First Girl in the red book

on page 6

trekkinG up kilimanjaro

on page 7

Global adventures

oF a medicon page 8

the news magazine of the bradford grammar school old bradfordians’ associationsummer 2014

from the presidentmessage

dates for your diaryWednesday 23 July 2014bacchus golf cup

saturday 13 september 2014oba annual dinner, Price hall Invitations will be sent out soon

saturday 11 october 2014harry rée reunion, london Contact: Jonathan Daube on daubejm@gmail.com (see page 15)

Wednesday 5 november 2014 creative industries networking lunch

saturday 22 november 2014oba oxbridge reunion, st John’s college, cambridgeContact: Dominic Crossley on dominic.crossley@btinternet.com

Friday 28 november 2014oba london club annual dinner Contact: James Williams on jrw1972@googlemail.com

Wednesday 4 march 2015sports, leisure and tourism networking lunch

sat 28 mar 2015water Polo and swimming reunion

Unless otherwise stated, please contactOBA@bradfordgrammar.com to register your interest in the

above events.

Many of you will have greeted us at some wonderful school events during the past year. We have enjoyed welcoming many Old Bradfordians back to the school at our Recent Leavers’ Reunion, the Engineering Networking Lunch and the 1940s Reunion. Many OBs have also attended and enjoyed our complimentary school performances, such as Johnson Over Jordan and The Likes of Us. We hope to see many more of you in the coming year.

We would like to commend the Old Bradfordians’ Association for their continued commitment and enthusiasm to Bradford Grammar School. This magazine is certainly testament to all that the Committee do and stand for.

marketing team (left to right)Sarah, Sharon, Marie, Louise, Joanne.

deadline…For old bradFordian 2015 articles

The deadline for submission of articles for the Old Bradfordian 2015 will be 11 May 2015.

We’d love you to contribute by sending an email toOBA@bradfordgrammar.com. Pictures are particularly welcomed to accompany your article.

It is coming up to 30 years since Bradford grammar school became co-educational and what better way to mark the occasion by looking back at the changes that have occurred since and listening to the experiences of those that were here during this time.

since the last magazine, the school continues to progress and thrive; in academia 40 of our a-Level students achieved a/a* in their exams and 98% of our gCse results were a* - C. our commitment to sport was demonstrated by a sensational win in the Warwick sevens rugby tournament. Bradford grammar school was proud to be the only northern school in the final stages of the national Debating Competitions at both oxford and Cambridge universities. our commitment to the local community was demonstrated when we picked up ‘Highly Commended’ at the Telegraph and argus school awards for our support to Barnardo’s Young Carers. We’ve got a lot to be proud of.

as always, I am thankful for the continued support from old Bradfordians across the world; it has been a pleasure to see you at events, reunions and at school productions.

thank youcontributors

A massive thank you to everyone who has been involved in this edition in one way or another; your stories, photos, achievements and memories are always read with great interest and we wholly appreciate the time you have taken to contribute.

contact us

For queries about this issue of the old Bradfordian:

Editor Brian parkerEmail parkerbbandm@blueyonder.co.uk

For general enquiries and to submit articles and news for the e-newsletter, Old Bradfordian or the website, or just to say hello and let us know what you’re up to:

Email oBa@bradfordgrammar.comAddress Bradford grammar school, Keighley

road, Bradford BD9 4JpPhone 01274 553789

It is an honour to serve as president of the oBa, and I am delighted to be writing a short introduction to another great issue of the Old Bradfordian magazine. I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to the editor Brian parker, obituaries editor David moore, and the Committee for their ongoing help and support.

a widely accepted adage is ‘The older you get, the faster time goes’. I have to admit that this definitely is the case for me and it’s hard to believe that I am already one third of the way through my tenure as president.

It has been a truly eventful year and I am sure you will enjoy reading about the many events and news stories. This edition covers far more than recent events though. You’ll see a lot about great upcoming opportunities to reconnect with friends and classmates, and I urge you to take advantage of everything the oBa and Bgs have put together and arranged for you.

The response we received from moving the oBa annual Dinner to the september slot has been overwhelmingly positive. The Committee looks forward to welcoming as many of you and your guests as possible to the annual Dinner on saturday 13 september at the school, at the start of what will be the 30th year of Bgs welcoming girls to the student body. I remember very well the first assembly in the price Hall in september 1984 when girls were present. a blink of the eye and here we are today.

I hope you enjoy reading this edition – it’s all part of strengthening the links between the school, former pupils and the old Bradfordians’ association.

James williams 1980-90PresidentThe Old Bradfordians’ Association

Kevin riley - Headmaster

2 oLDbradFordian welcome summer 2014 3welcome oLDbradFordiansummer 2014

notesfrom the editorWelcome to the 2014 edition of the Old Bradfordian – the news magazine for the OBA. Many thanks to everyone who has contributed.

This year marks thirty years since female students first entered the school. In 1984, two entered the “Second Year Sixth”: Catherine M Armitage (now Moore) and Charlotte Smith (now Lockley). Sixteen entered the Lower Sixth: Rachel E Evans (now Bentley), Suzanne J Ellis (now Bolton), Susannah G R Aspinall, Christine M Barrett, Lucinda K B Brown, Jacqueline Clark, Tracey J Clayton, Sarah E Hayes, Katherine L Johnson, Lisa J Lambert, Susan I Milner, Catherine E Parrish, Victoria Spence, Charlotte A M Slater (now Rossi), Katy R Moorhouse (now Halse) and Andrea E L Button. These eighteen girls represented less than 2% of the students; now the figure for girls is 40%. How times have changed! I trust you will enjoy the magazine and I ask if you are one of those first eighteen females, please get in touch and let us know what you have been doing these past thirty years.

brian Parker 1976-2005Editor

hellofrom themarketing team

notesfrom the headmaster

peter forbes (1954-64)

I had a lovely time at Bgs, particularly as school organist. The sheer hard work of learning has stood me in good stead, I believe, and I still retain a love of learning.

Inspirational teachers make all the difference and I was very lucky to come under the gimlet eyes of messrs petty and Krips who sought excellence, but combined with insight and wisdom. Hoc age indeed! They knew the ways of teenagers!

Currently I am a director of the national student ombudsman service which has the exotic title of office of the Independent adjudicator for Higher education and which deals with individual complaints by students against higher education institutions in england and Wales. It is a fascinating and privileged role.

It has also been a privilege to work as an adviser on graduate employability for the British Council this year in Kyiv, Istanbul and rabat in morocco. These are all places where modernising higher education is fraught with challenges brought on by traditions of government interference as well as conflicts within society with students often at the forefront (literally on the barricades in Kyiv as I write).

john briggs (1963-70)

I attended Bgs from 1963-70 and have good memories of many teachers from that time. although it is always invidious to single out anyone for special mention, Keith Thomson was a particularly inspiring geography teacher and he was a key reason that I ended up reading geography at the university of London.

I was also a keen sports participant at school, and played rugby for the 1st XV for two seasons, with Chris Bradnock as coach at the time, and cricket for the 1st XI for three, the 1970 season as captain, with David pennington as coach. since leaving school, I have followed an academic and research career and I have held posts at the university of Botswana, Lesotho and swaziland (as was), the university of Dar es salaam in Tanzania and then the university of glasgow, where I became professor of geography in 1996. I am currently Vice principal of the university of glasgow, a job which is never short of a challenge or two!

I stayed in touch with steve Hoyle (from the same 1963-70 era) all through the years from leaving school, right up until his untimely death last year after a protracted illness. steve was another Keith Thomson-inspired geographer, and for many years steve was head of geography at Dulwich College in London.

birth janet Florence cuthbertson9 auGust 2013

michael Cuthbertson (1983-88) and Karen, his wife, are very pleased to announce the birth of their second child – a little girl – Florence Janet. she was born on 9 august 2013 at milton Keynes general Hospital and weighed 8lb 1oz.

new circuit judge neil davey Qc, welcomedto bradFord courts

a former pupil of Bradford grammar school is a new Circuit Judge at the city’s Crown Court. a ceremony was held on 12 February 2014 to welcome neil Davey QC, 61, who was Head of Chambers at 39 park square in Leeds. Judge Davey QC has been appointed to the north eastern Circuit, based at Bradford Combined Court Centre, by the Lord Chancellor, the right Honourable Chris grayling mp. He was called to the Bar in 1978 and became a QC in 2001. He was appointed an assistant recorder in 1999 and a recorder in 2000. Judge Davey will sit as both a criminal and civil judge at Bradford Combined Court Centre. The welcome ceremony was led by The Honorary recorder of Bradford, Judge roger Thomas QC.

Telegraph & Argus

new governor to bGs

The school welcomed the Dean of Bradford Cathedral, the Very reverend J Lepine as the latest addition to the governing body.

Since retiring from work, I have done a number of university astronomy courses, most recently one about ‘Moons’. Our own Moon is covered in craters, most of which are named after scientists, astronomers, and other people of distinction. A bit of research has revealed that three BGS people have been honoured in this way: two former pupils, Abraham Sharp (1653-1742), and Sir Frank Dyson (1869-1933), and a Physics master, Sir Charles Wilson (1869-1959). All three were interesting people.

Abraham Sharp, born in Little Horton, worked at the Greenwich Royal Observatory with the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed. Sharp was distinguished at designing instruments, and as mathematician. Aside from his astronomy work, he calculated pi (the ratio of the circumference to diameter of a circle), to 72 decimal places, a then record.

Frank Dyson was the 6th Astronomer Royal from 1910 to 1933. An expert on eclipses, he helped to organise expeditions to make observations of the 1919 solar eclipse. These results supported Einstein’s then controversial theory of the effect of gravity on light. Dyson also has a room in school named after him, on what used to be the Sixth Form corridor.

CTR Wilson, as he is known, graduated at Cambridge, and then taught at BGS in the 1890s, before taking up research at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. He is noted for inventing the Wilson Cloud Chamber in 1912, for which he was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1927. This was used by many physicists for tracking X-rays, cosmic rays, electrons, and other sub-atomic particles. Eventually, it was superseded in the 1950s by the Bubble Chamber designed on similar principles; this was used in the Large Hadron Collider in the recent discovery of the Higgs Boson.

As to the craters, they were first spotted by Galileo in 1610, soon after the telescope was invented. Sharp crater was named in the late 1600s, and lies in the north-west sector. The Wilson crater was not named until the 1960s. The Dyson crater lies on the ‘far’ side of the Moon, and was not seen until the Moon was first orbited in 1969.

These BGS men are in good company. Other lunar craters are named after Einstein, Newton, Darwin and Aristotle, among others. It is good to know that the school connection goes back to the 1660s when Abraham Sharp was at the school, and around the time of our Royal Charter.

After school, I read Chemistry at Sheffield University (BSc and PhD), before spending most of my career teaching and researching in Food Science, latterly at Huddersfield University.

bgs on the moonby roGer collison (1943-51)

oLDbradFordian news & reminiscences4 5articles oLDbradFordiansummer 2014 summer 2014

trekking up kilimanjaroHaving been on an arduous trek along the great Wall of China, you would think I would have learned a lesson, but no, as last year I was part of a group who reached the summit of Kilimanjaro. It’s certainly been the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do.

The mountain is so varied in terrain, and the altitude was managed really well by just sticking to a really slow pace all the time. We had some really long days walking, leaving at 6am and not arriving back until 4pm, and we were above the cloud almost all the week. It looked like a mass of meringue or marshmallow just inviting you in! We summited on the Wednesday night/Thursday morning, having left camp at midnight, and returned at 1pm on the Thursday. I reckon if I hadn’t had the pressure of being the medic, I’d have given up. It was such a slog in the pitch black and freezing temperatures, and the mountainside to summit was just made up of sand and shale, so it was like taking one step forward and three steps back owing to the surface and the gradient. I felt so spaced out when I hit the top and ended up having to give my rucksack to a porter to carry for the last few metres to the crater edge. However, I made it and then walked the extra 100m to the true summit (see photo). We could even see the curve of the earth while descending.

It was rather unnerving seeing people being rushed down from other groups past our group from pretty much the start of the ascent. This was due to altitude sickness. I’d noticed that the other private tour companies tended to rush their clients up the mountain, and when I discussed it with a guide, it was rather obvious why. The tour guide gets paid regardless of whether the client makes it or not! some even had oxygen masks on, but these are seen as real cheats on the mountainside!! The air was so thin... where the availability of oxygen at sea level is 100%, it was 46% on the top at 5900 metres! We really felt it, it was similar to being drunk and having an out-of-body experience. If you tried to rush around camp, even at 3000-4000 metres, you got instantly breathless.

We had to send a woman down on day two, as she just wasn’t coping with the altitude or exertion. and on summit night we sent four people down; three due to sheer exhaustion and one due to altitude sickness. everything was covered in dust as the mountain hadn’t seen rain for months and my hands and face were permanently black! as you can imagine, not my most at-ease state, but I really embraced it, and fortunately I had a tent to myself all week because I was the doctor, which made it so much easier.

The guides and porters were amazing, they know the mountain backwards as they do three or four trips per month, and the porters just carry ridiculous amounts of stuff on their head, for example a whole kitchen including gas bottle; or four tents, their belongings and four big bags of our luggage!! I was continually amazed by my ambulance man (who carried my medical kit). His name is ennis and he just stalked along behind me at various distances, before running to my side and whipping open the bag asking me what box I needed if someone so much as wanted a paracetamol! They really treat doctors well here. I would introduce myself as gwen, and Dave, the leader, would interject and say ‘Doctor gwen’, and they practically bow at your feet!

The chef even made me a birthday cake on his single portable gas stove - it was stunning!

The whole experience was amazing, but never again, it was definitely the hardest job I’ve ever had to deal with, so far!

Gwen Bromley (1999-2001)

6 oLDbradFordian 30 years oF co-education at bGs 730 years oF co-education at bGs oLDbradFordian

the first girl …in the red book

summer 2014

a phone call from the editor announced that it is now thirty years since the first girls were admitted to Bradford grammar school and by virtue of the fact that my surname began with an ‘a’ and that I entered Bgs in the upper sixth, I am the first girl to have been listed in the red book. after a quick trip down memory lane, Dr parker cut to the real reason for his call. “Could you write a short piece for the Old Bradfordian?” he enquired. “not too long, just a couple of paragraphs to give a flavour of the time and your experiences in those early days.”

Where to start? my memory of the interview is clouded by the tension I felt sitting in the Headmaster’s office. mr smith, whose presence must no doubt have reduced many an errant boy to fervently re-consider the foolishness of his ways, was looking directly at me and asking me why I wanted to come to the school. It was late summer and the results had just been published. I had done less well than I had wanted to and although I had the option of going back to re-sit, the prospect was not filling me with much enthusiasm. The last school year had been chaotic with multiple stand-in teachers. Dr parker had been drafted in by my parents for extra tuition but there was too little time and the result was inevitable. Then fate took a hand. Dr parker explained that for the first time in its 350 years of history Bgs was opening its doors to female students, and suggested that I should apply. In no time, I had found myself in that study being subjected to intense scrutiny and trying to explain why I wanted to come to this school. I hadn’t appreciated at the time that it was as important for mr smith to get the female admissions right as it was important to me to be admitted. It was an enormous change for the school and I was a gamble. If he took me on he had to know that I would step up and make it work. I remember my answer. I said that I wanted to be in a school where ambition was assumed and that opportunities were there to make it happen. He must have thought I was worth a shot and offered me a place. I knew I had made the right decision when I returned to my old school the next day and bumped into the Headmaster in the corridor. He had never spoken to me before, but nevertheless assured me that if I found it too hard I could always come back. It was meant kindly, but the lack of ambition stung.

I don’t remember too much about the first day except that all the girls were gathered together in a room to be addressed by a very glamorous blond lady by the name of miss gaunt. miss gaunt was to be the pastoral tutor for the female students. It was reassuring to have a champion, as a look around the room brought home the fact that we were hugely outnumbered. Two upper sixth girls were bolstered by sixteen girls in Lower sixth. We were shown to a newly decorated cloakroom and were left to get on with the business of getting to know each other. one of the girls I knew well from my old school, but Christine was taking French, english and History and I was taking science subjects so most of my time would be spent in the KrB away from the main building. The other upper sixth girl, Charlotte, was taking sciences and we walked over to the science block. It turned out that Charlotte was the Headmaster’s daughter. If she felt nervous with that additional pressure on her she hid it well and we went off to our respective Form rooms. I, on the other hand, stood at the door to the Biology room and felt genuine terror. I think I was introduced to the Form, but the details escape me. I remember being grateful that the only empty seat was near the door and I didn’t have to walk too far to sit down. I struck lucky. The seat was next to nigel and I soon learned he was one of the nicest people I could have chosen to sit next to. In fact, I made some really good friends in the class and the names of alan, Trevor, John, Dominic, Chris and simon, float through thirty years and come to mind. If any of you are reading this I wish you all health, wealth and happiness. other good friends from the time are peter, peter and andy.

What do I remember of those early weeks and months? I recall that things settled down very quickly. Dr parker told me during our phone chat that his overriding impression was, for a small group of girls, we seemed to be everywhere, but I think we blended in fast. For a short period I was the subject of a game devised by some of

the younger boys, the object being to track me around the school. I remember a line of 11 or 12 year olds sitting on a window sill outside my classroom. Those boys are now 40-year-old responsible citizens and if any of them entered the covert intelligence services I can claim to have had a hand in their training.

In the main, I think we were just making it up as we went along. pe and games was a particular challenge with not enough of us to participate in any organised team games. although I would have liked one of the fetching brown and claret rugby shirts (it was the 1980s) it was not to be and so pe lessons were spent jogging over to the nearby park, sitting on a bench to have a chat and jogging back again. The swimming pool could be made available for our exclusive use by prior arrangement with the pe staff in order to avoid the unpleasantness of being seen in swimwear! our uniform itself was improvised with the only stipulation being that we should wear clothes in shades of brown. I also wore a tie which had stripes that represented the colours of the old house system.

I loved my year at Bgs. It went far too quickly and I am very grateful for the opportunities that it gave me. I did improve on my a level scores and I went off to Loughborough university to read medicinal and pharmaceutical Chemistry. Ironically, twenty-five years later, I am back at the university where, for the past seven years, I have been Head of the Health and safety service. I regularly used to set fire to my hair with the Bunsen burner as an undergraduate so I consider myself well qualified for the job. In addition to my fire fighting skills, I am responsible for, amongst other things, radiation safety, Biological safety and occupational Health. I have a small team of people to help deliver an enormous workload but the work is fun and every day brings new challenges. a university is a great place to work. I also met my future husband whilst an undergraduate at Loughborough. We have been married for twenty-five years in september and along the way we have acquired a wonderful daughter and a dog.

I can now reflect on the fact that I owe that last thirty years to the one year spent at Bgs and I am eternally grateful to mr smith for taking a chance on this girl in the summer of 1984.

Catherine Moore, nee Armitage (1984-85)

welcoming girls at bGs

I always read the oBa updates with eager anticipation of a blast from the past. I was Deputy Head Boy (my good mate Jon Veitch was Head Boy) at the end of the first year that fourteen girls (I think) were introduced into the sixth Form for the first time. What I found most interesting and frustrating was the teaching staff’s approach to the girls apropos the boys. I do seem to remember that many of the hardened disciplinarians were reluctant to act as sternly with the female of the race: it was as much of a change for the staff as the pupils! I also remember the first time two girls casually strolled into the inner sanctum of the prefects’ room - we soon realised things had changed forever!

as for myself, I have been in the royal marines for twenty-five years, after studying english at manchester, and yet I can remember my first year at Bgs in Clock House as clear as day. I am currently the Commandant at the Commando Training Centre royal marines in Lympstone, Devon, where royal marines of every rank are selected and trained. married to Judes with two boys Dan and Charlie, we live in somerset, which is often just as wet as Bradford.

David Kassapian (1978-85)

youngest girlat bgstamarai thurairajah

I am six years old and I have a brother who is three. I am enjoying my time at BGS. My favourite subjects at school are PE, Art and History and my hobbies are reading, cheerleading, tennis and travelling. When I grow up I want to be a scientist – I’m especially interested in bones. My favourite holiday destination is Malaysia, but I would really like to go to Sri Lanka because I have grandparents who live there, and people say my grandma has hair very similar to mine!

the life of a physiotherapistand entrepreneurupon leaving Bgs I worked as a nurse and physiotherapy assistant for six months and saved for six months in China. I went to northumbria university to study physiotherapy, qualifying in 2005. university life was a mixed experience with me suffering with ulcerative colitis. It never held me back and I managed to complete my studies before having a few operations which helped me resolve my problems.

Throughout university I was a union rep, becoming a national representative and going to meet mps and the health minister a number of times at the Department of Health and Westminster. after that I worked in the nHs in newcastle upon Tyne for three years before moving into private practice. During this time I worked in rugby union (ponteland ruFC) for four seasons alongside my normal work (I like to keep busy!). I worked from 2008 to the end of 2012 in the same private practice (minus a ten-month trip around the world 2009-2010).

at the start of 2013 I started my own business as a freelance physiotherapist and ergonomic consultant and have never looked back. Initially I was based in the north-east of england but work and other situations took me to London.

I now live in London and work mainly in the south-east, but have a strong link with the north-east and continue to work up there and all over the uK on various projects as a consultant. my main work in London is as the physiotherapist and pilates instructor for sainsbury’s in their London offices and with various businesses and Camden council. I deliver a variety of manual handling training packages and injury prevention packages as well as conducting workplace assessments and consulting on work-flow improvement and workplace reorganisation in a range of environments from train cabs to bank vaults to factory floors and schools. It’s a varied life and extremely interesting.

Juliet Raine (1999-2001)

global adventures…oF a medic on duty

I left BGS in 2001 to go to Newcastle University medical school. After graduating, I then spent a year in New Zealand, working in the Emergency Department at Wellington Hospital. It was great to spend some time working in a non-NHS health system and also exploring such a beautiful country!

I then embarked on an Emergency Medicine training scheme on the south coast of England. I spent two years working and living in Poole – a lovely hospital and a lovely place to live. Plenty of sailing, hiking and time on the beach! My third year of the training scheme was in Southampton Hospital. After this I was ready to start travelling again! I took another year out from the NHS (Aug 12 - Aug 13) and spent a lot of this time volunteering as a medic for charity.

First stop Nepal - I spent a month in Nepal where I organised and ran a health camp in a rural mountain region of Nepal. It was hard work, with lots of patients and not many resources, but rewarding to think we had made even a small difference. I then trekked to Everest Base Camp, followed by Machu Picchu in Peru, Kilimanjaro in Africa and the Great Wall in China. For all these treks I was the medic on duty. Not only did I get to see some amazing places, but I got to meet some amazing people! Many of the trekkers on these trips had recently had bereavements, but their experiences had inspired them to try and achieve something they never believed was possible and to raise money to support other people in similar situations. To play even a small role in this was so rewarding! I was also lucky enough to work alongside Gwen Bromley (see previous article) on my Great Wall of China trek! Having completed these treks on land, I turned to the sea.

I spent a couple of months working on Cunard’s Queen Victoria in the summer of 2013. Both crew and passengers were fantastic and it was amazing to experience life on the ocean waves! I held two clinics a day and was on call for emergencies, but I still had plenty of time to get off at lots of the ports we visited including various places in the Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Iceland and the Faroe Isles.

After getting a taste for altitude and altitude medicine, I decided to put myself to the test and try for Mount Elbrus - the highest mountain in Europe. A challenging climb to 5642m with glaciers and avalanches to contend with! It was the toughest thing I’ve ever done but it was such an amazing achievement!

I now am back in Southampton working as an Emergency Department Registrar, but already planning my next adventure!

Kate Lowe (1999-2001)

930 years oF co-education at bGs oLDbradFordian8 oLDbradFordian 30 years oF co-education at bGs summer 2014 summer 2014

obs v schoolgolf match wednesday 30 april 2014

What started out as a warm sunny spring day at 3.30pm turned into a lightning and thunderstorm by 7.30pm, halting play in two matches. The school team was very strongly supported by two teachers, stuart rees and stuart Taylor, and the matches were very tight and well fought. spring conditions at shipley golf Club were reasonably good considering the wet winter and the greens were in good condition. The result was a victory for the old Bradfordians and a challenge has been made to play again at northcliffe in september. a very pleasant evening was spent together over dinner in the clubhouse.

results:

michael stewart + mark Bamford beat rowan Wright + Jamie moss

John atkinson + richard goodall beat ollie arthurs + sam Wood

David ramsbottom + James Barker halved with stuart rees + stuart Taylor

andrew seal + michael Briggs halved with Joe Buckley + Ben Jolly

a big thank you to both old Bradfordians and current pupils for making the event a great success.

Andrew Seal (1966-76)

running memories by nick smith (1965-72)

I joined BGS in 3BU - Mr Butler’s class in the September 1966 intake and left in July 1972. I have really positive memories of those years but because of work, lost touch with most people, except for Chris Dalton, who became my best man. He now lives in Knutsford, Cheshire, if anyone lives nearby and would like to look him up. Time in the CCF, but particularly the years running with Selby and Tony in the Cross-Country Club, burn brightest - an incredible legacy of memories of those days, including the pre-season training camp in Westwell, Kent, a place I returned to many years later during my training and near to where my sister-in-law now lives. My career moved from starting a degree in Mining Engineering, being sponsored by the National Coal Board, which made me a rich student in 1972 with a grant of £1,100pa - incredible to think of in today’s terms. A mining accident helped me to re-focus and brought an end to this adventure.

In July 1977 I qualified from Huddersfield Polytechnic (as it was then known) in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management. Over the following sixteen years, I spent time in various sales and marketing roles, living in Holland, New York before becoming the Chief Executive of Consort Hotels based in York. Boardroom politics gave me cause to re-think at the ripe old age of 40 and I re-trained in financial services with Prudential, based where I now live in Romsey, Hampshire. In 2001, Prudential made the entire sales operation in the UK redundant, but fortunately, almost immediately, I found a position with Towry Ltd and subsequently became chartered, and am still with them twelve years later. I’ll be sixty next year and seriously now thinking of retiring.

I have two boys; Henry, now married and who shortly afterwards gained a first class honours degree, while Alistair is in his final year at Bath University.

As for me, I still run, but not so far or so fast as before, but mostly use the gym, play golf, cycle and can only hope that Leeds United may one day return to being the force they once were.

My father still lives in Keighley and I return north fairly often to see him and my sister, now living near Selby. I can be contacted on nick.smith@towry.com for those who would like to say hello.

10 oLDbradFordian sport summer 2014 11sport oLDbradFordiansummer 2014

bacchus cup shipley GolF clubwednesday 17 july 2013

In 2012 it never seemed to stop raining. Fast forward to July 2013 and we find ourselves in the middle of a heatwave. The dry weather, combined with a fault to Shipley Golf Club’s sprinkler system, meant some of the greens and tees were suffering from lack of water. The course though still presented a fair challenge.

There were thirteen Old Bradfordians taking part and two guests. This is a disappointing entry for what is always a most enjoyable event but, for varying reasons, a number of regulars were unable to play.

The winner of the Bacchus Cup was Jack Jagger with a score of 38 points. After a countback, the late Peter Kewley came second and Alan Hartley third, both having scored 37 points. The Guest prize was won by Nick Greaves with an outstanding score of 42 points.

Anyone wishing to play this year, on Wednesday 23 July, should contact Roy Aspinall on 01226 725409 or e-mail royasp26@aol.com

swimming & water polo saturday 22 march 2014

The annual OBA Swimming and Water Polo event took place on Saturday 22 March between Old Bradfordians and current pupils. After a very respectable draw in a variety of races, OBs went on to defeat the students in a tense match, proving they were still capable of being head and shoulders above. Old Bradfordians, friends, families and pupils enjoyed an active afternoon followed by refreshments to replenish energy levels. A huge thank you to all who took part.

cricketbGs 1st Xi v old bradFordians

played on 28 June 2013, the match resulted in a comfortable win for the school, the oBa being bowled out for 104 with Tahirkheli taking 3

for 29. The school replied with 109 for the loss of one wicket (masterson 55no and gill 34).

Alex Bostrom at No.2 in Isis

rowing ‘selF-help’ rowinG

I read with interest David Wootton’s ‘self-help rowing’ article in the 2013 edition of the Old Bradfordian.

self-help is certainly an apt description of the hours of work from parents, friends and pupils alike that made it possible, for example, for Bgs rowers to be driven to regattas in the converted single decker bus pictured in last year’s magazine.

one memorable fund-raising event was a forty-mile sponsored row from Bingley to gargrave and back via the Leeds/Liverpool canal. arriving back at the five-rise locks, an over-keen helper opened a gate on the wrong side of the 4+ to speed up getting the boat out of the water – and the crew I was coxing got an unscheduled swim!

I’ve maintained my interest in rowing ever since David Crowther asked three of us (myself, mike Thompson and stuart petrie) in his Third Form physics class to join the BC as coxes in 1965. I kept up my rowing at university, coached at the national Water sports Centre when I worked in nottingham, and over the last twenty plus years have been the president of two school student rowing clubs in Hong Kong.

I’m now back in the uK and hope to get to know Yorkshire again when the Tour de France starts there this year...

Paul Tattam (1965–72)

may I take the Bgs connection with Bradford rowing Club a little further back than 1953?

In about 1944 one of the senior boys was acquainted with an office holder in Bradford rowing Club and managed to borrow the key to the boathouse. The club was, of course, effectively dormant. some of us decided to go down and see if we could make anything of the availability of any boats. We found the boathouse rather dilapidated by floods and some vandalism. We did some cleaning up and took out a couple of fours. We trained ourselves to sit in the boats and eventually held several makeshift races. alas, all too soon, we in our turn were called up.

For most of us that would have been the end of rowing until the end of the war. I was lucky in that I got to pulling whalers in the navy! Later I rowed for uCL at Chiswick. I wish I could name those of us who took part in these adventures on the aire, but I am afraid I cannot do so. perhaps this note will stir some memories of those days so long ago.

rather belatedly, I should like to thank Bradford rowing Club for our introduction to a great sport.

John Hampton (1938-45)

rowing was not something I had initially intended to take up at oxford – I only got involved with my college boat club when one of the captains noticed my height, and told me I could be quite good. That was seven years ago, and having decided I wanted to take it further and trial to row for the university, it has taken three years of extensive training to get myself into a position where I’m able to do so. ouBC trains twice a day, every day, for seven months, with one day off a week; it is intense and high-pressure, but the idea of rowing for oxford in the Boat race, and beating Cambridge, is always a strong motivating factor.

The standard is high: this year we have three olympic medallists, and a number of international athletes, and competition within the squad is fierce. We are lucky to have excellent facilities and one of the best coaching teams in the world. We try to fit in our studies around our training, which often proves to be a struggle. on sunday 6 april 2014 I rowed for Isis, the second boat, against Cambridge in the 160th Boat race, on the 6.8km Championship Course on the Thames. Victory once more to the dark blues. I am number two in the boat.

I’m currently studying for a Dphil in History at Lincoln College. my research is on the industrial mobilisation of France during the First World War, which is particularly exciting with the centenary of the outbreak of the war approaching later this year.

Last year I also had the chance to be a part of oxford’s cycling team in our Varsity races against Cambridge, something I’m hoping to return to now the Boat race is over. after completing my doctorate, I hope to stay in academia and continue my research, while continuing to compete at a high level. my time at Bgs gave me a strong foundation in sport and a competitive drive to push myself both inside and outside the classroom. I am very grateful for the support that was offered to me by the staff, and particularly for their encouragement to apply to oxford in the first place.

Alex Bostrom (1999-2006)

12 oLDbradFordian sport summer 2014 summer 2014 13sport oLDbradFordian

annual dinner saturday 14 september 2013

Just over 200 people attended the annual Dinner, held in september rather than the previously traditional January date. It was generally agreed that the change of date was a positive move with many commenting how nice it was to arrive at school on a pleasant light autumn evening. This year’s event, which involved the school’s Boat Club and the rowing parents’ association, incorporated a celebration of sixty years of rowing at Bgs and the oBa is grateful for the help given by the rpa in putting on the event.

We were pleased to welcome as our Chief guest Jamie macLeod who competed as a rower at the olympics in both 1976 and 1980. other guests included Lady Lynne morrison, Chairman of governors, other governors, Headmaster Kevin riley, members of the sLT and David and eleanor Huggins who are generous supporters of the Bursary Fund.

During the excellent meal provided by County Caterers and following tradition, president gordon green took wine with those who had attended school during various headmasterships dating back to Dr edwards and it was a particular pleasure to see present two representatives from the edwards era, Legs Bentley and Derek oldfield. There were other toasts, many with a rowing theme and also a toast to the two priestley brothers, edward and Tony, who were attending their sixtieth annual Dinner.

Following the meal and the presentation of the Bacchus Cup to 2012 winner, James Barker, there followed the agm, completed in a somewhat tardy fashion (10 seconds longer than last year!) and then after a brief interval a fund-raising game of stand-up Bingo.

gordon green then introduced and proposed a toast to his successor as president, James Williams, and after the transfer of the presidential Insignia, the new president responded and proposed a toast to the school.

Kevin riley responded to the toast with a brief résumé of life at school and the president then proposed a toast to the guests, following which Jamie macLeod (who was briefly introduced by school Captain of Boats sam munro) gave an illuminating account of his olympic experiences and (with tongue-in-cheek) several good reasons why he considered rowing to be superior and safer than many other sports.

In his closing remarks, the president thanked all those involved with the organisation of the event and presented a bouquet and gift to the oBa secretary, Koleen Wright, who has since left the school.

The evening concluded with the singing of auld Lang syne, following which many stayed behind to continue conversations and reminiscence.

all in all, a most successful event which hopefully will have raised funds both to enable the oBa to continue to support the school and also to provide a welcome boost to the rowing parents’ Jubilee eight appeal.

Gordon Green (1953-1961)

oxford & cambridge dinner saturday 9 november 2013

The annual oxford and Cambridge dinner is now a firm fixture in the oBa’s annual calendar. Despite increasing difficulty finding suitable locations in oxford during october or november – for some reason this seems to be less problematic in Cambridge – we were delighted to be able to hold the dinner at somerville College on saturday 9 november from 7.30pm onwards. Thanks to the kind generosity of the Headmaster and the school, current oB students at oxford and Cambridge were invited free of charge and it was very pleasing to see a number of them among the twenty-seven diners. We were also very happy that assistant Head, Jane Chapman, was able to join us.

after an initial drinks reception, dinner was called at 8pm and, following recitation of the Queen’s College grace (there apparently being no specific college grace at somerville), guests sat down to a starter of gravadlax served with baby leaves and a horseradish dressing, followed by a main course of honey-glazed duck confit served with creamy mash, orange and star anise jus with seasonal vegetables and a sweet of steamed chocolate pudding served with ice cream and toffee sauce. Wine was served during the meal with coffee and chocolates to follow, and the welcome return of port this year! James Williams, oBa president, then spoke about the oBa and the purpose of holding the dinner before handing over to the Headmaster who updated the guests on progress at the school. There was plenty of time for people to chat and catch up afterwards before proceedings ended just before 11pm.

next year’s dinner will be held at st John’s College, Cambridge, on saturday 22 november 2014.

Dominic Crossley (1987-1996)

15reunions & dinners oLDbradFordian14 oLDbradFordian reunions & dinners summer 2014 summer 2014

cross-country reunionin westwell, kentauGust 2013

after a scorching week in sunny Kent (26-28 degrees all week), the old Bradfordian reunion took place on a cold and wet saturday evening. sheltering from the rain, andrew seal was in charge of the barbecue and geoff smith made a special Keighley curry (instead of ‘Brock’ turkey for those who remember). numbers were low but good stories were exchanged and a few training pints of guinness at The Wheel went down well. Thanks to those who came and to Tim soutar for coming down on the sunday!!

Andrew Seal (1966-76)

leFt to riGht:

Jessica seal, alice edwards, geoff smith (in background), selby Brock, andrew seal, Tony Kingham, Dave potter (photographer)

london club the old bradFordians’ club (london) limitedFriday 29 november 2013

our latest annual Ladies’ night Dinner was held at The Carlton Club in st James’s sW1, on Friday 29 november and was attended by fifty-three members and their guests.

The main speakers for the evening were richard nerurkar mBe, Kevin riley and James Williams. among the guests, the president was also very pleased to welcome Ian Walker, who was attending a conference on behalf of Bgs, and a greeting had been received from the Brownlee brothers, who would have been with us, but were training and competing in spain.

grace was said by David ellis and geoffrey Lister, London president, proposed the Loyal Toast. after the meal, richard nerurkar, in toasting the school, told how he attended from 1972 to 1982, then went on to obtain a degree in modern Languages at oxford. This was followed by a year at Harvard, completing his masters in public administration and a period at marlborough College, teaching languages, before starting on his full-time career in long-distance and marathon running, competing for Britain in many major international championships between 1989 and 1998.

richard spoke warmly of his time at Bgs, acknowledging the great support he had received in developing his passion for athletics, especially in cross-country and longer distance competitions. His other sporting interests took in cricket and rugby, but it was running that dominated his activities around the world at the highest levels until 2001. Living in east africa for a number of years he, together with others, including Haile gebrselassie, set up The great ethiopian run, an organisation to introduce mass-participation running in ethiopia. This well-established event currently attracts over 35,000 participants. moving back to the uK with his family in 2010, he is now fully involved in sports management and development.

In reply, Kevin provided an update on his second year in place which has been very busy. He paid tribute to the generosity and support given by The London Club’s donations and awards under miura, Drummond and the sixth Form scholarships. The school is thriving, as evidenced by the vast range of opportunities and activities open to pupils and so well illustrated in the various magazines and publications which are regularly issued. strong emphasis will continue to be placed on excellence in academic achievement as well as the ever widening scope in arts, Theatre, music, sport, Travel and Culture and the growing community involvement by Bgs in the Bradford area.

James Williams gave an initial summary of his first few weeks in office, commenting on the highly important links between school and The London Club and plans to develop the overall old Bradfordians’ association. The appointment of sarah Cowman and Louise allen in the marketing department has enabled the school to support both the Bradford and London oBa within the school’s overall outreach to former students

In concluding the evening, geoffrey Lister thanked everyone for their attendance at what was regarded as a most enjoyable gathering. He was delighted to see younger members including Becka and rachel Crabtree, Brittany ashworth and Helena Beeley, together with a number of their friends. He stressed the great importance of the presence of those oBs who had more recently moved south in the future success of The London Club and extended a wide invitation to pass on the news to their contemporaries about London membership. He thanked the officers and Committee for their work and support over the past year, particularly mick stringer and Ian Beardall for their excellent control of the Club’s finances.

Geoffrey Lister (1956-62)

reunion to celebrate harry rée saturday 11 october 2014

older oBs, who attended Bgs from 1946 to 1951, may well recall a charismatic teacher of modern Languages: he was a teacher with a difference, original in his approach and a pioneer of school links with europe, who founded the european society and initiated school links with Tourcoing. His name was Harry rée. He was a war hero and even took a starring role in a war film about his work for the French resistance, entitled school for Danger: In short, Harry was a teacher revered by his pupils, many of whom recall his profound influence and think of him with great affection and admiration. many have remarked to me: ‘He actually spoke French to us all the time in lessons!’ When you recall that often French for beginners at Bgs was a traditional and often turgid diet of the adventures of Toto in en route, the standard textbook, then Harry’s approach would have seemed very different and his pupils did not forget.

Harry went on to be Headmaster of Watford grammar school and afterwards a professor of education. He also became an advocate of comprehensive schools: why and when this shift of viewpoint occurred and many other details of his remarkable life are soon to be revealed. one of his former teachers at Watford grammar school, Dr Jonathan Daube, a resident in america for over fifty years, a former College principal in massachusetts and Connecticut for over thirty years and a highly distinguished and respected educationalist, who has described Harry as having a huge, lifelong influence on him, is in the final stages of writing a biography about Harry, which will be of great interest not only to many former pupils, but also to the educational world in general.

It so happens that this year is the centenary of Harry rée’s birth, and to mark the occasion Jonathan is also in the process of organising a day’s reunion on 11 october at Jeffrey Hall, the Institute of education, 20 Bedford Way, London. a number of distinguished speakers are taking part in this event which may well be of interest to older Bradfordians. our president, James Williams, has already indicated his intention to be present. Full details of this event have been posted on the oBa website, but anyone interested in attending should let Jonathan know directly at daubejm@gmail.com to assist further planning.

David Moore (1952-62)

old bradfordians’ reunion saturday 18 january 2014

on saturday 13 september 2014 we will be celebrating thirty years of co-education at the oBa annual Dinner. I am showing my age yet again, but even for me, thirty years is a decent length of time. now double that period and the result is the number of years a couple of old Bradfordians attending the January reunion had not been back to Bgs. all attending agreed that the changes in the school on every level have been nothing short of miraculous.

It was also a real pleasure on the day to welcome back some of the first girls who came to Bgs, amongst them one who went on to become the first to get married to another Bgs pupil!

on behalf of the oBa I would like to thank all at Bgs for their support in planning this event. particular thanks go to the Headmaster for his unswerving support of all things oB related and to geoff Holmes and the catering team who did us proud yet again.

James Williams (1980-90)

We record with sadness the deaths of the following old Bradfordians and offer our deepest sympathy to their families.

the first three obituaries represent 90 years of first-class teaching at bgs.

peter kewley not many 18 year olds from pete’s background went to university in the early 1960s, but pete won a place at Leeds university to read economics. on graduation, pete embarked on a lifelong relationship with Bradford grammar school. pete joined the youthful economics department with malcolm greenwood and for thirty-seven years educated legions of grateful sixth formers to great distinction. pete’s lessons were legendary - with lots of great humour, occasional bad language, little room for wasters, and above all great knowledge and skill. pete worked incredibly hard; he would spend all day sunday on marking and preparation after he had spent all day on saturday with the school’s 2nd XV rugby team.

pete taught with distinction and coached many rugby teams to success, but his contribution to school went way beyond this. He was an enthusiastic supporter (stage manager) and performer in many school productions. of particular note was a production of The Pirates of Penzance where the staff filled the roles of inept policeman to distinction. another was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, when pete played the part of pharaoh.

pete was an enthusiastic traveller on school trips - with the historians on the battlefields trip, with the geographers to paris, the 2nd/3rd team rugby tour to the south of england and, most memorably, the politics trip to the usa with mike simpson. It was always a privilege to be away with pete, for his great humour at all times, for his companionship and for his good sense in dealing with the students who were with us.

pete was a founder member of the Bgs staff football team. This became a huge part of school life for many colleagues, some of whom have moved on but still remember the camaraderie (and the pub afterwards where the world’s problems (and the school’s failings) were put right).

another former colleague, peter gwilliam, who played for the staff football team, described pete as a ‘true friend’.

It is probably the last comment that sums up what pete was to all who came across him. I cannot think of anyone who disliked pete. Indeed, pete was admired, liked and trusted by all in the staffroom at school and many others from elsewhere.

pete was also first there if anyone was ill, or in need of support. pete and Chris’s house was a great meeting place for huge numbers of friends from all walks of life. Indeed, pete’s hospitality occasionally had unforeseen consequences. one young teacher came to teach politics at Bgs and describes his first dealings with pete as follows:

“Before I had even met pete, some nineteen years ago, he had invited me to stay with him and Chris. He’d cooked me a curry, arranged to take me to the pub and instructed one of his daughters to take me for a walk in the Dales.” What’s not to like! andy Turner later became pete’s son-in-law.

andy described pete as a ‘wonderful paradox’ - westerns and musicals, liberal-minded and traditional, tolerant and demanding. He was so many things: a proud family man; a loving and devoted husband and father; an energetic and doting grandparent; generous host; loyal friend; principled; fair and caring colleague and teacher. To these should be added: gardener; handyman; footballer; fell walker; golfer; actor; pantomime dame and sage.

He is survived by Christine, whom he married in 1967, and by their daughters, emma and Jo.

16 oLDbradFordian obituaries summer 2014

karl howes (1987-97) died in a car accident outside Beckfoot school, Bingley, on saturday 21 December, 2013, aged 34. a graduate of sunderland university, he worked for Hallmark Cards as a national executive. Karl was enormously popular and well-liked by his friends for his good humour, camaraderie and unselfishness. He was keen a supporter of Liverpool FC and a cricket enthusiast. He will be sadly missed.

roderick thompson known as Roddy to his colleagues, a teacher of art and subsequently english at the school from 1968-95, died on 23 november 2013. His colleague and friend raymond shaw smith writes:

mr roderick Thomson came to teach at the school in 1968 after service in the army and some years as a journalist. From 1968 to 1970 he taught art in the sunny upper reaches of the school with mr Holbrook, having himself been taught at Highgate school by the famous Welsh artist Kyffin Williams (later ra and sir Kyffin). He returned to the school in 1971, invited by the Headmaster mr K D robinson, and taught english in the dungeon room 40 until his retirement in 1995. He was a stickler for spelling, punctuation and grammatical correctness, but also conducted ‘essay sets’ in a lively and inspiring way. Can man ever understand woman? was a topic which reached no conclusion according to one participant, but was immense fun. He helped in the CCF, on the stage and in other school activities, and his firm voice and always well-formed sentences, touched with originality, made him a pleasure to listen to. Conversation with him left you wiser and more cheerful, with horizons a little wider. ‘Do it now’ was one of his maxims. Letters from him always contained cuttings from newspapers and magazines and news of colleagues. His laughter, sometimes high pitched, was infectious. He walked purposefully with his head well forward and a free hand outstretched behind as if steering him. In retirement, he helped an old school friend of their early youth in a journalistic business, and he kept all his friendships in good order. He will be sadly missed.

malcolm baron (1936-45) died after a short illness in June 2013.

jeremy walker(1976-86) died on 31 December 2013; he had been suffering from a brain tumour. a resident of Birmingham, he had come to guiseley for end-of-life care. Jeremy was the son of the former governor of Bgs, David e Walker (d. 1998) and is survived by his bother robert (oB, 1979-89) and

his sister, rosaline

17obituaries oLDbradFordian

simon burnett died on 1 august 2013. His daughter, oB Charlotte Burnett (1998-2000), writes:

He taught Chemistry at Bgs from 1982 until his retirement in 2007. simon was a true Yorkshireman; enormously proud of his county with a no-nonsense approach to life. Behind his sometimes quiet exterior, simon had a terrific sense of fun and was deeply passionate about great Britain’s heritage.

Born in Holmfirth in 1949, simon developed a keen interest in science during his school years and went on to read Chemistry at st andrews university. He possessed a genuine enthusiasm for passing on his knowledge – simon could explain anything and fix everything – so upon graduation, a career in teaching became an obvious vocation. He joined the Chemistry department of Hipperholme grammar school in 1971 and that same year, married sue. The two had met as teenagers when simon taught sue to bell-ring. Their partnership has been one of true devotion and an example to all those around them. everything they did, they did together, and they had enormous fun doing it.

In 1977, simon joined the royal navy and served as a lieutenant. He now found himself teaching chemistry to nuclear submarine crews rather than school pupils. on completing his naval commission, he moved his young family back to his beloved Yorkshire to take up the post of chemistry teacher at Bradford grammar school. The colleagues simon worked alongside in the Chemistry department would become great friends during his twenty-five years at Bgs. These friendships endured well beyond retirement, with simon, Dr parker and Dr palmer enjoying monthly get-togethers in some of West Yorkshire’s finest drinking establishments.

alongside his teaching at Bgs, simon devoted a huge amount of time to the school’s Combined Cadet Force. He had been a childhood cadet with a natural talent for shooting, and he wanted to offer a new generation the taste of military life that he had enjoyed so greatly. Heading-up the CCF, simon regularly led adventurous training expeditions to the Lake District and summer camps across the uK.

I have many happy memories of simon’s time at Bgs. Chief among these was joining him each July on the 1st and 2nd Forms’ post-exams trip to alton Towers. steadfastly young at heart, he (closely followed by my sister) would be first in the queue for the latest roller coaster - with me timidly in tow. another annual highlight was attending the Bgs Christmas Carol Concert with simon singing enthusiastically along to everything. These events also established the soundtrack to our childhood Christmases with simon excitedly adopting the new arrangements and choruses we’d seen performed in the price Hall at home and in the car.

In 1998 I joined the sixth Form of Bgs and became a Bradfordian in my own right. Initially, it was a surreal experience to be a pupil in the same school in which Dad taught. perhaps this was because I knew there was so much more to Dad than ‘mr Burnett’ the chemistry teacher.

outside of school simon barely had enough free time to pack in his abundance of interests. as a bell-ringer, he taught literally hundreds of people to ring, from Dundee to plymouth. For the past twenty-five years he had been ringing master at Haworth parish Church, nurturing his home-grown band to ‘peal’ standard – the holy grail of church bell-ringing. Dad was also a canal fanatic and in 1992 he fulfilled a lifelong dream to buy and fit-out a narrowboat. He worked relentlessly for years to handcraft every inch of the boat, from bow to stern, faithfully following traditional designs while equipping the boat with all the high-tech gadgetry of a 21st Century holiday home. In 2007, simon retired from Bgs and he and sue enjoyed much longer narrowboat trips on the waterways of england. It was also the year that simon would become a grandpa for the first time. He was at the very heart of our family lives and a natural grandparent, treating his three grandchildren to an idyllic array of day trips on steam engines, canal boat holidays and rock-pooling adventures on the east Coast of Yorkshire. In the months before his sudden death, he had also begun volunteering on the Worth Valley steam railway and was tremendously excited about his impending graduation as a fully-fledged signalman.

simon was a great British man and devoted so much of his life to celebrating peculiarly British traditions. It seems, perhaps then, fitting that such a passionate Yorkshireman should have left us on 1 august - Yorkshire Day. He is dearly, and greatly, missed by us all.

summer 2014

michael davidlloyd

Dr michael David Lloyd (1943-45) passed away on 15 august, 2013, aged 80. michael, having completed his national service in malaya, studied medicine and was a local

gp in allerton. He leaves behind a wife anne and son neil, a former committee member and president of the oBa.

gordon brewerton (1942-49) died on 9 october, 2013, aged 82; he had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis. gordon was a retired senior Civil servant in the scottish office. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

roger whitehead (1967-75) died on 5 september 2013, in the usa, aged 54.

peterwilliam

cowgill 1944-51) died on 5 February

2014.

j k hirst (1933-40) died on 23 January 2014, after a long illness, aged 91. His son Christopher (1958-65) writes:

Kenneth, a member of the 1st XI (with the future Yorkshire and england cricketer Frank Lowson) and 1st XV, won a Classical scholarship to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he also became organ scholar. as one of the country’s foremost classical scholars, he enjoyed the rare distinction of undergraduate status at both Cambridge and oxford, being selected for a special course in modern greek at university College oxford (where he won a soccer Blue) en route to officer training and World War II service in the Intelligence Corps in greece and egypt.

His post-war career began with the British Council in athens (where he was interpreter to the royal Family), then in management consultancy including the national Coal Board and the Bank of London and south africa (latterly Lloyds Bank International).

always a devotee of the scarborough Cricket Festival, Kenneth and his wife marian retired to Hutton Buscel in 1979. He continued to play club cricket into his 60s, then to enjoy bowls and golf well into his 80s. a love of languages and travel were also constant pleasures in retirement and throughout his long life Kenneth also enriched the worship of many a church, chapel and bible class with his organ playing and preaching. after sixty-seven years of marriage, Kenneth leaves a widow, two sons, eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

a great Yorkshireman, he followed the fortunes and development of Bgs closely. In his later years, he enthralled his family with tales of masters of the 1930s – ‘spewey’ ewbank et al! He held his old school in the highest esteem. among his close friends from the same era were the late Willy petty and arthur Woodcock.

18 oLDbradFordian obituaries summer 2014

ross smith(1996-2005) died, aged 27, at his home in shelf on 29 January 2014, following a nine-month battle with kidney cancer. ross was a talented sportsman who enjoyed participation in all physical activities, but his real passion was football. as a young player he was a prolific trophy winner in the Junior Leagues in Brighouse, signed for the Huddersfield Town academy, then later Halifax Town Youth academy; he also had spells with Bradford pa and shelf united. From 2005 to 2009 he worked in Leeds and Bradford as a banking adviser for HBos. He subsequently studied for three and a half years at Belmont abbey in north Carolina, obtaining a degree in sports management, which led to a job as a sports Consultant – a role he loved. He was unable to attend his degree ceremony, so a representative of Belmont abbey College flew to england to make a personal presentation. He was a hugely popular figure with a lovely personality and a ready smile. He will be sadly missed by his family and many friends in this country and abroad.

d r hallprofessor D r Hall (1958-65) died on 3 February 2014; his friend Christopher Hewitt (1958-65) writes:

David died in sydney on 3 February 2014, aged 66, after an eighteenth- month battle with a brain tumour. He gained a City scholarship to Bgs where he studied modern languages, including russian, under the legendary David Wanstall who applied ruthless naval techniques in getting his students from scratch to a level in three years. He then read French and russian at Birmingham, including a year at the sorbonne during the student unrest in 1968.

Having decided on a teaching career, he did a pgCe at Leeds before short teaching posts in rwanda and Iran. In 1974 he returned to england to study applied linguistics at essex, followed by teaching at newcastle and aston universities. He then moved to malaysia, working at the university in Kuala Lumpur on the spoken english project, and in 1983 he moved to Thailand where he was Director of the Language Centre at the asian Institute of Technology until 1991. Here he wrote some of his most influential work on the Talkbase program.

after a brief spell at Liverpool John moores university, he moved to macquarie university, sydney, as manager of english Language services at the national Centre for english Language Teaching and research, became Head of Linguistics from 2000-2005 and ended his career at macquarie as associate Dean of the Faculty of Human sciences. During this time he wrote or edited several books and journal articles, while still maintaining a heavy load of phD supervision.

as well as a passion for cricket and rugby, he loved music and theatre both as audience and performer. He acted in and directed many plays, particularly during his time in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. David had a natural ability to communicate across ages, cultures, social classes and languages. He was an inspirational teacher and mentor who never forgot his humble origins. He will be sadly missed by colleagues and students alike in the many institutions worldwide where he worked and especially at macquarie, where he spent the last twenty years of his career. He is survived by his daughter in sydney.

albert careyDr albert stuart Carey (1933-34) died in allithwaite, Cumbria, on 1 February 2014. a scholarship boy and proud old Bradfordian, he would have liked to have completed his secondary education at Bgs, but for family reasons moved to West Leeds High school, where he enjoyed academic success and gained a place at Leeds university to study medicine. Dr Carey was a consultant psychiatrist, specialising in learning disabilities; he was superintendent of newchurch Hospital, Culcheth, Cheshire, for twenty-four years prior to retirement. after retirement, he lived in Wigan and took an active part in medical tribunals in the north West. His interests were medicine, family and sports. His wife margaret predeceased him by six weeks. He is survived by two children, five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

jamesclarkeholtprofessor sir James Clarke Holt, FBa, (1932-41), the distinguished medieval historian and former master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (1981-88), died peacefully at home on 9 april, 2014, aged 91. a Hastings History scholar at the Queen’s College, oxford, whose studies were disrupted by the war, he graduated with first class honours and proceeded to a phD in 1952 with a thesis on ‘The northern Barons under John’.

His great qualities as a medieval historian were soon recognised as he became successively professor of medieval History at nottingham university (1962-65), professor of History at the university of reading (1965-78) and professor of medieval History at Cambridge university (1978-88). He became a Fellow of the British academy in 1978, serving as its Vice president from 1987 to 1989, was president of the royal Historical society (1981-85) and was knighted for his work as a historian.

His book on Magna Carta, first published in 1965, was subsequently revised and is still regarded as a seminal work on this subject. He also published Robin Hood (1982), Magna Carta and Medieval Government (1985) and Colonial England (1066-1215). His love of history was stimulated early in life at home and later at Bgs: in the transcript of an autobiographical interview, he referred with affection to ‘two great teachers’ at Bgs: C s ‘Charlie’ Hall and L J V shepherd.

alanpybus (1942-48) died on 20 march, 2014. He was a loyal oB and greatly enjoyed life at Bgs.

john crossley wood professor sir John Crossley Wood CBe (1943-46) died in sheffield on 9 april 2014 aged 86. His son, sam, writes:

Born on 3 January 1928 in Brighouse, sir John attended rastrick grammar school, moving to Bgs in 1943. He travelled to Bradford by tram and because of the long journey had special permission to arrive at school a few minutes late. He was in the scouts during the war and took part in fire-watching duties, using the roof of Brighouse Co-op as one of their observation points.

a degree of master of Law from manchester university was followed by two years’ national service with the royal army service Corps in southern england. as an undergraduate he met sonia, they married in 1952 and returned to manchester where he practised as a Barrister, also becoming an assistant Lecturer at the university.

moving to sheffield university in 1958 as senior Lecturer, he stayed there for the rest of his career, becoming a professor and then Dean of the Faculty of Law. specialising in employment Law and Industrial relations he wrote a number of books on these subjects. outside the university he served as a member of the government’s Industrial arbitration Board, advisory Conciliation and arbitration service (aCas) and Central arbitration Committee (CaC), and resolved a number of major disputes in the steel, motor and other industries. Work with the British airline pilots’ association (BaLpa) involved a trip across the atlantic on the flight deck to observe the pilots’ working environment.

He was deputy chairman of the robens Committee on safety in the workplace. This involved visits to germany and Canada to observe other countries’ practices and led to the 1974 Health and safety at Work act. He was appointed CBe in the early 1970s and Knighted at the end of that decade. Both honours were for services to industrial relations. many years’ service as a regional chairman of mental Health review Tribunals gained him Honorary Fellowship of the royal College of psychiatrists. He was appointed to the International Labour organisation’s Committee of experts, making annual visits to geneva and working on arbitrations in a number of countries.

a life-long supporter and season ticket holder at Huddersfield Town aFC, his interest in football led to work with the football authorities particularly the professional Footballers’ association and the Football League. This included improvements to players’ terms and conditions and advising on transfer negotiations.

apart from football, he was interested in all types of sport, a keen snooker player and a member of Brighouse Cricket and Bowling Club and Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

The funeral was held on the 22 april 2014 at Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium, sheffield. Tributes were given by professor graham Battersby, formerly of sheffield university and gordon Taylor, Chief executive of the professional Footballers’ association. Fittingly for a proud Yorkshireman, the service concluded with the West riding march by Brighouse and rastrick Band.

He is survived by sonia, his wife of 61 years, and his son sam. His daughter rebecca died in 1993.

keithmalcolm carroll(formerly Harpur, 1948-49) has died, aged 76.

summer 2014

stephen swaine(1977-85) died of a heart attack on 17 December 2013, aged 47. He would have celebrated his 48th birthday on Christmas Day. His friend, Laurence skelding (oB, 1977-84), writes:

steve and I first met briefly in 1975 at Wellington middle school. He went on soon after to Brontë House prep school, but we renewed our friendship in 1977 when we both entered the Third Form at Bgs. steve loved controversy and was indeed a controversial figure – delighting and shocking in equal measure with his forthrightly unrepentant non-pC views. at school he demonstrated a passion for debating and an eclectic taste in music ranging from richard Wagner to Frank sinatra. after Bgs, steve studied briefly at sheffield polytechnic before reading politics and History at Keele university. There he formed a swing band.

after university steve became an entertainments manager, working in a variety of locations including Blackpool and alvaston Hall in Cheshire. Latterly, steve was self-employed in York as a singer and compère under the pseudonym ‘Harry sydney’. York was a city which steve much loved and indeed on his death the York press paid handsome tribute to what it termed one of York’s ‘most flamboyant and well known characters’. The tributes didn’t stop there. many who disagreed fundamentally with steve’s views still loved steve the man in all his paradoxical complexity. stephen swaine lived a comparatively short life. He lived it, however, to the full and on his own terms.

19obituaries oLDbradFordian

peter a dover1942-50) died in march 2014, aged 82. His friend, oB Bill morgan (1943-51), writes:

peter Dover, who died at his home in the far north west of scotland, would certainly fit the r B graham ideal Bgs pupil mould in his love of Classics, sport and the great outdoors.

He was a scholarship boy from Bradford moor who went through the school as a sound academic pupil in the Classical stream. an outstanding all-round sportsman, he excelled particularly at rugby, playing scrum half or wing forward in all age group teams from under 13 to 1st XV. He became a patrol leader in Bill smith’s scouts, attended two Drebley camps per year and took part in the school farming scheme, first in Cumbria and then in the east riding. In his final year in school he was appointed second prefect.

peter went on to read Classics at Birmingham university and then, after national service in the army education Course and marriage to margaret, his childhood sweetheart, he settled in Cumbria along with their daughter philippa. For over thirty years, he taught at the Lakes school in Windermere, retiring from there to live in scotland for the last twenty years, enjoying the hills and glens and the easy access to the slopes of aviemore. r B graham would have approved.

peter halsall (1938-45), a keen supporter of his old school, passed away in January 2014.

peter hustler (1956-60) passed away on 16 June 2012.

keithrobson (1936-41) died on 28 may 2013, aged 88.john charles

walker (1949-56) died peacefully in hospital on 29 september 2013, a beloved family man. The internment took place at The Craggs, east morton, a place he loved.

trevor shears (1954-61) died on 10 may 2014. His brother, peter (1946-55) writes:

Trevor Halliday shears was born in Ilkley on 17 march 1945 and lived with his parents Kathy and Douglas shears, together with his elder brother peter, in Thornton, Bradford. He remained a proud Yorkshireman for the rest of his life

In his retirement, Trevor became well known as a philanthropist supporting causes in Yorkshire and the north east and was awarded the oBe for services to charity.

He was a pupil of Bradford grammar school from 1954 until 1961. He started his work as a trainee Chartered accountant with moss swallow and Isles in Bradford. He also worked for several other Chartered accountant firms in the Bradford area until he finally qualified as a Chartered accountant with peat marwick mitchell.

Trevor entered the bus industry in 1974 as assistant secretary/accountant at The northern general Transport Company. after a 3 year period at east Yorkshire motor services, he returned to northern general in 1979 to become the Company secretary/accountant. He was made Finance Director and was part of the management buy-out team when the bus industry was deregulated in 1987 and northern general became the go-ahead group, which was floated on the stock market in 1994 and became one of the highly respected transport companies in this country.

Trevor retired from The go-ahead group in 1996 to spend more time with his second wife Lyn and pursue his great love of transport, especially to be involved with the seaton Tramway as a member of the board and latterly as Chairman of the Company. Commenting on his wealth, acquired following the flotation of go ahead, back in 1996, he said, “I expected to be an accountant all my life with a reasonable middle-class sort of existence, but what has happened since 1987 was not even a wild dream before then”.

He wanted to give something back to the people of Tyne and Wear and northumberland and gave half his wealth away to charitable causes. Trevor and Lyn also set up their own charitable trust - The shears Foundation, which they have managed themselves over the last 18 years and has benefitted many charities in the north east region but also in other parts of the country, including Yorkshire, and abroad.

20 oLDbradFordian obituaries summer 2014

k m sagarprofessor K m sagar (1945-51) died suddenly of a heart attack, aged 79, on 17 october, 2013, days before he was due to speak at the Ilkley Literature Festival. Keith sagar was a distinguished scholar – critic, editor, biographer and bibliographer – and an outstanding teacher, whose natural and intuitive understanding of his pupils made a powerful impact – particularly his ability to draw out and shape the views of students of all ability. He has written acclaimed studies of the works of D H Lawrence and Ted Hughes, of whom he was a lifelong friend and correspondent – a friendship which resulted in the publication of The Letters of Ted Hughes and Keith Sagar (2012). He also published his own collected poems in 2004, entitled risks.

a scholarship boy at Bgs, where he would have experienced an english Department under the legendary Jock grose, he went on to read english at King’s College, Cambridge. His first job was as an administrative assistant in the extra mural Department at Leeds university, where he began his phD on D H Lawrence. In 1959, he became the Wea Tutor-organiser for n east Derbyshire, living close to Lawrence country. He was awarded his Doctorate in 1962. He moved to the ribble Valley in 1963 and became the resident Tutor for n e Lancashire for the extra mural Department of manchester university.

In 1966 he published the first of over twenty books, mostly (but not exclusively) on Lawrence and Hughes. He undertook regular lecture tours in the usa in the 1970s, and subsequently in the 1980s to Yugoslavia, India and China, under the auspices of the British Council. He became a reader in english Literature at the university of manchester in 1984, but parted company, with some bitterness, in 1995, or as he candidly put it, ‘they threw me out for teaching the Western Canon’. He continued to write extensively, teach for the Wea and direct an annual theatre course in London. His later career was marked in 2005 by the Henry T moore award for Lifetime achievement in Lawrence studies, while in 2006 he was appointed, appropriately, to a special professorship in the school of english at nottingham university.

His principal works include The Art of D H Lawrence (1966), The Art of Ted Hughes (1975), a number of Lawrence titles including the Selected Poems and Sons and Lovers between 1971 and 1982 and, in conjunction with stephen Tabor, a Bibliography of Ted Hughes (1998). a man of deep personal conviction, with a lifelong interest in the natural world, in 2005 he published a groundbreaking book entitled Literature and the Crime against nature. Keith sagar will be deeply missed by his many colleagues, friends and former students; he is survived by his wife melissa, whom he married in 1981, and their two children, ursula and arren.

malcolm cubiss

Brigadier malcolm Cubiss, mC, CBe, (1940-46) died on 7 august 2013, aged 83. at the outset of his military career in 1949, he was commissioned as a national service officer in the West Yorkshire regiment and recalled as a reservist at the outset

of the Korean War, when he was working in a bank. His subsequent military career was varied

and distinguished.

He was awarded one of the first Immediate military Crosses for his great bravery in 1951, in the early stages of the Korean War, as a platoon

commander – the citation for the award made reference to his resolution and tactical skill in

reducing the number of casualties in his platoon to two, in the face of overwhelming odds.

subsequently in the war, he suffered disabling injuries when a mine he was arming exploded,

causing the loss of his right arm below the elbow and loss of hearing. Thereafter he wore a hook

as a prosthetic and, despite his disability, was allowed to continue his military career thanks to

the intervention of general slim.

However, his medical condition restricted him to home postings for several years. after passing the staff College exam and serving as Brigade

major, he moved to HQ (British Corps) in germany. In 1967 he was appointed chief instructor at

sandhurst and in 1972 served as gsoI at the school of Infantry. He served in Belfast as deputy

commander of 39 Brigade – his hook by this time had become almost a trademark symbol,

highly polished and ‘as sharp as a razor’! He was mentioned in despatches at the end of his tour. In

1977 he returned to northern Ireland as Colonel in charge of logistic support for operations, then

in 1979 he was awarded the CBe and promoted Brigadier on becoming Deputy Commander,

Western District. He retired in 1983 and for the next ten years acted as regimental secretary of the

prince of Wales’s own regiment of Yorkshire

Vivid stories about him abound, not just for his bravery on the battlefield but for his forthright views

in lighter moments, his disrespect for pomposity or ‘his party tricks’, as when he attempted to

grasp a proffered drink with his hook and, after two failures and broken glasses, succeeded at the third attempt to the general merriment and

loud applause of his fellow officers. He was rightly renowned for an engaging, sometimes wicked

and mischievous sense of humour. He is survived by his second wife, Wendy, two sons by his first

marriage, a stepson and a stepdaughter.