TheALMONDBURIAN

October2009

THE MAGAZINE OF THE OLD ALMONDBURIANS’ SOCIETY

IN THIS ISSUE

3 Chairman’s Letter

4 Social Calendar

5 OAS Membership

7 From the Headteacher

8 Two early photographs

10 Jacobean Society Outing

12 ‘Happy Harry’ Gledhill15 Is this a record?

16 New poetry

17 ‘The Almondburian’ online

18 Sports Notes: Cricket20 Tennis

21 Badminton

22 Golf

23 President’s Day

25 Postbag

27 Letter from Porthcawl

29 The Taylor Dyson Library

31 And back at the School …

33 Obituaries

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The magazine of The Old Almondburians’ Society

The ALMONDBURIAN

I WRITE AT THE END OF SUMMER, as your Society’s thoughts becomedominated by the annual dinner on 21st November 2009.We will be at theGalpharm Stadium again, and application forms can be found elsewhere in this

magazine. Following the successful revival of Founders’ Day last year, there will be aFounders’ Day service at All Hallows Church,Almondbury, at 11.30 am on Sunday,22nd November.We do not yet know whether it will be possible to use the School asa base for the traditional walk up St Helen’s Gate beforehand, so either listen for anannouncement at the Dinner, or contact a member of the committee, or see thewebsite for details, since this will be the last issue of the Almondburian before theevent. Or just turn up at the church for the service only.

Editor: Roger Dowling October 2009

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Chairman’s letterBRYAN HOPKINSON

OLD ALMONDBURIANS’ SOCIETY CALENDAR

ANNUAL DINNERSaturday 21st November 2009The Galpharm StadiumThis year’s Annual Dinner will be held onSaturday, 21st November at the GalpharmStadium,Huddersfield.An application form isenclosed with this Magazine.Members of theclasses of 1939, 1949, 1959, 1969, 1979, 1984,1989 or 1999 (for example) may wish toorganise a class re-union and should considerstarting to organise their class re-union earlierrather than later.

FOUNDERS’ DAYSunday 22nd November 2009All Hallows Church,AlmondburyThe traditional Founders’ Day Service will be heldat All Hallows Church,Almondbury, on Sunday,22nd November, 2009.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGThe AGM will be onTuesday, 5th January2010 at 7.30 pm (see panel opposite fordetails)

BADMINTONAT SCHOOLThursday Nights at 7.30 pm(Winter Months)New players most welcome: seeBadminton report on page 21

DATES OF EXECUTIVECOMMITTEE MEETINGS,2009Held at theWoolpack,Almondbury7.30 pm prompt.Dates: Monday, 5th October;Monday,2nd November;Monday, 7th DecemberAny member of the Society will be mademost welcome.

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Our summer event this year was President’s Day, organised as usual by the CricketClub and advertised as a joint event with the OAS in our last issue.A report appearson page 23.The general feeling of the committee is that it will be good to continuewith this format as an opportunity for members to get together at an organisedsummer event, and there is no need for the OAS to organise a separate non-cricketevent.As always we will be interested to know what members think.

One question the committee has been discussing this year has been how manymembers will want to continue to receive this magazine as a paper publication andhow many would rather access it on-line. Responses to Vicky Taylor’s trawl foropinions earlier this year (see page 17) were inconclusive, but our impression is thatyounger members and recent leavers might be more at home with an on-linepublication than a paper copy. So for 2010 we will start moving to electronicdistribution for those who prefer it. But we certainly do not intend to stop sendingthe Almondburian in the post to members who want it, so you only need to let usknow if you would actually prefer to have access on-line and not receive the papercopy.

Finally ourAnnual General Meeting will be onTuesday, 5th January 2010 at 7.30pm somewhere in Almondbury. If you are interested in coming, or in joining theCommittee, please look on the website or contact any member of the committeenearer the time for details. �

Floreat schola Almondburiensis!

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TheAnnual General Meeting of the Society will be held at the ‘Woolpack’,Almondbury onTuesday, 5th January 2010 at 7.30 pm.

Nominations for office on the Executive Committee are required by the Secretaryin advance of this date, so that the election of officers can take place at theAnnualGeneral Meeting in accordance with Rule Eight.

All members are urged to make every effort to attend theAnnual General Meeting.

Andrew Haigh,Secretary

Annual General Meeting

INTHE SIX MONTHS since the last membership report was written, we havewelcomed a further 10 new members to the Society taking the total number ofnewmembers recruited in the last membership year, between September, 2008

andAugust, 2009, to 64. Following a number of resignations, our total membershipnow stands at 693.

Of these 693, 23 are life members, 47 are current staff and 510 are fully paid-upmembers, a total of 580 full members, which is an increase of 53 since the lastmembership report was written.

Unfortunately, 71 members are still paying their subscription at the old rate,although this figure has been reduced by 11 since the last membership report.However, a number of those who are still paying at the old rate are members who havefailed to notify us of a change of address, resulting in their magazines being returned.Because we have therefore lost contact with them, they will not be aware that thesubscription rate has changed. Including some more recently ‘lost’ members, thereare 22 people in total who are paying a subscription but who receive no magazinebecause we don’t have any current contact details for them.With your help we havetracked-down a good number of such members in the past, so thank you to themembers who supplied this information.The members with whomwe have currentlylost contact are listed at the end of this report and, if anyone knows the whereaboutsof any of them, then we would be delighted to hear from you.The list has changedsince the last magazine, so please check carefully whether or not there is anyone onit whom you know.

Finally, we currently have 33 members who are in arrears with their subscriptionfor the current year.The vast majority of members now pay their subscription by

OAS MembershipANDREW HAIGH

Name From To Resident inRichard Nicholas Ainley 1968 1976 DerbyEdward Asquith CanterburyDonna E Buchan 1977 1981 Baildon

Barry Brook 1954 1962 London

Royston Elsey 1945 1953 Scarborough

Name From To Resident inAdam Holden 1986 1989 EdinburghFiona M Marshall 1982 1987 Fenay BridgeMatthew Marshall 2003 2008 Fenay Bridge

Christopher Ramsden 1976 1979 Adelaide, Australia

Alec Walton 1977 1980 Harrogate

Name From ToEdward A Armitage 1932 1937

Kathryn E Auger 1982 1987

Anthony John Bramley 1970 1979

Peter Ralph Breach 1972 1978

Matthew S Brearey 1988 1991

Frederick C Bungeroth 1951 1959

David Philip Burnett 1952 1954

Stuart G Carby 1962 1970

Name From ToJohn Chacksfield 1967 1973

Dr Laura Joanne Cliffe 1991 1996

Sydney C Edwards 1962 1969

Sarah E Foster 1989 1992

Randon Ian Gallaway 1947 1955

Carl Maxwell Hague 1955 1962

Timothy Jackson 1965 1973

Name From ToLucy J Jacob 1990 1995

Michael J Rimicans 1992 1994

Charles K Sykes 1960 1967

Michael Alan Taylor 1965 1973

Gerard N Vinton 1977 1983

Michael Craig Vinton 1985 1989

Stephen D Wilson 1970 1977

Gone missing!Members of the Society with whomwe have lost contact are listed below. If anyone

knows the whereabouts of any of these people, please contact the Secretary:

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standing order and it would be much appreciated if those of you who don’t yet do socould complete a standing order mandate. If not, please pay promptly. Subscriptionsare due on 1st September each year.

If you receive a letter with this magazine pointing out that your subscription is notup-to-date, please do complete the updated standing order mandate that accompaniesit and return it in the envelope provided without delay.Alternatively, you may renewonline, using PayPal or a debit or credit card, by visiting www.oas.org.uk and clickingon the ‘Join/Renew Online’ button.

We are delighted to welcome the following new members to the Society:

A word from your Editor

You have a new Editor. After three years and nine issues,VickyTaylor has decided that itis time to put her editorial blue pencil back into its case and I, for my sins, have nowbeen drafted in to take her place for a while.The Magazine has gone from strength to

strength underVicky’s editorship,and the Society is indeed very grateful to her for her efforts.She will be a hard act to follow.Readers will have noted that with effect from the last issue we have restored the name The

Almondburian, the traditional name for the school magazine for as long as most of us canremember. I hope that The Almondburian, now in full colour, will increasingly become a magazinerather than just a newsletter, with new regular features and contributions from OAS members.One final point: please remember that The Almondburian is YOUR magazine, not ours!We

look forward to hearing from you in the months ahead.Roger Dowling

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THE ACADEMICYEAR 2008-2009 will long be remembered by everyoneconnected to the school. It was a year in which we featured regularly in thenews and our achievements and activities enhanced our reputation. It was a

year that started with the news that the school had achieved record results and endedwith all those records being beaten. In between we had the celebrations for the 400thanniversary and the school achieving mumerous accolades including the granting ofthe prestigious ICT Mark and the achievement of ArtsMark.

We had confidently expected our GCSE results to break all previous records so itwas no real surprise to have our expectations confirmed, on GCSE results day, in lateAugust.The year group had worked extremely well throughout and fully deservedtheir exceptional results. I personally thought that they were the bestYear 11 groupthat I had encountered in over 30 years of teaching. They were a real credit tothemselves, their parents, their communities and our school.

The 5+A* – C results of 82% are by far the best in the history of the school andprovisional results indicate that they are the best in Kirklees.The 5+A* – C, includingEnglish and Mathematics, was another record at 64%. Our previous record, set in2007 was 54%. In addition every student achieved at least 5 GCSE passes, a statisticthat not many schools can claim.We achieved record results in English,Mathematics,Science and ICT.

In addition, we broke many more records including:�The number of A*/A grades, at approximately 24%, was almost double our

previous record� 59% of our students achieved 10+A* – C� 86% of the girls achieved 5+A* – C� 78% of boys achieved 5+A* – CEveryone connected with the school is extremely proud of these results.We now

need to build on our success and sustain our position as the school with the bestresults in Kirklees.

Finally I would like to thank the King James’s School Foundation for its continuedfinancial support. Over the years its kindness has allowed us to purchase equipmentthat has enhanced the learning environment of our students. In September, thanks totheir generosity, we took delivery of a brand new mini bus.This will allow furtheropportunities for our students to take part in a variety of extra curricular activities.

I look forward to seeing you all at the OASAnnual Dinner in November. �

From the HeadteacherROBERT LAMB

Nich Briggs writes:

I HAVE COME INTO THE POSSESSION of a very unique piece of KJShistory.It is a c1904 postcard by Bamforths of Holmfirth and is a picture of thegardener of the time cutting the tennis courts in front of the Library. In the

picture are two children (inset), identified by Christopher Mann as the Crumps’children.The card was writtenby Mrs Crump herself.

Christopher Mann adds:The card was indeed sent by MrsCrump. She came from Bath andpresumably was staying with herparents at the time. I would saythat the photo is 1901-2: thelaboratories were built in 1900and there are plants shown aroundthem ;the card is dated Jan 1904and so was printed by 1903; thereference in the card to Robbie andMarion complies with the namesof the two elder children of theCrumps and what more naturalthan to have them included in thephotograph when it was taken? Icannot yet identify the name ofthe gardener. Robert Crump wasHead from December 1900 toAugust 1912.�� Do you know the name ofthe gardener or anything elseabout this postcard ? If so,drop us a line: contact detailson back cover.

Two early photographsNICH BRIGGS and TERRY BUCKLEY

HISTORY

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Terry Buckley writes

I ATTENDED ALMONDBURY GRAMMAR SCHOOL from 1948 to 1953and was a member of Jessop House. My father also attended the School fromc1921-1926. I have an original photograph taken, I believe, at the Huddersfield

Theatre Royal, again in the early 1920s, depicting the complete cast (plus supportingmembers of staff) of a production of one of Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic operas.

�� Gilbert & Sullivan productions were, of course, an annual feature of school life from 1922to 1938, initially being organised by Major Hirst and Haydn Sandwell and later by MrsSizer and Harry Gledhill. The tradition was revived after the Second World War withproductions of The Mikado (1947), The Gondoliers (1948), The Pirates of Penzance (1949)and HMS Pinafore (1953). The photograph shows the cast of a production of The Gondoliers around 1925. The master

on the extreme left is John Baldwin, who went on to become Headmaster in 1945. Third fromthe left is art master Edward Akroyd, who traditionally looked after the scenery for theseproductions, and next to him are Robert Burn and John Hopton.We are grateful to the eminent Gilbert and Sullivan director and performer Alistair Donkin

for identifying this historic production. Any information from members of the Old Almondburians’Society as to who played the principal roles will be gratefully received.

Tuesday July 20, 1954

MR BYRAM ON THE BACK SEAT most of the way and over it or under itthe rest.The ‘Ivy Coach’ began the day well by leaving St George’s Square10 minutes late, and soon was well under way upon its career of hilarity

and merry-making. Passing through various centres of interest such as Wakefield,Pontefract, Knottingley and Goole the coach soon encountered the cretaceous chalkescarpment of the Yorkshire Wolds. Meanwhile, the back seat crew had organiseditself and indeed all that could be seen of Mr Gelder was his ‘back seat’. After thefirst stop a lottery was run on the back wheel of the bus with only one vice-presidentdeigning to join in. Apart from the occasional girl who came in sight in eitherdirection, very little heed was paid to the countryside. At Beverley, the second stop,the coach pulled up adjacent to the ancient minster. Half a dozen members ascendedone of its towers and 200 feet above ground had their photograph taken withoutcamera fee. One member made use of this halt to fulfil acertain rendez-vous.The coach left Beverley less certain latecomers who

joined the coach to the derision of Mr Fawcett. With onlythe members at all vociferous the coach eventuallyreached Flamborough Head, where lunch was eaten‘alfresco’. After lunch, most members stormed the cliffs,(with stones), encountered the sea and explored thebeaches and coves, setting at nought all dangers. All paying1d ransom fee the coach was boarded and the journey toWhitby begun, following the coast through Filey,Scarborough and Robin Hood’s Bay. At Whitby, a regattawas soon organised and apart from a few swamped boats,several soaked shirts and one pair of oars all returnedsafely to shore after an hour’s rowing and swearing.In spite of the narrow escapes in the form of rollers and

sand-banks the urge to adventure was not satiated in theparty skippered by Ian Shaw, who decide when paddlingto leave their shoes and stockings a prey to the incomingtide. Hence their barefoot returned to the coach and theirdrying their feet out of the coach windows. Hardly

Jacobean Society OutingGERALD STEAD

Gerald Stead (1948–56) is aformer Head Boy of KingJames's Grammar School andlong-established member ofThe Old Almondburians’Society. He was President ofthe Huddersfield Textile Societyduring its centenary andbecame Honorary Life Memberin April 2006.

MEMORIES

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anyone, after their jaunts at Beverley and Flamborough, attempted to climb the stepsto Whitby Abbey and those who did found the entry fee of 6d prohibitive. Afterleaving Whitby, late of course, most members became more voluble. The sun wasshowing its effects. A welter of songs, mostly the same ones over and over again,drowned the intellectual hubbub of the front. Swiftly glancing at the receding vista ofthe magnificent scenery of the North York Moors, the coach party diverted itself toimprovising novel verses of the ‘quarter master stores’. The back-seat coteriedisbanded one by one according to the fortunes and diverted its attention to dress,(notably Mr Emsley), or to encouraging all females passers-by under the age of 90.The coach arrived at York leaving time for an hours boating – sufficient to deprive thechairman of his shirt. The vice-presidents’ clique soon disappeared into the maze ofstreets that is York, shaking off those who would ‘tail’ them. These latter were to settlethemselves in a hostelry around a brass bound table and a pack of dominoes. Theshivering Mr Byram and the peregrinations of his saddened shirt were the source ofmuch humour on the rest of the journey. He it was and Mr Binns, who were the onlytwo to be pulled across the back seat and spanked. The secretary, seeing his fateimminent judiciously removed himself to the vice-presidents’ wing. However, thechairman recovered from his outrages in time to make a breathless, breathtakingspeech of thanks, principally to Mr Hudson the organiser, and to all the staff. Furthersinging and rioting ensued until Huddersfield was reached at 10.30 pm. This was surely the most enjoyable and most exhilarating of all the Jacobean trips. �

THE ALMONDBURIAN REVISITED

THE GREAT EVENT of this term [December 1940] will be thecombined effort of the School and Old Boys to raise a fund by meansof a School Fair on Friday and Saturday, July 12th and 13th. During

the past few years, by various efforts, the School Fund has provided, amongother things, at a cost of over £350, wire netting and supports around thetennis lawn, a motor mower, the rebuilding of the cricket pavilion, thereturfing of the cricket field, half the cost of the school epidiascope, amicroscope for biology, chess sets for the school chess club, complete sets ofGilbert and Sullivan gramophone records, fees for outdoor lecturers, etc.

We should like to get such things as school cinematograph apparatus,school wireless set, new heavy roller for cricket field and, if fortune smileson us, a fives court or hard tennis court in the near future. �

£350 goes a long way in 1940

TAYLOR DYSON

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Harry Gledhill poses in the school gym with his choir of 1955

FOR ANYONEwho attended King James’s between 1930 and 1966, the word‘music’ means just one man: the diminutive Harry Gledhill, a cheerful figureappropriately known throughout his teaching career as ‘Happy Harry’.

Harry Gledhill joined what was then known as Almondbury Grammar School asa part-timer, at the age of 28. The school was still recovering from the shock of losingits previous music master Haydn Sandwell, who collapsed while taking a singing classat school and died soon afterwards at the tragically young age of 39. Harry was wellqualified, as an associate of the Royal College of Organists and a licentiate of TrinityCollege, London. At the same time as teaching at Almondbury Grammar School, hehad similar responsibilities at Elland Grammar School, Prince Henry’s GrammarSchool, Otley and Huddersfield College. Perhaps surprisingly, he did not become afull-timer at AGS until as late as 1952.

He was also a busy man outside school. For 16 years, he was musical director ofthe Huddersfield Light Opera Society and the Dewsbury Collegians’ Society. “Harry

‘Happy Harry’ GledhillROGER DOWLING

REPUTATIONS

Gledhill was my firstMusical Director for LightOpera when I was only 15years old,” recalls theSociety’s present secretaryWendy Taylor. “Obviously Iwas keen to do as I was toldand I just remember that heran a really good rehearsal.We must have liked himotherwise he would nothave stayed as long as hedid.”

Harry was also much involved in the church. At various times he heldappointments at Golcar Parish Church, Lindley Parish Church, St John’s Church,Birkby, and St Matthew’s Church, Rastrick. In 1963, he was responsible for music atHuddersfield Mission, Queen Street. A Freemason, he was a member of HuddersfieldLodge and a Past Provincial Grand Organist.

So what did he bring to AGS? In the early days, music lessons were held either ina partitioned-off part of the ‘Big’ (now the Library) or in the ‘Small’ nearby. “HarryGledhill just used to come along on Wednesdays,” remembers Austin Holroyd (1936-1941). “He never taught us anything academic like tonic sol-fa. It was just a case ofus singing songs with Harry acting as accompanist.”

As a prelude to Harry becoming a full-timer, a big event took place in 1950. AsHeadmaster Horace Moore reported in The Almondburian: “Two bedrooms over thekitchen have been made into an excellent Music Room. Not only does it concentratemusic in one place, but it leaves the Small free for its rightful occupants. Far moredifficult than the actual conversion of the two rooms into one was the prospect ofmoving the piano!”

The new music room was the one remembered by former Head Boy DavidMorphet (1951-1958). “My main recollection of Happy Harry is of a genuinely kindman who presided over the interminable singing of sea shanties by small boys in shorttrousers lined along wooden benches in the musty Music Room. I remember theclass once killing themselves over his pronunciation of ‘Lah Boh-haim’, clever littleO-level French-pronouncers that we thought we were.”

My own recollection is very similar. In the First Form, Happy Harry would checkour singing ability by going round the room, one by one, asking us to sing a few versesto his accompaniment on the piano. I had never sung in my life, even in the bath, butI still launched out with misplaced confidence when it came to my turn. After a fewbars, he brought the proceedings to a halt with a sad shake of the head and even, I amsorry to say, a tiny glance of sympathy. And that was the beginning and the end of mysinging career at Almondbury Grammar School.

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‘Happy Harry’ receives a farewell gift on his retirement in1966. Left to right: P A Shaw (Head Boy); Harry Taylor; HarryGledhill; Fred Hudson

We recently received an intriguing email from OldAlmondburian David Sinclair who had acquired acopy of Taylor Dyson’s Almondbury and its Ancient

School with the signature ‘Harry Wood Gledhill’ (top right) onthe title page. Could the book have been owned by HappyHarry, asked David.It was a question easier to ask than to answer. On the face

of it, the idea seemed quite plausible, although ‘our’ HarryGledhill never revealed any middle name in his time at theschool. In 1926, he would have been 24. Perhaps he fancied ajob at the school one day and thought that it would beprudent to get a copy of the Headmaster’s new book to prepare himself for any possibleinterview? Moreover, a comparison of Harry Wood Gledhill’s signature with Harry Gledhill’s(bottom right) showed a somewhat similar structure for the name ‘Gledhill’ even if the ‘H’ hadbecome a little more sophisticated over the years. But, alas, after many searches of census records and conversations with Old Almondburians,

we have to report that Harry Wood Gledhill was NOT Happy Harry. The issue was finallyresolved for us when Nicky Green kindly consulted the file index of former pupils and foundthat a Harry Gledhill, born in 1915 (Harry W Gledhill on his birth certificate), became a pupilat the school in September 1926. No doubt he received the book from his proud parents as aChristmas present that year. He became a solicitor and died in Australia in 1958. A nice thought while it lasted!

The great search for Harry ‘Wood’ Gledhill

Bill Godwin (1952-1975), now resident in Canada, adds, “I remember well thedifficulty I had finding the music room. Waiting for us at the door was a smilingcharacter not much taller than we short-panted students. His nickname, Happy Harry,was most appropriate for he always seemed to be smiling despite having the challengeof controlling us somewhat unruly boys.”

Having become a full-time teacher, Harry was able to able to find time toundertake other teaching responsibilities at AGS besides music. His churchconnections and his knowledge of the Christian gospel enabled him to make religionhis second teaching subject. I recall that he also taught us junior Geography in the1950s, although ‘teaching’ might be a slight exaggeration in this case. His uniqueapproach was simply to read from an exercise book borrowed from a high-flier of theprevious year (no doubt taught by Fred Hudson). Pronunciation continued to be achallenge: I remember a lesson on Argentina when he told us all about its capital‘Bew-nose Airs.’

So was Harry Gledhill a great teacher? In an academic sense, I think the answer hasto be ‘no’. Today’s pupils at King James’s have a purpose-built Music Room, and theylearn not just about tonic sol-fa but also about composition, musical notation and allthose technicalities of music-making; a far cry from singing sea shanties around thepiano.

But if Harry was no academic, it did not prevent him from making an enormouscontribution to the history of King James’s. Undoubtedly, his greatest musicaltriumphs were in connection with the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, for which he wasresponsible from 1931 until the last performance – HMS Pinafore – in 1952. He alsohad a major role at school Speech Days which, as there were not quite as many prizes

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to award as there are today, used to include a goodly number of meticulouslyrehearsed musical contributions from the school choir. And there is one other goodreason for remembering the name of Harry Gledhill to this day: it was he who, inassociation with ‘Tich’ Blackburn, composed the music for the School Song whichfirst saw light of day at the Pageant of 1936.

I am sure every Old Almondburian will remember Harry Gledhill with fondness:a friendly, cheerful character who was never happier than when he was sitting at thepiano or organ making music. On his retirement in 1966, he initially continued tolive at Newsome before moving to Burn, near Selby where he immediately set up hisown choir. His death there at the age of 73 in 1975 was widely mourned not only byOld Almondburians but by musical organisations throughout Huddersfield andbeyond. ��Do you agree with this assessment of Harry Gledhill? Do you have any interesting memoriesor anecdotes? If so, drop us a line (contact details on back cover).

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Is this a record?JOHN SENIOR

John P Senior (1934-39) left school to become the youngest-ever General Manager of Burnley TransportDepartment and later Assistant General Manager at Ribble Transport. Then came a complete change ofdirection when, in 1963, he was called to the Church and became a priest in the Church of England.

IN THE 400 YEARS since King James I ordained that there be ‘one Grammarschole for the teaching, instruction, and bringing up of children and youth inGrammar and other good learning’, many boys (and girls) must have passed

through its portals. Few of them, I suggest, would have had as many close relationson the registers as myself:

Of course, families used to be larger (though, sadly, manychildren did not survive to school age). And nowadays,families are more widely scattered – my brother Tom is inthe United States, and my cousin Warwick in Canada.

So I venture to say – Any Challengers? �

Maternal Grandfather Arthur Matthews 1868Grandfather Thomas Senior 1874Father Thomas Harold Senior 1898-1900Uncle Victor Alexander Senior 1900-1902Self John Peter Senior 1934-1939Brother Thomas Bryan Alexander Senior 1939-1946Cousin John Kenneth Sugden 1925-1934Cousin Robert Hirst Senior 1934-1936Cousin Clifford Warwick Matthews 1936-1941Cousin once removed Martin Andrew Shaw 1965-1972

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THE LAST EDITION OF THE ALMONDBURIAN carried a speciallycommissioned poem by former KJGS Head Boy David Morphet (1951-58)who had a distinguished career in the Diplomatic Service, the Department of

Energy and the private sector. A successful poet, he has published a number ofcollections of poetry under the imprint Notion Books.

His latest volume – the acclaimed ‘daydream in five cantos’The Maze – hasnow been pub-lished (openingverses on right).Written in terza

rima (a verse form with a rhymescheme aba bcb cdc, etc), it is animaginative excursion into poeticlandscape, involving calls on AlexanderPope, Dr Johnson, Wordsworth, Blake,Keats and Ezra Pound.

New poetryDAVID MORPHET

Late in the year, one morning I awokeand found myself shut in on every sideby high and thorny hedges, with a cloak

of thick fog everywhere. There was no hideor hut; no sound, no voice; nothing to showlocation or bearing; nothing to guide –

only a narrow alley where, with slowsteps, I moved between the hedges, feelingmy way, the mist swirling, my courage low.

As day wore on, the haze dispersed, revealinglong lines of foliage with intersectionsand dead ends. I knew then I was dealing

with a maze, full of obscure deflections,with walls which blocked me off or led me on,sending me back and forth in all directions.

Each broad way would turn out to be a sham;and all the work of threading twist and turnbe lost as I came back where I began.

Deception followed deception. No returnseemed possible; no exit from these poundsof lost content; no end you could discern.

The alleys seemed to have elastic bounds:the more I walked, the further they would go;the junctions multiplied, the high surrounds

grew higher, darker, and the sun dropped low.Then to my horror, at an alley’s end,I saw a black dog prowling to and fro.

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OAS poetry lovers may also like to readanother of David’s recent poems The Silenceof Green. This is a remarkable collection of 58poems (sample on right) covering many aspectsof our relationship with the complex processesof the green world, and how we relate tothem. The collection has been widelypraised: Dannie Abse found it ‘aremarkable book, all of its sequences of apiece’, while Anthony Thwaite admired its‘pertinacity of observation and clearlines’. �The Maze is priced at £5.00 (pp in UK:50p) and The Silence of Green costs£9.99 (pp in UK: £1.20). Both books cannow be ordered online from the Buy It Nowpage of the OAS website (www.oas.org.uk) whereyou can pay via any credit or debit card or byPaypal. Alternatively, all David’s books areavailable by post from Notion Books, 11 DaisyLane London SW6 3DD, enclosing a chequepayable to David Morphet. �

Xylem’s the green world’s Grand Trunk Road,the fibre super-highway piping sap from unlit depots up through bole to tree-top termini. Plants stretch up tall to make a thoroughfare.

And yet there’s not a whisper to be heard. No resonance or rushing in the tubes,or gurgling in the long capillaries, or tremolo as sap threads through the narrowest branches.

Out of foliage pour endless molecules.The air is thick with them but there is still nosound. Xylem conceals great silences like that of lymph or other noiseless interstitial fluids, or corpuscles,or the unheard motion of bacteria.

In the September 2008–February 2009 edition we invited members to complete ashort questionnaire regarding the OAS magazine. The replies we received suggestedthat:

��Some members would be just as happy to view their magazine online via the OAS website (www.oas.org.uk/Almondburian.php) as in hard copy form.

��Most members viewing their magazine online would still be happy tocontinue to pay the full £10 annual membership fee.

As internet distribution – for those who prefer it – would help the society to saveon printing and postage costs, the proposal will be discussed further at the AGM on5th January 2010; if agreed, we will simply ask members to let the Secretary know byemail if they would like to view online in future.

The Magazine will, of course, continue to be published in printed form for themany members who will wish to continue to receive it through the post in thenormal way.

Vicky Taylor

Footnote: The online version is visually identical to the printed version but is also fullysearchable and includes links to any websites or email addresses mentioned in themagazine text.

‘The Almondburian’ online

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THE OLD ALMONDBURIANS’ CRICKET CLUB’S 2009 SEASON saw theFirst Eleven in Section A of the Arrow Huddersfield Central Cricket League,having been relegated from the Premier Section at the end of last season. The

Second Eleven occupied their now legendary position in Section E. Against thisbackground the club was highly optimistic that better weather would prevail(‘barbecue summer’) and the two teams would enjoy greater success.On completion of the season I am delighted to report that the Firsts convincingly

consolidated in their section, occupying a mid-table position. The Seconds narrowlym issed gaining promotion into Section D when they were sadly beaten by Horburyin the last match of the season.The final league positions this season were:

The Seconds were semi-finalists in the League’s Tinker Cup competition, losing tothe eventual winners, a very strong Cawthorne team.Father and son, Old Almondburians Steve and Thomas Slack, captained the First

and Second Elevens respectively. From the season’s results it is obvious that Thomashas inherited no small measure of Steve’s cricket acumen – and ability. Prominentfirst teamers have been Tim Taylor, Will Atkinson, Mat. Brooke, Andy Pearson andSimon Lyons, whilst in the Seconds ‘Graham and Richard’, John Headey and theClutterbrooks (David and John) have given admirable support to Thomas. Steve andTim both achieved century scores during the season.

CricketJACK TAYLOR

FIRSTS P W L Points

Almondbury Wes A (Champions) 22 12 2 105

Old Almondburians’ Cricket Club A 22 7 8 58

SECONDS P W L Points

Nortonthorpe B (Champions) 20 14 1 103

Old Almondburians’ Cricket Club B 20 10 4 76

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Pre-season, the OACC– represented by Michael Buck, John Clutterbrook and JohnHeadey – relinquished our hold on the OAS Quiz Trophy. This disappointment wasbanished by the subsequent successes on the field.Early in the season the cricket pavilion, 50 years old in 2008, benefitted from a

grant from the King James’s Trust Fund. New toilets and showers were installed, inaddition to renovation to the wooden veranda. Not only players, but the many visitorsto Arkenley have appreciated the overdue improvements. Our thanks are due to theTrust and we are sure the School will also reap the benefits from the alterations.I must share with readers my experience of the first game at Arkenley in April 2009.

On my late arrival, owing to a previous engagement, I was confronted with the totalon the scoreboard at 281; batting first, the Second Eleven, lead by teenagers JoeJohnsey (86) and Charlie Mitchell (51), had put the visitors, Calder Grove, to thesword. After tea, Calder were vanquished for 18! In previous seasons, all too oftenthese totals have been reversed; this proved to be a good omen as the season got underway. We were very pleased to hear later in the season that Charlie had been selectedfor the Yorkshireunder 14 XI.Another Second XIplayer, Joe George,had enjoyed a pre-season two-daycoaching course withthe M.C.C. at Lords.He was supported bya generous grantfrom the HarryTaylor Trust Fund,arranged by RichardTaylor. Shortly intothe season bothCharlie, Joe Georgeand Joe Johnseygained promotioninto the First Eleven and achieved considerable success.President’s Day*, held in conjunction with the OAS, and was held on Sunday, 16

August. The change from ‘the last Sunday in August’ was necessitated by the club’sparticipation in the Almondbury 20/20 competition, hosted this year by AlmondburyWesleyans CC, on August Bank Holiday Monday. In a ‘round robin’ competition anOACC XI, whilst beating the Wesleyans, lost to eventual winners Almondbury CC.The revised date proved to be a good choice as, compared to the afternoon washoutlast year, there was much welcome sunshine. Coincidentally, the ‘last Sunday inAugust’ was a grey and bleak day. A large marquee, housing the bar, and a barbequewere the main off-field attractions. Light refreshments were available in the pavilion.

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TennisANDREW HAIGH

THE 2009 TENNIS SEASON showed a significant improvement on the 2008season, not least because last year only five of the thirteen Thursdays in theseason were dry. This year, by comparison, we were unable to play on only

three Thursdays and only one of those was due to rain, the other occasions beingbecause the tennis courts were acting as a car park for a parents’ evening and becauseone week only Neil Gledhill managed to turn up to play! So, perhaps we don’t needto install a retractable roof at Arkenley after all; the one at Wimbledon didn’t do AndyMurray much good, did it?I have written in recent Badminton reports of the international flavour of the

Badminton Section these days and now the Tennis Section is getting in on the act aswell. This summer we had a guest appearance by Rutger Olk from Zaandam, justnorth of Amsterdam. He is only thirteen but, being Dutch, was by no means theshortest person on court that evening!The season was certainly a most enjoyable one and this is probably best exemplified

by the fact that on the final Thursday of the season, the last Thursday in August, play

In the course of the day a tombola stall, ‘breakfast’ raffles and tea interval ‘bowl at thewicket’ competitions were well supported. During the morning a ‘fathers v sons’match took place; pitting Steve against Thomas, Graham v Tom and Andy v Charlie,amongst others. The match was played with great endeavour, fathers considerablyraising their game (and blood pressure), to the delight of the many spectators – andbiased mothers. In the afternoon an OACC XI entertained the Almondbury Casualswho featured our former Second Eleven captain Geoff. Headey. Batting first, thehome team scored 283 in 40 overs; in reply the Casuals were all out for 170. It wasencouraging that a couple of our players were subsequently invited to guest with theCasuals – continuing the lineage established by the chairman (in the 1960s!), Richardand Tim Taylor, and hopefully securing further fruitful interaction between the twoclubs. On the whole, President’s Day proved to be a most enjoyable day for playersand spectators alike. The OAS Executive is to explore the possibility of furthercollaboration along similar lines next year.The Club’s Annual Dinner and Presentation Evening will take place on Saturday,

10th October, at Lockwood Park, home of Huddersfield Rugby Union Club. Ourguest speaker is Old Almondburian Michael ‘Tony’ Lee, the official ‘Beast of BodminMoor’ – all will be revealed on the night! * A report on Presidents’s Day from our special correspondent ‘Failed Wicketkeeper’ appears onpage 23.

21

continued until nearly 9p.m., despite the presenceof threatening black cloudsmeaning that it was almostcompletely dark by then.Obviously everyone wasenjoying themselves somuch…or was it just thedetermination of those who were winning to finish the set?Those who played tennis this summer are:Neil Gledhill Rachel Kershaw Robert Kershaw Andrew HaighDavid Parry Hazel Pacurib Ron Jones Andrew JonesRutger Olk

LAST SEASON the numbers playing badminton were the best for a good fewyears and I’m pleased to report that the early signs are that the trend mightbe set to continue this season.

We did, unfortunately, lose one of our regulars after only one week of this season,when Matthew Booth left to live abroad. Matthew has bought a guest house inCambodia (www.oceanwalkinn.com) and I would expect him to offer a generousdiscount to any Old Almondburian who visits. Indeed, we’re now waiting for him toorganise the Old Almondburians’ Society Badminton Section Tour to Cambodia.

However, we have been pleased to welome Ruth Comer, Emily’s mum, who claimsto be coming along to replace Matthew. She is, of course, totally inadequate as areplacement for Matthew; she doesn’t play badminton in shin pads for a start – andshe is alert to the direction the flight of the shuttlecock is taking and movesaccordingly!

Our badminton seasons traditionally get off to quite a slow start in terms ofnumbers, but on only the second week of this season we had eleven people playing.I’ve been asked by one member to point out that the second week of this season wasalso notable for the fact that everyone brought their own soap!

BadmintonANDREW HAIGH

Some of the Old AlmondburianTennis players during the 2009season (left to right): David Parry,Hazel Pacurib, Andrew Haigh andNeil Gledhill

The internationalflavour of Old Almond-burian badminton alsocontinued into this sea-son as we welcomedAurélien Guyomar andIsabelle Guinard asguests from France.

Our season runsfrom Thursday, 4th Sep-tember until Thursday,27th May and we playin the school sports halleach Thursday eveningduring term-time from7.30 p.m. until 9.30 p.m. The fee, to cover the hire of the sports hall, shuttlecocksand showers, is five pounds per person per evening. Please come along and join us.However, please note that due to school events or examinations there will be no bad-minton on the following three dates:

Thursday, 17th September, 2009Thursday, 22nd October, 2009Thursday, 4th March, 2010

Those who have played during the early part of this season are:David Parry Hazel Pacurib Andrew Haigh Neil GledhillRichard Green Nicky Murphy Aurélien Guyomar Isabelle GuinardRuth Comer Emily Comer Ron Jones

A good turnout early in the new badminton season: the scene in the schoolsports hall

THE GOTHARD CUP GOLF COMPETITION took place on Friday, 10th July2009 at Woodsome Hall Golf Club and included a presentation dinner in theclub house afterwards.

Disappointingly, there were seven cancellations on the day, leaving 14 to take partin the Competition. The winner was CRAIG JOYCE; second was TIM ROBERTSand third was ROBIN SHARMAN. �

Golf: Gothard CupSIMON RUSSELL

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On Sunday 16 August cricket was played all day at the beautiful Arkenleyground, and quite a few of us went along to watch it. It started with a lads-v-dads single wicket competition which was most entertaining for spectators,

since the aim seemed to be to hit the ball as far as possible over the wall and into theadjacent garden. This also gave full play to some epic Oedipan struggles as lads fell todads and dads to lads to the great amusement of mums.

Then the main set-piece was an afternoon game between the Old Almondburiansand Almondbury Casuals - a team formed, I am told, by the late Harry Taylor, whichhas always had a close relationship with the OAS. The hosts won comfortably but thatwas not the point: it was a festival day with good weather, and well over a hundredpeople turned up to chat, watch, eat from the all-day barbecue and take in a coupleof drinks.

One highlight for me was listening to John and Jean Broadbent trying to explainto their Ethiopian guest how cricket worked – it must be great fun trying tocommentate in a foreign language on such a jargon-rich activity: think of wicket,slips, silly-mid-on, googly, even batsman and bowler. I said he should just regard thewhole thing as an elaborate ballet, and indeed I too found that worked quite well,

President’s Day 2009‘FAILED WICKETKEEPER’

Photography: Andrew Haigh

Above: Keith Crawshaw, Graham Cliffe, JohnHeadey and James Cliffe watch from the pavilionTop right: Robin Merchant and David Parrywatch the match unfoldCentre right: James Cliffe wonders whathappened to his promised hog roastBottom right: Always a popular haven: the bar

and made the result irrelevant. I’ll try itfor the next Test when England are losing.

Another highlight was hearing JackTaylor’s story of how, playing for theCasuals, his captain declared leaving himon 99 not out, which remains his highestscore. He tells this story with goodhumour but the pain still shows through.

Everyone who attended will have somememory like this. The good weatherundoubtedly played a part in making theday a success, but the smooth organisationwas a credit to the Cricket Club, and thisformula of a joint event with the OAS(though in truth all the work was done byCricket) is one that should become aregular summer event. �

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25

I AM PROMPTED TO WRITE to the Society magazine by two events, one beingmy attendance at the 400th Anniversary Dinner and the second being theappearance of a picture of myself in the September 2008–February 2009

magazine as part of the cross country team. While I joined the OAS a few years agoI have done nothing other than be amazed by the clarity of recall of so many of thestaff and alumni. For my part the school time seemed to go by in something of a blur.I recall the names of masters when prompted by reference to them in the Magazine,and very occasionally can recall some incident or event which was truly unusual, soit was with some doubt that I ventured back across the Atlantic for the Anniversarycelebration. I was joined by my brother, Richard (1957-63), currently living near Derby, who

had done a somewhat better job of keeping contact with some of his old classmates.At the dinner I was re-introduced to some of my old class. There were about eightthere in total and amazingly I only had a clear recollection of one of them! However,we chatted easily enough and as the drinks flowed we were able to recall events fromthe past with some greater clarity. The speeches were generally interesting and themeal was well quite good so overall the evening passed well. It was really the next day and the visit to the school that was the highlight of the

trip. It was there that I was able to have a tour in the company of the deputy head andto visit many of the rooms that had changed little since my time. Memories did beginto return, along with an appreciation for the foundation that the school had given mefor my future.Having always being interested in science, particularly chemistry, although this was

not particularly well reflected in my O- or A-level results, I was able to get a place atLeeds University. I somehow managed a first class honours BSc degree in chemistryand then stayed in Leeds for a PhD, which I received in 1971. From there I went tothe University of Zurich in Switzerland as a post-doctoral fellow, with a strong interestalso in improving my skiing! By that time I was also married to Desiree, whom I hadmet in Leeds. We returned to the UK in 1972 with me having a job at the Lilly Research Centre,

near Ascot, as a medicinal chemist. I had set my heart on breakthrough medicaldiscoveries. However, I soon moved into the ranks of management and over the nextfew years had leadership roles in research, product development and regulatoryaffairs. With Lilly being a US company it was not a big surprise to be transferred toIndianapolis, Indiana in 1984, along with my wife and now 10 year old son, Jerome.Quite a culture shock but we thought it would be for one-two years only. However,the best laid plans do not always play out and over the next 17 years I was given

PostbagYOU WRITE …

From Roger G. Harrison (1958–65)

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tremendous opportunities including being Director of chemistry research,biochemistry research, product development, project management, alliancemanagement, and a role as a global team leader. Industry certainly opened my eyesto several challenges and opportunities and I was indeed able to have my fingerprintson some successful new drugs. However, I left Lilly in 2001 to become CEO andPresident of a much smaller pharmaceutical company, Antares Pharma, on the Eastcoast near Philadelphia. This was quite a challenge and a lot of hard work for the 3½years that I stayed there. Having decided to leave in 2004 I joined a world wideconsulting group called Plexus Ventures as a senior consultant and still work in thisrole as well as sitting on some company boards.Running has also remained an important part of my life. I have run several

marathons including the 100th Anniversary of the Boston marathon where I wasjoined by my son. It was a fun moment to cross the line together. My personal besttime in the marathon is a little over 3 hours 2 minutes when I was 50 years old. Sincethen injuries and age have slowed me down a little but I still compete and also for thepast 20 years have done quite well in duathlon competition. Our son has picked upthe athletic mantel and now competes around the world in the infamous Ironmancompetitions. So overall it has been an interesting life. It is truly amazing what the school

foundation provided for me with the abiding interest in running and science. It hasbeen quite a journey and there is still more to do. We are relaxing a little more nowand, as well as a home in the US, we can be found at our holiday home in France formost of May and September. Access to computers and mobile phones allows me towork from anywhere in the world.

Roger Harrison (1958–1965)Downingtown, PA 19335, USA

� Footnote: The photo (below) showing the cross country team has at least one face I recognize.I am the blond boy third from the right on the back row

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Letter from Porthcawl

I HAVE BEEN CAUGHT UNAWARES. Knowing that a ‘Special Edition’ of themagazine was due out at any moment, I had not expected a request for an articlefor a run-of-the-mill contribution so soon. The last time I missed an edition

there was such an outcry – at least two people protested – I must cobble together aline or two before the deadline.My main incentive for writing anything at all is to satisfy the curiosity of all those

who have been following the JB Wilson saga with mounting excitement. (Self-deception increases in direct proportion to increasing years). A quick re-cap for anynew readers and those few who have not been gripped by the protracted story. ‘JB’was a former KJGS pupil who decided to show me his true worth after beingreprimanded for ‘wasting his talents’. His academic career in the fields ofPalaeontology and Sedimentology led to his being included in the world’s leading2,000 scientists. His work has been concentrated in the West Indies. As I was flyingout with six other members of the Glamorgan Bird Club to Trinidad and Tobago fortwo weeks’ bird-watching, we agreed we would try to have a reunion. Now if RyanSidebottom had not flown home for treatment the day prior to my arrival we couldhave had a trio of Old Almondburians meeting up in Port-of-Spain. I digress. Mobilephone calls set up an assignation in the Pax Guest House in the outskirts of the city.My memory of JB from more than thirty years ago was of a small lad often with aquizzical expression and as a ‘second’ in Otter patrol in the school scout troop. Hedeclined promotion, he reminded me, to patrol leader. What a contrast to the hirsutesix foot two fellow who firmly shook my hand. He was accompanied by his WestIndian wife, Jacqui, of fifteen years - duration that is, not age. What a beautiful, utterlycharming treasure he has in her! She works in the university medical department. Twohours of unrestrained nostalgia-wallowing ensued. We had much ground to cover.

All very moving, very satisfying.For those ornithologists among you and those who enjoy exotic

nomenclature we did see some wonderful birds such as Toucans (asin Guinness adverts of yesteryear) in the rain forests of Trinidad andMagnificent Frigate Birds bombing unfortunate Tropic Birds off thecoast of Tobago. On my return I always select the top three. Inreverse order of memorable names: 3rd place to the Rufous-ventedChachalaca, 2nd to the Grey-throated Leaf-Tosser and 1st place toone which sounds as if it ought to appear in an orchestra or at leastthe dawn chorus, the Violaceous Euphonia.

DAVE BUSH

Our regular correspondent needs little introduction. Dave Bush spent his en-tire teaching career at King James’s, latterly as Deputy Head. After 35 years’service he retired in 1996 to Porthcawl, where he is now our chief reporter.

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An OAS inspired trip recently took us to Berlin. I say ‘OAS inspired’ because formercolleague Bob Field and pupil Ruth Ainley have for years told us what an excellentdestination it is. We were not disappointed. However, we had decided that it was tobe our first coach holiday – an experiment. Suffice to say it is a long way fromPorthcawl to Berlin! Nearly as demanding as ‘The Italian Journey’ which Jim Toomey,his wife, Betty and I made 41 years ago. We took around 40 KJGS pupils by coach,boat and train from Huddersfield to Rome and Pompeii. Some journey, somechallenge – but a great success. We were home for only a week before we were off again, this time to northern

France. This visit was certainly KJ connected for it was to the home of Yves Gasnier.Now Yves has been mentioned many times before in ‘Letter from Porthcawl’. He was

the French assistant at King James’s from 1967–68, proved most popular and playedsoccer for The Old Almondburians. Contemporaries remember him as a svelteforward gliding over the ice at Old Rastrickians. Today he weighs twenty stones.Shortly before our arrival he had fallen, broken his tibia and dislocated his ankle.Consequently we got to know Beuvry Hospital and car park very well. However, Iwas able to hand over my inscribed copy of the recent history and show his wife theOAS website. It is now logged into ‘favourites’ and should provide Yves with manyhours of pleasure during his recuperation.As I write it is pouring down here on the South Wales coast. Cynics will declare that

that is surely the norm for mid July in the Principality. Actually it is not true inPorthcawl which has an exceptionally sunny climate. I mention it because the rainhas come to England’s rescue – at least temporarily. I refer, of course, to the cricket,1st Test at Cardiff which has roused enormous interest in these parts. Also it offers alead in to a phone call I had last Wednesday, the first morning of the match. It was fromthat most eminent antipodean OA, Ken Leech. He still supports England while hiswife, Janine, being Australian naturally roots for the baggy green caps. I sat watching,a coffee in my hand while Ken did the same except he was caressing a Shiraz. Wedescribed the scene on the screen to each other and in perfect clarity we were seeingthe same picture. This led us to reminisce. For me, childhood memories of listeningto the commentary from Down Under, ear to radio, twiddling the tuner as thebroadcast faded among whistles and whines. Sixty years have seen such a change;what will granddaughter Anna, aged 12, be seeing sixty years on?And finally, as I sink still deeper into my metaphorical rocking chair, I should like

to include a snippet of KJS, or in this case KJGS, history. The memory was arousedlast Thursday evening at badminton. The sports hall where we play doubles up at thistime of year as an examination centre. I was struck by all the instructions, some inWelsh, regarding the conduct of examinations and the list of items, notably mobilephones and ipods, which are banned from the exam room. What a contrast to KingJames’s in the early sixties before their advent. One invigilator stands out in my

‘Porthcawl has an exceptionally sunny climate’

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memory: George Beach. The silence of the room and the concentration of theexaminees would not infrequently be broken by the scratching of chalk on theblackboard as George marked up the latest test score. He also insisted that followingexamination regulations all working out had to be dispatched to the examiner. So ifanybody had doodled on his blotting paper this was to be parceled up along with thescripts. (Would older members kindly explain to younger ones the nature of ‘blottingpaper’?) My grandchildren had no idea what the words mean. George pointed outthat, following strict adherence to the regulations, any exam-related graffiti on a deskmeant that it too should be posted off. Harry Taylor,headmaster, censured that! Addendum:Immediately after completing this article I spoke to Pat Reid and I related part of

the George Beach story. Pat reminded me how once Dave Gregson and John Eatonemerged from an exam room in exasperation, and stitches. Apparently George hadasked that those students who required more lined paper should hold their hands upstraight while those needing extra graph paper should circle their hands above theirheads. The imagined scene is wonderful.�To the many – more self-delusion – who have had emails returned of late I must inform OldAlmondburians of a change in email address. It is now david.39bush@talktalk.net. I look forwardto hearing from you.

THOSE AT SCHOOL in the early 1950s may remember this collectionof books originally accumulated by Taylor Dyson. It was kept in a littleroom adjoining the Small opposite the School Library and was

accessible to students upon request.At that time it comprised chiefly books concerning local history and in

later years Old Almondburians and friends of the School donated othervolumes thought to be of special interest. Those of us who used the facilitywere thus able to learn about subjects which were not on the curriculum andit served to advance one’s general knowledge and of local history especially.

Taylor Dyson died in 1957 and a little time afterwards the Old Almond-burians decided to commemorate him and commissioned a bas-relief in bronzewhich it was thought might be placed with this special library and be kept inhis old study. When the School lost its Sixth Form most of the volumes weresent to Greenhead but there was little space to display them, a token numberbeing exhibited in a bookcase in their library. The others were never evenunpacked from the boxes in which they had been delivered.

The Taylor Dyson LibraryJOHN BROADBENT

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The Committee has been at pains to ensure that both the bronze and theMemorial Library are conserved and during the last three years efforts havebeen made to relocate the Library. Members will be pleased to note that in thepresent absence of available space elsewhere the Archive of the University ofHuddersfield has agreed to accept the library, now consisting of over 500volumes. Information concerning the books is being made available via thelocal history section of Huddersfield Public Library to the effect that membersof the public may have access to the books by appointment with the Archivistat the University and it is expected that a full list of the volumes will beavailable on the websites of both the Public Library and the University Library.There is of course the advantage that the volumes are now secure, may beadded to and will be conserved archivally. The Archivist’s website iswww.hud.ac.uk/cls/archives. �

Left: The bronze bas-relief of Taylor Dyson, commissioned by TheOld Almondburians’ Society from the London sculptor SydneyHarpley and completed in 1962.

Below: R A Whiteley and P A Shaw consult reference books in theTaylor Dyson Memorial Library in 1967. The Library was formallydedicated by the Society’s Chaplain, Rev F D Sykes, at a ceremonyimmediately following the Founders’ Day service on 24th November1963. The bas-relief was unveiled by Mrs Taylor Dyson, the ceremonybeing relayed by closed-circuit television to the nearby Library.

And back at the School …

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NOT TO BE CONFUSED with the BBC event atthe Royal Albert Hall – though on almost thesame scale – the annual KJS Prom, marking the

departure of Year 11 pupils from the School, has withouta doubt become THE major social event of the school year.It’s an occasion that positively oozes prestige and

glamour. Senior members of The Old Almondburians’ Society,recalling that in their day few of the masters – let alone the

pupils – even dreamed of owning anything as exotic as a motor car,will be amazed at how times have changed. Partygoers to the Proms,

dressed up to the nines, now travel to the event in cars, tractors and stretchlimousines. There are still fond memories of one enthusiast dropping in by helicopter.

This year’s party on 19th June at the Holiday Inn, Brighouse fully lived up toexpectations, as the photographs below will confirm.

PROM2009

SOME RECENT SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Photography: Jenny Ainger

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OTHER SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF

School is awarded ICT MarkThe School has been awarded a prestigious ICT Mark by Becta, the government-

funded body responsible for promoting the use of Information andCommunication Technologies (ICT) in schools and colleges.Headteacher Robert Lamb said: “It recognises our positive approach toICT and the benefits it is bringing to our students.”

Arts Mark AwardThe School has also been awarded an Arts Mark Award by the Arts Councilof Great Britain. The Award comes after a lengthy and searching audit ofarts provision at King James’s School, and hearty congratulations are dueto Nick Fazakerley, Kathy Brook-Benn and their team.

Student/Parent QuestionnaireThe School commissioned Kirkland Rowell, the market leaders in educationalquestionnaires, to carry out a major survey into students’ and parents’ views on thestandard of education being provided. Students returned 703 completedquestionnaires (a response rate of 82%), and parents returned 613 questionnaires(71.4%). The students gave the School a good overall performance score, while theparents gave a very good rating. The charts below give the response to specificquestions:

Improvedover last

year:59%

Improvedover last

year:36%Worse than

last year:10%

Worse thanlast year:

2%

School haslived up to

or exceededexpecta-

tions: 93%

School hasnot lived up

to expecta-

tions: 7%

STUDENTS:Is the School

getting better orworse?

PARENTS:Is the School

getting better orworse?

NEW PARENTS:Is the School

living up to your expectations?

Year 8 Maths Puzzle EveningEarlier this year, the Mathematics Department launched a new Maths Puzzle Evening,attended by 30 pupils from Year 8. Five teams - named Fibonacci, Pythagoras, King,Fermat and Euclid – tackled a range of mathematical problems. To the delight ofteacher Kathry Gouldin, the King team – the only one named after a femalemathematician – was victorious.

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ObituariesGONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

ROGER C MALLINSON (1953–1961)

School thespian and guitarist who wrote definitive book on rock and roll

We are sorry to report the death, of cancer, of ROGER MALLINSON on June2nd 2009 at Saint Charles Hospital, Kensington.

Roger attended King James’s Grammar School from 1953 to 1961 during whichtime he was editor of The Almondburian; Secretary of the Jacobean Society, renownedfor his legendary minutes; thespian of note as Apollodorus in Frank Anderson’sproduction of Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra; and cross-country runner par excellence,calling for half a bitter with the late Michael Jackson at the Castle Hill Pub duringSixth Form PE lessons. He was the first pupil to introduce rock and roll music into thehallowed halls of AGS when, with a few afficionados under the name The Jacobites, heperformed a Shadows style version of ‘My Grandfather’s Clock’ at a Prefect’s Party,much to the delight of then Headmaster Harry Taylor and the assembled gathering.

Whilst in the Sixth Form and before leaving to study English at Kings College,London, Roger became a renowned ‘lead’ guitarist on the Huddersfield beat sceneplaying in The Strangers (a reincarnation of The Jacobites). After graduation he becamean English Teacher at Camden High School, North London, where he remained untiltaking early retirement, always preferring the classroom to education management.

Roger was secretary of the Old Almondburians’ London Branch for many yearsbefore handing over to Christopher Mann and as such was responsible for organizingmany memorable dinners at the Lord’s Tavern. After retirementRoger took up genealogy and continued to play guitar on theLondon pub circuit with his band Return Flight. In 2004 hepublished a definitive book on rock and roll in Huddersfield inthe early sixties to great acclaim.

Roger was briefly married to Nancy Ollerenshaw ofGledholt in the mid sixties but for most of his life he lived as abachelor in West Kensington. Clive, Roger’s younger brother,who also attended King James’s, died of cancer in 1976.

Roger is survived by his niece Cymone, nephew Conrad andtheir four children.

PAGB

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KEITH HAYDN LIVESEY(1935–42)

Jessop Prizeman and school singer who became a leading design engineer

KEITH HAYDN LIVESEY was 84 on September 5th 2008 and died two weekslater from complications arising from surgery for a heart condition. Why Haydn ? Hisparents were barmy about music.

He attended all the reunions of surviving classmates (1935 to 42) held in 1995,1996, 2000, 2004 and most recently in June 2008. In his school days, we ordinarymortals regarded him as a near genius. He was always top of the class in both half andfull term exams and he franked this form in the School Certificate exam of 1940 bygaining 7 “A’s” and 2 credits (9 subjects were the maximum allowed in those days).Over these years John Kenneth Hall was almost invariably next to the top. In theHigher School Certificate exam in 1942, Hall surprised us all, very likely himselfincluded, by out pointing Keith Livesey and winning a State Scholarship, a rarecommodity in AGS in the 1930s. Keith had to be satisfied with the Jessop Prizemanaward rather than the Dartmouth medal. As he was always, or seemed to be, aphlegmatic sort of lad, this setback, if it was one, did not worry him very much.

He went to Leeds University to study civil engineering. Students of scientific andallied subjects during World War II were permitted to complete their degree coursesbefore being conscripted into HM forces. Keith Livesey, only a few months away fromhis final degree exam had volunteered to join the RAF and was called up for pilottraining. Near the end of the war when there was only a limited need for pilots, he wastransferred to the Royal Engineers to serve out his time mainly in N. Africa. Back thenhe went to Leeds where he took a First-class Honours BSc degree, followed by anMSc and met the lady, Nan,who was to become his wife and the mother of his twosons. (She also confessed under close examination that she also got the samequalifications as he had done).

His first job was with the ICI Dyestuffs Division in Huddersfield from which hewas posted, after a few years, to Grangemouth in Scotland. He became out of sortswith labours for the ICI because, according to him, only tall men seemed to get

GEORGE W BRODIE (1931–1934

Former Gilbert & Sullivan performer who played for OAS football XI

GEORGE WILLIAM BRODIE died in Worcester in October last year after a longillness. He attended King James’s Grammar School from 1931 to 1934.

While at school he took leading roles in several Gilbert & Sullivan performances.He later played for the Old Almondburians’ football team. His employment took himaway from Huddersfield and therefore was not an active member.

George was also uncle to Old Almondburian Richard Green.RG

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promotion. Keith was not tall. In any event he wanted to stay a hands-on engineerrather than moving into management. So he left the ICI and joined the engineeringconsultancy firm of W. A. Fairhurst whose headquarters were and are in Glasgow withbranch offices in Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen. Keith became a partner in thefirm and eventually as one of the senior partners was in charge of the Edinburgh office.All told he spent some 50 years in Scotland without acquiring the slightest trace of thespeech, which passes for English, north of Hadrian’s Wall. He remained faithful to thatrefined Yorkshire twang which, like that of the late Harold Wilson, betrayed his originsin Milnsbridge. He retired from his work at the age of 60 (also like Harold) havingascertained that those who did so were, according to actuaries, far more likely to enjoya long life than those who carried on to 65. During his period as a consulting engineerhe was responsible for all manner of projects including inter alia the design andconstruction of schools, swimming pools, motorways, bridges, collieries and oil andgas installations. He became a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, of StructuralEngineers, and of Highways and Transportation. He was elected a fellow of the RoyalSociety of Arts.

After retirement he and Nan continued for some years tolive in Edinburgh. One of their sons, a physicist, tookemployment in the USA and raised his family there. The otherworked on Teesside and lives with his wife and family in a housein Hutton Rudby which, as readers of this magazine will know,is just on the North Yorkshire side of the boundary with theCounty of Durham. Keith and Nan eventually sold their housein Edinburgh in order to relocate in a pleasant bungalow inHutton Rudby.

His only genuflection in the direction of his Scottishsurroundings was to give his sons local names (Ian andAlastair).

His years at AGS were marked by two major assets. Thefirst was his intellect. The second was his voice. The quality ofhis voice gave him a star billing in Gilbert and Sullivan operasin the late nineteen thirties and, even more unusual, selection

to sing solo at the annual Speech days in the Town Hall. Keith, as schoolboys go, wasan amalgam of Einstein and Caruso. In case you should think that this obituary is beingused only as a vehicle for praising accomplishments, I can certify that he was totallyuseless at kicking footballs or wielding cricket bats. On the other hand he was goodat diving (nothing to do with seeking penalties).

Keith became a Chevalier in the St. Lazarus Order, originally set up to helpCrusaders who caught leprosy and now still active in supporting those afflicted withpresent day scourges such as Aids and cancer. Keith attained the rank of KnightCommander of the Order and acted for many years as Receiver General of the ScottishJurisdiction.

Bob Goldsmith

Keith Livesey in the schoolproduction of ‘The Piratesof Penzance’ in 1937

ChairmanBRYAN HOPKINSON

Apartment 206, 1535 The Melting PointCommercial Street, Huddersfield HD1 3DN

Tel: 01484 469804Email: bryan.hopkinson@oas.org.uk

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

Membership SecretaryNICKY BRIGGS

122 Kaye Lane, Almondbury HD5 8XUEmail: nicky.briggs@oas.org.uk

Editor The Almondburian/WebsiteROGER DOWLING

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

Email: roger.dowling@oas.org.uk

Website: www.oas.org.uk

The Almondburian is distributed to OAS members free of charge. Price to non-members: £3.00