AN MHS education has always been much more than just the 3Rs
SPORTS
A healthy body EQUALS a healthy mind
DENT
Life in the Dales: did you love it or hate it?
DRAMA
Back stage stories BY TIM CORBETT
MUSIC
FROM HYMNS TO HITS
CCF
TOP GUN EUAN BLACK’S ADVENTURES IN THE THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
OVERSEAS PARTNERSHIPS EXPANDING HORIZONS IN TAMIL NADU
CONTENTS
03: PRESIDENT’S YEAR 2023-24
First female Club President Stephanie Jones Miller makes an impact in NYC, Toronto, Dubai and Abu Dhabi; at the Past Presidents’ lunch; and nominates the President’s Awards
10: UK REUNIONS 2023-24
Annual Dinner, OMs day; Female Pioneer Class Reunions 1970s-1990s; YOMs 2018 and 2023; East Anglia; Wales; Oakers
Chair Gordon Mizner reports; Celebrating 100 years of science at MHS; William Winfield remembers his lunch with Frances Crick; Young Old Millhillians 2023
34: Extracurricular
Mill Hill School as always been so much more than just the 3Rs
• Sport: The development of a modern curriculum & competitive sports at MHS by William Winfield
• Dent: a personal memoir by Nick Hodgson and what OMs really thought of it
• CCF: Top Gun Air Commodore Euan Black takes us from the quad to fighter planes; Duncan Beckman’s flight path
• Music: from hymns to hits by MHS archivist Francesca Forte
• Drama: the plays the thing: by Tim Corbett
• School House: 1825 – 2025 celebrating 200 years of the iconic colonnade by William Winfield
• Overseas Partnerships: socially responsible travel provide character building experiences by Paul Bickerdike
82: IN MEMORIAM
Obituaries
Gowan Bewsher (Weymouth 1948-52 ) Alan Bonner (Ridgeway 1951-55) Charles Dawkins (MHS 1918-23)
85: PRO BONO
Alford House and OMs centenary celebrations; The OM Lodge meeting; The Livery Luncheon
88: NEW PRESIDENT WELCOME
Graham Chase (Burton Bank 1966-72) recounts his eventful and fascinating life and ambition for this Presidency
President’s Year 2023-24 Presidents Report
How do you sum up a year as the President of the Old Millhillians Club? Busy? Fantastic fun? Eye-opening? Daunting? Exciting? Of course, it has been all those things and what makes this role so special is that each President has the privilege of creating their own journey and defining it in a personal way, so that in the end we all have our own unique story to tell.
For me, the journey has been about creating unforgettable memories, challenging limitations, expanding perspectives, and creating lasting connections and this has been achieved through attending the impressive range of OM events on offer throughout the year.
Firstly, there has been the series of career events, impeccably organised by Old Millhillians for Old Millhillians. A huge variety of interesting speakers, great venues and the opportunity to meet different OMs at each occasion. I may not be a medic, an engineer or a lawyer but these events are strong staples of the club calendar and welcome all with open arms regardless of profession. With many generations of OMs represented at each event from sixth formers to retirees, it was great to see those with experience guide those just setting out on their career, each in turn willing to listen and share their wisdom and ambition.
The details of the regional reunions and overseas trips are outlined later on in this publication and I thoroughly enjoyed my trips to Manchester, Cardiff, Cambridge, New York, Toronto and Dubai. Each of these reunions is unique in its own way but exudes the traditions and charm that you would expect of an event representing such an illustrious alumni club.
Official duties gave me with an opportunity to represent the Club with pride and honour whilst continuing long established traditions: laying a wreath at the gate of honour on Armistice Day, doing a reading at the Lesson of Nine Carols, judging the Sixth Form Travel Award presentations, Chairing the AGM and attending Committee Meetings. All offered opportunities to meet the wider Mill Hill community of staff, pupils and parents as well as those OMs who always attend.
I have to give a special mention to The Oakers, expertly run by Gerry Westoby who galvanises a strong group of OMs at The Boot in Sarratt, for lunch every first Tuesday of the month. It was a pleasure to join this wonderful group on a number of occasions throughout my year and I look forward to continuing to do so. Mirroring this model has been the introduction of London Drinks. Also aiming to be a staple of the Club calendar, all OMs are now invited to informal drinks every other month at a venue in the City/West End.
The Past Presidents’ Lunch also proved to be a very special occasion at The Atheneum Club. This year marked the end of an era for this event as it will no longer be a ‘boys only’ affair and I look forward to attending and welcoming our future past presidents at this event long into the future.
It goes without saying that our flagship events; Old Millhillians Day and the Annual Dinner, both left their mark. OMs Day encompassed two very special occasions; a celebration of the centenary of Winterstoke House brought together a great gathering of OMs who travelled from far and wide. We also had the first gathering of the Female OM Pioneers; the girls who joined the school in the Sixth Form between 1976 and 1997 prior to the school going fully co-educational.
So what have I learnt from my year? On reflection it isn’t what I have learnt but more about reinforcing what I have always known: Old Millhillians, regardless of location, age, profession, gender or interest, offer each other unwavering support, never pre-judge, and are genuinely interested in what each other have to say. Having a Club that offers a platform upon which we can network, meet old friends, create new friendships, find support when needed and ultimately have lots of fun is paramount to this. I would like to particularly thank all those who give up of their time so generously to ensure that each initiative and occasion is a success and for their continued dedication and commitment to the club.
Whilst my journey may have come to an end, I am personally richer for having had the experience and indebted to those who took a leap of faith in giving me this opportunity. I look forward to building upon the foundations of the friendships that I have started to build over the last year and being a continued presence in the Club, helping to ensure that we provide an all-inclusive, unrivalled offering. I wish my successor Graham Chase a wonderful year ahead in post and would also like to thank Peter Wakeham, Gordon Mizner and Laura Turner for all their support.
What do I want my presidency to be remembered for? I would like to be remembered for giving it a good go and proving that the role does not discriminate against gender. However, I will probably be remembered for my endless commentary on the need to increase female engagement (we do!) and always trying be the last one standing at the bar!
It has been a pleasure and honour to wear the Presidential Chain over the last year; each link representing a President Past, each link having taken a different journey and each link holding its own story to tell.
Et Virtutem Et Musas Instilling values, inspiring minds
Stephanie Jones Miller Priestley (1990-92) President (2023-24)
Remembrance Day 2023 Stephanie Jones Miller and MHS Head David Benson
Stephanie Jones Miller with Property Dinner host Graham Chase at the Guards & Cavalry Club
Stephanie with host Gerry Westoby and school friend Nic Leon at the Oakers Christmas lunch
Stephanie Jones Miller, Florence Holly Gibbons and Alice Lloyd-Davies at the Creative Arts Event
Stephanie and Dr Russell Cowan at the East Anglia Reunion at Trinity College.
Ronnie Boon & Stephanie Jones Miller at the Wales reunion dinner
Grahame Elliott, Stephanie Jones Miller & Jane Sanchez at the Northern reunion in Manchester
Beej Chandaria, Stephanie Jones Miller, Onkar Sharma at the Golf Society dinner
President’s Year 2023-24 Presidents Report
New York
My first official overseas visit as President was to New York in April where I was joined by Club Chairman Peter Wakeham, previous MHS Head Jane Sanchez and Director of Development Lucia Hull. Andrew Froomberg (McClure 1978-83) organised a delightful evening at an elegant venue in midtown; Duomo 51. Directly across the street from the Rockefeller Centre, against the backdrop of towering skyscrapers.
It was lovely to meet our OMs based in New York, not least because I was able to reconnect with one of my contemporaries, fellow Priestley Millhillian Spencer Bain (Priestley 1988-93). It was also great to catch up with two OM ladies Amy Chen (New House 2018-20) and Scarlett Liu (New House 2018-20) who are now studying in New York following their time both at Mill Hill International and Mill Hill School. Other attendees included Leon Cain (McClure 1997-02), Shogo Senda (Cedars 2008-13), Ariel Grunberg (Collinson 1968-72) and Sebastian Lighvani (School 1984-90), an allergy specialist on the Upper East Side whom I hope will join us in London for one of our future medical events in London.
Shogo Senda, Scarlett Sijialiu & Amy Chen
Sebastian Lighvani & Lucia Hull
Stephanie Jones Miller & Spencer Bain
Stephanie Jones Miller & Andrew Froomberg
Toronto
The day after the New York reunion, I flew up to Toronto for two Canadian reunion events organised by Tim Fanstone (Wintersoke 1960-64). The first was a formal dinner which took place at the rather impressive Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club. Like Mill Hill School, the club has a rich history which dates back to 1827 and it was therefore the perfect venue for OMs to convene. We were also delighted that Lord Glendonbrook (Weymouth 1955-57) was also able to join us for the evening having flown over from London especially for the occasion.
Following a reception kindly hosted by Rafaan Seraj (Ridgeway 2001-03), we moved to the dining room where we were immediately entertained by a wonderful montage digital display of Mill Hill School history which had been expertly compiled by Tim. The entertainment didn’t stop there as the speeches featured an interlude of brilliant magic tricks executed by John Henley (Weymouth 1953-57). There were actually three Johns at the table. John Whyte (Weymouth 1961-66) and John Henley have known each other for 70 years having lived across the road from each other in Edgeware when they were young. John Oldroyd (Scrutton 1958-63) and John Henley’s time at MHS coincided for two years and the two became reacquainted at an OMs event in Toronto in 2000. The camaraderie between the Johns was infectious and they regaled us all with tales from their school days and beyond.
As has become tradition in Toronto the next evening was an informal gathering of the group at the very British styled Artful Dodger Pub providing further opportunity for new and old friends to come together and pay tribute to the Club and the School.
Dubai & Abu Dhabi
Expectations were high for the Dubai reunion as I had heard many stories from my predecessors about the fantastic welcome and hospitality they had received on previous trips to the area. It was also my first trip to the region and it certainly did not disappoint!
I was also joined by Jane Sanchez and over the course of five days we spent time meeting OMs across Dubai and Abu Dhabi including those who were unable to make the main dinner at the end of the week. The reunion was well attended and took place in a delightful restaurant, Tower 42 in Zabeel House, designed by an OM. Expertly organised by Raj Achan (Ridgeway 1986-91) OMs enjoyed wonderful food and drinks well into the night. For a number of those who attended it was their first experience of an OM event and I have no doubt that they will return, having been such an enjoyable evening. I would also like to thank Emmanuel Ajayi (Winterstoke 1980-85) for his kind and generous hospitality during our stay.
John and Rafaan Seraj
Vishal and John
Stephanie and OM Club Dubai host Raj Achan
Raj Achan, Jane Sanchez, Stephanie and Emmanuel Ajayi
Keyoor Gandhi, Sunny Dhama, Stephanie, Jane, Kevin Doherty, Josh Baker, and Tien Tai
President’s Year 2023-24
Dinner in honour of Jane Sanchez Le Beaujolais, London
Thursday 18 January 2024
President’s Grace composed by Stephanie Jones Miller
Once again Old Millhillians sit down to dine
With plentiful food and delicious wine
As we gather here together to thank Jane
For her huge support of OMs during her reign
Of the School that served us all so well
That we still remain under its spell
We reminisce about the days of yore
And what great times at Mill Hill we had before
The days of rugby, hockey, CCF and netball
And performances aplenty in the Marnham Hall
To our Houses we remain fiercely loyal for sure
Whether it was Priestley, Collinson, Ridgeway, Winterstoke, Burton Bank, Murray or McClure
We made friendships that we still have today
And even picked up an education along the way
So thank you Lord for the gifts that you have given
As through life’s journey we continue to be driven
And for giving us that special tool
Of an education at Mill Hill School
Benedictus benedicat, per Jesum Christum Dominum Nostrum. Amen
Past Presidents’ Lunch
The Athenaeum Club, London
Wednesday 26 April 2023
The Athenaeum Club
Stuart Hibberdine & Stephanie Jones Miller
Stephanie Jones Miller & Gordon Mitzner
Clare Erskine-Murray, Jane Sanchez & Clare Lewis
John Gallagher & Ronnie Cohn
David Short & Russ Cowan
David Brown, Richard Llewellyn & Peter Wakeham
Chris Kelly & Jane Sanchez
Stuart Hibberdine kindly organised the luncheon in the North Library at The Athenaeum Club.
President’s Awards 2022-2023
Clare
Lewis (Ridgeway 1977-79)
Following in her father Esyr Lewis’s (Ridgeway 1939-44) footsteps at Mill Hill, Clare was part of the first cohort of sixth form girl boarders in Ridgeway under the watchful eye of Mr Hodgson. She made the most of the boarding school timetable and played an active role in school and house sports and extra curricular activities across the school.
After leaving MHS, Clare studied for a BA (Hons) in geography at University College Swansea and afterwards forged a career in the media. She worked as a fashion correspondent for The Times and undertook various roles on glossy magazines at Condé Nast, National Magazines (now Hearst) and IPC. She has subsequently written a series of books, Adventure Walks for families, published by Frances Lincoln as well as sightseeing maps of Rome, Paris, London and NYC. She is currently working freelance as a writer for Selvedge Magazine and is scholarship manager at The Longford Trust, a charity supporting people serving sentences or recently released to study for a degree.
Clare has been a member of the management committee and the communications committee for a number of years and has been editing Marlet for the last few years.
Roger Chapman (Weymouth
1960-65)
Roger was a beneficiary of the Middlesex scheme and remains hugely appreciative to Mill Hill for the opportunity that provided. The Medical 6th, led by Donald Hall, was excellent preparation for a wonderful 6 years at Barts, and a busy 36 year career in NHS general practice with extensive involvement in medical education and medical politics followed. He is glad he is out of if now!
After leaving school Roger played some OM rugby and became an active member of the OM Yacht Club, notorious for needing, with Tony Poole, to radio a ‘MayDay’ call when in difficulty in the Solent. He was elected a Foundation governor in 1999, became deputy chairman in 2007 and was elected chairman by the Court in 2013. Family illness led to him resigning his governorship in 2017, but he was co-opted back onto the Court in 2019 to act as link governor to the Executives, finally standing down in 2021.
Roger views his term as a governor, and particularly his chairmanship, as a huge privilege. During that time the Foundation saw very significant developments in the estate, the merger with The Mount School, some major revisions to the curriculum, the introduction of automatic life membership of the Club for Mill Hill leavers and the appointment of excellent heads to all the Foundation’s schools. He took a particular interest in the Foundation’s pastoral care, a feature commended in a series of ISI Inspections. His background as a Middlesex scholar led him to continue to pursue the case for improving bursary provision, widening access by enabling the benefits of a Mill Hill education for those whose families would not otherwise be able to afford it.
Roger front row to the right of the ball
Badminton Team 1978/79, Clare front row, far right
Roger Chapman
Clare with Tim Corbett
UK Reunions: Annual Dinner
One Moorgate Place,
Chartered Accountants Hall, City of London
Friday 4 October 2024
Adrian Jordan and Andrew Croysdill
Bassit Naseem, Vishal Patel, Joe Sage, Rob Thomas, Steve Christou
Adam Morton and Alex Kyles-Brown
Clare Lewis and the first woman to receive the President’s Award
Andrew Halstead and Ann Bunyard
Bruce and William Maunder Taylor
Andrew Croysdill, David Brown, Bill Jefferis and Nick Preistnall
Alexia Roe
Bassit Naseem
UK Reunions: Annual Dinner One Moorgate Place, Chartered Accountants Hall, City of London Friday 4 October 2024
Graham Chase, Stephanie Jones Miller and Chris Kelly
Joe Wray and Olivia Brown
Graeme Turner, Ben Nash, David Woodrow and Christopher Dean
Cliff Rose and Nancy Hale
Elias Hoyek and Fabiana Cristina
Graeme Turner and Tim Corbett
Ethan and Justin Jacobs
Eddie Pratt
Clive Sutton, Bill Stephens, Jon Rosswick, Mike Peskin, Tim Dingle, Rob Thomas and Eddie Pratt
Clive Mence, Adrian Jordan and Club Chair Gordon Mizner
David Woodrow catches up with the Roe’s
Jon Rosswick
James Carson
Ian Nelson, Richard Llewellyn and Paul Winter
Guests enjoying the dessert and speeches
John Barron and Sara Sheldon
Kimberly Balcombe, Steph Twomey and Nicole Thompson
Julie James and Angela Mizner
Leon Roberts, Joe Wray and Hon Sec, Adrian Jordan
L-R Back Row, Steven Roberts, John Sleath, Graham Chase, Michael Hudson - Front Row, Olivia Hudson, Fiona Chase, Victoria Selby Chase and Sandra Sleath
Events 2023-24
UK Reunions: Annual Dinner
One Moorgate Place, Chartered Accountants Hall, City of London Friday 4 October 2024
Peter Wakeham and Stephanie Jones Miller
Paul Bowe , Clive Sutton and Bill Stephens
OMRFC Chair Ben Nash and Gary Lane
Noyan Nihat
Noyan Nihat, Alex Burtt and Roger Streeten
Newly appointed President Graham Chase and MHS Head, David Benson
Mike Corby and Nigel Wray raise a glass
Paul Bowes, William Maunder Talor and Paul Bickerdike
Stuart Hibberdine and Anita Wakeham
Stephanie with Nicole Thompson
Stephanie enjoying the crowd as her term as President comes to an end
Stephanie with Rachael Cummings Naylor
Sixth Form Monitors
Sanyu Zimbe, Ella Duthie and Kimberly Balcombe
Ronald Pole and Alex Burtt
Roger Chapman receives the President’s Award
Rachel Cummings Naylor after making the Toast the the School and Foundation
Rob Thomas
Events 2023-24
UK Reunions: Annual Dinner
One Moorgate Place, Chartered Accountants Hall, City of London Friday 4 October 2024
Tony Armstrong
Tim Dingle, Gary Lane and Roger Streeten
Tom Wray Mercey and Graham Chase
The OMHC ladies strike a pose
The Old Millhillians Hockey Club ladies
Tony Smith, Jon Rosswick, James Stephens, Bill Stephens and Nick Marcou.
Tim Dingle and Gary Lane
UK Reunions: Old Millhillians Day Park, Milll Hill School
Saturday 22 June 2024
Events 2023-24
UK Reunions: Old Millhillians Day Park, Milll Hill School
Saturday 22 June 2024
Let the batting commence
Tim Dingle, Peter Wakeham and Windsor Roberts OMs back for the rugby tournament
The OM First XI
Stewart Wernham in his original MHS cricket cap
Stephanie, Clive Mence and Nick Priestnall
John and Georgette Ryan with Ben Nash
Fiona Whelan,Windsor Roberts and Emma Krygier
Mike Pietersen and Gerry Westoby
Mike Peskin, Graham Chase and Andy Halstead
P.P.T Davies who flew over from South Africa to join us
The pilots Duncan Beckman and Euan Black
Finding your name on the 1962 cricket boards
Cricket breaks for lunch
The cricket boys get reacquainted
Tim Phillips, Ronald Pole and friends head to lunch
Barbara Kalu, Mike Peskin and Dave Kelly
Chair Gordon Mizner gives us a wave
A stroll down farm walk
OMs ready to play rugby
The new OMHC kit
The whistle starts the hockey match
Events 2023-24
UK Reunions: Summer Cocktail Party RAF Club, Piccadilly, London Tuesday 4 June 2024
Ravi Dadlani, Joanna Potter, Anjali Moir and Kirill Arakcheev Peter Wakeham and Asif Ahmed
Nigel Moran and Graham Chase
Mike Peskin and Chris Kelly
Lucia Hull and Euan Black
Graham Chase, Stephanie Jones Miller and Clive Sutton
Asif Ahmed and John Gallagher
Remembrance Day
Mill Hill School
Monday 11 November 2024
Pupils, staff, and distinguished guests pass through the Gate of Honour led by OMs Gerry Westoby and Christopher Maunder Taylor
OMC Vice-President John Hellinikakis heads to chapel
The day’s events continued with a moving Service of Remembrance in the School’s Chapel. The service was beautifully delivered by a group of pupils and staff members, each taking part in readings and prayers
Chair of Governors, Elliot Lipton leads the procession through the Chapel
The CCF stand to attention
The Mill Hill School community gathered in reflection for its annual Call to Remembrance Service, a poignant occasion marked by moments of reflection and tribute to those who gave their lives in service
Events 2023-24
UK Reunions: Female Pioneers Event
Crick Room and Top Terrace Lawn
Saturday 22 June 2024
1970s 1980s 1990s
L-R Anna Henshaw, Stephanie Jones Miller, Anjal Kanja, Suzanne Yamin, Natalie Coury and Joanna Potter
Pia Irwin, Nicole Thompson and Ceira Radia
Anjali Moir, Sophie Mortimer and Rachael Henshaw
Corrine Cassidy, Fiona Whelan and Karen Prichard
Rachael Henshaw. Taner Dedzade, Stephanie and Kiril Waite
2018 Leavers Reunion
The Crick Room, Mill Hill School, Thursday 23 November 2023
2023 Sixth Form Leavers Event
Welcome to the Old Millhillians Club Stonex Stadium, Tuesday 19 December 2023
Events 2023-24
UK Reunions: East Anglia
Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club and Trinity College, Cambridge
Saturday 4 May 2024
Wales Reunion
Cardiff and Country Club
Thursday 28 March 2024
Stephanie, Evelyn and Jonathan Huddleston
Russ Cowan managed to find the Honours Boards in the CURFC that displayed two of our most distinguished sporting alumni, the English International and British Lion Wilf Sobey and Jim Roberts, the England International. Both players had Cambridge Blues.
Host Russell Cowan and Clive Mence
Jonathan Huddleston and Jonathan Craymer
David Short and Stephanie Jones Miller
A wonderful evening at the Cardiff and Country Club
Stephanie Jones Miller with Jane and Raul Sanchez
Gerry Westoby with wife Jill and Chris Bishop
Chris Bishop and wife Stephanie
Host: Dr Russell Cowan and David Short
Host: Ronnie Boon
The Boot, Sarratt
Monday 11 December 2023
The
had a record attendance of 59 with 64 already expected for 2024
Gerry and his Pacemakers
Tim Phillips, Gerry Westoby and Tom Oxenham
Stuart Hibberdine and Ray Dunsbier
Ronny Cohn and Russ Cowan
Mike Leon and John Hellinikakis
Lucia Hull and John Hellinikakis
Vik Gudenian and David Coakley
Robert Hudgell with Arthur Ferryman
Stephen Kalms, Clive Sutton, Graham Chase, David Lloyd David Munday
Roger Higginson and Ronald Pole
Tim Corbett, Chris Kelly and John Watkiss
Euan Black with Richard West
Nick Leon. Richard Adams and Stephanie Jones Miller
Charles Kent and Stewart Wernham
Peter Wakeham, Tom Oxenham and Cliff Rose
2023 Oakers’ Christmas Lunch
‘ To help young OMs in Higher Education and in work, the Club organises career networking events ’
Legal Event
Wedlake Bell Offices
Friday 17 November 2023
Host: Clive Weber (Ridgeway 1965-69) Speaker: Adam Davis KC (Murray 1976-81)
Creative Arts
Event
One Blackfriars
Thursday 23 November 2023
Host: Tom Lincoln (School 1998-2003) Speaker: Richard Senat (Weymouth 1963-67) film producer of Batman Begins, Troy and Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them
Ravi Dadlani, Christian Whaley, Caitlyn Donovan and Hannah Hyman
MHS Sixth Form pupils interested in a career in Law
MHS Deputy Head Jim Dickin with daughters, both OMs, Libby and Lauren
Lauren Dickin and Host Clive Weber
Jan Vleck and Stewart Wernham
Event Speaker Adam Davis KC with John Hellinikakis
Speaker Rick Senat with an audience
Speaker Rick Senat with MHS pupils
Stephanie Miller, Florence Holly Gibbons and Alice Lloyd-Davies
Sonia Corsini, Amir Ali Mohajerani, Matt Barber
Nelson Whaley and Abhijit Gupta
Joanna Potter, Sam and Nathan Clapton Gun and Alberto Kasapoglu
Martlet 2024/25
IT Event One Blackfriars
Thursday 7 March 2024
Host: Martin Young (Burton Bank 1973-78) Speaker: Paul Summer - Principal Cyber Security Consultant
Martin Young (Burton Bank 1973-78) and Jonty Prout (Weymouth 1964-68)
Ethan Hoile (McClure 2007-11) and Gabriella Doffman (Cedars 2009-14) with guest
Nigel Andrew (Ridgeway 1965-69) and Jeremy Akhavi (Ridgeway 2012-17)
Speaker Paul Summer with MHS pupils
Paul Weinreich (McClure 1994-99) and Tom Lincoln (School 1998-03)
Pedram Mohebbi (Priestley 199803) and Jim Selman (Burton Bank 1989-94)
Nicholas Hawkins (Collinson 2002-07)
Jonathan Craymer (Murray 1963-68)
Martlet 2024/25
Medical Professionals Event
The Athenaeum Club
Thursday
14 March 2024
Host: Dr Russell Cowan (Weymouth 1958-63) Speaker: Professor Nick Finer (Murray 1963-66) a former Professor of Clinical Academic Endocrinology at University College Hospital
Entrepreneurs & Business Event Grosvenor Square
Thursday
2 May 2024
Hosts: Marcus Weston (McClure 1985-90)International speaker and mentor to leaders in the fields of business, politics, show-business and sport & Jamie True (Winterstoke 1968-93) Co-founder of Bloom, a serial entrepreneur and investor.
Andrew Croysdill (Ridgeway 196469) - retired Senior Lecturer and Consultant in Restorative Dentistry
Mill Hill School’s Head of Science, Dr Kate Damberg with Jane Sanchez
Stephen Renton (Weymouth 1963-68) and wife Mandy Rentonretired nurse
Tim John (Murray 1978-82)Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, with Matthew Frise (McClure 198792)- Consultant in Acute Medicine at Royal Berkshire Hospital
Dr Ted Macdonald (Priestley 201116) - Foundation Year 1 at Oxford, Neil Lodhia (School 2007-13)Medical student, King’s College London and Kate Lipton
Club President Stephanie Jones Miller (Priestley 1990-92) with Dr Russ Cowan (Weymouth 1958-63) - retired Consultant Gastroenterologist
Kate Lipton (Winfield 2019-21)Medical student at King’s College London with Yasmin Adewusi (Weymouth 2015-19) - Medical student, University of Cambridge
Speakers Marcus Weston and Jamie True
Speaker Jamie True with Mill Hill pupils
Emilio Oratis (Murray 2005-11) and Angeli Moir (McClure 1991-93)
Medical Professions Speaker, Nick Finer
Property Event
Cavalry and Guards Club
Thursday 21 March 2024
Hosts: Graham Chase (Burton Bank 1966-72), Stuart Hibberdine (Scrutton 1950-55) and Mike Peskin (Burton Bank 1980-84)
Amit Majithia (Priestley 1989-94) - Co-Founder Hypotek Capital and Sebastian Elliott (Collinson 2002-7) - Director at Macro Micro Architecture
Robert McDonnell (Murray 1992-96) - Residential Fund Manager abrdn, Justin de Metz, David Matthews, Charlie Green (Burton Bank 1983-88) Co-Founder, The Office Group and Marc Eden (Burton Bank 1989-92)Board Director at Regal London
Mike Peskin (Burton Bank 198084) - Business Development Director at Colemans with Lloyd Harris (Priestley 1999-02) - CEO Victor Harris, commercial property and Investment
Grahame Drake (Ridgeway 195762) - Managing Director Thurleigh Estates and Stuart Hibberdine (Scrutton 1950-55) - Chartered Surveyor
Stephanie Jones Miller (Priestley 1990-92) - Head of External Relations, Arnold House and Graham Chase (Burton Bank 1966-72) - Senior Surveyor at Chase Sinclair Clark LLP
Nicole Harvey (Cedars 201216) - Building Surveyor at Artelia with Lucia Hull (Director of Development MHS)
Julian de Metz (Priestley 198388) - Founding Director at dMFK Architects and David Matthews (Priestley 1987-92) - Managing Director at Dutch & Dutch Estate Agents
Louis Bendien ( Murray 2007-12) - Asset Manager IIchester Estates, Nicole Harvey, Graham Chase and Samuel Thompson - Asset Manager at Epic Property Management
Nimesh Sachdev (Murray 1989-94) - Managing Director Dephna Group and Anthony Sidoli (Murray 2001-6) - Partner at ADS Real Estate Advisors
Sitting for dinner
Julian Pollock (Priestley 1983-88) Partner at Herbert Smith and Robert McDonnell
Engineers Event
Bleeding Heart Restaurant
Thursday 10 May 2024
Host: Richard Amunugama (Burton Bank 1988-93) Speaker: Hassan Khalid, Hassan is a Senior Engineer in Machine Learning and Data Science at AstraZeneca. He has held various data science and machine learning roles in pharma and created a start-up recording and reporting health events for individuals which was used for TB and COVID tracking.
Host Richard Amunugama and Stephanie
Conversation flowed as we sat for dinner.
Speaker Hassan Khalid with Jan Vleck
Anita Wakeham and Stephanie Jones Miller
Elliot Ingram and Alex Cucchiara
L-R: Paul Ho, Harry Dawood and Alessio Grespi, are welcomed at Careers and Networking event
‘
Weymouth, introduced a “modern curriculum” which specifically included competitive sport, strengthening a code of conduct fit for young gentlemen.’
Extracurricular
mens sana in corpore sano *
* ‘HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY’ Extracurricular activities – how did it all begin?
William Winfield
James Murray, the Mill Hill lexicographer, included the word extracurricular in his English (Oxford) dictionary but was surprisingly unable to find any recorded usage prior to 1885. The concept however was well known at Mill Hill long before. Among the early headmasters both Priestley and Weymouth had successfully nurtured the idea of a holistic curriculum, the roots of which went back to Dr Arnold of Rugby School who, as the “father of organised sport”, had revolutionised educational thinking in the 1830s and 40s.
The inclusion of games and sports in the school curriculum recognised for the first time the value of physical activities: they were a means of instilling discipline, teamwork, and moral values. Sport was, in short, character-forming. This philosophy was paralleled by a growing movement known as “muscular Christianity”, a belief in patriotic duty, discipline, masculinity, and the moral and physical beauty of athleticism. Public schools were perceived as being the ideal means of promulgating this educational ideal. Dr Arnold believed his divine task to be the education of souls: spiritual and moral development were set above intellectual exercise. Games, hobbies, societies, Music and Drama were given the same emphasis as the traditional academic curriculum. They were not taught in the classroom but outside: they were therefore “extra” to the curriculum, but no less important.
But it wasn’t like that yet at Mill Hill, the non-conformist outlier. What kind of education did the Protestant Dissenters’ Grammar School offer its pupils in its early years of existence?
The first entrants to arrive in January 1808 at the old Ridgeway House in Mill Hill Village would have been, I suspect, less than impressed by their new circumstances. They came from middleclass Dissenters’ families from all over the country. They would have found the strict ethos almost monastic; they were just boys, to be seen and not heard, with little allowance made for personal liberty. The curriculum was that of previous centuries: Latin and Greek, Bible study, Mathematics, some English and History, Drawing and French (a chargeable extra). Games and hobbies were not on offer.
Ridgeway House was the botanist Peter Collinson’s former home and still offered a sizeable garden well stocked with the trees and shrubs he had cultivated, but he had died forty years previously. One pupil now described the house as being “in a tumbledown condition”. Just like any new boys these entrants would have listened with only half an ear to what their schoolmasters were explaining about bounds (“no further than the garden please”) but would equally have noted the allure of the open countryside
beyond, forbidden territory offering much more interesting prospects for “play time”. A football, hide and seek, races over the fields, poaching rabbits: we can only imagine what surreptitious games those earliest Millhillians played - the first of many generations to enjoy Mill Hill’s extracurricular opportunities!
In 1824 came the decision to build a new school house (the current neo-classical building). Even better news for the boys was the decision to create a playground (forerunner of the current Quad) by enclosing part of the grounds; a shed was also provided for wet weather play. There are records of senior and junior cricket clubs in the 1830s, and also of gymnastics and ad hoc football.
It was Thomas Priestley who encouraged sport more seriously in the 1840s: football flourished but the cricket season was limited as it could not be played on the local fields until the hay had been cut. The boys had no sports kit – it was all piecemeal and improvised. Interestingly, a rough game of hockey on the gravel playground became popular, morphing
The first entrants to arrive in January 1808 at the old Ridgeway House in Mill Hill Village
In 1824 came the decision to build a new school house (the current neo-classical building) and to create a playground (forerunner of the current Quad)
There are records of senior and junior cricket clubs in the 1830s, and also of gymnastics and ad hoc football.
McClure recognised the crucial value sports played in a boy’s education. ‘ ’
Physical exertions in the gymnasium
later into the (in)famous game of singlehanded. Archery and rounders were favourite sports at one time. A weekly marching musket drill is mentioned as well as skating on local ponds in the winter. There were moments however when “sport” descended into marbles on the playground and games of I-spy!
The 1870s proved to be a national turning-point for sport and its place in education. The rules of rugby football had been codified, and the Football Association created in 1861. The Rugby Football Union followed in 1871 and the County Cricket Championship two years later. Sports clubs became popular. At Mill Hill the Headmaster of
the New Foundation, Dr Weymouth, introduced a “modern curriculum” which specifically included competitive sport, strengthening a code of conduct fit for young gentlemen. The Old Boys (who now frequently enjoyed the rivalry of Present v Past matches) held their first General Meeting in December 1878 and soon became potent supporters of their alma mater.
What happened in inter-school matches began to influence external perception of the value of a Mill Hill education. This was the beginning of a Mill Hill phenomenon where to this day each season’s sports results can determine the subsequent mood and focus of the School. The
School’s morale for example would soar on the back of the success of the XV against local arch-rivals. Weymouth astutely combined an espousal of sport with his strong commitment to academic success. Mr Gladstone, Guest of Honour at New Foundation Day in June 1879, described the School as being “an Institution strikingly alive”. Weymouth must have been delighted by this public recognition.
The School’s grounds were of course magnificent, but still essentially coarse fields. Weymouth wanted better sports facilities. In 1877 the Ten-Acre Mr Bishop’s Field was converted into Cricket Field (today, the field below Gears).
1840s 1870s 1877
Thomas Priestley encouraged sport more seriously in the 1840s: football flourished but the cricket season was limited as it could not be played until the hay had been cut.
The 1870s proved to be a national turning-point for sport and its place in education. The rules of rugby football had been codified, and the Football Association created in 1861.
In 1877 the Ten-Acre Mr Bishop’s Field was converted into Cricket Field (today, the field below Gears).
MILL
mens sana in corpore sano *
* ‘HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY’ Extracurricular activities – how did it all begin?
This allowed Top Field (still unlevelled) to be used for rugby football and athletics. 1879 saw the opening of the first indoor swimming pool and two Fives courts (now the site of the Favell Building).
If Weymouth’s was indeed a halcyon era, the arrival of Dr McClure in 1891 was to take the School to even higher glory. In sum, McClure laid the foundation for the School’s wellbeing for the next century. While a long succession of headmasters has built on, and advanced, his vision, it is fair to say that by 1922 he had created a profile for the School which underpins it to this very day.
McClure was “hands-on”: a keen supporter of the boys as a referee on a field or a coach in the nets, he was equally at home in sharing his passion for music and drama, again participating personally as conductor,
composer, organist or double bass player.
In sport, the masters in charge of the various games were able to capitalize on McClure’s ability to attract able pupils to the School. This influx of extra talent brought increasing success on the field. By 1900 the School encouraged participation in athletics and cross-country, swimming, Eton fives, gymnastics, single and doublehanded hockey, tennis, squash, rounders, shooting. Competitive matches in all sports against other public schools became the norm.
By 1907 McClure had doubled Weymouth’s 32-acre site, adding Fishing Net and the Buckland Garden area. The asphalt surface of the Gymnasium was replaced by a sprung floor. Top Field was levelled in 1898, Gears in 1905. Then, in 1910, came
a significant donation from Lord Winterstoke: Long Field, Park, the site of what would become Burton Bank, Garth and Winterstoke Gardens. By 1914, the estate had reached practically the size it occupies today.
Mill Hill’s growing standing as a nationally known and respected public school was achieved as much through the personality and reputation of Sir John McClure as through its academic achievements or the results of matches fought on the hallowed turf of Top Field. On the eve of the Great War, however, Mill Hill had reached an apogee of educational achievement and fame. Its extracurricular provision was perceived as being one of the jewels in its crown.
What would those first boys to join the Protestant Dissenters’ School have said in 1808, had they been able to cast an eye into the future?
MILL HILL SCHOOL EXTRACURRICULAR SPORTS TIMELINE
1879 1891 1900
1879 saw the opening of the first indoor swimming pool and two Fives courts (now the site of the Favell Building).
The arrival of Dr McClure in 1891 was to take the School to even higher glory. In sum, McClure laid the foundation for the School’s wellbeing for the next century.
By 1900 the School encouraged participation in athletics and cross-country, swimming, Eton fives, gymnastics, single and double-handed hockey, tennis, squash, rounders, shooting.
Boys playing traditional single-handed hockey on the Quad
McClure actively promoted the development of the school’s sports facilities by overseeing the building of the fives courts, a gym and outdoor pool.
In 1910, came a significant donation from Lord Winterstoke: Long Field, Park, the site of what would become Burton Bank, Garth and Winterstoke Gardens.
By 1907 McClure had doubled Weymouth’s 32acre site, adding Fishing Net and the Buckland Garden area.
By 1914, the estate had reached practically the size it occupies today.
Rugby Team in MHS chocolate and Brown stripe rugby strip
The Colts XV the Cols XV
1905 gynmasium
Boys change at the side of the historic 1879 indoor pool swimming pool
MILL HILL SCHOOL EXTRACURRICULAR: OUTDOOR PURSUITS
Dent
a personal reflection 20 years on Nick
Hodgson (MHS Master 1993-2018)
There is nothing quite like arriving in Dent in the early evening with enough time to ‘beat the bounds’: setting off from the Sedgewick fountain nestled against the old, whitewashed cottages of the ‘terrible knitters’ opposite the George and Dragon and heading towards the Dee, past the village shop and the church yard, past the old cricket pitch and then resting on the bench by the ‘beach’: though you do not need to rest, the bubbling river entices you to linger, to watch and listen to nature in its undisturbed glory and cast off the urban shroud that envelops your everyday normality.
As the dusk begins to creep up, on you must go, deftly passing through the narrow gash in the stone walls either side on the ‘main’ road and on along the levee by the river; sheep on one side and waders and dippers on the other: the church bells ringing the hour. A pause here and there to enjoy the solitude before heading back up to the village and the cobbles. Past the little school, the back of The Sun and to the Green with its slide and swings, through the narrowest of roads by the old post office to Mill Cottage and 2 Mill Hill. On these comfy cottages the epitaph to our presence in the village hangs. And, yes, there is still a telephone box though now not able to make the link between tranquillity and cacophony.
Admittedly, this might not be quite how any Millhillian anticipated their arrival in Dent during their schooldays. It is surely an urban myth that John McEnroe stole his most famous utterance from a Collinson IVth former, recently arrived at the school and embarking on an early induction trip, “You cannot be serious!” The lack of useable shops, the absence of artificial leisure facilities and the reliance on natural sound and light were anathema to increasingly Londonbased pupils. For many of the trips that used Dent, the whole concept of the experience being provided was in many ways part of the essence of what parents expected from a Mill Hill education. Trips that would be a significant part of the making of the man from the boy: education not just for the paper certificates but for the body, the mind
and the soul. The late twentieth century was a different time and it has to be acknowledged that some of the methods used then to encourage this process would not be acceptable now. Punishing a nighttime disturbance with an early morning walk back from Dent Station, England’s highest and most beautiful is most certainly not an ‘appropriate’ punishment.
The perspective of my memories will mean they differ from the collection of reminiscences from former pupils that have been shared online with the Millhillian community. They will differ from those members of staff, Mr Luke, Mr Evans who have added their comments and from others who had close connections to the House during my time, Mr Monaghan, Mr Norrington, Mr Turner among them and, of course, the early pioneers in the seventies and eighties who preceded my time at the Foundation. Fully accepting that Michael Hart will forever hold the foremost Mill Hill connection to the village; I am also a Dentophile. As a newly arrived Head of Geography, I could not believe the opportunity that the House would provide for field trips, so Dent became a regular feature of my school calendar. I also served my time on the IVth form summer term weeks before I became a Rouen regular (surely worthy of another article) and then we started cricket tours for U14s and the 1st XI! You may have memories of these or of the numerous other trips that Dent has hosted: CCF or scouting trips, rugby training camps, classical studies or science revision
courses to name but a few. I hope you enjoy yours as I enjoy mine.
Memories of all my trips have remained well into my retirement and it is clear that for many of yours have lingered too. The Cheese Press seems to be top of the OMs table and why not: I never made it (I did not want to hold the group up) but they say Mr Slade did! Of course, the Cheese Press is not in Dent itself, it is in the Long Churn cave system near Ingleborough and much of what made up a Dent trip did not actually happen in the village. Dent was the hub from where people and places were experienced from the coast at St Bees through the Lake District to the Yorkshire Dales and beyond. Below I have selected a top three-ish. Whilst I have used names of alumni, in the modern way, I have only used forenames to avoid any embarrassment as permission has not been sought.
My cricket memories are numerous, experiencing the grounds of Sedbergh, St Bees and Giggleswick was always lovely come rain or shine and there were many individual successes and some failures on the field that hold special resonance, but, oddly, it is off the field that the images have remained clearest. The last ever sighting of the outgoing Head, Ewan McAlpine, as he drove away from the St Bees memorial match with his worldly possessions on an overladen car and acting as agent to Harry at Lancaster RGS when a hoard of pupils staked out the pavilion waiting for a sighting or autograph both command
A view along the cobbled streets of Dent village in the 1970s
The local pub - The George & Dragon Dent hosted Mill Hill pupils across geography field trips, rugby training camps, classical studies, science revision and IVth form summer term trips
Looking along the ‘main road’ in Dent village
The Adam Sedgwick Memoriala fitting tribute to the founder of modern geology
MILL HILL SCHOOL EXTRACURRICULAR: OUTDOOR PURSUITS
Akash Vithlani (Murray 1996-69)
‘I absolutely loved this trip. Definite highlight of my time in Mill Hill School.The trekking over the hills. Ripped through the boots came back almost barefoot. The waterfalls that we climbed down were the best feeling ever on a sunny warm day. The “cheese press” was a challenge whilst navigating through the cave system.’
John Anderson (Collinson 1974-78)
‘Yep, I remember Kendal Mint Cake and potholing - climbing up a waterfall in the dark hanging on to a rope. Also went in training trip with 1st XV, throwing each other around in a field that the cows had clearly only just left.’
Peter Crussell (Ridgeway 1973-78)
‘I remember it well. First as CCF training week, then numerous biology field trips. I member both the potholing and the cliff climbing, and going down to the river for a smoke’
Andy Luke (MHS Master)
‘Worst memory was getting stuck briefly in the Cheese-Press, but knowing that Tony Slade made it through at one stage! Such an embarrassment! (But well done, Sladey!).
From 1990 till about 2000 I took a group of Year 9 students for the learning experience. Then I accepted the responsibility to actually run it for a few years - nightmare, but | guess someone has to do it!). But in addition, Philip Thonemann and I used to run an Easter Revision Courses up there for a few years,
an important place. But, top spot goes to a particular moment in Blackpool, a Pleasure Beach stop en route to Dent, and listening to Mr Edwards explain the finer points of punctuality to some of the School’s elite athletes (including a current member of Common Room) whilst I sat in the minibus with Paul (son of a very good friend of the Belmont and Mill Hill Common Rooms), the only one to have made it back on time. This holds its place despite the need for a later, equally virulent repetition of a similar message in the House itself!
My most vivid memories of the IVth form trips were on days designated as geography days. I write this with care and in the knowledge that I was not master i/c the event as risk assessment was a nascent science, even in the mid nineties. Initiating a jump in the Thornton Force obstacle course, which
and they worked well. Stayed there with the family and the Monaghans too, of course, because it’s a perfect Cumbrian holiday....’
Olly Freedman (Murray 1984-88)
‘Amazing trip to Dent! Remember it fondly. Who doesn’t like Clints, Grykes and Tarns. The interaction with the locals was fun - they were all scared of David Woodrow and his pick axe!’
David Kelly (Ridgeway 1974-81)
‘Aged 13, I ended up in the local hospital after a dormy raid led me to cutting my head open on a coat hook hanging along the 1st First corridor as I made my escape. Laid out on the kitchen table one of the boys said they could see my brain, which was reassuring, as most MHS masters were convinced I didn’t have one.
Nigel Mendoza (McClure 1972-77)
‘Remember the pot holing: the ‘bishops well’ or something similar when you had to dive under; horrible. Some boy got stuck and had to be pulled out. Must have been around 1973.’
Jonathan Rawlinson (Burton Bank 1979-84)
‘I still shiver at the sight of the words ‘plunge pool!’
John Hellinikakis (Murray 1976-81)
‘Yes! While all the clever boys went to Rouen for French immersion, the more fortunate went to Dent for a thoroughly enjoyable week. I once even went to Dent with school friends after leaving the School. Sad that this option
remarkably remained injury free for the duration of its use was a proud moment but for the sheer grandeur of the setting one particular conquering of the majestic Helvellyn commands top spot. Ascending via Striding Edge is an exhilarating walk including some scrambling in places, so appropriate clothing, especially footwear is important. It also takes around four and a half hours, so on a hot day, refreshment and hydration are key. The jeopardy of the experience is heightened if you are in a party with varied levels of fitness, enthusiasm and urban fashion, and that is not just the pupils. A sleep-deprived, Mill Hill group had to proceed with care. By the time the group of laggards I was with reached Striding Edge, we were out of sight of the rest of the party and I watched with horror from my position at the back, a less than agile, hot, somewhat dehydrated Gavin, in an attempt to rid
no longer exists as it was such a good and different life experience for many of us.’
Nigel F Moran (School 1982-84)
‘Just remembered the minibus literally taking off over the hump back bridge between Dent dale and Sedbergh school.’
Gun Kasapoglu (Winterstoke 1982-87)
‘Loving, and then hating Kendal Mint Cake...’
Jeremy Culverhouse (School 1976-81)
‘Pot-holing! Getting paid 50p by a school master to jump into an icy pool with Neil Dawson. Pre-season rugby training at Sedbergh school. The famous Cheese-Press. I went back a few years after MHS and couldn’t fit through then ... what quite possessed me to do that l’ll never know.’
Richard Zander (Priestley 1986-91)
‘Yep, remember walking down the stairs and stepping in some doggy deposits one morning, also wasn’t able to go into the Cheese-Press as my chest was too wide. You had to have a chest size of less than 42” sometime between 86-91.’
Charlie Miller (Burton Bank 1977-83)
‘Went there a few years ago with Mrs Miller! Disappointed to see the MHS house sold. The Sun is still there though. I did a few trips: 3rd form, Pre-season training (rugby), Nick Mann’s stag weekend, Climbing trips.’
himself of the presence of the ubiquitous flies, repeatedly hitting himself on his left side with the precipitous scree slope on his right. Newspaper headlines flashed before my eyes.
Selecting one geography memory when everyday is a geography day is tough, especially as I was often in the company of my excellent friends and colleagues Messrs Woodrow and Monaghan. The walks in Langdale to Stickle Tarn, were always glorious and reliably reinforced the rule that members of the 1st XV walk fast on the way out to show their fitness and machismo and slowly on the way back, reflecting their more relaxed, laid-back, and some might say, irksome side. You cannot overlook Malham: arriving at 4pm on a cold November evening having driven up from School with the Vith formers and Mr Northen and then squeezing in not just the Cove
Dent. 1990s
Having fun in the snow
Dent
Jerome Evans (MHS 1980s)
‘Made the first trip up there in the Removes... (second year). We were split into groups as we went Pot Holing. The French Assistant was in the same group Pot Holing. Very few women around. I was happy to be clambering through the caves with a woman in the group. I think this was in February early 1980’s. We hiked over a ridge covered in snow too. We were roped together at that stage.’
James Green (MHS 1981-85)
‘Burton Bank in the Removes a certain kid named David set a firecracker off in a dormitory the fire brigade was called, and we’d only been there 30 mins. The local village kids also loved us chatting to their ladies at the Saturday night disco - not !’
James Poole (Burton Bank 1977-83)
‘Potholing was awesome. I was usually one of the smaller kids, so I knew I would be able to get through anything. The cheese press, and I believe, the origins of “brick”. That and copious quantities of Kendal mint cake from the shop opposite.
Charles Leslie (Burton Bank 1988-93)
‘Amazing trips to Dent but the most memorable was when the 1st XV went there on tour to play against St Bees to commemorate the anniversary of the MHS evacuation during the war. Great times.’
potholing in the l990s
but Gordale Scar before getting back, often cold and sometimes wet, to the fully laden minibuses in the dark, for the cross-country end to our journey was always fun. But pride of place goes to a Kingsdale memory; what a valley, oozing with geography and there can be few better places to view it than from Keld Head Scar. In the 1990s, all A level geographers had to submit an extended field project – a significant piece of work – that took a lot of school-time to prepare and complete. All our submissions were based on data collection in the Dales from measuring rivers along their long profile to assessing service provision in settlements. I loved the idea of measuring scree particles on Keld Head Scar so was always glad when pupils chose this option.
I remember one particularly sunny afternoon with Sheery and a couple of
Sam Harvey (Priestley 1982-88)
‘I remember Chris Kelly giving us all a massive talking to after some late-night shenanigans in the village on that trip, we never did it again that’s for sure!’
Kevin Doherty (McClure 1983-88)
‘Loved the Dent trip. Mass games of football in the evening. Dreadful food cooked by the pupils, and of course the potholes.’
Jez Michaels (Burton Bank 1981-83)
‘Went to Dent, every year whilst at MHS. In 3rd form, we went, Threllfal was on teamaking duty for breakfast, he put the massive catering tea bag in the Kettle! Scottie, the Biology teacher making two type of porridge, a proper one with salt, and one without for the ‘jessies’.That first trip to Dent I got Shingles and had to be sent home from Kendal on the train back to London, a long way to go on your own when your 12! Can’t see that happening nowadays! Mr Prosser-Harris extolling the virtues of the Geology. Loads of fond memories of village life.’
David Thomsett (Burton Bank 1983-87)
‘I remember swimming across the plunge pool with Dillip and getting a Mars bar as a reward! Also remember buying a 2-litre bottle of cider with name escapes me, from the local office, all at the tender age of 14! Robert Kanerick falling in a stream and 10 B&H floating out his
others picking, measuring and chucking, picking, measuring and chucking bits of scree for hour after hour but all the time overlooking the glorious Kingsdale. A memory, I am sure, that remains with them but for different reasons!
I was, officially, the last to leave the property and said a formal goodbye to Nona and John Caygill who had been key holders for the previous decade. They also ran the post office opposite and will be remembered by many a young visitor. I remained friends with them until their recent deaths, remarkably Nona outlived her apparently more robust husband. If you are in the village and you managed to get out of the shop with an illicit sherbert fountain, there can be no better way to make amends than a walk to the bottom of the St Andrew’s churchyard where you will find them buried together…and say sorry.
pocket! Also remember the 1st XV training week and all huddle in the van to listen the Mike Reid’s sad song!’
Rich Baxter (Burton Bank 1981-86)
‘Put out a fire there once. Lots of boys with mugs of water running up the stairs to the burning bed. I fancied the fire extinguisher for the job!’
Sunny Dhama (McClure 1992-97)
‘Being woken up to find that our bedroom had caught fire when a sock on a storage heater had set the curtain aflame, and barging through the fire exit door will live long in the memory.’
Oni Akpofure (Burton Bank 1980-86)
‘Most definitely I went in 1980 with the 3rd Form and the Late Reverend Gibbons. Really great times.’
Windsor Roberts (Collinson 1980-1984)
‘Went many times, Geography field trip and preseason rugby training! Amazing memories!’
‘Fond memories of an amazing part of the UK and our lives.’
From its benefaction in 1972 from the group of Yorkshire old boys (themselves a reminder of different times) until it’s sad and rather chaotic demise in 2004, Dent has provided an important part of the school’s educational provision and in so doing providing unrivalled experiences. I remain a regular visitor: I love it. Why not pop back yourselves and refresh your memories; like many rural villages it is dependent on visitors. And if I happen to be there and you want a little recap of the geography of the surrounding area, I will be happy to help!
MHS Head, Michael Hart (1967-74), his Oil painting hangs in the Crick Room where he was painted in Dent, a place he loved dearly.
Ready for
Dent Interior c2000
TOP GUN: EUAN BLACK
(Winterstoke 1960-64)
Air Commodore Euan Black RAF (Ret’d) was a fighter pilot in the RAF for 34 years. He flew Lightnings, Phantoms and Tornados, had an Exchange Tour in Canada flying the CF-101 Voodoo, and took the first Tornado into the Gulf conflict on 11th August 1990. His interest in aviation began in the RAF Section of the CCF at Mill Hill on an annual camp when he had his first flight in a Chipmunk at RAF White Waltham. He married Jill in 1968, has a son, daughter and 4 grandchildren in their teens, and they all live in Harpenden.
CCF taught you skills without you knowing it – leadership, self-reliance, teamwork, loyalty, sense of duty, public speaking, and a knowledge of survival and the outdoor life. ‘ ’
CCF in the 1960s was every Friday afternoon with a choice of Army, RAF or Navy. The Master in Charge was Mr Baker the art teacher and the master in Charge of the RAF Section was David Franklin who also coached rugby and cricket. There was an annual Inspection under the guise of The Newcastle Parade, overseen by Sgt Maj Maloney, which involved much spit and polish and a lot of marching around the Quad, but was really just another inter-house competition between the 7 houses of the day. More important was that the CCF taught you skills without you knowing it – leadership, self-reliance, teamwork, loyalty, sense of duty, public speaking, and a knowledge of survival and the outdoor life. I would not claim to have enjoyed CCF at the time, but I now appreciate what it taught me.
Like so many pupils then and now I had no idea what I wanted to do in life, other than to avoid an office job. At the time sport was the end all and be all of life at Mill Hill. Everybody had to play irrespective of ability and we played every day except Fridays. I was fortunate being in the 1st XV rugby and 1st X1 cricket for 3 years and in the 1st Hockey for two. I was captain of cricket and squash and played 8 different sports for the school. I was travelling reserve for the Scottish Schoolboys XV against the English Schoolboys XV in 1964 – Scotland won 56-0. It was this outdoor life I wanted rather than a desk in an office. When my father suggested becoming a pilot in the RAF I applied, went to the Officer & Aircrew Selection Centre at Biggin Hill, and was accepted. There is no question that my time at Mill Hill got me through the RAF selection process of aptitude tests, physical fitness and interview technique.
Mill Hill RAF cadets at RAF White Waltham in 1961 (Euan 6 from right) in front of a Jet Provost
Euan Black RAF mugshot
Boot Camp
Long before this picture was taken in 1969 on my first operational squadron I spent 3 tough years going through the RAF training machine. Boot camp for the first 6 months at RAF South Cerney living in a Barrack Block, starting at 6am, running miles each day and spending hours in the classroom was a doddle for me after Mill Hill. Others found it more difficult. From there I would go through Elementary Flying Training on the Chipmunk and fly my first solo, Basic Flying Training at Acklington in Northumberland on the Jet Provost, Advanced Flying Training at RAF Valley on Anglesey on the Folland Gnat of Red Arrows fame, 4 months at the Tactical Weapons Unit at RAF Chivenor in Devon flying the Hawker Hunter, and 6 months at the Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Coltishall in Norfolk flying the English Electric Lightning before my posting to Germany. I also played rugby for the RAF XV during this time being capped twice against the Army and the Navy and playing 3 times at Twickenham. There were 5 international players in that RAF side – Peter Larter, Peter Glover and Geoff Francom of England, Billy Steel of Scotland and the Lions, and Mickey Doherty of Ireland – so I was in good company. Many people when joining the military are put off by having to “sign away” years of their lives in order to join up. In my case 16 years. I need not have worried. It was a struggle to pass all the courses along the way and a single failure meant an end to your training and your career. So, far from signing away your life one had to work exceedingly hard to survive. But if you made it you would never look back.
Cold War Manoeuvres
On this first tour on 92 Sqn at Gutersloh we were based only 30 miles from the East German border. The Cold War against the Russians and its Warsaw Pact allies had started in 1947 and was in full swing with massive armies and air forces facing each other across the border. The Lightning squadrons at Gutersloh held 5 minutes alert 24/7 and had to be airborne within 5 minutes of any alert sounding, usually for a cross-border incursion. We ate and slept in full flying gear next to the fully armed aircraft. I never intercepted a Russian aircraft on this side of the border but saw them often patrolling up and down on their side.
It is worth a brief mention of the performance of the Lightning. It was the first Mach 2 fighter in the world and had a 1:1 power/weight ratio allowing it to climb vertically on take off. It could reach 36,000 feet in just over 2 minutes from the runway, and any tiny movement of the throttles produced instant acceleration. To be in charge of one of these machines as a 22 year old was simply heaven. Better still was the knowledge that no other aircraft could touch it. We were truly king of the skies.
Airborne in 10 minutes
My second tour was on 23 Sqn Lightnings at RAF Leuchars in Scotland where we held 10 minutes alert – airborne within 10 minutes of an alert and still required to eat and sleep next to the aircraft.
My Lightning on Battle Flight
Flying the supersonic English Electric Lightning of 92 Sqn in Germany in 1969
Euan Black Winterstoke 1960-64 and Ridgeway Housemaster Paul Hodgson 1973-79
P.P.T. Davies with Euan at the Winterstoke reunion held by the School in June
TOP GUN: EUAN BLACK
‘In this picture I am taking off in a Voodoo of 416 Sqn based at Chatham in New Brunswick in Canada. Here we were holding a 15 minute alert against any Russian bombers that ventured our way.’
The focus now switched from Russian fighters over the East German border to Russian bombers flying from Northern Russia through the Iceland/Faroes Gap to Cuba and back. We had to fly some 300 miles north from Leuchars accompanied by air-to-air refuelling tankers to make the intercepts, take pictures and escort them through the UK Air Defence Region. I intercepted about 12 bombers during this tour. Save a thought for the Typhoon pilots at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland doing exactly the same today.
In the picture at the top of this page, I am taking off in a voodoo of 416 Sqn, based at Chatham in New Brunswick in Canada. Here we were holding a 15 minute alert against any Russian bombers that ventured our way. During my 3 years in Canada I flew all across the USA to Florida in the south, California in the west, and up and down the east coast.
On one such trip I had landed my T-33 training aircraft to refuel at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. Suddenly the base tannoy announced that the very first F-15s to be delivered to the USAF from the factory were about to land. These pictures show them arriving and me standing behind one of them after landing. History made - 11th March 1976.
Phantoms & Gun Firing, Cyprus
Returning to UK I was posted back to RAF Leuchars but this time on Phantoms which had replaced the Lightning. Each year every UK fighter squadron deploys to Cyprus for gun firing practice. This picture of me firing the gun which is housed in a pod under the fuselage. The M-61 Vulcan cannon has a firing rate on 6000 rounds a minute or 100 rounds a second – impressive – but not nearly as impressive as firing one of the aircraft’s 8 missiles.
I was back at Leuchars and back to intercepting Russian Bears going through the Iceland/Faroes Gap, increasing my tally of Russian aircraft to 25.
In Command: Tornado Squadron
In 1988 I commanded the second Tornado F3 squadron at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire as a Wing Commander. The Tornado F3 replaced the Phantom and the last of the Lightnings and was a sea change in capability, not least because it could fly unrefuelled for over 2 hours, something the Lightning and Phantom could not. During this tour I flew throughout Europe and beyond showing off the RAF’s shiny new jet.
The Voodoo jet fighter aircraft was developed for the United States Airforce
Phantom gun firing
The very first USAF F-15s
In 1988 the Cold War was still raging and it would be another year before Gorbachov pulled down the Berlin Wall and ended it. We continued to practice operations under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical conditions (NBC) and here I am showing our Honorary Air Commodore HRH Princess Margaret an operational turnround by a team in NBC kit in one of our Hardened Aircraft Shelters. Pilots also had to wear this NBC kit in order to survive an attack, and it made life extremely difficult.
Leading 12 aircraft to Dhahran in Saudi Arabia from Cyprus on 11 August 1990 to eject Saddam Husein from Kuwait. We patrolled the Iraq/Saudi border 24/7 alongside the American and Saudi Air Forces.
I flew with a loaded side arm for the first time in case of ejection over the desert and unfriendly locals. The sunshades for the aircraft were essential. One day in August I recorded a temperature of 57 degrees centigrade. That was hot.
1000 Hours Achieved
It was a milestone in the RAF to have flown for 1000 hours in any aircraft and here I am presented with my 1000 hour badge for the Tornado by some of the squadron aircrew. During that time I had landed a Tornado in 22 different countries from Alaska to Singapore - pretty much most of the way around the world. I had also flown 1000 hours in both the Lightning and the Phantom but travelled abroad much less in those 2 aircraft thanks to the static nature of the Cold War. I retired in 1999, still flying the Tornado F3 as an Air Commodore, after the most enjoyable career imaginable. Any downsides ? Having to move house 26 times.
HRH Princess Margaret
1000 hours Tornado
Phantom intercepting a Russian Bear
Victor and Tristar tankers en route to Saudi Arabia
On patrol over the Saudi desert
Under a sunshade with fully armed Tornado F3 and wearing my shoulder holster
FROM CCF TO THE FLIGHT DECK
DUNCAN BECKMAN (School
House 1999-2004)
I joined the RAF section in my second year at MHS as was customary after my first year as a general unspecified cadet. I had in my mind that I wanted to be an RAF cadet from the moment I joined, spurred on even more so by the tale recounted at an assembly by a senior pupil who had completed a gliding scholarship. That was the dream!
I was surprised to find that the RAF was not the most popular and competitive section to get in to. However it was very well organised at the time by Berinda Banks and Dr Rob (two teachers who I already had some affinity with).
As a bit of a plane geek, I particularly enjoyed some of the more theoretical study that we did, while the army cadets were off learning how to disassemble rifles. The prize being the chance to go on some air experience flights, which was my first experience of committing aviation. That first flight with an old retired Buccaneer pilot was my first experience of getting airborne in a light aircraft. 25 minutes of basic straight and level handing, and a few aerobatics to top it off, pure joy, I was hooked!
Our first camp cemented my love of the RAF section, and is probably the foundation that made me chase a career in the air force, albeit that it took a different course.
We spent a week living in barracks at RAF Coltishall, which at the time was the home of the Jaguar fast jets. These subsequently went out of service while I was at university, and I happened to be on an attachment at the time where they made their final landing, so this particular aircraft somewhat bookended my involvement with the Royal Air Force.
On camp we took part in numerous activities, some aeroplane adjacent and others not so much. However, visits continued to various sections of the base, including one to the squadrons maintenance section. While chatting
I still have fantastic memories from my time at Mill Hill. I was lucky enough to have the time, and sufficiently supportive parents, to be able to take part in many aspects of school life. None of which I hold in more regard than the time I spent with the CCF, as an RAF cadet. I had always had this desire to learn to fly, and this seemed like the best way for a teenager to get airborne.
to them they offered me the chance to come back and help them clean some of the jets. Something that in hindsight was probably a tedious chore for them, but for 14-year-old Duncan it was incredibly exciting. I still vividly remember standing on top of the wing, stiff brush in hand and a bucket of suds scrubbing it down, and then later sponging down the tail-pipe with my head inside the afterburners. Trust me, I was in heaven!
My keenness was clearly observed, and on the basis of doing a verbal and written presentation about that camp I was awarded a gliding scholarship the following year. Two weeks of flying training (when I should have been doing more study for my GCSEs) in the mighty Vigilant motor glider. My first taste of proper flying training in this case.
I trained up to first solo standard, and all I wanted was more.
From then on I continued with the RAF section on to sixth form, where many of my friends chose to free up their Friday afternoons. I pushed for more and more experiences and was eventually awarded a ‘flying scholarship’; similar to gliding but just in a mighty Cessna 152 and full powered flight. Graeme Turner took over the RAF section from Dr Rob at this point and was heavily influential in putting me forward for these courses and experiences. I owe him a lot! With his help I was able to become a staff cadet at RAF Wyton, supporting air experience flying days for other cadets. I took part in other national air cadet courses and was able to secure a weekend job cleaning planes at a civilian flying club.
In my final year I was put forward for a national award, and although I didn’t win the top prize, I still placed and was rewarded with a shiny medal. I was also given a place on the International Air Cadet Exchange (IACE), which was an incredible opportunity to meet people from all over the world, and take part in something of an institution.
After finishing Mill Hill, all this experience helped me get a place on my university air squadron. More flying and leadership skills funded by the RAF, and some the most valuable and fun experiences of my time at university. The subsequent attempted military career sadly never came to fruition, but it underpinned my love of aviation and gave me the knowledge and contacts I needed to start a civilian flying career. I even came back to MHS for a couple of years to help support the RAF section between university and the airline job.
I’ve now been a commercial airline pilot for over a decade, and have recently moved into a flight ops management position. I honestly feel that I’d have never achieved my dream career, had it not been for some of those foundational behaviours and lessons I learned as a CCF cadet. Some of those leadership skills we were taught around inspiring the people around you, are as relevant in my role now, as they were when completing exercises as a cadet. A favourite memory from a few years ago was whilst doing pre-flight checks prior to flying to Sardinia, a flight attendant entered the cock-pit to tell me my old teacher Graeme Turner was on the flight with his family and wanted to say ‘hello’. After landing I came out to see him and he had a beaming smile on his face, he said he felt so proud of me… special moments.
The Geoffrey de Havilland Flying Foundation Medal for achievements in the CCF
MILL HILL SCHOOL EXTRACURRICULAR: MUSIC
From Hymns to Hits
Francesca Forte (Atkinson 2012-17) Mill Hill School Archivist
Mill Hill School has a long and vibrant history with music, shaped by passionate leaders and talented musicians over the years. Music has always been a core part of Mill Hill’s identity, even though the school never called itself a “musical school.”
Maurice Jacks was one of the earliest Heads to bring his musical flair to the role, setting a trend followed by other musically gifted Heads like Dr John Whale, who led hymnsinging, and William Winfield and his wife, Margaret, who were both involved in school music as skilled string players. This tradition started with McClure, a cellist, double-bassist, and composer who, under the playful pseudonym “E. Düno Währiah,” blended humour with musical talent in his compositions.
In the early 20th century, Laurie Cane, who stayed at Mill Hill for nearly 40 years until 1935, really made music thrive. He turned it into a key part of the school’s life, building a strong choir, choral society, and orchestra, and organizing memorable recitals and trips to major concert halls.
Even during World War II, when students were evacuated to St. Bees, music stayed strong. The post-war years saw both
traditional music and jazz bands like “The GC Dixie Six” and “The Cool Four” come into the spotlight, showing the diverse musical interests at Mill Hill.
Peter Hemmings, who created the first Choir Book in 1948, went on to have a stellar career with major orchestras and opera companies. His success highlights the high calibre of musicians Mill Hill has produced.
In the 1990s, Alastair Graham observed that music and theatre had become central to Mill Hill’s cultural life. By 2001, the school had introduced composition prizes and continued to celebrate young musical talent, reinforcing its reputation for musical excellence.
Today, music plays a vibrant role at Mill Hill. Students can now study music academically for GCSEs and A Levels, and they can join various ensembles, including the Jazz Band, Camerata, and Chapel Choir. The broader Mill Hill community can also get involved by joining the Choral Society, where parents, alumni, students, and staff come together annually to perform a diverse repertoire, or the new Community Orchestra.
From early music lessons to elaborate concerts, Mill Hill’s musical history showcases its enduring commitment to the arts. Music continues to be a cherished aspect of the school’s tradition, intricately woven into its rich cultural tapestry.
MUSIC AND McCLURE
‘McClure performed the unofficial role of Director of Music for the first few years of his headmastership to accentuate the importance of music in the curriculum and create the infrastructure for his school-wide musical vision before handing over the role.
At the time few schools recognised Music as an important part of the curriculum although the choral tradition had always been strong in public schools.
McClure made music a key feature of boys’ education and contributed by example. As well as encouraging regular Chapel music, he conducted ‘The Messiah’ every Christmas. He encouraged boys to play in a newlyformed School orchestra for which he wrote a number of pieces, starting in 1896 with a humorous overture ‘The Coster’s Saturday Night’. ‘
1970s girls in Choir
QMS Edward Crouch instructs the School Cadet Force Band
1913 Music School close up of name.tif
Head John McClure, end of row reading programme was a dedicated musician and encouraged participation
The choirs from Mill Hill School and Belmont Preparatory School, the Parents and Old Millhillians Choral Society, Foundation Staff Singers
The School choir in 1990s
MH choral society Vienna in Spring concert 2024
From Hymns to Hits
MUSICAL OMs of NOTE
1997 Jazz Group -Phillip Thonemann (Physics - back row, left), Dominic Argyrides (pianist, front far right), Ayisha Roberston (saxophinist) c1997
Jamie Hartman (McClure 1984-89) Musician, songwriter and producer. and has won a Novello award for Best Song and has worked with Rag’n’Bone Man, Emman Bunton, Kygo and many other artists
Chaz Jankel (Scrutton 1965-70) Musician and Songwriter and played keyboards and guitar with Ian Drury and the Blockheads
Seb Fontaine (Collinson 1983-88) Music Producer and DJ
Ethan and Juston Jacobs win the Farrow singing competition
Conductor Ben Glassberg (McClure 2007-2012) is Music Director at Volksoper Wien and Opéra de Rouen Normandie
Cellist Ellen Baumring-Gledhill (Murray 2015-20) was a finalist in the 2020 BBC young musician of the year
In-house band practice with an audience
“The Play’s the Thing”
MEMORIES OF DRAMA AT MILL HILL
A number of pupils after leaving Mill Hill have become leading lights of stage and screen: Patrick Troughton was the second Doctor Who, Jasper Britton (Burton Bank 1976-82) has had leading roles with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, Harry Melling (McClure 2003-07) in ‘Harry Potter’ and Nancy Zamit (McClure 2022-07) in ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’ while Tanika Gupta is a prolific playwright with a broad portfolio of work, for which she has has been awarded an MBE. And there are many others who have gone on to make their careers out of theatre, television and film.
However, for most pupils, drama is simply a valuable educational experience, both enjoyable and challenging. Before drama became part of the academic curriculum, pupils tended to participate in only formal productions, such as the annual Shakespeare play directed by the archetypal Mr Chips and geography teacher, Bertie Rix.
1937 Bees on the Boat Deck 1937, Patrick Troughton centre
1941 Pirates of Penzance 1941, on the rocks of St Bees beach
Tim Corbett (MHS English Master 1971-2013)
“The Play’s the Thing” MEMORIES OF DRAMA AT MILL HILL 1969 1968
A drama production is perhaps the ultimate team game where everyone, however minor their role, is an essential cog in the outcome – and of course girls and boys can contribute on equal footing. Participating in a play demands the discipline of attending rehearsals, memorising lines and learning to concentrate - many a time has a dilatory pupil been loitering offstage in the green room to hear the cry “Where are you? You are on”. There is the opportunity for a pupil to develop a variety of practical skills aside from acting such as designing the lighting or building the set. Cliff Baker, legendary art master, oversaw the building of the sets for the main school productions in the 60s and 70s and would often ambush a recalcitrant boy who, avoiding compulsory activities, had wandered into the Large (the main hall and stage) to casually watch the set builders at work only to find a hammer or screwdriver suddenly thrust into his hand. Another pupil, Arup Chakravarti (Collinson 1989-93) highlights the pleasure of painting the set for South Pacific under the instructions of art master, Peter Herring. Such was the dedication of one pupil stage manager, Richard Mackinder (Murray 1977-82) that
working late, he was rumoured to have slept overnight in one of the beds on the set he was building for ‘Death of a Salesman’
In the second half of the twentieth century drama was formally integrated into the curriculum and an increasing number of pupils participated in different areas of the activity. Away from the classroom, in the House Drama competition, the pupils were totally responsible for the outcome, choosing a play to fit their needs: sometimes a small cast enabled a high degree of professionalism such as McClure’s production of Pinter’s ‘The Birthday Party’, produced by Barry Green and performed in the round, while nearly the whole house took part in Winterstoke’s ‘Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations’, a wonderful comic romp produced by Emmanuel Ajayi (Winterstoke 198085). And there was always an encouragement to write original scripts. The performances were not always slick, and the cast of one very under-rehearsed production from Ridgeway surreptitiously read lines of dialogue hidden under table tops or on the backs of chairs. And Peter Youngblood Hills (Collinson 1991-96) recalls Collinson’s winning play, a version of Reservoir
Dogs called ‘The Diamond Club’: “We made a film to introduce all the characters, projected onto the curtain and when it was over I was dragged through the audience screaming and spent the whole play dying from a gun shot to the stomach”. While Pablo Martin (Burton Bank) claims, “Not sure you can beat Burton Bank’s ‘Quest for the Holy Grail’? ... think we may have inspired the musical Spamalot.”
The pupils enjoyed a sense of release when they took over the Large in their rehearsal slot, with the pupil director facing the challenge of bring the cast to heel; one former pupil “notes the fun of taking over the large on a Saturday for rehearsals that always got abandoned to try and find the Mill Hill Secret Tunnels” (what secret tunnels?). And the chief memory of Mitchell Symons (McClure 1970-75) was how “we always used to find opportunities to smoke on stage, even if the script didn’t specifically call for it.”
Of course, before the advent of co-education, boys, in true Shakespearean tradition, would play the female roles. On
one occasion Jeremy Culverhouse (School 1976-81) recalls how his father, watching one of the traditional School House extravaganzas, was heard to say, “I thought our Jeremy was in this play” to which his wife replied, “He is, darling, he’s just wearing a dress”. Jeremy also recalls on another occasion when playing a nurse, he was complimented by a sixth form girl as “having some of the finest legs in our year”. (Jeremy was not always in drag and was an outstanding Biff Loman in ‘Death of a Salesman’). The first girls, in fact, were two from the Mount School who performed in ‘Antigone’ but when girls entered the Sixth form and when coeducation took hold, drama was an area where girls could make a vital contribution, long before their numbers enabled them to be competitive on the sports field.
Aruna Clinch (Sicka) (Weymouth 1996-98) remembers being among the first to perform in the new Patrick Troughton Theatre, converted from the old gymnasium, and she was later in the cast that took ‘Salome’ to the Edinburgh Fringe. Less further afield, London presented opportunities to see professional productions, though often alternative experiences
“The Play’s the Thing” MEMORIES OF DRAMA AT MILL HILL
presented themselves to the pupils: Theodor Sergiou remembers on his 18th birthday Mr Proudlock taking him to see a play in Trafalgar Square, and “let off early, I was able to have my first-ever legal whisky in a pub.” Andrew Halstead (Burton Bank 1971-76) remembers how Ted Winter, Head of English, shouted out at a visit to the Open-Air theatre to see ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, to the embarrassment of the 40 or so accompanying Fifth formers , “I have paid to hear this play, speak up” (a certain irony in that Ted was himself slightly deaf).
When a professional fight director was brought in by Mr Proudlock to teach various combat techniques to an A level drama group, Theodor Sergiou (McClure 1917-19) and other members of his class “practised the skills outside the classroom, eventually fooling the Head of Sixth Form that there was an actual fight going on in the pupil common room.” Theodor, who was on a bursary from Tottenham, recognised how “drama allowed me to introduce grassroots theatre movements and underground cultures not explored elsewhere.”
Exchanges between Joanna Potter (St Bees 1991-93) and Maureen Hatcher (Priestley 1991-93) on the Old Millhillians’ Club Facebook, recall quirky details from the production of ‘The Fireraisers’ “such as the adventure of finding a red rubber suit for the devil” and “just how many cooked chickens did we need for the dining scene! Such a fun production!”
When asked for their memories of drama at Mill Hill, former pupils have recorded how much an impact their involvement has had on them, not only at school but also in later life. Matt Bentley (Murray 2008-10) describes how he had spent 10 years at another school but it was at Mill Hill “where it felt truly
1977 1973
championed to be creative” and Matt has gone on after drama school to perform in films, TV shows, has a TikTok account with 100k followers and is writing skits and comedy routines: “I’m full time creative these days.” Others such as Peter Crussell (Ridgeway 1973-78) are steeped in Amateur Theatrics and still writing pantomimes and shows 50 years on. Beyond the world of theatre Arup Chakravati rhetorically asks “Did drama help my confidence? Without doubt. I regularly deliver keynote speeches in public but my nervousness on stage is overcome when the habits formed at Mill Hill kick in.”
Many of the contributors recall enthusiastically how involvement in drama made such a lasting impression and created so many special memories. But they also reflect a deep affection for the teachers involved in drama and gratitude for their efforts - David Proudlock, Tim Stringer, Peter Herring, Mike Miller, Richard Alain to name but a few.
Another bicentennial milestone to celebrate!
If you happened to be amongst the dozen or so Fourth Formers allocated a boarding place in Burton Bank each September, you could feel particularly favoured: a modern house with good facilities, its own large garden, football pitch and tennis court, a nearby hidden wildlife pond, the vast expanse of Park and Arrandene beyond – if not paradise, at least enough to counter all the academic and personal pressures you would meet in your Mill Hill career. There was however a slight downside: as the School’s furthest boarding house, you would need to walk to and from the main campus three or four times a day, 5 or more minutes each way. Perhaps 4000 times over the course of five years! Come rain, come shine, fog or snow, you would cross Wills Grove, start uphill past Gears and the tennis courts, cross the Cinder path and then finally climb the dozen or so steps leading to the holy grail of Top Field and Top Terrace. Your reward each time was the breathtaking view of the long frontage of School House with its Grecian six-pillared colonnade. You could not help but be struck by its grandeur, its proud statement of self-importance, its overt reference to the classical Enlightenment. It was, it is still, the beating heart of the School, a spontaneous image bringing emotions that catch in the throat whenever those simple words “Mill Hill” are spoken.
When Samuel Favell and John Pye-Smith searched for premises for the Protestant Dissenters’ Grammar School they founded in 1807 they chose Ridgeway House, the Mill Hill Village home Peter Collinson had occupied 40 years previously. The twohundred year old house was not in good repair but the rent was only £100 p.a. and it would surely offer adequate facilities for those 19 boys who arrived as the first entrants the following January. What was not foreseen was that the newly appointed
first Headmaster, Chaplain and Principal, Revd John Atkinson, would achieve surprisingly rapid pupil recruitment so that on his retirement just three years later numbers had already reached 77. The House became suddenly very cramped. It was abundantly clear to the Committee (pre-cursor of today’s Court of Governors) that even with the purchase of two small adjoining cottages, a barn and a stable together with the building of a dormitory over the long schoolroom, it was just a matter of time before more substantial accommodation would be needed. Repairs were a constant drain on resources; the boys themselves were quick to complain about the discomfort, the rats, the lack of washrooms and toilets: their circumstances did not meet their parents’ expectations! Nevertheless the Grammar School muddled along for a further 14 years and the number of boys continued to rise despite some being lured away to a rival establishment in Totteridge.
In 1824 Samuel Favell, Treasurer and de facto Chairman, steered the Committee into the momentous decision to build a new school house. They had only £7,000 in hand, but as in 1807 they lacked neither vision nor courage - they were imbued with optimism for the future. The new building, it was decided, should provide accommodation for 120 boys and 5 masters, offer 4 schoolrooms, 9 dormitories, a dining hall, sitting rooms for the masters, a library, a swimming bath and a chapel! Six architects were invited to submit designs; after much discussion that of Mr William Tite (later Sir William, and architect of the Royal Exchange in the City of London) was accepted. The cost of the building was not to exceed £15,000. It is to Tite’s credit that his work was of outstanding quality and yet remained within budget. The excavations for the foundations of the new building were
A familiar view across Top Field
Another bicentennial milestone to celebrate! 1825- 2025
Architectural drawings from the original ambitious plans for the school
Prefects 1973
carried out promptly. On 16 June 1825 Samuel Favell arrived with a large number of the Committee to lay the foundation stone. Work progressed staggeringly fast thereafter and within just over a year the move to the new building took place. Collinson’s former home was razed to the ground, although some of his garden with its unique collection of trees and botanical specimens was preserved.
In his speech following the laying of the foundation stone, Favell was clear in his belief that the building marked a new and defining epoch in the School’s history. Now this magnificent Protestant Dissenters’ edifice dominated the village spread along the historic Ridgeway, marking the Northern Heights which overlooked the City, Stanmore, Harrow, St Albans, Totteridge, Hendon, Epping Forest. And for two hundred years it has nurtured generations of boys and girls through their formative years. Favell gave thanks to “the gracious Providence which has prospered the work of the School for 17 years”. Already more than 600 boys had been educated there and he went on to say,
that “he hoped a brighter day had dawned for Mill Hill, and that it would flourish for all time”.
The Sub-treasurer, Mr Dawson, then “deposited a receptacle, cut out of the lower stone, some glasses containing the gold and silver coins of the reign of King George IV and one of the printed reports of the School for the preceding year, and he covered the receptacle with a brass plate, engraved in both Latin and English with the names of the Committee”. Favell spread the mortar with a silver trowel and the upper stone was lowered into position. To the best of my knowledge, that time capsule treasure trove survives beneath the building to this day.
It is to be hoped that the Court of Governors and the Old Millhillians will celebrate this important bicentenary in some fitting way in June 2025. School House with its iconic Portico deserves no less!
William Winfield
HM The Queen inspects the CCF in 1957 in celebration of Mill Hill’s 150th anniversary
The portico has become immortalised in sports team photographs
SRI JAYENDRA PARTNERSHIP
Socially responsible foreign trips provide character building experiences
The snappily named Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal Golden Jubilee Matriculation Higher Secondary School is in the village of Sankarnagar in a semi-rural area outside the large town of Tirunelveli about 75 km north of the most southerly tip of India in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Paul Bickerdike, (Mill Hill master 1970 – 2007)
MHS pupils in 2018 dressed in traditional clothing
SRI JAYENDRA PARTNERSHIP
This large state – almost exactly the same area as England - stretches from the most southerly tip at Kanyakumari to the capital Chennai (formerly Madras) which is about 700 kilometres north.
When I arrived at Easter in 1998 to spend a sabbatical term teaching English, I found a school with about 600 pupils aged from 4 to 17 housed in two single storey classroom blocks with asbestos roofs and a main school building under construction. The most striking thing about the school was how similar the atmosphere was to that at Mill Hill. The relationship between pupils and staff was very friendly and the pupils clearly enjoyed themselves and were very keen to learn. Maybe that last bit wasn’t quite like Mill Hill. I felt very much at home there and enjoyed my stay immensely.
When I got back to Mill Hill the whole of the UK seemed to be planning some
lavish party to celebrate the Millennium but William Winfield the Headmaster spurned such frivolity and decided Mill Hill’s celebration would be to develop some ‘Millennium Partnerships’ that would have some lasting benefit. We already had links with Ethiopia and Nicaragua. William asked me to enquire if Usha Raman the Principal of Sri Jayendra would welcome a partnership with us. She didn’t need to be asked twice!
Following a visit to Mill Hill by Usha, the Principal and Nirmal Ramarathinam the Correspondent – the two ladies who a decade earlier had founded the school - we prepared for the first Mill Hill visit. The first group of ten Lower Sixth Formers accompanied by Uschi Pulham and me set off in the summer of 2004 to spend three weeks teaching conversational English to Indian pupils. Uschi who taught English as a Foreign
Language had prepared the group for the task but we had no idea how things were going to work out.
On the first morning , a Monday, we were introduced to the school in the outdoor assembly with the entire school in serried ranks wearing smart white uniforms. Why white? The colour for the rest of the week is green but it seems that all schools in India have white uniforms on Mondays before reverting to their normal uniform for the rest of the week. Nobody seems to know quite when or why this started.
‘The foreigners’ were, and still are, treated like pop stars and get mobbed by pupils wanting to chat or get autographs, so after the first assembly it took some time to shoo the majority into their ordinary lessons so the Millhillians could begin their expertly prepared teaching. Groups of half a dozen or so pupils would sit round each
The Indian pupils thought it wonderful that they could converse with someone from another land who had no knowledge of Tamil ‘ ’
Millhillian who would have found a shady area to teach and conduct a lesson for about 40 minutes realising, to Uschi and my satisfaction, that this teaching lark isn’t quite as easy as they thought. And so it would continue: several lessons in the morning and even some in the afternoon.
The Indian pupils were enthusiastic and keen to try out their English and thought it wonderful that they could converse with someone from another land who had no knowledge of Tamil. Over the years they became far less parochial in their outlook and became more ambitious and confident in their abilities.
After lessons there was a lot of interaction between the pupils and the Millhillians. Often it was sport: basketball, cricket, five-a-side soccer and the like but also more cultural things like music and dance especially in preparation for the leaving celebration. We made visits to local
places of interest: the very large temple in Tirunelveli, waterfalls which all seem to have some spiritual significance in India – you have to go and stand under them usually in a large crowd, visits to poor pupils’ homes, brick works, temple cart ceremonies, tea plantations, the “Exhibition” which is like a travelling fair with fairground rides, candy floss and less than fascinating displays by groups such as the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. We were invariably accompanied by two groups to which the Millhillians became very attached.
One was the ‘Little Monks’. These are poor Brahmin boys who live in the school’s ‘mutt’ where they learn to chant Vedic mantras (the Hindu scriptures) led by a visiting priest. They chant for several hours each day while coming to school for their normal studies. By the time they leave they are equipped to start training to be Priests if they wish though in the
twenty-five years I’ve been involved only two or three have done so. The rest are not very holy but they can make money by chanting. In India if you buy a house, move house, have a baby, name a baby, almost any of life’s events you’ll have a ceremony, invite a priest, light an open fire in the middle of your main room so everyone is coughing and choking and get a group of mutt boys to help the priest with his chanting. If you can get a cow to come it adds to the sense of occasion. Some of the little monks have helped pay their way through university this way – once they’ve found a friendly priest.
The other group was the ‘Tsunami kids. The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami hit South East India among many other places so some areas of Tamil Nadu were affected. Like many organisations Mill Hill raised money to help but rather than donate it to one of the large charities we asked Usha Raman if she could find some needy
SRI JAYENDRA PARTNERSHIP
children for the school to take in. It took a couple of years to organize but then we got a dozen children from a fishing village near Chennai. Most of the men in the village had been at sea fishing when the Tsunami struck and all were lost and consequently the village economy collapsed.
Now the youngest of this remarkable group is just finishing his Masters degree in Cloud Computing.
Mill Hill has supported them throughout school and University.
That group has left but Jayendra has continued to take in waifs and strays who have had a difficult start in life. This has proved to be the most fulfilling and worthwhile thing I have ever been involved with. These young people are
an incredible bunch: determined and resilient, grasp every opportunity offered, they are loyal, cheerful, appreciative and are certainly trying to make the best of their lives: I have nothing but admiration for them.
Over the time Mill Hill has been involved with Sri Jayendra funds raised by those going on the trips, parents and Old Millhillians (including Indian Old Millhillians who now live in India) have amongst other things built about 50 classrooms, two science labs, two computer rooms, a conference centre, outdoor theatre, two basketball courts (one soon to be floodlit), a tennis court, an indoor badminton court and three cricket nets. There are at the moment over 200 pupils who are getting help with the fees some of whom get full support including boarding – over the
years several thousand pupils have been supported
Sri Jayendra is a thriving school with more than 2500 pupils (it peaked at 3000 before Covid but that was too many). They are non-selective but get excellent exam results. Usha Raman and the school are very well respected throughout the State and I think Mill Hill can take a tiny bit of the credit.
There was a trip from Mill Hill every year from 2004 until 2019 when Covid struck, the school went into lockdown and there were no flights or visas.
I am delighted that in June this year another group will have visited Sri Jayendra: I sincerely hope the partnership will prosper for many more years.
Old Millhillians Golfing Society (OMGS)
AGM & Annual Dinner, East India Club
Friday 1 December 2023
Raj Karia and Stephanie Jones Miller
Peter Tafler and Stephanie Jones Miller
Fred Daeche-Marshall and Stephanie Jones Miller
Derren H, Joey and Zach Carr, Stephanie Jones Miller
Colin Nunn and Stephanie Jones Miller
Beej Chandaria, Stephanie Jones Miller, Onkar Sharma
Martlet 2024/25
Stephanie Jones Miller addresses the audience
Peter Wakeham, Graham Drake, Lucia Hull, Deepak Mahtani, Zach Carr
Peter Tafler, WMT, Alan GJ, Eddie Latter, Clive Booth, Nick Priestnall, GHA, Henri Cash J Galloway, Beej Chandaria
P Tafler, WMT, Eddie Latter, Clive Booth, Nick Priestnall, Tim John, Beej, J Galloway, Paul Reik
Gordon Mizner, Derren Hamilton, Peter Tafler, Colin Nunn and Beej Chandaria
Colin Nunn
Old Millhillians Golfing Society (OMGS)
Season’s Highlights
Contact:
Instagram: @oldmillhillians_golf
Derren Hamilton: darrenh@hotmail.co.uk
Colin Nunn: colinvnunn@hotmail.co.uk
Halford Hewitt Squad 2024
Halford Hewitt Centenary Dinner - Messrs Bohn, Piercy, Daeche-Marshall, Schild, Carr, Hamilton D, Ward A, Russell and Maile.JPEG
Autumn Meeting at Deal…….a perfect blend of youth and experience!
Captain Colin Nunn with Messrs Marlborough and John
Old Millhillians Hockey Club (OMHC)
The Old Millhillians Ladies Hockey Club are now welcoming in their fourth season in the London Women’s Division 5 North West. Last season was a great success and the club were promoted into league 4!
The women’s team is growing in numbers and enjoying both the competitive and social side of the club. The team have an experienced coach, Nick Harrington, who takes the training sessions and coaches the matches allowing the team to work on improving their skills and teamwork on the pitch.
Our Captain for this season is Nicole Harvey who was involved in helping set up the club in 2021. Our Vice Captain this season is Olivia Brown. Olivia is no stranger to competitive hockey and has been playing for a number of years!
The annual end of season awards last year was a great success, held at Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club. Everyone is always welcome to join including the Old Millhillians Rugby, Cricket and Football who attend for the celebrations.
Our social sec, Olivia Brown, organises regular socials which usually include the other OM’s teams and are usually great fun letting the ladies celebrate their hard work throughout the season.
Looking into next season, we are really excited to play new clubs and progress as a team together!
If you are interested in joining, we are welcoming all hockey players to join a fun and competitive team. Why not join the Ladies XI team – reach out on the information below!
Contact: Instagram: @omhockey
General email: omlhc@gmail.com Ladies XI Captain info [Nicole Harvey]: 07827 933 920
Another win for the team
Kimberly Balcombe getting a lift Half-time team talk
End of season dinner held at TMCC
Team 2024
Contact: Ann Bunyard Club president
E: annbunyard@icloud.com
TMCC website: www.totteridgemillhillians.com
Totteridge Green, London N20 8PB T: 020 8445 5331
“On behalf of Mill Hill School and our Sports Department I would like to give you an update on our cricket programme and how we would be delighted to build upon the existing relationship with the already active and vibrant Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club. We recruited Jamie Diamond as the new Head of Cricket at Mill Hill, we had a very strong list of applicants from ex international players (including some that had played and won a world cup!) to experienced professional coaches and everything in between. Jamie will be responsible for cricket across our foundation including both Belmont and Mill Hill. His first priority will be growing our cricket culture at MHS and working alongside Totteridge Millhillians to grow the pathway for our young players to feed into the club, this not only benefits TMCC but helps us in our goal of increasing the number of school children who play club cricket. Jamie will work to ensure to ensure Totteridge Millhillians is at the forefront of our minds when we design a development plan for cricket at MHS. I foresee various opportunities that include coaching opportunities both here and at the club as well as a chance for MHS pupils to use your facilities. We look forward working closely with the club over the coming years and continuing to build on the history and our relationship with OM Sports Clubs”
Aaron Liffchak MHS Director of Sports
Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club (TMCC)
Match day catering between innings
New Head of MHS Cricket Jamie Diamond who played this summer with the TMCC
TMCC cap
TMCC Cricket X1 in training
TMCC First XI
The Sunday team
Old Millhillians Rugby Football Club (OMRFC)
The 2023/24 Rugby season saw OMs back playing in Herts Counties 2 for the first time in a while following the previous year’s promotion. An upward trajectory for the club and a long time coming.
After a strong run which saw the team win 5 on the bounce including beating league favourites Brunel University at their home ground along with a big Friday Nights Lights victory over Saracens Amateurs at Stone X, the club were setting sights on a potential back-to-back promotion coming into the New Year.
Yet with a flurry of injuries in key positions and a narrow loss to other promotion favourites Ealing at home it meant another ascendency was off the cards but a push for a solid positioning in our first season in a new league was to be commended. The team achieved their start of season ambition of a suitable showing in the league and a mid-table finish.
It was great to see several young OM’s join the club, notably James Allen who made the natural step up to the choccy and whites from the school during his gap year. Also mentions for Benji Bergman, Harry Weymouth, Adam Rohald and Theo Sonning who all made their debuts and turned out for the team several times during the season.
The season delivered a number of fantastic performances, with Joe Wray once again proving to be a leader amongst men alongside the craft and brilliance of Ben Calder, Alex Nylander, Silas Jeffrey and new Aussie man Jack Redden.
The new season has started, and the boys have navigated a tricky early set of fixtures, now looking to press on and make a better finish than the season before. With it comes the hope of providing some additional games, welcoming Uni and schoolboys into the fold and showing them what the club is about and how they can join.
The connection with the school has been an ever present and prioritised relationship, and with the growth of Rugby at the school, it can only lead to bolstering the stock of the OMRFC in years to come. Nothing highlighted this more than the inclusion of schoolboys to the club’s End of Season Dinner.
Feel free to get in touch, we train on Wednesday nights at Stone X and play Saturdays. All are welcome and we hope to see some new faces soon.
Contact Instagram: @oldmillhilliansrugby
Twitter: @OldMillhillians
Facebook: Old Millhillians Rugby Football Club
2023/24 Season Honours
Player of the Season
Jack Redden (Non-OM)
Player’s Player of the Season
Josh Webb (School 2008-14)
Top Try Scorer
Josh Webb (School 2008-14)
Clubman of the Year
Phil Hadji (Murray 1999-05)
Social Man of the Year
Joe Wray (School 2003-07)
OMRFC team at StoneX stadium
Winning our lineout
An incredible evening celebrating another successful season
Graham Chase, OMRFC Chair Ben Nash and Stewart Wernham
Left Josh Webb, Players player of the year award
Left Joe Wray, Social man of the year award
MHS leavers attending the awards dinner
Old Millhillians Football Club (OMFC)
Old Millhillians FC finished off a solid season 2023/24 earlier this year, securing a mid-table finish and reaching the semifinal of the league cup. They also played the inaugural OMFC vs Mill Hill XI game on Old Millhillians day, running out 2-0 winners.
The new season has started, and the first handful of games included a 6-1 opening day win, a comfortable 2-0 victory against Winchmore Reserves (a side three divisions above them), in the first round of the Middlesex Cup.
The team is targeting promotion and has moved to a new home ground at Maccabi Lions FC on Rowley Lane. Recruitment is still open for 24/25 season, and we would encourage any OM to get in touch if they would like to play.
George Ghaffari (McClure 2006-10)
Contact: Richard Whelan (Cedars 2005-10) E: wheelstravels23@gmail.com Instagram: old_millhillians_fc
OMFC 2024
Team talk
Old Millhillians Day, OMFC with the MHS football players
THE FOUNDATION
MHS Head David Benson Foundation Day, Mill Hill School
Friday 21 June 2024
Good morning all of you. Wonderful to be here. My name is David Benson, Head. Been Head here at MH for nearly two and half terms, taking over from Ms Sanchez, who many of you know well, and continue to work with in her role in the Development Office.
Of the many words of advice Ms Sanchez was kind enough to offer me, the central importance of Foundation Day was one topic that really stuck. How the chapel service should run, the order of the prizes, where a missing trophy was likely to turn up if it couldn’t be located at the last minute (that did happen). And – most importantly – the fact that there were very high expectations over the Lunch.
I will do my absolute best to keep this and all the important traditions of Mill Hill going, I can assure of that. There are very few schools with such a rich history and prestigious alumni as Mill Hill, and that is very precious quality. As you listen to the performances and speeches today, or applaud your friends for winning their prizes, or even win a prize yourself – take a moment to think of the Mill Hillians who have sat in these seats before you, because there is a real power in being part of that community and that history. And do take time to talk to the many members of the Old Millhillians Club who have been kind enough to join us today.
One more word on prizes. These have been very competitive, and there are exceptional pupils who have achieved brilliantly who have not one. And of course real success does not come just from winning prizes – important though that is. It comes from being resilient when you don’t win. So I hope that takes the edge off any disappointment.
Wonderful to be here with Leon Roberts – Mr Roberts as you know him – our Guest of Honour. Always love hearing Mr Roberts speak, and I can’t wait to hear his words of wisdom. As you know, this is Mr Roberts last term here at Head at Belmont. From September he is taking on a bigger role in the Mill Hill group as our first Director of Prep, overseeing a number local preparatory schools which have joined the group. I can say with full confidence that the Headteachers he will be managing, and the staff, pupils and parents in those schools, are extraordinarily lucky to have him.
In his time as Head at Belmont, Mr Roberts has transformed the standards and quality of the school, and it is now considered to be one of the best in the country. I am personally very grateful to him for that, because Belmont’s success becomes – of course – Mill Hill’s success in many ways. I’m also very grateful for the personal kindness and
encouragement he has shown me as a new Head in the group, which is no different I expect to the encouragement he showed many of you as pupils.
And of course there is an neatness about Mr Robert’s being the Guest of Honour at this particular Foundation Day, as he may well mention. Because when he started his tenure as Head at Belmont was the same time as many of our current Sixth Form were starting theirs. And now, as you come towards the end of your journey through the Foundation and look towards the next stage, so does he. Life has a funny way of throwing up these moments of symmetry.
I won’t speak for too long myself – main event is the prizes, performance and our Guest of Honour – but if I may I will deliver a brief Head’s Report of the year, a whistlestop tour of the last 10 months. The caveat here is that – of course – I will not be able to list every event or achievement, and am not attempting too. I am also not just focused on the ‘important ones’ – because they are all important. I have picked a varied and representative flavour of the many things we have achieved as a School.
And that leads us to today.
Many, many more things as I say – not even attempting to capture everything.
Taken together, it is hard to conclude anything other than Mill Hill is a very special at an exciting stage of its evolution. Our setting, our facilities, our history, our culture, our fabulous alumni network – these are all very distinctive strengths.
If you are new to Mill Hill today and are just starting to appreciate this, I have a suggestion. After lunch, take a postprandial stroll around the grounds. Might need it. My preferred route is across the Heads lawn, past St Bees on your left, down onto Colinson field, across to Farm Road, Gears on your left, and then back up that gentle hill.
And just when you reach the steps to Top Field, you will see the columns appear in the distance ahead of you. I honestly believe there is no better view in UK education. It’s a view that help but lift your spirits and your sense of ambition. And it speaks to what a wonderful place to work and learn Mill Hill School is.
SEPTEMBER ‘23
• Mill Hill welcomed back alumnus Jamie Hartman – songwriter and producer, and OM - as the Guest of Honour at Foundation Day
• New courses introduced into Sixth Form offer including BTEC Sport and Digital Media, alongside the relaunching of Dance at MHS
• Inaugural Music Scholars’ presentation evening and concert, led by Mr Hanson
OCTOBER
• Mill Hill School welcomed their new Head, David Benson – yours truly
• And as you may know I am either the 33rd Head or the 32nd Head of
NOVEMBER
• 6th Formers raise nearly £7k for Movember
• 1st XI Hockey & 1st XV Rugby Shirt Presentation Evening, Mr Leffchick and Mr Bajak
• 4th Form Trip to Cologne
• St Joseph’s in the Park joined the Mill Hill Education Group – seventh school
• Mill Hill unveils its new School uniform – most of you wear properly (talk more about that in September)
• We introduced morning Tour and Talks commence and see over 900 guests visit the School during Mid-Week Open Mornings
MHS, depending on your counting methodology. I will give a Head’s Commendation to any pupil who can explain where that ambiguity comes from – so mull it over during lunch, perhaps ask an OM or too – and then come and find me after.
• Mill Hill host the Canadian Rugby team before their match vs England. One of our own, Ms McKinley Hunt (history) was in the squad.
• Our first Staff and Parents bike ride departed – do join up!
• CCF, Corps of Drums performance for Foundation Day
• CCF, Royal Navy cadet sailing course at the Welsh Harp
• First open morning
• Pupils studying Spanish, take part in XI (11th) Annual Hispanic Theatre Competition
• Mill Hill officially launches our new partnership with Saracens
• U15 Rugby/Netball Tour to Dubai
• Act of Remembrance with incredible knitted art installation, led by Ms Green
DECEMBER
• Atkinson win House Drama
• Christmas Gala Concert, in the Large
– over 150 pupils performing a range of jazz and Classical showpieces
JANUARY ‘24
• Cambridge University School Chemistry Challenge – with pupils winning awards at different levels, including Gold
FEBRUARY
• This month was Holocaust memorial week- particularly poignant given world events. Assembly began with a beautiful musical piece by two of our Music Scholars, Violinist Tommaso L (Upper Sixth, Murry), and Pianist Adam G (Upper Sixth, Priestley). Ms Kleimberg (Teacher of Psychology) and Ms Sanitt
• Music for Remembrance – service in Chapel with our flagship Chapel Choir and Chapel Brass including fanfares on quad
• Staff and parents alike were charmed by the Musical Theatre Showcase
• 9 Lessons and Carols – dozens of alumni were welcomed back for a magical evening of wonderful music in Chapel
• Music Scholars’ Recital in Burgh House, Hampstead – listed venue for professional chamber recitals
• Mill Hill School pupils raise money for Homeless Action in Barnet – raising £1,000 to purchase sleeping bags and other essentials.
(Head of German) led a powerful assembly where they retold the remarkable story of Sir Nicholas Winton, a non-Jewish, British man, who dared to risk his life by rescuing 669 mostly Jewish children from Czechoslovakia. We also heard from Kurt Marx, close family friend of current Mill Hill pupil Ella Kaufman, Fifth Form, Winfield.
• Inter-house Hockey – McClure victory
• CCF, Corps of Drums in the Lord Mayor’s Show in central London
• Remove Community Action group host Christmas Party for the Good Neighbours Scheme
• We had an ISI inspection – more on that later.
• Kingshott – v successful co-ed Prep school in Hitchin joined the group
• Farrow Prize: after 4 and a half hours’ Heats, a special final resulted in Zoe Simon winning the Helmore Cup and Leila Fahri winning the overall singing competition as Farrow Prizewinner.
• Candlemas Evensong in Chapel with the choir.
• Lower School Ski Trip to Austria, with 50 pupils.
MARCH
• Mill Hill were successful in the 9th Annual Schools French Drama Festival at King Alfred school, with performance of a French play. One of the judges, Pierre Pillet, Head of Modern Languages at Charterhouse, singled out our pupils for their excellent comedic rapport and the totally convincing relationships between the three characters.
• Mill Hill welcomed novelist Sophie Hannah for World Book Day.
APRIL
• The Independent Schools Inspectorate published the findings on the inspection, confirming that MH is one of the leading schools in the country. Standards were described as excellent across the board – and upgrade from the previous inspection in 2020 – and inspectors awarded Mill Hill a ‘significant strength’ in co-curricular provision. Significant strengths are
MAY
• Public examinations began for Fifth Form and Upper Sixth pupils
• Mill Hill hosts the London Schools Film Competition, another example of the vision and tireless work of Mr Minnet.
• May, Prime Minister announced a GE – doesn’t seem to be going terribly well – but one good thing was that the flagship policy of National Service was trailed across the media with a picture of the Mill Hill CCF, which was a stock
JUNE
• Sports Day 1 with Sports Day Finals happening *today*
• L6th Pupils take part in the Senior Physics Challenge
• 4 Remove pupils take part in the Olympiad Online Junior Physics Challenge
• 2 Art Exhibitions – GCSE and A Level
• We completed a 3 year Residential Trip Plan completed, give you an overview
• Vienna In Spring – the first concert of the year and collaboration with Belmont and Grimsdell parents with newly formed Mill Hill Community Orchestra accompanying the Mill Hill Choral Society, it proves a hit with 220 parents, pupils, staff and OMs who were invited back.
• Mr A ‘Fritzy’ Albrecht is awarded for 30 Years of Commitment of service as a Cadet Force Adult Volunteer.
• Olympian OM Mike Corby is welcomed back to Mill Hill – he even plays some hockey with the 1st XV
the highest accolade a school can be awarded on the current framework, and go to v few schools, only when they are doing something obviously sector leading – which is just what Mill Hill does with co-curricular. Report was a testament to the hard work of pupils and staff, including leadership staff such as Mr Dickin and of course Ms Sanchez, who worked so tirelessly in the period 2020-2024 to build towards that inspection result.
photo journalists reach for when talking about armed forces outreach into school. Mill Hill already does a very full programme of national and community service of course.
• Mill Hill welcomed back OM Tim Phillips, former All English Lawn Tennis Club President.
• Big Band/Jazz Bands gig at Pizza Express, King’s Road, Chelsea –professional venue
• Chemistry Olympiad – multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze winners
• Mill Hill hosts the Barbarians FC for some vital pre-match training, before their game with Fiji – I was fortunate to be asked to join a photo with them, which I then immediately texted to my Mum – she wrote back, ‘I wouldn’t try to tackle them, they look quite tank-like’
• The Mill Hill musical Grease ran four stellar performances, Mr Gatherer and his team did an exceptional job, as did lead characters Sydney Beare played Sandy, and Andy Nicolaides played Danny, supported by an incredible cast of 60 pupils.
• Inter-house Netball competition –School House win – Netball programme has of course gone from strength to strength here under Ms Gibson, who will be sorely missed next year.
• McClure Instrumental Music
Competition Final was won by Adam Geller, which Joshie Green and Seb James also winning round prizes.
• Mill Hill launches ‘Our Advice to You’ a collaborative project between pupils, staff and OMs – do google Mill Hill ‘our advice to you’
• CCF, Corps of Drums leading St George’s Day Parade at the Cenotaph
• Abbots Hill School in Hemel Hempstead, very well regarded girls independent school
• U6 Valedictory Service
• CCF Newcastle Competition
• Pupils, parents and staff enjoyed the Sport Scholars BBQ on Top Terrace
• Mill Hill hosted the Schools Triathlon with over 850 competitors and raising at least £120,000
• CCF, Contingent dinner at the Tower of London
• Second Open Morning
• Enrichment Week coming up –
Academic Deep Dives / Careers
Education / Pre-season and India
Zimbabwe
San Sebastian Grenada
And several other places
• CCF, Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Expeditions
Chair’s report Gordon
Mizner
This is my first report as Chair of the Old Millhillians Club. I succeeded Peter Wakeham at the AGM on 4th June this year. My first task is to thank Peter for his amazing service to the Club, and to pay tribute to his hard work in transforming and modernising the Club over recent years, but also for his mentoring and patience with me as we implemented the succession.
As a result, the Club is in a healthy position, with a Life Membership scheme agreed with the Mill Hill Foundation, and with more activities than ever, engaging and communicating with more OMs. For this to work we must have a strong relationship with the School and the Foundation, and for that I want to thank Anthony Spencer (CEO) and the present and past School Heads David Benson and Jane Sanchez. Now to several specifics.
Stephanie Jones Miller has just completed her term as President – the first female President of the Club. Stephanie’s term has been
OLD MILLHILLIANS CLUB
highly successful, and she has been enthusiastically received at the many UK and Overseas OM events she has attended. I want to thank Stephanie for her commitment and am sure that she will remain a key figure in the Club in the years to come, and that she will be the first of many more female Presidents and Club officers.
The Club office, led by Laura Turner, located in the Old Bursary at the School, has been completely redecorated and as I write is in the process of being furnished. Aside from its use as the Club’s administrative office, we intend to use the space to receive OMs and hold career talks for groups of Mill Hill Pupils –we hope to get these going towards the end of 2024.
Martlet has become and remxqains the key communication of record for the Club with its members. Under the stewardship of Clare Lewis together with Laura Turner it has become a publication of professional standard. As Peter indicated last year, with rising costs we would like to encourage more OMs to read the e-version which has a good page turning facility. I am sure that the printed version will be around for the foreseeable future, but printing and distribution costs can only go one way.
The OMC events programme continues to grow and remains a focus for the Club. These are the prime means through which OMs get to keep in touch and meet. All the event organisers are to be thanked for all the hard work they put in to make these events a success. John Hellinikakis and Clive Sutton have been coordinating the events calendar and budgeting on behalf of the Club and their efforts have brought considerable benefits to the marketing and payments systems for all our events. I have been particularly delighted to observe at
the events that I have attended the presence of younger OMs. This needs to be a continuing focus for the Club as the demographics change with the Life Membership scheme. The careers elements of the Professional Networking events provide opportunities for school pupils to find out more about specific career paths. These along with the Club’s Careers website, which requires further content, supports the school’s careers guidance.
OM sports have always been a way for OMs to stay connected and indeed build new friendships when leaving school. Many thanks to Dave Kelly for overseeing the Club’s engagement and support of the various teams. Rugby, Golf and Fives have of course been successful activities for many decades. New sports to attract a wider group of OMs have been the more recent focus. Nicole Harvey (Womens Hockey) and Richard Whelan (Mens Football) are to be thanked for setting up and organising OM teams in local leagues. We hope these will become fully established and sustainable in the coming years, and that we can introduce other options for young OMs.
I hope that all the activities that the Club is undertaking and developing will provide networking opportunities for more OMs and that we can reflect the changing demographic of the Club members in the years to come.
In celebration of 100 years of science at Mill Hill, William Winfield recalls lunch with the school’s most famous scientist Francis Crick OM, FRS in San Diego, California in 2003
I was interested to receive earlier this year the on-line article written by the School Archivist, Francesca Forte, in which she reminded us that this year we celebrate the centenary of the opening of the Crick Building, aka the Science Block.
The Great War years were a grim time for Mill Hill. Even before the War had ended, Dr McClure had set up a committee of Governors, parents and Old Boys whose remit was to establish a War Memorial Fund. The Fund was to have three strands: firstly to offer scholarships to educate sons of Old Boys who had fallen in the War, secondly to erect a Gate of Honour in which would be recorded the names of the Fallen, and lastly to plan and build a new Memorial Science School on the lower, south-west side of the Quad. Whilst the memorial scholarships and Hamp’s neo-classical Gate of Honour were achieved with commendable speed, it would be a further four years before the new Science building was formally opened in February 1924 by HRH Edward, Prince of Wales in company with the recently appointed Headmaster, Mr M L Jacks.
In the hundred years since that event, generations of Millhillians have benefited from the provision of excellent Science teaching in that well-conceived building. Within months of its opening the young Cecil Goyder had achieved radio communication with New Zealand. Numerous others
went on to pursue distinguished scientific and medical careers. The building survived the Blitz and a serious fire in 1956. In tribute to the Old Millhillian who became a Fellow of the Royal Society, a Nobel prize winner and a member of the Order of Merit, in 2013 the Science Block became the Crick Building. Four years later, Francis Crick also gave his name to the medical Institute newly created opposite St Pancras Station in London in recognition of his contribution to the understanding of the genetic code.
Reading Francesca Forte’s article took me back twenty-one years. In 2003 the Court of Governors generously offered me two months sabbatical leave so that I could visit educational institutions in California, Australia and Scandinavia and seek fresh ideas in secondary education which might feature in the next stage of our academic development plan. Part of that search included thoughts on the design and function of the embryonic bicentennial Favell Building which was already uppermost in my mind.
My sabbatical was also an opportunity to link up with former colleagues and OMs abroad. At this time Roddy Braithwaite was busily writing his new history of the School and had created fresh links with some distinguished OMs, amongst whom Francis Crick. And so it was that, one fine morning early in May 2003, I found myself on a plane taking me down to San Diego in response to an invitation from Dr Crick. He had kindly organised a car to drive me the short distance to the Salk Institute at La Jolla. My contemporaneous diary recounts my first impressions on meeting this eminent Old Millhillian.
Francis Crick (Ridgeway House 1930-34), molecular biologist, biophysicist and neuroscientist chatted over lunch with William Winfield in San Diego, California in 2003
Crick received the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for the determination of the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the chemical substance ultimately responsible for hereditary control of life functions.
I was guided up to the top floor where Dr Crick has his office. We greeted one another and I presented him with the DNA-inspired print the School had commissioned for the occasion and which I had brought over specially. I couldn’t honestly tell whether he liked it or was appreciative. He put it to one side and presented me with a recent edition of a scientific journal which has a complete reprint of the original 1953 article in which Crick and Watson announced their discovery to the world.
Our conversation at first was a little halting, as though both of us were trying to work out exactly why after nearly 70 years it should matter that the current headmaster of your old school, born long after you left the place, should come and want to re-visit the past with you! But after a few minutes of rather inconsequential conversation, Dr Crick appeared to relax and became increasingly warm and welcoming. I also began to feel more at ease.
Francis Crick is a complex mixture of razor-sharp academic (ever the Cambridge don) and charming, slightly self-effacing, elderly Old Millhillian who after a little gentle prompting seemed keen to reminisce about school life in the early 30s and wanted to know what MHS is all about today. In appearance he looks rather like Leavis or Auden or Isherwood in the 1960s – a rather weather-worn face, the skin on his hands flaky and sunburnt, an open-necked shirt but with cardigan and jacket despite the warmth, hair sparse but long and slightly dishevelled, his eyes sharply blue and focused. It was evident that his is still a highly active and acute mind and that he is anxious to
keep his research going at the Salk, still keen to work with colleagues around the world (he thinks email is wonderful) on his latest project which is looking at the way the conscious mind works: in 10 or 20 years’ time, he feels, his research may well help achieve a better understanding of and treatment for schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, strokes etc.
Dr Crick generously invited me to lunch at the top of La Jolla Hotel where the restaurant offers a fine view over avenues lined with palms and deep blue jacaranda which stretch down to the Ocean. After lunch he agreed to pose at the table with me for a couple of photos.
I had been wary of asking his permission for this at first but he agreed very readily and almost gave the impression of enjoying playing to the camera. He is rather overwhelmed by the amount of attention he has received this year and is slightly dismissive of the 20 international conferences marking the 50th anniversary of his and Watson’s groundbreaking discovery. However he recognises that this is all a valuable exercise in raising public interest which may well help fund-raising in the future. He said he has consented to give only two interviews, both to scientific journalists whom he knows personally. Otherwise would-be correspondents get a pack of handouts.
We talked about his research, microbiology, genetics, eugenics, his work with James Watson (fond memories of Cambridge at the time), his family (twice married with successful academic children), his love of San Diego, especially the colours of the sea, his delight in living in a warm climate
Francis Crick was in Ridgeway house, he won the Nobel Prize in 1962
(he still swims regularly). He spoke of the problems of British universities and their funding although was complimentary of the Medical Research Council.
On Millhillian matters: few memories of his headmaster, Maurice Jacks, but he has kept in touch with a dwindling number of contemporaries, including H Foss. He remembered particularly Richard Dimbleby (organist in Chapel playing Old Man River very slowly as the Headmaster and Chaplain came in); he disliked rugger, played tennis as his main sport while at school, joined the Fifth Form on arriving as a 14-year-old and moved through the years quickly, but found the latter stage of the Sixth Form rather boring. He spoke fondly of Lionel Bee (his housemaster in Ridgeway), Norman Brett-James (a longserving master) and two or three science teachers. He said that Mill Hill’s strong reputation in science was well-founded and the facilities were good at the time - this was what attracted him and his father to Mill Hill (his father had also been at MHS under McClure). His eyes twinkled as he remembered breaking school bounds on a number of afternoons, sneaking home to Uphill Road (where the family now lived after leaving Northampton) in order to get some decent food.
I left Francis Crick mid-afternoon and tried to gather my thoughts on the flight back to San Francisco:
He is a remarkable man, a delightful and caring host. He remains spry at 86 despite a little osteoporosis (he walks with the aid of a stick although says he hardly needs it), still drives a big Mercedes, retains a good memory for detail, speaks
with such modesty, concision and authority on a whole range of subjects but is equally happy to share details about his family and personal beliefs. He said that as a young man he had already begun to move away from his family church-going tradition; he has had no religious faith for many years. By the end of our conversation I had realised how totally happy he is in his American life. He seemed to find the idea of travel now as really unattractive and I doubt he will ever return to the UK. Partly that is his age, but I think it also comes from a sense of genuine inner contentment. I feel privileged to have been allowed to share some of that sense of fulfilment that has come from his life’s many achievements.
Twenty-one years after, I find that the notes I wrote at the time reflect all too inadequately the impact that our meeting had on me, but perhaps they still offer some insight into the modest but epic man I had the honour of meeting. I was, I believe, the last person from Mill Hill to talk with him at La Jolla. Sadly, Francis Crick passed away just over a year later, in July 2004.
Si monumentum requiris circumspice (if you seek a monument, look around). Sir Christopher Wren’s famous epitaph is apt when we come to think of Francis Crick. Yes, we can look and admire the Crick Room, the Crick Building, the Crick Institute. But this monumental Millhillian taught the world how to look at, and understand, DNA.
The Crick Building, aka the science block is 100 years old. It was opened in a grand ceremony in 1924 by HRH, Prince of Wales alongside Headmaster Maurice Jacks
The Francis Crick Institute in King’s Cross, London was opened in 2016 and is a biomedical research centre. The institute is a partnership between Cancer Research UK, Imperial College London, King’s College London, the Medical Research Council, University College London and the Wellcome Trust
New Young Old Millhillians (YOMs) Leavers 2024
Atkinson
Dara Aujla
Mythily Bhoja
Jacob Coyne
Edward Curtis
Charles Graville
Adam Hillman
Sachin Kendell
Liam Marshall
Joshua Miller
Annabel O’Carroll
Luke Rigby
Otto Terry
Seona Woods
Isabella Yaghnam
Dominic Yakavitski
Hei Ching Yiu
Cedars
Collinson
Inaaya
Macgregor
Annabel Bendie
Hiu Lam Chow
Jihyun Kang
McClure
Angelina
Chrysanthou
Jacob Deyong
Olivia Emden
Neel Goenka
Aden Jaffa
Grace Keenan
Patrick Keenan
Noah Keller
Osemudiamen
Mike-Aigbe
Riva Pindoria
Xiaoli-Mei Robson
Max Shukov
Toby Skelly
Charlie Smith
Luke Speed
Dominic Ward
Louis Yeager
Murray
Priestley
Ridgeway
Aanya Chawla
School
Rehan Choudhry
Weymouth
Ming Hei Au
Edward Boyd
Maya Davis
Yvan Elliott
Jayden Herman
Dante Kuet
Aidan Lowe
Samuel Matthews
Ethmi Rathnayake
Gabrielle Ratnavel
Daniel Synnott
Ruhan Verma
Ryuki Watabe
Winfield
James Bolland
Aiden Browne
Zac Carter
Amaira Chawla
Luke Chesney
Leon Eames
Leyla Fahri
Louis Fluet
Ilya Galkin
William Goldsmith
Christopher Ioannou
Lara Karpati Alexander Kaymakanov
Jamie
Benjamin McMunn
Alexandros Politi
Renee Regis
Carolina
Leo Selvi
Sonny Stringer
Benjamin Waller
Sebastian
Tolosa-Sarner
Patrick Willifer
Alice Worthington
Ralph White
Juliette Moehl
Luca Moncaster
Nader Muhtadi
Luca Nicopoullos
Casper Priest India Smith
Sasha Turner
Hollie Vaswani
Nicholas Wright
IN MEMORIAM
Afriat Alan (Weymouth 1948-52)
Bewsher Gowen (Weymouth1948-52)
BONNEr ALAN (RIDGEWAY1951-55)
Hart Michael Past MHS Headmaster
Horton Richard (Winterstoke 1965-70)
Hurst Elwin (Scrutton 1948-52)
Isaac Geoffrey (Collinson 1945-50)
MacIver Ian (Winterstoke 1972-79)
Rose Andrew (Winterstoke 1959-64)
Rossington Richard (Burton Bank 1946-51)
Shaw Charles (Weymouth 1958-63)
Sherling Jonathan (Murray 1998-2003)
Weavers Paul (M c Clure 1970-75)
Wilkinson Tim (Murray 1965-70)
OBITUARIES
Gowen Bewsher
(Weymouth 1949-62)
January 1935 - May 2024
Gowen Bewsher, who died on 14th May 2024 aged 89, was, perhaps best known in OM circles for his History of the Old Millhillians Club – Nobis – which was written to celebrate the Club’s centenary in 1978. To his lasting chagrin, the publishers who produced the work at cost, inadvertently printed the third, rather than the fifth, and final, draft! In 1993 Gowen became the hundredth President of the Club (the ninety eighth OM) and the first from the fully post-war generation. He was made an Honorary Member in 2002.
He became a Life Governor of the school in 1963 and was elected to the Court of Governors in 1974 where he served for twenty-four years, nineteen of which were spent on the Finance and General Purposes Committee, of which he was chairman for the last five. He was a trustee of “Jacks,” the trust set up by the late headmaster to ensure rewards to members of the common room for extra services and devotion to the School, as well as the Winfrey Scholarships and University and Prizes Trusts. He was closely involved in the work leading to the Foundation becoming a company (something which he always maintained was “the third foundation”) and, with others, was an enthusiastic instigator of Grimsdell, the Foundation’s successful pre prep. On retiring from the Court in 1998 he presented the Speech and Drama Prize to the School, having earlier instigated The Gowen Trophy for leadership through service at Belmont. He partnered with David Smith (1938-43) in the creation of the Buckland Society which later became Mill Hill Enterprises.
Gowen played for the OM Cricket Club for many years and was elected a Vice President when he retired from the game. He was the Club’s team secretary for a time but his best contribution to the club was, perhaps his editorship of the OM’s column in the School Magazine, a task he carried out for some twenty years as well as editing and designing the first printed versions of Martlet – having assisted in the gestetner operations of the very first editions evolved by the Club’s then Hon Sec, and Gowan’s great friend, David Smith. A liveryman of the Needle Makers, and a Freeman of the City of London, he attended the OM Livery Association lunch as often as he could and was its fourth master. For many years he was a Freemason. and Master of his Lodge three times, attaining London Grand Rank.
He entered School House – Scrutton – from Kingsfield, Wilf Sobey’s prep school. He was in the 1st and 2nd XI for hockey, 3rd XV for rugby and managed to hit the clock on Parks
Pavilion from the crease at cricket, earning the rest of the schools a half day holiday. The death of his father, also an OM, caused Gowen to leave Mill Hill early, well before his A Levels, but he was no scholar, a shortcoming beautifully summed up by the Head Master, Roy Moore, in a school report: “He gives so much to the School. What a pity he takes so little from it.”
After National Service in Germany with the RAF, where he claimed to have spent two years playing hockey, Gowen settled into a sales career before joining a marketing, advertising and PR agency called Group Four, of which he eventually became, with his wife Angela, the owner. He occasionally appeared on radio discussing advertising and the law, on which he lectured to a number of law societies and firms. Selling the business in 1996, the couple retained homes in the UK and Spain.
Gowen leaves Angela, a cousin of another OM, Douglas Austin Reed (1916 – 20) who was more or less a contemporary of his father, Gordon Bewsher (1914-19), and five children from a former marriage, the eldest of whom, Guy was at Mill Hill in the seventies.
Gowen Bewsher
ALAN BONNER
(Ridgeway 1951-55)
1 December 1937 - 9 Sepember 2024
It is with profound sorrow that we have to inform you of the death of Alan Bonner on Saturday, 9th September at 11.45am. He was a great Old Millhillian. He had been ill for sometime, but the OMs who went to see him stated that he still had his old spirit despite being in considerable pain. This has not been a good year for the Oakers with the deaths of three Alans, Vincent, Toulson and Bonner and Andy Mortimer.
Alan Bonner came to Mill Hill from St Paul’s Choir School, where he was a leading chorister. He had a very good treble voice and sang many solos in the School Chapel until his voice broke.
He played rugby and cricket, alternating between the 2nd and 3rd teams. When he left Mill Hill, he joined the Old Millhillians Rugby and Cricket Clubs. He was also a good Mathematician at School and he subsequently trained and qualified as an Actuary, studying mainly at evening classes.
He played several years in he OMRFC First XV in the late 50s and early 60s, which at that time had a first class fixture list and sometimes beat the Saracens, Wasps, London Irish and Northampton sides. The team Alan played in also included two England players ,the ex-captain of the Oxford University XV and a number of players representing Middlesex and Herts. Alan was awarded a Presentation Cap in 1961/2.
Gerry Westoby (Ridgeway 1956-61) recalls first meeting Alan on the rugby pitch back in 1962, when he managed to squeeze into the OMs 1st XV as a centre three-quarter. Alan, who played on the right wing, was speedy but had a somewhat unique style. He seldom passed the ball, which was frustrating, but hey-ho, it was only a game!
Alan eventually became a partner at Greenwells, a large firm of stockbrokers, which was bought out by one of the big banks in the financial boom of the late eighties. Alan had travelled a great deal and when the firm was bought, he decided to retire and devoted his time to investing his proceeds of the sale in smaller companies & pursuing a number of hobbies.
In later life, Alan was a Mill Hill School Governor and his somewhat forthright questions to the main guest, usually the Head, at the East Anglian (Cambridge) Dinners were a legend. He took great delight in asking rather difficult questions of the respective Heads of School, He was also a Liveryman of The Company of Actuaries and served as Master of The OM Liverymens’ Association a few years ago. He was a bon viveur, enjoyed horse-racing and was also a churchgoer.
He was a very practical person and happily renovated two houses, the second being Widdington Hall, where he lived for many years. Those of you who received Christmas cards from Alan, should realise that he had a talent for art. His paintings were either surrealism or cubism or just Bonnerism. He had a joint exhibition in Giverny, north-west of Paris, which is Monet country. He held several exhibitions in Cannes, where he was lucky enough to have a flat and he was also a great collector, buying mainly at auction, particularly old books which he skilfully rebound to match the original bindings.
Alan’s first wife, Clare, died in 1998 and they had two children, Lucy and Henry both of whom went to Mill Hill School. He later married Aveen, who he met in Dublin, who very kindly helped in compiling this memoir.
Charles John Massey Dawkins
(MHS 1918-23) 13 July 1905 - 18 August 1975
Born in Hampstead, North London, Charles was known as Massey to his colleagues and Jack to his friends. He was named Massey because his father had been given his first job by a member of the Massey Haria / Ferguson tractor family. After school, CJMD went on to Emmanuel College, Cambridge before studying medicine at the Middlesex Hospital. Qualifying in 1929 he became resident anaesthetist there. The next year he married his wife secretly and then publicly when she qualified as a doctor. He held several honorary hospital anaesthetist posts but before the National Health Service it was impossible to support a family on the meagre fees for private anaesthesia, so he and his wife went into general practice. In 1936 he proceeded to MD Cambridge and passed the newly created Diploma of Anaesthesia.
In 1942 faced with a patient too ill for general anaesthesia he gave the first epidural to be employed in Great Britain. This was reported in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Anaesthetist of Medicine in 1946. From then on, he was one of the foremost advocates of epidural anaesthesia with international recognition. In 1954 he made a film showing the technique and its use for Caesarean section laying the foundations for what has become a standard method of pain relief in labour. He taught me as a trainee in 1988 and became a friend. He helped my career, and I honoured him by getting him into the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Adrian Padfield (Burton Bank 1950-55), a Liveryman of the Society of Apothecaries and a noted anaesthetist himself, CJMD was his mentor: ‘as a student at St Bartholomew’s hospital, I was attracted by anaesthesia and after qualifying in 1981, proceeded through training until in 1972 I became a consultant to the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. Following in CMJD’s footsteps I became President of the Royal Society of Medicine, Section of Anaesthesia, in 1994. He helped start the History of Anaesthesia Society and donated £1.00 for the Periodic Table in the Science Block for Xenon, which is Block for Xenon, which is an anaesthetic gas.’
Alan playing for the OMRFC 1964-5, sitting front row, second from left
Alford House September 2023
100 NOT OUT
A CENTURY OF OLD MILLHILLIANS AND ALFORD HOUSE
Alford House was founded in 1884 by Frank Briant who defined its objectives as “to promote the mental, moral, physical and spiritual well-being of the young people of Lambeth.” The delivery may have changed over 140 years but the objectives and the need to achieve them haven’t. The need for such resources for the young people of the area is as acute now as it has ever been, perhaps more so. It is crucial that Alford House continues and indeed expands what it does and its reach. In 1924, Briant inspired a young Millhillian, George Goyder, to volunteer at Alford House after he left School; he was soon joined by others including Richard Buckland who sat on the Alford House Board for an incredible 60 years. Since then, countless OMs have dedicated their time, expertise, and funds to supporting the charity. This rich tradition continues today under the leadership of current OMC President Graham Chase, formerly an Alford House Trustee.
It was in 2000 that Nigel Baker, the Club’s then Chair of Trustees and now President, began the quest to refurbish and reconfigure the buildings. After some false starts and disappointments, the work finally started in 2023 under the initiative entitled Alford@70 –For the Young People of Lambeth.
“It is an honour to be representing the Old Millhillians Club at Alford House today… and a privilege to support this incredibly important initiative for young people that has such a rich history within the community.” The words of Stephanie Jones Miller at the Alford House celebration on 15th September.
Mill Hill School has been supporting Alford House for 100 years
OMC President Stephanie Jones Miller
Cutting the cake
The main hall at Alford House prior to refurbishment
Alford House’s main hall now looks warm and friendly
Alford@70 – For the Young People of Lambeth is so-called because it was conceived and launched in 2021 to mark the 70 years of occupancy of the Aveline Street buildings after they were repaired following extensive bomb damage in WWII. The Alford@70 refurbishment was split into two phases to enable the Club to continue to run its activities for the young people throughout. The Club’s Estates Committee, a wonderful example of OM commitment to Alford House, has overseen the project. This Committee comprises Club Manager Tim Saunders, Chair of Trustees Nick Priestnall and Old Millhillians Nigel Baker, Chris Lloyd, Jon Rosswick and the indefatigable and brilliant chair William Maunder Taylor. It also received outstanding help from Andy Halstead who personally oversaw the now completed contract for Phase 1, primarily focussed on the North Building, within the budget guidelines, quite a feat in an old building.
September 15th also celebrated this completion of Phase 1 of the refurbishment. Alford@70 is now in the home straight as we are working on the design and building costs and on raising funds for Phase 2. This comprises essential works to the South Building much of which will not be visible or have an immediate impact on our work with the young people (new roof, wiring, pipes, lighting etc). However, Phase 2 will also contain something very exciting, the very heart of Alford@70, the driving reason behind the whole project: the youth hub! In the hub, the young people will be able to get fit, make music, do homework, get personal support for their challenges or just hang out with friends. Most significantly, the hub will be open immediately after school, something we cannot offer now, providing a safe space for young people during a period identified by police and others as a vulnerable time for them.
To run the additional activity and serve more young people we will need additional human resource. As another strand of Alford@70, we have secured wonderful generous funding from a charitable trust with strong OM connections for a substantial increase in youth worker hours . So all we need now is the building in which they can work.
Construction inflation over the last few years has been a challenge. When conceived in 2021, Alford@70 was expected to cost less than £2m. The bad news is that it now looks like being closer to £3m. The good news is that we have now passed £2.4m pledged. We also have grant applications pending which, if they all come off, together with the recovery of some VAT from Phase 1 could get us to within £250K. When we achieve the fundraising target, the Board will give the go ahead for Phase 2, hopefully to start in summer 2025 and take around five months.
Alford House may be a small charity but it is a big part of its community and has a big role to play in the future of its young people.
Alford@70 reflects the lives of all those the Club has touched over the last 70 years and all those lives it will touch in the future. Alford House Trustees, Staff, Volunteers and young people thank all those Old Millhillians and members of the wider Mill Hill School community who have generously supported the club with their donations, time and expertise over the last 100 years and those who will help in the future.
Contact : Chair of Trustees: Nick Priestnall E: nick@alfordhouse.org.uk T: 07850 484488
Alford House board and managers with Lambeth MP
The board are working to ensure Alford House is fit for purpose for another 100 years
OMs Mike Peskin and Alford House President and Board Member Nigel Baker
Alford House Board Members OMs James Orloff and Chris Lloyd
Past and Present OMC Presidents at Alford House
Alford House provides a safe space for local youth
The Old Millhillian Liveryman’s Association (OMLA)
Guildhall, City of London
Thursday 19 September 2024
Next year's lunch is already in the diary for 14 May 2025
Contact: Honorary Clerk: Adrian Williams Bell House, 72A Old High Street, Headington, Oxford OX3 9HW T: 01865 741 057
Old Millhillian Lodge (OML)
I am thoroughly enjoying my year as Worshipful Master of the Old Millhillian Lodge. We meet in February, April, September, and November.
I have been a member of the Lodge for 8 years and it has been tremendous fun. We support charities close to the Club such as Alford House and the School’s History Department in the form of a prize in the name of Allan Phimister, a former Head of the School and Lodgemember. Last year we raised over £10,000 for prostate cancer in memory of Richard Horton, a former Lodge member.
We hold open evenings in Spring and Autumn for anyone interested in joining the Lodge and in Freemasonry in general.
Ross Maunder Taylor (Ridgeway 2002-07)
Contact Old Millhillians Lodge 5752: Secretary: Clive Sutton E: Clive.j.sutton@btinternet.com
Chris Maunder Taylor and Chris Kelly
Mike Leon and Adrian Padfield attend regularly. The Liveryman’s Association is keen to add members
David Short, on the right, with guest MHS Head David Benson
Martlet 2024/25
L-R Ravi Dadlani, Ross Maunder Taylor, Kirill Arakcheev
Adrian Williams, David Short and Stephanie Jones Miller
New President Welcome
2024-25 Club President
Graham Chase (Burton Bank 1966-72)
I cannot give a precise date for my first visit to Mill Hill School, but it was about 1962 when I was 8 years old, with my brothers Gordon 7 and Michael 6 – just three years between us resulting in my Mum having the first nappy service in Neasden where we were born and lived.
It would have been a Sunday as my Father, Frank, would usually take us to Kensington Gardens round pond to sail our boats except when the weather was bad when he would find something else for us to do whilst Mum cooked Sunday lunch. A strange wet day option but all became clear when my Father explained to his 3 bemused sons, sitting in the back of a Ford Thames van in Wills Grove in the middle of Mill Hill School, that this was where he had grown up. He was born in Holloway where his Mother ran 3 second hand clothes shops but his Father, Augustus (Gus) was a professional cricketer and Head Groundsman and cricket coach at Mill Hill School.
I am not clear when Gus Chase was at the School but apparently he was there for 24 years including his WW1 service as a trooper in India. I believe he therefore may have started the job in in McClure’s reign and finished it with Maurice Jacks, who at the time was the youngest appointed Headmaster of an Independent School. A further clue is that Gus was responsible for levelling top field which was during McClure’s tenure and was the first head Groundsman to occupy Park Lodge, the timber clapperboard house in Wills Grove fronting Parks and the cricket pavilion and still the head groundsman’s cottage to this day, 100 years later.
I remember my father explaining that it was a very special school and that when he was living in Park Lodge he was not allowed to speak to the boys who would be filing along the BB path. I also remember being fascinated by everything being painted in chocolate and white colours, which at the time appeared to be a very unusual combination. I think it was Gordon who asked if we could attend Mill Hill but the response was brief along the lines of
not in a million years as Dad drove the Ford Tames van out of the bottom of Wills Grove. Those few facts have stayed in my memory ever since as I never expected to end up as a pupil at Mill Hill
Mill Hill School
However, the world is a strange place and at the age of 12, in my first year at Willesden County Grammar School, I was handed a circular by the form teacher who suggested I might apply for something called a Middlesex Scholarship. I had no idea what it meant and left it in my desk for a few weeks before taking it home. My Father was not best pleased at the delay but explained it was for a state aided place at Mill Hill or Harrow and asked if I wanted to apply but that I had to make up my mind there and then because the closing date was in two days’ time and he only had a 2nd class stamp!
Conscious of my family’s link with Mill Hill and with the look on my Father’s face, I knew I had to say yes but did not really know what it was all about. I remember the interview in the Headmaster’s study with Roy Moore and Chris Sutcliffe and not doing too well with the simultaneous equation put to me to solve but perhaps rescued my chances by pointing out the Ionic columns outside the study window on the Portico. On about 6th September, bedecked in a new school uniform comprising a tweed jacket and itchy trousers I arrived at Burton Bank where I was to spend the next 6 years of my life.
I will never forget that first day and the realisation that this was all very different to my home and family life to date. I was introduced to Mr Stanham the House Master, the House Tutor
Hockey team, Graham back row, circled
Newly appointed President Graham Chase and MHS Head, David Benson
Michael Peskett and Matron together with the Head of House one CAH Lewis who was in his Oxbridge term and secured a place at Trinity College Cambridge. That evening, I had the obligatory singing test by Sydney Barlow which I remember trying so hard to fail but found myself in the choir which carried with it the surprising benefit of a 4th Sunday exeat every term. I think I quietly cried myself to sleep that night and wondered how it would all turn out.
My academic achievements were not great. I was younger than the rest of the boys and initially struggled with boarding with the result that I ended up going round the removes twice. However, that seemed to work as I secured sufficient O levels for the VI form and although English Literature gave me up via Tim Corbett at the end of my Lower VI I secured two respectable A levels and for which I am eternally grateful. Without the patience and dedication of the Headmaster, Michael Hart and the teaching staff I do not believe I would have achieved very much on the academic side which is rather bizarre given my later academic activities. I put it down to being a late developer.
But my time at Mill Hill was mostly happy and in the summer of 1972 I was so very sad to leave. I had the privilege of playing for the 1st XV rugby team, and the Hockey 1st team for 2 years. I had been captain of fencing and runner up in the Public schools competition in 1969 and selected for the 72 Munich Olympic training squad although I did not progress further.
Rather strangely for the hippy and flower power days of the late 60s and early 70’s I found a welcome home in the RAF section of the CCF rising to the rank of Under Officer, even with my longish hair held up in a hairnet under my berry. I loved flying and secured my gliding A&B pilots licence at just a few weeks after my 16th birthday. I became a staff cadet and gliding instructor at
RAF Halton with the school allowing me to attend every Sunday. I went on to win an RAF Flying Scholarship at Biggin Hill which I completed just after my 18th birthday and a few months later passed the General Flying Test for my pilots licence.
Present day
Both Mill Hill and the RAF were a little surprised at my decision not to pursue a place at Cranwell and a career in the services but at the time I rather fancied a go with BOAC who were offering scholarships for pilots at Hamble Flying School. Unfortunately, that option was closed off when a company called Court Line went bust with BOAC & BEA taking up the 200 trained pilots on the market, closing down Hamble.
At a bit of a loss my Father once again was an influencing factor and knowing I liked dealing with people and not tied to aa desk suggested I might try my hand as a chartered surveyor. I enrolled for the RICS exams and after time at Willesden College of Technology and Central London Polytechnic passed them and secured my first job at the BBC in their estates and planning department surveying the stars at Broadcasting House and Television Centre. It also meant I could play rugby, hockey and cricket for the Old Millhillians. Another OM, the incorrigible Al Riley, was also at the BBC, in a building close to me in their contracts department signing up the stars for a BBC pittance salary. Not surprisingly the BBC Club became very familiar to me and it was there that I met my wife to be Fiona.
Fast track with a spell at Ladbrokes Racing I was able to secure employment in the shops agency department of a fast growing and highly respected property company of Clive Lewis and Partners. My friendship with Clive Lewis was a strong one and coincidentally his two sons, Simon and Mark and his daughter Victoria also went to Mill Hill. Clive was keen on sport with the
The Burton Bank house photo from the Summer of 1970, includes all three of the Chase brothers. Graham 2nd row down from top (in colours blazer) Gordon 3rd row up after those seated 4th from right and Michael seated row1st on the left holding a cup
firm winning many of the sporting competitions that were the focus of the property industry at the time. As a result, I have 3 Estate Agents winners tankards and a couple of King & Co Cricket competition medals to prove the point.
Clive Lewis and Partners merged in difficult market conditions with Edward Erdman which was my cue to set up my own business of Chase & Partners which survived well for 25 years until 2022 when I transferred it to new owners and now trading as Chase Sinclair Clark. I am now an employee of that company ass the Senior surveyor and also hold a position as Chief valuer for Barnsdales a national company based in South Yorkshire and where I also run their London office.
My career as a chartered surveyor has opened up a whole world for me well beyond my normal working activities. I have held several positions at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and in 2005 was elected President, a role that has taken me around the world. This has brought me into contact with a vast array of individuals from many backgrounds and cultures. I have met and negotiated with Prime Ministers/Presidents and royalty. Some of my most memorable meetings have been with the No3 Minister of China, The King of Spain the Finance Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer of All India, The Foreign Affairs Minister of Vietnam (who taught me how to cross a road safely in Hanoi) and the Home office Minister of Australia. I have unknowingly swum with Sharks near Sydney, sat on something poisonous in KL, ate fish lips and fish tripe with the Mayor of Beijing and ate the hottest curry of my life with the Mayor of Mumbai.
I have always been interested in Alternative Dispute Resolution and have been an arbitrator for some 30 years and was appointed a chartered arbitrator in 1999. This has let me in to some of the biggest private disputes in the UK and recently included the MOD estate of 48,000 properties where I sat as one of a 3 panel tribunal chaired by Lord Neuberger.
The City of London has also been a fascination of mine coupled with my property investment activities. I have been an active Freeman of the City of London for over 35 years. Firstly, as a Liveryman with the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors becoming its Master in 2014, following on from another OM Stuart Hibberdine, Master in XXXX, sitting on the Court of the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators and as the Honorary Surveyor to the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists who has had as its Master another well-known OM, Roger Graham.
Education has always been important to me, I have been a Governor of several schools both in the state and private sector and was a Governor of Mill Hill for some 8 years chairing the
Estates Committee and being responsible for the removal of nearly all the temporary buildings, which had become permanent and delivering the Favell Building on time and on budget.
One of my greatest challenges was setting up the Saracens Multi Academy Trust as its Chairman which included being summoned to a meeting with the then Secretary of State for Education to explain how a professional rugby club could sponsor and promote a new state school in Hendon, the second most deprived area of London. I managed to persuade him that it was a no brainer and pleased to say the rest is history.
President of the OMC
Becoming President of The OMs Club is perhaps unfinished business as I was Vice President at the time I resigned, with others from the Court of Governors of Mill Hill School but stepped down from the role as I agreed there was a perceived conflict. That was a tough time in my relationship with OMC but my support and belief in the importance and relevance of the Club and the success of MHS has never wavered or been diminished.
I do not believe there has been an OM who has held the position of Vice President on more than one occasion or a Vice President who did not become President, but it has just taken longer to achieve than is usually expected. If nothing else I have had a bit of practice before taking on the main role.
My involvement with the Club from committee member to event host to President.
I have held so many positions within the OMC that it is difficult to recall them all. I was the Quinquennial Member of the Council from about 1976 before that role was abandoned. I was a Member of the OMRFC committee some 40 years ago for about 15 years and back on the same committee for the last couple of years.
I was a member of the Centenary Celebration Committee chaired by David Petrie and was responsible for securing Kenny Ball and his jazz men. It was a massive exercise and logistical nightmare with the dinner held in the largest marquee I have ever seen on Top Field and the dancing in the Large. There was so much going on that we overrun the dinner by over an hour. I was dispatched to explain the position to Kenny and his band and was amused to find that many of them had taken to the bottle while waiting and were all very merry. Kenny was none too pleased as he was worried he would not get them on stage but he did and it finished off a spectacular evening.
I set up the OMs in property group with Stuart Hibberdine and Nick How over 40 years ago which apart from the pandemic has had an uninterrupted annual dinner at either the Cavalry & Guards Club or National Liberal Club.
My installation as Master of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors at Plaisterers Hall
Wakeham and Graham Chase are regular attendees at OMs Day
I was a Trustee of Alford House for some 14 years before handing over the estates side to Bill Maunder Taylor of looking after and developing the building in Lambeth where it has been since the 1930s and where success on its development has recently been secured.
I played Rugby for OMRFC for 25 uninterrupted seasons from 1972 to 1997 apart from a year when I was hospitalised with concussion. This included several west country tours where I was tour manager and chief negotiator with hoteliers in persuading them to have us back the following year. I played for some 15 seasons for the OMCC and hockey for the Sunday OMs team for some 5 years in the early 70’s when the wonderful Gordon Stannard ran it.
I have been so very proud of the improving fortunes of the OMRFC with a tremendously talented team under the inspirational leadership of Ben Nash. The team have recently and deservedly moved up the leagues and played some of the most attractive rugby I have ever witnessed at junior club level. I have been fortunate for my company Chase & Partners to have sponsored OMRFC for several years and delighted that it may have had influence.
Similarly, I have sponsored Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club with the outgoing President Ann Bunyard, Wife of the late and much missed Tim and Mother of the talented Simon, who has done a wonderful job in keeping the OMs in play, so to speak.
Vision for my President year
I have been fortunate in my career to have held a number of prestigious posts but to have been elected as President of the OMC by those who have known me for so many years makes me feel immensely proud. As President my role is that of an ambassador for one of the most successful and long running organisations of its type. That is a significant burden but one that deserves my best shot and where I will do everything possible to finish my year with the club in an even stronger position than when I started.
I will be working closely with the Executive which will be chaired by Gordon Mizner who is taking over from Peter Wakeham at the
same time I become President. Peter with his enthusiasm and ability for organisation has transformed the organisation of the Club over the past few years since taking office. The changes have been significant and provide then Club with the means to strengthen and survive for many years to come. Had it not been for Peter, the prospects for the future of the Club and its ability to support one of the most dynamic private schools and education foundations in the county would have been much more limited
Therefore, as president my role is to represent members and ensure that their needs are put to the fore so that the Executive team can deliver and link with the MHS Foundation in a meaningful and productive way The areas where I will be looking to exert my influence as President will revolve around this needs and market opportunities to the advantage of the OMC and MHS.
In doing so I will b e looking to strengthen and widen the sporting activities of OMs by looking at the reintroduction of the OMs Sports Club to facilitate a stronger infrastructure and focus for a wider range of sporting activities for all leavers of MHS.
I have been particularly impressed by the rise and success of OM women’s sports including cricket and hockey as examples but there are many more sports of the OMC to pick up and develop and I hope I can move this growth forwards to give greater opportunities.
The networking and career guidance offered by members of the OMC to the MHS Foundation is a tremendous initiative which needs more resource but is already reaping dividends from then linkages and support it offers. There are other areas to improve the community profile of the OMC with MHS and I will be looking into ways as to how that can be developed further.
With the MHS Foundation having several schools in its portfolio and a wider alumni network the strengthening of the OMC with Mill Hill school, and its community is a key opportunity for the future growth and health of the OMC and I hope to be part of that development and future. This will include my support to develop more bursaries and emulate the golden years of the Middlesex scholarship scheme.
