George Robson (FN 57-64) assisted by John Ogden (FS 51-56) writes: FOUR DAYS IN ST BEES.
“It is always a pleasure to receive the twice yearly editions of the Old St Beghian Bulletins, which evoke memories of school days and inform us of school-related events. Attracted by the programme listing events spread over the three days Friday 24th June to Sunday 26th June I travelled over to St Bees on the Thursday and installed myself at The Seacote. It is many years since I have stayed at The Seacote and I have to say I was impressed to see it updated and modernised to a high standard and I thoroughly enjoyed my four-night stay. The restaurant and bar are much used by the residents of the nearby caravan site, who give an ambience and liveliness to the hotel particularly during the evenings. The staff were very pleasant and helpful and the meals left little to be desired. The room that I was allotted had a spectacular view of the beach, the promenade, and the Head.
	After breakfast on the morning of the Friday – Founders’ Day - I went down to the chapel to give myself plenty of time to master the organ, which I had been invited to play during both the Founders’ Day and the St Beghians' Day services. After a full hour's practice, school pupils and some of the staff began to arrive, placing themselves in the forward pews. Behind them parents and visiting Old St Beghians took their places. Everyone had been given a well-prepared and well-designed Order of Service. I was very impressed indeed with the pupils' demeanour and attention throughout the service, during which pupils read the lessons and Headmaster Robin Silk delivered an interesting account of the school's founding in 1583 and certain developments since. I flatter myself by thinking that my performance on the organ went off satisfactorily. Following the service, pupils, staff and visitors mingled and chatted on the Terrace. I engaged with two pupils and the wife of Lawrence Gribble, who hails from South Korea. One of the sixth form boys came from Turkey and the other from Romania. The four of us toured the Foundation and discussed aspects of its history, in particular the carvings on the dining hall panels.
Lunch for both pupils and visitors was served in the dining hall, after which I went to join others on the Terrace to view the pupils' Sports Day. The organisation was spot on and I was particularly taken with the long jump competition, which was my specialisation at the 1962 and 1963 sports days. On St Beghians' Day itself I attended the early morning Society Committee Meeting held in the Whitelaw Building. It was followed by the Annual General Meeting, the minutes of which are elsewhere in this Bulletin. Then it was down to the chapel for a Thanksgiving Service led by Canon Jim Baker and his wife the Rev. Anne Baker. As with the Founders’ Day service, we were given an Order of Service as we entered the chapel, which again was carefully devised and printed. The service flowed well and again I seemed to handle the organ satisfactorily. Then play began between an OSB cricket team and the Headmaster's X1. It was whilst watching this from the bench at the foot of the chapel's clock tower that I introduced myself to John Ogden, who had placed himself next to me. John’s years at the school covered the early 1950s, and he left the year before my own arrival in 1957. We sat for some time before John revealed that he was the instigator and driving force in a ruse involving selected Foundation prefects in 1955. This involved laying a private telephone line (no mobiles in those days) linking Foundation, Grindal and School House. We agreed to come up with a report of this escapade and submit it for consideration as an article for the next Bulletin. At my suggestion, John and I decided to stroll through the Priory's churchyard and pay respects at the graves of those we remembered.
We did this and found ourselves returning to the school via the Priory Paddock. This is a well-hidden and little visited area of wetland accessible from the churchyard and which leads through to the Dandy Walk. On a wall there is affixed a plaque in memory of two Millhillians who spent the war years, with fellow pupils and staff, in the village.  John and I were so entranced that we have resolved to draw up an article on the Paddock for a Bulletin in the hope that OSBs will be driven to familiarize themselves with this village gem. I should add that it is the village council that has the responsibility for the upkeep of the Paddock and they have been sympathetic to the representations John and I have made as to the neglected state of the area. We are promised action to rectify this. The St Bees Council have put online a new website which is excellent and well worth a visit.
Our sojourn to the Priory meant we missed Robin Silk's talk in the chapel and the end of the cricket match, but we were able to avail ourselves of the teas on offer in the Foundation dining hall. I went back to The Seacote and got dressed for the Black Tie Dinner which, as shown by an account in the July edition of The Old St Beghian alongside a goodly selection of photographs, was a great success. I was particularly struck by the current sixth formers taking on the roles of waiters (and waitresses!) smartly dressed, confident and efficient. (I hope they were rewarded with pocket money!) Arriving back at The Seacote in the small hours I slept soundly. The next morning I met our newly installed President and his lady at breakfast. We had a pleasant and productive chat and agreed to keep in touch over ideas we have for the President's first year in office. Then homeward bound with many delightful memories of three days in St Bees. I've since learned that there is an intention to build on a brilliant get-together in 2022 and hold a similar three-day event in 2023.”
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St Bees School,    St Bees,    Cumbria,    CA27 0DS.

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