2012 News

In Memory of Henry (Mick) Siederer, 1927 - 2012 School years 1938 - 1943 Mick’s son, Nigel, has written to inform us of his father's death on 17th November 2012.  Mick was 86 years old and looked back fondly on his time at Ealing County School for Boys, which included the evacuation to Aylesbury. Nigel sent the following tribute to his father: 'Mick was an accidental child.  His father, originally from Austria, was a hairdresser and was glad to have a son late in life, but sadly he died when Mick was still a young man, one of the very first people to be buried in the local cemetery.  Mick's mother was a little Dutch lady.  They lived for many years in Ealing, where Mick grew up. 'They were a talented family - Mick's arrival had interrupted his older sister's career as a child star - and it was Mick who introduced us to music.  The family was also very argumentative. 'This was a talent Mick put to good use in his professional life.  He trained as a quantity surveyor, did complex building negotiations, and then retrained as a chartered arbitrator, settling arguments rather than making them.  He always had an ear for a funny story, and one of his achievements in later life was to publish an absolutely hilarious book of anecdotes revealing the secrets of the building trade. 'One of his earliest jokes was to rename himself Mickey, after Mickey Mouse, in place of Henry, the formal name his parents had given him, after his grandfather. 'He was slightly too young for military service in the War, and like many teenagers was caught up in both the fear and the excitement of the time, with tales of being evacuated from London and then escaping back from evacuation.  He was intrigued when members of his father's family escaped to London, and shocked when some could not. 'From those feelings, he developed a lifelong hatred of racism, and acquired an ability to make friends among members of other faiths.  He put this to good use as an elected councillor for many years on Luton Borough Council.  He was one of those councillors who were not well known but whose public-spiritedness helps lively communities to function. 'He was married to our mother Brenda for just over 60 years, and missed her terribly since her death three years ago.  His last years were punctuated by uncharacteristic ill-health.  He was always a physically fit person and we are now trying to reflect on happier times, remembering him as a generous, kind and active man. 'We know he was immensely proud of the three of us sons and his four grandchildren.  We're going to miss him.'

Old Ealonians Annual Lunch - Thursday 15 November 2012

John C. Oxley

On a bright sunny but windy day, a party of eighteen Old Ealonians and their guests descended on the Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College - Hammersmith Campus for our Annual Lunch in their TASTE Restaurant.  The college is close to Barons Court London Underground Station so most of us travelled by train although parking spaces were made available for four cars belonging to those of us who were prepared to endure driving on the A4 into London.

Most of us had arrived early and we were shown straight through to the restaurant and were seated at a large rectangular table by 12.30pm.  Whilst waiting for the stragglers to arrive (officially it was 12.30 for 1.00pm lunch), we were able to enjoy chatting to each other and catching up on news.

With most of us present before 1.00pm, we started ordering from a reasonably extensive menu.  There was certainly enough choice to cover everyone's dietary needs.  A glass of a very pleasant tasting wine was provided with the meal which consisted of three courses.  All of these courses were expertly cooked and well presented on the plates when served.  Unfortunately, some of the student waiters and waitresses were inexperienced and it showed as they served the food or collected the dirty dishes.

After the meal we were able to relax with a cup of coffee or tea.  At which point, Bert Longhurst distributed copies of another edition of his Swan Uppers Gazette.  Once again it showed a high level of artwork, craftsmanship and humour and delighted everyone present, particularly with its in-jokes.

Two and a half hours passed very pleasantly and quickly and we all agreed that we had had a very good lunch with the enjoyable company of old friends.  Grateful thanks were expressed to the manager of the restaurant and to his staff, and reluctantly we took our leave and began our respective journey's home.  I have the strong impression that next year's Annual Lunch will be at the same venue.

P.S. TASTE stands for To Achieve Success Takes Education.  The restaurant is open to the public for lunch every weekday.  On Mondays, it is a carvery buffet lunch whereas on Tuesdays through to Friday there is an à la carte menu with three courses costing only £8.95.  More details can be found on the college website or by contacting John Oxley.

Old Ealonians and guests present were: Victor Boulter, Brian and Jacqui Edmondson, Bert and Clive Longhurst, Robin and Angela Machell, Colin Miell, John and Carol Oxley, Donald and Marjorie Robertson, Alan and Dorothy Rowland, Paul and Jane Waterhouse, and Jim and Lesley Wisden.

Twickenham Rugby Stadium Visit - Wednesday 17 October 2012

John C. Oxley

A party of nine Old Ealonians and guests assembled at the Twickenham Stadium Rugby Shop on a sunny mid-October afternoon to participate in the 1.30pm tour.

There was only one other person on the tour, a gentleman from Hong Kong, when our guide Chris Woodhead greeted us before conducting us to a lift to take us to the highest point in the South Stand.  Here he gave us an abbreviated history of the origin of Twickenham Stadium and rugby internationals in England. I had not realised that the first international (between England and Scotland) had been played at the Kennington Oval, where the first FA Cup Final had also been played and that 'Billy's Cabbage Patch' had in fact been a market garden out in the countryside beyond London before being bought by the English Rugby Union.  The proximity of Kneller Hall swung the vote in favour of the Stadium being built in Twickenham.  Harlequins Rugby Club had originally been tenants of the ground for many years before they got their own ground nearby at 'The Stoop'. Twickenham like Wembley is used for many events apart from rugby matches such as conferences, live concerts and Jehovah Witness's festivals. Whilst sitting at the top of the stadium, we were able to observe a hawk being used to scare off pigeons and the system of illuminating the pitch with powerful lights to stimulate grass growth.  Amazingly the ground staff cut the grass everyday throughout the year with relatively small lawn mowers in perfectly straight strips across the ground guided by people walking behind them covering a total distance of seven miles! What surprised me was that by having terracing as in a theatre, one was able to see people on the pitch much more clearly than at comparable grounds such as the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff or Wembley Stadium. Eventually we returned to ground level and entered the West Stand by the main stadium entrance and went up to the Council Room where the governing body of Rugby meet and the structure of the RFU was explained to us. Then we were led out to the Royal Box where we were able to sit in the more comfortable seats used by royalty and other dignities.  After having our photographs taken, we descended to pitch level where we could inspect the grass from a short distance.  It is grown from seed mixed with plastic rather than using laid turves.  As at Wembley we were not allowed onto the actual grass, only the perimeter artificial surrounds! Slowly we made our way round the pitch along the perimeter track.  I was surprised to see that the North end of the pitch for drainage purposes is a few feet above the perimeter track.

We then proceeded out of the stadium and headed towards the National Rugby Museum which is at the back of the East Stand.

As the tour had already lasted over two hours and as I had another engagement that evening, I regretfully had to miss out on this part of the tour.  So I said my goodbyes to the rest of the party and thanked the guide on behalf of the Old Boys for an excellent and enlightening afternoon visit to Twickenham Stadium before joining the pre-rush hour heavy traffic on the M3 and M25 on my way home.

Participants on the tour: Victor Boulter, John Holdstock, Colin Miell, John Oxley, Alan Rowland, Bert Longhurst, his son Clive and two friends (both Brentford supporters!).

Chairman's Autumn 2012 Report

John C. Oxley, 5 October 2012

During the summer, our editor George Barker has been seriously ill in hospital, but is now on the road to recovery.  I am sure you will join with me in wishing him a speedy return to full health.  As a consequence, John Holdstock has stepped into the breach and has produced the Autumn Newsletter, for which we are very grateful.

Since March, when the Spring Newsletter was published, the AGM has taken place.  Despite being held at the old School, attendance was a little disappointing but the revised rules of the Association were adopted with a few minor alterations.  The Treasurer informs me that the accounts for 2011 have now been inspected by an independent examiner, a Mr Patrick J Kennedy, and signed off.  Our thanks are extended once more to the college for allowing us to use the old Ealonian Room for the meeting and for providing us with an excellent buffet lunch.

All the planned social events this year have taken place although attendance on some was rather small in numbers.  I am very grateful to John Holdstock (History of Wheels Museum visit) and Jim Wisden (Osterley House visit) for providing excellent reports.  A report on the visit to Fuller's Griffin Brewery in Chiswick also appears here, and I am looking forward to doing the tour of Twickenham Rugby Stadium and its Museum in two weeks time.  Next year's programme is still undecided so details of 2013 visits and events will not be published till the Spring.

For our Annual Lunch this year, we have accepted the invitation of the Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College to use the facilities of their TASTE Restaurant at the College's Hammersmith Campus at Barons Court.  The lunch will take place on Thursday 15th November (not the 16th as originally published), meeting at 12.30pm for a 1pm lunch.  The cost is £10 and for which we will be provided with a meal and a glass of wine or soft drink with the meal.  The Hammersmith Campus of the College is in Gliddon Road, Barons Court, W14 9BL, which is a five minutes walk from Barons Court LU Station and 15 minutes walk form Kensington Olympia Overground Station.  Numerous buses pass the campus, and there is limited car parking on site although we will need to know if you are coming by car beforehand so that we can inform the college.

This is a unique opportunity and a very generous gesture by the College so I hope many of you will be able to take advantage and attend the Annual Lunch.  This should be a very pleasant experience and I hope to see many of you there.

Visit to Osterley House and Gardens, 13 September 2012

Jim Wisden

When the visit to Osterley Park appeared in the OEA programme of events for 2012, it promised to be very popular.  Unfortunately by the time the event took place many members had been overtaken by other priorities and were unable to attend. Nevertheless, the event was held and on the due date Alan Rowland and myself, accompanied by our respective wives, Dorothy and Lesley met up in the car park at 2.00pm.  For those of us getting on a bit and unable to walk very far, there is a complimentary buggy service to take you from the car park, alongside the lake and parkland, to the house. Osterley Park is situated between the M4 and A4 close to Osterley tube station, and has been part of the Na-tional Trust since 1949.  Approaching the estate along the very busy A4, one takes a side road off this main road, towards the Park and it is quite a surprise that within a few hundred yards of this busy road, you enter this enormous and tranquil Park. After the hot spell of fine weather the forecast was that it would be rather changeable.  However, we were blessed with a fine day, although a northerly breeze and a slight chill suggested that autumn was not far away. In the 16th century, Sir Thomas Gresham, financier and adviser to Elizabeth I, began amassing land at Osterley and in 1565 he built a house here in a very similar location to the present one. Nearly 150 years on, in 1713 the Osterley estate was acquired by the Child family who were successful bankers, originally from Wiltshire.  Their advancement began with gold-smithing in the City of London, with strong interests in the East India Company, and were involved in trade as well as banking.  Two extremely wealthy brothers (Francis & Robert Child) commissioned Robert Adam to remodel the house.

The interior is one of the finest and most complete by Adam still in existence.  In addition, the rooms contain almost all of the original furniture designed by Adam, specifically for each setting and often produced by the furniture maker John Linnell.  Much of the house is open to visitors and covers 3 floors.  The National Trust has gradually added furniture, and there are many pictures both belonging to the Trust and also on loan from other major collections.

The property has not surprisingly been used to make films and the income from these ventures helps the Trust develop the House and undertake redecorations; the current exhibition being called 'Reel to Real'.

Regrettably, we only had time to tour two of the floors, (the Long Gallery, Tapestry Room and the State Bedchamber were particularly impressive) but there was so much to see and admire that we ran out of time to complete our visit and will have to return at a later date.

By this time, it was 4.30pm and time for tea!!

Leaving the house we made our way across the courtyard towards the stable buildings which now house a large second hand bookshop, the gift shop and a very good cafe, where we rounded off our afternoon with a delicious cream tea.

Within the Osterley estate, there is Mrs. Child's Flower Garden and an American Garden (which we didn't have time to visit) plus a well laid out picnic area, two large lakes to walk around and several acres of parkland to explore, plus a Farm Shop selling fresh produce.

As previously mentioned the property is now National Trust and for members is free to visit but for non-members the car park is £3.50 and entrance to the House and Gardens is £8,70 per person (£9.65 with Gift Aid).

All in all a very good visit and a place we will certainly visit again next year.

In Memory Reverend Canon Alan Wait, 1933 – 2012 Andrew Preston (1951 – 1959) OEs of 1950's decade will be saddened to hear of the death of Reverend Canon Alan Wait on 1st August 2012 in Bethersden, Kent at the age of 78.  He was a devout and distinguished clergy-man throughout his life. Alan was head boy and captain of soccer at Ealing Grammar School from 1951-53 during the era of Mr Sainsbury Hicks, probably the only prefect to occupy the post for two years, which was a reflection of his outstanding contribution to the School.  He went on to read geography at St Catherine's Society, Oxford, before embarking on national service with the RAF.  He then attended Mirfield College to read theology and was then assigned to the challenging parish of Charlton in the east end.  A myth circulated that Alan with his burly physique was a former all-in wrestler; as a result, the combative pugilism at the youth club dropped dramatically! Alan married Pam in 1970, and they later had two boys, Matthew and Julian, now in their thirties.  They moved to several parishes within the diocese of Southwark ending up in Purley, from where Alan retired in 2001.  He and Pam then retired to a beautiful oast house in the village of Bethersden, near Ashford.  However, retirement was a misnomer, as Alan was in constant demand as a locum vicar and wise counsellor in neighbouring parishes. Alan's funeral in Bethersden was attended by a congregation of over 300, which was a fitting testament to his huge popularity and charismatic status in the local community.  His bluff and jocular personality, coupled with his extraordinary devotion to duty, will be sadly missed by all those who had the privilege to have known him.

Fuller’s Griffin Brewery Visit - Tuesday 19 June 2012

John C Oxley

Having been pre-warned of the difficulties of finding a parking space near to the Griffin Brewery, Donald Robertson and I set off in plenty of time on a bright sunny warm day to drive to Chiswick.  As it happened, the directions we had were very good and we had plenty of time to find a parking spot quite near to the brewery.

We were to meet the rest of the Old Ealonians party in the Mawson Arms next to the brewery and we were early enough there to enjoy a pint of London Pride.  Gradually the rest of our group joined us and by the time our tour leader gathered us together there were nine of us in total – five Old Ealonians and four guests.

In total there were about sixteen on the tour and we first walked down to the River Thames just behind the brewery to see the landing stage where the boats used to unload the barley and hops to make the beer.  After a short explanation of the history of the brewery, our guide took us back into the brewery to start the tour proper.  It is interesting that the brewery is still independent, and members of the original three founding families: Fuller, Smith and Turner, still work for the company.

The tour was fascinating as we were shown the whole process of making the different beers from the roasting of the barley, mashing, addition of the yeast, filtering and finally putting beer into casks or bottles.  We also saw the old vats and fermenting vessels originally used over a hundred years ago and it was explained how the labour intensive industry now requires few staff due to automation.  It was interesting to discover that the water used in the brewing process has never come from the Thames or wells but is from the mains supply that we all use!

Once we had been shown the whole process and our questions been satisfied, we we're taken to the Brewery's Museum and tasting bar.  Here we were able to sample many of the beers produced by the brewery whilst being able to examine the various implements used over the years by the brewery to make their beers, and to read in more detail about the history of the brewery that has always been on the site it occupies in Chiswick.  It had proved to be a very interesting and fascinating visit which I am sure had been enjoyed by everyone in our party especially the tasting session!

The OE beer connoisseurs were Donald Robertson, Colin Miell, John Oxley, Alan Rowland, his son Stephen Rowland and his two grandsons, Victor Boulter and a friend Munjal Joshi.

Visit to History on Wheels Museum, Saturday 29 April 2012

John Holdstock

Miserable weather and a partially flooded car park did not deter eleven intrepid visitors from their planned visit to this fascinating museum, which is situated in Eton Wick, close to Eton College, and within sight of Windsor Castle. Originally constructed as an indoor riding school, the principal building was converted in the late 1970's to house the Tony Oliver private collection of vehicles and militaria. The Museum was first opened to the public in 1980, and in addition to the truly unique collection of motors, both military and civilian, and militaria from 1900 to the 1950's, from all conflicting Nations, the museum contains artefacts illustrating memories from both the civilian and wartime home fronts. The dozens of historic vehicles date from c1920's to the 1950's, many of which are unique, and include civilian vehicles, modest, grand and sporting vehicles, commercial vans and trucks, and military, wheeled, amphibious, half-tracked and tracked vehicles.  Among the vehicles on display are a 45mph 1924 sporting Amilcar, a 145mph 1958 sporting 300SL Mercedes, General MacArthur's Cadillac, Postman Pat's Post Office van, a WW2 Ford Amphibious Jeep and a WW2 Stuart Tank.

The group were lucky to be shown round by Tony Oliver in person.  He is a natural raconteur and his passion for the collection was plain, as he entertained and informed us for well over a hour with his accounts of the history of each vehicle in the main gallery.

We were then given the opportunity to enjoy a cup of tea and biscuits, or cake for the more digestively challenged (there was one ready customers but no names will be mentioned here!)

Mr Oliver then continued his talk on the militaria contents of the museum.

We owe thanks to Brian Edmondson for his excellent organisation of the visit and , in addition to Brian, those attending were Donald Robertson and two guests, Derek Bryan and Alan Lamont, Jim Wisden and his wife, Leslie, Bert Longhurst and his sons, Chris and Clive, and John Holdstock.

Chairman's Spring 2012 Report

John C. Oxley, 29 February 2012

This report is being written at the end of February as I convalesce after a knee replacement operation which I underwent at the beginning of the month.  This is one of the consequences of playing and refereeing soccer matches for over 50 years.  The weather outside has become quite mild and Spring seems to be just around the corner judging by the snowdrops and crocuses in our garden.  By Easter, I hope I wil be able to walk again without sticks and enjoy the beautiful countryside here in the Chilterns where I live.  Before I had the operation, the OEA Committee met and a full programme was planned for this year.

At the end of April, Brian Edmondson is organising a visit to the History on Wheels Museum at Eton Wick near Windsor (Sunday 29th April at 1pm).  The museum has a unique collection of military and civilian motors, militaria from 1900 to the 1950s, and artefacts from both civilian and wartime home fronts.  If we are lucky the party may have a guided tour of the museum by its founder, Tony Oliver.

On Friday 18th May, the Annual General Meeting will take place in the Ealonian Room of the Old School at 12.30pm.  The main item of business will be the adoption of the extensively revised Rules of the Association.  After the AGM, Dr Jonathan Oakes, Archivist for the London Borough of Ealing Library will talk about Ealing and the School during the Second World War.

In June, we intend to organise an afternoon visit to the Fuller's Griffin Brewery in Chiswick on either Tuesday the 19th or Wednesday the 20th, depending on availability of tour places and members wishing to participate.  Apart from the tour, people have the opportunity of some free sampling.  Old Ealonians and guests wishing to attend will be provided with further information nearer the date.

In September we are visiting Osterley House, a National Trust property (Thursday 13th September, 2pm meet in the car park) when there will be an opportunity to tour the grand house and visit the eautiful gardens before taking tea in the Stables' café.

The final visit of the year will be to Twickenham Stadium in October (Wednesday the 17th afternoon tour) to see the ground where rugby internationals are played and to tour the museum.  The time of the tour will be subject to the availability of tickets and numbers going and more information will be provided nearer the date.

For the Annual Lunch in November we are hoping to hold the function at the Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College catering facilities at Barons Court which should be a very pleasurable experience.

So, as you can see, your committee has been very busy again over the winter months planning events to hopefully suit all tastes.  Already we are looking ahead to 2013 and a number of suggestions are being considered, but if there is anywhere you feel the Old Ealonians should visit then please let either the Secretary or me know.