Sunday 10th November 2019
10:00am - 3:00pm
Please scroll down for photographs of the day
September 2019 marked a special anniversary in our history at Wycliffe – 80 years since Wycliffe College pupils evacuated to Lampeter in Wales.
Remembered and not forgotten, we have a Lampeter House at the Senior School and this Remembrance Sunday we invited back Lampeter Old Wycliffians for the Service of Remembrance in Wycliffe Chapel, led by the Reverend David Prescott, and a special celebratory lunch.
At the service our Lampeter OWs received a special mention and our TWS wreath was kindly laid this year by OW Brigadier Richard Clements (P W 1989). Richard is a current parent as well, so coming to lay the wreath and lead the commendation held a special significance for him.
The lunch was attended by 5 Lampeter OWs;
Nick Clack (J H 1938 – 1948)
R Michael Harvey (J S 1943 – 1950)
Michael Hawkins (J H 1938 – 1946)
Keith Pearson (J S 1933 – 1943)
David Webber (J SH 1940 – 1949)
As well, Mrs June Everett (née Dixon), whose father was Rev T S Dixon who taught at the College from 1922 to 1958, joined us as she had called School House home from the age of 2 years old. The OWs’ families also joined us as well as Mr Paul Etheridge (President of Wycliffe College) and his wife so there were 19 of us in all for the meal in Wycliffe Hall and current parents enjoying lunch with their children.
At the beginning of the meal, Mr Nick Gregory made a toast welcoming the OWs back to School. There was much reminiscing, catching up on lives and some sharing of photographs. TWS had produced a short pictorial history on the time at Lampeter, created from The Star, for each OW to take away. During coffee, David Webber made a short speech of thanks for the day on behalf of the Lampeter OWs and recalled his early memories of starting at The Brynn in Lampeter and the lifelong friends he had made whilst there.
As part of the day, there was a short tour around College; including Haywardsfield and School House. OWs remarked on the many positive changes; the addition of Haywardsend which had been where the school grounds stopped when they attended Wycliffe and the new Ward’s House.
Amongst the returning OWs, quite remarkably, were no less than four former Heads of School, one of which was Jeremy Hawkins (J H 1970 – 1980), son of Lampeter OW Michael Hawkins, himself a Head of School, as well as three former Heads of Haywardsfield so photographs were taken under the relevant honours boards. The Housemaster of Haywardsfield, Mr James Austin, and his wife enjoyed hearing the OWs’ stories and the opportunity to show them around the newly refurbished Haywardsfield.
We received apologies from another nine OWs who were sadly unable to attend due to ill health and were notified of two OWs who had recently passed away.
