Huddy
Tonbridge stayed with him all his life. How he relished the Skinners, the huge honour of becoming Master, the rhyming graces which became his hallmark and inevitably, he was President of the Old Tonbridgean Society for many years. Tonbridge and Oxford, these were the two institutions that formed his mind and stayed with him all his life. What did he achieve in his life? What is his legacy? He and Liz arrived at Radley in 1964, persuaded to come by Simon Langdale and appointed by the Warden, Wyndham Milligan, who saw immediately that he was right for Radley. The golden boy brought a golden wife and what a hugely attractive couple they were. He was a junior form master, he taught History with knowledge and inspiration at every level, he coached all games, he became an outstanding and much loved Tutor and then became Sub Warden. In sum, he held every post he could and gave his magic, sometimes literally, to them all. And after 24 years, he moved here to Pangbourne to become equally successful as a Headmaster. And yet there was this enigma. This wonderful, successful record was achieved not by some confident, loud, ambitious schoolmaster on the make. Here was a very talented man who portrayed himself as diffident, almost hesitant, someone who gradually cultivated self deprecation to an art that can only be described as world class. For example: Huddy is taking his Junior Colts team to Harrow. He is greeted by an old friend from Oxford, Tony Beadles and a young assistant, Peter Warfield, who had played rugger for England. Hardly had Huddy got off the bus than he says to Tony, “I’m not sure why we have come This is one of the weakest sides I have ever coached.” “O,” says Tony. “I must see the referee before the match starts to tell him that if the score at half time is embarrassing, he must not hesitate to blow the whistle early.” Tony knows this from of old. “Well, Huddy,” he says. “This happens to be a dreadful Harrow side. Our outsides are hopeless. You will score every time you have the ball.” The former England rugby international is incredulous. “What are you both talking about? This is the last match of the season and everyone knows both sides are unbeaten!” 38
the old radleian 2015
Huddy’s experience as an outstanding schoolboy set a standard for everyone in his charge. Yet it was tempered by his own anxieties and thus he understood, and had great sympathy with, those who did not find school easy, those who struggled with their academic work, those who did not enjoy games, those who had shifting sands at home. He had this instinctive understanding of the wholeness of humanity that shone through all the roles he played. Some felt that these qualities were so appropriate to being a Housemaster and Sub Warden that he should have remained at Radley but his talent demanded a larger stage. And here it must be said that the example of Dennis Silk as Warden had the most profound influence on him, and Huddy, like so many of us, owed Dennis a huge debt of gratitude. As Headmaster, his apparent gentleness seemed at odds with the naval traditions of this College but everyone soon learnt that there was steel in their new leader and the size of the College meant he could know everyone. He was a house mastering Headmaster. He knew that morale and confidence were key to achieving the best possible standards and there was no better place to excel than on the rugby pitches and on the river. To that end he sought new members of Common Room with that legendary advertisement “Wanted. Renaissance Men. Old heads on young legs” – in reality, a mirror image of himself. Pangbourne became even more formidable as all schools, including Radley, found to their cost. A very high standard of rugby was played and in 1992 the VIII won the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley – and it does not get any better than that. And the crowning glory, of course, is this Chapel. Very few Headmasters have built chapels in the last hundred years and here is not only a school chapel but a national memorial Chapel opened by the Queen, with Lady Thatcher, in the congregation. This great venture demanded vision, faith, persuasion and persistence. He created a team around him and as he always said, if the original idea came from Admiral Sir Sandy Woodward, it could never have been built without the generosity and personal support of his friend, Sir John Madejski. This is not
only a beautiful building, it is a symbol of the importance of the Spirit in a secular age, the importance of togetherness as communities fragment and remembrance of those who served their country. This is a stunning achievement and how right it was to read of it in that wonderful obituary in The Times. This Chapel has to be central to his legacy but it is more than matched by the affection in which he is held by his pupils, their parents and his colleagues. His kindness and generosity, his extraordinary ability to make everyone feel important, his support of those who found life difficult, all these qualities meant that he won our hearts. That is his true legacy. The final question – one that is much the hardest to answer. What was the essence of the man? What was at the core of his being? At the centre of his life was his marriage to Liz, his children Robin, Nicky and Lucy and all the grandchildren, of whom he was immensely proud. Huddy could never have achieved all he did without Liz. Their marriage was a great partnership and they marched side by side together through the good days and not so good days, through these last few years of ill health with extraordinary courage and through all the other years with style and laughter and, of course, with legendary hospitality. Hudson parties were on an epic scale with the very best wine and food, always in their own home and thus everyone could enjoy the wall of history books and the fabulous watercolour collection and know what civilisation meant. The more I have wondered about what made him so special, the more I think of a quality that may surprise you in a Housemaster and Headmaster – his apparent vulnerability. Not vulnerable in the sense of being wounded but in the sense of his humility. That vulnerability made people want to help him and want to play for him and thus brought out their very best. He was so transparently decent, his goodness shone out of him. And this has to be based on his belief in God for whose worship he built this Chapel and he lived his life by that Christian spirit. He was a great schoolmaster because his humanity was wider than just the schools in which he taught. He was a great schoolmaster because he listened to his