Welcome to the BFES-SCE Association (MoD Schools)
Free GUEST membership - for one year - read on !
We held our Annual General Meeting on 14th November 2020 - this was the first ever virtual AGM (with thanks to Zoom, other video platforms are available). Your committee was delighted to be joined by four other members - and two of them allowed us to twist their arms and join us (on the committee) - welcome, Barbara and Philip Arrandale.
Several suggestions for increasing membership were discussed - and one important result is explained by Christine and Hugh Ritchie, Membership Secretaries :
Dear Member,
The recent Questionnaire/Survey for the BFES/SCE Association asked members for their input on how to encourage membership of the Association. We were delighted with the suggestions received and as a result the Committee plans to offer a ‘Friend’s Voucher’ scheme for 2021.
The link at the bottom of this email brings up a voucher for one year’s free membership of the Association that you can give to any friend who would be eligible to join our Association. You may give away as many vouchers as you wish to to potential new members.
At the Association’s AGM on Saturday 14th November, a change in the Constitution was voted in that widens up the membership of the Association: “Membership is open to anyone over the age of 18 with an association with or family connection to Services Schools.” This extension to the terms of membership is considered important to enable the Association to grow and thrive in the future.
We want to be able to plan more events and continue with the important work of building friendships and interest in the history of Service Schools.
We do hope that both you and friends will find this offer tempting. If you have any queries, please do contact us. Best wishes! We hope that you remain safe and covid19-free.
Hugh and Christine Ritchie (Membership Secretary)
scroll down for vouchers ..... & if you are unable to print the voucher let us know the number of copies you'd like and we will post these to you.
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BFES - SCE Association
What a great time to join! Free guest membership for one year ..... just click on this file-link
| bfesvoucher2021plain.pdf |
The one Association for all who currently work in, or have worked in, or attended MoD Schools / Service Children's Education abroad.
Are you currently working in an MOD School?
Have you recently left, or will you soon be leaving MOD Schools?
Have you attended or worked for any of MOD School predecessors, SCE, SCS, SCEA or BFES?
If so then you are eligible to join, provided you are over 18 .... there is no upper age limit!
This is an opportunity to keep up with friends and former colleagues. It may allow you to keep up with what is going on in our MOD Schools around the world .... it will certainly help you find out more about teaching the children of British Forces abroad, since 1946.
There are also opportunities for you to enjoy professional and social functions. Please consider seriously joining the BFES-SCE-MOD Schools' Association!
A copy of the quarterly newsletter is sent to every continuing MoD school.
By joining the BFES-SCE Association you will be entitled and enabled to:
- Maintain and revive friendships
- Attend annual re-unions, local and national
- Have access to the growing archive stored at the London University's Institute of Education.
- Receive the termly Newsletter of the Association, and contribute to it.
To join, or find the membership form, click on 'home' and 'membership' - if you are new to BFES-SCE Association, why not try the guest membership form above?
To find newsletters - for latest - click 'home' [on left side of homepage menu bar, above this notice] and you'll find latest newsletter [member password protected]
for not so recent newsletters - click 'more' [right side of homepage menu bar]
for older newsletters [#30 to #38] - click 'Old Newsletters' [on homepage menu bar]
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(sorry - these are not hot links, drop down menu is under the 'home' button
updated 3rd February 2021
Voucher scheme updated
Updated 14th January 2021
Vale: Mike Metcalfe (Noticeboard - drop down from Home page)
Updated 13th January 2021
Revised (autumn 2020) Constitution uploaded (see Home page dropdown menu)
Updated 26th December 2020
'A Tale of Two Postings' added to 'Archive' (thank you Philip Arrandale)
Updated 5th December 2020
Vale: Margaret Williams (our Honorary Member) (Noticeboard)
Updated 25 November 2020
Vale: John Wyatt (Noticeboard)
Updated 17 November
post AGM news added (Noticeboard)
Updated 14th October 2020
AGM info added
Updated 27th September 2020
Singapore and far eastern links added, information received from Stephanie Keenan (see 'links' in dropdown
Information on committee meeting 21st September - by Zoom
Updated 2nd September 2020
Home page update, various minor modifications, 1947 BFES Gazette added to 'Archives 2'
SCS 1987 Director's Conference moved to 'Gallery 2'
Updated 24 August 2020
Home page update
Updated 24 August 2020
Vale: Brian Birkby & funeral note
Updated 10 August 2020
Vale: Judith Richardson, Jonathan Pryce (Noticeboard - drop down from Home page)
Summer 2020 Newsletter (Latest Newsletters - drop down from home page)
Extract from Bill Bowen memoirs (Archives)
Latest News - check out 'Noticeboard' as well
(drop down under 'Home')
Events for the whole of 2020 are cancelled because of Covid -19 restrictions.
We trust all members are safe in their homes and are surviving the 'lock-down' in good spirits. Should you be worried for yourself or for any of our members, please contact one of the committee and we will do what we can to help.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING UP AGAIN IN 2021
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Planned Visit to the Defence Sixth Form College Welbeck
provisional date: 9th June 2021
Our Chair - Ken Jones - had secured an agreement that we could both have a visit and hold our 2020 AGM at Welbeck College
in October 2020. The plan was that we have an initial visit around the college hosted by students, have our AGM and then finish with lunch, again hosted by the students, with members paying for the lunch.
The 2020 event was cancelled (due to Covid19) - but Ken has agreed a new date with Welbeck's principal, subject to Covid (9 June 2021)
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Gutersloh Music Centre hosted a BFG Closing Celebration on Saturday 22nd June 2019
One of the highlights was this specially written song:
Sung here on June 2019 by choirs of Attenborough, Bishopspark, Bielefeld, Haig and John Buchan Schools .... Dave Reeves (Music teacher, Gutersloh Music Centre) composed this song especially .... the words give a pocket history of BFG and its schools. More than 90 known BFG and BAOR school locations are mentioned.
We have a video - but we are not sharing this for now, until we are sure there are no issues regarding permissions. However, we also have a great sound recording (thank you BFBS) .... click the 'go' triangle on the sound bar below.
One of the highlights was this specially written song:
Sung here on June 2019 by choirs of Attenborough, Bishopspark, Bielefeld, Haig and John Buchan Schools .... Dave Reeves (Music teacher, Gutersloh Music Centre) composed this song especially .... the words give a pocket history of BFG and its schools. More than 90 known BFG and BAOR school locations are mentioned.
We have a video - but we are not sharing this for now, until we are sure there are no issues regarding permissions. However, we also have a great sound recording (thank you BFBS) .... click the 'go' triangle on the sound bar below.
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Good homes wanted before they become firewood! Your webmaster was able to liberate the plaques and boards below from the 'portacabins' at Upavon, late in 2015. They are too large for our archives and good homes are sought. Offers please to the web-master. Delivery almost anywhere in UK may be possible. stop press - the 'Alex Harvey opening of SCE in 1997' has been adopted - thank you Tom N-M 
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How to add to the BFES Archives .....
When schools close, history is lost unless documentary material is collected, boxed and given to us! We (or at least, Walter - our archivist) - sift and catalogue, then transport the priceless records to the Institute of Education, in London. Once safely there, any future historian and ex-teachers, pupils, parents, can gain access, subject to data protection rules.
Here are some examples from Blankenhagen's closure in 2016. Blankenhagen Primary School, had previously been named Andrew Humphrey School. When RAF Gutersloh became Princess Royal Barracks, the school changed name; Griffin School at RAF Wildenrath took on the title of 'Andrew Humphrey'.
When schools close, history is lost unless documentary material is collected, boxed and given to us! We (or at least, Walter - our archivist) - sift and catalogue, then transport the priceless records to the Institute of Education, in London. Once safely there, any future historian and ex-teachers, pupils, parents, can gain access, subject to data protection rules.
Here are some examples from Blankenhagen's closure in 2016. Blankenhagen Primary School, had previously been named Andrew Humphrey School. When RAF Gutersloh became Princess Royal Barracks, the school changed name; Griffin School at RAF Wildenrath took on the title of 'Andrew Humphrey'.
Staff Photograph 1978
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Staff Photograph 2016
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Much of the information on this web-site and in the Association's Newsletters comes from the attics/albums of ex-teachers' own memorabilia which they have kindly donated. This history of our schools eventually makes its way into our archives held at the IoE at University College London.
Below are two examples of such donations, from Marian Andrews (Nee Riley) of her colleagues at Marlborough First School, Osnabruck; 1981 - 1884.
Marlborough Staff May 1982
Peter Owens, Kate Johnson, Sheila McCafferty, Charlotte Wilkinsin, Marion Riley, Mary Brennan, Eileen Hilton, Glyn Pascoe.
Maria Wardlaw, Roisin Wellard, Patsy Hope, Eric Wilson,?, Anne Bull, Jinty Cowie |
Marlborough Staff May 1984
??, ??, Sheila McCafferty, Marian Riley, Paula Clarke, Lesley Bayley, Sue King, Dawn Turner, Patsy Hope, Viv Evans, Joan Hunt, Peter Owens, Jinty Cowie, Anne Robbins, Moira Nicholl.
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Summer 2015 saw the closures of the schools in Hohne/Fallingbostel Garrisons.
A significant quantity of memorabilia, documents and photographs were collected and sent to the Association's
archivist. Much of this has now been sorted, annotated, catalogued and deposited in the Association's archives at the
Institute of Education, University College London.
The final box of material from Gloucester School, Hohne was deposited on in November 2015.
Some examples are included on our Archives page.
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Staff of Gloucester School, Hohne, 1996
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Association Committee
The following members were nominated, seconded and unanimously elected to the Committee in Autumn 2018, to serve for the next twelve months:
Chairman - Ken Jones
Vice-Chair - Walter Lewis
Events Co-ordinator - Sue Adams,
Treasurer - Janet Bradley,
Secretary - Lynn Marshall,
Archivist - Walter Lewis.
Website Manager - Mike Chislett,
Membership Secretaries - Hugh & Christine Ritchie,
Newsletter Editor - Tom Nielsen-Marsh
This photograph, 1964 Hohne Ladies Teachers' mess, and some others displayed on the Archives pages, is taken from " Tommy Atkins' Children" - the story of the Education of Army's Children, 1675 - 1970, by Colonel NT St John Williams BA, HMSO 1071
John Trevelyan, the founding Director of BFES is quoted in 1946 as follows:-
'Never in the history of education endeavour have people chosen so bad a time and so bad a place to begin an entirely new venture with so little to meet so many possibilities.'
This statement is made on the establishment of the British Families Education Service, BFES, Germany, in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War.
" The new Director of BFES was John Trevelyan who was a brilliant administrator and very capable of handling Commanding Officers to secure buildings on army sites which would make satisfactory schools. We were able in the first year (1947) to establish, with the help of the army, having schools form Flensburg on the Danish border to Frankfurt in the south and Berlin in the east." - extract from the brief memories of Arabella Kurdi (nee Pallister). More on the Archives page.
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The Association's Archive Page
- contains multifarious items, including documents, photographs, records, memorabilia and artefacts. This archive is constantly being added to and is proving of great interest to historians as well as to members of the Association.
As schools close, we ask staff in those schools to send log books, photographs, documents, etc to the Association's Archivist as part of the close-down procedure. This material has a significant historical interest for the future.
Your web-master has moved a number of items from this section to other pages of this site - mainly photographs to 'Archive 2', so that nothing is lost as I gradually re-organise this wonderful web-resource.
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Schools operating today - Go to the 'Schools' Page and open the link to give you access to all the schools websites showing how they operate today and catch up with their day to day activities. All the schools in the Hohne/Fallingbostel area closed in July 2015. They have contributed a significant amount of material to the Association's Archives. Much of this has been deposited with our professional archivist colleagues at the Institute of Education, University College, London.
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Committee Meeting - Union Jack Club - London 2015
How to make contact with Committee Members
Membership Secretary: Click here
Archivist: Click here
General Matters: Association Secretary: Click here
Website Manager: Click here
Just click on the relevant link to open a new e-mail message.
If you wish to join the Association, please click join us
Archivist: Click here
General Matters: Association Secretary: Click here
Website Manager: Click here
Just click on the relevant link to open a new e-mail message.
If you wish to join the Association, please click join us