The OH Golf Society met for its final outing this year at Old Thorns Golf Club in Hampshire on 19 and 20 October.

We were pleased to welcome first-timer Chris Pickett (playing off a handicap low enough to reduce the average substantially!) and first-time tourist Joe Wakeford, along with regulars Richard Heard, Paul Zealey, John Bridger, John Harper, Roger Hopkins and David Danskin. Charles Pipkin was in attendance as a non-playing guest.

Monday's weather was fine and bright and, with the crew getting to grips with an occasionally challenging course, with plenty of water hazards to increase the lost ball count, the Stableford award went to David Danskin, winning on countback from John Bridger. After an enjoyable dinner, we found that the weather next morning had taken a turn for the worse, with persistent rain. Only 3 intrepid and soggy golfers finished the round, with the honours going to Chris Pickett.

The next planned OH golf event is West Country Week - Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 June (inc).

Old Honitonians, this is the one we have been waiting for.

This year's OH Cocktail Party and AGM takes place on Thursday 19th November at the world-famous Army & Navy Club in Pall Mall—"The Rag"—a wonderful club at the very heart of London since 1810.

Picture it: drinks in hand among the Club's magnificent Library, surrounded by fellow OHs from across the decades. Wine, canapés, stories old and new, and an evening that will be talked about for years to come.

AGM begins promptly at 6.30 pm

Wine and canapés to follow

Tickets are £25 each. The Rag is a private members' club, so advance registration is essential.

With interest already running high, we would urge you not to leave it too late. We very much look forward to welcoming you to "The Rag" next month.

Book your place now: https://forms.gle/miJcyR59nqEi1dwM9

Dear Old Honitonians,

Following our earlier notification earlier this year of the passing of our dear friend and former Master, Mr Derek Blooman, we are now pleased to announce that a special memorial service will be held in his honour.

As many of you know, Derek was a cornerstone of our experiences at Allhallows School and a true bastion of the Old Honitonians Club. His remarkable memory of us and our lives beyond school left a lasting impression on so many, and we are deeply grateful that his brother, Michael, will be joining us to help us remember Derek’s life and legacy.

The memorial will form part of our official OH Memorial Service on Saturday, 7th November at St Paul’s Church, Honiton. We warmly invite all members of the community who wish to join us in remembering Derek.

Further details regarding the nature of the service and speakers will follow shortly. I

With sincere sympathy and fond memories,

The Old Honitonians Club Committee

#Allhallows #OldHonitonians #DerekBlooman #MomorialService

Did you know that one of our own OHs played a pivotal role in launching the careers of Scott and Shackleton?

We are thrilled to announce an upcoming interview with historian Dr Ed Armston-Sheret about his new book, The Grip of the Ice. The book explores Britain’s first Antarctic expedition. This Discovery voyage set the stage for everything that followed, but it also shines a light on a forgotten inspirational figure from our own community: Cyril Longhurst.

A former pupil of Allhallows School in the late 19th century, Cyril never set foot in Antarctica. Yet, working from London, he was the administrative backbone of the expedition, coordinating logistics while Scott sailed south. He was also instrumental in founding the early days of the Old Honitonians Club.

Stay tuned! We will be sharing the full interview with Ed very soon. In the meantime, you can find out more about The Grip of the Ice and purchase a copy here.

What a wonderful OH Clay Pigeon Shoot we enjoyed today.

With OHs from the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s, and representatives from Baker, Lillies, Middlemist and Venning Houses, it was a fantastic occasion that brought together generations of our Allhallows community.

Over breakfast and coffee at The Perbeck Shooting School, there was plenty of time to catch up with fellow alumni before the competitive shooting got underway. There was no shortage of support and good-natured cheering as clays were struck. Afterwards, everyone retired to the Royal Oak in Bere Regis, known affectionately within the OH community as the Ring of Feathers, for more conversation, laughter and, of course, a chance to check the scores.

As one OH put it: “There were so many Xs on the score sheet, it looked more like a love letter!”

A huge thank you to everyone who attended:

• Christian Apsey
• Conrad Apsey
• Callan Apsey
• Ciaran Apsey
• Charlie Apsey
• Samuel Apsey
• Peter Apsey
• David Britton
• Jim Rowe
• David Woollatt
• Henry Woollatt

We look forward to sharing a full write-up soon.

You can see the video from the day here:

The OH Club is delighted to present the big interview with our very own Honorary Secretary, Dave Woollatt!

The camera has been turned around to hear about Dave’s early life growing up in Weymouth, his experiences at Allhallows, his career afterwards and the challenges that he has faced.

This is part 1. Enjoy watching!

Part 2

Part 2 of our interview with our Honorary Secretary, Dave Woollatt.

In this instalment, Dave reflects on his time at Allhallows, sharing memories of racket sports, especially squash, the teachers who made a lasting impression, life after leaving school in the radio industry, his diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, and his continued involvement with the OH Club.

We hope you enjoy hearing more of Dave's story and the memories that have shaped his lifelong connection with Allhallows.

Enjoy watching!

Seb Warner (Club President)

The OH Golf Society gathered for its usual three-day tour of the West Country between 22 and 24 June. I know it's normal for golfers to grumble about the weather, but this year's truly exceptional temperatures gave us all a harder-than-usual challenge. It peaked at about 36°C (nearly 100 in old money) on the third day, but most of us slogged through regardless. Despite that, we had a great time catching up with old friends, with two enjoyable meals at Poco Pizza and the Harbour Inn in Lyme Regis. Some of us stayed at Airbnbs in Rousdon, taking an interesting trip down memory lane, with a bit of tutting at the rewilding of the 1st XI cricket square and all the other playing pitches!

We started off with our usual match against the Fleet Air Arm Officers Association's Golf Society at Yeovil Golf Club on Monday 22 June. The OH team of Messrs Wakeford R, Page/Bridger, Heard/Zealey, Edwards/Christie and Danskin/Howlett battled to a draw (2.5/2.5 points each). Many thanks to Richard Seymour OH, who made the arrangements with his customary bonhomie and sangfroid.

On to Lyme Regis Golf Club for the OH Golf Championship. The course was in fine condition, with some welcome sea breezes. There was to be no repeat of Justin Tunstall's famous victory in 2025, as Jeremy Edwards became the proud winner of the Trophy with 36 points, with David Danskin second, a point behind, edging out Kit McGrath, who finished third on countback. Roddy Wakeford won the Nearest the Pin, and John Pagliero won the Longest Drive. Others who played were Joe Wakeford, Nigel Howlett, Rafi Husain, John Bridger, Paul Zealey, Richard Heard, Christian Apsey, Justin Tunstall, John Harper, Jonathan Christie, Jeremy Page and John Harper.

The last stage of our tour took us to Sherborne Golf Club, with the aforementioned high temperatures. Only four of us finished the round, and I don't think it's worth mentioning the result other than to say that everyone who finished was awarded a well-deserved prize.

Overall, it was a highly successful trip, and preparations are under way for next year's event. Do come along if you can make it – you will be most welcome.

It’s wonderful what sometimes turns up in the post.

Our deepest thanks must go to writer and researcher Edward Armston-Sheret, who was in touch with the club last year while researching a book on the Scott of the Antarctic expeditions. O.H. Cyril Longhurst (1878–1948) was instrumental in those early expeditions with Scott (as Secretary of the National Antarctic Expeditions in 1902). Longhurst also played a key role in establishing the Old Honitonians Club in the early 20th century.

Edward sent this to us - Longhurst's Allhallows Register and Record (1857 - 1907),  and we look forward to sharing an amazing letter from Longhurst shortly…

The weather was perfect, the beautiful venue was set, and at 11:30, OHs started to gather, journeying from local towns and villages, across the region, the country, and even internationally. All with one thing in common: to meet old friends, make new ones, and share stories from their time at Allhallows.

It is no overstatement to say this West Country Lunch was a truly special occasion; not only was it a place of heartfelt conviviality, warm greetings, and friendship, but it was also where many had the joy of seeing friends they had not met for over 50 years.

The tables were set, and lunch began, providing the perfect backdrop to continuing conversations, laughter, and shared histories. Duncan and the whole team at the Victoria had done it again: fabulous organisation and, of course, first-rate food.

Then we were treated to a fabulous talk by Peter Scott, who had travelled from France to attend. There were plenty of laughs and stories that all OHs, no matter their era at the school, could relate to. Thank you ever so much, Peter, for this wonderful romp down memory lane, a lane with the obligatory Rousdon mist enveloping it.

After this, Jeremy Harding treated us to a short talk on the significance of the Harding Cup, a fabulous trophy in more ways than one. Donated to the school in the 1940s by Ralph Harding, who sadly passed away recently at the age of 99, the trophy was bought back by Ralph when the school closed. Jeremy, with the support of the club, is now hoping to have all the missing names engraved onto it. It is a fabulous testament not only to his family’s connection with the school but also a historical document of Allhallows pupils’ sporting ability.

We would like to thank every single OH who attended this remarkable event. As one OH said, “It was a most enjoyable occasion, and it was lovely to catch up with so many old friends.”

With 61 attendees, this was one of the largest gatherings of OHs in recent times. A very special thank you to our Social Secretary, Victoria Berry, for all the organisation that went into the event, supporting Duncan and his team at the Victoria and helping to make the day such a special occasion. We also want to thank Peter Scott once more for his fabulous talk and Roddy Wakefore for gathering together many OHs from his era. It was so lovely to see you all.

As with last year, there was very much an after-show party, with OHs from all decades heading out for drinks on the terrace in the late afternoon sunshine, before heading into town for more conversation, food, and laughter.

The OHs who attended this year were:

Victoria Berry
Lucy Forte
David Woollatt
Sebastian Warner
Tim Huxtable
Tim Piper
Charles Mortimer
Paul Piper
Michael Green
Dudley Hopkins
Clare Hopkins
Peter Force
Martyn Langford
Anne Langford
Anthony Vosper
Tom Hembrow
Mike Shaw
Alec Crawford
Nick Kettlewell
Andy Moore
David Richardson
Hugh Courage
George Hayter
Jan Hayter
Robin Sermon
John Campbell Clause
Paul Coombes
Paul Hellier
Pauline Davies
Simon Harris
Kerrie Harris
Guy Potter
Nigel Clist
Angie Anderson
Richard Anderson
Jeremy Best
David Viccars
Justin James
Justin Tunstall
Roddy Wakeford
Peter Scott
Piers Markham
Jeremy Linn
Richard Hocking
David Classey
Ahmed Ghazzal
Max Bennett
Dawn Bennett
Rory Macdiarmid
James Turner
Pippa Willcox
Nick Willcox
Myf Adams
Paul Seward
Heather Sturdy
Andrew Barlow
Jenny Bryan
Tessa Evelagh
David Danskin
Andrew Hughes
Jeremy Harding
Sarah Burt
Zalie Dalton
Nicky Humphries
Geoff Humphries

We have now heard from Derek’s brother, Michael, who has kindly asked us to let OHs know that they are very welcome to attend Derek’s funeral.

The funeral will take place at 3:00 pm on 18th May at East Devon Crematorium.

The service will also be live-streamed:

Use the PIN number below to access your webcast
 

https://www.wesleymedia.co.uk/webcast-view

Our thoughts are very much with Derek’s family and friends at this time.