Ruth Bellord
It is with sadness we learn of the death of Ruth Bellord, School Secretary from 1975-2000. Many Old Bordenians who remember Bryan Short will also remember “Mrs Bellord” from when they had to go to the secretary’s office.
Obituaries & Tributes
Barrie Mann
We have been informed that Barrie Mann, pupil from 1947-1954 passed away in March 2020.
Neville Amos (1947-54 as well) has sent us some recollections about Barrie's time at the School and beyond:
Bryan Short’s Funeral – When England gained the Ashes
Bryan Short’s funeral was held on Tuesday June 15th, 2021, at Saints Peter and Paul Church, in the Parish of Borden where Bryan lived and was a Lay Preacher, with Fr. Robert Page as Celebrant.
Bryan Short - Funeral donations
The Funeral of Bryan Short will take place on 15th June. It will be for family and close friends as numbers are of course limited due to Covid restrictions, although the family have kindly offered the OBA to send a representative.
Mr Short's family have provided the OBA with the Funeral Notice and Bryan's nominated charity for any donations in his memory.
Funeral Notice for Mr Bryan Richard Short (dignityfunerals.co.uk)
Bryan Short - further recollections
We continue to receive contact from Old Bordenians and ex-staff to record their personal recollections of Bryan Short. We publish some further submissions below.
Chips with Everything - a personal recollection of Bryan Short
OBA Committee Member Mark Sayer (1972-1978) has penned this personal reflection on the impact of Bryan Short on the School.
Alan Forster
We have been informed of the death of Alan Forster, on 4th April 2021 by his son. Alan attended the School 1945 -1951.
Bryan Short - recollections
We have received many tributes for, and recollections of, Bryan Short from Old Bordenians and ex-staff. We are pleased to be able to share these below and will also publish any further material we receive.
David Cross
We have been informed of the death of David Cross who was a pupil at the School from 1940-1946. His daughter has been in contact to tell us he died in February aged 91. She says he often spoke about the School and was 'very proud' of being an Old Bordenian.
Peter Bedelle
It is with great sadness we report the death of Peter Bedelle, who died on the 27th April 2021. His son Paul (himself an OB) informs us that Peter died just short of his 90th birthday.
Bryan Short: An Obituary
As previously reported, Bryan Short Headmaster of Borden Grammar School from 1968 to 1998 died on 19th May, aged 87. We have compiled an Obituary which is featured below. We also invited Old Bordenians to provide their own reminisces and some of these are woven into this obituary. All submissions from Old Bordenians will be published in a separate article as well.
Bryan Short
With great sadness we report news that Bryan Short, School Headmaster from 1968-1998, has passed away. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.
It is no exaggeration to say Bryan was a towering figure in the history of the School and generations of Old Bordenians will have passed through the School under his leadership. He emobodied much of the School ethos - discipline, tradition and the power of education - and many of us will have strong personal memories of his time at the School and as President of this Association.
We will be publishing a more fuller obituary in coming days. Old Bordenians are welcome to send to this website any personal memories they wish to be published - please send to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Mike Symons
It is with sadness we have been informed of the death of Michael (Mike) Symons on February 9th 2021.
Mike was at the School until 1969 and afterwards went to UMIST. Following University, Mike became a chemical engineer with ICI.
Ray Hill (BGS 1937-1942)
It is with sadness that we report the death of Ray Hill at the end of September 2020. He died peacefully at home in Minster.