To all ‘Old Boys’ of St. Edward’s!

 

We would love to hear your memories of the school and to see any old photographs that you may have kept.  Please do e-mail: admin@stedwards.org.uk


 

Memories of St. Edward’s

 

 

I stumbled across your web site and was pleased to find the school is  still prospering. Between 1957 and 1961 I was a pupil there while my parents were on a posting to the UK from Australia. You may be interested in my experience as I was a pupil in the early days of the school.

 

My memories are mostly of the good times.  It was the era of Mr Peach, who I believe was the founder.  He was curious mix of stern and friendly.  I recall being madly in love with Miss Asher.  I think it was Mr Barrett (possibly Deputy) who had a great penchant for new technology and often showed us movies or slides in geography as well as his amazing epidiascope.  He instilled a love of geography and the world that carried me right through secondary school. He also drove an Austin car that would be an absolute classic if still around.

 

The long walk in the cold to the park to play soccer was always light relief from classes.  Being an Aussie, my soccer skills were non-existent and, to the surprise of Peach, my cricket skills were no better!  Lunch time was usually spent in the lower playground chatting to my friends Chris and Peter about the Goon show and ‘scrumping’ apples (Cox’s Orange Pippins I 

recall) from the adjoining orchard.

 

Peter often found ways to spruce up the somewhat bland lunch fare with Oxo cubes and we used to calculate how many hundreds of yards of suet pudding we consumed while at the school.

 

On returning to Australia and to boarding school I performed reasonably well going on to an Economics Degree at University and a career.

 

I think my time at St Edwards prepared me well for later schooling and life. I wish the school well in the future.

 

Stuart Manley

 

 

Just a quick message from one of your old boys. I have been following the history and course of my old prep school through the years and I thought it was high time – 40 years now since I left St Edward’s in July 1960 – I left a little feedback to add to the reports of those other old boys who will remember being a pupil at your school.

First of all, I would like to congratulate Mr G Mottram, Principal and his staff for continuing the traditions and high standards of education of such a good school. St Edward’s surely provided me and my brother (he left two years earlier) with a solid foundation for the further 5 years I spent at boarding school.

Unfortunately, I have lost touch of all the school friends I had in those days, but I shall never forget: the good quality of education; the firm, but fair, discipline and the joys of playing football and cricket in the teams.

The prominent teachers of those days were Mr Peach – what a character and what pride he took in his teaching! He was an oak of a man, a charismatic personality, a great inspirational headmaster.  I shall never forget his love of his garden, the odd canings I got from him(!) and his renditions of ‘Good King Wenceslas’ in the annual Christmas carol concert.  Not to forget also Mr Barrett, a fine man also, a good history teacher and sports master. These were educationalists that one looked up to and respected.

 

I left school to go to University where I studied languages in London.  From there, I went to the Sorbonne where I pursued further study and finally ended up a teacher!

 

I am now living in Germany, married to a German and have one boy - a long way from Reading and Caversham, where I was born and bred, but never too far away to forget the good old times and the pride of wearing the red blazer with the unicorn in summer!

 

Very best wishes to you, Mr Mottram, the staff and the boys at St Edward’s.

Keep up the good work!

 

ad multos annos.

Declan O Connor

 

MR ANTHONY WILSON

We would like to let past pupils and staff know that Mr Anthony Wilson (Tony), a former teacher and deputy head has sadly died recently. Mr & Mrs Wilson spent 20 years living in the school and bringing up three out of their four daughters. His daughter, Helen says she recalls living in the ‘house’ part of the school when her father worked there.
Mr Wilson started his teaching at St. Edward’s in 1962 under Mr Peach, the founder of the school teaching Maths, Scripture and Latin.  In 1974 he became Deputy Headmaster under the new Head Mr Barrett and then in the early 90's under Mr Wall. He retired in 1994 after 32 years of teaching and went to live in Somerset.

We would like send our condolences to Mr Wilson's family at this sad time.



A letter from another' Old Boy' who had a tour of the school recently