to this section bringing you some of the Briggensians news. I have been saying over a number of years now that the postal service bringing news has been decreasing and this year has again confirmed the change to the new age of the Website. Even the people who have written have also e-mailed as well!! It is however pleasing to hear that the older generation are able to keep up with all the news by going to their local library and finding the school Website - and reading all about life at S.J.N.S. as well as all the news of former pupils in the Briggensians section. At this point I should point out that we owe a 'massive' debt to Jim Flewker for all his time and efforts in heiping to produce all the news as well as updating all the pages from time to time throughout the year (not to forget Dave Brittain for all his help, support and enthusiasm in keeping everyone up to date).
My first piece of news entirely supports my last sentence. It comes from Derek Sumpter and he says that after looking at the news page of SJN's brilliant website he thought he had better catch up quickly with two of his contemporaries, George Gunson and Peter Wade, and send us all his e-mail address which is: [email protected]. Derek recalls being a boarder at BGS from 1944 to 1950. J.T.Daughton was still Headmaster when he arrived, aged 10, and he remembers that mortarboards were still a compulsory part of the school uniform on a weekly parade to church on Sunday mornings. Derek is now retired but his career was spent entirely in newspaper journalism He was news editor of The Sunday Telegraph in Fleet Street for twenty years and before that he was a staff reporter with five different morning and evening newspapers, including the old News Chronicle. He also had two spells with PA-Reuters news agency. Derek's first job was with the Lincolnshire Echo in Lincoln - his native city. Derek finishes by saying that he must congratulate everyone on our website. It is a highly professional creation and provides an exciting service for old-timers like himself who can keep in touch with the school's continuing success as well as re-establishing contact with old friends. He hopes more Briggensians come in from the cold through cyberspace. He sends his best wishes to everyone and leaves his home address should anyone wish to write to him. (for addresses contact John Hastings)
It did not take long for a reply from Peter Wade. Last year he was busy settling into his new home in Derby (for addresses contact John Hastings) so was unable to attend the dinner but this year he has already booked two tables for Saturday March 25th and they are meeting at 6.00.p.m. to make sure that they have plenty of time to catch up on all the news. Those attending so far are: Mr & Mrs John Morton, Mr & Mrs Frank Flear, Mr & Mrs Peter Wade, Derek Sumpter, Brian Chapman, Mr & Mrs Brian Marris, Mr & Mrs Alan Robinson, Mr & Mrs George Gunson, Peter Lofthouse and Ron Waller. Peter has also been in touch with Brian Thornalley, who lives quite close, but at present he cannot commit himself. It was Brian who supported the idea of a special reunion and so Peter seems to have got things organised. Dare I say at present other years have been thinking of having a special get together and plans are being prepared even though it is a slow process. We hope to have a 60's table or two and it is rather special as quite a number of the people contacted are in fact 50 this year.
The new Millennium Restaurant at Elsham Golf Club will be just the place for a wonderful night out. One or two have expressed a wish to have a game of golf if this could be arranged during the Saturday (or over the weekend) and provided we get enough warning this should be possible.
Brian Thornalley (1945-52) has been busy trying to trace the whereabouts of Kenneth Stothard (49-53). After decades of wondering what had happened to him he wrote to all 47 'Stothard' entries in the Lincolnshire phone books asking after him and it paid off! Ken, the Victor Ludorum for 1953, lives in Australia. After a teaching career in Brigg, Barton , New Zealand and Australia, he was a Minister for 10 years in Essendon, Melbourne. He retired in 1999 to Victoria, Australia (for addresses contact John Hastings). They have exchanged correspondence catching up on each other after a gap of 47 years!! Well done Brian. As a young lad I believe Ken used to help my father drive his lorries in his spare time and I used to go along for the ride especially in the Summer holidays; it was wonderful with our flask of tea and pack up. Ken's relations still live in the Brigg area at Scawby Brook and are seen most weeks.
Ted Cox (for addresses contact John Hastings) sent back his receipt page and was interested to read that I had come across Brian and Eileen Neall as he had known them since he was knee high to a grasshopper. Brian and Ted used to teach with my mother at Glebe Road along with John Holland, Mike Watkins and Dennis Laycock (all O.Boys). Brian took the place of Denys Havercroft another O.Boy. Ted was at BGS 1952-59 and he is pleased to send us aa e-mail address [email protected].
Many Briggensians were pleased to hear news of the Walker family (New Zealand) which was mentioned last year.
P.D.J.Campbell was one such reader and remembers one Summer in the 30's when he stayed with tbe family in Doncaster where he spent most of the time playing golf with A.H.Walker. George Gurnell (for addresses contact John Hastings) attended BGS from 32-38 but cannot remember the Walker brothers who were boarders but he is sure that he must have known one or two of them at least and could well be on their video. He remembers John Gray and his brother Peter was in his form. George remembers that it was the Conboy brothers from Wrawby who dominated the crosscountry in the mid-thirties, first Eric and then Norman. They were both in Yarborough House, the same as George, aod 'Bumper Knight' was their House Master who taught Maths as well as being Assistant Headmaster. George was also pleased to receive a copy of the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, dated 5th Sept. 1998, which displayed the whole school of 1934.
There were many familiar faces but so few names he could remember. It had been sent to him by a lady friend who had picked George out and who had attended BGHS at the same time. George also goes on to say that he has in his possession a very good print of the Remove Form (5th Year) of 1938, the Cambridge School Certificate year. He still has his certificate which was reasonably good but he regrets to say that he was not one of the school's brighter academics and he left in the Autumn to join Brigg U.D.C.
As he says a lot of water has run under the Ancholme Bridge since then!! He looks forward to receiving his next copy of the Newsletter as do so many of our former pupils.
John Gray (for addresses contact John Hastings) returned his stamped addressed envelope and although he had no news to send us was pleased to have read the Newsletter.
Mr A.J.Hill from Winterton, Scunthorpe, DNl5 9PS wrote to ask us if we had a painting or portrait of Sir John Nelthorpe as he could not remember seeing one during his time (1945 onwards). He was very surprised to see such a painting hanging in one of the rooms at Duncombe Park, Helmsley, Yorkshire. The guide said that two other Briggensians had also referred to it. The owners are Lord and Lady Feversham and the connection is through the Anderson family. As usual many Briggensians enjoy looking around the school and being left rather breathless at seeing the many changes since their days in the school.
One to mention this year was a certain L .W. Collins (for addresses contact John Hastings). He wrote back to Dave Brittain to offer his thanks for a tour of the school which he thoroughly enjoyed bringing back many happy memories of 60+ years ago. Hopefully one Briggensian who will be on a tour round this coming year will be our ever-present 'news sender' from Canada Gwen Owen who hopes to visit during 2000. Everyone seems to be well at the time of sending the letter back. Their youngest son John had spent five weeks in Nepal sightseeing , walking and climbing. Their daughter Carol and her husband Mark are still living in Yellowknife, N.W.T., and enjoying life there. Barry Owen, their grandson, at 21 months weighs 40 pounds which is only 4 pounds less than his sister who was five years old last December and should have started kindergarten last September in Calgary. Hopefully anyone from the BGHS who remembers Gwen will be able to get in touch with her at P.O.Box 1485, Princeton, B.C. VOX 1WO, Canada. It appears that not too many of the former High School girls of her age belong to the Association so if you do remember Gwen and you have a few spare moments to write drop her a line.
Mr. J.H.Wright, father of Jonathan, Tim and Christopher sent news of Tim (74-81) and his family saying that they had just arrived back from Australia where Tim had spent a year employed as a G.I. Surgeon at a hospital in Adelaide. They would like to have stayed but it's a closed shop for surgeons, although Tim's wife who is a nurse would have been accepted.
Jon Taylor who was shown in last year's Briggensians football team (Newsletter 1999) was presented with the Dorling Kindersley Award at the North of England 1999 Teaching Awards in Leeds. Jon was appointed to the staff of the St.Oswald and St. Anne's R.C. School in Hull after gaining his teaching degree at the city's Kingston University. Jon's father, who is a Briggensian, is secretary of Brigg Town F.C. while his mother is secretary to the Briggensians football team. (Also Jon is again in this year's team photo of the Briggensians) .
Jeremy Phipps wrote to us from Peterborough to ask if he could play in the Briggensians hockey fixture at the Winter Sports Evening. It is a fixture that has not been played for the last two seasons due to players not wanting to play on grass (can we play on astro at Scunthorpe?) or not wanting to play on a Friday night with a game the following day for Brigg or other teams in the area. Something to sort out and discuss before we lose the occasion!! Thank you for the letter Jeremy and hopefully something can be sorted out this year so that you and others can have a game and a reason for a get together, a pint and a chat.
I suppose that I can now end where I started talking about less letters and more e-mails. Paul Jenkinson sent us an e-mail from N.S.W., Australia to say thanks for posting the Newsletter over to Oz and he found the e-mail address a far more contemporary way to communicate! He had a beer with Andy and Kay Booth in March '99 while they were visiting Sydney from New Zealand.
Hospital waiting rooms are cheerless places at the best of times. Imagine, then, the seemingly endless wait for an allotted appointment. What to think about? Intimations of mortality are to be kept at bay at all costs. The mind drifts back to the halcyon days of youth; the eyes gaze, half-seeing across the room. Can it be? Surely not. But yes! For the first time in 45 years, an old school chum is sitting opposite.
The above is not the beginning of a badly-written English essay but what happened to our current Chair of Governors, Roy O'Neill. The school friend was Cecil G. Taylor (1940-l946). Now he, Roy and another good friend, John Sennitt (1941-1946) are making up for lost time and enjoying reunions.
Cecil G. Taylor OBE., BSc., ARSM., F.Inst.Pet. was Captain of School in his final year, winning an Open Scholarship to the Imperial College of Science and Technology. He took up the place in 1948, to study oil technology after first spending 2 years in the RAF. Graduating in 1951 Cecil then began an illustrious career which over the next 40 years would take him all over the world. Based in Trinidad, Cecil became Chief Engineer for Texaco Trinidad Inc. in 1962. His work involved him in travels to the USA, Venezuela and Colombia.
Resigning this post in 1968, the Taylors (Cecil has a wife and 2 daughters) returned to the UK to work on developing North Sea Production with Amoco. The next 11 years were spent on southern North Sea Gas developments; the last seven of these years working in Amoco's gas fields of "Leman", "Indefatigable" and "Rough".
After a short time travelling again to countries further afield, a post was taken in 1980 to manage Amoco's joint operations with other partners in London. 1984 saw Cecil Taylor being awarded the OBE for services to the oil and gas industry. He retired in 1989.
Little wonder then that these Old Boys (metaphorically speaking) have had a rejuvenating time catching up on their pasts. That hospital appointment was worth going to.