Barton Peveril 1918 Barton Peveril Grammar School 1957 (College from 1973) Eastleigh County High School 1932

John Foxwell       Bryan Dowding       Cecil Churcher       Henry Lassiter       Haevey Dunn       Ivor Noyce

Margaret Noyce       Elizabeth Rolfe       Suzanne Dowding       Jill Lowton       Jill Foxwell       Sylvia Bondsfield

OBFC blazer badge which was designed in the 1950s by Gary Barclay who is now living in Perth

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News Cutting 1952-1953 Season from Roy Bondsfield’s Scrapbook

Action photos from one of the OBFC games. At one time they ran three teams. Team selections were sent out by postcard.

A CHORAL TRAGEDY !

Ten little choristers standing in a line:

One sang a note too sharp: then there were nine.

Nine little choristers arriving very late:

One was not allowed to sing: then there were eight.

Eight little choristers singing hymns to heaven: One

Forgot to sing “Aman”: then there were seven.

Seven little choristers performing silly tricks:

One forgot to sing an”II”: then there were six.

Six little choristers buzzing like a hive:

One annoyed the organist: then there were five.

Five little choristers coming through the door:

One held a note too long: then there were four.

Four little choristers changing noisily:

One forgot his cassock: then there were three.

Three little choristers with surplices all new:

One tore a hole in his: then there were two.

Two little choristers: the service nearly done:

One forgot to sing a hymn: then there was one.

One little chorister, he the only one:

He never could sing solos: then there was none.

DAVID LOWTON IV.L (14yrs. 4 mths)

SONNET (With apology to Wordsworth).

Scorn not the “Peveril”, Critic, you have frowned

Mindless of its just nonours, with this key

Editors unlock their hearts: nobility

Of thought the scholar may through it propound:

A thousand times have fresh ideas been found:

The “Peveril” shows the School on every leaf

To those whom, by its art, it may confound.

Harsh Critic, do not madly rage and ramp

If our attempts you cannot understand,

Who, struggling through dark ways, can find no lamp:

Take up thy pen, and so may, in thy hand

The Thing become a trumpet, sounding through

Thy contributions……..now, alas, too few !

BRIAN R. HOCKEY. VI (Arts) (17yrs. 1 mth)

During my holiday in London I had on several occasions taken the opportunity of paying my old friend, Colonel Roberts , a visit. He was a member of the Intelligence Department, and, naturally enough, I had entertained vigorous hopes of unusual adventures while in his company. Such hopes however were fading with successive disappointments when I was suddenly confronted with a glimpse of the excitement which the struggle of opposing espionage can produce.

On this occasion I had accompanied the Colonel to dinner and we had driven back through the dark streets to his old hotel in the metropolis. We climbed the creaking stairs to his fourth floor rooms, he unlocked the door and we entered the first apartment. As I turned to close the door again I heard a movement behind me and a deep voice say, “So we meet again, Colonel”. I swung around quickly to see a tall man, his slouch hat pulled well down over his forehead, standing, with automatic pistol in hand, in the doorway which led to an adjoining room. “Yes, Herr Muller”, said my companion calmly. “I have been expecting to see you for some time, ever since, indeed, I had those documents, for which I presume, you have come, entrusted to my keeping. I realised too that these rooms were easy to enter because of the balcony which extends under this window from the next suite, which has been empty for several months. Nevertheless, I could not bring myself to leave them and many times I have asked the manager for the balcony to be bricked up, but so far nothing has been done about it. I suppose it was by that balcony that you entered ?” “No”, replied the other, frowning. “I saw no balcony. Had I done so I would certainly have used a method so much simpler and less expensive than the one of corruption and bribery I have been forced to apply. Your chamber-maid gave me a spare key to your room and I ventured in that manner. Well, now that I am here, give me the papers”.

There was a sharp double knock on the outer door. “What is that?” asked the German hurriedly. “You don’t think that, expecting you, I would have failed to make preparations for your arrival. I instructed several of my colleagues who were waiting below, to follow me upstairs after five minutes. Here they are”.

Muller looked quickly round the room. Suddenly a rather sardonic smile spread over his face. He moved raoidly to the window, climbed over the sill and, as he hung poised said: “I suppose I can use the balcony for leaving if not for entering. I shall watch you from it. Send them away again or I shall I shall shoot you both and trust to fortune for what happens to me”.

I watched his face disappear as he let himself down by his hands outside the room. He let go to drop on to the balcony beneath. The door opened. A meagre little old waiter entered. “Your wine , sir” he said, as he placed a tray on the table. He turned, left the room and closed the door behind him. Roberts sat down and lit a cigarette. “It was fortunate I guessed he would come today”, he said. “I ordered the wine as I came through the bar”. “But he’ll be back at one “ I cried. The other smiled wistfully. “There is no balcony”, he replied.

K.C.SMITH (VI). 16 yrs 6mths.

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A National League referee, local Basketball administrator and self-confessed “basketball-lifer”, one of our active Old Bartonians, Tony Betteridge (1950 - 1955) has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2014 for Services to Basketball.

Tony’s involvement with Basketball has spanned over half a century. He has been a National League referee since 1975 (with a knee replacement in 2008 causing only a brief hiatus), has served on the committees of the Bucks & Oxon area and the Oxford League during that time and is currently President of the Oxfordshire Basketball Association. He has worked continuously for 40 years on referee development, tutoring courses, assessing and mentoring officials and ensuring that every match in his area has suitable referees – yet still has found the time to officiate in almost 4000 games, a landmark he hopes to achieve in the 2014/15 season.

Tony’s efforts have been recognised on several occasions by England Basketball, including being presented with the National K.K.Mitchell Award for services to local officiating on two occasions and a long-service award for “Service of the highest order to English Basketball” over 50 years.

Tony spent 20 years in the RAF in the Physical Education branch and an amusing incident (now) kick-started his officiating career – “I had been asked to referee a match between two RAF stations (being injured at the time, I couldn’t actually play) despite being unqualified to do the job and after the match, the captain of the team (Brian Bellwood) which had lost the match (he was a Flight Lieutenant and I was a lowly corporal in those days) came to me in the changing room and said ”If I ever see you referee another game of Basketball, I’ll have you court-martialled” – he was not a happy man…! I could see my RAF career disappearing fast, so I thought I had better attend a referees’ course – that’s when I actually began to understand the sport……

During his time in the RAF, after playing for several Command teams including RAF Germany, Tony was variously Team Manager for the RAF Senior team, Coach for the Junior team and Officials’ Secretary of the RAF Basketball Association. He left the service as a Flight Lieutenant from Abingdon in 1977 and still lives in the town today, his day job for the last 36 years being sports administrator at the Harwell Oxford Science campus (previously AERE Harwell).

He says that people often ask him why he continues to be involved so intensely with Basketball when he should be “at home watching TV with pipe and slippers”! His reply is simple – “I enjoy the intellectual exercise of the interpretation of the Rules and the physical involvement and camaraderie among my fellow Basketball enthusiasts”. As a side issue, Tony believes that every official who really cares about the sport will always strive to referee the perfect game and many keep trying to achieve “The Impossible Dream” (because that’s what it is,

ask the World Cup officials!) as long as they are of sound mind and body!

Tony dedicated his award firstly to two RAF Officers (George Wilkinson, who taught him to play as far back as 1958 – and who subsequently became British Olympic Coach) and Brian Bellwood (who threatened his freedom – see above – and made Tony learn the Rules!) and secondly, to all of the referees, coaches and administrators up and down the country who put so much effort into the development of Basketball, with little or no recognition.

The England Basketball Development Officer commented “The number of new and upcoming officials who have benefited from Tony’s experience and knowledge as a tutor and mentor is almost countless – on top of it all, he is a great bloke who is never short of an entertaining story”. Tony sincerely hopes that he will be able to keep other Old Barts amused and interested at next year’s reunion.

Tony says that this momentous year for him will be complete with the presentation of his award during late summer/early autumn, followed by an invitation to a Royal Garden Party in 2015.

Tony Betteridge             Rod Crossley             Rod Dale             Jim Reynolds             John Bowles

Dave Stratton          Roy Gibson          Neil Hart          Dave Lowton          John Holman          Dave ?

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One of my sons informed me this week that my cell phone has become obsolete and I must head down to the Cell Phone store and get a truly up to date model ! I pointed out that the fancy Razor/Slim line phone complete with camera that he made me trade in my perfectly good flip-top Motorola cell phone for 2 years ago still works perfectly well. Well, except for the camera thing. I never could work that out. Even the few times I did take pictures I couldn’t figure out what to do with them and gave up ! Except when I pushed the wrong button and took a video of my feet..or the ceiling.One issue is that I am unable to text with the tiny little 3 character buttons. For example, for “Hi, son” would come out like “Gh Qmo”. I know that the grandchildren have spoken to my wife saying, “Dad’s crazy” ! Give me a break, what happened to actually talking on a phone ? Isn’t that what they were invented for ? They want me to get one of those phones that you can turn upside down and sideways, with a typewriter keyboard and keys about one-eighth the size of my little finger.

I was out on a river boat the other day, with another son. We were miles from anything remotely resembling civilisation…….let me explain this strange thing. His “Blackberry” rang. It was blue and I asked him why it wasn’t called a “Blueberry”. He shook his head with that “dealing with elder” despair look I get a lot these days. It was another estate agent who called to say that the sellers he represented had agreed to my son’s client’s changes and he had the signed documents in his hand. My son told him to fax the papers to his office and he would get them signed and faxed back, to close the deal that morning. A minute later his phone rang, he hit a few buttons and looked over the fax which was “on board” with us ! He then called his clients and told them he was faxing the papers to them for signature, faxing them back to his office. While he was waiting, he hooked a 22inch fat rainbow trout just as his phone rang again with the signed fax from his clients……I hope you are following this……..He then called the other estate agent telling him that the signed papers were being faxed back. The deal was closed. He just smiled and said, “You are a little behind the times, Dad” I guess I am. My children bought me a GPS (Sat Nav) for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and again, going into town or the library. I keep it in a box under my tool box in my workshop with the Blue tooth (it’s red) phone that I am supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once when standing in line in the supermarket talking to my wife when everyone 50 yards around us were glaring at us. It appears that I have to take out my hearing aid when using it and things got a little loud ! I have to say the GPS looked pretty smart on my dashboard but the “lady inside” was most annoying. Every 10 minutes she would sarcastically say “Re-calc-ul-ating”. She would give a deep sigh and then tell me to “Make a U turn” at the next traffic lights. If I took a right turn instead, it was not good. To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for four years, but I still haven’t figured out how I can lose three phones all at once leading to searching under chair cushions and laundry baskets when the phone rings. The world is getting too complex for me. I get confused every time I go to the supermarket when they say “Would you like paper or plastic bags ?“.I have bought some of them cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused but often forget to take them with me !Now I toss it back to them when questioned “Paper or Plastic?”. I just say, “Doesn’t matter to me, I am bi-sacksual”. Then it is their turn to stare at me with a blank look !

The Fasting Prayer Conference includes meals. Ladies, don’t forget the Jumble Sale - get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

The Peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.

A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the Church Hall. Music will follow.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

The Church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon……………and lastly…… This evening at 7pm there will be hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

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