King Alfred School.Plon.

I was at King Alfred Schoo.Plon(as was my elder sister Jackie and twin sister Gill) from 1951 untill 1954.We were all in Roosevelt House.Before this we were all in Army shools in Camps from Nov 1946 (first Family as a family with children to go to BAOR) Beilefeld then Bad Oeyehasen and Hameln.Loved every minute of it.Would love to hear from some "OLD" shool chums.
Regards John Walker (Oxford)

John,
I too was at Plön from 1952 to 1954 in Temple, left to join up as an Apprentice at Arborfield. Only cavalry regt I served with was the QOH - 1971/72. We were an even earlier family to Europe after the war, we travelled to Vienna in Jan 1946, families were able to move to Austria before they started going to Germany.
Bob Gregory

Bob..Just great to hear from you.I am so pleased .Temple Eh!!.
Im sure we passed each other some where in that huge school.Do you ever visit there webb site(must admit I look in now and again) keep meaning to sign up!!I know thet have get to gethers etc but to be honest Im so busy with all my Militay things I seem to give it a miss.To think you were in Austria in Jan 46!!.I to have been there(Ehrwald Army leave center) with my Dad & Mum a few times and have since gone back a few times in the last few years.What Regt was your father? if you dont mind me asking mine was R.E.s.I see you were REME(Back bone of the Army) Bob I hope we will keep in touch.I have a very good photo of The Main building(Mast head).Do you ever come down the South atall?
anyway we will talk again I hope.You have made my day.Many thanks Regards to you all.
John.

John

Delighted to see you were a member of THE House at KAS, I too was there from 53 to 57 so our paths must have crossed (ignore Bob's comments he knows no better- it took us 25 years of chasing round the world to realise that I started my first term at KAS by boarding the School Train at Rotenburg where he was also on the platform).

Will email you separately with details of the School website, sadly you have just missed the Annual London Reunion 100 out of 150 fought their way through the snow, not bad considering the youngest was 60 and three members of staff now in their 90s made it (this included your Housemaster Tom Wilcox Bob)

JPW..Thank you so much for the reply.The world gets smaller!!!
I do have the KAS webb details ,as I look in quite often.But please feel free to update me on all the all goings on.Better to hear it direct I think.Thanks for making my day.
Regards John.

John, I have sent a PM, hope you get it.
Bob

When did King Alfreds close? I was supposed to go there initially, but was then told I had to go to Prince Ruperts or Hamm.

jim wrote:

When did King Alfreds close? I was supposed to go there initially, but was then told I had to go to Prince Ruperts or Hamm.

Jim
From JPW's notes BARRACK NAMES IN SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN
King Alfred School Ploen May 1948-July 1959
Cheers
Steve

That's about right then Steve, I went to PRS early 1960 I think.

Jim
Steve passed on the correct detail regarding KAS. The site remained in use by BFES for one more term as the temporary home of Windsor Girls School whilst work to convert Newcastle Barracks Hamm was completed.

As a proud old boy of KAS (there are atleast three other who drop in from time) I will resist the temptation to start another civil war on this magnificent site by making comparisons with the other (lesser) BFES boarding schools.

Far be it for me to start another "ours was the best school war" but can I just remind us all which was the longest running! PRS of course, which is still going, albeit at Rinteln.

John L

LOL, PRS was certainly better at Rugby, we beat the Hamm boys every time.

How was it decided which School you went too? There were 3 of us friends, all Fathers in the Fusiliers, Tommy went to Hamm and Tony and I went to PRS. I have it in mind that Hamm was for Catholics and PRS for prods? not sure that's right though.

It wasn't the selection procedure for my time at PRS Jim. There were quite a few RC. I wonder what the criteria was for deciding which school we went to?

I'm not sure then JAL? It can't have been location or we all 3 would have gone to the same one. Tom was RC though.

Jim ,jal

The following might be of interest

BFES Germany was set up to provide the relevent education system for all children of servicemen and entitled civilians based in BAOR (including Berlin) irrespective of Service/Arm, rank or status.

I have seen a copy of a letter written in Autumn 1947, just after the opening of PRS but before the opening of KAS which did imply BFES were considering a catchement area for the boarding schools. PRS would cover the west, KAS the east and north, and interestingly the letter implies that a third secondary boarding school to serve the south was also to open shortly. Windsor Hamm did not open till 1953!

I doubt whether this system was ever put into practise as PRS was significantly smaller (250) than KAS (600) though it did expand in later years. A "vacancy at the time "system must have been used though generally brothers/sisters were not split (but there were exceptions). There was also a thought that parents could express a preference for a particular school but these wishes were not always met

Day school catchement area was first introduced with the opening of Queens Rheindahlen in 54 and was further expanded in the late 60s when the smaller secondary day schools were opened in the major Garrison (some with a small boarding annex). This resulted in the closure of PRS Wilhelmshaven.

I donn't believe religion was ever a factor in allocating school places

ah now, that's interesting JPW, thanks for that, it makes sense to me. I remember going with the PRS Rugby and Athletic teams to Rhine D for BFES tournaments.

The KAS have a website of their own,they still meet annually& there are various informal gatherings up & down the country all year.Hope we find more of you.I was in Temple from 1955-1958 now finally retired.
Regards Nigel Wilson

jim wrote:

How was it decided which School you went too? There were 3 of us friends, all Fathers in the Fusiliers, Tommy went to Hamm and Tony and I went to PRS. I have it in mind that Hamm was for Catholics and PRS for prods? not sure that's right though.

It depended on where you lived mind you as a youngster living in Wulfenbuttel I went to Windsor Boys in Hamm, though there were others from there who went to PRS at Wilemshaven! As for whether you were a Left or right footer it didn't matter.

Gents
First off sorry been off net for so long...AGES!!.
No excuse really but I am sort of busy with my J/Leaders (RAC) site My Royal Dragoon Guards site and still in fact work for the MOD !!.
Also many of you will know of The Reparations that take place(well have taken place...I thank God that has now stopped).Hoping.Well I with two others were the organizers of The Final Turn here in Oxford and have been from day one.So there we are,I assure you I have not stopped being busy.
But decided that I would come back onto this site as I can see a good few friends still posting up.
Also since I last posted I have been to a reunion with KAS in London and plan going again Jan 2016.Well I am booked in so God willing I will be there.
So Gents hope all is forgiven for my absence but I promise to stay on and play my part.
Was strange as I had a job getting back on !! Good security.I like that.
Hope you all have a good Festive Break.

Regards to all looking in.
John.Oxford.U.K.

John

Welcome back

Look forward to seeing you in London in January

JPW................Roger that.
I am in touch with Paul French.

Will post up later. Have a Duty to attend to.Will explain.

Regards to you and all others looking in.

John.
Oxford.

Gents............Back.
Been to the CWWG here in Botley.(Oxford) where I live.Just 5 mins away.
Just cleared all the wreaths etc from the Memorial as with this wind it was getting rather untidy.
Also some of the wreaths the foliage ones, do stain the stone work so I gave it all a good clean.I do this each year with the permission of course of the CWWG Office.
Funny same old story ..lots of local Vets volunteered to help but only I was there today.Again !!
Anyway my Duty done.
If ever you are in the area please call in or you can Google this site.
It is the only site in the UK where a Greek Soldier is shown.
So many RAF from Australia/New-Zealand & Canada men here,as as you might well know many airbases around Oxfordshire during those sad times.
There are Soldiers from WW1 & 11 also many German & Italian etc here.
Anyway a fine day here in Oxford Sun shinning and 16 oc.
Is it really Winter.I think we will pay for this !!!.
Hope I am wrong.
Sorry this went off topic.............
Does anyone remember a Barry Coddington, Temple House I think 1953-56.We made contact though a site(J/Leaders RAC) we are both on just the other day.I think also his sister was @ the School.

Regards to all looking in.

John.

Gents.

We had our School Reunion in London on the 9th Jan.
It went as we expected VERY WELL.
Over 85 sat down.  
Was good to meet and talk to JPW
Also good to meet new friends.

Regards to all looking in.

John.

KING ALFRED SCHOOL (KAS)  PLOEN

KAS Ploen, based in Plön, Schleswig Holstein, Germany, is now the location
of the Bundesmarine Marineunteroffizier Schule (MUS)  Orientation:  https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/organisation/marine/organisation/marineunteroffizierschule  

KAS was perhaps the most successful of all the British Forces Education Service,
Secondary Schools in the BAOR Theatre;
to mark the 70th Anniversary of the schools opening in May 1948
and the 60th Anniversary of closure in July 1959,
-  Peter Dent, a former pupil in Nansen House 1952-57, has produced a superb video
depicting a variety of aspects of life in a bygone era but remembered with pride and affection
by many.  The link worke 3 Nov 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsmFbM9DA3M&feature=youtu.be

Howdy John, nice to see you posting on the BAOR page.
Len