A WAR hero who has not seen old school friends for 79 years has started a search to find fellow pupils of Oxford’s Central Boys’ School.

Wilfred Cross, who turned 94 this week, wants to know if anybody remembers attending the school in Gloucester Green, which closed in 1934 and evolved into Southfield Grammar School in Glanville Road.

The school building has since been home to The Old School pub and Spice Valley restaurant.

Mr Cross, who served as an RAF medical orderly in Iraq, North Africa and Burma during the Second World War, was at the school between 1928 and 1931, and still has his school cap and report book.

But he has not seen any of his school pals since the day he left.

Now he has asked anyone with memories of Central Boys’ School to get in touch through us.

He said: “It would be great to see anyone from those days, and see how they have done over the years. It would be a terrific experience to meet people with the same mem-ories.”

Unmarried Mr Cross still recalls many of the teachers and their nicknames: “Burfie” Beynon, with his love of sweets and nose-pincher spectacles, bicycling mathematician “Jocky” Elliott, and geo-graphy master “Banger” Hiff.

Headteacher D G Perry “sat at a desk in the round hall, and dished out a slice with the cane if you had misbehaved.”

But Mr Cross,who later worked as a clerk at Oxford Magistrates’ Court, has long wondered what happened to schoolfriends including Leslie Izzard and Aubrey Hornsby.

He said: “I’ve never heard anything about anyone’s war service, mainly because I was abroad for most of the time.

“Back then you couldn’t keep in touch, but it was a lovely school, and I have very happy memories of my school days.”

Among his most vivid memories are the weekly cattle markets, which filled Glou-cester Green, making lessons much noisier than usual.

He said: “Every pupil had a school cap, and everywhere you went, you had to wear it.

“If you passed any member of staff, you had to raise it.”

He added: “On one occasion, one of the masters, Burfie Beynon, saw I had a watch, and from then on I had to ring the school bell between every lesson. The bell is still there in Gloucester Green, and last time I went in the building, the bell rope was there too, hanging by the fireplace.”

If anyone has memories of Central Boys’ School, call Liam Sloan on 01865 425431 or email A WAR hero who has not seen old school friends for 79 years has started a search to find fellow pupils of Oxford’s Central Boys’ School.

Wilfred Cross, who turned 94 this week, wants to know if anybody remembers attending the school in Gloucester Green, which closed in 1934 and evolved into Southfield Grammar School in Glanville Road.

The school building has since been home to The Old School pub and Spice Valley restaurant.

Mr Cross, who served as an RAF medical orderly in Iraq, North Africa and Burma during the Second World War, was at the school between 1928 and 1931, and still has his school cap and report book.

But he has not seen any of his school pals since the day he left.

Now he has asked anyone with memories of Central Boys’ School to get in touch through the Oxford Mail.

He said: “It would be great to see anyone from those days, and see how they have done over the years. It would be a terrific experience to meet people with the same mem-ories.”

Unmarried Mr Cross still recalls many of the teachers and their nicknames: “Burfie” Beynon, with his love of sweets and nose-pincher spectacles, bicycling mathematician “Jocky” Elliott, and geo-graphy master “Banger” Hiff.

Headteacher D G Perry “sat at a desk in the round hall, and dished out a slice with the cane if you had misbehaved.”

But Mr Cross,who later worked as a clerk at Oxford Magistrates’ Court, has long wondered what happened to schoolfriends including Leslie Izzard and Aubrey Hornsby.

He said: “I’ve never heard anything about anyone’s war service, mainly because I was abroad for most of the time.

“Back then you couldn’t keep in touch, but it was a lovely school, and I have very happy memories of my school days.”

Among his most vivid memories are the weekly cattle markets, which filled Glou-cester Green, making lessons much noisier than usual.

He said: “Every pupil had a school cap, and everywhere you went, you had to wear it.

“If you passed any member of staff, you had to raise it.”

He added: “On one occasion, one of the masters, Burfie Beynon, saw I had a watch, and from then on I had to ring the school bell between every lesson. The bell is still there in Gloucester Green, and last time I went in the building, the bell rope was there too, hanging by the fireplace.”

If anyone has memories of Central Boys’ School, call Liam Sloan on 01865 425431.