OA BULLETIN
Number crunching: an image from Mike Highstead’s ever-expanding School Archive, taken some time in the 1980s. Can anyone identify either of these two pupils?
Old Albanian Club
DIARY DATES
June 2009
Founders’ Day – Saturday 4th July 2009 London Drinks Party – Thursday 19th November 2009
O A C O N TA C T
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
OA CLUB www.oldalbanianclub.com President
Stephen Burgess 01727 867868 hawkeyeb59@btopenworld.com Secretary David Buxton 01727 840499 d.buxton@virgin.net Treasurer Brian Sullman 01582 460317 Membership Secretary Roger Cook 01727 836877 Rogercook@btinternet.com OA SPORTS www.oasport.com RUGBY President Adrian Tominey 01727 830226 ajt@rudwickhall.fsnet.co.uk Chairman Robin Farrer 01727 832621 robin.farrer@OARugby.com Treasurer Sandy Bell 01727 833519 sandy.bell@OARugby.com Secretary Peter Lipscomb 01727 760466 peter.lipscombe@OARugby.com Mini & Junior Rugby Chairman Rory Davis 020 8267 0003 rory.davis@OARugby.com OA Saints Chairwoman Tasha Saint-Smith 07971 849290 Tasha.saintsmith@club-concierge.com FOOTBALL www.oasoccer.co.uk Club President & Manager Simon Bates 07720 383600 / 01442 240247
Nick Chappin – Editor Andy Chappin – Design & Production Roger Cook – Membership Mike Highstead – Gazette Printing - Herts & Beds Printing 01923 234959 2
Treasurer & Club Secretary David Hughes 07890 831315 / 01727 769237 dh@sherrards.com Sponsorship Secretary David Burrows 07841 431614 CRICKET www.oacc.org.uk President Aln Philpott Chairman Andrew McCree 07890 831315 / 01727 769237 andrew@oacc.org.uk Treasurer Denis King denis.king@btinternet.co.uk Fixture Secretary Julian baines Jules_baines@msn.com TENNIS Membership Enquiries Sue Barnes 07970 301345 sbarnes@st-albans.herts.sch.uk Coaching Enquiries Diana Wilkinson 07767 237474 diana@kennett37.freeserve.co.uk OTHERS Rifle & Pistol Andrew Wilkie 01727 856857 Angling Geoff Cannon 01582 792512 Golf Peter Dredge 015827 834572 pjdredge42@aol.com OA LODGE John Williams
01438 715679 jtwilliams@onetel.net
SCHOOL WEB SITE www.st-albans.herts.sch.uk
Address for correspondence: Nick Chappin 18 The Pleasance, Harpenden, Herts AL5 3NA Telephone: 01582 461674 (home) 07980 565645 (mobile) e-mail: nick@chappin.co.uk
OA COMMENT
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Editorial
Back to the future
here. But it does beg the question: what would I see if I went back to my St Albans School of the late sixties Call me odd, but I’ve always been and early seventies, armed with the fascinated by the notion of travelling benefit of perfect hindsight? through time. From The Time Knowing my luck, I would Machine and Doctor Who to Back to materialise (if that’s what time the Future and my current TV travellers do) in the Orderly Room to favourite Ashes to Ashes, the notion witness Percy Pryke shaking his head of strapping myself into a special in despair at my exam results and chair with blinking lights and big telling the young me that I wouldn’t luminous dials before catapulting be a theoretical physicist. All around myself hundreds of years into the him – and, I suspect, to his absolute past or deep into the future has an enduring appeal, even though I’m old mortification – would be a once-proud school with a crumbling Victorian enough to know better. infrastructure, caught in Of course, physicists a political no man’s land have always scoffed at and struggling to find its As the legendary the idea of time travel. identity as the move But with the help of a towards a comprehensive Colonel Pryke quick Internet search – education system who’d have imagined gathered pace. would have been that was possible in the The headmaster at the future? – I was surprised quick to confirm, I time, Frank Kilvington, to learn that some was charged with the remarkable advances in quantum gravity are am no theoretical task of dragging the school into the present reviving the theory and day. The formidable WT time travel has now physicist Marsh was obviously a become a hot topic for tough act to follow, but theoretical physicists. times had changed and the school One stubborn problem with time needed to change with it. The recent travel, though, is that it’s riddled series of contributions from the Berts with paradoxes, such as the man with no parents. What happens when – and in particular their recollections of the masters of the 1950s – has you go back in time and kill your prompted a flurry of similar parents before you are born? If your reminiscences, and I’m always parents died before you were born, fascinated to read how many of the then how could you have been born staff from the 1940s and 1950s were to kill them in the first place? still around in my time. There were As the legendary Colonel Pryke undoubtedly tensions between this would have been quick to confirm, I ancien regime and their younger am no theoretical physicist and such colleagues, and if I’m being brutally questions must remain unanswered
3
OA COMMENT
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
honest, educational quality and results were suffering as a consequence. Bear in mind that this was the end of the swinging sixties, a time of growing civil unrest as minorities – including the young – found their voice. This questioning of authority was difficult for the older generation of masters, accustomed to a rather more rigorous disciplinary regime, to cope with. With its pacifist and slightly leftist tendencies, for example, my school year nearly single-handedly destroyed the CCF, and only the re-introduction of conscription – accompanied by a small compromise from the school on hair length – saved the day.
Subsequent headmasters – most notably Andrew Grant – have carried on Kilvington’s good work, and zooming back to the present day I’m delighted to read in the Headmaster’s Notes that the school and its CCF section are still going from strength to strength. Elsewhere in this issue you’ll find the usual reports from the President, Membership Secretary and the OA Lodge, and a bumper crop of letters from our members. Once again, my thanks to everyone who has taken the trouble to write, and to all our regular contributors for their continued support. Nick Chappin (75) Editor
Notes for budding authors
450 words. Please note that we reserve the right to edit the text as appropriate.
■ In response to a number of enquiries, here are a few helpful tips for all you budding contributors out there Subject matter Absolutely anything you think would be of interest to fellow OAs, from anecdotes and recollections of your schooldays to the events and experiences over the intervening years. Your contribution can be in any form, from a letter or article to a snippet of news or a simple photo caption, and can be submitted electronically via email or in hard copy format by post to the address below. Length There is no limit to length, but as a guide a page in the Bulletin is around
4
Photos Photographs on any subject are always welcome. They can be submitted either electronically (preferably in JPG format) or in hard copy format to the address below. Once scanned, the originals will be returned to the sender. Both colour and black and white photos are acceptable, as the Bulletin is printed in mono but appears online in full colour. Address Please send your contributions to Nick Chappin, Editor. Post: 18 The Pleasance, Harpenden, Herts AL5 3NA Email: nick@chappin.co.uk
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
President’s Notes
Hopes and fears ■ Stephen Burgess describes his hopes and fears for the future as he nears the end of his term as President of the Old Albanian Club Fears When I composed my last notes – written before the worst of the October banking crisis – I was concerned that we had entered a recession that was likely to be deeper and longer than the current forecasts. In the event it seems I was right, but did not at that stage realise how bad things could be. I expressed my view that difficult times were developments such as the proposed sports a good reason for keeping and renewing hall, swimming pool and new facilities for friendships and would again reiterate this music and drama. However, the economic view. background means a As I write these notes widespread campaign to raise politicians, economists and money has had to be deferred. most of us are looking for green Our School is A number of OAs have shoots of recovery. The search feeling the effects committed to help the School for something looks a little with bequests and charitable desperate but recovery will gifts, which will help at the of the recession, come in due course. However, I margin and in the longer term. fear we will have another year with some parents A Gateway Society has been of uncertainty and worry in established for this purpose. If front of us. there are OAs reading these It is often said that economic struggling to notes who feel they could help, crises and the cycle can have a please contact School pay fees cleansing effect. This is Development Officer Kate Le probably the case, but if you Sueur for further information are suffering or a victim of on 01727 814391. circumstance this provides no comfort and many of us – if not the majority – are Successful events affected in one way or another. Since I last wrote my notes we have had Our School is feeling the effects of the two successful events, the November drinks recession, with some parents struggling to party at the East India Club and the annual pay fees. Applicants for new pupils are dinner held in the clubhouse at Woollams. encouraging but pressures are likely to be The drinks party had a record attendance of felt for another year or so. In more normal over 120 OAs and staff, compared with an circumstances, the School would have been average attendance of between 40 and 50 looking to raise money for new
5
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
From the Archive: an undated photo of the School Orchestra rehearsing in the hall
until the last two years. As a result, we have taken a decision to book a larger room with a capacity for 170 people for this coming November. The date is Thursday 19th November, so put it in your diary now. The Annual Dinner on 20th March saw a much-improved attendance of 125 members and guests. There was a much wider age range than of late, with tables of leavers from the immediate post-War years to a group who left as recently as 2004. The School has taken girls in the sixth form
6
since 1995, and it was good to see a good female attendance at the dinner. I hope that these trends in attendance will continue to improve. A great deal of improvement is down to the decision to move the administration of membership and contact to the School Development Office, and to use Kate Le Sueur’s good offices in helping run events. As President for the last three years, this has been most gratifying. As I mentioned in the last Bulletin, there
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
is to be a Gaudy Reunion at Woollams for 1970s leavers. There has been an encouraging response so far and we hope this will become an annual event for OAs and their partners.
semi-final stage. This bodes well for the future. The cricket, tennis and golf clubs are looking forward to a good summer. We are still trying to get floodlights for the tennis courts, and we remain hopeful. We also have two football sides and a small but very enthusiastic netball squad. We welcome support for all these activities and details can be found through the Old Albanian website.
Club structure For many years, officers and the committee of the club have largely been drawn from groups of members who have strong connections with the sports clubs. We now Hopes have around 5,500 members of the OA Club, I started my notes expressing my fears yet perhaps only 500 of these have had any contact with the sports clubs based at Beech about the immediate outlook. Cycles run their course and actions around Bottom and now Woollams. the world should start the Your committee is therefore process of stabilisation and Changes in the looking at some changes to the recovery. I am sure that this structure and the type of events will come in 2010. Time flies so club’s structure we should be running to reflect perhaps we should be the current position. We have optimistic. made so far have looked at the activities of a I know that changes in the number of other Former Pupil been beneficial in club’s structure made so far Associations to see what we have been beneficial in getting could do. I hope to update you more of you to our events and I getting more of in the autumn edition of the hope you stay in regular touch. Bulletin on any changes that I also hope that the studies we may be proposed, and we would you to our events are currently undertaking will welcome any ideas you may further improve have. communications and contacts among our large membership. Woollams and sport I hope to see some of you at the Gaudy The rugby club had enjoyed a successful Reunion, on Founders’ Day and at the next season. It seems that the 1st XV will finish November Drinks Party, which will be my fifth in London 1 this year. This is final event as President. encouraging and supporters feel that this Stephen Burgess has been our best season overall in an ever President, Old Albanian Club competitive league. Strength in depth has also been good with the 2nd and 3rd XVs also enjoying very good seasons. However, perhaps the most exciting progress has been seen in the junior section with the Colts reaching the National Final and the under 17s now at the
7
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Headmaster’s Notes
High fliers
a first-come first-served basis. Early in December, our musicians put on some fine performances in a very varied ■ Gliding scholarships, a Sandhurst Sword programme in the School Concert while the of Honour and the Evening Standard Rugby following week saw a brilliant production of Team of the Month – just some of the Tom Jones – extremely funny, accolades achieved by the School during the imaginatively directed and superbly acted Autumn and Spring terms. Headmaster by a versatile company who were generous Andrew Grant reports in their ensemble playing. A new introduction to the end-of-term The highlight of the end of the autumn term is, of course, the programme was the Lower School Christmas Celebration – a great success and annual Carol Service and an initiative that I’m sure we shall want to again, the Choir, under Mick repeat and make a fixture in the calendar. Stout’s direction, defied The trebles were in good voice interruptions from ‘flu, and we heard a remarkable Norovirus and Oxbridge selection of excellent young In November, our interviews to perform to an readers. At the close of exceptionally high standard. proceedings, the audience First XV were Here, too, we heard some fine enjoyed mince pies and mulled readers, and it is no surprise wine and, in a retiring declared the that the Abbey Nave and collection, raised £520 for the Crossing were again full to ‘Evening Standard’ Banana Tree Project, Ed capacity with what seems to be Beavington’s charity in support an ever-growing number of of schools and orphanages in Rugby Team of people who want to attend. In Tanzania. recent years, the effect of this, The annual round of the Month unfortunately, has been to Oxbridge interviews produced a squeeze some year groups of generally pleasing outcome, pupils to the margins of their with ten firm offers, including a Choral own School Carol Service, whilst still Scholarship at St John’s, Cambridge for disappointing many would-be guests who Tom Blackie. would like tickets. This is clearly an In sport, the autumn term was highly unsatisfactory state of affairs. successful. OAs in particular, will, I hope, be Our girls had one of their best-ever pleased to know, therefore, that from 2009, netball seasons with a high point in the we shall be holding two services. One, District competition in November, where during the final day of term, will be they won three out of five of their group exclusively for members of the School. The matches, beating the Girls’ High School, Sir other will be a candle-lit service on the John Lawes and Roundwood. preceding evening which, after priority In November, our then-unbeaten First XV booking for official guests, Upper Sixth were declared the Evening Standard Rugby Formers, Choir, readers and their parents, Team of the Month on the basis of their will be open to all who apply for tickets on
8
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
ranking in the Evening Standard Super XV league. This is published by the website www.schoolsrugby.co.uk to which there is a link on the School website under Sports Fixtures and Results/Rugby Results 08. By December they had had to concede their proud unbeaten record, but by a mere one point to the only other unbeaten side in the area, Mill Hill, in a great match, recognised as such by the very experienced referee. They finished with an exceptional 90% win rate, high up in all the leagues and runners-up in the London and South East Division. The unbeaten Second XV topped their respective Evening Standard league and the Performance league, whilst the Under 16s were runners-up in the AllEngland league and the All-comers league and topped their table for London and South East. Congratulations are due to all our rugby players and their coaches on one of the best seasons in recent memory.
It is always good to hear of OAs achieving distinction, too, so it was a great pleasure to learn that William Blyth, who left in 2004, was presented with the Sword of Honour on passing out from Sandhurst at the Sovereign’s Parade in December. The award is made to the best officer cadet of the course and to win it is a world-class achievement. Staying with matters military, the first week of the Christmas holiday saw 90 cadets attending a hugely successful CCF winter camp at Yardley Chase, where they were able to put theory into practice under the command of Cadet NCOs, in imaginative exercises devised by our new SSI, RSM Wilson, ex-Coldstream Guards, on which matter, see more below. The RAF Easter camp took place at RAF Leuchars, where one of the most challenging activities was the NITEX facing a hunter force and battling with the tough Scottish weather.
9
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
theatre of Olivo Camaiore, in the ancient Two cadets, Jamie Da Costa and James Crossley, are to be congratulated on earning Pistoia Cathedral and at San Agostino Church in the fortified hill-town of San their Silver Wings after a ten-day gliding Gimignano. scholarship with 622 squadron, based at On the spring term sporting front, the Upavon during which they completed over cross-country squad had to settle for being 40 launches and a solo flight in the Viking merely the third best in the country this glider. year, bringing the bronze medals back from At this year’s Annual General CCF the Henry VIII relay title they were Inspection on 1 May, a milestone in the long defending in Coventry. The girls’ netball history of the contingent was the re-badging parade to affiliate our CCF to the Coldstream team claimed some more notable scalps, including the High School and Loreto, as Guards as its parent regiment. The well as most of the co-educational schools Inspecting Officer was Colonel Henry Eagan, on their fixture list, and our senior Commandant of the Cadet Training Centre swimmers were winners of the at Frimley Park, who delivered County league. the Geoffrey Pryke Memorial Badminton is a sport whose The cross-country Lecture earlier this year. star is rising at the School, Existing ties to 39 Engineer squad had to settle thanks almost exclusively to the Regiment will not be severed, efforts of Dr Ian Shillcock, and in however, as a section of the the Hertfordshire Schools for being merely corps will be maintaining that Badminton Association longstanding relationship in the competition, the U15 team were the third best sorts of activities in which the winners and the U13s runners-up. Royal Engineers specialise. The Top rugby laurels went to in the country new arrangements promise to the Under 12 team, who, in the give our cadets the best of all Herts 10's Rugby Tournament, this year worlds. defeated twenty other schools The final weeks of the spring from around Hertfordshire and term were a blur of musical and took the honours in the final from the hosts, dramatic activity, including some excellent Berkhamsted. AS and A2 drama performances, the House This feat was almost emulated in hockey Music competition and the highlight, a by the U13 team in the National Minis Cup triumphant Joint Schools performance in County Tournament, where, having won the Abbey of Karl Jenkins’s The Armed their way through to the final against Man – A Mass for Peace. This was Mick Bishop Stortford and with the score Stout’s first Joint Schools Concert as standing at 0-0 at the final whistle, they Director, and notable also for featuring the went down after three minutes of ‘Golden premier of an outstanding original work by Goal’ time, to finish 2nd overall in the a pupil: An Albanian Interlude by Fifth county: two outstanding achievements from Former Oliver Till. Fresh from this success, squads finding immediate success in sports the day after term ended, the choir and few had played before they came to St orchestra departed for Italy and three very Albans School and testimony to the well received concerts: at the converted
10
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
From the Archive: the new cloisters after completion in 1986
excellence of the coaching they have received. Hockey training for the First XI had been well under way before Christmas and delivered an encouraging early result in a draw against a senior side from Harpenden Hockey Club. Thereafter, the loss of training time and fixtures due to snow and an inability to take scoring opportunities that were within their grasp, allowed too many winnable matches to slip away and it was the more junior teams in general who had the best of the season, with the U16 team topping the All-Comers’ league on the Schools Hockey web site: http://www.schoolshockey.co.uk. The U15s and U13s were both runners-up in their equivalent tables and the U14s fifth in theirs. In the week of the May Bank Holiday, which at the time of writing is still in the future, a team of inspectors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate, the body responsible for inspecting independent schools on behalf of OfSTED will be with us, so that should make for a relaxing Bank Holiday weekend for all of us! All team inspectors are practising teachers in independent schools as the principle of ISI
inspections is one of peer review. The Reporting Inspector, the full-time professional inspector who leads the team, has already made two visits to the School and dealt with a good proportion of the documentary and regulatory requirements so we expect the week of the inspection to be a constructive and useful process. In addition, in April, my term of office as Chairman of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, universally known as HMC, begins. For those to whom the acronym is unfamiliar, HMC describes itself on its web site as “represent[ing] the Heads of over 250 of the leading independent schools in the United Kingdom, and, indeed, the world.” That is a realistic enough summary and not immodest, but let me assure you that though the responsibilities of being its public face are considerable, the continuing success of St Albans will continue to be my first priority and assuming I survive what the next couple of months has in store, I look forward to seeing many of you on the Gaudy/Founders’ Day weekend. Andrew Grant Headmaster
11
O A U P D AT E
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
12
OA Lodge
An especial meeting ■ OA Lodge Secretary John Williams welcomes a new Master of the Lodge, and delves back into the archives to report on ‘an especial meeting of the Lodge holden at the School on St John’s Day in the Summer A.D. 1948, to celebrate the Millennium of the Foundation of the School’ The Lodge year commences at the meeting in May when our new Master, Martin Straus will be installed in the Chair by the outgoing Master, Roger Shrimplin, followed by the appointment of the Lodge Officers for the ensuing year. Martin, who is a joining member of the Lodge, was elected to serve as Master in 2009-10 because our Senior Warden Chris Whiteside very sensibly decided to step aside – for the moment at least. Chris is standing for Parliament as the Conservative candidate in the Copeland constituency in West Cumbria where he now resides. He was unsuccessful at the last election but in the present circumstances may well be elected this time. Inevitably Chris has to spend all the time he can in the next 12 months in his prospective constituency. If he was Master of the Lodge, with the time and commitments involved, he might sacrifice the opportunity to enter Parliament – which the Lodge would very much regret! Indeed I hope I am not tempting fate when I say that we look forward with anticipation to being – in a few years time – the only Lodge in Hertfordshire with a sitting
MP as Master! The Installation is invariably the best-attended meeting of the year and dinner jackets are the norm – although this is entirely optional. This is the final year of the 2009 ‘Festival’ that Freemasons of Hertfordshire have been supporting for a number of years in aid of the Grand Charity. During our meeting a cheque will be presented to the Assistant Provincial Grand Master, Brian Tierney for a sum not less than £7,000, taking the Lodge’s overall contribution to a magnificent £50,000. A number of Lodge members will be attending the Festival Banquet, to be held in London in June when we hope to learn that the overall total raised has exceeded £3m and that the sum contributed by the OA Lodge is the largest donation from any Hertfordshire Lodge. Our Master Elect, Martin Straus, has for many years made his career in the wine trade and this year we are all looking forward to sampling some fine wines with the dinner. Following the dinner an auction will be held of a small (2.5 x 5 in) framed steel engraving of the Gateway, c1810, drawn by G F Sargent and engraved by G P Nicholls. Similar engravings abound, but what makes this one rather special is that it is handcoloured. The engraving, mounted and framed in 1966, was a proud possession of the late David Gray, a Past Master of the Lodge (1975), and has been generously donated by his widow, Elizabeth Gray – as it was David’s wish that it should belong to a member of the Lodge.
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
The engraving of the Abbey Gateway put up for auction by the widow of David Gray, a Past Master of the Lodge Sadly in December, the Lodge lost one of its stalwarts with the death of Desmond Harper, aged 78. Des was initiated into the Lodge in 1981 with a Past Master, the late Jack Layton in the chair. After passing through the various offices he was installed as Master of the Lodge in 1994, and thereafter appointed to serve as Almoner, an office he held with distinction until May 2000. As a result of his services to the Lodge, he was appointed to Hertfordshire Provincial office in 2001. Des was slightly disabled from birth but despite this – or maybe because of this – he was always a very outgoing, not in anyway self-conscious and with a wonderful sense of humour. Des had a passion for acting and appeared at the Barn Theatre in Welwyn Garden City on many occasions. It was always a pleasure in my
early years in the Lodge to hear stories of their schooldays and their war service from older members and I was disappointed to see that for the first time there were no attendees from the Montague Jones era at the OA dinner in March. Whilst delving into the Lodge archives recently, a printed copy of the oration given in 1948 by J C Mitchell JP came to light. John Mitchell was the founding Senior Warden at the consecration of the Lodge in 1928 and was duly installed as Master on May 11th 1929. By 1948 he was the senior Past Master of the Lodge and was asked to give an oration on the history and traditions of the School at an: “especial Meeting of the Lodge holden at the School on St John’s Day in the Summer A.D. 1948, to celebrate the Millennium of the Foundation of the School.” The oration was delivered in the Lodge room in the Gateway at the ‘especial meeting’ which was attended by W T Marsh, the Headmaster and a member of the
13
O A U P D AT E
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
14
Lodge. Reference is made to a letter received by the Lodge from the VW Bro. His Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Past Grand Chaplain, “sending his very good wishes for a happy and successful meeting and wishing the School many more centuries of service to our country.” The printed oration extends to some 22 pages (A5) and much of its historical content is well documented, but knowing the Editor’s penchant for history, a few interesting and more personal excerpts are reproduced here: “During these years the School became woefully reduced in numbers, for when the Rev. Charles Mathew Perkins took over in 1873 he found 6 boys. The innovations of Mr Henry Hall in the curriculum had been discontinued and the School was again almost wholly classical. In the meantime in 1871 the School, after being housed in the Lady Chapel for over three centuries was transferred to this building. “And now a most important event happened – not to the School but to me – for I was a ‘new boy’ early in 1876. The Rev. Frank Wilcox had already joined Mr Perkins and I would like to place on record that whatever success I have achieved in any department of my life is due – after the influence of my mother – for I was early deprived of the influence of my father – is due in ample measure to the character, the teaching and the kindliness of those two men. Indeed, I think the outstanding feature of Perkin’s rule was his sincere kindliness and then
his meticulous accuracy. He was never without his badge of office in the shape of a short piece of ash hardly thicker than a twig, he seldom used it with severity but by way of emphasizing a correction one felt the ash applied to one’s thigh or other appropriate part of one’s person. I recall an occasion we were standing around yonder fireplace – he stood inside the fender – and I was translating from Xenophon the story of a cavalry march which related how traces of the march were left on the plain, and being a modest little boy I translated the word as manure. “Dung, boy, dung,” corrected Perkins with appropriate emphasis on my person. He was absorbed in the Classics. If my memory serves me right he did nothing else, we spent the first hour on five mornings in the week reading the Greek Testament, and other hours were devoted to Homer, Euripides and Xenophon, Virgil, Ovid and Caesar and others to the necessary studies of Greek and Latin Grammar, while Willcox took English History, Geography, Arithmetic, Algebra, Euclid. But sometime before the end of my stay Herr Heumann, a German Swiss, was appointed to teach French, German and Music, but I fear that he learned more about the ways of English boys than we learned of French, German and Music. Also at this time a drill sergeant was engaged for an hour a week. Mr Perkins retired in 1880 to the Rectory of a remote village in Gloucestershire, where I spent a week-end with him when I was President of the Old Boys’ Club.
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Frank Willcox succeeded and I need not carry my story further since we have heard from the Headmaster of the renaissance, which apart from the efforts of Hall and Perkins in regard to modern languages really began with the appointment by Willcox of Charles Ashdown as Science Master in 1886. “I should like to conclude with a few words of appreciation of Willcox and of Montague Jones who succeeded him, and although I am not unmindful that the Headmaster is present, of Mr Marsh himself. Frank Willcox, speaking at his farewell to the boys who had made him a presentation, affirmed that he knew that he had always had the affection of his boys since that when they became old boys they became his friends. The efficiency of his reign was well shown in the list of scholarships and other distinctions which had been gained by the School. On the occasion of the presentation to him on leaving, organised by the Old Boys’ Club, Percy Debenham, Charles Woollam and Walter John Lawrence, all men the memory of whom we revere, spoke most fully and freely of his devotion to his work at the School and in other ways in St Albans. “Montague Jones was a great organiser and successful Headmaster. Always youthful and forceful he raised the standard of education, attracted the friendship of boys and sent out into the world fellows with a character of real value. He was as popular as he was successful – in the School, in the playground and in the
camp. He came to the School at a time when a revolution in secondary education generally was getting into swing and had the vision to take fullest advantage of this, and from the modest beginning made by Willcox with the assistance of Ashdown, converted the four score of scholars of 1902 into the overflowing hundreds of 1931, and the narrow, dark, uncomfortable quarters of the Old Gateway into the light and space of the present buildings. All remember him today with affection and gratitude.” “As I have said, I am not unmindful that Commander Marsh our Headmaster is with us, when I say again that we have a competent, excellent and successful Headmaster. He took over the School from Major Montague Jones and has carried on and indeed greatly extended his tradition in every respect. Perhaps the most notable feature of his work has been the development of the Sixth Form and the consequent constant stream of boys to Oxford and Cambridge. The tradition of candidates for the Services has been increased, great advances made in athletics, e.g., the Rugby Football side has had two undefeated seasons, and notable advances have been made in ancillary matters – in dramatic work, music, the debating society and in chess and bridge. The supreme organizing administrative ability of the Headmaster, coupled with his drive, diligence and skill, and that of his colleagues, inspires a spirit of keenness in all members of the School.”
15
O A U P D AT E
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
“I hope that I have to some small extent realized what I set out to do and that you have been interested and will be still further interested in St Albans School. Truly Brethren, I can emphasize a remark made by the Dean in his sermon last Saturday morning – that we present a record of living tradition.” The Lodge meets only five times a year on the second Saturdays in January, March, May and September and the first Saturday in November. All those connected with the School, including fathers of past or present
pupils are welcome to apply for membership, for which purpose the first approach should be to any Lodge member, the Secretary as below, or Nigel WoodSmith or Alan Smith at the School. Members of other Lodges, be they OAs, parents of past or present pupils, staff or Governors are encouraged to visit the Lodge whenever they wish, and the Secretary will be delighted to hear from them. The Lodge website address is: http://www.oa-lodge.co.uk/ John Williams Lodge Secretary
From the Archive: Physics teacher Geoffrey Pryke pictured in the 1980s
16
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Development Officer’s Notes
Going global ■ School Development Manager Kate Le Sueur reports on a busy programme of reunion events This is a busy time of year for the Development Office, with a number of events creeping up on us in the Summer months. The Gaudy Reunion on Founders’ Day this year is for those who left School between 1950-1959. We are expecting an excellent turnout, with over 60 OAs already having confirmed their attendance. The OA Club will be hosting a buffet and drinks reception on the previous evening to which spouses are also warmly invited. If you haven’t yet returned your form and are intending to come along, please do so as soon as you can as spaces are limited. An exciting development this year will hopefully see a Founders’ Day Celebration for OAs in Sydney, Australia. This was the idea of Richard Dawes (57), who received an invitation to the Gaudy Reunion but felt that St Albans was rather a long way away for a day trip! Further details will be sent to OAs ‘down under’ in due course. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed opening my post for the last few months, as almost every day I have received contributions to Robin Ollington’s forthcoming book, St Albans School at War. The book will compile memories from nearly 50 OAs who were pupils during the period 19391940 with photographs and illustrations, and judging by the un-
edited snippets I have read, will be a fascinating read for OAs of all ages. It is due to be published in November, and further details will be provided nearer the time for those who wish to purchase a copy. We have been hosting a series of thoroughly enjoyable lunches for OAs who wish to learn more about the St Albans School Foundation and particularly The Gateway Society, which has recently been established for those who have chosen to make a gift to the School in their will. These lunches are continuing with further dates in June, and any OAs who wish to come along to hear more on these topics can get in touch with me at the Development Office. Finally, this year’s ‘Jubilee Reunion’ will be for those who left School in 1966, and therefore started School on 17th September 1959. Fifty years on, Thursday 17th September 2009 will see a reunion lunch at Woollams, and on the following day there will be coffee and a tour of the School for all guests. We hope that this will be as successful as last year’s event, which saw over 70% of the year group who we were in contact with return to the School. If you would like to gather your year group together, whether or not you have a ‘special anniversary’ coming up, please do get in touch as we would be delighted to organise a similar reunion event for you and your classmates. Kate Le Sueur School Development Manager development@st-albans.herts.sch.uk
17
O A U P D AT E
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
1 Pondwicks Close St Albans AL1 1DG Telephone: 01727 836877
From the Archive: an aerial view of the School before construction of the New Hall
18
Membership Secretary’s Notes
Making history ■ Membership Secretary Roger Cook invites all members to contribute to the history of the OA Club, which can be found on the club’s web site OA history Nigel Cartwright has written an excellent history of the OA Rugby club. I will shortly be adding this to the OA History which, as you know, is available on the web site. If anyone has any comments, additions, photographs or corrections to the OA History, I would like to receive them within the next month. I believe we should make the effort to record interesting information before our collective memory disappears!
Bulletin readership An increasing number of members are reading the Bulletin online rather than a printed copy. Three or four years ago, I was sending 1,500 copies of the Bulletin by post to more than a dozen countries. This year the number is nearer 500. As usual, those who receive a postal copy will find the year your subscription expires on the address label. I remind those who read this Bulletin online that hard copies are available by post for a subscription of £18 to cover three years’ deliveries. OA ties I have a stock of ties (silk @ £12.50 bow-tie @ £15, post free). Roger Cook Membership Secretary
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Waifs & Strays If you know the current whereabouts of the following, please let Kate or me know 1931 1932 1932 1932 1933 1934 1938 1938 1941 1942 1943 1944 1944 1948 1949 1954 1956 1958 1959 1959 1959 1961 1962 1963 1963 1963 1966 1967 1968 1968 1968 1971 1971 1972 1972 1974 1974 1974 1975 1975 1976 1976 1976 1977 1977 1998 1977 1978 1978 1979 1979 1980
Mr Eric T. S. Spear Mr J. Brookes Mr E J Evans Mr E J H Harris Mr J. E. Bes Mr K Green Mr K M Buckingham Mr P. T. Butler Mr B. R. R. McDonald Mr J. H. Collins Mr K. J. Walker Cdr P H F Hudson Lt Cmdr A. J. Wood Mr G. T. Ross Mr Graham Barnes Mr Alan S. Ward Mr P. Ingram Mr P J O'Sullivan Mr W. H. Cleghorn Mr R. E. Ferneyhough Dr K. J. Mills Mr John F. Brittain Mr J Clarke Mr John Giddings Mr John R. H. Gott Mr Nigel C. Perrins Mr John D. Hadley Mr David M. Bloch Mr Laurence D. Bishop Mr Terence A. J. Moore Mr Roger M. Wyndham Mr S. G. Morris Mr David P. L. Williams Mr Stephen C. Parker Mr Peter Robinson Mr Alastair G. D. Cook Mr John R. Eliott Mr M. C. Williams Mr S. M. Carter Mr Gregory P. Martin Mr D. C. Cross Mr Ian M. Longley Mr Malcolm C. Taylor Mr David K. W. Batey Mr C. J. Stansbury Miss Sophie Waters Mr Paul M. Wheller Mr N. G. Evans Mr M. G. Samuel Mr C. D. Albury Mr N. A. J. Chapman Mr Andrew M. Clarke
1980 1980 1980 1980 1980 1981 1981 1981 1982 1982 1982 1983 1983 1983 1984 1984 1985 1985 1985 1985 1986 1986 1987 1988 1988 1989 1990 1991 1991 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1994 1994 1994 1995 1995 1995 1995
Dr John R. Edwards Mr J. C. Rabuszko Mr K. Tamlin Mr T Waddington Mr Bruce A. Warwick Flt Lt Richard J. W. Hodge Mr Paul R. Mainwaring Mr J. S. C. Piper Mr Steve Allen Mr S. R. Bootle Mr Patrick A. Dibben Mr Mark J. Phillips Mr M. W. Soloway Mr David W. H. Wilson Mr M. J. Cornwell Mr Simon D. Havard Mr Nicholas Gordon Mr Bruce J. W. Potts Mr Julian P Smith Mr Tim R. E. Walsh Mr Peter L. Newman Mr Andrew L. Smith Mr Christopher Browne Mr Adrian J. Baker Mr Hansi J. Kรถppe Mr Morgan Thanigasalam Mr David J. Cox Mr Nicholas D. Robins Mr D. P. Rumsey-Williams Mr Nicholas J. V. Burcher Mr Hiren M. Davis Mr Alexander T. S. Green Mr John R Moore Mr Simon Pearlman Mr Jonathan E. P. Simmons Mr Daniel J. Stevens Mr Kieran Walsh Mr Timothy N. Wild Mr Richard Clarke Mr John A Dunn Mr Liam L. Hancock Mr Daniel L. Jerrard Miss Caroline M. King Mr Adam P. J. McCann Mr James D. Mills Mr Nicholas S. J. Fish Mr Thomas Garrad-Cole Mr Christopher J. Wright Mr Sean E. Hancock Mr Tony Morris Mr Alistair Walter Mr Alex Wood
1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2001 2001 2001 2002 2002 2002 2002 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004 2004 2005 2004 2005 2005
Mr David J. H. Carden Mr Daniel J. Carroll Mr Alexander D. Hart Mr Fiaz Siddiqui Mr Dean M. Smith Mr Wing-Guy Tang Mr Ben B. White Mr Andrew Davis Mr Stuart Day Mr Andrew Malkin Mr Anan K. Mallick Mr Alexander Schilling Mr Andrew M. Fine Miss Victoria Goodfellow Mr Richard B. P. Myers Mr Daniel R. Gilson Mr Denny Wong Mr Matthew I Davis Mr Daniel J. Egerton Mr Jonathan Grossman Mr Graham Heap Mr Nicholas Hepburn Mr Christopher J. Hudson Mr Timothy A. Leek Mr Frederick J. Motson Miss Holly C Ripper Mr Jonathan N. Bateman Miss Jenny E. Brooke Mr Oliver Overton-Morgan Mr James O. Barker Mr Jonathan Newell Mr Christopher J. Taylor Mr Michael P. Wright Mr Andrew W Fyvie-Rae Mr Ashley S Guy Mr Cameron J Spowart Mr David L. Wilson Mr Christopher G. Ayre Mr Cem Aytacli Mr Thomas M. Barr Mr Andrew T. Ayre Mr Daniel N Korn Mr Daniel J Cornell Mr Adil L Khan
Telelephone: 01727 814 391 E-mail: development@st-albans.herts.sch.uk
19
OA GAZETTE
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
De fortunis Albanorum Deaths It is regret that the following deaths are announced: ● Kenneth T Baycock (32) died on 17th March 2009, in his 93rd year. His brother, the Reverend Louis Baycock (49), writes: “Kenneth left School in July1932. The late Head, W T Marsh said in his letter of reference that he represented the School at Bisley 193132 (I have his blazer with the shooting team badge on it. Doesn’t fit me any more as a hand-me down!). We now have two school framed panoramic photos dated (one all school, and one OTC) if they would be of use as history, I will gladly pass them on unframed, if more acceptable! Might the blazer be historic enough – but I don't think the school needs a museum piece!” ● Jack Richardson (36) died on 12th November 2008. ● David Hartley (38) died from cancer in Ballarat Hospital, Victoria, Australia on 6th March 2009, aged 87. An obituary, written by his brother John, appears below. ● Rev J A ‘Jim’ Pollard (41), former Head Chorister and organist, died on 21st March 2009. An obituary will appear in the November issue of the Bulletin. ● Brian Banting (42) died in May 2007. ● John Ainslie Church (44) died on
20
26th January 2009. An obituary appears below. ● Desmond Harper (48) died on 15th December 2008. ● Gerald Batty (49) died at home on Christmas Eve 2008, after a short illness. An obituary by his friend and regular Bulletin contributor Anthony Lane appears below. ● Roger Euinton (55) died on 11th March 2009 at the age of 71. An obituary by his brother Barry Euinton (52) appears below. ● Robert A Simpson (65) died on 24th January 2009, after a long battle with cancer. ● Richard J Thompson died in November 2008 ● Sally Vincent, wife of former School governor Tony Vincent, died in early 2009.
Obituaries ● David Hartley (38) While at St Albans School, David played on the wing for the 1st XV at rugby. He also won the Mile (in record time) and the Half Mile. He was a finalist in the Public Schools’ Half Mile in 1938 and was only pipped in the final straight. He was not keen on orthodox school games but was adventurous, courageous and independent and preferred to pack the saddle-bags of his bicycle and go off cycling and youth hostelling in
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Scotland. He was an excellent handyman and liked to work backstage at school drama productions. He once bought an old motorcycle from a schoolmate, to see how it worked, but he didn’t have a manual and finally sold it to John May with the engine in pieces in a sack. John May re-assembled it in time for it to be used throughout the war as the Despatch Rider’s motorcycle with the St Albans Home Guard. David left school early to study accountancy but in 1939 wanted to go to New York to see the World Fair when it opened. He signed on as crew on an oil tanker to work his passage but the War started while he was in New York. On his return he volunteered for the RAF but was rejected as he was under call-up age and was now registered for the National Service as a Merchant Seaman. He left the sea temporarily to work as a volunteer in the Mary Ward Settlement in central London, which had become a food and rest centre for bombed out Londoners during the Battle of Britain. He later went back to sea and was bombed and sunk in the big Malta convoy, receiving injuries to his leg and severe flash backs from the bomb. He stayed at sea throughout the War, working for various shipping companies and after the war became a manager for P&O in Melbourne, Australia. He leaves a wife, two daughters and six grandchildren. ● John Ainslie Church (44) John was born on 24th January 1926. He was a quiet strong man, and a
gentleman with everyone he met. From a diligent, studious and hardworking childhood in St Albans, his eyes were opened by his war experiences across the world and his heart was opened by his love for his surviving wife, Hazel and his two sons Simon and David and their five children. John achieved in academic subjects at St Albans School and was very active in all sports, becoming school Captain of Shooting. He led the school team to many successes at the national schools championships at Bisley. He moved away from home at 17, having completed his Matriculation, and the Admiralty sent him to Cardiff University where he read Law. Most of his time was spent in Naval training awaiting the outcome of the war against Germany and Japan. When John was eighteen and a half he was posted to HMS Dauntless for sea-going officer training in the RNVR. Up there on the Russian convoys, part of his time was spent on the HMS Castleton where the seawater was so cold, it froze the entire upper decks. He worked with the guns and this led to hearing difficulties in later life. The war against Germany ended and John was sent off to the Pacific Fleet and while he was on the troop ship, the Atom Bomb was dropped and Japan surrendered – war was over. John had a wonderful experience in this post-war period in Sydney, Australia, where he spent a year on
21
OA GAZETTE
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
22
the shore-frigate, HMS Golden Hind. He talked about his time in Australia with great fondness, riding out to Woy Woy on the far side of Hawkesbury Ridge with his best fellow officers. Back in UK it was a choice of University or work in the City. After all this travel, staying in one place was not on! Following a short spell with Hambros Bank in the City, which was not his cup of tea, he met someone on his way back from town one day who told him about an opportunity in Nigeria – to work in the bush in the north of the country. He applied immediately and went off to John Holt in northern Nigeria, the country he was to spend most of his working life. John started in the rural areas managing farmers’ crop yields and their harvest into exports of oil and groundnuts and cocoa back to Europe. He travelled the West Coast of Africa extensively, living miles into the bush, from Benin to a house on stilts in the trees in Warri. Quite different from the City, but immediately felt at home. John was an adventurer. John moved around to many remote places, including Owo, Lakoja where the River Niger joins the River Benue. John travelled across the North and Central Nigeria, living off his own ‘kills’ of guinea fowl, duck, gazelle, and anything else he could get to survive and thrive. Stories of lorry drivers pulling out his bad teeth, getting caught in animal traps, and travelling up creeks and waterways to find medical help filled his eight years up-country.
John learnt the ways of the people of the north, their languages and their lives. He loved the River Benue and Newman in Adamawa Province especially. This was his favourite place of all time. There was hardly a place he didn’t know or a businessman he hadn’t traded with, from Sokoto to Zaria, where he eventually settled down to manage geography the size of UK. In 1955, while on leave in St Albans he met Hazel Dawson, of Townsend Drive, St Albans, and they were married a year later in Sandridge near St Albans, starting married life with a six week tour of Europe and then a sail to Lagos from Southampton. Sons Simon and David were born in 1957 and 1960 respectively and the family moved to Lagos for John to establish a new company importing food and drinks into Nigeria. Some great years in Lagos, with his Dowty Turbojet boat and beach hut in Igaja and Tarqua provided a fabulous outdoor life for the family, Lagos being just 5° north of the Equator. Indigenisation led to loss of control of his business and when ill health hit John in the late 70s he and Hazel retired to North Marston, a small and friendly village in North Buckinghamshire. The people of this great village welcomed both John and Hazel. In 1986, they relocated to Milton Keynes to move nearer to the health care services that John needed. They both kept in regular contact with many of John’s school friends
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
including Noel Harrison, Godfrey Owen, Tony Andrews, Jeff Cannon, and David Godfrey Evans. In Milton Keynes, Gibsons Green became the grandparents’ home to all five grandchildren. John had an extraordinary life, rich in diversity and full of love and kindness. No-one could have had such a devoted and loving partner as Hazel – he travelled half the length of the world a number of times to catch her and they had a very special and close friendship and love. John died peacefully at Willen Hospice, Milton Keynes on 26th January 2009. If you would like to contact the family, please write to the following address: Hazel Church, 9 Gibsons Green, Heelands, Milton Keynes, MK13 7PR. ● Gerald Batty (49) Gerald died on Christmas Eve 2008, aged 78. I so well remember my first encounter with him when we were both at the entrance exam. A roll-call was taken and when Gerald’s name came up some tittering broke out. Sergeant-Major Charlie Argent was onto that in a flash and sternly put a stop to it. However, I’m sure that on account of the name fate had wished on him Gerald would have been subjected to ridicule often in his young life; coping with it was doubtless a character-forming experience. Given time he certainly put the mockers in their place, because when barely turned fifteen, though not noted as a ‘swot’, he notched up the
best School Certificate of us all in 1945. He was a friend and became one of my ‘team of prefects’ in 1948, conscientious, as I remember, in all he undertook. Reading through Albanians of that era you find Gerald coaching younger boys for the junior shooting team and being responsible for the lighting of school plays. I believe he was also scorer for the cricket team – all ‘back-room boy’ contributions to the life of the school, of the kind that really make a school. It would all have been done with that quiet sense of humour for which his family remembers him. He did his National Service in the Royal Corps of Signals (I think he was Sergeant of the Signals section in the Corps, before becoming CQMS). He went on to take up his award at Pembroke College, Cambridge. On graduating he went to work for the BBC on the technical side. He married, but tragically his wife, Jocelyn, was killed in a road accident, leaving him with four daughters. His solution to the problem of how to earn a living and bring up the children was to become freelance. Setting up as an independent radio engineering contractor, involving overseas assignments with the girls at boarding school in term time. He was lucky enough later to meet Rosemary. They married and they had twenty happy years together, until he eventually fell victim to oesophageal cancer. I believe it was at St Stephen’s Church that Gerald used to speak of
23
OA GAZETTE
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
24
having been brought up and his belief meant a great deal to him throughout his life. Being the quiet enduring kind, it was no doubt there with him to the end. ● Roger Henry Euinton (55) My younger brother Roger Henry Euinton, who attended the School approximately from 1946 until 1955, died on the 11th March 2006 at the age of 71. His death was caused by cancer of the liver and kidneys. I am somewhat happier to say that he did not suffer a long illness. When Roger’s and my father died in April 1955, Roger could no longer continue his education at the school and through the good auspices of the Headmaster, Mr W T Marsh, he was employed looking after the swimming pool for the summer of 1955. Subsequently, he gained employment at Vauxhall Motors in their drafting offices and following that period of employment he and his family, because by that time he had married his wife, Jean, and had become the proud father of three children, moved to Devon and gained employment in HSBC Bank. He moved a number of times as he rose through the ranks at the Bank and completed 20 years service with HSBC finishing as Deputy Manager at the company’s Wadebridge branch in Cornwall. After that period of employment he went on to be an accountant, first with the Probation Service and after that the accountant for Castle Drogo – a National Trust property in Cornwall. When he retired he and his family
Roger Euinton with Sam, one of his great grandchildren. moved to Newton Abbot in South Devon. His family by this time had grown to six children. Five of which were his and his wife’s own and the other, a little girl, whom they adopted. By the time of his death he and Jean, his wife, had 18 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. ● Kenneth J Langley (41) Cyril Mobbs writes: Ken was a member of the illustrious and victorious Shirley House Senior Rugby Vll in 1941, and died on 30th June last after a short illness. He trained in London for and subsequently was commissioned in The Royal Engineers, being based in Palestine under the British Protectorate. After demobilisation, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant, working generally in London but also travelling throughout the UK. He was a lifelong supporter of the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Albans, and became a member of Chapter and a Secretary of the same
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
for over 20 years, apart from volunteering upon retirement by auditing local schools. He is survived by his wife, Shelagh, and two children. ● James William Deekes (43) David Scriven, his son-in-law, writes: James William Deekes, my father-inlaw, was born in Australia on Sunday, 31st January 1926. Known as Jim to Beryl and his friends, and variously as Dad or Grandpa to the family, he was three years old when his father was recalled to the UK to work in the main office of the family firm in the City of London. Jim and his older brother Leslie settled with their parents in St Albans, where Jim attended the Abbey, or more properly St Albans School. He excelled in all sports, but especially gymnastics, golf and shooting and he competed at Bisley. He was an enthusiastic member of the school’s cadet corps and was quickly promoted to Sergeant. He enlisted in the army as soon as he could in 1943, well before his eighteenth birthday and we think he arrived in India in August of that year. Jim completed his officer training in India in October 1944 and was commissioned into King George V’s 1st Gurkha Rifles just after the Japanese had been turned at Imphal and Kohima. We know that the 1st Gurka Rifles fought the Japanese through Burma until the end of the War in the Far East in September 1945, but few know that they were then immediately posted to South Vietnam to fight the Viet Minh.
Like many, Jim never spoke in detail about his wartime experiences, but he was immensely proud of his association with the 1st Gurkha Rifles. He later said they were some of the best years of his life, despite him eventually being invalided out of the army in 1947. Jim and Beryl were married in 1948, and were soon looking after a young family of eventually five children: Anna, David, Jill, John and Mandy. Before the war Jim had hoped for a career in the army or in farming, but this ambition was never realised and on his return he joined his father in the family export firm in the City in order to support his growing young family. Jim spent many years commuting from St Albans, and later Harpenden, into London, usually walking from St Pancras into the City. In fact, Jim’s preferred mode of transport was walking and he always walked everywhere in London. He took a great interest in the history of the City and steadily developed an encyclopaedic knowledge of London streets and their historical associations. Jim and Beryl struggled for many years caring devotedly for their youngest daughter Mandy, who has Downs Syndrome and autism: later, they also had to contend with the illness of their younger son John. In his last years living in Little Gaddesden, Jim especially enjoyed his views from the house and almost daily walks into Golden Valley. Jim knew the village well and would often recall the time when as a
25
OA GAZETTE
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
young boy he would deliver the local milk with his friend Bill Ashton, or cycle over from St Albans to the Deer Leap. Long walks in beautiful countryside were one of Jim's passions. He would sometimes reminisce over the hikes he would take at weekends around here with his young family; they also remember regular long Sunday walks in Ashridge's beautiful woods but perhaps they understand the attraction better now than then. Jim was old-school, reserved, dutiful, an honourable man. Like many of his generation he was not known for being very expressive but none the less, he was a very proud father, grandfather and great grandfather. Jim’s life was defined by two great things: his service to his King and Country, and his love, care and concern for his family. His was a long life marked at the beginning by something impossible for later generations to comprehend. Jim died peacefully on Sunday, 9th of February. May he rest in peace in a place which he loved. ● An Adjutant of the 3rd Gurkha Rifles gives a hint of the shared experience and emotions of a Gurkha officer: “As I write these words my thoughts return to you who were my comrades, the stubborn and indomitable peasants of Nepal. Once more I hear the laughter with which you greeted every hardship. Once more I see you in your bivouacs or about your campfires, on forced
26
marches or in the trenches, now shivering with wet and cold, now scorched by a pitiless and burning sun. Uncomplaining you endure hunger and thirst and wounds; and at the last your unwavering lines disappear into the smoke, and wrath of battle. Bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had a country more faithful friends than you.”
School carols ■ John Ellerton (64) has a reel-to-reel tape of the School Carol Service from December 1958 which he is attempting to make into a CD, and would like to know if any OAs might have kept a copy of the service sheet? We are unable to find a copy in the School’s archive. To jog your memory, The Albanian reported the service as follows: “The Carol Service on the last day of the Christmas term was conducted by the Sub-Dean and the blessing was pronounced by the Dean. The usual large congregation attended. The service followed the usual pattern, the School Prayer being recited by P. M. Meacher, the four lessons read by R. P. Wilson, A. R. Bridgeman, J. G. C. Brown and M. Evans, and the Gospel by J. A. Hallam. One departure from tradition was a sequence from The Messiah: For Behold, Darkness shall cover the Earth (K. N. Bernard), For Unto us a Child is Born (the Choir), The Pastoral Symphony (M. J. Lucock, flute, Mr J. M. K. Finley,
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
oboe, Mr P. Hurford, Organ) and There were Shepherds abiding in the Field (R. E. Grimes). J. Ellerton was the soloist in the Introit by Bach. The Congregation was able to take its full share in the singing of the well known Christmas hymns, and the Choir sang a very varied set of Carols of English, French, German, Italian and Basque origin. Mr O. C. Buck was in charge of the Choir, with Mr P. Hurford at the organ. The collection, amounting to £63 10s. 0d., was devoted to Abbey Funds as a token of appreciation of the privilege that we enjoy in being able
to hold our services in the Cathedral and Abbey Church.” Any information would be gratefully received by John, and can be forwarded via Kate Le Sueur in the School’s Development Office on 01727 814 391 or development@st-albans.herts.sch.uk
From the Archive: School at morning service in the Abbey, from the 1970s
27
OA GAZETTE
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Wheeler dealer ■ OA Club President Steve Burgess confesses to a lifelong passion for cycling – which kept him fit during a busy career in investment management In my teenage years cycling was like many people brought up in the fifties my transport to school, to social events and to sport in my case rugby, cricket and athletics. I also went on a number of quite strenuous cycling holidays staying at youth hostels from Dorset in the West, Nottingham in the North, Norfolk in the East and Sussex in the South. Most of these holidays were based around aero spotting – another confession. On one of these holidays, I recall being accompanied among others by Trevor Catlow (60).
Steve Burgess in racing gear
28
Aviation at this time seemed very exciting. The Cold War meant that Europe was full of busy military airfields and the broadening of civil aviation for the use of the wider general public saw a major expansion of civil airports. An aero spotter seemed quite mainstream but for me it was a great excuse to ride my bike near and far. As with so many, success in passing the driving test meant abandoning my trusty Armstrong Moth bicycle. I remained a keen and active sportsman into my late thirties but age, family and career meant that these activities were eventually abandoned. In my early forties, I developed back trouble, which sometimes meant I could not work. I had put on weight and felt that I needed to regain some discipline in order to manage my back problems. Running
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
proved difficult so I returned to my earlier enthusiasm of cycling and bought a second-hand bike. After a few years with little exercise, the smallest hill seemed like a mountain but I persisted and within a year felt fit enough to join Verulam Cycling Club. They say exercise is like a drug and I am inclined to agree, but a beneficial one. Having joined the cycling club, I started racing mainly in time trials but I have also tried road and circuit racing. I have to say that cycle racing is the hardest sport I have tried and my successes have been very rare being limited to third places in handicap and age group categories. I never managed to beat the hour for a 25-mile time trial but I did manage to ride under 24 minutes for a number of 10-mile events. My proudest moment was racing with my son when he won a circuit race although I punctured with a few miles to go. The main benefit about racing for me was a focus for fitness when I was working hard in my career in investment management. I was lucky enough to retire from full time work at the age of 57 and since then I have thoroughly enjoyed cycling and the fitness, which goes with it. I no longer race but ride four times in most weeks of the year. I love Hertfordshire’s lanes and have ridden in France, Belgium, Spain and in California, where believe it or not cycling is a big sport. I have ridden in a group of nearly 100 riders near Newport Beach. I still have my original second-hand bike but now have a stable of seven bikes
including two very light carbon bikes both made in Italy. The only vaguely competitive events I now ride are reliability trials and sportives. These can sometimes be very brisk and are often over hilly courses of anything from 50 to 100 miles or more. Last year’s cycling included an event known as the Tour of Flanders, which has many steep (up to 23%), cobbled hills south of Ghent in Belgium. There were nearly 19,000 riders on the day and my ride of around 87 miles took nearly six hours of riding time. This year I will be riding the Dragon Ride in South Wales including climbs in the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains. I will pray for calm warm weather. I have met a few Old Albanian fellow riders including Mike Richardson, who I think captained Debenhams House cricket team when I was a fourth former. Others include Don Wiseman and Jeremy NewbyRicci. Don Wiseman had a distinguished cycling career as one of the UK’s best track sprinters and subsequently become a leading international cycling official known as a ‘commissaire’ in charge of international races on both road and track. Don is over 80 now but still retains a keen interest in cycle racing. I would love to hear from other OAs who share my interest. I ride regularly with men in their mid and late seventies who still ride very well. I hope to do the same. A coffee tastes very good after 20 or 30 miles of fresh air. I can heartily recommend it.
29
OA GAZETTE
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
History boy ■ OA Nicholas Tarling, an historian of South-East Asia has recently published his memoirs. Here are a few extracts from his Wikipedia entry Nicholas Tarling was born in 1931 and received his secondary education at St Albans School. As an undergraduate at Christ’s College, Cambridge, he was supervised by, among others, the late Sir John H Plumb. He also earned his PhD at Cambridge, supervised by Dr Victor Purcell. In 1957 he took up a teaching post at The University of Queensland, and in 1965 he was appointed Associate Professor of History at The University of Auckland New Zealand, and in 1968 he became a full-time professor, a position he continued to hold until he reached the then mandatory retirement age at the end of 1996. He has published some 36 books. Those in Asian history include Britain, the Brookes and Brunei (1971), Sulu and Sabah (1978), The Burthen, The Risk and the Glory (1982), and The Fourth Anglo-Burman War (1987). He
30
also edited the Cambridge History of Southeast Asia. In retirement he has completed a trilogy on British policy in Southeast Asia during the Pacific War, the Cold War and the Korean War, and also published a book on the Japanese interregnum, A Sudden Rampage. A second trilogy, on imperialism, nationalism and regionalism in Southeast Asia, is almost complete.
House music ■ York-based antique bookseller Tony Fothergill (75) tells us how he has successfully imported an exciting new way of enjoying live music from the USA. A House Concert is a private party for which you are sent a personal invite and is not a public music venue. They offer a chance to see great artists who are often only over in the country for a very short time, and can be organised very quickly without all the complications of agents, managers, p.a. and hall hire. You reserve your place by making a donation in advance (normally no more than £10) and people are not able to just turn up uninvited. The money all goes towards covering the artists’ expenses and not a penny to the concert organisers. Far from being elitist, House Concerts are a great, artist-driven initiative to reach an appreciative audience. The artists are not prima donnas but hard working, down-toearth professionals, amazingly
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
approachable and willing to chat and have a drink, and generally relax in a way not possible at a larger gig. The atmosphere is anything but reverential, jokes are cracked, bottles dropped, impertinent questions asked. It's just a great evening all round. To find out more about House Concerts, visit our website at: www.houseconcertsyork.co.uk
A literary giant ■ The School Development Office has unearthed another notable former pupil. Here are a selection of extracts from the Wikipedia entry for writer Charles Williams Charles Williams was born in London in 1886, and educated at St Albans School. He was awarded a scholarship to University College London, but was forced to leave in 1904 without taking a degree because his family lacked the financial resources to support him. In the same year he began work in a Methodist Bookroom. Williams was hired by Oxford University Press as a proofreading assistant in 1908 before quickly climbing to the position of editor. He continued to work at OUP in various positions of increasing responsibility until his death in 1945. One of his greatest editorial achievements was the publication of the first major English-language edition of the works of Søren Kierkegaard. Although chiefly remembered as a
novelist, Williams also published works of literary criticism, theology, drama, history, biography, and a voluminous number of book reviews. Some of his best known novels are War in Heaven (1930), Descent into Hell (1937), and All Hallows’ Eve (1945). W H Auden, one of Williams’ greatest admirers, reportedly re-read Williams’ extraordinary and highly unconventional history of the church, Descent of the Dove (1939), every year. Williams, however, regarded his most important work to be his extremely dense and complex Arthurian poetry, of which two books were published, Taliessin through Logres (1938) and The Region of the Summer Stars (1944), and more remained unfinished at his death. Although Williams attracted the attention and admiration of some of the most notable writers of his day, including T S Eliot and W H Auden, his greatest admirer was probably C S Lewis, whose novel That Hideous Strength was at the time regarded as entirely inspired by Williams’ novels. When World War II broke out, Oxford University Press moved its offices from London to Oxford. In this setting Williams was able to read (and improve) his final published novel, All Hallows’ Eve, as well as to hear J R R Tolkien read some of his early drafts of The Lord of the Rings aloud. During this time Williams also gave lectures at Oxford on John Milton and received an honorary MA degree. Williams is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford: his headstone bears the word ‘poet’.
Please send all items for inclusion in the Gazette to: Mike Highstead, 33, Cornwall Road, Harpenden, Herts AL5 4TQ
31
OA LETTERS
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
32
Pet hate
and have seen adders on our walks.
■ Brian Davidson (53) recalls an unnerving incident with a snake in a French class
Sporting behaviour
The report of the reunion of Mike Hodge’s year brought back an incident with his class which might have brought my career to a premature and hysterical end. I was teaching Hodge’s second year form in one of the ground floor classrooms in what was then the New Block containing the gym. Mindful as always of the dictum to present a moving target, I was moving round the room as the lesson progressed. As I approached the boy at the back of the second row from the window I caught sight of a creature on his desk. As far as I was concerned it might have been a mamba on the point of striking. With my hand resting on the doorknob in the farthest corner of the room I suggested, with all the dignity and sang froid I could muster, that he might like to put his pet away, before, more than somewhat shaken, we continued with some French. At the end of the lesson the boy (I can picture him now but can’t remember his name) came up to me to say sorry; he knew that some folk didn’t like snakes, but Mr Handforth did and had handled his slow worm. To this day he stands high on my list of good men! I am over my phobia now, but it was a bad moment. I watch and have handled slow worms in my garden
■ In the third of our series of recollections, ‘The Berts’ take a fond look back at sport at the School in the 1950s In our days there was one main winter sport – Rugby football, although in the mid-fifties there was a breakaway group who tried (unsuccessfully) to play soccer, some boys also played hockey which was not encouraged by the then headmaster W T Marsh. Although not a recognised sport, there were some cold winters when the pitches were frozen and a few boys went skating on the lake which seems to have frozen more often in those days (global warming?). There was one occasion when a group fell through the ice – it was reported in the school magazine as “the great immersion”. In the spring term we also took part in cross-country running. In the summer term there were four sports to choose from: cricket, swimming, tennis and athletics. Basic training for all sports began in the gym, which was originally in the old school hall, supervised by Mr Bloxham. As stated in our article about masters, the new gymnasium was built in the mid-fifties and our new gym master Roy (‘Jock’) Falconer was a tough task master which benefited some, but not all. WINTER SPORTS Rugby football We were told that the reason why
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
rugby was played rather than football, was because you could get more players onto the pitches. 30 players in rugby and only 22 in football – 36% more. This also reduced the number of pitches required for the same number of players by 27%. When we started playing the game, the main pitches were in Belmont Hill off Holywell Hill. This was an obvious site for future development being close to the city centre (which has since happened). All internal sport was inter-house. There were six school houses in those days: Abbey, Breakspeare, Debenham, Pemberton, Shirley and School. School House was for boarders which we had then. They stayed in the school and also on the corner of Belmont Hill at Woollams, which the new sports complex is named after. There are now only four houses and one (Hampson) is named after a former master – Tommy Hampson, who won the Olympic 800 metres for Britain in 1932 setting a new world record. Apparently he used to train round the Belmont field. The ground was unstable being over artesian wells, which meant that the ground undulated throughout the year with rise and fall in the water table. The other three new houses are named after contemporaries of ours – Marsh, Hawking (Steven) and Renfrew (Colin). At about this time, the school negotiated the use of a significant area of land off King Harry Lane. This land belongs to the Earl of Verulam and a 50-year lease was
taken for it. The land slopes towards King Harry Lane and had a lot of flinty gravel near the surface. This was potentially dangerous and I remember teams of boys with buckets removing sharp flints from the surface. A house was built at the entrance for the groundsman to live in and changing rooms built at the top of the hill. This point is quite high above sea level and could be very cold on windy, wintry days. Someone said there was no higher land east of there until the Urals! Another area where a couple of rugby pitches were placed in the winter, was to the left of the Causeway as you walk over the bridge past the Fighting Cocks, with the lake on your right. This land was used to graze cattle in the summer, so the first few matches in the autumn had soft brown hazards on the ground! Not very pleasant. Also, being close to the River Ver we tried to make sure that touch kicks went into the water to be carried downstream, making retrieval difficult and giving us a breather! Rugby was (and is) a potentially
The 1958-9 1st XV. The captain holding the ball is Bert 3
33
OA LETTERS
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
dangerous sport. Bert 3, who was captain of the First XV, suffered a serious neck injury and Bert 2, who played regularly in the Second XV, broke a leg and his nose more than once. Bert 5 was mainly an athlete and could run, but not catch, pass, kick or tackle, so had only one appearance in the Second XV. He broke a tooth. Our school rugby shirts (and blazers) were in bright coloured stripes – very easy to see and sometimes referred to as Jacob’s coat of many colours! We had many matches against local and nearby schools – St George’s, Haileybury, Watford, Queen Elizabeth Barnet and University College School (UCS) – we nicknamed this “United Cow Sheds”! Cross-country The races used to start from the school having changed in the old changing rooms behind the cloisters. We would then run down the hill past the Fighting Cocks which was nice, before climbing the hill on the causeway up to King Harry lane past the Roman wall. Having crossed the road, we ran over the muddy fields past the new playing field almost out to the Hollybush pub, before returning the same way. Quite a seesaw course and the climb back up the hill to school was hard, after running three miles or so. One or two (who shall be nameless) apparently tried to short-circuit the course, but to no avail. Football As said above, a breakaway group
34
tried this without much success. Hockey This was a minority sport not encouraged and thought to be for wimps. In later years it has become recognised, especially when master Robin Scase arrived, who was a county player. SUMMER SPORTS Cricket Even though this was the main summer sport, none of the Berts really participated, so we have few recollections. Again, it was played at Belmont initially until the King Harry playing fields were brought into play in the early 50s. The Belmont location was much more attractive than King Harry, being flanked by a traditional sports pavilion in a bowl surrounded by houses and trees. Swimming We swam from the start of the summer term in an outdoor pool also in the Belmont playing fields mentioned above. If Easter was early, this could be early in April. It may be apocryphal, but it was said by some that they had to dive through the ice on occasions!! One thing that everyone had to do was pass a two lengths test before one was considered proficient. Until you had done this you had to wear a red swimming costume which you could change to blue on passing. Alternatively, to avoid costing parents even more money, you could have a red patch sewn onto your blue
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
costume only to be removed when you had passed the dreaded test. Bert 5 remembers struggling the last few yards encouraged by ‘Bob’ Tanner, then ripping off the red patch with great gusto! The one swimmer who comes to mind was Martin Simmons – he was probably the best during our time at school. Another was Mark Hewlett who was a good allrounder in sports. During his third year in the sixth form waiting to go to Cambridge, because he had some spare time, Bert 3 was given the job of looking after the pool. The summer of 1959 was a good one and he enjoyed the Caifornian-like weather, becoming very tanned. He actually got paid (not much) for doing this! He learnt about the purification plant and handling gas cylinders, without breathing apparatus which would no doubt infringe current Health and Safety regulations! He became good friends with the Belmont groundsman, who he saw daily for a cup of tea. Tennis This was also a bit of a minority sport, although the school had some good players – Mike Hodgkinson, Barry Williams and Mike Lamprell were all county players. Apparently Mike Hodgkinson retired from tennis aged 24 having lost in three sets to Roger Taylor who went on to become a Wimbledon semi-finalist. Mike sadly died a couple of years ago. Mark Hewlett (already mentioned) was another good player. The tennis courts were initially in the orchard, but later moved to King Harry Lane
where they were on side-long ground, so all the balls gradually migrated to the lowest court! Athletics Although there was a grass track round the Belmont field, we do not remember using it. There were long and high jump pits there before everything went up to King Harry Lane with the other sports. The new grass track was right at the top where the ground flattens out, but there was still a slope at right angles, meaning that the 100yds was downhill producing some fast times. During our time there, all the school records were beaten. Perhaps the best-known athlete was Mike Palmer, who held the mile record and was a good hurdler – an unusual combination, but he put it to good use when he competed for Britain in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Rome Olympics in 1960. Sadly, he died some five years ago about the age of 70. Another outstanding junior athlete was John Billington, who was British junior high jump champion clearing 6feet. His school record was 5feet 10inches. Malcolm Craddock was the first pupil to break two minutes for 880yds. Bert 5 held four school records (100yds, 220yds, 440yds and high jump). He shared the high jump with Billington and Barry Blott whose father was Mayor of St Albans in the fifties. His 220yds record (22.2secs) has not been beaten, although it does not seem to appear in the sports day programme now!? Bert 5 was also British Universities 220yds champion and competed for
35
OA LETTERS
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
The 1958 School athletics team. Bert 5 is the captain, third from the right in the front row
36
them in the 1959 World Student Games in Turin. He also ran for Scotland on a number of occasions. In 1962 he won the Scottish 220yds championship beating the now Sir Menzies Campbell (ex Lib-Dem leader) who went on to hold the British 100m record and compete in the Olympics. Athletics was a strong sport in those days. The two prime movers were John Willé and Cambridge Blue Keith Finley, supported by the PE teacher ‘Jock’ Falconer. Mr Marsh was also keen, having obtained an Oxford cross-country Blue. I recall when an ex-pupil (John Knopf) was running in the Oxford v Cambridge match, that Mr Marsh had us all sitting in the hall listening to the 3mile race on the radio which Knopf won. Bert 2 competed for the school in the shot and discus. There was one nasty incident when a boy called Clive Woods walked across the path
of a discus thrower and lost some teeth. Bert 2 can still see this incident in slow motion. Had the discus been marginally higher or lower he could have been killed! About the summer term of 1955 we were all asked to select one summer sport, whereas beforehand we tried them all. This obviously strengthened all the school summer sports teams.
More master memories l ■ Prompted by the Berts’ recollections of masters in the 1950s, their contemporary Mike Heath adds some of his own memories Thanks for sending the Autumn edition of the OA Bulletin. I was most interested to read the Recollections of Masters 1950-59 from the Berts, having been at the School during
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
that period and knowing them all (the masters, not the Berts, although I may have known them too). I was a boarder in School House and had the benefit of Sawyer, Phillips and Roberton as successive Housemasters – and very good they all were too, especially the last. Barry Phillips I remember as good value but deliciously pompous in the style of Captain Mainwaring. The Headmaster’s house, these days still the Headmaster’s Study but now all administrative, adjoined School House and had an interconnecting door through which we were occasionally invited to go for tea or to listen to music with ‘Mummy-oh’ and ‘Daddy-oh’ as the Marsh’s were known. One thing that struck me (apart from Joey Webb’s board rubber!) was the number of masters who had also taught (and remembered) my father and uncle who attended St Albans School in the late 1920s/early 30s. I believe they included Marsh, Coles, Garnier, Heather, Jarry, Read, Schofield, Tanner, Webb and Webster and the nicknames had mostly remained the same. This continuity was maintained among the boys, too. School House boasted Bilton, Bolton and Belton, the fathers of whom had all been at the School with my father. My particular friends were Neil Doherty and David Baylis. Neil, like his elder brother was by a long stroll the School tennis champ. I met him again at an OA London reception and it was fun to catch up (he was by then running his own company in
the City) but have completely lost touch with David. In about 1956, School House closed, being financially impracticable. My plan was to go into the Army via Welbeck and then Sandhurst but I still had to complete the Lower Sixth year before going to Welbeck. So my father arranged for me to board for a year with John and Grace Coles. It was sad that John found it difficult to keep order in the classroom and was unmercifully ragged, but at home he was one of the nicest and most worthwhile people I ever met. The Coles were childless but a delightful couple and I like to think we had a special relationship. It was one of the happiest times I can remember. Grace was a terrific cook and would give recitals for me on her ‘cello (on which she was a brilliant performer) and John would help me with sound advice from time to time. We enjoyed doing The Times crossword together. I was particularly interested in the mention of Mr Tahta. I remember his arrival at the School as a young man fresh from university and the electrifying effect of his teaching. He inspired a love of mathematics for its own sake that had us boarders doing problems in the evenings as a pastime. I always felt sorry that I never had the opportunity to tell him how he had changed my life. But I suppose, having been the man who taught maths to Stephen Hawking, he needs no accolade from me! Blocky Bloxham commanded a lot of respect. I remember several occasions when we were ragging in
37
OA LETTERS
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
38
the classroom when someone keeping cave would yell: “Quick, here comes Blocky”. In an instant, everything was put straight and we were sitting at our desks like mice as he surveyed us with a warning glint in his eye. I remember ‘Laddie’ Finley partly because, to my shame, I invented a new cult called Finleyism based on the worship of Mr Finley (I was early into the satire boom). Much of our time during RE lessons was occupied in developing a new liturgy which we would chant during breaks. Looking back, we were in mortal danger of temporal if not spiritual judgement. By chance, I later met ‘Percy’, in fact Geoffrey, Pryke in Berlin in about 1980. I was serving there at the time and Geoffrey, who was himself an OA, had brought out the CCF at the invitation of the Berlin Provost Marshal. It turned out that Geoffrey Taylor, the Provost Marshal was yet another OA. Geoffrey Pryke was later instrumental in an invitation to me to join the Board of Governors on which I spent a happy ten years. Many of us were OAs including the Chairman of the Board, an exdirector of Ernst & Young, called Bob Sharpe. Under his outstanding leadership, selection by the Board of the present Headmaster early in that period was one of the best decisions in which I have been involved. My strong impression of St Albans School at that time is that we were very fortunate – albeit that we pretty much took it for granted. It was a happy place with high standards and a teaching staff of unrivalled
dedication. How nice to think that so little has changed.
More master memories ll ■ David Gambling (62) adds his reminiscences of his masters at School P Avery. Known as Pete, probably because that was his name. C T Bloxham (Blockhead? from the name). In our First Form he arrived for a class just as the form bully was persecuting a weaker pupil. CTB took immediate retribution in the form of the nearest gym shoe, which quietened the bully for ever. Well, anyway he left at the end of the year. Bummer Brown kept a Mirror dinghy behind the Science block. It was found one day floating on the pool at the bottom of the orchard. I think I know who did it but had better not let on. Mr Burton died at Hemel Hempstead swimming pool, not in the medieval fishpond. He put me in detention (along with others) one day and died the next. I asked whether I needed to do the detention under the circumstances, and wished I hadn't because he hadn’t entered in the detention register and no-one would have known if we hadn’t turned up. The authorities thought the detention should stand, but as they didn’t know how long it was originally set for we got away with half what was sentenced. Despite not being a good teacher he was a kind man. When I auditioned for the choir he tactfully
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
said I could be in the reserves, even though I couldn’t sing for toffee. Laddie Finley was also called Laddie Jaweh because of his constant use of the word. He was also very nearly Herts Advertiser Sportsman of the year. Some scurrilous members of the school decided it would be a good idea to enter him in the election (without his knowledge) and encouraged others to vote, along with their families. When, two weeks before the closing date, he was pronounced to be streets ahead of everyone else, he withdrew. Mr Marsh allegedly got a list of all the voters from the Herts Advertiser and held it against them for the remainder of their school careers. G F Jarry. Called Ben, reason unknown. G E Pryke. Maintained standards by generous use of the gym shoe, usually out of hours and alone in the orderly room. He also organised holiday trips, some to Keswick and some ‘industrial’ trips where we got to see round various factories. Very interesting. Bob Tanner also came along. The advert for his car was reported in the national press – ‘Stinks & Monsewer prank by schoolboys’ or somesuch. I don't know why they changed the nicknames, Percy & Froggie were never Stinks & Monsewer. Mr Tahta. He lived in Fishpool Street and was very avant garde. He shocked the locals by painting his front door purple. A H Warburton. ‘Hot Ass’ = Warm bottom = Warburton. Tenuous, but it stuck.
J O W Webb. Had a nickname for everyone. ‘Trick cyclist’ for the boy who nearly ran him down one day. ‘Sally Lunn’ for me, who he spotted in the Sally Lunn teashop after school one day. ‘Pud 1’ for Tim Rice (Pud 2 was his little, less famous brother). J Wille (‘John’. It was his real name but my parents didn’t believe it because they thought it was rude.) Unmentioned so far: Mr ‘Butch’ Bennett. (Probably because he wasn’t). He taught French and German. He was inspirational, and made the languages fun. I started German in the 4th form and found it so interesting under Butch that I continued after he left despite a dreadful replacement. He finished 4b’s French syllabus well ahead of time, and introduced us to some French songs – ‘Aupres de ma blonde’, among others. We sang in German, too. He was immensely popular with his classes, but they tended to be noisy and he was not one of Marsh’s favourite masters, and he sadly left mid-year “because a really good opportunity had come up”. Yeah, likely story.
More master memories lll ■ Yet more recollections of School masters, but this time from a later generation – Guy Chapman (82) Reading these reminiscences I was reminded of some fond memories –
39
OA LETTERS
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
40
unusually for me as my experience at school was not exactly the best – I was an unmotivated student and thus a poor and unhappy one much of the time. Geoffrey Pryke was feared and satirised in almost equal measure, but when I was an officer cadet at Southampton University he wrote a very touching letter to my CO when asked for a reference. I understand that this was characteristic of the man, who had a fierce loyalty to the School which we boys probably failed to understand or appreciate at all. Charles Bloxham should be canonised for his patience with unruly boys. I think that he never forgot what it was like to be at school, and I found him an immensely sympathetic and warm man. Both he and his wife were kind to me. We boys used to joke that he’d been at the school since it opened, such was his apparent age, but I recall a distinctly boyish sense of fun. And I will never forget his sage advice, delivered in solemn tones over his semi-lunettes in response to some trifling complaint or other: “don’t go expecting life to be fair, ‘cos it ‘ent”. I still feel pangs of sadness over the death of Mr Croker, who was a gifted teacher, able to engage the enthusiasm of the boys in his chemistry class. Hopefully someone out there will be able to write a reminiscence which does justice to ‘Honest Frank’ Carter, whose valedictory address to the school assembly was one of the most unusual to have graced the
New Hall. Is it just me or did he used to offer “handsome cash prizes” as inducements to solve his riddles? But pride of place in my personal collection of memories goes to Bruce McDonald, probably the only master in the School who ever succeeded in getting me to want to work, whose style of teaching was peppered with imitable (and widely imitated) mannerisms such as “hearken!”, “curses!” and “grrrriiiiiind to a halt” at the end of lessons. The intricacies of technical drawing were reduced to the simple operations of “swing”, “squirt” and “chop” – and I can still remember how to do it all, which is more than can be said for any other subject I learned at school. I wonder what he and Steve Titlow would make of my staircase joinery? Anyway, please pass my thanks to the authors for bringing back some unexpected happy memories.
No oil painting ■ A wartime photo from the Herts Advertiser prompts Ken Garrett to send us some assorted memories Our farming operations moved down here in November 2005 and perhaps the logistics of moving 260 cattle and 200 sheep plus machinery, etc can be offered as an excuse for my lamentable lapse in failing to notify you of our move. I love it down here – a farmer friendly environment in comparison with Beds and Herts – although the planners would not allow us to build another house on our 30 acres a there is a large
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Ken Garrett mans the machine gun in 1940
farmhouse where our son and family live and a ‘holiday let’ – hence the above address which is seven minutes from the farm. Some 3½ miles north of here – and only five miles from Tony Beale who farms at North Leech. Sadly Tony was unable to attend the reunion of the School 1st XV at Woollams some three years ago – I was delighted to see this reported in the OA Bulletin. Alas since then we have lost my very dear friend Tom Furlong. Of course, in company with my contemporaries nostalgic chatter occurs when we meet Ralph Smith, Don Kiff, Ken Saunders, Tony and the one and only Geoff Cannon. I am pleased to note that Frank Deamer is still posing problems – a previous example of his masterpieces took place on the OA
rugger tour to Lille some 60 years ago. After the game at Armentiers, among the young French ladies posing as supporters were two friends – one a Miss World look-alike (already booked by Frank Sheppard) and her friend who certainly lacked the S-factor! With Mlle Gorgeous swooning over Frank S, her deprived friend fastened her emotions upon Frank D who sought sanctuary amongst his teammates. Enthusiasm was coupled with a cunning ploy Mlle G was persuaded to negotiate via Frank S and pressured him to discover why Frank D was showing no sign of being won over. Frank D’s immortal reply as to “Why?” – “Elle est no peinture in oils!” He could have softened the rebuff if he had said the temperature was incorrect and that her diagonals failed to
41
OA LETTERS
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
42
match the polygon! It is over a year ago that Don Kiff sent me the May 2006 OA Bulletin – and stung by a remark in the President’s notes (a hint that many OAs suffered from an inherent sluggishness which contributed to lack of material for the Bulletin) I was determined to contribute – I regret that my good intentions were shelved – however, noting that the Bulletin now has a brain teased heading I may be able to send a photo from 1940 (from the Herts Advertiser). I came across this recently hidden in a drawer for many years. The Herts Advertiser published the photograph of a Singer sports car, 1937, with a towed trailer carting four uniformed men – and a machine gun (manned by guess who? – GKG – the only one who could map read and use the weapon of mass destruction! – thanks to the OTC). The vintage Singer vehicle was purchased by a gentleman who sought the identity of the Home Guard driver and passengers. The landlady of the Elephant and Castle at Wheathampstead sent me the cutting as she identified me (her pub was the unofficial HQ of our intelligence platoon). With the owner of the vehicle, John Leiper, the most reckless of drivers, maybe we should have been named the suicide squad. John and I later became RAF aircrew – a less arduous job than the Home Guard, which was shared with night guard of the armoury at St Albans School! This ramble was just meant to be a thank you letter in return for your
letter and the Bulletin – somehow inertia has been overcome but I realise that it should have been send to Mike Highstead – so I will photostat this – correct the spelling mistakes – and offer it to him to use if suitable when he is hard-up for news.
Underground attractions ■ John Hartley comes up with a novel fund-raising idea for the School Museum I have just received my excellent School tea cloth thanks to Robin Ollington, who tells me he conceived the project when thinking up ideas for raising funds for the Gateway Museum. Can I join in, please? When I was at School pre-WWII, the OTC armoury was in the ground floor room on the Abbey side of the Gateway. There was a large trapdoor with a massive bolt on it, which was strictly out of bounds. We were told it led down to the dungeons which had been used when the Gateway was a gaol, and no-one was allowed down there now. It is unthinkable that the Gateway Museum should be sitting on top of mediaeval dungeons of which no-one is made aware. The dungeons of Doge’s Palace in Venice are an advertised tourist attraction; and even in Berrima near where I live in the Southern Highlands of NSW, there are cellars beneath the historic White Horse Inn which were used in
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
the early days of the Colony as dungeons until a nearby river flooded and drowned all the prisoners. This added to the vicarious thrill for tourists who were formerly shown down there! If the dungeons of the Abbey Gateway could be opened an explored (if they are still sealed), they could form a significant additional attraction to the Museum. At the least they could be charted and photographed. In my time in the 1930s it was said that a Junior Master had gone down into the dungeons and had discovered a secret passage leading towards the former Abbot’s House which lay between the Gateway and the Abbey. It is presumed to be a secret escape route for the Abbot in case of troublesome times, until the House was pulled down by Henry VIII along with all the Monastery buildings. Anyway, the Master was said to have gone down the secret passage until he was stopped where the roof had collapsed, and he hurriedly returned and the padlock was replaced, never to be removed, literally upon pain of death! This would seem to be worth more than just curiosity interest to the Museum. I suggest that if historic earth samples could be taken from inside this secret passage they could be bottled and sold in aid of Museum funds (The Isle of Wight has made a fortune selling small phials of coloured sand scraped from its cliffs). It may be asking too much to attribute special qualities of healing
or otherwise to earth taken from this holy ground, but spin-doctoring has reached such a refined art these days that certain inferences could be drawn, stopping short, of course, of delving into the Underworld! Now, here’s a brain-teaser: inside the peak of the Gateway arch there is a hole immediately over the road, which was used during the Peasants Revolt of the 14th Century to pour boiling oil on the demonstrators beneath – making them even more revolting! In my time, nearly six centuries later, we heard of a game devised by a small group of sixth formers in which they bored a hole in the wooden floor of the classroom immediately above the hole. Lookouts were stationed at the windows on either side of the through room, looking down onto the road. A ‘bomb-aimer’ would drop a large wad of chewing gum down the hold, aimed at the vehicle now passing underneath. The concept was valid, worthy of sixth-form ingenuity, but the execution was not a success. For a start, they soon ran out of large enough wads of chewing gum, which in any case left enough mess in the road to arouse prefectorial suspicion Second, the chunks of chalk they substituted aroused the suspicion of drivers on the rare occasions when a ‘hit’ was recorded. But worst of all, there were the interminable disputes and arguments amongst themselves over whether a ‘hit’ had been scored, so they eventually abandoned the whole idea in disarray. In this modern ‘high-
43
OA LETTERS
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
tech’ age, however, it should be possible for any whizz-kid from Junior School upwards to devise an electronic-beam, press button device that would be both legal and accurate, to replace those crude efforts. Furthermore, it could be educational as it could take into account the speed and size of the vehicles concerned, and require some quick thinking calculations. My generation of pre-WWII clearly produced some lively thinkers, though we are now a rapidly dwindling band. Despite the subliminal influences spent in our school years in a gaol, surprisingly, so far as I know, none of us ever went to gaol later on. On the contrary, we still have the best interests of the School at heart and wish all success to the Gateway Museum.
Finding a niche ■ Yann Lovelock traces back his role as interfaith co-ordinator to his early experience in St Albans Among the benefits of our schooling at St Albans during the 1950s was that it taught us all to be ambitious. One of the Head’s favourite pep talks in assembly urged on us that we were “among the top 10%”. Although I hope we took that with a few grains of salt, it did cross my mind that if we really were so already, then maybe we ought to be setting our sights on lowering the percentage still further. Why not aim for the top 1%?
44
In lots of ways, though, I simply didn’t fit the school ethos. Belonging to a fundamentalist Christian sect, my niche was too narrow. Along with a large family from a similar sect, my brother and I would not join the school’s CCF and were banished to work as school librarians while drill went on outside. Now one of the tenets of fundamentalism is that anyone differing from you in belief is destined for the fiery pit. But that's taking the 1% doctrine to a ridiculous extreme. Should one not look at the alternatives on offer first? By the time I left the city, I had attended worship at most of the major Christian denominations. I’d also encountered several Jews, a Muslim and the local Theosophists. Then a fellow librarian got me to read a book on Buddhism. As with many I’ve met since, the experience felt like coming home. Conversion didn’t happen overnight. Adapting to Indian modes of thought takes some time. But towards the end of the 1970s, when the first Buddhist monk to venture outside London arrived in Birmingham to set up a centre, I found myself responsible for its educational outreach. What suited me to this role was being at home in both cultures, the Abrahamic (Christian, Jewish, Muslim) and what is now coming to be called the Dharmic (Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh), and so being able to mediate between them. Much later I became Interfaith Co-ordinator to the Network of Buddhist Organisations. This in turn has led to a fair amount
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
of interface with Government and a number of other public bodies. Last summer the Government launched its interfaith framework, after wide consultation. Obviously the faiths have their part to play in bringing social cohesion to a society divided by 9/11 and its controversial aftermath, but does the new policy really have that much relevance to our daily lives? Potentially, yes, as a look at two or three scenarios illustrates. Four years ago I was at a Religious Education conference where we were told that Norfolk and Suffolk were massively secular. Some children even reported that their grandparents had told them not to use the word ‘God’ because it was a swearword. The very concept of religion had therefore to be taught from scratch. In what has largely been an insular East Anglian society for a couple of centuries, there is bound to be tension with the Portuguese and, more recently, the
Yann (right) with his wife Ann, the Abbess of London Fo Guang Shan, the Ambassador of San Salvador and his wife, at the celebration of Chinese New Year in London, 2008 Poles now starting to settle there. The difference is not simply racial since people from these countries still define themselves by their religion; the appeal cannot even be made, in this case, that the newcomers are fellow Christians. One of the points argued very strongly to Government, by Buddhists in particular, is that simply to concentrate on faith alone, without making provision for bridging the gap between believer and non-believer, will only widen divisions in society. The need for greater understanding between secular and religious is not illustrated solely by the social realities of East Anglia. The fury shown by the likes of Polly Toynbee and Richard Dawkins as their illusion that secularism had won the
45
OA LETTERS
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
46
battle proves premature, only underlines a recent finding that the greatest prejudice complained of by the religious comes from the nonreligious. When such people, of whom an awful lot seem to work for Local Authorities, try to put Government policy into practice you get directives of the ‘political correctness gone mad’ kind of which the archetype was Birmingham's proposal to rename the Christmas season as Winterval. A suggested remedy is attendance at a religious literacy course. Unfortunately, most of the religious lack sufficient experience in working with the nonreligious, especially at Local Authority level, and therefore have no idea of what would be most appropriate in such circumstances. They are in equal need of training in the other's point of view. Another scenario is that of the extreme diversity in such cities as Leicester and Birmingham, both of which reckon that the white population there will be in the minority by the end of the next decade. In some areas, including the one where I live, that has been the case for over a decade already and learning to live with the fact has not been a comfortable experience. Birmingham City Council has worked hard, if not always successfully, to bridge ethnic divisions in the city since the Handsworth Riots of 1985 but greater religious literacy would not come amiss. We have already had one badly managed religious riot over the Behzti affair. The new demographics now make it imperative that the city
councillor with whom I work fairly closely shows his face at the various religious festivities in his ward and an interfaith committee has been formed among his supporters to advise him. Indeed, his party as a whole has felt a similar need and is following suit. The fast pace of social change in this first decade of the 21st century has made it necessary for us all to adapt to the new realities it brings. My final niche has been to help make sure that this happens as harmoniously as possible.
Black books and blazers ■ Gavin Rowe provides a selection of memories from his time at School between 1953 and 1960 The Black Book On starting school, we were given the Black Book – followed by a frenzied rush to get all the teachers' signatures in the front. Just as well we did it when we started, as it would have been the last thing on our minds on the day we left school. Along with many of my contemporaries, I still have the Black Book, a long-time survivor in the bookcase. The School Prayer “We give Thee humble and hearty thanks....”: I can still remember it word for word to this day, more than 50 years on. My biggest hate was when it became my turn to read the
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
School Prayer in either the Abbey or School Hall. You see, I wasn’t a good reader (unlike Mike Newell and many other contemporaries). I recall reading the School Srayer at express train speed – having learnt it off by heart – then being told to read it again by Marsh. So, I must have been one of the few to have suffered that particular torture twice within a few minutes. Where was that “merciful Father” then? The blazer You sure learned how to defend yourself in that multi-coloured striped blazer, to taunts of “Joseph” etc., from other schools. (It reminds me of the song ‘A boy named Sue’). The next day you would have to defend yourself on the state of your jacket to Mr Marsh (usually far worse). Just as well that the lads from the local secondary modern did not also find out that you were in a house called “Shirley”! The motto The school motto was formerly ‘Medioc Ria Firma’. I was always led to believe that this was translated as “the firm middle way”. I hope that I have always managed to achieve being average! Corporal punishment Nothing to do with the CCF! Often the penalty for heinous crimes such as hands in pockets or not wearing the School cap. Usually three strokes of the cane on the backside – mainly by prefects, but witnessed by Deputy Head (Read).
April 1st Some of the ‘pranks’ of yesteryear: Taking a horse up the stairs of School House to the prefects room. Dressing up a skeleton in school uniform, complete with cap, for Doc Coles’ lesson. Either he didn’t notice or just sportingly carried on as normal. For sale: one physics master’s car. Wanted: wife for maths teacher. Wanted: gardening jobs for French teacher. The latter three were featured as a centre spread in the Daily Mail. School dinners Who else can remember school dinners? Who could forget! School dinners were in two sittings in the old hat factory: one termed ‘port’ and the other ‘starboard’ (presumably the brainchild of Commander Marsh). I recall paintings on the walls including one of the schoolmaster printer. I also remember pink and blue tickets that indicated whether or not you were entitled to a free lunch. (Apparently there is no such thing these days!) For those that had to pay it was one shilling old money (or five new pence!) One shilling was twelve old pence and for nine it was possible to get an iced bun from French Row or a bag of sweets from Ma Piggott’s, either of which were infinitely preferable to soft and smelly sprouts followed by rice with an assortment of lumps and black bits. School dinners improved markedly when we eventually managed to get down to the Old
47
OA LETTERS
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Fighting Cocks (when we were big boys – you understand) while it still had the cockpit and before someone gutted it in the name of progress. Houses The houses at St Albans in the early 1950s included: School House (ie the boarders) – the boarders ceased as did the house in the mid 1950s. The other houses were based on the areas where boys lived: eg Shirley – boys from Harpenden and Luton. Other houses were: Abbey Debenham Pemberton Breakspeare Each house had its own distinctive colour tie with house (as well as School) colours being awarded for notable sporting achievements etc. Games The main rugby pitches were at King Harry – a reasonable trek up past the lake, London Gate and Roman Wall. There were also a couple of pitches at Belmont off Holywell Hill. Who can forget the single pitch at Causeway (or cows’ way) next to the river Ver and lake? The cows spent much of the year on the pitch between games and practices, and tackling was only for the brave. There were also a rather cold swimming pool at Belmont and tennis courts, with further courts in the school orchard. Cricket was played at both King Harry and Belmont. Athletics were at King Harry. Both Wednesday and
48
Saturday afternoons were set aside for games. CCF We spent two years in the Army section of the Combined Cadet Force and then had the choice from Army (including Signals), Naval and RAF sections. Friday afternoons were dedicated to CCF under the watchful eye of Percy Pryke, Sam Kilpatrick and Jasper ‘potbelly’ Phillips. The annual camp for the Naval section was at a shore station: HMS Raleigh at Torpoint one year, followed the next by HMS Vernon in Portsmouth. In 1959, we spent time on HMS Ark Royal, HMS Eagle and HMS Hermes, three of the numerous aircraft carriers at that time in Devonport dockyard. We watched them testing the steam catapults and aircraft arrester wires on Ark Royal. We also spent time at 42nd Marine Commando on the assault course, as well as firing the new Belgian FN SLR 300 automatics on the open range and taking part in unarmed combat. Like real sailors we walked down Union Street in Plymouth but were forced to behave ourselves in main due the large number of naval police carrying pick axe handles. In 1960, we had a memorable flight over the Isle of Wight in a De Havilland Dove. Old School Hall Years before the building of the New School Hall, morning assemblies were held in either the Old School Hall or Abbey. (Abbey mornings
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
were Monday and Thursdays.) The only way of getting the School into the Old Hall was to fill both the floor of the hall and the balcony above. These days such overcrowding would not be permissible. The Old Hall also served as a gym until the new one was built in the mid 1950s. Ropes used to hang from the balcony to be climbed as part of PT lessons. Subsequently, the balcony was removed and the library now occupies the floor above the hall (the previous library was in the Abbey Gateway). Every year, those of us who left around 1960 get together as the 948 Society. It was extra special to meet for a dinner in the Old School Hall on the occasion of our 40th anniversary in January 2000. TEACHERS W.T.Marsh Generally feared and respected by pupils and teachers alike. Made the hall vibrate to his footsteps - the only sound as he entered the morning assemblies. Heaven help you if you made a botch of reading the School Prayer. Responsible for early balding of pupils and even some teachers, as gravity overcame hair strength. Where are the likes of him now, for goodness sakes!
indoor range, coining the phrase: “If you can group, you can shoot.” Jock Faulkner Scottish and advocate of topless PE too bad it was then single sex school. Said “no” to the introduction of boxing – “why do you want to knock each other’s brains out?” (too late for some). For injuries recommended “if it hurts exercise it” – found not always to be an ideal remedy in later life. Jim Reddaway Holder of the poison chalice, teaching us Divinity for one lesson a week (1944 Education Act requirement). Finally ‘flipped’ hitting John North over the head with a large bible and shouting “you beastly, beastly boy!”. Dai Davies Lectured us continually but taught us nothing. Main achievement: during ‘lessons’ tossing up a cigarette and catching it in his mouth. Pete Avery Accused a number of us of pickling walnuts when he saw our nicotine stained fingers. There was a walnut tree in the school orchard...? Some time later, Pete gave us a talk on “Growing your own tobacco”...
Dave Thorne and Jim Roberton Taught me Chemistry - leading to an interesting career in chemical industry for over 40 years.
Messrs Holman and Avery Floss Holman played rugby for Richmond and Avery for Bedford.
L G Walker Taught many of us to shoot on the
Messrs Webb, Tahta, Schofield Many thanks to three stalwarts Joey
49
OA LETTERS
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
(not Tom), Dick and Harry who succeeded in teaching me Maths from 1953 to 1960.
A sword dancer remembers
J M K Finley Tedious discussions of Reith lectures etc. Any forced utterance from the back of the class was met with the rebuke: “Gross assumptions and sweeping generalisations, Laddie”.
■ Neville Gibbs (50) looks back at his part in the 1948 Millenary Pageant
Bob Tanner Art teacher from pre-WW2 (also teaching my uncle, David Larg). Always happy when anyone turned up for his lessons with comments like: “You're so kind to me” and on the school report “He attends”. Tried to get us to draw cross-sections of taps for Technical Drawing lessons. Only Willis had the right idea drawing a picture of a nude. Some of the others Percy Pryke (of course), Beery Webster, Happy Heather, Doc Coles, Slab Marshall, Bummer Brown and Jasper Potbelly (Phillips). The great escape Last day at School: After ‘A’ Levels, a number of us had decided to have a drink at each of the St Albans pubs. Have you ever counted the number of pubs in St Albans even today? We reached pub number five or six before deciding that it was a bad idea. Despite this seeming lack of achievement, it is good to have at least one ambition left to fulfil...
50
In 1948, with hundreds of others I took part in the St Albans Millenary Pageant. This was the great event of the year, if not the century, at that time. The history of St Albans from 948 to 1948 had been divided into episodes and handed out to communities in the town to re-enact under the guidance of Arthur Swinson. St Albans School was given Episode 6, which was to represent the visit of Charles II to the school. This took the form of speeches and entertainment in front of His Majesty (L G Walker valiantly riding a white horse!). Enough of this preamble. Now to the nitty gritty! Although the whole school seemingly took part, in his inimitable way, WTM had decreed that the fifth form – or at least the boarders – should not partake in this enticingly splendid amusement as they were (mostly) all diligently supposed to be studying for School Cert (ha! Ha!) and must in no way be disturbed. But, lo suddenly there was to be an exception to the ruling from on high. Part of the entertainment was to consist of an eight-man sword dance. What a good idea if this could be undertaken by eight stalwart members of school house (boarders) who could be diligently controlled by the powers that be and marched to
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Seven of the eight sword dancers (left to right): Woodcock, Watson, Windsor, Hogbin, Clarke, Fomison and Gibbs (Plunkett was taking the photo) and fro each evening and rehearsed under watchful eyes in the Headmaster’s garden. And so it came to pass. A good lady, with appropriate instrument, was imported from somewhere to coach us in the difficult rudiments of the dance. For some weeks we leapt about like young Morris men trying not to poke each other’s eyes out. Dancing was not the first thing that came to mind for any of us. The most exciting and difficult thing was that, at the end, we went into a huddle and hopefully, after a breathtaking minute the swords were held up, by one brave soul, all joined together. We then tripped off to loud applause. WTM’s little scheme worked and we dutifully went to and fro (matinee on Saturday) every evening. We were not allowed to stay for the magnificent finale except on the last night, as we had to be tucked up in bed (homework done) by 10pm. The greatest excitement was that the Queen Mother was to attend the final performance. Of course, it
decided to rain on that fateful evening and we were terrified that we would slip over in front of Her Majesty and that our great swords on high finale would be a disaster. Well, we did slip and slide but our great finish was triumphantly successful. I shall never forget the whole (seemingly) of St Albans parading on at the end singing the Agincourt song, rain or no rain. There was a great postscript. We were told by WTM that if we boarders stood outside the school at the top of Fishpool Street at 10pm (generous concession) the Queen would come past on her way home. This she did, coming slowly up Fishpool Street in that stately sit up and beg car, with the internal lights on, sitting well to the front with a special wave to we awestruck boys. WTM, of course, attended the Reception for Her Majesty and when he took house prayers that night the first thing he said was: “I haven’t been knighted”. He did have a sense of humour (sometimes!).
51
OA SPORT
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
52
Cricket
Season with Dill ■ Cricket Club Secretary David Hughes looks forward to a more successful season under returning captain Graham Dill – and a dry summer for a change! 2008 was a difficult season for the Old Albanian Cricket Club. The summer was the second one in a row to be blighted by rain (and I seem to remember that the one before those two was not a stunner either). Cricket is, of course, famous for being played at the mercy of the weather. How many times in the 1980s and 1990s did the BBC ply us with replays of ‘Headingley, 1981’ while the rain interrupted yet another test match? So much so, that I sometimes struggle to remember the live matches that were actually played in between 20 years of rain breaks. The televisual memories of Botham and Dilley unleashing batting havoc, however, are indelibly alive. Aah, nostalgia... whatever happened to it? In fact, the spirit of ‘Dilley’ promises to be very much alive at OACC this season. Graham Dill, to be precise, is back to captain the OACC 1st XI. For those with keen memories of St Albans School and Old Albanian cricket circa. 1985-2001, Graham needs no introduction. Such is his cricketing pedigree that the temptation will inevitably be to expect too much from a very talented but relatively youthful 1st XI in only the first year of Graham’s guidance. So what can we hope for from the
2009 season? Top of the wish list is a long, dry summer as rain affected matches directly affect Club finances as well as player enthusiasm and turnout. Hopefully also, an improved showing from the 1st XI, after another uncomfortable flirtation with relegation last year. Perhaps, a promotion challenge from one of the four Saturday league sides. Cricket, as a sport, is changing. The Twenty20 format is attracting a new audience. In particular, the Indian Premier League has packaged up the best cricketers with exciting, all-action matches. The Twenty20 format celebrates big-hitters with stage presence: Flintoff, Pieterson, Dhoni, Sehwag, Gayle and Duminy. Great test players they may finish, but their fame and riches will far transcend the sum of their performances in the longest form of the game. Test cricket has always been an acquired taste. Even when it was widely available on the BBC, five-day matches that could meander slowly towards a draw were cherished only by the slightly nerdy. But Twenty20 cricket offers something different. Perhaps it could compete for more of the attention of today’s multi-media orientated youth. But it surely needs to be on terrestrial TV? David Hughes OACC Club Secretary
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Angling
Game on ■OA Angling Society Secretary Geoff Cannon reports on an excellent coarse fishing season, and looks forward to the game fishing season in the summer The winter coarse fishing season has now finished and we are looking forward to the game fishing season for salmon and trout in the summer. Although fishing was hampered by extreme rainfall which flooded the rivers, and cold weather which restricted fishing, the club members have enjoyed an excellent season and landed a 4lb perch, 7lb tench, 5lb chub and 15lb pike and, of course, many smaller fish. The Fishwives’ Supper was again held in November and was well attended.
The club held their usual February outing this year, not going to the continent but to English Yorkshire. No fishing took place but members visited a local brewery and travelled on a steam train across the North Yorkshire Moors to Whitby, a communal social occasion. Adrian Blackwell went to Cuba this year fishing for bonefish - the fastest swimming fish on the planet. He met with success catching 20 and landing one weighing 5.5lbs. Geoff Cannon fished Barton Broad in Norfolk and caught three pike (15lbs, 12lbs and 6lbs) in one visit. The club has maintained its membership strength but any interested sportsmen will be welcome to join us in our activities. Geoff Cannon Honorary Secretary, OA Angling Club
Adrian Blackwell with one of the bonefish caught in Cuba
53
OA SPORT
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
Warr and piece ■ Club Captain Andrew Wilkie thanks Martin Warr for stepping in for the indisposed Owen Simmons, and looks back on a successful winter’s shooting No sooner does the winter season end than we start all over again with the summer events. But before I launch into summer, here is the highlight from the winter season. Just kidding, we had more than one in 2008/09. The Herts Winter Rifle League resulted in a second place in Division 3 for the team of four stalwarts. Many thanks to Martin Warr who
54
stepped in to shoot targets for rounds eight, nine and ten while Owen was off being bypassed! Against all the odds, we actually won round nine! Moray McMillin completed the B Team Inter County Reserve League targets for Owen and a solid job he did of it too. He may just find he has a set of targets of his own next winter. Other Club members selected for the Inter County Reserve Leagues were Andy Moore who also shot for the B Team and Andrew Wilkie who shot for the C Team. Andrew’s ‘Possible’ may mean a promotion Snapshot: A photo of the team taken after the 2008 match at Bisley against the Alleynians on the 600 firing point
OA BULLETIN JUNE 2009
next season. Winter Special Competitions results were mixed. In the Winter Handicap, Andy Moore made it to 5th, Priscilla Simmons was 16th, and Moray and Martin made 19th and 23rd respectively. Priscilla also came third in the Rifle Championship. Andrew Wilkie came 6th in the Veterans Competition. The Own Start Competition saw Priscilla in 3rd place and Martin Warr in 12th. The Silver Jubilee provided Priscilla with a long awaited win where she scored 297 out of 300, one target being a ‘possible’, 100/100. Finally she has some silver polishing to do! As Club Captain I get to make the entries for the coming season’s competitions and I don’t mind saying it was quite weird to put in entries without including the name ‘OL Simmons’. Interestingly, the medics have apparently told Owen that he’ll feel fifteen years younger when he gets going again. Will he get back to
his averages from the mid nineties? Watch this space. Unfortunately, with reduced numbers we had to forego entering a team in our opening summer season match against the Old Lawrentians at Bisley. Individually, Andy Moore took advantage of getting in an early practice shoot and surprised himself with a score of 48.5. The Q Match Saturday 18 April wasn’t quite such an impressive result with the team managing 6th out of eight. Andrew Wilkie opened the season with a 49.5 at 600yards; so it looks like battle has been joined for the 2009 full bore club competition. Our team average for the summer season means that we have ended up as team one in Division 4 which puts us in with a chance of winning the division but that’s only if we can get all ten rounds shot before the end of the summer term. Pressure’s on! Happy shooting. Andrew Wilkie Club Captain
Hon Secretary O L Simmons 2, Honeymead, Welwyn AL6 0EG 01438 840674 Hon Treasurer A Q S Moore 69, Long Fallow, St Albans AL2 3ED 01727 830344 Captain A W B Wilkie 5, Batchwood Drive, St Albans AL3 5RZ 01727 856857
55