Soham Grammarians
What was new on our website in 2018?
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December 2018
- A Merry Christmas to all!
November 2018
- Tony Burton SG60 has re-established contact.
- Peter Moulton SG61 has made contact.
- Stephen Williams SG66 has made contact.
October 2018
September 2018
- Our 2018 Reunion Lunch took place on Saturday 6th October, with Mrs Tamaris Taylor, the eldest daughter of the late Mr Peter Askem (Art & Pottery 1954-72) as the principal speaker in the talk that celebrated the life of her father, with the focus on his time at Soham Grammar School. A photo report of the Reunion and of the talk are now available - see via link above. More material will be welcome - an ironic sample of his handwriting has been added.
- Norman Long SG56 adds to the appreciations of Mr Askem and reveals a huge coincidence relating to the story of the trip to Italy in the Askem talk.
- Chris Stewart SG69 has named himself and a few others in the 1972 School Photo - see via School Lists & Photos
- More details on John Leonard SG56 have now been added to his entry on our In Memoriam page.
- Mrs Florence Peters has let us know of that her husband John Clay Peters SG44 died on 5th October 2018 peacefully at the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital, aged 85. He lived in Fakenham, and was formerly of Ely and Cambridge. 'Beloved husband of Florence. Will be sadly missed by all his family and friends'. Funeral Service at Mintlyn Crematorium, King's Lynn on Tuesday October 23rd 2018. Their son David John Peters SG62 died aged 62 in 2013 in South Africa, also of prostate cancer. For more on John Peters see In Memoriam
- Terry Rule SG 55 reports the death in December 2017 of Brian 'Dusty' Miller SG50 and confirms IDs of him on three photos - see In Memoriam.
- Alan Cross SG50: Mrs Myriam Cross has let us know that
her husband Alan died on 17th September 2018. More information
when available.
- see August for information about our 2018 Reunion Lunch on Saturday 6th October
- David Beale SG62 has made contact from Derbyshire. His life has been in optometry, with a short diversion into being a professional rock musician!
- Ralph Dunham SG59 reports that his former Ely neighbour John Leonard SG56 had died. "His years at SGS were unusual in that he passed the 13+ whilst at Needham's Secondary School in Ely and I well recall Ted Armitage exemplifying him as a positive role model for later academic achievement." Fuller details will be added when available.
August 2018
- Our next Reunion Lunch will be on Saturday
October 6th, 2018 - click here for BOOKING
FORM
We will be celebrating the life of Mr Peter Askem (Art & Pottery 1954-72) who died earlier this year aged 87.
Booking forms were emailed on 8 August and posted to those not on email on 7/8 August.
Bookings need to be received by 14 September please. - See a short Ceramic Review film on someone who was inspired by Peter Askem's teaching - Stephen Murfitt SG65 - via pages on/by SGs
- John Lester SG65 writes to say that his father JG Lester SG37, known as George, died on 16th July. George usually came to our reunions with John. A fuller entry will be made on our In Memoriam page when more information is available.
- Mrs Janet Marven has written to say that her husband John Marven SG44 died on August 13th. John was Head Boy. He went on to be Warden of Sawston Village College for 24 years. "John’s funeral took place on Friday, August 31st and over 200 people attended. I am told that fifty former members of staff were there which is amazing, considering how long it is since he retired." - see more of his life on our In Memoriam page.
- Lindsay Hancock SG59 makes contact and reports the death of Barry Sheldrick SG57 who passed away on July 1st after a two year battle with cancer. More information when available.
- In compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018, we have a Privacy Policy which can be read here or via the top of this page or on the Contacts page.
- Philip Bignell SG51 passed away at home on Friday 16th February 2018, aged 77 years. Much loved husband of Andrea and dear dad of Martin and Natalie and friend to many. His funeral Service was at St Edmunds Chapel, West Suffolk Crematorium on Tuesday 13th March. Philip was a frequent attender at our events up to to 2009. It is hoped to add more information when our In Memoriam page is updated: via Mrs Andrea Bignell.
- We have recently learned of the death of Mr Peter Askem (Art, Pottery 1954-72) on 18th February 2018 at the age of 87. Peter's funeral was at St Andrew's, Letheringsett. Mr Chris Wain represented the Soham Grammarians. We are now in touch with Peter's family. In the meantime if you have memories, anecdotes, photos, cuttings etc that might be useful please contact the editor. He was also active in the artistic life in the communities where he lived: via Colin Lang John Dimmock SG59, Stephen Murfitt SG65 & Mr Chris Wain (Maths 66-70).
- John Firby SG49: On 17th March John's wife Linda told us that John passed away earlier that day in hospital. John had been a regular attender of our events up until the Firbys moved from Over to the Isle of Wight. "He really missed attending" said Linda. His funeral will be on Monday 9th April at 11:15am at the Isle of Wight Crematorium, Station Lane, Whippingham, East Cowes PO32 6NJ - click for directions if you are able to attend. Please contact the editor if you would like to write or send condolences.
- Dr Simon Curtis SG67 has received the Sir Colin Spedding Award, presented by HRH The Princess Royal, President of the National Equine Forum - see Pages by/on SGs.
- A number of us attended Reg Brown SG47's funeral in Soham.
As might be expected of someone described as 'the best known person in
Soham', the church was packed. The tribute written by his
widow Anita and other memories of Reg can be seen via In Memoriam
or here
- One of those attending Reg's funeral was Trevor Brooks SG54, a retired farm manager, who is now 'in touch'!
- A Morbey family local connection - Cole Ambrose Ltd farming at Stuntney, and the Old Hall, is added to the Beechurst House in the time of the Morbey Family page - see via Scrapbook > 1910-19
- Dave Sennitt SG53 has made contact. He lives in East Anglia. His brother Alfred was four years ahead of him at SGS.
- Mike Yeomans SG60 writes: "I wanted to let you know that my
wife, Elaine, and I travelled recently to Kuujjuaq in Northern Quebec
to meet Eric Pearson SG60 and his family. We spent 5 days
there enjoying the Eskimo lifestyle, including riding ski-doos, going
on a dog-sled ride, visiting an igloo and eating frozen raw Arctic
Char.
It seems that Eric, who went on a VSO assignment to Labrador in 1968, fell in love with that Arctic climate, landscape and people. He now runs the main general store in Kuujjuaq, and is a pillar of the community. I looked for him on the internet several times in the past, without success, but he contacted me about 18 months ago after being in touch with you. Thank you!
We had a great time together and with his family, learning about life in the frozen North. I took my trumpet and recorder and we played together again for the first time in 51 years! Here are a few pictures from our time together:
Click to find out where Kuujjuaq is
You can also refresh your memory of what Mike (3/12) and Eric (6/12) looked like in 1965 by looking at the School photo of that year!
February 2018
- Reg Brown SG47 has died. Reg was very well known in Soham and the wider community. He was principal of CE Fuller & Co, Funeral Directors. Reg started working for his father-in-law in 1960 and took over the company on Cecil's retirement. Reg was involved in all aspects of the company from arranging funerals through to cutting glass. In recent years he was increasingly asked by families to give tributes to people he knew or to lead a simple service at the crematorium. He was a fount of knowledge and always had a tale to tell. Our condolences to his widow Anita and daughter in law Marie and the family.
Reg's funeral was on Tuesday, February 27th at St. Andrew's Church, Soham.- Vic Moseley SG61 makes contact. An accountant, he lives in Cambridgeshire.
- John Cornwell SG54 adds to the recollections of Peter Deasley.
January 2018
- All the best to you for 2018.
- Geoff Fernie SG59 who gave the talk at our 2017 Reunion Lunch has been made an Officer of the Order of Canada for “his advancements in the field of rehabilitation engineering, notably in the development of therapies and products designed to assist individuals with limited mobility.” All who heard his talk or have looked at the report of it on this website will think the award well-merited.
see Geoff's 2017 talk and Pages by/on SGs
- A tribute to the late Peter Deasley SG54 can now be seen via In Memoriam or Pages by/on SGs