Lichfield Cathedral School Alumni
St. Chad’s Society NEWSLETTER
Inside this issue
Issue 5
Spring 2016
page 2 - Head Teacher’s Welcome
page 3 - Alumni News - Clifford Chalmers
page 4 - Alumni News
page 5 - Alumni News
page 6 - School Archives - Boy Choristers
page 7 - School Community
page 8 - Music News
Bluebells in The Palace garden. In the language of flowers,
bluebells symbolise constancy, humility and gratitude.
Amanda Holtham, Marketing Assistant
Booklovers amongst you may remember the rather
grand bookcases that dominate The Palace’s Old
Library. Christopher Stembridge remembered that
they had been moved from The Deanery to The
Palace during his time at the school in the 1950s.
A Latin inscription runs across the top of each
bookcase, but do you know what they mean?
Summa Religionis est Imitari Quem Colis
Thought to be a quote from Saint Augustine, roughly
translated by the internet as: ‘Religion consists
chiefly in this, that you follow him whom you
honour’.
Labia sacerdotis custodient scientiam
“The lips of a priest should guard knowledge”
Malachi 2:7
Correction ...
In the previous edition, an archive image was used to illustrate
a school production of Snow White in 1960. It has since been
bought to my attention by two eagle-eyed readers that the
image was likely to be from a much earlier production!
To submit information email
Amanda
Palace Treasures
[email protected]
Dear Reader
You find me in a reflective mood, considering the
power of friendship. Friendships made at school
can so often last a lifetime, bringing support and
positivity in times of need. Most of us are lucky
enough to have old pals who have known us
forever, warts and all, inside and out. Our shared
childhood experiences have shaped the course of
our lives and in turn, the people we have become.
You will read in these pages about our meeting
with Clifford Chalmers earlier this year. Cliff had
been a pupil of the choir school from 19291937 and his memories of school days remain
the happiest of his life. Cliff told us of his school
friend Stan, of how they started at the Royal
Naval College together after leaving Lichfield for
Dartmouth. They both saw action during WW2, Cliff
came home ‘somehow, without a scratch’, but his
beloved friend was lost. Tragically, Stan had died
following a U Boat torpedo attack, aged just 18.
We were all moved to tears by Cliff’s retelling, the
passage of time had done little to ease the pain of
the friends’ seperation.
Many of you have maintained the friendships
that began right here at school, which is made so
much easier these days with social media. If you
have lost touch with old friends and would like
to be back in contact again, do visit our ‘Lichfield
Cathedral School Alumni Network’ Facebook page
or drop me a line and I will try to help reforge these
precious links.
Head Teacher’s Welcome
to the first edition of the Alumni Newsletter.
Lichfield Cathedral School Alumni
Issue 5
Spring 2016
as summarised in our core values of learning,
leadership, faith and service, were not only
recognised by the inspectors, but were articulated
to them by our pupils.”
Colin Hopkins, chairman of governors, commented:
“It is wonderful to see the word ‘excellent’ used
40 times in the report. In everything we do, we
focus on educating pupils as individuals and I’m
delighted this glowing report celebrates how much
outstanding work goes on at Lichfield Cathedral
School. Our pupils, staff, parents and my fellow
governors should all feel proud. We’re a happy,
lively, successful school and we’ll use this report as
a platform to improve even further.”
The Easter holidays have provided the traditional
wonderful and thoughtful services of Holy Week,
culminating in a joyous Easter Sunday Eucharist
and the traditional egg rolling down past the
East end of the cathedral. Tremendous fun and
competition was, as ever, fierce! The following
week saw us hosting 55 visitors from Limburg.
Thanks must go out to the host families. The
Limburg choir performed a concert to a full
cathedral and were splendid. Unfortunately it
was Limburg not Lichfield who were victorious
in the football ‘friendly’, but all was taken in good
spirit and rounded off with a fabulous bring and
share supper. As I write our boy choristers have
just returned from a successful tour in Malta
performing in a number of venues and being
met with great support and praise. We now look
forward to all that the trinity term brings - Sports
Day, the school opera and Speech Day - I hope to
see as many of you as possible.
In servi deo et laetare!
ST. CHAD’S SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
Dear All,
It is so lovely to once again see spring arriving in
The Close - many of you will be able to picture the
carpet of spring flowers on the bank down to the
Palace lawn. It seems fitting in this newsletter to
let you see (if you haven’t already) our press release
regarding our recent inspection:
Pupils and staff at Lichfield Cathedral School, one
of Staffordshire’s top independent schools, are
celebrating today following an excellent inspection
report.
Inspectors from the Independent Schools
Inspectorate (ISI) praised the academic
achievements and personal development of pupils
and the welcoming, creative and caring Christian
environment in which they thrive.
The inspectors found: “The curriculum is excellent
in its breadth and flexibility… Pupils of all ages
have highly positive attitudes to learning. They are
eager to learn, take pride in what they achieve and
persevere with their tasks.”
Particular strengths of the school curriculum
were noted by the inspectors: “The academic
achievement of pupils is significantly strengthened
by their excellent achievements in extra-curricular
activities… At all stages creativity flourishes with
excellent outcomes, notably in art, as observed
in the excellent displays around the school, and
in drama and music… In performances both
nationally and abroad, pupils achieve significant
instrumental and choral successes.”
The report also pays tribute to the fine personal
qualities of pupils. “The pupils’ strong spiritual
development is encouraged by the Christian ethos
of the school and their exploration of Christian
values… Pupils develop their individuality,
becoming self-confident young people with a clear
sense of their own beliefs.” The team also said
that pupils recognise and respect the faith and
cultures of others and that they celebrate diversity.
The huge array of charity, volunteering and fundraising for the less fortunate are all acknowledged.
The report continues: “The quality of pupils’
personal development is excellent throughout the
school, evident from the very youngest pupils to
the sixth formers. By the time they leave, pupils
are self-assured individuals who are articulate and
confident in social situations.”
Head Teacher, Susan Hannam, said that she was
delighted with the inspectors’ findings. “They
have recognised the Cathedral School’s high
standards of teaching and learning, our superb
staff, wide-ranging extra-curricular programme
and exceptional pastoral care. It is rewarding to
know that the things in which we pride ourselves,
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Alumni News - Clifford Chalmers
Issue 5
Spring 2016
Clifford admired our
new school uniform,
which is very different
to the Eton suit and
mortar board of his
day. Sadly, Clifford
believes that the
photographs he once
had of his time at
school are long lost.
We were able to find
this image of chorister
Peter Pakeman,
pictured in 1938.
Clifford agreed that the
uniform he wore when
he attended the choir
school was very similar
to the one pictured.
Lichfield Cathedral School Alumni
Clifford went on to tell us about learning to
swim in Stowe Pool: “At the pool there is a boat
house, a boat was in the bottom and the office
was in the top and we knew what time the
warden went for his lunch. We arranged for our
swim when he was at lunch. We used to get
undressed and run across the field. We were
behind the hedge and when all was clear - we
were all naked completely - we’d all run over the
path and into the pool and swim across to the
boat house and back. It was great fun! Whether
the Head Master knew, I don’t know but I
suspect that he might have done. His name was
Mr Bailey and everyone knew him as Charlie.”
You can listen to the interview in full
on SoundCloud, search for our profile LichfieldCathedralSchool
ST. CHAD’S SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
We were privileged to welcome former pupil
Clifford Chalmers in February. Clifford had
attended the Cathedral Choir School in Dam
Street between 1929-1935 and described that
time as the happiest of his life.
At 95 years old, Clifford has a wonderful
memory and he enthralled us all with his stories
of school days. His heartfelt words even moved
us to tears.
Eager to return, Clifford visited us again in
March and was interviewed by current pupils
Tom Lomas and Marcus Houlihan from our
school radio team.
Marcus: In what year did you attend Lichfield
Cathedral School?
Clifford: Well, I was about 8 that would be about
1929 and I left when I was 16, which would be
about 1937. From there I went into the Navy ...
the conditions were extreme, from being in a
Christian society at the Cathedral and going
straight into the Navy where people were
rough and tumble.
Marcus: Have you got any fond memories of
being at school?
Clifford: Absolutely! Best time of my life. We
had great fun, it was marvellous. Most of the
boys were boarders but if you lived in Lichfield
or close by you could live out. And I lived out,
you see because we lived locally. We used to
play football and cricket of course, and the
teachers were all sports people, especially the
Head Master who was a great cricketer. Well, he
thought he was anyway!
The school wasn’t here (in The Close) it was in
Dam Street. You see, in Dam Street the school
is still there, but I think it’s been changed to
flats. The Head Master lived there and the junior
boarders were up on the top floor. The senior
boarders were in another house round the
corner.
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Alumni News
Issue 5
Congratulations to James Baker (LCS 2005-2014) who has
successfully secured a year’s work placement with British
Airways.
Lichfield Cathedral School Alumni
Rhianna Voice (LCS 2001-2006) has been in touch with the wonderful
news that she has been offered a place at the University of Cambridge.
A thrilled Rhianna has received an unconditional offer to study Classics at
Trinity College next year.
Before starting her course, Rhianna will be travelling to Lindau on Lake
Constance where she plans to learn German.
ST. CHAD’S SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
We were so happy to welcome Freddie Milles (LCS 1989 -1992) back to
school in February. Freddie had been unexpectedly diverted and was
passing very near to Lichfield, so he decided to drop by and see his old
school.
Freddie, who had not been back to school since the day he left, took a
short tour of The Palace and was very pleased to find himself on school
photographs hung about the walls.
A nostalgic Freddie said: “As a child, you have no appreciation for how
beautiful The Close is and how priviledged we were to come here.”
Freddie works for the Home Office and informed us that his siblings were
also doing well - Olivia is a helicopter pilot, Humphrey is a film set location
manager and Suzy is currently studying mental health support.
James told us: “Over 900 people applied for only 10 places
so competition was really tough.”
James will be based at Heathrow and living in West London
for the duration of the placement, which promises to be a
year to remember.
I was delighted to hear from Robert Matthews (SCS 1942-1944) in January. Not only a Founder pupil,
Robert holds the prestigious titles of first ever St. Chad’s School Head Boy and Senior Chorister. Robert has
so many happy memories of school and was keen to be in touch with anyone from those early days. If you
would like to make contact, please email me with any messages and I will happily forward them on.
Former Head Chorister Stephen Laing (SCS 1962) also paid us a flying visit earlier this year. Stephen had
many memories of school days and enjoyed a mini tour of The Palace during his visit.
Spring 2016
Thanks to Emil Nye (SCS 1949-1953) for sending
us this fabulous action shot. Emil explains: “A
Classic feature of Russell NZ is the annual Tall Ships
Race. This year they inaugurated the ‘Annual’ Short
Ships race for paddle or oar powered vessels. There
were 59 entries, including 2 wakas, 2 paddle-boards,
3 rowing boats, the rest being kayaks, divided into
‘sit-on’ and ‘sit-ins’. After paddling 50 minutes to
Russell to take part, I was surprised to take the Master
prize for over-65s!”
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Alumni News
During his mini tour of The Palace, many happy memories
were bought to mind. Christopher remembered the night
watchman who used to patrol The Close and Miss Fletcher,
the House Mother at the Dam Street Junior House.
Whilst in The Chapel, Christopher was suprised to see
that the organ that he remembered was no longer in situ.
Christopher has a similar, solid, mechanical instrument
at home (pictured right, before restoration), although it
is much smaller than the Chapel organ. Christopher remembers that the organ was powered by a
water-wheel mechanism, fed by an underground stream and was quite rare and magnificent.
to his first choice of course and University.
Sam is currently in his first year reading Sport
Management at Loughborough University and
he absolutely loves it. The course has a focus on
business management and the industry side of
sport and he has completed some fascinating
modules so far, including the economics of sport;
feminism in sport and profitability in sport.
Newcastle United supporter and keen footballer
Sam has taken advantage of the world class sports
facilities on campus, trying rowing and lacrosse
for the first time alongside rugby and basketball.
When asked about his plans for the future, Sam
suggested he could be our next Director of Sport!
Spring 2016
Averil Wagoner (LCS 2009-2014) and
Sam Dickinson (LCS 2012-2015) visited in
January.
Avi is currently in her second year at
Birmingham City University reading Business
Management and is thoroughly enjoying her
course. Not content with the demands of a full
time degree, Avi has taken on three addition
roles at the University: Student Ambassador;
Student Leadership Ambassador and Schools
and Colleges Liason. Avi is relishing the
challenge, “I give prospective students tours
and listen to their questions, giving guidance
on the best courses to take. I’m kept so busy
but two of the roles are paid, which is great!”
Avi says she is on track for a 2:1 or a First
and is considering taking a Masters in either
Consultancy or Business Admin at Warwick
University. However, the draw of working for
the family business in Ohio is still strong, so Avi
has lots of options for the future.
I asked Sam to tell us what he’s been up to since
leaving school ... I will leave much of this to
your imagination, other than to say that he has
thrown himself into many things ... as well as
student life! Sam was thrilled with his A Level
results in the summer which were higher than
he’d expected and allowed him to sail through
Issue 5
If anyone has any information about what happened to the organ, please do get in touch as
Christopher is keen to know it’s current location.
Lichfield Cathedral School Alumni
A trip to the Dining Hall gave us the opportunity to find his
name still proudly displayed on the Scholarship honours
board. Christopher left St. Chad’s for Rugby after securing
a prestigious music scholarship. His career to date has
managed to combine his passion for music, academia and
languages, something Christopher appeared most thankful
for. His reputation as an outstanding organist has given
Christopher the opportunity to travel widely and he now
resides in Italy.
ST. CHAD’S SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
Christopher Stembridge (SCS 1951-1956) dropped in to
see us during a short visit to England in January.
5
School Archives - Boy Choristers
Spring 2016
Head Master Reverend Andrew Duncan-Jones and
had been returned to the School and deposited
in the School Archive following the death of his
widow. How grateful I was that this thoughtful
gesture had been made.
Once I had scanned and reproduced the image
and letters were written, I hotfooted it across to
the Cathedral to find Ian the Verger, who had
kindly offered to act as messenger and deliever the
precious package to Andy and Jeremy on my behalf.
A few weeks passed and I wondered if the image
had been well received ... and then a letter arrived.
Jeremy had written a beautiful card of thanks
which was a joy to read. I hope he will not mind me
quoting from it here:
“I will treasure that photograph since I don’t have
any photos from my time at Lichfield ... It’s an
absolute treasure, since I’ve never been happier than
as a new chorister.”
A real lesson - if ever one were needed - on the of
the power and importance of archives!
Amanda Holtham, Marketing Assistant
Issue 5
Back in February, I received a call from a gentleman
named Andy who was due to perform at Lichfield
Cathedral the following day with the choir of St.
Luke’s Church, Chelsea. Andy was keen to surprise
Jeremy Summerly (SCS 1969-1974) their Director of
Music, who was also a former Lichfield Chorister. He
wanted to know if we had any photographs in our
archives that featured Jeremy as a young boy and
I must admit that my heart sank upon hearing the
request. I knew photographs from this time in the
school’s history were few and far between and the
chances of finding one would be quite slim. That
said, the former librarian in me is not one to turn
down a challenge so I quickly set about my search.
I carefully leafed through album pages and boxes of
unidentified images before turning my attentions to
a rather unassuming white envelope. Once opened,
a group shot of the boy choristers soon came into
view. Excitedly, I read the hand written inscription
on the reverse and I saw that our subject was
amongst them. Fantastic!
A letter that accompanied the photograph dated
2013 explained that it had once belonged to former
Lichfield Cathedral School Alumni
ST. CHAD’S SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
The inscription on the reverse of the image reads:
The Choristers after a recording session within Cathedral, Summer Term 1970.
Adrian Hill, Andrew Wem, Andrew Preece, Simon Chadwick, James Lockyer
Crispin Morton, Christopher James, Jeremy Cave, David Newell, Jonathan Channon
David Winfield, Thomas Hyatt, Jeremy Summerly, William Ring
Jonathan Morton (Head Chorister), Timothy Soar
(Jeremy Grinnell-Moore was in bed, Roger Langford and James Newell - new and too young)
6
School Community
Well here is Geoff
celebrating the
faithful machine’s
61st birthday in
March.
Looking good,
Geoff!
On Friday 18 March a group of pupils and staff members
travelled to the National Memorial Arboretum in nearby
Alrewas to rededicate our school plaque.
The plaque had been refurbished following a successful
‘Penny for a Poppy’ fundraising event back in November,
which raised almost £200.
If you are ever able to visit the Arboretum, staff members
will be able to guide you to where the plaque and tree are
located.
Issue 5
The rededication Service was led by School Chaplain
Canon Andrew Stead and featured a series of readings and
reflections read by pupils and teachers.
Lichfield Cathedral School Alumni
It is often said
that long-serving
and much-loved
staff member
Geoff Beedle
is rarely seen
without Fergie,
the school
tractor.
ST. CHAD’S SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
It is with great sadness
that we say goodbye to
Sara Holder who will be
leaving LCS in April after
almost 10 years’ service.
As PA to the Head, Sara
was a popular member
of staff with both
students and parents
and a great addition to
the Support Staff Team.
We wish Sara the very
best of luck in her new
job and hope she will
come back to visit us
often.
On Saturday 23 April we will be holding another Ground Force Day
to create a Peace and Tranquility garden in the grounds of The Palace.
This will be opposite the Forest School Outdoor classroom that was
successfully created during the last Ground Force Day.
We are asking any willing helpers to come along from 10.30am - 3pm
to help clear the area, make pathways and install benches.
We are looking for sponsorship so if you know of any local businesses
that may be able to help us out by donating plants, seeds, bird boxes,
fence panels, bark chippings, etc. please let us know.
There will be plenty of refreshments available and a bite to eat
afterwards. Please contact Hannah Price 01543 306178 if you would
like to come along.
They performed at a series of venues including St.
Paul’s Bay and Gozo and were very well received.
The choir are now officially tv stars too, after a
mass they took part in was recorded for a Maltese
television channel and broadcast online.
Spring 2016
The Boy Choristers have just returned from an
extremely succesful tour of Malta.
7
Music News
Cait says Zimbe!
Issue 5
Spring 2016
Sixth Form were treated to a performance by Function Band in March, featuring former student Cait
Hodgkiss (LCS 2006-2013). The group performed a number of popular hits including: Treasure (Bruno
Mars), Valerie (Mark Ronson/Amy Winehouse), Happy (Pharrell Williams), Stone Cold Sober (Paloma
Faith) and Uptown Funk (Bruno Mars) to the appreciative audience.
Cait is currently in her final year at the University of Wolverhampton reading music. She also leads
Kaleidoscope, a community, female
voice choir based in Lichfield and is
preparing to bring Zimbe! to Lichfield
Cathedral on Wednesday 18 May.
Zimbe! Is a 40-minute choral piece
which mixes jazz, gospel and African
melodies. The piece was composed by
the renowned jazz pianist, Alexander
L’Estrange and has been performed
across the globe.
Cait will conduct the performance
and is keen for members of the school
community to come along and show
their support.
Cait said: “The first half of the concert
will be used to show off each choir
involved, finishing with a collaborative
rendition of Something Inside So
Strong”.
Lichfield Cathedral School Choir
and The Palace Singers will appear
alongside other local choirs and there
is also a Jazz Quintet.
Tickets are priced at £10 (£6 for under
16s) and are available from Marilyn on
01543 300176 or by emailing
[email protected].
There will also be a licensed bar in
operation during the interval.
Lichfield Cathedral School Alumni
2014 and have rapidly gained a loyal fan base and
support from rock music stations.
Blank Parody will play local venues in March and
Valefest, the largest student-run festival in the UK,
in June.
ST. CHAD’S SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
Former students Liam Howard (LCS 20062013) and Joby Fitzgerald (LCS 1999-2008) are
celebrating following the release of their debut
single, Dark Pretenders.
They formed alternative rock band Blank Parody in
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