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A Visit to Bletchley Park

A Visit to Bletchley Park

by | Aug 23, 2025 | General | 0 comments

Snapshots of History

Bletchley Park Through the Lens

The Heart of Codebreaking

Bletchley Park, once a top-secret site, was the epicenter of codebreaking efforts during World War II. It was here that a dedicated team of cryptanalysts, including the renowned Alan Turing, worked tirelessly to decipher enemy communications. Their groundbreaking achievements not only shortened the war but also laid the foundations for modern computing and cybersecurity. Today, Bletchley Park stands as a testament to innovation and perseverance, offering visitors a glimpse into the clandestine world of wartime intelligence and the remarkable individuals who changed history.

What Visitors Say

"Visiting Bletchley Park was a truly enlightening experience. Walking through the halls where history was made gave me chills. The exhibits are incredibly well-curated and offer a deep dive into the world of codebreaking."

Emily R.

"A must-visit for anyone interested in history or technology. The stories of the codebreakers are inspiring, and the interactive displays kept us engaged for hours. I left with a newfound appreciation for the unsung heroes of WWII."

James L.

War Memorial Restoration

War Memorial Restoration

by | Jul 20, 2024 | Archivist News, General | 0 comments

We are currently undertaking to clean up the War Memorial on the grounds of St. Helens House. It now needs some attention, and your committee has adopted this as a project for 2024.

Clearly, there is a cost to this and we will be asking ODs new and old for a donation towards the cost which we hope you will feel able to give.

A newsletter, the contents of which are reproduced below, will be circulated shortly giving details of how you can donate, meanwhile if you need further information please contact our treasurer David at treasurer@oldderbeians.co.uk

Hello once again from your Old Derbeian Society, we hope this newsletter finds you healthy.

Many of you will know that the war memorial stands on the grounds of St. Helens House and has done so for many years. It is a legacy to the Old Derbeians who fell in the two World Wars and serves as a place to remember them at remembrance services and for visitors to the house.

The memorial was first in place at St Helens House and dedicated on 11th November 1921. It was removed to the new school at Moorway Lane in September 1966 and re-erected at St. Helens House in March 1991, where it stands today.

As with all old edifices, it is looking its age and is in real need of a facelift if it is to continue as this centrepiece in the grounds. As such your committee has decided to undertake a cleaning project for the memorial and also at the same time to add two names which were missed when the memorial was commissioned.

Of course, there is a cost to this project, and we are asking ODs, old and new, to consider a donation towards the cost. Our best quotation for the work is approximately £1600, which we feel is within the realms of what we can afford to pay with the help of our members.

I therefore appeal to your generosity to donate what you can to this appeal and help us to secure the legacy for many more years to come.

You can donate by bank transfer to the society account below, or send a cheque to our treasurer David, Zydzienowski at the address below.

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and for considering donating.

Best wishes,

Alan Draper 1957/62
President.

Bank transfer to:
Royal Bank of Scotland
Old Derbeian Society
Sort code: 12-09-26
Account No: 00635202

Ref: Memorial Donation

Cheques to:
The Treasurer
Old Derbeian Society
The Corner House
59A Hall Farm Road
Duffield
Derbyshire DE56 4FJ

ODs in Ypres – March 2024

ODs in Ypres – March 2024

by | Mar 31, 2024 | General | 0 comments

A group of Old Derbeians recently went to Ypres to dedicate our plaque in St George's Chapel. We also visited some of the graves of ODs who fell in the Great War.

Please see our short video below. Thank you.

Current Archives Now on This Site

by | Jan 29, 2024 | Archivist News, General | 0 comments

We havee achieved a milestone!

We said late last year that we were working on bringing the archives to be more redily accessed and available to all members. Well our archivist, Maurice Cass, has worked tirelessly to achive our aim and we have now posted the first of the links on this site at https://www.oldderbeians.co.uk/current-archives/

We are now working on further content and organising photos to be more easily available so watch this space.

Do you know the origins of your old school?

by | Oct 5, 2023 | General | 0 comments

Where can I find articles and images relating to my time at school?

 

Archive Access is coming soon.

All members will soon be able to access all the archive materials painstakingly stored and digitised by our archivists over the past years. From old class photographs to historical articles and so much more, you will be able to immerse yourself in material relating to days gone by.

Further information on how you can gain access to the archives will be posted shortly.

47’ers Meet Again on 75th Anniversary

47’ers Meet Again on 75th Anniversary

by | Jul 26, 2022 | Archivist News, Derby School, General, meetings, Membership, Reunions | 0 comments

The 47ers met again this year on 21st July at their usual venue The Georgian Hotel in Friargate, Derby.   It was a remarkable meeting because it marked 75 years (three-quarters of a century!) since they first met as second formers in 1947.

Those attending from the left in the photograph were:
Viv Andrew, Brian Moult,  John Wilkinson, Dave White, Russ Jones, Eddie Hunt, Peter Smedley and Godfrey Webster.

It was a memorable meeting and we agreed to meet again in 2023.
Russ Jones (1947 - 55)

In Memory of Roger Bate OD

by | Mar 17, 2026 | In Memoriam | 0 comments

It is with deep sadness that we post the passing of Roger Bate - Old Derbeian 1957-1964. Roger had been battling with cancer for about 2 years and passed away this morning at 9am Tuesday 17th March 2026. RIP

OLD DERBEIAN SOCIETY AGM 2026

OLD DERBEIAN SOCIETY AGM 2026

by | Jan 21, 2026 | Committee Stuff, General, Have Your Say | 0 comments

As advertised in our latest newsletter, the Annual General Meeting of the Society will be held at 5.15 pm on Monda,y 26th January 2026 at St Helens House, Derby.

The meeting will be held in person and by internet link on Microsoft Teams, the link for which is

https://teams.live.com/meet/9351722665698?p=cFwuU3y5e1z03Uz88y

Please place the event in your diary and either join us in person or via MS Teams on the link above. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

ODs Annual Lunch 9th November 2025

by | Oct 15, 2025 | General | 0 comments

ANNUAL LUNCH 2025

We will hold our Annual Lunch at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 9th, 2025, following our Service of Remembrance.

Please use the following links for further information and a booking form for you and your guests

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Roy Millward – OD (1943-1948) Obituary

Roy Millward – OD (1943-1948) Obituary

by | May 12, 2025 | General | 0 comments

William Roy Millward (17/02/1931 - 24/01/2025)
Roy Millward passed away peacefully at the age of 93 on January 24th, 2025 in Fowey, Cornwall.  He attended Derby School from 1943-48, including being part of the Amber Valley Camp.  Along with his wife Jean, who predeceased him, he had spent most of his married life in Derby until, in late  2021, they moved to Fowey, leaving their home since 1966 to live happily with son Ian and his wife Karen.
Roy was a loving father of two sons (Gary and Ian, both of whom attended Derby School in the 1970’s) and grandfather of five grandchildren. After leaving school he trained and worked as a Paint Chemist before successfully transitioning to Sales Management in the mid 1960’s.
After his family, Roy’s great love was sport and he was well known in local Cricket, Snooker, Football and Bowls circles. He continued meeting old friends at Derbyshire County Cricket well into his 80’s.  He was a long term season ticket holder with Derby County at the Baseball Ground and Pride Park and was lucky enough to attend The Rams FA Cup win at Wembley in 1946. 
Roy was a strong supporter of Derby Snooker and Billiards as both a player and mentor of younger players. In his later years he was very active at Rykneld Bowling Club and achieved his ambition of playing in his 90’s!
With sons in the Travel Industry he and Jean were also able to indulge a life long love of travel.
Roy was famously positive and convivial and will be much missed by his large number of family and friends.

THE SOCIETY TAKES ON A LEGAL CHALLENGE

THE SOCIETY TAKES ON A LEGAL CHALLENGE

by | Apr 14, 2025 | General, Have Your Say, Legal Issues, School History | 0 comments

You will recall from our previous newsletter that the society was dealing with a legal issue for which we were seeking legal advice. I am now in a position to let you know that we have instructed solicitors to act for us in the hope of settling the matter.

THE ISSUE
Some of you will be aware that the society owns the works of John Flamsteed, the 1st Astronomer Royal and an Old Derbeian, namely the Atlas Coelestis and the Historiae Coelestis ( 1st Edition 1722), two very valuable books. The Old Derbeian Society has owned these books for some years and has housed them since 2001 within Derby Grammar School for safe keeping on a permanent loan basis, together with other valuable books and items from the archives. We have evidence to prove the loan.

It has since come to our notice that in 2024, the Derby Grammar School Trustees decided to sell the Flamsteed books to a bookseller, without any recourse to the society, and received money from the sale. We maintain that the books should not have been sold as we, the society, hold the right of title to the books. We believe that one of the books has been sold and the other remains with the bookseller.

We maintain that the City of Derby should benefit from these books being placed within its museum for all to see, and it is with this in mind that we wish to see the return of the books to us so that we can entrust them to the museum. 

OUR LEGAL POSITION
Having taken advice from our solicitors, we are pursuing the matter on a no-win-no-fee basis as it is thought that we have a good case to retain our right of title to the books and have the books returned to us.. To add some weight to our case and look at the prospect of winning, we are having to fund the fees of legal Counsel who will look at the merits of the case and give a view on a positive outcome for the society. This particular fee is outside of the no-win-no-fee arrangement with our solicitors.

OUR LEGAL FUND
The society has very limited funds and, indeed, since the school takeover by ILG (Inspired Learning Group), has no source of funding save for what it already has. We therefore need to raise funds to enable us to pursue that case against the school Trustees for the illegal sale of the books.
 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

We urgently need funds to support our claim. We know that times are hard for many people at the moment, but if you could donate whatever you can, that will help us to ensure the return of these books to Derby forever.

Donations are being received in our society bank account:
Royal Bank of Scotland
Old Derbeian Society
Sort code: 12-09-26
Account No: 00635202
Ref: Flamsteed Fund

Cheques to:
The Treasurer
Old Derbeian Society
The Corner House
59A Hall Farm Road
Duffield
Derbyshire DE56 4FJ

Thank you so much for reading and supporting this cause. We really do appreciate it.

Graham Bennett
Chair
Old Derbeians Society

Legal Advice Required

Legal Advice Required

by | Mar 14, 2025 | General, Membership, Press, School History | 0 comments

WE NEED YOUR HELP

The society is currently investigating an issue that has reached the point of requiring a legal response to the problem. Without going into detail, we are looking into the sale of a very expensive artefact belonging to the society, without our permission or consent. The artefact dates back to the 18th century and apart from being the property of the Old Derbeians, it has a tremendous significance to the city of Derby.

Having all but exhausted dialogue and negotiations with the body who have sold the item, we now require a solicitor to represent us in the fight to see the artefact returned to its rightful owner.

To this end, we are calling on our members who may be able to help us with taking the case up on our behalf on a pro bono basis. If you or you know of anyone in the society who can help in what is a sensitive matter, we would welcome contact with us.

If you can help, please contact the Chair of the society by email at chair@oldderbeians.co.uk to discuss the way forward. Thank you for your support in this matter.

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