From the Archivist

Anne Bradley

Old News of Old Bristolians

Maurice Blood

1884-1889

An unrecognised Olympian

From an Olympic Games Researcher:

Maurice Blood MA, FCS, FRMS (1870-1940), who was a stockbroker, won an individual bronze medal for '1000 yds free rifle, prone' at the 1908 London Olympic Games. Maurice was born in Westbury-on-Trym, educated at Bristol Grammar School and Merton College, Oxford (1889-1891).

He married Roberta Harriet Jones on 4th April 1896 in Bath, and died 31st March 1940, at 21 Tanza Road, Hampstead, Middlesex. Lots more interesting and very detailed family history.

Born 15th Feb 1870 in Westburyon-Trym, Bristol, the son of George Edmund Blood, Cashier Corn Trade, and Kate Eleanor (nee Nolan). His father worked for Blood Holman & Co, Grain Brokers, 9 King Street, Bristol.

Won Bronze Medal in 1908 Olympics 1000 yard free rifle event. Married Roberta Harriet Jones on 4th April 1896 in Bath. Died 31st March 21 Tanza Road, 1940 Hampstead, Middlesex.

Our obituary, July 1940 THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL CHRONICLE MR. M. BLOOD

A brief notice of the death of Mr. M. Blood recently appeared in the local press. Maurice Blood, whose home was in Redland Park, was one of Openshaw's pupils in that post-Caldicott period, when, although the School did not maintain its record for numbers, the Classical and Mathematical Sixths under Muschamp and Openshaw lost nothing of their reputation as scholarship winners.

Blood went up to Merton with a Mathematical Postmastership in 1889, when the College was efficiently administered by another O.B., Thomas Bowman, afterwards Warden. Mertonians of that remote generation will remember Blood as a good three-quarter and a sprinter who always ran in the University Sports.

He went down in 1893, taught for two years at Kingstonon-Thames, and commenced business in the City. In the early years of this century he attained an unusual distinction as one of the best revolver shots in the kingdom, and the name of " Mr. M. Blood " (civilian) regularly appeared in the Revolver Competitions at Bisley. Of late years he lived at Park Avenue, Willesden Green. He always spoke of T. W. Openshaw with affection and admiration. E.B.D.

Andrew John Shapland

1989-2000 Has been appointed Sir Arthur Evans Curator of Bronze Age and Classical Greece at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Paul Stickland

1941-1950 Sent two excellent photographs of his time at BGS:

First picture: John Garrett headmaster talking to Senior Chemistry Master J M Harrison (in hat) at Golden Hill sports day.

Second picture: Sixth formers Erik Sperring, Paul Stickland, Hubert Bolton, Tony Horne (in front) in Headmaster's garden near pavilion of the then cricket ground behind the school.

Both taken in Summer 1948.

Norman Wallace George

Edgar 1906-1910 The BGS register suggests that Norman left for a clerical career, but the Great War changed that.

He enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry, but he was wounded, and discharged in 1916. He was then commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Labour Corps.

The Helicopter Museum in Weston continues his story. He became interested in air travel as the new way to connect the West with the rest of the UK and with the nearer continental destinations; he gained his Royal Aero Club pilot’s licence in 1930 and started a twenty minute air service from Bristol to Weston. The fare was 9 shillings each way, a total of 90p for the two way trip. This grew into Norman Edgar (Western Airways) Limited. He then persuaded the Council to set up Weston Aerodrome, which for some years he leased and ran.

He sold a controlling interest in his company to Whitney Straight in 1938, and went on to play his part in the Air Transport Auxiliary in WW2, both in the USA and at Whitchurch.

John Trevor Hallett

Thank you for finding him, Mr Rolling: the 1908 Chronicle records that he won one of the Old Bristolians’ Prizes for Neatness and Legibility, but knows nothing of his contribution to aviation in the West. 1963-1970

John writes: One of the things BGS did not do were Form or Year photos; one day I took my camera in and took a group photograph of R1, and some informal photos of Masters and pupils.

Geoffrey Richard Sampson

1952-1961

Geoffrey writes: I enjoyed seeing the pictures of BGS uniform boaters in the Summer Bristolienses. I remember when I was in VIth Modern at the beginning of the 1960s, a few of us (Robert Lacey I think was one of the others, I forget the third) somehow discovered that the rules allowed us to wear these, and visiting the shop which sold school uniform items found, to my amazement, that they still had a stock of them with the bands with the marvellous Victorian-looking BGS monograms; so we bought one each and exercised our right. Alas, mine disappeared when my parents downsized while I was a graduate student in the USA.

From the Archivist From the Archivist

Gonville Aubie ffrenchBeytagh

1927-1928

Michael Leo ffrench-Beytagh

1927-1928

The brothers were only briefly at BGS before leaving the country, the one for New Zealand, the other for the US. Gonville (See below) nevertheless kept in touch, and I wonder how many Old Bristolians remember that they include a Dean of Johannesburg who fought apartheid with every means at his disposal and was in consequence arrested, held in solitary confinement and interrogated, tried, found guilty and imprisoned.

Very fortunately his five-year sentence was quashed on appeal and he was able to leave for England. His brother Squadron Leader Michael ffrench-Beytagh DFC (see right) commanded a fighter squadron in WW2 then joined the Colonial service and died in Zanzibar, where he was District Commissioner of Pemba.

‘Beytagh returned to the UK in November 1941 and was posted to 55 OTU Annan, as CFI. On 2nd October 1942 he took command of 602 Squadron at Skeabrae, stationed there for the defence of Scapa Flow.

In January 1943 602 flew south to Perranporth for a more active role. On 19th August Beytagh damaged a Fw190 over Amiens/Glissy airfield. He was awarded the DFC (gazetted 1st October 1943) the citation stating that he had destroyed five enemy aircraft.’ Mike Beytagh is remembered on the Battle of Britain London Monument.

Anne Bradley

Archivist