Old Walhamptonians 1950s and 1960s

Walhampton School Photo 1960

Edward 'Teddy' Bailey (Lentate sul Seveso, Italy)
Left in 1964

After Walhampton I went on to Bryanston and then strong of my spoken & written languages I was offered a job in Italy in lubricants and decided to skip university in favour of cash flow. I was actually living with my parents so it was all good pocket money to spend on fast cars and motorbikes. The fond memories of the 60’s flowed smoothly into the 70’s!!
 
Currently own a small business marketing lubricant base oils and additives.

I have been (re)married now for 13 years – 2 boys (Niki 13 and Michael 8)

Best memories: Pony-trekking, building camps in the woods, fighting the others with the punt ,
conker fights, “daring” others to touch the fountain’s ici water at midnight… JB’s Sunday night story reading in the library, etc etc… I can fill pages !

Worst: the food, some of the teachers, falling into the lakes in winter.

Richard Jan Bialy (Poland)
Left in June 1963

After Walhampton to A levels at Peter Symonds Winchester
Studied Economics at Bristol Polytechnic
Worked for Lloyds Bank (including Lymington branch)
Emigrated to Poland in 1971
Polish language course at Jagielonian University Cracow
Began Romanistics at Warsaw University
Transferred in 1976 to Graphic Design at Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts
Graduated with M.A. in 1981
Emigrated to Canada but with outbreak of Martial Law in Poland, felt out of things and returned
Worked 6 years at the American School of Warsaw (saved it at one point from a terrorist attack!)
Married in 1987 and emigrated to Belize, removed later to San Francisco
Following the 1989 earthquake, returned once more to Poland

Since returning to Warsaw have been a professional Polish to English translator – everything from literature to annual reports and Lockheed Martin F-16 specifications. Also am regularly hired as a voice-over actor in film, radio and advertising.   

I have my own company - Richard Bialy Tlumacz www.richardbaily.com

My best memory is of Peter Thomas – my best friend EVER, who sadly died in 1971.

Worst memory: The time in 1958 when I was seven and had to stay overnight at the school, the supper was ghastly soup with dumplings, which to my excruciating embarrassment I later threw up.

In my day, for a boarder it was like having about one hundred brothers. Thanks to the tone set by JB and the staff in general, everyone got on really well. Lasting animosity or bullying was non-existent. I can still name most of my contemporaries from the school photograph and in most cases am extremely sorry to have missed keeping in contact with them.  

Nicholas Field-Johnson (Richmond TW1 & Beaulieu)
Left in 1964

After Walhampton: Harrow/Oxford Univ./Harvard Business School. Lived in USA for 8 years (’76-’86). Worked in the city: Director at NM Rothschild, Dresdner and then DrKW. Currently run a mid-market Merchant bank: Fraser Finance www.fraserfinance.com  Corporate Finance M&A and fund-raising for growth companies. Offices in UK, EU and USA.  

Married 30 years – 3 boys (1 working,1 at Edinburgh Univ. and 1 at Brasenose, Oxford)

Best memories: pony-trekking, Mrs Kemp (Brown). Building camps in the woods. Beating Hordle at cricket and great conker fights….
Worst memories: food and the art classes !!

John Graves (Lymington, Hants)
Left in: late 1960s

Bruton 1968-1973, London 1973 – 1980, Hong Kong / Singapore / Indonesia 1980 – 1984, UK 1984 – date, Married 1988.

Chartered Accountant; Self – Employed “Peripatetic Portfolio” career.

Best and/or worst memories: Riding Camps; The cars JB bought for us to drive around the lakes / woods; Gordo’s treat of Strawberries for all; being forced to eat a tomato!

Collin Jeffery (Bridgtown, W Australia)
Left in: 1960

Articled Pupil as an auctioneer, estate agent, valuer and surveyor. Used the surveying stuff as a cartographer and surveyor for years in Exploration and Mining in WA. Had a wife and two sons; now have another wife and the same two sons! Was a Business Facilitator for 15 years and now am a farmer and fencing contractor. We have a Dorper Sheep stud and I work off-farm as a self employed fencing contractor. www.bridgetowndorpers.com

Memories: Wonderful place for young kids to go to school. The staff all knew us properly. Tony Cookson probably set me up for the Rugby that I’ve enjoyed all my life. JB’s butter pat hurt like hell. Went Scotland about 4 times and climbed Ben Nevis and Ben Moore.

Christopher Matthews (Indiana, USA)
Left in: 1957

I was still a Navy brat moving from Hampshire,Buckinghamshire and finally to Cronwall with the family, while my Father was stationed overseas with the Royal Navy. After I left Walhampton, I went to The Beacon School in Amersham, Bucks, passed my Common Entrance Exam and went to Battisbourough House just outside Plymouth, Devon. I moved out from the Family when I was 16 and started living on my own from then on. I was mainly in the Hotel/Catering Trade, having worked my way from Corwall to London over a 3 year period, and where I stayed from 1966 to 1971 in the Earl's Court area. In 1970 while working as a Night Manager at a London Hotel in Kensington I met a young lady who was on a trip with some other people from America. After we had written letters across the Atlantic, and talked every once in a while on the phone, we decided to get married Stateside and raise a family. October of '71 I arrived and have never looked back. I have been married to the same lady for 36 years, and we raised a son, Jeremy, who is now married and has 2 children of his own.

Current work details  Since arriving in the States I have had 2 kinds of jobs. From 1971 - 1975 I was still in the Food Industry, but it was so different from Home, that I started to hate it. I had always had a hankering to travel, so when the opportunity came up for me to get into the Transportation Business in 1975 I jumped at it and have work in some kind of Transportation ever since. During this time period, I had the opportunity to learn how to drive a tractor-trailer [ articulated lorry ] and eventually owned my own and ran a bussiness with it. I drove all over the States [ the only 2 I haven't been to are Hawaii/Alaska ] and ended up transporting oversize loads e.g  Machinery; Vehicles and the likes. I finally retired this year [2007] due to health Problems.

Memories: This may sound funny to most people, but,the worst/best memories have all turned out to be the BEST.

I would like to say thank you to JB, PL and Walhampton for help in making me what I am today.

Michael Mannington (Sydney, Australia)
Left in: 1953

Trained as a horticulturist. Emigrated to Australia in 1968 . Now involved with: www.volunteerphotography.org

I am an original pupil of Walhampton, having moved with the Brewers from Sussex in 1948. Rationing was still in force. My name was changed from Francis to Mannington about 1951.

Memories: Spending a whole term clearing the densely overgrown tennis court so the staff could play on the hard court. As a horticulturist I recall the gardens must have been spectacular with many interesting plants.

Ifor Phillips (Faringdon, Oxon)
Left in: Jul 70

1970 - 1975 Cheltenham College
1975 – 1978 University of Bristol, Zoology
1978 – 2002 Pig Improvement Company
2003 – 2005 Agil Ltd

Married 1981 to Caroline Smith.  2 children Gwilym (b. 1984) and Megan (b. 1988)

2006 – current Fort Dodge Animal Health – Business Unit Manger – Pigs (UK)

Paul Stickley (Lymington, Hants)
Left: Jul 1962

Left Walhampton in 1962, a year early, to attend the Royal Hospital School, Ipswich, then a horrible school with a naval regime in place. I gather it is rather better now. Left there at Easter 1967 as I was politely told that I was going to fail my A levels, so I saw little point in spending 13 weeks swimming sailing and generally not working, when I could beat home working and enjoying my mother’s cooking. My mother was Mrs Jo Stickley, Matron at school from about 1963 to 1967. I started at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art in September 1967, graduating with a distinction in Photography, Film and Television, but so did about 2000 other people up and down the land, so jobs were very hard to find. Feb 1972 saw me working as crew on John Roberts’ (OW) fishing boat out of Lymington. Married Wendy King (sister of Chris and David) in 1974, two sons Mark and Tim (now 27 and 23). Divorced early 1990s. Own boat launched in 1976, but left industry in 1979 when the EEC loomed large, threatening over-regulation (which later arrived in spades, a we all know), and disaster for the whole British industry(which was dramatically under-estimated). Then followed 22 years in estate agency, leaving just after my 50th birthday. I couldn’t face another 15 years of working in an area where no-one treats you with respect, nor expresses real gratitude or is even well-mannered. It took 3 nanoseconds t make the decision, once I had found another job.

I now live with the loveliest lady you could imagine, who has transformed my life. We live in relative poverty, but have a few luxuries providing we work hard…and we’re not afraid of that.

I greatly value the friendship of OWs like John Roberts, Robert Vinycomb and others; I would like to be able communicate with Nigel Roberts, but he won’t respond to letters! If you’re the World Bank’s man in Gaza, I guess you have your work cut out!

I work with disabled boys who have Asperger’s Syndrome with associated difficulties. The work is very challenging, but at times rewarding. Happily, it’s a boarding school, and I get 13 weeks of holidays p.a.! www.cambiangroup.com

Best memories: There are so many from which to choose. When I first arrived, I was greeted by JB like I was a long-lost nephew, and he showed me (and my grandparents) to my dormitory, and introduced me to the leader and so on. I felt very special; this was important to a 9 year old whose parents are 1000+ miles away.

The school gave me a real framework for life, and JB/PL gave me something of a template for living. I was taught by very skilled people about whom I think nearly every day of my life, such was their influence. Good friendships were formed here, and there is a whole-of-school-family even now which is made up of the most wonderful people, who have all benefited in the same way; we all feel privileged.

Simon Tabbush (London)
Left: 1969

Following Walhampton I attended Winchester 1970-74; then New College Oxford, 1975-78. Now a Barrister, working in the Civil Service since 1982.  Married, three children.

Best memories: the French trip; the horses; the grounds.  Worst memories: cross-country runs; a culture of teasing.

Ross Venner (Sydney, Australia)
Left: 1962

Now live in Sydney and having worked as an accountant for forty years, I am now involved in promoting building and sailing small boats in schools, just what I learned at the Salterns in the British Moths while I attended Walhampton.