29th June was the date of the Annual OW golf match against the Staff. We welcomed two Old Boys who had not played before, Ray Piercey, who left in 1940 and Robin Dorkings, who left in 1963.
For the record the results were: (Teachers names first)
Steve Gamester beat Peter Toller and Ian Clark to win one more point for the Old Boys.
Therefore the Old Boys won 3-1.
Four of the Staff who played were also Old Boys.
If any OW golfer would like to play next year, and you do not have to be a Luke Donald, because it is based on handicap, please contact me.
How many of the golfers (in the three photos) do you recognize?
Unfortunately the OW game against the staff was called off by heavy rain. We hope that the game against the RGS 1st Team for the Duncan Moore Trophy will be played. Photographs and a report will be published in the next newsletter.
SAT APRIL 26th . More details in future newsletters.
The Revd. Bernd Koschland was born in Fuerth, near Nuremburg in 1931. He came to England in April 1939 with Kindertransport, an arrangement under which over 9000 Jewish children were given refuge here without their families. He was never to see his parents again. He attended the RGS between 1942 and 1945 before moving to London. Subsequently he graduated from London University with a degree in Hebrew and Aramaic, and then served for a dozen years as minister of a synagogue. He then became a teacher of Hebrew and Religious Studies, first at the Jewish Free School and then at the City of London school for Girls. Rev. Koschland remains active in the world of education and youth work, and is a chaplain at the Royal Free hospital, London. Here he shares his memories of the RGS.
I was an “alien” refugee as I had come to England from Germany in 1939 and only arrived in Tylers Green in 1941 at a hostel located there.
In my last year at Tylers Green primary school, then headed by Mr Filby, I took and passed my 11+ examination which allowed me to go to the RGS. However Buckinghamshire County Council had laid down certain criteria for youngsters of my age. As an “alien”, fees of 5 guineas (£5.25p in modern currency) had to be met. I had to have the right level of English for my age so as not to hinder progress, and finally no English boy could be excluded at the expense of an “alien”. All conditions were met, so I started at the RGS in September 1942.
It was somewhat daunting to enter the portals of a school, founded by charter in 1562, with its large open space in front of the building. I had passed by on the bus. The then Head, Mr. Tucker, welcomed us in to start our secondary education. In those days, Latin was compulsory in the first year (Year 7). Miss Pollard – she liked to be addressed as “Sir”- ensured we all slaved away at Kennedy’s Latin (commonly known as “Eating”) Primer. Her punishments were severe if declensions and conjugations were not known fluently, including exceptions. Latin was in addition to French and the usual subjects. Maths consisted of three separate lessons, Arithmetic, Algebra and geometry; trigonometry came later. Logarithm tables became our vade mecum for maths; no slide rules were allowed; calculators did not exist.
As in other schools, there were Prefects, all from the Sixth Form, with various forms of punishment for misdeeds; this included the cane, administered by the Head Prefect. For a particular “crime”, I was summoned for trial by a Prefects’ meeting, found guilty and given a stroke of the cane. Thank you, Head Prefect, Wicks!
Further major crimes that were to be punished severely was the breach of the school rule that to go to High Wycombe every pupil had to walk into town- no bus down the hill. From High Wycombe one could take the bus, because of the steep hill. Also school uniform, including caps, had to be worn outside school.
For a short time, facilities of the school were shared with Chiswick County School, part of which was temporarily evacuated to RGS. This meant readjusting timetables to allow sharing of facilities. In turn this had the effect on some boys of the orthodox Jewish faith as we would have to leave early on winter Fridays because of the Sabbath. Likewise formal lessons on a Saturday morning caused a problem for some Jewish boys. Mr. Tucker and the Governors agreed to allow early leaving on Fridays and missing Saturday morning. None of this had adverse effects on our ultimate scholastic achievements.
Saturday afternoon was given over to sport, especially as the facilities of the vast playing field were excellent, for rugby, soccer and cricket. Sport was also part of the normal weekly curriculum. The playing fields also had another use: punishment. To run round the perimeter was most unpleasant. The Fives Courts were an additional facility, but usually the more senior pupils claimed them as their preserve.
Bernd’s account will be continued in the next newsletter.
Do you recognize anyone?
Dear Ian
I would like to remind OWs about the Auction of Pledges event the PA is organising for the 21st September 2007. We have again secured Eric Knowles as our auctioneer and are busy collecting "pledges" to auction on the night. Could any of your members be able to obtain a pledge. This could be anything from a donated round of golf from a local club, a dinner at a restaurant or last time someone donated a week at their holiday home! I would like to invite you all to make a note of the event in your diaries. It promises to be a lively entertaining evening.
Anyone wishing to donate a pledge can email me directly. Ideally they would obtain or provide a letter/voucher to give away on the night confirming the pledge which would need to be valid at least 6 months from 21st September 2007, and post that to me at:
1 Daws Lea
High Wycombe
Bucks
HP11 1QG
If you have any questions you can email me or call in the evening on 01494 443387 or email me on
Email address: libby@terrye.fsnet.co.uk
Thank you for your supportBest Regards,
Libby Terry
(member of RGS PA)
Ed: It would be great if OWs could help the PA, and thus the RGS, by donating a pledge, or coming to the event.
Dear Ian
Have just discovered the RGS Old Boys website and was interested to read Robert Clark's letter, as I was a contemporary of his in 1939-44. Mr. Tucker was Head, Sam Morgan taught Geography. I also recall the prefect Raynor, a martinet, although of lesser threat to us dayboys than the boarders. I recall also the wartime exigencies, as well as the damage to the school's windows from 'doodlebugs'.
As well as the OTC, the school had a squadron of ATC (Air Training Corps), No. 708, a reflection of the attraction of the RAF's needs. We learned Navigation, Morse Code, Theory of Flight, etc., and were taken occasionally to local airfields (Booker) for 'air experience' - a fifteen minute flight in a Tiger Moth, to whet our appetites. We were also taught to fly gliders at Booker, each weekend. Interestingly, the American 8th Air Force with its' B17 bombers came to England in 1942 and was headquartered in the Wycombe Abbey Girls School (the girls had been evacuated!). The commander of their Communications Flight, one Major Boardman C. Reed, came to RGS one day to speak about the air war and responded to those of us enthusiastic to fly by offering rides in the aircraft kept at Bovingdon airfield (near Chesham). Thus a few of us would regularly sneak onto the USAF bus service from Wycombe Abbey to Bovingdon each weekend and cadge rides in everything from B17 bombers to a P51 Mustang fighter which had a jump seat fitted in back, to transport VIPs about the UK at high speed.
Unfortunately, I wasn't old enough to get into the RAF pilot training programme before war's end and so wound up in Egypt and Palestine, filling forms. Some of that American excitement must have stuck, however, as I now live in San Francisco.
I'd be interested to hear from any old boys from that era, though I daresay the ranks must be thinning by now.
With kind regards,
Eric Chipps
Dear Ian
Thank you for your note. I'm impressed with the scope of the website and have enjoyed exploring its depth.
One other reminiscence occurred to me, as I thought about it. For reasons not altogether clear (I think a missile catapulted at the blackboard during a math lesson when in 5UC) I was remanded for an interview with the Head (Tucker) the following morning. Knowing that this meant six on the rear end, I had folded a sheet to size and pinned it within my trousers. At 9am, following a diatribe against my offence, I bent to receive my punishment. Alas, the Head's ear was finely attuned to the sound of bamboo on flesh and at the first stroke, Tucker recognized a false note.
Seizing me by the ear, he demanded that I remove the padding. Under the circumstances, I could not reverse the painstaking assembly, so began to pull the sheet out from my pants. As it unravelled, it emerged as a long, billowing pile. With a face like thunder, Tucker commanded me to stop and dragged me from his study to the 5UC classroom, along the connecting corridor. The spectacle of Tucker, cane in hand, dragging a boy resembling a recently landed parachutist, through the morning traffic in the corridor, led to many a dropped jaw. Bursting into the classroom, Tucker roared (I'll never forget the words) "This foolish boy has attempted to deceive me! I shall now demonstrate the consequences!" Whereupon I was required to lower my trousers and all present heard the authentic sound of bamboo on flesh.
Needless to say, I was a celebrity for a few days after that.
With kind regards,
Eric Chipps
Ed: Does anybody remember the incident? Anyone had similar experiences?
Ian
Many thanks for a splendid newsletter). Just a couple of points.
The photo from Andrew Mactavish of the Signals section shows an R107/WS12 set combination. The Receiver (R107) is stood upon a second R107 with its transit cover fitted. During the early 60's we had in the Sigs about 6 of these large receivers, due to the quaint ways of the Army - on the Annual REME inspection the first one was declared BER (beyond economic repair) and this gave authority to order a new one, which was duly done. The following year 2 were offered up for inspection and a BER certificate issued for 1 of them. Another was demanded and issued. We now had 3. This carried on till we had about 6 of them and ran out of storage space.
Regards
John Haley
Dear Ian
You might like to see the following article about the US football team, of which Otto Decker (OW 1948-50) was a member.
Ron Wynands
US SOCCER IN 1953
The US National Team only played one international match in 1953, but it was a big one, a rematch against England, whom the Americans had stunned in a World Cup 1950 upset. The Match was held on June 8, 1953 at Yankee Stadium in New York.
Some of the New York-based players met for the first time at the locker room before the game. The match was postponed by one day because of a light rain the night before. The groundskeeper ruled that there was too much danger of damage to the field, this despite the fact that a Giants-Cubs doubleheader took place as scheduled at the Polo Grounds right across the river. The English, who would have played in anything less than a hurricane, were astounded at the low priority soccer received in the States.
The players took to the field before 7,271 fans, the fewest ever to witness an English team international. The US held off the English until the final minutes of the first half. They scored again twice in the early second half, and then the US rallied with three. England finally scored two more to put the game away 6-3. Otto Decker started as substitute and scored twice.
The England Team was:
Ted Ditchbum (Tottenham Hotspur) - Alf Ramsey Tottenham Hotspur), Bill Eckersley (Blackburn Rovers) - Billy Wright (Wolves), Harry Johnston (Blackpool), Jimmy Dickenson (Portsmouth) - Tom Finney (Preston North End), Ivor Broadis (Manchester City), Nat Lofthouse (Bolton Wanderers), Redfem Froggatt (Sheffield Wednesday), Jack Froggatt (Portsmouth)
Ed. It is believed that Otto is the one OW to have been an International Soccer player. Anybody know of any others? If you lived in those times, can you remember the names of the England side?
Dear Ian
As the current round of supermarket voucher promotions comes to an end, I am writing to seek the support of the OWs for the next round, which will begin in September (TESCO sports vouchers).
These promotions have become very useful for the School. In the Spring Term, we received a very long list of sports equipment, which had been received from the Autumn 2006 TESCO sports voucher scheme. Currently, we are rounding off the Sainsbury Active Kids 2007 promotion, which will be used for more sports equipment, and the TESCO Computers for Schools 2007 promotion, which will probably enable us to get a colour laser printer for academic use. We are also involved in the Nestle BoxTops for Books scheme, where tokens from cereal packets and the boxes of cereal snack bars are worth 10p each for us to use in acquiring new books for the School Library.
I would hope that many of the OWs would be willing to donate their vouchers and BoxTop tokens to the School for our use in these and future promotions.
Mrs Benstead, who lives in Southsea, and whose son is an OW, has actively supported us for the past 4 years, and we have been very grateful for her help. We would like to be able to honour many more contributors from the ranks of the OWs.
Can you help?
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Shreeve
Ed: If you can help, please do so.
Dear Ian
Over the years this newsletter consists of lots of news and articles and photographs of people who have left the RGS years and years ago. Why cannot it be more interesting with articles about those who left more recently?
Best wishes,
Bored
Ed: Please send in your news, your memories of more recent times. I would be delighted to publish them.
Dear Ian
First let me express my appreciation and admiration for the way the Committee scheduled, organized and conducted the last OB Annual Dinner. Now that I have been to the last three after missing them for so many years I can honestly say that I feel very much at home coming back to the RGS and being fortunate in meeting quite a few of my good friends with whom I attended school and the Boarding School. It is without a doubt a very memorable evening for me and one that I thoroughly enjoy.
I have always stressed the importance of the friendships I forged when I was much younger. I travel many miles to many different destinations each year to enjoy the company of those very good companions. At the High Wycombe Technical Institute Luncheon, on the Friday before the RGS Dinner, as I looked around me and saw so many of my former school mates, I was moved to comment during the welcome speech, that "You are my oldest and longest friends, whom I have known for over 60 years since starting at the school in 1944." That is how I feel about my RGS school chums now that I have finally reestablished contact with them. The joy of being able to push back time to when we were young, carefree and a little immature teenagers, is in my mind the powerful emotion that makes these reunions so very special. I relive my days at the Tech, the RGS and with the Wycombe Wanderers when I attend these functions. Memories. Ah what would we be without memories that I cherish so much?
The sad part of being a really "Old" OB is that so many of our good companions from the 40's and early 50's are no longer with us. Just this week I heard the sad news that the last of "The Cedar Boys" who stayed in England after the war had died. I came to England, as you may know, in March 1939, with about thirty other Jewish Children, from Germany, as part of the 10,000 children the British Government allowed into the country, after 'Kristall Nacht.' (Crystal Night) in 1938. It became known as the "Kindertransport." The English Rothschild family were our sponsors and it was James de Rothschild who supported me all those years, sent me to the 'Tech' and the RGS and was prepared to sponsor me to study Engineering at London University after I passed the Oxford Highers in 1950. We were and are known as "The Cedar Boys" of Waddesdon, because that is where he provided a home for us in a large house called "The Cedars." It's still there by the way. Sadly, today there are only six of us left.
I never miss an opportunity of telling whoever will listen, that what Britain did in 1939 by saving 10,000 children is responsible for the fact that between 250,000 and 300,000 people are alive today, who would not have been born. Of the six million Jews killed by Nazi Germany, over a million were children. Needless to say my chances of survival would not have been very great had the "Kindertransport" program not been sanctioned by the government. We have had many reunions of the "Cedar Boys," some in England, which Mrs. de Rothschild happily attended. She considered us "her family" because she never had children. Nothing pleased her more or was more meaningful to her, than to meet and greet our families. We were there because of her and her husband, plain and simple. Sadly she died just before we planned our 50th anniversary, to commemorate our arrival in England, March 1939. All of us are gratefully aware of the debt we owe the Rothschild's and England for saving our lives.
I started in thanking you for the part you played in planning the successful Annual Dinner. I ended up burdening you with an accounting of the reasons why I have such happy memories of growing up in England and being eternally grateful to the friends I made and to the British people for giving me a chance to enjoy my life when so many were denied that simple pleasure.
With sincere regards,
Otto Decker
Dear Ian
Once again, my sincere thanks for organising an excellent afternoon's golf at Weston Turville yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed the game, even if Simon did get his revenge for last year. It was also a great experience to meet Ray Piercey. We discovered whilst chatting, that there was a strange link between us; he was the first BA Captain to fly a Tristar in 1974 and I was the last BA Captain to fly a Tristar in 1997. A small world.
I shall look forward to next year and get some practice in,
Best Wishes,
Steven John
Ed: What an amazing coincidence!
Dear Ian
Browsing through your marvellous RGS website, I came across Andrew Newton's photo in the May 2007 newsletter of the Tylers Wood mob of circa 1955. I can add to those he has already identified as follows. All numbering from the left:
| Front row : | Third | Me! |
| Back row : | Fourth | Derek Nicholls |
|
" |
Sixth | Peter Holtorp |
|
" |
Ninth | ? Hollingsworth |
Other TW OBs who joined a bit later, but with whom I have been in life-long touch, are Jerry Rendall and Brian Bull; the three of us met up with Michael Claridge on the Isle of Wight last year.
With kind regards,
Bill Pender
Dear Ian
This is my very occasional circular to ex-RGS boys of the 1960s era who have sent me helpful comments or identifications regarding my school photo website. http://www.btinternet.com/~john.saunders14/rgs/
Colin Chamberlain sent me an email identifying a couple of people earlier today, and this helped remind me that I had meant to put up old Grey Book lists for the years of the photos on the site (1964 and 1967). I got so carried away doing this that I also put up Grey Book scans for 1957, 1958 and 1962 at the same time. No extra photos yet, but the Grey Book stuff may help to identify people and be of general interest.
Regards
John Saunders
(RGS 1963-1970)
RGS Old Boy Simon Kahn, aka Schlomo, has been making a name for himself in the world of Beatbox.
Simon left RGS in 2002 and has recently appeared on the Jules Holland Show and in the BBC studio at Glastonbury.
at Glastonbury 2007
He created the world’s first beatboxing choir for a special performance headlining the World Beatbox Convention at the London South Bank Centre in March.
Here are two more accounts of their first day at school by Year 7 pupils
First
On my first day of school I felt worried because it was a new school and I didn't know what to expect. But after assembly I wasn't so worried. Our first real lesson was Maths, which was really fun, although he did give us homework and I was already making some friends which I think are going to last.
Second was Latin, which I enjoyed (mainly because we aren't learning the language). In Latin we are learning about classical civilization and we started with the story of Rome. Third was PE and we were shown all the really cool equipment like the 5 rugby pitches and the main gym.
During break I learnt how to play a new game called 4-square. To play all you need is a cross on the floor, a ball, and 4 players. The rules are you have to hit the ball with your hand into your section and have it bounce into someone else's section. After break we had English, which was fun and the teacher told us what we would be doing over the course of the year. Then it was History and we got told we would be mainly doing the parts of History we enjoy, not loads of documentaries. Then it was lunch and the food is really nice. I had spaghetti Bolognese although I could have had a nice curry as well as other things.
After lunch was Maths and before we got started we did some riddles which were hard but fun. Last was French and I was worried I would be learning nothing for a long time but he assured me that the others would catch up quickly and we would start on new work soon.
Ed: Did you eat Spaghetti Bolognese for your school lunch? Were all your first lessons fun?
Second
It was the start of a new year and school was the most frightening experience of my life. On the morning of the third of September I remember awaking and feeling excited that I would begin a new school in which new friendships will be made and I would be taught by new teachers, a whole new experience for me. I awoke very early, as I could not sleep and got into my new fresh, clean smart uniform. I also got my school bag ready, with new instruments. I couldn't even eat my breakfast, as my stomach was too full of excitement.
At 8:30 am I left home. My dad drove me to school and when I arrived sixth form prefects who were instructing how to enter the Queen's hall welcomed me. When I walked in I felt an adrenaline rush, but once I saw some friends from my present school, I felt calmer and knew that I was starting to overcome some of my fear. I got talking and communicating with other people and once everyone had arrived by 9.30 our head of year Mr. Scourfield welcomed us to the school and he gave us a background talk of what the next five to seven years of our lives involved.
Once he had welcomed us we were all split up into our form groups. I was with two of my old friends from my present school, which made me feel more welcomed and in a sense homely. We were taken to our form room and introduced to our form room and introduced to our form tutor Mr. Crease. We all sat in our places in the room and each of us introduced ourselves to the class. Once that was over, I knew that it would be easier to get on with my classmates.
After about a couple of hours we were taken to the hall for individual photographs and with our form, for a memory of our first day. Once that was over, we were given a break and I interacted with people from the whole year. Due to an error after break, more photographs were taken. We then returned to our form rooms and were congratulated in getting through our first day and were hoping we would return in two days time for the beginning of a proper year. The day had ended and I felt that it would be the beginning of a whole new experience.
Ed: Do you remember the adrenaline rush, the excitement? Do write in with your memories of your first day.
Next Spring the Old Abingdonian Club will be organizing a 7-a-side rugby tournament for Old Boys Clubs of the schools Abingdon School played against. If you would like to take part in the OW Team, or perhaps help to organize an OW Team, please contact me.
For those OWs who were at the RGS in the last few years, you may be interested to know the following members of staff have now left:
Judy Fenton, Mike Ashby, Elinor Brass, Ian Gould, (an OW himself), Karen and Ben Sampler, Radja, Kanji, Brione Appleton, Sue Hall (Headmaster’s PA) and Tony Fisk (D & T technician)
We wish them well in their retirement or their next job.
SAT APRIL 26th . More details in future newsletters.
This will be published on Sept 22nd. Please send in your contribution, your memories, and your photographs to me, Ian Clark ianrclarkuk@yahoo.co.uk.
Ian edits the Newsletter, Judy De Gelas embellishes it and Martin Berry ensures that it appears on the website.
