Soham Grammarians
What was new on our website in 2016?
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For other years please return to the foot of the current What's New page
December 2016
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- Don Delanoy passed away on the 5th December, aged 88 years. His funeral service was at the West Suffolk Crematorium on the 20th December 2016. Donations were sent to the Forget-me-not Dementia Campaign - for more see In Memoriam
- His widow Gwen has informed us of the death on 24th October 2016 of John Ambrose (1943 entry) of Ely at the age of 84 - see In Memoriam
- 'Dickie' Jeeps CBE, whose father Mr FH Jeeps MC was eventually Chairman of the Governors of SGS, died in October aged 84. From a Willingham fruit growing family, he was educated at Bedford School.
Dickie presented the prizes at our 1970 Lower School Speech Day. He played at scrum half for England and was capped 24 times, 13 as captain. He made 13 Test appearances for the British & Irish Lions. He was later Chairman of the Sports Council. Mr John Browning (History 47-51 and author of our School History) was Vice-Captain of the 1949-50 Cambridge Town RUFC team which included Dickie, who also played for Northampton Saints RUFC.
According to the Newmarket Journal (3 Nov 2016) at various times Dickie lived in Burwell, Newmarket and Bottisham. He was Captain of Newmarket Links Golf Club in 1975. He also owned and ran Stocks Restaurant in Newmarket for some years. His funeral was at Holy Trinity Church Bottisham on 28th October 2016.
His obituary in the Daily Telegraph can be seen here.- Earlier this year we learned of the death of George Dann (1933 entry). For some time George was the oldest Grammarian at our Reunions. A tribute to George has been prepared with the help of Ely historian Pam Blakeman, whose cousin Pat was married to George. He had an eventful time on 620 Squadron in WW2, dropping agents in Europe and taking part in the Airborne element of Operation Varsity, the Crossing of the Rhine - see this tribute via In Memoriam
If you live in Cambridgeshire please contact the editor with details of how to get in touch with your local paper, village or church or club magazine etc so we can publicise the Soham Grammarians and our annual reunion.
To thrive we must reach the many Grammarians we are not at present in touch with.
This is crucial to our continued success - please do help us in this way.
If you or a member of your family or a friend are involved in the media, again please let the editor know
- A photo report of the 2016 Reunion Lunch is now available. It links to Mike Barningham SG60's talk Inclined to Wander - see via Reunions or click on 2016 Reunion Lunch
- Fred Eden SG44's daughter has taken photos of the Old Grammar School in Soham - the one the school moved from to Beechurst in 1926 - these can be seen via Scrapbook - Other - The Old Grammar School
- Ron Meadows SG53 - one of the five new faces at this year's reunion - has provided photos of the second form pageant King Arthur's Court performed during the 1955 Speech Day under the direction of Mr Waller and Mr Pusey - see via History > History 2 > Speech Days > 1955
- Alan Diver SG40 has donated a school cap to the archive. The name in it is JW Boyce gained his Cambridge School Certificate in July 1934 and is on the 1929 School Photo, but Alan believes it may have belonged originally to his late brother Reg Diver, who was at SGS in the 1920s. It is in remarkably good condition - see it via Scrapbook - Other - Uniform items
- Neil Holmes SG52 reports the death of his older brother Michael J Holmes (1949 entry) in January this year at the age of 77 - see In Memoriam
- Neil is also adding names to the 1952-53 Form 4A photo (they were the 1949 entry) - can you also help? - see via School Lists > 1940s > 1949-50 > Form II > Form IIA photos
- Paul Holmes SG46 who is in Cambridgeshire, has made contact. He is Neil's eldest brother and a retired magistrate.
- Charles Holleyman BA (Hons), PhD SG61 is added to the Queen's Commendation section of our Honours page. Charles retired as a Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police - see via School Lists > Honours
- If you are interested in living longer you might want to look at Prof Geoff Fernie (SG59)'s TEDx Maastricht 2013 talk
September 2016
- Our letter to Bob Leonard SG41 was returned with a note that he had died in 2014. Further research on the internet showed that he died aged 85 on 15th November 2014. All the contact details we had for him are now out of date. Did he have family? Did any of you go to his funeral? Any information or recollections you have on Bob, please let the editor know - for the details we have see In Memoriam.
- Geoff Rouse SG56, died aged 71 on 15th September. His funeral was on Friday 30th September, at noon, at St Martin's Church, East Horsley, Surrey. Those attending were told it was Geoff's wish that they wear something red (he was an Arsenal supporter)! Barry Lowe SG55, John Laycock SG50 and Frank Haslam SG'59' were there. If you have recollections or photos of Geoff please send them to the editor, who will pass them on to the family.
- Ian Allen SG67 has made contact from Cambridgeshire.
- Ron Meadows SG53 has also made contact from Cambridgeshire.
- We have learned of the death of George Dann SG33 in December 2015. George was for many years our oldest regular attender at reunions - see In Memoriam.
- Rod Else SG56 has provided an appreciation of Brian Alps SG50 who died in 2015 - of particular interest to those interested in medicine and veterinary matters - see via In Memoriam
- Booking for our Annual Reunion Luncheon on Saturday 1st October has now opened.
The closing date for bookings set by our caterers is 19th September so please act now.
Our speaker will be Mike Barningham SG60, ex Royal Marine Commando and now a much travelled structural engineer. Apologies to Mike for at first reporting that he is an SG65!
Click here for the booking form.- Ed Reed SG67 writes: "A special effort is being made this year to get as many to come from the 1967 entry year as possible as there are a number of regular attendees but unfortunately we have never all attended on the same reunion year. So if possible could everybody that is able from the 1967 entry do their best to come along and make this a particularly special year."
Mike Barningham will no doubt hope that the 60ers will also turn out in force ...
- Rosalind Hobbs informs us of the death of her husband David Hobbs SG49 on May 11th. An entry for our In Memoriam page is being prepared. David was a Burwell boy, whose mathematical aptitude flourished under Mr Lawrance, who encouraged him to go up to Cambridge. He went on to become a teacher and though he spent most of his life in Devon, never lost his love of the Fen Country.
- Stan Harley has informed us of the death of Alan Bye (1954 entry) - see In Memoriam.
- Julie Ogle has spotted her late father Tom Mann on the 1935 School Photo. His entry year was possibly 1931 - see In Memoriam for more about Tom, who died in 1990 aged 70.
- Julie also writes: I can also help you with something else. On the website you have a photo called "early 30s" and ask if anybody knows the date. We have that photo at home and it is dated May 1932. My dad is in photo 3/13 front row, no. 2 (the middle boy sitting cross legged on the floor).
March 2016
- Peter Hobbs SG61 makes contact from Hertfordshire
February 2016
Did any of your friends or family go to Ely High School? The EHS Annual Luncheon in Ely is coming up on 21st May and bookings close on 12th May. For more information please visit the EHS website
Eric Pearson SG60 makes contact from Canada, where he has been since 1969. During his time at SGS he moved from Littleport to Cambridge.
Mr Riley's page updated with a link to information on 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, which included the unit with which it is believed he served, 43rd (Wessex) Divisional Signals Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals. He apparently never spoke about his wartime experiences. The Soham Grammarian Autumn 1941 reported 'Before the term began we lost Mr Riley, who was called up for military service.' The added link at least provides a little better idea of his service.
- Colin Hambidge SG68 adds a related recollection involving a tv programme on the Battle of Arnhem - see via In Memoriam, or via School Lists > Staff > left pre-1972
January 2016
- All the best to you for 2016!
- WJ 'Bill' Fyson (1947 entry) passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday 12th January 2016 aged 79 years. His funeral was at St. Marys Church, Ely on Monday 1st February: via Brian Knott, who notes that Bill was Fyson when at SGS, but appears to have taken the name Lennie later. He had a younger brother, Chick Lennie - see In Memoriam for more information
- Roger Wright SG49 identifies Roy Southgate, then from Soham, on the July 1952 School Photo.
Roger also informs us of the death of Barrie (Barry) John Martin (1950 entry) on 16th December 2015, at the age of 76 - see In Memoriam for more information- According to the BBC website the Friends Reunited website is to close.
- Mr Steve Hills who was a student at Avery Hill College writes: "my Ceramics tutor at Avery Hill gave me a pottery bowl and said that it was one of Dilly Drake's. [Dilly, Mr KD Drake SG42, taught Arts & Crafts at SGS 1948-1954.] Many years passed and I found it again, looked up Dilly and found your mention of him, hence this contact. ... The bowl has a D potter's mark to the base and I am certain my tutor would have been correct." Dilly's nephew, Russell Drake SG52, has been put in touch with Mr Hills.
There were 2 email additions in 2016 (3 in 2015, 4 in 2014, 4 in 2013, 12 in 2012, 18 in 2011, 18 in 2010, 18 in 2009, 53 in 2008, 37 in 2007, 34 in 2006, 28 in 2005, 40 in 2004).