About Tony Hare

Founder of this website, now retired from webmastering...

In May 2000

I stumbled across the web site of my old school after accidentally typing "Royal Grammar School High Wycombe" into Google.

The RGS web site looked quite interesting and I couldn't wait to see if my name appeared on the list of "Famous Old Boys".

Sadly it didn't so I was resigned to sink back into anonymity once more.

Even looking through the list of Old Boys' e-mail addresses didn't come up with a single contemporary, let alone a famous one, so I resolved to contact the "Web master" of the site and let him know that out here in cyberspace there was still at least one person from my era interested in having his existence recognised. However my innate inertia soon put a stop to that resolution and so, as usual, I did nothing.

In October 2001, my discovery of the Friends Reunited web site re-awakened my enthusiasm and inspired me to produce this website, centred on my old rolledup copy of the 1956 School Photo
I am not sure really why I bothered to do it; just seeking a bit of glory I suppose, but there you go.

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I have since had many happy email conversations from "boys" of my era. Sometimes I have been able to link up friends or relatives of boys in the photo and when this happens it can be very rewarding.

The site has expanded a lot following contributions from others, and now includes photographs from other years as well as a massive collection of programmes for the Gilbert & Sullivam operas which were performed annually at the time.

I have been offered many more recent photographs but have had to refuse them as I have other things in life to as well as well as slaving over a hot computer all day!
I therefore initially restricted my site to boys who attended RGS at some time during my own years at the school, namely 1951 to 1956.
Fortunately John Saunders took an interest in the site and has since produced his own version covering later years.

Recently I have been joined by a group of older boys in extending the site backwards into the 1940s. This group now go under the collective title of the 49ers and have made massive contributiond to the site. The group also meet regularly in the High Wycombe area.

Thanks to the efforts of the '49ers this site now has what is probably the best and only collection of publicly available Wycombiensians outside the School itself..

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Please note that I am not setting up in opposition to the official RGS website nor Friendsreunited, both of which are excellent web sites. It’s all just for a bit of fun.

Please also note that I have no wish to embarrass or offend. If you see anything objectionable at all, please email and I will remove it at once.

If anybody ever visits this site I would welcome an email just to say you've been here and my efforts have not been totally in vain.

About me

Here is a short précis (a long time since I last used that word so hope the spelling is OK)

My name is Tony Hare and I attended RGS 1951 to 1956.

I started at the RGS in 1951 after passing my 11 plus from Chalfont St Peter C of E school. My first form was 2a in the old Uplyme huts. During that first year we were taught Latin by the Headmaster, Mr Tucker (amo amas amat, amamus amatis amant etc. Do they still teach Latin?)

Teachers I remember particularly are "Piljy" Jones, Maths master, (used to drive a Morris Minor); "Holly" Hollingworth, English master (If you can't pass an exam in your own language you'll never pass an exam in anything); "Wally" Barnes, French master, (a good bloke, I could never understand how anyone could be so oafish as to drain all the petrol out of his motorbike); "Gag" Grant Art master, (forever sharpening our pencils for us); "Patsy" Pattinson Chemistry master, (God, how I wished I had paid more attention so I could have passed the Chemistry exam).

Boys I remember particularly are David Icke (sadly drowned in a boating accident), John Holdbrook, Ian Tomes, Teddy Payne, Rob Palmer, Billy Knowles, Chandrubeksa. What of the rest? Is Alzheimer the only other name I can think of?

After leaving school in 1956 with 6 "O" levels I worked as a Research Apprentice at EMI in Hayes for 7 years finding out what high power klystrons were all about, then at Cossor Electronics in Harlow for 3 years developing SSR (radar) components.
I then moved to Paignton in Devon to work with STC Electron Tube Division for 23 years, initially working on the development of Klystrons and Travelling Wave Tubes for TV transmitters, ending up as Section Head of TWT Power Supply development.

About 1990, tiring of the delights of middle management, I left STC to join my second wife in her occupation as owner of a Gift Shop. I thus enjoyed the independence of being self employed. My experience with computers enabled us to take a small advantage from e-commerce on the web.

I have two daughters from my first marriage, two stepsons from my second marriage, and a growing collection of stepgrandchildren.

I am now happily retired and my wife and I enjoy walking the beautiful Devon coasts and moors and taking several holidays each year. I enjoy taking photos and turning them into slide shows.

Can anyone answer the following questions for me?
1) Is the pavilion my parents had to buy bricks for (sixpence each?) still standing?.
2 )Do they still sell Wagon Wheels in the Tuck Shop?
3) What happened to the crispy bacon we used to get before the war? and What about the wood then? (old Goon Show gags)

Time to stop before senility gets a hold I think!!

My Contemporaries

I ended my days at RGS in Form 5US with "Wally" Barnes as the Form Master.

The entry from the Grey Book shows my contemporaries in 5US as follows:-