PUPILS past and present of Devizes School have been taking a trip down memory lane as they prepare to celebrate the golden anniversary of it becoming a comprehensive on Saturday.

People will have a chance to see a wide range of memorabilia at the free event between 11am and 4pm.

The school sent out a plea to hear from old pupils and have received a number of interesting pictures and other were found closer to home.

Publicity officer Karen Sims said: “While searching the school archives for items to display at our 50th Anniversary reunion we stumbled across an amazing school photograph.

“The group photo from 1932 shows staff, students and the school dog posing for a whole school picture out on the school field.

“After posting some pictures on twitter an amazing coincidence came to light. The parent of one of our new Year 7 students came forward to say that her grandfather Alfred Ball was in the photo and that he was the deputy head at the time the photo was taken.

“He then went on to become head of middle school, exactly 50 years ago.

“What a surprise it was to find out that Kieran Perrett only in his fourth week in Year 7 is the great grandson of such an important figure in our school’s history.”

Graham Stone also got in touch to say he was at the school from 1972 to 1979 and sent in an animated picture of himself and friends on the school Quad.

He went on to the Guildhall School of Music to study and became a professional singer appearing

in opera all over the world and in musicals. He spent five years in the West End in Phantom Of The Opera and did My Fair Lady in Paris.

Other memories came from Kevin Farmer who will be at the reunion on Saturday. He still lives locally and was part of the original 1969 intake.

Also going along will be Andrew Truckle who has supplied a pictured of class pic of 1JXs from 1983. He was joint winner of a competition to design a school logo in 1985.

Devizes School was formed in 1969 by the merging of Devizes Grammar School and the Southbroom Secondary School.