Record Offices, and also to London to the Public Record Office in Portugal Street for Census returns, to St. Catherine's House for certificates of birth, marriage and death, and to Somerset House for wills.
If any old pupils are interested in tracing their ancestors I strongly advise them to start young, while they have parents and grand-parents to help them. Always write names, ages, etc. on photographs, and work with the knowledge that most families had a black sheep or two. After all, the notorious "Wickwar Gang" of the last century largely came from Yate and Iron Acton!!

A few years ago the archives of the Codrington Estate were withdrawn from deposit at the Glos. Record Office and were about to be auctioned. These not only concerned Codrington and Dodington but Chipping Sodbury and many of the villages around, and it would have been a great loss to the neighbourhood had they been dispersed. A local business man stepped in and negotiated with the owner and was able to buy them. A small committee was then set up in Marshfield to raise the sum involved and in a few months we were able to reimburse the business man, and the archives are now back at Gloucester in safe keeping for ever. I had the honour of being Treasurer to this committee, and the pleasure of sending a receipt to the Prince of Wales for a generous donation.

Another hobby that has developed over the last sixteen years is that of making a collection of the brass emblems carried by members of the old West of England village Frieldly Societies on their Feast days. These Societies were the forerunners of the Foresters, Buffaloes, etc., and indeed of the N.H.S. I have managed to gather together some 140 examples, and by a little research at the Record Office at Kew have found copies of the rules for some of the local Societies including Tormarton, Chipping Sodbury, Marshfield and Cold Ashton.
More recently I have given a lot of time helping a group of people who have set up a small Museum at Castle Combe, where I was born 76 years ago. It was while doing duty there one Sunday that I had the pleasure of meeting Marjorie Hedge and her family. Fortunately, I have had considerable success in finding fascinating material amongst the archives held at the Wiltshire Record Office concerning the history of the village, and it is hoped that it will be possible to publish some of it in the near future.

I have been able to spend interesting holidays in Scotland, Wales and the picturesque parts of England. Events which I much enjoyed included     

the Highland Games on Skye; Fell Racing, Hound Trailing and Lakeland Wrestling at Grasmere; the Queen driving to open Parliament on several occasions; and probably the most memorable, the Procession at the Garter Ceremony at Windsor Castle.
I think I've written enough to show that I have not vegetated during my retirement, but have made good use of the years that have been given me; at the moment I'm at a standstill following a hip replacement, but I'm hoping to resume activities before long.
May I extend greetings to all who read these notes, and wish you happiness and success in the future.

Mr Hayes.

I retired from King Edmunds School in 1973 not knowing what life would hold for me in the years to come, but I soon found that retirement could be full, varied and interesting.

Immediately upon retiring I set off for a holiday in Austria and a few weeks later I embarked on a round the world tour which lasted several months and took me to Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Fiji, Mexico and New York. It was a fabulous adventure, during which I saw many picturesque sights and experienced some