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This year we welcomed four who had not been since at least 2002. Four SGS staff were present including John Ansell's guest, Mrs Brenda Bott, who as Brenda Hobbs was School Cook 1945-52.

Chris Bent 53 was again our MC and John Dimmock 59 was our box office manager.

GRACE

Rev (Rtd) Gwyn Murfet 56, using a grace from his old SGS service book.

MENU

Cream of Vegetable Soup

Coq au Vin or Vegetarian alternative
Vegetable selection, Roast and New Potatoes

Jam Roly Poly with Custard or Autumn Berry Cheesecake

Cheese Board
Coffee & Mints

Loyal Toast : THE QUEEN (John Browning, History 47-51)

Guests of Honour: Dr Carin Taylor - Principal of Soham Village College
Mrs Ann Jarman - daughter of Mr CJ Ford

Speakers: Wilkes Walton 36 with Frank Haslam '59'
SOHAM GRAMMAR SCHOOL AT WAR

Toast: ABSENT FRIENDS (Fred Eden 44)

Chris Bent 53, our MC for the evening.

He once again welcomed Dr Carin Taylor, Principal of the Village College, to whom we are grateful in many ways. He also greeted Ann Jarman, who could relax this evening having given us a fascinating talk last year on her father John Ford - Charlie to most of us.

Chris noted that our numbers, although respectable at 70 bookings, were significantly down on last year for various reasons and that there were a considerable number of apologies. He hoped that we might find ways of enabling those for whom the journey is now a problem to continue to join in our enjoyment of the event.

He asked us all to do more to encourage others to come and recommended that we make a special effort to draw in those from the latter years of Soham Grammar School.

He recalled that last year his bow-tie had been interpreted as a distress signal by bow-tieman Wilkes Walton, who spotted that Chris's was upside down. Chris, whose old family business was not unrelated to the issue, duly investigated.

He recalled that his bow-tie had been found at the very bottom of other items. This was possibly explained by his findings, which were that his version was not only upside down but inside out! He informed us, in so many words, that with such unique advantages over the ordinary variety, his would continue to be worn with especial pride.

Later, he presented bouquets to Dr Carin Taylor, Mrs Ann Jarman and Mrs Brenda Bott.

Chris Bent 53, our MC

Guest of Honour
Dr Carin Taylor BA PhD CertEd NPQH

Principal of Soham Village College since September 2006

Dr Taylor thanked the Grammarians for their invitation to once again attend the Dinner. She reminded us that the school had 1350 students and 200 staff. She added that we would realise that these were interesting times given the economic situation, with uncertainty over many factors affecting education.

As ever she and her dedicated staff sought the very best for the students. By next year the new Performing Arts Centre should be open for us to look at.

She briefly described The Fitzwilliam Museum and Soham Schools Partnership. This is an innovative and important new Partnership for Soham, its schools and community. The College's partnership with the Fitzwilliam Museum is at the heart of a drive to develop cultural learning in East Cambridgeshire.

Finally, Dr Taylor said we were most welcome at College events and hoped that we would feel that this provided an active link to our heritage. Letter from Dr Taylor to the Grammarians.

Dr Carin Taylor

Talk: Soham Grammar School at War

Wilkes Walton 36

Frank Haslam '59'

The Toast to Absent Friends - Fred Eden

At the end of the talk we observed a Minute's Silence for the Soham Grammarians who died in the Second World War.

Fred commended to us those whose deaths had become known to us since we last met, and those who through illness or travel difficulties were unable to be with us at the Dinner.

Deaths of Staff: Ted Quinn, Physics 50-56

Deaths of SGs: Ronald C Audus 42, Trevor Blake 63, Sid Bonnett ‘45’, Ken Cole 48, Grahame Count 65, Bill Hawes 39, Keith Hopkin 45, Hubert Nash 48, Les Seal 32, Richard Simpson 66, Grahame Stevens 49, Peter Tweed 50.

Fred Eden 44

Those sending apologies were:

Bernard Anderson 65
Rod Armitage ‘55’
Mike Baldwin 58
Ralph Barker 65
Ray Bolton 58
Donald Boud 45,
Rodney Brown 48

David Christie 54
Cliff Cobbin 50

Gary Dew 62

Rod Else 56
Geoff Fernie 59
John Firby 49
Philip Foreman 34
Mike Goodchild 51
Al Gunn 70

Gordon Hemmings 58-66
John Hill 48
Martin Hodder 50

Bill Kelly 55
Leon Kitchen 51-57
Brian Lane 48
June Lawrance
Norman Long 56
Chris Mason 68

Roger Palmer 48
Charles Peacock 44
John Peacock 54
Don Phillips 48
Ken Purchase 52

Bill Rennison 61-67
Geoff Rouse 56
Eric Simper 51
Peter Smith 59
Roger Smith 56
Ted Stanley 49
Roger Sykes 42
Brian Thorby 49
Arnold Tomalin 39
Mike Tuffs 61
Robert Tyler 62

Malcolm Watson 47
Tony Willenbruch 62
Denis Wilkins 53
Roger Wright 49
John Wyatt 33

Some 2010 Reunion Dinner photos

Please contact the editor about any missing or incorrect IDs. Name and entry year are shown

Soham Station memorabilia brought by Gwyn Murfet 56 including a brick from the site of the old buildings brought to the surface in 1994 when Railtrack was levelling some of the ground.

A tapestry of Soham Station - the Last Afternoon, 1st June 1944, by Gwyn Murfet's wife, and a plan of the station

Wilkes Walton 36, Mrs Brenda Bott (Hobbs) Cook 45-52, Roy Palmer 37

Barry Lowe 55 - Ivan Whymer 56 - Malcolm Coe 57 - Roger Logan 57

David Reader 51 - John Brown 51 - Colin Fuller 51 - Michael Payton 51

Chris Bent 53 - Ann Jarman ("I suppose I had better be 1938, because that's when I first came into contact with the Grammar School") - Peter Scott 60-72 - Dick Bozeat 59-72: foreground right: Dr Carin Taylor

Michael Payton 51 - John Brown 51 - George Dann 33 - Peter Bird 53 - Derek Murton 53

Ken Beman 48 - Ian Hobbs 48 - David Engledow 48

Terry Rule 55 - Alan Frost 54 - Peter Deasley 54 - John Cornwell 54 - Colin Fuller 51

Two sets of brothers having fun - Robert Sculthorpe 63 - David Sculthorpe 65 - Simon Curtis 67 - Mark Curtis '66'

Derek Murton 53 - Stan Harley 53 - Graham Bye 53

David Reader 51 - Michael Hawes 69 - Cecil Fleet 40

Mike Barningham 60 - Alan Bray 60 - David Camps 60

Terry Jordan 48 - John Browning, History 47-51 who gave the Loyal Toast

The gallant talk audience ... it was not over yet: image from Kenn Hunter

59ers: Roger Johnson - Ralph Dunham - Peter Scott - John Dimmock
Click for image for another view including '59'er Frank Haslam (provided by Kenn Hunter)