Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe
Old School Photos and Memorabilia
Collection of the School Magazine, The Wycombiensian
The following table contains links to PDF files of The Wycombiensian, the school magazine, from 1906 to the 1990s (it is far from being a complete run, though 1949-1972 is complete). If anybody can loan copies of Wycombiensians not shown here, I would be extremely grateful to receive them in order to feature them here. Contact me.
Artwork from a 1975 Wycombiensian
Technical Note: these PDFs may take time to load if you have a slow internet connection. I strongly recommend clicking on the link in the 'Viewer' column to see them displayed optimally; however, if this doesn't work on your browser, try the link in the 'PDF' column. You may find it easiest to save them to your hard disk and use a free Acrobat PDF Reader to read them offline.
Last Edited/Updated: Wednesday 23 February, 2022 3:37 PM
| Viewer (recommended) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1906, July | Memorial to late headmaster Peachell; memoirs of Boer War action by an old boy | |
| 1909, July | Photo of school play "Vice Versa", including Frederick Youens (future V.C.) | |
| 1911, extract | Building of the new school. Speech Day, Debating Society discuss pre-1914 strikes. | |
| 1913, April | Photo of Football team; visit to a coal mine; objectives of Old Wycombiensians' Club | |
| 1922, April | 11 March 1922: first inter-school rugby match played - RGS 9-3 Thame Grammar School | |
| 1924, April | New design of school tie (dark blue, maroon, with green stripe) and maroon cap. | |
| 1927, April | Presentation of chemical apparatus used by Nobel prize winner Sir William Ramsay | |
| 1931, January | Annual Old Boys' Dinner - 25 years celebration of Arnison as head; visit to Belgium | |
| 1935, January | Report of the 1934 Hobby Club camp in Guernsey | |
| 1936, October | Photo, obit, Coningsby Disraeli; ERT's lead role in High Wycombe opera; CM Haworth & R Pattinson start at RGS. | |
| 1937, January | Letter from old boy ES Paice, witnessing the rise of Nazism in Germany at first hand. | |
| 1939, May | Old Boys' News contains a pen picture of composer, conductor Lawrance Collingwood | |
| 1939, September | R Pattinson marriage; Speech Day | |
| 1945, June | Quote: "this edition is a special effort to bridge the gap between 1942 and 1945" | |
| 1945, September | New Education Act comes into force; arrival of LT Hollingworth | |
| 1946, June | Return of masters from WW2 service; presentation to Lt. Ian E Fraser, VC | |
| 1947, Spring | AD Leggett & SA Male start at RGS; HG Brand retires; Rebecca West gives a talk | |
| 1948, Spring | LJ Ashford, Emlyn Jones, GG Browning start at RGS; JA McQueen retires | |
| 1948, Summer | Start of Uplyme boarding house under MM Davies; dancing lessons for boarders | |
| 1949, February | AS Hett returns; Tylers Wood opens; local MP John Haire visits | |
| 1949, September | AC Hills starts at RGS; Peter Fry on the 'house' system; visit to Parliament | |
| 1950, April | Exchange visits to France and Sweden; mock election | |
| 1950, September | Cinema installed at Uplyme; separate junior school planned | |
| 1951, April | Photo of new Dining Hall; building of junior school at Uplyme | |
| 1951, September | Photos of library, now returned to its original function | |
| 1952, March | Photo of England rugby international Ted Woodward; Capt. JB Warren killed in Korea | |
| 1952, September | New honours boards unveiled; visit to Denmark, then Finland for the Olympic Games | |
| 1953, April | Obits FW George, GWG Keen (aged 17), A North (aged 22), FW George | |
| 1953, September | Plans announced for a new junior school, pavilion, with a view to marking the 400th anniversary in 1962 (still nine years in the future); photo of war memorial | |
| 1954, April | LJ Ashford's note on the foundation of the school (25 March 1551, by Sir Edmund Peckham); Fl. Lt. Andrew Lang killed in Meteor jet fighter collision | |
| 1954, September | Lord Carrington gives Speech Day address (photos) | |
| 1955, April | Obituary for Alan Coventry, aged 39, new sports pavillion, Ruddigore | |
| 1955, September | Edited by G Warner; obits JA Barnicott, AJ Dexter, NW Johns, WE Willis | |
| 1956, April | Edited by Andrew MacTavish; new cricket pavilion; Iolanthe production | |
| 1956, September | Edited by DM Jago; Busman's Honeymoon" production | |
| 1957, May | GAR Muschamp (bursar) obit; archaeology in Wales; walking in Switzerland | |
| 1957, September | LW Piner obit and photo | |
| 1958, April | Terry Trayhorn obit and photo; Ron Syrett capped for England | |
| 1958, September | Alan King obit and photo; GA Grant photo | |
| 1959, May | Tribute to Alan King; HMS Pinafore review; obits WT Brindley, BM Hall | |
| 1959, October | Cricket 1st XI's ten-day tour of Holland. | |
| 1960, April | DM North's trip to India, meeting nehru, etc; obits AW Foxall, JS Miles. | |
| 1960, September | Mick Eaton's drawing of the projected new buildings | |
| 1961, May | The school's only girl pupil, Helena Anne Ellis, recalls her time at the school | |
| 1961, September | Richard Hickox makes his musical debut; obit of GW Woodley | |
| 1962, May | The visit of the Queen, with extra photos. | |
| 1962, September | More on the Queen's visit; death of Mrs Tucker (n.b. 2 photo pages missing) | |
| 1963, May | School history published; Yeomen of the Guard | |
| 1963, September | Photos of the (then) new school buildings. | |
| 1964, May | Photos of chapel stained glass windows; obit of Percy Charles Raffety | |
| 1964, September | Death of ER Tucker; retirement of PL Jones | |
| 1965, May | Further tributes to ERT; obits CH Farmer, masters JA McQueen, S Austin | |
| 1965, September | Obituary of GW Arnison; School Questionnaire | |
| 1966, May | Nimrod Ping poetry; Obituaries of Roland Beresford Smith, Dick Richards, Jack Theed | |
| 1966, September | MP Smith elected to the Headmasters' Conference; obit Mr J C R Davies. | |
| 1967, May | Reviews of 'Patience' and 'Jericho'; obits EC Millington, Messrs Morris, Platt, Ray | |
| 1967, September | Symposium on India; Photography; obits Geoffrey N Abbnett & Geoffrey W Boireau | |
| 1968, May | Obits AS Hett, WJ Bartle, Rev. AM Berry, JE John, CRAG Iliffe, TR Barratt, AE Clarke | |
| 1968, September | Tucker Mem'l Room; Rhodesia Poll; obits HR Guest, RI Guest, BH Hart; NR Hawes | |
| 1969, May | The Mikado; 'Century'; artwork by Tony Blundell; obituaries of Paul Rogers, Cyril Morris | |
| 1969, September | Obits of Major FH Robinson, CW Lance; more artwork by Tony Blundell | |
| 1970, May | Festival '70; Adam Hardy verse; obits LS Baker, EL Burrough; JK Goodearl; CG Miles etc | |
| 1970, September | Mock Election; Adam Hardy, Chris Rollason, John Burrows verse; obits Britnell, Wooster | |
| 1971, May | Obituaries of PL Jones, flautist Laurie Kennedy, Norman Theed, etc. | |
| 1971, September | Obituaries of Emlyn 'Chunk' Jones, LT 'Holly' Hollingworth | |
| 1972, May | Comprehensive Education; Preface to Poetry Section; obits WL Avery, AW Tilling | |
| 1972, September | University Places, 1964-1971; obit MT Harris; new member of staff, Mr RM Page, B.Sc. | |
| 1973, May | House system abandoned; obit R Matthews, ex-second master to Arnison | |
| 1973, Winter | Can anyone lend me this issue? See left-hand side bar for contact link | |
| 1974, May | Mock Election won by Liberals; new format magazine, glossy paper | |
| 1975, January(?) | (no month given - assume January?) Retirement of George 'Doc' Browning | |
| 1975, June | New headmaster Rowland Brown; obit CE Sladden (master 1951-58) | |
| 1975, December | Malcolm Smith retirement; obituary CM 'Kit' Haworth (1911-75), head of classics | |
| 1976, July | Organ installed in Queen's Hall; AD Leggett retires; KA Hillier leaves. | |
| 1976, December | Trial By Jury G&S production; obits of CK Hillard & OWs JD Bavin, RM Eley, PEM Slatter | |
| 1977, June | W Clark, AC Hills and JA Tucker retire (photo); DR Lishman (1963-69) obit | |
| 1977, December | R Pattinson obit; impact of 1976 Education Act on RGS | |
| 1978, June | Ian Clark becomes deputy head; place of classics in curriculum; 'Staff and Nonsense' | |
| 1979, January | Pattinson Award Appeal; CJ Everitt (1959-61) killed in RAF plane crash | |
| 1979, July | Obits of ex-governors RP Clarke, GH Baker; photo of Ian Clark being pilloried! | |
| 1980, June | MM Davies retirement; return of G&S; obits GF Bailey, RW Bartlett, Roger Watts | |
| 1981, July | JF Samways, RC Dorrance staff leavers; † CJ (John) Cooper (OW 1974-80) | |
| 1982 | A4 format, one issue p.a.; retirements of Doris Wilson, AJ Skipp, H 'Doggy' Scott | |
| 1983 | Obits AG Duckering (1940-47), Chris Gaunt (1974-80), Maxwell Taylor (1964-71) | |
| 1984 | Obits, masters TH Price (1935-46), CEC Eastman (1930-42), OWs Duckering, Clews, etc | |
| 1985 | Jock Learmonth, matron Mrs Cocksedge retire; obits E Mewse, Pier Leoni, Guy Ward | |
| 1986 | D Smith & EJ Perfect retire; obits HW 'Hosh' Johnson, NH 'Blanco' White | |
| 1987 | Can anyone lend me this issue? See left-hand side bar for contact link | |
| 1988 | M Eaton, EJ Perfect, A Chuter leave; obits AJ Skipp, P Smaje, SA Goulborn, DR Witney | |
| 1989 | GW Heath & bursar F Wheeler leave; obits Dennis Smith, N Rolfe (1979-85) | |
| 1990 | D Stubbs, S Goldthorpe, T Durbin leave; Feminine Presence (JD McGuinness); obit W Clark, A Dodgson, A McCubbin, P Pugh, etc. | |
| 1991 | Staff leavers included DG Jones, A Sollars, M Grout; obits Sam Morgan, Derek Stubbs | |
| 1992 | Princess of Wales visit (1991); R Knight, J McGuinness leave; obit JS 'Jack' Dawes | |
| 1993 | Headmaster change: D Levin replaces RP Brown; R File retires; obit WN Bicknell | |
| 1994 | S Grundy, M Smedley amongst staff leavers; 5Sc 1947/48 class reunion | |
| 1995 | D Flinders, M Cook, D Chamberlain retire; obit AC 'Min' Hills; more on 5Sc reunion | |
| Later Issues... | see the Old Wycombiensians Newsletter Page for further info on later magazines |
Contributors of the above: Tony Barr (1911, 1936, 1939, Apr 1950), D Wiltshire (1945, 1947, Spring 1948, Sept 1950, Apr 1951, March 1952), B Peaty (Sept 1945, June 1946, Summer 1948, Sept 1949, Feb 1949), Tony Hare (Sept 1951, Sept 1952-1955), John Saunders (1957-72): Alan Crease (1906, 1909, Summer 1948, 1953); John D Taylor (September 1955, April 1956, September 1956); Paul Rundell (December 1976); Alasdair Horner (May 1973, May 1974, January(?) 1975, June 1975, December 1975; July 1976; June 1977; December 1977; June 1978; January 1979; July 1979; June 1980; July 1981; and the annual issues for 1982 to 1995 inclusive, apart from Dec 1976 & 1987 - I assume the Wycombiensian had become one issue per annum by the 1980s - if anyone knows this to be a wrong assumption, please let me know) - Martin King and Mervyn Darville also lent me various issues of the magazine. Many thanks to everyone mentioned here.
Does anyone have any more Wycombiensians which they can lend me for scanning? If so, please contact me (see left-hand side bar for email link).
SCANDAL: ALTERNATIVE RGS MAGAZINE
Also to be found here is what you might call the 'alternative' RGS school magazine from the late 1950s, early 1960s: SCANDAL Magazine. Here is a PDF with issues 7 to 18 of SCANDAL all rolled into one. My thanks to Peter Rodbourn (RGS 1958-63) for sending it to me. Its pages contain clues to the origin of the '149' craze at the school in the 1960s. Some Wycombe High School girls also contributed.