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Replies 101-120
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101st REPLY
NAME: Nick Dean
.JPG "Nick Dean gallery")
DATE: 16 August 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1964-71
Possibly Fielding [reply 100] was an auditor as well as a fairly senior diplomat [reply 100], but I imagine that he's a KCMG (as in "Kindly Call Me God"). KPMG is something different. As explained in an episode of Yes Minister, one up from KCMG is GCMG (Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George) or, in Whitehall parlance, "God Calls Me God". There is a story of how Winston Churchill as Prime Minister once insisted, against civil service advice, on a comparatively junior member of his private office receiving the KCMG. The recipient was notoriously accident prone and, around the time of the award, had mislaid the means of unlocking some important documents. This prompted a senior official to dub the honour (albeit reversing the M and G) "Keys Can Go Missing".
102nd REPLY
NAME: Nigel Wood.jpg "Nigel Wood")
DATE: 16 August 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64
Fielding's autobiography, I note, is entitled Kindly call me God..
.jpg "James Cowen gallery")
Then & NowDATE: 22 August 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
Well done, Nick and Nigel: you spotted the deliberate error. I doubt if Sir Leslie Fielding was an auditor in the sense of being qualified for that role, as indeed I am. I must have been thinking of that distinguished accounting firm KPMG on account of my youngest son Matthew winning prizes from them for one of the best papers in both his university degree and his institute of chartered management accountancy exams. Of course in my day Peat, Marwick and Mitchell was the great rival to other accountancy firms such as Price Waterhouse and Cooper Brothers. I do like the extending out of KCMG and GCMG in the way described and I still enjoy watching repeats of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister.
Then & NowDATE: 08 September 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
In regard to the pictures I sent in, in connection with Founders Day 2015, I have now supplied the names of some of the people standing to the left of the school's main entrance whilst the School Chronicle was being read [see caption of photo]. Now I know some of you readers like an identifying quiz, so who are the two gentlemen on the left, one with an open-necked shirt and one with an OE tie and indeed who knows the others there? On the right of the entrance, there is one teacher in a gown I do not know. 5th along is Eric Houston, the former second master and English teacher. Can anyone put names to the others?
105th REPLY
NAME: Nick Dean DATE: 23 September 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1964-71
The Sunday Times University Guide 2016 appears roughly to corroborate the assertion in Private Eye last year about Oxbridge entrance [reply 50]. More than 60% of undergraduates at Cambridge are said to come from state schools, "appreciably more than at Oxford". Oxford, at 42.8%, apparently has the highest proportion of any university in the UK of entrants from independent schools. According to my O-level maths, that means that 57.2% come from state schools, which I suppose is appreciably moving nearer to where it was 40 years ago.
Then & NowDATE: 03 October 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
Further to replies 87 & 88, my wife and I have now made further visits to Shrewsbury. We did visit the Music Hall in the central Square and not only went round all the museum galleries housed there now but also both had some courgette and lime cake in the cafe. We both enjoyed the bake very much, though a gentlemen we went with prefers Morrisons carrot cake. Why not enjoy both, I say. Maybe this can be an OE custom to eat there.
Then & NowDATE: 03 October 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
Nowadays, Nick [reply 105], a good proportion of Oxbridge undergraduates comes from QE Barnet. I would say this could be called many from here, well rivalling other schools, both state and independent ones. This contrasts somewhat with the few of our days 40 to 50 years ago, though still then better than most schools. Of course other Russell group universities still also get their share from QEs. I do not know the exact Oxbridge and others numbers and I may learn this from the Headmaster on a later occasion.
DATE: 31 October 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 1984 - 90
I can confirm that in the Founders Day 2015 picture [see also reply 104], the chap with the terribly blue suit (and lack of hair!) is me.
Then & NowDATE: 06 November 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
Yes, Simon, you are of course a well-known figure and already identified but do you or others know the names of the other unidentified gentlemen or indeed ladies for that matter?
Then & NowDATE: 16 November 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
This year's OE Association Annual Dinner takes place at the school on the evening of Friday 20th November. It has been organised again by Simon Lincoln, the Social Secretary. I have bought my ticket from him and look forward to the occasion. Tickets may still be bought either from Simon or the FQE office at the school but should be obtained without further delay. Dress for the occasion is either black tie or lounge suit, so allowing an opportunity for the anti black tie brigade but I will be wearing black tie and cuff links myself. For the more casual dining people there is an opportunity to go to an OE Forty Club lunch next spring. Some of those at the last one attended without tie including the Treasurer, whereas others were there with OE or colours ties, a variety of dress that was accepted on that occasion. To apply to Simon (through the Webmaster) please use this form - but hurry!
DATE: 17 November 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: inmate 1957-64
I hope you have an enjoyable evening James, as you will have read before - not really my cup of tea. We will be enjoying a Clive Gregson gig at the Old Cranleighan Club in Thames Ditton, where the Ram Folk Club meets, where ties are not required!! Hopefully, one year I'll make it to Founders' Day.
Then & NowDATE: 23 November 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
Hope you enjoyed the gig, Stephen. Maybe you can make a date in your diary for next year's Founders Day. The more who can come the merrier!
Then & NowDATE: 30 November 2015
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
I certainly enjoyed going to the OE Association Dinner again this year. For attire many did have black bow ties but some came with lounge suits and ties, as advertised and allowed [see much debate about this throughout the thread]. Whether differing style of dress attire should be extended to coming without a tie is not for me to decide but I would not be against it myself if it meant more attended who would not do so otherwise. It was good that at the Dinner people were also encouraged to come to Founders Day next year, in respect of those who do not come so far. It was said that masters were encouraged to see ex pupils. This is not a factor in my case being fairly ancient, though not as old as some who come, who were taught at QE during the 2nd WW. Some of the poppies from the Tower have been purchased for the school and are on display there. Besides the HM and Mr Ryan present were ex-teachers Messrs Kobish and Houston. See Jas's remarks in W16/106about his owm ambiguities in this reply!
114th REPLY
NAME: Nick Dean DATE: 10 January 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1964-71
Just before Christmas I received for, I think, the first time an e-mail link to the school's newsletter for alumni. Predictably, but not unreasonably, this contained a lot of profiles of recent high achievers doing terribly worthy things. It was all the more entertaining therefore to read the latest piece by De'ath, W (OE) in The Oldie in which he describes how, when he was on remand in Winchester Prison in 1994, he had shared a cell with the Queen's erstwhile nocturnal visitor, Mr Michael Fagan. Perhaps we could hear from the school itself about alternative achievers? It would certainly help to guarantee that people actually read the stuff it puts out.
Then & NowDATE: 13 January 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
I do not expect The Oldie is read by the school's official newsletter writer (or writers) but it is good you are putting the info out there, Nick. I should not think that the school newsletter would regard W.De'Ath as a great achiever these days, though. I am surprised you are only just getting the newsletter by e-mail. I appear to have received it now for several years and read it with some interest.
116th REPLY
NAME: Nigel WoodDATE: 14 January 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64
They've never sent me the newsletter, but no doubt I have only myself to blame. I have a feeling that if I did receive it I'd be in complete agreement with Nick (reply 114): a solid diet of worthiness is apt to pall. A wastrels and scoundrels feature would surely be well-received.
Then & NowDATE: 14 January 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 54-59
Yes, and it would mean I'd stand a chance of getting into the QE newsletter at long last, with at least one of those qualifications (not altogether confident about 'scoundrel').
118th REPLY
NAME: Nick Dean DATE: 21 January 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1964-71
When I posted reply 114, my tongue was somewhat in my cheek. However, I have just read an interview in the Sunday Times Style supplement with a young singer called Mabel McVey, whose parents are Neneh Cherry and the music producer Cameron McVey, who was a few years below me at school. I've no idea to what extent the latter owes his highly successful career to his time at QE - the implication of the reply at 48/2 is probably not much! - but he may be the sort of genuine "alternative achiever" the school could usefully seek out (assuming it hasn't done so already). My college at Oxford, for example, quite rightly loses little opportunity to remind people that its alumni include actress Emma Watson and it-girl/chick-lit author Plum Sykes.
Then & NowDATE: 05 February 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63
In regard to my old Cambridge college, Sidney Sussex, that ex-engineering student Carol Vorderman is of course often in the news and on TV. She has contributed generously apparently to various college funds. I have not, however, seen her at any Sidney Sussex Society events. I also remark to my wife when other ex Sidney men and ladies are in the news. Immediately there comes to mind David Owen, Chris Grayling, Andrew Rawnsley, Nick Raynsford, Peter Riddell and Asa Briggs in the political/ journalist/ author fields as well as Alan Bennett apparently. Someone of note I did see as a guest at a Sidney Sussex event was The Antiques Roadshow's Clive Farahar, whom I recognised at once.
120th REPLY
NAME: Nick Dean DATE: 06 Febuary 2016
CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1964-71
I think I'm right in saying that a "Vorderman" [reply 119] is, or was, student slang for a third, such was her academic prowess (or maybe social prowess) when she was at Sidney Sussex. As for Lord Briggs - whose Age of Improvement (about Victorian history) was, on the discerning advice of Mr Alford, a core text for A-level history - he was Provost of my own college for some years, though just after my time. In fact, I still have a signed letter from him, granting me the "College grace" to take my MA, but regretting that I wouldn't be there in person to receive it. I've remembered also that another Worcester alumnus was Simon Park, whose instrumental record, Eye Level, was a No 1 hit when I was a student, having been the theme of a TV detective series called Van der Valk. There was a certain amount of annoyance that, when the new chart was unveiled midweek on Radio 1, Noel Edmonds (I think it was he) failed to play Park's chart-topper on the grounds that it wasn't a "pop record".