. In the 6th 

Form, I volunteered 

to help his cause and 

found myself, with my girl friend of the 

time, Christine Bowland (SGHS) manning 

his polling office one evening. 

This was a Columbus Ravine front 

room about opposite the Ebenezer 

Chapel Hall. Gilbert was out with his 

entourage on the campaign trail. It was 

very quiet, so we sat together on the 

sofa “necking”. Without warning the 

door burst open, and Gilbert and Co. 

walked in. He assessed the situation 

quick as a flash- and said with a huge 

grin-“ Ah, I see you are combining 

business with pleasure!” 

29 

Gilbert Gray QC 

An Appreciation by Bryan 

Barnes (1944-51)… 

I was at School with Gillie, as he was 

always known, and later, after his National 

Service, at Leeds University. He 

was three years older than me, a gap 

usually too wide to bridge in a Grammar 

School like SBHS. However he 

sang the part of the Bosun in HMS Pinafore 

and I sang Josephine. The regular 

rehearsals led to friendship as we discovered 

we both had an interest in sailing 

boats. 

While still at School he had a boat 

called Rose, from memory about 16 

feet long and double–ended. Evening 

sailing was possible and popular when 

the tide was right, but one night with 

two friends he was becalmed near Ravenscar 

and having been out all night 

made the pages of the Scarborough 

Evening News. Rose was sold! Later 

on he bought a “sharpie” about 15 feet 

long, flat-bottomed rather angular with 

a centre-board –– Perfect for tidal Scarborough. 

In this boat he introduced me to sailing 

and indeed taught me the essentials. 

The boat was called “Elf”– I have 

no idea why. I continued to sail until I 

had to have knee operations, and I shall 

always be grateful for the kick-start to a 

life-long hobby. 

I went to Leeds in 1951 to find Gillie 

well-established. He was President of 

the Union in, I think 1953. He invited 

all SBHS boys at Leeds to afternoon tea 

during his Presidency to meet Joey. 

Something like 40 boys turned up, 

something of a surprise to us all!

He was always a little larger than life 

and very fluent: the Law was an inspired 

choice for him and I am not surprised 

he became so respected – he had 

style. I recall that he was the first chap 

I knew to drive his own Rolls-Royce, 

just an example of the high standards 

he set himself throughout his working 

life. 

PROFILES: 

SECRETARY (1) 

MICK BOWMAN (1954-61) 

Given his retirement as 

Secretary at the November 

AGM it is only 

right, despite his modesty, 

that the Association 

place on record 

our appreciation of the 

hard work behind the 

scenes carried out by Mick during his 

years as Secretary, a sometimes thankless 

task involving much organization, 

paperwork and travel from the wilds of 

Guisborough. He also served as President 

during the years 2003-4. 

The following résumé by Mick will 

give a flavour of Mick for the few who 

do not know him and his service to the 

Association–– 

“Born in 1942 in Derby, I spent the 

next 10 years wandering via Cayton, 

Redcar, Seamer, Holme on Spalding 

Moor to Crossgates, attending five Primary 

Schools. During these travels I 

met Paul Gridley at Lisvane and Mart 

Wilson at Seamer Primary. I am happy 

to say we are still on friendly terms and 

are still fit enough to wander a golf 

course. Mart and I started the High 

30 

School with Eddy Willmore and Alan 

Haigh in 1954. 

Having done five years at the Westwood 

site I was deemed to have 

achieved a high enough level of academic 

work to be invited to work as a 

cleaner at the new School during the 

summer holidays. Jack Speight always 

did have me sorted! However the job 

earned me an invitation to the official 

opening of the new school. Not as a 

pupil but with the Caretaker on the hall 

balcony. Joe Marsden did seem a little 

surprised to see me there. 

I had three meetings with the Head. 

The first when the mock O level results 

came out and he informed me, “Eh 

Bowman, you’re not as good as your 

father and uncle.” The second when the 

O level results were posted on the 

School notice board and Jack Speight 

took me into the Head to inform him 

“You won't believe this Mr Marsden, 

but Bowman has passed all his exams.” 

Finally I was seen when it was discovered 

well into my seventh year that I 

had not applied to any colleges or universities. 

This time all he said was 

“Well lad, you will have to be a teacher.” 

I took his advice. 

On leaving Scarborough I went to 

Sheffield Training College and then 

Newcastle University before teaching 

for 37 years at schools in the Middlesbrough 

area, ending up for a short time 

as Head teacher of an 11 to 16 Comprehensive. 

In this, my twelfth year of retirement 

I hope to celebrate 48 years of 

marriage to Vivien. A college romance. 

We have a daughter, a son and four

grandchildren. One girl and three boys 

all of whom keep me busy but are a joy 

to be with. Amongst a variety of leisure 

activities I spend a good deal of time 

chasing a maverick golf ball in and out 

of bunkers and bushes, often accompanied 

by Dave Burnley, Pete Lassey and 

Paul Gridley. For less stressful pleasure 

I enjoy live theatre, especially the Stephen 

Joseph Theatre in the interesting 

company of Mick Peart, Mart Wilson 

and their wives, and holidaying in the 

sun sharing a beer or two with Clive 

Hopkins and his wife. 

I have enjoyed my time as President, 

Secretary and Committee member of 

the Old Boys, being especially honoured 

that my father and I are the only 

father and son to have been President. 

Long may the OSA continue to flourish. 

Editor: It is gratifying that Mick has 

agreed to remain as a Committee Member 

of the Association. 

PROFILES: 

SECRETARY (2) 

BOB HEAPS (1967-74) 

As many members will already be 

aware, Bob Heaps has taken over as 

Secretary of the Association from Mick 

Bowman (see article above) and, for 

their sins, it has been the custom to 

include a few biographical details of 

new Committee Members for the benefit 

of those members who may be unaware. 

On this basis Bob has revealed 

the following: 

“ I joined the High School in 1967 as 

an 11 year old in 1Z and after 5 years 

31 

found myself in the 6th form entwined 

in the change to comprehensive education. 

The lower 6th continued at the 

High School but we were joined by the 

girls, a bit of a shock (but pleasant) for 

some of us after an all boys school. We 

then moved in the Upper 6th to the 

new 6th Form College. 

I studied Pharmacy at Manchester 

University and did a year of training in 

Macclesfield and Liverpool before registering 

as a Pharmacist in 1978. 

My first year after registering was 

spent working for Selles Chemists 

based in Hull but I spent most of my 

time travelling round all their Pharmacies 

to cover for holidays, absence etc. I 

then joined the family business in Scarborough 

managing our Ramshill Road 

branch. The family business expanded 

to 3 and after my father’s retirement in 

1992 we sold one shop in Gladstone 

Road but opened another in Morrisons’ 

supermarket. The business celebrated 

50 yrs in 2009. I have recently sold the 

business as none of my children are 

interested in Pharmacy and now am in 

the fortunate position of only having to 

work part time. 

I was married to Yvonne for 16yrs 

but am now divorced and have 3 children, 

Abbie who is at Newcastle University 

studying Law, Oliver who is at 

the 6th form and Will who is at Scarborough 

College. 

I played Rugby for Manchester University, 

Macclesfield, and Scarborough, 

I am still an active supporter of Scarborough 

as my son Oliver plays and I 

spent several years on the committee.

I have also been a member of the Rowing 

club for 30yrs and spent some 

15yrs as treasurer. More recently I 

have also done quite a bit of skiing and 

cycling. Last year I cycled from John 

O’Groats to Lands End, – 1000 miles in 

9 days. 

WOODLANDS 

Over the years much has been written 

about Westwood, which has held a 

special and very nostalgic place for its 

many years as Alma Mater to the great 

majority of our Old Boys, and little 

until recently has been featured in relation 

to Woodlands, albeit that for the 

last 15 years of the existence of the 

School it was the replacement centre of 

the Universe for a growing percentage 

of the membership. Now that these 

“younger” Members are thankfully 

increasing and their memories are 

coming to the fore it is perhaps time 

to further explore its idiosyncrasies, 

foibles and own special character in 

more depth – in the context of which 

even distinctive photographs seem in 

short supply. 

As Editor I plead guilty to having a 

foot in both camps, in that my final two 

years in the Sixth Form were spent 

there, but the only real recollection was 

a very small Sixth Form room (only 

seven or eight of us!), the large Hall 

and the comparatively civilised playing 

fields without either the arduous 

struggle up to Oliver’s Mount or Hockey 

on the beach with Norman Gallagher 

every fortnight when the tide 

was out. 

32 

Also memories come back of an unusually 

gullible Zenna Potts being persuaded 

of the interest of a number of 

us in matters scientific sufficient to 

permit the loan of a rather cumbersome 

telescope, and the subsequent 

physically demanding expedition with 

it up the hill at the rear of Woodland, 

from whence it was directed with similar 

scientific curiosity at the Gym of 

SGHS: a very misplaced exercise however, 

not only failing to disclose the 

source of the planetary system but any 

other matter of scientific interest to 

curious 16 year olds. 

Cross-country running and a quick 

puff on the Wills Woodbines once “out 

of site/sight, out of mind” were also 

readily possible in the environs of 

Woodlands; and, for those of us who 

lived at Newby, sloping off home was 

also rather more viable! 

Perhaps there are more tales to tell of 

Woodlands and memories to be awakened 

of life there and then they hopefully 

will have a place in subsequent 

issues of the Magazine! 

THE VICE PRESIDENT 

Bill Temple (1943- 

48), who was elected 

Vice President of 

the Association in 

November 2010, 

seems to date to 

have escaped biographical 

mention 

in the Magazine, a deficiency in which, 

with some prompting, is now repaired.

Bill modestly gives his biographical 

details as follows: 

“I joined the School via form 1L in 

1943, when our Form and French 

teacher was Miss Andrews (Fanny) of 

the red hair and green skirt, who rejoiced 

in leaping from a standing start, 

from the front of the classroom, onto 

the second tier, whenever she wished 

to emphasise a point. To do that at all 

was some feat, but to land in decent 

lady-like good order, was even more 

of an achievement. She made us feel 

most welcome at our new School. 

My passion for cricket got me into 

the under twelve team (captain, no 

less!) in 1944, when the team was organised, 

not by a master, but by Duckie 

Helmuth, then presumably in the 

Sixth Form, who acknowledged a lack 

of cricketing ability, but who knew the 

game inside out. Throughout that year 

we seemed to play against Lisvane 

(the prep school for Scarborough College) 

every two weeks, on a home and 

away basis, and at their home matches, 

pretty well the whole school watched 

from the boundary. My lasting 

memory of those encounters, was of 

the Lisvane fast bowler, who took an 

inordinately long run up, frightening 

the life out of half of us. He often took 

five wickets, and astonishingly, a collection 

was taken around the ground 

for him. In to-day’s parlance, he often 

took 5 fer! 

I took part in sport generally, but 

particularly in cricket, throughout my 

school years, moving to under fourteens, 

second eleven and then to the 

first eleven. 

33 

In 1947, the First Eleven joined the 

school camp of that year, in the Yorkshire 

Dales, and as the campers went 

off walking for the day, we went off to 

play cricket. I’m sure the first camp 

was by the beck at Gunnerside, in 

Wensleydale, after which we all 

walked over the Buttertubs Pass to 

Hawes, where we camped, and played 

cricket. On the way over, one of the 

team would deliberately walk ahead of 

Brad, the master in charge and camp 

supremo, whose response was ‘come 

back you little rabbit – I’ll set the pace!’ 

The team was driven to the various 

venues in Tuckley’s van, which resembled 

a black maria – no side windows 

and bars across the back! After 

Hawes, we played against a school in 

Harrogate and then Richmond Grammar. 

In an evening match against 

Richmond Town, the team was augmented 

by masters, including Gerry 

Hovington and Norman Stoddard. 

The final cricket outing was a day 

spent watching England play South 

Africa, at Headingley, when Ken 

Cranston took four wickets in five 

balls, for England, who won by ten 

wickets. That was a wonderful week 

and I wonder whether any other sports 

team ever again accompanied the annual 

school camp. 

I left the School in 1949 and joined 

Beevers and Adgie (later to merge 

with KPMG) in Leeds, to train as an 

Accountant. I became articled to the 

junior partner, Richard Wainwright, 

who later became the Liberal MP for 

Colne Valley, then the Treasury 

spokesman, and finally, the chairman 

of the Liberal Party. Gilly Gray had

Liberal ambitions and was often in the 

office, but no attempt was ever made 

from any quarter to influence my political 

thinking! I lived for six years in 

the YMCA hostel in Lyddon Terrace, 

at the top of University Road, and enjoyed 

the company of students from all 

over the world who were studying at 

the University. The work was varied 

and called for a good deal of travel, 

including trips to Liverpool, working 

at the main offices of the Merseyside 

and North Wales Electricity Board 

(Manweb). We worked long hours, 

but the audit managers thought it therapeutic 

for articled clerks to take an 

hour off on Thursday afternoons, to go 

down to the docks to watch the big 

transatlantic liners dock. I also recall 

that the audit of Wrexham Lager 

Brewery was thirsty work! 

National Service followed in February 

1956, after deferment for six years, 

and following the undertaking I had 

given, that I would ‘join up’ on completion 

of articles. Whilst National 

Service was an interruption to one’s 

life, it was also a wonderful experience. 

After basic training at West Kirby, 

on the Wirral Peninsula, I was posted 

to the No. 1 Radio School at RAF Locking 

near Weston-super-Mare, to learn 

the technical side of Radar. On the 

first morning in the labs, I was seated 

before an oscilloscope, with a view to 

forming an electrical current into sine 

waves and shaping into radar pulses 

with a four micro second delay. The 

manufacturer’s label on the oscilloscope 

read ‘Erskine Laboratories, Scar- 

34 

borough.’ I immediately felt at home! 

At week-ends and on stand down occasions, 

a rota for guard duty of the 

station was in place, when two airmen, 

together, patrolled the station, two 

hours on and four off, each armed 

with a pick axe handle, in case of 

attack by the IRA!! 

Again, I played a great deal of cricket 

at Locking, and was selected to play 

in the team to represent Weston-super- 

Mare and District, against Taunton 

and District on the County ground 

there. We were routed by a young fast 

bowler called Ken Palmer, who was 

shortly to become the opening bowler 

for England. I played for the Station in 

the National Playing Fields Association 

six a-side knock out tournament, 

in which many southern Counties entered 

a team, and which Locking won. 

(On returning to civvy street, I introduced 

that six-a-side format to Scalby 

Cricket Club in the early sixties for 

competition by the Beckett League 

teams.) My stay at Locking was most 

enjoyable, with a perceived quality of 

university life, and I was sorry to leave 

in September 1956. From Locking, I 

was posted to the Radar station at 

Neatishead on the Norfolk Broads, to 

put into practice the lessons previously 

learnt in the detailed understanding, 

servicing and repair of radar equipment. 

The site was underground, out 

in the countryside, and affectionately 

known as ‘down the hole’. It was a 

tribute to the excellence of the Locking 

training, and the practical experience 

gained at Neatishead that entry to 

Marconi and Plessey, on demob, was

almost assured, if sought, through 

consultants of those two companies 

permanently on site, with the rank of 

Flight Lieutenant. 

I was demobbed in February 1958, 

and returned home to the family practice 

in Huntriss Row, Scarborough. 

The work was always interesting and 

varied, and included my appointment 

as Clerk to the Trustees of the Scarborough 

Municipal Charities, an office 

I held for 44 years, spanning pre and 

post retirement years. Similarly, I was 

appointed Clerk to the Trustees of Dr 

Smart’s Trust, from which I have recently 

retired after 24 years. I married 

Elizabeth in 1961 - we had two lovely 

little boys, who are now so big that I 

don’t always hear what they say to me! 

By the end of the 1970’s, my cricketing 

years had given way to golf, playing 

at Scarborough’s North Cliff Golf 

Club, which honoured me with the 

Captaincy of the Club in 1995, the 

Presidency in 1999 and Captain of the 

Scarborough and District Golf Captains’ 

Association in 2005. I still play 

once a week, on Thursday, but find 

that I move somewhat gingerly on 

Friday!” 

SCARBOROUGH ANNUAL 

DINNER 2011 

After at least 2 years of abominable 

snowman weather for previous Dinners 

it is overdue that this year the sun 

finally shone on the righteous for the 

occasion, and some 95 Old Boys were 

in attendance (as listed beneath, with 

their years of entry to the School) 

35 

It is almost unbelievable but very 

gratifying, given the passage of time, 

that the Annual Dinner continues to go 

from strength to strength, largely now 

supported by the welcome influx of 

“young” or at least “younger” Old 

Boys who are increasingly supporting 

the Association. 

A welcome from Geoff Winn, our 

President, emphasised this, and that 

24 members were there who had not 

previously attended, which augured 

well for the future of the Association. 

He also referred to the retirement of 

Mick Bowman as Secretary after his 

valued service in this role (see elsewhere 

in the Magazine), which was 

applauded, and the appointment of 

Bob Heaps as his replacement . 

A welcome was then extended to 

John Oxley who taught at the School 

from 1960 for some 8 years, and who 

proceeded to entertain us with reminiscences 

of his somewhat unorthodox 

appointment to the School at York 

Station, regaling us further with his 

references to some of the more distinguished 

or notorious of the pupils he 

had encountered, particularly in a 

Rugby context. 

A good meal in fine company, when 

the drink and the reminiscences flow, 

highlights again the benefits of membership 

of the Association and the camaraderie 

and renewal of friendship 

which is an essential benefit of this. 

ATTENDEES (E&O excepted): 

Howard Acklam (60), Colin Adamson 

(65), James Allaker (40), Barry Beanland 

(50), Malcolm Beavis (54), Bruce

Bedford (57), Richard Bell (59), Peter 

Bell (57), John Birley (44), Mick Bowman 

(54), Dave Burnley (54), Philip 

Clarke (46), Philip Cook (62), Adrian 

Copley, Ian Copley (64), Mike Corbyn 

(54), Fred Crosby (49), Norman Davies 

(62), Peter Dawson (50), Brian Devenport 

(56), Dave Eade (55), Dave Ellard 

(69), Peter Emms (51), Rod Emms (58), 

Peter Exley (57), Mike Fewster (59), 

John Flinton (50), Norman Flinton (49), 

Chris Found (51), John Found (49), David 

Fowler (49), Chris Garner (62), Roger 

Gilbert (60), Jim Goodman (63), Ray 

Gough (44), Paul Gridley (54), Dave 

Hartley (63), Bob Heaps (67), Dave Hepworth 

(51), Melvyn Hogg (62), Alan 

Holmes (62), Roger Hopkin (61), Colin 

Hurd (52), Shaun Ireland (49), Joseph 

Jaconelli (58), Steve Johnson (72), Bryn 

Jones (72), Peter Lassey (54), Richard 

Lazenby (62), Mike Lester (49), Dave 

MacDonald (62), John Mann (50), Nick 

Martin (72), Alan Mason (63), Duncan 

36 

McGregor (47), Ron McGill (62), Derek 

Megginson (60), Keith Milner (49), Roger 

Milner (62), Roy Moor (62), Paul 

Moorhouse (63), Mike Mulvana (62), 

Peter Newham (54), John Oxley (59), 

Philip Pearson (60), Mick Peart (54), 

Mick Pillar (62), Alan Readman (54), 

Colin Rennard (61), Howard Reynolds 

(48), John Riley (61), Clive Roberts (54), 

Philip Robinson (62), Peter Robson (45), 

Howard Rowley (68), Ian Scott (62), 

John Settle (72), David Shannon (49), 

Eaglen Sheen (57), Rob Southwick (61), 

Albert Storey (48), Malcolm Storry (46), 

Geoff Taylor (46), Bill Temple (43), Trevor 

Thewlis, Alan Thraves (50), Graham 

Trousdale (58), James Turner (55), David 

Ward (62), Simon Ward (62), Gez 

Wardell (72), Gary Waterman (72), 

Dave Watson (59), Steve Williamson 

(49), Mart Wilson (54), Nigel Wilson 

(72), Geoff Winn (49), Bill Wood (58).

Photos p.36 - the committee, top p.37 

is 1949 intake members. More photos 

appear on page 59. Courtesy 

Scarborough Evening News. 

SCALBY AND NEWBY 

The Editor… 

My attention has been drawn to a 

recent local publication “Newby and 

Scalby through Time“ by Robin Lidster 

which may be of some interest to 

those Members, of whom I am one, 

who grew up or were initially 

schooled in those locations. Largely 

photographic, but with interesting 

explanatory legends, it is a fascinating 

exercise in nostalgia and perhaps 

also a rather poignant reminder that 

none of us are getting any younger! 

37 

In this context the old Scalby 

village School, closed in 1950 , initially 

attended by a number of Old Boys, 

springs to mind, and Scalby Mills and 

Monkey Island, the subject of several 

previous references in the Magazine, 

is shown in its extensive glory days in 

the 1880’s as the background to the 

Scalby Mills Hotel. Newby cannot 

however boast such a distinguished 

history: an 1851 census recording 

only 7 households, a population of a 

mere 40 in 1883 but exploding to over 

4000 in the fifties, with the newly 

opened Newby County Primary 

School sending ten to fifteen pupils to 

the High School each year. In those 

days there was a separate Rural District 

Council, –– but now inevitably 

the whole has been long subsumed 

into Scarborough!

THE TORRIDON CAMP - 

1958 

Additional photographs and recollections 

from Peter Dawson (1950-58)... 

1. My tent in 1958, Torridon. Duck, 

second left, PD, third Left. (One 

evening I walked down to the loch to 

look at the Eider duck, being a keen 

ornithologist. A local elderly man 

befriended me and showed me an 

oyster catcher's nest complete with 4 

eggs. We then chatted in his croft 

over a glass of milk. All delightfully 

friendly and innocent - but possibly 

unlikely nowadays). 

2nd Photo –– I was late back to 

camp and got a good telling off from 

38 

Mr Williamson - (Latin) the new RE 

master, brilliant at hockey (he replaced 

Peter “Chico” Hampton) -- 

Chris Francis, an old boy now, son of 

“Fungus Lugs” -- Mr. Speight -- 

Physics and allegedly a Rugby 

League player - denied! But he 

looked the part,-- old boy Mr. Tinkler, 

-- Eddie Colenutt, -- Mr. Dutton - 

don't remember who the foreground 

master is. 

Finished with the Camps except to 

remark that on all the long ride back 

to Scarborough, the highlight was 

buying a copy of Health and Efficiency 

on York Station to revive our flagging 

spirits!

NICKNAMES 

Mike Lester (1949-57) 

writes… 

I was interested to see the short article 

on staff nicknames on P.33 of Summer 

Times 160, so here are one or two 

thoughts on the matter: 

During 1960’s and 70’s Mr Liddicott 

was one of the Committee, (secretary 

perhaps), of Scarborough Classical 

Concert Society, which brought to 

Scarborough many nationally famous 

singers, piano recitalists and string 

quartets for chamber music concerts. I 

looked at some of their old programmes 

to see if there was his contact 

name on any of them, but unfortunately 

not. I always assumed “Dai” was 

because he was Welsh. 

Now what about “Spike” Jones? 

This may be a totally wild guess, but 

in the 1950s there was a comic American 

band which did silly send-ups of 

popular records of the times. The 

name of this outfit was Spike Jones 

and his City Slickers. I seem to remember 

the name at Westwood became 

corrupted to Spike Jones and his Slitty 

Knickers. Their output consisted of 

such gems as Cocktails for Two, The 

Sheik of Araby, You Always Hurt the 

One You Love and Chloe. The tracks 

were littered with zany sound effects 

such as whistles, bells, gunshots, and 

flatulent sounding motor horns. 

My father and his brother Roy were 

taught by Mr “Pike” Richardson, but 

in their day I seem to remember that 

they said his nickname was “Tich” - 

39 

fairly obvious, really! 

I have decided that I would like to 

continue to receive Summer Times in 

magazine form rather than online, so 

to salve my conscience, I will be sending 

a modest cheque to Chris Found to 

cover postage for the next few issues. 

DAI LIDDICOTT 

Gordon Dexter (1948-55) 

adds… 

Even after 60 years, whenever I hear a 

mention of "dyestuffs", I still mutter to 

myself (in my own attempt at a Welsh 

accent and delivery ), "There is a great 

art in dyeing nowadays." 

We found this doubly funny and all 

fell about. I cannot now remember 

how Dai reacted to this spontaneous 

response.! 

LITERATI 

Albeit dating back to the pre-1923 

days of the Grammar School as a 

mixed sex school, and therefore well 

beyond the ken of any existing Members 

of the Association, perhaps the 

most famous author and literary celebrity 

emanating from the School must 

still be Storm Jameson, and previous 

issues have covered both her life story 

and reproduced the recently rediscovered 

strange and disturbing short story 

she wrote for the then School magazine 

while a 16 year old pupil in 1907. 

Enormously popular in the 1940’s to 

70’s, and the author of over 45 novels, 

poetry essays and polemic pieces, 

apart from her copious contributions 

to Magazines and newspapers, it is

significant how since then literary 

tastes have changed and her recognition 

has hugely waned to the point 

when to all but elderly readers she is 

unknown, despite surviving until 

1986. As an interested bibliophile a 

tour of second-hand shops and even a 

trawl on the internet appears to only 

disclose a handful of her books for sale 

second-hand, and her fame does not 

appear to have survived the passage of 

time. As a personal view, based admittedly 

on limited reading, apart 

from the immaculate English and an 

interest in the psychology of the human 

condition, they can represent a 

rather turgid and lacklustre story line 

and sequence of events which can veer 

just this side of tedium. 

The School’s other major literary 

graduate, Leo Walmsley, though perhaps 

not been so well known national- 

40 

ly, fares rather better, with an appreciation 

society still extant, and a much 

simpler more readable narrative, much 

of which was set in Bramblewick 

(Robin Hood’s Bay) from whence he 

travelled by train daily. The works of 

both, particularly the former, do very 

much demonstrate how fashions 

change in everything and, as Jack Ellis 

would have said, ––Sic transit Gloria 

Mundi! 

FACES FROM THE PAST 

David Eccleston has forwarded the 

photo below with relevant names except 

for one, his recollection being 

confirmed by David Fowler, and one 

of those included, Peter Dawson, further 

commenting as follows: 

Can’t remember the lad in the middle. 

Suspect he was a near red head. 

I used to go cycling with Derek Capes

and bird watching with Frosty. 

Played tennis in the School yard with 

Roy Cass. He lived in Murchison 

Street, near Glyn Bower, and about 

where my father had lived as a lad. 

One day at Roy’s house I went to the 

khazi - in the outhouse in the yard 

then. Normally there would have been 

neatly torn up newspaper for cleansing 

purposes - the dreaded Izal roll 

having not yet arrived in that area of 

Scarborough. Sadly there was nothing 

that day. Mrs. Cass apologised and 

said she was sure I’d be alright for just 

missing a wipe one day!! I’m sure you 

wanted to know that!! Strange what 

we remember and what we forget. 

At the Dinner those who could remember 

the roll call of classmates got 

up and spouted. Very impressive. I 

could just about remember my German 

class as Bon had us sitting in alphabetical 

order- it went: Adamson, 

Barker, Cass, Crabtree, Dawson, Ford, 

Gallagher, Hurrell, Leppington and 

Wright, I think. John Brinkler tells me 

that Crabtree is in Wollaton, Nottingham 

and they are often in touch. I 

met John Flinton at the dinner and 

called round next morning to his farm 

in Wrench Green for an extended chat 

before heading off for home. That’s 

the nice thing about these dinners - the 

unexpected. Should have attended 

long ago! 

The names, photo p.40, are L to R: 

David Eccleston; Howard Frost; Unknown; 

Roy Cass; Peter Dawson; 

Derek Capes. 

David Fowler adds: “It came to 

41 

me as I was putting the magazine together; 

could the boy 3rd from left 

have been a lad called Drewery? Or 

was it Adrian Casey? 

ONE FOOT IN EDEN 

Alan Wilkinson (1941-5), who is now 

an honorary priest at the Cathedral of 

St. Thomas Becket, Portsmouth and 

the author of various studies of the 

Church in 20th Century society, and 

who has been a Parish Priest and university 

lecturer has forwarded a flier 

on his book under the above title. 

The flier records that the book tells 

of Peter a young Anglican priest, who 

is leaving his deprived parish in London 

to join a monastic community in 

north Lancashire. Will he be able to 

adapt to austere life? How will his 

decision affect his family and his 

cousin Sally with whom he has had a 

fond relationship since childhood? 

Peter's pilgrimage of faith interacts 

with major changes in church and in 

society in the twentieth century. The 

Archbishop of Canterbury has written 

in the foreword 'This is a very engaging 

narrative, challenging in its way, 

as it holds up a mirror to the recent 

decades of the Church's life in England, 

but ultimately deeply positive, 

affirming of so much of what makes 

the Church of England worth loving 

and defending. 

Copies can be ordered by sending 

send a cheque for £9.00 (£7.50 + £1.50 

postage & packing) to: Mirfield Publications, 

House of the Resurrection, 

Mirfield, WF14 OBN.

ATKINSON GRIMSHAW 

As a postscript to the article in the last 

issue on the Victorian artist and erstwhile 

resident of Scarborough, Atkinson 

Grimshaw, it was interesting to be 

told by at the annual Dinner by a 

Member, whose name I unfortunately 

omitted to record, of his father’s interest 

in and ownership of two Grimshaw 

paintings, which, given their 

current values, is indeed a fortunate 

position to be in, quite apart from their 

visual attraction as scenes in which 

light, direct and reflected, are a principal 

feature, and of which a major exhibition 

at the London Guildhall Art 

Gallery has just finished. 

Editor 

MASTERS – MR GIBLETT 

The Editor 

Looking back on the 

sketches of past Masters 

and the anecdotes, 

good and otherwise, 

of our Members, 

one name that 

seems to have largely 

escaped attention is 

that of Robert James Reginald Giblett, 

albeit that he was Senior Geography 

Master from 1944 to at least the early 

1960’s; perhaps because he appeared 

to lack the memorable eccentricities of 

the more colourful Masters, and was 

seen by at least a few as “dry as dust”, 

- with not even a nickname of which to 

boast. Even the old School Register is 

lacking in detail, baldly recording his 

appointment in 1944, at the age of 42, 

42 

as Senior Geography Master, with no 

detail as to his subsequent retirement 

/departure, although the author 

can vouch for him being there in 1961! 

A Dorset man, born in 1902, educated 

in Bournemouth, which may explain 

to his students in “Physical geography” 

his strong familiarity with and 

emphasis on the Dorset coastline, –– 

Durdle Door , Lulworth Cove, and 

Kimmeridge Bay, though admittedly 

when subsequently see in real life by 

yours truly it did not really resemble 

my misconceived preconceptions from 

the Ordnance Survey map over which 

we pored at School! His impressive 

First class Geographical Tripos degree 

at Downing College Cambridge was 

then followed by junior teaching posts 

at Cambridge and Belper, before his 

appointment to SBHS. 

My recollection is of an amiable, 

quiet, fair minded Master, certainly 

not a “character”, and with a dry manner 

which could be regarded as boring, 

with an abiding interest in matters 

photographic, which he was happy to 

share with pupils showing such interest, 

and I can dimly recollect the gift of 

contact printing apparatus, developer 

fluid and other minor technical bits 

and pieces, the use of which is now 

lost in the mists of antiquity and obsolescence. 

I can also recall an illustrated 

talk on the great polar photographers 

Ponting and Hurley accompanying 

the Scott and Shackleton Antarctic 

exhibitions in 1912-13, which perhaps 

has particular relevance this year with 

the current exhibition of these magnificent 

and dramatic photographs under

the Title of “The Great Unknown” at 

the Queens Gallery at Buckingham 

Palace. 

For many, Geography was perhaps 

a makeweight subject, which therefore 

attracted little attention, but for me, 

had the then almost inevitable consequence 

been the subsequent teaching 

of Geography, for 

which I was plainly not 

fitted, I might have 

further pursued it, and 

still have fond memories 

of studies with Mr 

Giblett, albeit uneventful. 

SPORTS TEAM 

PHOTOS 

Rick Ware 

(1957-62) 

writes… 

Right, and on the 

next page are some 

Sports photos with 

the known names of 

subjects – 

Top right 1958- 

59 U14 XI 

Back row - L to R. – 

Jim Moorby. John 

Barman. Pete Huddleston. 

George 

Carter. Steve Male. 

Paul Cammidge. Rick 

Ware. Mick Griffiths. 

John Ashwell. Dave 

Anderton. 

Front ?, Michael Ost, 

Chris Eves.? ? John 

43 

Robinson. Clive Caddy. (The master is 

'Harry' Wilson) 

Centre: 1960 Colts (I think!) - the 

ones in black were a Welsh school who 

completely hammered us). 

Back row: L to R. Pete Huddleston. 

George Carter. John Ashwell. Rick 

Ware. Clive Caddy.

Middle: ? Mick Exley. ? Jim Moorby. 

John Robinson. Roy James and Ron 

Edwardson) 

Front: ?, John Dresser. ? Paul Cammidge. 

Michael Ost. Chris Eves. 

Previous page, bottom: 

1961 Athletics Team 

Back Row L to R. Mike Lewins. ? ? 

Keith McFarlane ? ? Roy James 

Middle :? ? Rick Ware. ? ? 

Front : ? Adrian Scales. ? Mick Bowman. 

? Peter Taylor. Dave Watson. ? ? 

Clive Wood.. 

I should think Mick (Bowman) could 

fill in a few missing names; unless his 

memory is now as u/s as mine is! 

Tony Philipson (1957-65) 

who was “turning out a few drawers” 

of old material has also forwarded the 

above two pictures :- 

Below: 1st XI 1963 

Back: l to r. - Steve Poole, Mick Dale, 

Simon Barningham, Rob Trousdale, 

Brian Devonport, John Oxley 

Front l to r -Norman Megson, Graham 

Mathers, Jeff Dowson (capt), Tony 

44 

Philipson, Mick White (Missing: Mike 

Ost) 

Below: Under 14 XI 1959 

Winners of John Bartliffe Trophy v 

Scarborough College at North Marine 

Rd 

Back l to r. - Steve Poole, Keith Lloyd, 

Mike Ost, ? Gittings, Brian Devonport, 

Eaglen Sheen 

Front l to r.- - Ian Quick, Tony Philipson, 

Len Haley, John Chadbourne, John 

Robinson 

SPEECH DAY – QUEEN 

STREET 

Brian Turner (1958-66) writes in relation 

to the photograph on page 45 of 

the November issue…. (The photo is 

reproduced—again on p.45) 

I may be able to help with names. 

Firstly though, not all on photo were 

receiving prizes. The bulk on the left 

were, I believe, Prefects. 

Front Row: David Ellis (I think, son of 

Jack Ellis) not Hunter, (8), ?, 9= Clive 

Hadfield

Second Row: J J,1= David Triffit, Stephen 

Welbourne, George Dowd ?, Michael 

(Mick) Lewins ? 

Third Row: Shackleton, G Southwick, 

Brian Turner, Parry ?, Harvey Proctor. 

The bulk of these were in my form 

group –– Who were the Masters on the 

far right? 

I attended SBHS from 1958 to 1966; 

played in the 1st XV with Geoff Dowson, 

Peter Taylor, Stan Todd and with 

John Mason (whose recent death is 

reported in this issue). Also part of the 

group The Outcasts, which spawned 

the careers of John Longbottom (now in 

the States), Johnny Taylor, and for a 

short time that of John Walker. 

Gordon Thorburn (1956-64) 

writes … 

Thanks for magazine. –– Photo on 

p45 (See previous page this issue) - 

front row, first on left, –– me - English 

Prize that year which, I feel sure, was 

not 64-65 but 63-64, as I went to Leeds 

University in September 64. I recognise 

quite a few of the faces but alas 

45 

cannot put names to them. I was one of 

the few third year Sixth, so most of 

my contemporaries had left in 63. 

New Member David Shaw 

(1953-60) writes… 

"Form 1A, 2L to 5L then Sc VI B/A. 

Under 14's, Colts and Second 15 Rugby, 

Second eleven Cricket, Basketball and 

still the reigning 4st 7lbs to 5st boxing 

champion. – Bet would never make the 

weight anymore!! One year at ICI Billingham, 

13 years RAF 24 years BOAC/ 

British Airways. Retired 1997" 

FRANK BINDER 

Michael Rines (1941-52) 

writes… 

David Fowler and I can report significant 

progress in our efforts to secure for 

Frank Binder the recognition his genius 

deserves. We and Elsie Binder, Frank’s 

daughter, have signed a contract for the 

wider publication of Sown With Corn, 

a book that has won high praise from 

important academics in both the UK

and Germany. 

Another of his books, A Journey in 

England, first published in 1932 is being 

considered for republication by 

Penguin Classics, and I shall be lecturing 

on Binder and Sown With Corn at 

Bonn University in June. 

We had always hoped that publication 

of Sown With Corn by David’s 

small publishing company, Farthings, 

would prompt a major publishing 

house to take the book on and give it 

wider circulation. Now Barnsley-based 

Pen & Sword Books will bring out a 

new edition in the autumn. It normally 

specialises in non-fiction military, aviation 

and maritime subjects, but is so 

impressed by SWC’s potential that it is 

making an exception. 

Not the least factor in Pen and 

Sword’s decision has been the astonish- 

46 

ing reception the book has received in 

academic circles. The latest and perhaps 

most important praise comes from 

Robert Gildea, Oxford University Professor 

of Modern History in a review to 

appear in a future issue of History Today. 

He congratulates us for bringing 

out what he describes as “this moving, 

colourful and evocative account of the 

rise of Nazism in the Rhineland”. 

German academic Dieter Mehl, 

Emeritus Professor of English at Bonn 

University, where Binder lectured from 

1921 to 1933, says he is “fascinated by 

this authentic account of the political 

and social climate in the region in the 

early thirties, by an observer unaffected 

by any hindsight, which is rare 

enough”. At his request, I have sent 

more of Binder’s work and, at his 

prompting, I have been invited by the 

Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft Bonn to 

lecture on Binder and the book on June 

18. One of those in the audience will be 

Christian Kloeckner, the present day 

holder of Binder’s job at the University. 

These reviews follow a ringing endorsement 

of the book by leading authority 

on German Jewish relations 

Colin Richmond, Emeritus Professor of 

Modern History at Keele University. 

He said: 

“The importance (not to say significance) 

of a book written by a contemporary 

English observer of intelligence 

and sensitivity, one who spoke and 

understood the language, and who 

loved Germany, cannot be overstressed. 

Frank Binder taught at the 

University of Bonn from 1921 to 1936:

he was, therefore, a first-hand witness 

of the rise and triumph of Nazism 

(which he detested for its corrupting 

effect on all that was good in Germany). 

It is fortunate that he was capable 

of a deeply felt, acutely vivid description 

of what he witnessed. He 

was the right man in the right place at 

a terrible time. His book may very 

well be unique.” 

Praise has also come from Professor 

Ian Kershaw, author of the award 

winning two-volume Penguin biography 

of Hitler. He says the book 

“might offer insights into Nazism 

based on first-hand experience, which 

could appeal to many who are interested 

in the topic, but perhaps not 

keen to read through an extensive 

non-fictional literature.” 

Further recognition came last summer 

when Professor Richmond and I 

led a symposium at Winchester University 

on the book. It was attended 

by a number of academics from the 

Parkes Institute at Southampton University, 

the UK centre for Jewis/Nazi 

relations. It was a particular pleasure 

that Elsie Binder’s daughter, Elaine 

Stocks took part. She is Deputy Editor 

of BBC Food Magazine. 

In Austria, translation and publication 

of the book under licence from 

Pen & Sword is being considered by 

one of the country’s leading publishers. 

David and I hope Pen & Sword will 

get reviews in non-academic publications. 

Apart from a great paean by 

47 

Christian Wolmar in last March’s 

issue of The Oldie, we have been unable 

to do this ourselves, probably 

because publications will not review 

books unless they are widely stocked 

in book shops – something we have 

not had the facility to achieve. Now, 

because those who have read Sown 

With Corn have been so full of praise 

(a surprising number have bought 

several copies), we are optimistic 

about its prospects under our new 

Publisher. 

GERALD HINCHLIFFE—90 

years young 

Last year, John Webster (1944-55), 

who lives in Canada, had been in 

England and had visited Gerald 

Hinchliffe. In an unguarded moment 

Gerald had mentioned that he would 

be 90 on 23rd January. 

John contacted David Fowler and 

said that, whilst he could not arrange 

a further visit, how wonderful it 

would be if a few old boys could 

meet Gerald to celebrate his 90th. 

David then circulated all those who 

had been at school whilst Gerald 

taught at the High School and we 

ended up with 24 members who travelled 

from all over the country to be 

present. We would have had more 

but many members were already 

committed. 

At the lunch Geoff Winn introduced 

Gerald and after Gerald had spoken 

extremely eloquently, humorously 

and very movingly, David Fowler

gave a short response and read out 

apologies and anecdotes from those 

unable to attend. As examples, Ted 

Lancaster would have been there—but 

it coincided with his own Golden 

Wedding anniversary, so he “thought 

it might be difficult to have got away!” 

Many members were on winter breaks 

and Dudley Wallis said that if we 

could rearrange for the lunch to be 

held in the Maldives, we could join 

him there! 

The event closed with a toast to Gerald 

and a toast to the Association. 

48 

GRAHAM THORNTON 

(1950-58) TAKES UP THE 

STORY... 

Close to the historic centre of Nottingham 

where Charles I raised his standard 

to start the Civil War lies Hart’s 

Restaurant. Here 24 Old Scarborians 

gathered for a celebratory lunch for 

the 90th birthday of Mr Gerald 

Hinchliffe. 

Gerald arrived in Scarborough in 

1947 after gaining an English degree at 

Leeds University and three years of 

military service. Geoffrey Winn introduced 

him to the gathering; 

In his eight years at the school Gerald

said he had a great sense of belonging 

and it was easy to throw himself into 

all aspects of school life, the teaching, 

sport, the library and camps. He 

attributed his longevity to school dinners. 

He recalled School Assemblies 

with the school gathered in serried 

ranks in the middle with begowned 

masters around the perimeter watching 

for any sign of pupil dissent until 

Mr Marsden climbed up onto the dais 

as though “he were scaling the Matterhorn.” 

These were the days when boys had 

caps and raised them when they saw 

teachers in the street. Once in 

Peasholm Park, Gerald was hand in 

hand with a young woman when he 

saw a boy who raised his cap. ”Sir, 

was that your girlfriend?” said the boy 

the following day. Gerald looked into 

the distance “No, no. That was my 

grandmother,” he replied. 

Gerald was delighted to see so 

many old friends and was pleased that 

his teaching had helped so many to 

understand more fully the human 

condition. He particularly remembered 

Michael Rines and John Larbalestier 

and his Head Librarian Richard 

Toft who was always dapper. He 

quoted “Julius Caesar” Act 2. “If we 

do meet again, why, we shall smile; If 

not, why then, this parting was well 

made.” 

On behalf of the Association Gerald 

was presented with a colour print of 

Scarborough taken from the Esplanade 

and with flowers for his wife 

Joan. 

49 

He thanked John Crabtree and his 

friends in the Institute of Bankers who 

had recommended Hart’s and David 

Fowler for organising the event. After 

five weeks of poor health Gerald had 

hugely enjoyed himself on this day. 

Finally he said, “Tene Propositum”. 

He sat down to great applause.” 

FROM THE MEMOIRS OF 

T H DAWSON (1915-19) 

(Editor: Peter Dawson (1950-58) has forwarded 

a very lengthy memoir written by 

his late father, which he has typed up and 

edited, of his Father’s childhood and subsequent 

career in Scarborough, including 

his time at the Municipal School – the 

predecessor of SBHS, which represents a 

fascinating and well written social history 

of the time and the family, and of which 

the following, relating to his time at the 

School, is but an extract)- 

In the Summer term of 1915 I sat the 

entrance examination for the Municipal 

School. There were few free places 

then and only the children who really 

wanted a Grammar School education 

took the exam. Five of us from my 

class went along to the Muni. in some 

trepidation. This was made worse 

when we were shown into the lecture 

theatre and saw the two invigilators. 

These were two prefects - Bentley and 

Binns, known as the “terrible twins”. 

This was a misnomer, because later 

we found they were nice chaps. I 

thought I had done quite well with the 

papers, answering all the questions

50 

and doing the sums and writing a good 

composition. When the results came 

out a few weeks later, four of us were 

given application forms to be filled in 

by our parents - but not me! I was 

shattered being so keen to get to the 

Muni. and knowing my parents could 

never afford the fees. I set off home in 

despair wondering how I could break 

the sad news to them. As I passed 

Tonks’ repository at the top of Gladstone 

Lane, one of our teachers, Mr 

Robert King, passed on his bike. He 

saw I was close to tears and stopped to 

enquire why. “I haven’t passed for the 

Muni” I blurted out. “ But you have,” 

he said. I told him about not getting a 

form and he said that mine had been 

mislaid and it would come shortly, and 

the teacher should have explained! It 

was a sick joke on behalf of my teacher, 

as he knew all my desires and circumstances. 

It was a long time before I forgave 

him. After that fortuitous encounter, 

I fairly raced home. 

I began at the Muni. in September 

Why not Advertise in Summer Times? 

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SOWN WITH CORN: 

51 

FARTHINGS PUBLISHING 

FARTHINGS BOOKS 

David Fowler 

Please contact us or visit one of our web sites to obtain one of 

the last copies of the first edition of Frank (Billy) Binder’s Sown 

With Corn at £15 inc. UK delivery. As a new UK edition in hard 

back is to be published by publisher Pen & Sword in the autumn, 

probably followed by US and German editions, the final 

copies of the first edition could become valuable in years to 

come! See page 45 of this issue for details of the re-publication. 

We also intended republishing Binder’s A Journey in England 

but this has been delayed as interest has been shown by 

Penguin Classics. 

PUBLISHING: 

8/1 Avenue Victoria, 

SCARBOROUGH YO11 2QB 

dgfowler@farthings.org.uk 01723 365448 

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prepare your book and provide the first professionally produced 

copy can cost much less than you think. Once you have 

approved your proof copy, future copies can cost as little as £3 

and you can order from only 1 copy upwards. 

Whilst manuscripts to be in digital (computer) format, keep 

costs down, if necessary we can interview you, transcribe your 

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copyright at all times.

1915. We went into form 2A. There being 

a shortage of teachers we did not 

have a Form Master. It was an entirely 

new experience to have a separate 

teacher for each subject. All aspects of 

maths were covered by one teacher as 

were all aspects of English. On our first 

day we were escorted up to the Physics 

lab and fitted with school caps - dark 

blue, then, with the Scarborough coat of 

arms on the front in gold. They came in 

boxes of different sizes. Wearing our 

new caps on the way home, we felt that 

we had really made it. The art room 

with its little stools to each of which was 

attached an upright board for paper, the 

botany lab with its bottles of specimens, 

the physics lab with its machine and the 

chemistry lab with its gas taps fitted on 

the benches for the Bunsen burners and 

the smells were all excitingly new for 

us. 

Mr AS Tetley, MA, the headmaster, 

looked into the classroom occasionally - 

we regarded him with awe. On one 

occasion, he looked through the window 

into our classroom and caught a 

rather unruly lad called Lewis, playing 

about and being inattentive. He came in 

and brought Lewis out to the front of 

the class, taking up a broad blackboard 

ruler. “Bend down Lewis,” he ordered. 

The unwilling Lewis only bent a little. 

“Bend down further, Lewis” and Mr 

Tetley dusted Lewis’ trousers with a 

few sharp strokes. We were highly 

amused but dare not show it, as Lewis, 

red faced returned to his desk. Only the 

head was allowed to cane. Detention 

after school finished was the punishment 

for any misdemeanour, such as 

52 

talking in lessons, copying , unruly conduct 

or failing to hand in homework etc. 

On one occasion in our first term, 

having English with Miss Price, a strict 

disciplinarian, we had all been inattentive 

and the whole class was put in detention. 

We were given the poem 

“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness….” 

to learn. One by one we had to 

go up to Miss Price to recite it and could 

not go home until we had. I always 

had a problem at remembering lines 

and was in a panic because it was the 

day of the big chapel anniversary - the 

great social event of the year, when the 

tables were laden with meats, and all 

kinds of cakes and jellies etc. The class 

members were slowly leaving when I 

went up to recite to Miss Price. But I 

couldn’t do it and went back to my 

place. In the end there were only two of 

us left. By this time Miss Price was 

ready to leave and let us go. I ran to the 

chapel and to my relief, was just in time 

for the second sitting. What a great tea 

that was. 

In the war, soldiers stationed on the 

racecourse and elsewhere attended services 

at our chapel and were invited 

into the homes of some of the congregation. 

There were the Lancashire Fusiliers 

and a Manchester regiment among 

them. Some were very talented artistes 

and they gave a concert at the chapel. 

There was a splendid vocalist who sang 

Tosti’s “How can I live without you, how 

can I let you go…” It was very popular at 

the time. There was a very accomplished 

sergeant on the violin, who was 

popular with us lads. Then there was a 

Jewish elocutionist, who had us rolling

in the aisles with his facial expressions 

as he recited humorous lines. Our 

Chapel boasted a singing group and 

elocutionist (Walter Brining) who went 

around and entertained the troops 

mainly at the YMCA, which was opposite 

Pavilion Square by the side of the 

station. I was now a capable pianist 

and accompanied the singers and the 

audience sitting at tables. The rooms 

were thick with tobacco smoke and 

good humoured conversations between 

the items. We sang the popular songs 

of the war- “Good byeee” and “Roses of 

Picardy” and “There’s a long trail awinding”. 

They were sung with gusto and 

often with emotion. We felt we were 

doing our bit to cheer up the lads who 

were far from home and family. 

My first school report was very satisfactory 

in all subjects - except gym – 

which was only fair. I could perform 

on the ribs and vaulting horse , but 

only get half way up the ropes, because 

of a fear of heights and weak arms. I 

much preferred football and was a goal 

keeper. Sadly we did not play much 

football at school. 

Our teachers were: English - Miss 

JM Price; French - Miss H.M. Morley 

known as “Sally”; History - Miss Price. 

This was my favourite and I got several 

firsts. Maths - Mr. JW Estil; Chemistry 

- Mr WR Grist (“Gribber”); who later 

went to Leeds University; Physics - Mr 

H Halliday (“H.H”); Natural History 

(Botany) - Mr DW Bevan “Botany 

Bill”). He became Head when Tetley 

died after my first year. BB was a dedicated 

botanist and roamed the countryside 

in knee breeches, with a long 

53 

flat tin box for specimens, over his 

shoulder. Geography - Miss Tiffin - a 

young teacher also in charge of the 

prep class. When chiding us for bad 

behaviour would compare us unfavourably 

with her “ Babies”. We were 

not ashamed, I’m afraid. Drawing - 

Miss AH Parkin, a rather cheerless 

lady who set up uninteresting models 

of piles of books, vases, cubes and so 

on, which we were to draw. Ships and 

aeroplanes would have been more in 

our line, even if it did not develop our 

knowledge of art. Woodwork - Mr CA 

Shires- for two terms only then he left 

for war work. After two terms I was 

moved to form 3B, with several others. 

WP Rudsdale (“Snaffy Rudsdale”) was 

our form master and taught English for 

a year until Miss Legge, a very attractive 

young teacher, took over for a 

while. Her fiancé, an army officer, occasionally 

came to the school to meet her. 

We were very sad when she left and 

Mr Rudsdale took over again. 

In form 3A our French master was 

WF Allen, ( Froggy Allen) a Welshman 

whose son, Frank was in our form. 

Sometimes when Frank had not done 

his drawing homework, I quickly did 

it for him. He became a much respected 

doctor in Snainton and died there after 

war service and after returning to 

Snainton some 2-3 years ago. ( I don’t 

know when dad wrote these memoirs. Ed.) 

There was another change- Harry 

Richardson came as maths Master. He 

was young and small of stature and 

was promptly known as “Tich Richardson” 

(Later to be known as “Pike in 

my time. Ed.)

I fear we plagued him because of his 

inexperience. When he was writing on 

the blackboard, we fired paper pellets 

at the board with our rulers. The Headmaster 

quickly put a stop to this threatening 

us with severe punishment. One 

time in the dinner hour when Tich was 

out of the class room, we were supposed 

to be reading at our desks. So I 

drew in coloured chalks on the blackboard, 

a fearsome looking cowboy with 

pistol in each hand, firing away, and a 

scraggy doleful horse behind him. 

Hearing Tich returning, we quickly 

reversed the board to show his sums. 

Later we learned that Tich had turned 

over the board in class expecting a 

clean side and was confronted with my 

artistry. I expected retribution , but 

Tich took it all in good part and it was 

never mentioned. 

Another new teacher was Miss Connie 

Driver who taught us History in 

Form 4. She was a dumpy figure with 

golden hair and quite a character. She 

would stride into class with her gown 

flowing behind her, and ask “Will any 

gentleman clean the black board for me?” It 

was surprising how many of us considered 

ourselves gentlemen as there was 

a big rush to oblige her. Both she and 

Tich retired in due course and remained 

in Scarborough. Occasionally I 

would bump into them in Falsgrave 

and have a chat. They died several 

years ago. 

There were other changes of staff in 

Form 4. Robert King came from Gladstone 

Road Boys School to teach chemistry; 

FH Kemp, whose parents had a 

54 

shop in Falsgrave, came as Woodwork 

Master, and AI Burnley came from 

Friarage School to teach geography. He 

was known as “Ack I. Beer” (Air Force 

jargon) because of his initials. I drew 

maps for him, and particularly remember 

a sepia map of the Panama canal. In 

one lesson he was to show us slides of 

the Pennines. Alec Crosby of the 6th 

Form was recognised as the Schools 

lanternist, but was not asked this time- 

possibly through an oversight, or Mr. 

Burnley did not want to take Alec away 

from his studies. 

After an introduction on the subject, 

the time came for the slides, but the 

lantern ceased to function and all was 

in darkness. There was a hurried checking 

of wires but everything seemed in 

order. Then someone mentioned the 

fuses in “Daddy” Ogles cabin downstairs. 

Daddy was the caretaker. Several 

of us dashed downstairs and opened 

the fuse box, to find that the relevant 

fuse had been cut! Alec, peeved that he 

was not called upon, had taken his revenge! 

But after a short delay, the fuse 

was replaced, and the lantern showed 

the slides to our great enjoyment. 

My particular school friend was Fred 

Kendrew. ( He was dad’s best man Ed.) 

He came to the Muni. from St. Thomas 

Boys School in Longwestgate. His father 

had a grocer’s shop in Castlegate, 

but sold his business, and joined the 

wholesale firm of Lance. The family 

moved up to 9, Ramsey Street, - the 

same house my grandparents had lived 

in. We always went to and from school 

together.

Our friendship lasted until Fred died, 

his wife, Lilian, dying one week before 

he did. He died suddenly where he 

worked in the council offices in Beverley. 

On Friday evenings, he and I went 

along to 92 Candler Street, where his 

aunt lived. Her husband, Bob Oldridge, 

was away in the Royal Flying Corps. 

While she was out at a friend’s, Doreen 

Walker, the lodger, would bath and get 

their baby William to bed. Fred and I 

messed about in the scullery producing 

some kind of innocuous gas which we 

conveyed from one jar through a tube 

to an upturned jar full of water. We 

watched the water slowly being driven 

out of this second jar . I don’t remember 

the chemicals we used, but we 

made quite a mess and got into hot 

water when Fred’s Aunt came home. 

I was keen on playing goalie at football 

and would have loved to play for 

the School, but the matches were on a 

Saturday morning. But that was when I 

had to earn my pocket money by being 

a delivery boy for Duggleby’s butchers. 

At first I was on foot but then graduated 

to a carrier bike. Despite my disappointed 

I never complained to my 

parents. I delivered meat etc to customers 

in the neighbouring streets, to Dean 

Road, Westborough and even up to 

South Cliff. One cold winters morning 

there was ice on the ground. I had a 

basket full of meat, sausages and a dozen 

eggs. I was turning into Prospect 

Road on the bike, when the back wheel 

skidded and the bike collapsed under 

me. The basket rolled out of the carrier 

and all its contents were scattered over 

the road. Of course, the eggs were 

55 

smashed. I was horrified and fearful of 

returning to the shop. 

Once I went with Will Duggleby and 

an older lad, to Cloughton to buy some 

sheep. Will was Aunt Annie’s eldest, 

and he managed the business as her 

husband, Uncle Ernest, had died several 

years earlier. The sheep bought, our 

job was to drive them to Scarborough 

for slaughter. Progress was slow, but 

simple, along the coast road, as the 

sheep stopped to nibble the verges. But 

rounding a bend, we were confronted 

by a flock of sheep being driven towards 

us! Both flocks stampeded and 

mingled totally. As they were not all 

marked it was a devil of a job to separate 

them! Both drivers got their numbers 

right, but not necessarily their 

original sheep. Back at the shop, we 

kept very quiet about the trek. I earned 

the princely sum of one shilling for the 

morning’s work and as a bonus, a half 

pound of sausages from Aunt Annie. 

There were no fridges or freezers in 

those days, so in Summer, on Saturday 

afternoons, we took the unsold meat on 

a hand cart to the icehouse in Swan Hill 

Road, to remain there until Monday 

morning. At the ice house, we and the 

cart, went up in a lift and pushed it into 

the huge frozen chamber, among all the 

hanging carcasses. I was glad to get 

back into the Summer warmth. Also on 

Saturday afternoon I often had to go to 

Newham’s tallow works in Cross 

Street, with fat and bones. There were 

days, too, when I was sent to the 

slaughter houses on Wrea Lane for the 

blood for black puddings, which I carried 

back to the shop in a large bucket!

The pay for a day’s work was two shillings 

(10p). 

One evening in September 1917, a 

lovely late Summer day, Fred called for 

a walk down to the harbour and Foreshore. 

There was always something of 

interest. There could be the crew of a 

torpedoed or mined ship, waiting to be 

cared for at Mrs. Christians; or a convoy 

passing; or a high speed motor 

patrol boat; or the Bluebottle or Red 

Devil, riding in the swell of the harbour 

mouth, being prepared for take 

off. However, we changed our minds, 

and took a walk over what is now, 

Prospect Mount. We went by the cemetery 

wall, over the wooden railway 

bridge, up the path between the allotments 

and sat on the stile , where now 

the road comes up from Woodlands 

Ravine to Barrowcliff. There were no 

houses then – we were in the country. 

There was a clear view of the town in 

the setting sunlight, when there were 

several loud explosions and black 

smoke billowing up from various parts 

of the town. We thought it must be 

another bombardment and hurried 

back home to be with our families. On 

the way home, we came across the Rev 

Edgar Reveley, the minister of Gladstone 

Road chapel and we walked with 

him. The bombardment was over by 

the time we got home. 

There was a rumour that a house on 

Hoxton Road had been hit, so we went 

down to inspect. The house was not 

damaged, but there was a ghastly pool 

of blood on the doorstep. The house 

owner had come to the door, on hear- 

56 

ing the explosions and caught a piece 

of shrapnel in her leg, which, severing 

an artery ( probably the femoral –Ed.) 

the poor woman had bled to death. 

Meanwhile, on the Foreshore, where 

Fred and I would have been, a soldier 

and his girl friend were hit. He died 

and she had to have her leg amputated. 

This shelling had come from a German 

sub. We never knew whether or 

not it was sunk or captured. Overall, 

three people were killed and a number 

injured with considerable damage to 

property. 

TRIVIA 

YORKSHIRE TALES 

A Yorkshire man takes his cat to the 

vet. 

Yorkshireman: "Ayup, lad, I need to 

talk to thee about me cat." 

Vet: "Is it a tom?" 

Yorkshireman: "Nay, I've browt it with 

us." 

.................................... 

A Yorkshireman's dog dies and as it 

was a favourite pet he decides to have 

a gold statue made by a jeweller to 

remember the dog by. 

Yorkshireman: "Can tha mek us a gold 

statue of yon dog?" 

Jeweller: "Do you want it 18 carat?" 

Yorkshireman: "No I want it chewin' a 

bone yer daft bugger!" 

...................................... 

A Yorkshireman's wife dies and the 

widower decides that her headstone 

should have the words "She were 

thine" engraved on it.

He calls the stone mason, who assures 

him that the headstone will be ready a 

few days after the funeral. 

True to his word the stone mason calls 

the widower to say that the headstone 

is ready and would he like to come and 

have a look. 

When the widower gets there he takes 

one look at the stone to see that it's 

been engraved "She were thin". 

He explodes: "'ells bells man, you've 

left the bloody "e" out, you've left the 

bloody "e" out!" 

The stone mason apologises profusely 

and assures the poor widower that it 

will be rectified the following morning. 

Next day comes and the widower returns 

to the stone mason: "There you 

go sir, I've put the "e" on the stone for 

you". 

The widower looks at the stone and 

then reads out aloud: 

"E, she were thin". 

............................. 

Bloke from Barnsley with piles asks 

chemist "Nah then lad, does tha sell 

arse cream?" 

Chemist replies "Aye, Magnum or Cornetto?" 

UNIVERSAL LAWS: 

�� If you play with anything long 

enough, it will break. 

�� If anything can go wrong – it will. 

�� Everything takes longer than it 

should, except Sex. 

�� It works better if you plug it in. 

�� When all else fails, read the instructions. 

57 

�� The easiest way to find something 

you have lost is to buy a replacement. 

�� Anything you buy will be in the 

sale next week. 

SBHS PAYS HOMAGE— 

REMEMBRANCE DAY, 

OLIVERS MOUNT 

One of the largest crowds for years 

attended Olivers Mount on Sunday 

13th November, to take part in the annual 

wreath laying service. 

A thick fog hung over Olivers Mount 

and lent a sombre atmosphere as old 

soldiers joined the younger generations 

for the annual Remembrance day service 

. 

The assembled congregation was 

reminded of the harsh realities of war 

when they were told of the 385th British 

casualty who was killed in the current 

conflict in Afghanistan. 

Scarborough Mayor, Councillor John 

Blackburn, said it was important to 

observe the annual remembrance and 

honour those killed in all conflicts. 

Peter Parkinson, Chairman of the 

Scarborough branch of the British Legion, 

said it was the biggest turnout he 

had seen for years. “it’s good to seethe 

young ones here. I think it’s particularly 

important to keep remembrance 

going—especially with what is going 

on in the world today.” 

Wreaths were laid by Councillor 

Blackburn as well as various branches

58 

of the armed services, military organisations,, the police and fire services, individuals—and 

The Old Scarborians Association, whose wreath was laid by David 

Fowler in memory of the old boys and masters who had given the ultimate sacrifice 

to their country. 

Below: 4th left: David Fowler prepares to lay the OSA wreath. Bottom: The 

OSA wreath. 

Page 59: More photos of the Scarborough Dinner, courtesy Scarborough Evening 

News, (See also pages 36 & 37)

60 

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4 

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