Soham Grammarians

What was new on our website in 2017?

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December 2017

• Christopher Thomas Graves SG51 died peacefully at home on 30th November 2017, aged 77 years. Beloved and much missed by his family and friends. Funeral service at West Suffolk Crematorium on Thursday 21st December at Noon. Family flowers only, but donations for a charity yet to be decided may be left at the funeral service or sent to CE Fuller and Co, 23 Hall Street, Soham, Cambs CB7 5BN, Tel 01353 720439 - Ely Standard, December 7th; via Chris Bent.
• The RAF March Past plays on request on the ATC home page - see via History > 773 Sqn ATC

November 2017

• Trevor Newton SG44 passed away peacefully on September 22nd 2017 following a short illness. He was 84. His funeral took place on Thursday 12th October at Old Newton Methodist Church in Stowmarket. An In Memoriam entry will be added when we have more information: via Mrs Christine Newton.
• The Soham Grammarian Summer 1953 review of the Dramatic Society's Spring production of Badger's Green by RC Sherriff has been added - see via History > History 2 > Productions
• Fred Hockley SG34's story is updated from an article in FlyPast magazine on the last actions by British fighter aircraft in WWII - see via In Memoriam > WWII Roll of Honour
• Andy Murkin SG65 has sorted out some IDs in the 1970 and 1972 School Photos and Paul Hammans SG'68' has added a name to the latter.
• Professor Peter Deasley SG54 died on Thursday 9th November. He was often at our reunions. He had been unwell for over a year but by the time the cause - Myelodysplastic Syndrome - was finally diagnosed he was too unwell for a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy. His first wife died and Peter married again with the hope of many years together after both had experienced the death of spouses from very debilitating illnesses.
  Peter had a distinguished career in industry and academia - see http://www.lboro.ac.uk/eng/research/imcrc/members/profiles/deasley.pdf
  His funeral will be at All Saints Church, Church Hill, Stretton on Dunsmore, Rugby CV23 9ND at 2pm on Thursday 23rd November, and afterwards at Bourton, Draycote and Frankton Village Hall.
  If you wish to send a message of condolences/memories to the family, I will forward it.
• The 1946 Speech Day Programme has been provided by Mike (SG48) & Lorna (EHS) Delanoy. Mike's brother Don Delanoy SG41 died in December 2016. It was found among his papers - see via History > History 2 > Speech Days
  Lorna has a website about pepople talking of the Ely area - www.farmlandvoices.org.uk
• Colin Thornhill SG40 died on Tuesday 14 November, 2017.  His funeral will take place on Monday 20 November, 2017, in Australia. He had contributed information to this website. An entry on our In Memoriam page will be added when more news is received.
• News from his widow that that Geoff Stubbins  SG62  died in May 2017. He lived on Merseyside.
• Mr (Major) ACV Foster, who taught French 1953-57 died aged 93 on 4th October 2016. Satch's page will be updated when we have more information.
• Professor Geoff Fernie SG59's talk at our 2017 Reunion can now be seen via 2017 Reunion Lunch
• Bill Chilcott SG50 is in contact from the USA. His wife is ex-EHS. "We have been living in the US since 1975 and I have enjoyed looking through the information and photos on the SGS website over the years, especially photos of the reunion dinners."
• Geoff Matthews SG50 who died in June has been added to our In Memoriam page.
• Roger Wright SG49 reports the death of his cousin Jack Hoxley aged 93, of Newmarket. He believes Jack was at SGS in 1935. Jack was a GPO engineer and wrote about local GPO history - see In Memoriam
• It's Remembrance Sunday. Thanks to the Burwell Remembers website Rusty Bridgeman SG37's entry on our Post WWII Forces deaths page on our In Memoriam page has been updated with some photos of him. All the links to the CWGC database have been updated.
  A new link to to the Airborne Assault Para data website on Staff Sgt Duncan F Wright (SG32), murdered by the 711th German Infantry Division on D-Day, has been added - see via In Memoriam > WWII Roll of Honour
• Professor Geoff Fernie SG59's talk at the 2017 Reunion can be seen via the 2017 Reunion Lunch photo report

October 2017 

• Work is in progress on reporting Prof Geoff Fernie's talk at the 2017 Reunion Lunch - it was all in all considered to be one of our most successful of recent years.
• Geoff Griggs SG60 attended the funeral of Phillip Henderson SG64 on October 27th. Phillip died on October 15th aged 65 - see In Memoriam 
  
• 3 Oct Bookings have closed for this year's Reunion. The total is 72, made up of 62 SGs, the two Guests of Honour and 8 guests.
• Four SGs are attending for the first time including Peter Jeffery SG49 who has made contact from Norfolk.
• John Lenanton SG46 has provided images of his two school caps (one was a Prefect's cap) and his school scarf  - see via Scrapbook > Other, Uniform items
  
• Geoff Rouse SG56's daughter Karen has provided an appreciation of him for our In Memoriam page. Geoff died in 2016 - see In Memoriam 
• Mrs Ann Tomalin has let us know that there will be a  Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Arnold Tomalin MBE, SG39, at St Botolph's Church, Barford, Norwich at 3pm on Sunday 29th October. Arnold was for many years the MC at our Reunions. Arnold's page has been updated with the tribute she gave at his funeral - see also via In Memoriam

September 2017 

• 22nd September - final call for this year's Reunion Lunch - 68 have booked as of last night - call John Dimmock now - see Booking details.

August 2017

• John Lenanton SG46 makes contact from California: I was at SGS from 1946 to 1955. I taught Rural Studies and Horticultural Science at The Regis School in Tettenhall from 1959 to 1968. In that year I married, quit my job at the Regis school and moved to to California to become a student at UC Davis. After completing a Masters degree, I was offered a position at Orange Coast College in Southern California in 1970. I retired from there in 2005 as a full professor and continued to lecture part-time until 2013.
  Since coming to the United States I have only have had one contact with a Soham Grammarian. It was Tony Lack. In 1979 I was in Australia on a sabbatical leave. I was sitting with my wife in a hotel room in Sydney, one evening and told her that my best friend had emigrated to Australia when we were at SGS. I remember my wife giving me the phone book and there was an entry AA Lack. I telephoned and Tony answered!! He look a day off work next day and showed us Sydney. I still remember that memorable day.
  I go to England most years, but have only visited Soham once since moving to the States. That was the time I saw  Shirley Martin. That meeting was amazing. I asked around and found she lived opposite the cemetery. I walked up to her door which was open, and said aloud "Shirley are you there?”. She replied, "Is that you, John?”. I could not believe it. I do not think we had seen each other, since we were in The Ten Little Niggers! I was with a friend, who was amazed too.  We spent the afternoon together. See also Productions via History > History 2
  
  The only regular contact I have with SGS is the spoon celebrating the Coronation in 1953, which was given to every pupil in the school.
  
  
  
  I wonder how many other Coronation-era Soham Grammarians still have their spoon?
  
  
• Ann Tomalin has been in touch to say that her husband Arnold Tomalin MBE (SG39) died on Wednesday 2nd August. He was 89. He had been unwell for some time. His funeral will be at mid-day on 23rd August at the Earlham Road Crematorium, 193 Earlham Road, Norwich NR2 3RG. A Service of Thanksgiving for his life is planned for October. Via Mrs Ann Tomalin. Arnold was for many years prominent in the Old Boys Association - see also In Memoriam
• Mrs Viv Matthews has let us known that her husband Geoff Matthews SG50 passed away in hospital on the 17th June after a short illness. His funeral at Cambridge City Crematorium was on 1st July. He was 77. An entry will be made on our In Memoriam page when we have more information.
• Stan Harley has informed us of the death of Roger Sulman SG52 at the age of 76 - see In Memoriam
• See July for information about this year's Reunion Lunch
  

July 2017

• This year's Reunion Lunch is on Saturday 7th October 2017, in Beechurst Hall (the SGS Assembly Hall for many of us) at Soham Village College. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. If a partner, relative or supporting friend enables you to attend they may enjoy the company and are welcome.
  
  

  Our speaker is Professor Geoff Fernie SG59, who is travelling from Toronto in Canada. Geoff lived in Ely when at SGS. He will recall his SGS days then tell us about his work on technologies to prevent injury and disease and to help individuals and their family caregivers continue to live in their own homes as they age.

  
  The price is the same as last year £28 per head including wine for a three-course meal and tea/coffee with cheese & biscuits.
  Our caterers need all bookings to be received by 22nd September – don’t delay!
  As is customary you are invited, when making your booking, to include a donation towards our fund for worthy SGS related projects.
  Can you bring another Soham Grammarian with you to our Lunch?
  Do you have news of a change of address or the death of a Soham Grammarian?
  Click for Booking details.
• Michael Reeve SG52 has reported the death of Keith Woodroff  SG53 of Fenstanton at the age of 74 after a short illness, on Friday May 5th 2017 - see In Memoriam

May/June 2017 

• Brian Lane SG48 died on 22nd May aged 80. Brian made a successful career of his hobby, photography, and there are numerous photos taken by him on the SGS and EHS websites. In recent years he had been resident at the Cambridge Manor Care Home. Our condolences go to his widow Beth and the family. Brian's funeral was at 10.30am on Thursday 15th June 2017 at March Crematorium. If desired donations may be made in his memory for Children United! sent to Ely Funeral Service, 4 Tower Road, Ely, CB7 4HW - via Donald Monk and Brian Knott: a page on Brian is in preparation

January - March 2017

• Simon Curtis SG67, whose family have been farriers and blacksmiths in Newmarket for 150 years, has completed a six-year PhD programme at the University of Central Lancashire where he gained his BSc in Farriery in 2011. His thesis was on the effect of loading on hoof growth and shape in thoroughbred foals. Dr Curtis is an Honorary Associate of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons - the only farrier to receive this honour - and is also a past Master of the Worshipful Company of Farriers and past Chairman of the Farriers Registration Council. He is a Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers by examination (FWCF) and in 2005 was inducted into the International Farriers Hall of Fame at the Kentucky Derby Museum - Newmarket Journal, 2nd March 2017
• Roy 'Mick' Allen's daughter Amanda has spotted her father on the 1949 School Photo. He may also be in a 1948 group photo. Amanda informs us that Roy died on  2nd February 2016.

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