WESTMINSTER SCHOOL
THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER 2015/16
OW Calendar 2016/17 ■■ It would be wonderful to see many OWW return to the School over the 2016/17 academic year. Please use this calendar to mark your diaries now with any events you would like to attend. Booking will open for each event at www.oldwestminster.org.uk – usually at the beginning of the term in which it takes place or 6 weeks beforehand (whichever gives more notice). If you do not have access to the internet please contact the Development Office on 020 7963 1115 and we will note your ticket request manually. All dates are correct at the time of going to press but we recommend that you keep an eye on the website where we will publish details of any changes.
JUNE - JULY 2016 9th June 23rd June 14th July
Rigaud’s Society Drinks Old Grantite Pub Night OWW at Home
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016 8th September
Young Gaudy
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2016 3rd November 10th November 18th November 12th December
2016 Gala Elizabethan Club Dinner Big Commem Carol Service
Top left: Richard Pyatt (English) and Andrew Cotgrove (BB, 1984-88) at the 1980s Decade Gaudy Bottom left: The Elizabethan Club Dinner 2015 Pre-Dinner Drinks Above: The Elizabethan Club Dinner 2015
CONTENTS From the School
03
Head Master • The Dean • The Annual Fund 2015 Westminster Development • 2016 Gala Above: Tom Giddings (WW, 1998-2003), Tess Thackara (WW, 2001-03), Anna de Paula Hanika (DD, 2001-03) and Kate Lloyd George (RR, 2001-03) at the New York Drinks - Autumn 2015
To advertise in next year’s Elizabethan Newsletter, please contact: The Development Office, Westminster School 17a Dean’s Yard, London SW1P 3PB +44 (0)20 7963 1115 developmentoffice@westminster.org.uk Head of Alumni Relations/Editor: Katharine Robinson Design: Studio Baines Design Photographs: Colin Wagg, Sandy Crole, Angie Garvich, Katharine Robinson and the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Printed by: The Lavenham Press
OW Social
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The Elizabethan Club • School Society OW Lodge • Old Westminsters at Home 2016 OW Lawyers’ Dinner • Ben Jonson Drinks OW Women’s Network Rooftop Drinks Henley Drinks • Young Gaudy Elizabethan Club Dinner • 1980s Decade Gaudy House Society Reports
OWW Overseas
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New York Drinks • Commem Worldwide 2015
OWW Sport
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Athletics • Cricket • Fives • Football Golf • Tennis • Water
OW Articles
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Metz Award • Hew Award • Prag Award Westminster during the Swinging Sixties Day in the Life • From the Archives
OW News
First published by Westminster School, 2016 © Westminster School All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any shape or form by any means electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of Westminster School. The views and opinions expressed by writers within the Elizabethan Newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of Westminster School. No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein.
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2015 Leavers’ Comments Young Gaudy Attendee Updates OW Updates and Publications • Letters to the Editor Oli Bennett Charitable Trust • Obituaries • Deaths
This year again the Dean and Chapter looks forward to welcoming Old Westminsters and their guests to an open evening in the Abbey and College Garden. Dean of Westminster Read more from the Dean on page 8
The 2015 Leavers’ Reception on Green
FROM THE SCHOOL Contacts •
Patrick Derham (Head Master) headmaster@westminster.org.uk
•
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall (Dean of Westminster) info@westminster-abbey.org
•
Chris Silcock (Bursar)
chris.silcock@westminster.org.uk •
Angie Garvich (Director of Development) angie.garvich@westminster.org.uk
Head Master’s Report I often think how jealous I am of the pupils here: cliché though it is, they are very lucky. But as they are, so am I; genuinely it is a privilege to be able to go to all the events, talks, productions, concerts, matches, Abbey ... and call it work.
Patrick Derham Head Master
■■ One of the very surprising and satisfying - though somewhat embarrassing - aspects of being Head Master is the fact that people seem to think that you are responsible for all the remarkable things that go on. It is far from the truth, of course, especially when I have only been Head Master for five terms. But pride overcomes embarrassment ... and I accept the plaudits. A permanent feature of life at Westminster is that one’s feet rarely touch the ground. It is an extraordinarily busy place. My only irritation is that I simply cannot get to everything I want to, though I try. I often think how jealous I am of the pupils here: cliché though it is, they are very lucky. But as they are, so am I; genuinely it is a privilege to be able to go to all the events, talks, productions, concerts, matches, Abbey ... and call it work.
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A Westminster experience is, of course, about much more than being busy in and of itself. That is not enough. One of the misperceptions of Westminster is that it is an academic hothouse alone and that there is only limited time for the enrichment that comes from activities away from the intellectual arena. This could not be further from the truth. Yes, we strive for academic excellence (and it is gratifying that for the sixth year running over 50% of the grades were A* at A Level or the equivalent at Pre-U, a feat unparalleled by any school) but it is not at the expense of anything else. Let me pick out a few highlights from the last year to illustrate this. I could select a number of theatrical performances from the last 12 months but one will suffice. Kenneth Tynan described Guys and Dolls as “the Beggar’s Opera of Broadway”; how right he is. It is one of the great musicals and Peter Chequer’s (Director of Drama) production (March 2015), brilliantly supported by Guy Hopkins (Housemaster of Hakluyt’s and Music Teacher) on the music front, was an absolute triumph from start to finish. In many ways Drama is the greatest team sport and everyone who was involved in the production, be it on stage, in the orchestra or behind the scenes, played their part in what was the finest school musical I have seen. “Westminster does not do sport” is another myth that needs addressing. Westminster’s performance at the 2015 Schools’ Head of the River was truly exceptional. For the first time since 1970 Westminster won the Premier Eights event as well as winning three other events: the Premier Fours, J16 Eights and J15 Fours. The regatta season saw equally stunning success and the highlight was the 1st VIII winning the Championship Eights event at National Schools’ for the first time in the School’s history. The VIII narrowly missed out on the rare ‘Triple Crown’ by being beaten in the Final of the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley. I could have picked out many other sporting successes as well and will just mention the success of Andrew Rozanov (DD, Upper Shell) and Tim Goodman (MM, Upper Shell) who won the Independent Schools’ Tennis Championship at Eton at the end of the Election Term. Our musical prowess is frequently underestimated and the penultimate Monday of the 2016 Lent Term saw a stunning concert at The Barbican (just
one of many high quality musical events). The orchestra and choir demonstrated the value of their commitment and it was wonderful to see the massed ranks of the Choral Society in such fine voice. It is just one example of what has been a fantastic musical year and one further example to highlight is the achievement of Tomoka Kan (CC, Remove) reaching the Keyboard Final of the 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year. Abbey (and Latin Prayers) continue to be an important part of what makes our community. Some of you may have seen Harry Mount’s (DD, 1984-88) article in The Daily Telegraph about the 950th anniversary of the Abbey. Harry accepted an invitation to talk to the School and he implored pupils not to do what he had done: When I was an insider at the Abbey, growing up here, I kept my eyes closed. How I wish I’d opened them earlier. I hope and pray that all Westminsters never take for granted the beauty and history of the Abbey. Harry was one of many inspiring speakers during the course of this year and I know he won’t mind me saying that he, along with our other distinguished visitors, were trumped by Joseph Schwartzmann (WW, Remove) whose talk on Holocaust Memorial Day was profoundly moving and had a deep impact on the community (www. westminster.org.uk/news/joseph-schwarzmannshares-his-thoughts-on-holocaust-memorial-day). There were many such moments this year and I could have easily identified others. That is the Westminster way. A school where there is a genuine respect for the best values of a liberal and liberating education, a school where service in the true sense of the word is at the heart of all we do, a school which respects difference and celebrates excellence in all areas, a school which respects all that has gone before and which is outward facing, and forward thinking, in all that it does; and all the above in the context of a happy and purposeful community. I will finish with two examples of our outward facing and forward thinking. The PISA-Based Test for Schools is a three-hour school assessment designed to assess how well 15-year-old students can apply their knowledge of mathematics, reading and science to real life situations and unfamiliar contexts. As well as these three assessments, a contextual questionnaire provides THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 5
Above: 1st VIII at National Schools
Westminster pupils‌have shown that they are more than capable of matching, and indeed surpassing the very best in the world.
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insights into pupils’ attitudes to their learning environment and their interests in reading, mathematics and science. Results from the PISABased Test for Schools are comparable to the scales used in the international PISA assessment, which covers students and schools from more than 70 countries and economies. I am pleased to report that in all three assessments, Westminster pupils recorded astonishing results, and have shown that they are more than capable of matching, and indeed surpassing the very best in the world. For us the next steps are to reflect more deeply on the report, which will help shape our teaching and learning initiatives over the coming months. It also helps provide an added focus to the links which the School is developing with high performing institutions around the world as we seek to develop outstanding classroom practice.
Secondly, as you know, our partner school, Harris Westminster Sixth Form, opened its doors to pupils in September 2014 and there are now 375 pupils. It is an institution devoted to providing an outstanding academic education to pupils from all backgrounds across London and it is committed to equalising opportunity: from the start, Harris Westminster has taken more pupils entitled to Free School Meals and Pupil Premium than the London average and far more than the average selective school. The first cohort of Year 13 pupils have exceeded expectations in their university offers and 10 have received Oxbridge offers. This collaboration was one of the reasons why I came to Westminster and our work here, and in our extensive civic engagement, volunteering and mentoring programmes, fits squarely with the School’s ethos and DNA.
Finally, on a personal note I want to say how much I have enjoyed these first five terms. There is no doubt that Westminster is a remarkable institution; it is no ordinary place, as I frequently say. There is a special atmosphere here which makes my task all the more enjoyable. What I am clear about is that if Westminster is a great school (and it is) and if the plaudits are deserved (and they are) then such success is due to the hard work of many. As so many people take time to congratulate me as the Head Master on all that happens here, I hope they realise the efforts made by all those who work here. The plaudits are for them. Floreat.
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The Dean’s Report The Very Reverend Dr John Hall Dean of Westminster
■■ The regular pattern of engagement between School and Abbey continues as in recent years: the whole School worshipping in the Abbey twice a week; a growing number of Houses, in addition to College, holding Compline in St Faith’s Chapel; the annual Commemoration of the Foundress; the annual confirmation by the Bishop of London; and the Queen’s Scholars attending the Sunday Sung Eucharist from time to time, one of them reading a lesson, and the annual service for Remembrance Sunday. The School Carol Service sees the Abbey packed with 2,000 pupils and their guests, with wonderful music from various School choirs, and candlelight enhancing an atmosphere of joyful anticipation of the great Feast of Christmas. The services for new parents in September and for Leavers at the end of the Election Term are also a fixed part 8 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
Above: In July, twenty memorial candles were lit during a service to mark the 20th anniversary of the genocide at Srebrenica
of the annual pattern. Tours of the Abbey are enjoyed by many School groups. I am glad to offer the Monitors as well as the leaving Queen’s Scholars a tour of the Abbey roof. This year again the Dean and Chapter looks forward to welcoming Old Westminsters and their guests to an open evening in the Abbey and College Garden. As Chairman of the Governing Body, with my fellow Governors, I have been concerned over the past few years to ensure not only that the great traditions of Westminster School with its strong links to the Abbey are maintained but also that we establish effective links with the wider community for
This year again the Dean and Chapter looks forward to welcoming Old Westminsters and their guests to an open evening in the Abbey and College Garden.
Below: In February, a service was held to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz
the benefit both of Westminsters and of others less fortunate. It had long been clear that Westminster should be expected to promote and develop an academy or free school. But we also knew that we must build on our strengths, in particular of promoting the highest standard of education with those able to value it most highly. A selective Sixth Form with a preference for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds seemed a good fit and a great deal of time and effort has been given by Westminster staff to enable the new school to develop and sustain a curriculum based on that of Westminster. It has been wonderfully encouraging to see the really sound start of Harris Westminster Sixth Form since September 2014. The first year’s students were admitted to the school when the location of the building, in Tothill Street, three minutes’ walk
from Dean’s Yard, remained uncertain. Those who continued to the second year are now heading towards their final exams and on to university. From an initial cohort of 125, 10 have been given Oxbridge offers. In September 2016, Harris Westminster looks likely to have well over 500 students in two years, selected by examination and interview from a very large number of applicants. Strong links with Westminster exist at governor and staff level and are developing organically amongst pupils to mutual benefit. We have also known that we must look carefully at the availability of funds to provide bursary support for pupils at Westminster and thus widen the scope of those able to benefit from a Westminster education. I was startled when visiting Eton a year or two ago, to preach at their end of year service, to be told that bursary support for school THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 9
Above: The Supreme Patriarch and Catholics of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II, attended a service to mark the centenary of the catastrophe in Armenia
fees ran there at 20% of the total fee income. Bursary support at Westminster does not currently approach that level. So, during 2015, the governors established a review of scholarships and bursaries and hope to be supported in raising substantial additional funding for bursaries in future years. The past few years have seen a remarkable improvement in the provision of buildings for the School, culminating in the successful appeal for funds for the Sports Centre and repaving Yard. Whilst there is more building work to be done, for example to the Hooke Science Centre, the next phase will I hope focus on providing much bigger bursary support so that the brightest pupils, regardless of background, who can, will benefit from a Westminster education. We must also look to our international links. Since the time of Michael Mayne as Dean in the 1980s, the Abbey has been involved in the support of an educational foundation in Kolkata. YMWS was founded in 1967 to provide education for the poor in Calcutta. It has planned to remain fairly small and to be largely self-sustaining. The profit from fees in two schools for those able to afford a comparatively low fee level, often parents with little education themselves but some commercial achievement, is dedicated to providing schools in slum areas within the city and to bring education, running water and micro-finance schemes to many of the desperately poor rural communities in the 10 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
80 miles to the coast between the mouths of two great rivers south of Kolkata. Patrick Derham knows Kolkata well, through his support when he was Head Master of Rugby for an education charity in the city. He and I spent a few days in Kolkata, my fourth visit, in January 2016, to assess the opportunities that might be derived from an educational link between Westminster and Kolkata. The Principals of high achieving and successful twin schools in Kolkata, founded in the 19th century and whose governing body is still chaired by the Bishop of Calcutta, are visiting Westminster later this year. Our vision is that a link with the La Martinière Schools might enable a number of Westminsters, by various means, to discover the nature of the need, and what can be done to respond to it, in the very poorest communities in West Bengal. There are 300 million people living in real poverty in India. Fifty years ago there were 300 million people living in real poverty in India. The difference is that fifty years ago the population of India was 500 million; now it is 1.25 billion. Our conviction remains that the best, possibly the only, route out of poverty is education. The future of education in India will have an enormous influence on the future prosperity and welfare of the global community. Westminster as one of the, if not the, very best school in the world is strongly placed to engage positively with the development of education in India to mutual benefit.
Above: OW Callers at Work
The Annual Fund 2015 Report – Thank You Thanks to the generosity of OWW and the whole Westminster Community, the 2015 Annual Fund was yet another successful campaign. As well as contributing to the School’s established Bursary Programme, which grows year on year, the campaign raised money for six exciting projects (details below).
A fantastic team of recent Leavers will once again be calling the Westminster Community to raise money for bursaries and special projects at the School in 2016. The dates will be: 11th-25th July – OWW 12th -21st September – Parents and Former Parents We look forward to speaking to many of you then. 2015 Projects in Action
■■ Product Design will benefit from a Material Recycling Machine which will enable pupils to turn landfill waste into something useful, demonstrating their creative skills, whilst simultaneously gaining an understanding of sustainable design.
■■ Classics has purchased teaching models which are designed to help pupils envisage the aesthetic world described within the ancient texts studied. ■■ At the Under School, the Mathematical Staircase has transformed a functional, yet boring, area into an educational piece of art. Prime numbers spiral up the stairs, encouraging pupils passing by to become familiar with the patterns and sequences they encounter during lessons. The Science Department has also benefitted through a periodic table wall display which will encourage interactive learning, enhancing the teaching experience for pupils. The blocks can be removed from the display to allow the elements to be thoroughly examined by budding young scientists. ■■ Lessons are being brought to life in the Main Hall at the Under School, where images and videos can now be played through the Geene HD Visualiser. The Visualiser can be attached to a laptop or tablet to play videos on the big screen, bringing great excitement to lessons. ■■ Finally, Station at Westminster will benefit from the Telescopic Sportsmast which has been installed on Vincent Square. Pupils’ performances on the playing field can now be captured and scrutinised from all angles which will help staff equip pupils with the knowledge they need to improve.
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Supporting Westminster
The Annual Fund 2016 The Bursary Programme
OWW who choose to make gifts to the Bursary Programme help to make a Westminster Education available to children around London who would not otherwise be able to afford to attend the School. The graph below depicts the percentage of pupils on a 100% bursary (in blue) and those on less than 100% (in orange)
We advertise on the Tube and on buses to try to reach all children with the potential to benefit from a bursary, no matter what their background. We are also looking to try and partner with more local schools to further spread the message. ■■ The majority of the pupils on a bursary require 100% of the fees to be covered in order to attend the School. ■■ The School spends up to £1.3m on bursary funding each year, which covers pupils at both the Under School and Great School. ■■ 54 of our pupils (5%) in years 7- Remove are currently receiving some level of bursary support.
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Theatre Lights at the Under School
Improvements to theatre lights at the Under School will mean that ambitious set-design projects can be realised by the boys and their teachers. Included below are some details which give a sense of the scale of theatre at the Under School!
The Library
The library is both a beautiful workspace and a vital resource to which every Great School pupil has access. The Annual Fund 2016 aims to facilitate a re-fit of the Drawing Room so more pupils can find desks to use during peak revision times. Learning facilities also continue to expand: ■■ 1,439 e-book titles are available to borrow and there have been 1,191 downloads since the launch of this facility in 2011. ■■ September 2014 saw e-books made available to the Under School and Harris Westminster. ■■ Scrabble and Chess provide light relief!
■■ The biggest production was An Evening with William (a tribute to William Shakespeare) in 2015 which involved around 90 pupils from Year 3 up to Year 8 – it was the first School production in the new theatre. ■■ The best costume is a sumptuous outfit for Mr Toad, which was specially made for the boy playing the part in last year’s production of The Wind in the Willows. ■■ In 2016 the senior boys are performing French farce An Italian Straw Hat by Labiche – this involves a number of female parts - something which does not faze Under School boys! To support the Annual Fund 2016 please visit www.oldwestminster.org.uk/supportingwestminster-school
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Coming Soon…
The Westminster School 2016 Gala Westminster School Sports Centre Thursday, 3rd November 2016 7pm – 11pm Black tie
In 2006, Westminster School achieved something quite remarkable. In one evening, with the help of alumni, parents and friends, £1m was raised in support of the School’s Bursary Programme. Still, the amount itself, while staggering, was not the most extraordinary part of the night. This came in the form of an entire room of people committing together to help ensure that talent, not financial resources, remained the route to an exceptional education. This single evening provided twenty Great School bursary places, allowing pupils to achieve what they never thought possible, and opened the door to the unsurpassed opportunities of a Westminster education. In fact, our governors and supporters were so enthused by the results that they decided to make the event a regular part of the Westminster calendar. Our second Fundraising Gala was held on Tuesday, 30th November 2010, and never content to rest upon our laurels, the goal for this event was even more ambitious than the last, and we were able to secure £1.1m.
Our upcoming 2016 Gala couldn’t have come at a better time. While bursary funding has always been a top priority at Westminster, this year the governors have made the decision to redouble our efforts, charging us with not only widening access to even more talented pupils but also with working to bolster our relatively meagre Bursary Endowment so that we can plan with confidence and security for the future. Another added bonus for this particular event is that, with the recent acquisition of our beautiful, Grade II listed Sports Centre, we no longer need to look elsewhere for a venue. Its location means that we will have unlimited access for preparations (and will also constitute a substantial saving on venue hire) and its size will allow us to greatly increase our attendee numbers. We hope that many OWW, parents and former parents will be able to be involved with this event so please do save the date and email alumni@ westminster.org.uk for more details about reserving tables. We would also greatly appreciate help to find auction and raffle prizes for the event for example, Henley or Newmarket ‘experience’ days, dinner with a high-profile Old Westminster or a bespoke jewellery or fragrance product. We look forward to seeing the Westminster Community come together for what promises to be a wonderful, and extremely worthwhile, evening.
Left: The 2010 Gala at the Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace Right: The Westminster School Sports Centre
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Douglas Imrie (HH, 2006-11), George Christofi (WW, 2009-11), Alexander Diaz (AHH, 2006-11), Sam Brodsky (AHH, 2006-11) and Rigo Young (BB, 2006-11) at the Young Gaudy
…an abundant supply of drinks and canapés ensured that fun was had by all Alex Diaz (AHH, 2006-11) Read more about the Young Gaudy 2015 on page 26
Hayley Chapman (DD, 2008-10), Ellie Sallabank (LL, 2008-10) and Camilla Turner (AHH, 2008-10) at the 2015 Elizabethan Club Dinner
OW SOCIAL Elizabethan Club Committee Members • Jonathan Carey (GG, 1964-69)
Members:
• Artin Basirov (GG, 1989-94)
• Tarun Mathur (AHH, 1988-93) • Charles Low (QS, 1967-72) • Andrew Havery (QS, 1982-86)
• Jessica Chichester (GG, 2000-02)
Vice-Presidents:
President
Chairman abasirov@sdcglobal.net
Hon Secretary jessica.chichester1@gmail.com
• Matthew Webb (BB, 1999-2004) OW Sports Representative matthew.webb@outlook.com
• Poppy Maxwell (PP, 2008-10) Young OW Representative
• James Kershen (WW, 1981-86) Common Room Representative james.kershen@westminster.org.uk
• • • •
Nick Brown (RR, 1968-73) David Roy (AHH, 1955-61) Michael Rugman (GG, 1955-60) Tim Woods (GG, 1969-74)
2015–2016
Above: OWW at Home 2013
Elizabethan Club Report
Below: Former staff Graeme Bartlett and Nicoletta Simborowski at the 1980s Gaudy 2016
Artin Basirov (GG, 1989-94)
■■ This is my first Elizabethan Club Report as Chairman of the Club – a position to which I was elected last year. Traditionally, the Chairman would use this spot to publish his annual report but meeting timings and long lead-times on this magazine can mean that this is out-of-date by the time it is read. I hope instead to give you an idea of my plans and inspire you to get involved with OW events and activities if you have not done so recently (or ever!). The Club is here for you so if you do not see an event you want to attend or a sports club you want to join let me know on abasirov@sdcglobal.net and we’ll look to try and make it happen.
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Above: Carolina Grierson (WW, 2010-12), Josh Kirklin (WW, 2007-12) and Benjamin O’Dwyer (RR, 2007-12) at the Young Gaudy 2015
The following pages show just some of the events that have happened over the past year. The Club is always pleased to see pupils benefitting from interactions with OWW so our pupils’ reports from the Lawyers’ Dinner (page 24) are great to read. The OW drinks at Henley (page 26) were a personal highlight and our Decade Gaudies have been the big success of recent years with over 300 OWW having attended the 1980s event on 17th March (page 28). Having now run out of decades (!) we’re keen to move towards 5-year reunions starting with our younger age-groups. These OWW already attend the Young Gaudy but our aim is to give more targeted class groups the chance to meet-up. OWW have told us that the reason they show up to events is to see their classmates (a priority above meeting other OWW in their profession, for example) so we want to make sure that we are providing as many opportunities for this to happen as possible. Our other big plan is to run a larger-scale event at Christmas when a lot of OWW return to London, so watch this space.
Outside of events, our Careers and Mentoring Programme continues to help numerous OWW find a route into their profession and this has recently been extended to the US where we have also matched pupils with mentors at their chosen US university. The more links we can make between OWW the better. The Neville Walton Prize and our new Arts Prize also succeed in supporting OWW in their endeavours immediately after school. I hope to see many of you at OWW at Home on Thursday, 14th July (page 22) in the Abbey and College Garden. Access of this kind is a huge privilege and I am sure you will join me in thanking the Dean and Chapter for this kind invitation. The event promises to bring many OWW together so I hope there is a good chance of seeing someone you know – if not - tell me and we’ll try to create another opportunity!
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School Society Report Michael Rugman (GG, 1955-60)
In 2015 the Society continued its work in support of the School. It assisted with the purchase of Nenthead House in Cumbria to replace the previous smaller property at Alston, which the School has used for many years. This will provide more space and better facilities for visiting parties from the School, particularly for girls. The Philip Hendy Travel Awards this year were for visits to Barcelona and Istanbul, which were both successful and stimulating for the participants.
Recent discussions with the School have indicated the scope for further assistance, including improvements at Vincent Square. The Tizard Lecture in 2015 was given by a School governor, Sir Christopher Edwards, on ‘From Addison to Arthritis: a voyage of discovery’.
Below: Cricket on Vincent Square
The Society also continued its practice of making grants to the Library and to Station for special equipment, as well as to Houses for items designed to improve the environment for pupils.
The Old Westminsters’ Lodge The Old Westminsters’ Lodge is one of the oldest alumni groups at the School, celebrating 130 years next year. It is open to old boys, masters and staff and meets four times a year at the School, followed by dinner, usually in College Hall. The June dinner is open by invitation to non-members of the Lodge, whether male or female, alumni or not. Every year English Freemasonry raises substantial sums for charity and other good causes, and
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the Old Westminsters’ Lodge is no exception. Particular charities supported this year include The Air Ambulance Service and The Samaritans. A smaller donation, but closer to home, is the prize for the Westminster School Musician of the Year. Anyone interested in finding out more should contact the Secretary on sec@ oldwestminsterslodge.org. More information about the Lodge, and Freemasonry in general, can also be found at www.oldwestminsterslodge.org.
Elizabethan Club Report Notes to the accounts 31st August 2015
(1) Investments The Club’s investments are stated at market value. The Club’s investment policy continues to be to hold balanced and medium risk investments. (2) Club Funds As at 1st September 2014 Excess of expenditure over income From annual subscriptions Unrealised (losses) on investments As at 31st August 2015 £
Capital Fund (£) 594,817.84 70,000 (34,167.20) 630,650.64
Income Fund (£) 78,600.03 (19,050.75) -
OW Bequest Fund (£) 7,879.75 -
59,549.28
7,879.75
The OW Bequest Fund was established with the generous bequests of two eminent old Westminster sportsmen, Wilfred Attwood and John Stocker (RR, 1932–37). Report of the Honorary Examiner to members of the Club
Without having carried out an audit, I have examined the accounts (full version available on www.oldwestminster.org.uk), which have been prepared under the historical cost convention. In my opinion, the accounts give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Club at 31st August 2015 and of the income and expenditure for the year ended on that date. A Johnson ACA Honorary Examiner 22 September 2015
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Coming soon‌
Old Westminsters at Home Thursday, 14th July 2016 An evening in Westminster Abbey and College Garden for OWW and their families
It is our great pleasure to invite OWW and their families, on behalf of the Dean and Chapter, to visit the Abbey and enjoy drinks in College Garden once again this Summer. This event follows the first OWW at Home event (pictured) which took place in 2013. Access of this kind is an immense privilege and the Elizabethan Club is hugely grateful to the Dean for this opportunity.
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OWW and guests will have the opportunity to explore the Abbey after the crowds have departed for the day and calm descends. Guests will be greeted by the Dean and the Head Master and invited to take in the treasures of the Abbey on a self-guided tour. There will be live music in College Garden where drinks and hot food will be available to purchase. This event is offered by the Dean and Chapter free of charge to OWW and their families. Due to space limitations, tickets are limited and early booking is advised to avoid disappointment.
Bookings may be made at www.oldwestminster.org.uk We look forward to seeing many of you at what promises to be the event of the Summer! Artin Basirov (GG, 1989-94), Elizabethan Club Chairman and the Elizabethan Club Committee
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Pupils at the OW Lawyers’ Dinner The Elizabethan Club was pleased to fund places for five pupils and an accompanying teacher at the 2016 OW Lawyers’ Dinner which was organised by James Cockburn (LL, 1995-2000) and took place on Friday, 12th February 2016 at the Garrick Club. The guest speaker was The Rt. Hon. Dominic Grieve QC MP (GG, 1969-74). Thank you letters from the pupils, which give a sense of the strength of OW community in this profession, are included below.
Louis Cheng (PP, Remove)
“It was a great honour to have been invited to the OW Lawyers’ Dinner. As a prospective Law Student, I have been eager to gain more exposure to the legal profession, and this was a brilliant opportunity for me to receive advice from prominent lawyers involved in a wide range of practice with varying levels of experience. Through friendly conversation, I was able to discuss topics in which I am deeply interested with leading experts in various fields, for instance, the interaction between Law and Politics in the field of Constitutional Law. Speaking with budding OW lawyers provided me with fresh insights into the first steps on the legal career ladder. The after-dinner speech given by Dominic Grieve was also both thoughtprovoking and enthralling. I thank the Elizabethan Club for the invitation and the Old Westminsters in attendance for a memorable evening. I hope to return to this remarkable occasion in the future.” Annis Easton (HH, Remove)
“I felt privileged to be invited to the OW Lawyers’ Dinner. As someone who is seriously considering a career in the Law, it was wonderful to meet such a range of OW lawyers; diverse both in age and in specialisation. They opened my eyes to the variety and opportunity available within the
24 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
Law, and their wonderful stories reaffirmed my commitment to follow in their footsteps. I thoroughly enjoyed Dominic Grieve’s talk and learned so much about one of the greatest OW lawyers and legal reformers, the Lord Chief Justice, William Murray , 1st Earl of Mansfield (KS, 1719-23). How could one not be inspired by hearing an OW former Attorney General speak about another OW who must rank as one of the most influential lawyers of all time? The Garrick Club itself is a magnificent venue and the delicious food complemented the beautiful room to make it the perfect evening. Thank you so much for inviting me.” Oliver Black (QS, Remove)
“I am writing to thank you for the OW Lawyers’ Dinner. It was a unique and enjoyable event in many ways: the venue was perfect for such an occasion, and it was a huge privilege to dine there, given its exclusivity and extensive history. I found Dominic Grieve’s speech both entertaining and compelling and I also had the opportunity to speak to solicitors and barristers at different stages in their careers, which has given me an insight into the choice between the bar and working for a law firm.” Agnes Pethers (PP, Remove)
“Thank you for such a fascinating and memorable evening at the Garrick Club. I feel now I must definitely become a lawyer, if only so I can attend such hugely enjoyable gatherings in the future! I was lucky enough to sit next to Richard Clayton (BB, 1969-71), the Human Rights Law authority. As you might expect, he was fascinating on his subject, but also kind and patient as Louis Cheng and I asked what must have seemed, to him of all people, some very basic questions. I also found myself talking to Rachel Oakeshott (WW, 1998-2000) and
Emma Miller (WW, 1983-85), both of whom had taken up the Law after having read English and Classics respectively at Oxford. This was of particular interest to me, having just had an offer to read English at Oxford and taking both Latin and Greek Pre-U. What was also interesting was to hear about Westminster ‘back in the day’ which was in some ways very different, but in others uncannily similar, in some instances involving exactly the same cast of characters. It was, of course, an enormous privilege to hear Dominic Grieve. His intellectual rigour and personal commitment to public service was inspiring.” Alexander Long (GG, Remove)
“I would like to extend my thanks to the Elizabethan Club for my invitation to the OW Lawyers’ Dinner at the Garrick Club. I had very insightful conversations with some young lawyers who gave me a glimpse into the world of Law and their experience at Westminster, and this made for a very interesting and enjoyable evening. It was a privilege to be amongst such esteemed guests and the speech given by Dominic Grieve, which shed some light onto one of Westminster’s most famous lawyers, was thoroughly enjoyable.”
Above: Abi Farr (Head of English) and Ian Patterson (GG, 1961-66) at the Ben Jonson Drinks 2015
Ben Jonson Drinks 2015 ■■ The Groucho Club once again proved a fitting location for the Ben Jonson Drinks which brought together OWW working in the Arts and Media to mix and mingle – as well as to hear the latest news from the School.
OW Women’s Network Rooftop Drinks 2015 ■■ Purcell’s panoramic rooftop views provided the backdrop for our OW Women’s Network drinks on 2nd July. The event provided an opportunity for OWW women from the 1980s into the 2010s to compare notes on life after Westminster and the changes which have impacted on girls at the School over the years.
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Henley 2015 By Artin Basirov (GG, 1989-94)
■■ “My first Henley ever and I have to say I had an amazing time catching up with OWW some of which I had not seen in years! Many thanks to Jack Holborn (LL, 1997-2002) who, as ever, managed to pitch the OW tent meticulously and sort out the drinks for the afternoon tea break. It was a very exciting semi-finals day as Westminster beat Gonzaga USA by 2/3 length to then challenge St Paul’s School in the final of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup on the Sunday where, sadly, we were beaten.” Above: Jonte Baron (HH), Seb Zeki (WW), Peyton Burnett (GG) all 1990-95 at Henley 2015 Below: Westminster at Henley
Young Gaudy 2015 By Alex Diaz (AHH, 2006-11)
“The Young Gaudy was a truly marvellous event in last year’s OW calendar. The strong turnout of both staff and old pupils combined with an abundant supply of drinks and canapés ensured that fun was had by all.” Above: Simon Wurr (Housemaster of Wren’s), Shaneil Patel (WW, 2005-10), Yoshi Sutharsanan (BB, 2001-06) and Iona Seligman (AHH, 2007-09) at the Young Gaudy 2015
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Elizabethan Club Dinner 2015 Thanks to everyone who attended the 2015 Elizabethan Club Dinner and helped to make it such a wonderful evening. Our particular thanks to our speakers James Robbins (GG, 1967-72 and BBC Correspondent), the Head Master and the Chairman of the Elizabethan Club for their insightful and entertaining speeches.
Above: James Robbins (GG, 1967-72), Zara Carey (HH, 2005-07), Henrietta Southby (BB, 2005-07) and Nicholas Longford (RR, 1967-72) at the Elizabethan Club Dinner 2015
Nick Service (GG, 1975-80):
“Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed the dinner last Wednesday. It was a pleasure to catch up with some old acquaintances and meet some new Old Wets.” Jessica Chichester (GG, 2000-02):
“I wanted to say thank you for organising the Dinner. It was one of the best yet. James Robbins was a fantastic speaker...great to have him talk about his time at the School and tell some great anecdotes about his work too!” Above right: Sam Scheuringer (DD, 1997-02), Zoe Scheuringer (DD, 2006-08), Praneet Shivaprasad (HH, 1997-02) and Jessica Chichester (GG, 2000-02) at the Elizabethan Club Dinner 2015 Right: Shahryar Reza (AHH, 1997-02), Sophie Rosenheim (HH, 2007-09), Felix Hale (BB, 2004-09) and Rami Ajami (HH, 1995-2000) at the Elizabethan Club Dinner 2015
THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 27
Above: Samantha Small (DD, 1988-90), Tamina Boutel (DD, 1988-90), Reena Dernhardt (DD, 1988-90) and Kieron Connolly (GG, 1985-90) at the 1980s Gaudy 2016 Left: Erik Hohenstein (RR, 1986-91) and Debbie Keay (DD, 1989-91) at the 1980s Gaudy 2016 Below left: Lucy Barlow (BB, 1987-89) and Joshua St Johnston (WW, 1985-90) at the 1980s Gaudy 2016
1980s Decade Gaudy â– â– Our most popular Decade Gaudy yet did not disappoint, with School packed to the rafters with over 300 OWW and former teachers. The spirit of the 80s was helped along with archive photos on the big screen and refreshments which flowed throughout the evening! Tothill Street was as crowded as usual after any big OW event, with the Blue Boar playing host to the after-party which went on late into the night.
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House Society Reports Ashburnham Society By Angus Roy (AHH, 1993-98)
■■ The Society has had a quiet time recently but has continued to support the House in its activities where it can. We are pleased to be able to offer an annual award of up to £500 to Ashburnhamites in their final two years at School and in the first few years after they have left. The most recent winner was James Baty (AHH, 2010-15) who used the money to travel to Germany in August 2014. James explored an interest in the artist Kathe Kollwitz and looked at the impact losing her son in World War I had on her work. We hope that this bursary will be used again in 2016 by an Ashburnhamite towards a project (be it travel, music, art or
otherwise) which they would, without the bursary, not have been able to pursue. The Society would like to build on the success of its events in 2012 and expand its activities. We have had some ideas already but please do get in touch with the Development Office if there is something in particular you would like to attend. In this regard, the Society is trying to expand its committee, and if anyone is interested in joining or simply helping as a link to their contemporaries, then please email alumni@ westminster.org.uk.
Liddell’s Society By Majid Mostafavi (LL, 2003-08)
■■ Liddell’s Society Drinks were held in the Summer of 2015 for the first time in over a decade. Organised by Matthew Chen (LL, 2001-06) and myself, with the support of longserving Committee members, it was an opportunity for Liddellites to meet and enjoy the recently renovated roof terrace above the House. Housemaster, Teehan Page, and recently retired Matron, Rose Morgan, were gracious hosts to over 50 guests with attendance ranging from recent Leavers to those who had last been up House in the 1960s. The event continued into the night in keeping with Liddell’s tradition. It was not the first time that a group of Liddellites had found themselves up on the Liddell’s roof after hours and caught by School Security!
Given the success of the drinks, the Liddell’s Society hopes to begin a new tradition of organising an annual event. Recent Leavers are invited to get in touch with the Society through the Development Office on alumni@westminster.org.uk
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College Society By Arda Eghiayan (CC, 2000-02)
■■ After a quiet 2014, the College Society returned with aplomb, hosting over 80 College OWW and their guests in College Hall in September 2015 for a lovely – and lively –dinner, Port and all. Sandwiched between an AGM and the everpopular Compline, the evening was a great success – and, as befitting a Westminster event, ended with a final drink in the pub. At the AGM we thanked Jeremy Burnett-Rae (QS, 1967-71), a founder member of the Society, who, after many years, had stepped down from the Committee. We also thanked Charles Low (QS, 1967-72), who has stepped back from his position as Secretary, although, luckily for us, Charles will be staying on the Committee. Finally, we welcomed the newest – and youngest - member of the College Society Committee, Oliver Rubens (QS, 200308). The AGM also allowed us to fulfil one of the remits of the Society: offering financial support to a current member of College. Shalaka Bapat (QS, 2013-15), was planning to spend her Gap Year volunteering in Central and South America, and the Society agreed to help by part funding her intensive Spanish lessons. We look forward to hearing about her trip on her return. Following the success of online booking and payment for the recent dinner, we would like to continue to move into the 21st century, and are looking to set-up groups on social media sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, to keep in touch with our peers and facilitate advice fora for all those linked with College. We do hope you will join and replicate the successful community online as well as off. At the College Society Lecture on 27th April 2016, we welcomed our first female College speaker, Dr Tina Beaconsfield (CC, 1975-77) who spoke about her experiences in medicine as a deaf woman. We are hoping to have a further event in Autumn 2016. We would like to thank the Master of the Queen’s Scholars, Mark Feltham, for his continuing support of, and enthusiasm for, the Society which is much appreciated. 30 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
If you would like to join the Society please do contact me on arda.eghiayan@gmail. com or Duncan Matthews (QS, 1974-79) on dmatthews@20essexst.com and if you have any ideas as to how the Society might extend its activities please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Committee http://www. oldwestminster.org.uk/college_society_home
Busby Society By Christian Wells (BB, 1968-73)
■■ The Society held an enjoyable dinner in College Hall in November 2015, at which the Housemaster, Paul Botton, was present and John Brisby QC (BB, 1969 -73) was guest speaker. A dinner will be arranged later in 2016, for which details will be circulated in due course. After ten years of cheerful and thoughtful service, our Secretary, Matthew Webb (BB, 1999-2004) has retired. We are therefore seeking a volunteer to succeed him. Please apply to the Chairman, Julian Lyne-Pirkis (BB, 1969-73), by email julianlynepirkis@ gmail.com . On a sad note, our former Chairman, James Nunns (BB, 1967-72), who did so much for the Society over many years, died suddenly in December (2015). His funeral was well-attended, with a number of OWW present. Wilf Hashimi (BB, 1971-75) gave an eloquent tribute. We offer our thoughts and sympathy to his family and friends.
Old Grantite Club
Rigaud’s Society
By Peter Cole (GG, 1993-98)
By Matthew Rhodes (RR, 1987-91)
■■ The social highlight of 2015 was our dinner in College Hall on 21st May. Over fifty Old Grantites and their guests joined the Head Master and his wife for pre-dinner drinks in Ashburnham House before moving to College Hall where we were joined by the Housemaster, Nick Fair. Our guest speaker was Christopher Garnett OBE (GG, 1959-64) who entertained us with an amusing resume of his family connections with Westminster, his fascinating career since leaving Grant’s, as well as advising us on the transport issues surrounding the Rugby World Cup later that year. The Committee would like to thank Christopher, the Development Office, and College Hall for making it such a special evening.
■■ The Society continues to take an active role in supporting the House. In 2015 we granted a travel award to Horace Chu (Remove) who undertook charitable work in Uganda before taking up his place at Stanford University. We also made possible the purchase of a new TV to be used by pupils in their common room.
An informal event will be held on Thursday, 23rd June in the Summer (2016) at a bar or pub near the School – this event will be open to all and particularly aimed towards recent Leavers.
We held a very well-attended black tie dinner in College Hall last Summer to say farewell to Huw Williams and welcome the new Housemaster Richard Kowenicki and his family. This year we will be holding a Gaudy for members of the Society and their guests on 9th June. We will meet for Champagne in the Camden Room from 6 pm followed by a private tour of the Abbey at 7.30 pm led by Tom Edlin (DD, 1993-98). This event was extremely popular in 2014 and will likely be sold out. Details will be sent out nearer the time and ORR are encouraged to apply for tickets as soon as possible. With thanks, as ever, to Richard, Huw and the Development Office for all their support over the year. Ipsu rasu! Below: The Abbey
Above: Pre-Dinner Drinks at the 2015 Dinner were held in the Camden Room
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The view from the OW New York Drinks - Autumn 2015
Sadly‌snippets of wisdom did not materialise, due to strange concoctions mustered for the various cocktails propping up our evening of reminiscences. Dan Owen (BB, 1979-83) Read more about Commem Worldwide in Washington, DC on page 35
The New York Drinks - Autumn 2015
OWW OVERSEAS OW Representatives • Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Paris, France
• Athens, Greece
• San Francisco, USA
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Sydney, Australia
• Dubai, UAE
• Toronto, Canada
• Hong Kong
• Vancouver, Canada
• Melbourne, Australia
• Washington DC, USA
• Monte Carlo, Monaco
• Singapore
Zac Woolfitt (DD, 1980–84)
George Mangos (WW, 1993–98) Peyton Burnett (GG, 1990–95) Jon Breach (QS, 1982–86) Nicola Ho (PP, 2009–11) Emma Poole (WW, 1989–91) James Arnold (WW, 1988–93)
• New York, USA
Olga Polunina (CC, 2004–06)
Sofia Kaba-Ferreiro (MM, 2002-04) Damini Satija (RR, 2009–11) Max Burt (LL, 1977–82) Robert Jekyll (WW, 1948–51) Michael Madsen (AHH, 1960–65) Dan Owen (BB, 1979–83) Carolyn Lek (PP, 1997–99)
To contact any of the representatives listed above or to find out more about acting as a representative in your country or region please email alumni@westminster.org.uk
OW New York Drinks Autumn 2015
■■ Our US Reunion in New York’s West Village, on Wednesday, 21st October 2015, brought together Sixth Form pupils (fresh from their US Universities Tour) and our strong OW contingent in the city. All those who attended seemed to enjoy the chance to talk about Westminster and the choices pupils would soon be making regarding further education in the US or the UK and it was wonderful to see many new connections made.
Above: Anna de Paula Hanika (DD, 2001-03), Tom Giddings (WW, 1998-2003) and Tess Thackara (WW, 2001-03) at the New York Drinks - Autumn 2015 Right: Alexis Vassilakas (AHH, 1985-89) and Olga Polunina (CC, 2004-06) at the New York Drinks - Autumn 2015
34 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
Above: Marcus Oliver (DD, 1987-92), Gareth Glaser (AHH, 1965-66) and Paul Kassabian (WW, 1987-92) at the New York Drinks - Autumn 2015 Right: James Sinclair (WW, 1970-75) and Alex Malamatinas (HH, 1996-01) at the New York Drinks - Autumn 2015
We look forward to holding a similar event in mid-October 2016 so please do look out for the invitation. We will also be continuing to expand the activities of OWW in the US including focussing more on Careers and Mentoring and we look forward to being in touch about this by email with our US alumni. If you are moving to the US or travel there frequently please do email alumni@westminster.org.uk to get involved.
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Commem Worldwide 2015 Autumn 2015
It was wonderful to see OWW gather across the globe at a series of events to coincide with the Commemoration of Benefactors here in London on Friday, 20th November 2015. This year’s event saw long-established OW groups in Monaco and Dubai meet up alongside newer associations in Bangkok and Paris. Paris Report by Sofia Kaba-Ferreiro (MM, 2002-04)
“Exactly one week after the terrorist attacks on Paris, the Parisian old Westminsters got together to show that life goes on. Andrew Strauss (LL, 1975-80) generously hosted the event which was attended by Gail de Courcy Ireland (DD, 1983-85) Adrien Roux (RR, 2002-07) and Penny Noble (DD, 1983-85).” Hong Kong Report by Nicola Ho (PP, 2009-11)
“Enjoy the photos we took at the HK event on 18th November! It was good to catch up with some OWW my age.” Washington, DC Report by Dan Owen (BB, 1979-83)
“We had an immensely enjoyable Commem gathering in Washington, DC. Pictured is a photo from the fraternal table of gastronomic indulgence... Sadly, video snippets of culled wisdom [requested by the School] did not 36 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
Top: Hong Kong Commem Worldwide gathering Middle: Washington DC Commem Worldwide gathering Bottom: Paris Commem Worldwide gathering
Above: Monaco Commem Worldwide gathering
materialise, due to strange concoctions mustered for the various cocktails propping up our evening of reminiscences and musings. We had another thoroughly enjoyable evening tracing back our respective journeys from SW1 to the District of Columbia and environs and the many places inbetween traversed over the years since we left the cobbled and hallowed stones of Yard. Rich and varied interpretations of the shared experience of Westminster, different for each of us, but strongly influencing the path we followed… providing the opportunity to create new friendships that would not have happened without this collectively shared schooling.” Attendees: Keith Lipert (GG, 1970-75), Ralph Wood (GG, 1976-80) and Sas Gharai (LL, 1978-82).
Monaco Report by James Arnold (WW, 1988-93)
“With a couple of last-minute cancellations and a notable absence of Italy-based OWW we had an interesting 4-way discussion on world affairs and Westminster!” Attendees: Mark Instance (AHH, 1975-79), James Gallon (BB, 1997-2002) and Saman Ahsani (QS, 1987-92). Singapore
Carolyn Lek (PP, 1997-99) organised a gathering in Singapore which was greatly enjoyed by all attendees: Afsar Hossain (DD, 1995-2000), Byron Fiske Harrison (RR, 1980-84), Natasha Bell (PP, 2005-07) and her plus one, Shilen.
THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 37
Black Rod 2013
A new – and even pinker – kit was procured and raised morale immediately… Edar Mullan (HH/RR, 1996-2001) Read more from the Football 2nd XI on page 43
Black Rod 2013
OW SPORT ANGLING
GOLF SOCIETY
• Chris Manderson (GG, 1957–62) cmanderson@comitfs.com
• David Roy (AHH, 1955–61) daroy@btinternet.com
ATHLETICS
REAL TENNIS
• J im Forrest (AHH, 1957-62) forr.jim@gmail.com
• Simon Marshall (DD, 1990–95) simarsha@hotmail.com
CRICKET
• Edwin Richards (AHH, 1977–81) edwin@alienor.biz
• Jake Robson (AHH, 2001-06) jnarobson@gmail.com
TENNIS
• Alexander Asher (LL, 2001-06) alexanderasher@gmail.com
• Tristan Vanhegan (HH, 1994–99) tristanvanhegan@hotmail.com
FIVES
WATER
• Freddie Krespi (DD, 2000-05) frederick.krespi@baml.com
• Sam Scheuringer (DD, 1997–2002) sam@scheuringer.co.uk
FOOTBALL: 1ST XI
• Jack Holborn (LL, 1997–2002) jack.holborn@hotmail.co.uk
• George Burnett (RR, 2002-07) george.burnett@hotmail.co.uk FOOTBALL: 2ND XI • Edar Mullan (HH/RR, 1996-2001) edar.mullan@gmail.com
• Oliver Cox (HH, 1997-2002) cox.oliver@gmail.com
Athletics By John Goodbody (LL, 1956-61)
■■ The Old Westminsters’ Athletic Club had another successful and enjoyable year. The annual Towpath Cup race, a handicap event from Barnes to Putney, was held in April 2015 with a total of 27 runners, 12 of whom were OWW. Nicholas Clanchy (MM, 2010-15) won the 3.3 mile race in 19 minutes, 19 seconds with Tom Jelly (QS, 2002-07) leading the OWW home in third place, with Miles Copeland (BB, 1993-98) fifth and Mark Wainwright (WW, 2003-08) sixth. In seventh place was Eloise Davison (WW, Remove), who set a girls’ record of 20 minutes, 1 second, an outstanding performance. In the team competition, the School’s A Team finished first with the OWW A Team second. As usual, all the teams and spectators enjoyed drinks and food in the School Boat House afterwards. The five-mile Inter Old Boys’ Race, organised by Thames Hare and Hounds, was a particularly testing event because of the heavy conditions on Wimbledon Common in December (2015). A record 217 runners finished, with the OWW in 11th position out of the 28 teams, and Sherborne winning the event. Wainwright (27th) and Copeland (44th) were the two leading OWW. Westminster, led by Freddie Hill (LL, VI) (31st) won the incorporated schools’ race, and we hope that many of the pupil runners will soon be representing the OWW in future events.
Cricket By Alexander Asher (LL, 2001-06)
■■ 2015 was successful for OWWCC, with a strong run to the Cricketer Trophy semi-finals (beating two strong sides and only losing to the eventual winners) representing significant progress after frustrating near misses in previous seasons. As strong representation in Cricket Week would show, cricket at the School is going from strength to strength – a good thing from our point of view! The season did not start auspiciously, as the Pink Elephants’ May fixture date once again caught OWWCC cold. There were runs for Dan Brodie (WW, 2001-06) (47*) and contributions by others, but our total always looked below par, and defeat ensued. However, the onset of competitive cricket in the aforementioned Cricketer Trophy saw OWWCC rise to the challenge away at Reed’s. Leo NelsonJones (RR, 2008-13) (42) top scored, amongst many starts from batsmen, leading us to 165 all out. When defending low totals, you have no choice but to take wickets, and, led by James MacDonald (HH, 199398) (4-34) and Alex Scott (LL, 2003-08) (3-32), OWWCC did exactly that, bowling Reed’s out for 148 with barely 25 overs gone. Cricket Week saw a change in fortunes for OWWCC. Eton Ramblers, clearly under new management, brought another strong team, which duly posted an imposing total, although they took considerable time to do so. Starts from Milo Johnson (DD, 2008-13) (25) and Asher (26) briefly threatened to spark a chase, but neither could go on, and so Matt Cornes (DD, 198893) (50) was left to mix lusty blows with sturdy defense, as the draw was saved quite comfortably. Following our aforementioned victory over Reed’s, King’s Canterbury came to Vincent Square for the quarter-final of the Cricketer Trophy. OWWCC bowled first, and took quick wickets, with MacDonald (1-36) and Alfred Enoch (BB, 200207) (2-14) taking care of the top order batters. Disciplined bowling and sharp fielding throughout the innings restricted King’s to 160-6 in 50 overs. Alex Campbell (HH, 2002-07), (92) led us home in 40 overs and with 5 wickets to spare, setting up the first semi-final in recent memory.
40 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
Buoyed by the success against King’s, we batted first for the Monday match of Cricket Week, against the Butterflies, and Hugo Hadcock (GG, 200308) (79), Johnson (47) and Barnaby Graff (QS, Remove)(47) led OWWCC to post a competitive total which was defended in style, with wickets shared between Eugene Daley (QS, 2010-15) (2-23), Nelson-Jones (3-65) and Graff (2-12). This form with the bat was again apparent on the Tuesday of Cricket Week as chasing 250 against the Free Foresters was accomplished with ease. Kit Winder (LL, 2008-13) (80) and Graff (62*) once again showed that OWWCC is awash with young batting talent. The Old Amplefordians on Thursday brought a halt to our winning run, as, for the first time that week, no OWWCC batsmen passed 50, or even 40, leading to a total of 192. The run rate was actually close to 6 an over, which meant that the OAs had plenty of time to chase the runs, despite tight bowling from Campbell (2-34). Friday saw the arrival of a new and enjoyable fixture against the Heretics, who set about piling on the runs with gusto. Only Scott (6-60) was able to establish much control, and 258 seemed a sizeable total. In response, it was a familiar tale of many starts but no one forming the partnerships seen earlier in the week which are needed to chase significant totals.
Therefore, on Saturday, OWWCC decided not to chase significant totals, and, having inserted Kensington, bowled with skill and discipline to restrict them to 130 all out. Opening bowlers Ross Wheeler (BB, 2003-08) (3-16) and Tim Kittoe (LL, 1988-93) (3-25) wreaked such havoc on the top order that 130 represented a reasonable recovery for Kensington. In response, George Bustin (RR, 2008-13) (51), supported by cameos throughout, led the OWWCC chase and a very pleasant early evening jar with the ever-sociable Kensington. OWWCC was unable to repeat the same trick on the final day of Cricket Week, as Marlborough exacted revenge for several defeats over the past few years. The final game of the season saw a glorious day for the Cricketer Trophy semi-final against the Old Monmothians. Having elected to bat, OWWCC could never quite break the shackles, and many batsmen got in and got out without ever getting up a head of steam, and so, although we batted our 50 overs, our total of 142 was always likely to be too low. New ball bowlers Charlie Cooke (LL, 2000-05) and Kittoe kept a lid on things early on, and, had a few chances been held, who knows what might have happened. However, in the event, Monmouth kept scoring briskly and chased the total for the loss of 4 wickets; they comprehensively beat Old Hurstjohnians in the final.
Football 1st XI by George Burnett (RR, 2002-07)
■■ After relegation from the First Division last season, the OW 1st XI’s 2015/16 promotion campaign started in promising fashion, with the side losing only one of its 1st XI league games and topping the table at Christmas. Much of the credit for this dominant start must be given to the prolific forward trio of Ezra Rubenstein (QS, 2003-08), Richard Downey (DD, 2006-11) and Bonar McGuire (WW, 2010-15). These three guaranteed that the OWW continually outscored their opponents, even on those occasions when
the defence was far from watertight. Valuable contributions have also come from Fred Johnson (AHH, 2003-08), Louis Jagger (QS, 2000-05), Oliver Flynn (RR, 2003-08), Ian Clancy (HH, 2003-08), Toby Thomas (LL, 2002-07), Rafe Fletcher (AHH, 2005-10), Kwesi Peterson (QS, 2008-13), Sammy Skipper (DD, 2007-12), Josh Benson (DD, 2003-08), Josh Benson (WW, 2004-09), David Weinstein-Linder (HH, 19982003), Tom Lloyd (HH, 2003-08), Franky Athill (MM, 2003-08), Ben Cooke (DD, 2007-12) THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 41
Football 1st XI
and Paddy Meade (WW, 2005-10). The persistent display of resilience and application not usually associated with OW football helped us notch up a series of impressive wins including a 4-0 win over Old Foresters 2nd XI, a 5-0 win over Old Chigwellians 2nd XI and a 3-2 win over Old Etonians 2nd XI. Adverse weather and poor pitches undoubtedly contributed to the OW inability to carry league form into cup competitions. Having defeated Old Wykehamists in the first round of the Arthur Dunn Cup, the team, which had until then consistently produced exciting attacking football, failed to get started in near-hurricane conditions against Old Harrovians in the second round, losing 3-1 in injury time. In the Junior League Cup the OWW were guilty of naively throwing away a 2-0 lead in similarly blustery conditions against second round opponents Old Carthusians 3rd XI, ensuring that the season will end without any cup silverware. The loss of Rubenstein, Downey, Johnson and Clancy shortly after Christmas precipitated a slump in form, from which the side is struggling to recover. At the time of writing (March 2016) we are six points adrift of the league leaders with only four games left to play. Promotion remains a possibility. Enormous thanks go to Vice-Captain, Treasurer and 2nd XI Captain, without whose willingness to take on onerous administrative responsibilities, the Club would surely cease to function. Thanks also to the Elizabethan Club for its support and to the School’s Head Groundsman Franklin Barrett for allowing us to play our Arthur Dunn first round tie on a glorious Autumn morning at Vincent Square. Any OWW looking for regular (or even semiregular) 11-a-side football should feel free to contact me on george.burnett@hotmail.co.uk. 42 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
Football 2nd XI by Edar Mullan (HH/RR, 1996-2001)
■■ The OW 2nd XI began its campaign with high hopes despite what can best be described as a laissez-faire pre-season programme. A new – and even pinker – kit was procured and raised morale immediately, as did a return to playing on grass at a new home pitch in northwest London. It had been held that a return to the natural stuff would suit the team’s blood-and-thunder style of play and simply blow away the outdated tiki-taka stylings of opponents à la Leicester City, though this was not always to be the case. An opening-day defeat to league new boys Rugby was perhaps the start such a lackadaisical pre-season warranted, but the scores were settled when they were vanquished convincingly in the return fixture. League form aside, the 2nd XI has curiously morphed into a team of Cup specialists over recent seasons, with many of the better performances coming in knock-out competitions. Possibly the most assured 90 minutes of the year came in defeating Old Foresters III 4-1 in the Junior
Football 2nd XI
League Cup, though penalties eventually put paid to our run following a battling 2-2 draw away at Harrow. Despite losing some regulars to university and foreign climes, new OWW were sourced and the 2nd XI managed to put out a reasonably settled team throughout the campaign. Keeping his head (as long as he was prevented from playing outfield) was combative ’keeper Ben Collis (WW, 2004-09), with Eddie Knox (LL, 2002-07) reprising his role at left-back and newcomer Dominic Burrell (WW, 200409) making the right-back berth his own. The quick, but not tall, double team at the back, more often than not, were yours truly and Alex Hall (HH, 2001-06), who still maintains he’s a winger. 2nd XI totem Daniel Cavanagh (RR, 199398) was usually to be found anchoring the midfield, with Arthur Campbell (HH, 200207), Tom Surr (DD, 2004-09) and Gabriel Broadhurst (MM, 2004-09) ahead of him feeding the strikers. The forward line was undoubtedly our main strength this season, with the lightening pace and relentless harrying
of Guy Nakamura (MM, 2004-09) and Will Miles (RR, 2005-10) giving opposition defenders nightmares and accounting for the vast majority of the team’s goals. The regular XI was bolstered throughout the season by an array of the great and the good of OW football, with uncompromising stalwart Archie Mackay (HH, 1991-96) and a returning Tom Harrison (MM, 2003-08) shoring up the backline and Johannes Gunnell (AHH, 199398) taking no prisoners in front of them. Nick Morgan (DD, 2006-11), Tommy Cattell (MM, 2001-06), Thomaz Steuerman (DD, 2001-06) and Alex Stephens (WW, 2004-09) bustled about ahead of him and Tom Brutton (AHH, 2002-07) chipped in up front. The Pink Tide is currently involved in a battle for third place in the League and continues to progress in the DW Trophy, but remains on the lookout for fresh talent for 2016/17. If you are interested in 11-a-side Saturday football please get in touch through the venerable Old Westminster website.
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Fives By Laurie Brock (BB, 2003-08) and Freddie Krespi (DD, 2000-05)
■■ This has been a superb season for the first team. Playing in a highly competitive division 1, they stand on the brink (with one match remaining) of securing an all-time high 9 wins from 12 matches, amassing a record points total, and securing a second place finish. During the middle of the season, the team put together a six match winning streak, and highlights of the season have included an away victory over Mill Hill as well as doubles over Harrow, Highgate and North Oxford.
Golf By David Roy (AHH, 1955-61)
For the second time in three years, OWGS managed to reach the third round of the Halford Hewitt. In an incredibly tight and tense first round, we beat Repton, the highest-ranked team to have
Although the team has benefited from some ringers, the “core” of the side remains Westminster based, with Laurie Brock and Ed Rose (LL, 1995-2000) fixtures at first pair, supported by Giles Coren (RR, 1982-87), Harry DeQuetteville (LL, 1988-93), Sam Williams (RR, 2005-10), Callum Brock (BB, 2005-10) and rising stars Ismail Salim (RR, 2010-15) and Matthew Lewin (DD, 2010-15). The second team’s season was not quite as successful, although it was great to see a good breadth of players, including Olivia Prankerd Smith (BB, 2007-09) and Elana Osen (PP, 2007-09), playing in many of the division and friendly matches. Thanks to William Illingworth (RR, 2000-05), Alfred Jackson been eliminated by Westminster in almost 40 years. Defying years of serial heartache, the key match was a story of victory being snatched from the jaws of defeat with Ilya Kondrashov (AHH, 2002-04) and Tom Smith (DD, 1998-2003) standing on the 16th tee at Royal St George’s three down. Four holes later, they had won at the 19th and two shell-shocked Reptonians were last seen standing at the bar armed with glazed looks of
Above: OW Golf at the Halford Hewitt: From left to right - Johnny Woolf (LL, 1977-81), Carl Rietschel (GG, 2009-11), OWGS President Clem Danin (AHH, 1950-55), Edward Cartwright (DD, 1979-83), David Weinstein-Linder (HH, 1998-03), C J Morrell (GG, 1979-84), Tom Smith (DD, 1998-2003), Henry Kingsbury (HH, 1991-96), Oli Flynn (RR, 2003-08), John Kingsbury (HH, 1987-92), Ilya Kondrashov (AHH, 2002-04), Tom Tredinnick (GG, 2002-07).
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(QS, 2003-08) and Majid Mostafavi (LL, 200308) for their help arranging matches. Outside of the leagues, Westminster players have also enjoyed success at major tournaments. At the London Tournament, Westminster had three of the four players on court in one main quarter-final, with Brock and Rose narrowly defeating Riki Houlden (DD, 2008-13) and his Cambridge partner, while Alistair Stewart (RR, 2009-14) triumphed in the Festival. Brock and Rose also reached the semi-final at the Northern and the quarter-final of the Kinnaird. The strength at the younger end of the club was recently confirmed at this year’s Varsity Match, with no fewer than four Westminster players disbelief. Hurstpierpoint were despatched on the Friday and, despite a weakened team having to be fielded on the Saturday morning, Watson’s, one of the tournament’s perennially strongest teams, only beat us by the odd match. Having teamed up straight after leaving Cambridge, Oli Flynn (RR,
featuring in the top four men’s pairs and three of them emerging victorious (including a terrific win for Riki at first pair for Cambridge). Part of the reason for such strength (along with the tireless efforts of Matt Wiseman as Fives Coach at the School) has been the inception of the Westminster Cup, now a well-established season opener and re-named, in what is now its fifth year, as the Andrew Aitken Trophy, in memory of Andrew’s (WW, 1967-71) incredible service to the Club over more than 30 years. This year’s winners were DeQuetteville and Nathan Malik (QS, Remove), who narrowly beat Rose and Kotka Lim (AHH, Remove) 1513 in a thrilling final.
2003-08) and Carl Rietschel (GG, 2009-11) have now managed to eclipse the record of Ian Petherick (HB, 1941-46) and the late, great Tony Slark (RR, 1936-38) and are, at present, the pair with the best all-time record in terms of percentage of wins.
The results were as follows: FIRST ROUND v Repton (Royal St George’s):
Won 3-2
Edward Cartwright (DD, 1979-83) and Johnny Woolf (LL, 1977-81) Henry Kingsbury (HH, 1991-96) and Christopher Morrell (GG, 1979-84) Kondrashov and Smith Thomas Tredinnick (GG, 2002-07) and David Weinstein-Linder (HH, 1998-03) Flynn and Rietschel
Won 2 & 1 Lost 2 & 1 Won at 19th Lost 2 & 1 Won 3 & 2
SECOND ROUND v Hurstpierpoint (Royal St George’s):
Won 4-1
Kingsbury and Morrell Cartwright and Woolf Kondrashov and Smith Tredinnick and Weinstein-Linder Flynn and Rietschel
Won 2 & 1 Won 5 & 4 Won 4 & 3 Halved Halved
THIRD ROUND v Watsons (Royal Cinque Ports):
lost 2-3
Tredinnick and Weinstein-Linder Cartwright and Kingsbury Kondrashov and Smith Flynn and Rietschel Jim Durie (AHH, 1967-71) and Kingsbury
Lost 3 & 2 Won 1 up Lost 4 & 3 Won 4 & 3 Lost 4 & 3
Unfortunately, we failed to qualify for the finals of the Grafton Morrish, lost to The Leys in the Bernard Darwin and lost to Harrow in the Senior Darwin.
Smith and Richard Neville-Rolfe (QS, 1972-75), Durie having played in the qualifying round in place of Neville-Rolfe.
In the Royal Wimbledon Putting Competition, we reached the final for the fifth consecutive year and came fourth. The team was Cartwright, Flynn,
In 2015 the Society defeated the Old Radleians, Old Reptonians, Old Paulines and Old Wykehamists, halved with the Old Canfordians THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 45
and lost to the Old Marlburians and Old Uppinghamians. The Spring, Summer and Autumn Meetings were held and well attended. In cold, wintry conditions, the Society played the School at Royal Mid Surrey and won 3-0 but all three matches were close. In James Balgarnie (HH, Upper Shell) and Jordan Aguiar-Lucander (AHH, VI), the School has shown that it is continuing to provide players with immense potential. It is to be hoped that both will continue to blossom
once they join our ranks. We would like to thank Simon Hawken for his significant efforts in helping Golf Station flourish these past few years and look forward to working closely with the new master i/c, Charlie Ullathorne. Finally, the Society would like to congratulate James Furber (AHH, 1940-44) on being elected Captain of Royal St George’s for the 2016/17 season, the first OW to hold this august position since Sir Anthony Grover (BB, 1948-52) in the 1960s.
OW Tennis By Tristan Vanhegan (HH, 1994-99)
This season we got to the Quarter Finals of the D’Abernon Cup, played 7 friendlies, held our second Alec Melville Cup doubles tournament, enjoyed excellent events at the All England, The Garrick and Boisdale, and enhanced our practice sessions by becoming the proud owners of a top-of-the-range tennis ball machine! Marc Baghdadi (HH, 2001-06) and Aleksander Mardinian (PP, 2012-14) stormed through the round robin stage of the D’Abernon Cup
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Top row left to right: Christopher Clement-Davies (AHH, 197578), James Notaras (LL, 1995-97), Alex Perry (RR, 1996-2001), Simon Brocklebank-Fowler (WW, 1975-78), Henrietta Williams (RR, 1995-97), Tristan Vanhegan Bottom row left to right: Giles Atkinson (not OW), Matthew Webb (BB, 1999-2004), Simon Clement-Davies (WW, 197578), Caspar Melville (not OW)
We kicked-off the season with our regular pre-season pizza and drinks in Covent Garden in April.
beating St George’s, Milfield and Oundle to come top of their group, then knocked out Eton to qualify. They were joined by James Amott (WW, 1985-89) and me in the Quarter Final against Repton but we were soundly beaten. Chris Anguelov’s (GG, 2003-08) absence was felt and we hope to see him back in the team next season. Our friendlies included victories over the School and Common Room. We also beat UCS and the Bar but lost to Winchester, Marlborough and Eton. Thanks to all the members who played this season, including Nick Perry (RR,1964-67), CJ Morrell, Jimmy Notaras (LL, 1995-97), Simon ClementDavies, Matt Webb, Marc Baghdadi (HH, 200106), Aleks Mardinian (PP, 2012-14), Sam Brodsky (AHH, 2006-11), Giles Atkinson, Caspar Melville and Yash Rajan (RR, 1992-97). This year’s Alec Melville Cup doubles tournament was fiercely contested with favourites Giles Atkinson and Caspar Melville losing to Simon Clement-Davies and Matt Webb in the final. Third place went to Simon Brocklebank-Fowler and Jimmy Notaras. The winners’ names are now etched on the trophy alongside last year’s inaugural victors, Honorary President Duncan Matthews and Tim Brocklebank-Fowler. Other prizes included Champagne, wine and t-shirts. It was an extremely enjoyable day with food and drink available for players and spectators throughout. A huge thank you to Matt Webb for organising this fantastic event.
On the social side, we kicked-off the season with our regular pre-season pizza and drinks in Covent Garden in April. A big thank you then goes to Duncan for hosting a brilliant evening at The Garrick Club. Special thanks also go to Nick and Alex Perry for hosting an excellent day at the Wimbledon Championships, a highlight of the season! Finally, thank you to Simon ClementDavies for organising the thoroughly enjoyable end of season dinner at Boisdale. As ever, Saturday morning sessions at Vincent Square will continue as long as the weather permits, usually well into December. Please come along and try out our fantastic new ball machine! We hope to see you on court.
Saturday morning sessions at Vincent Square will continue as long as the weather permits, usually well into December. Please come along and try out our fantastic new ball machine!
Having listened to our members on how best to invest the Club funds, in September we bought a Lobster Elite 2 ball machine. Among its many features, this machine has capacity for 150 balls, offers various spin options, and can feed balls at up to 80mph. This was an incredibly exciting investment and will no doubt prove a very popular addition to our Wednesday evening and Saturday morning practice sessions.
THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 47
Water By Oliver Cox (HH, 1997-2002)
■■ In February, OW rowers again competed as part of the School’s entry for the Prince Albert II coastal rowing challenge in Monaco. Tim Jones (LL, 1992-97) took a bronze in a composite double scull; John Mehrzad (BB, 1992-97) joined CD Riches (Head of Physical Education, History) in a composite quad which took the gold on both days of racing. Jessica Chichester (GG, 200002) and Oliver Cox (HH, 1997-2002), coxed by Praneet Shivaprasad (HH, 1997-2002), also competed as part of a composite mixed quad. The results, combined with very successful racing from the School’s crews, were enough to win Westminster third place in the Victor Ludorum and a fine cup to take home. Considering challenging weather conditions, the number of clubs from across Europe now entering this event and the fact that many competing clubs are specifically coastal rowing clubs, this was a truly fantastic result for everyone in pink.
October saw the revival of an important tradition - the annual dinner. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, so far as the writer can remember, and we hope to see more of both current and previously-competitive members next year.
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Top: The Alleynian VIII - Cox: Hugo Ramambason (QS, 200914), stroke Alex Balgarnie (HH, 2010-15), 7 Cameron Kerr (GG, 2009-14), 6 Merlin Dwan (not EBC), 5 Jack Bannenburg (WW, 2006–11), 4 Tim Jones (LL, 1992-97), 3 Tom Watson (DD, 1992-97), 2 Oliver Cox (HH, 1997-2002), bow Tom Sutton (MM, 2005-10) Above: Rowing at the Sports Centre
In September, we again competed in the invitational Alleynian Regatta for alumni crews, run by Dulwich College. Elizabethan fielded a crew combining youth and experience: Tom Sutton (MM, 2005-10), Cox, Tom Watson (DD, 199297), Jones, Jack Bannenburg (WW, 2006–11), Merlin Dwan (substitute), Cameron Kerr (GG, 2009-14) and Alex Balgarnie (HH, 2010-15), ably coxed by Hugo Ramambason (QS, 2009-14). An excellent first race against Hampton’s alumni saw them match our traditional fast start and there was stroke-for-stroke racing for a time, but we held
Above: The School at Henley
our technique and gained clear water by the finish. The chance of a semi-final against St Paul’s was met with some satisfaction, given events at Henley: unfortunately, the opposition (looking noticeably younger around the bows) proved the faster crew. St Paul’s took an early half-length lead and held it. It was still an excellent day’s racing, and we are looking forward to a rematch next year. Most importantly, October saw the revival of an important tradition - the annual dinner. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, so far as the writer can remember, and we hope to see more of both current and previously-competitive members next year. Our thanks to the organiser, Felix Mitchell (MM, 2002-07).
The Elizabethan Boat Club exists for all Old Westminsters who wish to pick up rowing again: we can accommodate both competitive spirits and those looking for a more occasional commitment. Sculling or crew boat options are available most weekends, and we now have use of the School Sports Centre on Wednesday evenings for crew training. If you are interested in getting involved, or in supporting the Club, please do get in touch with one of our active members.
THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 49
Hew Award, Traditional Korean House
We spoke to people throughout the trip to gauge the general opinion of cosmetic surgery of Koreans in Seoul. Michael Natzler (WW, 2010-15) Read more from the Hew Award winners on page 56
Hew Award, Sprawling Seoul
OW ARTICLES Get in touch If you would like to submit an article for inclusion in the next issue of the Elizabethan Newsletter, please send details to the Editor: The Elizabethan Newsletter The Development Office 17a Dean’s Yard, London SW1P 3PB alumni@westminster.org.uk 020 7963 1115
Metz Award
Heritage and the Public Realm in Yangon by Livia Wang (PP, 2009-11)
■■ The generous provision of the Metz Award meant I was able to travel to Myanmar in February 2016. As an Architecture student, my interests lie in heritage buildings and their relationships to cities and public spaces; Burma provided rich pickings. The Yangon Heritage Trust on Pansodan Street is a good place to begin. I was the only one who turned up for a (usually popular) tour of the city’s colonial-era residential areas with Aung, a Law Student, as my guide. As we walked, our conversation ranged from the form and history of Yangon’s built environment, to social and political change in Myanmar.
Above: Shwedagon Pagoda Opposite (right): Street Football
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In the days of the British Raj, Yangon, or ‘Rangoon’ as it was then known, saw a huge construction effort. The city was planned on a grid system, and under the Empire’s consulting architects, the majority of downtown Rangoon was built. Burma’s imperial capital boasted imposing banks, international offices and the famous Strand Hotel, as well as more modest residential areas and warehouses. The Art Nouveau Lokanat Building (1906) demonstrates the civic role these historic buildings now play in Yangon. Originally housing the offices of the Bank of Burma, Reuters news agency, various merchants and the Vienna Café, the Lokanat Building became government-owned after World War II and was headquarters of the Forestry Department until the capital moved to Naypyidaw in 2005. Today, visitors climb the teak staircase to reach the Lokanat Galleries, families live in apartments within the building and tea is sold in its corridors. As new businesses move in,
construction work commences throughout the labyrinthine structure, testament to the inherent adaptability of some of these buildings. The Lokanat Building represents a relative success, and buildings with less grand histories lie neglected, crumbling and quietly disappearing as new developments take their place - it being cheaper to demolish and build something new, rather than renovate. Existing conservation efforts are misguided: architectural detail is lost to poor plastering, and bizarre efforts by companies such as Lenovo result in an entire street being painted in the red of their logo. In 2010, the Yangon Heritage Trust was founded to document, list and protect the buildings, as well as educate residents and tourists. An exhibition of old photographs at their small gallery shows evidence of Yangon’s changing architecture, but also brought my attention to how the city accommodates its charismatic street life.
Yangon’s streets are where everything happens. The bustle of food stalls, markets and general lounging is peppered with Buddhist lectures in the evening, where roads are entirely covered with rugs, neon lamps and cross-legged listeners. Children find quiet roads to play the popular street game of Chinlone (a fascinating, non-competitive, Buddhist form of football), and residential alleys were pedestrianised for dragon dance competitions at the time of my Chinese New Year visit. Such outdoor living is a necessity due to high temperatures and cramped living quarters, yet this is an aspect of life in Yangon that residents also clearly enjoy. The streets are not just a space for transport, but public spaces for people to transact, gather, learn and play. The physical and political environment for these activities has undergone inevitable periods of change. The tradition for peaceful monk-led protests was seriously curtailed under the military Junta with the shooting and brutal killing of demonstrators being as recent as 2007. Whilst THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 53
Above: Another View of the Shwedagon Pagoda
people talked freely of their hopes for the newly elected National League for Democracy (NLD), my visit falling in the midst of the transition period from a military to NLD-majority parliament, media censorship was still apparent. In terms of the physical city, Yangon’s narrow roads have become heavily trafficked and what was pavement has been reduced and converted to parking (the cars forming a barrier between street and sidewalk) because of the easing of car import regulations. I was struck by how wide the original pavements appeared in photographs, with ample room for booksellers, entire restaurants and the square markings of Chinlone courts... These spaces still writhe with activity but are increasingly crowded as space is lost. Yangon’s more ostensibly public spaces are its parks and temples. Mahabandoola Park provides some much-needed open space to the dense 54 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
downtown. On a hot Saturday evening, the park is full of couples, lying on the lawn or quietly murmuring amongst the planting. The quantity of people who use this 3-hectare site suggests a clear demand for more such spaces in the city, many of which have been built upon. Religious spaces are also intrinsic to Yangon’s public life. The striking diversity of Yangon is made clear through its different places of worship, the Buddhist temples, mosques, Hindu mandirs, Catholic and Protestant churches as well as Armenian Orthodox churches (there have been Armenian settlers in Yangon since the beginning of the 17th century). Sitting at the Shwedagon Pagoda, where many spend the day people-watching and chatting, I found myself in conversation with Mr Xu, a third-generation Chinese resident of Yangon. He eagerly talked about his past as a teacher of secondary school History and Politics, sharing his opinions on
Above: Yangon Street Restaurant
modern Myanmar and China. His stressed the importance of ethnicity in Burmese politics: religion and ethnic origin are both stated on ID cards and certain groups are barred from entering political discourse. Political uncertainty still impacts on how people live. Yangon’s public realm is clearly dynamic. Engaging with strangers, from fleeting transactions to thorough conversation, is a greater part of everyday life here than I have experienced elsewhere. This can be attributed in part to the socioeconomic and political context of the city and wider Myanmar but it is also manifest in and hugely affected by the built environment.
the colonial buildings are now an integral part of Yangon’s identity and are wholly Burmese in how they are used. The capacity of these buildings to be adapted and changed by their users, the economic microcosm each building can embody, is much more difficult (though not impossible) to achieve in new developments, with high rents and construction costs to pay-off. I feel that it is important that plans for Yangon’s future allow for both an economic reawakening and for its unique architectural heritage to flourish. Cities need old buildings, their loss is not only a threat to what the city looks like, but also how it is experienced by residents.
My Yangon Heritage Trust Guide, Aung, had initially volunteered at the Trust as a way to get to know foreigners, but said that the work had clarified the wider value of Yangon’s heritage architecture. Initially a symbol of imperialism, THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 55
Hew Award
North Korea and Nose Jobs by Michael Natzler (WW, 2010-15) and Sara Lee (PP, 2013-15)
■■ As it turns out, facial cosmetic surgery is an entirely different ball game in Korea. In the UK it is most prevalent among the Botox-and-brunchloving-yummy-mummies of Notting Hill, and the ‘Real Housewives’ of Kensington and Chelsea. In Korea it is reaching the status of a rite of passage for Korean women from all backgrounds: last year in Korea for every four births, one woman would have facial cosmetic surgery - most likely double eyelid surgery or a rhinoplasty. If Korea’s population was the same as that of the USA, there would be 12 operations in Korea for each one in America. The figure in 2013 was 108,000/annum and has been rising since the turn of the century. It is most common among women although the numbers are steadily rising among men also. If this rate continues to grow steadily, then by 2040 around 10 per cent of women in Korea would have had facial cosmetic surgery.
Above: Hew Award Winners Right: Korean Skin Whitening Beauty Product
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With the knowledge that Korea had a plastic surgery obsession, Sara and I set out to Seoul for ten days to investigate. Before our visit I was speculating that it was just a radical trend to rebel against an older, stricter generation, hand in hand with the pressure of Western beauty standards. I could not have been more wrong. Not only do parents pressure their children to have surgery, but having talked to people in Seoul, they clarified that the beauty standard is not Western, not even in origin. We spoke to people throughout the trip to gauge the general opinion of cosmetic surgery of Koreans in Seoul. The first person we spoke to was in her late 40s and a mother of two. We presented the issue to her and she spoke openly about how she believed it would be a good thing if her son got surgery to make him look beautiful. She went on: his face looks a little wrong, and without surgery, he would struggle to find a job. It transpired that
in Korea when applying for a job employers often require a headshot with the CV. In fact, in 2015 Korean Airlines made make-up classes mandatory for air hostesses. At this point, I felt I really needed to understand the beauty standard. There was strong consistency on Korean blogs: the V-shaped chin, enlarged eyes, and pale skin are favoured highest, with a narrower nose and a narrower face also on the list. Many articles from the US, where there is a large Korean community, proclaimed that the desire for larger eyes and paler skin obviously sprung from a desire to look like the Western Caucasian. Their evidence: many Korean skin-care products seem to go so far as to fetishise white Caucasian characteristics. Not quite convinced, I presented these findings to Sara who sighed and showed me the original product directed towards the Korean market, of course in Korean. As it turned out, the translation was misleading. A paler skin is favoured, but pearl THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 57
Above: Korean Blowtorch Barbecue
is a better translation than white. To broaden my understanding I returned to the internet and, unsurprisingly, there was huge contention about this very issue. Commentators noted that in Korea colour and ethnicity are not associated. Moreover, they were quick to point out how the V-shape attained through surgery did not resemble the structure of a typical Caucasian face. What’s more, pale skin in the West is declassé ever since Coco Chanel made sunburn 58 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
the new sexy. In both the East and the West, the desire for pale skin originated from the idea that the opulent did not need to labour outside, and it’s not just in Korea where people go to great lengths to keep their skin pale. Books have been written about this subject so I have just tried to touch the surface of this phenomenon. Of course, Korea is far from the only country with a population feeling they need
to meet a beauty standard, but what marks it out from the rest is that Koreans are adamant that it is a Korean standard of beauty rather than an attempt to “look white”. One little girl in Seoul said to Sara, that one day, once everyone has had plastic surgery, then all of Korea will be beautiful. I hope one day she comes across Lupita Nyong’o’s Oscar’s acceptance speech, and changes her mind. Aside from looking into this topic, Korea was exciting and new because I had never been west of Moscow and had a long running interest in the Far East. This trip was a fantastic opportunity for me to see a part of the world I had only read about in books, magazines and seen in films and documentaries. Having been around much of Europe, Korea really was a first. It was clear that there is a pride and an interest in preserving the past, although no lack of fierce modernity in Seoul to contrast it. However, when I came across what looked like a perfectly preserved 8th century temple, I knew something was not quite right. Indeed, it emerged that it had been restored in the 1990s to within an inch of its life. None of the original stone or timber remained. Visiting other ancient sites this motif of restoration over preservation emerged. Seoul as a city is famously split. After the Korean War, Seoul had very fast growth in response to the North separating and taking most of the industry with it. Most of the buildings were concrete and unplanned in layout. This means that when you first enter Seoul from Incheon Airport you don’t see the flashy skyscrapers and glass buildings, rather, grey characterless houses fanning out. When I asked the hotel receptionist, she explained that every mayor for the past 20 years has promised to make Seoul more beautiful, but the promise has never been carried through. We were lucky enough to stay for a night in Yangdong Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site just outside Seoul. We climbed a steep hill with a beautiful view over the rolling Korean hills and rice paddies to the old servants’ quarters where we would be sleeping. Unfortunately, I had to write my [UCAS] Personal Statement that night, such is life, but it did not seem like such a great task, my back against one of Korea’s most ancient trees, with only the cicadas and the setting sun for company. We slept on the floor on mats in traditional Korean style in a bare but cosy room. The minimalism of the room was astonishing; none of us had slept
so well in a long time. All of us went out for a special Korean barbecue, a restaurant emanating 1950s high schools in Seoul. The waiting staff were dressed in school uniform and the walls covered in photographs of 1950s icons from Korea and America. I had had Korean barbecue before, but not like this. We were presented with huge slabs of steak (Korea is not veggie friendly), asked if they were to our liking, before being swiftly cut up into little squares and cooked to perfection with a Korean spirit wine and a blowtorch. It was exhilarating and delicious. The most moving part of the trip was without doubt when we went to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the border with North Korea. Having gone through the relatively relaxed security measures and heard many stories about deserters from North to South Korea, we reached a little hill where you could look across the vast expanse of minefields and forest, across the border and into North Korea. The telescopes were so strong that you could see people going about their daily lives, oblivious or not to whether they were being watched. It was strange to look into a world which we knew was not a happy one, yet from a distance, seeming so similar to our own, one would not have guessed. The horrors north of the border still fresh in our minds from the guide’s stories made the moment a poignant one, bringing the distant but familiar world of North Korea to life. The attitude in South Korea is keenly pro-union. However, the destructive economic effect coming hand-in-hand with reuniting the two Koreas would be so great that the government is not willing to take the matter head-on; they limit themselves to symbolic acts, embodying hope backed with no intent such as building a railway line between the two nations which will open when the countries reunite. The trip was eye opening for me: I not only had experiences which changed my view of a country important to competing powers, the US and China, but experiences unlike any I had had before. I am so grateful for the opportunity to travel, and I am confident I will go back to Korea – reunited or not, still in love with cosmetic surgery or not, we’ll have to see.
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The Prag Award
Tea Tasting in Tregothnan and Translation in Paris by Matthew Holland (RR, Remove) and Eleanor Watson (AHH, Remove) An introduction to the Prag Award:
Adolf Prag (1906-2004) taught Mathematics at Westminster from 1946-66 and was the School Librarian. He was also an authority on the history of Mathematics, notably the work of Isaac Newton. His wife Frede (1904-2004) was much involved in School activities such as theatre and maintaining Ashburnham Garden. The Prag Award (established in 2008) aims to reflect the way Adolf encouraged pupils to follow up things which had sparked their interest. 60 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
Matthew sent the following report from his Tea Tasting in Tregothnan:
“Darjeeling is frequently regarded by those in the know as the ‘King of the Teas’ and in my, albeit somewhat biased opinion, rightfully so. Since its introduction to India by Robert Fortune in 1952, tea has flourished in the high hills of the Himalayas, producing a cup with intense aromatic foretaste, deep muscatel dampness and a crisp texture that many global tea producers have struggled to emulate for centuries.
were planted on the steep and exposed sides of a small valley, in the centre of which was a pond (ensuring that soil constantly remains damp). Despite this similarity in geography, the climate has a significant effect on the flavour of the tea. The lack of sun and excess rain result in a lack of amino acids and an abundance of caffeine in the leaf which gives the tea a slightly stronger and more boisterous note; indeed the lack of delicacy is the principal giveaway when comparing it to more traditional, Indian Darjeeling. I am, of course, being hyper-critical. Given that the estate has only been growing tea since 2001, and the enormous challenges of climate and processing techniques that they have had to overcome it is an incredibly impressive operation and product. It is also an exciting leap forward for the seemingly stagnant and extremely conservative global tea industry as the UK finally enters into the murky waters of tea production.” Eleanor sent the following report following her placement in Paris:
I was thus astonished to read several years ago about a small estate in Cornwall that claimed to have produced an imitation Darjeeling grown in the harsh and unforgiving climate of southwestern England. My personal research has been on the effect of soil and climate on the flavour of tea and the opportunity to visit a tea plantation so different from any other in the world was an incredibly interesting and exciting experience. It was surprising to find that the geography of the plantation was very similar to the more traditional gardens in India; tea bushes
“I was able to spend a week working with the interpreter at Hôtel de Ville in Paris where I had the opportunity to translate an eclectic mix of documents, giving me an insight into the life of a translator and the administration of the City Hall. These ranged from a treaty between Paris and Tokyo to a letter of apology to a family who had suffered a rickshaw accident. I accompanied the interpreter to events, including an award ceremony for the ‘Légion d’honneur’. Her ability to interpret simultaneously and unobtrusively was astounding. Moreover, I attended the reception for the President of Mali inside the ‘grand salon’ of Hôtel de Ville. Aside from the pomp and spectacle, the most memorable occurrence was chatting to a Malian delegate who gave me his honest view on Franco-Malian relations. Staying in central Paris allowed me to experience French cuisine and family life, as well as providing a base from which to explore the city in the evenings. I visited numerous museums and galleries and was lucky enough to see a performance of Molière’s Le Misanthrope at the ComédieFrançaise, just one of the highlights from this exciting and enlightening trip.”
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My Year at Westminster during the Swinging Sixties By Gareth Glaser (Milton Exchange AHH, 1965-66)
■■ “I came to London in July 1965 to attend Fifth Form at Westminster. I was a typical American teenager from the leafy suburbs of Connecticut. Until then, my biggest excitement had been shopping malls (a new US phenomena), Summers on Cape Cod and the 1964 World’s Fair. I rode my bike or took the school bus to our local Elementary School, then carpooled to Hopkins Grammar (at which I was enrolled when I applied to Westminster). I was about to experience culture shock. London in 1965/6 was the heart of the Swinging Sixties, the Mod Generation, bell bottoms, miniskirts, Carnaby Street, Twiggy (the ‘face’ of 1966) and Top of the Pops. In sharp contrast stood Westminster School full of history and tradition. What an amazing year it was going to be. My parents bought me my first suit and tie the dark grey uniform of Westminster and lace up black shoes. Before term began I had to be tutored in Latin as I had never studied it, nor any other languages. I went from four subjects at Hopkins (English, Maths, Science and Geography) to eleven at Westminster (English, Algebra, Geometry, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Geography, Latin, French, German and Divinity). It was overwhelming. The sports were different too; but I cannot complain, since after one year of playing football (what Americans call soccer) at Westminster, I returned to the US and made the school varsity. The only similarity was that Westminster was a boys’ school at that time as was Hopkins. School began. Within the first week I replaced my lace up black shoes with Beatle boots like all the other boys were wearing - the Swinging Sixties had crept into Westminster. I got a pass and took the Tube from Kensington High Street to St. James Park like every other London commuter. For the first time in my life I had complete
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independence to go wherever I wished. After Saturday classes (also something new) I would ride the Tube with my new Westminster friends all over the city to check out Carnaby Street or whatever. My two best friends were boarders Mike Trend (AHH, 1965-70) and Tarquin Gotch (AHH, 1965-69). I have connected to Gotch on Facebook but lost track of Trend. I have asked Westminster to contact him for me but with no luck so far. Maybe he will read this and call. I was a day pupil in Ashburnham House on Dean’s Yard. The biggest challenge for an American at Westminster was to be accepted by the other boys. This took several months. In hindsight it is one of the most valuable experiences I have ever had as it prepared me for my life’s later challenges as I changed careers, travelled and lived overseas. As I am running out of space, I will finish with a list of my fondest personal memories of Westminster: running through the Cloisters where the public was not allowed, sneaking into the kitchens with Trend to steal bread and butter, polishing the silver in Major French’s office as punishment for one transgression or another, playing the role of an ‘American Tourist’ in our Fifth Form French Play, taking a 1st in English (!), watching our Geography teacher dip snuff, pitchers full of raspberry jam to pour onto our pudding and having the Abbey as our school chapel. I thank Westminster for a great education, great friends and my first taste of the challenge and freedom of adulthood.”
A Day in the Life Many OWW begin fascinating careers upon leaving the School. To help to give pupils and young OWW a sense of the reality of day-to-day life in specific fields, and to inform OWW about what their peers are doing, we include the two accounts below. We have included two OW women this time to complement the work of the OW Women’s Network which looks to ensure that Westminster women are proportionally represented at OW events and encourages OWW to act as mentors to girls at School and women Leavers who are keen to enter male-dominated professions.
Biba Dow (CC, 1985-87) is an Architect and, with her husband, a Director of Dow Jones Architect, a practice which designs contemporary buildings, often alongside historic buildings. She lives in Balham with her husband and their three teenage children.
■■ My day begins at 6.30 am. My children leave for school early so the day has a quick start with a lot to do. When they have left, I sort out whatever needs doing at home and then walk to work, about ten minutes away. My husband Alun walks our dog to work via the common; she spends the day there with us. We like working near home because it makes it easier and nicer combining work and family life. Often the children call by the office on their way home, and I like that. At the moment we are on site with an extension to the Garden Museum in London. We are also working on a new building for Maggie’s Cancer Care in Cardiff; Maggie’s are an amazing organisation with a very clear idea about how to help people and their families with cancer. We have just finished work at Christ Church Spitalfields, where we have turned the crypt into a public place. I loved revealing a previously buried space and finding a way of making something contemporary sit alongside Hawksmoor’s masterpiece. One of the things I really enjoy about my day is the different people I get to work with, especially our clients. Whether this is an individual for whom we are designing a new house, or an organisation, developing an understanding of how they live and work is always really rewarding. I find it hugely
satisfying when you work closely with people and develop ideas together. I also really enjoy discovering the purpose of each project. One of the projects I am working on at the moment is the extension of a church in Paddington. It is a highly significant Grade I listed church by Edmund Street. Now the church is mainly empty, and our project brings in other communities via a new building alongside with a café and classroom introducing activities and investment in the surrounding community. The architectural challenge for us has been to find a way of designing a building which is inviting to those who might not want to enter a church, but also has a demonstrable relationship to the church which satisfies the heritage groups. Our design uses the material and colours of the interior – terracotta and faience – on the outside, and extends Street’s proportional system and modulation. Quite often, I have an evening meeting, but if not, I aim to be home around 5 pm to spend time with children, walk the dog and make supper. We all eat together at around 7.30 pm and it’s nice to pause and catch up. If I can squeeze in the time, I sew. I find it very therapeutic to make things with my hands - I make clothes and find it has a lot of the same thought processes as architecture, but takes a lot less long! Often Alun and I are deep into some TV series as well like Spiral, The Bridge or, currently, The Night Manger.
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Vivienne Curtis (BB, 1984-86) is a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital in South London and a visiting Senior Lecturer at Kings College London. She lives in South London with her partner (who is also a Psychiatrist) and their daughter.
■■ “I am very lucky as I knew that I wanted to be a Psychiatrist before I started Medical School. After getting my medical degree, I started specialty training at the Maudsley Hospital and I have never left. During my training, I was able to combine clinical and academic work (research in psychopharmacology, functional neuroimaging and Bipolar Disorder) and teaching and my current post enables me to combine all of these elements. Like many doctors, I do many different things and never have a “typical” day, which is what makes medicine such a varied, interesting and rewarding career. My day usually starts with dropping my daughter off at school. I then walk to the Hospital and start by focusing on clinical work. I work on a very busy acute female admissions ward looking after patients aged 18 and over who come from Southwark. All of the patients are having an acute mental health crisis, some have longstanding illnesses like Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, some are suicidal, some are ill for the first time and some are suffering from acute reactions to stressful events. We have new admissions every day and patients typically stay with us for 2-3 weeks. On wards like this, you work as a team, so I spend my time talking with my Junior Doctors, nursing staff, occupational therapists, social workers and psychologists. I review patients and meet with their families in the mornings but also spend time in the afternoons liaising with other teams and supervising staff.
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When I am not engaged in clinical work, my job focus is on teaching and training. I have been involved in Postgraduate Medical Education for over 10 years and I am Director of an Integrated Academic Training Programme which enables over 100 trainees in all specialties of Medicine and Dentistry to combine clinical and academic work. My role involves organising the scheme, allocating posts to specialties, recruitment, ensuring the progress of trainees and working with the external bodies who fund the scheme and ensure that training requirements have been met. I am also the co-lead of a Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Training and Capacity Development team. BRCs are important as they enable groups of researchers to come together to focus on research that will yield benefits for patients within 5 years. My role is to make sure that the training on offer helps achieve that goal and to help trainees to access these opportunities. Sometimes I organise and speak at meetings to promote understanding of science to the general public, I also encourage students to learn more about Medicine and Biomedical careers and, hopefully, become the researchers of the future. We are very proud of the number of women who are in senior positions and I am often involved in activities relating to supporting and encouraging this. At the end of the day (5-ish) I collect my daughter and we walk home together. I still have to be on-call in the evenings and at weekends but as a Psychiatrist, I am based at home rather than in the Hospital. Time out of work is very important and we try to make the most of what London has to offer, although at the end of the day it is nice to come home, relax and reflect on what the day has brought.
From the Archives By Elizabeth Wells School Archivist
A German U-boat…spotted the ship and fired a torpedo into its starboard side. The lights on board failed and the ship began to sink.
Goodnight, sorry for sinking you
One of the most enjoyable aspects of my work as School Archivist is learning about some of the fascinating events in the lives of Old Westminsters. This year, thanks to Ian Petherick (HBB, 1941-46) I found out about the incredible journey of the Almond brothers (Basil, David and Francis) from India to the School, then out in Herefordshire, during World War II. In 1940, the three boys and their sister had moved out to India to join their mother and father, Sir James Almond, who had been made Judicial Commissioner of the North West Frontier Province of India in 1937. By 1942 their mother, Lady May Victoria Almond, was becoming concerned with her sons’ schooling. The couple decided that she should return to England with the children because, although the journey would be hazardous, India was looking increasingly vulnerable in the face of the Japanese advance through Burma. The family boarded SS City of Cairo in Bombay and, after a few days’ break at Cape Town, set sail on the morning of 1st November 1942 for Recife, on the Brazilian coast. Their ship was too slow to travel in a convoy, but was to take a zig-zag route across nearly 4,000 miles of the south Atlantic to avoid the attention of German U-boats. There were just over 300 people on board. On the evening of 6th November, just after the children on board had been sent to bed, a German U-boat commanded by Captain Merten spotted the ship and fired a torpedo into its starboard side. The lights on board failed and
Top left: S.S. City of Cairo Top right: Lady May Above: Salvage retrieved from the wreck in 2015
the ship began to sink. Lady May, wearing her evening dress, hurried down to the family’s cabins in the dark, collecting her children and ensuring that they all had their life jackets on over their pyjamas. On arriving at their life-boat station they discovered that their allocated boat, No. 2, had already been launched and in the hurry had been damaged and capsized. She finally managed to find a life-boat which had room for her family - Boat 3 of an original 8 life-boats, but they had not moved far from the sinking ship when Captain Merten fired a second torpedo. This sent up a column of water and debris which crashed down onto the life-boats, destroying Boat 3 and sucking its passengers under water. When Lady May surfaced she could find three of her children but David, then aged 12, was missing. She made the difficult decision to guide the three
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Above: Grant’s House in 1946 - Francis Almond stands behind the Housemaster - the right of two boys wearing darker coloured jackets
children towards one of the remaining life-boats and must have been enormously relieved when they found David a short way out – according to him they were the ones who were lost! Now only six over-full life-boats remained, many damaged by the blast, and none had room for the whole family. In the end, there was no option but to split up with David and Francis in Boat 4 and the rest of the family in Boat 8. It was around this point that the U-boat surfaced. Captain Merten gave them an approximate guide to the direction of nearest land which was the tiny island of St Helena, 500 miles to the north-east. They were 1,250 miles off the coast of Africa and 2,250 miles off the coast of Brazil. His final words to 66 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
the group were “Goodnight, sorry for sinking you”. He omitted to tell the survivors that he had blocked the SS Cairo’s distress call, fearing that it would guide Allied ships to his position. At dawn the six remaining life-boats drew together and did a roll count. Miraculously, only six men were missing. The group differed over the best course of action. Some wanted to stay where they were, expecting a ship to arrive at any minute in answer of their SOS call. Others thought the only hope of survival was to reach St Helena. But it was a long shot as they had only limited means of navigation. Fresh water was in short supply and, calculating that it would take them
21 days to reach land, they settled on a ration of just over 100ml per person each day – a fifth of a pint. Although there was plenty of food, it was dry and the survivors were soon too dehydrated to eat much. The boats were over-crowded so there was no space to lie-down or stretch. The sun was fierce during the day whilst at night the temperature dropped and it was difficult to keep warm. They knew there were sharks in the water and did not attempt to catch fish for fear of luring them towards the boats. David and Francis became friendly with a young woman named Margaret Gordon whose husband had died in the second torpedo strike. Looking
after the boys had helped her to manage her grief and so the boys stayed with her in Boat 4. However, it was not long before strain of keeping the boats together and the subsequent slow progress led arguments to break out amongst the survivors. On the fifth day, the Captain decided that Boat 1, the fastest, should strike out alone to get to St Helena as quickly as possible and send help to the remaining boats. David and Francis re-joined their family in Boat 8. The boys, adhering to the Scouts’ motto were well prepared. Francis had provided his small pen knife to the crew of Boat 4 and Basil had a lurid ‘thriller’ whose pages were used for an unmentionable purpose – much to the annoyance THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 67
of some of the other children who wanted to read the book. The strain of the situation soon began to take its toll on the survivors. On the fourth night, an elderly man had stood up to urinate and fallen overboard, being swept past the remaining boats until he was out of reach. Arguments began about the water rations and some began to drink sea water, in spite of the advice of the ship’s doctor, a man named Quantrill. Several men died as a result of consuming too much salt water. On some days, they spotted clouds in the distance and attempted to steer the boat towards the storm with tarpaulin spread out ready to catch the precious rain drops, but they never arrived in time. On the 13th day, they calculated that they were still 200 miles from St Helena with all of the other boats now far from sight. Dr Quantrill, seeing the exhaustion and ill-health of those in the boat began distributing the water ration early when suddenly a ship was spotted on the horizon. The Captain of the ship, Bendoran, nearly sailed past, fearing the life-boat was a decoy for U-boats, but then spotted the children on board. In less than a week, the family were back in Cape Town where they had to wait six weeks before nervously boarding the MS Straat Sunda which would return them safely to England. At around the time that the Almond family on Boat 8 were rescued, Boats 5, 6, and 7, their crews similarly depleted, were approaching St Helena where they were spotted and brought ashore. Boat 1 which had struck out ahead was not so lucky. Some of those on board had severe injuries from the initial torpedo attack and died, but some seemingly healthy men also died. Half were dead by the 15th day. By the 19th day they began to realise that they might have missed St Helena. After nearly a month, only two men and a woman were left alive, without the strength to row, when it rained. This fresh water enabled them to survive a few more days until they were sighted on day 36 by a German ship – they had travelled 500 miles past St Helena. The men recovered once on board but the woman required an operation and died as a result. The ship was travelling between Japan and Bordeaux with
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Above: The Town Boy Ledger
valuable cargo and was a natural target. On New Year’s Day as it approached the French coast it came under attack. One survivor was sent on a life-boat to the Spanish coast from whence he was able to travel back to England. The other survivor was picked up by a German U-boat and taken to St Nazaire and then interned in a German POW camp until the end of the war. And what of Boat 4 and the boys’ friend Margaret Gordon? The only woman on the boat, she took it upon herself to look after the other survivors. However, the crew rapidly depleted as once again
people were unable to resist the urge to drink sea water. After 17 days, they made the decision to abandon hope of finding St Helena and instead turn west towards the South American coast. After a month only Margaret Gordon and one other survivor, James Whyte remained. On December 27th, rain fell on the boat and they were able to collect enough water to stay alive a little longer. They did not realise it, but they were less than 100 miles from the Brazilian coast and were about to be picked up by a naval ship. After having convalesced in a hospital in Recife, James Whyte flew to New York and joined a ship bound for Liverpool. This ship was blown up in the mid-Atlantic by another German U-boat and there were no survivors. Margaret Gordon decided that she would not cross the Atlantic until after the end of the war. She wrote a number of moving letters to the relatives of those with whom she had shared Boat 4. She also kept a promise she had made to Francis Almond and sent him a replacement pen knife – his original was lost with James Whyte. Out of a total of 311 people aboard City of Cairo, 104 died, including 79 crew members, three gunners and 22 passengers. Postscript
None of the brothers discussed their difficult journey to school with their fellow pupils. That this story is known is largely down to the journalist Ralph Barker, who published a book on the episode entitled Goodnight, Sorry for Sinking You and organised a reunion of survivors on HMS Belfast. Amongst the guests was Captain Merten, the U-boat captain who had sunk the ship, who was then aged 79. In 2015, a British led team recovered £34 million of silver coins that had been carried by the ship. The silver rupees were called in by London to help fund the war effort but they never made it to Whitehall’s coffers. The coins have now been melted down in the UK and sold, with the undisclosed sum divided between the treasury - which technically owns the coins - and the salvagers, who take a percentage of the sale.
Town Boy Ledgers
During the Play Term we began an online serialisation of the Town Boy Ledgers, 200 years after they were first begun in 1815. The Ledgers were kept by the pupil elected ‘Prince of the Town Boys’ (Princeps Oppidanus) and provide a vivid account of school boy experiences written exclusively for the benefit of future generations of pupils. They provide a rarely recorded perspective upon education at the time as well as fascinating references to local and national events. The project can be followed here: http://townboyledger.westminster.org.uk/ Thanks
Once again, I would like to thank all the OWW who have donated time, records and artefacts to the School’s collection over the past year. Particular thanks are due to those who have helped identify individuals in House photographs – seeing a school photograph of a relative is often the highlight of a visit to the archives and it is wonderful to match more names to faces. We love adding new things to our collections, which are widely used both within and outside of the school. Please do get in touch if you have something you would like to donate! Elizabeth Wells, Archivist archives@westminster.org.uk 020 7963 1110 @WSchoolArchives
None of the brothers discussed their difficult journey to school with their fellow pupils. That this story is known is largely down to the journalist Ralph Barker, who published a book on the episode entitled Goodnight, Sorry for Sinking You and organised a reunion of survivors on HMS Belfast.
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Best thing about my House at Westminster? Matron’s cakes and the lovely colour of the walls. Gabrielle Michotte (College, 2011-2013) Read more from the Young Gaudy 2015 attendees on page 73 Trees in Dean’s Yard
Great College Street
OW NEWS Get in touch If you have any news you would like to share with your contemporaries, please send details to the Editor: The Elizabethan Newsletter The Development Office 17a Dean’s Yard, London SW1P 3PB alumni@westminster.org.uk 020 7963 1115
2015 Leavers’ Comments ■■ 2015 Leavers were asked for their best School memory and best teacher after the Leavers’ Service in the Abbey. As always, their comments provide a brief snapshot of some of the highlights of five years at Westminster. Qi He (LL, 2013-15)
Best School memory: “Carol Service, it was so beautiful and divine, and historical at the same time.” Best teacher: “Mr Simpson, I love his economics lessons so much.” Ethan Loo (GG, 2013-15)
Best School memory: “Seeing everyone’s work at the Remove Art Show.” Arnav Kapoor (MM, 2010-15)
Best School memory: “The artistically insightful Venice trip in Upper Shell.” Best teacher: “Dr Kowenicki - for making a complicated subject seem interesting, easy and fun.” Archie Allen (DD, 2010-15)
Best School memory: “PHAB, Sicily Climbing Trip” Best teacher: “Dr Kowenicki: saved my chemistry!” Jared Jeyaretnam (BB, 2010-15)
Best teacher: “Mr Coward - for being such a great tutor and just as great a chemistry teacher.” Rory Meryon (MM, 2010-15)
Best School memory: “Alston” Best teacher: “Miss Rutherford - she really cared about everyone in the class as individuals.” Edwin Audland (AHH, 2010-15)
Best School memory: “The Bath Hockey Festival.” Best teacher: “Mr Simpson - tireless work put into hockey station, nicest and most generous teacher I’ve ever known. It was a pleasure.”
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Jack O’Shea (WW, 2010-15)
Best School memory: “Finally finishing exams.” Best teacher: “Mr Edlin - very knowledgeable and great sense of humour.” Natalie Tsui (LL, 2013-15)
Best School memory: “Lazy Sunday brunches up College Hall!” Best teacher: “Mr Page (TDP!) - legendary stories, best Housemaster anyone could ask for!” Daisy Tyrer (AHH, 2013-15)
Best School memory: “Seeing the Abbey lit up with candles during the Carol Service.” Best teacher: “I loved them all!” Katherine Harris (GG, 2013-15)
Best School memory: “Watching the Greaze being filmed by a drone! Westminster certainly welcomed cutting-edge technology…” Best teacher: “Mr G K Jones - for his sarcasm! Mrs A K Griffiths - for her care and understanding in helping me to overcome hurdles.” Ben Brind (LL, 2010-15)
Best teacher: “An impossible question - but Mr Hargreaves’s historical and personal support is something I will never forget.”
Notes from the 2015 Young Gaudy ■■ 2004-2014 Leavers were out in force for the 2015 Young Gaudy. Before the event all attendees were asked the question: “What was the best thing about your House at Westminster?”
Jessica Liu (Wren’s, 2012-2014)
Organisation: Kings College London Position: Undergraduate Best thing about your House at Westminster? A good view of College Garden. Alexander Mafi (Wren’s, 2012-2014)
…and their answers are printed below! We also asked for business information by way of an update for those who could not be there on the night.
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Medical Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The view from the Common Room.
2014 Leavers
Jack Aitken (Wren’s, 2009-2014)
Bianca Bivona (Dryden’s, 2012-2014)
Organisation: University of Cambridge Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? My tutor. Chloe Casey (Dryden’s, 2012-2014)
Organisation: University of Cambridge Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Near to College Garden... and lunch. Rachel Musoki (Liddell’s, 2012-2014)
Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The kitchen. Jamie Gray (Milne’s, 2009-2014)
Organisation: UCL Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Christmas quiz. Nicholas Kenny (Milne’s, 2009-2014)
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The colour scheme. Shariq Varawalla (Milne’s, 2009-2014)
Organisation: University of Cambridge Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Sandy Crole’s Christmas Quiz. Helena Khullar (Rigaud’s, 2012-2014)
Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The friendly atmosphere.
Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people (and College Garden). 2013 Leavers Phoebe Kitchen (Ashburnham, 2011-2013)
Organisation: Durham University Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Team spirit. Mayowa Sofekun (Ashburnham, 2011-2013)
Organisation: King’s College London Position: English Literature Student
Chenduraan Kailayapillai (Busby’s, 2008-2013)
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Medical Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Taking House competitions far too seriously - but being successful as a result. Keelan Kember (Busby’s, 2008-2013)
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? My Housemaster, Mr Botton. Ata Mohajer-Bastami (Busby’s, 2008-2013)
Organisation: University of Buckingham Position: Medical Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Busby’s Common Room. Gabrielle Michotte (College, 2011-2013)
Organisation: New College, Oxford Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Matron’s cakes and the lovely colour of the walls.
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Above: Ida Sjoberg (HH, 2011-13), Chenduraan Kailayapillai (BB, 2008-13), Mark Jerjian (HH, 2008-13) at the Young Gaudy 2015
Above: Artin Basirov (GG, 1989-94), Huey Robson (AHH, 2003-08) and Geran Jones (Russian, French and German) at the Young Gaudy 2015
James Gunn (College, 2008-2013)
Henry Taylor (Rigaud’s, 2008-2013)
Vikram Jayaswal (College, 2008-2013)
Lucia Craft Marquez (Wren’s, 2011-2013)
Kwesi Peterson (College, 2008-2013)
Isabella Ramchandani (Wren’s, 2011-2013)
Toby Goodman (Grant’s, 2008-2013)
2012 Leavers
Organisation: Durham University Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Community Spirit. Organisation: Imperial College London Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The death of the midnight raid. Organisation: University of Cambridge Position: Mathematics Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? College friends. Organisation: UCL Position: Law LLB Best thing about your House at Westminster? The Housemaster - David Hargreaves. Ida Sjoberg (Hakluyt’s, 2011-2013) Mark Jerjian (Hakluyt’s, 2008-2013)
Organisation: University of Cambridge Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Sporting prowess? George Troop (Hakluyt’s, 2008-2013)
Organisation: Durham University Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Hakluyt’s Common Room. Katriona Hilliard (Purcell’s, 2011-2013)
Organisation: Imperial College London Position: Medical Student
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Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The House Chant - ‘Ipsu Razu’. Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Table Football. Organisation: LSE Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The House colours. Stratis Limnios (Ashburnham, 2007-2012)
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Graduate
Lily Pinder (Ashburnham, 2010-2012)
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The sport. Charles Malton (Busby’s, 2007-2012) Shyam Gokani (College, 2007-2012)
Organisation: Imperial Position: Medical Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? 5th Form pranks. Christopher Norris (College, 2007-2012)
Organisation: White and Case Position: Future Trainee Solicitor Best thing about your House at Westminster? Matron.
Daniel Marx (Grant’s, 2007-2012)
Charles-Edward Sealy (Rigaud’s, 2007-2012)
Tillie Lloyd-Thomas (Grant’s, 2010-2012)
Benjamin O’Dwyer (Rigaud’s, 2007-2012)
Organisation: Imperial College London Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? A really cool tutor group. Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? David Hargreaves. Callum Bungey (Hakluyt’s, 2007-2012)
Organisation: University of Cambridge Position: Masters Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Enthusiasm - especially through sports and House Singing. Christopher Rowe (Hakluyt’s, 2007-2012)
Organisation: University of Cambridge Position: MPhil in Management Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? It wasn’t Busby’s. Organisation: Trinity College Dublin Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Mix of boarding and day boys. Josh Kirklin (Wren’s, 2007-2012)
Organisation: University of Cambridge Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Easy access to College Garden (not through the windows of course).
Best thing about your House at Westminster? House Spirit.
Poppy Clifford (Wren’s, 2010-2012)
Katerina Russman (Hakluyt’s, 2010-2012)
Organisation: Applied Predictive Technologies Position: Business Consultant Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people.
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Hakluyt’s resembled a castle turret so you could watch everything going on in Yard. Henry Johnson King (Liddell’s, 2007-2012)
Organisation: Student Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Table Tennis. Jessica Ormerod (Liddell’s, 2010-2012)
Organisation: Morgan Stanley Position: Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? Birthday celebrations. Laura Keenan (Liddell’s, 2010-2012)
Organisation: Leeds University Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The girls. Maria Ouvarova (Milne’s, 2010-2012)
Organisation: University of Cambridge Position: 4th Year Student Ally Leigh (Purcell’s, 2010-2012)
Organisation: Bonas Macfarlane Position: Governess Best thing about your House at Westminster? The lack of boys. Ben Ireland (Rigaud’s, 2007-2012)
Organisation: UCL Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Ipsu Razu. And Matron.
Emma Shillam (Wren’s, 2010-2012)
Carolina Grierson (Wren’s, 2010-2012)
Organisation: Astrum Education Position: Admissions Officer Best thing about your House at Westminster? The independence of study and extra curricular projects that you have. Bea Natzler (Wren’s, 2010-2012)
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The corridor. 2011 Leavers Louise Yang (Ashburnham, 2009-2011)
Organisation: Bank of America Merrill Lynch Position: Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? Toast. Demetris Ioannides (Ashburnham, 2006-2011)
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Medical Student
Sam Brodsky (Ashburnham, 2006-2011) Alexander Diaz (Ashburnham, 2006-2011)
Organisation: Department of Physiology Position: Physician Best thing about your House at Westminster? Getting a copy of The Sun every day.
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Rigo Young (Busby’s, 2006-2011)
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: Graduate Best thing about your House at Westminster? None of the other Houses had a phone box. Soojean Choi (College, 2009-2011)
Organisation: Clifford Chance Position: Trainee Solicitor Best thing about your House at Westminster? The view across Yard. Alexander Fitzgerald (Dryden’s, 2006-2011)
Martin Chan (Wren’s, 2006-2011)
Organisation: University of Cambridge Position: Graduate Best thing about your House at Westminster? The table football table. The pool table comes in at a close second. Bill Gewanter (Wren’s, 2006-2011)
Organisation: OUCA Position: Head of Division (Fortified Wines) Best thing about your House at Westminster? Dr Katz.
Organisation: HM Treasury Position: Policy Advisor
2010 Leavers
Sanya Patel (Dryden’s, 2009-2011)
Organisation: Slaughter and May Position: Trainee Best thing about your House at Westminster? The crazy people in it.
Organisation: Imperial College Position: Medical Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? [It was] near the lunch hall. Steven Jerjian (Hakluyt’s, 2006-2011)
Organisation: Institute of Neurology Position: PhD Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Having Russell Dudley-Smith as a tutor. Charlotte Davies (Liddell’s, 2009-2011) Rosie Carpenter (Liddell’s, 2009-2011) Daniel Powell (Liddell’s, 2006-2011) Mohsen Mostafavi (Liddell’s, 2006-2011)
Best thing about your House at Westminster? A very chilled Housemaster. Jerome Kamm (Liddell’s, 2006-2011) Tilly Barr (Rigaud’s, 2009-2011)
Organisation: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Position: Future Trainee Solicitor Best thing about your House at Westminster? The House Play. Christopher Straessle (Rigaud’s, 2006-2011)
Organisation: Arup Associates Position: Part 1 Architect Best thing about your House at Westminster? Going out for a Rigaud’s Curry, which still happens. Cat Buizza (Wren’s, 2009-2011)
Organisation: McKinsey Position: Intern Best thing about your House at Westminster? Being close to the dining room! George Christofi (Wren’s, 2009-2011)
Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? My friends. Becca Shaw (Wren’s, 2009-2011)
Best thing about your House at Westminster? The sofas. 76 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
Camilla Turner (Ashburnham, 2008-2010)
Rafe Fletcher (Ashburnham, 2005-2010)
Organisation: Accenture Position: Consultant Best thing about your House at Westminster? The sport. Caroline Ames (Busby’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: DPhil Engineering Best thing about your House at Westminster? The biscuit tin. Alexia Millett (Busby’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Freshfields Position: Trainee Solicitor Best thing about your House at Westminster? House Singing. Rachel Stott (Busby’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: J. P. Morgan Position: Equity Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? The girls’ kitchen balcony. Arjun Jayaswal (College, 2005-2010)
Organisation: HMRC Position: Tax Specialist Best thing about your House at Westminster? Breakfast. Rebekah Harper (College, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Credit Suisse Position: Equity Research Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? Nutella on toast. Hayley Chapman (Dryden’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Reprieve Position: Legal Intern Best thing about your House at Westminster? I made friends for life!
Above: James Kershen (Master in Charge of Sport and WW, 1981-86) and Frederick Nathan (LL, 2005-10) at the Young Gaudy 2015
Above: Francesca Leibowitz (DD, 2008-10), Olivia D’Silva (GG, 2008-10), Alexia Millett (BB, 2008-10) and Meg Trainor (HH, 2008-10) at the Young Gaudy 2015
Charlotte Skinner (Dryden’s, 2008-2010)
Meg Trainor (Hakluyt’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Overseas Development Institute Position: Programme Assistant Best thing about your House at Westminster? Being able to climb out the window to College Garden in the summer. Francesca Leibowitz (Dryden’s, 2008-2010)
Position: Student
Laura Ashforth (Dryden’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Morgan Stanley Position: Equity Research Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Richard Alty (Grant’s, 2005-2010)
Organisation: Knight Frank Position: Graduate
Ian Tsui (Grant’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Linklaters LLP Position: Trainee Solicitor Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Olivia D’Silva (Grant’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Ernst & Young Position: Assistant Tax Advisor
Cyrus Mahloudji (Hakluyt’s, 2005-2010)
Organisation: Goldman Sachs Position: Trader Best thing about your House at Westminster? Mr Kemball. Niamh Tupman (Hakluyt’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Vox Pictures Position: Production Assistant Best thing about your House at Westminster? The team spirit on Sports Day.
Organisation: Goldman Sachs Position: Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? It was always busy. Adam Robinow (Liddell’s, 2005-2010)
Organisation: Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Mr Page’s renditions of Take on Me. Jamie Whiteley (Liddell’s, 2005-2010)
Organisation: Business School Best thing about your House at Westminster? Teehan Page. Eleanor Sallabank (Liddell’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: EY Position: Tax Advisor Best thing about your House at Westminster? The friends I made. Dom McKinnon-Green (Milne’s, 2005-2010) Thomas Sutton (Milne’s, 2005-2010)
Organisation: Tate & Lyle Sugars Position: Graduate Engineer Best thing about your House at Westminster? Being a reassuring distance away from Yard. Poppy Maxwell (Purcell’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Deloitte Position: Tax Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? Evening sign in with Doc and Mr Jones.
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Selena Shen (Purcell’s, 2008-2010)
Lara Markham (Ashburnham, 2007-2009)
Alexandra Grodzki (Purcell’s, 2008-2010)
Emma-Victoria Farr (Ashburnham, 2007-2009)
Dominic Richards (Rigaud’s, 2005-2010)
Alexander Fisken (Ashburnham, 2004-2009)
Organisation: Credit Suisse Position: Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? Summer BBQ in the garden. Organisation: BPP Law School Position: Legal Practice Course Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Organisation: Pensato Capital Position: Investment Analyst
Marco Spiro (Rigaud’s, 2005-2010)
Organisation: Grant Thornton Position: Real Estate Advisory Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? Ipsu Razu. Samuel Williams (Rigaud’s, 2005-2010)
Organisation: Queen Mary University Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Our competitive spirit. Shaneil Patel (Wren’s, 2005-2010)
Organisation: UCL Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The pool table. Maria Rioumine (Wren’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Goldman Sachs Position: Investment Banking Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Ju Won Cha (Wren’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Goldman Sachs Position: Investment Banking Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? Proximity to canteen. Kirstin Gilbert (Wren’s, 2008-2010)
Organisation: Deloitte Position: Graduate Trainee 2009 Leavers
Iona Seligman (Ashburnham, 2007-2009)
Organisation: Deloitte TTL Position: Risk Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? Nights watching Skins, clambering onto the roof to watch the sunset, the Harrises. Rohan Sakhrani (Ashburnham, 2007-2009)
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Organisation: OC&C Strategy Consultants Position: Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? Mr Jones. Organisation: Mergermarket Position: Financial Journalist Best thing about your House at Westminster? Mr Jones.
Tom Boothman Meier (Ashburnham, 2004-2009)
Organisation: Jefferies Position: Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? House Spirit. Sophie Rosenheim (Hakluyt’s, 2007-2009)
Organisation: Sotheby’s Position: Trainee
Louise Moss (Liddell’s, 2007-2009)
Organisation: Civil Service Position: Policy Adviser Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Edward Myung (Liddell’s, 2004-2009) Alice Godwin (Purcell’s, 2007-2009)
Organisation: Culture Whisper Position: Visual Arts and Design Editor Best thing about your House at Westminster? Ridiculous girly time. George Rowell (Rigaud’s, 2004-2009)
Organisation: PW Productions Position: Production Coordinator
John Owen (Rigaud’s, 2004-2009)
Organisation: John Sandoe (Books) Ltd Position: Bookseller Best thing about your House at Westminster? Ipsu razu... Alexandra Hughes (Rigaud’s, 2007-2009)
Organisation: UCL Position: Medical Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The mustard yellow. Rory Curnock-Cook (Rigaud’s, 2004-2009)
Organisation: The Profs Tuition Position: Managing Director Best thing about your House at Westminster? The Housemaster.
Felix Turner (Wren’s, 2004-2009)
Lucy Du (Grant’s, 2006-2008)
Joshua Harris-Kirkwood (Wren’s, 2007-2009)
Stephen Jeffrey (Grant’s, 2003-2008)
2008 Leavers
William Dunning (Hakluyt’s, 2003-2008)
Organisation: Deloitte Position: Assistant Manager Best thing about your House at Westminster? The corridor. Organisation: Defra Position: Floods Strategy & Policy Best thing about your House at Westminster? Table football, labelled with winning 6s team. Lindsey Noakes (Ashburnham, 2006-2008)
Organisation: Making The Leap
Huey Robson (Ashburnham, 2003-2008)
Organisation: Hugo Valentine Position: Musician Best thing about your House at Westminster? Geran Jones. Charlie Howell (Busby’s, 2003-2008)
Organisation: TVF International Position: TV Sales Executive Best thing about your House at Westminster? Location, location, location. Organisation: Capital Group Position: Research Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? Table tennis room! Organisation: Simmons & Simmons Position: Musician / Future Law Firm Trainee Best thing about your House at Westminster? Location. Eddy Imrie (Hakluyt’s, 2003-2008)
Organisation: SEO London Position: Programme Coordinator
Majid Mostafavi (Liddell’s, 2003-2008)
Organisation: BPP Law School Position: GDL Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The lift.
Rameez Khan (Liddell’s, 2003-2008)
Sophie O’Mahony (Busby’s, 2006-2008)
Harry Rose (Liddell’s, 2003-2008)
Organisation: Norton Rose Fulbright LLP Position: Trainee Solicitor Edward Rich (Busby’s, 2003-2008)
Organisation: The Rich Group Position: Director Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Ross Wheeler (Busby’s, 2003-2008)
Organisation: Jamieson CF Position: Associate
Organisation: UBS Position: Consultant
Charlotte Schroder (Liddell’s, 2006-2008)
Organisation: Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP Position: Trainee Solicitor Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Benjamin Wigoder (Liddell’s, 2003-2008)
Organisation: Utility Warehouse Position: Product Manager
George Johnston (Rigaud’s, 2003-2008)
Organisation: SevilPeach Architecture + Design Position: Designer
Organisation: Gardner-Herrity Position: Actor Best thing about your House at Westminster? KDT.
Dushyant Gupta (Dryden’s, 2006-2008)
Alexander Rankine (Rigaud’s, 2003-2008)
Zoe Scheuringer (Dryden’s, 2006-2008)
Rufus Hone (Wren’s, 2003-2008)
Alexander Sutton (Busby’s, 2003-2008)
Organisation: Ernst & Young Position: Senior Consultant
Organisation: Oliver Wyman Position: Management Consultant
Cesca Briscoe-Wilson (Grant’s, 2006-2008)
Organisation: Monitor Position: Legal Assistant Best thing about your House at Westminster? Mr Griffiths!
Organisation: AEA Investors Position: Associate, Private Equity
Organisation: KBW Position: Equity Research Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? House Singing legacies Bertie Milward (Wren’s, 2003-2008)
Organisation: Goldman Sachs Position: Investment Banking Best thing about your House at Westminster? The pool table.
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2007 Leavers Olivia Franklin (Ashburnham, 2005-2007)
Organisation: White & Case Position: Trainee Solicitor Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Natasha Lloyd-Owen (Ashburnham, 2005-2007)
Organisation: 25 Bedford Row Position: Pupil Barrister
Joe Scantlebury (Busby’s, 2002-2007)
Organisation: Endemol Position: Researcher
Shiv Shah (College, 2002-2007) Katy King (College, 2005-2007)
Organisation: Behavioural Insights Team Position: Advisor Alexander Leese (Dryden’s, 2002-2007)
Organisation: Towers Watson Position: Investment Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? Our House Singing record Soumaya Keynes (Grant’s, 2005-2007)
Organisation: The Economist/IFS Position: Economist Best thing about your House at Westminster? The décor. Imogen Lloyd-Thomas (Grant’s, 2005-2007) Thomas Tredinnick (Grant’s, 2002-2007)
Organisation: Eddy Labs Position: Director
Shahrazad Khan (Liddell’s, 2005-2007) Basil McDonald (Liddell’s, 2002-2007)
Organisation: UCL Medical School Position: Student Best thing about your House at Westminster? The old snooker table.
Rebecca King (Purcell’s, 2005-2007)
Organisation: Hammersmith Academy Position: KS3 Science Coordinator Best thing about your House at Westminster? Girls only zone. Edmund Wareham (Wren’s, 2002-2007)
Organisation: University of Oxford Position: DPhil Candidate Best thing about your House at Westminster? Next Goal Wins. Emeric Monfront (Wren’s, 2005-2007)
Organisation: Linklaters Position: Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? The Housemaster (Mr Feltham). 2006 Leavers Sam Young (Ashburnham, 2001-2006)
Organisation: BlackRock Position: PM Best thing about your House at Westminster? Location. Freddy Lyon (Ashburnham, 2001-2006)
Organisation: Farrar’s Building Position: Barrister Best thing about your House at Westminster? Just bad enough at sport for everyone to have a turn! Karan Kanal (Ashburnham, 2001-2006)
Organisation: NHS Position: Doctor Best thing about your House at Westminster? Location. Jake Robson (Ashburnham, 2001-2006)
Organisation: Freelance Position: Broadcast Journalist Best thing about your House at Westminster? My tutor. Charles Royce (Ashburnham, 2001-2006)
Thomas Boles (Liddell’s, 2002-2007)
Organisation: Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co Position: Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? Our House Singing performances.
Felix Mitchell (Milne’s, 2002-2007)
Nidal Al-Juzi (Busby’s, 2001-2006)
Claire Petros (Purcell’s, 2005-2007)
Edward Lane (Busby’s, 2001-2006)
Julian Harvard-Barnes (Liddell’s, 2002-2007)
Organisation: Fundsmith Position: Analyst
Organisation: Instant Impact Position: Director Best thing about your House at Westminster? Cheese toasties. Organisation: Bristol University Position: Final year veterinary student Best thing about your House at Westminster? Mr and Mrs Harris.
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Organisation: Niman Properties Ltd Position: MD Best thing about your House at Westminster? Location. Organisation: Linklaters Position: Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? Mr Milne.
Yoshi Sutharsanan (Busby’s, 2001-2006)
Organisation: National Australia Group Europe Position: Credit Risk Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? Good friends. Giles Robertson (College, 2001-2006)
Organisation: Fountain Court Position: Barrister
Angela Rogan (College, 2004-2006)
Organisation: Deloitte Position: Manager Best thing about your House at Westminster? Marmite and cheese toasties. Roland Grender (Dryden’s, 2001-2006)
Organisation: Crux Asset Management Position: Fund Manager Best thing about your House at Westminster? House Singing. Arjun Patel (Dryden’s, 2001-2006)
Organisation: TalkTalk and various start ups Position: Online Product Manager/Consultant Best thing about your House at Westminster? The games room!
Andrew Spyrou (Liddell’s, 2001-2006)
Organisation: The Association for Depth Sound Recordings Position: Record Label Head Best thing about your House at Westminster? A distinct memory is the clattering sound the large door by Liddell’s Arch made as it closed. Tommy Cattell (Milne’s, 2001-2006) Sam Mindel (Milne’s, 2004-2006)
Organisation: King’s College Hospitals Position: Senior House Officer Rachel Griffiths (Purcell’s, 2004-2006)
Organisation: RPC Position: Solicitor Best thing about your House at Westminster? Friends. Hannah King (Purcell’s, 2004-2006)
Best thing about your House at Westminster? Mr and Mrs Harris Ally Rowell (Rigaud’s, 2004-2006)
Jak Wilkinson (Grant’s, 2001-2006)
Organisation: Maggs Bros. Rare Books Position: Bookseller and Social Media Manager Best thing about your House at Westminster? The old indoor steps, worn by the footfall of ages.
David Alty (Grant’s, 2001-2006)
Ben Golden (Rigaud’s, 2004-2006)
Organisation: Pramerica Position: Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? Location. Georgina Neve (Hakluyt’s, 2004-2006)
Organisation: NHS - Imperial College Position: Academic GP Trainee Best thing about your House at Westminster? Winning House Singing and Sports Day! Theo Orpen-Palmer (Hakluyt’s, 2001-2006) Caedmon Tunstall-Behrens (Hakluyt’s, 2001-2006)
Organisation: Rothschild Position: Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? The view onto Yard. Matthew Ball (Liddell’s, 2002-2006)
Organisation: Royal Society of Arts Position: Researcher and Events Organiser Best thing about your House at Westminster? Discreet rooftops. Rodrigo Queiro (Liddell’s, 2001-2006)
Organisation: Cambridge Consultants Position: Senior Engineer Best thing about your House at Westminster? Toast?
Organisation: JWT London Position: Account Management
Daniel Zackon (Wren’s, 2001-2006)
Organisation: UCL Ear Institute Position: Auditory Researcher Best thing about your House at Westminster? Relative normality, and Patrick the cleaner. Tiffany Kaba (Wren’s, 2004-2006)
Organisation: Hutchison Property Group Position: London Real Estate Best thing about your House at Westminster? Housemaster - Mark Feltham. Jay Shadwick (Wren’s, 2001-2006)
Organisation: Purple Position: Account Manager Best thing about your House at Westminster? The pool table. 2005 Leavers Theo Peterson (College, 2000-2005) Alistair Wallace (Dryden’s, 2000-2005)
Organisation: GAM Position: Investment Manager
Rob Runge (Dryden’s, 2000-2005)
Organisation: Myla Position: Head of Ecommerce
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Andrew Byrne (Dryden’s, 2000-2005)
Organisation: Linklaters LLP Position: Associate
Ben Doeh (Dryden’s, 2000-2005)
Organisation: Dentons Position: Trainee Solicitor Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Martin Weatherston-Wilson (Grant’s, 2000-2005)
Organisation: Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Position: Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? Losing at everything. Alessandro Marolda (Hakluyt’s, 2000-2005)
Organisation: Weybourne Partners LLP Position: Investment Manager Best thing about your House at Westminster? Sharing Nutella sandwiches. Nicholas Grosse (Liddell’s, 2000-2005)
Organisation: Morgan Capital Partners Position: Asset Manager Best thing about your House at Westminster? That I don’t have to sleep there anymore. Catherine Sykes (Milne’s, 2003-2005)
Organisation: The Old Vic Position: Corporate Development Manager Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Harriet Mason (Purcell’s, 2003-2005)
Organisation: Market Gravity Position: Strategy and Innovation Consultant Best thing about your House at Westminster? The surgical mask Mrs M-W donned to take care of us when we were sick. Jenny Ellis Logan (Purcell’s, 2003-2005)
Organisation: Concerto Partners Position: Senior Consultant Best thing about your House at Westminster? 10 pm TV and toast time. Nicholas Wareham (Wren’s, 2000-2005)
Organisation: FCO Position: Head Eastern Med Team
Nicholas Maciolek (Wren’s, 2000-2005)
Organisation: Atkin Chambers Position: Barrister Best thing about your House at Westminster? The sepulchral calm. Yavindran Ganeshamohan (Wren’s, 2000-2005)
Organisation: Vitality Position: Actuary Best thing about your House at Westminster? Friends.
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2004 Leavers Arjun Coomaraswamy (College, 1999-2004)
Organisation: Self-employed Position: Musician Best thing about your House at Westminster? Great Housemaster. Lavish Wadhwani (Dryden’s, 1999-2004)
Organisation: Och-Ziff Position: Research Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Gopalan Radhakrishnan (Grant’s, 1999-2004)
Organisation: Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Position: Anaesthetics Best thing about your House at Westminster? Being in the heart of the School. Charlene Kong (Milne’s, 2002-2004)
Organisation: Herbert Smith Freehills LLP Position: Associate Best thing about your House at Westminster? The people. Sanjay Pindoria (Milne’s, 1999-2004)
Organisation: Marshall Wace LLP Position: Risk Analyst Best thing about your House at Westminster? The Housemaster. Adam Fair (Rigaud’s, 1999-2004)
Organisation: Weeks Computing Position: Data Processing Executive Best thing about your House at Westminster? Having a Housemaster willing to break pool cues over his knee to make a point. Alyson Thompson (Rigaud’s, 2002-2004)
Organisation: Bain & Co Position: Case Team Leader Best thing about your House at Westminster? Everything!
OW Updates and Publications Jonny Allison (QS, 1988-93)
Peter Pomeranzev (WW, 1992-96)
“I was long-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize and Guardian First Book award (2015).” Ralph Wood (GG, 1976-80)
“I was appointed Senior Contracts Manager at PROTEUS Technologies, a software development and engineering company here in Maryland, and I am now solely responsible for all contract related matters for the organisation.” Julian Francis (AHH, 1958-62)
“Horse is called Emerald - winning at Newmarket in October last year. Think I was true to form being the first (and probably only) person having the Racing Post delivered to College every day. At least you’ll see my racing colours have an OW theme.” Andrew Lownie (Rigaud’s, 1980-84)
“I have just published Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess.”
“I thought that I am possibly the only ‘Old Wet’ in Bangladesh – I have lived and worked in Bangladesh for 24 years and in Asia, mostly South Asia, since 1968 - and I write regularly in the local media. In addition, along with a number of other Britishers, I received an award in 2012 in recognition of the work I did in 1971 among 10 million Bangladeshi refugees who fled to India at which time I coordinated the relief programme on behalf of Oxfam.” Oli Da Costa (RR, 1990-95)
Michael Baron (GG, 1942-46)
“With my daughter I wrote a chapter for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Mid and Later Life (Jessica Kingsley, January 2016). Our chapter is headed ‘Ageing With Autism-Improving Health, Improving Rights’. I have also written a foreword to a British Institute for Learning Disabilities book on end of life care for people on the autism spectrum to be published in December 2016.
“Last year, I had the pleasure in working on an ITV documentary, made in partnership with the Imperial War Museum, staring John Hurt, titled The Pity of War: The Lives and Loves of the War Poets in which Hurt plays war poet, Siegfried Sassoon. I designed the documentary’s title sequence and was the joint online editor for the project (although I don’t work at ITV myself...I run my own post production studio). I just thought I’d pass that on to you as I’m very proud of the hour-long documentary, which is visually stunning and relates an extremely poignant story.”
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John Patrick Asher (LL, 2004-07)
Jemimah Steinfeld (BB, 2000-02)
“Catherine Jane Sophia Asher was born on 15th December 2015 at Lister Hospital, Stevenage and was baptised on 17th January 2016 at St Mary’s Church, Hitchin. Catherine joins her elder brother Thomas, who was born in 2014. My wife Dalia and I met and married while I was a foreign volunteer in the Israeli Army (2012–14).”
“My first book, Little Emperors and Material Girls: Sex and Youth in Modern China, was published by IB Tauris. I’ve received praise from several literary heavyweights in the China world, such as Xinran, and am looking forward to interviews with Reuters amongst other places. The road to this book was definitely paved at Westminster, where I wrote a ‘sex’ column for the School magazine Pink and was always encouraged to critically think and be creative.” Jonathan Fenby (LL, 1956-60)
“I published the following books in 2015: The History of Modern France, From the Revolution to the Present Day and Dragon Throne, China’s Imperial Dynasties” John Adamson (WW, 1954-58)
“I have produced a fully revised version of my book Along the Arun, a walking guide, with historical background, to the Arun Valley in West Sussex.”
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Letters to the Editor Please send letters to: The Development Office, Westminster School, 17a Dean’s Yard, London SW1P 3PB or email alumni@westminster.org.uk
“The interesting obituary of Theo Zinn [in the 2014/15 edition] does not mention that he also gave classes in Russian. Although he was very disappointed that I chose Mathematics rather than Classics, he agreed to run a two term course in Russian in 1955, and put us successfully through O Level. We read works by Gogol and Pushkin, and learnt much about Russian history and culture.” Gavin Ross (KS, 1950-55)
“I was very pleased to have been able to attend [a recent] Commem. It was a very moving service, especially the distribution of the roses with its accompanying chants. At first I thought that being seated in the Nave would be a disadvantage because all the ceremony or most of it took place beyond the rood screen. However, from the musical point of view at this juncture it couldn’t have been better. The way the voices receded into stone depths of the Abbey was incredibly solemn and mysterious, somewhat like the ending of Debussy’s third orchestral Nocturne, Sirenes, or the ending of Holst’s suite The Planets: mesmerising. Also the setting of Latin was admirable for being so sparse, mostly in a kind of plainchant with hardly any harmony except briefly and even that in what sounded like bare fifths: highly effective.
“Now you have the image of the cover of the book (see Alumni Updates and Publications page 85) in which, with my daughter, Saskia, who made the BBC TV film The Autism Puzzle way back in 2003, we have written a chapter from the perspective of a father and a sibling.
The 21st November was most significant for me because it is my birthday. I started at the School on this term 40 years ago and on 21st November, 40 years ago, after about six weeks at the School I turned 14. How could I possibly not have wanted to attend Commem therefore? And most pleased that I did...”
When I was up Grants in the 1940s, little did I know of what is now politely called ‘learning (or in the USA ‘intellectual’) disability’… then chaps like my son were labelled ‘subnormal’ and exiled to warehouses masquerading as hospitals. Over 70 years or so ‘subnormality’ has morphed through many stages, with greater wisdom and compassion and insight, into ‘learning disability’. It is one of the moral achievements of our time and for me it has been a learning curve since my son was diagnosed in 1961. I have no idea how many OWW have had similar experiences to mine and which we can share to the greater good.”
Simon Batten (GG, 1974-78)
I have [also] written a foreword, again as that ageing parent, to a book published last week by the British Institute for Disability (BILD) - on end of life care for persons on the autism spectrum. For some time past now I have been talking at conferences on the theme of: when it comes to ageing, do not forget that men and women with a learning disability also age and how little we know of how ageing impacts on learning disability.
Michael Baron (GG, 1942-46)
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Letters to the Editor (continued) “To me Dr von Garten (Modern Languages 1947-65 who died in 1975) was the giant amongst all my teachers at Westminster. I have never forgotten him and I never will. He opened the door on the world just a little for this pupil but at least I had the wit to appreciate just how terrific he was. I once wrote a very brief spoof on the German Romantic movement in literature for an essay for him and reading it, he absolutely howled with laughter and took it down to the Common Room for the other teachers to enjoy. Not too sure what teachers of other subjects would have made of it but there were some who would have seen the joke.
Reading about what he achieved in this particular aspect of his many spheres, I feel completely humbled. I think he should be given a large portrait, if not already existing, perhaps to be painted from a photograph and to be hung in the Library in Ashburnham House. Possibly the most gifted intellectual to ever adorn Westminster School in its entire history. How lucky I was to have been taught by him and, some 60 years later, I still remember and speak German and appreciate its huge culture so great was his influence on me.” Nigel Brooke (AHH, 1954-59)
Oli Bennett (RR, 1985-90) Charitable Trust Report By Kieron Connolly (GG, 1985-1990)
You probably missed it, didn’t you? The art fair? In Ashburnham House last Summer? Well, it was like this: we presented 300 postcard-sized artworks donated by artists ranging from Peter Blake, Luke Frost and Guy Denning to Old Westminsters Jonathan Yeo (RR, 1983-88) and Jamie McCartney (RR, 197984) to emerging artists and current Westminster pupils. The twist was that the postcards were presented anonymously: only after buying would you know for sure whether your postcard was by Peter Blake or someone in the Lower Shell – not that someone in the Lower Shell might not be the next Peter Blake. Thanks to the efforts of organiser Perry Hill (RR, 1985-90), we managed to raise more than £11,000 for the charity. And you can see all the postcards – with some still for sale – at www.olipostcards.com But what’s it all for? Since 2002, the Oli Bennett Charitable Trust has awarded more than £120,000 in equipment and funding to help launch 100 new businesses from people aged between 18 and 30. In the past year we have helped fashion companies, bakers and coffee distributors. Well, if you’ve got something to wear, bread to eat and a coffee to drink, you’re half-way there. For more information on the charity’s work and future events, see www.olibennett.org.uk 86 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
Obituaries ■■ Roger Derek Edward Pope (BB, 1954–58)
■■ Petrus Bertschinger (AHH, 1975-79)
Died 25th October 2014 Obituary by Doug Stuart and Hugh Dulley (BB, 1954–58)
Died 9th October 2015 Obituary from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Roger was up Busby’s in the early 1950s. He started his illustrious rowing career at Westminster, where, in 1951, he rowed for the School in the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. He was a quiet and self-effacing man, always courteous and never demanding, but when he climbed into a racing boat, he was totally focussed and highly competitive.
Petrus was a long-standing member of the Central community from his time as a student in the 1980s to his most recent role as Senior Lecturer in Technical and Production Management. Petrus graduated from Central in 1984 and had 32 years’ professional experience as Stage Manager, Production Manager and Theatre Consultant. This included: Production Manager for Matthew Bourne’s Adventures in Motion Pictures, Technical Director of the Covent Garden Festival, and ten years with Unicorn Theatre for Children, first as Production Manager and then as Planning and Operations Manager. Alongside his teaching at Central, he continued to be a freelance Production Manager and Theatre Consultant.
In 1952, he joined the National Provincial Bank and subsequently went on National Service. Later, in 1957, he joined the Bank’s Rowing Club, which was coached by Colin Porter of the Royal Air Force Rowing Club, who had become known nationally for his rigorous training methods and his book Rowing to Win. Roger’s eight came equal third in the Tideway Head of the River Race, finishing just behind the Oxford and Cambridge crews. Later that year he rowed in a four, which won the Wyfolds at Henley. The four went on to represent Great Britain at the European Championships at Duisberg and reached the final despite only being lightweights. In 1958 they rowed for Great Britain at the European Championships in Poznan, and won a Gold at the Commonwealth Games in Wales. Roger returned to rowing in 1962 and stroked a Bank eight which won the Thames Cup at Henley. The crew beat all the course records in that event and, in the process, beat three American University crews (the US had dominated the event since 1936). In 1964 Roger stroked a composite coxed four to win the Prince Philip Challenge Cup at Henley, establishing a course record in the final.
■■ Tom Beard (RR, 1978-82) Died 20th July 2015 Obituary extracted from The Guardian 28th July 2015 The actor Tom Beard, who has died aged 50 from cancer, was a handsome, robust supporting player generally admired for his athleticism, onstage and off. He was also, as his brother Alex (RR, 1978-80), Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, put it, the moral backbone of any company he joined.
The Amateur Rowing Association, the forerunner to British Rowing, was restructured in the late 1960s, and Roger became part of a team of selectors for international events. The changes made undoubtedly started the slow resurgence of British Rowing to enable it to become what it is today.
Although he was a fixture on television thereafter, appearing in such popular series as Foyle’s War, Wallander (the Kenneth Branagh version), Midsomer Murders, Spooks, Poirot and Holby City, his stage career spluttered until coming into focus again in two new plays by Polly Stenham – Tusk Tusk at the Royal Court (2009), Hotel at the National Theatre (2014) – and as the Duke of Albany in the Derek Jacobi King Lear, Michael Grandage’s swift and forensic production at the Donmar Warehouse in 2010.
Roger continued to work for the Bank, which merged to become NatWest, until he retired. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer and their three children.
In 1992 he married Polly Hitching. She survives him, as do their two children, Ella and Joe, his brother and his mother. THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 87
■■ Clive Hunt (BB, 1965-69) Died 6th April 2015 Obituary by Milo Hunt
Clive Hunt, who died at the age of 64, was a Marine Engineer who, for 40 years, worked around the world on some of the most innovative passenger carrying craft that made it off the drawing board in the later twentieth century. A talented, committed mechanic, fascinated by how boats functioned, he will be remembered as a great original in his chosen field. The fourth of five children, he was born in London on 12th July 1951, leaving the Dragon School for Westminster in 1964. While he enjoyed his education, he did not flourish academically like his siblings and at the age of 18 emigrated to Canada. After a series of manual jobs, a chance meeting on an aeroplane in 1970 set him on a path from which he never deviated. Hunt was already an experienced amateur sailor, but the passenger next to him promised work delivering yachts from the US east coast to the Caribbean, an involvement which eventually took him to the Mediterranean and Baltic. The turning point of Hunt’s career was in 1976 when he moved to Venezuela and worked on Boeing jetfoils - sophisticated water-jet propelled hydrofoils – that were to run from the mainland to the island of Margarita. The original intention was for him to drive them, but instead he became involved on the technical side, completing the Boeing mechanical and electrical courses. Despite 88 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
having no formal engineering background, he excelled in understanding of these complex vessels and before long was made Senior Engineer. However, after two disastrous collisions with calving whales, the service was suspended and the Venezuelan company folded. But Hunt had found his métier and his enduring passion. For the next decade he was hired to maintain jetfoils across the globe. He went to France in 1979 as Chief Engineer with Jetlink Ferries, a year later he was in Indonesia and then in 1984 in Seattle as Maintenance Director for a new passenger service between Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver, where he oversaw nearly every aspect of the operation. In 1986 he swapped the jetfoil for an equally distinctive boat: the hovercraft. As Technical Manager for Hoverspeed in Dover his great achievement was to keep the ageing SR.N4 hovercrafts, a product of 1960s British engineering, running safely until 2000 in the highly competitive Dover-Calais passenger market. Despite the increase in his responsibilities, Hunt’s approach was as hands-on as ever. He was regularly found with his head down an engine hatch and would turn up to important meetings in a hastily donned business suit smelling of hydraulic fluid. While keeping the antiquated hovercrafts operating safely, Hunt also worked with “Seacats” – revolutionary wave-piercing catamarans. Hoverspeed purchased their first Seacat in Australia and Hunt was Engineer on its delivery voyage to England in 1990. It was an eventful journey during which they encountered pirates in the Caribbean, technical failures overcome by inspired technical solutions and which ended in triumph when they broke the record for the fastest-ever eastbound transatlantic crossing, completed in just over three days. For this they won the prestigious Hales Trophy. Hoverspeed folded in 2005 and Hunt’s last involvement was with Thames Clippers, maintaining catamarans on London’s river, a job that he was forced to leave through ill health in 2014. For the week after his death the company’s boats flew their flags at half-mast and two new ferries he helped to design are named ‘Hunt Class’ in his memory. He died peacefully at home, his beloved family by his side, and his sextant and a chainsaw attached to his bed.
■■ Professor Christopher Duggan (QS, 1971-75) Died 2nd November 2015 Obituary from the University of Reading Christopher Duggan, Professor of Modern Italian History at the University of Reading, was regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on Italian history, and was an award-winning author and commentator on Italy’s past. After studying at Oxford, Professor Duggan joined the University of Reading in 1987, where he taught Italian history, politics, culture and language. He served several times as Head of the Department of Italian Studies, and was Head of the School of Languages and European Studies (later Literature and Languages) between 2008 and 2013. Following the success of his most recent book, Fascist Voices: An Intimate History of Mussolini’s Italy, which won the Wolfson Prize for History and was Political History Book of the Year at the Total Politics Political Book Awards, Professor Duggan was engaged in a major research project exploring the legacy of Italy’s fascist past on its present-day politics and society. ■■ Caspar Bowden (RR, 1975-78) Died 9th July 2015 Obituary includes extracts from The Telegraph Caspar Bowden, who has died from melanoma aged 53, was a British data privacy campaigner who turned from poacher to gamekeeper when he took a job as Head of Privacy for Microsoft’s non-US operations in 2002. He was dismissed from the organisation in 2011, two years before Edward Snowden was to leak documents showing that Microsoft and other internet giants had turned over user data to a US surveillance program called Prism. Bowden warned that personal information stored by non-US internet users on “cloud” computing services such as Google Drive could be spied on routinely without their knowledge by the US National Security Agency, under Section 702 of the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The Act authorises mass-surveillance of the data of nonAmericans and gives the NSA the power to issue orders to companies under US jurisdiction, such as Microsoft, requiring them to disclose “foreign intelligence information” from sources such as
emails and other stored data. The Act, Bowden alleged, discriminated against non-US internet users, making them “guilty of being foreigners”. He will be remembered also for his time in politics: in the run-up to the 1997 general election, as Chairman of Scientists for Labour, he urged the party to make personal data protection a high priority. But he later became a vehement critic of the New Labour government’s Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill, arguing that it was an internet snoopers’ charter. Later, after leaving Microsoft in 2011, Bowden turned his energies to the EU, warning that US security authorities were exploiting European reliance on cloud computing services to monitor its data. After the Snowden revelations, Bowden became an adviser to the European Parliament on data privacy issues. Since his death Caspar’s contribution to privacy issues has been recognized by Liberty, TOR and the EFF among others. The Caspar Bowden Legacy Fund has been established to continue his work. ■■ James Nunns (BB, 1967-72) Died 20th December 2015 Obituary by Peter Gysin (BB, 1967-72) I still recall my arrival at Westminster, instinctively nervous after a harsh prep school, being reassured by a calm, tall and friendly fellow new boy, who turned out to be James. It was the start of a friendship which lasted through school, in the holidays (we both lived in Surrey) and subsequently into adulthood. Son and brother of previous old Busbites, James was perhaps not typical of the Westminster boys of those times – lacking the languid superiority, studied aestheticism or intellectual precocity of many of our contemporaries. Nor, with the build of a rugby forward at a football playing school, was he part of a sporting team. Nevertheless, James seemed to enjoy, and thrive at, Westminster, through a combination of his studies, School activities (not least judo) and taking time away from school to pursue his wide-ranging outside interests (to call them hobbies would be to undervalue the thoroughness which he applied to them). Spanish language and culture were an abiding passionate interest and (as far as a non-speaker could tell) James reached a high level of fluency enabling THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16 | 89
him to buy, in adulthood, a house in Spain, where he would stay for lengthy periods when his work permitted. Not one for team sports, James was proficient in Judo, Tennis (at which, for a large man, he was surprisingly – and, from my point of view as opponent, irritatingly - agile) and Croquet, a game to which he introduced me at his parents’ home in East Horsley. He penned occasional articles for the College Street Clarion, in which he would take a quizzical wry look at the pretensions of some of our contemporaries. Revealing a side which was not so much hidden as one that he did not trumpet, James was an enthusiastic volunteer on the Westminster Task Force scheme, in his case involving diligent English language teaching to a young immigrant child, partly (and shrewdly) through the medium of Tintin books. It was perhaps something of a major disappointment to James that he did not go to university – probably because he chose to apply to read a highly competitive subject (Law), for which the demand for places far exceeded those available, rather than Spanish for which he would have walked into the university of his pick. Instead, James went to Guildford Law College, later qualifying as a Solicitor specialising in Personal Injury. Happily, the fact that so many OW contemporaries did go to university did not in any way sever his Westminster links whether individual or institutional (far from it). As with sport, James’s other outside interests tended (amateur dramatics aside), to be individual ones – notably fishing and photography. His proficiency at the latter was on a level that seemed professional – he took some memorable photographs of members of our family, including glamorous (but respectable) shots of my teenage sister, of my mother and me in our Cambridge garden, and of me and my wide-eyed pupils during his visit to the African school where I was teaching in my Gap Year in (as then) Rhodesia. On arrival at the remotely situated school, out in bush some 12 miles from the nearest town, James greeted me with typical humour - “Dr Gysin – I presume?”. I was grateful for his imposing presence in the classroom since this was one of the few occasions where I was able to keep order among the nice but all too often unruly teenage boys without huge effort. The individual nature of many of James’s interests was in marked contrast to his gregariousness and 90 | THE ELIZABETHAN NEWSLETTER | 2015/16
willingness to help others. He was always a good man to invite to a party, since he had the ability to get on with people from all backgrounds, and he was a diligent – and, frequently, much put upon - Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer (and sometimes all of these combined) of the OW Busby Society drawing on his formidable organisational and diplomatic skills to considerable effect. He evidently gave freely of his time to other organisations too, notably – as brought out in Wilf Hashimi’s (BB, 1971-75) memorable eulogy at James’s funeral – for the Westminster Lodge and for his local church in Weybridge. James was a loyal friend, willing to travel long distances to attend my birthday parties; to visit me when recovering from my severe road accident (a depressing time when he helped to ‘bring me out of myself ’ by getting me to show and describe my own photographs of my travels in the Far East); and to support the annual cricket match which I organise in deepest Suffolk, using his telephoto lens to great effect, evidenced in both vivid action shots of individual batsmen and sweeping panoramic tableaux taking in players and the surrounding countryside. In 1988, James married Margaret in what was a happy match except only in its premature conclusion, through Margaret’s untimely death from cancer in 2008. In later life, James enjoyed happy companionship with Lizette. Even though the last years of his life seem to have been made difficult by serious health problems, this was never evident from James’s constantly cheerful demeanour and sociability. His death in December came as a great shock. As the high attendance at his funeral underlined, James is much missed. A full eulogy is available upon request from the Development Office. ■■ Henry James Myhill (BB, 1939-44) Died 16th April 1977 Obituary by Frank Herrmann (BB, 1940-45) Almost forty years after his tragic death in Tunisia seems a good moment to recall the life of the remarkable and delightfully eccentric OW travel writer, Henry James Myhill. We were up Busby’s together and our Housemaster, C. H. Fisher, allocated a small room at Buckenhill in Bromyard
for us to share. By common consent we drew a chalk line down the centre, so that Henry could keep his disorganised property on one side and I could enjoy my relative tidiness on the other. Henry had a friendly, open face and curly hair, and was given to singing hymns, in particular We Plough the Fields and Scatter, at the top of his voice as he cycled around the Herefordshire countryside. We were also both writers for the College Street Clarion. We remained firm friends throughout his life. He had five very happy years at Westminster, where his eccentric behaviour was regarded as completely acceptable, particularly by his History Masters, a subject in which he excelled. After leaving the School, he had the misfortune not to be called up into the forces, but to spend the remaining war years as a Bevin Boy, sitting day after day in a mine many hundreds of metres under the aptly-named little town of Coalville. He was in total darkness most of the time and his task was to switch tracks as wagonloads of coal approached him. Those three years left a deep scar on his psyche. He hated being associated with any form of industry thereafter. So it was not surprising that he escaped England and enrolled at a university course in Grenoble, France, where English students could study French. After Grenoble, Henry enrolled for a BA in History at Oxford, and paid his way by acting as a courier for eight of the largest British travel agents, accompanying groups of clients each weekend from Dieppe to the Basque coast. He enchanted hundreds of tourists with his shy personality and puckish sense of humour. He had by now become very highly organised and efficient, and wrote of this weekly arrangement: “The parties were sometimes very large. The weather was sometimes very hot. There was much to do and little time to rest. By the time the train reached St. Jean-deLuz on Monday morning, I was always very tired. [But] the sight of those familiar and well-loved mountains never failed to refresh me. I knew that I was back in my homeland, the wide and lovely belt of country across which I would soon be free to wander.” In this way, for seven summers, Henry met his university fees. He completed a second degree at Cambridge and gathered enough information to write his very successful book The Spanish Pyrenees (1966).
I had always admired his writings – which were remarkably clear, concise and original – and introduced him as a putative author to Faber & Faber. Faber’s first published Henry’s Introducing the Channel Islands (1964), where his mother had moved. The Spanish Pyrenees was followed by The Canary Islands (1968), Brittany (1979), Portugal (1972), North of the Pyrenees (1973) and The Loire Valley (1978). Henry attended many European universities to learn the language – and even the patois of specific regions – and to steep himself in the history of each country he was about to describe. His style of writing, a good blend of history, topography and tourist information, had enormous appeal at the time and the books all received wonderful reviews. He was in Tunisia with his campervan – his usual mode of travel – working on a volume about that country, Morocco and Algeria, when he died very quickly after catching typhoid fever. He was only fifty-one, with plans for many other books, including Holland, Austria and Scandinavia, still unfulfilled. He was a man entirely without fear and made friends wherever he went, perhaps because he could always communicate in the local language. A longer version of this obituary is available upon request from the Development Office. FORMER STAFF ■■ Jane Buxton Matron of College in the 1970s
Died 30th July 2015 Obituary by Anne Dunn (Busby’s Matron and Senior Medical Matron 1964-90) Jane was with us in the 1970s and was a valuable member of our team – always cheerful and ready to help in any way – I am sure any of her then charges will be saddened to hear of her loss.
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Deaths ■■ Roger Pope
■■ Caspar Bowden
■■ James Nunns
d. 25th October 2014
d. 9th July 2015
d. 20th December 2015
■■ Alan Kelson
■■ Christopher Loveless
■■ Colin Cullimore
d. 22nd April 2015
d. 17th July 2015
d. 22nd December 2015
■■ Andrew Aitken
■■ Thomas Beard
■■ Michael Leveaux
d. 30th April 2015
d. 20th July 2015
d. 3rd January 2016
Busby’s 1954-58
Wren’s 1936-39
Wren’s 1967-71
Rigaud’s 1975-78
Busby’s 1975-79
Rigaud’s 1978-82
Busby’s 1967-72
Busby’s 1945-50
Rigaud’s 1935-40
■■ Ivan Momtchiloff Busby’s 1944-48
■■ John Bird Wren’s 1962-63
d. 30th April 2015
d. 27th August 2015
d. 23rd January 2016
■■ Maurice Blackburn
■■ Petrus Bertschinger
■■ Richard Horton
d. 12th June 2015
d. 9th October 2015
d. 25th January 2016
■■ Clive Hunt
■■ Peter Stansbury
■■ Roger Eastell
d. 17th June 2015
d. 15th October 2015
d. 7th March 2016
■■ Jonathan Croft
■■ Christopher Duggan
d. 8th July 2015
d. 2nd November 2015
Former member of staff ■■ Jane Buxton Matron (College, 1970s)
Busby’s 1936-41
Busby’s 1965-69
Grant’s 1947-52
Ashburnham 1975-79
Wren’s 1955-60
Queen’s Scholar 1971-75
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■■ Michael Steele
Rigaud’s 1945-49
Busby’s 1947-52
Busby’s 1946-49
d. 30th July 2015
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The Elizabethan Newsletter is produced annually by the Development Office of Westminster School and is available to all OWW. Letters are positively encouraged and should be sent to: The Development Office Westminster School 17a Dean’s Yard, London SW1P 3PB T: +44 (0)20 7963 1115 F: +44 (0)20 7963 1064 E: developmentoffice@westminster.org.uk
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