Sir John McClure and the Old Millhillians Club

SIR JOHN Mc CLURE WAS APPROACHED TO BECOME HEADMASTER OF MILL HILL IN APRIL 1891 BY TWO OLD MILLHILLIANS FROM A SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE MILL HILL SCHOOL COURT OF GOVERNORS. THIS SUBCOMMITTEE WAS CHARGED BY THE COURT OF GOVERNORS TO FIND A HEADMASTER TO TURN AROUND THE SCHOOL’S FORTUNES. BUT WHAT MOTIVATED OLD MILLHILLIANS TO APPROACH Mc CLURE TO LEAD THE SCHOOL? M c CLURE WAS WITHOUT DOUBT A LARGER THAN LIFE CHARACTER, CHARISMATIC AND LEARNED. HOWEVER, AT THE TIME OF HIS APPOINTMENT HE WAS THE RELATIVELY YOUNG AGE OF 31 AND LACKED A TRACK RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT AT A SENIOR POSITION IN A STRUCTURED EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENT.

In a letter, featured in ‘McClure of Mill Hill’, a tribute biography written by his daughter, Kathleen Ousey, McClure writes that he was approached for the appointment of Headmaster by two Old Millhillians friends, Ernest Hampden Cook (187477) and Thomas Arnold Herbert (1878-81), whom he met while studying for a Masters at Trinity College, Cambridge, 1882-86. His relationship with these two Old Millhillians was to prove invaluable: a combination of sheer numbers of Old Millhillians on the Court of Governors and their continuous financial support meant Old Millhillians had effective control of the School and these friends were able to gain support for him across the Court. The offer to McClure of this prestigious headmastership, with hardly an explanation, dramatically changed his circumstances from being an irregular earner without a clear future elevating him to a prominent position with a regular income.

the School, on the point of closure as pupil numbers had fallen to an unviable level – a mere 61 pupils, needed a similarly dramatic turnaround in fortune.

After the comparative failure of McClure’s predecessor, Charles Vince (Headmaster 1886 - 1891) to increase pupil numbers, the Old Millhillians and Court were determined to revive the School’s fortunes. McClure knew that he was taking on a risk and might fail. Nevertheless, the Old Millhillians had rallied, found their man, and were determined to succeed.

However, having found a Headmaster, there was one further problem to contend with. Since the School was not a viable concern, it did not have the funds to secure McClure’s employment. In one of his last acts as Treasurer of the School/Court of Governors, Thomas Urquhart Scrutton (School 1840-42) wrote to the sub-committee tasked with finding a new Headmaster that additional funds needed to be raised or McClure could not be confirmed. A confidential letter was then circulated with an ambitious target of raising £2,500. The response from Old Millhillians was almost immediate and positive enabling McClure to be confirmed within days.