OA Bulletin - Summer 2010 Edition

Old Albanian Club

June2010

OABULLETIN

DIARY DATESFounders’ Day – Saturday 3rd July 2010

London Drinks Party – Thursday 18th November 2010

Winter Wonderland: the scene at Woollams on January 7 2010

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OA BULLETIN JUNE 2010

Nick Chappin – EditorAndy Chappin – Design & ProductionRoger Cook – MembershipMike Highstead – Gazette

Printing - Herts & Beds Printing01923 234959

OA CLUB www.oldalbanianclub.com

President Stephen Burgess01727 867868

[email protected] David Buxton

01727 [email protected]

Treasurer Brian Sullman01582 460317

Membership Secretary Roger Cook01727 836877

[email protected] SPORTS www.oasport.comRUGBYPresident Adrian Tominey


Chairman Rory Davis01727 843538

[email protected] Bryan Short


Secretary Peter Lipscomb01727 760466

[email protected] Chairman Brian Clark


Junior Chairman Chris Branagan07810 180013

[email protected] Saints Chairwoman Tasha Saint-Smith


FOOTBALL www.oasoccer.co.ukClub President & Manager Simon Bates

07720 383600 / 01442 240247Treasurer & Club Secretary David Hughes

07890 831315 / 01727 [email protected]

Sponsorship Secretary David Burrows07841 431614

CRICKET www.oacc.org.ukPresident Aln PhilpottChairman Andrew McCree

07890 831315 / 01727 [email protected]

Treasurer Denis [email protected]

Fixture Secretary Julian [email protected]

TENNISMembership Enquiries Sue Barnes


Coaching Enquiries Diana Wilkinson07767 237474

[email protected] & Pistol Andrew Wilkie

01727 856857Angling Geoff Cannon

01582 792512Golf Peter Dredge


OA LODGEJohn Williams 01438 715679

[email protected]

SCHOOL WEB SITEwww.st-albans.herts.sch.uk

OACONTACT

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Editorial

Plus ca change…A country teetering on the verge ofbankruptcy, a rocky CoalitionGovernment, and rising Trade Unionunrest. How times have changedsince my schooldays were drawing toa close in 1974…Not that I was particularly

concerned with such matters at thetime, of course. As I finished my ‘A’levels in 1975 (including, irritatingly,an ‘S’ level English exam on my 18thbirthday), I was looking forward tomy holiday job with a local buildingfirm to stave off personalbankruptcy, and formingcoalitions with mygirlfriend at everyavailable opportunity.The only industrialunrest to worry about onthe building site was ifwe ran out of condensedmilk in the mess hut.University, and anythingbeyond that, appeared along way off. My onlyconscious brush with theoutside world was a mildfrustration at being a month tooyoung to vote in the referendum onwhether to stay in the EC, whichtook place in June of that year. Toremind myself what else was goingon out there at the time, I’ve had torely on the Internet – rather aptly, asit turns out, as January 1975 also sawthe launch of the Altair 8800.According to Wikipedia (and when’sthat ever wrong?) this “sparked theera of the microcomputer,” but thefounding of Microsoft by Bill Gates in

April would probably get my vote. Reflecting our continued reluctance

to be part of Europe, work on theBritish end of the Channel Tunnel wasabandoned in January, and MargaretThatcher defeated Edward Heath toassume leadership of the Conservativeparty. Further afield, Japanese WW2soldier Teruo Nakamura finallysurrendered on the Indonesian islandof Morota, while Communist forcestook Saigon to signal the last days ofthe Vietnam conflict. On the domestic front, the 7th Earl

of Lucan was found guilty in absentiafor the murder of nannySandra Rivett, and PeterSutcliffe, the notorious‘Yorkshire Ripper’,claimed his first victim.The Government tookover the ailing BritishLeyland and, for reasonsbest known to herself, theQueen decided to knightCharlie Chaplin –presumably for servicesto falling overunconvincingly. He wasone of my former history

master Mike Hudis’ great heroes – theothers, I recall, were Duke Ellingtonand Stanley Baldwin – and Chaplinsparked some lively debates in ‘A’Level classes. Batting for the ‘comedygenius’ side were Mike Hudis and oneor two other deluded beings andsycophants, and in the ‘world’s mostoverrated so-called comedian’ campwas everyone else.Looking back, I suppose we were

being encouraged to develop strongopinions of our own in preparation

OACOMMENT

The Queen decided

to knight Charlie

Chaplin –

presumably for

services to falling

over unconvincingly

for the outside world. Competitionwas actively encouraged at school,whether in sport or academic life. Anear contemporary, Douglas Ponton(76), has submitted a poem on thistheme (see page 26). I must confess Itend towards the Charles Bloxhamview described in his obituary onpage 20: “Now don’t go expecting lifeto be fair, cos it ent!” We live in ahighly competitive world, and I amglad to see that during the school lifeof my two children this ethos hasbeen making a welcome comeback.In this issue the Headmaster

reports on a snow-interrupted winterfor the school, and Club PresidentSteve Burgess – who has beenpersuaded to extend his term by afurther year – reflects on thecommunity spirit displayed by theschool and the club during thesedifficult economic times. In the

letters section was have the latestinstalment from ‘The Berts’ on theirrecollections of life at St AlbansSchool in the 1950s, and some specialmemories of one of our oldest OAs,Arthur Lewis MBE, who writes fromhis home in Australia.My thanks as always to everyone

who has contributed to this edition,and may I finish by congratulatingthe Old Albanian Rugby Club FirstXV on their promotion to theNational Leagues for the first time.The only school old boys’ club toreach this elevated position, they willbe playing in National 2 South nextseason against famous names such asRichmond and Rosslyn Park, andrenewing old rivalries with Ealing,Shelford and Canterbury. We wishthem well.

Nick Chappin (75)Editor

OACOMMEN

T

Notes for buddingauthorsSubject matterAbsolutely anything you think would be ofinterest to fellow OAs, from anecdotes andrecollections of your schooldays to the eventsand experiences over the intervening years. Yourcontribution can be in any form, from a letter orarticle to a snippet of news or a simple photocaption, and can be submitted electronically viae-mail or in hard copy format by post to theaddress below.

LengthThere is no limit to length, but as a guide a pagein the Bulletin is around 450 words. Please note

that we reserve the right to edit the text asappropriate.

PhotosPhotographs on any subject are always welcome.They can be submitted either digitally (preferablyin JPG format) or in hard copy format to theaddress below. Once scanned, the originals will bereturned to the sender. Both colour and black andwhite photos are acceptable, as the Bulletin isprinted in mono but appears online in full colour.

AddressPlease send your contributions to:Nick Chappin, EditorPost: 18 The Pleasance, Harpenden, Herts AL5 3NAEmail: [email protected]

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President’s Notes

Community spirit■ Having agreed to extend his term of officefor another year, Old Albanian ClubPresident Stephen Burgess welcomes thespirit of self-reliance demonstrated by theSchool and the Club as the country facessome difficult spending cut decisions

Self-RelianceI had not expected to be writing this editionof President’s Notes, but we have not had avolunteer to take over as President and Iagreed to continue for one more year, myfourth, matching Andrew Mills-Baker.The new government will have to deal

with a formidable deficit resulting from toomuch spending in the good times and arecession which was alwayslikely but made worse by abanking crisis. The result hasseen a sharp reduction in thetax take, and further sharprises in government spending,partly intended to cushion therecession, and partly to paygreatly increased welfarepayments.Most political parties have

avoided talking about thenecessary cuts, and some wantto positively protectgovernment spending. I suspectthe truth is that there will be littlealternative but to make quite severe cuts inpublic spending as the electorate has littletolerance of further tax rises exceptseemingly on the ‘rich’.Inevitably cuts will come in areas such as

sport and recreation in the wide sense of theword. Such cuts will be met with cries ofdespondency and regret as will job losses inthe public sector. Job losses and the

economic adjustment to recession have beenentirely from the private sector so far.I make these observations having had a

conversation with theHeadmaster at Woollamsobserving that the facilitiesprovided by the Old Albaniansand the School are now used bylarge numbers of thecommunity of both OAs andresidents of St Albans and thesurrounding area. They learnand enjoy sport with the senseof community this involves atno expense to the tax-payer atall. It is all funded by theSchool, the Old Albanian Cluband the Sports Clubs. I admire

this self-reliance. We will need more of itover the next few years as budgets willremain tight for some time yet.

Past and Forthcoming EventsSince my last notes the Club has held avery successful London Drinks Party witharound 140 people attending. For the pastfew years this has been held at the EastIndia Club but this year it will be held on

The facilities

provided by the

OAs and the School

are now used by

large numbers of

the community

5


the 18th November at the Lansdowne Clubjust off Berkeley Square. Put the date thedate in your diary!The dinner held in March was enjoyable

but numbers, well up last year, fell back

sharply this year. We will be looking at theformat to see if we can get it to match thesuccess of the London Drinks Party. Other events held under the auspices of

the club have been a cocktail party in Hong

Blazers on tour: some familiar rugby club faces among a party of 30 that visited Jersey in January to see theFirst XV take on the league leaders

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Kong a Dinner in Vancouver and mostrecently a Social and Networking party inThe City. These have been organised bylocal and regional representatives and morewill follow. Details will be announced on thewebsite so watch this space.

Sports ClubsThe Rugby Club has enjoyed an outstandingseason. The 1st XV gained promotion toNational League 2 by winning a play-offagainst the second placed team in National3 South West, Old Patesians. The success ofthe club is not, however, restricted to the1st XV with all teams doingwell down to the youngestminis – well done!A new cricket season has

started with good overseasplayer, new captain of the cluband some new officers. There isconsiderable confidence for theclub’s 80th season, which isbeing celebrated with a dinnerat Woollams on 30th April.Other clubs under the OA

umbrella are thriving includingTennis, Angling, Netball, Golf,Football and Shooting. Theactive shooting is very small and had tomeet some high costs. The OA Club hastherefore given them a grant to enable themto continue under the OA banner.We are still hoping to get floodlights for

the tennis courts. They would be a greatboost.As has been mentioned before, we have

had the Saracens Rugby Club as tenantssince last July. The agreement is for 10years with a break clause at five years. Thetenancy also includes use of a purpose-builtgym on the School’s part of the WoollamsPlaying Fields. The agreement with

Saracens is of considerable economic benefitand has gone very well all round. Saracensstrongly appreciate the facilities and theyare enjoying their best season for severalyears.

The SchoolAs you will know the School contacted allOld Albanians with the view to helpingthem on new projects and with bursary andscholarship funds. I am glad to say theresponse has been very good so far, welldone and keep it up.

The President’s RoleThe role of the President hasbeen increased considerablyover the last decade or so withPresidents providing continuityof three years – or more in thecase of Andy Mills-Baker andmyself. We are looking atreducing the role as it is a lotfor a working OA to undertake.The club is now moreintegrated with the School. Thesports clubs are largelyindependent. I am looking tofurther change the role so that

future Presidents will have less to do andthe role can be more of an honour ratherthan a chore. We are looking for a newPresident on this basis.Good wishes for the summer, and good

luck to the new government!Stephen Burgess

President, Old Albanian Club

The agreement

with Saracens is of

considerable

economic benefit

and has gone very

well all round

7


Skating ahead■ Headmaster Andrew Grant looks back onsix months of sporting success, despite thedisruptions of the severe Winter weather

It was, of course, the weatherthat made the headlines overthe Christmas period and formuch of the spring term, withHockey, both pre-season

training and early matches, succumbing tothe snow, but we were able to look back ona very successful autumn’s sport.It was a good rugby season, despite the

First XV struggling to match the success oflast year’s outstanding squadwhilst taking on some toughnew fixtures arranged partly inresponse to last year’sdominance. They neverthelessacquitted themselves veryhonourably and, in February,reconstituted themselves out ofseason, to take on, and defeatconvincingly, a touring sidefrom St Alban’s College BuenosAires.The rugby laurels, however,

go to the Second XV, whoswept the board in thewww.schoolsrugby.co.ukleagues, topping thePerformance; England; All Comers; Londonand South East and Evening Standardcompetitions. How well the Second teamdoes is the true measure of a school’sstrength in depth in a given sport and thepoint was reinforced by outstandingperformances from the U16 team, whoheaded their London and South East table;and the U13s who saw off the opposition intheir Evening Standard league. The U14

and U12 teams were also highly-ranked, sothe future looks promising. Perhaps appropriately, however, given

the weather that was about to descend, itwas a dedicated team of skiers who tooksporting pride of place for the term inbreaking the Scottish stranglehold on theBritish Schools Artificial SlopesChampionships. They travelled toPontypool in Wales having already won theEnglish Schools Championships, but werein uncharted territory trying to win theBritish competition. There was a full entryof 25 girls’ teams and 25 boys’ teams,producing races of exceptionally highquality through which the St Albans School

team of Gerard and NiallFlahive, Douglas Reid and MaxGreenfield performedadmirably on the day tobecome the first English schoolto win the competition. TeamCaptain Gerard Flahive wasthe fastest boy in thecompetition, winning themagnificent crystal trophydonated by the Boyd AndersonTrust. This was a trulyexceptional team andindividual achievement.The first partial casualty of

the arctic conditions was theCCF winter camp at Yardley

Chase, for which 100 cadets set off on thelast day of term immediately after themorning Carol Service. After a good firstday, in which everything went according toplan, and a cold night under the stars, theweather closed in and there was a danger ofbeing caught out in atrocious conditions.This would have taken the realism of thesurvival training a little too far so theycame back to School, arriving as the snow

The Carol Services

were the

culmination of

what has become a

de facto autumn

festival of music,

drama and poetry

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Headmaster’s Notes

started to fall heavily and bedded down forthe night in the gym, over which, bymorning, hung a very damp and distinctivearoma. The Carol Service referred to above was

our second of the week. Following years ofhaving to accommodate people in theCrossing to meet the demand for tickets,this year’s innovation of an eveningservice, largely for parents, guests andUpper Sixth, followed by a morning one toend the term for the rest of the School,proved a success, and the Choir, singing animpressively ambitious programme ofmusic with supreme accomplishment, were,if anything, even more confident on thesecond day.The Carol Services were the culmination

of what has become a de facto festival ofmusic, drama and poetry that each yearcloses the autumn term, with the SchoolConcert, the Christmas Show, GreatExpectations and the Lower SchoolChristmas Evening displaying a huge rangeof talent and skill of all ages in the School.

A month or so earlier, we had beendelighted to welcome back a large numberof OAs for the School’s AnnualRemembrance Service in the Abbey,followed by the very successful launch of StAlbans School at War 1939-1945 edited byRobin Ollington, with whose 80th birthdaythe event happened to coincide. After luncha number of former boarders enjoyed seeingwhat had become of their erstwhile home(literally in the case of one GeoffreyMarsh): School House.The Christmas holiday also brought news

of the results of the annual competition forplaces at Oxford and Cambridgeuniversities and it is pleasing to report thatour students secured the usual number ofplaces despite the clear evidence that 2010will be the most intensely competitive yearin history for university entrance. The reasons are largely of this

Government’s making. Having spent 12years encouraging 50% of the 18-30 cohortto apply to university, and whilstuniversities were still a long way short of

9


that figure and dutifully stillstriving to reach it, theGovernment has nowresponded to the recession bycapping recruitment, refusingto fund the increase innumbers necessary ifuniversities were to meet the50% target that has been anarticle of faith since 1997 andthreatening stringent fines forevery student accepted inexcess of the cap.However, what our students

do have going for them, if theytake advice and work hard, isthe exceptional track record ofsuccess at this School instudents securing places attheir university of first choiceand as a corrective to some ofthe alarmist nonsense you readin some newspapers aboutsocially-engineering universityadmissions, you might like toknow that 82.8% of ourcandidates last year got theirfirst-choice offer, of which 64%went to Russell Groupuniversities and 24% touniversities in the 1994 Group(which includes Bath, Durham,Loughborough, St Andrews,York etc).Apart from the rugby (and

mixed hockey) victories over our Southern-hemisphere namesakes, the sportinghighlight of the spring term wasundoubtedly the cross-country squad’striumph, against the odds, in the KingHenry VIII Relay in Coventry. In a yearwhen snow caused the cancellation of theseason’s other major race, the Knole Run,

“Henry’s” became the race towin for the UK’s top cross-country schools. Our senior Ateam was notable for includingprecociously talented ThirdFormer Mark Pearce.Meanwhile, 948 ScholarVictoria Walker won the girls’race in a new course record,the only girl ever to havebroken 13 minutes for the lap.Victoria went on to win theSouth East Schools title atHarrow on March 6th, while adifferent Third Former, JoeRedwood, carried off the Juniorboys’ title, two places ahead ofarch rival Pearce, so the StAlbans cross-country legacycontinues to look secure.In the middle of the term, an

era in the School’s historyclosed when over 350 OAsreturned to the Abbey for theMemorial Service for FrankKilvington, a fitting reflectionof the affection and respect inwhich Frank was held.Frank’s widow, Jane, was

delighted to be able to renewso many old friendships and Ido hope that some, who werefinding their way back theSchool for the first time inmany decades, will keep in

touch, an easy matter these days, thanks tothe excellent work of Kate Le Sueur andthe miracle of modern communicationstechnology!

Andrew GrantHeadmaster

10


An era in the

School’s history

closed when over

350 OAs returned

to the Abbey for

the Memorial

Service for Frank

Kilvington

Flying high■ Having supported the GrandCharity in 2009, lodges inHertfordshire are now able to supportthe local charities of their choice.Assistant Secretary John Williamsdescribes how the OA Lodge is doingits bit to keep the Herts AirAmbulance service flying

The Lodge year commenced at theInstallation meeting on Saturday 8thMay when the new Master of theLodge, David Worden, was installedin the Chair by the outgoingMaster, Martin Straus. Davidwas initiated into the Lodgeas far back as 1978, but hisother activities meant he wasvery seldom able to attendLodge meetings, although hemaintained his membership.After a successful career inthe automotive industry, helatterly spent a number of yearsteaching, before recently retiring.During the intervening years Davidalso joined an old London Lodge ‘TheRoyal and Loyal’ which meets at theOld Sessions House on ClerkenwellGreen where he was installed asMaster in 2002. Interestingly, the Old Middlesex

Sessions House was once the largestand busiest courthouse in England.Built in the Grand Pantheon stylefavoured during the reign of KingGeorge III, the building has beenextensively restored to much of itsoriginal style. In many ways similarto the Abbey Gateway in laterfunction – although of no great age

in comparison - it contained courtrooms, dungeons for holdingprisoners and living space for theresident judges. The building, whichnow has a Grade 2 Star listing fromEnglish Heritage, ceased to functionas a court in 1920 and now serves asa conference and Masonic meetingcentre.Martin Straus, a joining member of

the Lodge, was elected to serve asMaster in 2009-2010 because our thenSenior Warden Chris Whiteside verysensibly decided to step aside – forthe time being at least.

Chris, who already has anextensive track record ofactive involvement in publicservice, was standing forParliament again as theConservative candidate in theCopeland constituency inWest Cumbria – havingcontested, but to no avail –the previous Copeland

constituency, on different boundariesin the 2005 general election. Chrisnow lives in Whitehaven with hiswife and young family and works inthe constituency as a manager in thetelecommunications industry. He hasalso been elected as a localcouncillor. The Copelandconstituency was held for 35 years bythe former Labour Minister JackCunningham, now Lord Cunninghamof Felling. Sadly although Chrismanaged to increase his vote in thegeneral election by more than 5,000and by about 50%, it was again notenough. I would hastily add here thatalthough many individual membersof the Lodge undoubtedly encouraged

11


OAUPDATE OA Lodge

Former WardenChris Whiteside

12


OAUPDATE

Chris in his endeavours to become anMP, Freemasonry is not a politicalorganisation and indeedFreemasonry, as a body, will neverexpress a view on politics or statepolicy. The discussion of politics –and indeed, religion - at Masonicmeetings has always been strictlyprohibited, a factor which hasundoubtedly played a considerablepart in the survival of Freemasonrysince well before the English CivilWar!Following his installation, our new

Master appointed the Lodge Officersfor the ensuing year. After theextensive changes last year, therewere few except in those roles whichare progressive. The 2009 FestivalAppeal for the Grand Charity raised£3.15m, and in September the successof our previous Lodge CharitySteward and present Director ofCeremonies, Dick Knifton, wasrecognised by his appointment asProvincial Grand Charity Steward forHertfordshire – looking after sometwo hundred plus Lodges!It was with great sadness that the

Lodge learnt of the death in March ofCharles Bloxham at the age of 94. Amoving tribute was delivered byNigel WoodSmith during theInstallation meeting, after which thebrethren stood in silent tribute to hismemory. Charles was one of the mostsenior members of the Lodge andvery recently, after he could nolonger manage the stairs in theGateway to attend meetings, he hadbeen elected an Honorary Member,which he much appreciated. Charleswas proposed as a member of the

Lodge in 1966 by Geoffrey Pryke,seconded by Sam Kilpatrick andinitiated into the Lodge on 14thJanuary 1967. After passing throughthe various offices in the Lodge, hewas installed as Master in 1979.Thereafter he attended the Lodge –which is held on Saturday afternoons– whenever sports fixtures allowed,and indeed served for a number ofyears as Assistant Secretary. Inrecognition of his services to theLodge, he received ProvincialHonours in 1986. He was alsoassiduous in his attendance of theLodge of Instruction - which meetson weekday evenings fortnightlyduring the ‘season’. And as might beexpected, for over 25 years he wasinstrumental in guiding and helpingmany younger members to rehearseand refine the various ceremonies.He has already been sorely missed.After the end of the 2009 Festival

in support of the Grand Charity, for afew years at least, Lodges inHertfordshire can concentrate onsupporting local charities which aredear to their hearts. Freemasonsnever ask the public to contribute totheir charitable giving but relyentirely on members, supported ofcourse by their families. Indeed, weare told that only the Lotteryroutinely gives more than we do –including to non-Masonic charities -as well as those that are run to helpour members and families in hardtimes. The Herts Air Ambulanceservice which was inaugurated ayear and a half ago, has captured theimagination of many Lodges inHertfordshire, encouraged by the

4 Rollswood

Road

Welwyn

Herts AL6 9TX

01438 715679

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knowledge that the servicenationwide has already beensupported by the Grand Charity tothe tune of £500,000. In the first 14 months of its

existence it has flown more than 400missions, enabling victims of roadaccidents or other medicalemergencies to be whisked tohospital speedily. The crew alwaysincludes an emergency-qualifieddoctor and a paramedic. It costs£2,000 each time the helicopter takesto air and it can cover the whole ofHertfordshire within 15 minutes.Overall it costs around £120,000 permonth to operate the aircraft fivedays a week. Very recent donationsfrom Hertfordshire Lodges havealready exceeded £10,000 and theProvincial Grand Charity Steward,Dick Knifton, said that he wasdelighted that Lodges werecontinuing their support for this vitalemergency service to the community– and that the service wasdetermined to keep flying despiteincreasing costs.The Lodge meets only five times a

year on the second Saturdays inJanuary, March, May and September

and the first Saturday in November.All those connected with the School,including fathers of past or presentpupils are welcome to apply formembership, for which purpose thefirst approach should be to anyLodge member, the AssistantSecretary as below; or NigelWoodSmith, Alan Smith or MarkPedroz at the School. Members ofother Lodges, be they OAs, parents ofpast or present pupils, staff orGovernors are encouraged to visit theLodge whenever they wish, and theAssistant Secretary will be delightedto hear from them. The Lodgewebsite address is: http://www.oa-lodge.co.uk/

John WilliamsLodge Assistant Secretary

[email protected]

The Herts Air Ambulance

OAUPDATE

14

Membership Secretary’s Notes

In memoriam■ Membership Secretary Roger Cookremembers his former teacher CharlesBloxham, who passed away recently

Charles BloxhamIt is with personal regret that I hearof Charles’ death. He was the lastsurviving member of staff whotaught me – he was an excellentteacher and an outstanding rugbycoach. At his 90th birthday lunch hespoke, without notes, clearly andconcisely of his memories.

John Francis RooleyOne of John’s former friends asks ifanyone can provide informationabout his last years. Our recordsshow that he left school in 1955 anddied about six years ago. Please letme know if you can help.

Postal copiesFour years ago, I was distributingover 1,500 copies of the OA Bulletinby post. Today the number is lessthan 400; meanwhile the number ofhits on the website has increased! Weare continuing to provide this service(at a charge of £18 for three years)but we may have to discontinue it ifthe demand makes it uneconomical.

OA tiesI have just placed an order for moreOA ties. I still have a small stock(silk @ £12.50, bow-tie @ £15, postfree) but I may have to increase thecost for the next batch – first come,first served. Ties may also be orderedonline via the website.

Roger CookMembership Secretary

1 Pondwicks

Close

St Albans

AL1 1DG

01727 836877

From theArchive: theSchool staffin anundatedphoto fromthe 1970s.CharlesBloxham isback row,second right


15

1950Martin P. DavisJ. W. DunsterH. K. EdenP. G. C. EdwardsTerence W. JowettJ. A. C. LittleK. G. LundF. M. MooreJ. ShepherdPatrick R. ThorntonFrederick J. TimmsPeter H. T. Wright

1951J. Nigel BeckettMichael W. BradshawChristopher D. K. CookG. A. D. DolphinChristopher R. DryhurstJ. S. HarveyDavid J. MackayR. Neil PageN. J. PottsM. W. A. TaylerPhilip A. WedgwoodMartin C. WhitbyE. W. WoodMichael J. C. WoodMichael H. Youngman

1952Graham AdamsAlistair J. M. AikmanG. J. BarnesD. B. C. BennettDavid H. BevanM. H. F. BradsellA. J. F. BrockwellD. J. CannonTerence A. R. CoxBrian R. DaviesRichard P. GardenerGeoffrey GouldMichael J. HammondJ. R. HarrisonBrian H. HillsG. H. HowardD. M. J. IngramD. J. JayM. A. KemishA. Lister

Trevor S. MessageMichael R. MilchAlistair J. MilroyN. R. MooreJ. C. PhypersC. J. PorterJohn PriceAlan N. RichardsonDavid B. RigbyJohn A. B. SewellKeith O. ShipleyJ. M. Whyte

1953Roger K. BarnesMichael T. BishopM. J. BristowDavid R. BrooksB. R. BubbP. J. CookM. CooksonM. CornwellM. S. CraddockR. J. CullDavid J. DaveyD. C. HopcraftJ. W. HowlettGerald H. JohnsonK. LeaneyD. A. PrattJohn C. PritchardAndrew P. StewartB. J. SturgessJ. M. WoodgateR. A. Wortley

1954 Michael J. S. BarnesDavid C. BartholomewJohn R. BateG. A. DanielsPaul FletcherA. N. GodfreyB. D. GowenAndrew H. GregoryDavid J. HardsPeter J. C. HarwoodA. C. HolbrookBrian C. MacklinMichael MercerM. A. E. MillsEric J. Newman

John PhillipsJ. B. M. PiperD. R. PotterSidney RatledgeD. B. RogersM. H. RoweR. D. H. SmithK. A. StanfieldE. J. StedmanD. I. WilliamsD. C. B. Woodward

1955Michael B. ArnoldPeter E. J. BallRonald H. BinghamAlan L. BromleyD. C. DixonPeter R. GoodwinCharles E. Y. HedgesDavid HobdenC. J. HutchinsonB. A. JohnsonJ. V. KnightDavid G. NealAnthony D. ProcterAnthony P. RogersonJ. L. SharpRoger J. SmithRichard J. TownshendKenneth WardA. B. WilliamsStanley W. Young

1956J. Max AlcockRichard E. BartholomewJ. A. ButcherRichard D. ConnorJ DandyOwen A. DaviesJ. J. DayRoger J. DewickJ. R. DunkleyMichael C. GilbertDavid GoldstrawA. J. GoodyearRodney R. E. GriffithChristopher J. HackettD. R. HolbrookPeter J. HoskingJ. G. Hughes

Keith G. HuntP. IngramRichard P. C. JohnsonJ. N. KingC. KitchenerD. B. C. MorrisHilary C. NewmanC. RactliffeJohn A. SimmonsJ. Chris S. SimpsonA. C. F. SmithPeter D. K. SmithR. SmithJ. D. S. SpillaneAlan S. WardH. D. WatsonM. WebR. W. Welton

1957K. AmesBarry K. ArthurTimothy AshbyRobert G. M. BensonG. G. BoothMichael E. BurtGraham G. ChismonR. ColesColin M. R. DunnMichael D. EastDavid R. FlintMichael J. GoreNeil GowllandAlan R. GrayIan D. HamptonJ. G. HarrisMartin HesterR. J. HoldomJ. C. S. JacquesClive E. JaquesAndrew M. JohnsonReginald G. JonesJ. R. KingDerek H. LevyJ. W. MackenzieMichael C. MacklinBrian MooreR. E. M. MooreP. D. OwenBrian ParsonsRoger J. PowellR. Neil PurdieP. J. Roberts

Waifs & Strays 1950 - 1969If you can help with the currentwhereabouts of the following pleasecontact Kate at the development

office or myself.The full list of all waifs and strays

is shown on the OA web site.Roger Cook


P. B. RycroftAlan E. SmithB. D. SmithG. D. SmithPaul E. StevensRichard B. I. SymesMartin R. TaylorR. L. ThomasP. A. TrickerJohn W. VaughanDavid M. WalkerE. S. WarnerR. C. WarrJ. WhitingChristopher J. WoodA. P. WoodPeter R. Woodcock

1958Ian R. S. BarnesDavid R. BaylisJ. M. BoonR. R. R. BrunskillC. R. R. CainJ. F. CardP. ChaffinJ. D. CooperJ. S. DavidAlan M. EdisN. A. J. FentonC. D. GaitR. J. HignettRoger A. HopkinsJ. A. HudsonK. D. JenkinsC. JordanAlan J. KingRichard KingslakeE. H. A. MacLeanD. J. C. MartinE. H. A. McMillanGordon McMillanK. J. MillsT. F. M. NicholsonJohn NorthP J O'SullivanC. W. W. ReadM. J. ReeceMichael L. RichardsonIan R. R. RobinsonC. J. SaundersP. C. SimpsonJ. J. SmythN. J. SmythA. C. SparksR. G. StrongB. J. TaylorJohn M. G. WalkerM. J. Walmsley

Clive G. Woods

1959Robin AshbyRoger J. BaileyDavid P. BardonDavid J. BarrattAnthony C. T. BiggPhilip E. BoothRichard O. BurtR. A. CardR. M. DaviesJohn DenmanRoger M. DesboroughM. J. EdenMartin J. EverettR. E. FerneyhoughChristopher J. FletcherM. E. GreenPeter R. JohnstonH. C. LamprellH. LawsonChristopher J. MaltbyR. M. MasonNicholas J. MayMalcolm W. MulhernDavid M. NewberryRaymond M. O'ConnorPatrick L. RawlinsM. R. RichardsonJ. D. RoyJ. M. SparksJohn M. ThornRodney P. Wilson

1960J. C. AllenB. M. AllenW. H. CleghornP. N. CloughStephen ConnDavid J. CousinsJohn A. CrawfordMartin CurlPhilip de M DaviesHugh T. A. DaviesMichael I. S. DewickJohn FinchR. J. FreemanA. G. GriggsDavid N. HardingR. T. HardingAlan J. HuntPeter W. JacksonT. J. LloydT. J. MilesD. B. MorrishJ. R. OllisB. W. Price

Stephen M. ProwerJames R. ReynoldsD. M. RobertsonJ. M. RogersStephen L. SavageT. F. SmithJ. G. SpencerJohn R. TreleavenR. A. VernonFrancis E. S. VickE. P. WalkerC. R. WedgwoodAnthony J. Wells

1961Roger M. AllsopJ. F. BardonJ. BroadhurstPhilip R. BunnJames BurgessJ. E. CarpenterJ. M. CharltonP. E. W. FoleyR. GooderhamDavid C. GreenJ. GriggsD. R. HolbyM. R. HornsbyRoger E. JohnsonPeter B. JonesA. I. KingJohn K. LevittDavid J. LitchfieldR. G. MalcolmR. MartinC. J. MastersJohn R. MerrettArne L. S. MoodyB. MortimerM. G. NewberryJ. R. OliverC. C. PhillipsMichael R. PilbeamC. L. PooleyC. A. PurdueDavid L. SaxDavid H. ShawM. N. SmithRoger StainforthStephen G. TaylorJohn P. TebbuttA. C. WalkerA. R. C. WelchMichael A. Woodcock

1962Michael AtkinsonJohn K. BroadbentPaul R. Carnell

J ClarkeGareth A. CookJohn D. CooperRoger H. EnglandGordon R. FrostDavid J. HallJohn E. HarbidgeEsmond A. HardingP. S. HolmesMartin F. J. JohnsonKeith A. LyndsellRobert F. ManserJ. W. MurphyPhilip S. O'HareChristopher R. R. OliverMichael H. ParkinsonAlan C. PerkinsR. C. M. PeterChristopher M. PottsRobert W. RomerRichard M. SharrattPeter J. SmithG. W. SmithJohn A. StevensonIan F. TannockStuart J. ThomasP. R. VaughanAnthony V. Watkins

1963John S. AttwoodGraham L. BarlowJohn P. F. BroadP. M. BrookhouseR. W. BrownJohn W. ButcherDuncan B. CampbellP. N. R. ChadwickAndrew I. CrawfordMichael J. DaviesKeith L. FrostJohn GiddingsJohn C. GillingJohn R. H. GottDavid M. GriffithsRoger E. GrimesJonathan HartRichard W. HaywoodN. HewittSimon J. HollandJohn E. JollyAlan D. KenninghamNigel A. LammJohn R. LawsonAndrew M. ListerPeter H. MayC. E. MetcalfeChristoper A MitchellJohn O'Connor

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Nigel C. PerrinsChristopher C. PieningL. J. SaxA. J. SheriffAnthony A. SkeatW. L. R. SmithC. R. TaylorC. J. TrevanMichael P. WalkerA. N. C. WelchN. C. Williams

1964Graham BatemanGerald BowersC. R. BrownJohn R. ChaplinMichael G. ClarkeWilliam J. G. CourtisJohn CrowtherChris P. DavisNicholas DayDavid M. FinchRobert J. GreenJames R. HalseyMalcolm G. HayTim J HuntMichael B. JamisonJohn C. LeeGuy M. MooreBrian E. RaynesJohn M. RoseMichael A. SygroveDavid M. WatersA. S. WebbJohn G. Williamson

1965Richard P. BalnavesJohn V. BeeChristopher BenhamChristopher A. P. BoneJohn BrandishChristopher D. CraddockPhilip M. Eckersley

Peter J. FoleyChristopher A. GreenBrian M. HubbardD. JohnstoneN. G. JonesHenry W. MaresJohn O. McClenahanMichael J. MeadR. A. MowbrayMichael E. NormanJohn M. PickeringPhilip J. RollingsAndrew W. SharpG. S. SmithI. P. SmithDavid WallerM. P. WatsonD. J. WebbJohn C. WhitePaul H. Winter

1966Simon N. BellNigel H. BradshawDerek S. BurgessA. M. O. ButlerMichael J. CollinsR. J. A. DyerWilliam T. EarleJohn D. HadleyJohn S. HarrisonPaul A. HundyChristopher J. B. IngoldbyLouis P. G. MaisonBrian A. MayoRobert M. McFarlaneRoger T. MossNicholas P. P. QuyChristopher J. M. SpillettJohn WardC. C. WatkinsR. D. C. WestGraham J. H. WhiteJ. B. WillliamsLaurence V. Wood

1967David AaronJohn P. BannonAnthony C. BarlowChristopher C. BeckDavid M. BlochI. G. BlythStephen J. ColesRodney D. CookeG. N. DaviesBryan P. DayDavid K. DunnChris A. ForsterJohn M. ForsterGeoff H. FosterMichael R. GoughJohn R. GroombridgeWilliam J. HanfordJ. M. HardeyIan C. HarrisM. J. HendersonDavid J. IlettAshley T. KnightsRichard H. LeeStephen R. C. MaslenRichard A. McDonaldDavid NorthcottAndrew T. PickeringRoger M. SamuelDavid SaundersNicholas R. SearsPhilip G. ShepherdP. M. SmithPatrick R. StevensFraser R. StewartRobert J. StokesP. ThamChris J. VealKenneth J. WebsterMichael J. H. Whitworth

1968Lindsey M. BarberLaurence D. BishopJohn H. W. Burton

W. R. CopelandRichard L. DelderfieldJohn M. FosterPeter W. GibbsDavid R. GillJohn D. GrahamIan J. HardingRichard J. L. HarrisJ. S. HowePeter J. HusseyDavid JeffsA. N. JohnsonT. C. JohnsonA. R. LinehamR. A. ListerColin E. MarshA. MarshTerence A. J. MooreRobert S. MuirDavid J. NewellMichael S. O'DonnellPaul N. RoachWillie B. SealRoger S. SheldrakeJ. L. SternickColin D. ThomasChristopher M. TrotterS. M. WalkerA. J. Welton

1969Paul H. AtkinR. L. AylmerJ. S. BaconPaul M. BakerN. P. BalnavesA. J. BerryM. R. CavePeter J. ClarkeC. J. CleggM. J. CooleyT. J. CraddockR. G. K. DanterA. H. M. DaviesN. M. Davies

From theArchive: theSchoolswimmingteam from1962

● Cyril Mobbs (42) came over fromCanada and attended the NovemberRemembrance Service and the RobinOllington book launch. He visited theAbbey and had a conversation with alady Abbey Guide who denied thatthe School had ever been in the LadyChapel despite all the evidence! Theannuls of the Abbey suggestotherwise.

● Charles Crawford (72), formerBritish Ambassador to Poland, gave atalk to the Sixth Form GeneralStudies Group.

● John Muelkens (35) has beenparticularly busy. At the instigationof the Headmaster and several OAshe was persuaded to write anaccount of his years in Hollandduring the German Occupation.The result is a fascinating account

which will be made available to OAsvery soon, but it is too long toinclude in the Bulletin. We intend tomake it available separately in threeforms – on the OA website, as a hardcopy available from the SchoolDevelopment Office, and as a CD alsoavailable from the same source.There would be a cost for the copiesand CDs and John would like thereceipts to go to the GatewayFoundation.He has also written The John and

Joanna Collection (a copy of which isin the School Library) and acollection of limericks – not forgeneral publication. In addition hehas produced a much extendedsecond edition, in hardback, of hisbook on his friend James Butler, who

produced the portrait bust ofNicholas Bacon, now in the library.He sent a complementary copy ofthis book to the Queen becauseButler was in the New Year’sHonours List, and had made aportrait bust of Queen Elizabeth, theQueen Mother. Several of his bustshave been unveiled by both theQueen and other members of theRoyal Family. He also sent a copy toQueen Beatrice because she is anaccomplished sculptor. Appropriatethanks were received from eachRoyal Household. Should you wish tohave the new book, it can bepurchased direct from:An Extended View of a PersonalCollectorJames Butler,Valley Farm,RadwayWarwickshire CV35 0NTTel: 01926 641938. Email: [email protected]

DeathsIt is with regret that we announcethe following deaths.

● Charles Bloxham, teacher at theSchool for 46 years and muchrespected by boys and colleagues. Afull obituary appears on page 20.

● Philip Alexander (37) Vice AdmiralKBE, LVO, FIEE. Died on the 8thDecember 2009.

● John Adkinson (60) had beensuffering from cancer and died inJanuary 2009. He was always proudof the School, but living so far away,

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did not visit much. He had fondmemories of his friends, especiallyPeter Murphy who pushed him out ofa window on the first floor –incurring no injuries apart from abill to his parents for a replacementwindow!

● John Lawson (51) died 30th October2009. He was encouraged to develophis interest in art at the school andwent on to design hundreds ofstained glass windows, both here andabroad, including WestminsterAbbey. There is an obituary in TheGuardian (see below).

● Peter Steghart (55) born inDusseldorf and came to England justbefore the Second World War. JoinedSt Albans School and then on toJesus College, Cambridge.

● Brian Evans (49) died in January2010. A full obituary appears on page23.

● Philip Watson (37) Vice Admiral.Died 8th December 2009. He had beena very active member of the SchoolAppeal in the 1980s, and an obituaryappears on page 23.

● Pat Woodcock (51) died in May2009.

● James Marsh (51), son of WilliamMarsh, died unexpectedly whilst on asailing holiday in France.

● Don Wiseman (45) died on the 13th

January 2010 after a long illness.

● Charles Levison (60) died on 7thJuly 2006 and this had not beenpreviously recorded. An obituary inThe Guardian at the time read:“Charles Levison, who has died aged64 after a heart attack, was agenerator of ideas who, as lawyer,entrepreneur, investor and soundingboard, offered his experience, energyand warmth to a wide range ofventures. He worked primarily inmedia, but in the largest sense of theword. His career included thechairmanship of the Institute ofContemporary Arts and Friends ofthe Earth, deputy chairman of theChrysalis Group and director of theWasps rugby club.”

● John Timbers (50) died on 14thOctober 2006 and again this had notbeen previously recorded. Accordingto his obituary in The Guardian,“John Timbers, who has died ofcancer aged 73, was one of the mostsympathetic and prolificphotographers of theatrical events,great personalities, and not a feweccentrics. His gentle manner andinfectious sense of humour allowedhim to establish a rapport with eventhe most recalcitrant sitter, so thatmany of his subjects becamefriends.”

● Honor Conway, teacher of Historyfrom 1984 - 2002 died on the 16thMarch 2010.

http:/www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2009/dec/08/john-lawson-obituary

● Richard Hickman 1924–2009Robin Ollington writes:“News has reached us of the death inDecember last of Richard Hickman.Richard joined the School in 1933from Loreto College and his years atSt Albans, some of which he happilyrecorded in the recent St AlbansSchool at War, included amembership of the Rugby, Athletics,Swimming and Cricket teams and aNCO in the Corps involvement withthe local Home Guard.Wartime saw his departure in 1942

to Sandhurst and thence service withthe 16th/15th Lancers in Italy andGermany until 1946 when hereturned to St Albans to take up aposition with Mandley and Sparrow.He later went into private practice inthe West Country where he qualifiedas a Quantity Surveyor. He retainedhis military connections as a memberof the TA.In November 2009 he was delighted

to make a return visit to the Schoolfor which he retained a greataffection which has been generouslyacknowledged by his family, withamongst other things, is thedefraying of the cost of the secondedition of the book of wartimememories. Added to this, AnnHickman is giving Richard’s Medalsand Sword to the Museum and alsofunding the renewal of the WarMemorial.”● Max Alcock (J M Alcock) (55), whodied peacefully at home in December2009. His brother Robin hassubmitted the following note for theBulletin:“After National Service and a short

period in the laboratories of ICI, Maxjoined the BBC. Over the subsequent30 years, he worked as a StudioManager in radio comedy, onprogrammes such as Week Endingand I’m Sorry I haven’t a Clue. Hewas also one of the most prolific ofthe freelance comedy contributors.He is survived by his brother Robin,his widow Hazel, three daughters andsix grandchildren.”

Obituary● Charles Bloxham, 1915-2010Is there any man alive who knewCharles Bloxham, in his pomp? Hemust have been awesome figure inthe 1930s. Three years head boy ofKing Edward VI School, Nuneaton.Captain of rugby, Captain of cricket,Captain of athletics, swimming andwater polo. He was the first in hisschool to go to Oxford where he was‘the man’ in 1934.Selected to play rugby for the

University in his second week, hewas still only eighteen. He hadpreviously played for Nuneaton,Hinkley and Leicester. AgainstCambridge in 1934 he was playingagainst one of the best everUniversity sides and Oxford lost 28-3.The Universities then provided mostof the original thinking on rugby andCharles Bloxham had an immenseknowledge of the techniques of game.One of his best games was againstBlackheath, whom he later joined.“Blackheath were unable to hold

the fast Oxford University team,which gained a decisive victory atthe Rectory Field by three placedgoals, a penalty goal and a try, to a

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dropped goal. The man of the matchwas unquestionably Bloxham, theOxford forward, who revealing bothpace and anticipation obtained 15 ofhis side’s points. Renwick paved theway for Marshall to go over for anunconverted try, and Bloxhamincreased Oxford’s lead before halftime, landing a penalty goal. Skilfulrunning by Watts resulted inBloxham obtaining two great tries,both of which Bloxham converted.Tallent dropped a clever goal forBlackheath, and Marshall added afurther try for Oxford. Bloxhamagain adding the goal points.”Four years a ‘blue’ and 62 games

for varsity, Bloxham had to waituntil his final game for Oxford, onthe 7th December 1937, to have thesatisfaction of a win againstCambridge. “Almond, Bloxham andPennington tore into it as thoughtheir lives were at stake.” He camedown from university and won thecounty championship withWarwickshire, England selection

seemed a foregone conclusion for1939 or 1940 even though he wasexceptionally young for aninternational forward. He madereserve for the England Ireland gamein 1939 and then came the war.In schoolboy fiction he probably

should have died with a VC in someheroic action, along with the sevenmembers of the Oxford team, whodid not make it through the war.Instead he came back to St Albansfrom the Far East only a littlebroken. In all he spent 43 years inrelative obscurity as a schoolmasterat St Albans, preparing rugby teamsand trying to persuade the likes ofStephen Hawking to be a little neaterin their work. He was President ofthe Old Albanian Football Club inthe early fifties and on the HertsSchools Rugby Committee for 40years.One of the senior staff at King

Edward VI, a friend of W T Marsh,had written of Bloxham “I think hewill make a rattling good

Four years a‘blue’ and62 gamesfor varsity:CharlesBloxham inhis youth

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Schoolmaster and a magnificentRugger coach.” Frank Kilvingtonbefore his death picked out one of hisfavourite phrases, he was “aginmollycoddling and spoon feeding”. Chris Whiteside took time out from

electioneering in Copeland to write inhis Blog: “Charles was a verycharming and compassionate man,and he was also a man of massiveintegrity, in which he would havestood out in any generation butparticularly so in the present age.”This evoked an immediate responsefrom Tim “Here, here! A trulywonderful, warm, compassionatehuman being with a wicked sense ofhumour.” “Remember his bestobservation? ‘Now don’t go expectinglife to be fair, cos it ent!’?”Dr Roderick Chuck, a pupil from

the 50s, writing from Switzerland, “Ilook back on him as a stern but fairmaster, whose praise was praiseindeed, but his training and teachingmethods were above reproach. Hisattitude to the game and school lifein general was an example to us boysin those days – scholastic, sports andas a foundation for life after school.”Kieran Kilmartin, a pupil from the

70s wrote, “I always remember himbeing a very fair and caring man whotook immense pride in the school,especially the Lower School which hepresided over with a very protectiveeye. He was a wonderful man whohelped shape a lot of lives he will besorely missed.”The many other tributes can be

read in the school archives togetherwith more detail on his early days.One final tribute from Robert

Matthewman. “I remember MrBloxham (but never Charles) as aninspirational teacher and rugbymaster. He helped our young Coltsunder 16 rugby team to two unbeatenyears and then promoted eight of usunder 16s directly into the St AlbansSchool 1st XV. I also remember beingcaned with six of the best across thepalm with six others of my year foronce trying to encourage a boy knownas Fifi to participate in our games inthe Orchard at lunchtime as hismother, who delivered him in a RollsRoyce every morning, decided he wastoo delicate to go outside. We wereonly trying to help him get a bit fitterand be more inclusive at school, buthis mother complained of bullying. Ioffered no self-justification or defence,which Mr Bloxham respected, and Itook my punishment like a man, buthe was a big bloke and it hurt! StAlbans was a wonderful school tohave the privilege to attend (througha scholarship) and I have greatmemories of all the friends and peopleat the school that made our schoolyears such fun and so rewarding.Charles Bloxham gave a huge amountof his personal time, particularly afterhours for training and on Saturdayafternoons for match days, to developthe rugby and games at St AlbansSchool.”He played his last cricket match at

65 but was well into his seventieswhen he took his last rugby rugbypractice, helping Dalwood and Dill(later Cambridge ‘blues’) to anunbeaten school season! In the wordsof Robert Matthewman again: “Hehas had a good innings.”


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Charles Bloxham was born on 23rdof November 1915 and died on 24thMarch 2010, peacefully at home, thelast gentleman in Hertfordshire.

Obituary● Brian Evans 1939 - 2010Those of the wartime generation willbe saddened to heard of Brian’s deathin early January this year. At Schoolfrom 1941-1949, Brian as the youngerbrother of Michael Evans, Head ofSchool, High Jump record holder andso on, and had quote a reputation tofollow. However, this he succeeded indoing by becoming a Prefect, ViceCaptain 1st XV, Band Sergeant,member of the Choir, Athletics &Swimming Teams, Head ofDebenham and in the athletics field,the best shot putter of his age groupin the County and fourth nationally.Leaving School he took articles

with Giffards of St Albans, andqualified as a solicitor in his early20s. National Service followed in theRAF, with fame in Cyprus where as aradio mechanic deployed to blockanti-British radio messages, hesucceeded in blocking the signals toevery TV set in England.Civilian life saw a return to the

law as a partner with an expandingpractice on the south coast,eventually the largest, withresponsibilities including Chairmanof the Hampshire Trust, Chair ofTrustees of Wickham House School,and as an inspector of the LordChancellor’s Department. One postwhich gave him the greatest pleasurewas as legal advisor to the SailTraining Trust where his love of the

sea, knowledge of languages andmediating skills were much valuedabroad.Eventual retirement saw no let-up,

with Chairmanship of the TitchfieldVillage Trust Round Table, plus hislove of music as a pianist andorganist often playing at localchurches during his caravan holidayswith his wife Betty. At his funeral,the order of service had typicallybeen drawn up by him, and henumbers that attended bore evidenceof the affection and respect in whichhe was held locally. Those of us who knew Brian, and

indeed remember him at Founders’Day last year, will carry the memoryof his still boyish charm and humour,typified by his contribution to therecent book of wartime memoirs.

Obituary● Vice-Admiral Sir Philip WatsonVice-Admiral Sir Philip Watson, whohas died aged 90, rose fromapprentice railway engineer to flagrank, and his career charted thedevelopment of electrical engineeringin the modern Royal Navy. To Watson, his latest appointment

in the Navy – whether to ship orshore – was always the best in theservice to be had. But undoubtedlythe highlight of his career was histime in command from 1967 to 1969 ofthe electrical school HMSCollingwood at Gosport. During his command the Queen

Mother presented the school with theWhite Ensign which had been flownat the Battle of Jutland by thebattleship Collingwood, in which her


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future husband, Prince Albert, servedas a sub-lieutenant. Philip Alexander Watson was born

in Belfast on October 7 1919 into afamily of engineers. He was educatedat St Albans school and started as anapprentice electrical engineer withthe London, Midland and ScottishRailway, hoping to work on therailways in India. On the outbreak ofwar he joined the AdmiraltyCompass Observatory, Slough, and inMarch 1940 was commissioned as anelectrical sub-lieutenant RNR. Watson saw action in the

minesweeper Hebe on Arctic convoysto Archangel and Murmansk,escorting seven convoys in thewinter of 1941-42, when storms at seaproved a greater hazard than theattentions of the enemy. In Decemberand January Hebe was based inRussian waters, and closeacquaintance with the Russiansmoved Watson to think that theywere somewhat ungrateful for therisks which he and his companionswere taking on their behalf. In March, appalling weather forced

16 of the 24 ships in convoy PQ14 toturn back to Iceland, and Hebe wasdamaged by ice; she was sent to Hullfor repairs. Watson was thenappointed assistant torpedo officer inthe battleship Nelson, and latertorpedo officer in the cruiser Berwick,witnessing the surrender of theGermans at Trondheim in April 1945.After the war he accepted a fullcareer commission in the RoyalNavy, and became assistant to Rear-Admiral SL Bateson, who wasresponsible for forming the Navy's

electrical branch. In 1950 Watson had the pleasure of

welcoming his older brother, Garth,who was an electrical engineer in theAdmiralty civil service, into the newelectrical branch – as a commander,Garth was in a rank higher thanPhilip. After completing the long radio

course, Philip Watson served with the5th Destroyer Flotilla in the Battle-class destroyers Solebay and Gabbard.Three shore appointments in Londonwere followed by his appointment asassistant to the training commanderat Collingwood and a spell in theradio workshops at Malta. He thenreturned to sea as electrical officer inthe destroyer Decoy. Following his promotion to

commander in 1955, Watson waselectrical officer in the Royal YachtBritannia on her maidencircumnavigation of the globe, andher visit to the Great Lakes. Hisprincipal task was to ensure dailythat there were voicecommunications between the yachtand London, no mean achievement inthe days before satellites. He alsoplayed a full part in the socialactivities on board, and wasappointed MVO. At Chatham Dockyard between

1959 and 1961 he was in charge of theelectrical shops and weapons section,before becoming weapon electricalengineer officer in the cruiser Lion.His various titles were a reflection ofthe growing specialisation in themodern Navy. On promotion tocaptain, Watson began a series ofappointments to the ship department


at Bath: he was involved in thedesign of submarines, aircraftcarriers and commando ships; wasdeputy director of engineering(Electrical); and, as an admiral,director-general weapons (Naval). He was appointed KBE in 1974.

After leaving the service in 1977, hebecame chairman of Marconi RadarSystems (1981-85). Watson finallyretired to Oxfordshire, where he wasa fund-raiser for the Royal NationalLifeboat Institution, lifting the branchcontribution from hundreds tothousands of pounds. He was also aleading member of the City of OxfordSociety of Model Engineers, buildinga five-inch gauge model of the steamlocomotive Edward Thomas andcarriages which he used to exhibit.He and his brother, who also reachedflag rank, were members of theSmeatonian Society, the first societyfor civil engineers when it wasfounded in 1771, and nowadays adining club of around 50 seniorengineers and 12 gentlemen members,who include the Duke of Edinburgh.Philip Watson, who died on December8, married, in 1948, Jennifer Tanner,who survives him with their twodaughters and one son.

MuseumWe have had a plethora of donationsto the museum over the last fewmonths.

● Robin Ollington has found anautograph album originallybelonging to Rex Leaver which hasin it Prefects’ and other autographsand a Battle of Britain poem. Also a

certificate for his 660 yard race run in1 minute 40 seconds. He had alsopicked up in a charity shop a RodArgent disc.

● David Roques and others haveprovided book plates, Founders’ Daycelebrations 1958, 1951 Seven-a-sideprogramme, The Corps Shows of1937, 1946, 1949, 1948 Carol Service.

● Jim Putterill has given pictures ofthe Corps in its ascendancy in 1949 –also the 1949 Rugby XV. We havealso had a photo copy of the HertsAdvertiser’s report of W T M ’sretirement dinner.

● Charles Crawford (72) has givenhis school blazer, which is in A1condition, to the museum.

I am, of course, very grateful forall the items donated to the Museum.Keep them coming!

Mike Highstead

Can Anyone Help?Robin Ollington asks, “Who was thelast Silver Bugler?” The Silver Buglewas awarded to the Corps SeniorBugler. It was presented by Major RO Saunders and engraved with thename of the holder. “Where is it?”

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Please send all items for inclusion in the Gazette to:Mike Highstead,33 Cornwall Road, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 4TQ


A Poem■ Douglas Ponton (76) sent this poemto the Headmaster, who has given uspermission to publish it in theBulletin. The poem is a comment onthe competitive ethos of the School inthe 1970s

Dear HeadmasterThirteenth, I came, in Poetry in myclass.Yes! – thirteenth, behind Bryant,Bing and Clinch. In Biology that year I came in last, Though Watkins took the woodenspoon in French.

As cream to the top of the milk jugrises,So does competition produceglittering prizes!

In Geography the class descended Smoothly from the peak ofHaywood’s pride.At the thick woods in the valleyended,The stream worn out, its mightycurrent dried.

A mere number, why not loveMaths and Stats?Where some wore crowns, andothers dunce’s hats.Haywood, once more, the apex ofthe isosceles,And me, with Cameron, crawlinground its knees.

When this happened, not how orwhy, we know,An ancien régime passed on to us

its woe.Revolution quelled in dusty cloudsof chalk,And rough-books, crammed withnotes of teacher talk.

Twenty-five, than me, in Physicscame in higher.I did the maths; found little toinspire.Yet Newton’s rays, taught in agentler school,Will shine alike for genius and forfool.

Pupils, being numbers, not mindsor hearts,Rose or fell on yearly Economiccharts;In fiscal cramming, intellectualinflation,The School expressed a sense of itsvocation.

Thus prepared to jostle for position,And dog eat dog is what –Nutrition?Our wings were never gentlytaught to fly,Where rainbows shoot ideas acrossthe sky.

As cream to the top of the milk jugrises,So does competition produceglittering prizes!

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Our man in Vancouver■ Dr Ian Gray (53), the Old Albanian‘Overseas Rep’ in Vancouver, Canadareports on his great work in re-connecting OAs in that part of theworld

I have managed to contact three OAsin Vancouver, and last week Imanaged to meet with all of them.First, Anne and I had a pleasant

dinner with Catharine and JamesWoodfield (OA 46). We have bothtravelled widely - to many of thesame places - and were able tocompare many travel experiencesaround the world. Unfortunately, Jimcould not join David Thompson (58),David Press (64) and myself for lunchlater in the week. This turned out tobe a delightful and extended ‘miners’lunch as all three of us have hadcareers in the international miningindustry. Inevitably, in the miningbusiness our paths had crossed andwe found we had many mutualcontacts and similar experiences. We also resurrected many

memories and laughs about ourschool days – particularly ourheadmaster, W T Marsh – and hisobsession with getting students onlyto Oxford or Cambridge; in thisregard, the three of us were ‘rebels’ –myself to Imperial College, DavidThompson to LSE and David Press toNottingham. We couldn’t help notingthat we all had had really interestingcareers in our chosen fields withoutany career advice or counsellingwhatsoever at school. Othermemories and laughs were about Sgt.

Major Kilpatrick or “Killer”, thenumerous ‘incidents’ on the 84 busand the ‘brutal’ discipline of thosedays; evidently it hadn’t done any ofus any harm!We agreed to meet again later in

the year – hopefully with Jim – andensure that we had a photographicrecord for the Bulletin!

Eastern Promise■ Stephen Finley (81) reports on arecent gathering of some of the OldAlbanians resident in Hong Kong

On Monday, 7th December 2009, someof the Old Albanians in Hong Konggathered at the Hong Kong Club for acocktail evening. Stephen Finley ofFinley & Co organised the event,which David Connolly hosted bykindly lending his Club membershipto the occasion. It was an informalevening in which Old Albaniansspanning many generations from1958 to 1995 regaled each other ofstories from past and present.The proceeds from the event will

help fund future Old Albaniangatherings in Hong Kong. And sincethe budget for the event wasoverestimated, a portion of theproceeds will be donated to the StMungo’s Community HousingAssociation of London in tribute to therecent passing of Mr FrankKilvington, the former St Albansheadmaster of distinguishedreputation. It was clear from thesuccess of the evening that the OldAlbanians Club in Hong Kong is nowalive and kicking, and future events,

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including a sail in Hong Kong’s worldrenowned harbour, are on the horizon.

No offence intended…■ In the latest in their series ofrecollections, ‘The Berts’ take anaffectionate look at their fellow pupilsfrom 1951-59

Please take these memories in thelight-hearted and affectionate way inwhich they were intended, and forgiveany unintentional inaccuracies whichare due to the passage of time. Pleaseunderstand that no criticism or slightis intended in anything we have said.Rather than write a dull and dustyaccount we have tried to entertainand amuse, but above all we havetried to remember our friends.

IntroductionIn 1951 St Albans School was a Direct

Grant Maintained school althoughrepresented at The HeadmastersConference. This meantthat some 30 places a year were paidfor by the Local Authority, subject tothe applicant passing the 11 Plusexam. The rest of the places, some 60,were fee-paying.When we joined after sitting the 11

plus, depending in part on the result,we were put into the A, B, or Cstream. Lower School consisted ofyears 1, 2 & 3. Upper School startedin year 4 and continued through year5, Lower 6th and Upper 6th and partof an additional year for OxbridgeScholarship exams.It didn't seem to matter very much

about the three streams in the LowerSchool, although there was somemovement up and down, but it was avery different matter when it came tothe Upper School. Here we werepreparing for the external exams –‘O’ levels (Ordinary Certificate ofEducation) in the 5th form and ‘A’levels in the Upper 6th form. Therewere specialist groups - the Classicsset (Greek & Latin) and, in our last

From left: David Connolly (1951–58), JeremySimpson (1977–84), Justin Davidson(1981–88), Stephen Finley (1974-81), VivekChatrath (1993–95), Simon McNamara

28


few years, the Upper Maths set underMr Tahta. We were allowed to jointhe CCF (the Combined Cadet Force)in the Upper School (some might saysubtly pressurised by thecontemporary ethos, and the writercertainly cannot remember anyoneobjecting on conscientious grounds),to which there is an interestingcontemporary footnote perhaps notin the history books. This was themutiny by some elements of theGuards Regiment at the 1956 CCFCamp at Pirbright, during ourattendance there, as a politicalprotest at the order to take part inthe invasion of Suez.Many of us were promoted to

Prefect in the 6th form and poncedaround wearing Oxbridge blackundergraduate gowns looking veryimportant, having considerabledelegated powers and being generallypompous. Although we had ourClassics set which was expected totake Latin and Greek at ‘A’ level,everyone in the school wasencouraged to take Latin at ‘O’ level,because that was a mandatoryrequirement for entrance intoOxbridge. The writer remembers theHeadmaster, W T Marsh’s Latinclasses, which his boxer dog namedJason also attended, whosecontribution to the lesson was towalk up and down between the deskssnorting and snuffling and dribblingall over our trouser legs.In our years the school was boys

only (girls were a strange, unknownspecies) and the boarders had almostdisappeared. (Why, I wonder?) Thelast ones were in School House; the

rest of us – day-boys - were in Abbey,Breakspeare, Pemberton, Debenhamand Shirley, which were allocatedaccording to our home address. Therewere no first names used in theschool and therefore we tend toremember many of our fellow pupilsby their surnames only, unless theywere particular friends.

Our Fellow PupilsThe following is a random selectionof pupils that we remember:● Iain Barnes: A good athlete whosefather would have run the 400 metrehurdles at the 1936 Olympic Gamesbut for a last-minute injury. ● Mike Boon: Good at rugby and awiry centre whose tackling wasfoolhardy. Used to go fishing beforeschool and turned up one morningwith his pyjamas on under hisclothes with the cord hanging outover his trousers. Taught AlanBridgman how to control shivering.His list of eccentricities is endless butincluded shouting “please don't hitme any more, Dad” for theneighbours to hear, and riding roundIreland with a pony and trap after heleft school. Believed to have pursueda career in potholing after that, forwhich he prepared whilst still atschool by rigging his bedroom up asa caving system. The objective was tocomplete the traverse by means ofthe furniture without touching thefloor, which was assumed to beflooded.● Ian Brannam: Also a good athlete,mainly cross-country. Went on to acareer in the Navy, which sent himto Kings College, Cambridge.

29


OALETTERS

● JGC Brown: A discus thrower withslightly crooked front teeth. Acheerful character.● Roger Clutterbuck: A very goodrugby player, large and heavy andcaptain of the First XV. Totallyfearless, which put the fear of Godinto everyone else. Wanted to becomea doctor.● Pat Coker: Had a folding ‘CORGI’motor scooter as issued to WW2paratroops.● John Curtis: The tallest pupil inthe first year at 5ft 8ins. Now runs anestate agency in Harpenden. The sonof a farmer and nicknamed “Cow”.● Chris Cain: Became an Englishteacher.● Frank & Joe Douse: Good athletes.Non-identical twins.● David Ellis: Gave a wonderfulillustrated talk on the DambustersRaid. Went into the RAF. Sadly, nowdeceased.● Roger Dyer: Also went into theRAF and is believed to have becomea civil pilot.● Ken Evans: A year ahead of us. Afast and agile three-quarter.● Martin Evans: A destructive wingforward.● NAJ Fenton: Left the school earlyto do O Levels somewhere else.● Chris Fewkes: A year or two aheadof us. Another iconic personality.Once led a number of boys homeafter their bus broke down. He gotthem marching like a section in theCCF.● AJ Freeman: Keen on the CCF.Became an Accountant.● Gait (Goober): The inventor of theinfinitely stretchable, infinitely

strong, invisible, Super Duper GooberChewing Gum. His antics with thisgum were hilarious, particularly if itwas behind the back of someauthority figure.● A Gore: Became a journalist/soundrecordist. Once hung his microphoneout of a plane to get the sound of theparachutes opening.● R Gregory: An excellent shot and aleading light in the school shootingeight. Rumoured to have huntedpolar bears with a telescopic sight.● S Hall: A very good rugby centre.Caught after games one day withanother pupil by a master in a townpub who bought them both anotherdrink. Went into the Navy as anofficer and according to laternewspaper reports had been thrownoff the quay at Rosyth one night bysome ratings during a dispute in thequeue for the dinghy to take them allback to the ship. Duncan Bannatyne(of Dragon's Den fame) told this storyquite recently during a televisioninterview without naming the officerconcerned and confessed to havingbeen court martialled for the allegedmutinous offence. A coincidence?● Stephen Hawking: An earlymember of the higher maths set, asmight have been expected. NowProfessor Stephen Hawking, ofcourse.● M Heath: Whilst drilling a sectionin the CCF he was heard to shout“don’t turn like an old bus”.Obviously destined for higher thingsas he went on to become a MajorGeneral.● DJ (John) Heather: Son of one ofthe masters. Made miniature cannons

30


that fired ball bearings. Studiedarchitecture after school.● ACC Hedge: Head Boy when wearrived. Had a leader’s personalityand was good at games. An idol towhich we aspired.● Tony Hendra: Went to Queens’College Cambridge and joined theCambridge Footlights. Made thespoof/cult Rock’n’Roll film SpinalTap as the manager of the rockgroup. Also involved in the SpittingImage series.● David Heselton: Used to come toschool in a Messerschmidt bubblecar, and subsequently in a MGTF. Wewere all very jealous!● WG (William) Hill: A good rugbyplayer and brilliant academically.The school tried to persuade him tosit the Oxbridge exams but he wasdetermined to go to AgriculturalCollege before joining his father’sfarm.● M Hodgkinson: A very good tennisplayer. One half of the school's firstpair. Gave up tennis aged about 23after losing to Roger Taylor 7-5 in thelast set. Now deceased.● Alec Holt: Another good rugbyplayer. Now deceased.● JA Hudson: A good mathematicianand tennis player.● Mike James: A very goodswimmer. Became a solicitor.● Basil King: Open Scholarship toCambridge. Played hockey. VisitedRussia and gave a talk afterwards inwhich he described a monumentalstatue in honour of the workers ofwhich the female was twice as bigand muscular as the male. Musical -played the organ.

● Alan King: Read English at King’sCollege Cambridge but switched laterto medicine.● Richard Kingslake: Experimentedwith chemicals at home and knew alot about radio communications ashis father was a Radio HAM.● Kenny Mills: A classics scholar.Believed to have gone to LincolnCollege Oxford.● Mike Knapp: Went to KeeleUniversity and then, possibly, intoadvertising.● Kevin Lampard: He infiltrated aCCF scheme dressed as a girl andwalked straight through a defendedarea – the make up and the walkbeing particularly convincing.● M Lamprell: The other half of theschool’s first tennis pair.● Alan MacRae: Once, on beingabout to be caned he said “I haven'tbooked my seat yet Sir”. Went intothe RAF.● Geoff Martin: Believed to havestudied Instrument Engineering afterschool.● Lindsay McLennan: Son of one ofthe masters. Left before A- Levels.● Gordon McMillan: A drummer inthe CCF band. Took three attemptsto pass ‘O’ Level maths beforebecoming a Navigating Officer in theMerchant Navy with BP.● Tim Nicholson: Played the pianoand was sometimes allowed to playthe organ in the Abbey. Wanted to bea dentist. Left before A Levels.● Mike Newell: Famous, amongstother things, for being the director ofthe film, Four Weddings and aFuneral. The writer met him, quiteby chance, one summer at Mont

31


OALETTERS

Saint Michel. OAs get everywhere.● Mike Norris: Went to ImperialCollege, London to study ChemicalEngineering. ● Giles Orr: Head Boy during ourtime and a natural leader. Goodrugby player.● Mike Pattison: A keen all-roundsportsman. One of nature'senthusiasts. Good at athletics,particularly the shot putt.● Tony Peach: Keen on trad jazz.Very quiet and charming. Became asocial worker.● Malcolm Reece: First XV scrumhalf.● Mike Plant: Deputy SchoolArmourer.● Dick Shepherd: Good, fast and wellbalanced rugby player. Sadly, alsodeceased.● Martin (Fish) Simmons: A greatswimmer, especially the back stroke.● CDF Smith: A good scrum half butnot being large, got clobbered a lot. ● Geoff Stanforth: Direct descendantof one of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, whowere transported to Australia forforming an agricultural workers’trade union.● Geoff Ward: A great mimic, hewould recall large quantities of theGoon Show the day after it had beenbroadcast. The masters never knewwhat we were laughing at.● Chris Yetton: Spent a year at theSorbonne before going up toCambridge.

Some Final WordsWe hope you have enjoyed our viewthrough the wrong end of thetelescope back to the 1950s, a past

which really does seem like anothercountry now, not only smaller, butless colourful somehow and quieterthan today. Were Sundays in StAlbans really that quiet then, not tosay boring? Was it really an Englandof cricket on the village green andold ladies bicycling to evensong, tosay nothing of the warm beer? Ofcourse, in those days the beer wasreal, before it was ruined by thebrewers in the 1970s, who then had tobe persuaded to make real ale againby CAMRA, founded of course, inThe Farriers Arms, virtually in theSchool’s back yard. Did we reallytouch the peak of our caps whengreeting ladies? (Yes, we wore schoolcaps!) Yes, it was a quiet time withthe country holding its breath,waiting for something, anything, tohappen, waiting for protestmovements, (was the Guards’ mutinyin 1956 a forerunner of this?), such asBan The Bomb, No To The Poll Tax,and the 1968 riots. Admittedly, therewas no political revolution, but atleast, allegedly, we had the sexualrevolution starting with the LadyChatterley trial at the Old Bailey –“Would you want your wife orservants to read this?” (Mervyn ReesJones for the prosecution) – andculminating according to PhilipLarkin, in 1963 when wonderfulthings started to happen broughtabout by the introduction of the pill.When did the mood of the times, or

the zeitgeist, change (why do theGermans even have a more efficientword for this than us?) One thing iscertain - the 1951-59 generation ofOAs was well equipped for the future

32


with the old-fashioned virtues of hardwork, competition, and achievementon merit, as well as creative flair andhealthy doses of eccentricity.

Lifetime influence■ Arthur Lewis MBE, one of our mostvenerable OAs at the age of 93, writesto us from Melbourne, Australia withsome happy memories of his time atSchool between the wars

Ah, memories! I must be one of theoldest OAs around, being of the 1936vintage. Then we had EdgarMontague-Jones as Headmaster, anda very formidable figure he was too,a WW1 Colonel I gather. But themost memorable character, was“Charlie” Argent, also ex-WW1, whorejoiced in the title of SergeantMajor. His jobs were to ‘call the roll’in classroom times, take PT, andorganise the OTC on Fridayafternoons. I do wonder if theemphasis on military training was arelic of the general attitude in the UKafter WW1 of “we must be prepared”.Four of the masters at that time, onOTC parade, were 2nd Lieutenantsand the Bursar, Mr Baumgartner,who in spite of his German name,was our Captain. We all qualified,after an exam, for ‘Certificate A’,giving us in the Army, in the eventof another war, an infantrycommission. So on Friday afternoonswe put on our WW1 uniforms,complete with puttees, and collectedour Lee-Enfield .303 rifles from theArmoury under the Gateway. I joinedthe OTC band and because I was tall,

used to don a leopard-skin and playthe big drum. Our band did well inthe annual OTC camps and was oftenvoted the best. (For the youngergeneration, OTC meant OfficerTraining Corps) and those routemarches round the nearby countrylanes, all gone now no doubt or madeinto freeways … and band practice ina small room under the Gatewaycalled the Armoury – it’s a wonderthat our hearing survived. Ah!Boyhood memories of post-FirstWorld War Britain.Reading the school highlights

today I would not understand muchthat I remember, except perhapssome of the buildings, but then I amseeing it from far away Australiawhere we now live. (Sixth formyoung ladies! Goodness me!). WhenMonty disappeared, WT, Marsh tookover, a retired, always coughing,Royal Navy Commander. He said hewould soon have us all “ship-shape”and we did notice a lot of changes.He announced that the school wasfalling behind in athletics and told usTommy Hampson, a half-milerOlympic Gold Medallist would jointhe school as a teacher. I soon foundmyself on the Belmont Hill Sportsground, running behind him,watching his powerful legs. He toldme he would turn me into a half-miler, but I must learn tactics. Iwonder if Belmont Hill is now ahousing estate, after the developmentof Woollams? Anyhow, Tommy’shopes were in vain because I was nogood at athletics. Thanks to dear oldBob Tanner, our Arts master, Ialways did excel in his subject, while

33


OALETTERS

I recall my friends fooling about inhis lessons. As I eventually becamean Architect in later years, maybeBob was my mentor.Prefects – do they still exist, I

wonder? Maybe in a different form,because then, we were responsiblefor some discipline in the school andused to cane. “Assault” in nowundisciplined times, no doubt.Monday lunchtime was “up pres”time and offenders would have toappear on the upper hall landing.The head prefect ran the meeting andsentenced the offender to the cane iffound guilty. Did it do harm? I don’tthink so. I was caned and caned butit never seemed to harm anyonepsychologically, or in any other way.Very serious offences were reportedto the headmaster and he mightwield the cane. How times havechanged! I have a photo of a group ofprefects, including me, circa 1935,which is reproduced below.In 1936 I finished school and went

to Pembroke College, Oxford, to readEnglish, which I enjoyed, but afterPass Moderations I decided I wantedto do Architecture (shades of BobTanner?) and found there was noschool of Architecture in Oxford. Soeventually I was accepted at the veryavant-garde AA School ofArchitecture in London. Founded in1857, it had always been run by thestudents, and I was in tworevolutions and sacked thePrincipals! We were all very ‘left’thinking. A five year course, but inmy third year, rumblings of a comingwar appeared. So, back to my days ofbeing ‘soldiers’ in the OTC.

A group of my friends and Idecided to help a peaceful GB toshow a strong face and joined theTerritorial Army, obviously theRoyal Engineers as future Architects.We were called up and entered WW2,which lasted five years, followed bytwo years Army of Occupation, inItaly for me. The policy of the AlliedMilitary Government was to get thecountry back to normality as quicklyas possible, and I learned a lot aboutbuilding construction. I was then aStaff Major. Released, I went back tothe AA. We were a strange mixtureof ex-military students and thosefrom schools. Graduated as ARIBA, my task was

to find a job in a bankrupt Britain.Eventually I got a job in NorthernRhodesia and did some interestingbuildings, such as the guest-house forHM Queen Elizabeth’s visit. She didnot come, however, due to some Royalcrisis and the lovely Queen Mum cameinstead. I was presented to her and hada long chat with her and her ArmyAide. Then came a worrying periodwith independence, when we becameZambia, under our first Dictator,Kenneth Kaunda. I got to know himwell and he tried to persuade me toenter parliament. Needless to say, Ideclined. Kaunda wanted to build anon-race society, but local ‘colour’ wasstrong and dangerous.We lived and worked in Zambia for

27 happy years, during which I builta little theatre which became veryactive in Kitwe, the copper miningtown where we were based. In 1960 Iwas awarded the MBE for culturalservices to the community.

34


Unfortunately we were so busy that Ihad to forego a visit to BuckinghamPalace to receive it, so the GovernorGeneral pinned it on me. The timecame, at the end of the colonialperiod around the world, when it wasobvious that we should have to movebecause of our colour, and this wasdifficult because of ‘exchangecontrol’, meaning that funds werefrozen. On emigration we wereallowed a small capital allowance,but not really enough to settlesomewhere else. Following advice,we eventually moved to Andorra, anhistoric independent Principalityhigh in the Pyrenees, a good place togo with money problems, becausethere were no income taxes. Avarying small value-added tax is puton all imports, according to luxuryvalue. Tourism was very bigbusiness. We found we did not need aResidencia to live there, only a valid

passport of any country.Nevertheless, my wife and I felt weshould try to get one, so we found aGestoria (a fix-it man who knewwhom to bribe), but all he said was“Oh you English people, all you wantis a piece of paper saying you can dosomething. It doesn’t matter!” Allvery well, but the powers that becould deport you instantly if you didsomething wrong and while we werethere a man was deported in 12hours for drunken driving. He had noResidencia. We eventually got them.After six European exploring

years, with a motor caravan inAndorra, we decided we should joinour three, by now grown-updaughters, who had all gone toAustralia for different reasons. Aftertwo attempts we were accepted andare now Australian citizens. InMelbourne, where we live, is asuburb called St Albans, but theyhaven’t got a school like my oldschool! It was a wonderfulexperience, which influenced megreatly in my long life. I would loveto revisit, but at nearly 93 I can’t seeit happening. I am proud to be anantique OA.

The School Prefects in 1936.Back row (left to right): Eastcott, Moody,Lewis (me), Owen, Griffiths, MortenFront row (left to right): Macdonald,Whitworth, Abbott, Davey, Ashley,Eagleton, Owen DG

35


36


Going up■ Robin Farrar looks back on afantastic season for the Old AlbanianRugby Club, crowned with thepromotion of the First XV to theNational Leagues for the first time

Old Albanian RFC has just completeda brilliant season, probably its bestever. Highlights include:

● 3 league titles, Saints (Women’s)Firsts, Men’s Seconds and Men’sThirds● League runners’-up position forour Men’s Firsts● 7 Senior sides that take the fieldeach week● Colts and Development squadsstrength in depth and hugepotential● OA Saints on the verge ofpossible Premiership rugby ● International recognition for a

clutch of their players● Rugby World’s Team of theMonth Award for November● A County Cup triumph againstthe ‘old enemy’ Bishops Stortford● OAs players set to form thebackbone of the Herts squadThe pinnacle of their success has

got to be the Firsts winningpromotion to the National Leaguesafter seven steady years of progressin London One.The OA First XV’s record in all

competitions was:

P W L Pts For Pts Against Pts Diff

29 26 3 933 278 655

The foundation of a brilliantseason, their most successful in aproud 86-year history, has been anirresistible mix of attacking flaircoupled with the meanest defence atthis level in the whole country.

OASPORT

The OAs pictured before the Herts Presidents Cup Final on 2 May 2010…

Rugby

37


The adventure began in earnestwith a convincing away victoryagainst Tring, at their Chilternsstronghold in early September. Asmid-December approached, OAs hadnot conceded a try since BishopsStortford crossed their line inOctober, and in this spell they hadrecorded big scores to nil, in threeconsecutive games against highlyrated opposition, experiencing someappalling conditions along the way;notably the horizontal rain atBasingstoke on November 14th.These performances served to

impress not only those who hadwitnessed them but also the judges atRugby World when the leadingmagazine made The Old AlbanianRFC its ‘Team of the Month’ forNovember.The big freeze either side of the

festive season then rendered theWoollams Men out of action for

nearly four weeks, but after theirvisit to Jersey, where they earned alosing bonus point against theultimate champions, they were soonback to winning ways, including avital away victory at Bracknell, who,at the time, were snapping at theirheels in the league chasing theelusive play-off place. In a perfect record over their last

14 games, the Firsts averaged 42points per match with 9 against, theirbiggest (and Club record) win beingthe drubbing of ‘bogey side’Portsmouth by 90 points to 12 inearly March. Another big win, 55unanswered points against NorthWalsham in the previous game atWoollams, delighted home fans astheir favourites demonstrated onceagain their ability to combine slickhandling with ruthless finishing.Their closest wins have come in thedriving rain and surface slime at

…andafterwards

38


OASPORT

mid-table Dorking on 20th March,and in their last league match, on a‘dry ski slope’ at Hertford. Suchperformances served to demonstratea potent mix of discipline, controlledaggression and a collectivedetermination to prevail, whateverthe conditions.OAs also beat Hertford on their

way to the final of the HertsPresidents Cup where theytriumphed over holders BishopsStortford, 37 points to 19, to lift thetrophy for the first time in 12 years.Etched in their supporters’

memories will be their performancein the play-off showdown withCheltenham side Old Patesians,which was witnessed by hundreds ofspectators on a beautiful springafternoon at Woollams. Old Patsshowed why they had performed sowell in South West One but on theday simply could not penetrate OAsfamous defensive wall. The finalscore of 15 points to nil serves well toillustrate OAs’ best qualities. Centre Terry Adams and prop

James Ellershaw ended the leagueseason as top try scorers for theFirsts with 90 points and 50 pointsrespectively. Also making regularappearances on the score sheet areCounty scrum half Mark Evans (40points), Ross Hamilton and ChrisLombaard. The free scoring SouthAfrican winger was signed fromCambridge in February together withhis highly rated colleagues, JamesShanahan and Stefanes Liebenberg,giving a crucial boost to TheWoollams Men in the run-in, whichsecured home advantage in the play-

off, with one match in hand.Once again, top points scorer

overall has been Richard Gregg whohas enjoyed a dazzling season andwhose reliable boot has propelled thein-form fly half into the top twokickers bracket in London and SouthEast One with 247 points.Congratulations go to Director of

Rugby Bruce Millar and every singlemember of his team notably, CoachMark Langley and Team ManagersSteve Wyre and Charlie Johnson.OARFC starts next season in

National 2 South where famousnames like Richmond and RosslynPark play their rugby. We lookforward to locking horns once againwith the likes of Ealing, Canterbury,Worthing and Shelford who have allmanaged to make the big step upfrom London One in recent years.New fixtures will include Clifton,Taunton, Lydney, Henley and DingsCrusaders (Bristol).The management and players at

the Club wish to thank everyone whohas supported them in any wayduring 2009/10. There is much hardwork to do in preparation for ournew adventure which starts inSeptember and we very much lookforward to the benefit of yourongoing support.

Robin Farrar

Keep in touchKeep in touch with the latest news and matchreports at the Rugby and Cricket Club websites:

www.oarugby.comwww.oacc.org.uk

39


On course■ Don Carnell looks forward to a fulldiary of events during 2010 – andinvites OAs of all abilities to join inthe fun

There are approximately 70 golfersplaying one or more events arrangedby the OAGS. Handicaps range from3 to 28 and all OAs are most welcometo attend these meetings. The objectis to enjoy the camaraderie and havesome fun along the way. The 2010programme is:8 May: OA v Mid-Herts GC16 May: Grafton Morrish qualifier

at The Leicestershire GC (ScratchFoursomes Competition)23 June: OA Cup at South Beds GC28 July: Captains Away Day atFlackwell Heath GC13 August: OA v Old Haberdashersat Mid-Herts GC20 August: OA v Old Cholmeleiansat Highgate GC5/6 September: Thorpeness trip10 September: Old Boys Foursomesat Highgate GC1 October: Briggs Goblets at Mid-Hers GC26 November: Annual Dinner atHarpenden Common GC

Don Carnell

Cannon and pike■ OA Angling Society Secretary GeoffCannon looks back on a successful fewmonths – including his feat of landingsix large pike in less than two hours

The OA Angling Club continued withits programme of activities followingthe finish of the game fishing season.Several members spent a week in

Ireland near Carrick on Shannon andfished many loughs in the vicinity.A visit to the Norfolk Broads in

September produced an excellentweekend's fishing and includedsighting an otter. Geoff Cannonfished later in the year on BartonBroad and he and his fellow fishercaught six pike over 10lbs in twohours.

The Fishwives Supper was held inNovember and was well attended andenjoyed by all.Fishing after Christmas was

curtailed by the inclement weather.The coarse fishing season has nowfinished and we are looking forwardto fishing for trout and salmon thissummer.As usual any fishers who would

like to join in our activities would bewelcome and should contact GeoffCannon.

Geoff CannonHonorary Secretary, OA Angling Club

[email protected]

Golf

Angling

14-16 Church End

Redbourn

AL3 7DU

01727 861622

01582 792512

01727 861623 (f)

40


Hitting winners■ OA Tennis Club MembershipSecretary Sue Barnes reports on anexcellent season, and invites players ofall ages and levels to join the club

After their sixth season of competingin the Watford District League, theOA Tennis Club are proud toannounce that they have gainedpromotion in all three of theirdivisions. The Men’s, Ladies andMixed A teams all won theirdivisions this season and will nowplay in Div, 3, Div 4 and Div 3respectively. It is now up to our newMixed B team to get off the ladder! If,while reading this, you feel youwould like to play for any of theabove teams, we would be delightedto have you on board. Manycongratulations to all members whohave played for any of the teams andcontributed towards our currentsuccess. We are very proud of ourrecent collection of silver cups, ondisplay in the Clubhouse.The OA Tennis Club is situated at

the OA Sports Ground on theHarpenden Road. The tennismembers are privileged to play onfour fantastic astro-turf courts, setwithin the magnificent grounds ofWoollams. We are a relatively smallbut friendly tennis club with roughly100 members, but we are lookingforward to increasing ourmembership and have managed tokeep our annual subscription lowerthan most other Tennis Clubs in theSt Albans area. The current membersare made up of a combination of

Juniors, Coaching, Social and teammembers. We are fortunate to havetwo LTA-trained coaches at the Cluband we will be pleased to welcome allnew players, whether they bebeginners, Juniors, Seniors and ofcourse, those who would beinterested to play in our successfulteams. At the moment we are applying for

floodlights, which would make itpossible to play during the evenings,all the year round.If you would like more information

on joining OA Tennis, please contactSue Barnes on 07970 301345 or athome in the evenings on 01727 868857.

Sue BarnesMembership Secretary

OASPORT Tennis

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Aiming high■ Club Captain Andrew Wilkiereports on a rollercoaster small boreseason – and the mysterious case ofthe targets that were lost in the post!

The shooting cognoscenti among youmay recall that we won Division 4 ofthe Herts Summer Rifle League in2009, followed by the inter-divisionalshoot off for the league winnersLadies of Ware Trophy.Well, the team of Andy Moore,

Moray McMillin, Martin Warr andyours truly did it again over the2009/2010 Winter Rifle League,winning Division 4. We have yet toshoot the inter-divisional shoot-offbut the average that our handicapwill be based on will have risensignificantly, making it more of achallenge! Keep the fingers crossedthat there are no mishaps. We’ll letyou know the outcome.And, the reward for our success:

promotion to Division 3 for the 2010Herts Summer Rifle League! Now itgets tougher.Just to show how well we

performed over the two seasons,Summer 2009 and Winter 2009/2010, Icarried out a simple team analysis.The maximum score on each ten bulltarget is 100. Each of the four teammembers shoots ten rounds, onetarget per round. For the team that’sforty scores out of 100 for a fullseason (However, because the scoresfor round 1 in the winter league werelost in the post, I have omitted round1 of the summer results forcomparison giving nine rounds or 36

scores). This is the analysis:

The Winter 2010 scores show adistinct improvement over Summer2009 with the distribution peakmoving from “95” to “96”.As well as club shooting, Andy

Moore, Moray McMillin and yourstruly continue to shoot in HertsCounty leagues over the winter butwith somewhat mixed results. Iblame it on snow in the sights whenshooting the county cards!For the 2010 Full bore season we

have the usual four competitions tolook forward to namely, oldLawrentians Match, Q Match, LongRange Match and Alleynians Matchconcluding with our annual dinner atBisley.Let’s hope for continuing small

bore success over summer 2010 andwe need to win the Arnold Cup backfrom the Alleynians to balance theresults again.Here’s wishing everyone good

shooting for summer 2010.Andrew Wilkie

Captain

Shooting

Hon Secretary

O L Simmons

2, Honeymead,

Welwyn

AL6 0EG

01438 840674

Hon Treasurer

A Q S Moore

69, Long Fallow,

St Albans

AL2 3ED

01727 830344

Captain

A W B Wilkie

5, Batchwood

Drive, St Albans

AL3 5RZ

01727 856857

Score ex 100Summer 2009 Winter 09/10

100 0 099 0 198 1 597 3 396 4 1095 7 394 5 493 4 492 3 491 2 190 3 089 0 088 3 087 1 086 0 085 0 1Total Scores 36 36

42

Caption Competition■ Send in your suggestions for a witty or amusing caption for either of these images to:Nick Chappin, Editor18 The Pleasance, Harpenden, Herts AL5 3NAEmail: [email protected]


OA Bulletin - Summer 2010 Edition

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Transcript of OA Bulletin - Summer 2010 Edition