OElink 2017

THE OE NETWORK MAGAZINE 2017-2018

DR ALI KHAVANDI

In this issue…

GARETH DAVIES

Old Edwardians and the Great War

22

KATHERINE TONGE

Give us a smile

FRANCIS RING

President’s welcome

3

News

4

25

JOHN WROUGHTON

The writing on the wall

6

Who were the people whose names had appeared in this way?”

PAUL HIGGS

Chairman’s letter

7

ELLIE HALE

“Be the change you want to see in the world”

HELEN ROBERTSON

Out in the field

26

ALI KHAVANDI

Food and exercise… the forgotten medicine

PHILIP MEADE

12

The best of both worlds

CASSIE O’HANLON

Kaleidoscopic KES

27

14

MARTIN BODEN

16 © William Vazquez

Headmaster’s view

SAM LE PAGE

Lights, camera… action!

Go and get as

TERRY HARDAKER

much practical work experience as you can, TV, film, documentary

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and online film-

OE news

30

In memoriam

32

School news Events 2017-2018

36

in as many aspects of

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Hidden treasures

PAUL EMERSON

making as you can.”

Saving the gift of sight

JERRY PEPPIN

From KES to the US via the Met!

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Front cover photo: © Kristy Field Photography

Top: 1975 leavers at the Summer Reunion Below: 2007 leavers at the Anniversary Reunion

Francis Ring 1947-1952

O

ne of the great things about King Edward’s is the active Association that links all Old Edwardians together. I recently had to keep an appointment in Cheltenham, not a place I know well, but an old KES friend of some 70 years, who lives there, kindly came to my rescue.

Brian Regan and I are part of a cohort, referred to by our teacher, Bill Currie, as ‘The Broad Street Boys’, and, even though it is many years since we shared a classroom in Broad Street, we all keep in touch and strive to meet up whenever we can.

My school memories started flooding back recently when my wife discovered a personal archive started by my mother when I was at school. This included an old exercise book which contained

newspaper extracts and two printed programmes for drama productions put on in 1948. Brian and I, along with other friends, were in the cast for The Reluctant Dragon and The Golden Mean.

During World War Two there had been little extra-curricular activity beyond sport and the CCF, so these post-war productions were very special.

Seeing these items again reminded me of the enthusiasm of everyone who came together under the leadership of Mr Willett and Mrs Ledbury to rehearse for these performances. I remember the stage being borrowed from the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (where I subsequently worked for over 40 years!), and the lighting being taken care of by a group from the Physics lab.

Every night saw a packed audience of pupils, staff and parents and the Bath Chronicle reported on both events in full. After the austerity years with old textbooks and little to look forward to apart from

The Golden Mean cast: B C Regan, R G Tucker, G J Canvin, M B Davies, E F J Ring, R A Waldron, C Read, A J Eyles, P A Eldridge

The Reluctant Dragon cast: T Williams, A J Eyles, M B Davies, E J Hunt, M R Crocket t, G A Adams, R H Coles, A Doyle, J Evans, D G Groves, P Hobbs, C Read, B C Regan, E F J Ring, G J Sarjeant , D R Tigwell, R A Waldron, P J Woolcott

homework, this post-war activity was a great addition to the School’s programme. I am so glad to see this tradition flourishing at KES today.

I hope that you also have happy memories of your time at KES. If you have lost touch with old friends over the years, there are a variety of reunion events held each year and I do encourage you to attend. This year saw over 200 OEs return to the School for a range of reunions including the new Anniversary Reunion which saw leavers from 1987, 1997 and 2007 celebrate their 30th, 20th and 10th anniversaries since leaving, a very successful 1981 year group reunion, plus the long-standing Summer Reunion for leavers from the 1940s to 1970s, which were very much enjoyed by all who attended.

To find out more, see our events calendar on page 36. In the meantime, we would be delighted to be told about your memories of KES and to hear your latest news. Do contact Claire Davies at development@kesbath.com – and a reminder, too, to please update us on any changes to your email or postal addresses!

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CONTACT DETAILS: Claire Davies Email: development@kesbath.com Tel: 01225 820357 Post: Development and OEs Office, King Edward’s School, North Road, Bath BA2 6HU

Old Edwardians, King Edward’s School, Bath Join the Old Edwardians, Bath group @KESBathOEs www.kesbath.com/oe TO FOLLOW SCHOOL NEWS:

CONTACT THE DEVELOPMENT AND OES OFFICE TO:

• Arrange a visit to the School • Book tickets for OE events • Request log-in details for OEs Online • Offer careers help to the School • Contribute news for the OE e-newsletter and the OElink • Purchase merchandise • Update your contact details • Make a donation to the Annual Bursary Fund • Pledge a legacy to the School and join the Blake Odgers Society CURRENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: PRESIDENT Professor Francis Ring 1947-1952 CHAIRMAN Paul Higgs 1990-2000 TREASURER Geoff Staley, former staff OE/STAFF LIAISON Mike Pell, current staff (oesmrp@kesbath.com) SECRETARY Claire Davies, current staff For a full list of current members, visit www.kesbath.com/oe New committee members are always welcome! Contact: development@kesbath.com

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Bath Old Edwardians RFC gain second successive promotion Captain of Bath Old Edwardians RFC, Kit Chapman 2002-2013,

shares news of their recent success.

The Old Edwardians once again had an outstanding season, gaining their second successive promotion.

They stormed to a league triumph in Somerset North 2, finishing the season with 114 points (12 points ahead of second place Old Redcliffians), gaining them promotion to Somerset League 1.

The team went unbeaten for the first two months of the season until a loss to second place Old Reds. Over the whole season they played 26, won 24 and lost two.

There were some stand-out performances from Sam Mills, who controlled the team and games from fly half; Oscar Skevington-Postles, our superb outside centre and Players’ Player of the Year; Steve Rawlings leading from the front row; and back row Archie Parker roaming the field all year round.

© Ian Griffi ths

@KESBath

Come and join us!

If you would like to get involved, we are always open to new players and are hoping to field a second team this year, so plenty of spaces are available. Please contact Kit Chapman on 07935 252493 or via www.pitchero. com/clubs/batholdedwardians.

Inspiring generations Thank you to everyone who supported the Bursary Fund, following our recent mailer. Thank you too to all those of you who have given to the Fund over the years. Gifts large and small, regular and one-off, all combine to make a difference to individual pupils from a variety of backgrounds, giving them a chance to study at KES. Providing bursaries remains at the heart of our ethos.

The gift of a bursary represents a long-term commitment by the School to ensure that funds will be in place to cover the whole of a child’s education at KES, from age 11 to 18, if needed.”

Many of our donors remark on the real difference KES made to their own lives. As a community of donors you help to make a positive and lasting impact by enabling bright and talented pupils to study here today, regardless of their financial backgrounds, and so experience the benefit of KES not only through their school years, but through a lifetime.

Thank you!

Special thanks Peter Sheppard Prize for Services to Rugby Last year we said a sad farewell to Old Edwardian, Peter Sheppard, who was a loyal member of the KES community, having originally joined the School at the age of six in 1932 as a boarder at Belmont, on Lansdown Road. Peter’s affinity with the School was evident throughout his life, having been Chairman of the Friends of King Edward’s School – the original KES Parents – and later as both Chairman and President of the Old Edwardians’ Association.

While at King Edward’s Peter was captain of the 1st XV rugby team and later went on to play some 50 games for Bath RFC. Through his legacy to the Bursary Fund and the support of his widow and family, we have established the Peter Sheppard Prize for Services to Rugby, which will be awarded for the first time at Prizegiving in September 2017.

The Gilligan Family Travel Award We were also delighted this year to award The Gilligan Family Travel Award to sixth form Modern Languages pupil, Stephen Cockrem, who visited Austria and Germany in order to experience the cultures of these countries and explore the impact of their history across the wider world, whilst practising his German along the way.

The award has been generously provided for the next ten years by brothers Jonathan and Philip Gilligan – both Old Edwardians – in memory of their mother Mrs Joan Gilligan, who taught French and German at KES. The award also commemorates their father, Bill who led fundraising initiatives at the School, and their late brother, Simon who was also an OE. Joan Gilligan was an excellent linguist who was committed to her pupils’ success.

She was also noted for her enthusiasm and spirit of fun and adventure. In providing this award, Jonathan and Philip are continuing their family’s commitment to the School and providing opportunities for pupils, which echo their mother’s abiding love of languages and the importance she saw in developing an openness to other cultures.

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Former Headmaster, Dr John Wroughton investigates the mystery of the etchings found on a stone wall at the School’s old building in Broad Street.

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n April this year, I received an email out of the blue from Richard Wyatt, a former TV reporter and presenter for both the BBC and ITV. He has recently set up an excellent local news channel called Bath Newseum (www.bathnewseum.com) and was keen to learn more about our old school building in Broad Street.

He described how, by pure chance, when using the small Broad Street car park next to the school building, his eye had been caught by some old inscriptions on a wall in the former playground. Who were the people whose names had appeared in this way?

I immediately consulted my copy of the original History of KES, written in 1921 by Katherine E Symons, wife of the former Headmaster. It is a mine of such information. More particularly, however, I consulted my former Chairman of Governors, Mark Rutherford, who has recently compiled an excellent booklet entitled 100 Selected Edwardians, 1552-1979. We then got to work together.

The names, of course, belonged to boys in the School, but why so few, and why just limited to one short period in the School’s history?”

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Our conclusions are given below: During the time period in question (1900-1920), the School numbered around 160 boys, including a very small sixth form, out of which one or two progressed each year to university. It is highly probable that the privilege of inscribing your name on the wall was firmly restricted by the Headmaster (Mr E W Symons), to sixth form leavers who had distinguished themselves. Four of them, for example, had been appointed Monitor (forerunner of the term ‘Prefect’), including W F Darke, who was Head Monitor. They (or their parents) would then pay either the caretaker or a craftsman to undertake the task of etching their name on the wall.

Ten of the inscribed names certainly went on to distinguished careers, including that of surgeon (P Dalzell), BBC radio engineer (J E S Read), teacher (H Cooper), electrical engineer (K M Waite), farmer (M T Shackell), surveyor (K W Calvert) and hospital management (M J Huntley – for which he was awarded an MBE).

One other pupil, P J Darke, later became the author of a three-act play. Four of these had previously made it to university, including M J Huntley, who had gained a scholarship to Oxford.

Six of the boys had endured the agony of fighting on the front in the First World War. King Edward’s had been one of the first schools in the country to form an Officer Training Corps during the Boer War in 1900, with half the School enrolled as members, including the six mentioned above. This helps to account for the fact that no fewer than 560 Old Edwardians and staff served in the war, 74 of whom were killed in action.

The six boys who had inscribed their names, however, all survived, although three were badly wounded – namely, W F Darke (who had been awarded a Military Cross at Gallipoli), S F Simpkin (who also gained a Military Cross for bravery in France) and M J Huntley (on the front line in France).

Wall photograph © www.bathnewseum.com

Anniversary Reunion

Reunion for the class of 1996

Chairman’s letter Paul Higgs 1990-2000

I

t is my pleasure to welcome you all back to another edition of the OElink, this time my last as Chairman. I have been suggesting for a number of editions that I might be hanging up my boots but now the time has come for me to actually do so. I have been Chairman of the OE Committee for nine years and feel that it is time for some new blood to continue our ongoing development. As with any committee, we must follow official procedure and so nominations and voting won’t happen until the AGM on 30 October; however, I am confident that my successor will take a strong lead and continue our work.

Over the last nine years we have undergone many changes and seen some achievements that I think we can all be very proud of. Our guiding principles for the changes that we have made are to continue to “maintain strong, mutually supportive links with the School” and to “foster an ongoing sense of community and heritage across the generations”. In essence, we aim to provide current and future pupils of the School with support, in the form of experience, advice and financial support, whilst also strengthening existing bonds and facilitating new ones between Old Edwardians.

In 2011 the OE Committee was instrumental in the development of the School’s Annual Bursary Fund. In our first year we achieved our target of £12,000, a sum sufficient to provide a place at the School for one child for one year. Since

then the OE community has continued to donate to this Bursary Fund, many pledging to provide an ongoing monthly donation. We remain a long way from our original long-term annual target of £84,000, which would provide a fully supported place to one pupil per school year, every year; however, every year we gain further regular donations which will eventually lead us to this target.

If this is the first time that you have heard about this Bursary Fund, please consider whether you can contribute in support of this great cause, if you are able. King Edward’s School provides one of the best educational environments for children in the UK; most, if not all, of us would recognise that we were lucky to benefit from this education and I am glad to be part of a process that can help those who are less privileged continue to benefit from it and become part of the future of our School and OE community.

We have also made some significant changes to our social calendar, stepping away from the traditional three dinners (Bath, Oxbridge and London) in order to provide our OE community with opportunities to meet that fit better with the 21st century demands on our time and increased accessibility to maintaining links through social media. Francis Ring, our current President, has inspired the new Oxford lunch to replace the original Oxbridge Dinner. This year we have seen the first ‘Anniversary Reunion’, with the years of 1987, 1997 and 2007 meeting at the School for a fantastic lunch which led on to their own evening

entertainments. In addition, we also saw the first midweek drinks event in London in February hosted by OE George Pell, who has shown his continued support by arranging many of our recent events in London. Finally, we also have the Summer Reunion which is an incredibly successful event that has been running for many years, organised by Geoff Hughes and providing a great reunion for the more ‘mature’ generations.

I must close by thanking all the current members of the OE Committee who give up their spare time to continue supporting the School and without whom we would not have achieved any of these things. Above all I once again must recognise the invaluable work of Claire Davies, our Secretary, who keeps everything in order, from the management of our events to the production of this magazine and the maintenance of our contact database.

Without this support, we would never have achieved even a small proportion of what we have so far; thank you, Claire.

I am extremely proud of what we continue to achieve as an OE community and I fully intend to remain involved.

It is my great pleasure to thank all OEs who have contributed in some way in the past year, whether financially or with your time and knowledge.”

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Sam Le Page 1987-1994 writes about how he got into film-making and why, 23 years since leaving KES, his mother still asks him: “So, Sam, when are you going

FAVOURITE SCHOOL MEMORY Captaining KES 1st XI hockey and winning against Prior Park for the first time in a long time.

UNIVERSITY Nottingham Trent University: Communication Studies OCCUPATION 1st Assistant Director EMAIL sslepage@mac.com WEBSITE www.samlepage.com

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OE PROFILE

Sam Le Page 1987-1994

to get a proper job?”

I

left King Edward’s in 1994, having had a great time and played a lot of hockey, captaining both the KES 1st XI and the county, but not really knowing what I wanted to do for a career, despite the best efforts of the then careers advisers. I had already deferred my university entrance for a year so that I could go travelling in the Far East and Australia with my best mate from school, Alex Woodward.

University came and went. I spent three fantastic years at Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Campus, and graduated with a BA Hons in Communication Studies. I continued to play a lot of hockey, both for the university and for Bath Buccaneers, and made some great friends with whom I recently met up for a 20-year anniversary weekend. I still play hockey when I can, but unfortunately work commitments

and semi-retirement (after breaking a knee cap during a penalty corner five years ago) mean I don’t get to play as often as I’d like.

The idea of working in some form of film and TV attracted me throughout my degree, but the spectrum was so broad.”

My course took me through a combination of practical film-making and theoretical aspects such as the linguistics behind advertising and the sociology and psychology of the broader ‘media industry’. With hindsight, these skills have proved invaluable in what I do today.

I love being on set. Ever since my first venture into a studio I have felt at home there.”

Fortunately, one of my university housemates had a sister who worked at Anglia Television and she put me in touch with the audience research department for their daytime TV show, Trisha. For the first 18 months after leaving university, I worked whenever I could for Anglia and HTV (West Country regional ITV in the ‘90s) as a runner for various TV shows. In February 2000 I eventually got an interview to be an ‘in-house’ runner for one of the biggest commercials production companies in the country, Academy Commercials. At the time, the director, Jonathan Glazer, was in pre-production for his big screen feature film, Sexy Beast, riding the wave of success from his Guinness surfer advert and Radiohead music videos. I was told on the Friday that I could start permanently the following Monday, so should use the weekend to find somewhere to live in London...

I am now a 1st Assistant Director and have been in this role for over 10 years.

I specialise in commercials (advertising), music videos, fashion and corporate film.

You can be forgiven if you haven’t a clue what that means; after all, my mother still doesn’t fully get it. Essentially I am the person on a film set who shouts “Action!” and “Cut!”.

It is actually a bit more involved than that. As the 1st Assistant Director, I take the Director’s vision, in the form of a script and storyboard, and combine this with the Producer’s budget and the time allowed for the shoot, along with other factors such as location and artist availability, to create a shooting schedule.

This has to show the most efficient way to shoot the script in terms of crew, artist and equipment management.

Having had my schedule signed off, it’s on to the fun bit (in my eyes). I love being on set. Ever since my first venture into a studio I have felt at home there. Instead of being the runner and pitching in with everything I could, I am now in charge of the shoot. I have to make sure the cast

and crew know what we are shooting now and what we are doing next. I have to make sure the whole shoot, whether it’s for one day or three weeks, runs to time. It’s not the easiest thing when you might have over 120 crew waiting to get on with the next shot and the ‘trained’ goldfish that is crucial to the scene won’t swim in the right place for the shot!

The majority of my work is now in commercials. I have worked on over 1,000 advertising shoots for many, many products and get to travel all over the world to film them. I am lucky enough to work with clients ranging from washing powder brands, supermarkets and car manufacturers through to England Rugby players, Premiership football clubs, Formula 1 teams and high-end fashion labels like Prada, Burberry and Mulberry.

The Directors of adverts also tend to shoot music videos in their more formative years. It’s a way of testing their creative ideas and exploring the capabilities of the equipment at their disposal. The same goes for 1st Assistant Directors. Music video shooting days are on average 16-18 hours long, so not all fun and games, but I was lucky enough to work with Oasis, The White Stripes, Ian Brown, Florence and the Machine and Amy Winehouse, to shamelessly namedrop a few! I was even able to come full circle and 1st AD for Jonathan Glazer on a video for Massive Attack and have just shot the latest video for Take That.

My advice to school leavers, graduates and beyond who ask me how best to get into the industry is: through patience and experience.

Go and get as much practical work experience as you can, in as many aspects of TV, film, documentary and online film-making as you can.”

Only then can you start to narrow down the path you want to take. The industry now is even more wide open than when I started. We used to shoot 35mm film and the cheaper 16mm for music videos. Now we use 4K HD digital cameras. Clients now expect ad agencies and production companies to deliver not only a 30-second TV advert, but a whole raft of online content and social media moments besides. Some of the fashion clients I have worked with sell more products on Instagram than by professional photography shoots.

The new generation of film-makers will have to embrace a whole new set of technologies and techniques to stay ahead of their competitors, let alone their mothers, who will, no doubt, ask them the very same question that mine still asks me.

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Be the change you want to see in the world Ellie Hale 2000-2007 describes her role in the growing space of ‘tech for good’ and explains how the digital revolution is helping charities to bring about positive social change.

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with around 180 young women aged 1318 from schools across the country and their input has guided us in the creation of an interactive online service. It’s still an early prototype but, with more testing and refinement, we hope to develop it into a service that will enable Women’s Aid to reach more young women through channels they already choose to use.

At CAST, we support established charities of all shapes and sizes to understand how they can make the best use of technology, and become robust organisations fit for the fast-evolving digital world.”

At a time when the sector is under increasing pressure from rising demand and decreasing funds, this is more urgent than ever. We need these organisations to be more responsive to the changing needs of their communities, and make their services more efficient, effective and sustainable.

In the growing space of ‘tech for good’ (using technology for social or environmental benefit) I’m lucky to be working with some amazingly smart, thoughtful people. Aside from leading the programme with Women’s Aid (one of ten charities we’ve ‘accelerated’ so far; others include Oxfam, Age UK and Breast Cancer Care), part of my role at CAST is to run a Digital Fellowship for charity CEOs and trustees, which upskills them in the fundamentals of technology and reinforces their confidence to lead change from the top.

Through running community events, such as the 6,000-strong Tech for Good London meet-up (check us out if you live in London!), I help bring people together from different sides of the sector – funders, non-profits, start-ups, designers, coders and government – to share ideas and approaches. The community is gathering momentum and it’s a really exciting time to be working in this field.

Having started my career in the world of start-up comms, I’ve found the transition towards a more hands-on approach hugely rewarding. My role is part-programme leader, part-product designer, part-comms and marketing officer, with a bit of web design thrown

in (though I’m still very much a novice in that area!). It’s a challenging but very supportive environment.

Ultimately much of my work comes down to a conviction that the digital revolution isn’t about apps and websites; it’s about a fundamental change in the way we find information, people and support. It’s about shifting power from established organisations and institutions towards individuals and their communities, who now have the tools to create, share and organise. The digital revolution is the opportunity to empower people and their communities to lead, by supporting vital community organisations – like Women’s Aid – to respond to this dramatically-changing context.

This might all sound a bit grandiose, which wouldn’t be out of character for the person whose chosen quote in the KES yearbook was Gandhi’s “Be the change you want to see in the world”.

But, given the transformative influence of tech on so many other aspects of our lives, it is immensely exciting to also be harnessing that power for good. In any case, I hugely value the chance to be part of this movement, and to be using technology to bring about some of the change I want to see in the world.

Ellie Hale 2000-2007 FAVOURITE SCHOOL MEMORY All the rehearsals, dance and singing practice that went into West Side Story – an epic achievement and definitely one of my most memorable KES experiences!

OE PROFILE

came back to KES recently for the first time in several years. The tables had turned; instead of being the schoolgirl, scurrying from Q Block to Nethersole laden with books, my mind no doubt distracted by whatever the guy I fancied had said to me during break time, I was leading a workshop with a small group of Year 9-12 pupils, talking about their experiences of teenage relationships.

The pupils had kindly volunteered to help with some user research for a project I’m running with national domestic abuse charity, Women’s Aid. The charity was looking to better support young women to identify signs of abusive behaviour in early relationships, find advice they can trust and seek help sooner. As with all good service design, the first step was to be clear on the exact problem we wanted to solve. We’d found that young women often struggle to distinguish ‘normal’ from ‘abusive’ behaviour in their first relationships and don’t feel confident in accessing services that are there to help.

The stats are pretty shocking.

According to a 2009 report from the NSPCC, three-quarters of girls in a teenage relationship experience emotional violence from their partner, while a third report sexual violence and a quarter physical violence. In many ways, technology has exacerbated the problem, especially when it comes to more subtle forms of abuse like coercive control.

Cyberbullying affects around half of all people in this age group, and in a 2015 Girlguiding survey, one in seven girls aged 13 to 21 said their partner tried to control who else they see or spend time with – control that is often exerted remotely through mobile messaging apps.

In an always-on world of technology and social media, it’s increasingly hard to escape from abusive cycles once they become established.

However, that same technology can be a tremendously powerful force for good.

Women’s Aid was in fact part of a digital accelerator programme for established non-profits, run by the charity I work for, CAST (the Centre for the Acceleration of Social Technology). Our project with Women’s Aid was to co-design a new digital tool that would help the organisation empower more girls to escape abuse on their own terms.

After three months of intensive research, prototyping and iterative testing, we’ve now conducted workshops

UNIVERSITY University of Oxford: Classics and Old Iranian OCCUPATION Associate – Digital Fellowship and Communities Lead at CAST (the Centre for the Acceleration of Social Technology).

TWITTER @eg_hale WEBSITE wearecast.org.uk

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Š Kristy Field Photography

Food and exercise‌ the forgotten medicine

Dr Ali Khavandi 1990-1997 explains

how having the right food and exercise is transforming the lives of patients previously diagnosed with long-term health conditions.

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Left: Ali with Steve Mercer, Head Chef (Neston Farm Shop and Kitchen) and Mary Anne Fifield (Project Manager Cardiologist’s Kitchen)

© Paul Gillis

C

onditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation (a rhythm disturbance of the heart that can lead to stroke) are a modern epidemic. These ‘risk factors’ are the precursors to the world’s biggest killer, cardiovascular disease, and in an increasingly volatile world this group of heart and circulatory conditions – “a pandemic that respects no borders” (World Health Organisation) – eclipses war, infectious diseases and terrorism in its threat to life.

Billions are invested in the management of this growing problem and this has been the major focus of research into new drugs and treatments in the modern era. Lipitor (Atorvastatin), for example, is the biggest ‘mega’-blockbuster drug of all time, having earned Pfizer $100 billion prior to expiry of the patent in 2012.

Statins, a favourite subject of the press and an area of some controversy, are predicted to be required as a long-term prescription for 60% of the UK adult population and blood pressure tablets for 40%. Atrial fibrillation is increasingly being treated by an invasive operative procedure (ablation), with long and growing NHS waiting times, and even dementia is associated with these risk factors because of the silent, gradual damage to the blood vessels in the brain.

It all sounds rather bleak, but there is some good news – in the majority of people these risk factors can be

reversed, or cured, and you may be surprised that this is not through a breakthrough futuristic treatment or procedure. Since the risk factors are often combined, this treatment is universal and in patients who have several of these ‘metabolic’ conditions the improvements will be linked.

Hippocrates’ quote from 431 BC may have already given a clue: treatment through food and exercise is not so new, but is an area of renaissance and research within the medical community with exciting results. This is an evolution beyond the traditional and often boring medical mantra “eat less, do more” and is certainly not about dieting, calorie counting or eating low fat products.

Through targeted contemporary dietary and exercise interventions we are increasingly seeing patients get better and come off tablets, which is amazing when you consider that traditional medical thinking would label these as ‘chronic’ long-term conditions, often with increasing medication demand.

These concepts have come together through two projects which are being piloted in the Bath and Bristol area, but with growing interest and national ambitions. Cardiologist’s Kitchen is an innovation project which has been selected by one of the UK’s leading health charities, The Health Foundation.

The project brings together concepts observed and learned from the food industry and mainstream media to offer an attractive and engaging resource that targets high blood pressure through changes in diet. This is a unique coming together of information and solutions by linking food producers, chefs, restaurants, food writers and healthcare professionals. You can find out more at www.Cardiologistskitchen.com, and please sign up to the project to show support and receive information about upcoming events.

CardioFITr (www.CardioFITr.com) is a dedicated exercise and rehabilitation

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Hippocrates, father of medicine, 431 BC

programme that was launched in Bath in 2016 and soon spread to Bristol. This is a unique collaboration between experts from a medical or a sports background, specifically targeting cardiovascular conditions and risk factors in response to the recent, growing evidence base. Again, the headline is that these conditions get better and tablets reduce or stop.

Some of the biggest success stories have been in statin-intolerant patients, type 2 diabetes and atrial fibrillation, where evidence shows that exercise is starting to emerge as the most successful treatment.

As an interventional cardiologist who is very enthusiastic about modern treatments and complex procedures, I increasingly receive referrals from colleagues and patients, not to operate but to offer solutions as the ‘Cooking Cardiologist’.”

I can confidently say that both from a medical and a patient perspective, the results are some of the most satisfying and inspirational stories I have come across in my medical career. For those of us involved in this area it seems clear that, prior to the next leap in terms of genetics and futuristic personal technology, this is the immediate priority of healthcare and there needs to be more investment within the NHS to offer patients robust pathways of treatment in parallel with modern tablets and advanced procedures.

If you would like to find out more about any of the projects described, you can contact me directly at: khavandi@ hotmail.com or contact the specific teams at Cardiologist’s Kitchen or CardioFITr.

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Cassie O’Hanlon (née Hilland) 1988-1990 recalls joining the newly co-ed KES sixth form in the late 1980s and the priceless lessons she learnt from her inspirational teachers.

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h, 1988. The closing years of a decade that had brought its teens delights such as overcoiffed hair, ‘MC Hammer trousers’ and unforgettable pop singles such as The Lovecats, Fashion and The Look of Love (my favourite). A group called ‘Frankie Goes to Hollywood’ had told us all to Relax and promptly got their record banned from the airwaves. Only to be promptly bought by all of us. It was acceptable in 1980s Bath.

My favourite subjects were Art and English. KES had recently completed a superb purpose-built sixth form block, the Holbeche Centre. l reasoned that any school prepared to dedicate a specialist building to its sixth formers was where I wanted to take my A Levels.

Fully co-educational schools are now commonplace, but the newly co-ed KES sixth form that I joined in 1988 was a beautiful hybrid, a mix of laddish banter and a caring sixth form community. We girls got the best of both worlds: we received superb pastoral and academic care, and were made to feel very welcome by the boys! Our visionary Headmaster, Dr John Wroughton, was simultaneously feared and loved, the

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finest Headmaster I have ever known.

Everyone wanted this co-educational sixth form to work. So it did.

English was my top subject. I was fortunate enough to have three distinctive English teachers at KES who all taught me far more than how to pass exams. From them, I learned immeasurable, priceless lessons which have influenced me deeply. It was probably due to their inspiring teaching that I managed to gain the English prize for both my Lower and Upper Sixth years. Thank you, Mrs Curtis, Mr Chambers and Mr Clark.

Sue Curtis was a dynamic teacher who always treated us like adults.”

She put on a superb school production of Romeo and Juliet. She fired my love of Shakespeare and I thought of her when signing up for my Master’s in Shakespeare. I try to show students that studying Shakespeare is rooted in its performance, not in dry textual reading.

Sue taught me that acting enables a person to step out of their world and totally inhabit another.

Then there was our Head of English, Mr John Chambers: a vital, cultured, hugely likeable man whose infectious enthusiasm enlivened many a literary debate up in the Brontë-esque attic rooms of Nethersole. He introduced us to the fiction of Lawrence, Hardy and Woolf. I think he was one of the first teachers I knew who talked about sex.

(It would have been pretty impossible not to mention sex when discussing Lawrence.) There aren’t many teachers like ‘Mr C’. He was truly tremendous.

He would stride into class, fix us with his intensely bright eyes, then write a pithy, contentious statement on the board, such as: ‘Character is Destiny.’

Discuss in relation to Hardy’s novels. We all adored him, not least for his endearing humility and because he also treated us as equals, a skill I have attempted to apply in my own teaching. Once, when we were studying the War Poets with Mr Chambers, he confided that, as a young lad, he had sent copies of his own poetry compositions to the elderly Siegfried Sassoon, who by that time lived

Chinese dragon painting on the Art block

at Teffont Magna in Wiltshire. Sassoon wrote him a reply! Mr Chambers read this highly-prized letter out to us all in our English lesson, including the bit where the outspoken Sassoon told the young Chambers that some of his poems were “frankly rather bad”.

I always admired Mr Chambers for reading us that letter. I now realise that he was teaching us so much: even great poets have a human side, we should pursue our interests out of love rather than hope of immediate success, that, sometimes, the toughest criticism is the most precious. Failure is how we improve. These days, far too many schools refuse to acknowledge failure’s existence. Whenever I’m faced with difficult opinions or criticisms, I think of Sassoon’s letter to my English teacher.

Then there was Neal ‘Nobby’ Clark, another influential Literature teacher. He introduced us all to Modernism, Arthur Miller, T S Eliot, and critical analysis.

He didn’t have the easiest time with our set, and was lumbered with teaching us Eliot’s very long (and difficult) poem, The Waste Land. Most of us couldn’t understand it, but my goodness, did he know his stuff! At least four of his ten A Level Literature pupils went on to pursue Arts careers. I teach English and write, Kate Werran went on to write TV documentaries, Ed Moriarty is a talented actor, and Graham Avent produces hilarious comedy

scripts with his friend and fellow OE Jon Monie (more on him in a second).

Art lessons at KES were always demanding and frequently hilarious.

I will never forget my Art lessons with the redoubtable and ‘banterous’ Jon Monie, who would later become an accomplished comedian, comic actor and impressionist. Friday morning Art lessons with Jon were my weekly treat, usually

consisting of Jon producing detailed pencil drawings whilst pulling a delightful succession of grotesquely distorted ‘faces’ (his answer to Edvard Munch).

We loved it. Unfortunately, longsuffering Head of Art, Sam Williams, did not, making it funnier. Sam got his revenge by getting me to decorate a wall of the Art block over the 1989 Summer holiday. I painted a huge Chinese dragon and talented classmate Chloë Steers produced a stunning Egyptian mural.

These days, I run my own tuition centre in London. I offer intensive one-to-one English coaching to a range of students.

For me, no month is ever the same. I’m now using all the knowledge and skills I’ve acquired over two decades; I can focus on pure teaching and one-toone coaching. Parents see results very quickly, which is great.

I am rightly proud to be an Old Edwardian and have so many great memories of the School. It stood me in good stead for university life and my subsequent teaching career. KES taught me that individuality is good and that failure is a form of learning.

Both I and my fellow Old Edwardians gained the one thing which can never be taken away or challenged: a good education.”

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s always seems to be the case, a year has passed in the blink of an eye. It has been a busy 12 months for the Old Edwardians, and it almost goes without saying that we have had a very full but rewarding time of it at school. Highlights of the sporting year included an unbeaten season for the 1st XV and a sixth appearance in the last eight years at the national finals for our talented netballers. Our musical partnerships with Bath Philharmonia and Bath Abbey have gone from strength to

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strength, whilst the production of Pride and Prejudice was the equal of anything that has appeared on the Wroughton Theatre stage in recent years. The pupils’ creative voice also continues to sing loud and clear in the KES Short Story and Poetry Anthology and in the wonderful art and photography work on display around the School. We now have more pupils than ever involved in CCF, Ten Tors and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, and the eclectic range of clubs and societies on offer now numbers more than 100. A year of fantastic trips aimed at entertaining, engaging and broadening horizons finished with two of the highlights of the School calendar: a wonderfully successful sports tour to South Africa and an inspiring, if challenging, high altitude trek in Ladakh in the foothills of the Himalayas.

With such a rich co-curricular programme on offer, it might be easy to forget how hard the pupils also work in the classroom. Their efforts were certainly rewarded last year with some outstanding examination results: 86% A*-B and 65% A*-A grades at A Level proved to be the passport for so many KES leavers to some of the country’s

top universities, including a record 18 to Oxford and Cambridge, whilst an incredible return of 55% A* grades marked a new high at GCSE for a year group in which over half the pupils gained only A or A* grades in all their subjects.

These thoroughly deserved results mean that King Edward’s was the only school in the South West to feature in the ‘Telegraph’s’ top 50 independent schools for both GCSE and A Level.”

Despite their impressive successes on many fronts, I am pleased to report that the current generation of KES pupils remain grounded and appropriately modest, albeit ambitious in lots of ways.

As ever, they set high standards for themselves, but strive to achieve these in a manner which always feels inclusive and mutually supportive. Their outward focus – through activities such as the Community Service programme and charity work, raising over £20,000 for Cancer Research and Macmillan last year – is admirable and in keeping with a long-standing tradition which encourages KES pupils “to lead honourable, worthwhile and fulfilled lives in the wider community”. In short, they are a very likeable and engaging bunch to be around.

In time, these pupils will no doubt return to the School as OEs, as many of you did last year. Indeed, with three OE events here in the Summer Term alone, there was a veritable feast of reunions to

celebrate in the Wessex Building, and it was a pleasure to welcome both new and familiar faces from the Noughties right back to the pre-North Road days of the ’40s and ’50s. It is always lovely to see you, to find out what you have been up to and, of course, to show you the 21st century version of the School; as I say every year, you are always very welcome.

There are several events already planned for the coming year, including a Rugby Reunion Weekend and a very exciting London Dinner, and I look forward to seeing many of you there.

As ever, I am very grateful for the support given to the School by the OEs over the past year. As you know, this comes in many forms, and we particularly appreciate the careers guidance that many of you offer to the current pupils, as well as the financial support through legacies, donations and fundraising, especially for the School’s growing bursary programme.

well as carrying the torch in more public environments. That he has done this whilst also juggling family commitments and the demands of a challenging but very successful career makes his tenure all the more remarkable; he deserves our very grateful appreciation for all his efforts.

On a final note, I would also like to pay tribute to three former colleagues who, very sadly, passed away this last year and whose outstanding contribution to the life of King Edward’s is described in much detail elsewhere in this magazine.

Between them, Peter Gayton, Michael Kenwood and Carole Rowe gave over 75 years of truly inspiring service to the School during overlapping but also different eras. All three led various areas of school life with tremendous energy and success and all three commanded the greatest respect from colleagues, parents and, most importantly, pupils, on so many

of whom they clearly left an uplifting and indelible impression. Lucky indeed are those who found themselves working with them or being taught by them, and the glowing tributes that poured in following each very sad announcement of their passing formed a gloriously heartening reminder, if any were needed, that schools are about people – in this case great people – whose impact on young lives is never forgotten. I have no doubt that Peter, Michael and Carole would have been thrilled to read in this edition of the OElink magazine of the many achievements of our current pupils, and of the many diverse and successful pathways followed by former ones.

Their legacy clearly lives on in the spirit and ethos of the School, and this is something to be celebrated.”

Wherever you are in the world and whatever you are doing, I wish you well and look forward to catching up with as many of you as possible in the coming year.

Martin Boden

Much of the energy for this comes from the OE Committee, and I wish to pay particular thanks to Paul Higgs for his leadership of this group.”

Paul has given wholehearted and loyal support to the School and to the OEs for longer than he perhaps cares to remember, and his decision to step down as Chairman after nine very busy years is understandable, albeit that we are sad to see him take it. Paul has brought great drive and creativity to the role, working quietly and diligently behind the scenes as

Ladakh expedition

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© Billy Weeks

Dr Paul Emerson 1978-1987 reflects on how the opportunities and all-round education provided by KES inspired his career direction and equipped him with the competitive edge to succeed on his unique journey.

© Billy Weeks

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lthough I enjoyed sport at KES, it was the extracurricular activities that set me up: Frank Thorn’s Walking Club, the Sixth Form Committee, and Peter Gayton’s Thuura Link Club. It is hard to believe now that we went off to the mountains of Wales armed only with a map and a destination in mind. No mobile phone, no prearranged route, and the minimum of food and supplies. However, for Frank Thorn, failure was not an option, and that was our training. We learned to have faith in each other, to show tenacity in the face of adversity, and how to make risk assessments and judgements in real time. These skills proved exceptionally useful in my subsequent years living in the Kalahari Desert and East and West Africa.

From the age of 11 to 17 I rotated through positions of genuine leadership

at KES: class representative, prefect, senior prefect and ‘running for office’ as Secretary and Chair of the Sixth Form Committee. All those experiences – everything from giving oral reports to the Headmaster as a senior prefect, through to learning meeting etiquette, budgeting and the art of compromise with the Sixth Form Committee – contributed to my understanding of how the world works.

The experience that was most directly influential for me, however, was the Thuura Link Club. The 1980s was an era of spreading social consciousness which Willy Brandt, the former Chancellor of West Germany, had captured in the ‘Brandt Report’. He called for greater understanding between nations to bridge the divide between the developed and under-developed worlds. In 1983 Peter Gayton’s chance meeting with Abonyai Kiagora led to him establishing a link

Left: Paul with the former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in Ghana, 2007.

between KES and Thuura, Kiagora’s rural village in Kenya. A few slideshows and after-school meetings later and I was wide-eyed and hooked.

Despite it being 32 years ago, I can still recall aspects of the trip to Thuura with as much clarity and detail as if I were watching a new HD film. After A Levels, I returned to Thuura as a voluntary teacher for a year, and after that positive experience a career working in Africa was firmly in my sights.

In quick succession, I completed my BSc in Zoology at Nottingham University, a PGCE at Bath Spa, and an MSc in Medical Entomology and Applied Parasitology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Although ready for a career in public health controlling insect-borne diseases, I was unable to find a job.

Instead I returned to Africa and took up a rural teaching post in the Kalahari Desert. Whilst there I applied for a training fellowship with the Overseas Development Administration, and to my utter surprise was recruited and offered a salary plus a small unrestricted research grant. The typical path would have been to study mosquitoes and malaria, but that’s what all medical entomologists did. During my MSc it had struck me that the humble housefly was probably the greatest vector of disease after the malarial mosquito, although no one was actively researching it. I learned of an unproven link between domestic flies and the eye disease, trachoma and then sought out an infectious disease supervisor with an interest in trachoma and an old entomologist colleague. Thus began six years of PhD research work in The Gambia, first establishing that eye-seeking flies were indeed vectors of trachoma and then that the disease

could be controlled by environmental interventions aimed at reducing the fly population.

My work coincided with a growing interest in combating ancient diseases like trachoma, and an influx of funds to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help achieve it. The NGOs had the money but didn’t know how to do it.

Suddenly, the nebulous skills package that I had been putting together at KES, and beyond, came together and I was in high demand.”

I supported several NGOs in the design and implementation of their trachoma control programmes across Africa before being invited to join the Carter Center in Atlanta as the director of their trachoma control programme in 2004.

The Carter Center really does run on the passion, energy and commitment of the former US President. His plaintalking perspective on human rights and equality is visionary, as is his ability to get to the heart of an issue and drive change. One memorable meeting happened in Ghana in 2007. We were meeting with the Minister of Health and implementing partners about the Guinea worm eradication programme. This had suffered a massive setback because the water pumping station for a large town had failed, forcing the local population to buy water contaminated with the Guinea worm parasite from petty traders who had collected it from nearby ponds.

We had flown up to the affected town

and Jimmy Carter listened attentively to excuses from the government and partners before quietly saying: “I haven’t heard anything this afternoon that makes me think any of you are committed to eradicating this disease. I do not accept that you cannot control the water vendors. I do not accept that you cannot provide clean drinking water for your people. Well, I have committed to eradicating this disease from the face of the earth; now, please, I am an old man – don’t let me die whilst there is still Guinea worm in Ghana. Go and control it.” He then stood up and walked out in absolute silence; we followed, jumped into the motorcade back to our plane and flew down to Accra for a press briefing and dinner.

Ghana went from 1,500 cases of Guinea worm in 2007 to zero in 2009. In 2016 there were just 22 cases of Guinea worm in the entire world, and it is likely to be only the second human disease (after smallpox) to be eradicated.

In 2014, I became Director of the International Trachoma Initiative, a programme of the Task Force for Global Health, and together with a coalition of organisations, including the Carter Center, we are working to achieve global elimination of blinding trachoma by 2020.”

I feel very fortunate that my seemingly impetuous early career decisions have taken me to many fascinating places and given me the opportunity to contribute to the elimination and eradication of diseases of antiquity that have plagued humankind for millennia. KES gave me that.

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Boys in blue

Jerry Peppin 1967-1978 shares memories of his career with the Metropolitan Police.

FROM KES TO THE US VIA THE MET!

Training led to my first posting at Harrow Road police station, where as a naive probationer, I saw things that most people will hopefully never witness.�

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M

y KES life started at Broad Street in 1967.

After moving through the Senior School and gaining a good clutch of O Levels, the sixth form beckoned. But when Geoff “Let’s see how a great mind works” Staley started voicing concerns about my mathematical ability, I realised that perhaps I had chosen the wrong combination of A Level subjects… My academic achievements are not worthy of too much discussion, but I did enjoy studying Music under the guidance of Ian Phipps, and have great memories of my years at KES. Interim employment in the lab of a Trowbridge animal feed company followed, but in January 1980 I fulfilled my childhood dream and joined the Metropolitan Police. There followed 20 arduous weeks at Hendon Police College, where I initially learned such vital things as the perfect recitation of the 1829 definition of the word ‘police’ (thereby ensuring I could always prove my authenticity if challenged over the phone). Training led to my first posting at Harrow Road police station, where as a naive probationer, I saw things that most people will hopefully never witness.

Several different postings followed over the years, from CID to community policing. I look back on the four years I spent as the Home Beat Officer for Maida Vale as some of the best years of my service. It was during my time there that I became the Chair of a local youth club, a position I hold to this day. As I write, I am involved in an exciting multi-million-pound redevelopment of the club premises and neighbouring area, which will be a real benefit to the local young people.

In 1990 I gained promotion to Sergeant

Jerry (right) receiving his Long Service Award from Sir John Stevens QPM in 2002

and was posted to Tooting police station.

There I ran Burglary and Crime Squads and managed emergency response teams.

However, the fascination with central London was so great that in 1994 I applied to move back to Westminster, and was surprised to be posted back to Harrow Road.

One notorious incident of that time, which is forever etched on my memory, was the fatal stabbing in 1995 of headteacher, Philip Lawrence outside his school in Maida Vale. I was among the first to arrive at the scene. It was clear that not only did I have a seriously wounded casualty but I also had a major crime scene to manage. Thankfully, as this was on my old Home Beat, I was given information from within the school community, which secured the arrest of the suspect before I finished the very distressing shift.

After a career of over 30 years, there are also some more lighthearted stories that I can tell. I’ll restrict myself to one as I am mindful of Bill Currie’s advice that predicting audience enjoyment can be a fraught business. When I was running the Burglary Squad at Tooting, a local ne’er-do-well had burgled units in a single mothers’ hostel, stealing teddy bears for his own ‘apprentice burglar’.

We recovered 30 bears and charged the miscreant with the same number of burglaries. The local press heard about it and dispatched a photographer to obtain a picture of an officer holding the bears, for an article. The Detective Sergeant on the squad was determined his dignity would not be compromised by being photographed with all those teddy bears, so I ended up being detailed to appease the photographer. DS Dongworth

approached me afterwards, proclaiming: “You wouldn’t get me in the papers.

And you should watch it. With a name like yours, people will remember you!”

I replied: “I’m not too bothered, Dickie.

I gave yours!”

After 31 years of using no algebra, and at nothing “like the speed of light” (sorry, Geoff!), I retired in 2010, quite happy, having achieved the rank of Chief Inspector managing multi-million-pound budgets.”

Following retirement, my wife and I lived happily in Somerset for a number of years before deciding that the weather in the Sunshine State looked a whole lot better – so last year we moved, dogs and all, to Florida. We now own a full service spa – Spa Park Avenue, in Winter Park (more information at www.spaparkave. com). If any OEs find themselves in the area, let us know and you’ll be well looked after – and we promise not to ask you for the definition of the word ‘police’.

We are gradually adopting the Floridian lifestyle, although I have a hard time accepting that I am classed as an ‘inexperienced driver’ according to their DMV, having passed what is classed as a ‘driving test’ over here. Obviously my 40 years of driving in the UK, along with racing round London with the ‘blues and twos’ going full pelt, doesn’t count for much. C’est la vie – wrong country, I know, but I did pass French O Level!

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Five hundred and sixty OEs and staff fought in the Great War and 74 of them were killed in action or died of their wounds. This fourth instalment in a five-part series by Gareth Davies 1972-1983 provides an insight into some of those OEs and the actions they took part in during the fourth year of the Great War.

The battle is often remembered for the rain and the Flanders mud that hampered both infantry and tank advances but it should also be hailed for the important tactical lessons learned that would become key to British success in 1918.”

Above: 2nd Lt Worsley, The Menin Gate

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Third Battle of Ypres The Third Battle of Ypres (or Passchendaele) began on 31 July 1917 and claimed the lives of 11 OEs. Many bodies were never found; their names are recorded on the Menin Gate or the Tyne Cot Memorial which between them list the names of 90,000 men who have no known grave. The battle is often remembered for the rain and the Flanders mud that hampered both infantry and tank advances but it should also be hailed for the important tactical lessons learned that would become key to British success in 1918.

The Menin Gate carries the names of two OEs. Second Lieutenant William Worsley, a Somerset Light Infantryman, was killed by a sniper on 31 July. Lance Corporal George Tall of the 26th Royal Fusiliers was killed by shellfire the following day. After the shell hit, a search was made for his body but he was never found. The Edwardian magazine records that he was “a thoroughly good fellow”.

Six OEs are named on the Tyne Cot Memorial. Private George Marchant, 7th Somerset Light Infantry, was reported missing on 16 August. Lance Corporal Denis Church of the 2nd London Rifle Brigade was shot on 2 September.

Private Edward Batley, 7th Somerset

Light Infantry, had joined the Army in April 1917 and was reported missing on 11 September. The Regimental Chaplain wrote to his parents: “It will be some little comfort to you to know that he did not suffer at the last; a shell dropped in the front line trench where he was and he and one of his comrades were killed instantaneously.”

Sapper Frederick Blackmore of the Royal Engineers was killed by shellfire that accompanied a German attack on 2 October. He had joined up in September 1914. His Officer Commanding wrote that he was “a very highly valued man, and was very popular”. Second Lieutenant Herbert Isaacs, who served with the New Zealand Infantry, fought at Gallipoli in 1915 and the Somme in 1916. He was killed on 4 October leading his platoon into action. His three brothers, all OEs, were also serving in the Army. The final Tyne Cot Memorial name is that of Gunner Arthur Erwood of the Machine Gun Corps. He was posted as missing on 20 October but his death wasn’t listed for another nine months.

Four other OEs died during the 3rd Ypres. Lieutenant Geoffrey Haydon of the South Wales Borderers was shot on 16 August and died while being evacuated. He was a dental student at Bristol University before the war. The shock of Frederick’s death is thought to

have contributed to his father’s death in November 1917. Second Lieutenant Reginald Hatcher of the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, who was Vice-Captain of Cricket at KES in 1914, was wounded in an attack in midSeptember and died on 20 September.

His Officer Commanding wrote that he was “such a cheerful boy – so keen and such a good example to others. I do not think it would be possible to find a better example of what an officer should be”.

And Private Reginald Carr of the 9th Devons was killed near the Menin Road on 26 October.

While the 3rd Battle of Ypres was being fought in Belgium, OEs were also in action in France. Sapper Frederick Neale-Batten served with the 3rd Special Company Royal Engineers who were responsible for gas warfare. He was killed in a front line trench on 14 October. A letter to his parents highlighted that “his gentlemanly manner and unfailing good humour endeared him to the heart of every man”.

Jerusalem Second Lieutenant Baylis Silcox started his Army career in the Somerset Light Infantry before transferring to the 7th Dublin Fusiliers. His battalion took part in the advance to Jerusalem in late 1917. It was during Turkish attempts to retake the city that he was killed by artillery along with two brother officers.

His Commanding Officer wrote that he was a “first-rate soldier and always so willing and cheerful”. He added, “I feel I have personally lost a friend, as I had the greatest admiration for him both as a soldier and man”. Praise was added by the battalion’s Chaplain who wrote: “He was always the same happy, noble and attractive personality, the embodiment of all that is best in young manhood.”

Belgium Second Lieutenant Thomas Street of the 10th Gloucestershire Regiment was killed on 27 January 1918 near Ypres.

A graduate of Keble College, Oxford, Thomas was reading for Holy Orders before he joined the Army in 1914. He went to France in 1915 and took over the platoon that had been commanded by the Headmaster’s son, OE Clement Symons, who was killed in September 1915. His Commanding Officer wrote that he was “looked upon as a valued and trustworthy

Praise was added by the battalion’s Chaplain who wrote: “He was always the same happy, noble and attractive personality, the embodiment of all that is best in young manhood.”

officer, and was always on the best of terms with his brother officers, by whom he was greatly esteemed”.

Spring Offensive On 21 March 1918 the Germans launched the Spring Offensive. By the end of the first day the British had lost almost 8,000 men dead, 10,000 wounded and 21,000 taken prisoner, and the Germans had broken through in a number of places along the line. This was the third most costly day of the Great War for the British. Three OEs killed in this period have their names recorded on the Arras Memorial and one on the Pozières Memorial.

Captain Harry Simpkin of the 13th Yorkshire Regiment was listed as missing on 22nd March 1918. His two brothers were injured in the same battle. Harry was “probably the most brilliant and inspiring Captain of Cricket that the School has ever known”. Private Reginald Clark was a “most excellent

BY WILFRED OWEN and brave soldier” according to his Company Commander What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? in the 11th Royal Fusiliers. He — Only the monstrous anger of the guns. was wounded in the Battle of Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle the Somme and spent time in Can patter out their hasty orisons. hospital in Yorkshire before No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells; returning to France. He was Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,— killed by a shell on 23 March.

The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; Private Douglas Meehan And bugles calling for them from sad shires. of the 10th Queen’s died on 24 March and Corporal What candles may be held to speed them all?

Archibald Winckworth of Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes the London Rifle Brigade was Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes. killed on 28 March.

The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall; Second Lieutenant John Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds, Richards had served as a And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds. soldier in the Royal Fusiliers before commissioning into

Anthem for Doomed Youth

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Old Edwardians and the Great War… Below and right: The Menin Gate

fact that he led and was wounded at the head of his men, some 1,000 yards deep in an enemy position of great tactical value, desperately defended, needs no comment.”

the Devonshire Regiment. He had served in France and Italy and was known for “marked coolness and cheeriness in the face of danger”. On 15 April his battalion fought off five German attacks. John was shot and evacuated to a field hospital where he died that afternoon.

Edward Ash was Captain of Football at KES. He joined up in August 1914 and was commissioned into the Lancashire Fusiliers. After a year in France he joined the Royal Flying Corps, but injuries sustained in a crash forced him to quit flying. He joined the 11th Battalion in April 1918 and was killed on 26 April.

His Officer Commanding described the action in which he was killed: “As to his behaviour under fire, the fact that he led

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and was wounded at the head of his men, some 1,000 yards deep in an enemy position of great tactical value, desperately defended, needs no comment.”

Corporal Cecil Walker arrived in France with the Gloucestershire Regiment in April 1918. He was killed on the Marne on 9 June 1918, shot through the lungs.

Our final OE to be commemorated in this article is Captain Tom Jones of the newly-formed Royal Air Force. He was shot down by three German aircraft on 11 April 1918. His Officer Commanding said after his death: “All the officers and men in his Flight worshipped him, and, under his command, the Flight did magnificent work.”

Gareth Davies 1972-1983 CAREER A former Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Tank Regiment, Gareth left the Army in 2015. He is now a writer, student of twentieth century warfare and battlefield guide. His areas of expertise are the development of tactics and technology in the period 1916-1918, Allenby’s campaign in Palestine in 1917 and tank warfare in both the First and Second World Wars. His first book, on tanks in 1917, will be published in 2018.

PERSONAL “There is an element of irony in my interest in Military History as I am one of two OEs in my year who did not do History O Level!”

CONTACT ghdavies99@gmail.com

OE PROFILE

As to his behaviour under fire, the

Katherine Tonge 2000-2004 describes the training involved in becoming an orthodontist and why her career choice offers such job satisfaction and interest.

I

suppose I am lucky compared to many of my friends in that I have always known what I wanted to do as a career – and that was dentistry.

This left me with the simple task of picking the right GCSE and A Level subjects and trundling off to interviews at various dental schools. I don’t think things are quite so straightforward now, with dentistry having become such a popular career choice; entrance requirements have become more stringent and candidates will also need a much more comprehensive CV. I was always surprised to find various people, both in and out of school, passing comment on my career choice: “Is it you or your parents that want you to do dentistry?” and “Are you choosing dentistry because it’s a great career for women – so you can work part-time and have children?” I wonder whether my male contemporaries were quizzed in such a way! I can’t think of many careers that are notably easier for one gender than the other. I certainly wouldn’t advise any woman to pick dentistry for those supposed reasons. I chose dentistry because I always loved the thought of caring for people but I knew my limits – dealing with life and death situations was not for me.

My undergraduate dental degree at the University of Birmingham was similar to other degrees in that it allowed me to meet some of my closest friends and get stuck into sport, particularly netball and tennis. I must have got the work-life balance right as I managed to graduate with Clinical Distinction and was

awarded the Walpole Day Orthodontic Prize. This boosted my CV and enabled me to follow my father’s footsteps and specialise in Orthodontics (an area of dentistry dedicated to improving the appearance and alignment of crooked, protruding or crowded teeth using braces). I then carefully chose which post-graduate exams to do and what ‘junior dentist’ jobs to apply for. I spent the next three years either in general practice or hospital dental departments (restorative dentistry, paediatric dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery) before embarking on a threeyear post-graduate master’s degree at UCLH/Eastman Dental Institute in London (which, coincidentally, was the post-graduate dental hospital where my father trained a ‘few decades’ before).

I certainly didn’t imagine studying and revising into my early-thirties but the hard work paid off and I graduated with the Royal College of Surgeons of England Gold Medal Prize for the best overall performance for that year. I don’t regret any of the decisions I made as I truly feel you can only specialise in one area once you’ve gained experience in several – and it is breadth of experience that allows me to provide a more comprehensive management style for my patients.

I’m now working for Bath Orthodontics, a specialist orthodontic practice in the centre of Bath (and just a short walk away from King Edward’s School). I work within a great team including my father (who is certainly teaching me the tricks of the trade!) and orthodontic therapists.

Nothing beats the satisfaction you get when you so dramatically improve someone’s appearance and see the smile on their face when the brace is finally removed!”

This is why so many adults are now seeking orthodontic treatment – another factor that makes my job so interesting.

CONTACT DETAILS: Bath Orthodontics, Sydney Road, Bath BA2 6NR 01225 481890 info@bathorthodontics.co.uk Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. www.bathorthodontics.co.uk

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Helen Robertson 1993-1995 is connecting people with nature through her work with the Field Studies Council.

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UNIVERSITY University of Bradford: Environmental Science and Geography Anglia Ruskin University: PGCE Post Compulsory Education OCCUPATION Centre Manger LOCATION London WEBSITE field-studies-council.org RECOMMENDED INDUSTRY WEBSITES environmentjob.co.uk countryside-jobs.com

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OE PROFILE

Helen Robertson 1993-1995

e all have a memory of a school trip. It might have involved pond dipping, using quadrats, doing questionnaire surveys or wading in rivers. Often, that trip sticks in the mind because it was a different experience.

My field trip memory from KES is an A Level Geography field trip to Bridlington, which included a visit to Meadowhall, a lightning storm on Flamborough Head, some river wading and a lot of walking round North Yorkshire villages. I had no idea at the time that this was just the sort of thing I would end up doing as my future career.

On graduating I worked at an independent residential education centre in Wales, before moving to the Field Studies Council (FSC) in 2001.

FSC was established in 1943, and is a leading provider of out-of-classroom learning. FSC delivers to over 150,000 learners a year, including pupils from visiting schools, adults on natural history and arts courses, and youth and community groups. Out-ofclassroom learning enhances the school experience and can make a positive difference to young people’s life skills, including teamwork, communication and responsibility. During a visit, we see pupils develop an understanding of the subject being studied as well as these life skills. Teachers often comment on the change they see in young people when they learn in this different environment.

In 2010 I was seconded from FSC Epping Forest to set up an FSC London on the edge of the Olympic Park, teaching visiting school students about

the impact of London 2012 on the local area. Since then we have extended our teaching sites to include South Bank, Docklands, Brick Lane and King’s Cross, alongside others. Delivering in an entirely urban environment was a new venture for FSC and required me to redesign procedures and systems to work in this setting. Now, much of my role involves working with partner organisations, including the Royal Parks, City of London and the Greater London Authority, and managing projects. Over the last few years, we have delivered projects including teacher training, citizen science, ecological surveying, developing learning resources and canal restoration.

I now work as Centre Manager within FSC London Region, and with my team of 15 deliver courses to over 30,000 learners each year across our London sites. Alongside this, I am Health and Safety Officer for FSC, supporting the Directors in developing and managing H&S systems across our national network of Centres.

I have now spent over 17 years teaching Science and Geography in the outdoor classroom. My job is incredibly varied: I can spend a day in strategic meetings with partners, and the following day be out teaching primary school pupils about living things and habitats. I work with people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds and see, on a daily basis, people connect with nature, be it in their local park, a Royal Park or Epping Forest.

I hope these moments inspire them to discover more about their local green space.

“Although it is probably a cliché to say that ‘in my job, no day is the same’, my day-to-day work as a rural surveyor really is very diverse.” Philip Meade 19791986

enjoys working in the city and the countryside.

A

fter leaving KES, I studied Rural Estate Management at the Royal Agricultural College (now University) and this course was my first clue as to the range of subjects a rural surveyor can get involved with. With everything from livestock husbandry to agricultural law being part of the syllabus, rural surveyors can choose to specialise in numerous areas, ranging from selling livestock in a market through to managing an estate in Scotland.

I went on to become a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The qualification, which takes three years in further education and three years working in the profession, is well worth obtaining. As a member of RICS, my work and advice is underwritten by rigorous regulation and directed by various practice statements and established guidance. The advantage of this is that members are seen as some of the most trusted property professionals in the world.

My specialist area is dispute resolution (particularly arbitration) and my job is to advise rural property owners and occupiers. I frequently find myself visiting farms in Wales and the West Midlands to advise farmers and landowners on everything from landlord and tenant disputes, including rent reviews, through to compulsory purchase. My working life is full of contrast – I can be bumping along a farm track in an old Land Rover one day and chairing a meeting in central London the next. (I prefer the former!)

I am privileged to have been asked to sit on a number of RICS boards and working groups and have authored the RICS guidance on rural arbitrations in addition to acting as an examiner and exam marker for the RICS diploma in arbitration.

As with most careers, mine has veered off in directions I did not expect. I have always had a particular interest in agricultural law, but I did not anticipate being invited to No. 10 Downing Street in November 2015 to advise the then Housing Minister on dispute resolution for the Housing Bill. This was certainly the peak of my career so far!

(where I cut my teeth) or the National Trust. It may not be the most lucrative job in the world, but for me this is more than offset by the range of work and the backdrop against which I find myself working.

For those keen to follow a similar route, there are numerous degree courses you can follow, but the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester and the Harper Adams University in Shropshire are the best known and a good place to make initial enquiries about the profession.

When I was studying, over 95% of us had found work before completing our final exams, and graduates today continue to have some of the best post-qualification job opportunities in the country.”

The beauty of my profession is that you can start with a blank sheet and follow the work you enjoy the most. Some rural land agents find themselves specialising in estate management, which may involve advising an estate owner on everything from letting cottages to tax planning and maximising assets by developing parts of the estate. Others will work for large land-owning institutions such as The Crown estate, the Ministry of Defence

For anyone seeking advice, I can be contacted at: philipmeade@dmpcuk.com

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Terry Hardaker 1950-1961 reveals his fascination with archaeology and its potential as a fulfilling career path or adventurous pursuit.

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he popular Time Team series and other British TV documentaries such as those presented by Alice Roberts, have alerted many people to the subject of archaeology. Some school leavers may well be asking themselves whether they might pursue a career in some aspect of the subject.

After graduating in Geography (which included some archaeology) from Cambridge in 1964, I briefly considered that career option, although things were very different then. Archaeology was considered an arts subject and the discipline was loosely structured, which meant more flexibility to pursue your own theme in your own time, usually with ample dollops of fieldwork. How things have changed!

Much of archaeology today is at the cutting edge of science, requiring specialists who may never need to leave the laboratory. Think specialities like DNA, carbon dating and GPS plotting, to name but a few.”

But one thing has not changed – the immense timespan of the subject. You can choose to study the earliest stone tools made 2.7 million years ago, or you could be diving to retrieve an 18th century shipwreck – and anything in between! So the first consideration is what period or speciality you wish to take up. That is a hard choice if you don’t even know the full range

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Far left: Terry holding a spectacular giant handaxe, nicknamed the Mandolin, found at Zebra River, Namibia in 2006.

Left: Excavation at Zebra River, Namibia Bottom left: Diving in Portsmouth Harbour at the HMS Invincible site which sank in 1758. © Dan Pascoe Right: Excavating at the famous site of Boxgrove, Sussex. © Boxgrove Project

of options, so the best way to start is to look at the various courses that universities offer, not forgetting that there are good courses in Europe and the USA as well as in the UK. Most will include a basic first-year foundation that covers a wide timespan, so the way to tell the difference between courses is to check the specialities of the Head of Department and his/her staff. These will naturally shape the modules offered in their faculty.

The advanced technologies that are giving archaeology a new lease of life come with a price. It is a competitive world for those who manage to remain in the subject beyond their first degree.

Due to a shortage of cash, most faculties are not in an expanding mood, and staff often find themselves struggling to continue their research and also do the administrative and teaching duties now expected of them. At the same time academics are judged on how many papers they write each year and how many citations those papers get. That can sometimes lead them to produce hurriedly written, poorly researched work. Of course, this situation is not confined to archaeology – many of the academic disciplines suffer from similar problems. Additionally, if income ranks high in your priorities, the academic world is unlikely to appeal to you. Unless you reach the top in your field, the financial rewards will be limited.

My own way around the problem was to pursue archaeology as an amateur, whilst earning my keep in another field.

With such an approach, the first rung on the ladder will be voluntary fieldwork or museum work, which gets you rubbing shoulders with the professionals and learning the techniques of digging or

In the semi-deserts of southern Africa, it is possible artefact analysis. This will help you formulate your preferences for period and speciality. To get further into the archaeological community you’ll need to sign up to one of the societies, local or national, that are run by either amateurs or a mix of academics and amateurs.

There you will hear lectures on the latest research and meet a range of archaeologists, some of whom do not necessarily go digging! Being an amateur also allows your thinking to develop free of any academic mantra – while you need to keep up with what’s going on by reading a prodigious amount of journal literature, you can formulate your own line of research, and perhaps develop some speciality that has not been taken up by the professionals.

After many years on this learning curve I settled on a subject that was almost entirely neglected in the universities – the study of early stone tools found still lying on the surface. Most people think that archaeologists must dig holes to find things, not taking notice of the many places where handaxes and other tools can be found lying on the present surface. My chosen subject eventually took me to Africa, where I have been working for the last 20-odd years.

to find scatters of Stone Age tools lying more or less where early humans dropped them some 300,000 years ago!”

Analysing the distribution patterns and the different types of tool in these scatters tells us how these humans coped with life as hunters and scavengers. We see the same range of skills in stone toolmaking that are seen in the creative arts today.

The income from my regular job in the map-making business has financed my hobby, but it has also been possible to get grants for the expeditions that we have mounted.

If all this hasn’t turned you off the subject entirely, remember that 90% of students who take a degree in Archaeology do not end up working in the subject, so you might like to do it as an interesting course that will provide a lasting perspective on the human condition, regardless of what you finally do as a career. Or you might prefer just to sit back and watch the TV documentaries and dream of being a part of the great adventure!

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To contribute news for the next issue, please contact the Development Office (see contact details on page 4).

Rob Harper 1971

Norman Botton 1972

Callum Webster 1999

Joined the KES Caving Club, which was started by Physics teacher Keith Sanderson, back in 1968. He remembers: “After just one trip I was hooked and as well as caving with the School, I joined a local caving club and extended my own repertoire to include harder trips to the Mendips and elsewhere.”

Was selected to join the England 60+ cricket team for their tour of Australia in Autumn 2016.

Is a television producer and director working for an independent company that produces documentaries, primarily for the BBC and Channel 4.

Alex Shipp 1980 Runs the Parking Prankster blog (www. parking-prankster.blogspot.co.uk) which exposes sharp practices in the private parking industry, and has appeared on national TV and radio to advise on parking matters.

Any OEs in need of help or advice on private parking matters are welcome to get in touch – all advice is free.

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Rob Harper (left) and Keith Sanderson Rob, who went on to become a veterinary surgeon, still goes on regular caving and cave-diving trips, both at a ‘tourist’ level and doing original exploration. As well as trips to the UK and Europe, he has organised expeditions to Peru, Alaska, Meghalaya (NE India), Sulawesi, Thailand and Panama and led reconnaissance visits to New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, the Dominican Republic and China. This made him eligible to become a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Rob says: “This would probably have brought a wry smile to the face of the late Peter Gayton, who struggled to get me interested in Geography whilst I was at KES.” Rob and Keith have stayed in touch over the years and regularly meet up to go caving, including many of the aforementioned overseas trips. Keith left KES in 1971 to teach in the North.

Now in his 70’s, he is still very active, above and below ground, and for many years has been a major force within the Cave Rescue Organisation.

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Martin Sparkes 1981

Gathered nearly 50 OEs from the class of 1981 together for a reunion in May – 36 years after leaving KES. This was the largest OE reunion for a single year group in recent years and included two OEs who travelled back from the USA and one from Vietnam. With comments such as “Great to see so many friends!” and “Just wish we’d done this 20 years ago”, they had a fantastic time and are all set to meet up again in the not-toodistant future!

Tony McNicol 1994 Is living in Frome and working as a photographer and Japanese-to-English translator. He also runs photo tours in Bath and recently launched a night photography tour and a smart-phone photography tour. His latest photo project is on the Avon and Somerset Search and Rescue.

More information at: www.bathphototour.com

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Ralphe Stone 1994

Married Charlotte Anne Venn on 17 December 2016 in St Ives. Attending the wedding were OEs Julia Rees, his brother, Nathan, Matthew Stoaling (best man), David Hill (usher) and David Corp (usher).

Charles Perry 2006 Is engaged to marry Emma DerryEvans in October 2017.

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Danny Kohn 2010

Gathered a big group of OEs together in April – all in Noah’s Ark-inspired fancy dress – to watch Bath Rugby play Leicester Tigers at Twickenham.

Hadassah Buechner 2015 In collaboration with students and professionals, she has developed and published an App called Self-Heal to help those who self-harm to take recovery into their own hands. It is a free tool available for Android and Apple which provides crisis management suggestions, relevant links, information and phone numbers, as well as a gallery of images to inspire, motivate and provoke thought.

More information at: www.self-healapp.co.uk

Former staff Former Head of English, Gerard Kilroy, who has been an Honorary Visiting Professor in the Department of English at UCL since 2009, was appointed a full Professor at the Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow in Autumn 2016 as well as being made a Senior Research Fellow at Campion Hall, Oxford. Former pupils are welcome to be in touch at: g.kilroy@ucl.ac.uk

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Ralphe Stone and his bride Charlotte

Left to right: Matthew Stoaling, Ralphe Stone, David Hill and David Corp.

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Walking weekend OEs from 1999, 2000 and 2001 enjoying a walking weekend in North Cornwall in November 2016.

Left to right: Nick Hall, Simon Pattinson, Paul Sharrocks, Tom Brownrigg, Chris Mungo, David Cass, Paul Vivian and Nick Hylands-White.

Also there but not in the photo were Paul Higgs and Sam Lascelles.

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Ralph Ashman

Gordon Curtis

Passed away November 2016, aged 89

Passed away 14 February 2017, aged 95

At KES 1938-1942

Chris Beach

At KES 1967-1974

Passed away 21 August 2016, aged 60 years, having been ill for some time Chris was a noticeable character at KES, with a flair for the English language and its literature. He was also a talented and enthusiastic performer, who appeared in, inter alia, The Caucasian Chalk Circle and A Penny for a Song, directed by Mike Rogers, and the operetta, Merrie England, conducted by Ian Phipps, jointly with the girls of the convent (always an attractive gig).

After KES he trained as a teacher at Newton Park Training College, but left for Northern Spain in 1979, where he was to live for the rest of his life. He became fluent in Spanish, looking Spanish too, and he completely adopted the Spanish culture and way of life. He once said he felt more Spanish than English and so it seemed. He variously ran a restaurant, taught English and worked as a Spanish/English translator.

In the early 1990s, he met Monica, the love of his life, whom he married in 2001. Their daughter, also called Monica, was born in 1995. The only things he missed about England were his family and cricket, which he followed passionately on the radio, thanks to the internet.

Chris is sadly missed, but happily remembered by many, including his brother Nick and myself.

Philip Warren

Paul Best

At KES 1967-1973

Passed away 11 November 2016, aged 61, after a six-year struggle with cancer

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At KES 1930-1938

Geoffrey Davies At KES 1944-1953

Passed away January 2017, aged 81

Hugh Kenvyn Davies At KES 1939-1946

Passed away 10 August 2016, aged 88

Nicholas Feakins At KES 1966-1969

Passed away suddenly in September 2016, aged 61

as China, Africa, Russia and Greece, raising huge amounts for charity. As well as being a keen member of his local running club, he was an excellent pianist.

He is greatly missed by his wife, sons and grandson, Teddy.

David Feakins

Edward ‘Sam’ Fisher At KES 1974-1981

Passed away April 2016, aged 53

Anthony Gosling At KES 1938-1947

Passed away December 2016, aged 87 After leaving KES, he had a career in the Civil Service working on new towns and motorways. He is much missed by his wife, Janet, and sons, Stuart and Tim.

Geoffrey Shackleton At KES 1962-1969

Passed away October 2016, aged 64

George Leonard Simpkins At KES 1933-1939

Passed away 17 May 2017, aged 94

Nicholas Feakins After attending KES, Nicholas completed his schooling in Croydon and then followed a career in accountancy. He married Jill and they lived in Reigate, Surrey. They had two sons, Paul and David, who both ran successful businesses, one of which Nicholas worked with. In 2000 he was awarded an MSc in Information Systems from Kingston University.

In his leisure time, he ran nearly 60 marathons worldwide, in countries such

George was born in Bath and, after leaving KES in 1939, he joined the local branch of Lloyds Bank.

Aged 20, he was conscripted into the Royal Armoured Corps at Bovington, Dorset. Following six months at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, he graduated as 2nd Lieutenant and served in Cairo and in the Italian campaign with the 51st Royal Tank Regiment.

After hostilities were over, he stayed on in Italy in an administrative role at Caserta Castle HQ near Naples and was promoted to Captain.”

He returned to the UK in 1946, and rejoined Lloyds Bank with his first posting

Peter Gayton

At KES 1960-1988

Passed away 25 June 2017, after a short illness

George Simpkins to Malmesbury, where he met Peggy.

They married in 1953 and his banking career continued, with further postings to Devizes, Midsomer Norton, Hereford, Taunton, Calne and Newport as manager for 11 years, followed by retirement in 1982. During this time he was a member of the Round Table and 41 clubs, in addition to being treasurer for the housing charity, Abbeyfield. He was also appointed a tax commissioner for the Isle of Wight.

He was a keen golfer, playing for many years at the Shanklin and Sandown Golf Club. He was also a lifelong supporter of Bath Rugby (he played rugby for the Old Edwardians until the age of 27) and the Somerset County Cricket Club. He leaves two children and four grandchildren.

Clive Simpkins

Geoffrey Alan Young At KES 1931-1939

Passed away 8 May 2017, aged 94 After leaving KES, Geoffrey became a bank manager for NatWest Bank, rising to regional director for the West End of London and Bristol area. He helped to reform the London branch of the OEs in 1954 and was President of the OE Committee in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Both his sons, Roger and David, attended KES. He retired to Budleigh Salterton, Devon in 1984.

Peter joined King Edward’s in 1960 as Head of Geography. It was his second post after graduating from Oxford. Whilst at University he was awarded a Hockey Blue, and he continued that interest as Head of Hockey at the School. He also played an important role as an active and enthusiastic Officer in the CCF. Throughout the 28 years of his KES career he was deeply involved in the fundamental changes that took place in the teaching of Geography, especially the emphasis on understanding human beings Peter Gayton within their environment.

With his wife, Marion, Peter was a keen traveller, developing his insights as a geographer, and putting into practice the concepts that he taught.

This included several trips to Russia, including one to Lake Baikal, a great passion of Marion’s, as well as a deep and long-lasting association with Kenya. The latter developed from an initial trip in 1983, when he was granted a sabbatical which allowed him to follow up an invitation to visit the rural village of Thuura near Meru on the eastern side of Mount Kenya. From this visit was born the KES-Thuura Link, an initiative which established an active and special relationship between Bath and Thuura. In 1985, an expedition was mounted to use funds raised at KES to build a new dormitory for the Harambee School. The members of the expedition, together with many Kenyans, did the bulk of the building work and laid much of a vital irrigation pipeline. A party of Kenyans later made a visit to KES, the central event of which was a party at the School attended by Her Excellency the Kenyan High Commissioner, Chris Patten (then MP for Bath and Minister of State for Overseas Development), the Mayor, John Wroughton and Peter.

In all this intense activity, Peter’s burning belief in common humanity, and the inter-relationship of all peoples, shone through. His determination was to make real for the pupils of KES and the people of Kenya the bonds which bind us all together, symbolised in the logo depicted on a T-shirt of ‘KES’ and ‘Thuura’ entwined.

But, for many of us, Peter will be remembered above all as the intrepid leader of trips and expeditions, both in the UK and abroad.

One of the most adventurous of these was the KES Field Studies Group expedition to Swedish Lapland. This took place in the Autumn of 1966 with support from the Royal Geographical Society and many local businesses. Three staff members, an OE and ten pupils set off on a 2,800-mile road trip to northernmost Sweden. The expedition carried out research on lampreys, the Swedish iron and steel industry, ornithology and botany. The climax was a ten-day hike into the wilderness of the Sarek National Park – an unforgettable experience that left its mark on the lives of all who participated.

Last year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary, an event was held at the School, which included the showing of the documentary film of the trip, and was attended by some of the original expeditioners. Sadly, Peter was unable to be there, due to the Parkinson’s Disease from which he had suffered for some years.

Peter’s enduring quality was that he cared deeply for all with whom he had contact, and one of his finest attributes as a teacher was his passionate commitment to the ‘one world’ theme. Throughout his life his positive sense of purpose and energy, his integrity, humour and decency, were an example to all. Those of us who experienced his tutelage will be forever indebted.

Chris Rapley (with grateful acknowledgement to a 1989 valedictory by Ernest Polack)

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Michael Kenwood At KES 1963-1991

Passed away on 10 November 2016, after being diagnosed with a brain tumour in June

Mike Kenwood is remembered with great affection by all who knew him. To generations of Edwardians he was a gifted and enthusiastic teacher of Mathematics, a central, reassuring figure who took an interest in each one of them, in and out of the classroom, and made everyone feel that they were valued. Everything he did he did with a passion, with respect for others, with charm and with a smile. He had time for everyone; his warm personality, integrity and generosity of spirit endeared him to everyone in the School community.

He made a huge contribution to the life of the School; even in retirement, he was a great supporter of events, and continued to be an active member of the Old Edwardians’ Committee.

Before joining King Edward’s, Mike had already made his mark. At school he had been Head Boy, captain of both the 1st XV rugby and 1st X1 cricket, and was a King’s Scout. After Exeter University he joined Shebbear College, where he spent six very successful years: he became a House Master; coached the first teams in his two beloved sports, which were real interests throughout his life; and led many outdoor adventures. It was whilst still at Shebbear that he met Margaret, who taught at a nearby school, and they married in 1961. He also taught at St Albans Boys’ School, but after two years he returned to the South West as Mathematics teacher and Careers master at King Edward’s.

Mike’s love of his subject was infectious, and he had that rare talent of being able to get the best out of all pupils, whatever their ability, raising the aspirations of so many. He loved to challenge and enthuse the more able pupils, but for those who needed more guidance he was always approachable, encouraging and prepared to go that extra mile. In his early days, outside the classroom, he helped with sport and there will be many Old Edwardians who remember fondly their time in the 2nd XV rugby team that he ran. In the Common

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Room Mike was a positive force, always supportive, loyal and good humoured; he had the respect of everyone. In his management roles he led by example, with a calm air of authority. As Head of Department he created a harmonious and successful team, and later he carried out the roles of Senior Master and Director of Studies with his usual enthusiasm, dedication and ability. His hard work in these roles ensured the smooth running of the School and his skill in producing the timetable, in a time before computer packages were used, was legendary.

Mike also made significant contributions to life outside the School. He was a very well-known, influential and highly respected senior examiner for several exam boards. He became a chief examiner early on in his career and loved the responsibility that went with the role, including setting papers, the professional development of colleagues, and giving feedback to teachers in the UK and abroad. Over the years he was invited to collaborate on several text books, including an extremely well-received and highly successful A Level Pure Mathematics series. He was also an active member of the local Rotary Club, worked tirelessly for the good of others, and was elected President in 1999.

Although Mike led a busy life, his home and family were the centre of his world; he was a devoted husband to Margaret and loving father to Michael and Victoria, and they were rightly immensely proud of him. Off duty he would usually be found gardening, latterly with a little help from his two adored grandchildren. His large garden, including the greenhouse (his retirement gift), was his pride and joy, and of great comfort, even in his last few months when walking was difficult.

Mike meant so much to so many; their tributes are testament to his legacy. On a personal note, he was my mentor, a dear friend, and an inspiration in so many ways. He was a lovely, kind man, who was always true to himself and respectful of others; he looked for the best in people, and helped so many to reach their full potential. He will be sorely missed.

Geoff Staley

He was a special individual whose passion and enthusiasm and generosity of spirit shone through in everything he did.

The sadness of losing such a great man is only softened by the knowledge that he led a full life and touched many people. A little part of him will continue to live on in many of us.”

Jeremy Porter

Carole Rowe

At KES 1982-2007

Passed away 23 March 2017 It is with great sadness that I find myself writing about the loss of Carole. She seemed to be one of those constants in life, one of those wonderfully reassuring people who was always there, always good humoured, always interested in what was going on and always with words of support and encouragement and warmth. I know she will be deeply missed, not just by myself, but by a myriad of people from both within and outside the School community.

of ‘care’ shone through everything; each child who was taught History by her benefited from her passion for her subject, whilst ‘rogues’ in the Lower School respected her firm but fair approach. Colleagues learned from her example and guidance and they saw in Carole a person who had high expectations in everything she did and whose judgement was always sound. Parents (and others) trusted her implicitly, because she so obviously was someone of great integrity. The School as a whole was held up to her critical gaze, and her wise counsel was valued by everyone. She would not suffer fools, but if ever you were on the end of one of Carole’s withering looks (!) you could be sure it would always be quickly followed by a smile. She was a stickler for doing the right thing, but she would not let that get in the way of her sense of humanity and her warm, empathetic approach.

I know that all Old Edwardians who knew Carole will remember her warmly and would feel a deep sense of gratitude for her tremendous devotion to the School.”

For many years Carole (and Roger) represented and epitomised all that King Edward’s was striving to become: a place of real learning, a place of challenges, a place which nurtures and supports all pupils in their respective ‘journeys’ through the School, a place which cares for and understands the needs of young people.

Carole was integral to the School’s development of this ambition; indeed, she helped to set the standards, and her legacy lives on as part of the fabric of what characterises King Edward’s.

In all the roles Carole took on – History teacher, Head of Lower School, Senior Manager, Director – she showed the same unflagging dedication to the needs of those she was responsible for. Her very natural sense

They will have felt her sense of care permeating much of what went on. What pupils perhaps didn’t see, behind the scenes, was the forthright and impassioned historian that Carole was, arguing in departmental meetings with the other Rowes and the unfortunate Head of Department about the History syllabus, or the end of year exam, or other academic matters; they will not have seen the incredible attention to detail she brought as Head of Lower School to Sector Meetings, to the planning and framing of things like assemblies or her beloved Activities Week; they didn’t see the amount of time and energy Carole expended in helping with the wider administration of the School, from helping to make staff appointments to drafting the dreaded ‘whole school policies’. In all this, Carole’s meticulous and thorough approach was legendary.

Carole was an incredibly loyal servant of the School.

She loved it as an institution and you could feel that her heart was in the School. But this was surpassed by her love for all those individuals she touched while she was there, young and old. And whoever you are, reading this, if you knew Carole Rowe, you will know that she was one of life’s special people who gave of herself and so enriched the lives of others.

Crispin Rowe

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New golfing links with Cumberwell Park

To ensure you receive the latest events information, please update us with any email address changes at development@kesbath.com

<

YOUNG OEs

•

ALL AGES

S Art and Photography Exhibition

>

55+ YEARS

S

SCHOOL

S Senior School Carol Service

12 October 2017 6.00pm

13 December 2017 7.30pm

With keynote speech by Professor Anita Taylor

Bath Abbey To reserve seating, email: development@kesbath.com

S KES Gala Concert 20 March 2018 7pm

The Guildhall, Bath

< Anniversary Reunion

12 May 2018 11.00am-3pm

The Wessex Building, Senior School Tickets £7 adult/£4 for pupils

• Old Edwardians’ Annual General Meeting

30 October 2017 6.30pm The Wessex Building, Senior School

• Rugby Reunion Dinner 2 December 2017 7pm

In memory of Lang Jones

For leavers from 1988, 1998 and 2008 Partners and OE friends from nearby leaving years also welcome The Wessex Building, Senior School More details to follow

> Summer Reunion

9 June 2018 10am-3pm

For leavers from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s The Wessex Building, Senior School More details to follow

S Founder’s Day Service 11 July 2018 11am

Bath Abbey To reserve seating, email: development@kesbath.com

Also in 2018…

The Wessex Building, Senior School Tickets £40pp, £25pp for OEs who are current students

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Dinner at the Houses of Parliament, hosted

by John Glen MP More information available soon.

Cumberwell Park, based near Bath, is Wiltshire’s only 45-hole golf course, with five nine-hole courses set amongst rolling countryside and designed to provide challenges for golfers of all abilities. It is a family-run business, with OE brothers, Ali (2001) and Charlie James (2002) both involved – Ali as Golf Manager and Charlie as Construction Operations and Accounts Manager. Having hosted the School’s annual Sports Dinner for many years, Cumberwell are now supporting Ali the Sports department in various ways to re-introduce golf into the sporting programme at KES. Starting in September, a new afterschool Golf Club is being launched for pupils in both the Junior and Senior Schools (Years 5-8) to give them an opportunity to learn the basics of the game, with coaching provided by PGA professionals from Cumberwell.

Charlie Plans are also underway for the return of the ‘KES Open’ golf tournament in 2018. All OEs, staff, pupils and parents are warmly invited to take part in this and more details will be available later this year.

Ali says: “We are always looking at ways of reaching out to schools and clubs to encourage more young people to become involved with golf. Our past links with King Edward’s have provided the ideal opportunity to forge a mutually beneficial partnership, and we look forward to seeing new golfers enjoying the game, from the younger years right through to staff and OEs.” The School’s Director of Sport, David Hacker, adds: “We are delighted to be working with Cumberwell to give our pupils even greater sporting opportunities with access to golf and the wonderful complex at Cumberwell. We are very proud of the range of sporting activities and clubs we offer our pupils at KES.” To find out more about membership of Cumberwell Park or use of their wider hospitality and conference facilities, contact Ali at alij@ cumberwellpark.com and mention KES/OElink.