Tributes to Popular Head

The funeral of Edward Armitage, the last headmaster of Soham Grammar School, was held at St. Mary's Church in Ely last Tuesday.

Mr Armitage, 91, died in Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge on the 6th July 2001, and will be remembered by those who knew him as an intelligent, happy and generous man who had strong views on teaching. He lived with his wife May in Cambridge Road, Ely, who has been amazed at the number of cards from past pupils and friends expressing condolences and sharing their memories. "Edward was very ambitious for us, he pushed us and inspired us and gave us confidence as well," read one card from a former student at the grammar school.

Mr Armitage was headmaster at the school from 1945 to 1972 and, with May, he established and ran a weekly boarding house for pupils. Boarding was started to help students who had to travel some distance to school but eventually accommodated children from broken homes. The school doubled in size during his tenure and the success rate in both O and A levels and university entrances improved, along with its sporting and cultural record. Mrs Armitage said: "His heart was in education and his heart was in young people. He never knew one day when he was unhappy going to school. He didn't want to be an administrator, he wanted his place to be in the classroom."

Born on the 25th June, 1910, Mr Armitage gained a first class degree in natural sciences at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and in physics and maths at London University. He went on to teach physics at schools in Rochester and Reading before becoming head of the wireless wing of the army radio school for which he worked 'night and day' in research and development to help the war effort, said May. Mr Armitage wrote his first text-book, Wireless Fundamentals, after the war. More books, on wireless and physics, followed and Mr Armitage also had several letters published in The Times. He was delighted to hear in the weeks before his death that his latest book, The Way We Lived Then - a collection of writings describing life before the modern era, with illustrations by his colleague at Soham Grammar School, art master Peter Askem - would be published.

Mr Armitage was head of the Grammar School until its amalgamation into Soham Village College with the introduction of comprehensive education in 1972. He left to become principal of the Sixth Form Centre at City of Ely College and moved to live in Ely, retiring in 1975. Mr Armitage was also a magistrate at Newmarket. He is survived by his widow May, with whom he would have celebrated his diamond wedding on Saturday, his three sons, Roderick, Robin and Richard, and seven grandchildren.
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Ex-head's legacy of a bygone era Evening News, Wednesday July 11, 2001 Edward Armitage, the last headmaster of Soham Grammar School, has died at the age of 91. Mr Armitage was appointed head in 1945, and he held the post until the school was merged to become Soham Village College in 1972. He ran the school's weekly boarding house for 20 years, along with his wife May. Throughout his teaching career he taught physics and his book, Practical Physics, was used in schools both in Britain and abroad up until the 1970s. During his retirement years he complied an anthology of writings, describing day-to-day life in days gone by. Unfortunately, the work was not completed before his final illness, but The Way We Lived Then, will be published later this year. He also served for many years as a magistrate on the Newmarket bench. He leaves his wife May, his three sons, Rod, Robin and Richard and seven grandchildren "He was kind, outgoing and always very interested in bringing out the very best in people," said Rod, his eldest son. "He will be greatly missed by his family, former pupils and friends. He was always very alive to the humorous angle, including where he was personally involved. His mind was very much alive and he always had to have some project he was working on." He added: "I am particularly glad that he was able to see in the last few weeks the confirmation for publishing of his latest book." The funeral will take place at St Mary's Church, Ely on Tuesday at 2pm.

Greatly missed - Edward Armitage