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Welcome to the Guestbook
Feel free to add messages relating to the site and the school. The only rules are: real names only, no personal attacks and no unrelated messages (inappropriate messages may be edited/withdrawn without warning).

It would be appreciated if you gave an email address, where you now live and said when you were at the school, but you don't have to.

Plase note that if you click on an email address below you will need to replace ~DOT~ with . and ~AT~ with @ in your email program. The Guestbook presents these this way to avoid email address harvesters collecting your email addresses from the page. I know it's a pain, but it's very much better than the alternative.

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Alex Patterson, VUA 1946 - 1951 | ad1935ap~AT~gmail~DOT~com

Dated 31 July 2026,
Alex

Thu 3-Sep-2026 03:31 - North York, Ontario, Canada

Alex Patterson, VUA 1946 - 1951 | ad1935ap~AT~gmail~DOT~com

Hi Neale,
No, no luck with Gay Operetta, my whole family are digging into it without success. I thought one of our old fogies may have heard of it, but no indication except Eric. I've had several false alarms but it still eludes me. Maybe Mike Todd would know or one of his broadcasting friends. I know I'm not imagining it, simply because of the phrasing of the words ... sort of "old fashioned". It's a plaintive, romantic ballad, not a G and S comedic song. I'm still searching. We've just experienced a gigantic thunder and lightning storm, with loudest thunderbolt I've ever heard. I dropped my cell phone when the lightning struck the ground in the ravine beside my home. Fortunately I had come in off the balcony when the torrential rain and wind began. The trees outside my window were almost bent double at the peak of the storm. I've just returned from four weeks at my daughter's cottage, where we had glorious summer weather every day. my S-i-L Let me drive his lawnmower and his ATV and we all worked on increasing the depth of their beach ... it's 200 feet long and we've widened it to about 10 feet from the lake edge. I did a landscape painting while I was there, copied from a photo I took in Switzerland, years ago. I wish we could put photos on the site because the video of me being interviewed as a promo for the residence has just been finished. My family call me Grumpy Grandpa (for fun), but I can see why, from this video. It doesn't look like the guy I see in the mirror, but the family insists it's me. Some of the residents here who hadn't seen me for four weeks, thought I'd popped my clogs ... some were pleased I hadn't.
So I'm back in the gym everyday, with some new Tai Chi additions to my routine. I don't know whether I'll keep them in though, the visiting instructor is not very dynamic and bit out of shape for his job. I don't have to see my heart doctor for another year, no changes to meds but I might need a new battery for my 12 year old pacemaker. That's all for now guys, from a thundery pissitively pottling North York,
Alex.
P.S. MIKE if you ever read this, see what you can find out about 'Gay Operetta' (See earlier letter)

Thu 3-Sep-2026 03:29 - North York, Ontario, Canada

Neale

Thanks Mike for the info on proposed reunion but in my case I'm afraid it's "A Bridge Too Far"

Wed 2-Sep-2026 20:30

Bruce Graham | bsgraham~AT~btinternet~DOT~com

Mike's news of the 90th anniversary event is of great interest and very tempting.

Like many of the (few) contributors to the Guestbook I would love to attend but doubt it will be possible.

At my time of life significant assistance would be required.

Stll, you never know

Thu 27-Aug-2026 20:59 - ruskington lincolnshie

Backhouse

Any luck with the "Gay Operetta" Alex?

Neale.

Mon 24-Aug-2026 18:26

Mike | old~DOT~boys~AT~boyshighschool~DOT~co~DOT~uk

The old building was opened on 7th September, 1936, so is approaching its 90th birthday.

To commemorate this, the school will be hosting an open day one Saturday in the new year - open to all who attended the school before it went comprehensive (including staff)

I had a meeting at the school last week, and plans are still being worked on - but there'll be an opportunity to look around the school as it is today and learn a bit about the history (with refreshments) - there'll also be display of memorabilia.

It would also be nice to see if we could find the olds former student of the school.

INTERESTED?
Send an email to
events@hartonacademy.co.uk
With subject line:
School Visit

And include:
Your name
Your address
The year you left

I'd also appreciate it if you'd copy me at:
old.boys@boyshighschool.co.uk

Mike

Sat 22-Aug-2026 15:13 - Rothbury

Eric Moyse | eric~DOT~moyse35~AT~yahoo~DOT~com

Hi Alex. It has a ring of Frank Crumit (of Abdul Abulbul Amir fame) about it but I could not see the song you mentioned in the list I came across.

Mon 3-Aug-2026 14:26 - Reading, Berkshire

Alex Patterson, 1946-1951 UVA | ad1935ap~AT~gmail~DOT~com

I have been driven mad over the last five days trying to find the name and singer of a song from maybe the 40’s or 50’s.
Here are the words I remember :-
“She was only in a gay operetta,
Each performance he was there second row,
And as operetta goes you might naturally suppose,
That’s as far that his romance would go.
Did it end? No my friend, not at all.
It went on, on and on … (I forget the rest of this line)
In his dreams he staged his own operetta,
And each evening she appeared as the star.”
That’s as much as I can remember, it was probably from the late 40’s or 50’s.
Can anyone help, I’m going crazy and AI hasn’t helped one bit.
Cheers from my daughter’s beautiful cottages on the shores of Tomiko Lake, weather great, fishing great, food superb and me … pretty good,
HELP,
Alex

Fri 31-Jul-2026 20:45 - North York, Ontario, Canada

Alex Patterson | ad1935ap~AT~gmail~DOT~com

Test message only

Fri 31-Jul-2026 20:12 - North York, Ontario, Canada

Neale Backhouse | neale1447~AT~gmail~DOT~com

So England went to the World Cup and their manager,(a German) said he didn't think we had the right DNA to win important matches. Well, after watching the peformance of Argentina, who he does think have the right DNA, in the final, I would suggest that our DNA is just fine,except perhaps in the choice of managers. Argentina's performance was just not cricket (sorry,soccer).

Fri 24-Jul-2026 18:48 - Victoria BC

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