Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe
Old School Photos and Memorabilia
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9 January 2024: Nick Lloyd (RGS 1967-74) sent me a photo of the 1970 Cricket Colts (Under 15) XI. Thanks, Nick.
7 February 2023: Jim Rickard (RGS 1960-66) wrote in to identify Allan J Hayward 2A at G50 in the 1962 Junior School photo. Thanks, Jim.
7 December 2022: David Beattie (RGS 1959-66) wrote in to identify a few people in the 1960 Junior School photo - TN (Nick) Rees 2A (D21), AJ (Alan) Mole 2A (B38), AJ (Tony) Leeson 2A (D45), RJS (Richard) Calcutt 2A (E48 confirmed). And in the 1962 Senior photo: AJ (Alan) Mole 4R (A56). Many thanks, David.
9 August 2022: Michael George (RGS 1946-51) sent me two very nice photos: one of the 1950 cricket 2nd XI and another of three School House prefects. Thanks, Michael.
31 July 2022: Alan ("Arthur") Haynes (RGS 1962-1970) wrote in to supply a forename for CL McKibben (RGS 1963-65) in the 1964 Junior School photo. He tells me his form 3SB classmate Craig McKibben is American and when playing school rugby could propel the ball, with an American Football throw, the width of the pitch. Thanks, Alan. (A Google search produced a few photos of someone who looks like Craig working for the Washington Trails Association.)
17 February 2022: Tony Rollins (RGS 1966-68) wrote in to identify Allan D Manecki 6S2 in the 1967 Senior School photo - 7/G56 - and also confirm that MT (Tony) Perks 6S2 really is 9/G78. Thanks, Tony. I have also made an amendment to Paul Davies's details on the Honours Board page.
9 February 2022: Peter Symms (RGS 1958-65) has identified three more boys on the 1960 Junior School photo: MB (Michael) Foskett 2C (2/B11), MJ Dalley 3SB (2/E17) and WJ (Warner, "Griff") Griffin 2B (4/A33). Thanks, Peter.
5 January 2022: Happy new year to everyone. David Beattie (RGS 1959-66) has turned his attention to the 1964 Middle School. Here are his identifications (some tentative): TR (Thomas) Munden 4SA (D11?), D (Denis) Rance 4SA (D13 confirmed), PF (Pete) Fox 5SA (F24), P (Peter) Watts 5Y (F41) whom David reports is a classical musician based in New Zealand, JE (Jim) Rickard 5Y (F52) - also based in NZ since leaving school, says David), R Hill 5UR (H72). From the 1964 Sixth Form photo: TN (Nick) Rees 6B1 (E14), BC (Barry) Fitchett 6T1 (C35), PD (Duncan) Smith 6M1 (E29 confirmed). And in the 1962 Junior School photo: D (Denis) Rance 2B (B03 confirmed), JE (Jim) Rickard 3Y (G51). Thanks, David.
30 December 2021 - Andrew Oliver wrote in to identify himself in the 1958 Junior School photo at C31. Thanks, Andrew.
29 December 2021 - a couple more identifications from David Beattie (see below). 1960 Junior photo: NF (Nick) Lansdown 2A (D34). And in the 1962 Senior School photo: IA (Ian) Ross 4Y (D73). Thanks again, David.
28 December 2021 - David Beattie (1959-1966) wrote in to supply a large number of IDs in the 1960 Junior photo: JA (John, "Piggy") Stevens 2E (A08), MH (Martin) Collins 2B (B09) – David says he recognises those two from the German set in the x-stream. "We were nurtured and shaped by Emlyn ‘Chunk’ Jones. I am not exaggerating when I say that I probably owe more to Chunk than to any of my other teachers before or since" – R Hill 2A (D01), PL (Paul) Sears 2E (D12), RF (Rodney) Mullick 2D (A30), confirmed PF (Paul) Waller 2A (D35), confirmed AD (Andrew) Bisset 2B (E43), BA (Barry) Oliver 2A (B47). In the 1962 Senior School photo David identifies the following: AG (Tony) Redding 5Y (B06), confirmed C (Chris) Birch 5SA (B09), JA (John/"Piggy") Stevens 4X (D15), RJ (Richard?) Stevens 4A (A28), R Hill 4R (A55), TN (Nick) Rees 4X (D144). And in the 1964 Senior School photo: JA (John, "Piggy") Stevens 6M1 (D01). Many thanks to David.
17 November 2021 - two new items: (1) the December 1976 Wycombiensian has been added to the school magazine collection - thanks to Paul Rundell for contributing and Arpad Turmezei for forwarding; (2) the 1963 Speech Day programme has been added to the collection of these items. Thanks again to Arpad for the loan of his copy.
13 October 2021 - Garry Stone wrote in to offer a tentative identification of his father Rodney Stone in the 1926 photo. Rodney was school sports champion in 1931 and I found a reference to him holding the school's long jump record (18ft 10in) until it was bettered by 16-year-old WD Yeoman (19ft 5¾in) in 1936. Rodney was also a leading soccer player for the school. Many thanks to Garry.
6 September 2021 - major additions have been made to the Wycombiensian collection as a result of Alasdair Horner sending me a huge pile of magazines from 1973 to 1995. This has also helped add data to the Masters and Honours Board pages. Many, many thanks to Alasdair.
28 February 2021 - a record of the notorious (circa) 1955 snowball fight and its sensational aftermath - a mass caning. Some eye witness accounts have been gathered together here.
4 February 2021 - added a photo of the 1962/63 rugby colts XV.
2 February 2021 - one other item that Alan Crease sent me was the 1930-33 Prefects' Punishment Book as transcribed by the history department some years ago, with a foreword by John Roebuck. It is perhaps worth adding that prefects were permitted to administer corporal punishment as late as the mid-1960s.
2 February 2021 - January 1931 Wycombiensian added - many thanks to Alan Crease for the loan of this and a dozen or so other Wycombiensians recently, much appreciated.
1 February 2021 - May 1957 Wycombiensian added. Thanks to Alan Crease. Also, a page on the 1956/57 rugby 1st XV, with a photo, report and full results.
30 January 2021 - May 1939 Wycombiensian added.
29 January 2021 - April 1927, January 1935 and January 1937 Wycombiensians are now available for viewing. The Jan 1937 issue includes a fascinating letter from old boy ES Paice, witnessing the rise of Nazism in Germany while he was studying in Stuttgart, and expressing the worry that his letter might get him into trouble. He needn't have worried: Edmund Stanley Paice, born 1913, died 2017, aged 103!
29 January 2021 - April 1924 Wycombiensian available for viewing. New design for school tie (dark blue & maroon stripes, separated by a narrow green stripe) and cap (maroon) adopted.
28 January 2021 - April 1913 Wycombiensian now available for viewing. And also the April 1922 Wycombiensian: one item in this issue may interest whoever is in charge of rugby at the school now - on 11 March 1922 the school played its very first inter-school rugby match, versus Thame Grammar School (it was also Thame's first such match). Centenary of this significant event coming up in 2022 - worth celebrating?
27 January 2021 - an amendment to the Wycombiensian page - I have replaced the Summer 1948 magazine scan with a new one, which has a page that was missing from the old one. I've also removed blank pages and made it sparkling white and neat rather than yellow and ragged-looking. (Like Persil, my software washes whiter!)
27 January 2021 - another addition to the Wycombiensians page - the April 1953 school magazine.
27 January 2021 - two new additions on the Wycombiensian page - the July 1906 and July 1909 school magazines. My thanks to Alan Crease for the loan. Another nine such magazines remain to be processed - they will appear presently.
26 January 2021 - after a long break, things are beginning to happen here again. The process of integrating Tony's pages continues apace. The collection of Wycombiensian magazines is now housed together on this page, and I've just been loaned a further 11 issues (from 1906 to 1953) by Alan Crease which will be scanned and posted very soon. A new item is a photo of the 1952/53 rugby 1st XV photo, culled from the April 1953 Wycombiensian. Many thanks to Alan for loaning the school magazines.
19 September 2020 – Charles Wood (RGS 1962-67) wrote in to identify himself in the 1964 Junior School photo at C31, and also in the 1963/64 Form 3SB photo, sitting second left between Paul Woodford and Clifford Saunders. Thanks, Charles.
30 June 2020 - Tony Hare, whose original idea it was to set up a website with photos and memories of the RGS, and who inspired my own website, has retired from webmastering and handed his operation over to me. I've located all his website material at the following address https://www.saund.org.uk/rgs1956/index.htm - Tony's old site will no longer be updated so you should change your bookmarks to the link above. One other website change is that I have scrapped the forum feature, which had fallen into disuse. However, I have kept a lot of the material posted by people on the forum over the past ten or so years and I shall feature it amongst the memorabilia in due course.
3 June 2020 - Paul Davies (RGS 1955-63) sent me a photo of the 1957/58 Junior Colts (Under-14) rugby XV with identifications of all the players. I have added a colorised version of the photo, plus the report and match results from the April 1958 Wycombiensian. Thanks, Paul.
29 May 2020 - A case of mistaken identity: G36 in section 4 of the 1960 Senior photo is now identified as AW (Bill) Bailey 5UR, rather than CJ (Chris) Rumsey 5UZ, who has thus been reduced to the ranks of the unidentified. I have this on the authority of Arthur Davis (RGS 1955-62) who has been discussing it with Geoff Gunning on FaceBook. Arthur tells an amusing story: "It looks to me very like AW (Bill) Bailey who later played piano in the Trad jazz band that I was in about 18 months later along with Tony Dingle and some lads from RAF Halton who were at Aylesbury GS. We used to practise in the School Hall until Boss Tucker called me into his study one day and said it had to stop due to insurance restrictions. We had some weeks earlier met in the Uplyme hall on a Friday afternoon after school. On being discovered by a somewhat irate Mr Hollingworth (who was probably outraged by such music) and challenged as to who was in charge, one wag (not me) replied "We are autonomous, sir". I don't recall the outcome but I guess we were told to pack up and go home."
14 May 2020 - some sad news - Derek Watmough, MBE, who taught music at the RGS from 1960 to 1965, died on 30 July 2019, aged 82, in Crowborough, East Sussex. Derek was a great teacher and a marvellous character. I'm grateful to John Havard for passing on the news, and for Clifton Hughes who has provided links to various obituaries: Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society - Crowborough Choral Society - Beacon Academy - also, tributes posted here.
4 April 2019: a new photo posted - Form 2B in 1964/65, kindly sent in by Andy Lake. Still plenty of scope to identify faces there for any prospective sleuths among you. It would be good to have some more form photos from the later 1960s, though I don't recall these being done much after 1964/65 (but that may just be my poor memory).
19 March 2019: unusually, one of the boys in the 1929 RGS photo has now been identified, thanks to Sam (don't know his surname) who has written to me a couple of times. Number D18 in the photo is Albert William Tubbs who attended the school between 1925 and 1929. Albert was born in 1914 and sadly died on 4 March 1941 when he was serving as a pilot in the RAF. His name appears on the RGS WW2 memorial tablet.
10 March 2018: Kevin Woodbridge (RGS 1959-67) thinks that A14 in the 1960 Junior School photo is RD Sexton (2D). Thanks, Kevin.
9 March 2018: Kevin Woodbridge (RGS 1959-67) wrote in to identify himself in the 1960 Junior School photo at E51. Thanks, Kevin.
10 September 2017: a quick follow-up email from Robert Marsden (RGS 1959-65) identifies his brother - PH (Paul) Marsden in the 1962 junior photo (form 3X, 5 / B39) and the 1964 middle school photo (form 5X, 2 / F13). Thanks, Robert.
10 September 2017: Ian Holmes (RGS 1959-60) wrote in to identify himself at G17 in section 2 of the 1960 Senior school photo when he was in form 5UZ. He explains the brevity of his time at the school: "I was not at the RGS for many years as my Father was in transit with the RAF and we had just arrived from Singapore for his posting to Bomber Command at Walters Ash. I left at the end of that term for an apprenticeship at Airmec in Cressex. I lived in High Wycombe until 2000 and retired to the West Country." Thanks, Ian.
10 September 2017: Robert Marsden (RGS 1959-65) wrote in to identify himself in the 1960 junior photo (6 / D53 when he was in form 2A) and the 1964 Middle school photo (8 / E66 when he was in 5US). Thanks, Robert.
4 September 2017: John Keep (RGS 1960-68) wrote in to identify his father, Edwin G (Eddie) Keep (1916-2014) in the 1929 School photo (at A37). John writes: "I'm amazed that you have a copy. I didn't realise school photos were taken then and I certainly never saw a copy in his possession." Credit goes to Derek Prior, who shared the photos with us. Many thanks for the ID of your father, John - only the second time we've had an identification for one of the boys in these decidedly antique photos, and all the more welcome for that. Can other OWs identify their fathers, uncles and grandfathers in the 1926 and 1929 photos? It's remarkable how many family likenesses can be discerned when comparing the 1920s photos with those of the 1950s and 1960s.
16 October 2016: a very interesting article on the alternative 1950s school magazine Scandal, by its founding editor David ("Uncle Fred") Garnett (RGS 1956-60). In it he reveals the secret of 1-4-9 - or very nearly. He's still teasing us a bit about it but we'll get the truth out of him eventually. If you don't know what Scandal was, here are issues 7 to 18 to keep you amused. Many thanks to David for this article.
16 October 2016: Joe Guttridge (RGS 1960-65) wrote in to identify EG (Ernest George, known as George) Keeping 5Y (F53 in the 1964 Middle School photo) and ACW (Allan) Keen 2A (B42 in the 1960 Junior School photo). Many thanks, Joe.
16 October 2016: Edwin Janes (RGS 1955-63) wrote in to identify his father Eric Janes (1916-2004, RGS 1926-30) in the 1929 photo (ref. D39). Eric later acted as honorary architect to the school and designed both the chapel and the cricket pavilion. His obituary can be found in the March 2006 OW Newsletter. Edwin also thinks B31 on the same page may be Michael Bird whose sons Stephen and Maurice also attended the RGS. Many thanks, Edwin.
16 October 2016: a very long silence from yours truly, after an extended summer holiday. I've added some amendments and additional info from John Camp to the 1958 and 1960 senior photos (and his own CV details in both the Masters and Honours Board pages). A new feature is photos from the 1970s by Steve Mallows (RGS 1970-76), with masters from earlier eras - Taffy Davies, David 'Benny' Jones and 'Bilge' Leighton-Jones, plus a snap of the youthful future headmaster Roy Page. Thanks to John and Steve.
22 May 2016: Graham Balfry (RGS 1953-61) wrote in to confirm he was H07 in the 1958 Senior School photo. He also confirms that E12 in the 1960 Senior School photo is CU (Clifford) Moisey 6B2. Thanks, Graham.
21 April 2016: Many months have wandered by and nothing new appeared here. I've been working on another web project - sorry. But something interesting arrived in the post today, from Peter Rodbourn (RGS 1958-63) and I wanted to share it with you. It is a PDF of SCANDAL Magazine: a sort of alternative school magazine, run entirely by and for the boys, plus a few Wycombe High School girls. Link here - the PDF consists of SCANDAL issues 7 to 18, dating from early 1959 to about 1962, I think. Many thanks to Peter for letting me have it.
28 November 2015: a new feature - The History of the Royal Grammar School High Wycombe, 1562-1962 - the 126-page official history of the school written by LJ Ashford and CM Haworth, published by the school in 1962, is now available as a PDF file (5.31MBS) to read online or download.
25 November 2015: Phil Slater (RGS 1961-66) wrote in to identify himself in the 1962 Senior School photo: JP (Philip) Slater 4X (D148). Thanks, Phil.
25 November 2015: Bill Andrews (RGS 1959-63) has identified two more faces in the first photo on this page of Tyler's Wood photos originally submitted by Mark Forrester. Thanks, Bill.
25 November 2015: Mervyn Darville (RGS 1960-67) has identified a number of people in the 1964 Middle School photo: W Paszkiewicz 5SA (H04), MJ Dalley 5UG (H06 confirmed), WT (William) Bradford 5A (H18 confirmed), PT Brockwell 5SA (G18), RC Hill 5UY (E12), CA (Charlie) Smyth 5X (F25 confirmed), IS Pattie 5UG (H32 confirmed), JHM Powell 4Y (B29 confirmed), P Gautrey 5SA (G34 confirmed), PAM German 5Y (F44 confirmed), AC Maile 5A (D34 confirmed), MJ Bevan 5UR (H47 confirmed), CM Gwynn 5Y (F62 confirmed). Thanks, Mervyn.
9 November 2015: you might have noticed a couple of new scroll photos have been added to the left-hand menu, going back a very long time before most of us were born - the 1926 and 1929 school photos. I'm not expecting to identify many of the boys in the photos but it's possible that some of us will recognise fathers, uncles, grandfathers, etc. Most of the masters in the photos have been identified by comparison with photos appearing in John Mitchell's pictorial history of the school. I am grateful to Derek Prior (RGS 1962-69) for sending me these photos - his father Ted is, currently, the only boy identified in the two photos.
28 October 2015: Graham Poole (RGS 1958-65) sent me some fascinating documents more than a year ago which I am ashamed to say I left mouldering in my in-tray. Profuse apologies! Here is a PDF of the March 1965 ER Tucker Memorial Appeal Fund; the July 1964 Speech Day programme; and he also helped to update forenames and nicknames of the 1963 photo of Form 5UY, which was already on the website. Thanks (and apologies) to Graham.
28 October 2015: Joe Guttridge (RGS 1960-65) wrote in with some identifications. In the 1962 Junior School photo: JA (Joe) Guttridge 3Y (E45), AJ (John) Jackman 3Y (B29). More tentatively, he thinks GM (Geoff) Keep 3SA is at F34. In the 1964 Middle School photo: GM (Geoff) Keep 5SA (G19). He confirms previous ID of himself and John Jackman in this photo (F50 and D60 respectively). Joe tells me that 'Doc' Browning advised him to become a librarian or an archivist - but he left school at 16 to go to sea. He says that John Jackman was a musician but doesn't know what became of him. Many thanks, Joe.
27 October 2015: Robert Smith (RGS 1959-62) wrote in quite some time ago with a long list of identifications. In the 1960 Senior School photo: JH Temple 6S1 (H46), RAL Smith (Robert himself) 6S1 (F73), MR (Michael) Emmett 6S2 (E69), AJ (Tony) Jones 6S1 (C76), and he confirms of IDs of JM (Jim) Peach 6S1 (E72) and PR (Peter) Fletcher 6S1 (F81). In the 1962 Senior School photo: CD (Chris) Henry 6S3 (H17), JS (Jim) Sloss 6B3 (H22), RAL (Robert) Smith 6S3 (G48), JD Butterworth 6S3 (G50). And he confirms BC Matthews 6S3 (H05), WP ("Wild Bill") Howlin 6S3 (H15 and H68), JM (Jim) Peach 6S3 (H26). Many thanks to Robert and my apologies for not processing these identifications rather sooner.
27 October 2015: Norman Birkitt (RGS 1959-63) has identified Bob Austin in the 1958/59 under 13 rugby XV photo. Many thanks, Norman. I have now appended the Wycombiensian team report to this page.
27 October 2015: Charlie Connolly (RGS 1965-70) emailed me to identify two of his friends in the 1967 Senior School photo: CC (Carl, "Harry") Cutler 6E (F37) and RP (Richard, Dick) Wills 6E (F38). He tells me that the website has provided "hours of fun" when viewed in the company of other "old lags" such as Brian Leslie, Pete Muckley, Keith Clarke, Kevin Pickering and Mick Kusmidrowicz. We aim to please. Many thanks, Charlie, and my regards to the old lags. EDIT: Charlie has since identified another face from the 1967 Senior School photo: AJ (Tony) Rollins 6S2.
27 October 2015: apologies for another longish radio silence (other retirement hobbies have intruded). Chris Rollason (RGS 1965-71) emailed me with details of his work at the European Parliament in Luxembourg. I have added details and a link to his personal website on the Honours Board and Links pages. Thanks, Chris.
17 September 2015: I am grateful to Martin King for lending me three copies of the Wycombiensian. Consequently we now have a complete run of Wycombiensians from September 1957 to May 1965 available online. I still have quite a few more issues in hand to scan and upload (i.e. September 1965 to September 1970 inclusive, and also Sept 1971, May 1972 and September 1972 issues) but I am keen to borrow some more copies of the magazine from after my time at the school, starting with the May 1971 issue. Can anyone help?
23 July 2015: a major new feature - The Wycombiensian - PDFs of issues of The Wycombiensian from 1957 to 1972 as PDFs. (Currently a work in progress, though a number of issues are already available for viewing and download). Note that Tony Hare has already made a number of Wycombiensian PDFs available at his website - click here. I am very grateful for Tony's help in choosing the right technology to create the PDFs.
6 May 2015: Paul Wood (RGS 1965-69) sent in this photo of Form 2D in 1965/66. Thanks, Paul.
6 May 2015: Laurie White (RGS 1960-67) wrote in to identify himself at F56 in the 1964 Middle School photo. I have made some running repairs to the photo used for this page - hopefully the quality is a little better. Thanks for the info, Laurie.
6 May 2015: Jeffrey Smith reports that D56 in the 1964 Middle School photo is RJ (Robert John) Elvery 5Y. In the 1962 Junior School photo, A22 is also RJ Elvery, when he was in 3Y. He also confirms IDs of David Holmes and Charles Peter Gilson in the 1962 Junior photo. Thanks, Jeffrey.
6 May 2015: Graham Smith sent me a copy of the 1961 School Prospectus, which is worth reading for the very different standards of behaviour and dress expected back then. I think my 1963 prospectus was fairly similar - did boys really wear their uniforms in the evenings and at weekends? Seems unlikely. Note that the file is a 2.02mb PDF which you might need to rotate in your browser/PDF handler in order to read.