I left the School in 1966 having achieved 8 O levels, 3 A levels and an S level. I thoroughly enjoyed my schooldays and have fond memories of the school. I joined the CCF and rapidly became the store-man so I could have a smoke in peace at break times in the air raid shelter used as a store. I spent the first …

My wonderful teachers at Chichester, Mr Gahan and Mr Smart, would have been mortified to hear that, in Doug Murgatroyd’s words, I “got bored” with Latin and Greek at Oxford. Languages, including dead ones, remain a passion of mine (I got GCSE Irish a couple of years ago). But I had an existential crisis at Oxford, right down to the …

Short summary of my life since leaving the School just after Christmas 1960: First I worked as a junior clerk at Graylingwell where I met our friend Gregson who was under treatment there; then I went up to Sidney Sussex, Cambridge to study Classics specializing in Ancient Philosophy in Part Two of the Tripos. Just before Finals 15 kilogrammes of …

I went up to University College London to read Economics. Big disappointment! The degree course was much about every subject, but Economics; London an inhospitable place for a country bumpkin and academe not really my world. I graduated with a modest 2ii – more than I merited! I worked as a builder’s labourer to get fit for National Service which …

Dick Francis – Episode 1 – My seven years at School  I joined in September 1963, complete with bright green blazer, cap and tie and found myself in the first form of Ken Murch (“Bogue”). I travelled to and from school daily on the train which meant that I was allowed to leave at the first bell whereas others had …

On 30 January, 2016 the membership secretary, John Child, received this email from Marcus Wigan in Melbourne, who is keen to join us: Old Cicestrians’ membership – proof of student status: “Anyway the costs and complexity of trying to pay an annual fee from Australia are sufficiently challenging to dissuade me otherwise”. Details 1957-1960 State scholar in mathematics 1960  Hertford …

I’m still not sure about writing this. But Doug Murgatroyd asked me (again), this time from hospital, to write something along the lines of ‘where are they now?’ Where I am now is Hong Kong. Twenty-two years retired from a twenty-year career with the Hong Kong colonial government. Most of that retirement time has been spent in Hawaii. My apologies …

I had planned to read Mathematics at university. I did not make it and read mechanical engineering instead via a London external degree at Portsmouth. There followed a two year graduate apprenticeship with British Aircraft Corporation (now British Aerospace) at Filton, Bristol. On completion I was appointed to be a shop floor supervisor, working on the Concord(e) prototype final assembly. …

It all began for me in 1936. What a year with the Abdication and Jesse Owens winning four gold medals under Hitler’s nose at the Berlin Olympics.  Dark clouds of World War II were gathering and in 1941 my family fled Portsmouth following two massive raids by the Luftwaffe.  My dad, a Petty Officer on the destroyer HMS Vanessa, was …