Gwydyr Forestry School 1967

Date Added: 09 July 2017 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1967 Picture No: 3717

The photograph is courtesy of Chris Robinson and is of the 1965-1967 students taking part in the 1967 prize giving event. Chris only has some of the names against the numbers as follows:

1. John Webb (from comments)
2. Tony Hemming (from comments)
3. Gavin Munro (from comments)
4. Keith Leitch (from comments)
5. Tom Buchanan (from comments)
6. Michael Spernagel (from comments)
7. John Charlton (from comments)
8. Roger Gatiss (from comments)
9. R Colin Price
10. Glyn Lloyd (from comments)
11. Gordon Little (from comments)
12. Doug Yeats (Additional info from Frank Thom and John Keenleyside - see below)
13. Mike Jackson (from comments)
14. Brian Fletcher (from comments)
15. Paul Sherrington (from comments)
16. Ben S Thomson (Forester Instructor) (Additional info John Keenleyside - see below)
17. John H Robertson (Forester Instructor)
18. John F Morgan (Assist Education Officer)
19. Esmond H M Harris (Education Officer)
20. Ken Searson (from comments)
21. Alan Powell (Head Forester Instructor)
22. Reginald T Wheeler (Head Forester Instructor)

Other students in the line up according to the list of those who successfully gained a Forester certificate are:

T Buchanan (Runner - up Medallist and Prizewinner)
J N Charlton
D B Fletcher
R Gatiss
A M Heming
M C Jackson
K Leech (Project Prizewinner)
G B Little (Medallist and Prizewinner)
R G Lloyd
G Munro
K N Searson
P R Sherrington
M R T Spernagel
R O J Webb

Can these names and their first names be allocated to the numbers and in particular the names of any who had the great good fortune to originate in or work in forestry in Scotland?

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Groups: Forester Training Schools and Universities, Forestry Areas, Groups of people

10 Comments

Mike Spernagel spent a fair old time soil/site surveying in and around Argyll and the west, he surveyed large swathes of the Kintyre Peninsula and was followed in the area by Steve (S.A.D.) Brown surveying soils and sites. I believe Mike moved to Castle Douglas and then took early retirement from the FC in the late 1990's. However, I would hesitate to pin his name to a face and number on the image.

I have the same hesitation for Doug Yates, who I met when he worked at Moray FD, before moving onto Aberdeenshire FD.

My regards, Bill Comment left on 10 July 2017 at 00:39 by Bill Rayner

I think No 12 is Doug Yeats Comment left on 10 July 2017 at 09:52 by Frank Thom

Yes Frank you are correct number 12 is Doug Yates
I first met him in old East Scot Cons. at Montreathmont working under Jimmy Guild Then he was at Rannoch I do not know for how long but in 1979 he served in Silv. N at Newton Nursery.
He then moved to Moray District under C.F.Struan Stuart. He then moved to Huntly and was on Harvesting ops. He was involved in quite a serious accident whilst there and I lost track of his location and state of health. Comment left on 14 July 2017 at 21:16 by John Keenleyside

No 16 is the Late Ben Thomson, originally he was from The Lake District. He was in The final output class from Glentress 1951-53, went back to N.W. Eng. Cons. Later he took up the Forester Training post at Gwyddr and returned to Speymouth in the East Scot. Cons. under C.F. J.O. Webster where he remained until retirement. Comment left on 16 July 2017 at 20:02 by John Keenleyside

1 JOHN WEBB 2 TONY HEMMING 3 GAVIN MUNRO 4 KIETH LEECH 5 TOM BUCHANAN 6 MICHEAL SPERNAGLE 7 JOHN CHARLTON 8 ROGER GATISS 9 COLIN PRICE 10 GLYN LLOYD 11 GORDON LITTLE 12 DOUG YATES 13 MIKE JACKSON 14 BRIAN FLETCHER 15 PAUL SHERRINGTON 20 KEN SEARSON DECEASED:- JOHN WEBB, KIETH LEECH, ROGER GATISS Comment left on 28 January 2019 at 20:53 by GLYN LLOYD

Hello, my father Doug Yeats passed away peacefully yesterday with his 3 kids by his side...I know he kept in touch with some of you..but the only person I know of is Mike Jackson (but his phone number does not seem to work), If someone could kindly pass on this message.. Ben Yeats Comment left on 07 December 2019 at 19:34 by Ben Yeats

Aye Ben, sad to read that your Dad has passed, please accept my condolences. I didn't know him,but we met on some courses when I was starting out as a forester in the early '80's at Torrachilty and he was in Moray FD. There were a lot of sailing adventures recalled at the bar, as I remember.
My regards, Bill. Comment left on 07 December 2019 at 20:48 by Bill Rayner

Bill thanks you for your kind thoughts. Ben Comment left on 08 December 2019 at 14:07 by Ben Yeats

I knew Mike and Val Spernagle in the 1970s via the Welsh Hawking Club, (Clwb Hebogwyr Cymru) Having just re-read one of his articles in the club journal (The Austringer) I wondered how he was getting on. Regards, Mike Gambold. Comment left on 30 April 2020 at 11:47 by Mike Gambold

Paul Sherrington was my first manager in the Forestry Commission in Coed y Brenin, Dolgellau - inspirational figure who mentored and guided my career - can't thank him enough. Comment left on 20 September 2023 at 17:51 by Rob Peterson

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