'The Almondburian' July 2015

The ALMONDBURIAN T H E MAGAZINE O F TH E O LD AL MONDBURIANS’ S OCIETY

July 2015

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IN THIS ISSUE

A word from your Chairman Adieu from Robert Lamb

Meet the new Principal

Green light from Ofsted PCRD project gets under way Old Almondburians’ Society Calendar Black-tie Charity Ball He lent his name to Rothera Point FromWhoopee to Band Posters The Almondburian Poets The Almondbury trolleybus Swallowed up by the winetrade Trust plans Westgate development OAS membership Osmosis kept my wife alive Annual Dinner Founders’ Day It all started with Walter de la Mare Sudoku Farnley Lines Back to the drawing board Badminton/Tennis Cricket Football Terry’s Teaser We lose our crossword compiler Quiz Night 2015 Postbag Obituaries

The next issue of The Almondburian will be published on 1st November 2015. Deadline for contributions: 26th September 2015

The ALMONDBURIAN Editor: Roger Dowling

July 2015

The magazine of The Old Almondburians’ Society

A word from your Chairman

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PAT R I C K O’ BRIEN

T was a week before Christmas on a bitterly cold and overcast day that there was a knock on my door. On opening the door I saw a male figure, coat buttoned up to ward off the cold.As it was the festive season and I was feeling generous, I put my hand in my pocket and then realised it was Bryan Hopkinson, Chairman of the Old Almondburians’ Society and former star student. I invited him in and he told me the purpose of his visit. He asked if I would con-

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sider being nominated as Chairman of the OAS for this year.After some discussion about the role and its responsibilities, I gladly agreed. I attended the AGM of the Society early in January and, despite a closely fought contest, was elected unopposed. It later transpired that my name had been suggested by ex-colleague and former friend, Walter Raleigh. Many members of the committee I knew already and I was pleased to become acquainted with

others. One advantage of the role, of their position this year, but they were kept course, is an excuse to visit my local pub, in second place by last year’s winners, the TheWoolpack, which in the past has been 1960s. A full report appears on page 56. the scene of Headmaster appointments of Once again thanks must go to Keith Crawthe school. shaw for setting a wide variety of interestIt soon became clear that one of the aims ing and stimulating questions. of the Society for the current year was the The news came through in February that setting up of an archive within school. HeadTeacher Robert Lamb (now redesigMuch of the material had been rescued and nated Principal since the School became an catalogued by committee member Nich academy) was going to retire at the end of Briggs and was stored safely at his home. the academic year.Along with many other There was good news that the school had OAS members, I had assumed that Robert a space available, where the material could would go on forever, but it was not to be. be stored and displayed, but some prelim- I was delighted that when Ofsted came to inary work would need to be carried out to inspect the school a few weeks later, it remake the room damp-proof and suitable. ceived an excellent and glowing report and Some of the OAS members who were at one that puts the school in the top 10% of school in the late 1960s and early 1970s schools inspected inWest and SouthYorkmay recall the cellar at the bottom of the shire in the last few years. staircase from D4.When I first arrived at Robert has regularly attended and spothe school in 1972, I became president of ken at the Annual Dinner and has allowed the Railway Society, succeeding Duncan the Society to hold the event back in Clarkson and there were two model rail- school, its spiritual home. I am sure all way layouts in the cellar.To make the room OAS members will want to wish him a suitable would cost about £3,200 and I am happy and relaxed retirement and thank pleased to say that the OAS and King him for making the school such a success James’s Foundation have agreed to share and guaranteeing its future on its current the cost. It is hoped to site for the next 125 have the room ready at years! Robert’s retirethe end of the Summer ment does, of course, for members to start the mean that the Society will process. have a new President in The main activity in September. the Spring Calendar took The new Principal is place on 29thApril at the going to be Ian Rimmer, Conservative Club: the the current Deputy Prinannual OAS quiz. It was cipal, left (see page 8). I a very enjoyable evening am sure that we all wish with six teams taking him the very best in his part. Last year’s runners new role and that he will up, the ex-staff, had maintain the school’s success of recent years. hoped to improve on New Principal: Ian Rimmer 4

Adieu from Robert Lamb

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Robert retires at the end of the Summer term after nearly 13 years as HeadTeacher.He looks back on his time at the School HEN I was appointed Head Teacher at King James’s School, I knew that it would be a great job at a fine historic school, but it has exceeded all my expectations. I have just loved every minute of it. There have been many high points over the years – in fact, coming in to work each day has been a high point! But three things particularly stand out. First was achieving Science College sta-

tus, which occurred soon after I arrived at King James’s; that was very important for the future of the School.Then there was the 400th anniversary and the Royal celebrations that accompanied it – I really loved that. The third was the School becoming an academy just over two years ago, which has sealed the future of the School for generations to come. On the surface, the School hasn’t seemed to change much since Royal occasion:The Duke of Gloucester in the ‘Big’ on his visit to the School for the 400th anniversary in 2008 it became an academy, but behind the scenes there have been major developments. We’ve been able to improve teaching facilities and also increase staff numbers, a direct consequence of the enhanced funding resulting from academy status. King James’s School was the worst-funded school in Kirklees and without the extra money we would have really struggled to move the School on in the way that we have achieved in the past couple of years. It’s certainly changed my job – I’ve had to learn a lot of new skills. In fact, I sometimes feel like a semi-skilled accountant, and I have had to get involved in matters that would previously have been handled 5

by the local authority. One also needs to same local authority area were getting know more about the law and personnel £9,000 per pupil. For a school like issues. But on the positive side, we have ours, that’s £4 million per annum - we had so much more freedom to spend could do an incredible amount with so money where we – rather than the local much money! We need to get to a situation whereby all children, wherever authority – feel it is required. But I’m delighted to say that I still they live, all get an equal chance, and teach mathematics!This year I am teach- this isn’t happening at the moment in Britain. ing six periods out Students achieve The biggest of 30 and last year school event over for various reasons exceptionally well by the past few it was as many as the time they leave months has been ten. I have taught the Ofsted inspecthroughout my school.Their progress tion that was cartime at King and attainment in a ried out in March James’s School; in (report: page 9). fact, I think a Head wide range of subjects When the inspecTeacher should are above the national tors came, we teach to be worthy averages. thought that they of the name. I may not be able to use OFSTED 2015 would find us on the cusp between computers as well being ‘good’ and as some of the younger staff, but it does enable me to ‘outstanding’, and that is exactly how get out there and set teaching standards it turned out. For the benefit of those not familiar with Ofsted inspections, I which I think is very important. One of the problems in teaching these should perhaps explain that a team of days is the constant changes being intro- four senior educationalists come into duced – no doubt with the best of in- the school and delve into every aspect tentions – by the government of the of what goes on - they sit in on lessons, day.There have often been three or four examine all our policies, look at our remajor changes in a single year (occa- sults, inspect our financial procedures, sionally in a single term) and it’s just observe the behaviour of the pupils and crazy. It can be very frustrating, partic- so on. They have free access to everyularly when the changes are politically thing, and they expect information to motivated.You shouldn’t play with the be supplied immediately on demand. lives of children like that. Looking to I’ve been through a lot of Ofsted inthe future, I’d like to see all schools bet- spections in my time but this one was ter funded – there ought to be a national definitely the most demanding! Their funding formula for all schools. It used conclusion was that we were very close to be wrong that we got about £4,500 to being ‘outstanding’ and I think that per pupil while other schools in the was very fair. 6

The School continues to be greatly over-subscribed. We have around 350 applications for the 180 places each year – that means that almost everyone seeking a place on this side of Huddersfield is seeking a place at King James’s School. Some of the other local schools are so empty that it’s unbelievable. I just wish we could give more children the opportunity to come to such a great school – we just need a few more buildings in which to accommodate them. I think one of the reasons the School is so popular is that there’s always a lot going on here. When I first arrived I said, half-jokingly, how empty the School was at the end of the day. I was used to schools where there was a great ‘buzz’ of after-school activities. My aim has been to make it possible for children to come in as early as 8.00 am and stay on until 5.00 pm if they wished, to do anything that interested

“There’s always something going on here! The children don’t want to leave as there’s so much they want to get involved in.”

them – sport, school plays, music, additional lessons or whatever.We now put on a free bus three nights a week to ferry children around the local area. Some nights there are still 200 children here at 4.30 pm, an hour after the end of the school day – they don’t want to leave as there’s so much they want to get involved in here at the School. I think schools should be places of excitement. One thing I’ll always remember with fondness is the beauty of the buildings and the surrounding countryside.Walking around the School, one is always conscious of a great sense of history, and it’s always been a pleasure taking old former pupils around the School to show them what has changed and how much has still remained. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with some great colleagues – people like Patrick O’Brien, Walter Raleigh and Angela Melling. It’s been an honour to work with such outstanding teachers who became legends at the School. And one other person I must mention is Lesley

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Great colleagues: Clockwise from bottom left: Angela Melling, Walter Raleigh, Patrick O’Brien, Lesley Walker

she really loved the School and did so much for it over the years. So at the end of the summer term, I’ll be handing over the reins to my successor, the 27th headmaster of King James’s School. I am delighted that my deputy Ian Rimmer has been appointed to the post. He hardly needs advice from me, so I’ll just say to him, “Make sure you love every minute of it! It’s a great honour to lead such a fine school.” An interview with Robert Lamb is on the OAS website at http://goo.gl/MrdsJJ.

Walker who came to the School around 1971, first as a dinner lady and then as a cook. When she ‘retired’ she stayed on as a cleaner and lunchtime supervisor;

Meet the new Principal

Ian Rimmer was born in Southport and studied for a Mathematics and Statistics degree at Leeds University before completing his PGCE at the University of Nottingham. For the next three years, he worked as a teacher of Mathematics for Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), initially in Nigeria and then in Tanzania. When he returned to the UK, he worked briefly at an FE college in Cornwall, before moving to Hampshire where he taught at schools in Salisbury, Portsmouth and Romsey. In 2004 Ian relocated back ‘up North’ with his wife and their two children and they now live in Holmfirth. He was appointed Assistant Headteacher at King James’s in 2004 and later became Vice-Principal. An interview with Ian Rimmer will appear in the November 2015 issue. 8

Green light from Ofsted

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The School’s long-awaited Ofsted inspection took place on 10th and 11th March 2015. The inspectors’ verdict: very close to ‘outstanding’. FTER one of the most rigorous inspections ever, King James’s School won high plaudits from the team of four inspectors.The School came within a whisker of achieving an overall rating of ‘outstanding’ and earned particWHAT THE INSPECTORS SAID ular praise for its ‘nationally recognised’ success in preparing students for life Leadership and management OUTSTANDING and work after school. The team also con- Achievement of pupils OUTSTANDING cluded: Students achieve excep- Quality of teaching GOOD tionally well by the time they leave school. Their Behaviour and safety of GOOD progress and attainment in a pupils wide range of subjects are above the national averages. OVERALL VERDICT GOOD Students’ behaviour in class and around school is good. They are polite, conWHAT DO THE WORDS MEAN? fident and friendly. They An outstanding school is enjoy school and respect highly effective in delivering their environment. outcomes that provide The school’s work to exceptionally well for all its keep students safe is out- OUTSTANDING pupils’ needs.This ensures standing. Teachers ensure that pupils are very well students know how to stay equipped for the next stage safe in all contexts, includof their education, training ing online. or employment. Students discuss difficult A good school is effective in topics sensitively and with delivering outcomes that maturity, as they have confiprovide well for all dence in the school and GOOD its pupils’ needs. Pupils are staff. well prepared for the next The curriculum is broad stage of their education, training or employment. and delivered skilfully. It supports effectively stu9

form as well as their dents’ very good peers by the time progress and high that they leave attainment. school. Leaders and Students’ social, managers have a remoral, spiritual and lentless focus on cultural activities improving the are varied and inschool and on enteresting. The wide suring the very best range of extra-curoutcomes for every ricular opportunistudent. They have Lamb: “It is a fair report.We feel it is an ties, not only sports successfully ensured Robert honest assessment of where the School is now.” and clubs, but also that students’ results have remained very high over time. extra subjects such as Latin, enriches the Governors manage finances particu- students’ experiences. Principal Robert Lamb said,” It was larly well. They have successfully challenged the school to achieve excellent the hardest Ofsted we have ever had and outcomes for students, and have en- and it is a fair report: we feel it is an sured that disadvantaged students per- honest assessment of where the School

What is an Ofsted inspection?

On this occasion, the inspection was carried out over two days by Rebecca Lawton, (lead inspector), Clive Hurren, Paul Welford and Mary Lanovy-Taylor. During this time, they: observed a wide range of lessons in every subject and saw the vast majority of teaching staff in action. A large number of students’ books, folders, homework and practical work were seen and inspectors saw assemblies, tutor groups and library sessions. observed behaviour in lessons and around the school site, which is extensive. Inspectors saw break and lunch times, and observed the students as they arrived for school and left at the end of the day. analysed a wide body of school documentation on students’ progress, behaviour, safety, monitoring of teaching and learning, policies and procedures. Records of selfevaluation and improvement planning, departmental action plans and the schools records of governing meetings and finance were also scrutinised. had meetings with the senior leaders of the school, middle leaders, those responsible for behaviour and safety, the special educational needs coordinator, representatives from the local authority and governing body, and with groups of students. Other discussions were held with heads of departments, teachers, support staff and teaching assistants throughout the inspection. took account of the 58 responses to Parent View, the Ofsted online questionnaire for parents and the school’s own parent survey responses. Fifty staff survey responses were also analysed. 10

tudes to learning, particularly for boys, by ensuring that all teachers have consistently high expectations for the presentation of students’ written work and are using the discipline policy to ensure completion of the work that is set. Ensure that all teachers are consistently using the school’s policy for marking and feedback, and are ensuring that students know how well they have done and how to improve their work.. The full Ofsted report can be downloaded from the King James’s School website at http://goo.gl/xq1f0w.

is now.Ofsted recognised the strength of the School, which is that children of all abilities and backgrounds achieve extremely well here. “It is a measure of how far we have come and it is a team effort. “The inspectors said it was the closest a school has been to Outstanding without actually getting the grade.” The report suggestions ways in which the School might achieve the coveted Outstanding award in a future assessment: Continue to improve students’ atti-

PRCD project gets under way

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N our March issue we appealed for volunteers to help with a project to computerise the School’s extensive collection of historic pupil record cards. Thanks to Richard Geldard, John Goodall, Simon Graley, Michael Sykes and Julian Stafford the PRCD (Pupil Record Card Database) project has now been formally launched. It’s already throwing up some unexpected incidental information. “Having reached the ‘G's for those born in 1982-88, the frequency of the second name ‘Louise’ stands out above the rest,” muses John Goodall. “My explanation for what it’s worth is that Meryl Louise Streep won the BAFTA ‘Best Actress’ in 1982 for her role in The French Lieutenant’s Woman.” Other suggestions welcome.

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Be honest…

OLD ALMONDBURIANS’ SOCIETY CALENDAR

Take a long, hard look at that old OAS tie in your wardrobe. Is it: crumpled? the wrong length? the wrong width? soup-stained? If the answer to any (or all) of these questions is ‘yes’, join the club. But here’s a cheap, costeffective answer: the latest newly-fashioned OAS tie, available from us TODAY.

DATES OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS, 2015 The Executive Committee of the Society meets upstairs at the ‘Woolpack’ in Almondbury, at 7.30 pm. Meetings are usually held on the first Monday of the month, although there are exceptions due to Bank Holidays and school holidays, and there is no meeting in August. Any member of the Society who would like to attend one of these meetings will be made most welcome on the following dates: Monday, 6th July; Monday, 7th September; Monday, 5th October; Monday, 2nd November; Monday, 7th December.

ANNUAL DINNER The return of the Annual Dinner to the school last year was a resounding success and we have received nothing but extremely positive feedback from those who attended. Consequently, this year’s dinner will again take place at the school, on Saturday, 21st November 2015, at 6.30 pm for 7.30 pm.The guest speaker this year will be retiring Principal of King James’s School, Robert Lamb.The ticket price will remain at £27.50 and an application form is included with this issue or you can apply online at www.oas.org.uk/buydinner.php. It is always good to see members making a special effort to stage a reunion of their year at the dinner and such occasions are always enjoyable. Tony Horsfall is organising a sixtieth anniversary reunion of the Class of 1955. See page 40.

FOUNDERS’ DAY SERVICE The traditional Founders’ Day Service will be held at All Hallows’ Church,Almondbury at 11.00 am on the day following the Annual Dinner, Sunday, 22nd November.Almondburians are invited to assemble in front of the school at 10.30 am for the traditional procession up the hill.The Executive Committee would urge all Almondburians to make every effort to attend this event. It would help if you are able to indicate in the space provided on the Annual Dinner ticket application form or website whether or not you expect to attend the Founders’ Day Service as well. See page 41.

Length: 150 cm (59 in) Width: 9 cm (3½ in)

Price: £15 + pp

(UK: 75p; Europe: £2.50; Rest of world: £3.00)

BADMINTON/TENNIS Report: page 50.

Available from the OAS website at www.oas.org.uk/buymemorabilia.php or by post from: Andrew Haigh c/o R D Haigh & Co, Floresco House, Oak Hill Road, Brighouse, West Yorkshire HD6 1SN

CRICKET Report: page 51.

FOOTBALL Report: page 52.

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Black-tie Charity Ball

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The appeal for funds for the new pavilion will be formally launched on 9th October 2015

S we reported in the March 2015 issue of The Almondburian, much has been going on behind the scenes in preparation for the launch of the Pavilion Project.Top sportsmen Ryan Sidebottom, Derek Ibbotson and Jon Dyson have given their full backing to the plan and the Appeal Committee is investigating all funding options which are expected to include an application to Sport England, the body responsible for grassroots sports support in the UK. The £450,000-£500,000 project, led by the King James’s School Foundation, will be formally launched on Friday, 9th October (7.00 pm for 7.30 pm) with a Blacktie Charity Ball at the four-star Cedar Court Hotel at Ainley Top, Huddersfield. Guest speaker will be brilliant impressionist KEVIN CONNOLLY, best known for his starring role on the BBC’s Dead Ringers programme. Middlesbrough-born Kevin is one of the most sought-after speakers on the after-dinner circuit. His extensive repertoire includes sportsmen, politicians and television personalities and his many television and radio credits include BBC Sports Review of The Year, It’s Just Not Cricket with Rory Bremner,The Steve Penk Breakfast Show and BBC Radio Five Live’s Christmas Sport Review. MC will be Halifax-born comedian Peter Emmett. The event will include: Three-course meal Champagne Reception Live music Live entertainment Charity auction and raffle Tickets for the Charity Ball are now on sale. Tables of ten cost £500 (individual tickets also available at £50 each). They can be purchased online on the OAS website at www.oas.org.uk/charityball.php or by completing and returning the form enclosed with this magazine. The organisers are seeking good quality auction prizes and raffle prizes and will be grateful for any contributions from Old Almondburians. For further information, please contact Graham Cliffe (tel: 01484 424924; email: grahamcliffe@btinternet.com). 13

a HALL OF FAME

He lent his name to Rothera Point John Rothera (1945-1953) was always keen on geography at school. But little did he realise that the UK’s base in Antarctica would one day bear his name.

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O most of us, Antarctica is a very mysterious place. We’re not even sure how big it is. Those of us with distant memories of rectangular school maps of the world will dimly recall a vast white mass sprawling across the bottom of the page. But when we looked at that wonderful counterbalanced globe hanging from the ceiling in N3, the same continent mysteriously shrank to become little bigger than Australia. Of course, we knew that it was a bit nippy down there, particularly in winter, and we knew it was the home of the penguins, those amazing birds that huddle together to keep warm and make an astonishing 100-mile journey each year to give birth to their young. And there’s the ice – lots of it. Not as much as there used to be according to global warming enthusiasts but increasing every year according to climate change ‘deniers’. Yes, Antarctica is indeed a strange place. But it has special significance for one Old Almondburian whom we are now delighted to welcome belatedly to our Hall of Fame. John Rothera left what was then invariably known as Almondbury Grammar School in 1953. He spent three years at Leeds University and towards the end of his final year applied for the post of Surveyor with the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), the body responsible for all British surveying in Antarctica. It had never entered his head that he would ever have the opportunity to visit the Antarctic continent, so he considered himself very fortunate not only to be going there but also to being paid to go there, albeit for a pittance in those days. So, after graduation in June 1956, he first spent six weeks on an advanced survey course at the School of Military Survey at Hermitage, near Newbury. After this he spent the rest of the summer and autumn at the Directorate of Colonial Survey (which later became the Directorate of Overseas Survey) preparing for life in Antarctica. 14

Big or small?

ANTARCTICA

Two-dimensional world maps always have problems in showing the true size of Antarctica. It could be by far the biggest continent in the world (Mercator’s projection, top) or it could be similar in size to Australia (Lambert’s projection, bottom). In fact, Antarctica is about twice the area of Australia and 60 times the area of the UK.

At the end of November 1956 John sailed from Southampton for Antarctica on the Royal Research Ship John Biscoe. The ship was on its maiden voyage and its hull was specially strengthened to enable sailing through moderate sea ice. It took three weeks to reach Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. After two days in Montevideo the ship sailed for Port Stanley in the Falk-

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land Islands, arriving just before Christmas. First impressions of the islands were that they were very Scottish in appearance and character. On Boxing Day, the John Biscoe left Stanley for the Antarctic and the first sight of the Antarctic peninsula came on 27th December. It is very impressive, with lofty snowcovered mountains throughout its length and with hundreds of glaciers cascading down to the sea. Most people viewing the peninsula for the first time are surprised at the variety of blue and green colours displayed on the snow, the glaciers and icebergs. The ship headed south along the western coast of the peninsula to reach the British base at Detaille Island on NewYear’s Eve. Next morning, the royal yacht Britannia emerged from the mist accompanied by HMS Protector. The Duke of Edinburgh, on his world-wide tour on Britannia, then came aboard the Biscoe for a tour over the next two days of some of the British bases. “At lunchtime the Duke came down to the FIDS mess for drinks prior to eating,” recalls John. “By chance I was on bar duty that day and had to serve drinks to the Duke and his party. The Duke asked for a pink gin, a drink of which I was unfamiliar in those days and I had to seek advice from one of the FIDS. Having learnt what was required, I poured the gin and sprinkled in the bitters and offered the drink to the Duke. He took a couple of sips and told me it was too strong and and needed less bitters. My second attempt at a pink gin was to his liking.” After the royal party returned to Britannia, the Biscoe headed back to Port Stanley in order to be present when the Duke arrived for a formal royal visit. It remained in

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How it all started with Fred Hudson

John Rothera, now 81, recalls Fred Hudson’s ‘inspirational’ teaching which led directly to his two eventful years in Antarctica My first day at Almondbury Grammar School was 3rd September, 1945. It was an interesting time to have started at the school – Taylor Dyson was not long gone and the school had ceased to take boarders. The Second World War had come to an end only two weeks before with the unconditional surrender of Japan. There were four ladies still teaching – ladies who had replaced men who had gone off to the war, but the men were starting to return and the ladies gradually disappeared. (When attending the School on the Sunday of the 400th anniversary Founders’ Day weekend in 2008 I was amazed to be approached by one of those lady teachers. She was as bright as when she had left the School over 60 years before). Like many others, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the School.There were many reasons why the school was enjoyable.The quality of the teaching was good and the School had a particular advantage in being located in an attractive rural setting, a situation not enjoyed by other Huddersfield secondary schools. There was much more to Almondbury Grammar School than the teaching. Each year Reg Addy organised visits to France and I was fortunate to visit Paris, St Malo and the Bordeaux region. One of the excursions on the Bordeaux trip was to the very famous white wine vineyard of Château d’Yquem. One of the men returning to the school after the war was a certain Fred Hudson, the Geography teacher. I had always had a great interest in Geography but Fred’s method of teaching the subject was truly inspirational. Not only was he a good teacher but he was also able to retain a class’s interest with frequent references to his experiences in Canada whilst serving in the RAF during the war. Stories abounded about the severity of the Canadian winters, how enclosed car parks were heat-

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ed and from which direct access was provided to shopping centres so that shoppers did not have to brave the severe cold. Houses and other buildings were provided with a thing called ‘central heating’. Fred was involved with an organisation called the Council for Education in World Citizenship, funded by the United Nations. He encouraged a few of us to attend meetings ofYorkshire schools’ pupils, which meant giving up some Saturday mornings to attend the meetings which were always held in Leeds secondary schools. A major perk of being involved in the organisation was that in consecutive years and, at no cost, a number of us (I recall Chris Dyson and John Ewing being present) were able to spend two weeks in the summer attending a European conference held partly in Brussels and partly in Bruges. In 1953, at the end of my time at AGS, my exam results were good enough to get one of the 28 places in the geography degree course at Leeds University.The three year course covered much wider aspects than those covered at School. Completely new to me and others were geology, human geography, meteorology and topographical surveying. Each Easter there were week-long field trips, each dedicated to a specific branch of geography. The week in North Wales was memorable to me for two reasons.The first was ascending Snowdon via the ‘pig track’ route in cold misty weather and the descent down the mountain railway which at the higher levels was buried in deep snow drifts which sloped off into a misty unknown void. Secondly, when ordering a round of drinks in a Conway pub one evening the landlord persisted in speaking in Welsh. Unknown to the landlord, one of our party spoke Welsh and was able to tell me that it was “bloody well time that I learnt to speak Welsh”.

Stanley until mid-January when it sailed south for a second time. John was to be based at Horseshoe Island, the most southerly of the British bases on the Antarctic peninsula, located in Marguerite Bay and well below the Antarctic Circle.This was the time of the International GeophysicalYear (actually an 18 month period), a time when there were no fewer than 11 occupied British bases in Antarctica. As a result John was fortunate to visit most of these bases before disembarking at Horseshoe Island in early February. There were nine men on the base over the next year, comprising the base leader (who was also base engineer), the doctor, two surveyors, geologist, three meteorologists and a general assistant. At times some men, and especially the surveyors and the geologist, would be working from the Blaiklock Island refuge hut located 23 miles to the north west of Horseshoe Island. The advantage of this refuge hut was its connection to the mainland by an ice shelf which was useful prior to the formation of the sea ice in the early winter. For the next two years John was involved in surveying an extensive area of Marguerite Bay and the Arrowsmith peninsula, sometimes with the second surveyor and the geologist. This involved building rock cairns on mountain peaks or on islands and then using theodolites to measure the angles between the cairns and flags.The resultant triangulation system enabled precise locations of points to be determined on aerial photographs which had been provided by Hunting Aerial Surveys the previous summer. Following the formation of the sea ice, all survey travel was undertaken by dog

sledge.The nine dog teams had been trained at Horseshoe and other bases. John was very fortunate to have a well-trained team, called the ‘trogs’, with an intelligent lead dog named Bodger. Over the two years he sledged several hundred miles with his team. Both years were exceedingly good sea ice years which permitted more or less continuous surveying. These trips often involved weeks away from base or the refuge hut and during these times nights were spent under canvas, in effect a tent within a second tent. Food consisted of porridge for breakfast and pemmican, ships biscuits and Cadbury’s chocolate for the evening meal. The pemmican consisted of blocks of rather fatty meat which was cooked in melted snow over a primus stove. Pemmican was not particularly liked and was replaced by blocks of a different meat in the second year. The dogs were fed a different type of pemmican except when on base

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Top: Christmas Day 1958: John Rothera (bottom left) with colleagues from Horseshoe Island base Bottom: Disdain: a group of emperor penguins is unimpressed by the lad from Huddersfield

when they were given seal meat. Some survey trips involved travel over glaciers which required great care to avoid crevasses, often hidden under snow. On good weather days, sledging on smooth sea ice and with the men on skis could be very pleasant. However, on poor weather days, with blizzards or poor visibil-

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ity, it was necessary to lie up in the tents. On one occasion the lie up period lasted for six days which was somewhat soul-destroying. However, sometimes there were opportunities to use refuge huts located in parts of the survey areas. The huts were no more than glorified garden sheds but at least they provided a respite from camping. On one occasion use was made of an unmanned Argentinian refuge hut where John and his colleagues were able to enjoy months-old frozen bread reconstituted in warm water and also Argentinian brandy! Twice they were able to stay at the Argentinian San Martin base in Marguerite Bay where they were made very welcome. They thoroughly enjoyed the steaks served at dinner, which came from an ice cave ‘fridge’ in a glacier; there was no fresh food on British bases. In between sledging trips time was spent at the Horseshoe Island base hut where opportunity was taken to repair sledges and to feed up the dogs with seal meat which was available in large amounts.The opportunity was also taken to write up survey results and sledging reports which were required for each survey trip. Being on base also meant doing other jobs such as being on cook duty in turn with others, carrying out maintenance work on the hut and doing general cleaning. One

On survey: John Rothera departs with his team of dogs and a well stocked sledge

pleasant thing was that, in effect, Christmas came every six months on 25th December and on 21st June, mid-winter’s day. Hampers of festive food were provided for each occasion. When the time came to leave the Antarctic in early 1959 the sea ice was so solid and extensive that the Biscoe could only get within about 12 miles of Horseshoe. As the UK had no icebreakers, the Americans sent no fewer than three icebreakers to assist in the relief of the base. Helicopters were sent to fly base personnel to the Biscoe at the edge of the solid sea ice. The Biscoe was then led by the icebreakers through the miles of dense pack ice to the open sea. The Biscoe returned to the Falklands and finally arrived in Southampton on Derby Day 1959, just in time for the ship’s captain to attend the Epsom races. John then spent the next year working on his survey results at the Directorate of Colonial Survey in Tolworth, Surrey. The British had a policy of naming Antarctic

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geographical features after surveyors and geologists who had undertaken work in the Antarctic. A few years later after leaving FIDS John was informed that a particular rock and ice point on the eastern coast of Adelaide Island had been named ‘Rothera Point’. Not long afterwards it was decided to build a new base in Marguerite Bay to replace earlier British bases which had been abandoned in the area. Rothera Point was selected for the site and the new base is now Rothera Base. This is the only permanent British base in the peninsula and it has been expanded in recent years, including the provision of and airstrip. During the southern summer more than 100 personnel are in residence at the base, mainly scientists from the British Antarctic Survey headquarters in Cambridge. Around 20 people remain on the base in the southern winter months. The Rothera Research Station now also serves as the capital of the British Antarctic territory. After leaving the Falkland Islands survey, and as with so many geographers, John entered the town and country planning profession. His first post was that of a planning research officer with Dorset County Council in Dorchester.

This provided the opportunity to live on the coast in Weymouth, situated only eight miles from county hall. During this time he met his future wife Margaret. They were married in Holy Trinity Church, beside Weymouth harbour, at Easter 1964. After five years John moved to a planning post with the Basingstoke Development Group in Hampshire. The Group was an organisation set up by the then London County Council, Hampshire County Council and the old Basingstoke Borough Council to facilitate the transfer of overspill population from London to Basingstoke. Group personnel were multi-professional, comprising planners, architects, engineers and estate surveyors and who were responsible for providing thousands of overspill houses, new employment opportunities, a major comprehensive road system, schools, leisure facilities and a sig-

nificant new town centre development in Basingstoke. Although set up under the Town Development Act, the large scale of the development was, in effect, that of a designated new town. During John’s time at the Group between 1968 and 1974, the population of Basingstoke and its immediate surroundings increased from 26,000 to around 100,000. At local government reorganisation in 1974, John became Head of Forward Planning and Design in the newly created Basingstoke Borough. Among othe matters, this involved preparing local plans for the town and other settlements in the rural 240 square miles of the borough. John retired from the Borough Council in late 1996 after the completion of the district-wide local plan and the consequent lengthy local plan enquiry. Our thanks to John Broadbent for additional material.

Rothera station today, looking north from the top of Memorial Peak

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PART TWO

From Whoopee to Band Posters As one door closes, so another opens.The Temperance Seven winds down and our hero takes on new challenges that keep him in the public eye around the UK.

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JOHN WATSON (1948 - 1953)

Not my finish in music though because in late 1969 I joined The Whoopee Band, a collective of members of The Bonzo Dog Doh Dah Band, the New Vaudeville Band and others. This was very much part-time even though we did several trips to Germany, France, Denmark, Spain and Austria for club venues and television. I made a full size mannequin doll dressed as a 1920s flapper; this was strapped to my feet and, for one number, I did a Charleston dance

HE TEMPERANCE SEVEN years lasted from 1959 to 1969, the latter years playing the Northern Working Men’s Clubs and Gambling Casinos with more of a visual, variety act. We would be doubling two clubs a night for a week at a time, and during the day I would work producing posters and programmes for the American bands such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie. This became my main career when the band finished.

Bob Kerr’s Whoopee Band at the Half Moon in Putney in the early 1970s.The author, with his banjo, is third from the right; some members of the band are playing less conventional instruments.

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with her until one leg came off when I released a catch (that’s the doll’s leg not mine, you understand). We were playing for the opening of a Dortmund bank on a temporary stage with very bright spotlights illuminating the band. The second number in, I came out from the back of the stage and blinded by the light danced straight off the edge of the six foot high stage. Winded by a blow to the ribs as I went down. I managed to stagger to my feet and exited left to much applause as the audience thought it was all deliberate. In quite severe pain by now, I reached the dressing room threw the doll into a corner and requested an ambulance as I was convinced I had broken ribs. I was lying hidden by a high back bench, when shortly afterwards two medics carrying a stretcher entered the room, but all they saw was the mannequin with her flexible arms and legs in impossible positions. They stopped dead in their tracks with a “Mein Gott” as they thought they had to deal with some terrible accident. I managed a feeble “no it's me you’ve come for” and was whisked off for x-rays. For-

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tunately I was only badly bruised and was strapped up. The rest of the band went off to the next show in another town and I lay immobile in bed all next day, unable to communicate with the hotel staff, and wishing I’d taken German instead of French at school. I was picked up a day later very hungry and very thirsty. The foreign trips became more and more, until after ten years or so I had to resign to be able, as self employed, to meet my graphic design work commitments. A couple of years after, several of the others were in the same predicament with their jobs too, so they left TheWhoopee Band as well. In 1983 the four who had left asked me to join them in a new outfit to be called Bill Posters Will Be Band – just until they became established. In the event, I stayed with the band for 31 years, playing, organising the bookings and looking after the publicity. We carried on with the tradition of The Whoopee Band mixing 1920s style jazz, folk music and classical pieces with the accent very much on humour. Novelty instruments included a Stroviol (a violin with a gramophone horn), a hot

teapot, a ‘Star’ vacuum cleaner, a rhythm pole, a washboard tie and musical spoons etc. This was in addition to more conventional instruments including banjos. I introduced some of my magic specialities into the act such as tap dancing with a floating cane, a levitating dog’s head and, most recently, a return to a form of Punch and Judy show. I had made some small mannequins, the head was mine with a quarter size body, the first to appear was in evening dress and did a little tap dance, to be replaced with one Right: John undergoes a metamorphosis into his own Punch and Judy puppet.

Below: Bill Posters final line up (front row l to r) Jim 'Golden Boots' Chambers on saxophone; Megs Etherington on cornet; 'Evil' John Gieves-Watson on large banjo; Biff Harrison on Stroviol, Behind them are Peter Shade on piano and Sam Spoons on drums.

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Now more time for relaxation: this watercolour by John Watson is of Richmond Bridge in West London not far from his home in Teddington.

with a naked body sporting only a towel, the reveal at the end was not for the squeamish! I sang the vocals while the band accompanied Singing In The Bath Tub. Oh what larks! The Bill Posters played at Festivals around the country but most work was entertaining at private functions. The band also had a 13 year residency playing once a month at the Bull’s Head in Barnes, a venue famous for Modern Jazz and anyone who dropped in by chance, expecting free-form jazz, was very con-

fused! On the last Sunday in December 2014 we played our last of three sell-out performances. It has been a fun and at times a very exciting 60 years. I’m now taking a break and I will possibly give more time to my art school training, doing watercolours or charcoal drawings of still life or landscapes. LINKS

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Interview with extracts from the Temperance Seven’s biggest hits http://goo.gl/RMwes8 Whoopee Band http://goo.gl/GybYHa Bill Posters Will Be Band http://goo.gl/JpXrkF

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The Almondburian Poets

UDDERSFIELD folk still talk with awe This Huddersfield bus was one of three about the great winter freeze-up of 1947. stranded for several weeks in Ashes Lane, It was a grim time for Britain, still Castle Hill.The third had been fitted with a struggling to recover from the war. The snowplough to try to rescue the other two. cold spell started towards the end of January and the following month developed into one of the coldest on record. March was even worse. In the first half of the month, there were strong gales and heavy snowstorms, making for blizzard conditions. On 4th and 5th March, heavy snow fell over most of England and Wales, with severe snow drifts in many parts. On 6th March, drifts were five metres deep around the Huddersfield area. Even at the start of the winter, coal stocks had been down down to only four weeks’ supply. Remaining stocks became frozen solid and could not be moved, and the Minister of Fuel and Power, Emanuel Shinwell, was forced to cut the electricity supply to industry completely and reduce the domestic supply to 19 hours per day across the country. Meanwhile, in Australia, the England cricket team was thrashed 3-0 by Australia who thereby retained the Ashes. Needless to say, those great chroniclers of world events, the Almondburian Poets, were on hand to record the woes of 1947 for posterity.

England has been for many a week A land of cold and snow; It seemed as if the freezing stuff Would never, never go. The roads have been completely blocked, And the railway lines as well And coal has been in short supply Of which I now will tell.

The coal-merchant became a man Of the highest social mark To all the people in the land Who worked now in the dark. They begged of him; they prayed to him, They bribed him in the local. The people who thus fawned on him Made up a mighty total.

Throughout the land, from north to south Was felt this lack of coal. It caused the electric power chief To be in a nasty hole. Then all that he could say to us Was “Will you shed the load? This weather on our fuel stocks Has caused a great inroad.”

Yet down there in Australia The weather should be warm, From chilblains, frostbite and cold feet The Aussies take no harm. It seems they want to deepen more Our frozen country’s gashes. They won’t even let our cricket chaps Send home the dear old Ashes. ‘The Coal Shortage’ by P Stancliffe, 5L The Almondburian, Easter 1947 26

TRANSPORT

The Almondbury trolleybus

There was scarcely a dry eye in the house when the much-loved trolleybuses disappeared from the streets of Huddersield in 1968. Could they ever return?

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ROGER DOWLING (1952 - 1959)

VERY strange thing happened in this country in the 1960s. It )was as though an evil foreign oil-producing power had arranged for a secret potion to be added to the drinking water of the nation’s public transport providers. Suddenly, the future no longer lay with the quiet, fast, non-polluting trolleybuses successfully operating all over the country. It lay in the motorbus, powered by noisy, dirty, polluting diesel engines and fuelled by oil imported from dubious regimes around the world. There can surely be no Huddersfield

citizen today who fails to regret deeply the disappearance of the town’s beloved trolleybuses on that fateful date of 13th July, 1968. Even at the time, the arguments against the trolleybuses looked pretty thin. What a problem it was, they claimed, to have to keep painting the poles every few years! What a drag to have to keep the wires aloft! What a headache it was to require the drivers to use the built-in batteries to skirt around occasional roadworks! And how expensive the electricity had become now that the town no longer generated its own! And so, to the distress of the citizens of Huddersfield, the 35-year trolleybus era came to a sad end. The crowds all along the route from Waterloo into the

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Preserved: trolleybus 619 was built by British United Traction in 1956 with a body by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. It now runs regularly at the Sandtoft Trolleybus Museum near Doncaster.

Town Centre were an indication of how with the public. Finished in vermillion and much Huddersfield folk loved their trolleys. cream, they had electric heaters in the Needless to say, they included me. For downstairs saloon, curtains on the winmuch of the time I was at King James’s dows and crimson cushions on the seats: Grammar School I would make the daily luxury travel indeed. journey on the 30 or 33 from Byram Street By the 1930s, the Town Council started which would whisk me rapidly and silently to become concerned at the cost of tram up Somerset Road to the terminus in Al- track renewal and when the track on the mondbury. A bit further along Byram Almondbury route became due for reStreet was the shop with the curious con- placement the decision was taken to introvex front window where you had to put duce an experimental trolleybus system your hand out to see if there was any glass using vehicles from six different manufacthere at all. (Since you ask, it’s a listed turers and coachbuilders to establish which building, currently a cafe and bar, and it’s was most suited to meet the town’s restill there). quirements. In 1935, the decision was To make the return journey from Al- taken to abandon trams completely and remondbury, the buses would first reverse place them with the new trolleybuses. Beinto Wormald Street, an inconvenient pro- sides being cheaper to run and maintain, cedure that led, in 1951, to the construc- trolleybuses were far more suited to Hudtion of the large turning circle further dersfield’s hilly terrain where trams strugalong the road that still stands today. gled to retain traction in bad weather. Appropriately, the trolleybus service in By 1940 the changeover to trolleybuses Huddersfield was launched, on 4th De- was complete and the new system comcember 1933, on this same Washday in 1960: a number 30 in the turning circle as it Town Centre-Almondbury prepares to depart for West Vale. Note Almondbury Parish route. Huddersfield had al- Church in the background. ways had a pioneering record in public transport. A steam tram service was launched as early as 11th January 1883, the first example in the UK of a municipally-operated tramway system. By 1900 it had become the largest standard gauge tram system in the country. In 1901, the system was electrified and the new electric trams proved a great hit 28

prised 140 vehicles running over 13 routes. The trolleybus era was under way. Virtually all the buses, apart from two batches from British United Traction in the 1950s, used chassis manufactured by Karrier or its Rootes subsidiary Sunbeam. Various companies, notably Park Royal and East Lancashire Coach Builders, were responsible for the coachwork, while the all-important electrics were provided by either Metropolitan-Vickers, English Electric or Brush. Two features of the buses that impressed me hugely as a schoolboy were their quietness and their acceleration. It is a fact that electric motors have a much higher torque at start-up than diesel engines, another reason why trolleybuses are so suited to hilly terrains. I was also fascinated by the bell system which extended down the full length of the bus on each side, over the window.The fact that no schoolboy was ever allowed to press the bell made the temptation to do so all the more acute. (To this day, I confess that I get inordinate pleasure from pressing the bell on a bus and not being ticked off for doing so). This was of course the age of the bus conductor.Tickets were issued using ‘Ultimate’ ticket machines made by the Bell Punch Company, founded in 1878 and going strong until the late 1970s.We actually have one of these machines in the family, thanks to our eldest son who was an

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enthusiastic bus spotter and memorabilia collector in his youth. Besides issuing tickets and ticking off schoolboys mischievously pressing the bell, conductors had two other important duties: to operate any manual switches or ‘frogs’ that might be encountered on the route by pulling on a handle on a nearby pole, and to re-connect the trolley booms if they inadvertently left the overhead cables. A long bamboo pole was located along the length of the bus for this purpose and this was often drawn across the platform of the bus as it sped past bus stops to indicate that it was already full to capacity. By the 1940s there were dozens of trolleybus systems all over the country. The biggest was in London, with some 1,800 trolleybuses on 68 routes, the biggest such network in the world. At one stage,Yorkshire alone had eight systems in such towns as Hull, Doncaster, Cleethorpes and Grimsby. Would not any government today, hellbent on weaning us from diesel and petrol engines, rejoice if it could wave a magic wand and restore the trolleybus systems that once operated so successfully around the UK? There can be no doubt that Huddersfield was particularly proud of its trolleybus fleet. Not only were the trolleybuses maintained to a very high standard but no disfiguring advertisements were ever allowed on the

Top: AVH 494 makes its majestic way up Somerset Road, tackling the steepest stretch between Longley Road and Foxglove Road. Originally built in 1938, it was rebodied and renumbered in 1950. Middle:The scene in Southgate as Karrier trolleybus 547, built in 1947, passes the telephone exchange and the old ‘Oxford’ public house. Meanwhile, Sunbeam 567 makes its way into town. Bottom: At the other end of the journey, the West Vale service enters Huddersfield via Edgerton. KVH 223 was built by British United Traction in 1956. The former tram shelter on the right featured in the article ‘Roger’s tram shelter gets a facelift’ in the March 2015 Almondburian.

Photos reproduced by kind permission of Middleton Press 30

sides. It was a sad day indeed when the trolleys disappeared in 1968. However, all may not be lost. In 2010 the Government approved a £250 million scheme to operate trolleybuses just 20 miles from Huddersfield, in the city of Leeds – the first new system for 40 years. It was claimed at the time that ‘commuters in Leeds could be travelling into the city centre on a network of electrically-powered buses within six years’. A planned 14km (8.7 mile) network would ‘provide a major economic boost’ for the city. But of course this is Britain and the decision was followed by the inevitable public enquiry

Top:This town centre scene is not Byram Street but a few hundred yards away in Lord Street which became the starting point for the 33 service when it linked with that to Fixby in January 1963. Built in 1950, Sunbeam trolleybus FCX 805 is shown in May 1964, just two years before it was finally withdrawn from service. Middle: British United Traction 623 was the decorated final trolleybus, making a run to Waterloo and Outlane on the afternoon of Saturday, 13th July 1968. Crowds gathered all over town to bid it a fond farewell. Bottom: Could trolleybuses in the traditional red and cream livery ever return to the streets of Huddersfield? Leeds City Council’s plan for a £250 million trolleybus service – the first in the UK since Bradford closed down its system in 1972 – awaits final Government approval.

which dragged on until October 2014 with a hope that the inspector would deliver his recommendations to the transport minister by mid-2015. It could take several more months for the Government to assess the enquiry’s findings . If the project – which is fully backed by Leeds City Council – gets the go-ahead, the futuristic single-deck trolleybuses could be in operation by 2017. And who knows – could Huddersfield be the next? What are your memories of Huddersfield trolleybuses?Write to us at almondburian@oas.org.uk.

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Swallowed up by the winetrade

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ROBERT DENBY (1969-1976)

What became of school cellist Robert Denby, mused Dave Bush in the March 2015 issue of The Almondburian. Now all can be revealed.

HE unexpected reference to me in ‘Springbreak’ skiing vacation in upstate New Dave Bush’s Farnley Lines in the last York, after which I need a vacation and deep issue fired black and yellow synapses tissue massage. Skiing has become an unwhich had me running up St Helen’s Gate breakable evergreen family tradition which for the 33 trolleybus, cello, satchel and sports always gently sets me in the groove trailing bag in tow. Doubtless I would have been in back to my 15 postgrad (Manchester Unia cold sweat, head full of fresh Nematodes versity) years in Eastern France where I and Coelenterata from JackTaylor’s 3rd year picked up the habit, and where two of my biology class, Genesis ‘Selling England by children were born. the pound’ or was it that new Yes album I played with many university orchestras from 1973? and diverse chamber groups while I was at And an underlying angst that I would Manchester University, and in a chamber never be able to finish my homework, prob- orchestra in Beaune for over a decade. Later, ably about Platyhelminthes, or Ovid. I recall during my 18 years in the US,I played in the both were into metamorlocal NittanyValley Symphosis, and with hindsight phony and various enfeel that Bush-Taylor sembles, including eleccodeshare classes would tric cello in a local rock have proved valuable if not band. surreal timesavers.Why While teaching in the wouldn’t one better deEconomics, Law and Lancline the verb amare whilst guages department at the absorbing Taylor’s University of Dijon and at dummy’s guide to the hua local business school, I man reproductive system? studied winemaking I digress. “A vas deferens, which led to my being laddie,” Jack would doubtswallowed up – in more less quip, poker -faced. senses than one – by the That flashback seems Burgundian winetrade. I nowhere near as stressful then spent 17 years in the as playing Jeeves for two US where I started my of my three teenage boys On Haystacks in the Lake District own East coast based on this past week’s with wife Leslie and Cairn terrier Nina wine and spirit importing 32

From top: The Beaune Chamber Orchestra in the 1980s Playing on a 19th century cello given to Robert by his teacher when he was accepted to join the National Youth orchestra at the age of 12. His teacher had been given the cello in the 1920s by eminent cellist Karl Fuchs All plugged in: with Pennsylvanian progressive rock band August Room at the State Theatre in State College PA in 2013

and distribution business D S Trading. It’s still going today, though I cashed out three years ago. From 1996 we lived in the semi- rural university town of State College, Pennsylvania. Gentler professional time constraints have now allowed me, with my American wife Leslie and children Julien, Jasper and Joseph, to respond to the siren call of the English Lakes, from where we safely facetime our five US based children in the fairly secluded depths of a house in Penrith which predates both French and American revolutions.Almost daily we scramble along AlfredWainwright’s illustrious Lakeland fell routes: Les Mallinson got me into the AW groove after my first KJGS Lyke Wake walk in 1970. It was probably T S Eliot who prompted my subliminals to return. I still consult as wine buyer for the largest internet wine company in the US and still travel quite extensively.This will continue for as long as my palate holds out! The cellos (one very old and the other electric) haven’t yet quite bitten the dust. Miraculously I have more or less kept up my chops, playing over the years with at least four quartets and ensembles in Manchester, Dijon,Beaune and Pennsylvania . So, born inYorkshire, bred in Burgundy, buttered in the US; and the ensuing dotted lines on OS maps are hopefully guiding me

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onwards and upwards through the ferns and (speaking of chops) between the noble Herdwicks. I look forward to the next OAS dinner (off the menu for me since 1996) and to revisiting the floreat in my schola.

Trust plans Westgate development

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For years, the site next toWormall Hall in Almondbury has been a neglected eyesore. The land, now owned by the King James’s Foundation, is set for development

I S TO R I C Wo r m a l l Hall, for many years the home of Almondbury Conservative Club, is one of the most familiar buildings in Westgate. But for many years, the adjacent site (pictured overleaf) has been an untidy blot on the landscape. All this is set to change. The site owner, the King James’s School Foundation, has submitted major plans to build a total of seven new homes – a mixture of new-build and conversion/extension of existing buildings – in a development that has been warmly welcomed by English Heritage. Wormall Hall, which dates back to 1631, was formerly the home of Isaac Wormall. Thanks to Wormall’s Charity, King James’s Grammar

3 bedroom house

Two 3 bedroom houses

Two 2 bedroom houses

Two 2 bedroom houses

Wormall Hall

W E S T G AT E

Farrar Bamforth Associates

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Woolpack

School pupils could once attend the school free of charge. It is directly opposite the ancient parish church of All Hallows. “For obvious reasons, this is a very sensitive area in planning terms,” said Foundation chairman Graham Cliffe. “The architects have worked closely with English Heritage to produce designs that fully harmonize with the surrounding listed buildings.” The period for statutory consultation ended on 3rd April and it is hoped that full planning permission from Kirklees Council will be received in the near future.

The planned new development will restore to the site the two houses that once stood to the left of Wormall Hall, seen here (top) in a photograph from the 1920s.The new houses will be set back from the road with small front gardens.

OAS MEMBERSHIP

Since the last membership report was published, we have been delighted to welcome four new members to the Society: Paul S Moorhouse (1995-98), from London, Paul L Hart (1964-71), from Nottingham, John Denver Kent (1969-72), from Netherton, Robert Brian Whittaker (1957-62), from Paddock.

We have been saddened to learn of the deaths of four long-standing members: Terry Buckley (1948-53) John Christopher Haigh (1948-54) Alan Thornton (1947-51) William Reginald Braide (Staff 1936-39). 35

Osmosis kept my wife alive

When JackTaylor introduced me to semi-permeable membranes I little realised that years later they would lead to my wife taking part in theWorld Transplant Games

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RICHARD THACKRAY (1967 - 1974)

HEN I hung on Jack live in north Somerset so Dami was unTaylor’s every word as he der the care of Southmead Hospital in taught us about osmosis Bristol where, following a successful opand diffusion taking place through a eration, the new kidney kicked into acsemi-permeable membrane I had no tion straight away and Dami started her idea that it would be over 30 years later recovery to a full and active life. Throughout her illness Dami continthat I’d again hear about how these ued to work for Freeways, a Bristol-based semi-permeable membranes would be charitable trust providing support for instrumental in keeping my wife, adults with learning disability, physical Dami, alive through the process of peritoneal dialysis. The NHS provided a and sensory impairments. However, she brilliant education programme so we often had not enjoyed good enough were well prepared as Dami’s kidney health – or energy, to be more specific – function declined due to an hereditary to follow her love of sport and especially condition and it was at one of these ses- tennis and badminton. Fifteen months after her transplant, sions I was re-introduced to the memDami was well enough and given the branes. This was just medical thumbs-up the start of an eduto take part in the cation which will annual British Translead to Argentina plant Games which, next month. as luck would have it, The semi-permewere being hosted able membranes conlocally by Bath tinued to do their job Council and based at from August 2008 Bath University. until the following The Transplant March when, whilst Games is many all kinds of family things to many comand friends were bepetitors and supporting checked out as possible donors, a Richard Thackray lives with wife Dami, ers. For some it is a crucial stage in their matching kidney be- dogs, cats and guinea pigs in Temple Cloud, near Bristol.A keen sportsman, return to a life they came available from he still plays regular football. once had; for others a deceased donor. We 36

it’s an opportunity to parade how alive and well they are; and for all it’s an opportunity to say thank you to everyone that makes their good health possible. The biggest cheer at the Transplant Games opening ceremony always goes to the Donor Families Network as they enter. Needless to say Dami was instantly delighted to be a part and has competed in tennis and badminton events annually and included squash, table tennis and long jump on occasions gaining medals at each British Games; Belfast, Medway, Sheffield and Bolton. Meg and I take part in the 5k donor run and expect to be supporting Dami in Newcastle later this year. Tales of the bi-annual World Trans-

plant Games in places such as Sweden and Australia could often be heard from the competitors sporting the Great Britain kit and, since travelling to Belfast for the UK Games in 2011, Dami saw the Games as a great way of combining her passion for publicising organ donation, travel (having visited places such as Israel, Hong Kong and Iceland) and the enjoyment of playing sport (formerly playing rugby for Bath Ladies, and taking groups of adults with learning disabilities climbing and canoeing). So missing out on the trip to South Africa in 2013, Dami was delighted to be called up to the 2015 Games in Mar del Plata in Argentina and the preGames training programme. The opportunity to visit South America was just

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How our daughter Meg viewed it at age 9

I was very young when I found out about Mum’s ‘funny kidneys’.That’s all she told me. Mum had to use a small pen-like injection quite often and I was always very curious about it. She told me that when she was younger she had an accident when playing rugby and checking her over in hospital, the doctors found she had a kidney malfunction.When she told me this it was hard to take in, at the time I was not worried because I didn’t know enough about it. I got incredibly scared when I had to stay with my aunt for a week while Mum started to go on dialysis.This meant she had an operation to have a tube going into her stomach where fluid would be taken in and out (doing the job her kidneys couldn’t do anymore.) The thing that worried me most was the idea of losing Mum. I heard lots of stories about people who died from not getting new organs.That Christmas I wished for Father Christmas to give Mum a new kidney, I was that desperate! Seven months later, when I was nine, I was leaving to go to school when Mum got a phone call. She told me as I was saying goodbye that it was the hospital and they might have a suitable kidney for her! I left the house on such a high. It was the news we had all been waiting to hear for so long! Dad drove us to the hospital where I said hello to Mum before I watched her get whisked away on a bed! I felt so happy that all my troubles were gone and I started to cry with happiness. Dad and I were overwhelmed. After her operation I wasn’t allowed to see her because I was too young. I felt so angry that they were keeping me away from my own Mum.The doctors said it was because of the risk of infection and I decided I would do anything to keep Mum safe so I waited until I was allowed. Eventually they let me in to see her and after about a week she came home! My family was back together again! Ever since then, my life just got better and better! I am just so happy to have everyone back to normal again. 37

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Can YOU help?

Opposite: Dami displays the gold medal and the three bronze medals which she won at the Medway Games in 2012

The World Transplant Games are totally self funded, so Dami is now fundraising to raise the £2,500 needed to enable her to compete next month. If you would like to help towards Dami’s travel and accommodation you can do so by using this link: www.justgiving.com/Damaris-Howard

too good to miss and like those semipermeable membranes not an experience I’d expected when Fred Hudson tried without success to teach me about North America. However, this is amateur sport at its best and is totally self funded, so she is now fundraising for the costs involved in enabling her to compete next month. Who knows what lessons I still have to learn and where seeds may have been planted as I gazed out from N3 and the Biology lab at the football pitches? I still play football regularly in the Bristol Casuals League so maybe that time dreaming was well spent after all.

Other useful links

Transplant Games and Transplant Sport UK publicises organ donation: www.transplantsport.org.uk

Nearly 21 million people have joined the NHS Organ Donor Register.They need more: www.organdonation.nhs.uk The Donor Family Network promotes the positive benefits of organ and tissue donation: http://donorfamilynetwork.co.uk

Dami with Meg and myself at the Don Valley Stadium. Meg and I are wearing the medals awarded to all those completing the 5k Donor Run to publicise the organ donor register. It has become a regular event for Meg and me since we supported Dami at her first games in Bath.

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Annual Dinner

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A ND R E W HAIGH

criticisms about last year were of aspects that we had already highlighted for improvement. Furthermore, the dinner returned to the school as a result of numerous requests by members and the school is really the spiritual home of the dinner, so it was felt that we shouldn’t be changing venue again after only two years, particularly when we feel that we can still improve on the first two years back. Consequently, this year’s Dinner will again take place at the school, on Saturday, 21st November at 6.30 pm. for 7.30 pm. We’re delighted to report that Robert Lamb, who retires at the end of the summer term, will be guest speaker. The caterer will be the same and the ticket price will remain at £27.50. An application form is included with this magazine. Please be aware that, now that the Dinner has returned to the school, spaces are limited, so early applications are recommended. Oh, and don’t forget to order one of the new Society ties to wear at the dinner (see page 12)! It is always good to see members making a special effort to stage a re-union of their year at the dinner and such occasions are always enjoyable. Tony Horsfall is organising a sixtieth anniversary reunion of the Class of 1955, but what about the members of the classes of 1935, 1940, 1945, 1965, 1975, 1985, 1990, 1995 or 2005?

HE return of the Annual Dinner to the school for the last two years has generally been regarded as a resounding success. After the first year back at the school we received nothing but extremely positive feedback from those who attended, particularly about the meal. We did receive a small number of negative comments following the dinner last year and, as a consequence, we used the last issue of The Almondburian to ask for further comments on the venue. However, no more were forthcoming! The Executive Committee discussed the small amount of negative feedback that had been received and it was felt that, after only two years, the return to the school is still a work in progress and can still be improved. Indeed, some of the

Guest speaker: Head Teacher Robert Lamb will be looking back over his time at the School

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Disabled facilities available

Founders’ Day

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R E V S T UA RT RO E BUCK

T probably betrays my age, but I can remember the days when Almondbury Parish Church was packed to the doors for the annual Founders' Day Service. I can’t promise you that will happen in 2015, but I can assure you that your welcome will be as warm as ever and that the service will reflect the usual balance of tradition and the present, something old and something new. Those Old Almondburians who value the School’s ancient links with Almondbury Parish Church will be pleased to know that a puff of white smoke has appeared out of the appropriate chimney from the Church of England’s Stationing Committee and we now have a new vicar. Rev Mark Zammit and his family moved into the village in February and have been warmly welcomed by the expectant congregation. Mark is married

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to Amanda. They have two grown up children – Ben who has come to Almondbury with them, and Laura who lives at Wath-upon-Dearne with her husband and two small children. Mark has spent his ministry hitherto in the Winchester and Salisbury Dioceses, so the move to Almondbury is a considerable new adventure for the family. As well as looking after All Hallows Church in Almondbury, he also has pastoral oversight of St Lucius Church in Farnley Tyas and of St Michael and St Helen’s Church at Waterloo (affectionately known as SMaSH for short). In his spare time, Mark’s hobbies include baking and scuba diving. We wish all the family happiness and success in their new home. We must thank the Churchwarden, Mrs Hilary Pollard, for her encouragement to the Old Almondburians’ Society and for her sterling work of holding things together during the long interregnum. We hope that Mark will join us for at least part of Founders’ Weekend, and we shall of course invite as many people from the School and the OAS as wish to come. So please do make the effort to join us, either by meeting at School at 10.30 am and walking together up St. Helen’s Gate or by coming direct to the Church for an 11.00 am start. The date of the service is 22nd November, the Sunday morning after the Annual Dinner. See you there.

PRIVATE PASSIONS

It all started with Walter de la Mare

I have enjoyed poetry all my life but only since 2001 have I been able to devote my time fully to writing, with eleven poetry collections and a biography so far.

O

DAVID MORPHET (1951 - 1958)

NE way and another, poetry leaves its mark on us. In my own case I think I know where it all started. It was when as a youngster I first heard my mother recite Walter de la Mare’s chilling and mysterious poem The Listeners: Is there anybody there? said the Traveller, Knocking on the moonlit door; And his horse in the silence champed the grass Of the forest’s ferny floor.

This poem still sends shivers down my spine. It is not a great poem in the way of the finest poetry of Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Tennyson or Auden, but it has emotive power, and I have felt the emotive power of poetry all my life. There was a time when I thought that I would like to teach literature, but as things turned out I followed a very different path. I kept up my interest, and wrote poems, but poetry was not a subject that one cared to raise in the worlds of administration or business. It would have been a very effective conversation-stopper. To reinforce this point, a businessman friend who recently bought one of my collections told me that he kept it well out of sight. “If anyone saw me reading poetry in the Golf Club”, he said, “they would think I had gone soft in the head.” It was only when I found myself free of the 42

David Morphet left King James’s Grammar School in 1958 on a scholarship to St John’s College Cambridge where he read English. In 1961 he joined the Diplomatic Service, working in posts in the Middle East and Spain and, for three years, as a Private Secretary to two successive Foreign Secretaries – Michael Stewart and George Brown. Transferring to the newly formed Department of Energy in 1974, he was seconded for two years to the then Midlands Electricity Board as Deputy Chairman, and subsequently represented the UK on various international energy bodies, including the International Atomic Energy Authority in Vienna. In 1989 he joined the private sector, working with Balfour Beatty, whom he represented on the Board of Barking Power and on the Council of the CBI. In 1997 he was recruited as Director-General of a new body, the Railway Forum, to bring together the interests of the newly privatised railway industry. Since 2001 he has devoted himself to writing, and inter alia has published a biography and eleven collections of poetry.‘His next collection – 'Homecoming by Microlight: Landscapes and Satires’ – is about to be published. He is married with three children and five grandchildren. His younger brother Alan (1945-2002) was also at KJGS.

daily pressures of employment that I decided to look through the verse which I had written over the years. Much was raw, or quite frankly bad, but there were a number of poems which I thought were passable and I included some of these in my first collection Seventy-Seven Poems, published in 2002. Prior to this I had tested my ability to write a single poem of over 600 lines using the form of terza rima, which Dante used in his Divine Comedy. I called this The Maze – a daydream in five cantos, describing it as a daydream because it was fanciful and lighthearted. It took the form of an imaginative excursion into poetic landscape, involving calls on Alexander Pope, Dr Johnson, Wordsworth, William Blake, Keats and Ezra Pound. The Maze helped me clear my mind about the kind of poetry I wanted to write. I did not in fact publish this work until 2009, coming close to meeting the advice of the Latin poet Horace that you should wait nine years before publishing anything. In the course of the last few years I have written on a wide range of themes – on love, ambition and loss; on animals of every hide and feather; and, in my collection The Silence of Green, on the unheard complex processes of the world of plants, and the importance to us of their silence against the cacophony of modern life. Here is an extract from one of the

poems in this collection, The Silence of Xylem: Xylem conceals great silences like that of lymph or other noiseless interstitial fluids, or corpuscles, or the unheard motion of bacteria.

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In my collection Lyrics from the Periodic Table I wrote on the chemical building blocks which constitute and condition life. It was a challenge to find the right imaginative vocabulary for elements such as Yttrium or Neodymium, but in the end it worked and I even managed to write what I suspect is the first (and probably the last) sonnet on element 118 – Ununoctium – of which only three or four atoms have ever been detected.The poet George Szirtes found that the poems in this collection ‘sit at a fascinating angle to the normal concerns of poetry’ but I think there is no harm in that. One should always be trying to do something new. Over the years I have written a number of poems on landscapes which are important to me, including the Pennine moorland around Ribblehead, Ingleborough and Peny-Ghent, and the ever-rewarding landscape of Dentdale. In contrast, in 2010 I published a series of poems evoking the intense colour and vitality of the Cyclades, the Greek islands which most inspire me. Under the title A Ring of Islands, the composer Adrian Rickard has set six of these poems to music. The

surprisingly apt: last year Russia hosted its first Formula I event. Some of my poems have already been translated into Russian and published in one of its leading literary journals, and later this year a selection of some fifty of my poems, translated into Russian, will be published in book form. Over the past two or three years I have worked on a number of longer, narrative poems. The longest, of almost 800 lines, appeared in a collection which carried the same title as the poem itself – Night Train to Utopia. It describes a journey where selfdeception leads to disaster in desert and jungle and then a kind of redemption. Another, entitled Purdue’s Tale, which is about sinister corporate and political conspiracy, was published in my last collection Satires and Legacies, a title which covers the two main themes of the book. As they grow older, poets often write elegies. Instead, I find myself inclined to write satirical verse about the follies of the age, tempering the satire with celebration of the historic achievements of outstanding figures like William Penn and Edward Jenner.The following short

coloratura soprano Julia Kogan and the Tippett String Quartet will be giving the first performance of this in September. Here is its envoi, The Next Island: Here’s a sea where everything’s in play, a sea for searching. The next island’s never far away. Its ridges scribble the horizon with reasons to go on.

Consult your travel guide on this. Consult the Odyssey.

Russia has begun to impinge on my work. When I was commissioned to write a poem on the Nobel laureate Josef Brodsky, for a commemorative collection, I compared the power of his verse to that of a Formula I car. This proved

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Ring of islands: coloratura soprano Julia Kogan and the Tippett Quartet will be performing Adrian Rickard’s composition at a recital in September 2015. David Morphet’s six poems, set to music, were inspired by the group of Cyclades islands south-east of mainland Greece.

ple like Primo Levi and Shostakovich who in conditions of oppression preserved a vision of truth and integrity. An interest in values also appears in my use again and again of two antagonistic characters, the Angel and the Fox, who urge the benefits of, on the one hand, driving ambition to succeed and, on the other, crafty stealth to avoid mishaps.

poem, entitled Inheritance, was inspired by the importance to us of bonds from the past: Good or bad there’s no escaping it.

Life from first to last depends on bonds we’ve inherited – securities that have no date of expiration or release.

Our histories are rich with evidence of balances that linger –

In the fox’s philosophy, what cannot be circumvented

debts requiring service, and facilities on which it would be witless not to draw.

cannot be comprehended. And endurance, unrewarded, has no place

I see poetry as a form of witness to what we are (or think we are) and what we seek to be, and endeavour so far as possible to avoid narrow introspective writing.Without being didactic, my work travels with a compass of values. This comes out most clearly in my collection 39 Ways of Looking, with its focus on peo-

for the angel. In the last resort, there are questions which they cannot face. Of course neither has the answer.

David Morphet’s poetry and other books are published by Notion Books (www.notionbooks.co.uk).

SUDOKU

7

8 9 5 6 6 2 1 4 7 7 2 6 1 2 5 7 3 3 1 7 2 4 6 8 4 9 7

Difficulty: very hard

Each row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain the digits 1 to 9 45

Farnley Lines

I

T is amazing how a simple action can bring back an apparently unconnected scene from a different era. Let me illustrate what I mean. On a recent birding trip – more of that in a moment – a colleague tore out a page from his notebook to give to another member of our eightsome. Immediately I was transported back to King James’s Grammar School in the 1960s when tearing pages out of one’s exercise book was a serious offence and could result in a new book having to be purchased. It may be difficult to believe but I could detect when a book had been so treated. I must have returned hundreds if not thousands after marking and by simply feeling the width could spot the difference. Again today’s pupils will be surprised to read that each subject had its own distinctive colour. Latin was always brown – I have one on the desk in front of me as I write – ‘Name Form Subject (redundant as it is brown) and KING JAMES’S SCHOOL ALMONDBURY across the centre – History was pink , Chemistry blue or is my memory slipping? Some older readers may well be able to supply a complete list. Also pupils were often

DAV E BUSH

surprised when I had noted some copying. On discovering this, I would tuck one book inside another. As I plonked the marked pile on my desk, the class could spot the pairing and I sensed excitement or dread as the pile diminished. How was the offence detected? Most teachers will tell you that an unusual error leaps out at you if repeated even twenty books later. I may well return to this topic of marking and returning exercise books at a later date, well aware that much of this has been overtaken by modern methods and technology.

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A trip to Chinatown You, Dear Reader, will have quickly deduced from the photos on the opposite page that my last Big Birding Trip was to China. Eight of us from The Glamorgan Bird Club flew to Beijing via Amsterdam for a fifteen day, most memorable experience. As always I have to avoid writing a travelogue. However, although the trip was primarily to see birds, we managed to enjoy some culture too. On the first day we rose early ‘to avoid the crowds’ in Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City. It was the coldest May day for sixty years and it

Clockwise from top left: Pere David’s Bush Warbler; two hardliners on a rainy day outside the Forbidden City; on the Great Wall; a bicycle made for three: note the smog mask

bucketed down. My overriding memory was of heaving, plastic-ponchoed crowds of Chinese pushing their way towards the sights. I was glad to escape. After that not a drop more rain and sunshine every day. A section of wall was visited and also some remote areas. The lasting impression was of a booming economy. Few bikes, jams of large, modern cars and armies of workers and fleets of lorries constructing motorways , theme parks and skyscrapers. All almost overwhelming. As one colleague succinctly expressed it, “It will be nice when it’s finished.” Oh yes – birds. Of no interest to most so I will confine my comments as usual to nomenclature. I always select the top three names; third place, the Mugimaki Flycatcher as I just like the sound of it, second the alliterative Beijing Babbler and , although it can be known as the Siber-

ian Bush Warbler, as number one, immodestly I prefer Pere David’s Bush Warbler.

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That unmistakeable accent Again as regular readers know I always try to find an Almondburian link on my travels. I saw China as a real challenge. One evening I heard from a parallel birding group what sounded very much like a Huddersfield accent. I approached the couple who, it transpired, now live at the junction of Benomley and Somerset Road. Previously they, Keith and Margaret Horne, had lived at Linthwaite. I mentioned playing football there for the Old Almondburians. The pitch, I remember, was reached by descending the valley side and was the muddiest I have ever played on. “But at least it was flat,”was my new acquaintance’s typicalYorkshire, dry comment. I then asked him if the name ‘Luty’ meant anything to him. It

transpired that he knew of Michael Luty. Michael was a Foundation Scholar which meant that although he lived in Linfit, he could go to King James’s. He was a member of that excellent intake year of 1963. There is a chance here for someone to do a little research. When did this scholarship die out and why Linthwaite? Did the school own land there?

hinted to those in adjacent rooms at what was happening within.Yet, of course, not every teacher ‘reigned supreme’ for there were cases of pupils bullying teachers, not physically ,of course, but I can recollect more than one teacher whose life must have been made almost intolerable by being endlessly tormented. Fear of losing control in the classroom is every teacher’s nightmare and even after nearly eighteen years of retirement I still suffer such not infrequent dreams. Perhaps this was the root cause of some teachers taking a particularly hard line. I suspect that Tony’s speech will have spawned more correspondence on this topic and it is one to which I may well return.

Bullying at School From one outstanding student to another. Last year’s main speaker at the annual dinner, Tony Cape, gave what was considered to be one of the best speeches in many a year: it was reproduced in full in the last issue. It was not without controversy, especially when Tony talked about bullying in the school both between pupils and of pupils by staff. Annual Dinner and Founders’ Day If today’s rules and regulations applied And so let’s look forward to Novemthen, few if any teachers, self included, ber’s annual dinner. I had hinted earlier that would have retained their jobs. The ethos my regular attendance at this function may was so different. However, the staff in gen- soon come to an end. However, this year eral were almost certainly unaware and I shall make the effort to be there to supperhaps did not bother port your chairman, If today’s rules Patrick O’Brien. I adunduly about interpupil bullying; it was and regulations mire Patrick enormousaccepted as the norm. ly, a true Almondburian As for staff ill-treat- applied then, few if who has given so much ment of pupils it was any teachers, self to the school and continsuspected to have ocues to do so. Having included, would curred but again little spanned so many years or nothing was ever down St. Helen’s Gate, have retained said. I do remember Patrick is the ideal pertheir jobs one serious incident son to unite the young being hushed up. Once ensconced in his and not-so-young.What is more I shall be classroom behind a wooden door – no able to congratulate him personally on his glass upper section – the teacher usually beloved Bristol Rovers’ return to the Footreigned supreme; only a raised voice ball League! 48

Back to the drawing board Roger Sykes (1946-1953) revisits some of his favourite drawings

T

Fallingworth Hall, Norland

he Pennine moors near the West Riding towns were a magnificent backdrop to my schooldays. Always seen from a cycle on empty roads – nostalgic? Yes – but I could wander down lanes into small villages where old stone buildings, farms and halls were a delight to see – and to sketch. That’s how you see the detail, like the water spouts above the main entrance of Fallingworth Hall, which predated downpipes. My newspaper sketches for the Huddersfield Examiner were constrained by the twothirds reduction from the original to a single column width. Most wonderful old buildings with real character are naturally landscape not portrait. As I cycled round, I can only say that I stopped in the middle of the road and stared at this wonderful sturdy old Yorkshire hall, poised on the edge of the steep hill descending to Sowerby Bridge. But it was not the right aspect for a newspaper column, so what could I do? I was about 15 and a bit cheeky, so I knocked on the door and offered my outline sketch as a Christmas card. After showing a few other prints, it was generously accepted. I enjoyed the lovely long freewheel all the way back down to my home in Greetland. This hall has stayed in my memory.The most arresting buildings of real character were often parts of working farms – the detailed stonework, sawn from the local quarries, was fascinating and still is. One thing I recall from that part of my life was that the people who lived in these old halls were always welcoming to a young student. Fallingworth Hall has belonged to Norland village since 1642 and is just a bit younger than an old Chantry School that we all remember! 49

Badminton and Tennis

A

A ND R E W H A I G H

a ndrew.ha igh@oas .org .uk

As Badminton gives way to summer Tennis, do join us!

S has become customary, the Old Almondburians’ Badminton Section extended their season from Easter until Spring Bank Holiday. However, numbers did become rather thin towards the end, mainly due to holidays, to such an extent that, one Thursday, the only three of us who were available to play resorted to going to watch ‘Fartown’ play Leeds instead. I did suggest that the Sky cameras could have filmed a far more entertaining evening by coming to Old Almondburians’ badminton instead – and that we would have done it for half the price but all to no avail! The 2015 badminton season will start on Thursday, 3rd September. We

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play every Thursday evening during term time from 7.30 pm until 9.30 pm. The fee to play is £7 per person, per evening, including court hire, shuttlecocks and showers, and we embrace all standards, so please come along and join us. The Tennis season started, as usual, on Thursday, 4th June and we will be playing on the school tennis courts on T h u r s d a y evenings, from 7.30 p.m. until dusk, until Thursday, 27th August. The fee to play is only £4 per person, per evening and we embrace all standards, so please come along and join us.

Cricket

O

S T E V E S L ACK

s m_slac k@ya hoo.co. uk

First XI rallies after bad start but Second XI has mixed results

UR Annual Presentation Evening was held again at Grappolos Italian Restaurant in Lockwood on Saturday 14th March 2015. An enjoyable meal followed by musical entertainment was attended by over 60 people. Prizes for the 2014 season were awarded as follows:

Green Moor (leaders)

Almondburians (seventh) Mount (leaders)

Almondburians (tenth)

2014 AWARDS

FIRST XI

Batting Bowling Fielding

Sam Atkin Steve Slack Sam Atkin

Batting Bowling Fielding

Chris Buck James Holder Ben Hodgson

SECOND XI

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

(Presented by Richard Taylor in memory of his father Harry Taylor) No award

The 1st X1, captained again by Sam Atkin in the Premier Section of 12 teams, began with three fairly heavy defeats. The trend however was then reversed with two comprehensive victories over Leymoor and Nortonthorpe before another, rather closer defeat. With the Huddersfield Central League reduced to just 16 clubs, the Second X1, again led by Ben Hodgson, are playing in

PREMIER SECTION

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SECTION A

97 PTS 50 PTS 95 PTS 35 PTS

Section A, also with 12 teams. After failing to raise a side for the first match, they too have had very mixed results ranging from losing games when dismissed for 50 on two occasions to a crushing win by 10 wickets, all in the space of the opening six matches. Current League positions after six matches are shown in the tables above. Encouragingly, the First XI and Second XI both won in the first round of their cup competitions, beating Flockton and Horbury Bridge respectively to reach the quarter finals. The nets at the ground have sadly been vandalised and are currently out of action at a time when some players clearly need them. This year’s President’s/Gala Day will take place on Sunday 23rd August 2015 when the cricketing action will again be a 6-a-side competition starting at 10.30 am. Refreshments including a bar and barbecue will be available throughout the day and we hope many Almondburians will take this opportunity to revisit our picturesque ground and support the club.

Football

T

DAV I D F I S H E R

d av idp fishe r@hotma il.co. uk

Lack of consistency results in mid-table final position

HE Almondburians’ YORKSHIRE AMATEUR LEAGUE DIVISION 1 FINAL TABLE football season came Played W D L F A GD PTS to a gentle close in St Nicholas 24 17 3 4 78 26 52 54 24 14 5 5 70 41 29 44 early May. The Farnley Tyas Alwoodley FC Res 24 13 4 7 63 50 13 43 Collingham Juniors OB pitch’s predisposition for hold24 11 7 6 67 51 16 40 Leeds Independent ing water (as well as a healthy 24 11 5 7 59 49 10 38 Garforth Rangers mole population) was not al24 11 4 8 59 45 14 37 Almondburians lowed to prevent the two 24 11 3 10 61 60 1 36 Colton Athletic teams from fulfilling their fix24 8 4 12 54 68 -14 28 Grangefield OB Res tures thanks to the efforts of 24 7 5 12 35 52 -17 26 Old Centralians Secretary Rob Antich, who 24 8 2 14 48 73 -25 26 St Bedes AFC bartered the good people of Leeds Medics & Dentists III 24 7 2 15 47 78 -31 23 the Canalside Huddersfield Sandal Wanderers 24 5 7 12 58 73 -15 22 Town Academy into giving Gilderstone Spurs OB 24 6 1 17 53 86 -33 16 ’Burians a favourable rate for YORKSHIRE AMATEUR LEAGUE DIVISION 3 FINAL TABLE use of their artificial pitch. Played W D L F A GD PTS In a mixed year, it was the 20 15 2 3 94 25 69 47 Farsley Celtic Juniors Res enormous plastic pitch that 20 14 3 3 68 27 41 45 Old Centralians Res played host to a couple of sea20 14 1 5 87 33 54 43 Churwell Lions son highlights for the 1st XI, 20 13 2 5 70 50 20 41 Ealandians Res with two separate league lead20 13 2 5 60 33 27 38 Bainbridge ers dispatched in style, includ20 10 3 7 62 44 18 33 Norristhorpe ing a gratifying 7 – 0 defeat of Old Modernians Res 20 6 3 11 41 65 -24 21 bitter rivals Colton Institute. Almondburians Res 20 4 5 11 32 45 -13 17 The low point came in man- Woodhouse Moor Methodists 20 5 3 12 32 50 -18 12 ager Ju Byram’s only unat- FC Headingley Res 20 2 2 16 37 80 -43 2 tended game, when a goal Middleton Park Res 20 1 0 19 13 144 -131 0 conceded after an estimated eight seconds set the tone for a 7 – 1 away defeat to Collingham. The newly promoted ’Burians team couldn’t quite emulate last season’s heroics, and ultimately paid for a lack of consistency, eventually finishing a comfortably sixth out of 13. 52

For the Rewere rarely 2014-5 ROLL OF HONOUR serves, the searolled over, and son has been one Clubman were never in Julian Atkinson of frustration. of the Year danger of relegaHarvey Jones The fate of many Young Player of tion. The season reserves teams is the Year highlight was the to be forever in a 4 – 1 victory over FIRST XI state of transia useful BainPlayer of the Year David Fisher tion, however, bridge side, Top Scorer Adam Lightowlers (21) the merry-gowhilst the lowRESERVES round of players light was unPlayer of the Year David Brock has been particudoubtedly the Adam May (10) larly pronounced Top Scorer defeat suffered at this year, with the hands of an Almondburians stalwart Julian Atkinson and abject Middleton Park side that conceded newly installed co-manager Lee Dewhirst to 144 goals in 20 games. The final standings be credited for getting a competitive team saw ’Burians finish 8th out of 11, which out every week. One player worthy of par- can just about be claimed as mid-table, if you ticular mention is Michael Lightowlers who squint at it. rolled back the years to make a couple of apThe end-of-season presentation night pearances at the age of 67, which is surely a was held at the Woolpack in League record. Almondbury.Well attended by AlmondDespite spending the majority of the sea- burians past and present, it featured a Race son in the division’s nether regions, ’Burians Night to raise funds for the club.

First XI back row (from left): Julian Byram (manager), Pete Jowett, Matthew Brearey, Bruce Atkinson, Gary Lumb, Adam Taylor, David Fisher, Rob Antich, Will Bedford, Johnny Mellor. Front row (from left): Chris Dunn, Adam Lightowlers, James Duff, Nick Robinson, Adam Walker, Rob Thompson. 53

TERRY’S TEASER NO 15 Compiled by Terry Buckley (1948 - 1953)

Entries to the Editor (address/email: back cover) by 1st October 2015 1

2

8

9

3

10

13

4

11 14

16

6

5

12 15

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Prize: 12 months free OAS membership

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38. Spring the disturbed night team, to add spice (3, 6, 6)

DOWN 1. After a second of shuffling, met in old blazers (6,9) 2. Go back to the king for maritime beverage (4) 22 23 24 25 26 3. Ferment in red dye (4) 4. A bit about judges compensation (10) 5. Old man from the middle of the 27 28 29 last millenium! (3) 30 31 32 33 34 6. Mixture of eastern scenes of nature (7) 35 36 37 7. Set of impressions? (5, 10) 9. Alarm article in short scene (5) 10. Discharge from universal vocation (5) 38 12 & 24 A. Thanksgiving place, however, was stopped (2,1,10) 18. In soft, over the top, single room, I ACROSS find the artist (10) 21. Queen has no embrace for 1. Pimps at the airport? (7,8) 20. Rob, back in days of yore (3) emperor (4) 8. Disapproved of the work on 21. Clear the screen (3) 22. Helps one take one’s beer! (4) carriage No 500 (7) 23. Big-time crook on the run? (2,5) 11. Adjust, adjust! Miss the junction! 24. See 12 down 27. In the back, Erica, Lily, and Daisy 25. Something loud after the woman Traitor!! (5) makes a bundle (5) show another bloom (5) 13. Foreign leader – from either side! (3) 26. Reflecting on Verne’s biography, we 14. In the Tokyo Union? – not I! (3) 29. Hearing of dismissal, is out of find the author (5) pocket (3) 15. Expression session (4) 28. That is the king inside with short 16. Eastern belief puts foreign nose 30. Caused by the mole hole (4) war hero (3) 31. Decline main movement (3) out of joint (3) 32. Arctic composer? (4) 33. Hail! The girl’s back (3) 17. She and he in Africa (5) 35. Sicken by return of outcast (5) 34. She’s mada a clerical comeback (4) 19. Comic’s rooms are ransacked – 37. M E title from, say, three letters (7) 36 Ape mixed veg (3) it’s a small world! (10) 18

19

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Name Email Tel

The winner of Terry’s Teaser No 14 (March 2015) was Keith Crawshaw (1964 - 1971)

Across 7. The virgin queen 9. Sacred 11. Idea 12. Managers 14. Recopy 15. Resist 16. Ate 18. Fatuous 19. Literal 20. Ask 22. Addled 25. Bribed 26. Aeronaut 27. Tang 28. Issued 30 Three hundredth Down 1. Ivor 2. Friday 3. Piquant 4. Squier 5. Remiss 6. Understatement 8. Heaven and earth 10. Employee 13. Restarts 16. Asa 17. Elk 21. Sinuous 23. Lagers 24. Draper 25. Builds 29. Smew

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We lose our crossword compiler

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Sadly,Terry Buckley died at the age of 89 in March (obituary: page 63)

N May 2010, we announced our plan to include a cryptic cross word in future issues of The Almondburian. The Old Almondburians’ Society’s resident quizmaster Keith Crawshaw promptly produced a suitable crossword from his archives and ‘Keith’s Kryptic Krossword’ duly made its appearance in the July 2010 issue.As this was the only crossword Keith had in stock, we thought that was probably both the beginning and the end of this particular bright idea. However, we were then delighted to receive a communication from Terry Buckley up in Grange-over-Sands, enclosing a batch of no fewer than 10 crosswords he had compiled some years earlier. Were these of any interest? Indeed they were, and they kept us going until last year when stocks were again running low. But there was a further surprise in store when Terry kindly sent us a further batch of crosswords from his collection.

The crosswords have always been of excellent cryptic standard, to an extent that has nearly been our undoing on one or two occasions. Engagingly, Terry had not thought to retain the solutions to his crosswords and it was not unknown for him to be baffled by his own clues. Fortunately, our loyal band of solvers have usually been able to come to the rescue. We are now up to number 15 in this series with a further four crosswords in stock to take us up to the end of next year. We shall then again be seeking a compiler for our crosswords and hope that from somewhere within our large membership a worthy successor to Terry will now emerge. Crosswords should be on a symmetrical 15 x 15 grid pattern and all clues must be cryptic in nature to the high standard set by Terry Buckley. Entries may be sent to the Editor by post or email (address details on back cover).

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QUIZ NIGHT 2015

1960s ‘Dartmouth’ team wins again

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Another successful evening as ‘Staff’ team makes welcome return

KEITH CRAWSHAW (1964 - 1971)

HE ‘1960s’ team of Doug Norris, Jez Whitehead and David Sinclair, playing under their original name of Dartmouth QUIZ NIGHT and joined by Denis Taylor Dartmouth (of Jessop!), retained the Ex-Staff OAS QuizTrophy for a second year. The annual com- First & Last petition, held again at Almondbury Conservative Cricket Club, took place on Wednesday 29th April 2015. We were delighted to see the return of a Staff team (Stephen McNamara, Kath Emer-

son, Tracey Brook and Joanne Hodgson) who, in the first semi-final, were up against the Ex-Staff (Patrick FINAL 2015 O’Brien, Walter Raleigh 56 PTS and Dave Bradford) and 53 PTS First & Last.This team was so named because Maria Lijka 48 PTS was one of the first girls to join King James’s as a Sixth 44 PTS Form College and Andrew Hill was one of the last intake of King James’s Grammar School. Bryan and Stephanie Hopkinson were the other members of the team. The five rounds this year were:

Winners: New Old Almondburians’ Society chairman Patrick O’Brien presents the trophy to (l to r) Denis Taylor, Doug Norris, Jez Whitehead and David Sinclair

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Deep study: Quizmaster Keith Crawshaw (right) keeps the teams guessing as David Parry on his right keeps score Photographs: Andrew Haigh

Round 1: Two games of a Paul Daniels style Wipeout competition on sporting themes Round 2: Identification of wild flowers Round 3: Faces Round 4: Matching songs to musicals Round 5: General knowledge on buzzer Scoring heavily in round 3 and taking maximum points in round 4, First & Last won the match by 6 points to go through to the final along with the Ex-Staff. This was at the expense of the Staff who were unable to recover from a fairly disastrous first two rounds but we trust they will come back stronger to try again next year. The second semi-final, with similarly themed rounds, saw the reigning champions take on Cricket (Graham Cliffe, Michael Buck, John Clutterbrook and John Headey) and for the first time Young Cricket (Sam Atkin, Oliver Hirst, Adam Lightowlers and Chamika Himendra).The newcomers started poorly in rounds 1 and 2 (there obviously aren’t any wild flowers on the school cricket field), were unable to recover the lost ground and so were eliminated at this stage. Again, we hope they will return for another innings next year. The winners by 9 points, Dartmouth, and Cricket progressed to the final. In the final the four teams faced the

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following six category rounds: Round 1: 2014 news items on buzzer Round 2: Comedy legends on stamps Round 3: Memory test on a picture Round 4: Faces Round 5: Identification of old tools and implements from alternatives Round 6: General knowledge on buzzer Dartmouth went into the lead after an excellent score in round 2 and retained that position to the end. Cricket was in second place after 4 rounds but was overtaken by Ex-Staff in round 5 and then by First & Last who had a commanding final buzzer round. It was an interesting contest and remained pretty close throughout. Dartmouth won with 56 points, 3 ahead of the runners up, Ex-Staff, on 53, with First & Last on 48 and Cricket, still with a creditable 44. Unusually Badminton was unable to provide a team due to holiday commitments so my thanks to David Parry for stepping in as scorer in the absence of Jack Taylor. Thanks also to Walter Raleigh for organising the buzzers, a regular feature here but not often seen in other quizzes, and our photographer, Andrew Haigh. Whilst we can manage this established format with six teams please could we have at least two more to increase the competition for the trophy in 2016?

Postbag

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YOU W RITE …

The ‘geeks’ in the 1960s got their reward

From: Gary Boothroyd (1962-1969) S a classmate of Tony Cape (1962-69) I read the copy of his Annual Dinner speech (The Almondburian, March 2015) with great interest. You see I was one of the ‘losers’ he refers to in his closing paragraphs. 1960s KJGS had its equivalent of the ‘jocks’ and ‘geeks’ commonly found in tales of American high schools. As a studious child, not in the least sporty, I was inevitably one of the latter. How well I remember PE classes where those of us lacking in sporting talent were let loose on the football field in the 3rd team, with no instruction or guidance or means to improve our skills, whilst staff concentrated on the first two teams. Or the tormenting trials in the Sports Hall when Ken Ireland selected two of his favourites to choose the opposing teams and we few had to withstand the humiliation of always being the last to be picked. In a fairer, more humane regime I would regularly have been one of those doing the choosing. How glad I was to reach the sixth form when we were often allowed to do our own thing for physical activity, and I regularly used to go cross-country running alone up through Mollicar Woods and down Farnley Line.

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Nicknames were also often chosen to highlight deficiencies or deviations from the accepted norm. I will not validate examples by quoting them here, but many were not kind or selected with affectionate regard. They were a constant reminder of the thoughtlessness of others. So yes there was emotional cruelty, and some physical too, though by and large not from other pupils. Those of my era will remember having crossed the teacher in a History class and being made to stand looking out of a dorm window whilst he swiped the back of your head with a book. Then those days in a Latin class when a whole row couldn’t answer a posed question, and every boy in the line was hit on the head with a book. Or again Maths classes where if your crime was deemed to exceed the penalty of copying out the section of the textbook on ‘Taxation and Bankruptcy’ overnight you were given a sharp rap from a knuckle on the forehead. Having since spent my whole working life as a teacher and manager in education these punishments seem inappropriate now, and would be grounds for an investigation and likely

dismissal. But then, as L P Hartley ob- Gate as the Jack Boothroyd Memorial served “The past is a foreign country: Prize. I have met Jack Taylor a number of they do things differently there”. I remember Jack Taylor’s lessons times over the years and have never well, but Tony was in error. For I am made any secret of my success as a the ‘Butheroyd’ he refers to, but I was- teacher being due to the high degree n’t the unfortunate who had the words of order and structure which he incul‘rolled’ down a metre rule into the cated. I still cannot write on the top line of a sheet of file ear. I was far too ter“The top line is paper without hearrified of Jack for the first three years of for main headings, ing that nasal drawl “The top line is for our acquaintance to the date, the main headings, the question him in the the Queen’s manner described. Queen’s birthday, date, birthday, and whatHow could I forget and whatever ever colour of unsuch an experience? derpants Johnson is Not me, gov’. But I colour of wearing!” After tests do remember that underpants Johnson my own students metre rule and the carried out in subseway Jack would is wearing” quent years I occacreep around the room whilst we were taking dictation, sionally used Jack’s “3 right 1 mark; 2 and the heart-stopping crack as it hit right ½ mark; 1 right no mark; none the bench alongside some poor soul right no mark” high-speed chant too, guilty of some minor infraction. On generating the same bemusement that one occasion someone was so startled I remember in the Biology lab. I have corresponded with Dave that their fountain pen described a graceful arc, bouncing off the ceiling Bush and admitted he played a large tiles. I think Tony Cape was the pen’s part in creating an understanding of owner, but then maybe I am now in how to control a group of teenagers and keep them on task for the duration error. Tony concluded that those like me of a lesson. Roland Wearing taught me would be glad to see the back of KJGS it was cool to be a polymath; I rememand never want to be reminded of the ber my amazement that he subscribed place again. Wrong again Tony. I joined to New Scientist during conversations the OAS the day I left and provided whilst I was completing artwork in the funding for the Presentation Evening sixth form to gain the ‘O’ level which Biology Prize from that day to this, I had been required to drop in the 4th nowadays commemorating my late fa- year. Fred Hudson instilled a love of ther’s sacrifices to financially support maps and physical geography which is me through seven years at St Helen’s with me still. 59

regional awards, and I was the leader of an Outdoor Pursuits Group at my college for many years, potholing in the Yorkshire Dales, climbing in Snowdonia, and running half-marathons. I have cycled 215,000 miles and still counting – including an unsupported cycle tour with my wife from Geneva through the Alps to St Tropez and on to Nice. Not bad for one of Ken Ireland’s rejects. So I left KJGS with a net balance of positive memories. Whilst some of the staff should have been put out to pasture long before my arrival, and the ‘A’ level results were pretty ordinary for a grammar school (a point discussed in a recent Almondburian), other staff inspired me to strive to be the lecturer and manager that I became. They taught me the value of a structured methodology, the tough love approach to discipline, the importance of continuity and the satisfaction to be gained from loyalty and integrity which have been the props of my own successful career. I have much to thank the School for. I take particular pleasure in the school now being a Specialist Science Academy. The geeks had their reward and recognition in the end. Oakham, Rutland

The Sixth Form transformed my view of the institution. Tony was right in that we had to choose Arts or Sciences. I would have loved to study Biology, Chemistry and Geography, but that was not to be. So Physics was my third subject with a dollop of Maths in Transitus Science. Perhaps the real difference in school life was that the geeks tended to gravitate towards the sciences so we had less contact with the others. Self-respect grew like a tender plant, supported by Jack, Charlie Gill and Les Mallinson. Practical projects in lunchtimes developed our scientific curiosity. With fellow outsiders Graeme Carby (also mentioned in Tony Cape’s address) and Edward Asquith I built a working mechanical body – the BioBabe – which made an appearance in the Examiner. I was secretary of the Scientific Society, mentioned in the Mar 2015 Almondburian, and produced a series of posters advertising events, examples of which I still have in my collection of artwork. During university vacations Graeme and I used to return to the school car park for evening runs through the woods followed by drinks in the Golden Cock at Farnley Tyas. In later years I became a committed orienteer, winning

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“Chemistry is very working class,” said one teacher

From: Dr Roger Harrison (1958-1965) noted with interest the comments from Tony Cape about the “exclusive, intolerant, and even a cruel place” that King James’s School was in the 1960s.

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I was there from 1958-65 and, while I rarely dwell on my time at the School, most of my memories seem to be related to various acts of psychological and physical torment.While I am reluctant to

head. The list goes on. Finally I recall that having decided I wanted to study chemistry at university I was advised “chemistry is very working class, and I should reconsider”. Fortunately I ignored that advice and eventually, with a PhD in hand, embarked on a successful career and now live in the USA. Was I harmed by the environment prevalent at the School? Probably not, as it simply seemed to be the way life was at that time. Did I get a good education? Possibly, but the biggest lesson was that if I wanted to achieve things in life I needed to be resilient and resourceful, and that I would have to overcome obstacles such as those presented at King James’s School. Downingtown, Pennsylvania

name specific teachers, as there is some blurring of who did what, I recall several events. These included in my first week in an English class being asked, along with everyone else, who had been born within sight of Castle Hill.Those who raised their hands were told “they were all morons and there was no hope that they would ever achieve anything in their lives”. Quite a start! There was a teacher who rejoiced in grasping small hands in his significantly larger ones and grinding knuckles until children begged to be released; one who kept a bag of sand tied into the sleeve of his academic gown to randomly smack students on their heads. Another, who, when failing to identify a miscreant in class, would slap every child on the

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But we persecuted the staff too

From: Prof Edward Royle (1955-1962) OU ask for views on Tony’s comments at the 2014 dinner. I was somewhat surprised by them. Yes there was bullying and I experienced some from one or two individuals (whom I will not name) but there was nothing extreme. Yes, there was corporal punishment – not only the headmaster’s cane but other staff who administered a ‘slippering’ from time to time. But I saw nothing I would call violence and it was not random. Most bullying was in the spirit of bunking first years on their first year, or putting itchy rose hip seeds down hapless shirt collars; and the violence

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might be the sting from a well-aimed piece of chalk aimed at the back of a neck which was facing the wrong way in class. In these more tender times there might be much to condemn but I don’t think our lives were impoverished by it. We can probably all recall Tex Western’s threat to come among us and slap us hard, which elicited the response that this was not in accord with Christ’s commandments and so unworthy of a Moravian minister! Yes, looking back, we persecuted some staff more than any of them persecuted us. The overall atmosphere was a happy one. York, North Yorkshire

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Not all sweetness and light in the ’60s

From: Peter Tracey (1956-1963)

and remembered sheltering there with my Greenhead girl friend one very stormy Saturday evening – how romantic it was. Studio 58 was a real feature of life for me in the early ’60s, but so also was the Alassio Coffee Bar near the station. A cup of coffee there came with all the smells and noises of an Italian espresso machine – it was a very popular meeting place after school and on Sunday evenings. One cup lasted a long time and a small table might be surrounded by up to 20 chairs. It was an Exchange – come and meet and be seen and organise and all so much better than Facebook. My thanks to Terry whoever he might be. I notice that I won again last time around. If my effort is again successful forget any prize – its just a bit of fun, and enjoyable. Whitley Bay, Northumberland

NOTHER very interesting Almondburian magazine.I much )prefer the printed copy to any electronic/digital version I would not like to commit any words to paper about bullying at KJGS, but I did have a conversation with Tony Cape at the dinner about two particular incidents that left a very deep mark on my memory, both coming from the same teacher that, if memory does serve me correctly, would have certainly ended his career, and may have led to a custodial sentence. It was not all sweetness and light. I especially enjoyed the piece about playing an instrument. It has inspired me to take up some instrument after my 70th birthday in May. Not sure what to do yet but it is a resolution, as also is a request for a sketch pad and pencils from one of my daughters. Also liked the piece about the bus shelter, which I passed by the other day

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Terry Buckley (1948-1953) died on 19th March 2015: see article on page 55 and obituary opposite.

Last word: the School was fine in the 1950s

From: Rev Stuart Roebuck (1950-1955) HANKS for another splendid edition of The Almondburian (March 2015). But,regarding Tony Cape’s assertion on page 35, I don’t remember school as being randomly violent in the 1950s when I was there.

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For me they were fairly placid years, though of course I was fairly placid myself in those days. I didn’t become cantankerous until middle age. Newsome, Huddersfield

Obituaries

G O N E B U T N OT FO RGOTTEN

Terry Buckley (1948-1953) Computer programmer, artist, cryptic crossword compiler and lifelong trainspotter I was with Terry through Hillhouse Primary, King James’s and Huddersfield School of Art. Terry loved the music of Frank Sinatra and the ‘big band’ orchestras, and at the art school we would argue over the merits of his style of music and my love of Louis Armstrong and the New Orleans bands. Although not special mates through the various colleges, we became great friends when we collaborated on the collective autobiographies of the ‘Class of ’48’ for the 50th year reunion. After National Service in Cyprus as a Cartographer, Terry worked with computers at Kosset Carpets then later was a programmer for the Abbey National, so his methodical mind was ideal for producing the flow sheets and collating all the material for the souvenir book. I put it all into print form and a 64 page volume was the result. His love of words and numbers was also evident in the many cryptic crosswords he compiled for The Almondburian, which still appear in the magazine. His art school training wasn’t wasted however as he was a skilled artist and cartoonist, drawing the images for various reunion menus. These would feature a typical multi-house AGS boy, either on his first day or in sporting mode. Terry staunchly upheld the superiority of Jessop over the other houses and as a ‘Fenayite’ I would futilely attempt to put him right. His proudest achievement for Jessop was winning the Middle School Cross Country in 1952. Coming from the back of the field after Arkenley Lane and using, he said, the trick of looking up at the trees when running down Farnley Line, he sped past everyone to take the medal. From then on Terry was known as ‘Zatopek’ after the great Olympic runner of that year. Terry’s grandfather, father and son Adam were also old Almondburians and, I suspect, all were in Jessop house too. Terry married twice and with his first wife Stephanie had three sons Adam, 63

Robin and their eldest Guy who sadly passed away a few years ago. After his divorce he married Josie in 1994; they first lived in Brighouse then moved to Cark in Cartmel a few years ago. He would take the train from there to either Carnforth or Carlisle, to pursue his lifelong hobby of train spotting, photographing and collating the engine and rolling stock numbers. On one occasion, after falling asleep on the journey home, he finished up at Euston station and had to make his way back through the night. As well as making his own Christmas and quirky birthday cards for his children and step-grandchildren he also did many highly detailed drawings of the village buildings and – typically for Terry – using a 4H pencil. Unfortunately Josie was diagnosed with Altzheimer’s and is now in a Care Home. Terry was also affected, his health rapidly deteriorated and he died in Furness General Hospital after a bout of pneumonia. Terry’s last AGS drawing was of four ‘Old Boys’ in wheel chairs, emblazoned in respective house colours, which was to announce the next possible reunion. Sadly he will not make that one – his last train departed the station on Thursday, 19th March. JohnWatson, Class of ’48

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CHRIS HAIGH (Soss) (1948 – 1954) Former clinical researcher who shared Terry Buckley’s enthusiasm for trainspotting Sadly two best pals from the Class of ’48 have died within a few weeks of each other. Chris Haigh and Terry Buckley were both keen train enthusiasts; however running was not a shared passion as the cross country was listed as Chris’s major dislike at AGS. Was it the best provincial railway facade in the UK, the imposing neo-classical entrance to Huddersfield station, that inspired so many of us to stand on those draughty platforms collecting train numbers? Standing in small groups with pencils and Ian Allen books to hand we would hope to ‘collect’ as many ‘namers’ and engine numbers as we could as they steamed through. Chris and Terry carried on with their railway hobby, often meeting up through the years for their locomotive fix. Chris had a passion for wildlife and bird watching (and not just those at Greenhead). It was on a nature holiday to Portugal in the summer of 1997 that he fell in love with the small hill village of Ulgueira and lived there until spring of 1998.With no light pollution it was perfect for star watching too. He kept in touch with the world by short-wave radio, wrote poetry (published in UK anthologies) and painted land and seascapes. Another favourite place was Killorglin in Eire, holidaying there for seven years at Mrs Mangan’s guesthouse, after being persuaded by his son Michael, that he would not be an IRA target. Apparently this took five years. Married three times and divorced twice, he had two sons Michael and Andy, both of whom attended AGS; also a daughter Caroline and three grandchildren. His sons remember being taken to watch Huddersfield Town in 1967, and Michael has never missed a season since. In his autobiography, in the reunion book of 1998, Chris listed his career after AGS as: 1954 Joined ICI Research Department 1961 Joined Allied Colloids Research Department 1966 Clinical Research Associate for U.S. Drug Corporation 1977 Gave up research and joined WestYorkshire Ambulance Service first as a driver/attendant then managed their Research and Statistics department. 1995 Took early retirement as Senior Manager. He returned to Huddersfield again in 1998 to live in Newsome and marry his third wife 65

Clare. While drinking in The Foresters at Crosland Moor, just after the smoking ban was introduced, he was interviewed by an Examiner reporter as a ‘very unhappy smoker’, which made a two page spread in the paper. Unfortunately in his last years he contracted Paget’s bone disease and had to move into the Aden Mount Care Home in Primrose Hill, where he became a popular resident. Although eventually confined to a wheelchair, it didn't dent his cheerful spirit and he managed to attend many of the AGS reunion events. I expect, in some great railway shed in the sky, Soss and Zatopek with Ian Allen books in hand will have filled in that last elusive number and collected their last ‘namer’. They are affectionately remembered. John Watson, Class of ’48

William Braide (Staff 1936-1939) Centenarian former teacher who was the oldest member of the Old Almondburians’ Society Bill Braide was born in Warrington. He took a degree in English Language and Literature at Liverpool University before taking up an initial appointment at Ballymena Academy in Northern Ireland. Having family connections with Huddersfield, he was delighted when a vacancy at King James’s Grammar School occurred in 1936 and had a successful interview with Taylor Dyson in Huddersfield Town Hall. He described his time at the School as the happiest of his whole teaching career. In particular, he had fond memories of his colleagues at that time such as Taylor Dyson himself, Walter Haigh, Leonard Ash, Edward Akroyd, Reg Addy and Ralph Hum. He was particularly close to Fred Hudson, with whom he shared ‘digs’ in Lowerhouses Lane. Bill left King James’s in 1939 to take up a position at Hanson Boys’ High School, Bradford (where Fred Hudson and his brothers had been educated). He subsequently moved into Further Education and spent the major part of his career with the Inner London Education Authority where he held many senior positions. Bill Braide was the oldest member of the OAS. A 2010 interview with him at his home in Goring-by-Sea, Sussex can be heard on the OAS website at http://goo.gl/HKMg5V. 66

Now on sale

All who remember Harry Taylor will enjoy this new book about the School’s respected Headmaster from 1951 to 1973. A well-known Almondbury figure, he was also a regular reader at All Hallows’ Church, the transcriber of the local parish registers, and one of the authors of a respected history of Almondbury. He played cricket for Almondbury Casuals, and earned a reputation throughout Huddersfield as a witty and entertaining after dinner speaker. Morning Assembly gives a fascinating and often humorous account of Harry Taylor’s life and includes, in facsimile form, 100 prayers – ancient and modern – which he assembled over the years for use in School assemblies.

Get your copy NOW!

Copies of Morning Assembly cost just £10 plus £1.30

pp*. Please send your cheque, payable to the Old Almondburians’ Society, to Andrew Haigh, R D

Haigh & Co, Oakhill Road, Brighouse, West

Yorkshire HD6 1SN. Alternatively, you can order on line at http://tinyurl.com/bw9ms88 or through any good bookshop.

*in UK. Mainland Europe: £2.70; Rest of World: £4.30 6767

Chairman PATRICK O’BRIEN 20 Almondbury Close, Almondbury HD5 8XX Email: patrick.obrien@oas.org.uk Tel: 01484 303895 Secretary ANDREW HAIGH 2 Arkenley Lane, Almondbury HD4 6SQ Tel: 01484 432105 Email: andrew.haigh@oas.org.uk

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