Reminiscences of Form Alpha 1928-44

Chichester High School for Boys Form Alpha 1930 – 1944 A fee paying alternative to the scholarship for entry into the school A small article appeared in the 2006 Spring Newsletter requesting contributions from Members relating to the history of Form Alpha together with other ancillary recollections. This resulted in the stirring of memories of a number of members and …

David Hayward Remembers

I did enjoy my time with the CCF at the school, I believe K D Anderson was the driving force behind establishing it at the school, I joined at thirteen a year or so after it started. We visited Chichester last year, one of my insufficient excursions to my roots, I noticed passing the school on the bus that the …

Ken Murch’s Wartime Reminiscences

Ken “Bogey” Murch’s Wartime Reminiscences Born in 1917 1 received an early introduction to aviation when, the day after I was born, I was in a Zeppelin air raid when a nurse was killed a mile away, so my parents told me. I volunteered for the RAF in September 1939, after gaining my BSc degree, was accepted immediately and posted …

A passion for aviation

A Lifelong Passion for Aviation Generated at the School (Eric Myall 1942-1949) I have always been interested in aviation and at the High School there were two ways of fostering this hobby. The first was by joining the School Spotters Club which was affiliated to the National Association of Spotters Clubs. As far as I recall, this had been organised …

The War Years

The School in the War Years: By Messrs. Wills and Flynn   Geoff Wills writes: Preparations for war As early as 1938 measures were underway to prepare for war with the construction of air raid shelters adjacent to Kingsham Road (still in situ!) At the time of the Munich Crisis in Sept 1938 school was suspended for 4 days for …

Monkey Watson and the Luftwaffe

During WW 2 the school was provided with brick air-raid shelters, sufficient to accommodate the whole school. These were in the playing fields, close to the main buildings. At first, whenever the sirens sounded, everybody adjourned to shelter until the “All-Clear”. This was a common occurrence and it soon became clear that it constituted an unacceptable waste of school time. To …

Robin Wainwright 1943-2006

Robin died earlier this year aged 62 after a painful six-month struggle with stomach cancer. Robin’s roots were in Leeds and I first met him when he arrived at the Central Junior Boys’ school in Chichester. Robin was very tall for his age, very thin and with broad Yorkshire accent. It was obviously quite a traumatic time for him. It …

Alastair Grierson-Rickford 1964-1967

From Stuart Ritchie Chairman of the Sussex Martlets: I am sorry to have to let you know that Alastair Grierson-Rickford has died. At Chichester High School for Boys, Alastair was Head Boy and played first team rugby and cricket. It was at cricket that he excelled and played Sussex Schools XI (1965 and 1966) and Sussex County Cricket Club Young …

Brian D Cudmore 1954-1962

Brian died in 2006 aged only sixty-four. I first met him in 1954, when we both attended Chichester High School for Boys and caught the train together at Littlehampton. We really became friends when we both ended up in class VB together and also through many sporting contests involving Lake House. On one occasion I ended up playing in goal …