In 1999, ten years after the closure of Buckhurst Hill County High School, the search began to trace all former pupils and teachers from the school. During the first few years of the project progress was rapid, as news about the developing network spread - partly by word of mouth and partly as a result of detailed research. It was fascinating to discover the immense opportunities offered by our new toy - the internet.
Four years after starting out, more than 70% of pupils had been traced. Another four years later, in 2007, this figure had risen to 84%. Inevetably, the search began to slow down as there were fewer left to find. By 2014 we had reached 89%, but it took another eight years to get to 90%.
By 2022 I wasn't actively looking for more, but occasionally one of our missing number appears, and we are happy to add them to our mailing list. It is quite satisfying to have found around 4,500 former pupils and many former staff.
Our Facebook group has been helpful sometimes, as has Linked In, although there is an understandable resistance to "social media". Our Facebook group is HERE and you are welcome to register - assuming you are a former pupil or teacher from BHCHS. If not, you should contact me if you need any further information.
The best way to keep in touch with our network is via Old Buckwellians News. These have been published digitally since 2022. As well as news about former pupils and teachers, each edition contains a statistical update, showing the numbers traced from each cohort. You can see all the digital editions HERE. The earlier printed editions are HERE.
Can you help find other former pupils/staff?
It is likely that many of those still missing are living abroad. We would only need to have a clue about which country and they may be easily traced. Others with rather common surnames are tricky to find, and these people may be unaware that the spirit of BHCHS lives on!
If you have any clues or would like more information please contact Graham Frankel
BHCHS Wiki
All of the content on this site has been researched and provided by past pupils of Buckhurst Hill County High School. We are always interested in adding to this resource and ensuring the accuracy of the information on the site, so if you have further details regarding information on this page please click here.
If you have information that has not been allocated a page or you are unsure where it should go please click here.
Membership includes the bi-annual newsletter, and invitations to the Annual Dinner and other Network events.
