Memorabilia

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We're beginning to get some excellent items of memorabilia. Many thanks to those who have kindly contributed. They may help to provide some of the very best clues to uncovering lost memories. If you still have any memorabilia, please send a photo or scan to share on the site. All items are gratefully received, and all are valuable.

To see a bigger version of the photographs and scans click the picture.
Use your browsers Back button to return.

Click the picture above to view a larger image. What is this?

Thanks to Cliff Billington for solving this puzzle. Apparently this object is part of the cardboard mount of a class photo.
(Picture kindly provided by Dave Wood)

Click the picture above to view a larger image. A well worn and much treasured Bemrose School Rugby Club badge. Play three games for the school and you earned the distinction of wearing this on your shirt.
Click here to add your comments.

(Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)

Click the picture above to view a larger image. This may be the only surviving PTA programme from 1971, and lists scheduled events for the year. I wonder how many attended the event for March 11th? It also reveals that the Head Boy at the time was a Mr. Redfern.
Click here to add your comments.

(Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)

Click the picture above to view a larger image. Portrait hanging in the library.
If you know who this is please click here to send an email and reference picture Unknown libraryT.jpg.
(Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)

Click the picture above to view a larger image. Portrait hanging in the library.
If you know who this is please click here to send an email and reference picture Unknown portrait libraryT.jpg
(Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)

Click the picture above to view a larger image. The Major Bill Smellie Memorial chair and a sports trophy. Photograph taken April 2002.
Click here to send an email with comments about this chair and reference picture Maj Bill Smellie Memorial ChairT.jpg

(Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)

The Major Bill Smellie Memorial chair in a mystery location, and apparently prior to completion.
Click here to send an email with comments and reference picture smelliechair.jpg

(Image kindly provided by Brian Coxon)

Click the picture above to view a larger image.
The lecturn and possibly its creator.
Click here to send an email with comments about the lecturn and who is shown in the photograph.
Reference photograph lecturn

(Image kindly provided by Brian Coxon)

Click the picture above to view a larger image. War Memorial located in the school library.
Click here to send an email with comments about the memorial and reference picture War memorial LibraryT.jpg

(Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)

Click the picture above to view a larger image. The School Prayer read by Dr. Chapman at the last assemble each year.
Click here to send an email with comments about the School Prayer and reference picture SchoolPrayer.jpg

(Image displayed by kind permission of John Naden and kindly submitted by Mick Geraghty)

Click the picture above to view a larger image.
Jubilee Thanksgiving Service Programme ~ 1954

Click here to send an email with comments about the Programme and reference picture Jubilee

(Image displayed by kind permission of John Naden and kindly submitted by Mick Geraghty)

Click the picture above to view a larger image. There was an honourable tradition of exploring the roof space well before the late sixties, but access was invariably achieved via the ladder in the darkroom between the two physics labs. This had the serious disadvantages of being both well known to the staff and liable to trap the intrepid explorer in the roof for an afternoon when there was a practical session in progress below.

Sometime around 1967/68, a few members of the stage crew decided there must be a better way. We had been seriously tempted by official (and supervised) trips to the roof to set the front of house lights which, at that time, were suspended from a bar beneath one of the skylights. Eventually we managed to borrow a staff passkey for short unaccompanied trips to retrieve forgotten tools etc. There wasn't time to do much exploring, but there was enough to take a Plasticine impression ...

After much experiment, these two keys were cast in plumber's solder and carefully filed until they would reliably operate the lock in the door leading to the roof from the West Tower. The initials scratched onto one of them were intended to confuse the finder if we happened to lose it. The fact that they were those of the Deputy Head at the time was purely coincidental!

For a term or so, we spent most of our free time up in the roof,
especially on Wednesday afternoons and some initial work was even done to install electric lighting in the space over the labs. However, as it was boiling hot in summer and freezing cold in winter, we soon found more congenial scive dens in the flies either side of the stage and at the very top of the West Tower.

I still have the keys though. Just in case ...
~ Roger Wareham

Click the picture above to view a larger image. Bemrose School Parents Association Summer Fair in 1957. Admission was 6d for adults and 4d for children.
Click here to send an email with comments about the Summer Fair programme and reference picture Summer Fair.

(Image displayed by kind permission of John Naden and kindly submitted by Mick Geraghty)

Click the picture above to view a larger image. Bemrose School Parents Association Summer Fair in 1957. The opening ceremony was by Lord Hives, and a jackpot prize of £100 was awarded. I wonder who won the jackpotl?
Click here to send an email with comments about the Summer Fair programme and reference picture Summer Fair2.

(Image displayed by kind permission of John Naden and kindly submitted by Mick Geraghty)

You don't get workmanship like this anymore!

This teapot stand took a whole term to make in (I think) 1960, 2Sp.The rivets are (of course) hand made and it will probably outlast me.

I think the metalwork teacher's name was Bill Saunders, and he was as vindictive as his woodworking colleagues (Hanlon et al).

In the 6th form, a couple of us had A level combinations that left a lot of free periods. Just for fun we decided to 'do' O level metalwork in one year. Bill was ecstatic as he had never had an O level student before. He had to go and buy all the text books from scratch. Unfortunately as the A levels drew nearer, pressure meant that we didn't actually take the exam. We certainly learned a lot though, and it stuck with me.

~ Cliff 'Sparrow' Billington

Memorabilia	Bemrose Forums \| Back to the Home Page \| Feedback
We're beginning to get some excellent items of memorabilia. Many thanks to those who have kindly contributed. They may help to provide some of the very best clues to uncovering lost memories. If you still have any memorabilia, please send a photo or scan to share on the site. All items are gratefully received, and all are valuable.

Click the picture above to view a larger image.	What is this? Thanks to Cliff Billington for solving this puzzle. Apparently this object is part of the cardboard mount of a class photo. (Picture kindly provided by Dave Wood)
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	A well worn and much treasured Bemrose School Rugby Club badge. Play three games for the school and you earned the distinction of wearing this on your shirt. Click here to add your comments. (Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	This may be the only surviving PTA programme from 1971, and lists scheduled events for the year. I wonder how many attended the event for March 11th? It also reveals that the Head Boy at the time was a Mr. Redfern. Click here to add your comments. (Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	Portrait hanging in the library. If you know who this is please click here to send an email and reference picture Unknown libraryT.jpg. (Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	Portrait hanging in the library. If you know who this is please click here to send an email and reference picture Unknown portrait libraryT.jpg (Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	The Major Bill Smellie Memorial chair and a sports trophy. Photograph taken April 2002. Click here to send an email with comments about this chair and reference picture Maj Bill Smellie Memorial ChairT.jpg (Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)
	The Major Bill Smellie Memorial chair in a mystery location, and apparently prior to completion. Click here to send an email with comments and reference picture smelliechair.jpg (Image kindly provided by Brian Coxon)
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	The lecturn and possibly its creator. Click here to send an email with comments about the lecturn and who is shown in the photograph. Reference photograph lecturn (Image kindly provided by Brian Coxon)
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	War Memorial located in the school library. Click here to send an email with comments about the memorial and reference picture War memorial LibraryT.jpg (Image kindly provided by Mick Geraghty)
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	The School Prayer read by Dr. Chapman at the last assemble each year. Click here to send an email with comments about the School Prayer and reference picture SchoolPrayer.jpg (Image displayed by kind permission of John Naden and kindly submitted by Mick Geraghty)
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	Jubilee Thanksgiving Service Programme ~ 1954 Click here to send an email with comments about the Programme and reference picture Jubilee (Image displayed by kind permission of John Naden and kindly submitted by Mick Geraghty)
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	There was an honourable tradition of exploring the roof space well before the late sixties, but access was invariably achieved via the ladder in the darkroom between the two physics labs. This had the serious disadvantages of being both well known to the staff and liable to trap the intrepid explorer in the roof for an afternoon when there was a practical session in progress below. Sometime around 1967/68, a few members of the stage crew decided there must be a better way. We had been seriously tempted by official (and supervised) trips to the roof to set the front of house lights which, at that time, were suspended from a bar beneath one of the skylights. Eventually we managed to borrow a staff passkey for short unaccompanied trips to retrieve forgotten tools etc. There wasn't time to do much exploring, but there was enough to take a Plasticine impression ... After much experiment, these two keys were cast in plumber's solder and carefully filed until they would reliably operate the lock in the door leading to the roof from the West Tower. The initials scratched onto one of them were intended to confuse the finder if we happened to lose it. The fact that they were those of the Deputy Head at the time was purely coincidental! For a term or so, we spent most of our free time up in the roof, especially on Wednesday afternoons and some initial work was even done to install electric lighting in the space over the labs. However, as it was boiling hot in summer and freezing cold in winter, we soon found more congenial scive dens in the flies either side of the stage and at the very top of the West Tower. I still have the keys though. Just in case ... ~ Roger Wareham
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	Bemrose School Parents Association Summer Fair in 1957. Admission was 6d for adults and 4d for children. Click here to send an email with comments about the Summer Fair programme and reference picture Summer Fair. (Image displayed by kind permission of John Naden and kindly submitted by Mick Geraghty)
Click the picture above to view a larger image.	Bemrose School Parents Association Summer Fair in 1957. The opening ceremony was by Lord Hives, and a jackpot prize of £100 was awarded. I wonder who won the jackpotl? Click here to send an email with comments about the Summer Fair programme and reference picture Summer Fair2. (Image displayed by kind permission of John Naden and kindly submitted by Mick Geraghty)
	You don't get workmanship like this anymore! This teapot stand took a whole term to make in (I think) 1960, 2Sp.The rivets are (of course) hand made and it will probably outlast me. I think the metalwork teacher's name was Bill Saunders, and he was as vindictive as his woodworking colleagues (Hanlon et al). In the 6th form, a couple of us had A level combinations that left a lot of free periods. Just for fun we decided to 'do' O level metalwork in one year. Bill was ecstatic as he had never had an O level student before. He had to go and buy all the text books from scratch. Unfortunately as the A levels drew nearer, pressure meant that we didn't actually take the exam. We certainly learned a lot though, and it stuck with me. ~ Cliff 'Sparrow' Billington