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I vaguely remember Margaret Messenger who lived at the far end of the village of Oakworth, from myself. Roughly bisecting the line between our houses was the church.
Not easy reading this thread. I wonder does anyone know the whereabouts of Mike Hopwood? He went on to Cambridge University I think. Went camping and hitch-hiking ( extinct now just about) with him in our last year at school.
I have just had a phone-call from Robert Bracken's daughter to tell us that her father has died in hospital from Covid19, following a collapse at home as a result of a bout of pneumonia. He had been suffering from dementia for a year or so, as indeed, has his wife, June, who is now also in hospital, where she too has contracted the Covid virus (as did Robert). Robert was my predecessor as organiser of the KBGS reunions, for many years, and he and June attended several even after he had given up the task of organising, but not in the last seven or so years since he gave up driving, Beverley being rather too far off the map for them to attempt to get to Keighley and back by public transport. Robert was Head Boy at School in, I think, 1946, and I remember there are some photographs of him in the School play for that year, 'Twelfth Night', if ever we could retrieve them! Robert was a schoolteacher, in Essex, I believe, and eventually a headmaster. He was 93. When I still had a house in East Yorkshire I used to call in and see them periodically, always enjoyable visits, but it must be seven or so years since I last saw them, though we always corresponded at Christmas.
RIP Robert.
I’m quite a lot younger than Robert but I do remember him well. He was a prefect and in the upper sixth form in 1945 when I started school. As a small, short trousered eleven year old I recall being amazed at the size of those ‘big boys’ in the 6th form. By the time I’d made it into the 6th form Robert Bracken had long gone and it wasn’t til I started attending the old boys reunion lunches that I met him again and he was still as good looking some 65 years later. But I do have one recollection you might like to hear even though Robert was not personally involved in the story. People who know me will know that I keep myself occupied in retirement by painting. I had been commissioned to paint a house portrait of a detached house in Cononley up the Main Street. It was meant for a person living in Bedford who had relations who had once lived in the village. I planned to do the job whilst up in Keighley for the reunion but it was pouring down. No chance - so I decided to take a photo and work the picture up at home . The obvious place to get the picture was from an elevated yard in the house opposite and permission was given by the householder, a pleasant lady who generously supplied me with coffee cakes and conversation. I told her that I was in the area to attend an old boys reunion at Utley and she immediately told me that her cousin used to organise the event. Small world! The only other thing I remember was that both Robert and the lady (who made great cakes) had Farnhill/Kildwick connections. Sorry to hear that the lad has gone.
Robert Bracken must have been a prefect when I was at KBGS . As a small short trousered lad the sixth formers were way up there with the teachers . I wonder if you ,Denis , could point out Robert on the 1946 panorama of the school . It would be interesting to see if it brings any thing to mind .
After posting the previous note on R Bracken ,I have had a search and found the photo of the school prefects for 1945-6. R.J.Bracken is the Head Prefect . As there is nowhere to post a photo , the rest of the prefects are ,. FK Whalley. S.W.Dawson J.G.Bancroft L.Helliwell J.G. Holt K.Paver J.Sharp and W.R.Marchbank
Guess not many around now to remember them
Robert was from Kildwick and I remembered him telling me that he always went home for lunch when he was at the School - a feat which seemed well nigh impossible to me! Would you have been able to do that to Sutton and back in what an hour, an hour and a half?
I have had an enquiry from someone who is trying to trace this person who was at KBGS between roughly 1958 and 1965, Does anyone remember him? Does anyone happen to know where he is now?