Fosterian Magazine 2013 - Old Fosterians and Lord Digby's Old Girls

THEFosTERIANThe Magazine of the Old Fosterians' AssociationNo. 20 Spring 2013

THEFosTERIANThe Magazine of the Old Fosterians' AssociationNo. 20 Spring 2013

OFFICERS and COMMITTEEof theOLD FOSTERIANS' ASSOCIATION2012/2013FOREWORDI expect many of you are aware that Tesco are seeking planning permissionto place a store on the site of the Sherborne Hotel. There is a growingobjection to this and we can only watch the developments. If this planninggoes through then it will impact upon our meetings and another venue willbe required . There are few suitable places in Sherborne and any thoughtswould be welcome.P. DOLBEAR. Esq.,P . HOLDEN Esq.,PresidentChairmanHon. SecretaryHon. TreasurerFrom previous magazines you will know that John House and I gave someassistance at Sherborne Museum. Our efforts were very minimal and theresultant cataloguing and indexing of all the Foster's archive material isdown to the efforts of a volunteer Mrs Barbara Elsmore. All the material canbe clearly seen on the index list at the Museum or on line. Go to Sherbornemuseum then education then Foster's and all is revealed. The Museum hasdecided to have a Foster's exhibition which will run from spring this year toDecember. If any of you have any items that could be usefully added to thedisplay please contact Mrs. Elsmore at the Museum. An old gold and browncap and or blazer would be most welcome. Mrs. Elsmore had a motive forher interest as her father and grandfather both attended Foster's. Herhistorical research into both of her ancestors was fascinating as indeed wereother Old Fosterians' lives that she was requested to do. Our own web site,run by Hugh Jenkins (many thanks) also has much of interest.Finally congratulations to John House on the production of his motoringhistory of Sherborne book called The Sherborne Motorist and to Ian Maunon his deeply researched volumes on cricket called From Commons toLords 1751 to 1770. A fascinating insight into the cricket played during thatperiod.KH. House (President)COMMITTEEG. BUNTER Esq., J. HOUSE Esq.,S. LOVE Esq., D BALL Esq.,

CHAIRMAN'S REMARKSI am delighted to be part of another Magazine but guilty I have not beenmore supportive of our hard working Secretary who has done a fabulous jobfor another year. Thank you Tim. Indeed all other office holders too - everylittle helps - though I am afraid the burden falls on a few and we need toaddress this.I am writing this after returning from a very very cold afternoon watchingSherborne Colts, and my son in Full Back position, who had a busyafternoon being part of a well organized thrashing! A memory came to mind.My father watching me in 197 4 on what I remember as an equally, no, evencolder afternoon, representing Fosters in a First Form XV on the hill top atShaftesbury Grammar. I remember some rather unhelpful comments like"get stuck in" and "take his legs". What goes around comes around, and Ifear I may have been equally unhelpful this afternoon!!Chatting with my son on the way home, he made the comment that all ofEngland's French victors in yesterday's International came from PublicSchool backgrounds. Perhaps as the current Government come to termswith proper exercise in 'PE' lessons at Primary School rather than some ofthe other current spurious activities, so too will they address some morededicated sports time as part of the Secondary Curriculum.Ken House has modestly reported his part along with John House in gettingall the Fosters memorabilia archived at Sherborne Museum. I would pointout and thank them both that they both had a very active 'PE Session'carrying a lot of boxes containing some 1,700 items down 3 floors in onebuilding and then up 3 in another to their final 'resting place'. Thank youand well done!It is great to see a report in this Magazine regarding the SherborneDouzelage which is making the link with Fosters' history using the ErnestHulme Fund. Thank you Kevin Waterfall, who does a fantastic job with theSherborne youngsters.Members who were not able to attend the AGM may also be interested toknow the OFA found it was the owner of a copy of a Genevan Bible, printedin London in 1577. It was bequeathed to the School in 1947, in memory ofAH Tuffin (OF 1882-88) who was Vice president of the OFA. It is notsurprisingly in need of restoration and there are a few pages missing. Aftertaking advice, your Committee has decided not to incur the cost ofrestoration.Moving from the past to the future, I look forward to another year and hopeyou will all continue your support to the OFAP. Dolbear (Chairman)COMMENTS FROM THE HON. SECRETARYI have been encouraged by the number of contributions to this edition of theFosterian, so many thanks to all who have provided an article of someshape or other. What is particularly interesting is the number that arecontemporary, so it is good to know that Fosterians are still active out there!I hope that you all find the magazine of interest and perhaps will beencouraged to submit something for future editions.Ken has mentioned the proposal for a new Tesco supermarket in the townwhich I have read about in the national papers. The site in question will bethe Sherborne Hotel, which will of course, impact on the Association as thathas been the venue for Founder's Day lunch, Reunion dinners andcommittee meetings for the past few years. The social events this year maytherefore be the last at this venue.Having spoken with Barbara Elsmere regarding the categorising of theFosters School artifacts in the Museum the truth came out about how muchtime and effort both John and Ken House have put into this project. If youhave been considering a trip to Sherborne from afar this year could be thebest time to do that. With the exhibition at the Museum and perhaps the lastchance for a large gathering at either the Founders Day or Reunion Dinner -book now!I should apologise for the lateness of publishing this edition of the magazinebut due to the number of commitments I now have it has rather taken "aback seat". Having "volunteered" as Secretary some 4 plus years ago Ideclared at the last AGM that I will be standing down at this year's AGM assecretary. Hopefully there will be others who can take up the reins and do abetter job in terms of the technology side of the secretarial role. Thanks toJeff Jenkins and Ned Heasman we have a good website and an up to date(manageable) database of members' addresses and other details. NewMembers are still joining through the website but other forms of social mediaare not in my scope such as Facebook and Twitter. My thoughts are thatthe secretarial role can be divided into 3 components - Social events,production of the magazine, and membership. If you would be willing to takeon one aspect of this please let me know. Personally I believe that there isstill enough interest and support to keep the association going for someyears yet - even if events are held in "exile".Since the revision of the membership database there are only 160 confirmedmembers out of an original database of 660. If you know of any former classmates that have not received a copy of the magazine in the last 2 yearsplease ask them to contact me with their new postal address and or e-maildetails.Hon sec.

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2012The Annual General Meeting was held at the Sherborne Hotel, Sherborne,17.30pm on 13th October 2012. Sixteen members attended and apologieswere received from Peter Holden, John Courtney, and Gordon Chubb. ThePresident, K. House Esq., conducted the meeting. The Minutes of the AGMheld on 8th October 2011 were agreed unanimously and signed by ThePresident and Chairman as a true record.Matters ArisingErnest Hume Award/Fund - The committee proposed to award the fullamount of £838 held in the account to the Sherborne Douzelage Project. Apresentation was given to the meeting by Kevin Waterfall (member of theOFA and Chairman of the project). The scheme provides funding for schoolboys from Sherborne (to date all from Gryphon School) for foreign exchangetrips. Kevin agreed to provide a report at each OFA AGM on the boys thathave benefited directly from the funding. The meeting agreed to donate allof the Ernest Hume Funds to the Sherborne Douzelage Project.Reports from OfficersPresident - KH. Ken House reported on the programme of events for theforthcoming year.The Remembrance Service will be held on the gth November at the GryphonSchool and all OFA members are welcome to attend but are required to giveKen notice if they wish to attend. Founder's Day service, held in conjunctionwith former Lord Digby's school girls, will be held on the 11th May 2013.Details of next year's reunion dinner will be arranged after the dinner thisyear.All OFA artifacts held in the Museum have now been categorised andlabeled. These include all the articles relating to the school before it wasestablished in Hound Street. The Museum is planning to hold an exhibitionnext year on Foster's School which will coincide with the Founder's DayService. Ken thanked Barbara Elsmere, from the Museum, and John House,for all their work in categorizing the items.Chairman - PD. Thanks given to KH and TA for continuing with organisingthe various events throughout the past year and to John House for his workin the Museum. There was no progress in developing an Old Boys networkfor the Gryphon school and so no links were possible. PD encouragedmembers to provide articles for the magazine as this remains the main formof news to association members.Treasurer - PH. Peter Holden was unable to attend but had provided aninterim report, which was presented by the hon. Secretary. A copy of theTreasurer's report is below.Secretary - TA. Tim Ashmore thanked Jeff Jenkins for his continuedupkeep of the website which had brought in a number of enquiries this yearfrom new members and of existing members' change of contact details. Healso thanked Ned Heasman for his help in compiling a new membershipdatabase, which is now in electronic format for both postal and e-mailaddresses.TA declared that it was his intention to stand down as Secretary at the nextAGM. He described the roles as having 3 main components - organisingevents, membership, and production of the magazine. If one person isunable to take on all of the secretarial role it could be divided into the 3tasks. Those interested in taking over all or one of the roles should pleasecontact the secretary.Election of OfficersNo new proposals for office had been received. The incumbent officers haveall agreed to stand and were duly proposed and seconded for a further year.No new resolutions had been received or proposedA.O.BJohn Frost informed the meeting that Alan Stokes had passed away inSeptember. His ashes will be scattered at Kings Stag.Among the articles found was an original Geneva Bible which is thought tobe printed in the 16th Century. The condition is poor and costs have beensought to renovate the book. Advice received was that the cost of renovationwould be equal to the increase in value of the restored book. The meetingagreed that the bible should be sold in its present condition.The meeting closed at 18.00.Hon. Secretary

HON. TREASURERS REPORTBelow you will find 'Assets and Expenditure' for the OFA up to 11 1 h October2012. (see notes)Assets at 11th October 2012Barclays Savings AleNatWest Reserve AleNatWest Current AleWar StockTotalincluded)£1693.93£ 22.98£ 934.00£ 165.00Expenditure at 11th October 2012Magazine printing etc £681.16Magazine posting £219.00Founders Day Church Ex. £130.00Founders Day Lunches £161.00Annual Dinnernot yet expendedPoppy wreathsnot yet expendedT Ashmore ExpensesNone submittedTotal £1191.16£2815.91 (no receipts for Annual DinnerNow that we have moved the AGM to coincide with the annual dinner, I willsimilarly move the financial statement to the same date point. The slightdifficulty I face in adopting this date is that our largest influx and efflux ofmonies into our accounts occurs with the Annual Dinner. As I do not knowthe final numbers attending the event, I neither know the final receipts fromattendees nor do I know the final charge being levied by the venue. To thisend members need to be aware that these accounts neither include therevenue from the dinner nor the expenditure. Fortunately, these tend to eveneach other out!! As recorded Poppy wreaths are also not yet expended forthis calendar year.As requested by your committee the total value of the Ernest Hulme Fund of£833.67 was donated to the Sherborne Douzelage. The account withCheltenham and Gloucester has now been closed.PR Holden 11 October 2012JOINT FOUNDER'S DAY, 2012Warm sunshine and a good gathering of Old Boys and even more Old (andolder?!) Girls took part in the joint Service at Castleton Church on 12th May2012.The Service was taken by and the Address given by the Reverend LesleyMccreadie. She led prayers for our current Schools and also for thoseworldwide, where schooling was not free or even not available at all.In her address she told about her experiences in education. From the age of10 she wanted to be a Minister, but alas this was not possible in the Church(then) and she enjoyed 37 years in education culminating in Head of RE atthe Gryphon School after 1 day's Supply at LOS! Finishing her career atSherborne had been a far cry from where she started in a 2000 girls onlymulti-cultural London Comprehensive. Over her career, she recalled how REteaching had changed so much - in style and content. She is greatlyencouraged by modern learning in and out of the classroom, with andwithout exams and where challenge, self thinking and discussion arepromoted.She reminded us that children were our greatest asset, that there weremany biblical references to this, that God has a calling and touches each ofus. She referred to the second Bible Reading from Philippians (Ch 4 Vs 4-8)and that if each one of us followed these instructions, the world would be abetter place. She hoped that our Schools would touch children and helpthem make a difference.A joint lunch was held afterwards at the Sherborne Hotel.Philip DolbearFor the 2011 year end accounts I produced a financial statement comparingaccount balances for year end 2011 with year end 2007 when I took on thisrole. This was published in the last magazine.The OFA continues to be financially relatively healthy.

Photos of OFA members at the Founders Day ServiceMessrs F Paulley, Frost, G Chubb and J PaulleyMessrs T. Chubb and DerhamMessrs K House and StansfieldMessrs J. House, Earnshaw and Ball

FOUNDER'S DAY 2013ANNUAL DINNER/REUNION 2012LORD DIGBY'S and FOSTER'S SCHOOLS11.30 am11th MAY 2013ProgrammeService at Castleton Church, SherbornePreacher; Eric Woods1.00 pm Luncheon at the Sherborne HotelPLEASE NOTE OFAAGM WILL BE HELD AGAIN THIS YEAR BEFORE THEREUNION DINNER IN OCTOBERTickets £12.50.The reunion dinner was held again in 2012 at the Sherborne Hotel andincluded all former Fosterians and Lord Digby girls plus their partners. TheAGM was held before the dinner with the hope that most of the membersattending the dinner would also attend the meeting. Numbers were againdown and it would really appreciated by the committee if those attending thedinner would arrive slightly earlier and contribute at the AGM.The number attending the dinner was slightly down this year, much to therelief of hotel staff and many of the guests as there was actually breathingspace! I should add my apologies to those who arrived first, as due to thelower numbers the hotel arranged the tables across the room instead oflengthways. This lead to confusion, in terms of seat allocations, which wereset for tables in the other direction. It was nice to receive positive feedbackfrom most people again this year and see some new faces. With the currentnews story of the possibility of Tesco building on the hotel site 2013 mightbe the last year at this venue so I would recommend those that wish toattend book early. At the time of writing this report it has not been confirmedbut it is hoped that rooms can be reserved at a discount rate as in previousyears for those wishing to stay overnight.please include a SAE or e-mail address.Final date for tickets. 30th April 2013MenuBeef and Pork carveryVegetarian optionApple Pie and CreamChocolate Fudge CakeFresh Fruit Salador Cheese and BiscuitsTea or Coffee and mintsTable allocation split nicely into eras of 40s 70s and 80s. The "senior" table shownin this photo, who mainly attended the school in the 1940's.

OLD FOSTERIANS' ASSOCIATIONANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGwill be held onthSATURDAY 12 OCTOBER 2013 at 5.30 pm(Preceding the reunion dinner)At theSherborne HotelThe middle table with those attending in the 70's. New faces for this year includedMark Newton-Clarke and his wifeAgenda• Minutes of the AGM. 201 2• Matters arising from the Minutes• Election of officers and committeeResolutions• AOBMembers are reminded that should they wish to submitany resolutions for the consideration of the meeting,copy(s) must be forwarded to the Hon. Secretary of theAssociation, 21 days prior to the meeting.The far end table with those who were at school in the '80s, in deepdiscussion after the end of the meal - and a f ew pints!

THE ANNUAL DINNER & REUNION2013Foster's School Archive at SherborneMuseum and Forthcoming ExhibitionFor all Old Fosterian's and partnersPLUS Former Lord Digby School Girls and partnersWILL TAKE PLACE ONSATURDAY, 12TH0CTOBER 2013ATTHE SHERBORNE HOTEL 6.45pm for 7.15pmTickets £ 1 7 .00Obtainable from the Hon.Secretary T. Ashmore,Cheques made payable to the 'Old Fosterians' Association'Please include a SAE, or e-mail address and provide your dates at school.Early indication is requested, thus allowing for arrangements to beconfirmed.Special discounted rates for accommodation have been negotiated with thehotel (including breakfast) for the Saturday night. Please book directly withthe Hotel giving the OFA dinner as reference.Places will be reserved on a first come first served basisOn 3 May 2012 I met Ken House and John House for the first time. Thethree of us had come together to empty the Foster's School 'cupboard' andtransfer the contents to the new storeroom where it could be listed andarchived. It was decided that Ken and John would go through the contentsof the cupboard, I would make a list of the contents and we would transferall that we found into some archive boxes that could be taken over to thestoreroom where, in future, it might be possible to make the contents moreaccessible and available. As we opened up the cupboard and delved intothis fascinating treasure trove it became clear that at some time there werepeople who knew exactly what was here but over the years the archive hadlargely become overlooked. I am sure S G McKay, when he was writing hisbook Foster's the Story of a Dorset School in 1975, would have beenfamiliar with every item that we were finding. By the end of July we hadachieved our goal of getting everything over to the store and mostly intoboxes .. We listed and sorted the nearly 400 items into groups of relatedmaterial. I then went on to check the other collections in the museum andfound items of uniform in the costume collection and many, manyphotographs in the photographic archive. More things came to light as themuseum dismantled a large number of the exhibits to facilitate a redecoration.Ken House was surprised when his old football shirt turned uphaving had no idea it had been on display for some time. Finally a full listwas made which now runs to nearly 500 items, plus 250 or so photographsin the photographic archive making a grand total of around 750 items ofmemorabilia.The next step is to have an exhibition of some of the key items and put themon display at the museum. The intention is also to have a collection ofpersonal memories and for this we start right back in the 1880s with anarticle reprinted from The Fosterian in 1934 as an 'old boy' of the timelooked back. We are collecting memories from as many 'old boys' aspossible throughout the era of the school from the 1930s right up to the1980s and these will be available at the museum and via the museumwebsite. The exhibition will run a full season from 26 March until 17December 2013 and it is hoped that as many of you as possible will be ableto come along and see some of this rich archive for yourselves. We aim tohave a visitors' book so that you can all sign it, add your comments and lookback through the pages to see who else might have been along for a visit.This in itself will then form part of the Foster's School Archive in SherborneMuseum. Around Founders' Day we will also take over the museum'sdisplay window, which looks out on to Church Lane, in order to display asmuch as is possible to make your visit of interest.

The museum's photographic archive has been in the safe hands of two 'oldboys' from the school for sometime - Alec Oxford and David Tuffin. Davidand his assistants have also been involved with digitising many of thephotographs, including a number from the school, and a selection willavailable via a computerised database linked to a touch-screen due forinauguration in March.In addition a record has been created, called Foster's School at a Time ofWar, giving the unfolding story of events concerning the school, and twoboys in particular, during the turbulent times of World War 1. A copy of allthe information collated for the museum will be available to view at theexhibition and will also be available as a pdf on a disk to be purchased fromthe museum or downloaded from the website to view later at home. Forfurther information see Sherborne Museum websitewww.sherbornemuseum.co.uk (Foster's School archive can be found viaSchools and Education) or the website of the Old Fosterians' Association:Wlf!..w.fosterians.wordpress.comBarbara Elsmore for Sherborne Museum - January 2013Ken and john House who have spent considerable time with Barbara sorting andcataloging Fosters artifacts

THE FOSTER'S FL YERAn article by John Handford, the current owner of the bus and who was responsiblefor its restoration after sterling service f or F asters SchoolI was never at Foster's School and, equally, you won't know me - but likelywe do have something in common. That is the Foster's Flyer.Many of you will, I'm sure, recall the Foster's Flyer coach, purchased byChris Lea - one time headmaster at Fosters - and, I believe it was used toprovide transport for school boarders and to transport boys to cricketmatches etc. I understand the coach was also well known locally, travellingto Granville in France at the time of the twinning of Sherborne with Granville.Also, following Sherborne's success in the television programme 'It's aKnockout' the Foster's Flyer took the Sherborne contingent to the 'JeuxSans Frontieres' final in Lignano, Italy - for which advertising space wassold on the panels of the coach.In the early 80's Chris and Carol Lea, and the Foster's Flyer, moved to theWest Midlands. I got to know the vehicle in 1988. At that time my wife ran aSea Ranger Crew in Solihull and I came across the Foster's Flyer beingoffered by Chris and Carol to be used for charitable ventures. Thecombination of an interest in transport and the possibilities of using thecoach to assist the Sea Rangers appealed and so my involvement with theFoster's Flyer started and has continued to this day - some 25 years later. Istarted by using the coach to take 'The Crew' to camp and other SeaRanger activities; and soon found I was being asked to help drive for othersimilar groups.I understand that in its time at Foster's School, the coach failed with someregularity, and it has to be said that when I got to know it in the Midlands itwas in need of a bit of TLC! The bodywork had deteriorated considerably. Itwas still covered in local Sherborne advertisements and every panel wasmisshapen or damaged. In a couple of places plywood had beensubstituted for locker panels and glass windows replaced by perspex. Theinterior was a bit of a mess and it really hadn't seen good mechanicalmaintenance for a long while. So my interest in the coach itself grewcoupled with its new role in the Midlands supporting local voluntaryorganisations. Fairly quickly a new nondescript livery was applied to coverup the redundant advertisements. Additionally, a lot of ferreting around inscrapyards revealed useful components, such as windows, seats andmechanical components, which bit by bit, along with a lot of hard work, wereused to revive the condition of the coach.At this stage, now into the 90's, my interest in the Foster's Flyer for what itwas - a classic coach - began to take over. So perhaps the Foster's Flyershould now be recognised correctly for what she is. The Fosters Flyer, EOV5020, is a 1966 Bristol MW6G chassis with coach bodywork by EasternCoach Works of Lowestoft. It is powered by a Gardner 6HLW 8.4 litreengine fitted with a 50 mph governor coupled to a 5 speed overdrivegearbox mounted midships. Braking is via a Clayton Dewandre triple servovacuum system. The MW chassis built by Bristol Commercial Vehiclesreplaced the earlier integral body LS design, and was first seen around1957, and remained in production until 1967. Being a 1966 vehicle theFoster's Flyer represents the final version of ECW's coach body for theMW6G Bristol chassis as delivered to Western and Southern National. TheFoster's Flyer was built for Western National as Fleet No. 1420 originallybased in Plymouth running express coach services in the colours of the'Royal Blue' company which ran a network of services into and out of theSouth West. Eventually, higher permitted speeds, new dual carriagewaysand motorways and the increased capacity of its successor, the Bristol RE,meant longer coach services reaching into new areas and the consequentdemise of the 'MW.So, there was a 2-fold objective for the Foster's Flyer - firstly, to make itavailable to support local charitable groups and voluntary organisations; andsecondly, to restore her to original condition. Initially, EOV 5020 wasreturned to her original Royal Blue livery with the assistance of a group ofautomotive students at a local college. The Foster's Flyer did lookimpressively better and close to original condition, but there remained quitea number of bodywork issues and there was still much to be done tocomplete her restoration.At around this time, by now 1995, discussions took place with Chris andCarol about the future of the coach since it was volunteer effort progressingthe restoration and the charitable service that the Foster's Flyer wasproviding. The result was that title to the coach changed to ensure its future.With the passage of time it became more pressing to complete therestoration properly. In stepped a local bodyshop and classic car restorer,excited by the challenge of a larger than normal project and also seeing theircontribution as a means for them to help the local community through theprovision of their skills in support of the Fosters Flyer as a charitableventure. They did an excellent job. All panels were straightened and filled ,or replaced, and minor damage repaired. All the joining strips werereplaced. Much of the trim was removed, refurbished and replaced, andfinally a very durable paint finish applied to Western National, Royal Blue,livery. Correct legal lettering and logos were applied resulting in a makeoverfor the Foster's Flyer to the condition as first delivered to Plymouth in 1966.Finally, to fully complete the restoration of the coach, the interior vinylaround the entrance, dash and drivers area had to be tackled to measure up

to the quality of the work completed on the outside. This was not an easytask with lots of intricate shapes, pipes, trim, fittings and driving controls allin the way. However, bit by bit, the whole area was dismantled, painted,panels recovered and re-assembled resulting in a transformation of thatarea to match the exterior of the vehicle. At the same time all the seatswere removed allowing the interior sidewalls to be refurbished to a similar~n~~- .Throughout the nineties and the noughties, besides achieving a qualityrestoration of the Foster's Flyer, the coach retained its nickname andprovided regular service to a whole variety of local voluntary and charitableorganisations - such as Wl's, church groups, residents associations, and awhole manner of clubs and societies - taking them on days out across theWest Midlands and beyond. The Foster's· Flyer name became well knownserving a totally new role for some 20 more years.In more recent years, really for reasons of my age, and the age of thecoach, accommodation, plus ever increasing legislation and bureaucracy -the charitable role of the Foster's Flyer has now all but ceased. However,the Fosters Flyer is in fine fettle and continues to play its part in thepreservation world, attending rallies and events through the year. Indeed,the Foster's Flyer takes part every year in a 3 day celebration road run forRoyal Blue coaches, taking in all the old highways and byways of formerroutes around Devon and Cornwall, along with other vintage Royal Bluesfrom the 1950's and 1960's - testimony to its 'return to the fold' having nowgone full circle having served with Foster's School and served literallythousands in the West Midlands where it continued to be well known as theFoster's Flyer.The Foster's Flyer in Solihull in 1988 having moved up from Foster's School with Chris andCarol Lea - still sporting its Sherborne sponsorship for 'Jeux Sans Frontieres'.Full circle! The Foster's Flyer leaving Plymouth Bus Station -where it was first allocated whennew in 1966 well before the days of Foster's School. The photograph was taken on the 2012Royal Blue road run.John has provided other photographs which will available on the web-siteOriginal Eastern Coach Works photograph of EDV502D (pre-Fosters) before delivery toWestern National and assignment to Plymouth.- Hon. Sec

Earnest Hulme Fund and DouzelageYou are most welcome to join us in our activities and if you are interestedthen please contact me, Kevin. Kevin.waterfall@btinternet.com.Earnest Hulme taught French at Fosters for many years and following hisdeath the Old Fosterians set up a fund such that young people of Sherbornemight pursue foreign language studies. The fund had grown to some £800+and was not being used by students or schools.Sherborne Douzelage is a Registered Charity that works with local schools,particularly the Gryphon School, to give them European experiences. It ischaired by Kevin Waterfall (Fosters 1959:-64). The OFA committee hasasked Sherborne Douzelage to manage and distribute the Ernest HulmeFund for it, rather than setting up a separate distribution agency.Douzelage will ensure that the money is used for its intended purpose ofencouraging youth advancement in the area of language development. Ithas a Youth Travel fund that is used to support student travel for non-formallearning opportunities across Europe and the Earnest Hulme Fund moneyhas been transferred to that.The Douzelage is a unique European organisation which Promoteseducational, sporting, cultural and employment links within Europe generallyand specifically with the Douzelage towns of the European Union. As aregistered Charity its objects include:promoting civic responsibility and good citizenshippromoting volunteeringeducating and relieving the needs of young people in particular ... whichdevelop their skills, capacities and capabilitiesThe Douzelage alliance was brought into being in 1991 and it has 27 suchmember towns, one in every European country. Despite the number oftowns, it retains the "Douze" as the EU retains its twelve stars (the numberof original members) on its flag. Douzelage aim to build enjoyable andworthwhile relationships between the very different member towns, theirindividuals and groups of people with common interests. This is achievedthrough a programme of events, for all ages and interests, taking advantageof European funding schemes where possible, as well as providingopportunities and contacts for activity groups between towns.ff. ..... ,,, ...Below are a couple of the write-ups from students that have benefited from thisscheme:-Douzelage Granville Carnival Trip, February 2013It goes without saying that this trip could not have happened if it were not for theorganisation and diligence of Kevin Waterfall, Chairman of Sherborne Douzelage,and all of us are incredibly grateful for his hard work that made this experienceavailable and most certainly worthwhile. It is certain that we will cherish theexperiences of this trip for a very long time, such as the extraordinary day trip toMont St Michel; involving breathtaking views, dear antiquated buildings and many,many steps!In addition, our hosts Fay and Jean-Claude Guerry were of the utmost kindness andexceedingly accommodating, welcoming us into their home for five days.Furthermore, we must extend our thanks to the Gryphon School in Sherborne, forallowing us three days off-timetable to have this brilliant and beneficial experience.We feel that the life-knowledge and French practice which we gained far outstrips thepossible missing of lessons.We would also like to thank Julien (whose last name will remain undisclosedbecause ... um ... frankly we don't know it!) who collected seven bemused-lookingEnglish people from Granville town centre and took us to the assembly point, doinghis very best to understand the mixture of French and English (and maybe someSpanish or Dutch for good measure!) which we were uttering. And we think he onlymentioned the English people bringing the rain once or twice.Throughout the carnival procession on Sunday 10 1 h, the other members of float 20contributed to the fact that there was never a dull moment, with their never waningenergy, infectious enthusiasm and precisely aimed paper confetti!As well as experiences of culture and meeting wonderful new people, we also sharedmoments of hilarity together such as a monumental salad incident, and the dancemoves of Mr Kevin Waterfall!Jade Batstone Gryphon school year 12For the current programme please seehttp://www.sherbornetown.com/directory/sherborne-douzelage.aspx If youare interested to make friends or find people of like interests across Europethen please check out the website or contact Kevin.

Carnaval de GranvilleOn ih February, six Year 12 students went to Granville in France, with theDouzelage, an organisation which promotes friendship between the Europeanmember towns. Luckily for us, Sherborne is the UK's representative - so we werelucky enough to have the chance to go!After waking us up ridiculously early, Kevin Waterfall (the organiser, on the left in thephoto) braved the cold drive down to Portsmouth docks - and when we say cold, wemean COLD! The crossing to Caen was mercifully smooth, and we arrived there atabout 3pm. The next bit was Kevin's fatal mistake - asking Jake and Dan tonavigate. Still, we only went round the same roundabout three times ...Among our very busy four days there, we visited Mont St Michel on a beautiful sunnyday (yes, sunny days do exist in France!), visited Granville centre for some shoppingand, on the way home, saw the beaches where soldiers landed in the Second WorldWar.The object of the trip was to take part in the local carnival; and what a carnival it was!It lasts five days, with children's processions, street performers and, of course, thefloats themselves. These monoliths take up to nine months to build and attract120,000 visitors. It was truly awe-inspiring. Except, of course, for the steady rain,with which the words 'les Anglais' were frequently associated. Wonder why ... ?We had an amazing time, and would like to say a huge "MERCI!" everyone else whomade this trip possible. Oh, and Kevin, "les enfants say gracias!".Jake Perrot Gryphon school year 12'THE SHERBORNE MOTORIST'A book compiled and written by John House ( '49 to '53 ) about earlymotoring in general and more about the garages that Sherborne had in pastyears, yes all ten Sherborne garages.It also has articles on local motor sport champions, local coach operators,Castleton Caravans, Hamblin Cars, Pasley Engines and photos of manylocal village garages that are now gone.The 90 plus local photos will bring back many memories as will the manylocal adverts and Carlton Cinema motor related slides.The book (£8.00 ) is available from the Sherborne Museum or Winstone'sBook Shop in Cheap Street. Posted copies of the book are available if yousend £9.00 incl. postage ( UK only ) to:John House, 9 Sherborne Road Milborne Port Sherborne DT9 SATOverseas members please e-mail me for postage cost atjohn.hjhouse@tiscali.co.ukI have read the b.ook and it brought back some very nostalgic memories, inparticular working at the Bere Regis Garage on the petrol pumps and forTom Douch on the forecourt opposite the entrance to Lord Digby's School.- Hon. SecThe students at the Carnival with Kevin (top left)

ARTICLES FROM MEMBERSBelow are three photographs sent by Ray Fox (39-46)The school 1 51 XI cricket team from 1945.Ray is sure that this photograph was taken of the school army cadet force in1944. The ACF became the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) after the War.The school 1 51 XI football team 1945Back row L to R : Mr Lush, Devonshire N, Fox, Fisher, Paul/ey F, Kerr, Carver, Guy, Patch, Mr.MillerMiddle row: Tompkins, Chubb, Paul/ey J, Baggs, GayFront row: Baker, Devonshire E.

This photograph was sent by Simon Easton (68-75) taken fromthe Western Gazette in July 1971Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tieA hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police arelooking into itTime flies like an arrow. Fru it flies like a bananaAtheism is a non-prophet organizationTwo hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said tothe other "You stay here - I'll go on a head"I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit meA sign on the lawn at a drug.rehab centre said "Keep off the grass"The midget fortune teller who escaped from prison was a smallmedium at largeThe soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now aseasoned veteranA backward poet writes inversePuns for Educated MindsThe fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.He acquired his size from too much PiI thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned outto be an optical AleutianShe was only a whisky maker, but he loved her stillA rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because itas a weapon of math disruptionNo matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationeryA dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for litteringA grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in linoleumBlown apartIn a democracy, it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's yourcount that votesWhen cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of rel igionIf you jumped off a bridge in Paris, you'd be in SeineA vulture boards an airplane carrying two dead raccoons. Thestewardess looks at it and says ''I'm sorry, only one carrion allowedper passenger"Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says"Dam"Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly so they lit a fire in thecraft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving that you can't have your kayakand heat itTwo hydrogen atoms meet. One says "I've lost my electron." Theother says "Are you sure?" The first replies "Yes, I'm positive"

Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during aroot canal? His goal - transcend dental medicationThere was the person who sent ten puns to friends with the hopethat at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in tendidTerry Chubb (45-53)A Little Walking Challenge - South West Coast Path, Pooleto Minehead 2012Late in 2011 , I decided that I needed some form of physical challenge tomake the forthcoming Olympics and Diamond Jubilee year a memorableone from a personal point of view. After some contemplation and knowingthat I would have sufficient time, my thoughts crystallised on a good walk ...and in excess of 600 miles, starting at my own doorstep seemed to fit thebill! So it was that the South West Coast Path, from Poole to Minehead,became my goal for 2012, and if I could I would do it in one hit.1979 Under 15s Football team sent in by Nick GoldingBack row L-R: Manual, Symons, Brown, Golding, Kilvington, Dawson, DeSerra, DixonFront Row: Batterberry, Devoto, Hurst, Shackle, Dolbear RNow having done certain sections of the path before, I knew it would not bea proverbial walk in the park. Indeed, in 2010 and without any training, I hadfoolishly done a 25-mile section of the Jurassic coast which, to cut a longstory short, half-crippled me for several weeks. So with this very much in mymind, I embarked on a winter of many training walks to toughen up my feetand exercise muscles and tendons that I may not normally use much in mykeep-fit-mainstay of cycling. To help my knees I invested in some walkingpoles, and I also resolved that during the walk I would return home atweekends to give my feet a rest, and wash my socks!Cunningly I targeted a start date of late April, knowing that in recent yearsthe spring weather has been great, while by summer it has normally gonedownhill ....And so, with hosepipe bans in place around the country, on April 27th I setoff, with an easy walk the first day, just 7 miles from my house to the officialstarUend of the Path at Studland, and in brilliant sunshine. This was not tolast!! Day 2 was a day of drizzle, while by Day 3 the rain and wind was ofbiblical proportions ... not really what you need on a Sunday afternoon , with aprecipice to your left, barbed wire fence to your right and just a few feet ofslippery path to negotiate in between!Now I can't possibly recount all the tales from my 40 days of exploring thesouth west coast here, but will try to give you a flavour via some of thehighlights and more memorable parts of my trip.Just in terms of numbers, it turned out to be a fair old stroll:690 miles in 40 days walking, averaging 3mph and 17miles a day. This was10% more than the official mileage due to landslide diversions, wrong turnsand a few extra steps to B&Bs, bus stops and the odd watering hole. I didhave weekends off as promised, back home for foot and knee R&R!A total elevation scaled of some 115,000 feet (apparently), almost 4Everests - worth. In places the "walk" was indeed more like mountaineering,and some 45-degree crampons would have come in handy ... or even ropeon a couple of sections!

About 2 million steps, and almost as many plants of my vital walking poles.All fuelled by a diet of cheesy garlic bread, chocolate, full English breakfasts& good English ale.There was so much wonderful scenery along the way, including the JurassicCoast of Dorset (of course), a series of off-shore rock stacks at BedruthanSteps and a succession of beaches in North Cornwall as good as any in theworld. There was amazing cliff scenery at various points all the way around,but especially around Torbay, Dawlish and nearing Land's End.These geological aspects were complemented by an abundance of flora andfauna, with displays of wild flowers, particularly glades of bluebells and wildgarlic, and later proud foxgloves and purple heather. Bird-life provided asoundtrack along the way, from finches to skylarks, gulls and even Cornishchoughs (as opposed to "coughs" which was one amusing pronunciation Iheard from a tourst in a pub). Butterflies, seals, rabbits, lizards and even acouple of snakes all added to the mix.There were also many waterfalls, including one that actually went upwards!Honest - and this was not after a visit to a pub ... I've got the video! ThoughI'm sure most of these would usually have been but a trickle, if there at all, Ihad of course unknowingly chosen to do the walk during the wettest April toJune quarter on record.... -Rain and wind came in quantities that were somewhat unexpected for thetime of year - sometimes the combination was actually painful! However, itmay come as a surprise that I only got three absolute soakings- to-the-skin(including that third day mentioned before), but there were plenty of otherwet and windy days. One consequence was mud, mud and more mud, in avariety of colours and consistencies, from "claggy" to just plain slippery.Here, my walking poles helped hugely.Another result of the warm and wet weather was that parts of the path wereso overgrown that it was like walking through knee-deep water, such wasthe resistance to forward motion. Many others sections had more nettles,brambles, thistles and gorse than my usually shorts-wearing legs reallywanted.I met dozens of people along the way, including inspirational ones whohumbled my paltry efforts - two guys running the path, doing a marathon aday; one chap cycling the entire coast of Britain, and a couple doing thesame by tandem! I also had a couple of encounters with some ratherthreatening cows, and over several hundred miles gained far too great afamiliarity with bovine emissions of all varieties!Equipment and logistics provided their fair share of headaches, involving:28 bed & breakfasts, and travel by car, train, bus, ferry and even bicycle toget me home at weekends then back on the case after some foot-recovery;My first equipment issue was a leaking bladder (my hydration device,happily nothing worse!);6 walking poles (my knee-savers!), including one spare and two thatdied in action;2 rucksacks - the first somewhat lacerated my back so I got rid ofthat one, but even the new one suffered wind-damage along theway;Lotions and potions for aches and pains, and more blister andordinary plasters than I can remember, often supplemented by adose of Voltarol. I also had a few tumbles, none serious thankfully.I did not complete the walk without the help and support of others though,and my sincerest thanks must go to:The friends who came along on a practise walk in the Purbecks inApril, which helped me banish the Jurassic Coast demon that hadsat on my shoulder since 2010;All the friends who joined me along the way: an old workmate onDay 2, Jo Bayley (ex-Digby's) & husband Patch and Simon Manaton(Foster's 1980-87) & wife Dorota on Day 24, Helen Brocklehurst (ex­Digby's and wife of Kieran Millar - Foster's 1980-87) on Day 27, andtwo university pals plus Simon (again) on my last stage toMinehead;Friends who helped logistics, including Tim & Jacqui Watkins (neeOwen - ex-Digby's), and Kieran, Simon, Hayden Williams (Foster's1980-87) et al on holiday in Lelant, who provided welcomeaccommodation;My Mum for often letting me leave my car at home in Sherbornewhile I got the train west;My much-missed Dad for often being in my thoughts and knowinghow much he'd have loved all the wildlife, flowers and scenery alongthe way;All the friends who sent me texts and emails of support &encouragement during the walk;And finally, all the generous people who have donated to thecharities British Heart Foundation and Sport Relief, in support of myefforts.Well hopefully I've given a brief idea of my 2012 adventure. It was certainlya challenging one at times, and made the year, for me, not only that of theJubilee and Olympics, but also the year of "The Walk".

If any readers have enjoyed my tale and would like to make a donation toeither of the charities mentioned, please look me up (Daren Gapper) onJustgiving.com - thank you.LETTERS TO THE EDITORDaren Gapper - (80-87)John Frost (38-43) March 2012Tea with the QueenThe occasion of HM The Queen's Diamond Jubilee brings back manymemories of my service in the Grenadier Guards, when her Majesty wasHRH Princess Elizabeth, and Colonel of the Regiment. Of course she is nowColonel in Chief of all the Guards' Regiments, but we like to think that shehas a particular regard for her Grenadiers.Her Majesty holds a royal garden party for the Grenadiers about every tenyears and over the past 60 years I have been privileged to be invited to fivesuch events.The highlight a few years ago was when, as Vive President of the GrenadierGuards Association I was presented to Her Majesty at Buckingham Palaceand then had the honour of presenting other members of the association.My former commanding officer, Lord Neville Wigram (if you engage in namedropping always drop big ones!) nominated me for this duty, and when I toldhim that I was apprehensive of how my Dorset accent, noticeable but not toopronounced, would sound in such august company His Lordship replied -"just be yourself. If you put on false airs and graces I shall be mostdisappointed in you". Sound advice indeed!In the event Her Majesty was utterly charming and put me completely atease. During royal duties in the Grenadiers I had often seen the Royal familyat close quarters, particularly on No.& post Windsor Castle, adjacent to theRoyal Apartments, but I had never been in conversation with any of them.The privilege of speaking with the Queen is something I shall alwaystreasure.Our next Royal Garden Party will be in 2013 or 2014. Will this be no. 6 forme? One can only hope!Harold Osment (37-44) March 2013A spirit of some sort has moved me to write this morning! I so often wonderwho of my class, 1937 - 43, are still alive and who is moving in "age'ssleepy night", now. I went with Roger Taylor (57 - 62) recently on a steadydrive to have tea at "The Bird on the Rock" at Clungunford. We came to thevillage and there was the church on the left. A church is there to be exploredso in we went. It was so disappointing. The pews were gone and there wasa little sea of brown chairs, each with its pale green cushion. At the east endwas the only stain glass window. Above was the dull brown roof. Into mymind came the quote" My Father's house is a house of prayer, but you havemade it into a den of bingo." Alas modernity.The tearoom was a very pleasing relief. Earl Grey in a pot, on a white cloth,on a round table, and ginger cake with icing, lots of pictures around us andsweet quietness. Then came to my mind "every cloud has a silver lining!"I look forward to the next edition of the FosterianJohn Frost (38-43)Ashton, BristolNEWS FROM MEMBERSFamily detailsWidowed, Daughter died 1990, wife died 1992.Son lives nearby. 2 grand daughters and 2 great grand children.OccupationRetired Police Chief InspectorLeisure ActivitiesVice President Grenadier Guards Association.Member of the National Association of Retired Police OfficersFreemasonryLeisure ActivitiesGardeningFishingSkittlesLooking after the grand children

Meetings with other O.F.sVery enjoyable OFA reunionsDaren Gapper (80-87)Poole, DorsetDear SirFamily detailsStill single!OccupationContract Accountant working in Poole but I try to take off plenty oftime each summer to travel and have some adventuresLeisure ActivitiesI'm an avid fan of TVR sports cars and have recently returned froma road trip to the Alps in my Griffith 500. In 2007 I took it to Monaco- a fantastic trip!Meetings with other O.F.sOften meet with Kieran Millar (80-87) and Hayden Williams (80-87)for a Chinese meal in Winchester. Occasionally bump into AndrewCarswell (81-88) who also lives in Poole.I have been trying to trace any picture of Timothy Harvey [my step brother]who unfortunately I never met and now believe has RIP.Timothy was a boarder at Fosters, late 1940 or the start of 1950.After leaving school, I have discovered Timothy was in the RAF and lastknown to reside in Wales.Timothy came from Sturminster Newton and our father had a family garagethere.I would very much like to see if he looked like dad?Also if anyone knew him?'RegardsAnn Sibley (nee Harvey)If anyone has any information and can remember Timothy please send thedetails to hon.sec. who will pass them on to AnnCongratulationsGareth Chaffey (90-93) married Anna Marie Bakare in June 2012 inSherborne AbbeyNEW MEMBERSArnold Jansen (50-55) - also known as Arnold RakowskiComment: Searching for Brian Partridge, Peter Perry, WilfredWhitemoreI have some photos of Fosters Cadet Force, that could be of interestfor any archives that may or may not exist.I met Peter Perry at Christchurch university some years ago withmy wife. I believe he has returned to England.So disappointed to hear that the old school has been demolished.Mark Pfennig (82-90)Bill Stafford (7 4-79)Family Details (marriages/anniversaries/children/grand-children):Married three times! First to Catherine, a Digby's girl, with whom Iam still in touch.Two "kids"; boy of 17, girl of 15.Happily married and living in CambridgeshireDates at School: Sep 74 - Dec 79Occupation: Met Police officer, since 1988Other activities: No time, no money, no real inclinationMeetings with others: Still in touch with Kev Hunt and Tim Carr.There are Old Fosterians in The Job!Other information: Not bad for a bloke who was expelled by KenHouse.If only I had played football as well as I played rugby ...Dates at School: 1940/1950

Liam Tanner (82-87)Richard Trickey (?)Stephen Trump (61-68)I was at Fosters 1961-1968 and would love to be in contact withsome of my classmates, eg Geoff Quick, Tim Hunsley, AndrewEvans, Pete Ross,OBITUARIESM. Brummell (70-77) died in June 2012 in a cycling accident in the NewForrest. Mark was a keen cyclist and a campaiQner for better cyclingawareness.R. Lacey died in 2006 in BillinghurstBill Chaffey (49-54)