OSAmag81

T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 8 1
I have caught a little more OS News after
receipt last week of the two copies of the
magazine you sent me – many thanks
indeed. We are away from home for a
couple of days but I have completed the
application form and shall scan and send it
when back home and on line.
Regards
Roy Turner 1953-1958
Hi Geraint
4th March 2015
peter.sandell@hotmail.co.uk
Having just read some of the magazine
and the letter 'from your ecclesiatical
correspondent in the North', I remembered
that I came across another Old Boy, C of
E priest: MARTIN JOHN HARRIS,
1966-1973, whom I'm sure you will recall
and no doubt you taught.
He is 'Team Rector' at St. Paul's Harlow
and is also Area Dean for the Harlow
Deanery. I play the organ at St. Peters
Roydon which comes under the Harlow
Deanery, so heard his name and found him
on facebook a couple of years ago, but met
him at a dinner 16 months ago in Harlow
and was sitting on his table, so we had a
chat.
After university he practised as a solicitor
for a number of years but changed direction
to become a priest.
Regards
Peter Sandell 1965-1972
PS. Have a look at Facebook. There's two
sites in particular: Residents of Hornsey
and Residents of Muswell Hill which
often have postings from Old Boys of all
ages. The OSA doesn't have a facebook
site and I think in order to tap into the
'younger' market, maybe we should.
From my ecclisiastical correspondent in the
North – PETER MILLS former pupil at
Reading School.
A copy of a letter that Peter Mills received
from ALAN CLEPS regarding DAVID
OWERS.
Please see Magazine Number 80 page 24,
where Peter Mills meets DAVID OWERS
and his wife EILEEN at Haxey Church and
Peter discovers that David Owers is a former
pupil at Stationers' Company's School.!
Hello Peter,
alancleps@yahoo.co.uk
4th March 2015
My name is Alan Cleps and I was a pupil
at Stationers' from 1946-1951. I remember
DAVID OWERS well. He was a fine
footballer and played for the School
alongside ALAN 'Shorty' JOHNSTONE
1946-1950 with whom I am still in regular
contact. Alan and his wife Rosemary have
lived in Canada for many years and
currently reside in Toronto. I left Stationers'
in July 1951 to take up an apprenticeship
in the printing industry. I remained a
printer all my working life as did 'Shorty'
Johnstone. Alan is also a member of the
OSA. Like yourself my wife and I are very
much involved at our church, St. Faith's
Gaywood, King's Lynn, Norfolk, where I
was churchwarden for ten years. My wife is
currently a Server, Acolyte and Chorister.
She also takes Communion to the local
housebound and runs a drop in centre on a
Thursday morning. I left London 35 years
ago for Norfolk. I turned 80 in August
2014. I have remained active in my
retirement and currently create and print
our church magazine. I also print two
other Parish magazines along with creating
and printing several other publications.
We are fortunate in that our church has a
complete printing set up which enables us
to do the work for outside organisations, so
bringing in much needed funds. I was in
Hodgson House. Please remember me to
Dave when you see him.
Regards
Alan Cleps 1946-1951
Dear Geraint
56 years on!
ATC CAMP 1959
brijwilk@yahoo.co.uk
12th March 2015
In issue number 79, you kindly published
my request for a copy of the photo of the
1959 ATC Camp at RAF Leeming (which
I now live near). GRAHAM ARNOLD
1953-1960 responded as he had a copy of
the said photo. He also reminded me that
we were in the Potters Bar Boys' Brigade
and the church youth club together!
I had been in touch with RAF Leeming to
see if they had a copy of the photograph in
their records but they could not oblige.
However, the Station Warrant Officer got
in touch with me recently to say that if I
would like to have my photograph taken in
front of the Gloster Javelin gate-guard, I
had better visit the station in the near
future as it was about to be dismantled.
Apparently, the MoD will only maintain
such planes as are visible to the general
public whereas the Leeming gate guard is
now a long way from the original gate as
the station has expanded over the years.
The RAF have sold the Javelin to an air
museum.
So I visited the station and the Station
Warrant Officer showed me around the
station including their museum, which
brought back memories of 1959, and I was
able to present them with a copy of the
2049 squadron 1959 photo which is now
in a prominent position in the museum.
One amusing incident was when I was
having my pass issued in the Guardhouse,
the aircraftman on the desk asked if I had
been to RAF Leeming before, so I said
“Yes, 56 years ago!” at which the SWO said
“You won't find him on the computer
system!”
At the end of our tour, we took some
photos of the Javelin including one of me
in front of the plane where I was standing
56 years ago! The eagle-eyed among the
magazine readers will spot that it is not the
same plane as we lined up in front of in
1959 but it is still a Gloster Javelin. The
SWO, who had only recently been
appointed, was obviously immensely proud
of RAF Leeming and when I thanked him
by e-mail, he responded, “You are more
than welcome, it was lovely to talk to you.”
My abiding memoryof that camp was the
bone-shaking journey up the Great North
Road in the back of a lorry (no Health and
Safety in those days!) and the next day we
flew down to Hendon in a transport plane.
We all wondered why we couldn't have
waited a day and travelled up in style. I also
remember long chats with one of the
officers about the possibility of taking up a
short-term commission when I was called
up for National Service. However,the last
quarter of 1940 was the first quarter not to
be called up so it didn't arise and I went
to Exeter to read Law instead. It would be
interesting to hear others memories of that
camp.
Yours nostalgically
Brian Wilkinson 1952-1959
alex.flemming@websmartware.com
7th April 2015
Hi Geraint
The extensive piece in the last issue of The
Old Stationer by Roger Engledow
attracted my attention. The various
scenarios facing the OSA regarding the
future, especially since the inception of
Stationers Crown Woods Academy,
deserve much credit for their wide-ranging
nature. Indeed I can only think that this all
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