School Canal Trip 70-71 - from Dill Holmes

Outside the new dorm.

Keith Ison Steve Mosey second from left middle row Peter Pennington front row with stripped top (his older brother was Vince Pennington). Looks like Steve Harkin front left, his older Brother Rich was also at the school.

David Stuart Bains one front right Harkin and Pennington front on grass Mosey next then left Baguley and Doubleday. The lad behind Mosey is his name Ward.

David Stuart  Dill is that the trip that old Titus Oates fell of the centre beam and broke his thigh which ended the trip at Leighton Buzzard.

Dill Holmes I am sorry I can't remember, the couple of things I do remember are lighting up a fag as soon as you got it in a tunnel, and two boys digging a very shallow hole in the middle of the tow path and emptying the toilet in it

David Stuart Went by train in to London to the British museum


Dill Holmes I think we went from Braunston , the guy on the tiller I think was David Ott, I think the guy on the right in the stocks was called Day,teacher Peter Germaine in the sun glasses

Stuart Tranter What a good time we had. I am the one in the middle of the stock,to the right in the picture is david ott

Dill Holmes Hi Stuart I certainly remember you just couldn't remember your name, probably due to a misspent 70's

Rosemary Webb Rehill  I remember my dad went on one of those trips!

David Stuart  Kempster is the one with his head in stocks

Rosemary Webb Rehill  Pete Germaine!!! Ha!! Those were the days!

David Stuart  (Bottom photo) Clive Kingsley-Smith facing camera Pete Germaine,think one on left is Stuart Tranter one on right name on tip of tongue.

David Stuart Not Stuart Tranter on left. Was his name Rankin?

Dill Holmes Don't think he was Rankin, guy lying on deck I think was Derick Champion , chap on right I think was David Ott.

Dill Holmes On second thoughts you might be right with Rankin, I might be thinking of Harkin?

Canal trip of June 1967 - via Paul Blundell

Paul Blundell This was the canal trip of June 1967. The Beatles 'Sgt Pepper' album was released that week. It was played on the radio when we moored near the Ford Foundry in Leamington and we all listened to it for the first time.

June 1967 Canal trip. Mr Powell steering the boat

June 1967 Canal Trip - Robert Boyce in the foreground

1967 canal trip - John Holliday (?) holding fish

1967 Canal Trip (Paul Blundell pulling the lead rope)

1967 Canal trip - Philip Preedy in the foreground, or was it Victor ? (Twins) 

Ford Plant Lemington

SS Uganda - School Trip

Dill Holmes contributed this photo via the Facebook page. There are more phtos of this trip if you look through the Index on here.

SS Uganda docked at Malaga 1969-1970?

Liverpool to Lisbon to Malaga to Tangiers to LaRochelle then think it was Southampton.

David Stuart Think you are right - 1970. I remember Chris Green nearly through me overboard because I fixed his deckchair to collapse and he trapped his finger in it!

Dill Holmes I know I went on the trip because I have the pictures to prove it, but I am buggered if I can remember which students or teachers went on it with me!

Nigel Tuckey I was on another one in December 71. We flew and toured around Venice before the ship left for Athens, Rhodes, Haifa, for Jerusalem & Bethlehem, and back to Venice.

Adrian Rosenlund Hudson There was also one in the late 70's, which i couldn't go on, but Jon Steane did.

Jon Andrew Steane Yes I did go on one, but it was March 1980, started in Yugoslavia, and went to Cyprus, Turkey, Santorini, Crete and finished up in Venice. George and Mrs. Parker went along to keep us under control. Now if I remember correctly there was Mark Babb, Mark Shekespear, Rob Wood and Aubrey Wood, Mark Watson and Dean Watson, plus two more whose names escape me. Oh yes and I remember Sally Watson, not from the school but from Alcester. And I wonder if one of the other guys (who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty) remebers Mandy Bond?

Mark Shakespeare I remember that as well. Got us away from School for a while. if i am correct, we also went to Egypt. We docked in Alexandria and visited Cairo and saw the pyramids.

John Billing no, but I have vague memories of canooing down the Wye...

Stuart McDonald John, canoeing down the Wye was the only trip I recall. Fishy Place ran it and I think Grubby Mush Harper was the other staff member on the trip. I was in a canoe with Phil Stevenson.

Some photos from Coventry archives.

Photograph from Stuart McDonald

C 1962 / 63 outside Dudley House.

Ray Smith - A Tribute by Adrian Adams

Former CCBS pupil, Adrian Adams paid tribute to former pupil Ray Smith on the Facebook page - relayed here -

" Ray Smith 8th May 1948 - 29th June 2015. As one of Ray's best friends at school I did not see him again
until 10 years ago when he contacted me through Friends Re-united. I did not know he was adopted as a child, and it was only around the same time that he discovered that he had a half brother Stan. Having left school he apprenticed to a carpentry company, He then went into the army. I am not sure of his job history subsequently until we met up again when he had retired. He lost his first wife Chrissie over 15 years ago and had been with his partner Jackie since. He was much regarded in Bideford where he lived, for his carpentry skill, buying and restoring boats to a high standard. He was also a very skilled maker of miniature model railway engines and carriages.Ray's final years were unfortunately blighted by prostate cancer which spread to his kidneys at the end. R.I.P Old Friend" Adrian Adams.

Group Photo from Stuart McDonald c 1966

L to R Stuart McDonald, Roger Mason, Kevin Sadler, Adrian Rees, Paul Norman.

Class of 65 Stage Reunion at Cleobury Mortimer Golf Club.

David Partridge blogged on Facebook just now  -

" Nine members of the class of '65 celebrated their release from captivity on Monday and Tuesday this week. All kindly arranged by Terry Hobson we stayed overnight at the Cleobury Mortimer Golf Club where Mr and Mrs Place, Chopping and Lovatt joined us for a most convivial dinner dinner before the nine of us and seven wives retired for the night to our on-site lodges.On Tuesday morning we were shown round the old school and the new additions by a member of the Pioneer Centre's staff finishing with refreshments and a chance to look through their archive of school photographs and cuttings.
A terrific time catching up with old friends and introducing many of the wives to the school for the first time. We all looking forward to the next reunion in a few years time."

Staff from left to right in front row - I'm sure you'll all know -
Dyllis and Gordon Place, Jim Lovatt and his wife (in reverse order of course)
and Judith and Mick Chopping.

left to right - Keith Wallis, Jim Lovatt, Roger Andrew and wife.

Chris Applebey (Mr Pip Pip) wrote " Great to see Jim Lovatt looking so fit. My housemaster and a really good teacher. I had him for English, Music and "Divinity" at one time or another. I remember having to attend a choir practice once. We sang and he walked along the row, listening to us. When he reached me, he paused, shook my hand and said "Thank you" then indicated the door."

JAK Thomas, Terry Hobson, John Deacon

Colin Eades, David Partridge, Graham Baker.

In the outdoors group photo, from left are Keith Wallis, Roger Andrew, David Partridge,
Colin Eades, Graham Baker, Dave Hayden, John Deacon, Terry Hobson and JAK Thomas.