The Royal High School Club in London

Book now for our Annual Dinner on 23rd March

2012-01-15T17:15:00.000Z

Dear RHS Club in London committee members,

We are delighted to announce that the Annual Dinner will be held in a stylish new venue: the Presidents’ Room at the Royal Air Force Club, 128 Piccadilly, London W1 on Friday 23^rd March 2012 at 7:30 pm. Dress for the Dinner is formal with black tie, Highland attire or lounge suit all acceptable. Members, their partners and guests are warmly invited to gather for pre-Dinner drinks and relaxed conversation from 6.30 pm in the Victoria Bar which adjoins the Presidents’ Room.

It is appropriate that we welcome back as our guest speaker Captain Eric Brown, the distinguished Royal Navy Officer, Test Pilot and Royal High FP. At last year's Annual Dinner, Captain Brown gave a spell-binding talk which nobody present will ever forget. Now in his nineties, he looks back on a life that has been crammed with incident, achievement and adventure. He attended the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he knew senior members of the Luftwaffe and met the aviatrix Hanna Reitsch; he interrogated the Camp Commandant of Bergen-Belsen; he encountered Wernher von Braun and Herman Goering. Captain Brown holds the world record for aircraft carrier landings, he is the Fleet Air Arm's most decorated pilot and he has flown more types of aircraft than anyone else in history.

The price of the excellent three-course dinner is £48 and demand for tickets is bound to be high. Make sure that you don't miss out by making your cheque payable to ‘The Royal High School Club in London’ and sending it to Alex Prentice, using the reply slip below. A letter with these details plus a reply slip has also been sent to you in the post. Please reply as soon as you can to assist us with planning the event.

To reach the RAF Club turn right out of Green Park underground station and walk along Piccadilly for roughly 400 metres in the direction of Hyde Park Corner. The RAF Club is at 128 Piccadilly just before the turning into Old Park Lane.

The RAF Club has made some accommodation available for our Annual Dinner attendees and if you would like to book a room please contact Alex Prentice by phone or email as soon as possible to let him have your requirements. Alex will liaise with the reservations team to help you to make your booking. Alternatively if you wish to make your own accommodation arrangements for your stay in London that is perfectly fine.

For further information on all aspects of the Annual Dinner, please contact Alex Prentice,

Honorary Secretary, Tel: 01992 554854, email: alex.prentice1@btinternet.com.

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Please post this reply slip with your cheque to Alex Prentice, at 4, Archers Close, Hertford, Herts. SG14 3BD.

I will be attending the Annual Dinner (please print full name)……….…………………………………………………..

The following guests will be attending (please print full names) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

I am enclosing my cheque for £…………… @ £48 per head. Please make cheques payable to ‘The Royal High School Club in London’.

If you would prefer to pay by BACS transfer the Club's bank details are as follows: Sort Code: 40-04-09, Account Number: 21327852, A/c Name: ‘The Royal High School Club in London’. Please include your name in the BACS reference field and submit your payment by 16^th March 2012.

Please tick this box if you intend to pay by BACS

Please supply details of any special dietary requirements e.g. vegetarian meals…………………………………………

I would like to be seated next to ……………………………………………………

Annual Dinner 2012

2012-01-08T18:01:00.002Z

The Royal High School Club in London's next Annual Dinner will be held on Friday 23rd of March 2012 at a new venue, the highly-recommended Royal Air Force Club in Piccadilly. Please make a note of the date in your diary.

contact restored

2011-12-05T19:10:00.000Z

My apologies to anyone who has tried to contact us by the webmaster email address for the web site.

These seem to have been disappearing into a black hole for a while.

I've now changed to a new address, and this should now work correctly.

webmaster@royalhigh.org.uk

Will Dunnett

Annual Drinks Party on 15th November

2011-10-20T07:03:00.002Z

Dear RHS club in London committee members,,

I am delighted to announce that there is a completely new look this year to the traditional annual drinks party. We have left The Fleming Collection far behind and moved into the heart of the West End.

You are most cordially invited to join us for a buffet/light supper at Le Troisième Restaurant at 3, Panton Street SW1 on Tuesday November 15^th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. . The restaurant, highly praised by the critics for its traditional French cuisine, is situated only a few minutes walk from Piccadilly Circus Underground Station just off the Haymarket.

The centrepiece of the evening is a real treat for fans of Downton Abbey. Our own David Robb, starring in the series as Dr. Clarkson, will be in conversation with theatre journalist Al Senter. David and Al will be discussing the impact of the programme and reflecting on David’s distinguished acting career which includes: I, Claudius, The Glittering Prizes, Taggart, The Crow Road and Midsomer Murders. You might also have heard David as the quintessential Richard Hannay in several radio dramatisations of the novels by John Buchan. There will also be a chance to put your questions to David on Downton Abbey and his other stage and screen credits.

To get to Le Troisième take the underground to Piccadilly Circus and exit the station towards the statue of Eros. Head in the direction of Leicester Square, turn right into Haymarket and Panton Street is about 100 metres down Haymarket on the left hand side. Don’t hesitate to bring wives, partners, friends or guests: we’ll be delighted to welcome them to the party. The charge for the evening is £25 per head.

I look forward to seeing you on 15^th November.

Valerie Peay,

President of the Club

For further information on all aspects of the Annual Drinks Party, please contact Alex Prentice on H: 01992 554854, W: 01992 582056 or alex.prentice1@btinternet.com.

Defence of the realm

2011-08-01T16:14:00.000Z

.. well calton hill anyway.
Bruce Skivington found a photo of 1729 squadron, which took the RHS ATC under it's wing. (sorry).

He'd like to hear from any of the crack squad. http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/wherenow_atc.htm

The Committee

2011-05-31T18:38:00.000Z

Valerie Peay is our new President and the make-up of the committee has also changed as shown below

Committee members as agreed at the AGM on 10th May 2011:

Will Dunnett – Webmaster

Susan Geary – Committee member

Ian Graham - Committee member

Valerie Peay – President

Chris Pountain – Treasurer

Alex Prentice - Secretary

Al Senter – Events co-ordinator + membership development.

Eddie Tait – Edinburgh contact

Fraser Wright - Committee member

New on the site

2011-05-30T19:01:00.000Z

Chris Crossley shares his memories of the day the pipe band played at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital's Gala Day.

http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/wherenow67pipe.htm

Message to friends and members of the Royal High School Club in London

2011-05-30T18:57:00.002Z

Dear friends,

At the Club's recent AGM Valerie Peay was elected as our new President succeeding Al Senter who decided to stand down after three successful years. The meeting thanked Al for his tireless contribution to the Club and for the many enjoyable events that marked his tenure as President. Al will remain on the committee as our Events Coordinator.

Valerie is a senior manager with British Telecom who works in the company's fast-changing internet services business. If you Google Valerie you will find that she has a presence on many of the current networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and you might like to see her describing her work for BT on YouTube at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW3T0dTqkFk . Outside of work Valerie is an enthusiastic traveller and she also finds time to serve on one of the London Livery Companies. Valerie returns to her Edinburgh roots on a regular basis and, while she is up there, she plans to strengthen our links with the Royal High School at Barnton.

I am sure that you would all like to wish Valerie success in her new role as our President and I know that her networking skills will be of great benefit to the Royal High School Club in London.

Best Regards,

Alex.

Hon Secretary.

Home: 01992 554854.

Website Update

2011-04-26T19:43:00.000Z

Where Are They Now? The Pipe Band 1967 page has been updated.

If you have a Royal High school photo to share send it in, with a bit of background information.

Edinburgh Club Annual 2011 Dinner

2011-04-10T17:46:00.000Z

Photos from the Edinburgh club's 2011 Annual Dinner can now be viewed on the

RHS FP Club Website

5 Soldiers by Rosie Kay Dance Company

2011-03-16T17:54:00.003Z

Former Royal High pupil and speaker at our recent annual dinner, Rosie Kay, will be putting on the following highly praised production in London.

Title
5 SOLDIERS- the Body Is The Frontline by Rosie Kay Dance Company

Venue
The Place, 17 Dukes Rd, London, WC1H 9AB, nearest tube Euston

Date+ Time
Saturday 14th May, 8pm, tickets £6-£17

Information

Following an acclaimed UK tour and international premiere, Rosie Kay Dance Company returns with the hard-hitting dance theatre production 5 SOLDIERS.

Highly praised by serving and former members of the British Army, 5 SOLDIERS is a timely, controversial and thought-provoking exploration of war in modern times. Featuring Rosie Kay’s trademark intense physicality and athleticism, 5 SOLDIERS weaves a journey of physical transformation helping us understand how soldiers are made, the effects of war and the causes and impact of injury.

5 SOLDIERS is a unique collaboration between award winning choreographer Rosie Kay, visual artist David Cotterrell and theatre director Walter Meierjohann. It was created after an intense period of research where Rosie was attached to the 4th Battalion The Rifles, and David spent time in Helmand Province with the Joint Forces Medical Group. 5 SOLDIERS has an original sound score by Annie Mahtani and dramaturgy by Petra Tauscher.

Book Tickets and further information

The Annual RHSCL Newsletter

2010-12-21T19:01:00.001Z

Dear Friends,

It hardly seems twelve months since I last sat down to drop you a line and to wish you all an extremely Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. As I write, the country is trapped in the icy grip of winter and so it may be a White Christmas for us all this year. Whatever the colour of your Christmas, I hope that it's a joyous one.

This newsletter is necessarily tinged with sadness since I have to announce the death last spring of Jim Randell, President of the RHSCL (1994/1995) and a long-serving member of the RHSCL Committee, latterly as Archivist. Jim passed away only a few months after the loss of his beloved wife and not many weeks after he attended what turned out to be his final RHSCL Annual Dinner. We shall miss his wise advice and gentle good humour.

During 2010, the RHSCL continued to expand with several new members recruited during the course of the year. The Annual Dinner in February featured a hugely enjoyable account of life in the Foreign Office from our Guest of Honour, retired diplomat, Andrew George. In September, the RHSCL added a new attraction to its programme of events with a visit to to Bacchanalia in the shadow of the Millennium Bridge. We sampled some excellent Spanish wines under the watchful eye of our guide and tucked into a tempting selection of hams and cheeses. Two months later we returned to the Fleming Collection in Mayfair for our Annual Drinks Party. We were given a ten-minute talk on The Glasgow Boys, the artistic circle who were the subject of the autumn exhibition at the Gallery.The musical duo Causeway added to the fun with several jaunty renditions on fiddle and guitar and the wine flowed to everybody's satisfaction.

For golf fans, there are plans afoot to enter a team representing the Royal High in the Annual Scottish Schools competiion at Denham next summer. If you are interested then please contact Mike Rogers (bold) on MRogersMAA@aol.com He'll be delighted to hear from you.

Keep in touch with the Club's activities by logging on to the website on www.royalhigh.org.uk and why not make it your New Year's resolution to attend one of the Club's events in 2011? I'm always delighted to hear from you on alsenter@yahoo.co.uk with any thoughts. comments. questions or suggestions.

With all the very best

Al Senter
President RHSCL

Annual Dinner 2011

2010-12-18T14:31:00.000Z

It is a great pleasure to announce once more that the Annual Dinner will be held in the El Alamein Room at the Victory Services Club,
63-79, Seymour Street, Marble Arch, London W2 2HF on Friday March 11th, 2011 at 7.30 pm. Dress for the Dinner is formal with
black tie, Highland attire or lounge suit all acceptable. Members, their partners and guests are warmly invited to gather for
pre-Dinner drinks and relaxed conversation from 6.30 pm.

I’m delighted to say that we have lined up three exceptional speakers for the 2011 Annual Dinner. We welcome Jane Frith,

the first female Rector in the long history of the Royal High School, who will be introducing herself and explaining her ambitions

for the school. And to demonstrate the sweep and scale of the achievements of Royal High alumni, we welcome the

world record holding test pilot Eric Brown and the choreographer Rosie Kay, founder of one of the most exciting dance companies

in Britain today. They will be reflecting on their time at the High School and how that experience contributed to their

subsequent achievements.

Once again we have timed the Annual Dinner to coincide with the Calcutta Cup weekend at Twickenham. There should therefore

be a large Edinburgh contingent in attendance and the evening will provide the perfect opportunity to catch up with old friends

and make sure that auld acquaintance is not forgot, especially as the Bar, with its extremely competitive prices, remains open

until midnight. The price of the excellent three-course dinner remains at £45 and demand for tickets is bound to be high.

Make sure that you don’t miss out by making your cheque payable to ‘The Royal High School Club in London’ and sending it to

Alex Prentice, using the reply slip below.

The Victory Services Club is located just around the corner from Marble Arch underground station. To reach the VSC, simply turn right

out of the station, then after 100 yards cross Edgware Road and Seymour Street is the first opening on the left. The VSC is about

fifty yards down on the left.

Those who wish to stay at the VSC should call Reservations on 0207 616 8335. Please tell Reservations that you are attending the

RHS Club in London’s Annual Dinner and you will be entitled to stay at the VSC for two nights. A double/twin room is £136.90

per night, including breakfast and VAT, while a single room is £76.45 per night. Alternatively email res@vsc.co.uk for the attention

of Ms Samia Hassan.

For further information on all aspects of the Annual Dinner, please contact either

Alex Prentice, Honorary Secretary, Tel: 01992 554854, email: alex.prentice1@btinternet.com or

Al Senter, President, on alsenter@yahoo.co.uk .

With best wishes,

Al Senter.

RHSCL Annual Drinks Party, 15th November 2010

2010-10-06T15:43:00.002Z

Now that the nights are drawing in and the trees are ablaze with the golds and the russets of autumn, I have the great pleasure of announcing that the other highlight of this season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, the RHSCL Annual Drinks Party, will take place on MONDAY NOVEMBER 15th at the Fleming Collection, 13, Berkeley Street, London W1

This year the Gallery is presenting a very special exhibition, a feast for art-lovers and of enormous appeal to everbody with an interest in Scottish culture.

THE GLASGOW BOYS show consists of fifty paintings, some rarely seen in public, and features the work of such artists as Sir James Guthrie, George Henry and Sir John Lavery. The exhibition complements Pioneering Painters: The Glasgow Boys 1880-1900, which can be seen round the corner at the Royal Academy.

As ever, the highlight of the evening will be the conducted tour of the exhibition, with expert comment and analysis from one of the team at the Fleming Collection. But there will also be live music, a tempting selection of sandwiches and sausage rolls, the choicest wines and relaxed conversation with friends, old and new. And all for £25 per head.

For those who are still to sample the Annual Drinks Party, the Fleming Collection is in Berkeley Street, just off Piccadilly. The nearest underground station is Green Park (Jubilee/Piccadilly/Victoria Lines) and is only a few minutes' walk from the gallery. Simply come out of the station on the north side of Piccadilly, turn left and then left again into Berkeley Street. The Fleming Collection is only a hundred yards down on the right-hand side.

Don't hesitate to bring wives, partners, friends or guests: we'll be delighted to welcome them to the party. My colleagues on the RHSCl Committee join me in inviting you to share what is always a very special evening.

For further information
Al Senter
RHSCL President
alsenter@yahoo.co.uk

Events at the Fleming

2010-10-02T17:11:00.001Z

EVENTS

Lunchtime talks at The Fleming Collection
James Paterson: The Moniaive Years
Friday 15th October, 1.10pm, admission free

The talk will focus on Paterson 's works in The Glasgow Boys exhibition to examine the significance Moniaive had on his artwork. The works form Paterson 's time in Moniaive illustrate his adoption of French art practices and his own unique strand of 'Glasgow Boys' realism

NEW EVENT
Dealers Talk: John Lavery and The Glasgow Boys at The Fine Art Society
Tuesday 2nd November, Drinks 6-8pm
The Fine Art Society, 148 New Bond Street , London W1S 2JT
Tickets: £15; Friends, Philanthropic Friends and Corporate Members £10; Patrons free

Enjoy an exclusive private viewing and talk of John Lavery and The Glasgow Boys at The Fine Art Society, the first commercial gallery to rediscover The Glasgow Boys after they fell out of popularity in the early twentieth century. The exhibition will include works for sale as well as works from private collections.

Roger Billcliffe talk and book signing of The Glasgow Boys
Tuesday, 9th November 1-2pm
The Fleming Collection, 13 Berkeley Street , London W1J 8DU
Price: Admission Free

Roger Billcliffe, author of The Glasgow Boys and owner of The Roger Billcliffe Gallery in Glasgow , will give an introduction to the Glasgow Boys followed by a book signing of his book The Glasgow Boys, of which the original edition won the Scottish Arts Council book award in 1985.
To reserve a book in advance please give the gallery a call on 020 7042 5731. Price £40.

Scottish Contemporary Art Evening with Lena Boyle and Artist John MacAulay
Tuesday, 16th November 6-7.30pm, drinks and canapes
Address given with your ticket, nearest underground Earls Court
Price: £20; Friends, Philanthropic Friends and Corporate Members £15; Patrons free

Over the last 25 years Lena Boyle has staged exhibitions of Modern British and Contemporary artists at her private home. You will view an exhibition of Scottish artists including works by New Glasgow Boy Hugh Byars; Sarah Coghill and John MacAulay. MacAulay, who trained at Glasgow School of Art and the Royal College of Art will give a talk on the techniques he employs and observations of Scottish life dear to his work.

Annual Friends Lecture: Sir John Lavery and The Glasgow Boys by Kenneth McConkey
Tuesday, 23rd November 6.30-7.30pm
The Fleming Collection, 13 Berkeley Street , London W1J 8DU
Price: £10; Friends, Philanthropic Friends, Corporate Members and Patrons free

A specialist in British, Irish and French painting at the turn of twentieth century, Kenneth McConkey is the author of many books and articles. His lifelong interest in Lavery began as a boy going to Belfast Art Gallery . Sir John Lavery was a leading member of The Glasgow Boys in the late nineteenth century and is remembered for his striking portraits and everyday rural scenes. Kenneth McConkey will be signing copies of his new book John Lavery: A Painter and his World. Price £45.

Lifelong Friends: Cadell and Peploe at The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
Thursday, 25th November 6-8pm
The Scottish Gallery, 16 Dundas Street , Edinburgh EH3 6HZ
Price: £15; Friends, Philanthropic Friends, Corporate Members £10; Patrons free

Guy Peploe is delighted to host a special talk for us at The Scottish Gallery to celebrate the friendship between the two Scottish Colourists, FCB Cadell and his grandfather SJ Peploe. Guy Peploe will bring together a selection of works from a private collection that have rarely, if ever, been seen, offering an exclusive, intimate and personal look at their life and work for one day only.
The Scottish Gallery is hosting a Cadell exhibition in 2011 to coincide with the National Gallery's exhibition on his work and will also have an exhibition later in 2011 called Peploe's Portraits.

Exhibitions At the Fleming Gallery

2010-10-02T17:05:00.002Z

We hold our popular annual drinks party at the Fleming Gallery at 13, Berkeley Street, W1, just off Piccadilly.

You may be interested in the exhibitions they hold throughout the year.

Exhibitions

The Glasgow Boys
14 September - 18 December

Aspect Prize
11 - 20 January 2011

Glenfiddich Residencies Retrospective
25 January - 26 February 2011

Will Maclean: Collected works 1970-2010
8 March - 4 June 2011

Dave Randell's eulogy for Jim.

2010-07-18T15:13:00.003Z

Jim Randell was the President of the Club from 1994-95. Jim along with his late wife, Sheila, supported the club for many years and seldom (if ever) missed an event or committee meeting.

This is the eulogy that Dave Randell delivered at Jim's funeral.

James Henry Randell, or as he liked to be known, Jim, was born on the 8th December 1925 in Southall in west London. When he was 5, he moved up to Edinburgh with his mother and father, as his father had a new job in the city’s Education Department. Jim went to the junior and senior departments of the Royal High School in Edinburgh, and when he was 16, was given a pushbike. Apparently this was Sheila, my mum’s, first memory of him! His thirst for adventure must have started at this time, because he toured, certainly the Borders, but I think the whole of Scotland on his bike, if I remember correctly.

He had been in the Air Training Corps at the Royal High senior school, so when he joined up two years later, he joined the R.A.F. Unfortunately , he couldn’t become a pilot because his eyesight wasn’t good enough. “You can be a navigator” they said, “No thanks, if I cant fly the plane, I don’t want to know!” So he went off to join the army. As he went to sign up, he saw a poster for British officers being needed in the Indian army, so he went out to India, and also spent time with the Gurkhas.

When he returned to Scotland, he was given the choice of looking after boats in Rosyth dockyard, or transport in Perth. He took the transport job because that included the use of Staff cars, which would impress girls!!.... his words, not mine!!

He left the forces and met up again with Sheila and her friend Betty, who had both written to him while he was in India. He was now able to start training to be an Architect, which was what he’d decided to be years before, and so started 7 years at The Edinburgh College Of Art, in his words “learning to draw a straight line freehand”.

During the next few years he found time to take Sheila to London, Paris, Venice, Rome, Florence and Capri, and on the 8th July 1950 they married in Edinburgh. So, yes it would have been their 60th anniversary this year, and dad already had it written in his diary. They bought a flat in Bath Street, in Edinburgh, and lived there for 3 or 4 years spending the summers hitch hiking round Europe.

Jim graduated in 1953 gaining a Diploma in Architecture. He became an Associate of The Royal Institute of British Architects on the 15th June 1954, having started his first job as an Architectural assistant in Edinburgh. Two more local jobs followed, and Jim became an Associate of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland on the 27th June 1956. However, by this time work had disappeared in Scotland and so Jim moved to London to find work. Money was scarce and he always maintained that he lived solely on spaghetti to start with!

Another great event in 1956, was that on the 3rd October I was born, and mum and I moved down to be with him in London, first in a flat, and then in our own caravan in Loughton by the side of Epping Forest. By this time he was working for Tripe and Wakeham, a firm of Chartered Architects. They decided to open an office in Aden a barren rock in south Yemen, and Jim went out to run it .Mum and I followed and we were there for 3 years.

Jim and Sheila loved the lifestyle, entertaining or being entertained, and the fact that the Governor would frequently be a guest with his radio truck and armed escort, secretly tickled Jim! In fact he told a story of going to a dinner party at the governors, mum and dad were a little late which was not done, and so he put the car headlights on full beam and drove down the wrong side of the short dual carriageway into town to get there quicker! He maintained that their Mercedes was the biggest car in Aden, apart from the governor’s, and everyone got out of the way!

When we left Aden, we went round a lot of Game parks in East Africa on the way home. We sailed through the Suez canal so Sheila could experience it, and across the Mediterranean sea to Marseilles. When we got back to the UK, we lived in Teddington, and Jim was headhunted by W S Atkins & Partners in Epsom, Surrey to be Senior Architect.

It was while working here that one of Jim’s new colleagues told him about the house in Horsham that he had just bought, which had a huge garage. This was exactly what we needed at the time having brought the Mercedes home from Aden, and so we started our long association with Horsham.

After spending 3 to 4 years settling into our new house, Jim was off again, and was sent to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to run an office out there for a year. Mum and I joined him, and whilst we were there we all toured the country. We went to the Tissisat falls, Lake Tana the source of the Nile, Gondar, Axum, and to the pilgrimage for St. Gabriel at Kolubi with over one hundred thousand Ethiopians and us circling the church at dawn. The Ethiopian culture and people had a profound effect on Jim, and when we came home he joined the Anglo Ethiopian society, becoming Secretary, Chairman, and finally, President. He left the society some time ago, but has kept up with his friends from the Society, and his friends from Addis, many of whom are here today.

As most of you will know, Jim’s handwriting was dreadful. And in a letter home to us from Ethiopia, he proudly stated that he had joined the tootsie wootsie club! Well! It turned out that he’d in fact joined the toastmasters club, which relieved mum somewhat!
When we came home from Ethiopia, Jim joined Costain Construction as a Senior Architect, working from an office in south Wimbledon. He left this company due to redundancy, caused by a fall in building demand and set up his own Architectural Practice. Sheila looked after the accounts, did some of the typing, and made a lot of coffee! It was about this time that Jim took mum to India, somewhere she’d wanted to go for 40 years. He delighted in showing her the sights; the Taj Mahal, Delhi, and Jai Pur. He also took her up to the Shetlands, to stay with friends, where they watched the burning of a Viking long boat and saw a white hare in the car headlights, which apparently is a very rare sight .I think however, that he missed the hurly burly of a formal office, and went to Damon Lock Grabowski, in London, as what was really a part time Consultant helping younger architects with their work and careers.

He’d always had an ambition to retire at 80 and achieved this at the end of 2005, beginning of 2006. He used this retirement time to go to Life drawing evening classes, and carry on his extensive social life in London with my mum. They went to Ethiopian restaurants, attended Ethiopian Embassy functions,, Scottish Schools’ dinners, and many social functions with the National Liberal club, of which he was also a member.
He also continued with his almost lifelong research of our Family Tree, having unearthed relatives in far flung locations.

Jim was a well read and very intelligent man, asking for Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, to “dip in and out of” during his latest stay in hospital! He also had a lifelong love of art, both drawing and painting his own pictures, and reading books and articles commenting on and criticising famous and not so famous paintings. Another lifelong interest was photography, for which he had all the up to date gadgets and different lenses, and I remember him developing his own pictures at home. He was very proud of both his Granddaughters, having reviews of some of Heather’s amateur dramatic productions in his office and being interested in her travels to Spain, America and Thailand. Elizabeth shared his great love of art and had many discussions with him about the subject. Another subject that Elizabeth and her Granfer, as grandfathers are known in the Randell family, talked about was Philosophy, something that he was pleased that Elizabeth is taking at Hull University. He has many books on the subject…..big heavy ones!

Dad was a very kind, fair generous man; always ready with advice if it was asked for, whether on how to tackle a DIY problem, the best way to invest money, or the quickest way to Edinburgh or Bristol by road. I have described him as a true gentleman to a couple of people over the past few weeks, and Sue and I have had many kind letters and cards with more thoughts about him. Here are a few:-Jim was a special friend and aspiring work colleague. Many others too remain ever grateful that he patiently passed on to them his experience and skills. And though they have since gone various ways, it was always Jim they asked after, when later in life you met up with them. An era has passed. …I will always have very fond memories of Jim, who was one of the nicest people I have ever had the privilege to meet…..Jim could always be relied upon to be unpredictable and had something to teach us all about professionalism, but just as importantly about how to enjoy work and life.

About twelve years ago, Jim had a quadruple heart by-pass, which certainly gave him a new lease of life, however his heart was still weak, and he had a Pacemaker/ defibrulator fitted 2-3 years ago, after a collapse in Victoria station. A year or so ago, he started caring more for mum and this put more strain on his heart. She sadly died in January, and Jim’s heart condition worsened. In fact he was in hospital on the day of Sheila’s funeral, as some of you will remember, and was allowed out for the day, under strict instructions. He missed Mum very much and his heart got considerably worse after her death. He was admitted to St. Thomas’s hospital in London after a slight collapse during an outpatients appointment. For the next 17 – 18 days, he kept being told that he could go home in a few days, but kept having blackouts, so never got to that stage.
He had complete control over his mental faculties right up to the end. In fact, he’d not only been sketching one of the wards a few days before, but in the Intensive Care unit, he told me that it would have been a far better use of space, if the air conditioning duct and the electrical duct had been put in the other way round!!
And so, as he said at Mum’s funeral, here we are.
We’re all going to miss him dreadfully, and I think I speak for all of you when I say, Jim it’s been a privilege to know you, and I speak for myself, when I say Dad, its an honour to be your son!!

Minutes of the AGM 18 May 2010

2010-06-13T15:33:00.002Z

Minutes of the AGM and Committee Meeting of the Royal High School Club in London held on 18.05.10 at the Caledonian Club.

Attendees:
Simon Card OBE – Committee member
Valerie Peay – Committee member
Chris Pountain - Treasurer
Alex Prentice - Secretary
Al Senter - President

Apologies received from:
Martin Coutie
Will Dunnett – Webmaster
Susan Geary – Committee member
John Kay
Claire Laidlaw – Committee member
Alistair Maclean
Alan Morrison
Alan & Mo Robertson
Jim Rowan
Eddie Tait – Scots in London contact
Colin Todd
Brian Wallace
Neil Watson

Minutes of the AGM.

- Alex welcomed five attendees to the AGM and listed the apologies.
- Tributes were paid to our former President and committee member Jim Randell who, sadly, died on 9th April 2010.
- Al presented his Annual President’s Report and thanked the Committee for its support over the last year. The Club ran three events in 2009/10: Foreign Office Tour, Fleming Collection drinks party and the Annual Dinner which were all well attended.
- Chris presented his Treasurer’s report, which showed that the financial position of the Club remains satisfactory. As at 19.04.10 the Club had £1761.02 in the bank plus £855.80 in the National Savings Account.
- The following have agreed to serve as Committee members (8 in total):
Simon Card OBE – Committee member
Will Dunnett – Webmaster
Susan Geary – Committee member
Chris Pountain – Treasurer
Valerie Peay – Committee member
Alex Prentice - Secretary
Al Senter - President
Eddie Tait – Scots in London contact
- The following Committee members will be approached by the Secretary to see whether they wish to stand down from the committee. The committee wishes to thank them for their valuable service to the Club.
Claire Laidlaw is moving to New Zealand for two years with her family.
Janette Scantlebury – moved to Shetland some years ago.

Actions from the AGM
- Al Senter will contact the small number of RHS FPs who have attended London Club events, but who have not yet formally joined the Club, to encourage them set up an annual subscription standing order for £15. We also have a few new RHS FP contacts in London who will be encouraged to join and pay the subscription. The Secretary (Alex) will supply Al with the list of people to contact and the Treasurer (Chris) will update the membership list to show who has paid the subscription.
- Al Senter intends to stand down as President within the next year and he will lead the search for a new President for the Club.
- Al Senter is also looking for a person in their 20’s or 30’s to join the committee to ensure that the committee is in tune with this age group.

Minutes of the Committee Meeting (chaired by Al Senter).

Review of actions from the last AGM on 12.05.09.
- We discussed the committee’s ideas for implementation of a new RHSCL Prize and Simon Card agreed to lead on this initiative. The new Rector (Jane Frith) has been appointed and Simon will make contact with her - Alex will provide Simon with Jane’s contact details. For the time being we will continue with the three school prizes that the RHSCL currently funds.

Feedback from the Annual Dinner 2010.
- Feedback from the attendees at the Annual Dinner on 19th February at the VSC was varied. It was felt that the speeches went on too long and there were a few critical comments about the meal. On the other hand the attendees from Edinburgh seemed to like the VSC and there were good comments from them about the accommodation. Undoubtedly we all enjoyed the reasonable prices at the bar. The Committee has not yet decided the venue for the Annual Dinner on Friday March 11th 2011 and, to help the Committee to come to a decision, Alex P will compare the offering at the VSC with what the Caledonian Club can provide.

Forthcoming Club Events.
We discussed forthcoming events and the following points were discussed:
- Melanie Mareuge-Lejeune will host a drinks evening for her network of younger RHS FPs in London, at her home, and she plans to invite a few members of the Committee along as well.
- We will hold a wine-tasting evening at Bacchanalia in the City on 16th September 2010 and we will issue an invitation to the London FP clubs of Heriot’s, Watson’s and Daniel Stewart’s to join us. Valerie Peay will liaise with Bacchanalia and Alex will publicise the event.
- The Annual Drinks Party will be held once more at the Fleming Gallery on 15th November 2010 and Al Senter will organise that event. Paintings by the popular Glasgow Boys will be on view and that should help to boost the attendance.
- Al Senter is organising an event for RHS pupils in May 2011 at the Fleming Collection. The event will have a London theatre theme and Al will chair a distinguished panel who will take questions from the pupils.

- Recruitment of new members.
We discussed different social networking systems e.g. Twitter & Facebook and we agreed that further work is needed by Club members who have used these systems. Valerie Peay will make contact with Will Dunnett and Melanie Mareuge-Lejeune to see whether we can make some headway with these systems.

Date of the next Committee meeting:
- We plan to hold the next Committee meeting in November 2010 and Simon will investigate whether we can use a room at the Institute of Directors.

Spanish wine tasting on Thursday 16th September

2010-05-30T22:53:00.001Z

The Royal High School Club in London is delighted to invite you to an evening of Spanish wine tasting on Thursday 16th September 2010 from 7pm to 9 pm at Bacchanalia, the renowned wine and gastro haven for all things Spanish. Bacchanalia’s new purpose-built wine tasting room overlooks the River Thames on the north bank just below the Millennium Bridge at Broken Wharf House, No 2 Broken Wharf, London EC4V 3DT (the nearest underground stations are Mansion House and St Pauls). We are charging £30 per person which includes exclusive venue hire, a glass of vintage sparkling wine on arrival, a tasting of 8 wines presented by the experts at Bacchanalia and a wide selection of tapas for your enjoyment.

If you would like to attend the wine tasting event please reply to this email to let Alex Prentice know that you are coming along - that will help us to confirm the numbers to Bacchanalia. Please also make out your cheque to 'The Royal High School Club in London' and post it to Alex Prentice at 4, Archers Close, Hertford, Herts SG14 3BD with the reply slip shown below. Please post your cheque off by the end of June 2010.

For further information on all aspects of the wine-tasting event please contact either

Alex Prentice, Honorary Secretary, Tel: 01992 554854 or email: alex.prentice1@btinternet.com or

Valerie Peay, Committee Member, Tel: 07712 075155 or email: valerie.peay@bt.com

Please note that we will also be inviting our friends from the London former pupil clubs of Heriots, Watsons & Daniel Stewarts which should ensure a very convivial evening.

We've moved

2010-05-03T18:18:00.002Z

This is the new blog for the Royal High School Club in London. All the posts from the old blog are available here.
If you have anything you'd like posted, relevant to the school or the club, please send to webmaster Will at webmaster@royalhighlondon.org.uk .

The Fleming Collection Program for 2010

2010-03-06T18:39:00.004Z

Exhibitions

Scottish Colourists from The Fleming Collection
19 January - 1 April

Highlands & Islands: Paintings & Poems

13 April – 5 June

City Living: Works from The Fleming Collection at Somerset House
20 April – 5 September

Scottish Summer Exhibition
15 June

Events

Selina Skipwith, Keeper of Art at The Fleming Collection will give an informal talk on the history of The Fleming Collection with an introduction to The Scottish Colourists
(Includes special out of hours viewing of the exhibition)
Monday 22nd March 6-8pm, Talk 6.45pm
Wine, soft drinks and canapes will be served. Please note that seating is not provided
Tickets: £26, places limited and tickets must be purchased in advance

Visit to the Westminster Archives

Wednesday 24th March, 2-3.30pm, Tour 2pm

10 St. Ann’s Street, London SW1P 2DE. Nearest tube St James’s Park

Price: £15; Friends, Philanthropic Friends and Corporate Members £10; Patrons free

An Evening of Scottish Music and Poetry
Thursday 22nd April, Doors open 6pm, Performance 7-9pm
The Fleming Collection, 13 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8DU
Price: £35; Friends, Philanthropic Friends, Corporate Members and Patrons £25

Philanthropic Friends Dinner with James Morrison RSA RSW
Monday 26 April, 7pm-10pm Dinner Flemings Mayfair Hotel, Half Moon Street, London W1J 7BH
Diane Shiach, Director, The Scottish Gallery will lead a discussion with Morrison about his practice
Tickets: Philanthropic Friends subscription £500, dinner free, additional guest ticket £80

Art, Literature and the Highlands by Murdo Macdonald
Tuesday 27th April, Doors open 6pm, Lecture 6.30-7.30pm
The Fleming Collection, 13 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8DU
Price: £10; Friends, Philanthropic Friends and Corporate Members £7.50; Patrons free

Drawing Class: Highlands & Islands: Paintings and Poetry
Monday 10th May, 2-5pm
Tickets: £20; Friends, Philanthropic Friends, Corporate Members and Patrons £15
Susanna Lyell, artist and tutor, will lead this workshop which is suitable for both beginners and experienced painters.

Hebrides & Highlands: An Illustrated Architectural Tour by Mary Miers
Wednesday 12th May, Doors open 6pm, Lecture 6.30-7.30pm
The Fleming Collection, 13 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8DU
Price: £10; Friends, Philanthropic Friends and Corporate Members £7.50; Patrons free

Paintings and Poetry: Day in Glasgow
Friday 21st May, 11am-4.45pm
Meet at Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, Argyll Street, Glasgow G3 8AG
Price: £15; Friends, Philanthropic Friends and Corporate Members £10; Patrons £5 (lunch and tea not included in ticket price)

Tour of City and Guilds of London Art School during the 2010 Degree Show with visits to Mark Adlington’s studio and Caroline Wiseman Modern and Originals
Saturday 26th June, 10.30am-4.45pm
Please arrive promptly at Kennington Tube Station (Northern Line) at 10.30am
Tickets: £30; Friends, Philanthropic Friends, Corporate Members and Patrons £20 (lunch not included in ticket price)

LUNCHTIME TALKS

Informal talks are given on Wednesday lunchtimes in the gallery at 1.10pm for about 20 minutes. There is no need to book and places are not limited.

Wednesday 3 March
Lucy Lyell will discuss J.D Fergusson’s women, including Jean Maconochie and Eastre, Hymn to the Sun.

Wednesday 21 April
Mary Miers, Architectural Writer, Art and Books Editor for Country Life and author of The Western Seaboard will discuss and sign copies of her book.

Edinburgh's Royal High School set to rise again as £35m art hotel

2010-02-09T20:48:00.002Z

Jim Landis, who spoke at last year's Annual Dinner about plans for the old school building in Regent Road has told us about this article which appeared in the Scotsman.
For copyright reasons we can't reproduce the article, and so we can only refer you to the site http://www.scotsman.com/ and cover the main points here -

The former Royal High School building on Calton Hill in Edinburgh is to be redeveloped into an arts hotel, Edinburgh City Council will announce today.

The £35 million project will bring the A-listed building, once mooted as a home for the Scottish Parliament, back into public use for the first time since 1968.

The hotel will include a restaurant, café and public gallery.

Council chiefs described it as a "hugely exciting" development.

However, critics hit out at the decision to turn it into a hotel rather than a cultural facility, describing it as a "bungle".

Mongolia Adventure Gallery

2010-02-04T12:21:00.002Z

Melanie Mareuge-Lejeune, a former RHS pupil and regular attendee of our events, has launched an on line gallery of her photographs. It starts off with her Mongolian Adventure with some very striking photos of the country and its people.
http://www.melml.com/gallery_290408.html

Melanie follows in the footsteps of another former pupil, Alan Mitchell, who passed through on his world tour back in 2002 when this website was launched. http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/alsmongolia.htm

Annual Dinner 2010

2009-12-11T18:50:00.002Z

Just a quick note to remind you that the Annual Dinner will be held at the Victory Services Club on Friday February 19th, 2010.

I'm very pleased to say that Andrew George has agreed to be our Guest Speaker. He was School Captain from 1969-1970 and so he handed over the baton to me. After Edinburgh University he went into the Foreign Office and he eventually rose to become Governor of Anguilla in the Caribbean via an ambassadorship to Paraguay.

Please have a very good Christmas and an excellent New Year.

All best

Al Senter
President, Royal High School Club in London.

A new Rector for the School

2009-12-11T18:46:00.002Z

The Royal High has a new Rector! She's a Yorkshirewoman called Jane Frith. She will of course be invited to speak at the club's Annual Dinner, where members will have the chance to meet her.

Flemings Drinks 2009 Photos

2009-11-22T17:49:00.003Z

The photos from the RHSCL 2009 Drinks Party at the Fleming Collection are now available to view on Flikr - Flemings 2009 Album

Annual Drinks Party

2009-10-04T11:53:00.001Z

Dear Royal High School Club in London Committee members,

Once again, it is my great pleasure to announce that the Annual Drinks Party will take place at the Fleming Collection on Monday November 9th, 2009

from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

This year the Fleming Collection is hosting a very special exhibition: ‘The Face of Scotland: Masterpieces from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery’.

The artists represented include Van Dyck, Sir Henry Raeburn and Allan Ramsay, and the subjects range from royalty to such contemporary figures as

Ewan McGregor and J.K.Rowling. This is a rare chance to see more than forty major portraits in a single collection and, as ever, there will be a lively

and informative introduction to add to your enjoyment. It’s an opportunity not to be missed.

As well as the chance to savour such objets d’art, there will be live music, generous amounts of fine wine, hearty sandwiches and snacks, and some

great conversation with friends old and new. And the Club is delighted to report that the price of admission remains at £20 per head.

For those who are yet to sample the Annual Drinks Party, the Fleming Collection is situated at 13, Berkeley Street, W1, just off Piccadilly, and the

nearest underground station is Green Park (Jubilee/Piccadilly/Victoria Lines) only 3 minutes walk from the Gallery. Come out of the station on the north

side of Piccadilly and turn left, then take the first left into Berkeley Street and the Fleming Collection is a mere 100 yards down on the right hand side.

It’s the more, the merrier at the Annual Drinks Party so feel free to bring wives, partners or guests to the party. My colleagues on the Committee and

myself very much look forward to welcoming you to what is always a very special occasion.

Al Senter,

President of the Club

alsenter@yahoo.co.uk

For further information on all aspects of the Annual Drinks Party, please contact Alex Prentice on H: 01992 554854, W: 020 7320 2579

or alex.prentice1@btinternet.com.

Club AGM

2009-05-20T20:09:00.002Z

Minutes of the AGM and Committee Meeting of the Royal High School Club in London held on 12.05.09 at the Caledonian Club.

Attendees:
Simon Card OBE – Committee member
Susan Geary – Committee member
Chris Pountain - Treasurer
Alex Prentice - Secretary
Jim Randell - Archivist
Jim Rowan – Club member
Al Senter - President
Eddie Tait – Scots in London contact

Apologies received from:
Will Dunnett – Webmaster
Don Leslie
Alistair Maclean
Valerie Peay – Committee member
Mel Rankine
Lindsay Taylor
Colin Todd
Walter Wood

Minutes of the AGM.

 Alex welcomed eight attendees to the AGM and listed the apologies.
 Tributes were paid to RHS FPs Pringle Fisher and Shaw Statham who, sadly, died in recent months.
 Al presented his Annual President’s Report and thanked the Committee for its support over the last year. Al informed the AGM that George Smuga has resigned as Rector and the post will be advertised. A new Rector should be in place in August for the start of the autumn term.
 Chris presented his Treasurer’s report, which showed that the financial position of the Club remains satisfactory. As at 19.04.09 the Club had £1760.32 in the bank plus £853.33 in the National Savings Account.
 The following have agreed to serve as Committee members (11 in total):
Simon Card OBE – Committee member
Will Dunnett – Webmaster
Susan Geary – Committee member
Claire Laidlaw – Committee member
Chris Pountain – Treasurer
Valerie Peay – Committee member
Alex Prentice - Secretary
Jim Randell – Archivist
Janette Scantlebury – Committee member
Al Senter - President
Eddie Tait – Scots in London contact

Actions from the AGM
 Alex will write to the small number of RHS FPs who have attended London Club events, but who have not yet formally joined the Club, to encourage them set up an annual subscription standing order for £15. We also have a few new RHS FP contacts in London who will be encouraged to join and pay the subscription. Al agreed to contact the non-payers to encourage them to set up a standing order.
 The school prize-giving is planned for Thursday the 2nd of July at 10:00 am and, unfortunately, Al Senter cannot attend. If any of the committee would like to attend the school prize-giving as a platform guest please contact Alex Prentice. Alex will also contact Ian Gill who has represented the London Club in the past to see if he is available.
 Al Senter kindly agreed to continue as President until the AGM in May 2010 but we also agreed that a successor for Al needs to identified in 2009 in order for a smooth handover to take place. Simon agreed to sound out a possible candidate.

Minutes of the Committee Meeting (chaired by Al Senter).

Review of actions from the last committee meeting on 13.01.09.
 We discussed the committee’s ideas for implementation of a new RHSCL Prize (if agreed) in 2010. We decided to follow up on this proposal with the new Rector once he/she has been appointed and, for this school year, we will continue with the three school prizes that the RHSCL currently funds. Simon has already emailed David Simpson to tell him about our decision.

Feedback from the Annual Dinner 2009.
 Feedback from the attendees at the Annual Dinner on 20th March was very positive and the quality of the food and service at the VSC was excellent. We will consider a return to the VSC for the Annual Dinner in 2010 if we can come up with a proposal which costs in. Al will try to find a suitable date at the end of March 2010 and we can then have detailed discussions with the VSC.

Forthcoming Club Events.
We discussed forthcoming events and the following points were agreed:
 The Annual Drinks Party will be held at the Fleming Gallery on Monday the 9th of November 2009. Al is working on the format of the event and the cost-per-head is likely to rise slightly. The committee agreed that we should hire musicians again, if they cost in, because this creates a very sociable, party atmosphere.

Recruitment of new members.
 There has been a steady trickle of new contacts via the Club’s web site, and by word of mouth, and they have received welcoming emails from Alex and Al. Several new faces attended the Drinks Party and the Annual Dinner and our first priority is to convert them to fully paid-up members as discussed above.

Date of the next Committee meeting:
 We plan to hold the next Committee meeting in October 2009 at the Caledonian Club and Alex will send out a suggested date in due course.

Photos from the 2009 Annual Dinner

2009-05-03T16:45:00.002Z

Photos from the club's 2009 Annual Dinner at the Victory Club in London are now on Flickr. You don't have to join Flickr to view the photos.
The address is http://www.flickr.com/photos/royalhighschool/ .
The dinner was well attended, including a contingent from Edinburgh. Former pupil and well known economics writer and columnist John Kay was the main speaker who proved to be both entertaining and informative.

Annual Dinner 2009 Bookings

2009-02-10T20:01:00.002Z

This is just a quick note to update you on the number of people who have sent me acceptances for our Annual Dinner on Friday 20th March at the Victory Services Club (from 6:30 pm with dinner served at 7:30).

I have received 27 acceptances, so far, including the following seven people who are coming down from Edinburgh for the event: David Simpson (the Rector) and his wife Mary Kemball, Joseph Ghaemi (the School Captain), Alastair Allanach (the Edinburgh Club President), Jim Landels, Roy Cowper and Martin Bryden (the next Edinburgh Cub President).

It promises to be an excellent evening and accommodation can be booked at the club for those staying over.

More details at RHSCL Events

Photos from the Fleming Collection Party

2008-11-23T18:01:00.002Z

Photos from our recent Drinks Party at the Fleming Collection are now on the website,
view them at http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/drinks_2008.htm

Rugby-mad John Hall

2008-07-13T18:27:00.002Z

Sad to report John Hall whose career at the Royal High spanned three decades died in May this year. His obituary appears in the Scotsman. See http://news.scotsman.com/reallives/Rugbymad-PE-teacher-John-was.4072846.jp

Thanks to David Robertson for passing on the news.

Where are they now

2008-06-29T17:04:00.002Z

The popular 'Where are they now' section of the site has just been refreshed, with the new look being applied to the site. Navigation should be easier now.
If you'd like to get in contact with your former friends and classmates and have a class or school activity photo you'd like to send in please contact me at webmaster@royalhighlondon.org.uk .

View the new look pages at http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/rhswhere.htm

Former RHS Pupil Eric Brown

2008-06-10T10:09:00.001Z

From - The Scotsman 12/05/2008
A PENSIONER who holds the title of being the world's most prolific test
pilot will be awarded with an honorary doctorate by Edinburgh University.

Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown, 89, who once crashed while performing a
demonstration for Sir Winston Churchill, will be awarded the degree next
month by his alma mater in honour of his distinguished career .

The former Royal Navy officer's career almost ended before it began when he
was captured by the Gestapo as a modern languages undergraduate on exchange
in Nazi Germany. But he was mistakenly released by the SS, who failed to
realise he was an RAF volunteer service pilot - and later ended up
interrogating key Nazi figures including Herman Goering to learn from their
advanced aviation technology.

Now he is in the Guinness Book of World Records for notching up 487 test
flights, having served as the chief test pilot at the Royal Aircraft
Establishment in Farnborough.

And his long career included 11 near fatal accidents, such as when he
crashed before the former war prime minister at Donibristle in 1941, falling
into the Firth of Forth and ending up with a broken nose and arm.

Captain Brown, who gave up his wings at 72, said: "I was surprised and very
honoured to be awarded the doctorate. Studying modern languages at Edinburgh
University gave me an exciting part of my life, going to Germany and then
spending time interrogating people.

" I loved the challenge of flying. Speed is like an aphrodisiac, and I love
fast aeroplanes, like I love fast cars. But I realise my reactions are now
not as quick as they used to be."

Captain Brown inherited his love of planes from his father, a pilot in the
Royal Flying Corps during the First World War.

Originally from Edinburgh, he learned to fly alone as a student with the
university air squadron.

After 42 years serving as a Royal Navy officer, he is the Fleet Air Arm's
most decorated pilot and also holds the world record for the most carrier
landings, 2,407.

His book on his adventures, Wings on My Sleeve, has sold 30,000 copies since
first being published in 1961.

Make a note of these dates.

2008-05-14T18:58:00.002Z

Our Annual Drinks and Nibbles Party has been provisionally booked for 10th November 2008 at the Fleming Collection.
Next year's Royal High School Club in London Annual Dinner will be on Friday 20th March 2009. The venue will be announced later.
Further details will be posted on the website when available.

Happy Days at the Royal High School 1947-1951

2008-04-17T18:59:00.003Z

James Donaldson left the school in 1951 and emigrated to Australia - hope he wasn't trying to get as far away from the place as he could!
Anyway he has sent us some tales of his time there which you can read in the second half of our 'Pongo' page in Happy Days.

A bit of Nip Tuck

2008-02-29T20:33:00.002Z

Yes the web site is undergoing a facelift. The refreshed pages are designed to work well with the modern browsers, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2 and should be compatable with other up to date browsers.

In the new design, we have a 'Meet the committee' page with photographs and short
biographies of your club committee. Dr John Murray's speech on 'Music in Europe' has been added to the new look 'Happy Days' section of the site, with improved navigation and some new photographs.

Webmaster Will's Top Picks lists pages which are popular and interesting.

The Site map has been improved and provides an alternative view of the web site.

The refurbishment is on-going and it will be some time before all the pages have been
brought up to date.

For the techies amongst you, the site now uses XHTML 1.0 Strict and is checked with the W3C validator.

Farquhar Macintosh CBE MA DLitt Dr hc. 27 October 1923 to 18 November 2007

2007-12-18T21:13:00.000Z

Farquhar Macintosh CBE MA DLitt Dr hc. 27 October 1923 to 18 November 2007

Dr Farquhar Macintosh was a crofter’s son from Elgol, in the Isle of Skye, who over the past 50 years, became one of the great public servants in Scotland. He had a wide range of interests and his contribution to various public causes was significant.

A former pupil of Portree High School, Farquhar was a graduate of both Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities. After completing his teacher training at Jordanhill College he began his professional life as a History Teacher and first taught in Greenfield Junior Secondary School, Hamilton, Glasgow Academy and became Head of the History Department at Inverness Royal Academy where he enjoyed, as he often admitted, the inspirational leadership of D J Macdonald.

It was in school education that Farquhar Macintosh first made an impression on Scottish public life. He was the Rector of three schools in Scotland – Portree High School, Oban High School and latterly the Royal High School of Edinburgh where he was Rector from 1972 to 1989. From early on it was apparent that Farquhar would not be the kind of Rector who would spend all of his life sitting behind his desk. He was very much involved in a wider educational world and many of us who worked with him gained much from his extensive knowledge of Scottish and international education.

Many public appointments in education followed; in particular he was appointed Chairman of the Scottish Examination Board (SEB) in 1977. It was not an easy time to be in that post given that the industrial problems in schools at that time threatened to disrupt the examination system. Farquhar skilfully chaired the Board through that period and was appointed to an unprecedented third term as Chairman.

In educational terms Farquhar Macintosh was a visionary and a man of ideas. In Portree and Oban he introduced the concept of Leisure Activities into the Curriculum and former pupils still talk today with great fondness of the effect that part of the Curriculum had on their lives. He was the first of a new kind of school leader in Scotland who wanted to change the experience of pupils and was not afraid of curricular reform. As the Rector of the Royal High School in Edinburgh he introduced the International Baccalaureate. He felt that this would go some way to/…

to solving the curricular challenges of the Scottish senior school. Despite all the curricular changes since then the challenge of the Scottish sixth year still remains and Farquhar’s concept of an international certificate is as worthy of serious discussion today as it was in 1980. As Chairman of the SEB he managed the introduction of Standard Grade Examinations throughout Secondary schools in Scotland.

His Honorary Doctorate from Heriot Watt University was, in part, a recognition of his attempt to revolutionise the Upper School Curriculum but it was also an acknowledgement of someone who had new ideas about Scottish education. It would be fair to say that when he retired as the Rector of the Royal High School in 1989 and as Chairman of the Scottish Examination Board in 1990 he was probably one of the best known educationalists in Scotland.

Farquhar was always aware of his roots in Skye, in the Gaelic language and in the culture and the life of the Highlands and Islands. For 17 years (1965 to 1982) he served on the Highlands and Islands Development Consultative Council and was Convener of its Education Sub-Committee.

In 1973 when Inverness lost to Stirling in respect of a new Scottish University it was Farquhar Macintosh who articulated the idea of a university based on a federal model founded on the existing further education colleges. It was that inspired idea that Sir Graham Hills adopted when he developed the idea into what is now known as the University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute. It was fitting that Farquhar served that institution with distinction as Chair of its Forum from 1999 to 2003.

Farquhar’s interest in the whole area of higher education and the Gaelic language came together in his chairing of the Board of Trustees of Sàbhal Mòr Ostaig (SMO), the Gaelic College in Skye. SMO became his great interest over the last 16 years and he takes great credit for the educational revolution that has been effected from the south of Skye.

Over the last 20 years Farquhar has been regarded quite rightly as the “Elder Statesman of the Gaelic world” and he gave willingly of his time and energy to the Gaelic renaissance. His basic philosophy was that the survival of the language relied very heavily on the progress of Gaelic Medium Education. He was convinced that Gaelic schools would have to appear in the traditional heartlands and especially in the islands. When I visited him for the last time in hospital he was writing his own personal plan for securing the future of Gaelic and discussing it with me. His commitment to Gaelic was all consuming and his irrepressible enthusiasm for Gaelic was always evident. He gave a leadership and a vision to the Gaelic world which will be seriously and sorely missed.

Farquhar never entered the official political arena yet he was intimately involved in politics and in the political system. He knew how the system worked and he was a tough negotiator when it came to soliciting extra funds for his own areas of interest, especially SMO. Many civil servants and Ministers found themselves over the years agreeing to allocations of money which they simply had not expected to spend. Politically Farquhar was an avid European and a committed devolutionist. The advent of a Scottish Parliament was made all the sweeter for him by the fact that his son Kenneth became and remains an MSP in the Parliament. He took great pride in that.

Farquhar’s public service was recognised by the award of a CBE in 1982, Honorary Doctorates from Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh Universities and Fellowships from the Educational Institute of Scotland, SCOTVEC, SQA and the UHIMI. These awards simply reflected the commitment of a man of genuine public stature. His service included Chair of the Board of Governors of the Royal Blind School, member of the Board of Governors of St Margaret’s School in Edinburgh, Chairman of the Scottish European Movement and the Highlands and Islands Educational Trust. He also found time to serve the University of Edinburgh, he was an active Rotarian, an Elder of St Giles Cathedral and a faithful supporter of the Former Pupils’ Club of the Royal High School in Edinburgh.

Farquhar Macintosh was a man of immense personal charm and was hugely gregarious. He was full of fun with a mischievous sense of humour and a distinctive laugh. He was never more at ease than when he was surrounded by people. He simply energised and motivated them. For many of us he was a mentor, guide, counsellor and friend. He touched many lives. Scotland has lost a man who gave unsparingly to his country and his culture and who had a profound influence on Scottish Public life.

Farquhar was a learned man with great intellectual depth. He had a meticulous attention to detail and argued that the key to success was always to do your homework. Perhaps that gives some insight into why he was such a successful Head Teacher, Chairman and Public Servant.

Farquhar was a man who had time for everyone. He was a great family man. He was tremendously proud of the achievements of his wife Margaret, a former Head Teacher of Drummond Community High School in Edinburgh, and of the achievements of his four children.

He is survived by Margaret, his four children, John, Kenneth, Ann and Ailsa and by his twelve grandchildren.

Matthew M MacIver
Chief Executive/Registrar, GTCS
Chairman of Bòrd na Gàidhlig

Farquhar Macintosh - Rector from 1972-1989.

2007-11-30T19:34:00.000Z

The Royal High School Club in London was very sorry to hear of the death of Farquhar Macintosh CBE, in Edinburgh, on 18th November 2007 at the age of 84. Farquhar was Rector from 1972 to 1989, a period during which the school was transformed from a selective boys school into the co-educational comprehensive school that we know today. One of Farquhar's many achievements was to introduce the International Baccalaureate into the Royal High, making the school the first in Scotland to offer it. Farquhar was also heavily involved in the educational world outside the school and, among other things, was chair of the trustees of the Gaelic College on the Isle of Skye. Farquhar was a distinguished servant of the Royal High School who also influenced the shape of Scottish education.

Annual RHSCL Drinks Party

2007-09-27T19:30:00.000Z

Dear Friends,

You are most cordially invited to the Annual RHSCL Drinks Party to be held on Monday November 5th from 6.30. pm to 8.30. pm.

Once again we are returning to the prestigious Fleming Collection at 13, Berkeley Street, London W1. This autumn's highlight at the gallery is a major exhibition of the work of the celebrated nineteenth century artist William McTaggart, who is often dubbed The Scottish Impressionist and is recognised as a forerunner of the French Impressionist School. Among the paintings, watercolours and drawings assembled for the Fleming Collection, McTaggart's mastery of the landscape and the seascape will be particularly evident. This is an invaluable opportunity to see the first comprehensive gathering of McTaggart's work since a major exhibition in Edinburgh in 1989.

As ever there will be a brief but highly entertaining and informative talk on McTaggart given by Selina Skipworth, the Keeper of The Fleming Collection. Don't miss this chance of catching up with Royal High friends, old and new, over a delicious selection of sandwiches and canapes and a choice array of the finest wines.

Tickets are once more priced at £20 per head and you are most welcome to bring friends or family to the event. An order form will be sent out with a letter which you will shortly be receiving from us.

I'm looking forward enormously to catching up with you all on November 5th. It promises to be a great evening.

Please let me know if there are any other details you need.

With many thanks and all good wishes

Al Senter

RHSCL President

Annual Dinner in 2008

2007-08-18T16:27:00.000Z

The Club's 2008 Annual Dinner will be held at the Alto Room at the Cavendish Hotel on Friday 7th of March 2008. President of the Edinburgh Club, Val Tudball, has indicated he will be able to attend. Further details to follow.

The next Annual Dinner of the RHS Club in Edinburgh will be held the following week on Friday 14th March 2008.

Annual Drinks Party

2007-08-18T16:24:00.000Z

This year's Annual Drinks Party is proposed for Monday November 5th at the Fleming Collection. Confirmation and further details to follow.

President’s Annual Report

2007-05-18T19:23:00.000Z

Royal High School Club in London
President’s Annual Report
AGM 1st May 2007
Royal Scottish Corporation

This is now available as a download from the main website at http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/menu.html

Notice of AGM Tuesday 1st May 2007

2007-04-02T19:01:00.000Z

Dear members of the Royal High School Club in London and other former pupils of the School,

This is to inform you that the Club will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday the 1st of May 2007 at 6:00 pm and you are very welcome to attend. The AGM will be held in the Board Room at ScotsCare, 37 King Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8JS. For those of you who have not been to King Street before it leads off from the north-west corner of the Covent Garden Piazza and the ScotsCare premises are clearly signed about 100 metres from the Piazza itself (Scotscare was formerly known as the Royal Scottish Corporation). Our President, Simon Card OBE, is retiring from the post after three-years of service and one of the main objectives of the AGM is to elect his successor. The agenda for the AGM and the subsequent committee meeting is as follows:

AGM:

1. Secretary welcomes attendees and opens the AGM.

2. Retiring President’s Annual Report.

3. Treasurer’s Report.

4. Election of the new President of the Club.

5. Election of committee members.

6. AOB.

Committee Meeting (to be chaired by the new President):

1. Feedback from the Annual Dinner on 02.02.07.

2. Calendar of forthcoming Club events.

3. Recruitment of new members.

4. How best should the Club support the Royal High School at Barnton ?

5. AOB.

We plan to conclude the business of the AGM and the committee meeting by 8:00 pm and Members and FPs who attend the AGM are welcome to stay for the committee meeting and join us for a drink afterwards in a nearby pub. If you are planning to attend the AGM please reply to this email and let me know you are coming. If you have any items that you believe should be added to the agenda please let me know in advance. Lastly, we plan to discuss how to recruit new members into the Club and, if you know of any former pupils of the Royal High School who are living in the South of England, please pass me their contact details and I will get in touch with them.

Best Regards,

Alex Prentice

Honorary Secretary

Where you in Primary 5b in 1960?

2007-01-23T20:25:00.000Z

Do you remember Miss Morrison? Stan Young has sent a photo of primary 5b with Miss Morrison, to complement Miss Roy's 5a in the Where Are They Now section of the website.
For good measure he has also sent a photo of the 2nd XV and the school Pipe Band 1966 to 1967.

Book Now to avoid Disappointment!

2006-12-30T17:10:00.000Z

We shall be holding our popular Annual Dinner will be held on Friday 2nd February 2007 at the Cavendish Hotel, 81 Jermyn Street, London SW1. Dinner will be served at 7 30pm, but members and their partners or guests are very welcome to gather from 6 30 pm onwards in the Electra Room for drinks, conversation and the sweet sounds of Emma-Jane Thommen, the club's very own sultry singer-songwriter.
We are equally pleased to announce that our Guest Speaker will be the screenwriter Glenn Chandler, creater of STV's Taggart, who will be recalling his days at the High School in the 1960's and taking us behind the scenes of one of the world's longest-running detective series.
Demand for this very special evening is bound to be high. The price of the three course dinner plus coffee and chocolates is £40, so to be sure of your seat, please make your cheque payable to 'The Royal High School Club in London' and send it to Alex Prentice, at 4, Archers Close, Hertford, Herts. SG14 3BD.

We have negotiated a special rate for those who wish to stay at the Cavendish.
Option A: Pay a £50 non-returnable deposit and you can have a double room at £69 per person, per night, including breakfast and VAT. This weekend rate applies fomr Friday through to Sunday.
Option B: With no deposit payable, a double room at £93.50 per night, including breakfast and VAT.
For further details of this attractive offer, please ring Resevations at the Cavendish hotel on 0207 930 2111.
The photograph links to more photos from this year's annual dinner.
For further inforamtion on all aspects of the Annual Dinner contact Alex Prentice on 01992 554854 or Al Senter on 0208 673 6518

Photos from the October Drinks Party

2006-10-30T19:04:00.000Z

Photos from the October Drinks Party at the Fleming Collection can be viewed at http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/drinksparty2006pic.htm

Photos from October Drinks Party

2006-10-29T22:56:00.000Z

Photos from October's Drinks Party at the Fleming Collection are now on the website at http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/drinksparty2006pic.htm

The Annual RHSCL Drinks Party on Monday October 9th

2006-09-03T09:59:00.000Z

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Now that we've reached the end of August, autumn is just around the corner. And with it comes the highlight of the social season: The Annual Royal High School Club in London Drinks Party.

We've decided to bring it forward this year and so the event will take place on Monday October 9th. Once again we've booked The Fleming Collection at 13, Berkeley Street and the fun will get underway promptly at 6.30 pm. For those making their first visit to the Fleming Collection, the nearest underground station is Green Park on the Victoria/Piccadilly/Jubilee lines. All you have to do is come out of the station and walk up Piccadilly towards Piccadiily Circus. Berkeley Street is first left and the gallery is situated about a hundred yards down on the right.

As ever, we've put together a packed programme of attractions. They include:

- An illustrated lecture on the current exhibition, Rascals and Ruins- not a reference to the RHSCL committee but a display of the work of Edinburgh-born painter James Pryde and his Romantic Vision

- A fascinating collection of RHSCL archival material, assembled by archivist Jim Randell

- An eloquent speech of welcome from our President, Simon Card

- A much praised selection of the finest wines

- An appetising selection of sandwiches, canapes and nibbles

- A chance to catch up with old friends and to make some new ones in a stylish and informal setting

Tickets are £20 per head. To make sure of your presence at what is always a night to remember, please make your cheques payable to The Royal High School Club in London and send them to

Alex Prentice
RHSCL
4, Archers Close
Hertford
Hertfordshire
SG14 3BD

For further information

Alex Prentice 01992 554854 or alex.prentice1@btinternet.com
Al Senter 0208 673 6518 or alsenter@yahoo.co.uk

I very much look forward to catching up with you all on October 9th.

With all the very best

Al Senter

40 Years On - Flossie and Arnold

2006-08-26T18:29:00.000Z

David Robb zooms in on the maths department of 40 years ago http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/rhsdaze09.htm with tales of broken fingers and pawawawellograms.

Where are they now Primary 5a and 7a 1962

2006-07-23T16:36:00.000Z

New photographs of Miss Roy's primary 5a classes from 1960 http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/wherenow5.htm and 1962 http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/wherenow7.htm plus a new colour photo of Mr Watson's 7a class of 1962 http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/wherenow6.htm are now featured in the Where are they Now pages.
If you want to get in touch with anyone, you can post a message here, or send it to the website.

Photos from Race Day

2006-06-30T08:19:00.000Z

The photos from Race Day on June 17th are now on the web site. See http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/racedaypic.htm

A little reminiscence from exactly forty years ago.

2006-06-26T13:26:00.000Z

David Robb has posted an anecdote about how bullies were dealt with in the sixties.
Read on http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/rhsdaze09.htm
If you have any comments add them here.

We went to a pokey wee comprehensive school in west Edinburgh that was always having building work done and fights up the back gate with young 'clerrie derry'.....

Ross Crombie points out our website neglects the 80's and 90's so we've posted his memories as a start to redress the balance. http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/nineties.htm

New Site Map

2006-06-15T13:24:00.000Z

There is now a Site Map on the website.
Our website has over 80 pages, use the site map to explore the site.

RHSCL Annual Raceday at Sandown Park

2006-05-08T13:55:00.000Z

Dear High School High Rollers,

Following a very successful dip in the water last year, I am delighted to announce that the first fully-fledged RHSCL Annual Race Day will take place at Sandown Park on Saturday June 17th.

The racecourse is situated on the outskirts of the pleasant Surrey town of Esher and it is easily accessible by road (A3/M25) or by rail. There are frequent services from Waterloo, Clapham Junction and Wimbledon and Esher Station is only ten minutes walk from the racecourse entrance.

There are a number of tempting discounts available for groups of more than 12 people. We could save 20% on a £23 ticket to the Premier Enclosure which offers panoramic views of the racecourse as well as easy access to the paddock. The price also includes a £5 food and drink voucher and a £2 reduction in the price of a placepot bet with the Tote. For the uninitiated, a placepot bet involves you in trying to find horses to finish first, second or third (and sometimes fourth) in each of the races. There are innumerable bars and restaurants where you can either spend your winnings or drown your sorrows and since Irish bookmakers, Paddy Power, are sponsoring the entire day's racing, no doubt there'll be plenty of Guinness available for thirsty punters. For full details of all that Sandown Park can offer, just log on to www.sandown.co.uk

It would be very helpful if you could indicate in a brief e-mail whether or not you'd be up for this event, especially with the Group discount in mind. Partners are, of course, very welcome-and don't forget the family. Children under 16 are admitted free if accompanied by an adult. And I shall once again be giving my exclusive guide to the form in each race. How can you resist?

I look forward to hearing from you whenever you have a quiet moment.

All the very best

Al Senter

PS June 17th does, of course, mark the end of the first week of the World Cup but I don't imagine that would interest many members of the RHSCL-for obvious reasons.

Where are they now Primary 5a 1960?

2006-03-27T08:58:00.000Z

Ian Gill has sent a photo of primary 5A from 1960.
If you are in the photo, or can identify anyone in it, please contact him through the website.
http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/wherenow5.htm

Emma-Jane Thommen to play at RHSCL Annual Dinner

2006-03-07T14:53:00.000Z

The RHSCL Committee are very pleased to announce that Emma-Jane Thommen (RHS 1997) has agreed to perform for us again at this years' RHSCL Annual Dinner on Friday 17th March 2006 at The Cavendish Hotel, 81 Jermyn Street, Mayfair. For those who have not seen or heard Emma-Jane play before a treat awaits. Emma-Jane is Scotland's Answer to the X-Factor and is a first-class singer, songwriter and pianist. Please check out her musical talents by visiting her website http://www.emma-janethommen.co.uk/ and listening to her music / buying her CD's!

STOP PRESS

2006-03-06T12:35:00.000Z

Tickets for the Annual Dinner of the Royal High School Club in London are selling fast and final numbers have to be given to the hotel by a week today, Monday March 13th. For £35 per head, you get a three-course dinner, cabaret from the Royal High's own sultry songstress Emma-Jane Thommen, an after-dinner speech from the Royal High Music Man, John Murray and a chance to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. So, please. don't delay.

Cheques should be made payable to The Royal High School Club in London and sent to the following:

Alex Prentice
4, Archers Close
Hertford
Hertfordshire
SG14 3BD

I look forward to catching up with you then

March Movies

2006-03-01T16:17:00.000Z

Glenn Chandler who created Taggart was an RHS pupil in the 60's. When at school in 1966 he organised a review along the lines of 'That was the Week It was' and we made a film which was shown at the review.
It was called 'Art de Nigel' and was a spoof on the awful Art Appreciation films that we were shown. It featured Glenn Chandler, Lewis ?????? and Peter Finlay Hammond. The whole review was held for the Aberfan Fund. The review ended with Glenn dressed as Bailie T singing a satirical song to the tune of Edelweiss from the Sound of Music. The three short films, Art de Nigel, Adverts, and Expedition can be viewed at http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/nnrhsmovies.htm .
Also Tourist Town, is the film made on the geography project in 1966. There are some shots of the Bedford Minibus travelling with the doors open, so much for Health and Safety, and Weedy getting out at Bonskeid.

Bruce tells it like it was

2006-02-20T16:58:00.000Z

We have now published Bruce Skivington's upbeat account of life at the RHS in the late 50's through to the mid sixties. He covers the ATC, Gillespies Girls, the usual suspect - Fifi, Bowie and Somerville to name but a few.
There will also be some fuzzy films made at the time available for download shortly.
The first page is http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/bruce1.htm

Our Site Gets 200 Visits in a Day

2006-02-10T09:55:00.000Z

In January our site broke all previous records, peaking at 200 visits a day. Total visits leapt from 2908 in December to 4169 in January.
Our friends, the Scots in London proved to be the biggest draw, with their Burns Night tickets selling out within 4 days of going on sale. Photos from the event are now in the site.
It's our Annual Dinner next month, so let's see if we can get the same buzz for that. Last year's dinner was one of the best, let's try to make this year even better.
The full top ten is listed at http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/rhstopten.htm

Coming Soon

2006-02-08T09:56:00.000Z

We will be publishing Bruce Skivington's recollections of life at the school from 1954 to 1967.
Here is a taster (first published in our Guest Book)

What a wonderful time. Now most of the staff would be arrested if they carried on like the mob of the 50s and 60s.

The wonderful things - James Gillespies girls school, catching up on sleep in Tom Fairlie's class, Weedy Graham's slide shows of his holidays in his Dormobile (yup now own a classic Dormobile), Wee mac personally driving Rommel out of Africa, Big Dave chatting up the secretaries in the US Consulate, finding out later after school that Fred Scott was actually human.
Still feel guilty about the rough time we gave Jim Noble, who never belted me near enough for all the hassle. He must have been in his early 20s.
The completely barking science teachers, years later finding myself working alongside Bert Gristwood and Horsey Shires, schools now are not a patch on the old place.

I spent two years at Castlebrae High (Niddrie) which at that time was third worst school in Europe. Bert Gristwood was the head of PE. He told me some stories about some of the staff which confirmed what we all thought. I spent some time filling in at Firhill where I met Horsey Shires. I introduced myself and told him I had been at Royal High and he seemed to cower.

New on the Site in January 2006

2006-01-24T14:51:00.000Z

Most noticable, we hope, the site has been given a makeover, with nice new banners at the top of the main pages.
Club President Simon Card OBE stood in the school's mock election sometime in the 1960's. A contemporary account of the event can be found at http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/mockel67.htm .
Final details of our forthcoming Annual Dinner appear on http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/rhsevents.htm . Contact Alex Prentice if you want to go.

Photos from last year's dinner can be viewed by clicking on the photo link on the Home Page. Some former teachers appeared to get quite merry.

Our 3 pages of links to other sites of interest have been updated with new links.

The Scots in London go from strength to strength with their latest event selling out very quickly. Visit them at their new address www.scotsinlondon.com .

Our Top Ten Pages at www.royalhigh.org.uk/rhstopten.htm has also had a makeover. The Scots in London take the number one position.

And finally, as your webmaster is job hunting, there is an updated link to his CV at www.royalhigh.org.uk/webmaster.htm

Doctor John

2005-12-08T10:55:00.000Z

Dr John Murray has agreed to give a short speech at the RHS Club in London Annual Dinner on 17.03.06. As most of you know John is a retired, and much respected, Deputy-Rector of the school who now lives with his wife Joan in the South of France. John is currently undertaking some research into the musical exchanges between the RHS and schools in Europe and he plans to amuse us on that topic at the dinner.

New on the Site

2005-11-24T11:30:00.000Z

Our top ten pages http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/rhstopten.htm has been updated to show the November figures.
The Scots in London http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/silevents.htm pages have been revamped and are getting many visitors.
Don't forget to take a look at our 'Where are they now' http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/rhswhere.htm pages, the Birthday party from 1951 ish has had a couple of replies.
Our links pages are also regularly updated - new photos of Emma-Jane Thommenhttp://www.royalhigh.org.uk/rhslinks.htm and a link to her new website.

Annual Dinner 2006

2005-11-09T10:10:00.000Z

The Royal High School Club in London's Annual Dinner will be held Friday 17th March 2006 at the Cavendish Hotel, Jermyn Street.
Last year's event was regarded as very successful, and we are hoping to improve it further this time.
Some members stayed overnight at the Cavendish last year, and the feedback from them was very good.

Come to our Wine and Nibbles

2005-11-03T10:39:00.000Z

Dear Members,
Following the success of the new look Annual RHSCL Drinks Party in 2004, we are returning to The Fleming Collection for this year's event on Monday November 14th from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm.

Once again £15 will buy you a superb selection of wines plus a comprehensive array of tempting canapes and sandwiches. There'll be the chance to catch up with old friends and even-who knows- to make some new ones.

This year's exhibiton will appeal to the culture vultures and the Highland patriots among you. The world-famous Drambuie Collection of Jacobean Art includes some splendid court portraits of the Stuart dynasty, plus miniatures, ceramics, gold- and silverware and assorted objets d'art and it runs to over a hundred items. Created by the leading artists of the day, the objects were intended to keep the flame of the Stuart succession alive during the century between the abdication of James VII (II) in 1688 and the death of Charles Edward Stuart aka Bonnie Prince Charlie, a hundred years later. As part of the evening's programme, Selina Skipworth, the Keeper of Art at The Fleming Collection, will give a short, introductory talk about this fascinating and rarely-seen treasure-trove. You can get an idea of the exhibition by visitng the website at www.flemingcollection.co.uk

The Fleming Collection is situated at 13, Berkeley Street, W1 and is only a short walk from Green Park underground station. All you have to do is come out of the station and walk up Piccadilly. Take your first left (Berkeley Street) and the gallery is a few hundred yards further down on the right.

We very much welcome advance payment.

Please contact Alex Prentice ( alex.prentice1@btinternet.com ) for payment details

The details again are as follows
The RHSCL Annual Drinks Party
at The Fleming Collection
13, Berkeley Street, W1

on Monday November 14th, 2005 6.30 pm- 8.30 pm

We look forward to catching up with you all then. The Committee of the RHSCL

Annual Wine and Cheese - at the Fleming Collection

2005-10-12T18:12:00.000Z

Following last year's highly enjoyable evening, the club will be returning to the Fleming Collection for this year's wine and cheese on Monday 14th November. The cost will again be £15 payable in advance. Ex RHS who are non members are encouraged to come along to get a taster of our club.
Further details will be posted shortly.

John Murray appeal for anecdotes

2005-09-20T12:46:00.000Z

I’d like to write an account of the school's musical links. As you are aware, our Italian links in Tuscany date back to 1975 and our links with Munich to 1979 -our concert there in June was the 26th consecutive year that we have performed together (although we are retired, Joan and I could not resist the temptation to be involved and actually drove the instrument van across Europe, a right pair of geriatric roadies ! ).

I want to approach this account through the memories, anecdotes, scabrous tales, etc. of ex-colleagues and F.P.s who have been involved and lived to tell the tales - literally, the good, the bad and the ugly!

Any F.P.s wanting to contact me via e mail should do so at ajmurval@yahoo.co.uk or jfmurval@mac.com
Thank you very much
John

City band tipped for top after a flying start

2005-09-13T12:49:00.000Z

Yes these are RHS FPs - and they are about to hit the big time-

Full article: http://www.scotsman.com/?id=1834522005

RHSCL: PHOTOS FROM INAUGURAL RHSCL RACEDAY, ROYAL WINDSOR, SAT 25 JUN

2005-09-13T12:33:00.000Z

Here are the belated photos from the smashing race day...http://homepage.mac.com/eddietait/ScotsInLondon/PhotoAlbum26.html

http://homepage.mac.com/eddietait/ScotsInLondon/PhotoAlbum27.html

Best regards,Eddie and Sass

Robin Cook

2005-08-07T21:17:00.000Z

The RHSCL was sad to hear of the sudden death of Robin Cook.

Robin Cook attended the school from 1960 to 1964 after his father succeeded "Hoppy" Innes as Head of Science, the family having moved from Aberdeen, and was President of the Lit (where he is reputed to have learned his debating skills) in his final year. He also showed his electioneering skills by winning the school's mock election as the Scottish Nationalist candidate.

Andrew Rawnsley writes in today's Observer
"His colleagues are all over the airwaves this weekend paying tribute to him as one of the largest figures of his political generation. Knowing Robin Cook, he would probably remark drily that, while he's sure they are sincere, it is just a pity that they left it until now to say so"

RHSCL/SIL Quarterly Drinks Photos Q2 Wed 6 Jul 2005

2005-07-10T17:18:00.000Z

Photos from the RHSCL / SCOTS IN LONDON Quarterly Drinks at Apartment 195, 195 Kings Road: http://homepage.mac.com/eddietait/ScotsInLondon/PhotoAlbum3.html and http://homepage.mac.com/eddietait/ScotsInLondon/PhotoAlbum4.html and http://homepage.mac.com/eddietait/ScotsInLondon/PhotoAlbum5.html

RHSCL/SIL Drinks

2005-07-07T12:11:00.000Z

Watch this space fof an account of last night's event.

2005-07-06T18:01:00.000Z

Pictures from the Q2 Quarterly Drinks

2005-07-04T19:49:00.000Z

Links to the photos from the SIL/RHSCL Q2 charity drinks are now on the website, together with details of Wednesdays Q3 drinks. See http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/silevents.htm

SIL QUARTERLY DRINKS - WED. 6th JULY

2005-06-16T20:59:00.000Z

SCOTS IN LONDON² (SIL) NEXT OFFICIAL INFORMAL EVENTSIL QUARTERLY DRINKS - WED. 6th JULY from 6.30pm atApartment 195 (amazing bar and restaurant), King¹s Road, Chelsea, London.The theme for the evening is ³How the Scots took over London².David Stenhouse, writer and broadcaster and presenterof many programmes for Radio Scotland, Radio Three andRadio Four, introduces his book by the same name -³If you want to know how Britain works, you need toknow this, whether you like it or not.² JamesNaughtie; ³A terrific book about the powerful Scotswho have taken over London.² TheIndependent). Scots'owned Apartment 195 was voted "Evening Standard Bar ofthe Year 2003". Check out: www.apartment195.co.uk(wow!) - "Urban, Elegant and comfortably understated",Timeout - "Chelsea's most luxurious and decadent ofvenues", The Sunday Times- "So chic it's almostpainful", The Evening Standard. You will be greeted onarrival by piping from The Pinstripe Highlanders andthere will be complimentary drams and munchies from6.30-8.30pm, courtesy of Glenfiddich and Apartment195. The aim is enjoy an effective Scots networkingevening by join Scots of ALL ages, ALL genders and ALLincomes, careers and backgrounds together in a relaxedand informal atmosphere a distinct buzz anddistinguished blend! As always, KILTS, TARTAN, SMARTDRESS and FEMALES are much appreciated, as aresponsors or offers of support/distribution. The formatof the evening will be much as usual. Over 200 Scotsattended the last SIL Quarterly drinks gathering tocelebrate ³A Tribute to Tartan Day² on 6th April soplease help to keep the momentum going. More detailswill be sent out soon - contactmailto:eddietait@mac.com orhttp://www.royalhigh.org.uk/silevents.htm (click on³Scots in London² tab) orwww.eucl.org.uk/memevents.htm

Don't Miss the Race Day

2005-06-07T18:42:00.000Z

Calling fearless punters everywhere! Break out the piggy-bank and join us for the very first RHSCL Raceday to be held at Royal Windsor racecourse on the afternoon of Saturday June 25th. What better way of spending an idyllic summer's day than on the banks of the Thames, relaxing with a glass of something fizzy and cheering home your selection in the big race?

And with Honest Al, the Punters' Pal, the man the bookies fear, to give you an exclusive guide to the runners and riders, you can, as they say, fill your boots with winnings.

It would be good to have an idea of numbers as soon as possible. If you're interested, please contact me, Al Senter, on alsenter@yahoo.co.uk

Further details on http://www.royalhigh.org.uk/races.html

Royal High School Club in London Blog

2005-06-06T19:25:00.000Z

This is the new RHS Club in London blog.
Latest news, events and messages will be posted here.