I’M prompted to write in reply to the recent letter from Mrs Vincent concerning Boscombe Secondary School.

I remember you well Mrs Vincent – we were in the same class at one point and didn’t we even work together too for a time in central Bournemouth?

I belonged to the school band you mention, playing at the matches at Dean Court (standing in the mud), also Fisherman’s Walk bandstand and marching through the town in Father Christmas’ Parade.

We took part in the Bournemouth Music Festivals, played at various venues throughout the UK and were always in Boscombe or Bournemouth leading up to Christmas collecting for the Mayor’s Christmas Appeal.

We went on foreign trips too – the World Trade Fair in Stockholm (1962), toured Switzerland (1964) and visited Jersey (1965).

Just prior to my days at the school the band visited Norway where they played Peer Gynt at Grieg’s grave.

I also remember vividly a very special (and noisy) evening when some of us played the very last five minutes of Tchaikowsky’s 1812 overture with the BSO at the Winter Gardens.

There was a school orchestra as well as the drama group you mention.

As you say, we wore uniform, behaved well (with very few exceptions) and had respect for the teachers who took pride in our achievements.

I also recall the merger with Stourfield School, becoming Beaufort School.

Sadly there is very little information about the school or band on the net.

Wonderful days. Thank you for the memories (and for raising funds with your collection box).

JUNE OWEN (nee Pike), Denham Drive, Shaftesbury