The Radleian LT20

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The Science Centre | STEMfest | Honduras | Pass Mock Election | Rugby Tour | Tewkesbury Abbey | Tanzania | News Geology Fieldwork | Jacob Rees-Mogg | Chariots of Fire | Hanover Square THE RADLEIAN

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INTRODUCTION I want to introduce myself to those of you in the Radley community who I have not yet met. As you will know I took over from Michael Hodgson in the summer and am very much looking forward to leading Radley Council in the years ahead.

We obviously all find ourselves, including Radley as an independent school, in very challenging political times. Yet watching an episode of the iconic BBC documentary on Radley in 1980 in which Dennis Silk contemplated Labour’s 1979 manifesto it is salutary to remember that we have all been here before. The whole point of Radley is to take the long term view – not only when it comes to the boys’ education and what skills they will need in the decades ahead, but also as regards the College. We do not think in five year timeframes. Council’s role is one of stewardship and as custodian of the institution for the next 100 years and we shall keep our eyes firmly fixed on the long term.

I look forward, hopefully, to meeting many of you in years to come.

David Smellie Chairman of Council

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THE SCI Science has a long and distinguished history at Radley. In 1847, the first year of the school’s life, William Sewell invited a lecturer from Oxford to come and demonstrate scientific experiments to the boys.

In 1862, the first teacher of science, John Durell, was appointed to the staff, but ‘science’ was already listed on the school prospectus

in the 1850s. This is among the earliest recorded science teaching in any school at that time – a time when experimental science and the philosophy of science was at the forefront of debate with the publication of Darwin’s ‘Origin of species’ in 1859. The first purposebuilt science labs were opened in 1905 in Paton’s quad (now part of

IENCE CENTRE A Social), but the Michaelmas Term saw the start of a new chapter for science at Radley with the opening of the newly-refurbished Science Centre by Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt during our Festival of Science, STEMfest. The Science Centre was originally built in 1937, refurbished in 1984 when it was reopened by Margaret Thatcher a

week after the Brighton bomb. For eighty-two years it has been the centre of scientific learning at Radley, but over that time had become tired and the growth of the school meant that more space was needed. As well as twelve custom-fitted Physics and Chemistry labs - some new, some refurbished, the development includes a state of the art 180-seat

lecture theatre, an observatory and an interactive periodic table. With new Heads of Physics (Andrew Norman) and Chemistry (Oliver Choroba) in place from September 2018, working alongside the ever-energetic Head of Biology (Michael Noone), it is fitting that we have a new department suitable to inspire a new generation of Radleians.

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STEM On 16 October we celebrated the opening of the new Science Centre with a celebration of Science at Radley - STEMfest. All Radley students along with about 80 pupils from our partnership academy, Desborough attended an inspirational series of lectures and seminars. We are extremely grateful to all of the eminent scientists who gave up their time to talk about a diverse range of subjects including Codes, Climate Change, Black Holes and DNA Fingerprinting.

STEMfest began with a documentary: The Lost Land of the Jaguar, set in the rainforest in Guyana, through the depths of the Amazon. Afterwards, I attended the Oncology seminar, presented by Dr Martin Christlieb from Oxford University’s Department of Oncology. We learnt about how they deal with tumourous cancers and their methods of tackling them. We then heard from Dr Simon Singh, a famous science author and mathematician. He talked about his books, Fermat’s Last Theorem and The Simpsons and their mathematical secrets. I

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had the honour of introducing Dr Singh and later heard how Andrew Wiles became a legend in maths by solving Fermat’s Last Theorem, a deceptively simple problem with an extremely hard-to-find proof.

Following this, we learnt that The Simpsons, the popular show, was written by mathematicians and noted references through the show to their mathematical backgrounds, spotting Euler’s identity and many others. Later, Dr McGavin, spoke about entomology and wildlife, his appearances in BBC shows, and the importance of conservation and sustainability. It was a great morning, packed with enthusing talks and fascinating shows from a wide range of scientists.

Bernardo Mercardo, H Social, Shell

With such a wide array of seminars, we were spoilt for choice. In my case, I chose the seminar given by Rudin Petrossian-Byrne on ‘The Nature of Gravity’. He introduced to my group the concept of ‘fictitious forces’ and its implications on gravity, even

proposing the non-existence of gravity! Moreover, he tackled the topic of non-Euclidean geometry, in which straight lines may be curves, and how our perspective dominates, often to our detriment, our understanding of the universe.

This excellent seminar provided a wonderful awakening of our crude intuitions, bringing an entire new aspect of reality to us.

Afterwards, the Remove year group had a lecture in the new Science Lecture Theatre from Professor Ed Anderson, a University Lecturer and a tutorial fellow at Jesus College, Oxford. His ‘Shining Light on Organic Reactions’ presentation was about photocatalysts that could isolate certain compounds within large molecules; allowing bicyclopentanes (BCPs) to be created. He then enlightened us on the huge potential of these BCPs in the pharmaceutical industry, due to their ability as surrogates for many crucial, but toxic compounds. In all, we were greatly enlightened on how light can be so revolutionary.

Russell Kwok, C Social, Remove

Mfest We were lucky to welcome Dr Simon Singh to the opening of the new Science Centre and he brought with him an original 1936 Enigma machine. I, along with two others, were privileged to be able to question him about the machine.

We learnt how the machine worked, why the code was so difficult to break and why breaking it was so instrumental in shortening the War. After the introduction, we asked about more modern aspects of the Enigma. Dr Singh explained how this box, which is over 80 years old, still has new details being discovered about it. However, what intrigued me most was that this was not the most complicated code used or broken in World War Two. Dr Singh discussed other big names in code breaking, such as Bill Tutte and Johnny Flowers who arguably achieved a greater intellectual task but are less wellknown than Alan Turing. When asked why the cracking of the Enigma has been remembered more than the breaking of other codes, such as the Lorenz Cypher, he replied: “This was the workhorse; it was used all over the German military and the

information which was derived from it was very important in changing the face of the War”. He added: “The more we remember those who made engineering contributions, mathematical contributions [to the War] the better.” This perfectly encapsulated what this day was about: celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths in the world and at Radley.

Felix Cripps, J Social, Fifth

The lecture by Professor Peter Atkins, a fellow at Lincoln College, Oxford and a prolific writer of chemistry textbooks, drew on his comprehensive expertise in the subject to deliver his presentation, ‘What is under the periodic table?’.

Whilst the lecture was academically challenging with many of the concepts being complex even to the chemists in the room, Prof. Atkins shared a highly-engaging and thought-provoking talk to the 6.1 on an interesting and mind-twisting field of elemental chemistry. After the quality of the first lecture the

bar had been set highly, and the next lecturer certainly matched this.

We were lucky enough to welcome Dr George McGavin. He was a lecturer at Oxford University before appearing as a presenter on BBC documentaries in recent times, namely the BBC’s series Expedition. He was also recently elected president of the Dorset Wildlife Trust. George showed his extensive knowledge and experience of travelling all around the globe researching insects, working with Orangutans and crawling through fallen trees, to deliver an extremely informative and entertaining lecture documenting his travels and interests as an entomologist.

STEMfest was a unique and enjoyable event and an excellent way to open the new Science Centre.

Freddy Loveland, A Social, 6.1

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HOND After Gaudy 2019, while most Radleians were settling in to begin the summer holidays, a group of 28 Radley boys and two Desborough students were busy packing bags for a two-week expedition to Honduras, set up by a third party organisation called Operation Wallacea. Operation Wallacea is a network of academics from universities who design research expeditions, focusing on conservation management. Staff working for Operation Wallacea include university students, PHD students, and university professors.

Operation Wallacea implements research expeditions in 15 locations, including Honduras, Malawi, Indonesia, and Transylvania.

The following morning of July 8th, we arrived at London Heathrow at the break of dawn. After a day of travel and a night in Houston, we arrived in Honduras, where we made our way to the Gran Hotel Sula in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. With the cloud forest hills visible on the horizon from our rooms, we were all

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eager to begin our expedition into the jungle.

Early the next morning, we loaded into a refurbished school bus, and travelled up through to the national park in 4x4 trucks. Open top trucks allowed us to watch as we transitioned from the city, through some small villages, into the rainforest. For a week, we were based at two sites: a base camp, and a more remote satellite camp, Guanalles. We were at all times surrounded by nature in some form, which proved to be a stark contrast from our normal lives. This immersion proved to be a challenge best met with a positive attitude and tolerance of large insects. The food here was surprisingly tasty, especially considering the extremely remote conditions where it was cooked.

Activities in the jungle included setting up and checking insect traps, going on treks to look for snakes and amphibians, studying bats, and doing habitat surveys to assess

plant health in various areas. We were also able to use radio trackers and antennae to locate previously chipped animals such as vipers, so that we could determine their movements at various times of the day. At night, there were some more activities including setting up a light trap to find the diversity of moths at each camp. The goal of this week was to assist scientists in monitoring the health of Cusuco National Park as part of a yearly survey, which is essential to maintaining the park.

Despite the consequential and often strenuous activity, the week proved to be very enjoyable, partially helped by the generous amounts of delicious locally-sourced coffee and baking garlic bread by the campfire.

Other activities included using harnesses to ascend to the forest canopy, a quiz night, and treks to landmarks such as waterfalls and bird mating-dance grounds. One especially memorable moment was a close (but safe) encounter with a Mexican Jumping Viper (Atropoides mexicanus), which was released at a

DURAS safe distance from the campsite.

We were also fortunate to meet a range of interesting and diverse scientists, some of whom stayed in the rainforest for months on end.

In addition, lectures given by Roy (an ornithologist) helped to educate us on some of the local issues with conservation and maintaining the park due to economic, societal and political conflicts. Although not all of us studied biology at A Level, we all thoroughly enjoyed this part of the trip - we had a rare chance to see pristine nature with little human interference, within one of the most ecologically significant regions on the planet.

PADI Open Water or Advanced Open Water diving certification, and we were privileged to do it in such a breathtaking setting. Many of the sites we dived at were within walking distance from the dive shop, or a quick boat ride away. Learning about reef biodiversity and coral health in lectures by one of the dive professionals between visiting local dive sites, was a great chance to combine practical skills and useful knowledge. It was inspirational to hear about some of the causes and effects of coral bleaching, especially since loss of this charismatic species would devastate local tourism sites, as well as destroy the underwater ecosystem.

We spent the next week in Utila, an island off the coast of Honduras, known for its amazing diving opportunities. We arrived via a tumultuous ferry ride which some of us enjoyed more than others.

This segment of the trip was a relatively relaxing break, after all our hard work on the mainland.

Most students here got either their

Some species we were able to observe were fire coral, spotted eagle rays, and cleaner shrimp. Aside from our activities, a lot of free time in the afternoons after our dives was spent sunbathing on the sun deck, relaxing in a few local bars, celebrating a few staff and student birthdays, and exploring the local town, which was a short rickshaw

ride away. Following our stay in Utila, we returned to the Gran Hotel Sula in San Pedro Sula for another night. By this time, we were all very much looking forward to relaxing in our summer holiday.

In my opinion, this trip to Honduras really exceeded the standard school trip experience. I personally enjoyed both weeks greatly, and relished the chance to visit a country with such outstanding natural beauty.

Finally, major thanks goes to all of teachers for their help and patience coordinating 30 boys through three airports: Dr Popplestone, Dr Pancrazi, Mr Sparks, and Desborough’s Ms Anderson, and all of the team at Operation Wallacea for making this such a phenomenal and unforgettable expedition, which was the last experience with Radley for some of us.

Bertie Berry and Will Beukers F Social and B Social, 6.2s

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PASS Ever since arriving at Radley and discovering the treasure trove that was the Radley Video Unit, I knew I wanted to make a film but the challenge was how to even begin. I knew I wanted to create something original and hence I toyed with a variety of plot ideas, including an art heist and a communist revolution at the College. However, after a lot of failed script ideas I finally wrote the script that would become ‘Pass!’.

‘Pass!’ is a comedy based around one boy’s (Archie Hedges) attempts to cheat in his upcoming exams after he is handed a sheet of answers by his guardian angel (George Curling).

However, soon things come crashing down when the school enlists the help of French detective style icon and occasional baguette salesman Laslo Vilbrequin (SB). Meanwhile the headmaster (AFCN) faces a challenge as he struggles to get his new school spa extension built.

I have always had a real passion for film-making. When I was around 11, I entered a film competition with ‘Bernard the Bear’. Few would deny its cinematic prowess and it was great fun to make. Sadly, though it was not nominated for the Academy Awards

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that year. I have always loved the process of seeing films come together; from the script writing to the editing, it is an immensely rewarding experience and it’s a great experience to see the finished product on screen.

We filmed our first scene in about two hours in the JCR and there were some great performances from all the actors involved. The scene was challenging to film and dialogue-heavy. We had to film individual excerpts and then edit the sequences together, whilst also ensuring that the audio remained as good as possible. We used two cameras for the sequence, a close-up camera for individual segments and a gimbal-mounted setup for wider shots.

Having now edited the scene it is easy to see how it can take feature films months to be edited. It took us around two hours to edit a simple threeminute sequence and although the results were pleasing, it truly shows the daunting task that lies ahead.

By editing the scenes as we film, we can critique the filming and performances allowing us to improve for future filmings. Part of the challenge is trying to maintain high production values whilst also ensuring

a great performance is delivered from the actors.

We have some ambitious filming planned, including a luxurious Parisian apartment and a high-speed (10mph) buggy chase sequence around the College. Not to mention a wide variety of other scenes around school.

Despite being just amateur filmmakers the facilities available to us through the Radley Video Unit are truly breathtaking. Mr Horsey has kindly helped me through the filmmaking process, from editing the script to helping out with all the filmings.

Whilst there is still a lot of work to be done for the film, I’m confident that we’ll have something we can all be proud of … and if not, then at least they’ll have been some good canapés at the premiere.

Charles Haskins A Social, 6.1

MOCK ELECTION Academic Priority Time during Election Week saw a display of passion and panache as the six candidates competed in a Hustings in Coffee Shop.

To start, Frank Barlow, representing Change UK, gave a message focused on the benefits of staying in the EU and economic prosperity. He was followed by an aptly-dressed William Brooks-Ward, who promoted his climate emergency agenda for The Green Party. His bright neon green suit and tie certainly portrayed his message. Alex Haynes for the Liberal Democrats followed this with a confident speech about inequality, social issues and the economy.

The Conservative Party’s message was clear: a modern, one nation Tory government focused on issues such as climate change, public services and security. The Labour Party, headed by Billy Powell, portrayed enthusiasm for some of the more radical policies of his party, while accurately dismantling the policies of the other parties. His justification for Labour’s private school policy was a memorable high point. To

finish, George Tompkins, representing The Brexit Party, focused on the economic and social benefits of Brexit, imploring the audience to recognise the importance of the democratic mandate. The Radley-specific policy to abolish steeplechase was also met warmly by the audience.

On Thursday December 5th, in our brand new Science Lecture Theatre (SLT), the Radley Election Question Time kicked off with the introduction of all the candidates to the lively crowd. Chaired by Mr Rathbone, there was a large range of questions. The Conservatives, Labour, LibDems, Brexit Party, Green Party and Change UK were all represented and each of the party candidates tried their best to ‘woo’ their potential voters; both in the SLT and to those watching it on live stream.

Billy Powell of the Labour Party struggled to combat Mr Rathbone’s reminder of Jeremy Corbyn’s position for renewing Trident but not using it, claiming we were dealing in “hypothetical situations.” Change UK’s

Frank Barlow reminded the audience that the party only had three MP’s standing, so their influence would be minimal but meaningful. The proposition of a “Steeplechase SitIn” was brought forward by George Tompkins of the Brexit Party and received the largest applause of the evening. On drug legislation, the parties had a broad range of responses: Alex Haynes of the Liberal Democrats proposed the legalisation of cannabis, whereas Finn McCarthy of the Conservatives justified the Cabinet’s allegations and stories of drug use by asking the others “have you been dumb teenagers?” which drew laughs from the crowd and candidates alike.

A definite highlight of the evening was the choice of suit sported by Will Brooks-Ward of the Green Party, clearly showing his “environmentally friendly” approach to leadership.

Jack Dhillon and Edward Roest A Social and E Social, 6.2s

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RUGBY TOUR Before the rugby season kicked off, we travelled to Tignes, France for the preseason rugby tour. The week was hugely successful and a positive learning experience for the Colts, as we were able to learn new moves, set piece, and to reacquaint ourselves with rugby and our teammates after a long summer, before playing Bourgoin later that week. We beat Bourgoin 21-10!

This win certainly topped off the week and really summed up the efforts the boys made in training and in the gym. This was the first time we had all been away together, so the quality time spent training together with a great group of players and coaches was invaluable. We trained on an immaculate pitch and did further sessions in the gym. Most days we had two tough sessions and then pool recovery, which allowed the team to bond off the pitch.

As Colts, we were pleased to tour with the Bigside squad. We trained at the higher standard and intensity set by the senior players, which will prove to be invaluable during the season. Both squads were put through their paces in the ‘Bronco test’, especially tough at altitude! These experiences drew the team closer.

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A definite tour highlight was meeting the coach of 2003 World Cup winning team, Sir Clive Woodward and spotting England star Sam Underhill in Heathrow. After training, we were out exploring beautiful Tignes and venturing up the Grande Motte glacier, which was a fantastic opportunity. I would like to thank all of the dons for their efforts throughout a very enjoyable week.

Harry Silman, Colts 1 Captain D Social, Fifth

Bigside Report Towards the end of summer, RCRUFC set off on its annual preseason tour and the second to Tignes in the French Alps. Tignes boasts world class facilities: a fantastic pitch, gym, indoor pool and of course, spectacular views.

Training twice a day, with time off between sessions, the balance between work and rest was perfectly struck, ensuring maximum effort on the pitch and valuable time to explore everything Tignes had to offer. A highlight was meeting Clive

Woodward, England’s 2003 World Cup winning coach.

The Backs and Forwards were able to lay the foundations for set piece, attack and defence. As a squad, the importance of organisation and teamwork was emphasised throughout, ahead of the match against the U18 Bourgoin-Jallieu side. We knew the match was going to be very competitive, but having put the hard work in during the week, we were keen to get the season off to a flying start. Winning the game by a narrow two points, 15-13, the efforts on tour and during the off-season had paid off, setting us up perfectly for a competitive series of fixtures in Michaelmas Term.

On behalf of the boys, I would like to thank all of the dons for their dedication and good humour on and off the pitch throughout.

Edward Roest, Bigside Captian E Social, 6.2

EVENSONG AT TEWKESBURY ABBEY On the 25th of September the Choir travelled to Tewkesbury Abbey to sing Choral Evensong.

Upon entering the church, the boys took in the surroundings with awe and respect. Tewkesbury has been a centre of worship since the 7th century and it formerly served as a Benedictine monastery before the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The church still exists today because the community of Tewkesbury insisted that they had the right to keep the building as a parish church, rather than a monastery. The building itself is a magnificent piece of architecture, and is one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in the country. It is also home to a sizeable crossing tower. It was said

to be “probably the largest and finest Romanesque tower in England”.

After arriving, the choir went straight into rehearsal for the evening service, in which they sang three pieces of repertoire. Firstly, the Clucas responses, written by the Cambridge choral scholar Humphrey Clucas in 1964. Secondly, The Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis from Stanfords Service in B-flat major (op. 10) (1879). Stanford wrote several different settings to the words of the Song of Mary (the Gospel of Luke 1:46-55) and the Song of Simeon (the Gospel of Luke 2:25-32).

A reviewer summarised: “The service is a major milestone in the development of Anglican Church music”. Finally, they sang “A Hymn For St Cecilia” by

Howells (1960). This piece is a setting to the words of the poem “Anthem for St. Cecilia’s Day” written between 1940 and 1942. Howells’ setting to this poem is often overlooked because of the more famous setting: “Hymn to St Cecilia” by Benjamin Britten composed in 1942, but it contains just as much emotion, as well as a soaring soprano line in the last verse sang by the choristers.

After the service, the boys and dons enjoyed a well-deserved meal at Ask Italian. A recording of the event can be found on the website.

Andrew Shaw Head of Chapel Choir, 6.2

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TANZ Just as Ben Stokes was clinching the Cricket World Cup in July at Lords, all 14 Radleians and three dons successfully summited Africa’s fifth highest mountain, Mt Meru (4562m ASL).

Summit-Day started at 1am and involved a steep climb of six hours to the summit, before a draining eight-hour descent. Lewis Baglietto (supported by DJP) found the altitude particularly challenging but showed great resilience to make it 30 minutes after this group photo was taken.

Others pictured found the rocky descent in rapidly rising temperatures more challenging, for example Justin Lam, Ivor Radway and MRJ! After a wonderful visit to Ngorongoro Crater Park, where we saw a plethora of animals, including a standoff between a herd of buffalos and a pride of lions, we headed towards our partner school, Gehandu Secondary School. A shaky three-hour bus journey later, we arrived at Mbulu town.

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It was dusk by the time we arrived at Gehandu, with a welcoming power cut. Here we enjoyed a delicious meal with our pen pals. Recent fundraising from Radley has contributed to a new boarding house, where we stayed. This allows us to spend more time with the pupils than Radley groups prior to 2018. Over the next few days we tried to learn as much Swahili as possible and got ready to teach our four 80-minute English language lessons, which was a steep learning curve, but thoroughly enjoyable. We also helped small groups with reading classes and IT lessons. Saturday was filled with outdoor leadership games, discussions and a debate on corporal punishment, something still technically allowed at Gehandu but rejected in the house vote. In the afternoon, we had our annual Football Match winning 4-3.

This was a great opportunity to bond with the students.

On Sunday, we went to Mbulu Roman Catholic Church, the fifth largest place of worship in Africa. Here we

participated in a two-hour service with the highlight being Mr Jewell’s brief speech in broken Swahili, broadcast to millions on regional radio. The whole team were then asked to come up to the front to receive a round of applause from the 2000-strong congregation!

As days went past, we grew accustomed to the school and daily routines, all the while improving our teaching and writing articles with the Sixth Form girls from Gehandu for the first Radley-Gehandu newsletter, featuring articles from the history of our Partnership to this year’s football match report. We really enjoyed collaborating with the girls and they found it very helpful to practice writing abstract pieces of their choice on subjects other than academia. On the last day, the annual Cultural Assembly was held, including songs and acrobatics from Gehandu. From Radley, a mixture of declamations, hymns as well as the Two Ronnies’ ‘fork handles’ sketch and the balcony scene from

ZANIA ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (featuring MRJ!), alongside rapping. We thoroughly enjoyed this exchange of culture and it was great to dance with the students as part of the DJ set which followed.

Whilst we were staying in the school, we also visited some of the homes of the day pupils. This was an eyeopening experience, especially on the hard work the children often do on the home farms before studying, as well as the distances they travel to get to Gehandu. We also visited Titiwi Primary School, the main feeder school for Gehandu, where the pupils receive a very basic education, partly due to the lack of books and teaching facilities.

Here we enjoyed a great game of volleyball as well as tag and singing nursery rhymes. Back at Gehandu, we got the chance to try cooking one of the school’s lunches and eat with the students. This made us realise how basic their meals are, as lunch is often their only hot meal.

The main activity at Gehandu for us

was teaching English lessons. Each group of 2-3 Radleians taught for four lessons spanning 80 minutes, delivered to roughly 60 students each time. We were surprised at how crowded and basic the classrooms were, especially the black board and the chairs. We managed to make the lessons light-hearted with ‘icebreakers’ like hangman, charades and ‘fill in the blank’, as well as using paper balls to select which students should answer the questions. These techniques helped to engage the students in the lesson. This differs from their normal lessons, which are almost entirely made up of copying down board notes. We were impressed by their ability to write English, though their pronunciation was hard to understand.

So we focused on that, having them repeat vocabulary several times until we no longer needed to prompt them what the pictures were depicting. In addition, we divided them into groups and had them practise speaking phrases they wrote with each other, before presenting their phrases to

the class. Speaking with the students after the lesson, they appeared to enjoy the lesson. We hope that the teachers use some of these techniques to help future students with their pronunciation.

Another highlight was the prep sessions we spent with the students.

Whether it was helping with essays or maths questions, this allowed us to engage with the students on other subjects apart from English. We got to know the students better in this informal setting, even having singoffs including ‘We will rock you’ and the Gehandu students’ ‘Justin Bieber’.

Memorable moments for us all!

We left Tanzania better informed about the country and the culture, but most importantly ourselves. In future, we hope more Radleians will go on this amazing trip and leave a lasting impact on Gehandu School.

Mark Lertiendumrong, James Harrabin C Social. 6.1

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NE Academic  Hamilton Politics Trip, 10th September Over 30 politics students had the exciting opportunity in September to attend LinManuel Miranda’s much-acclaimed musical Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London. With incredible dancing, showmanship, and a lot of rap, it was easy to see why the show has gained so much publicity. There was a skilful integration of historical details that added to our growing knowledge of American history and provided context on one the most remarkable, yet frequently forgotten, Founding Fathers of the United States. The dramatisation of his life, his relationships, and the revolutionary fight for independence from the British proved to be a very entertaining combination of history and music.

Jack Dhillon, A Social 6.2  Philosophy Talk, 11th September There was a big audience for our first Philosophy Society talk of the year. Dr Anders Sandberg of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute came to speak on ‘The End of the World and what we can do about it’. There are very few people who actually look at the probabilities of an apocalypse and take the results seriously, which made us lucky to have Dr Sandberg look at examples from the Cold War, to potential meteor strikes as threats of annihilation to our species. His overall tone was upbeat, however, as he looked to human ingenuity in future technologies and the possibility of escaping even the future expansion of our sun in the end, by leaving our solar system. It was a wide-ranging and eyeopening treat to start the term.

Henry Roskill, D Social Fifth  Medieval Physics Talk, 9th October Mechanical clocks, microscopes and astrolabes.

Dr Allan Chapman, a lecturer at Wadham College, gave an amazing talk about the history of European science during the Middle Ages.

The talk covered all the main fields of science: optics, mechanics, astronomy, music theory, chemistry, medicine. In these fields, medieval scientists achieved many great things: for example complete medical encyclopedias, astronomical devices and culminating with the first self-operating machines. In some fields, their understanding of the world stopped them from inventing any useful machines or procedures. However, their work 14

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laid the foundation for many scientists from the early modern period. An example of this are the alchemists who, in their search for the transformation of other metals into gold, discovered phosphorus in urine. Dr Chapman’s main point was the fact that during the Middle Ages European science didn’t just disappear.

The Church didn’t purge the scientists because most of them were also Catholic priests.

Some of them were even Popes or Cardinals.

All of this shows that, no matter the external conditions, human ingenuity always finds a way.

in which Remembrance occurs. Throughout the day, I was privileged to guide Steven Frank, a secular Jew from Holland and one of only 100 out of 15,000 to come out alive from the Theresienstadt Camp. Steven relayed to me the nights in the camp where the rabbis, with all the children, would

Mihnea Gaitan, J Social 6.1  Biology Society, 18th October The first Biology Society lecture of the year welcomed Fergus Beeley to deliver his talk on Birds of Prey. Fergus was a part of the BBC’s Natural History Unit and was a series producer on BBC’s ‘Life of Birds’. In recent times he has become an ambassador for ‘African Parks’, a charity protecting over 11 million hectares of African savanna and forests, allowing endangered species to thrive in an all natural habitat. He also founded a drive encouraging people to allow the growth of weeds and grassland in UK greenfield sites to protect this key habitat for insects and small mammals.

Fergus drew on his profound knowledge of the subject to deliver an engaging and highly informative talk on the Birds of Prey of the world, which was well received by the audience. The fact he was able to keep his own kestrel at school reminded many of us of the Biology Department animals!

Freddy Loveland, A Social 6.1  Holocaust Conference, 2nd October Radley hosted the 13th annual Holocaust Survivors’ Day, with Dame Helen Hyde. Mr Paul Salmons spoke about Britain’s involvement and response to the Holocaust and the importance of not seeing a history twisted for an attractive national identity. Mr Alex Maws then touched on war memorials across Europe and their pitfalls, placing an accent on the way

teach them the Torah, thinking they would have to be the torch carriers of the Jewish faith. I drew a parallel with my own duty, as very few survivors of this terrible crime still live, to inform and educate as much as possible to prevent a horror of this scale ever taking place again.

George Dring, D Social 6.2

WS Activities  Shell Tug of War, 8th September

According to tradition, the first Sunday afternoon of Term saw the Shells Inter-Social Tug of War knock-out competition.

The

 Shell Code of Conduct, 11th September

 Inter-Social Standards, 12th October

To mark their arrival at Radley College, each Shell boy was invited to the Blue Room to sign a book that will then serve as a record of their entry to the College, as well as their commitment to a code of conduct that should guide their behaviour at Radley. The Warden explained the College motto, read out the code and emphasised the high standards we expect of them. The Senior Prefect then presented each boy with a copy of the crest, the motto and the ten principles.

The College ‘Inter-Social Standards’ is an annual event that challenges boys to a wide range of activities testing strength, endurance, speed, agility and ergo. This year the contest featured three events: the 800m run, a two minute ergo and nerf throwing. Boys had to complete all three events to give a true reflection of their athleticism on the day.

This year, G Social were crowned Inter-Social champions.

 Books & Biscuits, 26th September

Books and biscuits is practically what is advertised. A group of people gather around a table in the library strewn with books connected by a common theme students have to guess.

The group of participants are primarily students, but some teachers who frequent the library occasionally participate as well. Biscuits punctuate this, as they are available to everybody who joins in.

However, what often occurs is an open, unguided discussion of a myriad of different topics between people in different years at Radley and different socials, functioning as what is basically an open discussion group that many attend solely for the social aspect, regardless of the books or biscuits (although they certainly help).

Alex Dayes, F Social 6.1

 Art and Design Trip, 5th November

The Fifth Form GCSE Art and Design students travelled to London to visit both the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum.

This was to gather material associated with our coursework theme ‘Flight’. We were overwhelmed by the choice of direction in which we could interpret the theme at both of the museums. We further looked at a variety of subjects, ranging from exotic species of eagles to modern fighter jets. I particularly enjoyed looking at the large collection of owls, and was inspired to incorporate them into my work.

We were all able individually to explore our projects at both museums, and were very lucky to have seen many exhibits. After taking a number of photographs, we carefully studied specific displays to make detailed drawings directly in our sketchbooks. On our return, we were able to use such detailed research to further explore our ideas for our artwork, and were able to add extensively to previous work.

A particular thank you to Mrs Tufnell, Ms Hart, Mrs Knox and Mrs Mosedale for organising the trip.

Jack Jacobs, C social Fifth

 Haddon Cup, 29th September

atmosphere was highly charged, as supporters across Radley cheered on every Shell. After an extremely exciting and closely fought battle, the Warden presented the ‘Shell’ trophy to C Social as winner. Afterwards, everyone was treated to a College BBQ on the games field.

Freddie Thorneycroft, C Social Shell

For all Shells the annual Haddon Cup is their first taste of performing at Radley and indeed for many 6.1s the first chance to write and direct a play. This inter-social competition produced a good variety of styles, spanning comedy, fantasy, and real-life drama. The quality of the plays has improved year-onyear, and this was no exception. The plays had to be produced in just three weeks, from conception to performance, so the standard was impressively high. The competition also gave several budding actors the chance to showcase their talent. The adjudicator was Tonya Daley-Campbell and she chose E Social’s play,‘How We Made the Haddon Cup’ as this year’s very worthy winner.

 Concert for Remembrance, 10th November ‘Do not go gentle’: a concert for Remembrance took place at Dorchester Abbey. Inspirational choral conductor Dominic Peckham directed a reflective programme of choral music for Remembrance with the acclaimed Chamber Choir of London.

Joining the choir were members of the Radley Chamber Choir, together with the best young singers from St Edward’s School, Headington School, St Helen’s and St Katharine’s School, Magdalen College School, Didcot Girls School, St Birinus School and John Mason School.

Ed Betton, D Social 6.1 THE RADLEIAN

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Cultural  Jason Yarde Jazz, 25th September It was wonderful to see so many new Shells and older boys attend the Jason Yarde Jazz Concert, held in Silk Hall. We were honoured to welcome back London composer, producer, musical director and saxophonist, Jason Yarde, to lead the evening’s entertainment. Jason composes across various styles (jazz, classical, hip-hop, R&B, reggae, soul) and for a variety of media (orchestras, chamber ensembles, big band, dance, film).

His huge talent and originality has been rewarded with nominations for the ‘Jazz On 3 Innovation Award’ for the BBC Jazz Awards and a prestigious ‘Paul Hamlyn Award’ For Composers amongst others. The audience was treated to a thoroughly entertaining array of pieces. Highlights included ‘The Tag’ played by Radley’s Big Band and solo jazz performances by some of Radley’s music scholars, during which the boys explored a less traditional, freer, unstructured form of jazz with Jason encouraging the boys to explore new rhythms and further develop their improvisation techniques.

Tom Way, B Social Fifth  Roderick Williams Masterclass, 1st October On the afternoon of 1st October, ten of Radley’s finest baritone singers were fortunate enough to welcome world-class renowned singer Roderick Williams over, to participate in a series of two open masterclass workshops.

Roderick Williams is truly one of the world’s finest baritone singers, having performed on numerous of the world’s finest and biggest stages - famously including the BBC Proms and the Royal Opera House - and he brought his charming voice to the fully-packed Silk Hall. The concert was an utter privilege, not only for the boys and members of staff of the College, but also for visitors who had travelled to Radley just to listen to him. Roderick sang Schubert’s song cycle ‘Winterreise’ and he left everyone stunned by his exquisite musicality.

The workshop on the following day was truly inspiring: Roderick listened to each of the ten of us perform our chosen pieces. His feedbacks were invaluable and ranged from the smallest detail to the musical performance as a whole.

His coaching was totally unique, but perceptive and effective. Coming out of this memorable experience, we had not only become better singers technically, but also found ourselves connected closer to the meaning of the text and music.

We must thank the Radley Music Department for organising such event, and most importantly Roderick Williams who was so inspiring, friendly and entertaining to all, for bringing his musical proficiency to Radley.

Ben Zhang, J Social 6.1  Chinese Studies Trip, 2nd October The Chinese Studies trip took place at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Our guide took us around the exhibition, showing us all the ancient Chinese artefacts, including a traditional Chinese robe; but possibly the highlight of the museum was seeing a highly decorated Chinese partition, which had patterns of dragons and an emperor. At this point we were taught a Chinese nursery rhyme, which in our opinion was sung beautifully. We were given artefacts to hold, such as silk, stamps and an axe. It was spectacular to be able to hold these important pieces of Chinese history. After leaving the museum, we visited a Chinese restaurant and settled down to enjoy one of the many delicacies on the menu including jellyfish, chicken gizzard, pork intestines, and of course egg fried rice.

we launched into a memorable evening that reminds us what makes Radley special. It was an eclectic range of music, spanning from a Budapest/Stand By Me mash up to Stitches by Shawn Mendes.

It was a joyous event that emphasised the talented individuals within every social and the values of

Harry Moore and Eddie Southgate, K Social 6.2  Oxford Playhouse, 11th October A group of Drama Students went to the Oxford Playhouse along with the entire Theatre team to watch a thoroughly enjoyable production of ‘The Barber Shop Chronicles’. The play was profound and entertaining, as Radley students and other members of the audience were invited to come up on stage and immerse themselves in the environment before the play even began. It proved an enlightening evening as well, as the play asked big questions which sparked debate and discussion. Overall, it was a powerful experience and a welcome reprieve.

Whit Cook, A Social 6.1  Partsong, 16th October The Inter-Social Partsong competition remains one of the most highly-anticipated events of the Radley year. The adjudicator this year was Mr Chris Bruerton. The crowd was abuzz and the energy was high before

leadership and comradeship that Radley cherishes. J Social proved triumphant and were led to victory by the memorable vocals of Harry Plumstead. Although, it is also worth mentioning that all the soloists, in particular Thomas Reed and Ed Betton, provided powerful performances. The performances proved vibrant and full of life, each taking on its individual character.

Whit Cook, A Social 6.1

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Sport  Sailing, 1st October

In October, 20 sailors rigged up their Fireflys ready to show off their skill and talent. The Inter-social Sailing Regatta was actionpacked and full of shouting (as most regattas are). The first race proved a major loss for G Social

The second race started as the wind began to drop. Weight and light-air sail trimming were key now. G Social now had a solid start, leaving the rest crawling behind. C Social managed to gain to 2nd place and J finished 3rd.

Just after crossing the start line for race three, racing had to be abandoned, due to the rumbling of thunder increasing in volume, so the overall results were based on the first two races alone. The winner is determined by the lowest combined score. Three boats gained 7 points. So 2nd , 3rd and 4th place had to be decided by which boat had the highest position in one of the races, leaving F Social 3rd and G Social 2nd. C Social, securing both a 1st and 2nd place in the two races, totalled only three points and therefore came 1st, making George Hanlon and Charlie Sparke this year’s Inter-social Sailing champions!

Alexander Bhandarkar, F Social 6.1  Golf, 18th October

With all our lowest handicap players having departed at the end of last term, it was always going to be a challenge for the incoming senior team to keep the momentum of the last few years going. This burden was only made worse when we were drawn to face Abingdon in both the opening rounds of the HMC Foursomes competition (where we made the Regional Finals last year) as well as the ISGA individual matchplay competition (where we made it through to the National Finals last year). Abingdon had effectively the same strong team as we faced last year in a cliffhanger and, although we put up a very creditable fight (including having to deal with some rather questionable tactics from one of the opposition players), we lost both these competitions. At this point, it’s all great experience for our team, who should be far stronger by next year.

(Bennett/ Rimmer), with F Social (Bhandarkar/ Turner) luffing them up above the start line and taking out J Social (Rooth/England) at the same time, causing lots of commotion and shouting, but taking favourites G Social out of the top three.

After that, they moved rapidly, going from being almost last to 6th. Last year’s winners, D Social (Lewinton/Magnay), followed quietly behind C (Hanlon/Sparke) and F, capturing an impressive 3rd place.

 Head of Charles Regatta, 19th October We took an eight and two coxed fours to this year’s event, the biggest two-day rowing event in the world, with over 11,000 competitors and crowds of thousands who line the banks of the course to watch this spectacle of rowing.

Despite only forming the crews a couple of weeks before the event and with a relatively inexperienced group, we achieved some very promising results.

There were 86 crews in the Youth Eights event and the Radley crew finished a very respectable 14th place overall and only 11 seconds off the medal positions. The two fours also achieved respectable results, especially considering that they had many crews around them and so had to contend with clashes and additional steering challenges as they progressed down the course. The first of the Radley fours achieved 42nd place overall out of 85 crews and the second Radley crew finished in 60th place overall.

Particular mention needs to made of the three coxes: Johnny Elliott, Harrison Kane and Lachlann Gordon: they all steered very well in what is one of the most challenging races for coxes, with four narrow bridges to navigate as well as some very tight bends. We would also like to thank the Mariners and the parents for their excellent support both at the regatta itself and back home in the UK.  Squash, 28th October The Radley Squash Club has taken part in its usual host of inter school fixtures. The season had its ups and downs, with losses to Charterhouse and Eton and wins against Bradfield and Cheltenham. A highlight was Radley retaining the trophy – by the slimmest of margins – for our termly triangular tournament against Wellington and Marlborough.

Much focus was given to one of our major tournaments, the Surrey Sports Park Schools Invitational, which took place on Sunday 1st December and the Inter Social Squash Tournament, on Sunday 8th December. We are lucky to have had such an enthusiastic and talented group of squash players join the school this year.  Intersocial Swimming Gala, 17th November The Intersocial Swimming Gala was a hotly contested event with many Socials keen to wrestle the coveted Petersen Swimming Cup from the closely-guarded trophy cabinet of D Social, where it has resided for the past three years.

K Social (3rd place, 52 points of a theoretical 80 maximum) and G Social (2nd place, 60 points) put in a great showing, but in the end the might of E Social with 69 Points shone through. A thoroughly deserved victory, with an impressive four Event wins and two Event 2nd places.

Congratulations to all those who took part and to the organisers for the smooth running of the competition, and well done once again to E Social for finally getting their hands on the trophy!

THE RADLEIAN

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GEOLOGY F

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FIELDWORK

The 6.1 Geology students headed to Dorset for their first fieldtrip of the year. From the first vantage point, we had a great view of the rock formations gleaming in the sunshine.

We made a quick risk assessment sheet and then got on with sketching and labelling the folds.

After this, we went down to the rock face to take a closer look at the folds, which included looking at fossils.

Once we had completed the tasks, we wandered to Lulworth Cove to complete two more fieldwork tasks and had lunch in the village. Newly energised we walked up and over from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door to see the world famous arch. A great day out with some fantastic weather – some of the public swimming in the sea in October!

Hector Brown B Social 6.1 THE RADLEIAN

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JACOB REE The year 2019 will be remembered as an unprecedented year of political turmoil, resulting in widespread discontent over political stalemate. The Politics Society was, therefore, keen to invite leading figures representing different sides of the central argument to speak at Radley.

There are few parliamentarians who have been more closely involved with the Brexit conundrum than Jacob Rees-Mogg, and we were delighted when he accepted our invitation in the Spring to come to the College in early October.

When he was subsequently appointed as Leader of the House of Commons, we were concerned that he would have to withdraw, particularly since the parliamentary battle was reaching its climax.

However, his private office assured us that he would definitely honour his commitment. That told us a great deal about him.

point with the remarks of Mhairi Black, the SNP MP who was at the time the youngest Member of the House, who had publicly said how welcoming he had been to her.

This set the tone for his peroration.

Mr Rees-Mogg was measured in his remarks, which created a powerful argument as he saw it for Britain to leave the EU. He was deliberately balanced, and certainly did not attempt too hard to convert the more sceptical listeners, but he spoke calmly and decisively, building his argument carefully.

It was interesting to watch an accomplished orator at work, without notes, speaking clearly and expressing his arguments with great command of the English language.

There was a real air of anticipation around the College amongst both boys and dons in advance of his speech. The theatre was completely packed, with almost full attendance from the school. Irrespective of one’s personal political perspective, to have a ringside seat at this pivotal moment was extraordinary.

Although Brexit was at the centre of his remarks, his other major theme was that of public service.

Instead of complaining about the actions of leaders, he argued that it was far more satisfying and worthwhile to take the initiative and to take an active interest in politics perhaps even to stand as an MP in due course. Then, as he put it “it could be you standing at this lectern.” It would be interesting to see whether this inspires some of the boys in the audience to make a career in politics in the future.

In his introduction, Mr Rathbone mentioned that Mr Rees-Mogg was known in the House of Commons for his courtesy, and for his willingness to engage in serious debate and this would be a hallmark of the discourse to come. Mr Rathbone illustrated his

Mr Rees-Mogg deliberately spoke only for about 15 minutes in order to allow the rest of the hour to be spent on questions, which he clearly enjoyed. He treated every questioner with the same high degree of respect, and then proceeded to give each a direct

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and detailed answer. Many of the questioners challenged on European issues, which he fully accepted, and went on to address.

It was intriguing to hear his explanation of what constituted a vote of no-confidence in the context of the Fixed Term Parliament Act. It was clear that Mr Rees-Mogg’s performance was a masterclass.

He spoke with no notes, he kept carefully to a coherent argument, ranged broadly, accepting some points, parrying others and resisting a few.

In today’s media-dominated world, he showed how much more credible it is actually to answer the question than it is to just give a soundbite. It was pleasing to hear so many boys

ES-MOGG from all year groups having the confidence to hold a senior cabinet minister to account.

After the event, many boys and dons commented on how much they had enjoyed hearing him speak, and whatever their political opinions they respected the way in which he articulated his perspective.

Alec Goschen E Social, 6.2

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CHARIOTS OF F After five years of doing all sorts and multiple productions on the College stage, Chariots of Fire was my swansong you could say, and what a marvellous send off it was after years of acting at Radley.

The process began in the summer of 2019 with the casting. We all immediately knew that this play would be something a little bit different because of the timed sprint we took part in during our audition. After a week and a bit of waiting for a cast list to be published, over 40 boys and

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girls were cast. Miss Buse’s clear directorial vision and rehearsal schedule ensured that we were working efficiently to the 19th November, our opening night. As rehearsals went on, scenes were coming together nicely and there were some really delicate moments between characters such as Harold Abrahams (played by Will BrooksWard, who seemed naturally suited for the part as his first play at Radley), Eric Liddell (Harry Plumstead, who played the famous Scot with an extremely convincing accent and the humble manner

nailed), Aubrey Montague (played

by Toby Melvin, who added charm and sincerity) and Lord Andrew Lindsey (played by myself).

Many of the film’s most memorable athletic moments were captured on stage or filmed beforehand and then projected onto the cyclorama; this added to the choice stylisation of the production. For example, the College Dash in Cambridge between Harold (Brooks-Ward) and Andy (Eliot-Cohen) was performed on stage, running around the perimeter of the stage

FIRE and ensemble cast, who were positioned in a huddle centre stage.

Whereas, Eric Liddell’s (Plumstead) infamous 400 metre Olympic final was filmed on the school running track, in character and costume, and then projected during the performance.

The footage and music used in the performance added a depth of meaning and emotion. One of my fondest memories of the production process was driving two hours down to Bournemouth beach to film the incredible and iconic opening scene of the original movie. This was such a joyful day for the cast involved and we knew that this would be an amazing moment in the play. Seeing this footage being played at the end of my last performance in the Theatre was truly special.

There are many people we are extremely thankful to for their help in this show. Radley Video filmed and edited all the footage shown on the stage; Jon and the stage crew ensured that the many stage transitions were quickly done with precision, which helped the smooth running of scenes. Matt and the lighting and sound team were integral and Lianne did an outstanding job with the costumes; in a play with over 170 costumes, this was no easy feat. And of course, Miss Disley-Simpson and the band, who helped conjure the 1920s era and location through the melodic and charming arrangements. The production would not have been possible without them.

Overall, Chariots of Fire was a great success after a lot of hard work from all the cast and crew, with some inspirational, emotional and humorous moments, enjoyed by all involved and those who watched.

Arthur Eliot-Cohen C Social, 6.2

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HANOVER SQUARE The ongoing building work in Chapel provided an excellent opportunity to hold this year’s Christmas Concert in the beautiful St. George’s Church in Hanover Square, London. After a brilliant carol service, the concert was kicked off by Orchestra playing Overture in D by Handel (arranged by

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Elgar). The opportunity to play some Handel in his own personal church is not something that comes along very often for schoolboys. The orchestra, and later string ensemble, certainly made the most of it, delivering some wonderful performances. Other highlights came from the percussion

ensemble, playing ‘Cabasa!’ and Big Band performing ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’, with Tom Reed singing vocals and sending everyone away ready for Christmas.

Alec Cooke Senior Music Scholar J Social, 6.2