Paul Ledger passed away on 17th January. He was a popular and long-serving member of Uppingham’s staff from 1952 to 1972 and Housemaster of The Hall from 1961 to 1972. David Gaine, former Housemaster of Lorne House, said: “Paul and his wife Jenny were a delightful couple and for the influx of young members of staff, the presence of the Ledgers, as well as other ‘new world’ Housemasters, offered many words of wisdom and much assistance, as well as welcoming us for lunch in the House. And, of course, this welcome invitation built a considerable relationship between staff and boys, one of the many attractive things about Uppingham for prospective parents. In addition to his academic talents, Paul was a distinguished hockey player.”
The Rutland Postal Service Memories of Paul Ledger, by Robin Johnson (H 67) Paul was a much loved housemaster of The Hall and, together with his wife Jenny and their daughter Cat, held annual gatherings at his house for OUs of The Hall in Hammersmith right to the end. Here is one of my favourite memories of the House under Paul’s leadership. Long before the Internet was ever thought of, the first ever national postal strike began in January 1971. In those days ‘snail mail’ was an altogether more vital commodity than it is today and The Royal Mail held a national monopoly. Annual inflation rates had soared to double digits and postal workers were demanding a pay rise of between 15% and 20%. There was deadlock between employer and employees. As the weeks went by, the government’s postal monopoly was relaxed for the first time since the service began in 1840 when the world’s first postage stamp, the Penny Black, was issued. Temporary liberalisation allowed a network of unregulated local postal services to fledge. Paul Ledger decided to step in to create ‘The Rutland Postal Service’. Robin Johnson (H 67) designed the stamp which was printed in two district editions by Nick Bettles (Hf 68), from the School’s printing team, making the stamps altogether rarer in philatelic value. The first letters were distributed throughout Rutland by the School’s cross country running team. The wooden and metal postmarking device was crafted by the late Bill Everington. On Day One there were less than 20 letters. The next day there were 30 or so. After five days a bulk mailing service, using half price diagonally cut stamps, was introduced to help local businesses send out their long overdue invoices. This bolstered numbers. Paul and Robin were suddenly faced with hundreds of letters to deliver. There was also collaboration between Rutland and Leicester to offer a broader reach. On Day Seven the numbers had got completely out of hand and at the same time Paul had to travel to attend an event in London. Paul volunteered a neighbour to drive to the distant addresses. He set off at 6am with 50 or so letters and returned at midnight saying that he would not do any more favours for Paul. Fortunately agreement was reached between the strikers and the Post Office on Thursday 4th March and Royal Mail staff returned to work on the following Monday. The Rutland Postal Service lasted seven long days. At the peak of the service Robin had to seek permission from the late John Royds (Headmaster) to hold a press conference. On entering the Headmaster’s study, Robin asked “Please may I hold a press conference?”. The answer came back “Yes”. Robin about turned and left the room (job done). Prospective parents who were talking to John Royds were so delighted by the transaction that they signed up their son immediately. Robin was interviewed by journalists on behalf of various newspapers including the nationals. The story also ran on television and radio much to the delight of all the boys of The Hall. Paul Ledger derived much pleasure from this story and enjoyed showing off his collection of stamps (mint and used) to OUs. In 2016 a collection of these stamps was auctioned, though the local auctioneer would not reveal the price paid. The stamps are included in the famous Stanley Gibbons catalogue.
Other news
Having retired from Uppingham, former English Master and Theatre Manager Alastair McLachlan has had time to finally finish the novel he’s been working on, called Close to the Skin, it’s available on Amazon as a Kindle book. Inspired by the notorious murder of a 16-year-old girl in late 17th century Rome, which was also seized upon by poet Robert Browning for his vast poem The Ring and the Book, Close to the Skin gives the story a modern twist, while being firmly set in 17th century Rome and Arezzo.
Staff News 31