Pembroke Gazette 2024

Entrance to the Mill Lane site, with pavement stones dedicated to Ray Dolby (1957), Dagmar Dolby, and the Master, Chris Smith (1969)

EDITOR’S NOTE

This year’s Gazette promises to be a bumper edition, made so not just by the report of first class exam results and prizes for 2023 that was held off from last year (due to strike action making it impossible for these things to be determined by the time last year’s Gazette went to press), but also by the completely splendid and generous response to an email sent out to Members in January 2024 by Sally March asking for contributions to the ‘Memories of Pembroke’ section of the Gazette that has and will run in the 97th, 98th, 99th and 100th editions of this Gazette. The response was so overwhelming that some of the longer entries have had to be held over for the 99th and 100th editions – but all will be published, and there is still plenty of room for further entries if Members are inspired by what they read in this Gazette (and the last) to contribute their own memories of Pembroke. In particular, the 99th edition of this Gazette will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the admission of women to the College as students. It would be great to mark that anniversary with a substantial number of memories (both good and bad) of the College from female Members, and especially from those pioneering students who were among the first to enter the College from 1985 onwards.

As always, I have to acknowledge the huge debt of gratitude that I owe Moira Hassett for her assistance in producing the Gazette, both in keeping track of the thousands of bits of information contained in each edition and in proofreading substantial portions of the Gazette. Sally March is also owed particular thanks for contributing the images that make up the Frontispiece to this year’s Gazette, and for performing heroics (with Omer Elchanan) in putting together a report on this year’s doings in the Boat Club. Another – and sadder – reason why this year’s Gazette promises to be especially long is that the obituaries section is almost twice as long as last year’s. This is due not so much (Members will be relieved to hear) to an increase in mortality among Pembroke Members but the efforts of other Pembroke Members or their families to ensure that their friends and loved ones are remembered in the Gazette. We are hugely grateful to everyone who has contributed to the Gazette in this way, thereby helping to ensure the memories of those we have lost are not lost with them but are preserved forever – and grateful also that our efforts to maintain a properly substantial obituaries section have not gone unnoticed by Members and the families of Members.

Others whose contributions to the Gazette should be marked with thanks are: the Master (not least for keeping both Alex Macqueen and myself calm and entertained as we awaited the moment we would be asked to speak at this year’s London Dinner – our speeches can be found in this edition); Becky Coombs, Dee Kunze, and Debbie Brown; Fumie Suga for contributing most of the images that make up the dividers for this Gazette; David Franks, Alligan Bundock and everyone in the Development Office; Alice Whitehead for her pioneering work on the legacies of enslavement insofar as they affect Pembroke and Cambridge University more widely (and those responsible for commissioning that work); Mark Wormald and Randall Johnson for reasons that will become immediately

obvious to those reading this Gazette; Alex Macqueen, Simon Shouler, and all the students who took the time and trouble to contribute to the Clubs and Societies section of the Gazette.

N.J.M.

FROM THE MASTER

It’s been (so far) a rather grey and cloudy summer here in Cambridge; and May Week in particular didn’t quite have the glowing golden sunny feel that it frequently manages to lay on for us all. But nonetheless Pembroke was able to mark the end of Easter term in style. 42% of our finalist students got Firsts; and though we don’t yet know how this compares with the rest of the University, it’s a real tribute to the students’ hard work and the quality of teaching and pastoral support we’ve been able to give them. The Choir has headed off to Zambia for a summer tour, having given us a truly wonderful cluster of musical events and performances as term drew to a close. Our rowers faced fierce competition on the river, but performed creditably. One of our students captained the University ice hockey team to victory for the sixth year running against Oxford, and then went on to win the national championships for good measure. One of our other students captained the University Women’s rugby team to victory in the Varsity match, and has now handed over to another Pembroke student for the year ahead. Another student won the Orwell Prize for student political journalism. Our Director of Studies in Chemistry, Dr Stephanie Smith, won a student-led award for the quality of her teaching for the second time. Stephanie is a truly wonderful teacher. And we’ve now welcomed large numbers of international students for the Pembroke Summer Programme; they are already loving being here. The College is in good heart.

Alongside all of this activity, we are now nearing the end of building work on the Mill Lane site. Last year I was able to report on the formal opening of the first half of the development, by Dagmar Dolby. Now this summer we are about to complete the whole development. The second half, including primarily Dolby Court (with ninety new student rooms), will be complete in early September, and the hope is that students will be able to move in, in September and the start of October. Soon the whole site will be buzzing with life and activity, and it will become an iconic new part of Pembroke.

The completion is a little bit later than we had originally predicted (last year I said ‘early summer’!). This has been largely due to the planning requirement to preserve the frontage of the old Miller’s Yard section on Mill Lane, and the need to tie in our new accommodation with the old frontage. This has thrown up some unforeseen construction challenges, but our contractors, Cocksedge, have been working at pace to overcome them.

Some eight years ago, before we embarked on the appointment of our architects for the development (Haworth Tompkins, who have been terrific), a small group of Fellows went round all the new developments of student accommodation across all the Cambridge Colleges, in order to see what worked and what didn’t. There were some rooms we walked into and they felt small and claustrophobic. There were others we walked into and immediately we felt at home. The tipping point between the two appeared to be 18 square metres. So all the new student rooms we’re building on Mill Lane will be at least 18 square metres! We are inordinately proud of what we’ve been able to achieve on the Mill Lane site. It is already being looked at with admiration – and a desire to copy – by other Colleges.

As you’ll read elsewhere in the Gazette, we engaged a post-doc researcher for a year, this year – Dr Alice Whitehead – to undertake intensive research in our College archives to enable us to understand the full picture of any College engagement with the transatlantic slave trade. We decided to do this entirely out of a wish to know in greater detail the facts of the history of our College, in a spirit of genuine historical inquiry. What Alice has unearthed is fascinating; and I particularly liked her exploration of the lives and backgrounds of many of our Pembroke students in days gone by. I had often wondered about the stories that lay behind the carvings on the pews in the Chapel. Her article makes for a good and interesting read.

One of our aims in engaging Alice was to be able to demonstrate how a good archival research project can and should be undertaken. We were keen to be able to show our students how expert investigation can best be made, how you approach the analysis of old records, and how you find ways of telling the human stories behind the dusty volumes of material. Put simply, we wanted to show how researchers go about their work. Alice’s programme of research has been exemplary in all of this.

You may also have noticed that this coming year will be my last as Master. The nine years since I started have flown by, and I suspect the coming year will as well. The Fellows undertook a long and careful process to elect a new Master, to take over in October next year. Candidates were invited to come into College for a day, meeting different groups of Fellows and students through the course of the day. They were then subsequently invited to do a presentation, with vigorous questioning afterwards. And our 77 Fellows then voted in an eliminating ballot for the successful candidate. (It is, I have to observe, very similar to the process that I went through a decade ago. It was the most intensive job interview process I’ve ever undertaken.)

I’m completely thrilled that our Fellows have decided to elect Professor Polly Blakesley to be Pembroke’s next Master. Not only will Polly be our first woman Master in 677 years, taking over appropriately just as the fortieth anniversary year of the admission of women students to Pembroke draws to a close. But I know that she will continue to foster the spirit of inclusivity, welcome, openness and community that is so important for Pembroke to thrive. Much has been made in the press – with a new government nationally now elected – of the analogy of the Prime Minister carrying a precious Ming vase across a highly polished floor. I will pass on this particular, incredibly precious Ming vase to Polly with a confident and hopeful heart.

C.R.S.

A. WRITINGS AND TALKS

The Pembroke Auditorium Tower in scaffolding for the installation of an internal climbing wall (image by Fumie Suga)

Memories of Colin

Mark Wormald

The following address was delivered by Mark Wormald at a memorial service for Colin Wilcockson, held in the Pembroke College Chapel on Saturday 16 September 2023. In January, during a wonderful hour we spent together at Newton Road, Colin was almost miraculously, at his twinkling, generous, curious best, palpably at peace. In the months since, I’ve kept being surprised by a man who’s been central to my thirty years here. His funeral in March celebrated his marriage to Pam, his faith and his family – do ask Michael or Nigel or David about bedtime stories featuring the priceless Fairy Jimmy. For me, he was a wholly admirable colleague and friend. For many of us he was a gentle, constantly supportive, often hilarious and always transparently humane presence in and around Pembroke. He was also, is also, a fine creative writer, if never as sure of his poems and short stories – ‘Is it really OK?’, he’d ask, genuinely wanting reassurance – as distinguished editors and four different sets of Seatonian Prize judges were. Now – just because he was a colleague, and Fellows rarely if ever observe another Fellow supervising – there are wonders I simply missed, in the creative chaos up the spiral staircase. I envy you Guillaume de Machaux, the heart- and soul-opening door into the medieval world. I wish Colin had taught me Shakespeare. For the record, I don’t envy you having to answer that artfully searching first essay question on the Palinode in Troilus and Criseyde. Was it inartistically tacked on? When he lobbed that title at me over lunch in my first week, I felt as much as a fraud as I had at interview – and four current Fellows, two of them Honorary Fellows, as well as the Master, were interviewed by Colin, so he had good judgment – when he asked me whether by any chance I’d come across David Jones. While an anonymous tip off the week before, from Roy Park, once of Pembroke, then at Univ, saved me, I’m sure Colin recognised thin ice when he heard it, so was kind or modest enough never to ask me again In Parenthesis or the Anathemata. But how I wish I’d had that supervision. Instead, we tended to chat. For some years, evenings in Christopher Smart, when the Pembroke English community shared poems over cheese and wine, showed me what literature always meant to Colin – that a great poem could and should move you, intensifying and expanding the way you feel and think: hearing him read ‘The Song of Songs’ was unforgettable. But most of our meetings turned out to be as we crossed on our way into and out of lunch in the Senior Parlour, or, better, encounters in the Fellows car park –better because the Bowling Green wasn’t calling him. And those were the moments, or half hours, next to one or other of his BMWs, tow bar ready for long caravanning trips in France or Switzerland, when a confidence and sometimes a lack of confidence was shared. Colin could be deeply hurt, particularly when a difference of opinion on the merits of an undergraduate admissions candidate –an area in which he had done such crucial work for Pembroke over many years, especially after the admission of women, but also in Northern Ireland, where he’d begun his teaching career, by using all his experience in and with schools to encourage and diversify applications – seemed to him to veer unfairly into

another personal agenda. On this he was Mr Valiant for Truth. As you all know, he was completely committed to his students, as individuals, for the duration. He kept in touch, the Martlet’s gossip column’s natural editor. He’d be thrilled to see so many teachers, academics, and sundry creative types here today, expressing your own knowledge and passion for culture as Colin shared his with you.

But I’ve also learned, from messages from around the world these last days and weeks, confirmed the international esteem in which he was held as a scholar. From the mid-1980s Colin acted as external examiner at the University of Ghana; Ato Quayson tells me, from Stanford, that a man he knew as ‘Uncle Colin’ still has a devoted following among Ghanaians, that it was ‘one of the places he felt most happy’, and ‘was shown much love there’; he was met on the airport tarmac at Lagos with a handshake that saw him into the terminal. In 2007, the University of Cologne granted Colin an award for the teaching he offered for a Faculty Seminar each May in the early years of that remarkably productive retirement. ‘We really loved him’, Professor Walter Pape tells; Colin I know loved it too, including the nightly dinners out during die Spargelzeit, or asparagus season, expressing surprised delight at the menu every single time. Such contacts of Colin’s have changed lives. Back in the Fellows’ car park in 2006, Colin, fresh from a visit to Atlanta and a Ted Hughes conference there, asked me whether I’d be interested in hosting one here in Pembroke.

The first article Colin published as a Pembroke Fellow, in 1976, was on David Jones’s correspondence. I’ve only just read it. ‘He had a gift of making his friend feel more gifted than he is.’ ‘His loathing for dogmatism and pretence made him self-effacing and tentative, even on the wide range of topics on which he was expert.’ ‘His conversation meandered through many areas of discovery and rediscovery’, he took ‘a delight in precision’, had a ‘mind that reverberated to the history implicit in etymology’, and revealed ‘the intensity of his sense of Welsh belonging’. ‘He was not only a man of genius, but also a man of outstanding gentleness, warmth and humour.’ Part of Colin’s genius was for geniality. As a Fellow once observed: ‘Every high table needs a Colin.’ Every bowling Green. Every Fellow’s car park. Every College Every student. The Wilcockson family, and his Pembroke family too. I feel blessed to have known him.

‘On the Green’ – A Villanelle in Honour of Colin Wilcockson Randall Johnson

Between 2015 and 2018, the Seatonian Prize (awarded by the University for the best poem on a sacred subject) was exchanged between two Pembroke Fellows – Randall Johnson (who won the Prize in 2015 and 2017) and Colin Wilcockson (who won the Prize in 2016 and 2018). The Editor of this Gazette remembers Colin being tickled pink by the Editor’s suggestion that he and Randall had established themselves as the Borg and McEnroe of the Seatonian Prize, and spent some time speculating who was Borg and who was McEnroe. Randall has now done us, and Colin, the honour of writing a poem in memory of his departed friend. Randall writes: ‘It is a poem in the form of a villanelle, a form I chose because that is the form Colin chose to write his final Seatonian prize-winning poem. It is an unusual form, and not one I had ever tried to write in before, but I remember Colin telling me that he used it because one of his sons suggested he try it; and that he was quite happy with the result. Colin truly loved poetry, and the glint in his eye as he explained the intricacies of the form is something I can still picture.

‘I tried to use the poem to recall things I knew about Colin, recalling some of his poetry, his long and illustrious history as a teacher and Fellow, and of course, his time on the bowling green.’

I can see Colin guide a bowl

Through his still winking eye, and heads incline

Finding the rise that will fit the roll.

As he described Chaucer’s pilgrims’ toll

He chortled and found the line, by line: I can see Colin guide a bowl.

He made Smart’s cat and Bath’s wife as droll

As they were, explaining just how they’d recline

Finding the rise that will fit the roll.

And devise he would, measuring the dove’s lost soul

Or the patient understanding of a Norse king’s design

I can see Colin guide a bowl.

A medieval tune was a prompt towards the goal

Once wobbly students flew then straight down the line

Finding the rise that will fit the roll.

The best teach joyous, and then unveil the soul, He burnished the brilliance, and adored the shine:

I can see Colin guide a bowl

Finding the rise that will fit the roll.

Speeches at the 2023 London Dinner

Alex Macqueen and Nick McBride

The 96th London Dinner was held at the Drapers’ Hall on 16 November 2023. The Toast to the College was proposed by Alex Macqueen, the President of the Pembroke College Cambridge Society. The Response was given by Nick McBride, Fellow of the College and Editor of the Pembroke Gazette. The following speeches were given:

Toast by Alex Macqueen

(A video of Alex’s speech can be viewed on https://vimeo.com/888025524)

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to start by thanking the Master and Mr Matthew Mellor for inviting me to the dinner this evening and for making me President of the Pembroke College Cambridge Society – it is a genuine, huge honour. Thank you very much. And it also happens to be the case that I am an actor and there may be some of you who recognise me as one of the fathers from The Inbetweeners, Neil’s dad, the ‘Bumder’. Or potentially, the Right Honourable the Lord Nicholson of Aarnage CBE, to give him his full title from The Thick of It. But as it happens, I didn’t start off as an actor. I actually started out as a barrister and that’s very much where Pembroke fits in. Because one of the first people I met when I first started out at Pembroke back in 1996 was a brilliant Emeritus Fellow, who taught an entire generation of extremely eminent lawyers and very senior judges, including one of the Lord Chief Justices, Lord Peter Taylor. And his name should be very familiar to quite a few of you in the room tonight –Mr James Campbell. And he is particularly relevant this evening for two reasons. Firstly, because Nick McBride, who is replying to the Toast tonight, is the James Campbell Fellow in Law. Secondly, because in my first term at Pembroke, he hosted a sherry and mince pie party in his rooms for aspiring new lawyers, and I was one of them. Now, although James Campbell kickstarted my interest in Law and my desire to be a barrister, it was a pathway that lasted only a very short time. Because having practised as a barrister for just one year at the Middle Temple in London, I knew my heart wasn’t in it and I had an unflinching desire to work as an actor. But – and this is why he is so relevant – he did teach me an incredibly important lesson. It was this: In law, never make reply to a case you don’t know exists yet. Basically, don’t say a word about your case until your opponent has put all their cards on the table. It was advice that has stayed with me to this day and it is the only reason I am standing in front of you tonight. And here’s why.

So my first proper job in acting was an advert for Utterly Butterly. It was a short, 30 second improvised comedy set in an office canteen, but it was cast by the casting director of The Thick of It. And she invited me to meet Armando Ianucci, the director. And because I was comfortable with improvisation he offered me a part – Julius Nicholson, the blue skies thinker from Downing Street. Now – most TV is planned meticulously with huge precision; but not The Thick of It. The process on The Thick of It is very, very free. It’s loose, it’s unplanned and it thrives on spontaneity. There is a script but it changes all the

time. So about a month before filming we do a full read through. After that, we rehearse each scene without the lines – we are told what our purpose is, we know what the scene is generally about, but we improvise our own version. The writers then harvest some of those lines and put them into a new script. On the day of filming, we shoot that new script – but again we are always adding new lines as we see fit. And when we’ve finished, we do a completely loose version, which we make up entirely as we go along. It’s spontaneous and unpredictable – in fact, the director, Armando Iannuci, will often brief actors against each other. So he’ll say to one of us – when you go into the room and just before you get started on that bit about cricket, chuck this coffee over Peter Capaldi. The camera team will know and they will be ready to catch his reaction, but he won’t – so it keeps it looking very realistic and very natural. So with The Thick of It, the script is just a guide: you can make it up on the day, you don’t need to learn anything in the true sense of the word.

Then I get a call from my agent: ‘Alex Dharling, exciting news! You’ve just got a part in a Hollywood movie. It’s all very hush hush – you mustn’t talk about it in public – but it’s Disney, it’s got £150m in the budget, and it’s directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh.’ Now with big Hollywood films, they are very sensitive about scripts getting leaked – so every page is watermarked with your name across it and when they email it to you, it comes with a program that wipes it from your hard drive after 24 hours. So security is very tight. So – the script arrived and I opened it and it was Disney’s live action Cinderella starring Lily James and Richard Madden. And the part they had offered me was the royal crier. Now the royal crier organises the ball. It’s a small part, but a crucial part – it keeps the plot going. So on the day of filming, 5.30 in the morning, my car arrives – there’s a man at the front door in a suit, peaked cap, umbrella to keep the rain off, walks me over to this huge silver Mercedes Benz, beautiful cream interior, coffee sitting in the armrest, and off we glide to Pinewood. And when I arrived, I got to my trailer and there was the call sheet and the script. I looked to see – who’s in today?

Sir Derek Jacobi: in. Helena Bonham Carter: in. Cate Blanchett: in. All the stars are in. I look at the visitors to the set. Disney executives have flown in from Los Angeles, including the Vice President of Disney Worldwide. I look at the extras. 400 extras have been picked up at Charing Cross Station at 4 am, and bussed in on ten coaches. Each one has to spend four hours in costume and makeup to get the ballgown right and every hairpiece right: because the costume designer has Oscars, it has to be done well. There are six Venetian candle-lit chandeliers, built at Venice at a cost of £100,000 each, flown over especially for this scene. Today is big! So I look at the script. I have read it, but a while ago – three months ago – and I haven’t looked at it since. But I’m off The Thick of It: I’m loose, I see what happens, I make it up on the day, it’ll be fine. So – I look at the script and luckily no-one’s got lines, except one person: and that person has got ALL the lines, and that person is ME. So I need to learn them and quick. But there’s a problem. These aren’t any old lines. These are the names of every guest presented at the ball. And they’re exotic and eccentric: His Most Serene Highness the Grand AlliPhalli of Pooh Bar and His Wife the High Princess of Chesil-Baster-Lain in the Kingdom of Schleswig; the Lord High Commander of the Most Holy Order of the

So that vital lesson from James Campbell and Pembroke is frankly the only reason I’m acting today and certainly the only reason I am standing in front of you tonight. So I have no hesitation in proposing the Toast to Pembroke, which I do with total gratitude. To the College!

Response by Nick McBride

In my capacity as the James Campbell Fellow in Law and the Editor of the Pembroke Gazette, it falls to me to give what I promise will be a very brief response to what I think we can all agree has been an absolutely terrific speech from Alex Macqueen.

Alex’s speech has personally left me feeling a lot like Fred Kaps. If you’ve never heard of Fred Kaps, there’s a reason for that. He was a Dutch magician who had the task of going on after The Beatles when they first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. 500 teenagers exhausted from screaming at The Beatles’ singing ‘She Loves You’; 73 million people watching on TV; and all Fred could offer was a pack of playing cards. Well, I’m not going to try any magic tricks tonight, but I did want to tell you a short story about Pembroke that I think teaches some big lessons.

My story comes from a few weeks ago, when Pembroke hosted a talk and dinner for law academics and judges. This is a big event that happens twice a year in Cambridge with the colleges taking it in turn to host the proceedings – and this time it was Pembroke’s turn. As the Law Fellow in charge of the event, I spent weeks anxiously fretting about how things would go – but I needn’t have worried. Everyone attending who already knew Pembroke was delighted to be back, and everyone who didn’t was in raptures about how beautiful Pembroke’s buildings and gardens are, how great the food prepared by Pembroke’s fantastic staff was, how the Old Library provided the most wonderful setting for dinner, and generally how marvellous Pembroke was – and all this without seeing any of the amazing things we are creating over the road on the Mill Lane site.

It’s often the case that with people or institutions that we think we know well, we only really see them with total clarity when we look at them through a stranger’s eyes. The reaction of Pembroke’s guests that night underscored for me just what a special, enchanted place Pembroke is – and that set me thinking. What is it about Pembroke that means it keeps going from strength to strength, becoming more and more exceptional at a time when if we look around, so many of our other institutions seem to be faltering, failing and falling?

For example, and if I can be personal for a second, perhaps the only institution that can rival Pembroke in my affections is my football team, Manchester United. But compare their fortunes over the last ten years. In that time, Pembroke’s achievements surpass that of any other college you might care to name. It has weathered the locust years brought on by the response to Covid-19, and is preparing to almost double in physical size over the next two years. Over the same ten years, Manchester United has become a joke, a byword for incompetence and failure. Why is this? – What has Pembroke got that United doesn’t have, and that a hundred other declining institutions I could mention don’t have?

In a previous life, our Master wrote a book on the decline of the West that attributed that decline to a variety of causes, such as a failure to respect science, or value individualism, or adhere to liberal values. My diagnosis is much simpler and one that I think The Beatles would have endorsed. The secret of Pembroke’s success, and the reason for the failure we see elsewhere, comes down to one thing: love. Philip Larkin famously wrote ‘What will survive of us is love’ and I agree: nothing of us will survive without love.

Fortunately for Pembroke, the fuel that powers Pembroke, the magic ingredient that accounts for its strength and vitality is its love:

•love for its students, and all the ways that they can grow and develop while they are under Pembroke’s wing;

•love of the knowledge and understanding that is maintained and advanced in Pembroke’s supervisions and its Fellows’ many publications;

•love of the kindness and generosity embodied by Pembroke, that makes us determined to ensure that Pembroke’s spirit and way of life will go on to benefit future generations in the same way that it has us.

These are the loves that animated those who represented the best of Pembroke –people like James Campbell, David Husain, David Buckingham and Colin Wilcockson – and made them also some of the finest people I have ever had the privilege to meet. And so long as these loves lie at the heart of everything Pembroke does and stands for, we will not fail, we cannot fail. As they say in my favourite TV series set in a school – sadly not The Inbetweeners – ‘Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose’.

And so exactly one week before our American cousins celebrate Thanksgiving, I’d like to conclude by making my own thanksgiving, starting of course with heartfelt thanks for the release and safe return of Vicky Bowman and her husband a year ago tomorrow; it’s very good to see her with us tonight. Thank you to Alex for such a magnificent speech, and thank you also to the catering and waiting staff who have looked after us so well tonight.

But on behalf of all of us here tonight who love Pembroke, I’d also like to express our gratitude for the fact that Chris Smith has been our Master for the last eight years. There will be further and better tributes paid to Chris before his race is run as Master a year and a half from now, but I would like to use this moment, this platform and this microphone to say that he has been an absolutely wonderful Master, who has done so much to ensure that Pembroke is imbued with the sort of ethos that I have been celebrating tonight.

I don’t think I am breaking any College confidences when I say that the phrase Chris uses most often in College meetings is ‘And that’s unanimous’ and when the time comes, Chris will be bequeathing to his successor a Fellowship that is completely united around the ideals and ambitions for Pembroke that he has done so much to help Pembroke realise. He will be an extremely tough act to follow, just as Alex has been for me tonight.

I said I would be quick, so I won’t go on any longer. I’ll finish simply by thanking all of you – a record number for a London Dinner – for coming here

Transatlantic Slavery and the British Empire at Pembroke College, c.1600–1900

Alice Whitehead, Legacies of

Enslavement Research Affiliate

Note: the following article contains quotations that include historical terminology regarding race and enslavement.

Over the last few years, it has become commonplace for educational institutions to fund research projects on their historical relationship with transatlantic slavery and colonialism. Spurred in part by the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, these conversations about Britain’s past have become increasingly fragmented, polarized and, in some cases, weaponised. Amongst some groups, there are concerns that these new projects set out to denigrate historical heroes and muchcherished national stories. From other corners, there is scepticism that such research has become a simple ‘tick-box’ exercise, churning out unpublished reports that end up gathering dust on an office shelf without leading to any tangible change in policy. In reality, these complex academic studies are often misunderstood and misrepresented, as the rigorous and time-consuming nature of this research often recedes into the background, muscled out by conversations about ‘wokery’ and other polemical bogeymen.

If you’ve engaged with any of the dialogue around ‘Legacies of Enslavement’ research, you’d be forgiven for thinking that every institution has a box hidden away in its basement, labelled ‘SLAVERY –HANDLE WITH CARE’. There is, perhaps, an erroneous assumption that these histories are sat around, waiting to be brought into the light, either at the behest or consternation of the institution in question. The newspaper headlines are certainly arresting, but the public rarely gets to see the painstaking process that underpins this kind of work. Working with archival materials that obscure or omit the existence of enslaved people means that researching an institution’s entanglement with slavery can sometimes feel like doing a jigsaw that is missing most of its pieces. Each time you assemble and re-assemble the pieces, the picture changes. You notice things you hadn’t seen before, whether that’s people, places or investments, and this often conjures up more questions than answers.

I joined Pembroke in September 2023, having previously worked on a number of ‘Legacies’ projects for the National Trust, Bank of England, University of Cambridge Museums and several other colleges. Having worked in a variety of institutional contexts, I am occasionally asked about ‘the process’ of my work, as though there is a reliable route-map that guides us through these histories. I have come to learn that there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ Legacies project. Each location is entirely unique, both in terms of its history and the materials available for study. The collegiate system means that the University of Cambridge is, effectively, comprised of 31 individual universities. Consequently, although the colleges often share certain characteristics, their historical trajectories were all very different. Despite these complexities, the University’s ‘Legacies’ projects often utilise a similar methodology that divides connections into ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ links. A ‘direct’ link is usually interpreted as a tangible, often financial,

relationship with the British Empire. It includes the ownership of enslaved people and plantations, investments in the transatlantic slave trade, involvement in colonial government, and emigration to the colonies. Indeed, most ‘Legacies’ projects focus on this aspect of an institution’s history, using a ‘follow the money’ approach to investigate the origins of specific bequests and physical objects. The most obvious examples that spring to mind are Tobias Rustat’s memorial at Jesus College, or the Demerara Bell at St Catharine’s, a gift that originally came from a sugar plantation in Guiana.

This is an important place to start, but we must also factor in the ‘indirect’ links too. A more slippery category, ‘indirect’ connections can include people who made their wealth from industries or companies adjacent to the slave-trade, namely investors in companies such as the British East India Company and the South Sea Company, or people connected to industries like cotton manufacture, for example, which relied on imports from slave plantations. Particularly relevant to universities, we can also include scholars who were involved in intellectual activities that supported or challenged slavery. I’m thinking here of alumni who pursued careers in politics, like William Pitt the Younger, or those who provided legal counsel to mercantile organisations, like Pembroke’s former master, William Moses. Of course, there was also a strong abolitionist current at Cambridge, spearheaded by Peter Peckard (Magdalene). Many Fellows, students and graduates campaigned for the abolition of the slave trade, organising meetings, publishing tracts and delivering sermons on the subject. On the other side of the coin, Cambridge also produced a number of thinkers interested in ‘civilization’, eugenics and Social Darwinism. These scholars privileged an Anglocentric worldview that justified exploitation, violence and displacement, and undermine the idea that Cambridge was a liberal, progressive haven.

Although the ‘direct/indirect’ view appears to be a handy model to begin with, the binary does not translate easily into a college setting. This is largely because it prioritises financial relationships, thus making it harder to assert the importance of other political, cultural and intellectual legacies of slavery. More importantly, a focus on the financial can lead to a process of quantification that often reinforces the very power relationships that historians are trying to study. By reducing slavery connections down to pounds, shillings and pence, we run the risk of further entrenching a system of power that has historically reduced enslaved and colonised peoples to anonymized numbers. It is important to acknowledge that Oxbridge colleges- Pembroke included- derived parts of their income from transatlantic slavery, and that this income physically and socially shaped university life. These profits were squeezed from the exploitation of men, women and children, and we need to think carefully about how we, as a college, should address this painful history. However, a ‘follow the money’ approach doesn’t capture the complexities of Pembroke’s relationship with the wider British Empire. As is the case today, the College was a composite body of people from a (surprisingly) broad range of backgrounds. Their differing life experiences rubbed up against one another creating friction and dynamism. Consequently, the College’s historical relationship with slavery and empire was multifaceted and often contradictory.

Pembroke is fortunate to have a relatively complete set of accounts, registers and admissions records, and I have spent the last academic year buried deep in the archive. However, this is far from a solo endeavour, and this project has been greatly enriched by the support of the college archivist and librarians, as well as by conversations with Fellows and students. In this article, I will set out a brushstrokes history of the College’s relationship with slavery and the Empire between 1600 and 1900. Those well-acquainted with the colleges history may have been expecting to read here about Roger Williams (mat. 1625), the Puritan who founded Providence Plantations in Rhode Island, or former Master Matthew Wren, whose family had investments in the Royal African Company. However, this project has uncovered over 250 Valencians with tangible links to slavery or colonialism, and I will take the opportunity here to share some of these lesserknown histories.

When it comes to finances, Pembroke did not have a plantation-owner or slave-trader amongst its benefactors. Perhaps the closest the college came to such a figure was, in fact, a woman. Sarah Lonsdale was a wealthy widow who bequeathed Barham Hall to Pembroke upon her death in 1807. Without children of her own, she gifted her property to the college, allegedly out of admiration for William Pitt the Younger, in order to support an academic world that she, as a woman, was forbidden from entering. Many books from Barham’s library are still at the college today, along with items of silverware. We know very little of Lonsdale’s life, except for some bare facts. Her father, William Disbrow, was a gentleman from London, and when he died in 1729, he instructed his only son, John, to sell his property and invest the proceeds in the South Sea Company (SSC). This stock was used to support William’s other surviving child, fifteenyear-old Sarah, and his widow. However, John died less than a year later, and Sarah inherited both her father and brother’s property, which included £1,200 worth of SSC stocks.

The SSC was a joint-stock company established in 1711 to reduce the national debt by converting that debt into shares. It was also involved in trade with Spain’s colonies in South America, and, in 1713, the Spanish government granted the Company a monopoly on the slave trade with those colonies. The Company subsequently trafficked thousands of men, women and children from Africa to South America, until its monopoly ended in 1750. On the surface, the Barham connection seems to be clear-cut, but in reality, it is difficult to discern the precise nature of Lonsdale’s investments. This is because the SSC offered both ‘annuities’, funded by its debt-management activities, and ‘stocks’, derived from its trade. In the Barham papers, however, these two terms were used interchangeably, highlighting just one example of the difficulties involved in studying SSC investments.

What cannot be doubted is that Lonsdale benefitted from her investments in a Company that traded in enslaved people. Fundamentally, they gave her a substantial dowry that enabled her to marry well and acquire a range of other economic resources. Her first husband, Robert Millecent, died in 1740 and left his family estate, Barham Hall, to Sarah. Her second husband, Christopher Lonsdale, was formerly a Fellow of Peterhouse, and was perhaps responsible for

her introduction into Cambridge society. Today, Lonsdale is commemorated the chapel, in a stained-glass window that was installed in 1906. She is one of the few non-royal, non-saintly women to be depicted in the chapel of an ‘old’ Cambridge college. In many ways, the Barham bequest is an uncomfortable interruption to the conventional narratives surrounding slavery connections. Lonsdale was not a plantation owner, she did not personally own enslaved people, and, to the best of our knowledge, she never left England. Her money was tied up in an organisation that engaged in a variety of economic activities, and the decision to invest had been made on her behalf by male relatives. We cannot know whether Sarah Lonsdale was ever aware of the origins of her wealth, but her story encapsulates the ways in which money from the slave trade moved within families, taking on new forms and new meanings. Many of the college’s benefactions from this period were the product of intergenerational wealth, and in many respects, Lonsdale’s bequest was no different. However, in recognising her relationship with the SSC, we have an opportunity to better understand not only Pembroke’s history, but also the nuanced ways in which eighteenth-century women quietly profited from slavery.

Lonsdale’s benefaction was not the only slavery connection to have emerged from the College’s accounts. The other bequests given to the college typically involved farmland in Britain, and these estates were carefully managed by the Master, Bursar, Treasurer and wider Fellowship. Of course, a wet summer or harsh winter could have a severe impact on farm yields, and this eroded the College’s revenue stream. Consequently, the Fellowship sought new ways to consolidate and augment Pembroke’s finances, and stockholding offered one lucrative alternative to farmland. We can see this clearly in the early eighteenth century, when the Fellows began to invest portions of scholarships and exhibitions in overseas commerce. The first instance occurred in 1709, when they sunk £300 of Bishop Lany’s bequest (worth £350 in total) into the East India Company (EIC). Similar to the SSC, the EIC was also intermittently involved in the slave trade from the 1680s onwards. The bonds purchased by the Fellows generated an annual interest worth around £5, a steady income for the time, but the experiment only lasted for around three years. After that point, the Fellows withdrew the Lany fund from the EIC and placed it into a lottery fund instead. However, the idea of stockholding was not entirely abandoned, and from the 1720s onwards, the Fellows routinely invested funds and exhibitions into SSC annuities. As mentioned above, these annuities related to the Company’s domestic activities, and were distinct from their slave-trading capacity. Nevertheless, it tells an interesting story of economic diversification at a point when few other colleges were dabbling in stockholding. For Pembroke, this quickly became established practice, and, over the course of the eighteenth century, the Fellows invested nine of the college’s scholarships, exhibitions and funds in SSC annuities, which they retained until the Company’s dissolution in 1854.

‘property’. These individuals were identified as George, Guy, Harry, Charles, Sue, Nelly, Quashetoba, York, ‘black Betty’, Dolly, Dirk, Addam, James, Sully, Jupiter, Myngo, Jacob and ‘Jack the Overseer’. Though we know little else about their lives, the act of naming these people undermines the conventional anonymity that accompanied enslavement, which was simply one way in which the broader system tried to strip enslaved people of their humanity.

No further Caribbean students were admitted to Pembroke until 1776. Indeed, the vast majority of the college’s Caribbean intake, 24 individuals in total, were admitted between the 1770s and 1830s, with peaks during the 1790s and 1810s. This period encompassed the peak of the Caribbean slave trade and Caribbean wealth, the rise of the abolition movement and the eventual dismantling of slavery across the British Empire in 1834. It is particularly interesting to note that this increase in admissions occurred during the Mastership of Dr Joseph Turner, who had donated money to the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1787. Although Turner apparently supported the abolitionist cause, he also admitted a growing number of students from slave-owning families and granted scholarships to at least three of them. The majority of these students were pensioners, but three (Robert Home Gordon, Charles James Sholto Douglas and Joseph Leacock) were Fellow-Commoners, a status reserved for the most affluent students. Their matriculations reveal more about the state of the college’s treasury than any contradictions in Turner’s morals. Pembroke’s finances were hit hard by the wars against France during the 1790s and 1800s, which saw big hikes in taxes and food prices, and the college clearly could not afford to lose the fees of wealthy slave-owning students.

One might assume that these young men were the sons of plantation owners, but this was not the case. Although these students came from slaveowning families, only 5 of the 24 were the sons of large-scale plantation owners, the kind typically associated with the Caribbean. The most prominent was Robert Home Gordon (mat. 1784), who inherited his father’s six Jamaican plantations during childhood. Gordon spent his life in England, and by the time of his death in 1826, he owned 796 enslaved men, women and children. Others included Andrew and Vaughan Hamilton (both mat. 1798), two brothers who came from a plantation-owning family in Nevis. However, this group was a small minority, as most of the Caribbean-born Valencians came from the ‘professional’ ranks, and were the sons of lawyers, physicians, clergymen and merchants. Their families all owned enslaved people, who mostly worked as domestic servants or were hired out to neighbouring plantations, but plantation agriculture was not the sole source of their wealth. Gibbes Walker Jordan (mat. 1774) and Joseph Leacock (mat. 1806), for example, were both the sons of surgeons in Barbados. Interestingly, Jordan matriculated at Peterhouse but migrated to Pembroke in 1777, when he was offered a scholarship here. The fathers of George Nelson Taylor and Thomas Gill (both mat. 1810) were Barbadian merchants, whilst Samuel Hinds (mat. 1779) and William Lake Pinder (mat. 1801) were sons of senior judges on the island.

Image 3. A streamlined version of the Pinder/Jordan family tree, with Pembroke students and their matriculation years in bold

The majority of these Caribbean students, 19 of the 24, returned to their home island after their graduations and quickly joined the professional ranks: 11 took Holy Orders, 6 became lawyers and 2 worked as agents for the colonial government in Barbados. The fact that so many pursued careers in law and the church is significant. Of course, these were very common career paths for any Cambridge student, but in the Caribbean context, these young men took the skills, knowledge and connections they had acquired at Pembroke and used them to shape the ways in which the colonies were governed. Gibbes Walker Jordan (mat. 1776), for example, became a colonial agent in 1802 and spent the next twenty years travelling between Bridgetown and London, where he represented the interest of Caribbean planters. In 1816, he published a polemical text entitled An examination on the principles of the Slave Registry Bill. The bill required slave owners to fill out a return listing all of the enslaved people they owned with notes on the numbers of births and deaths amongst their enslaved people, a measure introduced after the abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807, when it became illegal to traffic people into British colonies. Jordan’s book was a rebuttal to this measure, and he fabricated a lengthy critique of the abolition movement, framing it as an infringement on ‘colonial rights’ posed by do-gooders with no first-hand experience of life in the Caribbean. In a bid to scare his readers, Jordan warned against total emancipation, and conjured up what he felt was a hellish image of the future: ‘the black population would proceed through massacres and destruction to establish another Africa in the American islands’. Jordan’s efforts elicited a rebuttal from the famous abolitionist William Wilberforce, but Jordan’s interest in slavery was not merely intellectual. He was a key stakeholder in the system, and at the time of his death in 1823, he owned at least 595 enslaved men, women and children across three plantations.

In a similar vein, George Nelson Taylor (mat. 1810) became a prominent politician in Barbados during the 1830s and helped to implement the emancipation law of 1834. Taylor lived in a relatively small townhouse in Barbados and was not personally engaged in plantation economics, but he keenly upheld the status of former slave-owners. Shortly after becoming a member of the Barbados Assembly in 1834, the year that Britain’s emancipation law came into effect, Taylor introduced legislation that restructured the island’s police force. His new bill tightened up policing around Bridgetown, with new provisions for the ‘dispersing of all Mobs’, squatters and vagrants. Although never explicitly stated in the law itself, these provisions were clearly directed at Bridgetown’s newly

William Pinder m Ann

Francis Ford Pinder Amy North Pinder m. Gibbes Walker Jordan (mat. 1776) William Lake Pinder (mat. 1801)

William Maynard Pinder (mat. 1811) Gibbes Walker Jordan (mat. 1819)

emancipated black community, as white elites feared the breakdown of order following the abolition of slavery. Within weeks of Taylor’s bill becoming law, local newspapers reported complaints about the abuse of police power.

From these examples, it becomes clear that some Valencians used their skills as orators and writers to maintain and justify the exploitation of unfree labour. Of course, the system of transatlantic slavery was a contested one, and other Valencians used these same skills for opposing ends. Many readers may be familiar with the work of Cambridge alumni William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson, who campaigned against Britain’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade during the 1780s and 1790s. Many will no doubt be aware that Pembroke’s most famous alumnus, William Pitt the Younger, also supported their campaign. Yet Pembroke also produced another important abolitionist figure that has received little recognition for his activism. William Mason joined Pembroke as a Fellow in 1747 and is best known today for his poetry, and for his friendship with Thomas Gray. Yet Mason was also involved in the early abolition movement. When he left the College in 1754, he became a rector in Aston, South Yorkshire, and from the 1760s onwards, he held a number of roles at York Minster. It was during his time in York that he became acquainted with a young black man named Benjamin Moor. Moor was born in Charlestown in 1755, the son of an emancipated slave. Interestingly, it’s likely that Moor was educated at the school founded by another Pembroke alumnus, Richard Ludlam, whose career is discussed below. Just how and why Moor ended up in Yorkshire is unknown, but he was baptized by Mason in York Minster on 11 May 1777. It was after this point that Mason became interested in the abolition movement – was he moved by Moor’s horror stories about slavery in South Carolina?

Mason subsequently became a prominent figure in the York Association, a group of political agitators interested in abolition and other radical causes. During one of these meetings, he befriended a young Wilberforce (both men came from Hull) and, following Wilberforce’s religious conversion in 1786, the two men worked together to coordinate pro-abolition meetings across Yorkshire. In 1787, Mason became one of the first subscribers to the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade and pledged £21 to the cause, one of the largest recorded donations made by an individual member. The following year, he delivered an impassioned and defiant sermon at York Minster, in which he publicly denounced the slave trade and, by implication, slavery itself. He invited his congregation to join him in the fight: ‘as they would not themselves wish to be NEGRO SLAVES, so they ought to wish, and as far as possible endeavour to free every Negro from the bonds of slavery’. He continued to preach on the subject during the 1790s, but died in 1797, ten years before the slave trade was finally abolished. It seems that Mason’s role in the abolition movement has largely been forgotten because he expressed his views through the spoken, rather than the printed, word. However, as one of the early agitators, he helped to disseminate the abolitionist message outside of London, and his support helped Wilberforce to establish himself a leader of the cause.

Although I initially set out to investigate Pembroke’s historical ties with slavery, it quickly became apparent that the archives contained a number of other

important connections to the British Empire. In many respects, the distinction between ‘slavery’ and ‘empire’ is an artificial one, because enslavement and the transatlantic slave trade went hand-in-hand with the process of colonisation in the Caribbean, North America and beyond. In the same way that Pembroke’s undergraduate population reflected the changing fortunes of Britain’s Caribbean colonies, the college also attracted students with connections to the wider British Empire. As early as the 1650s, the college admitted students educated in Massachusetts, the sons of Puritans who had emigrated to North America during the ‘Great Migration’ between the 1620s and 1640s, when waves of religious dissenters fled England. A key figure in this early transatlantic network was Elijah Corlet, a graduate of Oxford University who, in 1638, obtained his MA at Pembroke. For several years, Corlet was the schoolmaster at Framlingham, one of Pembroke’s livings, but in 1641 he emigrated to Massachusetts, probably to evade the conflict that was brewing between Crown and Parliament. He settled in the town of Cambridge, named in tribute to the University, and quickly became master of the local grammar school, which he ran until his death in 1687. Under his management, it became a feeder school for the newly established Harvard University.

Among Corlet’s high-achieving students were Joel Iacoomes (c.1644–1665) and Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck (c.1644–1666), two young men from the Wampanoag tribe who were ‘ripe in learning’. They became the first indigenous students to enrol at Harvard but both died tragically before completing their degrees. The education of indigenous children was one part of a broader strategy to convert large numbers of indigenous communities to Christianity. These attempts at conversion included the creation of ‘Praying Towns’, a form of Christian settlement that separated indigenous families and forced them to adopt European customs. Although Corlet’s attempts to educate Wampanoag students were celebrated by his contemporaries, who lauded his behaviour as generous and altruistic, historians now recognise that schools like the Cambridge Grammar School were part of a harsh religious regime that tried to extinguish indigenous ways of life and, in the process, bolster colonists’ claims as the ‘rightful’ rulers of the land.

Corlet’s long career as a schoolmaster also shaped Pembroke too, as several students came to the college from Massachusetts during his lifetime. In 1654, Pembroke admitted two individuals from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Walter Hooke matriculated as a sizar, and John Stone was elected to a Fellowship, having obtained his BA from Harvard. Three years later, they were joined by John Haynes, who was incorporated from Harvard in 1657, and eventually became a Fellow in 1661. The fact that Hooke, Stone and Haynes had all been raised in Corlet’s Cambridge would suggest that they had been educated by Corlet himself, who ran the town’s only grammar school. Did Corlet recommend his alma mater to his young students, and did he persuade Pembroke’s Fellows to accept them?

Corlet was just one of numerous Pembroke graduates who left England to pursue careers in the colonies and overseas trading posts. Many of you will be familiar with Roger Williams (mat. 1627), who established Providence Plantations in Rhode Island during the 1630s. I expect that fewer have heard of

Undeterred, Rosier joined another expedition to Virginia three years later. This expedition was funded in part by Thomas Arundell, one of the few Catholics at the Royal Court, who hoped to establish a colony that would serve as a safe haven for English Catholics. During the 1605 voyage, the crew ascertained a suitable site for a settlement but, when they arrived back in London, Arundell had vanished, leaving Rosier to plug the gap in the project’s funds. He consequently published a short book entitled A true relation of the most prosperous voyage made in this present year 1605, in the hope of attracting new sponsors. The book included detailed descriptions of the native flora and fauna of Virginia, presenting the region as rich and bountiful. The fact that this land had been inhabited for thousands of years was no problem for Rosier, who littered his narrative with accounts of Native American tribes, invariably depicting them as ‘Savages’ who needed the guidance of ‘civilized’ Europeans. In one disturbing incident, Rosier and several colleagues kidnapped five Native American men from their campfire, in retaliation for a suspected slight against the English crew. The five men were Tahanedo (a ‘commander’), Amoret, Skicowaros and Maneddo (‘gentlemen’), and Sassacomit (their servant). Despite their ‘best resistance’, these men were forcibly transported to London, where Rosier attempted to learn their language and teach them English. It is unclear what happened to these men after their arrival in England, and it is not known whether they ever made it back to their homeland. Rosier, one of the few people who could communicate with them, died several years later. Though less famous than Williams, Rosier’s legacy was felt in the establishment of Jamestown in 1607, the first permanent English settlement in North America. His kidnap of the five indigenous men, however, was a haunting precursor to the violence and displacement that would become a hallmark of English colonialism.

Around the same time that these North American connections developed, a number of Valencians also travelled to the ‘East Indies’, a term that denoted the Indian Ocean, its islands and coastlines. Most Cambridge colleges were geared towards the education of clergymen for the Church of England. However, when livings in England became scarce, many graduates hunted out employment overseas. As trade with India and Southeast Asia increased during the seventeenth century, so too did the demand for chaplains to serve on East India Company (EIC) ships and at overseas trading posts. Thomas Fuller (mat. 1609) was a chaplain for the EIC at Suvali, in Gujarat, India, between 1628 and 1632. There is no evidence that Fuller held a living in England prior to his departure, suggesting that he took the job due to a lack of opportunities at home. William Isaacson (mat. 1632) was the vicar of Swaffham Bulbeck until he was forced out of his parish in 1643, during the Civil War. The following year, he became an EIC chaplain, one of only two assigned to mainland India.

He worked first at Surat before he was transferred to Fort St George, the Company’s primary trading post, located in modern-day Chennai. His correspondence with the Company’s Board of Directors suggests that Isaacson was unhappy with his new position, having clashed with local EIC officials over his use of the Book of Common Prayer, which was prohibited under Cromwell’s puritan government. Isaacson’s Anglican tendencies perhaps explain why,

despite his displeasure, he did not leave India until 1661, following the restoration of Charles II. Upon his return to England, he swiftly reoccupied his old living at Swaffham Bulbeck. Interestingly, Walter Hooke, from Massachusetts, also worked at Fort St George, in 1668. He had a reputation as a ‘godly, prudent, and sober minister’, but soon after his arrival in India, he disobeyed the EIC’s orders when, in contrast to Isaacson, he refused to use the Book of Common Prayer mandated by Charles II’s government. Hooke quarrelled with his congregation and the Company later dismissed him via letter in December 1669. Hooke died at Masulipatam before he received the news and, in the words of church historian Frank Penny, he was ‘the first Chaplain to leave his bones’ in India. He was soon replaced by another Pembroke alumnus, Edward Newcomb (mat. 1660), who also died in India in around 1670.

These early ministers primarily worked with English colonists and merchants, but that began to change in the early eighteenth century, following the creation of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) in 1701. The SPG dispatched missionaries to English colonies and trading posts in order to minister the white settler populations, but also to spread the gospel to indigenous communities and enslaved people. One of the missionaries employed by the Society was Richard Ludlam (mat. 1709), the son of a brewer from Leicester, who came to Pembroke as a sizar. He took Holy Orders in 1714 and held a curacy in his native Leicestershire before joining the SPG. In 1723, he was sent to Goose Creek in South Carolina, a wealthy parish on the outskirts of Charlestown. At the time of Ludlam’s arrival, South Carolina had more in common with the Caribbean than its neighbouring colonies further north. Like Barbados or Jamaica, its economy was geared around the production of crops for export to Europe, chiefly rice, sugar and indigo. This model of plantation agriculture depended on enslaved labour, and thousands of African people were shipped to Charlestown every year. Ludlam’s work revolved around ministering the wealthy white elites, but he also became interested in educating the enslaved servants who worked in their households. However, his letters to England reveal that his motivations were not purely spiritual. In the 1720s and 30s, Charlestown’s elites were gripped with fear over the prospect of an enslaved rebellion. As Ludlam explained to a friend in England, by converting and educating enslaved workers, the colonists made Native Americans and enslaved Africans ‘a check upon each other lest by their vastly superior numbers we should be crushed’. In a region where free white people were a privileged minority, conversion was a key instrument in the colonisers’ toolkit, a way of making and remaking alliances and divisions. Ludlam’s career was short-lived, and he died in 1728. In his will, he left £2000 to the SPG for the construction of ‘a schoole for the instruction of poor children’, white and black, in Goose Creek. The school remained in operation until the early twentieth century, and a plaque in Ludlam’s old chapel, St James’, still celebrates his bequest. Although the College produced several missionaries in the eighteenth century, the number increased dramatically in the nineteenth century, when missionary zeal swept through Cambridge during the 1870s and 1880s, due in part to growing evangelicalism amongst the undergraduate students. This evangelical

resurgence was an important component of what historians have called ‘muscular Christianity’, a movement that valued sacrifice, self-discipline and physical labour as being integral to the preservation of Christian values, the British Empire and Britain’s influence on the world stage. In this worldview, the Empire was a tool through which the Church could spread the gospels and Britain’s brand of ‘civilization’, and by the late-nineteenth century, militarism and missionary work were two sides of the same coin. Of course, British missionaries could not simply impose their worldview on other nations, as local people on the ground decided to encourage, oust or tolerate these European interlopers. Missionaries often lived precariously on the fringes of empire, and their vulnerability highlights the agency and power of indigenous communities. Evangelicalism was especially potent in Pembroke during the 1880s, partly due to the influence of Edward Bickersteth (mat. 1869). Bickersteth’s family were ardent supporters of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) which, like the SPG, trained missionaries for overseas service. Having been elected to a Pembroke Fellowship in 1875, Bickersteth approached the SPG in 1877 with a proposal to set up the Cambridge University Mission to Delhi, in India, and he left England soon afterwards with a band of students and like-minded Fellows. The mission was responsible for building hospitals and schools as well as converting local Hindus and Muslims, and it ran until the 1960s. Although Bickersteth was never resident in college after this point, he remained in close contact with the Master, Charles Searle, and often returned to the college to give talks to the undergraduates.

A number of Valencians followed in Bickersteth’s footsteps. Edmund Alexander Fitch (mat. 1878), for example, was chaplain to the first Bishop of East Equatorial Africa, James Hannington. When Hannington was killed in Uganda in 1885, Fitch moved to Mombasa and Rabai, where he worked alongside his unmarried sister, Caroline, who was one of the first female missionaries in East Africa. Caroline ran a girls’ school in Freretown while her brother provided church services in Swahili. However, the missionary movement at Pembroke really accelerated in the later 1880s, following the arrival of four undergraduate students in 1884: Herbert James Molony, Arthur Klein, Herbert George Brand and Robert Digby Bishop. Nicknamed ‘the four apostles’ by their peers, this group canvassed incoming freshmen and arranged a series of evangelical meetings at Alexandra Hall, near Pety Cury. Two of them later became influential missionaries. Molony spent twenty years as a CMS missionary in India, before taking a bishopric at Chekiang, in China, whilst Brand became a lay missionary in Japan and later in Korea. Their influence was felt throughout their cohort and beyond, leading to a distinct group of CMS missionaries known as ‘the Pembroke Men’. They included George Lawrence Pilkington (mat. 1884), who almost abandoned his degree for missionary work but, at the behest of his parents, begrudgingly completed his BA He became a CMS missionary in Uganda and translated numerous Christian texts into Ugandan (image 5). In the early 1890s, he gifted a copy of his Ugandan Bible to the College library, during one of his last trips to Britain. In December 1897, he was killed during a conflict between the Waganda and the Nubia, aged 34. Other notable figures included Herbert Clayton who worked at Koki in Uganda in the late 1890s (image 6), and Edward Arthur

Of Belvoir, Angels and Pembroke

Simon Shouler

Simon Shouler (1972) is Chaplain at Long Clawson and to the High Sherriff of Leicestershire. He was formerly Chaplain to His Grace, the Duke of Rutland. He writes here about one of his predecessors in that role, Benjamin Camfield (1638–1693), who also attended Pembroke College.

There have been chaplains working from Belvoir Castle since William came aconquering with his hereditary standard-bearers one of whom was Robert de Tosny, to whom he gave Belvoir to dissuade him going back to Normandy and causing trouble. The charters going back to 1100 in the Castle muniment room are witnessed by many named chaplains such as Radulfus and Galfridus, some of whom are also recorded as going out to serve the many new village churches round about. Under the fear of retribution from the Lord of Belvoir or the Lord of Heaven, or both, many such churches were presented to and appropriated by Belvoir Priory, which stood at the castle gate, an often-ill-run institution founded by Robert in his old age to save his soul, It was not until the reforms c. 1230 of Hugh of Wells, Bishop of Lincoln, that the villages each gained a resident vicar instead of insecurely relying upon such chaplain as the Priory might deign to send out to minister. Alas, those reforms are now rapidly being reversed.

With the dissolution of the monasteries, the aristocracy felt the need to appoint their own domestic chaplains. Such was their enthusiasm that the process had to be regulated. By the Clergy Act 1529 (21 Hen VIII cap 13), a duke is allowed six chaplains, likewise a bishop (but double for an archbishop), an earl five, and the Chief Justice merely one. Each chaplain was also permitted, provided he was a Master of Arts, to buy a licence to hold two livings in absentia, cynically so as not to be a financial burden on their patrons, yet recognising that chaplains need churches to meet for worship, for this is where one half of their cloak (the Capella of St Martin) remains, while the other half is with the persons they serve.

The Earls of Rutland have generally had one chaplain at a time. Benjamin Camfield, a Londoner, entered Pembroke College as a pensioner in 1654, aged 16, gaining his MA in 1661. Ordained by Pembroke’s Bishop of Ely, Matthew Wren, he became the eighth Earl of Rutland’s chaplain in 1663 when the Earl also presented him to the Rectory of Whitwell on a newly inherited manor near Bolsover. Ten years later he resigned, and his patron presented him to the Rectory of Aylestone, then a small village near Leicester. Four years earlier he had secured the sinecure of the Prebend’s stall of Beckingham at Southwell Minster. Finally he added in plurality in 1690 the post of Vicar of St Mary’s, Nottingham. Whitwell was worth £20 a year, Aylestone £31, the Beckingham Prebend £16, and St Mary’s £10 according to Ecton.

Camfield died in 1693, and lies under the chancel at Aylestone, thereby showing a real connection with his parish. Martha his wife survived him a few years and was buried at St Mary’s. His small copper memorial at Aylestone reads:

Protection than your Lordships, so there is none to whom he could more chearfully apply for shelter: But in this his design, I am sure, is honest and dis-interested, being only to testifie his bounden Gratitude to your Honours, (under whose Patronage and good encouragement this Treatise was conceived and finished, and he hath lived for fifteen years) and then to satisfie an innocent Ambition of publickly subscribing himself:

Your Lordship’s ever-obliged Chaplain, and most humble Servant, B. Camfield.

History has a habit of repeating itself. I matriculated at Pembroke in 1972 and became a pensioner in 2020. I was ordained by Pembroke’s Bishop of Leicester, Richard Rutt, in 1986, indeed my donning perchance of my Pembroke tie on the day of my interview seemed to ease my path (Bp: “What’s that tie you’re wearing… ”; the rest is history). No livings came my way, and I settled in an old house at Long Clawson ten miles from Belvoir 25 years ago. In 2021 the Duke of Rutland proclaimed me as his chaplain, using the form and manner set out in Ecton’s Thesaurus, whereunder I am ‘freely to have, enjoy, and maintain all and singular the Privileges, Benefits, Liberties, Preheminences (sic) and Immunities whatsoever, given and granted to the said Chaplains of the Barons and Peers of this renowned Kingdom of Great Britain…’. I did not discover the extent of many of these, though to wander round the castle at will, and to celebrate the holy mysteries alongside Robert de Tosny’s tombstone, facing the finest Murillo in the realm, was certainly a privilege, one that has now been replaced by a year as chaplain to my High Sheriff.

Reflecting on the role of chaplains in Belvoir Priory’s early history, I seem long to have exercised a similar role to the church in Long Clawson, relying only on the authority of Bishop Rutt, who, with a conspiratorial air, gave me his General Licence to wander round the diocese, as rare now in the Church of England as hen’s teeth, but effectively freehold with no retirement provision. Shortly afterwards, he retired and left the Church of England, but was delighted to hear some twenty years later that I was still pottering around to the consternation of some of his successors. Research in the Duke’s manuscripts has also revealed that my house was likely first built as the house of Edric the monk’s man recorded in a Priory charter c.1100, whose job it was to receive the village’s great tithes at his door. A suitably imposing doorway c.1300 survives attached to an otherwise Tudor rebuilding of the house, and the fishpond in the garden may well predate Edric by thirty years.

Benjamin Camfield, writing on the cusp of the Enlightenment, was assured of the ministry of angels, despite warning his readers of a generation of men … who would have all talk and enquiry about Angels and Spirits pass for Old-wives’ stories. I inherited a badge for our parish church from a previous vicar, his drawing of the Belvoir Angel, a distinctive carving that appears at the top of 17th and 18th century gravestones in the Vale of Belvoir. Together with an appropriate biblical angelic verse for each occasion, it adorns our communications and service books. In the world around us peace and prosperity seem to be waning; the future is as ever uncertain, so let the last words be Mr Camfield’s: If therefore we are followers of this angelical obedience, devotion, humility, purity, love and peace, we need not doubt, but the [angels] will delight in our converse as agreeable, and look upon us as their kindred and familiars, and consequently take pleasure in ministring unto us

here upon earth, until at last they bring us in safety, and with triumph, out of an uncertain and evil World, into those blessed Regions of unmixed and durable joy and happiness, where we shall be added to their Choire, and sing perpetual Halelujah’s with them, in Notes far above our present reach, unto the glory of God Almighty… To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be given by us, for the hopes of this and all other Blessings, all Honour Praise and Adoration, now and for ever. Amen.

A copy of his book sold for £1,000 at auction earlier this year. Evidently its subjectmatter still fascinates us 350 years later.

Mid-August, and the heath is burning. It rears strangely above her, and when it breaks, it floods, in grainy purple-brown gouts, pulse after pulse that flare dusty orange at the rim. She watches the surge without fear, but with the certain knowledge that any minute it could take her, leaflike, to the cliff edge, where the colours thin and all the tracks stop, and lay her broken-backed on the shingle or the grey-light shimmer of the sea. She has never been more aware of her own lightness, her unweightedness. When she comes again, decades later, it is the feeling of unweightedness that she will remember, but she won’t be able to trace it to a specific sense of the heather rising high above her head and the salt blistering her cheeks. She will trace it to the house, to the sea-swell, to a swirling fog of less defined images, the rawer stuff of memory, and some magical anticipation of a life spent seeking a stronger gravity. It will be a kind of lie. There was no pattern to fill. She is unweighted.

On milder days the sea is flat and smooth as black slate. She knows the secret places along the beach – the rockpools, the gulls’ nests, the cliffside hollows. Most days she ranges the foreshore, fossil-hunting, she says, though there are none in this part of the country, Richard has told her: the ground too soft, clay and sand mostly, too volatile to hold much for very long. Nothing here is old, everything is passing. The cliff so low and graduated that it barely passes for a cliff at all, pocked and seared in the wind, pebbledash loosed and spilled, every day a new disintegration. She crouches into the spray – the tide is almost in – and thumbs the grit from something like a translucent penny, flat and rounded, lodged in a clump of marram grass. Reaches for a phrase just beyond her grasp. Passes its cool hardness across her palm. Holds it to the sky and blots out the sun.

The pier is pummelled by the waves. There are words, or there are phrases, or there are fragments of words and phrases, half-held from early childhood, a kind of inheritance. Outlaws fill the mountain caves. The properties they have, on some days, with a fair wind – despite what Richard says – can seem very close to magic. Even though there are no piers here, no caves, no outlaws.

Richard’s room is small and badly lit, conglomerate shadows flickering darkly at the corners, polymorphic intensity of shifting absences and presences. A table, chairs, an empty bookshelf. Richard himself, hulked and tense, head bowed as though in some distant prayer of longing or grief. Through the window, the far gorse fading with the sea-mist, and the ceaseless dull mutter of the tide. The penny placed wordlessly at the far corner of the desk. The sense of the moment –this moment, so many others – stilled.

Others will come, caught in the cliffside, on the metal tongues of the groynes, choking the mudflats at the river mouth. Sky-grey, sea-green, foam-white. She will find them all, the scattered phrases, and offer them to him. He will never ask why, and she will never know.

Say that a man lives quietly, dies quietly, by the sea, alone. Say that, for convenience, and the vague notion that people do that sort of thing, he commits all he has, the cottage, all money and possessions, to his late sister’s children, who, despite never having met them, he believes deserving of his humble largesse, abominably treated, cruelly orphaned, deserving –perhaps – of greater evidence of familial duty than he has been personally capable of rendering

them in their short and difficult lives. And, say, to keep it – the cottage – out of the hands of the bastards that want to knock it down, oh, he knows all about them, God have mercy on their souls as on his. And he knows, and they will know, that this is only a new kind of cruelty being perpetrated on them, a duty incurred rather than discharged: that there is nothing here, that the money is less than the cost of attaining it, and that the house is falling into the sea.

November, and the heather charred and skeletal. No telling how it will winter. Overhead, the starlings cut and dip in the butter light, ecstatic unity of flock. Inland, the earth groans under the weight of the first frost; here, where nothing can settle, there is still time.

They’re clearing the land, Richard tells her, softly. Everything from the end of the cliff line to the foot of the wood. For building. And they want the house.

Her days have the ritual strangeness of a dream. Each bleeds beyond itself, in every conceivable direction, to become the sum total of her reality, with its own temporal logic, its own intricate patterning of cause and effect, skipping forward, looping back. She never asks how long they have. This isn’t out of fear, or even delicacy, but rather a sense – only barely acknowledged – that she is, as she will never be again, utterly content to be futureless.

But Richard is older, she can see it. She will wonder, later, exactly when it was that she began to notice the first signs of yellowing around the sockets, of milkiness in the pupils, the slight sag of the cheeks. He is fainter around the edges, somehow, less present, less real. He never looks her fully in the eye. These days, Richard’s desk is covered in pennies. She might have believed, once, that they could hold back the sea, in all its violence and pomp. The pier is pummelled by the waves. But there is a hierarchy to the rhythms of the world. They both know it. Poetry makes nothing happen. Altogether elsewhere.

They – the men – they want the house. And they will take it, it is agreed, by the end of the year, the last of the old village, sold for three times its value, to be instantly demolished. The money is decisive, inarguable. Theirs is the kingdom.

The things that were found – wedding rings, bottle-tops, scraps of cloth and foil. The foreshore peeled back, picked clean. And – say – a nameless fisherman, dead of gout at fiftysix, too poor for a decent casket, left instead with something that will begin to rot the instant he is lowered into the ground, banished to the furthest corner of the graveyard, and earth that will be under water within a century. When found, something morbid and bizarre and utterly inhuman, like some deep-sea creature that has never seen light.

Late December, the heather like iron lace, sullen and defeated, grey shivers under wash. Heath-skin taut, bone-smooth. Cliff gauzed in winter, gorse stiff with frost. Richard there, beyond her, staring at a point just above her shoulder. His mouth slightly open, flecked with foam at the corners, full – say – of pennies. Little birds with scarlet legs sitting on their speckled eggs. His skin is the colour and texture of birch bark, grey and layered and lacerated. He is the absent centre of the world, without colour, mass, gravity, meaning. Soon, she thinks, soon he will come apart, so slowly and in so many pieces that they will hardly notice it happening. And she will remember him but barely, like a joke with a longforgotten punchline, and she will question, sometimes, as she tries to mourn

The Peter Clarke Scientific Writing Prize 2024

First prize in this year’s competition was awarded to Anna Sakol. She is a postgraduate student at Pembroke, studying for an MPhil in Basic & Translational Neuroscience. Her research focuses on investigating biomarkers for prodromal Alzheimer’s Disease using neuro-imaging methods. Prior to her MPhil, she worked as a research assistant at the MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, investigating the trans-diagnostic mechanisms underlying complex mental health disorders. She very much enjoys getting involved in the translational aspects of clinical research, through public initiatives and outreach.

Anti-amyloid Drugs for Alzheimer’s Disease: The Future or a Fallacy?

After years of failed clinical trials, and lack of hope in the Alzheimer’s community, emerging anti-amyloid drugs could represent a new era of hope in treating the disease. These drugs aim to target the build-up of amyloid plaques in the brain, a key pathological feature of Alzheimer’s Disease. However, the efficacy and true benefit of these drugs to those affected by the disease, as well as their long-term impact and safety, is controversial.

In November 1906, neuroanatomist and psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer, reported to the 37th Meeting of South-West German Psychiatrists ‘a peculiar severe disease process of the cerebral cortex’. His research focused on a 50-year-old woman, who had been suffering from memory disturbances, confusion, hallucinations, and paranoia. Upon her death, post-mortem revealed hallmarks of what is now known as Alzheimer’s Disease. Her cerebral cortex was much thinner than typical of a woman her age, and plaques and neurofibrillary tangles were prevalent in her brain. This was the first time such tangles were identified. While his findings were met with little interest at the time, in the nearly 120 years since, Alzheimer’s Disease has become a household name, tragically affecting hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide.

Alzheimer’s Disease has long been regarded as a terminal disease. Current treatments predominantly focus on alleviating symptoms rather than addressing the root cause. These treatments may provide temporary relief from some discomfort and specific cognitive or behavioural issues, however, do nothing to slow down or reverse disease progression. Families and loved ones lose relatives and friends to devastating memory decline including loss of any independent function and devastatingly, their ability to recognise their loved ones. Such decline appears to be caused by accumulation of two important proteins in the brain: Beta-Amyloid and Tau. These proteins form plaques and tangles on crucial areas of the brain, disrupting function. Over time, Beta-Amyloid and Tau accumulation results in multiple cognitive, perceptual and functional deficits which have a significant impact on quality of life. Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease typically transition from experiencing mild cognitive impairment, where deficits are more manageable, onto more advanced stages of the disease. In advanced stages, everyday tasks including dressing, cooking, and navigating become increasing difficult. Those in this stage of the disease also find it difficult to communicate effectively with others and may struggle to understand where or who they are. Their ability to reason and remember is also impaired, and they are unable to live independently.

The causal mechanisms of Alzheimer’s are distressingly complex and multifaceted. Genetics are important, with specific genes implicated with an increased risk of developing the disease. Recent research has also placed emphasis on the importance of lifestyle risk factors in developing Alzheimer’s. These include levels of alcohol and tobacco consumption, depression, obesity, hypertension, air pollution and social isolation. These various risk factors result in a messy and complex diagnostic picture and identifying at risk individuals is increasingly tricky.

The intricacy of Alzheimer’s Disease and its causes means that there are significant challenges in early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. As a result, many individuals are not identified until they experience the significant and advanced memory loss typical of later disease stages. Alzheimer’s is currently the seventh leading cause of death worldwide, and therefore has important effects on society as a whole. Anecdotal evidence also reveals the devastating emotional effects the disease has on individuals and the families caring for them. Alzheimer’s therefore has obvious individual and societal burden. But, with the exciting onset of pioneering treatments, could this be about to change?

On January 6 2023, the first Alzheimer’s drug to reverse Beta-Amyloid build up, Lecanemab, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The first of its kind, Lecanemab is an anti-amyloid drug, which works by producing anti-bodies which attach to amyloid plaques in the brain and attract cells of the immune system to the area to remove the plaques. Clinical trials, involving thousands of participants, have revealed that Lecanemab, and its sister drug Donanemab, slow clinical decline by about 35% over 18 months of treatment in those in the early stages of the disease. These results have catapulted Alzheimer’s Disease treatment into a new era. While the trial only lasted 18 months, some in the scientific community are hopeful that longer treatment administration will result in greater effects – although further trials are essential to test this. Others suggest that even earlier administration of the treatment will improve results, although again, continued testing is necessary. For the first-time, middle-aged adults with a family history of Alzheimer’s, after years of anxiety about their futures, and despair about suffering parents, can allow themselves to cautiously feel a new emotion – hope.

However, the emergence of a new wave of treatments for Alzheimer’s disease has been met with scepticism from some within the scientific community. Many researchers question the true efficacy of anti-amyloid drugs, suggesting that the media attention may be overly optimistic and premature. There are three primary areas of concern: scientific challenges, safety concerns and practical issues.

Scientifically, evidence does indicate that the drugs reduce levels of amyloid in the brain, and that this was associated with better scores on tests of cognition and function. However, real-life functioning, such as familial recognition, driving and tasks of daily living were not assessed. Therefore, the retained cognition that antiamyloid drugs bring may not feed into important functional activities. What is more, some are suggesting that the cognitive improvements that anti-amyloid drugs bring are so subtle that many patients will not be able to notice them. Indeed, clinical trials of Donanemab in early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease

revealed that on a cognitive scale from 0 to 144, where lower scores represent reduced functioning, the group receiving the anti-amyloid drug experienced an average decline of 6.02 points. In contrast, the placebo group showed a larger average decline of 9.27 points. Although these results are statistically significant, they raise questions about the drug’s clinical relevance. Furthermore, such improvements were only found in those in the very early stages of the disease. Early detection is therefore absolutely vital to capitalise on the benefits of anti-amyloid drugs. However, this is not always practical. This is in part due to the complex mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s development, which makes predicting onset very hard. Practical barriers in accessing formal diagnosis also contribute. Successful detection of Alzheimer’s often occurs too late for early intervention. Despite the scientific concerns regarding the true efficacy of anti-amyloid drugs, they could still be attractive to some patients. Any retained functioning, however small, could be a relief for those facing a future of otherwise irreversible cognitive decline. However, on top of scientific concerns, safety concerns regarding anti-amyloid drugs have also been reported. Moderate side effects, mainly related to the administration of the drugs through transfusions, are commonly reported. These include hot flushes, chills, rashes and body aches and are usually short-term and unserious. However, significant side-effects have occurred, drawing concern. Most of these concerns relate to cerebral haemorrhages – more commonly known as bleeding in the brain –and brain swelling. Such issues can be caused by something known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA). In Lecanemab’s and Donanemab’s core clinical trials, ARIA occurred in 12.6% of participants, whereas only 1.7% of the placebo group experienced it. In patients on blood-thinning medications, this can be particularly serious, and in the core clinical trials, there have been at least three deaths related directly to anti-amyloid drugs. Side-effects also have clinical implications for other areas of medicine, in particular in cardiology. Anti-amyloid drugs have potential contra-indications with cardiac medications. Due to the high level of cardiac issues within Alzheimer’s populations, cardiologists are calling for further research, so that benefits to cognition do not outweigh allimportant cardiac care. A cost-benefit analysis therefore, where safety risks are high, and clinical benefit low, falls short of the desired standard. Certainly, further work is critical before any wide-scale roll out of anti-amyloid drugs to large-scale populations.

Furthermore, plans to implement anti-amyloid drugs through NHS services are encountering challenges. Complications are both financial and practical in nature. In the United States, where Lecanemab has been rolled out to patients, treatment costs around £20,000 per year, per patient; a cost which the UK’s National Health Service may struggle to absorb. Indeed, NHS bosses estimate that the cost of treatment for all eligible patients will sit at around £500m to £1bn per year. As the drugs are still at the early stages, patients will also require consistent monitoring with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) brain scans to ensure that they are not experiencing haemorrhages or brain swelling. Current estimates suggest that around five MRI scans a year will be necessary. This not only increases costs, but also means that patients will need to be in commuting

distance of a major hospital to undergo monitoring. Further challenges are diagnostic in nature. Eligibility for anti-amyloid drugs set out by the FDA requires that patients have a formal Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Shockingly, only 2% of those suffering from Alzheimer’s receive a formal diagnosis. This is achieved by Positron Emission Tomography (PET) brain scans, or a lumbar puncture, where cerebrospinal fluid is extracted from the spine for testing. These procedures can confirm the presence of Beta-Amyloid pathology, a requisite for both a formal diagnosis and anti-amyloid treatment. The need for formal diagnosis via such methods once again inflates the financial and practical burdens and excludes those less able to access formal diagnosis.

Therefore, concerns about the efficacy, safety and practicality of anti-amyloid drugs are significant. Despite such concerns, it is irrefutable that drug discovery for Alzheimer’s Disease research is going in the right direction. For the first time, drugs which reverse Beta Amyloid build-up research have been found to be statistically significant. Further research is clearly necessary both on the efficacy and safety of anti-amyloid drugs, and on improving the accessibility of Alzheimer’s diagnoses. There is already progress in this domain. Further clinical trials involving anti-amyloid drugs have been planned, mostly targeting individuals in asymptomatic stages of the disease. Evidence is also emerging that blood tests to detect Alzheimer’s Disease could soon be on the horizon. These will involve light-based technology which will screen the blood for presence of tau proteins. Tau itself will also be the focus of some future research, with some pharmaceutical companies proposing anti-tau drugs for clinical trials in humans.

Overall, the statistically significant results of core clinical trials involving antiamyloid drugs, and Lecanemab’s green light from the FDA will undoubtedly lead to further funding which could propel Alzheimer’s research into an exciting new era. Certainly, the field has come a long way since Alois Alzheimer announced the first reported case of Alzheimer’s Disease in 1906. There is certainly room for valid criticisms of anti-amyloid drugs, but for the first time since 1906, there is also room for hope.

B. COLLEGE NEWS

The new zebra crossing across Trumpington Street, uniting the original and Mill Lane sides of the College (image by Fumie Suga)

to understand where the holes in statistical learning theory exists that we need to work with. I have collaborated with, pharmacologists to make more efficient pre-clinical testing of cancer drugs, engineers to optimise combustion engines, dairy farmers to improve health of cows, air plane and vehicle designers to improve the design process, glaciologists to model ice-sheets and sociologists looking at the impact of socioeconomic factors and health system under stress. These varied collaborations make for a fantastic day to day work which is constantly challenging and always gives the possibility of learning new things. Lately I have decided to focus my research on applications in clinical health care and have taken a guest professorship at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm where I now work 25%.

Outside of my Academic career I spend a lot of time riding my bike: I have a passion for everything that relates to cycling and one of my favourite activities is greasing bearings. I like riding long distances in a form known as Randonneuring or Audax. It is a non-competitive and self-supported form of cycling where your only measure is yourself, riding very long distances over multiple days. Two larger events I have done are London to Edinburgh and back in 125h, Paris to Brest and back in 80h. Ultra-distance cycling reduces our complicated life to a single goal, move forward. For a few days it simplifies everything you do and it is a wonderful feeling to push yourself beyond what you thought possible. Another passion I have is computers, now I do not mean computers as a tool to do something but computers themselves. I spent my youth programming machines created before I could read when computers actually had a personality and their development was driven by engineering curiosity not destroyed by market economic factors. Developing these machines is an interest that I cherish. It is completely pointless but I still do it, therefore I know I do it for the right reasons, because the motivation comes only from within.

I come from a small village in the north of Sweden and was fortunate to grow up in a socialist country which instilled us with a belief that everyone is equal, that all of us could achieve what we wanted and importantly, a system that supported us to make our dreams reality. I could study at University for free with a generous allowance from the government. At the University I met Professor Stefan Carlsson who got me interested in perspective geometry. This took me on a visit to Bristol University, then to a PhD at Oxford Brookes, which later took me to Sheffield, Manchester, a post-doc at Berkeley, a lectureship in Stockholm, then back to Bristol and finally a Professorship at Cambridge. Looking back at this journey, it has been completely without goal or intention, just driven by being interested in learning and understanding more. If I have achieved anything I put it down to the luck of meeting inspirational people along the way that helped me move forward. I am forever grateful to my country’s ability to provide a simple village boy with the belief and the possibilities to go on this journey.

Arriving at Pembroke has been a really wonderful experience so far. Finally, after four years in Cambridge I feel fully integrated into this weird and wonderful world. It has been fantastic to work closer with students as a Director of Studies feeling that you can have a real impact on their education and aim to push them to go further. I hope as a community we can strive to protect the academic culture

campus focused on the Middle East and the Mediterranean based in Menton (on the French Riviera!). There, I immersed myself in the history and politics of the region and developed an interest in postcolonial theory, especially phenomena of endogenous modernity. I then enrolled in an MPhil in Political Theory, still at Sciences Po, but this time based in Paris. Progressively, I became suspicious of the criticism of Arabisation as an unnecessary and costly project. Formulated during the colonial period, Arabisation was conceived as a way to decolonise both the state and the people. At the heart of the Arabisation project was the concern of making the Arabic language equivalent in terms of efficacy and precision to foreign languages. As a decolonial language policy, Arabisation symbolised not only cultural independence but also a renaissance project for the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia), making Arabisation resonate with a ‘home-made’ modernity project.

This continuous questioning about language, education, decolonisation, and modernity in the Maghreb region led me to undertake a DPhil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies at Oxford as an Ertegun scholar. There, I wrote a political history of the discourse on the ‘failure’ of Arabisation in postcolonial Morocco –that is, a history of how Moroccans came to believe, without scientific evidence, that the Arabic language was the cause of their education system’s failure. After completing my DPhil, I spent a year in Berlin as a postdoctoral fellow in the Europe in the Middle East –The Middle East in Europe programme at the Forum Transregionale Studien before joining Pembroke.

I am currently turning my DPhil thesis into a book on Moroccan postcoloniality through the lenses of language politics, education, and nationbuilding. My next project investigates the shift after 2011 in the discourse of the Moroccan state from describing the country as a ‘crossroads of civilisations’ to depicting a ‘Moroccan civilisation’ comprised of Amazigh, Jewish, African, Mediterranean, Arab, and Muslim identities. This new discourse resonates with the nascent scholarship on ‘civilisationism’ that looks at the deployment by political elites of ideologies that promote civilisational identity as a form of resistance to the Liberal International Order –the ostensible standard-bearer of civilisation –while often accommodating authoritarianism. Typical examples include Putin’s Russia, Erdogan’s Turkey, Xi’s China, and Modi’s India. In dialogue with civilisational scholarship, I aim to investigate the Moroccan regime’s promotion of a ‘civilisational nationalism’ with a selective multiculturalism –valuing some identities while neglecting others.

Being part of the Pembroke College community has been a wonderful opportunity and an immense privilege. Having the mental space to properly think and write while enjoying lovely conversations around delicious food is, I am aware, as close as one can get to the ideal of a fulfilling, research-oriented academic life. For this, I am tremendously grateful to Pembroke College and its warm and welcoming community.

NARINE LALAFARYAN was admitted to Pembroke in October 2023 as an Official Fellow. She is an Assistant Professor in Corporate Law at the University of Cambridge. She writes: When I am asked how I would describe myself

academic development; I am also very grateful for the opportunity to meet and work with so many great colleagues and teach excellent students. Later in March 2023, I was offered the opportunity to return to Cambridge – this was a fork in the road moment for me. I was very fortunate to join the Cambridge Law Faculty as an Assistant Professor of Corporate Law and Pembroke College as a Fellow in Law in October 2023. Returning to Cambridge was a truly special journey for me, but I never really left Cambridge, at least not in my mind. I remember that special ‘Welcome back home!’ greeting from my colleagues and how overjoyed I was to be back. I am truly privileged to be a part of Pembroke and the Law Faculty. More recently, in April 2024, I also joined the Cambridge Endowment for Research in Finance (The Judge Business School) as a CERF Fellow. I am very much enjoying working with colleagues from economics, finance, and related disciplines on all aspects of finance.

I am very excited about my career in Cambridge and enthusiastic to be able to give back to the community that has raised me as a scholar and has given so much to me both from professional and personal perspectives (I met my husband in Cambridge during my Master studies). My excitement is also driven by the tectonic and dynamic developments that are happening in Law and Finance, and how these significant events are affecting my research agenda. My current big project ‘A Quantum Leap in Corporate Finance’ investigates the interrelationship between modern equity and debt in the firm, including how market changes have impacted the traditional corporate finance models and the connected legal framework. Conceptualising this interplay in corporate finance and governance involves addressing difficult problems. This is a major project, requiring substantial new research, that has the potential to affect the traditional legal/finance frameworks and to enable new research. To give you the ‘elevator pitch’ of this project, there are three points motivating this bigger project: (i) the significant rise of private capital (private equity, venture capital, private credit); (ii) increased competition, but also partnership between traditional finance providers (banks) and shadow bankers (funds) coupled with serious liquidity issues, and development of new financing structures; (iii) modern debt looking a lot like equity (but still being repaid ahead of equity).

The first project ‘Private Credit: A Renaissance in Corporate Finance’ takes the first step in the direction of re-evaluating the relationship between equity and debt in the firm. The thesis of this project is that the role of debt and its relationship with equity in the firm, due to recent significant developments in the corporate finance markets after the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–2008, has been transformed. The relatively new, but already very experienced private credit funds, are aggressively competing with traditional finance providers in a dynamic market which is full of unforeseen and large-scale risks. This project builds on the developments in corporate finance markets and develops a taxonomy of modern debt governance mechanisms, comparing the influence of private credit funds to that of banks from a corporate governance perspective. This is the first academic project in law to look at this question.

The second project called ‘Chameleon Capital’ looks at how the traditional distinctions between ‘equity’ and ‘debt’ have been disappearing over the years, in

exceptional, and, importantly, investment risks are much higher than commonly assumed.

Other work has applied Machine Learning techniques to high-dimensional ‘Big(ish)’ data. I use images and other data that are too complex for Excel spreadsheets to better understand returns, household preferences, and decisions made by very human and not always rational agents. My co-authors and I, for instance, retrieved pictures of every building in Cambridge on Google Street View and then tried to see whether people pay more for new buildings that look historic. Fun fact, they don’t: Adding a Victorian or Georgian facade to a modern shoebox does not increase sales values.

I have been teaching and researching at the Department of Land Economy for 10 years now. Cambridge is home. Yes, it could not be more different from rural North Frisia. Still, it often feels very much like the old home, with fens at our doorstep and a train to the big city in the south.

FELLOWS’ NEWS

Assef Ashraf’s book, Making and Remaking Empire in Early Qajar Iran, was published by Cambridge University Press.

Polly Blakesley will become the next Master of Pembroke College, starting in October 2025.

Caroline Burt’s book (co-authored with Richard Partington) Arise, England: Six Kings and the Making of the English State was published by Faber & Faber.

Tom Chaffey was appointed to a Lectureship in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Sydney, starting in January 2025.

Menna Clatworthy was appointed Director of the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Diseases.

Marcus Colla became an Associate Professor in Modern European Political History at the University of Bergen. His book Prussia in the Historical Culture of the German Democratic Republic: Communists and Kings was published by Oxford University Press.

Vikram Deshpande was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He was also awarded the Zdeneˇk P Bazˇant Medal for Failure and Damage Prevention by the Engineering Mechanics Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Lorenzo Di Michele was made a Professor (Grade 11) by the University of Cambridge.

Carl Henrik Ek was made a Professor (Grade 11) by the University of Cambridge. He was also awarded a Pilkington Prize by the University of Cambridge, in recognition of his contribution to teaching excellence.

Katrin Ettenhuber’s book The Logical Renaissance: Literature, Cognition and Argument 1479–1630 was published by Oxford University Press.

Loraine Gelsthorpe was appointed as Chair of the National Probation Institute. She co-edited (with Shelley L Brown) The Wiley Handbook on What Works with Girls and Women in Conflict with the Law. Two major research projects in which she was involved – ‘Women supporting women in the welfare sphere: psychosocial challenges’ (supported by the Nuffield Foundation) and ‘Inspiring futures: an evaluation of the meaning and impact of arts programmes in criminal justice settings’ (supported by the Economic and Social Research Council) – reported on their conclusions.

Clare Grey was ranked by Research.com as in the top 500 Female Scientists in the world (and top 50 in the UK) in its Best Female Scientists in the World 2023 Ranking.

Tony Hopkins’ Capitalism in the Colonies: African Merchants in Lagos 1851–1931 was published by Princeton University Press.

Nick Jones was made a Professor (Grade 12) by the University of Cambridge. Catherine Kamal was appointed to a Lectureship at University College London.

Rebecca Kilner was awarded the Verrall Medal and Lecture by the Royal Entomological Society and the ASAB Medal by the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Narine Lalafaryan ’s PhD thesis on ‘Uncertainty in Debt Finance: Reconceptualising Material Adverse Change Clauses’ was awarded the 2023 Yorke Prize. She was also appointed to a Cambridge Endowment for Research in Finance (CERF) Fellowship.

Anna Lapwood was awarded an MBE for services to music in the 2024 New Year’s Honours List.

Robert Mayhew was appointed a Cross Panel member of Section H9 of the British Academy, Early Modern History to 1850.

Nick McBride was appointed to the Editorial Board of the Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. The 7th edition of his textbook on Tort Law (co-authored with Roderick Bagshaw) was published by Pearson Education.

Daniela Passolt obtained a University-funded place on Cambridge’s EMBA program.

Mark Purcell was appointed a member of the Acceptance in Lieu Panel, which advises ministers on the transfer of cultural property to the nation in payment of inheritance tax.

Ken Smith was appointed Director of the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne.

Stephanie Smith won a CUSU teaching award for small group teaching (Science and Technology).

Paul Warde’s work on environmental history was cited by Pope Francis in his apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum, issued in October 2023, which builds on the Pope’s 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’.

Chris Young was elected Master of St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, starting in October 2024.

GIFTS TO THE COLLEGE

From –

Kevin van Anglen, money for the purchase of books/other library materials in the fields of anglophone American, Canadian & W Indian Commonwealth literature

Haroon Ahmed, a copy of his book Apples, apes and atoms: famous Cambridge scientists

Angelina Ainslie, the 1860 Cambridge University Champion Racquets Cup, awarded to Aymer Ainslie (1859)

Trevor Allan, four law textbooks

Assef Ashraf, a copy of The Historian of Islam at Work: Essays in Honor of Hugh N. Kennedy (Brill, 2022)

Richard Braund, a copy of Hopkirk, The Great Game (Folio Society, 2010)

Jonathon Brown, a copy of his book Space Regained: Hockney and Proust in Normandy (Brown Paper Editions, 2023)

Caroline Burt, a copy of her co-authored book Arise, England: six kings and the making of the English state. Faber, 2024

Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education, two books on the history of the Institute

Cambridge Philosophical Society, a copy of Gibson, The spirit of Inquiry: How One Extraordinary Society Shaped Modern Science (OUP, 2019)

John Chambers, copies of his books A Walk down Church Street, Widcombe Terrace, The Parsons ofWidcombe

Gordon Clarke, a copy of his book The Abyss of Possibility (SilverWood, 2024)

Lauren Dawson, seven French and FAMES textbooks

Jessica Dowding, College May Ball photographs from the early 1920s and other materials belonging to her grandfather, Ronald Acheson Shortis (1919)

Brad Faught, a copy of his book Churchill and Africa: Empire, Decolonisation and Race (Pen & Sword Military, 2023)

Geoffrey Fooks, five books on mathematics and physics

Diana Gray and Penelope Rowse, a copy of My Own Darling: Letters from Montie to Kitty Carlisle (Carlisle Books, 1989)

Stephen Halliday, ten works on history

Sara Holmes, College May Ball materials from the 1950s

Sylvia Huot, a copy of Islam in Europe (Sam Fogg, 2023)

Stephen Kelham, College photographs belonging to his father Raymond Mould Kelham (1932)

Jonathan Kennedy, a copy of his book Pathogenesis: How Germs Made History (Transworld, 2023)

Christian Levitt, a copy of Landau & Marter, Abstract Expressionists: The Women (Merrell, 2023)

Michael Llewellyn-Smith, a copy of Rhys, Full Spiral (Greenhill Publishing, 2024)

Bernard Lyall, papers relating to the writing of his father, the author Gavin Lyall (1953)

Shivan Mahendrarajah, a copy of his book The Sufi Saint of Jam (CUP, 2021)

Jessica Maratsos, a copy of her book Pantormo and the Art of Devotion in Renaissance Italy. (CUP, 2021)

Mark McBride, four law books

Melissa McCarthy, a copy of her book Photo, Phyto, Proto, Nitro (Sagging Meniscus, 2023)

Andy Mydellton, three works on nature

Pembroke College, Oxford, a copy of Neale (ed), Pembroke College Oxford: The First 400 Years (Profile Editions, 2023)

Nicholas Perkins, copies of his books, The gift of Narrative in Medieval England (Manchester University Press, 2021) and Gifts and books (as editor) (Bodleian, 2023)

Yvonne Pinchen, a copy of her book Gothic Revival and Arts and Crafts in Cambridge (Self-published, 2023)

Robert Porter, copies of his books Adventures in Bagpiping and Manic into Light (both published by Ichtheon, in 2021 and 2023 respectively)

Tristram Riley-Smith, a copy of Ben Riley-Smith, The Right to Rule (John Murray, 2023)

Mark Roberts, a copy of an Illustrated Guide to Cambridge (Heffers, 1950)

Aaron Rosen, a copy of his book Art + religion in the 21st Century (Thames & Hudson, 2015)

Sir Roger Tomkys, six books on the Middle East

Cliff Webb, historic College photographs

Anthony Wilkinson, photograph of RAF Cadets in Pembroke College in 1942

The Wolfson family, blades and shields belonging to Geoffrey Mark Wolfson (1954)

Adam Yousef, a copy of his book Europe’s Relations with North Africa (I.B. Tauris, 2017)

Publications mentioned in the Fellows’ News section of the Gazette were donated by:

Caroline Burt, Katrin Ettenhuber

Publications mentioned in the Members’ News section of the Gazette were donated by:

Sarah Law, Ronald Milner, Marc Saperstein, Cliff Webb, David Wilson

THE DEAN’S REPORT

In 2023–24, the Dean was seconded to work as the vicar at St Bene’t’s in Cambridge. In his absence, his duties as Dean and Chaplain were performed by Devin McLachlan and then Sophie Young. They report:

The Rev’d Devin McLachlan, vicar-elect, St Bene’t’s, Cambridge

During the Dean’s secondment, I stepped in to serve as Acting Dean for the late summer and Michaelmas Term. Having worked for many years at the University Church, and previously as an assisting chaplain at Jesus College, the rhythm of college life was not unfamiliar. Even so, I was immediately struck by the warmth, enthusiasm, and thoughtfulness of the Pembroke community even during the hustle and bustle of Michaelmas.

Pastorally, this was a time to meet with every incoming undergraduate, and many of the postgraduate students, as well as many staff and Fellows in College. Some of these were formal conversations in the Dean’s study, while others happened on walks along the Backs or during pumpkin carving and over hot chocolates, reflecting on personal pastoral needs, or listening with students wrestling with theology and meaning on subjects such as nationalism or trans rights.

Term time also meant the joy of working with Anna Lapwood and the Pembroke choirs in creating glorious evensongs and special services including an All Souls’ requiem, Remembrance Sunday with the University Marshal, not to mention carol services during which the Chapel was packed to the rafters. Finally, while our beautiful Christopher Wren Chapel is always open to everyone, the architectural layout and Christian symbolism present real challenges for nonChristian congregational prayer.

It was a great blessing at the start of term to help set up the College’s new Peace and Faith Room on the ground floor of N Staircase – a multi-faith space for prayer, meditation, and quiet retreat, that has been some years in the planning.

The Rev’d Sophie Young

It was a privilege to take up the post of Acting Dean and Chaplain at Pembroke for Lent and Easter terms. Like Devin before me, I found Pembroke to be an immensely hospitable community and I settled in immediately with the help of staff and students alike.

Continuing the good work of those before me, I hosted the weekly Hard Questions group in J2 with an enthusiastic crowd of mainly second-year students, as well as pastoral one-to-one conversations with chapel and non-chapel goers alike. Lent term also saw the introduction of Wellbeing Walks with my two Shetland Sheepdogs and, proving popular, these continued through Easter Term and provided much appreciated breaks from revision for many. A weekly Bible Study on the book of Acts as well as Tuesday Crafternoons were other opportunities for students to gather together for conversation and company amidst the demands of Easter Term.

The visit of Classic FM’s Alexander Armstrong for a Wednesday Evensong in March was a highlight of the choral calendar. Approximately 175 people squeezed into Chapel that evening and not only did they enjoy the worship and wonderful choirs, but were treated to Wayne Marshall OBE playing the organ too.

For me, personal highlights included baptising a third-year student in April, and seeing him grow in faith, and in sharing that faith with friends and family. And towards the end of Easter term it was a privilege to lead services in which two students took to the lectern to preach and exercise their ministerial gifts.

The wedding of a Member in May Week on the same day as the memorable choir dinner, shortly followed by the leavers’ service, was a wonderful end to a fabulous and fun two terms. Thank you Pembroke for having me!

DEVELOPMENT OFFICE REPORT

From the Development Director

We are two months away from the moment when students will begin living in the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Court. After so long in the thinking and planning, it is quite remarkable that the construction itself, effectively begun in 2021, has been so rapid, not least given how complicated the Mill Lane site is. Everyone involved deserves huge credit.

And when I say “everyone”, I not only mean those involved in the every day nitty-gritty of its creation and realisation, but also the many thousands of Pembroke people who have been moved to support our efforts in raising the necessary funds. It has been a remarkable success because of you – thank you.

Being on the brink of this historic moment for the College reminds me that the work has already begun to ensure that Pembroke, in its enhanced form, continues to be a place that ‘brilliant people can do their best work’. This is a huge responsibility: you, with the not insignificant help of the Dolby family, have entrusted those who are here in Pembroke now to make sure that the myriad opportunities afforded by a closer community of students, staff and Fellows, and brilliant new facilities, are fully exploited and deployed to the greater good.

We have the talent to do it – undergraduates chosen from very large numbers of applicants, the cream of Cambridge’s graduate students, devoted and energetic staff, impressive and hard-working academics, generous and generous-spirited alumni and friends. The ingredients are (t)here and it is a great journey on which we are now embarking.

As we take those first steps, it is worth remembering that only a generation or so ago, the College was not open to the admission of women as undergraduates. In the coming year 2024–25, we will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the overturning of that ban with a large number of events – not just social, but practical and commemorative too. A brilliant team of alumnae, students, staff and Fellows are overseeing the plans and we all expect there to be remarkable things to show for their efforts come the end of the year. Look out in particular for information relating to a major convening day on Saturday 8th March 2025.

Of course, this particular moment in the annual cycle – it is late July as I write – is one to reflect on the past year too. 2023–24 has again seen a huge amount of work for the Development team: in addition to continuing to raise funds for Mill Lane, student support and indeed unrestricted purposes, there have been dozens of events, an increased focus on the important work that Pembroke members and friends have done as volunteers to support the College, the Corporate Partnership Programme, the continued success of LEAP to name just a few. If you are interested in supporting the College in a volunteer capacity, please let us know.

The academic year was bookended by two flagship events. In October, the 18th William Pitt Seminar was held for the first time in the College’s very smart auditorium. “Live and Let Die?” focused on the future of health and there were high-grade contributions from Pam Garside (Chair of the Cambridge Angels), Dr Julia Bird (2005), Dr Pauline Essah (1999), Professor Stephen John (Fellow) and Dr Rav Seeruthun (2018, William Pitt Fellow). Most recently, we hosted a brilliant

event in the Conservatory at the Barbican, a perfect setting for talks by our lead architect and sustainability consultant (respectively, Beatie Blakemore and Joel Gustafsson) about Mill Lane, and by Pembroke academics (Professor Dame Clare Grey, Dr Wanne Kromdijk and Dr Sadiq Jaffer) working in a wide range of disciplines which will have significant impact on the future of the planet. It was great that we were also able to invite current PhD students to showcase their own research in this space too. It is so pleasing that these things are achieved thanks to a huge collective effort and that the resident community of Pembroke can meet alumni and other friends and talk through these things in an intelligent and convivial manner. Very Pembroke!

A great manifestation of this community effort was the now biennial Giving Day – in these difficult times around the globe, we remain committed to attracting and supporting talented young people wherever they come from. Some challenges that they face are unconscionable to most of us, so we are so grateful that, in teaming up with the Rowan Williams Scholarship programme, we were able to raise enough funds to bring two Masters students from war-torn parts of the world to Cambridge and, more importantly, to Pembroke. Thanks to all who responded so warmly to these efforts.

The entrepreneurial among you might be interested to know about the Parmee Prize 2024 too. It was won this year by Sara AlMahri (2022), a PhD candidate in the Engineering department who, with Thomas Barber, founded Revco, a company that has the potential to disrupt the construction industry with innovative AI and automation tools. On the same evening, PhD student Aida Ashrafzadeh (2023) won the HealthEquity.ai Healthcare Innovation prize with Urovalve, a novel urinary catheter: the prize was donated by the aforementioned Rav Seeruthun. Many congratulations to them.

Indeed, we believe that in Pembroke there is a strong entrepreneurial ethos –whether commercially, or in social enterprise, or simply just in working out how to have and use one’s own ideas to make progress in life. We currently have an intern, Gilbert Nkpeniyeng, looking at how to grow the community of Pembroke entrepreneurs and make for a cohesive and supportive cohort. If you are experienced in this sphere and interested in helping our students kindle their talent, please let us know.

Another of those outstanding Pembroke entrepreneurs is Greg Jackson (1991), founder of Octopus Energy. At the PCCS London Dinner on November, the Master announced his award as the inaugural Alumnus of the Year, as chosen by the PCCS Committee. The Emerging Alumni Leader Award was granted to Alicia Barber (2017), a researcher, advocate and writer on the subject of Alzheimer’s disease, while the Alumni Impact Award was won by Mike Wilson (2004) for his pioneering work at Pembroke House.

The Master, Nami Morris and I have travelled to various locations around the world to catch up with our Members in the USA and Hong Kong in particular –the latter witnessed a very welcome and pleasingly large gathering in sweltering conditions at the beginning of July, after an absence on our part of several years. Our thanks too to our many Members and friends around the world for convening gatherings of Pembroke people. Next year, we shall be returning to

these places and adding a few other stops around the globe too as we mark the end of Lord Smith’s Mastership and celebrate what has, if I may say so, been an extraordinary decade building on the work of his two immediate predecessors in particular. If I am lucky enough still to be in my role, I look forward to introducing Polly Blakesley to you as Master too – not that she needs my assistance!

Our team’s work would not be possible without the excellent advice and support we get from the Campaign Board, which has seen us through the Campaign itself and is now turning to “life afterwards”, challenging us and being challenged to think of brilliant ways of getting the most out of Pembroke’s extended site, and creating the conditions for a College that you will, we hope, continue to be proud of.

In the meantime, there is a lot to do, and it is marvellous that in these endeavours I work with such brilliant people in the Development team in doing it. We are in turn, immensely grateful to you.

M.R.M.

The Matthew Wren Society

The 27th meeting of the Society was on Saturday 14 October 2023. Seventythree members of the Society, and their guest, were entertained to lunch in the Hall, following a reception hosted by the Master in the Senior Parlour and the Inner Parlour.

Membership of the Society is open to anyone who has notified the College of an intention to benefit the College by a bequest. Matthew Wren (1585–1667), undergraduate, Fellow and President of the College (1616–24), and Bishop of Ely (1638–67), had been a notable benefactor (his body is interred in the crypt of the Chapel, which he had built as a gift to the College, in 1665). The Society has a membership of 470. The names of those who have consented to be identified –together with a number of recent bequests received – are listed below. To all, the College is extremely grateful.

Mr G B Smethurst

1952Mr J J Fenwick

CBE DL

Mr R N Field

Dr G R Hext

Mr T J Milling

Mr P J Pugh

1953Mr R B Carter

Mr I D McPhail

Mr R M Watson

Mr J M Whitehead

1954Mr M J Flux

Dr G F Fooks

Mr A H Isaacs MBE

Mr I Meshoulam

Mr R J M Thompson

1955Mr R L Allison RD

Sir Michael Bett CBE

Mr G J Curtis

Mr D W Eddison

Mr J D Hind

Mr N M Pullan

Mr J M P Soper

Mr R J Warburton

1956Mr P W Boorman

FRSA

Professor B M Fagan

Mr K E Piper

Mr M A Roberts

1957Mr C M Fenwick

MBE

Mr M A A Garrett

MBE FCII

Mr T J Harrold

Mr J W S Macdonald

Mr J B Macdonald

Mr D W H

McCowen

Mr R B Wall

Mr P J Yorke

1958Mr B S Adams

Mr R A C Berkeley OBE

Mr O C Brun

Mr R J M Gardner

Mr J D Harling

Mr J Lawrence

Mr J G G Moss

Professor G Parry FSA

The Rt Hon Sir Konrad Schiemann PC

Mr J SutherlandSmith

Mr W R Williams JP

Dr J N Woulds JP DL

1959Mr S H Duro ARCM FRCO

Mr M G Kuczynski

Mr D P Robinson

1960The Hon Justice Ian Binnie CC KC

Mr J C D Field

Mr R E Palmer

Dr J P Warren

Mr J B Wilkin

1961Mr N C GroseHodge OBE

Dr S Halliday

Dr R S MauriceWilliams FRCP FRCS

Mr J S Nicholas

Mr J C Robinson

Mr M C Stallard FRCS

Mr R M Wingfield

1962Sir Richard Jewson KCVO

Dr M J LlewellynSmith AM KStJ

Mr R C Sommers

1963Mr H R Burkitt

Dr R N Cuff

Mr A W Gunther

Mr I G A Hunter KC

Mr R J Kellaway

Professor A D May

OBE FREng

Professor K A McEwen

Mr P D Skinner CBE

Mr J A Stott

Mr E R Tibbs

1964Dr W C Airey

Dr J C D Hickson

Mr S F Kelham

Mr D J Shaw

Mr H J Shields

Mr E M F Temple

1965Mr P Bann

Mr N I C Brocklehurst

Mr R P Edwards

Mr M L Greenwood

Mr C R M Kemball MBE

Mr S R Lawrence

Mr H M Skipp

Mr J J Turner

Dr J G Vulliamy

Mr C J B White

Dr J G Williams

1966Dr R G H Bethel

Mr J V P Drury

Mr B R Goodfellow

Dr E M Himsworth

Mr A D Jackson

Mr R I Jamieson

Mr D A Salter

Mr R C Wilson

1967Dr D J Atherton

Mr J A Cooper

Mr C R B Goldson OBE

Mr M Goodwin

Mr C R Webb

1968Mr I C Brownlie

Mr I P Collins

Mr G N Horlick

Mr P d’A KeithRoach

Mr D E Love

Mr P D Milroy

Mr A J Murdoch

Mr T J H Townshend

Mr J P Wilson MA F Coll P

1969Mr R Braund

Mr P G Cleary

Mr N I Garnett

Mr B C Heald

Dr C J D Maile

Mr I C Melia

Mr M G Pillar

Mr W R Siberry KC

Professor J R Wiesenfeld

Mr N S Wild

1970Mr N Carter

Dr J R Deane

Dr W S Gould

Mr A J C Graham

Mr N A MacKinnon

Mr J P McCaughan

Mr A McDonald

Dr H J Perkins

Mr I R Purser

1971Mr P Bowman

Mr W C M Dastur

Mr R H Johnson

Dr R Kinns

Mr M H Thomas

1972Mr S C Lord

Dr J W Lumley

Mr C D Newell

Mr A G Singleton

1973The Rt Hon Sir Patrick Elias

Dr P R D H Greenhouse

FRCOG

Mr K J Russell

Mr S J N Shepherd

1974Mr M T Adger

Dr M H Barley

Mr A L C Byatt

Dr K A Foster FRSB

The Rt Hon Sir

Charles HaddonCave PC

Mr A S Ivison

Dr A J Makai

Dr C V Nowikow JP

Mr S G Trembath

1975Mr P W Blackmore

Mr J V Canning

Mr S E de Somogyi

Dr R A Hood QVRM

TD DL

Sir Richard Jacobs

Mr A J V McCallum

Mr D A Rew QVRM

TD

Mr P R Sanford

Mr R B Sloan

1976Mr M N Armstrong

Mr M C Bullock

Dr M J Burrows

Mr N P McNelly

Mr P C Nicholls

Mr C P Robb

1977Mr N J Brooks

Mr D R Miller

Mr J E SymesThompson FRICS

1978Major General S M Andrews CBE C Eng FIET

Revd Father J C Finnemore

Mr M K Jackson

Mr M Russell-Jones

Mr C D C Savage

Mr D S Walden

1979Mr P S J Derham

OBE

Dr L J Reeve FRHistS

1980Brigadier W J F Kingdon

Mr J P Snoad

1981Mr M E Bartlett

Mr W J Cowan

Dr I M McClure

Mr S D Morgan

Mr A Rahman

1982Mr I C Carter FRSA

Mr J S Davison

Mr D J Hitchcock

OBE

Mr C S Teng

1983Mr D N Pether

Mr M J Pollitt

Dr S J Rosenberg

Mr L R Somerville

Dr P Wilson

1984Mr J R Baker

Ms V J Bowman

CMG

Professor I S Buick

Mrs C F Holmes

Mr A D Marcus

Ms J M L Prior

Dr D S Richardson

MA FRCP

1985Mr J M Furniss

Mr C M F Viner

1986Mr J P Johnstone

Mr R D R Stark

Mr J M Wolfson

1987Ms C M Thomé

Mr A E K Vanderlip

1988Mr N K C Chan

Dr B J J Dent FRGS

Mr D L Gilinsky

Mr A T McIntyre

Mr A R Read

Mr B J L Wilkinson

1989Mr R W Bayly

Miss L Rice

1990Dr C L Hansen

Dr L J Walker

1991Ms D Batstone

Mr B J S Bell

Mr N A Datta

Dr S A Heise

Dr G P Shields

1992Professor J P Parry

Dr V A Pugsley

Mrs C E Stanwell

Professor A M R

Taylor

Sir Roger Tomkys

KCMG DL

1994Mr M A BagnallOakeley

Dr A Guha

Mr H P Raingold

Ms H E M Walton

1995Mr J P Jackson

1997Mr A R Danson

Mr A R B A

Mydellton

Mr G F Watts

1998Ms J A Davies

Mr H R Perren

2000Mr A W Morris

FTCL ARAM

2001Miss V A Skinner

2003Mr G R I LlewellynSmith

Mrs H J Williamson

2004Mrs J A GoreRandall

Mr J Mayne

2006Mr M R Mellor

2009Mr G O Ulmann

2011Dr C L Sutherell

2018Miss S J Bakker

Mrs A Beckley

Mr W F Charnley

Miss C A

Hammersley

Mrs M Quinn

Mr M A Quinn

Dr A G V Strazzera

The College apologises for any inadvertent omissions and invites members willing to see their names listed in future to write accordingly to Janette Skinner or Mariola Thorpe at the College.

Bequests

The College acknowledges with gratitude the following bequests which were received between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024:

1948Revd C E Davis

1949Mr H J L Fitch

£116

£1,426

Professor J H Knox FRS FRSE

£2,000

1950Mr T E B Bateman

£58,438

Mr J D Kirk

£10,000

1951Mr J J M Barron

£2,000

1952Dr D Blackburn

£5,000

1953Mr H G Branchdale

£13,680

1954Mr R S Wood

£3,000

1955Mr J E Bowen FRCS Eng £10,000

Mr M S Double

£25,000

1956Mr T A Purcell

£2,000

1957Mr T R Harman

£500

1959Professor R J Jackson FRS £100,000

Professor Y A Wilks

£1,000

1960Mr R J Gladman

£5,903

1962Professor K M McNeil a further £190,714

1963Dr G B Houston a further £815

1980Professor H H Erskine-Hill FBA a further £63 (royalties from estate)

1998Dr M B Macleod £10,000

The College also received £40,000 from Mrs S E P Sykes, wife of Mr J R Sykes QC (1954).

A Gift to Pembroke in Perpetuity, helpful information on making a legacy, can be obtained by telephoning Janette Skinner or Mariola Thorpe on (01223) 339079, writing to the Development Office or emailing do3@pem.cam.ac.uk.

J.C.D.H.

The 1347 Committee Parents’ Luncheon

The 28th 1347 Committee Parents’ Luncheon was held before Easter term, on Sunday 21 April 2024. 140 parents and family members joined current junior members of the College for the occasion in Hall after drinks in the Old Library. Alex Macqueen (1996), English actor and writer, was this year’s guest speaker. The Committee would like to thank all those who attended this year’s Lunch and those who made donations. The £2,500 raised has been given to a College fund that directly supports Pembroke students in need of financial assistance. The next Parents’ Luncheon will be held on Sunday 27 April 2025 and details circulated to the parents of Junior Members.

Master’s Society

The 22nd meeting of the Master’s Society was held in College on Saturday 9 March 2024. One hundred and thirty-three guests were entertained to an enjoyable lunch in the Hall following a drinks reception in the Parlours. The Master thanked all those present for their generous support.

Membership of the Society is open to anyone who has made gifts totalling £2,000 or more to the College in the financial year prior to the event; invitations are also sent to donors for the two years following a gift of £5,000 or more, and for five years following a gift of £10,000 or more. Donors of £50,000 or more will be granted indefinite membership of the Society. To all, the College is very grateful. Among those attending this year’s lunch were:

Mr G P Balfour (1960)

Dr R G H Bethel (1966) & Mrs P James

Mr S Bhatia (1989) & Mrs C Bhatia

Mr R M V Blaney (1998)

Mr M P H M Bökkerink (1983)

Mr R A Bourne (1964) & Mrs S Bourne

Ms V J Bowman CMG (1984) & Professor P A Bernal (1983)

Mr C J Bristow (1995) & Ms A Bristow

Mr J V Canning (1975) & Mrs A Canning

Mrs J Crompton

Mr C D Daykin CB (1967) & Mrs K R Daykin

Mr F C F Delouche (1957) & Mrs D C Delouche

Dr B J J Dent FRGS (1988) & Ms N J McCabe (1988)

Mrs A I Desyllas (1994) & Mrs I Oon

Mr J V P Drury (1966) & Mrs C E C Drury MA

Mr H N Edmundson (1964) & Mrs C H Edmundson

Mr C M Fenwick MBE (1957) & Mrs P Fenwick

Mr J J Fenwick CBE DL (1952) & Mrs J Fenwick

Mr D J Figures (1955) & Mr T Figures

Revd Father J C Finnemore (1978) & Mr D Sten

Mr J M Furniss (1985) & Mrs A Furniss

Mr K J Garrett (1971) & Mrs H Garrett

Mr M Goodwin (1967) & Ms C de Marco

Dr S Halliday (1961) & Mrs J Halliday

Mr A J Handford (1970) & Mrs A Handford

Mr M I Haslett (1976) & Mrs L Haslett

Mrs S I Hewitt JP & Mrs R Haward

Mr H Howard (1953) & Mr A Howard

Mr J D R Howard (1980) & Mrs C Howard

Mr D M Hurt (1974) & Dr G Hurt

Mr A H Isaacs MBE (1954) & Mrs J Isaacs

Professor N Itoh & Ms P A Trebilcock

Mr A D Jackson (1966) & Mrs K E Jackson

Mr S K Jackson (1992) & Ms C Guyot Sionest

Sir Richard Jacobs (1975) & Lady Jacobs

Mr R H Jarratt (1961)

Mr R P Keatinge (1984)

Dr J Labruyère (2020)

Professor D T A Lamport (1955) & Mr J Lamport

Mr D E Love (1968)

Mr R D Marshall (1981) & Mrs S KissaneMarshall

Mr N P McNelly (1976) & Dr A McNelly

Mr I C Melia (1969) & Dr R J W Melia

Mr S K Moore (1984) & Dr J C Moore (1984) & Dr S A Moore

Mr S D Morgan (1981) & Mrs H L Morgan

Mr A R B A Mydellton (1997) & Miss L Duckmanton

Mr P A O’Leary (1961) & Mrs V O’Leary

Dr R J Parmee (1970) & Mrs S Parmee

Mr C A Payne (1979) & Ms A D Inglis

Mr W J N O Pencharz (1963) & Mrs M S Pencharz

Ms J M L Prior (1984)

Mr A Rahman (1981) & Mrs S Rahman

Mr N F Regan (1987)

Mr M A Roberts (1956) & Mr G David

Mr D P Robinson (1959)

Mr S Sayeed

Mr G M Scarcliffe (1975) & Mrs Barbara Scarcliffe

The Rt Hon Sir Konrad Schiemann PC (1958) & Lady Schiemann

Revd S F Shouler (1972) & Mrs Sally-Ann Shouler

Mr L R Somerville (1983) & Ms S S Johansen (1999)

Mr A H C Stirling (1954)

Mr M T Stollery JP (1978) & Mrs D Stollery

Mr D A Streatfeild (1964)

Ms A M Sykes & Mr R W Elphick

Mr K G Sykes (1965)

Dr M D Turnbull (1970)

Mr R J Warburton (1955) & Ms C Warburton

Mr D J S Worster (1976)

The College was represented by:

The Master

Dr J C D Hickson

Professor M C Payne FRS

Mr N J McBride

Professor R P Blakesley

Mr M R Mellor

Professor A V S Madhavapeddy

Dr N Lalafaryan

Mrs S H Stobbs

Professor S Huot FBA

Ms N Morris

Dr H Li

Ms J R H Mackenzie

Miss S A March

Mr M Hall (2021)

Mr B B Lakämper (2022)

Mr D M Morgan (2021)

Invitations for the next meeting of the Master’s Society, to be held on Saturday 15 March, will be sent out early in 2025.

THEVALENCE MARY (1997) ENDOWMENT FUND

The value of the Valence Mary (1997) Endowment Fund stood at £3,341,913.43 on 14th June 2024, compared with £3,484,825 in June 2023. It is largely invested in equities. In addition to the gift of £500,000 that the trustees agreed to give towards the College’s Mill Lane development, the trustees agreed to make a further gift of £100,000 for other priorities.

A copy of the accounts is available from Matthew Mellor (Development Director). The College, and trustees, thank Mr Karl Williamson of Quilter Cheviot and now Mrs Chiyo Rimington of Meridiem Investment for their stewardship of the trust’s investments.

COLLEGE CLUBS AND SOCIETIES

BADMINTON

Committee 2023–2024

Men’s I Captain and Co-President:

Committee 2024–2025

Men’s I Captain and Co-President: Maxwell Li Di’Mario Downer

Women’s I Captain and Co-President: Women’s I Captain and Co-President: Xinpeng Chen Darshana Marathe

Men’s II Captain: Dhruv Trehan

Men’s II Captains: Pasidu Perera, Treasurer: Darshana Marathe Chenyang Li

Social Secretary: Ishika Samanta

Treasurer: Katherine Wang

Social Secretary: Shreeya Jha

The badminton teams in 2022–2023 had won almost all their matches in Lent 2023, leaving a legacy of success which the incoming Committee and returning players were determined to continue. The club increased its reach amongst nonteam members and introduced team socials and swaps with other colleges which increased community bonding and team spirit. Club numbers expanded so much over the year that we had to introduce a first come first served system for social badminton since the number of students turning up far exceeded the number of courts available. Furthermore, this year saw changes to the match setup and points allocated to each match, leading to a greater focus on doubles pairs and endurance training for matches.

The Men’s 1st team was promoted to the second division at the end of last year, and most of the players stayed on, winning 3 out of 6 matches in Michaelmas 2023 to maintain their spot in the second division. I would like to recognise Maxwell Li, our previous captain who kindly stepped in as our Men’s I captain with no notice at the beginning of Lent, which boosted team morale. Alongside these changes the team trained hard in Lent, leading us to win 5 out of 6 matches in Lent, narrowly losing by just 1 point in the other game. Moreover, we successfully defeated 2 teams with impressive scores of 7–0, and 6–1. This led to an outstanding final ranking of first place in the second division, ensuring promotion up to the first division where we will compete in Michaelmas 2024.

The Men’s 2nd team was promoted to the fifth division at the end of last year, and we maintained our position by winning 4 out of 6 matches in Michaelmas. Lent Term saw the introduction of some powerful opponents in the fifth division, and there was a slight waver in Lent Term (probably due to the brain muscle being more active than the others during this time). However, there was immense progress from many of our current players, 3 of whom were promoted into the Men’s 1st team, and the 2nd team firmly held their ground in fifth division, ending in a middling position in their division.

The Women’s team was promoted to first division last year. We suffered the loss of exceptional talent from last year, but we also saw the addition of new talent at the beginning of this year. We won 4 out of 6 matches in Michaelmas, successfully maintaining our position in the first division. Lent term saw the

introduction of two powerful opponents. Nevertheless, we won 3 out of 5 matches in Lent, demolishing 3 teams to finish second in the first division!

Lent Term sees the highly competitive annual Cuppers competition. We had additional training sessions for doubles players to get to know their partners better, and to focus on developing playing technique and match strategy. For the first time since any of our current members or alumni can remember, all three of our teams made it to the quarter-finals, with the Mixed and Women’s teams making it to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, half of our players were absent during the semi-finals. Nevertheless, the teams played exceptionally well, and we are incredibly proud of each of our players for making it so far into the tournament.

Badminton dinner is the social highlight of the year, where we celebrate the achievements throughout the year and pass on captaincy. Alumni are also invited to celebrate this occasion, and made up over 30% of attendees this year. The day also comprises a students vs alumni tournament, –this year the student team narrowly beat the alumni, demonstrating the high standards of our current players. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Alex Wiggins, an alumnus of our society who kindly made a donation to the Club after the event.

On a final, personal note, I have thoroughly enjoyed being PCBaC’s first social secretary. I am extremely grateful for the extensive engagement and support by the community whilst I experimented with the introduction of various socials and methods of outreach, both within the community and with other colleges. I’m extremely proud to be part of such a wholesome community, and PCBaC has expanded and grown in strength immensely this year, with each member making a collective effort to perform and deliver to high standards when required. We are known to be the largest college-run badminton society in Cambridge, and I have no doubt this team will continue to give their best to continue our legacy and keep growing. I eagerly await to see what will come next in this society, and I wish the new committee the best of luck next year.

Ishika Samanta BOAT CLUB

2023–24 Captains

Overall: Esyllt Parry-Lowther

Men’s: Tom Wallace

Women’s: Eleanor Stiles

2024–25 Captains

Overall: Omer Elchanan

Men’s: Toby Levick

Women’s: Giorgia Brigatti

Following on from the 2022–23 season, the incoming committee and returning rowers felt determined to continue our work to rebuild the club after many talented rowers graduated. September saw Pembroke kicking off the year with a 10-day training camp in Budapest. Training camp is a fantastic opportunity for rowers to refocus their energies towards the upcoming year of rowing, develop their technique, improve their fitness, and bond with their new squad-mates on a gorgeous open river in a beautiful city. Every individual made remarkable improvements in this setting, undertaking three sessions of water and land

training per day. This camp offered a great opportunity for the rowers to better get to know Christopher Radbone, our new Head coach, and benefit from individually tailored advice and feedback from him- Chris would direct and oversee training throughout the day, and later review filmed footage of the day with all rowers to highlight progress made and mark any areas for development. A special thank you goes out to Bálint Homonnay and his family for allowing us access to amazing facilities and for all the help offered throughout the training camp!

After returning from camp, the focus shifted towards recruiting more novices, and training for University IV’s and the Fairbairn Cup. Michaelmas Term started with our annual Big Rowing Day for Freshers, organised by the Lower Boats Captains. We recruited an impressive number of new rowers, including enough women to crew and sub into two novice boats. The novice boats developed a solid foundation and showed great potential for upcoming challenges. On the men’s side, at the Emma Sprints NM1 beat Emma and Caius’ top novice boats, losing in the semi-finals to Selwyn, the eventual winners.

University Fours saw Pembroke face some strong boats all around. M2 made it through to the finals losing to Emmanuel 2, while M1 was knocked out in the second round by the eventual winner, Magdalene. Although W1 lost to Homerton in the first round, they put in a time that would have won many of the other heats which took place!

Transitioning back to 8+s in the run-up to Winter Head, M1 struggled in the face of illness, while M2 came 3rd in their division with a clean row and an impressive sprint. Although this was W2’s first race of the year, they finished in the top half of their category, overtaking crews at the Plough and again at the Railway Bridge! W1, still racing as a 4+, pushed hard and came fifth overall, catching a crew several places ahead in the start order. W1 had a strong Fairbairn’s, beating Sidney and Homerton to come fifth, displaying the hard work they had put in across the term. Special mention should go to Finlay Evans who only started coxing in October and came through a baptism of fire with W1 to become a senior cox. W2 finished fourth out of all the women’s 2nd VIIIs, even though for half of the crew it was their first ever Fairbairns. While illness kept M2 out of the competition, M1 rounded off the term well by beating their time from last year.

A very wet start to the calendar year meant the closure of the Cam to lower boats in the run-up to the Lent Bumps. Although the water lapped close to its doors, the boat house avoided flooding. The high water levels also led to the cancellation of the lower divisions at the 41st Pembroke Regatta on 17th February, although the rest of the event went very smoothly, continuing the success of last year’s event. It was great to see so many alumni return for the regatta this year, with three crews facing off against Caius. While, unfortunately, the three alumni crews came away from this contest empty-handed, the Regatta Dinner saw club members past and present in high spirits, celebrating together.

M1 had a good start to Lent Term with a strong showing in the first few races, followed by some intensive training. Although they were bumped by Trinity Hall on the first day of the Lent Bumps, they had an intriguing tussle with Clare for the rest of the week: staying ahead of them on day 2 for a row over, bumped by them

on day 3, and then coming within two feet of Clare for a revenge bump before being caught by Emmanuel! M2 started Lent Term with five novices in the boat and after a gritty campaign ended -1, including a hard-fought back and forth with Emmanuel M2, bumping and then being bumped back by them. The strong progress shown by the ex-novices coming up in the club certainly fills us with optimism as we look forward to the coming year and years to come.

W1 went down three in Lents but showed marked improvements every day. The campaign was notable for a two-day tussle with Churchill. On day 3 W1 held off Churchill until the end of the long reach, even though they had drawn within two whistles before Grassy. On the final day and despite an injury, the crew closed back on Churchill, holding them at two whistles for most of the course. W2 also found its time on the river restricted as it had bumped down to Division 3 the year before. This gave the crew an incentive to get out of that division, catching Downing II on the first day and taking W2 into the sandwich position where they battled it out over the next four days. After catching Queens’ II on the third day, frustratingly Caius II bumped the crew back down to the sandwich boat on day four, resulting in two more row-overs on day five. After 7 races in 5 days, an exhausted but proud W2 ended up +1.

M3 sadly did not get on to the Lent Bumps. They raced well at the Talbot Cup but were then frustratingly knocked out by a team that was later disqualified for using ineligible rowers.

Pembroke had two representatives in this year’s Boat Race. Last year’s Overall Captain Arden Berlinger stroked the lightweight women’s crew to victory. Meanwhile, Molly Foxell rowed for Blondie for the second year running, although this year saw a reverse in their fortunes. We are so proud of their achievements and their hard work and are so privileged to have them as members of the club!

Easter Term started with two of our Freshers, Hannah Major and Abigail Jackson, coming together to win the Lowe Double Sculls. The two then faced each other in the Delafield Championship Sculls, with Abigail taking victory! In early May M4 took part in the Spring Head-to-Head and set a record-breaking time, racing the course faster than any M4 had ever done before. Unfortunately, they were unable to make it through the getting on race to qualify for the May Bumps. M1 and W1 also gained valuable off-Cam racing experience at Bedford and Metropolitan Regattas.

Six crews raced in the Mays this year. This season proved challenging with M1 finishing down two, and W1 finishing down two. M1 faced multiple injuries throughout Mays, meaning that they were without their stroke for 3+ weeks, and positions in the boat continuously shuffled around. Despite this, the crew put up a strong showing on all four days, with two row-overs sandwiched between bumps by Jesus and Downing. Both M2 and M3 ended level. A satisfying capture of Downing M2 was cancelled out by being caught by Jesus M2 on the final day. A bump by Girton M2 due to miscommunication on day two was evened out by catching First and Third M3 on the final day.

On the Women’s side, all three boats faced fierce competition. W1 managed to hold off Trinity Hall the first day, but were caught on day two, then by Catz on day three. The week ended well though, with a strong row over. W2 were bumped by

CRICKET

Captain 2023–24: Tom Happe

Captains 2024–25: Nico Smith and Theo Truss

This season was a successful if unusual season for the Cricket Club. Cuppers group stage games are typically played in May, before exams; however, this year bad weather repeatedly stopped play. Thus, the Pembroke team only played one group stage game: a victory against Downing. From this progress was owed to coin tosses and forfeits. At the end of a coin tossathon with other captains across Cambridge, Pembroke were drawn against St John’s in the Quarter finals. Difficult circumstances meant that this was to be played on the same day as finals day.

The team braved an early start following post exam revelry to put in an excellent showing, bowling John’s out cheaply before some Theo Truss fireworks led a successful chase. The team then rushed over to Fenner’s to take on Jesus in the semi-final. A man down, Pembroke went toe to toe with a team replete with University Cricketers. We restricted Jesus to a manageable score of 140. Highlights included Nick Johnson’s superb run out from the cover boundary and Meghan Gills tight middle over spell. The chase was started well by Nico Smith and Aakash Gupta who took us to a good position before we faltered in the backend. Nonetheless, the team’s efforts made me extremely proud and they represented the College admirably.

Cricket combines seasoned players with those who want to try a new sport and those who turn up out of college spirit. From Blues bowlers like Nico Smith, who delivered consistently excellent spells, to those who take the game up after a long absence, to Pembroke’s international student community, who are the backbone of our team. Every single player who represented us on the cricket field is testament to the Pembroke spirit and sense of community in a way few societies are.

Tom Happe

FOOTBALL (MEN’S)

Committee 2023–2024

Co-President and Men’s I Captain:

Committee 2024–2025

Co-President and Men’s I Captain: Tom Dixon Ross Harrison

Co-President and Women’s I Captain: Co-President and Women’s I Captain: Irene Bermudo Báguena Grace Martin

Men’s I Vice-Captain: Julius Ahmad

Men’s II Captain: Tom Hopkins

Secretary: Ross Harrison

Social Secretary: Mona Hilliges

Men’s I Vice-Captain: Brian Bo Lakamper

Men’s II Captain: Nathan Herbert

Secretary: Tarkan Ates

Social Secretary: Katie Carter

On the Men’s I side, Pembroke very much had a mixed season, with some very strong results, as well as some not so strong ones. Following a bumper crop of

freshers after the previous year’s largely failed harvest, we were excited to see what we could do this year after a season in which we reached Cuppers final the year before.

In our only pre-season friendly, we ran out 6–0 victors away against Churchill, with a few of the keenest freshers getting involved straight away. Gareth Morgan popped up with a delicate chip of the goalkeeper to finish a fantastic team move to get us started and the goals flowed freely from there. A good sign of things to come. In our first competitive game, however, we played Fitz and saw just how helpful it is to have dedicated pre-season training with the university team as their team of university players brushed us aside: 4–1.

Next up was our opening cup game against Gonville and Caius. This game saw us battle to a 2–2 draw in normal time with our captain getting a boot to the head (deservedly so) while stooping for a header. In extra time, new kid Dan Jones shone, scoring 3 in extra time and 4 overall, leading us to a 6–2 victory and progression to the next round of the cup.

We then travelled to Churchill. With memories of our pre-season gubbing fresh in the memory, we picked up where we left off and won 5–1, with player of the season Josh Morris Blake having one of many good days at the proverbial office. After that, we travelled to Jesus and despite going 4–0 up managed to have a nervy end to the game after we forgot how to keep the ball and let them back into the game with two quick goals. Luckily, Arnaud Guela Simo was not injured after landing on his neck one of the most audacious acrobatic efforts you will ever see on a football pitch.

We were then unceremoniously dumped out of the cup by high-flying division 2 team King’s, putting to an end any thoughts of a return to the final. After a tough defeat like this, a bounce back was necessary and bounce-back we did. Perhaps due to the absence of our captain, we managed to beat a Girton side who had a solid season in the top division by eleven (yes eleven) goals to nil. Last year’s captain Ollie Reed was star of the show, running the show and managing to score a hat trick in the process.

I wish I could say the season continued like this. Alas, it did not. Lent led to a string of losses against John’s, Queens’, Downing and Homerton, with us picking up our only win of the term against Gonville and Cauis. This confirmed our final league position of mid-table obscurity, which while disappointing extends our run in the top division of the CUAFL.

Following on the momentum of a strong previous season, our women’s and non-binary football team, “Newbroke” charged steadily into facing new opponents in both the league and Cuppers. With bright and promising new fresher additions from both Pembroke and Newnham, some fluid skills painted the pitch with crosses and corners to obtain some amazing results.

In the league, despite suffering a narrow loss against Fitzwilliam/Corpus, we persevered with strong secure wins.

After qualifying first in our group for the mighty knockout phase of Cuppers, our team raised some eyebrows (and hopes) when we won 16–0 against Peterhouse/Clare in the quarter finals despite a waterlogged pitch. Unfortunately, a strong opposition defeated us in the semi- finals during extra time despite the truly massive effort of our beautiful team.

With nothing but excitement for next year, we can’t wait to see how the team will grow and develop under a new captaincy and even fresher recruits. See you then!

Tom Dixonand Irene Bermudo Báguena

HOCKEY

2023–24 Captain: Matthew Williams 2024–25 Captain: Matthew Williams

Following last year’s successes, Pembroke–Christ’s Hockey Club began the year with strong aspirations, both in the league and in our pursuit of the elusive Cupper’s trophy. Some excellent fresher additions and a solid backbone of CUHC players left our squad in an ideal position, and our strength was reflected in the achievements of the team across our various campaigns. We began Michaelmas in Division I and, after an anomalous loss against John’s in the opener, we took the league by storm. We immediately bounced back against John’s II, coming out as 4–2 winners and witnessing the glorious outfield debut of our now Blue keeper, Chen. Our winning ways continued with subsequent victories against Selwyn–Trinity Hall (6–4), Kings–Sidney–Homerton (2–0), and Trinity–Fitzwilliam (8–5). Notable from these were player-of-thematch performances from newcomers Georgia Bozianu and Emily Isaacs, and 5 goals across 3 games for our finalist striker Tom Myles. Performances only got stronger and Matchweek 6 brought a 17–5 demolition of Downing–Churchill, with 5 goals from both Georgia and Ben and the 4-goal return of PCHC legend Harry Palmer. The league concluded with a win against St Catherine’s (4–2), leaving us top of the table and deserving champions of the Michaelmas League. Player of the Term: Georgia Bozianu. Defensive Award: Luke Poulston. Attacking Award: Ben Oldham.

With the league reset, we intended to continue from our Michaelmas form into Lent. After a slight hitch against Selwyn-Trinity Hall (5–4 loss) and some tactical tweaks, we returned with a resounding 8–3 win against Murray Edwards–Emma. Looking a little light on the ground, a squad of just 5 brought an extra challenge to the next (double) match week. However, hopes of a title defence were kept alive with commendable performances from all players. The hard-fought wins against Robinson–Lucy Cavendish–Corpus-Peterhouse (5–2) and John’s II (3–2), resulted in the Player of the Match award being awarded to all involved. 3 further back-to-back victories against the remaining opposition, with a huge 16 goals scored, set up an eagerly awaited title decider against John’s. However, things were not to be and, despite rushing into a 4-goal advantage courtesy of a clinical Tom, we fell to a heartbreaking 6–5 defeat. Highlights of the term included multiple PoTM showings for Francesca Evans, an appearance of a suited-up Ollie Sharp in a managerial capacity, and the debut of our newly arrived kit.

Easter term signalled the beginning of our Cupper’s campaign. Having fallen short at the final hurdle multiple times in the recent past, there was a

determination that this would be the year to go all the way. We began with a resounding 10–0 win in the rain against ARU, before moving on to beat Trinity–Fitzwilliam in a close quarter-final encounter. After going behind early on, strikes from Tom and returner Nicholas Johnsen put us in control. However, a contentious equaliser sent the game to shuffles, in which a heroic display from Chenyang Li back between the sticks meant we came out on top. The semi-final brought a rematch against multiple-time Cupper’s winners Jesus, but memories of past finals lost were banished with a massive 5–0 win at Wilby. Seb Walton, one of our 4 Blues in the squad, returned with an impressive 4 goals, setting us up for a final against St Catherine’s. We put in a strong effort, but ultimately it was not to be once more and they ran out as 4–1 winners. Despite once more not getting our hands on the trophy, it was a Cupper’s run to be proud of and, as always, we will be back next year.

Player of the Year: Tom Myles.

A special mention should also be made to the 10 Chrembroke players who represented the University in this year’s varsity matches, especially Georgia Bozianu and Eveena Shah who won their games. It’s been a real pleasure to captain the side this year, and I greatly look forward to reprising the role next year, hopefully to further success. I would like to thank every member for their commitment to the team and particularly to our graduating players. Of these, Ben, Eveena, and Tom deserve special thanks for playing so regularly over the past few years and leaving the club as a firmly established heavyweight of college hockey.

Matthew Williams

NETBALL

2023–2024

Ladies’ Captain: Jemima Prior

Mixed Co-Captain: Carys Myers

Mixed Co-Captain: Matt Holmes

2024–2025

Ladies’ Captain: Rosa Pollard-Smith

Mixed Co-Captain: Francesca Evans

Mixed Co-Captain: Thomas Dixon

This year has been incredibly successful for Pembroke College Netball Club (PCNC). Alongside our mixed 1st team winning both cuppers and the college league, PCNC has swiftly become (self-proclaimed) Pembroke’s largest society, with three teams competing weekly in the college league (Womens, Mixed 1s and Mixed 2s). PCNC were also the first college to enter three mixed teams into cuppers; our second mixed team were promoted in the league, topped their group and were the only second team of any college to make it to the finals stages, whilst the women got promoted and since have remained comfortably in their division! We have held weekly training sessions, organized numerous pub trips and a netball formal hall complete with awards that ended a brilliant year.

Mixed 1st Team

After last year’s agonizing one point loss to Jesus in the Cuppers Final and finishing runners up in the league to the same opposition, the mixed 1st team

from last year. We were unfortunate to lose some brilliant players at the end of 2022–23, but gained some committed freshers who were more than able to plug the gaps. As per last season, the Pembroke contingent remained strong, punching above their weight and ensuring most of the starting XV were dominated by Valencians.

The season started with a strong recruitment pub trip, where we picked up a prop and a fly half, the latter having particularly large shoes to fill after the departure of my predecessor Cal. The boys turned out in force for the tripartite fixtures at the start of the year, which were played at Pembroke, the first time the posts have been up since the 2019–20 season. Some good results against strong opposition started the year well, but in a cruel twist of fate Pirton ended up in Division 2 of the League solely based on scoring fewer points than Queens’/Jesus.

This was quickly forgotten as our club President Howard Raingold came to town to cheer us up over a glass of wine for our yearly Rugby Formal. This was a lovely evening of bonding for the players, and it was particularly great to see boys across all years having a great time together. College sport is one of the best ways to make friends of all ages, and it was heartwarming to see the club’s inclusive and friendly spirit being instilled in the new players as well.

The rest of the League season was inconsistent due to difficulties in organising games and putting out sides, mainly due to the multi-talented nature of the squad –we have multiple 1st VIII Pembroke rowers as well as university Rugby League and American Football players, and with bumps and Varsity matches approaching, Lent matches became difficult. Nevertheless, every match was played with the exact same determination and grit that has become a sure characteristic of Pirton sides in years gone by, qualities I hope will continue in the club for years to come.

The new year did bring with it a gift for the team in the form of a new Canterbury merchandise store with bespoke and personalised Pirton products. These ensured that the snazzy kit from last year was complemented with equally professional training kit –if any alumni or supporters of the club would like to have access, please contact me by email (aakashgup12@gmail.com).

With our new gear donned, we marched to Cuppers keen to replicate the success of last season. With a tough draw in the first round against the finalists from last year, St Catharine’s/Homerton, the boys put in a truly spirited effort in a losing cause, with a special shoutout to all our new players for leaving everything they had on the pitch. This led to a showdown against Corpus Christi/King’s (CCK) for the last game of the Michaelmas term. Despite a yellow card for yours truly (they really are getting serious on high tackles…), the forwards’ power combined with the skill of the backs were simply too much for CCK, resulting in a resounding 34–14 victory.

The off-pitch revelry continued into Lent, with our annual dinner featuring stirring speeches and player awards. We were also lucky enough to be hosted for dinner by the Master along with our multiple female Blues players, including both the outgoing and incoming University 1st XV captains. This wonderful evening confirmed that rugby at Pembroke for both male and female players continues to thrive.

Lent Term finished with our second Old Boys game, played on a sunny evening in late March. Despite some shaky refereeing, a strong alumni side was swept aside with some expansive rugby from the current team. This led into a brilliant curry evening hosted by Girton, Pirton’s second-best half, with the evening displaying that Pembroke rugby players are truly a member of the club for life.

After a revision-filled Easter vacation, the boys returned eager to dispel the impending doom of exams with some rugby. Now into a Cuppers semi-final (albeit not the main competition!), Pirton faced Trinity/Christ’s in a hastily relocated game on Grange Road. Against a formidable and powerful opposition, we produced our best performance to date to triumph 29–10, including a scintillating offload-based full team try straight out of the Harlequins playbook that is the best I have seen in my four years for the club.

This led us to the highlight of our season, which was also the swansong for many club stalwarts –the Cuppers Bowl final. We faced an All Greys side who, despite not putting out more than twelve players for any game throughout the season, had managed to wrangle multiple Blues for our rainy clash at Shelford RFC. They started the match strong, scoring multiple tries with their powerful forwards aided by some quick decision making from their scrum half. Pirton, in true fashion, refused to give up and finished the match with 20 minutes of determined and gritty rugby, scoring two truly impressive tries. Despite the scoreline, it truly felt like a win, and we celebrated it as such!

None of us would be able to play rugby without the work of both the Girton and Pembroke groundsmen, Steve and Trevor, who prepared our pitches every week. Thank you also to the College, particularly the Master, for supporting the club, and to Tom Stokes, College Rugby Manager, for putting on a brilliant rugby programme. Finally, many thanks to our President, Howard Raingold, for his unwavering support and commitment to our club.

As I pass on the captaincy and prepare to leave Cambridge, I have the fondest of memories playing for this club and feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to lead it. I hope that future players continue to espouse the friendliness, openness, and inclusivity of this truly special rugby club, and I look forward to returning for Old Boys next year. In the meantime, I will continue to wear my Pirton shirt with great pride.

Aakash Gupta

TENNIS

Current Captain: George Phillips

Incoming Co-Captains: Harry Dalton & Nina Roddick

Pembroke were incredibly fortunate to receive an influx of fantastic tennis players this year, prompting a greater number of sessions throughout the term than previous years. Alongside a social session each weekend for casual players, we ran a number of indoor and hardcourt training sessions for those intending to

play for Pembroke in the college league. With increased demand, an all-new 2nd team was established and entered into the league.

In Michaelmas, our 1st team continued in Division 2 from last year’s position and our new 2nd team began in Division 7. The 1st team excelled in Michaelmas, winning all five league fixtures, and coming 1st place in their division, dropping only 4 rubbers the entire term. This secured the team a promotion spot. Meanwhile, the 2nd team had an incredibly successful run, winning three of the four fixtures, securing 1st place in Division 7.

With the 1st team now in Division 1 heading into Lent, it was certainly going to be tough. With 2 wins, 2 losses and a draw, the 1st team avoided demotion in 4th place, putting us in a great position for next year. Our 2nd team (promoted to Division 5 due to the withdrawal and entry of other teams) continued to succeed with 3 wins and 2 losses, resulting in 2nd place. This secured us a promotion spot.

We were very pleased with the progress of both teams in the college league this year, especially the 2nd team, which made astounding progress up the division ladder.

Heading into Easter, it was time for Cuppers, where we entered both our 1st and 2nd teams. The 1st team started off strong with a 4–2 win over Darwin, followed by a nail-biting victory over St John’s 1st team –the fixture ended 3–3, with Pembroke scraping the victory 27–25 on games to put them through to the quarter finals. With a comfortable victory against Homerton 1st (6–0) in the quarters and Jesus 1st (5–1) in the semis, Pembroke 1st made it through to the cuppers final! Unfortunately, plagued by player illness and availability issues, with the match taking place very late in Easter term, Pembroke put up a fight, but Girton 1st were too strong and won the final 5–1. Nevertheless, Pembroke placed 2nd overall!

Meanwhile, our 2nd team was not quite as fortunate, facing the tough opponent of Trinity 1st in their first fixture, which ended in a loss. The team entered the Plate Knockout for those who lost their first match. Despite a forfeit from Anglia Ruskin in the first round, Emmanuel 1st in the 2nd round were just too strong for our 2nd team. In addition, Easter term brought sunshine, and we rounded off the year with a social grass court session during May Week.

I would like to commend the exceptional commitment and dedication our members have had this year, resulting in the successes we have seen in both the college league and Easter Cuppers. Pembroke College Tennis Club is in good stead for the incoming co-captains Harry Dalton and Nina Roddick to continue its success into next year.

George Phillips

MUSIC SOCIETY

President: Ailsa McTernan

Secretary: Rhys King

Incoming President: Jack Marley

Incoming Secretary: Molly Hord

This year, Pembroke College Music Society (PCMS) has instituted a number of exciting developments. In addition to a continuation of popular schemes such as

the ‘Come and Play’ concerts, ‘Freshers’ Concert’, and ‘Saturdays and Five’ recital series initiated by my predecessor, Joseph Beadle, this year we have introduced a candle-lit ‘Chapel Late’ concert scheme, two new college chamber ensembles, an inaugural instrumental competition and a revival of the annual Society Dinner. Our core values have remained broadly the same as those of previous years (the widening of participation and diversification of musical genres) but this year, the introduction of ambitious chamber projects, the use of new performance venues, and the expansion of social events have also been key priorities. From a Songwriters’ Showcase in the New Cellars to a performance of Mozart’s Requiem in the Auditorium and candle-lit early music showcases in the Chapel, PCMS has continued to encourage a broad variety of music-making, and provide a supportive and positive platform for musically-minded creatives across the college student body.

At the start of Michaelmas Term, we hosted our first ‘Freshers’ Welcome Drinks’ event, offering an opportunity for incoming students to meet the committee members and connect with fellow music enthusiasts. Our musical programme opened with a ‘Come and Play’ concert, which offered new and returning students the opportunity to perform in a supportive, informal setting. This was followed by the annual ‘Freshers’ Concert’, which featured performances of music by Bach, Chopin, Jacques Ibert, Buxtehude, Sandström and Billy Joel. Our first ‘Saturdays at Five’ performance was a Chamber Choir concert entitled Faith and Longing led by guest conductor Ben Siebertz and performed by a consort of both undergraduate postgraduate students. Pembroke alumni Sam Weinstein (cello) and Owen Saldanha (piano) performed a spellbinding programme of music by Schumann, Janacek and Mendelssohn for our next concert. This was followed by an inaugural Songwriters’ Showcase in the New Cellars which gave students the opportunity to share some of their original compositions. In mid-November, we hosted our first ‘Chapel Late’ concert; the Welsh Choir (Côr Caergrawnt) led by Rhys King, performed a mesmerizing programme of Christmas Songs and traditional Plygian carols by candlelight to a standing-room-only audience. This was wonderfully contrasted with a performance of popular music and musical theatre numbers by Emilia Clarke and Henry Kim a few days later, the intimate setting providing a wonderful ‘fireside chat’ atmosphere for the duo’s eclectic programme. Rejoice ye Hearts: a PCMS celebration, a special PCMS concert held in memory of Dr Sidney Kenderdine (1935–2002) was our final event of term; this ambitious chamber project included a performance of Bach’s cantata Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen, along with works for string orchestra by Holst and Elgar conducted by PCMS committee members Andreana Chan and Mark Wadey respectively. In true Bridgemas style, our Baroque bonanza was concluded with hot chocolate and mince pies served in the Auditorium Foyer. Lent Term opened with an impressive choral performance ‘Reinterpretations’, curated by Matthew Cresswell and Fraser Gaffney, which explored striking choral arrangements and reimaginations across stylistic borders, from Bach to Radiohead. February 17 saw our first musical double-bill; Emilia Grace and Henry Kim returned for a concert in the New Cellars, immediately followed by an exhilarating performance of Mozart’s Requiem led by guest conductor Archie

Glover. The following Tuesday saw our next ‘Chapel Late’ performance entitled Attende Domine; an ethereal and atmospheric performance of Bach Chorales and early church polyphony by candlelight presented by Hannah Lewis, Amy Keller and Libby Salmon. On February 24 we hosted our inaugural Kenderdine Music Competition. Our esteemed panel of judges (Ms Anna Lapwood, Director of Music at Pembroke (Chair), Professor David Trippett, Director of Music at Christ’s College, and Mr Nicholas Morris, Director of Music at Queens’ College) were blown away by the seven performances, but concluded that Jack Marley’s performance of Paul Creston’s Sonata for Saxophone, op.9, ii and iii deserved first prize, with Hanna Simojoki (Violin) and Andreana Chan (Piano) taking home second and third place respectively. Two days later, we revived our annual blacktie Society Dinner. Held in the Old Library, and accompanied by music from the Pembroke String Quartet (who would later perform a programme of music for the second Chapel Late concert of term), the evening provided an opportunity to celebrate the thriving musical community in college, reflect on recent musical events and foster continuing support and participation. Pianist Chelsea Ou gave a recital of works by Rachmaninoff and Scriabin the following Saturday, preceded by a ‘Soundwalk’ organized by Rhys King, exploring the intersections of ecological and musicological practices, and followed by another successful ‘Come and Play’ concert with music from Telemann to Stephen Schwartz. The final event of term saw the return of the Cambridge Welsh Choir which performed a programme of poetry and music on mythical and romantic themes to a captivated Chapel audience.

Music by Musos launched our Easter Term events series, offering college music students Maryam Giraud, Jack Marley and Mark Wadey the chance to rehearse their examined recitals before a live audience. Our first concert of May was a concert entitled ‘Sounds and Spaces’. Curated by Jack Marley, this immersive concert included Bach’s Partita no. 1 for violin arranged for saxophone by Raaf Hekema alongside excerpts from Kahlil Gibran’s narrative poem The Prophet. Next, we were treated to a beautiful programme of vocal music including Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben, Op. 42 and Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder by soprano Christine Buras and pianist Joshua Ryan which was followed by an equally delightful recital presented by Daphne Delfas (Violin) and Lilly Vadaneaux (Piano). Our next ‘Chapel Late’ for Easter Term featured a performance from our exciting new Baroque ensemble ‘PemBarqoue’, directed by ex-Pembroke organ scholar, David Galbraith-Woods with a glistening programme celebrating the composer William Boyce’s connection with the college. Violinist Hanna Simojoki led a concert of piano trios and solo violin pieces alongside Matthew Cresswell and Daniel Simojoki (Trinity) in the new Mill Lane Recital Room, whilst guest performers Jessica Folwell (Soprano) and James Kitchingham (Piano) performed a programme of music by Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Libby Larsen and others for our closing ‘Chapel Late’ concert. The year concluded with a PCMS Garden Party, which saw performances by the upper voices consort ‘Anonymous Five’, a reprisal of the ‘Reinterpretations’ project and a semi-dramatized musical theatre medley presented by myself, James Southorn (Tenor) and Matthew Cresswell (Piano) with songs from West Side Story and Carousel.

I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to all of the PCMS committee members (Rhys King, Jack Marley, Jonathan Bingham, Claire Carroll, Andreana Chan, Matthew Cresswell, Molly Hord, Maryam Giraud, Amy Keller, Henry Kim, Tom de Csilléry, Neha Shah and Sophia Orr) who have been actively involved in spearheading and facilitating our ambitious calendar of events and projects. In particular, I would like to express my gratitude to Secretary Rhys King for his unwavering support, enthusiasm and scrupulous organisational skills, to Junior Treasurer Jack Marley and to our fabulous social media team who have done an amazing job publicising our projects across social media platforms. I am especially grateful to our acting Deans Devin McLachlan and Sophie Young for allowing us to use the Chapel throughout the year; Sally March for her untiring technical provision and support; our Director of Music Ms Anna Lapwood for her ongoing support and active participation in the life of PCMS; and the Master, Lord Chris Smith who has been a frequent audience member and keen advocate of our musical aspirations. Senior Treasurer Mr Andrew Morris has been instrumental in facilitating and supporting our vision, and has overseen our collective with infectious zeal. I am confident that incoming President Jack Marley and Secretary Molly Hord will do a fantastic job in continuing our mission, and wish both new and returning committee members the best of luck with future projects. I look forward to watching the society continue to develop and flourish under the auspices of such an enthusiastic and dedicated collective.

Ailsa McTernan

PEMBROKE PLAYERS

Committee 2023–24

Presidents: Jack Marley, Sarah Fowler

Committee 2024–25

Presidents: Sophia Orr, Izzy Lane

Treasurers: Anya Skarbonkiewicz, Treasurer: Anna Hipkiss

Genevieve Ayalogu

Secretary: Ayeda Majid

Artistic Director: Jake Burke

Secretary: Aoife McGrath

Artistic Director: Sanaer Madden

Comedy Directors: Toby Trusted,

Comedy Director: Isaac ThompkinsonLily Butler

Technical Director: Sam Allen

Marketing Director: Katie Stapleton

Technical Director: Jasper Harris

Marketing Director: Sophie Cleaves

The Pembroke Players continued to consolidate its identity this year, following the society’s near-total restart post-pandemic in October 2022. The summer was very busy with handovers, receiving applications for Michaelmas Term productions, commissioning an original script for the annual pantomime, and hosting a playwriting competition. Thanks to the hard work of the previous committee in building the society’s profile across the university, there were many responses to all three, and we had a hard time choosing between the wonderful options. For the playwriting competition, the committee selected a shortlist of three new pieces of student writing which were then sent to our guest judge, the

playwright and previous Peter Shaffer playwright-in-residence at Trinity College, India Harrison Peppe. She selected Pembroke English student Amy Brian’s play Negotiating with the Dead as the winner, and the script was produced in New Cellars at the end of Michaelmas term. Jenny Cyffin-Jones was chosen to write our Pantomime, and her fantastical Peter Pan-tomime was also performed in Michaelmas, with a wonderful cast of both under- and postgraduate freshers. Michaelmas was our busiest term this year, with 7 full productions, 4 comedy smokers, and a two-night stand up special by the hilarious Ella Scott. It was stressful at times and a steep learning curve for us as a committee, but after months of organising over the summer, it was really gratifying to see theatre and comedy return to New Cellars.

Lent Term followed a slightly more relaxed schedule, seeing 6 full productions, 3 comedy smokers, and the two big society events: our society dinner and the Black Tie Smoker. Getting to host these events in Pembroke’s beautiful Old Library with an evening wear dress code was a pleasure, and both were great successes. The Black Tie Smoker once again sold out and our line-up of talented performers, including Pembroke students and smoker regulars Sameera Bowers and Toby Trusted, gave a great show. The evening ended with our panel, headed by the master Lord Chris Smith, naming Toby this year’s ‘monarch of the smoker’. Highlights from New Cellars in Lent term included the hilarious Bloody Knees , a 4.5* reviewed new comedy by Footlight Maddy Sanderson; Emma, a new play by incoming Pembroke Players’ co-president Sophia Orr about Jane Austin; and Octopolis, a production of Marek Horn’s devastating script that didn’t leave a single dry eye in the house. Lent term was certainly more smooth sailing for the committee than Michaelmas, with us having learnt how better to support the productions, avoid last-minute issues, and ensure successful performances each night.

As with much else of Cambridge’s extra-curricular activity, Easter term was quiet for the Pembroke Players as the undergraduate body turned its attention to looming coursework deadlines and examinations. An exception to this rule, though, was our production of Jellyfish Brains, a new script by Players’ copresident Sarah Fowler. Receiving three great reviews and selling out New Cellars, it was a wonderful way to finish a varied and exciting year of theatre in New Cellars. Sadly, we did not host a May Week show this year, but did have a lovely May Week party with food, drinks and some casual comedy/musical acts (though the dismal June weather did change our garden venue to the slightly less picturesque Nihon room).

Overall, it’s hard not to look back fondly on this year at the Pembroke Players. As a committee it was our job to support and show off the brilliant talent of students from Pembroke and across the university. Thinking about all the shows and comedy events we hosted it’s hard to say that didn’t happen. It wasn’t all glamorous, and we remember less fondly all the cold winter nights spent standing post at the college’s back entrance to direct audiences to New Cellars, but the joy of sitting at the back of a comedy smoker or theatrical production, knowing you played a small part in making that happen, always made it worthwhile. As outgoing presidents, we want to thank the wonderful committee

for working tirelessly to help run the society, the previous presidents Jude Crawley and Naima Clarvis for their continued support, and the master for his enthusiasm for maintaining the rich tradition of theatre at Pembroke.

Jack Marley andSarah Fowler

STOKES SOCIETY

Outgoing Presidents: Aiden Reilly and Isaac A. Marchant

Incoming Presidents: Archie Finney and George Phillips

As is the case each year, the Stokes Society was once again proud to welcome incoming undergraduates, graduates, and invited academic speakers into the scientific community at Pembroke through weekly talks and social events.

The Society’s Monday night talks were enjoyed by both college members and the wider university, and featured researchers speaking on a range of thoughtprovoking topics from across the spectrum of scientific enquiry. Particularly important to the society this year were talks which emphasised the importance of good research practice, communication in science, and science outside of traditional academic contexts.

As a result, we were delighted to welcome Dr Sebastian Von Hausegger to give the first talk of the year in Michaelmas on his work on the cosmic dipole anomaly, where he emphasised the importance of simple descriptive approaches in astrophysical research. Following this, the society was thrilled to hear from Dr Anna Ploszajski about her journey from Materials Science PhD to working as a story-teller and science communicator, emphasising the ways in which scientists can reach the wider public.

More highlights came in Lent term. Returning friend of the society Dr Giles Yeo gave a talk on ‘why calories don’t count’, an elucidating evening on the importance of understanding nutritional data in the everyday. In week three, Dr Jess Taylor spoke on novel approaches to diagnosis and cures for the brain cancer Medulloblastoma, engaging medics and non-medics alike with the relevance of developing non-invasive treatments for childhood illnesses. Talks for the year were concluded by Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, who spoke on the ways in which statistics are employed in communication – by advertisers, politicians and journalists – who do not necessarily have our best interests at heart. All prominently relevant talks for the current day and age.

With our talks, we are pleased this year to have fostered connections between Pembroke and the wider scientific community within Cambridge. A joint event between The Stokes Society and the University’s Earth Sciences Society, The Sedgwick Club, saw Valencian and Sedgwick alum Dr Ekbal Hussain speak about the Türkiye earthquake disaster and its connections to wider social issues. A number of Sedgwick club members continued to attend Stokes Society Monday talks following the joint-event, and we have had higher numbers of wider university members attending weekly talks than in recent years – something we are very proud of and hope will continue.

Social events also featured this year, with the opportunity for members to attend formals at Caius, Trinity, and Sidney Sussex colleges. Internal social events such as the famed ‘Fresher’s Week Quiz’, and the new for this year postgraduate presentation evening saw high turnouts and engagement, welcoming first years and postgraduates alike into the Society. The Society’s annual dinner was also well attended and enjoyed, and gave a chance for members to celebrate the achievements of the year alongside the committee and friends.

We would like to thank the outgoing committee for all their hard work this year making The Stokes Society one of the most prominent academic societies within college and in the wider University. The committee and Co-Presidents would also like to thank Professor Mike Payne, our Senior Treasurer and longtime supporter of the society for all his support this year and in years past. Thank you, Mike. Finally, we would like to extend a warm welcome to the incoming committee, and the two incoming Co-Presidents Archie Finney and George Phillips. We have no doubt that the Society will continue to succeed and thrive during your tenure.

Isaac A. Marchant andAidan Reilly

TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY

2023–2024

President: Yasaswi Malladi

Vice President: Hana Iza Kim

Secretary: Parth Potdar

2024–2025

President: Ishika Samanta

Vice President: Dhruv Trehan

Project Manager: Parth Potdar

Project Manager: Monami Yoshioka Treasurer: Leon Srikantha

Treasurer: Dhruv Trehan

Pembroke Technology Society (PemTech) was initially created to make engineering accessible to everyone regardless of subject studied. With our second year of running completed, the Society is now beginning to find its footing.

Last year we ran a single year-long project open to all members of the College. This year, to further meet our aims, we made some changes to the way the Society is run and began offering teaching sessions for basic design and prototyping skills. Notably, we conducted a 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) session, where we guided members and equipped them with the skills required to design their own LEGO Minifigure and get it 3D printed. The transferable skills gained from this workshop allowed our members to work on other projects, both in and out of the Society, more independently. For example, to apply our skills in another subject area we collaborated with the Pembroke Art Society to create light-up Christmas tree cards, whilst developing many other skills in the process.

We have maintained the structure of the term card across both years, by having a yearly project running alongside smaller term-length projects. This year we developed an automatic chessboard, constructed a hexapod, and initiated a project to use a bicycle as a video game controller. We have ensured that there are

tasks in each project which offer a variety of skillsets at various experience levels, ensuring the projects are accessible to all.

We are excited about the future of PemTech, and aim to expand our reach to more students across a wider range of subject backgrounds – we intend to increase the frequency of teaching events to make the Society even more available to everyone, and would like to expand the scale of our year-long projects. We look forward to a great year ahead and many more to come!

JUNIOR PARLOUR

President: Emily Fearn

Disabled Students Officers: Jack Marley, Vice President: Finlay Evans Len Berry

Treasurer: Oliver Broadway Amenities Officer: Maddi Malpass

Women’s Officer: Katie McDonald Sports and Societies Officer: Irene Bermudo

Ethnic Minorities Officer: Samira Tahlil Class Act Officer: Alex Germain

Access Officer: Fern Hay Internationals Officer: Kate Lin

Green and Ethical Affairs Officer:Ents Officers: Ryan Hogan, Katie Carter Nikolas Todt

Welfare Officer: Evie McMahon

JP and Bar Officer: Angus Ivory

LGBTQ+ Officer: Orlando Wells

Marginalised Genders Officer: Men’s Officer: Rajan Allenby Georgie Middlemiss Publicity Officer: Sophie Cleaves

The members of the Junior Parlour Committee (JPC) were thrilled to welcome the new cohort of undergraduate students to Pembroke at the start of this academic year. The Committee were out in full force to greet new students and their families on move in day (wearing Hi-Viz jackets and our light blue JPC sweatshirts), which was a fantastic way for us to support the new freshers and ensure that they felt welcome from the moment they arrived at the gates. All officers came together to update the Life at Pembroke Guide, which is a rich booklet of information and insights on issues from where to go out for dinner in Cambridge to sustainability while living in college accommodation. We put together a vibrant calendar of events, including a ‘Little Miss and Mr Men’ themed Bop, the annual scavenger hunt around Cambridge, subject lunches, college family events, karaoke night, sports pub crawl, and many others. Of note was International Freshers Week at Pembroke, organised by Antonia Molnar, which made the most of international students’ early arrival. This saw the incoming international students go punting, play board games, take a tour of the city, and go to the pub, all before the rest of their year group arrived.

Once the new students had settled in, the attention of our JP and Bar Officer, Angus, and Ents Officer, Ryan, turned to plans to renovate the JP. They were able to secure the funding to carry out extensive cosmetic and structural renovations to the JP, including the reflooring of the café and recladding of the bar, instalment of new lighting fixtures, and display of new Pembroke-inspired artwork. Ryan and Angus hope that the JP will become a cosmopolitan social space at the heart of the undergraduate community, and with planning and preparation well

underway in collaboration with the college, renovations are set to be complete by 2025. Already, our Ethnic Minorities Officer, Samira, has worked with the Acting Dean, Sophie Young, to decorate and make the Multi-Faith Prayer Room a more welcoming space.

A timely and important change to the structure of the JPC has taken place this year, with a successful change to the committee’s constitution meaning that the Disabled Students Officer role will now be held by two students. My thanks go to Len Berry and Jack Marley, current Disabled Students Officers, for bringing to our attention the importance of making this change. It is hoped that it will make membership of the JPC more accessible to disabled students at Pembroke and will maximise the work that can be done to advocate for their needs and interests. One of the JPC’s more ambitious goals for this year has been to draw attention to the inaccessibility of our college for current and prospective students who have restricted mobility or use wheelchairs. Len worked with a friend who uses a wheelchair to produce a report on the various entrances to the JP and found that none of the entrances are safe for a wheelchair user to enter through independently. The promise of wheelchair accessible accommodation as part of the Dolby Court development means that the time to improve the accessibility of the college is now, and we are hoping to tackle the accessibility of the JP as part of our renovation projects in the coming months.

Another important change to the JPC this year is the introduction of our weekly bulletin. This has proven to be a brilliant way of promoting JPC events and activities among the undergraduate community, and more effective than a monthly equivalent. I felt that this was important as a way of ensuring that our peers could understand the work we do, even when it is going on ‘behind the scenes’. This has required a significant amount of effort, careful organisation, and communication from all officers on the committee, and I am grateful to all those who have contributed to the bulletin and made it a success.

Lent term saw our Green and Ethical Affairs Officer, Nik, put together an engaging and exciting calendar for Pembroke Green Week, with the theme of ‘intersectionality’. During the week, Nik collaborated with the college gardeners to host a tour of Pembroke’s gardens and offer students the opportunity to help to build a dead hedge to provide habitats and hiding places for wildlife in the college. He also held a successful clothes swap to promote sustainable fashion practices, and worked with Pembroke’s societies, including the Pembroke Prattlers and Pembroke Panels, to hold discussion events titled ‘Wellbeing in a Warming World’ and ‘Our Right to a Just Future’. Also in Lent was International Women’s Day. In honour of this, Katie, our Women’s Officer, hosted a range of events, including the International Women’s Day Formal Hall, a panel event focussed on women in academia, and a film night, as well as arranging for a group of Pembroke students to attend the Reclaim the Night protest together.

The JPC also ran a range of successful schemes this year. Samira (Ethnic Minorities Officer) organised a reimbursement scheme for taxis to the local Mosque throughout Ramadan, enabling students to travel there together safely.

Katie also ran the annual JPC menstrual cup scheme, offering free menstrual cups to Pembroke students. Orlando, our LGBTQ+ Officer, promoted the gender expression fund, providing reimbursement for gender affirming products and items.

Throughout the year, the Ents team and other officers on the committee have gone above and beyond to organise and host entertainment events for students at Pembroke. We have had a Superhero themed Bop, Space themed Bop, a Bridgemas karaoke night, a bar night to celebrate International Women’s Day, a PCAFC x PemEnts event on the sidelines of the Shield Final (which we were thrilled to see the Master attend), a Pride Month Bop in collaboration with King’s and Trinity, Mx Pembroke Drag, and among many others.

During exam season we continued to hold our regular Doughnut Days, an initiative started up by the Welfare and Entertainments officers. JPC Doughnut Days have become a community favourite, with crowds of students taking a break from their studies to emerge from the Library and collect a doughnut and a coffee from one of our officers. Also during the last part of the year, Ents Officer Katie organised a hugely successful barbecue for all students at Pembroke, to offer a May Week event that was accessible and free to attend. This saw many students sit together on New Court lawn in the sunshine with music playing, enjoying food provided by the JPC and college catering team, and was a great way to end an ambitious and exciting year for Ents at Pembroke.

I could say a lot more about everything that the committee have achieved and the projects that are currently in the works. Instead, I will use the last part of the JPC’s submission to thank all of the wonderful people at Pembroke who have helped us this year. First, the undergraduate community at Pembroke, whose ideas, attendance at events, and support is fundamental to what we do. Also, the staff at the college, including maintenance, catering, library staff, porters, tutors, fellows, and many others, who have all taken the time to listen to and work with us, making space for student voices in the Pembroke community. I would also like to thank the GPC, particularly Emily Quin, whose help, support and collaboration has scaffolded much of what the JPC have achieved. I would also like to give special thanks to Finlay Evans, Vice President, who has contributed so much to the committee and been a valuable source of support for myself and other officers. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all members of the JPC. I continue to be inspired by the passion, excitement, and enthusiasm shown by our members for the work that they do on the committee, and their drive and ambition is the single most important factor in the success that the JPC has seen this year. I cannot wait to see what we go on to accomplish in the next academic year.

Emily Fearn

GRADUATE PARLOUR

President: Emily Quin

Vice-President: Ollie Reed

Treasurer: Meg Buckley

Charities Officer: Carolina Guinesi-

Mattos-Borges

Women and Marginalised Genders Rep: Secretary: Zack Hayward

Welfare Officer: Boris van Breugel

Housing Officer: Jonathan Liu

Steward: Maarten Markering

Events Officers: Coco Huggins,

Matt Wheeler

External Events Officer: Sven Cats

Environmental Officer: Emilia Grace Bland

Sophie Mary

4th Year Rep: Aakash Gupta

Ethnic Minorities Rep: Jiten Dhandha

LGBTQ+ Rep: Jack Palmer

International Rep: Undine Deumer

Disabilities Rep: Claire Carroll

Vacant positions covered by the President: External Rep, Widening Participation Rep

The year 2023–2024 began in style with the completion of some much-overdue renovations bringing a sense of refreshment to the Graduate Parlour. The theme of ‘refreshment’ seemingly being one we were keen to embrace as we hosted not one, but two weeks of Freshers’ welcome, comprising of walking tours of Cambridge and the Botanic Gardens, brunches, quiz nights, and of course, ample time spent visiting Cambridge’s finest watering holes. Needless to say, the fortnight found us in dire need of being refreshed. Before long, refreshment came in the form of welcoming our newest GPC members, elected in early Michaelmas, joining those that began their terms earlier in Easter term. From there, the year truly took shape, and it is with thanks to the efforts of those wonderful members that I can report on a year filled with endless good spirit.

A few of our proudest achievements this year include: re-writing the GP Constitution (I ought to end our achievements here); reviewing our GPC positions and updating the roles to reflect modern nomenclature; finessing our Associate Membership scheme; working with College to improve the storage facilities onsite to allow PhD students involved with long-term fieldwork a reliable storage option for their belongings; working with Catering to introduce a ‘Student Special’ to promote affordable dining options; seeking improvements to the existing Wi-Fi provision(s); introducing a new ‘Initiatives’ schemes; and turning our focus to events and opportunities that prioritised inclusiveness within College. The success of some of these achievements will be covered herein, albeit a limited word count is unlikely to reflect the comprehensive achievements of our members. For now, though, I shall start with the ‘Initiatives’ scheme.

The ‘Initiatives’ scheme invited members to launch their own clubs, groups, and activities, to improve community togetherness and opportunity. The Pembroke Gardening & Allotment Club resulted, which has proved exceedingly popular as an ideal initiative for those wishing to connect with nature in an otherwise busy Cambridge. The GP Yoga Club continued and kept us grounded (and slightly more limber) whilst putting to good use some of the wonderful new space available over the road in the Mill Lane development. Continuing the wholesomeness further, we administered a Pempreciation scheme – a shameless

spin-off from a popular social media group – which offered members the opportunity to send hand-written notes of appreciation, support, and admiration, which would arrive in the pigeon holes of Valencians (including staff members), with a sprinkling of GPC magic. In the opening month, members sent over 50 notes to each other, warming our hearts in the process. Later in the year, we fielded ideas for a new running club; an expansion of our river-based activities by investing in some new paddles boards just in time for summer; and an urban planting scheme to utilise unloved space in hostels. Continuing the spirit of community-mindedness, we hosted a ‘Big Pembroke Quiz’ in association with the Junior Parlour which raised over £350 for a student mental health charity, and allowed us to work with a local brewery to support local businesses. We, too, invited Fellows and PDRA’s to dine ‘on the benches’ – an evening which proved popular for all, and I’m sure will be repeated in the next academic year. Our individual GPC members went so significantly above and beyond in their commitment to the Graduate Parlour this year that it would be remiss to ignore. Our Vice-President, Ollie, administered the ‘Initiatives’ scheme, as well as one or two (or 10+) other sports, clubs, and activities, and provided levelling to an overenthusiastic President. Our Treasurer, Meg, kept a keen eye on the budget and ensured we prioritised wellbeing and inclusion, and future insulation, in our spending this year. Our Secretary, Zack, worked tirelessly on our GP Constitution; a feat that I advise all to avoid. Our Welfare Officer, Boris, kept us hydrated with ample Sunday refreshments, and spent much time on the hunt for missing board games. Meanwhile, our Steward, Maarten, kept us dehydrated with weekly ‘Barlour’ evenings which truly brought the community together. Our Housing Officer, Jonathan, managed the practical side of living in Cambridge, of particular importance when considering the upcoming launch of brand new accommodation. Our Charities Officer, Carolina, reminded us of our privilege and exercised our contributions outside of the GP. Our Events Officers, Coco and Matt, demonstrated that no-one can host a BOP quite like them; and our Environmental Officer, Emilia, made sure we enjoyed ourselves in a way that was environmentally-friendly. Our Reps, Sophie, Jiten, Jack, Undine, and Claire, provided contributions too numerous to list, from reusable period product schemes (thanks, Soph), to getting us into GayDar (thanks, Jack). Our External Events Officer, Sven, planned a year of intercollegiate swaps to rival all others, including a bidirectional swap with The Queen’s College, Oxford. Unfortunately, one of our most splendid GP photographs was lost to our dear sister when our backs were turned, but thankfully there was little reason to panic as our wonderful Archivist provided us with a new copy. On an entirely unrelated note, those wishing to see a newly-acquired photograph of our equivalents at The Queen’s College, Oxford, need only visit the Graduate Parlour where it has pride of place.

Outside of the GPC, our individual GP members had (unsurprisingly) their own reasons to celebrate well. Ivan Grega captained the Cambridge University Ice Hockey team to their 6th consecutive Varsity win. Captain Ollie Reed, along with members Austin Reed (no relation), Alex Root, and Ira Shokar, won Aussie Rules Varsity, and went on to win the inter-university league making them the best

student Aussie Rules team in the country. The Brian Riley Declamation Prize was won by our own Zack Hayward, with four of the five finalists representing the Graduate Parlour. And, I’m sure, many other accolades, achievements, and accomplishments not here listed, each of them deserving of recognition and word on how much they contribute to our GP spirit.

Of course, little is possible without the support of College and the members that exude Pembroke’s encouraging spirit every day. Our heartfelt thanks to the Master, Lord Chris, for the continued support and encouragement of our ideas and representation in College life. To Max Sternberg, for always making the time, and for being a most wonderful Head of Graduate Affairs. To Becky Coombs, a true advocate of the GP, and our oracle for all things. To Robert Mayhew, for listening to us tirelessly. To Andrew Cates and Catherine Rawlings, for providing us with the means to make a difference. To Kevin Arrowsmith and his team, for keeping us warm and housed; and in kind, to Robert Griggs and his team for the same. To Nina Rhodes and Catering, for keeping us fed and watered. To Tom Gowler and the amazing porters, for always providing a friendly face. To Jan Brighting and Sarah Winder-Worsley, our nurses, who do more than they know. To Matthew Mellor and the Development Office, for the promotion of our activities, and for the support in acquiring a new sound system. For us, it is the cherry on our cake; for residents closer to the GP, it may be the thorn in their side. To Moira Hassett, Dee Kunze, Debbie Brown, Deki Hathorn, and all others in College, across every department, who provide the foundations on which we are able to enjoy life at Pembroke, our gratitude is immeasurable.

As we turn our sights to the 2024–2025 academic year, I for one will be looking forward to celebrating the 40th anniversary of the admission of women to Pembroke, and the official opening of the Mill Lane development. It’s hoped that the year will provide a chance to reflect on the incredible achievements of those at the College, both past and present. As a final word to each and every member of the Graduate Parlour, and to the Graduate Parlour Committee, you have my most sincere appreciation for your time, kindness, and endless support. It has been an honour to serve as your President. Now, where did I put that PhD?

Emily Quin

C. THE COLLEGE RECORD

View of Dolby Court from the Ferguson Nazareth Room in Milstein House

THE MASTER AND FELLOWS 2023–2024

THE

MASTER

The Rt Hon The Lord Christopher Robert Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury, PC, MA (1977), PhD (1979)

FELLOWS

1964James Christopher Durham Hickson, MA (1964), PhD (1966), Life Fellow

1982 Norman Andrew Fleck, MA (1983), PhD (1984), FREng, FRS, Professor of the Mechanics of Materials

1984 Michael Christopher Payne, MA (1985), PhD (1985), FRS, Professor of Computational Physics, President

1992 Jonathan Philip Parry, MA (1982), PhD (1985), Professor of Modern British History

Mark Roderick Wormald, MA, DPhil Oxon, College Lecturer in English

1993 Donald Robertson, MA (1987), MSc, PhD LSE, Professor of Econometrics

1994 Torsten Meißner, MA Bonn, DPhil Oxon, Professor of Classical & Comparative Philology

1995 Christopher John Young, MA (1994), PhD (1995), Professor of Modern and Medieval German Studies

1997 Nicholas John McBride, BA, BCL Oxon, College Lecturer and James Campbell Fellow in Law (2000) Nigel Robert Cooper, MA (1995), DPhil Oxon, Professor of Theoretical Physics

1998 Kenneth George Campbell Smith, MA (2000), PhD Melbourne, ScD, Professor of Medicine and Head of Department of Medicine, Honorary Consultant Physician, Addenbrooke’s Hospital

1999 Vikram Sudhir Deshpande, BTech Bombay, MPhil (1996), PhD (1998), Professor of Materials Engineering

2001 Demosthenes Nicholas Tambakis, MA (1993), PhD Princeton, College Lecturer and Pyewacket Fellow in Economics

Nilanjana Datta, MA (2008), BSc, MSc Jadavpur, PhD ETH Zurich, Professor of Quantum Information Theory

Andrea Carlo Ferrari, Laurea, Politecnico di Milano, PhD (2001), ScD (2013), FREng, Professor of Nanotechnology

2002 Rosalind Polly Blakesley, MA (1996), DPhil Oxon, Professor of Russian and European Art

2003 Alexander William Tucker, MA (1989), VetMB (1992), PhD (1997), Professor of Veterinary Public Health

2005 Simon Learmount, MA University of East Anglia, MBA (1996), PhD (2000), Associate Professor in Corporate Governance

Samuel James Barrett, BA Oxon, MPhil (1996), PhD (2000), Professor of Early Medieval Music

2006 Alexei Shadrin, MSc, PhD Moscow, Senior University Lecturer in Department of Applied Mathematics

James Theodore Douglas Gardom, MA Oxon, PhD King’s College London, Dean and Chaplain

Katrin Christina Ettenhuber, MA, MPhil (2001), PhD (2005), College Lecturer in English

2007 Matthew Robert Mellor, BA Oxon, MA (2010), Development Director

Sir Stephen Patrick O’Rahilly, MD, FRS, Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Medicine

Gábor Csányi, MA (1994), PhD MIT, Professor of Molecular Modelling

Menna Ruth Clatworthy, BSc, MBBCh Wales, PhD (2006), Professor of Translational Immunology

2009 Alexander Houen, BA, MPhil Sydney, PhD (1999), Associate Professor in English

Renaud Gagné, MA Montreal, PhD Harvard, Professor of Ancient Greek Literature and Religion

Mina Gorji, BA (1996), MPhil, DPhil Oxon, Associate Professor in English

Caroline Burt, MA (1999), MPhil (2000), PhD (2004), College Lecturer in History, Admissions Tutor

2011 Randall Scott Johnson, BA/BS Washington, PhD Harvard, Professor of Molecular Physiology and Pathology

Dame Clare Philomena Grey, MA, DPhil Oxon, FRS, Geoffrey Moorhouse Gibson Professor of Chemistry

Maria Abreu, BSc LSE, MPhil Tinbergen, PhD Amsterdam, Professor of Economic Geography, Department of Land Economy

2012 Stephen David John, BA (2000), MPhil (2002), PhD (2007), Associate Professor in the Philosophy of Public Health

2013 Andrew Thomas Cates, MA (1991) PhD (1989), Treasurer and Bursar

Paul Ross Cavill, MA, MSt, DPhil Oxon, Senior University Lecturer in Early Modern British History

John Hay Durrell, MSci (Imperial) PhD (2001), Professor of Superconductor Engineering

Maximilian Jan Sternberg, BA (King’s College London), MPhil (2002), PhD (2007) Associate Professor in Architecture

Hildegard Gemma Maria Diemberger, PhD (Vienna), College Lecturer in Human, Social and Political Sciences

Sanne Cottaar, BSc, MSc (Utrecht), PhD (California), Associate Professor in Natural Earth Sciences

Timothy Thomas Weil, BSc (St Louis), PhD (Princeton), Associate Professor in Zoology

2014 Thomas Gospatric Micklem, BSc (Imperial), PhD (1989), Professor of Computational and Molecular Biology

Iza Riana Binte Mohamed Hussin, AB/AM (Harvard), PhD (Washington), Mohamed Noah Fellowship and Associate Professor in Asian Politics

2015 Paul Simon Warde, BA (1995), PhD (2000), Professor of Environmental History

Mark Charles Wyatt, MSc (Queen Mary) PhD (Florida), Professor at the Institute of Astronomy

Anil Venkata Sesha Madhavapeddy, BEng (Imperial), PhD (2007), Professor of Planetary Computing, Department of Computer Science and Technology

Guillaume Jean Emmanuel Hennequin, BSc (SUPELEC) MSc (Edinburgh), PhD (EPFL), Associate Professor in Computational Neuroscience

2016 Daniela Passolt, MA (Hamburg) MSc (SOAS), PhD (LSE), Director of International Programmes

Rebecca Verena Lämmle, MA, PhD (Basel), Associate Professor in Classics (Greek Literature)

2017 Nicholas Gwilym Jones, MEng, PhD (Imperial), Professor of Metallurgy

2018 Moreed Ahmad Richard Arbabzadah, MA, MPhil, PhD (2012), FSA, Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Classics, Research Associate in the Faculty of History, Praelector

Michael Hulme, BSc, PhD (University of Wales, Swansea), Professor of Human Geography

Johannes Kromdijk, MSc, PhD (2010), Assistant Professor in Natural Plant Sciences

Assef Ashraf, MA, MPhil, PhD (Yale), Assistant Professor in the Eastern Islamic Lands and Persian-Speaking World

Amanda Prorok, MSc, PhD (EPFL, Switzerland), Associate Professor in Computer Science

Chika Tanooka, MA, MA (Tokyo), PhD (2019), Mark Kaplanoff Research Fellow

2019 Albert Cardona, BA, PhD (Barcelona), Professor of Connectomics

Hugo Andres Bronstein, MChem (Oxon), MSc (KCL) PhD (Imperial), Professor of Functional Materials

2020 Arthur Asseraf, MA (Columbia), MSc (LSE), DPhil (Oxon), Assistant Professor in the History of France and the Francophone World

Rebecca Kilner, BA (Oxon), PhD, Professor of Evolutionary Biology

2021

Robert John Mayhew, BA, DPhil Oxon (1997), Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of Geography, Senior Tutor

Renaud Morieux, BA, MPhil (Paris), PhD (Lille), Professor of European History

Steven Michael Ward, MA, PhD (Georgetown University Washington), BA (Tufts University Medford), Assistant Professor in Politics and International Studies

Catherine Kamal, MSCI, PhD (Bristol), Stokes Research Fellow

Surer Mohamed, BA, MA (West Ontario), MPhil, PhD (2021), Harry Frank Guggenheim Research Fellow

Marcus Colla, BA, (Tasmania), PhD (2019), Mark Kaplanoff Research Fellow

Nicolò Crisafi, MA (Cantab), MA (Rome), DPhil (Oxon), Research/Teaching Fellow in Italian Studies/MML.

2022 Connie Bloomfield-Gadêlha, BA (Oxon), PhD (London), Drapers Company Research Fellow

Thomas Lawrence Chaffey, BSc (University of Sydney), PhD (2022), MaudslayButler Research Fellow

Zenon Toprakcioglu, MSci (London), PhD, Ron Thomson Research Fellow

Lorenzo Di Michele, BSc, MSc (L’Aquila), PhD (2013), Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering

Flavia Mancini, BA, MSc, PhD (Milan), Assistant Professor in Innovative Computational Methods

2023 Daria Vladimirovna Ezerova, BA (Lomonosov Moscow State University), MPhil (Yale), PhD (Yale), Assistant Professor in Slavonic Studies

Thies Lindenthal, BSc, MPhil, PhD (Maastricht University), Grosvenor Professor of Real Estate Finance

Carl Henrik Ek, MEng (Royal Institute of Technology Sweden), PhD (Oxford Brookes University), Docent (Royal Institute of Technology Sweden), Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science

Narine Lalafaryan, LLB (Yerevan State University), LLM, CH, PhD, Assistant Professor of Corporate Law

Kaoutar Ghilani, Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), DPhil (Oxon), Abdullah Al-Mubarak Research Fellowship in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies

Angkur Jyoti Dipanka Shaikeea, BTech (National Institute of Technology, India), PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering

EMERITUS FELLOWS

Colin Gilbraith, MA (1975), MVO

Antony Gerald Hopkins, PhD, FBA

Ian Fleming, ScD (1982), FRS

John Ryder Waldram, MA (1963), PhD (1964)

Sir Roger Tomkys, MA (1973), KCMG

Robert Joseph Mears

William Bernard Raymond Lickorish, ScD (1991)

Leo Broof Jeffcott, MA (1994) PhD

Sathiamalar Thirunavukkarasu, MA (1971)

Nicholas Stanislaus Baskey, MA (1998)

Brian Watchorn, MA (1965)

Howard Peter Raingold, MA (1982)

Michael David Reeve, MA (1966), FBA

Michael George Kuczynski, MA (1972)

Susan Helen Stobbs, MA (1970)

Rex Edward Britter, MA (1979)

Geoffrey Richard Edwards, MA (2008)

Barbara Ann Bodenhorn, MPhil (1979), PhD (1990)

Christopher John Blencowe MA (2006)

Alan Michael Dawson, MA (1978), PhD (1994)

Alan Garth Tunnacliffe, MA (1994), PhD London

Sir Richard Billing Dearlove, MA (2003), KCMG, OBE

Charles Peter Melville, MA (1976), PhD (1978)

Jan Marian Maciejowski, MA (1976), PhD (1978)

Nicholas Barry Davies, MA (1977), FRS

John Stephen Bell, MA (1978), FBA

Ashok Ramakrishnan Venkitaraman, MA (1993), PhD London, MB, BS Vellore

Sylvia Huot, MA (2004), BA (California), PhD (Princeton), FBA

Trevor Robert Seaward Allan, BCL (Oxon), MA (1983), LLD, FBA

Loraine Ruth Renate Gelsthorpe, BA (Sussex), MPhil (1979), PhD (1985)

Robin James Milroy Franklin, PhD (1992)

Silvana Silva Santos Cardoso, BA, MEng (Porto), PhD (1994)

Colin Martyn Lizieri, BA (Oxon), PhD (LSE)

Geoffrey Francis Hayward, MA, DPhil (Oxon)

HONORARY FELLOWS

1988 Sir John Frank Charles Kingman, ScD (1969), FRS

1992 Sir Simon Kirwan Donaldson, MA (1979), DPhil (Oxon), FRS

1998 The Rt Hon. Sir Konrad Hermann Theodor Schiemann, PC, MA (1965)

The Rt Hon. Sir Alan Hylton Ward, PC, MA (1968)

1999 Emma Louise Johnson, MA (1992), MBE

2002 William Hall Janeway, CBE, PhD (1971)

2004 Sir Michael Bett, CBE, MA (1977)

Roger Walton Ferguson Jr, MA (1976), PhD (Harvard)

Sir Christopher Owen Hum, MA (1971), KCMG

Sir Marcus Henry (Mark) Richmond, PhD, ScD (1971), FRS

The Rt Hon. Christopher Robert Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury, PC, MA (1977), PhD (1979)

2006 Sir Stephen John Nickell, CBE, BA (1965), FBA

Martin Biddle, CBE, MA (1965), FBA, FSA

Peter Stuart Ringrose, MA (1971), PhD (1971)

2007 Paul Anthony Elliott Bew, Baron Bew of Donegore, MA (1971), PhD (1974)

Stephen Jay Greenblatt, MA (1968)

2008 Jeremy Bloxham, BA (1982), PhD (1986), FRS

2010 The Rt Hon. Sir Patrick Elias, PC, MA, PhD (1974)

2015 Victoria Jane Bowman, BA (1987), MA

2016 Sir Simon Gerard McDonald, MA, KCMG, KCVO

2018 Eric Idle, BA (1962)

Catherine Bishop, MA (Wales), PhD (Reading)

2019 Gerald O’Collins, AC, PhD

The Rt Hon. Lord Justice Sir Charles Haddon Cave, MA (1981)

Dame Henrietta Louise Moore, DBE, FBA

2021 Professor Gail Davey, OBE, MA (1991)

Dr Karan Thapar, MA (1977)

2022 Professor Richard Ned Lebow, BA (Chicago), MA (Yale), PhD (City University of New York)

Ms Joanna Melancy Lyndon Prior, MA (1991)

WILLIAM PITT FELLOWS

1996 Sir Mark Henry Richmond, ScD (1971), FRS

Richard Chiu, BA (1971)

1997 Peter Stuart Ringrose, PhD (1971)

2009 Richard John Parmee, BA (1973)

2019 Barry John Varcoe, BA (South Bank), PhD (Glasgow Caledonian)

2020 Shi Wang, BA (Lanzhou)

Robert Davis, BA MBA (LBS)

2021 Stefano Lucchini, BA (Luiss Rome)

David Bateman, MA (1996)

Richard Rawcliffe

2022 Taavi Davies, MA (1997), LLM (2000)

Timothy Mark Passingham, BSc, MEng (Manchester)

2023 Howard Watson, BSc (Aston)

Tariq Hussain, BSc (Swansea)

BYE-FELLOWS

2009 Rebecca Lucy Coombs, BA (Bristol), PhD (Paris)

2017 Nami Morris, BA (SOAS)

Stephanie Georgina Smith, MA, MSci, PhD (2011)

2018 Anthony Louis Odgers, MA, MBA (1994)

Mark Edward Purcell, MA (Oxon), MA (UCL)

2020 Robert Anthony Griggs

Anna Ruth Ella Lapwood, BA (Oxon)), MBE

Amber Nicole Joan Cuttill, BA (Leicester)

2021 Geeta Kasanga, PhD (London School of Economics)

2022 Paul Calleja, PhD (Bath)

Joseph Paul Middleton, FRAM MPhil

2023 Catherine Michèle Anne Rawlings

Kate Parsley, BSc (Newcastle), PhD

FELLOW-COMMONERS

2005 Keith Gordon Sykes, MA (1973)

Randall Wayne Dillard, LLM (1983)

2006 Norman McLeod Bachop, MA (1968)

2007 Anthony Harwick Wilkinson

2009 Christopher Bertlin Turner Adams, MA (1957)

John Charles Grayson Stancliffe, MA (1952)

John Kevin Overstall, MA (1962)

2013 Paul David Skinner, BA (1963)

Bita Daryabari, BSc (California State), MSc (Golden Gate University)

Graham David Blyth, BA (1972)

Mubarak Abdullah Al Sabah, BA (Buckingham), MPhil (2000)

2015 Datin Paduka Faridah Abdullah, BA (Adelaide), PhD (King’s College, London)

2016 Peter Lawson-Johnston

2018 Fadi Boustany, MBA (1994)

2020 James Patrick McCaughan, MA (1977)

2021 Lucien Farrell, MA (2001)

FOUNDRESS FELLOW

2016 Dagmar Dolby, BA (Heidelberg)

COLLEGE OFFICERS 2024–2025

President: M Wormald

Senior Tutor: R Mayhew

Dean and Chaplain: J Gardom

Treasurer and Bursar: A Cates

Praelector: M Arbabzadah

College Proctor: N Lalafaryan

Steward: M Mellor

College Curator: S Learmount

Tutor for Graduate Affairs: M Sternberg

Director of Undergraduate Admissions: C Burt

Directors of Graduate Admissions: N McBride, T Weil

Fellow Librarian: M Wormald

Development Director: M Mellor

Fellow for Freedom of Information: N McBride

Financial Secretary: M Abreu

Undergraduate Tutors: A Ashraf, A Cardona, A Cates, J Dougal, H Diemberger, J Gardom, I Hussin, N Jones, R Mayhew, N McBride, M Mellor, T Meißner

Postgraduate Tutors: L Di Michele, J Durrell, J Gardom, L Gelsthorpe, R Lämmle

College Lecturers: C Burt (History), N Cristafi (Modern and Medieval Languages), N Datta (Mathematics); H Diemberger (Human, Social and Political Sciences), K Ettenhuber (English), N McBride (Law), D Tambakis (Economics), tbc Y Wei (Economics), M Wormald (English)

Directors of Studies:

Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic: E Ashman Rowe

Archaeology: J Robb

Architecture: M Sternberg

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies: A Ashraf

Chemical Engineering: L Di Michele

Classics: M Arbabzadah, T Meißner

Computer Science: C H Ek, A Madhavapeddy

Design: M Sternberg

Economics: D Robertson, D Tambakis

Education: G Hayward

Engineering: G Csanyi, V Deshpande, J Durrell, A Ferrari, G Hennequin

English: J D Eynard, M Wormald

Geography: M Hulme

History: A Asseraf, C Burt, A Raw

History and Modern Languages: A Asseraf, G Boitani, C Burt, N Crisafi, A Raw

History and Politics: S Ward

History of Art: P Blakesley

Human, Social and Political Sciences: H Diemberger, L Gelsthorpe

Land Economy: M Abreu

Law: N McBride

Linguistics: M Deuchar

Management Studies: S Learmount

Mathematics: N Datta, J Dougal

Medicine: M Clatworthy, tbc E McKinney, D Tucker, Weinert

Modern and Medieval Languages: G Boitani, N Cristafi, S Huot, A Russell, C Young

Music: K Ashton, S Barrett

Natural Sciences: A Cardona, S Cottaar, N Cooper, S John, N Jones, R Kilner, M Payne, S Smith, T Weil, M Wyatt

Philosophy: S John

Psychological and Behavioural Sciences: A Greve

Theology: J Gardom

Veterinary Medicine: A W Tucker

Director for International Programmes: D Passolt

MATRICULATION 2023–2024

MICHAELMAS TERM 2023

LENT TERM 2024

ANNUAL EXAMINATIONS, FIRST CLASS RESULTS 2023

Architecture Tripos, Part II

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Tripos, Part IB

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Tripos, Part II

Chemical Engineering, Part IIA

Engineering Tripos, Part IB

Classical Tripos, Part IA

Classical Tripos, Part IB

Engineering Tripos, Part IIA

Classical Tripos, Part II

Computer Science, Part IB r

Computer Science, Part II

Computer Science, Part III

Economics Tripos, Part I

Engineering Tripos, Part IIB

English Tripos, Part IA

English Tripos, Part IB

Economics Tripos, Part IIA

English Tripos, Part II NR

Economics Tripos, Part IIB

Education Tripos, Part IB

Engineering Tripos, Part IA

Geographical Tripos, Part IA

Historical Tripos, Part I

Historical Tripos, Part II

History and Modern Languages Tripos Part IA

History and Modern Languages Tripos Part IB

History and Modern Languages Tripos Part II

History of Art Tripos, Pt IIA

History of Art Tripos, Pt IIB

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part I

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIA: Politics and International Relations

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIA: Politics and Sociology

Human, Social and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIA: Social Anthropology and Politics

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIA: Sociology

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIB: Politics and International Relations

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIB: Sociology

Human, Social and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIB: Social Anthropology and Politics

Land Economy Tripos, Part IA

Land Economy Tripos, Part II

Law Tripos, Part IA

Law Tripos, Part IB

Law Tripos, Part II

Linguistics Tripos Part IIA

LL.M. Examination

Mathematical Tripos, Part IA

Mathematical Tripos, Part IB

Mathematical Tripos, Part II

Mathematical Tripos, Part III

Medical Sciences Tripos, Part IA

Medical Sciences Tripos, Part IB

Final M.B. Exam Part III

Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos, Part IA

Natural Sciences Tripos, Part II: History and Philosophy of Science

Natural Sciences Part II: Pathology

Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos, Part IB

Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos, Part II

Natural Sciences Tripos, Part II: Physiology, Development and Neuroscience

Natural Sciences Part II: Physics

Natural Sciences, Part IA

Natural Sciences Part II: Plant Sciences

Natural Sciences Part II: Zoology

Natural Sciences Part III: Astrophysics

Natural Sciences Part III: Chemistry

Natural Sciences, Part IB

Natural Sciences Tripos, Part II: Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Natural Sciences Part II: Biochemistry

Natural Sciences Part II: Earth Sciences

Natural Sciences Part III: Physics

Philosophy Tripos, Part IA

Philosophy Tripos, Part II

Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Tripos, Part IA

Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion Tripos, Part IIB

Veterinary Sciences Tripos, Part IA

COLLEGE AWARDS 2022–2023

Kilby Prize

The Master’s nomination; by custom to a third year undergraduate

Blackburne-Daniell Prize Best second-year performance

Peter de Somogyi Memorial Prize

Special merit in an Arts subject, as measured by examination performance; in any year of residence

Cadell Prize for Architecture or History of Art

Collins Prize for English

Mary Coates Prize for Medical and Veterinary Sciences or Biological Natural Sciences

Ginsberg Prize for Classics

Hansen Prize for outstanding first or second-year performance in the arts

Satish Kumar Aggarwal Prize for outstanding first-year performance in Mathematics or Natural Sciences

Peter May Award for Tripos and University Sports (Football) (Men’s Volleyball) (Smallbore Rifle)

Adrian Prize for Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Atiyah Prize for Part III Mathematics

Bethune Baker Prize for Divinity

E.G. Browne Prize for Oriental Studies

Hadley History Prize usually for Part II of the Tripos

Sir William Hodge Prize for Mathematics or Natural Sciences

Hodgson Memorial Award for most improved score in Engineering

Howard Raingold Prize normally for Part I of the History Tripos

Joslin Prize for Economic History

Lancaster Prize for Engineering

Lander Prize for History of Art

Legg Prize for Mathematics [restricted to Undergraduates]

Ann Ellen Prince Prize for Modern Languages

B.M. Roberts Prize for outstanding performance in Part III Chemistry

Marie Shamma’a Frost Prize in Oriental Studies

Robin Shepherd Memorial Prize for Chemistry

Shilling Prize for Land Economy

Dr Stevens Prize for Natural Sciences

Dr Stoneley’s Prize for Geology and Geophysics

Henry Sumner Maine Prize for Archeology and Anthropology

Tom Rosenthal Prize for the most distinguished performance in a dissertation on any aspect of the fine arts in Tripos examination

Tomkys Prize for Social and Political Sciences

Trebilcock Prize for Economics

Ubaydli Prize for Computer Science

S M Jamil Wasti Prize for Part I English

Willoughby Prize for Private Law

Ronald Wynn Prize for Engineering

Ziegler Prize for Law

Foundress Prizes

College Prizes

College Scholarships

College Exhibitions

ANNUAL EXAMINATIONS, FIRST CLASS RESULTS 2024

Preliminary Examination for Part I of the Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos

Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos, Part I

Architecture Tripos, Part IA

Architecture Tripos, Part IB

Architecture Tripos, Part II

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Tripos, Part IB

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Tripos, Part II

Chemical Engineering, Part IIB

Classical Tripos, Part IA

Classical Tripos, Part IB

Classical Tripos, Part II

Grout, Isabel

Computer Science, Part II

Computer Science, Part III

Economics Tripos, Part I

Economics Tripos, Part IIA

Economics Tripos, Part IIB

Education Tripos, Part I

Education Tripos, Part II

Engineering Tripos, Part IA

Engineering Tripos, Part IB

Engineering Tripos, Part IIA

Engineering Tripos, Part IIB

English Tripos, Part IB

English Tripos, Part II NR

Geographical Tripos, Part IB

Historical Tripos, Part IA

Historical Tripos, Part II

History and Modern Languages Tripos Part IB

History and Modern Languages Tripos Part II

History of Art Tripos, Part IIB

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part I

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIA: Politics and International Relations

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIA: Politics and Sociology

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIB: Politics and Sociology

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIB: Social Anthropology

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIB: Sociology

Land Economy Tripos, Part IA

Land Economy Tripos, Part II

Law Tripos, Part II

LL.M. Examination

Linguistics Tripos Part IIB

Mathematical Tripos, Part IA

Beasley, Matthew

Mathematical Tripos, Part IB

Mathematical Tripos, Part II

Mathematical Tripos, Part III

Human, Social and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIA: Sociology and Social Anthropology

Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Tripos, Part IIB: Politics and International Relations

Master of Advanced Study Degree in Mathematical Statistics

Medical Sciences Tripos, Part IA

Bushara, Omar

Medical Sciences Tripos, Part IB

Final M.B. Exam Part III

Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos, Part IA

Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos, Part II

Natural Sciences Part II: Biochemistry

Natural Sciences Part II: Chemistry

Natural Sciences Part II: Physics

Music Tripos, Part IA

Music Tripos, Part IB

Natural Sciences, Part IA

Natural Sciences Part II: Zoology

Natural Sciences Part III: Biochemistry

Natural Sciences Tripos, Part III: Earth Sciences

Natural Sciences Part III: Physics

Natural Sciences, Part IB

Natural Sciences Tripos, Part II: Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Philosophy Tripos, Part IB

Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion Tripos, Part IIA

Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion Tripos, Part IIB

Veterinary Sciences Tripos, Part IB

COLLEGE AWARDS

2023–2024

Kilby Prize

The Master’s nomination; by custom to a third year undergraduate

Blackburne-Daniell Prize Best second-year performance

Peter de Somogyi Memorial Prize

Special merit in an Arts subject, as measured by examination performance; in any year of residence

Hansen Prize for outstanding first or second-year performance in the arts

Mary Coates Prize for Medical and Veterinary Sciences or Biological Natural Sciences

Ginsberg Prize for Classics

Hadley History Prize usually for Part II of the Tripos

Sir William Hodge Prize for Mathematics or Natural Sciences

Satish Kumar Aggarwal Prize for outstanding first-year performance in Mathematics or Natural Sciences

Peter May Award for Tripos and University Sports (Hockey) (Waterpolo) (Rifle Shooting) (Cricket) (Fullbore Rifle)

Adrian Prize for Medical and Veterinary Sciences

Atiyah Prize for Part III Mathematics

Bethune Baker Prize for Divinity

E.G. Browne Prize for Oriental Studies

Cadell Prize for Architecture or History of Art

Collins Prize for English

Hodgson Memorial Award for most improved score in Engineering

Lancaster Prize for Engineering

Lander Prize for History of Art

Legg Prize for Mathematics [restricted to Undergraduates]

Ann Ellen Prince Prize for Modern Languages

Marie Shamma’a Frost Prize for Oriental Studies

Robin Shepherd Memorial Prize for Chemistry

Shilling Prize for Land Economy

Dr Stevens Prize for Natural Sciences

Dr Stoneley’s Prize for Geology and Geophysics

Henry Sumner Maine Prize for Archeology and Anthropology

Tom Rosenthal Prize for the most distinguished performance in a dissertation on any aspect of the fine arts in Tripos examination

Tomkys Prize for Social and Political Sciences

The Trebilcock Prize for Economics

Turner Prize for Music

Foundress Prizes

Ubaydli Prize for Computer Science

S M Jamil Wasti Prize for Part I English

Willoughby Prize for Private Law

Ronald Wynn Prize for Engineering

Ziegler Prize for Law

College Prizes

Foundation Awards

Dolby Prize

Foundation Scholarships

College Scholarships

Peter Clarke Scientific Writing prize

Dame Ivy Compton-Burnett Prize for creative writing

Brian Riley Declamation Prize

Blues Awards For a Blue (Swimming) (Rowing) (Field Hockey) (Hockey) (Rugby Union) (Boxing) (Volleyball) (Ice Hockey) (Cheerleading) (Rugby Union) (Hockey) (Golf) (Cricket) (Golf) (Fullbore Rifle)

For a Half Blue (Cheerleading) (Rowing) (Karate) (Golf) (Eton Fives) (Water Polo) (Golf) (Australian Rules Football) (Rifle Shooting) (Basketball)

POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS 2023–2024

The following named scholarships and awards were made for the academic year 2023–2024: The College part funded four University or associated Partner Institutions PhD studentships

The College part funded four University or associated Partner Institutions awards for MPhil or equivalent study

The College also made significant ad hominem awards

HIGHER DEGREES CONFERRED

Doctor of Divinity

PhD

Master of Research

MPhil

MASt MEng

MFin

MAcc

MEd

MB

BChir

VetMB

D. THE PEMBROKE COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE SOCIETY

The Ferguson Nazareth Room (image by Fumie Suga)

MEMBERS’ NEWS

1945 Ronald Milner’s book Time’s Wingèd Chariot was published by Greenleaf Press.

1953 David Thomas published his memoir Twinkle-Twinkle: Measuring the Stars and Subsequent Adventures.

1955 David Wilson’s book An Agnostic’s Brief Guide to the Universe was published by Hope Corner.

1961 Jonathan Lynn’s play I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, I Can’t Quite Remember received its world premiere at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester.

1962 Peter Taylor’s book Operation Chiffon: The Secret Story of MI5 and MI6 and the Road to Peace in Northern Ireland was published by Bloomsbury.

1966 Marc Saperstein’s book Sermons and Addresses was published by Austin Macauley Publishers.

1967 Cliff Webb’s book Probate Records of the Deaneries of Croydon and Shoreham: 1623–1841 was published by the British Records Society.

1968 Jem Poster’s book (co-authored with Sarah Burton), The Book You Need to Read to Write the Book You Want to Write was published by Cambridge University Press; he and Sarah’s subsequent detective novel Eliza Mace was published by Duckworth.

1969 Jeffrey Deakin’s book Organic Chemistry: Miracles from Plants was published by CRC Press.

1970 Ian Pattinson was appointed Captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club.

1973 Ronald Hutton was awarded a CBE for services to history.

Jonathan Mallinson’s book William Moorcroft, Potter: Individuality by Design was published by Open Book Publishers.

1974 Edward Bolitho was awarded a KCVO.

Raj Thakker was awarded an OBE for services to medical science and to people with hereditary and rare disorders.

1975 Mostyn Roberts’ book Jeremiah: Whose Word Will Stand? was published by Evangelical Press.

1979 David Joseph’s book Burgenland: Village Secrets and the First Tremors of the Holocaust was published by Amberley Publishing.

1980 Jag Ahluwalia was appointed Chair of the Royal Papworth Hospital.

1984 Robert Hardman’s book Charles III: New King, New Court, The Inside Story was published by Macmillan.

Adam Leigh’s novel Chicken Wars: A Tale of Love and Poultry was published by Whitefox Publishing.

1987 Sarah Law’s novel Sketches from a Sunlit Heaven was published by Wipf and Stock, and her collection of poems, This Transfigured Chapel of Threads, was published by Resource Publications. She was also awarded a 2023 Illumination Book Awards Silver Medal.

Gawn Rowan-Hamilton was appointed Lord-Lieutenant for County Down.

1988 Alan McIntyre published his Scottish Letters from America: Collected Columns 2008–2022.

1989 Richard Penty was appointed Head of the School of Technology at the University of Cambridge.

1991 Nick Catsaras was awarded a CMG for services to British foreign policy. Greg Jackson was awarded a CBE for services to the energy industry. Tim Pick was awarded an MBE for services to offshore wind energy.

1994 Constantin Coussios was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

1995 Rebecca Lingwood was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Lancaster University.

Blaise Metreweli was awarded a CMG for services to British foreign policy.

1996 Madsen Pirie was awarded an OBE for services to public policy.

1999 Dan Jones’ novel Wolves of Winter was published by Head of Zeus.

2002 Steven Barrett was appointed Regius Professor of Engineering at the University of Cambridge.

2004 Adam Bisno’s book Big Business and the Crisis of German Democracy: Liberalism and the Grand Hotels of Germany, 1875–1933 was published by Cambridge University Press.

2005 Jo Guldi’s book The Long Land War: The Global Struggle for Occupancy Rights was published by Yale University Press.

2006 Mischa Foxell was awarded an OBE for public service.

2011 Jerry White’s book Religicide: Confronting the Roots of Anti-Religious Violence (co-authored with Georgette Bennett) was published by Post Hill Press.

2016 Glenn Bezalel’s book Teaching Classroom Controversies: Navigating Complex Teaching Issues in the Age of Fake News and Alternative Facts was published by Routledge.

2017 Ivan Grega captained the University’s Ice Hockey Team to victory in the Varsity Match, and to becoming National Champions at the National Ice Hockey Tournament (the first time Cambridge University has become National Champions).

2020 Emilia Bushrod captained the University’s Women’s Rugby Team to victory in the Varsity Match.

Mia Ward won the Cambridge University Sports Unsung Hero Award for her work with the University Cheerleading Society.

2022 Emily Quin was awarded the prize for Postgraduate Officer of the Year in the 2024 Cambridge Student Awards.

Matthew Taylor’s ‘A life no longer simple, memories no longer mine’ won the political column category of the Orwell Society/National Union of Journalists Young Journalists Awards 2024.

Pembroke’s former Head Porter, John Spelzini was awarded a Royal Victorian Medal for his role as Divisional Sergeant Major, the King’s Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY

AGENDA FOR THE 2024 AGM

Thursday 21 November; The Drapers’ Hall, drinks at 7.00 pm, dinner at 7.30 pm

Nominations for 2023–2024

President: tbc

Vice-Presidents: Sir Roger Tomkys, H P Raingold

Honorary Vice-President: Mrs C F Holmes

Chairman of Committee: Dr J E Morley

Secretary: MR Mellor

Treasurer: Dr A T Cates

Editor of Gazette: N J McBride

Secretary of London Dinner: A S Ivison

Secretary of Scottish Dinner: R MB Brown

Secretary of South Western Dinner: tbc

1950s representative: G J Curtis

Committee to 2025: Professor H N Kennedy, A M Lloyd-Willams, N M Heilpern, Miss V A Skinner, Dr H Marcarian

Committee to 2026: Sir Patrick Elias, Professor S V Griffin, Ms B R M Davidson, A Morris, Dr A Gupta

Committee to 2027: C G Bartholomew, 1970s tbc, Miss C M Beales, 1990s tbc, Ms L Greenfield, M C Bittlestone

Overseas Representatives: T P Itoh, Dr C L Hansen, Dr A Guha, Ms D S Q G-S

Wambold, Ms L Parodi-Huml

AGENDA FOR THE 2023 AGM

Thursday 17 November; The Drapers’ Hall, drinks at 7.00 pm, dinner at 7.30 pm

Nominations for 2022–2023

President: A T Macqueen

Vice-Presidents: Sir Roger Tomkys, H P Raingold

Honorary Vice-President: Mrs C F Holmes

Chairman of Committee: Dr J E Morley

Secretary: MR Mellor

Treasurer: Dr A T Cates

Editor of Gazette: N J McBride

Secretary of London Dinner: A S Ivison

Secretary of Scottish Dinner: R MB Brown

Secretary of South Western Dinner: tbc

1950s representative: G J Curtis

Committee to 2024: S G Sperryn, D Brigden, R W Bayly, C G Beal, T H Ellerton, J E Spencer

Committee to 2025: Professor H N Kennedy, A M Lloyd-Willams, N M Heilpern, Mrs K V Aldridge, Miss V A Skinner, Dr H Marcarian

Committee to 2026: Sir Patrick Elias, Professor S V Griffin, Ms B R M Davidson, A Morris, Dr A Gupta

Overseas Representatives: T P Itoh, Dr C L Hansen, Dr A Guha, Ms D S Q G-S Wambold, Ms L Parodi-Huml

DINNERS AND RECEPTIONS

Pembroke College Cambridge Society London Dinner

The 96th annual dinner of the Society was held at the Drapers’ Hall on the evening of Thursday 16 November 2023. The Toast to the College was proposed by Alex Macqueen (1996), President of PCCS, and the response was given by Nick McBride, James Campbell Fellow in Law.

PRESENT

The Master

1955Mr G J Curtis & Mrs P M Curtis

1960Mr P J H Meyer

1964Mr S G Sperryn

Mr D A Streatfeild

Mr A J D Wilson KC

1966Dr W Sedriks

1967Mr C R B Goldson OBE

Mr W P Merrick & Mrs J A Merrick

1972Mr J H P Stuart

1973Professor A N Cormack

Mr D E Dickson & Mrs J F M Dickson

Mr D M Edwards & Mrs S Edwards

1973Mr M A Smyth MBE

1974Mr A S Ivison

1975Mr J V Canning & Mrs A Canning

Mr S J Shotton

1976Mr N H Denning

Mr A M LloydWilliams

Mr J B Meyer

Mr A L M O’Hare

1977Mr A Bocock

Mr R J Edwards

Mr R G N Spencer

1980Mr A Bateman

Mr N M Heilpern

Mr A H Jones & Mrs S G Jones

Mr P B Kempe

Mr I D McDiarmid & Mrs H McDiarmid

Mr J P Snoad

Mr M A Williams & Mrs A M Williams

1981Dr P Campbell

Mr D M Holland KC

Mr S E Lugg

1983Professor P A Bernal

1984Ms V J Bowman CMG

Mr M P Dunfoy

Ms C M Harris

Mrs C F Holmes

Ms K M Lyall Grant

Dr J E Morley

1985Mr G B M H du Parc Braham & Mrs O F M du Parc Braham (1986)

Professor S V Griffin

Mr J D G Manning

Mr J A McClean

Mr C M F Viner

1986Mrs R S Lloyd James

1987Ms C M Thomé

1988Mr P A C Coombs

Mr C N Fox

Mrs G Pettyfer

1991Dr B M Burgess

MRCS MRCGP

Mr A I Macpherson

Air Vice-Marshal

A P Marshall OBE

Mr T F Pick MBE

1994Dr A J Bennett

1996Mr A T Macqueen

Mr J Sarkar & Ms D Bensberg

1997Ms B R M Davidson & Mr M Fealy

1999Mr J A Buckley & Mrs A Buckley

Dr P M McCormack

2000Mr D R Bhimjee

Mr E Breffit

Mr T Callahan

Mr A W Morris

FTCL ARAM

Mr C M Mouysset

2001Miss M Browndy Akpabio

Mr K Mann

Mr R J Reid

Miss V A Skinner & Mr D Robinson

2002Mr S A Branco

2003Ms J R Scott

2004Dr L Shanthakumar & Ms B Shi

2005Dr E Siva

2006Dr J J Napp & Mrs T Napp

2007Mrs I F LambarthTaylor & Mr T Lambarth-Taylor

Dr M K Rigozzi

2008Dr W-A C Bauer

Miss D A Hogg & Mr E van der Klugt

Dr S Kodali

Mr T A Michaelis

2009Mr O M T Budd &

Dr J D Budd (1974)

Mr A R McWilliams & Miss S V Stott (2009)

2011Mr G E M Bosson

Ms J S K Buckland

Dr A Gupta

Mr T P Hoier

Dr N B Novcic

Dr C L Sutherell

Dr G D Sydenham

Mr M W White

Ms N Yee & Dr M Duembgen (2010)

2012Professor I C Abbs

Mr M C Bittlestone

Mr J W Hutt

Dr B M Jackson & Ms Y Zhuang

Miss A E Johnson

Dr H Marcarian

Mr R P Ollington

Miss G V PerryHilsdon

Mr J E Spencer

2013Miss E J A Adjei

Mr A Chandler

Dr J Cullen & Miss J Chan

Ms A E Hayler

Mr S O Rowntree

Mr N J McBride

Mr M R Mellor

Mr H P Raingold

Mr M G Kuczynski

The Rt Hon Sir

Patrick Elias

Ms N Morris

2014Mr B Edwards &

Ms K Pope

Mr B G Findley

Mr J Fox

Mr M A Kaye &

Ms S Whitebrook

Mr H Kerrison

Mr H Kirby

Miss S J Lee

Dr S Ren

Dr C E Tubman

Mr A P Westin-Hardy

2016Mr D A Farkas

2017Miss M Barona

Mr W J Melling

Mr J S O’Donnell

Dr T Parsloe

2018Miss S J Bakker

Mr C B Diviney &

Ms N Zhou

Mr S J Quick &

Ms K Quick

2019Mr T J Barker

Mr R S Bywater

Mr A Clelland

Mr O Elchanan

Miss E Jefferson

Ms C Y J Lee &

Mr F J Gomez

Medina (2019)

Miss S C Lumsdon

Ms J R H Mackenzie

Miss S A March

2020Mr A Gupta

Miss E Parry-Lowther

2021Miss M E Bowers

Miss N D S Clarvis

Mr B T Mhangami &

Ms T Soni Bhagat

Ms T M Nguyen &

Ms J Lamba

Mr H E P Palmer

Ms A G A Perkins

Mr J Roy

Miss M E Thomas

Miss F H White &

Ms E Piper

Mr I Yaniv

Miss L R Young &

Ms L Zejen

2020Mr N Aggarwal

Mr S Alexander

Mr J E Cunnison

Mx J Edwards

Miss A Mikhailova & Mr J Nordhorn

Miss C L Olliver

Mr G Papagiannis & Ms O Kalantzi

Mr L Rodd

Ms E G Szemraj &

Ms G Somers

Miss A Tinsley

Ms A N Williams &

Mr T Hunt

2021Mr M E Mwamba

Mr J T Crawley

Miss F E Griffith

Mr M Hall

Miss R K Hind

Miss F Lulat

Mr D M Morgan

2022Mr T Wallace

The 97th annual dinner of the Society will be held at the Drapers’ Hall on the evening of Thursday 21 November 2024.

The secretary of PCCS would welcome suggestions from members of Pembroke speakers for future London dinners whom they can help contact.

South-Western Dinner

The 21st Annual South-Western Dinner was held at the Clifton Club on the evening of Friday 9 February 2024 with the assistance of Richard Jarratt (1961). The College representative was the Master, Lord Smith of Finsbury.

PRESENT

The Master

1957Professor Sir John Kingman FRS

1960Mr D Brown & Mrs S M Brown

1961Mr R H Jarratt & Mrs S E Jarratt

1963Dr T R Jones & Mrs L M Jones

Dr M A Turpin & Dr C L Turpin

1971Mr F G D Montagu & Mrs O Montagu

1972Dr J W Lumley

Mr T J Thorn & Ms C Macnab

1973Dr P R D H Greenhouse FRCOG

1978Dr S N Kukureka

Professor J H Tobias

1980Professor V K

Aggarwal FRS

1982Dr J I Weeds EdD

1983Dr M V Kyle

Dr A G Miller

1990Mr R J Porter

Mrs J Buckingham

Miss S A March

The 22nd Annual South-western Dinner at the Clifton Club will be held on Friday 31 January 2025 and details circulated later this year. If you wish to be included and do not reside in the Southwest of England please email events@pem.cam.ac.uk.

Scottish Dinner

The 72nd Annual Dinner in Scotland was held at the New Club on Friday 1 March 2024. The College representative was Lord Chris Smith, the Master.

PRESENT

The Master

1953Mr H Howard & Miss H Whittaker

1957Professor J A A Hunter OBE

1963Dr I M Cassells

1964Professor J N Hedger

Professor C M G Himsworth

1966Mr C L Reilly

Mr I M Tait

Mr J N Wright KC

1967Mr C R B Goldson OBE

1970Professor R H Roberts

1973Mr C P Stanley

1981Dr I M McClure

1982Mr M N Raffle

1984Professor A J G Cairns FRSE

1986Dr B A Cuthbert

1988Professor A J McNeil

Mrs P M Smith

1989Mr R M B Brown

2009Dr V Lindsay-McGee

2014Miss P E J McLean

Dr S R Millar

2016Dr C J Ness

2017Ms N Morris

The date of the 73rd Annual Dinner in Scotland will be circulated when known. It will also be listed on the College website in the Alumni Events section.

Pembroke Victoria Society Dinner

The Pembroke Victoria Society Dinner was held at Embla Wine Bar, 122 Russell Street, Melbourne, on Wednesday 8 May 2024. The event was kindly organised and hosted by Mr Peter Moore (1978). Ms Vanessa Greenwood, Executive Officer of Cambridge Australia Scholarships, was in attendance.

PRESENT

1963Mr A W Gunther

1978Mr P J Moore & Mrs K Moore

1980Mr R H Myer AO & Mrs A Myer

1981Mr M E Bartlett

1994Dr A T J Domanti & Mr W Daniels

1995Dr J A Forrest & Mrs C Forrest

Pembroke Chicago Drinks Reception

1997Miss K A O’Shea

2004Mr A P Cartwright

Ms V Greenwood

Dr A G V Strazzera

On 28 May 2024 a drinks reception for Pembroke Members was held at the MacArthur Foundation, 140 S Dearborn St #1200, Chicago. Afterwards, attendees joined a Cambridge in America reception for University alumni. Both events were generously hosted by Professor John Palfrey (1996). The College was represented by the Master, Lord Smith of Finsbury, and Matthew Mellor, Fellow and Development Director.

PRESENT

The Master

1995Dr J B Fant

Dr J G Phillips

1996Professor J G Palfrey Jr

2006Mr M R Mellor

PCCS Sydney Drinks Reception

2007Mr W C O’Hara & Mrs M O’Hara

The PCCS Sydney Drinks Reception was held at the Library Bar at the State Library of New South Wales, 1 Shakespeare Place, Sydney on Friday 21 June 2024. The event was kindly organised by Ms Lorna Sproston (1994) and Mr Tim Beresford (1994). The College was represented by Emeritus Fellow Professor Loraine Gelsthorpe.

PRESENT

1967Mr N A Stoke

1970The Hon A D Erskine & Mrs K S Erskine

1985Mr P G Evans

1987Mr S J Nieminski & Mrs J Nieminska

1989Mr S D Tijou

1994Mr T D Beresford

Professor L R R Gelsthorpe FRSA

Ms L J Sproston

1996Mr R E Shadforth

1997Mr J S Emmett SC

2009Mr W Agnihotri & Dr S Jain

2020Ms D M White

Correction: In last year’s Gazette two events were accidentally combined into one entry. Please find both complete entries below.

Pembroke Dinner in San Diego

A dinner was held for alumni and alumni living in San Diego at the Red Marlin Restaurant, Hyatt Regency Hotel on Friday 17 March 2023. The College was represented by the Master, Lord Smith of Finsbury, and Matthew Mellor, Fellow and Development Director.

PRESENT

The Master

1981Mr T J Farrell

1995Dr J Theiss

2006Mr M R Mellor

2010Dr K Powers

Mr J M Cohenzadeh & Ms R Felicicchia

Mr W Dang

Miss M E Goodman

Pembroke Palo Alto Drinks Reception

Mr S Kamino & Ms S Vatz

Mr W Li & W Wang

Mr M Sowell

Raymond Nasr (1984) generously hosted drinks at his home in Palo Alto on Sunday 19 March 2023. The College was represented by the Master, Lord Smith of Finsbury, and Matthew Mellor, Fellow and Development Director.

PRESENT

The Master

1961Professor D J Holloway & Mrs A Holloway

1966Dr W Sedriks

1969Mr P G Cleary & Mrs P Cleary

1975Mr H S Simon

1975Dr A J Wilkes & Mrs M Wilkes

1981Mr J M Crowther

1984Dr A D Brodie

Mr R G Nasr

1986Mr K P Hagerman

1988Mr A D Emanuel

Mr N A Shepherd

2006Mr M R Mellor

2009Dr A T Ritter

2010Miss N Ravi

2015Mr A Kanavalau

2017Miss L J Fairweather

2018Miss V Monasch

Mr V Mudupalli

2019Miss T Meng

2021Mr S Lalwani & Ms M Hilderbran

Ms D Artusy

Miss R Fu

Ms P Hehmeyer & Ms M de Witte

Ms L King & Mr N Sanchez

Ms G Woo

LOCAL CONTACTS

Australia

Adelaide

Dr MJ Llewellyn-Smith AM KStJ (1962) 27 Kate Court Adelaide SA 5000

Australia

Email: michael.llewellynsmith@gmail.com

Victoria

Mr P J Moore (1978)

Email: peter.moore@flyford.com

Canada

Dr A Guha (1994) Phase 5 Research 99 Spadina Avenue Suite 400 Toronto ON M5V 3P8

Canada

Email: arnieg@phase-5.com

China

Mr T D P Kirkwood (1987) Kirkwood & Sons LLC 3610 Capital Mansion No 6 Xin Yuan Road South Chaoyang District Beijing 100004

China

Mob: +86 1380 1358 781

China office: +86 10 8486 8099

US office: +1 570 506 9850

Sydney Miss L J Sproston (1994)

Email: lorna_sproston@hotmail.com

Mr T D Beresford (1994)

Email: tberesf1@bigpond.net.au

Hong

Kong

Mr Paul Tao (1985) Email: ptao@nh-holdings.com

Ms Bianca Law (1996)

Email: biancalaw@gmail.com

Dr Terence Kwan (2012)

Email: ttlkwan@gmail.com

Japan

Mr T P Itoh (1966)

LOGOS Capital Partners Inc

4-4-12-4-1 Takanawa Minato-ku

Tokyo 108-0074

Japan

Email: pitoh@logos-cp.com

Tel: +81 3 3445 5890

USA

New York

Mr C P Robb (1976) 161 East 79th Street, Apt 12B New York, NY 10021-0433

UK

London

Mr A S Ivison (1974) Contrct c/o Development Office

North of England

Mr D R Sneath TD DL (1966)

7 Kirkby Road

Ravenshead

Nottingham NG15 9HD

Email: david_sneath@yahoo.co.uk

Singapore

Mr B D Clarke (1981)

6 Jalan Mas Kuning

Singapore 128699

Republic of Singapore

Email: barryclarke42@yahoo.com.sg

Mob: +65 9652 2411

San Francisco

Mr P G Cleary (1969) 531 Diamond Street

San Francisco CA 94114

Email: peter.g.cleary@cantab.net

Scotland

Mr R M B Brown (1989)

79 Hamilton Place Aberdeen

AB15 5BU

Mob: 07507 414867

RULES OF THE SOCIETY

1.The Society shall be composed of past and present Members of Pembroke College, Cambridge, and shall be called the ‘PEMBROKE COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE SOCIETY’.

2.The objects of the Society shall be:

(a) To promote closer relationships among Pembroke Members, and between them and the College.

(b) To publish an Annual Gazette, and to issue it free to all Members of the Society.

3.The subscription for Life Membership of the Society shall be decided from time to time by the Committee.*

4.The Officers of the Society shall be a President, one or more VicePresidents, a Chair of Committee, a Treasurer, an Honorary Secretary (who shall be a Fellow of the College), the Dinner Secretaries, an Editor of the Gazette, and such local Secretaries as may be desirable.

The Officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall hold office for one year. Nominations, with the names of the Proposer and Seconder, shall be sent to the Secretary six weeks before the Annual General Meeting. The retiring President shall not be eligible for re-election for a period of three years after his or her retirement.

The office of President is held annually and alternately by a Fellow and by a non-resident Member of the College. He or she is normally expected to give the address at the London dinner, proposing the toast to the College (if a non-resident Member) or responding (if a Fellow).

5.The Management of the Society shall be entrusted to a Committee consisting of the following Officers, namely the Chair of Committee, the Treasurer, the Honorary Secretary, the Dinner Secretaries, the Editor of the Gazette, a current Fellow (who has not been a Junior Member of the College), and not fewer than twelve other Members of the Society to be elected annually. Nominations for the Committee shall be sought in advance of and later recommended by the spring meeting of the Committee, to be ratified at the Annual General Meeting. Of the elected members of the Committee, six shall retire annually by rotation according to priority of election, and their places shall be filled at the Annual General Meeting; a retiring member shall be eligible for reelection after a period of one year from his or her retirement. The Committee shall have power to co-opt additional members for a period of one year.

6.Members of the Committee shall have, as their primary considerations:

(a) The relationship between the College and its non-resident Members.

(b) The assistance they can give to the College in encouraging attendance at events and participation in other College activities.

(c) Evaluations of ways of improving the connection between the College and non-resident Members.

(d) The quality of the events that are organised under the aegis of the Society.

7.The Committee shall meet at least twice in every year, a week after the end of the Lent (spring) and Michaelmas (winter) Terms respectively. At all meetings of the Committee seven shall form a quorum. The spring meeting shall review nominations for committee membership and the annual accounts of the Society.

8.The Committee shall arrange an Annual Dinner or other Social Meetings of the Society in London and elsewhere.

9.The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held on the day fixed for the London Dinner. The Secretary shall send out notices of the Meeting at least one month before it takes place.

10.The Committee in their discretion may, and upon a written request signed by twenty-four Members of the Society shall, call a Special General Meeting. Fourteen days’ notice of such a Meeting shall be given and the object for which it is called stated in the notice.

11.No alteration shall be made in the Rules of the Society except at a General Meeting and by a majority of two-thirds of those present and voting, and any proposed alteration shall be stated on the notice calling the Meeting.

*The Committee decided (10 December 1982) that, for the time being, the Life Membership subscription shall be nil. This decision was made possible by an offer from the College of an annual subvention from the Bethune-Baker Fund which, it was hoped, would provide a sufficient supplement to the Society’s income to enable expenses to be met, particularly the expenses of printing and postage of the Annual Gazette.

PRESIDENTS OF THE SOCIETY

1924J F P Rawlinson

1925E G Browne

1926G R Eden

1927L Whibley

1928F Shewell Cooper

1929A Hutchinson

1930F S Preston

1931E H Minns

1932J B Atkins

1933H G Comber

1934E H Pooley

1935J C Lawson

1936J E Singleton

1937J K Mozley

1938M S D Butler

1939J C C Davidson

1946S C Roberts

1947R A Butler

1948M S D Butler

1949J W F Beaumont

1950J T Spittle

1951P J Dixon

1952H E Wynn

1953Sir Wavell Wakefield

1954V C Pennell

1955E H Pooley

1956B E King

1957H Grose-Hodge

1958S C Roberts

1959H F Guggenheim

1960Sir William Hodge

1961The Rt Hon Lord Salmon

1962A J Arberry

1963A G Grantham

1964B Willey

1965G W Pickering

1966M B Dewey

1967J M Key

1968W A Camps

1969D G A Lowe

1970W S Hutton

1971R G Edwardes Jones

1972T G S Combe

1973Sir Henry Jones

1974G C Smith

1975Sir Eric Drake

1976J Campbell

1977J G Ward

1978D R Denman

1979W L Gorell Barnes

1980M C Lyons

1981D A S Cairns

1982M V Posner

1983Sir Patrick Browne

1984Lord Adrian

1985J G P Crowden

1986L P Johnson

1987The Rt Hon Lord Prior

1988J Baddiley

1989T J Brooke-Taylor

1990J C D Hickson

1991P J D Langrishe

1992J R Waldram

1993G D S MacLellan

1994S Kenderdine

1995Sir Peter Scott

1996A V Grimstone

1997The Rt Hon Lord Taylor

1998Sir Roger Tomkys

1999Sir John Chilcot

2000C Gilbraith

2001J K Shepherd

2002B Watchorn

2003R H Malthouse

2004M G Kuczynski

2005Sir Patrick Elias

2006Sir John Kingman

2007Ms V Bowman

2008M G Kuczynski

2009R H King

2010J S Bell

2011R G Macfarlane

2012M R Wormald

2013N G H Manns

2014Sir Richard Dearlove

2015Mrs C F Holmes

2016Dr S A Learmount

2017A S Ivison

2018J Gardom

2019J A Wilson

2020T Weil

2021Mrs E L Johnson

2022M R Mellor

2023A Macqueen

2024Rt Hon Lord Smith of Finsbury

E. DEATHS AND OBITUARIES

Staircase in Milstein House (image by Fumie Suga)

LIST OF DEATHS

The College notes with regret the deaths of the following members:

1938 Howard Tyrrell Fry (14 August 2023; BA History; PhD)

1941 David William Durst (21 June 2023; see obituary p 178)

1944 Edward Leonard Averill (17 June 2023)

1945 Peter George Lamont Cole (8 January 2024; see obituary p 170)

David Lewis Dewey (22 March 2024; see obituary p 177)

Patrick Elibank Erskine-Murray (28 July 2023; BA Mechanical Sciences)

Philip Beverley Mackenzie Ross (20 October 2023; see obituary p 187)

1948 Anthony Michael Joyce (21 July 2023; BA Natural Sciences)

Richard Stephen Stein (21 June 2021)

1949 Henry James Lorimer Fitch (13 October 2023; see obituary p 182)

Peter David Hirst (14 August 2023; BA Mechanical Sciences)

John Bernard Stout (6 January 2024; BA Law)

1950 Michael John Comyn Annand (27 February 2024; BA Economics)

Gerard Boyle (29 March 2024; BA Law/Modern & Medieval Languages)

Frederick John Dupays (4 June 2024; Modern & Medieval Languages)

John David Kirk (16 March 2023; BA Law)

1951 Alan Edwin Hardy Pedder (10 July 2023; see obituary p 192)

Robert Bleasdale Richardson (13 January 2024; BA Mathematics/Natural Sciences)

Paul Standing (1 April 2024; BA History/Law)

John Norman Trappe (1 March 2024; BA Mathematics/Natural Sciences)

1952 Anthony Constantine Beck (13 December 2022; BA Economics/Law)

Andrew John Clark (31 January 2023; BA Natural Sciences)

Michael John Munz-Jones (8 July 2023; BA Classics)

1953 Nicholas James Barton (11 October 2023; see obituary p 164)

Peter Ernest Dunham (12 September 2023; BA History)

Daniel Robert Howison (7 September 2023; Cert Ed)

Michael Anthony Clowes Reavell (17 November 2023; BA English/History)

Geoffrey Robin Sanderson (23 March 2023; BA Law/Modern & Medieval Languages)

1954 Ronald Sheppard Wood (24 December 2023; BA English/History; Cert Ed)

1955 Raymond Louis Allison (6 August 2023; BA Law)

Brian Humphrey Mead (1 February 2024; see obituary p 190)

George Sheppard Pink (5 January 2024; BA Mechanical Sciences)

1956 Paul Allan David (23 January 2023; see obituary p 176)

John Michael Knight (13 October 2023)

Kenneth Alasdair Mackinnon (23 April 2023; see obituary p 188)

1957 Reginald Geoffrey Allibone (18 February 2024; see obituary p 160)

Robert Holmes Bond (4 June 2022; BA Mechanical Sciences)

David Anthony Brading (20 April 2024; see obituary p 166)

Robin Harwood Clarke (21 July 2022; BA Archaeology and Anthropology/Mechanical Sciences)

Thomas Hird Crossley (11 September 2023; BA Mechanical Sciences)

Robert Jolyon Goodman (15 July 2023; BA Geography/History)

Christopher Basil Hall (29 January 2024; see obituary p 183)

Timothy Ronayne Harman (2 November 2023; see obituary p 185)

Allan Edmund Mitchell (3 January 2023; PhD Engineering)

Richard George Nicolas Rhodes (21 January 2024; see obituary p 193)

Nigel Edward Richard Robson (1 April 2024; BA Law/Modern & Medieval Languages)

William Henry James Vickers (17 January 2023; PhD Chemistry)

1958 Peter Edward Hall (12 June 2024; BA Modern & Medieval Languages)

Derek Ryder Maltwood (6 April 2023)

Donald Alistair McIntyre (23 October 2023; see obituary p 189)

Anthony Herbert Wakeford (7 April 2023; BA Economics)

Anthony Colin Wright (15 September 2023; see obituary p 198)

1959 Harry Gordon Adshead (1 August 2023; BA Mechanical Sciences)

Stuart Crampin (3 May 2024; see obituary p 171)

David Howard Davies (6 January 2024; BA Mathematics)

Roger William Peay (5 January 2024; BA Classics/Modern & Medieval Languages)

Robert Bancroft Thorpe (13 April 2024; BA Mathematics)

John Brian Yoxall (6 April 2024; see obituary p 198)

1960 Richard John Barnes (6 January 2023; BA English)

Alan Francis James Exon (25 November 2021; BA Natural Sciences)

Richard William Fallows (1 April 2022; see obituary p 181)

John Beverley Knight (17 January 2024; BA Economics)

Trevor Spurring Roberts (27 August 2023; BA Archaeology & Anthropology/Modern & Medieval Languages)

Robert Alan Fraser Scott (20 February 2024; BA Natural Sciences/Theology; Cert Ed)

Robert Andrew Wilson (3 October 2023; PhD Chemical Engineering)

1961 Peter George Bird (1 September 2023; BA Natural Sciences)

Charles Pratt Sparks (22 January 2024; see obituary p 194)

Christopher David Dillon Woon (1 August 2023; see obituary p 197)

1962 David Alexander Chard Heycock (1 April 2024; BA English)

Brian Alan Howseman (4 October 2023; BA Natural Sciences)

Kenneth Charles Thomason (21 May 2022; BA Natural Sciences)

1963 David Lewis Seager (26 June 2022; PhD Engineering)

Rolfe Birch (22 May 2023; BA Natural Sciences)

1964 Victor Stanley Blanchette (26 April 2024; BA Natural Sciences; BChir)

John Stuart Fraser O’Seanoir (1 December 2023; BA Classics)

1965 Christopher Kenneth Dyer (2 March 2024; see obituary p 180)

Stuart John Nicol (3 September 2021; BA Mathematics)

Timothy Fossett Wheatley (21 December 2023)

1966 Roger Boase (1 April 2024; see obituary p 165)

1967 John William Cleary (19 July 2023; BA Natural Sciences; MB; BChir)

Richard Simon Plant (6 April 2024; BA English)

1968 John Winward Cheetham (17 March 2024; see obituary p 168)

1969 Ian Dennis (17 April 2024; BA Natural Sciences)

1970 George Joseph Albert (1 June 2024; MLitt)

Richard Hawley Grey Parry (12 January 2024; ScD; Fellow of Pembroke)

David Allen Walter (6 January 2024; BA Economics)

1971 Nicholas John Roseveare Wright (1 September 2023)

1972 David Michael Hume Townshend (22 February 2024; BA Mathematics)

1973 John Boyd Chambers (26 April 2024; see obituary p 167)

1974 Macdonald William Taylor (4 December 2023; BA Philosophy/Social and Political Sciences)

1975 Kevin Patrick Van Anglen (20 December 2023; BA English)

1976 Duncan Angus McLeod (20 February 2024; BA Electrical and Information Engineering; PhD)

1977 John Peter O’Connor (7 November 2022; BA Computer Science/Natural Sciences)

1978 Maurice John Atkin (10 December 2023)

1980 Paul Desmond Finn (27 September 2023; Supernumerary Fellow)

1985 William Jamie Rudman (29 October 2023; BA Modern & Medieval Languages)

1986 Sasha Savage (1 November 2022; BA Geography)

1994 Jamie Oliver Taylor (30 June 2023; see obituary p 195)

1996 Russell Fenton Hargreaves (6 December 2023; see obituary p 184)

1998 Mairi Bell Macleod (29 November 2022; MPhil Education)

We also note with regret the death of our former Visitor, Lord Brown of Eatonunder-Heywood, on 7 July 2023.

This Gazette also carries obituaries for John Frederick Barrett (p 161) and Dennis Frank Crompton (p 174), whose deaths were noted in previous editions of the Gazette.

in February 1954 – his diary also records laconically ‘H-bomb exploded’ on the same day.

In June 1958 Barrett visited the Institute of Automatics and Telemechanics in Moscow, with Professor Coales. They met several of the leading Soviet control theorists, listened to their lectures (presumably with an interpreter) and gave one talk each – about 60 people attended Barrett’s talk. They spent about 10 days there. Many pages of the diary are filled with names and (work) addresses of Soviet and Polish scientists, and lists of Russian and Polish words and phrases, with English translations. There are also a few notes of things like how much a radiogram costs in the USSR. This was clearly an official visit, probably facilitated by the fact that Prof. Coales was involved in the organisation of the first Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control in Moscow in 1960. The return journey was via Warsaw, Prague and Brussels (all with technical visits to various technical centres and professors). This visit is intriguing because it was so early in the Cold War, and their Soviet hosts were surely aware that Professor Coales had spent most of his career developing pioneering radar systems for the Royal Navy.

In May 1959 he married Anna Papadopoulos, a scion of the famous Greek Benaki family, who was studying history at Girton. They were married in a civil ceremony at Southampton Register Office, and the following September there was a religious ceremony in Greece. It was presumably attended by just a few friends, as neither Anna’s parents nor Barrett’s mother approved of their child marrying a foreigner. They had two children, Alexandra and Andonis, in the next couple of years.

Also in 1959 Barrett became a Research Fellow at Southampton University, sponsored by DeHavilland, and stayed there until 1961. He attended the first Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control in Moscow in 1960, travelling there by car with Patrick Parks (a colleague at Southampton) and Parks’s wife. The trip was difficult and the food was ‘awful’. One memorable anecdote concerns an unplanned stop to take a picture of a beautiful roadside statue, which resulted in a difficult discussion with some security personnel who appeared out of nowhere. On the distant horizon behind the statue was some sort of airbase! Barrett made the return trip by train, plane and ship, via Kiev, Odessa, Istanbul and Athens. Many Soviet contributions to control theory were revealed to the western community at that Congress. Barrett claimed credit for explaining the use of Lyapunov stability theory to Parks, who subsequently published a famous paper on adaptive control which was based on this theory.

Barrett’s subsequent career consisted of a number of relatively short-term appointments at various universities. In 1961–1962 he was an Associate Professor in the mathematics department of the newly-established Haile Selassie University in Addis Ababa. There then followed 8 years as Lecturer in Engineering Mathematics in Birmingham. In 1965 he was divorced from his wife, who returned to Greece with the children. Despite the divorce, Barrett continued to visit his wife and children frequently; his daughter remembers him being there in every vacation. From 1970 to 1976 he was an Assistant Director of Research back in the Control group in Cambridge, working on econometric modelling and

large-scale systems. During this time he translated several Russian papers into English, including Kolmogorov’s 1941 paper ‘Stationary sequences in Hilbert space’. It is not clear why he translated these; an English translation of Kolmogorov’s paper had been available since 1948. Perhaps he mistrusted the original translation, or wanted to ensure that he understood the details. Also during this time he developed an interest in the work of the Greek mathematician Constantin Caratheodory, and attended some symposia (in Greece) about his work. In 1973 he presented a paper at one of these symposia about Caratheodory’s contributions to the calculus of variations, which is closely connected to the theory of optimal control. The main point of his paper was that Caratheodory came very close to formulating and solving the optimal control problem in the 1930s, well before its actual formulation and solution in the 1950s. This point has been rediscovered more recently in the literature (in 1997 and 2013).

He then held Research Fellowships at Eindhoven in the Netherlands (1976–1981), Sheffield (1981–1982) and Strathclyde (1982–1985) – having followed Prof. Mike Grimble from Sheffield to Strathclyde, working on the control of steel rolling mills. From 1985 to 1988 he was a Lecturer in mathematics at Paisley College of Technology (now University of the West of Scotland).

Throughout this time he was a ‘Visitor’ with the Institute for Sound and Vibration Research at Southampton University, and he retained a Southampton University email address for the rest of his life.

Following the death of his mother in Southampton in 1990, Barrett visited his wife and family on their olive farm in Rovies, northern Evvia (Euboea, Greece) even more frequently, and moved there permanently for the last ten years or so of his life. In retirement he continued to write mathematical papers, but now his interest shifted from engineering to cosmology, relativity, and hyperbolic geometry. Most of these were presented at the biannual ‘Physical Interpretations of Relativity Theory’ conferences in London and Budapest; some of them can be found listed at https://soton.academia.edu/johnbarrett, along with some of his earlier papers on nonlinear and random systems. Among them is the unpublished monograph The Hyperbolic Theory of Special Relativity, some 90 pages long, first completed in 2006 but revised as recently as 2019. This includes a fascinating appendix on ‘Some historical notes’ together with an extensive bibliography of the history of the theory of relativity, the first entry of which is Galileo’s 1632 book.

The chronological account above gives a very incomplete view of John Barrett. He was a quiet, gentle man (though physically a big man), vegetarian, pacifist, concerned about nuclear proliferation (he joined CND and went on Aldermaston marches) and later about climate change. He held strong political beliefs, ‘far left’ in the British context (probably closer to the Socialist Worker than to the Labour Party). His (terse) diary reveals frequent visits to his wife and family in Greece even after the divorce, enthusiasm for long-distance travelling by train, personal difficulties, and concerns about the state of the world. The following eclectic extracts (with my comments in italics) may give some insight:

could listen and learn. With no inclination to show off but purely for the pleasure of sharing, he was always happy to set a friend on the right road to love of the Blues with a few judiciously chosen starter records. Those who after Cambridge shared a flat with him in London remember the many occasions when he would disappear into a set of headphones at the end of the day, largely ignored until the chit-chat was sundered by an orgasmic groan as a particularly fine riff was appreciated only by him. He probably considered his greatest achievement as a student to be organising a performance by Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup in Cambridge during his 1970 tour of the UK.

Long vac holidays were spent enviously honing his classical Greek into the modern form by escorting holidaymakers around the choicer Aegean Islands. He left Cambridge with a respectable but unspectacular degree to join the Foreign Office. Nobody was very sure exactly what he did, but to friends it seemed glamorous. Not for him an apprenticeship in a ’60’s office block, but a first placing at the Athens embassy, at a time when the Greek Junta was still hanging onto power. Doubtless those hard hours in Greek tavernas had earned him the posting. Holiday visitors found that his work seemed mainly to consist in going to parties and conversing with members of the international diplomatic community.

Whether by chance or design he found himself involved in turbulent politics in all his Foreign Office placements. He stayed in Athens long enough to see democracy restored and was then posted to the Rhodesia desk during last years of UDI. The negotiations of the Lancaster House agreement saw him travelling several times to the country, aiding the end of white rule in 1980 and the rechristening of the country as Zimbabwe. Then, showing that his aptitude for languages had not faded, he learned Norwegian in just a few weeks prior to taking up a placement in Oslo. On the surface it was a much more stable place politically, but at this time the Cold War was heating up dangerously, and proximity to the USSR made the Scandinavian countries places of special interest to the diplomatic community.

John parted company with the Foreign Office in 1984 and went to work for the UK’s one significant computer outfit, International Computers Ltd. His diplomatic skills were channelled into public and media relations, then becoming external relations manager, managing governmental, parliamentary and regulatory affairs. He stayed with ICL until its takeover by Fujitsu in 2002, when most of its staff were made redundant. Almost immediately he was snapped up by McKinsey, where he spent the next 20 years, staying on for the pleasure of it well beyond the age most people draw their pensions. Officially a consultant, as ever he was elusive about what exactly this involved, parrying a friendly request for information with the (unbelieved claim) that it if he said, ‘nothing of value, interest or significance to anyone, then he considered it a day well done’. Hiding behind remarks like these is the reality that John always found the world’s oddities, idiocies and glories much more interesting than his own life. He was a great appreciator of McKinsey’s corporate membership of the National Gallery, a short walk from his office in Jermyn Street.

If the Blues remained his great passion, it was nearly matched by cinema, especially Hollywood gangster films, and later the theatre. His formidable

He also took up rock-climbing at which he soon became proficient, confident enough to lead climbs classified as ‘Severe’. His academic work was always first class. This won him a place at Pembroke to do a PhD in seismology. As an Advanced Student in October 1959 he was nevertheless a beginner to the ways of the University. On his first evening he was confronted by two Proctors demanding to know why he was not wearing a gown. An explanation that he had not yet had an opportunity to buy one was accepted. Advanced Students were required to wear long black gowns at that time. Outside his academic work he made friends with other postgraduates, including members of the Pembroke Players and took part in their production of Camus’s Caligula.

In the Mountaineering Club he was able to share his considerable skills. Cambridge is a far cry from natural rock formations but buildings of aged but sound stone are in plentiful supply and the best climbs are well documented. The Wren Library, for example, offered an excellent challenge! About once a fortnight, whatever the weather, Stuart travelled with three other stalwarts to Stanage Edge, a gritstone escarpment in Derbyshire. This was where the group could extend themselves in reasonable safety. Stuart led Goliath’s Groove, classed as ‘Very Hard/Severe’. Many reckon it to be the best HVS climb in England. The return trip to Cambridge was always punctuated by an order of ‘The Lot’ at a truck stop which meant a well-piled plate and a large mug of tea –by then much appreciated!

However, later on in his studies Stuart suffered a tragic climbing accident in the Alps, due to a rock fall in which his climbing partner was killed and he himself was very seriously injured. It took him many months to recover and resume work, helped by his friend, Roma, who later became his wife. At this point he decided to change his research topic to one that was little understood. Professor Markus Båth of Uppsala University had been observing surface waves from large earthquakes exhibiting anisotropic characteristics. At Markus’s invitation Stuart joined him in Uppsala and began the research which would become his life’s work – seismic wave propagation in anisotropic media. Ultimately this became an indispensable tool for seismologists.

Anisotropy is a property of materials which do not exhibit the same elastic behaviour in most directions. In many cases anisotropy in the Earth can be described by density and twenty-one elastic constants. Isotropic materials, by contrast, are defined by density and two elastic constants. In isotropic solids waves can be divided into two classes, P-waves, with particle motion in the direction of wave travel, analogous to pressure waves in liquids, and S-waves with shear motion in the plane of the wave front. To describe motion in any direction, two shear waves with motion at right-angles to each other are required. Both S-waves travel at the same speed, slower than the P-wave. In anisotropic materials the classification is blurred. The particle motion is more general but there is a faster wave, more like a P-wave, and two slower waves with substantial shear properties. The key difference from isotropic solids is that these waves propagate at different speeds. A signal passing through any anisotropic material may show up with one or more shear wave duplications with time lags. This is known as shear-wave splitting.

After Uppsala Stuart joined the British Geological Survey in 1966 as Gassiot Fellow where he continued his interest in surface waves. At that time the existence of surface waves on an anisotropic half-space was doubted by many, but search methods for a combination of plane waves which decayed in amplitude with depth revealed their existence. Stuart wanted to explore the frequency dependence of the surface wave on a layered half-space containing an anisotropic layer. A code was written to calculate the transmission and reflection properties of waves at interfaces and to search for combinations of waves which could combine to give a stress-free surface. The code developed was a stepping-stone to the development of a point-source synthetic seismogram modelling package. The surface wave code was extended to accommodate piezoelectric materials, of interest in the design of radar components.

At the same time, he became involved in earthquake detection and analysis using small networks of seismometers in Scotland, Iran, and Turkey. His collaboration with Dr Balamir Uçer, the first of many successful international collaborations, initiated the MARNET seismic network around the Marmara Sea.

Stuart’s crucial insight was that the ubiquitous cracks and pore spaces in the Earth’s crust would tend to be aligned by the stresses to which they are subjected, He named it Extensive Dilatancy Anisotropy (EDA). He and colleagues conducted a series of earthquake monitoring projects in Turkey which in the early 1980’s demonstrated the existence of EDA. Since then, EDA has been observed worldwide in many different studies.

This led to his creation of a Consortium, funded by the oil industry, to coordinate the work of fellow researchers and to explore the practical application of his ideas to the needs of the industry. Founded in 1986, the Edinburgh Anisotropy Project, led by Stuart and later Drs. Xiang-Yang Li and Mark Chapman, was extraordinarily successful throughout its long duration in developing innovative techniques for oil reservoir description.

When not engaged in academic innovation he had ample opportunity to expand his DIY skills at Tullybelton, a charming but primitive farmhouse which he and Roma acquired as their second home in 1967. Growing vegetables and soft fruit in their extensive kitchen garden became a serious business. An occasional visit for pleasure, often in the company of friends, could not satisfy the needs of the battle with weeds and the nurturing of young plants. In the growing and harvesting months Stuart became a dedicated weekly visitor.

Back in Edinburgh they moved into an apartment in a classic, seven storey, 18th century tenement in Advocate’s Close opposite St Giles Cathedral. It had been extensively refurbished with a lift replacing the spiral stair, and other modern facilities. The main floor had exquisitely proportioned rooms facing the Cathedral and their many friends and colleagues enjoyed generous hospitality at their legendary Hogmanay parties, always followed by a climb up Salisbury Crags to view the fireworks.

Latterly, Stuart returned to his interest in earthquake seismology, helping to establish stress monitoring sites in Iceland and working on the possibility of stress-forecasts for earthquakes using temporal changes in shear-wave splitting. Seeing a repetition of a sequence of signals which preceded a small local

outstanding academic ability won him a scholarship to read English at Pembroke College, Cambridge when he was only 17 years old. At the end of the year he was called-up for National Service. Following receipt of his call-up papers he was soon onboard HMS Addes on route to Palestine where the bombing of the King David Hotel took place.

It is difficult to imagine how hard it must have been after two years’ absence to return to his studies and gain a degree in English. He then got his teaching certificate at Leicester College of Education and took up a teaching post at Bolton County Grammar School where he began producing plays in one of which ‘The Merchant of Venice’ I played Portia. Although madly in love with him I could never imagine that in later life I would become his wife.

Other interests were playing tennis, rock climbing, acting in many plays at Bolton Little Theatre, walking in the Lake District and holidays in Greece for which he learned to speak the finest Greek. In 1962 Dennis proposed to me beneath an oak tree on Scout Road. Needless to say I had no hesitation in agreeing to do so and we were married on 18th August at Bank Street Unitarian Chapel. Sadly not at Rivington because my mother deemed it ‘too far for relatives from Atherton to travel’. Dennis’s next career move was to become Head of English at Farnworth Grammar School where he stayed until the introduction of Comprehensive Education. He reluctantly moved to Little Lever High School where he was Head of the Arts Faculty.

After his retirement from teaching at Bolton School at the age of 72, Dennis embarked on a further distinguished career. He was asked by a professional actor friend to write a series of one-man shows. He diligently researched the lives of five historical figures, with wit, humour, pathos, wisdom and sensitivity and to the enjoyment of audiences in the North West of England these were all awarded first prize at the Garstang Music and Arts Festival which was held annually. These were: The True History of Richard III; The Alternative History of Oliver Cromwell; Sir Walter Raleigh and his Queen – Raleigh’s Greatest Gamble; Lord Byron –Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know; Prince Albert – Victoria’s Impossible King.

Dennis would be delighted to know that these are still performed to high acclaim in 2024. He lived a full and active life contributing to Unitarianism at National, District and local levels. His other local interest was as a Friend of Astley Hall a Tudor/Jacobean Mansion set in acres of beautiful parkland where he was a steward and participant in many events, most notably a performance of his own ‘Oliver Cromwell’. Oliver left behind his second-best pair of boots when he stayed at the Hall on his way to fight at the Battle of Preston. There they remain to this day proudly displayed in a specially designed glass case.

Dennis died during the Covid pandemic as a result of a brain tumour. A Memorial Service was held in his memory attended by some 80 friends and family on 9 October 2021 when many tributes were paid to this dearly loved and well-respected true gentleman as he was known by all those fortunate enough to have had their lives touched by him. The memory of his unassuming character, kindness and consideration for others will live on; the only pride he ever acknowledged was that of being alumnus of Pembroke College, Cambridge.

years to try and remember what he had learnt five years previously and gain his degree in Electrical Engineering in 1949.

His engineering career started with an apprenticeship in Rugby, took him to Canada for a year working for Canadian General Electric in Ontario on industrial electrical systems design, to Battersea to work on electrical systems for oil refineries, on to Luton on pump design for the nuclear industry and then two years in Holland’s oil industry designing electrical systems for the brand-new Esso refinery in Rotterdam. Back to England to live in Harlow and work in Enfield making electrical instruments for aircraft.

He married Margaret in 1953 and was married for 57 years, my mother passing away in 2010. One daughter and one granddaughter.

In 1970, they bought two tumbledown cottages in North Norfolk and spent the following two years renovating them and turning them into one house, and in 1972 they moved permanently to Hempstead by Holt. No engineering jobs were around so he took on a second career as a lecturer, teaching electrical technology at the Norfolk College of Arts & Technology in Kings Lynn. It started as temporary but ended up lasting eleven years!

In 1975 he became a founder, active and enthusiastic member of the Kings Lynn panel of REMAP (Rehabilitation Engineering Movement Advisory Panel), a group of volunteer engineers that design and custom make equipment for disabled individuals. I remember him regularly building and constructing some aid in his workshop to all hours, solving an individual’s problem. When he retired, he changed his allegiance to the Norwich panel, being nearer, became Chairman and continued this valuable work.

At the same time his other passion was to become a member of the Norfolk Industrial Archaeology Society, where engineering meets local history. Amongst other projects two notable ones stand out. Gunton Sawmill – the only surviving water-driven up and down timber saw in the country, where he was part of the volunteer group who worked on the restoration with an expert millwright, and the operation of the sawmill –the first cut in 1988 was followed by 6 open days each year ever since. Secondly researching the industrial history of Letheringsett. He embraced retirement and filled it with all his interests and village life; Church Treasurer for 36 years, recording the weather in his garden for 40 years. Travel another passion particularly to Canada and the love of the wilderness, mountains and lakes. A holiday of a lifetime when he retired ended up with regular return trips, initially camping and then with age a motorhome.

Following the death of my mother, he lived at home alone until almost 98, enjoying life with his garden and local interests. The last two years of his life he was cared for amazingly in a care home in Letheringsett and we enjoyed celebrating his 100th birthday there. He passed away peacefully on Midsummer’s Day at the care home. He often said he had had a wonderful life and for that one celebrates. One word to sum my father up, a gentleman.

He enjoyed this time with the Royal Navy serving on Motor Torpedo Boats and recounted many funny stories, such as how he and his ship had starred in the film ‘The Ship that Died of Shame’. They spent much of the time speeding up and down the Solent making sharp turns and firing the guns while charges were dropped into the sea throwing up fountains of water all around them. Brian’s claim to fame was standing in for Richard Attenborough when firing the rear Oerlikon gun. They only took the actors out to sea once and within a short time Attenborough had succumbed to sea sickness and taken to a bunk!

Brian retained his Royal Navy connections by joining the Voluntary Reserve where he served for 20 years, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander and was proud to have been on HMS Belfast’s final voyage.

Following National Service he went up to Pembroke in 1955, reading for a History degree. At Cambridge he captained the College 1st XV rugby team and played scrum-half for the University, each year just missing out on a Blue first to Mick Mulligan of Ireland and then to Steve Smith of England. In his 4th year, whilst doing his Certificate of Education he joined Saracens rugby club, playing for their 1st team and was a keen ‘Sarries’ supporter all his life. He also played later for United Services Portsmouth, Hampshire and later on for Northampton’s 2nd XV.

Having qualified, he was headhunted by the headmaster of Stowe School. Straight from university he was made form master of the infamous ‘5E’ and, although they led him a merry dance, one of those students recently said: ‘Brian was a brilliant teacher and he added another dimension to my life, and I’m sure to many others, for which I will, forever, be thankful.’ Later he met Liz, who was to become his wife, when he returned home early from a rugby tour to Ireland due to a collarbone injury. She had been sailing in a ‘frostbite’ series run by Portsmouth Sailing Club and, having capsized in the middle of the harbour entrance, she had returned to the Club rather bedraggled to find Brian propping up the bar. And the rest is history! They married in 1965 and had two children James and Sarah.

During the next 20 years Brian entered fully into boarding school life. As well as teaching History and being under-housemaster of Walpole house, he was in charge of school rugby and was rewarded when the 1st XV he coached had an unbeaten season – a record which we believe still holds today. He also ran the Naval Section in the Combined Cadet Force and took cadets away on various ships for annual camp. Brian was appointed Housemaster of Bruce House in 1969 looking after over 60 boys as if they were his family, working tirelessly to give them guidance and support. Since accommodation was provided by the school, Brian decided to invest in a property elsewhere and a small Georgian house on Hayling Island became their first real home. There Brian bought a small clinkerbuilt wooden dinghy, a West Wight Scow, and many a happy holiday was spent with the children pottering around the creeks of Chichester Harbour.

As the family grew older, larger yachts were chartered through his membership of the Royal Navy Sailing Association. This is when he discovered the Twister class yacht and in 1977 he purchased ‘Macaria II’. She was berthed in Tarbert, Scotland, so it was decided to sail her south during the summer holidays

After leaving Eastbourne College with 11 GCSEs and four A levels, Jamie read and obtained an MA in Computer Science at Pembroke College, Cambridge University (1994–1997). By that stage, and whilst Jamie loved his time at Pembroke College and made many friends there, Jamie had his heart set on a career as pilot and his studies were more of a means to an end. That said, Jamie was always very technologically-savvy and there were many times throughout his life that friends and family would ask Jamie for help with their tech!

In 1998–99, Jamie completed his Integrated Pilot Training at the CAE Oxford Aviation Academy. It was obvious to all his friends and family that he would fly through his training with top marks given his natural flair and competence; and in April 1999, he became a First Officer with British World Airlines. He then joined Astraeus Ltd and moved up through the ranks there, before becoming a B737 Line Training and Check Captain. In 2000, Jamie’s parents had the unforgettable experience of joining Jamie in the cockpit and being flown by Jamie to Guernsey.

In 2012, Jamie moved to Jetairfly (TUI Airlines Belgium) as a B737 Captain before joining Norwegian Air in January 2014. It was during a regular medical check-up with Norwegian Air that Jamie discovered he had a benign heart tumour, which required him to have open-heart surgery. While this came as a huge shock to everyone, his courage and determination came as no surprise; and it was not long after his open-heart surgery that he was marching past me on a hike up a mountain in the Alps! Jamie was always very fit (helped no doubt by the numerous British Military Fitness sessions that he did whilst he lived in London), but the grin on his face as he sped past me on that mountain was priceless. Unfortunately, Norwegian Air suffered at the hands of COVID-19, which meant that Jamie (like many other pilots) found himself out of work in early 2021. This proved to be a challenging time for Jamie as flying was his passion, but he kept himself active and managed throughout to maintain his sense of humour and positive outlook. Then, in May 2021, his life took a huge turn for the better as he met Charlotte Rochenard (from Brittany), who would go on to become the love of his life and his wife. Charlotte and Jamie shared many passions, including a love of cars, motorbikes, travel and strong black coffee. Charlotte had been very badly injured in 2020 when she had been knocked off her motorbike during a solo road trip across Africa. Charlotte and Jamie were soon plotting to complete her trip together, which they did in late 2021. However, in January 2022, Jamie suffered a bleed in the brain while they were on safari together in Botswana and was subsequently diagnosed with Grade 4 Glioblastoma (brain cancer).

Throughout his illness, he was supremely brave and determined to battle his cancer. While he knew that the disease was terminal, he wanted to spend as much quality time with Charlotte, his friends and family as he could; and he did just that. Jamie and Charlotte went hiking in Canada, skiing in France – Jamie was also an exceptional skier – sailing in the BVI and walking in Cornwall. Jamie and Charlotte got married on 16 July 2022 in Warwick – and Jamie’s renowned grin was wider than ever. Jamie also spent time with his friends and doing other things he loved, including watching live sport (Test match cricket at the Oval) and watching his beloved snooker and darts on the television. Jamie also managed to

F. MEMBERS’ CORNER

Café 84 in Milstein House (image by Fumie Suga)

The Pembroke Wooden Horse

Godfrey J Curtis (1955) and John G Smith (1955)

It is June 1956, and the Long Vac has begun. The two of us are sitting at a pavement cafe in Wimpole Street looking at a sketch of a horse, and we are trying to work out if we can construct a wooden horse of Troy to use in the coming Poppy Day. From the sketch it looks as if the head alone will be about five or six feet long. We finally agree it can’t be done –except that a murmur from Godfrey suggested that if he could turn up next term with the basic structure of the head we’d have a go. To his own surprise he did just that. Over some six weeks, and less than clandestinely, a cumbersome horse’s head emerged from scrap wood, cardboard and paper at a perfume laboratory (a summer job). Somewhat to the consternation of a carriageful of passengers the huge bulk, smelling fetchingly of Goya ‘Black Rose’, was manhandled by rail to Cambridge, where it lurked temporarily in digs in Cherry Hinton. Thus began weeks of cut lectures and missed practicals as our small recruited group set to work with a deadline of 10 November 1956, Poppy Day. Very early on, someone contacted Sindalls, then a thriving building firm beside Hills Road Bridge. Their enthusiasm for the enterprise resulted in a full size trailer, freshly painted up for us, as the foundation for Wilberforce, an inevitable name for the beast. They also gave us a place to work on it and access to their wood store and tools, without which we were going nowhere. Ian Birkinshaw (1955) had brought his motorbike up, and on its stand, with headlight blazing, it allowed us to work at all hours. Wilberforce was tall – over twenty feet to his waggle-able ears – and sported two floors with a connecting ladder. A car battery supplied electricity for internal lighting and flashing eyes. The head had been finished in a sort of papier maché and we constructed our frame with laths in order to cover the body likewise. Richard Warburton, David Corfe, John Dempster, Glynn Burch (all 1955) were joined by Peter Cobb, Jonathan Abson (both 1956) and occasionally others, to complete the construction. It took about three weeks. After painting it with silver paint, and having duly admired our handiwork, we retired to College awaiting a suitable opportunity to fetch it. Then the storm came.

A night of thunderous rain, lightning and high winds prompted us to visit Sindalls in the morning. Wilberforce was a stripped skeleton. It took nearly a week to repair the damage and re-cover it with a Sindall tarpaulin. During this time a delegation borrowed a punt pole and, finding that with it they could just

Vernon Pennell Gerald O’Collins (1965)

My brother-in-law (Jim Peters) served as a frontline doctor in World War II. In North Africa, he survived the siege of Tobruk and the battle of El Alamein, returned with his division to Australia, married my sister Moira, and in early 1946 took her to the UK and studies that prepared him for the FRCS.

Although Jim spent much of his time learning and practicing surgery in Leeds, he did visit Cambridge and enjoyed a warm welcome from Vernon Pennell. In charge of the urology department of Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Vernon had become a fellow of Pembroke in 1914, produced a ground-breaking handbook of urology in 1936, and was everything you might desire from a robust surgeon of his generation.

Serving as a medical officer in France in the First World War, Vernon saved the life of a German soldier by removing his badly injured leg. The German expressed his gratitude by giving Vernon the iron cross he was wearing. I treasured dining with Vernon and hearing such stories, and not merely some unrepeatable remarks about the Nehru with whom he was a boy at Harrow or about the role of the Chinese in international politics.

Reading recently an unpublished letter (28 February 2007) by the Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney vividly recalled for me what Vernon was popularly credited with between the world wars – having a drink or two at a college dinner before heading to Addenbrooke’s to perform a procedure. Following a stroke in 2006, the beloved Irish poet lay on his back in an operating theatre waiting for the cut that would insert a pacemaker. ‘The surgeon came in togged out in his MASH duds and said breezily. “Any questions?” “Do you come here often?” And he, “Only when we’ve had a couple of drinks.” And I knew that I was in good hands.’

I am sorry that I never questioned Vernon about his personal preparation for surgery, but happy to thank him for the encouragement he showed my wonderful brother-in-law. Two of Jim’s children studied medicine; Marion ended up a hepatologist and Justin, like his father, a urologist. During their studies, both of them visited me in Cambridge. Sadly by then Vernon was deceased. To take some words from Heaney, a close friend of the Pembroke poet laureate Ted Hughes, Vernon might have helped them ‘kick their jubilant heels’.

1950sMEMORIES

Malcolm Ross (1953)

‘We said we wouldn’t look back.’ A song from the musical Salad Days – Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds, 1954. The show somehow captured the flavor of its time: low-key, nostalgic, wistful – backward looking, despite the sentiment. Unaware of the hard new music waiting in the wings: Hair! Pembroke was like that back then. Most of us ‘coming up’ were ex-National Service men newly released into yet another all-male institution, cushioned by tradition, dazzled by girls sporting Christian Dior’s cinch-waisted, full-skirted New Look. I dreamed my way through my three years reading English, oblivious of the seismic collision that was Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath: for me Pembroke was Granchester, it was Fitzbillies, Grassy Corner, the Varsity Match, the Dorothy, Finals. I’ve been looking back to those salad days of mine ever since, lamenting a lost naivety, cherishing a certain tenderness. My Alma Mater.

Philip Knight (1955)

Frozen milk outside my room.

Wearing a duffel coat in my room and the gas flame an inch high.

Mushrooms growing from the draining board in the gyp room.

The steward with the amazing memory for names.

The glorious flowers in the Dean’s garden.

Chocolate Bath Oliver biscuits from the buttery.

A great sense of pride in being a member of such a prestigious institution.

John Soper (1955)

My earliest memory of Pembroke is an interview, in October 1952, following my application for a place to read Engineering. The interview was to be with the Senior Tutor, Tony Camps (subsequently Master). I think the main reason I had been granted an interview was that my father had been a Pembroke exhibitioner in the 1920s.

I travelled by train from my boarding school in Wiltshire. I was halfway on the London underground between Paddington and Kings Cross when I discovered to my horror that my wallet, containing all my cash and the ticket to Cambridge, had disappeared. At Kings Cross I explained my predicament to a kindly stationmaster who provided me with a replacement ticket to Cambridge but by this time I had missed the Cambridge train and thus could not make the 2.30pm appointment with Dr Camps.

From a public telephone – no mobiles in those days – having no money, I made what was called a reversed-charge call to Pembroke. Fortunately Camps was in and accepted the charge! ‘Never mind,’ he said, ‘Come and see me at 5 o’clock

and you can stay with us in College for the night.’ When I duly presented myself at 5 o’clock Camps was keen to learn of my earlier unfortunate experiences. With that well-remembered endearing stammer he said, ‘I’m af-f-fraid that m-m-my financial af-f-fairs are not very healthy at the moment but I hope this will enable you to return to your school tomorrow’ – and he handed me two pound notes from his wallet. I can’t remember anything of the subsequent interview but I suppose it must have gone all right as I was offered a place subject to satisfactory A level (or Higher School Certificate as it was known then) results.

I dined in Hall for the first time that evening surrounded by frighteningly assured and articulate young men but it was an unforgettable experience.

Peter Boorman (1956)

It is with feelings of great gratitude that I write this.

My Dad died in February of my second year. I was working on a new Tripos after I retreated from Mathematics. Meredith Dewey came to my room to break the news. It was a terrible shock and very unexpected. Meredith helped to steady me and I managed to calm down. Later, about a fortnight later, Meredith sidled up to me and chatted about this and that. ‘I expect you will find it difficult at home. Why not come with us on a working holiday in Devon?’ ‘A nice idea but I cannot afford it.’ Meredith muttered something! Hotel costs et al were paid for and I enjoyed a week of comfort; and a week of study which was very rewarding and enjoyable.

I am eternally grateful to Pembroke – and Meredith in particular.

Alan Lyall Grant (1959)

I was supposed to do two years of a Natural Science degree and two years of Chemical Engineering. I did pass the Science (3rd Class) but failed the Engineering. This was mainly because I spent my time practicing the Modern Pentathlon sport, during which I won the Varsity match and was selected for the British Team which represented Britain in a worldwide competition in 1962, the 50th anniversary of the invention of the sport. It was Colin Peace, also attending Pembroke, who introduced me to the sport. It was Shell Oil Company who paid for my attendance at University, and fortunately did not want their money back when I failed my engineering Degree. After leaving Pembroke I joined the Army, where I spent the rest of my working life.

During my last year at Pembroke I also met and got engaged to Felicity, to whom I am still married after nearly 60 years. We’ve had a wonderful life together, and still remember our Cambridge days with pleasure. I recall climbing into College late at night and May Balls and the fun of those unforgettable years. My daughter Kate Lyall Grant also studied at Pembroke, starting in the first year that the College accepted female undergraduates when she was just 17. She got a better degree than I did (not difficult).

1960sMEMORIES

Stephen Halliday (1961)

My most striking memory is of the admissions process at a time, 1960, when UCAS was a distant dream and each college had its own admission procedure. My family had no previous experience of university and l chose Cambridge because my late mother, who had died in 1956, supported Cambridge in the boat race. Pembroke was chosen for me by my form master at Brentwood School. I had to complete a form with details of my O level marks and interests while my housemaster then had to complete the document by answering such questions as ‘To what extent is he not a Philistine?’

I was invited to interviews in July 1960 having completed my A level exams but not yet knowing the results. The first interview was with Mr W A Camps, Senior Tutor and classical scholar who later became Master and devoted his 11-year tenure to keeping women out of the college. As the interview progressed it soon became evident that he was much more nervous than I was and that I should try to make him less ill at ease! The second interview was with David Joslin whose subject, History, l wanted to study. That was quite straightforward.

The third interview was with Gerry Smith, a distinguished scientist. He noticed that l played tennis and asked me whether I enjoyed watching the game. With the confidence and humility of a 17-year-old setting foot in an Oxbridge college for the first time I informed him that I could make the game a better spectacle by doing away with the second serve, thus putting more emphasis on skill and less on power while promoting more rallies. I think I convinced him and thereby gave him the false impression that I was an original thinker.

Shortly afterwards I received a letter to tell me that the College would make a decision when they received my A level results and an offer duly followed. As a postscript, 40 years later I met the Marketing Manager of the All England Club and told him the story. He informed me that the abolition of the second serve is now regularly debated and I have since learned that it is now the practice in some tournaments. BUT it all started in an interview on R staircase in New Court in July 1960. And it helped to get me into Pembroke!

Anthony Raspa (1962)

When I first went to Pembroke as a graduate student from a Canadian university, I had no idea what I was walking into. That was in September 1962. In those days, in just about everybody’s head, North America was much farther away from Europe than it is today and it took me an entire academic university year in Pembroke to realize that I’d walked into what was a gold mine of humanity fused into scholastic thought. I know that what I’m saying sounds somehow senseless and exaggerated and some other people must think differently from me but the Cambridge college system made Pembroke part of the University and at the same time independent of it and the experience I had of the college was quite independent of the University. It was wonderful, and I mean it, and I can never

pay back to Pembroke what I owe it. As I was later to become a university professor so-called specialized in seventeenth-century English literature, Pembroke came literally to play an active role in my research life for literally half a century. In all, I returned to the College from my home province of Quebec, where I was born, at least 22 times and when I got there, I always felt that somehow, even if I’d been born in a side street in Montreal (metaphor intended); in some weird intellectual way I was at my door there too. I came quickly to know the wonderful University Library; and Pembroke, with the Library following, always said welcome back. Thanks.

Alasdair Glass (1964)

(1) The Past is a Foreign Country

In the 1960s Pembroke commonly took two or three undergraduates from Marlborough College. Having done badly at my GCE A-Levels at the tender age of 16, I was still invited to sit the scholarship exam, a month after my 17th birthday.

At the end of dinner in Hall, I was surprised to be summoned to join the Fellows for drinks in the Senior Parlour. It transpired that a don from Worcester College, who was my mother’s best friend’s husband and my sisters’ godfather, had been dining at high table and had recognised me in the throng below.

The following morning while waiting to be interviewed, I was summoned again, this time to make up a foursome for bowls with the Oxford don and two Pembroke Fellows. I had never tried any form of bowling before but it was obvious that the truncated conical form of the bowls would behave similarly to biased spherical bowls. Equally apparent to a sharp eye was that the green was not flat but like a very shallow hipped roof.

My dilemma was whether I should show how clever I was by beating the other pair or how well-mannered I was by allowing them to win, but not too obviously. Whichever it was, I must have made the right choice as I was awarded an exhibition, deserved or not.

(2) Much Ado About Nothing

In my first long vacation the Pembroke Players took Twelfth Night on tour in what was then West Germany. I offered to become stage manager and build the set and was volunteered into two minor parts. The set had to work in widely different sized venues, including in the open air. The director asked for a ramp and some steps to go on either side of the stage down which entrances could be made, which I built in the basement of Red Buildings.

The Players always hired a particular coach with an unusually large emergency exit at the back through which the set could be loaded. A week before we were due to leave, this coach blew up its engine and the set had to be rebuilt in smaller pieces to fit the replacement coach.

My first bit part was in the second scene, as a shipwrecked cabin boy, for some reason entering down the steps in front of the ship’s captain rather than crawling onto the stage. Nobody had told me before making the steps, and the director apparently did not know, that the person playing the captain had an artificial lower leg. It was difficult for me to avoid bounding down the steps and leaving a

pregnant pause while he struggled down them to open the scene. Not surprisingly, the top part of the steps was abandoned after our first performance.

In Stuttgart we played in a technical college. Before the performance we were let loose on the leftovers from the cookery practical examination earlier in the day, with the predictable result that the whole cast was rendered practically immobile throughout the evening.

On another occasion we were taken to visit the Miele washing machine factory which had started exporting to England the year before. Our guides were most apologetic that the factory had made parts for torpedoes during the war. I did not think that they had much choice and was too polite to ask if they had used slave labour.

Near the end of the tour we played in our grandest venue, Minden Opera House. The two resident stage hands had the set put up in no time and then took me off to their den where they plied me with schnapps until it was time to get ready for the show. I like to think I gave a particularly convincing performance as a halfdrowned sailor – it was just as well I did not have a speaking part –but I cannot remember. I still treasure the two-metre folding ruler I was given as a souvenir.

Simon Sperryn (1964)

I didn’t hobnob with famous people or come away with any notable achievement. Though I did sit next to Clive James in Hall at the first dinner of my first term. I was a little fellow from Birmingham whose work experience was limited to doing the Christmas post; he came from Australia and had worked on an oil rig –a real man. I was awed. Actually, the Christmas post had its moments, including an embarrassing one in the back of a parcel van with the identical twin of my girlfriend.

A couple of years later I remember Clive James at a Pembroke Smoker, trying out a spoof commentary he had written on the longed-for launch of the AngloFrench Concorde –the world’s first supersonic airliner, which was then being developed and was continually in the news for cross-channel rivalry, such as the argument about whether the name should be ‘Concord’ or ‘Concorde’. Clive’s imaginary build-up was captivating; the aircraft dropped its nose and roared up the runway – only to collapse in a pile of one-inch bolts and two centimetre nuts.

My earliest memory of Pembroke was not that dinner when I met him, but my visit a year earlier for the entrance exam. I was given a room for the night at the top of a staircase in Red Building. I have learned not to trust my memory too far now, but were the baths in a building across the court behind the library? There were certainly no en-suites in those days, nor even doors at the bottom of the staircases. In the morning the basin on the landing which i shared with the room opposite was filled with a block of ice. My headmaster called life at Oxbridge ‘medieval slumming’.

Well, I got a place. I was sure I scraped in by sheer luck, only to discover later that nearly all the undergraduates I met felt the same. I was so excited. But I was also so self-conscious that I remember talking about getting a place ‘at college’ –which was literally true.

I read English, mainly because I had loved it at school. Getting to know King Lear in the sixth form almost blew my mind. Yet I felt this must be child’s play compared with studying under famous scholars in Cambridge. When I got there, it wasn’t what I expected. The English faculty was struggling with internal politics over the pros and cons of ‘practical criticism’. The syllabus consisted largely of courses described as ‘English literature life and thought’ between two dates that spanned an era. I remember my horror at being told in my first supervision ‘meanwhile if there is any Shakespeare you haven’t read, you’d better read it.’

When we were asked ‘Does anyone want to do Anglo-Saxon?’ I put my hand up. I’d never heard of it, but surely there is something wrong with a man who, left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn’t try it on. So I was lucky enough to discover the medieval world and its pre-history, and commune with folk who had written down one thousand years ago what they felt and hoped and feared, so that a little bloke from post-World-War Birmingham could share them. I was inspired by teachers who loved their subject, and helped me to work out what these folk from the past were telling me, line by line and thought by thought. By year 3 I was studying nothing later than 1500AD, which still seems to me the high point of Western civilisation. What a privilege!

Unlike English students then, friends reading other subjects had to go to lectures rather a lot, some every day. By the end of my tripos, I was going to two lectures a week, both of them for entertainment and both for the second time. One was a splendid man called Spearing who read Middle English poems like Pearl and Gawayn and the Green Knight in what he reckoned was original pronunciation. He enjoyed his performance as much as we did. I still have a photo I took of him in full flow, his mouth slipped almost down into his top pocket, as he reached the descriptive climax of the of the knight who had ridden his huge horse right into King Arthur’s Court on Christmas Day. The description ends ‘and overal was ENKER [completely] GRENE’. A few years ago I had the pleasure of dinner in Pembroke Hall with Colin Willcockson. I was recalling my memories of the English faculty and mentioned these readings by Ed Spearing. Colin corrected me, saying his name was Tony Spearing. I was sure his name was Ed. When I got home I checked my library; the mystery was solved when I found my copy of Chaucer’s The Pardoner’s Tale, Ed. Spearing.

The other lecture was by a portly iconoclast called Hugh Sykes Davies. His course stood out from the list of esoteric lectures by its title ‘Some Examples of Reading’. He introduced himself in his first lecture by telling us ‘You won’t have heard of me; I don’t write books.’ His aim was to counter the effects of a syllabus that required us to study an author a week. He warned us we would develop a high level of skill reading quickly and carelessly and forming opinions based on a mixture of superficial impressions and misunderstandings. In a typical lecture he would concentrate on one poem, examining the words and find out what they meant when the poem was written, and how the poet used those words in his/her work. He loved to read us a passage from famous published scholar, or playing us a recorded reading by someone with what he called ‘the voice beautiful’, and showing how they had clearly missed the poet’s message.

Colin Wilcockson was an outstanding teacher, and I was so lucky to sit at his feet. He taught us to respect every text we read, as indeed he treated us all with respect, however dilatory our efforts. I still have a Christmas card he sent me after graduation referring to the last piece of work he had set me and asking ‘Have you finished Piers Plowman yet?’

Pembroke is still the hospitable, well-mannered and respectful place it was then. But lots has changed. In those days we had to be in College by 10.30pm (or was it 11.00?). After the Porter had locked the gates, we had to climb in. I look with horror at the wall in Tennis Court Road that we climbed over. It still has a sloping roof to slide down on the other side but I could no more climb it now than fly. Health and Safety hadn’t been conjured up then, though the authorities were not without sympathy. After student complaints about possible injury, one college removed all the spikes from the top of its wall; the students then complained that they had nothing to hold on to, so one spike was put back.

An undergraduate out after dark had to wear a gown and could be fined by the Proctor if caught without one. I was caught. I was summoned to the Proctor’s Rooms in Kings College to pay my fine of 6s 8d (one third of a pound.; the fine for a second offence being 13s 4d.) The Proctor advised me to keep the receipt because it would be one of the last as the rule was to be abolished. Not all such rules have lapsed. I believe students are still prohibited from having a car. One of my friends astonished us by receiving a speeding ticket. None of us knew he had a car, nor could we believe that a tiny Austin A30 was capable of going faster than 30 mph. He declined the option of a paying a fixed penalty and invited all his friends to attend his hearing in court and join him for sherry in his room afterwards.

In those days Pembroke did not cut a distinguished profile in music as it does today. We had one Organ Scholar (Roger Judd, who excelled in baroque music which he infused with poise and elegance) but no chapel choir. A few of us took on the job of recruiting women to sing with us. There were three women’s colleges then, Newnham, New Hall (now Murray Edwards) in its exotic new buildings at the top of Castle Hill, and Girton, way out of town on my road back to Birmingham. I remember the guilty thrill of posting notices inside the doors of toilet cubicles in Girton.

It worked. We formed a choir and enjoyed singing, though women in College presented a challenge. The Dean, Meredith Dewey, was generously hospitable to the choir. When entertaining in his rooms, he was assiduous in introducing guests to each other. I remember him introducing a newcomer to a group of choir members, saying each person’s name. When he got round to a soprano called Lindy, he was stumped for a moment, before saying ‘and this is … Phyllis, don’t argue, don’t argue.’

Meredith’s sermons were unequalled. He stood between the stalls in chapel, holding a few notes, and spoke for six or eight minutes, with wisdom and humanity that moved us. Many years later I found a paperback of his sermons, and turn to it still.

Apart from the chapel choir, women had to be out of College by a set time each evening, though again the authorities tempered enforcement with sympathy. One

lady slinking back late towards the Porter’s Lodge was horrified to see the Porter walking towards her across the court. As they passed each other, she heard the Porter remark ‘gentlemen are not permitted to wear skirts in College, Sir.’

Our choir was never going to rival Kings or Johns. But what a thrill it was to be able to attend choral evensong sung by either of these world-class choirs. Nowadays many other colleges have wonderful choirs, but then these two were supreme. The Dean of Kings was Alec Vidler who set a memorable example of hospitality by standing in the aisle, when a visiting celebrant read the lesson, holding the Bible for the visitor to read from, leaning it against his forehead or, as it appeared, resting it on two bushy eyebrows.

There were more bookshops then: Here is a round to the tune of Frère Jacques that commemorates the biggest ones: Heffers Bookshop, Heffers Bookshop/ Bowes and Bowes, Bowes and Bowes/Galloway and Porter, Galloway and Porter/ Deighton Bell, Deighton Bell.

University fees were paid by the state in those days. How lucky I was to have an account at one of these bookshops. I remember one invoice which included The Anglo Statar Chrinicle. I still have the book, edited by Professor Dorothy Whitelock, to whose rooms I went for weekly supervisions. I forget what I learned from her but I can still see the stale Chelsea Bun which lay on the top of a bookshelf for the whole of that term.

I once asked her if she would kindly give a lecture on the Battle of Hastings to some friends of mine. She was gracious and generous in saying yes. They embarrassed me by smelling of drink and messing around. The circumstances were these. The 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings was to come up while we were undergraduates. A few of us established the In Memoriam 1066 Society, elected ourselves onto a Select Committee, had a tie made, and met regularly in the Baron of Beef pub to plan an appropriate commemoration. Plans started with a re-invasion of Normandy, but as the date approached plans were trimmed, culminating in a dinner near Battle Abbey followed by a trip to the beach to curse the waves for bearing the Normans across. In 2016 we had a 50th anniversary dinner in Emmanuel College; quite a shock to see how those young bloods who had formed the Select Committee sent along a lot of old men. We drank to the memory of Professor Whitelock.

How lucky all of us are to be members of a community that is founded on such high standards of kindness and learning.

Pat Ferns (1965)

In my first year, I appeared in the Pembroke ‘Smoker’. Our cast was Eric Idle, Clive James, Germaine Greer, me and one other person whom I cannot recall. Music was provided by John Cameron who went on to orchestrate Les Miserables for its London and New York premieres. The Smoker was staged in a large room under the College Library. The sizeable audience quickly used up the oxygen in the room. Cheap red wine was flowing. That combination created a combustible audience ready to explode in laughter which they did. A highlight was Germaine’s striptease. Dressed as a nun she swung her rosary as she peeled off

her habit and reduced the crowd to tears. Next year, we invited her to return but she declined as she was studying for her final exams. After much negotiation, she agreed to do one number immediately before the interval … and she would not rehearse. She arrived carrying a huge hatbox in which was a large piece of decorative head gear featuring a life-sized stuffed pigeon. She handed sheet music to John Cameron. She would sing Rule Britannia, which she did, but through some strange contortion, her lips and the words she sang were out of sync. It was truly extraordinary and brought the house down. An encore was demanded. Germaine obliged by repeating the performance, but this time with hand gestures that were out of sync with both her lips and the music. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Ryszard Pohorecki (1965)

I have had the pleasure of visiting Cambridge and, of course, Pembroke, several times, but have only visited it twice for an extended period. The first was in 1965, when I arrived for a year as a Britisch Council scholar, shortly after obtaining the PhD degree at my mother school – the Warsaw University of Technology. As a PhD I was given graduate status in the College, which meant, among other things, the right to use the Graduate Parlour and to dine sometimes at High Table. At that time the Master was Sir William Hodge, and we jokingly called The Master’s Lodge ‘The Hodge Lodge’. My tutor was Mr W.A.Camps, a very nice man (later also the Master). As his knowledge of chemical engineering (my specialty) was rather limited, the tutorials were usually reduced to a cup of coffee and some small talk. Much longer were the discussions with Meredith Dewey, the Dean, with whom we discussed several subjects – from religion to history and literature. I also had a number of good friends, whom I met in the Graduate Parlour. These were Russell Lawson, Brian Howseman, Bill Hardy, John Perry, Brandon Carter, Edward Bradley and others. With Russell and Bill we hired a flat at De Freville Avenue, which allowed me to host my wife after her visit to Oxford in the frame of students’ exchange (she then studied her second faculty – psychology at the Warsaw University)

My second longer stay was in 2000, when the College generously invited me for a few months’ stay. From this stay I wery well remember very interesting talks with Colin Wilcockson, Michael Kuczynski and Sidney Kenderdine. During ths stay I also had the honour to read a piece of the Bible at the Christmas Service in the Chapel, and – very unusually – to say Grace at High Table. This was on the day when most Fellows, including the Master, were taking part in College dinners outside Cambridge. The oldest Fellow, who had come, if memory serves me right, from Edinburgh, was asked to preside at the dinner. He must have been very tired, because when the time came for the Grace, he suddenly said to me ‘You say Grace’. There was a kind of panic among the waiters, and the Head Waiter quickly brought a printed text, which I proudly set aside and said the longest version of the Grace, starting with ‘quidquid nobis appositum est…’ (at that time I still had a good memory). I felt extremely honoured, as this was really something exceptional.

Ian Morris (1967)

Stories about Meredith Dewey, the Dean for so many years, abound. However, I remember fondly my very first evening in College when I came up in 1967. After dinner in Hall all the Freshers gathered in the Old Library. I think we were welcomed and addressed by more than one of the Fellows but it is the Dean’s talk which I recall. He was encouraging us all to attend the Chapel. He explained that the choir was made up of undergraduates and females from Homerton College. At the time this was a teacher training college for women and not affiliated to the University. He explained that this had started during the second world war when he was not resident in the College. He heard about it at the same time as the fall of Tobruk and considered both pieces of news to be disastrous. He said that he thought it was ‘Ichabod’, the departure of the glory of the Lord. (I Samuel 4:21) He went on to say that his view of the ladies had completely changed and indeed he thoroughly enjoyed their contribution to the College. So did I: I have been married to one of them for over fifty years.

Marwan Nasair (1967)

My memories of Pembroke are probably less interesting than many. I lived for two years at 26 Barton Road, across the street from the ‘Hat and Feathers’, where I and a few friends frequently spent an hour or three, and where I would pop in for a quick sandwich from time to time (ham and cheese with Dijon mustard). I went on from Pembroke to get a PhD in Theoretical Physics, followed by a 2-year postdoc and 2 years as an instructor at the University of Toronto, then went into business and have been designing high frequency circuits and antennas ever since. I am about to retire in the next few years, but still enjoy working.

Andrew Murdoch (1968)

As a post-graduate architecture student, I worked for my Director of Studies who had been commissioned to design a retirement house for the Dean of Pembroke, Meredith Dewey in Granchester Meadows. Meredith had spent most of his long life living in College and knew its history inside out. He told me one day after a meeting that my year (1968) was without doubt the worst year in the whole of the College’s 600+ year history. He was right; we were long haired and scruffy, revolting in more ways than one, sit-ins, demonstrations, fighting gate hours and demanding co-education. He wisely did not build our design and bought a Victorian house in Granchester Meadows.

Michael Harrington (1969)

I entered Pembroke as a graduate student in Development Economics in Michaelmas Term 1969 having just graduated from Yale. I was born and grew up in West Texas.

At Pembroke I was fortunate enough to have a room in Orchard Building, which was then known as the American Hilton due to its superior heating facilities. In fairly short order I became acquainted with the late Dean Meredith

Dewey, perhaps because I was one of the few regular attendants at Sunday services in the Chapel.

Dean Dewey was fond of (what he jokingly called) colonials. As Christmas 1969 approached, Dean Dewey tapped my friend, Warrington Cameron, and me to read at the Seven (or was it Nine?) Lessons and Carols service in the Chapel. Cameron hailed from Geelong, Australia, and he was studying for a doctorate in minerology. I led off the service, reading a passage from Genesis. Cameron, as I recall, followed me. After the service concluded, Cameron and I attended the reception that Father Dewey hosted in his quarters. The dean came up to Cameron and me and remarked to Warrington: ‘Cameron, tonight you sounded as if you come from Brighton. Your voice just wasn’t ‘kangarooie” enough.’ Then the Dean looked at me, smiled and said: ‘Harrington, there was no mistaking you for an Englishman this evening!’ Later that evening, some British student whose name I’ve long forgotten began to berate Americans generally about our conduct of the war in Vietnam, a subject I had not raised with him and one that was hotly debated (and best avoided) on both sides of the Atlantic in 1969. Dean Dewey overheard the conversation, and he brought it to an end with the remark: ‘When the Blitz was on, the Yanks sent us care packages. God bless Americans!’

I spent only a year at Pembroke, but it was the best year among the eight that I spent in the catacombs of academia. I left Cambridge, England, for Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Harvard Law School in the summer of 1970. Following graduation from Harvard Law in 1973, I joined the Houston law firm of Vinson & Elkins, made partner in 1980 and retired in 2019. I maintain homes in Houston and Galveston, Texas.

1970sMEMORIES

Jonathan Mantle (1972)

All memories start as previous futures, and mine started in 1972. I am not nostalgic, and my favourite memories are the most recent. Mentoring (I dislike the word) a Pembroke student, Sandra Fuhrmann: the Benefactors Reception; the joy of meeting new people every year and seeing some old friends. Pembroke did not teach me to write, which is what I do. It taught me so much more, in an everongoing sense. As an atheist confronting mortality, I visit Wren’s chapel, which I never did as an undergraduate. As a guest at high table, and the drinks afterwards, I have met people I would never otherwise meet. Here’s to future memories!

David Beck (1973)

So many happy memories of Pembroke. No bad ones, or if there were, they weren’t that bad as I cannot recall them.

I came to Pembroke thanks to Adolf Hitler. At the end of the war my father was stationed in the Middle East, and universities were offering free places to

members of the armed forces. Father pulled a ticket out of the raffle which said “Pembroke College, Cambridge”. Years later, he was the College nomination to be a Proctor, and was Senior Proctor at the time of the infamous Garden House Riots in 1970 – probably the high point of student protests.

My first year in 1973: proud to be at my father’s old college. Finding one’s feet and meeting new friends, in the process getting the nickname “PC” as it was my one and only life’s ambition to join the Police on graduating. Going to the finance office to get the student grant cheque, the amount of which always varied for reasons unexplained. Then finding my room on the first floor of L staircase, with the luxury of a daily bedder to tidy things up. Buying a book of meal tickets to spend as one wished in Hall – chicken a la king was always a favourite. Going to my Modern and Medieval Languages lectures and tutorials, amazed that hardly any emphasis was given to the spoken languages. Coming to realise that when writing a critique of an author’s work, one’s own thoughts are only acceptable provided that they coincide with the recognised academic version. Afternoons of sport – college rugby in the first two terms, rowing (in a rugby boat, naturally) in the summer and winning oars at the Bumps. Evenings in the College bar, where brie and baguette was a standard staple to accompany the beer, then watching Top of the Pops on TV in the Junior Parlour (Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody was groundbreaking) or playing the pinball machine and/or table football in the basement area, always to a sizeable crowd watching from the balcony.

Year two: same as the first in terms of studies. Moved out of College to digs in Panton Street, fortunately directly opposite the Panton Arms pub but sadly lacking in bedders to make your room up. Many happy games of pool in the pub with housemates, followed by an addictive card game called “Clag” back in digs. Joined the Pembroke Fire-breathers for the Rag Day parade, learning how to blow paraffin out of the mouth onto a flame without swallowing any. Encouraged to trial for the University Rugby Club, and being successful, ending in playing for the LX Club against Oxford and winning. Handsomely of course. Grange Road became a sort of second home, with Spring term seeing me promoted to a regular place in the full Blues side, leading to some lifelong memories which could never happen today since the game turned professional – playing against many full international players of the day, ending in a game against Japan in the Olympic Stadium, Tokyo.

Year three: focus on final exams. Much time in the college library, researching all past exam papers and realising that essentially the same questions are always asked, albeit with slightly different wording. First term still dominated by playing rugby up and down the land for the Blues, and was surprised during the postmatch meal at the annual Steele-Bodger’s game (we got thrashed) to see an international Welsh forward ask for, and be given without a second’s hesitation, the equivalent of a week’s wages at the time as “expenses”. So much for amateurism! Much furore about whether Pembroke should admit women. I stood for election to the Junior Parlour committee, and got the number of votes equivalent to two rugby teams. Needless to say it wasn’t enough. May Ball time. On the organising committee, particularly enjoying the wine tasting session to decide which ones to feature. Liebfraumilch topped the list if my addled memory serves.

My taste in wine has vastly improved over the years since. Tasked with trying to make the College grounds as secure as possible to prevent gate crashers, so recruited friends from Cambridge RUFC to patrol the grounds on the night, with reasonable success until the early hours when temptation to join in the festivities overcame duty responsibilities. Final exams as stressful as expected, and happy with the eventual 2.2 (or Desmond, as it was known.) Before leaving to enter the big wide world, found myself summoned to a sort of exit interview with a don I had had no previous dealings with and was questioned about what my job ambitions were. “I’m joining the police”, I replied, at which point the interview mysteriously tailed off somewhat, and I left wondering what that had all been about. Was I being sounded out as a potential recruit for MI5? Nobody will ever know! Graduation followed, and life thereafter, as they say, was an anticlimax.

Christopher Johnson (1973)

For a college so proud of its Maths & Science credentials, it was surprising that the 1973 intake included no less than 11 Modern Linguists. This was due in no small part to two inspirational teachers, Tom Combe for French and Peter Johnson for German.

The latter was a mediaeval specialist and his enthusiasm encouraged a disproportionate number to choose his period when we were allowed to select specialist subjects from the 2nd year. He managed to bring alive the arcane art of the Minnesänger (German troubadours) by, for example, comparing their appeal to that of modern pop singers. We never understood why he was not promoted further: perhaps infectious enthusiasm, good humour and a Geordie accent were insufficient qualities in an academic.

The former had a more reserved manner but was expert in the intricacies of French grammar, where his Epines du Thème Francais (‘No prose without a thorn’: old psaying) was required study. He also introduced me to the literary concept of a ‘willing suspension of disbelief’, which I even now hear with his trace of a Scots accent. It is a shame that he never completed his book on Prosper Merimée, whose understated charm matched his own.

Some now question the relevance of studying languages at university, still less the remote subjects we chose like Mediaeval German literature, XVI Century French Literature and History of the German language. I was not a brilliant student (no tutor ever suggested that a bit more effort might upgrade my II.1 to a First) and my career in finance was modest but acceptably rewarding. I am convinced that, while one can buy products & services in one’s own language, one can build better relationships with clients by speaking theirs. One might argue that Britain’s failure to realise this has contributed to the decline of our export industry and the epic folly of Brexit. I worked 22 years for a French bank, and my ability to communicate with colleagues and bosses in their native tongue definitely helped. I also saw the weakness of the French educational & employment system, where only STEM or Economics graduates could work in finance, with Humanities students being limited to subsidiary marketing rôles. Many of our brilliant specialists were weak in soft skills and

could not express themselves in layman’s terms, yet the marketing staff lacked the frontline experience to understand and translate the message. Because I had received sufficient technical training by a UK bank, I could fill the gap. When I was dealing with Germany in the mid-80s, I believe I was one of the first to promote interest rate swaps in that language; and, for light relief, I could occasionally humour a client with a Mittelhochdeutsch couplet from Walther von der Vogelweide.

Oh, and don’t get me started on the lamentable efforts of what is laughably branded Artificial Intelligence to translate nuance and idiom. Of course, the tool can be useful in many fields, but to treat an app which lacks understanding as intelligence seems inappropriate to something as fluid as language.

All this is to say that, while I am not an illustrious alumnus, I don’t feel the efforts of Drs Combe & Johnson were entirely wasted on me, and I am grateful for their efforts.

Chris Kyriacou (1976)

I joined Pembroke College as a PhD student in 1976, to undertake a study of teacher stress in secondary schools. I was a relatively ‘mature student’ being aged 26 at that time, and having already worked as a postgraduate researcher and as a schoolteacher. As such, my overwhelming feeling at the time was excitement –I felt so privileged to be able to enjoy student life as a graduate student at Cambridge and extremely grateful to Pembroke for offering me a place as a graduate student.

I was overwhelmed by how quickly I was embraced by staff and students at Pembroke as a valued member of the College community. The welcome and support given by staff was outstanding and did so much to make me and other students feel a sense of being valued.

On a personal level, there were three members of staff I must thank for their kindness. The first was Michael Kuczynski. Michael was a College Fellow who was incredibly generous in giving time not only in supervising students but also in getting to know them as friends. He remains the most hospitable person I have ever known.

The second was the Master, Tony Camps. Tony was a classical scholar, and much enjoyed conversing with me in Greek. Tony had a way of engaging students in conversation that always felt personal, which was perhaps enhanced by the fact that when you were invited to a social function at the Master’s Lodge you were being invited to his home.

The third was the Dean, Meredith Dewey. Meredith wrote a wonderful autobiography Diaries, Letters, Writings, published by the College in 1992. He often invited students to social gatherings at his home where he offered refreshments and occasionally played the piano. There was something quite magical about the warm and welcoming atmosphere which we experienced as we engaged in wide ranging conversations.

Another highlight was meeting up in the Graduate Common Room, most often at lunchtimes. Most of the friends I made at Pembroke arose from meetings

in the GCR, which were further enhanced by attending formal dinners for graduates held in the Old Library, as well as by attending services in the College Chapel, and by joining the Boat Club.

Indeed, rowing as bow in the graduates’ boat was a wonderful experience. Rowing on the Cam in the morning when we were often surrounded by early morning mist felt as though we were taking part in a film about student life. Our participation in the Bump races was wonderfully enjoyable.

Finally, one unexpected highlight came when I was watching a game of cricket between the students and the Fellows. During the game, one of the umpires had to leave for a couple of hours, and I volunteered to take over until the umpire returned. This was my first and only spell as an umpire, and to do so in this setting is a memory I will always cherish. How’s that!

Stephen Andrews (1978)

I matriculated in 1978, slightly older than most, having already served three years of a military career which was to span another thirty-four years after that. I lived at the top of S staircase. En passant, my window, overlooking Tennis Court Road, was equipped with an emergency life-saving hoist which only the bravest, in the face of the direst of straits, would ever have contemplating using.

From time to time during that first Michaelmas Term, I would receive unexpected, but nevertheless usually welcome, visits from the handful of military comrades who had come up at the same time. Our favoured destination was, perhaps predictably, The Mill, perchance by way of an eatery, before a jolly ramble back through Pembroke’s gardens. On returning from one such evening, my friends removed the carefully painted name-card from my door. Having formed a precariously tall human pyramid in the stairwell, they securely pinned it to the under-side of the first landing.

Whenever I have returned to Pembroke, I have always visited S staircase to see whether my name was still there. When last I looked, in September 2023, it was indeed! It must have been painted around several times over the last forty-five years. It is the merest micro-stitch in the tapestry of Pembroke life, unnoticed by all but nonetheless a memory of my first term, lived then still in awe of Cambridge.

1980sMEMORIES

Paul Handford (1980)

In the winter of 1982 I was in my second year and living in college in the Red Buildings overlooking the Red Buildings lawn; aka Red Square. As undergraduates we were absolutely forbidden to walk on any of the lawns in College; any college but especially our own. This was a privilege reserved to Fellows and their guests, universally observed by students and I cannot recall even seeing a Fellow walk on the grass in my three years except on graduation day and the evening of the May Ball, such was the sanctity of the lawns.

However in the winter of 1982 it snowed heavily for days so under the cover of darkness and careful to cover our tracks in the pristine snow, myself and my associate – name withheld as he may not wish to admit to this – built a snowman in the middle of Red Square. As we were admiring our handiwork in the still falling snow a senior Law Fellow of very advanced years hove into view, a man not noted for his tolerance of rule breaking or to my knowledge of anything else.

As he spotted us, he started shouting angrily and waving his fist and walking stick at us. We fled the scene before we could be hauled before the praelectors for disciplinary action, which was difficult given the staircases are all dead ends and every gate was locked at an hour before dusk, but we had close to 50 years on our side when it came to running away.

The reason I remember this so vividly is not because of the minor jeopardy, but because as a devoted reader of the Beano and Dandy in my youth, which were very different in the 70s to the versions now in the shops, the old don for all the world looked like the recreation of an angry gamekeeper or aggrieved neighbour in a heavy snow storm chasing off the comic characters from the scenes of their crimes.

Almost 30 years later I attended my first benefactors’ reception with my very young daughter and watched in admiration and Pavlovian-horror as she turned cartwheels in the very same spot where I had once built a snowman.

2000sMEMORIES

Hua Gao (2002)

I have had so many sweet memories of Pembroke. Some of them are trivial but good fun to remember. I arrived in Pembroke, and Cambridge, and the UK for the first time in a cold and rainy September from my hometown which was still well above 20° C. Once settled in, equipped with a map from one of the super kind porters, I couldn’t wait to show myself around the beautiful yet wet and gloomy College gardens. As a serious bookworm, I was naturally drawn to the Library, and saw the interesting statue straightaway for the first time. Still shivering in the humid and chilly wind and trying very hard to embrace the British cold air, I couldn’t help noticing that this man was barefooted! Bare-footed (with something remotely related to flip-flops), wrapped in some sort of long cloth, extremely slim if not gaunt, but looking very dignified. Not knowing who Pitt was at the time, I wondered if it was a statue the professors at the college had intentionally had it built to remind us students to work hard in all situations, be it cold, hunger, or poverty; in a similar educational way of the famous Chinese story that I had known since I was a child, a scholar stood in the snow until it was inches high outside of his much-admired teacher’s house gate in order to become his student.

So even though later I learned that Pitt was from a wealthy and influential family and was a prime minister himself therefore there was no way he couldn’t afford proper clothing, warm shoes and plenty of food, I still kept this strong impression that he was an exemplar student who had probably intentionally stayed frugal to build up his will power. And funny enough, every time it snowed or rained when I passed by the library, I would always wonder if I’d wrapped a scarf around his neck and a blanket to cover his bare feet, would I get told off. I was never brave enough to try though. Maybe something for future generations?

Another fond memory that I always remembered was the name of the Graduate Parlour, or more commonly referred to as GP. As someone who had no previous knowledge of the English medical system at all, I was given a very helpful leaflet when I first arrived at Pembroke, including the reference of GP as the place where pupils could find doctors if they needed medical advice. And then I was pointed out casually by a fellow PhD student that the little door on the right of the building would lead to our college GP. Subsequently, for the first few weeks, I always viewed the little door and the windows of the ground floor room with respect and a little curiosity, because I almost never saw anyone going in or out of that room. Either the students in our College were all very healthy, or the doctors only worked at certain times when I was busy in my department, was the conclusion of my observations at a distance. And this thought was confirmed when I received an invitation to a welcome party for new post-graduates. The medical room could be used as a party room, how wonderful and thoughtful! So when I entered the GP room for the first time that evening, I was pleasantly surprised that the room had no resemblance to medical treatment at all. I thought to myself that they must have hidden the medical equipment and office desks well. But then we were offered drinks and food. I started to wonder even the best hygiene practice couldn’t justify having a feast in a place mainly intended for doctors and patients. And there was no disinfectant smell at all to discourage anyone’s appetite. At last I asked someone who looked like she knew the College well. You can imagine the confusion and then lots of laughter we had later that night. It still brings a big smile to me now 20+ years later!

Will Popplewell (2013)

The two memories that stand out most strongly for me revolve (unsurprisingly) around food and drink – and the excellent company that went with it. Most warmly, I remember the evenings drifting in and out of the JP, where you could hear the good times drifting out over Old Court and Ivy; you could always find a friendly ear and a laugh in the JP bar. I will also never forget the formals – I don’t think we knew how lucky we were to have access to those wonderful meals and excellent service any day we wanted to go. They were good times!

MA Degree

The following information concerning the MA degree may be useful to members of the Society:

Standing: a Bachelor of Arts may be admitted Master of Arts six* calendar years after the end of his or her first term of residence, provided that (which is usually the case) at least two years have elapsed since taking the BA degree.

Fees: a fee of £5 is payable by those who took their BA degree in 1962 or earlier.

Please give at least four weeks’ notice before the Congregation at which you wish to take your degree. Correspondence should be addressed to the Praelector.

* For affiliated students, five years.

Dining Rights and Guest Rooms

Dining rights

Members who hold an MA or other Master’s degree or a higher degree from the University, or are qualified for one of the aforementioned degrees from the University, are welcome to dine in College during Full Term or the period of residence in the Long Vacation. For the academic year 2024–2025, ‘Full Term’ means Tuesday 8 October to Friday 6 December, Tuesday 21 January to Friday 21 March, and Tuesday 29 April to Friday 20 June; residence in the Long Vacation runs for five weeks from early July.

•Dining for Members is available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays during term or Long Vacation Residence, except on occasions when large College events take place.

•A Member may dine as a guest of the College at High Table up to four times each academic year (once a term and once in the Long Vacation Residence), provided a Fellow or other authorised person is present to preside. On one of those occasions, overnight accommodation is free of charge for the Member if it is available.

•If a Member is attending a Members’ Evening with a guest, and sharing a guest room, the charge is waived. The waiver does not apply if this is not the Member’s first dinner of the year.

It is regrettably not normally possible for spouses/partners to dine at the High Table. However, for the academic year 2024–2025, the College intends to hold six ‘Members’ Evenings’, when up to five Members and their guests (ten people in all) may dine at the College’s expense. It is recommended that large parties of Members, or Members and their spouses/partners, should seek to use these evenings as particularly good opportunities to dine in the College. The dates of these occasions in 2024–2025 are: (in 2024) Tuesday 22 October and Sunday 10 November, and (in 2025) Tuesday 11 February, Tuesday 11 March, Tuesday 20 May, and Monday 9 June. Attendance by a Member and their guest at such Evenings is restricted to two per annum, to allow as many Pembroke Members as possible to avail themselves of this opportunity.

On the evening that you have booked in to dine, we would be grateful if you could arrive at the Senior Parlour no later than 7.15 pm for drinks before dinner. The dress code is smart but it is not obligatory to wear a gown.

•Overnight accommodation may also be available in College, at a reasonable charge (one person £73, two people £107 per night).

•Accommodation is available for a maximum of two consecutive nights.

•Guest rooms may only be booked by Fellows or Pembroke Members. If a Pembroke Member books the room, he or she should be the one, or one of the people, to stay in it. It is not normally possible to reserve rooms for nonPembroke members.

•If available, overnight accommodation is free of charge for the Member, once a year, when a Member dines as a guest of the College at High Table.

•The College regrets that children under the age of 14 are unable to stay overnight at Pembroke.

The College has up to five en-suite guest rooms (one twin-bedded room in H staircase and four double-bedded rooms in H, K and CC staircases). Given these limited facilities, early notice is strongly advised when making inquiries.

The College would be grateful to be informed at the earliest opportunity if a Member’s plans to visit have to be amended. Pembroke regrets that it will be necessary to charge a Member for the full cost of the room in the event that that Member should cancel his or her visit without giving at least 24 hours’ notice.

College accommodation is usually available from 2 pm on the day of arrival. Guests are asked to check out and remove their luggage before 9.30 am on the day of departure (but the Porters’ Lodge can store luggage until later in the day if necessary). Breakfast is not included in the charge but Members are welcome to have breakfast in the Servery (usually open Monday to Friday in term time between 8 am and 10 am and for brunch at the weekend between 10 am and 1.15 pm, 11 am – 1.15 pm out of term). Payments are accepted by card only.

How to book

Arrangements for dining or for staying in a guest room should be made by completing and submitting the Accommodation and Dining Online Booking Form (https://www.pem. cam.ac.uk/alumni-development/connecting-pembroke/dining-rights-and-guest-rooms/ accommodation-and-dining-online).

Bookings can be made between 9 am and 5 pm Monday to Friday (although urgent enquiries can be dealt with outside those hours by contacting the Porters’ Lodge on 01223 338100). A provisional guest room booking will be made on receipt of the enquiry. We ask that payment be made within one working day to confirm the booking by telephoning 01223 339079 with your payment details. A full refund can be provided if the booking is cancelled with at least 24 hours’ notice.

If you experience any difficulties using the online form, please phone the Development Office on 01223 339079 or email dev@pem.cam.ac.uk.