Just a note of thanks to Pauline and Geoff for all your work in initiating and organising the 70th Anniversary celebrations last Sunday, which was appreciated by so many of us. There were many happy reunions taking place, but still a need for a greater effort from those who ARE on the internet to spread the word and encourage contact with others who are not, so they don't continue to miss out. Great to spend time with Malcolm Bidgood and test his phenominal memory for names back to the 1950s.

A great day was enjoyed by all and our thanks go to everyone at the school who put in so much hard work to make the day a success. Pictures and reports will appear on this website as soon as time allows.

If you have any pictures of the day then please email them to me HERE and I will include as many as I can. (please include WILLIAM TORBITT in the subject of your mail to avoid being lost in a spam trap!)

Messages about the day should be posted here in the Post Bag.

Message for Bernard Box: you don't need to disguise your email address on THIS site - we are NOT Friends Reunited! The only time I take out email addresses is if the author is obviously a youngster.

Apologies to those whose messages have not appeared until now. In trying to stop spammers auto-entering messages leading to extremely doubtful sites, I seem to have also stopped legitimate messages. Hopefully I have now sorted it out. C U @ skool........ (well I had to try!)

The 70th Anniversary celebration at William Torbitt School - is only 8 weeks away now. As with the 60th anniversary, I’m hoping that the school buildings too will be open for schooldays reflection. If the archived school diaries etc. are available to look at in the hall again, that would be marvellous. In coming weeks, I’m going to ask the Local History Dept. at Ilford Library if they’ve got the original building plans of the school in their archive, for adding to a school hall display maybe. Period ink and watercolour drawings would be an interesting 1930s additional theme. I’d like to make contact with Mrs. Julie Kay sometime before the event if possible. I do hope we have fine weather on the day. I’m looking forward to seeing other old WT pupils, and surviving teachers too. Golden memories …………..

HI DENNIS YES I THINK I KNEW ALAN Please contct beeveebe11 (at) (HOTMAIL) (.COM)

I am the Senior Scout between Roper and Evans. Congratulations on a century of British scouting. My wife and I will attend the Jamboree at Chelmsford this summer. Jeff Watts, (known then as Godfrey James Watts) Gualala, California, 95445

Hello I went to this school just over seven years ago I am now 11 and in year 6 I go to Chesham Bois school, There school website is www.cheshamboisschool.ik.org I only remember 1 person he was called Ben. Hope all my old friends are having fun.

Wonderful to receive the invitation to the school reunion. How time flies. I left that school in 1939 when the war broke out. After that we moved to Blackheath.

After getting bombed out we left and went to Taunton in Somerset and I finished school at North Town Girls School. I was in Mr Davisons class at Wm Torbitt and later in Miss Honey's class. When the war broke out all those children that were not being evacuated with the school were asked what they were going to do . I put up my hand and said I was going away with my family to Hockley. Frank Mooney, also in my class, said the same . His parents had a holiday bungalow in Hockley. From then on we became firm friends. We are still lifelong friends and as he still lives in the U.K. we correspond by E Mail. We are both 80 next year.

Irram - I'd love some pics of recent years - why don't you send some in?