Old Haberdashers’ Association Founded 1888
www.oldhabs.com
e-‐Newsletter Issue 3 – January 2012 A very happy New Year to all our readers! th
A special edition of the OHA Magazine marking the 50 Anniversary of the move to Elstree was issued to OHA members in October 2011, if any non-‐members would like a copy please contact martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com who will arrange for a copy to be sent to you for a small fee. Please REGISTER on the OHA Website to ensure you hear about news and events – www.oldhabs.com Contents: Page 1 Habs in the City Page 2 Recent Social Events Pages 3-‐5 Forthcoming Events, OH in the News & Where Are They Now? Pages 5-‐6 The Headmasters – Rev Kemp Page 6-‐8 Sports Club Updates Page 8 Obituaries Page 9 OHA Website & Magazine Info, Caption competition
Habs in the City, 12th October 2011 by Alan Newman
Alan Newman, Tim Steiner and Jason Zemmel Alan Newman organised another Habs in The City event at the offices of Cameron McKenna on 12th October 2011. The event was hosted by Jason Zemmel (Cameron McKenna) and attended by over fifty Old Haberdashers across a wide range of ages and professions. Tim Steiner, OH, co-‐founder and CEO of Ocado was the main speaker. The event was a great opportunity for Old Haberdashers to meet fellow city workers and share news, gossip and to network. Another event will be organised in 2012 and we will contact you in plenty of time so you can book your place.
Compiled and published by Martin Baker, OHA Secretary – martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com
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Other Recent Events Lunch with Kelvin Pike, 6th November 2011 by Andrew Tarpey
The Clubhouse heaved at the seams for what is hoped will be just the first in an occasional series of similar “In conversation with…” events. The subject of this interview was Kelvin Pike (1945) who kindly shared his experiences of a life in films. The Clubhouse can rarely have been as full: nearly seventy people crammed in on the bright November day to enjoy a very welcome three-‐course lunch and wine, skilfully prepared by Pauline Howard and the team. Afterwards, all gathered round Peter “Parkinson” Vacher and Kelvin, perched on bar stools, to hear the tales flood out. From starting school in September 1939, Kelvin’s life has been far from routine, frequently being literally inches from some of the biggest stars on screen in his career as a leading cinematographer and cameraman. For example, his long list of credits includes The Empire Strikes Back, Where Eagles Dare, Look Back in Anger and several of Stanley Kubrick's films including The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Dr Strangelove. Amongst a wealth of anecdotes, the audience especially enjoyed hearing how Kelvin was the man behind the lens on The Shining when Jack Nicholson axed his way through the door – and how Nicholson squared up to Kubrick in defence of Kelvin: “Stan, leave the guy alone. He knows a lot more about it than you do!” You can see what you missed by logging on to the OHA YouTube channel and watching the interview in full here; photos from the event are here. Everyone agreed on the success of the event and was keen to see similar events in the future. Any suggestions or volunteers for other interviews in the series…? Contact us!
In 2008, the late Roger Berwick conceived the idea of a reunion for the 1948 Westbere Road intake, to celebrate the passage of 60 years since we all joined the school. These reunions have continued, usually attracting some twenty OH from that era. This year’s lunch was held at The Plough pub in Crews Hill, Enfield and was organised by Brian Willcocks. Michael Heppner paid a warm tribute to Roger after lunch and it was resolved to continue to meet as both a tribute to Roger’s original initiative and because all concerned had a thoroughly good time! To see pictures of the event please head over to the gallery via this link.
Visit to the old School buildings at Westbere Road, 1st November 2011 by Rodney Jakeman
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As this year marks the first fifty years of the school’s residence at Elstree, it was also felt appropriate to mark the occasion by arranging a visit to the old buildings for those OH that attended school at Westbere Road, Hampstead NW2. Read the full report here, and look at the pictures here.
Visit to the Olympic site and tea & tour of Forman’s Salmon processing plant, 3rd October 2011
Reunion of 1948 "Joiners" -‐ The Plough Pub, Enfield by Peter Vacher On a beautiful, sunny October day twenty-‐seven of us met at Bromley-‐by-‐Bow station, a station most of us had never heard of before (and, given its position on the noisy A12 with four lanes of traffic flying past and surrounded by what looked like derelict sites from the Blitz) are unlikely to encounter again. So re-‐development is in the air. Our visit combined the Old World and the New. Read Jon Corrall’s full report here.
Compiled and published by Martin Baker, OHA Secretary – martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com
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Forthcoming Events OHRFC Annual Dinner – Saturday 28th January 2012, Thistle Hotel, Marble Arch If you would like to attend the dinner please contact Simon Gresswell via simon.gresswell@imgworld.com.
Father and Sons Dinner – Friday 10th February, The Old Haberdashers’ Clubhouse If you would like to attend the dinner please contact Andrew Tarpey via mail@atarpey.com.
Old Lags Lunch – Tuesday 21st February and OH Ladies Lunch – Thursday 23rd February, The Old Haberdashers’ Clubhouse
Where are they now? We invited a number of OH to let us know what they have been doing since leaving school. You can see that there is no such thing as a typical Haberdasher! Please send your own personal biography to the Editor via martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com for future publication.
The APEX STOMPERS – Peter Vacher, Howard Riccalton, Ian Powell and Robin Wilde 1953 by Peter Vacher
If you would like to attend either event please contact Peter or Patricia Vacher via petervacher@onetel.com.
OHA Past Presidents’ Luncheon – Saturday 24th March, The Old Haberdashers’ Clubhouse For more information please contact the organiser Rodney Jakeman via rodney.jakeman@tiscali.co.uk.
OHA Quiz Night – Saturday 31st March, The Old Haberdashers’ Clubhouse Quizmaster Jim Tarpey; for more information please contact Rodney Jakeman via rodney.jakeman@tiscali.co.uk.
Old Haberdashers’ Annual Dinner – Thursday 17th May, Haberdashers’ Hall, West Smithfield, EC1 If you would like to attend the OHA’s flagship event of the year please contact Andrew Tarpey via mail@atarpey.com.
We formed the Apex Stompers at school c.1953 to play traditional jazz; Apex Stompers because I lived near Apex Corner, Mill Hill. Founder members were Howard Riccalton (clarinet), Ian Powell or Robin Wilde (trumpet) and Peter Vacher (leader, trombone). We played the school dance a couple of times and generally played for youth clubs, etc. for beer and sandwiches. Here is a photo c.1953 of us rehearsing in Ian Powell’s house in Wembley. We’re all about 16 at the time. Ian took the photos so it’s Robin playing trumpet.
OH in the News Art Critic Brian Sewell (OH 1949) released his autobiography – Outsider: Always Almost: Never Quite on 24th November 2011. No doubt a fascinating insight into this extraordinary man.
WPP CEO Martin Sorrell (OH 1963) was Kirsty Young’s guest on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs on Sunday 4th December. To hear the interview and see his choice of discs, follow this link -‐ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017vjlw
Ambassador Daniel Taub (OH 1980) was recently confirmed as Israeli Ambassador to the court of St. James. With over two decades of experience in Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taub has played a key role in a wide range of diplomatic, legal and political arenas. As Principal Deputy Legal Advisor of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taub served as legal adviser to Israel's missions to the United Nations in New York and Geneva, and represented Israel in many multilateral fora. Taub was extensively involved in the Israeli-‐ Palestinian peace process, helping negotiate most of the agreements reached between the two sides, and heading the Israeli side of the Culture of Peace track of negotiations. He was also an active member of Israel's negotiation team in the Israel-‐Syrian negotiations.
Comedian David Baddiel (OH 1982) released his latest novel The Death of Eli Gold in March 2011.
We lost touch with Howard until very recently – so the photo above taken on the recent visit to the old School buildings at Westbere Road showing (L to R) me, Howard and Ian marks our first encounter for some 54 years and is a reunion of the band’s original front line. Ian and I have kept up contact throughout the years via OHRFC etc., but Howard disappeared until just a few weeks ago when he wrote to me out of the blue. He’s still involved in jazz as a keyboard player and occasional clarinettist. He was always the best musician in the band.
Compiled and published by Martin Baker, OHA Secretary – martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com
OHA e-‐Newsletter Issue 3
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Benedict Bermange (1993; Calverts) Sky Sports Cricket Statistician Benedict played cricket at Habs -‐ bowling for the 3rd XI and (in a few games) for the 2nd XI… no real pace but very straight according to Stephen Charlwood. For the record, in the 1992 season he took three wickets for the 2nd XI against Enfield GS. For the 3rd XI (which Stephen believes he captained), he took 6-‐24 v QE Barnet and scored 20* v Merchant Taylors’. Benedict writes -‐ What makes a good statistic? In my job it either gives the commentators something to talk about, or backs up numerically what they have been discussing on-‐air. My career started when my father taught me how to score and took me to Lord’s back in 1984 with the promise that this was the day that England would finally beat the West Indies. It didn’t happen, of course, as Gordon Greenidge hit the only match-‐winning fourth innings double-‐century in Test history. Little did I know that a number of the players in that match would end up as work colleagues. Before each match there is in-‐depth preparation: research into how the players have performed of late, with notable performances highlighted for easy reference when required. Examining any upcoming milestones is always a key part, as they need to be conveyed to the graphics and big screen operators. In this way, as soon as the landmark is reached, the relevant graphic can appear on screen, and also the crowd (and player) are made aware. While the match is proceeding, I am scoring every ball so that I can easily answer any question thrown at me, “How many dot balls in the last five overs?” “When was the last boundary?” “How many overs has Flintoff bowled in this spell?” as well as offering up any nuggets of information that I discover. Often, it is a question of digging beyond the pure scorecard information and looking at worldwide trends. For example, the decline in over-‐rates; the dominance of left-‐handed openers; and how, for the first time in history, more batsmen are now dismissed lbw than bowled. Cricket is a game rich in statistics, which can then act as the catalyst for any number of commentary box discussions.
Nigel Hall (1973 Dec; Joblings) Chairman and Non-‐Executive Director After three great years at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where I read Geography and Archaeology & Anthropology, I joined Price Waterhouse in 1977 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1980. Jill and I married in 1979 and I continued to turn out regularly for OHRFC until an injury in 1985 persuaded me it was time to hang up my No 3 shirt. I joined The Burton Group in November 1984 to run their Internal Audit Department. A wide variety of finance and IT roles followed. By 1997 Jill and I were settled in Redbourn with our two daughters
at school in St Albans. Then a bombshell: a major restructuring of The Burton Group and the prospect of redundancy. A new start beckoned in rural Mid Devon and we have lived just north of Exeter ever since. In the event, I remained with the company, now renamed as Arcadia Group plc, as Finance Director commuting to London on a weekly basis until the company was taken private in late 2002. I left Arcadia in March 2003 and embarked on a “portfolio” career serving in a Non-‐Executive capacity on a number of quoted and private company Boards. In September 2007 I became Chairman of the rural supplies company Countrywide Famers plc. Both girls are grown up now and have left Jill and I to look after the menagerie on our own! When not working I am a keen collector and consumer of fine wines and am an avid supporter of Exeter Chiefs.
Mark Archer (1978 Dec; Joblings) Fund Manager After Habs, I read English at Cambridge and did a Ph.D. on Shakespeare. Academic life gives you a taste for things you can’t afford so I went into the City. I joined Barings (pre Leeson!) and spent thirteen years in the asset management business, managing money at first before moving to the business development side. I now run the London office for a New York-‐based fund management firm called Trilogy. My job lets me travel to Europe, Japan and the US of course, which I really enjoy. I live in London during the week but our home is in Herefordshire where my wife and I have almost finished restoring an arts-‐and-‐ crafts house by CFA Voysey. We have two sons, 10 and 15. The eldest is at Shrewsbury School. I’m on the Court of the Haberdashers’ Company where I see a lot of Daniel Hochberg, my predecessor as School Captain at Elstree (we are both on the Wine Committee!). I’m also a Governor at Haberdashers’ Monmouth School. I’ve done a fair bit of journalism since leaving Cambridge, for the Spectator and the FT, and I’ve just started doing book reviews for the Wall Street Journal.
Major Jeremy Lamb MC (1993; Joblings) Soldier Following school I studied Civil Engineering at Birmingham University with a view to joining the Royal Engineers on graduation. I found engineering to be far less interesting than I had hoped so I chose to commission into the Infantry instead, joining the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. In my fourteen years in the Army I have deployed on operations in Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, and have been based in or exercised in Germany, Poland, Jordan, Cyprus, Canada, New Zealand and Morocco. The highlight so far has been the award
Compiled and published by Martin Baker, OHA Secretary – martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com
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of a Military Cross for commanding a company of soldiers during an operation in Basra, Iraq, in 2006. Currently I work in the Ministry of Defence with responsibility for operations in the Middle East. I have served with two other old boys in the Fusiliers: Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Evans works in the Ministry of Defence in a post he took over from Lieutenant Colonel Mike Butterwick who now commands the Second Battalion in Germany. I am married to an infectious disease registrar and we have two young daughters. The citation for Jeremy’s award of the MC reads as follows: Major Jeremy Lamb from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is awarded the Military Cross. The evening prior to a planned flight home a short-‐notice operation was called to conduct detention and search tasks on two target houses. Lamb was called in to be briefed as his company was nominated to conduct the operation. With less than one hour to plan, he left to head towards the two targets with his company of fourteen Warriors and approximately one hundred soldiers. His lead vehicles were ambushed from both sides by thirty to fifty enemies. An improvised explosive device initiated the ambush and was followed by six to twelve rocket propelled grenades and numerous small arms rounds. Enemy fighting never relented but he reached both objectives, successfully securing bomb making equipment. He also personally undertook to secure a couple of Land Rovers, stranded in the heat of battle, by placing himself in the direct line of enemy fire in an exposed position above the turret of the Warrior. The intensity of the fighting resulted in nearly all the vehicles being hit by enemy fire; one Warrior had six rocket-‐ propelled grenade hits and over 100 from small arms fire. His force encountered intense enemy fire for about two and a half hours and fired over 3500 rounds of ammunition. A significant number of enemy were beaten and subsequent reporting indicated that several key enemy commanders had been targeted that night. Due to Lamb's skill, courage and a little luck, none of his force was killed or injured despite the ferocity of the fighting.
Hungary, the UK, Greece and Turkey and deployed to Albania for four-‐and-‐a-‐half months for the Kosovo crisis in 1999. From Jun 2000 to Dec 2001, I was back in Northern Ireland before being posted at short notice to take up the new appointment of Defence Attaché at the British Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Following an eventful three-‐and-‐a-‐half years in that post, I moved to the South Caucasus, where I was Defence Attaché in Georgia with non-‐residential accreditation to Armenia and Azerbaijan. I married Cathy, then a regular Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps officer, in 1981. She has since also been a UDR PT officer and is now a TA QARANC officer as Group Colonel Nursing. We have no children but 2 dogs, which are a lot less trouble and cheaper too. Following my retirement after 35 years in June 2011, I spent almost my entire generous retirement grant on whisky. A quick glance at http://www.lincolnwhiskyshop.co.uk will make more sense of this apparently irresponsible course of action!
The Headmasters The first in a series of articles by John Wigley, first published in the OHA Magazine, 1996. Reverend F J Kemp BA, Headmaster 1920-1940
Nick Ridout (1975; Russells) Soldier-‐turned-‐whisky seller! After briefly working in the insurance business on leaving school, I joined the Army and went to the RMA Sandhurst in 1976, passing out as a RMP officer in 1977. Tours as a junior officer included Aldershot, Belize and Northern Ireland. I later served in Germany at Werl, Berlin and Sennelager before returning to the Province with HQ 8 Infantry Brigade from 1987–89. My command tour back at 110 Provost Company RMP, Sennelager from 1989–91 included the operation to liberate Kuwait, during which I commanded the 1 (UK) Armoured Division RMP unit, 203 Provost Company RMP. After qualifying as a Russian Interpreter at Defence School of Languages Beaconsfield, I went to arms control at RAF Scampton in 1993. My three-‐and-‐a-‐half year tour there included a six-‐month detachment to Georgia as a member of the OSCE mission, participation in the early Dayton Accord arms control inspections in Bosnia and too many trips to mention to little-‐known corners of Eastern Europe. In 1996 I was posted to a small NATO HQ in Heidelberg as Force Provost Marshal. Over the next three-‐and-‐a-‐half years I exercised in Norway, Canada, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Spain,
In December 1919 Mr. Wagstaff, a Cambridge mathematician and scientist, left Haberdashers', a cosmopolitan London day school which, despite its 229 year old Anglican origins, had a largely secular and utilitarian atmosphere. In January 1920 Mr. K emp, an Oxford graduate who was soon to take holy orders, arrived from Clifton College, a West Country boarding school founded only in 1862, which had a reputation for producing future officers and gentlemen. It is a common-‐place of staff-‐room gossip that governors appoint headmasters who have either relevant experience or outstanding personal qualities. Men with both are rare indeed. Mr. Kemp was a man of outstanding personal qualities, dedicated to fulfilling the governors' policy of further raising Haberdashers' prestige, even though in 1920, the Aske Charity was in the midst of a barely-‐concealed financial crisis, caused by rapid post-‐war increases in masters' salaries. Mr. Kemp pursued a carefully balanced programme of academic, cultural and sporting development. Until early in 1922 the school library was a small collection of reference books kept in a cupboard at the back of the assembly hall. The new headmaster gave it a room of its own, added b o o k s on art, history, literature and science, in 1925 opened an English fiction section, and by 1926 had increased the total stock to over 2,000 volumes. Later in 1922 he was elected a member of the Headmasters' Conference,
Compiled and published by Martin Baker, OHA Secretary – martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com
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giving Haberdashers' the temerity to call itself a public school and the incentive to change from Association to Rugby Football. Sport flourished. Boxing began in 1921 and water-‐polo in 1925. In 1924 Mr. Kemp persuaded t h e governors that the five acre site in Westbere Road was too small for games, so they bought Chase Lodge and sixteen and a half acres of land in Mill Hill to provide extended f acilities. In 1930 Westbere Road was equipped with Fives courts. However, in 1931 the whole school was shocked when the government’s futile attempt to cure the Great Depression by reducing public expenditure caused the 400 s trong Cadet Corps to be disbanded. Other developments continued. In 1931, the School opened a purpose-‐built Science Block (like Chase Lodge, mainly paid for by the Middlesex County Council), which was said to contain some of the best school laboratories in England. In 1934 a party of boys made the School's first foreign visit, and the Dramatic Society staged its first full-‐length play, Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 1. During the 1930’s Mr. Kemp ensured that Scout Camps, Gilbert and Sullivan Concerts and Carol, Communion and Confirmation services, became integral parts of the School's life. (In 1937 the Old Boys’ Association, founded in 1888, officially opened its sports ground and pavilion at Croxdale Road in Borehamwood.) There had been no set school uniform in the early days at Westbere Road. Senior boys wore suits or the then fashionable Norfolk jackets; juniors wore clothes of sober cut and hue. By 1913 new boys were issued with caps and were required to wear metallic lapel badges (similar to the present prefect’s badges) on their way to and from school. Straw "boaters" were generally worn in summer. During the 1920's the Sixth Form adopted dark suits, and by the early 1930's the Prefects had donned black jackets and pin-‐striped trousers. The School uniform itself originated in the football club colours of 1919: dark blue blazer and crested badge, blue and white tie. Haberdashers' gained its first M.P. in 1929 when Peter Freeman won Brecon and Radnor for Labour. He was one of the only six boys, all Freeman brothers, who had transferred from Hoxton to the new school buildings at Westbere Road in Hampstead, where they had presented the House Football shield and where Peter had founded the Debating Society. However, after Mr. Russell had retired in 1926 there was little left to link the School with Hoxton. The difficult years of the 1890's, when it had faced severe competition from the London School Board's Higher Grade Schools, when middle class families had deserted its catchment area, and slum children had attacked the boys in the streets, were forgotten. One suspects that Haberdashers' was adopting a character that better-‐established public schools were already questioning. A "Skylark" article on "The Public School Spirit" declared "To wear a double-‐breasted waist coat may do no harm to oneself; it certainly harms the reputation of the school". Its articles reflected views which were then deeply held but which have since been caricatured. One on the Empire claimed "It has been the ideal of British rule in lndia to attend to the welfare of the subject peoples before any other consideration". One on the French Revolution described "the best elements in the English national character: duty, hard work, honesty, loyalty, and uncomplaining endurance of great hardship". "Skylark" seemed blissfully unaware of the storm gathering on the continent of Europe. The outbreak of the Second World War on 3rd. September 1939 caused major problems for the School at the start of the autumn term. The government took over the entire Westbere
Road site except for the science block, which became the Sixth Form quarters, where Mr. Payne, the senior science master, organized the fire watch. Twenty boys were evacuated to Welling borough, and some parents made their own arrangements to send or take their sons out of London, but most boys moved to Chase Lodge, where conditions were far from ideal. Difficulties multiplied: petrol shortages, the blackout, and -‐ from the summer of1940 -‐ The Blitz. In October 1940 a delayed-‐action bomb badly damaged the Westbere Road buildings and a master, Whewell, and his wife were killed when a bomb destroyed their house .Mr. Kemp had coped manfully with the problems caused by the outbreak of war, but had become seriously ill and had been absent for the second half of the Autumn Term in 1939; leaving the school in the care of Dr. Abson, the Second Master. Mr. Kemp returned during 1940 but had a relapse and resigned in December. The governors wisely appointed Dr. Abson to take his place. It is easy to recapture Mr. Kemp’s character, easier still to describe his achievement. Some Old Boys remember him as aloof, forbidding and remote. In fact he was a shy and reserved man who shunned publicity, and did well by stealth -‐ by private advice, encouragement and gratitude. He and his wife gave Haberdashers' two precious gifts: their time and themselves. "Skylark" noted that "No School function lacked his presence and that of Mrs. Kemp... he got from all the devotion to the School which consumed himself... the School was his major interest in life and to it he was ready to sacrifice everything". Mr. Wagstaff had left what could become a great school. Mr. Kemp's "energy and enterprise had raised it to an unprecedented level of prosperity and repute". Mr. Kemp died a lingering and painful death on 27th September 1943, consumed by anxiety for his wife who was desperately ill in a nursing home in distant Torquay. At his funeral he was remembered for elements in his own character, elements which were enabling the English nation to survive its years of greatest peril-‐ sincerity, kindliness and courage.
Sports Club Updates
OLD HABERDASHERS RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB by Martin Baker The OH rugby club under the guidance of Seb Taylor (1st team captain), Si Wallis (2nd team captain), Andrew Gray (Club Captain) and Randal Whittaker (Club President) goes from strength to strength. The 1st XV stand top of their new league, London NW2, having won 11 of their 12 league matches. They have generally dominated the forward exchanges, scoring a large number of push overs and tries from rolling mauls. As the season has gone on their performances have developed and the side is currently playing with great power, continuity, confidence and an excellent team spirit. The backs have scored some magnificent tries and are playing with great style and panache. The defence has been outstanding and we are kicking our goals. All round the team is playing very well despite the loss of skipper Seb Taylor to a serious arm injury. Stand-‐out performances have been against local rivals Tabard who were beaten 19-‐13 in front a large partisan crowd fuelled by an excellent Past Players lunch (please contact Randal on randal.whittaker@santander.co.uk if you want to attend future
Compiled and published by Martin Baker, OHA Secretary – martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com
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lunches and be added to the email circulation list). Tabard were beaten for a second time in the last fixture before the Christmas break, this was a very close match and Habs edged a 17-‐16 win in a thrilling finish. Other notable wins have been a 39-‐28 victory against Stevenage Town, a 52-‐5 win over Imperial Medicals and 52-‐0 against Chiswick. The only loss has been against St Albans who were the early league leaders and who now stand 2nd behind OHRFC. The newly formed 2nd XV stand 3rd in the Herts / Middlesex Merit Table 1, having won 11 of their 14 matches in great style. They have enjoyed good wins against Cheshunt, Stevenage Town, Old Albanians and Fullerians with closely fought victories over St Albans, Hampstead and Enfield Ignations. They have come together well as a team and a number of players are fighting each week for promotion to the 1st XV which is a very healthy sign for any club. Not only are they having a great time on the pitch but the club flourishes off it as well. There have been some well attended and hugely enjoyable social events. The season started with the Captain’s Carnival involving matches at the School against HAC and then an excellent social evening back at Croxdale Road in the evening. The Xmas carols were resurrected on December 10th and over 60 people (mainly players) enjoyed a traditional evening of community singing. The event was organised by Martin Hill and Ian McCarthy and their families, featuring Lisa Hill on piano. (A couple of verses are now available for all to enjoy on the OHA YouTube channel here – Ed.) Following the carols and the departure of the families and the faint-‐hearted, the players enjoyed a rip roaring karaoke and an excellent Hog Roast. The event was excellently organised by Andrew Sanderson and Matthew Turner-‐Hall.
OHRFC in good voice at the Carols evening
The club ends the first half of the season in great shape and looking forward to the rest of the season confidently. What makes the OH stand out is that the teams are run by and enjoyed by the players. There are no mid-‐week training sessions, no coaches and no politics. All players are welcome at the clubhouse and many of the newest recruits have commented on how welcome they have been made to feel at Croxdale Road. In the same spirit, Habs always do their best to be a gracious away team and are often found in good spirits in the opposition’s clubhouse long after their hosts have gone. The end of season tour to Berlin was a roaring success with twenty-‐seven men travelling to Germany to play a little rugby and sample a great deal of the local produce. The social side to the teams is flourishing in a fashion complementing the strides that have been taken on the pitch in the last few seasons, and that is a pleasure for all involved. It is,
after all, the enjoyment of a Saturday together, on and off the pitch, that makes rugby such a fantastic game.
OLD HABERDASHERS CRICKET CLUB by Simon Gelber 1st XI After a difficult start to the season with three consecutive losses the Old Boys finally achieved the first victory of the year against Old Cholmeleians. OHCC reached a total of 246 with 60 from Sami Ali and 79 from Khurrham Asad and then bowled out ‘Chums’ for 213, Ali Abbas and Sami Ali each taking 4 wickets. Following a close draw against Radlett the Old Boys went to Datchworth who could only muster 156, Simon Gelber taking 4 wickets and with Joe Williams compiling 69* and Ali Abbas 46, the Old Boys had a comfortable 4 wicket win. Williams again batted well for 63, but a rumbustious 110 from Jonathan Shaw led to a total of 236 against West Herts who, in reply, were never in the hunt and subsided to a meagre 141, Sami Ali and Danish Jalali each taking 4 wickets. There followed a run of three defeats against Hatfield Crusaders, Parkfield and Ware mainly due to poor batting but the rot was stopped with victory against Old Cholmeleians II, Habs making 225 and bowling Cholmeleians out for 142 (Ali Abbas making 69 and also taking 5 wickets). Next week a winning draw against Cockfosters, with the Old Boys falling back to the bad habits of last season, unable to take the last wicket, as Cockfosters finished on 203–9, chasing 233. A victory looked a possibility against Southgate Compton as Habs compiled 263–5 (68 from Anish Patel & 78* from Ali Abbas), but some poor bowling and an aggressive century from the Southgate opener, saw them reaching the target for the loss of just 2 wickets. The final two matches of the season ended in draws against Berkhamstead and Luton. Against Berkhamstead, Joe Williams scored 155, out of a total of 276–4; Berkhamstead were never close, batting for a draw almost from ball one. In the last match OH couldn’t chase the 301 set by the Division champions and settled for maximum batting points on 227–8. It left the Old Boys comfortably in mid-‐table with neither a chance for promotion nor, on the other hand, much likelihood of relegation. 2nd XI The 2nd XI struggled for most of the year, despite having chased 247 in the opening match against Wormley (96 from Abid Khan and 72 from Robert Clarke.), no further matches were won until August when the tide was turned against Rickmansworth & then Elstree. Varying availability meant that it was difficult to field a consistent team of decent ability until the return of some players from university and the introduction of some recent School leavers lead to some much improved performances but not in time to avoid relegation from Division 9 of the Herts league. However, the season ended with spirits high and the belief that relegation to Division 10 and a re-‐build of the team will lead to much enhanced performances. The Devon Tour Another enjoyable week in Devon saw OHCC draw against Kilmington, who finished on 155–9 (Simon Gelber taking 4 wickets) when chasing the OH target of 165–3. The booked match against Heathcoat ended up being against Wembley -‐ who turned up to play Heathcoat on the same day (bloody fixture secretaries – can’t even get that right!). OH scored 237–3, Sami Ali 129 not out (must be
Compiled and published by Martin Baker, OHA Secretary – martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com
OHA e-‐Newsletter Issue 3
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something in the Devon air) but Wembley were way off the pace and bored the place to death in just managing 101–6 – just what you want on a tour match! A resounding 10 wicket win followed the next day against Exeter who made 173–9. Habs chased the target in no time at all, Matt Shorts finishing on 106* and Robert Clarke on 58* (it’s the air again or maybe even the Otter ale – highly recommended). The match the following day against Chagford was washed out and the tour finished as usual at Sidmouth. This year the rain held off and Sidmouth won by 4 wickets, reaching the Habs target of 171–6 in a close match. A welcome visitor on the day was the now retired, former OHCC captain John Ridgley who has moved down and now lives in Sidmouth along with various other members of the OHA living in the West Country. The Nobbly Tanner Memorial Trophy Old Boys' Day on 26th June saw the annual matches against the School. A fantastic 1st XI match, saw the Old Boys’ 1st XI defeat the School 1st XI by nine runs in an absolutely thrilling climax. Jonathan Shaw and Joe Williams both in excellent form, Jon having scored a century in the league match the previous day, ran up 120 and 129 respectively in an opening partnership of over 200 and enabled OH to reach exactly 300 off their fifty overs. The School also batted well, for a long time looking on course to reach the target, Tom Edrich playing the anchor role, scoring 117. Wickets were shared amongst the Old Boys' bowlers and with good contributions from the School middle order the match was heading to a tense finish but three run-‐outs proved decisive and sealed the win for Old Habs, the School finally out for 291 in the last over. The School 2nd XI defeated the Old Boys 2nd XI in an enjoyable match that saw the welcome return of some notable regular 2nd XI players of the past. However, the overall results meant that the School retained the Nobbly Tanner Memorial for the second year running.
Obituaries Sadly there are a number of deaths of distinguished Old Haberdashers’ and School Staff to report, with regret.
John Joel, Musical Impresario, 1913 – 2011 (OH 1929) John Joel, who has died aged 98, was a music impresario, and, as half of the Lynford-‐Joel agency, presented popular concerts that made a major contribution to the musical life of Britain in the immediate post-‐war years. Read the full Daily Telegraph obituary by following this link.
Alan Wood, Habs teacher, 10 Feb 1926 – 30 Aug 2011 On 27th March 2011 Alan Wood failed to answer the phone when a neighbour rang, and he was found on his bedroom floor, having suffered a crippling stroke. He had been lying there for nine hours, making treatment very problematical. Passed for three months between three hospitals for specialist treatment, he spent August in a care home in Watford, and died there on 30th of that month, aged
85. His funeral took place at the West Herts Crematorium, Garston on Monday 19th September 2011. He was for many years housemaster of Strouts, and knew his charges very well. He was retired for nearly twenty years, devoting his time to several hobbies, including travel. Music, astronomy and electronics were particular interests. He became extremely competent on the computer. Keith Dawson wrote that Alan was a very fine man: straight as a die, understated, highly intelligent and a first rate schoolmaster in the widest, old-‐fashioned sense. Paul Hayler writes: The Chapel at West Herts Crematorium was full today. Although very few people were expected, as Alan had no surviving family, he clearly had plenty of people who wanted to pay their final respects. Alan was born at Billericay on February 10th 1926. His degree in mathematics came from Jesus College, Cambridge. He was teaching at the Royal Commercial Travellers School by the early 1950s so that may have been his first job. He was clearly very popular there as one can tell from the many ex-‐pupils, now in their 70s, who attended. Michael McLoughlin remembered Alan as the man who helped the whole Habs Maths Department to meet the challenge of teaching computing when many of them had little knowledge of it themselves. He also remembered Alan’s frequent friendly use of the word “ouch” when someone made a mathematical mistake, “ouch” because it really hurt Alan when one of his pupils made a silly error. Despite his severe stroke Alan continued to solve square roots in his head until a few days before he died.
Alan Bell, Habs teacher, 13 Apr 1929 – 30 Aug 30 2011 Alan was born on 13th April 1929. He was a top academic and sportsman while a schoolboy, going onto Loughborough College to study PE and Maths. He did his National Service in the Intelligence Corps, he was demobbed in Egypt at his request where he took a job teaching in the school that King Hussein’s son attended. He was incarcerated in Egypt as a spy when problems arose between UK and Egypt and as a result he was expelled from the country in 1951. He was the winner of the first ever “Gillette man of the Match” award for his 106 not out for Herts v Essex in the Gillette Cup. He came to Habs in 1960 helping with the some of the best sports teams Habs ever put out and is remembered for his canal boat holidays, educational cruises and for organising the European Summer School for Young Musicians.
Bob Tyler, Habs teacher, died March 2011 Bob Tyler died two months after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. He taught at Habs for seventeen years from 1971–88, first as Head of German from 1971–82, then as Housemaster of Joblings from 1976–82 and later as Head of the Middle School from 1982–88. Bob was always popular with staff and boys, hard working, good humoured and fair; with a strong singing voice and a strong supporting voice on the Rugby touchline too.
Compiled and published by Martin Baker, OHA Secretary – martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com
OHA e-‐Newsletter Issue 3
January 2012
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If you are aware of any other recent deaths please inform the OHA Secretary, Martin Baker, via martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com so that the information can be communicated to fellow Old Haberdashers.
The New Old Haberdashers’ Association Website We have rewritten and re-‐launched our website www.oldhabs.com. Please take a look and bookmark this exciting new site in which you will find a wealth of information about the Association, the School, the OH Sporting Clubs and perhaps most interesting of all, about Old Haberdashers themselves. There are sections for News and Events, a large gallery of photographs, personal memories provided by Old Haberdashers, reports on social events, reunions and much more. Copies of the Old Boys’ Annual Magazine are currently being loaded onto the site. The site contains links to videos of the speeches from this year’s Annual Dinner at Haberdashers’ Hall in London, where you can see former headmasters Keith Dawson & Jeremy Goulding, current OHA President Jon Corrall, Anthony Meyer (School Captain), Bruce Powell (Master of the Company) and former schoolmaster John Carleton in action!
Advertising in the Annual OHA Magazine The Annual OHA Magazine, sent out to all members in the Autumn, contains a wide range of articles, reviews and information about the Old Haberdashers’ Association and its various component parts. We welcome advertising from a cross section of companies and if you are interested in your advert being seen by over 3,000 Old Haberdashers and their families please contact the OHA Secretary martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com. Full, half or quarter page advertising space is available at a very reasonable price with an appropriate discount for Old Haberdashers.
Useful links to Haberdashers’ related websites Old Haberdashers’ Association – www.oldhabs.com Old Haberdashers’ RFC – www.ohrfc.org Old Haberdashers’ CC – www.oldhabs.hitscricket.com Haberdashers’ Company – www.haberdashers.co.uk Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys School – www.habsboys.org.uk OH Lodge – www.haberdashersaskeslodge.com
And finally… Caption competition The head-‐and-‐shoulders photo of Nick Ridout was in fact cropped from a larger photo of him and wife Cathy on holiday in Iceland in June. We couldn’t resist a caption competition – suitable (ideally printable) suggestions to the Editor please!
Compiled and published by Martin Baker, OHA Secretary – martin.s.baker768@btinternet.com