Lives Remembered

Terry Butterworth was a member of the Physics department when I arrived in 1971. I found him a friendly, approachable person who I felt was willing to give me good advice as I set out on my teaching career, and so it turned out. Terry was the person who I turned to first if I wanted help, and if he felt that others were better placed to help, he would direct me to David Shaw, Eric Rawlinson or Brian Gallagher, or indeed a member of the staff in general. Terry was far more than just a Physics teacher; many people reading this may well remember him as the Fourth Year Block Master whose wise words of encouragement, or indeed admonishment, were received and acted upon, and as a teacher of lifesaving in the old pool. But the extra-curricular activities which most will remember will be linked to his love of the outdoors. He introduced me to hill walking, involving me in trips to the School house at Cautley and the holiday trip to the Isle of Arran. His trips to Cautley were memorable for the respect shown to him by the pupils on the trip, for the walking and the food. How could you forget peeling potatoes for 32 hungry people or indeed the roast pork dinner with excellent crackling? It was from here that we also started taking pupils on potholing outings. Upper and Lower Longchurn were the starting caves, and if these were survived there was Kingsdale Master cave. This was always exciting for Terry, seeing the reaction of the first timers as they approached a dustbin lid in the middle of a field. This was lifted to reveal the entrance where you slid into the restricted passage with water up to your waist. There you bent with your head between the water and the ceiling and made your way into the real cave system. The trip to Arran was another trip to evoke many memories. Terry leading off the ferry, straight to the bike hire shop to collect your bike before cycling to Brodick youth hostel. No hot water for washing meant that you were wide awake for breakfast and the walking to come. The walking was after you had completed the morning tasks set by the Hostel Steward. How many people can remember the ride to the shop in Brodick to buy his cigarettes! As you went to the hills, Terry would tell of the time he led everyone down from one of the hills when the mist fell on the hillside. It was only the next day that they were aware of the path taken to come down and were astonished that Terry had managed to bring them all down safely. On all my trips with him, he insisted that safety was the top priority. Terry was happily married to Jen who often came with us to Cautley. Later, as his family increased and grew up, it was obvious how proud he was of his family. I am sure that we all send our best wishes to them and allow them to take comfort in the thought that their father has had a positive impact on so many young lives, both in Bolton and in the other schools that were lucky enough to have him as a member of their Staff. Eric Dawber (Boys’ Division Staff, 1992-2011) Terry was my friend and hiking/ scrambling/ fell-running mate for 46 years. Strangely, he never taught me at School, but was one of those teachers that everyone knew and respected. My association started through my older brother, Gary, who was one of a group of lads that regularly went caving with Terry and his brother, Alan. I went along for a taster, but crawling up streams in a boiler suit and wellies, wriggling through openings the size of a letter box, didn’t really do it for me, so I wasn’t a regular.

Terry ran a trip to Cautley (the then School outward bound centre) for our year group (Fifth Form) which seemed to have a common thread of being for those interested in things outdoorsy. After a day walking and bivvy-bagging in the hills, the highlight of the evening entertainment was a singalong round the piano as Terry played all requests Terry in the Cuillins and ad-libbed his own verses relating to lads on the trip. He had an amazing gift on the piano to ‘play by ear’ which he inherited from his father who had been a regular performer in Derby’s pubs and clubs. At the start of Sixth Form, Terry invited me to join him, Rik Thwaites and Phil Collier (both Class of 1977) to train for The Fellsman (a 62-mile hike in the Yorkshire Dales) to be followed with a Summer trip to the Isle of Skye for an attempt on The Black Cuillin (one of Europe’s toughest ridge walks). Training comprised of Sunday morning outings alternating between Rivington Pike/ Winter Hill runs and morning walks in the Lakes or Dales taking in a ‘round’ of mountains. For the Lakes Terry would pick up at 6am and we’d be parked up by 8am for a blast up, around the peaks and run off back to the car for 1pm and the drive home. The Fellsman was our first target in early May and, dressed in the hiking gear of the day (heavy boots, long socks, moleskin breeches and a woolly shirt), we set off from Ingleton in great spirits. The event had a system of ‘grouping’ by cut off time at checkpoints and despite sizeable blisters I managed to make it through to an evening group with Terry and we finished in a time of 19 hours and 46 minutes, with the other lads an hour or so behind, all ahead of a chap called Don Robinson of Leeds University Outdoor Club who was Terry’s mentor and inspiration in the world of caving/ potholing, and the fells. The following month, straight after end of School term, we were off up to Skye and settled into Glenbrittle Youth Hostel. We spent a week of long days recceing the route of the ridge in various stages and then waited for a

Fellsman 1977, L-R: Terry, Nick, Rik, Phil

weather window for the attempt. On the day, despite low cloud at 3am, the weather had cleared by 6am and we set off from the hostel. We finished the ridge in a time just under eight hours, completely bushed, but a very creditable time and achievement, even in modern times with lightweight gear. Terry had continued to do The Fellsman most years and progressed from Bolton School times to be the stand-out fell runner of his age group – although I returned a number of times, I was no longer able to keep with him. Terry’s passion for Scotland saw him doing trips north most years and he completed two rounds of the Monros (282 mountains over 3000ft), the second including all the Tops (272 peaks not considered Monros)! Having left School, I rejoined Terry throughout my twenties as an Old Boy with a number of groups from his subsequent schools, going up to Skye and the Highlands. We kept in touch throughout the years, and in the last decade rejoined regular trips with lads of our era and also later generations, recently including my son and younger brother. These trips included several Skye visits, the Dolomites, and lastly, this Summer, the Torridon area of Scotland with groups ranging in age from 73 to 18, former pupils from three schools and their sons/friends. Activities included via Ferrata, climbing, scrambling, walking, fell-running and cycling, with experiences of the day being recounted over beer and dinner in the evening – all having a great time enjoying each other’s company. In recent years Terry had set up a Weight Group for four guys on WhatsApp with him charting over time stats for each of us. This, coupled with use of Strava for recording ‘activities’, was our incentive to keep fit for trips. This has now been renamed TB’s Tracker, with six reporting, and we have pledged to keep ‘Terry’s trips’ going. Nick Battersby (1971-1978)

Tom went to Church Road School before winning a partial scholarship to Bolton School. He enjoyed his School Trip to Clermont Ferrand in 1954 and spoke highly of his pen pal, Jacques, and his family. He enjoyed being a member of the hockey team and continued to play when he went up to Balliol. Bolton School played a big role in Tom becoming a professional French horn player. Apparently he was handed a French horn by the music teacher and was told to learn to play it! His parents asked Sydney Coulston to take him on as a pupil and his love of the instrument grew from then. When he went up to Oxford to read Physics, a large part of his time was spent playing music. He also played in the National Youth Orchestra. The day after graduating from Oxford he shocked his parents by telling them that Physics was not for him and that he was auditioning in Ireland for what was then the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra.

Tom played with the orchestra as principal third horn for 43 years until he reluctantly had to retire at 65. Tom also played in the New Irish Chamber Orchestra and later on in The Orchestra of St Cecilia. He continued to play as a freelance player until he was 72 years old, then never played his horn again – he gave his horn to a Youth Orchestra in which he had mentored the horn section. Tom married Anna in 1966 and they had a son, Simon, and two daughters, Carla and Melanie. Aside from his family, making music was his life: about eight years before he was stricken with Lewy body dementia he joined a male voice choir and was thus able to continue to enjoy making music. Anna Briggs Tom was a stellar French horn player while at Bolton School in the 1950s, being appointed principal horn in both the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the European Union Youth Orchestra. Understandably, when I first joined the School orchestra as a novice horn player in the late 1950s, it was with a certain trepidation that I sat down to play on the chair next to Tom. I needn’t have worried, as he immediately put me at ease by offering words of great kindness and encouragement. The first piece we played together in a School concert was Beethoven’s Symphony No 1 – and I was terrified. The second movement contains a particularly exposed solo duet for the two horns, just a few bars long, which looks easy in the score, but to a novice was more than challenging. Thanks to Tom, it went brilliantly! I was playing an old Boosey & Hawkes piston valve (peashooter) horn that came with a certain provenance, as it had been played in several NYO concerts by Tom before he moved on to play an Alexander German horn. Many readers of The Bugle will instantly recall that another great horn player (Dennis Brain) had also changed from piston horn to Alexander, just a few years earlier. I remember that Tom always referred to Dennis Brain as DB, a familiarity perhaps acquired when DB used to mentor the horn section in the NYO before his untimely death in 1957. Tom’s last School concert before he headed up to Oxford University contained two movements of the Brahms Horn Trio Op 40, in which Tom was accompanied by my father (PAS Stevens, Boys’ Division Staff 1944-1968), the School Music Director, playing piano, with the violin teacher Jack Hughes (Boys’ Division Staff 1947-1980) playing the challenging violin part. I suspect Tom would have been 17 or 18 at the time and he gave a flawless performance, equalled only by his truly virtuoso performance of Schumann’s very difficult Adagio and Allegro Op 70 at his final Speech Day recital. I remember him rehearsing it with my father in our lounge at home just a few days before the performance. Only a handful of professional players had recorded Schumann’s Op 70 by that date, but Tom absolutely nailed it! I attach a photo that features the Bolton Choral Union performance of Handel’s Messiah from 1960 – my father again conducting, with me sitting in the middle of the three horns, with Tom on the left. It was a great experience for me playing alongside Tom whenever possible and I soon progressed to confidently playing First Horn parts

Clermont Ferrand, 1954 – Tom is front row, second right, next to his pen pal, Jacques, wearing the plus fours

myself. Those with keen eyes may recognise others with Bolton School connections in the BCU Orchestra. The last time I met Tom was at Speech Day in July 1962. After serving as Captain of the School team in the annual swimming and water polo match versus the Old Boys, I hurried from the Old Baths back up to the Great Hall to perform on the horn in the musical recital. I elected to play the Rondo of Mozart Horn Concerto No 3, K 447 with my father at the piano. I really enjoyed the performance and afterwards while I was busy backstage emptying the ‘juice’ out of the horn, who should pop up out of the audience, but Tom Briggs. As always he was full of kind words about my playing, while very gently pointing out, with that little twinkle in his eye, that I should really have played the version with arpeggios in the last few bars! Two months later Tom embarked on the next and what was to be the final step of his horn playing career. After Oxford, in September 1962 Tom joined the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin as a professional principal horn player. He remained with the orchestra until his final concert on 16th September 2005 that marked 43 years’ distinguished service. His death on 25th March 2021 was announced by RTÉ on 26th March and that evening’s RTÉ NSO concert, with Chief Conductor Jaime Martín, was dedicated to Tom’s memory. Howard NE Stevens (1952-1963)

John attended Bolton School in the late 1950s. Although he had two serious childhood illnesses, he had very fond memories of the School. He remembered great conversations while eating meals on the large dining tables with staff, the rambles, and the sports days in the grounds. John played trumpet and later the double bass in the School orchestra. During university breaks he played in a jazz band with friends from Bolton School. When John was in hospital the whole class sent get well cards and his good friend Peter Gilbert (1946-1959) visited. For many years Peter and John would call each other up on their birthdays and play Happy Birthday over the telephone on brass instruments. The staff at Bolton School gave John extra classes to help him catch up on what he missed while in hospital. He remembered the kindness of everyone at the School throughout his life. In adult life he became a teacher and later in life opened The John Denham Gallery, specialising in immigrant artists who fled Nazi Germany. He was a keen gardener and writer. He was kind and quirky. He is greatly missed by his wife, Anne, his daughters, Juliet and Alison, and his grandchildren Jo and Daniel. Alison Denham

John Welsby Kirkham passed away peacefully on 21st May 2021 at the age of 91, surrounded by his family and loved ones at his home in Bolton. John commenced Bolton School in 1938, when the Boys’ Division building was still very new. He became the captain of the swim team and created wonderful memories in the Bolton School Scout division that he often shared with his family. He continued his studies until he left to attend St Andrews University, Scotland, to study engineering. Until very recently John still looked forward to attending the Old Boys’ Luncheons to connect and catch up with friends and reminisce about their time and memories in the Boys’ Division. John’s family and friends were always amazed by his breadth of knowledge around a plethora of subjects, and in turn has inspired his grandchildren Charlie, Samuel, and Oliver to ask questions and recognize the importance of learning about the world around us. John’s gentle nature, and wonderful smile will be forever remembered by his family: his wife Sylvia, daughters Sophy, Joanne and Emma, sons-in-law Andrew and Chad, and grandchildren Harry, Charlie, Samuel and Oliver. The Kirkham Family

I think it was the Autumn Term of 1994-95, just into my second season as Master-in-Charge of Football, when I received a call in the Staff Room from the then Director of Sport asking: “Do you know Paul Mariner?” I said that I knew who he was, but not personally. “Well he’s down here, in the Tillotson (Pavilion), and wants to do some coaching, you’d better come down.” I walked in to be greeted by a giant of a man in terms of both physical stature and personality, still with the widelyrecognised shock of heavy-metal long hair. Paul was coaching at a number of clubs in the area but, as a genuine Boltonian, and perhaps knowing of the School’s reputation for football, offered to do six hours a week. In the following two seasons this grew to eight and then ten hours a week.

If any proof were needed of my Mother’s adage “It’s better to be born lucky than rich”, my fortunes – and those of Bolton School football – took on a very rosy complexion that day. Rumours spread fast on the ISFA circuit that Bolton were engaging in a rathertoo-professional approach to building (further) their footballing reputation. However, the reality was that Paul was not interested in coaching the First XI or in any reflected glory from that (if there was such a thing); he was far more interested in developing the technical skills in the younger year groups and the Junior School and in sharing his coaching expertise with Staff colleagues. By then Paul was one of the exprofessionals that the Coerver Coaching organisation used in their summer camps and promotional material. Coerver Coaching was built on the work of the former Ajax coach Wiel Coerver and in the 1990s the English FA coaching programmes were only just beginning to latch on to what all European countries already knew and practised, namely that mastery of the ball had to be the foundation, and were developing the ‘Cruyff turn’ and the ‘Rivelino’ in youngsters very effectively from an early age. I personally benefited enormously from the opportunity to join

Bolton School Staff Football Team, 1993/94 Back: Wardle, Robertson, Fernside, Mariner, Rashleigh, Green, Joseph, Percik Front: Rogers, Pownall, Sakib Burza (Class of 1995), ?, Rigby

Paul during two summers at Coerver’s Summer Camp at Lake Placid and was able to bring back many technical practices to share with colleagues and the boys. Far more importantly, however, Paul had a wonderful personality – funny, warm, engaging, with no fancy ideas about having played successfully at the highest level; playing non-league for Chorley would have contributed, I am sure. I remember he was brilliant at learning and using the names of the very young boys very quickly which endeared them to him. He was willing to turn out in Staff matches. He was also the brains behind the preseason training camp at Llandudno, undertaking the reconnaissance of the hotel and planning the three-day programme. To conclude, he once shared with me that the day he walked through the gates of the School he felt more nervous than he had when walking out at Wembley(!), having only ever travelled past on the bus what he referred to as ‘The College of Knowledge’. Whilst his departure was far too early I believe that Bolton School and those who were lucky enough to spend time with and learn from him are both lucky and richer for the experience. Chris Rigby, (Boys’ Division Staff, 1991-2003) My early encounters with Paul were limited, as when he was taking part in School football, I was always on the rugby fields. This changed when he turned out for the staff football team one night. He had no qualms at all about playing for the staff against the Sixth Form. He took up his usual centre forward position and played with a huge smile on his face. He was very supportive of the lesser mortals around him and quickly became part of the Common Room. He also took staff CPD training, as we all took part in the Coerver coaching awards he was running. One man, one ball, was the order of the day, as he worked miracles developing the skills of the staff. This could only be helpful for the School footballers as the staff took their new coaching techniques to the sports lessons. Paul played several times for the staff team (see photo); a great experience for staff and Sixth Formers alike. Yours truly managed to cross a ball with his useless left foot and Mariner appeared at the back post to head home. He was praising the cross … it was more a case of his athletic prowess in the air. He was a huge man, very powerful, and it was the height from which he headed the ball that astounded us all. Paul was a very generous man, both of his time and his thoughts. His football knowledge was superb and there was nothing better than sitting chatting to him after a game, reminiscing about his football times at Chorley, Plymouth, Ipswich, Arsenal and England, to name a few! We had a few games of golf with Denis Crompton, who was also in the Sports Department at the time. Great times. A round of golf seemed to disappear in seconds with such humour from two characters of the Department. Paul moved to America to coach soccer at Arizona University and then New England before moving to Toronto FC. He returned briefly in 2009 to manage Plymouth Argyle where he is considered as one of the club’s best ever players. His time at Ipswich saw him play in their FA and UEFA cup winning sides. Paul also played for his country 35 times, scoring 13 goals for England. His time at School was a huge success for all concerned. Paul was an endearing man who took time to share his knowledge, which was appreciated by staff and pupils alike. It was an honour to have worked with him. RIP Paul Fernside (Boys’ Division Staff, 1992-present) I reckon it was Spring 1995 when our third year football coach, Martin Boden, wrapped up early evening midweek training by telling us that some bloke (whom we’d never heard of) was joining the coaching staff at School. As my Dad drove me home from School, I told him the news. “Apparently we’re getting somebody to help out with the coaching. Mr Boden says he played for Arsenal and Ipswich a few years ago”, I said, carelessly. “You don’t mean Paul Mariner, do you?” “Not sure, Dad. But yeah – something like that.” Dad was sure and suddenly the School fees felt like terrific value. By the time I met Paul I’d been well briefed: he was a titan, an England international, a sporting rockstar and he was coming to Bolton School. I remember first meeting him outside the changing rooms on Top Level. His hair was massive, his calves were massive, and his voice was pretty massive, too. He looked like he had been quarried out of granite. We felt pretty small in his presence, but that didn’t last for long as he immediately set about coaching us, encouraging us and squeezing more out of us than we knew was possible. He radiated presence. In my fifth year, I’d broken into the First XI and Paul looked after me. He made us all grow a couple of inches when we ran out onto the First XI pitch. We sensed that the opposition parents and coaches, if not the players, knew that we had an international ace in our pack. The quality of his coaching was off the charts, but his presence on the touchline was often worth a couple of goals head-start too. He was modest and generous, but, like any proper rockstar, he turned heads. He had that rarest of rare qualities of making each of us feel like worldbeaters. He’d compare us favourably to some of the megastars that he’d played with in his career. “Biggest match of my life this afternoon, Willow. It reminds me of the Wembley dressing-room just before I scored against Hungary to send England to the World Cup in ’82, but I think this is bigger. It FEELS bigger doesn’t it, Willow? What I would give to be playing in this one...” We’d laugh with him, but his relentless drumbeat of confidence-boosters all totted up. During a golden age of School football in the late 90s, our First XI added up to more than sum of its parts and Paul helped to take us there. His reach extended far beyond football coaching: he was a life coach before it was a thing, and I will be forever grateful to him for helping to forge rock-solid friendships, often across the years, that survive to this day. When he passed away, a few of us – now in our forties – swapped tales and smiled again, sharing memories that are as fresh today as they were in those salad days in the 90s when he prowled the Levels, all hair and muscle. He was the ultimate footballing rockstar and it was a privilege to be in his presence. David Williams (1992-1999) Here are some memories of Old Boys lucky enough to have been coached by Paul: “The most influential coach I’ve had. Training sessions were really inventive and he gave me loads of confidence that I could actually play, while making every session fun – even early morning runs on the beach!” “I remember his big personality and his

great energy, as well as how he spoke to you and explained things one-to-one. He made such an impression on the whole group; those training sessions still get talked about even when we meet up nowadays.” “I remember his ‘one for the defender and one for you’ line; that definitely got me a few goals over the years. A thoroughly nice person.” “Rondos, toe tapping and passing drills more complicated than a Further Maths lesson. I learnt more in my first training session than I had in five years of junior football.” “Paul was coaching Preston North End at the same time that he was at Bolton School, and after he heard I was a Preston fan he very kindly brought some club training kit into School as a gift for me.”

I met Jim Sargent on my very first day at Bolton School in September 1979, but it was not until the Sixth Form that we became the unlikeliest of friends. We were vastly different personalities, but in the Lower Sixth found ourselves in the same bizarre but loyal friendship circle of misfits, weirdos and nerds, or as Jim put it “the only sane men in the asylum!” From these unlikely circumstances there grew a friendship that lasted for more than 40 years. Jim Sargent was in every way a larger than life character, he loved a pint and a flutter on the horses, the hail-fellowwell-met propping up the bar long after the lightweights had given up and gone home. Although never what you would call an academic, he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of sport, history and politics which won us many rounds of drinks at pub trivia nights throughout the late 80s and 90s. I moved to Australia in the early 2000s, but kept in close touch with my old friend, and driving over to Heywood for a pub meal, a few pints and many fond reminiscences was something I cherished every time I came back to England. Jim’s sudden, but mercifully instantaneous, death from a pulmonary embolism in March 2021 has robbed me and many others of a true and steadfast friend. He was just 53. Jim never married or had kids, but he leaves a huge hole in the lives of everyone who knew him, and he will be greatly missed. Lee Fairbank (1979-1986) James N Sargent; by far and away the greatest bon viveur I have ever known with quite the finest wit bar none and, by a country mile, the most engaging character one could ever drink and/or dine with. Jim was the veritable life and soul of any shindig whether during a casual round of post-graduation imbibing or more concentrated round of ‘Sleaze Club’ reconvention, years later, and was blessed by a mental alacrity that prevented him from being educated beyond his intelligence which, in contemporary parlance, translated as ‘doing the bare minimum’. This heroic dearth of ambition ensured a mindset quite at odds with the wearisome, thrusting ambitions of school days and beyond, serving as the basis for something akin to a cultural bulwark against the same and, in the consequent radiation of our wee numbers’ collective disdain, a relaxed humour spanning several decades. Within Jim’s orbit, you very quickly abandoned the chastening shackles of adulthood to adopt the free-breathing mentality of the unjaded 18-year-old, albeit one lamenting the state of things in general, but it rarely took long before you were metaphorically back in the Undercroft, attempting to ‘check out’ in the manner of Cliff Lazarenko or Keith Deller and reimagining all those halcyon moments in a manner which, I guess, many Old Boys down the years have cherished. His escapades were myriad and those who knew him may recall them fondly; certainly, news of his untimely exiting ... stage left, emphatically took the wind out of my sails and it remains barely conceivable that the option of a banal but highly cathartic text will no longer be quickly and hilariously reciprocated. Jim was the best of the best and I’m going to miss him like hell. Rock hard, ride free, my old chum ... Simon Clarke (1984-1986)

Peter Richard Charles Smith was born and raised in Leigh. He attended Butts C of E School before joining Bolton School on a scholarship, following his brother Robin (1953-1959). During his time at School Peter was Secretary of the Jazz Society, Secretary of the Geographical Society, a Deputy Monitor and House Secretary. He played in the Rugby Second XV in 1962 and in the First XV in 1963. He was also a member of the School tiddlywinks team which celebrated a stunning victory over Manchester Grammar School! However, his fondest memories of his time at School were taking part in various treks organised by Clifford ‘Butch’ Ingham to Scotland and Europe. He valued the independence and comradeship the trips engendered and he described the interesting and unusual places they visited as “mindopening”. Peter’s political beliefs were clearly developing during his School life and he identified himself with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Abolition of Capital Punishment, and Freedom from Hunger. His reading also reflected his interest in social problems: in his final year he read books by such as Bertrand Russell (Has Man a Future?), Gunther Nolan (International Communism and World Revolution), Graham Greene (Brighton Rock), Ludovic Kennedy (Ten Rillington Place) and Patrick Van Rensburg (Guilt Land). One Headmaster’s report described him as “an able boy of distinct and intense individuality. Possibly inclined to think with his heart and let emotion strongly influence reason”. Other reports had also criticised him for ‘scepticism’, ‘political bias’ and ‘too much time spent on tiddley-winks’ (sic). He was urged to ‘take on more responsibility’. Despite pressure to try for Oxbridge, Peter insisted on entering the London School of Economics – but was not overly impressed: he wrote to Mr Poskitt that the LSE was “not at all the centre of left-wing activity portrayed in the myth held by most people”. After graduation and a period of unemployment and short-term jobs, he trained as a college lecturer at Garnett College, going on to teach politics and economics in London and Manchester. He married Joy (née Booth, Girls’ Division 1953-1961) in 1968; their daughter, Anna, now a successful artist, was born in 1983. In that same year he gained an MSc in Urban Studies at Salford University. His career in local government began when he was elected as a Labour Councillor to Wigan Council in 1978. He became Chairman of Finance in 1982, and Leader of the Council in 1991.

His success as council leader led to many regional and national appointments, and in 1999 he was given a life peerage as Lord Smith of Leigh for services to local government. Nationally, he was appointed by the Local Government Association (LGA) as a trustee for the Leadership Centre for Local Government, and he became the LGA Vice-President. He was also ViceChairman of the Special Interest Group for Municipal Authorities (SIGOMA). He was Chair of the North West Regional Assembly from 1999-2000 and was the first ever Chair of the influential English Regions Network. In 2000 he was elected chair of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA). A board member of Manchester Airport plc from 1986 to 2006, he held the chair of the company in1989/90, helping it to become recognised as the Best Airport in the UK, and one of the best in the world. A major advocate of expanding the role, scope and influence of The Greater Manchester region, he was instrumental in Devolution, and was elected chair of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and of GM Health Partnership. In 2011 he was made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Wigan. In 2012 he was presented with an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by Manchester Metropolitan University for his contribution to regional government in Greater Manchester, and in 2014 shared the LGiU ‘s Judges’ Special Award for services to local government. Although he enjoyed Rugby Union at school, as a true Leyther, the love of Rugby League remained throughout Peter’s life. He was a huge supporter of Leigh Centurions RL Club. He aimed to improve the health of local people by providing the very best sports facilities in the borough and was instrumental in the the development of Leigh Sports Village which was officially opened by the Queen in 2009. He was also involved in the building of the DW Stadium, the home of Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors at Robin Park. After stepping down as Council Leader in 2018 he continued to champion health issues as lead member for the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership. In 2019, he won the LGiU Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to improving Wigan Borough. Peter told the LGA that, if he was to have a motto, it would be “I Care”. He valued his education, in particular the encouragement of intellectual rigour, and the ability to approach problems logically. His career was dedicated to improving the lives of others through getting people to co-operate with each other for the greater good; learning, and thinking through problems, taking the initiative, and acting rather than talking. His innovative ideas, such as ‘The Wigan Deal’, borne of the pressures on Local Government finance, are being rolled out across the UK and in Europe. His work, was, essentially, a labour of love. Quiet, and deeply loving, Peter leaves a proud, but grieving, family. Joy Smith (The Lady Smith DL)

David was born on 15th September 1943 in Bury, Lancashire. A wartime baby born in the midst of the Second World War, he did not meet his father until he was three years old. After attending primary school in the village of Ainsworth, he passed the 11+ and gained a scholarship to Bolton School, where he was awarded Full Colours for hockey. He went on to read Metallurgy at Kings College, Durham University. Despite mixed academic success at Bolton School, David was convinced that it had given him the best chance in life. David graduated with an Honours Degree in Metallurgy in 1966. He was awarded a four-month scholarship with Atomic Energy of Canada, living in Ontario – when he returned to the UK he was able to exchange his first car, a purple 948cc Triumph Herald Coupé which he got on his 21st birthday, for a new Ford Cortina GT. He maintained a love of cars and all things automotive throughout his life. The posting in Ontario led to a new field of metallurgical research, culminating in him being awarded a PhD at the young age of 24. In 1969 David joined British Ropes Ltd in the role of Research Metallurgist at their Doncaster Research Centre – a timely move, as his daughter, Lorraine, was born in February 1970. From British Ropes he joined Dunlop’s oil seal division in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear – his favourite part of the country. However, after only two years there, he was promoted to the role of running Dunlop’s steel wheel and suspension operations, and was ordered back to the Midlands. David’s responsibilities as CEO of the Automotive Operations Division grew and a perk of his job was the use of a new development Range Rover which had the registration ‘A1’ and thus attracted a lot of attention – Lorraine distinctly remembers that car being surrounded by photographers in a Fort William car park upon their return from climbing Ben Nevis during one of her many walking holidays with her Dad! In 1991 David joined Coats Viyella plc as CEO of its global engineering division, Dynacast. He was hugely committed to Dynacast and for nearly a decade was highly successful. On the back of his success, he was made a Main Board director of Coats Viyella plc. Eventually Coats Viyella sold Dynacast; David found the new private equity ownership and a new Chairman difficult to handle and he retired in 2000. During his highly successful and influential career, David inspired many people and he took great pleasure in developing younger managers and seeing them move on to greater opportunities. He showed a genuine interest in all of his staff, going out of his way to speak with people at all levels in an organisation. He was very focussed and committed and his insistence on punctuality was legendary. The noughties involved him in a number of successful non-executive positions which permitted him to spend more time with his partner, Sheila, his family, his beloved Labradors, DIY and wood working. He and Sheila enjoyed many walking holidays: favourite destinations included the Austrian Tyrol, Scotland, North Yorkshire, The Lake District and Northumberland, always with the Labradors. On retirement, David also had the time to revert to his real academic love, the study of modern history, particularly WW2. In 2011 David was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Sheila loved and cared for him until he passed away on 19th June 2021. He is greatly missed by Sheila, Lorraine, of whom he was

immensely proud, his grandchildren, Charlotte and Darren, Sheila’s grandchildren, Isla, Hamish and Daisy, and countless friends and former colleagues. Based on the eulogy given at David’s funeral.

David Noel Stokes came to Bolton School in 1955. He was born in November 1942 in Wolverhampton. He and his family moved to Bolton when his father became headmaster of (the very new) Hayward Grammar School. We met at that time and were to become lifelong friends. It was apparent from the start of his education at School that he was a very clever young man and went on to take his O Levels in 1957 when he was still 14 years of age. During our years at School he and I spent time together because we lived in close proximity to one another and we also spent many hours practising sport together. He never took his education for granted. He worked hard but enjoyed himself immensely too. He developed as a good footballer and cricketer, and in his final year at School was captain of cricket. I remember his penetrating intellect and his dry sense of humour which attracted attention from all. In particular he had an excellent grasp of mathematics and in 1961 was awarded a place at Jesus College, Oxford, to read for a degree in that subject. After graduating he became a systems analyst and his career took him to high levels in the building society industry. He first joined Burnley Building Society to take a leading role in the installation of head and branch office computers and software. When that society became absorbed into Abbey National he had overall responsibility for its computer development. He had also become a very accomplished cricketer as an attacking and hard-hitting batsman and was captain of Bolton Cricket Club for a number of years. His final career move was to Portman Building Society in Hampshire where he was appointed their Information Technology Director. It was there that he and his second wife, Eunice, took up residence in Verwood close to the edge of the New Forest and where they spent many happy years. On his retirement David and Eunice returned to live in the North, buying an apartment near to Blackburn and their lodge near Formby where they spent many happy days. We continued to meet frequently and I will remember Dave for his outstanding judgment, sense of fairness, patience, and good humour. He passed away on 17th April 2021 after a short illness in East Lancashire Hospice, holding Eunice’s hand. Sadly since then she also has died. He leaves two daughters, Vicki and Cathy, a step-daughter, Anne, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Roy Battersby (1953-1961)

Andy Sumner joined the teaching staff as an energetic young member of the Languages Department, specialising in French and fluent in Spanish as well. He was a fine and forceful footballer, representing Preston Grammar School Old Boys in the Lancashire Amateur League, and an active cricketer, representing the staff, in the days when they had fixtures against other school staffs most weeks. He coached teams, but his major dedication was to boxing, in which he held university championships and sustained an active interest, training and supporting at club level throughout his life. Some years ago we published a review in The Bugle of his biography of Brian London, sometime British heavyweight champion, written in retirement and based on conversations in which the two boxers clearly appreciated each other. The book has the qualities you would expect from a writer with Andy’s sporting and academic strengths. He was popular and respected and became a successful Head of Languages at Penwortham Girls’ High School. Despite his long career there he retained close links with Bolton School and he and his wife were always welcome at lunches for retired staff. Marilyn, well known to us, has the loving support of their son and daughter and they all have our sympathy. The photograph shows Andy in 1966 as a member of staff at the Saundersfoot Camp. David Shaw (Boys’ Division Staff, 1964-2002) and Charles Winder (Boys’ Division Staff, 1964-1999)

Michael Peter Sylvester was born in Bolton on 1st May 1942. He was known by a surprising number of names, often depending on where he was and with which circle or group of friends. He was known by his family in Bolton as Peter, Mike by his school friends, Sly by cricketing colleagues, Pete when broadcasting on the BBC and latterly Peter by his friends in Cleeve Prior. Peter spent the majority of his childhood in Bolton save for a few years when the family moved to Glasgow. (His first taste of football was a RangersCeltic derby in the early 1950s.) Alan Marsden remembers vividly his first day in September 1953 in Shell A2 (along with Len Vickers and Leon Metcalfe) when amongst the Bolton and Lancashire accents was heard what seemed to the others a very exotic Scottish accent. The form master and Maths teacher Brian Gallagher asked Peter (then Mike to us) where he came from. Peter answered “Paisley, next door to Glasgow” - whereupon Tubby Gallagher asked, “Really, what number?” Peter played a full role in the life of Bolton School. He was Captain of the Junior Chess Club and later played for the Senior Chess Club. He was a keen member of the Literary and Debating Society. One meeting in the Autumn Term attracted an audience of nearly 50 to hear Mr Banks, Mr Sawtell, Peter and the then Secretary of the club, Ian McKellen, read extracts from famous public speeches. Peter succeeded McKellen as Secretary. Peter was also prominent in the Political Study group. At one meeting Peter courageously tackled the delicate subject of the Wolfenden Report, which he elaborated clause by clause. The interest in literature and politics spun over into out-of-school hours and Bob Percival recalls that he, Peter and Tim Brown in their last years at School often headed furtively to Bolton’s trendy café for a cappuccino and a Woodbine, with caps and ties hidden under their coats. They sometimes ventured further afield for an illicit Magee’s, always a half of half and half. Their talk was alert to literary scenes and LibLabCon politics. Sylvester and Brown knew that wellhoned commentary was more influential than activism. Not for them CND,

Bolton Young Socialists, and subversive campaigns for comprehensive schooling: it was about talk and text. While at Bolton School Peter developed a love of the theatre that stayed with him throughout his life. When Leonard Roe produced the famous scene from The Merchant of Venice with IV Alpha, Peter played Shylock “with surprising vigour and obvious appreciation of the part”. Peter trod the boards in many School plays and 65 years later would at the drop of a hat still quote his first lines as a messenger delivered to Ian McKellen, along with the very complimentary review he received. Peter was also a keen sportsman. He was an avid cricketer and played a lot of Second XI cricket. He was a regular attendee at the Lilleshall cricket coaching course and a canny legspin bowler. He was also in the Senior Athletics team. Peter was awarded a Bolton Education Committee Exhibition and proceeded to read English at Birmingham University. There he played football for the English Department and attended indoor cricket nets at the Test Match ground in Birmingham. He was a member of the Debating Society, the New Thinkers group and the English Club. His love of acting meant that much of his time was taken up by the Guild Theatre Group: he played the Governor of Tilbury in Sheridan’s The Critic and the male lead in Tagore’s The Post Office. In the Debating Society Competition he reached the final with five other students out of an entry of 33 competitors. After leaving Birmingham University, and after briefly considering an acting career, he married, became a teacher and settled in Bewdley where he had three children, Nathaniel, James and Kate. Although Peter was a county squash player, cricket continued to be his great sporting passion; his prowess as a leg spin bowler led to his being plucked from Kidderminster Thirds to play in the Firsts in Division 1 of the Birmingham League where he won a league winner’s medal. After teaching for several years, ill health forced him to retire. However, he then became a successful market trader selling gold and silver in Wells, Ludlow, Market Drayton and other markets. At this time he met Mary, who became his second wife, and they enjoyed 35 happy years together. Peter then had another change of career working as a presenter of the Breakfast Show for BBC CWR and subsequently as a freelance journalist and broadcaster for BBC Radio 4 and 5. Sadly Peter had a severe stroke in 1998 and had to take early retirement. However, having made a full recovery, he and Mary enjoyed renovating two thatch cottages in Warwickshire and Worcestershire and a house in France, despite Peter’s constant assertion that he hated DIY and was no good at it. Also during this time Peter enjoyed playing bowls, bridge, boules, croquet and golf and taking numerous holidays abroad and in the UK. Peter and Mary also attended the 5 Alpha reunions. These meetings started in 2005 when a group of Old Boltonians, who had been together in 5 Alpha met, along with their wives, at Lindeth Howe, Bowness. This first meeting was so successful that it became an annual event and the group has met at venues in Scotland, Wales, England and France. After a gap of 45 years many of us met Peter again at the second of the 5 Alpha reunions at Alan Marsden’s property in Trémolat in the Dordogne when he and Mary, along with Alan and June Cooper, joined the party. A few months later Peter and Mary returned to Trémolat with a view to buying a house. Alan Marsden helped them to find a house in the village which suited them ideally but required a lot of work. Over the next few years Peter’s DIY and woodworking skills would have astonished Messrs. Crispin and Sefton! No fewer than four of the 5 Alpha reunions have been held in Trémolat, thanks to the accommodation made available by Alan and Peter. Peter’s hilarious performance as Toto (from the Emma Saxelby first French textbook that we all studied) at one Trémolat reunion is fondly remembered by everyone who was there. For ten years Mary and Peter would visit and work on their house and in summer would be joined by their children and grandchildren. The long journeys eventually became too much and they decided to sell in 2017. Since then Peter and Mary continued to be loyal attenders at the 5 Alpha reunions. Peter’s large extended family – Mary, five children and eleven grandchildren and numerous friends – all recognised what an optimistic, kind, generous, interesting and knowledgeable person he was and he will be greatly missed. Steve Ashcroft and Alan Marsden (both 1953-1960)

Jeff was born on 16th November 1939. He attended St Bede’s Church of England School at Morris Green before entering Bolton School where he was a member of Wigan House. Jeff had a great interest in sport generally and football in particular. He was his Form football Captain in 1952, the Under-14 Captain in 1953-1954 and played for the First XI from 1954-1955 until he left School, becoming Captain in his final year. He was also a member of the School Athletics team with his most successful year being in 1955, when he won the 880 yards race in 2 minutes and 29.8 seconds and the 110 yards hurdles in 19.9 seconds.

Jeff was a member of the School’s Scout Troup and attended a number of camps, including a trip to Luxembourg in 1955, by which time he had become a Patrol Leader. At School he became a Deputy Monitor in 1957-58. Jeff thrived on being active. His interests outside School included cricket, swimming, table tennis, fishing, astronomy, cycling, art, photography and playing the guitar. He was also a member of Bolton Harriers. Jeff played football for the Old Boltonians and was a member of the side that won the Lancashire Amateur Cup for the first time in 1961 with a 4-1 victory over Whalley Range at

Football First XI, 1956-57 Back, L-R: M Green, TJ Taylor, M Stevens, JB Holt, G Saunders, G Ogden Front, L-R: A Joyce, G Chesters, K Nightingale, INR Davies, P Bate