Eagle News Issue 118 July 2018 - January 2019 The Magazine of the Old Bedford Modernians’ Club 1918: We Will Remember Them Inside: OBM Club President Election 4 WW1 Memorial 12 Memory Stir 30 The Magazine of the Old Bedford Modernians’ Club Founded 1892 Issue 118 July 2018-January 2019 Bedford Modern School Manton Lane, Bedford MK41 7NT Telephone: 01234 332663 Email: [email protected] School telephone: 01234 332500 School fax: 01234 332550 Website: www.bedmod.co.uk President: Richard Greenhalgh (1958-63) Staff and students participated in a full week of activities to celebrate the Centenary of the WW1 Chairman: Armistice, including a dramatic piece entitled 1918: We Will Remember Them. The Headmaster, Alex Tate See feature on page 12. Facebook: /BedfordModernSchool /Bedmod Twitter: @bedfordmodern @OBM_Club LinkedIn: BedfordModernSchoolAlumniLinkedin Bedford Modern School is part of the Harpur Trust: a company limited by guarantee Registered in England: Company Number: 3475202 Registered Office: Pilgrim Centre, Brickhill Drive, Bedford, MK41 7PZ Contents Registered Charity Number: 1066861 The views of contributors are their own 3 Letter from the Head 26 Sports Roundup and not necessarily those of Bedford 4 OBM Club President Election 30 Memory Stir Modern School 6 OBM Events Gallery 38 Obituaries 12 WW1 Memorial 51 Directory of OBM Services 16 School and OBM News Design by: The Answer Machine www.theAnswerMachine.co.uk Printed by: Merrys Limited www.merryprinters.co.uk 2 Old Bedford Modernians’ Club Letter from the Head Alex Tate Welcome once again to the latest edition of A second memorial plaque was added at a As you may well imagine views were mixed Eagle News which I hope you will find as later date to include additional names but two points came over rather more strongly interesting and informative as always. missing from the original memorial. When we than others. There is clearly an emotional moved to our current location in 1974 the attachment to the song, which forms part of We enjoyed considerable success in the memorial tablets were removed and now the school’s rich history, and many of you summer with our A Level results being, once hang on the wall in the Quads. want to continue to have the opportunity to again, the best in Bedfordshire. More detail sing it. Understandably therefore, there was about this can be found on page 18. This year, however, we remembered all those resistance to changing the words and I can Meanwhile our students sitting their GCSE who contributed to the war effort many of see how that may well be counter-productive. examinations also did themselves proud. In a whom served and survived. Each student The fact remains, however, that the song has period of significant change to both syllabus and member of staff ‘adopted’ one of the not been sung for many years and focuses and grading I was delighted with their results. It 1,100 Old Bedford Modernians by wearing a solely on boys. I am, therefore, grateful to a is so satisfying to see all their hard work pay off commemorative lanyard detailing the number of OBMs who highlighted that the particularly when they juggle academic identity of one which included their name, song can easily be sung as it is, with the commitments with so many other school who they served with, dates of birth and individual choosing to refer to ‘boys’ or ‘girls’ activities. It was a pleasure to see so many of death and a link to a personal profile on the according to their preference. I would them return in September to begin their A Imperial War Museum’s (IWM) Lives of the First therefore like to try this the next time we sing Level studies; the next important chapter of World War Digital Memorial; a rich source of the song and hope that it provides a suitable their BMS journey. historical detail bringing the past to life. I was compromise for all. given former Headmaster Henry Liddle who I was moved and very proud of how we, as a was custodian of the School from 1922 to I do hope you enjoy discovering, in the pages school, celebrated the centenary of the 1946 and was fascinated to read of his that follow, just a flavour of the huge variety of armistice in November which signaled the involvement. I do hope you enjoy reading activities which keep our current students busy, 'stilling of arms' and led to the formal end of our special feature in this issue of Eagle catching up with some familiar faces in the First World War in 1918. News. It really was a very special week here ‘memory stir’ and remembering the lives of at school and so important to inform our those who are no longer with us. Please do We know that some 14% of those OBMs who current students about the sacrifices which keep in touch and send in your own stories. joined up fell in WWI, and their names are were made in order for us all to enjoy the We are always delighted to hear from you. recorded on the School’s War Memorial, lives we live. which was unveiled in 1923 in the Memorial Hall of the School’s Harpur Street building, and In my last letter I asked for your thoughts in the Roll of Honour, published in the and comments on whether the School Song December issue of The Eagle; the school should continue to be sung at OBM events magazine at the time. and I was very pleased indeed with the Alex Tate volume of responses I received. Headmaster 01 March OBM Club London Lunch(sold out) 15 March House Captains’ 20 Year Celebration 16 May Classical Showcase Dates 07 June 50th Anniversary Reunion for your 14 June The Founder’s Dinner Diary 03 July Henley Royal Regatta Eagle News 3 OBM Club President 2019-21 When the School took over the management of the OBM Club in January 2016 it was agreed that the President would be elected from the OBM Club membership in its widest sense beginning from 2019-21. We are delighted that two excellent candidates have been nominated and their details appear below. There are two ways to register your vote: 1. Access a simple voting form by visiting the OBM section of the BMS website. You will be asked to enter your name and email address so that we can ensure that no-one votes more than once. 2. Complete the form which can be found on the flysheet enclosed with this issue of Eagle News and send it to us using the address on the form. The closing date for votes is 09.00 on Friday 29 March 2019. Votes received after this time will not be counted. Adam Nicoll (1986-93) Adam has more than 20 years’ What I believe the Club could The current nature of my job experience in B2B marketing benefit from right now however, is does send me abroad several across magic circle law firms, someone who has a very strong times a year and I also have a ‘big 4’ consultancies, global appreciation of the power of young family, but knowing the recruitment consultancies, networks, which is what my OBM calendar pretty well I am working as both a fee-earner in business as a Marketing Director hopeful I can book the relevant those environments and as a of the World's largest recruitment dates in well in advance and freelance marketing consultant. company enables me to leverage. hope that corporate life is kind With more than a decade’s As someone born in 1975, by dint to me for a couple of years.’ experience in recruitment and of chronology as much as anything executive search, he has also else, I have one foot in the analogue had considerable exposure to era, and one in the digital, so able B2C channels to market too. to see the advantages of both He holds a BA (Hons) in History mediums to maximise the Club's from Bristol University and is a reach and help tap into those Neuro-linguistic Programming elements of the middle segment (NLP) Practitioner. of OBMs who have 'gone missing' from our grasp, not least my own Adam writes: ‘As someone that has year group. been part of the new OBM Club Advisory Board for the past few I have also been, until recently, on years, and the opening speaker the Board of Governors for at last summer's BMS Careers Fair, Princess Helena College, for three along with having arranged a years, helping to shape their couple of dozen 'class of 1993' marketing/business strategy, their reunions over the last couple of reach with the old girl's network decades, I feel heavily vested as an and securing funding for various OBM. In that, I know I am not alone. projects. 4 Old Bedford Modernians’ Club OBM Club President 2019-21 Please cast your vote Robin Wills (1960- 69) Robin, a retired Senior Consultant the same and these could become I would encourage increased OBM Process Engineer, has 43 years’ regular events, perhaps on a rolling support for the school through both experience in operations, decade-based system (for instance annual giving and Legacies. I have commissioning, and process design, in 2020 those who left in 1970 could been working with Julie Ridge and including 14 years in plant operation stage a reunion). Other anniversary Deborah Burrows (and their and commissioning; 32 years in events could be included for those predecessors) on both of these process design of onshore and who left 10, 25, or 40 years ago.