THE OLD GRAMMARIANS’ ASSOCIATIONS

Records of thriving Old Grammarians’ Associations (separate organisations for men and women - of course) existed at least as far back as the early 1900s.  It seems the major events in the Association’s year consisted of Old Grammarians playing School teams at various sports and holding annual dinners.  In the main it was organised from within the school. For many years Frank Miles, a science master, was its secretary. 

During 1928 The Old Boys’ Association, which appears to have become defunct during the Great War, was reformed and an Old Girls’ Association was formed, apparently for the first time, with a membership of 30 and Miss K Goodworth as its Hon. Secretary.

After World War II, and particularly when the days of the school were obviously numbered, support for the Associations dwindled and eventually both were wound up.  Their activities are recorded in the school’s magazine The Cirencestrian.

Despite this, individual groups, usually representing particular years, continued to meet informally but no attempts were made to revive the original associations.  Very few records remain of this period in the Association’s history.

During 1988 a reunion of staff and pupils from the 1940s took place at Syde.  This was so well supported that the Old Grammarians (1940s) Association came into being and has met regularly at venues in and around Cirencester. 

The 1940s Association holds quarterly lunches and publishes its own magazine, the New Cirencestrian.  In the early 1990s it was responsible for raising funds for the design and creation of a memorial to the fallen of World War II.  The Association’s records are to be found in its newsletters and the New Cirencestrian.

And finally.        In the early 1990s a quite separate group formed a committee with a view to planning a ‘Reunion of Reunions’ to which all surviving staff and pupils would be welcome.  In October 1993 a grand reunion was held at the Bingham Hall attended by about 600 Old Grammarians and their guests.  Encouraged by the response six similar events were held at intervals, a seventh being scheduled for October 2010.   

A group from the year of 1943 taken at the 2000 Grand Reunion