0ctober

2009

making fantasy
a reality

In this issue…
2 President’s Welcome

3 News

4 kes kenya 2009

5 Chairman’s Letter

6 making fantasy a
reality Jonathan Green

8 working at
waddesdon manor
Rachel Boak

10 Headmaster’s View

11 OE shooting team
Daniel Trenchard

12 from north road

to the northern isles
David Indge

14 Land’s end to john

O’ groats John Ennor

16 Old Edwardian News

18 back to my roots
Tom Bowles

20 a year in switzerland
Briony Martin

21 pedalling all the way

Sam Williams

22 mongol rally
Peter Ludlow

from north road to 24

25
red carpet treatment
Tom Bowles
treasurer’s report

the northern isles

merchandise

26 in memoriam

28 future events
and notices
 Executive
President’s Welcome Committee
I am delighted to have been given the opportunity
to serve as President of the Association of Old
structure
Edwardians. My time at King Edward’s was back in the The Association of Old Edwardians is formally managed
days when the Preparatory School was in Belmont, by the Executive Committee which consists of members
who have been elected by those present at the Annual
Lansdown, and the Main School in Broad Street.
General Meeting. The committee is actively seeking to
Among the significant events of that time was the recruit new members. If you are interested, please get
arrival of a new fourth form master, Bill Currie, in touch using the contact details on the back page.
who brought a lively and enthusiastic teaching style
Current members of the committee
that woke up our rather grey post-war days!
President Professor Francis Ring 1947-1954
Today’s King Edward’s School is a wonderful example of
Chairman Paul Higgs 1990-2000
up-to-date facilities and vibrant, modern buildings that must provide an invaluable
start in life for the pupils. My last year at King Edward’s in 1952 saw the purchase of Treasurer Peter Horton 1942-1949
Bathampton sports field, the first glimmer of light in the School’s modernisation. Rachel Allen 1987-1989
Tom Boyce 1987-1997
Since that time I, like so many others, have maintained my links with King Edward’s
Michael Darcy 1992-2002
through the Old Edwardians’ Association. In recent years it has been good to meet
many of my contemporaries at the Forties and Fifties Brigade Reunion organised Naomi Isherwood 1998-2000
by Geoff Hughes, to whom we owe a great Tom Isherwood 1993-2002
debt of gratitude. Again this year we spent a Michael Kenwood former staff
pleasant afternoon on a Kennet and Avon Canal Mike Prosser 1938-1948
cruise after meeting for lunch at the School.
Andy Ridyard 1979-1986
In June committee member, Tom Isherwood, Jo Stoaling 1994-1997
and I represented the OE’s at the School Brian Wilmot 1938-1945
Leaver’s Day. It was good to meet not only
School liaison representative
those who were leaving the School, but
Geoff Staley former staff
also many of the parents. At the close of
the summer term we met in Bath Abbey Governors’ representative
for the annual Founder’s Day Service. Here I heard, for the first time in my John Isherwood 1966-1973
60 year plus experience of the School, the actual words of the King Edward Secretary
VI Charter read aloud to the 1,000 strong congregation by the out-going Claire Davies current staff
Head Girl, Hannah Williams and Head Boy, James Wright, followed by the
Honorary members
thanksgiving prayers and the School prayer. During that service the excellent
Senior Choir sang three anthems that filled the Abbey. After the service we were The Headmaster
able to enjoy the good weather during drinks and lunch at the Junior School. Head Boy
Head Girl
As we now live in the age of communication, it should be easier to renew contacts
with the School, whatever your vintage! It is especially helpful now that we have Honorary Vice Presidents
our own website, OEs Online, where you can trace others from your year, enter Pat Buckingham former Chair of Governors
your own email address, and re-establish contact. I have been delighted to hear Laurie Coombs former Mayor of bath
from two former school friends, despite the gap of over 50 years. Please do take General Sir Jack Deverell 1953-1963
the opportunity to link up in this way we very much want to hear from you! Peter Horton 1942-1949
Furthermore, as you read this in the OE Link, may I add my thanks to Claire John Isherwood former President
Davies, who produces this high quality magazine for us. She would like to hear Michael Kenwood former staff
from more OEs; you do not have to appear in print if you do not wish to. John Pearson former President
Could I also remind everyone that, as well as arranging reunions and events Mike Prosser 1938-1948
that provide opportunities to meet in or outside Bath, the Association gives Professor Chris Rapley 1955-1966
practical support to activities and provides equipment for the School. This
Trevor Rhymes 1936-1944
year we funded the purchase of two new medical
Crispin Rowe former Headmaster
dummies for first aid training and in the coming year
we hope to provide safety handrails on some steep Bob Russett 1966-1971
and unprotected stone steps outside Nethersole. District Judge Rutherford former Chair of Governors
Peter Sheppard former President
We recognise that the majority of Old Edwardians
leave the Bath area after their time at the School, but Geoff Staley former staff
do keep in touch; it is an encouragement to staff and Tim Sylvester 1954-1965
can often be the means of renewed friendships. Brian Wilmot 1938-1945
Francis Ring Dennis Whittaker 1932-1939
Old Edwardian 1947-1954 Adwoa Winter former Secretary
Dr John Wroughton former Headmaster


OEs Online
OEs Online – the new website for the exclusive use of OEs
and former staff – was launched in December 2008. This secure
facility enables members to check their own contact details
and update personal profiles as well as adding relevant social
and business information with the option to include links to
websites. OEs can also search for old friends, advertise events
and find out about more goings-on in the OE calendar.
If you didn’t receive an introductory letter it means that we do
not have your current address! To find out more and to receive
your user ID and password, contact the Development Office
on 01225 820357 or email development@kesbath.com.
best school
“I had the best job in the
in the world.” Lang Jones
New benches for Bathampton
Five new solid wood benches were formally unveiled at the
Bathampton Playing Fields on 7th July 2008. This was a project
initiated by Lang Jones and completed by the Old Edwardians’
Association as a special tribute to Lang. Each bench has a plaque
with a special inscription, several dedicated to the man himself.
Representatives from the five groups who generously sponsored
the benches – the OE Committee, OE Rugby Club, Fathers’
Committee, Former Parents’ Association and Sue Jones – met
for lunch with Headmaster Crispin Rowe to formally ‘open’
the new benches. As envisaged by Lang, the new benches
provide a wonderful place for parents, Old Edwardians and
visitors to relax and enjoy watching sport at Bathampton.
The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009
Leaving Gift for Crispin Rowe
Acting President Geoff Hughes presents Headmaster Crispin Rowe
with a special leaving gift in June 2008, on behalf of the OE
Association – a watercolour of Nethersole painted by committee
member, Brian Wilmot.
Wroughton
Lecture 2009
The eighth lecture in the annual lecture
series sponsored by former Headmaster,
John Wroughton, was given in March
this year by international mountaineer
Stephen Venables.
In 1988 Stephen became the first Briton to climb Everest
without supplementary oxygen. His talk, Higher than the
Eagle Soars, was illustrated with stunning pictures and covered
some of his many travels, ranging from early alpine adventures
to great classics like the North Face of the Eiger and overseas
expeditions to Afghanistan, the Mountains of the Moon, the
mighty Karakoram and culminated in his epic ascent of Everest.
The lecture was a fantastic success, being inspirational for
young and old alike, and also raised £2,000 for the school’s
Bursary Funds.
Stephen is the author of twelve books – all available at
good bookshops – and the latest, First Ascent, is published
by Cassell Illustrated.


KES Kenya 2009
Through fundraising events held across the Pre-Prep, Junior
and Senior Schools, the whole KES community raised over
£36,000 in the academic year 2008-2009. This was used to
build two science laboratories, a library and a computer room
and to create two bore holes at Wagwer School in Kenya. KES
is now officially linked with Wagwer School through a link
funded by the UK Department for International Development.
Another trip is planned for summer 2010 for 32 students and
six staff. During this trip, the students will build a kitchen
and equip it with log burning cookers – at the moment
school lunch is prepared over a log fire in a mud hut. The
target for this year is £15,000. Donations are very welcome
and can be made at: www.justgiving.com/keskenya10.
On 10th July 2009, after a whole year of fundraising and
anticipation, 32 students and seven members of staff gathered
in the KES sports hall, along with a huge pile of shoes, textbooks
and microscopes, all ready to travel the 6,800 kilometres to
Nairobi. Despite the undeniable excitement, nobody was quite
sure what to expect, but after two and a half unforgettable
weeks, all expectations had been comfortably surpassed.
The first few days of the trip were spent in the capital, Nairobi,
home to the Kibera slum, a community of 1.2 million people living
in just 2.5 square kilometres. Although the extreme poverty and
appalling living conditions which we often see on television were
starkly apparent, visiting the slums was as much an uplifting
experience as a shocking one. The sense of community was
incredibly strong, and for a large part of the visit we were followed
by smiling children, desperate to try out the little English they knew.
Besides the slums, we also visited a new primary school
built by Moving Mountains, an orphanage of tiny baby
elephants and a sanctuary where you could kiss a giraffe!
The main part of the trip (ten days in total) was spent at Wagwer
School in rural western Kenya, during which we camped at
the school itself, along with 32 of the 200 Kenyan students. We
spent the majority of the ten days in groups of 16 (eight English
students and eight Kenyans), and although conversation was
tentative to begin with, by the end of our stay we knew the
Kenyans well. It was amazing how, despite coming from totally
different backgrounds (different languages, cultures, ways

Digging founda
tions
of life), we still had a lot in common and found plenty to talk
about. We could all relate to music and sports and conversation
ranged from differences in weather to contrasting levels of
political corruption. The Kenyan students felt passionately
that their generation were going to solve corruption. In the
future, we hope to stay in touch with our new found friends.
One thing that struck many people in the group was the sheer
determination and ambition of the Kenyan students. Most
of them wanted to be doctors, engineers or lawyers, often
purely because they were ‘good jobs’. Not only were they
impressively driven, they were also much more conscientious
than most of us. Some pupils would wake up at three o’clock
every morning so that they could finish their homework before
walking for two hours to school. It made us all realise how
we take the privilege of a good education for granted.
Whilst staying at the school, we took part in a number of activities
with the Kenyans. These ranged from a trip to Kisumu and a boat
trip on Lake Victoria (many Kenyans had never been on a boat),
to teaching a lesson to the primary school children, to visiting
Barack Obama’s grandmother, who lived nearby. In addition, we
worked on the construction of two science laboratories, a library
and a computer room. The library will be completed during August
and September 2009 using the money we raised during the year.
(Wagwer hopes to get mains electricity during the next 12 months.)
The final part of the trip was spent in Nakuru where we
went on safari for a couple of days. This was naturally very
different to the ten days at the school but was a great way to
finish the trip. We spent the first day in Nakuru national park
where we saw all sorts of fantastic animals, and the second
in Hell’s Gate national park, where we were taken on a walk
through a massive canyon with some breathtaking views.
All in all, the trip had everything we could have hoped for – as
well as being eye-opening and at times difficult, it was fulfilling,
uplifting and a really enjoyable experience. But above all it was
inspirational and, for everyone who went, it was less a single
trip and more an introduction which has spurred us all on to
do similar things in the future. Massive thanks to Mr. Wright,
Mr. Bolderow, Miss Kayacan and Miss Stevens as well as Mrs.
Crouch, Mr. Evans and Emily Holt for all their hard work.
Joe Iles
Year 12 pupil
 Chairman’s Letter
Welcome to the 2009 edition of the
OE Link! As this is my first year as
Chairman of the Old Edwardians’
Committee I ought to introduce
myself. I left KES in the year
2000 after a full 11-year stint
and went on to study veterinary
medicine at Cambridge. In 2006,
immediately after graduating, I
found myself back in the Bath
area working as a vet in Frome. Being back in Bath
has allowed me to take on the position of Chairman and get
involved with the future of the Association of Old Edwardians.
KES has always been a thriving force of proactivity and this year
is no different. We now have Martin Boden at the helm and much
to be proud of with the best-ever set of A-level results: 100% of
students achieved a pass and 91% of these were As or Bs. KES
has always been a fabulous place to learn but, as all of us know, it
has also always offered a vast array of opportunities for students
to broaden their experiences of the world. This year, as Old
Edwardians we can be rightly proud of one of our colleagues, Dan
Wright (1997 leaver), now back at KES teaching physics. With
the charity Moving Mountains, Dan enabled KES to forge a new
relationship with Wagwer School in Kenya. Through multiple
well-organised fundraising events the school community raised
over £36,000 for Wagwer and in the summer of 2009 Dan took 32
KES pupils there to help build the new facilities the money was
helping to pay for! You can read a pupil’s experience of the visit
on the opposite page. On behalf of the Association I would like
to congratulate Dan on his continued endeavours for the School.
In view of the economic climate, 2009 has been an
understandably quiet year in terms of events for the Old
Edwardians’ Association. The London Dinner was held on 11
September instead of its original date in January and, despite
reduced numbers, it was an extremely enjoyable evening with
the Radisson Edwardian Bloomsbury Street Hotel providing
an excellent venue with a great menu. The London Dinner is
traditionally the busiest and most energetic of the Association’s
annual Dinners and we are keen to ensure that we can continue
to host it every year. We are looking for a fabulous venue for next
year and ask all Old Edwardians, of any generation, to help us find
somewhere which will encourage a healthy turnout and allow us
to maintain a competitive ticket price. Many venues in London
require a member to ‘host’ the evening and we have been very
fortunate in the past in being able to hold Dinners at the House
of Commons and the RAF Club. If you have any suggestions,
please contact Claire Davies on 01225 820357 or email
development@kesbath.com. We really do want to hear from you!
New Travel Diary
Will Baxter (1998 leaver) has written a travel book –
Around the World in 80 Handbags – about his experiences travelling
in India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and North America. The book
is priced at £12.49 plus post and packing and is available from
www.80handbags.com and from ebay.
“A great read. Makes me want to go travelling again.”
Ashley Hollebone, the Daily Telegraph
Unlike previous generations we are not seeing a large number
of OEs returning to the Bath area, at least not until they are
older. This means that as an association we need to rethink
how we go about getting in touch with our peers and other
generations to encourage social events and communication. The
Old Edwardians’ Association, of which all OEs are members, is
a fantastic working network of people and the opportunities for
forging new contacts and strengthening old ones must not be
lost in the mists of time. We need your help to modernise this
network so that it can develop with us and continue to provide
the resource that it was originally designed to do. Thanks to the
continual hard work of our wonderful Secretary, Claire Davies,
we now have an online network through which we hope to be
able to bolster our contacts list. It is accessible through www.
kesbath.com under OEs Online; if you haven’t been supplied with
a password please contact Claire using the above contact details.
As part of our endeavours to encourage the younger OEs to
maintain contact, the Association will have a number of firsts
this year. To celebrate over ten years of organising Ten Tors for
the School by Tim Laney, a reunion took place in September
on Dartmoor for a weekend’s reminiscing, walking and beer.
You can read later on in the magazine about the trouble we
got into. Thanks go to Sam Lascelles for his organisational
efforts. There will also be an “Eighties” reunion for the
1988/89 leavers on 24th October – hopefully not too much
actual Eighties wear will be flaunted! If you are interested
in setting up a reunion please contact Claire for help.
Finally we are also starting up a new event which will become
another OE tradition. On 27 December there will be a recent
leavers’ reunion at the Royal Oak in Widcombe. There
will be a buffet put on by the Association. Although this is
predominantly for the 2009 leavers, all young OEs are very
welcome! We envisage that we will arrange a venue every
year, always on 27 December; it will be advertised in this
magazine and on the website so keep your eyes peeled. The
next generation of OEs is always the most important; if you
have any other ideas for suitable events please do contact us.
All that is left is for me to wish you all a safe and profitable 2010
and I look forward to seeing many of you at forthcoming events.
Paul Higgs
Old Edwardian 1990-2000
Friends Reunited
OEs Ralph Ashman and Brian Wilmot
meet in June 2009 for the first time
since leaving KES in the 1940s.
The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009 
Making fantasy
a reality
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a writer. Aged six, I was putting together
little books. A few years later I was writing and drawing my own comics. By the time I
attended King Edward’s Senior School, I was writing all sorts of short stories and role-
playing game rip-offs. But it was the Fighting Fantasy series of gamebooks by Steve Jackson
and Ian Livingstone that changed my life.

Radio 5 Live with Danny Wallace

and Dom Joly

When I first encountered The Warlock of

Firetop Mountain in a Bath bookshop, I
was instantly hooked. I loved the concept
of a gamebook – a novel in which you,
the reader, were the hero and which was
as much a puzzle to be solved as it was
a fantastic story – and Russ Nicholson’s
awesome illustrations brought a magical
fantasy world to vivid life for this particular
11-year-old boy. More Fighting Fantasy
books followed and I collected them with
something approaching religious devotion.
Although I was ultimately distracted
by other things, I never completely
lost my interest in the FF series.
At King Edward’s, John Chambers’
English lessons, in which I
remember having to write
everything from short descriptive
pieces to play scripts, and
O Level English creative writing
exercises, only served to inspire
me further, while Tim Snowdon’s
encouragement as a form
teacher also played its part.
The opportunity to undertake a creative But it was a hobby I was passionate
writing course even influenced my about and I never stopped writing, even
choice of university, although, in when the Fighting Fantasy work dried
the end, the course was cancelled up (only for ten years or so, as it turned
just before I arrived at Warwick. out). I started writing on a freelance
basis for hobby games company Games
However, I was now training to become a
Workshop, writing pieces of colour
primary school teacher, accepted wisdom
text – short, atmospheric extracts that
being that you couldn’t make a living as a
appeared within the rulebooks produced
writer. Even when I was commissioned to
to accompany the games of Warhammer
write my first Fighting Fantasy gamebook,
and Warhammer 40,000 – and later,
Spellbreaker, whilst still at university – the
articles for their White Dwarf magazine.
most rewarding holiday job I ever had – the
general consensus of opinion was still that
writing would never pay the bills; at best,
it could only ever be a paying hobby.



That led to me being in the right place at
the right time when Games Workshop’s
publishing imprint, the Black Library, was
set up. I began by contributing short stories
and later comic strips to their various
publications, before finally writing my first
novel, The Dead and the Damned, in 2002.
As I am writing this, I am actually halfway
through my tenth novel – entitled Evolution
Expects – although this one is for a
steampunk science fiction series of my own
devising which goes by the name of Pax
Britannia (published by Abaddon Books,
an imprint set up by the current owners of
classic British anthology comic 2000AD).
Having spent 11 years teaching in London,
the last four of those as Deputy Head of
a West London prep school (including a
stint as Acting Head), in July 2007 I took
the first step on the road to becoming
a full-time freelance writer. Forsaking a
regular wage, paid holidays and all the
other benefits one comes to take for
granted, I became a part-time class teacher
before giving up a career in education
altogether in the summer of 2008.
Jon with his children
I have been writing and, more importantly,
getting paid for it for nearly 17 years now.
In that time, as well as fantasy and science
fiction novels and a number of gamebooks,
I have written for such intellectual
properties as Sonic the Hedgehog and
Doctor Who. I have also written a number
of non-fiction books. The most recent of
these have been Match Wits with the Kids
(a revision guide for parents and, ironically,
the first educational book I have written,
having given up teaching to write it) and
What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You
Always Wanted to Know About Christmas.
This last book led to me ‘appearing’ on
Radio 5 Live on Christmas Day alongside
Dom Joly and Danny Wallace.
The advice I would give any aspiring author,
after that of getting your head checked first,
is to read, write, read some more, write
some more... ad infinitum. A writer writes.
It’s no good simply talking about wanting
to be a writer; if you’re going to do it, just
get on with it. There is, after all, no such
The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009
thing as an unpublished author, whatever
some people might have you believe.
Certain members of my family used to
wonder whether I would ever ‘grow out of’
the fantasy genre. Well, I’m now a 37-year-
old married father of two and, with my sixth
Fighting Fantasy adventure Stormslayer
(which is also my 24th book) published this
September, I think we can safely assume
that it’s not going to be any time soon.
Jonathan Green
Old Edwardian 1983-1990
To read more about what I’m up to on
the writing front at the moment, log onto
my blog at www.JonathanGreenAuthor.
blogspot.com. To read more about the
steampunk world of Pax Britannia, set
your Babbage Engine’s ether-relay to
www.PaxBritannia.blogspot.com.

 Waddesdon Manor, south front Photo: Hugh Palmer
© The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Working at
Waddesdon Manor
I have worked for the National Trust at Waddesdon
Manor for nearly five years, having come from the
Museum of Costume in Bath, following degrees in
English Literature and Museum Studies.
I was a sixth former at KES between 1996 and 1998,
studying for A Levels in English Literature, History
and Music. Working in museums interested me early
on and, while still at school, I did work experience
and voluntary work at the Museum of Costume
and Holburne Museum. After KES, I studied for
a degree in English Language and Literature at
Worcester College, Oxford, accompanied by more
voluntary work at the Ashmolean Museum. This was
followed by an MA in Museum Studies by distance
learning from the University of Leicester.
Rachel dressed for
sculpture cleaning My first job, as Documentation Assistant
at the Museum of Costume, grew out of
voluntary work. I started at Waddesdon in 2004 as Assistant Curator
(Steward), combining documentation with the practicalities of
looking after the collection, and was promoted to Curator in 2007. Boy building a house of cards by Jean-Siméon Chardin (1699-
I am part of a team of ten, with roles ranging from administration 1779), 1735. Oil on canvas, 76 x 99 cm. Waddesdon, The Rothschild
and creating exhibitions, to running the photographic library. Collection (The National Trust). Photo: Mike Fear © The National
Trust, Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon is a combination of historic house and museum, with
changing exhibitions, as well as a unique set of 19th century interiors. town and country houses. Ferdinand mixed 18th century French
As a curator, I am involved in the care, documentation and exhibition panelling, furniture, porcelain and textiles with 18th century English
of a collection of predominantly 18th century French decorative arts. portraits by Gainsborough and Reynolds and 17th century Dutch
paintings by artists including Cuyp, Wouwerman and Teniers.
Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, was built and furnished in the
1870s and 1880s by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839-98) from Having survived two world wars, and because of the lack of an
the Viennese branch of the banking family, who settled in the Vale heir to the estate, Waddesdon was bequeathed to the National
of Aylesbury. As collectors, the Rothschilds favoured treasures from Trust in 1957 by James de Rothschild (1878-1957). It has been
pre-revolutionary France and recreated interiors in this style in their open to the public since 1959 and is run by one of the Rothschild
Family Trusts, chaired by the current Lord Rothschild.


Conservation of the Red Drawing Room ceiling

My work revolves around Waddesdon’s cycle of open and closed

seasons. Annual open season tasks include inventory checks
of everything on display and in store, condition checking and
cleaning the garden statuary, cataloguing the costume and
textiles, and leading tours and study days on the collection. Perceval by Sarah Lucas (b. 1962), 2006. Bronze and concrete.
From the end of October each year the house is closed, although Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust).
part of it reopens for Christmas, and decorating trees is one of Photo: Mike Fear © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor
the most enjoyable parts of my job. The winter, from November
to March, is the busiest part of my year, with the ‘putting to house of cards by Jean-Siméon Chardin (1735), and a portrait
bed’ of the house for its annual deep clean and the preparation of the Duc de Choiseul by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1786).
of exhibitions for the next season. Even the garden statues are There is also some contemporary sculpture in the grounds,
covered to protect against frost. The winter closed period is when the most recent addition being a life-size bronze statue of a
any large scale conservation work is carried out, such as the shire horse and cart by Sarah Lucas called Perceval (2006).
recent cleaning and restoration of the ceiling painting in the Red
Waddesdon does not stand still and is constantly developing
Drawing Room, one of Waddesdon’s most important interiors.
access to and research into the collection. Working here is never
My work also gives me opportunities to attend conferences at dull. There cannot be many jobs where I could be showing
other museums and historic houses, and to travel as a courier, a visiting scholar around the house in the morning and up a
accompanying objects to loan exhibitions. Since Waddesdon’s stepladder decorating a Christmas tree in the afternoon!
collection is on a par with the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum
This year Waddesdon’s special exhibitions are focusing on the
of Art, objects are continually requested as loans. In return, we
Rothschild passion for horseracing, and drawings and porcelain
borrow objects from other museums, including two pairs of 17th
collected by Baron Edmond de Rothschild (1845-1934). There
century gloves lent by the Fashion Museum in Bath to Waddesdon’s
is also plenty to see in the gardens and in the area around the
2008 exhibition on shopping in 17th and 18th century Paris. At
Stables, where there is a new shop and a children’s play area.
the moment we have on loan a Gainsborough portrait from the
The website address is www.waddesdon.org.uk and the drive
Holburne Museum, while the building is being refurbished.
is only two hours from Bath. Please do come and visit.
The collection at Waddesdon is still growing. The most recent
acquisitions have been some important French paintings: a state
Rachel Boak
portrait of Louis XVI by Antoine-François Callet (1782), a ball OLD EDWARDIAN 1996-1998
and a concert celebrating Giovanni Paolo Panini’s depiction
(circa 1751) of the birth of the Dauphin’s son, Boy building a

The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009 

 Headmaster’s view
They say that time flies when you’re having fun. And when you’re very, very busy.
Presumably, when the two sets of circumstances coincide, it fairly races by, which would
explain why I can scarcely believe that it is a year since I became Headmaster.
Before I launch into the many highlights
of the past year, I would like to say that
it has been a genuine pleasure to meet
so many Old Edwardians of all ages at
the Dinners held by the Association of
Old Edwardians, the Forties and Fifties
Brigade Reunion and at School events
such as the Careers Convention, the
Wroughton Lecture and our annual Carol
and Founder’s Day Services. To those who
haven’t been back to visit the School yet,
I would like to extend a very warm and
open invitation to come back and see us.
During the Autumn Term, the School was
inspected by the Independent Schools
Inspectorate and emerged with flying
colours, receiving one of the best Inspection
Reports anywhere in the country during
2008. The word ‘outstanding’ was used to
describe the achievements of pupils and
colleagues in every category in which these
were judged, and the School received ringing
endorsements not only of the academic
success for which it is rightly renowned, but
also of the quality of pastoral care and social,
moral and spiritual development of pupils
which lie equally at the heart of education at
King Edward’s. Another aspect highlighted
by the Inspectors as outstanding was the
wide range of extra-curricular opportunities
available to the boys and girls across sport,
music, drama, art, outdoor pursuits, CCF,
clubs, societies and trips. Here are just
some of the highlights of the last year:
In sport: we remain the top rugby school
at senior level in Bath for the seventh
year running, were 3rd in the National
Netball Championship, 3rd in the National
Biathlon Championship and won team and
individual first place in pistol shooting at the
National Schools Championship at Bisley.
10
In music: the School won the Best Senior
Orchestra accolade at the Mid-Somerset
Festival and there are over 360 pupils
across the Junior and Senior Schools
taking instrumental music lessons, not to
mention a very accomplished staff band!
In drama: 85 Lower School pupils
performed in The Arabian Nights and just
before Christmas we enjoyed a Senior
School Production of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, which would not, in the
judgement of everyone who saw it, have
been out of place on any professional stage.
In art: nine of this year’s leavers are going
on to study Art/Design/Architecture
courses at university, including at the
prestigious Courtauld Institute, and earlier
in the summer the School played host to a
fantastic Art and Photography Exhibition,
sponsored by local firm Monahans,
showcasing work by pupils and colleagues
and appreciated by hundreds of visitors.
We continue to perform each year with
great success in Ten Tors, yomping 35, 45,
even 55 miles across Dartmoor. We also
have an expanding Duke of Edinburgh
programme, which now sees around 35
pupils taking Bronze award and 15 the
highly coveted and prestigious Gold award.
Our Combined Cadet Force is one of the
oldest CCFs in the country and enjoys
a high-profile link with a group of fine
young cadets from Beechen Cliff School.
This year the corps is nearly 100 strong.
As for clubs and societies – where to start?
There are over 60 listed in the School
Calendar, from Aeolian and Amnesty to
Young Life Savers and Young Magicians Club.
One of our increasingly popular societies
is the Astronomical Society. Last year two
groups visited the home of Sir Patrick
Moore, who has since become the Society’s
Patron. They had lunch with him, presented
him with a chess board specially adapted
for Sir Patrick’s arthritic hands by our own
DT Department, played chess with him
and had a guided tour of the observatory
where The Sky at Night is filmed. Shortly
after the second visit, I received a letter from
Sir Patrick, “Dear Headmaster, two groups
of your pupils have now been brought to
my observatory. It is a real pleasure to have
them: impeccable dress, faultless manners,
speaking the Queen’s English, intelligent and
good company. What a grand job you and
your staff are doing. If all teenagers were
like yours, I would have no qualms about the
future of our country.” High praise indeed!

Hundreds of pupils have also taken part
in dozens of trips over the last 12 months.
The following are just the trips that took
place over the Easter holidays: Classics
trip to Naples, Geography trip to Iceland,
French trip to Paris, German exchange
to Braunschweig, Spanish exchange to
Pamplona, History trip to Berlin, Art trip to
Barcelona, Cricket tour to Antigua and in the
UK, CCF camp and the Duke of Edinburgh
Gold expedition to the Peak District. And if
that wasn’t enough, in the summer there was
a rugby tour to Canada and our inaugural
trip to visit our link school in Kenya.
You’ll notice that I haven’t mentioned
academic results yet. My point is a simple
one: while this aspect of School life is a
hugely important part of what King Edward’s
is about, what King Edward’s is about is of
course much more. It is still a great pleasure
to be able to report that this year the School
enjoyed its second best ever GCSE results –
74% of all entries were graded A* or A.
At A Level the results were our best ever by
some way: 91% of all entries were at A or B
grade, with well over 60% at the higher level,
ranking King Edward’s amongst the top 50
independent schools in the country and the
top school of its type in the South West of
England. I said to the pupils in an assembly
recently that it is important not to be too
proud – and certainly not boastful – about
one’s achievements, but the School can
certainly take great pride in this fantastic
success, and great pleasure in its rude
academic health.
Do keep in touch and I look forward
to meeting many more of you in the
coming year.
With best wishes
Martin Boden
Headmaster
Old Edwardian
Shooting Team
It gives me great pleasure to write this
piece as an update to Major Brigitte
Yeshim’s article in the July 2008 issue.
Those of you who read the article
will be aware of the huge progress
made by both the school cadet force
and the shooting teams over the past
few years. This year has been no
exception, with both organisations
still growing in size and success.
King Edward’s School has been
represented in county, national and
international shooting events for the past
four years by its own Combined Cadet
Force. Those of us who have been part
of shooting at KES since its rebirth in
2006 wished very much to continue the
sport once we had left the Sixth Form
and gone on to gap years and university.
We decided to form an Old Edwardians
shooting team and enter the ‘Schools
Veterans’ competition which forms
part of the annual Imperial Meeting at
the National Shooting Centre, Bisley
Camp in Surrey. The meeting lasts for
three weeks and involves shooters from
hundreds of countries competing in
the world’s premier shooting event.
Having shot in the meeting’s cadet
competitions in previous years we
were no strangers to Bisley and, after
completing a two-day ‘shake out’
course at Warminster military ranges
(to make sure we still knew which
end of the rifle was which), we were
ready for Bisley schools week.
The team consisted of me as captain and
three other shooters – 2Lt Charles Randle,
2Lt Sebastian Vass and 2Lt Nashua
Mashhor – all of us recent school leavers.
The team was coached by WO2 David
Lee who has been instrumental in the
rebirth of shooting at KES since his arrival
in 2006. During the competition week
we practised alongside our cadets as
they competed in their own competitions
against over 50 teams, including those
from Epsom and Clifton Colleges, The
Oratory and Dollar Academy as well
as teams from Canada and Australia.
The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009
Above from left to right: Daniel Trenchard,
Sebastian Vass, WO2 David Lee,
Charles Randle and Nashua Mashhor
After three days of practice for both
the cadet and the OE teams the
competition day, known as Ashburton
Day, approached. The morning and
afternoon saw our cadets shoot at 300,
500 and 600 yards in teams of four,
achieving a very respectable fourth
place overall. The four members of the
cadet air pistol team achieved a place
each in the top 10 individual scores
and a first place in the team event.
Much to our surprise, our very
young OE team was faced with
over 60 veteran teams made up of
shooters with extensive experience.
These included Old Epsomians, Old
Marlburians and Old Wellingburians
veteran teams. We achieved a hard
fought 45th place overall with a score
of 208.8v out of a possible 250.10v.
The end of the shooting did not signal
the end of the day however. It is now
tradition every year at Bisley for all the
teams to take part in the ‘Bisley Ball’.
This is a semi-formal dinner with the odd
toast and speech here and there to round
up the year of shooting and celebrate
the success of all the different teams.
The formation of the first Old Edwardians’
shooting team was a resounding
success. We have created a foundation
for pupils who will be leaving the School
with international shooting experience
behind them. We hope that it will also
give those Old Edwardians who have
shooting experience, or who used to
be part of the Combined Cadet Force, a
chance to come back and use their skills
in many different shooting disciplines.
We hope that next year the veterans’
competition at Bisley will be one of
many events in the team’s calendar
and that it will provide a fitting end to
a busy and successful shooting year.
2Lt Daniel Trenchard
Old Edwardian 2001-2008
11
From North Road to

On the Hebridean Princess with John Wroughton in 2008

12
the Northern Isles
KES school photo from 1968
Having been to the Park Prep School in Weston,
I passed the entrance exam to King Edward’s
and made my way there in 1967.
Enjoyable memories come flooding back – the social
side of army camps at Penhale and Culty Braggan with
haircuts at the last minute to be allowed to go; the
ski trip to Norway led by John Wroughton, on a ferry
that hit a force ten. (Had I not been with hardier boy
sailors I might have been put off the sea for life!)
Achievements for winning house colours in Symonds as
part of the successful music competition and hockey team
go hand in hand with the sad reminder of exam results.
My lack of success in the O Levels was not down to the
teaching or even the revision (which I genuinely did) but
simply to the fact that they asked the wrong questions!
I would like to say that KES gave me confidence
and a good grounding for the future, based on the
knowledge I did retain from the map of the world
drawn on the board by Lang Jones and the Latin
phrases uttered by Mr Willett as he came into class.
The CCF with Colonel Currie and Sergeant Major
Dodge also helped to instil discipline for the future.
After this time my father asked me what I would like to do as
a career – since studying was clearly not to be. I had no idea.
My father then asked me what I enjoyed doing most. I quickly
answered: “Going on holiday!” I must thank him for that
question and his suggestion that the hotel industry would be my
best suited direction (which it still is after 34 years). I had two
enjoyable years at Weston-Super-Mare Technical College where
I met a student who had gone to work on ships. This inspired
me to apply to several shipping companies to experience travel
whilst working as a steward and I was accepted by P&O.
After two years on the Canberra, I was transferred to
Princess Cruises where in 1979 I met my wife on board the
Sun Princess (the ‘Love Boat’!) When we married in 1982
(and had our daughter Liz a few years later), I left deep sea
cruises and worked on the P&O ferries across the Channel
and the Bay of Biscay. Then, in 2005, came the opportunity
to work with Hebridean International Cruises. Working on
the Hebridean Princess around the Western Isles of Scotland
and on the Hebridean Spirit as far as India and South Africa
brought back memories of the Canberra world cruises.
Having moved up the ranks over the years, it
was a fantastic experience to work on a small
cruise ship as food and beverage manager. Within
two months of joining, I was informed that the
Queen had chartered the ship to celebrate her
80th birthday in July 2006. This is a memory I will
never forget. If only my father were alive today
to hear me say, “I still enjoy going on holiday but
never thought it would be with the Queen”!
It is coming up to two years since I was promoted to chief
purser and I have met some very interesting people from
all walks of life, including teachers. What a small world it
is that one of our on-board guides has a sister who lives
in Bath just below the school in North Road. Not only
did she have a son who went to KES, but her husband
has proof-read several of John Wroughton’s books.
The KES link culminated in an extraordinary
case of déjà vu one month after I crossed over to
Bergen to cruise the fjords on board the Hebridean
Princess. Last summer, forty years after that
stormy crossing to Norway on the school ski trip,
I found that I was again sailing with my old History
teacher, none other than John Wroughton!
David Indge
Old Edwardian 1967-1974
The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009 13
Land’s End to
John O’ Groats –
“Because it’s there”
Never a great one for participating in sports whilst at King Edward’s – I seemed to expend
a great deal of effort in trying to avoid games – I surprised myself in later life by taking up
running. I managed to complete the Bath Half Marathon several times and later, when the
knees could no longer take the pounding, I took up cycling.
Over a period I undertook longer and
longer distances, culminating in successful
completion of the Salisbury One Hundred
ride in 1991. This entailed a start in
Salisbury, going north to Devizes and
Bradford-on-Avon and then climbing
Brassknocker Hill to Combe Down, and
returning to Salisbury via Midford and
Warminster, a total of 100 miles in one day.
Then, in 2001, when I retired I decided
that I needed a greater challenge. The ride
from Land’s End to John O’ Groats seemed
to fit the bill but there were two major
problems. The first was to be fit enough
to complete the course and the second
was the logistical problem of where to stay
each night and how to carry the necessary
luggage without too much effort. In the end
I joined an organised camping trip where
luggage was carried from stop to stop and
breakfasts and evening meals would be
provided at each site. Lunches were taken
in the inevitable pubs and cafes along the
way. The organisers also provided tents,
which they would put up each day for the
weary cyclists, and a bicycle mechanic to
follow the riders in case of breakdowns.
Training took the form of regular cycle
rides in the months preceding the trip,
gradually building up the mileage to the
necessary 60 or 70 miles per day. I found
it fairly easy to cope with this sort of
distance in one day but was warned that
it would be much more difficult to keep
this up every day for three weeks.
14
The ride took place in July and early August showers which were sorely needed at the
2001 and on the appointed day I and some end of each day. At Okehampton there was
40 others arrived at the camp site at Sennen only one set of showers so the ‘boys’ and
near Land’s End nervously wondering just ‘girls’ had to take it in turns to use them!
what we had let ourselves in for. The group
The next day again started off wet for our
were a very mixed bunch ranging in age
journey to Taunton but we were much
from the youngest in their late twenties
relieved to reach the flat lands of Somerset
to the oldest, a gentleman in his seventies
after the hills of Cornwall and Devon. Then
– no, not me! The first evening was spent
on to Bath, crossing the obstacle of the
enjoying the first of many excellent meals
Mendip Hills on the way. Bath was to be our
prepared in the catering van which was to
first rest day and I resisted the temptation
accompany us, and on introductions to
to return home for the night to sleep in a
the organisers who would be supporting
comfortable bed having only just become
us along the way. Then an early night
accustomed to sleeping under canvas. Our
to prepare for the hard work ahead.
camp was set up on the rugby pitch on the
The following morning the sun was shining Recreation Ground and we were treated to
and we all cycled the couple of miles to a the calls of the hundreds of seagulls that
very misty Land’s End for the necessary arrived before first light to disturb our sleep.
group photographs before starting off in
Over the next days we travelled to Upton on
twos and threes as we were ready. It turned
Severn, Much Wenlock and into Derbyshire
out to be a beautiful Cornish summer’s
to Buxton and over the southern Pennines.
day as we rode through Penzance and on
It was on the morning we were to leave
to our overnight stop in St Austell after
Buxton that the conditions I had most
riding almost 60 miles. We were all pleased
feared occurred – we awoke to torrential
to be on the way and had great hopes that
rain beating down on the tents and had
the weather was going to be kind to us.
to get up and out and set off in the rain.
Our hopes were dashed the following However, once we had been cycling for half
morning when we woke to a fine drizzle an hour or so, the little matter of getting
with overcast skies but fortunately it thoroughly wet did not seem to matter any
dried up as the day wore on. This was to more! The only consolation was that this
be a much harder day as we headed for was one of the shortest days at 45 miles.
Okehampton, crossing Bodmin Moor on
The plain around York was a short-lived
the way and negotiating the steep slopes
of the Cornish hills and valleys. Late in
relief after the Pennine Hills but we soon
came to the high hills of the Durham Moors
the afternoon we arrived at Okehampton
between Barnard Castle and Hexham. The
Rugby Club ground, our overnight stop
Scottish border was crossed in the Kielder
after 67 miles. We now realised that many
of our stops were to be at rugby club and
Forest Park, once again in heavy rain.
school grounds where there were communal
By the time we reached Edinburgh for our
second rest day we had cycled for nine days
continuously and for thirteen altogether,
but we all seemed to be coping well and
quickly getting fitter. Also there were ‘only’
John O’ Groats
five more days to go to John O’ Groats.
One of the hilliest days was on the journey
Helmsdale
from Crieff passing through Kenmore,
Tummel Bridge and thence joining the
A9 over Drumocter summit at over 1500
feet to Kingussie. From here on we were Inverness
treated to long, slow climbs and then fast
downhill runs before the next climb on
our way from Inverness up the east coast
Kingussie
of Scotland to the relatively flat country
from Helmsdale to John O’ Groats.

There were great celebrations as the

group trickled into John O’ Groats
Crieff
at the end of the ride, continuing
into the night in the village pub. Edinburgh
Only three of the original group of 41
failed to make it: unfortunately one person
became saddle sore and could not ride, one Hawick
person was knocked off his bicycle by a car
emerging from a junction near Buxton and
dislocated a shoulder and had to withdraw, Hexham
and the last fell on a gravel cycle track
near the A9 only three days from the
end and decided not to continue. Barnard Castle
Bearing in mind that the ride
took place in July and August,
we had only two days with no York
rain at all with everything from
a light drizzle to torrential Bretton Hall
rain on several occasions.
The lasting impression I have
though is not of the weather Buxton
but the varying scenery from the
coast of Cornwall to the hills of the
Pennines and the Scottish mountains
and the views across the Pentland Firth
to Orkney. Also we managed to cycle the
Much Wenlock
length of Great Britain without using main
roads and therefore without seeing traffic
jams and large towns during the nearly three Upton-upon-Severn
weeks it took us to ride some 1100 miles.
I have been asked by many people who
would not contemplate such a foolhardy
plan why I would want to undertake such Bath
a ride and the answer I usually give is
“Because it’s there”.
Taunton
John Ennor
Old Edwardian 1948-1960 Okehampton

St Austell

Land’s End

The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009 15

News from Old Edwardians
1940s 1970s 1980s
Laurie Coombs, 1944 Mark Hodges, 1970 John Hemingway, 1985
It is with great pride that I look back at
my years at King Edward’s, in particular
the time spent playing rugby, hockey
and cricket for the school’s first teams.

BBC Radio studio manager John

Was presented with the MBE by
Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor
Castle earlier this year for voluntary
service to the community of Bath.
A member of Bath City Council for 30
years, Laurie was Mayor of the City
1982-83. He was Governor at KES from
1986 to 2001 and is a Life President of
the Old Edwardians’ Association.
He has served as a trustee or chairman
of a wide range of local and regional
charities and voluntary associations
including St John’s Hospital, Age
Concern and Knightstone Housing
Association. His particular interest
has been education, particularly the
independent and church sectors. This was
recognised in 2004 by the Rt Rev Peter
Brice, Bishop of Bath and Wells, when he
presented Laurie with an award for his
services to christianity in the diocese.
Hemingway (far left) with production staff
and the Prime Minster, Gordon Brown,
who was interviewed by presenter
Jeremy Vine (seated) on his lunchtime
Radio 2 show in November 2008.
I have been living in Durban, South
Africa since 1980 when I took up a
managerial post with Nedbank Limited.
Simon Kitson, 1985
In 1986 I left and started my own
business which, with hard work and
some good fortune, has developed over
the last 20 years into one of the largest
clothing wholesalers in South Africa.
In March 2010 – exactly 40 years since
I was KES Hockey Captain under Peter
Gayton – my 17-year-old son Alex will
embark on a hockey tour with Clifton
College, Durban which includes a Hockey
Tournament at King Edward’s. We think
this is a coincidence of note and I look
forward to seeing some old friends
when we come over for the tour.

1950s
Derek Tigwell, 1954

In July 2009, Simon, who works as the

If any Old Edwardians are thinking of
making a trip to South Africa, my wife
and I will be very happy to accommodate
you at our guesthouse (which can offer
golf, game parks and barbecues in
abundance. Email: mark@obsw.co.za
Martin Johnson, 1977
Derek pictured on the left, who
Martin married Ann on 2nd January
lives in Australia, receiving his
2009. OE Rob Prosser was best man.
Rotarian of the Year award.
Director of Research at the University
of London Institute in Paris, appeared
in an episode of the genealogical BBC1
television series Who Do You Think You
Are? The programme was devoted to
Big Brother presenter Davina McCall
and Simon told the story of her great
grandfather, Celestin Hennion, who
was head of the French police.

16
Stuart Williams, 1986
I am currently Deputy Managing Director
& Marketing Director for Sony Pictures in
the UK. My work covers the marketing of
our film releases in cinemas, including
the advertising and media, promotions,
publicity and premieres and events.
Recently I have worked on the release
of the last James Bond film, Quantum of
Solace, which included organising a royal
premiere in aid of Help for Heroes and
the British Legion that was attended by
Prince William and Prince Harry. This year
I have worked on film campaigns for the
release of the follow-up to the The Da Vinci
Code, Angels and Demons, plus the next
instalment of the Terminator franchise,
Terminator Salvation, and a movie based
on the life of Brian Clough starring Michael
Sheen, The Damned United. Future releases
include 2012 in November, which is a
spectacular disaster movie directed by
Roland Emmerich based on the Mayan
prophecies of the end of the world.
1990s
Ian Feasey, 1997
Ian Feasey, a Lieutenant Commander
in the Royal Navy, was married in May
to Caroline, a fellow naval officer, at St
Mary’s Church in Claverton near Bath.
The sun shone and a number of KES
friends were there to share the day with
them. Ian is currently in a Command
appointment on HMS Severn, one of the
Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessels,
conducting patrols around the UK waters
in support of customs, fishery protection
and security agencies. Over the last few
years the Navy has kept Ian away from UK 2000s
shores with deployments in the Middle
and Far East, preventing his attendance Ed Phippen, 2004
at OE functions, but with an appointment Was awarded a First Class Degree
ashore planned in 2010 he hopes to have in Mechanical Engineering from the
more time to catch up with old school University of Southampton in 2008.
friends and finish renovating his house.
Rory MacQueen, 2004
David Osborne, 1998 leaver
Is working in Bangladesh for the UK
Government’s Department for International
Development. One of his projects involves
working with the political parties to
help them better represent themselves
through programmes such as Bangladesh
versions of Question Time and Panorama.
In his spare time, he is doing his best
to introduce Bangladeshis to rugby.
Phil Cass, 1999 and
Chris Dixon, 2001
Rory MacQueen left KES in 2004 to move
to the United States. He attended the
Lawrenceville Prep School and graduated
as Valedictorian of his class in May 2008.
He is now studying at Stanford University
and plans to major in Economics and
Philosophy. He remembers his time at KES
with affection and credits the School for
his sound academic base and discipline.
Seb Vass, Sarah McGrigor,
Tom Pooley, Jon Buckley,
Both are Army captains and delighted to
Guy Vernon, 2008 leavers
have met up on the military frontline in
Afghanistan. They are among 120 soldiers
at Patrol Base Woqab, near the previously
Taliban-held town of Musa Qal’eh in
northern Helmand. Chris is the operations
officer of B Company, 2nd Fusiliers
Regiment responsible for its overall running
and management. Phil is a member of 19
Regiment Royal Artillery and has been
attached to the Fusiliers for a six-month
tour of Afghanistan. He is responsible for
coordinating all the artillery, mortars and
air cover which support the infantry troops
from B Company on the ground. Chris said, This image is a scene from their play,
“We knew each other at school because, Forgive Me Father. The play envisages
even though Phil was two years above how the Second Coming of Christ
me, I am best friends with his younger would affect the modern world and was
brother, Dave (also an OE and a captain developed during their drama classes at
serving in Afghanistan). It is good to have KES. Having impressed the judges from
a friendly face that you have a past with. It Bath Spa University during a showcase of
is something that we have in common and school drama talent, they went on to take
something different that we can talk about.” the play to the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe.
The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009 17
Back to
my roots

18
Not so long ago I was congratulating myself on having eluded the
clutches of farming. However, this last 18 months have taken a
turn in the opposite direction!
I come from a farming family, with my
dad and two uncles all involved in food
production in different ways. All three of
them are also Old Edwardians. Dad (Rich)
left in 1975 and my uncles, Steve and
Geoff, left in 1974 and 1977 respectively.
From school, they all went to agricultural
college before setting up their farms.
When I left school in 2003 I was presented
with a completely different set of
opportunities from the previous generation
and decided to take the obligatory gap year
before going on to Cardiff University to study
Economics. It was over these four years that I
discovered my interest in food. To start with,
it was mostly tasting, but this soon grew to
cover other aspects such as the production,
preparation, cooking and serving of food.
With a degree behind me but little in the
way of money or a clue of what to do next,
reality kicked in after graduation when a
career decision had be made. Many things
came together at the same time. The family
farm was going through changing times
and, having produced for supermarkets for
20 years, we were looking for a more varied
and sustainable farming system. I had been
involved in our farm since I was old enough
to be put to work (in farming terms that’s
just about when you can walk!) but now I
wanted to help to shape its future and keep it
a ‘working farm’. To do this we had to change
our system and keep in control of our own
production. I persuaded my parents to allow
me to join the business and open a farm
shop and café to market all of our family
produce, including that of both my uncles.
That was the easy bit!
In August 2008, apparently the worst time
to set up a business in the last 30 years, we
opened our farm shop in one of our vacant
barns. We deliberately set out to ‘walk
before we could run’, to try and gauge our
market and also to manage our demand.
There is only so much planning, predicting
and forecasting you can do when starting
up a new business (I did try to use all the
theory passed on by Mr Heywood and Mr
Vile!), but until the doors are open you
have no idea what’s around the corner.
As I write, we are planning our first birthday
celebrations after a great first year. We have
forged excellent relationships with other
farmers, producers and suppliers and are
The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009
Ed Norris
proud to offer the very best quality local
produce along with our own. Our local
community have given us terrific support
and with this we have been able to make
investments and establish our shop to a
level not previously imagined within our
first year. Our guiding principle is to listen
and to react to customer feedback so that
Hartley Farm becomes something for the
community. This is one big advantage we
have had over the multiples and other large
food retailers. I have had some great support,
not only from my family, but also from
friends including a lot of OEs. I managed to
rope in Ed Norris, an OE friend, to help start
up and manage our butchery and regular
customers include Roger and Carole Rowe,
Jill Ross, Andrew Thomas, his son Steve and
their family, Dorothy George and her family
and Barry Heywood, to name but a few!
The big focus now is where next? Our first
priority, of course, is to continue to grow and
evolve in the right way. Many other retailers
have been a victim of their own success
and lost sight of their original motives. We
have made great strides in establishing our
shop and café and making Hartley Farm a
recognisable food name and I am passionate
about keeping our name synonymous with
good quality, local food whilst also unique
to other specialist food shops. We have
received website funding for an online shop
to deliver our produce further afield in the
future. Another ambition is to add value
to more of our produce in our kitchen and
to increase the range of ready-prepared
products made in our farm kitchen.
All in all, it has been a hard but rewarding
18 months with a very steep learning curve.
We know now that with retail there is little
in the way of day-to-day trends and warning
signs, but the key is not to lose focus of
where you want to be. With the tremendous
support we have had, especially from a few
Old Edwardians, we are more and more
confident of making a future for our farm
and most importantly, a sustainable future.
Tom Bowles
Old Edwardian 1992-2003
www.hartley-farm.co.uk
19

A Year in Switzerland
Briony Martin, her husband Peter, and their sons, Max (7), Ben (5) and Jack (2), moved to Switzerland
last year for a work project. They returned to the UK in July 2009.
I wish I had done French A Level at KES
because it would have been a great help
when we arrived in Switzerland one year
ago with our three small boys and the only
words we had were “merci” and “bonjour”.
Switzerland has four official languages
– French, Swiss German, Italian and the
mountain dialect, Rumantsch – and our
year has been spent in the French-speaking
region of Vaud on the beautiful northern
shore of Lake Geneva. On a clear day the
mountains at the eastern end of the lake
frame the towns of Vevey and Montreux like
a majestic white cloak, each peak hinting
at the Alps rolling away behind. But to our
five-year-old and seven-year-old “mountains
are for Mummy”. The only question in
their minds is , “What is there for kids?”.
First up for all of us has been a crash course
in French. Not in school or with a tutor
but in the boulangeries and magasins of
Blonay, the sprawling Swiss village 2000
feet up the mountain where we have made
our temporary home. The boys missed a
term of school when we first arrived here
and so they were my shadows and helpers
as I toured the local villages, sampled the
various coffee shops and reeled at the
wonderful quality but horrendous prices
of Swiss food. And they have been quick to
pick up the lovely politeness of Swiss-French
street conversation, addressing everyone
as ‘Madame’ or ‘Monsieur’ accompanied
20
Briony sledging with sons
Jack and Ben at the local ski slope
Our house in Blonay
(in the foreground)
by a winning smile. My early attempts at
chat were more earnest and much more
embarrassing, but then it’s harder work as a
grown-up, not only because you have been
used to talking in a certain way for years
but also because expectations are higher.
At first there seemed to be endless ways I
could feel my own foreignness. There were
the shopkeepers who listened patiently and
then replied in English, the tradespeople
who corrected each and every word I said
before I’d even finished, and the checkout
lady who tutted and rolled her eyes as I
tried to ask a question. But these were
all outweighed by the vast majority of
lovely people who smiled and made a real
effort to understand. This isn’t just a Swiss
phenomenon. Incredulity in the face of
someone’s inability to make themselves
understood is global, and no doubt we Brits
are some of the worst offenders. When we
come back to England this summer I’ll never
again undervalue someone’s poor English.
Now I know what it’s like to be saying in my
head a complicated and interesting sentence
about how long we’ve lived here and what
we think of it, and yet all people hear is
an overdose of the present tense along the
lines of “One year we live here, we like”!
Despite the language barrier we have found
being foreigners strangely seductive. If you
clearly don’t belong then you always have
the option of detaching and retreating
into onlooker mode. Being an outsider has
enabled me to value what’s great here – the
clean air, the feeling of safety and security,
and the fierce independence of the Swiss
– and also to see more clearly what it is I love
about the UK. Despite the credit crunch,
falling house prices and economic doom and
gloom, England, for me, is home. It’s where
I belong. Just as my Swiss neighbours have
been nurtured and formed by the mountains
and the Alpine pastures, so the flatter, gentler
countryside of Wiltshire has nurtured me.
Unlike our neighbours here, we have been
floating on the surface of Switzerland,
dipping in to make fondue or drink the local
‘fendant’ wine, but never really belonging.
It must be very different to move abroad
permanently, through work or a relationship,
and to know that ultimately the language and
cultural barriers must be overcome. That is
someone else’s article to write and no doubt
many old Edwardians have lived it. For us,
our Swiss interlude is drawing to a close.
We will return with improved French and
a lifetime’s worth of admiration for Swiss
cakes, and we’ll never forget the soul-lifting
sight of the mountains that you get here
on every street corner. But we’re going to
be ready to say “merci” and come home.
Briony Martin
Old Edwardian 1987-1989
Pedalling all the way
In 2009, Sam Williams cycled from England to Kenya, a distance of nearly 6,000 miles
across three continents and 17 countries. It took a total of 109 days to reach his
destination – FARM-Africa’s Kenya Dairy Goat and Capacity Building Project in Mwingi.
In 2008, I rowed a 23-foot boat across the Atlantic by myself.
Of all the questions people used to ask me, one came up
again and again: “Why?” Thankfully, there was a very simple
answer. I was raising money for a project set up by FARM-
Africa, a charity that supports rural communities in eastern
Africa. After a while, I made the decision to visit Mwingi in
Kenya in order to find out, first-hand, what it was all about.
Everyone agreed that that seemed a very sensible idea.
Then I got on my bicycle.
The 109 days that followed my rather unsteady departure
from London on 29th March this year took me everywhere
from the ambassadorial residence in Jordan to a ditch by
the side of the Danube (at which time I was hiding from a
gang of drunk Hungarians). I was surprised on more than
one occasion: I certainly never expected the Sudanese to be
the friendliest people I’ve ever met, nor that a Turkish petrol
station would prove to be the perfect campsite. But the 6,000-
mile journey was incidental to the real point of the trip: the
Kenya Dairy Goat and Capacity Building Project in Mwingi.
FARM-Africa works with the poorest households in the areas
in which it operates. I spent quite a bit of time with a man
called Macdonald Munuve. Soon after he turned 20 both
of his parents died, leaving him to provide for and raise
five siblings and cousins. Not helped by the fact that the
family’s only livestock had been sold in order to pay the
hospital bills, Macdonald’s only option was to take whatever
casual labour he could find, earning less than £1 a day.
Much is made in Britain of the sacrifices needed to send
your child to a good school. Macdonald faced a similar
problem; the only way to pay the school fees for his cousin,
a promising student, was for the whole family to fast for
three days, eat for one, then fast for another three days.
Sam arriving in Mwingi
with an escort
When FARM-Africa
arrived, he was selected
by the local community
to become one of the
beneficiaries. Having
been given suitable
training, he was loaned
two goats by the project.
Once settled in their
newly built houses,
these were sent to be bred with a Toggenburg buck, a dairy goat
breed from Britain. Having repaid the initial loan with the first
two kids, Macdonald continued with the project. He now has 14
goats, worth over £1,000, whose milk and offspring provide a
source of both nutrition and income to his family, including his
new-born baby. His cousin is entering his final-year at university.
But the most important thing about FARM-Africa’s work
is the intelligent way in which it is designed. With the
running of the project being taken over by the Kitui
Mwingi Dairy Goat Breeders’ Association, a community-
run, financially self-sufficient organisation, the benefits
will continue to be felt long after FARM-Africa leaves.
Rowing the Atlantic was probably a crazy idea. Getting on a bike
to cycle to Kenya was undoubtedly a crazy idea. Thankfully it
turns out that, sometimes, crazy ideas can turn out to be the best
ideas, and worth every ounce of effort that goes into them.
But please don’t ask me to do it again!
Sam Williams
Old Edwardian 1994-2002
Sam has raised nearly 25,000 for FARM-Africa. To read more
about his journey to Kenya visit www.pedallingalltheway.com
The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009 21
Mongol Rally
In late July 2008 I set off with my friends Oliver Wright and Ben Tilley (2007 leavers)
on what was to be the greatest adventure of our lives so far. We had been travelling
together before but had decided that for our next trip we wanted to do something that
involved raising money for charity. The perfect opportunity arose when Olly showed us
the website for something called ‘The Mongol Rally’.

It is a four-week, 15,000km, 20-country

dash to the distant city of Ulaanbaatar,
capital of Mongolia, which starts in
Hyde Park, London. The entry criterion
was that the car in which you were
to be travelling had to have an engine
capacity of one litre or less. That was it.
Having made the somewhat rash decision
to sign up (without really thinking it
through) we had to decide which of the Ben, Peter and Olly on arr
ival at Ulannbaatar
charities nominated by the organisers
we were going to raise money for.

It was a difficult decision because each of

the charities was doing very important work
in its field but eventually we chose Hope
and Homes for Children and The Christina
Noble Foundation’s Mongolian branch.
Hope and Homes for Children operates in
Eastern Europe working with governments
to close down unsanitary and desolate
Soviet-era state orphanages in which
children, who often are only separated
from their families due to poverty, live
in terrible conditions and are often left
with physical and mental disabilities.
The charity re-homes the children with
foster parents and where possible locates
relatives for the children to live with. The
Christina Noble Foundation cares for the
orphans of Ulaanbaatar and surrounding
areas by housing and educating them in a
village of traditional Mongolian nomadic
houses or ‘gers’ on the edge of the city,
saving them from a dangerous life of
begging and stealing on the streets and
having to survive the freezing winter
months by living in the city’s sewers.
With the charities chosen it was time to
raise sponsorship and begin preparations;
a garage owner and family friend of Olly
had a VW Polo from 1990 that he was
planning to sell on eBay for £50 but when
he heard of our plans he donated the car
to us and we named it ‘Gordon’ after the
previous owner. We spent the majority of
the two months before launch day adding
lights and a roof rack (fashioned from a
garden centre trolley), collecting spare
parts and adding the odd artistic touches
to Gordon’s paintwork whilst collecting

22

Ben and Olly at Christina Noble
Foundation village
sponsorship from friends, family and
local businesses. Before we knew it it was
time to leave and we found ourselves in
Hyde Park with around 200 other woefully
underpowered and underprepared teams
buzzing with excitement. We had had a
minor issue with Gordon as we arrived in
London with the engine seeming to cut out
and then struggling to start again but Ben
later (and possibly correctly) put this down
to my ‘incompetence’ behind the wheel!
We were off! The drive to Dover, ferry
crossing and first couple of hundred
kilometres seemed to pass in a blur of
excitement; we were brought back to
reality suddenly with the most challenging
navigational situation we were to face
in the entire journey – Brussels. Not
only did the city’s road system seem
designed to trap the unsuspecting
driver forever but the streets were so
crammed with people and bright lights
that we concluded we must have had
the misfortune of arriving on ‘Belgium
Day’, a national holiday with magnificent
street parties unrivalled throughout the
known world (or so we liked to imagine).
As we continued on through Germany,
the Czech Republic, Slovakia and into
Hungary we began to see more and
more huge concrete buildings, reminders
of the Soviet era and also of the bleak
orphanages that Hope and Homes had
made it its mission to close. In Bucharest,
Romania we saw homeless children
probably in their late teens begging for
food and money in between taking deep
sniffs of what looked like a powerful
solvent. Sobered by these disturbing sights
but also given drive by the fact that our
journey was raising money to help these
children, we continued on through Bulgaria
and to Turkey, the gateway to Asia.
Apart from the budget-wreckingly expensive
petrol, Turkey is a fantastic country to visit
and we found the people very welcoming
and we were serenaded with car horns
as we drove down the motorway! We
stopped in Istanbul briefly but just long
enough for it to become the site of the,
now infamous, ‘poosplosion’ story which,
alas, is much better told in person...
We entered Georgia and experienced
the worst road of the trip as we crossed
a mountain, in a thunderstorm, in the
middle of the night (a shortcut) and left
the following day having suffered nothing
worse than a broken radiator. We later
learned that the Russians had invaded
Georgia two days after we left but at the
time had no idea. Azerbaijan was next and
this was easily the most troublesome of
all the countries we were to visit; in most
of the countries beyond Turkey, officials
asked for bribes but on the whole they
would get bored if we refused and let
us go. This did not apply in Azerbaijan
as we found to our cost, spending
seven hours impounded at the border
because we refused to cough up $30.
Prior to setting off we had been slightly
concerned about our next country, with
visions of being mobbed in the street for
being UK citizens. As it turned out this
couldn’t have been further from the truth.
The country was Iran and the very first
thing we noticed was the friendliness of
the woman at the border and the lack of a
request for a bribe. It was the first of many
good qualities of the country; we were
struck by how surprised and even grateful
the people seemed that we had come to
visit their country, many of them having
never met any Europeans or Americans
before. We were overwhelmed with the
generosity and hospitality that we were
met with and had we accepted every
offer of tea or a place to stay I have no
doubt that we would still be there now!
So it was with some regret that we had
to leave and go to Turkmenistan. The
border crossing was not without incident
and we were impounded once more for
24 hours, having left at the wrong border
and having had to re-enter Iran on expired
visas. (A cursory interrogation and then
cup of tea and chat about Tony Blair with
the customs boss solved our problems.)
We passed through the spotless and
gold-leafed, but strangely empty
capital city of Ashgabat and then hit the
scorchingly hot Karakum Desert where
we experienced temperatures of up to
55°C. Uzbekistan brought fabulous ancient
Islamic architecture and we had the strange
experience of bumping into some German
tourists in the city of Bukhara. Kazakhstan
is a surprisingly vast country and it took us
a full three days to cross it and it brought
with it our first sighting of camels! After a
brief dip into Russia (whose border guards
did not like our Georgian passport stamps)
we were finally at the Mongolian border.
The Old Edwardians Association 2009
Even the vastness of Kazakhstan hadn’t
quite prepared us for the barren landscape
of Mongolia. It’s a very high country and we
were met with a view of rocky plains and
hills stretching as far as the eye could see,
interspersed with mirror-like lakes. Mongolia
was tough on the cars. During a brief rest
on the second day we discovered that our
fuel tank had been punctured by a rock (not
With Iranian host
Shahram and friend
for the first time) but this time it was slightly
more exciting because the exhaust pipe had
also been bent so that it was touching the
tank and the leaking petrol was covering
both of them. We attempted a repair but
it was far from perfect and we drove
the next few hours with the somewhat
worrying thought of a fiery, explosive
death in the Mongolian wilderness lurking
in the back of our minds. We needn’t have
worried. At next inspection the exhaust
pipe was conspicuous in its absence and
the fuel tank was dripping away risk-free.
We arrived in Ulaanbaatar after five
days of Mongolia without having seen
a single tree. Gordon was given to the
organisers who donated all the cars to
local services after repairing them and
we passed two weeks camping about
10km outside the city (the money had run
out!). On a day when I was attempting to
secure visas from the Russian embassy
for our journey home (this involved a few
difficult moments as “Da” only seemed
to be the answer to the first question the
official asked) Ben and Olly visited the
Christina Noble Foundation village and
saw firsthand the great work being done
there. The children were being taught not
only to read and write Mongolian but also
to read English using donated books.
With visas secured and time run out we
said our fond farewells to the people
we had met and to the adventure
and began the voyage home...
Christina Noble Foundation:
www.cncf.org
Hope and Homes for Children:
www.hopeandhomes.org
Peter Ludlow
Old Edwardian 2000-2007
23

As George Best
A former Bath schoolboy is rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tom
Hanks and Morgan Freeman after landing a role in a major film.
Tom Payne, who went to King Edward’s School, made a name for
himself in Britain with parts in the BBC drama Waterloo Road
and Channel 4’s Skins. Now the 25-year-old’s work is being seen
in cinemas across the world after he landed the role of Phil in
the film Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, working alongside Oscar
winner Frances McDormand and Oscar-nominated Amy Adams.
He has just returned from the film’s premiere in New York. It’s
a far cry from 10 years ago, when Tom was treading the boards
in the lead role in his annual school play. Tom says his one-time
drama teacher at the school played a key part in his development.
“I have very fond memories of my drama teacher, Sue Curtis,
and the drama department at King Edward’s,” he says. “I first
started acting in school plays from about the age of seven, when
my teacher saw that I was quite loud and mouthy and decided
to put me in the show. But it was Sue, at King Edward’s, who
first moulded me, not only as an actor, but also as a person.”
Tom left the school after completing his A Levels and won a
place at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
He graduated from the college three years ago. Since then he
has enjoyed success in West End plays and was named as one
of Screen International magazine’s Stars of Tomorrow 2007.
24
Actor Tom
gets the
red carpet
treatment
As Phil in Miss Petigrew Lives for a Day
His former drama teacher, who has just left King Edward’s
after 20 years at the school, said Tom’s talent stood out
from the beginning. “Right from a very early age, Tom was
absolutely determined that the only thing he wanted to be
was an actor,” Sue Curtis recalls. “He was a central figure in
performing arts at King Edward’s all through his time there.”
Tom played Ariel in a school production of Shakespeare’s The
Tempest and also took the lead role in a play, The Fool, written for
the millennium. “He was a lovely performer. He was also a brilliant
improviser and has got a very quick imagination,” says Sue.
After the success of Miss Pettigrew, Tom now hopes that his future
lies in films. He says “Making the film was wonderful. I couldn’t have
wished for a better calibre of actors to work with. I was surrounded
by all these people I admire. I went over to America for the premiere
in New York and also went to LA. It was completely crazy. I now have
a manager and an agent and also had a chat with Tom Hanks and
Morgan Freeman. At the moment I would just love to do more films.”
Article Copyright: thisisbath weekly, Bath News and Media
Tom Payne
Old Edwardian 1990-2001
Footnote
More recently, Tom played famous footballer, George
Best in the BBC2 Biopic: Best: His Mother’s Son.
 Honorary Merchandise
Treasurer’s
Report
As the new Treasurer of the Association, I am
pleased that in my first report I can confirm that
the Association’s finances are in good shape.
Our accounting year runs to 31 August and at the
end of 2007/8 we had a surplus of income over expenditure as against a deficit of
£15.95
+pp £4.00
£1,291 at the end of 2007. This improvement was attributable in the main to a useful
profit on our social events and an increase in the subscription income, mainly from
school leavers. As already reported, we have funded the purchase of two new solid wood
benches at Bathampton and two new medical dummies for the school in addition to
the annual contribution of £750 to the School’s Bursary Fund. We have also contributed
to the fundraising efforts for KES Kenya, the Old Edwardian shooting team and the
School’s sports tour to Canada. Our contribution to the production of the OE Link
magazine will rise this year, but the committee members consider it money well spent.
The country is in the middle of an economic downturn with many people finding life
difficult. The Association’s members are not immune from these pressures and this was
reflected in the much lower numbers booking for our events this year. The Cambridge £3.50
Dinner was cancelled and the London Dinner, which was postponed from its January date +pp £1.75
to September 2009, suffered a loss in the region of £1,300. It will be vital for the Association
to increase attendance at our Dinners if we are to continue to host events such as these.
With careful management, we remain optimistic that the Association can and will
be able to continue to support the School and the wider Old Edwardian family.
No report would be complete without a ‘thank you’ to the Finance Committee for its
support and guidance. Also to Claire and Nia, without whose input my job would be so
much more challenging!
Peter Horton
Old Edwardian 1942-1949
£14.00

Medical prefects Sylvia and Bradley

training with the new dummies

Hands-on
training £2.00
The Old Edwardians’ Association
has contributed £2,949 to enable the
Medical Centre at KES to purchase some much-needed new medical
dummies for lifesaving training across all three schools. The basic dummies the School An order form can be downloaded
had been using were useful and much loved but, at over ten years old, they were rather from the ‘Old Edwardian’
worn and no longer fit for purpose. The donation means that KES now has an adult- section of the school website
sized dummy and a junior version which are being used for first aid training for staff and
– www.kesbath.com
pupils, the St John’s lifesavers club and for pupils participating in the Duke of Edinburgh
Award scheme. Both models have an in-built traffic light feedback system, or ‘skill saver’, Alternatively, please send a cheque,
which provides a visual aid to show trainees when they are using them correctly. made payable to the Association of
School Nurse, Andrea Choules, says “The new dummies provide learning Old Edwardians, to the Development
on different levels, not only practically, but also visually reinforcing good Office, King Edward’s School, North
practice for CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) – a life skill. They are
Road, Bath BA2 6HU with a note
a fun learning tool and the ‘skill saver’ means self-assessment can take
place along with staff direction. This is an important part of developing listing the item you require and
pupil skills in a non-judgmental and safe learning environment.” your name and postal address.

The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009 25

In Memoriam
Trevor Brown
At KES 1939-1947
Passed away 15 December 2008
Colin Peter Candy
At KES 1929-1936
Passed away 9 June 2009
Timothy Denis Clifford
At KES 1961-1972
Passed away 7 August 2009
Robin Hambly
At KES 1942-1949
Passed away 31 August 2009
After leaving school Robin was
articled to a well-known firm of
Bath solicitors and qualified in
1954. He then joined the Army
for National Service and upon
commissioning served in Malaya
with the Somerset Light Infantry.
On completing his service he joined
a firm of solicitors in Bristol before
moving in 1958 to practise in
Northampton. He retired as senior
partner from his firm in 1995.
A keen sportsman at school, he
subsequently played rugby for
the Old Edwardians and then
Bath RFC, before moving to
Northampton. Much loved, he will
be greatly missed by his wife, Joan,
daughter Alison and son Simon,
who is also a solicitor. A greatly
respected man with a strong sense
of humour and many friends.
John Bright
Old Edwardian 1940-1948
26
Ian White
At KES 1940-1950
Passed away 16 January 2009
Ian was born in Bath and attended
King Edward’s from the age of
six. He enjoyed his school days
and remembered that the School
taught fair play, loyalty and great
comradeship. He was encouraged to
dig for victory by Miss Gardner and
noted that Major Wally Lewis was a
strict but fair disciplinarian who ‘did
not spare the rod and spoil the child’.
After KES, he trained to be an air
radar fitter where his time in the KES
cadet force proved to be invaluable.
He finished his training as Top
Recruit and was presented with the
A.O.C. He was then posted to RAF
Upwood in Huntingdonshire and,
although not flying, he was happy
to be in a world of comradeship,
discipline and aircraft. He joined the
148 Sqdn in Tengah in Singapore,
operating against the Chinese
support insurgency. A further
overseas posting took him to RAF
Luqua, Malta, where he spent 18
months with the 38 Sqdn. In 1958
he enrolled at the Radio College
in Earl’s Court, London, to learn
Morse. He spent 14 years working
in Hong Kong. He married Carol
in 1963 and they had two children,
Anne and Stewart. In 1982 they
moved to Cheltenham where
he worked as a civil servant for
GCHQ. 1986 saw the end of his
marriage to Carol and his marriage
to Alice Meek from Argentina.
In 1989 he was transferred to the
Foreign Office and spent three and
a half very happy years working
for the British High Commission
in Lusaka, Zambia. On retirement
he and Alice ran the Chiawa Safari
Camp on the Lower Zambezi for
ten years. In 2002, after retiring for
a second time, he and Alice travelled
as much as possible to Argentina,
Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, Egypt,
France, Portugal, South Africa, the
Baltic and many other lovely places.
Taken from memories compiled
by Alice White.
Simon Mann
At KES 1983-1990
Passed away
22 October 2008
During his time
at King Edward’s
School, Simon
quickly emerged
as a multi-talented pupil and a thoroughly likeable
young man. My own memories of him centre on
four areas of his life at the School. First of all, he was
an outstanding Head Prefect in his final year – one
of the very best in my time at King Edward’s.
An imposing figure who was always immaculately
turned out, he displayed real leadership qualities
from the outset and was greatly respected by
staff, pupils and colleagues alike. Setting for
himself and others the highest standards, he
was an inspiring example to younger boys, who
responded to his enthusiasm and warm sense of
humour. I very much enjoyed working closely with
him during that year and appreciated his loyalty,
dependability and honesty in all our discussions.
It is hardly surprising, therefore, that, by the time
he was appointed Head Prefect, Simon had already
thrown himself wholeheartedly into a wide range of
School activities, contributing richly to the life of the
community. A passionate rugby player, he distinguished
himself as a member of our highly successful 1st XV
in 1989 which (coached, it has to be said, by
two England internationals) won 11 out of its
14 fixtures. He was equally committed to the
Combined Cadet Force, rising to the rank of
sergeant. It was almost inevitable, therefore, that
he would be chosen as a member of the special
Guard of Honour which welcomed the Princess
Royal on her visit to the School in 1988 – the first-
ever visit by a member of the royal family.
But Simon enjoyed far more than just the robust
life of the rugby field and the parade ground. He
was also a talented pianist. I well remember his fine
performance in the concert staged at the Holburne
of Menstrie Museum in 1989, featuring all our top
instrumentalists. Having only just recovered from
German measles, he played the first movement
of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata with great
sensitivity and expression. He was, in short, a most
rounded personality, a delightful character to have
around and an enormous credit to the School.
John Wroughton
Headmaster, King Edward’s School, 1982-1993
Jane Prestidge
Staff
26th December 1950 – 2nd July 2009
It is an honour to be able to say a few words today in memory
of Jane on behalf of all her friends who got to know her, respect
her, laugh with her and share her love of life during her time
at King Edward’s. Jane started work at KES in March 1980 – a
long time before quite a few of the colleagues who now work
with us were actually born. Indeed, an association of nearly
30 years means that Jane must be one of the longest serving
colleagues in recent memory. During that time, she saw service
under six different Head’s, which just goes to prove the old
sporting adage that form is temporary, but class is permanent.
Jane was certainly a classy lady in so many respects. Firstly, and
quite obviously, in her appearance: always elegantly attired with
perfectly manicured nails. She once nearly stole the show at a
Founder’s Day Service when she wore a stunning navy blue hat
to complement her equally elegant dress. Such was the impact of
unto the end. And still so kind and caring: always asking
the hat that the then Chairman of Governors, Mark Rutherford
you about how you were, what you had been up to, how
commented on it in his Chairman’s end of year address,
things were at home and showing a genuine interest in your
much to Jane’s mild embarrassment, but much greater private
welfare, rather than dwelling on her own circumstances.
amusement. In case you are wondering, Jane bought the hat on
a whim from – yes, you’ve guessed it – Marks and Spencer, so Jane loved her job. She loved working with the colleagues
it’s not only recent profits for which M&S have Jane to thank! who almost invariably became close friends, many of
whom are here today to let it be known just how much
Secondly, she was classy in her they loved her, and just how lucky they feel to have
had their lives touched by such a special lady.
demeanour. She was always well
Above all, Jane loved her family. She was so proud of Tom, of
balanced, poised, serene, even under his academic success, his achievements in life, of the boy he
was and the man he had become. As a recent parent myself,
pressure, but steely when it came I now appreciate just how difficult it is not to talk constantly
to making a difficult decision. She and effusively about your son, no matter how old he is, and
I understand now how that will never change. Our thoughts
was classy in her quick, mischievous and our prayers are with Tom, Tony and Jane’s parents.

wit, usually accompanied by
an irreverent twinkle in the eye
and a kindly, inclusive smile.
Jane was classy in her job. Or should that be ‘jobs’ given that
she was, at different and occasionally the same times, Secretary
and later PA to the Bursar or Head of Operations and Finance,
as well as Resources Co-ordinator and Accounts Administrator
responsible for Assisted Places and Bursaries. In this last
capacity, it was Jane’s organisation, eye for detail, empathy
and diplomacy which allowed her to navigate so successfully
through what is a complex and mine-ridden process for the
benefit of hundreds of current and former parents and pupils,
many of whom will perhaps never appreciate the significant role
that Jane, working behind the scenes, has had in their lives.
Jane was classy in her suffering – in her long-suffering
battle against this dreadful disease. Classy and brave, right
Jane also loved having fun, and she loved life, which makes her
passing all the more tragic and hard to bear. But it is not difficult
to imagine Jane sitting amongst us today, poised, serene, elegant,
perhaps wearing a Marks and Spencer’s hat that she had hastily
bought for the occasion, smiling and calmly asserting that we
needn’t be glum, that everything would be ok, that the love and
friendship that brings us together today would see us through.
In recent years, we have rather carelessly employed too many
people called Jane; Jane Rowell, the Bursar; Jane Howard, PA
to the Bursar and Second Master; Jayne Gilbert, Head of the
Pre-Prep; and the Head of Geography, Jane Knight, who also
happens to be my wife. Sometimes, I have thought that there
must be a workable shorthand or code to distinguish between
the different Janes at the School. And in Jane’s case there was.
She was Jane P, the one and only, the original, the loyal colleague
and friend, for whose life it is an honour to give thanks today.
Martin Boden
Headmaster

The Old Edwardians’ Association 2009 27


old edwardian Ten Tors reunion
In September 14 Old Edwardians, all veterans
of the Ten Tors challenge, convened for a
weekend reunion at a remote camping barn
in darkest Dartmoor. The party was joined by
one current member of staff, Tim Laney and
former staff member Zen Rogers. Indeed the
reunion was nominally a celebration of Tim’s
successful management of ten years’ worth
of Ten Tors teams. That’s a lot of miles!
Friday night (early morning!) saw old
relationships re-established over some beers
and a few drams. This was a nice change
for some, whose last visit to Dartmoor
would have been in the Ten Tors challenge
where Friday night was for carbo-loading,
route planning and an early night!
Saturday morning brought excellent weather.
The group took a leisurely- paced hike on
to the moor, visiting old haunts and ticking
off a few tors on the way. Then it was
KES Careers Convention
The next Careers and Higher Education
Convention will be held on Thursday 11
March 2010 between 7.00 and 9.00pm. The
evening is designed for Year 11-13 pupils
to help them identify education and training
choices as they try to establish the career
route most suited to their individual needs
and talents. If any OEs are able to attend
and offer advice about their profession or
area of work, please contact Daniel Wright
on 01225 464313 or email dgw@kesbath.
com and he will send further information.
London Dinner
Don’t forget to email your venue ideas
and suggestions for the London Dinner
to development@kesbath.com.
Contact: Claire Davies
Tel: 01225 820357
Email: development@kesbath.com
By post:
Development Office
King Edward’s School
North Road
Bath BA2 6HU
28
KES term dates
2009
Autumn Term 3 September –
16 December
Half Term 22 October –
30 October
2010
back to the camping barn for tea and cake Spring Term 6 January – 26 March
before enjoying some well-earned beers. A Half Term 15 February –
full slap-up three course meal in the local 19 February
pub rounded off a most enjoyable day.
Summer Term 19 April – 14 July
A relaxed start to Sunday allowed OEs to enjoy Half Term 31 May – 4 June
their bacon butties sitting outside on another
beautiful Dartmoor morning. Then it was off for
a small hike north of Postbridge. Come 3pm Diary of events
there was time for a quick farewell pint before
the party split to head their respective ways. Twenty Year Reunion
1988 and 1989 Leavers
Such was the positive feedback from the
24 October 2009 7.30pm
weekend, it was decided that an Old Edwardian
Hiking Weekend will be an annual fixture of the Eastern Eye Restaurant, Bath
OEs’ calendar of events. The date for the next To book email:
weekend will be 12-14 November 2010 and it development@kesbath.com
will be open to any OE who got involved in the
School’s outdoor expeditions and hiking trips. Old Edwardians’ Association
Annual General Meeting
Sam Lascelles
Old Edwardian 1993-2000 18 November 2009 7.30pm
Board Room, KES
OE Cricket Team Ladies’ Committee Christmas Fair
After a successful match this year, a group 5 December 2009 10.00am – 2.30pm
of recent leavers are keen to set up an Entrance £1 Children free
annual Old Edwardian cricket fixture in Rutherford Sports Centre, KES
July/August at the Bathampton Playing
Fields. OEs of all vintages are welcome. If Senior School Carol Service
interested, please contact Matt Green (2008 16 December 2009 7.30pm
leaver) via matt-green18@hotmail.com.
Bath Abbey
Bath Old Edwardians’ Pub Party
Rugby Union Football Club For 2009 leavers and young OEs
Club information for OEs who would like 27 December 2009 8.00pm
to continue with rugby after KES can be
found at: www.batholdedwardians.org.
Royal Oak, Widcombe
Old Edwardians’ Oxbridge Dinner
22 January 2010 7.00pm
Pembroke College, Oxford
Tickets £45 (£35 students)
Please contact the Development Office to: Price includes reception drink,
• Arrange a visit to the School three course meal and wine
• Book tickets for OE events Booking deadline:
• Receive log-in details for OEs Online 16 December 2009
• Contribute your news or write an
article for this magazine Forties and Fifties Brigade Reunion
• Find help in organising a reunion Lunch and River Cruise
• Find help in tracing old friends
12 June 2010
• Purchase merchandise More details published in early 2010
• Update your contact details