TheALMONDBURIAN

July2012

THE MAGAZINE OF THE OLD ALMONDBURIANS’ SOCIETY

Special

FREDHUDSON

issue

IN THIS ISSUE3 A word from your Editor4 OAS Calendar5 OAS Membership5 Annual Dinner/Founders’ Day6 Governors vote for academy plan7 From the study8 …and back at the School9 OAS Quiz Evening 2012

10 Czech ‘Aero’ returns to its homeland11 Farnley Lines14 Updates15 Sports Notes18 Cricket pavilion: the latest news21 Fred Hudson: special feature44 Postbag48 Terry’sTeaser49 Obituaries

(Opposite):This watercolour of the school house and library, by Olwen Haigh, was presented to Fred Hudson

on the occasion of his retirement as Second Master and Head of Geography

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The magazine of The Old Almondburians’ Society

The ALMONDBURIANEditor: Roger Dowling July 2012

SO, the decision has been taken. In the March issue of The Almondburian, wereported that consultations were taking place on the possibility of the Schoolconverting to Academy status.We can now announce (see pages 6 and 7) that the

Governors decided at a meeting in March to proceed with the application, and that theapplication has been approved.Former deputy head Patrick O’Brien has discussed the plan in some detail with the

OAS Executive Committee, and we are very happy to give it our full support.Althoughthe School has been under the control of Huddersfield Corporation (and subsequentlyKirklees Council) since 1922, we agree that the future of the School can now best beguaranteed through freedom from local authority control. It is particularly pleasing that

ROGER DOWLING

A word from your Editor

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OLD ALMONDBURIANS’ SOCIETY CALENDARDATES OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMEETINGS, 2012The Executive Committee of the Societymeets upstairs at the ‘Woolpack’ inAlmondbury. Meetings are held each monthat 7.30 pm, with the exception of Augustwhen there is no meeting.Any member ofthe Society who would like to attend one ofthese meetings will be made most welcomeon the following dates this year: Monday, 2ndJuly; Monday, 3rd September; Monday, 1stOctober; Monday, 5th November andMonday, 3rd December.

ANNUAL DINNER 2012The Dinner will take place once again inthe main Banqueting Suite at the GalpharmStadium on Saturday, 24th November, at 6.30pm for 7.30 pm. Please put the date inyour diary now to make sure that you don’tmiss out on a great evening.This year is the100th anniversary of the birth of formerSecond Master and Head of Geography, FredHudson, and we hope that many geographersor those with an interest in the subject willmake a point of attending.An applicationform is included with this issue of TheAlmondburian; alternatively, you canbook online at www.oas.org.uk.

FOUNDERS’ DAYThe traditional Founders’ Day Service willbe held at All Hallows’ Church,Almondbury,at 11.30 a.m. on the day following the AnnualDinner: Sunday, 25th November. Almond-burians are invited to assemble in BigTreeYard at 11.00 am for the traditionalprocession up the hill.

The Executive Committee would urge allAlmondburians to make every effort toattend this event. It would help if you areable to indicate in the space provided on theAnnual Dinner ticket application formwhether or not you expect to attend theFounders’ Day Service as well, but it is notessential and you are most welcome to turnup on the day if you are able.

TENNIS/BADMINTONThe tennis season runs until Thursday, 30thAugust; we play on the school tennis courtsbetween 7.15 pm and dusk, weatherpermitting. Badminton will resume in thesports hall on Thursday, 6th September andeach subsequent Thursday evening duringterm-time, from 7.30 pm until 9.30 pm. Fee:£5 per person per evening.

the Old Almondburians’ Society will be represented on the new board of Trusteeswho will be responsible for the School in strategic terms, and that the name ‘KingJames’s School’ that has served us well for the past 400 years is being retained despitethe conversion to academy status.This would certainly be warmly supported by former Second Master and Head of

Geography Fred Hudson, whose birth centenary we are marking this year. I shouldlike to thank the many OldAlmondburians who have written in with their memoriesof ‘Soapy’. Our special feature, with many photographs not previously published,appears on page 21.We are planning to line up some special speakers from the worldof Geography at this year’sAnnual Dinner and hope that the event will be particularlywell supported. �

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SINCE the last magazine waspublished,we have been delightedto welcome two more of last

year’s leavers as full members of theSociety:Claire LHudson (2006-2011),from Lepton andAron JonThompson(2006-2011), from Fenay Bridge.Subscriptions are due on 1st September

each year so, if you do not have a standingorder in place, please remember to sendpayment for your 2012-2013 subscriptionby 1st September.If you receive a letter with this magazine

OAS MembershipANDREW HAIGH

THE Annual Dinner will takeplace once again in the mainBanqueting Suite at the

Galpharm Stadium on Saturday, 24thNovember at 6.30 pm for 7.30 pm.Theticket price will be £27.50 and anapplication form is included with thismagazine; alternatively, you can applyonline at www.oas.org.uk.Our special guest, marking the 100th

anniversary of the birth of legendarygeography master Fred Hudson, will behis daughter AnnWalker.We hope manygeographers will make a point ofattending this very special occasion.It is always good to see members

making a special effort to stage a re-union of their year at the Dinner andanyone who takes a notion to do so

Annual Dinner/Founders’ Day

pointing out that your subscription is notup-to-date for the current year, pleasecomplete the updated standing ordermandate that accompanies it and returnit in the envelope provided withoutdelay.It does make the Membership

Secretary’s life much easier if you have astanding order mandate in place.However, you may also renew online,using PayPal or a debit or credit card, byvisiting www.oas.org.uk and clicking onthe‘Join/Renew Online’ button. �

should consider starting to organise theirclass re-union earlier rather than later.The traditional Founders’Day Service

will be held at All Hallows’ Church,Almondbury, at 11.30 am on the dayfollowing the Annual Dinner, Sunday,25th November. Almondburians areinvited to assemble in Big Tree Yard at11.00 am for the traditional processionup the hill. The Executive Committeeurges all Almondburians to make everyeffort to attend this event. It would helpif you are able to indicate in the spaceprovided on the Annual Dinner ticketapplication form or website whether ornot you expect to attend the Founders’Day Service as well, but it is not essentialand you are most welcome to turn up onthe day if you are able. �

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ANDREW HAIGH

THE Governors met on 14th Marchand decided to go ahead with theSchool’s application to convert to

Academy status.This followed almost twoyears of consideration by the Governorsand a consultation process involving ameeting with staff and parents.Views wereinvited in writing and interestingly,although the number of writtensubmissions was also small, two of the bestwere received from members of the OldAlmondburians’ Society.The application was subsequently ap-

proved and the Governors have now begunto make key decisions about the conversionprocess:� The school will continue to be known asKing James’s School�The name of the AcademyTrust will beKing James’s School AcademyTrust

� There will be five FoundingTrustees, allselected by and from the current Gover-nors�The structure of the Governing Bodywhich, as now, will run the School (but infuture will do so under the oversight of theAcademy Trust) will remain the same andall 21 current Governors will initially trans-fer onto the new Governing Body� Because of the amount of work to bedone and the number of decisions to bemade over the next few months a workinggroup of eight Governors was establishedto meet regularly during the conversion pe-riod.It is expected that conversion will take

place during the summer and that theschool will start the next academic year inSeptember as anAcademy. �Further details:From the Study opposite.

Governors vote for academy plan

THIS is the cover of the oldest copy of The Almondburian inthe OAS archives: issue 10, dated March 1917.Described as

a magazine ‘conducted by the Pupils of King James’ [sic]Grammar School’, it contains articles on a commendablydiverse range of exciting topics such as ‘Potatoes’ and ‘TheIdeal School’. Articles on ‘WarWork’ and ‘The Ideal Patriot’remind us that the GreatWar was still in progress.

Sadly, the first nine issues of The Almondburian are missingfrom our collection and archivist Nich Briggs seeks the help ofreaders in tracking them down.We are also short of a numberof later issues: 18, 19, 25 and 35-38 inclusive.

If you have any of these issues lurking in your loft, or haveany thoughts on how they could be tracked down,Nich Briggswould like to hear from you (contact details: back cover).

Our archivist seeks early issuesof ‘The Almondburian’

WANTED

THE last fewmonths have seen thestart of another important,exciting and possibly historic

period in the long history of King James’sSchool. On 14th March, the Governorsvoted in favour of applying to convertKing James’s School into anAcademy.The decision to convert means that

the school will no longer be under localauthority control and will receivefunding directly from the Government.It is hoped that academy status will startin September.The decision was taken after almost

two years of discussion at Governorlevel.An extensive period of consultationtook place during January and Februarywith the overwhelming view being thatconversion would be in the best longterm interests of the school.The governors have decided that we

will still be known as King James’sSchool unlike the vast majority of schoolswho, on conversion, have dropped‘School’ in favour of ‘Academy’. Oncewe have converted, the school will berun by Trustees and a Governing Body.The Trustees operate at a strategic leveland have ultimate responsibility for andcontrol over the direction of theAcademy. The Governing Body hasresponsibility for the management of the

Academy and acting as a ‘critical friend’,supporting the work of the Headteacherand other staff.The Governors have decided that the

‘Founding Trustees’ are to be JohnEastwood, Andrew Haigh, PatrickO’Brien, Brian Stahelin andVanessa Thomas. All five are currentmembers of the Governing Body andhave been linked with the school forsome years.The majority of these will bewell known to you all: they compriseformer members of staff, formerstudents, members of the OAS andmembers of King James’s SchoolFoundation.With these five FoundingTrustees we can confidently say that thefuture of our school is in extremely safehands. �

The School may no longer be under local authority control after September

From the studyROBERT LAMB

OAS Honorary Secretary Andrew Haigh(right) will be one of the Academy’s trustees

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Six months of hard work culminate in major success with ‘TheWiz’Photos: Jenny Ainger

…and back at the School

THE School productionof The Wiz, a soul

adaptation of The Wizardof Oz performed 7,8 & 9thMarch 2012, proved a bighit with audiences. Thetitle role was played byyear 11 student KaiValentine (right).“Many people don’t

realise how much thisshow meant to me andother Year 11 students,”said Kai.“Not only was thisour final production but itwas also our brainchild. Iknow that I am speakingon behalf of a lot of peoplewhen I say this show willbe in our hearts forever.”

“It was wonderful to go andsee the fantastic productionput on recently by the multi-talented students of KingJames’s School in Almond-bury. It was brilliant to seehow the dedicated staff anda group of more that 100 enthusiastic students came together and worked as a team to ensurethat the production was a success on stage and backstage.The talent was amazing.”

Mary Moss, letter to the Huddersfield Examiner

In brief��The School continues to be vastly over-subscribed with over 230 applications for the180 places available this September. This is the School’s largest-ever waiting list, despitefalling rolls generally in Kirklees.�� 33 pupils from years 9,10 and 11 sat the Intermediate UK Maths Challenge, anexamination aimed at the country’s best mathematicians. They won 3 gold certificates, 8silver and 22 bronze.��Year 8 pupils received a visit from the Young Shakespeare Company and were given ashort introduction to Macbeth. The verdict: “Brilliant”.��A group of Year 11 pupils took the day off school to attend the Poetry Live! event atLeeds Town Hall.��Year 9 students visited the major Huddersfield engineering firm Cummins (formerlyHolsets) to discuss how links between schools and industry could be strengthened.

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KEITH CRAWSHAW

BRYANHopkinson and Alan &Marie Thomas – the ‘1970s’team – retained their trophy

at the annual Quiz Evening which attractedsix teams to Almondbury ConservativeClub on 25th April. In the first semi-final, the 1970s – the

defending champions – stormed into a 12point lead in the first round of multiplechoice questions. The Cricketers clawed 10points back in the ‘Faces’ round. Althoughall three teams’ recollection of events of2011 was fairly even in the next round, the1970s pulled away again with perfectidentification of ‘Leaves and Trees’ in round4. They increased that lead in the finalbuzzer round to win by 30 points over theCricketers in second place. The Chairman’steam was four points behind and missedout on a place in the grand final.Five similarly-themed rounds faced

three more teams in the second semi-final.This time it was Dartmouth who took alarge lead of 20 points over Badminton andthe Staff into round 2. This was furtherextended in a generally high scoring roundbut there was little to choose between theteams in rounds 3 and 4. Dartmoutheventually won by 26 points as Badmintonheld off a challenge from the Staff in anexciting buzzer round to claim the lastplace in the grand final by just 2 points.In the final, after supper, the Cricketers

with 6 points took an early two-point lead

in the opening buzzer round overDartmouth and the 1970s, withBadminton failing to score. Although theybuilt on this lead in the ‘Faces’ round, theirlack of knowledge of the retail prices oftoys cost them dearly in round 3, afterwhich only one point separated the topthree teams. All the sides scored well on‘National Parks’ so it came down to thefinal buzzer round. The 1970s increasedtheir slender lead to retain the trophy with60 points from Dartmouth (54 points) insecond place, the Cricketers (52 points) inthird place and Badminton (44 points)fourth.Our congratulations to the winners andgrateful thanks to Angela Melling forservicing and maintaining the buzzers,Andrew Haigh for providing supper, JackTaylor for scoring and the others whohelped with the marking.I trust everyone enjoyed the evening andwill be back next year to see if a differentname will be added to our prestigioustrophy. �

OAS Quiz Evening 2012

Proud winners: (left to right): Marie Thomas,Bryan Hopkinson, Alan Thomas

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Czech ‘Aero’ returns to its homeland Car linked to the former President of Czechoslovakia goes on display ina Prague museum, thanks to Old Almondburian Philip Goldsmith

AUNIQUE car is now on displayin Prague’s National Technical)museum, thanks to former Al-

mondbury Grammar School pupil PhilipGoldsmith (1941-1946).The car – a 1937 ‘Aero 50’ manufac-

tured by the Vysocanskà aircraft and carbody factory – is believed to have beenowned by the wife of Edvard Beneše,president of Czechoslovakia from 1935-1938 and from 1945-1948. When World War II broke out in Sep-

tember 1939, Beneše organized aCzechoslovak resistance movement in

IN THE NEWS

France. After the French collapse he fledto England where he created aCzechoslovak provisional governmentunder his presidency in 1940, intendingto create the role of East-West mediatorfor Czechoslovakia in the postwar order.The Aero 50 was almost certainly drivenby Beneše during his time in England andwas also used by Czechoslavakian exilesin London.Philip Goldsmith, whose hobbies in-

clude the restoration of antique cars,spent many years restoring the car to itsformer glory. �

(Below left) GGO941 in the Prague museum with Jaroslav Kucera, 91, the last living em-ployee of the Vysocanskà factory (Right) Former President Edvard Beneše, and the Aero 50car in England during World War II

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Farnley LinesDAVE BUSH

YiES, I know you have beendying to know and yes, I knowthere have been some leaks

since the last issue which I had concludedwith the tantalising hint of anotheroverseas adventure ‘with a strong OldAlmondburian connection’. Now all can be revealed. First,

however, we have to go back to my latteryears at KJS when, together with NickyGreen, we had the unofficial role ofwelcoming former pupils to the schooland giving them, if possible, a tour oftheir old haunts. Time for a quick confession here. In

my room were stored the record cardsfor all pupils going back to the early daysof the 20th century. How useful theywere and I wonder where they are now*.Safely stored away, I hope. When Nickybuzzed me to announce who had just

arrived, I would nip across to theaforementioned cards, a quick flickthrough and then downstairs to extend ahand to, say, James Alexander Sykes. “Ah,James. Were you not here around 44-51?”Never failed to amaze!One such visitor was Kenneth Leech,

1947-1952, always accompanied by hislovely wife Janine. They now live inRosebud, 90 minutes south ofMelbourne. Ken will only allow me tosay mysteriously that he was originallysent to Australia ‘at her Majesty’spleasure’ but has promised to reveal thefull story in an article in a future issue ofThe Almondburian.Over from Australia to visit remaining

relatives in Huddersfield, Ken and Janinemade their way down St Helen’s Gate onnumerous occasions. Ken even spoke tothe whole school in a full assembly andalso presented a beautiful set of framedbird prints which were hung in the

corridor leading up to thedining room; are they stillthere? Since my retirement toSouth Wales they have beenawarded the silver medal fortime spent down here with uson two occasions. Frequentlywe were invited to visit themDown Under but as Margaretbecomes twitchy after a coupleof hours in a plane such a jointlong journey was impossible.

Down under: Dave with Ken Leech,suitably attired

*The record cards are safely stored in the OASarchives (Ed)

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Enter widely travelled granddaughterAnna, aged 15. “I’ll go with yougrandad. Email him now and say we arecoming.” I obeyed. A reply was almostinstantaneous. “Well done, Anna, forgetting grandad moving!”And so it came to pass that after 18

months’ planning and two memorabledays in Hong Kong we were greeted atMelbourne airport by Ken and Janineholding aloft a welcome banner withkoalas dangling therefrom. Not real Ihasten to add ; they were to come later.I realise this article must not become

a travelogue but I have to say we enjoyeda most wonderful stay in Australia. Kenand Janine were the perfect hosts fillingevery day with some new delight, aidedby having a superb house, garden andsurely the best wine cellar on theMornington Peninsula. We also flew up to tropical Cairns

where we met my Brisbane-based nieceand Anna enjoyed the highlight of hertrip, scuba diving off the Great BarrierReef ; grandad stuck to viewing it fromthe comfort of a semi-submersible. Kenretains a great interest in all that happensat KJS and has much memorabilia fromhis time spent there and in Hudders-field.

Singapore SlingIt was with gratitude and sadness that

we departed Melbourne airport for theflight to Singapore. But the

Almondburian connection was not yetover. I discovered that Marcus Taylor,grandson of Harry, son of Richard andnephew of Andrew is now a Singaporeresident. Unfortunately he was flyingback to God’s Own County the day wearrived but sent us some most helpfulinformation of what to see and doduring our short stay. And yes, I did havea Singapore Sling in the Raffles Hoteland a photo and a hole in my wallet toprove it. Back to reality for us both on

reaching Heathrow: 35ºC when we leftSingapore and 0º when we arrived inLondon. For Anna, GCSEs awaited; forme a lot of work in the garden andallotment. Anna had had to take fourdays off school before Easter in order tomake the trip, an absence frowned on bymany but the family decided the benefitsderived from this journey faroutweighed the school time lost. We areconfident that her results will not sufferbecause a) she is a very bright lass butmore significantly b) because she hascompleted much of her work for herchosen subjects already.

Farnley fretThis leads me neatly into this month’s

gripe or ‘Thoughts on the PresentDiscontent of (Re)tired Teachers’. Nowfor teachers there is nothing like a goodold whinge. Whenever a group of usmet, for example, in the Woolpack after a

(Left) It wasnever like thisat RamsdenStreet baths

(Right) Janine,Anna and Kensmile for thecamera

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parents’ meeting or indeed on any socialoccasion, we thoroughly enjoyed havinga real moan. Little appears to havechanged. My colleague in the 60s, PeterHeywood 1st whose photo appears onpage 45, even in those days used tocomplain, as he so graphically put it, of‘pulling up the radishes to see if they aregrowing.’ What would he say today? Itappears to be a constant round ofcompleting coursework, of preparingfor, undertaking and going over tests. I

have to ask when the solid teaching isdone. However, an article in one oftoday’s broadsheets gives hope. It wouldappear that the present government isconsidering going back to a far morerigorous and traditional method ofexamining with less emphasis oncoursework, no re-sitting and ‘proper’end-of-term exams. I live in hope.

The keys to Soapy’s classroom successAll a far cry from the days of F S

Hudson, the centenary of whose birth isbeing celebrated in this issue and at theAnnual Dinner in November. In 1972 Iassumed the role of Deputy Head insuccession to Fred and I clearlyremember how conscious I was ofoccupying his chair and room above thesecretary’s office. In short, I was filledwith trepidation. In many ways my task was made

easier because Fred left everything insuch good order. His filing cabinet, forexample, was a model of order andefficiency. When I spoke to Ken Leech about

him he described how Fred “attractedthe attention of daydreaming boys, orthose gazing at Farnley Line from N3, byvery accurately aiming his rather largebunch of keys at their heads. I don’tthink he ever drew blood, but hecertainly achieved his objective ofregaining one hundred percent of ourattention.” Personally I , and others I could

name, used a board rubber. Oldermembers please explain to younger onesthe purpose of these. In defence I neveraimed for heads! Today we would bedrummed out of the professionimmediately. �

Cheers! Dave enjoys his Singapore Sling atthe world-famous Raffles Hotel

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UPDATES

Call to Action!

THOUGH nothing much can be reportedmuch has happened! Since the last report

there have been several meetings and lengthy tele-phone conversations through the winter monthswhich in essence have sought to gather in each in-terested party’s thoughts and expectations inorder that the project may progress to the nextlevel. The school, trust, and OAS’s shopping listshave been drawn up, cross matched and a final wish list has been drawn up. That bill of requirements has finally been briefed into the ever-enthusiastic

Chris West’s hands. He is now interpreting the vision into plans that can be fi-nally and accurately costed. I hope to present those plans and costs, togetherwith the announcement of the next phase, in the next issue of The Almond-burian. It has taken longer than I anticipated but the proposal has taken several un-

expected turns which will I am sure add to the original vision, and increasethe usefulness of the scheme.

Martyn Hicks

Fred Hudson Exploration Bursary

THE £1,000 single bursary announced inour last issue has certainly prompted

much generosity on the part of OldAlmondburians; indeed, we have a modestsurplus which we would like to enlarge toprovide the runner-up with some lesser support for his or her geographicalproject. Anyone who has yet to make a donation is invited to send it to KeithCrawshaw (address on back cover) or donations can still be made online atwww.oas.org.uk/bursary.php.The name(s) of the successful applicant(s) will be announced at the Annual

Dinner on 24th November. We hope many geographers will attend this year’sDinner to mark the birth centenary of one of the School’s finest formerteachers.

John Broadbent

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THE Club’s Annual Dinner andPresentation Evening was heldon Saturday evening, 25th

February, at Lockwood Park, home ofHuddersfield Rugby Union Club. Sixtyfive people attended, including acustomary, very supportive, contingentfrom the ‘Rock’ (Brockholes) Cricket

CricketJACK TAYLOR

Club, our Sunday morning tenants atArkenley. The three course meal includeda ‘Hot Beef and Turkey’ Carvery Buffet,always appreciated by the regularattendees.

After the meal, First XI batsman WillAtkinson, a dynamic MC, welcomedeveryone and introduced the speakersand special guest, Al Conway; magicianand comedian. The energetic Alentertained before, during the meal andafter the speeches. His invitation to TimTaylor to participate in a spot of ‘magic’was one of the highlights of the evening.Our President, Geoff. Headey, gave ahumorous resume of his association withthe Club and Chair Jack Taylor thankedhim in reply.

A special ‘surprise’ presentation wasmade to retiring skipper Steve Slack,when Jack in reminiscing, referred toSteve’s debut in 1977 – whilst still at theSchool. Sincere thanks were expressed in Senior professional Tim Taylor (left) withskipper Joe ‘Cola’ Colagiovanni.

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– and he did not disappoint. Willconducted a hugely successful raffleand the evening was rounded offwhen Steve, in his customary effi-cient manner, organised the presen-tation of awards (see panel).

All games were abandoned onthe opening day of the new season,Sunday, 22nd April, with each teambeing awarded two points. On thesecond weekend, Saturday, 28thApril, only one game was played inthe entire league; surprisingly, inview of the weather, at CartworthMoor. ‘The season began’ on 5thMay when the First XI comprehen-sively beat Heckmondwike atArkenley, scoring 156 for 6 andbowling them out for 75. Unfortu-nately the Second XI had to con-cede their game, unable to raise ateam due to football demands.

In the recent Old Almond-burians’ Quiz, a team comprisingGraham Cliffe, John Clutterbrookand Michael Buck, qualified for thefinal but their lack of knowledge ofcurrent retail prices cost themdearly.

The League Cup competitionsgot under way on Sunday, 20thMay; the First XI entertainedBadger Hill (formerly RastrickNew Road) in the first round of theAllsop Cup and the Second XI trav-elled to Cartworth Moor in the first

round of the Tinker Cup. �� In a recent home Second XI game againstDenby Grange, Richard Taylor hit a six. It isnow proposed to relocate the projected newpavilion to a safer site!

FIRST XI PRIZESBATTING Tim Taylor

(788 runs, average 41)BOWLING Chamika (‘Chammi’)

Karangoda-Mudalige(20 wickets, average 13.6)

FIELDING Sam Atkin(7 catches)

SECOND XI PRIZESBATTING George Brady

(240 runs, average 24)BOWLING George Brady

(26 wickets, average 12.6)FIELDING Jack Ingham

(10 catches)

YOUNG PLAYER OF THEYEAR(Donated in Memory of Jessica Taylor)

George Brady

MOST IMPROVED PLAYEROF THE YEAR

Jack Ingham**Attended a pre-season two day coaching atLords, sponsored by the Harry Taylor Trust.Jack was visited at Lords in April by RichardTaylor, when the coach, former Middlesexand England opening batsman Clive Radley,commented very favourably on his progress.

CLUBMAN OF THE YEAR(Donated by the Chairman)

John Headey

recognition of his playing, coaching andadministrative contributions over the pastthirty five years. No Club evening would be complete

without Richard Taylor’s ‘Heads and Tails’

AS the 2011-2012 Badmintonseason draws to a close, I am)reflecting on a season which

has been something of a struggle.Although more people have played thisseason than last, many have notattended particularly regularly and sowe have been quite short of numbers onsome evenings. As a result, we areunlikely to break even over the season.Although another Badminton season

has slipped away, we will, of course, bekeeping our Thursday evening activitygoing over the summer by playingtennis on the School courts. Due to theQueen’s Diamond Jubilee, our tennisseason started unusually late this yearon Thursday, 14th June and runs until

Badminton/TennisANDREW HAIGH

Thursday, 30th August. We play on theschool tennis courts between 7.15 pmand dusk, weather permitting, so pleasejoin us if you can. Until Thursday, 19thJuly, we do retreat into the sports hallto play badminton if the weather isinclement, but this is not possibleduring the school summer holidays, dueto maintenance work in the sports hall.Badminton will resume in the sports

hall on Thursday, 6th September andeach subsequent Thursday eveningduring term-time, from 7.30 pm until9.30 pm, and thereafter in a localhostelry. As I noted above, additionalsupport would be welcome next season,so please do come along and join us ifyou can. �

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Soccer

MARTYN HICKS

LAST Saturday morning I wokeup as I usually do excited by thethought it was Saturday and on

that day the mighty force that is TheAlmondburians’ Football Club will beunleashed! At 2.30 pm the gatheredmasses would witness terpsichoreanskills going forward and Agamemnon-like defending. Then I realised the season

was over and we did not have a game(sigh!).However what it does allow me to do

is submit to you the full facts of anothersuccessful campaign, one which will seeus promoted for the second year insuccesion to the next rung of the YorkshireAmateur League ladder: Division 2.Such is our success that – just as bees

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swarm to honey – many ex players havenow asked to be brought back into thefold and be considered for next season.We have therefore submitted to theLeague a request to enter a Reserve XIwhich will enable us to accommodateyouth and experience. The club will bestronger for it and I am sure silverwarewill be forthcoming; not many clubs willbe able to field such a strong team.Gary Lumb has hung on to claim the

top Division 3 Golden Boot Award (seepanel) despite having to miss the lastgame following a nasty ligament injury.His total of 28 goals made him theLeague’s top notcher, a first in mymemory for an Almondburian.While we are on the subject of

memories, I mentioned in my last reportthat Charlie Mitchell had scored on hisdebut at the age of only 16. I asked you,dear reader, if anyone could match that.This produced an interesting reply fromRobin Beaumont (see Postbag, page 49)suggesting that possible contenders wereJonathan Haydock, Gareth Evans,Graham Stevens and Dave Dyson. So full

marks to themtoo!We are building

a digital archive ofthe club at presentand would reallyappreciate contri-butions and im-ages. I would alsovery much like toknow the club’sformation date.The common be-lief is that the Al-mondburians’ FC

began life in 1952, but at a Dinner I at-tended some years ago an old Old Boycast scorn at that date and insisted that itdated back at least to 1920.Throughout the past season I have

been aware of supporters in Toronto andMelbourne looking in to the League siteon Saturday evenings, eager to know the

Played W D L F A GD PTS

Old Modernians Res 20 15 4 1 69 19 50 49

Almondburians 20 15 3 2 79 26 53 48

Colton Institute Res 20 13 5 2 58 36 22 44

Ealandians Res 20 9 1 10 48 40 8 28

Grangefield OB Res 20 8 4 8 56 44 12 27

Heckmondwike GSOB 20 8 2 10 42 43 -1 26

Middleton Park 20 8 2 10 46 61 -15 26

Old Batelians Res 20 6 1 13 48 72 -24 19

Leeds City OB 20 5 3 12 42 71 -29 18

Calverley United Res 20 3 6 11 25 61 -36 15

Old Centralians Res 20 4 1 15 27 67 -40 13

DIVISION 3 GOLDEN BOOT AWARD GoalsGary Lumb (Almondburians) 28

Stef Eberharter (Grangefield Res) 25

Chris Hicks (Colston Inst) 20

Sam Turpin (Leeds City OB) 17

Phil Bryant (Batelians) 16

Rodney Adams (Middleton Park) 15

Charlie Mitchell (Almondburians) 12

Dave Blakeley (Heckmondwike GSOB) 11

Gavin Parker (Middleton Park) 11

Scott Mollet (Ealandians Res) 10

Wayne Johnson (Colton Inst) 10

Marcus Hadley (Almondburians) 8

Adam Binns (Mods Res) 8

Josh Naylor (Colton Inst) 8

Joe Clapham (Mods Res) 8

continued on page 20

DIVISION 3 FINAL TABLE

25

(Back row left to right): Ned Fisher, Greg Sykes, Paul McCabe, Adam Taylor, Bruce Atkinson,Gary Lumb, Kev Marsden, Julian Atkinson, Martyn Hicks (Manager) Front row: Rob Thomp-son, Adam Walker, John Clarke, Marcus Hedley, Charlie Mitchell, Gus Macdonald, Chris Dunn.Not available: Charles Ryan-Hicks, Dave Worthington, Tom Cliffe, Rob Antich

19

Remember this? The team of 1987 took on the Lepton Highlanders in the Yorkshire Old Boys’League. Back row left to right: R Pearce, L Field, B Kirkman, A Robinson, S Manning, M Earn-shaw, J Grist Front row: L Lea, B Williams, C George, S Senior, A Mitchell, D Lea. The club iscurrently building up a digital archive of early photographs: contributions are welcome.

20

Sheffield residents and businesses were greeted by a fa-miliar face when they received their new 2011-2012

Phone Book from BT. Old Almondburian runner Derek Ib-botson MBE, who won the 5000m Bronze medal at theMelbourne 1956 Olympic Games, is on the front cover tocelebrate this year’s London Olympic and ParalympicGames.

Other sports personalities featuring on the PhoneBook front covers include Dame Mary Peters, Olympicgold medallist in the pentathlon; Mary Rand MBE, Olympicgold, silver and bronze medallist in long-jump, pentathlonand 4x100 metres relay respectively; Tessa Sanderson CBE,Olympic gold medallist in the javelin; and Paris 1924Olympic legends Eric Liddell, gold medallist in the 400 me-tres and bronze medallist in the 200 metres, and HaroldAbrahams CBE, gold medallist in the 100 metres and silver

medallist in the 4x100 metres relay. Derek said: “It is great to see BT featuring sports personalities on the Phone

Book to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and I am in-credibly pleased to be one of the athletes chosen. ”

Old Almondburian Ibbotson is BT’s directory choice

IN THE NEWS

Young Player of the Year Charlie Mitchell

Players’ Player of the Year Gary Lumb

Clubman Robert Antich

afternoon’s result. Such is the efficiencyof the league match reports that scoresand scorers are available to peruse by 7pm. For those of you who might not beaware, the league’s site iswww.yobleague.co.uk. The Almondburi-ans’ Football Club also has its own web-site: http://tinyurl.com/74s6w9x.And so we march on! By the time you

read this report we will have had ourpresentation evening, fuelled by themany fine real ales available in Hudders-field town centre. Our congratulations toaward winners Charlie Mitchell, GaryLumb and Robert Antich. �

Player of the Year: Gary Lumb

AWARDS 2011-2012 SEASON

Fred ‘Soapy’ Hudson, Head of Geographyand for many years Second Master, was

born 100 years ago. In the following pages,we pay tribute to one of King James’sGrammar School’s finest teachers

My father – Fred Hudson FRGS

Ann Walker lives in Otley with her husband Leslie. She recalls herupbringing in Almondbury and her fond memories of her father

ANN WALKER

AFTER years of rising at thecrack of dawn or earlier, I must)admit that my day now begins

at a more leisurely pace looking overOtley Chevin, with muesli and a littletoast and honey, accompanied by numer-ous mugs of tea. Les and I will probablychat, plan our day and peruse the YorkshirePost; time permitting, I’ll also tackle thecrosswords: my Dad would have com-pleted both these and The Guardian oneby now!Following the usual household tasks, I

often visit my dear mother in a localnursing home, although, sadly, she has norecognition of me now. Usually I fit insome reading and needlework. On atleast three days perweek we usually walk,either locally, furtherup Wharfedale or theWashburn Valley, allfavourite haunts of myparents too. Armedwith picnics or meet-ing friends for a publunch, we find thesesimple pleasures of re-tirement seem to keepus fit both physicallyand mentally. I knowMum & Dad very

much favoured the latter activity in re-tirement, walking across the fields to theFarnley Cock or the Woodman.

A major bonus of more leisure timeis, of course, being able to spend moretime with family, which may mean visit-ing our daughter and family in London,perhaps fitting in an exhibition. We alsotalk to them on Skype, as we do with ouryoungest son, Special Forces RoyalMarines, currently serving inAfghanistan. Although we sometimesgroan about it, this new technologywhich I am sure my father would haveembraced is such a benefit of modernlife. (Does anyone know of any specialistmapping sites?!)

We have recentlybeen puppy sitting/walking for our sonand fiancee in Harro-gate, our only off-spring to live locally atthe moment.Our eld-est son married aFrench girl and theylive with their twodaughters in LaDrôme Provençal, astunning area of laven-der fields and olivegroves which we fre-

A LIFE IN THE DAY

22

23

transports scenery and props. We are alsomembers of the Fairfax Singers, perform-ing for charities and local events, with arepertoire ranging from blues to Bach,musicals to madrigals. We enjoy frequentvisits to the theatre and concerts – butprobably not as many as my parents,whose love of music resulted in member-ship of the Huddersfield Philharmonic,the Huddersfield Glee & Madrigals, andOpera North. Like my father, I was a teacher, and I

married an engineer who became a lec-turer. Several cousins were teachers. Mymother was one too, although none ofour children have gone in for this amaz-ing career as yet!My career began on Merseyside, a

challenging baptism of fire where I de-veloped my passion for special needs

quently visit (what a long way to go tobabysit!) Combined with time in our lit-tle maison, in Poitou Charente, this luresus away from Yorkshire for severalmonths of each year. Our life en France isnot so dissimilar: we are members of awalking club, a community group, a choirand (Les only) a cycling club. Althoughour French is improving, we will neverbe bilingual – unlike our son, who musttake after Dad as French was his seconduniversity subject and he (and mymother) took groups to austere post-warNormandy. In our spare time we are involved in

the church and local community activi-ties, which seem to be a ‘must’ in retire-ment. My father used to be on churchduty rotas, edited the church magazineand played piano at the drop-in coffeecentre. He also used to play bowls, bothoutdoors and indoors depending on theweather. Inherited from my father is my love of

music. Although I learned to play thepiano, I am very poor these days, unlikeDad who, even when arthritis took over,managed a daily practice. He was a splen-did pianist and was sought-after both so-cially and as an accompanist, sometimesfor Huddersfield Operatic Society. Hewas once asked to accompany Old Al-mondburian Geoffrey Neilson Taylor in arecording. Most memorably, he was ac-companist for the School’s Gilbert & Sul-livan productions, the tunes of which Iseem to have known all my life. It wasthey that inspired me to perform (mainlyin the chorus) in our local society, whereI run the publicity, and Les sings and

Young Freddy, aged 3

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terested in everyone and everything; hewas the most avid reader I have everknown, displaying eagerness and curios-ity for all manner of things throughouthis life. He would read three or four nov-els weekly and would always have severalnon-fiction works on the go simultane-ously. Dad’s background was quite humble

but very normal for this period in the Ed-wardian West Riding. He and his olderbrother Stanley were brought up in ahousehold of high moral principles, withemphasis on family and religious values,instilling the worth of hard work. How-ever, memories of my paternal grand-mother evoke an optimistic lady, full offun. Albert, Fred’s father was a drysalter(a commercial traveller in groceries). Hismother Alice had left school at thirteento work in a woollen mill where hersharp brain and head for figures sooncaught the eye of her employer and shewas promoted to accounts at the tenderage of 15. Albert and Alice were keen fortheir sons to receive the best educationpossible to fulfill their potential, albeit atlocal Carlton Boys’ Grammar rather thanBradford Grammar, and Leeds Universityrather than Oxbridge. With his beautifulsoprano voice (Dad always regretted notprogressing to fine tenor like his ownDad, although he possessed a very fairvoice) ‘Freddy’ sang for three serviceseach Sunday and would read from thelarge family Bible or from Pilgrim’sProgress to his grandmother – the onlyreading matter permitted by her on theSabbath. His boyhood name, incidentally,has been resurrected in our youngestgrandson, to our daughter ; how wonderful

Fred poses for a studio portrait, aged 11

teaching. I continued in Bradford, livingin our first marital home in Baildon,prior to the demands of rearing fouryoungsters; however, I kept my hand inrunning a playgroup and doing SundaySchool work. I also did supply teachingaround Kirklees and Leeds, teaching thefull range from nursery to further edu-cation, until my family grew up. Then Ireturned to full time special needs postsin the Leeds authority for 20 years. I re-main in close contact with many col-leagues and families with whom Iworked. My father was a Bradfordian, and as

we all know was very charming with agreat sense of humour. His thirst forknowledge was unquenchable: he was in-

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Admiring the view: on holiday with my fatherin Scarborough in 1953

if he too develops Fred’s temperament too!He excelled at his piano playing,

achieving distinctions in all eight gradesby the age of 15, and he would be askedto play for school assemblies from anearly age. He was a top scholar in mostsubjects at school, even woodworkthough he reckoned he was dreadful atDIY later in life. He excelled in sportstoo, especially cricket and tennis, and hebecame head boy. This may give the im-pression of a saint, or, at least, a swot, butnothing could be further from the truth.There are anecdotes of Freddy frequentlybeing in bother through fighting in scrapsand scrapes, with ripped, muddied andbloodied clothes and boots constantlyneeding laundering and mending. Appar-ently he was once thrown out of a Satur-day matinee at the local flicks for tappingthe wooden seat with his toffee hammer;he was banned until he convinced his Dadhe was beating time to the music ratherthan committing an act of vandalism. I doknow that he could be great fun as aDaddy during my own childhood parties,performing funny tricks and voices andable to do cartwheels until well into hisfifties. He was adored by his own grand-children. Albert never fully recovered from

malaria, contracted in the First WorldWar, and he died suddenly in Dad’s firstyear of university. Alice was determinedthat her clever son should continue hisstudies, despite her grief and having tocare for an ailing elderly mother, andcontinued her husband’s business to fundFred's education. This meant having tocarry heavy samples around the localityon foot and by tram. She was keen that

he should do as well as his elder brotherStanley who had achieved a ‘first’ in Ge-ology. At university, Fred worked hard,travelling daily from Bradford, managingto play cricket and tennis for universityteams, and leading ‘tramping’ tours in theDales, Lakes and to the Black Forest. Byall accounts, he was a popular young manwith both sexes! His mother’s diligencewas rewarded with Fred gaining not onlya first class honours degree in Geography,but the highest results for many years. His first teaching post was at St Bede’s

Grammar, a Catholic Boys’ grammarschool in Bradford. It was excellent expe-rience for the next job at King James’sGrammar School, as junior geographymaster and later head of department and

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IN 1941, with the country at war, Almondbury Grammar School was destined to losethe services of its Geography master for five years when Fred joined the RAF. The

School was rarely out of his mind. The following year, he proudly reported to TaylorDyson that he had reached the ‘exalted position’ ofLeading Aircraftsman, adding wistfully, “I can justpicture yourself and your Yorkshire Post or MrsDyson, in the divan in that picturesque gardenyou love so much.”

By the end of 1942, he had become an of-ficer in the Educational Branch of the RAF,and the following March he departed forCanada – an ideal posting for a geog-rapher keen to see the world. “The sta-tion,” he wrote to Taylor Dyson, “is inthe Western Prairies, 100 miles fromthe Rockies. I had a delightful journeyacross Canada, with a fortnight in NewBrunswick, a few hours in Saskatoon,half a day in Montreal and Edmontonand glimpses of Quebec, Ottawa and Lake Superior. Ican envisage many realistic post-war lessons in Geography!”

In 1944, he managed to fit in a trip to the USA. “My last leave was an exciting one,spent with my opposite number on Vancouver Island. We entrained for Seattle, wherewe spent a few days before flying to San Francisco – a fine city with cinemas open allthe night, wide streets, cable cars, Golden Gate, China Town and all. A stream-linedtrain with radio and fluorescent lighting took us to Los Angeles and Hollywood where,of course, we toured the film studios and met many stars.”

But he continued to miss the School. “I still think affectionately of the School,the staff and the boys,” he wrote. “I hope they are producing some good footballersand cricketers. It would be good to learn that Fenay is on the upgrade again.” �

Edmonton

Calgary

PenholdRed Deer

RAF base

JasperNationalPark

GlacierNationalPark

KootenayNational Park

Fred Hudson goes to war and is stationed in Canada

27

deputy head. Dad was called up, in the war, to RAF

Scampton, where, although his eye sightwas not accurate enough to be a pilot, hewas skilled in Morse code as a wirelessoperator and ground navigator. He oftenexperienced great sadness, waving offcolleagues on missions from which theywould not return: Dad was often beingfirst to realise their fate through loss ofcommunication. He was only ever drawnto speak of this when pressed by hisgrandchildren to help with their schoolhistory lessons. Later, he was posted to Canada as ed-

ucation officer at RAF Penhold, where heforged lifelong friendships through or-ganising musical concerts and plays andgenerally boosting morale. His love affairwith North America was born, culminat-ing in his series of ‘A’ level geographytext books which began 20 years later. Irecall my father spending hours, writingin his tiny, neat hand and then typing upreams which were returned as ‘galleys’for his proof reading, all achieved in his‘eyrie’ as we called it in our converted

loft at the Somerset Road house. Hebuilt on this success by writing further‘A’ and ‘O’ level material on Geography ofSettlements and, in collaboration with mygodfather Dr Harry Robinson Physical &Human Geography. My father was fully oc-cupied in updating these through to theearly years of his retirement but althoughthe books were best sellers in their daythey can now be found mainly in librariesor through the internet.After my father was demobbed, he

married my mother Joyce back home inBradford and then – when he got the postat King James’s – moved to Almondburywhere they would spend the next 48years. Their first home was in BenomleyCrescent, where several other staffresided. The Bareham family were closeneighbours and friends, as were the Ren-nisons and the Hockleys and Irelandslater. In the village were colleagues andfriends including Harry Taylor and hiswife; and there were the Beaches andToomeys across town. I also recall theAshes, the Andersons, the Addys, the eld-erly Mrs Baldwin, the Bungeroths, the

Mallinsons, theWesterns, Mrs Han-son, Mrs Hinchliffe,Mrs Hebblethwaite,and later on, BillChapman and alovely lady called‘Matty’ (I’m unsureif she was a dinnerlady or the wife of acaretaker!) I re-member too that myfather seemed to beconstantly bumping

Smile now: Fred – in RAF uniform – and his new wife Joyce at theirmarriage in 1945 at St Oswald’s Church, Bradford

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into ‘old boys’; it was a family joke thatwherever we went, even abroad, therewould be an old boy or some connectionaround the corner ! My memories are probably full of in-

accuracies, but I do recall a real sense ofcommunity in the school. It seems im-probable now, but with so many peopleliving and working in close proximity thiswas the atmosphere that stays in mymemory. My Dad always kept fit walkingto and from school, swinging his neatlyrolled umbrella in rhythm with his gait,meeting folk en route and becoming awell known figure in the village. In theearly days he even walked home for ahearty dinner. It’s hard to believe now,but Dad was not always as lean as he isusually remembered; as a boy he wasrather chubby from sampling all thosesweets, cakes and biscuits which his fa-ther brought home to try!I clearly remember many visits to the

grammar school – it felt like a secondhome. Dad would show me round, and Irecall being particularly impressed by thebeautiful charter, discovered duringDad’s Surveying Society trip in Leeds, ondisplay in the library. I loved the feeling ofhistory, especially the old buildings, themixture of musty aromas, and Dad’swonderfully crammed study overlookingthe lawned gardens, where teas would beserved on Open Days. I saw my first redsquirrels in the tall fir tree and tasted myfirst barbequed food down the ‘bunk’ bycourtesy of Bill Rennison’s scout troop. Iremember my first taste of an exoticdrink called ‘coke’, as opposed to theusual Ben Shaw dandelion & burdock. Iwas quite envious of the school tuckshop, being a Greenhead girl with onlybuns and biscuits available at breaktimes. I am sure my love of Shakespeare was

kindled here, as this was where I saw myfirst play; I recall my mother’s gorgeous

Fred Hudson was a highly respected author of Geography text books for students studying thesubject up to Advanced Level. The books were best sellers in their day.

29

white velvet wedding gown, dyed terracotta, being used in one of them. Itseemed to be the norm for masters’wives to be involved. A funny story mymother delighted in was from the days ofmaking up boys in the G&S productions;that the Mikadomake-up was so convinc-ing on the young boys, depicted as ‘maidsfrom school’, that a visiting dignitarycomplained to the headmaster that somegirls were seen entering the boys’ toilets! My father’s geography room was an-

other world of wonderfully detailed mapsdrawn on the blackboard or adorning thewalls, and cases full of geological speci-mens of various textures, colours andsizes. His love of sport continued, withhim sometimes umpiring cricket matchesfor the Old Almondburians’ Society: I re-call watching from the newly built pavil-ion, and occasionally being allowed tohelp change the scoreboard. During thelong summer holi-days, I fondly re-member all thosehours my fatherspent poring overthe school timeta-bles, long beforethe days of com-puterised spreadsheets, of course.They involvedtaped graph paper

spread across the dining table, being re-peatedly juggled until it all worked. Yet Inever remember Dad becoming at all im-patient with this arduous task. I believe my father was known to be a

disciplinarian but very fair. Althoughunassuming, he was proud of attainingthe honour of becoming a Fellow of theRoyal Geographical Society (FRGS), be-stowed for his services to geographythrough research and books. He wasamused at these initials being used as anew nickname ‘Fred runs the grammarschool’ to replace ‘Soapy’! Geographywas not his only subject – he was almostas keen on history and was a leader ofmany excursions. He received a presenta-tion for 50 years’ service with the Hud-dersfield Geographical Society, and wasa keen member of the Archaeological So-ciety, having been actively involved in ex-cavations at Castle Hill. He continued

The re-discovery ofthe School Charterwas an exciting mo-ment in my father’slife. He proudly poseswith it with head-master Harry Tayloron the lawn in frontof the school house.

30

these interests in retirement and was fre-quently asked to give lectures, accompa-nied by slides from his extensive collectionto Local History & Probus groups.

Dad was always methodical, a greatone for producing lists (which I have in-herited) of books read, slides taken, musicand records collected. He was well trav-elled and he took my mother on a returnvisit to Canada in 1968, on a Royal Geo-graphical trip. His thoughts on ecologyand conservation were ahead of their time– he insisted on walking and making fulluse of public transport. He never learnt todrive, but when my mother finally decidedshe would learn, he enjoyed planning andnavigating the most scenic routes possible! By 1977, the Somerset Road house –

particularly the garden – was becomingharder to maintain, so my parents movedback up to Benomley. We actually boughtthe Somerset Road house from them, en-joying Almondbury life again for 11 years,

but work changes brought us over toOtley and then my parents came to joinus. Typically, they quickly settled, makingfriends and joining groups to continuetheir interests, and they greatly enjoyedseeing the grandchildren develop. Sadly,they were only here for three years beforemy very dear father died, relatively sud-denly in 1993, in the arms of myself andmy dear mother. With all his family nearby,fully compos mentis and joking to the end,his final words were “I’m a progenitor”.What a treasure my Father was! I owe himso much.I am delighted that my father’s natal

centenary is being honoured by this specialissue of The Almondburian, the special Din-ner in November and the Fred HudsonExploration Bursary, such a superb andmost fitting idea. �� An interview with Ann Walker, recordedin February 2011, can be heard on the OASwebsite at http://tinyurl.com/6vxsvtf.

My mother Joyce (centre) at the OAS Dance in 1958 with chairman Cllr Kenneth Brooke, his wifeand Mrs Rennison. She helped with costumes and make-up at school Gilbert & Sullivan productions.

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Fred was an ideal Second MasterJ IM TOOMEY (STAFF 1953-1968)

FREDwas a gentleman, good withpeople, loyal, principled and fair,and an ideal Second Master.

Much has been written, which I will trynot to repeat.I recall his work for theJacobean Society and his splendidJacobean Excursions, planned to the lastdetail, and alive with his encyclopaedicknowledge of Yorkshire. From his love of Yorkshire sprang his

interest in Local History andArchaeology; he was a member of theHuddersfield and District ArchaeologicalSociety, of which I was Secretary, havinglaunched it with some friends(incidentally it recently had its GoldenJubilee). He helped me cheerfully withthe trowel on an Iron Age site at Meltham,

where excavation proved that it was not aRoman fort and he wrote articles for ourembryo publications, one of which was astudy of the Constables of Almondburyworking from original documents.He was very much an all-rounder, but

his main interest was his teaching. Iremember that he would be in school earlyin the morning, preparing his lessons andespecially his beautifully drawn andmeticulous blackboard maps, in colouredchalks, which set a high standard for hispupils. I recall also a personal kindness,when for two years he arranged three ofmy non-teaching periods on Tuesdayafternoons, so that I could meet my tutorsat Leeds University, where I was doing anMA degree. �

Fred Hudson pounds away on his typewriter in this photograph of the staff room in 1958, whileJim Toomey (right) studies some documents. Also pictured (from the left): Wilfred Western,Francis Bareham and – glancing through a copy of The Illustrated London News – Bill Rennison

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Ethiopia welcomes OAS visitorsTERRY GREEN CBE (1947-1955)

THE CENTENARY of Fred Hud-son’s birth: what memories thisstirs up in those who were taught

by him in N3 on the first floor in the newblock! Peculiarities come to mind likewearing his watch on the inside of hiswrist in contrast to the outside by mostpeople or adding up exam marks in frontof the class and when it was your turnyou were not sure when he would stop –35 or 75 out of 100! But the true mem-ories are the way he opened up the worldto us which has benefited so many wellbeyond school years. He also introducedus to Ordnance Survey maps which havebeen a joy and benefit throughout life.

Three old boys – John Broadbent,Stuart Thompson and I – thought of FredHudson when we shared two weeks inEthiopia with nine others earlier this

year. The common bond was that we,along with many others, had contributedto a fund set up by John and Jean Broad-bent to enable water and electricity to beprovided to the village of Adi Eblal innorthern Ethiopia (report: The Almond-burian, March 2011). The highlight of thevisit was to see the village with its supplyof water and electricity.

We had an amazing welcome fromthe villagers: drums banging and voicesraised in welcome as we stepped off thebus. This was so emotional and humbling.The water in particular had made such adifference. We were told that childrenwere healthier and women did not haveto spend so much time walking to thenearest river for water. I am sure that weare all more careful in the use of waterand electricity back home.

TERRY GREEN (left)had a successful ca-reer in Social Secu-rity, finishing as aTerritorial Directorin the DHSS. He isalso a former chair-man of the Sports &Recreational Associ-ation. Terry wasawarded the CBE in1994. Pictured withTerry (left to right):Helen and StuartThompson, Jean andJohn Broadbent. Infront is Ethiopiantravel agent, AsratKahsay, a keen Huddersfield Townsupporter.

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We saw the village school wherewater taps were installed outside theclassrooms for drinking and washinghands. Toilets had been introduced for thefirst time and desks and decent black-boards provided. What an amazing differ-ence had been made to that one village.

The rest of the two weeks was spentin sightseeing and experiencing life inEthiopia. Arabica coffee was first discov-ered in Ethiopia and they make superbdrinks of coffee: better than Costa! Andthey have a coffee ceremony when thewomen wash green coffee beans, roastthem over a charcoal fire, grind the cof-fee beans, make the coffee drink andshare it with the assembled group or fam-ily.

We learned much about the Ortho-dox Church which has been establishedfrom 333 AD and experienced a specialservice. This was in Aksum, the ancientcapital of Ethiopia and centre of theAksum Empire which arose from 400

BC. Some also say that it was the Queenof Sheba’s capital in the 10th century BC.It is in Aksum that the Orthodox Churchsays that the Ark of the Covenant is kept.There are also the amazing stelae – rockcarved needles of great height – whichthe pre-Christian kings had built as astairway to the next world.

We visited the rock churches in Lal-ibela created in the 12th or 13th cen-turies. They are hewn out of the rockwith amazing carvings and presence andare a World Heritage site. It is truly awonder of Africa made by armies ofEthiopians or, perhaps, by angels as sometraditions suggest.

We also visited the Simien MountainsNational Park with amazing mountains(one of Africa’s principal mountain mas-sifs rising to peaks over 4,000 metres)and gorges; trees, shrubs and flowers;birds and animals. An awesome place andwe were so fortunate to see three of theendemic walia ibex; there are thought to

Gonder Lalibela

Aksum

BahirDar

AddisAbaba

Simien Mountains National Park

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Memories of the Surveying SocietyJOHN SENIOR (1934-1939)

APART from his helping me toachieve a ‘distinction’ in)School Certificate geography,

I remember Fred ‘Soapy’ Hudson partic-

ularly for his formation and leadership ofthe new Surveying Society in September1938. Its object was to make a survey ofthe Township of Almondbury.

be only 600 in existence.We also saw the gelada ba-boons and at picnic lunchtime they were very quickto pinch bananas and applesfrom our laps! There weremany birds including vul-tures, black kites and, just,a lammergeyer. The no-table flowers were theAbyssinian rose akin to ourdog rose and giant lobeliasakin to nothing in our gar-dens! Interesting trees in-cluded the endemicHagenia Abyssinica, ancient junipers,giant Erica (heather) and tree sized flow-ering hypericum which we know as StJohn’s Wort.

Visits were also made to Gonder, thecapital from 1636, amazing castles builtin the 17th and 18th centuries. Someparts were bombed by the RAF in 1941when we were helping the Ethiopians tobe liberated from the Italians under Mus-solini.

The remaining highlight was a stay inBahir Dar on the edge of Lake Tana (cov-ering 3,500 square km). This is thesource of the Blue Nile which flows5,223 km north to the MediterraneanSea. It is amazing to see the source of

such a magnificent riverwhich is so important forsupplying water to manynations and may well be asource of future problemsbetween these nations. Wehad a fascinating trip on theLake to the Zege Peninsulato see the church of Ura Ki-dane Mehret. On the lakewe saw small boats(tankwa) built with reeds ashas been done for thou-sands of years. It was then back to

Addis Ababa before the visit ended.Memories are diverse. We saw amazingnatural sights – mountains, valleys, lakesand rivers, birds and animals, flowers andtrees. But in many ways the real joy wasthe people. Many, living at a very basicsubsistence level without water or elec-tricity, but they were very welcomingand smiley people.

We never came across complainingpeople and the most frequent questionwas which team you support – Manches-ter United, Arsenal, Chelsea or Liver-pool. The fellows knew more about thedetails of these teams than we did. Butwe, particularly Stuart Thompson, didour best to put Huddersfield Town on the

Fasilides’s Castle, Gonder

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The perils of Soapy’s rolling r’sDAVID RUSHFORTH (1944-1951)

ONE of the several embarrassingmoments that occurred duringmy time at AGS happened in one

of Soapy Hudson’s geography classes. We must have been discussing the

British Isles,and in particu-lar, the rail sys-tem whichwound aroundthe country.I’m sure thatthose who had

the fortune to be taught by him will re-member his fondness of rolling his r’s andit was this that tripped me up. We were asked to add to an outline of

the British Isles the railway line from Lon-don to (what I thought was) Carol Isle,and I can recollect – being a bit of a rail-way buff – drawing in a very imaginativeline that connected the Capital with thisimaginary island somewhere up North. You can guess at my red-faced reali-

sation that Carol Isle was actuallyCarlisle! �

DAVID RUSHFORTH spent most of his career in pharmacy,managing shops for Timothy Whites and later Boots. He ran alarge Christadelphian Home for the Elderly in Southport for 12years before retiring in 1996.

This included land utilization, indexingof roads and streets, recording of timestaken to get from point to point (anisochronous map, we called it), and ge-ology. The latter involved Wednesday af-ternoon visits to Penny Spring Beck,where we scrambled down its banks tocompare exposed rock strata with the ge-ological map (no ‘Health and Safety’ inthose days!)To help us get to know our district,

Soapy gave to each of us a special print ofpart of the six-inch OS map, about 20inches x 15 inches in size. As he told us totake great care of them, I noticed a glintin his eye which (as I now look back) toldof a battle won with the Headmaster or

even the Edu-cation Com-mittee toobtain themfor us. I stillhave mine,valuable nownot so much asa memento asa local map from the early thirties.When I retired to Almondbury in

1988 it was with great delight that I dis-covered that Fred and his wife, Joyce,were regular worshippers at All Hal-lows’Church. We had many memories toexchange, and they were always goodcompany. �

JOHN P SENIOR left school to become the youngest-ever GeneralManager of Burnley Transport Department and later Assistant GeneralManager at Ribble Transport. In 1963, he was called to the Church andbecame a priest in the Church of England.

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A serendipitous meeting in Norway JOHN GOODALL (1953-1960)

THE ESTABLISHMENTof a travel bursary tocommemorate the cen-

tenary of Fred Hudson’s birthhas prompted me to re-examinemy personal debt to him, havinggone on to study Geography asan undergraduate and post-graduate and as a life-long en-thusiast for travel.There is one especially

memorable serendipitous mo-ment from the travels that I’ve enjoyedover the years thanks in no small part toFred Hudson’s inspiration. I’d like to re-count it here for you.In 1992, my wife Heulwen and I made

a trip using a Scan-Rail Pass to visitfriends in Tallinn that I’d made during thetime I spent in the Soviet Union in 1990.One of our overnight stops en route toEstonia was at Balestrand on the Sogne-fjord in Norway. We stayed in the Youth Hostel there

that was housed at the back of the Kvik-nes Hotel inrooms that didnot enjoy aview of thefjord andmo u n t a i n s .

(When the hotel was on the tourist cir-cuit of the European royals and aristoc-racy at the turn of the C19th theirretinue of servants was housed in theserooms). Breakfast, notwithstanding, wasan egalitarian occasion, taken in thehotel’s restaurant that enjoyed panoramicviews over the fjord from every table. Weremarked on another couple at one ofthese tables from one of whom we imag-ined we’d heard hints of a Yorkshire ac-cent. The same couple were waiting at the

bus stop in the village of Balestrand as weset out to Boverdalen on the next stageof our odyssey. This stage was to includean ascent of Goldhopiggen in the Jutten-heimen ice field, the highest point inNorthern Europe at 2,647m.

JOHN GOODALL studied Geography at the London School ofEconomics / King's College London Joint School of Geography.He later lectured in sociology at the new University of Bradfordand became a tutor at Leeds University, before moving toLincoln in 1969. Returning to Yorkshire in 1973, he had a briefspell as a schoolteacher before working in local government.

JOHN BROADBENT (1948-1954)

FREDHUDSONmust surely haveinfluenced the lives of many OldAlmondburians who would have

experienced his idea of discipline from thevery beginning of their geography lessons. I well remember being required to

queue up to get into N3 as the door waslocked. It seemed we were kept waitingfor a long time causing the queue to mis-behave and create a great deal of noise.FSH then appeared in si-lence, authoratively pushingthrough the melee of firstformers to unlock thedoor. We were quietly toldto take our seats in a certainorder, and having done sowe received the greatestrollicking ever experiencedat school.There was neverany rowdyism in N3 there-after and a great respect forour geography master hadimmediately been estab-lished.Most pupils would have

found his lessons interesting even thoughthey might not have shared an avid interestin the subject. Few of us first formerswould have had any idea what geographywas all about but I well remember howFred defined it in that first lesson:

“It is a comparison between the effectwhich nature has upon man and the effectwhich man has upon nature.”Of course, this was only three years

after the horrors ofAuschwitz, Hiroshima andNagasaki. Fred often drewour attention to “man’s in-humanity to man”, leadingto philosophical discussionsabout such issues later inour lives. Fred was an accom-

plished pianist and heplayed the piano at assem-bly when Harry Gledhillwas absent.His perform-ances in Praise my soul theKing of heaven and Jerusalemwere outstanding.

Backpacking travellers are generally asociable bunch and it did not take us longto get into conversation about our re-spective travel plans and to discover eachother’s identity. Not only had MartinTurner been a pupil at KJGS and remem-bered me being a prefect in the 6thForm, but he told me that he had beeninspired to study Geography at Univer-sity by a talk I’d returned to give at school

on Fred Hudson’s invitation after I’dcompleted my post-graduate studies onmigration. Martin had become Head ofGeography at Liskeard Grammar Schooland was holidaying with his Berlin-bornwife Helga. One had the feeling that but for the

influence of Fred Hudson on both of usthat fortunate encounter would not haveoccurred. �

JOHN BROADBENT becamea successful solicitor in privatepractice for 39 years. He waselected Fellow of the RoyalGeographical Society in 1996.

37

He encouraged extramural studies

38

By the time we reached the fifth Formit was clear that there were many whowere ‘good at geography’ and that somewould want to continue their studies at ahigher level. I’m afraid I disappointedFred when I indicated that it was my wishto leave school after Transitus and seek ar-ticles with a solicitor. Whilst there wereother masters who tried to discourageme, I have to say that Fred (and Reg Addy)were the ones who gave me active supportin my ambitions.During my time at school, Fred encour-

aged all students to become involved inwhat were then known as ‘extra-mural ac-tivities’. As Second Master when LeonardAsh retired, Fred was instrumental in set-ting up various societies which studentscould join to add to their general knowl-edge. By then the Jacobean Society hadbeen for some years but it was the pre-serve of the Sixth Form.Thus the JAK Society was set up so that

younger pupils might practise their publicspeaking skills. There were several others, like the Sci-

The Jacobean Society in 1966-67 (back row, left to right): Pogson; Beaumont; Modzelewski; Whiteley;R Smith, DMH Smith; Horner; Irvine; Bevins; Sampson. (Middle row): Newsome; Keane; TH Smith;Sykes; Heap; Calder; Denton; Sweeney; Morris; Lord; Orme. (Front row): Trueman; Johnson; F Bare-ham; L Mallinson; FS Hudson; Powner; Headmaster; Crawford; G Beach; JP Toomey; Shaw; Booth

entific Society, the Photographic Society,the Model Railway Society, and of courseFred’s own speciality the Surveying Soci-ety which he led with great enthusiasm.He also played a large part in encour-

aging us to attend evening meetings inHuddersfield of such bodies as the Scien-tific Film Society and the GeographicalAssociation. After the Second World War,he had done much to continue the tradi-tion of the Huddersfield & Halifax Geo-graphical Association and became amember of its committee. At this time theorganisation comprised a number of ge-ography teachers from many schools inthe area; several members of my formjoined and became schoolboy members.This was at the time of the conquest ofEverest, and I remember attending ameeting addressed by Sir John Hunt.Later, Fred became Chairman and subse-quently President of the H & HGA.I toowas destined to become Chairman andlater President of the branch associationto which the local Geographical Associa-tion is affiliated. �

39

AS THE deputy headmaster, thehouse-master of Siddon, the)form-master of the Sixth and

the head of geography, Mr Hudson directlyinfluenced the development of very manypupils during his long career at the School.In my case, the following memories standout.First, he was of course a superb teacher

of geography. Lessons in N3 were alwaysinteresting. We learnt about the world,continent by continent, as well as how todraw and to read maps (“never write onmaps, always print” was the watchword).During the A level course on North Amer-ica, pupils were able to use Mr Hudson’sown text book. We heard about hiswartime visit to California, including thehigh diurnal range of temperature in SanFrancisco in April, which had allowedshorts to be worn during the middle partof the day, and the “LargestUpstairs Tailors in theWorld.” As a result of his ex-cellent teaching, public ex-amination results ingeography were often goodenough to help candidatesgain University places andeven scholarships. Not allthese beneficiaries went onto read geography, but evennon-geographers carriedinto professional life MrHudson’s wide horizons andcartographical training. In my case, two instances

stand out. Once, in the UN Security Coun-cil during the tense debates about the Ar-gentine invasion in 1982, the question ofthe distance between South Georgia andthe Falklands arose and the British Ambas-sador turned to his team for advice: a quicklook at the map and its scale gave an answer(about 800 miles) that did enough to winthe argument on the night. Later, whencharged in London with the task of nego-tiating the UK’s maritime boundaries withneighbouring States, map work became theorder of the day. The rules of internationallaw on how to establish boundaries in thesea rely primarily on geographical factors,such as coastal lengths and configurations.A feel for geography is invaluable in dealingwith maritime boundaries.For Mr Hudson, geography did not end

with the bell at the end of the lesson. AfterSchool, he organised meetings of School

Societies. Rather unusually,perhaps, there was a Sur-veying Society. At one time,every member was assignedan area to survey. My allot-ted area stretched betweenBerry Brow and Castle Hill;the standard survey calledfor visits to every farm tocheck what was happeningin each field and to distrib-ute questionnaires contain-ing questions such as “howmany milkers do you have?”and “how much do you payfor lime?” What must the

How many milkers do you have?DAVID ANDERSON CMG (1948-1955)

DAVID ANDERSON (1948-1955)studied law at Leeds and theLSE before becoming a barristerand a legal adviser in HMDiplomatic Service.

40

farmers have made of allthis! For me, it also in-volved taking a trafficcensus at the cross-roadsin Berry Brow on Wood-head Road, when shop-pers and passers-by musthave wondered what onearth was going on. The fruits of such enterprises were re-

vealed when the Surveying Society put onexhibitions for the annual Open Days. Itwas during a visit by members of the Soci-ety, led by Mr Hudson, to an exhibition atthe Yorkshire Archaeological Society inLeeds that the long-lost School Charterwas found: in many ways, it was Mr Hud-son who changed ‘AGS’ into ‘KJGS,’ achange that added confidence to everypupil in the School in the 1950s.Secondly, Mr Hudson encouraged pub-

lic speaking and debating, notably in theJAK and Jacobean Societies, by taking parthimself and encouraging boys to speak. Inaddition, he made time, with Mr Bareham,for the discussion of current affairs and theCouncil on World Citizenship. Being ableto speak in public without becoming flus-tered and to argue a case persuasively aretwo important personal skills in manywalks of life. Being heckled whilst holdingforth in the Jacobean Society may havebeen disconcerting at the time, but itformed a useful preparation for publicspeaking and presenting a case in later life,

whether in the UN, the EU or Whitehall. Taking the minutes of JAK and Ja-

cobean Society meetings was also usefulpractice in the art of summarising proceed-ings during formal meetings. Mr Hudsonencouraged participants in both Societies,and in summer there were the memorabletrips to such places as the Dales, GordaleScar, Malham Tarn, York, Ripon and Flam-borough Head.Next, he supported the Old Almond-

burians’ Society. In the days when therewas a London Branch, he came down tospeak one year at the Annual Dinner, re-counting all the geological formations, in-cluding something known as ‘the Bunter’he had crossed on the route between Al-mondbury and London.Finally, who can forget his closing piano

solos in Assembly whenever the hymn wasJerusalem?Many former pupils, including myself,

owe an enormous debt of gratitude to MrHudson for opening up the world and forshowing us how to portray it, as well ashow to face its many challenges. �

No multiple choice ques-tions in 1957: Hudson ex-pected his pupils to begeography sleuths, workingout their answers from theevidence in front of them

John Goodall

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Fred got me through my interviewFRED SHAW (1946-1954)

MR HUDSONwas House Mas-ter of Siddon at the time I wasHouse Captain. He took an in-

terest in my ambition to study Electrical En-gineering at Manchester University. Duringmy time at school we moved house from theBorough to the County. It was thereforenecessary to apply to Wakefield to obtain fi-nancial support for my continuing studies.As the day to attend an interview in

Wakefield loomed, Mr Hudson called me tothe Geography Room. He stated that he hadfound out that a member of the interviewpanel was known to him and asked if I wasprepared for the interview. Some hope! Heproceeded to help with my preparation.He outlined some of my meagre

achievements that I might mention but wenton to say that his ‘acquaintance’would likelyask if I read any newspapers.He advised that I look at thenewspapers provided in theschool library: the ManchesterGuardian and the Yorkshire Post.He suggested familiarising my-self with the layout of the pa-pers, for a few days before thedreaded date, remember a fewspecific local newsworthy sto-ries of interest. He also advisedthat I buy the Guardian on theday of the interview and thor-oughly read it on the bus toWakefield.The interview went well.

They seemed interested inmy choice of an Engineering

degree rather than an apprenticeship, weresatisfied that I knew the location of thesports pages in the Guardian, and what theleader was. I do not remember much moreexcept being told to sit outside in the corri-dor. Eventually someone came out and toldme that I had been awarded an Exhibition.On return to school the next day Mr

Hudson caught me in the corridor outsidethe prefects’ room and congratulated me onmy success. He must have had a very goodgrapevine.My reason for relating these events is

that I have been a loyal Guardian reader eversince. In the circles in which I move, whennews is discussed, I often have a differentslant or opinion on a topic than those who Idiscover are Times or Daily Telegraph readers.When I declare that I read my version in the

Guardian and am asked “whyread that newspaper?” I tell thestory and still get markeddown as somewhat of a reac-tionary.Another Hudson snip-

pet… At a briefing for the Ja-cobean Society outing to theYorkshire coast Mr Hudsonstated that we would have analfresco lunch at FlamboroughHead. I’d been previously toldto take a packed lunch, soasked what ‘alfresco’ meant. Iwas summarily told to go andlook it up in the dictionary. Vo-cabulary is still not one of mystrong points. �

FRED SHAW graduated fromManchester University inElectrical Engineering and hissubsequent career centred ondigital hardware applicationsin industry. Now retired, hisinterests include horse racingand canal boating.

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Fred Hudson: OAS innovatorKEITH CRAWSHAW (1964-1971)

THROUGHOUT his time at KingJames’s Grammar School FredHudson was a keen supporter of

the Old Almondburians’ Society.He was associated with the Society

from 1935 and had a short spell as Sec-retary before being called up for warservice. Returning to the School in1946, he became School Representativeon the OAS Committee and later anHonorary Vice President and Vice Pres-ident of the Old Almondburians’Cricket Club.Following his retirement some years

earlier, Fred was elected OAS Chairmanin 1978. That year, in which 29 newmembers joined the Society taking thetotal to 438, saw some interesting newventures in addition to the usual socialfunctions.A car rally treasure

hunt and cricket matchwas held on a Fridayevening in June when thedraw for a grand raffle wasmade. As a result £300was given to the Schooltowards the purchase of aprinting press.The annual bowls

evening was held in July atLindley Bowling Club. 74people attended the re-vived Annual DinnerDance at the PrincessRestaurant in October

whilst there were 122 at School in De-cember for the Chicken and ChipsEvening when, following musical enter-tainment, there was a matchbox raffleorganised by Michael Dyson.The staff were the inaugural winners

of our current Quiz Trophy in Aprilwhen they beat teams from the sixthform and the Society in a competitionorganised by our general secretary at thetime, John Cole. Indeed links with thestaff were rather different then as a socialevening with bridge, badminton andtable tennis was also held at School.On the sporting front the Thursday

evening badminton sessions in the gymwere played, the Gothard Cup golf com-petition was held and our football sec-tion was of course running four teams.Our cricket club still had only one team

but were runners up inSection A of the Associa-tion League and also theLumb Cup.1978 saw the formation

of the table tennis section,playing matches at Schoolin the local league. A com-petition standard tablewas initially funded forthem by the Society.During the summer the

building of the school ex-tensions, including newclassrooms and the sportshall, began.

An accountant by profession,KEITH CRAWSHAW has beenOAS treasurer since 1973 andwas chairman in 1980. For over20 years, he has been the OASquizmaster (Report: page 9).

The Annual Dinner was held at Schooland for the firsttime a six-course mealwas producedby the kitchenstaff and servedby pupils whilstthe Old Boysran the bar. Themain speakerwas Miss E M

Wilkinson, better known under thename of Rachel Scott as author of A Wed-ding Man is Nicer than Cats, Miss. The toastto ‘The School’ was proposed byAndrew Taylor. As Chairman, Fred Hud-son replied to the toast to ‘The Society’proposed by Jack Taylor. In the subsequent newsletter, our

then editor, Norman Kerrod, com-mented that “as former colleagues theyprovided an interesting contrast instyles.” �

BOB GOLDSMITH CMG (1935-1942)

BACK in 1935, my class of 1(A)was asked to name an island inthe Bay of Bengal. Mr Hudson

may have expected that some well-in-formed lad mightcome up with Ceylon,as it then was. I didbetter than that: Inominated the Nico-bar Islands and theAndaman Islands.How come? I owed

it to my father. Heused to buy a maga-zine called John Bullevery week which contained a quiz called‘Bullets’. This involved producing appro-priate words to follow on a phrase in thequiz. My father won occasional prizes,and one of these was a magnificent worldatlas.At the age of eight I was fascinated by

this atlas and would write down thenames of every country and island on each

of the maps. Hence my ability to elabo-rate on the contents of the Bay of Ben-gal.Another memory is of a freezingly

cold and windy dayon that high groundnear Poulter’s Farmin the mid 1930s. Iwas playing for Fenayjuniors against Jessopjuniors. There wasFred Hudson spend-ing his Saturday af-ternoon supportingFenay (we won) in

the most inclement climate conditionspossible. It seemed to matter to him.The years passed by and I elected to

take geography as a main Higher SchoolCertificate subject. I hadn’t realised thatFred had gone to Canada. I am sure that,had he stayed, my modest ‘good’ wouldhave been a ‘distinction’. Tant pis! �

Nicobarand Andaman

Islands

(formerly Ceylon)

43

44

PostbagYOU WRITE …

CONGRATULATIONS on puttingtogether the excellent issue of The

Almondburian (March 2012) which hasstirred up many memories for me.On page 3 you have reproduced a 1950

etching by L Sheard. Following thepractice of seating pupils in alphabeticalorder Leslie sat immediately behind mein class. On leaving school he took anengineering apprenticeship at DavidBrowns which led in due course to himmoving South to work for Aston Martin,then owned by David Brown. I have notheard of him since.Page 10 sadly records the death of Joan

Bareham. Her husband Francis taught meHistory for five years through to ‘O’levels and in recent years I have regainedquite an interest in the subject. What I doremember about him is that he was oneof only two teachers who had their owntransport to get to school. A BSABantam? How things have changed. I haveseen present day students being pickedup in 4 x 4s!Page 25 outlines plans for the Fred

Hudson Centenary. ‘Soapy’ was myfavourite teacher and geography myfavourite subject. In recent years I havedone quite a lot of long distance walkingaround England with groups of friendsand, armed with the OS map, I am theone who invariably has to keep us on the

From Alan D Smith (1947-1952)Memories of the School 60 years ago

right tracks. This skill I owe very muchto FSH. Page 31: Morning Assembly. Appropriate

in this, the Queen’s Diamond JubileeYear, I am reminded that it was HarryTaylor in a Morning Assembly whoannounced to the School the death ofKing George VI. That must have beenquite difficult to do but was carried outwith his natural dignity. On to pages 39/40: Sports Notes. I

started playing Soccer for the OldAlmondburians at the age of 16 as soon asI left KJGS so would have played a fullseason before my 17th birthday. In thosedays we travelled to away games mostlyon the bus but if we were playing any ofthe teams in the Leeds area it was thenovelty of the train and then a tram to theoutskirts. I am sure I scored a goal or twobefore I was 17 but perhaps not as manyas Charlie Mitchell. The main thing is thatthe team is still going after all these years!I note that the Gothard Cup is also still

being competed for. The two Gothardboys were at school during my time butI think it was their father who donatedthe trophy. I also met him a few timesbecause he was a friend of my father. Imay be wrong but I think that my nameis on the cup. Could be wishful thinking.Finally, as is sadly now the case, the

last page records the death of a

45

contemporary, Fred Sheard. I knew Fredand also Michael Dyson who were just ayear or so ahead of me at school.However I followed them both down thepath of becoming a Chartered

Accountant through taking Articles inHuddersfield practices so I did keep intouch until I moved away from the town.Thank you for your efforts. I hope to

be at the Dinner in November.Brough, East Yorkshire

IN your last issue, I fear youprinted a picture of the wrong

Peter Heywood (‘Partners in crime’,page 23).Two Peter Heywoods taught at King

James’s School. In the early 1960s PeterHeywood 1 (an Old Almondburian andcontemporary of Fred Sheard) was theHead of Modern Languages.Peter Heywood 2 – the one in the

picture – was Alan Gaukroger’s numbertwo and contributed enormously to theschool scout troop.Regarding apostrophe s’s (What’s in a

From Dave Bush (staff 1961-1996)A case of mistaken identity

Name?), one of my favourite trick footballquestions was (and still is): who plays atSt James’s Park? Of course everyone says‘Newcastle United’. Wrong! It is in fact Exeter City.

Porthcawl, Glamorgan

Peter Heywood 1 Peter Heywood 2

W)HEN I passed the 11-plus in1967 my lone-parent mother

received a letter offering us a choicebetween King James’s Grammar Schooland the New College. She was delightedbecause she believed that only the bestpassers were offered the choice (anyoneknow if there was ever any truth in this?)and because she claimed that KingJames’s was the best school inHuddersfield and she had never dreamed

From Bryan Hopkinson (1967-1974)My mother insisted it was ‘King James’s’

that I would go there (we were veryhumble). For her it was always simply‘King James’s’ and I never heard her usethe term ‘Almondbury GrammarSchool’. I suspect her prejudice may havearisen from having been at Moldgreenjuniors with Duncan Clarkson, whotaught French at the School – aconnection she was very proud of atparents’ evenings.

Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

46

I HAVE just read the article What’s ina Name? in the March issue of The

Almondburian.Being at the School from 1939 to 1944,

it was – and always will be – AlmondburyGrammar School.I may be completely wrong, but how

long will ‘King James’ be in the Schooltitle? Some aspects of history are notbeing taught and no doubt, in time, theteaching of the Kings and Queens ofEngland will be bypassed*. On the otherhand, Almondbury will be on maps aslong as there is a village. KeepAlmondbury in the title!Whilst writing, may I express my

thoughts relating to Grammar Schools?My intake of 1939 included several

From J Neville Armitage (1939-1944)Restore ‘Almondbury’ to the title?

entrants who could not be classed as‘middle’ or ‘upper’ class. You took theentrance exam. If you passed, you wentto a Grammar School or a SecondaryModern: Almondbury or Hillhouse. Itwas simple.Ability was rewarded, not social

engineering.Girton, Notts

*Professor David Abulafia, of CambridgeUniversity, has claimed that current GCSEhistory studies are disjointed and ‘deadenedinterest in the past’. Instead he proposes acurriculum which encompasses the nation’s story– and requires exam candidates to write atlength. The Government is consideringintroducing a new curriculum for history andother subjects in September 2014.

From John Eastwood (1950-1958)Satisfield customer

MAY I say how much I enjoyed thelast issue of The Almondburian. The

articles were varied and attention hold-ing. Its obviously easier reading aboutOld Boys still alive – the Wallace Brownpiece was riveting and I enjoyed BobGoldsmith’s writing on Kingsley Fox. But an obituary has an attraction so

long as its not mine! I knew Fred Sheardslightly but not Mickey Stancliffe. How-ever, on the Stancliffe photograph, thereis (back row, extreme right) a youngBrian Flooks. Brian was a family friend,he and his wife Margaret cycled with myfather in the Huddersfield Road Club in

the 1940s and 1950s. Perhaps more sig-nificantly, he rode with Brian Robinson,also in the Club, who was the first Britonto win stages in the Tour de France. BrianFlooks started as an apprentice withDavid Brown on leaving school at 16, andended as a director on the main board.His son Peter is an old student. Still on the magazine, the layout is at-

tractive, the finish and binding top class,and the photographs splendidly clear anddetailed. It really is a cracking product –many thanks.

Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire

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IN response to Martyn Hicks’s ques-tion about the achievement of 16

year old Charlie Mitchell in the March2012 issue of The Almondburian, I canmaybe answer in the affirmative. IndeedI came close to claiming it for myself. Idid open my goal scoring account forthe Old Almondburians at the age of 16years, but itwas for theFourth XI in1973 in thecompany ofsuch lumi-naries as theinfamous full back pair Dave Sugden andPete Blackburn.

In those days a certain deputy head(a stalwart of the Second XI) wouldscour the school register to ensure thatthe school First XI footballers weresnapped up by the OAS within a coupleof weeks of passing their 16th birthday.

And therein lies the answer to yourquestion. Whilst I took the easy optionafter playing in defence for the schoolFirstXI on Saturday mornings and ex-ploited my youthfulness in a more at-tacking role for the OAS Fourth XI inthe afternoon, some of my team matestook their adult football more seriouslyand played in their proper positions.

So candidates for your 16 year oldgoal scorer in the OAS First XI areJonathan Haydock, Gareth Evans, Gra-ham Stevens, and (most likely) centre-forward Dave Dyson.

How about a search for a school

From Robin Beaumont (1968-1976)Several 16 year olds scored for the OAS First XI

pupil scoring a hat-trick for the OAs ina cup final? Look no further than theBarr Cup Final replay of 1975, whenyours truly registered a perfect hat-trickfrom the left wing. Left foot volley at thefar post turning in a cross from thenFrench language assistant Bernard Vielle;rising like the proverbial salmon over

the penaltyspot to head ina deep crossfrom DaveCwalina; pres-surising myfull back op-

ponent into knocking his back pass be-yond the advancing keeper and having anunguarded net to find with my rightfoot.

It was not until the last season be-fore my first retirement in 1997 that Inext registered another competitive hat-trick: from right back no less. Headerfrom a corner; free kick from the edgeof the centre circle; and after having apenalty saved, the keeper dropped theresulting corner for me to tap in fromthe proverbial six inches.

Last September, more than eightyears after my competitive retirement,out came the boots, ancient shin padsand past its sell-by date wintergreen tosign up for my local club in the newly-formed Bedfordshire Veterans 9-a-sideleague (over 35s), where my latest claimto fame is as the teams’ oldest goal-scorer at 54 years.

Shefford, Bedfordshire

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ACROSS1. One of five, by the swamp, in a near

turmoil, achieves half-century (15)8. Mixed gin seen on the line (7)11. Greetings abroad from St Malo harbour (5)13. Greetings abroad from southern Poland (3)14. Wood in overwhelmed state (3)15. Note three points afresh (4)16, 17, 21, 10 down

Four girls – I abandon them in the confusion (3, 5 ,4, 5)

17. See 16 across19. Make identity fit? Tres bon! (10)21. See 16 across22. I study an image (4)24. It measures and analyses hot matters (10)27. An extreme in falconry (5)29. Weighty receptacle? (3) 30. Do around six for literary ancient (4)31. Decline in webbed feet (3)33. A brother in France (3)

35. Brought Tom round to get a short sentence (5)37. Define about fellow for foreign title (7)38. Heard cheering behind accountant –

meteorological disturbance (6,9)

DOWN1. Bejewelled monarch found in drive (5,2,8)2. One of humanity’s extremes (4)3. Ecclesiastical recession (4)4. Mean seller fiddles the metal processors (10)5. One shot past (3)6. Literary hero has articled implement

after 4… (7) 7. …but by sitting, however (15)9. One left the region untidy and dead (5)10. See 16 across12. Topping wear (3)18. Enoch, Liam and I manufactured a

lubricant (7, 3)20.The fellows in the Durham enclosure (3))21. The vessel dives and becomes land

transport (3)23. The best work – it’s up to mother (7)25. Switch a changeable engagement (2-3)26.Giant in charge of doomed ship (5)28. Melee is now nothing (3)32. Tailless grebe dives for lump of ice (4)34. Check in here instead (4)36 It’s definitely in there ! (3)

TERRY’S TEASER NO 6Compiled by Terry Buckley (1948 - 1953)

Entries to the Editor by 1st October 2012 Prize: 12 months free OAS membership

� The winner of Terry’s Teaser No 5 (March 2012) was Keith CrawshawAcross 1. Philosophical 9. Unload 10. Upstroke 11.Gyrates 15. Arena 16. Era 17. Catch 18. Lad 20. Bar 22. Outlaw23. Possum 25. Ten 27. Eel 29. Issue 30. Owe 32. Linen 33. Almonds 36. Offended 37. Or else 38. Extraordinary Down 2. Hellbent 3. Oddly 4. Ocular 5. Haste 6. Avocet 7. Juxtaposition 8. West Ham United 11. Galatea 12. Red 13. Tab 14. Scrolls 19. Awe 21. Ape 24. Singular 26. Nom 27. Een 29. Suffix 31. Wonder 34. Lydia 35. Dhoti

Articles and photographsThe Editor is always delighted to receive articles for The Almondburian. Photographs are alsowelcome; if sent as email attachments the preferred format is jpeg (.jpg) with a minimum resolutionof 300 dpi. Alternatively, send your photographs by post and we will scan and return them. Whensubmitting photographs, always provide a suitable caption.

ObituaryGONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

DR JOHN BASIL HOLDSWORTH(1933-1941)

Chemist who overcame an early olefactory handicap to become husband and top lecturerBasil Holdsworth died on 3rd March 2012 at the age of 89.Born in Bradford in

1923, Basil attendedMoldgreen CouncilSchool, where he was sobright that he took hisEleven Plus examination ayear early and went on toAlmondbury GrammarSchool in 1933. There, inaddition to continuing toexcel academically, he wasan active sportsman partic-ularly in the high jump,cross country running andtennis.Basil went on to gain a BSc in Chemistry at Leeds University, staying on to be

awarded the prize for the best thesis of the year when he gained his PhD in 1947.Hisfirst job was with ICI in Manchester, working on product development. From all ac-counts, it was work that left his hands and clothing smelling particularly unsavoury,and it was a tribute to his powers of courtship that he nonetheless attracted the in-terest of wife-to-be Barbara at an ICI social club dance. No doubt realising that ICIsmells might prove a barrier to his future prospects, he then prudently decided to pur-sue a new career in teaching at Bradford Technical College.By 1950 Basil and Barbara had married, and Basil had taken up a new position as a

Lecturer at Leeds College of Technology (later Leeds Polytechnic). He progressed tobecome a principal lecturer there before retiring at the age of 61 in 1984.Basil’s dedication to Chemistry was balanced by wide leisure interests. He had a

deep interest in British History and was a passionate supporter of Huddersfield TownFootball Club whose home matches he often attended. He was also a great jazz fan,with Duke Ellington his favourite artist.He and Barbara both joined Longley Park Golf Club in 1949 and he carried on

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playing well into his 60s. In later years, he developed a deep interest in horse-racingand would spend hours studying form and enjoying the thrill of the race from hisarmchair. It became a family joke that should Barbara ever decide to leave him, thenshe ought to do it in Cheltenham week as it would give her a few days’ start when hewould not even notice that she had gone.Basil discovered he had cancer in February and died in Huddersfield Royal Infir-

mary where he badly missed his nightly home-sized gins and tonic. A humanist cele-bration of his life took place at Huddersfield Crematorium; fittingly, it ended with apiece of jazz: Duke Ellington playing Satin Doll.Basil is survived by his wife, a daughter Susan, four grandchildren and one great-

grandchild. A son, Neil, sadly died in 2006. With thanks to humanist celebrant Gill Herbert

One of Basil’s less well-known claims to fame was that he was a member of the no-table school First XI soccer team of 1940-1941 which won every match played duringthe season. In the words of The Almondburian of July 1941:

Although the end of the Summer Term does not seem to be the mostappropriate time for recording football successes, yet such a record should not beallowed to pass unnoticed. The boys in these teams* will probably in future yearsgreet one another with the question, “Do you remember our 1940-1941 footballseason?”As a permanent record of their success, we have broken our war-time rule and

have included photographs of both teams in this Magazine.

(Standing): Mr Haigh; Armitage, Firth; Holdsworth (ringed); Goldsmith; Mr Dyson(Sitting): Whiteley E C; Oxley; Hepworth (capt); Micklethwaite; Haigh(Front): Hall; Lee

*The Second XI also won every match in the 1940-1941 season.

All who remember HarryTaylor will enjoy this newbook about the School’srespected Headmasterfrom 1951 to 1973.

A well-knownAlmondbury figure, he wasalso a regular reader at AllHallows’ Church, thetranscriber of the localparish registers, and oneof the authors of arespected history ofAlmondbury. He playedcricket for AlmondburyCasuals, and earned areputation throughoutHuddersfield as awitty andentertaining afterdinner speaker. Morning Assembly gives a fascinating and

often humorous account of Harry Taylor’s life and includes, infacsimile form, 100 prayers – ancient and modern – which he assembledover the years for use in School assemblies.

Now on sale

Get your copy NOW!

Copies of Morning Assembly cost just £10 plus£1.30 pp*. Please send your cheque, payable tothe Old Almondburians’ Society, to AndrewHaigh, R D Haigh & Co, Oakhill Road, Brighouse,West Yorkshire HD6 1SN. Alternatively, you canorder on line at http://tinyurl.com/bw9ms88 orthrough any good bookshop.*in UK. Mainland Europe: £2.70; Rest of World: £4.30

ChairmanNICK BRIGGS

17 Fair Street, Huddersfield, Yorkshire HD1 3QB Tel: 01484 305734

Mobile: 07595 175835Email: nickybriggs@hotmail.com

SecretaryANDREW HAIGH

2 Arkenley Lane, Almondbury HD4 6SQTel: 01484 432105

Email: andrew.haigh@oas.org.uk

TreasurerKEITH CRAWSHAW

5 Benomley Drive, Almondbury HD5 8LXTel: 01484 533658

Email: keith.crawshaw@oas.org.uk

Media EditorROGER DOWLINGEditorial address:

Orchard House, Oughtrington Lane, Lymm, Cheshire WA13 0RDTel: 01925 756390

Email: almondburian@oas.org.ukArchivist

NICH BRIGGSTel: 07771 865330

Email: nichbriggs@hotmail.com

Website:www.oas.org.uk

Facebook:http://tinyurl.com/3ykffo3

The Almondburian isdistributed to OASmembers free of

charge. Price to

non-members: £3.00