TheALMONDBURIAN

July2011

THE MAGAZINE OF THE OLD ALMONDBURIANS’ SOCIETY

IN THIS ISSUE

3 Chairman’s Letter4 OAS Calendar5 OAS Membership5 Quiz Evening 20116 From the Headteacher8 Terry’sTeaser9 Pavilion Appeal: a great response10 HarryTaylor’s morning prayers12 Cricket14 Soccer14 Badminton andTennis15 Golf16 Reg Addy’s house revisited20 Letter from Porthcawl23 Edward ‘Teak’Akroyd30 Fred Hudson: 100 next year31 CAMRA salutes real beer expert33 Postbag35 OAS Shop

The Editor welcomes articles and letters on relevant topics; emails should be sent to almondburian@oas.org.uk oryou may prefer to write to the editorial address given on the back cover.We reserve the right to edit articles asnecessary.Views expressed by correspondents are not necessarily those ofThe Old Almondburians’ Society.

The next issue of The Almondburian will be published on 1st November 2011.Closing date for contributions: 20th September 2011

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The magazine of The Old Almondburians’ Society

The ALMONDBURIAN

AS this is my first issue as Chairman I’d like to take the opportunity to updateyou about some of the exciting things we’re involved in at the presentotime.As we announced in the last issue of The Almondburian, we’ve launched

a major project to renovate or even rebuild the cricket pavilion at the School.The projectis being spearheaded by Martyn Hicks, fresh from his success in re-launching our footballsection last year, and I am pleased to say that the project has already received widespreadsupport.A report on progress so far appears on page 9.

Another new initiative is that we are planning to launch an ‘Old Almondburians’Society Hall of Fame’ to honour and celebrate the lifetime achievements of some of ourmany illustrious members.We plan to announce the first recipient of the new honour atthis year’sAnnual Dinner.

Editor: Roger Dowling July 2011

NICK BRIGGS

Chairman’s letter

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This year’s Dinner will be on Saturday, 26th November, and I have no doubt that itwill be the usual outstanding occasion. The Galpharm Stadium has acquired a highreputation for its cuisine, so the high quality three-course dinner together with wittyspeeches, the launch of the new‘Hall of Fame’ and the opportunity to meet up again withold friends and acquaintances should be more than adequate reasons to attend. Ourtraditional Founders’ Day service will be held the morning after the dinner, on 27thNovember.

Finally, on page 30 we report on plans to mark the centenary of former SecondMaster Fred Hudson. We know that he is remembered with great respect by OldAlmondburians all over the world.

It’s a very exciting time for the Old Almondburians’ Society, and I hope to see youat all the various events and activities during the coming year. �

OLD ALMONDBURIANS’ SOCIETY CALENDAR

DATES OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMEETINGS, 2011The Executive Committee of the Society

meets upstairs at the ‘Woolpack’ inAlmondbury. Meetings are held each monthat 7.30 pm,with the exception of Augustwhen there is no meeting.Any member of theSociety who would like to attend one ofthese meetings will be made most welcomeon the following dates: 4th July, 5thSeptember, 3rd October, 7th November and5th December.

GOLFThe 2011 Gothard Cup Golf Competition

will take place on Friday, 8th July 2011 atWoodsome Hall Golf Club with the traditionalpresentation dinner in the club houseafterwards.The tee time is between 4.00 pmand 5.00 pm. Further details from SimonRussell (simon@pacific-lifestyle.co.uk).

ANNUAL DINNERTheAnnual Dinner will take place once

again in the main Banqueting Suite at theGalpharm Stadium on Saturday, 26thNovember at 6.30 pm for 7.30 pm, so pleaseput the date in your diary now to make surethat you don’t miss out on a great evening.The ticket price this year will be £26.00, aslight increase on last year due only to the

increase in the rate ofVAT, and an applicationform is included with this magazine. Earlyapplications are always appreciated.It is always good to see members making a

special effort to stage a re-union of their yearat the dinner and such occasions are alwaysenjoyable, so those with a special anniversarythis year, members of the classes of 1941,1951, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1986, 1991 or 2001,for example or, indeed, anyone else who takesa notion to do so, should consider starting toorganise their class re-union earlier ratherthan later.

FOUNDERS’ DAYThe traditional Founders’ Day Service will

be held at All Hallows’ Church,Almondbury,at 11.30 am on the day following theAnnualDinner: Sunday, 27th November.Almondburians are invited to assemble in BigTreeYard at 11.00 am for the traditionalprocession up the hill.The Executive Committee would urge all

Almondburians to make every effort toattend this event. It would help if you are ableto indicate in the space provided on theAnnual Dinner ticket application formwhether or not you expect to attend theFounders’ Day Service as well, but it is notessential and you are most welcome to turnup on the day if you are able.

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SINCE the last magazine was published, we have been delighted to welcome justone new member to the Society: Chris Sykes (1971–1979), resident inCobham, Surrey. Our total membership currently stands at 740.

Subscriptions are due on 1st September each year so, if you receive a letter withthis newsletter pointing out that your subscription is not up-to-date, please docomplete the updated standing order mandate that accompanies it and return it in theenvelope provided without delay.

Alternatively, you may renew online, using PayPal or a debit or credit card, byvisiting www.oas.org.uk and clicking on the ‘Join/Renew Online’ button. �

OAS MembershipANDREW HAIGH

KEITH CRAWSHAW

THE ‘1970s’ team, comprisingBryan Hopkinson,AlanThomasand Marie Thomas, beat

‘DartmouthYouth’ by 88 points to 76to win this year’s Quiz Evening atAlmondbury Conservative Club on 4thMay.

From the five-round semi-finals,‘Dartmouth Youth’ and ‘1970s’ quali-fied for the final (by 10 points and 4points respectively) leaving the ‘Guz-zlers’ and the ‘Cricket Section withmore time to enjoy the supper.

In the six-round final the teamswere level after the first buzzer round.‘DartmouthYouth’ then moved ahead,only to fall behind when the ‘1970s’displayed a superior knowledge of but-terflies. They continued to increasetheir lead throughout and maintainedit in the final buzzer round.

I offer my congratulations to thewinners with thanks to the other play-ers for taking part and particularthanks to Jack Taylor, our residentscorer, and Andrew Haigh, our residentcaterer.

With only 12 competitors in fourteams of three, the attendance this yearwas particularly disappointing and cer-tainly the lowest in over 30 years oftrophy battles.

It is difficult to organise an eventsuch as this, set questions and get anappropriate format when we don’tknow how many teams will turn up.Clearly to be fair to everyone we needto have an earlier commitment frommembers to take part in a team eachyear. Please let us have more supportin future to keep the tradition of thiscompetition going. See you in 2012! �

Quiz Evening 2011

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ON 30th and 31st March theSchool received a visit fromOfsted.The purpose of the visit

was to look at our work in Economicsand Business Education. As we do notprovide formally assessed courses ineconomics or business, the visit focusedon enterprise education and thedevelopment of economic and businessunderstanding, and personal financial andenterprise capability for all students.

They interviewed students and staff,analysed the work of our students,observed lessons in every subject areaand looked at a wide variety ofdocumentation.Their conclusion was:

“The overall effectiveness of enterpriseeducation and the development of students’economic and business understanding andenterprise and financial capability areoutstanding.”

Ofsted rate a school’s performance infour keys areas and their judgementswere as follows:� Achievement:Outstanding� Quality of teaching:Outstanding� Quality of the Curriculum:

Outstanding� Leadership and Management:

OutstandingWe are obviously delighted with these

conclusions. As a school we strive forexcellence and are determined to raise

ROBERT LAMB

our already high standards even higher.We are determined to provide anexcellent standard of education for allour students. So it is wonderful to knowthat Ofsted recognise our efforts.

The Ofsted report which wasofficially published at the start of Maycontains many complimentarycomments including:

“Students have excellent attitudes tolearning”“Lessons are very well-planned and well-paced.They involve a very wide range oflearning activities that fully engage andthoroughly challenge students”“As a result of the school’s excellent plannedprovision, students are developingexceptionally strong work-related andenterprise skills”“Teachers consistently ensure that studentsrecognise the relevance of their learning totheir future adult and working lives”.

Since the report was published wehave been contacted by Ofsted. Theywould like to visit the School again and

FROM THE HEADTEACHER

Ofsted verdict: ‘Outstanding’

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and back at the School…

further research our good practice incross-school enterprise and work relatedlearning, with a view to publishing it onOfsted’s ‘Good Practice’ database. Thiswill then allow other schools to learn fromour work and improve their own practice.

If Ofsted decide to publish an articlethen it will be further recognition for theenormous strides that the school has madeover the last few years. All we need noware some excellent examination results inthis year’s GCSE examinations! �

1Year 10 students took part in aBusiness Challenge Day in the Sports

Hall.

3Year 9 students gifted in science tookpart in a science trail atYork

University’s Science Learning Centre.Topic of the day was climate change.

2The School’s production of ‘Smike’, apop musical adaptation of Charles

Dickens’s Nicholas Nickleby, was voted agreat success.

4The School took part in an E-SafetyWeek and a range of events included a

design project.

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3 4

2Photos: Jenny Ainger

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ACROSS1. Fuzzy watchable kind of TV set (5,3,5)9. Take the air away and relax (6)10. Raise Jeans gallery (8)11. One aurally posts and rises (7)15. Altogether defenceless (5)16. Poetry in good enough taste (3)17. Iron round the junction for the first meeting (5)18. Container tax (3)20. Up to a certain time, the learner is

missing from the register (3)22. Confused, Dorian made headway (6)27. Pale during swansong (3)28. Round optic item (5)30. Cry of discovery in a Soho nightclub (3)32. Island of decor, fun, and sun (5)33. Heart of a perfume (7)36. At home, in this place, the National

Trust becomes innate (8)

37. Keep the servant, having lost thequeen (6)

38. Old, free hen - on the contrary ! (6,7)

DOWN2. Walk mare about to find legislator (8)3. Renders unconscious around bend 500,

and gets the praise (5)4. In having fallen ill, Edward kept a clean

sheet (6).5. Bade farewell to the hairstyle ? (5)6. Where to get the tan uneven in Kent (6)7. Long ruler (5,8)8. Fleets wouldn’t assemble in the same

class (6,7)11. Get a sub to go forward (7)12. Berth on the Flying Scotsman (3)13. Clear catch (3)14. Since the French came in, one can hear

a pin drop ! (7)19. Bustle in riding a donkey (3)21. I had a girl (3)24. Mad about it and the right to annoy (8)26. Two abroad dig up turf (3)27. Drew one, but in doing so, were

victorious ! (3)29. Exercise - up, down, quiet, then up again

(4,2)31. Frenzied man about to twitch (6)34. Man in the money has a glazed look (5)35. Dog of the century, or a soldier (5)

TERRY’S TEASERCompiled by Terry Buckley (1948 - 1953)

Draw: 30th September 2011 Prize: 12 months free OAS membership

� The winner of Terry’s Teaser (March 2011) wasTony Sykes (Holmfirth)

Keep in touch with theOld Almondburians’ Society

via the website

www.oas.org.uk

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FOLLOWING my tear-inducingrant about the future of theCricket Pavilion I should like to

thank John Senior for being the firstOAS member to offer his financial sup-port to the cause. His cheque has beenput into The Sports Pavilion Develop-ment Fund account, watched over by thehawk-like gaze of Keith Crawshaw. Sub-sequently, further contributions have ar-rived and the balance now stands at£1,728, a great start to where we needto be. Other offers of help have also beenwelcome in many areas; for example aletter arrived from John Aspinall:

I've just read your ‘Call to Action’ inthe March edition ofThe Almondburian andwondered if I may be able to assist in someway.

I attended school from 1956 to 1961,and played a lot of cricket and football. Iwitnessed the opening of the pavilion andagree something ought to be done.My wholecareer has been, and still is for three days aweek, in the building industry.My wife andI sold our business JTA Construction in2005 after trading for 27 years.The com-pany that bought us retained me as a con-sultant for two years and I’m still there,mainly concerned with the quantity survey-ing and estimating functions.John’s letter arrived out of the blue at

just the right time. Chris West’s firstplans as seen in the March edition neededto be costed which John is now in theprocess of doing.We have also been askedby several people to consider a new builddesign perhaps more suited to meetings

and sport, located in a slightly differentposition. This more ambitious plan isbeing worked up again by the ever-help-ful ChrisWest and will be costed out byJohn in readiness for some meetingsplanned for 22nd June.

We have also received enthusiasmfrom the school PE department; cricketis back on the agenda at school; and ateam is not only representing the schoolbut making use of the Pavilion (this is re-ally excellent news).

Many others have offered support andI am sure they will be brought to theforefront as their areas of expertise arerequired.

By the next issue I hope to present toyou costed designs rendered up as artist’simpressions, at which point we will beformally launching the capital-raisingphase of the project. So dust off thosecheque books, sharpen those quills,tellyour families that you are going to enterhard times, because you feel an over-whelming need to contribute. �

Pavilion appeal: a great responseMARTYN HICKS

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EVERYBODY has their own iconicmemories from their time atschool – Sports Day perhaps, or

Happy Harry playing the organ at SpeechDay, or maybe meetings of the Gardener’sShed Club,which were held discreetly be-hind the green shed at the top of the Bunk,leaving no evidence behind except for afew careless tab ends trodden into the dirt.

But for those whowere at King James’s dur-ing the HarryTaylor yearsbetween 1951 and1973, one ofthem mustbe morningassembly –the wholeschool drawn upin rows, from thebright-eyed littleboys in short trousers(yes, short trousers) atthe front to the cynical oldSixth Formers, who werejust about starting toshave, at the back.Therewould be a quiet buzz ofside-of-the-mouth conversation foras long as you could avoid the eyes ofthe staff standing along the side, then ahush as the Gaffer himself approached upthe corridor.

Did anyone else notice how his foot-steps on the gym floor, echoing in the re-spectful silence, always sounded slightlyuneven, as though he had a limp? Even ifyou did, you wouldn’t have dared to sayso.There was the morning hymn –‘Fightthe Good Fight’, perhaps, belted out withmore gusto than tunefulness, and proba-bly a few announcements. Maybe the

cricket team hadbeaten HuddersfieldNew College, orsome ‘guttersnipe’had been writing ona wall somewhere,and it had to stop.

And in between,the prayers.HarryTaylor had his owncollection ofprayers, culled

from the SchoolStatutes, fromother prayer-books, from his-

torical and religiousfigures such as SirFrancis Drake,

Thomas Arnold, or St Augustine. Inthose days beforeWordPerfect, they wereall written out in the clear, legible anddisciplined hand that everyone wouldrecognise from their end-of-term re-

Harry Taylor’s morning prayersNext year,we plan to publish, in facsimile form,a unique set of dailyprayers compiled by HarryTaylor for use in Morning Assembly.Hisson ANDREW TAYLOR recalls those daily gatherings.

SUBSCRIBERS SOUGHT

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ports, and gathered together in a smallA5-sized file.

Some of them – his favourites, nodoubt – I can still hear, in his voice:“Teach us, good Lord, to serve thee as thou deser-vest, to give and not count the cost, to fight andnot heed the wounds …”“ … it is not the beginning, but the continuingof the same until it be thoroughly finished,whichyieldeth the true glory …”“Make this School as a field which the Lord hathblessed, that whatsoever things are true, pure,lovely and of good report,may here for ever flour-ish and abound.”

Now the OldAlmondburians’ Societyintends to publish the collection as abook. My brother, my sister and I willwrite brief forewords describing HarryTaylor’s various connections with KingJames’s and the village and church of Al-mondbury, and there will be photographs

to give people who came later some ideaof the HarryTaylorYears – but the focuswill be on the prayers themselves, as hewrote them down and as he said them.

For those who were there, it willbring back memories, and for those whoweren’t, it will be a unique insight intothe daily act of worship that used to bedemanded by law in schools all over thecountry. Even more than that, perhaps, itwill be a glimpse of some of the thingsthat were most important to HarryTaylorhimself.And if that sounds rather solemn,it shouldn’t. There is one prayer in thecollection which I confess I don’t remem-ber from morning assembly, but whichseems to sum up the spirit of the man.“Give us a sense of humour, Lord,Give us the grace to see a joke;To get some happiness from life,And pass it on to other folk.” �

How to become an official Subscriber‘MORNINGASSEMBLY’ will be published as a limited edition next year. It will be a

superb high quality facsimile hardback edition of HarryTaylor’s hand-writtenoriginal,with additional biographical material andpreviously unpublished photographs.

Demand is certain to be high, but you canguarantee your copy by subscribing to thepublication now at the special price of only £10 + pp.The names of all subscribers will be listed in anAppendix.

To subscribe, please complete this form andreturn it to Media Editor,The OldAlmondburians’Society,Orchard House,Oughtrington Lane, Lymm,CheshireWA13 0RD. (If you do not wish to defacethe magazine, please make a photocopy).Alternatively, you can subscribe online atwww.oas.org.uk/morning assembly.php.Nopayment is required at this stage.

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`ÉÜÇ|ÇzDAILY PRAYERS FOR A YORKSHIRE SCHOOL

HARRY TAYLOR

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THE Club’s Annual Dinner andPresentation Evening was heldon Saturday, 12th February at

Lockwood Park. 70 people attended andenjoyed a three course carvery buffet.The Chairman welcomed the ArrowHuddersfield Central League PresidentMr J Carson and his wife, the newCricket Club President, Mr. G. Headeyand his wife, and therecently installedOldAlmondburians’Chairman, NickBriggs, and his part-ner. It was pleasingto see the supportfrom an eight-strongcontingent from the‘Rock’ Cricket Club,our Sunday morningtenants at Arkenley.Entertainment, bothin the course of, andafter the meal, wasprovided by ‘Billy

CricketJACK TAYLOR

Flywheel’, a comedian and very intrigu-ing magician; my watch is still showingthe time suggested by Billy! The generalconsensus was very favourable for a fur-ther visit from the talented illusionist inthe not-too-distant future!

After the meal and capital entertain-ment, Steve Slack, First XI captain, madepresentations (see panel) in recognition

of achievements inthe 2010 season.

There were en-couraging atten-dances at pre-seasonnets, held in theSchool sports hall,supervised by SecondXI captain and quali-fied coach CarlBrady. He introduceda bowling machine,which proved to benot quite as accurateas Alan Kay in hisprime!

FIRST XI PRIZESBATTING TimTaylorBOWLING Steve SlackFIELDING Luke Booth

SECOND XI PRIZESBATTING BenWallbanksBOWLING Joe GeorgeFIELDING LukeWallbanks

YOUNG PLAYER OFTHE YEAR(Donated by RichardTaylor)

George Brady

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Pre-season work on the pavilion andoutfield, supervised by John Headey,was well attended and the number ofvolunteers present augurs well for teamspirit in the club this coming season.

It was most interesting to read ofencouraging comments and proposedplans in the March edition of TheAlmondburian and hear later ofconfirmation at OAS meetings, of plansbeing led by Martyn Hicks for therenovation and future development ofthe cricket pavilion, now 53 years old.

The new season commenced onSunday, 24th April. On a gloriouslysunny day with Arkenley looking‘picture post card’ perfect, the SecondXI played Calder Grove.

All the pre-season work on theground was highlighted by the verdantoutfield and the shimmering square.The tree-fringed boundary stood out,silhouetting the views over Woodsomeand Lepton beyond. Even the ageingpavilion greeted the onset of cricket,boasting new carpeting throughout.

Against this welcoming backdropthe Seconds lost a closely contestedgame by just one wicket. Veteran

opening batsmanRichard Taylorregistered a welldeserved fifty, onlyto be eclipsed bycurrent KingJames’s schoolboyGeorge Brady whoscored 52 not outand took 5 wicketsfor 12 runs! Georgewas going to Lords

the following day, accompanied byfather and Second Team skipper Carl,for two days’ intensive coachingsponsored by the King James’s TrustFund. The First XI, playing away atWoolley, lost by four wickets.

The following week, playing onSaturday 30th April, both teamsregistered victories; the Firsts wonaway against Azaad by seven wicketsand the Seconds beat Leymoor at homeby 132 runs.

In the first round of the AllsopCup, to be played on Sunday 15th May,the First XI, have been drawn to playfellow Section A club, Heckmondwike,away.The Second XI, after overcomingDenby Grange away by one wicket inthe preliminary round of the TinkerCup, will play Section D club Silkstoneat Arkenley on the same Sunday, in thefirst round.

The eternal lure of ArkenleyCricket Ground, especially at this timeof the year, is no longer a secret! Comealong and share the experience; enjoythe scenery, the facilities and the cricketon view. Every visitor will be madevery welcome. �

LEAGUE POSITIONS ON 15 MAY 2011SECTION A

P W L PtsHECKMONDWIKE 4 3 1 18 Current leadersOACC 1st XI 4 1 3 7 8th position

SECTION EP W L Pts

HORBURY BRIDGE 4 3 1 18 Current leadersOACC 2nd XI 4 1 3 7 7th position

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SoccerMARTYN HICKS

HAD you asked me at the startof the season if promotionfrom the lowly Fourth

Division was our objective, I would havesaid yes …and more. The fact of thematter is that despite being the bestfootballing team by acountry mile, we havetripped up twice toopposition who were – toput it politely – direct andbelligerent.We are slightlylacking a ‘Plan B’: whenfootball doesn’t work, getstuck in!

Typical was our defeatat Thornesians atChristmas when weabsolutely laid siege totheir goal and had two balls stick in mudon their line; we then saw a long-hoofedball land at the foot of their striker (fillingin a Sudoku puzzle at the time) who tookone swing at it. Diving bodies re-enacting

AS the 2010–2011 BadmintonSection draws to a close I noteithat, whilst fewer individuals

have played this season, attendances sinceJanuary have been markedly better thanlast season. So, although we have had a

Badminton and TennisANDREW HAIGH

a Red Arrows manoeuvre failed to keepthe ball out of the net, resulting inThornesians taking the three points – thethree points which did us in, come thefinal shakedown.

Colton as it turned out were worthywinners and we lookforward to seeing themnext season in Division 3.

However, it has been amost enjoyable return toSaturday afternoon footballand everyone concernedhas thoroughly enjoyed thejourney.The team has beenexactly that: a team,everyone pulling togetheras one, no ‘prima donnas’,a good mix of youth and

experience, and no moaning when thesquad rotation system is used.

The train for Division 3 will pull outof the station before we know it.Wouldyou like to climb on board? �

DIVISION 4 Played PtsColton III 22 55

Almondburians 22 54

Norristhorpe 22 47

Thornesians Res 22 44

Hudds Amateurs III 22 35

Leeds City OB Res 22 31

Modernians V 22 30

Batelians III 22 24

Sandal Athletic Res 22 20

Centralians III 22 20

East Ardsley Res 22 19

Shadwell Res 22 6

smaller pool of players on which to draw,they have all been playing much moreregularly. Of course, more players arealways welcome.

However, we are now in the twilightof the season, our traditional extension to

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the season from Easter to May Spring BankHoliday which is, of course, a very shortextension this year; only four weeks to beprecise.This is a time when attendancestraditionally dwindle and this year has beenno exception.

Of course, it doesn’t help when thereare those who show a poor attitude.Martyn Hicks, for example, arrived lastweek only to announce that he wouldn’t beplaying, since he was going on holiday thenext day! Now, I have difficulty incomprehending why someone wouldarrange a holiday that includes aThursdayand causes them to miss badminton, but Ihave to accept it. Having said that, whatdoes going on holiday until the next dayhave to do with anything? Surely a thrasharound the badminton court would get thecirculation going and reduce the danger ofa deep vein thrombosis on the forthcominglong-haul flight, would it not?

Yet, there was no reasoning withMartyn and off he went, leaving us withjust four players. So, there was to be no restfor the wicked during the evening andCraig Watts and I had to end the eveningwith a game of singles, the mother of allbattles in which neither of us got more thantwo points ahead and it took nearly half an

hour to separate us, leaving us both flatout! The ‘Woolpack’ was an even morewelcome sight than usual that night, butjust wait until Martyn gets back fromholiday!

Now we have only one week ofbadminton remaining before we transferto our summer activity of tennis. FromThursday, 9th June until the unusually latedate this year ofThursday, 1st Septemberwe will, weather permitting, be playingtennis on the school tennis courts between7.15 pm and dusk, so please join us if youcan. During term-time, it is possible toplay badminton in the sports hall if theweather is inclement, although this is notpossible during the summer holidays, dueto maintenance work in the sports hall.Thefee, to cover the cost of balls (and showersduring term-time), will be £3.00 perperson, per evening.

Badminton will resume in the schoolsports hall onThursday, 8th September andeach subsequentThursday evening duringterm-time, from 7.30 pm until 9.30 pm.The fee for badminton, which covers thehire of the sports hall, changing rooms andshowers plus the cost of shuttlecocks, is£5.00 per person,per evening.Again,pleasecome along and join us if you can. �

Golf: Gothard CupSIMON RUSSELL

THIS year’s Gothard Cup Golf Competition will take place on Friday,8th Julyat Woodsome Hall Golf Club, with a presentation dinner at the club houseafterwards.Tee time is between 4.00 pm and 5.00 pm. For further details,

contact me at simon@pacific-lifestyle.co.uk. �

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MOST Old Almondburianswill have memories – happyor otherwise – of the tradi-

tional cross-country runs that were suchan essential part of the PE curriculum.Theroute varied according to age: youngstersdid a fairly straightforward route upArkenley Lane, down Sharp Lane, alongFarnley Line and then back to the School.For older pupils, there were variousextensions to the route, taking in thelower reaches of Castle Hill at one end andan extension along Birks Lane and DarkLane at the other.

A leisurely runner myself, I had plentyof time to admire the scenery along theway; and as I ambled along Sharp Lane I

Reg Addy’s house revisitedROGER DOWLING

Reg Addy’s house inSharp Lane is now thehome ofTrevor and PatSmith.The original designwas based on theRietveld Schröder Housein Utrecht.

was always intrigued by a house on my leftthat was like no other in the locality. For astart, it had a rendered green finish ratherthan traditional soot-coated Yorkshirestone. It had metal window frames, curvedat the corners. And oddest of all, it had aflat roof. In due course, I somehow learnedthat it had another point of interest: it wasowned by Reg Addy, our French master.

Having left school in 1959, I had nooccasion to recall this unusual house forthe next 50 years.Then, I read the chanceremark in a recent Dave Bush Letter fromPorthcawl (July 2010) that he ‘believed’ thehouse was eventually the home of OldAlmondburian Austen Smith. Could thisbe true, I wondered.

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Austen (1968-1976) isnow an eminentConsultant Surgeon atCharles Clifford DentalHospital in Sheffield andwhen I contacted him heconfirmed Dave’s recol-lection and kindly put mein touch with his parentsTrevor and Pat – who stilllive in the house – with aview to arranging a meet-ing. And so it was thatSunday,29thAugust 2010found your intrepidreporter not only enjoy-ing the President’s Daycricket at Arkenley Lane but also fitting ina nostalgic visit to ‘Reg Addy’s house’.

Reg Addy came to Almondbury inJanuary 1927 after a short spell teaching atWhitchurch Grammar School inShropshire. In his younger days he was akeen harrier and was responsible for re-introducing cross-country running as aschool activity (how appropriate that theroute should pass his house!). Holding anhonours degree in Modern Languagesfrom Leeds University, he was juniorFrench master under Leonard Ash untilthe latter’s retirement at the end of 1953when he became Head of the Department.He was Jessop Housemaster for more thanten years and he was also School Librarian.A highly respected teacher, he very sadlyand unexpectedly died in 1964 at the ageof only 60, a great shock not only to theSchool but also to his wide range of friendsand acquaintances in Huddersfield andbeyond.

Pat Smith told me that the house was

briefly occupied byanother couple beforeshe and Trevor acquiredit in 1967.The house hadbeen built for Reg andNell Addy in 1933.Although the basic struc-ture of the house has notchanged over the years, ithas been modernised bythe addition of a lovelyconservatory on thesouth-facing elevationoverlooking ArkenleyValley, and a garage at theside. The original castiron window frames –

always a problem to maintain – have nowbeen replaced by alloy frames to the origi-nal design. “The house was actually one offour similar houses in the area, althoughours was the first,” said Pat. “Two of themhave since been demolished and the otherhas been substantially re-designed with apitched roof.”

Oddly enough, two of those houses hadstrong connections with the School. Oneof those demolished is the site of the housebuilt ten years ago for Old Almondburianand Chairman of the King James’s Trust,Graham Cliffe (1959-1966). The other,nearby, was formerly the home of OldAlmondburian and Huddersfield council-lor Clifford Stephenson. It is now ownedby Tim Brooke, son of the late CllrKenneth Brooke, an Old Almondburianwho played a prominent role in the projectin the late 1950s to build the presentcricket pavilion.

Pat mentioned that they always knewthe house as the ‘Le Corbusier’ house on

Reg Addy taught French at King James’sGrammar School from 1927 to 1964.Hisunexpected death at the age of only 60shocked the whole School.

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account of its art deco design, and I subse-quently discussed this aspect with RegAddy’s son Nick (another OldAlmondburian) who now lives in Mirfield.“My parents were clear that they wanted a‘contemporary’ design of house,” saidNick. “They were both keen francophilesand had travelled widely on the continent.They were familiar with the pioneeringbuilding designs of ‘Le Corbusier’, thepen-name of the French-Swiss architectand designer Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, and other leading designers.”

As architects, they approached theHuddersfield architects Stocks, Sykes andHickson in St Peter’s Street.The choice ofStocks, Sykes and Hickson as architectswas a good one. The company’s leadinglight at that time was Clifford Hicksonwho had already made his mark inHuddersfield. He was responsible for atleast three town centre cinemas – thePrincess, Empire and Grand – and in thehousing sector he designed the RoebuckMemorial Homes atWaterloo. Still attrac-tive today, they became Grade II listed

19

buildings in 2004.To construct the house,Hickson suggested a builder, MrButterworth, who conveniently lived nextdoor to the Addys’ proposed new home.

Le Corbusier did not, of course have ahand himself in the design of the newhouse; in fact, he famously built nothing atall in Britain apart from a temporary exhi-bition stand for the Venesta PlywoodCompany for use at the Building TradesExhibition in 1930. He was, however,hugely influential all over the world. InHolland, an artistic movement De Stijl(‘The Style’) was set up in 1917; its artwas based on the geometry of the straightline, the square, and the rectangle, com-bined with a strong asymmetry and thepredominant use of pure primary colourswith black and white. One of the principalfounders of the movement was the Dutcharchitect and furniture designer GerritRietveld.

The Addys were familiar with the DeStijl movement and the work of GerritRietveld. In particular, they greatlyadmired his ‘Rietveld Schröder House’ inUtrecht, built in 1924 in close collabora-tion with the owner Truus Schröder-Schräder. “My mother told me that thiswas the building on which their house wasbased,” said NickAddy.“The interior of thehouse also had a very distinctive style: itwas strongly influenced by the interior ofthe famous house E1027, owned by thefurniture designer Eileen Grey inRoquebrune-Cap-Martin in the south ofFrance.”

It was a fascinating experience to visitthis unusual house which had aroused myinterest so many years ago, and I mustexpress my thanks to Pat andTrevor Smith

for so readily showing me around. Mythanks too to Nick Addy and his sisterJudith Winkworth, who were veritablemines of information; to Graham Cliffe;and to Austen Smith who – thanks to thechance observation by Dave Bush – set meoff on this particular trail.

Having opened this article with a rec-ollection of school cross-country runs, itis perhaps appropriate to conclude withtwo other related points of interest. NickAddy represented the school regularlybetween 1956 and 1963, ran forHuddersfield Schools, and was aYorkshiretriallist and reserve. He organised crosscountry teams and events throughout histeaching career, and remained a runneruntil heart attacks and what he describesas ‘knackered knees’ slowed things downto brisk walking speed.“I have been fortu-nate in inheriting my father’s linguistic andathletic abilities, but not so lucky in mylegacy of the Addy heart problems,” hesays wryly.

Finally, a confession from Austen whichneeds no further amplification. “The posi-tion of the house was very useful,”he recalls.“After puffing up Arkenley and over thebrow,down past the Sykes &Tunnicliffe Mill(now flats), it was the work of seconds tododge into our house, refresh myself with acold‘pop’,nip over the back fence and strolldown the field, across the beck and up tothe Woodsome woods. I could rejoin theFarnley Line road in good time to see the6th to 20th places steam past, timing theascent over the wall to join my fellow back-markers.They were no doubt surprised tosee me appear over the wall,apparently hav-ing had to sacrifice a few places to answer acall of nature.” �

20

It’s a dog’s life down here (x 5)DAVE BUSH

SO my Lincoln City mug has beenconsigned to the back of thecrockery cupboard.Those among

you who follow‘the beautiful game’ andin particular my life-long support of TheImps will appreciate and sympathise withmy feelings on the last day of the seasonas they slid out of the Football League forthe second time.The last occasion was in1988 when they bounced straight back.However, times have changedin the‘Conference’ or‘BlueSquare Premier’ as mostteams are full-time profes-sionals and a quick returnis unlikely.Those with nointerest in such matterscan join my wife whoput our marriage of 50-plus years in jeopardywith her comment, ‘Idon’t know how you canbe so depressed oversomething so trivial.’

At least PatrickO’Brien understands. Hewas prompt in sending mean email expressing his con-cern. Patrick has always beenhigh on my list of ‘favouritepeople’ but he rose still higherearlier in the year when he col-lected his silveraward for a second

LETTER FROM PORTHCAWL

visit to Porthcawl. He had been down toBristol to see his beloved Rovers lose yetagain.They too have been relegated butat least they retain their league status. Heis still very much involved in KJS life de-spite his retirement last July and was ableto update me on current matters evolv-ing there.The most intriguing and excit-ing for me was the possibility of Latinand Classical Studies taking their place in

the Options forYear 10. I re-mind readers that under thelatest regulations (why dothey have to keep chang-

ing?) pupils must studya language;‘modern’ isnot specified. Thenmirabile dictu Patrickemailed me with thegreat news that 20had opted to takeLatin and 30 for Clas-

sical Studies.Well cho-sen, students; welldone, KJS!To continue my eulogy

of the School’s hierarchy Icannot resist a comment onschool uniform. Former stu-dents will remember nodoubt my drive, some will say

obsession, to maintain highstandards of dress atKing James’s. Now

High sartorial standards: KJS todayPhoto: Jenny Ainger

21

Porthcawl Comp. is highly regarded bothfor its academic standards and its nation-ally acclaimed Drama and Music Depart-ments. However, as I wait outside eachafternoon to collect my granddaughter, Iam appalled by the decline in the generalappearance of the pupils. Skirts are closerto belts and ties worn so low they prac-tically disappear under V-neckedjumpers. My delighted approval there-fore can be imagined when I heard thatKing James’s now has very strict rules onthe wearing of jewellery, length of skirtsand is contemplating the introduction ofclip-on ties. Add to this a recent Ofstedreport which classed the School as ‘out-standing’ and all we Old Almondburianscan justifiably feel a warm glow of satis-faction in the School’s development.

‘Hands up all those who remember Melissa?Yes,you Ruth on the back row.’‘She was Caecilius’s slave girl in the CambridgeLatin Course.’‘Quite correct, Ruth, but wasn’t there anotherMelissa?’‘Sir, didn’t you have a dog called Melissa?’‘Well remembered! Indeed we did, so called be-cause she was a honey-coloured Golden Re-triever.’ (mel mellis n honey).I apologise for the convoluted way in

which I have introduced my reason for

being somewhat incommunicado for thelast eleven weeks. Life has been domi-nated by pups produced by our cockerspaniel, gorgeous but very demanding.They have served to remind us firstly thatwe are not as young as we were and sec-ondly that we are in deepestWales.WhenMelissa had pups we were both working(how did we manage?) and they went toplaces such as Bridlington, Blackpool,Pontefract and Scarborough while hereTessa’s offspring have gone to places suchas Dinas Powys, Capel Hendre, CefnCribwr and Llanelli. Now that the lasthas been sold I shall be able to resumemore regular contact with fellow OldAl-mondburians.

As I approach the 15th anniversary ofmy retirement and despite a very full andsatisfying life in Porthcawl I still fre-quently reflect on my King James’s daysand periodically turn to the diary whichI kept during my final year. As I writethis, the date is May 10th so I’ll cross mystudy, open up the diary for that day and,no deception, reproduce exactly myentry:

Mother died andYear 11 left. I taught mylast GCSE Latin lesson.Such bald facts outlinea day of great emotion. Many tears shed andfeelings often disguised outpoured.Having pre-

Tessa’s five new arrivals: now happy in their new homes around the Principality

22

served a safe distance frompupils for so long, it was agreat relief to be able to dis-play one's more intimatethoughts.To be able to showgenuine pupil-teacherteacher-pupil affection, toshare moments of warmth,sadness, compassion,gratitude with young peo-ple with whom hundreds of hours have beenspent over five years has left me again emotion-ally drained.

I received the telephoned news that mother'sdeath was imminent at lunchtime and told thisto close colleagues. In turn I asked them to passit on to the senior pupils in the Latin class sothat they would understand why I had not beenas buoyant in their last lesson as I should haveliked.

Again they came to my room in tearful em-braces and I was more moved than I have everbeen in thirty -five years of teaching,as thougha great outburst of pent up love for pupils could

at last be released. Inevitablythese days some pupils hadbrought in drink,were badly be-haved and were sent away.Thevast majority were excellent andlittle or no damage was done.Imagine having to be grateful forthat! Year 11 brought me wine,

champagne,a book ,a giant card and individualones. Final assembly with them and more tearsand signings and best wishes and home to a tele-phone call at 4.30 to say mother had died at4.15.Tomorrow ‘home’.Mother would have adored our pups

We always had a dog when I was young.Yet life races on at an alarming pace.An-other 15 years and my children might besaying similar things about me.That iswhy I try to fill every day. BadmintonCommittee meeting tonight and Twin-ning Committee tomorrow morning.

I repeat the cry of The Retired:‘However did I have time to work?’ �

New gate marks400th anniversary

A fine new commemorativegate has been erected atthe ‘1938’ entrance to theSchool in Big TreeYard.Carrying the fleurs-de-lysandYorkshire Roseemblems of the School, itmarks the partnershipbetween the School andThe Old Almondburians’Society to celebrate the400th anniversary of theCharter granted by James Iin 1608.Je

nnyAinger

I repeat the cry ofThe Retired:

“However did Ihave time to

work?”

EDWARD AKROYD joined Al-mondbury Grammar School asa part-time teacher in 1922,

becoming its full-timeArt andWood-work Master a year later.A quiet, se-rious young man in his late twenties,he had been a conscientious objectorduring the FirstWorldWar; hewas rewarded by a spell inStrangeways Goal in Man-chester, about which hewould occasionally chat tohis staffroom colleaguesin later years.

He took his schoolduties seriously and inaddition to his nor-mal teaching respon-sibilities was quicklydrawn into other as-pects of school life. Ourearliest photograph showshim with the cast of theearly School production ofGilbert & Sullivans’ The Gondo-liers around 1925, alongside other re-cent recruits John Baldwin, JohnnyHopton and Robert Burn. He wouldcontinue to design and paint thebackcloths for school G & S pro-ductions for the rest of his career at KingJames’s. He also took a keen interest in

school sport in these early years andproved to be a very capable foot-

baller and tennis player.The Art and Woodwork

building at that time was locatednear the top of the ‘bunk’ in Big

TreeYard; an unsatisfactorybrick-build building (re-garded as ‘a monstros-ity’ byTaylor Dyson), ithad been hastily builtin 1901 as a conditionof a grant from the re-cently-formed Boardof Education.

We will neverknow the identity ofthe witty pupil who,

noting Akroyd’s initialsEA had the ingenious idea

of adding aT and a K to forma nickname so appropriate to awoodworker; suffice to say thatit remained his affectionatenickname throughout his longcareer at King James’s. In-deed, it seems so much

more appropriate to the man thanthe more formal ‘Edward’ that we shallretain it for the remainder of this arti-

cle.Teak was much given to making dog-

23

Edward ‘Teak’ Akroyd‘Teak’ taught Art andWoodwork from 1922 to 1957.A quiet,undemonstrative man,he contributed in many ways to the life of theSchool throughout his 35 year-long career

REPUTATIONS

24

Teak had been at Almondbury Grammar School just three years in 1925 butwas already hard at work producing scenery for the School’s Gilbert & Sullivanproductions.This photograph shows the cast and ‘behind the scenes’ helpersfor The Gondoliers. Terry Buckley

matic statements to his pupils in order toinstill in them the basic principles ofdrawing and painting. Not only did he as-sure them that parallel lines do indeedmeet, but he could also demonstrate pre-cisely where on a drawing this happy con-vergence took place. He also liked tohold a sheet of white paper up to the pic-ture window, beyond which dark cloudsinvariably scudded across the grey Hud-dersfield sky, declaring that the sky was athousand times brighter than the sheet ofpaper. Of course, most of his arrogantpupils knew better, dismissing these un-likely statements as the ravings of an eld-erly teacher who was sadly losing touchwith reality.

In the Staff Common Room, Teakwas a great lover of debate and he partic-ularly liked to put the case for the under-dog in society. However, his intransigencecould make this a wearying experience.“In argument he sticks to his own point ofview, with toughness of teak,” drily re-ported one frustrated colleague.Whennot arguing, he would contentedly tacklethe daily crossword puzzle in the Man-chester Guardian. “He was quiet and im-perturbable, very self-contained, andhighly respected,” says Jim Toomey. “Weyoung ones (four of us coming jauntilystraight from University or the Services),who called each other by Christiannames, always called him Mr Akroyd.

“Older colleagues used simply sur-names to address each other, and it is al-leged that they did not know theChristian names! In the classroom he mayhave felt undervalued; he did not see the‘brighter’ pupils, asWoodwork was reg-ularly set against Latin.”

For many years,Teak was a memberof HuddersfieldArt Society, an organisa-tion that still meets today. Member JeanParkinson recalls he used to have ‘livelyarguments’ with fellow member HaroldBlackburn about colour. “He was clearlya very skilled watercolour painter,” says

Jean. “He started giving watercolour les-sons in the Society’s rooms in StationRoad, but the Society eventually objectedbecause he charged for these lessons.”

For many enthusiastic sketchersTeak’s greatest contribution was to intro-duce them to the medium of ‘scraperboard’. For the benefit of those who havenever encountered it, scraper board con-sists of a sheet of cardboard coated inwhite China clay with a thin layer of blackIndian ink on top. Drawings are producedby scratching away at the surface in themanner of an engraver, producing a crisp

Lunchtime hockey sessions and musical water jars

TEAK’S lessons were mainly demonstrations:“Come round the second benchboys!”.We must have watchedTeak make quite a few blanket chests on the side;

however, his expert craftsmanship must have been something of an inspiration for me.I still possess a small veneered box made under his guidance.

On entering the fourth and fifth forms, I was entrusted with the woodwork roomkey each dinner hour where Roger Swire and I would lock ourselves in and either cut

dovetails, make clothes horses to sell or – more often – playhockey with two mallets and a block of wood using the aislesbetween the benches for goals. One memorable day, a master-key turned in the lock and who should be standing in thedoorway butTeak (blue smoke puffing from his St Bruno) andJock Anderson (looking thunderous). Neither said a word andthey just stared and left. I guess they’d had a bet in thestaffroom as to whether we were working or skiving;fortunately, we were cutting dovetails at the time soTeak wonbut it could have been tricky for him.

Art lessons were similar to woodwork withTeak sitting athis desk quite oblivious to what most of the class were doing,particularly those of us on the back row being entertained byFrank Sykes’s tunes played with a ruler on water jars. Iremember Frank’s excellent sketches of the wing line of JaguarMkVIIs or XK 120s.

After leaving school and completing National Service, Ispent 14 very happy years teaching woodwork and metalworkinWensleydale. Later, I lectured atWorcester College of HigherEducation and Haybridge High School in Hagley.Then I set upmy company Ashem Crafts*, which sells rotary planes for

chairmaking all over the world.We regularly visit the US to teach Shaker andWindsor chairmaking using our unique tools.

Looking back, Edward Akroyd proved quite an influence on my career.

Peter Hindle (1949-1955)*www.ashemcrafts.com

25

26

and very effective picture. Scraper boardwas a very popular advertising mediumfrom the 1930s to the 1960s as in skilledhands it could produce crisp illustrationswhich reproduced well in magazines andnewspapers.

Teak was one of the few art masters

to see its potential as a teaching medium,recognising that it had the great advan-tage for us novices that any mistakescould readily be covered by further coatsof indian ink until one was satisfied by thefinal result. Roger Sykes was without

The mysteries of perspective and the foul smell of wood-workers’ glue

I MUST thankTeak for teaching me perspective drawing – I remember his sayingthat parallel lines meet, but cheeky individuals used to argue with him about this

optical phenomenon.That was his weakness as I recall; he could never seem to keeporder in the class, especially in Art – I recall his plaintive cry “Here!” A great shamebecause it was clear to me that he was an extremely talented artist in whatevermedium he chose to work. Some of his wood/lino cuts were like art deco or modernmovement, now that I’ve seen similar works in Europe.

In the school library there were rather good books on art, falling to pieces as Irecall.There was a little book I treasured describing how to draw railway locomotives– imagine the perspective in the driving wheels, connecting rods and the like, drawn as3/4 views from the front. It was all there and it greatly appealed to me whoworshipped all things mechanical!

And italic lettering – there was a wall chart in the Art Room that demonstratedthe exact positions on an imaginary line where the Gothic script letters and numeralswent. I remember how popular italic script fountain pens were in around 1953.Thenthere were other wall charts: I particularly remember one showing the Gill Sanstypeface. At the time I didn’t know who Gill was, butTeak’s lettering charts somehowstayed in my brain and years later I researched Eric Gill and his creations in sculpture,typefaces and lettering. I owe my long-lasting interest in this field of typography toTeak.

InWoodwork, the skills we had to master were so difficult because the wood wasso hard to work! Maybe it was always good hard wood, perhaps oak supplied by theEducation Committee.AgainTeak never seemed to make a mistake; hisdemonstrations always came out right! I still recall him showing us about how to holdthe chisels and how to keep them sharpened and correctly aligned.That stayed withme; to this day, I’m fastidious about have the tool cutting edge geometry right and Inever forget the saying ‘a good workman never blames his tools’.

Every thing was done by hand; there were no such things as power tools.A foul-smelling fish-based glue boiled away on a gas ring somewhere –Teak never appearedto use any other adhesives than that traditional woodworkers’ glue.About that timein the mid 1950s synthetic adhesives were coming on the market. I recall BrianHawley, who was a few years older than I, askingTeak for permission to build a canoein his own time but using theWoodwork room’s facilities. Hawley and a friend dulybuilt this craft from what I imagine was a kit of parts. I recallTeak being quitesceptical of what Hawley & Co were up to with the latest adhesives.

On the other hand I would have thought thatTeak would have been proud that oneof the boys wanted to build something like a canoe. Hawley was the only boy in theschool during my time who ever, to my knowledge, attempted something aschallenging as a canoe off his own bat.

John Sharp (1951-1958)

Continued on page 29

27

Top left:Teak’s cover design for theAlmondbury Pageant of 1936Top right:This fine stained glasswindow was designed and created byTeak, back in the days when the dateof the School’s Royal Charter was

thought to be1609Centre: Teak’svellum MemorialBook, open atthe pagerecording thedeath ofTaylorDyson’s sonMarcusBottom left:A stylisticscraper boarddrawing of the‘new’ Schoolentrance of 1938

28

Above:The Art Room in 1955Front row of desks, left to right:G I Kaye; P M Howe;G P Dronfield; D B Hardy;E S Germaine.Second row: J M Beaumont;G A Moore; D Holroyd;J R Greaves; J S HolmesThird row: C H Beresford;J S Cooper; M D Horn;W R Godwin’ R DowlingFourth row:T Barber; ?; ?;H ButterworthFifth row: B Firth; R L Kilburn; ?;R M ArnoldStanding at the sink in thecorner areT Brennan and PBottomley.Teak looks onbenignly at the back.

Left: This evocative scraperboard drawing by OldAlmondburian Roger Sykes(1946-1953) shows the oldstaircase leading up to Dorms 1and 2, as it was in the 1950s. Inaddition to many drawingspublished in The Almondburian,Roger regularly contributeddrawings to The HuddersfieldExaminer for its ‘In and About’column.

29

doubt a particularly fine exponent ofscraperboard drawing, followed a fewyears later by Brian Littlewood.

“ I did plan to leave school at the endof the Fifth Form,with financialsupport from a job with the HuddersfieldExaminer, to train at the Leeds Collegeof Art,” says Roger Sykes. “But this wasstopped byTeak and the Headmaster ata meeting with my mother. SoTeak saidthat it was best to keep your art as ahobby and never be constrained to haveto teach it for a living. He never ran

short of good advice, but you had toask!”

So how do we sum up the career of ateacher who gave so much to the Schoolover such a long period? Was he a greatArt Master?

Probably not, and he almost certainlyrecognised that himself.Teak was not somuch a teacher as a demonstrator; a manwho was never happier than when paint-ing, drawing, chiselling or bookbindingin the hope that his efforts would encour-age others to follow his example. If a

TEAK AND TYPOGRAPHER ERIC GILLIAM SURE that the Old Almondburians’ Society must include many

learned members who enjoy nothing more than an evening of Proust orTrollope. Others, of a more technical bent, may prefer a good workshopmanual. But your sad Editor is never happier than when browsing though acatalogue of printers’ typefaces: I can spend many happy hours justcomparing the relative merits of a lower case ‘g’ in Century Gothic,AvantGarde or Gill Sans.

I blameTeak for this, for he was himself very keenon lettering and calligraphy. If you look carefully atthe photograph of the Art Room on page 28 you willsee, high on the far wall, a poster displaying a fullalphabet of Gill Sans Bold designed by the Englishsculptor Eric Gill whomTeak admired greatly. Gill wasa strange man, whose sexual predilections are bestdiscussed no further in this family publication; but hewas a fine typographer whose Gill Sans Serif typefaceremains as fresh today as when he designed it around1930. (If you travel on the London Underground tothis day, you will still see on every station sign its

precursor – the ‘London Underground’ font – which was the result of anearlier collaboration between Gill and Edward Johnston).

Gill also designed the elegant seriffed typeface PERPETUA which was alsoone ofTeak’s favourites. Many, myself included, feel that it remains one ofthe most handsome typefaces ever designed.

In an unspoken tribute toTeak, I chose Gill Sans and Perpetua as theprincipal fonts in the Illustrated History of King James’s School in Almondbury,published to mark our 400th anniversary two years ago.These fonts are alsoused generally throughout The Almondburian and specifically in this panel.

Roger Dowling (1952-1959)

30

pupil chose to show no interest,Teak sawno reason to pursue the matter further;indeed, he was inclined to view such apupil with a degree of sadness rather thananger: sadness that the pupil would notgain the pleasure from Art and Wood-work that he himself had enjoyedthroughout his life. He doubtless felt thatthe misfortune was the pupil’s, not his.

Teak was probably too gentle and quiet

a man to be an inspirational teacher tomany of his pupils, and it comes as no sur-prise that he was happiest when lookingafter his bees at home. But make no mis-take – his many contributions to the lifeof the School over 35 years live on todayas a lasting legacy to his time at KingJames’s Grammar School. ��What are your memories ofTeak? Write to TheAlmondburian at the address on the back cover.

Fred Hudson FRGS: 100 next yearThe OldAlmondburians’Society plans to mark the centenary of the birthof one of King James’s Grammar School’s greatest-ever teachers

LOOKING AHEAD …

NEXT year will see the cente-nary of the birth of formerSenior Geography Master and

Second Master Fred Hudson. Born inBradford, he joined the School in 1935as a First Class Honours GeographyGraduate from Leeds University.A Fel-low of the Royal Geographical Society,he stayed for 37 years and during thistime, as senior Geography Master, hebuilt up a department second to nonein the School. From 1954, he was Sec-ond Master; many joked that his FRGSreally stood for ‘Fred Runsthe Grammar School’.

We plan to mark thecentenary in a number ofways:� Next year’s Annual

Dinner (on Saturday, 24thNovember 2012) will fea-ture guest speakers whowill recall their memoriesof the great man. Special

guest of honour will be his daughterAnn Walker, herself a former teacher.� We are hoping to set up a Bursary

to be awarded to a present or formerpupil of King James’s School to enablethe applicant to fulfill a project of ex-ploration or expedition anywhere in theworld.� There will be a special ‘Fred Hud-

son’ issue of The Almondburian next yearwith photographs and reminiscences re-lating to his 37 years at the School.

DoYOU have any special memories ofFred Hudson or would youlike to be associated in anyway with the centenaryplans? If so, please contactJohn Broadbent, Oaklea, 97Lowestwood Lane, Well-house, Huddersfield HD74EW (tel(01484) 650171) oremail The Almondburian atalmondburian@oas.org.uk.�

31

OLDALMONDBURIAN MichaelJackson was the world’s greatest-ever writer on beer, according

to the award-winning magazine BEER. Itswriters and readers know a thing or twoabout the subject: the magazine is sentout quarterly to the 125,000 membersof the Campaign for Real Ale,CAMRA.

An article in the latest issue hasnominated three of Jackson’sbooks on beeras the best everwritten on thesubject.Top ofthe list is hisclassic TheWorldGuide to Beer(‘the beer bookagainst whichall other booksare judged’).

It’s closelyfollowed byMichael Jackson’sBeer Companion,another classicdealing infor-matively withthe relationshipbetween beerand food.

In third position is The Great Beers of Bel-gium. This was a country close to Jack-son’s heart. “No country,” he wrote “canmatch Belgium for the gastronomic in-terest of its beers.”

Born inWetherby, Michael Jackson at-tended King James’s Grammar School

from 1953 until 1958. He left atthe age of 16 to become a traineeon the Huddersfield Examiner, forwhich he had already submitted

jazz reviewsand news sto-ries. He soonbecame a suc-cessful re-porter, initiallyin Edinburghand later inFleet Street,from which itwas a naturalprogression todevelop an en-thusiasm forbeer.

J a c k s o n ’sfirst book, TheEnglish Pub,was publishedin 1976, fol-lowed a year

CAMRA salutes real beer expert“My name’s Michael Jackson.No,not that one,but I am on a worldtour.”The late Old Almondburian beer and whisky writer lectured allover the world and was a widely admired authority on the subject.

IN THE NEWS

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Michael Jackson on ‘Women’s Hats’Perhaps it was the young Jackson’s concerns about women’s hats in the 1950sthat made him turn to drink in later life. And are hats any different today?

THE greatest enigma mankind hasencountered since Elgar set his to music is

the problem of women’s hats.The most popularfeminine creation comprises a minute ‘cloche’ ofmaterial, designed to cover the least possiblearea of the head and be held in place by a sixinch nail decorated with a plastic sphere.

I cannot understand the science of feminineheadgear. For the same reason, I fail tocomprehend why, in winter, women clamour forfine stockings in order to make it appear thatthey are not wearing any; and in summer, theydouse their legs in some revolting liquid tomake it appear that they are.

M Jackson (4 Alpha)The Almondburian, Autumn 1956

later by The World Guide to Beer whichbrought him international fame.

Michael Jackson was also an importantreviewer of whiskies, the interest inwhich dated back to his time as a jour-nalist in Edinburgh. His knowledge ofwhiskies was recognized by the presti-gious award of ‘Master of the Quaich’,the highest possible accolade the ScotchWhisky Industry can bestow. In 1989 hepublished Michael Jackson’s Malt WhiskyCompanion—the world’s best-sellingbook on the subject—followed in 2001by Scotland and itsWhiskies.

He also made his mark on televisionwith his 1990 series The Beer Hunter,six programmes that described thebeers of the world’s great brewingcountries. Shown first on Channel 4in Britain and the Discovery Channel inthe US, it has been endlessly repeatedworldwide.

For some 10 years, Jackson sufferedfrom Parkinson’s Disease and diabetes.

His early death in 2007, at the age of 65,robbed the world of a much-lovedwriter, critic and television performer.�� CAMRA, set up in 1971, is a voluntary,consumer organisation to promote real ale,realcider and the traditional British pub.

33

PostbagYOU WRITE …

FromWallace Brown (1944-1949)

AUSTIN Holroyd’s article aboutiLeonard Ash (The Almondburian,May

2010) brought back my own recollections.Mr.Ash taught me for perhaps a year. I havefour vivid memories of him, but beyondthose almost nothing.

First, an amusing method of arrangingFrench pronouns (or something) as afootball team, from goalie to left winger. Ithink ‘y’ was in goal. The object was toshow the correct order of pronounsappearing before the verb. I remembercopying the‘team’ into my exercise book.

Second, Foz’s unusual hair style, a kindof very short crew cut, which I had begun

to notice on some of the many gum-chewing GIs on the streets of Huddersfieldin 1944. He reminded me of a hedgehog. Idon’t think he ever chewed gum!

Third, a memorable tour of Paris onthe blackboard. I was one of several in myclass whose proposed 1947 school trip toParis had just been finalized. Seemingly offthe cuff, with intimate knowledge, Mr.Ash, chalk in hand, began with the charmsof Ile de la Cité, then traversed variousthoroughfares,noting the many attractions.Needless to say the lucky ones among uscouldn’t wait to board the train forLondon, and on to the Newhaven Ferry.

Memories of Leonard Ash

From James Clayton (1947-1951)High Jump triumph

THIS was my moment of glory onthe sporting front for Siddon. I

managed to clear four feet eight-and-a-half-inches, wearing hard plimsollsand landing in a shallow sand pit.Theevent was the under-14 high jumpand took place in the summer of1950.

I would be interested to knowhow many of the onlookers can berecognised. The photo appeared inthe Huddersfield Examiner.

Old Catton,Norwich

34

ICAME to King James’s in 1953, freshfrom two years of National Service. I

spent much of that time in charge of theEducation Centre of one of the RoyalSignals Regiments in Catterick. As atrained teacher, albeit in Classics, I wasexpected to teach English, Maths andHistory for the Army Certificate ofEducation; this qualification enabledregular soldiers, some of whom had beenin the Army since before the war, toreturn to civilian life with, hopefully, alittle more confidence. I enjoyed all this,but I am already digressing.What I reallywant to write about is how I arrived atAlmondbury on time.

I was appointed to the School in theearly summer of 1953, to begin duties on3rd September. But my demob date was6th September, so the problem was to beallowed to leave the Army some daysearly. My CO (Royal Signals) wasadamant that it was impossible to releaseme before the correct date: such an ideawas unheard of. So I decided to see whatthe Education Corps Colonel could do;

he was the education chief for the wholeof Catterick Garrison.

This Colonel was a man by the nameof Evans. Again, he said it was quiteimpossible, the Army couldn’t break itsown rules! What about Queen’sRegulations? But where was this job I wastalking about? “At Almondbury.” “GoodLord,” he said, jumping out of his chair,“that’s my old school!” He made a fewphone calls, and of course I was releasedin time to meet the Fifth Form Latin set(among others) on 3rd September.

‘Ginger’ Evans had been captain ofFenay House in 1933 and read ModernLanguages at university.As a result of ourmeeting he renewed his contact with theSchool, and spoke at a Speech Day in thel950s, by which time he was MajorGeneral Evans, Director of ArmyEducation. He was the first OldAlmondburian I met, a good omen for thefuture! Long live the Old Boys’ Network!

Stourport-on-Severn,Worcestershire�Do you have any examples of the Old Boys’Network in action? Write to TheAlmondburianat the address on the back cover.

From Dr J PToomey (Staff 1953-1968)The Old Boys’ Network

Unfortunately Mr.Ash could not come.Fourth, one afternoon, last period,

doubtless for good reason,Mr.Ash kept usin after the bell. When he spoke it wasentirely in French. As time went by theclass got more and more annoyed. Anyrestlessness only prolonged the detention.Finally, he produced a bag of sandwiches(les sandwiches au fromage) and veryslowly ate them. I don’t believe we ever

caused him to keep us in again.Most of my French came from Reg

Addy, who lived in a cool art nouveauhouse [article: page: 16]. He wore doublebreasted jackets with mismatchedtrousers. At my first French class in OneAlpha I asked him if spelling counted.As itturned out spelling was more importantthan talking.

Wallace Brown,New Brunswick,Canada

3533

HISTORY

An Illustrated Historyof King James’s School:£12.50 inc pp (UK)

A Historyof King James’s School:£12.50 inc pp (UK)

The Royal Charter returnsto its home at King James’sROGER DOWLING tells the strange story of the Charter’s ‘disappearance’ and itseventual chance rediscovery in 1952 by members of the School’s Surveying Society‘THE ORIGINAL LETTERS PATENT do notexist’, recorded Taylor Dyson in his classic Almondburyand its Ancient School of 1926, echoing the words ofCanon Hulbert’s earlier Annals of the Church and Parish ofAlmondbury But they were both wrong: the LettersPatent (‘the Charter’) in fact lay, undisturbed over manyyears, in a strong box at the unlikely location of DenbyGrange Colliery just a few miles away on the road to

Wakefield So how did the School come to be partedfrom its own Charter? And why did it require theservices of the School’s Surveying Society to reunite itwith the School on 6th April 1954?It all started with a planned visit by members of theSociety, led by Geography master Fred Hudson, to alocal history exhibition being organised by theYorkshireArchaeological Society in Leeds Hudson was

Floreat Schola! DVD£15.00 inc pp (UK)

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HISTORYHISTORY

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