to Cotton in 1918, lives in retirement in Wolverhampton and keeps in touch with Mgr Jim Crichton. Cyril Enwonwu finished his `A' Levels at a Sixth Form College and hopes to study Estate Management at an American university. Martin Northard stills plays Rugby for Nottingham and Notts, Lincs and Derby. When the three counties beat Gloucester to get into the final of the county championship last year, Martin was described as `a tower of strength'. Unfortunately they lost the final.

We are delighted to report that Les Warner is making good progress after a stroke.

St Wilfrid's & Parkers' Society

147th ANNUAL MEETING

The following Old Boys attended the meeting on May 6th: Mr W R Doherty (President), Rev C Adams, Messrs N Adams, P Akerman, M Bahoshy, F Baxter, E & G Blakemore, G Boucher, Mgr T Brain, Messrs J Brennan, B Brierley, L Brocki, J A & J N Burchnall, P Burke, P Castille, P Cullen, Rev J Daley, Messrs P Danson, D Finn, D Flynn, Mgr Canon T Gavin, Messrs J Gosnell, M Groom, M Halpin, Rev G Hanlon, Mr P Harris, Rev P Howell, Messrs M Hurley, F Ilsley, R Jarvis, Rev J J Kearns, Messrs J P Kearns, H Le Fevre, M & M McCormick, Rev D McHugh, W Maddox, Rev T Meagher, Messrs T Murphy, Rev P O'Brien, Messrs P O'Hare, P Oliver, S Ormsby, A O'Rourke, Rev A Piercy, Messrs T Regan, P Rochford, M Rogers, J Rowland, F & M Rudd, Rev P Ryall, Messrs P Ryder, E & R Schenk, P

Sealey, I Sims, M Staples, P & P Teebay, J D & J H Trinham, Mgr Canon J Welch, Messrs J Whelan, M & P Williams, together with the Staff and members of the Sixth Form.

After the Loyal Toast, the President, Mr Ray Doherty, proposed the health of the School. He thanked the Headmaster and domestic staff for the lunch and promised us no boring speeches about how cold it was at Cotton when he was a boy. His first view of Cotton had been in glorious June with cricket being played all over the fields. This was followed by the worst winter in living memory when the boys skated at Alton for four or five weeks. He never had trouble with colds after that. For telling a Greek joke, the Headmaster, then Thomas Williams, gave him 100 lines of Euripedes to be in by the end of the week. The Headmaster was next day appointed Archbishop and left, so Ray escaped. Bobby Nicholson taught him logic so well that, when he dropped some acid on the laboratory floor, in reply to the new Headmaster (Bernard Manion) who asked him what would happen if every boy did that, Ray replied that logically it was most unlikely. He was beaten for that. He had greatly enjoyed his English under Billy Dunne and felt that A H Clough's `Say not the struggle naught availeth' provided a fair philosophy of life.

After the School Song and the Toast, the Headmaster responded. He said how much the School missed Fr Piercy and now it had received another blow with the departure of Fr Pargeter to St Chad's Cathedral. The infirmary had now been extended to two wards: one for boys, one for girls. Incidentally we now had one Old Girl in the Society. He congraulated Mr John Goodwin on his selection for the England Rugby touring party to New Zealand. He was unfortunately not present at the lunch as he had `volunteered' to take the first four forms to Alton Towers for the afternoon. The tobogganing season had been enjoyed although we were still short of one mattress. There had been a skiing trip to Germany, sailing round the Scilly Isles, the CCF had been in camp in Germany and Paris had

welcomed a party of Cottonians. He went on to speak of the Appeal which was to be launched on Speech Day. It was necessary for improvements in the kitchen, the computer room and for sports facilities. A series of concerts had been held on Sunday evenings in the chapel to which all were welcome.

Mgr Canon Tom Gavin then rose to propose the health of the President of the Society. He began by congratulating Canon Welch on being created Monsignor. He apologised for having a script, but otherwise his audience might have had one of his recent speeches on Catholic Education or yesterday's sermon on the vine and the branches. Ray Doherty was seven years older than Tom, but as the years went by his auburn hair had grown more auburn whilst Tom's had all gone. He had first met Ray when he was clad in an Old Cottonian cricket blazer (the Bursar had to get rid of so many each year!) He remembered the broad yellow swathe that ran down the blazer and felt that it seemed inappropriate in a knotty-floored village cricket pavilion. Ray was mad on Rugby and had once brought the full Moseley XV to play the School. Tom remembered tackling Peter Cranmer, the great England three-quarter. After one of these matches the Abbot's Bromley Girls' School had been raided on the way back and Moseley RFC still had some of the trophies. Wilf Moore used to warn the boys: `Don't get trapped in the Moseley forwards, otherwise you'll be finished with beer and pickles for life'. Ray had had an association with Moseley RFC for over 50 years and had been President of the club during its Centenary year. At badminton the President had played for Worcestershire on 70 consecutive occasions, being captain for three years. He had been in the TA and the Royal Warwickshire Regiment during the war; he was a good light-heavyweight boxer; and he had earned an honest crust in chartered accountancy. He suggested that the Headmaster should get hold of Ray and Michael Groom and let the School profit from their expertise. Music was another of Ray's interests and his son was about to go to the Royal College of Music. He concluded by saying how loyal and generous the President had been to his old school.

In reply the President said: `I hope you enjoyed that speech; so did I'. He then told a story of the Abdication crisis in 1936 when the newspapers bore a picture of the then Prime Minister, Stanley Badlwin, every day. One day Baldwin was chatting on a train to a fellow passenger. The other man asked him if he had been at Harrow in 1882. Baldwin replied that he had. `Name of Baldwin, isn't it?' said the stranger, `by the way, what are you doing these days?' He ended up with the story of the Irishman taken seriously ill on a night when it was raining heavily. When asked if they should fetch the priest, the dying man said; `No, get the Rabbi; it's a shame to bring Father out on a night like this'.

Mr W R Doherty TA, FCA

PRESIDENT OF THE ST WILFRID'S AND PARKERS' SOCIETY, 1985

Ray Doherty was born in 1914 at Sutton Coldfield. He was educated first at Penryn Preparatory School, Edgbaston, now at Winterfold House, Chaddesley Corbett, and came to Cotton in 1928 as a Hensler scholar.

He chose Chartered Accountancy as his career, qualified in 1936 and was with Coopers & Lybrand from 1938-79 when he retired. In 1947 he had become a partner in the firm and from 1969-79 was senior partner in charge of the Midlands offices. He was on the firm's executive committee

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