Brian Hargreaves was a contemporary of mine. We both spent our childhood in Sutton-in-Craven and we both passed the eleven plus and went to Keighley Boys Grammar School. Although I cannot recall seeing him after I left the Keighley area, we did exchange the odd letter and email. We had a common interest in art , for him a profession, for me a hobby! Not having heard anything for a few years I scoured the web and found that he had died in September 2011. Brian was a man with many achievements, a man highly regarded as a result of his work. Perhaps he should be added to the list of Famous Old Boys? News of his death was reported in the newspaper circulating in Rye, Sussex, where he lived.

Rye artist, Brian Hargreaves died aged 76 yrs following a heart attack on 30th September 2011. Brian was the foremost butterfly artist in the country illustrating Collins Guide to Butterflies of Great Britain and Europe published in nine languages. He was commission d by the Royal Entomological Society to paint butterflies in the grounds of Buckingham Palace and his work was presented to the Queen to mark her Siver and Golden Wedding Anniversaries. He has illustrated postage stamps from all over the world.
Brian's work gained him international recognition following radio and television broadcasts.
Born in Sutton-in-Craven in 1935, he attended Keighley Boys Grammar School and trained at Keighley School of Arts and Crafts. He completed his studies at Camberwell School of Art after which he worked on church restoration for a number of years. He worked on several well known churches and cathedrals and on St Paul's Cathedral where he gilded the Cross and Ball atop it's summit. It was whilst working on a display at the Natural History Museum that he received a request for sample illustrations for Collins book on the Butterflies of Britain an Europe which led to a commission to illustrate the entire book. This led to a period of intense focus on drawing and painting butterflies and moths including illustrating the book Butterflies on my Mind by Dulcie Gray, the actress. This publication won the Times Educational Supplement book Award.
Brian's work has been extensively exhibited.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1945 -1950

Current location (optional) Norfolk

Thank you, Denis. He does deserve being in the list of Famous Old Boys.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1937-1944

Current location (optional) Huntingdon

This message has been passed to me by a facebook friend, Christine Brunskill who apperas to have been Tony Edens niece

It is with sorrow that I have to announce the passing of....
Tony Eden
On the 4th March at Bournmouth Hospital 2015.
He was classics master at K.B.G.S. untill the early 50s. The family moved then to Evesham where they stayed untill retirement then moved to Ferndown in Dorset where their daughter Jennifer lives. They were good friends of my parents. Uncle Tony was 98 yrs old & he & Jean have just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. R.I.P. xx

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 58-64

Current location (optional) Wirral

One thing about this website, it never ceases to surprise you! Your note, Brian, about Tony Eden - though he was always known at School as 'Joe' - certainly comes out of the blue. Hadn't thought of him in years, but remember him well as Wilbur Bloomfield's predecessor. He was a Kentish man who was fanatical about cricket, when Kent were regularly in the bottom two or three places of the old County Championship. A very pleasant, kindly man, as I remember him, so yes, RIP.

Doug Thompson

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

Current location (optional) Cottingham, East Yorkshire

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.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 58-66

would someone in authority plese delete my above post and this one.Many thanks.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 58-66

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 55/60

Current location (optional) Harrogate

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.

Doug

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

Current location (optional) Keswick, Cumbria

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.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1945 - 50

Current location (optional) Norfolk

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 .

Current location (optional) Tasmania

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

Current location (optional) Tasmania

Denis,

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?

Doug

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

Current location (optional) Keswick, Cumbria

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?

Doug

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

Current location (optional) Keswick, Cumbria

Doug, I attended from '58 to '65 and I'm pretty certain that he wasn't in that cohort.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1958-65

Current location (optional) Leeds

Thanks, Shaun. Apparently he was tall, fair-haired. and a good rugby footballer - possibly played for Keighlians.

Doug

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

Current location (optional) Keswick, Cumbria