The OCulus Issue 1

WELCOME

from the head

It is a great pleasure to introduce you to the new look OC magazine, The OCulus. An Oculus is an ‘eye-like opening’ or ‘round window’ and we see this magazine as your window into Clayesmore and the community of which you are a valued and important part. Significantly however, a window can be looked through from both sides, so this magazine also gives our current community, pupils, staff and prospective families a wonderful opportunity to see what our alumni have achieved since leaving Clayesmore.

In this first edition we have brought you a snapshot of the past year, from the introduction of LEX - our new personal development programme - to school events, insights into what our OCs have been up to and other news and articles which we hope you will find interesting, informative and inspiring.

It never ceases to amaze me what OCs have achieved in all walks of life and our article on Will Niven is just one such example. If you, or someone you know, has a career or life success story to tell, then please do get in touch. We love hearing about your adventures!

I do hope you enjoy the magazine and encourage you to keep in touch with us via our alumni office on development@clayesmore.com. I hope I get to see you at our future events and you are always very welcome to visit the school by arranging it through Mrs Sarah Kerr in our development office.

With very best wishes

JO THOMSON HEAD

MEET Your COMMITTEE

After being elected as Chair in April last year (and then re-elected earlier this year), it is a privilege to be able to welcome you to the first edition of The OCulus (which was formerly the Old Clayesmorian)! It’s been a relatively busy period for the OC Society as we’ve been able to properly start hosting in-person events following the pandemic. A particular highlight so far was welcoming over 170 OCs back to the school for the OC Centenary Ball in July for one of the largest and most spectacular events in the Society’s history.

One of my main aims as Chair is to try to get as many OCs as possible involved with the OC Society so I do hope this issue will inspire you to stay in touch (or re-engage) with the Society. I look forward to hopefully meeting many of you at our various events over the coming year.

Rory White-Andrews Chair - OC Society Committee

(DEVINE 2008)

ANDREW JACKSON (DEVINE 2006)

LOUISE SALMOND SMITH (KINGS 1994)

RORY WHITE ANDREWS

PAUL SMITH (DEVINE 1994)

ADAM HORNBLOW (DEVINE 1993)

MATT SWARBICK (GATE 1995)

GREG SWABY (MANOR 2005)

HUGH BALL (DEVINE 1995)

CHAIR PRESIDENT TREASURER

SECRETARY

2021/22

BURNS NIGHT SUPPER

Almost 80 guests attended the Burns Night Supper and Ceilidh at The Crown Hotel in Blandford. Lots of laughter, high energy dancing and some very entertaining speeches ensured everyone had a super evening.

We look forward to next year’s event

OC FOOTBALL AND HOCKEY

The start of the new academic year saw the welcome return of our OC sporting fixtures.

The fiercely contested Drummond Cup took place between our OC football team and the School and the OC hockey team took on the School’s First XI.

Both games were played in great spirits with the OCs winning the football 2-0 and the School winning the hockey 6-1.

OC QUIZ NIGHT

Always popular, the OC Quiz Night was once again a great night with Quiz Master, Frank Thomson, putting everyone through their paces!

EVENTS 2021/22

GOLF DAY

Another hotly contested golf day was held at premium course, Remedy Oak, in March 2022. Teams enjoyed club hospitality and 18 holes on an overcast day which did little to dampen the spirits of the men and women competing!

THE LEX LAUNCH LATE SUMMER GARDEN

PARTY

Clayesmore’s innovative LEX programme was launched in September 2021 and a full day of activities were showcased throughout the whole school with the backdrop of the Late Summer Garden Party.

Family and friends were invited to toast our 125 year anniversary and enjoy cake, prosecco and a delicious hog roast whilst listening to the fabulous band, The Clementines. Hundreds turned out to find out more about LEX, soak up the party atmosphere and celebrate being part of the Clayesmore community.

CLAYESMORE LECTURE

Baroness Eliza Manningham - Buller was our special guest speaker at the 2021 Clayesmore Lecture. Her insights into international security and personal anecdotes about her time in MI5 had the audience enthralled.

VINEYARD TOUR

Breezy Ridge Vineyard is owned and run by OC, Joe Fear and his wife Beccy.

A highly enjoyable few hours were spent sampling the various wines and finding out about the vineyard. A sumptuous lunch was washed down with a glass of their delicious classic cuvee.

A super event and greatly enjoyed by all.

OC DINNERS AT CLAYESMORE

THE OC CITY LUNCH

A firm favourite in the OC calendar, held at the wonderful Le Beaujolais restaurant on Litchfield Road in London.

Delicious food, great wine and possibly the finest cheese board in London!

2021

Emily Abram Kingston University, Interior Design

Amelia Aitken Durham University, Classics

Keishia Andrews Cardiff Metropolitan University, Sport, Physical Education and Health

Jasper Angell University of Exeter, Business and Management

Hazel Atkins

Solent University (Southampton), Physical Education

Taya Basset Arts University Bournemouth, Art Foundation

Nathaniel Brookes

Bristol, University of the West of England, Automotive Engineering

Oliver Bryant Bath Spa University, Psychology (Professional Placement Year)

Alfred Carpenter University of Warwick, Computer Science

Joel Cazalet Bristol, University of the West of England, Sports Business and Entrepreneurship

Nathan Charlesworth Oxford Brookes University, Real Estate

Rebecca Chattock UCA Farnham, Fine Art

Henry Cook Army

Arthur Crumplin

University of Plymouth, Business Management with Foundation Year

Henry Daniels Apprenticeship

Emily Daysh Post applying

Bryn Duncan University of Nottingham, Archaeology and History

Jacob Dyer Gap year - TA

Rufus Eastham Hospitality apprenticeship

James Emes Post apply

Abi Essex UCA Farnham, Art Foundation

Felix Fox Post apply Henry Gundill Post apply Exercise and Sport Sciences

Lulu Halestrap London Metropolitan University Architecture

James Hatvany Bristol, University of the West of England Politics and International Relations

Wiliam Henfrey Kingston University Marketing & Advertising With Business Experience

Dominic Holden RAF

Samuel Jeavons UCFB Multimedia Sports Journalism

Jemima Jennings University of Bristol Chemical Physics with Industrial Experience

Abigail Jones University of York English

Phoebe Jones

Birmingham City University Jewellery and Silversmithing

Charlotte Kalmanson Post apply

Felix Lamb

Oxford Brookes University Economics, Finance and International Business

Amelia Landymore Bristol, University of the West of England Business Management and Marketing

Fredrick Lobb

Brunel University London Computer Science (Network Computing)

Isobel Lockwood Univeristy of Bath Health and Exercise Science with Professional Placement

Brendan Marchment Sparsholt College L3 Agriculture

Jessica Matthews Bath Spa University Graphic Communication

Tom McClatchey Lancaster University Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Alasdair McDouall Bournemouth University Sport Management

Alice Meadowcroft Trinity Laban Conservatoire Voice

Harriet Middleton Post apply

Lucy Miles University of the Arts London Textile Design

Isabelle Milsom Post apply

Will Moore Oxford Brookes University Art Foundation

Tanya Naituku Bath Spa University Interior Design (with Foundation Year)

Lanre Ogunnaike

London Metropolitan University Art and Design (with foundation year)

Cecily Peto Bostick Cardiff University Architecture

Ringo Price Oxford Brookes University Foundation Built Environment

Marcus Purwanto University of Victoria Music and Computer Science

Lola Putland Simpkin Apprenticeship

Ayush Raj Iyer University of Nottingham Law

George Readwin Royal Navy

Dillon Reed University of Wales Trinity Saint David Motorsport Engineering (4 year programme)

Ruby Richardson Edinburgh Napier University Cyber Security and Forensics

Sebastian Rowe Royal Holloway, University of London Music

Freya Sadler Northumbria University, Newcastle Graphic Design

Max Sadler University of York Social and Political Sciences

Martha Sale Falmouth University Textile Design

Harold Seyler

Ecole Vatel Bordeaux International Hospitality

Alice Simpson Oxford Brookes University Business and Management

Yuyi Song

Royal Holloway, University of London Accounting and Finance

Anna Sorrentino Post apply Medicine - MBChB Standard entry (5 years)

Francesca Sorrentino Post apply Interior Architecture

Jolyon Tetley Bristol, University of the West of England Illustration

Lucy Tipping Post apply

Suvannah Van Vliet Bristol, University of the West of England Psychology

Grace Watts Durham University Visual Arts and Film

Josh Whitticase Bournemouth University Computing

Louis Wilkins University of Portsmouth History

Benjamin Williams

University of Glasgow International Relations (SocSci)

Olga Wollek

Wagner fur Haare, Vienna Makeup and hair design

Benjamin Wright Hartpury University Sport and Exercise Nutrition

MUSIC CLAYESMORE At

Alice Meadowcroft gained her ATCL diploma in Singing (Associate of the Trinity College in London) whilst still at Clayesmore. She went on to study voice at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music.

Seb Rowe achieved his Horn ARSM (Associate of the Royal Schools of Music) diploma and is currently studying Music at Royal Holloway University of London.

There are many ensembles operating on a weekly basis with the following groups maintained throughout the year: Chapel Choir, Concert Band, Choral Society, Orchestra, Pipe Band, Chamber Strings, Cello Group, Phoenix Percussion, Brass Ensemble, Jazz Band, Funk Band, Pop Band, Flute Group, Saxophone Trio, Bassoon Group, Wind Quintet, and Barber Shop singing group.

DISCOVERING

LEX

LEX

AUTUMN TERM

AUTUMN TERM

What is LEX?

Named after our founder, Lex Devine, the LEX programme is a key means by which the school seeks to fulfil its mission and vision - to deliver a holistic educational experience for all pupils through actively promoting their personal development in an inclusive and stimulating environment.

LEX

LEX

AUTUMN TERM

AUTUMN TERM

Clayesmore recognises the importance of academic learning and the acquisition of qualifications in supporting pupils in their journey through school and beyond, we are also very aware of the limitations of such a traditional education. It is often the lessons learned outside the classroom or beyond exam board syllabi that have the most long-lasting and profound impacts. LEX seeks to provide opportunities for all pupils to be successful, to be challenged, to think and to learn about themselves - and each other - in a wide range of contexts and through a variety of activities. It is designed to stimulate and engage pupils physically, emotionally and intellectually, thus providing them with useful skills and the right values to enable them to go on and live vibrant, happy and fulfilling lives.

Many good schools will talk about offering broad educational experiences, but few have put holistic education at the heart of what they do in the way we have at Clayesmore - something of which we are very proud. More broadly, in a rapidly changing world facing a future filled with uncertainty, it is essential that young people are equipped with a broad set of skills and knowledge and an understanding of the world around them so that they can tackle the myriad complex challenges ahead - whether climate change, international conflict, environmental degradation or economic criseswith skill and compassion.

Through each passing year, LEX continues to evolve, modified and improved by experience and opportunity and shaped by feedback from parents, pupils and staff. Through remaining responsive, and in the spirit of continual improvement, the principles of LEX will become further embedded, integrated into the educational experience that all Clayesmore pupils enjoy.

THINK

explores ideas, expands knowledge in cultural, political, historical and scientific spheres, and hones skills of argument and analysis.

SERVICE

involves working with a number of local charities and social enterprises on our Service days. These might see pupils fundraising, campaigning or giving up their time to support their chosen cause directly; pupils from every year group will have the opportunity to get involved in the amazing Tanzania Partnership.

DEVELOPMENT

allocates time to the development of skills, from the creative to the technical, including many required for qualifications. From portraiture to Lego robotics, Model UN to musical composition, there is something in the programme for everyone.

ACTIVE

Sessions run in sets of three Saturdays most terms. This is to enable skills to be developed rather than just sampled. There will be a wide range of options including paddleboarding, bouldering, bikepacking and kayaking; clay shooting, pilates, basketball or skateboarding.

WHOLE SCHOOL

Sometimes on Saturday and on weekdays at other times, the whole school will do something together, whether a cultural trip, an expedition or service.

Pupils will have the opportunity to achieve LEX Commendations, accrued over the year, which will lead to LEX Awards being given out at Speech Day and Prize Giving. Commendations will be awarded based on three key areas of participation:

A ‘DIFFERENT’ SATURDAY

LEX delivers a different sort of Saturday for our pupils. A slightly later start to the day, casual clothes and a more relaxed ‘vibe’ across the school all contribute to the ethos of the programme.

Once LEX is completed at 12:30, pupils have lunch and then head into games and sports fixtures for the afternoon.

SPINNEY MEMORIAL TRUST

Friends and family gathered at Clayesmore on 20th March 2022 to remember Old Clayesmorians, Bill Chennells and Stephen Levinson. It was a very moving and special day in which the Clayesmore Choir, under the expert guidance of Director of Music, Ralph Kerr, performed pieces requested by the families. A particular mention should be given to pupil, Seb Hamlyn, who gave a beautiful vocal rendition of L’Dor Vador.

The Trustees are enormously grateful to the School for allowing us to organise this very special day to remember Bill and Stephen. Our grateful thanks go to the Head, Jo Thomson, School Chaplain, Andrew West for organising the splendid Order of Service, Ralph Kerr and the Choir for the incredible music and James Grimwood for the superb organ voluntary.

Dukes and Jack Green

helped found the Photographic Society back in the 1950s. They hadn’t seen each other for 70 years. A wonderful moment!

John

Penny Levinson,

Stephen’s widow, looked resplendent in a stunning jacket made from Stephen’s ties - a marvellous tribute to a well-loved member of the Clayesmore community.

Nathaniel Brookes

Since buying the bike frame I have now added the working parts from my original bike so that I now have a complete mountain bike to ride again. After finishing my A levels, I was on a training ride when I was approached by the owner of a local adventure business, asking if I could help him over the summer.

The adventure business is based in Dorset and on Exmoor which has enabled me to access new mountain biking routes with different challenges. The work enabled me to help others with their mountain biking, and I was also able to assist with some of the mountain biking guided rides. Some of the rides included groups of up to 20 school children. I really enjoyed this work. We also did a work group ride, which was a 45 mile off road adventure that took in quite a lot of tricky trails all over Exmoor as an end of summer celebration, which was so much fun to do.

Having my bike back has really helped me get back to training fully and progress with all areas of my riding. Over the summer I was able to go out to ride the bike most days, getting in as much practice as possible. By the end of the summer, I was riding many of the trails around Exmoor much

faster than I had ever been able to before. I also spent some time at a bike park where I can do more technical features like jumps, rock gardens and off camber roots. I have moved up many trail gradings and can now do black trails (third most difficult) at speed.

At the start of last September I attended a mountain bike leadership course which took place over the whole weekend. Once completed, this qualification will allow me to take out groups on guided rides by myself. The course involved lots of long rides, and guidance on the safety aspects of leading groups. I have not yet completed the qualification as I need to complete some more solo rides and will then be assessed on taking a group ride. My hope now is that once I have completed the leadership qualification, I will move on to coaching qualifications.

It’s been such a massive help having my bike back and I can’t wait to see what I get to do on it next which I’m really excited about!

NATHANIEL BROOKES 2021 SMT Award Recipient

2021CORMORANTS CRICKET WEEK

CLAYESMORE, CANFORD, BRYANSTON AND SHERBORNE ALUMNI MATCHES AND ARKADIN C.C

SUNDAY’S RESULTS

T2O NO.1

Toss won by Cormorants

Canford Cygnets 142-4 (20 overs) Batting: George Hayward 52 Bowling: Leith Cowie 4-0-23-2

Clayesmore Cormorants 127-6 (20 overs) Batting: Greg Swaby 37 Bowling: Jamie Mitchell 1-0-17-1

CYGNETS WIN BY 15 RUNS

T20 NO.2

Toss won by Cormorants

Clayesmore Cormorants 60-4 (8 overs) Batting: Extras 25 Bowling: C. Taylor 1-0-2-1

Sherborne Pilgrims 64-5 (7.2 overs) Batting: O Palmer 27 Bowling: Will Price 2-0-6-1 + Jack Whiteside 2-0-11-2

CORMORANTS LOSE BY 5 WICKETS

MONDAY’S RESULTS

CORMORANT’S VS CYGNETS

Toss won by Cormorants

Clayesmore Cormorants 200-5 dec. (52 overs)

Batting: Sam Kennet 76 + James Miles 40 Bowling: Tom Nichols 8-3-18-2

Canford Cygnets 115-6 (30 overs)

Batting: Ben Upton 43 Bowling: Will Price 6-0-18-2

MATCH DRAWN

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

BUTTERFLIES VS. CORMORANTS

Toss won by Cormorants (again!)

Clayesmore Cormorants 131-9 dec. (52 overs) Batting: Will Price 35 Bowling: Owen Morris 9-1-21-4

Canford Cygnets 63-10 (24.1 overs) Batting: James Miles 11-5-15-4 & Andy Dike 11-3-23-4 Bowling: Aiden Guinness 24

CORMORANTS WIN BY 68 RUNS

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

CLAYESMORE CORMORANTS VS. ARKADIN CC

Toss won by Cormorants (AGAIN!)

Clayesmore Cormorants 151-5 (40 overs) Batting: Ed Rimmer 44 & Graeme Owton 39 Bowling: Owen Morris 9-1-21-4

Arkadin CC 66-10 (32.3 overs) Batting: Joe Cotterell 35 Bowling: Andy Dike 11-5-19-4

CORMORANTS WIN BY 85 RUNS.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

CORMORANTS VS PILGRIMS

Toss won by Pilgrims

Sherborne Pilgrims 182-10 (51.5 overs) Batting: Alistair Pusinelli 59 Bowling: Tom Miles 11-4-34-4

Arkadin CC 101-10 (37 overs) Batting: Jacob Gordon Bowling: Andrew Nurton 11-4-25-5

This summer saw a reboot of an old Cormorants fixture against Arkadin CC a club founded by OC Julien Allen. The Wednesday fixture was a 40 over per innings fixture to allow for an extended lunch and tea break for special arrangements for the day.

It was a fitting end to a day when we made tribute to the memory of a wonderful and dedicated member of the cricket club. That win was especially for you, Nick Goumas.

CORMORANT DINNER & AWARDS

END OF WEEK DINNER & AWARDS

To belatedly mark the Cormorants 60th anniversary we held a more formal occasion than we have done for a while in the Main House. Thank you so much to the school’s catering team for a fantastic evening, and for a brilliant week’s hospitality. As ever it really is a high bar that all the other schools compare themselves to during cricket week.

Clive Wilkinson Shield (awarded to an outstanding debutant) – Tom Miles

The Cormorants Cup – James Miles

The Miles brothers are not the only family to have done a ‘double,’ but we believe they could be the first family to have done it in the same year, with James also having previously won the Shield’s predecessor, the ‘Young Cormorant Award’. Will Tom get his name onto the Cup itself soon enough too?

Special thanks to everyone who kindly donated to support both the cricket week and fundraising for a memorial bench for Nick Goumas.

A special mention must go to Louise Smith for all her hard work on co-ordinating the input, editing, chasing, sub-editing and production of a fantastic publication to mark the 2020 60th anniversary of the Cormorants. It is a wonderful compendium of photos and memories from various generations of Cormorants cricketers.

Thanks to those who played 2021 cricket week: Greg Swaby, Perry Pearce, Jack Whiteside, Harry Beardsley, Leith Cowie, Sam Kennet, Simon Woodruff, Andy Dike, Guy Hicks, Graeme Owton, Alex Morgan, Freddie Neville, Ed Rimmer, Julien Allen, Tom Miles, James Miles, Will Perrin, Alex Ashmore, Jacob Gordon, Will Price, Arthur Webb & Rob Harding

If you would be interested in playing or making a sponsorship donation, please do contact Greg Swaby (gregswaby@hotmail.co.uk) or Perry Pearce (perrypearce5@gmail.com).

This report would not be complete without reference to two long standing Cormorants supporters who most sadly died last January: Nick Goumas and Stephen Levinson both of whom have obituaries in this publication.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH 2021

It was fantastic to be able to undertake expeditions again in the latter part of the summer term 2021. Covid-19 put pay to all of the expeditions from the summer 2020. So it was a bumper summer trying to fit in two years’ worth of expeditions.

Twenty-one Year 10 pupils and fourty-nine Year 11 pupils (at different times) went off to the New Forest to complete their Silver Expeditions. And twelve members of the Lower Sixth went off to Dartmoor to complete their Gold Expedition, in the worst rain we have ever seen!

All of this activity meant it was a bumper term for the completion of DofE Awards at all levels. We presented a total of 88 Awards at final assembly (44 Bronze, mostly to year 9 pupils, and 44 Silver mostly to Year 11 pupils).

As a DofE Licensed organisation we also presented our 500th DofE Award (a Silver Certificate to Drew Zhu).

UNBOXING AN ENTREPRENEUR

Ifirst joined Clayesmore Prep school aged eleven in 2006. I joined the school because we had family members that had previously boarded and progressed through the Prep School and into the Senior School. I loved the campus when I visited and hearing the experience that my siblings had at Clayesmore, it was an easy choice to make for my own education.

I had a fantastic time at Clayesmore, I joined in Year 6 and boarded weekly and would return home at the weekends. I stayed right the way through until Sixth Form which I left in 2011. I wasn’t much of a sportsman, however I was a dedicated creative and spent the majority of my time in the Art block. My favourite subjects were Art and Design and Technology. Being a border gave me independence and knowledge of how to stand on my own two feet and I would probably say I am maybe a much more well-rounded person as a result. This also gave me the confidence to pursue my own goals later on in life which is often something that I talk about to colleagues who have children and are looking at sending them to boarding school.

After Clayesmore, I attended the Arts University Bournemouth and I studied an extended diploma in Design between 2012-2014. I then went on to get a scholarship to study visual communication, also at the Arts University Bournemouth, which I graduated from in 2018. I set up my creative agency UNBXD in my first year of university and have continued growing and developing this company. We’ve recently celebrated our seventh birthday!

UNBXD is a full-service creative agency based in the south of the UK. We are a team of approximately twentyfive, and our specialisms are in branding, web design, marketing and media. Some of our clients include Nike, Deliveroo, LG Electronics, Addison Lee and Moore. We also work with a range of start-ups to turn conceptual ideas into reality and get them to market.

Will Niven remembers his time at Clayesmore and how it set him on the path to success.

In recent years we have also developed hosting platform UNBXD Host, and this year have created a separate specialist web development arm called ASPEKT.

I am most proud of how the company has expanded its service base, and continuously innovated and refined its service offering and quality of work over the years. We have a dedicated and skilled team who I love working alongside each day. Some of our employees have been with us for many years and it’s great to build such long-standing and solid relationships which resonate through the work we produce and to our clients.

My advice to anyone that wants to start their own business is to learn as much as you can from people who have done it previously. This allows you to see where the lessons and mistakes were made so that you don’t have to make them for yourself! This will then speed up the development process and save you having pitfalls within the first few years. If you’re developing your own creative career, I would also recommend freelancing and building your portfolio as much as you can in the early days, as this will be one of the main things which clients and employees will want to see: a body of work.

I would also recommend what I like to call a t-junction of skills. This means that if you have a primary focus in what you are looking to achieve e.g. graphic design, I would also recommend learning offshoots such as print and web design so that this makes you a more adaptable creative and means that you can take on larger projects and pivot towards different areas of the industry as, and when, needed. This also helps with job security.

Next for UNBXD will be further expansion into more international clients, as well as growing our specialist development of the company. We have begun taking on projects within the web three sector, such as specialist web apps and software to enable CGI and VR projects, thereby creating a more immersive and interactive type of content for customers. I believe this will be the future of advertising.

Will Niven

UNBXD Founder & MD

www.unbxd.co.uk www.aspekt.agency www.unbxd.host

GEORGE

(DEVINE 2010) to

HARRIS FRANCESCA HANLEY

Ushers were Charlie Patrick (Devine 2010), Declan Short (Gate 2006), Harry Godden (Gate 2010), Oliver Fairchild (Devine 2010), Ben Duly (Manor 2012) and Lewis Twydle (Devine 2009).

TIME to CELEBRATE

KIRSTY PATTERSON DAVID PORTER to (WOLVERTON 2009) PASCALE DEVLIN JONATHAN COOPER to (WOLVERTON 2009)

CLAUDIA LEGG MARK ROPER to (WOLVERTON 2008)

ENGAGEMENTS

BARNABY HITCHINGS PIPPA HAYNES to (MANOR 2010) ROSA SCOTT HUGH MACKAY to (KING’S 2013)

TOM MERRIMAN VICTORIA REED to (DEVINE 2012)

ARCHIE PARKS SOPHIE DUNNING to (MANOR 2010) LEWIS MCMANUS KENZIE BENALI to (MANOR 2013)

HOLLY DAVIES STEPHEN THOMAS GREEN to (1996-2000)

2021 PRIZE WINNERS

Issy

LOCKWOOD

Issy thrived at Clayesmore and proved to be an invaluable asset to all the team sports. Whilst starting out as goalkeeper for hockey, during the Sixth Form, Issy made her way onto the pitch to play defense.

Throughout her time at Clayesmore Issy was also working behind the scene to complete her umpiring qualifications and from Year 10 Issy could regularly be seen umpiring both Prep and Senior fixtures. Issy was well on the way to achieving her Level 2 qualification before COVID struck.

Issy was also Tennis Captain for 2021 which proved to be the most successful season ever for our 1st team players. Issy was also Head of Sport for King’s 2021.

Nathaniel BROOKES

Nathaniel found great success during his time at Clayesmore. He competed regularly as an elite cyclist and won several awards including placing first in the Castle Combe easter classic for two consecutive years. He also placed 10th at a competitive race at Brands Hatch and, during his peak, he was ranked 1st U16 rider in the south region and 22nd nationally. His hard work and achievements were also apparent in his academic subjects; he attained a very impressive set of A Level results in the summer of 2021 and now studies Automotive Engineering at the UWE in Bristol. Nathaniel served as a House Prefect in Gate House and chaired the House Council. His positive and enthusiastic attitude will be missed in the years to come and we wish him all the very best. We could not be prouder of his achievements, both in the classroom and on the bike, and we are delighted to award him an Old Clayesmorian award.

Dominic HOLDEN

Dominic was an accomplished trumpeter when he arrived at the Senior School and, as a member of the RAFAC (rising the rank of Sergeant), he willingly represented the school and was annually found playing the Last Post somewhere in Dorset, often at Iwerne Minster’s Remembrance Service though in recent years he has been the bugler at the Wimborne Remembrance Services.

He also became an accomplished bagpiper and was also an enthusiastic and highly qualified water sportsman. A good swimmer through his Clayesmore career he also took up Kitesurfing in 2018.

Dominic is a typical Clayesmorian success, a young man with a big heart and a sense of drive and purpose. He made the most of his time at Clayesmore and gave back to the school as much of what he gained from his time here as could be asked of him, from the swimming pool to the rugby pitch, CCF and, unstintingly, the Music Department.

Jemima

JENNINGS

Jemima, throughout her time at Clayesmore, competed in both national and international Dressage Competitions and represented the school in NSEA (National Schools Equestrian Association) competitions. Having been born in Australia, Jemima is proud to represent her birth country and is currently the second highest ranked Junior Australian rider. She is currently riding Sir Willy after retiring Diamond Buttons and is looking forward to a full year of training and competitions in 2022.

FIRST CLASSOCS

Congratulations to these OCs who have excelled in their studies and gained First Class degrees at their universities. It is wonderful to see such a breadth of courses which range from Music to Management, Politics to Psychology.

ABIGAIL MORGAN

(Wolverton 2018)

Psychology • King’s College London

(Wolverton 2016) Marketing • Solent University

SCOTT RYRIE

(Manor 2018)

International Relations and Politics Oxford Brookes

(Devine

ANNABEL CRAWFORD

CHRIS LAMBERT

2017) Industrial Design and Technology with a Diploma in Professional Studies Loughborough

MURPHY

AMPHLETT

CHARITY

Humanitarian UKRAINE APPEAL

Over 250 people joined us for the Charity Walk in support of the DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal raising over £1500.

ART SALE

OCs, parents, pupils and friends all came together to support the Art sale for the Vale Pantry and over £800 was raised.

Thank you to everyone who supported this. A special note of thanks must go to Old Clayesmorian, Charles Bell, who donated a number of his wonderful prints.

Do take a look at his website www.charlesbellart.com

Clayesmore students participated in a charity mixed year group netball match to help raise money for Sport in Mind.

SCHOOL Developments

The existing Clayesmore cricket net facility had been starting to show its age and was proving unsuitable for the level of cricket Clayesmore plays and wants to offer.

The decision was taken to go out to tender and procure a new ECB (English Cricket Board) accredited system, that would not only play to the high compliance standards of ECB, but also look aesthetically professional and show that Clayesmore takes its sport seriously. The new nets were completed in time for the Cricket season and consists of:

Ideal orientation of lanes, which has involved turning the facility approximately 90 degrees, to now orientate at 345 degrees north-south.

Fully engineered sub base, with appropriate stone infill compacted to provide a stable base for the tarmacadam top layer. This provides a consistent base for playability.

New synthetic carpet laid on top of a shock pad intermediate layer, and fixed all year round.

The two outer lanes have bowling lines, which aid specialist bowling coaching.

The facility has not only independent netting to each lane, but is also fully enclosed at the perimeter, giving an all round professional feel. It also contains the ball more which improves health and safety to other sports and public in the immediate area.

The netting system will have other design features such as privacy screens in each of the eight lanes, which reduces distractions for the batsmen, and a white sight screen incorporated within the south elevation netting to aid better visuals on the bowler and the ball trajectory.

Natural Lanes

The 4 remaining natural lanes will be slowly reinstated over the next year by our in-house Grounds team. This is a process which is best not rushed and we can take the time to install this in appropriate stages to give the best natural practice possible. The aim is to have these completed during the summer months, which then in turn will allow the completion of the full net structure.

The natural lanes will then be maintained and prepared ready for play/use next summer.

The former Pre Prep lodges have been developed into the new school cafe, “The Writer’s Block”, which will provide a welcome space for OCs, parents, pupils and staff to enjoy refreshments, relax and even do some work with full wi-fi and USB ports provided.

Coffees, cakes and hot food will all be available 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday. We encourage everyone who visits to come and enjoy this brand new, sociable space at the school. This project has been generously supported by the Clayesmore Society, Friends of Clayesmore, Prep PA and the Old Clayesmorian Society. Follow us on social media @the_writers_block_cafe

ASTRO RESURFACING

Thanks to the generous legacy of Mrs Joyce MacDonald, we were able to resurface our Astroturf facility over the Summer of 2022. This well-used facility was in need of refurbishment to allow all pupils to play hockey and tennis with the benefit of a safe, high performance surface.

SNAPSHOT 2021

VISITING CLAYESMORE

WELCOME!

A reminder that all OCs are welcome to visit the School! Wherever possible, please let us know you’re coming by calling Sarah Kerr on 01747 813177 or emailing skerr@clayesmore. com, so someone can meet you and show you around, as we are no longer able to give permission for visitors to wander freely on the campus. Furthermore, we regret we are not able to guarantee entry into classrooms and boarding houses.

OC MERCHANDISE

There are lots of nice things for OCs to purchase to remind them of their Old School, including ties, rugby shirts, mugs, brollies and bracelets. Visit shop.clayesmore.com

SOCIAL MEDIA

The Old Clayesmorian Society has a presence on a number of social media sites, making it really easy to keep in touch and see what’s going on.

WHERE are THEY NOW

Tom Tait (1939) celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2021.

David Austin (1949) David attended Clayesmore from 1946 to 1949. David’s start at the school was delayed until he secured a passage from Sri Lanka (where he was born) to England after the end of the war.

During his time at the school Desmond Burke was the Headmaster. His Housemaster was J D Spinney. David enjoyed playing chess with his Maths Master. He recalls one school report not commenting on his Maths, but rather “David plays chess well”. David was a prefect in the Seniors House and had many good friends including Christopher Davison (subsequently his

family’s solicitor) and Parvez Allah. After school David trained in the City and qualified as a chartered accountant. He had a long and rewarding career with ExxonMobil both overseas and in the UK.

David was married for over 65 years to his late wife Jeanne and has two sons. David would be delighted to hear from any of his school contemporaries. He is currently living at The Hawthorns in Eastbourne.

Christopher Slater (1950) has been awarded A.R.S.C.M. (Associate of the Royal School of Church Music), in recognition for his work in training and conducting Church choirs in Surrey.

His interest in Church Music began, of course, at Clayesmore where he not only sang in the Chapel Choir but also on occasion conducted the choir in services and played the organ (then hand pumped!) when Reg Sessions was ill.

Charles Bell (1958) presented an oil painting of his to Cdr. Charles Guy on board HMS Queen Elizabeth. The painting now hangs in the senior officers ward room aboard the aircraft carrier. You can view more of Charles’ artwork at charlesbellart.com.

John Bridgen (1958) is completing a book which contains nearly all of Humphrey Moore’s poems with a memoir by John and including some of his own poems dedicated to Humphrey. Humphrey taught biology at Clayesmore from 1938 until his early death in 1968. He was a housemaster from 1946 until he died. His passions, as well as for biology and natural history, were for poetry and music. He wrote poetry from

his school days at Bradfield beginning in 1932 up until the year he died. John was at Clayesmore from 1953 until 1958. They became very good friends and Humphrey left his mainly unpublished poems to John in his Will. John’s book follows and charts all of Humphrey’s life and tells of his school days at Durlston Court and Bradfield, his life in Cambridge as an undergraduate at Corpus Christi College and then his life as a public school teacher at Dauntsey’s, Shrewsbury and above all at Clayesmore where he spent most of his life. His book has a lot to say about Clayesmore and what Clayesmore meant to Humphrey which I hope will interest Clayesmorians.

The book also tells the significant story of Humphrey’s time during the Second World War as an Intelligence Officer in Iraq. Humphrey had important links in both the scientific and the literary worlds. In 1976

The Brotherton Library of the University of Leeds contacted John and offered to purchase Humphrey’s wonderful collection of Auden and Thirties Poets, which he had inherited. They expressed their interest also in purchasing Humphrey’s papers and manuscripts. John has since then added material to the collection and he has included in it also the material that he collected of Humphrey’s great friend and colleague at Shrewsbury School, and the author of seven books, Frank McEachran – who was a friend and until fairly recently an unrecognised influence on the schoolboy Auden at the Greshams School in Norfolk. The whole collection is now at the Special Collections section of The Brotherton Library in Leeds. It is called the Bridgen/McEachran/ Moore Special Collection of Auden and Thirties Poets.

Hugh Sawyer (1959) is now happily retired, after a quarter of a

century working for Debenhams.

Geoffrey Phillips (1961) has just celebrated his 49th Wedding Anniversary. Living in Shillingstone. Still taking photographs and keeping busy in the garden. He has recently beaten his third cancer.

Brent Elson (1962) is still working and spends his time grinding crankshafts, and re-boring cylinder blocks, mainly for customers restoring old vehicles. If you remember Brent and would like to get in touch, he would be delighted to hear from you. Contact development@ clayesmore.com.

Stuart Henley (1963) Stuart’s very first home bred filly, Betty’s Belle, won her first ever race at Warwick racecourse in September 2021.

Francis Kirk (1976) is about to have a book published Cities In The Mind. This book is the fruit of a very fulfilling and varied

life-long academic and professional career as an architect and urban designer, and the wish to communicate that experience and insight to aspiring students who may be thinking about getting themselves trained for such a career.

After his days at Clayesmore, from 19661976, he qualified as a postgraduate at what is now Westminster University with the De Vere Urban Design Prize, having previously gained a First Class Honours Degree at London Metropolitan University, and since then he has built many projects in both the UK and Spain, large and small, public and private.

In preparation for the forthcoming launch of Cities In The Mind he has set up a new blog which showcases the most significant aspects of the book and details some of its background and context: fjkirk.wordpress.com

In the same blog there appears also a link

to a web site with a documentary film he made devoted to the life, home and work of his twin brother Paul who went on from Clayesmore to study as a fine artist at Camberwell Art School and who sadly died earlier this year.

Gus Casely-Hayford (1980) has a new role as presenter of TV’s Time Team.

Gus is an historian, museum curator and broadcaster, currently serving as inaugural Director of V&A East, London. No stranger to filmmaking, Gus’s presenting credits include Lost Kingdoms of Africa and The Culture Show for the BBC, The Genius of British Art on Channel 4, and Tate Walks for Sky Arts.

Matthew Reynolds (1991) is Executive Director, Information Technology at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

They have been recognised as number nine in this year’s CIO 100. Amongst his key achievements this year were the delivery of the Digital UK Ships Register, enabling customers to register, manage, and track their assets through the digital service or by calling the contact centre; a Digital Seafarers ID card and Boat Masters License to simplify waterway access while saving costs; and a new channel navigation system.

Nicole Faraday (1993) has been performing her own cabaret at various venues including the prestigious Crazy Coqs at the beautiful Brasserie Zedel in Soho. Her next date there will be 14th March 2022. Meanwhile she continues to perform in murder mystery dinners up and down the country.

Her award winning TV series ‘Bad Girls’ in which she was a series regular for two years is back on freeview telly for the first time since it was initially screened 18 years ago on the UKTV Play Drama channel. She took part in a fan convention for 400 Bad Girls fans in September which raised thousands of pounds for the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund, respite care for families of very ill children.

She will be one of the headliners of pantomime at the Harlequin Theatre in Redhill this Christmas, playing a female Abanazer in Aladdin from 10th Dec until 2nd Jan and would be happy to see some OCs in the audience!!

Zoe Sharpe (Wolverton 1997) is a Development Manager at Dandara. She is also taking part in the EG Future Female Leaders programme which is an industry wide collaboration to seek a more diverse range of views and opinions and to hear different voices.

Through the unique programme, future female leaders from across the built environment will learn new skills in communication and presentation, helping them become engaging, powerful speakers.

Christine Akehurst (Wolverton 1999) (née Kohlhaas) lives in Germany with her husband David and their three children. The latest addition to the family, Hannah Victoria, was born in August 2020, and the family is now adjusting to life after lockdown.

Jennifer Pollock (King’s 2005) will be starting a new job at Stamford School as a Maths Teacher in November 2021. She will continue her tutoring business and enjoys playing cricket.

Emily Edgell (King’s 2007) finished working for the Royal Household 2009-2014, where she was a House Maid to HRH Duke of Edinburgh, Dresser to TRH Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and finished as Senior Housekeeping Assistant to HM The Queen.

Since then she has been Private Assistant to Hollywood Actress Salma Hayek and now PA to Oscar winner Emerald Fennell.

Claudia Roper nee Legg (Wolverton 2008) completed the first part of her legal training in June 2021.

She is now working towards her Chartered Legal Executive status and hopes to qualify in 2024.

Bryony Purdue (Wolverton 2011) Bryony’s incredible voice featured in the new Warburtons advert starring George Clooney.

in Dorset. Victoria is the Senior Commerce Product Lead at LUSH Digital and Tom is Head of Global Partnerships at Gungho Marketing in Poundbury. When not seeing friends and family, they spend their time with their Cocker Spaniel, Otto, chickens and on their boat when the weather allows.

Shannon Falcone (Devine 1999) is a member of the Luna Rossa team. They won the PRADA Cup final in Auckland but sadly lost to Emirates Team New Zealand in the 36th America’s Cup Match in March 2021.

Lucinda Sandon-Allum (Wolverton 2012) works at Langland, the Global Healthcare Communications Agency. She was awarded Aspiring Communications Manager of the Year at the PharmaTimes Communications Awards

Tom Merriman (Devine 2012) and his fiancé Victoria are both living and working

Rosa Scott (King’s 2013) started working for a brand new Farm shop called Flourish Food Hall and Kitchen Ltd as their Head Chef. They are a brand new company that was built over 2020 and 2021 and opened in June of this year. Rosa is in charge of everything to do with the kitchen, from writing the menus to recruiting her team. They are also the first Farm Shop in the UK to be certified as a B Corp company, which means they use their buisness as a force for good to benefit both people and the planet.

Lewis McManus (Manor 2013) was presented with his county cap from Hampshire Cricket Club.

Olivia Smith (King’s 2013) self-portrait ‘Sitting Pretty’ has been identified as an outstanding contribution to the self-portrait genre and long-listed by the prestigious Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize 2021. You can follow Olivia @livthepainter

Harry Kimberley (Devine 2013) has opened up a new restaurant in Bournemouth, the second in their group after the first in Southampton. babooji.co.uk He has become an ambassador to help lead the fight against mental health stigma within hospitality for an organisation called “The Burnt Chef Project”. He has also been signed as a consultant to the global hospitality Epos system company LOKE, to help promote their product in the UK.

Rosie Adcock (nee Hellewell), (Wolverton 2016), played the piccolo in the Band and Bugles of the Rifles as part of the Guard of Honour at the funeral of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Tom Miles (Manor 2016) returned to Hong Kong to coach cricket at the Hong Kong Cricket Club.

Anna Höhn (Wolverton 2017) finished her Bachelor Degree at Oxford Brookes University in 2020 with a 2:1 and graduated from Hult International Business School with an MSc Degree in International Business with Finance this year.

they bring all the news and latest information on Málaga CF to the English fans. He has interviewed Sid Lowe (The Guardian and ESPN), Iván Calero (Málaga CF first team right back), Charlie Dean I’Anson (UCAM Murcia starting centre back) and many more!

He has also been working for Sport Direct Radio, the Spanish radio station that hosts their podcast, doing live commentary for the Euros and for Málaga CF games!

He has also been working for Xpression FM, the Exeter university student radio station, doing live football coverage, analysis on football, cricket, MMA and NFL! He was also a regular guest on a friend’s show which explored music from different countries around the world!

Nell Dixon (Wolverton 2019) graduated from her Professional Business Diploma at Oxford Media & Business School.

Sebastian Wheeler (Gate 2020) started a new job with Network Rail earlier this year, as a Signalling and Operations Apprentice, having gone through an application pool of 800+ applicants.

and Incident Response and has been working all over Anglia, as well as training in York and Coventry.

Gregor Sandiford (Devine 2015) Commissioned from Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 11 December 2020 into the Highlanders, 4th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Alex Ashmore (Manor 2018) is on his year abroad and currently working in Montréal, Canada. He will be heading to Spain for the second half - Santiago de Compostela. Since July 2020, he has been working for a podcast called Guiricast, where

It involved moving to Essex (Colchester) where he’s currently involved in the day-to-day operations of the Great Eastern Main Line, signalling trains between Colchester and Norwich, as well as the associated branch lines.

He has undertaken placements within the stations teams, Operations Control, Network Management,

Lottie Wellbeloved

(Wolverton 2020) was offered an unconditional place at RADA.

Lottie is enrolled on the FdA Technical Theatre and Stage-Management course, starting in September 2021.

At the end of the course he hopes to move into a signalling role for a few years before progressing into operations management.

Liberty Andrews (King’s 2020) and her father completed the Cancer Research 56 miles run in February, raising over £1,000 for the charity.

Felix Rome (Devine 2015) is working as a wildlife photographer.

PUBLICATIONS

MICHAEL PEYRON (1948-53)

A history of resistance, was published by I.B. Tauris, London, on Oct. 29th, 2020

BATTLE FOR THE BOCAGE NORMANDY 1944

MASSENA AT BAY 1811

TIM SAUNDERS (1975)

MADDIE-LOUISE SMITH (KING’S 2010)

Congratulations to MaddieLouise Smith on the publication of her first children’s book ‘Not Today Frank’. Maddie teaches in a primary school in Australia and the book is based on the classes she has taught over the years.

With few options to travel over the last two years, during lockdown Tim caught up with various writing projects, including four military history books on his usual subject areas; World War II and the Peninsular War.

Without distractions and little else to do (his garden is looking good as well) this is more than double the normal rate of jotting. ‘Battle of the Bocage Normandy 1944’ and ‘Masséna at Bay 1811’

TOM HICKS (MANOR 1995)

Congratulations to Tom Hicks (Manor 1995) on the publication of his first book. Bowler’s Name is a tale of a life in cricket’s margins. Tom often rubbed shoulders with the cricketing royalty, going from the village green to walking out as captain at Lord’s.

I regularly thank the memory of Mr Spinney for his inspiration all those years ago.

Get Involved s OC

Hugh Ball (Devine 1995), Andrew Jackson (Devine 2008) and Ali Morgan (1986) helped out at the LEX Interview Skills day.

The aim of this session was to provide students with an opportunity to experience a face-to-face interview, preparing them for the sort that they might encounter when making competitive applications upon entering the world of work. A feedback and reflection session was built into the day to help maximise the learning that this opportunity afforded.

Former England International rugby union player and the current defence coach at Championship club Coventry, Anthony Allen (Devine 2003) spoke to pupils about his journey from school into professional sport and was insightful, inspirational and entertaining.

Lewis Twydle (Devine 2009) returned to give the Year 12 BTEC hospitality pupils a masterclass in cookery skills.

Lewis, a professional private chef, created wild mushroom arancini with truffle mayonnaise, duck bon bon with hoisin mayonnaise and pickled baby cucumber and filled cheese gougeres. He also showed them how to cure salmon in preparation for their Asian unit of work which starts in September and culminates with a banquet hosted by the students. Other delights were a whipped white chocolate ganache cheesecake with elderflower infused strawberries and mango puree and a chocolate caramel mousse (pate a bomb). Wow, what a feast! Thanks Lewis for a brilliant session.

Mark Stiven (Gate 2007) gave an inspirational talk about his career in the Theatre Industry. He talked about the complexities of the use of automation on stage, how to get into the industry and how to build a successful career. He spoke with great insight into the profession and may have inspired a future generation to create technical wizadry!

Will Niven (Devine 2011), founder and Managing Director of creative digital agency UNBXD, returned to Clayesmore to spend the day with our Year 12 Business students.

Will set the students the challenge of developing a marketing plan for a company which retrofits classic cars with fully electric engines. They were provided with the client’s actual brief which they then had to use to create a creative response which included considering the market, competitors and the brand.

The students were put into groups where they were required to brainstorm potential avenues for a digital marketing campaign. Students were required to consider the target market and how best to reach them online. They were then asked to present their ideas to Will at the end of the day. The winning team will now have their ideas pitched to the client by Will’s team.

Thank you, Will, for giving your time so generously and inspiring our students.

Maz Brewis (Wolverton 2006), Adam Hornblow (Devine 1993) and Quentin Ellis (1982) returned to Clayesmore to share their experiences with the Year 12 students as part of the Sixth Form Careers Programme. The students greatly enjoyed hearing their stories which were honest and inspiring.

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Our legal teams and leading individuals are widely recommended in the leading independent directories Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession and Legal 500.

OBITUARIES

January 2021

Deputy Chairman, he had a long association with the Friends of Luton Parish church and was President of the Luton Bedford and District Chamber of Commerce.

William Crossley (1952) died 21 January 2021.

Bernard Slater (1953) died 12 June 2021.

Joyce MacDonald (Hon OC) died 19 March 2021.

Michael Selfe (1946) died 22 April 2021.

Peter Clifton (1953) died 1 July 2021.

Stuart Stephenson (Gate 1982) died 11 October 2021.

John Andrew Nurcombe (1954) died 26 October 2021.

Bill’s 70 year association with Clayesmore started when he joined the school as a border aged 9 and thoroughly enjoyed his school days in Dorset. His time at school left him with a lifelong love of the Dorset countryside and indeed after his retirement he and his wife Anne enjoyed frequent trips to the county. His time at Clayesmore also laid the foundations for his passion for the importance of education, not just from an academic point of view, but it’s ability to encourage everyone to fulfil their potential. His involvement with the Clayesmore community was a source of great fulfilment for him during his retirement enabling him to indulge his passions for Dorset and education in one.

On leaving school Bill followed in his father’s footsteps into the law with his articles in London before joining his Father at Machins in Luton in 1963. He spent his entire career at Machins, becoming a partner in the firm and helping build it into the leading commercial law practice in Luton. He was also a pillar of the local business community, joining the board of the Luton Building Society which subsequently became Town & Country Building Society where he became

Until his death, Bill was Chairman of the Spinney Memorial Trust, a position he had held since 2004. During this time the Trust has distributed over £50,000 to over 100 Clayesmorians. Fellow Trustee and friend David Fangen wrote “This stands proud as part of his legacy to his old school. His input at all times was considered, kind and considerate. His years of education from the Prep School and then onto the ‘Big School’ in Iwerne was all Clayesmorian and fed his enthusiasm for the school, its ethos and all things that were natured in the two Dorset villages of Charlton Marshall and Iwerne Minster”. Childhood friend, Roger Ward described him as one of life’s genuine men. Henry Dryden wrote “I had known Bill for almost my entire life. We were both born in Luton and both moved to Harpenden with our families in the 1950’s. Although Bill was about six years older than me our lives followed an almost parallel path: Both began school at Moreton End in Harpenden and followed on to Clayesmore Prep School at Charlton Marshall and then the ‘big’ school at Iwerne Minster. His unwavering reliability, wisdom and counsel have been unmatched”.

Bill was a true stalwart and fabulous ambassador for Clayesmore and his efforts on the Spinney Trust have inspired pupils and helped them in their chosen path. A true Clayesmorian, kind, considerate and thoughtful. He will be greatly missed. Bill is survived by his wife Anne and three children Caroline, Clare and James.

William “Bill” Chennells 1938 24

Christopher Barry Chesson (1955)

died 28 May 2018.

Christopher was one of the leading academics and musicians in the mid 1950s. A keen pupil under Carl Verrinder in Chemistry and “Shifty” Sessions in Piano, Organ and Violin. He played Lead 2nd Violin in the School orchestra and hoped to get an Organ Scholarship to Oxford/ Cambridge. Although he was better at piano, he used his organ keyboard skills for the competition as piano pupils were much more numerous, and competition was very hard. He succeeded in obtaining an organ scholarship and a science scholarship in Chemistry. His small stature was made up by his musical and academic ability.

Charles Sealy (1950) died September 2020.

His wife, Myra, told us that Charles spoke with great fondness of his days as a boarder at Clayesmore where he was extremely happy and where he actively took part in cross country running and rugby which remained two great passions. On leaving school, and as he was Irish, he joined the Inniskilling Fusiliers and then later, transferred to the Special Air Services, where the men were tasked with holding back the Chinese insurgents in the jungles of Malaysia. As a result of this experience, and loving Malaya, as it was then called, he spent the rest of his working life involved in tropical tree crop agriculture in various parts of the world until his retirement to Dorset. He felt blessed in having had wonderfully interesting life and felt strongly that Clayesmore had taught him to be an independent thinker, a good leader and to be considerate of others.

Andrew Douglas Stewart (1958)

died in Adelaide, South Australia (5th December 2020) aged 78. His ex wife and best friend Brenda was with him and he had either spoken to or seen his two sons, Robbie and Jeremy, within the few hours before he passed away. He was even able to meet his new and only granddaughter Abbie in recent weeks. He was a contemporary of Nick Zelle, and Robert Mash was a prefect in Andrew’s last year. His mother, Lilian Goodman (nee Gordon-Douglas (d.2004)), was a matron at Iwerne Clayesmore in the late 30s alongside his great aunt, Miss Carver. She arrived about the same time as Spinney, Appleby and Verrinder started their long careers at the school (My brother Neil and I also attended the prep school and main school in the 1970s). Never fond of the classroom and always a ‘getup and go’ person, Andrew left the school at 16 and went into the travel industry, working for Thomas Cook. In the mid 1960’s he and a friend drove an old Bedford van to Australia (bizarrely he hated flying in those days), bought a retired Sydney double decker bus (1947 Albion) and ferried it back it to England. After converting the top deck to bunks, he established the first London to Sydney bus route in 1967, on which he took paying passengers 3 or 4 times. It was at the time the longest bus route in the world, passing through Europe, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, through the Khyber Pass into Pakistan and then to India. Several times he ran a shorter route with the same bus (nicknamed ‘Albert’) and that route terminated in New Delhi.

The travel bug remained in his blood all his life and he continued to jet between Oz, Brazil, Scotland, Liverpool, London, Reading and elsewhere until early 2020. Albert the bus was restored by a charity in Scotland and now resides in a museum in New South Wales. Perhaps the most notorious thing that I recall hearing about his time at Clayesmore was that he, along with a couple of the other boys, used to keep and maintain an illicit motorbike in a garage a little way up Iwerne hill and could often be seen haring around the Dorset countryside on a Sunday! (I also found his name carved into a desk once when I was there...perhaps he was a bit of a rebel).

Mark Ward-Jackson (‘75-’80)

John Grebb (1951 – 1955)

Brian Hanney (1953)

Died 18 January 2021

Brian was at Clayesmore from September 1948 to July 1953. In his last year, Brian was a Prefect in Middles’ Housenow Gatehouse. Early in his time at Iwerne, Brian showed his unusual gifts at sport. He was one of a number of gifted Clayesmorian sportsmen during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He excelled at Rugby, played Hockey in the Spring Term and his summer love was Athletics. Brian was born in Pinner; Middlesex he insisted, not Greater London, and where he lived was on the approach route for fighter aircraft coming back to Northolt, so he must have been very much aware of the ‘Battle of Britain’. A Polish Squadron was based at Northolt among the RAF Squadrons and it must have been fascinating, and encouraging, to see them coming back, usually in formation. Perhaps the boys counted - were the 12 that had flown off returning; had they all come back? The fighter aircraft probably flew in very low over Brian’s home and school. Because Pinner was at low altitude, with Harrow-onthe-Hill directly in line to the City of London, its East End and

Docks, it was unlikely the boys could see the dog fights. They could see the vapour trails in the sky by day and the glow in the night sky of London burning, during 100 consecutive nights of bombing. Most of the dog fights, or aerial combat, which earned the undiminished title of the “Battle of Britain”, were over southern and eastern London.

One evening, early in the bombing raids on Britain, a single German Bomber came over Pinner and dropped three bombs. One went into the ground in the corner of a school’s playing field; one went straight through the roof of the new extension into the area intended for the Infants’ Bomb Shelter and another one went in the other side of the playing field, just missing an electricity pylon. Luckily this happened at six o’clock in the evening so there was no-one at school to be injured or killed.

Brian, when he’d joined Clayesmore, was teased about his Pinner roots by a pair of rugby-playing brothers and Brian was delighted when his family moved to Farnham in Surrey, a few years into his Clayesmore career. He seemed to have formed a dislike for Pinner!

It was just 3 years after World War 2 ended that Brian travelled, probably by Steam train from Waterloo Station to Semley, just north of Shaftesbury, to start school in this remote, rural area, which was unlike anything he’d experienced. Many long-term friendships started when a group of new boys were put into a dormitory together, because isolation and homesickness is at its worst when alone and in the dark. Although the war was over and the killings had ended, life was

just as harsh, if not more so, now peace had been declared. There were frequent electricity power cuts and coal, the only fuel for heating most used, was in short supply. Food supplies were still constrained and this continued until 1952, with a slow relaxation as some foods became free of rationing.

Despite this, Brian, and virtually all boys at Clayesmore - yes, just 200 boys aged 13 to 18, accepted these restrictions cheerfully. Brian quickly demonstrated his sporting interests and his athletic skill. He was slim and of average height but with a turn of speed to leave opponents trailing, whether on the Rugby field or Athletics track. He lived for Sport. It is recorded that he broke some school records in Athletics and this at a time when achievement depended almost entirely on each boy’s enthusiasm and determination, as Clayesmore had little sports training impulse.

In a letter written only 2 years ago, Brian said that his years at Clayesmore, particularly the final year, were among the happiest and most carefree of his life. Among his fellow Prefects were James Seddon, Chenghi Kuo and Patrick Fry. James Seddon, later, became Headmaster of Clayesmore Prep; Chenghi Kuo was a brilliant Mathematician who forever ruined his classmates’ chances of learning the subject; Patrick Fry became Head Boy the following year. From my recollection, I never saw Brian sad or sulky, he was one of the happiest people I’vemet and one who enjoyed his Clayesmore years to their full. A relaxed atmosphere in one of England’s most beautiful areas: quiet, charming and welcoming. After leaving school, Brian

was conscripted to do 2 years’ “National Service” and joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, where he had various jobs including being a Physical Education instructor, and he ran Training Courses for Army Officers on Fork Lift Trucks. He did not enjoy these two years very much and wished he was he was back at Clayesmore! From the army, when demobbed, Brian had various jobs in his early career including a short spell working for the Forestry Commission, which he really enjoyed. His main career was working for ICI and later British Polythene Industries as a Sales Director. He worked as a consultant for them until he was 65.

His main passions in life were Golf and Rugby. He was introduced to Golf when he met the love of his life: he was 40 years old. Choosing wisely, his wife, Anne, was 10 years younger and was a great support for him as health issues arose. Before meeting Anne he’d suffered a back injury and for the rest of his life he needed regular physiotherapy treatment. As this curtailed his Rugby playing, his encounter with Golf sustained his natural enthusiasm and he particularly enjoyed being the Captain of the Seniors at Great Hadham Golf Club for several years. He had 3 children, and then 4 grandchildren came to delight him.

He thankfully beat Prostrate Cancer in 2018, but developed Kidney problems in November 2020 and was admitted into Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford where it was diagnosed as Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He spent his last week in Croft House Nursing Home in Great Dunmow where he passed away peacefully on 18th January.

John Garnett (1958) died 4 April 2021

John came home from Malawi in 1947 where his father was in Colonial Service, to become a pupil at Clayesmore prep school and went on to spend his whole school life with you. He thoroughly enjoyed his time there, especially the sporting opportunities which he made full use of. We still have the CH Barnes three mile silver cup awarded to him every year from 1955 to 1958, and then donated to him. He was proud that for many years that his record remained unbroken. After school he was called up in 1958, and after a spell with the Kings African Rifles he was commissioned into the Welsh Regiment, which later amalgamated to become the Royal Regiment of Wales. He served in numerous postings overseas, and a full career earned him promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. A tour in Wales was to turn into a permanent home for the family and we have been in Crickhowell for 38 years. Many of those years involved sports - cross country, squash, cricket and golf all became a passion. Nick Locock died 7th January 2021

He had many happy memories of his time at Clayesmore with the American soldiers passing by providing sweets as well as extraordinary pronunciations of local place names. It was his love of Clayesmore that meant his daughter, Abigail, joined, just as the school was going co-ed.

Michael Daniels (1951) died 20th February 2021

He often talked very fondly of his time at Clayesmore as did his brother Ronnie (deceased).

Peter Preece (1926)

Died September 2020

Peter David Preece (94) passed away in hospital on 21st September 2020, following a short illness. He attended Clayesmore School from 1939 to 1942 and was a member of Appleby’s House. He described his time at Clayesmore as some of the happiest days of his early life. He retained a fierce loyalty to the school and always took a great interest in its development through the Old Clayesmorian Society. The arrival of the Society’s annual magazine was eagerly anticipated, and he took enormous pleasure in reading about both old and new OCs. His last visit to the school was to attend the school’s Centenary celebrations and Service of Thanksgiving in 1996 where he was able to meet up with some of his former friends from Appleby’s. My father is in the front row of this photograph, first left.

When war broke out in 1939 my father was enrolled as a chorister at the London College of Choristers and was briefly evacuated to the country. In the interim, this school closed, and his mother secured a place for him at Clayesmore, believing that he would be safer in Dorset than in London. The School’s 1939 prospectus was carefully preserved amongst his effects, as was the 1993 service sheet from the Memorial Service for John Hill Appleby, his House Master, and that of the 1994 Thanksgiving for the life of Evelyn Mansfield King, his Headmaster. Having had a

somewhat peripatetic childhood, it was clear that the school, and in particular John Appleby offered him the security, stability and male companionship that he craved. In those days, pupil numbers were limited to 150 boys and the school prided itself then as now, on its modern educational methods that balanced academic subjects with arts, crafts, manual work in the open air and a wide range of sports and leisure activities including ‘Equitation’ and ‘Rugby Football’. Although he thoroughly enjoyed Rugby Football, my father’s particular passion was riding, caring for the school’s horses and the easy companionship of the tack room. He would often relay the story about witnessing a German plane being shot down whilst out riding in Cranbourne Chase with two of his school friends. As a former chorister, he enjoyed attending chapel and participating in the religious life of the school. At that time, music was very important to him and he took great pleasure in the musical evenings and concerts arranged by the music master Reginald Sessions. A particularly memorable highlight was a recital given by the celebrated pianist, Dame Myra Hess. One of his fondest memories, however, was spending time in the library on cold winter’s evenings in front of the fire with bound copies of Punch magazine. He remained an avid reader and collector of books all his life. Sadly, although gaining credits in all subjects for his School Certificate Examination in 1942, my father was unable to join Clayesmore’s Sixth Form, a matter of profound regret to him. He was recalled home to help his mother with her business, his stepfather having been seriously wounded on active service.

In 1944, my father enlisted in the army serving in the Royal Fusiliers in Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and the Near East, before being transferred to the Royal West African Frontier Force in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) as a Sergeant. Here the horsemanship he acquired at Clayesmore stood him in very good stead on the polo field; an exhilarating experience, which he

took great delight in describing to family and friends. In 1950, on completion of his tour of duty, and having very much enjoyed his time in West Africa, he enrolled in the Northern Rhodesian Police Service, initially as an Assistant Inspector. After two years and two Police Commendations later, he was appointed to the post of Detective Inspector, C.I.D. for the Chingola District of Copperbelt Province where he met and married my mother, Rosemary, to whom he remained happily married for 61 years. My father’s career then took an interesting turn. He applied to Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines, (now part of the global Anglo American mining corporation), to work as a miner, pay and conditions being considerably better than in the Police Force. After a couple of years working underground supervising the work of the African miners, he was promoted to take over the company’s training and recruitment operation and was instrumental in the introduction of a comprehensive welfare benefits scheme for the native African workers and their families. This was the starting point of a long, and successful career in personnel and industrial relations management, firstly in Africa until 1962, and then in the UK working for the textile company Courtaulds, and the National Unilever Managers Association.

He was a hands-on personnel manager. Firmly believing that physical recreation and sports were important for building team spirit, he organised and played in works’ rugby teams both during his time in Northern Rhodesia and at Courtaulds. He also took a very active part in the Outward-Bound Training weekends organised for the apprentices, thinking nothing of joining them and abseiling down the side of a cliff, camping out in the snow and clambering through a muddy assault course. He loved hill walking in North Wales, the Lake District, and Scotland and in later life became a volunteer for the Bolton Mountain Rescue Service. My father never forgot the Clayesmore ethos of the importance of service to the

community. On his retirement he served variously as Chairman of his local Parish Council, as a voluntary community police officer and Chairman of the local Police and Community Liaison Committee. He became a member of the British Legion as well as playing an active role in his local village affairs. He retained a lifelong love of learning, gaining a BA (Honours) degree in Arts and Humanities from the Open University in 1976. The subject of his honours level dissertation on architecture was the Victorian architect, Alfred Waterhouse, famous for designing London’s Natural History Museum. In 1876, however, Waterhouse undertook a less important, but significant commission - the design of Iwerne Minster House, aka Clayesmore School. Thus, the many and varied threads of my father’s life inevitably lead back to his formative experiences at Clayesmore, and the profound and lasting impression these had on him, academically, physically, aesthetically and spiritually. A loyal Old Clayesmorian to the end, he lived and died in faith upholding the School’s motto, Dieu premier donc mes frères. He is survived by his daughter, Dorothy, son-in-law, Andrew, and his two much loved granddaughters, Katherine and Jennifer.

Dorothy Faulkner, DPhil (Oxon)

John Billings

(1927)

Died January 2021

My father was a remarkable man.

As a little boy, he was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. He answered ‘a tramp’. Disappointed that this was not a paid occupation, he reviewed his options!

His initial choice shows something of his unconventional free spirit, and modesty; not overly concerned for bodily comfort or status.

He had a good education that he deeply valued. This led him into teaching Science, seeing himself as following in the footsteps of his inspirational Chemistry teacher. At a time when education was not so adventurous, he put great store by engaging pupils, so they would think for themselves, and really participate in the learning process, rather than regurgitating facts. He constantly surprised us with his encyclopaedic knowledge, impressive vocabulary, and incredible memory for unexpected information, whilst on the other hand being like a scatty professor, constantly losing his car keys or paperwork ! His last years of teaching focused on home tutoring, and it gave him great satisfaction to restore children’s confidence in Maths by helping them master the foundations such as the times tables.

Pop was a loving father and found expression for fun and imagination during our childhood. Both Simon and I remember fondly his bedtime stories, which featured characters of his creation; the secret magician Mr Smith and his cat Percival, who worked together to help children in danger. He loved camping, trips to the seaside after the school day, where we might fry sausages on the beach when other people were going home.

When, due to demographics, he took early retirement, Pop enjoyed a mix of handy man projects, and repairing antique china, about which he was very knowledgeable. He took great pleasure and skill building up missing lips or handles, and invisibly matching complex designs, using his good eye for colour and considerable patience. Car boot sales were a wonderful source of unexpected treasure whether it yielded yet another bread maker, or a slightly damaged blue and white platter awaiting restoration.

Like many of his generation who grew up in the war ‘make do and mend’ was a lasting value. His dedication to economy was exceptional and could be, by turns, both comic and frustrating for his

family. The flip side of this was that he was generous to his children and grandchildren. He supported charities and good causes with money and time.

A love of travel and languages was a strong feature of Pop’s life. He liked to visit their tiny primitive cottage in Andalusia where he and my mother enjoyed the sun, and the remarkably unchanged patterns of village life. The mountain roads were perilous and my mother was as uneasy a passenger as my father was a fearless driver.

Following the Spanish period, the Billings entered their campervan phase, which lasted into their eighties! Spontaneity was greatly valued, and jaunts materialised at the drop of a hat if the weather forecast was encouraging.

Pop and my mother Gabrielle celebrated 60 years of marriage on New Year’s Eve 2020. I’m sure that their degree of independence, sense of humour, as well as a shared love of nature, antiques and an unconventional spirit stood them in good stead.

Pop lived his life with determination and enthusiasm, which he carried on in old age. He retained his remarkable memory and precise vocabulary, only wavering from reality quite recently by asking me to look out for a lightweight motorcycle so he could get about more easily! It says something about his indomitable spirit and his love of freedom. It seems only a blink of an eye since he stopped driving for which we were all heartily thankful ! His last illness came to him suddenly. I had the sense that he was ready, as we had spent time together re-reading old letters and writing to old friends. He was able to choose to stay at home to be cared for and remained comfortable, pain free and gracious to his carers to the end. Pop and Mother had had a good parting and we were able to be together. We are grateful for his life, and for the manner of his departure. We have many things to thank him for, and many stories to tell.

Stephen Levinson

Stephen’s productive life spanned the best part of 60 years.

The foundation for it was here at Clayesmore, a school for which he retained a lifelong affection and which remained an important part of his life all the way through it. His working life was spent in the law where he was very successful. He succeeded in that demanding profession for the same reasons that he was successful here at Clayesmore. He had great courage, charisma, and determination. He relished a challenge. He did not give up.

So, here, he got a good education and enjoyed himself at the same time. He played in the first teams in Hockey and Cricket, goal keeper and wicket keeper respectively. Both exposed positions that require guts. He got decent A levels which enabled him to go to university to read law.

Going to university from Clayesmore in the 1960s was, to put it mildly, a little unusual. Of course it will be very different now. But then, the careers office didn’t stock the application forms. Stephen’s request for one was met with a surprised “we don’t really have any demand for those”.

He got a form, he got a place, and he got a good degree.

Then he spent the next 40 years or so as a solicitor. A routine sort of job? Not in his case. It could be said that in that career, as in others, there are basically two ways of doing the job. You can serve your time and earn your money by doing all that is routinely asked of you, but no more. Or you can do all that is asked of you, as a start, and in addition, make things happen which really benefit the profession and those you come into contact with.

That is demanding and exciting and it is what Stephen did. Employment law was a new and emerging field. It is a very important one because it intimately and drastically affects people’s lives and futures. After all, in adult life, most people experience the world of work. Whether you are the employer or the employee, when things go seriously wrong between you, the assistance of a good lawyer can be a lifeline.

This is the line of legal work Stephen spent most of his career specialising in, becoming active in it at a time when most lawyers were not, feeling perhaps that it was not glamorous, or, dare one say it, lucrative, enough. He did it because he valued people and wanted to help them.

Stephen started his law career in the early 1970s with Paisner & Co, where he spent 27 years, initially as a commercial litigator, before concentrating on Employment Law. He became head of the specialist department which he developed within the firm. Thereafter, he continued that theme, becoming a partner in a number of the other leading law firms in England and Scotland.

He managed employment disputes and litigated at every level from the employment tribunal and county court to the Supreme Court.

Many of the cases he managed are reported in the legal world and remain influential precedents, meaning that they influence how a court should rule in a subsequent similar case. He was an experienced advocate, meaning that he developed the skill to argue his case before the judge himself, without having to spend his client’s money on the services of an expensive, and possibly less knowledgeable barrister. His commercial experience gave him an understanding of a wide range of businesses and public sector organisations. He totally understood how the nuts and bolts of the world of employment worked.

He was a founder member of the Employment Committee of the Law Society on which he served for over 20 years and he was a Vice-President and Chair of the Industrial Law Society, an institution he supported and developed from near its inception. He was a prominent and active member of the Employment Lawyers Association from an early stage of its development, and served on several of its committees, including as Chair of its publishing committee. He was legal adviser to the disciplinary appeals committee of one of the main accountancy bodies. He wrote regularly on employment issues in legal journals and was a regular blogger for a national newspaper - The Mail on Sunday. He was a member of the editorial committees of the Industrial Law Journal, Employment Law Briefing and Employment Law Journal.

Those extensive and varied positions show how committed he was to this work, writing about it extensively to drive forward its expansion and development, and also taking active roles in the management organisations. In addition, he was a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and an active member of the Employment Law Advocacy and

Advice Service. He was a certified Civil and Commercial Mediator. Stephen spent an entire career resolving disputes. He was a popular, respected and trusted practitioner who was greatly valued by clients and opponents alike. He has frequently been identified as one of the UK’s leading employment specialists. You can’t do better than that.

Throughout all that time he retained close contact with this school. It is unsurprising that Clayesmore asked him to serve as one of its Governors, not that I am suggesting for one moment that the School felt he might prove useful if faced with troublesome staff, perish the thought. It is unsurprising because, in addition to his expertise, it was so obvious that he was committed to the school and had great respect for it.

He recognised that it gave him the foundation without which he could not have built his career. He was proud of Clayesmore and Clayesmore can be proud of him.

Lyndsay Burn (read at the memorial service for Stephen on 20 March 2022)

In his twilight years Stephen became a mean tennis player around Shaftesbury, he had a great love of Cricket as a member of the MCC for over 40 years. Locally he was also renowned for his marmalade making especially the spicy ginger flavoured!

Nick Goumas

(1966)

Died January 2021

Nick, who died in January after a short illness, will be best remembered by Clayesmorians for his long and very significant contribution to Cormorants cricket.

One of three brothers, another of whom also came to Clayesmore, Nick was a talented all-round sportsman, representing the school at cricket, hockey and rugby.

On leaving in 1966 Nick began a long career in shipping and, based in south London, played club cricket, at first for Sanderstead and later at Purley, one of the more successful clubs in the Surrey Championship. He also played for a locally based wandering side, The Strollers. Hockey was his winter sport. Nick commenced playing for the Cormorants in the 1970s, at which time he introduced the Strollers to touring North Dorset. They formed an integral part of the July cricket week for many years, playing not only at Clayesmore, but Bryanston and Canford too. The Strollers became longstanding opponents and good friends of the Cormorants. These were formative years, during which time Nick met his future wife, Liz. It was as a result of touring Dorset that another member of

the Strollers, Clive Hicks, father of Tom and Guy, came to teach at Clayesmore.

Nick’s contribution to the Cormorants was huge. He was a successful all-rounder, playing until the 1990s, captaining the team on numerous occasions and being one of the main tour organisers. Nick organised two splendid and well attended anniversary dinners: the 40th, which was held at the Crown in Blandford, and the 50th, at Clayesmore in 2010. In retirement, Nick continued his love of sport and took up golf seriously. He became a highly competent player and was an active member of Coulsdon Court Golf Club.

Right up until the last Cormorants week in 2019, Nick was always to be seen in Dorset during cricket week. He was a highly respected and well-liked member of the touring group, popular with young and old, always central to the fun enjoyed during those times.

It is most sad that we have lost Nick so young and we send our deepest condolences to Liz, daughter Madeleine, and his lovely family in Dorset.

Nick will be greatly missed by many, but certainly not forgotten.

An inscribed commemorative bench now adorns the boundary of the 1st XI pitch at Clayesmore, and his entry in Wisden for the 1966 season, in which he took two hat-ricks, will remain for posterity:

Overs 67 Maidens 10 Runs 214 Wickets 19 Average 11.26

Andrew Beaton (1964–69).

FAMILY AFFAIRS

by Hugh Thompson

Edward Ardizonne is one of Clayemore’s favourite sons. But there were three brothers who went to the school. Here Hugh Thompson (5964) shows how the family helped each other.

The backstreets of the small “seaside town” of Faversham are as you would expect, just that. But they house one of the darling artistic curios which all cultures create. Here in a nondescript Catholic chapel, Britain’s foremost illustrator, Edward Ardizonne created his one and only mural.

The Lynch family from county Wicklow and the Ardizonne family from county Kent were both closeknit. They helped each other. There were 13 Lynch children and three of the nine boys joined the Carmelite order of Catholic priests. These were instrumental in the 1930s in getting that order reestablished in the UK, not least in its pre-Reformation home of Sittingbourne and Faversham. It was Friar Elias Lynch who was the driving force in Faversham, building up the congregation, a printing press, investing in the chapel (an old cinema), church buildings, a grand Georgian guest house and a shrine for St Jude (the good one). Fr. Lynch was so established that he was a local councillor for 14 years.

To buy these properties he needed a solicitor. Naturally, he chose a local Catholic, Old Clayesmorian David Ardizonne. All three brothers went to Clayesmore long before it moved to its present home in Iwerne Minster in 1933. Edward “Ted”, the eldest, was there 1913 - 1918.

One thing about OCs generally, and the Ardizonne brothers in particular, is they like a good time. Naturally when it came to recommending someone to do the church mural, David knew exactly the man. Edward’s son, Nicholas, remembered the ‘deal’ for the altarpiece being sealed over a bottle of wine (vintage unknown) at his uncle David’s home in 1953. The commission was paid for by a Russian princess who worshipped at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and was unhappy with the existing decor.

Quick word on the “Russian princess”, she was born Nadine Mcdougall, of flour wealth and fame. She met the disenfranchised, recently widowed Prince Andrew Romanoff (nephew of the Czar) at Balmoral, a classic old title meets new money, married in 1942 moved to Provender House a historic pile near Faversham. (Now available for weddings). She had her own views on art and how the church should look and she was an influence in the decision. Not least because she paid the piper.

Edward was particularly pleased that for the mural he could involve his Slade educated son Phillip, then just graduated. He had hoped that the success in Faversham would lead to the father and son team doing others. When top Catholic school, Downside turned him down he wrote

to his daughter, ”they have probably plumped for some mouldy sculpture or beastly Polish ceramics... more fools them but a bore as I did want the job, for Phil as well as myself.” It turned out to be his only mural and Philip (b.1931) is as famous as a teacher as he is an artist.

Hugh Thompson is a retired journalist who for many years worked as a freelance for the national broadsheets The Times, Sunday Times, Guardian and both Telegraphs.

AN ARTIST & HIS SCHOOL ARDIZZONE AND THE CLAYESMORE CONNECTION

Earlier this year Wolseley Fine Arts at 27 Cork Street in the heart of London’s fine art ghetto put on a show, ‘Edward Ardizzone’s (EA) World’a sale of over one hundred original pictures and prints. It was an excuse to look into the history (his dates were 1900-1979) of the school’s most famous artist. The pictures were priced at between £700 and £2500 - remember as an illustrator he was incredibly prolific.

EA was at the school from 1913-18. The school archive only notes his existence and that of his two brothers David and Michael.** The fact that his much younger brothers came to the school shows that the family must have been happy with the results.

Edward, known affectionately throughout his career as Ted, was a large ungainly boy and seemed to be sapped of confidence and happiness, not least by the regular absences of his parents, his mother often and his father most of the time as he worked for the Eastern Telegraph Company (now Cable and Wireless) in the Far East. EA was born in Hiphong in what was then French Indo-China.

Ungainly, clumsy and a Catholic, Ardizzone would wonder why he was sent to such a school. In his delightful Autobiographical Fragment he speculates that it may have been because Clayesmore was cheaper than other public schools. It may also have been because under its founder Lex Devine the school had achieved a reputation for being, along with Bedales, a progressive public school. Though with starched collars and beatings, it’s odd today to see how it achieved such a legend!

In 1916, EA was joined at the school by Freddy Mayor, the son of two famous artists. Freddy would later start an art gallery, become a great friend of artist-author Gabriel White (who became Director of the Arts Council) who married EA’s sister, Betty and became also, a great friend and patron of EA.

At school, Freddy was just envious of the older boy because according to Mayor’s son and present gallery owner “he was jealous of

Ardizzone being a Catholic and along with the other barmies being let off Sunday church and ending up in the pub.” Freddy’s family also think costs may have played a part in his going to Clayesmore since his father died just before he came.

Ardizzone writes with warmth if not affection of Clayesmore being a school of ‘some eccentricity’ and Lex a great man, though an eccentric as Headmasters go. In his autobiography, there are two very lively chapters on the school. Although he made the football team (this was before the switch to rugby), was the school’s outstanding middle distance and cross country runner, was in the boxing finals and won a bronze medal from the Royal Drawing Society and seemed to have the normal scrapes and japes of most school days, he concludes he was a failure.

This may be because he found it difficult to exercise authority as a prefect which involved until the l970s beating other boys. In a meaningful passage he writes, “I simply couldn’t bring myself to exercise authority. I was ragged by the boys and hadn’t the quick and handy the quick wits to deal with the cheeky. Small boys had a horrid way of chanting behind my back. “Ardizzone’s fat and bony” (not a bad rhyme). When I had the unpleasant task of giving an official caning to a boy I could not for some inexplicable reason hurt him, though I tried to do so. My victim felt it was something of a joke. Finally, I went back to Lex and resigned my prefecture before the sacking I felt was inevitable. He accepted my resignation kindly, knowing I suppose, how wretched I felt”.

“My non success(sic) at school was not due to being a rebel. I wish it had been as it would have been a more respectable reason. I was a conformist. I tried hard to do the right thing but failed.” In his last term he was reappointed as prefect.

It is only a very inspired(?) minority who resented the absolute power given to the old fashioned public school prefect. In the writer’s time in the 1960s there were several prefects who today are very honorable OCs, who positively prided

Hugh Thompson finds it’s stronger than most realise

themselves on their ability to draw blood when beating their fellow pupils. What is more, we took pride in being able to handle such punishment.

Ardizzone ironically seemed to have hated the final years of the school experience, the very years of power and privilege which give most public school products that veneer of confidence and self belief which is almost their trademark. EA, as a sensitive artist who preferred home life to the rough and tumble of school, was not the first, nor will he be the last to be badly served by the muscularity of the boarding school tradition.

He talked of Miss Annie Hazledene the parson’s daughter who was his art teacher. “She was neither very young nor very beautiful. She wore a pince-nez and had a nose like a little boot. Yet she had a kindly enthusiasm to which I responded and which helped keep my enthusiasm alive.”

Desmond Coke* the novelist and collector, surely one the greatest figures after Lex in the early life of Clayesmore, was Ardizzone’s House Master but did not approve of the artist’s early work “Yet he was the one man whose commendation I badly wanted.”

After school, which he left “with no regrets”, the artist spent six years working as a clerk for among others, his father’s Eastern Telegraph Company. At the same time, he started attending art classes at the Westminster Art School. Slowly but surely the young man was acquiring a style and confidence. Not least this came from taking up rugby and joining the TA.

Through meeting up with Freddy Mayor who was not only was running his gallery but was involved in the highly influential Bloomsbury related London Group, Ardizzone was introduced to London’s artistic life. Ardizzone writes of Mayor “he knew and was very popular with most of the avant garde painters of the day and it was by knowing him that we in our turn joined parties which sometimes involved Augustus John or Jacob Epstein ***with their attendant maidens.”

Ardizzone and Mayor were both known for their love of life and good wine. Mayor was also an inveterate gambler. Mayor had also gone into the City after leaving school but had soon gravitated towards the art world, he had been put off becoming an artist like his parents by Arthur Rackham’s despairing remarks about his work. After working for an art dealer, he opened his own gallery, the first in Cork Street, aged 22. Mayor too had come under the spell of Coke and the family admits that this obviously inspirational and very interesting man “had been a great influence”.

In 1926, Ardizzone’s father, having received some very generous bonuses from the Telegraph company, shared some of the money with his children. This meant Ardizzone received £500 which equates to around £25,000 today. With this, our hero decided to break with the City and became a full-time artist. At first he got good reviews but little paid work.

He turned for advice to Desmond Coke who had retired from Clayesmore but was a distinguished man of means, letters and arts. He advised his former pupil to go into book illustration. This led to further commissions not least a £400 one from Johnnie Walker whiskey which put the artist off advertising (though he did do a very famous Guinness poster). As he says, lean years were to follow and it was not until 1935 that his luck turned (as did the economy).

His son Nicholas, later commented that the start of the depression was a very bad time to start a career as a freelance illustrator and they only stayed afloat because Mrs A was a successful Lucy Clayton model.

In 1935, the book that he had originally written for his own children, the first of the Little Tim series was accepted; he then had a successful show at the Bloomsbury Gallery. After the War he exhibited at the Mayor Gallery.

There is yet one more Clayesmore connection. In 1948, after the Second World War where his service as a war artist further enhanced his reputation, EA became a tutor of illustration at Camberwell School of Art-then something of a power house for commercial art. He also taught at the Royal College. In 1947 Leonard Daniels had became Principal at Camberwell. In the 1930s Daniels had been a teacher at Clayesmore.

*In the preface to Youth, Youth, one of 27 books authored by Coke who is considered one the foremost school boy novelists of the period, Coke writes a dedicatory letter to Lex. He says, “It was your kind letter about my Novel of Life at Shrewsbury, The Bending of the Twig (his most famous book) that first brought us into touch, it was our common interest in a boy, my nephew (Burney who died in the First War and in memory of whom Coke endowed the library) that drew us together when I was invalided out of the war in 1917. I spent a very pleasant two year convalescence as your guest and a ‘war work’ House Master to your senior boys. (Box Number Six and the Mad English stories are based on life at Clayesmore).

**David became a solicitor and was instrumental in introducing his brother EA to the wild coastline around Deal which became an important backdrop to the Little Tim books. Brother Michael became a famous Reuters journalist specialising in Africa of which he wrote the book ‘ Mistaken Land.’

*** Jacob Epstein’s bronzes were cast at Michael Gaskill’s (48-52) foundry.

THE LONELY BOY WHO BECAME THE PRINCE OF IDEAS

by Hugh Thompson

Hugh Thompson looks at one of Britain’s greatest writers of political theory, John Plamenatz, who spent eleven years at Clayesmore.

It starts, as so much in Clayesmore’s history does, with Alex Devine. His vision, enthusiasm and energy not only created The School. He had other passions. Montenegro being one.

This small country like many on mainland Europe has had a chequered history. Today it is an independent country of 700,000 souls and one of the most desired holiday destinations in Europe. In its past it was part of the Venetian, Ottoman and Austro Hungarian Empires as well as being subsumed after 1945 into Yugoslavia.

Rather like Afghanistan today, historically the country was largely controlled by warring clans. In 1858 they achieved victory over the Turks. Independence was eventually recognised in 1878 at the Treaty of Berlin. The monarchy under King Nicholas was established in 1910. In 1914 they joined the allied side but in 1916 were overrun by the Austrians.

Lex, whose original career had been as a journalist, was asked to report on conditions in Montenegro. In typical cavalier fashion, in 1916 he left his school duties during the Easter holidays. He became involved in fundraising for the refugees, some who came to the school. He became an active advocate of Montenegrin independence and lobbied both the Foreign Office and President Wilson. Much to their eventual annoyance. During this process, he became very friendly with King Nicholas and his courtiers in exile.*

One of these refugees was John Petrov Plamenatz (1912-1975). One of four children, his

family was aristocratic on both sides. His father was a clan chief who became foreign minister and took his family into exile to France in 1917 when the Austrians occupied his country. His mother was the daughter of one of the king’s advisors and god daughter of Queen Elena of Italy. Plamenatz was five when the family went into exile and aged seven he was sent to Clayesmore, then located at Northwood Park, where he stayed until 1930. It was his home.

Like many from expat families, he rarely saw his parents. Occasionally he was summoned to see them in their places of exile, Marseilles or Vienna, but for long periods he lived apart from his parents. He became used to solitude but, having a first class brain and aristocratic expectations, this condition led to a keen development of his thinking process. This was not a happy childhood and no doubt the robust, physical atmosphere of an English public school of that period did little to excite a lonely, aristocratic, refined lad. Study may well have been his escape, his survival technique. Whatever, Clayesmore was his home for 11 years.

The sad boy remained an outsider all of his life. The boy made the man. Described by those he worked with as “by nature somewhat withdrawn”...”a proud and dignified man, sensitive, acute and courteous in argument.” As Isaiah Berlin with whom he worked many decades at All Souls Oxford wrote: “he was reserved and reticent; he did not seek to put himself forward or impose his personality in anyway”... “there was something remote and unapproachable about him; but when one got to know him well, this melted - he was a warm and affectionate friend.” Acutely perceptive”...”not anxious to judge” “he showed a kind of tolerance that only deeply

civilised or saintly people can achieve”... “he detested rudeness; he was upset by the lack of manners...he prized privacy and personal relations”... “was gentle, dignified and wholly uncompetitive” “He understood loneliness, unhappiness, vulnerability, better, I think than anyone I have even known.”

On his despite of bad manners, the young man once accused Alex Devine, famous for his love of (cruel) practical jokes, as being “not a gentleman”. At the time an ultimate insult but Alex Devine (if he had heard the remark) would have laughed heartily and annoyed Plamenatz by slapping him on the back. All the school’s file on Plamenatz says, written when he joined aged seven, was that he was Greek Orthodox and “affectionate and intelligent”. Wonderful understatement!

After leaving Clayesmore in 1930, like a few of his generation he achieved academic success, and entered Oriel College, Oxford, as a scholar, and took the school of philosophy, politics, and economics. In 1933, he fell ill and was awarded an aegrotat degree in the final examination. In 1934, he took the history school, in which he obtained a first class.

In 1936 Plamenatz was elected to a research fellowship at All Souls College on the strength of a doctoral thesis (failed by the Oxford examiners) soon afterwards published under the title of Consent, Freedom and Political Obligation (1938). Three years later, when the Second World War broke out, he enrolled in an anti-aircraft battery and later became a member of the war cabinet of King Peter of Yugoslavia, then in exile in England. He was naturalised in 1941. He married Marjorie, daughter of Captain Thomas Morison Hunter of Scotland and New Zealand, in 1943. They had no children. When the war ended, he returned to All Souls College where he spent seven “long years” as Professor at Columbia University and his life thereafter was spent in Oxford. He became a research fellow of Nuffield College. He was elected to a fellowship of the British Academy in 1962. In 1967 he returned to All Souls as Chichele professor of social and political theory. His contribution, as his authorship shows, to the fields of social and political theory was considerable. He was much more a theorist than a philosopher, his major role being the clarification and evaluation of the major philosophers.

Political theorist Geoffery Marshall writing for the British Academy said, “As a scholar, the width and variety of John Plamenatz

writings were unequalled by any theorist of his generation...In his relations with his colleagues both senior and junior he combined to an unusual degree self sufficiency and a total absence of self importance.” To which the Dictionary of National Biography adds. “John Plamenatz was a proud and dignified man, sensitive, acute and courteous in argument. ...He was not a dominant thinker, he lacked the intellectual force and originality of an innovator.. The number of first-rate British writers and teachers in the field of social and political theory in the twentieth century was not great: he was outstanding among them.”

He may have bestrode the world of political philosophy and theory in his day but in 2012, nearly forty years after his death, lectures he wrote, on taking up a visiting professorship at Cambridge, (but did not live to deliver) on Machiavelli, Hobbes and Rousseau were published. The reviews were not entirely favourable.

His style in some ways reflected the long hey-day of ‘Western Civilization’ as an academic subject and staple of university education. For good or ill, that day has passed. Scholars of the political philosophical canon are becoming increasingly rare in departments of political science. These generalisations partly explain the decline in Plamenatz’s profile, if not his reputation. As Berlin noted, “Plamenatz believed in and rigorously practised careful, rational analysis” of past texts, but he had little interest in “understanding the motives, purposes, social, historical and personal circumstances” of his subjects.”

Berlin, his friend, mentor and fellow professor also noted on a personal level, ”Friendship and above all the love and devotion of his wife were everything. He preferred to live in a village where relations were more natural than the artificial existence of an academic enclave.”

So the scars of his lonely childhood stayed with him all his life. But in his time he was a prince of ideas and by far the most honoured of all Clayesmore’s strange flock of distinguished academics.

He died of a heart attack at his home, Scotland Mount, Hook Norton, near Banbury, on 19 February 1975, precisely fifty-six years to the day after he had landed at Dover.

We are very excited to welcome you to our new cafe, on the Clayesmore campus.

We will be serving the finest coffee sourced from local grinders in Sherborne, delicious pastries, paninis and cakes.

Finding us - Take the main drive on the A350, and use the 1st car park on the left. Follow the path around to The Writer’s Block!