wulfrunian 2014 - Wolverhampton Grammar School

Transcription

WULFRUNIAN 2014
We Will Remember Them
Wulfrunian 2014
Welcome to the 2014
edition of the Wulfrunian
Contents
Welcome
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The annual review of the year at
Wolverhampton Grammar School by
students, staff and Old Wulfrunians.
News from the Common Room
4 - 14
Junior School
15 - 25
Senior School
26 - 31
Trips and Expeditions
32 - 51
Art, Drama and Music
52 - 58
Clubs and Societies
59 - 62
Library
63
Sport
64 - 76
Old Wulfrunians
77 - 91
Lest We Forget
92 - 96
Obituaries
97 - 103
To help commemorate 100 years since the
outbreak of World War I, this year’s front
cover is a tribute to the December 1914
edition of The Wulfrunian.
This year’s edition also includes a special
tribute to all students and staff who
bravely served and died during World
War I and World War II.
We have a growing worldwide alumni
community of Old Wulfrunians in over
30 countries. Your relationship with us
continues long after you leave our school so
make sure you keep checking back for the
latest news, event invites and opportunities
to stay connected to Wolverhampton
Grammar School and each other. If you
would like to update us with news of where
you are and what you’re up to contact Gail
Evans email: [email protected]
If you would like to share your
memories of Wolverhampton
Grammar School, respond to
anything you read in this edition of
the Wulfrunian or have an idea for
a story for the next edition, contact
Gail Evans at: [email protected] or by
post to: Gail Evans, Wolverhampton
Grammar School, Compton Road,
Wolverhampton WV3 9RB
www.wgs.org.uk
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Dates for your Diary
London Reunion:
Thursday 26th February 2015
at Merchant Taylors’ Company,
London from 5.30pm. Please
contact Gail Evans [email protected] for further details.
Old Wulfrunians’ Association
Dinner:
Saturday 7th March 2015 in Big
School (please see page 87 for
more details).
Old Wulfrunians’ Sports Festival:
Friday 11th September (golf ) and
Saturday 12th September 2015
(at school).
F Wolverhampton Grammar School Official
Wulfrunian 2014
Welcome
Welcome
Kathy Crewe-Read
Head of Wolverhampton Grammar
School Foundation
I can’t quite believe that a year has now
passed since I had the privilege of joining the
Wolverhampton Grammar School community as
both Head of the Foundation, and parent.
I knew from my very first day that it would be hard
to resist the feeling of family that this school instils:
the WGS welcome embraces everyone, every year
group, even every building. From the classroom
to the sports field, art and music studios, drama
theatre to the library – there is truly something for
everyone. I have yet to meet another school that
can demonstrate, as we do, that we provide an
education that is as individual as our students are.
Nothing says that more than the myriad of
extra-curricular activities available. With an ever
growing list of clubs and societies on offer there
is something for everyone. Our students are busy
debating, singing, climbing, acting, playing chess,
fundraising, learning languages and photography.
We even offer magic, calligraphy and Warhammer!
Our academic achievements are as your would
expect, and I get an enormous sense of pride
when I see the impressive list of universities that
welcomed our Upper Sixth leavers this year. Good
Touching and transforming lives, as well as minds
luck to all our graduates of 2014 - you join an
is our mission at WGS. We hope that the events
illustrious alumni community representing over 500
recorded in this year’s Wulfrunian go some way
years of shared history.
to demonstrating how we achieve that. As ever,
we are grateful to our staff, who give so freely of
Of course, this year will also be remembered for
their time, expertise and energy to making such an
the tragic loss of Andrew Proverbs, our much loved
exciting education possible.
and inspirational Director of Music. Words are not
sufficient to express the sense of loss felt by so
many pupils, parents and staff: those whose lives
had been touched by Andrew. We are grateful to
Kathy Crewe-Read
Nikki Guidotti who navigated the music department
Head of Wolverhampton Grammar School
through a difficult few months.
Foundation
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Wulfrunian 2014
In the Common Room
Peter Johnstone, Head of Psychology at Wolverhampton Grammar School and Chair of the Common Room provides
his update on the staff year including a personal tribute to Andrew Proverbs. This section of the Wulfrunian also
includes personal tributes to all the teaching staff who have retired or moved on to new opportunities this year.
Chairman of the Common Room
platform to soar in pastures new.
introduced Keziah to the world,
By Peter Johnstone
This list includes so many notable
Kathy Dyer gave us Sophie,
stalwarts of WGS who have
Claudine Jones added Isabella
What a year this has been.
selflessly given so much to the
and Natalie Johnson charmed
Unbelievably, and unprecedented
school over so long a period of
us with Noah. Heidi and Simon
in my fourteen and a half years
time; their full and deserved write-
of course also welcomed a son,
here, I have a page in front of me
up will come from their respective
Ben, in July. We wish all new
that lists 23 new arrivals onto the
departments later in this
parents the best of luck sleeping.
WGS staff, 13 teaching staff, a new
magazine, but I know that I speak
Bursar and her PA, a new librarian,
for everyone here collectively
On a final happy note, Alison
new Marketing staff, an additional
when I say that we sincerely wish
McAllister will marry on the 19th
IT technician, Catering staff and
them all the best of health and
December and will return as
additions to the Cleaning team.
happiness in their new direction,
Mrs John Causebrook. John,
You will find their names on page
be that well-earned retirement or
or Chip as he is universally
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similarly well-deserved promotion
known, is a fine chap and they
who have left WGS, either during
and exciting posts in other
will make an excellent couple.
the course of this academic year
schools and other workplaces.
Congratulations also to Kate
or at the very end of the last one.
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Baker and James Millichamp
Most of the leaving staff have
To my reckoning, there have
who will be getting married in
either retired after so many years
been seven welcome additions
2015. We wish both couples a
of sterling service, or are moving
to the WGS family since the
long and happy future together.
on to promoted posts, their time
last edition of the Wulfrunian,
at WGS having given them the
including the Burdens who
The task I have been dreading, but need to address in this
mourners afterwards. Tributes were paid to Andrew
Wulfrunian, is that of remembering Andrew Proverbs, this
in the form of eulogies and Books of Remembrance
titan of the school who was so cruelly taken from us and
which allowed staff and students alike to express
his family on Good Friday of this year, a year before he was
their heartfelt condolences to his family at the loss
due to retire. Words to frame the loss we all keenly feel to
of a truly remarkable individual, one of the most
this day are still difficult and his passing continues to cast a
accomplished teachers it has been our, and certainly
heavy pall over the staff and students alike.
my own privilege to work with at this school, and
honoured to be able to call a friend.
Months on, there is still a sense of unreality in
adjusting to the loss of a man we and the students
Simply put, we were all utterly bowled over by his total
frankly loved, admired and respected without
mastery of his art. For me the overwhelming sadness
qualification. His funeral was a fitting tribute to his
is just about beginning to wane and, in that remarkable
achievements, with the cavernous St. Peter’s Church
capacity that the mind has, is being replaced by all
in the city centre packed to the rafters, as was Big
of those times when Provs, as he was affectionately
School in hosting his family and the hundreds of
known to us, brought fun and laughter into the common
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Wulfrunian 2014
room; I’m sure he would approve.
For instance, he did a mean
impression of the Carry On actor
Jack Douglas, in all his fidgety,
ticcing-movements glory; he told
the funniest anecdotes about his
experiences touring with his band
and he loved being seditiously
mischievous in public, for instance
playing the formal, stifflybegowned staff out of numerous
Prizegiving events to the tune of
the Muppet Show. Using predictive
text, an uncorrected rendition of
texting a message to ‘Prov’ offered
instead ‘Spot’; many was the time
that I would make that lazy mistake
and when our paths crossed
around school, he would often
bark a greeting to me. Small things
that mean a lot.
A cherished weekend in my
memory involved helping him to
sand the floors in his lovely Walsall
Staff come and go, as is the way with all schools, and invariably the new
home, when he entertained for
arrivals blossom into highly-valued and respected practitioners, but the
hours with his encyclopedic
shoes Andrew Proverbs left will take some monumental filling.
knowledge of all genres of music;
he was an unending source of
The American author, pianist and composer John Erskine once wrote that
oblique facts, crediting Roger
music is the only language in which you cannot say a mean or sarcastic thing,
Daltrey with the best scream in
and I can think of no more worthy application of that wisdom than when
rock history for his stentorian
applied to Provs. He was the gentlest of souls who modelled respect for
efforts on ‘Won’t get fooled again’
everyone, and in turn commanded unadulterated respect from every single
and falling about laughing at the
student and member of staff he graced with his unassuming presence.
lyrical excesses of Ian Dury and
the Blockheads. Only Provs had
As I write this, many staff are looking forward to attending a tribute night at
that effortless range; he wrote,
Newhampton Arts Centre, where his band, the Expresso Bongo Orchestra
conducted and performed some
will be playing in his memory. It will be a great evening. He leaves principally
of the most beautiful classical
his wife Grace and his two children Ryan and Emily, as well as his wider
music and then could tuck an
family. Having met the family all-too-briefly at his funeral service, I know that
electronic keyboard under his arm
they too share the most profound respect for the man and his legacy. I really
and play a storming set for us and
hope that they can all draw comfort from the fact that he was so universally
the regulars of The Royal Oak, the
admired, cherished and, not to overstate it, revered. His memory will always
local hostelry of choice for the staff
be with me and so many of us. Pictured is one of my favourite pictures of the
on a Friday evening.
man I am proud to have known and will never forget.
Please enjoy this Wulfrunian and I wish you all a happy, peaceful and prosperous 2015
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Wulfrunian 2014
New Arrivals:
Lauren Vasey (Marketing)
Ronnie Pawluk (Music)
Grant Williams (IT)
John Perkins (Art)
Emma Bowater (Art)
Tina Tolley (Cleaner)
Louise Stanley (Geography)
Dawn Bradley-Buxton (Music)
Sophia Beckford (Catering)
James Sutherland (History)
Clare Cooper (Junior School)
Nicola Asbury (Catering)
Kate Wainwright (Physics)
Sharon Fletcher (Junior School)
David Maplestone (Peri Music)
Martin Allen (Bursar)
Edward Hamill (Science)
Helen Cooper (Peri Music)
Jen Anderson (Marketing)
Toby Hughes (Head of Sixth Form)
Sam Neville-Young (Maths)
Alex Bandurak (Physics Technician)
Leavers:
Madelaine Drew (Asst Librarian)
Jane Pembleton-Smyth (Peri Music)
Charles Frost (IT)
Liam Taylor (History)
Michael Allen (Junior School)
David Gallop (Projects)
Emily Watson (Physics)
Tim Browning (Geography)
Darrell Gillett (Projects)
Victoria Wiseman (Geography)
Heidi Dalzell (PE)
Craig Parker (Projects)
Carrie Bennett (Marketing)
John Edlin (Chemistry)
Mark Hand (Marketing)
Nigel James (Cleaning)
Val Fogarty (Biology)
Nina Williams (Admin)
Hena Patel (Bursar’s PA and HR)
Tim Guard (History)
Lynne Johnson (Librarian)
Zoe Rowley (Librarian)
Simon Hinchliffe (Head of Sixth Form)
Teejay White (Projects)
Penny Rudge (Bursar)
Les Judson (Maths)
Katy Cooper (Cleaner)
Michael Allen
Tim Browning
By Andrew Hymer
By John Johnson and Tom Baker
Michael Allen joined the
Junior School in September
2013 as a form tutor to one of
our Big Six classes.
Tim arrived at WGS in 1979 and then proceeded to give 35 years of outstanding
service and dedication to a school he came to love and devote his career to.
Michael very quickly established
As part of a two man strong PE department at that time, Tim’s contribution to
himself as a popular member of
sport was second to none. Tim is a brilliant all round sportsman who was good
school, both through his dealing
enough to play at professional level in at least two sports in his younger days.
with pupils and as a colleague.
We all warmed to his kind and
As coach of the 1st XI football team Tim enjoyed cup success over many
gentle nature.
years, including two national titles. He coached a volleyball team that beat
the then reigning national champions. Tim enjoyed success in table tennis,
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He willingly supported the many
swimming and athletics, but it was in the sport of cricket that he made a huge
parts of school life and was an
impact. As a cricketer himself Tim displayed in the annual staff match just
enthusiastic member of our
what a fine batsman he was on many occasions, including a century!
boys' games team.
Tim went on countless school ski trips over a number of years and as
Whilst his stay at WGJS was short,
his contribution to the school was
significant and we all wish him
the very best in his career as he
moves to a new school nearer to
home in Shrewsbury.
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you can imagine he has become the most proficient and elegant skier. It
was on these trips that he showed what a fine singer he was and did not
have to be forced to take part in karaoke sessions. Tim also was part of
the very successful football tour of South Africa and was instrumental in
achieving a record of P16, W15 and lost only one game 0-1 in debatable
fashion. We shared some memories that I am sure will come up in
conversation in the years ahead over a glass of squash.
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Wulfrunian 2014
out as a highlight. His relationship with the A Level
students and his extensive subject knowledge
enabled him to deliver the complicated theories
and processes with ease which certainly helped
the students reach their true potential. While at
WGS Tim has also been Deputy Head of the Sixth
Form, a role I know he really enjoyed. Working
closely with Mark Benfield and Chris Preston, Tim
was part of a strong pastoral team that helped and
supported many WGS students in their application
for further education. Tim is a true professional,
a gentleman, a proper geographer and a real
Yorkshire man. From everyone here at WGS, we
wish him all the best in his retirement.
Heidi Dalzell
By John Johnson
The introduction of girls sport at WGS was overseen
by Sheila Griffiths who quickly established netball as
the main sport. When Sheila moved on it gave the
opportunity for an opening in girls PE at the school
and my appointment of Heidi was a master stroke. To
say Heidi had an impact on sport would be a massive
understatement. Heidi demanded the best from
her students and led by example and the students
responded, quickly establishing themselves as the
best netball school for many a mile.
As an administrator there was no one better and
I miss seeing that ever full diary that she carried
with her everywhere she went. On school ski trips
Heidi became my second in command for a while
and certainly made me look good with her fantastic
organisation, especially the little handbooks that
set the template for all future trips. After a while she
realised that she might as well just take over as party
leader but I did enjoy working with Heidi as part of a
team. As you would imagine Heidi was also an expert
skier who I just could not keep up with on the slopes.
The Coast 2 Coast run was another area where Heidi
had a huge impact. She took over the running of the
event from Fiona McMurray (later Lister) who had done
such a great job in her gentle but organised style. In
respect of Fiona, Heidi took over the reins and put those
sublime organisational skills to effective use. Once
again the template that Heidi came up with is followed
to this day. This is such a unique event at WGS, Heidi’s
input is second to none and so many students have
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benefited from her expertise. As you would imagine
Heidi was also a very accomplished runner.
There are so many areas of school that Heidi has left
her mark on, the early morning circuits sessions being
just one example. As you would imagine Heidi is also
ridiculously fit and could out-burpee anyone. Circuits
are well established as part of the WGS philosophy
thanks to Heidi in no small measure.
There is so much more that could be written about this
talented lady but may I just thank her on behalf of WGS
and we are all so happy that Heidi is settled down
in beautiful Skipton with Simon, Katy and Ben with a
fantastic future ahead of them all. Good luck Heidi and
please come back and visit us when you have chance.
During his 35 years of service Tim a.k.a Senior
Pro, has also been a key player in the geography
department. He has taken part in countless
residential trips from geological tours of South Wales,
studying rivers and glaciation in North Wales, surfing
in Cornwall, visiting the Isle of Arran, Scotland and
of course experiencing the all-inclusive geography
residential to Mallorca, which he seemed to rather
enjoy! It hasn’t all been trips and holidays over the
last 3 decades, Tim is also a true professional and a
master of the subject he loves. He has taught across
the age range and covered pretty much every topic
during his career, but his slant and delivery of the A2
Earth and Climatic Hazards module certainly stands
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Wulfrunian 2014
Madeleine Drew
When I became senior librarian,
she found it very difficult to accept
By Lynne Johnson
Madeleine was appointed as a part
that she might need a few weeks
time assistant. She opened the
off when she had both her feet
Madeleine had already had a
library at 8am every morning and
operated on at the same time!
long and distinguished career
became a friendly and welcoming
in education before she came
presence to the early birds at
We have become great friends
to work at WGS. She was a
school. Everything was always
because she has supported me
highly respected primary school
shipshape by the time I arrived
through some difficult times in
teacher in Wolverhampton and
at 9am because Madeleine is a
my life, always with good advice,
was a member of the senior
whiz at restoring order to chaos.
compassion and a sense of
management team at her school
She was always just ‘having a
humour. She always told me that
when her mother became ill.
little tidy up’ and due to her hard
when I retired she would go with
The responsibility of caring for
work the books were always kept
me and that is what we have done.
her mum was non-negotiable
in good repair and shelved in
I loved working with her and in her
and so she made the life
the right place! I have never met
quiet, unobtrusive way she has
changing decision to retire from
anyone so thoroughly reliable and
contributed more to the school
teaching. The loss to teaching
conscientious. She was never late,
than most people are aware of. We
was a valuable gain to the
quite often worked extra hours,
plan to be ladies who lunch and I
library at our school.
and was never absent. Indeed,
know she will be a lifelong friend.
John Edlin
By Andy Carey
8
John Edlin joined WGS in September 1993 and
for over 20 years was a teacher who had high
expectations of all of his students. From Big 6 through
to Upper Sixth he developed relationships which
were warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring. He
never shirked from offering extra lunchtime tuition
to students who needed a little extra help, wanted
stretching beyond the restrictions of the syllabus
or perhaps needed the occasional kick up the
backside. He embraced new teaching strategies and
incorporated new technologies into his lessons, often
it must be said, dragging me along some distance
behind. Teaching is also about having fun and giving
pleasure to the children that we teach. John has done
this in abundance, never afraid to go off track to show
his classes - his demo of the week which often has
resulted in me hearing the explosion and wondering
which emergency service I should call.
But, teaching at WGS is about much more than what
goes on in the classroom and John as you may know
has worn many other hats. He took over the running
of the croquet club and, coinciding with the school
going co-ed, he saw it as a sport which both boys and
girls could compete on equal terms. It provided an
opportunity for many students who otherwise may not
have represented school in competitive sport to not
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only compete but also to excel. Trips and expeditions
played an important part in John’s time at the school.
Mediterranean cruises and more recently the Borneo
expedition enabled so many students to gain an
insight into other lands and cultures.
In June 2007 John began to apply through the British
Council for a teacher exchange which in the New Year of
2009 resulted in him travelling 11,500 miles to Inglewood
High School in New Zealand. The contrasts with WGS
were immense. To see a completely different school and
country was an amazing experience. He swapped a 40
minute drive from Walsall for a 4 minute walk to school and
returned immeasurably enriched by the experience.
John is a keen participant in a number of sports.
The short tennis squad will miss him on a Friday
night and 5-a-side football will not be the same
without him rushing around the pitch at 100mph.
It was a great surprise when John announced that
he intended to take early retirement. For someone
with so much energy and enthusiasm to be retiring
just didn’t seem quite right. He will not be short of
activities, hobbies and interests to fill up his days.
Travel will certainly be on the agenda. Music too is
close to his heart and he will continue to sing, play
and compose. There will be much more time for
bell ringing and walking holidays…. and much, much
more. From everyone at WGS and particularly the
Chemistry department, past and present, we wish
John a long and happy retirement.
Wulfrunian 2014
By Helen Hills
Leg waxing, splat the teacher, cake and ice cream
sales all contributed to the fundraising effort.
Val was at WGS for very nearly 25 years. She came here
in September 1991 along with Jean-Pierre Camm and
John Perkins. At that time there were only a few female
teaching staff, Bernard Trafford was into his second year
as Head and girls were to arrive from the age of 11 in
1992. Val arrived as Mrs Chilvers, sometimes known as
Chilvs. She was a busy mother of three boys. She soon
realised that teaching at WGS wasn’t just a job but a
way of life and in her time here she has devoted herself
to the many roles she has had.
Val is retiring because Jim, her husband began his job
as Bursar at a school in Dorset in January. She had
all the academic year 2013-2014 to prepare for her
retirement. During August 2013 she even began sorting
out lab 61. She attended her last Christmas concert, the
last Founder’s day, prize giving etc. After so many years
it has been quite emotional for her, to be thinking ‘this
is the last time’ even the toughest would have a lump in
their throat and damp eyes. She finished with a flourish
by going to Mexico, on Operation Wallacea.
As a biology teacher and later head of department
she encouraged and led from the front. She enjoyed
trying new initiatives and enthused others. When
in charge of peer support she raised its profile and
made it into a professionally and well run caring unit.
She ran the school squash team for several years and
was an amazing player. For the last seven years she
has been Head of Years 10 and 11. She has brought
her own style to the position; she really knew all the
students in her charge and ably supported her tutors.
We wish Val and Jim the very best for the future.
Their house in Sherbourne is being renovated so Val
might be kept busy with house projects. She might
get to visit her three grandchildren or have them
to stay. No doubt there will be some bird watching.
Whatever she does, she will do it well, giving it her all
and make many friendships on the way. WGS will not
forget you, Val, neither will all the students that have
been in your care over the years. The students and
staff at Lords Meade will not forget you. We hope that
you will not forget us either and perhaps when you
visit your son Sam in Perton you will pop in and see
us. A fantastic feature of this school is that students
return to various events, we hope that you will too.
A major achievement outside the classroom has been
her involvement with Lords Meade School in Uganda.
She has tirelessly led assemblies instilling passion
and commitment into our students to fundraise, to
go to the school for six months or to visit as a holiday
destination. She has been instrumental in establishing
a strong link and she has worked for ten years
on this. Lords Meade owe Val a lot and so do our
students. Year after year they have responded to her
dedication and effort, having fun along the way.
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Val has been a valuable and important link in the
history of Wolverhampton Grammar school. She has
been a great leader, good counsellor, excellent team
player, teacher and friend. It is said ‘a teacher affects
eternity they can never tell where their influence
stops’. How true this is of Val. Happy retirement.
Val Fogarty
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Wulfrunian 2014
Tim Guard
By Russell Charlesworth
Tim Guard was nearing completion
of his DPhil on the Crusades when
he was appointed to the History
and Politics department in 2008.
He has been a truly outstanding
teacher here, fulfilling each and
every responsibility with energy
and purpose. He is a man of
intellectual range and depth,
integrity and wisdom, and great
personal kindness.
Tim made the transition from
university to school swiftly and
well. He finished and published his
PhD, and took his GTP in his stride,
despite a full timetable and internal
NQT programme in his first year
here. Tim’s teaching from Year 7
to Upper Sixth, measured by any
yardstick, was highly impressive. He
got great results. GCSE results of
83% A/A* against a school average
of 66% in 2013, testify to this. Tim’s
teaching of AS/A2 level late modern
Simon Hinchliffe
By Tom Baker
10
Simon Hinchliffe a.k.a. Hinchy
landed at WGS in 2000 and over
the last 14 years has given his all
to the school. His main role early
on was teaching geography across
the full age range and ever since
his initial appointment his passion
for the subject and unquestionable
subject knowledge has helped
encourage many students to study
geography to a higher level. While
at WGS Simon also took hold of
the outdoor education program
revamped it, developed it and
certainly took it to a new level.
He organised many memorable
overseas trips ranging from
trekking in the Indian Himalayas, to
summating Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
and Cotopaxi in Ecuador to name
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British history and A2 Government
and Politics, where he delivered an
awkward module on the EU, has
been exemplary, with his scholarly
passion very much to the fore. These
modules may have been remote from
his research specialism, but he read
widely, prepared excellent resources,
and delivered challenging, stimulating
classes. Students wanted to be taught
by him, and wanted to work for him.
With his middle and lower school
charges, he had all the right instincts.
He constantly reflected on his practice,
sharing resources with his colleagues,
and volunteering new initiatives, like
his use of his daughters’ sticklebricks to
elucidate the Liberal welfare reforms,
or his two centre Year 8 trip.
Tim’s modesty and quiet self reliance
did not stop him becoming a major
figure here. He had vim and vigour
aplenty, leading Student Parliament
on Thursday mornings, and arranging
a trip to Westminster. He drove
a programme of assemblies on
‘Grammar Greats’ to commemorate
but a few. Weekend adventures
were also a favourite of his as he
organised countless trips to the
Towers outdoor centre in North
Wales, where students of all ages
were exposed to climbing, gorge
walking and coast steering.
Simon was also passionate about
the value of the Duke of Edinburgh’s
Award scheme, again raising its
profile while he was here at WGS.
Simon was a life member of the ever
popular Thursday running club, with
his unmistakable pounding stride
often sweeping up students who
found the Finchfield run a mile too
far. Year 9 students had the privilege
of Simon being their Head of Year for
12 months but it was his appointment
to the Head of Sixth Form that really
defined his career path and helped
him get to where he is today.
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our quincentenary. Tim’s own
assembly included building and
very memorably firing 19th century
siege rockets in front of the whole
school. Inspired by this, he oversaw
the construction of a trebuchet as
part of the EPQ. He supports as
well as leads, departmentally where
his loyalty to his colleagues has
been unstinting, and in the school
as a whole. He is well liked and
respected by students and staff.
Finally, what a pleasure and a
privilege it has been to know him.
His hard work, high standards and
expectations are counterbalanced
by a ready and sometimes self
deprecating wit. He is kind as well
as funny. He’ll offer his company
and his hospitality generously and
regularly, and he’s compassionate
where genuine difficulties arise.
He goes to Rugby School next, as
Head of History, and everyone at
WGS wishes Tim, Julie and their
two lovely daughters the very
best for the future.
In between teaching, travelling,
running and mountain biking Simon
also met Heidi while he was here
at WGS. Heidi is a woman of great
patience and tenacity. They have
two lovely children, Katie age 5
and Ben age 6 months. Simon
has chosen to be Deputy Head at
Bradford Grammar as his next stop,
and everyone here at WGS wishes
Simon, Heidi and their two children
the very best in their new venture.
Wulfrunian 2014
The WGS Library has always been
more than just about stamping
books. As Assistant Librarian from
1995, and Head Librarian since
2005, Lynne Johnson understood
and exemplified this. That’s not to say
that books weren’t important to her.
They were, and she expanded and
updated the stock of both the Jenyns
and Sixth Form library continuously.
Lynne knew that there are still
academic subjects that depend on
books, and she was quick to spot
and suggest new publications to the
Heads of Department concerned.
Students and teachers at GCSE and
A Level had the books and articles
they needed, on open shelves, in
multiple copies. When interviews
for new colleagues or Warwick
Group meetings were held, the
WGS library could hold its head
high, and that was because of
Lynne more than anybody else.
Lynne also encouraged reading for its
own sake. That meant adjusting to the
new and very encouraging appetite
for books in the age of J. K. Rowling
and Michelle Paver. Lynne purchased
accordingly, and publicised and
proselytised, for example by getting
teachers to read to younger students
at lunchtime. Lynne’s Radiant Readers
group was ostensibly about books,
but it was more about bringing
people together. Lynne understood
that reading opens up discourse and
dialogue, and that’s good for people.
She was also attuned to the social
function of libraries. The WGS library
was definitely a place of study, and
Lynne would shut them up and get
them working. But it was also a place
of refuge for the occasional student
who needed that.
Lynne embodied the way the WGS
non teaching staff help us teachers.
She had a masterful instinct for
connecting the library, particularly
with her displays, to the academic
work of the school. In another life,
she could have done gallery work
or curatorships. More mundanely,
she’s saved the day when, with the
clock ticking down to period one, the
library photocopier jammed. Many
times she’s sorted out the IT for
teachers in the multimedia room, and
she’s been a very willing and helpful
volunteer on school trips. She has
been absolutely key to overhauling
the school archive, and always willing
to make it available to professional
scholars. It is hard to imagine how
the recent history of WGS could have
appeared without her.
Lynne is a multi talented woman, no
question. Students, staff and the wider
WGS community know her well, and
recognise her patience, tact, kindness,
and very many other estimable
personal qualities. As John’s wife and
the mother of OWs Tom, Holly and
Natalie, she is part of the life blood of
our school and she’ll remain so now
she’s retired. Finally, she has helped
to ensure that her legacy is in safe
hands, with the appointment of Mrs
Rowley. If you’ve been in the Library
during the autumn term 2014, you
will have seen that it continues to be
about more than stamping books.
Les Judson
By Chris O’Brien
Les Judson retired at the end of the
summer term, having joined the Maths
Department in September 1990 and
served the school for 24 years.
After university at Leeds, Les worked
for a short time in Reading before
settling in this area and working
at High Arcal School for 11 years.
At WGS, he taught with distinction
across the age range. One of the
few members of the department
equally comfortable with mechanics
and statistics. In the Sixth Form,
he also taught aspects of further
mathematics. Students through the
generations were able to rely on
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him for clear exposition of the work,
careful marking and a thorough
response to questions. He looked
after many groups as a form tutor.
Outside the department, he helped
to analyse and record examination
scores. For many years, he was
responsible for the arrangements for
Parents’ Evenings; later he took on
organisation of internal examinations
– both of these thankless tasks into
which he put a great deal of time
and effort. He also spent many
hours in recent years supervising
the computer rooms at lunchtime.
His quiet contribution helped to
ensure that all these aspects of the
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school’s life ran smoothly and will
be much missed.
Our statisticians report that Les
was not absent through illness at
any time in his 24 years here – a
remarkable record, which means,
too that he must have heard the
school bell about 56,000 times
and eaten about 4,300 school
lunches. Les now has plans
for travel and will have more
opportunities to work on his model
railways and watch Scarborough
Athletic. We wish Les and his wife
Carys a long and happy retirement,
and hope they will keep in touch.
Lynne Johnson
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Wulfrunian 2014
Ronnie Pawluk
By Nikki Guidotti and Katy Burden
The resounding sound of a tuba and
a Scottish bass voice singing along
often reverberated through the
walls of Ronnie Pawluk’s office into
the lessons going on around him.
“How on earth does he manage
to sit through another rendition
of ‘Give me joy in my heart?’”
students ask. The answer was his
unending passion for music, and his
determination to pass this on to the
students he taught.
His insatiable enthusiasm for music
making was most evident when
he was placed in front of a class,
teaching instrumental lessons or
John Perkins
By James Millichamp
John Perkins is a giant. He’s
a giant personality, with giant
charisma, passion and drive, and
the Common Room will miss his
many anecdotes and stories;
indeed, he has something to say
on every subject and more!
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taking a band-practice. For many,
many years he cultivated, amongst
others, the Senior, Intermediate
and Lower School Concert Bands,
various brass groups and of
course, the Wee Band. Taking
these groups on tours across
Europe and leading them to
deliver first class performances
has left many students with happy
memories, but more importantly, a
real love of ensemble playing.
Who can forget the infamous
and utterly entertaining brass
recruitment assemblies which
involved persuading various
members of the teaching staff
to compete and see who could
blow the longest and loudest note
on the tuba. The results weren’t
always musical, much to the
delight of the audience, but again,
revealed just how accessible
and enjoyable making music (or
in the world as well as exhibiting
our school’s work around the
country in ISADA, OCR and
Merchant Taylors’ exhibitions.
Physically a power-house, he
single-handedly installed the
scaffold bars that now hold
the sound and lighting rigs in
Big School, so as to display his
students’ work to better effect
in the annual art exhibitions.
Furthermore, having overseen
the move to our new premises
in the Art & Drama Centre, he
has since organised and curated
exhibitions in the Viner Gallery
every year for our exam students,
but also for practising artists
such as Charles Viner, Michael
Warren and Derek Jones to name
but a few, as well as not one but
two international exhibitions for
our link school, Lords Meade
Vocational College, Jinja, Uganda.
Mr Perkins joined the school
in 1993 and since then he has
built the Art Department into
something massive – we have
had exam results in the top 2% of
the country for ten years plus, and
art is hugely popular; with many
of our students beginning careers
in the visual arts, architecture,
design, advertising, fashion,
photography... the list goes on. Art
has become the flagship for WGS
under John’s inspiring leadership,
John has an expansive wealth
of knowledge about art and
art education. He has been a
moderator for GCSE and A Level
in his time, and his understanding
of curricula and assessment
have been an essential part of
his department’s success. This
incredible perception of the subject
doesn’t stop at school; he has led
tours in the Centre Pompidou, Paris;
the Doge’s Palace, Venice; the
Picasso Museum, Barcelona; the
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam;
the Tate, Liverpool and the National
Gallery, London to give just a tiny
flavour of the many galleries in
which he has entertained and
enthralled not only WGS students,
and he has delivered not only
academic success, consistently,
but has taken students all over
Europe to see the best galleries
but usually a gaggle of hangers
on from the public who have
been captivated by his engaging
enunciation and knowledge.
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attempting to) can be.
A proud Scotsman, awesome
tuba player, Wagner enthusiast,
avid Rugby fan and an important
part of the history of the Music
Department of WGS. Thank you for
your dedication and service.
John has led and taught all
aspects of his subject brilliantly
across his time at WGS, from
ceramics and pottery, graphics,
art history and installation
(most recently reintroducing
photography with great success),
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He elicits only the best practical
work from his students (all of his
students) through supporting
strategies and an unfailing belief
that every student deserves the
best opportunities. This is a true
talent in itself, but John’s leadership
is exceptional too; he leads by
example through his unfailing
energy and approach but also by
planning and organising with
the precision of a military mind,
whilst imaginatively visualising
the creative development and
progression of all the students
within his care. ‘Perko’ will be
sincerely missed at WGS and we
all wish him a long and happy
retirement, although Ibiza won’t
know what’s hit it!
James Sutherland
James Sutherland joined the History and Politics
Department in 2009. In the five years since, he has
amply demonstrated that he is one of the outstanding
young teachers of his generation. He has embodied,
and expected, the very highest academic standards.
In so doing, he has boosted the profile of history and
politics to their highest level in a generation. He is a
thoughtful and supportive teacher as well, refining his
practice and ready to accommodate those who find the
two subjects more difficult. In the common room, he’s
been a well liked colleague, with many interests and an
easy sociability. He likes beer festivals as well as books.
When we appointed James, we were fortunate to find
such excellent subject knowledge in so young a teacher.
He made A Level early modern European history his
own, teaching the Reformation and Spain 1492-1556 with
great gusto, boosting take up and getting great results.
He turned the remoteness in time of these courses, and
their difficult conceptual landscape, into virtues, and that
takes some doing. James also offered coursework on
late modern Russian history, and A Level politics. In all his
Sixth Form teaching, James had a knack for stretching
our brightest. He was forensic and searching in Oxbridge
mock interviews, and helpful and supportive afterwards.
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James brought the same high professional standards
to his middle and lower school pupils. At GCSE,
he was mindful of a range of methods, from group
work to ICT to traditional chalk and talk. His marking
was always done promptly with extensive feedback
provided. One of his great gifts was his superb
speaking voice, audible from two classrooms away
and each summer on the Western Front, where his
walking tours on the annual battlefields trip were the
stuff of WGS legend. In Years 7-9, James was a form
tutor, so he knew his charges well, and he wanted
the various courses to stretch and stimulate. He saw
the value of taking history outside the classroom,
organising an excellent Year 7 trip to Warwick
Castle each summer, and ordering broom handles
so that he could do pike and musket drill with Year
8. His lessons were scholarly and challenging, well
organised, and delivered with a sense of humour.
Finally, James made an excellent contribution to the
wider life of WGS. He’s been ready to deliver assemblies,
receiving a standing ovation before his last one, and
he’s been the driving force behind the War Room, our
military history society. He helped out with Year 8 cricket,
increasing his own qualifications, and coaching and
umpiring. He goes to Warwick School next, and everyone
at WGS wishes him the very best for the future.
as well as instigating the oil
painting workshops for which
we are known across the region
and beyond. His set designs
have complemented the work of
the drama department perfectly
and have been a spectacle
in themselves for the many
productions he has worked upon.
Having studied under John,
first as a student and later as a
teacher, it has been a privilege
and an honour to work alongside
someone who is so passionate
and committed to his students.
John is an exceptional teacher; he
can explain complex ideas in the
most simple of terms, he can give
life and meaning to works of art,
illuminating the world from which
they came with clarity and colour.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Louise Stanley
Kate Wainwright
By Tom Baker
By Nick Munson
Since joining WGS in 2009 Louise
Kate Ward (as she was known then) joined WGS from Coseley School
Fellows became a Stanley, a
in 2006. I remember her interview vividly as she was an outstanding
mother of two and developed
candidate. Kate went on to be a superb teacher at WGS both in and
into an excellent geography
out of the classroom. During her time here she married to become Kate
practitioner. At WGS Louise taught
Wainwright, and had a daughter; Poppy.
geography across the full age
range and was a real favourite of
She was a very talented and hard working teacher. Her lessons
the students. Her relaxed 'shoes
were invariably interesting and involved a variety of teaching styles.
off' approach to teaching seemed
Students enjoyed Kate’s lessons and she had a happy knack for
to work as she was able to always
generating enthusiasm from all her students. Her lessons were
get the best out of her students
characterised by a quiet hum of activity. She was incredibly well
whatever their age. She never
respected by both students and staff alike.
shied away from a challenge be
it teaching grid references to
Kate is a very driven and determined individual both in and out of the
Big 6 or discussing the Common
classroom. She was a nationally recognised swimming official and also had
Fisheries Policy to A2 students.
interests in outdoor education. This led to her to go on several ski trips and
take part in expeditions to Morocco and Peru. During her time at WGS she
As a key member of the Geography
became a passionate runner. This enabled her to win the female staff trophy
Department she took part in all of the
for the ‘Walker Mile’ on several occasions. She also motivated and inspired
field trips on offer here at WGS from
others to run by organising the Coast 2 Coast squad for several years. Later
Bude to Dovedale to Majorca. She
this enthusiasm for fitness led her to take up triathlon and ‘insanity’ fitness
was never one to complain on such
which she would complete before coming to work each day.
trips so long as there was plenty of
food and plenty to drink (juice that is).
She will make an excellent Head of Physics at Adams Grammar School
and we wish her every success and happiness in the future.
While at WGS, Louise was
also fortunate enough to gain
responsibility for lost property,
a tough task but one that she
managed with ease, ensuring
where possible students got their
lost property returned.
Louise has gone on to secure a
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job with real potential at Denstone
College cutting her daily commute
from 3 hours to 3 minutes. As she
can now walk or cycle to work she
probably has helped save the planet
from the onset of global warming,
well in the immediate future at least.
From all the staff who knew her
we wish her all the best in her new
venture at Denstone College.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Our Junior School continues to go from strength to strength. This year, 123 children across Years 3 to Big
6 embraced a whole range of exciting opportunities including residential trips, drama productions, sports
tours to a “onesie” day to help raise money for charity. We hope you enjoy reading about their year and
the enormous contribution they make to our school and community.
Welcome
Yorkshire, the amazing public speaking final and
the fun and exuberance of our summer production
‘Aladdin’ all contributed to this special year.
Andrew Hymer
Head of Wolverhampton Grammar
Junior School
I am sure the teachers will agree with me that
2013 - 14 has been a vintage year. Our residential visits,
our productions, concerts, competitions and house
events have been a great success. On the games field
we have enjoyed probably our most successful year,
particularly in athletics and cross country.
I often reflect on the fact that our children are so fortunate.
Not only are they receiving the very best education, the
opportunities they enjoy are second to none.
The wonderful day Year 5 spent in perfect sunshine
paddling down the River Severn, the sports tour to
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Our children respond magnificently to the
challenges they face. Many times we have seen
their spirit expressed through a smile and a joke in
response to an unscheduled dip in a Welsh lake, or
when offering to help their peers.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all
our teachers, on behalf of our community for their
unstinting commitment and professionalism.
Andrew Hymer
Head of Wolverhampton Grammar Junior School
Junior School
Wolverhampton Grammar Junior School
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Wulfrunian 2014
Music and Drama
By Jill Pawluk
2013-2014 proved to be another exciting and busy
Jed Hathaway (6MA) for the memorable candle light
year that gave all the children opportunities to sing
solo singing of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’.
and perform; constantly impressing us with their
talent and commitment.
The spring term saw another entertaining afternoon
tea concert take place. We were once again treated
The autumn term began with the school choir leading
to some outstanding performances and it was great
the Harvest Assembly. After only a few rehearsals the
to hear such a wide range of instrumentalists and
whole school choir were singing with confidence and
vocalists performing with such confidence and skill.
enthusiasm, combined with readers from each class this
was a joyful harvest celebration. It was attended by parents
Towards the end of the term the preparations started
and the Reverend Rudd, who spoke to the children about
in earnest for the Years 5 and 6 summer musical
the work of the Wolverhampton Food Bank (one of our
production of ‘Aladdin!’ The children worked tirelessly
nominated school charities) where the very generous
to produce two performances that both entertained
harvest food donations were passed on to.
and captivated the audience.
In November at the first of our afternoon tea
There were so many high quality ensemble and
concerts both parents and pupils were entertained
individual performances but special congratulations
and delighted by the children, tea and cake!
should go to Jed Hathway - Aladdin (6MA) and Katie
Instrumentalists and vocalists from across the school
Evans - Jasmine (6DG); Adam Gregory - Abanazar
had an opportunity to perform a piece of their choice,
(6MA) and the hilarious Oscar Hamilton-Russell -
in a friendly and informal setting. It was wonderful to
Widow Twankey (6MA).
see pupils performing after only six lessons, as well
as the more experienced students. The impressive
Despite the busy rehearsal schedule we still
performances reminded us what a talented group of
found time to prepare for our end of term Summer
children we have at WGJS.
Celebration Concert. The summer concert involved
all pupils at WGJS and a wide variety of groups
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In December, Years 3 and 4 impressed us greatly with
performing to a packed audience. It was pleasing to
their humorous and highly entertaining production
see the string, guitar, recorder and flute ensembles
‘Stable Manners’, with mature acting performances
perform with such flair. Upper School choir and
from Ewan Alexander - Sheep (4AS), Esha Ram -
Lower School Choir gave polished and mature
Chicken (4AD), Emma Thornthwaite - Cow (4AS) and
performances and a particular highlight for me
an unforgettable rapping angel performed by Jayran
was Mrs Adams’ speech and drama students who
Chhokar (4AS).
performed some entertaining monologues.
The autumn term concluded with the Christmas
It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening that rounded off
Carol Service. This was an atmospheric and uplifting
an exciting year of music and drama; my sincere thanks
occasion led by readers from Big 6. The choir, chamber
go to the WGS music staff for all their help and support.
choir and whole school sang a variety of Christmas
songs beautifully; and a special mention must go to
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Wulfrunian 2014
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Junior School
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Wulfrunian 2014
WGJS School Council
By Katie Evans
charity; the RSPCA, which is our national charity;
and YAMBA, which is our international charity.
Big 6 School Councillor
This year charity week was on 19th - 23rd May. For
Hi, I am one of the school counsellors and I am in Big
the week there were events going on at break and
6. This year has been a big success we have raise so
lunchtime. We had cake sales for each year group, also
much money for school and for charity! There are 14
the Year 3’s did “throw the sponges at the teachers”
of us (two from each class a boy and a girl.) We all get
and it was great! We had buckets of water and sponges
elected by our classes and we have to talk to them
and we could pay 20p for one go and 50p for three
about why they should vote for us.
go’s. There would be two teachers on two chairs and
we would throw sponges at them!
Every other Wednesday we meet and talk to the
other school counsellors about what our class
One of the other best things was onesie day Evie
want school to achieve or maybe things we
Giddings who is also in Big 6 said “Onesie Day was a
would like to do like sponsored days. Our main
fantastic day; everyone had a smile on their face! Also
achievement this year has been charity week
on this Thursday it was throw sponges at the teachers,
we raised over £2,500 for our three charities:
I hit Mrs Baker who I really wanted to hit! I think charity
Wolverhampton Food Bank, which is our home
week is one of the best weeks at school!”
Yorkshire Tour
By Andrew Hymer
With so many keen games
visit. A visit to the school is quite
team footballers enjoyed a gritty
players in Big Six, thoughts
an experience: the drive leads
draw with our B team losing.
turned to organising a sporting
to one of the largest combined
tour. York was chosen as our
junior and senior schools in
After a ghost tour of York in the
base and at the end of the spring
the country. It was a daunting
evening and a comfortable night’s
term, 35 boys and girls headed
thought to consider that our
sleep, we headed to the Jorvik
off towards the Pennines.
entire junior school was roughly
Viking museum before picnicking
equal in size to their number
in the sunshine beside the Minster.
Our first stop was Leeds
of pupils in Year 6. Despite the
We then travelled to Harrogate
Grammar School. We had hosted
mismatch in numbers, our girls
to play rugby and netball against
Leeds the previous spring and
did remarkably well winning
Ashville College. The girls enjoyed
we were keen to make a return
their game comfortably. Our A
the tightest of games losing by a
single goal. The boys met more
than their match on the rugby field
losing to a strong Ashville team.
Whilst sport was the focus of our
tour, the chance to be away with
friends in a beautiful part of the
country contributed to a most
Junior School
18
enjoyable weekend. The behaviour
of the children was exemplary and
we look forward to repeating the
visit in the near future.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Performing Stable Manners was challenging, but a lot of fun! I never
knew being a cow could be so enjoyable. My character was one of the
animals, called Bessie. My favourite song was Beauty With a Bell, and I
also liked the Glory Rap. We rehearsed for the performance nearly every
day with the kind help and support of Mrs Pawluk and Mrs Gibbs. Their
enthusiasm helped us to perform to the best of our ability.
Onesie day!
By Brandon Taylor
Big 6 School Councillor
As we approached the end of
charity week our “sponsored
dressing-up-day” was finally
here. This year all the pupils
(and teachers) had to dress up
On the night of the performance there was a lot of preparation to do.
in Onesies. The day started with
With the help of the teaching assistants we had our faces painted and
a laugh and a joke as we looked
we got into our creative costumes. Before the performance we all felt
upon our friends and teachers
extremely nervous, however as soon as we got on stage our nerves
Onesies. Like the previous
disappeared. The audience loved the play and so did we. So that we
years, we raised an impressive
could remember the performance, it was filmed and put on a DVD. I
amount of money from sponsors.
really enjoyed Stable Manners because it had a funny script with great
songs and dances that we all loved performing.
Everyone was in high-spirits
and the day couldn’t have gone
better. All of the sponsor money
raised would go to our three
charities that we supported this
year (YAMBA, the RSPCA and the
Wolverhampton Food Bank.) This
always puts a smile on my face
as we can help to raise money
for charity just from looking a bit
comical for a couple of hours,
and I think it’s the same reaction
with the whole school.
My peers and I thoroughly
enjoyed the day and I would like
to see what ideas the school
come up with next year. It was a
great fundraiser and we should
always carry this on into later
years. I hope that our contribution
to charity can help the needy.
Overall, it was an amazing day.
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Junior School
Stable Manners
By Emma Thornthwaite
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Wulfrunian 2014
A Lad in Trouble!
By Oscar Hamilton-Russell
Oh Yoo Hoo! Cooey! Widow Twankey here to tell you all
dreams reality”. It’ll take me ages to get that number
about the Year 5 and Big 6 end of year production in the
out of my head!
summer term of 2014. What a marvellous time we had,
such a tremendous amount of fun and laughter. Who could
Moving swiftly on and WATCH OUT! He’s behind you!
forget my fancy, pink, beautifully groomed hair! But enough
Evil Abanazar, played brilliantly by Adam Gregory
about me darlings, let’s get on with a review of the show.
caused fear amongst the cast and audience but
don’t be worrying about that, we made sure he’d
Firstly, I had three sons, Two of which simply couldn’t
be spending his final years in a cold, damp prison
be trusted: Wishy and Washy, played marvellously by
cell. I am happy to report that the gorgeous Princess
Harvey Palmer and Ethan Lewis; they brought humour
Jasmine, played by Katie Evans, and that handsome
and confusion to all and sundry. Then there’s my third
boy of mine won through evil and are living happily
darling boy, Aladdin, represented by Jed Hathaway,
ever after. We had such a hoot making it happen, every
whose confidence grew so much throughout and
single member of Year 5 and Big 6 had a part to play
performed brilliantly. Then, with just three quick rubs
and it was certainly a highlight of our year. I must say a
of the lamp (which caused such a kerfuffle you know)
ginormous thank you to all the staff involved in making
you could meet the wonderful genie otherwise known
the costumes and props but especially to Mrs Pawluk
as Jessica Stanton. She can make any of your wishes
and Mrs Gibbs who made it all happen. I can almost
come true with her Three Wishes backing singers,
hear them chanting it now… “Widow Twankey rub the
as they stated, “…just three wishes, can make your
lamp, rub the lamp, rub the lamp”.
Big 6 Behold the Great Outdoors
By Adam Gregory
The great outdoors is a wonder to behold, and when I
went to Towers this is exactly what I experienced!
In Big 6 everyone knew that the final residential of the
junior school was Towers! Every year the students from
previous Big 6's would come back lost for word about
their trip to Snowdonia. I had longingly been waiting
for the day to arrive when it would be my time to say
"when I come back, I'll be an adventurer!" And that is
precisely what I was able to say!
Whilst on the coach travelling to Northern Wales, I
started to think what it would be like. Would we go
on expeditions? Would we be able to get up in the
Junior School
20
morning and look out at the glorious amber morning
sky, with giant mountains sweeping down towards
us? What would we have to eat? How wet and
muddy would I be able to get? All of these questions
would soon be answered.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Over the next few days we did many more exhilarating activities such as
Park, my breath was swept clean
canoeing. Luckily I didn't fall in even though I was going so fast, me and my
out of my lungs by one thing: the
friend Angus (who was in the boat with me) won a race across the lake! But
views! Huge mountains, mountain
we did have to go and rescue our other friends whose boat had suddenly
goats, roaming freely, horses
overturned meaning that they were drenched right down to the bone! We
galloping along winning gleefully at
also packed in an amazing hike up a mountain where we encountered sheep,
us, certainly not like Wolverhampton!
mountain goats and many beautiful birds perched on the tops of cliffs. There
Farmers doing their work like it was
was some snow at the very tops of these giants but we didn't get high enough
just a normal day! It opened another
to have a snowball fight. However we were high enough to feel the sudden
mini story in my life, allowing new ideas
blast of air that whipped through us as some jets soared past our heads! To add
and thoughts to come flooding into my
to this, on another day we went walking down a waterfall that raced along.
mind. This place was awe striking and
we hadn't even arrived yet!
Then I saw it: a large old fashion style
of house, perched on the top of a
small hill, a place that was in the
middle of the prettiest place I had
ever seen! But that wasn't even the
best part, do you want to know this
was where we were going to stay!
As we unpacked, I looked out of
the window to see my paradise
We were like mini Bear Grylls' doing an expedition, clinging to rock faces
view behind a pane of glass, not a
slipping and sliding through the torrents, but thanks to our group leader
picture but a real life masterpiece.
we managed to survive! Moreover my favourite night time activity was
We went downstairs to meet our
when we were blindfolded and had to be guided by our partners along
instructors, these were the people
the muddiest, sloppiest, short path I had ever had to walk along. The
who were going to guide us
amount of times we all fell over and the time we spent laughing was
through our expeditions safely, and
such a high amount that I lost count!
I'm so glad that they were there
because they made it all the better.
But like many great adventures, sadly it came to an end. But I was really happy
As it was getting dark we went
with the trip because I was so shocked at the amount of things we were able to
outside to do our night activity: we
fit in! When I got home, the first thing I said to my mum and dad was: "I am an
went with our instructors in our
adventurer!" There is no other way to describe my trip to Towers other than it
separate groups that had been
was the most epically awesome trip I had ever been on.
previously arranged and went
through the dark forest to stretch
our legs after the long journey.
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Junior School
Once we got to Snowdonia National
21
Wulfrunian 2014
Rugby
prolific try scorers. Haris' deadly
for WGJS and although the lead was
pace and finishing, struck fear
surrendered in the return match, a
Rugby at WGJS is always a
into opposition teams, however
thrilling 21 - 21 game was an exciting
favourite. From nervous players in
the barnstorming runs meant
affair for players and spectators alike.
September, the boys transformed
our forwards were a force to be
into a dedicated, physical team in
reckoned with.
Our U9 team played their first ever full
less than twelve weeks.
tackling matches. Cameron Brittain
The highlight of the rugby season was
showed no fear when taking on the
Having arrived as Year 4 pupils
a pair of home and away matches
biggest of opponents. He combined
in 2011, Haris Connop and Adam
vs Bromsgrove B. Winning 25-15 at
superbly with Jayran Chhokar scoring
Gregory (captain) led the way as
Bromsgrove was a superb opener
a number of very well executed tries.
Athletics and Cross Country
Boys and Girls
Despite only running at Monday lunchtime and
during the summer term's PE lessons, it was our '4th'
sport that furnished WGJS' trophy cabinets.
The cross country team dominated
Wolverhampton Schools' WASPS running
competitions. Wins for Oliver Mason and Elizabeth
Marshall resulted in WASPS individual trophies
and our girls’ team won overall. Oliver also won
the prestigious RGS cross country in November.
In athletics, Oliver and Elizabeth were again gold
medals winners at the WASPS finals over long
distance. Haris Connop gained two fantastic sprint
silvers and Lydia an amazing three gold medals. If
that wasn't enough, Evie Giddings smashed the
20-year old 300m record by over two seconds!
Cricket
Football
Blistering sixes and rapid bowling... from the U9 team!
Under the captaincy of the ever-energetic Oliver
Amar Sidhu is that rarity in cricket at only 9 years
Mason and safe goalkeeping hands of James
old; a fast, accurate left arm opening bowler. Wickets
Bebb, industry and defence were always going
tumbled when Amar bowled his wonderful line and
to be our U11 team's strengths. Indeed, always
length. Indeed it was batting by Amar, joined by
a competitive team, it was our lack of striking
Jayran Chhokar that provided the fireworks needed
options that proved to be our downfall against
for our first win against Bluecoat School.
stronger opposition. Ed Cartwright and Thomas
Wainwright provided some excellent midfield
Junior School
22
Our U11 side's season relied upon the batting
attacking throughout the season and a cracking
of captain Thomas Heppel and all-rounder
2-2 draw against Tettenhall College demonstrated
Dhruv Thakral. When these two prolific batsman
some great goals and a goal of the season effort
combined, a win was always within reach. It was
was needed to deny WGJS a win.
these two batsmen that, having been retired, were
recalled after a batting collapse, to rescue the
The U9 team had less success however a 4 - 0 win
side against Kings Hawford for an exciting 1 wicket
against local rivals Tettenhall College showcased our
victory on a blisteringly hot Worcester afternoon.
most disciplined performance of the season by the
effective defending and organisation of Amar Dudwall.
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Wulfrunian 2014
23
Rounders
A strong U11 squad secured victory in their first entry of the Abbots
All year groups achieved
success this season with a
determined U10 squad showing
their mettle and winning all
their matches.
Bromley U11 prep school hockey tournament in October with 4 wins out
of 4. U10’s and U9’s gained valuable experience with a range of fixtures
against some seasoned opposition, developing their competitive instinct
and achieving some success as the season progressed, with a group of
our Year 3 players showing considerable promise for the future.
The U9’s faced a steep learning
curve at an early season
tournament at Kings Hawford
against three well drilled and
skilled teams from around
Hereford and Worcester. Despite
suffering defeat in the tournament
games, the girls learnt from the
experience and improved their
tactical awareness. They continued
the season on a winning streak.
The team of talented and
committed girls that comprised
the U11 A’s won all their matches
and showed superb competitive
spirit throughout the season. It
was rewarding to know that all
girls in Year 6 were able to play in
competitive fixtures this season.
The hockey season extended to April for our U11’s when WGJS entered
the WASPS In2 Hockey Tournament - a city wide tournament for boys
and girls. We took a squad of 10, comprising 4 of our established U11
girls and 6 boys who were complete hockey novices one week prior to
the tournament heats. Grit and determination from the boys, bolstered
by skilful, tactical play from the girls resulted in WGJS becoming
deserved winners of the tournament after some closely fought games.
Netball
Early season fixtures were
decimated by bad weather
resulting in many cancellations.
Undoubtedly though, the highlight
of the netball season this year
was the U11 tour to Yorkshire
where our girls faced the might
of Leeds Grammar and Ashville
College. With a Year 6 intake
greater than our entire Junior
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school, the girls knew they would
have their work cut out against
a strong Leeds side. However, a
fantastic overall team performance
followed, with a special mention
for outstanding play from Evie
Giddings and Serina Basra who
effectively neutralised the Leeds
threat by switching roles each
quarter between Goal Attack
and Goal Defence, WGJS won
comfortably 1 - 6.
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Next day, Harrogate beckoned
and a closely fought match against
Ashville College. WGJS were
ahead until the 4th quarter when
Ashville managed to draw level
and in the final minute secure the
winning shot for a 5 - 4 victory.
The spirit of fair play and competitive
spirit was present throughout the
tour and our girls benefited greatly
from the entire experience.
Junior School
Hockey
Wulfrunian 2014
Junior School
24
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Wulfrunian 2014
25
Junior School
WGJS House Round-up
Another bumper year of exciting competitions,
challenges and achievements for our houses in
Wolverhampton Grammar Junior School.
Total for the year
Scores including house point totals and
competition points:
Attwood 18,131
House competition winners for the year’s events:
Tug of War Barnes
Netball Attwood
Quiz Attwood
Art Campbell
Rugby Attwood
Cricket Attwood
HockeyAttwood
Rounders Attwood
Cross Country Campbell
Sports Day Attwood
Music Campbell
Swimming Barnes/
Football Attwood
Campbell tie
House captains for the year:
Barnes 17,645
Campbell 18,245
Sept - Feb
Highest scoring house point earners:
Attwood: Jas Grewal and Ashley Makame
Barnes: Katie Evans and Sam Jones
Campbell: Lydia Rudd and Thomas Wainwright
Attwood Cian Gopal (822)
Barnes Emma Thornthwaite (663)
Feb - July
Campbell Rhianna Ogunnaike (695)
Attwood: Evie Giddings and Dhruv Thakral
Barnes: Sophie Negrine and Ben Thornthwaite
Campbell: Darcie Gibbons and Adam Gregory
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Wulfrunian 2014
Wolverhampton Grammar Senior
School and Sixth Form
99 students studied towards an
incredible 958 GCSE papers.
All of our students achieved a
grade C or above in five or more
subjects, with just over a quarter
collecting nine or more passes at
A* to A. 83 Sixth Form students
achieved a total of 249 A Levels
this year across a diverse and
broad range of subject areas.
This year, 73% of all passes were
at grades A* to B, with 40% of
students achieving the coveted
A* or A grade, all well above the
national average and securing
our place as Wolverhampton’s
top independent school.
Name
University
Course
Amos - Eleanor
Exeter
Business and Management
Anslow - Matthew
Swansea
Physical Geography
Athwal - Josh
Liverpool John Moores
Pharmacy
Banks - James
Chester
Sport & Exercise Sciences
Bannister - Alys
UCL
History
Baugh - Lucinda
Worcester
Nursing Studies
Benion - Jessica
Birmingham
Law
Birch - Emily (Head Girl)
Worcester
Primary Teaching
Blount - Joseph
Birmingham City
Accounting and Finance
Booth - Rachel
Birmingham
Business Management
Brennan - Alexander
St Andrews
Social Anthropology
Brown - Hayley
Southampton
Geophysics with Study Abroad
Caswell - James
Birmingham
Mathematics
Connop - Dane
Chester
Business Management and
As our students progress through the
senior school and into Sixth Form, the
opportunities to grow in confidence
and celebrate individuality increase
further too. Yet again, our students
continue to achieve outstanding
academic results and this section
begins by celebrating our GCSE and
A Level achievements for 2014.
Congratulations to everyone
who has achieved academic or
personal goals this year.
Entrepreneurship
Senior School
26
Cooper - Molly
Liverpool John Moores
Applied Psychology
Crawford - Jonathan
Coventry
Automotive and Transport Design
Crocker - Robert
Loughborough
Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Danks - Dominic
Birmingham
Theoretical Physics
Dhillon - Bikrumjeet
Brunel
Engineering
Downes - Ffyona
Oxford Brookes
Sport and Exercise Science
Farley - Edward
Sheffield
Geography
Fellows Cox - Hannah
Liverpool
English
Fraser - Aren
Aston
Gallagher - Stephanie
Bristol
Ancient History
Garner - Jacob
Sheffield
History
Gelder - Maisie
Liverpool
Law with Criminology
Grainger - Charles
LSE
History
Green - Lawrence
Oxford
Earth Sciences
Grew - Samuel
Loughborough
Product Design and Technology
Gunputh - Mitesh
Bradford
Engineering
Heath - Thomas
Birmingham
Geology and Physical Geography
Hickman - Sarah
St Andrews
Geography
Hingley - Louise
Southampton
Politics & International Relations
Hobbs - Isaac
Sheffield
History
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Wulfrunian 2014
27
University
Course
Houghton - Abigail
Manchester Met
International Fashion Promotion
Howard - Jacob
Chester
Primary Teaching
Jack - Guy
Manchester
Physics
James - William
Birmingham
Music
Jheinga - Nikita
Warwick
French and German Studies
Johnson - Emily
Birmingham
Modern Languages
Jones - Elliot (Head Boy)
Southampton
Ship Science/Naval Architecture
Jutla - Manveer
Lancaster
Economics
Kalirai - Aaron
Aston
Pharmacy
Keene - Callum
Birmingham
Political Science
Khurmi - Manish
Surrey
Mathematics
Lal - Roshan
Manchester
Chemical Engineering
Legister - Laura
Birmingham City
Linney - Samuel
Bristol
French and Italian
Love Lowe - Phoebe
Liverpool
Pharmacology
Lowe - Harry
Southampton
History
McCullagh - Joseph
Manchester
Chemical Engineering
Patel - Aaron
Birmingham
Economics
Ram - Suneil
Cardiff
Optometry
Randhawa - Ravneet
York
History
Richards - Benjamin
Bristol
German and Spanish
Roberts - Daniel
Southampton
Politics
Roberts - Nicole
Warwick
Theatre and Performance Studies
Samra - Rajan
Nottingham
Engineering and Physical Sciences
Sargent - Elizabeth
Leicester
Psychology
Sharma - Joshua
KCL
Dentistry
Simpson - Samantha
Exeter
Geography
Thomas - Daniel
Birmingham City
Sound Engineering and Production
Trotter - Edward
St Andrews
French
Turnbull - Henry Joe
Chester
Photography and Graphic Design
Whiting - Michael
Goldsmiths
History and Politics
Wild - Abigail
St Andrews
Medicine
Williams - George
Reading
Italian and History
Wong - Vincent
Guildhall Drama School
Theatre and Technical Design
Wootton - Jack
St Andrews
German and Italian
York - Hannah
Poland
Veterinary Science
Chew - Amy
Applying in 2015
Colman - Samuel
Reapplying in 2015
Foster - Jake
Reapplying in 2015
Lawrence - Grace
Applying in 2015
Manley - Lydia
Applying in 2015
Matto - Aaron
Reapplying in 2015
Pawluk - Robert
Reapplying in 2015
Plowright- Joel
Reapplying in 2015
Pritchard - Sophie
Continuing studies
Shergill - Aaron
Reapplying in 2015
Good luck to all our 2014 leavers and congratulations to those who have secured
university places this year.
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Senior School
Name
Wulfrunian 2014
Arkwright Scholarship Winners
By Simon O’Malley
Three students from our school have been awarded
a sought-after Arkwright Engineering Scholarship
identifying them as some of the country’s future leaders in
engineering and technical design.
The renowned Arkwright Engineering Scholarships
provide students with a £600 financial award to enhance
their A Level studies and a range of activities to enhance
their understanding and experience of engineering.
The school will also receive £400 for each Scholarship
awarded to one of its students.
The Scholarships are respected by leading universities
and companies and are supported by top engineering
employers and organisations such as Rolls-Royce,
BAE Systems, National Grid, Balfour Beatty, Microsoft
Research, Thales, The Royal Air Force, The Royal Navy
and the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
The successful students – Tom Grainger, Frances Hopson
and William Core (pictured) had to successfully complete
a rigorous selection process consisting of a detailed
application form, a two-hour aptitude exam and an
interview hosted at a top engineering university.
Dr Martin Thomas, Chief Executive of the Arkwright
Scholarships Trust said: “I am delighted to see
students from Wolverhampton Grammar School
secure this prestigious accolade. With the
competition for rewarding jobs becoming evermore fierce, the receipt of an Arkwright Engineering
Scholarship can help dynamic young people at the
start of their journey to be the country’s future leaders
in engineering and technical design.”
The scholars were formally presented their awards at
a prestigious ceremony supported by The Institution
of Engineering and Technology during the October
half term break this year.
Senior School
28
Tom Grainger receiving his Award from his sponsors
UTC Aerospace Systems
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Frances Hopson (centre) receiving her Award from
her sponsors Nissan Technical Centre Europe Ltd
William Core receiving his Award from his sponsors
The Reece Foundation
Engineering Education Scheme
By Simon O’Malley
The Design & Technology department were fortunate
enough to have the opportunity to send two teams to
participate in the Engineering Education Scheme. One
team sponsored by Nuclear Engineering Services, and
another sponsored by H S Marston Aerospace.
Nuclear Engineering Services Team
Four students worked in association with engineers
from Nuclear Engineering Services Ltd; based in
Wolverhampton. The aim of the scheme is to design,
develop and model a solution to a specific design
brief proposed by the associated company. Our brief
was to model an “Automated Nuclear Waste Skip
Removal System”, by which nuclear waste could be
transported and deposited without any intervention
from employees. To complete the scheme there were
a number of stages; design and development, model
manufacture and the production of a technical report.
Each of these involved a plethora of intermediate
stages and challenges testing our team (including a
Wulfrunian 2014
Senior School
three day residential to the University of Birmingham).
Our report and presentation were given in March 2014 to
a team of judges as a part of the EES Celebration Day to
determine the validity and quality of the work produced.
HS Marston Aerospace Team
The engineers set us the task of designing and
manufacturing a device to help improve the efficiency
of cleaning their products. Our group consisted
of Eve Cowan, Geena Bains, Sam Grew and Elliot
Rushton. With the help of one of the engineers from
the company, Ray Morris, we set out to follow the
specification provided. This enabled us to design
a product whilst still keeping in mind industry
specific aspects; such as health and safety and
cost effectiveness. Considering the tight timescale
we were set, we endeavoured to complete the
task of manufacturing a prototype to scale. We
were so successful in this that H S Marston actually
used our prototype model idea to manufacture a
working design which they actually now use in their
manufacturing processes to increase efficiency.
Both teams excelled themselves with their
commitment and enthusiasm meeting with engineers
every week for almost six months and putting in many
hours of work. We are fortunate again, due to the
hard work of these students, to have been offered
two companies this year to work with. Our two new
teams are already working hard.
We all found this a rewarding experience helping
us to further our engineering skills and develop
our understanding of the industry. It also became a
valuable arrow in our student’s quiver when applying
to university. An exhausting half a year, but one that
was well worth it and certainly one that we would
encourage any budding engineers studying Design &
Technology to apply for in future years.
In addition to the project folder we also had to do a
presentation to representatives from the EES on our
project during the ‘show and tell’ celebration day. This
allowed us to show off our project to other schools
taking part in the scheme.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank:
NES Sponsor: Mr. Chris Bill
NES Engineers: Chris Hayes, Russell Gibbons
HS Marston Sponsor: David Danger
HS Marston Engineers: Ray Morris, Jacob Diffey
EES Coordinator: Mr. Denis Evans MBE
Teachers: Mr. O’Malley; Mr. Jackson-Turnbull
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All students have been awarded a Gold Crest Award
from Engineering Education Scheme as an indication
of the high quality work that was produced.
Wulfrunian 2014
Business and Economics
By Tom Smith
Head of Business and Economics
Target Competition
Economic Debating
Upper Sixth economists are getting to grips with the role
of The Bank of England. A group of four students (acting
as the Monetary Policy Committee) presented a case
for what they believe should happen to interest rates,
quantitative easing, credit controls and Osbourne’s
Autumn Statement on December 3rd. The aim is to
manipulate inflation, unemployment, growth of GDP and
international trade and investment.
New Economic debates have taken place this year
covering a wide range of topical issues including,
Oligopoly is Best, Poverty Does not Matter, Minimum
Wages are too low and Laissez Faire is Best.
IFS Investor Challenge
Eight student teams and two staff teams have taken part
in the IFS Investor Challenge. Nationally 9,000 teams
competed for this competition where teams are given an
imaginary £100,000 to invest on real current stock prices.
They have to hold at least six FTSE 100 stocks and four
of the small cap 50 companies as well as one Trust.
Since October, our teams have made over £45,000
between them - not bad (if only it was real money).
Over twenty students and five staff have attended the
debates, helping to develop the skills of presenting,
public speaking and debating. It has been both fun
and enlightening to find out statistics and theories
concerning these topics.
We have more debates planned for the coming year.
Anyone interested is welcome to come and join
us, listen to the debate, make some points or ask
questions to challenge our presenters.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award throughout the year to complete
By Jim Ryan and Robert Mason their expedition training and fulfil
Senior School
30
It’s often forgotten that DofE is about
so much more than the expedition;
at each level of the award students
have to complete a period of
volunteering and show improvement
in a nominated skill and physical
activity. Quite often, students are able
to complete the award simply by
taking advantage of what is on offer
here at WGS but one of the great
things about DofE is that it broadens
students’ horizons and encourages
them to engage with their local
communities. The range of activities
undertaken by DofE students is thus
wide and diverse. For example, one
of our Year 10 students has been
helping an elderly neighbour
with their shopping whilst another
has been teaching younger
children how to dance!
The large Bronze group met regularly
on Friday evenings after school
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the requirements for the other three
sections of the Award (Volunteering,
Skill and Physical Recreation); whilst
maintaining their on-line eDofE
records. The group completed their
practise expedition by navigating
through the Stiperstones; for their
qualifying expedition walked and
navigated along the Long Mynd, and
camping at Bridges Youth Hostel.
Again the weather was kind but all
were relieved as they arrived safely at
the finish following a tiring but richly
satisfying experience.
•
Tom Grainger
•
Callum Grewal
•
Gaurav Kumar
•
Manisha Kumar
•
Elizabeth Mahon
•
Niranjana Manoj
•
Grace Penny
•
Gurtej Randhawa
•
Priya Sharma
•
Isobel Sharma
•
Akaash Sharma
•
Khushbu Sood
Major changes are happening
with the way we deliver DofE and
Bronze Awards include:
as of January 2015 we will be a
Directly Licensed Centre, which
•
Shaun Alexander
means that we will have greater
•
Lewis Batho
control over the administration of
•
Thomas Chapman
the programme. As of September
•
Rishi Chavda
2015 we also plan to offer Gold to
•
Helen Clinton
Sixth Form students for the first
•
William Core
time in many years.
•
Edward Craddock
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Wulfrunian 2014
31
raised an impressive £357 in just
pre-requisite to the challenge and
5 months - that’s an impressive
Wolverhampton Grammar School has
Lower Sixth students have been
return on investment.
a proud tradition of supporting the
local hospice.
putting their upcycling skills to
good use by raising money for
Pav Mahey commented “During the
local charity, Compton Hospice.
process they’ve developed valuable
Diane Gatenby, Fundraising Co-
skills like time management, market
ordinator for Compton Hospice
Holly Hayer, Rishika Mehan,
research and team work – all great
added “We couldn’t do what
Simran Kang and Tejas Netke
skills to be able to demonstrate as
we do without support like this.
have been working tirelessly in
they start apply for top universities
Every penny donated by schools
their own time to upcycle picture
across the country”.
like Wolverhampton Grammar
School goes towards funding vital
frames and jewellery as part of a
range of extra-curricular activities
Choosing a local charity like Compton
services to local people and their
encouraged by the school. The
Hospice was also an important
families when they need it most.”
girls have also further developed
their recycling ideas to create
greetings cards for fellow pupils,
staff and parents.
Following initial start-up funding
of £60 from the school the girls
had to reinvest the money to raise
as much as possible for a good
cause. With the support of their
tutor, Mrs Pav Mahey, they’ve
Fundraising
By Vincent Wong
Another year has passed for the Fundraising
Providing more excitement this year was the hugely
Committee and it has been yet another successful
successful ‘Battle of the Bands’ in aid of Uganda.
one raising money for charities in need.
Winners included ‘Lydia Manley and Co’, and runners
up ‘Nicole and some more people’. We raised £458.
We began the year raising money for the British
A massive thank you to all the staff and students
Heart Foundation, a UK based charity who aim to
involved in the event.
combat heart disease. With the help of a non-school
uniform day we managed to raise £1,135 - a fantastic
It has been a healthy challenge running the
sum to help this inspiring charity.
Fundraising Committee this past year. I wish only the
best for it and Mr Uppal for the future!
In December, it was also decided that money was to
be raised to help the Disasters Emergency Committee
The Fundraising Committee chaired by Mr Uppal,
in their efforts to help those who were affected by the
meets every Monday lunchtime at 1.25pm in SSR in
Philippines Typhoon - a total of £164 was raised.
the Sixth Form Centre. If you would like to make a
difference do come along!
During the spring term, the teachers held their annual
sponsored swim in aid of Cancer Research UK. Together,
with another non-uniform day, we raised £1,103.
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Senior School
WGS Upcycle
Wulfrunian 2014
2014 provided yet another packed year of trips and international expeditions for
Wolverhampton Grammar School.
Mexico
By Robert Mason
The Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico is home to the
largest and least disturbed tract of tropical rainforest
in Central America, and it is recognised as one of the
world’s most important biodiversity hotspots. Wildlife
to be found there includes jaguar, puma, ocelot, tapir
and peccary, as well as howler and spider monkeys,
over 50 species of reptile and amphibian and 350
species of resident and migratory birds. Meanwhile,
the southern coastline of the peninsula that borders
the Caribbean Sea is famous for its abundant and
spectacular marine life which includes the endangered
green and loggerhead sea turtles. In the summer
of 2014, a group of 25 Year 11 and Year 12 students,
accompanied by Mr Mason, Miss Platt and Mrs Fogarty,
had the privilege of living in, documenting and helping
conserve this unique part of the world as part of
Operation Wallacea’s Mexico expedition.
During the first week of the expedition we lived deep
in the jungle at Operation Wallacea’s base camp
known simply as ‘kilometre 25’ and each day was
spent assisting the scientists with their research. On
most days this involved walking along different forest
transects in the search for animals and each time there
was a specific focus of research: sometimes we were
looking for evidence of mammals; on other occasions
we were searching just for amphibian and reptile
‘herpetofauna’. When the focus was birds, we had to
get up before dawn to set mist-net traps and at night
we set more traps for torch-lit surveys of bat species.
Perhaps most importantly we also helped collect data
on the forest structure, which will ultimately be used by
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the Mexican government to secure funding to protect
the rainforest under the Reduction in Emissions from
Deforestation and forest Degradation scheme (REDD+).
Close to our camp were the ruins of Calakmul,
which means “city of the two adjacent pyramids”
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Wulfrunian 2014
33
in Maya and our stay included a day trip to this
involved so most of us spent the week either learning
spectacular site. Calakmul was one of the largest and
how to scuba dive or identify some of the tropical
most powerful of the ancient Mayan cities until the
fish, algae and coral species. Being at Akumal during
unexplained collapse of that civilization in the 9th
the turtle breeding season, some of us also had the
century AD. We enjoyed some simply breathtaking
privilege of watching sea turtles lay their eggs on the
views from the top of the main pyramid and we had
beach at night.
a guided tour of the site by Operation Wallacea,
which illuminated some of the city’s fascinating
We hope the pictures convey some the beauty of Mexico
history. However, much is still unknown about the
and its fascinating wildlife, as well as our wonder and
people who lived at Calakmul and the buildings they
enjoyment. We saw some extraordinary things, learnt a
lived in because the site was not ‘discovered’ by
huge amount and left inspired. Our heartfelt thanks go
Western archaeologists until the 1930s. Due to the
to Lizzie Rickett, Caroline Acton, Pippa Disney, Lorraine
inaccessible nature of the site, research since then
Bull and all the Operation Wallacea staff and volunteers
has been sporadic and continues to this day.
for teaching us so much and accommodating us with
such hospitality. I would also like to thank all the WGS
The second week was spent at the slightly less
students who came on the trip for being such a credit to
remote location of a coastal town called Akumal,
themselves and the school.
which means “home of the turtles” in Maya. Although
a small town, there are numerous hotels and
holiday residences in the area which are putting
the fragile marine ecosystem under great strain.
Operation Wallacea’s main aim is to establish how
human activities are affecting the coral and reef fish
communities so that conservation measures can be
put in place and future development can be done
more sustainably. Due to the nature of the research
at this location, we were less able to get directly
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Wulfrunian 2014
Night of the Turtles
By Rhiannon Platt
So a small group of us trundled off down the
beach in total darkness, stumbling over stones and
cursing, lead by a cheery student who had given
the brilliant lecture the evening before. We were
told to wait on the sun-beds while she went off on
her own to patrol with her infra-red light and see if
there were any about.
She returned soon and told us that a Green Turtle had
come up to lay only about thirty metres away, that she
had dug her nest and was about to begin!
We crept up quietly, excitedly. I felt oddly voyeuristic,
as if we were going to be peeping at something
private but breathless with anticipation too. There she
was, a huge dome in the darkness, partially buried
on either side in the sand, complete with barnacles.
We gathered round on our knees at the business
end of her, like a group of midwives at a birth. One of
her flippers (how I wanted to touch it! It looked as if it
would feel like soft elephant hide or how I imagine a
dinosaur to have felt) was held protectively, modestly,
for her, that she had heaved herself up the beach to
over her 'cloaca' (a baggy sort of tube, like a balaclava
do what nature intends and yet she unknowingly had
that hangs down and ejects the eggs). But if you got
an audience. And the humble quality of it. Of all the
down really low on the sand, you could see it all.
spots on the beach, she had decided that a patch
of sand, equidistant between two sun loungers and
Egg after egg, spherical, white, like ping-pong balls,
parasols, not twenty feet from some apartments was
every couple followed by a squirt of mucus that looked
the right place to put her babies. It was just lovely.
like egg white that apparently protects the eggs and
contains antibodies. They soon piled up in the burrow
When she was done, she spent a good hour covering
under her, a glistening heap of them, approximately a
up the burrow and then digging a 'false nest' nearby
hundred of which a small percentage will be unfertilised
as a decoy for predators. And then, as silently as she'd
but the majority, with luck will hatch in 60 days. The
laid, she turned and made her slow way back to the
student explained that she was in a sort of trance, solely
water, moving both fins simultaneously and awkwardly
focused on her laying, and that our whispering presence
like when little kids go down stairs and put both feet on
behind her would not disturb her at all. As I watched
each step, one at a time rather than one foot on each.
them fall, the turtle completely still except for the pulsing
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of her cloaca and the odd twitch if her fins, I think I
And then, another one! A Loggerhead only a short
barely breathed. And for some reason, that I still can't
distance away. And another, and another! I saw four
quite explain, it made me suddenly really emotional. I
'births', student Katie gently talking us through each,
felt tears prick the backs of my eyeballs and I was glad it
patiently measuring their shells and then marking
was dark so no one could see. It was just the... privacy/
the plots of the nests when they were complete so
femininity/ancient instinct of it that just made me
clumsy tourists don't go stampeding through them in
want to cry, but not out of sadness, out of gladness
the day. I feel like I saw something really special.
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Wulfrunian 2014
35
Whilst in Uganda during July 2013 and embarking on a
market research, design of packaging and the
Primary School building project along with 36 students,
producing promotional materials and setting up of
I and a number of other staff, had the pleasure of
the Godfrey’s Coffee website: godfreyscoffee.co.uk
staying with Godfrey Kiganga, a former Headteacher
before we were ready for our first sales.
of Lords Meade Vocational College, in his home in
the village of Bwikasa. For breakfast each morning
Through Carrie’s links with Masteroast Coffee
we were given a selection of locally grown fresh fruit
Roasters in Peterborough, we embarked upon the
and homemade coffee. When I say homemade, it
importation, roasting and packaging of coffee from
was home grown too. Each landowner grows a few
the very co-operative where the Bwikasan beans
coffee bushes amongst the other subsistence crops
grown to feed their families, being one of the few cash
crops available to the local small holders. Each grower
retains a few beans for personal use whilst the rest are
processed and sold to the local coffee co-operative.
were collected. In this way we intended, not only to
support our friends in Bwikasa but also to give them a
fair price for their beans, Farmer Fair™.
Today, Godfrey’s Coffee is sold through school, personal
Having tasted the coffee I was amazed by its taste and
aroma and asked Godfrey if it was possible to have a
contacts and the Godfrey’s website with regular and
repeat custom from across the country. Godfrey’s
Coffee is of the highest quality, single source, organic
few of the unprocessed beans to take back with me
100% Arabica coffee, grown in the foothills of Mount
to the UK. The intention was to ascertain their quality,
which my taste buds told me was excellent, and to see
if it was possible to in some way form a link between
Elgon in Eastern Uganda. It is available in unique coffee
bags, as whole beans and ground coffee in 250g bags.
Try it and you will agree, this is coffee of the finest
the Bwikasan coffee growers and WGS.
quality with superb flavour and aroma.
On return to the UK I contacted Carrie Bate, a WGS
parent and coffee entrepreneur to see if we could
100% Organic
Arabica Coffee
Beans
roast the 2Kg of beans I had brought back and
determine their quality and character. The feedback
was very positive, and from this stemmed the germ
of an idea to set up a coffee company supporting the
village of Bwikasa.
FARMER
FAIR ©
In September I presented the idea to the Sixth Form
during an assembly and very quickly a number of students
250g
‘signed-up’ to form a coffee company to help our Ugandan
friends; whilst also getting some realistic experience of
what it is like to set up and run a real business.
After much discussion, the group decided to call
the company Godfrey’s Coffee Co., now a limited
company, given the personal connection and
origins of the coffee. Much time was spent on
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Godfrey’s Coffee Co.
By Jim Ryan
Wulfrunian 2014
Coast 2 Coast
By James Millichamp
Coast 2 Coast has been running now for 15 years at
WGS - an event unique to our school. The route is, of
course, Wainwright’s famous walking route, and many
people now cycle it for charity, but WGS is the only
team running non-stop from coast to coast. The event
has become a major fixture in the school calendar and
places on the team are highly coveted. The event was
started in the year 2000 by Michelle Craig from New
Zealand who taught here for a short time; a very good
runner who cycled the Coast 2 Coast route herself to
see if it was viable. The first attempt took place in the
winter with fifth formers, followed in the same academic
year by fourth formers (Miss McAllister’s year) in the
summer term, setting the pattern for the years to come.
Coast 2 Coast has in turn raised thousands for different
charities each year.
More than just a physical challenge, Coast 2 Coast
is a challenge of the mind – it really tests our
youngsters to their limits and they have to rely heavily
on inner strength and determination in order to
conquer this demanding endurance event. Altruism
is at the heart of this event and fundraising has been
the central motivation of the youngsters taking part.
This year’s team raised a fantastic £4,943.31 for
Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
We have enjoyed a great deal of support for the
event over the years from the school; from the
Friends who provide the team t-shirts; Premier Sports
and Ron Flowers who kit the team; St Bee’s School
who generously give us lodging on the Friday night
before the run; the Holiday Inn A1-M Doncaster
Hotel who provide heavily discounted rooms for the
team and their families at the end of the run; and the
Blakemore Foundation who give us a huge in-kind
donation every year of all the provisions we need for
the weekend. Without the support of all our partners
the event could not take place – thank you, sincerely.
Thanks too to the staff and Sixth Formers who gave
up their time to run sessions during the training
programme and particular thanks to all the staff who
gave up their holiday weekend to support the team
on the event; this year Miss McAllister, Mrs Harris, Dr
Bradley, Mr Burden, Mr Johnson and in particular Dr
Hinchliffe, who has been a central figure throughout
the history of the event and who enjoyed his final run
this year as he moves onto his new school.
One small aside - this year as we waited in Reith
for the ‘running bus’ to pass, a friendly young
lady approached us, having spotted the livery of
the school mini-bus. Sally Brown, who was in that
inaugural group of fourth-formers with Miss McAllister,
was in Reith, organising her wedding. She had so
fallen in love with the landscapes of the region during
her Coast 2 Coast run, that she returned to Reith 15
years later as the perfect location for her wedding!
Coast 2 Coast - Before the Event
By Hattie Barber
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Coast 2 Coast is a team relay run over 190 miles from St Bee’s Head
to Robin Hood’s Bay. This year’s team of nine runners included: Alice
Nightingale, Bella Harris, Poppy Nabbs, Amelia Lewis, Hattie Barber
(me), Dan Adams, Aaron Bachra, Manraj Dhillon and Joe Fellows-Cox.
In order for us to be selected we had to first complete a 30 minute
running trial and fill in a written application. Once we knew we were a
part of the team, we began a challenging 16 week training programme
consisting of circuit training before school, hill training, a short run, a
long run and up to three runs a day on a Friday - before, during and
after school. The first few weeks were manic - just fitting everything in
was a challenge, but gradually we fell into a rhythm and the training
became almost normal. The event itself crept up on us, and before we
knew it we were all on a mini-bus heading off to St Bee’s Head.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Coast 2 Coast - The Run
By Aaron Bachra
From school, we travelled to St Bee’s school (stopping
for a McDonalds on the way) where we made our
camp beds on the stage of the assembly hall. We
enjoyed a delicious fish and chip supper in Whitehaven
followed by a relaxing stroll along the Whitehaven
marina. It was soon time for bed, however I could
hardly get any sleep as a combination of nerves and
excitement started to kick in!
Alice and Amelia were unfortunate to be woken up an
hour earlier than everyone else as they were the first
two runners in the relay. After everybody was packed,
prepared and the minibus was loaded we departed
from St Bee’s school and headed for the starting
point. Amelia, who had the daunting task of being the
first runner, dipped the school tie (the baton) into the
Irish Sea and got our 187 mile adventure underway!
Adrenaline was high on the minibus and we were all
eagerly anticipating our first run.
The first few hours passed by swiftly, however
for Manraj and Dan a punishing ordeal awaited,
Hardknott pass was looming, with a 30% gradient for
much of them. With the support of the team, Manraj
ploughed up the hill and managed to almost reach
the peak of the hill before Dan took over the mantle
and raced down the hill… and found himself up
against Wrynose which is equally steep. Dan also did
brilliantly, to conquer 90% of the hill before Amelia
reached the peak! The sense of achievement after
these two steep climbs was incredible.
The runs passed quickly throughout the afternoon and
were also very enjoyable as the scenery was incredible.
As the evening drew upon us, several parents joined
us as we approached Nateby Hill, which is another
challenging climb. Poppy and Dan ran it as a pair in the
pouring rain against the wind, which made it even more
challenging, however the team were right behind them
and they battled on to the finish line.
As the night approached, we ran on through the
darkness, and our inner resilience carried us through
our runs. There was a sleeping bus available for
those who had just run, however it was difficult to fall
asleep. Unlike others, my night runs were actually
the ones I preferred and ran furthest in! We ran on as
the refreshing night air brushed over us. Also, a big
shout out to the Lewis’ for their encouragement, they
volunteered to be the night time parent support drivers!
At around 6am, light began to appear, and our
team spurred on. We were pitted against numerous
challenging routes in the process and we soon saw signs
for Robin Hood’s Bay. Despite getting minimal sleep, our
energy was renewed and the North Sea came into view
upon the horizon. Ultimately, we reached the bay to the
warm welcoming of a huge cheer from proud families
and friends. We dipped the tie into the sea at the other
end, a gruelling 26 hours later and were treated to a
much needed fry up at Candy’s cafe.
Afterwards, we headed to the Holiday Inn, where
we caught up on some sleep and relaxed poolside.
Myself, Manny, Dan and Joe also ordered a large pizza
each from the local Dominos which was heavenly.
We later had an evening meal, which included many
embarrassing speeches and we were honoured to be
presented with a medal, which I will treasure.
On behalf of myself and the team, I would like to say a
massive thank you to everybody who made this event
possible! It would not have been possible without you,
it was a fantastic event which was live changing. I would
urge any current year 10 students to participate in this
event, and be a part of the 2015 Coast 2 Coast team!
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Wulfrunian 2014
Outdoor Adventures
Year 7 Camp
Bracelands Campsite, Forest of Dean,
Gloucestershire
Outdoor Education is as popular as ever throughout
the school, from lower school students enjoying
Climbing Club on our own Bouldering Wall to
We had a fabulous time ‘glamping’ in the Forest
seniors travelling all the way to Mexico. The Duke of
of Dean in June; 69 students and 7 staff made
Edinburgh’s Award is going from strength to strength
at WGS and climbing trips for Year 7 and 8 to Wolf
Mountain have been oversubscribed. Read on to find
out more about this year’s outdoor adventures.
for the borders to experience the outdoors like
never before. The whole Year 7 cohort came
out via coach and minibus to enjoy three days
of unparalleled sunshine! We set up camp,
experienced bush-craft and got on to some
fantastic activities, including canoeing, climbing
and caving and of course, Mr Burden’s famous
night walks. Well done to Madeleine Rousell who
came out to camp on the second day, having
made a speedy recovery from a chest infection.
Also huge congratulations to our team of athletes
who went on to not only compete at Aldersley on
Wednesday afternoon but performed extremely
well, having had very little sleep and all exhausted
after three days of adventure activity. The
youngsters all had a smashing time, as did the staff!
A big thank you to No Limits who ran the activity
programme for us and kept us fed and watered for
the duration.
Year 9 Towers Outdoor Adventure Weekend
The Towers Outdoor Education Centre,
Capel Curig, Snowdonia
Twenty six youngsters from Year 9, many of whom were
travelling to The Towers for the third time, enjoyed a
great weekend of kayaking, canoeing, abseiling, gorgewalking, orienteering and zip-wiring in the beautiful
setting of the Snowdonia National Park. It was a fun,
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challenging and exciting (if very wet) weekend, and
we are already planning next year’s trip! Well done to
everyone who came along, all the students really got
involved and engaged in the activities.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Bude
Geography Residential Field Trip
By the Baker’s Dozen!
The Lower Sixth geography class embarked on their
A Level geography residential to Bude on 13th - 17th
March 2014. ‘Baker's Dozen’ set off in two school
minibuses responsibly manned by Rob Walker and Mr
Baker, or so we thought until we received an urgent
phone call from the Bursar instructing us to get the
minibus out of the outside lane, apparently we had
width restriction issues!
After a quick coffee break we arrived at Pebble Ridge
Westward Ho! to carry out our analysis of the pebble
ridge. The next day we visited Boscastle, which was
the site of the devastating floods in the summer of
2004, in order to see the scale of the disaster. We
mapped out the management strategies that have
been deployed so as to prevent a repeat occurrence,
such as the widened and deepened river channel, and
clearing of the flood plain upstream of the town.
In amongst the week’s activities we also stomp
rocketed, played geography poker, went bowling
and even had a visit from the Easter bunny. On the
day before we left we embarked on a coastal walk
from Bude to Sandymouth Bay and back. Here we
saw the coastal geomorphology and topography and
could witness the large synclines and anticlines when
looking down on the bay from the cliff tops. We then
walked back along the beach to the minibus located
at Bude, but at a much swifter pace now as the tide
began to come in. However we safely made it back,
despite getting slightly wet.
Even though the trip was fantastically educational, we still
managed to find time to have some fun. The highlight of
the trip, for the majority of us, was surfing which came
at the end of the week. We were initially daunted by the
prospect of the freezing cold sea. However we all gave
it a go, and every one of us can say that we came out
having improved in the art of surfing. Bude was a great
trip and a really enriching, exciting experience, one which
students studying subjects other than geography will
never get to experience!
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Wulfrunian 2014
Year 7 Warwick Castle Trip
By Harvey Brown
throw rocks, spears, arrows, or
whatever they could find, through
tiny gaps in the wall.
On Thursday 15th May the whole
year was packed into two mini
buses and set off, complete with
packed lunches and a pen and
pencil, to Warwick Castle.
After we had stopped to admire
the view, we went down the
staircase and back down to
earth. However, half of 7S was
still stuck at the top of a tower!
As they couldn’t find their way
down, several members of staff
When we arrived at the ticket
office, the teachers went to get
tickets while we were given a
humorous account of being in
the medieval army by a “guard”.
After that we went to outside the
gatehouse where we debated the
features and functions of a castle.
We were shown the inside of the
entrance and the macabre “murder
holes” between two “portcullises”,
which is where - when the
attackers were trapped between
the portcullises - defenders would
Year 8 History Trip
By James Cox
This term Mr Sutherland
and Dr Guard took Year 8 to
Worcestershire to help bring
alive our work on the Civil War.
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First stop was the Commandery, a
medieval hospital which was used
as a medical treatment centre
for the Parliamentarians during
the Battle of Worcester. We were
shown different type of weapons
and clothes that soldiers would
have had in 1644. The guide
dressed Jon up in cavalry armour,
with a helmet and sword. Lauren
was a musketeer and Georgia was
a pikeman. They all said the armour
and weapons were really heavy
and they couldn’t imagine how
soldiers could have moved in them
let alone run and fought.
Another guide then showed Izzy
how she would have had her leg
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amputated with a coping saw and
no anaesthetic (ouch!) and how
the bleeding stump would have
been sealed with a red hot poker!
The assistants, Gugan and Pooja
would have been responsible for
throwing the cut off limb into a
bucket and cleaning up the blood.
I bet they wouldn’t have liked
being nurses in those days!
After lunch we visited Harvington Hall
near Kidderminster, a medieval and
Elizabethan moated manor house. It
has lots of priest holes – more than I
have ever seen in one house. It was
owned by a Catholic Royalist family
who wanted priests to come and do
services but the Puritans would have
killed them if they’d found out. So lots
of secret priest hiding places were
built into the house.
Some were quite easy to discover
and were probably decoys, like
the one behind the bread oven.
If Cromwell’s men searched the
building and found this empty
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had to go back up to find
them and help them. After the
“ordeal”, there was just time
to go to the gift shop, before it
was time to go home.
Overall, I enjoyed my day at
Warwick Castle. It was an insight
into the violent uses of castles
and how their development has
affected the whole community.
priest hole they would assume
there were no priests hiding there.
However, other priest holes were
more cunningly concealed. None of
us could find the one in Dr Dodd’s
library until the guide pressed on
a vertical panel and it see-sawed
over to reveal a secret entrance to
a tiny room behind.
Upstairs was a secret chapel. It
had a table used as an altar and
paintings of vine leaves and grapes
to represent Jesus’ words, “I am the
vine, you are the branches”. The
room overlooked the drawbridge
(always kept up to delay visitors).
If anyone spotted Parliamentarian
troops coming to the house they
would whip off the altar cloth and
candles etc and hide them under
the floorboards. The chapel would
then just look like a nicely painted
room with a table in it.
We learned a lot about what life was
like in the Civil War and even better,
we had a great day off school!
Wulfrunian 2014
41
In December, Year 9 had their first trip to the Black
Country Living Museum. It is an open-air museum with
rebuilt historic buildings that show the rich heritage of the
Black Country by demonstrating the different aspects of
people who lived at the time.
One of the most memorable moments was the dusty
coal mine, as they truly bought the cave to life and we
had an insight into the life of a miner. With every floor
shake and dark dingy corner, we became more and
more immersed into their lives.
We also had the pleasure of meeting a real life
blacksmith, who was kind enough to give us a
demonstration of the way they would use to create
chains out of tough, seemingly unshapeable metal.
We learned with enough heat and practice the metal
would soon be shaped.
During the afternoon we were allowed to experience
the fair and visit the old styled shops. The sweets
and candy floss was fitting to our experience and the
rides were simple yet everybody wanted more. We
also had the “oh so famous” Black Country fish and
chips which did in fact live up to their reputation.
Another exciting part of the day was our rocky, slow
journey through the underground tunnels on an old-
Overall, our day at the Black Country Living Museum
fashioned canal boat. Despite the cold temperatures,
was filled with fun yet still was educational.
Battlefields Report
By Amelia Lewis
At the beginning of July, a large
group of Year 10 historians set off
on the annual Battlefields trip. The
trip comprises of a four day visit to
the battlefields, war cemeteries and
museums of Belgium and France;
in order for the students to develop
a deeper understanding of the
occurrences of World War I.
Once we arrived in Calais, we
journeyed through the beautiful
French countryside and picturesque
villages to our first destination of
the trip: Notre Dame de Lorette, a
French cemetery. As soon as we
arrived, we immediately realised
that these next few days were going
to be emotionally challenging, as
right before us were the graves of
20,000 individuals. I couldn’t believe
what I was seeing; neatly laid
white crosses marking the graves
of the valiant French soldiers that
extended further than I could see,
and this was just the beginning.
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On the second day we travelled to
Ypres. The first stop of the day was at
the Menin Gate; a memorial that bears
the names of nearly 55,000 men who
tragically died in the Ypres Salient
who unfortunately had no graves. This
was a particularly special visit for one
student; Matthew Bill, who fortunately
managed to find the name of a
distant relative of his - Private John
Watton from the South Staffordshire
Regiment. We also had the chance
to visit the modern, interactive
‘In Flanders Fields’ Museum, and
compared it to the older Sanctuary
Wood Trench Museum where we
were given the opportunity to explore
the narrow maze of trenches that had
been preserved there from 1916. The
rest of the day consisted of a visit to
St. George’s Chapel, Hill 60, The Pool
of Peace and Spanbroekmolen.
on the Western Front which measures
30 yards across and is 90 feet deep the scale was incredible.
The final day proved to be the most
emotional for most, as we ventured
to the Ypres area to visit Tyne Cot
Cemetery; the largest allied cemetery.
It contains the graves of over 11,000
soldiers (the majority of whom were
British) as well as a memorial wall
with over 34,000 names on it. It was
completely different to the dark,
uniform German cemeteries, and
brought about a wonderful sense of
patriotism and pride.
On day three, we visited the Somme
area; Vimy Ridge, Thiepval Memorial,
Battlefields in my opinion is one of the
best trips that WGS has to offer, and
I highly recommend it to any Year 10
historians. I would like to thank the
history department for the wonderful
once in a lifetime opportunity. There is
no better way to understand and learn
about the massive scale of the Great
Beaumont Hamel Memorial Park,
Mametz, Peronne, and the most
astonishing site of the day for myself
- La Boiselle Crater; the largest crater
War and the devastation it caused than
to go and experience it for yourself, the
impact and respect is far greater than
being taught about it in a classroom.
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some of the boys still managed to keep with the
theme of the day and use their man power to push us
all along with only their legs.
Black Country Living Museum
By Karishma Mehan and
Evie Bramley
Wulfrunian 2014
Rhine Valley Trip
By Elizabeth Harris
A group of students from Years 7, 8 and 9 spent
five days over October half-term discovering the
beautiful Rhine Valley area of Germany. We were
blessed with warm and sunny weather throughout
our stay. On the first day we spent the morning
looking around the old Roman city of Koblenz and
learning about its history and after a traditional
German lunch in a restaurant on the banks of
the river we headed into Boppard. Boppard is a
picturesque little town on the Rhine with quaint
side streets and numerous cafés selling delicious
looking cakes. While the staff tucked into ‘Kaffee
und Kuchen’ the students went around the town
doing a treasure hunt! In the evening we went to
a local bowling alley and had a fantastic evening.
Tuesday dawned bright and sunny as we headed off
to Phantasialand and everyone had a brilliant day on
various terrifying rides.
The evening activity was a slightly calmer and
more relaxing visit to a swimming pool on the
outskirts of Koblenz. I always look forward to our
visit to Cologne Cathedral on the final day. The
visit this year was preceded by a rather hair-raising
trip in the Koblenz cable car over the river up to
Schloss Ehrenbreitstein, where there is a terrific
viewpoint over the surrounding area. The Kölner
Dom amazed everyone once again with its sheer
magnitude and beautiful interior.
Senior School
What a memorable few days. WGS students did
42
themselves proud.
My thanks go to Mrs Grigat-Bradley and Dr. Bradley
for all their help and support.
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Wulfrunian 2014
This year saw the launch of an exchange between
WGS and a grammar school in the picturesque town
of Stadthagen near Hannover. Stadthagen was chosen
as it is the hometown of our German Department’s
Mrs Grigat-Bradley and the Ratsgymnasium is actually
her former school. We were therefore able to benefit
from her expert knowledge of the local area and
the contacts that she still has there. The exchange
involved a group of Year 9 and 10 students plus the
Upper Sixth Germanists, who were supervised by Mrs
Grigat-Bradley and her colleague Mr Mason.
The first leg of the exchange involved the German
pupils and their supervising teacher, Herr Warneke,
coming to Wolverhampton for one week in April. During
their stay with their host families, the Germans visited
WGS most days and they were very complimentary
about our school, especially Big School, which they
decided looked rather like Hogwarts. Their week-long
stay also included guided tours of Wolverhampton and
Liverpool and a visit to that premier attraction of the
West Midlands, The Black Country Living Museum.
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During the second leg of the exchange when we
went to Stathagen, we benefited from a similar
programme of cultural excursions. One of the most
memorable days was the trip to Hamburg. The lake
in the city centre was especially beautiful, but there
were lots of other intriguing sites that we saw such as
an exclusive, secret club for men in Hamburg, which
has existed for hundreds of years. After lunch we had
a memorable boat tour of Hamburg’s huge harbour.
Despite deteriorating weather and some dramatic
thunder and lightning, we saw many different sites
and learnt about the history of the harbour and its
modern day uses.
WGS Goes To Germany
By Robert Mason
Contributions from Caitlin Graham, Laura Simms, Charlotte Cocker and Nikita Jehinga
43
Wulfrunian 2014
On the Wednesday, we had our first taste of a German
school and we split up into small groups to sample
some lessons. We also learnt some interesting things
about how the German school day works, which we
think should be applied here at WGS! For example,
if pupils don’t have a lesson because their teacher is
away in the afternoon, they can go home. Similarly if
they have no lesson in the morning, they don’t have to
come in until the afternoon. Also, the German school
day usually finishes about 1.30pm although we weren’t
so keen on the early 8am starts.
Senior School
44
Thursday was perhaps the highlight of the week
when we travelled by train to Berlin. Not only
did we get to see it for the world-renowned city
that it is today, but we also got to learn about its
turbulent history through a guided tour, which
incorporated most of the major sights, including
the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Stasi
Museum and naturally the Berlin Wall. For lunch
we sampled German currywurst, which although
not to everyone’s taste is a favourite amongst
Berliners.
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On Friday, we visited the Ratsgymnasium for the
final time and spent the morning in lessons with our
exchange partners. By now, the school was beginning
to feel familiar and in the afternoon we had a chance
to reflect on our time in Stadthagen when we were
interviewed by not just one but two local newspapers.
After being grilled by the local journalists we then
headed to the train station for a short journey to Schloss
Bückeburg, a local castle/palace still inhabited by a
real German prince. Here, we were given a tour of the
estate by a rather eccentric but very entertaining guide
and afterwards we had time to relax and explore the
charming town in the lovely weather.
Sadly there is not enough space to describe
everything that we did here but we hope that this
has given you an idea of what the exchange was like.
Overall it was a fantastic experience and not nearly as
scary as we had imagined it might be. We were made
to feel so welcome by our German partners and we
have made some good friends. Let’s hope that the
WGS-Ratsgymnasium partnership is a long one and
that future exchanges are as successful as ours.
Wulfrunian 2014
During the Easter holidays a group of students ranging from Year 11 to Upper Sixth travelled to our host school,
Collège St. Joseph in Brittany to take part in the annual French work experience programme. Below are reports
from some from the students who completed a variety of placements, working in local bakeries, restaurants, a
range of shops and even the local bank.
Luci Darrall
Elliott McDowell
Plus tôt cette année je suis allé à Savenay avec l’école
In Year 11, I chose to work at the local supermarket-Hyper
U. On arriving at Hyper U for the first time, I was taken
through the supermarket for a tour and explanation of
how the various departments operated. During my work
experience or ‘stage’, I was given the task of stacking fruit
and veg (in which I managed to create a large pyramid
of grapefruit… which I was extremely proud of), using an
industrial crushing machine to dispose of plastic waste
and to do general stacking of products in the freezer and
dairy section. During lunch breaks I could speak to friends
who worked in the other various shops in the shopping
centre. The family I stayed with were very kind and
outgoing, and were good hosts, who took me in as one
of their own for a week. The experience as a whole was
extremely enriching both for my level of French and for
understanding French culture better. I would recommend
pendant une semaine. Quand j’étais en quatrième j’ai
fait l’échange, mais cette année j’ai fait le stage dans
un magasin de sport. Je suis resté chez un étudiant
français, et la famille était très sympa; en fait j’envoie
souvent des mails à mon correspondant. Le stage était
aussi super, une expérience qui est indispensable si
on veut apprendre le français pour le bac. L’ambiance
est accueillante et c’est une grande opportunité
d’apprendre plus de vocabulaire. La nourriture et le
temps étaient aussi excellents; j’ai travaillé, mais j’ai
passé de bonnes vacances en même temps.
Alex Dmitrewski
the French work experience to anyone studying French.
I spent my week of work experience in the cantine of
Collège Saint-Joseph, helping prepare meals for the 500
or so students at the school. I helped with a variety of
small tasks, ranging from making crab pâté or washing
dishes in their industrial size dishwasher to actually
serving the meals to students. The work itself was very
intense, the dinner ladies (les dames de la cantine) had a
very tight schedule to work to so that the food would be
served on time and I was worried I would be a hindrance
rather than a help. It turned out that the serving ladies
were lovely and delighted to have someone new in the
kitchen, so we spent many hours chatting about the
differences between English and French cooking and
food in general. Early on I found it difficult to adapt to
such fast paced, chatty French, but I soon caught on and
learned a huge amount. Whilst the placement was far
from a walk in the park, it was incredibly useful for both
expanding my knowledge of French and I also picked up
a thing or two about cooking too!
www.wgs.org.uk
Ed Pinning
For my work experience in Year 11, I spent the week in
one of France’s premier organic shops, Biocoop. While
this may seem like a somewhat unusual placement to
us chemically-infested Britons, ‘manger bio’ is both a
perfectly normal and, indeed encouraged, practice in
France. This is along with a whole host of other organic
products sold by the store: washing powder, shampoo,
even shoes, albeit with a healthy price tag to match.
As far as work was concerned, I mainly spent my time
stacking shelves, stock-checking and aiding with the
other day-to-day tasks of a small supermarché, on
one occasion even demonstrating a product. It was a
great experience and I will be returning to France to do
another placement next Easter.
t @WGS1512
French Work Experience
By Year 11 To Upper Sixth Students
45
Wulfrunian 2014
Lewis Batho
Sandeep Sandramouli
Working at Crédit Mutuel Bank in Savenay was a truly
I approached my first day at the “auberge” with a
mixture of excitement and nervousness, wondering how
my conversational French would cope with the busy
demands of the hotel and restaurant. I was greeted by
Jean and Marie, the owners, who gave me my duties
for the day: namely peeling potatoes, making beds and
working the cappuccino station etc. My favourite task
was waiting at table and chatting with the friendly regular
customers, one of whom particularly enjoyed greeting
me with “Oh my God” in a French accent, mimicking what
I had said a day earlier when his party tried to order very
quickly, in louder and louder voices as they competed
with each other for my attention and all in French! The
job had its perks, namely cooking my own food, my
favourite dish being a big steak and lots of chips. This
was a rewarding experience, it filled me with confidence,
I improved my French and I even received a 20 Euros
enjoyable experience. It allowed me to practice my
spoken French both with employees and customers.
As you can imagine, the bank was a very busy place,
especially on the Saturday that I worked there! This
exposure was highly valuable for me, because it gave
me great practice ahead of my AS French exam and
at the same time, working in a bank is something
that I would like to do in the future. Staying with
a very hospitable French family made this French
experience even more worthwhile for me and I would
recommend it to all students studying French. In fact,
I will be returning next year to another placement and
another family - I am sure it will be rewarding.
tip at the end of the week! I am going to return to France
next Easter and I wonder where I will work.
French Exchange 2014 Celebration Year
WGS - Collège Saint Joseph Savenay 1990-2014
By Vincent Raymond-Barker
Flashback
Early on the afternoon of Saturday March 31st 1990 I
met thirteen WGS boys and parents at Wolverhampton
station to set off for the first WGS-Collège Saint Joseph
Homestay Exchange. I got a taxi from home to the station;
the Wolves were at home to Leeds. The taxi driver told
me that Andy Mutch had just scored what was to prove
the winning goal for Wolves. I didn’t know at that moment
of fine spring weather just how, over the following quarter
century our exchange was (in a whole variety of ways and
thanks to a multitude of people) to prove a winner too.
Back to the Present
Senior School
46
On the morning of Thursday 10 April 2014 I meet a good
deal more than thirteen WGS girls and boys and parents
on the now familiar 1am Compton Road pavement.
Thursday is journey day, and could be summed up
thus: coach, services, coach, ferry, coach, French
services, coach, arrival at Collège Saint Joseph in
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time for supper. However, that fails to do justice to the
landscape, the conversation and the fun of setting off
on another French adventure with the whole Easter
holiday ahead of us. Mrs Brentnall and Mr & Mrs Ryan
are my fellow staff and I thank them greatly for all
their support and company. We arrive at Collège Saint
Joseph to find a fantastic array of celebration posters
marking the significance of our 25th birthday.
Wulfrunian 2014
complete with parade of floats and fun fair at Saint
Etienne de Montluc.
We spend the morning in lessons, of which a sample comes
from Year 7 student Maddie Baugh’s diary. “We had to sing
the Bare Necessities in French…..very fun….my French pen
pals were in the second class and we were able to say
hello.” I should explain that we have a penfriend exchange
for Year 7s which works independently of the Homestay
exchange, although the two can overlap if WGS students
meet or even stay with their penfriends, who may or may not
have opted for the full homestay exchange.
At lunchtime we play the traditional international football
match. This year it is a high-scoring affair which finishes
7-7. We are in smart new shirts thanks to kind Mr Crust,
and the other memory I have is an impressive goal from
Theo Crewe-Read. In the afternoon we head for Hyper-U
to complete work sheets and spend pocket money (well, it
had to start somewhere!) and I am impressed with Madame
Sourget’s brilliant worksheets. They turn the hypermarket
into a vast, brilliantly stocked classroom. My favourite
questions were “What colour is the cord on a bottle of
MUMM champagne? “ (Red and gold, as I remember) and
“How much is the most expensive bottle of champagne in
the supermarket?” (rather more than twenty Euros.)
Saturday 12th April
We have a jolly morning at Guérande market. Students
have free time in groups and as I walk along with my
colleagues Captain Jacques points out some attractive
cartes postales. I make up a pun about them (slightly too
vulgar for Wulfrunian.) Everybody laughs. Perhaps that’s
another bonus of organising the French exchange…
so that I can get an audience to appreciate my jokes!
Jacques and I have our usual snack in an oyster bar,
then join the others for our usual elevenses French café
style. The students shop for goodies, and I know that one
Year Seven student spent four Euros in the continentally
named shop Real Chocolat. Some take my advice and
buy bags of the excellent local sel as gifts for back home.
Sunday 13th April
Much traditional French food is consumed, including
the local speciality of galettes with cheese, egg,
sausage or ham, as well as various better-known
dishes such as poulet rôti and steak-frites.
Monday 14th April
The group is in fine form as we set off for Pornic across
the Loire estuary and down the coast. After a pleasant
morning sand yachting and a picnic by the beach we
drive a few miles inland to Thierry’s Petite Maison dans
la Prairie – otherwise known as the bakery. Thierry
and wife greet us as long-lost friends, and he proudly
brings out his giant Wolves hat for a photo. As usual
we make bread, climb into the windmill, sing the
sleeping miller song (“Meunier, tu dors, ton Moulin ton
Moulin va trop vite!”) and eat Thierry’s bread (with his
excellent caramel and jam) while our own is cooking.
One of the greatest benefits of the visit to Thierry is the
extra language picked up as he explains each stage
of the bread-making process and tells us about the
windmill. And so home to our families. One student’s
diary for this evening tells that she had “chicken in a
white sauce…not too bad.” She also watched French
TV: “I sort of got what the people were saying…”
Tuesday 15th April
We have a nice day out in Nantes, visiting the castle,
cathedral and shops. Galettes for lunch and an
afternoon visit to Les Machines de l’île. I quote from
the brochure, this “is the only place where you’ll
find Jules Verne’s invented worlds, the mechanical
universe of Leonardo da Vinci and Nantes’ industrial
history, all on the site of the city’s former shipyards.”
We have fun on the special roundabout and ride
in the incredible elephant; look on YouTube for
L’éléphant Mécanique de Nantes LOUL for a good
film of this amazing creature. I always try to convince
students that it’s real. Sometimes I nearly succeed.
This is the main family day, the one day when we
don’t meet up for communal trips. Some families
Wednesday 16th April
organised mini get - togethers with other exchangers,
and for anybody staying with two families over the
week this was moving-house day. Some attended
the famous daffodil festival (Fête des Jonquilles)
In the morning we visit the shipyards of Saint Nazaire and
the submarine Espadon. The multi-lingual audio guides
on the sub help us to navigate round. A great morning
for any with an interest in WW2 history, (and also for
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Friday 11th April
47
Wulfrunian 2014
friendships have been formed, the stuff that makes
the exchange tick.
The return leg includes a celebration in the Derry Hall
which I shall always remember. Madame Sourget was
the one who started the Conga!
Some important thank yous on this important
anniversary. I am very grateful to the entire Collège
Saint Joseph and particularly the current fabulous
French four: Madame Sourget, Cap’n Jacques
Jeanniard, Madame Vallat and Madame Beurrier (who
sorted the Work Experience with Mrs Brentnall). Also
to my trio of angels known as Brentnall, Ryan and
Ryan. Michel Trégret started the exchange with me
all those years ago, merci, mon frère, à toi et toute la
famille Trégret. Hugues Jouan and his wife Fanchoune,
mentioned here before, have continued to host every
year. Mr King is the colleague who popularised the
exchange when it needed it in the early stages.
those who like gawping at the sea, like me!) we saw
the U boat pens from the lofty viewing terrace and
toured the post-war French military submarine which
is named after the swordfish but has thankfully never
tasted war. I am told that the electronics which take
up so much space in the sub would now fit in a biscuit
tin and be better. We progress.
Mrs Crewe-Read encouraged her son and daughter
to take part in their first year at WGS, and hosted staff
for a marvellous celebration evening at her family
home. Mr and Mrs Hills encouraged me, particularly
when I was tired or anxious, as well as hosting staff
on occasion! Other teachers have helped both in
England and France, too many to mention.
Back in extended space, after a wonderful picnic by
le lac de Savenay we climb into the trees at Tépacap.
Much fun is had by all, and plenty of energy is used up.
This year’s students were Theo, Aaron, Alex
Kershaw, Alex Westwood, Josh, Dylan, Lewis,
Maddie, Elysia, Charlotte, Christine, Grace, Amicia,
Imogen and Oliver.
In the evening, back at school, we revel in the Fête
des Talents – the famous talent show. Captain
Jacques and Mr Ryan sing an Elton John tune (Can
You feel the Love Tonight?) with special Jacquespenned lyrics about the exchange. I’m very glad
that I delegated the singing to Mr Ryan, he sang
brilliantly, and I would have been awful. As the lyrics
put it so well, a royal moment for our exchange
celebrated in song. The duo Jacques et Jim is now
a legend. Our students perform very well, with Elysia
Darrall’s singing, Imogen Wade’s 25-language song
and Charlotte Wallis’ duet with Theo Crewe-Read
deserving praise among others.
Senior School
48
Silas, Ed Trotter, Ed Pinning Amy, Luci, Nikita, Elliott,
Olly, Sandeep, Lewis and Alex Dmitrewski all did
Work Experience.
Students (and their parents!) who helped by hosting
extra French students have much gratitude from me:
Alice, Aimie, Lexie, Scarlett, Harriet, Jenna, Jesse,
Mollie, Pritpal, Philippa, Anna and Josh. Mrs Shave,
Mrs Lawrence and Mrs Rushton have all been very
helpful with hosting arrangements and local visits,
and in Mrs Shave’s case in founding and organising
those memorable meals at the Imperial.
Thursday 17th April
Leons pick us up outside the Collège and we have
a lovely noisy, colourful send-off with all the 25th
anniversary decorations. Plenty of tears show that
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My hope for the future is that more and more people
will take part in this exchange, valuable in so many ways
including personal, social, cultural and of course linguistic.
And it can be a whole lot of fun. Here’s to the next vingt-cinq!
Wulfrunian 2014
from Club Europe and good friend to many of us at WGS,
helped us once again, liaising with the instructors and
making the trip so much easier to manage.
The 2014 ski trip to Flachau in Austria proved to be
another experience to commit to the memory books.
The evening après - ski entertainment kept us all
The flight from Luton to Munich went smoothly and the
busy while off the slopes and good fun was had by
accommodation 'Hanneshof' was warm and welcoming.
all. One particularly memorable experience was the
Temperatures were mild for February and the conditions
Tirolean Evening. We were entertained for a couple
on the lower red run into the resort were tricky to
of hours by a group of thigh slapping, bell ringing and
say the least! In fact there were people sunbathing
yodelling Austrians. JJ's impersonation of the band
at lunchtime, which always seems strange when
leader was side-splittingly funny and was probably as
surrounded by snow. After a rather nervous ski test, with
hilarious as the group itself!
everyone trying to find their ski legs after a year away
from snow, all the students were divided into groups
On the last night we were all witness to the amazing
and assigned a ski instructor for the week.
talent of the students at WGS, who put on another
memorable show, with a range of musical acts and takes
Everyone has a fantastic time, skiing long distances
on television shows.
each day and tackling some tricky runs. The advanced
group were particularly impressive, with some very
It was a brilliant week, the students were a pleasure to be
talented young skiers being part of that group. All groups
with and we all brought home some very happy memories.
progressed very well throughout the week and the
beginners were soon part of it all, mastering the ski lifts
My thanks go to all the staff who helped on the trip, whose
and amazed by the huge expanse of mountain beyond
support was invaluable: Mr Johnson, Mr Burden,
the valley floor. Jörg, our trustworthy and reliable rep
Mr Davies, Mr Hall, Miss McAllister and Miss Whittaker.
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Ski Trip
By Elizabeth Harris
49
Wulfrunian 2014
New York
By Sophie Burnell
five years in the first half of the Twentieth Century.
A variety of types of art: ceramics, photography,
film and much more were exhibited. We also saw
Monday 14th April
the Carrie Mae Weem’s exhibition. This exhibition
After many months of waiting, the day finally rolled
showed modern and contemporary pieces of art.
around, Monday 14th April. We all had a very early
Carrie combines three main issues she believes are
start as we had to be at school by 4.15am and as
important into her artwork: age, gender and class.
soon as we had all arrived, we headed off on our
Next was The American Museum of Natural History. Here
adventure to The Big Apple.
we saw a range of things from dinosaur skeletons, earth
Once we had landed at JFK Airport, it was a short
and space exhibits and animals. After our jam-packed day
journey to our hotel. This journey was spent looking
we returned to our hotel to have a rest, before going out to
out of the windows as it was our first proper glimpse
dine at the fantastic Planet Hollywood.
of New York. Upon arrival at the hotel, we sorted
out our rooms and got to have a short rest before
Wednesday 16th April
heading out to see the sites. We got the opportunity
Today we faced the massive Metropolitan Museum
to walk into Times Square that evening and get a real
of Art. We could’ve spent all week here. There were
feel for the vibrant and exciting city.
so many exhibits here to look at, not just focused on
art but also history and culture. The exhibits weren’t
Tuesday 15th April
just looking at European or American art - you also
First full day in New York - The Guggenheim, The American
get a taste of art form Africa and Oceana. We also got
Museum of Natural History and then an Italian dinner. After
a real insight into the history of Roman, Greek and
a lovely breakfast consisting of waffles and doughnuts,
Medieval times. We saw mummies, tombs and ancient
we headed for the museum. The Guggenheim Museum,
Egyptian buildings. The art exhibit we viewed was Paul
one of New York’s many architectural wonders with an
Cézanne’s, this exhibit showed off Cézanne’s skill for
amazing exterior of many cylindrical spirals, the museum is
painting still life imagery. Every room you went into
one of the most recognised around. From the outside, the
in the Met was full to the brim of world famous works
museum looks to only have four floors but once you step
and artefacts. My favourite piece of art at the Met was
into the building you discover it’s got seven. The interior is
Monet’s popular ‘Water Lillies’. I have been interested
just as amazing as the exterior, all seven floors are visible
in the image for a long time and for me to see it in real
and they have the same spiral design. Italian Futurism
life was amazing. I also liked seeing the more modern
was the main exhibition taking place. This exhibit was a
side to the artwork at the Met. We saw huge canvases
first for America. There were over three hundred works in
filled by random splashes of bright paint and we also
this exhibit, which were produced over a period of thirty
saw many different art techniques being used.
Senior School
50
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Wulfrunian 2014
Friday 18th April
Avenue we took a trip to Bubba Gump’s, the
Last full day in New York. We had a busy day
restaurant based on the 1994 film Forrest Gump. We
ahead of us. We started off at MoMA - Museum
then took an exhilarating ride up to the 70th floor of
of Modern Art. An excellent guide who was very
the Top of the Rock. We walked out onto the viewing
knowledgeable took us round the museum. We
deck and we were faced with amazing views of
saw the famous Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh,
New York City. We could see all the skyscrapers, the
many modern paintings by Picasso and we learnt
Empire State Building and we could just about make
about the ongoing feud between Cubists, Braque
out The Statue of Liberty. We viewed it at night, which
and Picasso. There were also many sculptures and
made the experience ten times better.
modern objects to view as well. After marvelling at
the wonders in MoMA, we got picked up in a coach
Thursday 17th April
and were off to see the sights of New York in our
Today was full of emotional highs and lows. The high,
TV and movie tour. We saw famous roads, buildings
seeing probably one of the most iconic figures and
and we even got to see where ‘Friends’ and
the low, visiting the 9/11 memorial pools. We started
‘Ghostbusters’ were filmed. The coach then rolled
the day off with a ferry ride from Manhattan to Liberty
up outside the Hard Rock Café (where we would
Island. Here we encountered the world famous Lady
be eating that evening), which marked the end of
Liberty, a gift from the French. We learnt all about
our TV and movie tour. After our meal at the Hard
the statue and its history. Next stop, the Ellis Island
Rock Café, we made our way to Broadway to watch
Immigration Museum. This museum is located in the
the famous Les Miserables. This was an amazing
main building of the former immigration station. It tells
performance of the classic novel.
the stories of millions of immigrants who entered into
Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th April
America through Ellis Island.
Our last few excursions in New York. We took a tour
We then visited the 9/11 memorial pools. The
around Macy’s, the largest department store and did
September 11th attack on the Twin Towers was
some last minute shopping there. We then took a
probably the largest terrorist attacks in living memory.
trip to Times Square which made a perfect end to an
The memorial pools have all the names of the victims
amazing holiday!
that lost their life on the tragic day surrounding the
edge. The pools outline the foundations of both
A huge thank you must go out to Mr Millichamp
World Trade Centres and in the centre lies the only
and Mrs Baker for organising this brilliant and
surviving tree. This experience touched us all.
unforgettable trip.
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After some shopping on the world famous 5th
51
Wulfrunian 2014
Purpose built facilities for art, drama and music
continue to provide the best possible venues
and facilities for learning, exhibitions and school
productions. We hope the following few pages provide
a flavour of what’s been an incredibly busy year. There
is also a touching student tribute to Andrew Proverbs
by Alastair Norton on page 57.
Art
By James Millichamp
The Art Department at WGS has been in the top 2%
nationally for over ten years for exam results. This is
down in no small part to outstanding leadership. We have
achieved better than ever grades this year, and this is
down to Mr Perkins’ energy and vision. Thank you.
In other news, the Viner Gallery was home to a
tremendous international exhibition, hosting beautiful work
from our link school, Lords Meade Vocational College.
This was a great opportunity to see collages with natural
material, detailed observational work, stylised batiks and
sculptural pieces. The Viner along with the Hutton Theatre
held our annual Summer Exhibition, showcasing the talents
of our students from across the school, with a focus on the
tremendous work done by our exam groups. It was a great
occasion, attended by His Worshipfulness the Mayor, and it
was great to see many Old Wulfrunians come back to see
the wonderful artwork on show.
Senior School
52
Whilst developing traditional processes and techniques,
and instilling a love of art history, we embrace new
technologies at WGS and film-making and digital
photography are really taking off. Lewis Batho submitted
a short film, ‘While the City Sleeps’ as part of his GCSE,
which can be viewed on the school website. Led by
professional photographer, Gary Williams, photography is
a fantastic way for our youngsters to consider composition
and narrative in a different medium and we have enjoyed
showcasing our youngsters work in the Merchant Taylors’
Photographic Competition since its inception, with Bikrum
Dhillon (Upper Sixth) winning third prize in this year’s
competition. Bikrum, and Michael Whiting, entered their
work this year for Photography AS Level and achieved
a remarkable A and B respectively. At WGS we place
high value on seeing artworks first-hand and in a gallery
context. We have travelled to Wolverhampton Art Gallery
with Year 7 and 8 and taken workshops with Year 10
travelling to Jackfield Tile Museum to produce a tube-lined
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Victorian tile picture and Year 12 travelling to Ironbridge
Fine Arts to produce their own original etchings. Our
annual Art & Culture Visit at Easter has taken us to New
York in 2014 and many thanks to Sophie Burnell, who has
written a diary of the week.
Taylors’ Photographic Competition 53
WulfrunianMerchant
2014
Ellie Burton
“So much more than just a handshake!”
Kameron Sidhu
“Help me up”
“The Lift”
“The Scrum”
“The Catch”
Bikrum Dhillon
“House of Cards”
Lewis Batho “Stacks of years”
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Wulfrunian 2014
Theatre Review
By Ian Tyler
This year we launched our first ever WGS Shakespeare Season featuring two major classical productions
of Romeo and Juliet in the Senior School and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Middle School. The WGS
theatre team delivered two triumphant and thrilling examples of highest quality acting and production values
which were rapturously received by the WGS audiences. In addition, the two studio productions acted
and designed by Theatre Studies students, ‘On My Way Home’ and ‘Everyman’, were of an exceptionally
high standard; gaining both groups the very highest marks from examiners. This year has, indeed, been an
artistically adventurous and wonderfully successful theatre season and full credit goes to all the students
and staff who have, yet again, put their collective imaginations, talent and hard work together to create four
outstanding pieces of theatre.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
By Ian Tyler
The cast of young actors tumbled
Jack Wootton as Bottom and
of the way in which each actor
through this cleverly abridged
Jamie Pawluk as Starveling were
truthfully mastered the language of
version, savouring the language
wonderfully comic creations. The
the play; this a great achievement
and energising each moment with
slightly sinister Fairy Kingdom was
in so young a cast. Finally, fulsome
wit and intelligence. The befuddled
presided over by Frankie Hall and
credit must also go to the whole
lovers played by Saroop Sangra,
Elliot Grant-Ramsey, who brought a
creative team for this beautifully
Mollie Bate, Archie Hamilton
quiet solemnity to the proceedings;
comic, concise and entertaining
and Alistair Winning were full
occasionally upset by Puck who
production. The Directors: Mr
of hilarious passion and frantic
was portrayed with the clever touch
Wood and Mr Payne, must be
confusion, while the comically
of three actors (Emily Hunt, Issy
congratulated on having delivered
incompetent acting troupe of
Hickman and Loveday Thompson).
an inspired and professional
Mechanicals, and in particular,
A particular mention must be made
standard production.
Romeo and Juliet
By Jon Wood
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Launching our ambitious
Shakespeare Season was the
play that everybody thinks they
know inside out: Romeo and Juliet.
It was no mean feat to freshen
up the tragic story of these starcrossed lovers, but our fantastic
cast not only rose to the challenge,
but surpassed all expectations.
Particular mention must, of course,
go to our principle actors Joe Sefton
(Romeo) and Amy Chew (Juliet),
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Wulfrunian 2014
both of whom brought a playful
innocence to the play’s exploration
of their characters’ deep, but
forbidden, passion for each other
which contrasted markedly with
the pain they made our audience
feel as their happiness began to
unravel. Nicole Roberts (Nurse)
and Dimitri Patsiogiannis (Mercutio)
also brought some wonderfully
contrasting comic moments to the
production alongside some of our
most well-seasoned actors whose
time at WGS was drawing to a
close: Jack Wootton, A J Brennan,
Grace Lawrence, Aren Fraser,
Charlie Grainger, Robbie Pawluk,
Guy Jack and Tim Evans. Along
with the rest of our expert actors,
troupe of musicians and outstanding
backstage crew, the whole company
brought a refreshing and enjoyably
unpredictable feel to the familiar tale.
Having begun studying and
rehearsing the text in late
September ready for a performance
in February, the success of these
performances was not only
down to our Directors, Mr Tyler
and Mr Benfield, but also due
to the complete dedication of
our senior actors. They worked
tirelessly, rehearsing after school, at
weekends and during the holidays
in order to hone their performances.
None more so is their hard work
evident than in the ‘Behind the
Scenes’ documentary filmed by
Lewis Batho in which our students
can be seen discussing their roles
during rehearsal. When this appears
on the school website, I challenge
you not to be amazed by the expert
knowledge expressed by these
young actors. It is their willingness
to commit wholeheartedly to
understanding and inhabiting their
roles to which WGS drama once
again owes a huge debt of gratitude
for another outstanding production.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Music Review
By Nichola Guidotti
2014 has proved to be a significant year in the
with the resonance of their rich timbres and
history of Music at WGS. Tragically we lost our
assured musical responses expertly directed, for
talented leader and inspirational teacher, Andy
the final time, by Ronnie Pawluk.
Proverbs. Andy was a pleasure to work with, he
encouraged creativity, individuality and positive
The Performing Arts Evening was a night of delightful
student-teacher relationships. He oozed calm in a
variety. Modern dance, ballet, African dance, artistic
department that is always bubbling over with activity.
gymnastics, stunning vocal performances from soloists,
duets and the A Cappella ensembles. The ‘Cup Song’,
The Christmas Carol Concert was delightful.
bagpipes, dramatic excerpts from ‘Romeo and Juliet’,
Stunning performances from all lower school and
a debut performance from The Magic Circle and the
senior ensembles thrilled the two sell out crowds.
most entertaining performance I have heard in years
The second night saw the much demanded return
- Kishan O’Leary’s finale performance of ‘The Second
of The Twelve Days of Christmas!
Hottest Girl’ by Toby Turner - just brilliant!
The spring term was effervescent with activity;
On Monday 12th May the funeral of Andy Proverbs
Spring Concert, Soloists Concert, Chamber
took place. The senior choir performed a moving
Concert, Performing Arts Evening, A Level Recitals
interpretation of ‘The Bluebird’ by Stanford, this was
and coursework deadlines!
one of Andy’s favourite pieces. Andy seemed to
transcend to a spiritual place of peace and joy when
The Spring Concert was headlined by Choral
he conducted this piece with the choir. We think Andy
Society’s performance of Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’. This
would have been proud of the send off we gave him.
was to be Andy’s last WGS concert. The 80
strong choir consisting of students, teachers,
Despite the sadness of this year, the Music at WGS
parents and guests, sang with joy and conviction.
has remained robust. This is of course down to the
The school orchestra provided admirable
legacy that Andy leaves behind. He believed in our
accompaniment, all superbly led by Andy. The
students and the worth of music education inside and
Senior Concert Band also moved the audience
outside of the classroom - we were blessed.
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Wulfrunian 2014
It is impossible to sum up a character like the late
who heard his composition ‘Illuminationes
Andy Proverbs. Not only a musical genius and an
Illustrae’ was in no doubt of Prov’s musical
incredible teacher, ‘Provs’ was an inspiration to
ability. As well as being an integral part of the
anyone that met him, not to mention the countless
Music Department, Mr Proverbs also assisted
generations of students and teachers who had the
Theatre Studies with the many musical theatre
privilege to be a part of WGS during his 18 year
productions undertaken during his time at WGS.
tenure as Director of Music.
The loss of Mr Proverbs to WGS is immeasurable,
Mr Proverbs had played organ from an early age,
so at times like this, perhaps it is pertinent to
regularly playing at St. Matthew’s Parish Church
remember that Provs was only on loan to us (his
from the age of 16. He was also a very gifted pianist,
extended family), and that our thoughts must be
a point exemplified by the fact that he gained top
with his wife Grace, and his two children Ryan
marks in the country in his Grade 8 Piano Exam
and Emily, at what will be a difficult time both
in 1972. Mr. Proverbs’ musical capabilities were
now and in the future.
obvious to anyone that took part in one of his
famous pre-Founder’s Day assemblies, or heard any
of the concerts that he organised. Indeed, anyone
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Andrew Proverbs 1955-2014
By Alastair Norton
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Jazz Spectacular
By Kathryn Burden
The Jazz Spectacular legendary for its ability
to get staff, and students alike, bopping
to the music. Legendary too, for the way
it highlights the spectacular ability of the
students who perform, whether as soloists,
in a small jazz ensembles or as part of big
band. This year, a homage to the legend
whose vision created the Jazz Spec into the
amazing evening it is: Andy Proverbs.
Senior School
The night began with various middle and
upper school students taking centre stage
and performing solos, from the sublime
to the funky, to the fun. Special mention
to Tom Smith and his son starring in a
special Father-Son duo, who were ably
followed by different small jazz ensembles,
including the Michael Stewart Jazz Quartet,
a group of Year 10s performing for the first
time, and Cinema Paradiso, who did their
own version of Miles Davis’ classic, All
Blues. Bella A Capella, led by Nikki Guidotti
bought a sense of calm and nostalgia
with Fly Me to the Moon and California
Dreaming and the Penguins entertained
us yet again, with an unusual and
somewhat bizarre performance requiring
the clarinettists to slowly remove sections
of their instruments and finally pack up
and leave the stage. As ever, the fantastic
talent of our student soloists wowed the
audience with their moving and emotional
performances, and the evening was aptly
and ably concluded by our very own Big
Band. Conducted by Jim ‘Jazzy’ Wynn
and Nikki Guidotti, with old favourites and
new songs, including a dedication to Andy
Proverbs and the infamous Conga, even
Kathy Crewe-Read and Philip Sims couldn’t
resist the pull of Big Band’s infectious
renditions and joined a crowd of students
and teachers in dancing along. A very
warm well done and thank you, to all the
students and staff, who once again made
the Jazz Spectacular the best night ever.
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An ever expanding list of extra-curricular clubs and societies provides students and staff with
unique opportunities to explore a wide range of interests. Even more opportunities were
on offer this year including a new Calligraphy Club, Warhammer, Photography, Economics
Debating Society, Printmaking, Film Clubs, Oil Painting, Chemistry and Russian Clubs.
War Room
By Jacob Stokes
‘Get out of the way guys, we’re trying to fire a
These aren’t your average presentations though! We
medieval siege weapon here’, said the dearly
had muffins, edge-of-your-seat documentaries on
departed Mr Sutherland as the trebuchet that had
historical battles, and occasional ‘guest appearances’
been constructed for a recent Extended Project
from James Maidment’s costume collection. We were
was about to be fired. Then, after a countdown,
given the honour of being in the presence of Banana
the trebuchet was fired. A melon was gloriously
Republic dictator ‘Kastru’ on select occasions.
catapulted into the air, eventually smashing onto
Discussion didn’t stop with the students; on one
the field below with a thunderous crash. This was
occasion Mr Sutherland and Mr David erupted into
repeated again, only this time, we witnessed Mr
full-blown argument over the draft for the Vietnam
Allen give his ‘battle cry’, before the missile was
War. Indeed, War Room wasn’t even limited to
launched. This was the culmination of a year of
presentations and documentaries; a few times we
War Room; the club that saw many members of the
played board games, specifically Axis and Allies. This
Sixth Form discuss and give presentations on many
too, was enjoyable. We had our first guest speaker,
different battles throughout history.
Ajit Juss, who told us about Sikh soldiers in WWI.
To name but a few, over the year, we made
Overall, we have found War Room to be both
presentations on the Roman disaster at Cannae, to
fun and interesting. Already this year, we have
the Battle of Agincourt, to World War II with such
discussed the Gulf War, and the Arab-Israeli Conflict
events like Operation Barbarossa and the Battle of
and look forward to continuing on with new periods
Midway being discussed.
of history in the near future.
Political Forum
By Joshua Marchant
It’s almost as if fate decided it was
a fan of political debate this year,
dishing up a plentiful supply of events
and issues which have duly saturated
the Political Forum agendas since
September. Subjects ranged from
Scottish Independence, the threat
of ISIS, gay marriage to immigration
- we have had plenty to talk about.
On top of that, tensions with Russia,
Cameron’s confrontations with the EU
and an upcoming General Election
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promise more topics for debate in the
year to come.
Picking up from the high standards of
Political Forum last year, myself and
co-chair Jacob Stokes have hoped
both Upper and Lower Sixth students
with sympathies across the political
spectrum. I hope that those who have
joined us since September have
enjoyed it, and that they’ve been
able to make some productive use
to get Sixth Formers engaged with
politics and current affairs (even if
that requires some doughnut-based
requisitioning). In this pursuit, the
Forum has so far been a success,
attracting a healthy attendance of
out of it as well. Certainly, as it always
has been, Political Forum remains an
ideal setting for mature and respectful
debate, allowing students to give
voice to their own opinions and
appreciate those of their peers too.
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Clubs and Societies
Clubs and Societies
Wulfrunian 2014
Enigma Society
By Leo Jackson
Christian Union
By Michael Carleton
Who knew nihilism could have so much depth? Why
The Christian Union has explored issues central to
faith and Christianity’s place in present society. We
have discussed matters such as origins - is there
conflict between Genesis and modern cosmogony?
The ‘speaking in tongues’ phenomenon and the
ominous End Times (revelation), to provide a brief
overview. Time is also devoted each week to
examine a particular passage from the Bible. From
here, we discuss the passage’s meaning and each
offer our views and opinions of the reading.
do some faiths not proselytise? What is the point
of education? Where do we obtain our pre-existing
knowledge from? When do we start thinking for
ourselves? How do we perceive?
These are just some of the questions we dived
into, though not always swimmingly. However since
Enigma does have a ‘free-style’; these topics were
just a splash in an ocean. From the titanic failure
of diplomatic talks about Syria to Prince George’s
first birthday, no Friday would be complete and no
conversation could take the wind out of Enigma sails.
Nothing is too naughty, (or nautical) for our society
and we’ll welcome you aboard and hopefully you
won’t have to walk the plank. Please come along to
Enigma Society - Fridays after school in SSR.
Mathematics Challenges
By Chris O’Brien
Intermediate
66 entries
6 Gold
14 Silver
22 Bronze
Senior
19 entries
8 Gold
4 Silver
6 Bronze
In the Senior Challenge, Amish Bedi qualified for
round one of the British Mathematics Olympiad.
Dom Danks, Lawrence Green, Chloe Macaulay,
Joel Plowright, Fiona Shorthouse and Ed Trotter
qualified for the Senior Kangaroo, in which Chloe, Ed
and Lawrence were awarded Certificates of Merit.
Following the Intermediate Challenge, Robert Pye,
Nikhil Sharma and Leah Bannister-Payne qualified for
the Kangaroo competitions.
Amish Bedi, Chloe Macaulay, Sandeep Sandramouli
and Priya Sharma formed our team for the Senior
Team Challenge in November. Rachel James, Ritvik
Pantula, Govind Randhawa and Nikhil Sharma took
part in the Year 10 Team Challenge, organised by
MEI. In March, Ammar Ahsan, Leah Bannister-Payne,
Conor Jordan and Katie Naylor competed in the Team
Challenge for years 8 and 9 at Coseley High School.
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Naturally, the small group numbers help us to better
delve into these issues, and we hope that the
matters we look into are of importance to us and
other people. We encourage anyone who wants to
take part to do so, as it may be an eye opener as to
what the Christian life is about, and who God is.
Year 7 produced a particularly strong performance in the
Junior Challenge, accounting for eight of the nine golds
awarded. The final gold went to Anna Dmetrewski in Big 6.
Students again participated in the three national
mathematics challenges and in three team
competitions. Our results for 2013/14 were:
Junior
174 entries
9 Gold
29 Silver
39 Bronze
Each week, the Union enables both Christian and
non-Christian students to engage in fellowship, so
that we may better our understanding of each other
and foremost God, His word and the Bible.
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The Lower School Chess team played in the Years 7
and 8 division of the Birmingham and District Junior
Chess League, ending the season as runners up
in the U12 Division. In the Lightning Tournament,
consisting of nine teams from within the Birmingham
area, students had exciting games with the team
finishing in sixth place overall. The team, assisted by
Pardeep Japper and Gurtej Radhawa from Year 11,
also took part in the Closed Quickplay Tournament
held at King Edward VI Camp Hill. The evening
was a great success with the team coming a very
respectable 4th equal (out of seven); Andrew Fenn
(from the Junior School), Niall Hamad and Pardeep
Japper were particular high scorers, but all students
played thoughtfully and with a fighting spirit.
In the spring term thirty students from Years 4 to 7 took
part in The Delancey’s UK Schools’ Chess Challenge
2014. After seven rounds the overall winners were
Andrew Fenn from Big 6 and Harvey Brown from 7S,
both on 19 (out of 21) points. The leading scorers in
each of the year groups were as follows: from Year
7 Harvey Brown and Sophie Pye, from Big 6 Andrew
Fenn and Anna Dmitrewski, from Year 5 Alex Stepp,
Anya Rogers and Katy Robson and from Year 4 Viraj
Renjhen. All these students qualified to take part in
the Area Mega Finals which were held in Stafford. In
this tournament Andrew Fenn won four rounds and
drew two; he also won the ‘sudden death round’ which
qualified him for the Gigafinals in Manchester. In this
tournament Andrew won five of his six rounds, came
second overall in his age group and qualified for the
Terafinals held at Loughborough Grammar School.
As a result of his matches in this tournament Andrew
came within the top 0.5% of all participants in the
country - an amazing achievement!
Warhammer Club
making it to the semi-finals in Warhammer World,
By James Millichamp
Nottingham. Many thanks to Mrs Finn who has
been running the club this year and also to
Battle rages on! Warhammer Club has grown
all the boys and girls who have been bringing
in numbers and we fielded two teams for the
their models and playing. Look out for news of
national School League, with our 40K contingent
forthcoming competitions on the school website.
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Clubs and Societies
Chess Report
By Neil Bradley
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Wulfrunian 2014
Peer Support - by Students for Students
Peer Support provides valuable help for students at
the school who for whatever reason, find themselves in
need. Introduced some years ago at the suggestion of
the Student Parliament, the Peer Support scheme grows
from strength to strength with student counsellors from
Year 11 through to Sixth Form. The mentors are trained in
basic counselling skills. Peer Supporters are allocated to
each form group and are available to talk through issues
that students may have, whether personal or academic.
“
Being a peer supporter is a hugely rewarding
experience as we have the opportunity to
give back to our school community. Our duties
include break and lunch time support on a
one to one basis, as well as running an email
support system. In addition to this we act as
form peer buddies for the Lower School.
In order to become a Peer Supporter, we had
Mrs Laurino-Ryan who leads this initiative says, “student
led Peer Support is just one of the many measures we
have in place at school to ensure all students have access
to help if they need it. This not only offers a valuable extra
resource for our school, but also provides skills for the
Peer Supporters themselves. It enables them to nurture
empathy, listening and confidentially skills; all attributes that
can contribute to a positive personal statement for their
UCAS application but more importantly prepare them to
lead meaningful lives after school.”
to make a written application stating why we
wanted to become a Peer Supporter. We were
then interviewed to ensure that we had the
necessary qualities. We had to undertake a
number of training sessions, with a professional
councillor, who equipped us with the skills
necessary to help those around us.
Our aim is to provide a safe space where
students can talk to their peers about any
worries or concerns they may have, for example
All student Peer Supporters are trained by the school’s
counsellor, Ros Howard and also receive support and
guidance from Jon Wood. We would like to express
our sincere thanks to the following students who have
those struggling with the stress of exams or their
school workload.
”
Peer Support Team
volunteered to be Peer Supporters for this school year.
Year 11
Oliver Hampton
Scarlett Rushton
Charlotte Forrester Alex Wright
Emma Parlane
Danpreet Chahal
Lydia Bridgewood Rachel James
Lower Sixth
Josie Dowswell
Freya Cunningham Holly Pleydell
Priya Mehta
Lana Harold
Lizzie Cawdell
Liz Mahon
Izzy Sharma
Upper Sixth
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Lara Fraser
Rishika Mehan
Tejas Netke
Amar Baden
Alex Evans
Myles Smith
Fiona Shorthouse
Amrit Mann
Oliver Ward
Priya Sharma
Nathan Chan
Simran Kang
Beth Parlane
Ellen Hopwood
Ed Craddock
Amish Bedi
Elle Rockett
Geena Bains
Mary-Anne Willets
Laura Robertson
Abbey Worton
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Wulfrunian 2014
As the newly appointed Senior Librarian, I am
privileged to be working with such incredible young
All three libraries also have a team of trained
Student Librarians, who gain experience of working
people who are eager to embrace any and all
activities which surround reading.
in a library whilst supporting their peers to use the
facilities effectively during lunchtimes.
With this in mind, WGS Library Service has a
wonderful programme of events planned for the
So far this school year has proved to be an
exciting and busy start for WGS Library Service,
forthcoming year with the aim to encourage reading
for pleasure, support research development and
provide students with the opportunity to meet
with a visit from a best-selling author, storytelling
events, Readathon and the launch of two new
book clubs. All of these events have been well
authors, poets and storytellers.
received by students and I am pleased to report
that in response, the issue statistics for the library
WGS Library Service is designed to cater for the
needs of the entire school and encompasses the
Junior School right through to the Sixth Form Centre.
are continually rising, with students becoming
increasingly eager to read.
At each stage of their development, students are
provided with access to their own dedicated library
I look forward to the forthcoming years at WGS
and hope to inspire all of our students to develop a
and curriculum linked literacy activities.
lifelong love of reading and libraries.
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The Library
WGS Library Service
By Zoe Rowley
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Sport
Sport has a long tradition at WGS and our students have competed at city, regional and national
levels this year. Well done to all our students who participate in sport. Girls sport in particular
continues to grow from strength to strength and this year’s sport reports provide a flavour of just
how many girls are not just taking part, but taking an active role in leading sport activities too.
Sports Day
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Tennis
Sport
Chris Walker Memorial Mile
Our senior boys tennis team, led by Alex
Dmitrewski were unfortunate to be drawn
against Ellesmere College, one of the strongest
tennis teams in the country in the first round of
the National Knockout, and despite their best
efforts, lost narrowly.
The U15 team had a fantastic season. Under
the captaincy of Ed Cooper, the team, due to a
This annual event still takes place on the last
Wednesday of each school year. Well done to all
staff and students who took part this year on a
beautiful day in July to help remember this special
student from our school.
last game win against Newcastle Under Lyme
school, won the county title, and so therefore
represented Staffordshire in the National
Knockout. A dramatic win against Ellesmere
took the team into the last 16 in the county, and
they play the next round in Corby in November.
The U15 team also won their City league, and in the
same age group, Ed Cooper and Jasvir Hayer won
the City Boys Doubles Competition. The U13 team,
under the leadership of Ross Fletcher, who also
represented the U’15 team, won their City league.
Football
victorious in the SSAW 9 aside tournament. Mason
Birch played an integral part in the team’s success and
continued to do well at the Aston Villa Academy.
The 1st XI had a busy season, producing some fine
performances against tough opposition. Under the
leadership of Jonathan Crawford, the team showed
great spirit all year, and it was rounded off with
an enjoyable trip to Newcastle. Having lost out to
Westminster School in the ISFA Cup, the team then
lost narrowly to St Peters in the City Cup Semi Final.
The U15 team lost to a very strong St Bedes side
in their ISFA cup, but continued to make pleasing
The U13 beat Kings Chester in the first round of
their ISFA cup and only just lost out in an exciting
encounter to Manchester Grammar School.
Congratulations to Will Gibbons who was selected for
the U13 ISFA Midlands side.
progress throughout the season.
The U12 team had an excellent season, winning the
The U14 side had a very impressive season; their
victory over Repton one such example. They were also
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SSAW 9 a side tournament, just losing out to Heath
Park in the final of the City Cup.
Wulfrunian 2014
Football 1st XI Captain’s Report
By Jonathan Crawford
Our main target from the start was to develop a team
that were very professional in their approach and that
had a good chemistry on and off the pitch; meaning
hopefully the results would take care of themselves
come the end of the season. The 1st XI football team
has had a largely positive season in the way of results;
some games in which we were the better team didn’t
necessarily always mean that the score went our way.
This always left areas for improvement so that by the
end of the season we became a more accomplished
side that were more difficult to beat.
Our most emphatic win was the first game of the season
away at Kings Chester in which we won 4 - 2, this
gave the team a great confidence boost especially as
minutes to go, pressure off a corner caused the ball
to fall out to the edge of the box for Tom Heath to
this was the first game that the new 1st XI team would
experience after the departure of the 2013 Upper Sixth
Form players. No one had really played a competitive
curl the ball into the bottom corner. Now 3 - 0 up this
allowed WGS to see out the game and secure their
second win of the season.
game with each other, thus putting the coaching staff
and players in a sense of anxiety and anticipation.
During the season there were a few injuries varying
This was a great performance by the new 1st XI team
including the additions from the second team players
that moved up and the Year 11 players; Dan Gibbons,
Andrew Shave and Jamie Bostock. This performance
gave the team an increase in confidence that would be
from the acute to chronic. Dane Connop was often
disappointed with not being fit to play due to his lower
back causing him pain, Jon Crawford was out for a
couple of weeks due to a dead leg and Sam Linney
suffered from a chronic hip injury which saw him
shown throughout the rest of the season.
sidelined as well. Without a doubt the worst of them all
goes to James Banks who in the Cup match against St.
Peters injured his shoulder in such a bad way that this
caused him to take a trip to New Cross Hospital. He
later made a full recovery.
The second game that springs to mind was against
local rivals St. Peters XI. There was no doubt that
although this match was fixture and named a friendly,
the two teams would be very competitive due to the
neighbourly location and the previous year’s cup
clash where St. Peters came out victors.
The 1st team along with the second enjoyed a weekend
tour in Newcastle playing against Newcastle Grammar
School. The 1st team narrowly lost their match and the
2nd team won theirs. In all it was a close fought game
The game started at a high tempo as both teams
Senior School
66
were trying hard to put themselves ahead and be the
better side in this Compton derby. After 20 minutes
WGS made a change with Jon Crawford and Roshan
Jakhu stepping onto the pitch to try and trigger an
attack for the away side. Within 5 minutes a ball was
played through and over the centre of the home
side’s defence, which put Jon Crawford through
to give WGS the lead. Later through a well-worked
in which was very enjoyable to partake in and all teams
represented the schools in a professional manner.
attack and an increase in pressure WGS scored
once again through Dimitri Patsiogiannis. This 2 - 0
lead gave the visiting side the cushion they needed
in order to relax and take hold of the game. With 15
or at university, we also have to sadly say goodbye
to our long serving assistant manager Tim Browning,
who has now retired. I personally along with the rest
of the school wish them all well in the future.
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We would like to say thank you to the Upper Sixth
players and sports teachers who have made it
possible for us to play this season and who supported
us along the way. The Upper Sixth boys now move
on in their lives to pursue their careers either in work
Wulfrunian 2014
67
Sport
Cricket
The 1st XI, under the captaincy of Aaron Patel had an
excellent season, producing some very impressive
performances. The side was based around a number
of experienced Upper Sixth cricketers, however all who
represented the team should be proud of what they
achieved. All deserve credit, however Dominic Price, so
long the unsung hero, deserves a mention for his attacking
batting; his innings against RGS Worcester, in tough
conditions an outstanding effort.
They won a number of their games, with excellent
victories against Newcastle Under Lyme, Oswestry and
Old Swinford. The national 20/20 saw us drawn against
Bromsgrove; it was always going to be tough!
Our junior sides performed with credit. The U15 team
battled hard, and a number of the squad will be pushing for
1st XI places next season.
The U14 team were outstanding, and a number of the
team played 1st XI cricket during the season. Oisin Singh
produced some sensational displays with the bat, his
century against RGS Worcester a highlight, however he
would be the first to admit that a number of their wins were
1st XI Cricket Captain’s Report
By Aaron Patel
The upcoming season was eagerly
awaited and we were as prepared as
could be with an intense pre-season.
For most of the boys this would be our
last and we wanted to finish on a high.
The season started with the National
T20 competition where we came
up against 2 very strong sides,
Bromsgrove and Malvern. We
didn’t play as well as we could and
unfortunately we weren’t able to
proceed further in the competition.
However we picked it up further
into the season and gained some
momentum with comfortable
victories against Old Swinford
Hospital and Oswestry, where we
were able to play to our full potential.
My personal highlight of the year
has to be the victory over Denstone
College and I’m sure I am not alone
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down to real team efforts. They deserve congratulating on
winning their County Cup, with a good win against Walton
High School, and they will go on to represent Staffordshire
in the National Knockout next summer.
The U13 side can be pleased with their progress
throughout the summer, and their hard work resulted in
them reaching their County Cup Final. Unfortunately they
just lost out, however the contributions from the likes of
Archie O’Hara, who also represented Staffordshire in this
age group, Laurence Pickin, who also acquitted himself
very well when fielding for the 1st XI as did Ollie Gilks,
meant that they were competitive in all games.
The U12 team had a tough season against some
strong teams, but Mr King was pleased with the
progress they made.
in saying that. Denstone have
always been a strong side and have
always got the better of us. Beating
them the way we did just topped
the season off. Denstone required
2 runs from the final over and I was
able to bowl a maiden. I think it’s
fair to say that both Mr Crust and Mr
King enjoyed the victory!
The season, as always ended with
cricket week. The weather couldn’t
have been better. We played with
confidence and determination
throughout the week and I
couldn’t have asked for more from
the team. Our final game was the
Head’s XI, but this game was a
significant one. It would be Mr
Browning’s last game for the Staff
XI. It was an honour to be part of
this and we wish Mr Browning the
best of luck in the future.
promising performances from
the younger players which is
encouraging. I would like to thank the
whole team for their support and all
their efforts. On behalf of the team I
would like to thank Mr Johnson for
all his time, Mr King for organising
the fixtures, even if two teams
(occasionally) turned up on the same
day to play us! Last but not least
Mr Crust for everything he has done
and for always believing in us.
Overall, it was a good season on
the whole and there were some
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Wulfrunian 2014
Fives
Tom Aston and Silas Lawrence represented the
school in the U16 National Schools Fives Competition
held at Eton College. Having played well in the group
stages, they qualified for the plate competition, in
which they reached the semi finals, losing to a strong
pair from Shrewsbury.
Swimming
Our boy’s teams recently competed in the SSAW
Championship, held at the Royal School. Our Junior
team came third overall, with Robbie Smith winning
gold in the backstroke. The senior team also came
third, Josh Evans winning the 1 Length breast stroke.
Cross Country
We had boys in all the age groups at the recent
SSAW Cross Country Championships. All runners
competed with distinction, however three highlights
include a gold medal for Tom Aston (Year 11 race) and
silvers for Roshan Jakhu (Sixth Form race) and Oliver
Mason (Year 7 race)
Following brief pre-season training sessions in the last
week of August, the season commenced with fixtures
for three age groups on the first Saturday of the
season. This was followed by successive midweek
fixtures against other rugby playing schools through
to the season’s climax at Easter. Certainly a feature
of rugby at WGS now is an improving fixture list with
quality opposition from across the length and breadth
of the Midlands; which of course brings its own
challenges with an expectation of an improvement in
the level of performance.
One highlight of the season was the increasing
number of boys now regularly playing rugby. This was
the first time that WGS have been able to field teams
at all ages from Year 5 through to Year 13. Of course,
as in all sports, there was mixed success but certain
performances and results stand out from others.
Hockey
By Lawrence Green
Badminton
WGS hosted both the Intermediate and Senior SSAW
Championships in the first week of the Christmas
holidays. In the Intermediate competition, seven boys
from WGS entered the singles competition, and a number
made it through to the latter rounds. Sahun Alexander
reached the final and won. To add to the celebrations,
Shaun and Alex Kemp won the doubles competition.
It was then the turn of the senior boys, with Sam Linney
and AJ Brennan representing WGS. Both went out to
strong opposition in the singles, however as a pair they
went all the way to the final in the doubles, finishing as
deserved champions.
Our Boys U16 team represented Wolverhampton in the
Black Country Games, losing in the group stages, but
performing with great credit.
Indoor Athletics
Senior School
68
Rugby
By Jim Ryan
Seven Year 7 boys were selected to represent the
school in the SSAW Indoor Athletics Championships.
The team of Ross Fletcher, Lewis smith, Alex Smith,
Varun Toora, Zac Thompson, Sachin Basra and Max
Walters finished a very creditable 5th.
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Boys 1st XI Hockey
This season has been an uphill struggle for the Boys’
1st XI Hockey team, after 9 of our starting XI left at the
end of last season to head off to university. We had
to completely reshuffle the team, and this showed at
the start of the season with six consecutive losses
to opposition including Adams Grammar and KES
Birmingham. However we finally got our first result
in the last game of the Christmas term, drawing with
Newcastle-Under-Lyme school 2 - 2. This induced
phenomenal confidence into the team and meant that
at the start of January we came out fighting.
Our first game was against KES Camp Hill, in which
we won 4 -2. We continued this winning form by
beating Oldswinford Hospital 2 - 0 just two weeks later.
However we finished off the season by losing our two
remaining games against Adams Grammar and King
Henry’s Warwick, two incredibly strong opponents.
Full credit goes to the players for our wins, as they
attended training week-in, week-out and because of
Wulfrunian 2014
place. The U15 VII gave good account of themselves
and show promise for the future; whilst the ‘pièce de
résistance’ was reserved for the U18 sevens squad.
Other notable performances and results were by the U16
team, progressing to the semi-final of the County Cup;
the U15’s again reaching the County Cup semi-final and
Round 3 of the National NatWest Vase. The U13 XV also
reached the quarter-final of the County Cup; whilst the U12
XV playing the first ever fixtures at this age group, won the
final three of five games played in March and April.
The weather, as always, had its influence too. With
one of the wettest spring terms on record, a number
of fixtures were cancelled; but with Easter being late,
the ground had sufficiently dried out by early April
for the Staffordshire County 7’s Competition to take
that, we were able to grow into a truly respectable
hockey team. I wish to congratulate Tom Ward for
being the top goal scorer of the season and also a
large thank you to our goalkeeper Harry ThomasBishop for a tremendous season in the pads.
I wish to thank all of the Upper Sixth players as well for
being so co-operative and available this season, as well
as a huge thank you to Mr Anderson for being such
an influential and helpful coach. I, along with my fellow
captain Sam Colman, wish the best of luck to next year’s
team, after having overseen the younger players grow
dramatically, especially to Tom Ward and Edward Craddock
as captains. It has been a privilege for us to captain this
year’s team and it is a year which I will never forget.
And yet, there was more good news for some of our
players. Henry Purchase (Year 11) was selected to play
for the Welsh Exiles and Newport Gwent Dragons;
whilst Luis Evitt (Year 11) was given a contract with
Leicester Tigers U18 Academy. Our best wishes and
congratulations go to these boys as they continue to
develop their rugby careers both at and beyond WGS.
A fitting end to a season where all had displayed
excellent commitment and skill and perhaps a
harbinger of things to come.
Our A team won the first two games against
Shrewsbury Sixth Form and Madeley Academy, but
then drew with Oldswinford, meaning we did not make
it through to the semi-finals due to goal difference.
Our B team did very well in their group, with their only
loss being to Adams Grammar, the team who won the
whole competition. This meant that they also did not
make it through to the semi-finals, along with our C
team who were unfortunate not to win a game.
Our 1st XI team then played three matches against
KES Five Ways, Shrewsbury Sixth Form and
Oldswinford Hospital. We were able to win all of
these very convincingly due to a great spirit within
the team and great chemistry between the players.
The top scorer for the mixed team was myself and
I wish to also thank Mr Palmer for coaching us to
the great standard which we were at, as well as Mr
Mixed 1st XI Hockey
The Mixed 1st XI Hockey team has seen nothing
but success this season, being unbeaten over a
tournament and 3 games. In our mixed tournament, the
mixed team was split into three 7-a-side teams.
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On a bright and sunny day the U18 VII produced some
controlled and skilful performances to convincingly win
the Staffordshire School’s U18 Sevens, for the first time
in the school’s history, being victorious over Newcastle
Sixth Form College by 24-15.
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Anderson for organising all of our games. It was a
privilege to have captained this team alongside the
girls’ captain Rachel Booth, and I hope that there is
just as much success next year.
Sport
Our Senior 1st XV were largely composed of Year 11
and 12 boys and so were ‘up against it’ playing teams
largely composed of U18 boys, however, they always
gave good account of themselves with some notable
performances against Oswestry School, Princethorpe
College and narrowly losing out by four points in the
U18 Staffordshire School’s Plate semi-final.
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Wulfrunian 2014
1st VII Netball
By Abi Houghton
2nd VII Netball
By Sammie Simpson
The 1st team had a great season with an impressive 18
wins out of a total of 26 games. Although the start was
a bit rocky with two losses, we went on to win the next
six games convincingly. On a cold Saturday morning in
December we travelled to Oldbury for the county rounds.
The team played really well all morning and we won all our
games. A win in our final match would mean we would be
county champions. Unfortunately we lost the last game
and finished runners up but we did qualify for the regional
finals. In late January and on another cold Saturday
morning, the regional finals took place. Sadly the team was
not at full strength due to injury and illness, but the girls
fought well and should be proud of their achievement.
I have had the privilege of being able to train and play
with such a great team this season and I think that it has
been an overall success. In particular the one match that
stood out to me was our first time we played Shrewsbury
in which we won 30-16 and I felt that this was when our
team really came together and it boosted our confidence
and friendships within the team.
3rd VII Netball
By Maisie Gelder
Our squad have worked well together as a team, and
A tournament at Christmas gave the girls a chance to
dress up as ‘Christmas trees’, and all the other teams
taking part entered into the spirit and there were
some great outfits. The 1st team were victorious at
the end of a very entertaining afternoon of netball,
enjoyed by all who took part.
A number of friendly matches were played in February
and March with ten wins and five losses. The City Finals
were played at the end of March with the 1st team being
crowned champions after a convincing win against The
Girls High School.
The final game of the season was perhaps the most
competitive of the year, with the traditional Grammar
School senior boys vs senior girls leavers netball match. I
am happy to say that the girls were once again triumphant.
this lead to successes on the court against teams such
as Shrewsbury, in which the 3rd VII won two out of
three matches played against them this season. I am
sure I speak on behalf of the whole team when I say
that I have thoroughly enjoyed this season, and have
found it extremely rewarding and successful.
4th VII Netball
By Liv Bolas
As a team we get on really well - everyone is very
supportive, dedicated and we give each match our
all. I saw a definite improvement in each player as
the season went on and I look forward to hopefully
Congratulations girls I have loved being your captain
for the season and thank you also Miss McAllister for
coaching and guiding us.
U15 A Netball
By Nicola Ryan
Senior School
70
This netball season has been wonderfully successful
for the U15 squad and I’d like to start by thanking
the team and Miss McAllister for their hard work and
determination! We’ve fought our way through some
tough matches and more often than not, came out
on top beating some tough teams such as Newcastle
under Lyme School and Shrewsbury High School.
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playing with them all again next year. I know that
everyone tried their very best and that is definitely
something that the whole team should be proud of.
As this is the last year that we would play together
as a team, we were determined to win our
Wolverhampton Schools final. Emotions were running
high and the game was tense. At several points in
the game, we showed real determination and some
great netball was played. Unfortunately the odds
weren’t in our favour and so WGHS were crowned
champions once again. However, the team showed
great courage and camaraderie - not only in this last
match, but throughout the whole netball season. I am
truly proud of my team. Well done girls!
Wulfrunian 2014
U14 A Netball
By Jordan McCarthy
This year has been full of triumphs and losses. We
have had a couple of tough matches and won some
of them. One of our most successful matches was
against Cheltenham Ladies College, in which we
dominated them and won 30 goals to 5. Everyone
certainly played to the best of their ability.
This year, despite a few adjustments to our U14
team, we have done well and have enjoyed playing
the matches we have faced together, as a strong
collection of improving netballers.
Unfortunately, although we managed to beat them last
9B Netball
By Katie Naylor
year, we lost our first game very narrowly by one goal,
against Cheltenham Ladies College. Determined to
redeem ourselves, we won 8 - 3 comfortably against
This season the B-Team played very well, winning seven
out of our eight matches, and even then we only lost
to the Girls High A-Team. Overall this season has been
very enjoyable, a big thanks to all of my team mates and
I hope next year will be just as successful.
Thomas Telford in the following match. The next
8B Netball
By Loveday Thompson
we did come out with a draw of 5 - 5.
match was a challenging game played against King
Edwards Lichfield, who very deservingly won
22 - 4. Our next match was played against
Princethorpe, which proved to be a tight match, but
The following series of matches took place in
The U13 B team had quite a successful and fun season
of Netball. In the City tournament we won nearly all our
matches and progressed to the semi-finals against the
U13 A team, so sadly we did not compete in the finals.
Despite injuries and some absences and I hope we
probably the biggest netball event we had faced
as a squad yet. This event was the County Rounds
which we were lucky enough to attend. We did
play well as the day progressed, but an early
loss to WGHS meant that we came third overall,
missing out by a small margin.
have another great season next year.
After the County Rounds, the U14’s had a winning
7B Netball
By Renisha Chhokar
streak of five matches, played against NULS, SGS,
Bablake which was a huge achievement of 20 - 8,
St Peters, and finally WGHS. Although we tried our
We had a pretty tough time at the start of our Netball
careers but we did improve near the end. We had an
amazing time doing netball and we grew stronger as
a team, the people who we didn’t know to begin with
have come closer to us and we are now ready to play
with eachother hopefully next year.
hardest in the upcoming matches, we only managed
to win one, and draw two of the next seven games,
played against tough opposition.
Even though we had not been doing very well
in the past games, we managed to win the City
7C Netball
By Amelia Kerr
Tournament and the City League, which was a good
way to end the season for us and our coach, who will
sadly be leaving at the end of this year.
During the past six months we have had lots of fun.
In the City Tournament we played some very good
teams. We won one match, drew another and lost the
last game. The tournament was very fun, and we all
came back happy, although we didn’t win the whole
tournament, we still won one match. Our A team
won the tournament, which motivated us to aim even
higher next season.
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Regardless of the losses, we have improved
and grown as a team and individual players, and
look forward to another enjoyable season of
netball next year.
Sport
U15 B Netball
By Morgan Colley
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Wulfrunian 2014
7A Netball
By Alex Bryan
The Year 7 A Team Netball players have done extremely well since September. The team players are Alex
Bryan (captain), Ellie Darrell, Emily Aston, Anya Stojanvic, Deenah Ashan, Charlotte Wallis, Lexie Turner and
Jordan Russell. We have had many successful wins, we had matches against many local and far away school
and only lost 4 out of the very many we played. We also took part in the city championships and won all the
matches we played and we won the cup. We then also took part in the league and played many matches and
also ended up winning the league finals which made the team league champions and city champions. The
girls had a great Netball season. Well Done!
1st XI Hockey
By Rachel Booth
Senior School
72
With this current hockey season coming to an end, and
for the Upper Sixth, this being their last hockey season
at WGS, it has been a very successful and rewarding
one. With the introduction of the enthusiastic Year 11s
this year and in depth productive training, our team has
flourished and it shows in our results. Our best result this
season has to be a 9-0 win against Tettenhall College
and with a total of 19 matches played this, our team
has won 6, drawn 6 and lost 4, which just shows how
successful we are as a squad. Although all members of
our team have worked exceptionally hard this season,
special mention should go to top goal scorers which
were Darcy Laceby with 11, Bex Roberts with 5 and Ellen
Stimpson with 5. With skilled passing between Izzie
Jones, Ellie Burton, Fran Hopson, Sally Parnell, Lizzie
Sargeant, Ffyona Downes and Bex Roberts in the centre
to ‘helicopter’ Darcy Laceby, Ellen Stimpson and Lucie
Baugh upfront, backed up with a strong defence from
Ellie Amos, Isobel Shave, Evie Webb and Mary Anne
Willets and excellent goal keeping from Liz Mahon and
Louise Hingley- there was little opportunity for failure.
Even in our mixed matches, we have exceeded as a
team, not losing one single match out of 5. All in all, this
teams year has probably been one of the best teams I
have been in whilst playing senior hockey at WGS; not
only from a results point of view, but also from a team
point of view, as all the years have bonded together and
created an effective and supportive team. Well played
girls and good luck for future seasons to come!
U14 Hockey
By Annie Hollinshead
U13 Hockey
By Katie Oswald
This year has certainty had it highs and lows for
This year was always going to be tough because we
the Year 9 hockey team. Starting the year on a high
had to move from a half pitch to a full one. The season
winning 6-0 against Abbotts Bromley, although
started with a 2-0 loss to Ellesmere and despite scoring
ending on a slightly different note, losing against
good goals against Wrekin and Princethorpe, we
Windsor High School 6-2. Despite a few losses the
couldn’t secure our first win. The girls then managed to
team were in high spirits throughout, we won five
keep a 0-0 score against Owestry, but failed to retain
of nine matches with one draw against Wrekin. We
that form in the following two fixtures against SGS and
had a strong defense made up of our key players
Solihull. However, we soon picked ourselves up and
Isha Kumar and Saroop Sangha along with Katie
our efforts were rewarded with a win over Windsor
Naylor in goal. Our upfront worked extremely well
High. Sadly this couldn’t be repeated in the final match
together setting up and converting 25 goals over
against a very strong NULS, but considering that we
all of our games, with Jordan McCarthy as top
had to adjust to the different size pitch we should not be
goal scorer. Every single member of the team has
disappointed with our performance. Our thanks goes to
improved vast amounts from last season and all
our coaches Mr Palmer, Miss McAllister and Mrs Barnett
hope to continue to do so.
for their help and encouragement.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Firstly, I would like to congratulate
the U15 hockey girls on another
very successful season, arguably
our most successful out of the
four seasons we have played.
We are thrilled by this as sadly
this was our last season ever
playing together as a year group,
and what a perfect way to end
it, as next year some of us will
endeavour to play in the senior
teams. Luckily, we started off the
year with an impressing 6-0 win
against Ellesmere, which gave us
high expectations and hopes for
the season ahead of us. Following
this, we proceeded to proudly win
another four consecutive matches,
against King Edward’s, Wrekin,
Stafford and Solihull.
Throughout the season we luckily
only lost two matches, which is
certainly an improvement from
previous years. We experienced a
frustrating 3-2 loss against Newcastle
under Lyme, from an extremely
tough and close match. Then shortly
after this we also suffered a heavy
loss against Princethorpe. However,
to our excitement, we managed to
end the season the way we started it
with a satisfying 2-1 win against King
Edward’s VI Five Ways, in our last
Our top goal scorer of the season
with an outstanding 9 goals
was Immy Gibbons. I would like
to commend all of the girls in
the team for their exceptional
performances and commitment,
as we have all noticed a
significant improvement in our
team play over the years, and we
have all made ourselves proud by
coming such a long way. I would
like to finish off by thanking
the coaches that have helped
us to achieve this wonderful
result, and also the parents for
their continued dedication and
support. We shall now all look
forward to the challenges that
match ever as a year group.
senior sport has in store for us.
Tennis
U12 A Hockey
By Deenah Ahsan
Tennis progressed well with matches for all age
As captain I think that Year 7A team have done
groups and the lunchtime club proving to be a
exceptionally well in hockey. Our team has always
successful distraction from exams for many of our
put hundred percent effort in every match. Our best
students. League matches provided some well fought
win was when we played Ellesmere we won 5 - 0.
contests with some tight results and the local doubles
Our top goal scorers were myself (Deenah), Alex
tournaments saw entries from some very keen girls
Bryan and Anya Stojanovic.
despite clashes with exams. It has been great to
see girls involved from across Years 6 to 10 and
the standard of tennis being played has been very
encouraging. We entered A and B teams at U13 and
U15 level and were victorious in the U13 competition.
By Lexie Turner
My Squash Success
By Anya Stojanovic
The start of the season was very strong with two
I started playing when I was 9 years old. My dad
wins. Unfortunately, our winning streak came to
took me to Wrexham squash club and that’s where
an end against our last opponents King Edward
it all started. I have been lucky enough to play
Five Ways we lost 3 - 0. We tried our hardest but
for Worcester. In my last competition I won all my
ultimately it wasn't our day.
matches, but our team came second. My best team
U12 B hockey
experience was when I got asked to play for the West
I'm proud of everything the team achieved this
Midlands - reaching the finals against London. My
season. Quite a few of us hadn't played hockey
match was first and I won 3 - 0. West Midlands is now
much before and I can't wait till next season.
the best region in the country!
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Sport
U15 Hockey
By Amelia Lewis
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Wulfrunian 2014
Gymnastics
By Lizzie Sargent
Since the beginning of the year girls from both WGJS and WGS have
been developing their skills in gymnastics, learning new ones along the
way. Although there was no competition held for gymnasts below Year
7, the girls from Years 5 and 6 continued to train and produce their own
routines as well as learning various vault exercises alongside gymnasts
from Years 7, 8 and 10 preparing for the City Championships. Those who
competed in the City Championships in April had worked hard for many
months, practising and perfecting a routine of set skills as well as their
chosen vault. Laura Simms of Year 10 competed in the Advanced category
and managed to win herself a silver medal on floor, a bronze medal for
her vault - a very impressive handspring - and a silver medal overall from
her combined scores. While there were no medals for the Beginners,
who competed against girls from their own age group and all other year
groups from 7 - 13, they all performed well and are already showing great
enthusiasm for next year’s competition and have the potential to match.
Watching the girls develop over the past 8 months has truly been a
pleasure and it is clear that these girls have not only improved themselves
Fives
By Beth Parlane
but have become a team to be proud of. What cannot be forgotten amongst
the praise and success of the gymnasts is the hard work that went into
2013 - 14 has arguably been our
organising and training from Miss McAllister who devoted a great deal of
best season yet for Fives. We have
time to the girls. With much to work on and much to be proud of, next year’s
been much more successful in
training and competition will no doubt be just as enjoyable and successful
matches, beating our local rivals
as what these girls have produced this season.
Shrewsbury on multiple occasions
and have also strengthened our
Indoor Athletics
By Jordan Russell
Senior School
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We kicked off our athletics season
as always-indoors, where we do
a whole range of events like, high
jump, shot put, discus, standing
long jump/triple jump and javelin.
The Year 7 girls team went to
Aldersely Stadium where we
competed against all the other
local schools in the borough. We
were a strong team and we all
brought different strengths and
abilities to the field. We fought
hard against strong competition.
But we managed to beat all
the other schools and win the
competition, only by 6 points in
front of our rivals Girls High.
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squad with new members from
Athletics
Year 7. It’s been a pleasure to
Our athletes won a plethora
of silver and bronze medals
securing runners up in the Year 10
competition and 3rd place in the
Year 8 and 9 groups. Gold medals
were secured by the following
athletes and therefore all crowned
City champions: Geneva Hoffman
(Year 10 high jump); Poppy Nabbs
(Year 10 1500m); Morwenna Hughes
(Year 8 shot putt); Jada Nesbeth
(Year 8 long jump); Alex Bryan (Year
7 200m) and Jordan Russell captain
of the Year 7 team secured gold in
shot putt, 100m and brought the
baton home for gold in the Year 7
relay. The Year 7 girls won their age
group and are city champions.
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watch the Year 7s, Sophie Pye
and Hannah Parlane grow in
confidence and skill, representing
the school in the National School
Championships at Eton in March.
They scored an impressive 15
points overall during the course
of the day, playing much older,
more experienced players from
around the country, allowing them
to leave the competition with their
heads held high. With continued
determination, we know that they
will improve as they progress
through the school and will be
reaching the National Championship
finals before too long.
Wulfrunian 2014
This season has seen fantastic
enthusiasm and results across the
board in both the league races and
championships. In Year 7, Deenah
Ahsan and Anya Stojanovic both
placed in the top 10 with great runs
from Alex Bryan, Amelia Kerr, Jordan
Russell, Nina Sidhu, and Charlotte
Wallis. For Years 8 and 9 Evie
Bramley, Aimie Evans and Sophie
Hickman have shown tremendous
effort and ran consistently well
throughout with support from Ellie
Denton, Mia Foster, Georgie Harris
and Emilia Moxey in Year 8. We also
saw the addition of the Coast 2 Coast
girls for Year 10 and 11 who have
been training exceptionally hard
and that shone through in all of their
races. Freya Cunningham and Kim
Kandola ran well for the seniors with
appearances from Megan Griffiths
and Bex Roberts.
For the first time we entered a
relay team into a race organised by
Wrekin College at Attingham Park,
Shrewsbury. Poppy Nabbs set a
great position running first leg which
was then maintained by Hattie
Barber, Amelia Lewis and myself.
The course was testing and there
was some very strong competition
from other local schools so we were
happy to be placed 5th but overall it
was a superb afternoon and we look
forward to participating in similar
events in the future.
The season ended on a high with the
championships at Aldersley at the
end of March. Despite the weather,
over 20 girls ran very strongly. There
were great finishes from everyone,
particularly the Year 9 girls who all
placed highly. Poppy Nabbs, who
continues to run very well, and myself
also finished third, winning bronze in
our respective races.
Finally, a big thank you to all the
teachers who gave up their time to
organise and take us to events and
a huge congratulations to all the
girls who competed this season, let’s
hope the next one is even better!
In terms of the Senior Ladies Fives
through to the Plate B competition which they won convincingly.
Team, we have played in matches
Tejas Netke and Beth Parlane made it to the semi-finals of the
and tournaments throughout
Competition, where they met their rivals Shrewsbury first pair,
the year, with Eve Cowan and
resulting in an inevitably close match, which Tejas and Beth won
Emma Morley winning the plate
in the third game, 12-11. In the finals, they faced St Bartholomew’s
competition in the National Ladies
first pair and played a close first game losing 12-10, before losing
Festival Competition in February
the decider 12-6. However, reaching the final alone was a huge
and Tejas Netke and Beth Parlane
achievement for the WGS pair.
winning the Autumn Fives Festival
back in October. More recently,
As the senior team begin our final year of Fives at WGS we hope to
at the closing event in the fives
continue to improve our own game, while recruiting new members
calendar - the National School
for Fives at WGS so our school can once again be considered
Championships at Eton - we put
serious competitors in the sport.
the skills acquired throughout the
year into action, playing pairs from
around the country. Emma Morley
and Lara Fraser missed out on
qualifying for the knockout stages,
but played well and got through
to the Plate A competition where
they dominated and collected
winners shields. The second pair,
Eve Cowan and Ellie Frith made it
into the knockout rounds, losing to
Shrewsbury’s third pair, but going
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Sport
Cross Country
By Emma Morley
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Wulfrunian 2014
Rounders
Black Country Games
The season had a slow start but with over 45 fixtures
to be completed by the end of June the girls certainly
got busier! The seniors squeezed in two matches
against Bablake and Stafford Grammar before they
left for study leave and whilst only competitive friendly
games still secured 2 wins and a loss across the
games. The junior year groups all have a and b teams
entered into the league. The first few results are in
with wins by the 8b and 10b against Moseley Park
and Aldersley High; a draw for the 7b team against
Moseley Park and a win for the 9a team against
Coppice High. Saturday matches against Stafford
Grammar finished as wins for the 10a and 8a teams; a
draw for the 8b team and a narrow loss for the 9a.
It seemed bizarre to be coaching netball again in
June but with the Black Country Championships
being hosted at the Walsall campus, the Year 7A
team headed over to represent Wolverhampton.
The Year 7A team played against top schools
from Walsall, Dudley and Sandwell. They faced
Aldridge school in the final whom they had lost
to in the group stage. The girls were victorious in
the final winning 7 - 2 and were crowned Black
Country School Games Champions. The Year 9A
rounders squad represented Wolverhampton in
the Games and were victorious against Ellowes
Hall in the final winning 11 - 10.5.
All of the league matches for all the teams were
played over the latter end of May and start of June.
The 7A, 8A, 9A and 10A teams all finished top
beating all of their opponents, which included the
Girls High, Ounsdale, Codsall, Perton, OLSC and
the Royal School.
The 8Bs won all of their league games against
Aldersley, Moseley, St Peters, Smestow, NEWA and
Deansfield finishing top of their league.
Following submission of results the Year 7A played the
Year 7B in their semi final with the A team winning and
going on to victory in the final against the Girls High to
be crowned city champions. 8B and 9B teams played
WGHS in their semi finals and sadly lost in both games.
Year 8, 9 and 10A teams all played Smestow in their
semi finals and beat them convincingly, however this
year all teams sadly lost in their finals coming runners
up this season. Well done to all girls.
Representative Honours
Mia Foster selected and represented England U13
rounders.
Emilia Moxey & Lucia Hoddell (Year 8) selected for
South Staffordshire County netball squad.
National Rounders Finals
Jordan Russell and Alex Bryan (Year 7) selected
for South Staffordshire County netball squad.
A mixed squad of Year 11 – 8 girls formed the U16
squad to compete in the National Finals in Corby. The
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76
girls faced some tough opposition in the group stages
Morwenna Hughes (shot), Jada Nesbeth (long
and whilst nerves were rife they performed very well
jump), Elycia Thacker (200m), Saroop Sangha
winning one game and losing two. A learning curve for
(shot) and Geneva Hoffman (high jump)
all the girls and captained by England player Megan
represented Wolverhampton in the West Midlands
Griffiths the girls should be proud of themselves and
Athletics’ Championships.
look forward to next season.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Our alumni community of Old Wulfrunians
continue to amaze us with their
achievements and ongoing connections
with the school.
the school. Details of how to reserve
your place at the annual Old Wulfrunians
Association Dinner on Saturday 7th March
are provided on page 87.
This year, we have included profiles of
Nik Zeps (1988), Clive Vickers (1985),
Aran and Karan Batth (2012) and Mervyn
King (1966) as well as contributions from
a range of OWs with memories of life at
school and beyond.
To help mark 100 years since the
outbreak of World War I we have
also included special features on our
contribution to the Great War as well as
a moving tribute to all students and staff
who lost their lives during World War I and
World War II.
The Old Wulfrunians Association and Club
have also included some background
information about their history, together
with details of their ongoing role with
Special tributes are also made to those
OWs who have sadly died this year.
Dates for your Diary
London Reunion:
Thursday 26th February 2015 at Merchant Taylors’ Company, London from 5.30pm.
Please contact Gail Evans [email protected] for further details.
Old Wulfrunians Association Dinner:
Saturday 7th March 2015 in Big School (please see page 87 for more details).
Old Wulfrunians Sports Festival:
Friday 11th September (golf) and Saturday 12th September 2015 (at school).
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Old Wulfrunians
Old Wulfrunians
77
Wulfrunian 2014
Where are they now?
for the latest news, event invites and
One former student who did
opportunities to stay connected to
just that is Nik Zeps. We took
We have a growing worldwide alumni
Wolverhampton Grammar School
the opportunity to ask him a few
community in over 30 countries.
and each other. If you would like to
questions about his experience at
Your relationship with us continues
update us with news of where you
school and what he’s up to now:
long after you leave our school so
are and what you’re up to contact
make sure you keep checking back
Gail Evans email: [email protected]
Nik was a student at WGS between 1981-1988. He is currently living in Perth, Australia with his family and working as
a Director of Research at a large private hospital where his research interests include cancer research and medical
ethics. He would be happy to hear from any fellow Old Wulfrunians who are currently living in the SE Asia, Australia,
Tasmania areas. Please contact Gail Evans if you would like to get in touch and we’ll pass your details on.
Why Wolverhampton Grammar School?
“Education was very important to my parents and
grandparents, all of who were refugees after World War
II from Latvia. After losing all their material possessions
and positions in society they knew that the only way up
was through a sound education. Luckily both my brother
and I had a genuine interest in the world around us from
an early age and some aptitude at mathematics.
After moving to Willenhall in 1978 we attended Perry
Hall Junior School. In our final year my parents told us
that we were to take the 11+ for entry to the Grammar
School. We didn’t really comprehend what that meant
and there was no preparation for it that we were
aware of. I don’t recall having expressed a desire
to go, as I didn’t know it even existed. However, my
parents had said that we should give it a go and see
what happened. It wasn’t until we had secured places
that my parents began to discuss the benefits of an
education within the Grammar School system.”
My School experience
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78
“I do remember being fitted for the school uniform and
thinking it was all very posh. The fuss being made at
the outfitters gave me the first real sense that others
thought I was going somewhere special. The reaction
at my old school was one of either indifference or
being now seen as ‘other’. So it was with some relief
to meet all the new boys on our first day and to realise
we weren’t alone. A few boys came up from my old
area and that helped a bit. The first years were a bit
of a blur and I don’t recall very much about them, but
around the 3rd year things seemed to settle into a
proper shape. I remember enjoying the subjects I was
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good at and in particular science, where Mr Belcher
would do the kinds of things that occupational Health
and Safety would forbid now but were somehow great
fun at the time. I remember the first winter in 1981
particularly well as events like snow (when you could
snowball!) and the school carols at Christmas made
me feel like I was part of a special world.
Once I understood the sacrifice my parents were
making to send me there I knew I had to make the
most of my opportunities, but that wasn’t hard as I
freely confess to being a nerdy swat who studies for
fun. I wasn’t a natural at every subject and always
had to make an effort, but that somehow made the
achievements, when they came, all the more sweet.
I do remember the teachers really being committed
to our education and to helping wherever they could.
It may be a bit unfair to single individuals out but
Graham Lewis was an inspiration for making me do
the best I could in Mathematics, Tony Duffield and the
late Brian Hopton did likewise in Biology and Tony
Page, Jim Chugg and Tim Browning gave me a real
sense of enjoyment for geography that I still retain
(Tim I actually remember your lesson on Perth’s
climate one lesson although at the time I had no idea
what it meant). In the later years Rugby became a
core part of school life and a great deal of enjoyment
which is now lived vicariously through supporting
Australia (yes even when England beat them in the
world cup). Johnny Johnson was (and remains) a
role model and our gym club every lunchtime with
my brother and Richard Yarwood gave me a love for
fitness that has thankfully stayed with me.
The Sixth Form was notable for the intake of
girls (still a novelty then) and a greater sense of
Wulfrunian 2014
I still keep in touch with several
‘boys’ from my year and a number
have come to visit me in Australia.
Rich Hughes, Neil Kells and Nick
Morgan have all passed through
Perth. Whenever I am back in the UK
I try to get back to have a drink with
them all, especially if they can get
a hall pass for the night (that’s you
Mark Stephenson!). Wayne Stanford
keeps threatening to come out to
Australia and I hope he will before
too long. I’m really pleased that I am
in touch with many of the teachers
I mention above and in particular
have enjoyed catching up with John
Johnson these last few years.”
Life after School
“After leaving School, I went on to
study Medicine at King’s College
London. During my studies I
decided to switch to a pure
science degree and graduated in
1992 with First class honours in
biology from King’s. I emigrated
to Australia in 1993 where I
took up a research position in
the School of Pathology at the
University of Western Australia. I
undertook a PhD looking at how
hormones work to control breast
development through the Schools
of Pathology and Surgery at UWA
and graduated in 2000. After
a year working in Italy in 2000
I returned to Australia where I
became research manager in
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Old Wulfrunians
awareness about making sure
I did well enough to get into a
good university. I really began
to understand the opportunities
that WGS gave me through
furnishing me with choices.
The worst I had to deal with
making choices between equally
appealing pathways and that is
hardly a bad thing.
79
Radiation Oncology at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, a position I held
until 2008 when I moved to become Research Manager at St John
of God Pathology. I am now Director of Research at St John of God
Subiaco Hospital.
I enjoy living in Perth with my family and it is a beautiful, clean and
relatively safe place to live. Like many Australian cities it is a coastal
city with stunning beaches and rivers. Some may feel it is too isolated
(it is one of the most isolated cities in the world being 1,300 miles
to the next city), but that is part of its appeal. I am certainly used to
commuting the 4 - 5 hours each ways to other Australian cities as part
of my work. It was voted the 9th most liveable city n the world recently
and it is not hard to see why.”
What advice would you give to a parent of a child thinking of sending
their child to Wolverhampton Grammar School?
“WGS has excellent facilities and wonderful and dedicated teaching
staff. It has a real sense of community and inspires any individual to
really try to achieve their best regardless of their ability. I credit WGS
with giving me many of the skills that have enabled me to make both
the professional and personal achievements I have made and would
certainly send my children there if I lived in the UK.”
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Wulfrunian 2014
Business Focus
In this edition the Wulfrunian is going to put the spotlight on two very different businesses. Clive Vickers (1985) and
Aran and Karen Batth (2012) give us an insight into life at school and what led them to take the plunge into business.
Nu:move Virtual Estate Agents
Aran and Karan Batth (2012)
Aran and Karan Batth were always affectionately
known as “the twins” during their time at the school
between 2007-2012. Even now, the twins are living,
studying and working together in London - Aran is
currently reading Neuroscience at King’s College and
Karan, after spending half a year in Italy on his Gap
Year, is now reading Biomedical Sciences at Queen
you to be busy. We owe a great deal of our success to
Mary, University of London.
the drive that the school has instilled in us.”
Business acumen runs in the Batth family and
Nu:move is a family venture that was created
although they are ultimately destined for medical-
following the realisation that, for some people, there
based careers the enterprising twins have put their
is no longer a need for a conventional High Street
inherited skills to good use this summer by creating a
estate agency. Over 90% of properties are sold online
new nationwide online estate agency called nu:move.
via property portals such as Prime Location and
Zoopla. The Batth family are already sharing in this
“Our friends and teachers will be glad to know we’re still
online movement, working with such companies.
very much a double act, living together in our London
flat” adds Aran “Even thinking of school now gives us
If you have a property to sell or would like to learn
motivation to get going, we dabbled in art, music, drama,
more about nu:move visit www.nu-move.co.uk or
Student Parliament, peer support, language tutoring and
email: [email protected] Aran and Karan would also
leadership projects – the fact is the environment compels
love to hear from old classmates.
Halfpenny Green Vineyards
Clive Vickers (1985)
Even at school, Clive Vickers knew that he was
From humble beginnings of just 400 vines producing wine
destined to work with the land. Attending school in
for family and friends, the venture has now grown into a
the 1980’s, Clive was the first of his farming family to
successful multi-award winning business.
attend Wolverhampton Grammar School. Living just
Old Wulfrunians
80
outside the border in Staffordshire, Clive had to wait
Under Clive’s stewardship, Halfpenny Green Vineyards
until he was 13 to join the school that would give him
on the Wolverhampton/Staffordshire border now
the academic credentials to secure a place at Harper
produces over 80,000 bottles a year and processes
Adams Agricultural College and national acclaim
over 250,000 bottles of wine on behalf of other
playing First Eleven Football and Fives.
vineyards. The vineyard employs 45 staff and is also
home to a shop, restaurant, deli, tea room, catering for
Whilst at school and aged just 16, Clive’s father introduced
every occasion from day trip visitors, wine tasting to
him to his wine growing hobby that was “just for fun”.
wedding parties.
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Wulfrunian 2014
81
Old Wulfrunians
Clive recalls how his schooling helped secure his
At the time it meant a financial sacrifice for the family
place at the agricultural college that in turn would
as the school had just changed to its independent
ensure his father’s business was in safe hands. “I
status, but I never looked back and as well as a great
guess I was destined to follow my family tradition into
education, it nurtured a love of sport that I still hold
farming and my father was adamant that I came to
today.”
Wolverhampton Grammar School because he knew
it would give me the education I needed to secure a
To learn more about Clive’s work at Halfpenny Green
place on a good agricultural course.
Vineyards visit www.halfpenny-green-vineyards.co.uk
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Wulfrunian 2014
World Triathlon Championships
Mike Essex (1992)
Mike Essex qualified for the GB triathlon age-group
team (40-44) and competed in the World Triathlon
Championships in Edmonton, Canada on 29th August
2014. This is his race report.
“The British triathlon federation had booked a package
travel deal with flights and accommodation that meant
I landed on Monday in Edmonton with about 50 other
GBers on my flight. This was great as I only knew one
other person so was able to quickly make friends. This
was easy to do as we had one shared passion and
I loved talking about triathlon 24/7 for a week! More
GBers landed over the next couple of days so that
we had a total of 300 in our party for the 3 events;
aquathlon, sprint triathlon and Olympic triathlon.
My sprint distance race was not until the Friday so
first job was to get used to time difference of being
7 hours behind, closely followed by the second job
which was to build the bike following its journey from
London. Not the easiest job to get right as I have
been professionally fitted to the bike and wanted to
get all the measurements correct.
The next couple of days were spent finding friends, going
for spins on the bike and making sure I tapered correctly
so that I did not overdo it and get too tired. And also
explored Edmonton; to be honest does not take long but
the Canadians are the friendliest people on earth and I
was often stopped for a chat when wearing my GB kit.
The day before the race was when it really got going
and the tension and excitement began to mount.
Morning was taking the bike to the venue and it was
Old Wulfrunians
82
just unbelievable seeing the carbon speed machines
being racked along with the some incredibly lean
and ripped human machines! Still, that is it what I had
come here for; to pitch myself against the best and
see what damage I could do. Racking was followed
a few hours later by a 'parade of nations' in the city
square. On paper, sounded horrendous but duly
donned the GB kit and was knocked out by how
good it turned out to be. All 4,000 triathletes from
70 countries lined up and we paraded around the
city being led by horses and bag pipers. Cheered on
by the locals we ended up in the Churchill square to
music, a fly past by a Canadian jet fighter. "Noisiest
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Wulfrunian 2014
On race day I got up at 5am having had the usual awful pre-race night sleep, got changed and
started my mental preparation routine. This means plugging in the iPod and playing a song
selection that act as audio triggers to get me in the zone - get goose bumps every time and
felt incredibly up for it. And then I suddenly and surprisingly got hit with waves of emotion as it
struck me how much work, training and sacrifices had gone into the last 8 months to get me
here and the amazing support I have had from friends, family, PwC, sponsors and Viceroys
triathlon club. I managed to hold myself in check but was determined to use that emotional
energy positively. Then I visualised the race and started constructing a selection of mental
images to use on the start line and during the race which I know gets the best out of me (my
degree in psychology certainly helps me to get mentally exactly right on race day).
We got to the venue and then lined up with my new GB team mates and loved having
Mark Yeoman (Chairman and coach of my triathlon club and was 1st Brit) in my wave. He
had been very generous with his tips in the days leading up to the big day which I really
appreciated and we were both nervous but 100% up for it. Lined up for the swim and then
bang, klaxon goes and into the washing machine I dived. Total relief when I realised that
my goggles had stayed on and then I started motoring. After 200m things had calmed
down and then I went to put the group swim training into practice and went to find some
feet. Managed to do so, felt I was mid pack and was fairly calm and just glad to be
underway. Exited the water in a time of 12:37 which I was happy with considering this is my
weakest discipline. Legged it into T1 which was a long old stretch, jumped on the bike and
looked forward to putting the hammer down on the lovely resurfaced road surface.
'Whatever you do, do not blow a gasket on the first steep hill' is what I had promised
myself, yet got over excited over taking loads of bikes up the hill and gasket duly blew.
Managed to recover quickly and had a cracking battle with about 5 other GBers, and
started to really fire up the V8 turbo diesel. By lap 2 I had shaken 3 of the Brits and began
a right old ding dong with an Aussie called Grice, or 'Gricey' as I nick-named him. Managed
my effort miles better on lap 2 and sped into T2 with a 33:21 split (19th in AG).
Slipped on the trainers and was looking forward to the run, my strongest discipline, so
the 500m run in T2 to the start of the 5k was fine by me. Felt good and then knew I had
to start reeling in the boys to get up the finish list. Got into stride relatively quickly and
shook off 1 Brit who had left T2 with me and then locked onto the next 2 Brits I could see
in the distance. Reeled them both in by the last 1km which was so satisfying and then
spotted Gricey ahead and tried desperately to catch him to no avail as the old legs were
hurting big time. Hit the blue carpet and was greeted by a wall of noise with a massive GB
contingent and unbelievably fantastic support from the grandstand. Felt like a pro!!!!
Crossed the line knowing I had emptied the tank and could not have given any more.
23rd out of 86 (BEST IN THE WORLD TRIATHLETES!!) and 5th Brit out of 17. Way above
my expectations and one of the best experiences of my life - totally recommend it to any
triathletes - believe in yourself and give qualification a try.”
Official results and videos can be found here: http://edmonton.triathlon.org/ If you would
like to know more about Mike and his training around work and family or more about
qualifying for the event itself then please do contact him at [email protected] or follow
Mike on twitter @mike_triathlon
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Old Wulfrunians
and most up for it nation" Award goes to Mexico by a mile; those boys and girls know how to
party! We then went to a conference centre to have the traditional pasta dinner.
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Wulfrunian 2014
There’s More to School than Studying
By Mervyn King (1966)
Former student and Governor of the Bank of England,
Mr Polack was in his thirties when he taught me
Mervyn King remembered Mr Polack – his favourite
and had a wife and children. He was very tall and
teacher from Wolverhampton Grammar School in an
somewhat angular, with shortish hair. But it wasn’t his
August edition of the Times Education Supplement.
physical appearance so much as his personality that hit
“I didn’t have any particular ambitions at school – I
you. He talked very quickly and there never seemed
had far too much fun doing academic work and
to be any “down” periods to his energy and intellect; I
drama, and playing chess and cricket. We all assumed
can’t remember a time when he didn’t look alert.
we would find a job after going to university and were
He didn’t advise me to pursue a particular career path.
not into career planning.
He believed that if you continued doing your academic
I attended Wolverhampton Grammar School from
studies and leisure activities to the best of your ability,
1959 to 1966. This ordinary state grammar was
you would find out what you wanted to do.
extraordinary in terms of the quality of its teachers.
They were outstanding educators who were experts
Maths was my favourite subject at school, but at
in their subjects and typically had very good degrees
university I didn’t want to study pure maths. I was
from Oxford or Cambridge.
looking for an applied dimension to the subject and
economics seemed the right choice.
The teachers wanted to develop young people as
individuals and not just tick off items on a curriculum.
I have been back to Wolverhampton Grammar
They would teach their own academic subject but outside
School, which is now independent, a few times to
school they would organise activities such as cricket.
speak to students and also on its 500th anniversary
two years ago. I did see Mr Polack from time to time.
It was this experience that taught me what an
I visited him at his home about 10 years ago, after
enormous role sport can play in developing talent,
I became governor of the Bank of England. I don’t
which is why I am a patron of Chance to Shine,
think he was particularly impressed with my career.
a campaign set up in 2005 that has brought
Mr Polack expected all his students to excel, as he
competitive cricket into thousands of state schools.
himself did. Sadly, he died in 2006.
The teacher who inspired me the most was a man called
Teaching was a job that had very high esteem in the
Bennie Polack. He taught me Latin and Russian, which
local community when I was at school. My teachers
I can speak a little. Mr Polack was an extraordinary
were from a generation where the brightest and best
individual and the qualities he exhibited were enormous
went into the profession. Finland has a successful
intelligence and enormous drive. He was also a very
education system because that still happens there.”
positive person; you got pulled along by his positivity.
Lord King was speaking to Adeline Iziren. He is
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He ran the chess society and was part of the team that
president of schools’ cricket campaign Chance to
organised cricket. He also started a debating society.
Shine, which aims to give all children the opportunity
Mr Polack didn’t drop something else to get that going:
to play and learn through cricket. Find out more at
he worked very hard and expected us to do the same.
www.chancetoshine.org
He combined encouraging with pushing, which helped
Read the complete article here: http://www.tes.co.uk/
us to perform at our very best.
article.aspx?storycode=6439824
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Wulfrunian 2014
Old Wulfrunians
Old Wulfrunians Sports Festival
By John Johnson
The event began on the Friday with Jim Mills’ now
established golf tournament, held at South Staffs . It
was such an enjoyable afternoon and the tournament
deserves to grow in numbers. Those that took part
had a great day and congratulations to Tim Heap who
won the coveted trophy.
The weather gods smiled upon WGS again and this
year’s tournament was played in glorious sunshine.
There were not as many teams as last year but still a
good turnout of over 200 OWs took part in football
and netball tournaments.
The day started with the traditional minutes silence in
memory of Richard Wright and other OWs we fondly
remember and of course, our beloved Andy Proverbs.
The reigning Champions, the mighty staff team, had
decided not to enter this year, just to give our OW
teams a chance. The football was competitive to say
the least as once again my plea to play “gentlemen’s
football” fell on deaf ears as usual. There were many
parents there supporting which was so good to see
and will always be welcome at the festival.
As the football tournament developed the netball was
in full swing. If you think that it is only the boys who
get competitive then you would be mistaken, Our girl
OWs are as competitive as the boys and that goes for
the staff too. Whoever wins the netball tournament
has earned it the hard way. The school has produced
so many good netball players thanks to Sheila
Griffiths initially and the mighty inputs of Heidi Dalzell
and Ali McAllister (I cant think where the girls get their
competitiveness from, can you?)
The football final was played between Tom Husselbee’s
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X1 against Tommy Johnson’s stalwarts. The result was
decided on penalties with Pretty Boy, Stuart Skitt netting
the decider. Huss’ boys can feel proud of the level of
football they played throughout the tournament . TJ’s
boys should be applauded for not missing a tournament
since they qualified as OWs in 2002. Special mention to
Vishal Dhieman, who flew in from New York just for the
tournament. What a legend.
The Richard Wright X1 continue to honour their
commitment to this tournament. For those of you
who are unaware that the tournament was going on
before Richard’s tragic accident flying an RAF jet and
in fact Richard used to fly in from Iraq by jet, park it at
Cosford, play football, come to the dinner, have few
beers, recover and then fly back.
The dinner in the evening was not as full as the previous
year but still very worthwhile. The food was good, the
Big Band outstanding (Prov would have been so proud)
and the company outstanding. Cuthers rendered the
school song (Jerusalem of course) in his unique style.
The Royal Oak was then invaded and captured by the
WGS OW army for some political debate.
This is such a unique event and so classically WGS
and it needs supporting and nurturing and so it is vital
that we have as many OW drivers as possible, by both
sporting and Big Band OWs. Watch out for next year’s
golf tournament and sports festival on the website and
let us try and make them the biggest ever.
Wulfrunian 2014
Old Wulfrunians Association and Club
The origins of the Association are lost in the mists of
time, but early editions of The Wulfrunian indicate that
cricket and football matches were being played by Old
Boys in the 1880’s. In due course the Old Wulfrunians
Football Club was formed by John Yeatman, the first
Secretary, and he was mainly responsible for its early
success. Sadly, he did not live to see its steady growth,
since he was one of the 105 Old Boys and Masters
who gave their lives in the Great War.
An Association of sorts slowly evolved in the early
part of the 20th Century and the earliest minute book
(c.1922) in our possession reveals a proposal for the
more formal organization of the OWA. It states:“The scheme is intended finally to unite all Old Boy
Organisations and to consolidate them in a much
closer spirit than heretofore. The scheme requires the
co-operation of the existing OWA, the Raynor Club
and the Old Boys’ Football Club.”
A meeting held at the Victoria Hotel on 17th May
1923 reviewed the progress made in the formation
of the OW Cricket Club, including a request that
all Football Club members join that body, and also
instructed the Secretary of the Football Club to
apply to the Birmingham AFA for affiliation thereto.
Watson Caldicott Esq. was to be asked to be the
first President of both sporting bodies, with Messrs.
Crickmay and Robinson to be appointed Honorary
Vice-Presidents of the Cricket Club.
The scheme was finally adopted at the AGM held at the
Star and Garter Hotel on 2nd January 1928. The first
reported Annual Dinner was held the next evening.
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Since those far off days the Association has
continued to flourish. Its fortunes have been
inextricably mixed with those of the original sporting
bodies, together with the Hockey Club and the Golf
Society. For many years the focal point of the social
side of OW life was centred on the facilities enjoyed
in the rented rooms on the top floor of Barclays Bank
in Queen Square. In truth, this was actually the home
of the Old Wulfrunians Club, but the Association was
based there and the liaison between the two has
always been an integral part of the success of both.
Meanwhile, the sporting bodies had a somewhat
nomadic existence until, shortly after the end of
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World War II, the far-sighted committee sanctioned
the purchase and development of the Castlecroft
Memorial Grounds. In due course the Clubhouse
was built and opened in September 1967, whilst the
playing fields were also extended. For a while the
pitches were shared by the three sporting bodies,
until the requirement of Astro Turf surfaces heralded
the departure of the Hockey Club.
Although the Association continued to organize its
Annual Dinners and generally oversee the sporting
activities of OWS, for several years it was, to some
degree, a dormant body. This changed in the early
1990’s, when it was decided to re-activate it as a
more vibrant operation.
A nominal subscription was introduced; a determined
drive to recruit members was launched; an income
stream instigated and an annual magazine produced.
All this has proved to be very successful and it has
led to a greater interest in Old Wulfrunian activities.
Prior to the school achieving independence and
the subsequent introduction of co-education, the
membership was automatically all-male. However,
there is a determination on the part of the School
and Association that this should change and we look
forward to the time when ladies play an important
role in the Association. This, hopefully, will not just
be on the social side, but the introduction of ladies
sporting activities would be a welcome addition to
the range of interests for all former pupils.
As evidence of this desire a school-leavers scheme
was introduced in 2013 and as a result all leavers
receive 10 years membership of the Association.
Furthermore, they are also entitled to use the Club
facilities at Castlecroft and we hope that they will
find this to be an ideal meeting place, where they
are assured of a warm welcome. There is a lounge/
bar, where Sky television is available for the sportsminded, a snooker room and a function room which
can be used, at no charge, for a variety of events.
The Club is open every evening from 7pm and
weekends from 2pm, so we do encourage everyone
to take advantage of their membership and make the
occasional visit.
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Details of the Club and the various sporting bodies can
be found on their websites and in the near futures there
will be a direct link to these via the school website.
In essence, the future, not only of the Old Wulfrunians
organisations in their various guises, but also, indeed,
the School, will be that much more secure by the
ex-pupils automatically gravitating to their ranks. The
school provides a superb basis for its pupils to embark
on successful careers and it would seem appropriate
to assist in ensuring that future generations enjoy the
same privilege, whilst, at the same time, sharing the
pleasure of belonging to its alumni Association.
Old Wulfrunians Association Annual Dinner Saturday 7 March 2015
The Old Wulfrunians Association 2015 Dinner will be held in Big School on
Saturday 7 March 2015. OWs are invited to assemble from 6.45pm for dinner
to be served at 7.30pm.
Places are reserved very much on a first come first served basis and the cost of dinner is
£28 exclusive of drinks. No tickets will be issued this year but receipt of your application
will be acknowledged either by email or post. Dress will be lounge suits for gentlemen and
cocktail dresses for ladies.
The dinner is open to all Old Wulfrunians, Governors and staff (past and present) and friends
of the school, whether members of the OW Association or not. If you would like to attend the
dinner please contact Stuart Ross by 1st February 2015 email: [email protected]
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As mentioned earlier, Castlecroft is the home of
Old Wulfrunians cricket and football and we would
be delighted to see more youngsters joining those
clubs, whilst the hockey club always affords a warm
welcome to those wishing to join their ranks.
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David Hill (1962) MBE
Old Wulfrunian Colonel David Hill, chairman of the
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association
(SSAFA) West Midlands North branch was made an
MBE in June, 2014.
He joined the charity, which provides support to exmilitary personnel and their relatives, in 2001.
Col David Hill said he had been “shocked” to receive
the honour. Col Hill, from Wolverhampton, said he
thought the letter informing him of his honour “was
a bill” when it was posted to him, but added it was
“mind-blowing” when he realised what it was.
”You don’t do the work we do for reward or recognition
but it’s nice when people think ‘this bloke’s done a
good job’ and honour you for it,” he said.
On behalf of Wolverhampton Grammar School we
would like to congratulate Colonel Hill on his royal
recognition for all his hard work serving SSAFA and
his local community.
Gordon Mullett (1943)
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but not their names. Gordon’s
celebrated his 65th birthday on
Neil Mullett son of OW Gordon
name is also on the Victor
15th July, 1990.
kindly sent this photograph.
Ludorum memorial which is
located in Big School.
If you recognise any of the players
in this picture please contact Gail
His dad is in goal and to his left
is Howard Nutall, Neil recognises
Gordon sadly passed away on
Evans [email protected] who will
some of the other team members
30th September 1990 having
pass on the details to his son Neil.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Finally, I wonder whether there is a connection
between TVs Dad’s Army and Mr R E Holmes
variously nick named ‘Mousey’ or ‘Panic’. Whilst at
Looking back and bearing in mind the time and place
school I was told that he was known as ‘Panic’ after
and having to endure a bunch of carefree school
an incident on a CCF Field day on Cannock Chase, a
boys, George Taylor displayed great forbearance and
group were having a break when someone without
dignity and who introduced us to French literature,
warning let off a thunder-flash whereupon he leapt up
not in the curriculum, making learning languages
shouting ‘Don’t panic’!
interesting and treated 6ML as if we were growing up
a bit and deserving of a bit of latitude.
On another occasion someone said that Peter
Butterworth, a well-known and popular comic
Also Ken Porter who brought English literature alive,
actor was living in one of the houses the other
I am sure his teaching improved my exam prospects
side of Moreton’s Piece. Captain Mainwearing like
in English A level, and also French and German. He
‘Mousey’ had a moustache, and a hat often not
helped launch my career and told me I would get in
entirely horizontal. George Taylor lived nearby and
the First XI Football team if I learnt to kick with my left
sometimes made observations re other masters…
foot, which I did, following Tony Phillips at left back.
fondly remembered.
I Got Into Trouble
Over This Photograph
By Michael Clewett (1960)
I’m always delighted to receive my
copy of the Wulfrunian magazine,
and in particular very interested in
the photographs that are published.
I so much enjoyed the cadet corps
and recognise from the last edition
of the magazine the photo of Messrs
Holmes, Merrett (my fifth form
master), Bowen (my upper third form
master) and, as if one could ever
taken in the same place and I assume at the same time, 1958. The location is
forget, RSM Simpson. Mr Bowen had
the field to the south of the then former headmaster’s house and bounded on
been attached to the Ghurkas and
the side by Ferdinand Rusk’s Music Hut and the indoor rifle range.
occasionally entertained us boys to
demonstrations of kukri throwing.
I got into trouble over this photograph, I am second from the right in the middle
row. I had purchased what I thought was a superior silk version of the school
The photo was however only half
tie from Beatties, but it was only after the picture that it was realised the stripes
of the boys in the house, and I have
went in the opposite direction. I forget the punishment! Probably half garrotting
pleasure in adding my precious
with the offending item. Again there are many familiar faces but no names.
photo of the other half. If you look
carefully at the Silver Birch tree to
Michael has kindly sent the offending photograph, enjoy guessing the
the right it can be seen that this was
names to the faces.
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Of These Masters Who Taught Me
By Mike Flamank (1960)
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A Little Past History
By Geoffrey T Ensor (1940)
The story begins in July 1938, at the time of the Munich
crisis. As a pupil fourteen years and four months
old, at the end of my third year at Wolverhampton
Grammar School, the Second Master, (Deputy Head),
Mr Brogden, asked for volunteers to work unpaid for
the benefit of the community during the school holiday.
This turned out to be stacking cartons of gas masks,
under the watchful eye of PC Ike Howells, a wellknown character of the Wolverhampton Police Force,
in a disused factory in Raglan Street.
When the job was completed we were asked by Mr
Brogden if we would volunteer as messengers in the
Auxiliary Fire Service which was being formed in case
war came, which several of us did. Mr Brogden was in
charge of one of the Auxiliary Fire Stations. At that time
we had to know where all the AFS Stations were. In
addition to knowing all the streets, we had to learn the
patrol route clockwise and anti-clockwise in our particular
area. The idea of the patrol route was that tenders and
trailer pumps would go clockwise round the route, the
messengers anti-clockwise, the route being designed
so that one either travelled along a street or road, or
was able to look up the length of any not actually driven
along, and so be able to go to the fire if the pump crew
saw it first, or be directed to it by the messenger if he did.
The outbreak of War. At that time, with other
messengers I operated from the AFS Headquarters
in Chubb’s works in Railway Street, a building still
standing today. It was there, in the canteen, on Sunday
September 3rd 1939 that I listened to Mr Chamberlain
announcing that we were at war with Germany. I was
sent home to have my lunch, and then to report to No.
5AFS station at the Imperial Dairy, Trysull Road, and
Merry Hill, which was sited where Atwell Park is today.
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etc., and the other two crew members being in the
driving compartment.
The station develops. In the early stage, there were
six or so full-time firemen, the remainder being parttime, who were rota’d for night and weekend duties. It
wasn’t long before an old Sunbeam car was brought to
the station to be converted into a tender by the station
staff, who made it a much more attractive vehicle than
the old Austin. As time went by, built onto the existing
accommodation where an office, a billiard/snooker
room, and a four bay garage for the appliances, of
which I think were two Coventry Climax pumps, and
two the smaller Beresford Stork pumps. The full time
staff was increased to about fifteen including the
station officers and clerical staff, but part-timers made
up a larger proportion of the total strength.
The heavy snowfall. In January 1940 there was a heavy
snowfall. Rotas still had to go out, and it was after
delivering them, I decided my bike needed an overhaul.
It was whilst doing it that I found that the seat tube
had been broken just above the bottom bracket, and
only the brake attachment was holding it in place. As
a result I managed to persuade my father to buy me a
three gear Derailleur Sun racing cycle, on the basis that
I would be leaving school in July and would be able to
pay him back. Incidentally, that bike accompanied me
on many of my travels in the Royal Navy, including on
board my last ship, HMS Jason, which was on Fishery
Protection duties in the North Sea. It was nearly lost
overboard when being lowered into the ship’s boat as I
was leaving the ship, which was anchored off Whitby.
I arrived at the station, reported to a Mr Tom Barnett,
who was the officer in charge, and was promptly
told to join the men who were filling sandbags. The
station consisted of two old motor bus bodies which
were linked together, and which had been the living
quarters of the lady who owned the dairy. Memory
Training. In the early days, training took up a lot of
the time, learning how to run out hoses, starting and
priming the pumps etc. Pool Hall Lake was used as
a change from the station’s static water tank, great
fun being had on the occasion when we took the
firewomen down there to give them an idea how
the pumps were used. The messengers’ main duties
initially were taking messages between headquarters
and other stations, and delivering rotas to the part-
tells me that at that time there was only one pump
which was towed by an old, gate gear change, Austin
saloon, the read of which had been modified to carry
three of the crew, and all the horses, branches, ladder
timers. One part time fireman who was called up, the
late Stan Evison, still had the last one I delivered to
him before he joined the RAF. When the sirens were
sounded, the pumps and messengers began their patrol
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Old Wulfrunians
route duties, but it was soon realised that since there
was no guarantee that bombs would be dropped in our
area, it was a waste of petrol, and so was stopped.
Messengers were encouraged to train with the firemen,
and apart from learning about the pumps, branches,
suction hose, running out hoses etc., we learnt how to tie a
variety of knots. To prove we could tie a round turn and two
half hitches blind-fold, we had to climb a ladder to the top
of a structure, tie the rope around it, and then climb down
the rope. Possibly a year later, I jumped from a second floor
window of a house in Castle Street into a sheet held by
firemen, and was also carried down a fire escape ladder
from the top of the Penn cinema, by a fireman who had
just been carried down by another fireman, and who got my
legs entangled with the wires which were part of the ladder’s
construction. I wonder what health and safety would say
today. By June 1940 the messengers had performed a Five
Ma Wet Drill in fifty seconds, which was considered a good
time for firemen. It was sometime after this that we had our
AFS Messenger Uniforms.
Geoff Ensor as a Junior Fireman, taken on 24th
January 1943, two days before joining the Royal Navy.
Messengers at No. 5 Auxiliary Fire Station, at the Imperial Dairy, Merry Hill on 23rd June, 1940, who completed
a Five Man Wet Drill in 50 seconds, which was considered a good time. From left to right, Ted Gunning,
David Aggleton, Geoff Ensor, Roy Fletcher and Wallace Evans. The three in the centre were all pupils at
Wolverhampton Grammar School.
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OWs in the Great War
The Urge to Serve
The July 1914 Wulfrunian contains a charming article
The OWs who volunteered for active service at the
entitled ‘An Easter Holiday in Germany’. It’s a description
start of the Great War encompass a broad spectrum
of a meandering bicycle tour of the Franco-German
of Edwardian society. There were young men like
border country, one of the fault lines of modern
Edward Charles Christian, aged just 19 when he
European history, but it’s utterly devoid of anything
gained his commission on 14 August 1914, a year after
ominous. There’s no sign of the Kaiser or his army,
leaving WGS. Conversely, John Frederick Yeatman,
just the occasional puncture, and a ‘tin box holding
who enlisted the same month, was already 33, and
the sandwiches collapsed, and they became covered
with his receding hair line, he looked older. Both of
with ants.’ These inconveniences aside, there’s spring
these men could look back on very distinguished
sunshine aplenty, cathedrals and countryside, and
sporting careers, with Christian establishing a 10.5
‘innumerable fruit trees all in full blossom’.
second school record for the 100 yard dash and
Yeatman founding the OWs football club. Other
By the July 1915 edition, the mood was changing.
volunteers seemingly lived a quieter life, men like
Page 189 includes a black edged box, listing ‘with
Albert Molineaux, who enlisted in the South Staffs as
sorrow and chaste pride’ the first six OWs to die in
soon as war was declared. He was a pupil at WGS for
the First World War. By the start of the autumn term,
just over a year, from April 1910 to July 1911, not much
the numbers would rise to ten, and then, in a war of
time to make a mark. There were Bilston scholarship
numbers, they’d increase tenfold by the finish. But
boys like Samuel Adolphus Hunt, who worked in
what to say about these men, a century later?
Hednesford after leaving school and joined the navy
in 1915, and men of means and local standing, like
Old Wulfrunians
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There were few common denominators apart from their
Dr. Frank Rhodes Armitage. Cambridge scholar and
willingness to serve. The febrile atmosphere of the first
athlete, Frank is WGS’ Rupert Brooke. He inherited
months of the war prompted a rush to the colours, and
the family medical practice in 1908, he was involved
there’s no reason why OWs should have been exempt.
in local Liberal politics, and there’s an Armitage
Indeed, the December 1914 Wulfrunian lists 134 old boys
trophy held by the South Staffordshire Golf Club,
already in khaki, the April 1915 edition adds 26 more,
where he was Captain and course record holder.
and by July there were five masters on active service.
Beyond this willingness, the WGS of 1914-15, and its
The spirit of volunteering that tied these men
wider community, embodied very diverse lives.
together extended to the furthest corners of the
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Wulfrunian 2014
Job was killed at Hill 60, part of that low ridge of hills
1907, went to Canada in 1912, but when war broke
held by the Germans around Ypres and destined to
out he enlisted as a Private in the Canadian Infantry
become one of the most blood soaked tracts of land
(British Columbia Regiment). On the other side of
anywhere. After enlisting in the Liverpool Scottish on
the world, Adrian Winter, at WGS 1898-1905, joined
the very first day of the war, he took a commission as
the Wellington Infantry Battalion of the New Zealand
a Second Lieutenant in the Royal West Kents. ‘He was
Expeditionary Force and was soon on his way to
the soul of courage’ according to his CO, and after
Turkey. So the urge to serve was strong, but it arose
the war, the memorial depicting St Alban in the church
for different reasons, much dissected by historians.
at Lower Gornal, where his father was the vicar, was
Arthur Molineaux Cullwick volunteered several times
modelled on the features of Bernard Job. There were
but was passed over on medical grounds, even
others: ‘Bob’ Wilkinson, former first XI goalkeeper, shot
when he made a direct approach to the War Office
by a sniper as he carried a plank along a trench. As
for clerical work. When John Kenneth Groves’ first
Jamie Bostock, current goalkeeper, laid a wreath at his
application was rejected, he resorted to farm work
grave in Belgium, I wondered if the height that served
to get fit. It’s tempting perhaps to think that all WGS
Wilkinson on the football field exposed him to that
volunteers were as keen, but it’s probably not true.
sniper. And Mould and Winter’s long journeys ended in
Even so, they served, eventually in their hundreds,
sacrifice, at Ypres and Gallipoli.
and they were still volunteering after conscription was
introduced later in the war.
Alongside the losses, life at school continued with much
normality. Cyril Hurdman’s Wulfrunian editorial of July 1915
With service came sacrifice. OWs fought on land, at
covers the triumph of the Running VIII over Tettenhall
sea, and in the air, and it was in the senior service
College, the new gym, and the dismissal of Worcester
where the first death occurred. After coaling in
GS for 64 before it mentions the war. But it does mention
Glasgow, the armed merchant cruiser HMS Bayano
it, and there are various other references in the rest of
was torpedoed off the Irish coast by U-27 with the
the edition, including a poetic eulogy to the OTC, and
loss of 197 men, including Sub Lieutenant Charles
the casualty list mentioned earlier. It hadn’t been all over
Edmonds Sims, at school 1896-1900. His younger
by Christmas, and, like the rest of the country, WGS was
brother Leonard was also at sea, on the Royal Navy’s
coming to terms with that. Cyril Hurdman, Head Boy,
China station, and had distinguished himself in the
Captain of Cricket and Football, runner, debater and
siege of Tsingtao in the previous autumn. On the
winner of a maths scholarship to St. John’s College,
Western Front, Second Lieutenant Bernard Craig Keble
Cambridge, would be in uniform in time for the Somme.
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‘Lest We Forget’
empire. Harold George Mould, at school from 1902-
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Old Wulfrunians Who Died During WWI
Armitage D W (killed in action 25th
September 1915, aged 22)
Craddock V E (killed in action 20th
November 1917, aged 20)
Gandy C J (killed in action 31st July
1917, aged 27)
Armitage F R A (killed in action 30th
July 1917, aged 34)
Cresswell E A (killed in action 13th
October 1915, aged 32)
Goodyear M H (killed in action 5th
Baker T (killed in action 1st July 1916,
aged 34)
Cullwick A M (killed in action 20th
Griffiths H S L (killed in action on or
around 30th November 1917, aged 38)
Barker J (killed in action 10th May
1917, aged 21)
Davies K (killed in action 5th
Groves J K (killed in action 4th
Barnett W R (killed in action 29th
April 1918, aged 26)
Down R H (killed in action 24th
Groves W N (killed in action 1st July
1916, aged 20)
Beach J N (killed in action 31st July
1917, aged 30)
Duddell A L (killed in action 26th
Hall H G (killed in action 3rd May
1915, aged 21)
Beal A (killed in action 16th May 1916,
aged 23)
Ecclestone E (killed in action on or
around 4th August 1916, aged 20)
Hall A O (killed in action 3rd May
1915, aged 21)
Bendall A C V (killed in action on or
around 1st July 1916, aged 21)
Edkins P E (killed in action 16th July
1916, aged 24)
Harris S C (killed in action 11th
Bigwood A C V (killed in action 11th
March 1917, aged 29)
Edwards E W (killed in action 2nd
Haworth T E C (killed in action 2nd
December 1917, aged 21)
Birch P G (killed in action 24th
August 1916, aged 23)
Fellows A S (killed in action 1st April
1917, aged 22)
Heath T T (killed in action 4th June
1914, aged 23)
Boswell C G (killed in action 14th
Furniss K R (killed in action 29th April
1917, aged 19)
Hewitson B V B (killed in action on or
around 13th October 1915, aged 19)
Butler S M (killed in action 13th
Kevin Furniss’ school reports
remember him as an “earnest
boy of a very amiable and
affectionate nature”. In October
1916 he volunteered for the
Royal Flying Corps receiving his
“wings” in April 1917. Just a few
days later he was flying behind
German lines and was shot down.
Six days later, as a Prisoner of
War, he died of his wounds.
Hinton J A (killed in action 17th
RAF Cosford hold a significant
collection of Kevin’s personal
items including poignant letters
home detailing his training records
and log books. The collection also
includes original photographs and
newspaper clippings reporting his
training and tragic death.
Hunt F H W (killed in action 27th
Castle S (killed in action 16th July
1916, aged 19)
Caswell J R (killed in action 15th May
1918, aged 28)
Cheadle T (killed in action 24th
January 1919, aged 28)
Christian E C (killed in action 11th
Cole L B (killed in action 9th May
1918, aged 36)
Old Wulfrunians
94
Colley T L V (killed in action 12th
Court W N (killed in action 2nd April
1916, aged 20)
Craddock V (killed in action 10th
www.wgs.org.uk
The school also has records of all
previous staff and students who
lost their lives during WWI or WWII.
Please contact the school if you
would like to come in and take a
look at our archives.
t @WGS1512
Hoole L A (killed in action 20th July
1916, aged 23)
Hoole R H (killed in action 21st
Howell G L (killed in action 23rd
Hunt S A (mortally wounded 23rd
April 1917 – exact date of death
unknown, aged 25)
Hurdman C (killed in action on or
around 20th July, aged 20)
Job B C K (killed in action 18th April
1915, aged 27)
Jones E (killed in action 9th October
1917, aged 21)
Wulfrunian 2014
95
Rice E G (killed in action 3rd May
1918, aged 19)
Walton F M (killed in action 21st
February 1919, aged 21)
Lawson L (killed in action on or
around 13th October 1915, aged 19)
Robinson N J (killed in action 4th
June 1916, aged 20)
Warner A F (killed in action 29th
Lewis R (killed in action 30th August
1917, aged 22)
Shaw L G (killed in action 13th
Webb D S (killed in action 21st
Littlehales E (killed in action on or
around 25th April 1918, aged 18)
Silvers F P (killed in action 27th May
1918, aged 25)
West E A (killed in action 18th
Lloyd Parton (killed in action 13th
Sims C E (killed in action 11th March
1915, aged 28)
Wheatcroft W (killed in action 7th
Lovatt J A (killed in action 24th April
1917, aged 29)
Sims L A (died during his journey
home 20th November, aged 27)
Whitehouse H (killed in action 1st
July 1916, aged 21)
Lowder N R (killed in action 3rd May
1917, aged 26)
Smith L (killed in action 16th May
1915)
Wilkes N B (killed in action 29th April
1918, aged 21)
Lowe W N (killed in action 24th
Smith S P (killed in action 28th
Wilkinson G B (killed in action 4th
May 1915, aged 33)
Malet F L (killed in action 4th June
1915, aged 22)
Summers H(killed in action 15th
Willcock F N (killed in action 23rd
July 1916, aged 30)
Mandeville P (killed in action 28th
September 1916, age unknown)
Swallows J R (killed in action 8th
Willcock R C (killed in action 10th July
1916, aged 20)
Mathie W S (killed in action 27th May
1916, aged 28)
Sweeting A E (killed in action 2nd
Winter A (killed in action 29th May
1915, aged 27)
Molineux A (killed in action 28th July
1916, aged 20)
Tatton J M (killed in action 9th
Yeatman J F (killed in action on or
around 9th April 1918, aged 37)
Moore A W (killed in action 28th
Thom R (killed in action 28th May
1917, aged 26)
Morgan P J (killed in action 12th July
1918, aged 22)
Thorne G S (killed in action 18th
Morton J L M (killed in action 22nd
Thorne H U H (killed in action 9th
Mould H G (killed in action 24th April
1915, aged 23)
Underwood G P (killed in action 26th
Murphy G (killed in action on or
around 6th September 1917, aged 23)
Veitch A G (killed in action 23rd April
1917)
Nokes W H (killed in action 26th
Voyce T A (killed in action 9th July
1916, aged 29)
Page R (killed in action 1st July 1916,
aged 23)
Walker J J (killed in action 11th April
1918, aged 29)
Phipps R P (killed in action on or
around 19th May 1916, aged 19)
Walters H (killed in action 25th April
1916, aged 25)
Piper H (killed in action 1st July 1916,
aged 27)
Walters J (killed in action 11th
www.wgs.org.uk
t @WGS1512
Old Wulfrunians Who
Died During WWII
Anderson B S N (killed in action
during 1943 as a prisoner of war,
aged 24)
Arnold D (killed in action 24th June
1942, aged 22)
Badger J S (killed in action 18th
Bailey W H (killed in action 8th
Banks E F (killed in action 28th April
1943, aged 32)
Barrett T J (killed in action 3rd
Beeston A E (killed in action 1st June
1943, aged 25)
‘Lest We Forget’
Kendrick H M (killed in action 18th
Wulfrunian 2014
Beckwith N T (killed in action 29th
Hill R T (killed in action 25th August
1944, aged 19)
Shortland B A (killed in action 27th
Boyd R J (killed in action 6th
Holland A E (killed in action 27th
Smith J (killed in action 16th July
1941, aged 21)
Burgess J H (killed in action 22
Holmes C A (killed in action 16th
Smith N A (killed in action 12
Burton D C (killed in action 9th
Hopkins H J A (killed in action 1st
Southall G (killed in action 22nd
Clark J M (killed in action 21st
Hunter R C (killed in action 22
Stagg M A (killed in action 23rd June
1944, aged 28)
Clarke H T (killed in action 28th June
1943, aged 35)
Jeavons A C (killed in action as a
prisoner of war 2nd September
1943, aged 34)
Stansfield K R (killed in action 20th
Connelly C L (killed in action 9th May
1945, aged 34)
Cooper R F H (killed in action 5th
Corbett E H (killed in action 11th
Creed G (killed in action 23rd May
1941, aged 25)
Dainty E (killed in action 13th June
1943, aged 25)
Davies M C (killed in action 10th
Fellows P W (killed in action 13th
Field D H (killed in action as a
prisoner of war 7th August 1943,
aged 23)
Foster E M (killed in action 26th
Glotham W J (killed in action 1st May
1943, aged 24)
Graham E L (killed in action 19th
Guest P (killed in action 28th May
1943, aged 32)
Old Wulfrunians
96
Hartill J E A (killed in action 23rd
May 1945, aged 23)
Herbert P R (killed in action 29th
June 1942, aged 20)
Kynaston N A (killed in action 15th
Mackenna R A (killed in action 26th
Markham E T (killed in action during
flying training 22nd January 1942,
aged 23)
Mussell White D R (killed in action
24th July 1944, aged 22)
Owen J (killed in action 26th July
1942, aged 21)
Pedley A H (killed in action 30th
Rice W A (killed in action 26th March
1945, aged 38)
Richardson C F (killed in action 1st
Robertson A A (killed in action 9th
Rollinson J D (killed in action 29th
Rowley C A (killed in action 25th July
1946, aged 23)
Rushton W T (killed in action 17th
June 1942, aged 26)
Sambrook W D (killed in action 6th
June 1942, aged 19)
Sharratt L K (killed in action 26th
Hill D A (killed in action 8th August
1944, aged 20)
www.wgs.org.uk
Steward J E (killed in action 4th May
1944, aged 21)
Stocking P (killed in action 8th
Stoy S (killed in action 30th July
1943, aged 26)
Taylor E N (killed in action 24th
Tector L E M (killed in action 8th June
1945, aged 42)
Thomas W J (killed in action 21 May
1943, aged 31)
Timmis W A (killed in action 22 May
1941, aged 43)
Turner H J (killed in action 20th
Turton F P (killed in action 18
Wall C (killed in action 31st March
1940, aged 25)
Wallington W G V (killed in action
30th May 1944, aged 22)
Webb K D (killed in action 28 April
1943, aged 20)
Webster L A (killed in action 26th
Wellings F R (killed in action 14th
Weston S J (killed in action 8th May
1943, aged 26)
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Wulfrunian 2014
Christopher John Godfrey Turner (1959)
Distinguished Byzantinist and Russianist Christopher
John Godfrey Turner (B.A, M.A, Ph.D, Cantab., M.A,
MPhil. Oxon., F.R.S.C.) died peacefully on Tuesday July
30th 2013 of complications of his Parkinson’s Disease
first diagnosed eleven years ago. He was spared both
complete blindness from his advancing glaucoma, and
any degree of senile dementia from his illness. He had
expressed himself as content to depart for at least two
years. This portrait was made in 2003.
Born to Alan Bramwell Turner, a mathematician,
and Alice Mabel Gladys Turner, a modern linguist,
in Walsall, Staffordshire on 23rd April 1935 as their
second child, he was predeceased by both his
parents and by his sister Cynthia Mary. He grew up
in the Black Country, attending for his secondary
schooling the Wolverhampton Grammar School
(1944-54). In that highly competitive environment he
invariably led his class in all subjects, earning from
one of his masters the accolade O si sic omnes! He
was known as “Titch” because of his small stature:
indeed no boy ever rivalled him as the shortest in
his year. He was a keen footballer and prizewinning
runner; he stayed on at W.G.S. after Oxbridge
scholarship entrance for an extra term in order to
attempt a new speed record. His youthful blend of
extraordinary mental energy, physical compactness
and personal maturity made him the model for Chris
Godfrey, hero of Blast Off at Woomera, a young
adult science fiction novel, the first (1957) in Hugh
Walters’ Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. The local
accent of his birthplace still occasionally emerged
even decades later.
After his 1953 A-levels in Latin, Greek and Ancient
History he won a State Scholarship with open awards
for Classics into both Oxford and Cambridge. In
common with other promising linguists he was drafted
for the period of his National Service into the Cold War
Joint Services Language Course, graduating in 1956
as an officer and a fully trained interpreter in Russian.
He remained a reservist for a number of years. His
family church background was in Methodism. During
his National Service he was converted to Jesus Christ
through a relay from a Billy Graham mission.
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He went up to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge in
1956, where he chose to read, not Classics, but the
Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos in Russian and
Modern Greek. He was active in the Methodist Society
and the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union. He
played soccer and ran for the university, gaining a halfblue. He was the most distinguished student of his year
in the Tripos. In 1959 he started work on a late Byzantine
theological subject for his Cambridge Ph.D: his topic
was George-Gennadius Scholarius: Some Aspects of his
Life, Works and Thought. This enquiry took him and his
young wife, Priscilla née Watson (Girton 1957) to Munich
in 1962 for two years’ work as an A. von HumboldtFellow under Hans-Georg Beck. His original work is
still quoted all over the world. The couple then moved
to Oxford for two years. She held the Hall-Houghton
Studentship for Septuagint Studies, which enabled him,
there being no bread-and-butter in Byzantine Studies,
to return to Slavonic Studies via an M.Phil. course and
dissertation in General and Comparative Literature. The
Greek and Roman Classics never ceased to enthral him,
and he was an excellent Hellenist in particular to the
end of his days. He was also a finished theologian and
fine occasional preacher.
Elected in 1966 into the Fereday Fellowship at St.
John’s College, Oxford, and concurrently offered
a promising career in the British Civil Service, he
with his wife decided instead to emigrate to Canada
for employment in a university teaching post. He
taught Russian Language and Literature first at
McMaster University (1966-71) where their first child
was born, and then at U.B.C. (1971-2000) His literarycritical output, in spite of heavy teaching loads in
both institutions, was both large and distinguished,
including Pechorin: An Essay on Lermontov’s A Hero
of our Time (1978); Time and Temporal Structure
in Chekhov (1984); and the definitive A Karenina
Companion (1993). In 1970 he held a British Council
Exchange Studentship at Moscow University. In 197677 he was a Canada Council Leave Fellow and an
Associate of Clare Hall, Cambridge.
His devotion to his home soccer club, Walsall, never
flagged however far away he lived from that club
and its play. He continued for decades to run on the
smooth concrete sidewalks of Second Shaughnessy
Obituaries
Obituaries
97
Wulfrunian 2014
in Vancouver. He served in every possible lay office
in parishes within the Anglican Diocese of New
Westminster, supporting his wife, with whom he
shared many joint endeavours, in building literature
programmes and lending libraries in three local
churches. He taught quite young children in Sunday
school. Lively, indeed animated, discussion of matters
biblical and theological was the rule at their table.
His blend of high academic standards and deep
spirituality was warmly appreciated by generations
of students. Students in any kind of need or trouble
found in him a listening ear and sympathetic heart.
Modest to a fault, he was nevertheless inordinately
proud of the academic and sporting achievements of
Anna Ruth (b. 1967), Dorothea (b. 1971) and of his wife’s
belated D. Phil. (1996). He had been glad of all sacrifices,
and they were many, made for his family. He loved
home life, and marriage was central to him. He loved his
godson William (Bill) Lumley, his nephew Benedict (Ben)
Watson, his son-in-law William (Bill) Morland and his
grandchildren Timothy John and Elizabeth Anna. He still
laughed at other people’s jokes even when his speech
became too impaired for him to make any more of his
own. He loved Jesus Christ above all, and in his final
weeks was still to be found on his knees every morning
with his Bible open before him. Intellectually brilliant, full
of practical common sense and personally holy, he can
never be replaced. He is immortalised as Simon Rivers
in a recent novel by Diana Maryon.
Donations may be made in his memory to the Parkinson’s
Society of Canada, the Wolverhampton Grammar School,
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, St. John’s College,
Oxford, or to the Christian or humanitarian charity of your
choice. The family is grateful to you for your prayers,
sympathy and support in their loss.
Professor Douglas Jones FRS, FRSE (1937)
By Brian Sleeman
Courtesy of the The Scotsman & LMS Newsletter
Douglas Samuel Jones, one of the most outstanding
British mathematicians of his generation, died on 26
November, 2013, at the age of 91.
Old Wulfrunians
98
His deep insight into the theory of electromagnetic
waves and his development of new and exceptionally
powerful mathematical techniques with which to
study them has led to the resolution of problems
of both practical and social importance. His work
is of fundamental importance to the design and
performance of radar antennae in which it is
These studies are basic to the construction of stealth
aircraft whose sharp corners are designed to minimise
the aircraft’s radar signature. In the mid-1970s, when
necessary to optimise their receiving and transmitting
characteristics. Douglas Jones also investigated the
ways in which electromagnetic waves interact with
objects having sharp edges.
supersonic airliner capability was realised with
the design of Concorde, there was much concern
regarding the noise created at take-off and landing
and the impact of “sonic boom” on built-up areas.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Wolverhampton Grammar School, where he became
senior prefect, captain of both chess and cricket as
well as vice captain of soccer.
In order to gain insight into these difficult questions,
Douglas Jones developed a range of new mathematical
techniques and theories. These have become essential
tools with which to solve a wide range of problems
crucial to understanding wave behaviour.
Douglas Jones’ style and approach to mathematical
research is nicely encapsulated by the following
remark of Sir James Lighthill relating to the theory of
generalised functions made at a conference in 1992 at
Dundee University to mark his 70th birthday. It concerns
Douglas’ book The Theory of Generalised Functions.
“I have… been overjoyed that my tiny 80-page
Introduction to Fourier Analysis and Generalised
Functions, which concentrates on functions of just
one variable, has proved to be a suitable appetite
whetting ‘starter’, as it were, leading up to Douglas’
superbly concocted ‘main dish’ in 540 pages which
extends all the results in a comprehensive fashion
and includes the corresponding properties of
functions of many variables.”
This initiative arose, in part, from the development
of the ground-breaking work done by Alan Turing on
biological pattern formation and carried forward by
J D Murray and others.
As a forward-thinking mathematician and scientist,
Douglas Jones realised that the new and rapidly
evolving subject of “mathematical biology” should be
made accessible to undergraduate students.
This led, in 1983, to his co-authored book Differential
Equations and Mathematical Biology. Mathematical
biology 1 is now recognised as a major field of applied
mathematical research and most universities in the UK
and worldwide offer courses in this area to students.
Douglas Jones was born in Corby, Northamptonshire,
on 10 January, 1922. He won a scholarship to
t @WGS1512
He joined the Royal Air Force and in 1942, as
a Signals radar officer with the rank of Flight
Lieutenant, led a research unit of about 100 people
engaged in designing and commissioning new
equipment for night fighter operations.
In recognition of his abilities Douglas was Mentioned in
Dispatches in 1943 and awarded an MBE in 1945. In the
same year he returned to Oxford, graduating MA in 1947.
Following a year as a Commonwealth Fellow at MIT,
Douglas was appointed to an assistant lectureship at
Manchester University, rising to senior lecturer in 1955.
During the 1970s and 1980s mathematicians began
to direct attention to the potential of exploiting
mathematical ideas to answer long-standing questions
in the biological and medical sciences.
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In 1940 he won an open scholarship to Corpus Christi
College, Oxford. As was the experience of many
young men of that period, Douglas’ university career
was interrupted by call-up for war service.
It was during this period that Douglas made
fundamental contributions to diffraction theory and
demonstrated his phenomenal abilities as an analyst.
In 1957 he moved to the Chair of Mathematics at the
University of Keele, where his reputation as a world
leader was established with the publication of his
monumental book The Theory of Electromagnetism.
In 1965 Douglas was appointed to the Ivory Chair
of Applied Mathematics at Queen’s College in the
University of St Andrews, to become the University
of Dundee in 1967, a position he held with great
distinction, serving twice as Head of Department and
as Dean of the Faculty of Science. He retired in 1992,
at which point he was made Emeritus Professor.
During his career his achievements have been recognised
by numerous honours: Fellowship of the Royal Society,
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and
Honorary D.Sc of the University of Strathclyde.
He was also elected an Honorary Fellow of Corpus
Christi College Oxford, recipient of the Naylor
Prize and Lectureship of the London Mathematical
Society, the Marconi Prize of the Institute of Electrical
Engineers, the Balthasar van der Pol Gold Medal of
the International Union of Radio Science and the
Keith Prize of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Obituaries
This prompted an investigation of the noise level
experienced on the ground by a moving acoustic
source and led Douglas Jones to develop a
mathematical theory of noise shielding.
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Wulfrunian 2014
Douglas Jones was a tireless champion and campaigner
for the promotion of mathematics and professional
mathematicians. He was chairman of the University
Grants Committee (UGC) mathematics sub-committee.
Dr Robert Gordon ‘Bob’ Bibby (1960)
By Peter J Schofield
In 1981 he published the controversial report on behalf
of the UGC entitled Whither Mathematics. The report
highlighted the serious problems caused by the bulge in
the 35-45 age group of academic staff reflected in the
boom in recruitment in the 1960s as a consequence of
the Robbins report on university expansion.
educationalist, academic and author who passed
These are the words of Bob Bibby teachers,
away in the Severn Hospice, Shrewsbury, on 6th
June 2014, after a stoical fight against the ravages of
oesophageal cancer.
It was the intervention of Adolf Hitler which prevented
Bob from being born in the Black Country. The
With a predicted fall by 36 per cent in mathematically
trained students it was recommended that these staff
in mid-career be compulsorily retired.
Due to public and academic pressure, no government
action was taken.
Within the wider community Douglas was a founding
member of the Institute of Mathematics and its
Applications (IMA) served on council and was
appointed its president in 1988. It was during his
presidency that he led the negotiations with the Privy
Council which resulted in the IMA being incorporated
by Royal Charter and then subsequently granted the
right to award Chartered Mathematician status.
dislocation of the times forced his father into the
army and his mother of retreat home to Aberdeen,
where Bob was conceived and born; but, aged four,
he returned with his parents to Wolverhampton
and his “glorious entry into the cauldron of the
universe, where I was to learn, unwittingly, to speak a
language that Geoffrey Chaucer would probably have
recognised and where I was to spend virtually the
whole of the remainder of my life.”
Bob was brought up in Penn and educated at
Wolverhampton Grammar School, where in
specialised in Latin, Greek and Ancient History;
unsurprisingly he gained his first degree in Classics
from Durham University. The mental rigour required
Douglas Jones was a very private man, not given to
small talk, but once engaged was stimulating and
amusing company and always happy to engage in the
exchange of ideas. He was an important mentor and
guiding light to young staff and research students,
many of whom have gone onto distinguished careers.
He and his wife Ivy, who pre-deceased him, were a
devoted and mutually supportive team. They were
both very active in the work of Tenovus Scotland and
the World Wildlife Fund for Nature.
to succeed in these subjects formed his intellectual
hinterland and produced an acutely logical and
forensic mind; it formed the academic bedrock of
his aptitude for words and his inquisitive search for
the roots of language; and was the crucible for a
proselytising approach to his love of literature.
Bob spent all of his working life in the Black Country
and was proud of the myriad of jobs that he had:
bus conductor, scout leader, folk singer, pea packer,
parish councillor, hot dog salesman, skiffle group
Douglas Jones was a fine man, a friend and mentor and is
leader, crossword compiler and football team
greatly missed. He is survived by his sisters Dot and Joyce.
manager. Of these the latter always seemed to me
the most incongruous; banal touchline exhortations
would not have tripped authentically from his
loquacious tongue and I fear his half-time team talks,
Old Wulfrunians
100
rather in the style of Albert Camus, would have been
far too existentialist for his audience.
It was in the field of education that Bob made an
enormously influential contribution to the lives
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Wulfrunian 2014
stories of legends including William Perry, Billy Wright,
schools in Rowley Regis and Netherton, eventually
Duncan Edwards, Sir Henry Newbolt, ‘Iron Mad’
becoming Head of English at the Summerhill School,
Wilkinson, James Watt, Jack Judge, James Whale;
Kingswinford. He became a prominent member of
and contemporary celebrities, Steve Bull, Noddy
the National Association for the Teaching of English
Holder, and Meera Syal. Above all he records his
(NATE), contributing articles to its journal, which
conversations with the characters they met on the
he eventually edited; in time he became both the
journey, their thoughts, hopes, fears and aspirations,
organisation’s treasurer and chairman.
and expresses his love of our language: “I think Black
Country speech is wonderful. It has rhythm, it has
As Bob’s career progressed he became Dudley LEA’s
character, and it has great strength. It has greater
English advisor, a schools inspector and, having gained
validity in my opinion than the standard English that
his doctorate, a university lecturer. As an executive
arose from our Norman conquerors.”
member of the National Association of Advisors in
Grey Paes and Bacon became the template for a
English he organised its conference for years.
whole series of guides, The Cakes and Ale series
He was an ardent crusader for the reading of literature
based on one hundred mile odysseys, accompanied
as the route to developing and understanding language,
by another great friend John Rowe: Shropshire
and was firmly convinced that this should be a lifelong
(2005), Worcestershire (2009), Warwickshire (2011)
activity; he was a fervent advocate of education as a
and Staffordshire (2012). Add to these his books on
liberalising, empowering, democratic right.
Hadrian’s Wall, Offa’s Dyke and the River Severn and
one can understand why Bob developed a reputation
After his retirement from his hugely distinguished
as the area’s Bill Bryson; each year a new project,
professional life, Bob devoted himself to his passion
impeccably planned, researched and executed and at
for writing. From his early childhood he had been an
its end an informative, humorous and intelligent guide
assiduous diarist and had written and illustrated many
for the serious and not so serious walker, a product
stories for his own children.
of Bob’s insatiable appetite for ‘knowing why’ and his
ardour for sharing his discoveries.
In 1998 he published the first of his Inspector
Tallyforth series of crime novels, Be a Falling Leaf
In his retirement Bob lived in Bridgnorth on the banks
(now ‘Ofded’); in it he sardonically killed off an
of the Severn, with his second wife Enid, whom he
Ofsted Inspector at a Tamworth high school. The
met through the personal column of The Guardian via
Liquidator (2002) is centred on Bob’s love for the
their mutual affection for the music of Van Morrison;
town of Wolverhampton and its football team. It
they also spent much time at their holiday home in
begins with the discovery of a dead body alongside
Crete. Both locations provided Bob with factional
the Billy Wright statue at Molineux, after the Black
inspiration for further novels Lavington’s Hole (2013)
Country Derby with West Bromwich; Bob’s extensive
is based on an unexplained death dating back to the
knowledge of his home turf allowed him to weave a
Civil War and the Siege of Bridgnorth; Known Unto
detailed and fond backdrop.
God (2011) has its origins in the story of an RAF officer
during the Battle of Crete in May 1941.
In April 2001 Bob produced Grey Paes and Bacon,
his wryly affectionate and informative homage to
Bob produced six novels, four travel guides and five
the Black Country. With his friend, John Gorman, a
walking guides. Characteristically he was working
member of the sixties band ‘Scaffold’, Bob undertook
to the very end and anxious that his final work Dead
a 50 mile circular walk along the area’s canal
Shrimps should eventually be published.
towpaths; along the way they discussed our rich
social, economic and cultural heritage, our beers,
Bob devoted great time and energy to the
and our tunnels. The book is peppered with the
renaissance of The Theatre on The Steps in
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Obituaries
of the people of the Black Country. He taught in
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Wulfrunian 2014
Bridgnorth, which is now a thriving music and arts
about his writings and the creative process, which he
venue; here the aficionado of Alan Bennett displayed
promoted as ‘The Adventures of a Z List Author’.
his talents as actor, director and playwright. Again
in conjunction with John Gorman, he wrote and
He railed vehemently against the vandalism visited
produced Lena (2001) a play based on the true story
on the Black Country by the de-industrialisation
of a Polish girl, Helena Blazusiakowna, who had
policies of the Thatcher era; but Bob never viewed
narrowly avoided the fate of Auschwitz. In 2002
the area as a museum piece. He had a firm belief in
while on holiday in Poland Bob and Enid had met the
its Darwinian vibrancy: “Lye used to be the centre of
composer Henryk Gorecki whose second movement
the chain-making industry, now it’s the Balti capital;
of his Symphony of Sorrowful Songs was a setting of
Brierley Hill used to be known for steel-making, now
a prayer scrawled on a prison wall. Gorecki had failed
it’s a shopper’s paradise. They used to make motor
to find the girl, but tenaciously Bob managed to track
bikes, cars and trolley buses in Wolverhampton,
her down and found her testimony.
now its university is at the forefront of developments
in computing.” Above all, however; he admired its
Bob came in many guises. Had many personas, and
ethnic and cultural mix: “… it’s the people. They’re
was great company. The conversation was always
just wonderfully warm. Despite the bad press, it’s the
informed, witty, stimulating and challenging, its range
people I love best.”
extensive; Bob’s style erudite, calm and rationally
persuasive; he was passionate, but never febrile
Bob Bibby was a scholar and a gentleman: he
or verbose. I never left his home without clutching
will be missed for his intellect, curiosity, honesty,
a pile of books he had heartily recommended and
generosity, humility and humour. He leaves a wife,
generously loaned. Through him I came to discover
Dame Enid, two daughters Jo and Alison and a
authors such as Philip Roth and Jonathan Franzen;
grandson Sol, his ‘little sunshine’.
typically his final endorsement was The Boy with the
Top Knot, by Old Wulfrunian Satham Sanghera, his
memoir of his own Wolverhampton childhood.
There was much of the iconoclast in Bob; always
interrogating the established view, attacking
the vested interest, promoting the case for the
less privileged, the less fortunate, an instinctive
supporter of the underdog. Along with a shared
interest in books, music, politics and education, and
an equal ineptitude in all things practical, we both
possessed an irrational, yet adamant, devotion to
Wolverhampton Wanderers, reflecting on a glittering
past and pondering an uncertain future.
Bob was the real deal: despite all his achievements
he never lost that idiosyncratic Black Country
penchant for self-deprecation; he always willing to
tell a story against himself. He spoke of his group’s
Old Wulfrunians
102
showing a skiffle competition at the Bilston Carnival
in Hickman Park in which they came fourth out of
five; they would have come fifth, but one group was
disqualified for having an amplifier. Bob was also
an accomplished speaker, giving talks to audiences
www.wgs.org.uk
t @WGS1512
Wulfrunian 2014
Jeffrey W Fieldhouse
OW 1957-64
Passed away during 2014.
Cedric T Hucker
OW 1933-41
Ken Leadbeater
OW 1941-49
Ken sadly passed away on 24th April, 2014. Ken made so many life-long
friends at WGS and always wanted to be part of the celebrations. He had
so many memories.
Philip T Moore
OW 1952-60
Philip died on November 23rd, 2014 after a courageous battle with
cancer. He will be sadly missed by family and the members of the Old
Wulfrunians Association.
John B Shanks
OW 1931-40
Sadly passed away November 3rd, 2014.
P Tibbetts
OW 1955-62
Graham Wycherley
OW 1940-44
Sadly passed away July 2014.
www.wgs.org.uk
t @WGS1512
Obituaries
In Fond Remembrance
103
Wulfrunian 2014
Old Wulfrunians
104
Wolverhampton Grammar School Foundation Compton Road Wolverhampton
WV3 9RB 01902 421326
www.wgs.org.uk t @WGS1512 F Wolverhampton Grammar School Official
www.wgs.org.uk
t @WGS1512

wulfrunian 2014 - Wolverhampton Grammar School

Transcription

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