Obituary: Tom Bircher

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Tom Bircher, C. 1964

Christopher Wrathall writes:

Tom Bircher, who taught English at Bournemouth School in the 1960s passed away peacefully at home on 14 January 2025, at the age of 85. His funeral will be held in Hereford Crematorium on 13 February 2025.

Mr Wrathall notes that many of Tom’s ex-students at Bournemouth had left postings on this site, saying how much they had enjoyed and appreciated his teaching. He plans to compile these and pass them on to Tom’s family to show the esteem in which he was held by his former pupils.

The BS125 Project

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The school has just celebrated its 124th birthday, and with that launched a project to celebrate the 125th anniversary, in January 2026. 

The school intends to mark the occasion by assembling a gallery of “faces of Bournemouth School”. All former students and staff are encouraged to participate. The hope is that there will be an online gallery of faces representative of all those who have passed through the school’s doors in the last 125 years. By clicking on an image, you will then reveal a short biography of that individual and read the memories that they have of their time at the school.

The school is encouraging as many as possible to submit their photographs, biographies and memories. Families of former students and staff who are no longer with us may also wish to make submissions on their behalf.

Anyone wishing to contribute to the project is warmly invited to visit the school’s BS125 project.

Obituary: Tony Jordan

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John Hubbard, convenor of The Chips Club of retired Bournemouth School staff, writes with the sad news that Tony Jordan, another staff member, died in June. We understand that he was coming up to 74, and he had been suffering from Parkinson’s for a number of years.

John says: “I am sure that there will be many members of the OBA that will have the fondest of memories of him and his dynamic presence over his years at the school, and may want to remember him in their own way through your website. He was a wonderfully warm and energetic colleague.”

That is certainly true in my case, as Mr Jordan was an inspiration for me and many of my cohort. I remember particularly his motto, passed to us as we left school for work or university life. It was this:

You have time. But you do not have a lot of time. You have time to do everything you wish for. But you do not have time to waste.

This momento mori has stuck with me, and seems poignant today.

Notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting, Tuesday 25 June

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A note from the Membership Secretary, Mr Graham Jones:

There will be an Extraordinary General Meeting of the association committee and members at Bournemouth School on Tuesday 25th June 2024 at 7pm.

The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the proposed winding up of the Old Bournemouthians Association.

Please indicate if you wish to attend, preferably by email. Minutes of the Committee Meeting are also available by email. Please let me know if you want them.

Further context, also from Graham:

… for the past several years the OB’s has only existed as a dinner society, organising a re-union dinner once a year. With the ageing of the membership and a lack of recent leavers joining the Association, to say nothing of the effects of Covid, the numbers attending the dinner has declined dramatically, though there is the possibility of the school organising such an event in their new catering premises.

The committee has also dwindled in size with only five or six stalwarts attending committee meetings or AGMs. There is the possibility of us merging with the school’s alumni society, but the Association would need to have each member’s individual permission to pass on personal data.

The EGM will be held at 7pm on Tuesday 25 June 2024, at Bournemouth School, East Way, Bournemouth (enter by the left hand door, at the church end).

An update on the Association

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From our Graham Jones, our Membership Secretary:

I have had a few enquiries regarding the annual re-union dinner. Our contract with the Highcliff Hotel finished last year and the committee decided not to renew it. The plan was to hold a less formal dinner at the school in their new building. For those of you who are unaware, the school had a £4 million building project which has delivered a new 6th form study area on the lower floor, a large catering facility (capacity about 360 pupils) on the 2nd floor and a suite of teaching classrooms on the 3rd floor. This is all in preparation for an expansion in the number of pupils entering the school, as the number of pupils in the catchment has increased. The building occupies part of the senior playground and the senior cycle shed area.

The intention was to hold the first dinner in summer/autumn of 2023, but unfortunately the school lost several key personnel in the catering and site management departments during the year. This has meant that the dinner has been pushed back into 2024. At present I have no date for it, but I will be in touch further when there is a firm date.

The dinner is intended to be a more casual affair than previously with less emphasis on speakers and offering an opportunity to view the school buildings for those who have been away for some time.

Gradually the Old Bournemouthians’ Association is going to be coming under the wing of the Bournemouth School Alumni Society, with the OBA website becoming part of the Bournemouth School website. The Alumni Society is not intended to be a fund-raising society as much as one which can offer help to present-day pupils, for example by offering mentoring, both in person and remotely or by offering advice from ex-pats who could assist students who are travelling overseas.

Please remember to update me with any changes of address or email, so that I can keep in touch with you.

You can email Graham here.

The Hammond Perception: Romance and Revolution in an Alternative 1968

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The Hammond Perception is a new novel published by OB Martin Reed and is now free as an e-book on Amazon until the 8th September!

The blurb reads:

We follow Thomas Hammond from shy, insecure and sexually confused schoolboy to become a centred young man who has learned the difference between sex and love, and is prepared to fight for whom, rather than what, he believes in. 

December 1967, in an alternative world where a hidebound Britain maintains a fragile peace with Nazi-dominated Europe. Tommy doesn’t question his sheltered, repressed life until he meets Iona at the Sixth Form disco. She introduces him to a world of Left Bank intellectuals and left-wing philosophers. When the King suspends Parliament and appoints a venal crony as PM they become politically active, organising a schoolkids’ trade union. But as democracy collapses and fascists, Maoists and anarchists run wild, their relationship also hits the rocks. Around them, a cast of journalists and spies, students and politicians scheme, deceive and betray one another. 

August 1968 finds Iona caught up in Red Guard fervour while Tommy drifts in a psychedelic haze, as the madness reaches its violent climax in Trafalgar Square. 

“The Swinging Sixties on steroids, written by someone who was there!” 

Martin writes of the book and of his time at BS:

I was at BS from 1961-68. I went on to study Mathematics at the University of East Anglia, then had a career as a lecturer. In retirement, I have been writing techno-thriller novels set around that time. My latest is “The Hammond Perception: Romance and Revolution in an Alternative 1968”. Much of it is set in a grammar school not unlike BS, and those of my age will recognise Jasper Dodds, Tom Bircher and others. It’s available on Amazon in e-book and paperback; use this link to reach your local Amazon page. In fact, the e-book will be free for three days: 6th to 8th September.  

I’m very keen for feedback and reviews, so please download a copy!

Obituary: Gordon Prosser (1932-2023)

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The funeral will take place of Old Bournemouthian Gordon Prosser at Woking Crematorium,
Surrey, on Tuesday, 27 June, at 1200. All are welcome to attend.

Gordon, of Send, Surrey, died aged 91 on Saturday, May 27.

Born in Bournemouth, Gordon attended Bournemouth School from the age of eleven to
nineteen, completing an extra year because his mother had been initially too ill to give
permission for him to stay on in sixth form. During that time, he became Head Prefect.

After completing Royal Marine training during National Service, Gordon pursued a career in
banking. He was a great supporter of the school and attended the annual Old
Bournemouthians’ dinner well into his late 80s.

Gordon is survived by his wife, Margaret (Peggy) and son, Neil. A daughter, Claire,
predeceased him.

Obituary: Douglas R. Sherwood (1941-1948)

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We received the following, from John Demont:

Douglas (“Dougie”) Sherwood, the last of four Old Bournemouthian brothers, died peacefully in December 2022. He was at the school during the war (1941 – 1948) and was one of four Old Boys who went to Sandhurst in 1948. Douglas distinguished himself by becoming a Junior Under Officer. The other three Old Boys were Tom Farmer, Johnny English, and Tony Baxter – probably a  record School entry!

Dougie was a popular character. He played cricket and football for the School at all levels. He was also a very good table tennis player. He retired early from the Army as a Major to further other activities including valuable charity work with his wife Ann.

David Coleman

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We have received the following email from Wayne Lines, an Old Bournemouthian:

A former student of Bournemouth School and close friend of mine (David Coleman) died in Poland on Feb 1st. Dave arranged a reunion about 9 years ago including a tour of the school where about 25 of us from the ‘class of 1972’  were made very welcome.

We have arranged a celebration of his life. Sadly, I’m only in contact with a handful of former classmates but anyone who knew Dave would be most welcome to join us. The details are below.  (The RSVP is to his sister).

Obituary: Ken Maxted

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Mike Webb writes:

I have just had the sad news that Ken Maxted has passed away. Ken taught for many years at the school and was an Assistant Head, Master in charge of the Sixth Form, Head of Romsey House and a member of the Geography Department.

He was a founder member of the staff cricket team and he played for them with distinction for many years. Ken also organised the staff five-a-side for a time. He was a thorough teacher of geography and helped to build the subject into one of the most heavily subscribed in the school at one time.

As an Old Boy of Taunton’s School, Ken must have had divided loyalties when the two schools met of the sports field but Bournemouth School usually won out in his affections. He will be sorely missed by his colleagues at the monthly ‘Chips’ gatherings.