Alumni

Welcome to the official website of The Hemel Hempstead School Alumni, dedicated to connecting, celebrating and engaging with ex-students and staff of The Hemel Hempstead School.

Its aim is to reach out to all HHS alumni and develop opportunities for them to connect and support each other, and the school.  Wherever you are in the world and whatever stage of life you’re at; the chances are that there’s an alumnus of The Hemel Hempstead School who could help you with your next step, or who would benefit from sharing your experiences since leaving school.

Notable alumni include:

• Fred Bailey (1923-2023), Special Operations Executive (SOE) operative who supported the resistance in France and fought the Japanese in Burma, was mentioned in dispatches,  awarded the Croix de Guerre,  and appointed to the  Legion d’honneur.
• Josephine Tewson (1931-2022), actress, most famous for her roles in Keeping Up Appearances and Last of the Summer Wine and who was the wife of the late Leonard Rossiter.
• Baron Bruce Grocott (born 1940), Labour MP from 1974-79 for Lichfield and Tamworth, from 1987-97 for The Wrekin and from 1997-2001 for Telford.
• Genista McIntosh,Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (born 1946), labour peer who was casting director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, director of the Royal National Theatre and CEO of the Royal Opera House.
• Prof Les Ebdon CBE (born 1947), Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire from 2003-12, and former Professor of Analytical Chemistry from 1986-2003 at the University of Plymouth.  He is a Benedetti-Pichler medal winner and named in Debrett’s Britain’s 500 Most Influential People.
• Ian Dunbar (born 1947), veterinarian and animal behaviorist, who is famous in the United States, where he now lives,  for his books and dog training television programmes.
• Rt Rev Allan Ewing (born 1951), Anglican Bishop of Bunbury, Western Austalia.
• Prof Dale Sanders (born 1953) FRS, Professor of Biology from 1992-2010 at the University of York.
• Robert Burns (born 1953), author, musician and Associate Professor in Music since 2001 at the University of Otago.
• Air Vice-Marshal Carl Dixon, Commander from 2011-14 of the Joint Helicopter Command, Station Commander from 2002-04 of RAF Benson.
• Pallab Ghosh (born 1962), science correspondent for BBC News who has won the Media Natura Environment Award and The Press Gazette’s Science Journalist of the Year and who has notably interviewed Neil Armstrong, Tim Berners Lee and Stephen Hawking.
• Matt Dickinson (born 1966), film-maker and mountaineer, who climbed the North Face of Everest in 1996.
• Catherine Murphy (born 1975), represented Great Britain in 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, competing in the 4 × 400 m relay.
• Marc Bircham (born 1978), ex-professional footballer who represented Millwall F.C., Queens Park Rangers and Yeovil Town, and now coaches the QPR Youth Team.
• Tommy W. Smith (born 1980), a professional footballer who has represented Watford, Derby County, Sunderland and Portsmouth, and now plays for Queens Park Rangers.
• Jack Smith (born 1983), professional footballer for Millwall who has also represented Watford F.C. and Swindon Town F.C. and younger brother of Tommy W. Smith.
• Ronnie Henry (born 1984), professional footballer who started his career at Tottenham Hotspur, captained the Stevenage Town team to win the FA Trophy in 2007 and now plays for Royston Town.
• Andrew Bird, renowned stage lighting designer who has worked on Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Jersey Boys and Priscilla Queen of the Desert in the West End and on World Tours.
• Luke Featherstone (born 1988), best known for playing the lead character Joel Foxworth US series Flowers in the Arctic staring alongside Kelsey Grammar having made his name on the London  stage in Singing in the Rain and Funny Girl.
• Cauley Woodrow (born 1994), currently playing for Fulham, in the Sky Bet Championship, has also represented England at under-21 level.
• Emma Saunders (born 1995), BBC  and Sky Sports correspondent, Watford FC resident commentator and World Cup announcer, she is now also a regular on BBC 5Live Sport.
• Ellen Milligan (born 1996), politics reporter at Bloomsberg.
• Emma Johnson, rising star of musical theatre who most recently performed in 42nd Street and My Fair Lady.
• Clare Halse, who has appeared in  42nd Street, Gypsy, Wicked and  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the West End.
• Richard Leggett, stunt performer best known for Ant-Man and the Wasp, Quantumania, Morbius and Solo: A Star Wars Story
• Katherine Iles, professional dancer who has worked with Taylor Swift, Nicole Scherzinger and Robbie Williams, she is currently a chorographer on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
• Amber Grappy, rising star in the world of TV, most recently seen in US series’ Wreck and Baby.
• Jarki Monno, rising star in the alt-pop scene.
• Ondine Achampong (born 2004), gymnast, who won Gold and Silver medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Silver at the European Championships and Silver in the World Championships in the same year.  Ondine formally opened the schools new sports hall in 2023, dedicating it to the talented athletes of The Hemel Hempstead School, past, present and future.

Disclaimer

Maintaining a relationship with our fellow alumni and protecting your personal information is important to us. What we collect will only be used to organise events and communicate with you about matters of interest. We may share your details with Hemel Hempstead School and its representatives for them to use to contact you, but they will never be passed on to others without your express permission. If your details change or you wish to opt out of communications from us please contact alumni@hemelschool.com