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Floreat 2013 - Contents

News from the School Notes from the Head Master Arnold Foundation

News from the Society 4 15

New Developments on Campus 16 Notes from the Registrar

20

The Collections Committee

23

Special Features Rugbeians and the Olympics

Rupert Brooke:

37

Notes from the President

60

Notes from the EA

65

Committee News

66

Anniversary Parties

88

House Reunions

112

Society Events

126

125th Anniversary of his birth

26

Rugbeians and the Livery

Accounts 217

Bloxham 200

32

Companies of the

Committee & Council

School Games Review

33

   City of London

162

219

Calendar 220 Contents

Social Register Engagements, Marriages Births, Distinctions & Anniversaries Deaths & Obits

Rugbeians Abroad

68 71 73

Business Network

International Events 137 From our Own Correspondents 139

Internship Network 146 Jobs’ Board 149 152 Work Experience Events 154

News from Rugbeians

Rugbeian Society Sport

Letters 189 Publications 197 Wine Pages 200 Rugby Club 206

Future Plans 210 Sailing Club 211 ORGS 214 Real Tennis 216 Contents

Notes from the Head Master “Rugby produces kind, humble, intelligent and considerate children�

Notes from the Head Master

by Patrick Derham

“Rugby produces kind, humble, intelligent and considerate children” 12 years on from starting at Rugby School I continue to believe that I am the luckiest Head in the country. This really is the most wonderful place in which to live and work. It is not just the remarkable history and heritage, or the fact that we are seen as being leading and innovative in so many ways, but it is the people, and particularly the pupils, which make the job so worthwhile.

To illustrate this we received an email from a prospective parent who visited earlier this term and she ended by saying this: “We had a great day and left feeling so impressed with the children that Rugby produces. All the great schools have comparative facilities but Rugby produces kind, humble, intelligent and considerate children.” This ringing endorsement was followed by a letter from a Prep School Head who, after his visit, sent me a copy of his school newsletter which began by saying: “I have been to every school to which we send boys over the past five years and, whilst they will all provide your son with an excellent education, they are different in many ways. This is undoubtedly the case with Rugby School that I visited this week. Rugby is one of the oldest and most famous public schools in the UK and

was the recipient of the ‘Tatler Senior School of the Year Award’ a few years ago (must be good then). I can confidently say that it is amongst the most impressive schools that I have ever visited.

The sense of history about the place invites enquiry from every corner but it is the welcome from the staff and the behaviour of the children that is so outstanding. Their courtesy, good manners and clear pride in their school was evident in every hall, room and corridor. Rugby School really should be on our exit list every year.

I urge any parent thinking of choosing a boarding school to visit.”

I hope the following reports will give you a flavour of what has been a great year for Rugby School. As ever I have thoroughly enjoyed my meetings with Old Rugbeians and the Rugbeian Society continues to go from strength to strength. My thanks to Fiona and the Committee for all they do to strengthen the bond between the School and its former pupils.

In the Assembly before the Advent term Exeat I spoke briefly about an event that took place in Oslo in June of this year. Oslo City Hall on 16 June was as formal and glacial as the occasion demanded. The assembled royals and dignitaries gave Aung San Suu Kyi a standing ovation before she even opened her mouth and speaking to a packed, hushed hall Aung San Suu Kyi reminded us why her name is so often spoken in the same breath News from the School

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as Gandhi and Martin Luther King. In a speech by turns personal and universal she spelled out her philosophy of non-violent political change, rooted in her Buddhist faith: how the value of kindness can conquer suffering and isolation. She explained how the Nobel Peace Prize Committee’s decision to award her the coveted peace prize 21 years ago, when she had already endured more than two years of house arrest, made her feel real again. The award of the prize, which she heard about on the radio, restored her faith in humanity and the speech she delivered, 21 years on, is, I think, one of the finest and most inspiring speeches of recent years. In particular I think it is the conclusion she draws about her long years of house imprisonment which is so humbling and this is what she said: “Of the sweets of adversity, and let me say that these are not numerous, I have found the sweetest, the most precious of all, is the lesson I learnt on the value of kindness. Every kindness I received, small or big, convinced me that there could never be enough of it in our world. To be kind is to respond with sensitivity and human warmth to the hopes and needs of others. Even the briefest touch of kindness can lighten a heavy heart. Kindness can change the lives of people.”

That lesson about the value of kindness is one that all of us here at Rugby aspire to and it underpins the way a community such as ours functions. It is these kindnesses that I have the good fortune to witness on a daily basis that make me proud to be Head Master of your old School.

Staff None of this would be possible without the staff who help make this a very special community. The commitment displayed by them all never ceases to amaze me and we are lucky to be so well served by so many talented and inspiring people who work tirelessly on behalf of the current Rugbeians. My Speech on Speech Day in May 2012, reported in the Summer Floreat, mentioned the leaving staff. Below you can see the staff who joined us in September. In addition, at the end of the Advent term we said goodbye to Nichola Cannock who has served Rugby with distinction for the final 10 years of her career.

New Staff at Rugby This September we were joined by the following: Liz Sale (Biology and Bradley Hm) Louise Stevenson (Head of Learning Development) Richard Tanner (Director of Music) Paula Warford (Head of Art) Andrew Chessell (Director of Drama) James Walker (Head of Economics & Business Studies) Lawrence Rao (Mathematics) Libby Orchard (Mathematics) Jamie Bendall (Chemistry) Jonathan Pitt (Geography) In January Rebecca Lambert (Physics)

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Academic Results

Charitable Fund Raising

The new academic year got underway with news of another extremely good set of public examination results. Last year’s XX did extremely well and 87.2% of the grades were at either A*, A or B grades (or the equivalent at Pre-U) and an impressive 63.6% were the top two grades. The D Block did well at GCSE too and 75.9% were A* and A grades with an impressive 40.3% being A*.

We were delighted with these results and it is always worth remembering that these results are not achieved at the expense of an impressive all-round education. We are more than the sum of our examination results and the beauty of a full boarding school is that we provide a genuine all-round education.

Our links with Future Hope continue to grow and we were delighted that Mike Thomson, the new Principal and CEO of Future Hope School, visited Rugby with his wife Libby for three days towards the end of the Advent term. One of the ways we help is through funding and our parents generously pay an additional £1 each term for Future Hope. The new academic year started with a sponsored walk which was a great success and we raised just over £67,000 to be split between Future Hope and Hope4.

Hope4 is a Rugby based charity that aims to relieve the plight of homeless and badly-housed people in Rugby, and works hard to try and prevent homelessness. 900 pupils and staff took part and walked a combined distance of 8,095 miles. I received a lovely email (addressed to Dr Arnold!) the day after the walk: “My husband and I often cycle around Draycote Water and today the weather was perfect for a change. When we arrived and saw how busy it was we wondered if we should turn around and go home but decided to do a lap and see how it went. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the polite and courteous students that were there doing a sponsored walk. I just felt I had to let you know how well they behaved, I just rang my bell and they moved to the side and apologised. I hope they raised lots of money for their causes and wish them all well for the future; wonderful young people who one day will be running the country or more!”

Whole School Sponsored Walk - September 2012

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Head Master’s Highlights

by Patrick Derham

A number of you have mentioned how much you enjoy hearing brief highlights of the school year and in giving you some brief details of recent events it reinforces why this is such a great institution.

These are a few highlights of what the pupils have been involved in the last term and a half.

The Arts Festival - The same Monday that saw the Olympic Torch paraded across the Close also saw the launch of the Arts Festival; with

The spectacular Bollywood Finale, Arts Festival, Summer 2012

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an array of Indian food, photographs, music and dance in the Lewis Gallery, it heralded a magnificent three days which demonstrated, once again, the sheer talent of our pupils and staff. Anne Naylor masterminded the whole event with a calm aplomb, although she would be the first to say that it really was a team effort. There were so many highlights including the premieres of pupils’ work: Tilly Fletcher’s ‘Truelad’, Geraint Owen and Elissa Foord’s ‘Flashman!’, and what a spectacular Bollywood Finale in the TSR to bring the 7th Arts Festival to a stunning end.

The Friday night saw another great occasion, the Leavers’ Ball, followed by the Valedictory Service on the Saturday morning. How fitting that the final event for the XX in their Rugby career should be in Chapel. Weeks like this remind me of the sheer privilege of being here at Rugby.

Music - It has been a really bright start to the musical year. The quality of congregational singing has improved dramatically.

The move of the choir to the centre of the Chapel has made a significant difference as well.

The new season of Chamber Concerts given by the music scholars has got off to an excellent start and there was also an outstanding solo singing competition which was well attended and, most recently, the House Singing competition which was won by School Field. 180 pupils took part and performed in front of a full TSR on a Saturday night. There are not many schools that can say this.

There was an outstanding evening of music and readings in the Memorial Chapel by The Arnold Singers to mark the start of Advent and the choir were magnificent in the two Carol Services.

The premiere of “Flashman!”

Advent singing by candle light

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Remembrance Day - There was a very poignant service of Remembrance on 11 November; as usual the actual Remembrance began at 9.38am with the Levée reading the names of those who died in the two World Wars before the main service started at 10.30am. For the first time this year we hosted a Festival of Remembrance in the TSR which involved all the Rugby Secondary Schools. This was an excellent occasion and the proceeds of the concert went to Help for Heroes and the British Legion.

Sport - There has been lots of good sport played and the XV in particular have had an excellent season, losing only three of their matches, and one of the highlights was the match against the South Schools’ of Scotland XV. There are two internationals to report on: Lottie Harbottle won a Bronze Medal in the World Wakeboarding Championships and Harry Sutherland won Gold representing England for Pentathlon in the Combined Events Indoor International. We had an unprecedented 5 pupils being selected for the English Schools’

XV playing at home on the Close against the South Schools’ of Scotland XV

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Reunions - There was a successful Stanley Reunion and a very good event in Tudor celebrating ‘10 years of girls’. We look forward to the Rupert Brooke event on the day of the 175th running of The Crick.

Girls’ Hockey v Uppingham

Track and Field Championships and on the final Friday of the Trinity term Tim Kerr-Chin won the U15 Long Jump and Harry Sutherland won the U15 Shot; to have two national champions is a significant achievement. Our golfers won the Gerald Micklem Trophy for the first time in 18 years; Chessie Ruffell reached the National Fives Final and Chessie and Hannah Hawkesley reached the National doubles Final but lost to Eastbourne. Finally, 30 girls and 4 members of staff had a fantastic three week hockey and netball tour of Hong Kong and Australia and my thanks to the Hong Kong friends of Rugby School who looked after the tourists so well.

Noises Off, School Play 2012

Drama - This term saw an outstanding school play, Michael Frayn’s brilliant farce, Noises Off, one of the great comic plays in the English language. A really ambitious school play but the cast, under the watchful eye of the new Director of Drama, were quite stunning.

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Widening Participation

by Patrick Derham

News of the ground-breaking partnership with the Coventry Diocesan Board of Education, the launch of The SpringBoard Bursary Foundation and the 10th Anniversary of the Arnold Foundation.

Partnership with the Coventry Diocesan Board of Education Each year I report on the continuing interest in all that we are doing and this year is no exception. Two things stand out and the first is a ground-breaking partnership with the Coventry Diocesan Board of Education which has been underway since the start of the Advent term. The relationship is designed in its first phase to start three programmes in the first year, with a fourth over the two years following that. At the heart of the initiative is the determination to raise aspirations; it is telling that in all the discussions with Primary School teachers we have had on the initiative, ‘raising aspirations’ has always been brought up by them, and almost always immediately. The agreement with the Diocesan Board is so special because it allows a positive influence from Rugby to be spread across a wide number of schools, 74 in all (2 Secondary and 72 Primary), and spread in such a way that can be seen to support, rather than risk being seen to seek to dominate another school. We feel that this model is more wide-ranging in its impact than the academy approach.

The first stage of this partnership is mentoring of younger children by members of the Rugby School pupil body. This year has seen the launch of the pilot scheme for this programme, in which 21 members of the LXX and XX have begun mentoring 21 members of the Year 6 class in Oakfield Primary School. Oakfield is not a Diocesan Board School, but the template will be followed.

This includes the training of our pupils, in this case by the charity ‘Place2Be’, followed by two or three ‘getting to know you’ sessions before the individuals are paired up. The first Diocesan Board School to be involved will be St Andrew’s Benn in Rugby.

This initiative is all about raising aspirations. It is the most dramatic and direct method of the School influencing others nearby, since many of the Diocesan Board Schools are in genuinely deprived areas. Many of the younger pupils mentored come from families of at least two generations of unemployment, so that as well as help with numeracy, literacy and other subjects, what the Rugby School pupils are really giving is of themselves. Our pupils have University as an expectation, an assumption even; for the primary school News from the School

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pupils, University is one of many things ‘other’ people do. The other performances from two or three Diocesan Board Schools at building of relationships also makes institutions like Rugby School a time. This initiative, unlike the others, will not begin this year seem less alien and, perhaps, less intimidating, again helping raise and there is a target date of 2014-15, after which it is hoped the levels of expectation and aspiration. And of course the process Diocesan Board Schools will rotate their involvement in such a is the most wonderful experience for our own pupils – Southfield scheme, hosted by and based at Rugby School. girls involved in the programme have already decided to organise There is huge interest in this initiative as it has the potential to be a a collection of books for Oakfield Primary School Library. template for similar schemes across the country. What I like is that The next steps of it fits squarely with our the initiative concern ethos and tradition as a governorships, work school that is national with Harris Secondary and international in School in Rugby, and terms of outlook and ways of working with recruitment but one that two or more primary has retained its historic schools at one time. local connections.

The first of these has The Arnold Foundation already seen over 20 - The second major members of the Rugby area of interest to School community report on this year has volunteer their services been our innovative as governors; they Signing the agreement with the Coventry Diocesan Board of Education work in terms of are awaiting training widening access and and a steer from the the work of the Arnold Foundation. Plans are underway for our Diocesan Board as to which school they will be associated with.

10th Anniversary celebrations and I hope many of you will be able The partnership with Harris School would be on the basis of to attend the events planned and help us to continue in our work teaching staff working with their peers in the partner school, most of transforming young people’s lives. Kerry and Peter report more notably in science. Finally the facilities we have to offer will be fully on page 15. available, alongside staff expertise, in organising music, dance and News from the School

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SpringBoard - I mentioned briefly last year that McKinsey have been helping us to look at the most effective way of sharing best practice. The result, The SpringBoard Bursary Foundation, an independent and state boarding schools-led initiative, came into being on 1 September 2012. It will, with the schools involved, from September 2013 provide 100% funded bursaries to a significant number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds that most stand to benefit from a boarding education. As the press release said: “It is based on the impressive work of the Arnold Foundation, Rugby School’s bursary programme, which has been an inspiration to many boarding schools.” Andrew Adonis wrote a powerful piece in The Times on the day of the formal launch, 13 November 2012, and that is well worth reading if you missed it.

Ian Davenport is the first Chief Executive. Formerly he was the Head Master of Blundell’s School. There is a strong Rugby presence on the Trustee Board with Robert Swannell and myself working alongside the Chair of Trustees, Tim Bunting and William de Winton and on the advisory board with John Attwater (K 85-90), Head Master of King Edward’s Witley.

These are exciting times and it is humbling to think that we as a School can have been so instrumental in establishing this important national charity that has the potential to transform the sector. We know the time is ripe for this initiative which has received considerable cross-party support and ambitions for the new charity are bold.

To find out more please do look at the website: www.thespringboardbursaryfoundation.org.uk

• In ten years SpringBoard will have significantly transformed the nature of bursary provision in boarding schools.

• Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds will have been given a life transforming opportunity.

• Those involved will be part of a wider social dynamic which will strengthen, through increased social mobility, the educational, social and economic opportunities for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. As time progresses SpringBoard pupils will spread their influence.

• SpringBoard aims to grow from 30 bursary pupils taking up their places in September 2013 to 2,000 pupils in boarding schools by 2023.

• SpringBoard aims to have raised between £10m and £15m by 2023.

• Together with the member boarding schools SpringBoard will have had a fundamental effect on the culture of the boarding environment.

• Together with the schools, the associations and other interested parties we aim to maintain the profile of boarding schools and their relevance to the modern educational world in the eyes of influence and policy makers.

As a member of SpringBoard, Rugby School will benefit from the wider networks and partners that membership will bring but the very important work of the Arnold Foundation for Rugby School will continue.

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by Peter Bennett-Jones, Chairman of the Arnold Foundation Board and Kerry Wilson, Development Director

We have so much to celebrate as Rugby School marks the 10th Anniversary of the Arnold Foundation throughout 2013 and we very much hope Rugbeians and parents will join us at the many events already planned.

This year, 13 new Arnold Foundation pupils joined the School, taking the number of pupils at Rugby to 34 and the total number who have benefited to 73. The pupils are thriving and all are making a contribution to life at Rugby School.

The launch of a new Ambassadors Programme in January has established activities for former pupils ensuring they remain in touch with each other and the School, and supporting them as they keep on giving back to those who follow.

The Foundation is funded entirely from voluntary donations and the generous commitment of the wider Rugby community; almost ÂŁ12.5 million has now been raised and we are extremely grateful for that support. However, there are an increasing number of talented pupils for whom an Arnold Foundation place would transform their lives and that support is very much needed. Apart from some specific gifts for overseas pupils, all donations are used to fund pupils coming from the UK.

We are building an endowment for the future but also need funds today; regular gifts through our 1567 programme help us plan recruitment. Important also are legacy gifts and members of the Development team are always ready to discuss how bequests will be used in years to come.

Our success to date would not have been possible without the continuing support from Rugbeians, parents and friends of the School both in the UK and overseas. We are extremely grateful that our generous donors give and go on giving and hope that all Rugbeians and Rugby families will want to be part of our success.

For more information about our 10th Anniversary events and details of how to make a donation do visit our new website at www.thearnoldfoundation.net or contact the Development Office, Rugby School, Lawrence Sheriff Street, Rugby CV22 5EH. Email: development@rugbyschool.net or telephone: 01788 556139.

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New Developments on Campus

by Patrick Derham

Changes to the Bishop Wulstan site, profiling the new Modern Languages building and updating the Old and New Quad.

Turning to matters closer to home, the other exciting news to share is about the physical changes to the Rugby campus.

Many of you will be aware of the School’s purchase of the land and buildings on our southern boundary that had formerly been Bishop Wulstan School. In September 2013 this will become the Collingwood Centre which will be a Sixth Form Centre. There is a sports hall on the site which is already operational and so we are in the fortunate position of having two sports halls.

The new Modern Languages Building in Horton Crescent was formally opened by the Chairman of Governors on 27 November. This provides state of the art facilities for language teaching and will also be the School’s ‘green flagship’ building, which will set the standard as we start on a long programme of works to improve the sustainability of the School’s Estate.

Over the summer we started a “once in a century” project to replace the heating in the New and Old Quad classrooms. The original heating system was installed in 1914 and this will be the first replacement since then. As well as the heating works all the classrooms in the Quads will be refurbished. This work will all be finished by Easter.

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Notes from the Estates Department

by Judy Robinson, Estates Manager

A look at how Rugby is tackling sustainability with its buildings, new and old.

The School’s impressive new Modern Languages building was officially opened just before the end of term by Robert Swannell, Chairman of Governors. The new building is the School’s ‘green flagship’ that sets a new standard of sustainability both in its construction and in its operation now that it is complete. The new building houses 11 classrooms, 2 language laboratories, a sixth form linguists’ common room and 4 interview rooms for work with foreign language assistants.

The building is on course to achieve an “excellent” BREEAM rating. BREEAM is the foremost global environmental rating system by which new buildings are assessed. From the earliest planning stages of the project through to its current operation, every aspect of its design, construction and use has been very closely and independently monitored to ensure that very stringent criteria covering areas such as ecology, energy efficiency, reducing CO2 emissions, waste management and sustainable sourcing of materials are met.

The completed building has been estimated to be 69% more energy efficient than an average UK school building. To achieve this startling improvement a range of state of the art technologies have been harnessed, including heating provided by air source

The new Modern Languages building, Horton Crescent

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heat pumps, extremely high levels of insulation, clever glass that lets light in, but filters out heat in the summer and breathable building technology to control ventilation. The building is constantly monitored for temperature and CO2 levels with adjustments being automatically made to ensure the optimum teaching environment is provided.

The building is not just green on the inside: to meet the BREEAM ecology criteria evidence has had to be produced to show that the number of plant and wildlife species on the site has been increased as a result of the development. This has not been an easy task given that the building and courtyard cover the entire site, however the inclusion of a green roof planted with native species, wildlife friendly planting in the borders, plus bird and bat boxes has already lead to a noticeable increase in species diversity.

Head of Modern Languages, David Gillett, said at the opening that “he could not have hoped for better accommodation” and that “staff and students love the new centre which provides the perfect environment for learning.”

Whilst this new building is one of the “greenest” buildings in the country, many of the School’s existing buildings are sadly far from being as efficient. Rugby School’s Estates Department is constantly looking for ways to improve the energy efficiency of the historic portfolio and this year has completed the replacement of the 100 year old heating system in the Old and New Quads.

Old or new, Rugby is committed to a sustainable future.

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Notes from the Registrar “it’s important to seek out as many interesting and congenial roles as are available�

Notes from the Registrar

by Guy Steele-Bodger (Tu 74-78)

Once one has decided that one’s career in school mastering will essentially be at a single school rather than several, then it’s important to seek out as many interesting and congenial roles as are available. So, for me, Assistant Master became Head of Department then Housemaster.

One of the aspects of Housemastering that I missed after I retired from School Field in 2004 was meeting and hosting the visiting prospective parents. I had also enjoyed interviewing 13+ candidates for one or two years after I left the House, so Registration was also an area of school life that was appealing.

Registration, as a school rather than house role, is a relatively recent phenomenon at Rugby as at other similar schools. John Inglis was the first to take on this role in the 1980s, followed by Ian Barlow and then Hilary Morrish. Over this period our Admissions process evolved and grew in complexity.

Among the changes were: • The move from 13+ entry in Advent, Lent or Trinity terms to a single entry in September each year • An assessment at 11+ for entry at 13+ to cope with an excess of demand over the supply of places • An entry at 11+ for day pupils into Marshall House to bridge the gap between state school transfer to senior schools at 11+ and our traditional prep school entry at 13+ • A 16+ entry for girls into Stanley and also for boys and girls into the other Houses • An expanded programme of scholarship awards for sport, art and design as well as music and academic prowess • The reconstitution of the Lawrence Sheriff Foundation awards and all of our scholarships so that they represent a 10% reduction in fees but are now also a gateway to bursary funding up to 100% of fees depending on parental means • The establishment of the Arnold Foundation to fund bursary places for children with a clear need for a boarding education and the potential to flourish at Rugby

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At the heart of a successful Admissions Office is a well-managed database together with timely and accurate communication with

Some Admissions statistics may be of interest:

applicants and colleagues. Of course there should also be sound

• Our present 793 pupils are 56% boys and 44% girls

advice based on the experienced judgement of a schoolmaster

• 82% are boarders

or schoolmistress who knows the school and its values inside

• They arrived here from 292 different feeder schools

out.

However it increasingly became clear, in a very competitive environment for independent schools, how important a marketing role the Admissions Registrar and Office must play. Links with

• 16% live overseas • 9.5% are Lawrence Sheriff or Arnold Foundation award holders

key feeder schools need to be developed and nurtured by regular

• 24% were new pupils in September 2012

contact so that the right calibre of boy and girl are encouraged

• 17% have Old Rugbeian family connections

to apply. For example, successful applicants for places at Rugby will need to show strong academic potential, be ready for our very busy extra-curricular life and prepared for our full-boarding environment.

Key values can also be put across to visiting parents as they

married Rugbeians who had both been in one of my Business Studies sets in the 1990s. No, I don’t expect to be here to teach him well into the 2020s!

get a feel for life here through our programme of individual visits, rather than just Open Days, that get right under the skin of Rugby School. We focus on the seven-days-a-week boarding life at Rugby, the strong House structure and in-House dining, the stimulating diversity of our pupil body and our emphasis on developing the individual’s talents and interests during their time here. As you may appreciate therefore, the Admissions Office is a very busy but also stimulating place to work!

Finally, for me one of the most enjoyable aspects is the chance to keep in touch with former pupils and contemporaries who are now sending their children to Rugby or contemplating it. Only last week I received a registration for the young son of two recently Notes from the Registrar

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The Collections Committee “...looks after the incredibly diverse range of artefacts, antiquities and archives that are part of the School’s Collection. ”

The Collections Committee

by The Rt Revd David Urquhart (K 65-70), Bishop of Birmingham, Chairman of the Collections Committee

This fascinating sub-committee of the Governing Body looks after the incredibly diverse range of artefacts, antiquities and archives that are part of the School’s Collection.

Here David introduces us to the Collection and in future we will focus on a particular aspect of it. Do let us know if there are parts of the Collection you would like to see featured.

‘Rugby School Collections’ is described by the Archivist, Rusty MacLean, as ‘bringing together several distinct collections and numerous individual items under a single structure, in order to continue to collect, record, organise and exploit those collections’.

This is overseen by the Governing Body through a subcommittee whose most recent former chairmen have been Sir Hew Strachan (K 63-67) and Michael Fowle (St 53-58).

The main categories of the Collection are the Archives, Rare Books, Art, Archaeology and Natural History collections. From Lawrence Sheriff’s will to Thomas Arnold’s diaries, the Levée minutes to Chapel sermons, there are a huge amount of papers, House Annals, sports records and photographs. Early exam

papers, handwritten registers, termly lists, calendars and school periodicals are all kept, notably a complete set of The Meteor from 1867-2011.

Letters remind us of the world outside Rugby, like those of John Gillespie Magee, whose poem “High Flight” was spoken by the first astronauts to land on the moon. There are also many books by and about Rugbeians and various histories of the School. The Rare Books collections contain folio editions of Shakespeare, a copy of the Sarum Missal and a first edition of Johnson’s dictionary.

Art in the School ranges from Turner to Talbot Kelly and includes the gift by Matthew Bloxam of over 100 master drawings. Portraits of Rugbeians can be found throughout the School. Some readers may have whiled away time in the Temple Speech Room trying to identify the former Head Masters and Governors. Since 2004 the Committee has also purchased a work from a pupil in the XX. Some of the Archaeological items are on display in the Temple Reading Room and some of those stored centrally range from Greek helmets and Roman glass to Medieval pottery and numerous small finds. The Natural History collections are in the Art Department or Science Schools; these take the form of examples of taxidermy, entomology, fossils and geology.

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In addition, Chapel memorials are also a rich source of information, as are the displays in the School Museum, House dining halls and various honours boards, for example in the Green Pavilion or Fives Courts, and a collection of “Following up” caps are displayed in the Sports Centre.

While much of the Collection is old, it is important that we explore the new and we are currently making digital records of written material and considering the possibilities of an inter-active web site drawing on the resources in the Collection.

The Tony Yablon Collection

by Rusty MacLean, School Archivist

An introduction to the most recent donation to the Collection from Tony Yablon (Sh 53-58) The largest and most valuable single donation in recent times is the Tony Yablon Collection, which arrived at Rugby during the summer. Tony has gifted a large collection of books and original documents relating to Rugby School.

In outline, the collection comprises over 40 books by or about Thomas Arnold, numerous autographed letters and notes

by Arnold, and many letters by other Head Masters. Thomas Hughes’ books include 45 editions of Tom Brown’s Schooldays”, 7 editions of “Tom Brown at Oxford” and over 50 other books by or about him. The Hughes material also includes numerous letters.

An original E H Shepard engraving for “Tom Brown’s Schooldays” 1904 edition

There is original artwork for Tom Brown, one by E H Shepard.

There are more than 50 books about the School, or containing references to Rugby, and other documents relating to the history of the School. The collection also includes copies of the famous photograph of Rupert Brooke.

This wonderful collection has been given for the benefit of Rugbeians, and for all researchers studying Rugby, and will be available for consultation through the School Archives. The collection is in the process of being catalogued.

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Rupert Brooke…

“School boy, poet and “jolly good bloke”?”

Rupert Brooke… School boy, poet and “jolly good bloke”? by Lizzie Beesley This year is the 125th anniversary of Rupert Brooke’s birth and the centenary of the publication of his poem “The Old Vicarage Grantchester”.

Here Lizzie Beesley, Housemistress of Southfield, English teacher and married to Edward Beesley, current Housemaster of School Field, reflects on Rupert Brooke’s time growing up in Rugby and concludes that he was probably a “very good bloke”.

Like Rupert Brooke, I live in School Field House. My husband, Edward Beesley, is the Housemaster, as was Brooke’s father, and my daughter’s bedroom, an attic room at the top of the House, is the same freezing garret occupied by Rupert Brooke. His daybed is in Ed’s study and his desk in the drawing room. The cedar tree in the garden is probably between 150 and 200 years old so would have been the same one that Brooke woke up to view every morning through his bedroom window. Across and a little further down the Barby Road, is Kilbracken which was Rupert Brooke’s prep school. It was called Hillbrow and he began his

school career there in summer, 1897 and then in September, 1901, joined Rugby School as a pupil in his father’s House, School Field.

Often, the first temptation with artists who die young is to speculate how great they might have become had they experienced some form of longevity. The second is to read into their work some intimations of mortality to suggest that they might have marked themselves out as candidates for an early grave. Both E.M. Forster and Virginia Woolf were keen to debunk the myth of Brooke maturing into a poet of a significant stature.

Yet both found him engaging and charming as a human being, perhaps suggesting that his future might have been distinguished in matters of state, rather than in the Arts. Woolf was quite protective of Brooke in her writing, finding him after a week’s stay in Grantchester, “all that could be kind and interesting, substantial and good-hearted. He was, I thought, the ablest of young men” and “I thought he would be Prime Minister, because he had such a gift with people”....”My idea was that he was to be a member of Parliament and edit the classics, a very powerful, ambitious man, but not a poet.”

I initially supposed that I could only really feel any true affinity with Brooke because of our mutual ties to the School. He was News from the School

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Alfred aged 8 and Rupert aged 11

a prolific writer of both poetry and prose and his contributions to the two School publications, “Phoenix” and “The Venture” are well catalogued. Interestingly, most of his offerings were often quite scurrilous and unaccredited. In the second edition of “Phoenix”, Brooke submitted a poem titled, “A Child’s Guide to Rugby School” in which is contained a graphic description of the eponymous game, “When first I played I nearly died.....They knocked me down and stood upon me.” He also began what must have been intended to be significant prose work, “The School Novel”. In it, he dismisses the Tom Brown model of a protagonist, preferring his hero to be based on those in comic books such as “Boy’s Own” which were so recently in vogue. Frankly, Brooke’s putative hero sounds like an absolute prig, a school boy, “usually of middle height, slim, but wiry” “a type of that healthy and cleanlimbed boy who has made England what she is”. The volume might have, apparently, chronicled a war between the CCFs of Rugby and Uppingham. Perhaps we should all be grateful that it has not survived? Yet there is evidence of a much more interesting volume, what Brooke termed a “decadent school novel”, in the Aesthetic fashion, and possibly influenced by Oscar Wilde’s “De Profundis” which he had been reading whilst convalescing in Italy. This, I think, could have been a truly innovative work, in which the central character, one Amaranth, declared it his sole aim, “To embrace the world in one sentence.” Perhaps Brooke was aiming to represent the Wildean vision through those boys and men he encountered at School and certainly his often satirical contributions to Rugby publications, suggest that Brooke had the wit and the ambition to invent himself in that new Aestheticism recently beloved by a fashionable elite in Edwardian society.

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In his biography of Brooke, Christopher Hassall characterises him at Rugby as the epitome of the “earnest youth”, rather pompous in his writing and aiming to emulate Lord Macaulay in his prose style.

This is a characteristic of Brooke which I find rather endearing.

He might have been contrived on paper and consciously highminded, but what ambitiously intellectual teenager isn’t, even now? And unlike truly pretentious people, Brooke was able to laugh at himself. In January 1905, struggling to write his poem, “The Bastille”, Brooke records that he has deleted fifteen out of the fifty lines he had written, because they were “likely to shock the lofty moral standards of the Rugby School authorities.” He also experiences the anguish of his ambitious parents and a sense of his own inability to please them and his teachers. Whilst working for a Cambridge Scholarship, Brooke notes, “There is, needless to say, not the remotest ghost of a chance for me. However the idea seems to have a strange fascination for those in authority, and, therefore, as always, I acquiesce patiently. It saves trouble in the end.” Brooke’s modesty and reticence proved unfounded on both counts. “The Bastille” won the Rugby School Prize for Poetry and he was admitted to King’s College, Cambridge as a Scholar in 1906.

Hassall also speculates that Brooke might have been a more emotionally robust young man had he not lived in the House where his father was Housemaster. One could counter that by the effect that an overbearing mother and a too meek father had on a very sickly boy. Brooke frequently escaped the clutches of his terrifying mother to the TRR to read Milton. There is an unwritten rule at Rugby nowadays that staff try to avoid teaching their own children, yet Mr Brooke certainly taught Rupert Homer in his News from the School

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study in School Field and one wonders about the psychological poem, “The Soldier”. The young man of the article is “unusual” effect that might have had. There were also, apparently, frequent because he is “extraordinarily happy” that he has found a greater family rows about his School reports, where his efforts were often cause to fight for than himself, and that cause is England. marked out as “inconsistent”. Yet in The wit and the agility of Brooke’s Trinity term, 1906, the Head Master writings here at School do not foretell prophesises in his final report that, “In a future for a writer who would merely English composition he must make a scratch the aesthetic surface with his name.” words. Poetry can be both beautiful The nature of Rupert Brooke’s poor and profound, and whilst I do not have health was never really specified. He time here to analyse lines of his images, certainly suffered allergies, frequent he was trying to break conventions in bouts of influenza, high temperatures his work, despite a sometimes hostile and an optical condition called “pink reception to some. I don’t think we eye”. He often referred to his poor have enough of Brooke’s work to health in terms of his age, claiming regard him as great, but we can see that he “felt old” even when still a the foundations of an experimental teenager at School. Thus, it was and self-consciously critical artist probably inevitable that he would not being formed at Rugby, as well as survive the horrors of the war, dying the urbane young man who seemed of septicaemia and being buried on to delight everyone he met. Perhaps Skyros in 1914. Yet even here, Brooke this is another reason that Brooke’s leaves behind a tantalising literary poetry has been so marginalised, that might-have-been clue. He writes a the thoroughly English gentleman piece for “The New Statesman” titled, who apparently embodied such “An Unusual Young Man” in the style obviously conventional attitudes, Rupert Brooke. Simon Schell image of a letter to a “friend”. It recalls his cannot possibly be taken seriously as part of the Tony Yablon Collection. life thus far and seems, in part, to be a poet of distinction because, frankly, a form of embryonic autobiography he was as Virginia Woolf intimated, and a precursor to his most famous first and foremost, a very good bloke?

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To coincide with the 200th anniversary of the entry of Matthew Bloxam to Rugby School, we are intending to mount a major exhibition to celebrate this event. Current pupils were asked to bring back to Rugby, after the Christmas break, an item they consider to be important to their experience of Rugby School. We would like to ask Rugbeians to join in this celebration by loaning items which they consider to be important reminders of their life at School, or to make suggestions for items (anything from the Chapel to the organ in the TSR), which have been an important part of their Rugby life.

Matthew Bloxam was a pupil at Rugby in the early 19th century and remained a close friend to the School and its pupils throughout his life. His great generosity still enriches the School, in the books, paintings, and artefacts he donated, and which are to be found throughout the campus.

Please send your suggestions to:

“The Bloxam 200” Your chance to nominate an item that was part of your experience at Rugby…

The Head Master Rugby School Rugby Warwickshire CV22 5EH or email: head@rugbyschool.net

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School Games Review Advent 2012

School Games

Review Advent 2012

by Guy Steele-Bodger (Tu 74-78)

Another busy Autumn for girls and boys games.

The girls’ hockey XI have won 6 of their matches, playing some fluent hockey at times, but never quite performing to the best of their potential. The strength of our hockey throughout the

School is shown at the top end by the XI, U16A and U14A teams which all reached the Midlands Finals of their respective schools tournaments. At the lower end it is evident through the 3rd XI, 5th XI and U15B XI all topping their tables in the Independent Schools Leagues this term

3rd XI v Oakham

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2nd XV v Oundle

At football we continue to regularly field 16 XVs on a Saturday.

A total of 125 matches have been played with well over half the matches won. The XV have won 7 of their 10 matches having notable wins over Oundle, St Edwards and a South of Scotland Schools XV. Dan Martin (XX), Jacob Gilder (XX), and Ben Pointon (XX), have all been selected for the Midlands UI8 Squad.

It was pleasing – in spite of the result viewed through my light blue tinted spectacles - for all the coaching staff here to see William Rowlands (SH 05-10) playing for Oxford against Cambridge in the Varsity match. He became our first rugby blue since Richard Given (K 82-87) for Cambridge in 1991. William Darby (SF 07-12) also played in the U21 Varsity match.

Rackets and Real Tennis players at the School greatly appreciate generous financial support from the

Rugbeian

Society

Finally we congratulate: • Harry Sutherland who has again been selected to represent England in the Athletics Home Internationals • Josh Cara and Simon Waterhouse who competed for Warwickshire in the Inter Counties Cross Country Championships • Chessie Ruffell and Hannah Hawkesley who, competing in the Ladies National Fives Championships, made it to the Final but lost narrowly to a pair from Eastbourne • Lottie Harbottle who competed in the International Wakeboard World Championships in October. Lottie finished 3rd in the U16 girls category and as a result is now ranked the number one U16 girl in Britain.

which

allows us to offer taster sessions to introduce beginners to each game without them being put off by the prohibitive initial costs of kit or court time.

The XI had a very successful tour of India. The cricket was very competitive, out of seven games four were won. The highlight? The game at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai, India’s equivalent of Lords.

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Rugbeians and the Olympics Here we recall Rugby’s previous Olympians and hear from its latest competitor, Sam Ruddock (T 06-08).

Rugbeians and the Olympics Rugby’s many and varied connections with the Olympics have been celebrated in this Olympic year in the School, the town and nationally. Here we recall Rugby’s previous Olympians and hear from its latest competitor, Sam Ruddock (T 06-08). Jonathan Smith reveals the role the School has played in this Olympic year and we hear from Rugbeians who have participated in the Olympics in a variety of ways this summer. Whether watching, partaking, building or supporting, Rugby and Rugbeians have been involved in celebrating the 2012 Olympics taking place in London.

The re-enactment of a 19th century game of football played to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic Torch at Rugby School

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Olympian Rugbeians Twelve Rugbeians have now represented Great Britain in the Olympics, of which four were awarded medals: two gold and two silvers.

1906 - Athens Olympics Stephen Carnelly (SH 1895-97) ran in the 5 mile event team, having gained his Cross Country Blue in 1905 whilst studying at Exeter College, Oxford.

1928 - Amsterdam Olympics James Hamilton (B 14-18) stroked the crew to win a silver medal in the Men’s coxed eights.

1948 - London Olympics Lt Col Douglas (“Duggie”) Stewart (SF 27 - 31) competed in the Three Day Event team.

Michael Moore Walford (M 29-34) won a silver medal with the Great Britain Hockey team. He was an extremely talented sportsman, a triple Oxford Blue – Cricket, Rugby and Hockey - and was one of only 13 Olympians to also play firstclass cricket: he represented Somerset between 1946 & 1953, averaging 40.9 with the bat in his 52 matches for the county.

1952 - Helsinki Olympics Keith Hudson Preston (M 15-19) was the helmsman of the 6 metre, 5

person keelboat, sailing team for Great Britain.

Col Thomas Vivian Somers (Br 22-27) also a member of the Great Britain sailing team was helmsman for the Dragon class event, a triple handed keelboat.

Chris Brasher (SH 42-46) ran in the 3000m event.

Lt Col Douglas Stewart competed again at the Helsinki games, where his three-man show jumping team won Britain’s only gold of the games. As a serving soldier he had less than two weeks off for the entire event, which meant he was unable to stay for the closing award ceremony.

1956 - Melbourne Olympics Chris Brasher competed again in the 3000m steeplechase and won the gold medal. He went on to co-found the London Marathon, and also acted as pacemaker for Roger Bannister in the first sub-four-minute mile.

1960 - Rome Olympics Niel Livingstone (Sh 52-58) played

hockey for Great Britain. The team narrowly missed a bronze medal, losing in the 68th minute of extra time (it was 112 degrees!) to Spain in the third-fourth play-off.

John Neill (SH 48-52) played in the same squad and was the first British player to achieve 50 caps.

1964 - Tokyo Olympics John Neill once again played for the Great Britain hockey team.

1968 - Mexico Olympics John Neill captained the hockey team for Great Britain .

Bruce Trentham (SF 60-64) played for the Great Britain hockey team under the captaincy of his fellow Rugbeian.

2012 - London Paralympics Sam Ruddock (T 06-08) – competed in the Paralympics T35 100m and 200m and achieved his personal best in the first round of the 200m race. Sam is now in training for the Rio Paralympics.

(You can read Sam’s personal account of his journey to being a paralympian on page 54).

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Lt Col Douglas (Duggie) Stewart (SF 27-31), (4th from right) with the 1948 Three Day Event Team

Bruce Trentham (SF 60-64), (Back row 3rd from left) & John Neill (SH 48-52), (Front row 4th from left) with GB Hockey Team, Mexico 1968

Chris Brasher (SH 42-46), Setting the pace for Roger Bannister’s record breaking sub 4 minute mile at Oxford 1954

Michael Moore Walford (right) wearing his trademark Harlequins cap with Mandy Mitchell-Innes playing for Somerset

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Rugby & the Olympics

by Dr Jonathan Smith, Director of Communications

2 July 2012 - the spark of an idea conceived in Rugby School Chapel become a flaming torch on the Close.

According to Pierre de Coubertin, the modern Olympics were born one night in the 1880s as he meditated on Doctor Arnold’s tomb. This year, on day 45 of the Olympic relay, the Olympic Torch reached Rugby, toured the Close and paused at the plaque to de Coubertin’s memory set in the Doctor’s Wall.

As a boy of 12, de Coubertin had read Tom Brown’s School Days and absorbed Arnold’s values of leadership, team spirit and responsibility. And though Arnold himself was little interested in games, it was he, de Coubertin wrote later, who ‘gave the precise formula for the role of athletics in education’.

‘It was to Arnold we turned, more or less consciously, for inspiration. In fact, for the last ten years I had been trying to implant his doctrines in France; in the principle on which they were based I discovered such clarity and strength that I was surprised to find the modern world so slow to understand.’

The modern world may have been sceptical of de Coubertin’s romantic idealism. As the Head Master has put it, ‘The golden age of athletic chivalry, of the amateur sportsman - it’s interesting whether that ever existed. But it seems absolutely clear that what de Coubertin saw, what he read about, what he understood, was

confirmed in his mind by the visits he made to Rugby. And there still are lessons one can learn – lessons of sportsmanship, of chivalry – values that were highly prized by Britain at the time.’

In 1896 de Coubertin founded the modern Olympic Games. In 1915 he awarded Rugby School the Olympic Cup for its contribution to the Games.

In 2009 Lord Coe unveiled the de Coubertin plaque, saying he was ‘delighted to be here today to celebrate the role played by one of Britain’s oldest schools - and arguably Britain’s most famous Head Master - in the development of the modern Olympic movement’.

After watching 350 pupils from 20 local schools take part in some mini-Olympics, he went on: ‘Everything I have seen today tells me why we went to Singapore. It’s not simply about 16 days of great Olympic or Paralympic sport; it’s about utilising the time between now and the opening ceremony to drive those Olympic values of courage, respect, determination and friendship.’

In 2012 Rugby’s Olympic journey picked up momentum.

In January Lord Moynihan, Chairman of the British Olympic Association, presented the Head Master with a replica of the Olympic Cup. Clare Balding presented ‘Sport and the British’ on Radio 4 and Jeremy Paxman presented ‘Empire’ on BBC TV, both reflecting how ‘the great Victorian educators were the first to cotton on to the benefits of sport in building a robust character, capable of defending and promoting the vast British Empire. They called it muscular Christianity’.

In April a ‘Coubertin Oak’ was planted near the Chapel, only yards from Arnold’s tomb, and exhibitions of Rugby’s part in Olympic history went up both in the Green Pavilion and on the South Bank.

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On 2 July the Olympic Torch finally arrived and played its starring role in a meticulously choreographed spectacle, witnessed by over 2000 people on the Close and featuring a re-enactment of 19th century football with boys in colourful period shirts and caps. Even a ‘death cart’ was wheeled out to collect the token ‘injured’ player.

Acclaimed by a flag-waving crowd, the Torch bearer entered the Queen’s Gates, ran along the Doctor’s Wall, paused for a photo at the Chapel, ran onto the Close through a tunnel of capwaving players and stopped for another picture at the Green Pavilion, before running along the touchline and out where he had come in, followed throughout by excited applause and a scrum of cameramen, including national media.

In a fitting end to the celebrations (it was still only 10.30am), the whole School then assembled in Chapel to hear Olympic hurdles champion Edwin Moses give the ninth annual Arnold Foundation lecture on ‘High Performance Skills for Life’. The lights flickered briefly owing to a power cut nearby but they immediately recovered, allowing Moses wittily to observe how, with belief, everything was possible. Speaking from the lectern directly above Arnold’s tomb, he urged his listeners to ‘Believe in yourself and struggle, whatever that struggle happens to be’. One felt both Arnold and de Coubertin would have approved.

The Olympic Torch pauses by the Doctor’s Wall with Olympian Edwin Moses & the 19th Century Football team

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On the Close

by Amelia Torode (D 91-93)

Amelia reflects on returning to Rugby with her young son to see the Olympic Torch.

I had not been back to Rugby School since the summer of 1993.

Nothing personal against the place but the pressing constraints of everyday life had taken over and I never found any real reason to go back. I spent my twenties living and working in New York, my early thirties setting up house in London with my French husband and then juggling the demands of two young boys as well as a full-time career in advertising. So how was it that early one Monday morning this summer I found myself speeding across country, my mother beside me in the car and Felix, my 2 year old son, strapped into his booster seat, all three of desperate to get to The Close before 8am?

The Olympics. Or to be more precise, the Olympic Torch Relay.

Becoming a parent does odd things to you. It makes you do things that previously you might have turned up your nose at, makes you think again about your own childhood/teenagehood and gets you to determine what is genuinely important and what is not. For me as soon as an email came through from the Rugbeian Society talking about the fact that the Olympic flame was going to be coming through Rugby School, taken across The Close and then heralding the start of an old-fashioned rugby match, complete with 19th century costume, I knew that I wanted to

Felix Torode’s first experience of Rugby

be there and I knew most importantly that I wanted to be there with my son Felix. I wondered whether this occasion might be something so special and out of the ordinary that it could be his first proper memory. And what an incredible memory that would be!

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Twenty years is a long time to be away from a place that was such a pivotal part of my life. Driving through the town centre seeing the streets lined deep with excited, flag-waving children, their teachers and families, was moving in a way that I had not anticipated. Going down the Hillmorton Road and suddenly seeing Rupert Brooke and the staff room, then Michell, and then Dean, my old House, and finally the Chapel and School House and so many memories long forgotten came rushing back and the excitement grew.

And then we saw them: hundreds of Rugbeians, of all ages, shapes and sizes surrounded by camera crews, police motorbike units and heavily branded London 2012 sponsored buses. Then from down the street came a huge roar; the flame was on its way. If I am honest the Olympic flame itself was a bit of a let down, it was gone so fast and the torch itself looked a bit plastic, but the fantastic party atmosphere around the School more than compensated and the recreation of those original rugby matches was a genius idea, absolutely fantastic. It was the first live rugby match that Felix had seen, he especially liked the tackles, shouting excitedly “that boy fell over!” whenever a player went to ground.

He was delighted to be allowed to run onto the pitch at the end and when two of the players lifted him up and gave him a hug I think it made his day.

Will the Olympic flame be Felix’s first memory? I rather doubt it. It may be that the recreated rugby match sticks somewhere in his little memory, but actually I think that it was more of a special occasion for me in my new role as mother and certainly a happy memory of my own school days that will last in my mind for a very long time.

Message from Ed

by Olympian Edwin Moses

Edwin Moses, gold medallist at the 1976 & 1984 Olympics, delivered the 9th Arnold Foundation lecture in the Chapel on 1st July 2012.

“There are but a few ‘universal languages’ that are common throughout the World today. Sport absolutely must be included along with the classical universal languages of love and music.

Sport is common to all societies and as such has the ability to motivate, inspire and also to cause young men and women to transcend themselves and their fans to higher levels of human physical achievement.

The life skills that are necessary to become a great sports person are identical to those required in education, business and the creative arts. My life has been enriched by my specific use of physics and engineering and using this background to become a world class sports personality.

It is here in Rugby that I stand today, amongst you our youth, to tell you nothing is far from being accomplished if you set your mind to it.”

Edwin Moses is managed by Siu-Anne Marie Gill, 11th Hour Global Management.

2012, London Olympic Games.

Edwin Moses

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is host. It is for this reason that TeamGB is one of only 3 national teams that have competed in every one of the modern Olympics; the Team have not been used as pawns in political disputes as

by Robert Swannell (Tu 64-68) in Moscow in 1980, when the US team were withdrawn. And last, but absolutely not least, there are the extraordinary Rugby The excitement builds as becoming an Olympic School connections with the founding of the modern Olympics.

Torch bearer becomes a reality.

Baron de Coubertin is explicitly clear how Dr Arnold and Rugby were pivotal in inspiring his modern Olympic creation.

I am not given to hyperbole about these things. But when an Unfortunately I had to contain my excitement because I was email appeared in my inbox in Summer 2011 asking if I was told that my candidature had to be checked for suitability and I happy for my name to be recommended as an Olympic torch was not yet definitively selected. What could that mean!? Despite bearer I just cannot describe my excitement; my heart literally having been CRB checked twice and enhanced CRB checked to leapt several feet. be Chairman of the Governing Body at Rugby, I was anxious that My Olympic connections had started in childhood. My no unremembered ghastly misbehaviour in my dim and distant grandfather had competed in two Olympic games, those of Paris, past should ruin the great opportunity! So my excitement was real 1924 and Amsterdam, 1928, as a shot-putter. Because of this when I was finally told in March enthusiasm for the Olympics and 2012 that I would definitely be sport I have been connected carrying the torch and I would be with TeamGB since before the carrying it in the City of London, Beijing Games. I have worked close to where I had worked for with the British Olympics decades, on the day before the Association, raising funds for opening ceremony. the athletes to compete. The But my joy was short-lived! I British team is one of very few called the number on the email national teams that are funded as requested. I gave them my 18 by private donations. There is digit unique code; they asked normally no government money for my name, I gave it; they said to get them to the games that’s a shame because its not properly prepared, housed and kitted out, except when London Robert Swannell proudly carrying the torch through the streets of London the name we have for that code

Carrying the Torch

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and so we can’t confirm you are a torch-bearer. I asked them what a huge crowd to share the moment. I can’t describe the sense of name they had for the given code but was told data protection pure joy to be part of a ceremony where everyone wanted to share meant they couldn’t tell me! Was this because of some long the celebration and pride in a great event in a great city. forgotten peccadillo? It took a deluge of calls to various people Eventually the torch came towards me, we “kissed” torches and at increasingly senior levels at the BOA to sort the matter out.

I was off, with my police escorts making me feel like a Russian They had used one of my given names as a surname!

Oligarch! I set off quicker than I had planned. It was difficult to When the day arrived I had to slow down without humiliation or report at Islington Town Hall at being run over by my escort so 6.30am to be kitted out in my I had to complete the 460 yards pure white Olympic shell suit at a brisk clip. To my surprise I and get instructions on how to turned into the City of London receive and hand on a torch.

Museum and there I was greeted David Walliams, the actor, was by the Lord Mayor of London, one of the group. We stepped carrying the 1948 torch in front out at Islington Town Hall to a of his ceremonial coach… And huge crowd and a greeting from then it was over. the Mayor. Then we were put in It really is not an exaggeration a bus to be dropped off one by to say that it was one of the one with our torches on the route most exciting days of my life. A to the Guildhall in the City. It was moment of genuine joy, which it The 1948 & 2012 Olympic Torches re-united at the Museum of London there that the extraordinary day is difficult to describe or distil. really started. On the bus, we I was able to retain my torch, each told our brief life stories and why we were torch-bearers. suitably adapted for Health and Safety rules! It will eventually find It was a truly humbling experience; most of the people on the its way to Rugby School to sit with the Olympic Cup presented bus had done extraordinary volunteer work, often in very difficult to the School by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1915. I felt so circumstances. At the same time we got a feel for the scale of fortunate to be a torch bearer and so be able to connect my the occasion. There were cheering crowds ten deep all the way own huge enthusiasm for the Games with my own family history from Islington to the City where I was dropped off at St Paul’s for and my role at Rugby. The Summer of 2012 really was one to the short run to the Museum of London. My family were there in remember.

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An Olympic Effort

by Dan Bushell (T 92-97)

Dan takes us behind the scenes at the Olympic Park.

Millions of people from hundreds of countries will have watched ‘the greatest show on earth’, marvelling at the opening and closing ceremonies and the highs and lows of human sporting endeavour.

Some will look beyond the sport, at the Olympic experience, the individual arenas and, of course, the monumental stadium and a few curious souls will have pondered the question - how many people does it take to build an Olympics? The answer is thousands and as one of this number I would be delighted to enlighten you as to my role in this awe-inspiring project.

As a chartered quantity surveyor, I took up a position as a cost consultant on the Olympic Park two years ago and have worked as part of the delivery team, under the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympics Games (LOCOG). The organisation, chaired by Lord Coe, was created to deliver the temporary ‘overlay’ works that are required to host a Games. Managing both the public areas and behind-the-scenes, I got to see all aspects of the Olympic Park. My role involved estimating the costs of creating these elements before commencement and later to monitor, verify and check the actual costs against the budget.

This was a building project like no other. Quite aside from the iconic sporting venues, the 587 acre Olympic Park contains countless kilometres of fencing, cabling and pipe work, tens of thousands of square metres of tarmac, thousands of new trees and plants, hundreds of temporary buildings to facilitate day-today operational requirements, and boasted the heady accolade of the largest McDonald’s restaurant in the world.

Logistically and operationally a project of this scale poses numerous challenges to everyone involved. All LOCOG departments, which include sport, security, catering, cleaning, health and safety, marketing, and infrastructure, had to work harmoniously on a daily basis to ensure that nothing was overlooked to ensure that the Games would run like a well-oiled machine. For me personally this fluidity was the greatest challenge as costs continually changed, though budgets remained static, thus creating a daily balancing act of Olympic gymnast standards.

During the planning, design, procurement and implementation of this project, I was privileged to work with some of the country’s most talented architects, engineers, project managers and contractors; all experts in their fields who have tirelessly strived to ensure the successful delivery of the Olympics. I am proud to have played my part in this amazing project and to have experienced British history in the making. So when you watched the athletes this summer, I hope you spared a quick thought for the people that will never win a gold medal, but have none the less put in an Olympic effort so that others may do so!

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largest “Field of Play” - by coach boats, media boats, jury, umpires, equipment inspectors, marshals, medical support and timing boats, not to mention the athletes themselves, official spectators and more police than I thought we had left in the country.

by Nigel Symington (St 61-65) Windsurfers sail particular courses which mean that most of the The dramas of volunteering and manning a marks – the big inflated buoys which mark the race course– can only rescue boat on the Weymouth windsurfing be laid after the start: a complex aquatic ballet begins, with the pin boat dropping back, the finish boat moving up to lay the finish line, course. the mark layers moving fast forward to lay their marks. No other boats My bid to man a rescue boat for the Olympics began some 5 are allowed on the race course, except rescue boats, which follow years ago. The Royal Yachting Association called for volunteers up behind the race to be near sailors in event of an emergency. We to work at a series of major regattas, in order to ensure a body also recorded mark roundings – counting the number of laps each of suitably experienced people would be available for 2012. I sailor completed. Progress of the race was meticulously recorded signed up straight away, and was duly called on to perform at and backed up in every detail, so as to provide cast iron evidence the Youth National Championships in 2007 and the Windsurfing in the event of a challenge that we had run the race fairly. All quite World Championships in 2009. Thereafter, my bid to be part of simple stuff, but demanding intense concentration – no second the team took on all the drama of a Henman tennis match: my chances and no slow motion replays for us out there. Rescue boats invitation to volunteer (as this role are also called on to carry out errands needs specialist skills, volunteering between races, replacing trackers was by personal invitation only) came that had malfunctioned or got lost, through only on the last day before telling competitors if they had missed the deadline, and an interview early in a mark (yes, it does happen, even at 2011 was followed by silence. Then, this level), or simply helping sailors just as I felt all was lost, I received a whose rig had broken. call asking if I was still interested in Did we win? Victor Kovalenko, being a member of the team.

Head Coach of the Australian Our race management team team, described it as ‘the best run consisted of 40 people in 13 boats. sailing Olympics’ and a team leader Additionally, we were accompanied described it as the ‘benchmark for on our 150km2 of sea – the Olympics’ future sailing’.

Olympic Windsurfers at Weymouth

Windsurfing

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Olympic Games Maker

by Felix Fitch (SH 85-90)

Volunteering as a cycling “Games Maker” put Felix at the heart of the action.

When the email arrived from the organising committee of the London 2012 Olympic Games, inviting me to become a “Games Maker” at the Cycling Road Race on the Mall, and Time Trial at Hampden Court, I had visions of me chatting with Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins, holding gold medals, and being lauded as the reason for their success. However the reality was slightly less glamorous; I ended up with a yellow flag and a whistle in the pouring rain on Dorking High Street as the women’s Road Race peloton splashed past on an empty road in Walton on Thames, as far away from Hampton Court as was possible!

I had signed up as a volunteer as soon as London was awarded the Olympic Games. After an interview with the cycling team and an orientation session at Wembley, the excitement level and the actual scale of the Games became apparent. As July approached and I had collected my garish purple outfit, (along with two pairs of size 14 women’s trousers) I was instructed to convene at Sandown Park race course to meet my fellow cycling team Games Makers. It soon became crystal clear that I was not going to be handing out advice to Cav on the Mall, as my duties were detailed as a “crossing marshal” in Dorking. On the day of the men’s race (28/7) the sun shone and we were bussed

to our various locations; the numbers on the sides of the roads were astounding, even a good 4 hours ahead of any action. The excitement rose to a crescendo as the police out riders and team cars passed our crossing area; the banter and noise of the crowd increased and then in a flash the peloton raced through, with Team GB riding at the front to try and ensure Mark Cavendish could get up Box Hill in order to be delivered to the Mall to win the bunch sprint. Alas it was not to be.

The next day saw Lizzie Armistead winning the Women’s Road Race silver medal in the rain; again I had been positioned on Dorking High Street with my flag and whistle and the crowds, although initially dampened by the weather, swelled dramatically as the racers approached to cheer on the British Team.

Reconvening on 1st August at Hampton Court for the time trial, expectations for a British victory were running high. Unlike the Road Race, which is seemingly over in a flash, the Time Trial gives you the chance to assess each rider in turn wherever you are positioned. Armed with a portable radio I was tasked with updating my fellow volunteers with what was going on, assisted by those inhabitants on Walton on Thames who were alternating between watching the action on TV and shouting support on the sides of the road. As the favourites set off in turn the excitement levels rose again. The noise level rose to a pitch unheard of on the suburban streets of Surrey as Wiggo absolute smoked by – clearly faster than anyone we had seen previously (he was later to win the race by 42 seconds from Martin). I managed to get back to the finish line in time to see Wiggins pass the finish line into the run off on Hampton Bridge. At one point I thought I would never hear properly again and that the bridge itself was Olympics

49

going to collapse into the Thames, such was the fervour for our Olympic champion. I have had the luck to see world cup finals in cricket, rugby, rugby league and a Ryder Cup but I can say with certainty that I have never been so engulfed by the atmosphere at a sporting event as I was that day at Hampton Court.

I volunteered in the first place because I knew the entire Olympic experience would be unique and something I hoped to be boring my children and further issue about in the future.

My only disappointment came from not being involved to a greater level; my 3 days were seemingly over in a trice although

I was lucky enough to also experience the rehearsal for the opening ceremony and the parade through London through my volunteering. Later when I attended events with my wife and children it become clear just how important the Games Makers were in making the experience as unforgettable for spectators as it was for those involved, and made me even more delighted with the whole experience. It certainly has encouraged me to continue to volunteer as, like the Olympics, no event, however large or small, can be a success without someone, somewhere giving up their time to help organise and run it. Next stop Glasgow in 2014?

Rugbeians at the Olympics - Juliet MacColl (Cr 76-78), George MacColl (M 03-05), Rory Hunter, Freddie MacColl (SH 05-07), Titus English (SH 05-10), Rupert Hunter (SH 74-79), Chris MacColl (St 74-79), Wilf MacColl (M 07-12), Marcus Hunter, David MacColl (St 71-74), Tommy Cooper (K 05-10) & Stephanie Hunter

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play sport, though very little impact on my ambition to participate.

During my time in Town House as a Foundational Scholar, I was Captain of the 5th XV and I distinctly remember my first day on

by Sam Ruddock (T 06-08) Bigside Two, when Captain Archer explained that “as soon as opposition players see the way you run and walk, they’ll come Sam competed in: after you” and I replied to him instantly: “I don’t care, bring them T35 100M ROUND 1/ Friday 31st August – 2106 (PM) on.”

T35 200M ROUND 1/ Thursday 6th September – 1000 (AM) My approach to contact sports remained constant when I started playing ‘Aces’ American Football for Loughborough University.

Rugby’s first paralympian shares highlights At ‘Lufbra’, as well as Rugby, attitudes within competitive sport translate seamlessly into academics; those that strive to always from his diary over the last exciting year. challenge themselves to improve their performance, even with I am not the typical athlete that springs to mind when others the prospect of failure, no matter how small the improvement, imagine disability athletics. As an athlete with less than three will indeed succeed. months training, I am not blind, I have no need for a wheelchair, March 2012 - Potential Paralympian. Through my regular in-gym neither are any of my limbs absent; I suffer from cerebral palsy, and on-field practice with the ‘Aces’, I was incredibly fortunate a motor control condition often to be spotted by Joe McDonnell, caused by a lack of oxygen to the a sprinting coach who noticed brain during birth and it occurs in my attitude and commitment many different forms. My particular instantly.

He suggested condition is medically diagnosed ‘classification’ for disability as spastic diplegia in the lower athletics, in light of my speed extremities such as the legs and that was unusual for someone hips. It has detrimental effects with cerebral palsy. on my balance, coordination and Realising, though perhaps not flexibility. at first, that I had essentially been This condition is one that I have ‘talent-scouted’, I accepted his learnt to deal with; it has had offer. In early March, UK Athletics particular impact on my ability to Sam in training arranged my attendance at

Diary of a Paralympian

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a Parallel Success Talent and therefore not physically Day in Manchester. At this but visually impaired, hence Talent Day, the coaches were the need for classification impressed with the work criteria that promotes fair ethic that I had developed competition. as early as my Rugby days.

April 2012 - My first races They truly believed they at Loughborough’s Paula were experiencing a rarity, Radcliffe Stadium in April a young adult with cerebral went extremely well, considpalsy who had been playing ering my nervousness that sport regularly for the past nearly prompted a false start. five years and also had the My 100M at 14.26 and 200M build and the fitness level at 29.54 were both a second Sam competing in the Olympic Stadium of a dedicated, able-bodied behind the GB Paralympic sportsperson. The head coordinators of Paralympic performance standard; my 200M performance was also enough to send me and talent decided that I was talent to be developed and they to the top of the ‘UK All-Time’ T35 rankings. This was an impreswould send me to the 2012 IPC Croatian Open in Zagreb. sive feat, representing Loughborough Students Athletics, having This would first and foremost allow me to be ‘classified’ by an had less than one month of sprint training.

International Paralympic Committee classification panel, giving May 2012 - At the Croatian Open, against two Russians with me an official world ranking and eligibility for selection by Great top ten world rankings apiece, I ran a personal best at 14.02 to Britain’s Paralympic Team. take T35 100M Gold in a photo finish and the T35 200M Silver Classification requires a physiological examination and medal with another personal best of 28.77. With these races on competitive observation by an IPC panel and this ensures that my athletics resume and a full IPC classification, I can concentrate disabled competition is as fair as is possible amongst the vast on achieving the qualification times necessary to be selected for number of impairments that exist in the sport. There are different the 2012 Paralympic Games. Most importantly, I have been given classes for all; my own is the ‘T35’ ambulant class (T – Track, 3 the chance to be part of a monumental showcase for disability – Cerebral Palsy, 5 – Level of severity). Athletes with the same athletics, one that will hopefully inspire generations of Rugbeians classification race together; an athlete who races with cerebral to believe that with the right attitude, commitment and effort, palsy cannot maintain pace with another who is partially blind anything is possible.

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June 2012 - This time six months ago, I started my training as a a week. I am actually enjoying the stress it’s putting on my body; sprinter. Learning the tricks and acquiring the tools of the trade, the long term gains will definitely begin to emerge with the more I appreciate how addictive the sport of athletics really is. It is hours that I’ll be required to put in over the next year, with the incredibly raw as a physical activity; every time you step onto the World Championships in 2013, in which I am expected to win a track you are attempting to do better than you did the last time. It medal. That will bring us one year closer to Rio 2016 and will be is this challenge and the fun in trying to overcome it that proves my second year of training as a sprinter; typically by this point to be the addictive feature. many talented sprinters are just about to make their debut for their This time three months ago, I ran the 100 m and 200m for the country. However, I have had the fortune to be given my debut first time ever in my life, with only two months of irregular training for Great Britain with only four months of race experience and in as I was still juggling my commitments between my final year the biggest spectacle for our sport, which will be on home soil. dissertation and helping my American It is a dream for any aspiring sportsman Football team, the Loughborough Aces, or sportswoman and it means more than get to the National Final. When the anything. football season ended, my legs could Athletics at this level is incredible; start to get used to the various exercises the support you are given from your and routines that a sprinter has to go governing body is second to none, through. The cerebral palsy makes these particularly in British disability sport and exercises and routines almost ten times the Paralympics in Great Britain, and many as difficult, as many of the muscles of the world’s coaches frequently rely on around my hips, quadriceps and glutes our team for help, advice and resources. I are under-developed and tight and did feel so privileged to be a part of the team not take kindly to being directly targeted and honoured to be wearing GBR on my by physiotherapists in an attempt to chest in London in front of what I’ve been improve my sprinting technique. But the told is the biggest worldwide audience the pain, even excruciating at times, is worth Paralympic Games has ever had. The next it. Even the crack of dawn visits from UKA few weeks in Portugal in training camp, Anti-Doping officers who ensure athletes the Athletes Village, the Olympic Stadium are always drug-fee are worth it! and the entire Paralympic Games are set the lows…

Training is usually twice a day, six days to be an incredible experience .

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August 2012 - A Fully Fledged Paralympian. Six months ago, I be in the company of people who have used their abilities to started my training as a sprinter and now I have just finished become the best in the world at what they do, is a privilege. It is competing at the Paralympic Games in my debut for Great Britain. something that I shall always be honoured to do.

I have experienced incredible things whilst being involved in this I think many of my family and close friends could tell how great spectacle for disability sport. The emotion that I’ve felt in nervous I was in my first 100m heat but I’m sure they probably my own races is hard to put into words but I shall try my upmost felt worse. 80,000 people all making a spectacular noise - it is a to give an insight into what it’s like. shame that you really have to block out such noise if you want to London 2012 has surpassed all expectations; the work of LOCOG focus on the race! and its workforce, from race official to Gamesmaker, cannot go Missing the 100m Paralympic final by 0.600 of a second unnoticed. They have done a wonderful job and the Games would was bitter-sweet; my team-mate Jordan Howe made his first not be what it is without them. But I think final and I was thrilled for him but I was the most gratitude has to go to the British disappointed that I wasn’t able to join public for how they have responded to him. That’s the crux of the 100m: if you the Games. Their sheer passion for sport make a tiny mistake, you’ve already lost and desire to be entertained by it has the race. completely masked the one feature that This short-coming fuelled my personal defines the Paralympics. They have helped best in the 200m heats, I can assure themselves and the rest of the world see you. I’ve never felt such a contrast of the outstanding ability of these disabled emotions in my life. When I crossed the athletes, to such an extent that the label of line, slumped to my knees in agonizing disabled sounds completely nonsensical. pain and watched the big screen for the London 2012 has been responsible for results, that agonizing pain turned into turning the Paralympic Games into an elite pure, unfiltered joy in a second when sporting spectacle; this is an accolade we ‘PB’ flashed next to my race time. That have been yearning for and I truly believe moment was special to me; I had run the that this transformation could not have race of my life in the Olympic Stadium at happened in another host city. the Paralympic Games. Final or not, at From a personal perspective, to be this stage in my career, that personal best and highs… surrounded by elite athletes every day, to was as good as a Paralympic medal.

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Now & Then

A comparison of two London Olympics

by Duncan Colville (K 43-48)

Duncan attended the London Olympics in 1948 and was delighted to have the opportunity to be at the 2012 Games too. Here he compares the two experiences.

In 1948, having just left school, I went to watch a large part of the athletics program at the London XIVth Olympiad. So, when it was announced that London had won the bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, I was determined to see as much of the athletics program as possible and experience the vast differences in scale, style and culture of these two events after a gap of 64 years.

At School I had not been that interested in athletics, although I ran in the Crick in my final year finishing 10th. However, my cousin was a keen cross country runner at Shrewsbury and he suggested that we should go to see the athletics at the 1948 Summer Games. Back then, we had no problem getting tickets.

This time my son Christopher (K 82-87) and I each applied for tickets for 3 evenings of athletics and we were overjoyed when we obtained tickets for an evening each.

The 1948 Olympics, held so soon after the end of World War 2, were very much the austerity games using venues already in place. The athletics were held in the Empire Stadium at Wembley, as it was then called, which was also used for the semi- finals

and finals of the football and hockey. The swimming and boxing events were held at the Empire Pool next to the main stadium.

The venues for the other events were scattered around London with, for example, basketball in the Harringay Arena, cycling at Herne Hill and fencing at the Palace of Engineering, Wembley.

No Olympic village was built; foreign athletes were housed in makeshift camps at military bases and colleges around London while local athletes were told to stay at home.

The contrast to this year’s events could hardly be greater with a new sporting complex constructed at the 500 acre Olympic Park for the Games. Magnificent new venues included the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics centre, the Basketball arena, Water Polo arena, Riverbank arena and the Park Live area with huge viewing screens. The Olympic and Paralympic village was included in the Olympic Park close to the Olympic arenas. The Olympic Stadium, with a capacity of 80,000, was very much state of the art with wonderful lighting for the evening events – such a difference from the 1948 Games where the athletic events were held in daylight from late morning to late afternoon, as the stadium lacked an infield lighting system: indeed the latter stages of the decathlon, finished in the dark!

It is important to remember that the Olympics in 1948 was very strictly an amateur event and the Corinthian spirit of elite amateurism still prevailed. This was a long way away from today’s approach where national prestige is at stake, so key athletes receive monetary support from the State and where medal winners can demand large payments to appear in events post the Games.

In 1948, athletes from 59 nations took part in the Olympics in comparison to representatives from 204 nations in 2012. There were Olympics

55

of course no representatives from Germany 4 gold medals, and Emil Zatopek, who and Japan in 1948 and the Soviet Union, won the 10,000m, become widely known. although invited, chose not to participate.

Contrast this with the huge build up to this The 1948 athletics events were dominated Olympics and the hype surrounding our

by Americans and Europeans; significantly most significant gold medal prospects there were only two African teams, Egypt such as Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah. and South Africa. In 1948, 745 athletes took Sprinters Usain Bolt and Johan Blake part in the track and field events, compared have become worldwide personalities to 2,242 in 2012. The greatest changes over and gold medal winners have become the 64 years between the 1948 and the national heroes.

2012 Olympics have been: 1) the dramatic Of course, over the 64 years and rise in the success of athletes from Kenya, with the advent of professionalism into Ethiopia and the Caribbean countries athletics, the increase of standards has and the relative decline in performance of been tremendous. The quality of the European athletics, especially in the men’s running surface has improved significantly track events and 2) the massive increase in (incidentally the cinder running track for the participation of women. In 1948 there the 1948 Olympics was not laid down until were 33 athletic events, 24 for men and 2 weeks before the opening ceremony).

9 for women, with the 200 metres, long As a consequence, in the men’s events jump and shot put for women appearing the world record for 100 metres has fallen for the first time. In 2012 there were 24 from 10.2 seconds in 1948 (timing then events for men and 23 for women and who was only by stopwatch and only to a 10th The original programmes would have thought in 1948 women would of a second) to 9.58 seconds in 2012 from the 1948 Olympics be competing in the 10,000 metres, the and 10,000 metres from 29 minutes 5.4 marathon and throwing the hammer! seconds to 27 minutes and 48 seconds today. The advances With no widespread television in 1948, the media coverage of made in the women’s events have been even greater. the Olympics was not at the level of intensity that it is today and I feel it has been a great privilege to have witnessed the two as a result the participants were hardly household names. Only London Olympics 64 years apart and who knows how long it will after the event did names like Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won be before London hosts the Olympics again!

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An Olympic Summer

by Sarah Peppiatt (D 83-85)

The Peppiatt family goes from slow burn to avid enthusiasm.

We may forget the detail but I suspect we shall not forget the big pictures of the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics.

It was a slow burn in our family – from the initial frustration of trying to obtain tickets (crashed website at 11.59pm on D day and cross children muttering about things being left to the last minute) to the muted enthusiasm that greeted the success of securing tickets for ping pong (or ‘wiff-waff’ as Boris would say). And then it started – the Queen bravely parachuting into the opening ceremony, the medals starting to accumulate, a distinctly unenthusiastic husband thrilled to secure unexpected athletics tickets, Super Saturday in front of a holiday cottage television in Devon with little ones and oldies jumping for joy and embracing the ‘Mobot’ one and all.

The emotions were overwhelming – tears shared with medallists and losers, wonder at the dressage riders with missing legs, awe at the speed, agility and guts of athletes, inspiration gleaned from such dedication and sadness that it was all over.

I am glad we hosted the Olympics and the Paralympics, glad that everyone had a common thread for three weeks in the summer and a chance to forget the surrounding economic gloom, glad to embrace the excellence of amateur sport and glad that we did it so well.

The Peppiatt boys make it to the Olympics

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Creating Family Memories

to jump, finishing in the stadium to see William Fox-Pitt come through towards the end. The greatest excitement was meeting

by Fenella Agar (D 86-88)

Mary King, another member of the GB Team, who kindly posed for

Memories of an Olympic day will live on for the Agar family.

a photograph and gave the girls her autograph.

Through sheer luck, my husband and I were offered tickets to an evening session of the Olympics

Thanks to my efficient and enthusiastic

Athletics, the highlight being Usain Bolt

husband, we applied for tickets to the

winning his 200m semi-final. We also

Olympics in the first ballot and amazingly

managed to acquire tickets from the

managed to obtain 5 tickets to the

ballot for the Paralympics Athletics in

Equestrian Cross Country on July 30th

the Olympic Stadium on September 1st.

in Greenwich Park. Our three daughters,

The atmosphere was truly amazing and

all of whom ride, were very excited at

we saw some incredible races, including

the prospect of watching ‘proper riders

David Weir win his 200m final.

jump serious jumps’ and leapt out of

The whole family was glued to the

their beds before 6am in order to catch

television for the entire Olympic and

the train from Suffolk to London then

Paralympic summer and our girls were

across to Greenwich to be there in good

so inspired by all the athletes, able

time. We spent the morning ‘walking the

bodied or not. It was a truly memorable

course’ (a new experience for me being

time for the whole country, which none

totally unhorsey) and marvelling at the

of us will ever forget and we are so

beauty and size of the jumps. It was a

thrilled that our children will be able to

beautiful, warm day and we sat basking

talk about when they went to London

in the sun as the riders came through.

2012 Olympics.

We then wandered around from jump Agar Girls at the Olympics

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The Closing Ceremony

by Di Latham (D 80-82)

A spectacle that needed to be seen to be believed.

We were incredibly lucky to get tickets to the Closing Ceremony, the ladies hockey final and day 4 of the athletics in the first round of ticket ballots back in early 2011. I had certainly not caught Olympic fever at that stage and, apart from booking our holidays to accommodate the dates, we quietly forgot about the tickets until July 2012. Then suddenly we faced the slightly tricky task of trying to share the tickets out amongst our various children with some degree of fairness.

Suffice to say that I got to go to the Closing Ceremony which was amazing.

We arrived at the Park early and I marvelled at the size of the stadium, the range of impressive architecture around the Park and the vibrant atmosphere. It felt as if we were in a foreign country; it was warm, everyone was in holiday mode.

The volunteers were friendly, helpful and everywhere and they were the cogs that kept the Olympic machine going.

The stadium was enormous and even though we were near the back and sitting high up above the stage, we had an excellent view. The ceremony itself was uplifting, gripping and a visual feast. I later saw some of it on television and it really did not do it justice. The atmosphere and excitement is hard to describe.

My favourite bit was when the newspaper covered lorries opened up to spill out waves of colourful, carnival characters but Annie Lennox and Jessie J took some beating too. My final treat was the dance when Darcey Bussell spectacularly flew into the Olympic Stadium on a flaming phoenix to dance to a piece created by Christopher Wheeldon. Equally exciting was the fact that my niece was dancing as part of the corps de ballet in an amazing flame costume. Everyone was on a high; even when queuing for an hour to get out there was no grumbling or pushing, Boris stopped to chat to the crowd before being ushered through to catch a train ahead of the crowd. There have to be some perks if you organised the trains in the first place I suppose!

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Notes from the President We continue to adapt and modify our programme to make sure that what we offer is what the members of the Society want.

Notes from the President

by Fiona Hughes-D’Aeth

President of the Rugbeian Society

Once again the Society has been responsible for organising a wide range of events this year – 26 in total, some of which have sold out, others of which have been a tougher sell! We continue to adapt and modify our programme to make sure that what we offer is what the members of the Society want. A full AGM report can be found on the website (www.rugsoc.com) and more news of all the individual events can be found across the pages of the Floreat but here are some of the highlights from the Rugbeian Society’s year…

Social Our social programme has happily settled into a mix of year group Anniversaries and House Dinners, regional events and cultural events. This year saw Anniversary Gatherings for those who left one year ago, 5 years, 10 years, 25 years and 30 years.

(See pages 88-111).

House Dinners took place for Michell, School Field and, for the first time, Dean and Rupert Brooke.

Regional events were hosted for the Society in Wales, a small gathering which we will hope to build on next year. We are always looking for Rugbeians to host more of these events and Rachel Douglas is the Committee link.

Internationally we hosted our first Paris dinner this year. An event hosted in Dubai by the Kandhari family saw the launch of the

Host Stuart Wilson (W 81-86) and guests at Call My Bluff

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Gulf Friends of Rugby and Richard Baker (W 77-82) organised a 30th Anniversary gathering in Sydney simultaneously with the 30th Anniversary taking place in London and the Hong Kong Friends of Rugby also hosted an event (See page 138).

Cultural events this year have included a hugely successful twilight tour of Apsley House, a Theatre Club trip to Matilda and another to War Horse.

The largest event that we hosted this year was the Call My Bluff wine tasting, a hugely entertaining evening where we raised just over £13,000 for the Arnold Foundation. (See page 128).

Guests at the 25 Year Leavers’ Party - Class of ‘87

Guests at the 30 Year Leavers’ Party - Class of ‘82

Guests at the 1 Year Leavers’ Party - Class of 2011

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62

The Business Network The Business Network continues to be one of the most important areas we can offer Rugbeians.

Julian Mant (C 67-71), Ravi Bulchandani (C 78-79) & Heather Smith (St 02-04) at the Autumn Business Forum

We hosted two Business Forums this year. Chris Imray (St 72-77) spoke at The Spring Forum on the topic of “Extreme Medicine” and our Autumn Business Forum welcomed Andrew Mitchell (Tu 69-74) on the very day he was promoted from the Department of International Development to become Chief Whip. (See page 154).

The 7th Property dinner, now known as the Real Estate Dinner, was held in November and a wide range of people connected with property attended. We have several new initiatives which you can read about on page 158.

Gina Wasikowski (RB 02-07) & Georgina Mant (RB 02-07) at the Real Estate Dinner

Communications This has been a major focus for the Society this year: we have launched the new website, redesigned the monthly e-bulletins and made some changes to the layout of the Floreat. We would very much welcome any feedback from you on these changes!

In addition we have taken over the running of a group on LinkedIn, which had been successfully thriving as “The Unofficial Rugbeian” group. After meeting with John Coupland (Tu 80-84) and Burhan Kamal (W 89-94) who were prescient enough to News from the Society

63

initiate and manage the group, it was felt that it was time for the “unofficial” to become official and be under the umbrella of the Rugbeian Society. Please do join the group – it is easy to do by clicking the link on the e-bulletin! Watch out for the launch of our FaceBook page and a Twitter feed in the next few months.

The electronic version of the Floreat will be available on the website soon. With the ever increasing costs of production and postage, not to mention sustainable issues, it is our intention to move towards a digital version. If you are happy to receive the Floreat in an electronic version rather than a hard copy, please let Tracey know.

Sport Rugbeians have been actively engaged in sporting endeavours this year and with the help of Committee member David Clews, we are looking forward to strengthening our links with the Sporting Societies. Reports from the societies are on page 210.

As always we welcome any suggestions that Rugbeians have to offer to help us diversify and meet the needs of different generations of Rugbeians we represent.

The successful OR Arrow Sailing Team

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Message from Tracey Ahmet

Executive Assistant of the Rugbeian Society

2012 was again a very busy year for events. After my wedding at the end of July we honeymooned in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, LA and Las Vegas all of which were amazing. I returned to prepare for a further 11 events which included my 3rd Livery Lunch on HQS Wellington - you can read about the Livery Companies on page 166. Our largest event this year was ‘Call My Bluff’ (see pg 135) which was a sell out, just over £13,000 was raised in aid of the Arnold Foundation so a huge thank you to all those who supported and attended the event.

We are preparing to launch our Facebook page, so please visit us and ‘Like us’. As always, please keep in touch on email and I look forward to meeting you at our many events throughout the year.

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65

Committee News

by Fiona Hughes-D’Aeth (D 80-84)

There have been changes in the Committee membership. Farewell and special thanks to Ben Habib (M 79-84) and Will McCaw (W 95-00) and a warm welcome to Gail Sampson (B 93-95), Adrian Fox (M 75-79) and our new Vice-President Simon Penniston (C 65-70).

It has been a year where we have maintained our focus on the 4 keys areas that are set out in our recently updated business plan: Social, Business, Sport and Communications. Committee members have all taken responsibility for different aspects of the plan and I am grateful to Rachel Douglas (RB 92-94), Julian Mant (C 67-71) and Chris Hartley (SF 92-97) for supporting the Social programme; to Stuart Wilson (W 81-86), Jane Phelps (Staff) and Robert Pugh (Tu 69-74) for looking after the Business networking aspect; to David Clews (K 76-80) for promoting and maintaining links with all the different sporting Societies; and to Gail Sampson, and Nathan Williamson (Tu 92-97) for keeping a watching brief on communications. Tim Day (T 83-88) continues to act as a liaison with the School and I am delighted to announce that Louise Harrison (B 94-96) is to be the Hon Treasurer elect and will take over from Neil Payne (M 57-61) when he is due to retire next year. We are delighted to confirm that Simon Penniston will take over the role of Vice President, replacing Ben Habib who stepped down at the AGM in November.

Ben has also retired from the Rugbeian Society Committee after 14 years service. We are all deeply indebted to him for the

contribution he has made over these years both as a Committee member, Vice President and President. He has brought innovation and rigour to the running of the Society and we will all miss his wise counsel. Thank you Ben for everything you have done for the Society and through this for the School and the Arnold Foundation.

We are also sad to say that Will McCaw has stepped down following his relocation to Hong Kong. He is already active in the Rugbeian network there and I hope that at some stage when he returns to England, he will pick up the mantle once more.

In the meantime we welcome three new Committee members: Gail and Simon, who I have already mentioned, and Adrian Fox, who has been instrumental in organising the Michell dinners with Ben for the last few years. We are delighted to have them and their skills on board as they join the rest of the Committee in ensuring the smooth running of the Society, enabling us to fulfil our mission “to encourage and help Rugbeians to maintain contact and interact with each other after leaving Rugby and to foster relations between Rugbeians and the School.”

News from the Society

66

Simon Penniston (C 65-70) Vice President

Adrian Fox (M 75-79)

Gail Sampson (B 93-95)

After a successful sporting career at Rugby, 3 years in the XV, captaining in his final year, playing XI hockey and XXII cricket and representing the School in the Athletics squad, Simon started down the path of law. But in 1974 he abruptly changed and joined Barclays International. After 26 years, he moved to KBC Bank and for the last 10 years has been at Lloyds where he is a Managing Director of Lloyds Loan Markets. Simon has a long association with the Rugby Portobello Trust and has maintained his love of sport as a Steward at Twickenham, an ECB cricket umpire and President of his local cricket club. He is married to Sian and has two daughters.

Adrian is a Board Director at Fox Rodney Search. He studied for his degree in Jurisprudence at Oxford University before qualifying as a solicitor with Macfarlanes in 1986. He worked as an assistant solicitor with the firm for two years, before leaving to join the legal recruitment sector in 1989.

In 1993 Adrian became a Director at one of the UK’s most prominent specialist legal recruitment consultancies, where he worked principally in London as well as spending three years in the UK regions. Together with Stephen Rodney, he established Fox Rodney Search in May 2000.

After leaving Rugby Gail studied History and Politics at the University of Aberdeen.

She then moved to London and settled into a career within the recruitment industry. Currently she works as an Internal Recruitment Manager for a Financial Services organisation in Hampshire and is both a director of a small executive research and careers management company, as well as a trustee of the M3 Job Club which enables those in career transition a smoother path back to work.

Married, with 2 young rugby mad boys (aged 5 and 7), Gail now lives in Farnham, Surrey where she is an active member of her local community.

News from the Society

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The Social Register Engagements, Marriages, Births, Deaths and Obituaries

The Social Register Engagements

Marriages

GWR Shaw (M 81-86) to Miss JF Baldwin

Miss S Thompson (S 97-02) to J Poole on 20/12/12

P Bradwell (SF 83-88) to Miss H Jackson

Miss EC Cowley (RB 94-99) to M Blagg on 31/12/12

JNU Burr (Tu 90-93) to Miss CR Harris

Miss SE Cowley (RB (97-02) to P Claffey on 15/09/12

LB Hill (St & M 90-95) to Miss K Chaytor

JFJ Harris (SF 99-04) to Miss B Clarke on 12/05/12

ATC Choat (SH 91-96) to Miss JM Nahas

S Lindsay (St 81-86) to Miss K Franklin-Adams on 06/07/12

J St J O’Grady (Tu 91-96) to Miss AM Rayner

K Saunders (T 72-77) to Miss C Gibson on 14/07/12

M Blagg to Miss E C Cowley (RB 94-99)

Miss CRC Turpin (D 97-02) to T Robinson on 14/07/12

AA Huckle (Sh 94-99) to Miss J Steven

A Edmondson (Tu 93-98) to Miss CA Pardon on 06/12/12

Miss S Baumann (D 97-00) to P Winn TH Wicksteed (Tu 97-02) to Miss T Conie DJ Balfour (M 99-04) to Miss SRD Foyle TBM Crawford (C 99-04) to Miss LE Perry Miss K F Harries (St 00-02) to P Hill TCH Magnall to Miss KM Ware (St 01-03) Dr K Stone-Wigg (St 04-06) to H Roper Miss AFM Foster (G 04-06) to M O Hill

The Social Register

69

Clare G

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Births MAKINO for Yoshiko (Cr 88-90) and Ugo Salvati, a daughter Mariko Clementina on 09/03/12, a sister to Filippo Kinro John.

DELLA CASA for Andrew (M73-75) and Leonie, a son, Nicholas Eugene Erasmo, a brother for Livia and Aurelia on 12/04/12

Frederick Richard Caton

Joanna Rachel Emily Hopkins

Ella Schafer Ward

Sofia Joan Babiker

Amelia Phillips

Mariko Clementina Makino

WARD for Timothy (SF 82-87) and Tara, a daughter Ella Schafer on 22/05/12 BOOTH for Paul and Emma (D 95-97) (nĂŠe Watson), a son, Douglas Eldon, a brother for Edward on 01/06/12 NEWHOUSE for William and Kate (S 95-00) (nĂŠe Wigley), a daughter Sophie, a brother to Freddie on 25/06/12 COCKERTON for James (Tu 92-97) and Olivia, a son, Rory James, a brother for George on 07/08/12 THOMPSON for Ben (K 84-89) and Susannah, a son Oliver John, a brother for Millie and Ella on 09/08/12 HOPKINS for Michael (T 89-94) and Rosie, a daughter, Joanna Rachel Emily on 16/08/12 PHILLIPS for Chris (M 98-03) and Joanne, a daughter Amelia on 14/09/12 CATON for Emma-Jane Haigh (RB 97-03) and Johnny Caton, a son, Frederick Richard on 25/09/12 ASTRUP for Jonas and Claire Kilvert (S 93-95), a son Sebastian Aleksander on 01/10/12 BABIKER for Tarig (K 97-01) and Kim, a daughter, Sofia Joan on 11/10/12

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Distinctions

Anniversaries

Prof HFA Strachan (K63-67) has been appointed Knight Bachelor for services to the Ministry of Defence.

GOLDEN

RD Bayly (SF 64-69) has been appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Devon.

MGG Dyer (C 55-60) to Miss MA Burls on 24/8/62

Rev JW Baker (T 74-78) to be Bishop of Fulham.

SAPPHIRE

Lt Col EA Murchison DSO, MBE (W 84-89) to be promoted to Colonel and to be Assistant Director Targeting within the Directorate of Targeting & Information Operations.

KJN Brown (Sh 41-45) to Miss SJ Murelaga on 17/12/11

Lt Col R Slack (SF 85-90), appointed Commanding Officer 9th/12th Lancers (Prince of Wales’s).

P Nicholls (B 58-62) to Miss A Gagliardini 9/9/12

BJ McConnell (B 50-54) to Miss KF Richmond on 13/10/62 JB Jackson (C 52-57) to Miss Jennifer Stoddart on 15/09/12

RUBY JW Wadkin (T 59-64) to Miss JE Thould on 18/7/12

K Stone-Wigg (St 04-06) commissioned from Royal Military Academy Sandhurst into Royal Army Dental Corps as Captain.

Your News We are always keen to include news of Rugbeian Engagements, Marriages, Wedding Anniversaries, Births or Distinctions.

Please let Tracey know at tda@rugbyschool.net

Kate Stone-Wigg (St 04-06)

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Deaths & Obituaries PO Dudgeon MA (C 28-32) on 21/7/12 RRF Bruce DFC & Bar, B Mus (B 29-31) on 13/08/12 GG Hayley (Tu 31-35) on 09/10/12 JD Power (Tu 33-37) on 01/01/13 PA Grove-White (Tu 34-38) on 28/10/12 JA Eddison MA, FRSE, FICE (B 34-39) on 28/09/12 TW Hey MA, MSc, MIEE (C 35-39) on 23/10/12 JMC Dukes (K 36-40) on 4/12/12 PS Gray OBE (SH 36-41) on 30/11/12 C Hodson (Tu 37-41) on 02/07/12 DR Wallace-Jones MB, BChir, DMRD, FRCR (SH 37-40) on 15/02/11 WEH Fiddian (SH 37-41) on 27/09/12 Dr KM McNicol MB, BCh (Sh 37-42) on 13/12/12 AH Charlesworth LLB (St & K 39-43) on 08/08/12 HP Babbedge MA, ARCO, LTCL (T 39-44) on 19/10/12 Dr JL Smith MB, ChB (T & K 40-45) on 06/10/12 LR Carus-Wilson FRCM, Hon RAM, FRSAMD, FUCEB & PGCA (K 41-46) on 19/08/12 The Rev JPM Vellacott (B 42-47) on 16/09/12 DL Aitchison (M 42-47) on 04/01/13 Sqdn Ldr J Ford (K 43-46) on 02/10/12 JT Power (Tu 43-46) on 22/09/12

JM Walker (M 43-48) on 26/06/12 QM Edwards (SH 45-49) on 17/09/12 RC Alston OBE, MA, PhD (SH 47-51) on 29/06/12 T Dixon (B 47-51) on 04/07/12 HPP Lindsay BA (St 47-52) on 25/07/12 WL Hill MA (SF 48-53) on 17/08/12 Fr K Collins (T 49-54) on 11/4/12 AD Ogilvie HND, Agric (B 49-54) on 04/11/12 Sir WJD Roberts Bt (M 50-54) on 23/11/12 AC Sherrard BCom, MBA, CA(SA) (St 51-55) on 09/04/12 Dr JWD Hibberd MA, PhD, FRSL (K 55-60) on 12/08/12 AH Morton MA (Sh 55-60) on 01/12/12 ACI Tuckett BSc, FRICS (SF 56-61) on 23/08/12 JW Eardley (SF 59-63) on 12/12/12 J Gadney MA, MBA (M 59-64) on 14/06/12 JM Eddison MA, MSc, FIE, FRAI, CEng (B 63-68) on 16/10/12 JDM Morton (C 70-74) on 24/11/12 IM Gibson MA (C 71-75) on 06/09/12 TE Foottit (T 91-96) on 5/12/12 Michael Duff MA, MSc (Staff 1985-1996) on 15/07/12 Pam Silver MA, (widow of Colin Hm Tu 64-79) on 20/11/12 Deaths & Obituaries

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Flt Lt RRF Bruce (B 29-31)

formed a formidable partnership in the air and a friendship which lasted until Bruce’s death.

The principal threat to London in 1944 was Robert Bruce joined Bradley as a scholar and from the thousands of V1s, Flying Bombs promising player of cello and piano in 1929.

-Doodlebugs- precursors of the cruise missile, Under the wing of Kenneth Stubbs, Director of which were launched from sites in northern Music, and John Farrant his Cello teacher he occupied France. They were most effectively flourished and played in trios in Speech Room downed by pilots lurking at 10,000 feet close to and in chapel. In School he soon passed his the heavily defended launching sites, reacting School Certificate and rose, in common with instantly to the flame of the exhaust of a new most scholars until the sixties, into the Classical launch, and diving to intercept the weapon A Block. However, so bored was he by the XXA before it had reached its very high maximum of Beaky Cole and the prospect of two years Robert Bruce speed. Bannock and Bruce brought down in the Lower and Upper Bench, that he was nineteen of these V1s. Their other task was allowed in 1931, shortly before his sixteenth to attack the German fighters harassing allied bombers and of birthday, to leave school and all formal education for three years. these they destroyed nine. Bruce guided them home from sorties He maintained his interest in music and in response to a nudge as wide ranging as the depths of France and the Baltic, including from his aunt Marion applied to Edinburgh University for which a six hundred mile journey, limping back to base on one engine his School Certificate qualified him. Three years later he emerged after an encounter with a Messerschmitt 109. with a first class degree in music and set off for two further years After demob in 1946 Bruce taught briefly in a school before studying composition and the cello in Switzerland and Holland. being appointed in 1947 as a lecturer in music at Cardiff Registered as a conscientious objector he drove an ambulance University, a post which he held happily and successfully until his in the London blitz and later in Gloucester; but in 1942 a change retirement in 1977. At first in South Wales and then in Hardwicke, of heart took him to Canada to train as a navigator with the RCAF. Gloucestershire he gardened, played music and composed and On completing his course he was selected by Russ Bannock, an was a much loved member of his church and village. The flyexperienced and decorated pilot, an instructor at the time, to be past of members of the RAF Hawk Singleton Squadron over his his navigator, trusting this bright but newly qualified flier to get him funeral demonstrated the respect in which this remarkable man and his de Havilland Mosquito to his targets over enemy territory was held by the flying community. at night and in all weathers, and safely home to Middle Wallop in Hampshire where the RCAF 418 Squadron was based. Thus was Deaths & Obituaries

74

Maj ER Payne (W 34-39) Edwin Payne joined Whitelaw in 1934 and was Cadet Officer from 1938-39. He left for Sandhurst, where he was the finest horseman of his year, and thence into the war. He rose to the rank of Major in the RASC and served from Normandy through Arnhem to the Baltic, proud of not having lost a man under his command.

After the Second World War he commanded the RASC Company of the First Guards Brigade in Palestine; served in the Malayan Emergency, where he was mentioned in dispatches; and then with the Commonwealth Division in Korea. At Aldershot he graduated from instructor to Chief Instructor, Methods of Instruction which may have encouraged him towards his second career, teaching at Stubbington House then at Colet Court, the Prep School of St Paul’s.

In retirement he moved to Lyme Regis where he became an affectionately respected town institution. He was described as an unforgettable and stubborn cigar-smoking old gentleman, always dressed in plus twos and known for his flammable temper, technicoloured vocabulary and siren loud voice. He had the wonderful quality of not caring too much what other people thought of him and always did what he believed was right. This brought him into the headlines when he refused to be cowed by gangs of youths smashing windows and harassing him in his home.

Edwin Payne

Whilst in the army he trained as a lay reader and took services in his local church. He tried to live by Christian standards of care for others: loyalty, truth, love and forgiveness; but knowing his shortcomings he asked, in his will, that his headstone should be inscribed with the words: ‘Forgive my foolish ways’.

Deaths & Obituaries

75

DR Wallace-Jones (Sh 37-40) Dudley Wallace-Jones was the eldest of three brothers who were in Sheriff House. He also had two nieces at Rugby. He left Rugby to study medicine at Liverpool and Cambridge Universities and qualified as a doctor in 1946. In 1951 he also qualified in Radiology and was appointed Consultant to Walton and Fezakerly Hospitals in Liverpool as well as having a private practice in Rodney Street as his father before him. In 1949 he was married to Jacqueline Boston with whom he had three sons and was very proud of them. Unfortunately his devoted wife died and he never really got over her death. He loved his time at Rugby due in no small measure to the influence of his Housemaster E H Johnson who was highly regarded by all who came into contact with him. Even though his time there was short he entered into all the activities going. One of his favourite occupations was to cycle with his study mate Donald Ainscow to near the wireless masts and watch at the track side the Coronation Scot go through the Kilsby Tunnel. It certainly would not be allowed now. He loved games but unfortunately broke his leg in a countings game and could not play again. As his sons did not go to Rugby he did not visit the school in latter years although he did manage to go to the Sheriff House reunion in 2005 along with his two brothers. He enjoyed himself at the reunion a great deal even though he was a bit saddened at being the second eldest there. He is greatly missed by family and friends.

DR Wallace-Jones (Sh 37-40)

Maurice Wallace-Jones (Sh 41-45)

Deaths & Obituaries

76

Sir MJ Kerry (W 37-41) Michael Kerry was a senior scholar of Rugby School, Head of his House and a hard working forward for the XV in 1940 and 41. He earned praise in the Meteor for his skilful dribbling and his smallness in the front row was considered advantageous. He won a classical scholarship to St John’s College, Oxford and went up in 1942 but, in common with other young scholars, was quickly taken into RAF intelligence where he remained until 1946. Two of his RAF years were spent in India intercepting encrypted Japanese messages. He went on to complete his Oxford career between 1946 and 48.

Kerry was called to the Bar in 1949 and spent two years in chambers before deciding that Solicitor’s work would suit him better. In 1951 he joined the Board of Trade where he advised on the conduct of enquiries, notably one into the Pergamon Press and the fitness of Robert Maxwell to be involved in the management of a public company. In 1965 he was put in charge of shipping matters and was involved in the case of the Torrey Canyon disaster, the tanker, enormous in its day, which polluted the South West of England with its cargo of oil and led to the formation of the International Maritime Organisation on which Kerry was to serve.

In 1971 he was appointed solicitor to the Department of Trade and Industry, a post he held from the time of Heath, throughout the governments of Wilson and Callaghan and into early Thatcher years.

He was in charge during the miners’ strike, the three-day working week and the industrial unrest of the late 1970s. In 1980 he was appointed Treasury Solicitor and became involved in the dispute between GCHQ workers and Margaret Thatcher, who had refused to allow them to retain union membership; and on his retirement in

Sir Michael James Kerry

1984 he became legal adviser to GCHQ to deal largely with the issue of staff and union membership. In this year he became an honorary fellow of St John’s College, Oxford. He had been knighted in 1982.

Retirement was far from empty; in addition to being called on to chair public enquiries, he travelled, gardened, read widely and played bridge and golf. He became Captain and later President of the Piltdown Golf Club and co-wrote the club’s centennial history; and he relished a simple walk on the South Downs.

Deaths & Obituaries

77

Sqdn Ldr JR Maitland (Sh 38-42) Jock Maitland entered Sheriff in 1938 and earned his XV cap as a rugged forward in 1942. He also showed skill and ingenuity by turning a brass cannon in the workshops and arming it with gunpowder mixed in the Science Schools. His pleasure at its successful firing from his study window was not shared by the School authorities.

Jock began flying training in Canada with the Fleet Air Arm, but his eyesight was judged inadequate and he earned his wings with the Rhodesian Air Training Group. He first served with the RAF in Palestine and when the British mandate ended was moved to Cyprus. Back in the UK he flew Meteors but, eager for action, he volunteered for a posting to the USAF and from January to July 1953 flew seventy-seven missions over Korea in his Sabre fighter, often in dogfights with Russian built MiGs. He was awarded the American DFC and the Air Medal. On his return from Korea he served as an instructor at the Day Fighter Combat School.

In June 1956 he was given command of No 249 Squadron flying Venom fighter-bombers based in Amman where he raced gokarts with King Hussein; but was soon to be transferred to Cyprus and involvement in the Suez crisis. Here he led his squadron in attacks on airfields and transport, always being careful to allow passengers to escape before destroying their trucks. In 1957 it was in Oman that his squadron supported ground forces against rebels attempting to seize the Sultanate.

In 1958, disgusted at the Defence Review of Duncan Sandys, he resigned from the RAF. At this time Croydon airport was closing and the RAF was giving up Biggin Hill, an aerodrome which,

Jock Maitland

although well known for its importance in World War Two, had no air traffic control and not even runway lighting. Maitland, in 1959, boldly took on the task of running and developing it into an airport. He founded a flying club, a small airline, Maitland Drewery Air, an executive aircraft charter business and in 1963 The Biggin Hill Air Fair. In 1975 he established Air Displays International and over the next 30 years he and his younger son Jim organised almost 100 air shows around the country as well as the annual event at Biggin Hill. He retired in 2006 and was appointed MBE the following year.

Deaths & Obituaries

78

RC Alston (SH 47-51) Robin Alston joined Rugby in 1947 where he developed lifelong passions for English and Music, becoming a very effective jazz pianist. After gaining a BA at the University of British Columbia 1951-1954, he earned an MA at Corpus Christi College, Oxford 1956-1958, where FW Bateson insisted that undergraduates should read set texts in the original editions rather than modern ones. Alston built on this principle for his research, inspecting actual hand-press volumes rather than relying on existing records for an institution’s holdings.

He brought an irrepressible enthusiasm to historical bibliography – in his case the hand-printed text in English before 1801. In the early sixties he travelled for months throughout Europe in his VW Beetle, startling the keepers of libraries great and small with his insistence on the first-hand inspection of their collections.

He was already gathering evidence for what would become his life’s work, “The Bibliography of the English Language”, nearly complete in twenty volumes by the time of his death.

After two years lecturing at New Brunswick University he gained his PhD in historical linguistics at King’s College London and, from 1964, became an inspirational lecturer in English Literature at Leeds University. He wanted his students to have cheap facsimiles of literary and historical texts so, because established publishers would not back him, in 1966 he founded the Press and, in 1973, the Janus Press and reproduced more than 2,000 pre-1801 works.

In 1976, he set out on his third great project, the Anglo-American Eighteenth Century Short Title Catalogue, eventually known as the ESTC. This was to be a catalogue listing brief entries for the holdings of institutions within a given field. Alston embarked on this task with the British Library to which he became a consultant from 1977 as the ESTC’s editor-in-chief.

The first three years of the Anglo-American venture showed Alston at his best as he insisted on copy examination rather than existing records. Initially he fought against computerisation, but by 1979-80 accepted its increasing sophistication. By then the ESTC had begun its inexorable shift to the US, not least because the American professor Henry Snyder proved to be a match for Alston in intellect, vision and cunning, combined with brilliant fundraising skills. As the ESTC’s politics, technology and funding grew more complex Alston broke with Snyder and ended his involvement with the project in 1989.

His appointment to a London University Chair in Library and Archive Studies in 1990 reinvigorated him. He prepared University College London for the digital age and, in the School of Advanced Study, the University of London pioneered the first post-graduate course in the English-speaking world on the history of the book. In 1992 he was appointed OBE and in 1998 Professor Emeritus. He is survived by two children and his third wife.

Deaths & Obituaries

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AH Morton (Sh 55-60)

What may prove to be his last published article in English is ‘The transmission of Persian texts compared to the case of classical Latin’. It would Alexander Morton , universally known as Sandy, not be easy to think of another scholar who would was born on 11 April 1942, in Multan, in what be able to discuss both of the fields considered is now Pakistan but was then still British India. in that paper with such learning and perception, He was educated at Rugby where he became for all that he might insist that ‘I have no serious a member of the academically formidable expertise in the Classics’.

Classical Upper Bench. He left with an exhibition His edition of ‘The Saljuqnama’ is possibly his to University College, Oxford where he gained a masterpiece. Whilst cataloguing the collection first in Classical Moderations but then, instead of of Persian manuscripts belonging to the Royal reading Greats, switched to Arabic and Persian.

Asiatic Society, he detected a 15th or early 16th After receiving his BA, he moved to the School of Alexander Morton Century manuscript of the previously unknown Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, original text of what he describes in his 63 page to work under the supervision of Professor Ann K magisterial introduction, as ‘the most important single Persian S Lambton, who later described him as without doubt the finest narrative source for the history of the Sajuqs it provided nearly Persianist of his generation. all later Persian chroniclers with the bulk of their material on the His long association with the British Institute of Persian Studies dynasty’. Thanks to Sandy’s painstaking and accurate research, began as a Fellow of the Institute in Tehran from 1964-66. Later writing about the period can henceforth be built on rather more he became Assistant of the Institute from 1970-76. After Tehran, secure ground. he worked for a time at the British Museum, and then became Sandy was, to say the least, an unobtrusive person. But those Lecturer, later Senior Lecturer, in Persian at SOAS. He ultimately who knew him well have lost an immensely valued friend, and took early retirement in 1999. those who worked in any of his fields of interest, a singularly As a scholar Sandy was a student of detail and its wider acute though (almost) always a very courteous critic. Many of implications. It is difficult to imagine him writing a broad survey of his former students, some now distinguished scholars in their some major historical subject. Indeed, he did not really write books own right, would readily acknowledge that they owe most of their as such, though there are three which have his name on their cover: Persian to the fact that they were exposed to the teaching of a man ‘A Catalogue of Early Islamic Glass Stamps in the British Museum’, whose knowledge of the language and literature was perhaps, in ‘Michele Membre, Mission to the Lord Sophy of Persia (1539-42)’ his generation in England, uniquely profound. Persian Studies and ‘The Saljuqnama’, a critical edition of a Persian text. Sandy was has lost a scholar who, in his particular areas of study, was in a a Persian textual scholar of a very high order indeed: comparable class of his own. with the finest of his predecessors, and with no one since.

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JWD Hibberd (K 55-60) Dominic Hibberd left Rugby with Jex Blake and Rupert Brooke prizes as well as an exhibition to King’s College, Cambridge (196164), later earning his PhD at Exeter University (1971-73). He taught first at Manchester Grammar School then at the Northwestern University USA, Exeter and Peking; but much longer at Keele, before in the 1980’s opting out of teaching to devote himself to research and freelance writing. In 1981 he produced an anthology of “Poetry of the First World War”, and this area remained his focus: particularly the work and person of Wilfrid Owen. His deeply researched trilogy: “Owen the Poet “(1986), “Wilfrid Owen the Last Year 1917-18” (1992), and “Wilfrid Owen a New Biography” (2002) - new to distinguish it from the 1974 work of another Rugbeian, Jon Stallworthy - has been described as compassionate, informative and authoritative.

Hibberd’s biography of Harold Monro (2001) and a selection of Monro’s poems (2003) brought to centre stage a man little appreciated, but who founded the Poetry Review and the Poetry Bookshop which, as Hibberd put it, ‘was the most famous centre for poets in the English speaking world’. In 2007, with John Onions, he produced a collection of war poems, “The Winter of the World”, which is regarded as the definitive anthology of the modern day.

John William Dominic Hibbard

Hibberd was well known for his generosity to other scholars and in recent years he had been involved in widening the readership of his areas of study through digitising the manuscripts of the war poets. He described Owen as a man who ‘lived life to the full… with a wicked sense of humour… who loved words and language’- a fitting description of Hibberd himself.

Deaths & Obituaries

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J Gadney (M 59-64) John Gadney was one of many who started life at Rugby in John Marshall’s LMc and made good. From Rugby he went up to St Catharine’s, Cambridge where he read Architecture, contributed drawings to Varsity and became contributor and art editor of Granta; adding his scurrilous cartoons to the articles of contemporaries such as John Simpson, Salman Rushdie, Jocelyn Cadbury and Simon Hoggart. He then gained an MBA at the University of Pennsylvania. He became Managing Director of James Bourlet and Sons, a subsidiary of Sothebys which dealt with shipping, freight forwarding, picture restoration and framing.

In 1979 he founded a successful Houston and Washington DC business development and asset recovery consultancy, representing businesses from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the US. From 1986-87 he worked as a specialist intermediary for Lloyd’s underwriters evaluating insurance issues in Miami, the Caribbean, Peru, Panama and Colombia. From 2002-2005 he advised the State Council in China on bank asset recoveries. He was a specialist in risk management, logistics, fine art collection management and international business development. In Basra he advised a group investing in infrastructure, port development and fleet acquisitions, and on the Bay of Bengal he was a partner with local, Australian and Asian experts in an energy development group. He spoke at international conferences on asset control and state asset recovery issues.

In April 2009 Gadney submitted ‘The Gadney Memorandum’ (TGMMMIX) to Parliament’s Treasury Select Committee on the UK

John Gadney

banking crisis, detailing existing effective mechanisms developed by the World Bank, South Korea and China since 1997. He argued, with formerly secret evidence, that these multi jurisdictional, complex, legal and effective mechanisms have been demonstrably effective and were shamefully overlooked by HM Treasury under Prime Ministers Blair and Brown.

John is survived by three grown up children and his wife, the international concert organist Jane Parker-Smith.

Jane Gadney

Deaths & Obituaries

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IM Gibson (C 71-75) Ian followed in the footsteps of his father, RA Gibson (C 46-49), and his maternal grandfather, MWM MacLeod (C 09-14, Wilson’s as it was then.) He then went on to Christ’s College, Cambridge in 1976 to read History.

After Cambridge, Ian’s life and career had two main phases.

Between 1979 and 2000, he first worked for Reuters News Agency in London and Bonn and moved into the capital markets business with merchant bank, Schroders in London, and then Creditanstalt Investment Bank, living in Warsaw for six years.

In 2001 Ian changed direction. He qualified as a Germanspeaking London Blue Badge Guide and simultaneously took an MA in History of Art at SOAS. Over the next ten years, Ian built up a successful and intellectually nourishing second career. He was an accredited lecturer for the National Association of Fine and Decorative Arts Societies (NADFAS), lecturing on Islamic art and architecture and London-related subjects, including architecture and The Olympics. As a Blue Badge Guide his accreditations included all major London sites, including the British Museum, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, and venues further afield such as Canterbury Cathedral and York Minster.

A fellow guide recalled Ian taking a group of Bavarian bankers on a tour of the Bank of England Museum. The Chairman of the Bavarian bank asked Ian whether the British felt the decision not to join the Euro had been vindicated. Ian replied concisely and with authority on this complicated issue. The Chairman and board of directors were clearly taken aback with both Ian’s

Ian Gibson

grasp of the subject and his ability to express it fluently in their language. Many of Ian’s native German colleagues remarked on his excellent and technically polished German, a tribute perhaps to his early lessons at Rugby, which evidently served him well throughout his life.

Ian passed away on September 6th 2012, after a two-year battle with cancer.

Robert Gibson (C 72-76)

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PA Snow (Bursar 1954-75) In 1952, the Governors of Rugby School were looking for someone young and active with a variety of skills when they advertised for an assistant to Bursar Dunkin, with a view to his taking over the full duties two years later. They found him! Philip Snow had gone up to Christ’s College, Cambridge from Newton’s Grammar School, Leicester with an exhibition in History. In addition to gaining his degree, he had won half blues for chess and table tennis, played cricket for his college and the Crusaders and captained the Leicestershire second XI in the summer vacation. The one year Colonial Administration Service Course which followed set him up for a posting as a cadet to Fiji and, what he later called, the happiest years of his life.

Within a year of his arrival in Suva he was secretary of the Suva Cricket Club and managed, in the face of opposition and some resignations, to integrate this white man’s club with the Fijian and United Cricket Association. The Fijian Times of 10th June, whilst recording his death, describes Philip as a multiracial pioneer and a Fiji legend. His services to Fiji cricket extended from leading the first touring side to New Zealand in 1948 to being Fiji’s representative on the ICC from 1965 to 1994, and liaison officer for Fijian teams in England between 1979 and 1986.

Philip said that much of his work as Bursar resembled his duties in government and administration. He was not now responsible for gaols, police, hospitals and magistrate’s court, or liaising with New Zealand and US forces during the war in the Pacific; but he was in charge of all those working in the School, apart from

Philip Snow

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the teaching staff, and eleven houses containing nearly 800 boys and extensive school buildings and grounds to manage.

So well regarded in the bursarial world was Philip, that he became President of the Public Schools’ Bursars Association from 1962 to 1965. Jim Woodhouse, a new young Head Master in 1967, recalls not only Philip’s meticulous organisation of the Quatercentenary celebrations and the visit of the Queen that summer – a wet weather and dry weather programme both of which were needed – but also the detail of the paperwork which he prepared for committees, and the steady control of the School’s finances through the inflationary seventies. He was rarely seen in the Common Room, preferring to conduct business in his office rather than risk having conflicting requests on limited funds being heard simultaneously in each ear.

Bursar’s duties did not dim Philip’s enthusiasm for cricket. In the summer term he would adjust the furniture of his office in the corner of the Bursary – now the Bookshop – so that if he raised his eyes from his desk he was gazing across New Bigside directly at the scoreboard by the Gym. The only boys who became aware of the Bursar were the cricket XI. The most stubborn of opening batsmen, he would turn out for the Town, MCC , Old Guard or Leicester Gents, sometimes two or more in the same season.

The article in the Fijian Times notes how for many years Philip preserved contact with Fiji and he and his wife Anne, who had joined him to be married in 1940, offered hospitality to anyone from their country; he particularly enjoyed welcoming the Fijian Rugby Footballers who came to practise on the sacred turf of

The Close and to lay on for them a banquet of their favourite foods. He had, early on, made himself at home in their language and had interested himself in the culture and customs of the islands, so that his first book on Fiji cricket was soon followed by Rock Carvings of Fiji. In retirement he produced an anthology of ‘Best Stories of the South Seas’ and, with his daughter Stefanie, ‘The People from the Horizon’, considering the relationship of Europeans and the South Sea Islanders. Literary editors regularly asked him for reviews of books on the Pacific and he wrote two volumes of autobiography as well as ‘Stranger and Brother’, his portrait of C.P. (Lord) Snow.

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at Rugby, Michael was just the man to MWG Duff (Staff 1985-96) guide him beyond the strictures of A level. Luke went on to Trinity, Cambridge Michael Duff taught mathematics at aged 16, having also competed in the Rugby School from 1985 until he retired British Olympiad team. In Michael’s own in 1996. At that time, early days in the view, one of his greatest achievements use of IT in schools, the development of mathematically was to preach in the Rugby computing at Rugby fell to the science and chapel on Fermat’s last theorem. maths departments. Michael’s experience Michael, was also passionate about sport in using computers throughout his career and cricket in particular and had played for was a significant point in his favour, as such the Free Foresters and Radley Rangers; experience was very rare even as recently but was happy playing for the Old Guard as 1985. too. He would equally turn his hand to Michael enjoyed a very distinguished other sports and I remember his impressive academic career, from prep school in performances in goal playing hockey. He Shropshire to Radley College and then would not tolerate the nonsense of a mask on to Pembroke College, Cambridge as a Michael Duff – it prevented his enjoyment of a cigarette scholar in mathematics. His preference for when the ball was at the other end. cricket rather than lectures may have denied him his predicted Music was another passion whether as a singer, a pianist or as First. With the exception of a year spent at Birmingham taking a knowledgeable listener. He devoted much time in recent years an MSc in Operational Research, Michael spent much of his to the RMU (Rugby Music Union), of which he was a committee working life in industry in senior management roles at AEI and member, and also to the Rugby Philharmonic Choir, where his BICC. Here the combination of his intellect and character earned accurate bass voice was much appreciated. him great respect from his staff. He also found time to publish In retirement Michael derived much pleasure from his family: a book entitled “Write Efficient ZX81 Basic” under the name Ivor his wife Anne-Marie, his four children and his grandchildren. He Killerbite! was a real family man in the best sense and it gave him much With redundancy came the opportunity to return to the world pleasure to be able to meet the most recent arrival to the family of academe and to share his love of mathematics with young just weeks before he died. people. The most able really appreciated Michael’s ability and enthusiasm. When a young man called Luke Pebody arrived

CJ Edwards (Head of Mathematics 1988-95)

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Pam Silver (widow of Colin Hm Tu 64-79) From the age of 9, Pam grew up in India when her adored father was posted there as an Officer in the South Wales Borderers. The family lived in Rawalpindi where there were servants and ponies and lots of time for playing tennis and riding with her friends. But on a journey up to the hill station of Murree she saw for the first time the other side of India, with lines of abject beggars by the roadside. Her natural compassion and her desire to help led her to organise a fundraising gymkhana, involving the Officers of the Regiment who valiantly entered into the spirit of it.

The need for an English education brought Pam back to England in 1938, when an Army bursary opened up a place at Cheltenham Ladies College. After school Pam studied at Westfield College of London University. It had moved from the bombing in London to Oxford and here she revelled in the music, the plays, the social life and the dancing. Subsequently she took a secretary’s job with the Sunday Times but she was soon promoted to the Literary Department, where she organised large Book Exhibitions. In 1949 a mutual friend brought Pam to see Colin in the Staff play at Rugby; three months later they were married! The arrival of Alison, Nick and Christine brought fresh delight in the seven years that followed and the children’s subsequent marriages and grandchildren were a constant source of delight.

Throughout much of this, Pam was a loyal and supportive Housemaster’s wife. Tudor became a large extended family; her warmth, concern and personal interest in everyone who crossed

Pam Silver

her path, whether boy or parent, cleaner or carpenter, Head Master or new member of staff were an inspiration to many.

Pam and Colin were perpetual students, pursuing further studies to degree level in Italian and English. Pam loved belonging and contributing and was involved in a huge variety of local groups.

Pam was an un-judgmental friend, but she was also astute, shrewd and wise. Her sense of humour, sense of the ridiculous and enjoyment of life in all its glorious colours were only some of the attributes which drew people to her.

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Anniversary Parties

Anniversary Parties 1 Year Leavers’ Party -

Class of 2011 by Taz O’Brien (S 06-11) On Thursday 13th September, over 90 Rugbeians gathered at the Atlas Pub in Fulham for the 1 year Leavers’ Party. There was a lot of catching up to be done after everyone’s first year at university or gap year escapades, but we all soon realised very little had changed – especially our drinking habits given the opportunity of an open bar!

Many thanks to the Atlas Pub and the Rugbeian Society for kindly hosting a great evening.

Anna Symington (St 09-11), Valerie Osband (D 06-11) & Alicia Walker (D 06-11)

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Samantha Steele (St 09-11), Lucy Scott (St 09-11), Becky Ukleja (G 06-11) & Olivia Tweed (St 09-11)

Karl Steeves (T 06-11), Alex Tomkinson (T 09-11), Giorgio Ferraro (T 06-11) & Oli Cutter (SF 06-11)

Ben Armstrong (W 06-11), Henry Bacon (W 06-11) & James Herlinger (W 06-11)

Mindy Dhanda & Henry Barton (SH 06-11)

Katharine Bramwell (S 06-11), Toby Beaumont & Taz O’Brien (S 06-11)

Josh Lewis (K 06-11) & Alice Brandon (Ma + S 04-11)

The 2012 Leavers

10 Year Leavers’ Party -

Class of ‘02 by David Hodgetts (K 97-02) On Friday 19 October, a small but beautifully formed group of 30-something twenty-something’s gathered at The Canonbury pub in Islington, North London for the ‘Class of 02’ 10 Year Leavers’ Party.

The conversation was sharp and witty, much as ‘Dicky’ Ellis’ dress sense, occasionally short and pithy like the hostess Katie Harries (St 00-02) but always thoroughly agreeable, much like the four figure bar tab which provided both the backdrop to and target for the evening.

As one might expect, the evening passed in a flash. I can report it was held in the very best of spirits also. Tracey Ahmet was present from the Society and thanks should go to her for organising the evening, which I am sure all those in attendance will agree was a huge success.

Furthermore, the event was ably photographed by Harriet McCaw (B 01-06) so thanks should go to her for helping out.

As for the backdrop, I can report that the Class of ’02 was not found wanting and the evening was adjourned briefly before continuing at The Winchester where some found the constitution to dance the night away until the wee hours of the morning!

Tom Stenner (Sh 00-02) & Sophia Driscoll (B 97-02)

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Sophie Hodgkin (St 00-02), Hayley Marsh (St 00-02), Chloe Robinson (D 97-02) & Katy Long (D 97-02)

Jaimie Noble (K 97-02), Ben Smith (K 97-02) & David Hodgetts (K 97-02)

George Robuck (M 97-02), Simon Gallagher (M 97-02) & Richard Elliis (M 97-02)

Rupert Baker (W 97-02) & Jamie Cameron (Sh 97-02)

Katie Harries (St 00-02), Antonia Calnan (St 00-02) & Jo Smyth (St 00-02)

Trystan Richards (Sh 97-02), Charles Cruise (C 97-02) & Tom Davidson (SF 97-02)

25 Year Leavers’ Party Class of ‘87

by Jacqueline Krarup

35 Rugbeians were reunited on Thursday 27 September to celebrate 25 Years since leaving Rugby School.

The Class of ‘87 met in the Blue Room at the Canonbury, London N1, a perfect meeting place owned and managed by Gareth LloydJones (M 80-84).

It was a lively affair spent remembering the good times, forgetting the bad and some were catching up for the first time in 25 years. There was an great energy and everyone was keen to share stories. An enjoyable time was had by all and celebrations continued long into the evening.

Candice Raby (S 85-87), Ben Richards (SF 82-87), Simon Ratledge (C 82-87) & Glenn Berry (C 82-87)

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Alexandra Troubridge (D 85-87), Charlie Whiteman (SH 82-87) & Charlie Clarke (SH 82-87)

Caroline Barratt (D 85-87) & Frankie Fernandez (W 85-87)

William Slack (SF 82-87), Ben McMullen (SF 82-85) & Graeme Clapperton (SF 83-87)

30 Year Leavers’ Party -

Class of ‘82 by Magnus Spence (K 77-82) The Class of 1982 held a 30th Reunion at the Bluebird Cafe in London. Attended by nearly 30 old boys and girls, this was a smaller affair than the celebrations to mark the 25th Reunion in 2007. Nonetheless, it was a tremendous evening, where we were able to sit at one large table.

By the time the coffee was served, any semblance of a seating plan had given way to clusters of old friends sharing stories of past glories and updating each other on their lives over the last 30 years.

Perhaps there is a lesson in our experience smaller reunions are every bit as much fun as larger gatherings and allow more time to catch up properly with old friends.

The Dean Girls 80-82, Amanda Landi, Catherine McCrum, Fiona Hughes-D’Aeth, Virginia Boyd & Diana Latham

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Magnus Spence (K 77-82) & Mark Carr (C 77-82)

Andrew Shaw (M 77-82), Dennis Embleton (SH 78-82) & Patrick Gee (SH 77-82),

Christopher Darlington (B 77-82) & Keith Abel (B 77-82)

House Reunions

House Reunions School Field Dinner

by Chris Hartley (SF 92-97) On 18 October a group of Rugbeians and wives met for the second School Field dinner in the Cavalry and Guards Club, Piccadilly and enjoyed a champagne reception and dinner in grand military surroundings.

Rugbeians from across the generations joined the evening, which saw School Field members reminiscing about the old days.

House Dinners 2013 Date

House

Venue

21 March

Michell

Savile Club, London

9 May

Dean

TBC, London

tbc Oct

School Field

TBC, London

If you would like to host a House Dinner contact Tracey on: tda@rugbyschool.net

Tudor Girls’ 10 Year Reunion by Debbie Horner There was a huge amount of laughter throughout the day of the Ten Years of Girls in Tudor reunion, and the visitors clearly had very happy memories of their time at school. The Old Girls were joined by Mrs Hall, their matron, as well as a number of former tutors.

Debbie Horner, Many of them attended chapel and Housemistress then were welcomed to Tudor by the Head of House, Georgia Miles, and the headmaster, then Mrs Rosser (former housemistress) and myself, (current housemistress), we talked about the way that the house came into being as a girls house, and its development.

The current Tudor girls all wore red and white rosebud buttonholes, in honour of the house symbol, and enjoyed showing the visitors round. The lunch provided was outstanding and it was delightful to hear the whoops of joy when the Tudor catering team appeared to meet the visitors.

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Tudor 10 Year’s Girls Reunion

Sally Rosser former Housemistress with her ‘Tudor Girls’

Stanley House Reunion

by Annie Conway (Stanley XX)

Stanley House has been running as a girls house since 1992 and as a boys house for 164 years before that. Thus, as you might imagine, there was a fantastic turn out to the Stanley House Reunion on 6th October 2012.

Almost 150 Stanley Rugbeians, both boys and girls returned with their husbands and wives for an occasion that was memorably atmospheric.

The event must have seemed all rather overwhelming to the new LXX girls who had entered Stanley only a matter of weeks before, but each girl took it very much in their stride and wore the house flower, a red and blue carnation with pride.

The afternoon began with house tours given by the current Stanley XX and LXX which allowed the Rugbeians to muse over how the house had changed Carlien Shelley Housemistress since their own times living

here. Exclamations of delight were heard as friendly faces from old sporting and house photographs were recognised, and startled faces were seen, particularly from the elder gentlemen of the party, as they were informed that indeed yes a dormitory was shared by only two girls.

Following all this excitement was a drinks reception, at which the Rugbeians relished in the opportunity to catch up Patrick Derham with old friends, some recent and others less so – our oldest Stanley boy left the house in 1936 and the first ever girl to be admitted into Stanley in 1975 was also amongst the Rugbeians crowd.

Among our other guests were old tutors, matrons, Housemistresses and Masters of the house who all seemed delighted to be back. Once seated for a resplendent lunch, engaging speeches were given by the Headmaster, Alicia Taylor (HoH) and Mrs Carlien Shelley (HM). The afternoon was closed with a roaring rendition of the Floreat, accompanied by Lottie Bestwick (Stanley LXX) on the piano. As always, many thanks must be given to the kitchen staff and organisers for ensuring the afternoon was a huge success and one enjoyed by everyone who attended the reunion.

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Emma Williams (Tutor), Janette Cook (Matron 06-12), Sarah Foot (St 08-10), Annabelle Chelsom (St 08-10), Sophie Fontes (St 08-10), Liddy Conway (St 08-10)

Anne Naylor former Ahm Stanley, Nicole Wyatt (St 03-05)

James Newton (St 87-92), Angus Newton (St 85-90)

Aisha Nageen & Michael Hodge (St 47-52)

Terrence Pike (St 58-63), Jolyon Willans (St 58-63), Paul Holloway (St 56-61), Bibi Willans & Valerie Pike

Felicity McLean (St 02-04) & Abigail Rowton (St 02-04)

Simon Thomas & Nick Pownall (St 73-77)

Gordon Wilmot (St 31-35)

David Townsend (St 73-77)

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A History of Rupert Brooke by Rusty MacLean A short history of the House in preparation for the Rupert Brooke Reunion on 17 March 2013.

Rupert Brooke House developed from a row of four houses, which had been built in the mid-nineteenth century. For many years, the building which forms the private side, was home to Kenneth Stubbs who for a quarter of a century was Director of Music. A keen plantsman, Stubbs created a garden, for many years known as Stubb’s Piece, now occupied by the new Modern Languages Centre.

In 1988 the four houses became one sixth form boarding house named after the poet, and School Field pupil, Rupert Brooke. The

first Housemaster was Stephen Drew who ran the House from 1989 to 1994. In its first year, the House numbered 38 girls. When Stephen left to take up a post at the Chorister School in Durham, the numbers had risen to 46. The House was taken over by Sally Rosser who would run Brooke until 2002. In 1993 the decision was made to convert the staff bar and dining room, which took up part of the building, into facilities for the girls, (minus bar).

Staff moved to the basement where a new dining room and bar awaited them.

In 2000, the Sunnyside building was annexed to Brooke to accommodate the increased number of girls, before Tudor House was converted to a girls’ boarding house in 2002. The result was that for two years Brooke had 50 girls, with a further 26 in Sunnyside. In 2002 Sally moved over the road as Housemistress at Tudor, taking the Sunnyside girls with her. Sally remained at Tudor until 2009. In May 2002, just before her move, Sally invited Brooke Rugbeians who had been in the House during her tenure to a House Reunion. Colette O’Mahoney took over at Rupert Brooke in 2002 and has looked after the Brooke girls since then.

The House now accommodates 48 girls.

Future House Reunions

Rupert Brooke House

Spring

Autumn

2013

Rupert Brooke

Southfield & Town

2014

Bradley (inc. Crescent) School Field

2015 Tudor

Whitelaw

2016 Michell

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Society Events

Society Events New Parents’ Reception

by Fiona Hughes-D’Aeth (D 80-82) It was lovely to have an opportunity to meet many of the new parents on 4 September, as they started their ongoing connection at Rugby, on their child’s first day in the School.

Although it might seem strange for an alumni organisation to host a party for new parents, it is an ideal opportunity to welcome parents to the Rugbeian Society. It enables us to share some of what we can offer the pupils later on in their career and also what we can offer parents of Rugbeians from that very first day.

In this way, the Rugbeian Society gives everyone a chance to mingle across the Houses, to share stories and make connections that they will build on during their time here.

Amanda & Peter Balfour (Tu 76-81) & Fiona Hughes-D’Aeth (D 80-82)

New F Block Parents

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“Call My Bluff”

by Fiona Hughes-D’Aeth (D 80-82) A fabulous gala evening was enjoyed by Rugbeians and guests at the 3rd sell out “Call My Bluff” in aid of the Arnold Foundation.

Our three wine gurus Ben Howkins (M 56-60), Hugh Johnson (SF 52-56), & Steven Spurrier (C 54-59) challenged, teased and misled us all with a diverse selection of wines from all over the globe. The Salters’ Hall provided an excellent venue and the most delicious food which was beautifully presented between the tasting of each wine. Peter Berners-Price (St 56-61) whipped up a storm of enthusiasm as he auctioned off lots that had been kindly donated by many Rugbeians; from designer hats to Twickenham tickets, cases of wine to Villas in the Algarve, people bid generously to raise just over £13,000 for the Arnold Foundation. A fabulous evening of wine, food and fun.

“The hours spent doing their wine homework sampling the cellars of Rugby School boarding houses clearly paid off as the team comprising Messrs Beaumont, Day, Dhanda and several other Rugbeians carried off the prizes for the winning table.”

Tim Day (T 83-88) Society Events

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Our three wine gurus Ben Howkins (M 56-60), Hugh Johnson (SF 52-56), & Steven Spurrier (C 54-59)

Angela Watson, Fiona Hughes-D’Aeth (D 80-82), Peter Berners-Price (St 56-61) & Tracey Ahmet

Host - Toby Beaumont & guests

Host Neil Payne (M 57-61) & guests

‘Auctioneer’ Peter Berners-Price (St 56-61)

Livery Lunch

by Peter Lusty (SF 61-65)

Each year, Rugbeian Liverymen and their Rugbeian guests meet for a luncheon in the traditional Livery style at one of the 40 Livery Halls of the City. Last year, on 17 October it was at the Master Mariners’ Hall – The HQS Wellington, a ship berthed at Temple Stairs whose engine room has been converted into a dining room and museum. It was a fascinating location and 40 Rugbeians listened to speeches by Poul Christensen, CBE, Chairman of Natural England and by Sally Rosser, the Deputy Head. This annual function is open to all Rugbeians.

Peter Lusty (SF 61-65), Sally Rosser, Poul Christiensen & Wes Hollands

Giles Forrester (SH 52-57), Paul Viney (St 63-68) & Michael Fowle (St 53-58)

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Apsley House Tour

Theatre Club

by Louise Harrison (B 94-96)

25 Rugbeians and guests met on 11 October for a private Twilight Tour of Apsley House. Also known as Number One London, it is the ancestral home of the Duke of Wellington and is now under the care of English Heritage. The Head Curator gave us a wonderful introduction to this metropolitan mansion and the nearly 3,000 works of art that were given by the 1st Duke to the nation.

by Fenella Agar (D 86-88)

On Tuesday 11 December 2012 an eclectic party of Rugbeians assembled in the lobby of the New London Theatre, a huge age range, from our 8 year old up to considerably more senior ORs, but all were equally filled with anticipation about the much lauded production.

Nothing could have prepared us for what we experienced in the following two and a half hours. We all agreed that initially the men controlling the puppet horses were distracting but in no time the expert and lifelike movements of the horses’ ears, tails and bodies resulted in a total belief in their ‘realness’.

The panoramic sketch book strip across the top of the stage was an ingenious means of communicating the date and place of the action. The staging and acting were superb and we all felt totally drawn into the story: the horrors of the First World War, the unbreakable bond between Albert and Joey, the anguish of those involved and those left behind. We emerged into the cold night air feeling shell-shocked but also elated by such an amazing production, vowing to repeat the experience next year to see whatever the Rugbeian Society Theatre Club has to offer.

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International Events

International Events Sydney 30th Anniversary

by Richard Baker (W 77-82)

Hong Kong Drinks - 30 October A reception for all Rugbeians, Parents and Hong Kong Friends took place at the Hong Kong Club on 30 October 2012. The Head Master, Patrick Derham attended and a great evening was had by all.

Back: Patrick Derham, Adam Osborn (SF 81-86) & Nick Etches (B 61-66) Front: Sandra Fan & Deanna Rudgard

Coinciding with the ‘Class of 82 Reunion’ held in London on November 22nd 2012, six Rugbeians got together in Sydney to celebrate the same notable event.

An enjoyable evening was had by all at The Oaks, Neutral Bay, plenty of reminiscing, rounded off by the obligatory curry.

Nick Hardcastle (C 77-82), Richard Baker (C 77-82), Angus Hunter (W 78-82), David Tildsley (SH 78-82), Charles Anstis (SH 78-82) & Nick Payne (W 77-82)

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From Our Own Correspondents

From Our Own Correspondents Continuing our feature of Rugbeians living abroad

New York, New York

By Flora Ogilvy (St 10-12)

Working for a Charity project in the South Bronx, running in Central Park, watching films projected on the roof tops of New York, Flora shares some of her experiences of living and working in the City that never sleeps.

When Tom Wolfe said “One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years”, he was right. New York is part of me now after only 4 months of complete euphoria.

I moved to New York in the summer of 2012 and instantly fell madly in love with my new life as I drove up to the Brooklyn apartment. I spent the first night bathing in the light of the city on the roof with my new roommate, a lovely Parisian art student. We lived on a very tight budget but nevertheless we made friends with a huge range of people. From male ballet dancers to eccentric Italian cooks; from talented designers to

Looking over the rooftops of New York

wonderful photographers; they enriched my experience of New York after chance meetings at galleries, music events and work, progressing to loft parties in Brooklyn to follow the Presidential Election, dinners in the East Village or theatrical gatherings in the West Village like “Sleep no More’.

It may sound like the hedonistic dream, but in reality I was working incredibly hard from Monday to Friday. Each day I would From Our Own Correspondents

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commute north on the subway and B55 bus from Manhattan to the Dreamyard Arts Centre in the South Bronx. The South Bronx, the poorest district within the United States of America according to the US census bureau. This shocking statistic is news to most people who consider New York to be an affluent city, the second capital of the world’s biggest super power. However a shocking 256,544 people, or 38% of its residents, have been found to be living below the poverty line with the figure being even worse for children at 49%.

The Dreamyard mission is ‘the art of inspiring education’, and as the largest arts provider in the Bronx, its programmes reach 8,500 kids each year. Professional dancers, poets, artists, actors and creative writers teach weekly classes in these schools, enriching the lives of disadvantaged children in the Bronx. The Dreamyard Arts Centre HQ is a wonderful creative space. The Centre houses

Children from the Dreamyard Arts Centre

dance and theatre rehearsal rooms, art classrooms and their most recent addition, a digital learning centre which features hightech equipment that allows the children to experiment with film making and sound. As well as providing creative education for children, the Centre also acts as a community-gathering place.

The Dreamyard’s promise is that any students involved in the after school programmes within the Centre are allowed to use the building as a safe place to socialise or do their homework throughout the rest of the week. There are sitting areas and a dining room available, as well as the rehearsal rooms and classrooms.

This aspect of the charity is crucial for many of the pupils whose domestic situation or poor standard of living can prevent them from doing their best with their schoolwork or even developing friendships amongst their peers.

I mostly worked as a theatre teaching assistant in Marble Hill High School where our main focus was ‘social justice though arts education’. I very quickly had to adjust from a school experience where our tweed jacket was the biggest inconvenience, to a life where metal detectors, liquid bans and police escorts were the norm…. and I loved it. It felt incredible being challenged as I channelled my acting skills into teaching young people that I really connected with, to express themselves not through violence, but through the creative arts.

I worked alongside a wonderful actress Mariana, who has been heavily involved in Dreamyard for many years. She has the ability to connect with even the most reluctant pupil. We had been inspired by a ‘Living Newspapers’ study carried out during the teaching artists retreat at the beginning of the school year. A ‘Living Newspaper’ is something that was created during From Our Own Correspondents

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President Roosevelt’s New Deal as a method of getting actors and actresses back to work. Following the Great Depression the President commissioned them to perform the news in towns around America as an alternative to people reading the newspapers. We decided to offer the children in our class four different contemporary news stories and asked them to perform their interpretation of them in groups. Listening to their group discussions about serious topics like gun crime and the role of the police, it exposed issues that affected them in their everyday life. Their performances proved to be incredibly raw and allowed them to express their opinions and their frustrations surrounding these issues through theatre rather than negative behaviour.

At the weekends and in the evenings I really embraced the expression, “New York is the city that never sleeps” as I involved myself in its eclectic cultural scene; visiting Chelsea’s independent galleries, watching friends perform live music in Brooklyn and

Flora and Friends

combing through the Williamsburg Sunday flea market after a weekly Mexican brunch. During public holidays we took advantage of exciting traditions such as the annual Labour Day ‘West Indian and African American Parade’ in Brooklyn, where thousands of spectators gathered to dance and sample the delicacies along the route. I felt completely absorbed in the infectiously eclectic culture, such a contrast to my Scottish upbringing, but I felt so accepted as part of the crowd.

When I left New York my close knit circle of friends said they felt as if I’d become ‘part of the furniture, like they’d always had their arts obsessed British girl’ and I have to say the feeling was mutual. The experiences I had with them were really magical; if I wasn’t working at NY fashion week or in The Bronx, I was meeting inspiring photographers, watching intimate performances from Billy Joel Armstrong or projected films on rooftops, being part of independent theatre across the river, attending the NY Burlesque festival, observing Gossip Girl being filmed outside of my window, doing yoga and running in Central Park, mixing with the English crowd like Alexa Chung at the tea shop ‘Tea and Sympathy’ or even road tripping on the Greyhound up towards Vermont (inspired by reading Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’ on the subway commute!).

Every single day was an adventure and I met people I now call some of my closest friends despite differences in age, where we were born, income, even our opinions and interests. The important thing was that we were brought together by the City to do something about which we were truly passionate.

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Yalla Bahrain!

by Myles Barraclough (SF 84-89)

Adapting to life in this geopolitical hot-spot has been an adventure for the Barraclough family.

In 2005, having spent 12 years in London, my wife and I upped sticks and moved with our one year old son (two more were to follow) to the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is fair to say that at the time we knew little of the country, a mere speck on the globe but geopolitically important nonetheless. Most ‘intel’ was gleaned from expat friends and parents who gave useful insights as to what to expect from this little island. Certainly there was a huge sense of the unknown but I suppose this is exactly what drew us here in the first place.

I had spent my time in London working as a chartered surveyor in the City and had, at least in my view, reasonable credentials to advise the owners of a large mixed-use property development, the Bahrain Financial Harbour. Professionally however it was a baptism of fire. I quickly jettisoned certain elements of my training and tried as best I could to adapt to local market practice. At times this was frustrating, sometimes refreshing, but importantly I feel I have come out more rounded in business as a result.

Unsurprisingly for an emerging market, Bahrain has not been immune to the global financial crisis and over the last seven years I have worked for a property consultancy in Bahrain, the Omani sovereign wealth fund and am now based in Abu Dhabi, working

Bahrain

The Barraclough Family

for a property services company. Throughout this time my wife and children have continued to live in Bahrain.

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Hong Kong - Tom Brown’s Syndicate Triumphs with Glorious Days by Stacey Wong (SH 83-86) A group of Rugbeians in Hong Kong have furthered their love of horse racing and become triumphant winners…

Apart from benefiting from the best education system in the world, studying in England also exposes you to the rich tradition of thoroughbred horse racing. Kenneth Lau, Simon Fung and Stacey Wong are three fortunate students from Hong Kong who have been bewitched by this sport. They formed a syndicate in the mid 1990s to apply to own and race horses in Hong Kong in order to be further involved in the sport. Being Rugbeians, they named the syndicate “Tom Brown’s Syndicate”.

‘TBS’ bought its first horse, a Danehill colt, in the International Sales in Hong Kong in December 1999. Naturally he was named School Days. School Days managed his maiden win on his fifth outing over the mile and there were high hopes for him. But unfortunately, he was plagued with health issues and he retired without a further win. ‘TBS’ then raced three other horses in Hong Kong between 2003 and 2009, namely Hennessy Days, Special Days and Floreat Days, with mixed results. Hennessy Days and Floreat Days together recorded zip, but Special Days lived up to his name and became quite special. He had seven wins in Hong Kong including a domestic Group Three race.

Although experience and expertise play a very important role in

The Winning syndicate claim their prize

Jonathan Chow (SF 96-01), Stacey Wong (SH 83-86), John Dawson (M 83-88) & Dickson Chan

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securing a top horse, we believe that luck is the overriding factor.

‘TBS’ was at the right place at the right time to have the honour of owning a top class horse - Glorious Days. ‘TBS’ had just retired Floreat Days and received a replacement permit at the time that Glorious Days was offered to our agents/friends, the Tankards in New Zealand. We snapped him up without negotiating, having faith in the Tankards and our judgment based on his trial form.

We did not sell him when offered three times his cost. Our faith has been repaid generously.

Glorious Days began his career in November 2011 with a bang – effortlessly churning up four straight wins. He was then unlucky to finish four close seconds in domestic and international group levels. The last race was a one and a half-length defeat to Ambitious

Dragon, the reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year, also part owned by a Rugbeian and his father. Glorious Days was finally awarded his first win at group level in the International Group 2 Jockey Club Mile in November 2012, reversing the tide with Ambitious Dragon with the same margin, thanks to the geniuses of trainer John Size and jockey Douglas Whyte. However, Ambitious Dragon responded with a super performance in the Longines International Hong Kong Mile on 9 December 2012 humbling Glorious Days to second again. Glorious Days is currently the second highest rated horse in Hong Kong. We are confident that Glorious Days will learn from his defeat in the Longines International Mile and go from strength to strength thereon, and challenge for future dominance in international middle distance races.

Glorious Days romping home

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Business Network

Business Network Internship Network

by Stuart Wilson (W 81-86)

The Business Network is one of the key benefits we offer as a Society. We have some clearly established networking events with the twice yearly Business Forums, Sector Dinners and now we want to branch out and encourage younger Rugbeians to take advantage of what we can offer.

In tandem with the excellent work of the Careers Department at Rugby, the Rugbeian Society is going to launch an initiative focussing on those Rugbeians who are either at University or have recently left by promoting the development of an internship network.

It is widely recognised that taking part in an internship programme has major benefits to both parties. For the student it is a major investment in their future, the old stereotype of making the coffee

and doing the photocopying has been replaced by greater respect and individuals being given professionally meaningful tasks like managing projects and making presentations. An internship should always have a learning component and much of this is gained by having direct access to many of a company’s key decision makers who often act as Mentors throughout the time. We have made contact with Rugbeians in a variety of careers and asked them to help us launch this initiative and advertised below are the first 4 placements that we can offer with details of how to apply for them.

We would welcome offers from other Rugbeians who would like to be involved with the internship programme or who would be interested in taking on a mentoring role. We will be writing directly to many of you in the months ahead asking you to take part in this initiative but please feel free to get in touch with me (sw@rpint.com) or Tracey (tda@rugbyschool.net).

We also have a ‘Jobs Board’ on the website, publishing requests that we receive from young Rugbeians that are looking to gain work place experience. These also feature regularly in the monthly e-news e-bulletins and now in the Floreat.

Stuart Wilson and Jane Phelps are the Committee links for the Business Network.

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Applying for Internships These offers are open to Rugbeians aged 19-25. All applications should be made by sending a CV, the names of two referees and a 300 word letter of application explaining what you think you would gain from this experience to Stuart Wilson: sw@rpint.com by 31st March. Interviews for short listed candidates will be held in London in April. Full details of all the internships available are on www.rugsoc.com You will need to be logged into Rugbeians online to access this information.

2 Week Investment Property Placement

2 Week Engineering Placement

This is an opportunity for students interested in commercial property investment to observe first hand how funds are raised from third parties to invest in income producing commercial properties and co-investing these funds to earn a return on capital invested. (London or Warsaw).

This is an excellent opportunity for students interested in engineering as a career.

The successful candidate will see first-hand world class manufacturing within a Plc. Company.

Please visit the Consort Medical Plc. website for further information: www.consortmedical.com

First Property will cover local travel expenses.

!"#$$%" &'()'$$*)'("+,-.$/$'0"

With thanks to Ben Habib (M 79-84)

With thanks to Jonathan Glenn (K 82-87)

3 Week Industry Placement, UAE

78)' /.-,)5)#&' 2+..' +#,.:*)' 1' *-;$' -&' &8)' >:$+#)$$?$' @)-*' A00+,)' +#' @)5).' @)5/$&)-*' 0"%' -#' +#&%"*:,&+"#' &"' &8)' !"#$"%&' ()*+,-.' B%":/C' -#*' D' *-;$' -&' >)$/-3' +#' E+#4?$' F;##' &"' 4-+#' -#' +#$+48&' +#&"' &8)' *+00)%)#&' )#4+#))%+#4' 0:#,&+"#$6'

A three week mentorship programme across several divisions of the group. An introduction to how business is conducted in the Middle East and an opportunity to focus on International trade.

!"#$"%&'()*+,-.'+$'/.)-$)*'&"'"00)%'-'1'2))3')#4+#))%+#4'2"%3'/.-,)5)#&6'78+$' +$'-#')9,)..)#&'"//"%&:#+&;'0"%'$&:*)#&$'+#&)%)$&)*'+#')#4+#))%+#4'-$'-',-%))%6' 78)'$:,,)$$0:.',-#*+*-&)'2+..'$))'0+%$&<8-#*'2"%.*',.-$$'5-#:0-,&:%+#4'2+&8+#'-' =.,6'!"5/-#;6''

1 Week Executive Search Placement !"#$"%&' ()*+,-.'/.,6' +$' -' 8)-.&8,-%)' ,"5/-#;' 0",:$)*' "#' 5)*+,-.' *)G+,)'

RP International is*%:4' pleased offer a weeks executive search &),8#"."4+)$' 0"%' *).+G)%;' -#*'to 8"$/+&-.' /%"*:,&$' 0"%' &8)' 5-#-4)5)#&' "0' /-&+)#&'-+%2-;$6'''

" and Interim management placement at their London offices.

=.)-$)' G+$+&' &8)' !"#$"%&' ()*+,-.' =.,6' H)I$+&)' 0"%' 0:%&8)%' +#0"%5-&+"#J' 1112.3'43*0/$5).-,2.3/' "

The Al Dubowi group will provide a return economy airfare to UAE, accommodation and transport for the duration of the stay.

With thanks to the Kandhari family

RP International is a leading specialist recruiter to the global telecom and digital industries

With thanks to Stuart Wilson (W 81-86) Business Network

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Turning Internships into Opportunities

by Nicholas Ho (K 96-01) Bill Gates interned at Congress before ditching politics to build Microsoft. Oprah Winfrey started as an intern at a small town TV station. The connections, skills and experiences gained during such opportunities (good and bad) help shape great careers.

Internships are nothing new but they are now a serious business.

The importance of internships has risen exponentially.

In effect, getting an internship is now a near mandatory requirement for many entry level graduate jobs. By way of example, over 70% of graduate jobs in Finance are now recruited from internship programs. For this reason, forward thinking students should start the search early and exploit the uncertainty and flexibility of the job market by building formidable hard skill-sets to put themselves ahead of the competition. Internship planning should begin as early as first year of university. The experience gained can provide useful insights for those deciding where they want to work, which areas they are good at, or even those seeking to negotiate a higher rate of salary backed by credentials.

I am part of the team responsible for founding the award-winning recruitment platform, Intern Avenue. This is an innovative new website which matches candidates and businesses for perfect internship opportunities. It has been a smash hit that featured on BBC Dragons’ Den and has even been discussed in Parliament.

For more information on internships contact team@internavenue. com

Jobs Board

PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITE BUSINESS NETWORK ‘JOBS BOARD’ TO READ ABOUT OTHER RUGBEIANS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR PLACEMENTS: WWW.RUGSOC.COM

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INTERNATIONAL POSTING

s just William Riley (W 03-08) ha siness completed his first year studying Bu ional Administration at the Internat oking University of Monaco and is lo siness for an immediate six week bu pleted placement which must be com ghai in before his exchange year in Shan o is September. If you know anyone wh ina, or based in Monaco, Shanghai, Ch illiam, Salvador Brazil, that could help W tmail. please contact him on w.f.riley@ho co.uk

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If you can help please contact helena_100@hotmail.c o.uk

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Work Experience in the Hospitality Industry

by Caroline Austin (D 03-08)

The decision to attend a Dean Reunion led Caroline to work experience placements that she had never dreamed of.

I was working at The Goring Hotel, London, for my year in industry, as part of my Hospitality degree course, when I decided to take a risk and attend the Dean Reunion advertised in the Rugbeian Society e-news e-bulletin. I was apprehensive as I had no idea who would be there but it turned out to be an incredible evening, meeting old “Deanies” who were from many different years and, although I was the “baby” of the group, I used it as an opportunity to network with others who were more experienced than me. As a result I was put in touch with Peter Berners-Price (St 56-61) who, through his contacts in the hospitality industry, was able to arrange two amazing work experience placements in London, one with Rocket Foods Limited, a Contract Catering Company, and the second with Jack Morton, a Global Brand Experience Agency.

With Rocket Foods Ltd I shadowed the Logistics Department for a week which gave me an insight into the organisation behind the scenes of the different projects. This involved taking an overview of everything from the presentation of canapé trays, the flower arrangements to the themed decorations. One of the tasks was to make a Lemon Dome, a new challenge for me but

I managed to succeed and create a fine decoration.

I was on site in the mornings for all the events that I was preparing for; it was fascinating to see events hosted in venues like The British Museum, The V&A and The Tower of London - this last event was the handing of the Olympic Medals to Sir Sebastian Coe. The two key lessons I learnt were the importance of attention to detail and how organised the logistic team have to be.

Jack Morton are involved in connecting brands with people and facilitating experiences that help clients build strong relationships with the brands. The company recently won the Global Brand Experience Agency award for creating the Opening and Closing Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014. Working in an office environment, with all the employees in their different sections working towards the same project creating an extraordinary event, was a very exciting environment. Jack Morton are continuously pushing boundaries in terms of creativity with destinations, venues, and even the transportation of equipment to events. Once again it all comes down to the focus on fine detail of the project at hand.

So I am very grateful that I was brave enough to go to the Dean House Reunion, that I made the most of the contacts that I met there and that it led me to some amazing work experience opportunities, which I would not have been able to do otherwise.

I strongly recommend other young Rugbeians to make the most of what the Society can offer you by going along to events and networking as much as you can.

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Privately Owned Business Dinner

Please join the Official Rugbeian Society Group

14 March 2013 at the Brigade Restaurant, London

You can do this by clicking the link on the

Oliver Pumfrey (K 95-01) is hosting the inaugural Privately Owned Business Dinner. If you work in a privately owned company, family business, are a serial entrepreneur or work supporting privately owned businesses, this will be a great opportunity to meet and network with others.

The dinner is open not only to those who have their own business, or work in an owner managed business, but also to those who support owner managed businesses. This may include accountants, lawyers, wealth managers, business advisers and many others.

The informal dinner will include a guest speaker (TBA) and be followed by drinks in the bar. We welcome any suggestions for current hot topics or issues faced by privately owned businesses you are interested in that could be discussed by the speaker.

We will be doing a special feature on Rugbeians who have set up their own businesses and we would love to hear from any Rugbeians who have experience of this.

Tickets cost ÂŁ72 per person and include a three course dinner with half a bottle of wine followed by tea and coffee.

Please get in touch with Fiona Hughes-Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Aeth fihd.rugsoc@gmail.com or Tracey Ahmet tda@rugbyschool.net to share your story.

Please look at the website for further details: www.rugsoc.com

monthly e-bulletins or by going to the linked in website. www.linkedin.com Over 300 Rugbeians have already joined.

Rugbeian Entrepreneurs

Floreat 2014

Articles would be required by end of October 2013.

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Autumn Business Forum

by Robert Pugh (Tu 69-74)

On Wednesday 5 September at The Cavalry and Guards Club, the Rugbeian Society welcomed the Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP for Sutton Coldfield (Tu 69-74).

Andrew had been the Secretary of State for International Development for 2½ years, as well as the Shadow Secretary for International Development for 5 years in Opposition, and had recently been appointed Government Chief Whip by the Prime Minister.

Andrew’s speech about his involvement with international development reflected his huge commitment and the depth of his knowledge in this field. It is absolutely clear that his involvement in and knowledge of this department resulted in vastly increased efficiency for delivery and performance of tax payer’s funds and a new look at the delivery of foreign aid by requiring accountability rather than just expectation.

Andrew appeared to have mixed feelings about leaving this department and those who listened and learnt that evening what he had achieved might agree.

Robert Pugh is the Committee link for Business Forums and Sector Dinners.

Robert Pugh (Tu 69-74), Andrew Mitchell (Tu 69-74) & Fiona Hughes D’Aeth (D 80-82)

Stuart Wilson (W 81-86), Jane Phelps, Laura Parkes (Tu 04-09) & Georgie Treacy (Tu 04-09)

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Simon Richards (W 02-07), John Bate-Williams & Rosie Bate-Williams (G 05-07)

Clive Pullan (Tu 72-77), Fawzia Rasheed & Carey McClay (Tu 71-74)

Derek Ray-Hill (B 87-92), Peter Bennett-Jones & Peter Cadbury (SF 57-61)

Real Estate Dinner

by Robert Pugh (Tu 69-74)

On the 8 November 2012, 42 Rugbeians from the property sector met for the 6th Real Estate Dinner at the Army & Navy Club.

Representation came from real estate general practice, fund management, property companies, construction and engineering, law, architecture and corporate security with an ever increasing number of under 30â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as well as the continued attendance of the stalwarts who have been involved from the start.

The blend of experience and sectors of the Real Estate profession continues to widen and expand which will only benefit all concerned.

Richard Colt (SH 69-73) provided an update of the tremendous results that the team of Scrummagers have achieved in support of the Arnold Foundation over the last 12 months.

Dates for the diary for future Real Estate Dinners are Thursday 14 November 2013 and Thursday 13 November 2014.

My thanks go to Colonel David Tatlow (Tu 42-47) who continues to sponsor us at The Army & Navy Club and of course to Tracey Ahmet for her outstanding organisation.

Tracey Ahmet, Robert Pugh (Tu 69-74) & Jacqueline Krarup

Michael Wright (Sh 69-74) & William Assheton (Tu 70-75)

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Bill Allen (St 75-80), James Lloyd (K 93-98), Chris Haworth (St 65-70), Louise Holland (D 78-80) & Andrew Coles (Sh 75-80)

Sarah Edwards (RB 04-09), Cate Adams (RB 04-09) & Sari Thomas (B 04-09)

Jeremy Davies (B 86-73), Michael Wright (Sh 69-74) & Darren Hedley (Sh 88-92)

Rugbeians and the Livery Companies of the City of London

Rugbeians and the Livery Companies of the City of London An Introduction

by Richard Channon (K 51-56), David Gollin (SH 55-60) and Pia Barratt (S 96-01)

The origins of the Livery Companies, their growth over the centuries and how they have evolved into their current role.

Today, the Livery Companies of the City of London are little known outside of the City and their own membership so you would be forgiven if you thought they were something to do with either the Masons or horses! However, the importance of these companies should not be underestimated. Although their roles have changed and adapted with the times they have, for many centuries, played a vital role in many trades and industries key to our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history.

Initially Guilds arose as Christian fraternities attached to a local church, as a sort of trade union of merchants or craftsmen in the same trade, partly as a system for regulating the training of apprentices and the quality of workmanship and materials, and partly as a friendly society which looked after widows and orphans

and the aged in the days long before such matters as insurance.

They assembled for common worship, as benefit societies and as private tribunals for the settlement of disputes. They were controlled by the church and members paid â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;quarterageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to belong to the company which provided customers, employers and employees with protection through preventing unlimited competition, setting trade standards and keeping wages and working conditions steady in what were often unstable times.

Membership could be acquired through a father being a member or through serving an apprenticeship with a member. Members, who consisted of Freemen (those who had the Freedom of the City of London) and Liverymen (those who not only had the Freedom but had been admitted into the Livery) would meet regularly at their own Livery Hall.

The affiliation to a church and identity of interests tended to make people in a particular trade gather in a defined area of a town, which of course was convenient for their customers, and hence such City street names as Bread Street, Milk Street, Poultry Street and Ironmonger Lane. The Companies upheld a strong religious connection that can still be seen in the City today. Almost all of the 52 churches found within the Square Mile have a particular connection with at least one Livery Company. Guilds began to Livery

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City of London 1616 & City of London 2008

be recognised as legal entities in early mediaeval times with the grant of rulers’ charters. In London, the oldest of these is that granted to the Weavers in 1155. The Guilds developed their own codes of byelaws or articles for their regulation. The structure of the Livery Companies has continued without much change throughout the centuries. The City of London Guilds become known as Livery Companies because, on ceremonial occasions, their Masters, Wardens and Court wear uniform – livery gowns in the company colours.

By the end of the Middle Ages the Guilds were numerous, often wealthy, owning real estate both within and outside the City walls, and taking a leading role in the governance of the City. Many Companies acquired Royal Charters dating as far back as the 12th century. Livery Companies flourished until the 17th century. Many members acquired considerable wealth and power, particularly through the discovery of the New World and merchant venture companies. However with growth came decline.

The increasing size of London meant tradesmen in the new suburbs did not adhere to the regulations and trading standards that the City upheld. Many City livery halls suffered or were lost through the Great Fire of 1666. By the middle of 17th century the conditions in which they had flourished began to change and, for most, a decline set in which in some cases was terminal. In other cases, amalgamation with another Guild in an allied trade helped to keep them going, for example the Armourers and Brasiers did so in 1708.

Their continued survival can in part be ascribed to the central role of the 26,000 Liverymen, Freemen of the City, who form

the constituency which annually elects the Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs at Common Hall, held in the Guildhall. The Lord Mayor, whose office dates back to 1187, nowadays does a great deal of travelling abroad at the behest of the FCO to brief foreign governments and Chambers of Commerce on the benefits of conducting their business in the City - he is far from merely being merely a ceremonial figurehead.

A number of the companies have retained their ancient responsibilities, for example the Goldsmiths run the London Assay Office for assaying precious metals (hence “hallmark”), while anyone who owns a horse has it shod by a smith qualified by the Farriers’ Company. Others have taken on new but allied interests – the Horners have become the Company for the plastics industry, while those who have studied chemistry at school have probably undertaken a course sponsored by the Salters. During the 20th century the perceived benefits of tradespeople meeting under a Livery Company was revived. Two were formed before World War II and 30 have been established since 1945.

The primary purpose of the Livery Companies in 21st century is charitable. Between them they contribute over £40 million a year to charities, usually focussed on giving to organisations in which they have an interest. For this reason they are arguably more lively and more relevant today than they have been for 300 years, and their numbers have increased to over 100, with such new foundations as the World Traders, the Information Technologists and The Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers, some of the recently formed Livery Companies, like their elder precedents, all dedicated to the service of others.

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Lawrence Sheriff Worshipful Company of Grocers

by Rusty MacLean, School Archivist

Lawrence Sheriff, member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers founded Rugby School and the School crest reflects his beginnings as a grocer.

Lawrence Sheriff was born in or around 1515 to a wealthy yeoman family, who lived close to the current entrance to Old Quad. The Sheriff family had some standing in the town, for his parents were buried within the parish church. Close by his father’s house, mid-point between the Mound and the James Pavilion, the Cistercian monks from the Pipewell Monastery in Northamptonshire managed a moated grange, and it was likely that Sheriff received his own education on this site. There is a wonderful symmetry to the move of the school, from its original site by St Andrews, to the current site which encompasses the location of Lawrence Sheriff’s ‘old school’.

He was apprenticed by his father to a London grocer named William Walcott of the Grocers’ Company and, in 1541, he became a full member of the Company. Living in Newgate Street he built up a successful trade as a spice merchant, even supplying Princess Elizabeth’s household at Hatfield during the following decade.

The household accounts for 1551, listed under ‘The Spicerie and Chaundrye’, show several entries for ‘Lawrence Sheriff, for spice’ amounting to some £73. In 1561, he presented the Queen with

‘a sugar loaf, a box of ginger, a box of nutmeg and a pound of cinnamon’ as a New Year’s gift. From the royal household he received ‘one gilt salt with a cover (weighing) seven ounces’.

His loyalty to Princess Elizabeth was strong and one example is recorded in the pages of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. In 1554, shortly after the revolt led by Thomas Wyatt that was said to be out of concern over Queen Mary I’s determination to marry Philip II of Spain, (an unpopular move with many), a haberdasher named Robert Farrer spoke out against Elizabeth. In the Rose Tavern, and somewhat the worse for drink, Farrer stated ‘that Jill had been one of the chief doers of this rebellion of Wyatt, and before all be done, she, and all of the hereticks her partakers, shall well understand it. Some of them hope she shall have the crown, but she, and they, I trust, that so hope, shall hop headless, or be fried with faggots, before she come to it’. Sheriff, who had overheard the rant, now spoke up against his neighbour. ‘Farrer, I have loved thee as a neighbour, and have had a good opinion of thee, but hearing of thee that I now hear, I defy thee, and tell thee, I am her grace’s sworn servant, and she is a princess, and the daughter of a noble king, and it evil becometh thee to call her a Jill. For thy so saying, I say, thou art a knave, and I will complain on thee’. And complain he did, to Bonner, the Chief Commissioner.

It may be as a result of his vocal support for Elizabeth that in 1559 the Herald’s College made a grant of arms to Sheriff. The arms are described as; ‘Azure, on a fesse engrailed between three griffin’s heads, erased, or, a fleur-de-lis of the first, between two roses gules. Crest, a lion’s paw, erased, or, holding a branch of dates, the fruit of the first in the pods argent, the stalks and leaves vert’. The dates represent Sheriff’s spicery and the rose and fleurLivery

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be used for the purchase of further land to provide more income. de-lis indicate royal patronage. It is thought that the three griffins We are extremely fortunate that the codicil, added on his final might represent the ‘challenges’ of the spice trade at this time. In return to Rugby, changed the financial support for the foundation. time this would become the arms and crest of the school.

Within the codicil, Sheriff revoked the grant of £100, and in its In 1566 Sheriff was elected Vice-warden to the Grocers’ stead gave 24 acres of land, which had cost just over £106. This Company. Sadly this was to be the height of his career. Records land, at the time ‘near London’, is situated in Holborn, in the heart show that, on July 22nd, 1567, Sheriff executed his will, in which of the City, and it is the income from this which he describes himself as ‘sick of body’, and set provides a far greater return than could ever be out the terms for his burial at St Andrews back generated locally. Sheriff also arranged that his in Rugby. He wished his funeral to be carried out ‘deare friends’ George Harrison and Barnard in London, and his remains to be taken back to Field should take on the responsibility for his land his home and laid to rest by his parents. On the and property in trust for the founding and running same day, Lawrence Sheriff executed another of the school. Sad to say that his own trust in formal document, his ‘Intent’. It is this document his ‘deare friends’ was misplaced and, although which set out the foundation of Rugby School. it is another story, almost a hundred years and Shortly after this, he returned to Rugby and it two acts of Chancery were required to set Rugby is here that he added, on August 31st, the codicil to his will, which would become so important to School in line with the original intent. the fortunes of the School.

Despite Sheriff’s wish to be buried back in Rugby School Crest Within the Intent Sheriff stated that he wished Rugby, records indicate that he was buried in the to endow ‘a free grammar schoole to serve chiefly for the children old Greyfriars Church, Christchurch. Unfortunately the church was of Rugby and of other places thereunto adjoyneing’, to be called destroyed in the great fire of London in 1666 and many of the ‘the free schoole of Lawrence Sheriffe’. Money was to be provided remaining records destroyed, and monuments were either sold or for ‘a fayre and convenyient schoole house’, and also for ‘distincte removed. A surviving parish register, tracked down by Matthew lodgeings for four poor men’ to be built close to the school. Money Bloxam states, ‘September, 1567, The XVI. Daye was buryed Mr was also to be provided for the schoolmaster to have a yearly Lawrence Shyryfe’. And so, sadly, his earthly remains are unsalary of ‘£12’. The four poor men were to receive ‘sevenpence recorded. by the week’. The founding of the school and the almshouses was Although much of Lawrence Sheriff’s life is shrouded in mystery, to be paid for by the income from properties and land in Rugby, of one thing we may be certain. It is to Sheriff’s generosity and which Sheriff owned, and by the addition of £100 which was to noble intent, that Rugby School exists today.

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The Rugbeian Society Livery Lunch

by Peter Lusty (SF 61-65) A part of the wonderful celebrations of Her Majesty the Queen’s Jubilee year went little noticed, as do many of the fascinating treasures that may be discovered within the Square Mile – an exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery entitled ‘Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker’. On display was a relatively small collection of the work and 850 year history of the City’s 108 Livery Companies with major contributions from each of them illustrating their work, both ancient and modern, their artefacts and treasures.

I was Master of my Company, the Loriners (makers of bits, stirrups, bridles and spurs), in 2002 and in 2011 we celebrated the 750th anniversary of our first Ordinances granted by the City in 1261 – they say that there are members of the Company that remember it well! Over my 40 years as a Liveryman I have met many Rugbeians and I was encouraged by Laurence Viney, himself a Stationer and who preceded me as President of the Rugbeian Society, to research the number of Rugbeians involved with Livery Companies. I was surprised to find that Rugbeians were represented in almost all of them and I resolved to hold a Livery Lunch for them.

Since the first lunch at Stationers’ Hall in 2004 the Rugbeian Livery Lunch has been an annual event, held at a different Livery Hall each time. This year’s was held aboard HQS Wellington – not only a floating museum but a wonderful Livery Hall (built into the former engine room).

Wes Hollands, Beadle at Rugbeian Society Livery Lunches

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A Rugbeian Lord Mayor

by Richard Channon (K 51-56) The only known Rugbeian Lord Mayor of the City of London was Sir Reginald Hanson Bt., who held that office in 1886/87, the 700th anniversary of the Mayoralty. His mayoralty coincided with Queen Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golden Jubilee and to mark it, a splendid ball was held at the Guildhall on 28th June 1887, which was attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales and many members of the royal families of Europe. The Queen herself visited Mansion House on 14th May 1887.

Hanson was born in the parish of St.Mary-at-Hill in the City, son of an orange merchant, and was educated at Tonbridge and then Rugby (two years in the Sixth) before going up to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1858. He then joined the family firm of fruit importers, Samuel Hanson & Son, at 47 Botolph Lane.

He obviously had ambitions to make an additional career in the City: his mother company was the Merchant Taylors, and he was admitted to the Freedom of the City in 1863. He was Common Councilman for the Ward of Billingsgate from 1873 to 1880, becoming Alderman of the same Ward from 1880 until his death in 1905. He was also a Conservative MP for London from 1891 to 1900.

Besides becoming Master of the Merchant Taylors (1889/90), he was also Master of the Shipwrights (1883/84) and of the Spectacle Makers (1899/1900).

Sir Reginald Hanson

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The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers by Jeremy Ensor (M 81-86) The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers began as a Craft Guild during the 1200â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. The Guild had considerable powers to maintain the price and quality of tallow, tallow candles, vinegar, oil and soap. In 1404 a law was introduced, obliging all City of London residents to light their street with tallow candles (the start of street lighting).

The Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first charter was granted in 1462, so we celebrated our 550th anniversary last year. With the reduced use of tallow today, the company has forged links with the edible oil, gas and oil industries, providing awards for excellence amongst its apprentices.

The Tallow Chandlers Hall on Dowgate Hill in the City was built in 1672 and hosts some very special and memorable dinners, with the hall hired by many other livery companies. Many charities receive support from the company each year and the Livery totals 180.

I was admitted into the Livery of the Company in the year that my father Peter Ensor (M 43-48) was Master, following my grandfather who had been Master in 1957.

The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers Crest

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The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries by Chris Irwin (K 60-65) I was admitted to the Apothecaries in 1973. Having no immediate forebears in medicine, or knowing anyone to whom I could be apprenticed, I was admitted

by Redemption, a process that involved the payment (“fine”) of 25 guineas (yes,… guineas!), and 4 subsequent “fines” of £20 annually and, having thus redeemed myself, I was Chris Irwin (K 60-65) elevated to the Livery. During my time in the Yeomanry, I was also a serving Naval officer, and with permission, was allowed to attend functions in Mess uniform, thereby adding a splash of gold and red to the proceedings.

The Society was originally part of the larger Grocers’ Company, which can be traced back to the Guild of Pepperers, that originated in the City of London in 1180. In the 14th century they were joined by the Spicers’ Company and by the 16th century were established in their own right as makers of substances for medicinal purposes.

A century later, the Apothecaries seceded from the Grocers’ and became an independent body, being granted its royal charter in 1617, largely as a result of the endeavours of one Gideon de

Laune, Apothecary to Anne of Denmark, wife of King James I. Its history makes it one of the oldest of the London Guilds and it has the oldest Livery Hall in London. Sadly destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, the Society immediately set about rebuilding the Hall. Work was completed in 1672 and an ‘Elaboratory’ was included for the first ever large-scale manufacture of drugs.

It is also the only Livery Company to be entitled as a Society.

For many years, the Society served as the sole body for the licensing of future doctors to practise, later to be “joined” and later eclipsed by university degrees and Royal College diplomas.

Today it is the examining body for several individual medical and surgical specialties. Membership is limited predominantly to the medical and pharmacy professions.

Sadly my distance from London and significant disability prevent me from attending functions as much as in the past, but I am pleased to say I have enjoyed my social occasions in the Hall and I have met many people who have influenced my surgical career.

Apothecaries Hall, London

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The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers by Tim Wood (Tu 42-47) I am often asked how I became a Fishmonger and I have to answer “because my father was a Fishmonger”. My family connection with the Company dates back to an ancestor John Wood, a merchant in Southwark, who became a Liveryman in 1789. I was able to follow the line and am pleased to say that my sons have followed on, with grandchildren showing interest.

My earliest memories date back to the Thirties for my father, Guy, was Prime Warden in 1934/5. I remember visiting the Hall during the war when, having been damaged in the Blitz, it was housing a British Restaurant. The father of one of my contemporaries at Rugby told me that, in the ‘14-18 war, when arriving wounded at London Bridge Station he was dismayed to be labelled “Fishmongers’ Hall” wondering where he was to end up, for the Hall was then used as a hospital.

My own attendance at Rugby was thanks to a grant from the Fishmongers’ for, when my father died after prolonged spells of illness, he left my mother in very straitened circumstances and we were very grateful for help with the fees at a difficult time.

A great pleasure each year is to attend the race for “Doggett’s Coat and Badge”. This is for apprentice watermen on the Thames and is rowed in single sculls from London Bridge to Chelsea.

It is historically the oldest continually held sporting event in the country and the winner is awarded the scarlet livery and silver badge.

View of The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers Hall from the Thames

The Fishmongers’ rank at number 4 among the Livery Companies and retain a great interest in the fish trade and all matters concerned with fish and fishing of all sorts. There is also a strong link with Gresham’s School, Holt and scholarships are given in the music field as well as to marine scientists.

The Livery Companies are keen to expand their activities in the charitable field while still maintaining their traditional roles in the City.

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The Worshipful Company of Clothmakers by Geoffrey Purefoy (SF 42-47) In medieval times many Companies regulated the branches of the cloth industry: Woolmen, Weavers, Fullers, Sherman, Dyers, Haberdashers & Merchant Taylors all wielding great power.

It could be said that to be a member of one of the senior Livery Companies you may well have to choose your grandparents very carefully – if your father was a Liveryman you too would be eligible. A member of the newer Companies is more likely to have professional connections rather than trade; then it is earned through merit. In my case, I belonged to the former, having been elected to the Livery of the Clothworkers’ Company in 1951. A long time elapsed until 1978 when approaching my 50th Birthday, I became a Warden and two years later a Member of the Court of Assistants of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers. If all goes well a new Assistant of the Court can be expected to be elected Master within 10-15 years, usually about the age of 65.

The Master’s Year is full of interest and excitement, when he is expected to represent his Company at events large and small throughout Great Britain. You never know when an impromptu speech may be needed!

The Clothworkers’ Company received its Royal Charter in 1528, following the amalgamation of the Fuller’s (who cleaned the final cloth) and the Shearman’s Companies (who sheared the cloth

removing excess nap) to become number twelve in the livery hierarchy. Cloth made at that time was felted, thick and draught proof which was necessary for outer clothing as domestic heating was very rudimentary.

The Clothworkers’ Company controlled the quality of workmanship of clothworkers in the City and looked after its members through life and misfortune to death. Members were apt to leave their properties to the Company in return for assurance that their families would be cared for. Centuries later the Company became a rich landowner of city property from whence comes its wealth.

The advent of the Industrial Revolution meant that the trade migrated north where there was wool, coal, soft water and labour. The Company fell into decline and became an upmarket dining club, dispensing generous hospitality to its members and guests, ignoring its charitable obligations. The Master in 1836, Thomas Massa Alsager, first city editor of The Times, brought this to an end and set The Company on its charitable journey, which continues to this day. The charitable aims are divided into several categories: the technical education of the textile trades; the care of the blind; female education; and, to a lesser extent, the arts, the church, environment and overseas causes.

The Clothworkers’ Foundation was set up in 1977 and is now the independent charitable arm of the Company. Due to the diligent husbanding of financial resources, the Foundation is able to make grants in the region of £5 million annually to a whole spectrum of applicants: charities, organisations, societies and individuals with the emphasis on ‘pump priming’ - to enable a scheme to be set up , progressed and then maintained by its Livery

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as well as supporting the Textile Institutes “Design means Business” show for students graduating from textile and fashion courses.

I became a Clothworker because my father and grandfather were both Clothworkers and ultimately became Masters. Neither of them had anything to do with the textile industry but I presume somewhere back in the dim and distant past there was a Latham in the cloth trade. I joined the Freedom by patronage many years ago and was later elected as a member of the Clothworkers’ Livery in 1995. One of the benefits of living in the East Midlands,

by Diana Latham (D80-82) where there are few other Clothworkers, is I suspect that the perception of Livery that I have been asked to visit a number of Companies amongst many people is that charitable projects that have applied to the they are somewhat archaic and chauvinistic.

Grants Committee. Previously working in the However, I would argue that many of voluntary sector is something I enjoy and feel them, in particular the Clothworkers’, are I can contribute to the Foundation. There is at the forefront of the charitable sector, for a clear structure and briefing format to the promoting professional trusteeship, as well visits but very often it is about meeting the as giving away substantial sums of money; leaders behind an organisation and deciding the Clothworker’s Foundation has given away if these people have the commitment, £82 million since it was established in 1977. energy and drive to develop the project. As st Clothworkers at work Although in the 21 century Britain no longer for chauvinism? Well, it did take a while for depends on the wool and textile industry the gentleman of the Clothworkers to fully for its wealth, the Company retains an involvement in the industry, accept us but I feel confident that they have recognised the benefits supporting the development of textiles in innovative ways including of opening the livery up to ladies 17 years ago and welcome the funding research into the creation and application of new textiles for contribution that we have made. My experience of being a “livery medical and industrial use; funding textile heritage projects such as woman” has been very positive. I regret that at present I have not the new textile gallery at the Ashmolean Museum; and providing two been able to be more involved but I look forward to doing more in bursaries for MA textile design students at the Royal College of Art the future. beneficiaries. Normally an organisation can only apply for a grant once in five years. Further details may be found at www. clothworkers.co.uk.

I’m proud to say that the Clothworkers’ Company elected its first half dozen Liverywomen during my Mastership of 93-94 and a second group of eight during the Mastership of my successor, Jeremy Latham (M 40-43) in 94-95. This, a closely debated move in the early 90s, has had a very positive and civilising effect on the Livery.

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The Worshipful Company of Turnersâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; by Christopher Roberts (SH 50-55)

bursaries to young professional turners and supports youth training; and it holds every four years, most recently in October 2012, the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only large exhibition dedicated to contemporary and historical wood turning. The Company maintains the charitable traditions of its medieval forbears, especially by providing lathes and equipment to educational establishments, including special needs schools.

It is a great pleasure to belong to a Company with a remarkable historical tradition, a lively social programme and a recognised role in supporting and encouraging an ancient craft which, with the development of highly artistic ornamental turning, is in a period of growth and revival not seen since the late seventeenth century.

The Worshipful Company of Turners, of which I was Master in 2009-10, is one of the oldest Livery Companies in the City of London. Its origins go back to early medieval times and the first reference to a London turner dates to 1189. The medieval Company, like other such Companies, was a trade guild set up to protect the interests of its members, whose skill was to turn and shape wooden objects on a lathe. They laid down standards for their products; they had a strict system of apprenticeship; they restricted competition from outsiders; and they collected for charity and funeral expenses.

The modern Company maintains many of these traditions. The current membership includes a few who make a living from turning products whose use is more ornamental than practical, but many more serious amateur turners (not including myself, I hasten to say, although I am in a small way a collector).

The Company holds regular competitions for both established Chess pieces turned and shaped on a lathe and aspirant turners; it offers

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The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths by Martin Drury (M 51-56) The Goldsmiths’ Company is one of ‘The Great Twelve’ Livery Companies of the City of London.

It was founded in 1327 to promote and protect the craft of working in precious metals in the City of London.

Its Hall, in Foster Lane near St Paul’s Cathedral, has been on the same site for 700 years and the present Hall was built in 1837. It is one of the few Livery Companies which still has a craft to support and it continues to ‘bind’ apprentices to their masters every year.

Above the Hall is the London Assay Office where every piece of silver sold in London is tested and hall-marked. The Company is also charged with testing the currency at the annual Trial of the Pyx, which also takes place at the Hall. By tradition the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his capacity as Master of the Mint, attends and speaks at the ceremony at which the verdict is announced.

The Company also makes donations amounting to about £3 million a year to charitable causes in the fields of education, the arts, heritage and the relief of social deprivation.

My family’s association with the Company goes back to 1704 when a forebear was apprenticed to a London silversmith. Of the Rugbeians in the family who have been members of the Company, my late father was a Liveryman, as is my brother. I was Prime

Warden in 2005-6 and remain a member of the Court, which is in effect the governing body.

The Goldsmiths’ Centre is a separate charity, set up by the Company in 2007. This is a charitable trust established to train aspiring silversmiths and jewellery-designer/makers. It occupies a Grade 2-listed Victorian school in Clerkenwell which we have adapted for the purpose. Linked to it by a glass-roofed atrium is an entirely new building in which there are subsidised workshops for young people starting up in business and ‘market-rent’ workshops for established silversmiths and people engaged in allied crafts, such as engraving, polishing and diamond-setting.

The Centre also has an exhibition space and a cafe/restaurant where members of the public meet and mingle with craftsmen and women.

The aim is to plug the gap left by the Polytechnics when they became universities and abandoned the teaching of vocational skills.

We hope the Centre will become a hub for members of the silversmithing, jewellery and allied trades. Our first postgraduate design students arrived in February 2012.

It is an exciting venture and the biggest the Goldsmiths’ Company has done since it founded Goldsmiths’ College in 1891.

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Paul Savage, a young silversmith employed by one of the Centreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s workshop tenants, at the bench

Samantha Marsden & James Neville, two young engravers who have recently set up their own business, at work in one of the Centre’s ‘starter’ studios

The Worshipful Company of Weavers by Harriet Wallace Jones (D 81-83) I first became aware of The Worshipful Company of Weavers when I had just graduated with an MA in Woven Textile Design from The Royal College of Art in June 1990. Every year there is a show case for Art and Design graduates at The Business Design Centre in Islington, London. I was exhibiting there and was very fortunate to receive an award from The Weaver’s Company of £1000 for a piece of my work. This resulted in being invited to one of the Livery Company’s award ceremonies, with a wonderful lunch and a presentation by Princess Anne. Until that point, I had very little knowledge of Livery Companies, their history, what they stood for and what they did.

My next involvement with the Weavers Company came shortly after forming our textile design company, Wallace Sewell, which I set up with my colleague, Emma Sewell. We needed to buy a loom and I approached The Weaver’s Company, hoping that they might be able to help financially, which they very generously did. I therefore became increasingly aware of the Company’s scholarships and awards relating to woven textiles. A few years later, my colleague Emma and I were asked to give a talk at one of their functions and, 5 years ago, we were awarded their annual Silver Medal award for outstanding contribution to textiles.

The Livery Companies originated as guilds - it was the workers’ subscription paid to the Company called ‘gild’- the Anglo Saxon word for ‘payment’- which was used for the social, charitable and

trade purposes for which the Weavers’ Company is known today.

Interestingly, the funds were also used to pay the Exchequer for a Charter granting rights and liberties, which were given by the King. This payment by the Weaver’s Company established them as London’s oldest Company, as seen in the Pipe Roll of 1130.

They supervised and supported their craftsmen in the Cities of London and Westminster, and the Borough of Southwark.

Today, the Worshipful Company of Weavers is still building on almost nine hundred years of involvement with textiles, particularly through its Textile Education Fund which is designed to financially support exceptional students with their training and help textile colleges buy new looms and weaving equipment.

As well as supporting schools within London, the Company has set up The Benevolent Fund, which aims to support projects helping offenders and those working with disadvantaged young Livery

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people. The Company also has a legacy of Alms houses dating from the 17th Century.

I was very fortunate to have been made a Liveryman recently and, in order to receive this honour, I was first granted The Freedom of the City of London. I was admitted through a process called Redemption, which means it is considered that I have achieved a certain level of success within my textile business.

Other members can be admitted by Patrimony or Servitude. I have become particularly involved with the Textile Scholarship

Awards, helping to decide which students will receive financial support whilst at college.

With time I hope to become more and more involved, using whatever knowledge and experience I have gained through my own weaving business and teaching. The Worshipful Company of Weavers has been a huge support to me from first leaving college to the present day and I am therefore delighted to now be involved personally and hopefully give some benefit to others.

The Worshipful Company of Weavers Hall

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The Worshipful Company of Shipwrights

by Richard Channon (K 51-56) Nowadays you possibly have to have an interest in maritime or economic history to recall that until about the 1880’s London’s River was, and had been for centuries, the greatest shipbuilding centre in Britain and therefore in the western world. It is thus no great surprise that “The Ancient Fraternity or Brotherhood of Free Shipwrights of London” was established as a religious fraternity dedicated to St. Simon and St. Jude but non-religiously far more dedicated to the encouragement of their craft of building ships of all types and defence of their business interests against outsiders.

The Company is very ancient, incorporated “by prescription” which is legal recognition that it existed before 1199: it has never had a Charter.

The Worshipful Company of Shipwrights

To start with, the shipwrights plied their trade either in or very near the City, but it must have become clear quite soon

The first reference to the Company in the City’s records occurs

that it was far more profitable to ship goods across City river

in 1387 and the earliest surviving Ordinances, its governing

frontages than to build ships there so the industry, and the

document, are dated 1428, but, because it was not physically

Company with it, moved down to such places as Ratcliff and

present in the City, the process of evolution into a Livery

Blackwall on the north bank of the river.

There was also the

Company passed it by and its Livery was only granted by the

question of the fire hazard represented by stocks of timber and

Court of Aldermen in 1782, making it 59th in the order of Company

inflammables such as tar, adjacent to a city still largely built

precedence.

of timber and thatch, so the shipbuilders cannot have been comfortable neighbours.

By the 1920’s the Company was recruiting its Liverymen not only from the then thriving shipbuilding industry but from all Livery

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the other maritime professions and trades, so that it has now become the Livery Company for all men and women who have a professional maritime background – ship and yacht builders, naval architects, ship repairers, ship owners, naval and merchant service officers, shipbrokers, maritime lawyers and insurers; the full gamut of occupations which contribute to “Maritime Britain” in general and “Maritime London” in particular.

It is not often

realised by those outside the business but London is a “one stop shop” for maritime matters: you can buy your ship, arrange the finance to buy and run her, insure her, find her cargoes, arrange her maintenance and docking, recruit her crew, bunker her and, if the worst comes to the worst, turn to the Admiralty court to have your case heard under the English law under which your contracts were written; all within “The Square Mile”.

This community of

interest, not to say the close social and business acquaintance of many of its Liverymen, makes the Shipwrights a notably strong and homogenous company.

Naturally the Company’s charitable activities focus on maritime concerns.

It awards annually the Queen’s Silver Medal for the

shipyard apprentice of the year; it particularly supports youth programmes such as the Sea Cadets and the tall ships; it appoints a governor for George Green’s (comprehensive) School in the Isle of Dogs, which is also building a fruitful relationship with Rugby; and of course it makes annual donations to good causes such as Seafarers UK (ex-KGFS), RNLI, Missions to Seafarers, and to many others including individual petitioners.

The Worshipful Company of Carpenters by Michael May (Sh 56-60) Over 30 years ago I was invited by the Worshipful Company of Carpenters to become a member of the Livery. I readily accepted as carpentry and joinery had been part of my family business, based in the City of London, since 1860. Since then I have played an active role in committee work, with an emphasis on craft training and property issues. In 2005/2006 I served as Master and continue to be involved as Chairman of the Investment Committee.

The origins of Carpenters can be traced back to 1333 and by 1429 they were prosperous enough to build their own Hall. A liveryman named Humphrey Cooke was responsible for Henry VIII’s Cloth of Gold. The Great Fire of 1666 greatly reduced the power that the Guild held when an Act was passed that brick and stone were to be used in rebuilding the City. However, the Carpenters were one of the sixteen Livery Companies with the City of London who founded the City and Guilds of London Institute in 1878. Today it is the foremost training body, offering 500 skills with over one million students in vocational studies.

Today the Company continues to be involved in craft training and charitable works, enabled by bequests mainly in property in the City. The Building Craft College in Stratford, East London has been administered and subsidised by the Company for over 100 years. Over 700 students are currently undertaking a wide range of courses. The Captain’s table for HMS Daring was made by a mature student who graduated from a two year Livery

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course in fine woodwork. The Carpenters also provide bursaries and scholarships at schools, colleges and universities, including City of London Girls, Christs Hospital, Royal College of Art and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

In 1897 the founder of Prudential Assurance, Sir Henry Harben, bequeathed land on the coast in Rustington, West Sussex to the Company for a convalescent home. The home continues to provide post operative short term care with 30 en-suite bedrooms.

Each year many of the patients express their satisfaction at the quality of the care and bracing sea air.

The Company enjoys a strong link with the Navy. Their affiliation with the first of the T45 Destroyers “Daring” allows Liverymen a day at sea whilst in home waters. She is presently on a six month tour of the Gulf on her first operational deployment to disrupt drug smuggling, trafficking and piracy. A more recent affiliation is with the Army. The largest mechanised infantry battalion, 4th Rifles based in Wiltshire, receives support for families whilst their husbands are serving overseas. I attended the medals parade on their return from Afghanistan, a moving experience with many stories of bravery.

My year as Master, accompanied by my wife Zanta (a member of the Gardeners Company), was memorable and hectic. The highlights included the Thames river pageant to mark the 200th Anniversary of Trafalgar; a visit to B.A.E’s yard on the Clyde to see the fitting out of “Daring”; dining with the Cutlers of Sheffield and the Wrights of Glasgow; and the Lord Mayors Banquet in Mansion House. It was not all social as the Master attends all committee meetings and chairs the monthly Court meetings to ratify decisions made in committee.

Michael May (Sh 56-60)

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Captainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s table

The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers by Pia Barratt (S 96-01) The Pattenmakers, whose trade origins are in footwear, was founded in the 17th century as a trade association for the makers of pattens.

given opportunities to broaden their understanding of the trade.

The main focus of the Company is the Charitable Foundation, which is the beneficiary of the majority of the Company’s income from quarterage. This provides funds to support the Company’s charitable activities such as Orthopaedic Footwear. The Company has been making grants towards the purchase of bespoke footwear for people with severe walking difficulties for more than 30 years. We have a number of specialist producers who take on commissions for made-to-measure shoes. The costs are subject to the complexity

Pattens were under-shoes of wood and metal, which were of the disability and are usually between £800 - £2,000 per pair. worn strapped beneath the shoes to raise the wearer out of the The most common disabilities are Osteoporosis, Per Cavus (Club mud and effluence of the streets. However, with the advent of Foot) and Lyphoedema, caused by Diabetes. Some cases are postpaved streets and efficient sewerage and operative; for example we have been able drainage systems in the 19th century, to help ex-servicemen who have been there was no longer any need for pattens injured in the course of their duty. Thanks and the trade floundered. to our vigorous fundraising we have been The Pattenmakers renewed their able to help with cases that would not be ancient links with the footwear industry funded by the NHS. over 30 years ago. Consistent with Educationalsupportnowtakes acharitable the ethos of the London Guilds to train form rather than direct apprenticeships in their apprentices, the Young Managers the industry. The Pattenmakers have long Pattenmakers footwear Award Scheme was conceived to supported the City of London Boy’s School encourage ambitious young managers and the City of London School for Girls to compete for a Pattenmakers award. and provides two bursaries at each, as well as a mentoring and Each award consists of a tailor made training course and an support programme. The Company also supports two students at invitation to become Freeman of the Livery which entitles them to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 2007 the Company be granted Freedom of the City of London. The scheme continues established two awards for excellence in the Clinical Podiatry to be a valuable method of maintaining the Livery’s close links Practice Module of the BSc (Hons) in Podiatric Medicine at the with the industry and ensuring that young footwear managers are School of Health and Bioscience, University of East London.

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I was admitted into the Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers in 2004 at the age of 22. At that time I was the youngest member by a considerable margin. My grandfather and father are also members and my great-grandfather was also a Liveryman. I have been taking an increasingly active role in the Company and currently serve on two committees and run the Young Pattenmaker initiative, organising events for younger members and encouraging those interested in the company. With initiatives focused on young people, particularly in the footwear industry and with the growing interest in the City Liveries, our young membership has increased steadily.

Many young members have joined through patronage, which helps keep a sense of continuity and family within the company and is an aid to preserving our traditions and customs. Whilst our principal activities are charitable ones, being a member also provides a useful means of networking. In addition to at least three dinners in varying Livery Halls each year, the Pattenmakers hold an annual banquet at the Mansion House, often attended by the Lord Mayor and are permitted to form part of the procession in the Lord Mayor’s Show every three years. We also uphold a strong friendship with the Swiss Guild of Tanners and are entertained by them in Zurich every other year, taking part in their Sechseläuten procession.

Tradition is one of the things we do best in the UK and I am happy to say that livery companies continue to do what they were created to do; supporting, and in some cases regulating, their industries. They educate and train young people in some of our earliest crafts as well as ones that have emerged in more recent times. They support people and good causes in the UK and beyond and uphold common values and objectives which help to sustain our rich heritage.

The Worshipful Company of Gardeners by David Gollin (SH 55-60) “The trade, crafte or misterie of gardening, planting, grafting, setting, sowing, cutting, arboring, rocking, mounting, covering, fencing and removing of plants, herbes, seedes, fruites, trees, stocks, setts, and of contryving the conveyances to the same belonging“ The Gardeners were market gardeners, who brought their produce into the City on carts and sold from the cart: barrow boys or, in American parlance, truck farmers.

The Society of Free Gardeners of London is first recorded in 1345, when it petitioned to be The Worshipful Company of Gardeners allowed back into the City, having been banished for causing affray. Nothing new then.

Accreditation of a craft within a city or accreditation of a member to a guild required individuals to have a fixed place of business within the City. Those without such a place of business or peripatetic workers were not covered – hence Free Masons.

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A gardener faced the same issue. They did however rent land nearby and usually had a traditional place for selling produce within the City, giving them a quasi tie.

In 1605, the Gardeners received a Royal Charter. However, since they had failed to ask permission of the Court of Aldermen, although the Company was recognised, they did not receive a Grant of Livery until 1891. Thus a seniority number of only 66.

Today about half of the Company earn or have earned their livelihood from horticulture or related trades and the balance are interested but amateur gardeners.

The Gardeners’ Company is mainly involved in education, working with the RHS Wisley, Kew Gardens, Capel Manor and Writtle College. Apprenticeship with City & Guilds are available and we also work with the Royal Parks. Our Charitable activities are connected with horticulture and include working with Thrive, Gardening for the Disabled. In common with other Livery Companies, there is a welfare aspect which operates through the Gardeners Royal Benevolent Society and the Gardeners Royal Orphan Fund. Our most visible manifestation is the “Flowers in the City Campaign”. Company plaques can be seen on floral displays of merit throughout the City and trophies are presented each year by the Lord Mayor in the Mansion House.

I have been a member of the Company for 50 years, having been free by Patrimony. I was a member of the Court 1981-2009 and was Master in 1995. I was Chairman of the Flowers in the City Campaign 1996-8. From 1998-2012, I looked after our horticultural library and was Honorary Archivist. Trying to decipher documents from the 17th century and earlier is an interesting development for a C block Maths geek!

Flowers in the City campaign

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The Worshipful Company of Management Consultants

by John McLean Fox (T 47-52) You might expect Mercers, Grocers and Clothworkers to be part of the craft guilds within the City of London’s Livery movement, but perhaps not a modern profession like Management Consultants. However, in 1993, a number of us founded the Guild of Management Consultants and since then we have progressed steadily through the necessary stages to become the 105th Livery Company, with a Royal Charter. It could be looked at as the social and charitable arm of the profession.

As a career management consultant from the age of 26 with the PA Consulting Group, where I became a Director, I found it a very attractive opportunity. I was on the Court of Assistants from its start in 1994 until stepping down in 2004.

My main preoccupation, as Chairman of the Charities Committee, was to develop a range of flourishing charitable activities. We did not have a large charitable fund for making donations so we gave our time rather than money. We started by offering consultancy, and then mentoring, on a pro bono basis to registered charities within Greater London. This work has grown consistently so that we are now helping a significant number of charities with some 20 projects a year, and mentoring around 70 chief executives of charities at any one time.

Based on this work we went into partnership with Cass Business School, City University, to create the Centre for Charity Effectiveness in 2003 – this offers 5 MSc programmes in charity management and grant giving, a range of consultancy and mentoring, and talent development programmes (see www.cass. city.ac.uk/cce for more details). Examples include helping the

Refugee Council; Youth Business International; a part of the Prince’s Trust; and, in terms of management development, CassCCE has been assisting Macmillan Cancer Care with a major programme of development.

For those involved in charities one of the most helpful series of events run by CassCCE are the regular John MacLean Fox Charity Talks, in which the Chief Executive of a Charity will present his or her view of a particular issue faced by that charity, such as the creation of a new corporate strategy. This is supported by someone from CCE, followed by open discussion and refreshments. If you are interested, do please follow up this opportunity to network with other senior people involved with charitable ventures.

As a Liveryman, for example, I have attended regularly the annual United Guilds Service in St Paul’s Cathedral, when all the Livery Companies come together with the Lord Mayor and senior City figures in thankful worship and celebration – it is a magnificent occasion, which to me emphasises the Christian values underpinning the Livery movement.

As I reflect on my heavy involvement with charitable work to this day, I can honestly say that this aspect has been one of my life’s most fulfilling features. It has all been pro bono, so my motivation has been aimed solely at helping whatever charity this might be (and I have been Chairman of several).

For a management consultant who enjoys his role this has been like being on holiday, because I have been doing what I really chose to do!

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News from Rugbeians Letters to the Editor, Publications, Vintage Notes, The Rugby Clubs

News from Rugbeians Letters to the Editor Academic Prowess Michael Howard (Tu 40-44) In the ‘olden days’, the beaks taught us that there were two universities, which simplified matters enormously.

The academic standing of Rugby, as of any other school that we had heard of, depended upon the number of open scholarships and exhibitions won at the scholarship exams held on their premises by those two universities toward the end of each year. ‘Oxbridge’ had not yet been invented, there was Oxford and there was Cambridge.

Their scholarships awarded at the end of 1943 showed Rugby in second place, headed only by Manchester Grammar School, we had heard of them.

At

Rugby that year there were nineteen, pity someone could not have rounded it off.

However, it was a figure never equaled or exceeded, either before or during the years until the scholarship system for admission to University ceased to exist.

Higher Certificate, to become A levels, was simply the exam we took at the end of each summer term instead of school exams: grades were an irrelevance as far as University entrance was concerned.

Among that number, there were two scholars of the School whose brilliant academic and professional achievements were to bear an extraordinary resemblance to each other. Both died too young. Was it a case of burn-out? They were Maurice Charlton (T 40-44) and Alan Tyson (Sh 40-44). On their death, both were noticed by good obituaries in The Times, Maurice in 1994 and Alan in 2000. It was the publication of the latter which drew my

attention to the remarkable similarity of the parallel progression of their distinguished academic and professional lives, although they eventually diverged.

Several of my contemporaries have joined me in the past in expressing in your columns appreciation of the quality of the teaching we received at Rugby during those war years, which goes far to explain an academic ‘flowering’ achieved toward the end of that time, measured by the then only known yardstick. That it produced in the same year two of its sons with such diverse gifts and great versatility, can only be chance. I am however sure that it cannot be a phenomenon characteristic only of ‘the olden days’. Perhaps it has become a commonplace, your younger readers will know.

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In praise of John Marshall Martin Lee Warner (C 57-61) I just want to say WELL DONE on another truly excellent publication of the Summer Newsletter Floreat. The words expressed

by Marcus Titley (St 55-60), a fellow pupil at Rugby, are so much to the point. You certainly embrace all of us OR’s within the coverage. I was so happy to read the wonderful tributes to John Marshall, a loyal and exceptional self-effacing person - a role model for many of us and an inspiration to many who had the privilege to share time with him.

An Invitation Unfulfilled HFR Mason (St + W 39-44) After reading an article by John Marshall in a recent Floreat about his time at Rugby and later Rugby football career, I wrote to him about where we had common ground.

This included a period when we were both at Rugby in the early 1940s, he at Michell and myself at Stanley and then at Whitelaw. His Rugby football included a career as a Scottish international; the height of mine was as a

member of the successful Whitelaw Cock House team of 1942, which is described in “and with a fine disregard for the rules”.

John replied in his own hand and said that he had watched the match. After remembering Hugh Lyon and his daughters with affection he also went on to say that “I suspect that the Hughes ran Whitelaw on a pretty loose rein. I certainly remember listening to the Whitelaw boys preparing for bed. On the other side of the road (Hillmorton) I suppose we felt how much better we in Michell were behaving, but I suppose that we were just as noisy” No comment!

His letter finished with an invitation to call if I should be in the area. Sadly this will be unfulfilled. It was only after reading all the tributes to him in the Summer Floreat that I realised what an occasion that might have been for me.

A further aside: now well into my eighties I sometimes wonder what has been the highlight of my life, family apart. Being in the successful Whitelaw Cock House team certainly comes very high on the list, if not at the top. It was in the middle of a war, life for me outside the School was very drab and much worse for others, so the postmatch party given by the Hughes was

something very special which has stood the test of time.

In the same Floreat was an obituary for Major Peter Leslie MC. I fagged for him on arriving at Stanley in 1939. I seem to remember that he was captain of the 1st XV. His first job for me was to take his blue 1 XV cap to the tailors in the town to get a second thin silver band round the peak of his cap to denote a second year member of the XV. He then joined the Royal Engineers and the next time that I saw him was nearly at the top of a hill eight thousand miles away in Korea, when commanding a Field Squadron RE there. I was surprised to find that he recognised me.

In praise of Warwick Hele Andrew Wilson (M 64-68) Richard Davies (W 55-60) wrote a letter in the last Floreat in praise of Warwick Hele. “We called him Guts Hele”. He had become Gut Hele by my time. We raced through the rather limited History A Level syllabus. Then he burst into the room, brimming with energy and excitement, rubbing his hands in anticipation. “We’ve Letters

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got three terms free – four if you are doing Oxford or Cambridge entrance. How about doing the whole of European history from Justinian to the French Revolution!” We were off! The building of Hagia Sophia, the basis of European Law, the rise of Islam, the Twelfth Century Renaissance in Paris, medieval monasticism, the Reformation, the Thirty Years War. How did we cram so much in? Because of that man’s zeal for knowledge, absolute love of history, and wonderful, intoxicating intellectual energy.

When my wife and I first went to Istanbul together, over thirty years after Warwick Hele’s lessons ,of course we got lost down many a dusty alley, but there it all was, the capital of the Eastern Empire, the hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, all as Gut Hele had described it to me as a boy at Rugby!

It was all strangely familiar. Likewise, when I wrote a book on Dante, I discovered that he had done all the groundwork for me.

Imagine a teacher nowadays urging a boy to read Marsilius of Padua! I had marvellous

teachers at Rugby – Tim Tosswill an inspirational English master, Robert Talbot Kelly an art teacher without parallel, Ian Hope-Simpson a history teacher of infinite charm and brilliance, Tom Buckney who opened my eyes to Plato. But Warwick Hele was something very special,so I should just like to echo Richard Davies’s words, “Thank you Warwick. Thank you Rugby. Thank you from the bottom of my heart”.

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Identifying the “Sturgeon” Steven Hall (Sh 46-51) In the recent Floreat Summer Newsletter you have an article about life in the School in the 1950’s (Pg 6). The author, Patrick Johnson makes a reference to a Master being nick -named “Sturgeon” but could not put a name to the said Master.

I think it has to be John AW Spurgin. JAWS was an OR but the Registers are particularly silent. I happen to have kept all my Blue Books from 1946-51 (and have a few earlier ones back to 1940. He first appears as a member of staff in 1949/3 and is still there in 1951/2 (being my last term). Interestingly he is shown as Head of House of Tudor in the 1940/3 book, with a date of birth 8 November 1922. There is another Spurgin (PR) which might be a younger brother. I remember him as being an exceptionally nice man but cannot recall if he ever tried to teach me. As to his wartime exploits, I cannot recall any rumours of exciting activities.

Hope this helps (but I bet someone else got to you first!)

Francis Guinness (SH 54-59) I very much enjoyed the Floreat, especially stories surrounding John Marshall. He

was my hero at The Dragon, watching him kicking a rugger ball around the goal posts and hearing of his exploits. I had the extra privilege of watching him play in Autumn 54.

Was it at Iffley Road against the All Blacks or Twickenham for the Varsity match or both?

I took it all for granted, but I do remember being given the cane for looking frozen without my games sweater at Iffley Road!

It was natural to introduce our two sons, PRG & RMG to JCM as Housemaster of SH when we all three visited in 1981. By the time we turned up as parents for Speech Day in 1984, John was Acting Head Master, the last thing he can have envisaged when he was made Deputy.

With reference to “The Sturgeon” – I am sure you have plenty of informants, but suggest – John Spurgin – he taught me RE in UM1 or LV and gave us Bible Study on Sunday afternoons in ‘54 or ‘55. I visited him in the San when he went off sick to find out how he was and to give us some RE to do while he was absent. He seemed to be struck down with depression or some such which somehow doesn’t quite square with his gung ho reputation as reported in Floreat.

Maybe an example of post traumatic stress?

I remember visiting him in Cambridge later

when he had left Rugby. He was teaching at the Bell Language School, was married and become the father of a delightful little girl. They invited me to their country seat in Gatehouse of Fleet, a rather memorable address, which I failed to follow up.

Rugby was quite a religious school in my time: regular chapel, twice on Sundays and a voluntary service during the week.

School House had prayers in the evening, a hymn, a reading by a Tutor and prayer, then ten minutes for personal prayer and Bible reading on beds before lights out – ‘Bible Dicks’. Would this be a shock for folk these days? We took it all for granted.

The faith was taken seriously and I remember a period almost of revival in SH when most of us in the lower part of the House were meeting in groups to study the Bible and pray; not all lasted the pace, but two separate groups met regularly throughout my time. The result was a number of Rugbeians going into full time ministry, 6 or 7 from SH alone. I wonder how much interest there would be in reporting how that generation and those following have reacted to Rugby Christianity or to Spirituality in general. (Ed note – good idea – thank you!)

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John Falk (M 43-48) With reference to Patrick Johnston’s article in the Floreat 2012 Summer Newsletter: I just wonder whether ‘Sturgeon’ could have been the late J A W Spurgin? I knew John Spurgin (Tu 36) when I was Organ Scholar at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, from 1948 to 1951.

Like many others, he had returned from war service to complete a degree. I was very much his junior, as I had gone straight from Rugby to the University and completed my period of National Service afterwards.

I had the impression that John Spurgin was on the staff of Rugby School in the early 50’s. Certainly I have still got a Rugby address for him in a list dated 1954. However, I cannot find a note of him as a staff member in the ‘Rugby School Who’s Who’ which was published in 1989, and also the dates given above do not seem to co-incide with the 1945-50 period, when Patrick Johnston was a pupil at the school. Maybe, ‘Sturgeon’ was someone else?

Spirituality at Rugby Henry Whyte (SH51-56) The last issue of the Floreat prompted some memories and the obituary for Charles Hall (W 53-57) on page 16 reminds me that when he was preparing for ordination at the London College of Divinity there were four OR’s in the College at the same time. Together with Charles and I, David Trollope (SH 54-59) and Alistair Heagerty (K 55-60) were also among the 60 or so members of the student body.

Does anyone know of a greater number of OR’s who were not only contemporaries in the School but also in the same Theological College at the same time?

Fr Kenneth Collins (T 49-54) David Gebbels (T 50-54) Initially inspired to write by the fascinating article by David Draper (T 5054) and Michael Cansdale (T 49-54) in the summer edition of ‘Floreat’, my aim today is to let others of our contemporaries know of the death of Ken Collins.

Kenneth Collins (T 49-54), Tony Stretton (T 49-54) and I became good friends during our last year or so at Rugby.

He had already decided to convert to the Roman church and many a long tramp round Bilton, Hillmorton and Rugby was filled with serious discussion. After leaving Rugby Tony went off to Cambridge and I to do my National Service but over the years we have kept in touch. Ken decided to seek ordination and after a spell at Oscott College (seminary of the archdiocese of Birmingham) he went off to Rome for years of study at the English College. Subsequently he became a member of staff at Oscott where he spent the next forty odd years of his life teaching and inspiring potential ordinands. He became one of the most renowned biblical scholars and was deeply admired: in fact the present Rector of Oscott who was one of Ken’s students remembers him for his wonderfully inspiring teaching. For the last five years or so of his life he had to undergo thrice weekly dialysis which as he aged became more and more demanding for him. Finally, earlier this year, Ken suffered a severe stroke and was treated in two of Birmingham’s major hospitals Letters

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Town House 1953 (Ken - fourth row, fourth in from the right)

where I was able to visit him. Eventually he was transferred to a Handsworth nursing home where he received fantastic care. He gradually deteriorated and on my final visit he was able to convey to me that he really had had enough and died peacefully on 11th April.

During Tony’s summer visit to the UK from Wisconsin (where he was appointed Professor of Zoology in 1975 – Ed) we were able to donate a memorial bench to the college which has been placed immediately below Ken’s study window looking out over the garden he loved.

Cricketing Legends Marcus Titley (St 55-60) The Summer edition of Floreat 2012 mentioned the death of our Bursar of many years ago, Philip Snow. Not many folks know he was a wonderful wonderful man in the history of Fiji cricket. He was a remarkable man and cricketers and non cricketers would be amazed at his talents.

(Philip Snow’s Obituary is on page 33).

On a cricket diversion, the School had a whole host of good cricketers on the staff when I was there 1955-60. The following all played for their school:

John Marshall (M 42-47), John Dewes (Aldenham), Iain Campbell (Canford), Peter Hare (Canford), Micky Burton-Brown (Charterhouse), John Inglis (Cranleigh) and Michael Coates (Marlborough). Most of those seven captained their schools with distinction.

We had three Masters/Bursar who represented their country, Bill Loughery, Ireland, John Dewes , England and as mentioned, Philip Snow, Fiji.

Rugby Cup finds its way to the Royal Sydney Golf Club

A fine lot of Cricketers

Marcus has generously offered an Opera ticket in London as a prize to the first person who can add to this list!

Photographs Wanted

Photographs are always most welcome, but in particular the following would be extremely useful (prints or digital scans); The old fives courts by the rackets court, the Eton Fives courts by the gym, the plaque to Patey, the first School Marshall, Stubb’s Piece opposite Rupert Brooke when it was still a garden, the cricket pavilion by the gym which is now a classroom, and the Old San. Please send to Rusty MacLean at the Temple Reading Room, Barby Road, CV22 5DW, or email to dsrm@rugbyschool.net

The Irving Kent Cup

John Snowdon (SF 53-58) I thought this might be of interest to Rugbeians. This cup (see picture) has been donated to the Royal Sydney Golf Club and will be awarded for success in a prestigious event. The photo shows that the cup was awarded at Rugby in 1885 to an Irving Kent. It’s not every day that Rugby gets mentioned at Royal Sydney, though Peter Brun and I and two of our sons are members and enjoy the place immensely!

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Publications Real Men Drink Port …and ladies do too!

A contemporary guide

Neville’s Island

The Story of Neville Chamberlain’s Adventures in the Bahamas 1890 – 1897

by Ben Howkins (M 56-60)

by Claire Simpson

The absolute must-have contemporary guide to the world of port - packed with numerous amusing anecdotes, historical and current facts, all of which have been meticulously compiled by world-renowned port writer, Ben Howkins.

This hugely informative and entertaining tome will amuse and educate today’s wine consumer.

In 1890 the Rt Hon Joseph Chamberlain, who was Secretary of State for the Colonies, chanced to meet Sir Ambrose Shea, the Governor of the Bahamas, in Canada. Sir Ambrose had previously been a manufacturer in New Foundland handling Manila Hemp (sisal). He told Joseph of his discovery that good quality sisal was growing in the islands. As a result of this meeting, Joseph sent his sons Austen (OR) and Neville (OR) to look for a suitable site.

ISBN: 978-1-84689-112-0

Publications

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The Fiery Canon

Blockade Runner

The Sterling Redemption

by David Capron (T 59-64)

by David Kent-Lemon (SH 60-64)

by James Edminston (M 57-61)

The Fiery Canon is fiery with enthusiasm rather than with ire and his account is inspiring and amusing in equal measure. It’s also the account of someone who refuses to be set back by obstacles – and, given the depressing accounts of church activity these days, it’s worth reading this book in order to remind yourself that the Gospel is indeed good news in good old England.

It’s written in an easy style with a good pace as this former bank clerk tells us how he has spent a lifetime giving away riches not his own.

‘Tom Wells Wrecked on the Nutfield.’

“We had only rowed about fifty yards when one of the huge breakers lifted us up, and turned us sideways to the beach. My muscles tensed and my stomach seemed to leave me as our bow lurched high into the air. I was in the stern, and I clung as tightly as I could to the side of the boat as the rowers started to fall towards me.”

Note from the author: If the code BRRS25 is used at checkout, readers can obtain a 25% discount off the RRP.

‘The Home Office, London SW1, 25 August 2008. The autumn sun glinted through the open window of my green and black Mini Clubman as I sped south along the Mall past Buckingham Palace and across Victoria to collect a letter.

I, James Stuart Moray Edmiston, had waited twenty-five years for this moment and the letter would affect the rest of my life. In the passenger seat, my lawyer, Lawrence Kormornick, was also lost in deep reflection.’

ISBN 978-1-85858-341-9

ISBN 978-1-78159-064-5

ISBN 9781 7815 90270 Publications

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Wild Coast: Travels on South America’s Untamed Edge’

Unshook Till The End of Time

UNSHOOK TILL END OF TIME

THE

Robert Alston

Stuart Laing

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh exchange gifts with Sultan Qaboos on November 26, 2010 in Muscat, Oman

£25.00

GILGAMESH PUBLISHING

www.gilgamesh-publishing.co.uk

A HISTORY OF RELATIONS BETWEEN BRITAIN & OMAN 1650-1970

ROBERT ALSTON STUART LAING

T

he 1800 agreement between Oman and Britain declared that the bond between the two nations should be “unshook till the end of time”. It was an ambitious goal, but whatever the political ups and downs, a remarkable relationship endures to this day, charted here in this authoritative history by two former British Ambassadors to Oman.

Alston and Laing have researched their subject closely, assembling an authoritative history which runs from the earliest contacts in the mid-17th century through to the end of the Dhofar war in 1975. Their research sheds new and clearly documented evidence on how events unfolded over the past fifty years.

This landmark book will be vital to all historians of the region and to analysts of the current geopolitical situation in the Gulf.

ROBERT ALSTON STUART LAING

Robert Alston and Stuart Laing both pursued careers as diplomats in the British Foreign Service.

Robert Alston served in Afghanistan and Iran and as Ambassador in Oman from 1986-1990.

He was subsequently British High Commissioner in New Zealand and Samoa, and Governor of the Pitcairn Islands.

After service in Saudi Arabia and Cairo, Stuart Laing was Ambassador in Oman (2002-2005) and Kuwait (2005-2008), and is now Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

UNSHOOK TILL THE END OF TIME

ACCELerate Your Social Media

G

G

Cover image: Sea front at Muscat, showing the British Consulate and its flagpole.

by John Gimlette (Sh 76-81)

by Stuart Laing (St 61-66)

by John Coupland (Tu 80-84)

‘About half way through the flight to Jonestown, I began to wonder if all this was a good idea. Down below, the landscape of Guyana began to change. For a while, there were the comforting strips of sugar.

They looked like the spines of books, stacked deep inland, and then all the way up the coast. Then, the patterns ended, with the mouth of a river almost as wide as the English Channel’.

Britain, Oman and the Telegraph Visitors to the Musandam Peninsula, the Omani enclave north of the United Arab Emirates, frequently visit Telegraph Island, in Elphinstone Inlet (now Khūr al-Shaʿam). The telegraph station was installed in 1863, and was the occasion of lengthy negotiations involving the Ottoman Turkish authorities, the government of the Shah of Persia, and rulers and governors on the Makran coast, as well as the Sultan of Muscat and the Bombay Government.’

John Coupland is a multi-award winning e-business and networking professional with over 18 years experience. Working with him is a team of dedicated professionals who excel in outstanding social media and face-face engagement. John’s business, @networkerplus Social Media, thrives and leads in innovation. With direct contacts worldwide, he is able to keep tabs on today’s ever-changing world of social networking.

ISBN 978 1 84668 252 0

ISBN 978-1-908531-07-0

ISBN 978-1908746-61-0 Publications

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Vintage notes from Bordeaux

by Alan Johnson-Hill (St 56-60), Proprietor, Chateau Meaume

News on the latest harvest from Chateau Meaume.

No measurable rainfall in August and September. Beautiful dry sunny days leading to cool nights as we approached our normal harvesting time in the last ten days of September. One

would have thought these were ideal conditions for a superb vintage. But no, it was not even necessary to send grapes to the laboratory; to taste they were hard skinned with bitter juice and strongly astringent pips. We were a good three weeks away from an ideal harvest date â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if the beautiful dry weather continued.

Harvesting the modern way

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The problems had started way back in the Spring with a very staggered flowering, giving great disparity to the fruit setting.

Sometimes bunches on the same vine were a good week apart in their development – a phenomenon even apparent among individual grapes on the same bunch. A moderately wet June/ July growing period made us busy with the spraying machines to keep mildew at bay, while the rows of vines grew vigorously as we trimmed them into lush green lines of hedges. The dry period that followed should have led to a normal ripening, but the vines simply went to sleep in the sun and development shut down.

Laboratory tests in early October showed a slow progression to ripening – and then the rain came. Not deluges of water, but continuous days and nights of drizzle and mist. In no time the rot had begun to appear. What is ‘noble rot’ to the sweet Sauterne grapes is a dreaded enemy to our red grapes. There was no choice, we had to harvest as soon and as quickly as possible.

By chance, after several experiments over the previous years, and with the huge technical improvements of the latest machines,

we had arranged to go modern and harvest the whole vineyard by machine. So at 7a.m. on 9th October we set to work and did not stop until 10pm that night. We followed the same routine for the next three days and then finished off with just a morning’s work.

In 2011 we had started the harvest 3 weeks earlier, on 15th September, to finish on 30th September – and that with a team of some 40 pickers. The same scenario this year – and we would have lost a sizeable percentage of our crop. So 2012 goes down as both our latest and fastest harvest on record! After an October that ended with double the average rainfall, the wine has finished fermenting and is tasting promising. We will not know for sure until next Spring, but 2012 is likely to be a very respectable vintage.

On recent vintages – we have started drinking our 2009 and we find it well up to expectations, with great possibilities for maturing over the next few years. Tasting numerous bottles of ‘Petits Chateaux’ at local restaurants has also given very pleasurable drinking. It really is an exceptional vintage – watch for it on your local wine lists – and order with confidence!

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Royal Tokaji A Personal Visit A tour of the Tokaji vineyard and winery followed by the tasting…. and what a tasting!

As we left Budapest on the morning of October 29th, it was snowing; not heavily, just scudding down a rather grey Danube and enough to remind us that winter was around the corner!

We boarded the ‘Jasmin’ train and just over two hours later, through the mostly flat ‘great plain’ of Hungary, we arrived at Szerencs in the foothills of the Tokaji wine region. There we were met by Istvan Turoczi, Royal Tokaji’s winery manager for the past 12 years, who took us straight away on a tour of the Tokaji vineyards, which lie mostly on the slopes of and around Tokaji Hill, the highest point of the region. We made an early stop at the now disused Teresa Chapel, from where we had delightful views over Mézes Maly, one of Royal Tokaji’s premier vineyards, and famous not just for its remarkable aszu wines, but for a small house which happens to be owned by Hugh Johnson, affectionately known as …

‘Hugh’s House’ or ‘Johnson Var’ (Johnson Castle)!

After a robust soup in a charming local restaurant, we made our way to Mad, home of Royal Tokaji, and were met by Zsuzsanna Tombacz, Sales Administrator. The winery itself has been rebuilt in the last few years and, like any well planned winery, looks remarkably

by Peter Berners-Price (St 56-61) clean and efficient. However, the descent into the cellars was quite a surprise! Apparently entering into a little house on the side of a hill, you are suddenly looking down a long flight of steps which take you to a labyrinth of galleries, some of which you had to bend down in order to pass. Many of the ceilings were covered in a form of black mould which we were reassured by Istvan is ‘good’ mould!

And then the tasting began… and what a tasting! My own knowledge of Royal Tokaji had been almost entirely based on that little 500ml bottle with the colours of the Hungarian flag around the neck and something deliciously honey-like inside. So starting with

Brenda Berners-Price wine tasting at Royal Tokaji

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202

a flinty Furmint was quite an eye opener. Quite pale in colour, but full of fruit, I would say it lies somewhere between a Sauvignon and Chardonnay in taste - I would say nearer Sauvignon but Brenda loved it too and she prefers Chardonnay!

And then the journey from crisp Furmint to sumptuous Essencia took us through Late Harvest, Blue Label, Gold Label, and then the beautifully rich single vineyard wines of Mézes Maly, Szt Tamas and Betsek. Quite apart from the wonderful wines themselves, we so appreciated Istvan’s immense knowledge of the subject and his clear determination to manage and create ‘the best wines Tokaji can deliver’…and doing so with such a large number of small ‘terroirs’ spread out across the region is no small feat.

Many thanks to Ben and Zsuzsa for making all the arrangements and, if you ever have the chance to visit Royal Tokaji yourself, just contact Ben at benhowkins@royal-tokaji.com.

Candlelit Cellars

‘Johnson Var’

Botrytis carrying early morning mist near Tokaji

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The Wine Explorer

by Graham Mitchell (Tu 77-82) in a glass of his own

Graham Mitchell is to wine what Michael Palin is to travel – a sort of Indiana Jones with a corkscrew.

He then advised me that at the annual dinner the year before

Like Cyrano de Bergerac, my nose normally arrives at a

had, absolutely brilliant.... so witty and amusing, entertaining,

vineyard about fifteen minutes before the rest of me. I’m known

colourful, appealing, stimulating, humorous, interesting; I mean

as The Wine Explorer and a wine explorer needs a good nose

really very very funny indeed. Now, are you ready to speak

to sniff out the best and most exquisitely crafted wines. I buy

Graham?… Graham? No, come back Graham…” I suddenly felt

and sell wine for a living. To help pay the school fees, I also

like being somewhere else.

he had invited Geoff Miller, the celebrated cricketer, Chairman of the England Cricket Selectors and well known celebrity, to address their Annual Dinner. “He was the best speaker we’ve ever

take audiences on a light hearted journey through the vineyards

I was speaking at a dinner recently when the chap sitting

of the world as an after dinner speaker; revealing humorous

next to my wife leant over to her and whispered, “did you ever

stories behind the labels, funny anecdotes and one or two

imagine in your wildest dreams that you would marry an after

embarrassing incidents.

dinner speaker?” to which my wife replied, “My husband doesn’t

The very first after dinner speech I gave was in London,

appear in my wildest dreams!”

curiously in the cellars of Berry Brothers & Rudd in St James’.

I remember one occasion when I travelled to Guernsey to

The organiser didn’t want anyone from Berry’s to speak but

speak in St. Peterport. I was to speak after the President of this

wanted to hold the dinner there. I felt very honoured to be

association had said a few words before me. At 10.30pm the

invited to speak in such august surroundings. I sat next to the

President stood up and gave a twenty minute speech on the state

host and Senior Partner of a City law firm, who, at the coffee

of the association, followed by a twenty minute speech from the

and brandy stage of the evening just before he stood up to

Prime Minister of Guernsey on the state of the nation, followed by

introduce me, leaned over and asked if I was ready to speak.

a twenty minute speech from the Chancellor of Guernsey on the Wine

204

state of Guernsey finances. At 11.30pm, I woke up and discovered

The fourth generation of his family to toil with wine, Graham

that the state of the audience was somewhat subdued. There

has worked in the wine trade for 20 years, both as a trader

was a chap on my right who was slumped over the table snoring

and speaker. In 2002 he set up his own business “The Wine

but still clutching his glass. It was now that I was called upon to

Explorer” specialising in corporate events involving wine…

speak. I gave it all I had until midnight. This is a job for insomniacs.

www.thewineexplorer.co.uk

Wine

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The Rugby Clubs Central Fund

By Julian Hall (T 49-53) Hon Treasurer

Julian explores the long connection of the Rugby Clubs and Rugby School, stirs the memories of those who worked as volunteers and brings us up to date with current developments.

The Rugby Clubs Central Committee held its 122nd annual meeting recently at the School. Over the years the Fund and the School have supported boys’ clubs, now youth clubs as the clubs cater for both boys and girls, in Notting Dale, London, Birmingham and Rugby with donations and by visits from members of the school and Rugbeians. Many Rugbeians will have happy memories of helping at the Bradby Club in Rugby or visiting Rugby Clubs in London or Kent camp as hut leaders.

Others may remember the cricket matches at the School against the London Club or the Mums’ visit from London in the Summer term.

The Fund has been able to make grants to the clubs, thanks to the generous donations from many Rugbeians, and still today over 130 people make an annual contribution to the club. This year a grant of £15,000 was made to Bradby Club to help fund its leader’s salary as it had lost its grant from the local authority. A

further grant was made from the fund set up in memory of the late Jeremy Smith, a former member of staff and Housemaster at the School and for over twenty five years the Treasurer of the Central Fund. Up until the Second World War the fund made annual grants to the London Club and also to a Birmingham Club. I am not Jeremy Smith, former member of sure what happened to the staff and Treasurer of the Central Birmingham Club, whether it Fund for 25 years was destroyed or just closed down. The London Club was damaged and monies were raised by the Central Fund towards the cost of rebuilding and refurnishing.

After the war, the grants to the London Club gradually increased and much smaller grants were paid to Bradby Club. By 1980 things had changed; the London Club sold off its sports ground for housing and did not need a grant so enabling the Fund to increase its grant to Bradby Club.

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206

Some Rugbeians will remember the excellent leaders who have been at the Clubs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Jim Lane, John Pridmore (OR) and John Dye in London, Len Blackmore at Rugby, and last but not least, Ken and Rose Piercey who worked at both clubs.

The London Club merged a few years ago with the Portobello Trust to form the Rugby Portobello Trust. The premises in Walmer Road were rebuilt to include, in addition to the youth facilities, a school and living accommodation and the work of the Trust expanded. Later a further merger was made with P3 to enable youth work and outreach in North Kensington to be expanded.

Unfortunately, due to Health and Safety reasons, the Kent camp has had to be closed but plans are afoot for the redevelopment of the site, including provision of camp facilities.

Bradby celebrated its 90th anniversary last year and was honoured to have a visit from HRH Duke of Kent. He met many people connected with the Club, including members of the school

who help at the Club. The Club has expanded the services it provides to include a teenage mothersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; club and courses on drug problems for teenagers.

The Central Committee is chaired by the Head Master and is made up by members of the School staff nominated by the Head Master, Rugbeians nominated by the Rugbeian Society and representatives of the London and Bradby clubs. Besides Jeremy Smith, two other former members of staff have given long service to the Central Fund. Ian Miller succeeded Jeremy Smith and was Treasurer for nearly twenty years and David Ray was Secretary for thirty years.

Most of the contributors are now well over seventy. If the work of the Central Fund is to continue more support is needed from Rugbeians who left the School after 1950. If you would like to become a contributor, please email me on julian.hall@btinternet.com and I will send you a copy of the last accounts together with a bankers order and gift aid form.

The Kent Camp near Dungeness

The Rugby Clubs

207

Regional Football Champions!

The 100 Mile Canoe Test

Rugbeian Society Sport

Rugbeian Society Sport Future Plans

by David Clews (K 76-80) Rugby has a very proud sporting heritage and the Rugbeian Society are keen to develop the interest in sport with closer links to the School, Masters and pupils. We are implementing a Society initiative to improve coordination and activity amongst the various sports societies, some of which are very active, others less so.

We will host our first Sports’ Society Dinner in the Summer for the secretaries of the various sporting groups and here we will look at the events and the range of activities we are offering. We are keen to put funding in place to enable leaving students to attend key sporting events and more details of this will be circulated shortly.

David Clews is the link Committee member for Sporting Societies.

Old Rugbeian Sailing Club

by Magnus Wheatley (Sh 88-90), President

The Sailing Club equalled the historic record number of Arrow Trophy wins when it secured a stunning third victory.

Ahead of a twenty boat fleet in the 2012 regatta of the leading independent schools the Rugby team claimed victory. Sailed out of Cowes over the weekend 6-7 October, the OR Team displayed highly consistent crew-work and some outstanding tactical knowledge to beat a fleet where the levels of sailing and standards of racing have notably increased. The nucleus of the sailing team have been together since 2005 but the OR Team is consistently encouraging younger ORs to participate. The annual OR Match against the school at Draycote Water in the Summer Term is a key recruiting ground for future development of the OR Arrow Team.

Notably this year, Rugby’s skipper, Oliver Dix (Tu + W 00-05), stepped into the limelight for the first time in his own right fully supported by the “A” Team and the results speak for themselves.

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211

OR Arrow Sailing Team

Olly has matured as a sailor into a wonderfully smooth helmsman and an authoritative skipper with a deep understanding of the vagaries of match-racing and it is a joy to watch him sailing and leading the team so well.

However a helmsman can only ever be as good as his crew, and this year we were lucky enough to have on the boat the following: (on the bow) Henry Clarke (M 93-98), Will Jones (W 03-08) and Polly Fairbanks (St 96-98); amidships: Charlie Cruise (C 97-02), Tom Davidson (SF 97-02), Ed Scutt (M 7981) and Kate Johnson (nee Mayo) (B 93-95); mainsheet: Ludo Bennett-Jones (W 04-09), afterguard: Oliver Dix and Magnus Wheatley. In short, there were no weak links and from the outset it was clear that Rugby were in an elite few boats capable of winning. The Arrow, however, is a tricky regatta to win. You can’t win the Arrow on Saturday but you can certainly lose it so we had to be at our best right from the outset.

None of us could have predicted just how well we would go when we were released from the tight, packed short races into clear air and tidal conditions. Rugby started well but then had a poor middle beat before clawing back into the lead as the first mark approached and never looked back.

In a light and shifting breeze on the Sunday, it was all down to tactics and crew-work with Olly really calling the shots as an expert match-racer. He guided the team to four outstanding victories, never giving up even on hopeless situations and always either trying to extend the lead or minimise the losses. The best of three final against Charterhouse was always going to be a tough one to complete. After an agonising final run against the tide, Rugby gybed onto starboard right on the finish line and

recorded the win. Some ten minutes later, Charterhouse crossed after agonisingly drifting against a foul tide slowly to the line and it was clear to everyone that the day’s racing was now over.

The victory means that we are now tied with Winchester and Bradfield on three wins apiece in the competition, surely an historic fourth in 2013 is now the ultimate goal and with this team who knows?

If you are an OR and would like to come and join the team to participate in the Arrow Trophy or the annual match against the School then do please get in touch with either Magnus (magnus. wheatley@charles-stanley.co.uk) or the Commodores of the OR Sailing Club: Oliver Dix (ollydix@hotmail.com) or Henry Clarke (henry.clarke@cobham.com). The OR Sailing Club will do all that it can to financially assist those under 25 who would like to join and are very keen to encourage the next generation of sailors through the ranks. The Club is lively and regularly organises dinners and social events so do please come and join us – young or old – you are most welcome.

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213

ORGS

by Tim Watts (St 66-71), Hon Secretary

The only requirements to join the Old Rugbeian Golfing Society are that you must play golf and have been to the School. Laughter is the hallmark of our events. If you have not taken part, do make a resolution to join in and come to one or more of our events in 2013. Details of the fixtures, and reports of our events, are posted on the Rugbeian Society website.

Sadly, the Summer of 2012 will be remembered as cold and wet. Nowhere seemed more cold or more wet than East Lothian in mid-June for the ORGS Scottish meeting. The temperature did not exceed 9°C in the heavy rain at Luffness, but the dinner that followed was great fun. The weather the following day at Muirfield was only marginally better. Happily, other ORGS events in 2013 did not suffer too much weather disruption.

In March, the ORGS played a warm up match against the School team before the Gerald Micklem Cup. The boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; loss to the ORGS perhaps inspired them, as wins against Charterhouse, Bradfield and, in the final, Wellington won the cup for Rugby for the first time in 25 years.

Simon Maisey (K 68-73) now has built a pool of talented players from which to select our Halford Hewitt team. There were good

wins in the first two rounds in 2012 but then a defeat on Saturday morning (Tonbridge).

In the Grafton Morrish finals, wins in the first two rounds were followed by a close game, losing to Heriots at 19th. Our squad is confident that they can go further, and we wish them success.

The move of the Spring meeting to Huntercombe was, judging by the numbers attending, a great success and the new Summer meeting at Church Brampton was much enjoyed, not least by our Captain, Robert Lyons (K 56-60) who won the scratch prize.

It was Robert Lyons and Clive Pickerill (T 65-70) who, at an international golf match in Belgium, discovered that an opponent was an OR. Jacques Delacave (W 47-52) immediately joined our Society and agreed to come to the Autumn Meeting at Rye. As our newest member, Jacques then went on to win the trophy. Well done!

At the AGM in September, James Fox (Sh 51-56) was elected Captain and we wish him much golfing enjoyment in 2013.

Richard Jones (B 65-69) was appointed vice-captain.

Calling all OR lady golfers. We have recently been approached to see if Rugby could field a team for The Tassie, the interschool cup for lady golfers played in June at The Berkshire.

The ladies regard this as their equivalent of Halford Hewitt.

I hope any ladies interested in taking part will contact me.

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214

Myles Hartley (SH 56-60) & Camilla Dyson (D 84-86)

Antony Aitken (M 57-62) holding the Claret Jug

Sport

215

Real Tennis

by Oliver Buckley (W 67-71), Hon Secretary

The 2012/13 Real tennis season has started off reasonably well.

Old Rugbeians played on both sides of the Final of the Peripatetic Teams tournament, so we had an Old Rugbeian Winner as well as a Runner-up. Unfortunately neither of them was playing for the Old Rugbeians at the time, but hey!

We lost to the Old Harrovians 3-5, but beat the Oxford Students 3-2 and Queen’s Club 4-3. The score from the match at Leamington seems to have been forgotten perhaps due to a very convivial lunch – I think it was a 2-2 draw. We’ll work out what happened before the end of season round-up. We then went on to beat Holyport 3-1 in the first Fixture of the New Year. So at the time of writing we have more wins than other results.

Next feature is the annual Henry Leaf tournament in which we hope to have three Rugby pairs competing. Next club match is against Moreton Morrell on 2 February. We have had a couple of new applicants – Rugbeians who have taken up the game – so hope to see some new faces at forthcoming matches.

OR Sports Clubs: Secretaries & Managers…

OR Football ORGS Halford Hewitt OR Hockey OR Lawn Tennis Rugby Meteors OR Polo OR Rackets OR Real Tennis OR Rifle Club OR Sailing OR Soccer

Sam Thomas Tim Watts Simon Maisey Andrew Isaacs Charlie Whiteman Guy Steele-Bodger Hannah Butcher Robin Geffen Oliver Buckley Stephen Penrose Magnus Wheatley Dan Williams

sthomas8036@hotmail.com timwatts178@btinternet.com simon@maisey.org andyisaaa@hotmail.co.uk rsoctennis@yahoo.co.uk hgsb@rugbyschool.net hbutcher18@hotmail.com robin.geffen@neptune-im.co.uk oliverbuckley@tiscali.co.uk spenrose@aspects.net magnus.wheatley@charles-stanley.co.uk dpswilliams@googlemail.com

If any Rugbeian of any age would like to join any of the OR Sports Clubs or would just like more information, then do please make contact – they would all be delighted to hear from you!

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216

Income and Expenditure Account for the Year Ended 5 April 2012 Income Joining subscriptions Annual subscriptions Magazine advertising and other revenue Donations and sundry income Interest received Sales of merchandise Total income

2012 Total £

2011 Total £

96,866 4,472 2,275 1,125 —

94,832 3,698 5,750 1,080 5

396 659 105,134 106,024

Expenditure Newsletter printing mailing and maintenance of the O.R. Register

2012 Total £

2011 Total £

41,664

42,538

Editor’s honorarium Staff salaries Staff expenses Part-time assistance

7,000 29,096 1,036 —

13,500 35,450 634 272

450 —

400 600

1,558

2,107

Grants Donation to Music Society Net deficit on events

Total income Total expenditure Surplus / (deficit) for the year

105,134 86,861 18,273

106,024 110,427 (4,403)

Examination fee Room hire for meetings Bank charges Postage and copying charges Website expenditure Hospitality Sundry Merchandise expenses Telephone Recruitment costs Total expenditure

576 547 735 931 354 387 1,044 2,445 1,098 1,980 292 87 1,376 1,552 263 417 319 61 — 6,519 86,861 110,427 217

Balance Sheet at 5 April 2012 2012 £ Current assets Stock Other debtors Cash at bank and in hand

£

1,713 33,501 13,208

2011 £ 1,877 12,779 16,016

48,422 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Other creditors

£

3,101

30,672

3,624 (3,101)

(3,624)

Total assets less current liabilities

45,321

27,048

Funds Accumulated fund as at 6 April 2011 Surplus / (Deficit) for the year

27,048 18,273 45,321

31,451 (4,403) 27,048

Approved by the Committee of Management and authorised for issue on 29 November 2012 N Payne FCA Hon Treasurer

218

The Council of the Rugbeian Society Alexander Anton (Sh 73-77) Peter Berners-Price (St 56-61) Angus Crichton-Miller (SF 53-58) Charles de Chassiron (K 61-65) Nick Etches (B 61-66) Ewen Fergusson (SH 45-51) Michael Fowle (St 53-58) Anthony Given (K 48-53) Tim Grandage (W 71-76)

Adam Hackett (St 63-68) Ben Habib (M 79-84) Jeremy Hanley (K 59-63) Nick Hills (C 61-66) David Hope (M 52-56) Stephen Johnson (St 70-74) Tom King (Sh 47-51) Ian Lang (St 54-58) John Li (B 69-72)

Peter Lusty (SF 61-65) George Magnus (Sh 49-54) Charles Maisey (K 65-70) Adam Osborn (SF 81-86) John Osborn (Sh 36-41) Meyrick Payne (SF 57-61) Ted Rose (M 49-55)

John Snowdon ( SF 53-58) Micky Steele-Bodger (Tu 39-44) Hew Strachan (K 63-67) Robert Swannell (Tu 64-68) Michael Thomas (St 50-55) Paul Viney (St 63-68)

Tony Shearer (B 62-66) Jeremy Skinner (K 50-55)

The Committee of the Rugbeian Society Fiona Hughes-Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Aeth President Simon Penniston Vice President Neil Payne Treasurer David Clews Tim Day Patrick Derham Head Master Rachael Douglas

Adrian Fox Louise Harrison Chris Hartley Julian Mant Toby Marsh Jane Phelps

Robert Pugh

Gail Sampson Robert Swannell Chairman of the Governing Body Nathan Williamson Stuart Wilson Tracey Ahmet Executive Assistant Guy Steele-Bodger Admissions Registrar Kerry Wilson Development Director

219

2013 Events Calendar…

Date

Event

Venue

Date

Event

Venue

5 Feb

Spring Business Forum

Cavalry & Guards Club, London

4 July

Donors Lunch

Rugby

23 Feb

Dubai Dinner Reception

Dubai

19 july

Toronto Reception

Toronto

4 Mar

City Reception

St. Barts Hospital, London

1 Sep

New Parents Reception

Lewis Gallery, Rugby

8 Mar

Scottish Reception

Edinburgh, Scotland

4 Sep

Autumn Business Forum

Venue tbc, London

12 Mar

XX Club Dinner

Savile Club, London

12 Sep

2012 Leavers Party

Atlas Pub, London

14 Mar

Privately Owned Business Dinner

Brigade Restaurant, London

12 Sep

25th Anniversary Event – Class of ‘88

Venue tbc, London

17 Mar

Rupert Brooke House Reunion

Rugby

TBC Oct Wales Drinks get together

Wales

17 Mar

Crick Run

Rugby

8 Oct

XX Club Dinner

Savile Club, London

21 Mar

Michell House Dinner

Savile Club, London

16 Oct

Livery Luncheon

Waterman’s Hall, London

9 May

10th Arnold Foundation Lecture

Rugby

16 Oct

Arnold Foundation 10th Anniversary Reception London

9 May

Dean Dinner

tbc, London

29 Oct

Hong Kong Reception

25 May

Arnold Foundation Festival

Rugby

TBC Nov Town and Southfield House Reunions

Rugby

30 May

Theatre Club – Les Misérables

London

8 Nov

Class of ’03 – 10 Year Leavers Party

tbc, London

30 May

New York Reception

New York

14 Nov

Real Estate Dinner

Army & Navy Club, London

6 Jun

San Francisco Reception

San Francisco

TBC Nov Class of ’83 – 30th Anniversary Event

London

11 Jun

XX Club Dinner

Savile Club, London

28 Nov

AGM & New Presidents Dinner

Venue TBC, London

Venue tbc, London

12 Dec

Theatre Club – One Man, Two Guvnors

Venue tbc, London

TBC Jun 5 Year Leavers Party – Class of 2008 27 Jun

50th Anniversary for the Class of ‘63

Hong Kong

Rugby

Please check the online calendar at www.rugsoc.com for up-to-date event information.

220

Acknowledgements: The Editor and Committee would like to thank all those who have contributed to the production of the 2013 Floreat Annual…

To all those Rugbeians, and others, who have contributed articles, photographs and anecdotes to help us create another colourful and interesting publication…

To Gilman & Soame for providing photographs for the Sports and Social events included in this issue, both at the School and elsewhere, including the House Reunions.

To Trevor Giddings, Harvey Palmer and Neil Terry for their professional support, great patience and swift reaction during the design

and compilation process, and for the high quality of the resultant print production…

have been unable to name… or may have misrepresented!

To John Inglis who continues to scan the newspapers every day for news of Rugbeians, for which we are extremely grateful…

Front cover image of: Keith Richards carrying the Olympic Torch onto the Close, 2 July 2012.

And of course to our Executive Assistant Tracey Ahmet for her proactive support throughout the production process, and particularly with the compilation of Rugbeians’ comments, picture selection and then for providing the captions which make them so much more interesting for readers, but which takes a huge amount of research.

The Editor and Committee are also extremely grateful to those organisations who have supported this 2013 Floreat Annual with advertising – VitaeLibri and @Networkerplus Social Media

We have captioned as many photographs as we can, but apologies to those whom we

Fiona Hughes-D’Aeth (D 80-82), Editor Tracey Ahmet, Executive Assistant

fihd.rugsoc@gmail.com tda@rugbyschool.net

Rugby School, Warwickshire, CV22 5EH Telephone: +44(0)1788 556 306 E-mail: tda@rugbyschool.net

Website: www.rugsoc.com

Designed by Neil Terry Printing, 01788 568000.