OSAmag80

No 80 /February 2015 

The Old Stationer 

Number 80 - February 2015 

Peter Bullen 1927-2014

T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 8 0 

Photographs taken by Richard Farrow during a recent trip to London 

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The Old Stationer 

Number 80 - FEBRUARY 2015 

OLD STATIONERS’ ASSOCIATION 

LIST OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2014/2015 

President 

Roger Melling 

43 Holyrood Road, New Barnet, 

Herts. EN5 1DQ Tel: 020 8449 2283 

E-mail: melling@globalspirit.net 

Vice-President 

Peter A Sandell 

11 Maplecroft Lane, Nazeing, Essex, 

EN9 2NR Tel: 01992 892766 

E-mail: peter.sandell@hotmail.co.uk 

Past President 

David J Sheath Ksg 

12a Bolton Crescent, Windsor, Berks. 

SL4 3JQ Tel: 01753 855021 

E-mail: davidsheath@hotmail.co.uk 

Honorary Secretary 

Tony C Hemmings 

5 The Mount, Cheshunt, 

Herts. EN7 6RF Tel: 01992 638535 

E-mail: hemmingsac@hotmail.com 

Honorary Treasurer 

Michael F Hasler 

8 The Glebe, Weston Turville, Aylesbury, 

Bucks. HP22 5ST Tel: 01296 614352 

E-mail: mikehasler.oldstationers@gmail.com 

Hon. Membership Secretary 

Gordon V Rose 

39 King James’ Avenue, Cuffley, 

Herts. EN6 4LN Tel: 01707 872645 

E-mail: gordon.rose@talk21.com 

Honorary Editor 

Geraint Pritchard 

1 Willow Way, Toddington, Dunstable, 

Beds. LU5 6FD Tel: 01525 872166 

E-mail: geraintpritchard@msn.com 

Web Site Manager 

Michael D Pinfield 

63 Lynton Road, Harrow, Middx. HA2 9NJ 

Tel: 020 8422 4699 

E-mail: oldstationers@gmail.com 

OSA website: www.oldstationers.co.uk 

Honorary Archivist 

David D Turner 

63 Brookmans Avenue, Brookmans Park, 

Herts. AL9 7QG Tel: 01707 656414 

E-mail: d.turner@sky.com 

Ordinary Members 

Andreas H Christou 

22 Woodgrange Avenue, Bush Hill Park, 

Enfield EN1 1EW Tel: 020 8350 4857 

E-mail: andreashchristou@yahoo.com 

Tony Moffat 

1 The Fairway, Bar Hill, Cambs. CB23 8SR 

Tel: 01954 782366 

E-mail: tnymfft@aol.com 

Peter B J Sargent 

East India Lodge, 13 East Ridgeway, Cuffley, 

Herts. EN6 4AW Tel: 01707 873754 

E-mail: petersargent@ellispatents.co.uk 

Tim Westbrook 

7 Goodyers Avenue, Radlett, 

Herts. WD7 8AY Tel: 01923 857440 

E-mail: tim@timwestbrook.co.uk 

Honorary Auditors 

Chris Langford, Roger Engledow 

Clubs & Societies 

Football Club 

Vince Wallace 

23 Lovelace Road, Barnet, Herts. EN4 8EA 

Tel: 020 8361 0145 

Golf Society 

Peter J Bonner 

3a Mount Grace Road, Potters Bar, Herts. 

EN6 1RE Tel: 01707 658016 

E-mail: peter.bonner@ntworld.com 

Apostles Club 

Stuart H Behn 

l67 Hempstead Road, Watford, 

Herts. WD17 3HF Tel: 01923 243546 

E-mail: stuartbehn@hotmail.com 

Luncheon Club 


Details as Website Manager 

E-mail: oldstationers@gmail.com 

SC School Lodge 


Details as Website Manager 

E-mail: secretary7460ugle@gmail.com 

Magazine 

Publishing Adviser 

Tim Westbrook 

Details as above 

Design & Production Manager 

Ian Moore 

Homecroft, Princes Gate, 

Pembrokeshire SA67 8TG 

Tel: 01834 831 272 

Email: ian@outhaus.biz 

Website: www.outhaus.biz 

Printer 

Stephens and George 

Contents 

Regular features 

Editorial/ Dates for the Diary 4 

President's Address 5 

Correspondence 19 

Far as you roam 

Why we spend nearly half the year 

in Lanzarote 35 

Three Peak's report 35 

Norway revisited 40 years on 39 

Special features 

Luncheons 6 

President's Day cricket match 7 

OSFC Annual Veteran's Day 9 

Old footballers never die, they just... 10 

Reunions 

Class of '44/ Class of '51 12 

1952 Cohort 13 

Class of '53 14 

Class of '60/Call for Class of '55 15 

Recollections of the Class of '63 16 

70th Anniversary of Operation 

Market Garden 17 

The Stationers' Crown 

Woods Academy 18 

Old Stationers and all that jazz 27 

What might have been - 

magical memory 27 

Tin pot memories Muswell Hill 

Primary School 28 

First World War memories 29 

Robert E Howard's rarest book 31 

A miracle from the south ... 

the truly deep south ... 31 

The Book Hunter by Dick Phillips 32 

Secondly from Graham Ling's letter 

PSA and prostrate cancer 33 

Food for thought 33 

Walking football initiative 34 

Clubs & Societies 

Golf Society 10 

Lunchtime Comment Club 11 

Varia 

News of former staff 44 

New members 44 

Changes of address 44 

Obituaries 

Peter Bullen 45 

Brian Simpson 46 

Roy Tremlett/Alan Aris 47 

David Watterson/ Denis Hamment 47 

Supplying items for publication 

Text: Please supply as Word or typed documents if 

possible. Images: Supply as original images or hi-res 

(300dpi) digital files in tiff, jpeg or eps format. 

Post or email to the Editor, Geraint Pritchard: 

see Committee page for address details. 

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EDITORIAL 

It is very interesting 

to note that individual 

Year Groups that have 

started a Reunion once 

usually after 50 years 

or 60 years since the 

first year at Stationers' 

Company's School, 

have been holding 

further Reunions regularly. This has been a very 

successful way of introducing new members to 

the Association and also swollen the numbers for 

the Luncheons and particularly for the Christmas 

Lunch. In the Year 2014, the '44 Year had a Reunion 

and have held this for many a year. In addition, the 

1951 starters met again, with 1952 having three get 

togethers, albeit in small groups, as well as the 1954 

starters having a reunion as they have done since 

2004 which means they have held the event for 

over 10 years continually. Also it is good to record 

that the 1953 starters held their first gathering in 

2014. Now there is an intention for 1955 starters 

to hold their first one in 2015, marking sixty years 

since they commenced at Stationers'. That is five 

consecutive years all holding reunions. We are also 

aware that there is at least one other in 2015, which 

is a very successful method of recruitment. Bear in 

mind the last pupil to join SCS was in 1981 which 

makes the youngest Old Stationer the age of 45 

years! Therefore all recruitment is most likely to be 

in the age bracket of 50 to 75 years of age!! So the 

forecast year of 2056 for the existence of the OSA 

is still possible for the few left to continue to meet 

in the second half of this century. 

This is because of the dedication and support, as 

well as the foresight of some very active members 

in the various sections of activities of the Clubs, 

particularly the OSFC and the OSCC together with 

the OSA and its forerunner SOBA, that encouraged 

and fostered membership of the Association itself, 

particularly on retirement of Footballers and 

Cricketers from their Saturday Games. One of the 

main characters together with others on Committee 

at the time was Past President PETER BULLEN 

who was instrumental in change at that critical 

time of introducing the OLD STATIONERS' 

ASSOCIATION and the Clubs, particularly the 

Football Club and the Cricket Club being more 

autonomous from that time. Sadly we record the 

death of PETER in this magazine but on the other 

hand give thanks for his major contribution with 

others to a strategic change in our organisation all 

those years ago! From observation and comment, 

within and particularly outside the Old Stationers' 

Association, is a unique organisation. Listen to all 

those who look in from outside our Association 

and can do nothing but admire our strength and 

fortitude in running an Annual Cricket Match and a 

Football Club, more than 30 years after the School 

was closed. Also an Old Stationers Association of 

500 membership today which is the envy of many 

similar organisations and has the potential to serve 

most Old Stationers for their lifetime and thus the 

life of the Old Stationers' Association. Yes, it is 

truly unique in today's world. Do not forget that 

uniqueness and may it serve and last while Old 

Stationers live on this planet. VERBUM DOMINI 

IN AETERNUM MANET. 

Geraint 

DATES for the DIARY 

AGM & ANNUAL DINNER 

Friday March 27th 2015 

Stationers' Hall, Ave Maria Lane 

LONDON EC4 7DD 

AGM 6.00pm. Annual Dinner 7.00pm. 

LUNCHEON MEETINGS 

Tuesday, 12th May 2015 

Imperial Hotel, Russell Square 

Wednesday, 9th September 2015 

Imperial Hotel, Russell Square 

Wednesday, 2nd December 2015 

Stationers' Hall, Ave Maria Lane 

PRESIDENT'S DAY 

Sunday, 30th August 2015 

43rd Annual Cricket Match 

Botany Bay, East Lodge Lane, Enfield, EN2 8AS 

Lunch 12.30pm; Match 2.00pm. 

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PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS 

I concluded my Presidential address 

in last July's Old Stationer with the 

comment that 'there is now the 

possibility of a new Stationers' 

School rising like the proverbial 

Phoenix from the ashes'. Well, on 

8th October 2014, 26 Old Stationers 

attended the official opening of the 

Stationers' Crown Woods Academy. 

We were impressed by both the 

pupils and the amazing facilities 

that the school is able to provide. A 

truly worthy successor to the school 

we grew to love and value so much. 

The Old Stationers concluded the 

opening ceremonies with an 

impromptu rendition of the school 

song. There was some concern as to 

how this would be received but both pupils and those 

invited to attend the opening ceremony were very 

appreciative of our efforts. 

Your Committee is giving careful consideration as to how 

the OSA can best provide support to the new school. This 

is not a time for knee jerk reactions but measured 

consideration of the possibilities. Elsewhere in this edition 

are two pieces about the new school. One raises the 

possibility of the need to change our constitution in order 

to admit 'old' pupils from the new school. Your Committee 

does not have such a proposal at the present time and, if at 

any time there is one, there would be extensive consultation 

before this is given formal consideration. It is considered 

far more likely that the OSA would choose to use its 

experience and expertise to assist the school in setting up 

its own Old Pupils Association. It is important to reflect 

that the present first formers [year 7 in current terminology] 

will conclude their secondary education under the 

'Stationers banner' in several years time. 

They will have different aims and aspirations for an Old 

Pupils Association than those of us who went to a school 

that will have been closed then for nearly 40 years. The 

Committee will shortly be having discussions with key 

members of the Company who have been actively involved 

in establishing relationships with the school. We hope these 

discussions will clarify how we will best be able to support 

the school. We will want to raise the possibility of the 

school adopting our house names and our donating the old 

school cups that have been gathering dust for many years. 

The new school will require financial support and I hope 

that we can help here. With this in mind you should by 

now have received a brochure giving you more detail about 

the school and inviting you to make a contribution to the 

Company's support fund. 

It is now only two months to the end of my presidential 

year, so as always time flies. I never expected to be President 

but it has been both enjoyable and a huge privilege. I am so 

grateful for all the support so many 

of you have given me and the 

opportunity to attend several 

pleasant and interesting events. 

This included my first invitation 

which was to attend the Football 

Club Annual Dinner; this club 

continues to be at the heart of the 

Association even if, these days, 

there are few Old Stationers fit 

enough to play. This was a very 

enjoyable evening with a wonderful 

after dinner speaker. The Apostles 

Club also was kind enough to invite 

me to their lunch in October and 

we met in the wonderful 

surroundings of the library in the 

Chesterfield Hotel and enjoyed 

much discussion. Then, again in October, I was invited to 

join the Master and Wardens for lunch at the Hall. We 

were able to reflect on the opening of the new school and 

the Master and Wardens were very interested to hear about 

the support the OSA could provide for it. 

It was good to see so many of you on President's Day. We 

were blessed with good weather and it was an enjoyable 

cricket match. It's called President's Day but it should 

really be called the Gordon Rose Day! He works very hard 

to ensure that we have a great lunch and a good day's 

cricket. Thank you Gordon for all you do for the OSA. My 

thanks also go to Geoff Blackmore for organising the 

President's Team-something well beyond my capabilities! 

The luncheons held at the Imperial Hotel are other 

occasions when Old Stationers can renew friendships and 

generally catch up. The Master of the Company, lan Locks, 

was our guest at the September Luncheon when he spoke 

about the Company's involvement with the new school. 

Michael Murphy, the Principal of the school, also attended 

and spoke very interestingly about the school's history. The 

Christmas Luncheon at the Hall was particularly well 

attended with over 100 present. We are all very grateful to 

Alan Green for organising these lunches so superbly over 

many years. Quite understandably he has decided it is time 

to hang up his 'Knife and Fork' but we hope he will 

continue to join us at these meals. Mike Pinfield has agreed 

to take over from Alan; so the lunches will continue. If you 

have not done so please come and join us. You will be very 

well received. Any Old Stationer is welcome even if he is 

not a member of the OSA. 

Sadly it has been my privilege to represent the OSA at the 

funerals of Old Stationers. In July I attended Peter Bullen's 

funeral. I did not know Peter but I have been told that he 

was instrumental in creating the Old Stationers Association 

as we know it today. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude. 

This magazine includes a full obituary. I also attended 

Brian Simpson's funeral which was particularly poignant 

5


as Brian was in my year. He will be well known to those of 

you who attend the Annual Dinner since for many years he 

was a very efficient Toastmaster. 

It is very pleasing to hear of increasing numbers of year 

reunions which have resulted in new applications for 

membership. The Committee is always looking for new 

ways to communicate with the membership and it would 

be good if we were able to assemble a list of year group 

convenors. Some of you are known to the Committee but 

if you, or you with others, perform this role for your year 

group, would you please let Tony Hemmings, our Secretary, 

know. It would give us another channel of communication. 

Previous Presidents have reported the dedication and 

commitment of our committee members, particularly our 

key office holders. After consultation with the two 

immediate past Presidents and the incoming President we 

are proposing to introduce an award for 'Outstanding 

Service to the OSA'. This would be regarded as a special 

award that would only be for exceptional service and 

therefore not necessarily granted every year. The award 

would be made at the Annual Dinner. 

Thank you all for your hospitality over the last year. It has 

been great to meet so many of our members. Please forgive 

me if I don't remember your name next time we meet-a 

function of age!! 

Best wishes to you all. 

Roger Melling 

Class of (circa) '47 

Class of ‘62 

Behn, Stuart 

Bell, Chris 

Bensley, Stephen 

Bewick, Don 

Bodley, Tony 

Chew, Ray 

Copus, George 

Dent, Geoff 

Eccles, Reg 

Engledow, Peter 

Engledow, Roger 

Forrow, Andrew 

Green, Alan 

Hasler, Mike 

Hawkins, Peter 

Amold, Graham 

Baldwin, John 

Behn, Stuart 

Bell, Chris 

Bensley, Stephen 

Bewick, Don 

Blackmore, Geoff 

Bodley, Tony 

Bone, Dan 

Bonner, Peter 

Bothwick, Peter 

Brady, Michael 

Broadbent, 

Adrian 

Cave, Richard 

Chew, Ray 

Clarke, Nigel 

Cleak, Steve 

Clydesdale, Peter 

Copus, George 

Davies, Reg 

Deane, David 

Dent, Geoff 

Eccles, Reg 

Engledow, Peter 

Engledow, Roger 

Evans, Michael 

Fiddy, John 

Forrow, Andrew 

Forty, Richard 

Fry, Bob 

Gallagher, Liam 

Geering, John 

Geering, Phillip 

September Lunch 

Attendees 

Hemmings, Tony 

Jaggers, Terry 

Lane, Leslie 

Lincoln, David 

Linford, Alec 

Melling, Roger 

Moffat, Tony 

Mote, Michael 

Mullender, Keith 

Murphy, Michael 

Partridge, John 

Perry, Harold 

Pinfield, Mike 

Redman, Peter 

Rose, Gordon 

CHRISTMAS Lunch 

Attendees 

Gilligan, David 

Gray, John 

Green, Alan 

Harris, Bob 

Hasler, Mike 

Hayward,Ian 

Hemmings, Tony 

Hersey, Dick 

Hobbs, Graham 

Hudson, David 

Humphreys, Brian 

Hunt, Alan 

Jaggers, Terry 

Jarvis, Peter 

Jeffreys, Alun 

Jones,Ian 

Lambert, John 

Lane, Leslie 

Lawrence, Martin 

Lincoln, David 

Mash, Tony 

Melling, Roger 

Metcalf, David 

Meyrick, Ian 

Miles, John 

Mitchell, Derek 

Moffat, Tony 

Mote, Michael 

Mullender, Keith 

Mulley, Jim 

Partridge, John 

Phillippo, Richard 

Pinfield, Mike 

Powell, Tony 

Saunders, Michael 

Sheath, David 

Simmons, Roy 

Tapping, Geoff 

Taylor, Tony 

Turner, David 

Wandrag, 

Malcolm 

Watcham, Peter 

West, Mike 

Wilkins, Chris 

& The Master 

and Clerk 

Prazsky, Peter 

Presland, Steve 

Pritchard, Geraint 

Rawlings, 

Graham 

Redman, Peter 

Rose, Gordon 

Sandell, Peter 

Saunders, Michael 

Shaw, David 

Sheath, David 

Simmons, Roy 

Soames, Barry 

Spinks, Harry 

Steff, Rick 

Taylor, Tony 

Thompson, Ross 

Townsend, Jim 

Turkington, Roger 

Turner, David 

Wade, Nigel 

Wandrag, 

Malcolm 

Ward, Stan 

Watcham, Peter 

Welch, John 

Westbrook, Tim 

Wheeler, John 

White, Terry 

Wilkins, Chris 

Wilkinson, Brian 

Williams, Colin 

Wilson, Richard 

Winter, Peter 

6


Football heroes of yesteryear and David Turner! 

President's day cricket match 

Sunday 24th August 2014 - Botany Bay CC 

And Then There Were Five 

Epping CC (139 all out) beat Roger Melling's OSA President's 

XI (84 all out) by 55 runs With five of the successful side of 2013 

'unavailable' - James Mote and Andy Douglas were on an 

'Anniversary Weekend', Martin and Oliver Slatford were on 

holiday, and John Jackson was at a wedding - a much changed 

side was initially selected to represent Roger Melling's OSA 

President's XI However, when Gary Page (who played in 2012) 

and Ilyas Malick (who was Man of the Match in 2013) 'cried off 

having had operations earlier in August, the squad was starting 

to be 'stretched to the limit'. 

Then, when Gordon Rose advised that JJ, who had match 

managed the Botany Bay side for the last three years, would be 

away for this year's game, the alarm bells started ringing, and 

they got louder when the match manager was asked, in the week 

before the game, whether the OSA had anyone who could play 

for the opposition!! Subsequently, the (almost) inevitable 

happened and three days before the game Botany Bay conceded 

that they were unable to raise a team. 

However, Botany Bay officials, in consultation with Gordon 

Rose, approached the Club Cricket Conference, to find alternative 

opponents, and Epping CCs Sunday XI were identified 

and selected. Despite the Match Manager's reservations, Epping 

turned out to be ideal opponents, who respected the day, the 

game, and the spirit of cricket!! After yet another excellent lunch, 

hosted by our President, Roger Melling, and masterminded by 

Gordon Rose, it was agreed to play a 'declaration' game, and on 

winning the toss, the Epping CC skipper decided to bat - after 

being prompted!! 

Our new ball attack was Tim Westbrook (who last took a wicket 

in 2011) and debutante Neil Jervis - who last played cricket in the 

1990s!! As we had been told Epping had two Saturday First XI 

players, when their opening bat, Dan Sly raced to 19 in the first 

three overs. it became obvious that he was one of the two - and that 

was confirmed later. However, Tim Westbrook made the initial 

breakthrough removing the other opener, courtesy of a gulley catch 

by Tony Pigden - although the look on Tony's face, when he held 

it, gave us a clue that he was as shocked as the rest of us!! 

Despite that, the 'turning point' in the Epping innings came 

three overs later, when Neil Jervis (1-35) persuaded the ball to 

keep a little low and bowled Dan Sly - which (probably) stopped 

us having to chase in excess of 200. Whilst neither Epping's 

numbers three or four looked as 'cultured' as their opener, their 

third wicket partnership of 38 started to take the game away 

from us, and was only broken when the hard-hitting Sam Rashid 

(the second of their first teamers) was well caught by Ross 

Blackmore, at deepish' mid-off, off the bowling of Tim 

Westbrook, who ended up with 2 for 33. Five balls later, the 

batsmen sensed the opportunity of a second leg bye as neither 

Terry White (from slip) nor Tim Westbrook (from fine-leg) 

looked to be able to stop it, but an excellent chase and throw by 

Terry resulted in Richard Slatford demolishing the stumps and 

Epping were 71 for 4. 

7


Tony Pigden 3 milliseconds from completing his innings! 

Whilst our double bowling change - introducing Robin Baker 

and Jack Cox - did not pay immediate dividends in term of 

wickets, they conceded just seventeen runs in their first eight 

overs, to slow the Epping score rate. Then, yet again, we took two 

wickets within five balls - one caught by Jack off Robin, the 

second bowled by Jack - and Epping were 116 for 6. 

After a couple of 'lusty blows' by the Epping number eight, Sam 

Easton, we wrapped up the innings in the space of fifteen balls, 

as Epping collapsed from 134 for 6 to 139 all out. Both Jack 

(2-31) and Robin (4-32) bowled superbly and Tony Pigden took 

his second gulley catch to take the tenth wicket - although this 

time he looked very comfortable and not at all shocked!! 

After the obligatory teatime team photo, during which a number 

of 'offers' to open the batting were declined, Geoff Blackmore 

and Tony Pigden opened the OSA President's XI innings. 

Whilst Geoff played their opening bowler with a straight bat, 

Tony was bowled in the third over, having commented that "... 

he chucks it...". After the game cricketing 'aficionados' Steve 

Young and Tony Hemmings confirmed Tony's suspicions, but 

how neither umpire even considered it a possibility, remains 

unknown!! 

Despite not seeing the 'suspect' action, Geoff can now only 

conclude that it accounts for the reason he managed not to see 

three full-tosses - the last of which hit him in the ribs as he 

advanced down the pitch towards the bowler!! This prompted 

Geoff's bat to be thrown and telling the opposing keeper, that 

whilst the keeper thought it was accidental, given the control the 

bowler had shown in the previous five or six overs, had Geoff 

been umpiring in a League game, he would have removed the 

bowler from the attack immediately, as he deemed it to be 

deliberate. 

Even though they were encouraged by the captain to remain 

with him at the crease until the commencement of the last hour, 

both Terry White (5) and Richard Slatford (4) were adjudged 

lbw, and when Ben Cox was bowled first ball, the OSA 

President's XI were 'in a hole' at 30 for 4. Whilst Jack Cox (7) 

looked comfortable for five or six overs, when he and Ross 

Blackmore (6) were bowled in the same over, we started the last 

hour at 56 for 6, with Sam Rashid, their First XI bowler, having 

taken five of the six wickets in an unchanged spell. 

Despite the OSA President's XI still needing eighty-four runs 

off the last twenty overs - with just four wickets in hand - 

Epping CC were in no mood to loosen their grip on the game 

with further bowling changes, until Geoff Blackmore dragged 

the ball on to his stumps - off the aforementioned Rashid - for 

Roger Melling’s Old Stationers’ President’s XI for the 42nd Fixture 

Back Row (L>R): Dick Hersey (Umpire), Ben Cox, Neil Jervis, Ross Blackmore, Jack Cox, Richard Slatford, Bob Cole (Umpire). 

Front Row (L>R): Tony Pigden, Robin Baker, Don Bewick, Roger Melling (President), Geoff Blackmore (Captain), Tim Westbrook, Terry White. 

8


the side's top score of 16. However, if Geoff thought he could 

now go and put his feet up - having been on the pitch for over 

four and a half hours - he was mistaken, as he was then required 

to 'run' for Robin Baker, who had played (and bowled) despite 

back problems. 

Both Neil Jervis and Robin looked relatively comfortable, but the 

inevitable happened, as following a 'mix-up' with the runner, all 

three batsmen ended up at one end, and Neil was run-out for 5. 

There were no such dramas with no. 10 Tim Westbrook, but 

soon after Robin was caught at mid-off for our second top score 

of 9, and the 'last rites' were not far away. Whilst Don Bewick 

looked secure, Tim Westbrook showed us glimpses of his 1970s 

batting prowess with two wonderful on drives for four, but when 

he repeated the shot aerially, he was also caught at mid-on, and 

the game had been lost by 55 runs. 

For once, the weather hadn't interfered with the game, and 

whilst Epping CC (our fifth opponents for this fixture following 

Old Stationers' CC, Old Stationers' & Sahibs CC, Botany Bay 

CC and Old Elizabethans CC) were too strong for our depleted 

eleven on the day, they played their part perfectly - unlike Old 

Elizabethans in 2009 and 2010!! However it is crucial to the 

longevity of the fixture that Botany Bay CC (or one or two of 

their senior members) 'grasp the nettle' and arrange an Invitation 

XI well in advance of the game, and not rely upon getting a side 

out in the week before!! 

Let's hope our younger and 'regular' cricketers are available in 

2015, so we can look forward to competing again - especially as 

one of 'my class of 1965' is likely to be next year's President. 

Geoff Blackmore 

OSFC ANNUAL VETERAN'S DAY REUNION 

The Old Stationers' Football Club Reunion took place on 

Saturday 11 th October 2014 at the Queen Elizabeth Ground in 

Barnet. Among those seen at this Annual Event were Pas 

Acierno; Keith Allen; Peter Bennett; Don Bewick; Geoff 

Blackmore; Terry Butler; Nigel Clarke; Dave Cox; Dave Deane: 

Bruce Donaldson; Pat Dunphy; Dave Edwards; Rudi Ellis; 

Dave Gilligan: Mike Hasler: Tony Hemmings; Dick Hersey: Ray 

Houldsworth; Marsden Hubbard; John Jackson; Peter Jarvis; 

Alun Jeffreys; George Jones; Grant Mathias; Ian Meyrick; Mike 

Mote; Geraint Pritchard; Gordon Rose; Mark Tansley; Jacque 

Toumany; Vince Wallace; Tim Westbrook; Chris Wilkins. 

On a glorious afternoon 33 of the former players turned up to see 

teams turning out in the familiar OSFC strip that was worn all 

over London from as far away as Bromley (Old Bromleians) and 

West Wickham and Carshalton in the South of the Capital to 

Kew, Lensbury and Bank of England in the West, Easthamians 

in the East and local to Underhill, East Barnet, Winchmore Hill, 

Norsemen and Crouch End Vampires in the North not to forget 

all the other regular fixtures with teams in between these points. 

It is a sad day to remind ourselves that very few actual former 

pupils playing has dwindled to one or two these days as anno 

domini has taken over. Few of us 

ever reached a playing age of 60 

years like Jim Townsend and 

many did not play till 50 years. If 

the youngest pupil at Stationers' 

was 11 years old in 1981, the last 

year of entry to the first form, 

then by a simple calculation in 

2014, no Old Stationer, who was 

a former pupil, would be younger 

than 44 years of age. A number of 

Old Stationers' have played in 

excess of their 44 years, Mark 

Tansley and Liam Gallagher to 

name two. I now await all those 

who reached this milestone to 

notify the Editor so that a 

comprehensive list can be 

collected for a future article in 

this publication. 

Saturday 11th October 2014 - Queen Elizabeth Ground, Barnet 

My thanks to Gordon for collecting the names of those attending 

today and thanks to PAT DUNPHY for arranging the refreshments 

as usual for the Veterans. 

GP 

A free kick awarded on the 6 yard line looks promising but sails over. 

The crowd give a muted response to this set back 

9


OLD FOOTBallers never die, 

They just... 

Last November, Tony Hemmings was presented with the 

Amateur Football Alliance's Long Service Award for 30 years 

service as a referee, thus emulating Brian Humphreys, another 

Old Stationer to have received this award. 

Having kept goal for OSFC since leaving school, Tony retired in 

1981 but soon suffered withdrawal symptoms and joined the 

squad of 'Club Referees' (Dick Hersey, Keith AlIen, Harry 

Wright, Bill Goodacre, Gordon Rose et al) officiating the lower 

XIs' home matches. In those days, the Club ran nine teams in 

the Southern Amateur League and because the League were 

rarely able to appoint referees below the 5th XI, the Club relied 

on this squad to cover their remaining home games. After a 

while, he decided that managing 22 players as a referee was no 

more taxing than facing 11 opponents as a goalkeeper so he took 

the referee's course and examination and, once qualified, was 

placed on the AFA's referees' register for regular appointments 

in their competitions and representative matches. Gradually, 

promotions ensued and, in 1990, he became a Class 1 referee. 

From that point onwards, opportunities came along to officiate 

in higher levels of football and to join the panels of Tottenham 

Hotspur, Arsenal and QPR to referee their Youth Academy 

matches, as well as the occasional 'plum' invitation, such as 

refereeing at both the old and new Wembley Stadiums, 

tournaments in 10 other European countries and one in Brazil, 

lining to Premiership referees in pre-season friendlies and even 

in one testimonial game. Tony continues to remain active, 

expecting to do more than 60 games this season, and is looking 

forward to a tournament in Spain in May. 

A number of OS footballers have gone on to take up the whistle 

and Tony is joined in the current crop by former 1st XI players, 

Grant Mathias, Pasquale Acierno and Geoff Blackmore, who 

officiate in the Ryman and Spartan South Midlands Leagues in 

addition to AFA competitions. 

Old Stationers' Golf Society 

2014 SEASON’S REPORT 

Our season started in April with the Pairs Competition. Not 

having played previously at Hendon we were pleasantly surprised 

by the course despite being it being muddy. The scoring was very 

respectable with a remarkable six pairs having identical scores. 

After a hiccup, caused by creative completion of scorecards, two 

of our associate members, Terry Jackson and Charles Wallis, were 

declared winners, shading our Geoff Blackmore and Steve 

Presland. 

In May we had our now annual match against Old Tollingtonians 

at Aldwickbury G.C. We managed to beat them for the first time 

in four attempts. The scores for OS counted towards the 

Champion Golfer’s Shield, first donated in 1923 by the OSFC. 

Colin Walker scored an exceptional 40 points to take an early 

lead. 

The June event was our match against The Stationers Company 

at Theydon Bois G.C.. We lost in 2013 and planned to recapture 

the handsome cup (the former Hickledon Cup) this year. 

However, two excellent rounds by the Company, one by a former 

master, sealed our fate and the company ran out convincing 

winners. The course was excellent, and it is suggested that we 

re-visit it in 2015. 

In July we played Bruce Kitchener’s course – The Bedfordshire. 

The reception and the course were excellent and we played the 

second round of the Champion Golfer’s Shield. Geoff Blackmore 

scored well and took over the lead in this season-long competition. 

The away trip in August was at the Weald of Kent, just south of 

Maidstone. Whilst offering exceptional value, the accommodation 

and catering were very average. The course was very tricky and 

not a little frustrating due to ditches on many of the holes 

running across the fairways at between 150 and 180 yards – just 

sufficient to gobble up the shots of our average golfers! 

In September we played the final shield event at Aspley Guise 

– one of our favourite courses. Despite having no showers in 

operation and playing on recently dressed greens, it was a fine 

day in both senses of the word. Sadly Colin Walker, the leading 

contender to Geoff Blackmore, could not wrest the lead from 

him and Geoff ran out the winner of the Champion Golfer’s 

Shield. The individual winner of the day was your Secretary, just 

Tony Hemmings receives his 30 years Referees Long Service Award 

Team Blackmore starring Steve Presland and Ian Meyrick 

10


DATE 

TIME 

(1 st tee) 

LOCATION EVENT COST 

7 th April a.m. Redbourn GC Pairs £38 

12 th May p.m. Crews Hill GC Match v Old 

Tollingtonians + 

1 st Shield Event 

22 nd June p.m. Brickenden Grange GC 2 nd Shield Event £49.15 

13 th July a.m. Essendon 

( Old Course) 

shading out Tim Westbrook 

on countback (32 points). 

In late October we again 

competed in the three man 

team event at Brookmans 

£51.75 Park. The trophy – donated 

by Old Owens – was won by 

Geoff Blackmore’s team, 

which included Ian Meyrick 

and Steve Presland. They just 

pipped Tim Westbrook’s 

£51 team of Colin Walker and 

Paul Batter (guest), despite 

both teams scoring 79 points 

– a clear 10 points ahead of 

the third team (Alan Nowell). 

Tim, however, won the 

individual prize with a 

magnificent 38 points – 

playing off a handicap of 10. 

In view of the consistently 

high scoring of Geoff, Steve 

and Ian, they will have substantial cuts to their handicaps in 2015. 

Match v Stationers 

Co. 

16/17 th August p.m./a.m. Thorpeness GC Away trip £74 

(shared room) 

3 rd September a.m. Broke Hill GC Final Shield Event £49 

28 th September a.m. Theydon Bois GC Guest pairs £47 

27 th October a.m. Mill Green GC Team (3) event £37 

Geoff receiving the toilet seat golf trophy 

In summary, this was a successful season with several new 

members joining the Society, some of whom are associates and 

some Old Boys. We number around 25 with typically 15-20 

players competing in each event. 

The weather was less kind to us than in previous years, but was 

broadly good. We are now planning the programme for 2015 and 

have already fixed two events. First is the match against The 

Stationers Company will take place at Essendon (their choice!) 

in July 2015 and the away week-end will be 16/17 th August 

(Sunday/Monday) at Thorpeness GC. 

Peter Bonner 

Secretary OSGS 

Lunchtime Comment Club 2014 

The Lunchtime Comment Club (founded in 1919) had as 

their Guest Speaker in October 2014 the Right Reverend Dr 

Stephen Platten (pictured right) who joined Stationers' in 

1957. 

Stephen was ordained in 1976, spent several years at 

Lambeth Palace, became the Dean of Norwich and then 

enshrined as Lord Bishop of Wakefield. A member of the 

House of Lords, Chairman of the Anglican Society of 

Rome, two sons both ordained and his wife Rosslie cares for 

children with special needs. The post as Bishop of Wakefield 

was dissolved in Spring of this year, due they say to boundary 

changes, and Stephen, now sort of retired, is Honorary 

Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of London and Rector to St 

Michaels in Cornhill. He now lives in London but keeps his 

main house in Berwick upon Tweed. 

We, at the Lunchtime Comment Club, much enjoyed his 

presence and he spoke mainly about his years at Lambeth 

Palace. He also said "I lost my school, lost my job and lost 

the wonders of being full time in Northumberland": Let's 

hope he has time to come to some OSA functions. 

For those who may be 

interested, the Lunchtime 

Comment Club has been in 

existence since 1919, meets 

three or four times a year 

and our home for the past 

fifteen years has been the 

RAF Club in Piccadilly. 

Recent Speakers include 

Frederick Forsythe, Michael 

Howard, Gerald Ratner, 

George Davies, Kate Adie, 

Norman Lamont, etc. Please 

look at our website www. 

lunchtimecomment.com. 

So far fifteen Old 

Stationers' attend on a 

regular basis so please join 

the throng. 

Alan Green 

11


REUNIONS 

Class of '44 

16th July 2014 - Piccadilly, London 

On a very sunny summer day 12 Old Stationers arrived at the 

RAF Club (courtesy of John Miles - member) in Piccadilly for a 

lunch to celebrate some 70 years since the group of eleven year 

olds waited on the top terrace in the company of the school 

captain to begin a new life as pupils in the first form at Stationers'. 

The previous night there had been an air raid by 'VI doodlebugs', 

so that the lack of sleep combined with excitement and some fear 

of the unknown meant we were somewhat subdued. These 

memories though did not disturb us as a pre lunch drinks were 

imbibed. We were sad to hear that Mike Butterfield, Ray Mansfield 

and Gordon Rose were unable to attend as they were unwell. All 

present sent their very best wishes for a speedy recovery to them. 

If anyone knows the whereabouts of Alan Aris of our year lately 

living in Crouch End, please contact me. 

A delicious lunch proceeded and copious glasses of wine flowed 

together with reminiscences and days and events gone by. 

John Miles designed and had printed a celebration menu as below, 

complete with the school emblem. 

Another lunch has been booked for Wednesday the 15th July 

2015. The photograph shows standing Stanley Ward, Brian Kill, 

Ernie Stone, Brian Cranwell, David Mariano, Alan Powell, Arthur 

Field, John Miles and John Sparrow - seated - John Sheen, Bill 

Croydon and Tony Tight. 

Tony Tight 

class of '51 

14th October 2014 - Cheshire Cheese, London 

The 1951 intake enjoyed yet another Reunion, at the Cheshire 

Cheese, Little Essex Street, off Fleet Street/The Strand. Those 

present were: 

L to R (see photograph): Anthony Cirsch (out of shot), Dave 

Cowling, Richard Wilson, Dick Hersey, John Partridge, David 

Turner, Don Bewick, Alan Marshall, Ian Moore & Alan Canham 

With our number somewhat reduced, we did not have the first 

floor of the pub all to ourselves, the other long table being taken 

by a group of ladies from “down under”. But it was an amicable 

arrangement, introductions were made, and the ladies only just 

escaped our rendition (if that’s the right word!) - of the school 

song - as they were the first to leave. A good time was had by all 

– with some of us, reverting to the downstairs bar, delaying our 

departure until around 4.30. 

As regards absentees: 

Steve Ling had hoped to attend but was unable to as suffering 

from a kidney complaint, awaiting dialysis; Dave Rowland was 

still in recovery from having operations on both knees and Bob 

Howis, from Switzerland, who came to our initial Reunion, was 

in recovery from his recent hip replacement operation. 

Of the others, Michael Brady was making the most of his new 

boat in Malta; John Taylor away in Australia; both David Coville 

and Les Reardon were in Spain most of October (although not to 

each other's knowledge!) and Bill Scherer in Jersey; Roy King was 

Class of '44 – Standing l to r: Stanley Ward, Brian Kill, Ernie Stone, Brian Cranwell, David Mariano, Alan Powell, Arthur Field, John Miles and John Sparrow 

seated - John Sheen, Bill Croydon and Tony Tight 

12


Class of '51 – L to R: Dave Cowling, Richard Wilson, Dick Hersey, John Partridge, David Turner, Don Bewick, Alan Marshall, Ian Moore & Alan Canham 

in Amsterdam giving a paper on the Dutch supermax prison - 

and catching up on the remodelled Rijksmuseum - and Keith 

Woodley – recently honoured with an OBE, for services to Bath 

University, was in York, due to family commitments. 

Other apologies were received from: 

Michael Davis (from Adelaide), Roger Croughton, Mike Bonner, 

Dave Hall, Bill Houldsworth, Brian Whitehouse, Peter Lloyd, Ray 

Stavrou, Terry Weatherley, David Davies and Michael Facey. 

Nigel Wade very much regretted he was unable to attend because: 

“....Rita and I are attending the 120th anniversary celebrations of the 

Women Writers and Journalists Society. This consists of a service at St 

Brides off Fleet Street at 11.30 am. However, the Stationers 

connection will not be forgotten, because we shall be joining the 

WWJS membersand their guests for luncheon at Stationers Hall at 

1.00 pm. We shall raise a glass to toast the Class of '51 and sincerely 

wish that you all have a jolly good time.” 

Don Bewick 

Dear Geraint, 

1952 Cohort 

canondavidfinch@btintemet.com 

9th January 2015 

I append below a report of the meetings of the 1952 cohort held 

during 2014. I have been encouraged to arrange further meetings 

during 2015. We have lost one member, John Harris, and one has 

"disappeared", George Malynicz. I have been given the email 

address of Keith Buckley but he has never responded. For the rest 

of us, it seems an email circulated among us gains responses from 

across the globe! 

My report: 

Fellow Old Stationers (1952 etc), I am writing to report the 

meetings of this past year, 2014. 

Monday, 21st July, six of us met in the Premier Inn Restaurant, 

York Way, Kings Cross. The date was to coincide with a visit to 

the UK by Les Humphries, that veteran cyclist who even today 

can be found pedalling on either side of the Atlantic. Les is now 

a Canadian and lives in a rural area west of Ottawa. He retains a 

rich sense of humour. Present were myself, Les Humphries, 

Richard Osborne, Michael Shaw, Michael Smithwick and Roger 

Woollett. Photo attached. 

I had not seen Roger since 1959 and here we were sharing a 

lunch table 55 years later. Saturday 4th October again, six of us 

met for lunch at Kings Cross. Myself and Cidge Cole, David 

Jowitt, David Maclean,Terry Pearson, John (Bill) Williams. Two 

of our party were in London briefly, David Maclean who I had 

not seen since 1959 - was in the UK on a brief visit from 

Australia - I had forgotten his gift of mimicry and we had a great 

deal of laughter - and David Jowitt who was also visiting the UK 

briefly from his home in Northern Nigeria where he is the 

Professor of English and a serious author on Catholic matters. 

A feature of these lunches is the way the years fall away and we 

are able again to enjoy the friendships of our school days and to 

learn the way the years have or have not treated us. Tuesday, 9th 

December. I met with Les Humphries in Kingston, Ontario. 

Visiting my granddaughter, Ellie, in Toronto where she is 

studying for one term as a part of her BSc course at Keele 

University, Les and I had lunch together. Joining us was Arthur 

Morewood from the 1955 Stationers intake. He was acting as 

Chauffeur to Les. It was a good lunch - so good that I missed my 

13


Class of '53 reunion – Back row: 'Ginner' Johns, Tony Richards, Ben Batchelor, ?, MacPherson, Russell, ?, Smith, Rich Tyley, Geoff Tapping, Mike Hasler. 

Middle row: Richard Muir, Graham Arnold, ?, Hayman, Pierre Essaye, Peter Redman 

Front row: Alan Green, Tony Taylor, Wyn Griffiths, Dave Cox, David Metcalf 

train back to Toronto by some 50 minutes! It was not the alcohol, 

but the stories which kept us oblivious of the time. 

As a warning to other travellers, deep snow struck 24 hours later. 

I was fortunate to get home to the UK on time. 

On a sad note, John Harris died at the end of January and his 

funeral was at the Ruislip Crematorium, Ruislip, West London. 

So, to those I have met this year, thank you for making the 

journey and for collaborating in making the meetings. I have 

been asked to arrange a meeting in 2015 and will gladly do so. I 

seem to have lost touch with George Malynicz and Keith 

Buckley has not replied to my email, please acknowledge this 

email all of you, for it comes with every good wish for Christmas 

and for 2015. 

as ever, David Finch 

Dear Mr GP 

CLASS OF '53 REUNION 

alan.green61@btintemet.com 

7 February 2015 

After fifty plus years those who joined the School in 1953 and 

are still on this planet met together in October 2014 at the 

Imperial Hotel for a Reunion. Some twenty three attended, with 

two arriving from South Africa, one from Germany and another 

fitting it in with a regular visit from Canada. Only four of the 

attendees meet at the normal Old Boys functions and the 

majority had appeared almost out of the blue. We stood, we 

shook hands and we tried to remember faces and sports and 

families but the more we stood the better it all became. 

I think it was thoroughly enjoyed by all and, with some luck, we 

might try the same next year. 

Regards 

Alan Green 


Richard Tyley & Chris Seabrook 

This summer saw the reunion of a group of Old Stationers from 

the 1960 to 1967 era. Prompted by the fact that Simon Westbrook 

was visiting from California we tried to organize as many of our 

year group as possible and ended up with six actually willing and 

able to attend. The Far as You Roam group covers California, 

14


metonomy, personification and antithesis but am not sure if a 

combo can be accepted, or whether this is a newly discovered 

genus, or horror of horrors, it was just plain missing from Gus’s 

definitive sheets. Given that the OSA membership includes 

most of the highly educated population of great Britain, I am 

sure there is an answer out there or more likely, more - than one 

answer! I throw out this challenge to Old Stationers to identify 

the underlying figure of speech for the next magazine edition. 

Results to be determined by the credibility of the solution 

provider, or popular vote, if more than one is prompted to 

respond. 

Simon Westbrook 

Russell, (rear of ) Richard Muir, Cox, Richards 

Spain, Cheshire, Cambridge and well as the more traditional 

Greater London area. The attendees from left to right were Bob 

Bird, John Aanonson, Simon Westbrook, Alan Holmwood, Terry 

Carroll and Simon Kusseff. Unable to attend were Richard 

Smith, Ted Powell, Paul Westley, and Robert Coulter. 

The group met for dinner at the Green Dragon in Potters bar, an 

excellent location just off the M25 for a widespread group 

commute. As a temptation to prospective attendees, Simon 

circulated his old Gus notes and figures of speech, still in pristine 

condition after all these years. Interestingly (or not), a couple of 

days later in the Times art supplement was a remarkable figure 

of speech "... Albery cuts the coronation scene, thereby heightening the 

dramatic irony of the final ravishing love duet as the sublimely 

beautiful follows the disgustingly repellent.” I see hints of 


The intake to the school in 1955 has never had a reunion. 

At the AGM/Dinner at the Hall in 2014 John Fiddy and 

Peter Bonner were tasked (railroaded!) with the organisation 

of a sixtieth anniversary reunion. 

This will be held in early September in London at a precise 

time and venue to be determined (Friday 4th September?). 

At present the less than dynamic duo are compiling a 

database of email addresses. If you are a 55er then please 

email either John Fiddy(john@johnfiddy.com) or Peter 

Bonner (peter.bonner@ntlworld.com). When you do so 

please advise of other 55ers that you are in contact with or 

have details of. 

Peter Bonner 

Class of '60 reunion – Bob Bird, John Aanonson, Simon Westbrook, Alan Holmwood, Terry Carroll and Simon Kusseff. 

15


recollections of the class of '63 

The class of '63 assembled for their fiftieth reunion in October 

2013. Some of their recollections proved interesting. Time does 

not seem to have dulled these memories. I suppose it's well 

known that a characteristic of dementia is heightened memory 

of fifty years ago, while a few of us had no idea of our way home. 

I was shocked that so many of my classmates hated school. 

While I don't look upon schooldays as the happiest days of my 

life, I enjoyed the quirky security of my education at Stationers. 

Others had a quite different experience. It could be that the 

amalgamation of Stationers' and Priory Vale schools to form one 

giant comprehensive in our fourth year proved an impediment to 

achievement that many failed to overcome. Anyway, many 

former students I contacted declined my invitation, and even 

some who attended proclaimed their dislike of Mayfield Road. 

The first thing I was reminded of was nicknames. These were 

unknown at my Primary School. Some teachers were called 

(when out of earshot) by a Christian name, sometimes theirs but 

more often than not a misnomer. Examples were "Joe" Symons, 

"Sid" Holmes, "Sam" Read, "Jack" Rimmer, "Gus" Thomas and 

so on. Others were more creative. There was "Jesus" Cook, 

"Beak'; Davis, "Peanut" Bartlett, "Jimmy Bean" (Mr Grant) as 

well as the more curiously named "Humbert Yapp" (English 

teacher Mr Hay). Some of the boys had nicknames too, such as 

"Tish" Allen and "Doe" Braham who were in my form, Form 1. 

Some boys could mimic teachers' voices and mannerisms well. 

Gus was a favourite. Shouts of: "You're in!" in a nasal, strangled 

whine were common. When west countryman "Davey" Court 

was appointed as Head of Maths these impersonators had a field 

day. He sounded like Robert Newton as Long John Silver. Cries 

of: "Thart goes over thart, thart goes into thart, thart gives us the 

answer .... Gorrt it? - do it!!" were heard throughout the 

corridors. This could have been a foreign language as far as I was 

concerned. Copying my homework answers from another boy 

one day "Davey" asked me how I had worked out my solutions. 

"Slide rule, sir", I cried with what I thought was great presence 

of mind. "To two decimal places?!?" he scolded me with great 

derision. 

Tom Waples wrote a great verse about "Gus" Thomas the Latin 

master, who would sometimes perch on the edge of a desk in the 

front row when addressing us. The class held its breath waiting 

for the desk to give· way. The rhyme went: 

"Thomasus satibus 

Upon the deskolorum. 

Deskibus collapsibus 

And Gusus on the floorem!" 

Happy days!! 

Terry Miles amused us with many of "Beak" Davis' learned 

sayings. Terry is not sure that his recollections are 100% accurate 

but he remembers phrases like: Dolls eyes and flypaper; Strangled 

earwigs on toast; Bilge, Barge, Balderdash, Poppycock and Piffle. 

That reminds me of the Isle of Wight vicar who returned after 

an absence and said to his congregation that it was nice to see the 

old Cowes faces! 

Don't chew that ruler - the last boy who did that died by inches; 

Stop eating that ruler - it's Wednesday not CHEWsday; I'm not 

as green as I'm cabbage looking; And of course his favourite 

opening of: "Avez vous faire un devoir pour aujourd hui?" And 

the hapless student's reply of "Non Monsieur." 

Beak would follow up with "Quel dommage!" The inevitable 

detention would follow. He was also rumoured to tell new boys: 

"You must Be Careful (pronounced Beek Areful) how you talk 

about masters' nicknames!" 

Derek Montague recalled "0" level Biology lessons with WAC 

Rees. He remembered that the class had a test each week. It was 

WACs way of getting boys to learn 'by rote' because as the boys 

used to ask their own test questions they were invariably the 

same questions asked from one week to the next. The student 

who came up with an original question was not too popular! 

Boys reported their marks to WAC at the end of the test. Often 

they "inflated" their marks. Then one 'day the back row boys got 

a conscience about doing this and reported their true test mark 

- only to find that a detention followed as a consequence! 

A favourite recollection of mine concerns Mr Topley's (nickname: 

"Uncle Lightning") Geography lessons. In the third year the 

cleverest boy in our class was probably Ollie Bradley, but he 

hated Geography and didn't make any effort in the class. Mr 

Topley would look at his work, then turn on him and say: 

"Bradley, this writing gives me earache! My cat could do better 

than that with gloves on!" He would often then make students 

like Bradley write out the alphabet in his best handwriting. 

Other boys were given the same exercise. 

Graham Vickers remembered that his parents wrote to Mr 

Baynes (the Headmaster) expressing their desire for Graham to 

learn some Geography rather than revise the alphabet in every 

lesson! 

Concerning Mr Topley's nickname, "Joe" Symons had a habit of 

making it clear to boys in his class that he knew Topley's name. 

He often taught Economics in the Geography Room. Mr Topley 

would occasionally send in boys to collect maps and other 

equipment he wanted while "Joe" was teaching there. When the 

boy had completed his errand "Joe" would send him back yelling: 

"You better move like lightning, lad!" 

We remembered our mischievous fun in class by keeping a 

league table of misdemeanours committed by various boys. 

These were usually kept by Frank Clapp and won by Jim Butler, 

and it was a job requiring a most conscientious attitude. Boys 

were awarded 10 points for a detention, 6 for 100 lines, 4 for 50 

lines and so on down to 1 for a mild rebuke. These competitions 

had names like the "Rao Reward" (Maths), "Kinky Cup" (Latin), 

"Chin Chart" (French) and so on. 

Great fun, and I don't think they were ever discovered by the 

masters. Unlike many of my fellow students I enjoyed all this so 

much I went on to become a teacher myself. I can't help 

wondering what OFSTED (the schools' inspection body) would 

make of all this. The three part lesson, starters and plenaries were 

unheard of. I am afraid that many of the lessons I experienced 

would be classified as "Unsatisfactory" today. But I got a much 

broader, more rounded education than children get today. At 18 

I had a better general knowledge than most Sixth Formers today. 

I acquired a great love of Geography and History from some 

teachers of those subjects. And I continue to attend Old Boys' 

events today! 

I look forward to our next reunion with anticipation. 

16

70th Anniversary of 

Operation Market Garden 

On D Day June 6th 1944 the three tanks and fifteen men of 4th 

Troop 'B' Squadron 4th17th Royal Dragoon Guards landed on the 

Normandy coast. Our amphibious DD tank (ambitiously named 

on the side 'Cooks Tour') had been swamped during the landing 

and had been replaced by a conventional diesel Sherman. Three 

months later we had reached Holland having motored 500 miles. 

We had been in action during the bitter fighting in Normandy, 

were involved in the crossing of the River Seine, carried out a 

recce of the City of Lille to be met by an ecstatic crowd in the 

Place de la Republique and been in action in Belgium. Out of the 

original fifteen crew and three tanks, seven of our comrades had 

been killed, two missing, three wounded and two paws, and had 

seven Sherman tanks destroyed by enemy action. 

The German West Wall fortifications, known as the Siegfried 

Line was 480 km long and ran opposite the French Maginot 

Line from Basle to Cleve. It was constructed to delay an offensive 

so that reserves could be brought forward and was a formidable 

obstacle with tank defences and block-houses. 

In order to outflank the German defence line an operation by 

Montgomery to establish a bridgehead across the Lower Rhine 

at Arnhem was endorsed by the supreme commander, Eisenhower, 

to commence 17th September 1944. Called Operation Market 

Garden it comprised a parachute offensive with ground support. 

The ground offensive, Operation Garden, was to commence at 

the Belgian-Dutch border, proceeding via Eindhoven, Uden, and 

Nijmegen to Arnhem, the front being only one road width wide. 

British XXX Corps was to attack down the road, with British 8th 

Corps and 12th Corps on either side of the narrow corridor 

being carved out by XXX Corps. 

The airboume offensive, Operation Market, was to take place at 

points along the same road, the US 

101 st Airborne Division dropping in 

the area of Zon, Veghel and Uden, 

capturing the bridges over the 

Wilhemenia Canal and the Zuid 

Willemsvaart Canal. The US 82nd 

Airborne Division was to capture the 

bridge over the Maas at Grave and the 

over the Waal at Nijmegen and to 

dominate the high ground known as 

the Groesbeek Heights between 

Nijmegen and the German border. 

The British 1st Airboume division 

was tasked to capture the bridge at 

Arnhem and to establish a bridgebead 

across the Rhine. All went horribly 

wrong however; the 1st Airborne was 

dropped too far away from the 

Arnhem Bridge. The main purpose of 

a parachute drop is surprise, but this 

was not achieved as the 9th and 10th 

SS Panzer Divisions were refitting in 

the Arnhem area. To add to the 

difficulties the radio connection 

between the commander Major- 

General R E Urquart and the 1st 


Sketch map 1: The Market Garden Plan 

17 September 1944 in Belgium 

Airbourne failed. He was trapped in a house for 24 hours to 

evade a German patrol and therefore losing command of the 

operation. 

The object of Garden was to meet up with and relieve the 

airbourne troops who had been dropped to capture the bridges at 

Grave, Nijmegen and Arnbem. We were to follow the Guards 

Armoured Division who was leading the assault. The problem of 

course, attacking on such a narrow front with a long tail back, 

was the possibility of flank attacks by the Germans cutting off 

the supply route and reinforcements. As we motored north alerts 

became frequent and it was necessary to stop and take up 

positions behind trees lining the road. The US 82nd Airborne 

had successfully taken the bridge at Grave so we pushed on to 

Nijmegen, which we reached without any difficulty. 

The bridge across the River Waalat Nijmegen 

We parked in the open square just before the bridge. The town 

was obviously short of food and we were besieged for anything 

we could spare. The Dutch Resistance put in an appearance 

solemnly parading around the square two Dutch girls with their 

heads shaved, who had consorted with the German troops. It was 

a pity the Resistance had nothing better to do. (During the 

liberation of Rugles in France the 

Resistance were shaving heads in the 

high street. One of our tank 

commanders told his gunner to fire 

the machine gun over the perpetrators 

to put a stop to it, but in error he fired 

the main gun scattering everyone at 

great haste.) Later when we had 

returned to Nijmegen I was detailed 

to pick up some potatoes from a 

nearby Nunnery. The nuns had taken 

the two girls into their protection and 

given them wigs to cover their shaven 

heads. 

It was decided to cross the river by the 

rail bridge. Whilst we were waiting to 

go across, our eo-driver was found 

wandering about with amnesia. The 

Squadron Leader sent him to casualty 

from whence he was invalided home. 

The Squadron pushed on with the 

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 

riding on the tanks in an attempt to 

reach the Polish Airborne Brigade at 

Driel to the west of Arnbem. It was 

extremely hot and dusty. The column 

17


of tanks was held up and it transpired later that two enemy 

'Panther' tanks, thinking that it was one of their retreating units, 

joined the column, but were soon knocked out by an infantry man 

with a 'Piat' anti-tank gun. Dusk was approaching when the 

leading tanks ran over mines set by the Polish Airborne, but 

happily there were no casualties. We dismounted and spoke to the 

Polish troops who gave graphic accounts of their recent hand-tohand 

fighting and how they swam across the river when outflanked. 

The village of Driellay was opposite to where the British 1st 

Airborne had landed. We found a billet in a deserted house with 

a cellar next to the embankment. During the night the area came 

under heavy shelling so much of the night was spent in the cellar. 

The next day an attempt was made to get a DUKW - a 'Duck' or 

an amphibious truck into the river but the operation was 

abandoned as it became bogged down in the soft mud of the 

riverbank. 

That night I spent the small hours of the morning on guard. I 

wandered from the house to stretch my legs. When I was in the 

middle of the road a star shell turned the pitch black of the night 

into day. I stood stock-still feeling very exposed and hoping that 

I would not be spotted, but it soon went out and the night 

returned to peace and darkness. During the day we watched 

'Dakota' aircraft, flying nose to tail and very low, dropping 

supplies to the beleaguered Paras on the other side of the river. 

We received instructions to take a Polish Brigadier back to 

Nijmegen. That meant going straight back along the road we had 

come along, with the possibility that it was under surveillance by 

German troops. We put the Brigadier in the eo-driver's seat, 

which was vacant, and commanded by the Troop Leader, went 

hell for leather down the road. Unfortunately fallen overhead 

telegraph wires that festooned the road caught the commander 

across the mouth, knocking out some of his teeth, but we pressed 

on. After arriving at Nijmegen with the Brigadier we were told 

to go back along the road to Driel. 

Next morning we attacked towards Arnhem along the top of the 

embankment, but had to withdraw because of the heavy enemy 

opposition. General Horrocks, XXXX Corps commander, went 

up the church tower at Driel and decided to abort the operation. 

We went south of Arnhem to what was described as 'the Island' 

and harboured in an apple orchard. 

When we were leaving the house we had been staying at Driel, 

the Troop Leader warned everyone that the clock in the china 

display cabinet was not to be looted. I forgot my small pack and 

had to go back for it. Exiting the house I noticed that the clock 

was very conspicuous by its absence. 4th Troop survived Operation 

Market Garden relatively unscathed, but our luck did not hold. 

By November our tank had been destroyed by enemy action, the 

other surviving tank destroyed, another of our comrades killed 

and four wounded including myself. 

4th Troop ceased to exist. 

Hugh Cecil Newton 1933-41 

The Stationers' Crown Woods Academy 

It was a real pleasure to see such a large turnout of Old Stationers 

at the formal opening of the Stationers' Crown Woods Academy 

(SCWA). Some were surprised at the level of the turnout, but 

others understood the strength of feeling that still exists about 

the closure of our school and the need to see at least some of the 

values, experience and, yes, traditions that we have amassed in 

our lives, shared with the next generation. 

Having been involved on the edge of the process to form and 

fund the new school, it is very clear to me that the Stationers' 

Crown Woods Academy has a great chance of being one of the 

most successful schools in the country. It has ambitious goals, 

great leadership, good governance and solid backing from the 

educational authorities that oversee and manage it. The 

Stationers' Company has committed to providing not only 

significant financial support but also professional guidance and 

direction. There may not be much of an opportunity to catalyse 

support for either Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspurs, but the 

students are already receiving broad support and encouragement 

from members of the Stationers' Company as far as their future 

careers are concerned, particularly in those industry sectors 

benefiting from digital technology. 

From recent feedback, it is clear that this form of help is being 

well received and there is a massive opportunity for the OSA to 

play its part. The age gap between Old Boys and young students 

is not blocking progress. We have so much to give in the form of 

our time, ideas, contacts in the work place, donations of 

equipment and, of course, our money to be spent on specific 

projects. 

The first in-kind donation in the form of photographic equipment 

has just been made and I am proud to say it has come from an 

OSA member. One day, I would like to see the SCWA organise 

an Old Pupils' Association along the lines of the OSA, the 

re-emergence of our school's Cock House Cup to recognise 

success within the new school, the singing of a school song 

which embodies the ethics of determination and friendship as 

ours does, frequent visits by OSA members to the new school to 

assist in projects, career guidance and, maybe, shared sporting 

activities(?). 

Everyone who attended the school opening was stunned and 

moved by the singing of our school song at the end of the 

ceremony. It demonstrated the unreserved support for this bold 

endeavour by those who stood on the school platform and sang. 

We have so much to give and there is a school out there that is 

ready to welcome and receive our support, in whatever form it is 

offered. 

Tony Mash 

18


CORRESPONDENCE 

65 Glemsford Road 

STOWMARKET IP 14 2PW 

27th July 2014 

Dear Geraint 

Thank you for your card – great to hear 

from you after all these years. 

I am home from hospital now after a 6 

week stay and concentrating on my 

recovery which will take a few months. 

Progress is slow but positive. 

You asked about years at Stationers'. I was 

there from 1959-1964, following my 

brother Barry who was there 1955-1960. 

As you said, I was a keen footballer for the 

Old Boys and played occasionally for the 

cricket team. 

I got married in 1972 and moved out to 

Bletchley (now absorbed by MK), then to 

Chelmsford and to Stowmarket in 1982. 

The only contact I have with 

contemporaries is Pete Jarvis, 1962-1968, 

although he was not in my year (he is 

younger than me!) but we became friends 

playing football at Barnet for many years. 

Pete and Mad our son's godparents. 

Thanks again for your card, it was really 

appreciated. 

Yours sincerely 

Graham Eldridge 

Geraint 

peterlack@blueyonder.co.uk 


There seems to be misunderstanding 

concerning the background to the SCS 

closure. 

Sadly, it stems back to the Company's 

financially necessary but unforeseeing 

decision to opt from 'Voluntary Aided' to 

'Voluntary Controlled' Status. While 

'Voluntary Aided' the School could not be 

touched; once it was 'Voluntary Controlled', 

Haringey LEA from 1967 had total power 

of decision. When secondary numbers 

reduced, Haringey needed to close a 

number of secondary schools and chose 

SCS, less I suspect for political reasons 

than because for the building's age 

rendered it the most expensive to maintain. 

We must remember that Hornsey County 

School was shut down in the early 1950s 

and Tottenham Grammar later followed, 

although of the latter there still survives 

'The Tottenham Grammar School 

Foundation', which disposes of its funds to 

chosen educational good causes. 

Keep up the fine work. 

Peter Lack 1947-1955 

Peter is quite right it was the Company's 

decision which started as a statement made by 

the Company in the early 1940s and rumbled 

on through the 1950s and into the final 

decision being made by the Company in the 

early 1960s against the strong advice of 

S.C.Nunn, Headmaster from 1936-62, 

before Robert Baynes was appointed in 1962. 

Remember the Company sold a building on 

Ludgate Hill in 1956 for £650,000 with the 

reason given to support a school in Hornsey. 

They would have to find a maximum of 

£25000 out of a cost of £100,000 for the new 

laboratories, with Middlesex County Council 

finding the rest! £25000 was a figure of less 

than 4% of the sum of the £650,000 received 

for the sale on Ludgate Hill. Tottenham 

Grammar became Somerset School and with 

150 less pupils and an academic record much 

inferior to Stationers' was allowed to survive! 

Ed. 

Hi Geraint 

p.jam.jarvis@hotmail.co.uk 


Am forwarding herewith (I hope) a good 

picture of a building many OS will be 

familiar with. It was passed to me by one 

of the ladies at the BBCC who is a bit of a 

local (Enfield) history buff and who 

thought we might be interested. It was 

provided by Constance Webb. 

Best regards 

Peter Jarvis 

This was used by all pupils at Stationers' 

Company's School from 1942 till the School 

closed in 1983. One of the final football games 

played at Winchmore Hill was the Stationers' 

Former Playing Fields Pavilion at Winchmore Hill 

Staff Team against Enfield Grammar Staff 

just before Easter with a pupil of Enfield 

Grammar playing the 'Last Post' in the centre 

circle of the 1stXI pitch. This was one of five 

football matches played in that Festival of 

Football Week arranged by Marsden Hubbard, 

Head of PE at Stationers'. Ed. 

richard.braithwaite@manchester.ac.uk 


Dear Geraint 

I note a couple of references in the latest 

Old Stationer to Ashford Avenue, a short 

cul-de-sac which projects into Priory Park. 

This brings me to a vivid memory of an 

occasion when I was a third former at the 

School in 1944. I was in the garden of our 

house in Wolseley Road, near the top of 

the hill, with a good view of the Lea Valley 

across Hornsey and Wood Green. A loud 

staccato noise like that of a motor-bike 

without a silencer announced the arrival of 

a cruise missile ('V1', 'doodlebug', 'flying 

bomb'). I watched it come in from my 

right, then tip over and dive steeply to the 

ground. It exploded with a vivid orange 

inverted bowl-shaped flash, followed by a 

rapidly rising mushroom of black smoke 

with bits of debris whirling about. 

This V1 was the one which landed in the 

very centre of Ashford Avenue and 

destroyed most of it. All that was left 

relatively undamaged-looking were the 

four houses at the corners of each end of 

the Avenue. 

Those who lived in the rebuilt houses years 

later might be particularly interested in 

this memory! 

Best wishes, 

Richard S.W. Braithwaite. 

19


Dear Geraint 

robskj@gmail.com 

12th August 2014 

I hope you are well. Just had a very quick 

trip back to the UK in the summer and 

took the family to see St. Paul's Cathedral. 

Thought I'd be a bit cheeky and so I 

contacted the Stationers' Company to see 

if I could visit Stationers' Hall and 

managed a quick tour, which was very 

pleasant. Don't ever remember being given 

much of the history at school, so it was 

quite an eye opener. Hope to join the 

Dinner one day, if we can get the timing 

right! 

I was just wondering whether you had 

managed to get any further with chasing 

up an email address for John Watson. I 

may arrange a trip to Australia in the next 

year or so, and thought it might be an 

opportunity to catch up with him. I would 

be grateful if you could see what you could 

do. I have been trying for years to locate 

him and don't want to miss this opportunity. 

All the best 

Keith Roberts 

STATIONERS' 

EXIT THE ROYAL BLUE 

alex.flemming@websmartware.com 


Hi Geraint 

Judging by the quality of the magazine 

content you seem to be improving in your 

post as Editor. 

Congratulations! 

While reading the latest issue I was struck 

by the number of things, especially the 

near romantic recollections of a number of 

Old Stationers on matters I never 

experienced – like the Rowing Club and 

the Army Cadets. Most of all I was 

inspired by the probability of a re-birth of 

the school in name at least under the 

auspices of the modern term academy. 

During my period at Stationers' (1964- 

1971) I entered the school having passed 

the 11+ to find a number of my new 

colleagues had not sat that examination. 

Having played for the Hornsey team at 

football a year earlier a number of my team 

mates were there too and quite a few people 

who knew whom I was too. There we were 

in our brand new royal blue caps and 

blazers 'Proud to be Stationers' although 

we had not learned the school song. 

We were soon introduced to strict 

discipline. My first two lessons brought 

teachers into my life who both announced: 

“You are not going to like me!” Messrs. 

Morris and Bartlett turned out to be 

excellent teachers, particularly the latter. 

We often wondered whether John Morris 

really belonged to this school environment. 

The wood panels listing benefactors, 

achievers (including H.W.Symons) on a 

panel in the library, the oil paintings of 

former headmasters and distinctly military 

manner of the staff added up to a rather 

special place. Commander Cutler as 

School Secretary rounded off the effect. 

Alas the ATC folded with the retirement 

of Fl. Lt. Lloyd so we were never able to 

use the shooting range. It was all awe 

inspiring, if indeed a trifle daunting. With 

all the traditions and obvious elite 

tendencies Stationers' was certainly a place 

to be for an inspiring young man. 

Things continued with some lingering and 

rather questionable rumours regarding the 

future of the school. H.Wilson Esq. had 

formed a government during 1964 with a 

small majority. This majority was increased 

heftily in 1966. From then on rumour soon 

became fact and from 1967 Stationers' 

gradually changed from an elite boys 

grammar school to a multiracial urban 

comprehensive. Forms 3, 4A and 5B 

became 3X, 4R and 5Z – the letter being 

the surname of the form master. There was 

to be no more grading either as streaming 

or in the form notation. 

Sporting prowess – notably running and 

athletics generally – improved for a short 

time with the influx of some wonderful 

athletes from the old Priory Vale. Marsden 

Hubbard and Mr. Salter were additions to 

the teaching staff from whom we benefited 

greatly. 

On the academic front access to Oxbridge 

became less of a topic and remedial work 

more the order of the day. Teaching 

secondary kids from other parts of the 

world, the 3Rs seemed to be the main aim 

of the school. As a member of the Upper 

Sixth I was supposed to spend any Study 

Period (official speak) in the school library. 

We understood that this was the instruction 

of the headmaster. 

When one day we were asked, no told to 

leave the library by a Mr. Craig who was 

introducing the class of first form lads to 

the concept of the book, things turned 

from bad to worse to unacceptable. We 

were studying for our A levels in an 

attempt to gain entry to university of our 

choice or the ones that had given us a 

so-called offer. Yet we had nowhere to 

study. I found myself a place at the back of 

the hall. Illegal by school conventions, yet 

there was no alternative. Indeed, things 

became so difficult that the Prefect 

contingent laid down its positions early in 

February - it was, of course, customary for 

the Lower Sixth to take over after the 

Easter break. G.N.Blackmore and his 

merry men were called to arms earlier than 

expected. 

Discipline had become a serious problem. 

The police seemed to be regular visitors to 

the school . Misdemeanours, we had not 

known before – such as drug pushers, 

pimping, a minor form of racketeering and 

extortion – became almost regular features 

of daily school life. The Headmaster and 

most of his staff had not been employed 

for this kind of situation. 

The pinnacle of power in the school 

R.D.Baynes once said of himself: “I am 

not the council's blue-eyed boy!” And for 

sure he had a major problem despite the 

lack of support from the council. A vast 

range of goals and abilities as well as a 

strong multi-racial and socio-economic 

backgrounds had to be accommodated. 

The school had grown in a short time 

from some 650 to almost 1300 pupils in 

two locations including a number of new 

single storey pre-fabricated buildings on 

the infamous wilderness and then a two 

storey structure on the second terrace. My 

fourth year was spent on the borders of 

Hornsey School (no more High there!) in 

a pre-fab and the Lower Sixth in an upper 

storey on the second terrace. 

No sir, this was no longer the Stationers' 

Company's School that I wanted to attend 

from the age of 5. Having grown up at the 

top end of Burgoyne Road (the other side 

of the railway bridge at Haringey West as 

was) I saw the boys in their royal blue 

blazers and vowed to be part of the crew 

– Wilson and his political agenda had 

other things in store. Even the last great 

investment assisted by the Company began 

to falter. Affectionately known by some as 

'the language factory' the lab began to 

crumble. At that time there were more 

languages spoken in the school than the 

technical institution could accommodate! 

Thus, as a first year pupil attending his 

first prize giving evening at Hornsey Town 

Hall - as was – I remember being highly 

impressed by the huge number of new 

Oxbridge undergraduates from the 

School. Other new undergraduates were 

also in large number. It felt like about one 

dozen Oxbridge undergraduates from the 

school and the rest to universities, 

20


polytechnics and other colleges with a 

small remainder going to the City. This 

was the place to be! 

My own Upper Sixth Form of 1971 sent 

three 3 people to Oxbridge and a further 3 

to university. What a change! I wondered 

if this was the goal of our Mr Wilson! In 

contrast to the official propaganda of the 

day, under this system achievement had 

been levelled down – not up! Maybe he 

just did not want us to emulate his own 

academic career! 

On a number of visits to the school I 

witnessed the gradual decay until on my 

last visit the old school had gone. The 

remnants were in the old Hornsey High 

Building with Stan Read in last post 

command. When I walked in – probably 

1982 – I was almost accosted by a security 

conscious member of staff – the 

rumbustious Mr Williams – ex Priory 

Vale. I introduced myself as an Old Boy 

and he inquired “Do you remember me, 

Williams the Belt?” Stan Read in what I 

knew in Miss Curtis' study (that is another 

story) kindly received me and as a parting 

gift presented me with a print of an 

etching of the School soon after its 

erection. This print is now framed and on 

my study wall including a pound and five 

pound note. 

What is all this rambling about? 

I wondered if so many Stationers who left 

school before 1967 have any real picture of 

what life became like at school. Standards 

dropped everywhere and the disappearance 

of the school – in the end – had become no 

loss. 

Thus, I can only wish the new Academy 

and the endeavours of the Company well 

for the future . There once was a great 

tradition that was engulfed by the 

ignorance and lack of foresight of so many 

who felt they had to doctor with our 

educational structure. It seems that the test 

of time has proved them not so right after 

all. 

Let us hope that these politically and 

doctrinally inspired misgivings that 

brought down Stationers ' in Hornsey may 

never reappear to upset this new beginning. 

All we can do is hope at least there will be 

somewhere for this hope to reside. 

Kind regards 

Alex Flemming 1964-1971 

I refer you, Alex, to Robert Baynes' book 'The 

History of the Stationers' School' Ed. 

STATIONERS FROM THE 

Dear Geraint 

PRIORY ROAD AREA 

peternolga@bigpond.com 


As always, I was delighted to receive the 

July edition of The Old Stationer. The two 

articles , 'Memories of Muswell Hill' and 

'Stationers from the Priory Road area' 

raised many memories of my boyhood in 

the area. I was born in Palace Road, 

Crouch End, and in 1936 my parents 

bought a house around the corner in 

Carysfort Road. One of my earliest friends 

in the same street was David Hornsby, 

who was a year behind me at Stationers' 

and who sadly died a few years ago. Doug 

Smith some years behind me, also lived 

there. I went to Rokesly Infant School and 

later the Crouch End Primary School. 

The area was blessed with plenty of open 

space in which to kick a football or play 

cricket, the latter often played in the street 

against a lamp post. There were few cars 

then! We had Priory Park, the playing 

fields behind the swimming pool in Park 

Road and of course, Alexandra Palace at 

our disposal. I joined the 79th North 

London Air Scouts whose Den was in the 

playing fields. The Scoutmaster was 

Henry Brazier who ran a building company 

in Tottenham Lane. Other members of 

this scout group were DAVID HORNSBY, 

the HOLDEN TWINS and COLIN 

CHAPMAN of motor racing fame. We 

survived the blitz, the house being damaged 

a few times from a parachuted land mine 

exploding in the playing fields, a bomb 

falling about four doors from us killing a 

number of people, a V1 bomb in Park 

Road opposite the hospital and a V2 

rocket in Cranley Gardens . I remember 

standing in the front porch with my father, 

who was an air raid warden, watching the 

searchlights seeking out German planes, 

the noise of anti-aircraft guns and the next 

day looking for shrapnel! Later in the war 

it was the peculiar noise of the V1 bombs, 

waiting for the noise to cease before they 

exploded on contact. 

NORMAN TAPLEY, another friend, 

lived in Priory Road. He attended 

Stationers' but left to go to the Mill Hill 

School and we lost contact thereafter. I 

have been fortunate in retaining contact 

with PETER SARGENT, MICHAEL 

SAUNDERS and GORDON ROSE. I 

was saddened by the death of PETER 

BULLEN from Peter Sargent. We all 

played for the OS Cricket Team and with 

the exception of Peter Sargent for the 

Football Teams. Peter gained fame as a 

Hockey Player. I had the privilege to be 

the first Old Boy to score a century for the 

club, Pelham Warner being the first player 

to do so. 

I left school and studied Engineering at 

the Northampton Polytechnic, part of 

London University and now the City 

University, I believe. ALEX MCKEON 

from Stationers', also studied at this 

college. We briefly corresponded some 

years ago after he went to the USA. After 

graduating, I had to do two years National 

Service in the RAF. I spent most of the 

time in Cologne, Germany as an officer in 

the Airfield Construction Branch where 

we were building airfields for the 2nd 

Tactical Air Force as a defence against the 

Russian threat. This was in 1954-55. 

Whilst in Cologne, I met Olga, a girl 

from Brisbane, Australia. She was working 

for the Australian Migration Office there. 

Little did she know she was working a one 

man migration scheme! I emigrated to 

Australia in early 1956 and we were 

married later that year. We celebrate our 

58th anniversary in October. 

We have been back to England a number 

of times over the years, notably in 1983 

when we attended the final gathering at 

the school before it was closed down and 

demolished. A very sad day for such a fine 

school. My years at the school were very 

happy ones inspite of the difficult times 

and I feel privileged to have had the 

opportunity to attend the school. I was 

pleased to read that the Company is 

sponsoring a school in the future which 

will bear the Stationers name. The present 

strength of the Association is a clear 

indication that many feel as I do about the 

school. 

Geraint, many thanks to you and your 

colleagues for continuing to produce such 

a fine magazine. The two articles I 

mentioned, were outstanding and evoked 

many memories. 

Kind regards 

Peter Moses 

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 

Class of 1953 

anthony_cooper2002@yahoo.co.uk 


Dear Geraint 

I was interested to read the list of 'Class 

1953' in the latest OSA magazine. I was at 

Stationers' from 1953-1960. By modern 

standards I just wonder how the masters 

got away with what they did and what 

21


they didn't do! Some of them (no names) 

seemed so bored with their subject. 

I note included in the list was JOHN 

DUPERE: I seem to remember from a 

previous edition of the magazine, circa 

1977, that he had died at a very young age 

of 35. I don't know whether this can be 

checked? 

Also who should be included is JOHN G. 

GRAVENOR, with whom I was 

particularly friendly. Although he only 

joined the school in 1954 it was the end of 

the first year, so he was a member of our 

cohort, leaving with A Levels in 1960. I 

just don't know what happened to him in 

the intervening years. 

After leaving SCS I went to UCL for six 

years of Chemistry followed by post 

doctoral appointments at universities of 

St. Andrews, Leiden and KCL. The next 

36 years I spent at Kingston Polytechnic, 

later Kingston University from which I 

retired in 2006. I have since enjoyed eight 

years of retirement and keep myself busy 

playing the organ as ever – I used to play 

at assemblies at Stationers' – and training 

the choir at Fleet Parish Church. Previously 

I was organist at East Barnet Methodist 

Church where KEN SOUTHALL 

(teacher of French, 1950-1960) 

worshipped, Surbiton and then West 

Clandon, Surrey. 

I have been married to Louise for 46 years 

and have two sons and one granddaughter. 

My older brother, ROBIN COOPER 

was at Stationers' from 1950-1957, but 

sadly died in 2009 – which was recorded in 

your August publication. 

Hope that's of some interest. 

Tony Cooper 1953-1960 

Robin Cooper was a regular contributor to 

'The Old Stationer' often to the section 'As Far 

as you Roam' and stories of Stationers' 

Company's School. 

5 Croton Square 

SHERFIELD-ON-LODDON 

RG27 0SX 


Dear Geraint 

Having just read the latest magazine 

(No.79) I thought I would write concerning 

two particular articles to which I felt I 

could perhaps add something. 

THE AURORA BOREALIS 

I found John Ivey's account of his holiday 

in Norway most interesting. My wife, 

Kathy, and I have been to the Norwegian 

Fjords and as far north as Trondheim, and 

then across to Iceland. However, both 

holidays were summer cruises and whilst 

the scenery was absolutely stunning, there 

was of course no chance to see the 

'Northern Lights' or 'Aurora Borealis'. 

However, it did remind me that in a 

previous existence some 35 years ago, 

whilst working as a manager in the 

International Division of Williams & 

Glyns Bank, I had the amazing experience 

of seeing the 'Aurora' at its absolute best. 

I was flying back from Tokyo via 

Anchorage in Alaska and on the second 

leg of the flight we flew within a few 

hundred miles of the North Pole. Although 

it was night time and dark I looked out of 

the window to see what I can only describe 

as colour falling down the sky. I asked the 

stewardess about this and she said it was 

the Aurora Borealis like she had never seen 

it before. In fact the pilot made a low key 

announcement so that those people who 

were awake should not miss it. 

It is something I shall never forget but of 

all the best laid plans you just have to be in 

the right place at the right time – I count 

myself lucky. 

Graham Ling 1954-1961 

Dear Geraint 

35 St. Stephen's Avenue 

St. Albans AL3 4AA 

22 nd August 2014 

I've read the obituary for Eric Wareham 

with interest and sadness. Eric and I were 

in the 6th together 1942-1943, and were 

the only two boys offering German for 

Higher School Certificate in that year, so 

we came to know each other well. Our 

tutor was, of course, 'Sacco' Englefield, 

whom we both greatly respected. He 

generously made it clear that he would be 

available to help us at the School during 

the Christmas break, and I remember that, 

when the two of us arrived on the agreed 

date, we found him playing the piano in 

the School Hall with his usual 

accomplishment. 

I kept in touch with Eric for some years 

prior to his marriage, and last saw him at 

the reunion in Wisbech, (fifty years on 

from the initial evacuation) in 1989. The 

reunion was arranged by Murdoch, who 

was also a 6th form boy in 1942. Both Eric 

and his wife attended, and I remember her 

telling me how she had met Eric on her 

way to America and stayed with him ever 

since. It is clear from the obituary written 

by his son that their marriage was a very 

happy one. 

Thank you, Geraint, for enabling me to get 

in touch with Sylvia Mogg, who wrote 

that article on 'The Guest' (the play 

produced by the School in Wisbech) for 

the Old Stationer. Sylvia and I were pupils 

at Hornsey County School in Wisbech 

1939-1942, until I transferred to Stationers' 

for sixth form work. Sylvia was able to visit 

me in May of this year, on her way to her 

ninetieth birthday party the following day, 

and it was splendid to renew the contact in 

this way after some seventy years. 

Best wishes 

George Wells 1942-43 

OLD-STATS 

ronhorne@xtra.co.nz 

26 August 2014 

It was so upsetting to read of the passing 

of DENIS HAMMENT and PETER 

BULLEN. Although neither of them was 

in the same form as me, our friendships 

were built around our service together in 

the 2049 ATC squadron. Denis and I were 

Flight Sergeants and Peter a corporal and 

all appear in the original formation photo 

in the archives. I noted that the squadron 

had been camping in 1958 near Leeming 

on page 14. I have often wondered what 

happened to them after the school closing 

and whether they still exist and where. 

On my recent travels I visited the Mosquito 

Museum at Salisbury Hall where Peter did 

his initial training as an apprentice to De 

Havillands which stirred the memories of 

him. He bought a 250 BSA motor bike 

around 1944 and he kindly allowed me to 

try it. I rode it into the wall of the house 

adjacent to the school and haven't tried 

again since, luckily there were no after 

effects on either me or the bike. As 

previously noted in one of my letters he 

visited me in New Zealand in the 80s 

when on his honeymoon. 

Other items that caught my eye were the 

obituary of ERIC WAREHAM and the 

pictures on page 15 of Muswell Hill. As I 

mentioned earlier one of the former staff 

members in the village here was born and 

raised in Fortis Green Road not far from 

where our kids were born in Alexandra 

Park Road and her policeman father served 

in the Hornsey Police Station during the 

war with my wife's uncle. Small world eh. 

Regards 

Ron Horne 

22


OLD STATIONER JULY 2014 

Dear Geraint 

mikejohns@worldonline.co.za 

5 th September 2014 

Your excellent production brought back a 

few memories. 

To John Ivey's piece about Muswell Hill I 

would add: 

1. Leonard Lyle's – the gents outfitter 

(opposite St. James' Church) – where I 

worked as a Christmas relief while still at 

school. 

2. St. James' Church itself where I was 

married. 

3. Muswell Hill Station, at the top of 

Muswell Hill was part of the line which I 

used to use from Stroud Green until the 

line closed in July 1954. 

4. A shop on the Broadway with a coffee 

grinder in the window pushing out 

wonderful aromas. 

This shop was between W.H.Smiths and the 

United Dairies and called 'Martyn's'. 

5. The Royal Oak in St. James' Lane 

(which you mention somewhere) which 

was owned by Tony Lane's mum. Tony was 

an OS but very heavily involved with 

Crouch End Vampires, not OSFC. 

Not sure whether the Red Cross 

establishment on Muswell Hill itself 

belongs to the John Ivey or Priory Road 

sections. Certainly in the latter I would 

mention ALAN BERWICK, OS cricketer 

and footballer, who lived more or less above 

the laundry in the picture on page 21. 

In the row of shops opposite the Victoria 

Pub was Cottingham's, the newsagents, 

which employed PETER CRITTEN and 

me as paper boys. 

Very close was Sorrell's the greengrocers, 

another of my former employers. 

SORRELL himself was an OS. 

I am coming to the 1953 Reunion and 

staying at the George in Cartwright 

Gardens, Bloomsbury. Could the website 

be corrected to record only a 10% discount 

now, not 20%? Apparently the hotel 

changed hands two or three years ago. 

Finally, could I be related in any way to the 

G. JONES listed as a late joiner to the 

1953 group, page 26? I certainly spent 

most of my time with them and in fact will 

soon be able to have attended reunions for 

two years, 1953 and 1954. 

Kind Regards 

Ginner (Mike Johns) 1954-1960 

Dear Keith 

don.bewick@hotmail.co.uk 

12 September 2014 

Just to say congratulations on your 

recognition on receiving your OBE in the 

Queen's Birthday Honours List – I noticed 

the announcement in the Stationers' 

Company's Magazine just received. 

Regards 

Don Bewick 

Dear Don 

Keith Woodley 

Friday, September 12th 2014 

Thank you for congratulations. I am now 

looking forward to a trip to Windsor 

Castle on 2nd October for the presentation. 

It was a great surprise but I felt very 

honoured and thrilled. 

Best wishes 

Keith Woodley 

johnwatson@westnet.com.au 

24th September 2014 

Hi Geraint. Well well! Sometimes good 

old email system turns up some unexpected 

results. I assume that you have retired by 

now but you never know in this day and 

age. Still pretty fit to be climbing those big 

English mountains? At least over here we 

do not have that temptation as the biggest 

hills here are about 300 metres. 

A quick potted version of life since 

teaching in Plymouth would be as follows. 

Gave up teaching to follow the money in 

Sales. This was followed by starting my 

own business in Devon which we ran for 

12 years and sold to the wonderful 

Americans. Nothing to do with geology I 

am afraid!! Ending up being bored I joined 

the UK government as a business adviser 

to keep the brain sharp. During this period 

met my second wife and still living in 

Devon. About 2001 it was very wet and 

cold and as Anne was actually born in 

Australia we sold up and emigrated to the 

big sun down under. Big wrench to leave 

our six kids but that is life. Here we are in 

Perth and once again did a bit of 

consultancy work which resulted in owning 

yet another business. From 2013 I have 

run this little operation and managed to 

get my son into the country despite our 

very difficult immigration controls. I have 

now passed the business on to him so am 

now free and easy and can concentrate on 

keeping fit, golf and playing bridge. 

Obviously with five kids and eight 

grandchildren still in the UK we make 

frequent trips back to them all. Generally 

it is the annual pilgrimage. It is then you 

realize how far Australia is from anywhere 

else especially here in Perth. But someone 

has to pay for our sunshine and beaches!! 

The climate certainly makes you feel 10 

years younger. Glad to hear that some of 

the geology pupils actually went on to do 

something in the subject. Pass on my good 

wishes to anyone who may recall me. 

Glad to hear you are well. 

Perhaps I will hear from you soon. 

John Watson 

Dear Geraint 

47 The Gill, Pembury 

Tunbridge Wells 

Kent TN2 4DJ 

7th October 2014 

We too enjoyed our week on the North 

Yorks Moors at the beginning of 

September. The weather was fine and we 

spent a lot of time along the coast between 

Saltburn and Filey. On the way up we 

stayed at Porch House (the oldest house in 

Northallerton where Charles 1st once 

stayed) with Glyn and Joanna Williams 

where they have been running a B&B. 

Glyn Williams has joined the OSA in 

recent time. Looking forward to seeing 

you again at next year's Annual Dinner. 

Until then, with all good wishes. 

Roger Phillpot 1956-1963 

Greetings Geraint 

dg2813@hotmail.co.uk 

4th October 2014 

I'm pleased that you found the article 

interesting as I did and that you will be 

finding a place for it in the magazine. 

(Please see article under 'News of Former 

Staff. Dr. David Clover.) I am sure that 

anyone attending the School between 

mid50s and 1960 will remember 'Fourleaf' 

well. Holcombe is a lovely place to live, as 

you may well have established for yourself. 

I was aware you had stayed nearby as I 

recall mention was made in an itinerary 

account of your travels that appeared in the 

magazine. I wasn't sure where. We decided 

to 'escape' to Devon 27 years ago not 

realising a close friend of mine from 

School, John Hopkins, had fled from 

London to Hayle in Cornwall about a year 

earlier. We have met several times since 

reconnecting and we're in regular email 

contact. 

I'm also in constant touch with Mick 

Dawson and his wife, and whenever my 

23


wife and I find ourselves back in London 

(approximately twice a year) we always 

find time to catch up with them both. 

Finally I was intrigued by the letter from 

Leslie McBride Singleton a) because he 

began at Stationers' the year after I did, 

and b) he had fond memories of Johnny 

Gore just as I do. It seems his memory is 

also indelibly printed on your consciousness 

as indicated by your reference that 

followed. I don't have Leslie's address but 

if you can provide one I will happily email 

a pic of the red book to which Leslie refers. 

Clearly I'm not prepared to part with the 

book itself as it is one of the few Stationer's 

possessions that I have. Sadly my red book 

does not have the distinction of a gold 

crest but it was definitely given to Latin 

students in preparation for O Level. Gore's 

instantly recognizable red scrawls are in 

evidence everywhere throughout the book, 

some marks better than others of course. I 

would be very surprised if anyone has a 

spare copy to part with therefore an 

emailed pic may be sufficient to satisfy 

Leslie's curiosity. 

Best wishes 

Dave Gordon 1957-1964 

FROM MY ECCLESIASTICAL 

Dear Geraint 

CORRESPONDENT IN 

THE NORTH 

peterkmills@talktalk.net 

13 October 2014 

Many thanks for your updates on your 

travels – recently received. Here in Haxey 

and the Parish Church in particular, we 

were joined about 3 years ago by a couple, 

Eileen and David Owers. I discovered 

yesterday that DAVID OWERS had been 

a pupil at Stationers'!! The only guidance I 

can give is that David is 79 – and which 

should help you to approach the records. I 

will be loaning him the publication you 

delivered when you called – but when I 

mentioned the 'Wakefield experience' he 

was of course aware of the bones of the 

situation but not of the history of Stephen. 

Regards 

Peter Mills 

Peter Mills, I have known for very many 

years since he and his wife arrived in 

Llandegfan, near Beaumaris in Anglesey as 

the Postmaster in the Post Office in this 

village many years ago, where my mother had 

lived since 1973. He was very much involved 

in the Church in Wales and became my 

'adviser' locally on Church matters in the 

Principality. Then, when he moved to Haxey, 

near Doncaster, Peter continued to keep me 

advised, now on Church of England matters, 

especially as he was aware that the former 

Bishop of Wakefield, Stephen Platten, was a 

Stationer ever since he was appointed to 

become the Bishop. Consequently, Peter has 

always kept me up to date on much of the 

major developments and changes in the 

Church of England and sent me much of the 

documentation as both he, and I alerted by 

Peter, kept me updated on a major change on 

the bishoprics of West Yorkshire. Thus, through 

cuttings in the Church Times I was able to 

provide a comprehensive understanding 

without precedent, of the process of 

amalgamation of three bishoprics to only one, 

in the Church of England. Thank you Peter. 

[Please see Magazine Number 79] 

Hello Geraint, 

johnbathurst@sympatico.ca 

20 th October 2014 

As LES HUMPHREYS (1952-1959) 

states in 'The Old Stationer No 79 (p 29), 

he has been unable to persuade me “to 

stump up a membership”. I have also 

eluded similar societies, e.g. Northampton 

Engineering College Alumni and the 

RAF Association. As usual, Les kindly 

lent me his copy of the magazine. Finding 

some interesting stuff therein (notably 

contributions by JOHN WARD 1958- 

1965 and JOHN AANONSON 1960- 

1967) prompts me to offer a few rambling 

comments. However, as a 1938-1943 

dinosaur and Wisbech veteran, I doubt 

many readers old enough to care a fig 

about them. 

In 1938, to handle increasing enrolment, 

construction of the School's wing was 

underway. First Formers were being 

temporarily accommodated in classrooms 

at a decommissioned girls' school of 

Victorian vintage located on the west side 

of Oakfield Road, near Addington Road. 

That meant a trudge back up to the main 

school for gym, the library, classes such as 

woodwork and art, army cadet corps 

parades, and in cases of serious 

misbehaviour, a chat with 'Josh'. Around 

the corner in Stapleton Hall Road was St. 

Aidan's Secondary School where, 

conveniently, my girl friend was a pupil. 

She, too, was at Wisbech. We bonded at 

Muswell Hill Junior School, better known 

as 'Tin Pot School' (p 22) due to the 

corrugated-iron cladding of its walls and 

roof. Built as a WWII temporary school, it 

remained temporary throughout WWII 

and then survived two more decades 

before preceding Stationers', St. Aidans 

and Hornsey High – where my sister went 

– into oblivion. (I warned you about this 

rambling). 

My attached photograph, taken in the 

spring of 1939, shows Form 1A of the 

1938 intake. This comprised of boys 

surnames with initials A-H while those in 

Form 1B were I-Z. 

Many of the younger OS will remember 

the above KEITH HEWETT as their 

schoolmaster while PETER BULLEN 

needs no introduction. I suspect that 

COTTRELL was HARRY'S brother 

GEORGE COTTRELL (p 25). PETER 

ASKEY, a dry humorist, was reputedly a 

son of the famous comedian Arthur Askey 

but in fact he was not. BARRATT and 

DAVENPORT were our two brightest 

brains. Also somewhere in the picture were 

AKERMAN, ANGWIN and BRADLEY. 

My friend LEO GATFIELD was later at 

university with me; we were also in the 

93rd North London and, at Wisbech, the 

2nd Stationers scout troops. The former 

was under the patronage of St. George's 

Church (p 21), our pre-war HQ being in 

the basement of the parish hall at the foot 

of Cranley Gardens, site of the present 

church. The hall was half-demolished by 

Hornsey's first 'flying bomb' on 16 th June 

1944. Our temporary HQ was the 

gatekeeper's cottage of Grove Lodge, the 

mansion on the east flank of Muswell Hill 

that was a wartime hospital. There I did 

hospital orderly and fire-watching duties 

– the latter referring to incendiary bombs, 

not living room fireplaces. Also in the 93rd 

NL and 2 nd Stationers' troops were 

JOHN SHELDON, who lived on Farrer 

Road, and JOHN WILLIS on Wood Vale, 

both ahead of me at school. I recall 

climbing Snowdon with KEN WILLIS, 

the latter's older brother, also a Stationer 

and in the 93 rd NL. I was running the 

93 rd NL cub pack in 1945/6, meeting at 

Rokesly School (p 18). One of the cubs 

was my brother, ANTHONY 

BATHURST 1948-1953, later also a 

Stationer. Our home was in Cascade 

Avenue, off Muswell Hill. Schoolmaster 

RODNEY NAYLOR lived three doors 

from us. (In the group photograph the 

juxtaposition of BACON and FRYER was 

doubtless unintentional). 

Ah yes – the Priory Road area, (p18 et 

seq). Starting in 1905 there were doubledecker 

trams running up from Turnpike 

Lane as far as the shops shown in the 

picture on page 21. Single-deckers 

continued up the west end of Alexandra 

Palace and its LNER branch line station. 

24


Form1A in 1939: Front Row (7): Downton, Dickens, Bullen, ??, Gatfield, ??, Blurton – 2nd Row (10): ??, Askey, ??, ??, Hewett, Haynes, ??, ??, ??, ?? 

3rd Row (8); Ball, ??, ??, Bacon, Fryer(?), Davenport, Cottrell, ?? – Back Row (9): Barratt, ??, ??, Archer(?), Anderson(?), ??, Bathurst, ??, Barrett 

The twin tram tracks were an open 

ballasted railway, with an adjacent 

handrailed footpath, along what is now 

Alexandra Palace Way. In those days motor 

vehicle access to the Palace from our side 

was via the road leading to the former race 

track (p 22 and map on p 17). There was a 

similar tram service from Wood Green to 

the east end of the Palace near the boating 

lake (p 22). My mother would relate that , 

as a boy, I informed her that I was going to 

be a tram driver when I grew up – so that 

when shopping she could ride on my tram. 

Alas, in 1938 London Transport (anyone 

remember what that was?) decided to 

abolish the trams, at the same time 

introducing a new-fangled flat-fronted 

single-decker bus that – gasp! had no 

conductor to issue tickets. My youthful 

career aspirations thus cruelly thwarted, I 

had to make do with studies at Stationers' 

and London University followed by a life 

in international Civil Engineering. Having 

been retired for more than a quarter of a 

century and outlived three wives, I continue 

to reside in French Canada (a tip of a hat 

to 'Beaky' DAVIS) with several bunches of 

kids, themselves in or near retirement, and 

a lady friend , all within close range. 

Sincerely 

John Bathurst 1938-1945 

Not so much rambling as inaccurate, as 

Muswell Hill Junior School moved to the site 

of the former Muswell Hill Railway Station 

and Hornsey High School which changed its 

name to Hornsey School for Girls on becoming 

comprehensive, moved to a new site in 

Inderwick Road N8. Both of these schools 

have survived to this day! No case of oblivion 

here! Ed. 

Dear Geraint 

ianbrjones@msn.com 

10th November 2014 

This issue wads of particular of interest to 

me. For one thing, it was a pleasure to read 

about Old Stationers' who started school 

in 1938, as that was the year in which I 

too joined the school. Also I enjoyed John 

Aanonson's carefully researched article 

about Priory Road, not because I ever 

lived there – I lived throughout my years 

at the school in Rokesly Avenue and my 

route was to cross Tottenham Lane, shown 

as the A103 on the map on page 17, and 

continue up Nelson Road until turning 

left on Weston Park and finally up Denton 

Road. At weekends however, I would 

regularly walk our dog through Priory 

Park and out to Priory Road between the 

tennis courts so as to reach Alexandra 

Park grounds where she could enjoy a free 

romp. It was in the pond to the east of the 

Palace that I taught her to swim or rather 

revealed to her that she was able to do so 

by throwing a stick for her to retrieve 

progressively further away until she was 

out of her depth. Once we lost each other 

and I finally gave up in despair to find on 

returning home that she had somehow 

managed to find her own way back and to 

gain entry by scratching on the front door. 

Turning now to JOHN IVEY's letter 

about Muswell Hill, I can confirm that it 

was indeed he who kindly treated his class 

to an early morning swim in Hornsey 

Open Air Pool. I was one of the recipients. 

Although I find it now hard to imagine 

how I found the energy to do so, I used to 

swim there regularly before school during 

the summer months. 

Kind regards 

Ian Jones 1938-1945 

6140 Topsail Road, Lady Lake, 

FLORIDA 32159, USA 

bobpatten89@hotmail.com 

November 14th 2014 

Hi Geraint, 

If there is a shortage of reunion pictures 

for edition number 80 next year, the 

25


Midfield dynamos, circa 1974 

Sir David Metcalf & Bob Patten 

enclosed photograph may be of use to you. 

A possible caption could be: 

'Reunion of the midfield dynamos, OSFC 

5thXI, circa 1974, 40 years on at Simpsons 

in the Strand November 10th 2014, Sir 

David Metcalf (left) and Bob Patten'. 

I hope that you are keeping well and 

enjoying life. I really look forward every 

six months to receiving my copy of 'The 

Old Stationer'. 

With kind regards 

Bob Patten 1948-1953 

SCHOOL ATC CAMPS 

graham.arnold@dsl.pipex.com 

8th December 2014 

Dear Geraint 

It was a pleasure to meet you again at the 

OSA Lunch at Stationers' Hall last week. 

In a recent issue of the OSA Magazine 

you published a request from BRIAN 

WILKINSON 1952-1959, for a copy of 

School ATC Cadets taken at an Easter 

Camp at RAF Leeming. I also attended 

that camp and have a copy of the 

photograph so I have been able to fulfil 

Brian's request. Brian was School Captain 

and played the school organ during 

morning assembly. 

I did in fact attend three ATC Easter 

Camps, all ably lead by Messrs. Nunn and 

Lloyd: 

1958 – St. Athan, South Wales. 

1959 – Leeming, Yorks. 

1960 – Thorney Island, Hampshire. 

I attach a copy of the Leeming photograph. 

The aircraft in the group photograph is an 

Avro Javelin manufactured by the Gloster 

Aircraft Company. Two RAF Officers 

hosted our week. They are shown far left 

and third from left. Brian and myself have 

not been able to name many of the boys 

but we can name the following: 

Back row: Second from left wearing collar 

and tie - Robin Andrews 1953-1960; 

Fourth from right - myself Graham Arnold 

1953-1960; Far right – David Finch 

1952-1959; Front Row: Middle – Brian 

Wilkinson, collar and tie, 1952-1959; 

Fourth from right – Alan Wood 1953-1960 

We did not have a photograph of the 1958 

St.Athan Camp but there was one of the 

1960 Thorney Island Camp, of which there 

is a copy on the OS Website under 'New 

Photos'. Again just a few names I am afraid: 

Back Row: Fourth from right - 

Alan Wood 1953-1960; Front Row: Next 

to Mr Nunn – Robin Andrews 1953-1960; 

Next to Mr Lloyd – Graham Arnold 1953- 

1960; To my right , collar and tie – 

Terry J. Fenn 1953-1960 

I also recall rifle practice on the School 

Rifle Range which was the domain of 

MAJOR HALLS who graciously cast 

aside all friendly rivalries between CCF 

and the ATC and generously instructed 

ATC boys during Friday lunch times. 

When in the prone firing position it was 

possible to see the tops of the houses on 

the opposite side of Mayfield Road above 

the school boundary wall. I do not recall 

any mishaps – thank you Major Halls! 

Kind Regards 

Graham Arnold 1953-1960 

1959 – Leeming, Yorks. 

26


Old stationers and 

all that Jazz 

robertandjacquelinehughes@btintemet.com 

18th December 2014 

Dear Geraint, 

Good to see you at the Annual Carol 

Service which I was pleased to attend for 

the first time. I had forgotten how 

impressive was the Memorial Window 

which had been removed from the School 

and which is now situated in Hornsey 

Parish Church. 

Singing Carols at the service has prompted 

me to drop you the previously promised 

note about my own singing activities. In 

October 2012 I saw an advert in a local 

magazine for a new singing group, the 

Clay Hill Singers, which had just started at 

St Luke's Church, Hillyfields, Enfield. 

The advert emphasised that the ability to 

sing was not a requirement and that the 

emphasis was on enjoying yourself and 

having fun. Despite the, now regrettable, 

fact that I only remained in the School 

choir for a couple of weeks I have always 

enjoyed singing and so decided to give it a 

go and have been attending on a regular 

basis ever since. We meet every Friday 

morning when we pick up the words of the 

songs we are going to sing as we arrive. 

Typically we sing about 16 songs during 

the 90 minutes we are there, with a short 

break for an interval. Our conductor is a 

charming lady called Claire whose father is 

also a regular participant. His name is 

David Gregory and he tells me that he was 

at Stationers' from 1942-47. 

David's wife is the sister of another Old 

Stationer, Stuart Behn. One of the ladies 

whom I regularly speak to at Clay Hill 

Singers is called Lynne Lampert who in the 

1970s worked at Minchenden School with 

Clive Blenkinsop. She and her husband 

form part of Clive's team in the pub quizzes 

at the Muswell Hill pub mentioned in a 

previous issue of the Old Stationer. Needless 

to say she was pleased to see the photo of 

Clive sitting in the staff room at Stationers' 

which featured in another recent issue of 

the magazine. In the new year Lynne and 

her husband are going to invite my wife and 

me for a meal with Clive whom I have not 

seen since 1968. 

Occasionally members of the Clay Hill 

Singers are invited to augment the choir at 

St Luke's for special events and last year 

(2013) I did just that for the patronal 

service which was held at St John's Church 

in Clay Hill, this being in the same Parish 

of Clay Hill. The service was presided over 

by another Old Stationer, Stephen Platten, 

then the Bishop of Wakefield. After the 

service I had quite a chat with Bishop 

Platten and learnt that he had been in the 

same year at Stationers' as my older brother 

Anthony. Furthermore I learnt that he 

knew my late father during his early career 

when they worked together at Shell 

Chemicals. 

Through the Clay Hill Singers I have also 

joined another smaller group called the 

North London Singers also run by the 

same Claire. We meet on Tuesday 

mornings and concentrate on singing just 

two or three pieces of music at a time, this 

time singing from sheet music. I am 

pleased to say that even though it was 

many years ago quite a bit of what I learnt 

in Norman Rimmer's music lessons 

dating from 1961-62 has been recalled by 

my ageing memory, so many thanks 

Norman. We have now performed in 

several small concerts locally and one 

such was at St James Church, Muswell 

Hill last April. Not knowing the local 

parking restrictions I contacted my former 

classmate Stephen Jefferies for advice and 

am very pleased to say that Stephen came 

along to the concert, after which we 

enjoyed a drink together in a local hostelry. 

Should you be reading this under the light 

of a "Blue Moon" and "Consider Yourself" 

to have a reasonable voice then why not 

come "Downtown" to St Luke's where you 

can "Sing". If you do, then as you pass 

through the doors I can say that "You'll 

Never Walk Alone" and others there may 

be amazed by "The Wonder of You". 

When leaving you will certainly feel that 

singing did "Bring Me Sunshine" and who 

knows you might even bump into "The 

Laughing Policeman" on the way out. I 

would welcome you to come and join us at 

St Luke's on a Friday morning. There is no 

commitment to sign up long term; we just 

pay a voluntary contribution of £2 per 

session and everyone agrees that it is a very 

enjoyable way to spend a morning. We now 

have about 10-15 men and about 70-75 

ladies so men are particularly welcome. 

Kind regards 

Rob Hughes 

p.s. Happy Christmas to you! 

The Bishop of Wakefield, Stephen Platten 

outside St John's Church, Clay Hill. 

what might have been – Magical memory 

There we were, these 4 long-haired, music-loving, over-sexed 

(only in our minds), Stationers' schoolboys who enjoyed hanging 

out with each other. One day our leader, Bob Ritchie, with myself 

Don and Ray, who did not have any surnames simply because I 

have forgotten them, told us something exciting and unbelievable. 

We had all been raving about our music heroes such as Buddy 

Holly, Eddie Cochran, Fats Domino, and Lonnie Donegan, 

Chris Barber and Acker Bilk, when Bob stunned us into sudden 

silence by revealing he not only had a guitar but he had a taperecorder 

as well! 

When we recovered ourselves we called him a lucky so and so 

and kept asking him when could we all go round to his house and 

look at and play with these wonderful things. So straight after 

school the very next day we crowded into Bob's front room 

where he showed us the guitar and tape recorder. After a lot of 

trying these out we had to admit Bob was the only one who 

could play a few chords on the guitar and make it sound good. 

About this time a talent show called Carrell Levis Discoveries 

was on stage for a few weeks at the Astoria Cinema Finsbury 

Park, where anyone with some sort of talent could go and 

perform a possible musical masterpiece and be "discovered" 

which could lead to "greater things". 

Bob decided we would have a go at this and the thought of it was 

so exciting we even stopped thinking about girls for a short while 

and concentrated on this possible chance of stardom! We chose 

two songs. Buddy Holly's EVERYDAY and Michael Holliday's 

THE STORY OF MY LIFE. After several days rehearsing and 

Bob's ability to play 4 or 5 chords on the guitar, we had to admit 

27


geography) were the very primitive facilities for boys and girls 

(separately, of course) and the air-raid shelters, more of which later. 

Juniors went out of their door and round the back to get to the 

playground, a tarmacked slightly sloping area bounded on two 

sides by the road. The slope, inevitable in Muswell Hill, had been 

reduced a bit by excavation so that by the fence and by the wall of 

the adjoining house was a short steep bank. At the other, lower end 

a stout wooden fence stretched across the playground, leaving a 

narrow strip of ground which was intermittently and 

unenthusiastically used to show that seeds put into the soil would 

sometimes germinate and produce a flower or vegetable. To the top 

right of the playground there was a small square extension which 

was meant to be reserved for the infants. In the garden backing on 

to this were kept a few chickens; these fascinated us town kids. 

Astoria, Finsbury Park c.1949 

we didn't sound too bad. 

We all got more and more excited and also more and more 

nervous. As the date got nearer and nearer to go to the Astoria, 

we found ourselves coming up with reasons not to go. The 

thought of going up on stage was suddenly very daunting, and 

would our bowels be able to stand it, but most important of all, 

if were honest with ourselves, we weren't as good as we thought 

we were anyway! 

Almost at the last minute, with a mixture of disappointment and 

relief, we decided not to go. So, the start of an amazing musical 

career fizzled out before it even started. But I still wonder, after 

all these years, if Bob can play more than 5 chords now. 

Mike Hiron 1954-1959 

TIN POT MEMORIES 

Muswell hill primary school 

The building was originally intended to be temporary so it was 

relatively inexpensively built in wood and corrugated iron. It was 

rectangular in plan and orientated roughly NW-SE. This meant 

that the five classrooms on the SW side of the central corridor 

were generally sunny (when there was sun). They each had tall 

sash windows, most of which could be opened and closed with 

the aid of ropes. 

They were fairly high up so that we couldn't see anything of 

interest outside to interrupt our education...... There were floor 

to ceiling sliding/folding partitions between at least some of the 

rooms, but this useful facility was rarely if ever used. 

The rooms were equipped with standard double iron framed 

desks with hinged seats and work surfaces and a pen rack and ink 

holder at the top. Teachers' desks were raised on small plinths. 

The walls would be plastered with teaching aids and occasionally 

pupils' work. 

Doors at each end of the central corridor let pupils in and out of 

the school, infants at the NW and juniors at the SE. On the 

other side of the corridor, working along from the junior end, 

there was a cloakroom, a store room, caretaker's den, a room for 

the head mistress, then the Hall. This had a platform at the 

upper end and many seldom used glazed doors leading to the 

outside. Beyond the hall, another tiny room served as a very 

cramped staff room, another store and the infants' cloakroom - 

all very tidily designed. 

Outside at the back (Le. NE, for anyone still following the 

Summer PE lessons often took place on the playground. Races 

were run up and down; as the fence at the bottom and the house 

wall at the top were not parallel, it meant that you had an 

advantage being on the side nearer the school - you had a slightly 

shorter run. I still remember the look on the face of the most 

athletic boy in the class, Eric Eveleigh, when I beat him in a race, 

having worked out the advantage. You collided more or less 

violently with the wall at the end of the race - it would not be 

allowed today by the H & S people. Half way up the playground 

on the right one could clamber through a couple of bushes and 

scramble onto the shady roof of the adjacent air raid shelter. This 

I would sometimes do on a summer day after returning to school 

from lunch at home. I would lie there in the sun with eyes closed 

and listen to conversations around me. I was most gratified one 

such day to hear a small voice ask, 'Is he dead?' 

I remember little of my first day in school, other than being put 

next to Barry Griffiths. 

Barry wore glasses, one lens blanked out. Not having met with 

this phenomenon before, I must have stared. In my class from 

the earliest days was Roger Heard; he and I became good friends, 

though we drifted apart after we went to Stationers', as we were 

in different classes from then on. I have recently made a small 

effort to trace him, and one or two other classmates of those days, 

but with almost no success. Talking about whom I sat next to, I 

remember being most upset once being made to sit next to 

Stinker Myers. Poor girl, I am sure she didn't deserve this 

nickname. 

At the other end of the spectrum, there was a sweet girl with a 

head of fair curly hair, whose name I forget at the moment, but 

may well remember before I finish this; she had a moderate 

stutter and although I didn't fall in love with her at the time, I 

remember her with affection. I did find myself attracted to 

Rosemary Dickens; she never showed any sign of recognising my 

affliction and at that time I was puzzled about my feelings. 

Whilst on this tack I will recall a school party when I was in the 

upper part of the school - no idea about the circumstances - at 

which we played various games which involved running about. I 

swung round one of the Hodge twin sisters and quite innocently 

and accidentally clutched her right breast (which must have been 

in its very infancy); I recall clearly the electric shock which 

passed through me and the subsequent wonder about what it 

meant. Today's young people would surely readily understand ... 

The Sankey twins, Ted 'n' Harry, joined the school not long 

before we went to secondary schools. They were good friends - 

and I really fell for their sister, Pat. I took her to the opera at 

Sadlers Wells a couple of times - so perhaps it is no wonder I 

made no progress with her! The only one of my contemporaries 

28


Muswell Hill Railway Station the site on which the primary school was built. 

I can find on 'Friends Reunited' is Beryl Noyce. If anyone 

reading this has contact or information concerning anyone else 

in my year, I would be pleased to hear. 

I remember various teachers; Miss/Mrs Manchip/Mantrip or 

some such. Poor lady had a limp and no idea about how to teach 

children. On the other hand there was Mrs Shaw whom we all 

adored. Her husband had a hand in the education of some of us, 

too. Somehow or other I went with a party of children to a 

summer holiday camp somewhere in, I think, Sussex. Peter Lack 

would remember. Mr Shaw accompanied us; he took us on walks, 

including to a stream running through the village. We watched 

as a fish scuttled away from our gaze among the water weeds; 

almost immediately, another startled us by following exactly the 

same route. 

The head mistress in my time was Miss Barker. I had no 

particular feelings toward her, or contact, until one day I was 

summoned before her and threatened with the cane unless my 

reading improved. I was so scared that I wet myself all over her 

floor (short trousers in those days) and had to dash round the 

back. I had no prior knowledge that my reading was substandard. 

I don't think it made much difference in the long run, but in 

retrospect I realise that others were concerned. My brother 

showed me a passage in one of Dad's railway books about a runaway 

train, which did interest me, but it was not until I was 

introduced to Biggles and a book called 'Flying for Ethiopia' 

that I started to read of my own accord. I still read rather slowly, 

but always have at least one book on the go. 

Another vignette of memory - I was at school in rather unusual 

wartime circumstances, not the whole school, but in an admix of 

classes, possibly during the holidays; why, I know not. The airraid 

siren started and the teacher in charge began to hurry us out 

to the shelter in a panicky kind of way. It was some time before 

we blase children could get her to listen - to the all-clear! 

In my first paragraph I said that I had spent almost all my time 

at the Tin Pot School. The qualification is due to the fact that 

after a bomb (a V1 doodlebug I think) landed on the railway just 

above the school and damaged the roof, we had to meet in a 

temporary room at Crouch End School, some mile away. This 

was not a happy time for me - I hated school dinners; previously 

I had always gone home at lunchtime. 

Some time later we returned to the Tin Pot and noted the repairs 

to the roof of the hall. 

Twice in my life I have suffered the shock of finding a school 

building missing from its site. At some point the Tin Pot was 

pulled down and a replacement built on the site of Muswell Hill 

Station - closing of the Ally-Pally line was a crime. I didn't know 

about this until I visited some years later. The second even 

greater shock came when I went down memory lane expecting to 

see Stationers' Company's School, but that had gone too - a 

political crime - and another story. 

Tony Bathurst 

PS: Her name was Marion Blanchard - I remembered! 

First world war memories 

audjohn@hotmail.com 

5th January 2015 

Dear Geraint, 

A Happy New Year to you! Hope you are well and fit to travel. 

I enclose the following which you requested. Please amend/omit 

as you see fit. First World War stories abound and will continue 

to do so as we are reminded of the centenary of the start of the 

war. My father, Walter Young saw action in France from April, 

1915 until the war ended when he was released as a prisoner of 

war at the end of 1918. 

On returning home he started writing his memoirs, a unique 

story of amazing survival against all the odds. His writings only 

came to light after he died in 1957, when my brother eventually 

sold the house and found three large manuscript books at the 

back of a cupboard. None of us knew about these as my father, 

in common with many servicemen, never talked about his 

experiences. 

Walter Young was born in 1898 at 323 St. John's Street, just 

below the Angel, Islington., the fourth of eight children. He was 

employed by the Post Office in 1908 and worked at King 

Edward Building, Holborn as a sorter until he retired in 1949. 

This large Post Office was not that far from Fleet Street and the 

site of the first Stationer's Company's School. When he married 

in 1922 he settled in the home in which I was born and lived 

until I married in 1956. This was in Cressida Road, near to 

Hornsey Lane - a stone's throw from the site of our school in 

Mayfield Road. (These are rather dubious and indirect 

connections which linked us with Stationers' for I never went 

there as a pupil, but joined Highbury County Grammar School 

in 1941. Being in a different Borough we never engaged as rivals 

in sport). 

My father had joined the Territorials in 1913 and trained at 

various places in the South of England including Abbots Langley, 

near to my present home at Wigginton. He served with the 47th 

Division of the Post Office Rifles together with many of his 

colleagues from King Edward Building. Before enlisting he was 

presented with a New Testament (which I still have) from his 

church - Woodbridge Baptist Chapel in Clerkenwell Square. He 

became a committed Christian whilst attending that Church as a 

young man. Although I am sure he never presumed that God 

would protect him whatever happened, but his trust in God must 

have been a great comfort to him in all the trials and dangers he 

went through. He knew he could have died a thousand times, but, 

of course, he did survive or I would not be writing this. He had 

no heart for war as he writes on the first page of his memoirs, "It 

is not in the spirit of Christianity," but he regarded what he did as 

serving his King and country and his family. 

29


It would be impossible to describe all the horrors he experienced 

during the three and a half years he was serving in France. 

Indeed, many accounts are available of others who went through 

the same. Yet, my father wrote his story in a very personal, factual 

way without showing much emotion or embellishing the details. 

The Imperial War Museum have not kept a copy on film and my 

daughter managed to get his story into book form (Blurb.com 

and go to Wal's War). 

He fought in the Battles of Festubert and Loos in 1915; at Vimy 

Ridge in 1916; In 1917 he endured the fighting at the 

Hindenburg Line, Ypres, Poelcapelle and Bullecourt. At the 

latter battle he acted as a stretcher-bearer and won the Military 

Medal for outstanding bravery in rescuing a soldier under heavy 

fire and through shell holes and barb wire. In 1918 he was at 

Barisis and at the start of the great German offensive (which 

failed) in March he was captured. This happened when he was 

taking a stretcher across a corn field to the First Aid post and 

discovered that the Germans were on two sides of the field, 

almost to where he was heading. He threw himself down under 

a hail of bullets, but decided, in the end, that he would make a 

run for it. Immediately, a bullet hit the side of his helmet and 

came out on the side, miraculously missing his head. Putting his 

hand up to hold his head, he had a bullet in the hand and knew 

the game was up. He writes, " Strangely, I felt quite calm and said 

to myself, 'at last'." 

The Germans ran towards him with bayonets fixed, but thankfully 

were not used and he had no alternative but to surrender. 

He, with many others, was taken to a Prussian coal mine, many 

miles away and put to work half a mile down extracting coal. 

Not being a miner and with bullying Germans whose language 

he did not understand, he endured a most miserable time and 

was badly injured on two occasion, but just had to keep on going. 

He writes "In many ways the mines were worse than the trenches 

because at least you had rest days at times, but never down the mines." 

My father, Walter, was an extremely shy, quiet and reserved man, 

so everything he went through was an ordeal, but, at the Prussian 

mines, his heart of compassion went out to all the other prisoners, 

French, Belgium, Russian and English who seemed as he put it 

"Like sheep without a shepherd," quoting the words of Jesus 

when He met the crowds. Life was sheer misery, hopeless and 

aimless as there was nothing to do except work. 

As a Christian he felt he should do something to give them some 

hope to help them in their deep depression. So, going against all 

his natural reserve to stay in the background, he asked for 

permission to hold a Christian service. This was granted, but the 

only place was the washroom where there was little light and a 

noisy hissing sound. When the day came, in great trepidation, he 

wondered if any would turn up. Strangely, one prisoner had a 

violin (how did he preserve that?) and offered to play the hymns. 

There were no hymn books, so my father read the verses from 

one copy he was given. About 40 turned up and it must have 

been one of the strangest scenes one could ever imagine, but he 

did it and writes, "I think I said a few words," meaning that he 

talked about the love of God to all men, whoever they were and 

in whatever situation. He does not record the reaction, but 

simply said that further services were held. Dad certainly lived 

out the New Testament teaching -"My power is made perfect in 

weakness." for it was the last thing he wanted, or felt able to do. 

This untold story in all the books that have been written, have 

moved me more than anything showing what the human spirit 

can achieve when obeying God's call to love one's fellowmen. 

Not long afterwards, the war ended and prisoners repatriated. 

Dad was taken through Holland, across the North Sea to 

Yorkshire and then by train to King's Cross. His home was 

nearby, but no details are given as to how his family received him 

back. (When a prisoner, he was described as 'missing' on many 

notices that were sent out by the War Office). They must have 

been overjoyed and, I am sure, made a great fuss of him. 

In 2014, I have had the pleasure and honour of talking about my 

father's experiences on Radio 4; Radio 2 with Clare Balding and 

local radio. My daughter has spoken on radio Oxford. Last August 

I also had the honour to lay a wreath at a service organised by the 

Post Office to commemorate the part played by the Post Office 

Rifles in the Great War. This was held at St. Botolphes Church in 

Aldersgate Street, again a stone's throw from Stationers' Hall. 

This was a moving occasion, after which I and my family went on 

to see the poppies placed around the Tower of London. Some of 

those poppies represented those my 

father knew and worked with who 

had given up their lives, some blown 

to pieces almost next to him. (He was 

buried alive when the trench was 

blown in on one occasion, but quickly 

rescued.) 

The publishing firm - Hudson Lion 

will be publishing another version of 

my father's story. It will be called 

"Walter's War" and should be out 

sometime this year. 

John Young 

A request from myself. If there are any 

Old Stationers' who went to one of the 

Cholmeley Camps which I ran from 

1954 to 1974 and would like to make 

contact I would be very pleased to hear 

from them. (audjohn@hotmail.com) 

John Young with Clare Balding 

30


Robert E. Howard's Rarest Book 

A priceless piece of Howard history comes home 

to Cross Plains by Leo Grin 

The Herbert Jenkins 

edition of A Gent From 

Bear Creek was the very 

first book Robert E. 

Howard ever had published. 

Although Howard had 

been writing for magazines 

for his entire writing career, 

by 1935 he still hadn't been 

published in book form. He 

had come close several 

times, but something 

always happened at the last 

minute to spoil the deal. 

But finally, in 1936, a small 

British publisher named 

Herbert Jenkins purchased 

the rights to publish a book 

of Howard's rip-roaring Breckinridge Elkins tales. All of these 

humorous-hillbilly westerns had originally appeared in a pulp 

magazine called Action Stories. In fact, Ol' Breck Elkins was so 

popular with that magazine's readers that for several years every 

single issue of the magazine featured a Breck story from Howard, 

a streak which continued from the character's inception in 1934 

all the way until their backlog of stories finally ran out a year after 

Howard's death. After learning that Herbert Jenkins wanted to 

publish his Breck Elkins stories in book form, Howard sat down 

and rewrote them slightly, adding textual "bridges" between them 

that tied the individual stories together into one complete novel. 

Howard then sent the finished manuscript off to be published, 

but tragically he died before seeing the finished book in print. 

The book was published a year after Howard's death, in 1937, 

with Dr. Howard receiving the complimentary copy intended for 

his late son. One can imagine the great joy and pride Howard 

would have felt if he had lived to see his very first book published. 

The book was being sold only in England, and a few years later, 

as World War II engulfed the world, huge paper shortages in 

Britain prompted wide-scale pulping of books to fill wartime 

needs. As a result of this mass destruction of books, by the end 

of the war virtually every one of the copies of the Jenkins A Gent 

From Bear Creek had vanished from the face of the earth. 

Because of this, in the sixty years since the end of World War II 

a mere six copies of this book have been found, making it by far 

the most rare and priceless of all Howard collectibles. Two are in 

libraries in England under lock and key. One is owned by an 

elderly Howard collector in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Howard's 

copy is now in the library of Ranger Junior College in Ranger, 

Texas. A fifth copy has been passed around from collector to 

collector several times throughout the 1990s, each time selling for 

thousands of dollars. And the last and best copy is owned by none 

other than Howard scholar Glenn Lord of Pasadena, Texas. 

That's it. For sixty years even fans with thousands of dollars to 

spend have been unable to add this book to their collections, 

because it simply was not to be found anywhere. This scarcity has 

made it the Holy Grail of Howard Collecting, the one book that 

every Howard aficionado dreams of owning. 

A Miracle from the South ... 

the truly deep South .... 

South Africa, that is. In Forest Town, South Africa, within 

earshot of the roaring lions of the famous Johannesburg Zoo, a 

man named Ian Snelling owns a rare bookshop. 

An ex-soccer player, Ian has for the last twenty years collected 

rare first editions of books and made a career out of buying and 

selling them. Because of this, Ian often goes to a local charity 

thrift shop and pokes through their "to be pulped" bin, looking 

for rare treasures about to be sent off as garbage to be destroyed. 

As he explains it: 

"This is a place where bitter experience has taught me that I 

better look through their throwaways before looking on their 

shelves. I'm sure you must have similar places in the USA ...little 

old ladies working for charity who know that old tatty books 

have no appeal and just take valuable shelf space away from the 

Danielle Steele's and Jonathan Kellerman's that are nice books 

that the public will buy. 

"For example, I found a rare copy of Evelyn Waugh's Scoop in 

their throwaway bin two years back. It was brand new, but with 

no dust jacket. So new, in fact, that I asked "where's the jacket 

that must have been on this?" The old lady answered: "Nobody 

would have bought it with that scruffy old thing ...we binned it!" 

Finding the dust jacket on that book would have made it far 

more valuable. That time I was four days too late. 

"But it taught me the lesson that searching their garbage bin 

prior to the shelves was a must. No amount of pleading to keep 

back old books has had any effect, they always think they know 

best. Even the payments I give them for discarded "rubbish" 

makes them think I'm eccentric. Of course I'm eccentric ... I like 

finding diamonds in seas of mud!" 

Ian Snelling 

31


So, in early 2002, Ian was looking through the pulpers bin of the 

charity shop in question, and came across an old, dirty, battered 

copy of a book called A Gent From Bear Creek, by some chap 

named Robert E. Howard. Ian has long been a collector of P.G. 

Wodehouse, so he was quite familiar with Herbert Jenkins as a 

publisher. But the name Robert E. Howard didn't ring any bells, 

and standing there in the shop he guessed that "Howard" might 

actually have been a pen name used by famous western writer 

Louis Lamour. So, thinking the book might be worth something 

on that basis, he paid a few rands for it and attracted more 

eccentric stares from the old ladies by leaving a R20 tip in their 

collection jar. 

Consider the Providence involved here: that particular book - 

only the seventh known copy to exist - had been a mere two 

hours away from being sent off to the pulpers to be destroyed! 

Coming home and doing some research, Ian found the website 

for the Robert E. Howard United Press Association, and realized 

that Howard was a real person. He emailed the REHUPA 

webmaster (who happens to be me - Leo Grin), telling me about 

the fmd and asking for more information. I quickly sent him to 

his collection of Firsts Magazine (a magazine dedicated to 

collecting rare books) and told him to dig out the issue published 

two years ago featuring Robert E. Howard. 

It was then that the true nature of his find sunk in. Ian had no 

idea how popular an author Howard was, how many fans he had, 

or how rare and expensive a book he had actually found. As he 

later said with a chuckle: "My knowledge of sci-fi and westerns 

leaves a lot to be desired. Somewhere I'd remembered the name 

but in the wrong context. When I re-read the 'Firsts' article, I did 

have the grace to blush!" 

After thinking his options over, Ian decided that - rare as the 

book was - it wasn't the kind of thing he needed for his own 

collection. So he decided to sell it. He told me, however, that he 

found E-Bay auctions and the like too impersonal, so he would 

be much happier seeing it auctioned off in a venue where real 

Howard fans would have a chance at owning it, or at least seeing 

one up close for perhaps the only time in their lives. 

Ian asked if I would perhaps like to auction the book off for him 

in the states, but after thinking it over I had a better idea. 

I told Ian the story of Project Pride and the Howard Museum, 

and how the people of Cross Plains had worked so hard to 

preserve Howard's memory. I also told him of the annual 

Howard Days Festival, and how hundreds of Howard fans came 

to Cross Plains each year to remember Howard. I suggested that 

if he truly wanted the book to be accessible to fans, he might 

consider selling it to me for a fair but discounted price, with the 

stipulation that I then donate the book the Robert E. Howard 

Museum here in Cross Plains. 

The decision was not a light one for Ian. After all, if he chose to 

sell the book on E-Bay he was guaranteed to make many 

thousands of dollars from the sale. But he was touched by what 

he had heard about the efforts of Project Pride and Cross Plains, 

and so finally he agreed to sell it to me for the relatively cheap 

price of $3700. In doing this for the people of Cross Plains, I 

estimate that lan sacrificed several thousand dollars which he 

would have received if the book had been auctioned publicly. 

And so here we are - and here "it" is. The book was officially 

donated to Project Pride and the Robert E. Howard Museum 

during the 2002 Howard Days festivities. Now Cross Plains 

finally has that most precious of all Howard collectibles, the 

ultra-rare Herbert Jenkins first edition of A Gent From Bear 

Creek. Rather than being locked up in a library's holdings or 

disappearing into some rich fellow's collection never to be seen 

again, this book can now be seen by Howard fans whenever they 

visit the Howard Museum in Cross Plains. 

Thanks to a kind and generous man in South Africa, a major 

piece of Howard history has finally come home. 

The book hunter by Dick Phillips 

Gordon 

SA Book Connection, 13 Polela Road, 

Hillcrest KZN 3610 

ian@sabookconnection.co.za 

I hope this may be of interest to you. I've just published my first 

book 'The Book Hunter' under the nom-de-plume Dick 

Phillips. It's a biblio-mystery. I should add that 'the hero' is a 

Gooner supporting bookdealer or just maybe, a bookdealer 

loving Gooners. 

Feedback for the 'Book Hunter' 

I prefer to call this 'feedback' rather than a review as a true review 

should be objective and this feedback is subjective. 

Firstly, I want to say that I really enjoyed the Book Hunter and 

really hope that you complete your editing for publication so that 

I can add it to my collection. 

The use of the first person for all the main characters is an 

unusual approach but one that works really well as the reader 

feels empathy for each character – including the murderer (to a 

point). I like to identify with the main character in each book I 

read. It doesn't matter whether the character is male or female; I 

'become' that character. 

The book was a nice mixture of 

personal journeys, the discovery of the 

value of books and the gradual building 

of knowledge about the books, for 

both the characters and the reader. 

There is a lot of really useful 

information about first editions and 

book collecting and it is given in a 

way that doesn't destroy the flow of 

the story. Much as I enjoy John 

Dunning's books there were a couple 

of occasions where the technical information interrupted the flow 

of the story and I actually skipped a page to get back to the plot 

(vowing to get back to the useful information at a later stage). 

Your first edition information seemed to be more closely woven 

into the story and I didn't skip a single line! 

I liked the 'journey' from London to South Africa and the 

descriptions of the two countries and the differences between 

the two, including the pros and cons of living in two very 

different environments. I could relate to that. The whole book 

was really gripping and 'unputdownable' and this was particularly 

32


true of the 'murder plot'. It was a believable story about books 

and the joy of owning something unique and you really made the 

idea of killing to own a particular book seem almost 

understandable. I really enjoyed the surprise ending! I did think 

it ended quite abruptly but maybe the last few pages aren't quite 

finished? 

I also like the characters, they were very different and your 

depiction of each one made them come alive and made each and 

everyone of them 'likeable' even, as I said above, including the 

murderer. I would buy 'The Book Hunter' when you get around 

to publishing it. I will recommend it to others. 

I really do urge you to complete the work you have to do before 

publication. You will be doing yourself and the reading public a 

great disservice by not publishing it. 

Well that's about it. I'll be more than happy to sign using both 

real and nom-de-plume names should you require. Thanks and if 

you buy, enjoy. 

Best wishes 

Ian Snelling 1953-1960 

SECONDLY from 

GRAHAM LING'S LETTER 

PSA AND PROSTATE CANCER 

I was most interested to read ROGER ENGLEDOW'S 'Peru 

Postcript' and in some ways we have much in common (apart 

from being in the same school year). 

When I worked in the bank I was entitled to a full medical every 

four years. When I took 'voluntary' early retirement at aged 50 

and started a new life as a driving instructor this was not available 

to me. 

At 52 my wife and I paid for full medicals but at 56 it was too 

expensive. However, the following year we went ahead. During 

this time Kathy started working for a consultant urologist and 

this is where luck came in. 

When all the blood tests from the medical came back the PSA 

was 5.2 (should be less than 4). My GP wasn't worried when I 

mentioned it to her but she said that as Kathy now worked for a 

urologist she could perhaps show the result to him. This she did 

and after putting his finger where fingers are not meant to go, said 

that he could feel nothing wrong. However, he referred me to a 

prostate cancer specialist. Initially, he was not worried either but 

biopsies were taken and whilst three were clear three were 'iffy'. 

We then went through the whole process again three months 

later when the PSA had arisen to 8.4 and 2 biopsies showed 

cancer. Once we had got over the initial shock, unlike Roger, I 

was really given a free hand as to treatment and at 57 opted for 

a radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate). Before the 

operation I also took the same pills and injections as Roger with 

the same results. 

However, after the operation, although there are side effects 

which I won't go into here, the PSA returned to 0 where it stayed 

for four years before starting to rise slowly. Unfortunately the 

cancer had obviously spread just outside the prostate. I then had 

35 sessions of radiotherapy where again I was lucky as this had 

little effect on my overall health. The PSA again returned to 0 

where it has stayed for another three or four years before starting 

to climb slowly. This still continues (presently 16.2) and I have 

regular MRI and bone scans, but so far so good. 

It is now over 14 years since my operation and for those of you 

who see me at our annual reunions I am not doing too badly. 

During this time for three and a half years I was chairman of 

PCaSO, a prostate cancer support group in Hampshire and 

Kathy and I counselled several people who had been diagnosed. 

It is not the end of the world but I would strongly agree with 

Roger that regular checks are essential especially if you know that 

it is in the family. Whilst checks and PSA counts are not 

infallible they can pick up this horrible disease early so there is 

time for action. 

Sincerely 

Graham Ling 1954-1961 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT 

The Company's decision to put its name into the "Stationers 

Crown Woods Academy" will automatically involve the OSA in 

making a decision on whether we want it to affect us, or not. 

I have put some thoughts together which do not necessarily 

reflect my political views! I understand that the Company intend 

to communicate with all OSA members regarding their 

involvement. Indeed, by the time you read this you will probably 

have received their circular. I have the benefit of putting these 

thoughts together before I read what they have to say. 

We all know that the last member of the OSA is expected to 

"turn the lights out" in 20xx! Actually, as an active body, the end 

may be a bit earlier than that. Will what the Company has done 

this year make any difference? At some time our Committee may 

put a proposal to an AGM so that those who attend will be able 

to express their views and vote. Having written that I don't think 

it is right. It shouldn't be only those able to attend the AGM that 

should have the right to vote on our future. The Committee 

should organize a referendum to which those who attend the 

AGM should consider to be binding, whatever the question is 

going to be (presumably changes to our constitution). 

Some OSA members don't like the idea that the OSA will not 

survive for ever. They like what we have, think that it is a force 

for goodness and feel that the history behind us will get lost if 

there is no way of perpetuating the Association. 

My thoughts are directed more towards how any coming 

together of ex-pupils of SCWA and SCS might be brought 

about. To that end, they may be irrelevant (as I don't know where 

the majority view lies) but I think that they may help OSA 

members to come to a decision. 

Most of us, I suspect did not see any particular benefit to joining 

an "old boys' association" as soon as we left school. When I left 

though, the structure was somewhat different. By joining either 

the football club or cricket club one automatically became a 

member of SOBA. This changed (in the 60s?) when the 

association became the OSA and the sports clubs became 

separate entities. Forgive the history but the point is that many of 

us are members of the OSA because we started with one, or both, 

of the football and cricket clubs. Our numbers are not declining 

as might be expected because as we get older more people look 

back with nostalgia and see the OSA as a worthwhile organisation. 

So, how do we interest lads and lasses leaving school in South 

London to become involved with a lot of old men with whom 

33


they probably feel they have little in common. To begin with we 

would need to sow some seeds (from little acorns etc.). Both the 

teachers and the Company will need to play important roles. 

On the football front perhaps the teachers could play a match 

against the OSFC Megavets or even an OSA walking football 

team on the School's sports day. The School could be asked to 

put together a suitable standard cricket team to play at Botany 

Bay in the President's Day match. The Golf Society could play 

an event in the Greenwich area and invite pupils, ex-pupils and 

teachers to join in or the golf match against the Company could 

be a 3-way match. A bridge match wouldn't involve many from 

the OSA but could form part of a bigger initiative. 

Longer term would the school's sports facilities be available for 

use on a Saturday? The OSFC 3rd (?) XI could be formed by 

ex-pupils from SCWS and play South of the river. (Some of you 

might think that a ridiculous idea; but these days each OSFC 

team is a separate squad within the club. If you play in the 2nd 

XI you won't get promoted to the Ones or relegated to the 3rds. 

Each team has, and uses a number of substitutes.) Further into 

the future, other teams could migrate to South of the river. 

Would the young ex-pupils want to come to our current 

functions. Who knows, but perhaps not. They might be fascinated 

to experience Stationers' Hall though. So a Summer Ball might 

interest them. This is where the Company might need to show 

its commitment by not charging for the use of the Hall so that 

the cost would be attractive to the South Londoners. When Tony 

Mash was President he was keen to expand our activities and 

give members the opportunity to involve spouses. So a boat trip 

on the Thames might come about after all. 

Do the two elements of an expanded Association need to mix a 

lot? It is probably not a big issue. In 30 years' time there won't be 

many of us who will be interested and the whole purpose of any 

coming together will be to extend the OSA's existence well 

beyond that time. 

Most of us probably feel that our subscription goes towards the 

2 magazines we receive each year. If the new intake paid the same 

subscription they wouldn't have all that much interest in what we 

currently produce, although they could start to develop their own 

pages. The cost of that plus the few extra copies that would be 

needed wouldn't increase the magazine costs very much. Thus 

some of the extra income could be used to develop these extra 

activities or subsidise things like a Summer Ball for the SCWA 

contingent. 

Whilst thinking about what might interest youngsters joining 

the OSA it also occurred to me that a further extension of 

membership could include the sons, daughters and grandchildren 

of current members. That might help to retain some of the 

history as there would be a personal interest from them. It might 

also help the process of integration if the younger element was 

coming from more than one source. 

Maybe none of the above thoughts will come to fruition but they 

might see other ideas that do. In order to avoid assuming you 

now know how I would vote on any proposal put to us all please 

read the first sentence of the second paragraph again. However, 

having seen a lot of biased information (on both sides) in the 

Scotland Referendum my intention is to put some "food for 

thought" on the table so that members can start their thinking 

process regarding our future. We are likely to have 3 options 

i) embrace the new situation, ii) ignore it (and upset the 

Company?) or iii) provide some guidance to SCWA to set up 

their own Old Pupils' Association. 

Roger Engledow 

Old Stationers Walking Football Initiative 

Under the guidance of Roger Engledow we have started 

“walking football” sessions at the Power League Astroturf 

pitches on the junction of the North Circular and Colney 

Hatch Lane. 

We play each Thursday at 11 am. If you are 55 or over and 

think you are in better condition than the motley crew in this 

picture then come and join us for fun, exercise and a rekindling 

of those magic moments from your youth. We need a 

minimum of 12 players to allow for a rolling sub and oxygen 

breaks so contact either myself or Roger to declare your 

availability. 

If there is enough interest and talent we intend to join a local 

league later this year. 

Tim Westbrook 

34

WHY WE SPEND NEARLY HALF 

THE YEAR IN LANZAROTE 

I was persuaded that I should not continue to put Brenda 

through the journey to Australia. Lanzarote is less than four 

hours away from Stansted. After ten years as geriatric gypsies 

trying to see how far we could roam it was time to settle down. 

The first try to reduce the travelling was achieved by finding 

a studio apartment for rent in Puerto del Carmen overlooking 

the harbour. We went to the same place twice a year for late 

autumn and late winter breaks. Unfortunately, I made some 

flattering comments on the website. The result was that 

somebody booked it for the October period before we set out 

for the February break in 2013. 

The solution was to seek our own place in the sun. Our luck 

held, we were offered a shabby, depressed two bedroom 

apartment at a very modest price by a local bank trying to 

recover a debt. We were taken to inspect it by an agent who 

told us that it was available but the price was not negotiable, 

up or down! We both agreed that it was a horrible mess but 

Brenda said "it needs TLC". 

So I offered the agent the asking price, which was accepted. 

The agent then gave us the names and phone numbers of 

tradesmen who could help us to provide the TLC. Eighteen 

months down the line the process is being completed while 

we are back in the UK. We have a spacious, elegant and 

modernised two bedroom apartment (72 square metres) with 

a patio (plus small sea view) and a forecourt, in the heart of 

the old town of Puerto del Carmen. 

We were away from the UK rather often and our UK property 

was showing signs of being neglected so we sold up and 

moved to a retirement complex in Saffron Walden, much 

closer to Stansted. The garden is maintained under contract 

and the manager lives in the flat above ours. Last year we 

spent 25 weeks in Lanzarote and we will do the same in this 

and subsequent years. There are many social events in the UK 

that we like to attend and we can avoid the complications 

which would arise if we go past 182 days in Lanzarote, 

including applying for residency which is not realistic. 

We now have the time to explore Lanzarote to discover some 

of its geography and history. It is said to be the first of the 

Canary Islands to explode from the Atlantic Ocean millions 

of years ago. In current terms it is the fourth largest island in 

the group and the closest to Africa, being 125 km from 

Saharan Morocco. The population is about 135,000 supporting 

a million tourists a year. It has a very pleasant climate (except 

mid-July to mid-September when it can be very hot). The 

rainfall is 140mm per annum - yes that is less than 6 inches! 

Lanzarote is a very barren land but its arid wastes are 

spectacular and such agriculture as occurs is a tribute to the 

initiative and cunning of the farmers. The local fishermen 

make a good living. The tourist industry discovered Lanzarote 

in 1960 and probably peaked in 1982. The worldwide 

financial crisis of recent years produced a major downturn 

here as elsewhere. 

There is some reference to Arabs visiting the island in the 

tenth century. By the end of the 13th century many ships 


AS FAR AS YOU ROAM 

visited the Canary Islands but Lanzarote would not have been 

a preferred destination as there have never been rivers. The 

Spanish and Portuguese disputed ownership until the Treaty 

of Alcazovar 1479 finally put the Spanish in control. Following 

the discovery of the Americas there was substantial shipping 

through the Canary Islands and Lanzarote was periodically 

under attack from French, English and Dutch pirates. Early 

in the 17th century 5000 Arabs took Lanzarote with an 

invasion by 60 vessels. In 1730 the island had a small 

population, with the economy based on agriculture and cattle 

rearing. 

On the evening of September 1st, about 11 km from the town 

of Yaiza the earth opened and the volcano of Timanfaya rose 

to 500 metres above sea level and lava flowed from the first 

and subsequent eruptions across the island until April 1736. 

This suffocated the livestock and covered the arable land in 

deep lava and produced many more volcanoes. Some thirty 

years later a drought for five years reduced the population by 

more than 2000 through hunger and thirst. In the 19th 

century various epidemics further reduced the population and 

the final volcanic eruptions in 1824 preceded yet another 

drought, which finally broke in 1847 leaving the island in its 

most depressed state. 

Modern technology has provided power from the sun and 

some drinking water from the ocean. Some of the beaches 

have been topped up with sand imported from the Saharan 

desert. Life for the farmers remains very hard. Water is very 

expensive and said to be not entirely salt free, although it 

tastes OK. They manage to grow vines and figs in hand made 

holes in the ground protected by walls of volcanic stones, 

which catch dew and occasional rain. There are some inland 

sandy areas supporting onion growing and some tomatoes and 

water melons but no one would claim they have any chance of 

making the place self-sufficient in the near future. We have 

had a look round and done some research and now are 

hooked. Four or five return tickets a year looks like the way 

forward. The climate is agreeable and the multiracial 

population in our area has been very friendly. For the time 

being we have the best of both locations. We can return 

frequently to our new neighbours in Saffron Walden to 

develop a social life there as well. 

Peter Engledow 

Dear Geraint, 

THREE PEAKS REPORT 

R.A.Griffiths@kent.ac.uk 

5th September 201422:43:41 

Great to meet up at Whipsnade recently. Here is the promised 

article about our Three Peaks walk in June, together with the 

extract from The Stationer 1975. 

The latter has some other interesting pictures (eg: me in the 

school play, Mike Brookes, Richard Comerford and Sean 

Leonard in the School 1st XI, and you John Watson and John 

Young in the staff football team - I can scan these if you'd like 

them). Also some Three Peaks photos. Let me know if you 

would like any further info. 

Best regards, 

Professor Richard A Griff iths 1968-75 

35


The Three Peaks of 

Yorkshire 40 Years On 

In June 1974 I was among a gaggle of Stationers undertaking 

the annual pilgrimage to Malham in the Yorkshire Dales. 

Despite the fact that it bore no affinity to the curriculum of 

the day, our enthusiastic geographic teacher - one Mr Geraint 

Pritchard - insisted that we should all undertake the Three 

Peaks Walk - a gruelling 27 mile hike over three of Yorkshire's 

highest fells, nominally to be completed within 12 hours. I 

subsequently recounted the trials and tribulations of that 

exercise in the 'Geography Field Courses Report' published in 

the 'The Stationer' volume 62, a copy of which I recently 

unearthed in my loft. 

About a year ago I had a phone call from fellow Old Stationer 

and Three-Peaker Mike Brookes. He said 'Do you fancy 

doing the Three Peaks again before we are both past it?' Both 

Mike and I are former members of Hornsey's Oakleaf 

Venture Scout Unit, and have continued to meet up at regular 

intervals over the years for walking weekends. So we set a 

date and organised a training schedule. This was complicated 

by Mike having to undergo knee surgery a few months before 

the walk. Mike claimed that his long-standing knee problem 

was down to playing too much football too late in life (by the 

time he stopped playing he was as follicularly challenged as 

Bobby Charlton, although there the similarity ends). 

Nevertheless, the knee came through the practice hikes 

unperturbed, and Mike subsequently got the all clear. Our 

respective families, possibly knowing that they would never 

hear the last of it unless they relented (we had been welltrained 

in the art of persuasion by Mr Pritchard) displayed an 

uncharacteristic enthusiasm for also participating. Mike's 

younger brother Alan - another Old Stationer/Three Peaker 

from a few years after us - had the rather feeble excuse that 

he was already booked up to see the Austrian Grand Prix that 

weekend, so he generously nominated his wife Jan to do the 

walk instead of him. 

An early start at Ribblehead Viaduct. From left to right: Mike Brookes, Richard Griffiths, Margaret Griffiths, Alex 

Brookes (son of Mike), Charlotte Brookes (daughter of Alan and Jan Brookes); Katy Hardy (girlfriend of Ollie Brookes); 

Ollie Brookes (son of Alan and Jan Brookes), Jan Brookes (sister-in-law of Mike). Photo by Gareth Griffiths 

So on the Saturday 23 June 2014, a party of nine, comprising 

two Old Stationers, one wife, one sister-in-law, and an 

assortment of offspring/girlfriends assembled at 7.30 am at 

Ribblehead Viaduct for the ascent of Whernside. After much 

discussion, we had opted for a non-traditional route, taking in 

the highest peak first. The Three Peaks guidebook describes 

this ascent accurately and succinctly unremittingly steep! At 

one stage Jan was almost using the wire fence that followed 

the so-called path as a ladder. However, unlike four decades 

previously when we tackled the climb in mist and rain, the 

weather was clear and dry. The 

downside of the clear weather 

was that both Pen-y-Ghent 

and Ingleborough were clearly 

visible from the summit, and 

any raised spirits on 

conquering the first peak were 

dampened by the realisation 

of just how far remained to be 

walked. Nevertheless, it was 

9.15 am and the first peak was 

in the bag. We set off down 

the ridge in the direction of 

Philpin Farm, where there was 

a very welcoming refreshment 

kiosk. The GPS told me how 

fast we had been walking and 

what distance we had covered, 

and I estimated that we were 

about 45 mins behind 

schedule. Urging the group 

onwards, we crossed the 

Ingleton-Hawes road, and 

started the ascent of 

36


Ingleborough. This starts very gently with an amenable 

ramble across some pleasant meadows, but suddenly becomes 

a challenging zig-zag scramble up the rocky scarp to the top. 

The summit of Ingleborough is a flat, desolate rocky 

moonscape. It was here 40 years ago that Mr Young - his 

orange bicycle cape billowing around him in the wind and 

rain - made the salient observation that this was meant to be 

geology field course not a survival week. Had he not been a 

tactful and religious man, I sense he may have questioned the 

ancestry of his colleague Mr Pritchard for instigating the 

whole event. In July 2014 the summit of Ingleborough was 

rather more crowded than in 1974, and the fine weather 

allowed spectacular views of the Dales. 

We were now over an hour behind schedule, so tried to step 

up the pace on the long descent to Horton-in-Ribblesdale in 

the heat of the early afternoon. On the way down we passed 

through the limestone pavements of Ingleborough National 

Nature Reserve, where I passed on to my 15 year old son some 

pearls of wisdom concerning clints and grykes that Mr 

Pritchard had imparted to us when were his pupils. I was 

quickly put in my place: 'Dad, I did my geography GCSE two 

weeks ago. I don't need to know that right now'. Clearly a 

strategic learner in the making ... We briefly paid our respects 

to the Pen-y-Ghent Cafe - the scene of much pre- and postwalk 

banter in 1974 - replenished our supplies of water, and 

then set off for Pen-y-Ghent. As with Ingleborough, the start 

of the ascent is deceptive, as it traverses some lush meadows, 

before hitting steep rocky climbs up the limestone and 

gritstone scarps. However, once over those, the summit is a 

short scramble away. It was 5.00 pm, and we waited our turn 

to take photos at the trig-point. We had done the Three Peaks 

forty years on. The only problem now was that there still 

remained a further 9 miles to cover to get back to Ribblehead. 

The continuing clear weather meant that we could see the 

viaduct in the distance, and it looked an awfully long way 

away. However, this part of the walk was very different to 

1974. 

Forty years ago I recall a relentless yomp through bog and 

marsh on a decidedly unclear path. Today, the path is wellmarked 

and a very pleasant ramble across the lower fells. A 

setting sun and mild breeze provided ideal walking conditions 

to take us to the finishing line. We arrived back at Ribblehead 

just after 8.00 pm, exhausted but - despite some grumbles from 

the teenagers - in good spirits. It had taken us twelve and a half 

hours - two hours longer than in 1974, but given nearly half the 

party were over 50, we felt rather pleased with ourselves. 

So, apart from Mike Brookes' knee and my grey hair, what has 

changed over the past four decades? Mike pointed out that 

back in the 1970s we were fit but unprepared. Well, we were 

now better prepared but certainly less fit. The kit has certainly 

moved on. As impoverished Stationers' pupils, we made do 

with Doc Martens and flimsy kagoules, with the betterprepared 

members of the group investing in combat trousers 

from Haringey Army Surplus stores instead of the Brutus 

jeans (I recall several of my peer group stumbling when their 

footwear snagged the generous flare of their 1970s trousers). 

37


In 2014 everyone in our group was topped and tailed in the 

latest Gore-Tex, and wearing a pair of boots purchased for the 

price of a whole School trip to Malham in 1974. One thing 

that hasn't changed much is the reliance on the OS map, and 

having three map-readers in our team provided useful checks 

and balances on our route. The GPS also helped clarify exactly 

where we were on several occasions and provided an informative 

record of our route, walking speed and timings. The Three 

Peaks route is also much better marked now than it used to be, 

presumably to accommodate it's increasingly popularity and 

the impact of relentless footfall on the fells. I genuinely cannot 

recall meeting any other walkers on the route in 1974 (maybe 

they looked at the weather that day and had more sense). 

Today, the route is much busier, and in places a little crowded. 

Nevertheless, this does not diminish the sense of achievement. 

As I write this my son Gareth has just started his A-level 

Geography. Part of this will include a field trip to Malham. 

No doubt this will result in the completion of rather more 

Health and Safety forms than we ever did, and I somehow 

doubt whether the Three Peaks Challenge will be embraced 

within the programme for the week. Despite his reluctance to 

engage in a discourse with his father over limestone pavements, 

I wonder if the experience will resonate with him 40 years on? 

Richard Griff iths 

‘Is this where we went wrong 40 years ago?’ Richard consults the map en 

route to Horton-in-Ribblesdale. Pen-y-Gent in the background 

Looking back at Whernside just before the ascent of Ingleborough 

9.15 am and Whernside is in the bag! 

200 m done, and just 27 miles to go... 

38

My first excursion to Norway was prompted by my sister, 

Bethan deciding she was going there to look for a new venture 

abroad. From living in the district of Jesmond, a more affluent 

area of Newcastle upon Tyne in those days and working in the 

Teaching Profession in the new town of Killingworth, it was 

an easy crossing embarking on the 'Leda' from Tyne 

Commissioners Quay. So I followed her route by boat to 

Bergen at Easter 1971 for my first visit in the snow and ice 

and had my first taste of this Scandinavian country. Three 

years later after an initial taste I returned again in the summer 

of 1974. This time, my sister and I had a plan to travel in an 

Austin 1300, to once again take the same crossing to Bergen 

across the North Sea, but this time to drive to the North 

Cape, the most northerly point in Norway, by travelling 

hopefully! Travelling the Fjord Coast by using numerous 

ferries and moving north to the Svartisen Glacier and passing 

the Arctic Circle at 66.5 degrees North we arrived at the 

North Cape after motoring for ten days and just under 2000 

miles, were all part of the experience. 

Forty years on, no longer is it possible to take the ferry from 

Newcastle on Tyne any more as it has not been available for a 

number of years. The chosen route was the Channel Tunnel 

and travel through France, Belgium, Netherlands and to 

Germany on the first day for a weekend sojourn in Eime, near 

Hanover. After the short stay, the route was now north to 

Hamburg and skirting Lubeck, a delightful city, before pulling 

up for the crossing to Denmark, from Puttgarden to 

Rodbyhavn. There was a twenty minute wait and a forty five 

minute crossing which made it a very efficient crossing from 

Fehmarn to the island of Lolland in Denmark, probably the 

most efficient and shortest link from Germany to Denmark's 

capital, Copenhagen. However, the journey continued to the 

next island, Falster and then across another stretch of water by 

bridge to Vordingborg on Sjaelland (Zealand) the main island 

of Denmark. Skirting Naestved, the overnight stop was at the 

hotel Sorup Herregard, near the hamlet of Vetterslev just off 

the main road to Ringsted. The journey was 324 miles. 

The next day of the journey included a short visit to Ringsted 

and then to Roskilde before a walk through the baroque 

gardens and fountains of the Castle (slot) of Fredericksborg 

before making for the ferry from Helsingor (Elsinore) in 

Denmark and arriving in Halsingborg in Sweden. Again the 

ferry crossing with Scandlines was very efficient and one is 

also rewarded with a clear view of Hamlet's Cronburg Castle. 

Our main route was now the E6 North. One detour was made 


NORWAY REVISITED 40 YEARS ON 

to the coast to see the town of Halmstad. The E6 eventually 

brings one to Goteborg (Gothenburg), the second city of 

Sweden, a journey of 242 miles if you ever consider doing the 

drive from Central Sjaelland (Zealand). The accommodation 

in Goteborg was the Ibis Hotel on a boat on the quayside 

which is not far from the City Centre. 

Departure next day was 9.00am with a short drive around 

town before continuing north on the E6, with a deviation 

planned on the E45, following the Gota River upstream to 

visit Trollhattan and the Gota Canal, where there are locks 

taking the boats up and downstream. Returning by the E44 

westwards to the E6, once more the journey continued north 

towards Oslo. Staying in the west of town, it was more 

convenient to take the tunnels under the Oslo Fjord to reach 

the Scandic Hotel on the site of the former airport at Fornebu. 

A meal in the centre near Akersgata not far from the Radhaus 

(Town Hall) on a balmy evening was a change from the 

driving of the last three days. The evening allowed one time 

to drive up to Holmenkollen, the site of the Ski Jumping and 

the point of celebration of the National Day in Norway. The 

views looking over the City and the Oslo Fjord at dusk were 

very rewarding as the sun was setting. 

Holmenkollen ski slope 

We had the best part of two days to take in some of the sights 

of the Norwegian capital not seen since my last visit in 1974. 

The area of Bygdoy on the edge of the Oslo Fjord is not far 

from the centre and is where there are museums of boats. 

Thor Heyerdal's Kontiki is housed here with a vast amount of 

information and displays of his achievements in his balsa 

wood boat and Ra1 and 2. There is a second museum here of 

Viking Ships of Oseberg, Gokstad and Tune and the detail 

about these boats. The third of the three museums is the story 

of the Fram and the achievement of Amundsen being the first 

explorer to reach the South Pole who started his explorations 

in Northern Canada, then eventually wanting to go the 

Antarctic. There is also much on Scott of the Antarctic here 

and his very disappointing and sad attempt to be the first to 

reach the South Pole, but beaten by Amundsen. 

Another interesting visit is to Frogner Park where there is a 

vast array of Gustav Vigeland's work, mainly sculptures and 

statues. Vigeland lived from 1869-1943 and from the main 

gate take a walk up the wide path between the statues and 

end up at the centre piece on the lower terrace. Then climb up 

the steps to the twenty metre high obelisk, the Monolith 

between the 200 figures in bronze, granite and cast iron, 

depicting every emotion of humanity with the 'The Angry 

Child' being a popular photograph! Gustav Vigeland started 

his work as a wood carver but fell under the spell of Rodin and 

switched to stone, iron and bronze, starting work in the Park 

in 1924. and continuing till his death. 

During this visit there was an opportunity to go into the 

centre of Oslo, entering in front of the Palace and parking in 

39


Geiranger 

Pilestredet, then walking down Grensen coming to the 

Domkirke (Cathedral) after walking along Stortorvei. Had a 

meal in the Cathedral Cafe and strolled with numerous 

residents, shoppers and visitors on Karl Johansgata, the main 

street from the Palace to the Sentralstasjon (Central Station). 

Crossed Fred Olsen Gata, passed the Borsen (the Stock 

Exchange Building) and from the waterside took a photo of 

the amazing newish building of the Operaen and the concrete 

surrounds of Kirsten Flagstads Plass which took one's breath 

away. Then walked along the water past the Akershus Castle 

to the Radhusplassen and the Radhuset and chose a narrow 

street to reach Eidsvolls Plass, a green area between the 

Nationaltheatret and The Storting (The Parliament) with 

restaurants and water features. This had been a great walk 

taking in some of the tourist attractions. Oslo was an 

excellent visit with also catching up with the family that I had 

stayed with in 1971 and 1974. 

Now besides the capital, Oslo, there were some of the great 

sights of the country to behold in the next seven days some of 

which were particularly associated with scenery, especially 

north and west. 

The exit north from the City is the E6 passing the location of 

the airport for Oslo at Gardermoen 31 kilometres from Oslo. 

Followed the east side of Lake Mjosa to Hamar and on to 

Lillehammer. This is an important town for skiing and the 

Winter Olympics and a very impressive site for ski jumping 

high up on the hill. Travelled 18 kilometres north on the E6 

and came off at Hunderfossen and stayed at the 1912 Nermo 

Hotel positioned on the side of the hill near Hafjell. The 

Nermo also had a golf course and was very pleasant with a 

first class breakfast. This was a stopping point on the way to 

the first of the choice of classic sights to be seen in Norway 

south of Trondheim. 

En route near Ringebu the first stavkirke was to be found, a 

unique type of church in Norway made of wood with unique 

features. Quite small inside, this was the largest stavkirke I 

had seen high up on the hillside with a rood screen but at 

present surrounded in scaffolding. Norwegians were Catholics 

till the 13th century and then became Lutheran Protestant. 

Driving up the hill on the by road a few metres there was the 

presbytery with bee keeping and crafts and advertising 

refreshments. Refreshed with coffee, waffles and jam and sour 

milk, we continued our journey to Vinstra, observing another 

stavkirke but much smaller, before arriving in Otta. This was 

our most northerly point north on the E6 on this occasion as 

here the 15 going west was taken to Lom, a busy junction on 

the 15 and 55 where light lunch was obtained before 

proceeeding to Grotli. From being in valleys for the journey 

from Oslo, the road started to climb from the valley into High 

Fjell and such was the vista all around the only building, a 

hotel, in Grotli. It reminded me of my trip in 1971 when I was 

planning a visit from Oslo to the north west at Easter. 

Ringing up the hotel in Grotli then, to ask if the road was 

open, the reply was 'Yes, if you come up in July!' Here I was in 

summer and the place could be described as wild with the hills 

all around covered in snow. Grotli was on the edge of the 

Reinheimen National Park. 

Continuing on the E15 for 13 kilometres there was no 

agriculture but a wild scenery of lakes, ice and rivers and even 

on a summer's day appeared uninviting particularly as we 

turned north on the 63 to reach our destination for the night. 

However before that at the lake Djupvatnet with a small 

place to stay, Djupvasshytta there is a turning north with a toll 

leading one to the top of Dalsnibba at 1476 metres with a 

large car park for cars, minbuses and coaches. Well what a 

sight at over 4500 feet above sea level, here is the first view of 

one of the most impressive places in Norway, the Geiranger 

Fjord. Geiranger has to be seen to be believed. I first saw the 

picture in black and white in a sixth form text when I started 

teaching at Stationers' in 1970, Powrie and Mansfield, North 

West Europe, and I said to myself Geiranger is a must! Too 

cold to stay too long on Dalsnibba, the descent was made 

through the large number of hairpin bends passing saeters, 

pockets of grassland suspended on ledges giving a small area 

of winter feed for the animals, gathered in summer. 

The settlement is approached on the lower slopes of the road 

to the village with numerous hotels and guest houses dotted 

here and there indicating that Geiranger is a very popular 

centre for visitors with coaches parked wherever possible in 

Grande Fjord Hotell & Hytter, Geiranger 

40


this narrow settlement. The fjord is now clearly in view with 

the still water a beautiful turquoise reflecting the sky. 

Motoring along the side of the fjord at sea level, having left 

the village the hotel Grand Fjorde came into view on the 

south side of the road. Built on the hillside it had six floors, 

proving to be very comfortable with a marvellous buffet for 

the evening meal. Sitting in the restaurant one did not have 

to travel anywhere to get a better view of the Geiranger Fjord. 

The next day the only other route out of Geiranger besides 

the road from Grotli, the way we arrived, is up the vertical 

side of the fjord straight out of the hotel. Here was another 

challenging drive with zigzag bends one above the other, 

taking the road to the top of this nigh vertical cliff. A viewing 

point half way up the climb gave a superb view of the same 

fjord looking downstream where one only saw the steep sides 

of the 'U' shaped valley dropping, sometimes with waterfall, 

vertically into the submerged floor of the glacier carved valley 

hundreds of feet below the surface. Geiranger is one of the 

finest examples of a fjord in the world. 

The road north now continued to Eidsdal where it was 

necessary to take a ferry to cross the Norddalsfjorden to Linge 

to continue north east on route 63. A narrow sheltered valley 

was the location for strawberry fields on each side of the road 

before climbing up Meiardalen valley to the high fjell once 

more with a bleak landscape of stark pinnacled peaks 

enclosing the road on all sides and the odd hytte. Passing a 

refreshment stop with a large number of people milling 

around and cars and coaches to boot, indicated that here was 

another very significant tourist attraction of the natural 

landscape. The road started to descend steeply and one was 

aware that here again was a vertical cliff with another of the 

major challenges that have tested the skills of Norway's civil 

engineers. Zigzag bends were numerous with the added 

complication of a powerful waterfall falling down the vertical 

drop in the same area also to be negotiated. This is the 

Trollstigveien, one of the most testing roads in Norway and 

then a pleasant journey through the valley of Isterdalen to 

Andalsnes, the most northerly town reached on this journey. 

From Andalsnes the E136 was followed west along the inlet of 

Innfjorden and then the much larger Romsdalsfjorden for 20 

kilometres before turning south into Tresfjorden, continuing 

on the E136 towards Sjoholt on Storfjorden. Just before 

Sjoholt the 650 turns south through small hamlets to the edge 

of the Norddalsfjorden where a right turn is taken to cross by 

ferry the aforementioned Storfjorden to Stranda. Here the 

road 60 goes due south parallel to the Sunnylvsfjorden 

reaching a place named Ljoen. Here take a stop at the seaward 

end of the Geiranger Fjord to look up this stretch of 

magnificent scenery that numerous cruise liners travel every 

year to visit this one particular fjord seen as a highlight of the 

cruise. Continuing south on the 60 to Hornindal and the lake 

of the same name it is a short journey to reach the Innvikfjorden, 

another fiord for cruise ships but not so much for the scenery 

of the fiord in this instance but more for the glacial scenery for 

which tourists arriving have to embark from the ships. There 

are three pleasant settlements here on the side of the water, 

Stryn, Loen and Olden which don't seem to be so busy as 

when the Bergen Line Ferries operated from Newcastle to 

Stavanger and Bergen up to 2007. However, the Oldenfiorde 

Hotel was chosen for accommodation just above the berth for 

the Marco Polo for the night. 

Bergen 

Rising early for a typical Norwegian breakfast on a beautiful 

morning with a view of the countryside on the opposite bank 

reflecting its colours of varying greens on the still water were a 

sight to behold and are indelibly printed in the memory! The 

Marco Polo sailed away, with its complement of passengers, 

puffing smoke through its funnels as it sailed effortlessly along 

the fjord disappearing for its next destination. The attractions 

here for us tourists were associated with Loen and Olden. The 

first excursion was up the valley from Loen along the lake 

named Lovatnet for 14 kilometres, just under 9 miles to Bodal 

where the road forked. Taking the right hand fork and paying 

the toll for a ticket of 40 kroner, just under £4, the road came 

to a car park in the trees with a couple of coaches. A 15 minute 

walk through the trees, I emerged from the shade of the canopy 

to look up to see two tongues of the glaciers of the Kjenndalsbreen 

branching out, north westwards from the largest ice cap in 

Norway, the Jostedalsbreen. It was well worth the visit and one 

that had escaped me from my 1974 visit when I passed this way 

and stayed at the youth hostel in Olden. 

Returning to Olden and passing the jetty there was now 

another ship with a number of tourists milling around the few 

shops that had become alive from the night before and the 

fleet of buses parked overnight became alive as they ferried the 

passengers backwards and forwards along the Oldedalen 

Valley to the hamlet of Briksdal. Here in the car park there 

were 20 coaches in contrast to the previous visit. Taking the 

path of reasonable ascent rejecting the buggy like vehicle as 

seen on a golf course or used to ferry people in a NT property, 

and soaked by having to cross a bridge very near a waterfall 

where the wind was particularly strong, we walked for an hour 

and a quarter to the foot of the Briksdal Glacier. Still part of 

the Jostedalsbreen it was obvious to make a comparison with 

our first glacier, and reaching the point of safety the 

Brikdalsbreen was an amazing sight which stretched down the 

slope. However, amazing turned to awesome as the glacier in 

front of our very eyes, calved at that very moment and 

gigantic chunks of ice broke free from the glacier tumbling 

down the hill with an enormous roar like the sound of thunder. 

This was the effect of melting sections of the ice in summer 

and a real threat to mountaineers and even anyone being 

anywhere directly below this avalanche would not have had a 

chance of survival. It was a real spectacle for the tourist to be 

present to see such a phenomenen associated with glaciation!! 

The return to Olden was 15 miles where the 60 continued 

west along Innvikfjorden as far as Utvik where the 60 climbed 

south up the hill to the view point Karistova and then 

dropped down to Byrkelo, joining the E39 south through 

Vatedalen to Skei turning south east along Kjosnesfjorden and 

then entering a tunnel 25 kilometres, about 16 miles long 

41


under the edge of the ice cap of Jostedalbreen enabling one 

to reach Fjaerlandsfjorden. Forty years ago there was no road 

to come here from the north, nor was there a road south so 

the village of Mundal then was only accessible by boat. My 

uncle and aunt went there for a week's holiday to stay in the 

Hotel Mundal which was there then and actually has been in 

business since 1861 and was still functioning today. Nowadays 

the village of Mundal is the secondhand book town of 

Norway, Norske Bokbyen, a bit like Hay on Wye in Wales. 

However I counted about six book shops in Mundal today. 

The bookselling season is from May till late September with 

a dozen rustic buildings. Since the 1960s there have been 

little transhumance summer farms called stols. Wetlands 

called boyaori are wet lands that have attracted 100 species 

of birds. Latterly the Norsk Bremuseum has been built near 

Highway 5, the new Norwegian Glacier Museum. Another 

newish tunnel takes you out of the valley to link up with 

Sogndalsfjora, actually only completed in 1986. Little 

satisfaction in finding a hotel in this town, we decided to go 

northeast along the side of Barsnesfjorden first to see the 

hotel at Solvorn but full but with help from the patron there 

we were booked in at the Torvios Hotell further on the 55 in 

Marifjora and right on the edge of the water on Gauppefjorden, 

a delightful spot! Another great day! 

Breakfast at Torvis was indeed a pleasure on Lustrafjorden 

before returning to the 5 and arriving at Mannheller for the 

ferry for crossing the upper reaches of one of the longest fjords 

in Norway, the Sogne Fjord. The 5 continued on the south side 

till meeting the E16 now contained in a tunnel for 25 

kilometres competing all comers as the longest tunnel in the 

world as far as Aurland. This day was to be the journey to 

travel on another of Norway's highlights, the world renowned 

Flam Railway, pronounced 'flom'. Arriving at the station to the 

sight of another cruise liner one knew there would be hundreds 

to be accommodated on the train as well as ourselves but with 

a philosophical shrug of the shoulders, I arrived at the ticket 

office and came away with return tickets not wanting to be 

trapped in Myrdal for the night high on the bleak fjell where 

the main line from Bergen to Oslo meets the Flam Railway. 

The tickets were not till 17.25pm for the hour journey and the 

return was at 18.35pm arriving back at 19.35pm, in reality a 

two hour journey there and back. So in effect the famous Flam 

Railway journey was on hold. More of that later! 

Well, the possibility of a delayed start on the rail journey had 

been taken into consideration the night before so there had 

been some planning of options having scanned the Cappelens 

Kart 'Stort bilatlas Norge 1:325000, our trusted map purchased 

in Oslo and an excellent atlas for the journey as already 

described. Again picture postcards, a great source of knowledge 

in any country of significant sights both local and national, 

help one to select the main places to visit when in alien 

territory. The two fjords Aurlandsfjorden and Naeroyfjorden 

just to the north of Flam, were possible excursion areas for the 

afternoon. The first of these involved an 18 kilometres stretch 

along the E16 west most of it in two tunnels apart from 3 of 

those kilometres. Arriving in Gudvangen, there is a ferry 

connection northwards along Naeroyfjorden into 

Aurlandsfjorden and then east along the aforementioned 

Sogne Fjord to Kaupanger on the north side. 

However, a narrow road leads five kilometres north along the 

west side of the narrow Naeroyfjorden to the hamlet of Bakka. 

It was a glorious summer's day with blue skies and bright 

Myrdal 

sunshine and Bakka was a small settlement hugging the side 

of the fjord. There were a number of white wooden houses 

clustered around a church, which had a rood screen with 

motifs at the end of the pews. Some of the houses were 

holiday homes. The whole village is dominated by the very 

narrow Naeroyfjorden. Returning through the first of the two 

tunnels to the blue sky another minor road goes north to 

Undredal right on the edge of Aurlandsfjorden. Walking 

down to the few shops there was a cafe where there was 

welcome refreshment to be purchased including a variety of 

goat's cheese coloured brown and local to this village where 

there are eight cheese producing farms. 

The population is 112 inhabitants and 500 goats. Relaxing 

under the awnings here was very pleasant and a welcome 

break munching the local fare and soaking up the peaceful 

atmosphere of this unspoilt village with the lapping of water 

from the wash of boats passing by. What a wonderful place 

to tarry a while and savour the atmosphere in the bright 

sunshine of such a delightful spot. The stavkirke measures 

only 12 by 4 metres and has only forty seats, the smallest 

stavkirke still in use in the whole of Scandinavia. A lasting 

view, gazing down on the multicoloured properties from this 

tiny church is still indelibly printed on my mind. 

The Flamsbana was the start of the train journey at 17.25 up 

the Flamsdalen following the road for the first part through a 

number of stations with high mountains on the sides of the 

valley. Getting nearer to the head of the valley the train now 

hugged the side of the valley with a steeper gradient to reach 

the high plateau. There was a very interesting stop when all 

the passengers disembarked by a spectacular waterfall and we 

were all entertained by a water nymph singing and dancing 

high above us on the rocks. With the show over the passengers 

rejoined the train and the journey continued up to Myrdal on 

the steepest part of the journey until we approached the 

station which linked with the line from Bergen. A short stop 

at Myrdal before then return with another succession of fine 

views going for the first part of the journey before reaching 

the lower slopes. The last part of the journey for the day was 

to continue along the E16 eastwards to Vinje and then 

northwards on the 13, ten miles to the Helgatun Pension 

Hotel which was very comfortable for the overnight stop. 

Besides Geiranger all the accommodation was booked the day 

before or on arrival the same day. No problem. 

Leaving Helgatun next morning it was amazing to see a 

completely new development of hotels, houses and apartments 

being built all associated with a new skiing village. Travelling 

south on the main road to Voss, tarried a while on the edge of 

the Vargsvatnet Lake, just below the Fleischers Hotel by a 

memorial to Cnud Rockne, a well known football coach in the 

42


US. Voss is an attractive town and a centre for skiing. The 

journey to Bergen was along the E16 made up of numerous 

tunnels that interrupted the blue sky which was much more 

welcoming. Reaching our destination, Bergen, where it rains 

on more than 200 days in the year, we were welcomed by 

glorious sunshine on a warm summer's day which gave a 

wonderful feeling for visiting this lovely city. Boats of various 

sizes berth in this natural harbour, and parking on the quayside 

the visit commenced. Reaching the Fishmarket at the head of 

the harbour there was a lively buzz as locals and visitors 

mingled in the market and in front of the Bryggen, a well 

known landmark for anyone arriving in Bergen by sea. Finding 

the Aroma Restaurant with an outdoor table, lunch was taken 

not far from the start of the funicular up to the Floyen, 

relaxing and watching the world go by before embarking on a 

visit to the centre of this lovely city. Passing Torget with 

various types of caviar and then the church in Korskirken, 

there was the delightful park with a bandstand of colourful 

flowers and the statue of Grieg, one of Norway's most famous 

sons. It was a real pleasure to be part of the buzz of Bergen 

walking through the centre of the City before leaving to go to 

Trollhaugen to see the residence of Edward Grieg and his 

wife Nina. There was so much to see here and a very pleasant 

place to relax by the water that two hours disappeared taking 

in the peaceful atmosphere of the house that once was home 

to Grieg and Nina, the studio and the garden. What an 

impressive visit to Bergen which made a much greater 

impression on me than either of my two previous visits. It was, 

no doubt, one of the seven or eight highlights of Norway. 

The next part of the excursion was unplanned apart from a 

decision taken to stay somewhere in the location of Rosendal! 

Arriving in Norway, there was an outline plan to travel in an 

anticlockwise direction around Southern Norway. The choice 

of Rosendal was taken before the decision to take in Bergen, 

but was seen as a place to stop overnight on the road south. 

Why Rosendal? Well with no prior knowledge whatsoever of 

Rosendal, but looking at an atlas map, the seaward end of the 

Hardanger Fjord, dominating Southern Norway, directed my 

eyes to this 150 mile long fjord, the longest in Scandinavia. No 

'Cappelens Kart Stort Bilatlas Norge 1:325 000' able to be 

purchased in the UK before departure, I had to wait arrival in 

Oslo to purchase a Road Map of Norway and a Street Map of 

Oslo, essentials for the Geographer! 

However, with no accommodation booked in advance in 

Norway apart from Oslo and Geiranger, one keeps a look on 

the map to see where one may be at the end of the day even 

a few days ahead. So, with the knowledge of my first night 

stays in Norway, having arrived by ferry in Bergen from 

Newcastle, now no longer available, in 1971 and 1974, being 

Oystese and Voss respectively, I was now looking for a route 

other than the 7, the main direct road to Oslo. One reason was 

for a change and the other to avoid the heavy traffic on this 

road, and to avoid the preponderance of tunnels all morning. 

Having originally thought of going south via Stavanger it 

became clear that the journey would take much longer. 

Rosendal as being the place with a country hotel marked on 

the map became the goal. Bergen is not easily reached from 

the east as one has to go north or south to circumnavigate 

Ulriken to reach the urban heart, of the City. Similarly, leaving 

Grieg's House we were being signposted 580 and ended up 

well south of Bergen with directions to Odda where we 

eventually wanted to reach. Not having really consulted the 

map after having found the centre of Bergen, we followed the 

flow to Osoyro and realised there was a ferry from Hatvik 

across Fusafjorden, unknown territory, and once realising the 

implications found that we were indeed on the shortest route 

to Rosendal was just about 50 kilometres not 30 miles but 

with two ferry crossings. As experienced throughout this trip, 

the ferry crossings were highly efficient, never having to look 

up the time of the next ferry, nor having to worry how long to 

wait, as the ferries are extremely efficient and waiting times, 

wherever we have been, minimal! Route 552 took us to 

Eikelandsosen, and 48 east proved a pleasant journey with the 

second ferry crossing Hardanger from Gjermundshamn, and 

docking at Arsnes no more than eight kilometres (five miles) 

north of our chosen destination, Rosendal. A surprisingly easy 

journey! Reaching Rosendal we espied the Rosendal Tourist 

Hotel timbered black and white on entering the village and 

booked accommodation for the night, on the other side of the 

road from the jetty. The whole area was called Kvinnherad 

and lies on the eastern side of the Folgefonna Nasjonal Park, 

an ice cap of some miles in length from north to south. 

One more full day was available to enjoy in Norway after 

Rosendal with an early rising breakfast was taken at eight 

with bags packed and loaded beforehand. Enjoyed a typical 

Norwegian breakfast and had a stroll round the village to 

despatch postcards and browse in a couple of shops. 

Already there appeared to be two visits that attracted our 

interest a short distance inland from Rosendal. With no 

previous knowledge of the area the morning was taken up 

with two very different attractions. The first of these was the 

Steinparken – a Stone Park with a difference. This was an 

outdoor museum of wonderful examples of igneous and 

metamorphic rocks that had been brought to this spot that 

originated in the valley and elsewhere locally, displayed 

amongst the trees. There were about thirty to forty superb 

specimens and were displayed for all to see. 

Having spent a good hour examining each specimen the 

attention then turned to the second attraction in the same 

valley about two kilometres hence. This was the Baroniet 

Rosendal, the equivalent of a stately home in the UK, but 

these grand houses are few and far between in Norway. If 

there is no male heir the family would have to give the estate 

back to the King of Denmark in times past! The drive back 

through a tunnel used by a new road from Bergen. The 

greatest change I encountered in Norway was the tremendous 

increase in new roads and tunnels since I was there last. 

The route took arrived in Odda and post lunch there was a 

great excursion to Seggedal, high above the defunct Tyssedum 

Factory looking like, and known as the Cathedral. 

The rest of the day involved a longer journey through 

Telemark towards Oslo. However, after the busy traffic, Route 

9, a turning south, provided accommodation for the night at 

the Revsnes Hotel in the woods and forests interlaced by 

numerous lakes and rivers following the Otra River and finally 

arriving in Kristiansand, our crossing to Denmark and a very 

pleasant couple of days based on Aalborg in North Jutland. 

The return to England was direct from Esbjerg, well known 

to Old Stationers who ever went over to play football against 

Struer Stats Gymnasia in the late fifties and early sixties and 

stayed with families in Struer and Holstebro! All those years 

ago! GP 

43

Dear Geraint 

dg2813@hotmail.co.uk 

16th September 2014 

For no reason in particular I was thinking 

about "Four Leaf" Clover yesterday and 

decided to search for his name on the web. 

I am sure you and many other Old 

Stationers out there would remember him 

as a benign Master of Music at the school. 

He was in fact my first form master way 

back in 1957 and found him engaging and 

his personality infectious. I had no idea he 

had a doctorate, nor the extensive nature of 

his subsequent career after leaving 

Stationers. I am sending the item I found 

and thought you might like to include this 

in a future edition of the magazine. You 

may not, of course, but here it is anyway. 

Such a pity his life was curtailed so soon at 

the age of 49. 

Best wishes 

Dave Gordon 1957-64 

Dr David Clover 

MA, DMus, GTCL, FTCL, LTCL 

1930 -1979 

David was born in Fressingfield, Suffolk in 

1930. He was educated at Southend High 

School for Boys and Huntingdon Grammar 

School. He went on to study at Trinity 

College of Music, London, gaining graduate 

status. He then studied for the Master of 

Arts degree from London University. 

He was a member of The Royal College of 

Organists in the mid 1950s he took up his 

first teaching post as Director of Music at 

Stationers' Company's School. 

After Stationers' (1960) David accepted 

the position of Music Advisor for the City 

of Hull. Next, in 1967, came the position 

of Senior Music adviser for The City of 

Sheffield. He was the Founder and 

Conductor of The City of Sheffield 


NEWS OF FORMER STAFF 

Teachers' Choir and Orchestra from 1968 

and the Founder and Conductor of The 

City of Sheffield Youth Chorale from 

1969. On a national level he founded and 

conducted The British Youth Choir and 

Chamber Orchestra (now the National 

Youth Choir of Great Britain). 

He was an Examiner for Trinity College of 

Music, London from 1960 which took 

him abroad working in Canada, USA and 

NEW MEMBERS 

SIMON MEIR ATTAR 1962-1969 

Hodgson House 

31 Wolmer Gardens 

EDGWARE 

Middx. HAS 8QH 

ADRlAN DAVID BROADBENT 

1978-1982 Rivington House 

Mews Cottage, Winchester Road 

BISHOPS WALTHAM 

Hampshire S0321PL 

I left school in 1982 and after working in a 

supermarket for a couple of years until 

1986, I joined the Civil Aviation Authority 

and worked in Central London and 

Gatwick Airport until 2001. I now work for 

NATS Limited at the London Air Traffic 

Control Centre which is situated at 

Swanick in Hampshire. 

My hobbies are Aviation Photography, 

Airshows, Travel, Flying and on occasion 

Sailing. 

I remember the School fondly, the School 

Trips to Germany, drama and trips to 

Winchmore Hill in all weathers!! 

I have been contacted by a few former class 

mates down the years and look forward to 

being involved in the OSA. 

JOHN RlCHARD WELCH BSc 

1962-1969 Bishop House 

8 Egdean Walk 

SEVENOAKS 

Kent TN13 3UQ 

MICHAEL STUART WEST FCA 

1956-1961 

Airedale, High Street 

ELMDON 

Essex CB11 4NL 

ERIC ORROS BMLI 

1965-1969 Kendal 

Dunmow Road 

FYFIELD, Ongar 

Essex CM5 0NN 

Left 1969. Nil qualifications - did pick up 6 

'0' Levels a few years later. Divorced. Two 

children running shops in the business. 

the Caribbean. He regularly adjudicated at 

local and regional music festivals and 

competitions. His Compositions include 

various choral and instrumental works and 

arrangements. Some are still available. 

His specialist subject was music making 

among young people, choral, school music. 

He enjoyed driving, photography, and 

talking. 

Owner of Lockstock & Barrell Security 

Services Ltd. Three retail shops Hertford 

since 1986, Saffron Walden since 1994, and 

Stansted since 1997. 

Member of the Master Locksmiths 

Association. Chairman of the London 

Region of above. Left school, when asked to 

leave, spell as milkroundsman twice, 

minicab driver, had retail unit at Wood 

Green Shopping City. Married 1977 and 

moved to Harlow, Essex, then Elsenham; 

divorced after 25 years. Now living at 

Fyfield near Ongar in Essex. Partner of 11 

years; both love travel. Younger brother, a 

winner of Stationers' Company Prize, 

George Orros around 1965, possibly 1966. 

REJOINING MEMBER 

GRAHAM ARNOLD 

1953-1960 Caxton House 

Westcombe 

Old Plymouth Road 

KINGSBRIDGE 

Devon TQ71FF 

CHANGES OF ADDRESS 

HUGH ALEXANDER 

39 Whitecroft 

WILLITON 

Somerset TA4 4RU 

TONY BISHOP 

17 The Coppice 

ENFIELD 

Middlesex EN2 7BX 

GRAHAM LING 

5 Crofton Square 

SHERFIELD ON LODDON 

Hook, Hants RG27 OSX 

MICHAEL WEST 

Airedale, High Street 

ELMDON 

Essex CB11 4NL 

If any member has changed his address 

recently without letting our Honorary 

Membership Secretary, Gordon Rose know, 

please inform him so that he can update the 

records. Thanks. 

44

PETER BULLEN 

1927-2014 

A Service of Thanksgiving for the life of 

Peter Bullen took place on Thursday 10th 

July 2014 at St. John's Church, Wantage. 

The hymns sung were 'The Lord's My 

Shepherd, I'll not want; He makes me 

down to lie In pastures green, He leadeth 

me The quiet waters by,' and 'Now the 

Day is Over, night is drawing nigh, 

shadows of the evening steal across the 

sky.' The Bible reading was taken from 

John 14, verses 1-6. The eulogy 

'Reminiscences' was given by Leslie Lane. 

Peter Bullen 

Peter grew up in North London in 

Hornsey in what is now part of the 

London Borough of Haringey. In due 


OBITUARIES 

course he went to the local Grammar 

School, the Stationers' Company's School, 

and his attendance at that school and the 

activities that followed from it formed an 

integral part of his subsequent life. I will 

come back to that in a moment. 

On leaving school he obtained an 

engineering apprenticeship with De 

Havillands at Hatfield and he was not 

alone among Old Stationers following 

that path. It was also a natural choice for 

him, to follow on the interest he had 

generated in aviation from his membership 

of the Air Cadets at the school. He 

continued to work for De Havilland after 

the end of his apprenticeship but in due 

course decided he wanted to widen his 

engineering knowledge and experience 

and worked elsewhere before obtaining a 

position with the Swiss engineering 

company SIG as Sales Manager for 

Southern England and stayed with them 

until he retired. 

By the time that Peter retired he had 

married Olive and inherited a ready-made 

family. He also took the opportunity to 

satisfy a long desire to live in Norfolk and 

they moved from Southgate to a property 

just outside Norwich. Unfortunately 

shortly after the move Peter's health 

started to deteriorate and this restricted his 

activities though he continued to maintain 

his interest in sport. 

In 2004 with Peter becoming less mobile 

Peter and Olive decided to move to Grove 

to be nearer the family. It also led to Peter's 

and my paths crossing when he joined the 

Wantage Probus Club of which I was 

already a member and a chance remark 

established that we had both been to the 

same school although some years apart. 

By then Peter was also becoming hesitant 

about attending social occasions organised 

by the Old Stationers Association where it 

entailed returning home alone late on a 

dark winter's night so having a companion 

to travel with was a benefit for us both. 

The Stationers' Company's School was 

founded in 1861 by the Worshipful 

Company of Stationers and Newspaper 

Makers (one of the City Livery Companies) 

to educate the sons of liverymen of the 

Stationers' Company and was situated in 

Bolt Court off Fleet Street. By 1893 the 

City of London had ceased to be a principal 

residential area and the school was 

admitting pupils who were not sons of 

liverymen. So in that year the school 

moved to the site in Hornsey with which 

the Old Stationers present here today are 

familiar. The school was different to many 

others in that it had this fascinating 

connection with the Livery Company, 

whose base was their magnificent Hall 

close to St Paul's Cathedral, and with a 

history that dates back several hundred 

years. 

Unfortunately these unique attributes of 

the school did not carry much weight with 

the Haringey Borough Council who 

decided to close the school in 1983 and it 

was pulled down in 1985. Thus there was 

no longer a supply of former pupils to fill 

the ranks of the football and cricket clubs 

and of the Association but the former 

pupils have nevertheless contrived to 

ensure that the name of the school has far 

from disappeared. 

Peter joined the school in 1938 but only 

had one year at Hornsey before the 

impending onset of war forced the school 

to evacuate to Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. 

From the various reports that I have read 

the pupils were well received by their hosts 

and by their fellow pupils and links 

between Wisbech Grammar School and 

the Old Stationers Association exist to this 

day. The evacuation ended in 1942 and 

Peter had a further year at Hornsey. 

When Peter left the school he joined the 

Old Stationers' Football Club, which had 

been in existence for many years. There 

was not, however, a cricket club attached to 

the Old Stationers and those wishing to 

play joined an outside club and for many 

this was Highgate Cricket Club. In 1949, 

however, it was decided to form an Old 

Stationers' Cricket Club and Peter was a 

45


founder member and very much involved 

in setting up the club. 

He was also much involved in the running 

of both clubs, cricket probably more than 

football, as he organised and participated in 

tours especially the Football Club Easter 

Tour and the Cricket Club visits to Broad 

Halfpenny Down - the birth place of cricket 

- a rare privilege to gain that fixture, and 

regular tours to Norfolk. He was also the 

skipper of the Football 3rd XI and the 

Cricket 2nd XI. A habit that Peter also 

initiated was to watch, or even umpire, the 

school cricket matches to keep an eye on 

potential talent that maybe persuaded to 

join the Old Boys when they left the school. 

In those days the former pupils organisation 

was known as the Stationers Old Boys 

Association (SOBA) and the football and 

cricket clubs were separate organisations. 

In 1963 it was decided to re-organise the 

constitution, re-name it as the Old 

Stationers Association and amalgamate the 

football and cricket clubs with it to make it 

fit for the second half of the 20th century. 

Peter again was very much the driving 

force to bring this into effect. The football 

club continues to exist and operates under 

the same name but recruiting its players 

from different sources. The cricket club 

unfortunately closed in 1994 mainly due to 

circumstances beyond their control but the 

Association with its social activities 

continues to thrive In 1964 Peter was 

elected President of the Association at the 

relatively young age of 37. 

Peter devoted a great deal of time and 

energy to the running of the sports clubs 

being involved in the multitude of tasks 

that lead to the smooth running of these 

organisations. That contribution also 

continued long after his physical 

participation in the matches had ceased. I 

think that his efforts, especially in 

connection with the new constitution, can 

be regarded as his legacy to fellow Old 

Stationers as I am sure it is a contributory 

factor in that the Football Club now over 

100 years old still fields 5 XIs each week 

and the Association, 30 years after the 

school was closed, has over 500 members. 

Recitation of composite verse of School 

Song. 

Thank you Peter for all that you have done 

for your fellow Old Stationers. 

May you rest in peace. 

Leslie Lane 

BRIAN SIMPSON 

1943 – 2014 

Brian Frederick Simpson, more commonly 

‘Sim’, was born in Wood Green and started 

at Stationers’ at the same time as me in 

1954. We had little in common in our 

schooldays, save Major Halls’ CCF where 

he outranked me, as sergeant, and 

outgunned me on the rifle range, and it 

was to be many years before our paths 

crossed, literally, again. 

It was in 1978, when we were crossing in 

opposite directions the car park which 

separated the main offices of Broxbourne 

Council at that time from its satellite 

buildings, that we recognised each other 19 

years after leaving the School. Brian had just 

joined my Authority’s Solicitor’s Department 

as Senior Legal Executive so we agreed to 

have a pint together at lunchtime. It quickly 

became apparent that we had many shared 

interests, not least sport and freemasonry, 

and thus began a firm friendship which 

spanned the next 36 years. 

On leaving School, Brian began legal 

training at Royds Rawlston before moving 

to the London Borough of Haringey’s 

Legal Department. Some years later, he 

broke away from the legal profession for a 

while to join Abbey Life, dealing with life 

assurance, and then the London Borough 

of Hackney as a Rent Assessment Officer, 

until taking up the post with Broxbourne 

Council. In 1982 he moved into private 

practice and, in 1988, joined Breeze & 

Wyles, Solicitors, in Hertford, where he 

remained until retirement in 2009. 

In private life, Brian took a keen interest in 

music, playing guitar in a skiffle group 

whilst still at school and later forming a 

band, Patents Pending. He also enjoyed the 

theatre and acting, becoming a member of 

Group12 Amateur Dramatic Society, 

performing at the Intimate Theatre in 

Palmers Green as well as other venues. By 

all accounts, he was an assured actor capable 

of masking the odd fluffed line but, on one 

occasion, he brought the house down by 

inadvertently changing Kipling’s famous 

verse to “tho I’ve beaten you and flayed you; 

by the livin’ Gawd that made you; I’m a 

better man than you are, Gunga Din!” It 

was at Group12 that another member of 

the Society took his eye and he began 

courting Angie, leading to their marriage 

on 14th August 1976. Their first house was 

in Broxbourne, later moving to Hertford 

Heath, and he played squash at Broxbourne 

Sports Club, although his sons, Ben and 

Tom, recall him spending rather more time 

in the bar, and he organised the Club’s 

Bonfire Night fireworks displays and New 

Year’s Eve celebrations for a number of 

years. Another passion was golf and we 

always enjoyed a round together at 

Essendon or Brickendon Grange. 

His interest in freemasonry began when 

his father initiated him into his Army and 

Navy Lodge in 1974 and he became its 

Master in 1984 and again in 2004. In 

Hertfordshire, he was a founder member 

of the Guy Marsden Halsey Lodge in 

1990, and its Master in 1992. In 1991 he 

was exalted into the Royal Arch and, in 

1994, he was a founder member of the 

Guy Marsden Halsey Chapter and its 1st 

Principal in 1998. He received London 

Honours in 1996 and was a Provincial 

Officer in both Craft and Chapter. 

Brian was a member of the Toastmasters 

and Master of Ceremonies Federation and 

its President in 1998. For many years he 

has been Toastmaster at our Annual 

Dinner at Stationers’ Hall, resplendent in 

his red jacket and OSA bow-tie and the 

epitome of efficiency in guiding 

proceedings along. He was, of course, an 

OSA member and regular attender at our 

‘Intake Year of 1954’ reunions. 

In 1995, he was diagnosed with Hodgkins 

Lymphoma, which he successfully overcame 

although an overdose during radiotherapy 

left him with scarring to his neck. 

In retirement, Brian was able to lavish 

plenty of time on grandson Freddie, buying 

him a set of golf clubs when he was six, 

arranging lessons for him and taking him 

to the driving range for practice, trying out 

go-karting at Rye House, ‘helping’ him put 

46


together complicated Lego constructions 

and, having recently bought him his first 

guitar, was teaching him to play. Also, he 

and Angie could indulge their love of the 

theatre more frequently, taking in West 

End drama and musical productions, and 

taking regular holiday trips abroad. It was 

whilst in Malta with friends that Brian 

was taken ill and died on 26th May. 

Brian was easy-going, affable and reliable 

and, as testament to the high regard in 

which he was held, over 120 people 

attended his funeral at Harwood 

Crematorium, Stevenage, including Old 

Stationers Roger Melling (OSA President), 

Roger Engledow, Doug Fussell, Tony 

Hemmings, Michael Mote and Peter 

Redmond. It can be truthfully said that 

Sim lived respected and died regretted. 

Tony Hemmings 

ROY TREMLETT 

We were advised on the 5th August that 

Roy Tremlett of Glebe Road, Hornsey died 

last week at the age of 88. The call was from 

his carer – he apparently never married and 

the closest relative is thought to be a cousin. 

At the age of 88 Royston would probably 

have gone to the School in 1937 and then 

possibly to Wisbech in 1939. 

Tony Hemmings Honorary Secretary 

ALAN ARIS 

1933-2014 

I have been advised of the death last 

November of ALAN ARIS, class of 44-49. 

I believe he was involved with the Hornsey 

Historical Society and had been unwell 

for the last few years. 

Gordon 

Alan Aris 

Alan spent all of his life in the Hornsey 

area. He attended Rokesley School, and on 

obtaining a scholarship, he became a pupil 

at Stationers' Company's Grammar School 

in September of 1944. 

After leaving school and completing 

National Service, he embarked on a career 

in Life Insurance with Sun Life, but in 

1970 Alan decided on a change and 

obtained a Bachelor of Education degree, 

teaching in many primary schools. 

Alan was father to three daughters and 

grandfather to three girls and three boys. 

Apart from his family and his teaching 

profession, Alan had many interests, he 

travelled widely to Europe, North Africa, 

USA and Australia. A keen Francophile, 

he was a member of a French conversation 

group, and had passions for impressionist 

art, rock music and opera. He was a 

committee member in the Hornsey 

Historical Society with published works 

on local matters. 

He retired from full time teaching in 1998, 

but continued with part time tuition, 

together with working one day a week at 

the Museum of London, and his 

involvement in Local History. 

Allan attended every meeting of the 'Class 

of 44' since the first reunion in 2002, up to 

2013, a popular member he had a fund of 

fascinating information on Hornsey as 

well as many other wider matters. He is 

fondly remembered and will be sorely 

missed. 

TonyTight 

DAVID WATTERSON 

1954-1960 

David died on the 12th November 2014 in 

the Isle of Man, where he had lived for 

some time. 

Denis Hamment 

1926 - 2013 

Dear Geraint, 

fayfield@live.co.uk 

5th February 2015 

I was very sorry to learn that Denis 

Hamment had died. 

We were good friends at the Calthorpe 

L.T.C. in Crouch End. He and his great 

friend Alec Linford were often challenging 

for the men's doubles championship versus 

me and my friend Keith Grewcock (also 

an old boy). We all also formed the 

backbone of our Club's Tennis Team. 

Denis, as Treasurer, used to keep a beady 

eye on me. I was the Club's Secretary, so 

therefore received and distributed our 

Club's Wimbledon Ticket Allocation! 

I fondly remember Denis asking my wife 

Yvonne and I to spend a long weekend 

with him at his family's smallholding in 

Kent. He was learning to drive, so had 

purchased an ancient Austin 7. He wanted 

to practice driving around the smallholding, 

so needed me to be his qualified eo-driver 

to get there. 

Unfortunately the car only had a wooden 

back seat, so poor Yvonne obtained a very 

sore backside! 

Also, Denis stalled negotiating the 

Blackwall Tunnel Thames Crossing. I 

could only get the thing going again by 

using the engine's starter handle. Driving 

this time, I had my vocabulary extended by 

remarks from the many held up truck 

drivers! Still, we all had a lovely time, but 

unfortunately I cannot find my 

photographs of Denis careering around 

the farmland and getting stuck! 

Finally, I had no idea of all Denis' travelling 

and other activities, (other than 

orienteering). I shall miss seeing him at 

out Dinners etc., it was so nice to be his 

friend. 

Arthur Field 1944-1949 

The definitive history of 

Stationers’ Company’s School 

written by Robert Baynes 

(Headmaster 1962-1982) 

is now available in its third 

reprint due to popular 

demand. 

Priced at £18 plus p+p 

it is available from 

Tim Westbrook, email: 

tim@timwestbrook.co.uk 

47

Photographs taken from "The Stationer" 1975 (see page 36) courtesy of Richard Griff iths 1968-75 

OSFC 1stXI 1975 

Back row: F Haroun, K Kavallares, F Maddigan, S Leonard, M Kassie, V Togher, P Mustaka, E Chamberlain 

Front row: M Brookes, P Coster, P Ley, R Comerford (Capt), J Kantorowicz 

Staff team 1975 - left to right: M Fitch, C Toomey, J Young, P de Wolfson, 

B McCeigh, M Smethers, J Watson, P Bennett, H Borley, A Smyth, G Pritchard, M Wharton. 

The cast of The Ghost Train 1975 – Back row: Mohamed A Ali, Richard Rose, Richard Comerford, Chris Mattey, Ian Stokes, 

Chris Augustini. Front row: Lynne Rogers, Cathy Ward, Richard Griffiths, Bridgit Duerden, Caroline Scott.

OSAmag80

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