1 May 2008

Hi All, just checked in to see who's about - I usually do that every now and again! What a surprise to see a message from you Sammy! It's amazing reading through all the messages isn't it? All the memories come flooding back. I've been to a few re-unions aswell, amazing. You tend to forget you're getting older. Hope you're doing fine and life has been treating you good. Hi to everyone else I know whilst I'm finding time to post a message!!! Looking forward to next reunion, missed last year as I was on holiday, when is the next big one by the way? Anyway, great to hear from you Sammy, take care, Sheryl x

Sheryl Stuart (Blackmore) (B74-79)

5 May 2008

Hello, just reading Sammy's message, and Sheryls's response, it is mind blowing when you first discover this site, I remember sitting with Julie Tibbs and trawling through site for hours one afternoon when we should have been working, but what we didn't gain in financial incentive we certainly made up for in memories!! Life just seems to pass you by, when you get past 30. It feels strange to think that most of us probably have grown up families and certainly are grandparents, congrats to Kelly Roberts! Also messages for Chris D, hope move goes well, get in touch, I'm one who has lost ur number, Would love to get back in touch with Maz and Angie Barnard, Sheryl B, Cathey and Charlie Adams? It feels like school was almost another life time ago...oh well, plodding on..Dinner to cook lol. Stay well and healthy love Christinex

Christine Harrison (B76-80)

5 May 2008

Anyone of you 60's boys remember the Young Farmers Club, i have fond memories of looking after chickens, growing veggies and the like,also a collection of sensitive plants, the leaves used to curl up when you touch them,ironicaly they are a native to Australia,also gave me a chance to sneak off and have a fag out the back of the old builings there,the biology cassroom was at the end of the Math block, my most vivid memory of those times was Danny Bethel(Balmoral) roasting baby nice on a shovel in the incinerator in the farm building! there only crime was to nest in the potting soil,lovely sight that was, where are you now Danny? i know your brother is is Aukland.

Ian Pulford (B64-66)

We are in need of material for the next newsletter so if anyone has a story to tell about the old days or their life since then please get it to me.It can be long or short funny or sad, share your memories with us. You can email your article to billc@btinternet.com

You don't have to be the worlds greatest writer, we are sure to be interested in what you have to say so don't delay - get typing now !!

6 May 2008

Wonderful to see the message from Sammy Cleland and to see that she remembered me. I remember you very well Sammy, as your personal tutor and assistant housemistress. I remember you were one who made a big contribution to life in Marlborough and to WGS in general. Have you caught up with Tracy Walker yet? My best wishes to you Sammy.

Rae Cleverly(now Mitchell) (M77-81)

6 May 2008

Sammy Cleland, Well thats a blast from the past. I remember sharing a dorm with you and you insisting on putting pipe cleaners in your hair after lights out and talking non stop until it was done, no matter how tired everyone else was. What are you doing with yourself now?

Wendy Duncan (S75-80)

7 May 2008

Just reading some of the messages, nice to see Sammy's. The last time I saw Sammy was about 1983 in Woolwich, hope life is treating you well. Also a hello to everyone who remembers me, Julie Tibbs, Angie & Maz Barnard, Chris Lancaster, Chris Duxbury, Jackie & Sheryl Blackmore, hope you are all well and look forward to the next re-union.

Steph Southall (B78-80)

7 May 2008

Well......I remember you too Wendy Duncan! I think you were one of the girls that got tree trunks rather than twigs on St. Nicholas` night!!! Where are you now and I wonder what you are doing? Sammy as well...where are you? Best wishes to you both and anyone else from that era.

Rae Cleverly(now Mitchell) (M77-81)

7 May 2008

To Ian Pulford, I don't remember you but I do remember your sister Mo from my time at Windsor Girls. I lived in Berlin whilst at WGS, and travelled with Jenny Wells, Suzanne Gatt (and shared a dorm)there was another Jenny - but for the life of me I can't recall her surname, she had a brother who went to WBS and I am sure they emigrated to Adelaide. Matron Schroder was one our matrons, and I recall Joan Webster as one of the staff. Nikki Dodds was our house captain. I, also, am now a dinky die Aussie and follow Hawthorn & West Coast Eagles, also the ACT Brumbies in Union. Came over here in 1971 to Geraldton WA, but have since travelled all over Oz as my hubby (of 36 yrs) was in the ARA. Ended up in Canberra for 15 years and have just recently retired to Maclean NSW, 2hrs south of the Gold Coast. It would be great if there were to be a Oz reunion as I didn't manage to get to the one held in Blackpool. I think also, like Dave Naylor, I paid my fees early last year but haven't anything in ages, and are still listed as a lapsed member. My name whilst at WGS was Lynda Barber - just in case someone remembers me.

Lynda Leslie (E66-68)

8 May 2008

Hi Lynda Leslie, your name does ring a bell and so does Jenny Wells,Lynda Leslie,you mentioned another Jenny, was it Jenny Bennett? she had a brother Ralph at Windsor the same time, try looking in the Friends Reunited web site, there are heaps of WBS and WGS entries in there. Maureen is living in Port Augusta South Aus, i am in Naracoorte South Aus with wife Teresa. as for the Aussie reunion it will happen, just been in contact with DAve Naylor only minutes ago about the same topic, the list of potential attendees grows by the minute! as fpr the Society and membership etc, Come on guys, i know we are on the other side of the Earth but we are keen and need you guys!! i have been a member only since March but i suggest you contact them again, Mo has posted a few letters on this site so if you go back a bit you will see them, if you drag any more names from the dusty recesses of your brain put them up on the site, great to here from you,with the internet it won't be hard to track you down so do not be suppried if you get a phone call, HAWTHORN, you must be joking, go the Crows!!! we only let you win last time to lull you into a false sense of security so look out, Aussie rules football, nothing like it i say, cheers to you.

Ian Pulford (B64-66)

8 May 2008

Ian Mynott - I know you're aware of the Bath Bash on 28th June, hope to see you there marra, long journey from Lancs and all. If anyone else is interested, there's a motley crew of ex-WBS/WGS peeps (loosely affilliated to the renegade Ex-WindsorBPFO Hobbits crew) meeting up for beer, chats and probably more beer in BATH on Saturday 28th June. Most of us are staying at the Hotel attached to Lambretta's Bar on North Parade (BA2 4AL for SatNav types)and I expect we'll be found there Saturday afternoon. All welcome and contrary to popular belief, the Hobbits don't bite. Much.

Steve Mayne (C73-76)

8 May 2008

Hi Lynda - I have just read your message to my brother Ian and that you remembered me, sorry I cannot remember you and the names that you mentioned either, my memory is not as good as my brother he seems to remember everyone. A few names I do remember are Sue Drury (who I also shared a dorm with over quite a few years), Sue Locke, Roseanne Smith (not in Balmoral) Mo Petty. I remember Matron Shroeder very well she always seemed to be stripping beds and tipping draws out!!! Our housemistress was Miss Elliot at the time I was there. It would be great to have some sort of reunion over here in 'oz land' so we can all catch up. Do you have any photos of the time you were at Balmoral.

Maureen Press (B64-67)

8 May 2008

Wow great to see all them names mentioned recently.I dont know if anyone remembers me but if you do then i hope life is treating you well.

Garry (Bruno) Maddran (C76-79)

8 May 2008

Simon, Tony and the others who have made entries about Ken Thompson. Could we not get something together for the Newsletter about Ken Thompson? Perhaps somebody has done it already if so then there might be no need but it would be awful if nothing is written. There are lots of great memories we could refer to - D of E alone could fill a book. What do you think?

Geoff Hern (S60-80)

9 May 2008

msg for sammy from the johnson twins...good to hear that youve found this site....be nice to get in touch again. hope to here from you soon...

msg for TINY. sent you a email just wondering if you received it as i havnt heard from you for ages. dawn

Dawn Benson (H74-79)

12 May 2008

Whilst painting my nails, had a flick through the messages that have appeared recently. Could not believe one from Sammy, what a blast from the blast, I sincerely hope you are well and still as mad as cheese, from reding your messages, It is not clear if you are still inside. message for Dawn, emailed you back babes, still no reply. Message for Granny Roberts, hope the nipper is doing well and can finally breathe afetr you have stopped hugging him. Message for Mike ore, Gay exchange want your change of address as your subsciption is now due, please contact gervais at the main reception number, i said i would pass it on. Finally, met up last week with paul Sambrooke, still ugly as hell, but what a nice fella, all the best to you and the committee, keep up the damn fine work.

Paul McDermott (M77-79)

14 May 2008

Some of you seem to have exceptional memories, mine are a little blurred. Steve Miles, glad to see your still alive and kicking, What ever happened to Tommo, any idea? Very very sad news about Mr Kitchen, one lasting memory of the best school I ever attended was his kindness and patience. To all those I dont remember, sorry, the few I do, hello. Memories are muddy, but I do remember they were the best schooldays of my life, went on to a public school, we did'nt see eye to eye and went our seperate ways. The more I read the various messages the more i seem to remember, even if its only small bits. Happy bdays

Andy Messer (M69-71)

14 May 2008

Geof Hern, can tell me if you recall Mr Roberts, he was a math teacher at Hamm in the early sixties, i think his name was Harry Roberts, welsh i believe, nickname was Ringo!! fond memorories of the man, can you fill me in?

Ian Pulford (B64-66)

15 May 2008

The Members Lists have been updated. Click on the 'Members' button to view.

Please send any queries or changes (address, etc) to myself.

Bob Jordan informs me that the overdue Membership Packs will be ready to be posted very soon. Apologies for those new members who have been waiting.

Doug Pruden (S61-63)

15 May 2008

Still looking for items to include in the newsletter. Does anyone have anything they would like to contribute - perhaps an article on the reunion or anything else they feel would be of interest to members. Please e-mail anything to Bill. Thanks. Janice

Janice Lewis (M70-76)

p.s. Perhaps Alan Savage would like to write something on changing tastes in music!!

17 May 2008

Rae Cleverly, sorry i can't remember you, but you obviously remember me well. Yes, i did get quite a few tree trunks, but i'm a good girl now. I'm that good that i work in a school, mostly with special needs kids. Come on Sammy where are you!!

Wendy Duncan (S75-80)

19 May 2008

Ian Pulford. Of course I remember Dave (Ringo) Roberts. We had many a combined O level Maths class together, especially after tests, where we shouted and screamed at the lads and it seemed to work since most of them passed. Sadly I, and most others I think, have lost touch with Dave. He went back to the Yorkshire area as a Head of Maths and rumour has it that he went on to become a Headmaster. He has never joined the Windsor Society and although I have asked around at Reunions and so on nobody seems to have any more up-to-date information. Perhaps this will prompt somebody to let us both know the latest. Ian I'm sorry to say that although I remember your name the face eludes me - that usual for me, put it down to age.

Geoff Hern (M60-80)

19 May 2008

Most of you will now know about the sad death of Ken Thompson in April.Amongst many other memorabilia of Edinburgh House he treasured the House slides. Back at the 2000 reunion in Newbury, on the Sunday during the bar-b-que, he handed them over to......? Jackie cannot remember the name.Since then they have disappeared although Ken had made it quite clear that they were only on loan.Now both Jackie and I are most anxious to find them. They were mostly slides I made for the House Christmas party over a period of five years. Can anybody help? Any leads will be much appreciated!

Tony Fox.(E67-81)

19 May 2008

Really enjoyed the site brought back some fond memories. Regards

Ged Bottomley (B78-80)

20 May 2008

How fantastic to see the old place....many years have passed but i have a love for WGS that i have never had for any of the many othe schools i attended

Ashleigh Shaw (B76-77)

21 May 2008

Is the rumor true?Was bromide applied to the tea or hot chocolate at night?If so are/were there any side effects? Is this the start of a class action?

Graham Keil (B72-76)

21 May 2008

Geoff Hern, thank you for the info,great memories of an animated 'Ringo" during math lessons but i hate to disappoint you, i still need a calculator to survive daily life, oh well, at least you tried !!

Graham Kell, it is true, we were Bromided, as a result i have four children, 9 grandchildren and two dogs,also i had a flat tyre this morning , litigate i say ! we could be millionaires, if anyone remembers the boys breaking into the girls school in the early sixties that should testify to it being , as with pegleg, an urban myth.

Ian Pulford (B64-66)

22 May 2008

Thanks Ian!!!..There goes my pot of litigious gold.!!! On a more important note I was so sorry to hear of Mr Thompson sad passing. Thanks to architects of the site though. It certainly firms up fond memories!!

Graham Keil (B72-76)

23 May 2008

I was very sad to hear of Ken Thompson's passing. I thought he was quite an inspirational figure, very much up with the educational changes happening in the 60s. His music lessons were great and I came to appreciate jazz through Ken, plus the fact that he let me have the run of his record collection when I baby-sat for the family! I certainly enjoyed the years 66 to 68 in the school choir at WBS and appreciate them more as time goes on. Figures like Ken contributed to my decision to become a teacher too, something I did for 24 years. I can't help thinking of Ken every time I hear "Night Train" by Oscar Peterson, great musicians and human beings both. Regards to anyone who remembers me,

Dave Creighton (S63-68)

24 May 2008

The 'urban legend' relating to the break-in by a raiding party from WBS into WGS is certainly no myth. I was at the school when it happened and the dramatic scenes at school assembly on the morning after it was discovered left an indellible impression. Several perpetrators were expelled and other, lesser stars, were suspended for the rest of the term. It would have been in 1960 that it took place. I don't suppose any of the actual participants are in the Society? The full story has never been told - it would make a great article for the magazine.

Tom Ryan (H59-61)

27 May 2008

Tom Ryan, i never said it was a myth, i was referring to bromide and pegleg, i remember stories about the break in even in my time, legends are born of this stuff !! also, i do not believe it was the only event as a Balmoral boy member has alluded to his involvement in earlier postings, i used it as an example to disprove the bromide 'conspiracy,anyway,boys will be boys.

Ian Pulford (B64-66)

28 May 2008

After previously posting a short message, then reading through all of the previous posts. I decided to expand on some memories, but where do you start. It was 1977 and my Dad was posted to Berlin, I had already attended two senior Schools; Cornwall and PRS. To my dismay I was to attend a middle School namely Gatow. To be fair it was also a good School and I was only there for a term. During that Term we were to visit WBS for a couple of days of "acclimatisation". The seniors from the middle School travelling together until reaching our destination, where we were separated into the two Schools. Now prior to our visit rumour control had it that WBS was the roughest School in the BFES community, so we were all quite nervous. We were then again seperated into smaller groups and introduced into our new Houses. Balmoral for me and "Pegleg". We were introduced to the resident 2nd Years, whom we would be joining as 3rd years come the new School year. Having already spent time Boarding at Cornwall for a short period, and the resident ghost being called "The Grey Lady" you'd have thought that I'd be used to the unatural goings on within the confines of the Dorm that I'd been assigned. The House monitors must have been laughing there Dogs Conkers of, aswell as the resident 2nd years who were obviously in on it, as we heard the sounds of a one legged man walking the corridor outside the dorm. To be fair, I bricked myself.... I spent the remainder of the night hidden under my sheets with the occasional "has he gone yet" lulling me of to sleep. Apart from that the acclimatising went quite well. Back of to Berlin we went to plead with our Parents not to send us back. Didn't work, Come the new School year I experienced the Berlin Train. Which is reminiscent of the Hogwarts slower than normal train, you get to know a few more fellow students, 4th yrs, 5yrs and the odd 6th yrs including the new plebs. To which I obviously belonged. We remained in our groups which were Kladows, Gatows, Spandau's and the Charlottenburg's, obviously until we arrived at the Schools. The first couple of weeks were spent being homesick, the letters that were sent home went unanwsered or so we thought!. Names I remember:3rd yrs Lordy Martindale, Dean Davoll, Craig Mann, Chris Duncan. 4th yrs Marc Brown, Chris Scribbins. 5th yrs: AJ Wheeler, Kim Fletcher. Obviously there were many more so forgive me if I have not mentioned your names. Friends from other houses that I came to meet Andy Fud Crawford, Mark Hendy Henderson, Dean Pogue, Jim Delaney, Clive Allcock, Mark Langley, Stoney, Martin Tapley, Rob Jessiman, Adi Cummings, Malcolm Marshall and again many more. I'm sure you will pull me up. As for the Girls quite a few of the lasses from my era. Unfortunateley I was a bad lad twice and was asked to leave in the 4th yr. My fault entirely and I shouldn't have got caught. I have always regretted this as I regard WBS as my school and look back with genuine remorse for the friendships I had lost, but not forgotten. On a differant note for those that remember me get in touch drop me a line it would be great to hear from you.On another note a "Hello" to those Green Howard kiddies that know myself and my sister Susan(PRS Wilhemshaven, Cornwall) Best Regards

Ged Bottomley (B78-80)

29 May 2008

I was reading a posting from another Windsor site today that revived memories of the CCF, it was great fun i recall, Major Kopke was the Boss man i recall,i remember spit polishing boots and dubbing the webbing with that green crap, all dressed up and ready to kill! lined up, right dressed, i was always at the end as i was a dwarf so it was never hard to find my spot, who remembers the indoor range? what a blast, converted Lee Enfield Rifle, .22 calibre, little blocks of wood to hold the bullets in, there was a Polish chap from a Reguar Army Tank Regiment who used to come over to conduct the shoots, when he used to give the order"Back Sights up" everyone would raise their bum off the deck, we thought it was funny anyway. those field trips to the nearby Army training range to do navigation exercises etc were good fun,we always got lost but thank God for Radios, i remember on one where we ambushed another group, we came screaming out of the bushes in a kill anything mood, a passing Kraut with his dog surrendered on the spot! trips to the nearby army camps, rides on APC's(always sit behind the engine vents, nice and warm) got to fire a machine gun, sub machine gun etc and got to fiddle with a Wombat anti tank gun, back to WBS for a debrief and a plate of bread and cheese with cocoa,(WBS apparently had shares in a cocoa factory)Weapon drill, marching around the School,by the right, quick march,eyes right, eyes left blah blah blah, i still remember watching Mike Hogg stripping a Bren gun in quick time, he was a seargeant then i think, i was in awe of his ability, all this came in useful as i joined the Army Reserve in Australia and much of what i learned came in useful,went on to be a recruit instructor and enjoyed many years of being a "Choclate Soldier", ironicly i have been in touch with a former WBS student named Bill Cochrane who Joined the Australian Army and was an ARA W.O at my Regiment, small world indeed, anyway, ,we had all three services represented, we even had an old life boat that was in the ! process of being renovated for the Navy types, i wonder what ever happened to that? anyone from the sixties got some anecdotes? please post them, Infantry Rules !!

Ian Pulford (B64-66)

29 May 2008

In response to Ged Bottomley`s post, I was at WBS at the same time as you and remember some of the names you mention. I was a day boy from Werl and was big buddies with Loz McGovern, Steve Brown, the Hamlet brothers and more. Being in Marlborough one of my form tutors was Mr Clarke the physics teacher. Me and John Hamlet ended up in the Army together and were in Cyprus in 1986 and tracked down Ray Clarke and family to the Inter Service`s Yacht Club in Happy Valley, Episkopi. Ray was teaching at St John`s school then but I am sure he is retired now and spends most of his time at the ISYC. Good to see some of the late 70`s guys posting right now, where are you all? Tiny McD, great to see another post mate, you always seem to mention a name that brings back memories. I can forgive anyone for not remembering me as I was only a `day bug` after all! I seem to recall staying over on a few occasions for socials and fetes and getting doubled up in any available bunks. Great times, great memories. Last but not least, are there any ex Windsors in the Calderdale area of West Yorkshire? Take care everyone, KGM

Keith Moralee (M77-81)