Elmfield Secondary Modern School, Cheltenham, UK

Sadly we have lost another friend and school chum in his 82nd year. Pete Howes was a true character and went to Elmfield from 6th September 1954 until he left to start an apprenticeship at Rotol on 24th July 1959. We (Robert Grattage nickname Scratch) were in the same class for most of that time. If any of you that prescribe to this site have any memories to share then please do.

Hi Elmfield folk. It has been a while since posting any new news. Over two years of Covid 19 and only now we are getting back to a new normal. Many of us have had the virus, but thankfully not badly, mainly due to vaccine's. Although, there is still some reluctance in believing their efficacy, and even believing they are harmful. However, many fully vaccinated people did get infected but quite mildly, so we believe they have been quite effective.
The world seems to have gone bonkers with Russia invading the Ukraine, crazy economic issues that governments seem unable to address. We are all experiencing high fuel prices, shortages of some goods and high inflation. But many of you have experienced these issues in the past and know we do get through them.
We are entering an era of uncertainty and worry, but our advice is to try and forget these issues and focus on your family and friends. It is so nice to see many of you starting to get out and travel, even go on holiday. The travel industry has been hard hit, and so they need our support. Theaters, Concerts and Cinemas are also starting to come alive again after such long shutdowns, which is marvelous.
to see.
If you have any stories, anecdotes or news about our school pals, or indeed, our school, please do share with us. The school closed some time ago and we are all getting long in the tooth, so if you have anything to share please write to this page.
Best wishes and stay healthy.

We haven't posted anything in some time, mainly as a result of isolation and simply not much to report. Thankfully vaccine's are being distributed well and most of the older population has been vaccinated. However, there is still a degree of anti-vaccine mentality, which I cannot understand. We had no problem getting the polio, and umpteen vaccines as children and in addition as the older generation at 65 years Pneumococcal (PPV) vaccine, at 65 years (and every year after) the Flu vaccine and at 70 years the Shingles vaccine. I truly believe we will need to have a Covid 19 booster vaccine every year, just to protect against all the variants?
At least some countries have been able to get their citizens vaccinated, which helps, but I think it will be a long time before we are able to freely travel the world again.
For most of us, the last year has shown how important contact with family and friends is and hopefully made us more appreciative of being able to hug our grandchildren and other relatives. Simply going to the pub or restaurant was taken for granted in the past, such simple things became important to us when taken away!
Most of us started using take out or even delivery companies to get our food or groceries, I wonder how many will continue to do this, or prefer to go to the store? Even buying on the Internet has become a habit for many, my own experience has been somewhat mixed doing this. Some products turn out to be very different from that advertised and then the trouble of returning them is sometimes a headache. I have mistakenly ordered product but not noticed the company was simply passing the order to some outfit in China or elsewhere and it takes literally months to receive. I steer clear of those now. I have had great success with ordering take food from local restaurants and then picking the order up at kerbside. As long as you know the source we will probably continue to use these services, I suspect, but when buying clothes or other specific products there is no substitute for seeing the product.
One habit we did take more seriously is going for walks in the country and getting more exercise. Certainly more so than prior to the lock-downs when we were stuck indoors! Also a greater appreciation of nature and getting some fresh air.
Unfortunately, I have no further information on any ex Elmfield folk, I feel we have probably lost a few in the past year, but you need to keep us informed. I try to keep in touch with some by phone or by e-mail, and certainly a Christmas card with letter for some.
Keep in touch, thanks for posting anything, if you have old photos or newspaper articles then post them. If I were there I would organize an Elmfield reunion, but I'm not, bad luck!

Here is a photo posted by Philip Arkell, and Elmfield pupil of 1953 to 1957. He believes it was from 1956, however I don't recognize anyone, do you?

My last blog was on August 26th and I am not sure we have advanced much in most aspects affecting our lives? The COVID 19 pandemic continues to thrive, with very few advances in how to stop the continued rate of infection. Unless and until the scientists are able to produce a vaccine we will be stuck in this suspended animation like way of life.
However, not all is bad in what is happening. We can finally breathe relatively fresh air with fewer vehicles on the road, even getting a little fitter with walking around the block. We have also been seeing and hearing so many birds, perhaps my imagination but they sound much louder and enjoying life without traffic. The summer has been very warm this year and so there is no excuse for hibernating, even though the government did seem to want you to do just that!
Most people I talk to seem to be consumed with politics these days. What with the crazy antics going on in the USA with Donald Trump and Joe Biden sparring for the Presidency, Boris Johnson under fire for his handling of the pandemic and then there is Brexit. I think most of us had forgotten all about the latter having lost interest. For many their concerns about being out of work and scraping a living was far more important. Of course, most Elmfield folk are now retired and drawing on their pensions and work has become a four letter word – that was a joke!
What are you doing with your spare time now during these isolating days? Have you used the time to start a hobby, read more books or take up some pastime? I started a new project, making a coffee table from a section of a 24 inch diameter tree section. Although I cannot give a lot of credit to Price-James woodworking class, but I can say he did stimulate my interest in working with wood. Hopefully, when finished I will take a photo and post it on this site. If you have an interesting photo on something you are working on please do let us see it.
The photo is the tree section and my set up jig to use my router to plane the surface flat. Now modern tools are something Price-James could only dream of. I simply cannot imagine using a block plane to do this job.

My Last blog was in May, so time for a few updates. Hopefully all of you Elmfield alumni are maintaining a degree of fitness and health? Please do let me know how you are doing and how this pandemic has affected you and your family.
My wife and I are missing the travel, particularly to the UK to see friends and family there. We are lucky to live in an area of Canada practically untouched by Covid 19, mostly in the cities, but overall fewer than most countries. I guess you can put that down to the vast size of the country.
One of the restrictions in travelling is the 14 day isolation both here and in the UK. We still have border restrictions for the USA (thank goodness), so visiting the UK would mean 14 days there and then 14 days on return, a wasted month. Not conducive to allowing travel and certainly needs to be considered if we wish to stimulate the economies? I said way back in March that testing, mask wearing as well as hand washing/sanitizing will help reduce this pandemic. Common sense really. So get those one hour tests at the borders, airports and shipping terminals, test everyone and Bobs your Uncle!
Another result of this pandemic is the number of people losing their jobs. While governments were supporting business and individuals with supplementary benefits there was a degree of continuity. However, now these payments are gradually ending, the true effect on the economy will be felt. I feel sorry for the youngsters starting out and those that find their jobs no longer exist. When we were starting out there were plenty of jobs, either in apprenticeships or training in one of the many vibrant businesses. We lost many skilled jobs in manufacturing due to globalisation, something that got out of control and resulted in far fewer opportunities. This pandemic has simply exacerbated the problem; let’s get back to supporting our own manufacturing and economies!
So where are the positives for the future? Certainly, investment in education must help, although I would say not always the main factor in success! If your grandchildren wish to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, etc. then yes, of course. I cannot be certain, but I don’t think any pupil from Elmfield ever became a doctor, etc. (I may be wrong, so let me know). However, many did, set up their own businesses, rise through the ranks of industry and do extremely well in life. This is as a result of encouragement, confidence, hard work and dedication, along with their inbuilt talent. What do you think?

It has been a couple of months since my last article so let's review what has happened so far? First and foremost.....nothing, we have all been locked up and in self-isolation! Casting our minds back to the 1950's you couldn't make it up, only perhaps the most vivid imagination might make it the subject of a science fiction story!
If such a pandemic had occurred in those days, none of the scientific minds could have stopped it and millions would have succumbed to the disease, I believe.
The only blessing would have been that most of the Elmfield pupils would have enjoyed two or three months off, and I can't imagine many sticking to the safe distance rule, how could you fight or wrestle at a distance?
I do know that during these lockdown days we have all had to find things to do, many taking up baking and cooking. Maybe Elmfield boys should have been taking the domestic science class, instead of woodwork and metalwork?
Even the garden has had more attention these days, with many looking the best in years. We are even getting more exercise with being locked up we have been walking around the neighborhood to simply get out of the house.
There is no going to the local pub for a pint or an evening meal, so those homemade meals have become more inventive. One of my school chums partner made some Cheltenham dripping cakes, now that is inventive and brings back so many memories.
However, I think all this baking and cooking has caused some of us to put on a few pounds in weight.
This pandemic may also cause us to rethink our holiday plans. I don't think there will be many overseas trips being planned and we may have to re-visit those south coast stamping grounds. The Scots and Welsh don't seem to want visitors in fear of spreading Covid 19, so perhaps walks over the Cotswold and Malvern Hills will be back in vogue. Who knows, when it will end and we get back to normal times?

Good day to all my Elmfield friends. We find ourselves in troubled times with this Coronavirus Pandemic and as many of us are in our 70's, there is a degree of concern on the direction this virus is heading.
In my career I spent many years working as an engineer with humidification and I belonged to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and helped work on one of their papers on humidity.
In the spirit of providing information on how to minimise the transmission of viruses, etc., over and above all of the advise already publicised, you may be interested in the following graph.
I am not suggesting you run out and buy a humidifier, but this does show how ideal humidification can reduce the risks of transmission.
Stay well, stay safe and "Be Strong."

Hi Everyone,
Good to see so many responses to my last blog, I love to hear of your memories and about your time at Elmfield. It was certainly an important period of our development, and for many an enjoyable experience, but sadly for some not so good.
I would say that whether good or bad memories, I truly believe the teaching staff did their best. Some did better than others, but generally the standard was far below the teaching standards of today. For those of you that have grandchildren it is quite a shock to see just how standards are so far ahead of those in our day. So when (or if) they ask you for help, you just scratch your head and say “Go check it out on Google”.
There is one area where we always seem to have the answers, when it comes to practical issues. The youngsters of today have very strong technical skills on the computer, tablet or I-phone, but when it comes to screwing in a lightbulb (maybe they can do that) or fixing something that has broken we can usually help out. I have lost count of how many times I have helped out with jobs that require the use of saws, wrenches, screw drivers and hammers.
We have life experience, of course, and that is where we can help in their upbringing. I am often asked for my opinion on issues and they respect that, but they don’t always follow the advice I give.
Some of you may have experienced bullying at school? When I was there between 1954 and 1959 it was a boy’s only school and a small degree of bullying occurred. Probably no more than any other school, but did result in a few fights and arguments.
I only experienced a few occasions when I was pushed around, but usually if you pushed back it would stop. Some boys were too stupid or insecure to realise that they were bullying, but usually they would pick on someone that would give them a good hiding. Most of the time it was all just a rough, tough testosterone laded way of releasing energy. The answer was to be out on the sports field and certainly one or two of the teachers realised that and supported our very good football teams over the years.
Stay fit, keep well and let us hope this coronavirus, which is spreading very fast in China can be brought under control soon. I am glad the authorities are isolating and are quarantining those that have been in contact or in areas affected. To put things into perspective, the USA have had over 2,500 deaths from just flue since October 2019, with over 2.5 million people being infected, mainly in the southern states. All Elmfield students are now getting on in age so just make sure you all get your flu shots.

Hello all you wonderful Elmfield folk,
Has the winter in mid-January started to irritate you? The weather has been all over the map, with lots of rain, high winds and very cold days and nights. Hopefully, you are all well and keeping warm? Remember to check up on a neighbor or relative who may not be as mobile or fully fit. Certainly, many of us become bored with having to remain indoors for long periods and get what is sometimes referred to as “Cabin Fever!”
This subject reminds me of those winter days at Elmfield when we were introduced to some new gymnasium equipment around 1956 I think. I was in my third year and Larkin had taken over from Norris as Headmaster and as part of his new broom approach had new equipment installed. I remember the bars and climbing frame set up at the end of the main assembly hall. There was a vaulting horse, spring board and several trestles’s, padded mats and medicine balls, etc.
I don’t remember who took us for gym lessons, but do remember we had to do circuit training, moving from one exercise to another in rotation, presumably to exercise one part of the body over another. I was not an overly strong individual, unlike many others, but was one of the best in flexibility. I think most of the boys had great fun on the multi-level wooden vaulting horse. Not many could vault over it and most finished on top straddling it, to great amusement. I also remember them trying to have us do a forward flip over the trestle onto a mat. One or two of the lads could run and do a cart wheel followed by a somersault, which was very impressive.
Hopefully, you all have some good memories of the friendships forged at school and continue to maintain them. Not that easy as we all get so much older and more scattered around the country and world, but do try and make the effort to re-establish contact, if you can. It was an important part of our formative years and character building.
Stay warm, keep healthy and try and get some exercise, but you don’t have to do any back flips, lol.

To all Elmfield friends and followers.