Masonica 2023

Masonica Te

Welcome to the 2023 edition of Masonica.

What a busy year it has been! We were finally able to return to a full calendar-year of events following the pandemic, and it has been wonderful seeing so many of you back at RMS once more.

We are always interested to catch up with our alumnae, who seem to be spread far and wide, doing a whole host of exciting things. Inside this issue, you can read about some of our Old Girls, including Sophie Sellu (2006 Leaver), Bethany Gupwell (2015 Leaver) and Elana Keiles (2019 Leaver). We also take a sneak peek behind the scenes of Drill and the hard work that goes on to get ‘performance ready’.

A big thank you, as always, to you, our wonderful alumnae community, who support the School in so many ways; whether that be attending events, giving careers advice to current pupils, making donations or keeping in touch to let us know what you’ve been up to. We particularly enjoy hearing your stories and being able to share them in the popular ‘Glimpses of our lives’ feature, which is one of the most popular. Please do continue to send in your updates.

With very best wishes for the year ahead, and we hope to see you soon.

Sereen Aley and Lucia Hull Development Office

Welcome

I trust that you are looking forward to reading about life at RMS in this latest issue of Masonica. It is jam-packed with great stories of RMS past and present, that all show how our school changes lives.

Layla Chauhan, a recent leaver with a big future in textile design, comments that RMS was “the perfect atmosphere for me to flourish”. Similarly, award winning designer and TV judge Sophie Sellu tells how the “many creative outlets at RMS” helped her manage her ADHD, and how incredible teachers such as “Miss Dines, Head of DT, had a huge influence on my career”. The RMS family is full of incredible teachers and you can read the reflections of another of that ilk, Sarah Reeves, in this issue.

We wish for our exceptional RMS education to be available to as many families as possible, and supporting families through difficult circumstances is the very reason that the School was founded in 1788. We are proud that in each of the past four years, we have increased the number of students receiving transformative bursaries, and we now have an additional minimum of six fully funded places available every year from September. This is a great start; however, we wish to provide transformative bursaries to many more deserving pupils each year. Inside, you can find out more about how you too can help change a life by supporting our RMS Bursary Fund.

‘Back to normal’ was a theme of the last year as we all took steps to put the pandemic behind us. This was just what our pupils needed. Life at RMS 2022 was as action-packed, fun-filled, and joyous as any before 2020, with school trips to Dordogne, Iceland, Dubai and the Isle of Wight, incredible productions such as Alice in Wonderland and Into the Woods, wonderful sport, amazing art, stonkingly good exam results, and a memorable performance of Drill in the Sports Hall.

This year, Sports Day takes place on 1st July, and Old Girls’ Day on 12th November. The sun of course, will shine for both, and it would be wonderful to see you, your family and friends back here enjoying yourselves in our wonderful school.

Kevin Carson Headteacher

Dates for your diary

Drinks in the City

Friday 3 March, 18.00 - 21.00

The Sekforde, Farringdon, EC1R 0HA

Following the success of last year, we will once again be holding our Drinks in the City evening in London. Come along to this informal evening, hosted by our wonderful Mr Broome, Miss Simmonite, Mrs Freeman and headteacher, Mr Carson.

Tickets for the event cost £12 plus booking fee, and include arrival drink and buffet.

Visit www.rmsforgirls.com/alumnae to book.

The East Anglia Reunion

Saturday 10 June, 12.00 at The Fox, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 1XX

Join us for lunch and afterwards for tea and cake at the home of Lesley Bishop (Class of 1962).

Whether you live in East Anglia or are just visiting, you are welcome to join fellow Old Girls for the afternoon.

Please contact Lesley by the end of May, if you would like to join: lesleybishop974@btinternet.com.

Home Counties South Reunion

Saturday 13 May, 12:00 at The Harts Boatyard, Surbiton, KT6 4ES

Join us for an afternoon in a very pleasant pub overlooking the river. There is a car park, or it is a 15 minute walk from Surbiton station (there is also a taxi rank). Wherever you live, you will be most welcome.

Please let Vivian Wright know if you can attend by Saturday 6 May: email vmwright@waitrose.com or telephone 0208 864 5792 or mobile 07982 060311.

South West Reunion

Saturday 17 June, 12.00 at The Mill on the Exe, Exeter, EX4 3AB

RMS alumnae, husbands and partners are warmly invited to attend the South West Reunion. Please email Barbara Jackson: bejacksonuk@yahoo.co.uk for further details and to book a place.

The Northern Reunion

Saturday, 17 June, York

We are planning a reunion for those living within travelling distance of York. The venue is to be confirmed but if you are interested in meeting with friends old and new, please email Heather Utley (1966 Leaver) at heather_utley@hotmail.com.

University Choices

Thursday 29 June, 13.00 - 16.00, RMS for Girls

Our current Year 12s are about to embark on the UCAS process. To help them on this journey, we are inviting you to talk to them about your experiences of life beyond RMS.

After a delicious school lunch, you'll have the opportunity to speak to the Year 12s in small groups, about your course, university, GAP year or apprenticeship. Afterwards you are invited to drinks in the New Mark Hall.

There is no need to prepare anything in advance, just be ready to talk about university life and answer questions.

Please sign up at: www.rmsforgirls.com/alumnae

Sports Day

Saturday 1 July, 12.00 - 15.00, RMS for Girls

With Pimms on arrival, followed by a buffet lunch and tours of the School, this promises to be a fabulous afternoon catching up with friends and reminiscing about the good old RMS days!

So, gather your friends and book today! www.rmsforgirls.com/alumnae.

Recent Leavers’ Barbecue

Friday 8 September, 17.00 – 20.00, RMS for Girls

The Classes of 2018 – 2023 are warmly invited back to school for a relaxed evening in the Rose Garden at Hind House. The annual tradition of returning to school before setting off to university, embarking on your next adventure or just rounding off the summer with drinks and a delicious barbecue has proven very popular, and we’d love to see as many of you there as possible again this year. To register please visit www.rmsforgirls.com/alumnae

The West Reunion

Saturday 10 September, 13.00 - 16.00

Chipping Sodbury

All alumnae living in or visiting the West are invited to the home of Sue Fitzhugh in Chipping Sodbury. To help cover the cost of the catering, including Pimms and afternoon tea, we kindly ask for a contribution of £10 per person. To book on please contact Sue (Class of 1979): suefitzhugh62@gmail.com.

Remembrance Sunday & Old Girls Day

Sunday 12 November, 09.00 - 15.00, RMS for Girls

Alumnae, family and friends are invited to the RMS Remembrance Service.

After the service, the 2023 Drill Team will perform. A two-course lunch with wine in the Dining Hall is on offer followed by tours of the School with current pupils. Tickets for lunch cost £20.

To book tickets please visit www.rmsforgirls.com/alumnae, or call the Development Office on 01923 725 767.

Nine Lessons and Carols

Thursday 7 December, 19.00, St Marys Church, Church Street, Rickmansworth, WD3 1JB

Save the date for our traditional festive celebration of Nine Lessons and Carols, followed by mulled wine and mince pies. This is the perfect way to welcome the festive season. Tickets are free and we will let you know once they are available.

To book onto any of these events visit www.rmsforgirls.com/alumnae, scan the QR code or call the Development Office: 01923 725 767.

Te Events Roundup

Australia Reunion (February)

by Nikki Cranston, 1965 Leaver

How lovely it was to meet and greet each other at the Rising Sun, South Melbourne, after so many months.

Yvonne amused us all with anecdotes of her school experience, at both Rickmansworth and Weybridge. As I was at Weybridge too, I could relate to the stories.

Wendy always does a first-class job of organising us and booking the venue. She and her husband are both in good health, although exhausted from her extensive skills and work as a nurse in a large Melbourne hospital, still suffering from the over-load as a result of the pandemic and the ensuing back-up of patients.

The author of this piece did not have anything exciting to offer in the way of news. COVID has robbed most folk of travel news, or work news even, or activities news. My family are well and flourishing, except for two of them being teenagers(!)

So for our reunion, the food and the wine and the excellent service was much appreciated and helped towards another memorable lunch date with our Masonic School friends. Looking forward to November, when we hope everybody can attend another reunion but in the meantime, Australia, like the rest of the world, reveres and sincerely thanks all our medical staff for their impossibly hard work throughout the COVID pandemic - and our group thanks Wendy especially.

Drinks in the City (March)

Careers Networking (March)

University Choices (April)

A Celebration of the Life of Neil Young (May)

The Home Counties South reunion (May)

by Vivian Wright, 1963 Leaver

Ten of us gathered in glorious sunshine at Hart’s Boatyard in Surbiton on 14 May. This is a bit of misnomer as Jennifer and Vivian hail from north of the river and Heather was visiting from Yorkshire! Our table overlooked the river where people were walking on the banks or skimming along the water, happy to be free of the constraints of the last three years. Our party spanned several generations of Old Girls: it was lovely to welcome Pam with her husband Colin and also Jane and Heather who haven’t joined us before; we missed some of our regulars. As always conversation flowed freely ranging from reminiscences of the past to present circumstances. As Yvonne always says, “so lovely to meet up with other Old Girls, doesn’t matter when we left does it?”

We were especially interested to hear that Mary was joining the trip to the Masonic Temple on Tuesday 17 May: the school has arranged for those taking part to see their original petitions. Mary had been warned that this could be an emotional experience which Yvonne, who had been on an earlier visit, confirmed.

I hope we shall see everybody again next year (and others who could not make it this time!). We all enjoyed it – it was a wonderfully warm and happy occasion.

Connaught Reunion (May)

by Liz McLaren, 1974 Leaver

During early summer a group of old Connaught girls met up for a reunion weekend which included a visit back to school. It was a wonderful day. Lots of laughter and chat (no surprise there!) plus lots of reminiscing. We had a wonderful afternoon tea in the Boardroom, which of course we had never visited, being out of bounds to us girls. It was a very impressive room and likewise the delicious feast that had been laid on for us. That was followed by a wander around the main school and a visit back to Connaught.

Times have changed and much has moved forward in terms of facilities and accommodation, but the buildings remain the same and our memories remain as strong as ever.

Roll on this year’s visit!

The East Anglia Reunion (June)

by Lesley Bishop, 1962 Leaver

After a two year break because of the pandemic, it was wonderful to be together again and reminisce, catch up with old friends and make new ones. It is a great privilege for me to be able to able to organise our reunions, and my reward is to hear the laughter and conversations around the table. Our varied experiences of boarding school always make for an interesting debate. With good memories, and sometimes not such happy memories. It is important to share our thoughts together.

After a delicious meal, some of the group had longer journeys to get home, so went on their way, but a few returned to my house to continue our chat over a cup of tea and cake. Thank you to everyone who came, and who made it such a happy and enjoyable afternoon.

I intend to follow the same pattern next year for our 2023 reunion.

The South West Reunion (July)

by Barbara Jackson, 1970 Leaver

The South West Reunion took place on 17 July. A good time was spent talking and catching up. Attending were Jenny Greene, Marilyn Jobson-Scott, Felicity Ryan, Ann Richards and myself.

The Ten Year Reunion (June)

Sophie Sellu Class of 2006

Sophie Sellu is an award winning designer and maker in wood. She is also a judge on Channel 4’s Handmade: Britain’s Best Woodworker. Lisa and Dulcie, two of our Sixth Form DT pupils, caught up with her to fnd out more about her incredible career.

What did you do after leaving RMS?

I went on to study interior design at Manchester School of Art. It was great but not as hands on as I would have liked. A lot of it was computer based and there wasn’t much practical work. I graduated in the middle of a recession and our tutor sat us down and told us that none of us would get a job in interior design because it was a failing sector at that time!

After graduating, I stayed in Manchester and worked in fashion retail for some really cool stores doing visual merchandising. I designed and implemented their window displays and in store design which was really good fun. I went on to work for a bigger brand which unfortunately closed down and so I got made redundant. After that, I decided to move back to London and got a trend forecasting job in fashion. On paper the job was amazing - I got to travel and was pitching ideas and concepts to design teams, but then I got made redundant from that job too. I felt really frustrated and at 24 years old, I was fed up working really hard for other people, not being settled in a career and still living with my parents.

How did your career in woodwork begin and have you ever questioned the choices you have made?

Whenever I met up with my university friends, we would go to a one-day workshop, such as screen printing or pottery. This was a great way for us to come together as creatives and do something we loved. One of the classes I went on was a spoon carving course, where I was working with my hands and making something useful out of wood. It was really fun and it instantly made sense to me.

At the time, I was still working in the trend forecasting job, but I was now doing spoon carving when I got home from work. The job was really stressful and I hated it, but I would come home from a horrible day at work and have a therapeutic making session. Each time I made something, I felt I could face the next day at work.

Can you tell us about your time at RMS?

I joined RMS in Year 7 in 1999 and stayed until the end of Sixth Form. I have ADHD and always struggled with the academic side of school. I loved that there were so many creative outlets at RMS and I was able to take DT all the way up to A Level. It was amazing; we had two workshops and such lovely teachers. Miss Dines, Head of DT, had a huge influence on my career, and I always look back very fondly on my woodwork lessons with her.

When I got made redundant for the second time, I had been carving for about a year. At that point I decided to give myself six months doing the carving, and if within that time I hadn’t got anywhere with it then I would get another job. That was ten years ago and I am still carving.

I have been doing woodwork exclusively for six or seven years now. Prior to that, I had been doing occasional part time jobs and some

freelance design work to help pay the bills; I did all sorts to make it work. There were definitely times when I questioned my choice but I enjoy woodwork so much that I didn’t want to step away from it. I made a lot of sacrifices, such as living at home for a long time so that all my earnings could be invested into the business. Renting my first studio, having my own space, and being out of my parents garage was a huge and exciting step.

You only work with wood that would be considered waste. Why is that?

From day one, I decided that I would only ever use wood that was considered waste. That ethos started at school when I did one of my art A Level projects on waste. I’d been inspired by artists like Kurt Schwitters and Roy Lichtenstein and I collected rubbish from everyone’s cars and made a huge collage from it.

When I first started learning my craft, I was using freshly cut greenwood, but as I developed, I tried to find other sources because it felt wasteful to chop down a tree to make a new object. So I started carving from material I found in a local reclamation yard, as well as broken furniture. Now I tend to work with storm fallen timber. One tree I have used has 180 rings on it; it was sad that it fell down, but it would have been even sadder if nothing was done with it at the end of its life.

How did this fantastic opportunity at Channel 4 come about?

Being a judge on Handmade: Britain’s Best Woodworker has been amazing. It wasn’t something I ever expected to happen and when I interviewed for it with five or six others, I didn’t think anything would come of it. At the time, it was just a good day out! When I got the call to say I had got the job, I was so shocked. That call came just three weeks before filming started.

Last May, a cast and crew of 70 of us were in a bubble in Wales, filming for five weeks. It was like a festival and I was definitely overwhelmed for a lot of it. Despite feeling completely out of my comfort zone, it was good fun. The workshop and the tools were amazing and meeting the makers was incredible, they are so passionate and talented.

We filmed two series over the summer. The first in May, the second in August, the second one was tough because it was during the heat wave but I enjoyed it more because I had settled into the routine, I

knew all the crew, what was expected of me, and the format by then. It took three days to film one episode, then we had a day off and started filming the next episode over three days, and so on for five weeks. It was intense, but a lot of fun.

Do you have any other projects in the pipeline?

I have been working on a book about nature, making, woodwork and craft for about four years. I had a book deal lined up just before covid, then the publishers pulled it because (ironically) they said there was no need for an at home craft book at that time. Since then, I have had more offers so it is really exciting, but I’m not rushing it. It is my first book so I want to do it well and for it to be something that is special to me.

Do you have any advice for women going into wood carving?

Woodwork is a very male dominated industry. At the beginning of my career, I had some really funny emails. I don’t put my name on the Instagram account, and the emails would often open with ‘Hello sir’, which was very presumptuous. There is always the risk of feeling that as a woman you’re not as strong or as able as a man but my advice would be to have the confidence to trust in your ability. There are people who think they know more because they are male and that is not true. One of the things I love about being a female woodworker is proving people wrong. These days, wood carving is much more accessible and it not just a hobby that an older white man does in his shed. Being high profile in this field is doing wonders for woodwork’s image, and I am really proud of that.

Miss Dines, Head of DT had a huge infuence on my career

PHOTOGRAPHER: Mariell Lind Hansen

From the Art Room

Molly Smith GCSE

Zahra Syed GCSE

Zoe Cronin A Level

Zoe Cronin A Level

Wendi Zhu A Level

Ameya Borase GCSE

Caroline Dent GCSE

Amber Hall A Level

Sienna Tallentire A Level

Sienna Tallentire A Level

Bethany Gupwell Class

of 2015

Bethany

I had never been at the top academically and simply thought I wasn’t very good at school. RMS really changed my view on that. Within my first year, one of the things that struck me was that it really put an emphasis on finding what my strengths were and encouraging me in those areas.

There were teachers who kept asking what I liked doing, rather than telling me I needed to work on particular aspects of the curriculum. I am grateful for that to this day because it is the only reason I am where I am now. RMS let me be curious; that was such a blessing and it helped me to discover what I really wanted.

It was pretty obvious from a young age that I thrived in creative subjects. In my early years at RMS, I was always in the art studio at lunch and break times. My friends and I spent all of our spare time in the art department.

In Year 9, I started to work with the Performing Arts Department. I did LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) speaking exams which really helped me, and by the end of my time at RMS, I was doing a lot of public speaking. I knew there was something about acting and performing that I really enjoyed but it wasn’t necessarily the performing side of it.

At one stage, I thought it would be fun to do a school play and auditioned for a musical. I sang for the audition, but the truth is, I am not very good at singing! Mrs Isherwood, the drama teacher at the time, suggested I try working backstage, so I thought I’d give that a go. I knew I wasn’t a singer and thought working backstage would be fun.

As soon as I started working on the show, I loved it. I was involved in the performance world but without having to perform. I was the deputy stage manager which meant I called all the lighting and sound cues. There was a part-time teacher who came in and did the technical support for the shows and he said to me, ‘You’re really good, how long have you been doing this?’ When I explained it was the first time I had called a show, he was amazed and suggested I also try lighting. He taught me how it all worked.

One of the great things at RMS was that we did a show every two years at the Watersmeet Theatre in Rickmansworth; it was a big theatre with more equipment and more responsibility.

I got my first job in a local theatre while I was still at school, doing stage management, sweeping the stage and doing lighting. I am so grateful that this teacher opened up that world for me. It was directly through school that I found a career I could pursue. The attitude of ‘you like this, how can we build on it?’ changed everything.

Midway through Year 11, I knew that lighting was what I wanted to do. I researched where you could study it and, in Year 12, applied to six drama schools. I managed to get into my first choice, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where I studied lighting design for three years.

As I did my degree, I found out quite quickly that you have to be very good technically to be a lighting designer, so I basically spent three years learning how to be an electrician and had a few part time electrician jobs at different venues. I learnt most of what I know now at Sadler’s Wells and Hampstead Theatres.

tells us how she has ended up working in her dream career and the part that RMS played in her journey.

the UK designer from Hamilton asked me if I would like to do the show for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

During my third year at university, there was an opportunity to be an intern on Hamilton when it came to London. Hamilton had been really big in the States before it came to the Victoria Palace Theatre in London. The lighting department was huge. On a normal show there are three people in the lighting team; a designer, production electrician and a programmer, but on this show there were ten of us. I was the intern doing paperwork and happily learning from the room. Initially, I interned for six weeks but I was kept on for longer, they eventually put me on payroll and I officially became a lighting assistant.

Working on that show was invaluable and taught me the highest level of practice. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before, and I was able to learn from people who are at the top of the industry. I took everything I learned there and applied it to the smaller shows I worked on afterwards. Since then, I’ve continued doing assistant work for Hamilton.

In 2022, I was honoured when the UK designer from Hamilton asked me if I would like to do the show for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The performance was planned for two audiences, both live and film, so there were two teams working on the production. I worked on the live performance side. We worked for two days on site; putting up the rig on one day and then practicing on the next, followed by the performance day. It was amazing to be part of that historic day.

Looking ahead, I am going to be working on an opera in Strasburg. I’m working with a director called Katie Mitchell who has changed the face of theatre in the UK. Working with her has been a real career highlight and I have admired her work for a long time. It is amazing to think that I am now collaborating with her as the lighting designer on an opera.

Lighting is a very male dominated career but RMS taught me that it doesn’t matter

what you want to do if you are a woman. I have never once questioned, ‘I’m the only woman in this room, is that okay? Does that mean I shouldn’t be here?’ RMS taught me that there isn’t a job for a woman or a man, but if you want to do it and you are good and talented, then you have as much of a right to be there as anyone else.

There is a prestigious lighting award called the Knight of Illumination. Historically, 87% of the nominees for this award have been men, the remaining 13% are women but 9% of those nominations are for one woman! The female representation is very small and few women have broken the mould. I’m glad to be able to ride in their wake but it is a pretty harsh environment at times.

Looking back, I am really grateful that RMS taught me to be curious. This has been invaluable and I use it every day. I had major selfconfidence issues when I first joined RMS and was cringingly shy, to the point where I almost wouldn’t talk to people. By the end of my time at RMS, I was deputy head girl. It’s a bizarre thing to say, but I also suffered really badly from eczema before I came to RMS. Within two weeks of joining, it completely cleared up and I have never had it again since. I found a place where I fitted. My body had obviously been reacting to stress and as soon as that was gone, the eczema went away.

I did lots of charity work and public speaking at RMS. Those things were in me all along but I had never been able to access them. I feel really lucky that I was in a place that nurtured the things that I was good at and developed them.

RMS taught me the meaning of success; it means being kind and happy and doing what you want to do. I feel very lucky to work doing something I love. When I was at school, I woke up every day feeling excited; now I am just as excited to go into work. RMS set a very high bar for that!

Into the Woods

This year's Senior School production was the musical Into the Woods. This was the first year the girls were able to enjoy the newly renovated gymnasium - The Space. It was an incredible show from our music and drama departments and we were delighted that among the audience were several members of our alumnae community.

Congratulations to the class of 2022

We wish every pupil who was part of the fantastic Class of 2022 the very best as they move on from RMS to new adventures. Below is a list of their destinations.

Name Institution Course

Kamilah Northumbria University, Newcastle

Economics & Finance

Daliah Durham University Mathematics (3 years)

Joana Year out - Placement Year with IBM

Katie University of Exeter Classics

Charlotte University of Leeds Civil & Environmental Engineering

Pari University of Plymouth Psychology

Niamh Durham University

Economics & Politics

Kate University of Sussex English Language & Linguistics

Nana Royal Holloway, University of London Business & Management (Year in Business)

Polly University of Bath

Shaan University of Hertfordshire

Mechanical Engineering (with Placement)

Business & Marketing

Kara University of Sussex Sociology

Asmi University of Southampton Biochemistry

Simran University of Reading

Business & Management

Charlotte University of Exeter BSc Psychology with Sport & Exercise Science & Professional

Lauren University of Leeds Pharmacology

Maria University of Southampton Biochemistry

Zoë Bath Spa University

Fashion Design (Professional Placement)

Claudia GAP Year

Libby GAP Year

Molly University of Leeds Politics

Sophie UCL, (University College London) Comparative Literature

Eloise Cardiff University

Ellie University of Leeds

Marine Geography

Environment & Business

Amber University of Kent Marketing

Imogen University of Bath

Maria University of Brighton

Jessica University of Warwick

Management with Marketing (with professional placement)

Quantity Surveying

Modern Languages & Economics

Christy University of Essex Data Science & Analytics

Grace Royal Holloway, University of London Biomedical Sciences

Vinci University of East London Performing Arts

Sam Arts University Bournemouth Costume

Cherie Royal Holloway, University of London Business & Management (Year in Business)

Sasha University of Manchester Biochemistry with Entrepreneurship

Porsha Oxford Brookes University Law

Libby Newcastle University Geography

Amaani GAP Year Medicine

Isabel University of Bristol Mathematics & Computer Science

Nia University of Warwick Philosophy, Politics & Economics

Name Institution Course

Danielle University of Plymouth Economics

Olivia London School of Economics & Political Science, University of London Politics & Philosophy

Roisin Nottingham Trent Accounting & Finance

Daisy Sheffield Hallam University Primary Education (5-11) with QTS

Chakky University of Southampton Psychology

Cara USA University

Stella University of Warwick Ancient History & Classical Archaeology

Sophie Dutch University Hotel Management

Amba-Lily University of York Theatre: Writing, Directing & Performance

Ellie Oxford Brookes University Engineering Foundation

Saloni GAP Year

Kitty University of Surrey Veterinary Medicine and Science

Anna Sophia University of Leeds Geography

Madeleine University of Liverpool Criminology

Ammara GAP Year

Taisha Swansea University Geography

Bella Oxford Brookes University Media, Journalism & Publishing

Anisha Bulgaria Medicine

Benee Oxford Brookes University Sociology

Kate University of Nottingham Cancer Sciences

Sienna Theatre course with BBC

Aneya University of Leicester Psychology

Roxanna University of Sussex History

Maisie Bath Spa University Theatre, Festival & Event Production

Monika St Mary’s University Twickenham Sports Coaching Science

Heidi University of Kent International Business with a year in industry

Olivia Kingston University Product & Furniture Design

Abigail Cardiff University Music

Beatrice University of Leeds Psychology

Sohini Cardiff University Business Management (HRM) with year in placement

Percia University of Southampton Occupational Therapy

Elizabeth Swansea University Ancient & Medieval History with a year abroad

Eleanor Queen Mary University of London Neuroscience

Ruby Apprenticeship in Quantity Surveying

Francesca Royal Holloway, University of London Modern Languages & Classical Studies

Michelle Oxford Brookes University Architecture

Jenny University of Edinburgh Pharmacology

Wendi UCL, University College London Archaeology

Elana Keiles Class of 2019

I was at RMS for my entire schooling, I started at the age of 4 and finished aged 18. I was extremely active in a variety of sports, societies and in the performing arts. Academically, I had a love for geography which continued into university. I love how diverse geography is and how relevant the topics are to modern life, whether it be exploring things closer to home or opening my mind to broader geographies in the wider world.

I also studied Government & Politics and Philosophy & Ethics, where I discovered unexpected crossovers between these subjects. It was here that I found my passion for learning about people, communities, societies and their interactions. I thoroughly enjoyed all these subjects and was inspired by all the incredible teachers, including Mrs Freeman who taught me geography. I loved my time at RMS and flourished there.

What did you go on to study at university and what did you enjoy most about your course?

I studied geography at university, focussing on the human and political side. I quickly learned that geography is unique academically as it is considered a perspective rather than a distinct discipline; everything can be analysed in a geographical way. This meant that I could study global issues that I care about, such as the refugee crisis, as well as other areas including geographies of prisons, of war and conflict and cultural geographies.

What motivated you to choose your dissertation topic?

I am the granddaughter of a refugee, forced to flee Germany during the Holocaust. At the age of eight, my grandfather, together with his 12 year old sister, was smuggled out of Germany via Italy and put on a ship bound for South Africa where he tackled starting a new life in a foreign country.

My interest in the refugee crisis deepened in 2019, when I volunteered in the Refugee Community Kitchen in Calais. There I witnessed the harrowing situation that refugees, who have been forced to flee their homes, are facing. An encounter with a top

surgeon from Damascus, who was living in a tent in Calais as a result of war, highlighted the extreme circumstances that people, no matter their wealth or status, can find themselves in. This eye opening experience has since motivated my activism in various human rights organisations and societies.

Driven by my family’s history and my experience in Calais, I focussed my dissertation on the existing challenges to societal integration for refugees in the UK. My aim was to understand why these barriers are present and consider how human rights organisations are working to tackle them. My research involved interviewing a variety of human rights organisations, including several I have been involved with. Alongside this, I carried out thematic analysis of refugee testimonies.

My research revealed that the most significant barriers to refugee integration are: access to housing and communities, receiving education, access to employment and English proficiency, where themes of hostility are consistently present. However, the protected characteristics of individuals created a unique experience of these barriers and so my research drew correlations between the barrier and most significantly affected characteristic.

For example, it was identified that young adults experience the greatest barriers when they are suspected of abusing the system. This is due to suspicion that they are lying about their age in order to access education to which only children are entitled as they are publicly seen to have greater innocence and be a more ‘worthy’ investment. Additionally, the housing and surrounding community in which a refugee is placed can create greater barriers to integration, especially when the settlement society is racially or religiously different to the refugees, and where hostile attitudes are often more prevalent. On the other hand, where the settlement society is racially or religiously the same, trends revealed that either a sense of unity and support arose, or in fact, increased hostility was identified because the existing community were concerned that

Elana’s dissertation, How are human rights organisations working to combat and improve integration barriers experienced by refugees in the UK? is receiving acclaim in the academic world. She talks about where her interest in her subject started.

At the age of eight, my grandfather, together with his 12 year old sister, was smuggled out of Germany via Italy and put on a ship bound for South Africa

the arrival of refugees would ‘mess up their good deal’. This revealed a complex social dynamic.

I concluded that human rights organisations have a unique role to play in working locally with refugees to fill the gaps where government services fail. This includes the formation of support networks, tailoring their essential services to effectively respond to the changeable nature of the refugee integration process, and working to shift hostile narratives on a variety of scales. My research highlighted the need for a variety of organisations to exist and work together to offer refugees a holistic network to ease their integration experience

It is such an honour that my dissertation is to be recognised by the University of Birmingham and it will be submitted as the sole nomination to the Royal Geographical Society Research Group for the Population Geography Research Group Prize.

Having witnessed first-hand the situations that refugees are finding themselves in, and having met leaders working in the field to alleviate the challenges that refugees face, I have been inspired to work within the NGO human rights sector to try and make a difference.

Vivian Lee

Class of 2010

Afer leaving RMS, Vivian went on to study Economics and embarked on a career in Finance. She now works marketing environmentally friendly menstrual products, and is proof that switching careers can be highly rewarding.

When I first joined RMS, I remember being in awe of how big the school grounds were, the impressive library and the incredible sporting facilities we had access to (although I was never any good at PE). The School left a big mark on me. Drill is such a unique tradition, and is something I still talk about, even all these years later. One of my favourite and most inspiring teachers was Mrs Datoo, who gave me confidence in maths. It was probably my favourite subject when she was my teacher.

I went on to study Economics at the University of Bristol. At the time, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in terms of my career, but I had strong analytical skills and some interest in business which I thought might suit the subject. The degree also covered a broad range of topics, from economics to finance, marketing, management and more, and I thought this would keep several doors open for me when the time finally came to decide what I wanted to do.

I ended up with an ERASMUS year abroad, studying in Toulouse, which was an incredible experience and also gave me another year to think about my career. I also did a few internships in management consulting and investment banking during the course of my studies, and when I graduated I ended up joining Rothschild as an investment banking analyst in London.

Eight months into my banking job, I realised I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I thought I would and knew that this wasn’t for me in the long-term. So I made the bold step to switch careers from investment banking to marketing. It felt like a big and scary decision at the time, but it was definitely the right one.

I joined Harry's, a wonderful organisation that promotes better mental health care for men. I started out managing the digital marketing channels for the UK business, and then went on to take the brand into the EU, eventually launching the female-equivalent brand, Flamingo, in the UK. It was very exciting to be part of this, and I was given a lot of opportunities to develop my skills.

I now work at Planera, a company with an environmental conscience that believes our waste should not outlive us. Planera has developed innovative technology to create truly flushable menstrual products, we launched the world’s first flushable period pad in January. Conventional plastic period pads take 500 years to degrade, and even permanent organic pads take 80 years. With our product, the pad starts to break down before you've even finished washing your hands, and ultimately regenerates into renewable energy and fertiliser.

My role as Performance Marketing Lead is to acquire new customers through various marketing channels. One of our initiatives is a COP27 - COP28 Menstrual, Health, Waste and Social Change Project, to showcase the importance of having free, environmentally-friendly menstrual products available in all school toilets. The aim of this project is to create awareness around the serious impact of menstrual waste on the environment and how it should form part of the climate crisis conversation at COP28. We will be working with a number of schools in the UK (including RMS!) as well as in India and Uganda to create awareness amongst students on menstruation, menstrual waste and the impact on the environment. For too long companies have simply rebranded their products as environmentally friendly, without any adaptations – or investment - to make them so. Consequently they are duping the public into believing that by buying their brand, they are helping the environment, whereas the reality is that these organisations have no consideration for the planet, only profit. It is astounding how much permanent waste is created by companies who have not innovated to tackle this issue. At Planera, we want to make products that are better for the environment, without compromising on quality and convenience.

I love the marketing industry and it has given me the perfect balance between the analytical and the creative. I'm still able to utilise many of the skills I learned in the world of finance, but I now also enjoy collaborating with designers to develop creative advertising campaigns.

I really enjoy being able to make a positive impact through my work, by promoting and advocating for products I believe in, and I’ve been fortunate to have worked for mission-driven brands, where social impact is valued alongside business objectives. I also enjoy seeing the immediate impact of the campaigns I put out into the world.

I am so pleased I had the courage to move out of the financial world, and I partly have RMS to thank for that. At school, I was encouraged to be brave, go out of my comfort zone and try new things. I loved being in the orchestra and playing the violin as part of a group, but I was terrified of performing a piano solo. Ultimately, it felt amazing to stand up at the end of a performance and receive the applause, but without the encouragement of my teachers and support from my friends I wouldn't have dared to give it a go. I attribute a lot of the successes in my career to having the courage and ambition to go for it.

Outside of work, I've challenged myself in other ways. I ended up summiting Kilimanjaro in 2019, and then doing the National Three Peaks Challenge in 2021. I think I'll need another big goal in 2023!

At school, I was encouraged to be brave, go out of my comfort zone and try new things.

“ “

Trough the decades

Our Old Girls tell us about their fondest memories of some old school traditions.

I started my RMS journey in Ruspini House back in 1993 and I settled in really well. This was the year I was chosen to be Point in School Drill. I was very nervous but I soon got to grips with it all. On the day of the performance, I walked down the centre of the hall and I remember feeling all eyes on me. So many memories were made, from fireworks nights to summer fairs.

Rachel Pearson, 2004 Leaver

There were many school traditions, including one relating to Ruspini, the founder of the School. Apparently on Halloween night, the youngest girl in the house should leave her school shoes at the end of her bed. Ruspini (the statue) would visit during the night and if she was good he would turn the shoes around, I am not sure why! As the youngest girl I remember being petrified on Halloween night. One of the senior girls dressed up as Ruspini and came into my dormitory and I remember hiding under the sheets!

If you look at the Ruspini statue outside the chapel , you will see one of his feet slightly protruding, and we were told he had only just got back to his statue in time before the dawn came!

Michele Edmonds (1970 Leaver)

One of my favourite memories of life at RMS is the Chapel Ghost. From a young age, we told ghost stories in the dorm at night. Some of the older girls talked about the Chapel Ghost that lived behind the organ, but I didn’t really believe them. I have two older sisters who would reassure me that there was no such thing as ghosts, however, they did tell me about the light combination needed to ‘turn on’ the Chapel Ghost. So one night, on the way back from tea, we went the Chapel way and tried it out.

The Chapel is quite scary in pitch black, and you have to walk to the back to access the panel of light switches. We tried a few switches and after a while the ghost suddenly appeared! Over the years at school, I took the opportunity to show this to lots of girls and even one of the security guards! I also passed on the light combination so the younger girls could continue the tradition.

It really has to be seen to be believed. I went back to school in 2020 for the Charity Drill and took the opportunity to go into the Chapel to see if I could remember the combination…. and there it was. The Chapel Ghost exactly as it had been 20 years ago.

I don’t know the origins of the Ghost; rumour has it that the architect deliberately created this trick of the light to create the effect of a priest praying. I have no idea if this is true, but it is nice to believe it was created on purpose and that it is still talked about almost 100 years later.

Becky Bottomley (Wilson), 1998 Leaver

For those in their 50s these traditions will bring back memories. I was a boarder in Cumberland House between 1978-82.

For an 11-year-old having been fed on a diet of Enid Blyton’s Mallory Towers, the most anticipated tradition had to be that of the summer term Midnight Feast. Goodies were supplied by parents and guardians attending Sports Day and hidden away in ‘divvies’ (there’s something that will age me - glossary at end for the youngsters!) As is often the case with such events, it didn’t go according to the Mallory Towers script! We set an alarm for midnight, probably falling asleep at about five to midnight in anticipation. We took all our food to the bathrooms and attempted to feast. However, we were all so knackered from Sports Day and over-excitement that we were a sorry example of boarders breaking rules and ended up piling our stash in a bath, going back to bed and planning to have a picnic the next day!

What a great, harmless end of term treat that would have been. However, our House Mistress had other ideas and confiscated all the treats, not returning them until the end of term a week or two weeks later, by which time you could see the mould growing on homemade lemonade and chocolate cake!

Christmas was a great time for fun traditions. Each house competed for the most creative Christmas card post box and the best themed Christmas party. I recall spending hours creating Wizard of Oz themed props for our party. Traditional games included pairing up with someone and having a piece of broadsheet newspaper, every time the music stopped you had to fold the sheet of paper in half and both stand on it, it obviously got trickier the smaller the paper got. Another was of course the chocolate game. This involved putting on hat, gloves and scarf and eating as much chocolate as you could with a knife and fork until someone in the circle threw a six and then it was their turn.

The final school tradition each leaver encountered was the singing of Old Lang Syne by the whole house on The Garth on the day of their departure.

Divvies – narrow wardrobes in the dormitories with high shelf and drawer below. Enough for very few clothes.

Clare Beresford, 1978 Leaver

While I was a pupil at school from 1966 to 1972 there were several traditions that we followed, passed down through the years. Every new girl needed to be ‘christened’ by the 3rd year girls.. To achieve this, the new girls would be asked to meet them by the pond, usually at a weekend. On arrival you would walk around the pond and at some point, a 3rd year girl would nudge you so that you lost your balance and ended up stepping into the pond. One soggy sock and shoe meant that you were officially christened. However, this practice did get out of hand on numerous occasions. It became a great joke to push unwitting girls into the pond with great force to see if they could be submerged up to their knees or even their waists or necks by causing them to be so off balance that they sat down in the pond. I wonder how many of us “Old Girls” can recall being christened by swinging on the willow tree that hung over the pond?

I remember the tradition of choosing a “Like” on a senior girl. Once you had chosen one and she had accepted you as the junior girl, you would make your “Like’s” bed with clean sheets each week and fold her clean napkin into fancy folds every Sunday. I was only ever able to do a Bishops Hat with my napkins. I was in awe of my “Like” as she was so grown up and tall compared to me. Sadly, she left after my first year but she did give me her signed Hymn book on leaving. I treasured that book for 45 years and was able to give it back to her when we met on a Facebook RMS Reunion page about five years ago. We have become great friends now and I still “Like”!

Mandy Painting (Searle), 1972 Leaver

At the beginning of each term on arrival we reported to the house matron and had our hair combed to check we were nit-free. I don’t remember any girl ever having nits during the six years I was at Rickmansworth.

Each morning a bell rang to get us out of bed. After a wash, we returned to the dorm to dress and say prayers, kneeling by the bed. We would make our beds with hospital corners and neatly finished with the counterpanes tucked beneath the pillows. When the second bell sounded, we went downstairs to the common room to line up for the matron’s inspection. She would check to make sure we had on the correct uniform and a clean hanky before we walked in an orderly fashion to the dining room for breakfast.

Halloween meant tricks were played. Some found they had an ‘apple pie bed’ as they climbed in for the night; others found hands covered with toothpaste as they grabbed a door handle. Occasionally we had organised activities such as apple bobbing or a host story reading with things handed round in the dark, such as a peeled grape to represent an eye.

The Christmas term meant we put up decorations in the common room and someone painted an appropriate face on the clock. Decorated cardboard box became a postbox to send each other Christmas cards.

During our final term, we were taken to London to visit the Ideal Homes Exhibition, which was a great thrill because of the food tasting, which we all tried and enjoyed. We were also taken to choose our leaving outfits from Arding and Hobbs or Selfridges. We could choose from a either a suit or a coat and dress suitable for going to job interviews, and were also given stockings, shoes, a set of underwear and some pyjamas. We were also able to keep our school blazers.

Finally, before leaving school, we received a bible and prayer book with our name, signed by a member of the Masonic committee. There was also a £1 note. We petitioners then went out into the world equipped for life.

Marilyn Jobson-Scott (Andersen), 1960 Leaver

The recent cold weather and the picture on the Christmas email, made me think about the winter of 1963 and the start of the new school term. I was 13 at the time. There was no central heating in the dorms, just a small hot pipe running round the room and thin curtains at the windows. Ice on the inside was certainly not unknown. But what I hadn’t appreciated was the fun we were going to have with all that pristine snow! Back then, the house matron served us cocoa on metal trays. We didn’t have sledges, but those trays made amazing vehicles for tobogganing down the slopes at the back of the houses. Unfortunately, when we returned them, they were very battered and dented. Matron reported it to our house mistress, Miss Dixon, but none of us were prepared to risk the outcome of owning up to using them! We made snowmen and had snowball fights, but the novelty very quickly wore off.

Sally Bramley-Brown (Smyth), 1968 Leaver

School Drill - behind the scenes

Mrs Jo Martin

I started working at RMS in January 2005 in Alpha, the administrative heart of the School, located next to Centre Doors. My first introduction to Drill was when I heard the music playing in the Great Hall one lunchtime. I went up into the Gallery to see what was going on and was captivated by what I saw. I wanted to find out more about this unique tradition.

I became part of the Drill Team when Mrs Spendiff took over the reins from Mrs Prescott. Currently, there are seven of us on the Staff Drill Team and it is a great honour for me to be part of it. Even though it can be very stressful at times, it is a really important part of my life at RMS and I look forward to it each year.

We do three performances each year: Community Drill and Prize Day in October, and Remembrance Sunday in November. The journey to get performance-ready starts months earlier, and like any big event, there is a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes.

Drill Trials

We start off with Drill Trials in June, when all the Senior School girls try out for a place. It is a big logistical exercise, because all Year 713 girls have a trial in their PE lesson, and we need to whittle them down to 180 performance Drillers and 40 Reserves. We observe them doing some marching and arm exercises, looking specifically at their marching style, posture and whether they know their left from their right! It is a chance to see how coordinated they are, as well as a chance for them to see whether they might enjoy it. Not all the girls who try out want to take part in Drill.

We also appoint 4-6 Drill Captains, which is a wonderful leadership opportunity for them. They are in Year 13 and have a strong track record in Drill; we select those we know are dedicated performers who would never miss a rehearsal!

Finally, we select our Point from Year 3. There are two girls who are chosen and both will get the chance to perform. They look so small next to the Senior School girls, but take on this task with confidence and enthusiasm.

Drill

Drill Contracts

It is a huge honour to be selected for the Drill Team and so the girls, and their parents, need to commit to the rehearsals and performances. Even if one girl misses one rehearsal, this can impact the whole performance. Each girl signs a contract which outlines our expectations and their responsibilities. I am forever chasing up these 220 contracts to be signed and returned before the deadline!

Drill Pairings

Once we have our Drillers, we need to sort out the Drill pairings and we do this one afternoon in Michaelmas Term. This is rather a stressful session, led by Mrs Spendiff, who is exemplary in her positivity and calmness.

All 220 girls line up in height order, which is no mean feat. At the outset, we ask the girls to stand where they think they should be and this is followed by us moving the girls around to where they should actually be. Finally, we mark down where each girl will stand, and note their height for their tunic fitting.

Tunic Fittings

The School has approximately 200 Drill outfits, which we store in one of the boarding houses. As you can imagine, they take up quite a bit of space. The tunics are handmade and are very expensive, costing £150 each to replace, so we need to take care of them. They can’t be washed, only dry cleaned. The design of these tunics was based on the uniform from over 50 years ago.

Drill in Numbers

No. of Drillers: 180

No. of Reserves: 40

No. of staff in Drill Team: 7

No. of staff hours spent on Drill: 200

No. of hours rehearsing: 5

No. of performances per year: 3

No. of minutes performing: 60 across the 3 performances

No. of shoes lost in a performance: 10 on average

Cost to replace a handmade tunic: £150

One of the most timeconsuming, but most important jobs, is to ensure that the tunics fit perfectly. Mrs Adamson, her mother and Mrs Dobson, spend hours every year taking up the tunics to fit each girl. In order to get the right fitting, the girls have to kneel and the hem of the dress needs to be just so. The attention to detail and the precision this takes is painstaking, but the overall effect is worth it. If you have a look at the girls, all their tunics end at the same length.

has been involved in

for almost 17 years since she joined RMS all those years ago. Here she opens up about what goes on behind the scenes of those seamless performances!

Rehearsals

Can you believe that we only get ten half hour rehearsals in total before our first performance? And actually, by the time the girls have arrived and stopped chatting and laughing, there is even less time to rehearse. I’m always amazed and so proud of how much we achieve in this short space of time.

It is a real team effort and the Drill Captains give up their break times to practice with the youngest drillers, or those new to Drill. I love watching how these senior drillers help the younger girls and how they all help the reserves who have to fit into a position they may not have been practising in.

Performances

Drill is a high point in the school calendar. It is always lovely to see our Old Girls come back to watch as it was such an important part of their time here.

In the hours leading up to the performances, there is a lot of activity and lots to do in a short space of time. We rely heavily on parents, girls and staff to create the perfect French plait before each performance. There are so many girls on the night that they take over nine classrooms for dressing and doing their hair. These rooms are a hive of activity and laughter. It is so much fun to be part of.

Performances are exciting but are over so quickly – they last around 20 minutes. The girls often lose shoes, some have even fainted, but ever-the-professionals, the girls carry on regardless.

Recent challenges

In 2020, we sadly had no Drill due to Covid. In 2021 we had to cancel two performances, although we were thankfully able to perform on Remembrance Sunday, albeit wearing masks (what a strange sight!). We were so low on numbers, due to the quarantine rules, that we had to persuade girls who had never done drill before to take part to fill in the gaps. How we managed to perform under these circumstances, I will never know.

We have had some challenges this year too. Drill has always been performed in the Great Hall, but it is currently undergoing repairs and we were unable to use it this year. We had to have our rehearsals in the temporary Platinum Jubilee Hall and the performances in the Sports Hall instead. Unfortunately, unlike the Great Hall, where the special drill markings are permanently embedded in the floor, and where there are many points of reference (such as the windows and doors), we had none of these things in the new locations. Fortunately, we were able to get new markings put in, but it was still very hard for the girls to get their bearings when marching.

To make things even more difficult, we only had one opportunity to rehearse in the Sports Hall before our first performance. However, we did it and in fact, because the Sports Hall is larger, we were able to have so many more people to watch, making it a lovely community event.

Charity Drill

Old Girls are often asking if they can take part in a Drill, and in fact, so do many of our parents. So, we have held two Charity Drill events over the last few years, when we invite Old Girls, staff and parents to take part in a performance. This has proved very popular (numbers are limited and we often have a long waiting list) and we raised several hundred pounds for our School charity just before Lockdown. It’s a fun day, ending with a performance in the evening for family and friends. Of course, our Old Girls are at an advantage, and find that they can remember a lot of the moves from all those years ago. We are hoping to be able to hold another Charity Drill soon.

School Drill is unique to RMS and there is nothing like it. In fact, it is so special that the BBC made a programme about it (you can find this online). Our Old Girls still talk about Drill, even years after leaving. I hope this is a tradition that carries on through the generations as it is one of many things that makes RMS so special.

RMS during the life of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022)

The School has been associated with royalty from its inception. Since 1788, there have been many royal visits which no doubt made a mark on those who were there at the time. In more recent times, the visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 1955 is still remembered by many alumnae today. After her death on 8th September, we tracked the history of RMS during the Queen’s lifetime (1926-2022). The re-telling of the School’s story over the years shows how it has become the School it is today.

Life begins

Our late Queen, HRH Queen Elizabeth II, was born in April 1926. At this time, the Royal Masonic Institute for Girls (RMIG, as it was known back then) was based at Clapham. However, negotiations were under way to develop the Rickmansworth Park site. So, before the Queen was even six months old, the School had started on its journey towards what you see today.

RMS moves to Rickmansworth

This journey began in 1928 with an architectural competition and the winner was J.L. Denman & Son. The first buildings were up by 1930, as reflected on the drainpipe hoppers that still exist today.

RMIG opened its doors in Rickmansworth after the Easter holidays in 1934, and was officially opened in June of that year by Queen Mary (left), the late Queen’s grandmother.

It was more spacious than Clapham (Clapham would have almost fitted inside the Garth!), so the vast acreage was a revelation.

Whilst the School settled into its new home, Elizabeth’s life took an extraordinary turn. In 1936, her grandfather George V died and was succeeded by his eldest son Edward VIII. He only reigned for a year however, before abdicating in favour of his brother, George VI. The new King was Elizabeth’s father and so she became the Heiress Presumptive.

World War II

By the end of the decade, we were at war once more. The junior school at Weybridge closed for the duration and the juniors moved to Rickmansworth.

As far as possible, daily life continued despite air raids. The School had air raid shelters but, as a pupil from that time stated, ‘they were damp and uncomfortable. It was almost impossible to sleep even with pillows and blankets for comfort… They then had problems the next day with both the girls and staff falling asleep in lessons.’

Eventually these were disregarded, and ‘when the siren sounded, you took your mattress and bedclothes downstairs from your dorm and all crowded together on the floor of the common room.’

Fortunately RMS didn’t suffer any direct hits. Dorothea Holdsworth (pupil) captured the war at RMS in little drawings (above), from the filling of sandbags to the diving for cover under anything that might offer protection from the V2 rockets.

Post-war years

After the war ended in 1945, the Weybridge girls returned to Surrey and life slowly started to get back to normal. Many of the restrictions on the girls were lifted and they were once again able to leave the School grounds.

Elizabeth’s parents, George VI and Queen Elizabeth, visited the School after the war, in 1946 (below).

1960s to 1980s

As the swinging sixties began to replace wartime austerity in the outside world, life at school continued much the same, to the chagrin of those girls who wished it were a little less traditional. There was, however, the development of a new Science block and Library, both opened by the then Duchess of Kent in 1970.

The following year, there was a monumental transformation when the School became the ‘Rickmansworth Masonic School’. It ‘lost’ its royal title because it had ceased to be the same charity. It then became a limited company: the change was designed to counter dropping numbers and a less certain future. The Boys’ School had closed in 1977 after two decades of struggling.

For the first time in its history, the School appointed a Headmaster. David Curtis’s remit was to create a co-educational establishment, although this was never achieved.

During his tenure, there were two momentous anniversaries. First came the Golden Jubilee of the School’s time at

Elizabeth becomes Queen

The following year, Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten and a year later, Charles (our new King) was born. Sadly, George VI died in 1952, and at that point Queen Elizabeth II was proclaimed as monarch.

Pupils watched the Coronation on 2 June 1953 on a special screen that had been put up. The clock tower was floodlit for the occasion and a Coronation plantation was created in the grounds consisting of 53 trees native to the Commonwealth. In 1955, the School was honoured to host the Queen for a tour of the School. Valerie Balkwill (1956, Moira House) writes of the visit:

On 17 March 1955, Queen Elizabeth II visited RMS. She was young and beautiful and she wore an emerald green coat. First, she walked down the centre of the Great Hall so that we could all see her, and later she visited the dining hall (right) where we were having tea. Afterwards, we all stood by the road near the administration block to watch her leave by car (left).

Rickmansworth (1984) and then the even bigger Bicentenary event of the School’s beginnings in 1788 (1988). This culminated in a service in St Albans Abbey with the whole school bussed there in a fleet of double decker buses.

As part of the Bicentenary celebrations, a new coat of arms for the School was commissioned (below). This now forms part of the School logo.

1990 to 2010

David Curtis retired in 1992, the year that should have been a celebration of the Queen’s 40th anniversary on the throne. The Queen later described this as her annus horribilis: ‘1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure’. This was, in part, due to three of her children separating/divorcing and the fire at Windsor Castle.

In the meantime, RMS for Girls was moving forward with new ventures. In 1994, the PrePrep department opened and, for the first time in over 200 years, the age of the youngest pupils dropped from seven to four. The Bicentenary Sports Hall was being built and the music practice rooms gave way to the New Mark Hall.

In 1997 came a difficult moment for the Queen following the death of Diana. It was also the year that the Queen graciously gave her permission for the School to resume the title ‘Royal’ in its name; becoming the Royal Masonic School.

2002 was the next momentous royal event with the Golden Jubilee of her accession. Sadly, it also brought the deaths of her sister and mother. The year was marked at school with the planting of the Jubilee Plantation (all trees of native species), made possible by a gift from a former pupil whose maiden name (King) led to the plantation also being known as King’s Wood, somewhat confusingly in the Queen’s celebration year.

For the School, this was the year of a new Headmistress, Mrs Diana Rose.

In 2009, the School celebrated 75 years at Rickmansworth with a ‘1934 Day’; the clock was turned back to 1934 for lessons, dress and food. One pupil remarked, ‘1934 would have been very scary’.

2010 to 2020

In 2010, RMS opened a Pre-School (Ruspini House) for both boys and girls. The following year, the Prep and Pre-Prep schools came together and were housed in one building –Cadogan House, which had been the former ‘San’ and later the Sixth Form House.

2012 was the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and was marked in school by the opening of Hind House, a new Sixth Form Centre, in a former boarding house.

It was also the year of the London Olympics, the event opened by the Queen seemingly parachuting into the Olympic Stadium from a helicopter accompanied by 007 James Bond, a surprise for the audience which the Queen evidently enjoyed.

The whole school visited the Olympics in September to cheer on competitors.

Book of Condolences

On Thursday 11th February 2016, history was made at RMS for Girls when it became the first school in the world to make video contact with the International Space Station. For about 8 minutes, pupils were able to put questions to Major Tim Peake. BBC Three Counties Radio broadcast from the School, and interviewed the Headmistress, Mrs Rose, who had definitely entered into the spirit of things…

school were used to create PPE, which was then delivered to local hospitals.

The Queen and Prince Philip were in Lockdown at Windsor Castle and we all got used to seeing signs reminding us of the need for social distancing, and wearing masks around the school became the norm. Sadly for the Queen, in 2021, her beloved Philip died and the world witnessed a ‘socially distanced’ funeral.

2022 was the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and although visibly frailer, she was determined to attend as many of the celebrations as she could. Who could forget her tea with Paddington Bear and the revelation of just what it was she kept in that handbag?

After Mrs Rose retired in 2017, RMS welcomed its second Headmaster, Mr Carson.

Lockdown to present day

During his tenure, a new Performing Arts Centre was opened by composer Anne Dudley (the parent of a former pupil and composer of the School hymn), and The Space (which used to be the old gym) was refurbished and is now a small but impressive ‘theatre’.

Of course, the Pandemic hit in 2020 and life changed for everyone, from the Queen to each of her subjects. The School switched to remote learning with impressive speed and professionalism. Whilst the girls and staff were working from home, the facilities in

The School opened a Book of condolences, and we were overwhelmed with messages, including:

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited our Royal Masonic School for Girls in 1955 and I shall never forget seeing her. She was young and beautiful with a real presence. She was definitely the right person to be the country’s figure head as well as that of the Commonwealth. She served our country for more than 70 years with dignity, intelligence and a very real care for all her subjects.

Her majesty Queen Elizabeth second, will be sadly missed. She was and always will be, a shining example of duty and loyalty and love. I am privileged to have lived in the time of her reign. Long live the King!

Just two days before she died, she appointed her 15th Prime Minister – duty to the end. And then, on Thursday 8th September came the news of her death, not unexpected given her age but still deeply sad.

There will not be a Queen again for quite some time: the inheritance is all male for the foreseeable future. The death of the Queen is decidedly the end of an era.

RMS announced: ‘Our Union Jack is flying at half-mast as a mark of respect and we have been remembering the Queen in various ways.’

Thanks to Lorna Cowburn, the School’s archivist, for her tireless research and unending knowledge of the School. This article could not have been produced without her.

www.rmsghistoryextra.wordpress.com is part of the ongoing research work into the history of the School and the pupils who were part of it.

My sincere condolences to the Royal Family on the sudden loss of Her Majesty the Queen. She will be greatly missed, as she was such a wonderful, positive, stable presence in our lives.

In deep gratitude to our Queen for 70 years of constant and gracious dedication to our nation and the Commonwealth. An inspiration of a life of integrity, steadfastness and devotion to her duty and Christian faith. My treasured memory is meeting the Queen in 1955 when I was sixteen and she visited our school. I will always remember our brief conversation, what she was wearing, her lovely face and beautiful smile. It was a wonderful day for the whole school. She has always been inspirational to me all my life. My prayers and sympathy are for all her family and for strength, good health and every good wish for our King.

Helping change lives through the RMS Bursary Fund

Your support of the Bursary Fund has helped us to progress towards our goal of ofering 15 new bursary places each year; an echo of those frst 15 girls who joined the School when it opened back in 1788.

When the school was founded, it welcomed pupils from all socio-economic backgrounds. Ever since, inclusivity has been a hallmark of the School. As we plan for the future, we continue to be guided by this principle.

Six

new bursaries from 2023

In May, our governors agreed that from September 2023, we will be offering six fully-funded bursary places each year to girls starting their education at RMS. These will not be offered on the basis of talent or academic performance, but to those that are likely to gain most from the education and pastoral provision at our unique school. These new bursaries are a wonderful step forward. However, looking ahead, we hope to offer this opportunity to many more deserving girls. We will continue to grow our bursary offering in the coming year and beyond, through charitable donations, and have an ambitious target of 15 fully funded places each year.

Help change a life through an RMS bursary

We are grateful for the support that our alumnae community gives to the Bursary Fund. If you would like to support this important fund, you can do so through a one-off donation, set up a regular gift or even leave a gift in your Will.

Free will writing service

We are offering a free will-writing service in partnership with Guardian Angel. As an RMS alumna, you can use their service to write your will for free. Simply visit www.gawill.uk/RMS, or call them on 0800 773 4014.

We are very grateful to those alumnae who choose to leave a legacy for the benefit of future RMS girls in this way. However, including a gift to RMS is not a condition of using the will writing service.

(If you would like to consider leaving a gift in your Will, we recommend consulting a solicitor before you draft a new will, update an existing one or make other plans for your estate.)

To make a one-off donation or set up a regular gift, simply visit www.rmsforgirls.com/support-us or contact development@rmsforgirls.com for more information.

Layla Chauhan Class of 2018

I started at RMS when I was 11 years old, and from a young age I always knew that I wanted to do something creative. At the beginning, my parents weren’t convinced and thought I should be a physiotherapist, even though I am not a sports person or scientist. Had I become a physio, I definitely would not have been in my element as I am now!

In Year 9, at a GCSE options evening, my textiles teacher, Mrs Bloomfield-Proud, explained to my parents that I was very good at textiles and could pursue it all the way up to university. It was then that my parents understood about my passion and talent in the creative arts, and were finally happy for me to do textiles. From there, my path was set.

Throughout my time at RMS, the school was very supportive and it was the perfect atmosphere for me to flourish. We had free reign in textiles and I could take my work in any direction I liked. As well as textiles A Level, I also studied politics, history and music; I had broad interests and loved playing the violin in orchestra. At primary school, I felt I stagnated because the class was very big and I got lost in the crowd. RMS was incredible in that respect; the teachers know when girls are passionate about something, they pinpoint and encourage it. Everything I was interested in, I could go and do.

When it came to applying for university, I saw that the number one destination for textiles was Edinburgh, which also happened to be a city I had visited with my dad many years before, and had fallen in love with. So when I was offered my place there, everything came together.

I worked hard throughout my degree, and was in the studio from when it opened at 8am, until it closed at 10pm. It had been the same at RMS. You are fuelled by the creativity and you just keep on going.

Ever since my schooldays, I have been really interested in culture and a lot of my work at university was around this topic. The project

Lane: An Immigration Story. I visited Brick Lane many times for my research. I was particularly interested in the street art around the lane and the many different immigration stories that you can find there. I was particularly interested in the Bangladeshi

Layla explains how her time at RMS helped her decide upon her career path and what the future holds in textile design.

community and their immigration story which in turn connects to my family’s immigration story which I used in my project.

My dad grew up in Kenya, although his parents are originally from India. I haven’t met my grandparents on his side, so this textiles project was a way of connecting

with them and making them part of the collection. Through it I felt like I was answering the question of how I’m here today. I delved into my family archives and discovered things like my grandparents’ British citizenship papers. They are a huge part of my story and formed a major part of my research.

To apply for the Adobe Digital Edge award, I submitted my portfolio from my degree. It contained final images of my textile collection along with my original inspiration photos and

images of the textile processes that I used, all graphically designed by me in a fashion magazine format.

I applied for the award just after graduating from university but did not expect anything to happen at all. I was actually working when I found out that I had won this national accolade, and it was so unexpected that I just screamed! Then, of course I had to get back to work. My mum and gran were so happy; my dad just couldn’t believe I had won!

As the winner, I spoke at the Adobe Max conference to an international audience as well as receiving a cash prize, which I was able to invest in new technology in order to develop my practice. I’m also very proud to have won several other awards, including one from the Bonnet Makers and Dyers of Edinburgh and the Fife Contemporary New Maker Award, which offers me mentoring services throughout this next year.

I am really excited for what the future holds as I continue my career in textile design.

…the school was very supportive and it was the perfect atmosphere for me to fourish.

Sarah Reeve RMS Staf 1999 - 2022

Sarah taught at RMS for 23 years. She joined in 1999 when Irene Andrews was the Head Teacher. In July 2022, she retired. Here she refects on her time at RMS.

I was taken on at RMS to plug a gap in the Psychology department and started off teaching just two double lessons a week. By the time I left 23 years later, I was working full time as a Psychology teacher as well as being the Oxbridge coordinator!

This had all come about because the vicar at my church was married to Irene Andrews , the Head Teacher at the time. The Deputy Head, who was a Psychology teacher, was also in the congregation one day and the vicar said, ‘You two haven’t met! Just have a chat, I reckon you might get on’. So we did. When she discovered that I did Psychology as part of my degree she asked if I wanted a job!

My children were four and five at the time and I was enjoying being a stay-at-home mum, selling Usborne Books part-time. I had previously worked at GlaxoSmithKline for ten years in quite an intense environment. I explained that I didn’t want a job and that I wasn’t a teacher, but she said, ‘Oh that’s fine, you’ll be brilliant, it’s Psychology, and you will love it.’

By the time I had gone to coffee at the end of that church service, Irene Andrews said ‘Congratulations, I hear you’re joining us in September!’

Although I insisted that I wasn’t a teacher, they kept saying what a lovely school it was and eventually, after six weeks I was persuaded. Looking back it was ideal. I originally intended to try it for a year thinking I might always wonder what it would have been like if I turned it down; I am so glad I gave it a go - it was perfect.

I felt such a fraud at first. For the first ten years when people asked me ‘What do you do for a living?’ I couldn’t bring myself to say ‘I’m a teacher,’ because I don’t have a PGCE. Instead, I used to say ‘I teach.’ After all these years, I don’t think it matters!

What have your career highlights been?

In my 23 years, I have taught 600 students Psychology. Over the last five years I’ve also been part of the school’s Oxbridge successes. In 2021, five girls got in and the year before that there were four. It’s been wonderful. To help even one person get in, and to feel their enthusiasm, and know how much they love their subject has been amazing.

At the other end of the scale, the student I am most proud of was one who got a D in A Level Psychology after a very difficult period in her life. On results day I cried with happiness when I heard she got a D. For her, it meant she had achieved something and could go on and study Psychology at university.

Another personal highlight was being able to adapt to Covid-19. Being told on the Thursday that we were going to have to do all our teaching online the following Monday. We had one day of inset training us to teach through Google on the Friday. It was hugely daunting, but somehow we managed it. Barbra Georgellis, my fellow psychology teacher and I, spent the whole weekend playing with Google Classroom and testing to see how it worked. I am so proud of myself because I don’t find technology intuitive - when I was at university we didn’t even have computers! But we got straight online and never missed a lesson. Things have changed a lot in my 23 years at RMS. When I first started, I hand wrote an entire set of 25 reports on carbon triplicates. They were my first set and I put them in my Head of Department’s pigeon hole ready to be given out. The next day the reports were sent back with a note on them saying ‘Should have been written in black’. I had to handwrite the whole lot again. I just smiled and kicked myself for not checking, but it took ages. There has been a lot of change for the better!

What will you miss the most?

I will miss my colleagues, my subject and of course, the girls. Colleagues, colleagues, colleagues, colleagues. They are amazing and I consider them all my friends. It doesn’t take long for someone new to settle in at RMS because everyone is so kind and supportive of each other; we all want to do our collective best for the girls.

I will miss my subject; I can talk 24 hours a day about psychology

and never lose enthusiasm. Who am I going to talk to about that? My long-suffering husband, probably! I love parents' evenings; so many times parents have asked me if I will run a parents’ class because psychology sounds so interesting. And when they say ‘My daughter comes home and we talk about it over dinner,’ That makes me so happy… I will really miss that.

And of course I will miss the girls. I will miss all three in equal measure.

What are your lasting impressions of RMS?

My lasting impression will be how happy I have been.

I could not have chosen anything better than working here. This job landed in my lap and it was perfect. My two girls came here and they were so happy here too. Being such a part of their education (and even teaching one of them) was such a privilege - we truly are an RMS family.

My lasting impression (of RMS) will be how happy I have been.

RMS and the Titanic

Te

Florence and Eleanor Hill, and Ethel and Brenda Parsons all became pupils following the sinking of the Titanic in 1914. Florence, Eleanor and Ethel were all at the School contemporaneously. Brenda, the youngest, who was only two years old in 1912, would not have been old enough to become a pupil until 1918.

Here are their stories:

Ethel (1920 Leaver) & Brenda (1927 Leaver) Parsons

Ethel and Brenda Parsons were the daughters of marine storekeeper Edward Parsons. He was Chief Storekeeper on the Titanic.

No doubt his family would have been extremely proud when he was appointed to the White Star lines most luxurious and prestigious ship, little imagining the fate that awaited him. After all, the Titanic was unsinkable.

The Parsons family had been living in Liverpool and four of his children had been born there. They moved to Southampton some time before 1910 and Brenda, the fifth and youngest child, was born there.

One of Edward’s grandchildren later commented that the family had a letter from the White Star Line indicating that Eddie (as he was known) was last seen on the deck giving biscuits to children and comforting them. His body was never recovered or identified. His wages of £6 per month as Chief Storekeeper would have ceased with his death, leaving Mrs Parsons with five children to support on no income. She benefited from a Titanic relief fund, but because Edward had Masonic connections, the Masons stepped in to offer support too.

Ethel Parsons probably came to the School almost immediately after the disaster happened in 1914 and left in 1920 when she was accepted by Southampton Education Committee as a pupil teacher. Later, she won a place at Hartley College, Southampton, to read for an Arts degree, but decided instead to train as an elementary school teacher.

She returned to RMS in 1924 as a Lower School mistress and she either left when she married in 1925 or slightly before. Thereafter, the School loses sight of her and it is left to public records to note that she probably died in 1994 in Surrey.

Her youngest sister, Brenda, was just a baby when her father died. Eight was the usual admission age for RMS in those days, and so Brenda wouldn’t have become a pupil much before 1918. So until then, it would have been likely that Mrs Parsons would have received financial aid from the Masons until Brenda could start at the School.

Brenda left school on 15th December 1927, undertook commercial training and by 1928 had a post in an insurance office. In 1929 she married George Holloway, a Congregational Minister. In 1958, she married for a second time and became Mrs Tiller. She died on 22nd December 2008 in Eastbourne, not quite making it to her centenary.

Eleanor (1921 Leaver) and Florence (1922 Leaver) Hill

Florence and Eleanor were the twin daughters of Henry Parkinson Hill, and were known in the School as the Titanic Twins. Their parents were married in 1903, but sadly, by 1908 the marriage had failed and Henry left the family home. Henry was a 3rd Class Steward on the Titanic’s maiden voyage. His body was never recovered or identified either. As he had been a Freemason, his daughters were eligible for support, and they were elected to the School.

Eleanor left school in 1921 and went to help her mother who ran an electric massage establishment. By 1923 she was nursing at the Treloar Cripples (sic) Hospital and College in Alton, Hampshire and then by 1927 she had moved on to help her aunt run a boarding house. The School magazine notes that Eleanor was also an assistant to the School’s catering officer for a time. Eleanor passed away on the 27th July 1976 after a long illness. Her sister Florence was entered early for Local Examinations (the equivalent of O and A Levels). Having passed them, according to her own recollection, the School didn’t know quite what to do with her

Royal Masonic Institute for Girls was established in 1788 to come to the aid of those in distress. Te terrible loss of lives on the Titanic was certainly a time of great distress, and RMS came to the aid of four girls – ofering them a place at the School afer their fathers went down with the ship.

Eddie … was last seen on the deck giving biscuits to children and comforting them.

as she was too young to leave school. So she took these exams again the following year. And the year after that!

She declared that in her final years at the School, she was very bored because there was nothing academically for her to work towards. She did not have the qualifications for university, having no Latin, which was a requirement at that time.

In 1922 she became a student teacher with Peterborough Education Committee and went to Peterborough Training College the following year. In 1926, she won a place at Bedford College for Women and emerged with a BSc upon which she returned to the School to teach mathematics.

The following limerick was written by an unknown pupil about Florence:

We have a Maths teacher called Florry

Who said, ‘I’m extremely sorry. If you really can’t see You must take it from me

That x is the speed of the lorry.’

When the School moved to Rickmansworth in 1934, Florence moved with it and became Housemistress in one of the boarding Houses, Connaught, before leaving in 1937 to marry the brother of one of her colleagues. In 1954, she came back to the School to teach until retirement in 1965.

She married for the second time in 1994, at the grand old age of 89. She told friends that falling in love at 89 is just the same as falling in love at 29 – you feel all bubbly inside!

In 1999, she paid another visit to the School, during which she entertained a group of Year 7 pupils with tales from the past at RMS. They couldn’t quite comprehend a world where uniform was worn all the time, except for pyjamas; where, having been in lessons all day, you spent the evening doing homework, because there was little else to do!

After retirement, Florence lived in Lincoln and then Leicester, but lived a full life. Her nephew wrote of her: ‘You won’t be surprised to

hear that at the age of 100, she organised her own birthday party, which was a truly joyful occasion, and one attended by a number of her old pupils.’

After the war, Florence had visited Germany a number of times, and learned to speak German very well. She had been on one of these visits shortly before her death on 3 November 2007. She died in hospital, where she was being treated for a broken collar bone, at the grand old age of 102.

The death of Florence didn’t quite bring an end to the Titanic connection however. In 2013, the School was contacted by an antiquarian book seller in Ireland to say that he had found a bible belonging to Eleanor amongst a box of other books. It would have been the bible that Eleanor had been presented with by the School when she left back in the 1920s. So, a century after she first came to the School, her bible made its way back here, bringing an end to this Titanic story.

Tey couldn’t quite comprehend … you spent the evening doing homework, because there was little else to do!

The Western Times 16 April 1912

The Staffordshire Sentinel 16 April 1912

Clapham 1913 whole school photograph

Glimpses of our lives News and refections from alumnae around the world

1930s

Brenda Barnes (née Isitt) 1949 Leaver

The hottest week of the summer found us on holiday in Suffolk, staying in buildings built as a Model Farm in the 1930s and now run as an equestrian centre. After enjoying touring Munnings and Constable country, the temperatures soared, so we were delighted that our cottage called “The Piggery” had air conditioning to keep us comfortable. The horses were not so lucky and were having two to three showers a day to cool them down.

Now, we are in the midst of a very cold spell, but I am keeping hot under the collar by trying to get to grips with a new computer, recently purchased in the Black Friday sales, as Windows will no longer support my old machine after the end of the year. It appears the great strides made in technology over the last ten years have passed me by.

1950s

Christine Richard (née Lane) 1956 Leaver

This year I finished writing my third book, 'The Pythouse Rioters - from Tisbury to Tasmania', to be published in the spring. It tells the story of local farm workers who rioted and smashed threshing machines which were depriving them of winter work. The 'Swing' riots had spread across South England and the rioters were punished by transportation, leaving their families penniless. Fifteen young men from Tisbury were transported and I have followed what happened to them and their families. It's a sad story, but I enjoy the research and the writing. Like most Masonic girls I like to be working.

Marion Hankey (née Blackstock) 1958 Leaver

I am now 81 and live in Dorset near my daughter, her husband and my two beautiful grand children.

I went to Rickmansworth in 1952 and I left school in 1958 - my first job was at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders in the overseas department and was lucky enough to work when the motor shows were on at Earls Court.

After various jobs, I was a secretary to one of the directors of Harrods until I got married and we moved to Poole in Dorset. Sadly the marriage was dissolved when my daughter was only two and so I had to think of something I could do at home. I ended up taking in overseas students from all over the world who came to the UK to learn English. They were at school all day but I accommodated them which I have done for over 45 years - I have taken in students this year and the next ones arrive at Easter 2023.

When my daughter, Liesl, was old enough to go to school, I became a rep for a cosmetic company and after a year or so thought I could do this on my own. So I went to London, found a few wholesalers and started my own business. We supplied 300 chemists, Butlins and Haven Holiday caravan parks. As we needed space for all the goods, we had a gift shop to store all the hundreds of lines we were selling and imported merchandise from Germany and Italy. In 1987 I was in the final of the Business Woman of the year.

After 25 years, we closed the business and I bought an olde worlde 16th century tea room near Blandford, which I ran with my mum. We eventually sold the restaurant and started going to auctions. We bought loads of furniture and items to sell at antique fairs. I still buy and sell furniture and collectables but I advertise it on facebook market place and people come to the house to buy it - it is much easier than travelling 25 miles to a village hall. I have held Macmillan coffee mornings for about 12 years, raising lots of money.

Sadly my lovely Mum passed away here at home at the age of 99. We lived together for 14 years so I could look after her and now I am very lucky to have a loving caring family who look after me. We had a cream tea at the Ritz for my 80th birthday, and went to Cornwall for a weekend this year for my 81st to see my granddaughter Imogen at University in Falmouth. I have to use a zimmer frame to walk about even in the house and have to go on dialysis next year. Ron my partner helps me a lot in the house and garden.

I see Monica Khan (née Coburn) who was in Moira House at school and we meet up for lunches quite frequently. If anyone is coming to Dorset, do email me on marionann1000@gmail.com as would love to meet up.

Peggy Shields, 1958 Leaver

Despite monthly chemo, I was able to visit my lovely sister Pat in Shropshire before having a wonderful week in the Yorkshire Dales in early summer. Then my husband and I had a week's river cruise along the Seine which was glorious. Now winter has set in I am knitting scarves for the Falkland Veterans, of whom my son-inlaw is one, to pass the time. I also attend the local weekly U3A choir which I enjoy very much, my love of choral singing having started with Miss Maiden in the School choir at Ricky. I really hope to make Sports Day 2023.

Sue Grinstead (née Shaw) 1958 Leaver

This is a photo taken when I visited my friend Peggie Shields née Robinson. We have known each other since we were 7 years old and went to Weybridge. We left Ricky at 18 and went to Denson Secretarial College for a year. We have kept in touch and are godparents to each other’s daughters!!

Cheryl Lang (née Lloyd) 1959 Leaver

I enjoyed our first year in our new home making improvements, sorting out the garden. I also delved into the wondrous world of family history, revealing many surprises! I am an author in waiting, as they say. I am in the process of sending my novel out to publishers - and just had a rejection for my historical saga, River of Dreams. I’m considering the self-publishing route also.

1960s

Dawn Kimpton (née Tornhill) 1960 Leaver

This year at the age of 78, I was thrilled to be Mother of the Bride again. My youngest daughter remarried. Her two sons aged 17 and 19 gave her away. Her Groom had his son aged 17 as his best man so it was a real family affair.

Monica Drake (née Henn) 1961 Leaver

The most exciting thing that happened this year was that my son got married after postponing it from 2022 due to Covid. I also went on a venture to Scotland via Newcastle first to see my friend in Newcastle and then my sister in Scotland.

Ann Clark (Margaret Speight) 1964 Leaver

Here in South Africa, summer has come early, much earlier than in previous years which we put down to global warming. We are experiencing power cuts three times a day, mostly two and a half hours but more recently at least one of four hours. This is due to the lack of plant maintenance by our national electricity entity, Eslkom, who constantly experience breakdowns. This situation is likely to continue into next year. We still enjoy a typical traditional Christmas lunch with turkey, gammon etc but now we wonder if we will have to cook the turkey on the braai (barbecue). Our family will gather together and for the first time in many years, my husband's niece and her husband will be joining us. Christmas in summer weather takes some getting used to, very different from the cold English climate at this time of year.

2022 presented its challenges. One joy was to celebrate two ladies' 90th birthdays mid-year within our Busy Bees church craft group, but sadly within weeks of each other, they both passed away. My husband and I celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary in December. We met in 1974 and married in Malawi.

Deborah Palmer, 1964 Leaver

The best thing about this year was the wonderful hot summer, especially for me living on the coast. It meant I was able to get out with the paddle boarding group more often than usual, and swim off our boards out at sea, (I am the only geriatric member - they are all years younger!) I have not been on holiday for several yearsbut this certainly made up for it.

The last time we went out was on the 10th December, when we launched from Folkestone Harbour on a freezing cold morning, in Xmas Fancy Dress over our wetsuits, very cold out at sea, but great fun and I was lucky enough not to fall in!

Sue Dwyer (née Vile) 1966 Leaver

I live in an adult lifestyle community an hour east of Toronto, Canada. I belong to a theatre group and a choir. I am President of the Lawn Bowling Club, I help run a book club, and a singles club, plus I run a grief support program for my small community. I've also had some short stories published.

Before I retired, I worked as an elementary school secretary. My husband was a Principal (Headmaster) and after he retired we lived overseas teaching in various International schools (Switzerland, Turkmenistan, China and Armenia).

Lesley Wilkin (née Dunthorn) 1966 Leaver

Hello everyone, I am living the life in Australia. In the last week have been to a new wine bar, to see a band play in a local winery garden, had a picnic and been to Adelaide oval to see Australia v West Indies! My daughter is currently on honeymoon in Switzerland, and will spend Christmas in UK with family. I am spending Christmas with my son.

Maureen McVie (née Gorey) 1968 Leaver

We are living in West Norwood, London with our three elderly cats. We have helped Cats Protection in past years, but have retired from this voluntary work. I still sponsor animals though through various charities. I managed to help with a cat stall for the Cat Protection Society, did 160 bazaars I think. We have taken in Tommy, we think he was abandoned as an unneutered stray. It is a relief we were able to take him in, as it is so cold outside.

1970s

Michele Edmonds, 1970 Leaver

Since leaving school, I worked in London and then Kingston in various administration roles, rising to be a Director of a Contract Furnishing company in the late 1980s.

I then moved to Australia in 1992 via three months overland travelling through Africa from Kenya to South Africa which was an amazing experience. In Australia I worked for an USA technology company covering the APAC region, with the fantastic opportunity of visiting many Asian countries for business and pleasure. In 2015 I moved back to the UK to Somerset with the intention of retiring. However I volunteered for a local charity for a while and actually ended up working there for another 6 years before finally retiring earlier this year.

This year I met some Australian friends in New York and spent two weeks exploring Manhattan, visiting all the tourist sights including a boat trip around the island. We went to many events including the opening of the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, Hamilton on Broadway, the NYC Ballet, a jazz club, and visiting the enormous museums of the Met, MOMA, and Guggenheim, not forgetting shopping at Macy’s! Although I had been to USA a few times, I had never been to NYC before and had a fabulous time, encouraging more travel experiences to now plan in retirement.

My main interest is music and the arts and I still enjoy going to concerts, the theatre, films, art galleries, and of course good restaurants.

Carina Corbett (née Standing) 1972 Leaver

I have just returned from an amazing transatlantic trip on Queen Mary II from New York to Southampton. The Times & Cheltenham Literary Festival was held on board and there were some fascinating authors to meet and listen to such as Alexander McCall-Smith, Prue Leith, Jojo Moyes, Rachel Johnson and Ian Rankin to name but a few. I've always wanted to sail across the Atlantic on a ship and now I've done it - and in some style!

Karen Fizia, 1977 Leaver

This year I left my position as an Operations Manager for a school catering company. After working for 30 years for the catering industry in an area role I made a career change. Whilst I enjoyed working with students educating them about food (one of my favourite things - to eat!) I didn't want to travel so much and I now work with Inspiring Learning at a Kingswood activity centre local to my home. I have a position in guest services so am still working with students in a different type of education environment. The RMS Sixth Form girls do study trips to Kingswood.

Tracy Jackson (née Geater) 1979 Leaver

I have become a Nanny again to my third granddaughter who was born in October, to my youngest son Nigel and his partner Marion. Ada-Rose is a beautiful baby and the new parents have taken to parenthood like 'ducks to water'. All very exciting to have all three girls together at Christmas, as they love to cuddle their little cousin.

As of 2 January, I'll have been with my company for 27 years; the longest standing admin person within the business 'ever'!! Think the time has come to hang up my laptop ... perhaps not quite just yet, but in the near future!

Sheree Hepburn (née Jenner) 1979 Leaver

I’m currently working across West Sussex as a Community Urology Nurse which I absolutely love! Most of my career has been in the medical field including being a Practice Manager for a large Dental company, I also spent ten years in the Territorial Army as a medic. I am married to a Hospital Consultant and have two sons aged 19 and 22 who are both at university. We live in Storrington, West Sussex.

1980s

Sara Vermeulen-Anastasi (née Anastasi) 1981 Leaver

What have I been up to in 2022?

I moved home and now live in the Swiss Alps, in canton Schwyz. I work for OC Oerlikon - a global Swiss technology company in polymer processing and surface engineering, where I head up the marketing and communications function.

I am still happily married: for 34 years, and very proud mother of my three children.

I was nominated to the Open University Business School Alumni council - which is a fantastic opportunity to give back to a great institution, and I get to visit the UK.

I was invited to the annual Correspondents PR lunch and got to meet the Swiss president, Ignacio Cassis, which was very cool, since I am Swiss.

Sasha Baggaley, 1984 Leaver

I left RMSG in 1984 (I would have finished school in 1987, but moved away). Of the six schools I went to during my childhood, RMSG was absolutely my favourite.

I am now a physiotherapist, specialising in working with people who have Parkinson’s Disease. One of the most important things for this group of people to do, is to stay active. They have to exercise. So to raise awareness, and share their commitment to exercise, I took part in a race called the Celtman for two consecutive years! This is an extreme triathlon that takes place each June in the Torridon area of the Scottish Highlands. It involves a 3.4 km swim in a sea loch that is more jelly fish than water, a 202km hilly cycle in a very remote area with breath taking views, and a marathon distance run over 2 stunning munros (hills over 1000m height!!) all done in one day. It was a great experience and I would secretly love to do it every year, but it is a huge demand on time for training and tough on my ageing joints - so I am looking for other challenges but still with the exercise commitment. So far this year I have tried wakeboarding, cyclocross and pickle ball. Exercise is not just for people with Parkinson’s - “if you don’t use it, you will lose it; if you don’t challenge yourself, nothing will change…!”

Sally Smart (née Barrington) 1986 Leaver

It has been the most difficult year of my life. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2022. I’ve had a mastectomy, chemotherapy, targeted and hormone therapy. But I’m doing really well and managed a few catch ups with my RMS girls which always keeps me sane. They are not just my friends, they are my family.

1990s

Clare Posner (née Segal) 1990 Leaver

I’m currently living in Boca Raton, Florida with my husband and two teens. I hear news about RMS via my niece who goes there. Would love to hear from other old girls especially those in Cumberland House. Keep in touch with some via Facebook. Very fond memories.

Juliet

Pearson, 1992 Leaver

I have been working at different places on a temporary basis, the latest place being at a learning hub at HSDC Alton (Alton College). I lend chrome books, library books and other equipment to students and teachers and ensure that the place is kept tidy. I am still an active member of the Yateley Lions Club.

Shelley Freeman (née Martin) 1993 Leaver

2022 has been a wonderful year for me filled with travel and visits to see the family in the UK and France. September 2022 marked 20 years of living in Florida. I travelled back to the UK in June for a family wedding. It was the first time in four years, our last trip being cancelled due to the pandemic travel bans. It really was special to have so many family members in one place. I also travelled to the Lake District and the south coast and was reminded of the beauty of England. I even made it to school one Friday for fish and chips. The look of the school has changed in many ways but the feeling of a home away from home and an extended family to belong to remains the same. I spent a month in Paris visiting family. We had trips outside of Paris exploring Normandy and Metz.

Nicole

Hill (née Williams) 1994 Leaver

I'm living in Singapore with my husband and daughter, meanwhile my two sons are at boarding school in Australia. I've spent the last five years living in Asia, but thanks to Covid, my bucket list of things to see and do is still long!

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Charlotte Samuelson (née Vaughan) 1997 Leaver

Those who I boarded with in Atholl-Sussex may remember that amongst the Athena posters on our study walls were quite a few cut outs of various rugby players. Fast forward 25 years and I am now Chief Operating Officer of World Rugby, a dream job which most recently allowed my husband, Pieter, two daughters and I to spend a fantastic few weeks in New Zealand for the 2021 World Cup played by women. Elsewhere I am on the Board at Surrey Cricket Club. Those who remember my lack of PE skills may be surprised that my career has ended up so dominated by sport!

2000s

Sue Leach (Former Staf) 2000 Leaver

RMS is the place to make friends for life and that goes for staff too. Sarah and I taught together in the prep department back in 1988 and here we are all these years later when we visited Highclere Castle together. We stayed overnight in a local pub and this is where they sat us for dinner which we found very amusing!

Many of you may remember Sarah’s love of literature & mine of art and design so won’t be surprised to hear that after retiring from teaching, Sarah now keeps herself busy working at her local library and I have a small craft business! We meet up regularly and often talk about our happy days teaching together at RMS.

Irene Andrews (Former Head Mistress) 1991-2001

Released from Covid confines, in February my husband and I enjoyed a cruise to Norway and up into the Arctic Circle. We spent some of the summer visiting friends in different parts of the UKpeople we had missed during lockdown. We also managed to fit in two spells of cat-sitting for our daughter’s family; the grandchildren are all too grown up to need our supervision but they all came to a luncheon at The Oxford Boathouse to celebrate my 80th birthday in May. In mid-November a week of sunshine in a favourite hotel in Tenerife has, I hope, set us up for winter.

Claire Bowden (née Rose) 2000 Leaver

A snippet into my life. I am a Teacher of English which I have been doing for 16 years. I absolutely love it. Inspired by Mrs Jones who taught me at RMS, she gave me the desire to become a teacher and make a difference. Everyday is different and I love seeing the impact that I have on students. Most recently I have also become a

Duke of Edinburgh manager in my school, delivering the bronze and silver award programme. This is an honor to be able to do, and gives students from all different backgrounds the opportunity to experience different life skills alongside academic education.

On a personal level, my daughter has recently joined the police cadets and was able to take part in the remembrance parade on behalf of GMP. This was a very proud Mum moment, and I cannot wait to share more of these special experiences with her.

Sally Halsall (née Cowlam) 2002 Leaver

I’ve been living abroad for almost six years! I’m a civil servant and got a job in Cyprus and we then moved to Washington DC in 2020 for my husband to work at the British Embassy there. We’ve had a fantastic time overseas - highly recommend doing it if you get the opportunity! Back to the UK in summer 2023 with a baby!

Victoria Wheelhouse (née Howse) 2004 Leaver

I have spent the last year working for MEI (a maths education charity) and have loved working with teachers and students all across England. In my spare time, I have been training and this year I completed three obstacle course mud runs (a total of 24km and over 150 obstacles) including a travelator (old school Gladiators TV show anyone?)

Elise Wheatley-Marshall (née Wheatley) 2005 Leaver

Having left a career within Stellantis, I started at Leaseplan in August 2021 the day after I got married. I am now the Senior Operations VUE Executive for Amazon, keeping the 9000 fleet strong and on the road to make sure deliveries happen for every customer. I have finally found my niche and it has taught me to never give up.

2010s

Heather Brazier, 2011 Leaver

I changed careers during Covid. I was in marketing and advertising, then I went to university to study Interior Design and am now working for one of the most famous interior design studios Taylor Howes in Knightsbridge, and loving it!

Catherine Caseman, 2011 Leaver

I recently got married and thought it would be nice to share with you at the school; I invited some RMS Alumnae to be there with me, we all left in 2011. We got married on the 8th of October at St Mary's Church, Easton Neston with our reception held at Winchester House, Brackley (which actually was my old prep school prior to joining RMS in Year 5!)

Dayoung Lee, 2014 Leaver

I am working in the City as Strategy Associate at a tech communications company having graduated from the London College of Fashion with a Fashion Business Management degree.

Emma Shaw, 2015 Leaver

After leaving RMS, I studied French and History of Art at the University of Birmingham and studied for a year in Paris. After graduating, I started work in London as a commercial grad at Adyen, a Dutch financial technology platform. Three years on, I now live in Amsterdam & work at Adyen HQ as Brand Program Manager for Platforms & Financial Services - strategising and collaborating with stakeholders across the global business and aligning our solutions to the customer need. I thank RMS for instilling in me an independent and adventurous spirit and teaching me the absolute necessity of having fun.

Emily Boxall, 2017 Leaver

During our time at RMS, my three sisters and I spent more time on the sporting fields than we did in the classroom! Now, the majority of family get-togethers are dedicated to trying out a new Olympic sport together, as part of our challenge to try them all before the games in 2024.

We began this challenge - The Olympic Mission (T.O.M.) to raise money for Cure Parkinson’s in honour of its founder: our late Uncle Tom and 11 sports have been completed so far, with 22 still to go. Over Christmas, we aim to break the £2000 fundraising mark and will be giving table tennis our best shot…literally!

Nicola Isherwood (Former Staf) 2019 Leaver

Since leaving RMS I have been working as a Wedding Celebrant, creating and leading wedding ceremonies throughout the Home Counties. I love this celebratory, creative role and have many ceremonies booked in for 2023.

I meet some wonderful people and lead ceremonies in fantastic venues from castles to lakeside locations.

In the autumn months I also work as a Careers Councillor which is great because I get to connect with young people from schools across the UK.

Amelia Small, 2019 Leaver

I graduated from the University of Lincoln in September 2022 with a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance and I am now off to Lake Louise, Canada for six months to do a ski season and after to take on some international work experience in my field.

In September 2023 I will start as an Associate Auditor at PWC!

Dany Uyanik, 2019 Leaver

As a part of my academic life, I worked as a research assistant at the University of Sussex as a part of my placement year. I conducted research into social and political psychology on topics such as children’s understanding of income inequality, emotions and collective action and perceptions of Afghan refugees in Turkey. I also attended the PsyPAG conference and won a poster award. This experience has made me consider future jobs in research and hopefully a PhD. Currently, I am in the final year of my Psychology degree and am having the best year of my academic life as I am doing modules I have picked and feel the positive effects of having done a research placement despite its voluntary nature.

For the past year, I have also been heavily involved in accessibility and disability justice work in higher education. Until July, I was the Disabilities Officer at my Student Union and I am still a lead campaigner at Access Sussex. As a campaign group, we ran two referendum campaigns (one on hybrid learning and one on accessible housing) that won by a landslide, showing student support across the university for them, and we are pushing for these changes to happen. We are also working to improve the counselling service at our university and building a community of disabled and neurodivergent students. Campaigning and organising have been at the core of my university experience and I would encourage everyone to get involved in their communities.

2020s

Charlie Butcher, 2020 Leaver

Year 3 at the Royal Veterinary College has been a big turning point for me. Our teaching has become a lot more clinical; it finally feels like Covid isn’t hanging over our heads, and I’ve thrown myself into vet student life at full force.

We have EMS (a clinical placement) starting in the spring, but for now I am preoccupied caring for a trio of Angus beef cows during the week, a yard of horses at the weekends, and my own dart frogs (who are surprisingly sassy for an animal about the size of a 50p coin) at home.

I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some amazing people through

new societies and sports, touch rugby being notable since the only previous experience I’ve had of rugby was being dragged to my brothers’ games when I was six. Back then, the sight of a rugby pitch would throw me into a tantrum, but now I’m actually quite keen to get caked in mud.

2022 has brought so many amazing experiences, and I honestly can’t wait for 2023 - which is promising to bring many more.

Grace Ingles, 2021 Leaver

Since leaving RMS I have moved to Brighton and am studying Music Performance, specialising in Guitar at the British Institute of Modern Music. In my time at BIMM Brighton so far, I have had the opportunity to perform at one of Brighton's most renowned music venues, Concorde 2.

Cathy Bomford (Former Staf) 2021 Leaver

Enjoying life with friends and family on a small Greek island has been a superb way to begin retirement. I have embraced a much slower pace of life where the days evolve depending upon who drops in for a chat and coffee, or whom we meet in the village or at the cafés. Life is friends, food and laughter.

Having time to appreciate nature is also a huge pleasure, such as planting our own vineyard, and a citrus orchard, and finding fresh water turtles in our nearby river!

Recently, while back in the UK, I was privileged to hear former pupil Barbara Mills KC at RMS Prize Day speak; inspiring the current students to make the most of their opportunities. I also feel encouraged by her message, and I will welcome the varied experiences and yet to be discovered meandering pathways ahead.

Melissa Brake (Former Staf) 2022 Leaver

Since leaving RMS, I have been working in Fulham, enjoying London, going to the theatre, art shows, being a tourist again and teaching all boys! I still keep in touch with the MFL department and catch up with the sixth form team and like to hear all about how the students and my classes and form are getting on.

Anisha Shreesh, 2022 Leaver

Three months ago I moved abroad and adapting to the country and language has been an interesting time. I’m more settled now and currently studying for my anatomy exam. Medical School is a lot more fast-paced than A levels but still really interesting and I’m enjoying my time here a lot :) Just another five years to go!

Our School today

We have proudly educated girls since 1788. Our history is long and distinguished, but our focus is firmly on the future, and we never stop questioning what skills and attributes young women need to thrive in the 21st century. This pursuit of innovation and excellence, combined with a relentless commitment to educating the whole person, is what defines an RMS education today.

Unlike many schools, we value social and emotional intelligence just as highly as academic intelligence, and we encourage all our pupils to excel through nurture and encouragement, rather than relentless pressure.

We offer a well-rounded academic and extensive co-curricular programme for girls from aged two up to 18 years. We have outstanding teachers and fabulous facilities, set within 300 acres of beautiful Hertfordshire parkland, all of which make RMS for Girls an inspiring environment in which to study and thrive.

If you are considering sending your daughter, or granddaughter to our school, you would be more than welcome to arrange a visit, or attend an Open Day. Please contact the Admissions Team to find out more on admissions@rmsforgirls.com or telephone 01923 725 354.

Clytie Irene Longbotham (1962)

Clytie was born in 1922. She attended Colchester High School for Girls and was a high achiever, gaining a scholarship to Reading University to read geography. On completing her degree she was called to Bletchley Park, working in Hut 6 on the decoding machines. She maintained that everyone was so strictly warned of the secrecy of what they had been doing in the war that she had carefully wiped it out of her mind.

At the end of the war, she went to work as a secretary at Miles Aircraft Company at Woodley although she would have been welcomed into the civil service on a permanent basis. Whilst there, at a joint social with Handley Page Aircraft, “she was warned off ‘that quiet chap over there – completely mad!’ That was, for her, an irresistible challenge, and the rest is history, as he was my Dad, Leslie.” (Lesley Searle, Clytie’s daughter)

In 1962, the family moved to Watford and Clytie therefore had to find a new post. Thus she arrived at the Royal Masonic School for Girls at Rickmansworth, teaching geography. She spent the rest of her career there, finishing as Head of Department. Clytie had always been very sporty, and continued to play hockey in staff/student matches for quite a lot of her time at RMS. A colleague remembers her as being very supportive and encouraging and also an excellent cook.

The family were grateful that despite her age, her brain power never wavered. She completed the Telegraph cryptic crossword every day. Going into hospital two days before her death (14 November 2021), she still took the crossword and a pen to keep her occupied.

Judi Jury (formerly Leech, 1987)

A Facebook message from her daughter Susannah in Australia gave the news that Judi Jury had died in summer 2022. She had always been known in school as Mrs Leech, the nursing assistant in the San, so it took a moment or two to realign the memories.

Judi became the nursing assistant in about 1987 and her daughter said that her mother ‘simply adored her many years at RMS’ and was proud to be part of such a special school. She particularly enjoyed being a mother figure to the girls when they were unwell in the San with many of them having their own family so far away. She was famous for her hot chocolate which apparently cured most ailments. She was firm but fair, no nonsense but with a soft side and loved talking about the girls and their various escapades.

A little escapade she had of her own was when she was in school during the summer holidays and heard a noise from the corridor upstairs, the Sixth Form Annexe. As there should not have been

anyone there, Judi decided to investigate and found a ‘short bearded man wearing glasses’ and she challenged his presence there. Turned out to be Steven Spielberg who was in school for an Indiana Jones film and was, presumably, checking if the area offered the right filmic qualities. It is a question of who was more shocked –Judi on discovering who the ‘intruder’ was or Spielberg on being challenged by a small woman bristling with indignation!

Judi remarried in 1998 – becoming Judi Jury – and went to live in Croxley Green until 2005 when she moved to Devon. Sadly she was widowed again in 2007. Her daughter, being in Australia, could not be at her mother’s side when she died. ‘I am heartbroken as I didn’t get to say goodbye,’ she wrote.

Dr Brian Hellyer (1990-2004)

Brian joined the staff in 1990 and retired in 2004. During his time as Head of Faculty of Science, great changes were made in the Science curriculum. Brian steered the department through these skilfully but with good humour. Indeed, his often outward appearance of gruffness hid a great sense of humour. On special occasions, Brian surprised those that knew him less well by dressing in appropriate costume and fully engaging in the celebrations. His humour was evident for those he taught but he also developed in his students a way of thinking critically and clearly.

He had a passion for boating and owned a canal narrowboat called Agenoria (after the Roman goddess of Industry). As Ratty in Wind in the Willows said ‘there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats’ - an idea fully endorsed by Brian.

After retirement, he and his wife Kanchan moved to live in France where they continued their joint hobby of photography.

Over Christmas 2021, Brian became quite poorly and was hospitalised a couple of times while they tried to discover the cause. As a former colleague phrased it: ‘He was a terrible patient and hated being in the hospital so they agreed for him to return home as Hôpital a Domicile’. The diagnosis of the problem resulted in his needing chemotherapy but, sadly, he managed only one course before he died in May 2022.

Brian from Machio 2004, Gordon Metcalfe’s cartoon and from his photography website 2016.

Doreen Estella Underdown (1930) (née

Chiswell)

Doreen was born on 14 December 1914. Her father served throughout the war but died in 1922 after which Doreen became a pupil. She left School 18th December 1930 and this would have been when the School was at Clapham. Her mother was Canadian and this probably influenced Doreen’s later decision to go and live there. On leaving school she had employment as a shorthand typist but then trained at the County Hospital Farnborough 1941-1944. In 1949 she emigrated to Canada and was living in Windsor, Ontario and nursing at the Mètropolitan General Hospital. She later moved to Detroit to work at the Art Centre Hospital. Her papers at this time describe her as 5ft 3 with brown hair & brown eyes. Although we do not know when she returned to UK, she married in Bromley, Kent in 1954 and appears to have remained in UK thereafter. She died in March 2020 at the astonishingly grand age of 106 and this would appear to make her our oldest known Old Girl and probably the last Clapham Girl.

Ray Kathleen Sherman (1940) (née Barty)

Ray became a boarder at the Weybridge Masonic Junior girls’ school in January 1932 aged 9 years old, after completing an informal examination in reading, writing and arithmetic in front of a number of gentlemen at the Masonic Lodge, Queen Street, London. She was taken to the school by her mother and paternal grandfather carrying only “a little tiny suitcase and in it was my dressing gown, slippers, hairbrush, writing case, pen and pencils. Everything else was provided by the school. I was allowed one toy so my mother bought me a new doll and crocheted a lovely outfit for it.” Once at the school the girls were fitted with uniform, an identity number marked inside each item, and their own clothes were put away in a box room. Each girl had a specific chore to do. Initially Ray had to clean the wash basins, but later was tasked to dust, tidy and prepare the fire in the Matron’s room every day after breakfast.

In July 1933 Ray moved to the lower senior school in Clapham Junction where she stayed for two terms until she moved to the upper senior school. After Easter 1934, instead of moving into the upper wing at Clapham, the school was closed and they moved to the new school at Rickmansworth Park. It had “400 acres of land. Can you imagine that after having these dusty, dry smelly playgrounds right in the heart of London?” The new school had eight houses and Ray was allocated to Connaught. Once again Ray’s chores started with cleaning the wash basins but eventually she was allocated to look after the Headmistress’ sitting room which was considered a tremendous privilege. She enjoyed reading,

dancing, playing the piano and climbing trees.

Ray was Gold medallist in 1940. In June 2008 Ray’s son and daughter in law Stuart & Anne took her to an Old Girls Reunion at Rickmansworth and she is photographed by her name on the Honours Board. It was a very interesting visit, with lunch in the Governors dining room (which as a student she was never allowed into), and being made aware of all the changes that have happened since she left.

* Ray’s own words in italics are taken from an audio recording made in 2008.

Vera Dorothy Simpson Biggins (1940) (née Jones)

In January 2022, Toby Biggins contacted the School to say ‘My mother died peacefully in September last year [2021] after a short illness at the age of 96’. She had previously moved into a care home and her son went on to say that over Christmas, a ‘rather lovely’ letter had been received from a Year 6 pupil addressed to Vera at her care home. Mr Biggins was unsure how to address the issue that, sadly, his mother would not have ever seen the letter but that it was still very much appreciated by the family.

Vera had been born in 1925 and had been at Weybridge before transferring to Rickmansworth in 1935. She left in 1940 as a House Prefect.

Her two sisters were also educated by the Masons, one at the School (Renée) and one out-educated (Margaret). Their father had been a master mariner but had been latterly a coal merchant. Sadly, of Vera’s time at school very little is written other than she had been operated upon for appendicitis in 1933. There is no known photograph.

Peggy Coupe (1946) (née Mann)

Peggy’s dear friend, Lesley Bishop writes: I first met Peggy when she hosted a reunion at her home in Colchester, in 1996.

She always made an effort to attend our reunions in Norfolk and Suffolk, and over the years we became good friends. We travelled together to London when the Association organised Christmas lunch, and also attended a sports day at Rickmansworth. Peggy’s time at the Masonic school was very special to her, and she kept in touch with her many friends from school, travelling with her husband, Norman to Australia one year to visit old school friends there. They both loved going on cruises, and travelled extensively.

After leaving school in 1949, she took a secretarial course at Denson’s, and returned to Colchester to work in a solicitor’s office.

Her knowledge and love of her home town was amazing, and I

sometimes met her there for lunch, Afterwards, we would walk around the many historic parts of Colchester, an outing I always really enjoyed, and she would regale me with all sorts of facts and figures.

She was married to Norman for over 60 years. They had no children but many friends. Their later years were difficult, both with ill health and increasing frailty but Peggy still enjoyed a chat and had many good memories of her time at school to share with me.

I will remember Peggy with great fondness and affection, she was a kind and thoughtful lady, who I was glad to call my friend.

Barbara Hutton, another former pupil, described Peggy as ‘a tall softly spoken & easy going friend’. Barbara phoned the school with news of Peggy’s death and commented about how much Peggy had enjoyed the flowers sent to her by OMGA, which ‘cheered her up’.

Patricia Oliver (1949) (née Snape)

Pat’s daughter contacted the School to say that her mother had died in 2022.

Born in 1932, Patricia arrived at the School in 1940. At the age of eight, she would ordinarily have gone to Weybridge but, because of the war, Weybridge was being housed at Rickmansworth. In 1941, the matron reported that Patricia had contracted scarlet fever and been sent to Watford isolation hospital. Fortunately, she made a quick recovery as by Sports Day of that year she was listed as a competitor in the 80 yards and the flower pot races.

Leaving in 1949 with her ‘school cert’ and having been made Prefect in 1948, it was written of her that she had been ‘a very active prefect’ so she took her duties seriously. She went to Bristol College of Domestic Science (now UWE Bristol) to take a two year Institutional Management course and afterwards applied to Lackham School of Agriculture for a post as Assistant Matron.

In 1963 she married Denis Oliver and after her children were born, she stayed at home with them until her younger daughter was of school age. Then she became head cook at North Leigh primary school which she took as it fitted in with school holidays. She really enjoyed the friendship of the other ladies there.

She maintained her contacts with RMS throughout her adult life, attending many Old Girls’ Days over the years, including the Bicentenary celebrations.

Her daughter said ‘The school was a huge part of her life, which she talked about a lot. She loved it there and even near the end of her life when communicating was difficult I used to play the YouTube videos to her of the girls doing the drill, show her photos of the school that I found on the internet and go through old photos of her school days. They always brought a smile to her face.’

Ella Mary Spear (1949) (formerly Wood, née Moore)

Ella became a pupil at Weybridge in 1939. The junior school had been moved to Rickmansworth for the war years so she joined the school at Rickmansworth on 16 September but still known as a Weybridge girl. She said of it ‘The whole school was so large, it was very intimidating.’ When she first joined, Ella recalled that she was in Moira but later she moved house to Sussex. This was probably to mark her admission to Senior School in 1942.

Any accolades she gained whilst a junior pupil are not recorded but as a Senior, she accrued a string of prizes in her time at RMS: 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946 … These included Form prizes as well as more specialist prizes such as Music, Latin and French. In 1947 she was made a prefect, then a school prefect and Head of House. She was in the Choir but also 1st lacrosse XII (colours), 1st Netball VII (Captain and colours) and 1st Tennis VI (Vice-captain and colours). It is hardly surprising that is was written of her ‘she is a girl of all round ability and wide interests'.

Ella is in the middle back row of this team photo. In 1948, fifteen girls (including Ella) were selected to sing the St Matthew Passion with other schools in the Ripieno choir. ‘It was a once in a lifetime experience and we were very privileged to have been part of it.’ Ella wrote. They sang alongside soloists such as Kathleen Ferrier and Peter Piers.

She performed well academically gaining a ‘school cert’ with six credits and 4 very good passes and she went on to Higher Cert (equivalent of A levels), one of six girls taking this. On completing her school time, she went to Goldsmiths to read for an Honours degree.

She married in 1951 but sadly her husband died suddenly just three years later. In widowhood, she undertook a 2 year teacher training course. Subsequently she married again and became Ella Mary Spear. Her son said ‘Mother wanted it to be known that she was extremely grateful to the Masonic brotherhood, who stepped in at various 'difficult times' in our family’s life, to assist and help.’

In 2021, Ella was delighted to have received a letter from a Cadogan House pupil and very much enjoyed replying to her young correspondent.

Ella’s son Chris informed the School of the death his mother on July 25 2022.

Mary Jacqueline Gross (1951)

Brenda Barnes (née Isitt) writes: Mary arrived at Sussex House in 1946 and found life at boarding school rather different from the war years, happily spent with her parents and older brother in Bournemouth, the town to which her father's firm had been evacuated. Her looks reminded us all of Elizabeth Taylor, a popular child film star of the day. Mary became friends with Anne Palmer Hall (nee Brewis) who remembers them attending Confirmation Classes together and both being Confirmed at school. She loved singing and was very proud of taking part in the Choir when their work was recorded by Libra Recording Studio.

After taking School Certificate, Mary trained at The Denson Secretarial College in Queens Gate. By 1956 she was Secretary to the Assistant Manager of Regent Oil Company, where her father had once worked.

Our friendship began when, at one of the monthly dinners held at the Connaught Rooms for old girls under twenty-one living or working in London, we discovered we both worked in the City and lived on the same bus route. We spent many Saturday afternoons in Department Stores trying on the latest fashions such as Dior's New Look and enjoyed visiting Fullers Tea Rooms as we were both addicted to their iced walnut cake! We also saw every new production at the Old Vic: it was here up and coming actors such as Judy Dench and Paul Schofield started their careers. We had two great holidays together discovering all there was to know about Stratford upon Avon and Venice. Mary was one of the bridesmaids at my wedding and later Godmother to my eldest daughter, a duty she always took very seriously.

After retirement from Lloyds Bank, Mary worked as a volunteer for the National Trust and was based at Nymans, giving tours of the gardens. One of my local friends recommended the guided tour as excellent. I asked if the guide was called Mary, and of course it was. Always being a Londoner at heart Mary joined a society which visited unusual places. When visiting one of the Guilds, Mary was refused admission because she was wearing a denim trouser suit, so she had to agree to remove the suit and wear an ill-fitting borrowed raincoat.

Until about five years ago Mary, my daughter and I always met just before Christmas at Fortnum and Mason to have lunch, exchange presents and view the decorations. It was a great shock to us to hear of her death on March 1st, just three weeks after being diagnosed with cancer, but personally I can look back on over seventy years of great friendship.

Heather Bovill (1956) (née Dewhurst)

Joyce Williams née Parker (Zetland 1954) writes:

We were at school at the same time but in different years and different houses so although I knew the name it wasn’t until I was married with three young children that we met again. I joined the Young Wives in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside in 1974 and Heather came up to me saying that she recognized me. After a few minutes we realized that we had been at school together.

When Heather’s husband Len took a teaching job in Dunblane, we lost touch, apart from Christmas cards, until 2011 when we moved to Gullane, East Lothian to be near our daughter and family and so got involved with the Scottish Old Girls association. We met up twice a year, once at the old girls’ meeting and the other time with Veronica Leadbetter and Jenny Green (nee Rutherford).

Heather and Len were very much liked and respected in Dunblane and helped at the cathedral. Heather was also part of the sewing group making the Scottish tapestry which we saw on display at the Holyrood parliament building. She used to go to the local prison and teach the female inmates how to sew. She didn’t have good health but that didn’t stop her. Heather was an example to us all as to how to get on with life whatever the problems were.

This photo of her was at a wedding she wasn’t able to attend. Look closely and you will see it is a cutout! But it does show Heather as we remember heralways smiling.

Vic (Pamela)

(1958)

Vangansewinkel-Hicks

Jacqueline Protheroe née Barkus (Connaught 1960) writes:

In 1948 Vic entered Weybridge at the age of almost seven. She liked playing the violin and led the Junior School orchestra. We sat together in first desk. Her vivid memories of the musical life of Weybridge were recorded in my article for the magazine. She enjoyed school but holidays were unhappy and difficult. Vic left in 1958 after achieving commendable ‘O’ level results. Her first job was at the Bank of England. She married and had four children but she was left to bring them up by herself. When she was 26 years old she gained a place at Leeds University studying for a Fine Arts degree and a PGCE. She headed several Fine Arts departments in schools, a job she loved.

At one school where she was Head of Art, she volunteered to join the school exchange in 1982 to Belgium where she met her future husband Jan. When she began her new married life in 1983, Vic moved to Bruges, Belgium and remained there until her death. She started a business there restoring furniture and proved to be an excellent carpenter renovating her new home and other projects. Her small well-designed productive garden was a delight. With her husband, she launched herself into community life, singing in choirs, playing bassoon in ensembles and volunteering regularly at an animal hospital right up until the day she died. Her family were important to her and she visited her children and eleven grandchildren in both England and Belgium whenever possible and also her friend Marcia Braithwaite (Ruspini) who lived on the Isle of Wight, after whom she named one of her daughters. We met again after 30 years at a St Albans OG lunch hosted by Jan Chamberlain (Nock) and Ann Penty (Purkis). She invited my husband and me to Bruges for the MA Baroque Music Festival. We went a number of times until 2018. The concerts were amazing and we had fun.

Vic was courageous overcoming many difficulties. She had a kind, generous spirit and was energetic to the last. She died suddenly and unexpectedly from a brain tumour in January 2022

Elizabeth Cutler (1960) (née Seldon)

Liz (Seldy) joined the school in 1955 following the death of her father.

She thoroughly enjoyed her school years in Connaught, returning many times over the years for reunions – watching modern pupils performing the school drill which they had performed in the 1950s.

The school fostered Liz’s lifelong love of tennis. She competed in the 1st tennis team and 1st tennis couple. In 1960, Liz was on the winning Connaught house tennis team, won the senior singles tournament (and was presented with a racquet by OMGA), as well as being awarded her tennis colours.

Liz left school from the Commercial Form in 1960, and was described in her valedictory report as “an excellent and conscientious sub-prefect, Elizabeth will be missed very much. She is personally sincere, helpful and has an unselfconscious charm of manner which is refreshing.”

Returning to Witham, she began work as a legal secretary and met Gordon Cutler, whom she married in 1969. They embarked on life together in South Africa, which ignited her love of travel. The couple returned to England to start their family. Charles arrived in 1974 and then the young family moved to Belgium, where Thamie was born in 1977.

Liz was always generous with her time. For years she volunteered with the Community Help Service as well as supporting a busy au pairs club, being a sounding board for young carers often experiencing their first working role.

Throughout her life, Liz was an exceptional competitive tennis player and regularly came home with a trophy. She enjoyed playing three times a week into her mid-seventies.

Liz and Gordon became delighted grandparents in 2007, a role which they both relished. Sadly, in 2012, Gordon died, leaving a void in her life but Liz took great comfort and pleasure in spending time with her children and being a fun-loving Grandma.

She died on the 9th May 2022 and is profoundly missed by her children and her four grandchildren, family and friends.

Liz was always up for a giggle and saw the lighter side of life. She was a constant optimist who believed that a good cup of tea and the right lipstick could help you face most situations.

Anthea Margaret Nicholls (1963) (née

Jowett)

Born in Norwich in 1946, the youngest of five children, one son and four daughters, to Muriel (née Curtis) and William Jowett, the daughters all attended Rickmansworth following the early and unexpected death of their father.

As a little girl, Anthea’s sisters remember her being a happy and sunny-natured child who took everything in her stride. These qualities remained with her throughout her life.

Aged 7, Anthea became a pupil at Weybridge before moving on to Rickmansworth. She loved her school days at Rickmansworth, appreciating the rich and well-rounded education and values it gave her and the friendships she made, particularly her best friend, Juliet Eve. They remained wonderful life-long friends.

Winning the school prize for ‘Perseverance and Assiduity’ was one of the achievements of which Anthea was most proud! She applied these to everything she did, seeing problems as challenges to be overcome and always worked diligently. This served her well in her work life at organisations including the Met Office, Imperial College London, Anglia Television, UMIST and The University of Manchester, where she was always a well-loved member of staff.

Family life was very important to Anthea. She was a kind, caring and loving wife, mother and grandmother and created a nurturing home life where her children were afforded the space and freedom to play and be themselves.

Anthea had a wide range of interests and hobbies. An avid reader, Anthea also loved family tree research, gardening, singing, arts and crafts, playing cards and board games, crosswords and more! Her Christian faith was central to her life. Anthea was very involved in her local church and its community. With her strong organisational skills and lovely ability to bring people together, Anthea held numerous church roles, including church warden, treasurer, chair of the Women’s Fellowship and she started Messy Church sessions for families with young children.

Anthea is survived by her husband, Guy, her four children, Sarah, Thomas, Charles and Edward, her four grandchildren, Charles, Arthur, Clement and Gabriel and her three sisters, Christine, Heather and Vivienne. We all miss her dearly.

Paula Phillips (1975) (née Frost)

Maggie Williams writes: It is with sadness that I tell you that Paula Phillips died peacefully after many years of serious illness on the evening of 17th November 2022.

(left) Maggie and Paula at Santa Pod

Paula came to the Royal Masonic School when her father died when she was 14. We were in the same classes and choir. A shy, quiet girl who, like most of us wanted to fit in, but I quickly discovered that she was very sure of who she was: upright, honest, kind, gentle, caring, generous, good humoured and fun. She was well liked and respected right from the start.

At school we appreciated the opportunity to indulge in our mutual passion of music. Singing a big work just before Easter in Watford town Hall with the boys’ choir from Bushey, other choir members and a fabulous orchestra, patiently with good humour coached and conducted by Graham Garton, we loved the entire experience. We often met in the Chapel, sometimes with other girls, just for the joy of revelling in the different acoustics.

We visited each other’s homes from time to time in the holidays and after leaving school. We attended weddings, enjoyed the babies as they arrived and grew up, house moves and more recently widowhood. We often had conversations that were about the weather, moved to something really deep and personal then back to what we might make for dinner. This is a precious gift. Paula had depth and was very good at it. No doubt it helped make her an excellent senior renal nurse, running departments or training others, noticing tiny clues, visiting and caring for patients at home in her own time and following up when they were struggling. We supported each other through life’s challenges, calamities and triumphs all in a quiet way - no drama but in a very stoic and calming manner. I never heard anyone say anything negative about Paula.

Paula asked me if I would do a reading at her wedding, something “non religious, about friendship”. For the first time, I actually had to think about what our friendship was about. My mother, knowing us both so well, provided the perfect solution by Rudyard Kipling.

One man in a thousand, Solomon says, Will stick more close than a brother.

And it's worth while seeking him half your days

If you find him before the other.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine depend

On what the world sees in you,

But the Thousandth man will stand your friend

With the whole round world agin you.

A firm friendship was made the day we met to last 51 years and probably ongoing for eternity. Rest in Peace with your maker my dear friend. You are loved and respected by many. I speak for them.

From left to right: Heather (Wood), Anthea (Nicholls), Vivienne (Hayden) and Christine (Shellard). Photograph was taken on a visit to Media City in Salford during a 'sisters' weekend'

Jane Tarran (1975)

The death has been announced of Jane Tarran (Ruspini, 1975) suddenly on Christmas Day 2022.

Patricia Jane Ann Hann (1978) (née Black)

Jane Farrington, (another former pupil) posted a message on Facebook in August that Jane had had a serious riding accident and was on life-support. Sadly, this message was updated the following day by Jane’s daughter with the information that she had died and was ‘up there riding in the clouds and causing a nuisance. Xx’ but that her organs were being used to save the lives of five people. Somewhat unusually, this tribute is drawn from what Jane wrote of herself about a decade ago.

Jane left school in 1978 and went on to Brockenhurst College. She ‘had no idea what I wanted to do with my life’ but applied to join the civil service. Interviews weren't until the following spring, so she became pro tem an assistant matron at a boys’ school, a job she did not like at all. In the spring of 1981, she began work in the DHSS as a Clerical Assistant. She met her husband who was in the Army and based in Germany and went to live there in March 1982 after they married. On their return to UK 3 years later together with a 2 year old, Jane began childminding to supplement the family income, eventually setting up a local childminding group and a toy library funded by grants from TVS Telethon and Children in Need as well as local donations. ‘I would teach the children in my care to ride and swim and write and read, they took their first steps and swam their first lengths’.

In the mid 90's when her youngest child was nearly 5, a friend who was a community psychiatric nurse rang and ‘asked if I wanted a job as a medical secretary as theirs had to leave - that day!’ She ended up staying for 8 years, later helping out as a nursing auxiliary in the ward, something she really enjoyed. Jane divorced in 2005 and went back to working as a medical secretary at Salisbury Hospital in the Children's Unit. She enjoyed contact with many friends she made in school.

Lucinda Walker (1994) (née Robertson)

Sarah Knowles Mackenzie put a message on Facebook announcing the death of Lucinda Walker (nee Robertson) on 12th July 2022. There was a link to a local newspaper, the Eastern Daily News, which was headlined ‘the kindness and passion of a woman who worked tirelessly to help a town and its residents has been remembered after her death.’ The town in question is Bungay, Suffolk where Lucy was involved in many aspects of life from organising the town's Christmas lights to helping local businesses reach their potential. A project she had been working on was the establishment of an artisan market which her husband James said she had been looking forward to. Sadly, it had to take place without her. She served as deputy chair of the Bungay Events and Business Association for a number of years, as well as working on the town council's tourism and heritage working party.

James and Lucy had married in 2017 although they had known each for many years. He wrote of her ‘Lucy had many endearing qualities, particularly her ability to engage with people and work tirelessly to make their lives better.’

In 2021, Lucy had been seriously ill but, as her father Hugh commented, she had an ‘unfettered compassion and willingness to help others, even when she was very ill herself … She lived life at full throttle’ and convalescence ‘was just getting on with the job regardless of the cost to herself.’

In May 2022 she carried the Festival of Suffolk torch alongside Martha Coleman from Bungay Community Support as part of its relay tour of the county. Ms Coleman said; ‘Lucy was a founding member of Bungay Emergency Community Support and key to its successful launch as an emergency community service at the start of the Covid lockdown in March 2020.’

The announcement of Lucy’s death brought many responses from former pupils who remembered her with fondness, including Zabelle Griscti-Soler (nee Eveson) who said ‘I remember sharing a dorm with Lucy at Cumberland house. She was lovely, friendly and warm.’

Image of Lucinda above is courtesy of James Walker, Eastern Daily News and reproduced with their permission.

If you would like to honour the memory of a loved one or a dear friend from your RMS days, you can set up a School Prize in tribute to them. This will be awarded to a pupil at Prize Day each year, and will ensure their memory lives on at RMS.

Gifts for prizes are typically associated with an annual gift of £50 to £500. For further information please contact the Development Office: development@rmsforgirls.com.