Cambridge Gathering - The Cambridge OSB Group at the Red Lion Granchester (March 2025). John Braithwaite (G 65-69) reports: “Seven OSBs from Cambridge and the surrounding area as far as the Wash returned to the convenient Red Lion Pub in Grantchester, next to the river Cam and famous for the romantic poets like Byron, meeting in the cafe at the apple orchard. There is ample parking, ease of entry from the M1, and the pub has plenty of room. They provided a table in a large room just for ourselves and switched off the piped music.  The last year or so we have been meeting in various cosy central Cambridge pubs, but we decided for our twelfth meeting to return to the Red Lion. There is a rumour flying around that our next get together could be on the Norfolk Broads. Conversation flowed as we shared our, sometimes hilarious, school memories. I found it fascinating, because of the large age differences in our group, that we had memories of the school masters when they were young and single, right up to when they retired! People like Darryl Davies, a legend, who was a schoolboy in my time and retired as a school master in his 70s is fondly remembered by the youngest in our group. Then there is T.A. Brown, Mr Dearle, Tony Coates, the Major, teaching maths in ‘the Tent’, Lem Parkinson, Peter Broadhurst, and so the list goes on. Then there were blue school socks and shorts worn even in the 6th Form, Privilege Tests, gliding, walking across the cricket crease in shoes, punishment runs, from the range triangle up to the lighthouse for the most naughty. One of us will bring the Grindal house punishment book next time. And so the conversations continued. I promised to bring (wear?) my blue socks next time, but not the shorts, while another told of his mother repeatedly knitting on the lower parts of his socks. Finally, we talked about Bren guns, Sten guns and Lee Enfield rifles and shaking the hand of legend Gus Walker.  We probably talked about a lot more, possibly even forgot that we had shared these same memories before, and shared them at the meeting before that! We always meet at 7:30 pm to avoid Cambridge traffic, and midweek when the pubs and restaurants are quieter, (before we get there). We normally meet every four to eight weeks and are very open to other St Beghians to come and join us.”

Pictured L to R: Phil Workman (SH 85-92), Gavin Robertson (G 60-65), Monty Morgan (F 53-58), John Braithwaite (G 65-69), Robert Middleton (FN 50-54), John Wilkin (SH 55-60) and Ken Ho (FS/AC 79-82).

 

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The St Beghian Society    
St Bees School,    St Bees,    Cumbria,    CA27 0DS.

         Tel: (01946) 828093      Email: osb@stbeesschool.co.uk      Web: www.st-beghian-society.co.uk