FORMER pupils of a school with alumni including Ronnie Barker and Lawrence of Arabia are to share memories and reminisce about school days.

About 70 old boys from the City of Oxford High School will gather at Oxford University’s faculty of history, in George Street, Oxford – the building where the school used to be until it closed in 1966 – on Thursday.

The City of Oxford School Association was formed in 2004 by a group of former pupils and has been organising reunions and social events ever since.

It now has nearly 300 members.

Secretary Malcolm Williams, who attended the school between 1953 and 1960, said: “There are a few of us that live locally but we do have people coming from all over the country – Manchester, Lincolnshire, Taunton and so on.

“That includes three members who were there during the 1930s.”

The all-boys grammar school closed in 1966 when it merged with Southfield School, Cowley, to become what is now Oxford School.

On Thursday, former pupils can see a slide show of archive photographs of masters and pupils at the school. The association will then hold its annual meeting, followed by lunch and sharing memories.

Mr Williams, who lives in Abingdon and is 68, said although the association had managed to get in touch with former schoolboys now in their 60s, 70s and 80s, members were keen to find as many alumni as possible.

He said: “There are not so many from my years who were at the school in the 60s because a lot of them are still working but we are getting more of the younger people now.

“We do want to get out and appeal to anybody that was at the school to come along and check us out.”

One of the key topics up for debate is related to the most famous former boy at the school – TE Lawrence – who was there from 1896 to 1907.

May 19 this year is the 75th anniversary of his death and the association plans to mark the occasion.

In 1936 a memorial to ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ was unveiled at the school by Winston Churchill, but it was moved when the school closed.

Mr Williams said: “We have arranged for it to be put back at the old school and it will be on view next week. More importantly, we will be having a special ceremony to rededicate the memorial in May.

“We are trying to track down any living descendents of the Lawrence family. We think we may have found one but we’re not sure.”

The reunion starts at 11am and anyone who would like to find out more can contact Mr Williams on williams.malcolm@sky.com