NEWS 2019
The History The Blairs of the Quads & Tufnells
Blueprints for the future
A journey through the many different uses of the Senior School Quads.
glimpse into A Monkton’s next ambitious phase of development
A journey of a sister, a brother and their families to Clarendon, Monkton and beyond
Cover picture: The Tennis Courts Inside cover: Aerial View of Senior School Editors: Caroline Bone & Tim Dewes Design: Steers McGillan Eves Special Thanks: Jacqueline Burrows & Martyn Creeth
WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST OMS
Contents
OM NEWS 2019
REGULARS
UPDATES
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Introduction
16 A year at Monkton
Tim Dewes
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Welcome
An overview of life at Monkton over the past year
Fiona Carruthers, OM Club President
22 Monkton Connect
6 OM & OC News
An update on our social networking platform
Catch up on all that’s been happening with your School year group
23 John Clark CBE
11 Events 2019/20
John Clark tells us about how his time at Monkton influenced him, and his life in the military
Forthcoming dates for your diary
34 Births, Marriages and In Memoriam Updates and obituaries
24 Sam Holderness Company Director Sam Holderness writes about how his desire to help look after young people influenced his career choice.
FEATURES
25 Tanya Carr-Hartley
12 The Blairs & Tufnells
We hear from Tanya Carr-Hartley about the three businesses she is involved with running in Africa
A journey of a sister, a brother and their families to Clarendon, Monkton and beyond
28 Blueprints for the future A glimpse into Monkton’s next ambitious phase of development
30 History of the Quads Our archivist Jacqueline Burrows looks at the many different uses of the main Quads which lie at the heart of the Senior School site.
32 Farewell to Elaine Elaine Hodges has worked with our youngest children for 30 years, 4 Heads pay tribute as she retires
26 OM Events round up A look back at events that have happened this year
27 Jonathan Morley OM and long standing member of staff Jonathan Morley tells us about his new adventure in Israel
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Introduction
INTRODUCTION TIM DEWES
Greetings to all OMs and OCs wherever you are. Personally I have much enjoyed my first year of retirement; however I will be back at Monkton in September to teach a few lessons of Latin each week. I’m looking forward to it! Since the publication of the magazine last year, the 150th celebrations have come to an end – they culminated in the school Carol Service last December. It was very good to meet a number of OMs and OCs at the different events during the year. This year has been a particularly busy one, with 11 OM reunions or sporting events; you can read more about those on the events round up page. Fiona Carruthers also presided at her first OM President’s lunch held at Monkton. If I were to pick out one of these events, it would be the 30 year reunion of 1989 leavers. This was attended by almost 40 OMs, with several flying in just for the weekend; I gather the reminiscing went on well into the small hours! Looking ahead, we have a full programme lined up for the coming year. May I draw your attention to two new events – OMs in IT as well as a family-friendly Summer Reunion. It would be really good to have your support for those! I am delighted to tell you that at Monkton we will be launching a new website in September, and that the OM Club will be getting a twitter feed! Our other digital platform, Monkton Connect is also growing steadily and you can read more about it in this magazine. Do please sign up and encourage others to do so – it is a great way to keep in touch and to network with others. Also, you will not be surprised to hear that the Principal is overseeing a number of developments at the school. One very significant improvement is that both Quads have been closed to traffic, making them a more pedestrian friendly area; in the coming months they will be redesigned and upgraded. I hope to see you at an event in the coming year. With best wishes Tim Dewes OM General Secretary
President’s reflections
WELCOME FIONA CARRUTHERS
Monkton continues to grow, develop and, I’m pleased to say, thrive. The School’s current focus is on developing its physical surrounds, responding to the needs of the communities at both the Combe Down and Monkton Combe sites. ‘Blueprints for the future’ outlines the School’s aspirations and defines the areas identified for investment. At recent OM events held at the school, our opinions were sought, so please feel free to contribute. The OM Club is also looking ahead. Planning is well underway for the new academic year when we will be trying a couple of new events, including a Summer Reunion to replace the President’s Lunch. To reflect some of our favourite elements of summer in the Monkton valley, the focus will be on Longmead with activities for OMs and their families. We’ll be confirming plans nearer the time, but for our regular President’s Lunch attendees, an impressive level of cuisine and access to the School and its senior staff will continue, as well as the on-going opportunity to meet up with old friends. OMs are welcome at the School at any time during the year with advance notice. Please contact the OM Club Office on OMs@monkton.org.uk or 01225 721195 and a tour can be arranged. You might even enjoy the company of your contemporaries’ offspring, as we did this summer when Tim Fussell’s daughter, Phoebe, had the challenging task of hosting her father and others from his 1985 year group! Amazing as it seems, even to me as a female OM, in 2021 we’ll be celebrating 50 years of girls at Monkton! Since the arrival of those brave few in 1971, their number and influence has grown steadily and impressively. We’re keen to mark the occasion, so please let us know your ideas – male and female views welcome!
Tim Fussell, Mark Trapnell, Fiona Carruthers, Jane Feild (1985)
As we look ahead to next year, it reminds me how none of these opportunities would happen without the tireless effort and impeccable organisation of our OM General Secretary Tim Dewes and Alumni Officer Caroline Bone, to whom we offer enormous gratitude. Fiona Carruthers OM Club President
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News
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OM & OC NEWS OLD MONKTONIANS Appointment
President of CMJ UK Ray Lockhart (55) became President of CMJ UK (Church’s Ministry among Jewish People) earlier this year. After spending twelve years working in Israel, with the final three years being local Director for CMJ, Ray and his wife returned to England in 2002 and Ray became a CMJ Trustee. As President, he hopes he can contribute a slice of wisdom and some ‘corporate memory’ as well as being around to provide encouragement for those who are actively serving with CMJ today.
People
Golden Wedding Anniversary Paul Lanham (60) and Judy celebrated their Golden Wedding last August. Paul has the Bishop of St Albans’ Permission to Officiate in his diocese and has been helping out at various churches most Sundays. He is Patient Representative on at least two current research projects into clinical depression, having been involved in others over the past few years. It is making something positive out of having to retire early (1985) due to stress and depression and he is fascinated by it.
TV Appearance
Driving Adventures
Thatcher
World travel
Sir Tim Lankester (60) featured in the BBC Two programme ‘Thatcher’ which aired over the summer. As Margaret Thatcher’s Private Secretary for Economic Affairs in the Cabinet Office at Number 10, he’d been one of the closest eye-witnesses to her earlier days as PM. His compassionate insight into “Mrs T” was fascinating and thought-provoking.
Giles Cooper (65) retired after 35 years in the international oil business and lives in Queensland, Australia. In 2012 he drove a Lotus Elise around the USA and up the Ice Truckers’ Highway past the Arctic Circle, only turning back when blocked by an avalanche in the Atigun Pass. To date, he remains the only person to drive a Lotus to the Alaskan Arctic. In 2014 he set off again,
News
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this time in his Toyota Landcruiser, and drove to Prudhoe Bay, then across to Inuvik in the far north of Canada’s Northwest Territories. His adventures continued with trips to Churchill, Manitoba (the Polar Bear capital of the world); through the USA, Mexico and Central America to Panama, where he shipped the car to Columbia before continuing south, visiting the Galapagos Islands and the Andes, reaching Ushuaia at the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego in February 2015. After driving up the east coast of South America to Iguassu Falls and Rio de Janeiro, he continued his adventures in Europe, driving to the north of Norway before heading back to Morocco and the Sahara Desert. In early 2016, he drove round eastern Canada before heading west to Seattle where he shipped his car, now with 500,000 kms on the clock, back to Australia. Giles spent 2017 and 2018 rebuilding a 1954 Austin Healey 100 for a friend, and on 2 June 2019 they set off from Beijing on the 7th Peking to Paris Rally. No Austin Healey has previously competed in this endurance event for pre-1970s classic vehicles, mainly because they were thought to be so unreliable! Giles proved this wrong when the car arrived at the finish in Paris on 7 July 2019. The epic journey helped Giles to fundraise for Cancer Research (he had throat cancer in 2006) and for Beyond Blue, an Australian charity combating depression. John Skidmore (65) who has remained a friend despite he and Giles living on opposite sides of the world came along to support him. At almost 72, Giles continues to search for new challenges, and is considering rebuilding another classic car for more rallying on his return from Paris!
CBE Awarded
Request
Commander of the Royal Victoria Order
Helicopter school landing
Iain Torrance (66) On 22 July 2019 Her Majesty The Queen held an investiture at the Palace of Holyroodhouse at which Iain relinquished his appointment as Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland and Dean of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle and was invested with the Insignia of a Knight Commander of the Royal Victoria Order (KCVO).
Neil Clifford (79) wrote this letter which appeared in The Times: “Sir, I wonder what the Ministry of Defence would have done to my late father, who in the 1970s as a Royal Navy commander used to send RN transport (a Bedford van known as a “Tilly bus”) to collect me from my Prep school in Bath? On one occasion he even managed to send a Mark II Wessex helicopter which, to the annoyance of the cricket master and delight of my fellow pupils, landed on the 1st XI cricket pitch.” If anyone has a picture of this special event, please get in touch with the OM office: Neil would love to see it.
People David Hare (76) is a licenced Lay Minister and active in his local church. He is the Churches Together Officer for Oxfordshire and Berkshire and is a borough and Town Councillor, as well as being Mayor of Earley. He also chairs a local cricket club, umpires most weeks and has been asked to take over as Chair of Berkshire Cricket League.
Appointment
Director of Learning Guy Donegan-Cross (86) Vicar of St Mark’s, Harrogate, has been appointed Director of Learning for Discipleship and Mission in the Diocese of Birmingham.
People
Hepworth Adventures Jeremy Hepworth (91) has set up his own company, Hepworth Adventures, specialising in DofE expeditions, weekend challenges and longer adventures in the UK and abroad.
News
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OM & OC NEWS People
Charity
Prodigal Arts
The Nest Project
Ralph Mann (98) is Project Director for Prodigal Arts, a new charity that launched this year, helping talented prisoners and ex-offenders to produce and sell their art.
Beth Hamilton née Curtis (03) has helped establish The Nest Project in partnership with Vineyard Bath Church, a voluntary project providing free children’s clothes and equipment to Bath families in need. The Project has been running for nearly four years and has supported around 800 families. It’s open on Fridays as a drop-in space for families to chat, play and collect children’s items. Good relationships have been developed with the local Council and agencies and it’s making a real difference in Bath.
MBE Awarded People
Published book James Cary (93) has published a book of biblical humor called ‘The Sacred Art of Joking’, which explores how jokes can go horribly wrong, especially in the world of religion. He also produced a new musical comedy, ‘A Turbulent Priest’ about Archbishop Thomas à Becket which has received good reviews. We were delighted to welcome James as a speaker at a Monkton event last summer.
CBE Awarded John Clark (94) received a CBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s Birthday Honours List, 2019.
Appointment
Headmaster Rupert Heathcote (95) has been appointed Headmaster of Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital School (QEH), Bristol from Easter 2020.
Business support David Lea-Wilson (73) and his wife Alison were awarded MBEs for their support of businesses in Wales in Her Majesty The Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. They volunteer on a university council and a food producer board as well as running their own salt company, Halen Môn, based in Anglesey.
If anyone local would like to get involved please contact beth@thenestproject.co.uk.
MBE Awarded
Sporting Achievements Ama Agbeze (02) was honoured at the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards in April 2019 where she was presented with the Royal Navy Sportswoman of the Year Award. She was also part of the England netball team which
won Team of the Year and Sporting Moment of the Year in the BBC Sports Personality Awards in December 2018. This year she has been awarded an MBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
News
Music Success Eleanor Bussell née Williams (06). Influenced at Monkton by teachers Dan Kelleher and Steven Skuse, singer-songwriter ‘Elles Bailey’ was writing songs while still at school and wrote her first album at seventeen. Since leaving Monkton, she has completed a degree in psychology and launched her musical career. Elles had been considering a career in counselling when she was introduced to Brian Banks, an American music composer and producer, and they started songwriting and recording together. Working with Brian she produced an EM called ‘Who Am I to Me’. After touring the UK with a band, Elles decided to focus on Blues as her main genre. She has recorded in Nashville, where she finished her album ‘Wildfire’, and was nominated as both UK and European Female Blues Artist of the Year. Elles has started her own recording company, outlawmusic, with her latest album, ‘The Road I Call Home’, coming out this year. To find out more, visit her website www.ellesbailey.com
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People
People
Edinburgh Fringe
The Story of Chicken Town
Nicola Wren (Martin) (07) Nicola wrote and performed a very funny comedy for the Edinburgh Fringe this summer. The autobiographical rites-ofpassage piece was inspired by her search to find her siblings’ approval as, despite the fact that one of her brothers was extremely famous, she looked for new ways to try to find her place in the world.
Radio Appearance
Multibox James Wright (10) and his brother Paul Wright (13) were interviewed on Radio 4 in December 2018 about their company Multibox, and their farm where they rear insects from vegetable crop and vegetable manufacturing waste to produce fish or animal feed and fertiliser. Their aim is to become the world’s lowest-cost producer of insects using this method.
Film Appearance
Royal Charlie Field (12) is playing Prince Harry in a new movie: “Harry and Meghan: Becoming Royal”.
Benji Jackson (12) has worked in an impact investment company since leaving university. He was sent to Freetown, Sierra Leone to set up a chicken restaurant as a way of investing in the local economy. Check out the video about this venture on You Tube: “The Story of Chicken Town”.
People
Practical Eve Paterson née Balshaw (12) made the news with a picture of herself and her bridesmaids with their hands in the pockets of their specially adapted dresses. In an interview for the BBC she said “Women are both pretty and practical, so why aren’t our clothes?”
People
Intern Will Fremont-Barnes (13) is working as an intern for Conservative MP Michael Tomlinson, Mid Dorset and North Poole. Will is funded by the Methodist Church.
News
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OM & OC NEWS Sporting Sucess
People
GB rowing
Nigerian clinic
Olivia Caesar (18) has been selected for the GB Under 23s Women’s Four in the European Rowing Championships taking place in Lucerne, Switzerland in September 2019.
Seth Thomas (18) has raised £50,000 to build a clinic in Fadan Kagoma, Nigeria. When he returned as guest of honour to open the building named after him, he was surprised and honoured to be made a traditional tribal chief and given a parade in front of villagers and dignitaries.
OLD JUNIORS People
Map donation Ed Bayntun-Coward has very kindly donated a century-old, large Ordnance Survey map to the school, which he discovered at an auction. In its original wooden frame, designed specifically for hanging on a wall, the map shows the outer limits of the School’s cross-country runs. If anyone remembers this map hanging in school, please contact our Archivist, Jacqueline Burrows burrowsj@monkton.org.uk, as we would love to know more about it.
People
Plaque unveiling Mr John Moore and Mr Tim Roland-Jones unveiled a plaque in honour of their former Head Teacher, Mrs Elizabeth Chorley (née Humber) in a ceremony for the naming of the Chorley Library at the Pre-Prep.
Events
EVENTS 2019/20 SEPTEMBER 2019
APRIL 2020
Saturday 28 September
Saturday 25 April
OMs in IT, Monkton
1984 Leavers reunion, Monkton
A reunion lunch for those working in the IT industry who wrote their first programs with Julian Bewick at Monkton as much as 50 years ago, and all others who have made IT their career.
On Saturday 25th April there will be a reunion lunch for 1984 leavers at Monkton.
Saturday 28 September
Saturday 6 June
2014 Leavers, drinks, London
OM Summer Reunion, Monkton
On Saturday, 28 September at 7pm in the Windmill pub in Clapham South all OMs who left Monkton in 2014 are invited to join Tim Dewes and other staff for a get-together. .
This is a new outdoor event for 2020, weather permitting. We hope those young and old and their families will enjoy a relaxed lunch on Longmead watching the School play cricket.
NOVEMBER 2019
TBC
Saturday 23 November
OM Cricket, Monkton
2009 Leavers, Monkton
JULY 2020
JUNE 2020
On Saturday 23rd November a reunion dinner for those who left Monkton ten years ago will be held at the School.
Friday 3 July
MARCH 2020
Join OMs, parents and friends of Monkton for a round of golf and meal at Cumberwell Park
Monkton Golf, Cumberwell Park
Saturday 14 March 1956–1966 OM Reunion, Monkton On Saturday 14th March a reunion lunch for all those who left Monkton between 1956 and 1966.
Sunday 22 March OM Hockey and Netball, Monkton Hockey and netball matches will take place between OMs and the School.
NB in 2021 we will be celebrating 50 years of girls at Monkton! If there is anything you would like to see as part of the celebration please contact the OM Club Office at: OMs@monkton.org.uk For more information on any of these events please contact the OM Club office E: OMs@monkton.org.uk | T: 01225 721195 | Monkton Combe School, Monkton Combe, Bath, BA2 7HG Booking for all events is via www.eventbrite.co. uk/o/old-monktonian-club-14542984237
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Blairs & Tufnells
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THE BLAIRS & THE TUFNELLS The journey of a sister, a brother and their families to Clarendon, Monkton and beyond.
Clarendon School for Girls was established in 1898, just thirty years after Monkton Combe School’s foundation. The link between the two was strong, culminating in their merger in 1992. As with many families, when the schools were still single sex Margaret Blair (later Tufnell) was sent to Clarendon and her brother Peter was sent to Monkton. By the time the next generation came along, Clarendon had closed and Monkton had become co-ed, so all their seven children came to Monkton. The question is: will we see some of their grandchildren at Monkton ... ? Peter Blair (OM 78) and his wife Sharon (Hon OM) live in Monkton Combe Valley, at the top of the “39 steps”. Peter’s most vivid memories of school revolve around friends, sports, photography, writing poetry, concerts and tuba-playing. Together with Gavin Eves, Colin Chesterman and Giles Alston, he published a fortnightly newspaper costing 2p, the perks of which included getting free tickets to a Bath cinema and free vinyl 45s to review. (The headmaster, Dick (nicknamed ‘Jack’) Knight, vetoed their preferred title for the publication: The Union, Jack!) Peter is a Senior Circuit Judge with the honorary title of the Recorder of Bristol; responsible for ten Crown Courts and the leadership judge for Avon, Somerset and Gloucestershire. His most famous recent trial was that of the England cricketer, Ben Stokes.
Blairs & Tufnells
The Blair family The Tufnell family
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Blairs & Tufnells
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After a career teaching at Monkton Prep School, Sharon is an Associate Minister at Holy Trinity Combe Down and St Andrew’s Foxhill. She runs the families’ ministries and is closely involved in mums’ & toddlers’ groups; parenting; Alpha; all-age worship and pastoral work. Curiously, Peter was in Grange House, where his sixth form was dominated by studying for two Maths A-levels; now Peter and Sharon’s son, Jonathan Blair (OM 05) has been appointed Head of Maths at Monkton and assists his wife Abi née Challis (OM 05) as Houseparents of Grange House! Charlotte Blair (OM 08) is a Support Worker in Bristol caring for people with mental health needs. She’s involved with the 20s and 30s group at Christ Church Clifton and enjoys exotic holidays abroad, having caught the bug from travelling with YWAM (Youth with a Mission) to Australia, India, Fiji, Texas and Hawaii. After a gap year in Bolivia and South America, a degree at the University of Durham, an internship at St Aldate’s Church Oxford and work for a foetal alcohol syndrome charity, Annabel Blair (OM 09), teaches Year 4 at Wood Farm Primary School in Oxford, but remains in close touch with her school friends. Margaret Tufnell (OC 1969) Born and brought up in Ethiopia to missionary parents, Margaret went to Clarendon School in North Wales for her secondary education. Clarendon had a clear Christian ethos and her parents knew others who had sent their daughters there: they also wanted her to have the chance to grow up in her own culture.
“Mufti and record players were allowed in the Sixth Form, though the records were censored for ‘suitability’ by the staff!”
The days were regimented. After the rising bell the girls were inspected, with uniform on correctly and beds stripped, before ten minutes “quiet time”. After breakfast, beds were made and half an hour of housework was done – cleaning bedrooms, bathrooms or classrooms, or helping in the kitchen. Girls changed out of their tunics, blouses and ties into cornflower-blue skirts and twinsets for the evenings. Mufti and record players were allowed in the Sixth Form, though the records were censored for ‘suitability’ by the staff! On Sundays, everyone would walk with their Sunday hats on to St George’s about half a mile away or go by coach to the Brethren Chapel. After lunch there was compulsory letter writing. The Sixth Form was encouraged to do community service, visiting a nursing home or teaching in a Sunday School in Bodelwyddan. Faith grows when it is stretched and applied. The School Motto was ‘Non Ministrari, Sed Ministrare’ and ‘Not to be Served, but to Serve’ became embedded in Margaret’s psyche.
Blairs & Tufnells
Margaret enjoyed lessons and sports; she did horse-riding and Guides and kept a hamster. Patricia St. John, the evangelical author who wrote many children’s stories including ‘The Tanglewoods’ Secret’, was a wonderful housemistress. Margaret remembers her reading the manuscript of ‘Star of Light’ to the girls at bedtime. Some things still remind Margaret of Clarendon – honey buns for breakfast, bread with cheese and marmalade, and you were not a true Clarendonian if you didn’t like coffee mousse! There was a House Blackberrying Competition each year and there always seemed to be enough for a whole year’s worth of blackberry and apple pie! At breakfast on the last day of term the headmistress would read Psalm 121 and everyone would sing the chorus: Day by day, come what may, Kept by the power of God.’ Years later, Margaret heard of an Old Clarendonian who was at rock bottom when the words of this chorus came back to her. It saved her … she put her trust in Christ and serves Him still. Margaret formed deep friendships and learned valuable life lessons at Clarendon. How to get on with others; the importance of telling the truth and being trusted as well as showing respect; how to manage time and to care for others. She looks back with happy memories to the place where her faith grew and helped shape her into the person she is today. Margaret married Edward Tufnell in 1979 and they had 4 children. Like their father, all the Tufnell children are involved in full–time church leadership. Mike Tufnell (1999) and Michelle live in Merley, Dorset with their three children: Ava (8), Joy (6) and Leo (3) and Alban, the cockapoo. Michelle is a part-time doctor for Anvil, a medical assistance company in Christchurch, and is studying for a Diploma in Occupational Health. After four years as part of a team re-launching a church in London, Mike is vicar of the Lantern Church (Canford Magna), and was delighted that near neighbours Michael and Dawn Cuthbertson were able to attend his installation in 2018. Mike is a trustee of Redtribe, a Christian mission working among the Maasai people in Kenya. Catherine (2003) and Alistair Stevenson live in Sheffield with their three children: Ethan (6), Isabella (4) and Benjamin (1). Alistair has completed his ordination training whilst working on the team at All Saints Ecclesall and is now Vicar of nearby St Gabriel’s Greystones. Catherine qualified as an architect in 2012 and runs her own practice parttime, alongside spending time with their children
and leading the Children’s Ministry at church. They love sharing faith, developing community and enjoying the beautiful Peak District on their doorstep. Andy Tufnell (2001) and Claire, with daughters Bethany (7) and Grace (4), are in Nottingham where Andy serves as vicar of Christ Church Chilwell and St Barnabas, Inham Nook. They are hugely excited about being a part of God’s transforming love, changing lives in and around their neighbourhoods. They remain closely involved in education and development work in Uganda, and are closely involved with developing a secondary school in the north of the country.
“There was a House Blackberrying Competition each year and there always seemed to be enough for a whole year’s worth of blackberry and apple pie!” Chris Tufnell (2007) returned to Christ Church Fulwood with the intention to plant a church at the end of his curacy. In the summer of 2020 he will lead a plant from Fulwood into nearby Oughtibridge, to revitalise an existing church family. Chris says that this is an amazing and exciting opportunity for the gospel and there’s a great group of people involved. There will be some challenges, but he expects this to be fruitful.
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A year at Monkton
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A YEAR AT MONKTON
Carol Service
A special anniversary dinner in November, attended by OMs as well as current and former parents and staff, saw many alumni and former staff sending congratulations and warm wishes as we celebrated this incredible milestone late into the night. “Remembering” was also the theme in early November as we commemorated one hundred years since the end of World War One. Our special service began in the graveyard of St Michael’s Church in Monkton Combe village, now the last resting place of Harry Patch, and continued in our own WW1 Memorial Chapel. Our traditional Annual Carol Service, held this year at the
Our 150th anniversary celebrations were still in full flow when we returned to Monkton after the summer break. Pavillion in Bath, rounded off a truly memorable year in which we remembered, celebrated and gave thanks for the School of which we are so proud to be a part. In the new year the PrePrep named their library after
Elizabeth Chorley, a former Head who sadly passed away in 2018. It was a joyous occasion, with former Heads and colleagues attending on (appropriately) World Book Day.
Naming of the Chorley library. Catherine Winchcombe and Deirdre Greenshields
A year at Monkton
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Climate Change Awareness Day
LEARNING As ever, all three Schools have been in the throes of activity, discovery and personal learning. The Nursery children ended the year on a high, winning Bath Horticultural Show’s Schools Cup: a fitting end to Mrs Hodges’ time as the much-loved Head of Nursery. The children were also delighted to receive two mystery boxes from Bath’s Museum of Asian Art which contained kimonos and Japanese dolls, to help them learn about the culture of other lands. At the Prep School, learning has been hands-on! At the start of the year, a giant magpie named Morris was created to encourage the childrens awareness of the properties of materials and their
Morris the Magpie
use, whilst giving an insight into the problem of plastic pollution in our oceans. In the LeRoy Library, pupils have been treated to some wonderful illustrations painted by librarian Lucy Eves. The children welcomed author Virginia Clay, as well as storyteller John Harris who recounted tales from Beowulf and the Thieves of Baghdad. Finally, the Winter Hatton Lectures were introduced, with special guests including nutritionist Dr Fiona Lithander; a real-life Forrest Gump, Rob Pope; and Wing Commander Jamie Buckle, who spoke of his time serving in the RAF.
Senior School attainment has continued apace, with many of our students receiving places at top universities. The pupils have embraced the Climate Change Awareness Days and designed their own events to help shape their views, including art by Ruby Marriott, letter-writing to MPs and pupil-led discussion forums. Then the students chose to hold a two-minutes silence to consider the actions they could take. The focus was not only to make them aware of the issues of climate change but encouraged them to think about how to make themselves heard as a generation. Charity Event
Charity events have once again played a key part in School life.. At Christmas, the Choir Who Can’t Sing recorded the Beatles’ classic “With a little help from my friends” on a local dairy farm to raise money for Send a Cow. At the Prep School, the chosen charity was the Teenage Cancer Trust; in March the whole Monkton community was invited
CHARITY
to walk or run 5km and raised over £1,000 for the cause. In the summer, also for the same charity, the Year 8s provided a wonderful range of games for children across the Prep and Pre-Prep. It was lovely to see the interaction between the year groups, all having fun for a good cause!
The Choir who can’t sing
As a whole School we put together a collection in response to Cyclone Idai that struck Southern Africa in March. A number of our pupils are from the countries affected, or know people who it impacted. It was great to be part of a whole School initiative and £709.95 was raised.
A year at Monkton
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DofE Gold
Bracus and Laden
EXTRA CURRICULAR DofE, Ten Tors, CCF Camp, Wellbeing Day, Outdoor Learning Day: just some of the extra curricular events pupils of all ages enjoy at Monkton. This year was no exception. The Ten Tors team completed the 35 and 45 mile courses in excellent times. Our Gold and Bronze DofE teams were excellent in their pursuit of these coveted awards, summed up succinctly by Gold DofE participant Cole Dugdale: “The most challenging aspect of the 4 day expedition was learning how to make group decisions. Once we overcame that problem, it was amazing to be such an effective team, move fast and Ten Tors
navigate accurately. I will not miss expedition food though!” Four of our current and former pupils had the ultimate thrill of going to Buckingham Palace in May to receive their Gold DoE awards from HRH Princess Anne. Undoubtedly the highlight of the year at the Pre-Prep was the arrival of alpacas Bracus and Laden, who set up camp on the paddock for most of the summer term. The children thoroughly enjoyed their company and took great pleasure in feeding them, stroking them and even taking them for strolls! The “Alpaca Tracker” on Twitter and Instagram kept everyone up to date! Wellbeing Day
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There have been performances a-plenty across the campuses this year, beginning with the Senior School play in December – Blue Stockings: the inspiring story of the first four women to study at the University of Cambridge during the 1890s, and all the complications they had to negotiate.
DRAMA
Blue Stockings
Guys and Dolls
Year 7s at the Prep School took on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, which they achieved with expert collaboration and team-work. Next up was Alice, so it was time for Year 5s and Year 6s to don costumes and show their talents just before the Easter break. Year 9s and 10s at the Senior School put on Mermaid, an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid and the Year 8s rounded off their time at the Prep with rousing and memorable performances of Guys and Dolls. House Music
MUSIC As ever, we kicked off the year with House Music which, due to its immense popularity, was held for the first time at the Forum in Bath. After a barren fifty-four years it was School House who finally took home the trophy! In November, all three Schools came together for the Joint Concert at the Senior School – an annual opportunity for musical togetherness.
As part of Masterclass Saturday at the Prep School, pupils were invited into the recording studio under the expert guidance of Studio Manager Richard Mainwaring. In March, the Chapel Choir was invited to sing in Choral Evensong in Bath Abbey and the Chamber Choir was delighted to sing at a wedding on the Orchardleigh Estate in December, as well as a recital in St Mary’s
Church, Wingfield. The Senior School Music Department ended the year on a high with a musical collaboration between people from the Fisherman’s Rest in Malawi and Monkton – Mfumu ya Mfumu – with the video doing well on social media. The PrePrep children were thrilled to be invited down to the Senior School once again to sing with the Chapel Choir.
A year at Monkton
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SPORT
First XV
Ashleigh Pittaway
First XV Rugby, U11s Hockey, Prep School Girls’ Rugby, National Pony Club Championships and Skeleton Bobsleigh World Cup: there have been so many ‘notables’ this sporting year that it’s hard to give a highlights round-up, but here goes! It was quite simply a stellar season for the First XV: played 9, won 8 (including consecutive wins against old adversaries Kingswood School and Prior Park College, a feat the First XV had not achieved in 10 years).
Rugby took a different turn at the Prep School when some of the Year 7 and 8 girls formed a team on their own initiative. Picking up the game for the first time for ten of the squad, training with the boys, learning new skills and showing enthusiasm and determination in abundance, the girls won their first ever tournament at Sibford Sevens’ Girls’ Rugby Tournament, dominating all six of their matches to bring the shield proudly back to Monkton. Prep School Hockey was successful once again, with the
First XV
U11 Boys crowned Avon County Champions to add to their success in qualifying for the IAPS National Finals. Individual stand-outs this year included Year 12 pupil and top skeleton bobsleigher Ashleigh Pittaway, who had an outstanding season. It began with her winning British Skeleton’s selection trials at the start of a 5 month season. She trained, travelled and competed in sixteen competitions on eight different tracks, achieving two gold, two silver and two bronze podium positions and finishing nineteenth in the
A year at Monkton
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Zara Burney
Prep Girls Rugby Team GB VIII, Munich
International Bob & Skeleton Federation’s overall world rankings. By far the youngest to compete at this level, her aim now is to compete for GB at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in China. In show-jumping, Year 12 pupil Tom Griffiths and his horse Kenny competed at the Nunney International Horse Trials in the U18 Novice section. All three disciplines were tough, but they got through a superb clear cross country round to come seventh overall. In tennis, Year 10 pupil and Team Bath player Zara Burney won the
Tom Griffiths and Kenny
VII Boys Hockey Team
G3 18U Junior Open at Oxstalls in December. 0-6 and 1-5 down in the semi-final, with a match point against her, Zara showed awe-inspiring determination, playing winner after winner to eventually triumph 0-6, 7-6 (7-3), 10-8. She then beat the No 1 seed in the final 7-5, 6-0, having been 2-5 down in the first set. Her win takes her UK junior ranking to 39. After many months of training and testing with the GB junior rowing programme, Nick Pritchard was honoured to be one of sixteen boys from schools across the country who were
selected for the prestigious Munich Junior Regatta in May, the first of the GB season. To earn his place Nick had to complete three days of seat racing at Nottingham and managed to get his 2 km ergo time down to 6 minutes 20 seconds, one of the fastest in the School’s history. Nick and his crew won the Fours B final at Munich, and Nick won gold in the Eight on the following Sunday. All in all another action packed and full year at Monkton!
Connect
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Our Monkton Connect site (monktonconnect.com) is growing steadily. There have been 1829 views of individuals profiles, 877 searches on the directory, 811 updates and 519 views of the photograph albums. 81% of users are Ambassadors, willing to help or mentor others. Sixty one people use the site regularly. Don’t forget, you can post your own photos and add jobs as well as connect with other OMs and find mentors, or ask for advice about your specific industry. A new, improved version of Monkton Connect will launch this autumn. To be truly effective, the site needs as many of the Monkton Community as possible to join and contribute. Maybe you’ll spot an old school photo of yourself, or a request for information that you can help with. So, please do join up today. It’s easy: just go to www.monktonconnect.com and register. Monkton Connect App If you would like to use the app for Monkton Connect, here are the instructions: Android users can download directly from Google Play at: https://play.google.com/store/ apps/details?id=com.graduway. monktonconnect
For Apple users, we have developed a special app. To download, please go to the link given here. You will then be prompted to add the code 1409488. When you first sign in, you will be asked if you want to use the Graduway hat icon or the Monkton Combe logo on you mobile. Choose which you prefer. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ graduway-connect/id1263122717
“I think Monkton Connect is very impressive. In our digital age, to be without an interactive forum would be a travesty! It’s very easy to use and edit. Having signed in you get curious, look around and want to find out what people are up to. For example, Andrew Rae gave the name of the company he works for so I Googled it, found it was a clothing brand, cruised the website (verge.co.nz) and thought: I must support his work by buying something.” Alison Cary (OM 1985)
Apple users’ code: 1409488 “I was very pleased that Monkton has introduced Monkton Connect as I thought it would be an excellent way to share photos and memories. I posted a few photos from my collection and waited for people to react. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough members at present and looking at the posts there are very few, if any, comments. I really hope more people join and that it becomes a shared resource.” Adrian Holbrook (OM 1967)
John Clark CBE
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COLONEL JOHN CLARK CBE (OM 1994) When we spoke to John Clark, who left Monkton in 1994, he had just been appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list of June 2019. With typical humility, this was something he slipped in only towards the end of our conversation. John’s most recent posting, as Military Assistant to the Prime Minister, had led to this award; for two years, John worked in the office next door to Theresa May in No 10 Downing Street with responsibility for political-military interface, all Defence matters and Middle East foreign policy. The son of an Army padre, John joined MCJS before arriving in the Senior School at Grove House, under the inspirational housemastership of Brian Nalder who he remembers with great affection. John’s parents had been attracted to Monkton’s Christian ethos and its ability to provide him with a stable education and he was a successful schoolboy – he played in the 1st XI hockey team, was involved in several school plays and ran long distance at a high level, both in school and at national championships. He remembers the influential role played in his life by teachers like James Bradby, John Jenkins and especially Bill Hanna. John’s love of history, inspired by Bill – and before him Roland Symonds at MCJS – led to him winning a place to read History at Oxford. Even then, John knew he wanted to serve others and so he took up Arabic at university, with the express idea of using it in some way in the Arab world. There was time at Oxford, along with studying, to run at a high level; injury meant only a Half Blue, but he did win a team gold medal over 10k in the British Universities’ Road-Running Championships. John won an Army Scholarship at Monkton which he carried into Oxford. This meant that the early part of post-university life was mapped out. After Sandhurst, he joined the Royal Engineers and in his early years had postings to Northern Ireland,
Afghanistan (3 times), Iraq and Cyprus, with his Arabic proving useful in several of these. However, it is as his development as a leader that John looks back on his years at Monkton as being significant. John’s leadership philosophy is all about maximising the potential of everyone in his team: putting people first, inspiring confidence and appreciating the role of individuals in the success of the whole. John says Monkton gave him a healthy ambition to make a difference in the world, and the confidence to be comfortable in himself as a leader. Currently John is commanding 16 Air Assault Brigade, the UK’s rapid reaction force, on standby to be deployed anywhere in the world at very short notice. The mental health and welfare of the nearly four thousand men and women under his command is as important to him as the operational decisions which have to be made every day. John spoke to us from Croatia where he was deployed on an exercise in command of an Anglo/French Task Force, so he is finding a use for his A Level French, even now! John’s reflections on his time as Military Assistant to Prime Minister Theresa May are very interesting. He worked closely with the Defence and Foreign Secretaries and the Chief of the Defence staff on wide-ranging matters such as military operations and capabilities; veterans’ mental health and Middle East foreign policy, including the UK’s approach to countries such as Syria, Yemen, Libya and Iraq. Quite a responsibility! He says the Prime Minister was totally focused on the national interest, concerned for the wellbeing of the UK as she saw it, and a person of great integrity. John says that his time at Monkton was critical for his development and for the inculcation of the values in which he believes so strongly; in the ultimate sign of trust in the school and all it stands for, his twin daughters are now both pupils at Monkton. He hopes he hasn’t embarrassed them too much by being interviewed for this article! We wish Colonel Clark well in his significant Army roles, both now and into the future.
Sam Holderness
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SAM HOLDERNESS (OM 1999) Sam joined the Lower Sixth (Year 12) at Monkton in 1997, having spent his earlier school years of education in Singapore while his father was working in Laos. Sam remembers the extraordinary culture shock of arriving at Monkton, made bearable by the camaraderie in Grange House, and by the remarkable setting of the school. He has especially strong memories of his houseparents, Tim and Sue Dewes, who encouraged him to believe in himself and who saw the good in him, through thick and thin. Despite his modest A Levels, thanks to a timely phone call from John Jenkins to the University of Plymouth, Sam was able to graduate with a degree in Combined Arts in 2003. Like many graduates (and this applies today as much as ever ), Sam was uncertain as to where his future might lie. After three years managing a restaurant, learning how to work hard at all hours, he moved on to working with difficult, often violent children in a secure unit: amazingly, this was possible after a two-week training course! Sam remembers that time as challenging, but it forged his desire to help young people. Following a postgraduate degree in Psychology, Sam worked at a residential summer school at Dean Close, Cheltenham, where he was responsible for a large multi-cultural group of children. He was then invited to help start a new company in the same field, based in Leeds.
“Sam remembers that time as challenging, but it forged his desire to help young people.� Sam is now Director of a company which runs summer boarding experiences in six well-known private schools across the country, welcoming 2000 students every summer and employing 180 teachers to run a wide variety of courses.
Sam is hugely motivated by looking after young people and helping them to realise their potential, even during a short holiday experience. While he now has to spend more of his time in HR, finance, strategic planning and the other areas expected of a company director, he says that nothing gives him more pleasure than planning a venture or programme during the winter, and seeing it come to fruition in the summer as young people benefit from everything that has been developed for them. Sam’s time at Monkton was not entirely problemfree, but he can look back with a sense of pride and achievement and can see how his experience at school is benefiting him in his current role. Like Sam, the students with whom his company works are predominantly experiencing a completely different culture as they come to the UK. He knows how important it is that they quickly make connections with their hosts as he did. He also recognises the value of the environment, and is keen to make sure their surroundings are as pleasant and memorable as possible. Finally, like so many Monktonians, the values he learned at school continue to inform the way in which he relates to people at work and in his wider life. We wish Sam and his family every success and fulfilment.
Tanya Carr-Harltey
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TANYA CARR-HARTLEY (OM 1989) Tanya Carr-Hartley (née Church) came to Monkton in the Lower Sixth (Year 12) in 1987. Born in Nairobi in Kenya, Tanya spent most of her childhood between Nairobi and Loldia Farm in the Great Rift Valley on the shores of Lake Naivasha. She is a fourth generation Kenyan, and so coming to study in England was a new experience.
has Monkton to thank for the confidence which enabled her to set out on her own.
She thrived, taking a special interest in sport, art and geography and, like so many OMs, she particularly remembers the wonderful location. Tanya was in Grange House under the care of the Rogers, and teachers who were particularly influential included Peter Sibley, Donald Gorrie and Martyn Garrod. Tanya’s love of art was a particular legacy from Monkton as she went on to study Fine Art and English at the University of Exeter (where, incidentally, she got to know Mr Wheeler’s brother).
The Safari Collection, with a portfolio of four of East Africa’s finest properties including the famous Giraffe Manor, has established itself as a pioneer in the sustainable luxury tourism space, embodying the values of both Tanya and her husband. The company is focused on sustainability and the concept of giving back. As Tanya says: “This ethos is at the heart of everything we do: to be low impact, community and conservation-oriented to the core and to have a significant, positive influence on the people and environment around us. The Safari Collection is supporting conservation and community development through a few carefullychosen projects, all of which directly conserve wildlife by addressing the primary causes of their decline and meeting the most important needs of the surrounding communities.”
Since graduating, Tanya’s career has been characterised by a desire to use her skills and interests running various businesses in the tourism sector supporting visitors to Kenya. Tanya says she
The three businesses with which she’s involved provide high-end camps and lodges, as well as privately-guided tailor-made safari trips and Tanya has been responsible for much of the design, decoration and furnishing of the various properties. The clients expect high standards, and it is Tanya’s job to ensure that everyone who stays with them has a fantastic experience while in Africa.
Tanya says that she owes a huge amount to Monkton, which enabled her to formalise her love of art and gave her the self-confidence to succeed in the business world. In fact, she now has a daughter at Monkton who, like Tanya, was particularly attracted by the facilities and teaching in art and sport, as well as the excellent pastoral care which Tanya herself experienced in the late 1980s. We look forward to hearing how Tanya and her family continue to make a difference in Kenya – it sounds as if there are more exciting things to look forward to! www.thesafaricollection.com/
Events round up
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OM EVENTS ROUND UP It’s been a very busy year since our last publication! In September 2018 we celebrated Clarendon’s 120th anniversary, together with sixty-five Old Clarendonians and their guests, representing the four eras of the school – Malvern, Abergele, Bedford and Monkton Combe. There was much reminiscing whilst viewing the memorabilia in Clarendon boarding house. A celebration cake was cut by Molly Spear, née Ewing, who attended Clarendon in the 1940s. Michaelmas term saw a gathering of OMs who left in 2008 and 2013, and Monkton Combe School’s 150th anniversary celebrations came to a close. Sportswise we welcomed OM teams back to the School to play hockey and netball. To finish the Lent term we enjoyed seeing our longest-standing OMs back at Monkton for the “1955 and Before” reunion. OM President Fiona Carruthers (85) was presented with a new OM President’s medal kindly donated by John Bristow (54), Gerald Blake (54), David Ives (54) and Tim Reynolds (54), to replace the one that was mislaid a few years ago.
Some snap shots of some of this years events
Three more reunions were held in the Summer term. In May there was a fantastic turn-out by those OMs who left school 30 years ago. Their celebrations began with drinks in the Music Centre, followed by lunch in the Old Dining Hall and afternoon tea with the Sertins at Eddystone House before moving on into Bath, where we understand the festivities continued until the following morning! Also in May a group of 1st VIII rowers from 1979 returned to catch up with Julian Bewick and view the new facilities at Saltford. June heralded the OM President’s lunch at the School – another occasion for much laughter and reminiscing. The term also featured two cricket matches – a victory for the OMs v the School, and a Cricketer Trophy loss v Lancing Rovers. Finally the OM golf competition was played at Cumberwell Park, just down the road, where the victor was Alan Gibson (53)
Jonathan Morely: what next?
JONATHAN MORLEY
Decisions, decisions, decisions! Making the decision to leave Monkton was difficult enough. I have been privileged to spend twenty years at this amazing school and have been in the right place at the right time to enjoy a variety of roles, from Houseparent of Clarendon to Deputy Head (Academic) to Deputy Head (Pastoral). Leaving was very difficult, especially as I had nothing to move on to. My brother had thoughtfully bought me a pipe and pair of slippers but I believed I had at least one more role in me before settling into gentle retirement. Kingswood was recruiting for an Economics teacher – but why leave Monkton just to move to Kingswood? And then into my inbox came details of what looked to be a really interesting school in Israel. The Eastern Mediterranean International School, a boarding school for 16 to 18s in Tel Aviv, is unique. Its mission is to promote intercultural understanding between Israelis and Arabs through education in an international environment: 20% of students are Israelis, 20% are Arabs and 60% are from other nationalities. Two Skype interviews later, where the emphasis was on the effectiveness of my conflict resolution skills (!), and the job was mine. I have always wanted to visit Israel, although I never ever expected to be living and working there. Fortunately, easyJet flies to Tel Aviv and so Carrie
(my wife, who is continuing in her role as Head of ESL at Monkton) and I will make good use of their services. Since accepting the job, I have discovered that Tel Aviv is one of the most expensive cities in the world. It’s certainly true of the accommodation, and I have only managed to rent a studio slightly bigger than the average UK garage! Only recently I received my set lists with numbers in each class ranging from nineteen to twenty-six and including students from all over the world, including South Sudan and Colombia. I am really not sure what awaits me, but I know it will be very different to Monkton and it will take me out of my comfort zone. I am a passionate believer in the ability of education to foster better understanding and respect and I just hope my nascent conflict resolution skills aren’t called upon too often!
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Blueprints
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BLUEPRINTS FOR THE FUTURE A GLIMPSE INTO MONKTON’S NEXT AMBITIOUS PHASE OF DEVELOPMENT
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ver the last decade or so, the physical landscape of Monkton has changed considerably. A number of new, state-of-the-art facilities have been built, and significant improvements have been made to a range of existing buildings and outdoor spaces. At the Senior School, recent new facilities include a Maths & Science Centre, a Music Centre, an elite Rowing Centre at Saltford and an Art & Design Technology Centre. Significant improvements have been made to a number of Boarding Houses; a new car park has been built on Governor’s Field – which means that the quads are now pedestrian-only zones; outdoor spaces in the centre of the school have been created and landscaped beautifully for pupils to enjoy. On the Combe Down site, more recent improvements have included an all-weather Hockey Pitch, a new Pre-Prep building and the re-ordering of Hatton House (the Prep School’s boarding facility) to provide bright new bedrooms and living spaces for our younger boarders, while significant enhancements have been made to access and parking.
The momentum generated would not have been possible without the help of numbers of individuals – parents, former pupils, friends of the School – who have given their time, advice, expertise and generous financial support. But there is so much more we want to do! There is a constant need to invest in the fabric of the School to improve boarding accommodation, upgrade classrooms, maintain our grounds, beautiful gardens and open spaces, and even refurbish whole departments. We want to continue to provide all our pupils – from the youngest child in the Pre-Prep to final year A Level students at the Senior School – with the very best facilities and environments in which they can grow, explore, discover and learn. Alongside this, we want to boost our Bursary Fund to enable more bright, able and talented young people, but without the means, to benefit from a Monkton education. Blueprints for the future sets out our vision and aspirations for the ongoing renewal of the School’s estate – and defines the areas that we have identified for investment over the next decade and beyond.
Blueprints
At the Prep School, we plan to extend and refurbish the Law Building to provide a flexible, high-quality, multi-purpose space (including an attractive garden terrace) for music and the performing arts, Chapel services, dinners, receptions and other special occasions. Alongside the redevelopment of Law, the Morris Building will undergo extensive refurbishment to improve our learning spaces. At the Senior School, the technical requirements for drama and music cannot be met by the various facilities encompassed by the current Assembly Hall. The backstage areas for drama and music are inadequate. A high-quality Performing Arts facility is needed to meet the requirements of increased numbers, a more ambitious curriculum and the cultural interests of pupils. Plans have been developed to revitalise the existing drama spaces with a complete refurbishment of the Assembly Hall. Seating capacity will be increased together with the quality of technical support. This enhanced performance space will allow a greater collaboration between pupils and adults in the development of technical expertise and the delivery of cutting-edge productions, whilst a smaller studio space for teaching and rehearsals will ensure an even richer pupil experience in the dramatic arts.
Over the next decade, we also have plans to create an Academic Quad in the heart of the Senior School with the addition of a three-storey facility in the space currently occupied by the Kearn’s building; an IT-rich Learning Resources Centre; a new Sixth Form Centre with café-style facilities to create a university self-study feel; outdoor classroom and seminar spaces; and the redevelopment of the two main Quads as pedestrian-only areas – possibly in the style of an Oxbridge college quad – to provide an exceptional environment for pupils to socialise or just sit quietly to read and reflect. Monkton has embarked on what is one of the most exciting and ambitious phases of development in its proud 150 year history. Our plans are bold, ambitious and transformational! They will be prioritised carefully, so that we work within our means and the resources which are entrusted to our stewardship. The needs of our young people will be central, and focused on a clear vision for the future of Monkton, set in this beautiful and historic valley on the outskirts of Bath. If you would like to know more about the Blueprints for the future development programme, please contact the Development & External Relations Office.
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History of the Quads
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HISTORY OF THE QUADS
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ver the 150 years that Monkton Combe School has existed, our outside spaces have always been central to school life. In particular, the inner and outer quads have served as places for recreation, reflection and socialising; as hockey pitches, tennis courts and open-air gymnasiums; and as spectacular open-air corridors to pass through en route to a classroom, a house or a dining hall. And there have been quad rules too! Just fifty years ago, only staff and prefects could walk across a quad: all other pupils had to walk around the outside edges! Many former pupils will think of just the outer quad as The Quad as the inner one was known as the tennis court.
As time went by, our quads became increasingly busy, becoming car parks for parents, staff, visitors and delivery vans while still being at the centre of school life. The multiple uses of these special spaces became increasingly challenging and so in 2018 we agreed that the time was right to return them to our pupils to enjoy in peace and safety. We have eliminated parking in the quads and built a new carpark on Governor’s Field. The next step is to soften and enhance the asphalt quads with additional planting and seating. Perhaps we’ll even find pupils playing games there once again, as they used to before the cars took over! Article written by Jacqueline Burrows, School Archivist (volunteer). Jacqueline also researched and wrote the article about our founder, Revd Francis Pocock, which appeared in last year’s magazine
A FEW QUAD HIGHLIGHTS 1
The outer quad was originally the farm yard, and the old farmhouse was to the left side of the library building.
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The annual steeplechase started from the quad. From there, the pupils raced through Monkton Combe and up Shaft Road, cutting up the slope behind Clarendon to emerge on Brassknocker Hill, then down through the school farm’s fields, across the A36 to the canal, along to Limpley Stoke and back through the woods to Longmead where they jumped the Midford Brook to end the race.
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Boys played hockey on the outer quad in the 19th century, although their sticks looked a little different to today’s high-tech carbon fibre equipment.
History of the Quads
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An aerial photograph taken in 2018 shows both inner and outer quads quite clearly. We are lucky to have a beautiful horse chestnut in the outer quad, under which our pupils can sit and chat. The inner quad also boasts some lovely trees.
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The quads can look particularly beautiful in the winter. This photograph shows a group of pupils enjoying the snow in February 2019.
It is a Monkton custom for staff to line up in the outer quad and applaud the Year 13 pupils as they leave the chapel after their last service on their final day at school.
There was a tennis court on the inner quad in days gone by. We have photographs showing tennis being played on the inner quad in the 1890s.
A gymnastics display took place on the inner quad in the 1960s.
The Combined Cadet Force (previously the Officer Training Corps) often parade in the quads, as did the Monkton Combe School Police Cadets and the Monkton Combe School Home Guard.
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Dean Close School, Cheltenham was evacuated to Monkton Combe School in 1939 during the first weeks of WW2. The visiting school’s furniture – including beds – arrived in containers and was unceremoniously dumped in the quad by unsympathetic removal men. Monkton’s staff worked tirelessly to move everything and to set up the dormitories for the Dean Close pupils and staff in time for their arrival. Jars of jam packed into chests of drawers had smashed in transit. Jam was everywhere and the quad was sticky for weeks afterwards.
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The chapel was consecrated in 1925 as a lasting memorial to staff and pupils who lost their lives during WW1. The outer quad was thronged with everyone who gathered at Monkton for this very special occasion.
Farewell to Elaine
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FAREWELL TO ELAINE HODGES This year we say farewell to Elaine Hodges, who throughout her time at Monkton has reflected our values in all that she does and whose love and warmth has made a difference to generations of young people coming through Monkton’s doors.
My first encounter of Elaine was when I saw her eyes bright over the top of a lit candle speaking with passion about how she had spent the day at Nursery exploring with the children what it meant at Christmas time for Jesus to come into the world as its light. When she blew out the candle the assembled parents took a collective inhalation of excitement and I knew we were in for an incredible nursery experience. During that year, in which I was invited in to play the Giant for ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’ and saw Elaine take on endless roles from nursery rhymes or designing creative spaces to inspire our children, I asked some of our most successful Oxbridge candidates what their biggest influences had been on their journey. Two of five listed Mrs Hodges as having been seminal in their progress to the Country’s leading Universities.
Sam Watt and Lily Bayntun-Coward with their Nursery teacher, Elaine Hodges in 2016
Elaine is like magic dust in the teaching profession; you only meet practitioners comparable to her once in a while. There is something simply extraordinary about her dedication and enthusiasm – it never ends and it seems to have been consistent over so many years.
In almost any conversation about Monkton, Elaine will come up. She is fun and bubbly yet thoughtful and kind; she is outgoing and energetic yet reflective and ready to change; she is part of the culture and fabric of this place; she “gets it” in a way that few do; she lives and breathes our ethos. Elaine will be a huge loss to every area but she goes with our prayers and we hope she will keep us in hers. She will be sorely missed.
Leaving at the right time is an art and Elaine has got this just right: she leaves on a high, when no one is actually ready for her to go. Whether we would have ever been ready to say goodbye to her is hard to know, but it does seem right that she enjoy some time for herself after giving out unconditionally with such dedication over so many years. Elaine, you are loved, appreciated and adored by so many. We will truly miss your Christian presence around the Pre-Prep, but we wish you many blessings and much fun in the years to come.
Chris Wheeler Principal
Catherine Winchcombe Head of Pre-Prep
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Talk to any Pre-Prep parent or a boarder at the Prep and ask them what convinced them that Monkton was the right place for their child and they will, almost certainly, say, “Mrs Hodges.” Elaine was extremely skilled at her many jobs and that gave the parents the confidence to invest in the Nursery or Hatton House – Elaine made the decision very easy. Parents trusted her, children loved her and staff respected her. She cared deeply and passionately about each child that came under her care; she offered love and security at times when children were very vulnerable, and her charges all responded to her so positively. She opened her heart and her home – even when the difficult circumstances following her husband David’s death in 2004 would have justified a different approach. Elaine was always full of fun. Her infectious laughter would light up any dorm; the Nursery was a very happy room in the school and older children loved to go and help, partly to be with the lovely children but also to spend time in Elaine’s company. She was always willing to listen and offer wise Christian counsel, and probably a hug as well! She was an example to us all and those who had the privilege of working alongside her learned the immense value of her selfless contribution. So, what makes the difference? I have no doubt at all that Elaine’s rock-solid Christian faith is at the heart of all that she undertook. She prayed with the children regularly – it was easy to get a ‘lights-out extension’ when Elaine was on duty! She talked openly about her faith in Jesus to parents and staff, never shying away from or shirking her Christian duty. If anyone deserves a great Monkton send off, it’s Elaine; she epitomises all that is good, Godly and great about the School. She has served Monkton faithfully for thirty years and her vast expertise and sunny presence will be sorely missed; generations of Monktonians owe her an immeasurable debt of gratitude. Chris Stafford Prep School Head Master: 1998 – 2013
Elliott Chawla Duggan, Elaine Hodges and Jake Abington
Nursery role play with Mrs Hodges
“We have heard about ‘The Mrs Hodges’ Experience’!” These words were frequently uttered on the occasions when I showed prospective Nursery parents around Monkton Pre-Prep during my tenure as Head. Elaine’s reputation certainly went before her, and ‘The Mrs Hodges Experience’ was something all parents wanted for their young children. And what was the ‘Mrs Hodges’ Experience’? Well, first and foremost, it was a wonderful welcome. Elaine oozes warmth and compassion, and families would immediately feel at ease in her company. Once children joined the Nursery, she would quickly establish wonderful relationships with both the children and their families, building trust and providing support for the challenging job of parenting. An exciting learning environment was another feature of the experience Elaine offered. Inspiring displays, stimulating activities and fantastic areas for role play greeted you as soon as you entered her Nursery. This was the result of hours of preparation, often at weekends when Elaine could be found beavering away in school, determined to provide the very best experience for the children in her care. Elaine inspired loyalty and commitment in her staff. I recall interviewing someone for a position in the Nursery on one occasion and asking her why she particularly wanted to work there. Her reply? “I want to work with Elaine.” ‘The Mrs Hodges’ Experience’ was one of dedication, enthusiasm and love, all underpinned by Elaine’s deep Christian faith. Kathryn Morrell Head of Pre-Prep: 2006 – 2016
Births & Marriages
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BIRTHS & MARRIAGES James Gough (06) married Rosie Binding on 15 December 2018 at All Saints’ Church, Wraxall. OMs attending included Nick Gough (03), Anthony Gough (01), Rob Neil (06), Scott Creed (06), Paddy Stafford (06), Stephanie Love (06), Hugo Creeth (08), Nigel Gough (72), Richard Gough (71), Carol Carruthers née Gough (75) and Graham Carruthers (75). To Lotte Waller née Creeth (04) and Harry a son, Wilfred Oliver, born 5 May 2019.
To Hugo Creeth (08) and Annabel a son, Percival David Leopold, born on 20 March 2019. Phill Martin (07) married Becky on 22 June 2019 in North Stoke, Bath where they had a Tipi style wedding in the village Phill grew up in. OMs who attended included Tim Lawson (07), Chris Antrobus (06), Charlie Dormehl (07)), Will Penaliggon (06), John Newport (07) and George Pizzey (07)
Jake Lowde (04) married Alannah on 16 March 2019 in Melbourne, Australia.
Births & Marriages
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Naomi Dewes (11) married Jonathan Davies at Holy Trinity, Combe Down on 6 April 2019. The reception was held at Waterhouse.
Dan Gower (09) married Sophie Gray on 3 August 2018 at Upcote Barn in Withington, Cheltenham.
Phyllida Monroe (15) married Christian Stuart in London on 22 December 2018. OMs in the bridal party were: Charmian Monroe (18), Savannah Myers (15), Kate Padiachy (15) and Inez Padiachy (16).
Jack Barnes (11) married Laura Gower (11) on 1 December 2018 at Widbrook Grange in Bradford-on-Avon.
In memoriam
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IN MEMORIAM John C G Cole (52) died on 8 March 2019. After leaving Monkton, John trained as a doctor and worked in general practice for over 30 years.
Alastair Scott-Mitchell (52) died on 14 December 2018 in NSW, Australia. Alastair rowed at No 6 in the Monkton 1st VIII that reached the final of the Princess Elizabeth Cup, Henley Royal Regatta in 1952. He followed in his father’s footsteps and studied Architecture at the Bartlett School, University College, London, winning a scholarship to the Sorbonne in Paris before working with leading architecture firms in the UK and Sydney. He contributed to the interior design and construction of the Bank of New Zealand’s Head Office in Auckland, NZ.
Graham Cann (55) died suddenly at work on 16 August 2018, leaving his wife Ann, four children, fifteen grandchildren and a great-grandchild. His funeral took place in the village of Bassleg where he and Ann had lived for much of their married life. Richard (Dick) Goodwin (54) Born in Oxford in 1936, the eldest son of the Vice Principal of Jesus College, he was educated at the Dragon School, Oxford and Monkton Combe School. Whilst at Monkton he was a member of the the first XV when the school beat Kingswood School for the first time. He followed a career in the flour milling industry – rising to become Operations Director of Dalgety Spillers before retirement. In 1961 he married Heidi Sinbert to whom he was married for fifty eight years. They had two children – Stephen and Suzanne. Richard Goodwin; born 9th August 1936 , died 21st June 2019.
Graham attended Monkton Combe Junior School from 1947 where he was nicknamed “Candy Cann” for the generosity with which he distributed sweets from his father’s shop! Spotted by Mr Sirr for his sporting powers he was encouraged to join Grange on entry to the Senior School in 1950. There he won colours for cricket, hockey and rugby and successively skippered the under 14s, Junior Colts, Colts and 1st XV rugby teams. Under Messrs Smith-Masters and Youngman he acquired a lifelong love of music, joining the Chapel Choir and Part-song Society. In later life, together with Michael Barnes OM, he became a stalwart of the excellent Chepstow Male Voice Choir.
Like so many, he was influenced by A F Lace in the school CCF, rising to become its CSM. Commissioned into the Welch Regiment for his National Service and narrowly missing deployment to the Suez crisis, he spent eighteen dangerous but fulfilling months pursuing terrorists in the Cypriot mountains. Graham joined the family retail business, demonstrating his entrepreneurial ability by leading its rapid expansion. He became a magistrate, played hockey for Newport and took up golf. Joining and later chairing the Round Table, he became closely involved in charity fund-raising. He was also fascinated by alternative medicine. Graham was a kindly and charismatic family man who influenced many with whom he came into contact. Seemingly ageless, he was the lynchpin that kept many of his contemporaries in touch. He will be greatly missed.
In memoriam
David Judson (59) died on 6 March 2019, having spent a lifetime in missionary work in the Middle East based in Lebanon, Egypt and Cyprus. He developed particular skills in helping sight-impaired people to cope with the problems of living amongst conflict and the detritus of war, becoming responsible for a team of workers in the field. At Monkton in the 1950s, David showed stellar qualities with his all-round excellence in studies and sport; always a leader, he was a fair-minded Prefect and Captain of School House who was liked and respected by everyone. As two years his junior, I recall him as constantly cheerful; serious-minded about serious things, but laughter seemed his natural accompaniment. His Christian faith was steadfast, becoming particularly apparent
after an accident on the hockey field deprived him of his Cambridge place to read Maths. His response was courageous and resilient as he battled illness and disappointment without retreating into bitterness or resentment. It was an inspirational example. He picked up his academic studies with a degree course at the University of Bangor, where he met his future wife Margaret and went on to Christian mission work in the Middle East, where grit, faith and determined courage would be so plentifully needed. We heard snippets of David’s news – once, at least, on TV – and when I was teaching at Monkton I got him along to speak to the sixth formers. What a tale of courage and resilience it was – those two qualities again! Helping blind people cope with the dangers of war-torn Beirut and showing them how to avoid bomb craters, but told so unassumingly. “How had the fighting disrupted family life for all of you living on the edge of the dangerous ‘green line’? Not really very much,” was the reply – “except having to sleep on the
John Blackburn (61) died on the 29th January 2019 in Caylus, France. He was an outstanding hockey goalkeeper both at Monkton and at Oxford, where he read Geography at St Edmund Hall. He taught for two years at Charterhouse School, Godalming before
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ground floor because bullets occasionally made holes in the walls upstairs – and (oh yes! he recalled) he once had to take refuge in the baker’s shop for a couple of hours until gunfire subsided in the street!” Thus the quiet heroism of a man of God, a steady courage shared by his supportive wife and family. When at last he left fulltime mission and its responsibilities, he and Margaret settled in Yorkshire, but it was an active retirement with regular appearances at conferences to run a stall for Middle East Christian Outreach or periodic returns to service in the Middle East. David has left an inspiring example of what a man of God should be – full of faith; dependable; rejoicing; without superficiality or shallowness but with rock-like integrity in the face of danger, disappointment and success; with great humility despite all he achieved. His was a life dedicated to bringing blessing to many and glory to God – there’s nothing higher than that. Richard Blake (MCS 1956-61, Staff 1964-84)
moving to the Dragon School, Oxford. There, all the masters were known publicly by their nicknames, and his was always ‘Splash’. He was a housemaster, then Senior Master until his early retirement in 1992 when he moved to southern France and ran a guest house.
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In memoriam
PETER COLERIDGE, 1943–2019 Peter Coleridge (MCJS, 1952-56, MCS 1956-61) died peacefully at home on 12 June 2019. His was a life of rare intensity and fulfilment. In his last summer at Monkton he helped to build a health clinic in war-torn Algeria. He read Arabic at Oxford, taking a year out to learn Palestinian Arabic and acquiring a deep love for that country. He taught English in Ha’il, Saudi Arabia, exploring the desert by motorbike and the Gulf by dhow in his spare time. In 1969, Peter married Angela Church, sister of OM Jeremy Church (1962). They made a formidable and mutually dependent couple, committed to the service of others. Peter taught in Sudan, then at the Quaker school in Brummana, Lebanon. In 1976, they left the Lebanon together with their young family when the shell-fire of civil war reached the school’s campus. Peter then taught (and both he and Angela were house parents) at Atlantic College, the 6th form college in South Wales. Here, Peter had his first experience of disability work, teaching local blind children how to canoe. In 1981 Peter joined Oxfam. Alongside remarkable Palestinians, he helped develop an approach which enabled villagers to discover how they could solve many of their problems together. This had a revolutionary impact on health and agriculture in the country. He ensured the first foreign grant to al-Haq, now an internationallyrenowned Palestinian law centre. In summer 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon. Peter and I were part of Oxfam’s relief team, witnessing
the massacre in Sabra/Shatila camp, an ordeal which bonded our deep friendship. In 1988, aged 45, Peter was kidnapped from a refugee camp in south Lebanon, accused of spying by Abu Nidal’s terror group which invariably executed its captives. Uniquely, he was released alive, probably the result of the esteem he enjoyed in the refugee community in Lebanon, alongside his own patent innocence. Angela was a pillar of strength and calm for her family throughout this ordeal.
“He demanded much of himself, was relentlessly curious and would ask penetrating questions.” Peter wrote what became the classic text on community-based rehabilitation for the disabled. He left Oxfam to work on disability in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, later becoming an internationally-known consultant. Peter never shied away from the toughest assignments. He demanded much of himself, was relentlessly curious and would ask penetrating questions. Alongside Angela, Peter pursued a profound spiritual journey which transcended the orthodoxy of his upbringing. His achievements would have been far less had it not been for the strength he drew from Angela and his three children. David McDowall OM (1963)
In memoriam
RICHARD ERNEST MEYER, 1944–2019 Richard Meyer (1962), who died on 13 June 2019, spent most of his life serving in ordained Christian ministry. Following six years’ teaching at the King’s School, Gloucester, Richard spent 23 years ministering with great dedication in C of E parishes; as a curate in Up Hatherley, Cheltenham; as Vicar of Great and Little Hampton, Evesham; and as Rector of Odcombe, Brympton, Lufton and Montacute in South Somerset. Following his decision in 1992 to become a Roman Catholic, he taught Religious Studies and Philosophy, became a housemaster and then a chaplain in Catholic boarding schools. Although married, he was ordained as an RC priest in 2002.
the motivational influence of historian Norman Roberts. Richard was a distinctive and ebullient character. Independently-minded, stimulating company and full of energy, his warmlymischievous sense of humour kept his contemporaries entertained. Fellow historian and Editor of the Monktonian, Richard Dearlove (1962), was a good friend. Richard Meyer’s own literary skill and bold enterprise extended to launching ‘The Drung’, a humorous and satirical magazine, printed ‘in-house’, that continued for the rest of the 1960s. He was also a proficient actor and a competent oarsman. However it was his background and temperament, as well as his disinclination to conform to Monkton’s evangelical churchmanship, that were to shape his life. His Christian faith
“Independently-minded, stimulating company and full of energy, his warmly-mischievous sense of humour kept his contemporaries entertained.” For the final and demanding stage of his ministry from 2010, Richard served as the highlyregarded parish priest for Bridport and West Dorset up to his death aged 75. As a mark of the esteem in which he was held, he was made an Honorary Canon of Plymouth’s Catholic Cathedral. The Meyer family ran a flourishing business in Milsom Street, Bath and had Swiss roots. Richard became a pupil at Monkton Combe Junior School in 1953 under Headmaster Bryan Morris. Arriving at the Senior School in 1957, he became a popular member of Eddystone House and of his wider year group. He valued Dick Hole’s English teaching and
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was deep and he was awarded the Haigh Chapel Reading Prize but, by inclination and conviction, he felt more at home within the Anglo-Catholic High Church tradition. Moving to St John’s College, Durham in 1963, he embarked on a General Arts degree but specialised in Theology. Richard coached a College Four with Nigel Elbourne (1962) and Roland Symons (Hon OM, MCJS teacher and Hon. Archivist) on board. Both became his life-long friends. During his time at Durham, his reservations about the Evangelical approach to theology, worship and church order came
to the fore. Following his marriage to Jan and his school-teaching years, he trained for the Anglican ministry at Mirfield College. 21 years of devoted and warmhearted C of E parish ministry followed – including an engaging sermon given in the MCJS chapel. This was truncated by the C of E’s decision in 1992 to ordain women to the priesthood, the consequent departure of over 400 clergy, and with Richard being received into the Roman Catholic Church in 1994. There was a sense of inevitability, given the Catholic nature of his underlying convictions. However, he seemed to feel a sense of release and greater fulfilment in his Christian vocation during the later stages of his life. Richard was devastated by the death of his beloved Jan in 2014, but thereafter valued the companionship of Nigel Elbourne’s widow, Christine, whom he had known since their time at Durham. A Requiem Mass was held in Sherborne Abbey on 2 July 2019. Tribute by Peter LeRoy (1962)
In memoriam
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was typical of the enthusiasm and consistency he showed in all walks of his life – to his family, his friends and his sporting and political affiliations. Once you had Edward on your side, he was there through thick and thin.
Edward Osmond (66), a constant and huge supporter of Monkton, died on 25 May aged 70, after a short illness. He attended all three schools, starting at Glenburnie and going right through to the Senior School. He remained involved with the school as an enthusiastic Old Monktonian, often playing OM hockey and cricket as well as attending many events. His loyalty to Monkton
Jonathan Talbot (85) died on 9 May 2019. He attended Monkton Combe School from 1982 to 1985, whilst his family lived in Saudi Arabia. He often mentioned with fondness, the housemaster of Grange House, Chris Rogers who, together with his wife Pat, helped Jon settle into boarding school life.
Edward lived in Southampton and was a lifelong member of the Trojans’ Club. Their tribute to him is typical of the regard in which he was held: “Edward was unsurpassed in his enthusiasm for sport, particularly cricket, although he had an absorbing interest in hockey and rugby. It was in this context that, off the field, he was a loyal enthusiast for the Trojans and a true supporter of all the sections, particularly cricket where he was Secretary, Chairman and Fixtures Secretary. Beyond his numerous committee
During this time, he studied for his professional exams at Caer Rhun Hall, a residential accountancy tuition centre in North Wales and it was here that he met his future wife, Elizabeth.
Jon went on to study Law in Birmingham, but soon realised that this was neither the subject nor city for him. After consulting the UCAS book starting at ‘A’, he came across Accounting & Finance and embarked upon his new degree course in Bristol, a city which he loved and would later become his home.
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, Jon continued to work in Winchester for a few months before moving to Bristol to be closer to Elizabeth. Jon accepted a job with Solomon Hare, a local firm of accountants, which later became Smith & Williamson. He was soon promoted to partner in the Audit & Business Services department and remained with the firm for over twenty one years.
Having graduated, Jon signed a training contract with Jordan Brookes & Co, a firm of chartered accountants in Winchester.
Jon had a great sense of humour and wide circle of friends and was always very supportive of staff and clients. He enjoyed sport,
commitments, he readily organised all aspects of running a cricket club, such as interval drinks and teas, umpiring as and when asked and scoring when needed. He was always willing to help. While he would never appear on an honours board for on-field successes, there ought to be one for stalwart supporters – he would be top of the list if there was.” Edward was equally committed to his local community, serving as a City Councillor, a Governor of the Richard Taunton College and a Governor of the University Hospital Trust. He collected regularly for the Royal British Legion. His greatest commitment was to his family as loving son, brother and uncle to five nieces. We will all miss him very much. John Osmond (71)
especially cricket, supporting Somerset County Cricket Club and Southampton Football Club. However, it was with his family that he was happiest, living in Stoke Bishop, Bristol, with his wife, Elizabeth, teenage children, Oliver and Emilia and sprocker spaniel, Lottie. His funeral at St Mary’s Stoke Bishop was a true celebration of life, attended by around 300 friends and family. Elizabeth, Oliver and Emilia were particularly grateful to OM Dr Peter Lanham, his uncle, godfather and guardian during his time at Monkton Combe, Jon’s sister, Clare Billings and close friend Dave Mouncey for the reading, poem and eulogy which really gave the service a personal touch and the send-off Jon truly deserved.
In memoriam
Security and Public Affairs, was recruited by John Reid, the Home Secretary, to lead Britain’s new threat assessment and control centre within the Home Office, the Office for Security and Counterterrorism (OSCT).
SIR CHARLES FARR 1959–2019 Charles Blandford Farr (1977) was born in Bath in 1959 and attended Monkton Combe School from 1972 to 1977, going on to Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read English before embarking on a doctorate in the Philosophy of Aesthetics. Charles had thoughts of becoming a BBC journalist and demonstrated a taste for travel when he co-authored the first edition of The Rough Guide to Tunisia, but joined MI6 in 1985. His first posting was to South Africa just as apartheid was ending; he was later based in Jordan. Sometimes known as Whitehall’s “Emperor of counter-terrorism”, Farr was respected for his formidable intellect, monkish dedication to his work and a certain shortness with those whom did not meet his own vertiginous standards of achievement. He felt a particular responsibility for the public’s safety, but few beyond the realms of intelligence and security (at the heart of which he sat) had heard of him. This was just as he liked it. In 2007 Farr, then MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service’s Director for
This stemmed from Farr’s rounded understanding of the threats facing Britain, among which he included organised crime. At MI6, he had helped to co-ordinate action against drug smuggling. This led him to appreciate the need to involve different agencies to tackle problems; an approach he brought to OSCT. There he saw his job as “giving ministers and police the best chance of keeping the public safe”. Tasked with developing, integrating and implementing the nation’s antiterrorism strategy, Farr was behind many of the measures that have become familiar in subsequent debates about civil liberties. Effective at achieving his objectives within Whitehall and aided by his good working relationship with then Home Secretary Theresa May, Farr’s hand could be felt in the use of control orders, designed to restrict organisations, and their successors, Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures. Junior members of his teams found him kindly and protective and not without a sense of humour. He reserved his ire for those senior to him, from whom he expected the same impeccable degree of planning and execution he could himself attain.
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In 2015, Farr was appointed chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). This produces assessments and forecasts of situations for those producing policy at the most senior levels in government departments and the security organisations. The JIC’s role played to his strengths and he brought to it a new energy. He induced better collaboration with MI5 and MI6 and was less reluctant than his predecessors to tap into the expertise of academics. Farr was not, however, made in the outgoing mould of officers who use their engaging personalities to win over agents, and he came to specialise instead in the areas of strategy and policy development. By the time he was in his mid-forties, he was the service’s head of counterterrorism, focusing on emerging hotspots such as Somalia. In the time off that he allowed himself, he enjoyed gardening and bird-watching, often on the Norfolk coast. Farr was awarded an OBE in 2003 and CMG in 2009. The Queen approved his award of a knighthood shortly before his death from cancer. “He was”, judged a former colleague, “one of those few people who individually made a strategic difference to the safety and security of this country.” Sir Charles Farr, CMG, intelligence officer, July 15, 1959 – February 15, 2019, aged 59.
“Sometimes known as Whitehall’s “Emperor of counter-terrorism”, Farr was respected for his formidable intellect, monkish dedication to his work and a certain shortness with those whom did not meet his own vertiginous standards of achievement”
In memoriam
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PEGGY CHADWICK NÉE BROWNRIGG 1918–2018 Peggy Chadwick (OC) lived through more than 100 extraordinary years. Born in Dublin with her identical twin Molly into a devout evangelical family in 1918, her early nights were regularly disturbed as gunmen from both sides in the Irish conflict broke into the house looking for money. So in 1925 the family sold their remote farm and moved to Wimbledon in England where, only a few years later, they had to sleep in the coal cellar to shelter from the London Blitz. Educated at Clarendon School in Malvern along with her two sisters, Peggy went up as an undergraduate to Bedford College, London to read Earth Sciences. Fifty years later she learned that her paternal grandfather William Bookey Brownrigg had had similar interests and that an Irish fossil in the Natural History museum in London had been named after him. When Bedford College was evacuated to Cambridge in 1939, she joined the Christian and music societies, where she met a tall,
nineteen-year old organ scholar from Magdalene, Henry Chadwick. He had a piano in his rooms and she had a lovely soprano voice: she said, ‘It was wonderful to have someone to accompany me who could transpose at sight into any key I wanted’. She liked to say that she had married her accompanist and described how happy Henry was to receive as a wedding present a two-volume Greek Lexicon to support his academic theological studies. He was later appointed Regius Professor and Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. After graduating, Peggy worked in the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, next door to Crick and Watson, whom she would hear swearing when their DNA models did not work! A wonderful teacher, throughout her years in Oxford and Cambridge, she coached children who had failed GCSE Maths – some of them several times – getting them through so that they could finally go on to university. One thank-you note said: ‘The reason I passed is that you made maths look like a puzzle instead of just a jumble of figures’. At Oxford, she hosted undergraduate lunches as well as dinners and receptions for dignitaries from the Queen to the Dalai Lama. Peggy and Henry’s three daughters went to Clarendon in Abergele, and the family moved house with fifteen thousand books up to twelve times between Oxford and Cambridge. She travelled abroad when Henry lectured at international universities or on Swan cruises, supporting him through demanding schedules. Famously stoical, she featured in the Times Diary when, after moving into the Peterhouse Master’s Lodge, when Henry was away attending
a meeting in Rome, she found herself stuck in the lift for 28 hours: Charles Moore (editor of The Daily Telegraph) suggested this should be in the Guinness Book of Records.
“At 96, she was invited to sing Danny Boy on Radio 4’s Saturday Live” After Henry died, Peggy continued to live life to the full. At 94, she flew to Los Angeles to see the monastery in Southern California where his treasured books had come to rest and to watch her grandsons learning to surf. At 96, she was invited to sing Danny Boy on Radio 4’s Saturday Live, a tune she had sung at the 1948 London Olympics opening ceremony. In 2018, aged 99, she attended the 150th Monkton/ Clarendon lunch in the Senate House and spoke in Westminster Abbey at the dedication of a plaque to her husband Henry and his brother Owen Chadwick. On her 100th birthday, she received her card from the Queen and a charming letter from the President of Ireland: “You will celebrate a life rich in accomplishments having witnessed remarkable changes since the time of your birth in 1918. I’m delighted to send you my warmest congratulations … along with two thousand pounds as a centenarian bonus!” Peggy died just two months after celebrating her centenary.
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