School Notes
It was with deep sorrow that the School learned of the deaths of two members of
Staff who were so much a part of its life that it could never seem the same
again without them: of Mr. Machin, during 'the Spring term; and of
Dr. Wood,
during the Easter holidays, only a term after his retirement.
REGINALD W. MACHIN
If it is a memorial you seek, then search the hearts and minds of those bound to
him by affection and gratitude family, friends, colleagues. pupils-for there he
survives, there he will endure.
For a quarter of a century he served the School. He did not just make his mark
upon it: he was part of its very fibre. A brilliant and devoted teacher, he
spared no effort for the welfare and success of his students. Conspicuous and
consistent successes were achieved in G.C.E. at '0' and 'A' levels, and year by
year came an ever-increasing stream of university successes including such
outstanding honours as the Brackenbury Scholarship at Balliol and a Major
Scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge. In all Parts of the world! are old
boys of the school who would express their gratitude for all that Mr. Machin has
done for them, and would ascribe a large measure of their success to his work.
He showed the greatest patience and consideration for the struggling boy and
devoted freely of his spare time to help those who found the work difficult.
Mr. Machin was deeply concerned with every aspect of the School's Life and gave
valuable and unstinting help in the school organisation in a variety of ways.
All his colleagues, and the members of his Sixth Form, found in him a kindly and
helpful friend to whom, when problems arose, one turned instinctively, and never
in vain. For many years he was a most enthusiastic and successful Housemaster:
himself a fine footballer in his younger days, he would be on the touchline at
every house match, urging on his team to victory. He did great work in
organising the Harvest Camps in the years during and after World War II. He was
keenly interested in the work of the Scripture Union, and his talks to both the
Senior and Junior Sections made a deep impression. And whenever there was a
School or Scout Concert in the School Hall, his expertise in matters electrical
was readily made available.
To the younger boys, Mr. Machin must have
seemed rather a serious man. The older boys and his colleagues on the Staff knew
something of his delightful sense of humour and his love of fun. There are many
who will still remember the hilarious shadowgraphs he concocted for the King's
House Christmas parties. He had a fund of good stories, and revelled in the
gentle art of leg-pulling.
No account, however, of Mr. Machin's life
and work would be complete without a tribute to the deep Christian faith which
pervaded everything he did. His work for the Methodist Church at Handsworth was
outstanding, and he was a highly esteemed lay-preacher in his Circuit. He was a
man of principle in a world of shifting standards. It was his Christian faith
which inspired all his work at Firth Park; and which sustained and fortified him
during his last illness at the Royal Hospital, and so deeply impressed all the
patients and staff in the ward.
Poorer though we are because of his
passing, his example has enriched us beyond all measure; he left a legacy of
courage and devotion that should heighten our stature as we confront the "common
task", which he never found demeaning but contrived to adorn. Not for him the
limelight, not for him self-aggrandisement; but there he was from day to day, in
the background, unassuming, unchanging - a tower of strength to young and old, a
man on whom you could rely.
Mr. Machin's greatest joy lay in his home,
and a singularly happy and united family. Our deepest sympathy goes out to Mrs
Machin, John and Howard in this time of bereavement.
For a quarter of a century he served the School. He did not just make his mark
upon it: he was part of its very fibre. A brilliant and devoted teacher, he
spared no effort for the welfare and success of his students. Conspicuous and
consistent successes were achieved in G.C.E. at '0' and 'A' levels, and year by
year came an ever-increasing stream of university successes including such
outstanding honours as the Brackenbury Scholarship at Balliol and a Major
Scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge. In all Parts of the world! are old
boys of the school who would express their gratitude for all that Mr. Machin has
done for them, and would ascribe a large measure of their success to his work.
He showed the greatest patience and consideration for the struggling boy and
devoted freely of his spare time to help those who found the work difficult.