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Transcript of OA Bulletin - Spring 2005 Edition
Old Albanian Club
May2005
OA
BU
LLE
TIN
DIARY DATES
Presidents’ Garden Party – Sunday 19th June 2005Annual Dinner – Friday 1st July 2005
Founders’ Day – Saturday 2nd July 2005
Lodging an appeal: the Asian Tsunami 2004 Floods Relief Chest for victims of the disaster. See page 11
Nick Chappin – EditorAndy Chappin – Design & ProductionRoger Cook – MembershipMike Highstead – Gazette
Printing - Herts & Beds Printing01923 234959
Address for correspondence:Nick Chappin18 The Pleasance, Harpenden,Herts AL5 3NATelephone: 01582 461674 (home)07980 565645 (mobile)e-mail: [email protected]
3
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
2
OA CLUB www.oldalbanianclub.com
President Andrew Barnes01582 712650
[email protected] David Buxton
01727 [email protected]
Treasurer Brian Sullman01582 460317
Membership Secretary Roger Cook01727 836877
OA SPORTS www.oasport.com
RUGBYPresident Ali Mills
[email protected] Richard Milnes
[email protected] Director Simon Heath
[email protected] Director Chris Walker
[email protected] Director Peter Lipscomb
[email protected] Secretary Darren Ead
[email protected] of Coaching Bruce Millar
[email protected] of Rugby Steve Bedford
[email protected] & Junior Rugby Chairman Rory Davis
01727 843538
FOOTBALL www.oasoccer.co.ukManager Simon Bates
01727 852418 / 0772 0383 600
CRICKET www.oacc.org.ukPresident John Josling
01296 632227Chairman Andrew McCree
01727 [email protected]
1st XI Captain Robert Bee2nd XI Captain Colin BashfordTreasurer Denis King
[email protected] Secretary Julian baines
OTHERSRifle & Pistol Andrew Wilkie
01727 856857Angling Geoff Cannon
01582 792512Golf Royce Bryant
01727 863130
OA LODGEJohn Williams 01438 715679
SCHOOL WEB SITEwww.st-albans.herts.sch.uk
OA
CO
NTA
CT
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Editorial
Old prose I must confess that although I work
in the media, my knowledge of the
publishing business is sketchy at
best. To be honest, I’m more
interested in the content of my daily
newspaper or weekly men’s magazine
– which I buy purely for the articles
on cars, you understand – than how
it arrived on the rack (or top shelf). It
will come as no surprise, then, that
until recently I had never heard of
the John Insomuch Press.
For the uninitiated, the improbably
named John Insomuch was the
Schoolmaster printer of St Albans
who established a
printing press at St
Albans Abbey around
1479. According to local
folklore, he acquired the
unusual soubriquet as a
result of a number of his
surviving texts
beginning with the word
‘insomuch’. The
Insomuch Press – and I
quote from the website
here – “is a new venture
which breathes life into
his legend by the
promotion of works of merit by
pupils and staff of St Albans School.”
One of the current works listed
that caught my eye was ‘A History of
Cross Country’ by G E Pryke,
described as “a history of the
amazing success of St Albans School
Cross Country from 658 to the
present day.” Apart from fervently
hoping that the book is more
interesting than the tedious sport it
describes, I am intrigued by the date
in the description. Maths was never
my strong point – a fact with which
the Colonel himself would heartily
concur – but by my reckoning, the
history of cross country running
apparently began nearly 300 years
before the official founding of the
School. There’s probably a perfectly
rational explanation for this
anomaly, but alas the work is not
currently available for downloading.
One that is – but don’t make my
mistake of hitting the print command
instead of download as it stretches to
some 144 pages – is ‘Then we had
tea’, a collection of poetry and prose
compiled by former
English master John
Mole. As he notes in his
introduction, most are
taken from TheAlbanian, “which, like
many school magazines,
has tended over the
years to maintain a
somewhat uncertain, on-
off relationship with
creative writing.” My
school years were
certainly an ‘off’ period,
as there are no examples
at all between the late sixties (when
the creative void was briefly filled by
Impulse magazine) and the mid
seventies. There are also several
works by the prolific Major Wood
Smith, including ‘Sporting Heroes’
which was originally conceived “out
of irritation with a Daily Telegraphsports reporter who commented that
St Albans School had not produced
any sportsmen of note.” With his
OA
CO
MM
EN
T
John Insomuch was
the Schoolmaster
printer who
established a
printing press at
the Abbey in 1479
Nick Chappin – EditorAndy Chappin – Design & ProductionRoger Cook – MembershipMike Highstead – Gazette
Printing - Herts & Beds Printing01923 234959
Address for correspondence:Nick Chappin18 The Pleasance, Harpenden,Herts AL5 3NATelephone: 01582 461674 (home)07980 565645 (mobile)e-mail: [email protected]
3
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
2
OA CLUB www.oldalbanianclub.com
President Andrew Barnes01582 712650
[email protected] David Buxton
01727 [email protected]
Treasurer Brian Sullman01582 460317
Membership Secretary Roger Cook01727 836877
OA SPORTS www.oasport.com
RUGBYPresident Ali Mills
[email protected] Richard Milnes
[email protected] Director Simon Heath
[email protected] Director Chris Walker
[email protected] Director Peter Lipscomb
[email protected] Secretary Darren Ead
[email protected] of Coaching Bruce Millar
[email protected] of Rugby Steve Bedford
[email protected] & Junior Rugby Chairman Rory Davis
01727 843538
FOOTBALL www.oasoccer.co.ukManager Simon Bates
01727 852418 / 0772 0383 600
CRICKET www.oacc.org.ukPresident John Josling
01296 632227Chairman Andrew McCree
01727 [email protected]
1st XI Captain Robert Bee2nd XI Captain Colin BashfordTreasurer Denis King
[email protected] Secretary Julian baines
OTHERSRifle & Pistol Andrew Wilkie
01727 856857Angling Geoff Cannon
01582 792512Golf Royce Bryant
01727 863130
OA LODGEJohn Williams 01438 715679
SCHOOL WEB SITEwww.st-albans.herts.sch.uk
OA
CO
NTA
CT
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Editorial
Old prose I must confess that although I work
in the media, my knowledge of the
publishing business is sketchy at
best. To be honest, I’m more
interested in the content of my daily
newspaper or weekly men’s magazine
– which I buy purely for the articles
on cars, you understand – than how
it arrived on the rack (or top shelf). It
will come as no surprise, then, that
until recently I had never heard of
the John Insomuch Press.
For the uninitiated, the improbably
named John Insomuch was the
Schoolmaster printer of St Albans
who established a
printing press at St
Albans Abbey around
1479. According to local
folklore, he acquired the
unusual soubriquet as a
result of a number of his
surviving texts
beginning with the word
‘insomuch’. The
Insomuch Press – and I
quote from the website
here – “is a new venture
which breathes life into
his legend by the
promotion of works of merit by
pupils and staff of St Albans School.”
One of the current works listed
that caught my eye was ‘A History of
Cross Country’ by G E Pryke,
described as “a history of the
amazing success of St Albans School
Cross Country from 658 to the
present day.” Apart from fervently
hoping that the book is more
interesting than the tedious sport it
describes, I am intrigued by the date
in the description. Maths was never
my strong point – a fact with which
the Colonel himself would heartily
concur – but by my reckoning, the
history of cross country running
apparently began nearly 300 years
before the official founding of the
School. There’s probably a perfectly
rational explanation for this
anomaly, but alas the work is not
currently available for downloading.
One that is – but don’t make my
mistake of hitting the print command
instead of download as it stretches to
some 144 pages – is ‘Then we had
tea’, a collection of poetry and prose
compiled by former
English master John
Mole. As he notes in his
introduction, most are
taken from TheAlbanian, “which, like
many school magazines,
has tended over the
years to maintain a
somewhat uncertain, on-
off relationship with
creative writing.” My
school years were
certainly an ‘off’ period,
as there are no examples
at all between the late sixties (when
the creative void was briefly filled by
Impulse magazine) and the mid
seventies. There are also several
works by the prolific Major Wood
Smith, including ‘Sporting Heroes’
which was originally conceived “out
of irritation with a Daily Telegraphsports reporter who commented that
St Albans School had not produced
any sportsmen of note.” With his
OA
CO
MM
EN
T
John Insomuch was
the Schoolmaster
printer who
established a
printing press at
the Abbey in 1479
5
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
4
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
kind permission we have reproduced
another of the Major’s pieces in this
issue of the Bulletin, an entertaining
article on the 1919 conversion of the
School from association to rugby
football (see page 48). The site
(www.johninsomuch.com) is well
worth a visit, and would-be writers
are invited to submit contributions.
Ditto the Bulletin. As always, I’m
keen to receive material from OAs of
all generations, and in this issue I’m
delighted to see a steady trickle of
letters from recent school leavers as
well as our more seasoned members.
Elsewhere we have contributions
from all our regulars, including the
President, Headmaster and
Membership Secretary, plus the OA
Gazette and all the latest news from
the various sports clubs. Once again I
am grateful for their continued
support.
Finally, a couple of dates for your
diary: the Annual Dinner takes place
this year on Friday 1st July (the
evening before Founders’ Day) at the
School sports pavilion at Woollams,
and watch out for the Lord’s
Taverners versus Lashings charity
cricket match at Woollams on
Sunday 7th August, part of the
Cricket Club’s 75th anniversary
celebrations.
Nick ChappinEditor
President’s Notes
Connect with OAConnect■ The Old Albanian website OAConnect isnow up and running – and the moremembers that register, the more effectively itwill function, says Club President AndrewBarnes
I am pleased to report that the Old Albanian
Club is moving steadily towards its
permanent objective of becoming the
unified, relevant association of all past
members of the school community. A
current focus is that of the needs and
interests of younger Old Albanians.
It cannot be denied that very few of the
youngest Old Albanians have renewed their
subscriptions after the initial five year
prepaid membership has expired. It becomes
obvious that the twenty-something and
thirty-something age group have not found
much of interest or relevance in our club up
to now. The committee believes that the
establishment of a lively Internet-based
forum for each year group will prove to be
the key. The one overriding interest for
every year group is the progress and
success of friends and acquaintances they
knew as fellow pupils.
With OAConnect we are starting to see
the potential for correspondence and
interaction between members on our
website. Steadily more of our existing
members are registering with OAConnect
and providing information about
themselves. The mantra remains: the more
members that register with OAConnect, the
more complete and colourful the
information provided, the richer will be the
search experience for all other members.
We would like to find a member of each
year group to fulfil the role of a Web
Master, an individual who will co-ordinate
the posting of information provided by their
friends and acquaintances, on a dedicated
web page, a year group notice board. The
responsibilities will not be onerous. Please
e-mail me,
[email protected] on by the success of restoring
lapsed members and new members who had
previously registered with friendsreunited,
we are making a serious effort to contact all
living OAs for whom the club has no
current contact details. The hard work for
this process is being undertaken by Katie
Martin, the daughter of a member of staff,
from an office at the School. She will be e-
mailing all those who are currently
registered with friendsreunited, and writing
to the last known parents’ address for
younger OAs to obtain current contact
information, and urge everyone contacted to
register with OAConnect. All OA club
members for whom we have current
addresses will received a letter containing
the names of all members of their school
year and those of the year above and below.
Our aim is to jog the memory with the list
of names from the past and enlist the help
of all members to provide any up-to-date
addresses for those they may still be able to
contact. The rediscovered OAs will then be
invited to repeat the process to find other
OAs. We have high hopes that this ripple
effect will prove to be effective. We have
little alternative. Every newly discovered
OA will receive an information pack about
the OA Club, its range of activities and how
to register with OAConnect. When you
receive your letter, please help!
Back to the Younger Old Albanians. A
Young Albanians Group has been formed,
with representatives from 6th Form ,
university and first jobbers who have left
school within the last 10 years. It is quite
OA
CO
MM
ENT
WHO TO CONTACTPlease address your correspondence to the following people – you’ll find their contact detailson page 2.OA Bulletin Nick Chappin, EditorComments, letters, photos Subscription/membership enquiries Roger Cook, Membership SecretaryChange of address, notification of deaths OA Gazette Mike Highstead, ArchivistMember news, obituaries, School archive and museum
The flags ofthe EnglishSchools RFU,St Georgeand Italyflying atWoollams forthe Englandv Italyinternationalrugby matchon 26thMarch
5
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
4
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
kind permission we have reproduced
another of the Major’s pieces in this
issue of the Bulletin, an entertaining
article on the 1919 conversion of the
School from association to rugby
football (see page 48). The site
(www.johninsomuch.com) is well
worth a visit, and would-be writers
are invited to submit contributions.
Ditto the Bulletin. As always, I’m
keen to receive material from OAs of
all generations, and in this issue I’m
delighted to see a steady trickle of
letters from recent school leavers as
well as our more seasoned members.
Elsewhere we have contributions
from all our regulars, including the
President, Headmaster and
Membership Secretary, plus the OA
Gazette and all the latest news from
the various sports clubs. Once again I
am grateful for their continued
support.
Finally, a couple of dates for your
diary: the Annual Dinner takes place
this year on Friday 1st July (the
evening before Founders’ Day) at the
School sports pavilion at Woollams,
and watch out for the Lord’s
Taverners versus Lashings charity
cricket match at Woollams on
Sunday 7th August, part of the
Cricket Club’s 75th anniversary
celebrations.
Nick ChappinEditor
President’s Notes
Connect with OAConnect■ The Old Albanian website OAConnect isnow up and running – and the moremembers that register, the more effectively itwill function, says Club President AndrewBarnes
I am pleased to report that the Old Albanian
Club is moving steadily towards its
permanent objective of becoming the
unified, relevant association of all past
members of the school community. A
current focus is that of the needs and
interests of younger Old Albanians.
It cannot be denied that very few of the
youngest Old Albanians have renewed their
subscriptions after the initial five year
prepaid membership has expired. It becomes
obvious that the twenty-something and
thirty-something age group have not found
much of interest or relevance in our club up
to now. The committee believes that the
establishment of a lively Internet-based
forum for each year group will prove to be
the key. The one overriding interest for
every year group is the progress and
success of friends and acquaintances they
knew as fellow pupils.
With OAConnect we are starting to see
the potential for correspondence and
interaction between members on our
website. Steadily more of our existing
members are registering with OAConnect
and providing information about
themselves. The mantra remains: the more
members that register with OAConnect, the
more complete and colourful the
information provided, the richer will be the
search experience for all other members.
We would like to find a member of each
year group to fulfil the role of a Web
Master, an individual who will co-ordinate
the posting of information provided by their
friends and acquaintances, on a dedicated
web page, a year group notice board. The
responsibilities will not be onerous. Please
e-mail me,
[email protected] on by the success of restoring
lapsed members and new members who had
previously registered with friendsreunited,
we are making a serious effort to contact all
living OAs for whom the club has no
current contact details. The hard work for
this process is being undertaken by Katie
Martin, the daughter of a member of staff,
from an office at the School. She will be e-
mailing all those who are currently
registered with friendsreunited, and writing
to the last known parents’ address for
younger OAs to obtain current contact
information, and urge everyone contacted to
register with OAConnect. All OA club
members for whom we have current
addresses will received a letter containing
the names of all members of their school
year and those of the year above and below.
Our aim is to jog the memory with the list
of names from the past and enlist the help
of all members to provide any up-to-date
addresses for those they may still be able to
contact. The rediscovered OAs will then be
invited to repeat the process to find other
OAs. We have high hopes that this ripple
effect will prove to be effective. We have
little alternative. Every newly discovered
OA will receive an information pack about
the OA Club, its range of activities and how
to register with OAConnect. When you
receive your letter, please help!
Back to the Younger Old Albanians. A
Young Albanians Group has been formed,
with representatives from 6th Form ,
university and first jobbers who have left
school within the last 10 years. It is quite
OA
CO
MM
ENT
WHO TO CONTACTPlease address your correspondence to the following people – you’ll find their contact detailson page 2.OA Bulletin Nick Chappin, EditorComments, letters, photos Subscription/membership enquiries Roger Cook, Membership SecretaryChange of address, notification of deaths OA Gazette Mike Highstead, ArchivistMember news, obituaries, School archive and museum
The flags ofthe EnglishSchools RFU,St Georgeand Italyflying atWoollams forthe Englandv Italyinternationalrugby matchon 26thMarch
7
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
6
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
clear that an OA committee composed of
much older members is ill-equipped to
stimulate interest in the club for the
younger group. Activities and initiatives
from this new group will receive
appropriate support from the Club but there
will have to be ideas and effort from the
younger group themselves. Each year the
group will be reinforced by the inclusion of
new school leavers. The group would be
delighted to hear from any young OA with
ideas and interest and who would like to
help. Please contact Davinia Ankerson (97)
at [email protected] an ever-widening circle of sporting
interest at Woollams, it is very pleasing to
underline the success of our sports clubs.
The rugby season has drawn to a conclusion
with the 1st XV finishing in the upper half
of London 1. The fully integrated Old
Albanian Saints Women’s team was even
more successful and topped their league.
Woollams saw international rugby at both
under 16 and under 17 age groups and
women’s internationals against South
Africa. The effort put in by club members,
particularly for the Under 16 international,
shows that the club retains a high level of
commitment from members for the benefit
of the Rugby Club itself and OA Sport.
Please read the rugby club President’s
report on page 42.
The Presidents’ Garden Party,
3pm, Sunday 19th June
We intend to follow a similar format to that
pioneered last year. There will be a
champagne reception, jazz band, delicious
canapes, culminating with a pig roast
around 5 pm. Representatives of every
element of the Old Albanian community
will be invited, many of them as the guests
of their sporting clubs as a tangible thank
you for the effort made on behalf of the club
during the season. I do stress once again
that this is a joint effort by the Old
Albanian Club, the Cricket Club and the
Rugby Club. Everyone is very welcome and
tickets are available from Brian Sullman at
Woollams. £12.50 single, £25 double. We
expect to have a most pleasurable
afternoon, where the ladies will enjoy the
opportunity to wear their summer finery
and gentleman will complement them with
a suit or blazer.
Annual Dinner, Friday 1st July
The Old Albanian Dinner is to be held at
the school sports pavilion at Woollams this
year, on Friday 1st July, the day before
Founders’ Day. The building itself is
impressive and will make a first-class
venue. We will gather for drinks round
7:00pm when the school cricket match is
concluding. The dinner will be black-tie, as
in the recent past. My thanks to Judy Bee
for organising this year’s dinner. Our guest
speaker will be Mark Elliott, who spoke at
the dinner some years ago with great
success. He has recently been appointed
chairman of the Herts rugby selectors. The
application form for tickets for the dinner is
enclosed with this Bulletin.
“Our sport is your sport’s punishment”
Of all the things I disliked during my
schooldays, cross- country running tops the
list. In a 1957 prospectus for the School, W T
Marsh mentions that “…there is also some
Cross-Country running in the Upper
School.” I was vaguely aware that during
the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s cross-country
running was consistently strong. In 1989
Nigel Wood-Smith took over from GE Pryke.
Reports in The Albanian and the local press
detail the extraordinary success in cross-
country running by boys from St Albans
School throughout the whole of this period
up to the present day. For the last 27 years
George Harrison has been the inspirational
coach for our young runners, a role he took
on after some persuasion. Other members of
the staff assisted George until in 1997 the
baton was passed from Nigel to Major K
Everitt, the most recent Master in Charge of
cross-country. These partnership over the
last 30 years, have yielded such consistently
high standards and race successes that St
Albans School is undoubtedly the most
successful cross-country school team in the
British Isles. George Harrison has recently
been ill, but has committed to continue
coaching the squad until 2008. We wish him
a full and speedy recovery.
Andrew Barnes President
Good cheer: Andy Barnes (64) and Ian Jennings (62),above, and Chris Willis (89/90), John Lake (59), andEdward Slade (89/90), right, enter into the spirit atthe London drinks party
7
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
6
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
clear that an OA committee composed of
much older members is ill-equipped to
stimulate interest in the club for the
younger group. Activities and initiatives
from this new group will receive
appropriate support from the Club but there
will have to be ideas and effort from the
younger group themselves. Each year the
group will be reinforced by the inclusion of
new school leavers. The group would be
delighted to hear from any young OA with
ideas and interest and who would like to
help. Please contact Davinia Ankerson (97)
at [email protected] an ever-widening circle of sporting
interest at Woollams, it is very pleasing to
underline the success of our sports clubs.
The rugby season has drawn to a conclusion
with the 1st XV finishing in the upper half
of London 1. The fully integrated Old
Albanian Saints Women’s team was even
more successful and topped their league.
Woollams saw international rugby at both
under 16 and under 17 age groups and
women’s internationals against South
Africa. The effort put in by club members,
particularly for the Under 16 international,
shows that the club retains a high level of
commitment from members for the benefit
of the Rugby Club itself and OA Sport.
Please read the rugby club President’s
report on page 42.
The Presidents’ Garden Party,
3pm, Sunday 19th June
We intend to follow a similar format to that
pioneered last year. There will be a
champagne reception, jazz band, delicious
canapes, culminating with a pig roast
around 5 pm. Representatives of every
element of the Old Albanian community
will be invited, many of them as the guests
of their sporting clubs as a tangible thank
you for the effort made on behalf of the club
during the season. I do stress once again
that this is a joint effort by the Old
Albanian Club, the Cricket Club and the
Rugby Club. Everyone is very welcome and
tickets are available from Brian Sullman at
Woollams. £12.50 single, £25 double. We
expect to have a most pleasurable
afternoon, where the ladies will enjoy the
opportunity to wear their summer finery
and gentleman will complement them with
a suit or blazer.
Annual Dinner, Friday 1st July
The Old Albanian Dinner is to be held at
the school sports pavilion at Woollams this
year, on Friday 1st July, the day before
Founders’ Day. The building itself is
impressive and will make a first-class
venue. We will gather for drinks round
7:00pm when the school cricket match is
concluding. The dinner will be black-tie, as
in the recent past. My thanks to Judy Bee
for organising this year’s dinner. Our guest
speaker will be Mark Elliott, who spoke at
the dinner some years ago with great
success. He has recently been appointed
chairman of the Herts rugby selectors. The
application form for tickets for the dinner is
enclosed with this Bulletin.
“Our sport is your sport’s punishment”
Of all the things I disliked during my
schooldays, cross- country running tops the
list. In a 1957 prospectus for the School, W T
Marsh mentions that “…there is also some
Cross-Country running in the Upper
School.” I was vaguely aware that during
the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s cross-country
running was consistently strong. In 1989
Nigel Wood-Smith took over from GE Pryke.
Reports in The Albanian and the local press
detail the extraordinary success in cross-
country running by boys from St Albans
School throughout the whole of this period
up to the present day. For the last 27 years
George Harrison has been the inspirational
coach for our young runners, a role he took
on after some persuasion. Other members of
the staff assisted George until in 1997 the
baton was passed from Nigel to Major K
Everitt, the most recent Master in Charge of
cross-country. These partnership over the
last 30 years, have yielded such consistently
high standards and race successes that St
Albans School is undoubtedly the most
successful cross-country school team in the
British Isles. George Harrison has recently
been ill, but has committed to continue
coaching the squad until 2008. We wish him
a full and speedy recovery.
Andrew Barnes President
Good cheer: Andy Barnes (64) and Ian Jennings (62),above, and Chris Willis (89/90), John Lake (59), andEdward Slade (89/90), right, enter into the spirit atthe London drinks party
opposition in every measure except the
number of balls that crossed the goal line,
but the U16s and U14s in particular lost
very few matches between them and the
girls’ hockey season also brought them
victories over much more established sides
from all-girls schools.
The Easter holiday mixed hockey tour of
Holland brought two wins and one defeat
for a side that played together for the first
time on tour. Against club opposition in a
country that is serious about its hockey,
these were good results.
U12 rugby continued to flourish, with
both A and B sides vanquishing all they
encountered by mighty margins until finally
meeting their match in the final of the
Broxbourne tournament against Enfield
Grammar. It was their only loss in their
two-term (and first-ever) rugby season.
Badminton saw success at U13 level with
runners-up position in the County Schools
league. In the second half of their season, the
Senior cross-country team took second place
to perennial rivals Winchester in the Knole
run at Sevenoaks, pushing equally
predictable opponents Judd back into third
place. James Newman took individual silver.
In the King Henry VIII relays at Coventry,
however, the old firm of St Albans,
Winchester and Judd that has dominated
this event for the past decade, St Albans
winning an unrivalled five in succession,
was swept aside by new kids on the block
Marling School, from Gloucestershire,
fielding two England internationals.
Nevertheless, the Seniors comfortably
retained most of their trophies – including
our own Geoffrey Pryke relay and the
Merchant Taylors’ Cup, where Head Boy
Matt Grant was the individual winner – and
provided 50% of the county team in the
English Schools National Championship.
Meanwhile, and auguring well for the
future, the intermediate squad kept their
grip on the season-long Pat Bagnall trophy
competition, run by Highgate School.
A cloud was cast over the end of the
season by the serious illness of our peerless
coach George Harrison, whom we wish a
full and speedy recovery.
The annual OA Netball Tournament saw
a very large number of former students
return to renew old friendships and sporting
rivalries and to take on the might of the
current sixth form at the end of a
9
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
8
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
In the swim■ As plans for the School’s new swimmingpool and sports hall are finally approved,Headmaster Andrew Grant reports onanother excellent term of academic, artisticand sporting achievement
To pick up from where I left
off in the last Bulletin, we
were, of course, delighted,
towards the end of November,
by the Council’s decision to
approve our plans for the Swimming Pool
and Sports Hall. There are still a large
number of details to be sorted out but it
made for a celebratory end to the Christmas
term, which closed with the traditional
Carol Service in a very full Abbey and a
magnificent performance from the School
Choir that drew admiration even from
Cathedral clergy who hear world-class
choral music on a daily basis. In the
previous week, the studio at New Place was,
for the first time, the venue for the major
Christmas Play, a vibrant modern-dress
production of Romeo and Juliet that caught
both the vitality and the pathos of the play.
A fortnight earlier, the size of the audience,
the numbers of performers and the entire
scale of the School concert was such that
we had to move from the Library and revert
to the Hall for an evening of superb music.
It was a good term for sport. The First XV
had a very good season, winning all but
three of their matches, and the Second XV
and Under 14 sides were unbeaten. The girls
won their way through to the District
Netball Final, where they were runners-up,
and the cross-country squad marked a
return to form with an undefeated first half
of the season, retrieving the King’s Trophy
from last year’s nemesis, Judd School and
leaving the best of the opposition trailing in
their wake in the Dr Challenor’s relay,
which they won for the eighth successive
year. There were good results, too in
swimming, basketball and badminton.
Over the Christmas holiday, there was a
First Form trip to the famous Christmas
markets in Cologne, which included a visit to
a chocolate factory and further opportunities
for bingeing on various varieties of sausage
and non-alcoholic Gluhwein. The CCF cadets
were at Thetford camp, as usual and, again
as usual, acquitted themselves well in trying
weather conditions.
It has been a respectable, if not been a
bumper year for Oxbridge offers, with three
students holding offers from Oxford and
four from Cambridge.
At the end of the term, Paul Legouix,
who, in his 24 years at the School has led
the Maths department to a record of
academic success matched by few schools in
the country, retired, taking with him not
only our good wishes, but those of
generations of past pupils who have owed
their success to his efforts.
At the same time, Andrew Langlands left
to take up his post as principal Hockey
coach at Bromsgrove School (where he
himself was educated) and equally to
pursue his own international career with
the personal goal of securing Olympic
selection, while Justin Clarke left the PE
department at the end of the spring term to
take up his new post as Director of PE at
the Dixie Grammar School in Leicestershire.
Overall, the spring term saw a fair
measure of sporting success without, by our
standards, being an outstanding one.
In swimming, the Seniors took first place
in the Herts League. The First Hockey XI
had a mixed season, with too many winning
draws in which they outclassed the
Headmaster’s Notes First XV from 1938: picture kindlysubmitted by Deryck Sidney (36)
opposition in every measure except the
number of balls that crossed the goal line,
but the U16s and U14s in particular lost
very few matches between them and the
girls’ hockey season also brought them
victories over much more established sides
from all-girls schools.
The Easter holiday mixed hockey tour of
Holland brought two wins and one defeat
for a side that played together for the first
time on tour. Against club opposition in a
country that is serious about its hockey,
these were good results.
U12 rugby continued to flourish, with
both A and B sides vanquishing all they
encountered by mighty margins until finally
meeting their match in the final of the
Broxbourne tournament against Enfield
Grammar. It was their only loss in their
two-term (and first-ever) rugby season.
Badminton saw success at U13 level with
runners-up position in the County Schools
league. In the second half of their season, the
Senior cross-country team took second place
to perennial rivals Winchester in the Knole
run at Sevenoaks, pushing equally
predictable opponents Judd back into third
place. James Newman took individual silver.
In the King Henry VIII relays at Coventry,
however, the old firm of St Albans,
Winchester and Judd that has dominated
this event for the past decade, St Albans
winning an unrivalled five in succession,
was swept aside by new kids on the block
Marling School, from Gloucestershire,
fielding two England internationals.
Nevertheless, the Seniors comfortably
retained most of their trophies – including
our own Geoffrey Pryke relay and the
Merchant Taylors’ Cup, where Head Boy
Matt Grant was the individual winner – and
provided 50% of the county team in the
English Schools National Championship.
Meanwhile, and auguring well for the
future, the intermediate squad kept their
grip on the season-long Pat Bagnall trophy
competition, run by Highgate School.
A cloud was cast over the end of the
season by the serious illness of our peerless
coach George Harrison, whom we wish a
full and speedy recovery.
The annual OA Netball Tournament saw
a very large number of former students
return to renew old friendships and sporting
rivalries and to take on the might of the
current sixth form at the end of a
9
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
8
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
In the swim■ As plans for the School’s new swimmingpool and sports hall are finally approved,Headmaster Andrew Grant reports onanother excellent term of academic, artisticand sporting achievement
To pick up from where I left
off in the last Bulletin, we
were, of course, delighted,
towards the end of November,
by the Council’s decision to
approve our plans for the Swimming Pool
and Sports Hall. There are still a large
number of details to be sorted out but it
made for a celebratory end to the Christmas
term, which closed with the traditional
Carol Service in a very full Abbey and a
magnificent performance from the School
Choir that drew admiration even from
Cathedral clergy who hear world-class
choral music on a daily basis. In the
previous week, the studio at New Place was,
for the first time, the venue for the major
Christmas Play, a vibrant modern-dress
production of Romeo and Juliet that caught
both the vitality and the pathos of the play.
A fortnight earlier, the size of the audience,
the numbers of performers and the entire
scale of the School concert was such that
we had to move from the Library and revert
to the Hall for an evening of superb music.
It was a good term for sport. The First XV
had a very good season, winning all but
three of their matches, and the Second XV
and Under 14 sides were unbeaten. The girls
won their way through to the District
Netball Final, where they were runners-up,
and the cross-country squad marked a
return to form with an undefeated first half
of the season, retrieving the King’s Trophy
from last year’s nemesis, Judd School and
leaving the best of the opposition trailing in
their wake in the Dr Challenor’s relay,
which they won for the eighth successive
year. There were good results, too in
swimming, basketball and badminton.
Over the Christmas holiday, there was a
First Form trip to the famous Christmas
markets in Cologne, which included a visit to
a chocolate factory and further opportunities
for bingeing on various varieties of sausage
and non-alcoholic Gluhwein. The CCF cadets
were at Thetford camp, as usual and, again
as usual, acquitted themselves well in trying
weather conditions.
It has been a respectable, if not been a
bumper year for Oxbridge offers, with three
students holding offers from Oxford and
four from Cambridge.
At the end of the term, Paul Legouix,
who, in his 24 years at the School has led
the Maths department to a record of
academic success matched by few schools in
the country, retired, taking with him not
only our good wishes, but those of
generations of past pupils who have owed
their success to his efforts.
At the same time, Andrew Langlands left
to take up his post as principal Hockey
coach at Bromsgrove School (where he
himself was educated) and equally to
pursue his own international career with
the personal goal of securing Olympic
selection, while Justin Clarke left the PE
department at the end of the spring term to
take up his new post as Director of PE at
the Dixie Grammar School in Leicestershire.
Overall, the spring term saw a fair
measure of sporting success without, by our
standards, being an outstanding one.
In swimming, the Seniors took first place
in the Herts League. The First Hockey XI
had a mixed season, with too many winning
draws in which they outclassed the
Headmaster’s Notes First XV from 1938: picture kindlysubmitted by Deryck Sidney (36)
Disaster relief■ Lodge Secretary John Williamsreports on a busy few months for theOA Lodge, and highlights theimportance of the Grand Charity inhelping victims of the Boxing DayTsunami disaster
The Lodge is looking forward to the
meeting in early May when the new
Master is installed in the Chair by
the outgoing Master, followed by the
appointment of the Lodge Officers for
the ensuing year. It is invariably the
best attended meeting, and dinner
jackets are the norm – although this
is entirely optional. This year there
has been a break with tradition in
that our most senior Joining
Member, Geoffrey Goodman, has
been elected to serve as the new
Master, rather than our Senior
Warden who has been forced to stand
aside – we all hope temporarily – due
to ill health. Geoffrey, who was
initiated into Halsey Lodge, joined
the OA Lodge in 1975 and
subsequently served as Lodge
Secretary for some 11 years.
The Lodge is in good heart, with a
number of young Initiates and also
joining members, who are fathers
and sons of Old Albanians. However,
the brethren have been saddened in
recent months by the deaths of two
senior members, Leslie V F Hider (27)
and David J I Gray (43). Leslie, one of
the oldest members of the Lodge, was
initiated in 1955 and attended
11
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
10
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
UP
DA
TE OA Lodge
triumphant season. In the end, not even the
sponsored team kit of the more serious of
the past years’ teams (Lucy Turner & Co.)
was enough to prevent a showdown in the
final between the Upper and Lower Sixth,
from which the latter emerged victorious in
the last minute of play by the narrowest of
margins.
The Sports Tours Dinner, featuring
excellent speeches by Alastair Hignell,
David Lloyd and Gareth Chilcott,
overturned all previous assumptions about
how many people it is possible to
accommodate in the Hall whilst still being
able to ply a knife and fork and raised a
correspondingly large amount of cash.
The crowning sporting event of the year
so far was, of course, the England U16 - Italy
U17 rugby match held at the Woollam
Playing Fields on the first weekend of the
holiday – the first international ever to be
held in Hertfordshire. The splendour of the
venue was easily a match for the prestige of
the event and much impressed the ESRFU’s
officials. For the home crowd, of course, the
day was perfected not merely by a
convincing victory for England, but by
seeing our own Tom Haller receive his first
England cap.
In the penultimate week of term, the
Joint Schools Oratorio, Mozart’s Requiem,
directed by Grayson Jones in the Abbey,
was an outstanding public showcase of
musical talent involving a very large
number of pupils and parents past and
present in a professionally accomplished
performance of a complex and very
demanding work.
A still more democratic side of our
musical life was seen (and heard) on the
last day of term, when the entire School
crowded into the Hall for the finals of the
House Music Competition, an event which,
in terms of serious musicianship, has come
a very long way from its early beginnings
and of which the rock bands’ performances
are always a highlight.
Meanwhile, New Place was a scene of
feverish dramatic activity for the last
fortnight of term, with an intense round of
assessed performances for GCSE, AS and
A2. Over the holiday there were Duke of
Edinburgh Scheme expeditions at Silver
level at Pen Arthur and in the Peak District,
the latter, run by the CCF, running into bad
weather and providing an impromptu
exercise for the local mountain rescue team,
complete with dogs. A number of cadets
also took part in a UK Land Forces
leadership course.
Fresh from a triumphant oratorio, the
choir and orchestral musicians visited
Belgium, performing to appreciative
audiences in Brussels Cathedral and
churches in Ghent and Aalst, interspersed
with cultural sightseeing.
A very large number of classicists of
various ages went to Sorrento and Rome
(fortunately, as things turned out, in the
first week of the holiday) and also visited
Vesuvius, Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia,
while the skiers went to Les Deux Alpes for
four days of glorious sunshine and skiing
under cloudless skies, albeit on slushy snow
from the mid-station downwards, followed
by two days of almost total white-out from
the mid-station upwards, but escaped
without a single visit to the medical centre.
Term has opened in fairly typical fashion
for the cricket season with rain for the first
Wednesday games afternoon. I hope that by
the time many of us meet on Founders’ Day
we shall be able to discard the sweaters and
waterproofs.
Andrew GrantHeadmaster Tsunami disaster: Freemasons played a part in providing rapid assistance to the victims
Disaster relief■ Lodge Secretary John Williamsreports on a busy few months for theOA Lodge, and highlights theimportance of the Grand Charity inhelping victims of the Boxing DayTsunami disaster
The Lodge is looking forward to the
meeting in early May when the new
Master is installed in the Chair by
the outgoing Master, followed by the
appointment of the Lodge Officers for
the ensuing year. It is invariably the
best attended meeting, and dinner
jackets are the norm – although this
is entirely optional. This year there
has been a break with tradition in
that our most senior Joining
Member, Geoffrey Goodman, has
been elected to serve as the new
Master, rather than our Senior
Warden who has been forced to stand
aside – we all hope temporarily – due
to ill health. Geoffrey, who was
initiated into Halsey Lodge, joined
the OA Lodge in 1975 and
subsequently served as Lodge
Secretary for some 11 years.
The Lodge is in good heart, with a
number of young Initiates and also
joining members, who are fathers
and sons of Old Albanians. However,
the brethren have been saddened in
recent months by the deaths of two
senior members, Leslie V F Hider (27)
and David J I Gray (43). Leslie, one of
the oldest members of the Lodge, was
initiated in 1955 and attended
11
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
10
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
UP
DA
TE OA Lodge
triumphant season. In the end, not even the
sponsored team kit of the more serious of
the past years’ teams (Lucy Turner & Co.)
was enough to prevent a showdown in the
final between the Upper and Lower Sixth,
from which the latter emerged victorious in
the last minute of play by the narrowest of
margins.
The Sports Tours Dinner, featuring
excellent speeches by Alastair Hignell,
David Lloyd and Gareth Chilcott,
overturned all previous assumptions about
how many people it is possible to
accommodate in the Hall whilst still being
able to ply a knife and fork and raised a
correspondingly large amount of cash.
The crowning sporting event of the year
so far was, of course, the England U16 - Italy
U17 rugby match held at the Woollam
Playing Fields on the first weekend of the
holiday – the first international ever to be
held in Hertfordshire. The splendour of the
venue was easily a match for the prestige of
the event and much impressed the ESRFU’s
officials. For the home crowd, of course, the
day was perfected not merely by a
convincing victory for England, but by
seeing our own Tom Haller receive his first
England cap.
In the penultimate week of term, the
Joint Schools Oratorio, Mozart’s Requiem,
directed by Grayson Jones in the Abbey,
was an outstanding public showcase of
musical talent involving a very large
number of pupils and parents past and
present in a professionally accomplished
performance of a complex and very
demanding work.
A still more democratic side of our
musical life was seen (and heard) on the
last day of term, when the entire School
crowded into the Hall for the finals of the
House Music Competition, an event which,
in terms of serious musicianship, has come
a very long way from its early beginnings
and of which the rock bands’ performances
are always a highlight.
Meanwhile, New Place was a scene of
feverish dramatic activity for the last
fortnight of term, with an intense round of
assessed performances for GCSE, AS and
A2. Over the holiday there were Duke of
Edinburgh Scheme expeditions at Silver
level at Pen Arthur and in the Peak District,
the latter, run by the CCF, running into bad
weather and providing an impromptu
exercise for the local mountain rescue team,
complete with dogs. A number of cadets
also took part in a UK Land Forces
leadership course.
Fresh from a triumphant oratorio, the
choir and orchestral musicians visited
Belgium, performing to appreciative
audiences in Brussels Cathedral and
churches in Ghent and Aalst, interspersed
with cultural sightseeing.
A very large number of classicists of
various ages went to Sorrento and Rome
(fortunately, as things turned out, in the
first week of the holiday) and also visited
Vesuvius, Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia,
while the skiers went to Les Deux Alpes for
four days of glorious sunshine and skiing
under cloudless skies, albeit on slushy snow
from the mid-station downwards, followed
by two days of almost total white-out from
the mid-station upwards, but escaped
without a single visit to the medical centre.
Term has opened in fairly typical fashion
for the cricket season with rain for the first
Wednesday games afternoon. I hope that by
the time many of us meet on Founders’ Day
we shall be able to discard the sweaters and
waterproofs.
Andrew GrantHeadmaster Tsunami disaster: Freemasons played a part in providing rapid assistance to the victims
13
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
12
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
UP
DA
TE
4 Rollswood
Road
Welwyn
Herts AL6 9TX
Telephone:
01438 715679
Helping hand:grants fromthe Councilof The GrandCharityhelpedprovidedesperatelyneededsupplies forvictims ofthe tsunami
assistance to the victims – and will
continue to provide support in the
years to come.
The Lodge meets only five times a
year on the second Saturdays in
January, March, May and September
and the first Saturday in November.
All those connected with the School,
including fathers of past or present
pupils are welcome to apply for
membership, for which purpose the
first approach should be to any
Lodge member, the Secretary as
below, or Nigel WoodSmith or Alan
Smith at the School. Members of
other Lodges, be they OAs, parents of
past or present pupils, staff or
Governors are encouraged to visit the
Lodge whenever they wish, and the
Secretary will be delighted to hear
from them.
John WilliamsLodge Secretary
regularly until he and his wife Doris
left St Albans a few years ago to take
up residence in an RMBI home at
Oadby in Leicestershire to be nearer
their son John. David was initiated
into the Lodge in 1964 and installed
as Master in May 1975. In the late ’70s
David’s career took him to New York
where in 1979 he joined Jeptha
Lodge, founded in 1860 in
Huntingdon. Following his
retirement in 1990, he and his wife
Elizabeth settled in Scotland and
despite the distance, he was able to
attend Lodge meetings from time to
time.
At the November meeting, the
Lodge transferred £15,000 to the
Provincial Fund for 2009 ‘Festival’
Appeal in support of the Grand
Charity, which Hertfordshire is
hosting. The importance of the Grand
Charity was brought home to us in
December following the horrendous
Tsunami. As the scale of the disaster
became apparent the Grand Charity
immediately transferred £100,000 –
the maximum grant the chairman
could make without reference to the
Council – to the British Red Cross,
who were involved at the forefront of
providing aid and assistance to the
victims. In addition, he authorised
two further emergency grants to the
District Grand Lodges of Madras
(£10,000) and Sri Lanka (£25,000) to
assist them in their efforts to help
victims of the disaster. The District
Grand Lodge of Madras, which covers
the area of Southern India worst hit
by the disaster, rather than donating
to a general fund is working with
SOS Villages and Chatnath Homes on
a long-term project to provide safe
villages for orphaned children. The
children will be given protection and
education until such time as they are
old enough to support themselves.
The District has provided an initial
five million rupees to start the
project but sees it as a long-term
financial commitment. In addition,
the District Grand Charity in Madras
also made grants to Lodges in the
worst affected areas to provide
immediate relief.
When the Council of the Grand
Charity were able to meet they
increased the grant to the British
Red Cross to £300,000 and at the same
time, in response to requests from a
number of Provinces and to the
generous reaction of members of the
Craft, they established a designated
Asian Tsunami 2004 Floods Relief
Chest to receive contributions from
Lodges and individual Freemasons.
To date over £560,000 has been sent
to this Relief Chest. The Council
have since allocated a further
£300,000 from the Grand Charity’s
general funds towards provision of
long term support to children
orphaned or otherwise affected by
the disaster and resolved that the
money donated to the special Relief
Chest should also be applied to this
project. The Grand Charity has been
in discussion with a number of
specialist international charities
operating in the affected areas to
identify suitable projects. Memories
of the horrendous Tsunami disaster
will always be with us, but it is
heartening to know that Freemasons
played a part in providing rapid
13
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
12
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
UP
DA
TE
4 Rollswood
Road
Welwyn
Herts AL6 9TX
Telephone:
01438 715679
Helping hand:grants fromthe Councilof The GrandCharityhelpedprovidedesperatelyneededsupplies forvictims ofthe tsunami
assistance to the victims – and will
continue to provide support in the
years to come.
The Lodge meets only five times a
year on the second Saturdays in
January, March, May and September
and the first Saturday in November.
All those connected with the School,
including fathers of past or present
pupils are welcome to apply for
membership, for which purpose the
first approach should be to any
Lodge member, the Secretary as
below, or Nigel WoodSmith or Alan
Smith at the School. Members of
other Lodges, be they OAs, parents of
past or present pupils, staff or
Governors are encouraged to visit the
Lodge whenever they wish, and the
Secretary will be delighted to hear
from them.
John WilliamsLodge Secretary
regularly until he and his wife Doris
left St Albans a few years ago to take
up residence in an RMBI home at
Oadby in Leicestershire to be nearer
their son John. David was initiated
into the Lodge in 1964 and installed
as Master in May 1975. In the late ’70s
David’s career took him to New York
where in 1979 he joined Jeptha
Lodge, founded in 1860 in
Huntingdon. Following his
retirement in 1990, he and his wife
Elizabeth settled in Scotland and
despite the distance, he was able to
attend Lodge meetings from time to
time.
At the November meeting, the
Lodge transferred £15,000 to the
Provincial Fund for 2009 ‘Festival’
Appeal in support of the Grand
Charity, which Hertfordshire is
hosting. The importance of the Grand
Charity was brought home to us in
December following the horrendous
Tsunami. As the scale of the disaster
became apparent the Grand Charity
immediately transferred £100,000 –
the maximum grant the chairman
could make without reference to the
Council – to the British Red Cross,
who were involved at the forefront of
providing aid and assistance to the
victims. In addition, he authorised
two further emergency grants to the
District Grand Lodges of Madras
(£10,000) and Sri Lanka (£25,000) to
assist them in their efforts to help
victims of the disaster. The District
Grand Lodge of Madras, which covers
the area of Southern India worst hit
by the disaster, rather than donating
to a general fund is working with
SOS Villages and Chatnath Homes on
a long-term project to provide safe
villages for orphaned children. The
children will be given protection and
education until such time as they are
old enough to support themselves.
The District has provided an initial
five million rupees to start the
project but sees it as a long-term
financial commitment. In addition,
the District Grand Charity in Madras
also made grants to Lodges in the
worst affected areas to provide
immediate relief.
When the Council of the Grand
Charity were able to meet they
increased the grant to the British
Red Cross to £300,000 and at the same
time, in response to requests from a
number of Provinces and to the
generous reaction of members of the
Craft, they established a designated
Asian Tsunami 2004 Floods Relief
Chest to receive contributions from
Lodges and individual Freemasons.
To date over £560,000 has been sent
to this Relief Chest. The Council
have since allocated a further
£300,000 from the Grand Charity’s
general funds towards provision of
long term support to children
orphaned or otherwise affected by
the disaster and resolved that the
money donated to the special Relief
Chest should also be applied to this
project. The Grand Charity has been
in discussion with a number of
specialist international charities
operating in the affected areas to
identify suitable projects. Memories
of the horrendous Tsunami disaster
will always be with us, but it is
heartening to know that Freemasons
played a part in providing rapid
15
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
14
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Membership Secretary’s Notes
Go online■ OA Club Membership SecretaryRoger Cook rounds up all the latestmembership news – including areminder to register for OAConnect
Those of you with Internet access
will, by now, have realised that the
new database system has been named
OAConnect. The information from my
existing database has been transferred
to OAConnect; individuals must
personally register before they can
make use of the system. I remind you
that the system is secure and only
members who have registered can
gain access to its content.
A significant number have already
registered. Now that OAConnect is
operational, we are expecting a major
influx of registrants over the next
months. If you have not yet
registered, register NOW. Go to the
OA website where you will find the
appropriate links to OAConnect. For
the moment, I am retaining the
existing database mirroring the
information from OAConnect.
Bulletin
This Bulletin, as promised, is
available in printed form and is also
available on the OA website. Earlier
issues will also remain until the
permitted capacity of the site is
exceeded. The password for this issue
is 4378: OAConnect registrants will
find the passwords listed on the
OAConnect system.
I remind you that the cost of
receiving the Bulletin by post is set
at £18 for three years’ issues. The
year your Bulletin subscription
expires is shown before your name
on the address label. We request that
life members of the club who require
a postal copy make a donation of an
equivalent amount towards the costs
of postage.
OA Directory
The OA Directory, which I promised
in the last issue, has now been sent
to members. My apologies that, due
to its gestation time, the information
in it was not up to date at the time of
posting. If you did not receive a copy
please let me know.
OA Website
You will have noticed that the layout
and structure of the OA website has
changed. There are now more pages
and, I hope, helpful information.
Comments and items for inclusion
are always welcome! I am planning
to show a new photograph from the
archives every couple of weeks –
perhaps you can provide one?
(preferably in .jpg format or, if not, a
print that I can scan and then return
to you – NO negatives, please!)
Waifs and strays
The School is working hard to find
the addresses of former pupils who
are not members of the OA Club. We
confidently expect a major jump in
the number of members in the near
future. In the meantime, the usual list
of ‘waifs and strays’ is published
right.
Finally, I still have a stock of OA
ties (£12.50 silk tie – £15 bow tie).
Roger Cook
OA
UP
DA
TE
1 Pondwicks
Close
St Albans AL1
1DG
Telephone:
01727 836877
Waifs and straysWe have lost contact with the
following OAs – can anyone help?
Year Name Last knownlocation
38 Buckingham, K M Harrow39 Wilkinson, A D Harpenden41 Wright, J A St Albans42 Powell, G H St Albans43 Bracewell, C M Leicester44 Hudson, P H F Cranbrook54 Dilley, N C High Wycombe55 Coombe, B J Brookmans Park55 Knight, J V Blackboys56 Ingram, P Glasgow57 Bishop, S C Shefford58 O’Sullivan, P J Harpenden59 Mills, K J Stoke-on-Trent60 Robertson, D M Herts62 Clarke, J Knebworth63 Bass, Stephen Dabvury65 Kirk , D Walthamstow66 Thomas, R N Edgware67 Ansell, Paul Luton67 Cockbain, P A Redhill67 Marsh, A Borehamwood68 Craighead, R M Potters Bar68 Gingell, R R Bury St Edmunds70 Martin, I G Birmingham71 Barker, Mark Sutton Coldfield71 Duxbury, M J Hitchin71 Earl, G Newbury71 Lawrence, D J D St Albans71 Williams, D P L Harpenden72 Bayley, A R J Chesterfield72 Mattingley, R J Baldock72 Parker, S C Harpenden73 Thom, D K Stevenage74 Kingham, D R East Grinstead74 Marshall, J T J St Albans74 Warner, I C St Albans75 Forbes, I A Bristol75 Funnell, Stephen Barnet76 Bulsing, J M Welwyn Garden City76 Lavin, C N Attleborough76 Orange, C A London76 Turner S E Faversham76 Waygood-West, Kevin Hatfield77 Bayoumi, T A Welwyn Garden City77 Clitherow, P A Harpenden77 Granger, Andrew London77 Jones, A P R Keithley77 Lee, A P Gwynedd77 Marshall, N J St Albans77 Stansbury, C J St Albans
77 Welsh, David J St Albans78 Evans, N G Hemel Hempstead78 Parker, P E Harpenden78 Samuel, M G St Albans78 Welsh, Keith Eccles79 Albury, C D St Albans79 Armitage, Stephen London79 Cooper, R C Luton79 Dixon, C Harpenden79 Hall, M Rickmansworth79 Haysom, A J Harpenden79 Lester, John Crewkerne79 Menzie, B Wheathampstead79 Richardson, Paul Harpenden79 Riddle, J Wakefield79 Tynan, P Cockermouth80 George, A J Flamstead80 Warwick, Neil St Albans80 Woodrow, J C G Wheathampstead81 Hodge, R J W Peterborough81 Palmer, Andrew Bracknell83 Norris, R G T St Albans83 Pryce, Tim Notting Hill Gate85 Andrews, David High Wycombe85 Finlay, Laurence Barnet85 Gresswell, A M Welwyn85 Smart, Adrian Brighton85 Somerville, D J Hemel Hempstead85 Turner, Andrew Swindon86 Bladen, John Luton86 Bending, Thomas Cambridge86 Cook, Adrian London86 Dewhirst, Martin Hatfield86 Newman, P L St Albans87 Meeson, Mark W St Albans87 Payne, Nicholas St Albans89 Hollingsworth, Damian St Albans89 Jones, Christopher St Albans92 Carden, Richard E W Southhampton92 Harris, Daniel S Radlett92 James, Jonathan Wheathampstead92 Simmons, Jonathan E Totteridge92 Moss, Radley Radlett92 Wheeler, Seth Utica, USA93 Brian, Andrew J St Albans93 Clarke, Richard P St Albans93 King, Caroline St Albans93 Ives, Simon St Albans94 Clayton, Thomas St Albans94 Lester, Miles Hadley Wood94 Simmons, Matthew Flamstead95 Topper, Marc Stanmore96 Barclay, Mathew St Albans97 Morgan, Dean Watford97 Summers, Paul Harpenden98 Forrester, Alison St Albans99 Myers, Richard B P Barnet00 Ford, Adrian Winchmore Hill
15
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
14
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Membership Secretary’s Notes
Go online■ OA Club Membership SecretaryRoger Cook rounds up all the latestmembership news – including areminder to register for OAConnect
Those of you with Internet access
will, by now, have realised that the
new database system has been named
OAConnect. The information from my
existing database has been transferred
to OAConnect; individuals must
personally register before they can
make use of the system. I remind you
that the system is secure and only
members who have registered can
gain access to its content.
A significant number have already
registered. Now that OAConnect is
operational, we are expecting a major
influx of registrants over the next
months. If you have not yet
registered, register NOW. Go to the
OA website where you will find the
appropriate links to OAConnect. For
the moment, I am retaining the
existing database mirroring the
information from OAConnect.
Bulletin
This Bulletin, as promised, is
available in printed form and is also
available on the OA website. Earlier
issues will also remain until the
permitted capacity of the site is
exceeded. The password for this issue
is 4378: OAConnect registrants will
find the passwords listed on the
OAConnect system.
I remind you that the cost of
receiving the Bulletin by post is set
at £18 for three years’ issues. The
year your Bulletin subscription
expires is shown before your name
on the address label. We request that
life members of the club who require
a postal copy make a donation of an
equivalent amount towards the costs
of postage.
OA Directory
The OA Directory, which I promised
in the last issue, has now been sent
to members. My apologies that, due
to its gestation time, the information
in it was not up to date at the time of
posting. If you did not receive a copy
please let me know.
OA Website
You will have noticed that the layout
and structure of the OA website has
changed. There are now more pages
and, I hope, helpful information.
Comments and items for inclusion
are always welcome! I am planning
to show a new photograph from the
archives every couple of weeks –
perhaps you can provide one?
(preferably in .jpg format or, if not, a
print that I can scan and then return
to you – NO negatives, please!)
Waifs and strays
The School is working hard to find
the addresses of former pupils who
are not members of the OA Club. We
confidently expect a major jump in
the number of members in the near
future. In the meantime, the usual list
of ‘waifs and strays’ is published
right.
Finally, I still have a stock of OA
ties (£12.50 silk tie – £15 bow tie).
Roger Cook
OA
UP
DA
TE
1 Pondwicks
Close
St Albans AL1
1DG
Telephone:
01727 836877
Waifs and straysWe have lost contact with the
following OAs – can anyone help?
Year Name Last knownlocation
38 Buckingham, K M Harrow39 Wilkinson, A D Harpenden41 Wright, J A St Albans42 Powell, G H St Albans43 Bracewell, C M Leicester44 Hudson, P H F Cranbrook54 Dilley, N C High Wycombe55 Coombe, B J Brookmans Park55 Knight, J V Blackboys56 Ingram, P Glasgow57 Bishop, S C Shefford58 O’Sullivan, P J Harpenden59 Mills, K J Stoke-on-Trent60 Robertson, D M Herts62 Clarke, J Knebworth63 Bass, Stephen Dabvury65 Kirk , D Walthamstow66 Thomas, R N Edgware67 Ansell, Paul Luton67 Cockbain, P A Redhill67 Marsh, A Borehamwood68 Craighead, R M Potters Bar68 Gingell, R R Bury St Edmunds70 Martin, I G Birmingham71 Barker, Mark Sutton Coldfield71 Duxbury, M J Hitchin71 Earl, G Newbury71 Lawrence, D J D St Albans71 Williams, D P L Harpenden72 Bayley, A R J Chesterfield72 Mattingley, R J Baldock72 Parker, S C Harpenden73 Thom, D K Stevenage74 Kingham, D R East Grinstead74 Marshall, J T J St Albans74 Warner, I C St Albans75 Forbes, I A Bristol75 Funnell, Stephen Barnet76 Bulsing, J M Welwyn Garden City76 Lavin, C N Attleborough76 Orange, C A London76 Turner S E Faversham76 Waygood-West, Kevin Hatfield77 Bayoumi, T A Welwyn Garden City77 Clitherow, P A Harpenden77 Granger, Andrew London77 Jones, A P R Keithley77 Lee, A P Gwynedd77 Marshall, N J St Albans77 Stansbury, C J St Albans
77 Welsh, David J St Albans78 Evans, N G Hemel Hempstead78 Parker, P E Harpenden78 Samuel, M G St Albans78 Welsh, Keith Eccles79 Albury, C D St Albans79 Armitage, Stephen London79 Cooper, R C Luton79 Dixon, C Harpenden79 Hall, M Rickmansworth79 Haysom, A J Harpenden79 Lester, John Crewkerne79 Menzie, B Wheathampstead79 Richardson, Paul Harpenden79 Riddle, J Wakefield79 Tynan, P Cockermouth80 George, A J Flamstead80 Warwick, Neil St Albans80 Woodrow, J C G Wheathampstead81 Hodge, R J W Peterborough81 Palmer, Andrew Bracknell83 Norris, R G T St Albans83 Pryce, Tim Notting Hill Gate85 Andrews, David High Wycombe85 Finlay, Laurence Barnet85 Gresswell, A M Welwyn85 Smart, Adrian Brighton85 Somerville, D J Hemel Hempstead85 Turner, Andrew Swindon86 Bladen, John Luton86 Bending, Thomas Cambridge86 Cook, Adrian London86 Dewhirst, Martin Hatfield86 Newman, P L St Albans87 Meeson, Mark W St Albans87 Payne, Nicholas St Albans89 Hollingsworth, Damian St Albans89 Jones, Christopher St Albans92 Carden, Richard E W Southhampton92 Harris, Daniel S Radlett92 James, Jonathan Wheathampstead92 Simmons, Jonathan E Totteridge92 Moss, Radley Radlett92 Wheeler, Seth Utica, USA93 Brian, Andrew J St Albans93 Clarke, Richard P St Albans93 King, Caroline St Albans93 Ives, Simon St Albans94 Clayton, Thomas St Albans94 Lester, Miles Hadley Wood94 Simmons, Matthew Flamstead95 Topper, Marc Stanmore96 Barclay, Mathew St Albans97 Morgan, Dean Watford97 Summers, Paul Harpenden98 Forrester, Alison St Albans99 Myers, Richard B P Barnet00 Ford, Adrian Winchmore Hill
● Robert Plenderleith DFC (35) died
in March 2005 – see obituary below.
● Anthony George Dorman (46) died
on 9th November 2004 – see obituary
on page 18.
● Michael Maloney (51) died in
October 2004 at the age of 72. He won
an Open Scholarship to Trinity
College, taught at Shrewsbury
School, became a head in Africa and
later was head of Welbeck College
and Moreton Hall – see obituary on
page 19.
● John F Rooley (57) died October
16th 2004 aged 65.
● David Aston-Davies died 14th June
2004.
Obituaries
● Robert Plenderleith DFC (35)
The following obituary appeared in
the Herts Advertiser of Thursday
17th March:
One of the few remaining Battle of
Britain fighter pilots has died at the
age of 86. Flight Lieutenant Robert
Plenderleith, who lived in St
Saviour’s View, St Albans, served in
Fighter Command throughout the
Second World War before becoming a
test pilot.
He was one of the first pilots to see
action in France in May 1940 when 73
Squadron RAF in which he was
serving was one of two Hurricane
squadrons sent to resist the German
advance. They returned to England
after the fall of France and Mr
Plenderleith, who received a
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for
his service, was shot down by a
Messerschmitt 109 on 11th October
1940, receiving burns to his face.
While recovering from his injuries he
served as a flying instructor but went
back to operational flying in North
Africa and Italy.
After his war service Mr
Plenderleith joined the de Havilland
17
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
16
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
● Clive Simms (62) Enjoying early
retirement and has learnt to cope
with Parkinson’s. Still active with
the Boys’ Brigade in Tamworth and
was present at the Brigades’
Remembrance Day Parade with
Colours and Band.
● D E J Ramsden was awarded a
CBE in the New Years Honours 2004.
● Edwin Cooper (92) Studied at St
Bartholomews and Royal London
Hospital School of Medicine and
Dentistry and was awarded BSc Hons
in Experimental Pathology (Class 1).
Last year achieved MRC Path and
was admitted to the Royal College of
Pathologists. Recently appointed
Consultant Histopathologist at Yeovil
District Hospital.
● Matthew Scase was wrongly
attributed a Geography degree in the
last issue – should read a Masters in
Maths at Oxford followed by a PhD
in Applied Maths at Cambridge.
● Marcus King (99) gained his first
Hertfordshire Rugby Cap this year.
● Chris Jepperson (00) gained a 1st
Class Hons in History at Cambridge
and is now doing a M Phil in
Historical Studies. He intends to go
on to a PhD.
Deaths
It is with regret that the followingdeaths are announced
● Leslie Hider (27)
John Hider writes of his father:
Leslie died peacefully on October
3rd 2004 aged 94 in the Royal Masonic
Benevolent Institution in Ogdby Leics
to which he and Doris had moved in
1998 to be near to the family.
Leslie was a Montague-Jones man.
He was orphaned at the age of 13 and
so only stayed on to do the General
Certificate and then had to leave at
16 to bring income to the maiden
aunts who raised him thereafter. He
was working at the time of the
General Strike but he had a school
prize dated 1927 presented to ‘Tactics’
(Cert A) and signed by Montague-
Jones. Perhaps it was chosen by
Monty as it is ‘The Life of Napoleon’
and it was probably presented after
he had left school. Leslie was
involved from the start in the
Company of Ten with Terry Newell
and Cyril Swinson and took the
nickname ‘Ali’ from a leading role in
‘Ali Baba’. He did a lot for the 1948
Pageant. He joined the OA Lodge in
1956 and attended regularly until
leaving for Leicestershire. Doris is
coping well.
● Major C (Peter) Newbold died
earlier this year. His son-in-law
Richard Wainwright writes: “He had
a good innings at 91 and read OA
Bulletins to the end.”
● Sir Charles Pereira (31) died on the
19th December 2004 – see obituary
from The Times above right.
● Dr Robert Blowers (33) died on the
17th December 2004.
OA
GA
ZE
TT
E De fortunis Albanorum
● Robert Plenderleith DFC (35) died
in March 2005 – see obituary below.
● Anthony George Dorman (46) died
on 9th November 2004 – see obituary
on page 18.
● Michael Maloney (51) died in
October 2004 at the age of 72. He won
an Open Scholarship to Trinity
College, taught at Shrewsbury
School, became a head in Africa and
later was head of Welbeck College
and Moreton Hall – see obituary on
page 19.
● John F Rooley (57) died October
16th 2004 aged 65.
● David Aston-Davies died 14th June
2004.
Obituaries
● Robert Plenderleith DFC (35)
The following obituary appeared in
the Herts Advertiser of Thursday
17th March:
One of the few remaining Battle of
Britain fighter pilots has died at the
age of 86. Flight Lieutenant Robert
Plenderleith, who lived in St
Saviour’s View, St Albans, served in
Fighter Command throughout the
Second World War before becoming a
test pilot.
He was one of the first pilots to see
action in France in May 1940 when 73
Squadron RAF in which he was
serving was one of two Hurricane
squadrons sent to resist the German
advance. They returned to England
after the fall of France and Mr
Plenderleith, who received a
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for
his service, was shot down by a
Messerschmitt 109 on 11th October
1940, receiving burns to his face.
While recovering from his injuries he
served as a flying instructor but went
back to operational flying in North
Africa and Italy.
After his war service Mr
Plenderleith joined the de Havilland
17
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
16
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
● Clive Simms (62) Enjoying early
retirement and has learnt to cope
with Parkinson’s. Still active with
the Boys’ Brigade in Tamworth and
was present at the Brigades’
Remembrance Day Parade with
Colours and Band.
● D E J Ramsden was awarded a
CBE in the New Years Honours 2004.
● Edwin Cooper (92) Studied at St
Bartholomews and Royal London
Hospital School of Medicine and
Dentistry and was awarded BSc Hons
in Experimental Pathology (Class 1).
Last year achieved MRC Path and
was admitted to the Royal College of
Pathologists. Recently appointed
Consultant Histopathologist at Yeovil
District Hospital.
● Matthew Scase was wrongly
attributed a Geography degree in the
last issue – should read a Masters in
Maths at Oxford followed by a PhD
in Applied Maths at Cambridge.
● Marcus King (99) gained his first
Hertfordshire Rugby Cap this year.
● Chris Jepperson (00) gained a 1st
Class Hons in History at Cambridge
and is now doing a M Phil in
Historical Studies. He intends to go
on to a PhD.
Deaths
It is with regret that the followingdeaths are announced
● Leslie Hider (27)
John Hider writes of his father:
Leslie died peacefully on October
3rd 2004 aged 94 in the Royal Masonic
Benevolent Institution in Ogdby Leics
to which he and Doris had moved in
1998 to be near to the family.
Leslie was a Montague-Jones man.
He was orphaned at the age of 13 and
so only stayed on to do the General
Certificate and then had to leave at
16 to bring income to the maiden
aunts who raised him thereafter. He
was working at the time of the
General Strike but he had a school
prize dated 1927 presented to ‘Tactics’
(Cert A) and signed by Montague-
Jones. Perhaps it was chosen by
Monty as it is ‘The Life of Napoleon’
and it was probably presented after
he had left school. Leslie was
involved from the start in the
Company of Ten with Terry Newell
and Cyril Swinson and took the
nickname ‘Ali’ from a leading role in
‘Ali Baba’. He did a lot for the 1948
Pageant. He joined the OA Lodge in
1956 and attended regularly until
leaving for Leicestershire. Doris is
coping well.
● Major C (Peter) Newbold died
earlier this year. His son-in-law
Richard Wainwright writes: “He had
a good innings at 91 and read OA
Bulletins to the end.”
● Sir Charles Pereira (31) died on the
19th December 2004 – see obituary
from The Times above right.
● Dr Robert Blowers (33) died on the
17th December 2004.
OA
GA
ZE
TT
E De fortunis Albanorum
19
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
18
graduates, scholars, and captains of
Industry.
Tony was a ‘one off’, achieving
more after school than his years
struggling with the school
curriculum.
One regret in his life was not
keeping a beautiful pre-war 8 litre
Mercedes which had been owned by
Henry Cotton, the golfer. He bought
it for about £200 and sold it for not a
lot more. It later fetched over one
million pounds at auction. He told
me when we last met, that would
have been his pension for life.
He leaves a son Jeremy and
daughter Nicola.
Michael Maloney (51)Peter Dunham writes:Michael Maloney, like many others,
came to St Albans as a result of the
war. His family were advised to leave
the vicinity of Hendon as it was
believed that the small aerodrome
there would be a target for the
Luftwaffe. When later his father’s job
was moved to Birmingham, Michael
became a boarder in School House.
Perhaps because he was so long a
day boy, Michael never acquired the
hard shell of the long-term boarder
but he made good use of the extra
time by learning carpentry from Mr
Wille – a skill which gave him much
pleasure in later life.
However, Michael had always been
interested in mathematics and
science and had an understanding of
these subjects which went far beyond
that of most of his contemporaries.
Michael was a pupil whose response
to teaching made a teacher’s job
worthwhile. He was one of an elite
group chosen to take school
certificate two terms early so that he
might have three years in sixth form
giving extra time to win an Oxbridge
scholarship. Michael’s talents were
duly recognised by Trinity College
Oxford. His success was marked by a
half day’s holiday for the school.
After University and the Royal
Artillery (why did so many OAs at
that time choose gunnery?) Michael
became a teacher at Shrewsbury
School where he met Jancis who
became his wife. It is reliably
reported that they met because at a
party where many wished to watch a
televised World Cup game, he was
loyal to rugby and she had forgotten
her glasses.
Later Michael and Jancis moved to
Eastbourne College and afterwards to
the Headship of Welbeck College.
Then they had three memorable
years when Michael was headmaster
of Kamuzu Academy, a showplace
educational establishment in Malawi
where Michael not only ran the
school but a tobacco estate, a farm
and a village as well.
When Michael returned to England
he was headhunted to become
Principal of Moreton Hall – an
independent girls’ boarding school
which had been through a serious
staffing crisis. He was much
respected by colleagues in Education
and although I never saw Michael in
action, it always seemed to me that
there was a little of the rather direct
W T Marsh style in his approach.
By this time Michael was firmly
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Engine Company at Hatfield and
worked on Vampire and Venom jet
fighters before transferring to Rolls
Royce at Leavesden where he became
a helicopter test pilot. At the end of
his flying career he became the
company’s marketing promotions
manager.
His first wife died about 25 years
ago and he married his second wife,
Sylvia, four years later. Mr
Plenderleith leaves his wife and
daughter from his first marriage and
granddaughter Abigail and step-
daughter Jane. Mr Plenderleith, a
keen gardener, is believed to have
been the last surviving member of 73
Squadron.
Anthony GeorgeDorman (46)12.8.1930 – 9.11.2004Albany Wiseman writes:Tony was no great scholar during his
years at the School, (and no great
friend of W T Marsh!). Having left
school, his life and careers became
extremely diverse and colourful; he
always had a touch of Walter Mitty
about him, which often brought a
wry smile from his friends.
At various times he was a pig-
farmer, a designer working for a
national newspaper, world shark-
fishing champion, racing driver,
cyclist, county table-tennis player,
and a very accomplished artist.
He moved to the west coast of
Ireland with his wife Shelly (who pre-
deceased him). They opened a shop
and Tony took out tourists in his
boat giving them opportunities to
catch sharks. He was a member of
the local life-boat crew for about 11
years.
Returning to England he and
Shelly became estate managers and
gardeners to one of the local gentry
near Longleat in Wiltshire.
I attended his funeral on the
Longleat Estate, I think I was the
only OA present.
The school has produced many
OA
GA
ZET
TE
The obituary for Robert Plenderleith thatappeared in the Herts Advertiser
19
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
18
graduates, scholars, and captains of
Industry.
Tony was a ‘one off’, achieving
more after school than his years
struggling with the school
curriculum.
One regret in his life was not
keeping a beautiful pre-war 8 litre
Mercedes which had been owned by
Henry Cotton, the golfer. He bought
it for about £200 and sold it for not a
lot more. It later fetched over one
million pounds at auction. He told
me when we last met, that would
have been his pension for life.
He leaves a son Jeremy and
daughter Nicola.
Michael Maloney (51)Peter Dunham writes:Michael Maloney, like many others,
came to St Albans as a result of the
war. His family were advised to leave
the vicinity of Hendon as it was
believed that the small aerodrome
there would be a target for the
Luftwaffe. When later his father’s job
was moved to Birmingham, Michael
became a boarder in School House.
Perhaps because he was so long a
day boy, Michael never acquired the
hard shell of the long-term boarder
but he made good use of the extra
time by learning carpentry from Mr
Wille – a skill which gave him much
pleasure in later life.
However, Michael had always been
interested in mathematics and
science and had an understanding of
these subjects which went far beyond
that of most of his contemporaries.
Michael was a pupil whose response
to teaching made a teacher’s job
worthwhile. He was one of an elite
group chosen to take school
certificate two terms early so that he
might have three years in sixth form
giving extra time to win an Oxbridge
scholarship. Michael’s talents were
duly recognised by Trinity College
Oxford. His success was marked by a
half day’s holiday for the school.
After University and the Royal
Artillery (why did so many OAs at
that time choose gunnery?) Michael
became a teacher at Shrewsbury
School where he met Jancis who
became his wife. It is reliably
reported that they met because at a
party where many wished to watch a
televised World Cup game, he was
loyal to rugby and she had forgotten
her glasses.
Later Michael and Jancis moved to
Eastbourne College and afterwards to
the Headship of Welbeck College.
Then they had three memorable
years when Michael was headmaster
of Kamuzu Academy, a showplace
educational establishment in Malawi
where Michael not only ran the
school but a tobacco estate, a farm
and a village as well.
When Michael returned to England
he was headhunted to become
Principal of Moreton Hall – an
independent girls’ boarding school
which had been through a serious
staffing crisis. He was much
respected by colleagues in Education
and although I never saw Michael in
action, it always seemed to me that
there was a little of the rather direct
W T Marsh style in his approach.
By this time Michael was firmly
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Engine Company at Hatfield and
worked on Vampire and Venom jet
fighters before transferring to Rolls
Royce at Leavesden where he became
a helicopter test pilot. At the end of
his flying career he became the
company’s marketing promotions
manager.
His first wife died about 25 years
ago and he married his second wife,
Sylvia, four years later. Mr
Plenderleith leaves his wife and
daughter from his first marriage and
granddaughter Abigail and step-
daughter Jane. Mr Plenderleith, a
keen gardener, is believed to have
been the last surviving member of 73
Squadron.
Anthony GeorgeDorman (46)12.8.1930 – 9.11.2004Albany Wiseman writes:Tony was no great scholar during his
years at the School, (and no great
friend of W T Marsh!). Having left
school, his life and careers became
extremely diverse and colourful; he
always had a touch of Walter Mitty
about him, which often brought a
wry smile from his friends.
At various times he was a pig-
farmer, a designer working for a
national newspaper, world shark-
fishing champion, racing driver,
cyclist, county table-tennis player,
and a very accomplished artist.
He moved to the west coast of
Ireland with his wife Shelly (who pre-
deceased him). They opened a shop
and Tony took out tourists in his
boat giving them opportunities to
catch sharks. He was a member of
the local life-boat crew for about 11
years.
Returning to England he and
Shelly became estate managers and
gardeners to one of the local gentry
near Longleat in Wiltshire.
I attended his funeral on the
Longleat Estate, I think I was the
only OA present.
The school has produced many
OA
GA
ZET
TE
The obituary for Robert Plenderleith thatappeared in the Herts Advertiser
21
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
20
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Thiepval Project which has raised
£600,000.
● Ron Simmons (50)
Has given his Black Book with staff
names. Also a Millenary Souvenir
Programme and Albanians of 1945,
1949 and 1950.
● Brian Davidson (53)
Both a pupil and member of staff, he
has given: Pageant Programme,
Photographs – with names of: Colts
XV 1960, 3rd XI 1952, 3rd XI 1951, 1st
XV (worst ever) 1952-3, CCF
Inspection 1952, Fifth Form walking
group Lakes 1961, Keswick 1962. Also
letters from WTM and Olive Marsh
and the order of service for the WTM
Memorial Service of Thanksgiving.
● Richard Saltmarsh (54)
OA boater hatband, pair of OA
cufflinks. Various War Office papers
relating to his father Ronald Herbert
Saltmarsh. These indicated that he
had the General Services Medal and
was ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ on
7/11/17. He had gained a County
Minor Scholarship to the school in
1906. Also given were his
Commissioning Document into the
Infantry in 1915 and a letter of
thanks from the War Office for
services rendered.
All contributions for the Gazette
and any items you wish to be
donated to the School Archive should
be sent to Mike Highstead.
rooted in Shropshire and he and
Jancis continued to live at Chirbury
near the Welsh border although their
children Patrick and Bridget moved
to Ireland and Australia respectively.
Michael was a magistrate, a
performer of monologues at village
entertainments, a parish Councillor
and a Trustee of the local Charity.
Jancis and Michael entertained their
many friends, enjoyed duplicate
bridge across the border and played
more cut-throat bridge with me and
my wife. Our investigation of the
Principle of Restricted Choice
remains unfinished. He did much
furniture construction and
restoration including the church’s
bier which was later used for his
coffin. He never joined the OAs but
was glad to read my copy of the
Bulletin and was surprisingly
knowledgeable about the careers of
OAs who had gone into education.
Michael faced his illness with
fortitude, humour and a properly
scientific interest in his treatments.
He claimed to be the most voracious
vampire in the county. Michael lived
a full life and he will be much missed
not only by his family but by his
very many friends.
Donations to the Archives
● Robin Ollington (47)
Has found more about Sir Thomas
Spencer Wells FRCS (1818-1897). He
also notes the great success of the
OA
GA
ZET
TE
Please send all
items for
inclusion in the
Gazette to:
Mike Highstead,
33, Cornwall
Road,
Harpenden,
Herts
AL5 4TQ.
Meet and greet: Sam Patten (94) and ‘one ofthe Lake boys’ (96), above, and ClubPresident Andy Barnes (64) with JackRichardson (36), right, at the London Drinksparty held annually at the East India Club
21
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
20
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Thiepval Project which has raised
£600,000.
● Ron Simmons (50)
Has given his Black Book with staff
names. Also a Millenary Souvenir
Programme and Albanians of 1945,
1949 and 1950.
● Brian Davidson (53)
Both a pupil and member of staff, he
has given: Pageant Programme,
Photographs – with names of: Colts
XV 1960, 3rd XI 1952, 3rd XI 1951, 1st
XV (worst ever) 1952-3, CCF
Inspection 1952, Fifth Form walking
group Lakes 1961, Keswick 1962. Also
letters from WTM and Olive Marsh
and the order of service for the WTM
Memorial Service of Thanksgiving.
● Richard Saltmarsh (54)
OA boater hatband, pair of OA
cufflinks. Various War Office papers
relating to his father Ronald Herbert
Saltmarsh. These indicated that he
had the General Services Medal and
was ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ on
7/11/17. He had gained a County
Minor Scholarship to the school in
1906. Also given were his
Commissioning Document into the
Infantry in 1915 and a letter of
thanks from the War Office for
services rendered.
All contributions for the Gazette
and any items you wish to be
donated to the School Archive should
be sent to Mike Highstead.
rooted in Shropshire and he and
Jancis continued to live at Chirbury
near the Welsh border although their
children Patrick and Bridget moved
to Ireland and Australia respectively.
Michael was a magistrate, a
performer of monologues at village
entertainments, a parish Councillor
and a Trustee of the local Charity.
Jancis and Michael entertained their
many friends, enjoyed duplicate
bridge across the border and played
more cut-throat bridge with me and
my wife. Our investigation of the
Principle of Restricted Choice
remains unfinished. He did much
furniture construction and
restoration including the church’s
bier which was later used for his
coffin. He never joined the OAs but
was glad to read my copy of the
Bulletin and was surprisingly
knowledgeable about the careers of
OAs who had gone into education.
Michael faced his illness with
fortitude, humour and a properly
scientific interest in his treatments.
He claimed to be the most voracious
vampire in the county. Michael lived
a full life and he will be much missed
not only by his family but by his
very many friends.
Donations to the Archives
● Robin Ollington (47)
Has found more about Sir Thomas
Spencer Wells FRCS (1818-1897). He
also notes the great success of the
OA
GA
ZET
TE
Please send all
items for
inclusion in the
Gazette to:
Mike Highstead,
33, Cornwall
Road,
Harpenden,
Herts
AL5 4TQ.
Meet and greet: Sam Patten (94) and ‘one ofthe Lake boys’ (96), above, and ClubPresident Andy Barnes (64) with JackRichardson (36), right, at the London Drinksparty held annually at the East India Club
2322
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Degrees of excellence
Some of the outstanding achievementsof Old Albanians at university thisyear include:
● James Browne, at Corpus Christ
College, Cambridge, has been
awarded a First in Part IIA of the
Economics Tripos with the third best
mark in the University. The College
has awarded him a Foundation
Scholarship and the
Eastbridge/Parker Exhibition.
● Vanessa Hare, at Cardiff
University, has been awarded First
Class Honours in Music, one of only
two firsts awarded in the subject at
Cardiff this year.
● Michael Henson, at Emmanuel
College, Cambridge, has been re-
elected into a Senior Exhibition in
Social and Political Sciences.
● Richard Little, at Christ’s College,
Cambridge, has been awarded starred
First Class Honours in Business
Studies and Management.
● Krishan Ramyead, at Brunel
University, has been awarded First
Class Honours in Information
Sciences.
● Nigel Rawlins, at Queens’ College,
Cambridge, has been awarded a First
in Part 1B of the Cambridge
Mathematics Tripos.
● Matthew Scase, at Peterhouse,
Cambridge, has been awarded a PhD
in Mathematics.
● Adam Shindler, at Peterhouse,
Cambridge, has been elected into a
Senior Exhibition in History.
● Ross Talbot, at Leeds University,
has been awarded First Class
Honours in Environmental
Management.
● Jamie Wheeler, at Emmanuel
College, Cambridge, has been elected
into a Senior Exhibition in
Economics.
Reverend recognised ■ Congratulations to The Revd CanonBruce Duncan (56), who was recentlyawarded the prestigious Cross of StAugustine by the Archbishop ofCanterbury
The Cross of St Augustine was
founded by Archbishop Michael
Ramsey in 1965 and has historically
been awarded to clergy and lay
people of foreign churches who have
contributed conspicuously to
advancing friendly relations with the
churches of the Anglican
Communion. More recently it has
also been given for outstanding
service within the Church of England
whether centrally or in the dioceses,
or the Anglican Communion as a
whole, and to those who have
contributed to advancing relations
between the various Christian
communions and churches. There are
only around 150 holders of this Cross.
Bruce Duncan was one of eleven to
receive the award from Archbishop
Rowan at Lambeth Palace in
November 2004. “Bruce Duncan has
contributed enormously in bringing
together Christians of various
denominations,” read his
commendation. “This has come about
in setting up Sarum College, an
ecumenical centre in the building that
once housed the Salisbury and Wells
Theological College. It has been a
significant exercise in ecumenical co-
operation, involving academics,
pastoral clergy and laity in joint study,
discussion and teaching. It describes
itself as a place of ‘living theology’
where the love of learning and the
desire for God can flourish together.”
The RevdCanon BruceDuncan (56),bearing theCross of StAugustineawarded bythe head ofthe AnglicanChurch
OA
GA
ZET
TE
2322
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Degrees of excellence
Some of the outstanding achievementsof Old Albanians at university thisyear include:
● James Browne, at Corpus Christ
College, Cambridge, has been
awarded a First in Part IIA of the
Economics Tripos with the third best
mark in the University. The College
has awarded him a Foundation
Scholarship and the
Eastbridge/Parker Exhibition.
● Vanessa Hare, at Cardiff
University, has been awarded First
Class Honours in Music, one of only
two firsts awarded in the subject at
Cardiff this year.
● Michael Henson, at Emmanuel
College, Cambridge, has been re-
elected into a Senior Exhibition in
Social and Political Sciences.
● Richard Little, at Christ’s College,
Cambridge, has been awarded starred
First Class Honours in Business
Studies and Management.
● Krishan Ramyead, at Brunel
University, has been awarded First
Class Honours in Information
Sciences.
● Nigel Rawlins, at Queens’ College,
Cambridge, has been awarded a First
in Part 1B of the Cambridge
Mathematics Tripos.
● Matthew Scase, at Peterhouse,
Cambridge, has been awarded a PhD
in Mathematics.
● Adam Shindler, at Peterhouse,
Cambridge, has been elected into a
Senior Exhibition in History.
● Ross Talbot, at Leeds University,
has been awarded First Class
Honours in Environmental
Management.
● Jamie Wheeler, at Emmanuel
College, Cambridge, has been elected
into a Senior Exhibition in
Economics.
Reverend recognised ■ Congratulations to The Revd CanonBruce Duncan (56), who was recentlyawarded the prestigious Cross of StAugustine by the Archbishop ofCanterbury
The Cross of St Augustine was
founded by Archbishop Michael
Ramsey in 1965 and has historically
been awarded to clergy and lay
people of foreign churches who have
contributed conspicuously to
advancing friendly relations with the
churches of the Anglican
Communion. More recently it has
also been given for outstanding
service within the Church of England
whether centrally or in the dioceses,
or the Anglican Communion as a
whole, and to those who have
contributed to advancing relations
between the various Christian
communions and churches. There are
only around 150 holders of this Cross.
Bruce Duncan was one of eleven to
receive the award from Archbishop
Rowan at Lambeth Palace in
November 2004. “Bruce Duncan has
contributed enormously in bringing
together Christians of various
denominations,” read his
commendation. “This has come about
in setting up Sarum College, an
ecumenical centre in the building that
once housed the Salisbury and Wells
Theological College. It has been a
significant exercise in ecumenical co-
operation, involving academics,
pastoral clergy and laity in joint study,
discussion and teaching. It describes
itself as a place of ‘living theology’
where the love of learning and the
desire for God can flourish together.”
The RevdCanon BruceDuncan (56),bearing theCross of StAugustineawarded bythe head ofthe AnglicanChurch
OA
GA
ZET
TE
25
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
24
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
construction…’ I’d built myself up to
the fact that this would all be a
breeze but it so obviously wasn’t to
be!
Well, ‘copy and paste’ it is then. I
paid my £7.50 to make me a ‘full
member’ of friendsreunited which
would enable me to e-mail everyone.
Slowly but surely the responses came
in – I’d started with friends I knew
would come (three-line whip and all
that) so that made me feel better.
Then the guy from Politics in the
West Turret appeared – it was only
then I knew we were making
progress.
To date, we have found 50 people
and all except three have accepted.
Following the e-mail attempts we
decided a letter would have to go out
to the remainder – the luxury we do
have is having only been eight years
since we left, the chances of parents
still living at the same address is
quite high – although large ‘Please
Forward’ notices were stuck on each
letter. The reunion is just over a
month away and I am hoping it will
be the success we all imagine. It does
make you realise that having said
‘keep in touch’ 119 times on the last
day of school, not only does it rarely
happen, but when you eventually
wish it had you find yourself
clutching straws in a vain attempt to
find people. The organisation of this
reunion has been vast and my inbox
is almost melting but if it comes off it
will all be worth it. This really is one
of those ‘the more the merrier’
moments in life and we would love to
see as many as possible. If you’re
reading this and are in touch with
1995 5th Year leavers, 1996 LVI
leavers or 1997 UVI leavers then
please tell them to contact me. There
aren’t many things that are certain
at this juncture but one thing I can
say with confidence is that after all
the UVI politics takes a side-line my
e-mail contact list will have had a
healthy boost.
[email protected] [email protected]
Our Man in Basra■ The final despatch from Iraq by OACommittee Member Calvin Man (91),as he prepares to return to civilian life
Several things were a shock to the
system on my return after seven
months in Iraq with the 1st
Mechanised Brigade: the cold, clean
streets and alcohol to name a few.
Another surprise though was being
congratulated by a number of OAs
and being told what an interesting
read my updates from Iraq had been.
I was unaware that my updates had
been published but nonetheless
pleased that they entertained.
Iraq was a fascinating experience
and I thought it would be interesting
to share with fellow OAs the
remainder of messages from Iraq.
They are a little out of date now but I
hope they will continue to entertain
and provoke some thought on the
situation out there and on our role.
Unless the Government mobilises me
again for the next bit of defence
diplomacy, I can be found in the City
of London…
BASRA, 4 August 2004: We are
The class of 97■ A reunion for the class of 1997 willtake place at Woollams on 18th June2005. Davinia Ankersen (97) sharesher experiences of organising the event
“What do you mean, we’ve got 120 e-
mail addresses to find?” were the
only fitting words. Six months
previously we were sitting on a
sunny afternoon in West Hampstead
and conversation turned to absent
friends, to old friends, to forgotten
friends – and curiosity got the better
of us. A reunion it would have to be –
whatever did happen to that guy who
sat near the wall when we had
Politics in the West Turret?
Now I’m sure to most of you 1997
doesn’t sound that long ago – the
year Tony Blair first came to the
throne, Ibiza Uncovered hit our
screens and the Spice Girls were still
slightly ginger (just). However, for
three people attempting to sift
through the shreds of contact
information in an attempt to
formulate a comprehensive e-mail
database for 1997 alumni it has not
been the swiftest of processes.
Our first point of reference was to
dig out our UVI photo in order to
assess the initial scale of what we
had taken on – it wasn’t looking
good. Another factor is that in 1997 e-
mail was not for life but just a boring
aspect of office life. The likes of
Hotmail and Yahoo were just
spawning and nor did we have
mobile phones. Our initial thoughts
were that as a year group there were
still large pockets of us still in touch
eight years after leaving school.
However, it turned out that, when
put in the context of the total
number of pupils in our year, it made
about 10% of the total. Suddenly
there was a wall between ‘us’ and
‘them’ – how would we find ‘them’? I
decided to put it off as long as
possible!
In the sense of ‘getting things
done’ we set the date for the reunion
(based on the diary commitments of
Martin, Carrie and me) and
immediately felt better! The OA
pavilion at Woollams seemed the
obvious choice as a venue but the
money was always going to be
stretched to afford the hire fee – we
were hoping that people wouldn’t see
paying for a ticket as unreasonable
as we obviously weren’t happy with
simply hiring out a corner of the
local Weatherspoons!
Once that was done and it had
sunk in that we’d paid a deposit on
the venue thoughts turned to ‘we
may as well give it a go and see how
far we get’. I was thrilled the
following week when I went on the
friendsreunited website only to
discover they had a ‘Reunion Service’
which promised to e-mail everyone
(no cut, copy or paste in sight),
manage the responses, keep a tally of
acceptances and send out reminders
about venues/payments etc. I was
thrilled as there were about 80 people
listed as having left St Albans School
in 1997 on the website. I clicked
eagerly on the ‘Reunion Service’
thinking it would wash all my
troubles away – ‘We’re sorry, this
page is currently under
OA
LET
TE
RS
25
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
24
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
construction…’ I’d built myself up to
the fact that this would all be a
breeze but it so obviously wasn’t to
be!
Well, ‘copy and paste’ it is then. I
paid my £7.50 to make me a ‘full
member’ of friendsreunited which
would enable me to e-mail everyone.
Slowly but surely the responses came
in – I’d started with friends I knew
would come (three-line whip and all
that) so that made me feel better.
Then the guy from Politics in the
West Turret appeared – it was only
then I knew we were making
progress.
To date, we have found 50 people
and all except three have accepted.
Following the e-mail attempts we
decided a letter would have to go out
to the remainder – the luxury we do
have is having only been eight years
since we left, the chances of parents
still living at the same address is
quite high – although large ‘Please
Forward’ notices were stuck on each
letter. The reunion is just over a
month away and I am hoping it will
be the success we all imagine. It does
make you realise that having said
‘keep in touch’ 119 times on the last
day of school, not only does it rarely
happen, but when you eventually
wish it had you find yourself
clutching straws in a vain attempt to
find people. The organisation of this
reunion has been vast and my inbox
is almost melting but if it comes off it
will all be worth it. This really is one
of those ‘the more the merrier’
moments in life and we would love to
see as many as possible. If you’re
reading this and are in touch with
1995 5th Year leavers, 1996 LVI
leavers or 1997 UVI leavers then
please tell them to contact me. There
aren’t many things that are certain
at this juncture but one thing I can
say with confidence is that after all
the UVI politics takes a side-line my
e-mail contact list will have had a
healthy boost.
[email protected] [email protected]
Our Man in Basra■ The final despatch from Iraq by OACommittee Member Calvin Man (91),as he prepares to return to civilian life
Several things were a shock to the
system on my return after seven
months in Iraq with the 1st
Mechanised Brigade: the cold, clean
streets and alcohol to name a few.
Another surprise though was being
congratulated by a number of OAs
and being told what an interesting
read my updates from Iraq had been.
I was unaware that my updates had
been published but nonetheless
pleased that they entertained.
Iraq was a fascinating experience
and I thought it would be interesting
to share with fellow OAs the
remainder of messages from Iraq.
They are a little out of date now but I
hope they will continue to entertain
and provoke some thought on the
situation out there and on our role.
Unless the Government mobilises me
again for the next bit of defence
diplomacy, I can be found in the City
of London…
BASRA, 4 August 2004: We are
The class of 97■ A reunion for the class of 1997 willtake place at Woollams on 18th June2005. Davinia Ankersen (97) sharesher experiences of organising the event
“What do you mean, we’ve got 120 e-
mail addresses to find?” were the
only fitting words. Six months
previously we were sitting on a
sunny afternoon in West Hampstead
and conversation turned to absent
friends, to old friends, to forgotten
friends – and curiosity got the better
of us. A reunion it would have to be –
whatever did happen to that guy who
sat near the wall when we had
Politics in the West Turret?
Now I’m sure to most of you 1997
doesn’t sound that long ago – the
year Tony Blair first came to the
throne, Ibiza Uncovered hit our
screens and the Spice Girls were still
slightly ginger (just). However, for
three people attempting to sift
through the shreds of contact
information in an attempt to
formulate a comprehensive e-mail
database for 1997 alumni it has not
been the swiftest of processes.
Our first point of reference was to
dig out our UVI photo in order to
assess the initial scale of what we
had taken on – it wasn’t looking
good. Another factor is that in 1997 e-
mail was not for life but just a boring
aspect of office life. The likes of
Hotmail and Yahoo were just
spawning and nor did we have
mobile phones. Our initial thoughts
were that as a year group there were
still large pockets of us still in touch
eight years after leaving school.
However, it turned out that, when
put in the context of the total
number of pupils in our year, it made
about 10% of the total. Suddenly
there was a wall between ‘us’ and
‘them’ – how would we find ‘them’? I
decided to put it off as long as
possible!
In the sense of ‘getting things
done’ we set the date for the reunion
(based on the diary commitments of
Martin, Carrie and me) and
immediately felt better! The OA
pavilion at Woollams seemed the
obvious choice as a venue but the
money was always going to be
stretched to afford the hire fee – we
were hoping that people wouldn’t see
paying for a ticket as unreasonable
as we obviously weren’t happy with
simply hiring out a corner of the
local Weatherspoons!
Once that was done and it had
sunk in that we’d paid a deposit on
the venue thoughts turned to ‘we
may as well give it a go and see how
far we get’. I was thrilled the
following week when I went on the
friendsreunited website only to
discover they had a ‘Reunion Service’
which promised to e-mail everyone
(no cut, copy or paste in sight),
manage the responses, keep a tally of
acceptances and send out reminders
about venues/payments etc. I was
thrilled as there were about 80 people
listed as having left St Albans School
in 1997 on the website. I clicked
eagerly on the ‘Reunion Service’
thinking it would wash all my
troubles away – ‘We’re sorry, this
page is currently under
OA
LET
TE
RS
2726
BASRA, 9 August 2004: A quick
update today as the situation in
Basra has changed rapidly in the last
72 hours. Ever since the Americans
started their attacks on insurgents
(many of whom are followers of
Moqtada al-Sadr) in Najaf and we
detained four members of the Sadr
party in Basra for having illegal
weapons, tensions have been growing
between, us, the Basrah Council and
the Sadr party.
We have now been locked down in
the Palace for the last three days so
we can not get out and about to do
our business because of the
heightened tension. Yesterday there
were demonstrations on the streets
and outside the Basrah Governorate
building, probably incited by
Moqtada al-Sadr and last night there
were attacks (mortars, RPGs and
small arms fire) on our locations.
Today the tension has escalated
further with members of the Moqtada
militia out on the streets and around
our locations. Our troops have been
attacked and we have had vehicles
damaged in the city. Fortunately, no
serious casualties reported at this
stage. Gunfire and explosions have
been heard all day in the city and our
base security has been stepped up.
This will be a real test of the Iraqi
government and Iraqi security forces
since they now have primacy in
security matters. We are waiting to
see whether we will adopt a more
overt and aggressive stance.
More soon. Op TELIC 4 is turning
out to be a more interesting by the
minute than any of TELIC 1, 2, or 3...
BASRA, August 2004: We are now
a week into the heightened security
situation.
There are Moqtada al-Sadr’s militia
men running around in Basra and
surrounding some of our locations.
More are expected to arrive. At the
request of the Basrah Council, we are
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
now over half way through our tour
and thoughts are now naturally
turning towards our exit and the
handover to the next UK Brigade to
come here on Op Telic 5. Our role in
the Provincial Support & Liaison
Team (covering Governance and
Economy) is now becoming the
Brigade’s unofficial main effort
(Security remains the real main
effort) as we turn our minds towards
elections (both local, happening in
the next few weeks, and national,
planned for January 2005). Every
senior visitor in the last two months
has specifically asked to see us.
It is interesting to note that our
team is primarily TA, with each one
of us bringing skills that the Regular
Army does not have. I have
effectively become the Army’s
economic adviser in the South of
Iraq, dealing with economic policy,
central bank operations and
interpreting economic statistics to
spot potential civil unrest. A
colleague (a teacher in real life) is
advising the Education Department. I
am quite confident that the Army
could not fulfil our role, nor indeed
deploy effectively at all, without the
TA.
Our importance has been
underlined by the fact that our role
will be carried out by a whole sub-
unit of the next Brigade and we have
been reinforced by nearly 100 officers
and soldiers within the last week to
support our work – is this the first
case of Regular soldiers augmenting
the TA?
I jest a little about the TA/Regular
distinction. There has been no sense
that the TA has been treated
differently. In fact there has probably
been more interest in the TA from
the Regulars, especially amongst
those thinking about leaving the
Army and working out how to work
their way into a civilian job!
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
LETT
ERS
Man to man:Calvin Man,far left,deals withsome civilianunrest, andleft, onpatrol inIraq
2726
BASRA, 9 August 2004: A quick
update today as the situation in
Basra has changed rapidly in the last
72 hours. Ever since the Americans
started their attacks on insurgents
(many of whom are followers of
Moqtada al-Sadr) in Najaf and we
detained four members of the Sadr
party in Basra for having illegal
weapons, tensions have been growing
between, us, the Basrah Council and
the Sadr party.
We have now been locked down in
the Palace for the last three days so
we can not get out and about to do
our business because of the
heightened tension. Yesterday there
were demonstrations on the streets
and outside the Basrah Governorate
building, probably incited by
Moqtada al-Sadr and last night there
were attacks (mortars, RPGs and
small arms fire) on our locations.
Today the tension has escalated
further with members of the Moqtada
militia out on the streets and around
our locations. Our troops have been
attacked and we have had vehicles
damaged in the city. Fortunately, no
serious casualties reported at this
stage. Gunfire and explosions have
been heard all day in the city and our
base security has been stepped up.
This will be a real test of the Iraqi
government and Iraqi security forces
since they now have primacy in
security matters. We are waiting to
see whether we will adopt a more
overt and aggressive stance.
More soon. Op TELIC 4 is turning
out to be a more interesting by the
minute than any of TELIC 1, 2, or 3...
BASRA, August 2004: We are now
a week into the heightened security
situation.
There are Moqtada al-Sadr’s militia
men running around in Basra and
surrounding some of our locations.
More are expected to arrive. At the
request of the Basrah Council, we are
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
now over half way through our tour
and thoughts are now naturally
turning towards our exit and the
handover to the next UK Brigade to
come here on Op Telic 5. Our role in
the Provincial Support & Liaison
Team (covering Governance and
Economy) is now becoming the
Brigade’s unofficial main effort
(Security remains the real main
effort) as we turn our minds towards
elections (both local, happening in
the next few weeks, and national,
planned for January 2005). Every
senior visitor in the last two months
has specifically asked to see us.
It is interesting to note that our
team is primarily TA, with each one
of us bringing skills that the Regular
Army does not have. I have
effectively become the Army’s
economic adviser in the South of
Iraq, dealing with economic policy,
central bank operations and
interpreting economic statistics to
spot potential civil unrest. A
colleague (a teacher in real life) is
advising the Education Department. I
am quite confident that the Army
could not fulfil our role, nor indeed
deploy effectively at all, without the
TA.
Our importance has been
underlined by the fact that our role
will be carried out by a whole sub-
unit of the next Brigade and we have
been reinforced by nearly 100 officers
and soldiers within the last week to
support our work – is this the first
case of Regular soldiers augmenting
the TA?
I jest a little about the TA/Regular
distinction. There has been no sense
that the TA has been treated
differently. In fact there has probably
been more interest in the TA from
the Regulars, especially amongst
those thinking about leaving the
Army and working out how to work
their way into a civilian job!
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
LETT
ERS
Man to man:Calvin Man,far left,deals withsome civilianunrest, andleft, onpatrol inIraq
Similar sentiments have been relayed
to me since and the Basrah Council
has urged us to use our influence to
persuade the Americans, in whose
area of operations is Najaf, to de-
escalate the situation and not enter
the mosque.
I am not sure what will happen if
the Americans do enter the mosque.
It is probable that those who are
generally supportive of us (the
British) will turn against us and even
use violence. I just hope those in
power understand the situation.
BASRA, 26 October 2004: This is
my last update from Iraq as I will
finally be leaving soon. I apologise
for the lack of emails for the last two
months but they have probably been
the busiest for me.
When I last wrote, I think it was
August when the security situation
here became significantly worse. The
militia loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr were
running around the streets and there
were several serious engagements
with our forces in Basra City. The
only way I could move around
routinely was in Warrior armoured
infantry fighting vehicles or by
helicopter – we later found out that
the Militia had put a big anti-aircraft
gun on top of a building in the city!
There was some tactical low-flying
done and throwing of flares to
protect against heat seeking missiles.
It was during this time when two
soldiers from the Black Watch, based
with my team in Basra Palace, were
killed by roadside bombs. There were
many more ambushes on our troops
and, fortunately, in all cases the
junior NCOs who were usually in
command of the patrols
demonstrated their professionalism
and their reputation as being the best
in the world by reacting correctly
and ensuring that more of our
29
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
taking a less overt stance within the
city and are only patrolling the areas
around our bases and likely mortar
firing positions to ensure the safety
of our bases and supply routes. We
are, however, taking a more
aggressive stance outside the city to
prevent Moqtada reinforcements
from coming in. Our aim is to de-
escalate the tensions.
The Iraqi Police and Iraqi National
Guard are taking the lead in
ensuring security in the city but
there are doubts about their
effectiveness and willingness to
engage with the Moqtada Militia, as
well as the loyalties of Basrah Chief
of Police – some think he is a
Moqtada supporter. It is also believed
that some politicians here in the
south are secretly supporting the
escalating violence, seeing it as a
means to achieve independence of
the south from the rest of Iraq. There
are moves to try to get the Provinces
of Basrah, Maysan and Dhiqar (in the
south west corner of Iraq) to break
away and form a mainly Shia state
(or at least achieve autonomy). There
is a certain amount of support for
this amongst the general population
and the leaders of Maysan and
Dhiqar have been more vocal about
this. Basrah’s leaders are not publicly
supporting this line at the moment.
Unfortunately, we lost another
soldier today as a bomb went off as
his armoured vehicle was passing.
Generally, the soldiers are not fully
hatched down in the vehicles (quite
unbearable in this heat) unless there
is a specific threat and this soldier
was hit by fragments packed into the
bomb. Another two were seriously
injured in the same incident. A sad
day.
I have volunteered to do a ‘normal’
military role until the situation
calms down and will be running the
operations room (which has
obviously become much busier) for
the infantry unit providing the area
security around our base.
The news in the UK has probably
focused on the activities in Najaf, the
site of the Imam Ali mosque, the
holiest of Shia shrines where the
remains of Imam Ali, son of the
Prophet Mohammed, are supposed to
be buried. Many insurgents, many of
whom are probably not Iraqi
(Iranian?), loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr
are hiding out in the grounds of the
mosque. I am not sure if people back
at home understand the significance
of this mosque. The followers of
Imam Ali believed he should have
succeeded Mohammed (as the first
Caliph). Eventually, he became the
fourth Caliph but was assasinated
shortly after, which led to the split in
the Muslim world between Sunnis
and Shias. The mosque is important
not only in Iraq but to Shia Muslims
around the world, whether in Iran,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. It is like
Mecca to the Sunnis. Hazim al-
Anaichi, the Basrah Council Co-
ordinator assasinated a few weeks
ago, who was pro-British and one of
our key allies, said to us once that if
Coalition Forces attacked the Imam
Ali mosque he would kill us himself.
This was said quite earnestly, not as
a threat but to stress what the
mosque means to Shia Muslims.
28
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
LETT
ERS
Calvin Man’simage ofdamagedbuildingsfrom histour of dutyin Iraq
Similar sentiments have been relayed
to me since and the Basrah Council
has urged us to use our influence to
persuade the Americans, in whose
area of operations is Najaf, to de-
escalate the situation and not enter
the mosque.
I am not sure what will happen if
the Americans do enter the mosque.
It is probable that those who are
generally supportive of us (the
British) will turn against us and even
use violence. I just hope those in
power understand the situation.
BASRA, 26 October 2004: This is
my last update from Iraq as I will
finally be leaving soon. I apologise
for the lack of emails for the last two
months but they have probably been
the busiest for me.
When I last wrote, I think it was
August when the security situation
here became significantly worse. The
militia loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr were
running around the streets and there
were several serious engagements
with our forces in Basra City. The
only way I could move around
routinely was in Warrior armoured
infantry fighting vehicles or by
helicopter – we later found out that
the Militia had put a big anti-aircraft
gun on top of a building in the city!
There was some tactical low-flying
done and throwing of flares to
protect against heat seeking missiles.
It was during this time when two
soldiers from the Black Watch, based
with my team in Basra Palace, were
killed by roadside bombs. There were
many more ambushes on our troops
and, fortunately, in all cases the
junior NCOs who were usually in
command of the patrols
demonstrated their professionalism
and their reputation as being the best
in the world by reacting correctly
and ensuring that more of our
29
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
taking a less overt stance within the
city and are only patrolling the areas
around our bases and likely mortar
firing positions to ensure the safety
of our bases and supply routes. We
are, however, taking a more
aggressive stance outside the city to
prevent Moqtada reinforcements
from coming in. Our aim is to de-
escalate the tensions.
The Iraqi Police and Iraqi National
Guard are taking the lead in
ensuring security in the city but
there are doubts about their
effectiveness and willingness to
engage with the Moqtada Militia, as
well as the loyalties of Basrah Chief
of Police – some think he is a
Moqtada supporter. It is also believed
that some politicians here in the
south are secretly supporting the
escalating violence, seeing it as a
means to achieve independence of
the south from the rest of Iraq. There
are moves to try to get the Provinces
of Basrah, Maysan and Dhiqar (in the
south west corner of Iraq) to break
away and form a mainly Shia state
(or at least achieve autonomy). There
is a certain amount of support for
this amongst the general population
and the leaders of Maysan and
Dhiqar have been more vocal about
this. Basrah’s leaders are not publicly
supporting this line at the moment.
Unfortunately, we lost another
soldier today as a bomb went off as
his armoured vehicle was passing.
Generally, the soldiers are not fully
hatched down in the vehicles (quite
unbearable in this heat) unless there
is a specific threat and this soldier
was hit by fragments packed into the
bomb. Another two were seriously
injured in the same incident. A sad
day.
I have volunteered to do a ‘normal’
military role until the situation
calms down and will be running the
operations room (which has
obviously become much busier) for
the infantry unit providing the area
security around our base.
The news in the UK has probably
focused on the activities in Najaf, the
site of the Imam Ali mosque, the
holiest of Shia shrines where the
remains of Imam Ali, son of the
Prophet Mohammed, are supposed to
be buried. Many insurgents, many of
whom are probably not Iraqi
(Iranian?), loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr
are hiding out in the grounds of the
mosque. I am not sure if people back
at home understand the significance
of this mosque. The followers of
Imam Ali believed he should have
succeeded Mohammed (as the first
Caliph). Eventually, he became the
fourth Caliph but was assasinated
shortly after, which led to the split in
the Muslim world between Sunnis
and Shias. The mosque is important
not only in Iraq but to Shia Muslims
around the world, whether in Iran,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. It is like
Mecca to the Sunnis. Hazim al-
Anaichi, the Basrah Council Co-
ordinator assasinated a few weeks
ago, who was pro-British and one of
our key allies, said to us once that if
Coalition Forces attacked the Imam
Ali mosque he would kill us himself.
This was said quite earnestly, not as
a threat but to stress what the
mosque means to Shia Muslims.
28
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
LETT
ERS
Calvin Man’simage ofdamagedbuildingsfrom histour of dutyin Iraq
left St Albans school, and I thought
you may be interested in my progress
so far in America, at Brunswick
School.
The initial highlight was selection
for the school’s Varsity Soccer team,
in August, after a gruelling three
weeks of trials. It was a great way to
make friends and introduce myself
into the new school system, plus I
had to become extremely fit very
quickly to keep up! The team had a
successful season, and went on to
win the FAA Championships; we
narrowly missed out on a place in
the New England schools
tournament.
Academic life also had its
differences. I am studying, maths,
English, French, physics, American
history and Chinese, so the
curriculum remains very broad, but
luckily there has been minimal
overlap with my GCSE work, and I
find the subjects very stretching. I
am hoping to study AP courses in at
least two of these subjects next year.
Brunswick promotes itself as a
single sex school, however all lessons
except math are co-educational, as it
is linked with Greenwich Academy,
the equivalent girls school. This is an
interesting set up and I normally find
myself walking from one campus to
the other at least once a day.
Students are given the choice where
they wish to eat, but most schedule
the thirty-minute lunch break in the
site of their next class. Personally I
find the school day demanding, and
at the beginning of the year I was
getting up at ten past six and
arriving in school at seven thirty,
however since passing my driving
test I am entitled to an extra ten
minutes in bed! The school day ends
at two forty and sports last two
hours every day at a separate
campus similar to Woollams; this
means ten hours sport per week
which can be very taxing.
A large part of communication
throughout the school is done by e-
mail, and students access their
homework in class conference folders
on the net. Computers also play a big
part in lessons, as it is compulsory to
take notes on a laptop. The system
involves constant testing and
quizzing, which help accumulate a
grade, later used for college entrance.
However, my main concern at the
moment, is the College entrance
SATs, which I take in May, they
consist of verbal, math and writing. I
have already had meetings with my
college advisor, and everything is
underway, I am keeping an open
mind as to whether I continue to
study in the US or return to a UK
university.
A revelation has been my
enjoyment and progress in learning
Chinese. In a relatively short time I
have mastered the basics, I can
communicate orally, and by using a
significant number of characters.
Recently I became a volunteer
classroom assistant at the
Connecticut School of Chinese
Language.
I have thought about St Albans
School a great deal whilst settling
into my new surroundings and have
kept in regular contact with my good
friends Daniel Grimwood and Alex
31
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
30
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
soldiers did not get seriously injured
or killed. Our bases were attacked
daily, with rockets and mortars and
sometimes drive-by shootings. There
were some close calls and we all slept
with our body armour and weapons
at hand.
As some of you know, I came back
to UK for two weeks leave in early
September. When I returned to Iraq,
the situation had calmed down and
we were free to move around again.
Unfortunately, the relative calm did
not last long and the last few weeks
have been more tense, possibly
because the Militia and other Shia
and Sunni extremists have worked
out that our Brigade is about to hand
over to the 4th Armoured Brigade –
there was a similar upsurge in
violence when we arrived in April.
Some members of my team were
caught in a roadside bomb. The bomb
was packed with bolts and several
went through the bodywork of the
Land Rovers. There were injuries but
it was pure luck that no-one was
killed.
Unfortunately, two days later two
soldiers from the sub-unit supporting
us, Corporal Marc Taylor and Gunner
David Laurence were killed. They
were out on a mission for me when,
as you will have read in the papers,
their vehicle was hit by a rocket
propelled grenade which entered the
cab of the Land Rover and detonated
inside. The patrol was then attacked
with small-arms fire while they were
trying to deal with the casualties and
secure all our communications
equipment in case they were
captured. Again, it was the
leadership and courage under fire of
our junior NCOs that ensured the
remainder of the patrol extracted
safely.
As my Brigade gets ready to leave,
the focus is turning to the National
Elections in January and also the
Black Watch who are going north to
assist US forces. These elections are
going to be key to the future of Iraq
and it remains to be seen whether
the population participate as
intended and whether there will be
violence either in the run-up, during
and afterwards if some parties do not
get the result they wanted.
In any case, it will soon be
someone else’s problem. I have
enjoyed my tour in Iraq; it has been a
great experience and I have met
some good people. I am, however,
frustrated by the unwillingness of
many Iraqis to help themselves and
the fact that many will try to steal
from you when you are trying to
help. I am also frustrated by the lack
of engagement from UK government
departments other than the MOD and
the way the US administration has
totally screwed up here – I can tell
you the real story in person when I
get back.
Roger and out!
Chinese whispers■ Ben Robson (04) highlights thedifferences between St Albans Schooland his new school in the USA – andreports on his progress in learningChinese
It has been nearly two terms since I
OA
LETT
ERS
left St Albans school, and I thought
you may be interested in my progress
so far in America, at Brunswick
School.
The initial highlight was selection
for the school’s Varsity Soccer team,
in August, after a gruelling three
weeks of trials. It was a great way to
make friends and introduce myself
into the new school system, plus I
had to become extremely fit very
quickly to keep up! The team had a
successful season, and went on to
win the FAA Championships; we
narrowly missed out on a place in
the New England schools
tournament.
Academic life also had its
differences. I am studying, maths,
English, French, physics, American
history and Chinese, so the
curriculum remains very broad, but
luckily there has been minimal
overlap with my GCSE work, and I
find the subjects very stretching. I
am hoping to study AP courses in at
least two of these subjects next year.
Brunswick promotes itself as a
single sex school, however all lessons
except math are co-educational, as it
is linked with Greenwich Academy,
the equivalent girls school. This is an
interesting set up and I normally find
myself walking from one campus to
the other at least once a day.
Students are given the choice where
they wish to eat, but most schedule
the thirty-minute lunch break in the
site of their next class. Personally I
find the school day demanding, and
at the beginning of the year I was
getting up at ten past six and
arriving in school at seven thirty,
however since passing my driving
test I am entitled to an extra ten
minutes in bed! The school day ends
at two forty and sports last two
hours every day at a separate
campus similar to Woollams; this
means ten hours sport per week
which can be very taxing.
A large part of communication
throughout the school is done by e-
mail, and students access their
homework in class conference folders
on the net. Computers also play a big
part in lessons, as it is compulsory to
take notes on a laptop. The system
involves constant testing and
quizzing, which help accumulate a
grade, later used for college entrance.
However, my main concern at the
moment, is the College entrance
SATs, which I take in May, they
consist of verbal, math and writing. I
have already had meetings with my
college advisor, and everything is
underway, I am keeping an open
mind as to whether I continue to
study in the US or return to a UK
university.
A revelation has been my
enjoyment and progress in learning
Chinese. In a relatively short time I
have mastered the basics, I can
communicate orally, and by using a
significant number of characters.
Recently I became a volunteer
classroom assistant at the
Connecticut School of Chinese
Language.
I have thought about St Albans
School a great deal whilst settling
into my new surroundings and have
kept in regular contact with my good
friends Daniel Grimwood and Alex
31
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
30
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
soldiers did not get seriously injured
or killed. Our bases were attacked
daily, with rockets and mortars and
sometimes drive-by shootings. There
were some close calls and we all slept
with our body armour and weapons
at hand.
As some of you know, I came back
to UK for two weeks leave in early
September. When I returned to Iraq,
the situation had calmed down and
we were free to move around again.
Unfortunately, the relative calm did
not last long and the last few weeks
have been more tense, possibly
because the Militia and other Shia
and Sunni extremists have worked
out that our Brigade is about to hand
over to the 4th Armoured Brigade –
there was a similar upsurge in
violence when we arrived in April.
Some members of my team were
caught in a roadside bomb. The bomb
was packed with bolts and several
went through the bodywork of the
Land Rovers. There were injuries but
it was pure luck that no-one was
killed.
Unfortunately, two days later two
soldiers from the sub-unit supporting
us, Corporal Marc Taylor and Gunner
David Laurence were killed. They
were out on a mission for me when,
as you will have read in the papers,
their vehicle was hit by a rocket
propelled grenade which entered the
cab of the Land Rover and detonated
inside. The patrol was then attacked
with small-arms fire while they were
trying to deal with the casualties and
secure all our communications
equipment in case they were
captured. Again, it was the
leadership and courage under fire of
our junior NCOs that ensured the
remainder of the patrol extracted
safely.
As my Brigade gets ready to leave,
the focus is turning to the National
Elections in January and also the
Black Watch who are going north to
assist US forces. These elections are
going to be key to the future of Iraq
and it remains to be seen whether
the population participate as
intended and whether there will be
violence either in the run-up, during
and afterwards if some parties do not
get the result they wanted.
In any case, it will soon be
someone else’s problem. I have
enjoyed my tour in Iraq; it has been a
great experience and I have met
some good people. I am, however,
frustrated by the unwillingness of
many Iraqis to help themselves and
the fact that many will try to steal
from you when you are trying to
help. I am also frustrated by the lack
of engagement from UK government
departments other than the MOD and
the way the US administration has
totally screwed up here – I can tell
you the real story in person when I
get back.
Roger and out!
Chinese whispers■ Ben Robson (04) highlights thedifferences between St Albans Schooland his new school in the USA – andreports on his progress in learningChinese
It has been nearly two terms since I
OA
LETT
ERS
still not sure why I decided to study
Arabic at University but it seemed
like a good idea at the time and so
far I haven’t regretted my decision.
At the moment I am living in
Damascus, the capital of Syria and
the oldest continuously inhabited
city in the world.
For most people the mention of
Syria conjures up images of
Kalashnikov wielding fanatics and
scud missiles. While it is true that
one of the country’s few claims to
fame is that it made it into George W
Bush’s ‘Axis of Evil’, the reality of
the place is far removed from this.
The people are unfailingly friendly
and hospitable and despite its
dubious geography (Syria shares
borders with Israel, Iraq and
Lebanon) it is an extremely safe and
stable nation. However, it would be
wrong to say that Syria is without its
problems. Although the government
has loosened its grip on society since
Bashir al-Assad replaced his father,
Hafez, as President in 2000 Syria is
still far from being a democracy and
seems to be becoming increasingly
isolated internationally – partly
because of its support for terrorist
groups such as Hezbollah.
There is a story that the Prophet
Muhammad passed by Damascus on
one of his journeys and stopped on
Jebel Qassioun (the mountain that
overlooks the city) to take in the
view. When asked if he wanted to go
down to the city he replied that he
only wished to visit Paradise once
and that was when he died. If
Muhammad could squeeze past the
various aerials, satellite dishes and
mobile phone masts that top Jebel
Qassioun today I doubt his answer
would be the same. Although it is
true that much of the old city
remains it is surrounded by a
concrete jungle of Soviet style
apartment blocks.
I live in a flat on the ground floor
of one of these blocks next door to a
dentist on Baghdad Street, just north
of the old city. For the last few
months I have divided my time
between studying at the University of
Damascus and playing for Syria’s
first and only rugby team, the
Damascus Zenobians. It is amazing
how rugby continues to be such an
important part of my life. I fell in
love with the game while at school
and have played fairly seriously ever
since. The result of this has been
some pretty mediocre exam
performances at Cambridge balanced
by a few appearances at Twickenham
and my participation in the first ever
rugby match in Syria.
Morning prayers■ Michael Millard (45) fondlyremembers morning prayers at School– and fallen comrades
When I first entered the School,
before the war, morning prayers took
place in the Abbey but on some days
in the School Hall. During the war,
though, we mostly went into the
Hall. As my parents were not
churchgoers the service in the Abbey
was to me mysterious and
impressive, though in no way
complicated. But the Hall was more
33
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Byrne. It would be a great pleasure if
I could make a visit to the school
when I return to the UK in June or
July, so that I may give a fuller
picture of my life here in the US.
Old flames■ OA Club Secretary David Buxtonrenews acquaintances with MikeHarvey (60) – and his sister!
I am seeing much more of Mike
Harvey (60) these days and apart
from fact I used to go out with his
sister in the 1960s and do so now
again after many years, our families
have been friends since forever – so
we chew the fat!
He recently donated a mounted
cricket ball to the school which was
presented to his father H L (Harry)
Harvey for taking 10 wickets for 27
runs in a match for the school
against Old Finchleans on July 16th
1932!
Now he has sent me the attached
photo with the comments: “This
photo is ancient and shows the
school cricket team in 1929. My
father (Harry Harvey) sits in the
middle of the front row and the
umpire on the left is none other than
‘Beery’ Webster. I have fond
memories of seeing him cycling
around on an old upright jalopy,
rarely in a straight line having
(allegedly) often been visiting various
pubs in Fishpool Street. On arrival at
school he would then try to teach
history to me and the rest of 1C –
with little success. Sadly he failed
and the duty was passed over to
‘Dad’ Reid.”
It would be interesting if we could
find out who are the other players.
Road to Damascus■ Tom Martin (02) describes life in theSyrian capital – and playing for thecountry’s only rugby team
I left the School in 2002 to study
Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
at Trinity College Cambridge. I’m
32
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
LETT
ERS
The cricketXI from 1929
still not sure why I decided to study
Arabic at University but it seemed
like a good idea at the time and so
far I haven’t regretted my decision.
At the moment I am living in
Damascus, the capital of Syria and
the oldest continuously inhabited
city in the world.
For most people the mention of
Syria conjures up images of
Kalashnikov wielding fanatics and
scud missiles. While it is true that
one of the country’s few claims to
fame is that it made it into George W
Bush’s ‘Axis of Evil’, the reality of
the place is far removed from this.
The people are unfailingly friendly
and hospitable and despite its
dubious geography (Syria shares
borders with Israel, Iraq and
Lebanon) it is an extremely safe and
stable nation. However, it would be
wrong to say that Syria is without its
problems. Although the government
has loosened its grip on society since
Bashir al-Assad replaced his father,
Hafez, as President in 2000 Syria is
still far from being a democracy and
seems to be becoming increasingly
isolated internationally – partly
because of its support for terrorist
groups such as Hezbollah.
There is a story that the Prophet
Muhammad passed by Damascus on
one of his journeys and stopped on
Jebel Qassioun (the mountain that
overlooks the city) to take in the
view. When asked if he wanted to go
down to the city he replied that he
only wished to visit Paradise once
and that was when he died. If
Muhammad could squeeze past the
various aerials, satellite dishes and
mobile phone masts that top Jebel
Qassioun today I doubt his answer
would be the same. Although it is
true that much of the old city
remains it is surrounded by a
concrete jungle of Soviet style
apartment blocks.
I live in a flat on the ground floor
of one of these blocks next door to a
dentist on Baghdad Street, just north
of the old city. For the last few
months I have divided my time
between studying at the University of
Damascus and playing for Syria’s
first and only rugby team, the
Damascus Zenobians. It is amazing
how rugby continues to be such an
important part of my life. I fell in
love with the game while at school
and have played fairly seriously ever
since. The result of this has been
some pretty mediocre exam
performances at Cambridge balanced
by a few appearances at Twickenham
and my participation in the first ever
rugby match in Syria.
Morning prayers■ Michael Millard (45) fondlyremembers morning prayers at School– and fallen comrades
When I first entered the School,
before the war, morning prayers took
place in the Abbey but on some days
in the School Hall. During the war,
though, we mostly went into the
Hall. As my parents were not
churchgoers the service in the Abbey
was to me mysterious and
impressive, though in no way
complicated. But the Hall was more
33
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Byrne. It would be a great pleasure if
I could make a visit to the school
when I return to the UK in June or
July, so that I may give a fuller
picture of my life here in the US.
Old flames■ OA Club Secretary David Buxtonrenews acquaintances with MikeHarvey (60) – and his sister!
I am seeing much more of Mike
Harvey (60) these days and apart
from fact I used to go out with his
sister in the 1960s and do so now
again after many years, our families
have been friends since forever – so
we chew the fat!
He recently donated a mounted
cricket ball to the school which was
presented to his father H L (Harry)
Harvey for taking 10 wickets for 27
runs in a match for the school
against Old Finchleans on July 16th
1932!
Now he has sent me the attached
photo with the comments: “This
photo is ancient and shows the
school cricket team in 1929. My
father (Harry Harvey) sits in the
middle of the front row and the
umpire on the left is none other than
‘Beery’ Webster. I have fond
memories of seeing him cycling
around on an old upright jalopy,
rarely in a straight line having
(allegedly) often been visiting various
pubs in Fishpool Street. On arrival at
school he would then try to teach
history to me and the rest of 1C –
with little success. Sadly he failed
and the duty was passed over to
‘Dad’ Reid.”
It would be interesting if we could
find out who are the other players.
Road to Damascus■ Tom Martin (02) describes life in theSyrian capital – and playing for thecountry’s only rugby team
I left the School in 2002 to study
Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
at Trinity College Cambridge. I’m
32
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
LETT
ERS
The cricketXI from 1929
The man at the front reads the words
but the voice comes back over sixty-
odd years “Lord of all Par (sic) and
Might Who art the Author and Giver
of all good things, graft in our hearts
the love of Thy Name…” or perhaps
“We beseech Thee to look upon our
infirmities; and those things which
for our unworthiness we dare not,
and for our blindness we cannot ask,
vouchsafe to give us…” The cadences
may (or may not) belong to Cranmer,
but the voice I hear is that of W T
Marsh.
Which brings me back to my
childhood question: could he
sincerely mean it? I now believe that
he did and I am grateful to God for
him: and for those morning prayers
with their complex mixture of
teaching, humour, provocation and
tragedy.
Aces of rhythm■ From School Band to dance band –Trevor Forecast (45) recalls hisdrumming days
It was my turn to be surprised to see
a picture of myself in the School
Band 1950 sent to you by Titch
Tyson. (I was also known as ‘Titch’ –
must be something about drummers).
I have often wondered what became
of Trevor as I still play drums (only
at home now!). I remember he was
chosen to play drums in the British
Youth Jazz Orchestra or similar
name and that a lot of our band
rehearsals for the drummers were
taken up by Trevor teaching us the
latest jazz riffs. From that I have
developed my great love of jazz and
joined a local dance band when I was
35
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
cosy: some tall boy near the front
roared “shun”, the Head strode on to
the stage and all was quiet (it was
some years before I worked out what
‘shunning’ was). Then the Head read
some prayers from a book.
This stimulated my boyish critical
faculties. I had been attending a
Crusaders Bible Class where prayers
were offered “as a man speaks to his
friend”. How could prayers possibly
be read seriously, I thought? Things
were made worse when the luckless
individual to whom the privilege of
reading the school prayer had fallen
lost his way after a few words. “Stop
that, start again and do it properly”,
roared a voice from the quarterdeck:
and so he did. I do not recall that the
hymn was sung with gusto but in
one of the verses of Bunyan’s pilgrim
hymn is the line “He’ll fear not what
men say”; somehow we all forget our
local glottal stops and it sounded
quite good.
Then we had the announcements
from WTM. These were varied:
criticisms of certain kinds of
behaviour; commendations of
achievement; for example when
Gardner-Jennings established a new
shot-putt record; or some bright boy
won a scholarship to Oxford (come to
think of it I suppose that happened
to me eventually). But on one
occasion, which few of us ever
forgot, we were being harangued
over the way we day boys had failed
to show our appreciation of the cast
at the end of the school play. “If it
had not been for the splendid way in
which the boarders…” interrupted
by a voice with a local accent: “Oh
yeah”. “Who said that? Find him for
me, Sarn’t Major”. There was a
sound of a scuffle at the back
followed by the triumphant voice of
Charlie-my-Son; “I've got him, Sir”.
On another occasion we were well on
in the singing of a certain Christmas
carol when, on the last of four
Nowells we were treated to a single
rich tenor voice ‘doing’ the descant.
Such a deviation from the norm
could not, of course, escape official
notice, but the castigation was
couched, I thought, in a benevolent
turn of phrase.
But as the war went on some of
the announcements changed. K C
Doran was one of the first to be
given the DFC. Later on names that
we did not recognise: who were dead.
Then men we had seen but did not
know. Then men we had seen and
had spoken to and had remembered.
Gardner-Jennings killed in action;
both the Morgan brothers; Bryan
Dennis (who had once thrown me
into a blackberry bush for being
cheeky); and many, many more. And
in a different category, Christopher
Bradley Payne, who had been a
member of the teaching staff (his
picture was up in the staff room for
many years) – his body washed up
on the South Coast after his first op.
I learnt some years later that at
Chris Payne’s quiet family funeral
there was a stranger whom no one
knew: this was WTM who had taken
the trouble to attend because of his
respect for a dead colleague.
Occasionally I find myself in a
Church where the service follows the
seventeenth century prayer book.
34
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
LETT
ERS
Drum rolls:the 1950School band
The man at the front reads the words
but the voice comes back over sixty-
odd years “Lord of all Par (sic) and
Might Who art the Author and Giver
of all good things, graft in our hearts
the love of Thy Name…” or perhaps
“We beseech Thee to look upon our
infirmities; and those things which
for our unworthiness we dare not,
and for our blindness we cannot ask,
vouchsafe to give us…” The cadences
may (or may not) belong to Cranmer,
but the voice I hear is that of W T
Marsh.
Which brings me back to my
childhood question: could he
sincerely mean it? I now believe that
he did and I am grateful to God for
him: and for those morning prayers
with their complex mixture of
teaching, humour, provocation and
tragedy.
Aces of rhythm■ From School Band to dance band –Trevor Forecast (45) recalls hisdrumming days
It was my turn to be surprised to see
a picture of myself in the School
Band 1950 sent to you by Titch
Tyson. (I was also known as ‘Titch’ –
must be something about drummers).
I have often wondered what became
of Trevor as I still play drums (only
at home now!). I remember he was
chosen to play drums in the British
Youth Jazz Orchestra or similar
name and that a lot of our band
rehearsals for the drummers were
taken up by Trevor teaching us the
latest jazz riffs. From that I have
developed my great love of jazz and
joined a local dance band when I was
35
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
cosy: some tall boy near the front
roared “shun”, the Head strode on to
the stage and all was quiet (it was
some years before I worked out what
‘shunning’ was). Then the Head read
some prayers from a book.
This stimulated my boyish critical
faculties. I had been attending a
Crusaders Bible Class where prayers
were offered “as a man speaks to his
friend”. How could prayers possibly
be read seriously, I thought? Things
were made worse when the luckless
individual to whom the privilege of
reading the school prayer had fallen
lost his way after a few words. “Stop
that, start again and do it properly”,
roared a voice from the quarterdeck:
and so he did. I do not recall that the
hymn was sung with gusto but in
one of the verses of Bunyan’s pilgrim
hymn is the line “He’ll fear not what
men say”; somehow we all forget our
local glottal stops and it sounded
quite good.
Then we had the announcements
from WTM. These were varied:
criticisms of certain kinds of
behaviour; commendations of
achievement; for example when
Gardner-Jennings established a new
shot-putt record; or some bright boy
won a scholarship to Oxford (come to
think of it I suppose that happened
to me eventually). But on one
occasion, which few of us ever
forgot, we were being harangued
over the way we day boys had failed
to show our appreciation of the cast
at the end of the school play. “If it
had not been for the splendid way in
which the boarders…” interrupted
by a voice with a local accent: “Oh
yeah”. “Who said that? Find him for
me, Sarn’t Major”. There was a
sound of a scuffle at the back
followed by the triumphant voice of
Charlie-my-Son; “I've got him, Sir”.
On another occasion we were well on
in the singing of a certain Christmas
carol when, on the last of four
Nowells we were treated to a single
rich tenor voice ‘doing’ the descant.
Such a deviation from the norm
could not, of course, escape official
notice, but the castigation was
couched, I thought, in a benevolent
turn of phrase.
But as the war went on some of
the announcements changed. K C
Doran was one of the first to be
given the DFC. Later on names that
we did not recognise: who were dead.
Then men we had seen but did not
know. Then men we had seen and
had spoken to and had remembered.
Gardner-Jennings killed in action;
both the Morgan brothers; Bryan
Dennis (who had once thrown me
into a blackberry bush for being
cheeky); and many, many more. And
in a different category, Christopher
Bradley Payne, who had been a
member of the teaching staff (his
picture was up in the staff room for
many years) – his body washed up
on the South Coast after his first op.
I learnt some years later that at
Chris Payne’s quiet family funeral
there was a stranger whom no one
knew: this was WTM who had taken
the trouble to attend because of his
respect for a dead colleague.
Occasionally I find myself in a
Church where the service follows the
seventeenth century prayer book.
34
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
LETT
ERS
Drum rolls:the 1950School band
also recently renewed contact with
Keith Doherty through the MG car
club as we both have a TF. Mine is a
1954 model and we meet at the yearly
weekend meeting, last year in Wales,
this year in the Peak district.
We would be pleased to welcome
anyone visiting Norfolk, after 30 years
up here we know a lot of good pubs!
Athletic support■ D K R (Bob) Phillips (56) corrects afew of our facts – and identifies an OApresent at one of the greatest momentsin athletics history
I have just seen a copy of the
November 2004 issue and I
congratulate you on an excellent
production. Having spent a lifetime
working in journalism and in press
relations, I know it is not easy to
produce something as appealing and
entertaining as this.
I was pleasantly surprised to see
that I got a mention, though I don’t
know the source for your paragraph
on page 20. As it happens, it’s not
quite correct! I am, indeed, retired
from my full-time occupation, which
was as a chief press officer in the
nuclear industry, and from my part-
time indulgence as a member of the
BBC radio athletics commentary
team for 17 years, but I would not
regard myself as ‘retired’, having
written five books on various aspects
of the history of athletics in recent
years and continuing to edit a
quarterly journal concerned with the
history and statistics of the sport. I
also don’t live in the Dordogne but in
the neighbouring department of Lot.
You mentioned an interview I did
regarding Roger Bannister’s four-
minute mile, and your readers might
like to know that the famous and oft-
publicised photograph of Bannister
crossing the finish line prominently
features an Old Albanian in the
background. Standing on the inside
of the track wearing a college scarf is
Richard Wortley, who I remember as
being at School in the early 1950s and
who, I believe, became a BBC radio
drama producer.
I was intrigued by two articles you
published in the November issue by
contributors whose names I know -
John Hartley and John Billington. I
would very much like to contact Mr
Hartley in Australia if this is possible
as he has raised a point which is of
significant interest to m as an
athletics historian. I also presume
that John Billington is the same
person who was the school high
jump champion. The school produced
several athletes of prominence in the
1950s – due, largely, to the tutelage of
the athletics master whose name was
Willé, and perhaps to J M K Finley,
who was a noted sprinter at
university. Mike Palmer ran the
steeplechase for Great Britain at the
1960 Olympics and John Knopf won
the three miles for Oxford v
Cambridge.
All this information, may, of
course, have appeared in the past in
the OA Bulletin – in which case,
please ignore it, but if you would like
me to elaborate for a future Bulletin I
would be happy to do so.
37
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
16 years which I subsequently led for
the next fourteen or so years. We
were called the ‘Aces of Rhythm’ and
perhaps some OAs will remember we
used to play regularly at Beech
Bottom, until a young group from
school played one of their first gigs
during our interval! They were called
‘The Zombies’ and went on to world-
wide fame, we moved to the
Waterend Barn and other more
sedate venues!
I also remember going to Annual
Camp at Padgate where I think we
won the band competition, and then
Barry in Scotland where the Scottish
drummers taught us a thing or two!
They were thrilling moments leading
the parades with Trevor throwing the
mace, and the front row of drums
wondering whether he would catch it!
Sadly, I can also tell you that a
friend of mine John Hollings (back
row in the photo) died in 1983 of lung
cancer at only 49 years old leaving a
wife and young family.
I also attach my CV for the last 50
years (see below) and look forward to
reading about some of the other
members in the picture.
Thanks for reviving a lot of
memories.
Trevor Forecast, Ch Eng, MCIM,FHCIMA, MI
The CV
Trevor Forecast completed a five-year
engineering apprenticeship with
Hawker Siddeley Aircraft at Hatfield
in 1955 and, after National Service in
the Middle East became Marketing
Manager for the Polymer Corporation
of America (Polypenco, Welwyn
Garden City). His career in the Hotel
industry began when, in 1972, he and
his wife purchased the Crown Hotel,
Downham Market, Norfolk, where
they welcomed several OAs including
the Angling Club and an OA cricket
team. Trevor and Christine then
created Congham Hall Country
House Hotel in 1982, which they ran
as full-time working proprietors until
their retirement sale in October 1999,
again welcoming several OAs to stay.
During this time Congham Hall
received many awards including
Johansens Hotel of the Year 1993,
RAC Gold Ribbon award 1998, AA
Red Stars since 1985, two rosettes for
the restaurant, and a Catey Award,
the industry’s equivalent of an Oscar,
for marketing in 1992.
Trevor sits on various committees
connected with the industry as well
as being past Chairman of the British
Hospitality Association, Pride of
Britain Hotels and the Master
Innholders of Great Britain and a
past Director of the Norfolk &
Waveney TEC representing the
Hospitality Industry. He and his wife
now act as advisors to the Hotel
Industry with Trevor visiting Local
Hotel Associations around the
country. He now also has time to
become more involved with his
favourite charity, the Duke of
Edinburgh Award Scheme, where he
is Chairman for West Norfolk.
Trevor is a regular at the annual
OA Dinner and is in regular contact
with Dick Carrington who has lived
in Muscat, Oman for the last 30 years
or so. “A fabulous country which we
have visited several times now”. He
36
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
LETT
ERS
also recently renewed contact with
Keith Doherty through the MG car
club as we both have a TF. Mine is a
1954 model and we meet at the yearly
weekend meeting, last year in Wales,
this year in the Peak district.
We would be pleased to welcome
anyone visiting Norfolk, after 30 years
up here we know a lot of good pubs!
Athletic support■ D K R (Bob) Phillips (56) corrects afew of our facts – and identifies an OApresent at one of the greatest momentsin athletics history
I have just seen a copy of the
November 2004 issue and I
congratulate you on an excellent
production. Having spent a lifetime
working in journalism and in press
relations, I know it is not easy to
produce something as appealing and
entertaining as this.
I was pleasantly surprised to see
that I got a mention, though I don’t
know the source for your paragraph
on page 20. As it happens, it’s not
quite correct! I am, indeed, retired
from my full-time occupation, which
was as a chief press officer in the
nuclear industry, and from my part-
time indulgence as a member of the
BBC radio athletics commentary
team for 17 years, but I would not
regard myself as ‘retired’, having
written five books on various aspects
of the history of athletics in recent
years and continuing to edit a
quarterly journal concerned with the
history and statistics of the sport. I
also don’t live in the Dordogne but in
the neighbouring department of Lot.
You mentioned an interview I did
regarding Roger Bannister’s four-
minute mile, and your readers might
like to know that the famous and oft-
publicised photograph of Bannister
crossing the finish line prominently
features an Old Albanian in the
background. Standing on the inside
of the track wearing a college scarf is
Richard Wortley, who I remember as
being at School in the early 1950s and
who, I believe, became a BBC radio
drama producer.
I was intrigued by two articles you
published in the November issue by
contributors whose names I know -
John Hartley and John Billington. I
would very much like to contact Mr
Hartley in Australia if this is possible
as he has raised a point which is of
significant interest to m as an
athletics historian. I also presume
that John Billington is the same
person who was the school high
jump champion. The school produced
several athletes of prominence in the
1950s – due, largely, to the tutelage of
the athletics master whose name was
Willé, and perhaps to J M K Finley,
who was a noted sprinter at
university. Mike Palmer ran the
steeplechase for Great Britain at the
1960 Olympics and John Knopf won
the three miles for Oxford v
Cambridge.
All this information, may, of
course, have appeared in the past in
the OA Bulletin – in which case,
please ignore it, but if you would like
me to elaborate for a future Bulletin I
would be happy to do so.
37
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
16 years which I subsequently led for
the next fourteen or so years. We
were called the ‘Aces of Rhythm’ and
perhaps some OAs will remember we
used to play regularly at Beech
Bottom, until a young group from
school played one of their first gigs
during our interval! They were called
‘The Zombies’ and went on to world-
wide fame, we moved to the
Waterend Barn and other more
sedate venues!
I also remember going to Annual
Camp at Padgate where I think we
won the band competition, and then
Barry in Scotland where the Scottish
drummers taught us a thing or two!
They were thrilling moments leading
the parades with Trevor throwing the
mace, and the front row of drums
wondering whether he would catch it!
Sadly, I can also tell you that a
friend of mine John Hollings (back
row in the photo) died in 1983 of lung
cancer at only 49 years old leaving a
wife and young family.
I also attach my CV for the last 50
years (see below) and look forward to
reading about some of the other
members in the picture.
Thanks for reviving a lot of
memories.
Trevor Forecast, Ch Eng, MCIM,FHCIMA, MI
The CV
Trevor Forecast completed a five-year
engineering apprenticeship with
Hawker Siddeley Aircraft at Hatfield
in 1955 and, after National Service in
the Middle East became Marketing
Manager for the Polymer Corporation
of America (Polypenco, Welwyn
Garden City). His career in the Hotel
industry began when, in 1972, he and
his wife purchased the Crown Hotel,
Downham Market, Norfolk, where
they welcomed several OAs including
the Angling Club and an OA cricket
team. Trevor and Christine then
created Congham Hall Country
House Hotel in 1982, which they ran
as full-time working proprietors until
their retirement sale in October 1999,
again welcoming several OAs to stay.
During this time Congham Hall
received many awards including
Johansens Hotel of the Year 1993,
RAC Gold Ribbon award 1998, AA
Red Stars since 1985, two rosettes for
the restaurant, and a Catey Award,
the industry’s equivalent of an Oscar,
for marketing in 1992.
Trevor sits on various committees
connected with the industry as well
as being past Chairman of the British
Hospitality Association, Pride of
Britain Hotels and the Master
Innholders of Great Britain and a
past Director of the Norfolk &
Waveney TEC representing the
Hospitality Industry. He and his wife
now act as advisors to the Hotel
Industry with Trevor visiting Local
Hotel Associations around the
country. He now also has time to
become more involved with his
favourite charity, the Duke of
Edinburgh Award Scheme, where he
is Chairman for West Norfolk.
Trevor is a regular at the annual
OA Dinner and is in regular contact
with Dick Carrington who has lived
in Muscat, Oman for the last 30 years
or so. “A fabulous country which we
have visited several times now”. He
36
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
LETT
ERS
The 948 FoundationThe mailing of the last edition of the
Bulletin included a letter from John
Josling, a Trustee of The 948 Sports
Foundation, requesting that members
consider making Gift Aid donations
to the Foundation. Nigel Seale, the
Chairman of the Foundation, has
written to personally thank those
members who responded. Some
£2,000 has been donated, of which
approximately £1,500 will continue to
be made on an annual basis. Thank
you very much to everybody
concerned.
The Foundation was launched just
over two years ago and over £40,000
has been donated to some 40 local
sports clubs (including OA clubs
using Woollams), schools and
individuals. Donations have included
the funding of the 948 Sports
Bursary, designed to assist the
schooling of a sixth-former at St
Albans School who would otherwise
be unable to join the School.
Every year, the Foundation holds
an annual review of its activities at
Woollams inviting representatives of
local schools and clubs, the 2005
presentation was held on the evening
of Monday 16 May.
Nigel Seale Chairman, 948 Foundation
39
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Premier league ■ OA Sports Chairman Andrew Mills-Baker reports on a successfulconversion to charitable status as theclub cements its position as the area’spremier sporting venue
OA Sports facilities at Woollams
continue to be enjoyed by a growing
number of members and visitors
alike. Frequent visits by the Mayor of
St Albans and prominent Councillors
are confirming its position as the
premier sports facility in the area,
with a growing reputation nationally
– and even internationally.
At the end of 2004, the Old
Albanian Sports Association
successfully completed a programme
to convert into charitable status.
OASA has always been a not-for-
profit organisation, but, until the
charity status was achieved, has not
been able to take advantage of some
of the principal advantages of
charitable status. The Woollams
facilities are, like all property,
subject to business rates. Charitable
status gives OASA 80% relief by
right and the opportunity to apply
for discretionary relief of the
remaining 20% from the local
council. This is a most significant
benefit as the business rates levied
on the facility run into tens of
thousands of pounds. A further
benefit is the ability of individuals to
make Gift Aid donations to OASA,
and any donations received will be
put towards maintaining and
improving the excellent facilities that
have been established.
Neil Dekker, our General Manager,
and his team have responded
admirably to the increased use of our
facilities and we receive many letters
of congratulations on the standards
we achieve both from members and
third parties. Throughout the winter
we have hosted Saracens second
team fixtures on Monday evenings
and have welcomed a good many of
the England World Cup winning
team, both as spectators and
participants. The highlight of the
season occurred on Easter Saturday
when we hosted an international
fixture for the first time, England v
Italy, at the Under-16 level. The
match has been reported in more
detail elsewhere, it was a fantastic
day, not least because Thomas
Haller, a current St Albans school
pupil, came on in the second half to
earn his first England cap.
The cricket season is now
underway and the highlight will be
the Lords Taverners v Lashings
fixture which takes place on Sunday
7 August. As well as a full
programme of cricket over the
summer, we continue to host our
local Rugby League team, St Albans
Centurions.
Details of all our activities are set
out on the website on
www.oasport.com or telephone Neil
Dekker at the Club on 01727 864476.
Andrew Mills-Baker Chairman OA Sport
38
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
SP
OR
T Woollams Update
Woollamshosted theEngland vItaly Under-16sinternationalrugby matchon 26thMarch
The 948 FoundationThe mailing of the last edition of the
Bulletin included a letter from John
Josling, a Trustee of The 948 Sports
Foundation, requesting that members
consider making Gift Aid donations
to the Foundation. Nigel Seale, the
Chairman of the Foundation, has
written to personally thank those
members who responded. Some
£2,000 has been donated, of which
approximately £1,500 will continue to
be made on an annual basis. Thank
you very much to everybody
concerned.
The Foundation was launched just
over two years ago and over £40,000
has been donated to some 40 local
sports clubs (including OA clubs
using Woollams), schools and
individuals. Donations have included
the funding of the 948 Sports
Bursary, designed to assist the
schooling of a sixth-former at St
Albans School who would otherwise
be unable to join the School.
Every year, the Foundation holds
an annual review of its activities at
Woollams inviting representatives of
local schools and clubs, the 2005
presentation was held on the evening
of Monday 16 May.
Nigel Seale Chairman, 948 Foundation
39
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Premier league ■ OA Sports Chairman Andrew Mills-Baker reports on a successfulconversion to charitable status as theclub cements its position as the area’spremier sporting venue
OA Sports facilities at Woollams
continue to be enjoyed by a growing
number of members and visitors
alike. Frequent visits by the Mayor of
St Albans and prominent Councillors
are confirming its position as the
premier sports facility in the area,
with a growing reputation nationally
– and even internationally.
At the end of 2004, the Old
Albanian Sports Association
successfully completed a programme
to convert into charitable status.
OASA has always been a not-for-
profit organisation, but, until the
charity status was achieved, has not
been able to take advantage of some
of the principal advantages of
charitable status. The Woollams
facilities are, like all property,
subject to business rates. Charitable
status gives OASA 80% relief by
right and the opportunity to apply
for discretionary relief of the
remaining 20% from the local
council. This is a most significant
benefit as the business rates levied
on the facility run into tens of
thousands of pounds. A further
benefit is the ability of individuals to
make Gift Aid donations to OASA,
and any donations received will be
put towards maintaining and
improving the excellent facilities that
have been established.
Neil Dekker, our General Manager,
and his team have responded
admirably to the increased use of our
facilities and we receive many letters
of congratulations on the standards
we achieve both from members and
third parties. Throughout the winter
we have hosted Saracens second
team fixtures on Monday evenings
and have welcomed a good many of
the England World Cup winning
team, both as spectators and
participants. The highlight of the
season occurred on Easter Saturday
when we hosted an international
fixture for the first time, England v
Italy, at the Under-16 level. The
match has been reported in more
detail elsewhere, it was a fantastic
day, not least because Thomas
Haller, a current St Albans school
pupil, came on in the second half to
earn his first England cap.
The cricket season is now
underway and the highlight will be
the Lords Taverners v Lashings
fixture which takes place on Sunday
7 August. As well as a full
programme of cricket over the
summer, we continue to host our
local Rugby League team, St Albans
Centurions.
Details of all our activities are set
out on the website on
www.oasport.com or telephone Neil
Dekker at the Club on 01727 864476.
Andrew Mills-Baker Chairman OA Sport
38
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
SP
OR
T Woollams Update
Woollamshosted theEngland vItaly Under-16sinternationalrugby matchon 26thMarch
drink menu. Woollams really is a
beautiful venue at which to watch
cricket, so please do come along
during the summer if you can.
Finally some dates for your diary:
Friday April 29th – 75th
Anniversary Black Tie Dinner at
Woollams. There are still some
tickets left for this exciting event.
Please contact Andrew McCree
([email protected]) if you would
like to attend.
Sunday 7th August – Lords
Taverners v Lashings International
XI at Woollams.
Sunday 14th August – Herts
Village Cricket Competition Semi
Finals and Finals Day at Woollams.
Sunday 21st August – Presidents’
Day at Woollams.
We are looking forward to the
challenges ahead, and hope you are
able to join us as we tackle them.
Tom PreestClub Captain
41
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
75 not out■ Club Captain Tom Preest looksforward to the Club’s 75thAnniversary celebrations off the field –and improved performances on it
The cricket season is upon us, and
OACC are in the final stages of their
preparations. 2005 marks the 75th
Anniversary of the cricket club, and
OACC will look to mark the
celebration of this landmark with
improved performances on the field.
Thus the summer promises to be an
exciting one for the club and for all
our members and supporters,
whether players, umpires, scorers or
spectators.
The core aims for the club in 2005
are to consolidate and improve both
the player base, and the respective
league positions of the three teams
entered in the Hertfordshire Cricket
League. The club will also be
participating in the Chess Valley
League and the Becker Cup, which
will ensure a high level of
competitive cricket on Sundays
through out the summer. We also
intend to run a 4th XI on Saturdays
when resources allow. The club will
also be looking to extend the scope
and success of the Colts section. This
should ensure that the standard of
cricket produced by the club matches
the superb facilities available at
Woollams.
The club has secured the services
of Andrew McClean as our overseas
player for 2005. Andrew plays for the
Northern Districts club in Sydney,
and made some appearances for their
1st Grade side over the recent
Australian summer. Anyone who
knows anything about the structure
of Australian cricket will be aware
that this is an extremely high level at
which to be performing. We look
forward to Andrew bringing this
experience to bear on the cricket
fields of Hertfordshire over the
summer, and to the potential for
improvement his presence will offer
those who play alongside him.
Andrew comes highly recommended
by a previous OACC overseas star
and Northern Districts team mate,
Matthew Bruce. Matthew still holds
the record for the best bowling in a
Hertfordshire League game, taking
10-26 against Berkhamsted on a
memorable if damp afternoon in 1999.
If Andrew can leave even a similar
legacy then we are in for an exciting
season.
New players and supporters are
always welcome. Practice sessions
this summer will be held on
Thursday evenings from 6.30pm -
8.30pm, at Woollams. All prospective
players are welcome, and if you
require directions or more details on
nets or general issues regarding
playing for the club please contact
club captain Tom Preest at
[email protected] are games at Woollams
every Saturday and most Sundays
through out the summer. Please find
further details at the OACC web site
www.oacc.org.ukThe bar at Woollams is open
through out the hours of play,
enabling visitors to sample to
delights of the extensive food and
40
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
SP
OR
T OA Cricket
Charity Cricket MatchThe Lord’s Taverners v Lashings Cricket ClubInternational XI
To Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Old Albanians Cricket Club
Sunday 7th August 2005Woollams Playing Fields, Harpenden Road, St Albans
For further information about corporate sponsorship opportunities,contact Andrew McCree, 29 Redmond Beaufort Drive, St Albans, Herts AL3 5LATel: 01727 845513 E-mail: [email protected]
drink menu. Woollams really is a
beautiful venue at which to watch
cricket, so please do come along
during the summer if you can.
Finally some dates for your diary:
Friday April 29th – 75th
Anniversary Black Tie Dinner at
Woollams. There are still some
tickets left for this exciting event.
Please contact Andrew McCree
([email protected]) if you would
like to attend.
Sunday 7th August – Lords
Taverners v Lashings International
XI at Woollams.
Sunday 14th August – Herts
Village Cricket Competition Semi
Finals and Finals Day at Woollams.
Sunday 21st August – Presidents’
Day at Woollams.
We are looking forward to the
challenges ahead, and hope you are
able to join us as we tackle them.
Tom PreestClub Captain
41
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
75 not out■ Club Captain Tom Preest looksforward to the Club’s 75thAnniversary celebrations off the field –and improved performances on it
The cricket season is upon us, and
OACC are in the final stages of their
preparations. 2005 marks the 75th
Anniversary of the cricket club, and
OACC will look to mark the
celebration of this landmark with
improved performances on the field.
Thus the summer promises to be an
exciting one for the club and for all
our members and supporters,
whether players, umpires, scorers or
spectators.
The core aims for the club in 2005
are to consolidate and improve both
the player base, and the respective
league positions of the three teams
entered in the Hertfordshire Cricket
League. The club will also be
participating in the Chess Valley
League and the Becker Cup, which
will ensure a high level of
competitive cricket on Sundays
through out the summer. We also
intend to run a 4th XI on Saturdays
when resources allow. The club will
also be looking to extend the scope
and success of the Colts section. This
should ensure that the standard of
cricket produced by the club matches
the superb facilities available at
Woollams.
The club has secured the services
of Andrew McClean as our overseas
player for 2005. Andrew plays for the
Northern Districts club in Sydney,
and made some appearances for their
1st Grade side over the recent
Australian summer. Anyone who
knows anything about the structure
of Australian cricket will be aware
that this is an extremely high level at
which to be performing. We look
forward to Andrew bringing this
experience to bear on the cricket
fields of Hertfordshire over the
summer, and to the potential for
improvement his presence will offer
those who play alongside him.
Andrew comes highly recommended
by a previous OACC overseas star
and Northern Districts team mate,
Matthew Bruce. Matthew still holds
the record for the best bowling in a
Hertfordshire League game, taking
10-26 against Berkhamsted on a
memorable if damp afternoon in 1999.
If Andrew can leave even a similar
legacy then we are in for an exciting
season.
New players and supporters are
always welcome. Practice sessions
this summer will be held on
Thursday evenings from 6.30pm -
8.30pm, at Woollams. All prospective
players are welcome, and if you
require directions or more details on
nets or general issues regarding
playing for the club please contact
club captain Tom Preest at
[email protected] are games at Woollams
every Saturday and most Sundays
through out the summer. Please find
further details at the OACC web site
www.oacc.org.ukThe bar at Woollams is open
through out the hours of play,
enabling visitors to sample to
delights of the extensive food and
40
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
SP
OR
T OA Cricket
Charity Cricket MatchThe Lord’s Taverners v Lashings Cricket ClubInternational XI
To Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Old Albanians Cricket Club
Sunday 7th August 2005Woollams Playing Fields, Harpenden Road, St Albans
For further information about corporate sponsorship opportunities,contact Andrew McCree, 29 Redmond Beaufort Drive, St Albans, Herts AL3 5LATel: 01727 845513 E-mail: [email protected]
they had to suffer three defeats by
just one score each time against
Hertford.
This year’s Colts have had a
difficult time but it has been
encouraging to see that a number of
the have been included in the
development games, which Director
of Coaching, Bruce Miller, has
organised as part of our recruitment
drive. Bruce also organised a local
Schools’ competition for the first
time, which was much enjoyed by
the few schools that were able to
attend. The competition was won by
St Albans School and it is hoped that
the competition will be run again
next season with more schools
participating.
As for the 4ths, notable scalps
have been OVs 3rds,Watford 2nds,
Harlow, Tring Woodford, Barnet
Elizabethans and Cheshunt. The 5th
team results again reflect the
stronger opposition we are now
taking on and whist having a mixed
season, had a great run in early in
the new year with wins over
Vauxhall 2nds, Hatfield 2nds and
Fullerians. However, the win of the
season was against Welwyn 4ths,
known as ‘Fogey’s Heroes’.
It would take a separate book to
properly put into perspective the OA
Saints Women’s achievements this
season, but in their first full season
affiliated to the Club, as with last
season, they continued their
unbeaten run and are now top of
South East Division One. Our
congratulations to them.
Around 400 players have been
enjoying a wonderful season of Mini
and Junior rugby with the club
heaving with little people every
Sunday, including your President
(ho! ho!). The U17s got to the semi-
finals of the County Cup and the
U13s went on tour to Cornwall, won
all their games and then got to the
43
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Pope selected■ Rugby Club President Ali Millsreports on another successful seasonfor the club – topped with 1st XVcaptain Steve Pope appearing for theBarbarians
As the 2004-05 campaign concludes, it
is time for me to reflect on our third
season at Woollams. Once again it
has been absolutely enthralling both
on and off the field as far as the club
is concerned, and one which has
included a number of exciting
invitation rugby occasions on which I
will expand later in this missive.
Our League campaign, for only our
second season in London One, has
had a number of highs and as
previously reported, has been even
more competitive than last year. We
all thought that Richmond and
London Scottish would storm
through but it has been Cambridge
and Worthing who have come
through to take their places in the
National League Area South next
season. With just one away game to
play at the time of writing, against
Thanet Wanderers who are doomed,
we will be finishing up a very
creditable 6th place in the League,
only one point behind Canterbury.
We have recorded memorable
home wins against Richmond and
London Scottish, both of which have
been very complimentary about our
wonderful set-up. Yes, newcomers to
Woollams are still mightily
impressed with our state-of-the-art
facilities. We had a good run in the
Intermediate Cup, beating Clevedon
away down in Bristol, but going
down narrowly to another Bristol
side, Cleve who went on to the semi-
finals. The general feeling is that we
had the side to do so and could have
gone all the way, but that’s cup
rugby. We have done the double over
Sutton & Epsom, London Nigerians
and Old Colfiens and have notched
some impressive away wins as well
during the season.
The whole 1st XV squad can be
proud of their record this season but
special mention must be made of
Captain, Steve Pope, and Greg
Botterman, both of whom had the
honour of playing for the Barbarians
in the Mobbs Memorial Match
against the East Midlands, and it was
Steve who scored a splendid try for
the Baa-Baas. It was a huge and well-
deserved honour for the players and
it was a very proud occasion for the
club with a large number of
supporters making the journey up to
Bedford. There is no other club at
our level in the country who can
boast two Barbarians playing in the
same game, let alone the same
season.
Strength in depth remains the key
to success, and whilst the 2nd XV
have not had quite the season they
had last year, there have still been
great wins over London Nigerians,
Cambridge, Sutton, Dunstablians,
Old Colfs, Shelford, Cantebury,
Chinnor, Woodford and – last but not
least – OVs 1sts. The 3rd XV have
taken on tough competition and
beaten OVs 2nds and Harpenden
2nds twice this season, as well as
Barnet and Welwyn 2nds. However,
42
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
SP
OR
T OA Rugby
Clubstalwart IanMcMillin flatout at BeechBottom
they had to suffer three defeats by
just one score each time against
Hertford.
This year’s Colts have had a
difficult time but it has been
encouraging to see that a number of
the have been included in the
development games, which Director
of Coaching, Bruce Miller, has
organised as part of our recruitment
drive. Bruce also organised a local
Schools’ competition for the first
time, which was much enjoyed by
the few schools that were able to
attend. The competition was won by
St Albans School and it is hoped that
the competition will be run again
next season with more schools
participating.
As for the 4ths, notable scalps
have been OVs 3rds,Watford 2nds,
Harlow, Tring Woodford, Barnet
Elizabethans and Cheshunt. The 5th
team results again reflect the
stronger opposition we are now
taking on and whist having a mixed
season, had a great run in early in
the new year with wins over
Vauxhall 2nds, Hatfield 2nds and
Fullerians. However, the win of the
season was against Welwyn 4ths,
known as ‘Fogey’s Heroes’.
It would take a separate book to
properly put into perspective the OA
Saints Women’s achievements this
season, but in their first full season
affiliated to the Club, as with last
season, they continued their
unbeaten run and are now top of
South East Division One. Our
congratulations to them.
Around 400 players have been
enjoying a wonderful season of Mini
and Junior rugby with the club
heaving with little people every
Sunday, including your President
(ho! ho!). The U17s got to the semi-
finals of the County Cup and the
U13s went on tour to Cornwall, won
all their games and then got to the
43
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Pope selected■ Rugby Club President Ali Millsreports on another successful seasonfor the club – topped with 1st XVcaptain Steve Pope appearing for theBarbarians
As the 2004-05 campaign concludes, it
is time for me to reflect on our third
season at Woollams. Once again it
has been absolutely enthralling both
on and off the field as far as the club
is concerned, and one which has
included a number of exciting
invitation rugby occasions on which I
will expand later in this missive.
Our League campaign, for only our
second season in London One, has
had a number of highs and as
previously reported, has been even
more competitive than last year. We
all thought that Richmond and
London Scottish would storm
through but it has been Cambridge
and Worthing who have come
through to take their places in the
National League Area South next
season. With just one away game to
play at the time of writing, against
Thanet Wanderers who are doomed,
we will be finishing up a very
creditable 6th place in the League,
only one point behind Canterbury.
We have recorded memorable
home wins against Richmond and
London Scottish, both of which have
been very complimentary about our
wonderful set-up. Yes, newcomers to
Woollams are still mightily
impressed with our state-of-the-art
facilities. We had a good run in the
Intermediate Cup, beating Clevedon
away down in Bristol, but going
down narrowly to another Bristol
side, Cleve who went on to the semi-
finals. The general feeling is that we
had the side to do so and could have
gone all the way, but that’s cup
rugby. We have done the double over
Sutton & Epsom, London Nigerians
and Old Colfiens and have notched
some impressive away wins as well
during the season.
The whole 1st XV squad can be
proud of their record this season but
special mention must be made of
Captain, Steve Pope, and Greg
Botterman, both of whom had the
honour of playing for the Barbarians
in the Mobbs Memorial Match
against the East Midlands, and it was
Steve who scored a splendid try for
the Baa-Baas. It was a huge and well-
deserved honour for the players and
it was a very proud occasion for the
club with a large number of
supporters making the journey up to
Bedford. There is no other club at
our level in the country who can
boast two Barbarians playing in the
same game, let alone the same
season.
Strength in depth remains the key
to success, and whilst the 2nd XV
have not had quite the season they
had last year, there have still been
great wins over London Nigerians,
Cambridge, Sutton, Dunstablians,
Old Colfs, Shelford, Cantebury,
Chinnor, Woodford and – last but not
least – OVs 1sts. The 3rd XV have
taken on tough competition and
beaten OVs 2nds and Harpenden
2nds twice this season, as well as
Barnet and Welwyn 2nds. However,
42
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
SP
OR
T OA Rugby
Clubstalwart IanMcMillin flatout at BeechBottom
45
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
final of the County Cup. Chairman
Rory Davis reports that all junior
and mini age group squads have
increased in number with
demonstrates the continuing success
and growth of this section of the
club.
Off the field, there have been a
number of large attendances for the
Saracens 2nd XV games on Monday
nights and a number of stars of the
game have been seen watching their
developing players. It is quite an eye-
opener to see Lawrence Dallaglio
running on as water boy for his club,
and Richard Hill sitting on the
terrace quietly nursing his leg and
happily chatting away to all. The
fireworks night went off with a bang
and we welcomed over two thousand
people at the club for the England
U16s v Italy, which England won
comfortably. The biggest cheer was
reserved for St Albans School’s Tom
Haller, who came on at prop in the
second half to earn his first cap.
Hertfordshire beat Surrey in the
curtain raiser. We have staged the
U17s National Semi-finals, a Southern
Area Women’s tournament and the
County Junior 10 a sides on the
weekend of the 30th April/1st May.
The above are just some of the
highlights of the season and as
always, there has been lots going on
at the club.
New members and old friends
returning to the area are always
welcome and you are encouraged to
make contact through our website
oarugby.combut for those who still
use the good old fashioned telephone,
please feel free to call me on
07974414342 and I will do my best to
direct your enquiry to the
appropriate officer of the Club. For
next season, we are making a
concerted effort on fund raising to
help the club in its higher profile.
Needless to say, we would be
delighted to hear from OAs who may
be able to help in some form of
sponsorship. I look forward to
reporting in the next issue.
Finally, a date for your diary: the
Summer Ball is being held on 9th
July, always the highlight of the
social calendar.
Alastair MillsPresident OARFC
44
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
SP
OR
T
45
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
final of the County Cup. Chairman
Rory Davis reports that all junior
and mini age group squads have
increased in number with
demonstrates the continuing success
and growth of this section of the
club.
Off the field, there have been a
number of large attendances for the
Saracens 2nd XV games on Monday
nights and a number of stars of the
game have been seen watching their
developing players. It is quite an eye-
opener to see Lawrence Dallaglio
running on as water boy for his club,
and Richard Hill sitting on the
terrace quietly nursing his leg and
happily chatting away to all. The
fireworks night went off with a bang
and we welcomed over two thousand
people at the club for the England
U16s v Italy, which England won
comfortably. The biggest cheer was
reserved for St Albans School’s Tom
Haller, who came on at prop in the
second half to earn his first cap.
Hertfordshire beat Surrey in the
curtain raiser. We have staged the
U17s National Semi-finals, a Southern
Area Women’s tournament and the
County Junior 10 a sides on the
weekend of the 30th April/1st May.
The above are just some of the
highlights of the season and as
always, there has been lots going on
at the club.
New members and old friends
returning to the area are always
welcome and you are encouraged to
make contact through our website
oarugby.combut for those who still
use the good old fashioned telephone,
please feel free to call me on
07974414342 and I will do my best to
direct your enquiry to the
appropriate officer of the Club. For
next season, we are making a
concerted effort on fund raising to
help the club in its higher profile.
Needless to say, we would be
delighted to hear from OAs who may
be able to help in some form of
sponsorship. I look forward to
reporting in the next issue.
Finally, a date for your diary: the
Summer Ball is being held on 9th
July, always the highlight of the
social calendar.
Alastair MillsPresident OARFC
44
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
SP
OR
T
ring. Outside that the scores go down
to a 5 ring. Sounds easy but the ‘bull’
is eccentric so may be positioned in
various positions within the ‘black’.
So, if you don’t have telescopic
vision, your aim could be hopelessly
wrong.
The third target consists of
silhouettes of 6 animals. Hope to hit
the heart and you hit the ‘10’ ring,
after which it is outward scoring.
There is also a bonus point for
hitting a prominent (male) part of the
stag, if you can see it. All in good fun
but it does teach you to think about
the target rather than the consistent
‘aim at the centre’ of competition
targets.
To win requires some luck, an
unprofessional approach to the
competition and a complete disregard
for the breathing and aim controls
required in competition. Telescopes
are not permitted and anyone taking
the competition seriously is
penalised. This year Andy Wilkie’s
wife exhibited all these non-skills and
bolstered by an occasional sherry
relaxed enough to win.
Of course, one would never
condone the use of alcohol as a
relaxant but the writer does admit
that on his first invitation to shoot
for the County at the Imber Court
range of the Met Police – his nerves
were somewhat relaxed by the
emptying of his hip-flask – and he
was first to shoot at 0900!
So having knelt under the
dashboard of his car whilst he took
this medication, he then approached
the firing point with some additional
confidence. After an amount of
fumbling, he then relaxed and fired
off at the 6 targets, with minimal
delay – as by the 4th target, there
was a considerable desire for a
‘comfort’ break. The shooting may
have been fast but it was
surprisingly accurate. However he
manfully finished the task and shot
all 6 targets within a space of about
30 minutes, whilst others would take
all morning.
Having returned to the firing
point, the adjoining shooter for the
Met asked – “how did you get on?” I
replied: “ I think I dropped 5 shots.”
The other chap asked how I managed
on the 2nd target to which I replied –
“No, that was for all 6 targets!”.
The moral of the story is that there
is no moral to this story and a drink
before 0900 is not the way to shoot –
but didn’t it help! To cap it all, the
Met Police later sent the writer a
medal for the highest score of the
day! Of course, a taxi was needed to
take the writer home – really.
Shooting is non-PC these days for
various ridiculous reasoning by tree-
huggers, our never-ending hope is
that those who have shot in the past
may like to try their hand again and
that those who have never shot
would like to try. It is a very
demanding and precise sport. We
would welcome anyone who has been
away at university, working
overseas, living elsewhere, etc or
those who would like to have another
look at shooting please contact us
(see the web or Bulletin for contact
details) and see if you can still do it.
Target shooting is self-discipline,
shooting is self-control, shooting is
47
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Give it a shot■ Shooting is a very demanding andprecise sport, says OA Rifle & PistolClub Secretary David Buxton – sowhy not give it a try?
The summer of 2004 was a quieter
season last year, sadly again due to
lack of numbers. Shooting at the
School now requires that we hire the
range and although not a large
amount of money, has resulted in
some reduction in numbers. The
hard-core of regulars continue their
endeavours whilst we welcome
occasional new members from the
School, sadly few from beyond.
Probationary shots (a requirement
under new legislation) will attend for
a period of time during which they
will get training as needed and will
be able to use club equipment.
During that period, they can evaluate
the joys of shooting and we can
evaluate their suitability to use a
firearm. Once they have decided that
they want to become a member, their
application for membership has to be
ratified by the Committee for the
authorities. Then, if required, they
are able to approach the police and
apply for a firearms licence.
Otherwise, the club equipment can
be used for as long as is preferred.
The Club now numbers 14, divided
between regular shooters, country,
honorary, social and probationary
members. Much of the summer has
been spent on the full bore ranges at
Bisley shooting shoulder-to-shoulder
against other clubs, with reasonable
success but sadly, we recorded a loss
against arch–rivals Old Alleynians,
the first loss for about five years.
Shooting averages have
maintained a good level and there is
always that extra edge of being best
in the club in addition to beating the
opposition. Shooting outdoors at
ranges up to 900 yards is very
demanding and requires skills in
reading the wind and light – skills
not required in the consistent
conditions of the indoor range. This
year Andy Wilkie has achieved that
top spot. All average over ‘4’ per shot
(out of 5), but the old decimal point
sorts out the cream from the curdled.
To the unpractised shot, shooting
outdoors at these distances is a
revelation, targets are about 8ft wide
and seem miles away. You fire, hold
the aim and eventually the bullet
gets there and seemingly minutes
later, someone in the butts waves the
relevant flag to show you hit the bull
– very rewarding.
The season will always end with
the Christmas Shoot, a very serious
affair in theory apart from the
hilarity generated by a strange
collection of targets that have to be
shot. There are three targets, each
very different and each requiring
very little skill! The ‘chessboard’ is a
mass of numbers printed on the
target, fire off your shots and hope
they hit the higher numbers, hope
even more that the shots cut the line
between two numbers to claim both,
hope even more that the shot cuts
the intersection of four numbers to
claim all of them.
The eccentric’ targets are 1 inch
black aiming spots having a 10-9&8
46
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
SP
OR
T OA Shooting
ring. Outside that the scores go down
to a 5 ring. Sounds easy but the ‘bull’
is eccentric so may be positioned in
various positions within the ‘black’.
So, if you don’t have telescopic
vision, your aim could be hopelessly
wrong.
The third target consists of
silhouettes of 6 animals. Hope to hit
the heart and you hit the ‘10’ ring,
after which it is outward scoring.
There is also a bonus point for
hitting a prominent (male) part of the
stag, if you can see it. All in good fun
but it does teach you to think about
the target rather than the consistent
‘aim at the centre’ of competition
targets.
To win requires some luck, an
unprofessional approach to the
competition and a complete disregard
for the breathing and aim controls
required in competition. Telescopes
are not permitted and anyone taking
the competition seriously is
penalised. This year Andy Wilkie’s
wife exhibited all these non-skills and
bolstered by an occasional sherry
relaxed enough to win.
Of course, one would never
condone the use of alcohol as a
relaxant but the writer does admit
that on his first invitation to shoot
for the County at the Imber Court
range of the Met Police – his nerves
were somewhat relaxed by the
emptying of his hip-flask – and he
was first to shoot at 0900!
So having knelt under the
dashboard of his car whilst he took
this medication, he then approached
the firing point with some additional
confidence. After an amount of
fumbling, he then relaxed and fired
off at the 6 targets, with minimal
delay – as by the 4th target, there
was a considerable desire for a
‘comfort’ break. The shooting may
have been fast but it was
surprisingly accurate. However he
manfully finished the task and shot
all 6 targets within a space of about
30 minutes, whilst others would take
all morning.
Having returned to the firing
point, the adjoining shooter for the
Met asked – “how did you get on?” I
replied: “ I think I dropped 5 shots.”
The other chap asked how I managed
on the 2nd target to which I replied –
“No, that was for all 6 targets!”.
The moral of the story is that there
is no moral to this story and a drink
before 0900 is not the way to shoot –
but didn’t it help! To cap it all, the
Met Police later sent the writer a
medal for the highest score of the
day! Of course, a taxi was needed to
take the writer home – really.
Shooting is non-PC these days for
various ridiculous reasoning by tree-
huggers, our never-ending hope is
that those who have shot in the past
may like to try their hand again and
that those who have never shot
would like to try. It is a very
demanding and precise sport. We
would welcome anyone who has been
away at university, working
overseas, living elsewhere, etc or
those who would like to have another
look at shooting please contact us
(see the web or Bulletin for contact
details) and see if you can still do it.
Target shooting is self-discipline,
shooting is self-control, shooting is
47
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Give it a shot■ Shooting is a very demanding andprecise sport, says OA Rifle & PistolClub Secretary David Buxton – sowhy not give it a try?
The summer of 2004 was a quieter
season last year, sadly again due to
lack of numbers. Shooting at the
School now requires that we hire the
range and although not a large
amount of money, has resulted in
some reduction in numbers. The
hard-core of regulars continue their
endeavours whilst we welcome
occasional new members from the
School, sadly few from beyond.
Probationary shots (a requirement
under new legislation) will attend for
a period of time during which they
will get training as needed and will
be able to use club equipment.
During that period, they can evaluate
the joys of shooting and we can
evaluate their suitability to use a
firearm. Once they have decided that
they want to become a member, their
application for membership has to be
ratified by the Committee for the
authorities. Then, if required, they
are able to approach the police and
apply for a firearms licence.
Otherwise, the club equipment can
be used for as long as is preferred.
The Club now numbers 14, divided
between regular shooters, country,
honorary, social and probationary
members. Much of the summer has
been spent on the full bore ranges at
Bisley shooting shoulder-to-shoulder
against other clubs, with reasonable
success but sadly, we recorded a loss
against arch–rivals Old Alleynians,
the first loss for about five years.
Shooting averages have
maintained a good level and there is
always that extra edge of being best
in the club in addition to beating the
opposition. Shooting outdoors at
ranges up to 900 yards is very
demanding and requires skills in
reading the wind and light – skills
not required in the consistent
conditions of the indoor range. This
year Andy Wilkie has achieved that
top spot. All average over ‘4’ per shot
(out of 5), but the old decimal point
sorts out the cream from the curdled.
To the unpractised shot, shooting
outdoors at these distances is a
revelation, targets are about 8ft wide
and seem miles away. You fire, hold
the aim and eventually the bullet
gets there and seemingly minutes
later, someone in the butts waves the
relevant flag to show you hit the bull
– very rewarding.
The season will always end with
the Christmas Shoot, a very serious
affair in theory apart from the
hilarity generated by a strange
collection of targets that have to be
shot. There are three targets, each
very different and each requiring
very little skill! The ‘chessboard’ is a
mass of numbers printed on the
target, fire off your shots and hope
they hit the higher numbers, hope
even more that the shots cut the line
between two numbers to claim both,
hope even more that the shot cuts
the intersection of four numbers to
claim all of them.
The eccentric’ targets are 1 inch
black aiming spots having a 10-9&8
46
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
OA
SP
OR
T OA Shooting
fun, shooting is highly individualised
until you are part of a team, come
and enjoy.
Hold that aim!
David BuxtonSecretary
RUGBY FOOTBALL
A Retrospect■ Major Wood Smith on the 1919conversion of the School fromassociation to rugby football, takenfrom the School’s John InsomuchPress web site
The football season just concluded is
chiefly notable for the fact that a
radical change has been carried out.
Following the example of many other
Public Schools, we decided at the
beginning of the term to drop the
“soccer” game and adopt “rugger” in
its place. As was only to be expected,
it took the School some time to settle
down to a new game and a new code,
but, when we consider the fact that
no playing member of the School had
ever apparently played the game
before, we may take the results as
most encouraging, and the thanks of
all are justly due to those masters
who turned out regularly and did
their best to initiate the younger
generation in the game that they
themselves had loved so well in their
earlier days. It would not be amiss to
draw attention to the points in the
game to which insufficient attention
was given and to which the earlier
failures were due. Firstly, the
“soccer” habit of kicking the ball
hard “on sight” persisted to the end;
the fact that hands are better than
feet with which to stop a forward
rush was never fully grasped; we
suffered badly from the want of
capable half-backs who could
combine and make openings for the
three-quarters; the material was
good, but all the backs failed to learn
to pass properly – “hard and low”
was told them, but “soft and high”
was what they chiefly did. The
forwards came on well and soon
learnt to control the ball and dribble,
but amongst both forwards and
backs the tackling was very feeble;
until all learn to tackle low and hard,
they will not win matches worth
winning. To be personal, Pike,
Attwood and W H Bailey developed
into good sound forwards, Owen and
Purner played hard and should be
good in time. Several players tried to
play half, but none seemed to be born
with the gift. Of the three-quarters, F
Chandler was the best, though
Bredin at one time showed more
promise; the latter with his pace
might turn out really good, but he
must learn to keep his place, to
combine, and to handle the ball
better. Groves, though slow, was the
only one who was any use as full
back.
Next season we hope the XV will
start by playing a harder, faster
game, that they will learn how to
tackle and handle the ball to better
purpose, and that we shall find half-
backs who can play to one another
and make openings for the three-
quarters.
48
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Driving forward■ A busy 2005 season is underwaywith a match against Mid Herts GolfClub. Don Carnell reports on anexcellent day and invites newmembers of all ages and levels ofability
The 2005 season teed off with the
annual club dinner where the men
invite their ladies – partly as a
“thank you” for letting them escape
to golf during the rest of the year,
and partly to have someone to drive
them home!
This year it was held at Mid Herts
Golf Club where following an
excellent meal the new captain Peter
Dew entertained the gathering with
some well chosen words.
On Saturday 9th April the first of
the 2005 golf events took place with a
match against Mid Herts. After all
the recent cold weather including
sleet and snow everyone was pleased
to see the sun shining, although the
temperature was slow to rise. After
the customary bacon baguette and
coffee, 16 Old Albanians took on the
members of Mid Herts in a 4 ball
better ball match play tournament
with the respective captains Peter
Dew and Pat Maguire for Mid Herts
(see photograph on the first tee)
along with their partners Chris Dew
and Allan Green taking the tee at
8.45am.
Following a closely fought match,
which the OAs just managed to win,
everyone enjoyed a good lunch with
entertaining speeches from both
captains.
The next event is a visit to
Tadmarton Heath Golf Club on 31st
May, where OA John Cox is
secretary. This is an afternoon event
with the first tee time at 2.00pm.
There are sandwiches on arrival
followed by 18 holes of golf and
culminating with dinner.
If anyone is interested in
participating in any of the events,
Royce Bryant, the Golf Society
Secretary, will be pleased to hear
from you.
His address is 23, Meadowcroft, St
Albans, Herts, AL1 1UD or telephone
him on 01727 863130. It is worth
noting that all the events are
designed to be enjoyed by all levels of
golfer and the ages range from 24 to
70 years.
Don Carnell
OA Golf
49
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
fun, shooting is highly individualised
until you are part of a team, come
and enjoy.
Hold that aim!
David BuxtonSecretary
RUGBY FOOTBALL
A Retrospect■ Major Wood Smith on the 1919conversion of the School fromassociation to rugby football, takenfrom the School’s John InsomuchPress web site
The football season just concluded is
chiefly notable for the fact that a
radical change has been carried out.
Following the example of many other
Public Schools, we decided at the
beginning of the term to drop the
“soccer” game and adopt “rugger” in
its place. As was only to be expected,
it took the School some time to settle
down to a new game and a new code,
but, when we consider the fact that
no playing member of the School had
ever apparently played the game
before, we may take the results as
most encouraging, and the thanks of
all are justly due to those masters
who turned out regularly and did
their best to initiate the younger
generation in the game that they
themselves had loved so well in their
earlier days. It would not be amiss to
draw attention to the points in the
game to which insufficient attention
was given and to which the earlier
failures were due. Firstly, the
“soccer” habit of kicking the ball
hard “on sight” persisted to the end;
the fact that hands are better than
feet with which to stop a forward
rush was never fully grasped; we
suffered badly from the want of
capable half-backs who could
combine and make openings for the
three-quarters; the material was
good, but all the backs failed to learn
to pass properly – “hard and low”
was told them, but “soft and high”
was what they chiefly did. The
forwards came on well and soon
learnt to control the ball and dribble,
but amongst both forwards and
backs the tackling was very feeble;
until all learn to tackle low and hard,
they will not win matches worth
winning. To be personal, Pike,
Attwood and W H Bailey developed
into good sound forwards, Owen and
Purner played hard and should be
good in time. Several players tried to
play half, but none seemed to be born
with the gift. Of the three-quarters, F
Chandler was the best, though
Bredin at one time showed more
promise; the latter with his pace
might turn out really good, but he
must learn to keep his place, to
combine, and to handle the ball
better. Groves, though slow, was the
only one who was any use as full
back.
Next season we hope the XV will
start by playing a harder, faster
game, that they will learn how to
tackle and handle the ball to better
purpose, and that we shall find half-
backs who can play to one another
and make openings for the three-
quarters.
48
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005
Driving forward■ A busy 2005 season is underwaywith a match against Mid Herts GolfClub. Don Carnell reports on anexcellent day and invites newmembers of all ages and levels ofability
The 2005 season teed off with the
annual club dinner where the men
invite their ladies – partly as a
“thank you” for letting them escape
to golf during the rest of the year,
and partly to have someone to drive
them home!
This year it was held at Mid Herts
Golf Club where following an
excellent meal the new captain Peter
Dew entertained the gathering with
some well chosen words.
On Saturday 9th April the first of
the 2005 golf events took place with a
match against Mid Herts. After all
the recent cold weather including
sleet and snow everyone was pleased
to see the sun shining, although the
temperature was slow to rise. After
the customary bacon baguette and
coffee, 16 Old Albanians took on the
members of Mid Herts in a 4 ball
better ball match play tournament
with the respective captains Peter
Dew and Pat Maguire for Mid Herts
(see photograph on the first tee)
along with their partners Chris Dew
and Allan Green taking the tee at
8.45am.
Following a closely fought match,
which the OAs just managed to win,
everyone enjoyed a good lunch with
entertaining speeches from both
captains.
The next event is a visit to
Tadmarton Heath Golf Club on 31st
May, where OA John Cox is
secretary. This is an afternoon event
with the first tee time at 2.00pm.
There are sandwiches on arrival
followed by 18 holes of golf and
culminating with dinner.
If anyone is interested in
participating in any of the events,
Royce Bryant, the Golf Society
Secretary, will be pleased to hear
from you.
His address is 23, Meadowcroft, St
Albans, Herts, AL1 1UD or telephone
him on 01727 863130. It is worth
noting that all the events are
designed to be enjoyed by all levels of
golfer and the ages range from 24 to
70 years.
Don Carnell
OA Golf
49
OA BULLETIN MAY 2005