LOREM IPSUM DOLOR O
Old Lancastrian Club
NEWSLET TER
2016
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OLD LANCASTRIAN CLUB 2016 - CONTENTS
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From the OL President
2
School News
32
From the Honorary Secretary
3
Pupil Achievements 2014 – 2015
36
OL Club Accounts 2014 – 2015
from the Honorary Treasurer
4
OL Travel Grants
40
From the Headmaster
6
Other OL Travels
42
Founders’ Weekend 2015
7
The Dowager Countess Eleanor
Peel Trust
44
Minutes of AGM 2015
10
Obituaries
47
Founders’ Weekend 2016
11
Your News
57
OL AGM Agenda and Dinner Menu
12
From the Alumni Officer
13
Your Correspondence and Articles
60
OL Branch Dinners
14
From the Archives
65
OL Events - Class of 2010
20
Identification Parade 2012 and 2015
67
OL Events - 12 Pubs of Christmas
24
Identification Parade 2016
69
OL Calendar 2016 – 2017
25
F.C. Happold - An Old Lancastrian
Decorated In WWI
71
Farewell to staff
25
29
OL Committee and Branch Secretaries’
Contact Details
72
School Development
1
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From the OL PRESIDENT
Previous presidents of the OL Club have
apologised for the inappropriateness
of their appointment. In recent years,
John Lea, for example, has pointed out
that he wasn’t actually an OL and Brian
Ashton reminded us that he left early.
So I think it’s only fair to mention my
own sense of disqualification.
I attended the Pendle Branch dinner
(probably called something else at
the time) in 1965, a year after I left
school. I played for the OLs against the
school at rugby in 1966 (we won 17-0
as I recall with the aforementioned
Ashton starring). Then four decades
of nothing ending with me returning
to the Pendle event because I had
had dealings with Simon Newton in
his professional capacity as a solicitor
sorting out my mother’s affairs.
I carried on going to the dinner because
it was nice to be among friends who
supported Lancashire at cricket and
even Burnley at football, something I
do not share with my sons nor with my
friends and neighbours in Leamington
Spa (with the exception of one loyal
son who supports Lancashire). Like
my predecessors I was considerably
surprised to be asked to stand for
president. One always assumes that
there is someone far more able and
distinguished - and less peculiar - than
oneself. There almost certainly is, but
Lincoln and Ted with presentation picture.
2
it doesn’t mean that he’s available on
the day.
In one respect my conscience is clear.
During an adult lifetime of writing
articles (which I prefer to think of as
essays) I think I have only referred to
my schooldays on two occasions and
both of them were pretty favourable.
The first was in 2006 when I was
asked to review Nick Fraser’s book
The Importance of Being Eton: Inside
the World’s Most Powerful School.
Fraser and I are exact contemporaries
and I instinctively made comparisons,
concluding that I’d much rather be a
Lancastrian than an Etonian largely
because the latter are burdened with a
particular kind of preciousness as well
as with extremely high expectations.
And, anyway, I like antiquity and LRGS
is older.
The second occasion was in 2012 when
I heard a young woman in my home
town, Colne, claiming by rhetorical
question, “You don’t remember
anything you learn at school, do you?” I
set myself the task of recalling specific
lessons - who gave them, what the
subject was and what was said about
it. And I could come up with clear
examples from history, geography and
biology from my Sixth Form experience
from which I concluded that I had been
lucky enough to have been taught by
teachers with flare and originality.
This makes me a better candidate for
president of my old boys than most
writers because it’s common practice
to slag off one’s old school particularly
if one was a boarder (which I was).
Being president (including the formal
apprenticeship of a year as vicepresident) has brought me back in
contact with both the school and the
club. Both appear to be in excellent
health. I visited the school in September
2014 and was able to point out to my
wife what we must now call the Old
School House. It was close to the last
time anyone would be able to do that;
the builders had arrived and it looked
as if a bomb had dropped.
We also saw the new School House
where accommodations were rather
more luxurious than most of the
student rooms when I arrived at the
University of Warwick as a lecturer
in 1969. En suite bathrooms indeed!
The natural conservative in me tends
to think that large dormitories and
communal baths are an excellent
preparation for life. And I have several
times chided the authorities at the
school for getting rid of the house
games that meant so much to us just
as J.K.Rowling was giving them a kind
of global glamour. But I do know the
reasons and appreciate that even my
conservatism must be tempered by
From the OL PRESIDENT
the understanding of Alphonse Karr’s
remark on the possibility that “Plus
ça change, plus c’est la même chose”.
No change is not an option and the
school does feel like the place it
always was.
My comments on the OL Club must
be tempered by the observations that
I haven’t known it all that well in the
past and that, at the time of writing,
I have only experienced events at a
minority of branches. But already I
have the evidence of great variety.
Our Pendle “do” is a down-home sort
of affair while London is big and in
the grand environs of the RAF Club
and Manchester, appropriately, is a
lively event in a modern restaurant
in a renovated canalside location.
The character and survival of these
events depends on local organisers.
Thus it seems that whereas the parts
will come and go the whole will go on
forever. Anyone fancy organising a
new one?
O
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Lincoln Allison (57-64)
OL President 2015-16
Lincoln Allison’s thoughts on LRGS
and Eton can be found at:
www.socialaffairsunit.org.uk/blog/
archives/000988.php.
and those on teaching at
www.socialaffairsunit.org.uk/blog/
archives/002099.php.
From the HONORARY SECRETARY
It may surprise some members but the
OL Club has continued its business
using a constitution that was last
revised in 1995. Whilst this version
has worked well for the Club and
there have not been any apparent
procedural difficulties, the committee
felt that it was time for a review. A subcommittee has been considering the
constitution during the course of this
year and its recommendations will be
put to the AGM in July.
The main proposals deal with the
differences between Ordinary and
Honorary Members, an update of the
list of Officers to correspond with
current practice and a suggested
maximum period for continuous
service on the committee. In addition
the Objectives of the Club have been
updated to bring them into line with
current expectations.
Another
sub-committee
was
convened to consider names for
inclusion on the Honours Board for
this triennium. Although the Club
holds a “long list” of potential OLs,
other recommendations are always
welcome. There is an agreed process
which includes clear criteria for the
inclusion of names for individuals from
many areas of distinction, including
major contributions to the school,
public service, industry, academia/
education, science/medicine, sport,
arts and “other”. The sub-committee
is expected to submit a list to the
committee for approval before final
consideration by the Governors.
The OLs continue to support
pupils through the Travel Fund and
the application process has been
considerably improved thanks to the
work of Stephen Hirst, Head of the Sixth
Form. As a result of his involvement
the committee sets aside dedicated
time at the March meeting to hear the
students present their travel proposals.
This year, the Club has agreed to assist
Alfred Britten travelling to Russia and
two ex-Soviet states, Alexander Neal,
travelling to India to take part in a
kayaking tournament and to teach
English and music. Joseph Chapman
was awarded funding to continue his
studies into geophysics.
The branches continue to hold very
successful dinners and I am grateful
to the secretaries who organise these
events, something that takes time and
considerable effort. This year marked
the 30th Cornwall Branch Dinner
organised by Ted Barlow, an occasion
celebrated with the presentation of a
signed print of Lancaster by Chas.
Tom Diamond has worked extremely
hard for the OL Club as the Alumni
Officer this year and I would like
to thank him and Jenny Cornell in
the Development Office for all their
support.
Peter V. Dyer (68-75)
Finally, I would like to thank everyone
who has upgraded their annual
membership to £15. For those of you
who have not yet increased your
subscription please email ol@lrgs.org.
uk for a new standing order form.
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O
L OL CLUB ACCOUNTS
From the HONORARY TREASURER
YEAR TO 31 AUGUST 2015
OLD LANCASTRIAN CLUB
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT
Year to 31 August 2015
Year to
31 August
Period
31 August
2015
2014
19,119
22
320
10
17,816
12
40
19,471
17,868
5,307
739
2,496
161
587
686
232
300
563
5,000
64
4,878
161
1,915
565
761
230
-
492
2,000
1,600
600
-
300
20,827
8,810
(1,356)
9,058
GENERAL FUND
INCOME
Annual subscriptions
Bank interest
Centenary lunch
Donations
EXPENDITURE
Newsletter
Merchandise (net of sales)
Subsidies branch dinners etc.
Printing and stationery
Deficit on Annual Dinner
Room hire for AGM
Founders
day golf subsidy
Old Lancastrian five year reunion
Leavers
lunch
Administrative support
Sundry
Grants to Pupils and School
- 3D Printer
- Boat Club
- Bags for Rugby Tour
- Donation for pictures of distinguished sportsmen in the gym
- National Youth Choir Course
(Deficit)/surplus for the year
OL TRAVEL FUND
Donations
4
254
290
Grants made
(2,071)
(800)
Deficit for the year
(1,817)
(510)
OL CLUB ACCOUNTS From the HONORARY TREASURER O
L
BALANCE SHEET
As at 31 August 2015
2015
2014
9,343
11,730
360
(737)
9,321
15,028
343
(823)
20,696
23,869
Brought forward
(Deficit)/surplus for the year
20,402
(1,356)
11,344
9,058
Carried forward
19,046
20,402
CURRENT ASSETS
Yorkshire Bank investment account
Yorkshire Bank current account
Payments in advance
Sundry creditors
ACCUMULATED FUNDS
GENERAL FUND
OL TRAVEL FUND
Brought forward
Deficit for the year
Carried forward
TOTAL FUNDS
The year to 31 August 2015 is the first full year after the
change of the year end to August and the comparative
figures are for the five months to 31 August 2014. This is the
reason that some of the annual costs are not shown in the
comparatives as they are normally paid in the first seven
months of the accounting period.
The number of new members continues to increase
generating increased subscription income which this year
is £1,303. However there are a still significant number of
members who are still paying at the old rates of £5 and £10
and could I ask those to update their standing orders to the
current rate of £15.
The branch dinners have continued to be well supported. The
Club subsidises the cost of students attending the branch
dinners and the overall subsidy for the period is £2,496
reflecting the continuing support from our student members.
3,467
(1,817)
3,977
(510)
1,650
3,467
20,696
23,869
The Development Office has continued to provide excellent
support throughout the year and is enabling the Club to go
from strength to strength in terms of activities and numbers
of members and the Club contributes £5,000 annually
towards the running costs.
Grants to either pupils or the school have included a 3D
printer which has been well used since its acquisition.
Sporting activities continue to be supported by the Club
with grants of £2,000 to the Boat Club and £1,600 for
bags for the rugby tour. Applications for tour grants have
been supported during the year with £2,071 allocated. The
recipients now report back to the Club following their trips
and this has provided some very interesting feedback on
their travels and experiences.
Tony Whiteway (66-74)
5
O
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From the HEADMASTER
other
remarkable
achievements,
Frankland established the principle of
valency, was co-discoverer of Helium,
and helped to provide clean water for
London. Many thanks to the Royal
Society of Chemistry and to Mr Mike
Ryan, Head of Chemistry, for ensuring
that we keep his link with the school
alive in our students’ minds.
This has been the year of the storm.
No-one quite knows why Lancaster’s
electricity substation is located on
the floodplain of the River Lune – but
even if the city planners missed those
Geography lessons, Storm Desmond
had clearly been listening. TS Eliot
wrote that the river is always “keeping
his seasons and rages ... waiting,
watching and waiting.” It certainly felt
like it for a few days in December!
The Boat Club suffered major damage,
although the news from the insurers
has been good. Boarders stranded
in the power cuts even managed to
survive a couple of days without the
internet! In truth, we got away very
lightly in comparison to places such as
Glenridding where all our Year 7 pupils
will be climbing and canoeing again
this June. I was hugely impressed and
very grateful to all our staff who kept
the good ship LRGS sailing through
those storms.
Another
year:
another
blue
plaque!
Last year we celebrated
palaeontologist Sir Richard Owen, and
this year we were delighted to mark
the school’s link with distinguished
chemist Sir Edward Frankland, who
was a pupil here in the 1830s. Amongst
6
His blue plaque has been placed on
the New Building, which at the time
of writing is busy with builders. We
have replaced no fewer than four
hundred windows around the site, the
final phase including restoration of the
Memorial Library stained glass and
much-needed improvements to the
Music Block. Decorators are also at
work in the Assembly Hall as we begin
to refurbish it as a light and attractive
performance space. Old Lancastrians
worked with the Friends of LRGS on the
Auction of Promises in November to
raise a fantastic £26,000 for that work.
Particular thanks to Paddy Earnshaw
OL, who was our indefatigable and
persuasive auctioneer on the night!
Another highlight of this year has been
hosting the Annual Conference of the
State Boarding Schools Association.
Keynote speakers included our very
own Brian Ashton MBE and Kevin
Roberts, as well as the Vice Chancellors
of the Universities of Lancaster and
Buckingham, the former Head Master
of Eton, Cat Smith MP and others.
The conference theme was the huge
potential of boarding for young people
in particular need of the structure,
stability and care which it provides.
One of our own Sixth Formers spoke
movingly about what the school has
meant for him during some major ups
and downs of life. It was the most
powerful speech of the conference,
and a reminder of the values that drive
us.
There have been a number of sad
deaths of Old Lancastrians, young
and old, in recent months. I will just
mention two.
Cecil Parkinson grew up in Carnforth
in the 1940s, where his father worked
at the railway station. The future
Lord Parkinson went on from LRGS
to Emmanuel College, Cambridge,
and then on into Parliament and
the Cabinet. As Secretary of State
for Trade and Industry he laid the
foundations for the “Big Bang” which
transformed the City of London. He
remained in touch with the school and
the OL Club throughout his life, at one
time as a governor, and intervened on
behalf of the school during various
crises that threatened our existence.
The career of that hugely talented
Old Lancastrian reminds us that LRGS
opens doors – as it did in the time of
Sir Edward Frankland, and continues
to do today.
Many were shocked to hear of the
illness and untimely death of Shaun
Higgins in March. Shaun was a pupil
at LRGS from 1958 to 1966, and
returned to teach here for forty-two
years, as teacher of French, Head of
PE and Games, Head of Lower School,
a governor, and much more besides.
His influence shaped generations of
former pupils, and much of what is
good in the school today. His staff
file includes this reply to a confidential
questionnaire from 2001: Question:
“What are your career aspirations?”
His reply: “To do a good job.”
The Old Lancastrian Club is a fantastic
and thriving organisation. We would
love to see you at one of the drinks
or dinners around the country, or
perhaps back in Lancaster for Speech
Day, Founders’ Day or a Carol Service.
Please also come and see the school in
action if you have not visited for some
time. You will receive a very warm
welcome!
With very best wishes,
Dr Chris Pyle
FOUNDERS’ WEEKEND 2015 O
L
This year’s Founders’ weekend was typical of many
weekends celebrating the founders of our great school,
although this year thanks was paid to much more recent
contributors to LRGS. The early morning clouds on both
Friday and Saturday gave way to a late coming heat wave,
setting the scene perfectly for what was in store.
OL Golfers.
Old Lancastrian golfers braved the heat wave, as leavers
young and old picked up their hats and sun cream,
and headed out to Lancaster Golf Club for our annual
competition. Conditions could not have been better for
the 18-strong crowd, who rose to the occasion with some
fine golfing displays. This year’s Terry Beatson trophy was
deservedly collected by Andrew Whitton (74 - 76), whilst
the Chris Riley’s Senior Trophy was taken by the familiar
face of Mike Barker (53 - 60). Performance of the day must
be given to student golfer, Chris Carney, who collected the
School Boys’ trophy with a phenomenal gross score of 72.
Friday evening also welcomed back returning Classics
Scholars to pay tribute to the outgoing Head of Classics,
Richard Hitchings. Myles Tracey and Andrew Nicholson also
say goodbye to LRGS this summer. 31 OLs, former staff, and
family members came to thank the three gentlemen for
their contributions to the school.
Lesley Harris and Paul Fitton.
OLs enjoying watching the Cricket.
The Founders’ Day Service was taken by OL Pastor Rob
Whittaker (58-65). Lunch followed in the newly-refurbished
Dining Hall. Around 120 OLs and partners enjoyed a fantastic
buffet, many of whom stayed at the school to enjoy a tour
and an afternoon of OL Cricket. A particularly youthful
cohort of OLs took to the field this year.
The Dinner was once again a very successful event with 77
people attending, of whom over half were under 30. As
in previous years, the meal was held in the town hall and
the catering was provided by David Dunderdale (65 – 73).
As the outgoing President regaled us with his speech on
the history of LRGS, the incoming president, Lincoln Allison,
was away at his 40th wedding anniversary celebration –
which also turned out to be the day his a grandson was
born.
After the Dinner many OLs ventured off into the night to
continue the celebrations into Lancaster city centre.
Jenny Cornell and Rosalie Alexander.
Those who attended the Founders’ Dinner 2015 are:
Martin Alexander (68 - 73), Mike Barker (53 - 60),
Richard Brigg (85 - 92), Phil Brooks (03 - 10), Will Buck
(08 - 10), Rod Burgess (66 - 72), Tom Carter (01 - 08),
Freddie Catlow (04 - 11), Stephen Clarke (66 - 73),
Simon Corless (78 - 83), Jenny Cornell, Mick Curran,
Tom Diamond, Peter Dyer (68 - 75), Mark Edwards (41 - 48),
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L FOUNDERS’ WEEKEND 2015
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Paul Fitton (61 - 67), Richard Furlong-Brown, Alex Gardner
(06 – 13), Bill Gardner (41 - 48), Don Gardner (46 - 51),
Jake Haddow (03 – 10), Stephan Harker (58 - 64), Bill Harris
(65 - 72), Simon Harrison (02 - 09), Jonty Higgin (02 09), Simon Hilton (77 - 84), Bertie Hodgson (04 - 11), Rory
Hodgson (06 – 13), Jonti Hudson (01 – 08), Rory Hudson
((03 – 10), Jamie Hume (03 – 10), Oliver Jacques (06 – 13),
Giles Jones (06 – 13), Lex Le Saint-Grant (03 - 10), John
Leake (50 - 57), Ian Ledward, Griff Lewis (06 – 13), Josh
Maguire (03 – 10), Conor McGurk (02 - 09), Hugh McKinney
(41 - 51), Gus McSporran (04 - 11), Melvin Meju (03 - 10),
Sam Moorby (05 – 12), Sam Moore (04 – 11), Will Mossop (11
– 13), Athol Murray (42 - 49), Andrew Nicholson (62 – 68),
Grant Nickson (72 - 79), John Platt (66 - 73), Chris Pyle,
Luke Richmond (03 - 10), James Roberts (05 – 12),
Mark Robinson (68 - 73), Adam Rogers (06 – 13),
Jay Rudland-Thomas (04 - 11), Peter Sampson, Shaan
Shaunak (04 - 11), Joe Shepherd (39 - 47), Stewart
Shuttleworth (65 - 72), John Simpson (41 - 48), Duncan
Stackhouse (78 - 85), Andrew Stevens (04 – 11), Duncan
Thomason (04 – 11), Isaac Thompson (03 – 10), Sam
Thompson (04 – 11), Jack Turton (02 - 09), Ian Weir (61 - 67),
Ian Whitehouse, Tom Whitehouse (06 - 13), Tony Whiteway
(66 - 74), Andrew Wilson (66 - 72), Simon Wilson (04 – 11).
Top table at the Founders Day Dinner.
Younger OLs enjoying Founders Day Dinner.
THE OL V LRGS STAFF QUIZ 2015
Now that this annual event had become an established part
of the Founders’ Day calendar and there were sufficient OLs
involved to generate three OL teams with reasonable ease,
I turned the task of contacting individuals, and the tricky
business of selecting the teams, over to Matt Loxham. I am
very grateful to Matt for taking on these slightly onerous
responsibilities.
However, interest in the quiz is not always synonymous with
availability. One of the founding fathers of the event, Tim
Taylor, had relocated to California; another, John Dant, was
at a College reunion in Oxford. A more recent competitor,
Christopher Jotischky-Hull, was enjoying an extended
visit to South Carolina. Several others had tendered their
regretful apologies. This all boded well for the perennially
beleaguered staff team, of course!
In the end nine OLs were able to be present, and these
were supplemented by three top quizzers from the lower
sixth - Adam Fyfe, James Huber and Anamay Shetty. After
reflection and due consideration, Matt made the following
selections:
Chris Hitchings, Will Buck, John Armitage, John Flesher.
8
OL1: Adam Fyfe, James Huber, Max Mortimer, Anamay
Shetty.
OL2: John Armitage, Will Buck, John Flesher, Chris Hitchings.
OL3: Jack Bennett, John Gedge, Matt Loxham, Peter
Sloman.
FOUNDERS’ WEEKEND 2015 O
Despite the absentees, these looked very competitive
teams. Jack Bennett was busy covering himself in glory
representing Liverpool University on University Challenge,
as Matt Loxham (Southampton University) and John
Armitage (St Peter’s, Oxford) had done in previous
UC seasons. Peter Sloman had been in the Queen’s
College, Oxford team, though had never made it onto
our screens. The Staff team too was depleted by lack
L
of availability and, in the end, Phil Hitchings, who last
year had played for the OLs, this time joined James
Hurrell, Mike Ryan and RSH. I suppose Phil might be
described as a mercenary, except that no money changed
hands.....
Three pairs of matches were played concurrently. The
results are appended below:
ROOM 1
ASSEMBLY HALL
OL2 230 - 550 OL3
OL1 220 - 610 Staff
OL1 270 - 570 OL3
OL2 230 - 550 Staff
OL1 340 - 380 OL2
OL3 400 - 390 Staff
In their first game, the youthful OL1 team took a bit of
time to get going, but finished with a flourish and posted
a creditable score. OL3 who looked, on paper at least, the
strongest of the OL sides, had a comfortable victory over
OL2. The second pair of games went to form. The decider
between the staff and OL3 was a thriller, with Peter Sloman
nicking a couple of starters at the death to secure the
narrowest of wins for the OLs. I was pleased with how the
staff team performed, and some might have said we were
a bit unlucky (some, but not all!). I was also pleased that
OL1 came so close to embarrassing OL2 in their final match.
Well done to OL3, and well done to all who took part. My
grateful thanks to John Fidler and Mike Bannon for qming. This is no easy task since the questions are tortuous,
convoluted and often contain long and difficult words
(especially those which involve science), sometimes in
foreign languages.
As has become customary, we repaired to the White Cross
where we quizzed until darkness fell. John Fidler once more
performed the honours, for which many thanks.
James Hurrell, Phil Hitchings, Richard Hitchings and Mike Ryan.
on rhitchings@lrgs.org.uk if you would like more details or
would just like to say hello.
Mr R S Hitchings
The event will take place once again in 2016. Founders’
Day is on July 2, and I look forward to seeing old friends
and, perhaps, some new faces too. Matt will be in touch if
you have been involved before. If not, I can be contacted
9
L MINUTES OF THE AGM
O
HELD ON SATURDAY 4TH JULY 2015 IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, LANCASTER TOWN HALL
Meeting opened at 6.35pm
Attendance List:
MS Alexander (President), RAD Burgess (Hon. Chair), DH Cameron, S Clarke, PV Dyer (Hon. Secretary), PW Fitton, R FurlongBrown, A Gardner, DGR Gardner, W Gardner, J Haddow (Alumni Officer), S Harker, WJ Harris, S Hilton, JA Leake, L Le SaintGrant, NHM McKinney, A Murray, M Robinson, A Rogers, PW Sampson, J Simpson, JT Shepherd, DR Stackhouse, PA Whiteway
(Hon. Treasurer), I Weir, A Wilson.
Apologies for absence:
L Allison (Vice-President), J Altham, J Duerden, L Lamb.
Minutes of the AGM 2014:
These were printed in the Old Lancastrian Club Newsletter (2015). They were accepted as a true record of the meeting
(proposed by A Murray and seconded by DGR Gardner).
Matters arising:
None
Treasurer’s report:
The accounts were printed in the Old Lancastrian Club Newsletter (2015). PA Whiteway informed the committee that the
accounts were to the 31st August 2014 in order to align the OL Club with the School financial year. The accounts were
approved by the AGM (proposed by NHM McKinney and seconded by RAD Burgess).
Secretary’s report:
The report was printed in the Old Lancastrian Club Newsletter (2015). The report was approved by the AGM. The secretary
was thanked by the President.
Election of Committee Members and Officers:
RJS Brigg, DH Cameron, WJ Harris and GA Nickson were elected to continue as committee members (proposed by D
Stackhouse and seconded by JA Leake).
GA Nickson gave notice of his intention to stand down at the end of the two year appointment (2017).
RAD Burgess, PA Whiteway and PV Dyer were re-elected to the honorary posts of chairman, treasurer and secretary
(proposed by D Stackhouse and seconded by PW Fitton). The officers were thanked by the President.
Election of Vice-President:
Peter Sampson was unanimously approved as the next Vice-President (proposed by RAD Burgess and seconded by M Robinson).
Investment and acceptance of President:
In the absence of L Allison (President 2015-2016), MS Alexander continued to chair the meeting.
Committee members’ matters:
The committee unanimously approved the continuation of NHM McKinney as an Endowment Trustee and OL Governor for
the period 2013-2017. The committee was advised that the other two appointments are: RAD Burgess (2012-2016) and PW
Fitton (2014-2018).
JA Leake commented on the excellent support to branch secretaries by Jake Haddow and Jenny Cornell and offered his
thanks to both.
Any other business:
None
Date of next meeting:
Saturday 2nd July 2016. The Gateway Building, University of Cumbria (St Martin’s site).
10
FOUNDERS’ WEEKEND 1- 2 JULY 2016 O
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With so much going on over the weekend, there will be something for everyone to enjoy: take part in the golf, cricket, reunite
with old friends or make new ones.
FRIDAY 1 JULY
2.00pm
OL GOLF TOURNAMENT
Lancaster Golf Club.
TBC
OL GOLF DINNER
Lancaster Golf Club.
10:30am
FOUNDERS’ DAY SERVICE, THE PRIORY CHURCH
This year’s address will be given by OL Revd Stephen Burrow OL (73 –80).
12.00 noon
OL REUNION LUNCHEON SCHOOL DINING HALL
PARTNERS WELCOME. A sparkling reception followed by a hot and cold buffet
lunch. A pay bar will be available. To make sure of your place, please book in
advance although tickets will be sold on the door.
1.30pm
TOURS OF THE SCHOOL will be arranged for any OLs who wish to return to their
old stomping ground or have a look at what has changed over the years. Tours will
include an exhibition from the school’s archives, kindly arranged by Clive Holden
(45-54) and an artwork exhibition of current pupils’ work.
3.00pm
OL t20 CRICKET MATCH, DOUTHWAITE FIELD
Feel free to come and enjoy some fine cricket up on the Douthwaite Field.
5.00pm
OL vs. Staff Quiz
Assembly Hall, University Challenge style and standard.
6.30pm
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Gateway Building, University of Cumbria (St Martin’s site).
7.00pm
OL FOUNDERS’ DINNER & 50 YEAR REUNION CLASS OF ‘66
(Dress code: lounge suit) The Gateway Building, University of Cumbria (St Martin’s
site). We will be meeting at 7pm with plenty of time to catch up and reunite with
friends before the sit down meal at 8pm. A pay bar will be available.
SATURDAY 2 JULY
To book any of the events throughout the weekend, please get in touch with Tom Diamond by email ol@lrgs.org.uk or phone
01524 580612. The booking form is also available on the Alumni section of the School website www.lrgs.org.uk/alumni.
11
L OL AGM AGENDA 2016
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Agenda for the Old Lancastrian Club AGM at 6.30pm on Saturday 2nd July 2016 in Room 301, The Gateway Building,
University of Cumbria (St Martin’s site)
1.
Attendance list
2.
Apologies for absence.
3.
Minutes of the AGM 2015
4.
Matters arising.
5.
Treasurer’s report.
6.
Secretary’s report.
7.
Election of Committee Members and Officers.
8.
Election of Vice President.
9.
Investment and acceptance of President.
10.
Committee members’ matters.
11.
Any other business.
12.
Date of next meeting – Saturday 8th July 2017, venue to be confirmed
DINNER MENU
k
STARTER
Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimp salad
k
HOT BUFFET
Roast Topside of British Beef
with Yorkshire pudding, and all the trimmings
k
DESSERT
Sticky Toffee Pudding
with Homemade fudge sauce
Fresh Filter Coffee or Tea
k
Vegetarian option available
Cash bar: wine selection available
Tickets: £35 (£17.50 for staff and students in full-time education)
Dress: Lounge Suit
12
From the ALUMNI OFFICER
About a year ago I was wondering what I was going to do
after I left University. I hadn’t been successful at job hunting
and did not want to do a masters degree. Probably a fairly
common situation in which to be, but the leap into the dark
was terrifying all the same.
O
L
The year seems to have flown by, perhaps a little too quickly
for my liking but I suppose I will be off to pastures new. Who
knows I may even get a job or go back to university? So
for any OLs out there who are approaching summer with
nothing to look forward to but potential unemployment and
an email pops up, Go for it!
Then, an email popped up into my inbox. It was an application
form for Lancaster Royal Grammar School Alumni Relations
Officer. I think it was the first email from the school I had
received since I left; Warwick seemed to be in a bizarre no
man’s land between all the dinners. So I applied and had
my interview in a room I hadn’t been in for years, in a place
I never thought would return to. As I’m writing this now I
suppose I was successful.
Arriving in the summer to all the rush and dynamism of
Founders’ weekend, it was as a fantastic way to start a job
which included travelling the country and eating as part
of the job description. Throughout the year I have enjoyed
meeting OLs from all walks of life and I would recommend
gong to an OL dinner if you need help with careers advice,
they have certainly helped me. You’ll meet CEOs, partners
and judges as part of your work so it is an ideal first step
into a world where you don’t know what to do.
There is a bizarre undercurrent to where you are working
as you become colleagues with those who used to be your
teachers. For many of us I’ve been told it takes a long time
to break the habit of reaching for ‘sir’, rather than their first
names. Then again my youthful complexion probably didn’t
help as I’ve been taken to be a boy more than once!
I’ve been so grateful to everyone here who has given me the
work experience I need to go into a world which seems to
demand it for every job that exists. In, particular I would like
to thank my colleagues in the Development Office, Jenny and
Rose who have helped me to learn throughout my time here.
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OXFORD - 6 MAY 2015
This year the Oxford Dinner returned to the Chapel at Mansfield College
by popular demand. Once again all those who went had an enjoyable
evening enjoying the fine food and company that has become the
hallmark of the Oxford Dinner.
After the food, the President Martin Alexander made a speech that
was well received and the Headmaster updated all of the OLs on the
current news from the school.
With the formalities over, the majority of the group decided to continue
the celebrations elsewhere and carried on the evening at a local pub,
and then a nightclub.
John Armitage, Myles Jarvis and Matt Buckland.
The date of the next dinner will be Thursday 4 May 2017
The following attended the Oxford Dinner 2015:
Martin Alexander (68 - 73), John Armitage (05 - 12), Sam Bannon (07
- 14), Tim Bevan (05 - 12), Matt Buckland, John Dant (94 - 01), Jake
Haddow (03 - 10), Eddy Hall (07 - 14), Christopher Hitchings (04 - 11),
Richard Hitchings, Scott Houghton (04 - 11), Myles Jarvis (04 - 11), Tony
Joyce (72 - 83), Peter Kirby (68 - 70), Hugh McKinney (41 - 51), Conrad
Nieduszynski (85 - 92), Chris Pyle, Tim Taylor (94 - 01), Philip Turner
(63 - 70).
Tony Joyce, Peter Kirby.
Dinner in the Chapel.
Tim Bevan, Chris Pyle, Sam Bannon.
Eddy Hall, Christopher Hitchings.
COTSWOLDS - 2015
Unfortunately, the 2015 Cotswolds Dinner was cancelled. We are,
however, hosting this year’s dinner on Friday 10th June 2016. For this
dinner partners are invited and it would be good to see as many people
there as possible.
If you would like to come to the dinner this year, please let me know by
emailing ol@lrgs.org.uk.
Pre-dinner drinks.
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OL BRANCH DINNERS O
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EAST LANCS - 24 APRIL 2015
As is tradition for the Old Lancastrian East Lancs. branch dinner, OLs
once again convened at the Higher Trapp Hotel in Simonstone. Special
mention must be given to Branch Secretary, Andrew Clark, and OL
President, Martin Alexander, for finding time in their busy schedules
to travel considerable distances for what was a very pleasant evening.
Speeches came from Headmaster Chris Pyle and Prof Alexander,
who, aware of the strict two minute limit of the East Lancs dinners,
bravely took the floor. The President paid tribute to John Lea, who
had made the journey from Lancaster, for inspiring his successful career
in academia, whilst Chris Pyle celebrated the sporting and academic
success of the school this year, as well as progress made on school
buildings.
Roy Braithwaite, Ray Brew.
Andrew Clark ended the proceedings by inviting a toast to the school,
as OLs headed to the bar to see out a very pleasant evening.
The 2017 East Lancs Dinner will be on 28 April 2017
The following attended the East Lancs Dinner 2015:
Martin Alexander (68 - 73), Lincoln Allison (57 - 64), Paul Bradburn (58
- 65), Roy Braithwaite (45 - 53), Ray Brew (47 - 54), Andrew Clark (77
- 85), Jenny Cornell, Jake Haddow (03 - 10), Keith Lamb (57 - 64), John
Lea, Roger Lee (61 - 68), Simon Newton (58 - 65), Chris Pyle, Rodney
Rostron (52 - 59), Howard Thomas (57 - 65), Edward Walton (61 - 68).
John Lea, Martin Alexander, Andrew Clark.
HONG KONG - 18 SEPTEMBER 2015
The second Old Lancastrian Dinner based in Hong Kong took place on
Friday 18th September, 2015 at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club. In
attendance were Patrick Dransfield, Christopher Alderson MBE (who
made it from Japan) and David Bradford. A great night was had by all!
We also hosted a more casual gathering at 6.30pm on Wednesday April
13th 2016 at the British-styled pub Trafalgar, 5th floor, The Broadway,
54-62 Lockhart Rd. If any OLs would like to join (even just for a pint
or glass of wine) at any future events please contact Patrick Dransfield
at patrick.dransfield@inhousecommunity.com. All welcome, including
spouses/partners.
OLs enjoying the East Lancs Dinner.
The next Hong Kong Dinner will be Friday 16 September 2016
The following attended the Hong Kong Dinner 2015:
Christopher Alderson (85 - 91), David Bradford (01 - 03), Patrick
Dransfield (75 - 80), Chris Percy (96 - 03).
Patrick Dransfield, Christopher Alderson, Chris
Percy, David Bradford.
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L OL BRANCH DINNERS
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MANCHESTER - 2 OCTOBER 2015
This year the Manchester branch dinner moved out of its traditional
setting of Old Trafford to a more modern and trendy restaurant and bar,
the Barca, on the canal. Despite the event being the second one this year,
we had a slight increase to 36 OLs attending. Much of this achievement
is due to the efforts of the Branch Secretary, Steve Aughton, and Chris
Balmer who phoned over 100 OLs before the event.
With guests arriving from 7pm there was time for socialising on the
balcony with OLs managing to meet up with teachers. Chris Balmer
said grace, admirably showcasing his knowledge of Latin. The meal
itself started with lamb kebabs, followed by fish and chips for the main
course.
After dinner, Branch Secretary, Steve Aughton, started the formalities.
The President Lincoln Allison then gave his speech. The Headmaster
rounded off formalities, bringing the room up to speed with events and
news from the school, highlighting the building works that were going
on around the school.
Many thanks to all who attended and also to Steve Aughton on his
fantastic work assisting the organisation of a great evening, which
would not have been a success without him!
The 2016 Manchester Dinner will be held on 14 October 2016
The following attended the Manchester Dinner 2015:
Lincoln Allison (57 - 64), Martyn Angus (89 - 93), Harry Appleyard (03 10), Dave Aughton (87 - 94), Steve Aughton (83 - 90), Chris Balmer (83
- 88), Paul Bradburn (58 - 65), Simon Cadwallader (87 - 94), Stephen
Clarke (66 - 73), Jenny Cornell, Pete Davies-Colley (65 - 72), Tom
Diamond (05 - 12), Jonathan Easton (83 - 90), John Fidler, Paul Fitton
(61 - 67), Bobby Gill (83 - 90), Alan Hickman , Rob Huntington (83 - 88),
Michael Irvine (87 - 94), Jamie Jackson (83 - 88), Mick Johnson (83 90), Jason Lamb (89 - 94), Chris Lowe (85 - 90), Paul Manton (84 - 87),
Darren Marchment (83 - 88), James Muller (87 - 94), Alexander Newton
(03 - 10), Tommy O’Neill (87 - 94), Andy Pogrel (87 - 94), Chris Pyle,
Aidan Ray (08 - 15), David Rowe, Tristan Stock (83 - 90), Simon Thomas
(87 - 93), Mark Wright (87 - 94).
16
OL BRANCH DINNERS O
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LONDON - 5 NOVEMBER 2015
The London branch once again held its annual branch dinner on the first
Thursday of November, so this year it was 5th November. Old Lancastrians
once again came considerable distances to attend the dinner, from as far away
as Kent and Surrey. There was a drop in numbers this year to 52, although we
did receive a large number of apologies.
The evening followed a similar format to previous years with drinks in the Churchill
bar, which preceded the dinner in the ballroom. Before the dinner started Larry
Lamb generously donated a copy of his autobiography, “Touchdown”, to the
school which is now in the school library for boys to read. The meal was the
same as it has been for a considerable number of years: pea and mint soup,
followed by steak, kidney and mushroom pie, topped off with a sherry trifle.
Hayden Wong, Richard Furlong-Brown,
Jack Vaughan Jones, Larry Wong.
After missing the President’s speech the previous year, Martin Alexander stood
in for Lincoln Allison who, unfortunately, could not make the event. Martin’s
speech chimed well with many in the audience as he discussed his school days
and memories of the school in the 1950s.
The raffle succeeded this year in making £100 more than the previous year
despite the drop in numbers, perhaps partly down to the excellent prizes
produced by Adrian Atkinson and Richard Salmon. The £620 proceeds which
were topped up to £680 have been given to the music department towards a
much needed keyboard.
Robert MacKenzie, Sam Heywood, Guy
Parker, Geoff Ellis.
Thanks must be extended to OL Larry Lamb for securing such a great and fitting
setting for the OL London Branch Dinner, as well as Richard Salmon for his
work as Branch Secretary in consistently making the London Dinner an evening
enjoyed by all involved, who look forward to their return on 3 November 2016.
The 2016 London Dinner will be on 3 November 2016
The following attended the London Dinner 2015:
Martin Alexander (68 - 73), John Altham (40 - 49), Brian Angers (49 - 53),
Adrian Atkinson (80 - 87), Joseph Atkinson (94 - 01), Trevor Bargh (69 - 77),
Rod Burgess (66 - 72), Tom Carter (01 - 08), Stephen Clarke (66 - 73), Jenny
Cornell, Mark Coulthwaite (71 - 77), Chris Critchlow (62 - 69), Pete Davies-Colley
(65 - 72), Tom Diamond (05 - 12), Michael Duerden (44 - 52), Robin Elley (04
- 11), Geoff Ellis (72 - 79), John Fidler, Richard Furlong-Brown, Nick George (82 88), David Gleasure (75 - 82), John Gleasure (81 - 88), James Halstead (00 - 07),
Stephan Harker (58 - 64), Sam Heywood (37 - 44), Nick Holland (56 - 63), Tom
Jordan (94 - 01), Larry Lamb (34 - 41), Griff Lewis (06 - 13), Robert MacKenzie
(58 - 65), Hugh McKinney (41 - 51), Guy Parker (74 - 81), Preemal Patel (04 - 11),
David Philp (59 - 66), Colin Povey (72 - 79), Craig Preston (91 - 93), Chris Pyle,
Richard Salmon (82 - 89), Peter Sampson, Alan Snowball (61 - 69), Timothy St.
Ather (52 - 58), Pat Street (08 - 10), Neville Upson (47 - 53), Ben Vallely (99 06), Jack Vaughan-Jones (08 - 15), Ian Weir (61 - 67), Dick Wilkinson (57 - 62),
Duncan Wilkinson (65 - 71), Hayden Wong (06 - 13), Larry Wong (09 - 15).
Craig Preston, Richard Salmon, Chris Pyle,
Griff Lewis.
The Young Table
Rod Burgess, Stephen Clarke, Mark
Coulthwaite, Colin Povey.
Trevor Bargh, Alan Snowball, John Altham,
Larry Lamb.
Dining in the Ballroom.
17
L OL BRANCH DINNERS
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RUGBY AND HOTPOT LUNCH - 3 JANUARY 2016
The rugby match was an enjoyable occasion once again, which saw
many younger OLs turn up and get involved. Although it was a shame
we could not achieve a high enough turnout for a game with a full set
of teams, there were enough people at the event to have a more active
game with 9 a side.
There was a good
turnout from those
who came to watch,
which was much
appreciated.
This
was all the more
exceptional because
the weather, which
was embarking on its fifth named storm, had made transport so difficult
for so many OLs who were keen to attend. So, overall, this was once
again a positive event although the mood was slightly dampened by the
weather, the poor turnout and a disappointing meal.
The next event is on the 26 December 2016 at the Vale of Lune Rugby
Club, if you would like to join the LRGS OL rugby team please let us know
at ol@lrgs.org.uk.
CORNWALL - 1 APRIL 2016
Although some of our regulars were unable to make it this year 21
sat down to a 5 course dinner with Merlot and Pinot Grigio flowing
to commemorate our 30th anniversary. It was great to welcome our
President, Lincoln Allison, who gave a most interesting and amusing
speech in reply to the toast given by Ted Barlow. To commemorate
the anniversary the OL Club presented me with a superb print of the
school, which is already hanging on a prominent wall in my house and
which I enjoy seeing every day.
The 2017 Cornwall Weekend will be on Friday 24th March 2017
The following attended the Cornwall Dinner 2016:
Jennifer & John Airey (42 - 48), Rosalie & Martin Alexander (68 -73),
Ann & Lincoln Allison (57 - 64), Sarah & Brian Angers (49 - 53),
Barbara & Ted Barlow (37 - 46), Gwyneth & Brian Clarkson (42 - 50),
Carole & Chris Gregson (69 - 77), Alma & Don Gardner (46-51), Tony
& Kate Joyce, Pat & John Lowther (47 - 52), Barbara & Tom Wilson
(41- 49).
OLs enjoying the Dinner.
Lincoln Allison presenting Ted Barlow with Chas
Jacobs picture of LRGS.
18
OL BRANCH DINNERS O
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CAMBRIDGE - 4 MARCH 2016
The Wordsworth Room in St John’s College was again the location for the annual
Cambridge Dinner. Held on Friday 4 March it was attended by 31 including
11 students. We were very pleased to welcome this year’s President, Lincoln
Allison, and from Lancaster the Headmaster, Chris Pyle, Jenny Cornell and Tom
Diamond, Alumni Officer; sadly fewer others had been able to accompany them
than in many recent years. At the start we spent a minute in silence in memory
of Joe Shepherd, OL, former member of Staff and former OL Club Secretary.
The menu proved to be a great success, not least the main course; “the best
Lancashire hot pot I have ever had” as one diner put it. All agreed that the
catering staff, seen and unseen, deserved our most sincere thanks. After
proposing the Loyal Toast, John Leake thanked Jenny Cornell and Tom
Diamond for the invaluable work at LRGS that underpins events such as our
Dinner. It being over 30 years since he moved on from the Headship of LRGS
and 43 since he started, it seemed timely to invite Tony Joyce to propose the
health of the school. This he duly did describing some of the considerable
challenges faced in that period; “Politics, Controversy and Survival”, as John
Fidler has put it.
Last year we heard from Chris Pyle about one blue plaque (for the biologist
Richard Owen), this year we learnt of another, for the distinguished chemist
Edward Frankland. Apparently he hated the school but none of the many other
schools he attended has survived to be chosen for this honour. Chris also told
us the very sad news of Shaun Higgins and recounted the ravages suffered by
the Boat Club as a result of Storm Desmond. On happier matters he mentioned
academic successes (Oxbridge), rugby triumphs (Lancashire Cup Final) and
“Cabaret” with LGGS. Before proposing the health of the OL Club David Hoyle
reminded us of the exhortation of the school motto and thanked the Club for
subsidising the students’ dinners. In reply Lincoln Allison recalled with pleasure
his time in LRGS and admired its success in surviving the passage of time so
well although he regretted the demise of house games. We heard amusing
descriptions of some of the lessons he learnt - or saw others learn - while he
was teaching in the Pembroke-King’s summer programme. These included:
never stop for photographs; Colleges differ from one another; there are no
waiters in typical English pubs; and, in Cambridge, gears are not essential on
bikes.
Andrew Greensmith, Patrick Dransfield,
Graham Dransfield.
Cambridge undergraduates.
Good company.
Rather later in the evening the Secretary found it even more difficult than usual
to persuade happy groups of OLs to find other places for their discussions!
The date of the next dinner will be Friday 3 March 2017
Group photo!
The following attended the Cambridge Dinner 2016:
Lincoln Allison (57 - 64), James Anderton (08 - 15), Harvey Binnie (51 - 58), Martin
Brown (66 - 73), Jenny Cornell, Tom Diamond (05 - 12), Graham Dransfield (67
- 73), Patrick Dransfield (75 - 80), Akos Fenemore (07 - 14), James Fenna (08
- 15), Andrew Greensmith (74 - 78), Isaac Haq (07 - 14), Stephan Harker (58 64), David Harrison (68 - 74), Rahul Herlekar (08 - 15), David Hoyle (06 - 13),
Tony Joyce (72 - 83), John Kelsall (54 - 61), John Leake (50 - 57), George Lee
(05 - 12), Toby Livesey (06 - 13), Andrew McMahon (06 - 13), Peter Mooney (06
- 13), Richard Phillips (06 - 13), Chris Pyle, Alan Sagar (61 - 69), Peter Sampson,
Bob Satchwell (59 - 66), Simon Sherratt (71 - 76), Phillip Sycamore (62 - 67),
Stephen Tunnicliffe-Wilson (83 - 90).
Martin Brown, Peter Sampson, Phillip Sycamore,
John Kelsall, Bob Satchwell, Stephan Harker.
19
L CLASS OF 2010 - FIVE YEAR REUNION
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10 OCTOBER 2015
The Class of 2010 Five Year Reunion continued the tradition
established the previous year and was held on a Saturday.
This year the buffet was swapped for a great new sit down
meal of Beef Bourguignon, and the venue migrated up the
hill to the new Grab and Go.
Five years on suggested the perfect time for old friends,
classmates and teachers to come back to school to enjoy
the festivities and a catch up, and just fewer than 50 OLs
made the trip to LRGS on Saturday 10 October to enjoy the
nostalgia, joined by staff.
The new format proved popular with the OLs, as they
enjoyed the food and drink on offer whilst sharing stories
of the yonder years. The evening was concluded by a short
address from Headmaster, Dr Chris Pyle, before everyone
headed into town to continue the evening.
Our next 5 year Reunion will be on the Saturday 22 October
2016, if you would like to write an entry for the bio book
please email ol@lrgs.org.uk.
Jake Airey
Since leaving LRGS I have graduated from the University of
Sheffield with a Masters in Chemistry after the inspiration
of Mrs Cherry and Mr Matthews. Also whilst at Sheffield,
myself and fellow LRGS students Chris Bottomly and Jo
Cutler as well as some other sheffield students formed a
band and we have been terrorising the ears of people all
round Yorkshire and Lancashire with our band No Jazz Jo.
During my time at Sheffield, I managed to secure a summer
internship with Centrica and this influenced me to convert
to Chemical Engineering by completing a Master of Science
at the University of Birmingham. Having really enjoyed this
course, I decided to stay on with Birmingham to do an
Engineering Doctorate in which I will be researching the
performance lubricant oils for gas turbines and this involves
me working at Rolls-Royce in Derby for the next 4 years.
Harry Appleyard
3 Years at Manchester University gave me a Business
Management degree, but more importantly the Manchester
Bar scene allowed me to gain vast amounts of experience
and multiple cocktail qualifications towards my goal of one
day soon owning a bar. After Uni I setup and ran my own
tile manufacturing business which I moved from France to
Coniston, UK. After two years of trading I sold the business
on as it was at crossroads and wasn’t keeping me in the
lifestyle that I desired. I now work for AB-Inbev the world’s
largest Brewer as the Wholesale Account Manager for the
Central Region. Brand loyalty means that I can now only
drink Stella Artois, Corona, Budweiser or Becks...
Danny Cairns
Graduated from York in 2013 with a 2:2 in Biology. After
three years in the lab (or rather, in bed with a hangover)
I fancied a complete change of direction, so now I’m a
trainee accountant in the finance department at Lancaster
University.
Philip Cottrill
I left school and eased my way into life by staying at home
and studying Management at Lancaster University, didn’t
want to stray out of my comfort zone too much. I intended
to be there for 4 years but didn’t quite manage to get
myself onto an Industrial Placement so I cut short my time
in Lancaster, changed to a 3 year degree and found myself
a job in recruitment after getting a 2.1 in BSc Management.
I moved to central Leeds to work for Mackenzie Stuart for
two years working within Oil & Gas Executive Recruitment,
placing in the top 5 performers at the company for my
20 months at the company. General life tip - don’t work in
recruitment. 60 hour weeks took their toll and I decided I
wanted a life outside of work so I threw myself
into unemployment earlier this year, and three
weeks later was moving to Manchester to start
a new job at IRIS, the country’s leading provider
of software to the Accountancy market. I’ve
been here since April and I’m now living with
Laurence Pullan in Didsbury (the twin that
always wore the white shirts… or “the one that’s
not Joel” as he’s more commonly known).
James Dunlop
I attempted to become a Tour de France
champion, however after a broken ankle
and finding I had a severe lack of talent I
realised it wasn’t to be. I then completed my
Marketing Management degree from Lancaster
in July 2015. This gave me the ability to have
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CLASS OF 2010 - FIVE YEAR REUNION O
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conversations that don’t revolve around
bikes and I can talk now about numerous
topics. I have just started on the Centrica
Customer Operations Graduate scheme.
Alasdair Egerton
After what seemed like a lifetime I’ve
graduated with a Business Management
honours degree at MMU. Took two and a
half years but eventually realised that it
takes a fair bit of work to get a degree, so
the first part of 2015 was spent in a library.
Having spent 7 years at LRGS talking
rubbish to teachers I decided to make a bit
of money out of it and am now a Educational
Recruitment Consultant for REED global
which the last part of the year has been spent. Being on
the graduate scheme with a large recruiting firm has led
to many different and exciting experiences, which most
have the same common denominator of me being the only
northerner.
Ryan Fisher
Since leaving LRGS, I have graduated from the University
of York with a first class honours BSc degree in Molecular
Cell Biology (with a Year in Industry). As part of the degree,
I completed a 12 month placement in an immunology
research lab at the National Institute for Medical Research
down in London. For the last year, I have been back in
Lancaster working at Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School as
the chemistry technician, with the hope of pursuing a career
in teaching in the near future.
Danny Frost
Sorry I could not make it to the 5 year reunion, would have
been fantastic to see everyone! After graduating from uni, I
started working at a law firm in the City. I am currently away
on secondment in Abu Dhabi, but would be great to grab a
drink with anyone when I am back in London.
Crendon Greenway
I joined Royal Marines Officer Training straight after school,
and have spent the last 5 years leading a troop round 25
countries from the deserts of the Middle East to the jungles
of Africa to Arctic mountain ranges. Obviously this has led
to some pretty interesting opportunities. I have a flat in
Clifton, Bristol, where I live with my fiancé. Can’t complain.
Jake Haddow
After leaving LRGS I went to study geography at Newcastle.
I then moved back to Lancaster to work as the alumni officer
at LRGS, before making the jump to move down south to
study a Masters at Reading. Very much looking forward to
seeing everyone!
Felix Hart
After 4 years of engineering at Bristol, I spent the last year
digging holes and picking avocados in Australia. Now trying
my hand at construction law in London. Hope everyone is well.
Paul Hodgson
After finishing my Chemical Engineering MEng, I couldn’t
face getting an actual job, so stayed on to research
advanced biofuels on a PhD at Trinity College, Cambridge,
a decision in part motivated by extending my University
sporting career. I’ve swapped bikes for horses, guns and
epées, having transitioned from Triathlon into Modern
Pentathlon in order to entirely fulfil the 1920’s, out-of-touch
Oxbridge stereotype.
Rory Hudson
I’ve done a bit of travelling, a lot of eating and drinking, next
to no exercise and now find myself doing a bit of audit at
Ernst & Young but there’s nothing interesting about that. I
am also now in possession of World Cup Final tickets where
I’m hoping to watch England… oh wait.
Jamie Hume
After leaving LRGS in 2010, I spent a very enjoyable 4 years
in Newcastle along with several other OLs and completed a
Bachelors degree in Geography and a Masters in Renewable
Energy. Upon completing my studies, I spent a brief month
back in Lancaster before moving to Bath to work as a Business
Analyst, which unfortunately was not as interesting or
challenging as I would have liked. Fortunately, I have recently
started a more fruitful job designing sustainable buildings,
relocating to Petersfield near the South Coast in the process.
James Hyman
Finally graduated from Edinburgh in the summer and
working in all the glamour and bright lights of Sunderland
Hospital for the next 2 years....just managing to relate to
the locals with one thing in common, supporting a terrible
football team.
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L CLASS OF 2010 - FIVE YEAR REUNION
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Birmingham Air Squadron: flying, shooting,
adventurous training, playing volleyball
and partying. After graduation I made the
long move south to Sussex and started
working for CAE as a Visual Modeller. I’ve
since moved across to the darkside of
the engineering department to become a
Software Engineer.
Mat Johnstone
Since leaving Lancaster, I completed my BA and MA in
international relations at the University of Reading. I am
currently training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst,
and will commission as a second lieutenant in the Army
Air Corps in December. Starting the army pilots course
in January 2016, I will hopefully be attached to an attack
helicopter unit in the near future. Good luck to all members
of the class of 2010!
Matthew Jones
Working and living in Manchester, currently a manager in an
accountancy practice training towards my ACCA.
Mario Kaspers
Spent 4 years at Imperial College London studying MEng
Chemical Engineering I am the co-founder and CEO of
EPulsive Ltd. My business partner and I started this business
in October 2014. I have a passion for Individual & Team
Sports: EMS, gym, swimming, hockey, running.
Sam Law
Graduated in July 2013 with a 1st Class Honours in
Aeronautical Technology from Staffordshire University.
Spent 3 years living the dream on the University of
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Lex Le Saint-Grant
Left school to go straight to St Andrews
University to study medicine, graduated in
2013 and then moved to Edinburgh Medical
School to finish off my medical qualification
(July 2016). Hoping to pursue a career in
surgery.
Henry Legat
I have just moved back to Lancaster having spent 5 years
studying then working in Manchester. I am now married and
work for Boots as a pharmacist. In my spare time I volunteer
for the police as a special constable.
Maciej Matuszewski
I graduated with an MSci in Physics with Theoretical Physics
from Imperial College London last year. I am currently reading
for a PhD in Theoretical Physics at Durham University. In
my spare time I enjoy hiking and running science fiction &
fantasy conventions.
Josh McLoughlin
Football journalist for Here Is The City and Chorley FC. Also
working in sales and hospitality at Manchester United.
Miles Mollinga
Just graduated from Loughborough Uni this summer after
studying International Business. Recently sacrificed any
social life to begin a career as a Futures Trader, working for
a prop trading firm in Woking. Still overrated at cricket and
average at rugby.
CLASS OF 2010 - FIVE YEAR REUNION O
Soufyaan Patel
Since leaving LRGS, I went on to university and
graduated with a 2:1 In International Business. I
also enjoyed taking part in a charity skydive as
well as travelling through the Middle East, the
main highlight of which was seeing Palestine
from a local perspective. Following university, I
launched Cater 2 You, a wholesale food & drink
business in Manchester supplying amazing
produce to high end eating establishments in
the North West. I love the dynamic nature of
running my own business and it’s rapidly going
from strength to strength. I still regularly keep
in touch with some OLs particularly my fellow
boarders who made life at LRGS unforgettable.
If you’re ever in Manchester or if I can help you in any way,
feel free to get in touch!
Luke Richmond
Since finishing my LRGS career in a blaze of glory I’ve
somehow managed to forge a finance career in the
aerospace industry (despite being unable to see a month
out without borrowing from parents or girlfriend), keep said
girlfriend relatively happy for 5 years and buy a house. I
spend most of my free time avoiding my friends or on a
physios table with a right knee that appears to be made of
some form of soft cheese.
Joshua Sanderson-Kirk
Since leaving LRGS I attended Durham University where
I graduated with a BA (Hons) in Business. I then took a
year out during which I joined the Albert Kennedy Trust as
a Volunteer Advocate, where I support young LGBT people
who are homeless. I have just completed my Graduate
Diploma in Law in Manchester with a view to becoming
a Barrister. To this end I have secured a place on the Bar
Professional Training Course to start in 2016. I also continue
to play rugby although mostly for the social side.
Daniel Sedgwick
I went to Loughborough to study Chemistry, spent a year
abroad in Valencia, went back to Loughborough to finish
my degree, then went back to Valencia to do a Masters and
I’m still there working on a PhD.
Will Slack
After leaving LRGS I went travelling around Europe with
2 other OLs, Dan Marechal and Alex Williams. I then went
on to gain a degree in Business Management at Swansea
University. I moved on to London after graduation and live in
Westminster with Alex Williams. I am now a Senior Consultant
in a company I joined as the 4th employee, and we have
grown to 30 in 2 years. I partner with leading companies to
help them hire the best advertising talent - working with the
likes of Apple, WPP, Manchester City and TripAdvisor.
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Gareth Stephens
After leaving LRGS I took an office job for a scratch card
company processing and analysing response data. As
exciting as that sounds I decided it wasn’t the career path
for me and within a few months I gained a place on an
airline cadet scheme to train as a commercial airline pilot.
After stints in the United States, Ireland, Scotland and
most exotically the Midlands I’m now based at Manchester
operating routes across Europe. In that time I’ve been
lucky enough to see a fair amount of the continent while
becoming quite a coffee connoisseur and a regular reader
of many newspaper columns.
Daniel Stott
After leaving LRGS I went to Lancaster and Morecambe
College to study IT. I’m now working at LGGS as an IT
Technician.
Pat Street
I’m on a degree course at Tech Music School and I’m due to
start an internship in Music Publishing (London).
Joe Taylor
Since leaving LRGS, I completed 4 years at Durham University
studying Geography and spending most of my summers
leading charity expeditions to Borneo, up Kilimanjaro and
on field trips. Now, I’ve moved to London and I’m working
as a Cyber Security Consultant with Deloitte.
Isaac Thompson
Graduated Northumbria University in 2013 with a 2:1 in
Criminology and Sociology. Spent the last two years
working in a school for disaffected children with social
emotional and behavioural difficulties. About to embark on
an adventure around Australia, hopefully never to return.
Paul Whittaker
After leaving LRGS, I went to university to study Industrial
Design in the Jewel of the East Midlands, Loughborough. I
graduated after 4 years, including a placement year spent
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L CLASS OF 2010 - FIVE YEAR REUNION
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working as a packaging designer. Despite spending my
university years colouring things in to make them look
pretty, I somehow convinced Dyson that I could also design
things that worked and I have just completed my first year
as a Design Engineer, living in Bristol.
Ben Williams
After three years studying creative advertising at the
University of Lincoln I moved down to London to pursue my
career. After a year and a half of gruelling placements, and
a couple of months freelancing in Brussels, I managed to
secure a job as a creative at VCCP London. Since being hired
in March, my creative partner and I have already rebranded
ASDA with a whole new TV campaign, creating a fresh spin
on ASDA’s iconic ‘pocket tap’. We’re currently working on
VCCP’s other clients including CompareTheMarket, Grolsch,
Macmillan and, hopefully, winning them some new business
soon.
Abraham Zachariah
After LRGS, I moved on to Loughborough University to
study Automotive Engineering and have just graduated in
July with a 1st class masters. In the middle of my degree,
I had the incredible opportunity of spending my ‘year in
industry’ working for the Mercedes F1 team which was a
brilliant experience. Straight after finishing university, I
started working for the Red Bull F1 team and as I write this,
I have just completed my first month with them! It’s going
alright so far!
12 PUBS OF CHRISTMAS
23 DECEMBER 2015
“He who has not Christmas in his heart
will never find it under a tree”.
The fifth instalment of the annual Old
Lancastrian 12 pubs of Christmas pub
crawl saw a dramatic change to the
route this year after Storm Desmond.
With the bottom Whetherspoons
closed due to the weather and also
Revolution being shut down, the town
was certainly in need for Christmas
cheer.
The lack of our karaoke compere, Tony
West, on this year’s schedule was no
doubt a crushing blow, but apparently
entertaining the people and tourists of
Lanzarote was something he couldn’t
get out of. I hope they were happy.
No karaoke meant that every ounce
of passion was poured into everyone’s
favourite carol ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’,
which this year, was belted out on the
steps of Lancaster Town Hall.
On moving to the next pub, The Sir
Richard Owen, named after one of our
most famous sons, we were lucky to
avoid the bad weather that had been
holding off for so long. Then followed a
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quick succession of beers in the Penny
Bank, Hustle and the Pendle Witch.
This year the crowd was certainly in
two speeds as it was not unusual for
stragglers to arrive at the pubs just
as the front-runners were leaving.
What this lost in terms of camaraderie
it certainly made up for in ensuring
space at the bar.
A few pubs, and a lot of alcohol later,
the group found themselves in Glow
Rooms, where we saw out the night.
Huge thanks go to Jake Haddow
and Rory Hudson for helping in the
organisation of what is fast becoming
one of the most popular events on the
OL Calendar with over 100 attendees
of all ages. Everyone always enjoys
the chance it provides for everyone
to catch up with friends over the
Christmas period.
We once again
hope to see the same huge turnout
and relentless enthusiasm in 2016!
PROPOSED OL CALENDAR 2016-17 O
Cotswolds Dinner:
Friday 10 June 2016
Founders’ Weekend:
Friday/Saturday 1/2 July 2016
Hong Kong Dinner:
Friday 16 September 2016
Manchester Dinner:
Friday 14 October 2016
Class of 2011, 5 Year Reunion:
Saturday 22 October 2016
London Dinner:
Thursday 3 November 2016
Speech Day:
Saturday 19 November 2016
School Carol Service:
Saturday 17 December 2016
Boxing Day rugby match:
Monday 26 December 2016
Cambridge Dinner:
Friday 3 March 2017
Cornwall Weekend:
Friday 24 March 2017
East Lancs Dinner:
Friday 28 April 2017
Oxford Dinner:
Thursday 4 May 2017
Cotswolds Dinner:
Friday 9 June 2017 (tbc)
Founders’ Weekend:
Friday/Saturday 7/8 July 2017
L
FAREWELL TO STAFF
After another very busy year, the
following staff left LRGS: Mrs Marjorie
Crombie, Mr James Curran, Mr Mick
Curran, Mr Jake Haddow, Mr Andrew
Halladay, Mr Richard Hitchings (who
returns part time), Mr James Hurrell,
Mr Peter Jago, Mr Andrew Nicholson,
Mr Phillip Steers, Mr Myles Tracey.
We would like to thank them for their
contribution to the school and wish
them all the very best for the future.
MYLES TRACEY (1987 – 2015)
On Friday July 10 2015, after 46 years
in the teaching profession, Myles
Tracey retired from LRGS and from the
classroom. Period 5 that day – the last
lesson of the academic year and the
last lesson of MAT’s career – saw Myles
scheduled for a free period. Except
that, instead, he had been put down
to cover a first year French lesson.
Others might have grumbled, pleaded
for clemency on the grounds of good
behaviour or retreated early to the pub
in ‘don’t give a damn’ exasperation.
Myles, of course, saw the funny side,
chuckled ruefully and duly departed
to fulfil his final obligation. This, in
microcosm, is the man: professional,
dedicated,
uncomplaining,
droll,
reliable and altruistic.
A product of Hyde County Grammar
School, Lancaster University (where
he read Latin and French), and St
Martin’s College, Myles was appointed
to Fleetwood Grammar School in
1969 to teach French, subsequently
becoming Head of Latin in 1974. In
1987 Myles applied for a position in the
Classics Department of LRGS. And so
it came to pass that MA Tracey (MAT)
joined the academic staff of the school
to teach Latin, Ancient History and
(though he soon knew to keep this
very quiet) some French.
Within a term, Myles had to cope with
a new head of department. I for my
part was delighted to join him at LRGS.
The immediate task was to bring some
order to what had become a somewhat
chaotic
operation.
Here,
MAT’s
selflessness, determination and sheer
hard work proved invaluable. Myles
immediately offered to run annual trips
to Italy, which he did from 1988 until
1998. Almost immediate election (nem
con!) as staff rep on the LRGS Friends’
Committee saw Myles become very
well known to a wide range of parents.
Here too his qualities of organisation,
unflappability,
dependability
and
common sense made him a valued
and popular member of this important
group. Long service as a tutor in Storey
House (1988-2010), master i/c hockey
(1988-2003), where he ran joint teams
with LGGS, master i/c squash (20042011) and Common Room secretary
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L FAREWELL TO STAFF
O
(1997-2006) all complete the picture
of Myles’s huge contribution to LRGS’s
extra-curricular life.
Myles is an excellent teacher of the
classics. Entirely on top of the material,
whether
teaching
second
year
beginners or U6 Oxbridge candidates,
he brings his tinder-dry northern wit to
the lessons, to the delight of many of
the boys. MAT loves puns, word play,
PG Wodehouse and Roman comedy,
and is quite capable of reducing
classes of boys to side-splitting mirth.
Extremely diligent in every way, and
not least in the regularity, accuracy,
speed and efficiency of his marking,
Myles has high standards and expects
his students to work as hard as he
does; and woe betide those who do
not.
MAT’s excellence has been a major
reason for the success of the
department during his time in the
school. His vast experience and
expertise was acquired, in part, from his
long years (1974-2006) as an external
examiner in a variety of roles: assessor,
moderator, Latin GCSE reviser and
A-Level chief examiner for Latin.
Myles’s familiarity with external
examinations and examining made
him the perfect candidate to become
LRGS’s GCSE (1989-2012) and A-Level
(2003-2011) supremo acquiring, in
the process, a title – Examinations
Officer, an office (which over time
increased in size from, literally, a
cupboard to a rather spacious, if
damp, room) and even a whole
Examinations Department. Needless
to say, MAT’s professionalism, intellect,
care, foresight and conscientiousness
ensured an extremely smooth-running
operation.
Myles enjoys the very great respect
and affection of his colleagues. His acts
of kindness, great and small, are legion:
a quiet word, a note of sympathy,
a telephone call, a visit, all done
unostentatiously, have cheered and
helped many. He is a man of principle
and integrity. Faults? Well he is a slave
26
to a sticky bun, and long ago managed
to inveigle himself into the (apparently
frequent and very sucrose) birthday
celebrations of the office staff. And, of
course, the dogs – Molly, Tess and Nell
et al: MAT has always been far more
indulgent of these canine tricksters
than of any errant second year!
Richard Hitchings
PETER JAGO (1994 – 2015)
Peter Jago started his career at LRGS
in 1994 having previously taught for a
year at a private girls’ school. Known as
JPJ to most, but PJJ to some, in some
respects he remains the international
(Cornish) mystery man. Exactly how
old is he? He will not tell. What is, or
was, his connection with fox hunting, (if
any) as evidenced by his early morning
and set run use of what seemed to be
a hunting horn? Employed mainly to
teach ICT, as well as this he volunteered
to help out with rowing, the Navy CCF
and boarding, eventually running the
rowing, running the RN CCF section
and rising to assistant housemaster of
School House.
This arguably spread his time and
energy somewhat too thin, but it is
in this combination of non-classroom
roles that he will be best remembered.
There were several areas where Peter’s
expertise in one area contributed to
another. For example bringing out
some RN cadets armed with naval
flares to raid the Army CCF who were
on exercise at Littledale; applying IT
technology to publicise events and
to co-ordinate and communicate
more effectively within the Boat
Club; and deploying his RN outboard
motor maintenance expertise, and
his extensive tool kit to keep the
Sailing Club and Boat Club launches
operating.
Peter arrived at LRGS to help coach
rowing at a time when the other
established coaches were in need of
help due to them having young families.
Peter threw himself into the routine of
after school, Saturday morning and
during the holidays training sessions
with gusto. His own speed in a single
sculler was impressive, and he did a lot
of his early coaching from one.
With some initial trepidation, Peter took
over the running of the boat club after
the departure of Tim Lucas. This was
a hard act to follow, and in a difficult
period as the conditions in the John
O’Gaunt boathouse in those days were
far from ideal; the costs of attending
events and the costs of equipment
maintenance were continually rising;
and the school was unable to fund
the boat fleet maintenance or rowing
operations properly. Furthermore,
rapidly expanding health and safety
expectations within all UK schools
were becoming potentially restrictive.
Despite all of these challenges, Peter
not only navigated a path through or
over the various obstacles, he also
found ways to develop and improve
the club during this time.
In his time running LRGSBC Peter
oversaw the development of a number
of exceptionally high class oarsmen
who went on to compete and reach
the finals of and win medals at
National Standard events. This was
done without any form of preferential
access to the best athletes. Many of
those who were allowed to try rowing
in Year 9, though not first or second
FAREWELL TO STAFF O
team rugby material, were full of
potential and many caught ‘the rowing
bug’ and they became superb athletes.
In the case of Scott and Mason
Durant he achieved something no
other LRGSBC coach has ever done
– selection to represent GB at Junior
18 level. However Peter was not just a
glory-hunting coach. He also thought
about how to develop boys’ abilities
across full ability range – he spent much
time encouraging both the dayboys
and boarders who took up the sport
to stretch themselves, whatever their
initial talent levels. Regularly, boys who
began somewhat tentatively as “also
rans”, having been encouraged to stick
at it, to train harder in the gym and on
the water, turned into really impressive
oarsmen who, by the time they were in
the sixth-form, would, to their delight,
trash University and older adult crews
at rowing events around the North of
England.
The lessons these many cohorts of
boys learned – including ones of
teamwork, and that you get out of life
what you put in – were invaluable. It
always gave Peter much delight when,
attending some regatta or head race
with LRGSBC, he would come across
a former LRGS student who was not
only actively continuing with his own
rowing at a high standard, but was
frequently involved in the running of
his University or College club as well.
In his most recent years Peter’s
knowledge of the way Her Majesty’s
Armed Forces operate due to his CCF
rôle was invaluable in negotiating,
liaising with, and overseeing the
moving of LRGSBC HQ from John
O’Gaunt Boathouse over to the
Halton Army Camp. This was a huge
achievement and it preserved and
enhanced the club at a time when it
might have otherwise have been the
end of the road, as the lease at John
O’Gaunt was expiring.
He also helped get a revitalised
and re-energised parental support
group running which has now once
L
again become hugely significant in
supporting the club. The amount of
time and effort he has put in to the
running of the Boat Club over many
years has been tremendous.
Despite all the constraints which apply
for any state school attempting to offer
rowing on a very small budget, Peter
has left LRGSBC in a better condition
than he found it, which is no mean feat.
Robin Thompson
ANDY YELLAND (1999 – 2015)
Andy’s career at LRGS started with
two terms’ supply in 1999. Shortly after,
in 2001, he joined the school as a fulltime permanent member of the MFL
Department, teaching French across
all key stages. Initially, he lived in as a
Resident House Tutor of School House.
Andy really took to boarding life and
would always turn up at lunch time
to the duty study to meet the boys
and provide pastoral care. Doc Rowe
recalls how he was a most dedicated
duty master who would patrol the
dormitories religiously and quietly,
collating anecdotes of the whispered
conversations he overheard. It was
clear to see that the boys in School
House were fond of him as he always
had a number of them taking the
mickey out of him at the Christmas
revue – a sure sign of deep affection!
In 2002 Andy moved out of boarding
to live with, his now wife, Sally, but he
remained a weekly duty master for the
rest of his time at the school, spending
six more years under DRR in School
House then another seven under
ACS at Frankland House. Here he did
his weeknight duties, and returned
to the House each lunchtime to be a
staff presence and provide quality
conversation for colleagues and boys,
in between solving a cryptic crossword
or two! He is leaving with some very
happy memories of his time as part of
the Frankland community.
In addition to being well-known for
his love of crosswords, Andy’s other
well-documented passion was cross
country, which he led from 2002. A
keen runner himself, through rain or
shine, ice and snow, on a Wednesday
afternoon he steered boys towards
many victories in the sport. During
his tenure, the teams achieved an
impressive palmarès: they won the
Northern Schools Championships for
the first time in 2011 and then twice
more for the hat-trick, and the U6
leavers of 2015, as Fourth Years, came
third nationally at the English Schools
XC Championships in 2011. The boys
and families involved in running would
attest to his passion for the sport and
to his commitment to supporting them
as runners. Andy also assisted sports
staff with swimming competitions and
helped out with chess club.
During his time at the school, Andy
became a much-loved member of
the department and was well-liked,
amongst other things, for his Yorkshire
honesty, (often naughty sense of)
humour and love of a good old chat.
The boys in his classes benefitted from
his fantastic knowledge of all the little
idiosyncrasies of French grammar
and the staff themselves often turned
to him for confirmation of complex
grammar and irregularities. His pupils
formed strong bonds with him,
appreciating his firm but fair approach
to discipline and the lighter touches his
use of humour, films and crosswords
added to his lessons.
Sarah Haigh
27
L FAREWELL TO STAFF
O
Sale Sharks and represented England
Sevens at senior level.
Incredibly, LRGS was to go one step
further the following year, reaching the
semi-final of the National Cup. Anyone
who was lucky enough to watch that
team play was left in no doubt that this
was one of the finest schoolboy teams
in England at that time. Lancaster lost
a hard fought semi-final to Coulston’s
School who then went on to beat
Barnard Castle by fifty points in the
final.
MICK CURRAN (2001-2015)
Mick contributed a huge amount
during the fourteen years that he
worked at the school. However, the
abiding memory for most people will
be the eight years from 2002 to 2010
when he was coach to the 1st XV rugby
team. During this period, the school
reached the final of the Lancashire
Cup on seven consecutive occasions,
winning the trophy six times. It was
a period of dominance that helped
to earn LRGS the title of “Lancashire
Rugby School of the Year” three times.
It is well worth noting that in 2008 (the
one year when LRGS did lose a final)
the team then travelled to Wakefield
and won the prestigious Wakefield
Xs Tournament, beating the hosts in
the final. It meant that Lancaster had
returned a major piece of silverware
every year during Mick’s time in charge.
Success was not restricted to county
level. During Mick’s first year, the 1st
XV progressed to the quarter final
stage of the National Daily Mail Cup,
and it was with great pride that he
watched Lancaster’s captain Sean
Cox go on to captain England during
that same season. Sean is one of
several students from this period who
achieved major honours in rugby;
Dan Birchall and James Williams both
played for England while they were
schoolboys, and Andrew Abraham
and Stuart Brown were both awarded
Blues by Cambridge University. Selorm
Kuadey played professional rugby for
28
Mick Curran was 1st XV coach on four
successful overseas tours, playing
tough opposition from South Africa,
Australia and Argentina along the way.
I know that all of the boys who played
during that period would be keen to
thank him for the opportunities that he
helped to create for them. He was also
a great fan of cryptic crosswords and
a keen Bridge player – his presence in
the Common Room is certainly missed.
Tony Burns
ANDY HALLADAY (2000 – 2015)
Andy Halladay joined the Design
and Technology Department in April
2005, having taught previously at
Eton College. He taught Resistant
Materials and Graphic Products, with
professionalism and inimitable wit.
He was a dedicated sixth form tutor,
admired and respected by his form
members. For many years he was a
house tutor in Storey House. Andy
was Chair of the Common Room
Committee; he keenly defended and
fought for the rights and interests of
his colleagues.
Andy was a guardian of sartorial
standards and was a strict adherent of
bow-tie-Friday, even making and selling
bow ties to colleagues and pupils to
spread the word. A skilled craftsman,
Andy was often to be seen after school
creating a piece of furniture, or his
particular passion, a cello. His current
project is a major two storey extension
to their house, totally self-built, and
which will include a workshop and a
garage for his MG. The Halladay family
had many associations with LRGS, for
several years his wife Alison worked in
the Lee House office, and both their
sons, Domonic and Henry, attended
the school. Andy and Alison live locally
and are well known and respected
members of the community. The
renovated tennis courts and sports
facilities at Highfield are largely thanks
to the fund raising and organisational
efforts of the Halladays.
Sadly, Andy’s career at LRGS ended
sooner than he would have wished. He
is much missed by his colleagues in the
D&T Dept and throughout the school.
David Saul
JAMES HURRELL (2008-2015)
James came to the English Department
from Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
in 2008, with several years’ experience
already under his belt. When he first
moved here, everyone was struck
by his youthful appearance – some
parents even mistook him initially for
a prefect! Seven years later, James has
retained his enthusiasm and energy.
We are incredibly sad to see him go,
but delighted that his abilities have
been recognised by his promotion to
Second in Department. In the seven
years that he was with us, I never once
heard a word said against him by a boy,
parent or member of staff: I wonder if
this is a record?
FAREWELL TO STAFF O
James has a real interest in his subject,
and he has inspired boys throughout,
from First Form to Sixth Form. His
lessons were lively, fun and – above
all – scholarly; the boys (and the staff)
learned tremendously from his ideas
and methods. However, his work in
the classroom was just the tip of a
very deep iceberg. At various points
he has been the Extended Curriculum
Co-ordinator, Resident House Tutor of
School House, Assistant Housemaster
of Frankland (where he set up a
Boarders’ Book Club), played a large
part in Arts Festivals, set up the Literary
Society with David Ashbridge, was an
officer in the CCF’s RAF Section, and
he has done a great deal with the Duke
of Edinburgh’s Awards – especially the
expeditions.
L
We wish James the best at his new post
in Keswick, and hope that he, Liz and
the children (William and Grace, who
have lived all their young lives in school
accommodation) have a smooth move
to a new house in Penrith. I am sure
that he and his family were looking
forward to leaving Old School House,
though: I gather that there was often
a choice – given the dodgy electrics
– of either having the electric heaters
on or the computer, but not both! With
his intellect, scholarship, enthusiasm,
calmness, determination, industry,
loyalty and sense of humour, his new
Department is lucky to have him – just
as we were.
Nicholas Thorn
SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT
Over the year considerable progress
has been made on a number of
projects which help us to enrich the
lives and the educational experience of
current as well as future generations of
pupils. Our InspirUS programme took
a new focus, a new “Opportunities
Fund” was established by an OL to
complement the Lune Scholarship
Fund. We received a welcome boost of
funding from the Wolfson Foundation
to improve our IT provision and the
International Building and the Dining
Hall had much needed facelifts with
new windows.
massive change from pre-InspirUS
times. Hundreds of youngsters, boys
and girls, have come through the doors
and have benefited from the InspirUS
programme. For a considerable
number it has been a radical turning
point in their attitude to learning and
has given them the confidence to
apply to the grammar schools, which
they would have not done without the
intervention of InspirUS.
INSPIRUS
The original intentions of InspirUS
still hold true today – to be able to
give life changing opportunities to
bright youngsters, whatever their
backgrounds. InspirUS is now well
established and well respected by
the primary Heads who are very keen
for their children to take part in the
scheme. Several of these primary
schools also provide a steady stream
of well prepared applicants who
successfully join LRGS.
Since the inception of InspirUS in
2009 Kathryn Page, InspirUS CoOrdinator, has successfully developed
very positive warm relationships with
nearly all of the fifty primary schools
in the Lancaster district. This is a
This past year the focus of InspirUS
has been sharpened to concentrate
on schools where there are a higher
percentage children receiving help
through Pupil Premium Grants. This
has meant offering InspirUS to less
These are just examples of what
we have been able to do, due to the
generosity of very many people.
Thank you so much for what you have
helped us to achieve.
schools but offering children longer
duration of sessions – 10 weeks instead
of 5 weeks – which will impact more on
their learning.
Kathryn has also included parents in
the programme so that they become
more involved in their children’s
learning and gain an understanding
of what is needed to apply to LRGS,
dispelling any reservations they may
have.
Feedback so far has been extremely
positive and we hope that it will
increase the number of boys applying
and joining LRGS who might not have
considered it before.
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LUNE SCHOLARSHIP
The Lune Scholarship is funded
solely by donations and offers help
to families who may be struggling
financially.
Over the past year, a
huge number of boys have received
help towards uniform and sports gear
costs, travel costs and other expenses
for extra-curricular activities whilst
representing the school or supporting
their education.
We are indebted to Martin Higginson
for his vision and continued generosity
in establishing and funding the scheme.
Sincere thanks also to the many Old
Lancastrians who are contributing
towards the initiative.
OPPORTUNITIES FUND
Another former pupil of the school has
very generously set up and funded
another scheme which dovetails
with the Lune Scholarship.
The
Opportunities Fund gives discretionary
financial assistance if pupils need help
to go on extra-curricular trips, have a
once in a lifetime opportunity or are
representing a recognised body of
distinction outside of school.
Both of these schemes allow boys
to take full advantage of all that the
school has to offer and hopefully
provide them with opportunities that
perhaps they had thought not possible.
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
We are pleased that this year we have
been able to continue to offer a wide
range of activities for the boys to take
part in outside the classroom – from
rugby and rowing to quiz teams and
Bad Boyz Bakin’ Club. These are just
a few of the activities that depend
on support from the Annual Fund
which was introduced to parents in
September 2015.
IT FUNDING GETS A BOOST
In the autumn of 2015 we were
delighted to be awarded £30,000 by
the Wolfson Foundation to improve
our IT provision.
The Wolfson
Foundation is an independent charity
that awards grants to support and
promote excellence in education.
The Wolfson Foundation (www.
wolfson.org.uk) is an independent
charity that supports and promotes
excellence in the fields of science
and medicine, health and disability,
education and the arts and humanities.
All awards are given on the basis of
expert review.
Over £800 million
(£1.7 billion in real terms) has been
awarded to more than 10,000 projects
throughout the UK. Established in 1955,
the Wolfson Foundation celebrated its
60th anniversary in 2015.
BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS
You may have heard that we have been
successful in obtaining government
funding towards the renovation of
some of our dilapidated buildings.
This is really exciting news and will help
considerably with our plans to improve
the quality of our school buildings and
environment.
The school has used the funding to
completely re-equip the multimedia
centre (now the Bell Room) with new
computers, and to provide further
computers and overhead projectors
in the Sixth Form centre and library,
along with improved wifi access for
pupils.
Dr Pyle said: “I am very grateful
to the Wolfson Foundation for
their financial support. This is the
second time in recent years that the
Wolfson Foundation has supported
the development of school facilities
and we are delighted to receive this
30
grant. It will increase the opportunities
available for our Sixth formers in
particular, and I know that they will
take every advantage of these facilities
to fulfil their potential.”
Amongst other works that took place
over the summer holidays 2015, we
were especially pleased to have been
able to replace dozens of windows in
the International Building and Dining
Hall. The New Building and Music block
SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT O
are receiving facelifts this Easter with
over 400 windows being replaced.
We are promised further major
investment as part of the Priority
Schools Building Programme, and
eagerly await further details.
John Rigg’s re-engagement with
the school began after he retired as
Chairman of ICI Organics Division
in the early 1980s.
Andrew Miller
invited him to join the governing
body and John served on several
committees, finally as Chairman of
the Finance Committee. It was John
who was instrumental in transferring
the buildings and land to the Trustees
of the school, securing the school
for the future. John was a generous
benefactor and donated his collection
of valuable maps and illustrations of
Lancaster to the school. These prints
adorn the walls of Old School House
Drawing Room which has now been
renamed the John Rigg Room.
AUCTION OF PROMISES
Huge thanks to all of you who
generously
donated
items
and
pledges for the Auction of Promises
and to those who bid on the night
of 21st November 2015.
We raised
an amazing £26,334 towards the
renovation of the damp, cold, shabby
and dingy Assembly Hall to convert
it into an attractive, welcoming and
professional space which will benefit
current and future pupils as well as the
local community.
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help us deliver the highest teaching
standards which are essential to our
continuing success – Old School House
renovation, phased refurbishment of
the Assembly Hall, improved sports
facilities, Science classroom upgrades,
and
further
Digital
Technology
improvements.
The Programme requires a significant
investment in building, infrastructure
and facilities. We need the support
of both our school family - boys, staff,
parents and old boys - as well as the
wider community to create a school
for the future.
Your generosity is
essential in helping us to bridge the
gap between government funding
and the facilities we need to continue
to provide an exceptional educational
experience for our boys.
If you would like to help us by
contributing to our Development plans
please contact:
Jenny Cornell, Development Office,
LRGS, East Road, Lancaster LA1 3EF
Tel: 01524 580608
Email: development@lrgs.org.uk
LRGS LEGACY SCHEME AND
JOHN GARDYNER SOCIETY
Renovation work will start in the Hall
over the forthcoming Easter holidays
to coincide with the replacement of
the New Building windows.
One of the easiest and most effective
ways of helping the school in the future
is by leaving a legacy in your Will.
RECOGNISING THE LONG
SERVICE TO THE SCHOOL OF
TWO OLD LANCASTRIANS
Once you are happy that you have
provided for your family and friends,
you may like to leave a legacy to
Lancaster Royal Grammar School
charity. It would be a tremendous
gesture to help ensure the school’s
future for many generations to come.
We were delighted to welcome the
families of Andrew Miller (1944-49)
and John Rigg (1931-38) to mark
the renaming of two rooms in Old
School House. Andrew Miller joined
the governing body in 1955 and was
Chairman of Governors from 1965 to
1981. Andrew continued his active
involvement as Chairman of the
Properties Committee until his death in
2012. It seemed appropriate to name
Old School House Dining Room after
him as this was the room where he
chaired so many Governors’ meetings.
(top) Andrew Miller’s family.
(above) John Rigg’s family.
Lancaster Royal Grammar School
partly owes its existence to a bequest.
In 1469, local merchant John Gardyner
recorded his intention to establish a
school ‘to instruct and inform the boys
in grammar, freely.’ Prior to this the
school had been solely fee paying.
LOOKING FORWARD
Our current development programme
continues and includes specific
projects that we have identified to
This original endowment heralded
the beginning of free education for
boys from Lancaster which continues
today. In 1472, John Gardyner’s Will
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made provision for “a certain grammar
school within the town of Lancaster to
be supported freely at my own proper
charges ...”.
Gardyner’s endowment has been followed by
a series of subsequent bequests which have
enabled Lancaster Royal Grammar School
to develop and grow to its present size and
status as one of the UK’s leading state schools.
The Trustees of the Charity own all of the
school’s land and buildings. All donations and
bequests go into the LRGS Charity (number
526602) and are carefully administered by the
Trustees.
The John Gardyner Society has been
established to recognise those who have
signified their intention to leave a gift to
Lancaster Royal Grammar School in their Wills.
The Society, named after the school’s founder,
provides the opportunity to offer our thanks
to the membership, recognise their generosity and to keep
them informed of the school’s progress and plans.
Membership is open to anyone who has made a bequest
to the school. Recognising that such a decision is often
private and personal, the list of members is not published.
However, benefits include an invitation to special events and
a benefactor’s OL tie.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Old School by the Castle.
more generously than their present circumstances permit.
Furthermore, legacies to charities are free of Inheritance
Tax, so they can reduce the total liability on your estate.
If you intend to include a legacy to the school, it would be
helpful for us to know about your decision.
For further information please contact Jenny Cornell,
Development Director on 01524 580608 or email
development@lrgs.org.uk
A growing number of Old Lancastrians and friends of LRGS
are choosing to support the school in this way. Many are
finding that legacies allow them to support the school
SCHOOL NEWS 2015-16
OUTSTANDING A-LEVEL SUCCESS
Congratulations to Sixth Form students at LRGS who
achieved outstanding results in their A-level examinations
in 2015. Almost half of all subject entries for the 153 Upper
Sixth students were awarded A or A* grades, and almost
three-quarters of all exams received grade B or above.
Lower Sixth students also received some of the school’s
best ever AS results, including over 44% A grades.
The Headmaster said: “These excellent results reflect our
Sixth Formers’ ambition and hard work. We are very proud
of every single one of our students. They have worked hard
to gain the grades that will take them onto the next stage of
their futures. I am particularly delighted that so many of our
students have achieved places on their first choice of very
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SCHOOL NEWS 2015-16 O
competitive university courses and on some high-quality
business apprenticeships.
“Many congratulations to all our 2015 leavers. Thanks are
also due to the work of LRGS staff for their exceptional
teaching and support.”
Amongst exceptional individual performances, 26 students
gained two or more A* grades (or the equivalent in the
Cambridge Pre-U), including three students who gained
four A* grades.
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All in all a great performance, the best win Mr Wareing and I
have seen since being involved with the 1st team. Everybody
gave it their best effort and at times the speed and accuracy
of our passing was a joy to watch. All the more impressive
given the lack of adequate playing and training facilities for
football at LRGS and the fact that these boys play so little
football as a team before the Sixth Form.’
THRILLING LANCS CUP FINAL
The Lancashire Cup final was a thrilling match which ended
in a 17-17 draw between LRGS and Stonyhurst.
The game started with a respectful minute’s silence, a
moving tribute to Shaun Higgins, who died recently. This
set the tone for the match which was played in a great spirit
and finished with the captains sharing the much-coveted
trophy.
Parents and staff described the final as ‘epic’ and ‘nailbiting’. LRGS had come back from 17-5 down with 14 men
and 9 minutes to play, before squaring the final score at 17
all. We are very grateful to Fylde Rugby Club for hosting
the event and to all our parents for their loyal support at this
event, and throughout the season. It is much appreciated!
FOOTBALLERS REACH COUNTY FINAL
LRGS footballers celebrated reaching the final of the U19
Lancashire Cup after an impressive victory against previous
winners, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School in the semi final.
Mr Reynolds writes:
‘The game was played at Morecambe FC’s 3G pitch, ideally
suited to LRGS’ slick passing game. Despite injuries and
illness we fielded a strong team, Laurie Atkinson again
playing out of position at the back and Matthew Todd
coming in at right back against his, and the manager’s old
club.
Evan Stewart, Head of Rugby at LRGS, said: ‘Mr Wilkinson
(Head Coach) and I are very proud of the boys for reaching
the final. We are grateful to Fylde RFC for allowing the
game to happen on such a good surface with fantastic
facilities. Playing under lights on a top pitch is something
the boys will remember for a long time.’
He praised Mr Wilkinson and Mr Squire (Backs Coach) for
their efforts this year: ‘This is Mr Wilkinson’s first year as
Head Coach and he has put together a superb squad. The
players must take a lot of the credit for their hard work
and dedication this year, including training over Christmas
and half terms to ensure we have been in the best possible
shape for big matches. Captain Zach Barrow has become
a true leader and is one of the finest schoolboy players
and captains I have ever had the pleasure of coaching. His
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L SCHOOL NEWS 2015-16
O
maturity and attention to detail has been something to
behold this year.’
This is the second year running that LRGS 1st XV have
played Stonyhurst in the Lancashire final. Last year they
lost narrowly by 10-12.
LRGS TO LEAD MATHS TEACHING IN REGION
LRGS has been appointed as one of 34 schools and colleges
in England to take a key role in a network of school-based
centres, or hubs, designed to improve maths education
for young people across the country. LRGS will be the
lead school for the North Lancashire and Cumbria Maths
Hub, working in collaboration with The Queen Katherine
Teaching School Alliance, Kendal.
Leaders in South Cumbria adds: “This is a great opportunity
to coordinate the work already established across Cumbria,
north Lancashire and other areas within Blackburn
with Darwen and Blackpool to improve the quality of
mathematics education. We will have the opportunity to
progress a number of national priorities as well as develop
initiatives to meet to our local priorities.”
The Maths Hubs programme, linking all 34 hubs across
England, is coordinated centrally by the National Centre for
Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM).
The Maths Hubs programme, backed by £11 million from
the Department for Education, gives schools and colleges
responsibility for coordinating and resourcing maths
improvement initiatives in their region. A core group of
schools, colleges and universities will coordinate professional
development and research to provide high quality training
to further improve the effectiveness of maths education in
primary and secondary schools.
Chris Pyle said, “This is an exciting initiative which has the
potential to benefit children in schools right across North
Lancashire and Cumbria. It puts schools and teachers in the
driving seat of professional development. It is also a tribute
to the sustained success of mathematics at LRGS. I look
forward to working with The Queen Katherine School and
Dowdales School, and with a wide range of other primary
and secondary schools and partner institutions, to improve
maths opportunities and outcomes across our region.”
Stephen Wilkinson, Chair of The Local Alliance of System
LRGS students celebrate GCSE results.
LRGS IN LIST OF TOP 100 STATE SCHOOLS
LRGS once again features in the Sunday Times list of the
UK’s top 100 state schools and is among the top 10 state
schools in the north of England.
The Parent Power supplement, published by the Sunday
Times on 22 November, lists the country’s highest-achieving
secondary schools, both state and independent, and is
based on 2015 exam results.
LRGS pupils achieved 71.6% A*-B grades at A-level this year.
Headmaster Chris Pyle said: ‘I am delighted that our pupils’
achievements have again been recognised in the Sunday
Times list of top state schools. It is a great accolade for LRGS
and recognition of the outstanding teaching that takes
place in our classrooms and labs. Most of all it is a tribute
to our students’ ambition and hard work - congratulations
to them!’
Lancaster Royal Grammar School is one of just two state
schools in Lancashire which feature in the top 100, along
with Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School.
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SCHOOL NEWS 2015-16 O
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LRGS Sixth Form Students.
LRGS Year 7s.
BOYS’ FUNDRAISING MAKES A REAL
DIFFERENCE
Nicola Graham, who set up Reuben’s Retreat, said: ‘This
cheque is great timing and we are very grateful. We are
about to open up the lodge at Reuben’s Retreat, as Phase
1&2 of a 10 phase programme. We support families who
have lost a child or whose child has a life-limiting illness.
So far we have supported 160 families and this cheque
from LRGS will enable us to deliver another 50 sessions to
support more families.’
Cheques for a total of £16,000 were presented to six
charities following this year’s Lenten Charity fundraising.
During a term of activities, from car-washing to discos and
sponsored silences, as well as the annual set run, the boys
raised this fantastic sum for six organisations that they
themselves had decided to support.
This year the recipients are North West Air Ambulance,
Christ Church Night Shelter, Reuben’s Retreat, Group Strep
B Support, Friends of Chernobyl’s Children and Double Joy
Children’s Farm Kenya.
Thank you to all the boys and their families whose fundraising
will have a positive impact on many people’s lives.
The boys’ fundraising efforts will make a real difference
to the charities, for instance: Christ Church Night Shelter,
which has recently installed a CCTV system, will be able
to continue to furnish its accommodation for Lancaster’s
homeless throughout the winter months; Group Strep B
Support will continue their awareness-raising amongst
pregnant women of this potentially life-threatening
infection that can affect newborns; NW Air Ambulance will
be able to provide essential medical equipment for their
three helicopters and Double Joy’s Children’s Farm will be
able to carry out important repairs on their building so that
orphans can continue to find a safe haven there.
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ACADEMIC
A-level results 2015
71.6% of subject entries were awarded A*, A or B
48.2% were awarded A* or A
17.8% were awarded A*. Hemant Kumar, Amulya Khatri and Rahul Herlakar achieved 4 A*s
23 students gained at least two A*s.
GCSE results 2015
97.7% of subject entries were awarded A*-C
62.7% were awarded A* or A
30.2% were awarded A*. Dominic Brown, Zach Harper, Adam Long, Michael Padfield, Joseph Pritchard and Prakash
Thanikachalam gained 10 or 11 A*s
45 students gained five or more A*s.
OXBRIDGE OFFERS
James Anderton, Medicine, Caius, Cambridge; Stuart Burch, Engineering, Christ Church, Oxford; James Casey Gibbs, Earth
Sciences, St Peter’s, Oxford; Francesco D’Antonio, Physics, Somerville, Oxford; James Fenna, Architecture, Selwyn, Cambridge;
Rahul Herlekar, Medicine, Robinson, Cambridge; Vipin Kammath, Medicine, Magdalene, Cambridge; Wilfred Shaw, Linguistics,
Emanuel, Cambridge; Joe Shore, Engineering, Somerville, Oxford; Dylan Vignola (2014 leaver) Engineering, Oriel, Oxford.
BADMINTON
Ben Mattinson (Capt), Joe Green, Hamsa Malik, Jivitesh Raju and Arya Shanmuganathan represented Lancaster as area
champions in the Lancashire Badminton Championships and came third.
BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD
Gold:
Oliver Cheung, Robyn Parkinson, Anamay Shetty, Lucas von Lutz.
Silver:
George Dunn, Naveen Goddard, Rahul Herlekar, Amulya Khatri, Hemant Kumar, Tom Lindsay, Rayhan Munavvar,
Marcus Panchal, Avinas Patel, Matthew Pettit, Matthew Shackleton Adhvik Shetty, Thomas Weald.
Bronze: Mohammed Adam, James Anderton, Daniel Barnett, Edward Duffy, Garston Lam, Dominic Lock, Hirak Mukherjee,
Michael Roscoe, Thomas Williamson. Oliver Tidswell won the Royal Society of Biology’s Young Photographer of the
Year competition with a photo from the Himalayas.
BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT
Thomas Williamson achieved the highest mark nationally in the Cambridge Pre-U Business and Management exam. The L6
Enterprise Team, headed by Chris Carney and Will Stirrup, came second in the national Tenner Challenge and raised just over
£2000 in one day.
CHARITY FUNDRAISING
Pupils raised £16,000 for North West Air Ambulance, Christ Church Night Shelter, Reuben’s Retreat, Group Strep B Support,
Friends of Chernobyl’s Children and Double Joy Children’s Farm Kenya.
CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD
Silver:
Rahul Herlekar, Matthew James,Amulya Khatri, Hemant Kumar, Anamay Shetty, Sîon Roberts.
Bronze: Avinas Patel.
CAMBRIDGE CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE
Silver:
36
Edward Duffy, Tobias Möller, Marcus Panchal, Anamay Shetty, Ronan Smith.
21 pupils won Copper Awards.
PUPIL ACHIEVEMENTS 2014-15 O
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CCF
Cadet Skill at Arms competition at Altcar: Top CCF and came 6th overall. National Cadet Orienteering championships: first
senior team, first junior team and first overall champion. Bronze DofE: Angus Clifford, Zachary Harper, Tom Nixon, Rebyn Reji,
Sulaiman Siddiqui, Ben Taylor, Ben Woodruff.
CRICKET
1st XI captain Tom Williamson was Player of the Tournament at the Royal Grammar Schools’ Cricket Festival. U12As and U13Bs
won the District Cup and the U13s reached Lancashire Cup finals.
CROSS COUNTRY
Lancashire Schools Cross Country Championship: Year 10/11 Team came 3rd (Laurie Atkinson, Tommy Bowe, Jacob Steele,
Joe Twigg). Year 8/9 Team came 1st (Ethan Kidd, Ben Winterburn). Year 7: Will Pyle individual winner.
DEBATING
Tobias Möller and Rayhan Munavvar reached the final of the Oxford Schools Debating Competition.
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
Ed Duffy, Zach Mason, Greg Saul and Joe Unwin won the Senior Technology Tournament run by the Rotary Club and Edward
Higgs, Prabhu Thanikachalam, Joseph Twigg and Caiden Whittaker won the Intermediate category. James Carroll, Chris
Gaskell, Marcus Panchal, Kieron Quinn, Jared Rushworth and Joe Shore won the regional round of the Land Rover 4x4
Schools Technology Challenge and reached the national finals.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH
Gold:
James Anderton, Daniel Barnett, Alexander Browne, Harish Chari, Charles Clarke, Elliot DaviesTaylor, Frederick
Jones, Joseph Morphet, Hirak Mukherjee, Nicholas Phillips, Sion Roberts, Jonathan Seddon, Matthew Shackleton,
Robert Shaw, Jack Vaughan-Jones, Thomas Weald, Joshua Wilson.
Silver:
Yaseen Ahmad, Michael Barrett, Zach Barrow, Adam Buckland, Oliver Coleman, James Huber, Daniel King-Cox,
George Manklow, Matthew Pettit, James Royce, Anamay Shetty, Adam Siddiqui, Joe Towers.
Bronze: Benjamin Adams, Sam Atkinson, Alex Beeching, Jed Capstick-Newell, Jonson Chan, Andrew Crooks, Scholl Felix,
Joseph Fenna, Ewan Gilliat, Alasdair Grunshaw, Ismaeel Haq, Hussain Hassan, Abhishek Kamath, Josh Kingcox,
Adam Long, Alex McKay, Ben Nuttall, Harry Page, Callum Southgate, Prakash Thanikachalam.
FOOTBALL
1st XI won the District Cup football league. Jordan Hunter has been training with England U16s.
HOCKEY
Guy Atherton, Jack Collingwood, Dan Curwen and Oscar Ross were selected to play for Lancashire U14.
JUNIOR MASTER CHEF
Winners of Junior Masterchef 2015: Main course winner, Paul Gellerson; highly commended main course, Laszlo Willison-Pirie;
Dessert winner, Aryan Goel; highly commended dessert, Harrison Price-Booth.
JUNIOR QUIZ
The Junior Quiz Team – Nat Archer, Danny Lusardi, Saul Manasse and James Weir (capt) – reached the Plate Final of the
National Junior Schools Challenge. They won the North West Regional Championship of the Junior Schools Challenge Quiz
for the fifth year running.
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MATHS
UKMT Junior Challenge
179 boys took part: 44 gold certificates, 62 silver certificates, 42 bronze certificates and 31 participation certificates were
awarded.
Year 7
Gold:
Silver:
Oscar Chan,Benjamin Fearnhead, Riddhiman Ghosh, Matthew Harper, Max Helme, Safwan Kazi, Tayyib Majumder,
Levine Maliakkal, Tristan Ogle, Matthew O’Neill, Russell Owen, Thomas Quick, Thomas Speake, Harry Wild.
Kamal Al-Chaghouri, Mali Crabtree, Alan Davies, Benjamin Davies, Lawrence Diffey, Praneshraja Ganesaraja,
Christopher Hartley, Oscar Holton, Saam Honary, Oliver Ip, Sulaiman Ismail, Cameron Lingard, Sean Meaney, Philip
Roscoe, Taylor Sayer, Benjamin Schofield, Jacob Smith, Barney Watson, Benjamin Whyatt, Farah Zeidaabadi Nezhad.
Bronze: Cameron Astin, Carter Blair, Rémi Boynton, Aaron Collins, Daniel Fullwood, Dexter Latcham, Borhan Massaarane,
Alfie O’Sullivan, Ned O’Sullivan, William Slaney, Thomas Whalley, Ewan Thistlethwaite, Gabriel Williams.
Year 8
Gold:
Silver:
Robert Ackroyd, Abdalmalek Al-Rifai, Ben Anderton, Thomas Anderton, Anubhav Roy, Riley Banks, Tommy Branch,
Elias Chandisingh, Callam Dooley, Will Duffy, Gregory Fyfe, Aashray Gangalam, Mohammad Haq, Patrick Harvey,
Danny He, Jake Knowles, Tom Little, Danny Lusardi, Saul Manasse, Seb McCarten, Callum McFadyen, Isaac Mort,
Samarpit Oli, Amaan Patel, Matthew Paul, Patrick Thomas, James Weir, Samuel Wood, Baroumond Zeidaabadi
Nezhad, Xiyue Zhuang.
Nathaniel Archer, Thomas Atherton, Issac Backhouse, Jonathan Barlow, Dylan Berkley, Patrick Bishop, Luke Briggs,
Ben Cadman, Cory Cleaton, Callum Currie, Oliver Davies, Joel Derham, Will Dunk, Thomas Fort, Euan Fowles, James
Gibb, Sam Gould, Adam Hargreaves, Aaron Hartin, James Harvey, Peter Hill, Ronan Kaighin, Abdul-Wasi Khan, Aston
Kieswetter, Jak Kyriakou, Harry Lane, Caolan McCafferty, Ben Milner, Owais Nakhuda, William Nutter, Jesse Onyas,
James Preston, Jonny Procter, Jivitesh Raju, Noah Randall, Ben Roch, Harry Steele, Cai Swindlehurst, Jonathan Tam,
Angus Taylor, Jack Wearden, Charlie Wilkinson.
Bronze: Finley Alcock, Dominik Aspin, Alexander Bonnick, Frank Burgess, Matthew Cocks, Benjamin Craven, Owen Crook,
Ben Edge, Jonathan Evans, Ethan Elliott, Joseph Gornall, Mark Lee, Curtis Liddle, Aaryan Madan, Joe Magee, Hamza
Malik, Craig Marett, Edward Millsop, Isaac Mitchell, Ethan Morgan, Nathan Mullen, James Okolie, Luca Parkinson,
Thomas Parkinson, Joe Rees, Tom Shaw, Ahmed Vadva, Nicolas Wackers, Corey Wilson.
Of the 44 gold certificates, 26 were invited to the follow on rounds: 21 boys were invited to compete in the Kangaroo challenge
and 7 of these were awarded a Merit in this round. Out of these Jake Knowles had the highest score from our school. 5 boys
were invited to compete in the Junior Maths Olympiad. They all did extremely well. Saul Manasse and Matthew Harper earned
Merit Certificates. Robert Ackroyd, Isaac Mort and Ben Fearnhead earned Certificates of Distinction. Ben Fearnhead also
received a gold medal and a book prize for being in the top 30 nationally.
Junior Kangaroo Results
Merit:
Elias Chandisingh, Patrick Harvey, Jake Knowles, Danny Lusardi, Anubhav Roy, James Weir.
Qualification: Tommy Branch, Oscar Chan, Callam Dooley, Will Duffy, Aashray Gangalam, Max Helme, Tom Little, Sam Oli,
Matthew O’Neil, Owen Russell, Patrick Thomas, Harry Wild, Xiyue Zhuang.
UKMT Intermediate Challenge
Gold:
Robert Ackroyd, Arijit Bhattacharyya, Jud Bennett, Charles Bosson, Riordan Devries, Zac Gilbert, John Glass, Paul
Gellersen, Ismaeel Haq, Zachary Harper, Hussain Hussan, Abhishek Kamath, Daniel Kozma-Percy, Brian Kwok, Martin
Kwok, Adam Leech, Eugene Magee, Sean Milliga, Isaac Mort, Ben Nuttall, Joseph Pritchard, Jaidan Reeder, Rebin
Reji, Jacob Roberts, Harry Rowlands, William Smith, Edward Sperring, Adam Suleman, Peter Wild, Joseph Wood,
Timothy Ye, Jimmy Yu.
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PUPIL ACHIEVEMENTS 2014-15 O
Silver:
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Adam Bashir, Frances Branford, David Eastham, Joe Fenna, Tom Fyfe, Daniel Gibson, Sam Jeffery, Samuel
McLoughlin, Scott McGowan, Alastair McMillan, James Rayson, Andrew Ross, Alex Royce, Joseph Schofield, Jamie
Sykes-Macleod, Ben Myerscough, Harrison Price-Booth, Sam Roskell, Dominic Salzedo, Prakash Thanikachalam,
Joseph Twigg, Chris White, Jonathan White, Samuel Wiley, Alex Woodley.
Bronze: Adam Burkhart, Jonathan Carter, Yousif Cashen, Laurence Cheetham, Joseph Collin, Edward Eastham, Aryan Goel,
Adam Hill, Ben Hynes, Joseph Kelly-Bird, Aniket Kochhar, Charlie Love, Sean Otto, Michael Padfield, Rohan Parekh,
Joshua Pollick, Vedant Rungta, Callum Southgate, Adam Suleman, Joseph Sutton, Joe Wilkinson.
UKMT Senior Challenge
Gold:
Michael Barrett, Oliver Blackett-Ord, Lewis Clare, Riordan DeVries, Diptarko Roy, Adam Fyfe, Harry Ip, Eugene
Magee, Sean Milligan, Tobias Möller, Cameron Peters, Joseph Pritchard, James Richards, Hamish Smeaton, Patrick
Taylor, Solomon White, Timothy Ye, Jimmy Yu.
Silver:
Thomas Atherton, Tobias Beith, Patrick Collins-Price, Philip Duncan, Zachary Harper, Ben Hynes, Abhishek Kamath,
Paul Krueper, Denver Lalonde, Weiho Lee, James Monk, Magnus Ross, Glen Salter, Edward Sperring, James Sykes
Mcleod.
Bronze: Andrew Connell, Thomas Fish, Waseem Gani, Brian Kwok, Isaac Medhurst, Matthew Nutter, Fayo Olawore, Scott
McGowan, Robbie McVickers, Conrad Moody, Joseph Schofield.
Year 10 FMSP Maths Feast Competition at Lancaster University was won by Arijit Bhattacharyya, Adam Leech, Joseph Wood
and Timothy Ye.
PHYSICS OLYMPIAD
Gold:
Oliver Cheung.
Silver:
Marcus Panchal, Diptarko Roy, Anamay Shetty.
Bronze: Michael Barratt, Fabian Brennan, Patrick Collins Price, Isaac Medhurst, Tobias Möller, Ben Rise, Patrick Taylor, Sol White.
ROWING
The Year 9 Coxed Quad reached the National Schools semi-finals. The Year 10 Coxed Quad came fifth in the final of the
National Schools Regatta.
RUGBY
U13s won the Lancashire Cup; U16s won the UCLAN Floodlit Cup; 1st XV and the U16s reached the Lancashire Finals. Harry
Robb captained Lancashire U18s and Calum Owen played for Sale Sharks and the North of England.
SENIOR QUIZ
James Huber, Gabriel Jotischky-Hull, Dominic Salzedo and Anamay Shetty won the regional and inter-regional rounds of the
Senior Schools Quiz Challenge and reached the quarter finals of the national finals.
STEM CHALLENGE COMPETITION
Maths:
Suleman Adam, Dominic Salzedo and Tim Ye came first.
Science:
Angus Clifford, Gabriel Littler and Caiden Whittaker came third.
Technology: Ben Heseltine, Lewis McPherson and Liam Targett were just outside the top 3 as were the Engineering team of
Jonathan Carter, Alex Royce and Jonathan White.
SWIMMING
Three out of four teams won the District Swimming Finals.
39
L OL TRAVEL GRANTS
O
THE INDIAN HIMALAYA
Over the course of my recent
expedition to the Indian Himalaya,
I learnt many new things about
myself, photography, mountaineering,
expedition
management,
cultures
and geography. It has been a true
experience indeed and one that I was
able to document well due to the Go
Pro camera I was generously given by
the OLs.
After one week of travelling and
acclimatising we arrived at base-camp.
The expedition was split into ‘phases’
allowing for synchronisation of fires
(groups of 9-15 people with similar
interests) leaving and returning to basecamp and most importantly allowing
us rest days with which we could talk
and compare our experiences with
other fires. Our first phase was spent
scouting two potentially climbable
mountains. Only a two hour walk from
base-camp, we were able to get right
up the valley before having to turn
back in order to find a good camping
spot before dark. This was not without
having found evidence of a bear’s
den, for which we set a camera trap.
The subsequent rest day was one with
very little rest; that half of our team
which had already lost a few marbles
as a result of the trekking, decided to
attempt P7, a mountain just behind
our base-camp and easily accessible.
Getting up at 5 am, we were overlooking base-camp at 4780m by 7 am.
By 11 we had reached what we initially
40
thought to be the summit at 5330m
but it actually turned out to be a false
peak for a much larger mountain
leading up to approximately 6500m.
It was a majestic sight to say the least
and in front of us lay the small dots that
were the group tents at base-camp.
Small figures could be seen through
binoculars moving about.
In Phase 2 we came round to tackling
one of the previously scouted
mountains – a challenge both mentally
and physically but one we tackled as
a fire. At 5700m it was the highest
the entire group as individuals had
ever been before. The day was a
long one and was made more tiring
by the fact we’d been kept awake
whilst bivouacking the night before
due to the amazing night sky (one I
photographed relentlessly and set up
a time-lapse of using the Go Pro). But
when safely down, we camped in the
valley for the last time before a relaxed
start the next day which saw Ed (our
leader) and I collecting the camera trap
from its precarious position on the side
of a scree slope leading into a gorge.
With only pictures of a persistent chuff
we were somewhat disappointed, but
nonetheless we continued on back
to base-camp with samples of dung
from what we believed to be a bearfrequented area. I spent Phase 3 in
another group trekking to a remote
and normally unreachable village in
the heart of the mountain range.
The final phase was one where we
decided just to take it easy and enjoy
our last week in the beautiful setting.
We set off down to the Drang Drung
Glacier where we set up at what could
only be described as one of the best
camp spots on this planet. We had
spectacular views over the glacier and
our water supply came from a small
mountain stream just 5m away which
seemed to sustain a mini meadow all
around it. On the second night there, I
was fortunate enough to wake in time
for the sunrise. The sun came up from
down the valley and slowly began to
bathe the glacier in its light as the
clouds underwent a beautiful change
in colour. The moment would’ve been
better enjoyed if I hadn’t fallen asleep
again on my perch, a rock about 20m
above our campsite. Luckily I had
the entire spectacle on a time-lapse.
The next two days were spent on the
OL TRAVEL GRANTS O
glacier with the terrain allowing us to
camp safely on it too! We collected
numerous ablation stakes as part of the
many scientific studies undertaken on
the expedition. After an ice-climbing
session on the second day we began to
head to a previously scouted bivi spot
on the way back to base-camp. That
afternoon and following night was the
best of the entire expedition. We all lay
as a group under an amazing night sky,
one with more stars than black space
which illuminated the ground we lay
on, and the view of the Milky Way as it
rotated overhead was something else.
A bed of Edelweiss was my comfort
for the night; it seems that in Ladakh
the flower is surprisingly common,
and the bivi spot we had scouted
out contained lots of it. The following
morning was a lazy start indeed, with
everyone still treasuring the memories
of the night that had just gone by
(but also lazy due to the 4 weeks of
excitement finally catching up on us).
We finally undertook the 40 minute
return journey to base-camp at 2 pm
(despite this being the hottest part of
the day). The following days saw basecamp dismantled and transported to
the ‘road’ (unlike any we know here in
the UK). The weather began to take a
turn for the worse as winds picked up
and temperatures dropped, indicating
the end of the season and a transition
into the cold and harsh Ladakhi winter.
Although I would finally be heading
home where I could appreciate such
comforts as a toilet and non-heavily
chlorinated water, I was sad to leave. The
expedition was an amazing experience
and being able to document it as I did
has given me many opportunities. The
experience gained from it was awesome
and its usefulness will surely come
through later in life. I have been inspired
to do more in this amazing world of
ours and hope to be organising and
leading similar excursions myself soon.
I’d once again like to thank the OLs for
their generosity in providing me with a
Go Pro.
Oliver Tidswell, L6AMT
L
TENERIFE
Owen Smith (L6NT), Ronan Smith
(L6SM) and I ventured out to Tenerife
on 12 July 2015. Having received a
generous travel bursary from the OLs,
we had spent months planning what
turned out to be the trip of a lifetime.
During our 10 day expedition, we to
chose to work alongside the Atlantic
Whale Foundation (AWF), where we
met around 40 other volunteers from
all across the globe. This formed a
friendly, multicultural atmosphere and
by the end of the trip, it felt as though
we were leaving behind a family.
On the boats, we were thrilled to be
a part of the research team and set
sail to survey the local populations of
pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins
– quite a contrast from the gloomy
Morecambe Bay Whale Watch, where
I first heard of the AWF. To achieve
the full Tenerife experience, we raised
funds to complete the Teide Challenge:
a 12 hour ascent and descent of the
world’s 3rd highest volcano (3718m).
Helped in part by a school nonuniform day, proceeds went towards
basic education for children from less
fortunate backgrounds in Sri Lanka,
Vietnam and Thailand. Although the
terrain proved to be treacherous,
with failing torches, blistered feet and
depleted water supplies, reaching
the summit soon erased all sense of
fatigue. Witnessing the sun rise over
each of the Canary Islands was an
experience I will never forget!
A portion of the week was set aside
to attain the PADI Open Water Scuba
Qualification, where we dived with a
family of endangered green turtles –
definitely one of the highlights of the
week. Amongst the work experience,
we ensured that we made the most of
every minute, such as practising our
Spanish, visiting Siam Water Park and
even paragliding from a cliff face!
We greatly appreciate the support
given to us by the OL Club, which
helped provide us with this amazing
Stars
Volcano
Whales
opportunity to further our interests.
With such a rewarding educational
trip, we hope that our own experiences
will be able to inspire others to follow
in our footsteps and volunteer for a
good cause, whilst gaining knowledge
and skills for life.
Oliver Cheung, L6TCM
41
L OL TRAVEL GRANTS
O
our scrubs and watched the
operation. In the afternoon
we again shadowed Dr Petri
as he and a few other doctors
went on a ward round, also
observing a dislocated arm
being manipulated back into
place.
SWITZERLAND
Thanks to a bursary from the OLs,
we were able to travel to Southern
Switzerland to gain work experience
in two hospitals and two GP practices
prior to applying for Medicine.
Our first day’s work experience saw us
at Ospedale Regionale di Bellinzona
where we were in the orthopaedics
department under the supervision of
Dr Petri. He spoke excellent English
as he had worked in England for
around ten years and was happy to
show us around. The day started
with a handover from the night shift,
informing the doctor about the various
patients within the department. After
the handover, he explained that we
were going to see the realignment of
a hammer toe. We got changed into
On Tuesday we shadowed
Dr Peter, a GP. We sat in on a
few consultations where he
translated what was being said
if the patient did not speak
English. We followed as he
went around three care homes,
checking up on his patients. The
following day we shadowed another
GP’s consultations at his practice. We
observed him diagnosing problems
and conduct some minor surgery some skin tags were removed from
the back of a patient’s neck. I was
to speak to patients and a palliative
care consultant about their views
on assisted suicide, which I then
incorporated into my EPQ.
On Thursday morning we visited the
oncology ward. We were shown how
radiotherapy worked and we were
able to observe the machine in action,
treating breast and prostate cancers.
We looked around the palliative care
ward and were able to talk to a nurse
about the care they gave. On our final
day, we were on the neurosurgery ward,
shadowing a doctor’s ward round,
seeing the patients being treated and
checking on post-operation patients
as well. We wore scrubs and made
our way to the operating theatre;
we were extremely lucky to observe
neurosurgery – along with all our other
experiences.
Dominic Beith (L6RSH) and Frank
Preston (L6SM)
NEW YORK
Last summer I travelled to New York
alone to fulfil a week’s work experience
at Sid Lee, a world-leading advertising
agency. In the office I worked on
briefs set by different departments
within the company, researching and
designing work for clients such as
Facebook and Topman. Everyone
in the office was extremely friendly
and I learnt an awful lot about the
industry as a whole and the job within
the workplace that I would like to
do most. In the evenings I spent my
time wandering the streets of New
York and soaking up the atmosphere.
Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable
experience. I learnt a lot about both
myself, travelling and living alone, as
well as the industry. I’d like to thank the
OLs for their help with the trip.
Will Stirrup, L6SJH
OTHER OL TRAVELS
MY YEAR WITH THE WAPISHANA
PEOPLE
The idea of taking a year out before going to university
had always appealed to me, and in Project Trust I found the
perfect challenge: to spend an entire year living and working
in an Amerindian village on the wrong side of six hundred
miles of dense Amazon rainforest. The very real threat
of poisonous snakes, tropical diseases and man-eating
carnivores did little to stem my enthusiasm as we slowly
made our way down from the capital city, Georgetown.
Sand Creek Secondary School has roughly 400 students
42
and is one of the largest schools in the region. This part of
the country typically gets few teachers who are willing to
put up with the hardships of living in such a remote location
and this became very quickly apparent when on the first
day it was announced that, as the only science teacher in
the school, I was also head of the department (much to the
amusement of many of my science teachers I’m sure).
I was so grateful for my tremendous LRGS education when
I had to impart all I knew to my own students. Having
witnessed first-hand much excellent teaching I felt very
confident that I too could stimulate and inspire a class
of children, some of whom were older than me. Teaching
OTHER OL TRAVELS O
L
problem-solving particularly hard to teach. Keeping such a
large class under control was also challenging, especially
when they realised that I would never cane them. But over
time, I have felt that I earned their respect and have noticed
good progress.
in practice is a lot more difficult than I could ever have
imagined and I would like to apologise to my own teachers
for every piece of late homework, having spent many
an afternoon silently cursing my own students for their
unpunctuality. Teaching aside we enjoyed the full hospitality
of the Amerindian people and their endless enthusiasm to
share their way of life with the ‘white Sirs’. We hunted deer
with bows and arrows, fished for piranhas, rode wild horses
and drank some very questionable homemade beverages.
It truly was a once in a lifetime experience and for that I
will always be grateful to those people who helped make it
happen; most importantly the Governors of Lancaster Royal
Grammar School and Old Lancastrian Kevin Roberts whose
overwhelming generosity helped me get there. As well as
the memorable experiences, it was all the more rewarding to
know that we had helped make a difference to the lives of the
children whom we taught, who otherwise may not have even
had a teacher. Therefore it only feels right that I also thank
my own teachers for providing such an excellent example.
Alex Wain OL
GHANA
My year has been divided between two projects. Initially, I
was living in a coastal fishing town called Keta, in the south
east corner of Ghana, not far from the Togolese border. Keta
is beautiful, located on a spit with a palm tree-lined beach
on one side and a huge saltwater lagoon on the other. Here, I
was teaching at a catholic convent boarding school for girls.
The school was very well established, with students from
all over Ghana and surrounding countries. The teachers
were skilled and motivated and good grades were being
produced. I was teaching maths and science to a class of 50
girls in their first year. Initially, I found the work challenging
and frustrating because although the girls were intelligent
and spoke good English, the method of teaching in Ghana
is largely through learning and memorising facts, so I found
Keta used to be the biggest town in the region but in the
1980s half of it was washed away by a freak storm and parts
of it still feel abandoned, with many people living in leanto shelters on the beach, unable to afford a new house. I
was living with another volunteer, Kyle, in a small walled-in
compound off the main road, with our own well where we
could fetch water. We felt very isolated, with no neighbours
and no real community around us, which meant that after
we left school, we were on our own. This wasn’t really
the picture that had been painted to us by Project Trust,
coupled with the fact that the school didn’t really need
volunteers and we were only teaching 1 or 2 hours a day. We
explained this to Project Trust and after much debate with
our desk officer, they moved us to a project where we could
have more involvement and from which we could get more.
In March we arrived in Nsanfo, a small rural village near a
town called Anomabo, which is still near the coast but 200
miles east of Keta. The new project is working in a Basic
Methodist School, which has students from kindergarten
to junior high level – most of my time was spent with my
own class of 4 to 6 year olds who have very little or no
English. Our main focus has been on teaching phonetics
and the alphabet, as well as some simple maths. It has been
demanding but rewarding work. I have also been able to
teach some cover lessons to the junior high students. We
have been living in our own little house which is about 5
minutes’ walk from the school, and there is a nice village
community that we feel part of. Kyle decided that he had
had his time in Ghana and left in June, which means that
I have been alone for the last month. In some ways this
has been beneficial to me, as I’ve spent more time with
local people. I have plenty of neighbours and lots of the
students live nearby. Most weekends, I make a bonfire and
the children all run around dancing and singing songs.
In the holidays, I’ve done as much travelling as possible.
I’ve explored all along the coastline, climbed the highest
mountain and taken a two-day ferry up Lake Volta (the
largest artificial lake in the world). I also managed to get
involved in a secondary project building a two storey cast
earth house, which is being run by a British architecture
student near Kumasi. I have spent a week on-site so far,
helping to map out the foundations and build the wooden
framework for the walls. I plan to go back this weekend to
help build the roof.
Louis Le Masurier OL
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L THE DOWAGER COUNTESS ELEANOR PEEL TRUST
O
JOHN LEE ALLEN (01-03)
Medical elective at Harvard and Hopkins
It was an enormous pleasure to receive support from the Dowager
Countess Eleanor Peel Trust. Currently, I am in my final year of graduate
entry medicine at Imperial College London. Previously, I completed my
training in clinical Audiology and wrote my DPhil thesis on Auditory
Neuroscience at the University of Oxford. I gained an appreciation of the
importance of high quality research but also that we have a responsibility
to ensure the best possible outcomes and safety in surgery.
Therefore, I planned the first month of my three-month medical elective,
working on a project on surgical safety at Harvard Medical School, and
the final two months on Ear, Nose and Throat - Head and Neck Surgery
reconstruction at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
I first became interested in improving surgical safety following the work on the World Health Organisation (WHO) surgical
safety checklist and, consequently, was able to spend some time with Atul Gwande at his Ariadne Labs during my time in
Boston. Working as part of the Global Tracheostomy Collaborative (GTC) committee, a global safety and quality improvement
project, I have been working towards preparing the data reports for the 3rd International Meeting in April 2016. I am responsible
for the analysis of this ‘big data’ project and this is an area of research that I am pursuing during my academic foundation
years working with the Cochrane in Oxford. This experience in Boston will help me to implement quality improvement projects
in the future and learn from the workings of a global collaborative project.
I was fortunate to do my specialty choice module in head and neck surgery at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear
Hospital, London. This team was involved in a landmark UK-USA project: transplant of the larynx, thyroid gland and trachea,
including neural reinnervation. This developed my understanding of surgical reconstruction techniques and it was here that I
met a visiting professor from Johns Hopkins. Being fascinated by this work, I planned to spend the latter part of my elective
being responsible for a project investigating the pathogenesis laryngotracheal stenosis (scarring in the airway). We will work
on developing tissue-engineering therapies to treat this life-threatening condition.
Finally, I had the opportunity to attend a novel 3-day postgraduate course on ‘Endoscopic head and neck surgery’, at
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. I learnt about pioneering endoscopic ear surgery techniques and, subsequently, I am
organising a similar course in the UK next year.
In summary, I have had many fantastic opportunities on my elective and I am extremely grateful to the school for their
support. I hope I can successfully balance research and clinical practice in my future career in surgery.
IAIN JAMES BOLTON (97-04)
Studying Medicine, Newcastle University Medical School
About 3 years ago I decided to change careers from a business owner and
professional music producer to becoming a doctor. I knew the change would be
difficult academically and financially.
After 2 years of applying for medicine I was offered a place a Newcastle Medical
School. Having already undertaken a previous degree in Music Production I realised
I wasn’t going to be entitled to much financial support from Student Finance
England, so I applied for the Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust for funding.
It has helped me enormously in purchasing medical and course text books and
several medical society memberships, as well as other medical equipment and
appropriate clothing for hospital and general practice placements.
44
THE DOWAGER COUNTESS ELEANOR PEEL TRUST O
L
With the support of the school and the funding from the Trust it has eased some of the financial burden placed on me as a
graduate studying for a second degree.
I’m currently coming to the end of my first year and it has been an amazing experience so far. I would recommend anyone
who has previously wanted to study medicine but didn’t to reconsider and give it another go.
CHARLES MANKLOW (04-11)
MSt in Greek and Roman History – Brasenose College, Oxford
A classicist by trade, I am used to fending off questions about the merits
of studying Greek, Latin and ancient history. One particularly irksome
assumption is that classics graduates are only good for careers in
teaching and academia. So it was with a sense of irony that I decided
to take my first tentative steps down the route to an academic career,
enrolling on a postgraduate course in ancient history. After a fantastic
four years as an undergraduate at Brasenose College Oxford, I feel
fortunate to remain here for my Masters degree.
This has been a formative year in my academic development. Despite
only being formally introduced to the field of papyrology (the study
of ancient texts written on papyri) last October, I am already writing
a commentary on a hitherto untranslated and unpublished papyrus as part of my degree; I have undertaken a course in
epigraphy (the study of texts inscribed on stone), which focussed on both the academic skills of transcription, textual
restoration, translation and interpretation, and the more practical technique of ‘squeeze’-making. ‘Squeeze’ is the term given
to a copy of an inscription, which is made by placing wet filter paper over an inscription and rubbing it into the grooves of
the lettering with a special brush – when dried, the result is an excellent copy of the original text! My thesis draws on my
new-found fascination with papyrology and epigraphy, analysing texts discovered at Roman frontier forts to understand the
attitudes of Roman soldiers to life on the frontier in the first to third centuries AD. A particularly entertaining discovery was
that the popular British pastime of complaining about the often dismal weather is long-standing; in a text from Vindolanda, a
fort on Hadrian’s Wall, an unfortunate soldier appears to be ordering more cloaks as a protection against the stormy weather!
Sadly, funding in the humanities can be hard to come by. I am extremely grateful, therefore, for the award of a scholarship
from the Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust, to help ease the financial burden. I would like to take this opportunity to thank
LRGS and the Trust for their support.
BEN WOODS (11-13)
Research at University of Queensland, Brisbane
During my second year of studying chemical engineering at the University of Bath, I was
offered the opportunity to spend half of my third conducting research at the University
of Queensland, Brisbane. The grant I received from the Dowager Countess Eleanor
Peel Trust has allowed me to travel out to Australia and paid for accommodation for
my 4 month stay. I would like to thank all the trustees for this opportunity and hope to
contribute to the Trust in the future.
I work as a researcher in the Hydrometallurgy department, within the school of chemical
engineering at UQ, with my project focused on using lime as an alternative precipitation
agent for the extraction of nickel and cobalt from lateritic ore. Looking into the metal
chemistry behind the research reminds me of the content Mr King used to teach us at
A-level, encouraging me to continue with chemistry. Applying chemistry to an industrial
scale makes for a varied degree and is one I would absolutely recommend to others.
45
L THE DOWAGER COUNTESS ELEANOR PEEL TRUST
O
The opportunity to work with some world-leading researchers in mining has opened my eyes to the metal extraction industry
– one that is not as prominent in the UK. I hope to pursue a career in the commodities industry and this experience will
definitely add to my practical and theoretical skills.
Moving to Queensland has given me a real taste for Australian life, spending most of my time away from the lab learning to
surf and exploring the Great Barrier Reef. Seeing the great variety of wildlife out here has been something I’ll never forget,
especially the kangaroos and crocodiles! Once I complete my research project I will travel up to the Whitsunday Islands,
Cairns and Cape Tribulation, before heading home to watch England in the European Championships!
Are you considering postgraduate study? Then you may be interested to learn that as an Old Lancastrian you
can apply for financial assistance from the Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust.
The Fund’s Trustees have made available a sum of money to assist the further education of LRGS alumni which
is to be used for any of the following:
1.
Postgraduate research or the extension of a University course for any proper purpose approved by the
University or by the Governors.
2.
Postgraduate courses at Universities outside Great Britain.
3.
Graduates who wish to enter Articles as Solicitors or Chartered Accountants, or to read for the Bar.
4.
Travel Scholarships.
5.
Art or Music Scholarships.
The Governors of the School will consider applications from former pupils for grants up to the value of £600 a
year, subject to the following conditions:
1.
No award will be made if it would result in a reduction in grants from other sources.
2.
Applicants must be over the age of eighteen at the beginning of the period covered by the grant.
3.
Applications should be accompanied by a recommendation from a University Head of Department,
College Tutor, or other qualified person, or by the names of referees.
4.
Applicants should give precise information of the length and purpose of any proposed course of study,
which should normally be of not less than one year, or more than two years, in duration. In special
conditions a grant may be extended for a third year, but the renewal of all grants after the first year will
be subject to a satisfactory report from the person responsible for directing studies. In the case of Travel
Scholarships, these may be granted for a long vacation during university residence, when it can be shown
that the grant awarded directly benefits the applicant’s course of study.
If you would like to apply for financial assistance from the Trust you should send your application and all
supporting documents to:
The Headmaster
Lancaster Royal Grammar School
East Road
Lancaster
LA1 3EF
46
OBITUARIES O
L
Every year it is with great sadness that we have to report the deaths of Old Lancastrians and, in Newsletter tradition, a simple
list is produced in which all are equal. If a tribute has been written, it is included here. Each person, in their own way, contributed
to the enrichment of the school in their later lives and careers. To the families and friends we extend our condolences.
George W Askew (95-02), George Aspden (35-43), Richard W Atkinson (29-35), Donald M Brownsord (53-60), Rodney
G Cartner (44-49), Leuan M Davies (54-61), Jonathan P Findlater (68-76), David J Griffin (54-61), Desmond L Hartley
(29-34), Harry Hayhurst (35-40), Shaun K Higgins (58-66 & 70-12), Cedric J Hinchcliffe (31-36), Eric N Kent (31-37), John
R Lamb (44-52), Brian Lord (55-58), Evan J Makinson (52-58), John E Mitson (52-58), Cecil E Parkinson (43-50), John
K Reid (52-57), Harvey Rycroft (87-94), Eric Sanderson (47-55), Arthur H Senior (38-45), Joseph T Shepherd (39-47 &
87-94), Alan Spavin (53-58), James P Sutcliffe (51-58), Keith W Taylor (43-49), Andrew H Thomas (85-92), Frank Turton
(38-42), Norman W Walker (41-49), John P Winstanley (41-49).
GEORGE WILLIAM ASKEW
(95–02)
On Saturday 13th February 2016
George
tragically
passed
away
suddenly at his home in Warton at the
age of 32.
George was born and grew up
in Lancaster and attended LRGS
between 1995 and 2002. He had
natural talent at any sport he turned
his hand to and was a keen athlete. He
was a frequent Victor Ludorum winner
and part of a very successful 1st XV. He
was always very proud of the school
and to be an OL and often shared two
stories; one was of meeting an OL
randomly out of thousands of people
at a business conference in Austin,
Texas, and the other about when he
met his girlfriend’s father for the first
time. On both occasions he made
reference to the ‘instant connection’
he felt whenever he met another OL.
After school he studied at Essex
University, where he fell in love with
American football and brought
success to a team that had existed
for a number of years without ever
winning a game!
He moved to Pendle in early 2007 to
take up a role as Election Agent for
Pendle Conservatives. He was first
elected onto Pendle Borough Council
in 2008, and the following year he
was elected onto Lancashire County
Council.
As well as serving his constituents in
Colne, George was the driving force
behind MP Andrew Stephenson’s
campaign in the 2010 General Election
where he served as Election Agent.
Following the 2010 General Election,
George took up a new role working for
Gloucester Conservatives as Deputy
Group Agent, before returning to
Pendle to run Andrew Stephenson’s
successful re-election campaign in the
2015 General Election.
After the 2015 General Election he
returned home to Lancashire to pursue
another passion - business. George had
recently launched a very successful
iPhone App for his 5 year old business
TheSantaVideo.com. The App was an
immediate success with thousands
of downloads within just the first few
days of its launch. He was runner-up
at the Lancashire Telegraph Business
Awards 2013 for Deal of the Year, and
also ran the website Splitterhq.com,
which boasts bluechip clients such as
Carlsberg, CNN, UNICEF and Canon
amongst others. He’d just completed
a Digital Marketing Diploma and was
beginning work on raising capital for
his next big idea “SoIGotYouThis.com”.
Whilst running these businesses he
moved to Warton in September to
live with his girlfriend Laura Makinson
(an LGGS alumna). George was
elected onto Lancaster City Council in
November, to represent the Carnforth
and Millhead ward and was appointed
North West Regional Director of the
Vote Leave campaign for the upcoming
European Referendum.
“He was an incredible guy and I’m very
proud that he was my brother. He was
always a very popular and engaging
character who was always the life and
soul of the party! He was very kind and
always looked to make people laugh,
smile and a great time. His funeral was
attended by a number of OLs and
teachers, which I know would have
made him very proud. He will be sorely
missed by his family and many friends.”
Max Höpfl (00-07)
George is survived by his brother
Max Höpfl, also an OL, and his sister
Jennifer.
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L OBITUARIES
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GEORGE ASPDEN (35–43)
George Aspden was born in Bolton in
1925 living there with his parents and
older sister, Alice. The family moved
to Silverdale in 1932 and he started
at LRGS when he was ten. For most
of his school career he travelled daily
by train from Silverdale. However,
with the outbreak of war and trains
disrupted by bombings, he boarded
for a year in the sixth form. He enjoyed
this experience as it enabled him to
participate more in out of school
activities.
He joined the Debating
Club, was Secretary/Treasurer of the
Gramophone Society and enjoyed
helping behind the scenes with
amateur dramatics. While at school
he joined the OTC (later the Junior
Training Corps) and the Home Guard.
Although he was very interested in
science he was placed in the Classics
stream and won a scholarship to study
Classics at Caius College, Cambridge.
Rather than wait to be conscripted
he chose to defer entry to Cambridge
and was accepted by the RAF for
Japanese language training with a
view to becoming a translator in signals
intelligence. He spent several months
learning Japanese at SOAS in London
SHAUN HIGGINS (OL 58-66,
STAFF 70-12)
We were deeply saddened to learn the
news that Shaun died on 3rd March
2016. It was heartwarming to see so
many colleagues, Old Lancastrians and
friends at his funeral. For those of you
who were unable to attend, the school
is holding a Celebration of Shaun’s life
on Friday 20th May at 4.30 pm. More
information can be found on the news
section of the school website.
and after a short spell at Bletchley Park
was posted to Australia at the end of
1944 and later to the Philippines.
Demobbed in 1946 he took up his
deferred place at Cambridge changing
from Classics to Modern Languages,
studying French and Italian. After
graduating he completed a year’s
teacher training course at Durham. His
first teaching job was at Wennington
School in Yorkshire where he was to
meet his future wife, Margaret Kinsey.
They married in 1954 by which time
George was teaching at a grammar
school in Folkestone. Further moves
followed, first to Maghull in Lancashire
and then back to Kent where he taught
at the Technical College in Maidstone.
In 1967 George took up a job with
the British Council in Tunisia, writing
English language textbooks.
He
stayed there for nearly 10 years before
moving to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
where he taught English to university
engineering students. During this time
he completed an MA in Linguistics at
Birmingham University. He retired in
1989, returning to live near Manchester.
In retirement he and his wife, Margaret,
enjoyed travelling, spending time
with their two grandchildren and
and French and a year’s teaching at
Kirkham Grammar School he returned
to LRGS to teach in 1970. He was
appointed Director of PE and Games
in 1975, a post he held until 1990 when
he was appointed to the new post
of Head of Lower School, in pastoral
charge of boys in the first three years.
Shaun was a pupil at LRGS from 1958
to 1966 and returned to teach at the
school for 42 years (1970-2012). From
1990 to 2002 he served as a teachergovernor.
A recent LRGS leaver said: ‘When I
joined LRGS I had never played rugby
but as a nervous first year, he instantly
made me love the game. His PE lessons
were always memorable, particularly
his quotes. However for many he was
much more than ‘just’ a teacher. He
went beyond what was required. I
think he made us realise what sport is
really about.’
During his time as a pupil, Shaun took
A-levels in French, Spanish and Latin
and had phenomenal success on the
games field. Following a degree in PE
An LRGS governor summed him up by
saying, ‘I have always had a great deal
of respect for Shaun as an inspirational
teacher and coach - a foundation stone
48
researching family history. Margaret
died in 2003 and it was at this time
that he renewed his ties with LRGS
and took great pleasure in attending
Old Lancastrian Club dinners in
Manchester as well as Founders’ Days
weekends in Lancaster. He moved
to Harpenden in Hertfordshire to be
nearer his two daughters in 2013 and
died unexpectedly after a short illness
October 2015, aged ninety.
Sue & Jane Aspden (George’s
daughters)
at LRGS and a great loss.’
Chris Pyle said: ‘He was a highly
dedicated teacher and sportsman who
touched the lives of many pupils and
members of staff at the school. He will
be greatly missed.’
Below are two tributes to Shaun which
David Leckey, former staff and Richard
Hitchings, classics teacher, movingly
made at Shaun’s funeral.
From Richard Hitchings
‘Hello, I’m Shaun Higgins. What are you
here for?’ Thus was my introduction to
Shaun when, in October 1987, I arrived
for interview at LRGS.
A degree in PE and French was
followed by a year at Kirkham GS.
Then, in 1970, Shaun joined the LRGS
OBITUARIES O
staff, under J L Spencer, his longsuffering former headmaster, who
declared to one of his deputies that
SKH was ‘the brightest PE man I ever
appointed’. Despite this damning with
faint praise, Shaun proceeded to work
his magic.
with the Vale of Lune were limited
by his selfless commitment to LRGS
rugby, but at the Vale he was a first
XV outside-half of flair and skill. But of
course nobody ever did ask to see his
medals; they all knew. His legend went
before him.
In 1975, he was appointed Director of
PE and Games, a post he held until
1990. Shaun’s tenure saw a massive
broadening of the games curriculum in
the senior school, but it also heralded
a period of extraordinary success in
the core sports of rugby and cricket.
During his tenure as master i/c Rugby
(1974-1991), the cups won and the
unbeaten seasons were legion, as
were tours to foreign parts; there was
massive success too on the national
stage: the first XV’s narrow defeat in
the final of the All England Schools
Competition of 1983 was one of many
rugby highlights. On the cricket field,
Shaun’s coaching of the U12 and U15
XIs brought one national title and two
national runners-up spots.
In 1990 Shaun was appointed to the
new post of Head of Lower School – in
pastoral charge of the boys in the first
three years. This appointment would
not have been possible without his
remarkable achievements as master
i/c PE and Games. But it was an
inspired choice; in the opinion of many,
the best and most significant school
appointment in the last 25 years, bar
none.
This extraordinary success brought
Shaun
national
and
regional
recognition. He coached the England
rugby U19 group to an unbeaten
record against five Australian state
sides; and he led the North of England
18 group to two unbeaten divisional
championships. But, winner thought
he was, Shaun was utterly committed
to the idea that all the boys, whatever
the level of their ability, were entitled to
derive benefit and pleasure from sport.
Who else would have spent countless
hours on the cricket field running
games for boys who had not made it
into the school’s representative teams?
And if any cheeky young oik had ever
had the temerity to say to Shaun,
‘Show us your medals, then sir’,
Shaun’s ‘medals’ would have reduced
the misguided youth to embarrassed
awe. Captain of Lancaster CC during
its glory days in the late 70s, he played
twelve seasons in the first XI, winning
14 major competitions, including
some as a member of the Northern
representative XI. In his prime Shaun
was a cricketer of near county
standard.
His rugby opportunities
He started by making sure that he
knew the first names of all the pupils as
quickly as possible. Next, he set about
supporting them in their enthusiasms,
helping them in their deficiencies,
praising them in their successes and
reprimanding them (always in sorrow,
never in anger) in their transgressions.
Shaun, great sportsman though he
is, also values and recognises the
importance of the cultural, aesthetic
and intellectual in the development of
the rounded individual; he was always
a huge advocate for those areas of life
which do not take place on the games
field or in the science laboratory.
It is impossible to exaggerate the
importance of his influence on the
school in this respect.
It is also
impossible to know how many boys
Shaun kept on the straight and narrow
by the care and concern he showed
for them, by the time and energy he
expended on their behalf. Shaun knew
the boys, and he did not want any of
them to suffer the lack of guidance
which had blighted his own school
days. Shaun was just a very great
schoolmaster.
Lack of space demands brevity. So I
shall not mention his very important
tenure as teacher governor (19902002), his involvement with ski
trips to five different countries, his
extraordinary charity fund-raising
feats his brilliance as an inspirational
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teacher of French, his appalling puns
– à l’eau, c’est l’ heure, (alleged motto
of the French navy), his incredible and
sometimes ridiculous competitiveness,
his unexpected shyness, his irrational
support for Liverpool FC; or his deep,
deep love for LRGS. Shaun is old
school. He hates the tick box culture,
computers, corner-cutting, dumbingdown, fudge, shoddiness, timeserving, CV polishing. He was my son’s
favourite games teacher. ‘Why?’ I once
asked. ‘Because Mr Higgins always
does things properly.’ And yes, in a
nutshell, that’s it.
Thank you, Shaun.
Richard Hitchings
Shaun Higgins… How much that name
has meant to so many at LRGS.
When I first met Shaun he had been
teaching at LRGS for four or five years.
He soon found out that I had grown up
in Belfast, and forever after a common
way for him to greet me was: “No
surrender on the Shankhill Road!” Very
early on, long before Shaun was Head
of Lower School, I overheard some First
Years comparing their new timetables.
“Who have you got for French?” “SKH”.
“That’s Mr Higgins. He’s the best”. And
he was. But I couldn’t have known
in those early days just how great an
influence and inspiration he would
become to me. I don’t think I have
ever respected anyone more than I did
Shaun.
49
L OBITUARIES
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best results, beating all of us full-time
linguists. He didn’t just train his boys
to pass the exam, he inspired them,
and passed on his love of words and
language to them.
I was privileged to watch in awe how
Shaun coached rugby, and the instant
respect he got from the boys, and I
wished I could have done it like that.
He took me under his rugby coaching
wing and I learned so much from him.
We had many successes and a lot
of fun, and the boys loved him, even
though his oft-repeated philosophy
was: “Treat ‘em mean to keep ‘em
keen!” Shaun loved wordy things and I
remember his delighted chuckle when
speaking of a team he once had in
which his three-quarter line included
Rose, Tulip and Flowers. They were fed
by their fly-half who was of course…
Gardiner. Shaun loved little things like
that, loved it when another year we
had a Bird on the wing. Just recently
we talked about our first Under 12s and
he of course could reel off practically
the whole team. He could remember
entire teams he had coached and
classes he had taught from decades
back. Why? Because each one had
mattered to him.
I was proud to have him part-time in
my Languages Department, where
year after year his group gained the
JOE HINCHCLIFFE (31–36)
Joe was born 23rd September in
Wombwell, Yorkshire in 1918 just as
the First World War was coming to an
end. He was one of two sons, he had
a younger brother Brian, and he was
the absolute apple of his mother’s eye.
50
Shaun and I became golfing friends.
Not long ago we played what proved to
be our last match against two friends,
and it was Shaun’s steady 5 net 4 at
the 17th that was the clincher. A nice
golfing memory, among many. I can’t
believe it has all gone…that I’ll never
stand again on the 18th green and
receive that bone-crushing handshake.
I’ll never stand on the 9th tee and hear
him tell me yet again: “I always aim for
that tree with the eagle’s nest. It’s an
eerie feeling”.
A round of golf with Shaun was always
a pleasure – and a challenge. Not just
because he was a good golfer, but
because he kept challenging you! With
questions about history, philosophy,
literature, art, music, crosswords…
He used to call these “the things that
make life worth living”. How many golf
partners would on the first fairway talk
about Rabelais – one of Shaun’s great
favourites – on the second a Times
crossword clue, on the third would
debate whether people nowadays use
the word “ironically” correctly…and
so on. It was stimulating – and quite
wonderful. He never stopped acquiring
knowledge, and his enquiring mind
made him great company. Like the
great teacher he was, he made even
his friends think, and kept us on your
toes.
I came to value Shaun’s thoughts on
many topics. He was well-informed
and his opinions were always
interesting. Forthright! But interesting.
When he was first ill and couldn’t get
out, I’d drop in for ten minutes and two
He was a fine student joining LRGS
in 1931. From Lancaster he went to
Selwyn College Cambridge, where he
graduated in Law and History.
While at Cambridge Joe joined the
army reserves and once his studies
had ended he joined the army. The
hours later we’d have put the world
to rights. Well, mostly he had put the
world to rights. Even in these last few
days, I have caught myself thinking: I
must find out what Shaun thinks about
Brexit, or Donald Trump. Only to realise
with renewed shock that I can’t now.
I was grateful to Shaun as a parent,
too. Our son was one of many boys
fortunate to go through Lower School
when Shaun was in charge. And boy,
did they know he was in charge!
Colin thought the world of him, and
appreciated the fact that Mr Higgins
actually talked to them in assemblies
about important things.
Yes, Shaun set the boys and himself
high standards and maintained firm
principles. If he felt things were
slipping or heading the wrong way,
be it at school or in national politics,
he spoke out, and he thought others
should, too. I often heard him quote
Dylan Thomas: “Rage, rage against the
dying of the light”. He wouldn’t just let
things slide, he would say something,
do something.
Rage against the dying of the light…
how sad, then, that when Shaun’s
illness struck back in earnest, there
was little raging he could do against
the fading of his own light.
I know that for me and for so many
at LRGS, past and present, a light
has gone out with Shaun’s passing. A
guiding light.
The world needs people like Shaun
Higgins.
We needed you Shaun.
Why did you have to leave us so soon?
David Leckey
opportunity then came to join the
RAF as a trainee pilot and so he
volunteered. Some of his service was
spent in North Africa, flying the Bristol
Blenheim. Joe managed to go through
the whole war and come out on the
other side, he was awarded a DFC for
his courage. His service years were not
OBITUARIES O
something that he talked freely about.
But if asked he would happily relay
some fascinating tales.
over the years and keeping an eye on
his investments certainly kept his mind
razor sharp.
Once demobbed Joe went into
advertising and that’s where he met
the stunningly beautiful Mary who was
working as a PA. He dated for a while
and then got married quietly in 1957.
A lot of Joe’s life with Mary was spent
on Pharaoh’s Island – they tended the
garden and enjoyed rowing on the
river there and generally loved being
part of island life.
From working in advertising Joe
moved to become a pilot instructor
with British Airways, and for a time he
had a share in a plane.
No lives can go on forever and finally
old age and infirmity caught up and it
became necessary to leave Pharaoh’s
Island and ultimately come to live at
the Old Vicarage at Hornby, where he
had been looked after so well and was
nearer to family.
Joe was very fond of the school and
kept in touch throughout his life,
regularly attending the annual London
OL Dinners.
Joe was very well read, and always
had an interesting point of view on
any topic you could think of. He
successfully bought and sold shares
BRIAN LORD (55-58)
February 27th 1940 to July 21st 2015
Brian, born in Widnes, was the elder
of Wilf and Madge Lord’s two children.
Widnes was not Brian’s home for long
as the family followed Wilf, in his career
as a policeman, all around Lancashire
and, as such, Brian had somewhat of
an itinerant childhood.
He attended many schools finishing
his education at Lancaster Royal
Grammar School where he flourished.
Encouraged by a particular master,
he excelled in English achieving a
perfect 100% in an exam, something
not admitted at LRGS where, much
to his annoyance, a re-mark by the
entire English department sought out
errors to reduce his score to a more
acceptable 99%! He would, however,
be the first to admit, his studies took
third place behind cricket and rugby.
He absolutely lived for sport. His name
appears in many school journals.
Perhaps the most noteable is his
contribution in the 1st X1 cricket team
of 1957 which defeated Manchester
Grammar School dismissing them for
28 runs. Brian took 7 wickets for just
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supported by his family. No death is
ever easy, but Joe had a wonderful life,
which he was able to live his way, with
his wife Mary.
Michael Hinchcliffe (Joe’s nephew)
Joe was lucky enough to have enjoyed
over 50 years of happily married life
with the lady he loved.
Recently Joe’s health declined further
and he died peacefully on 1st February
3 runs. When his family were unable
to afford the cost of a school cricket
tour the school paid for him to go.
He repaid that debt with a donation
which has been used to fund the new
honours board in the cricket pavilion.
After school Brian served his National
Service at RAF Feltwell, in Norfolk.
He then followed his father into the
police force. He progressed through
the ranks, at one stage – it is believed –
becoming the youngest officer to gain
promotion to the CID.
Having reached a ceiling within the
police force and always ambitious,
Brian left in his mid-thirties to attend
Manchester University and later
Chester, for his articles, en-route to
becoming a solicitor. It was a career in
which he blossomed, rising to become
the principal in-house solicitor for the
Co-op where he traded as Brian Lord
and Company.
Brian was a determined, proud
and enthusiastic man; sometimes,
admittedly, stubborn but more often
witty and entertaining, and always
considerate of others, putting those he
loved and cared for before himself until
the very end. He was an enthusiast,
giving 100% to every job and hobby he
took on whether that was his work or
photographing wildlife; a day’s fishing
or the installation of central heating.
He was a loyal and loving family man,
a true and honest friend and all who
knew and loved him enjoyed his wit
and his great company. His first wife,
Barbara died in 1999. He is survived by
his second wife, Cath, daughters Janet
and Joanne and grandchildren, Jon,
Rachel, Cesca and Gina.
Catherine Humphries (Brian’s wife)
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ERIC NELSON KENT (31-37)
Eric went up in 1937, when he was
only 17. He much enjoyed his time at
Magdalen reading Modern History.
He also enjoyed the teaching of and
seems to have had a good rapport
with CS Lewis, who taught the Political
Theory elements of the Modern History
degree. In particular he remembered
Lewis acidly commenting on the lack
of interest in study of so many of the
Public Schoolboys who so dominated
Magdalen in those days.
However, of course, as was inevitable
at that time, his Oxford days were
overshadowed by the clouds of
forthcoming war. In later years he was
very conscious of the fact that he was
the only one of the 3 history Demies of
his year who was still alive in 1945.
ERIC NELSON KENT was born on 16
August 1920, in Lancaster, the son of
Alfred and Violet Kent.
During his time in the 6th form at
LRGS, the school recruited a new
and ambitious History Master, who
persuaded the headmaster to try to
seek Oxbridge open awards for some
of the school’s pupils. Eric always
appreciated what LRGS had done for
him and attended the annual London
dinner for as long as he was able to
do so. Even in his last years trips to
Lancaster and area with his family
always included attempts to see old
school fellows.
Taking the Oxford entrance exam,
in what later generations would
have called the 4th term, Eric was
awarded a demyship at Magdalen.
Unhappily, the effort involved in
this supreme achievement at a very
young age meant that he failed his
School Certificate. As a result, he was
ineligible for a County Scholarship.
His parents were certainly not in a
financial position to support him at
University. Happily, on application to
the Goldsmiths Company, Eric was
awarded a scholarship by them, which,
with the demyship, supported him
through his time at Oxford. Without
such assistance, he could hardly have
taken up his place.
He remained
profoundly grateful to the Company
for the rest of his life.
52
When the war broke out in September
1939, Eric, as did so many of his
contemporaries, volunteered, but was
told to wait. As he awaited call up Eric
finished his degree, indeed, briefly,
starting a Masters course before
being called up and joining the Army
in January 1941. He was allocated
to the tanks and joined the Royal
Tank Regiment. Despite the original
response to his application to become
an officer, he was scheduled for an
OTC, but was sent on a draft to the
Middle East to join the 3rd Battalion.
Eric then served throughout the
campaign in North Africa, though
missing Crusader owing to being
absent from the battalion on a course.
He fought in both battles of El Alamein.
During the second Battle his tank was
destroyed, though only indirectly by
enemy action. During the battle, his
tank was refuelling and the Germans
had a fixed machine-gun firing at
the laager. As a result, the support
staff were rather jumpy and petrol
was spilled over the tank during
the course of the refuelling. Later,
during a lull in the fighting, the tank
commander, said Right lads, let’s have
a brew. Unfortunately, the primus
stove, lit inside the tank, ignited the
petrol and the tank caught fire. The
tank commander was a rather portly
Sgt, who had some difficulty exiting
through the current, whilst Eric was
waiting to follow him through, and he
later recalled thinking that this would
be a very silly way to die. Happily,
everyone managed to escape.
There were further battles that the
battalion fought on the long road from
El Alamein to Tunis and Eric was, now
himself a tank commander, involved.
After the North African campaign, he
transferred to the Intelligence Corps
and worked in Signals Intelligence in
Italy for the rest of the European war.
He was awarded a BEM for “skilled
and highly exacting work of a highly
secret nature....this work has entailed
very long hours and tremendous
concentration and accuracy. Sergeant
Kent has performed these duties with
outstanding skill, zeal and efficiency”.
Still serving in the army, he was now
commissioned into the Army Education
Corps, from where he was eventually
seconded to the Civil Service, which he
later joined and served in for the rest of
his working life.
Turning now to his personal life, in
1945, when he was back in London,
he saw in the street during the course
of celebrations Dorothy Miriam Thom,
whom he had known slightly at Oxford
(she read Modern History at Somerville
1938 to 1941), out celebrating with
a friend and followed them. A son
Graham (Magdalen 1969 to 1974) was
born in 1951 and a daughter Phillipa
soon followed, in 1953. Initially living
in Eltham (the Palace was still the
headquarters of the AEC and as an exofficer of the Corps Eric and his family
had access to the grounds), they later
purchased a house in Putney, where
they lived for the rest of their lives
and brought up their family. A further
daughter, Judith, followed in 1966.
Throughout this time, Eric was a
member of the Home Office, soon
rising to the position of Assistant
Secretary (now UG5). The experience
led to him to take up the post of
Secretary to the National Council on
Gambling after his retirement and he
gave many more years of dedicated
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public service in this role. His wife
Dorothy, who had also joined the Civil
Service during the war, had risen to
Under Sec (UG3) and had retired the
previous March. They enjoyed a happy,
but alas not long, retirement together,
as Dorothy died in October 1988, aged
only 68.
Long years of retirement still lay ahead
of Eric after this, and he rallied and
enjoyed a full and active life for many
years thereafter. He remained fit and
EVAN JOHN MAKINSON (52-58)
Known as John, he was accepted at
LRGS one year earlier than most boys
and was put into the Alpha group
which was for the top academic boys.
John was not keen on rugby which
was encouraged by the school; he
preferred football and played for
Forton Young Farmers Club.
After gaining G.C.E.s he left school
to work on the Family Dairy farm in
Cockerham. He has to leave the farm
after his father died in 1968 and worked
for a neighbour until he was diagnosed
with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 1986.
active until shortly before the end and
lived in his own home until his death on
24th September 2015 at the age of 95.
No account of Eric would be complete
without mention of his love of
railways. Many members of his family
were railwaymen and he shared
that enthusiasm. Indeed, he startled
Dorothy by buying a railway magazine
to take away on their honeymoon. An
assiduous reader, he had a substantial
set of railway books, but this was only
Graham Kent (Eric’s son)
John was a school governor for over
nineteen years at Cockerham Primary
School, where he would take an
interest in the children’s education
teaching them about the History of
the village.
He enjoyed local History, gardening
and researching his family history,
belonging to local history societies.
Moving into Lancaster in 2007 he was
able to enrol in many history courses,
as well as being an active member for
the local church.
Sandra Makinson (John’s wife)
CECIL PARKINSON (43–50)
attended LRGS between 1943 and
1950, where he was particularly
outstanding in athletics, gaining junior
running colours, 1st XV colours and
athletics colours for the school.
Former Conservative Party Chairman
Lord Parkinson, the son of a railway
worker, grew up in Carnforth and
part of his wide reading. In retirement,
some 50 years after his last academic
exams, he learnt Spanish and obtained
both a GCSE and an A level. He was
loyal and loving to his family who
meant a great deal to him - his children,
his grandchildren - Nicholas, Julia, Joel
- and his daughter and sons in law. I
know of no one who met him and did
not like him. A friend to many and a
gentleman to all.
when he married Sandra, together
they had three daughters.
He had a property built in Cockerham
It was with sadness that we learned
of the recent death of Cecil Parkinson.
Lord Parkinson was a great friend of
Lancaster Royal Grammar School. He
never forgot his roots and paid due
credit to the school that put him on
track to a distinguished career and
extraordinary commitment to public
life. Throughout his life Lord Parkinson
maintained an active interest in the
school and the Old Lancastrian Club;
serving on the governing body and
advising and negotiating on the
school’s behalf.
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He was also active in the debating
society and school records show that
in 1948, he proposed a motion “That
the present powers of the House of
Lords should be greatly reduced”. On
leaving LRGS, he won an Exhibition
and studied English (later switching to
law) at Emmanuel College, Cambridge,
where he also gained a Blue for
running.
Some OLs may recall Lord Parkinson
returning to Lancaster on Founders’
Day in July 1984 to be guest speaker
at the Old Lancastrians Annual Dinner.
The main theme of his address was
the role the 600 year old school had
played in his own life. He said: “Many
people here, like myself, were the first
in their families to have a secondary
education. They were able – not on a
basis of money – to gain access to one
of the finest schools in the land. How
else can you start from nothing and go
on to one of the best universities in the
country and then into business, politics
or the professions?”
Throughout his career, Lord Parkinson
maintained his links with and support
of the school and the Old Lancastrian
Club until his illness prevented him
from attending the various school and
OL events. During one more recent
53
L OBITUARIES
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visit to LRGS, after touring the school, Lord Parkinson talked to
Sixth Form students about his political career, including his role
in the Falklands War Cabinet, and debated the then Coalition’s
current economic policies with the pupils. He also reminisced
about his early interest in politics, including when, in his days as
a Labour supporter, he nipped out of school during break time
to hear Prime Minister Clement Attlee speak at Lancaster Town
Hall. He told how he was given 500 lines for being late back
to school.
Jenny Cornell
ARTHUR HARRY SENIOR (38-45)
Arthur was born in Morecambe 14th
Aug 1929, the younger of two sons in
the bakery family. He joined LRGS in
1938 and left in 1945.
He was too young to serve in the war but
he did his bit..... attended school during
the day then helped in the bakery in the
evening... he was legally excused from
having to do his homework as there
was no time to do it!!
He’d taught himself to drive by taking
the bakery vans out on the White Lund
estate....once, aged about 14, there
wasn’t a driver available but a delivery
needed to be made to one of the
shops in Lancaster, so Arthur jumped
in the van & took it! By all accounts,
his father wasn’t too impressed when
he found out later....
Arthur did National Service in the late
‘40’s in the RAF at Weeton Camp,
between Preston & Blackpool, doing
mechanical engineering. He serviced
the trucks etc and drove them...
presumably due to this, he was given
his driving licence, he never took or
passed a driving test!
Arthur married Joyce in Aug 1950, the
week of his 21st birthday.
Despite not owning his own rally car,
Arthur was in his prime as a driver....this
was borne out when he was drafted in
to the works Reliant team in 1963.
He competed on his 1st rally in 1951
and from there his rally career took
off. In 1952, the Morecambe Car Club
was being formed, he was asked to
join so he became the 1st non-founder
member of the club...years later, the
club recognised this by having him a
honorary life member
In 1982, he was invited to take part in a
rally, The Golden 50, commemorating
50 years of the RAC Rally. He and
Bobby teamed up again in a borrowed
Mini, which he later bought as he had
to do so much work to prepare the
car. Thus began his 2nd rallying career,
this time in historic rallying. There were
a lot of old rally colleagues, who he
hadn’t seen or heard from for 15+ years,
some commented they recognised
his driving style and he resumed
friendships which lasted till now.
One funny event was at Sherburn-inElmet airfield in Yorkshire, an informal
car event followed by impromptu
racing up and down the runway.....
Arthur saw all the cars ahead of him
take to the side and grass then he saw
a De Havilland Rapide aircraft rapidly
approaching them on take-off!!
In August 1982, whilst driving that Mini
on a Morecambe Car Club autotest, he
suffered a heart attack, he thought it
was a sticking gearbox!! Things got
so bad that in November 1984, he
had a bypass operation...supposedly
‘guaranteed’ for 10 years, he survived
over 31!
Sons Philip & David were born in 1953
& ‘56 respectively.
By the late 1980s / early 1990s, he was
very much back in the swing of historic
rallying, competing on events in the
UK and Europe. He won one rally in
Morecambe in 1994, having previously
won it 37 years earlier, in 1957. This was
ten years after his bypass operation,
aged 65, beating drivers on third of his
age!
Throughout the 1950s he ran a garage,
White Lund Motors, based alongside
the bakery.
In 1960 the bakery business was sold,
as was White Lund Motors, so Arthur
& family took over the Brotherswater
Hotel at the foot of Kirkstone in the
Lake District.
This move meant a change as he
couldn’t afford both a rally car and
to go rallying. Fortunately, friends like
Bobby Parkes and Fred Crossley, from
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Bentham, allowed him to compete
with them in their cars.
Arthur soldiered on but life was never
the same again for him. He still had
health issues, could hardly walk but
OBITUARIES O
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was independent and mobile and still
drove, even on rallies. Even being a
Blue Badge holder didn’t stop him from
competing, he was well respected in
the rallying world. One rally winner, in
his victory speech said that if he drove
half as fast as Arthur did when he got
to Arthur’s age (82) he would be very
happy indeed. Arthur’s last rally was in
the autumn of 2013, aged 84. Three
months ago, in November 2015, Philip
took Arthur up to Slaley Hall for the
latest running of that rally, when Arthur
said that he’d now retired from rallying
as it would be too much for him healthwise, that driver said “Thank heavens,
you were always too fast for us !!”
his motor kept running until that
too stopped in the early morning of
Monday 1st February 2016
By the last weekend in January 2016,
he, as a driver had switched off but
Philip Senior (Arthur’s son)
JOE SHEPHERD (OL 39-47,
STAFF 87-94)
Edgehill College, Bideford. In 1981 he
was appointed Deputy Headmaster of
Kamuzu Academy, “the Eton of Africa”,
where the boys wore striped blazers
and straw boaters, and all learnt Latin.
In 1987 he returned to LRGS, teaching
Classics until his retirement in 1994.
The school was well represented at his
funeral at Lancaster Methodist Church.
Joe was the Queen’s Prizewinner
at LRGS before going up to Selwyn
College, Cambridge to read Classics.
After graduation, he taught first at
Woodhouse Grove School, and then
became senior Classics master at
Wolverhampton Municipal Grammar
School and later, headmaster of
ALAN SPAVIN (41-49)
Preston North End legend Alan Spavin
has passed away at the age of 74. The
former inside-forward played more
than 450 games for North End after
joining the club as a youngster in 1959.
Born in Lancaster, ‘Spav’ was a
member of the fine youth team –
playing alongside Peter Thompson,
Dave Wilson, George Ross and John
Barton – which reached the 1960 FA
Youth Final against Chelsea.
John Fidler
He soon progressed to the first-team
ranks and made his debut against
Arsenal in the old Division One later
that year, scoring in a 2-0 victory.
Spavin later went on to be a prominent
member of the 1964 FA Cup final
team which narrowly lost 3-2 to West
Ham United at Wembley in 1964
and was captain of Third Division
Championship-winning side in 1971.
He departed Deepdale in 1974 and
moved to the USA where he played for
the Washington Diplomats.
His time in the States saw him line-up
against one of the world’s greatest
ever players Pele.
Courtesy of Ian Rigby
An active life lived to the full, often
burning the candle at both ends to do
everything he wanted.
The former Lancaster Royal Grammar
School pupil returned to these shores
in 1977 and he re-signed for North
End but only made a handful of
appearances before hanging up his
boots and joined the coaching staff at
Deepdale.
The club’s official historian Ian Rigby
said: “Alan’s last game for Preston
was at Sunderland on September 2,
1978, giving him a grand total of 486
appearances with 32 goals for the club.
“He is held in very high regard by true
North Enders.”
After leaving Preston, Spavin moved
back to America where he made his
home in Florida. Rigby added:“He had
been in ill-health for some time and our
condolences go out to his family and
friends, both here and in America.”
A minute’s applause was held before
the game against Queens Park Rangers
at Deepdale as a mark of respect.
Taken from the Lancashire Evening
Post Wednesday 16 March 2016
55
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FRANK TURTON (37-42)
Frank passed away peacefully at the
R.L.I on October 19th 2015 after a short
illness.
Born 6 Dec 1926 in Barrow in Furness
he lived his early life in Grange with his
parents, later moving to Morecambe
where he attended Lancaster Road
Primary school with Eric Morecambe as
one of his classmates. He always counted
himself very lucky to have then attended
Lancaster Royal Grammar School, and
was delighted when his grandson Jack,
gained a place there too in 2002.
Whilst at school war broke out and
rather than completing his sixth form
he volunteered to join the Royal Navy
as a Communications Officer which
developed his love of the sea and
embedded in him the need and desire
to be meticulously organised and tidy.
The skills and discipline he learned at
school and in the navy set the tone for
the rest of his life.
Fate handed us one of many good
fortunes when shortly after he had
been posted to a ship which was to
serve as the main communications
hub for an allied attack on Japan, the
war ended and it was recalled from
its “death trap “ journey when only
halfway there. After demob, Frank
NORMAN WALKER
With great sadness I have to inform
you that my Husband, Norman, died on
JOHN WINSTANLEY
John Studied Classics at LRGS and was
awarded an Exhibition to Emmanuel
College, Cambridge, where he obtained
a degree in Classics. He stayed on a
further year to do a Dip. Ed. and was
appointed Boarding House Master
and Classics teacher at Loughborough
Grammar School. The following year
he left the boarding house to marry
a former LGGS pupil and a year later
he was appointed Head of Classics at
56
joined the Careers Service where he
worked his way up the ranks to become
Lancaster and District Careers Officer
until his retirement in 1987. He got a
great deal of satisfaction from seeing
young people gain jobs and careers
and was always greatly gratified on
the many occasions he was stopped
since then, when out, by people
remembering him as the man who
helped them to get their first job, and
latterly their children’s jobs and even
their grand children’s jobs. Perhaps
they remember his actions that went
above and beyond the call of duty that
made all the difference to them.
He met his wife Audrey on the Central
Pier in Morecambe in 1948 and they
married in 1951.
Frank loved his holidays, particularly
those in the South of France. This
started on his honeymoon when he
and Audrey drove all the way there
and back on their 350cc Triumph
motorbike. This was the days before
ferries and the bike had to be craned
on and off a cargo ship (quite
adventurous in 1951). Later in life, his
great enjoyment of holidays came
together with his love of the sea when
he and Audrey discovered a penchant
for Cruising spending much time in
the Mediterranean, Baltic, North Sea,
Atlantic and Iceland.
Whilst not sporty in the normally
recognised sense he enjoyed Archery,
Swimming, Yoga, and Bowls, but was
at his happiest on the Memo Fields or
the Douthwaite watching his grandson
play Rugby and Cricket for the school.
He was a fantastic, loving and perfect
father and grandfather and was
enormously proud of both his children
and over the past 20 odd years he
counted himself enormously fortunate
to have been able to experience and
enjoy close contact with his two
grandchildren Jack & Louisa. They
became great friends and he had
unending patience for sharing all their
interests and hobbies.
Frank’s other great hobby and love
was his garden and come rain or shine,
night or day, he could be found doing
some essential task in maintaining his
spectacularly pretty and immaculate
kingdom. His love of flowers meant
Audrey was treated every single week
to a fresh bouquet, however modest.
The most remarkable and obvious
fact of Frank’s life was his love for &
devotion to his wife Audrey to whom
he was married for 64 years. He was
a ‘True Gentleman’ and will be sorely
missed by all who knew him.
Jack Turton (02 - 09)
(Grandson)
the 21st May after a short illness, aged
85. He was at the school from 1941 to
1949 playing 1st team rugby. He ended
his career as Deputy Director of The
Newspaper Society and was awarded
the O.B.E. in 1993.
Ermysted’s Grammar School, Skipton.
Six years and two children later he
moved to be Head of Classics at Sir
Thomas Rich’s School, Gloucester, where
he later became Deputy Headmaster.
interest in sport during his teaching
career, involving himself with coaching
cross-country teams and umpiring
cricket fixtures. He also taught himself
– and his family! - to sail and they
enjoyed many holidays sailing their
dinghy in the Carrick Roads, off St.
Mawes.
On retirement he and his wife moved
to Burgundy, where they lived for 16
years, returning to Gloucestershire in
2012.
At LRGS John was a member of the
cross-country team and continued his
Shirley Walker (Norman’s wife)
After his appointment to the staff of
Ermysted’s Grammar School, he was
delighted to learn that Jack Eastwood,
his former Classics teacher at LRGS,
OBITUARIES O
was to become the new Head there.
While at LRGS, John had been very
much influenced by Jack Eastwood’s
enthusiasm for Classics, his work ethic
and his teaching style. John stayed in
contact with the Eastwoods after he
moved to Gloucester and we visited
Peggy, Jack’s widow, at Embsay,
where she showed us Jack’s collection
of school photographs and where she
was able to point out a photo of John
himself when he was at LRGS.
Many of the tributes paid to John on
his death by former pupils, including
one who is now a deputy head master
himself, echoes the words which
John has used to describe Jack, so a
teaching tradition started at LRGS is
being continued elsewhere.
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constant, along with his love of his
family, France, good wine, good
company, Jazz and beagles.
He is survived by his wife, son and
grand-daughter in Cheltenham and
his daughter, two grandsons and two
great-grandchildren in France.
Dr Rhuna Winstanley (John’s wife)
John’s love of Classics remained a
Your NEWS
PUPILS VISIT WW1
BATTLEFIELDS
History students returned from a field
trip to Belgium in October 2015 where
they visited the sites of the Battles of
the Somme and Passchendaele.
Prior to going on the trip, the boys
investigated the resting places of
several OLs. They laid wreaths at the
Menin Gates, Thiepval Memorial and
Tyne Cott cemetery to honour those
OLs who fought and died on the
Western Front. During their research
they discovered that 2nd Lt Eric Welsh
was killed in action in 1917, shot down
by Manfred von Richthoven, also
known as ‘The Red Baron’. Among the
OL graves they visited was that of TC
Brockbank, Gunner in the Royal Field
Artillery, who died of wounds at Ypres
in 1917.
The 44 boys also saw German trenches
at Bayernwald, the New Foundland
trench system and memorial, the
Ulster tower, the Wellington tunnels at
Arras and the Passchendaele museum.
They walked on the Somme and did a
focussed investigation on ‘the sunken
lane’ below Hawthorne Ridge.
Craig Atkinson, who led the trip said:
‘We have been organising this trip for
the last six years but this year there was
a focus on researching the graves of Old
Lancastrians. Taking part in the Menin
Gate ceremony and laying wreaths
at the Thiepval Memorial is always a
moving experience but this year the
boys felt even more of a connection
because so many former pupils of the
school are commemorated there, even
though their bodies were never found,
so intense was the fighting.’
Craig Atkinson was accompanied by
Richard Furlong-Brown, Nicholas Thorn
and Professor Martin Alexander OL.
FRANKLAND PLAQUE UNVEILED
A blue plaque to commemorate Sir Edward Frankland
OL has been installed at the school by the Royal Society
of Chemistry. Professor Jim Feast, former President of
the RSC, unveiled the plaque which is sited outside New
Building.
Professor Feast said: ‘We realise that, if we want to connect
people to chemistry, we need to give them concrete
examples of how it affects them. Our Chemical Landmarks
can help do this. They bring chemistry into the community
and remind people of how chemists have contributed to
human progress.
‘Sir Edward Frankland is a particularly good example. Not
only did he make great advances in the theory of chemistry,
he also put chemistry into practice, by improving the quality
of water that went to people’s homes. This plaque is a great
reminder that the history of chemistry is all around us.’
Dr John Hudson, Chair of the RSC Historical Group, gave
a fascinating presentation about Frankland’s early years in
Lancaster, including his brief time as a pupil at what was
then Lancaster Free Grammar School (1837 to 1839), and
some of his later important contributions to science and
society. He recounted how Frankland became an expert
in water quality and analysis, and how he originated the
concept of combining power, or valence, in chemistry.
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Your NEWS
The plaque was given to the school by the Royal
Society of Chemistry as part of their Chemical
Landmark Scheme and we were delighted to
welcome several members of RSC staff to the
ceremony, along with the mayor of Lancaster
Cllr Jon Barry, representatives from Lancaster
University and the city museum, and current and
former LRGS staff and pupils.
We were particularly pleased that Frankland’s
great, great grandson Roger Frankland was
present and that the event was featured on BBC
Radio Lancashire.
CAREERS FAIR IS A FIRST
Pupils from Year 9 through to Lower Sixth attended a half-day careers fair
at LRGS in February 2016, the first of its kind to be held at the school. No
fewer than 30 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and employers took part
in the event, including several OLs.
A wide range of employers and organisations offering apprenticeships
were represented, along with HEIs covering a broad spectrum of academic
specialisms. We were pleased to welcome back several OLs: Andrew
Oliver (Army), Lawrence Singh (PWC), Matthew Harvey (Royal Navy), Paul
Wilkinson (Scott Wilkinson) and George Wilson (JWK Solicitors).
OL SETS UP LGBT CHARITY
Tim Ramsey OL has recently set up a charity which brings a new approach
to combating homophobia in schools, with the aim of making them more
LGBTQ+ friendly places. The aim of Just Like Us is to support pupils by
building up a national network of recent LGBTQ+ school-leavers who will go
back into their former schools to run workshops and to talk to pupils, sharing
their experiences of what it was like for them growing up
Tim, who left LRGS in 2008, explains why he set up the charity: ‘Schools’
approaches to dealing with homophobia can be quite ‘top down’. While
teachers do a lot of good work, young people need to hear from those who
have gone through similar experiences to them recently.’ He says the fact
that the charity’s volunteers are nearly the same age as the youngsters makes
their stories, for example of how they came out, much easier to relate to.
LRGS recently invited Tim back to school to talk about his experiences and
his assembly had a memorable and profound impact on pupils and staff,
as seen in his article in The Guardian. As well as setting up the network of
volunteers to go in to schools, Just Like Us will also build up an online library
and video library and is inviting recent LGBTQ+ school-leavers to submit their
stories. Within a few days of launching the charity on Facebook, Tim said he quickly had a very positive response, with many
volunteers offering to go into schools to talk to pupils.
After leaving school, Tim studied Classics and Arabic at Brasenose College, Oxford. Since then he has taught Classics and
served as Team Leader for International Citizen Service with Raleigh International, helping to deliver water sanitation and
hygiene to tribal peoples in remote parts of India. In addition to running Just Like Us, he is currently working in consultancy
and as an Arabic translator.
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Your NEWS
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SUCCESS FOR OLS IN PENTATHLON
Congratulations to two OLs on their outstanding success at the British
University Pentathlon Championships recently.
Paul Hodgson (2003-2010), a PhD student at Cambridge University,
won the overall event (horse riding, fencing, swimming, running with
shooting). Paul is also the current Varsity Pentathlon Champion.
Beau Smith (2005-2012), an undergraduate at Leeds University,
became British Universities Biathlon Champion, following his 200m
swim and a 1500m run.
Well done to both former pupils on their impressive performances!
GLOBAL CEO RETURNS TO SCHOOL
Global businessman Will Travis OL returned to LRGS in
November 2015 as guest speaker at Speech Day and gave
a riveting speech which entertained a packed Ashton Hall.
Will, who was a boarding pupil at LRGS from 1980 to 1987, is
now chief executive officer for the USA and senior partner of
the international communications agency Sid Lee and lives
in New York.
We were delighted that Cllr Jon Barry, Mayor of Lancaster,
could join us at the event, as well as many OLs, governors,
current pupils and parents. The speeches were rounded
off in traditional style with an address by Head of School,
Ben Taylor, who thanked, amongst others, the parents and
guardians of LRGS pupils for all the support they give their
sons.
Presenting prize in Lancaster Town Hall, he said that by
expanding his business from Huddersfield to the USA he
was living the dream the school allowed him to foster. He
had seven pieces of advice for the boys, one for each year
of the school, from “be yourself” for Year 7 boys to “commit
and then work it out” for upper sixth-formers.
His company is known for its ground-breaking campaigns
for Adidas and Facebook and he advises international
celebrities in building their business and personal brands. In
his personal life he has conquered an Antarctic expedition
and crossed the Himalayas by motorbike. These ventures
provided him with many dramatic and entertaining
anecdotes in his speech, which the boys thoroughly enjoyed!
UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE
You may have seen our former student
Jack Bennett has reached the semi-finals
of University Challenge. Jack left LRGS in
2014 and now studies Law at Liverpool
University. If you remember John Armitage
another OL is also on the team for St
John’s College Oxford. Who knows maybe
they will have to compete against each
other one day.
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Your CORRESPONDENCE AND ARTICLES
HELP FOR AMBITIOUS STUDENTS
Chris Kneale-Jones has helped set up a company, Ivy
Russell, to support students who are ambitious to go
to an Oxbridge or Ivy League University. As part of the
mentoring they offer subject-specific and college-specific
information from current members which is not available in
the prospectus, and direct assistance with their university
applications, including assistance with personal statements,
admissions tests and practice mock interviews.
Please go to http: //www.ivyrussell.
com/#!thementorshipprogramme/aka6p for more
information.
Chris Kneale-Jones (00 - 07)
Their group of talented mentors are formed entirely of
current or recent graduates from Oxbridge and Ivy League
Universities. They provide their expertise on the application
process they have recently excelled at. They are perfectly
positioned to inspire the next generation of university goers.
EUROPEAN REUNION
This year a group of OLs got together to have a European
Reunion. Bill Leigh, Barry Lupton and Laurie Davies (1955
– 1962) met up in Düsseldorf in April 2016. Laurie read
mathematics at Cambridge, took an MSc in statistics at LSE
and eventually became Professor of Mathematical Statistics
at Duisburg-Essen University.
Bill read mathematical physics at Liverpool and taught
mathematics in Barbados, Nigeria, Italy and Belgium
(to name a few). Barry gained a PhD in metallurgy at
Sheffield and went on to a career in engineering and
computing, working as consultant and project manager
in companies such as British Railways, Deloitte Consulting
and the American financial services company, First Data
International.
Berkswell, West Midlands. The long haul of their education
began in the same infant class at Carnforth North Road
Primary School where Laurie’s mother was the teacher. Bill
and Laurie both lived in Over Kellet during their teenage
years. Bill is currently trying to geometrise single-fermion
states.
Laurie presently lives in Berlin, Bill in Warsaw and Barry in
Barry Lupton (55 – 62)
OL ORGANISES CHARITY EVENT IN LYTHAM
This year Sam Cornall OL has been helping to organise
‘St Georges fest’ in Lytham. The festival had many events
over four days including: a Comedy night with Stewart
Francis and Paul Chowdhry amongst others, a business
lunch which had over 500 attendees booked as early as
March, as well as a black tie ball and family fun day.
Nick Radcliffe is due to move with his wife and 3 children
to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in July 2016. Subject to raising
sufficient financial support, he will work as a doctor for
‘OMF’, a Christian missionary organisation. He can be
contacted on nickradcliffe77@gmail.com
Nick Radcliffe (88 - 95)
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Last year over 6000 people attended over the course of
the four days and they hope that this will grow again this
year.
To find out more and get updates on next year’s event,
please go to www.stgeorgesdayfestival.com.
Sam Cornall (00 - 07)
Your CORRESPONDENCE AND ARTICLES
AWARDS FOR YOUNG ARTIST
Louis
Appleby
graduated
from
Wimbledon College of Art in 2014. He
is the recipient of Lynn Painter-Stainers
Young Artist of the Year award, and a
coveted CASS special award, in this
year’s National Open Art competition,
for his painting ‘Beasts of England’
which won him a mentorship with the
renowned artist Hughie O’Donoghue.
The paintings suggest human presence
in a banal, post-apocalyptic way. It’s an
oscillation between human activity and
the dry, ‘interior design’ quality of the
paintings. This creates an interesting
dialogue between the subject matter,
the way the paint has been handled
and the indication of biological/human
intervention in the painting. Their
subject matter is a mix of teenage
detritus and adolescent paraphernalia:
video games, televisions, laptops,
toy guns, Coke cans and McDonald’s
wrappers, which sit uneasily alongside
lone pot plants, solitary angle-poise
lamps or school science project relics.
MARK’S LONG MARCH
Mark Houghton (52) was a pupil at
LRGS from 1977-1982. In June last year
Mark decided to walk to his fathers’
grave at Scotforth cemetery to pay his
respects on Father’s Day - only Mark
was living in northern France at the
time!
His journey of 450 miles took three
weeks to complete and raised over
£3500 for The Alzheimer’s Society,
a charity close to Marks’ heart as
it was Alzheimer’s which killed his
father in 2003 at the age of just
66. Mark walked 20 miles a day on
his trek which mostly followed the
canal network. As he explained ‘the
towpaths are far more pleasant than
the side of a busy A road or dual
carriageway’. His accommodation was
provided by friends and total strangers
via the Couchsurfer website (www.
couchsurfing.com). Mark also camped
using a hammock and tarpaulin.
The titles are the first clue that there’s
more going on than appears on the
surface, creating a tension between
science and entertainment that results
in a passive apathy. ‘Beasts of England’,
for example, is a nod to George Orwell’s
Animal Farm. In it, a TV depicts jets
dropping bombs on foreign soil, while
the oil that is coveted from the lands
being attacked powers the lamp
on the speaker and the car waiting
outside in the drive. ‘Age of
Empires’, meanwhile, proposes
a space filled with a range of
information sources. There is a
video game on the television,
and various different pictures on
the wall. They each convey the
same message: we consume, we
participate, we observe.
O
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Art Schools in the country. Laurence
and Lanty have since become regular
exhibiting artists at Bellwood &
Wright. Louis is currently curating an
exhibition of contemporary paintings
which will open at Bellwood & Wright
in July, including work from Mandy
Payne, Jamie Holman, Peter Layzelle
and Gerry Davies.
Louis Appleby (06 - 10)
Louis recently organised and
curated a group show with
former LRGS pupils Lanty Ball,
Laurence Brand, Ben Hall and
Jarrad Connell at Bellwood and
Wright, all of whom recently
graduated from some of the best
Mark has just published an account of
his journey as an ebook on Amazon
and 10% of the profits will go to The
Alzheimer’s Society. (Search Amazon
for Walk to Remember charity.)
This isn’t the first charity outing for
Mark. In 2013 he ran the Chichester half
marathon with his daughter, Hannah,
again for The Alzheimer’s Society.
They raised £700.
So is this the end of Marks’ adventures?
Well not quite. In the autumn he plans
to run the 81 mile Morecambe Bay
Cycleway in three days to raise money
for St John’s Hospice.
You can follow his preparations via his
blog:
https://threemarathons.wordpress.
com/
Mark Houghton (77 - 82)
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Your CORRESPONDENCE AND ARTICLES
TEN YEARS ON, GROWING ...
Surely ten years is nothing. It’s over 50 since I started
teaching. Now that is significant. We had ink wells and
log tables; we mostly wore academic gowns; computers,
even calculators, didn’t exist; and chalk and the blackboard
reigned supreme, as did corporal punishment in its various
forms.
But then, think again, much has happened in those short
10 years. I was the last of the dinosaurs to use chalk and
the blackboard. I was also, Canute like, holding back the
seemingly irrepressible tide of technology. There wasn’t a
computer, a mobile or answer phone, or even email even in
my boarding house.
But whoosh.... when Canute left the 21st century flooded in.
Was I right? Probably not. It’s called inertia.
My visit to the old place was fleeting but I enjoyed seeing it
all. Yes, it has changed.
The new Common Room is a splendid building ‘below’
the Dining Hall, boasting rows of computers and many
female teachers. Mind you there were also many old faces
I recognised, often in their second or even third decade in
office such as Whitehouse, Hitchings, Chambers, Burns,
Furlong-Brown and Ralston to name a few. This proves that
LRGS is still the place to be and also that they’ve not only
outlasted me but proved more adaptable. This facility sits
above the new catering class where boys seem to be having
a rare old time and next to the Grab & Go (I think that’s
right) a sophisticated tuck shop/cafe – no accent!- from
which young scholars emerge eating all sorts of delights,
mostly, I suspect, unhealthy, thence wandering around the
campus.
I doubt the teaching has changed other than through the
impact of the ‘dreaded’ technology – the dinosaur in me
cannot be ignored. No blackboards or chalk have emerged
since I closed my room in 2005, the whiteboard in glorious
Technicolor now holds sway. I suspect computers have
taken the place of text books in most subjects, although
subsequently I gather personal tablets have replaced the
rows of ‘class computers’. How much written work was
computed I was not able to see.
Boarding numbers are much reduced in Storey house but
I gather sixth form entry compensates for this loss. Storey
House certainly looked less crowded but what struck me
was the level of security for individual lockers. Are people
less trustworthy I enquired, only to have it pointed out that
since that nasty housemaster left ten years ago they’ve
been able to have mobiles, computers, tablets etc so that
any individual’s possessions may be very valuable – hence
the security. Does this increased freedom detract from their
sense of well-being? I wouldn’t attempt to judge.
The boys looked unchanged: cheerful, reasonably smart and
self-confident. I did spot one with a woollen hat crowned
with a ‘bobble’. I was just able to control my instinctive
response!
What else? Well, the East Road rise is certainly steeper. The
Old School House building is awaiting refurbishment now
that the boarders are lodged in their splendid new house up
on the hill but already has a smart suite of rooms housing
the Economics Department. The playing fields looked as
wet as ever but I gather that sporting standards remain
high.
I wasn’t able to see more in my brief visit. I’d like to make
a profound observation but it would be wrong to attempt
to do so. Like all visitors from the past, it evoked many
memories, mostly good ones. If anyone remembers me, I
extend my best wishes to you and hope you’ll be selective in
your reminiscences for as a schoolmaster one plays a part;
the school is a stage from which one hopes one’s charges
are equipped to face their future with confidence. I trust
that you have. Me? I just get older.
Tony (A.V) Payne
P.S. Bournemouth AFC, the Cherries, Premier League. I told
you so!
62
Your CORRESPONDENCE AND ARTICLES
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NEPAL TREK
This year I trekked to Ama Dablam Base Camp in Nepal last September for some
peace and quiet and to raise over US$6000 for the Angkor Hospital For Children in
Cambodia. A cup of tea was required to make it to Base Camp at over 15,000 feet!
Bill Glenwright (85 - 89)
OLS OFFER ACTING ADVICE
This year we decided to ask if two of our recent OLs in acting could offer any
advice to younger OLs who may be seeking a career in this sector. This sector is
notoriously competitive, and as Joel and Freddie show there is a great opportunity
for those with the ability to be knocked back and get back up again.
THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF
ACTING
It’s been a number of years since I
was last asked to write for the OL
magazine about life as an actor. I’d
just discovered that I’d been left on
the cutting room floor of the Les
Miserables editing suite. Six months
later I had been dropped by my
agent and was trying desperately
to make ends meet while acting in a
fringe performance of Frankenstein
in deepest, darkest Catford trying to
attract new representation. One of
the key things that I’ve learned since
my last update is that the performing
industry is brutal and it will sweep the
carpet from under your feet without
second thought.
The most important thing I’ve taken
ACTING ADVICE
When I left LRGS in the summer of
2008, my prospects of becoming an
actor were well and truly shot. I had
applied to a number of drama schools
and drama courses listed on UCAS
from the last few years though, is
that life can change dramatically
when you’re willing to say
‘Yes’ and grab opportunities
when they arise.
I gained
new representation following
Frankenstein and have spent
the last two years consistently in
and out of work - most recently
on Eastenders, Casualty (airing
in May with plenty of gore) and
The Halcyon (a new ITV drama
currently in production) preceded by
10 months of acting-unemployment.
It’s a cliché but life has been a
rollercoaster. I couldn’t have continued
if it weren’t for the amazing love and
support of my family and friends to
whom I owe so much. While things are
currently looking up, I’ve been taught a
valuable lesson in future-proofing and
not taking anything for granted.
I’ve been asked if I have any advice for
aspiring actors currently in the school.
Every actor’s experience and approach
to the industry is different so advice
should certainly be taken with a pinch
of salt, but for what it’s worth I’d say:
1.
Take every opportunity, however
small, that comes your way - you
never know who you’ll meet, who
and, off the back of two significant
roles in the LGGS/LRGS musicals, was
certain I would get in. However, I was
wrong. I was turned away at every
corner and would have to wait another
year before applying again. I took a
gap year, set up an online education
you’ll impress, and where it will lead
to.
2. Stay happy - love the art and craft,
forget about the money (because
there won’t be much of it).
3. Find stability - specifically ways
of funding yourself in work that
inspires you and challenges you
on a daily basis. It’s taken me a
number of years to discover what
this is, but I finally have (working
part-time for a charity, Alive and
Kicking, whose partners, Tackle
Africa, are holding an event on the
Memorial Fields this summer).
I’d like to thank all of the teachers
and staff, past and present, who have
played a part in my career so far, but
one very important teacher, who from
an early age encouraged my interests
in the performing arts, was Shaun
Higgins. Quite by surprise, when I was
still in lower school, he spoke to me
about the value of the arts. I am deeply
saddened by his passing and know he
will be greatly missed by all who knew
him and whose lives he touched.
Joel Phillimore (01 – 08)
company and looked at applying to
university to read English/History. I
knew that I wanted to be an actor but
I had no idea how I was going to do it.
Now, seven, almost eight years on, one
BA Eng/Hist from York, an MA Acting
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Your CORRESPONDENCE AND ARTICLES
from Guildhall and three professional acting jobs on my CV,
I can comfortably answer the ‘What do you do?’ question
with ‘I’m an actor.’ As this is my first article for the OL
Newsletter, I just wanted to share with you my experiences
of drama school, my first year as a professional actor and a
few pieces of advice if you are making the same leap.
My journey as a professional actor officially started when I
was accepted in to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
If you are thinking of applying to drama school, I would
strongly encourage you to do so; no matter what your age,
background or experience. There are countless reasons
for why training is so useful but for me, its main benefit
is it gives you the space and freedom to fail. It provides
you with a group of people who share your passion and
stupidity of wanting to be an actor. It is what you learn from
watching people fail and failing yourself that I took away
from training. Drama school is not a fast track to becoming
a professional actor and neither is it a guarantee that you
will work. However, if you want to learn about the craft of
acting and spend most of your time on the floor learning
about your pelvis then apply and don’t look back.
As I have only been out of the comforts of education for just
under a year, my experiences of life as a professional actor
are limited. However, this is what I can offer:
-
If you are thinking about applying to drama school, take
it seriously. Seek out a drama coach, pick your speeches
carefully and know them so well that you can adapt to
change and direction. Be yourself, not what you think
you should be.
-
Be proactive. Write to agents, make a show reel, write
your own scenes, see theatre and don’t be afraid to ask
anyone and everyone for advice and help.
-
Rejection is an unavoidable part of being an actor.
Embrace it, get used to it and use it to your advantage.
-
Stay as positive and bright about the world when you
are out of work as much, if not more, when you are in
work. It’s easy to feel like a million pounds when you
have it but it’s important to feel like you have it when
you don’t.
Since leaving drama school, I have been a guest lead in
two television shows and played a minor role in a Warner
Brothers feature film. In total, I have been in costume, in
makeup, on set and, of course, acting for all of seven days.
That’s one week out of 8 months that I have been ‘acting’.
The real battle is what to do the other seven months and
three weeks:
-
Part One. Find something that keeps you creatively
fulfilled when you are not acting. This could be anything
but stay curious and creatively interested.
-
Part Two. Find a job that can supplement you when you
are not acting. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as you
enjoy it.
Finally, I want to thank Mr Castle, Mr Reynolds and Mr
Ashbridge for instilling in me a curiosity for drama and,
particularly, to Mr Ashbridge who let me read as Hamlet in
one of his classes.
Freddy Elletson (06 - 08)
FEATURE IN NEXT YEAR’S OL NEWSLETTER...
If you would like to write an article for next year’s OL newsletter please get in touch by emailing us at ol@lrgs.org.uk
or by post to the school address and addressed to the Alumni Relations officer.
As a guide most articles were use are around 200 to 400 words and we like to include a picture alongside each article.
Of course if you would like to write something longer we would be happy to discuss this.
Many thanks to all of contributed this year,
Tom Diamond
64
From the ARCHIVES
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Another busy year, with plenty of donations (too many to
mention them all) which are greatly appreciated. Requests
for information about OLs keep coming in and are answered
as far as possible. Among the donations were the death
plaque and medals of Thomas Phillips (1907 – 1915) along
with his prize books, Tennis Club material from Lewis Olliver,
and a 1st XV Colours cap which belonged to the late Arthur
Smith. Fortunately we have a photo of the 1927/28 XV with
Arthur Smith wearing the cap, so its authenticity is assured.
David Atkinson, Frank Walmsley and Monica Ayre donated
numerous items. Thanks to all others who donated items,
however small. Thanks also to Jenny, Rose and Tom in the
Development Office who are ever-willing to help.
A request for information about the British School
Scholarship has been received. It was awarded on very rare
occasions (only four between 1903 and 1942) to boys about
to enter LRGS , but its origin is obscure. Was it ‘British’ as
opposed to ‘National’ (ie non-conformist as opposed to C
of E) or is there another explanation? Think about it.
the best known classics teachers of his time. The portrait
is a steel engraving after the painting which hangs in the
Rugby special room. It was presented by County Alderman
T Welsh, an Old Rugbeian and a governor of the School,
and newly elected chairman of the Lancashire Divisional
Executive.’
From a Governors meeting on 10th May 1912: ‘Resolved
that domes of silence be fixed on all the chairs in the Sixth
Form classroom’. Do we have anyone ancient enough to
remember what ‘domes of silence’ were and how they
worked ?
Does anybody know what happened to these photographs?
It would be particularly gratifying if that of SK Bates could
be recovered.
From ‘The Lancastrian’ December 1917: “Lieut Col Bates
kindly presented a photograph of his son, Lieu S K Bates,
who was killed early in the war, to the School House, and
we have pleasure in acknowledging our indebtedness for
the gift, which now hangs in the Day Room as a permanent
memorial of a former house Prefect who gave his life for his
country before it had run eighteen years.”
From ‘The Lancastrian’ March 1920: “Some of our juniors
appear likely to gain a first-hand knowledge of a rather
painful nature of the mechanism of a German field gun.
Perhaps, the excessive interest in our trophy will decline;
already it appears to be waning.” The gun was placed
outside Lee House, and was probably removed as scrap
metal at the outbreak of the 1939 – 45 war.
From ‘The Lancastrian’ for December 1947: “Alderman EC
Parr made a presentation to the School of a portrait of his
son EC Parr (1918-26), the Town Clerk of Middlesbrough,
and as the latter was a
prefect of this school
it is fitting that this
portrait, which is suitably
inscribed, is to be placed
in the Prefects’ Room in
the New Building.”
From ‘The Lancastrian’ for December 1920: “This term has
seen the beginning of an experiment which will be watched
with interest. Four ‘Special’ Forms have been instituted. In
these have been placed boys who have more than average
ability. These forms will, it is hoped, cover the work of the
corresponding non-‘Special’ forms, in a term and a half.
The most promising boys can then be promoted to the
next Special Form at the end of February. It is intended
that as a result of this system no boy shall miss any of the
essential work of a form, or arrive at the Fifth Form with a
deplorable gap in his knowledge. Boys in A or B Forms will
be promoted only at the end of a School year, but if any
have done specially well, they can of course be placed in
the Special Form of the year above them.” ‘Special’, with
modifications, later became ‘Alpha’. Many ‘Alpha’ boys
survive, but is there anyone still alive who was in a ‘Special’
form?
From ‘The Lancastrian’
for July 1949: ‘The
School has received
the very welcome gift
of a portrait of Robert
Whitelaw, one of the
most distinguished OLs
of the last century. He
became Chancellor and
Senior Medallist at Trinity
College, Cambridge in
1864, and was one of
From ‘The Lancastrian’ Dec. 1920: “On the suggestion of
Holmes-Higgin, a new School blazer has been adopted. We
have to thank Mr. Harwood for the design of the badge.” (Mr.
Harwood, who was at LRGS as Drawing Master for only two
terms, left at Easter of 1921 ). FB Holmes-Higgin, who was
65
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From the ARCHIVES
a prefect and captain of the School, left at the same time.
Can we assume that the badge was the red rose above the
letters LRGS, which remained part of the uniform until fairly
recent times?
“Lancaster Royal Grammar School - Cleaner required for
School Classrooms. 30 hours weekly consisting of daily
duty, early morning and late afternoon. Wage £6.14s.6d.
Please apply to the School Office, Royal Grammar School.”
Anybody interested?
In the archive there is a shield presented to the winners of
the Lancaster Children’s Cycle Rally between 1958 and 1963,
but ‘The Lancastrian’ makes no mention of it. What did
those representing the School have to do to win the shield?
Congratulations to Fred Fox (1945 – 1950) and Marion who
celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary in October
2015.
From ‘The Lancaster Guardian’ of 14th October 1966:
Clive Holden (45-54)
FROM THE HEAD STUDENT
ARCHIVIST
Saying the school is old is an
understatement. The school can trace
its origins right back to 1235 (although
the actual date is disputed) and so the
school is steeped with history. A lot
of this history is stored in the school
archives. “The School Archives? What
are those?” I hear you cry and until
the end of last year, I didn’t know if
the school archives were a rumour
around school or whether there was an
actual archive. So I asked Mr Lonsdale,
being one of the pillars of knowledge
that he is. He confirmed the existence
of this mystical place and referred
66
me the librarian, Mrs Denwood who
granted me the key to the archives. I
remember placing the key in the lock
and entering a completely different
world in the archives and I was blown
away. The pictures, the documents,
the artefacts from days gone by were
there, gathering dust, just waiting to be
remembered. Speaking as an historian
and a devoted member of the school,
I was in heaven. So whilst revising
for GCSEs, I got to work researching
about how to keep archives. My travels
took me backstage in the Lancashire
Archives, digging around in libraries
and of course, looking online.
Armed with this new knowledge,
I marched back to school,
determined to restore the
archives. That was when I
was confronted with the bad
news; the archives had been
moved and since they were
doing construction, we couldn’t
enter them. In fact, it took until
February before I could even set
foot in the archives. But when
Maintenance finally gave us the
all clear I was thrilled. Working
tirelessly on Thursdays periods 6
and 7, a friend and I attempted
to devise a system to restore the
archives. By June, the system
was in place and we had already
catalogued all of the Whewell
Society Minutes (their frequently
misplaced history is finally
placed in a neat catalogued
order), a couple of boxes of
letters and financial documents.
We also appealed to the Seward
Committee for funding and
they gave us £50; the Old
Lancastrians also generously gave us
a £100 for valuable archive materials
such as archive tags, silica gel and
the all-important dehumidifier to stop
water from destroying documents.
By June, we were burdened with AS
exams and progress ground to a halt.
After exams, we hit the archives with
much gusto and at the end of the year,
we had managed to secure a laptop
for the archives which has helped
tremendously as we could catalogue
items directly into the laptop and put
it on the school archive server where
boys could access.
The archives have been neglected
somewhat over the years and although
we have a team of excellent archive
staff, we are aiming to restore the
archives to a resource that boys can
easily access. There is some absolutely
amazing stuff in the archives: an OL’s
red army jacket, ‘John’ our resident
respiration dummy, dissection manuals
and photos of your favourite teachers
when they were younger, for instance.
But now we need your help! We need
you to raise awareness of the archives’
existence, we need boys to become
archivists and we crucially need boys
to actually use the archives and give
them a reason to exist. Next year is my
last year in the school and I don’t want
the archives to disappear with me.
Everything we ever do in this school
is recorded and stored in the archives
and we want future generations of
boys to know that each boy who has
ever attended this school has left
behind a legacy. What will your legacy
be?
Al-Yasa Khan, U6CME
IDENTIFICATION PARADE 2012 O
L
Due to an unfortunate oversight the full list of
those on the Ashton House photograph of 1971
did not appear in last year’s Newsletter. Thanks
to the efforts of Peter Davies-Colley, Tony Lunt
and Jeremy Duerden (and anyone else?) the
information is now complete:Fifth row: A.J. Price, P. Davies-Colley, I.W. Dyson,
C.F. McCall, B. Penhale ?, R.A. Benson, P.S.
Hannah, C.G. Clapp, J.A. Storr, S. Whalley, S.J.
Simpson, P.N. Brindle, J.P. Freer, R.L. Crossley, M.
G. Parker, A.J. Taylor.
Fourth row: T. J. Wilkinson, J.P. Duerden,?,H.E.
Durey, T.J. Mudd, P.R.W. Storr, J.M. Currie, J.B.
Clapp, G.N. Rothwell, I.P. Sunderland, A.T. Dean.
Third row: P.R. Waite, D.J.Smith, R.M. Renner,
J.M. Sunderland, G.P. Dransfield, N.M.Dyson, F.
Bennett, P. R. Woolnough, A.J. Bury, A.J. Waite,
B.G. Richards, T. Peach.
Second row: D.A. Lunt, J.M. Gardner, J.H. Mitchinson, T.
Rees, M.D. Bruce, S.G. Harvey, S.J. Bush, J.R.T. I’Anson, C.D.J.
Nathan, V.C. Williams, M.A. Sloots, G.C. Brook, G.P.Allen.
Front row: M.D. Isherwood, A.N. Wares, D.S. Hannah, K.J.
Atkinson, M.J. Hamlin, Ms. Ruby Graham, Mr. H.W.O. Kennon,
Mr. L. I .Rimmer, Mr. K.A. Starling or Mr. N.K.O. Ward, Ms. Alice
Graham, N.J. Gausden, N.D.Wallace, D.W.J. Gunter, C.N. Mudd.
IDENTIFICATION PARADE 2015
Mystery Teacher #1
The unbeaten 1st xv of 1994/95. The 1st XV 1994/95. Not all names known yet.
Perhaps by next year?
Mystery Teacher #1 is Stephen Hirst. Thanks to John Fidler and Peter Sampson.
Mystery Teacher #2 is Brian Salmon. Thanks to Nigel Dyson, Richard Kingsbury,
Peter Sampson and Brian Turner (now in Canada).
Mystery Teacher #2
67
L IDENTIFICATION PARADE 2015
O
1S Form Photo, 1993. We know that the form Master is
Andrew Porter, but the boys remain unidentified.
Hamlet. Peter Sampson (who directed the play in December
1977) and John Fidler have come up with: (on stage) John
Crellis and Chris Needham; (to right of stage) Philip Leach,
Philip Caton, Gareth Howson (Claudius), Kate Cooper
(Gertrude) with ? lurking behind them; (at front) Richard
Sparks (Hamlet), Lydia Harris (Ophelia) et al.
‘The Grand Duchess’, 1971. Peter Davies-Colley and Derek
Hart have identified : Front row: Amanda Dixon (extreme
left): 3rd row: Tim Mace (6th from left), Nigel Ginniff (extreme
right); back row: Vince Deare (extreme left), Derek Hart (5th
left), Jim Melvin (6th left), Chris Gilbert (extreme right).
School photo 1994. Admittedly it’s a bit small but John
Fidler has identified the staff: J.B. Haynes, J. W. Fidler, E.
Taylor, G. Cooper, J.F.L.Lea, P. Mawby, J.L. Ditchburn, J.E.
Bentham, L. Olliver, C. Horsford, M.P.G. Gibson. None of the
boys have so far identified themselves.
68
Middle Sixth Biology 1972. Peter Davies-Colley has identified
Robin Jackson (extremer left tentatively), John Hughes (fifth
from left) and Gordon Parker (seventh from left).
CCF 1961. Peter Sampson has named the officers: Capt. W.J.
Osborne. Capt. J. Young, Major G.R. Robinson, R.R.T., Lt. Col.
A.Huck, Lt. A.H. Kemp, Lt. E.J. Andrews. Next year we will
try to put names to some of the cadets. Better still if they
can do it themselves.
IDENTIFICATION PARADE 2015 O
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This Happy Breed. No, they were not celebrating peace with
honour. Thanks to Jayne Eckersley (mother of Richard, who
identified them all), we know that a similar photo appeared in
a local newspaper in 2006 with the information that they all
achieved 5 ‘A’s at ‘A’Level.
It also makes me aware that I misidentified Patrick Houlihan
(see Newsletter 2015): Front row: Richard Eckersley, Patrick
Houlihan, Michael Ramsden, James Mercer, Mark Brand.
Middle row: James Clemence, Alex Deery, Omar Mahmood.
Back row (largely obscured): Saurabh Singh, Javan Cook,
David Wright.
IDENTIFICATION PARADE 2016
2000 Reunion. Revellers at the
2000 Reunion. Tim Boxford, Phil
Garnett are there. Who are the
others?
2005 Newsletter. These Lads
adorned the 2005 Newsletter. Who
are they?
Play. Courtesy of Peter Sampson. The play is Unman
Wittering & Zigo, but who are the actors?
F1 Birthday. According to a brief caption it is “Formula 1
Birthday”. Any further information?
69
L IDENTIFICATION PARADE 2016
O
1961 Boat Club. The 1961 Boat Club looking very smart.
Names please.
1961 Cricketers. If you were not a rower you were probably a
cricketer. 1961 again with at least one well known face.
U15 & U13 Winners. The Winning U15 and U13 winners
of the Lancaster Inter-School Sports help on 14th June
1950. Can you name them?
Duchess of Kent. The Duchess of Kent (Katharine Worsley) has
presented certificates. To whom, why and when?
Oxbridge 2002. Successful Oxbridge candidates of
2002. Who are they?
1952-53 1st XV. The 1952-53 1st XV, courtesy of Pat Atkinson.
Peter is second from the right standing. Who are the others?
70
F.C. HAPPOLD - AN OLD LANCASTRIAN DECORATED IN WWI O
collected a few men,
rushed up and outbombed a far larger
force of the enemy until
reinforcements arrived.
After being wounded,
he continued to lead and
encourage his party”.
For this he was awarded
the
Distinguished
Service Order, a most
remarkable decoration
for a junior officer: the
Military Cross had been
instituted the previous
year specifically for
junior ranks. He must have been close
to a Victoria Cross.
Frederick Happold left the 6th
Form of LRGS in 1912, and went up
to Peterhouse, Cambridge to read
History. He was the grandson of one
of two German brothers who had
come to England in the 1880s and had
set up businesses as pork butchers,
one in Barrow-in-Furness and the
other in Penny Street, Lancaster.
When war broke out in August 1914,
he had just taken Part 1 of his degree
but immediately volunteered to serve
in the King’s Own Royal Lancaster
Regiment. He was sent for officer
training, and was commissioned into
the North Lancashire Regiment (the
Loyals), there being no vacancy in the
King’s Own.
In June 1916 he was decorated for
gallantry at Vimy Ridge. The citation,
published in the London Gazette read:
“For conspicuous gallantry. When the
enemy exploded a mine, he at once
He was Mentioned in Dispatches
in February 1917, and after the war
returned to Cambridge to complete his
degree. He took a teacher training year,
and then for five years taught at the
Perse School, Cambridge. In 1928 he
was appointed Headmaster of Bishop
Wordsworth School in Salisbury, where
he was highly regarded. He remained
there until his retirement in 1942. I was
given access to the schools archives,
which included diaries and copies of
books which he had written. There was
a fine oil painting of him in the Library,
wearing academic dress. In defiance
of all protocol, he had his DSO pinned
to his MA gown.
There is a further link with the family.
His younger brother Ernest won the
Greg Gold Medal for mathematics, and
also went up to Peterhouse. Some
years ago I was sent that medal,
which now lies in the display case in
the Dining Room of Old School House
(now the Miller Room). My contact was
L
his (by then elderly) nephew who felt
that his uncle “would have wished the
medal to return to LRGS”. It appears
that the younger Happold, while an
undergraduate had dined on Sundays
at his brother’s house in Cambridge,
where their sister was keeping house
for him. On several occasions he had
taken a friend, who had eventually
married the sister, and was the father
of my correspondent.
John Fidler
John Fidler’s book on Lancaster in the
Great War will be in bookshops from
30th April, price £9.99.
It will be available from Waterstones,
the City Museum, and the Lancaster
Visitor Information Centre, or direct
from the publisher, Pen and Sword
Books. It will also be available on
Amazon.
You can also buy John Fidler’s History
of the school through the school shop.
71
L OL COMMITTEE AND BRANCH SECRETARIES’ CONTACT DETAILS
O
OFFICERS:
Chairman: Rod Burgess, Cantsfield House, Cantsfield,
Carnforth LA6 2QT. 015242 72463
email: rod@cantsfield.com
President: Lincoln R Allison, 5 Beauchamp Hill,
Royal Leamington Spa, CV32 5NH. 01926 424610
email: lincoln.allison@outlook.com
Kevin Sanderson, 8 Redshank Drive, Heysham, Morecambe,
LA3 2WF
email: kesa05@handelsbanken.co.uk
Mark Robinson, 26 Scotforth Road, Lancaster, LA1 4SB
email: mark.robinson@escendency.com
EX-OFFICIO:
Vice President: Peter W Sampson, 11 East Road
Lancaster LA1 3EE. 01524 66559
Email: peterwsampson38@gmail.com
Jenny Cornell, Development Office, LRGS, East Road,
Lancaster LA1 3EF. 01524 580608
email: jcornell@lrgs.org.uk
Headmaster: Chris J Pyle, LRGS, East Road, Lancaster
LA1 3EF. 01524 580600
email: cpyle@lrgs.org.uk
Tom Diamond, Alumni Officer, Development Office, LRGS,
East Road, Lancaster LA1 3EF. 01524 580612
email: ol@lrgs.org.uk
Hon Secretary: Peter V Dyer, Knoll Cottage, 23 Lindeth Road,
Silverdale, Carnforth LA5 0TT. 01524 702319
email: olhonsec@lrgs.org.uk
BRANCH SECRETARIES:
Hon Treasurer: P Tony Whiteway, Senior Partner, CLB
Coopers, Fleet House, New Road, Lancaster LA1 1EZ.
01524 541200
email: twhiteway@clbcoopers.co.uk
COMMITTEE:
Martin Alexander, Dol-Fach, Llanilar, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion,
SY23 4NZ. 01974 241007
email: saa@aber.ac.uk
Chris Balmer, 38 Wentworth Drive, Lancaster, LA1 3RJ
email: gcbalmer@yahoo.co.uk
Richard J S Brigg, Conder Bank, Ellel, Lancaster LA2 0QG.
01524 751402
email: rjsbrigg@googlemail.com
Michael Burrow, 11 Coronation Way, Lancaster, LA1 2TQ
email: mjburrow@yahoo.co.uk
Douglas H Cameron, 11 Brantwood Drive, Lancaster LA1 4NX.
01524 64574
email: cameron_douglas@sky.com
Bill J Harris, The Borrans, Whinfell Drive, Lancaster LA1 4NY.
01524 383735
email: bill.borrans@tiscali.co.uk
Grant A Nickson, Sawrey House, Cockerham Road, Bay Horse,
Lancaster, LA2 0HE. 01524 792786
email: grant@sawreyhouse.net
Richard A Furlong-Brown, The Common Room, LRGS, East
Road, Lancaster LA1 3EF. 01524 32436
email: rfurlongbrown@lrgs.org.uk
Don G R Gardner, 8 St Paul’s Drive, Lancaster LA1 4SR.
01524 63896
email: aldongardner@aol.com
Dr N Hugh M McKinney, 17 Heysham Avenue, Morecambe
LA3 2DH. 01524 852293
email: hughmckinney1@hotmail.com
Duncan Stackhouse, 1 Langthwaite Terrace, Littlefell Lane,
Lancaster, LA2 0RF
email: duncan.stackhouse@homecall.co.uk
72
Australia: Richard C Batterley, 10 Yeramba, Berowra, New
South Wales 2081, Australia. +61 2 9456 5767
email: richard@rbphotos.com.au
Cambridge: Dr John A Leake, St John’s College, Cambridge,
CB2 1TP. 01223 338600
email: jal2@hermes.cam.ac.uk
Cotswolds: J Tony Heaford, Bellevue, Publow Lane, Publow,
Nr Pensford, Bristol, BS39 4HP.
email: tony@heaford.fsnet.co.uk
East Lancashire: Andrew R Clark, Stag House, Red Lane,
Colne, Lancashire, BB8 7JW.
email: Andrew.R.Clark@gsk.com
London: Richard A Salmon, 3 Park Lodge, Wapping Lane,
London E1W 2RN. 07786703982
email: r.a.salmon@btinternet.com
Manchester: Steve J Aughton, Business Support Manager,
Electricity Alliance North, Sir William Siemens House, Princess
Road, Manchester, M20 2UR. 07808823149
email: Steve.aughton@siemens.com
New Zealand: Keith T Aldren, 52 Scotia Street, Nelson,
New Zealand. 0064 547 0123
email: k.aelect@xtra.co.nz
North America: David C Lamb, 817 E. Southampton Ave,
Wyndmoor, PA 19038. +001 267 246 1423
email: davidclamb@yahoo.com
Oxford: Conrad Nieduszynski, Brasenose College
Radcliffe Square Oxford 01865 618650 OX1 4AJ.
email: conrad.nieduszynski@path.ox.ac.uk
South West: Ted H Barlow, Conifers, Constantine Bay,
Padstow, Cornwall PL28 8JJ. 01841 520155
email: tedhbarlow@googlemail.com
Hong Kong: Patrick Dransfield, patrick.dransfield@
inhousecommunity.com and Chris Percy, chrispercy20@
hotmail.com
School Development Office: 01524 580608
email: development@lrgs.org.uk
ENDOWED 1472
Lancaster Royal Grammar School
East Road, Lancaster, LA1 3EF
Tel: 01524 580 612
Email: ol@lrgs.org.uk
www.lrgs.org.uk