From James Muckle
Dear All,
I have heard from Mark Evans (Editor’s note: his son is a nearby neighbour of RDWK and I met his father there), my successor at CHSB, of the reunion on 20 October 2018.
Although I am now over eighty and not in the best of health I should like very much to make the journey from Derbyshire to attend if I possibly can.
Please keep me informed of developments. I am James Muckle (now Professor – I wasn’t then!)
Taught at CHSB 1960-1964. Introduced Russian, also taught German (and some other oddments). I much enjoyed those few years.
After Chi, I moved on to Leeds Grammar School and later to Nottingham University.
I have been in touch with a few former pupils over the years. As it happens I walked along Kingsham Road a few months ago and saw the sad sight of the old building boarded up. I imagined it would be my last ever visit to Chichester, but now I hope 20 October will prove me wrong.
I have over the years run into a few old boys. I have found a few photographs from 1960-1964. I’ll be happy to scan and send copies if you do not have them in your archive. Does the School actually keep an archive?
What I have included:
Staff group photo July 1962. (I very much fear I may be the only survivor of this)
Staff group photograph 1964.
Copy of The Martlet Summer 1964.
other photographs:
– two of the School play, ‘A Man for all Seasons’. I recognise Tom Chadbon, who went into the acting profession. He has apparently succeeded, according to an actor friend of mine: I have noticed him on TV once or twice.
– four sixth formers in 1964: Christopher Brown, David Moore (with whom I am in regular touch and who still has a house in Chi), Derek Whittington, Leigh Bailey (teaching in Vienna when I last heard, 1999)
– three members of staff: Ken Murch, Edwin Reeves, and Alan Bell. AB was the excellent photographer of all the group photos; he left CHSB for health reasons shortly after this, but I understand he is still around in Chi, or was until recently.
– a group of mothers washing up after refreshments on sports day. I can identify two of them!
– some small informal snaps taken on a sports day.
– full-size formal group photograph of form 1X 1961-1962 (all boys named)
– ditto form 2C 1960-1961
– small snap of the first group of boys who took Russian ‘O’ level (as it was in those days) in 1963. I can name most of them.
Newspaper cutting (undated) entitled ‘Corruption of nicknames’ about the informal names boys gave the masters.
In answer to your question about boys who did well in later life, I mentioned Chadbon, but even more outstanding was David Wood, who starred in the film ‘If’, and has authored many plays and other ‘shows’ which have toured and been a great success. I ran into him in a theatre some years ago and he had great happy memories of CHSB – I hope you are in touch. Only a few weeks ago I noticed in the Times that he had celebrated his 70th birthday.