FEED THE WORLD James Belgrave on life at the humanitarian frontline LIVES REMEMBERED Tributes to Geoffrey Willsdon, Peter Allen, Duncan Craik and others
THE MAGAZINE OF THE OKS ASSOCIATION • № 3 • Spring 2019
A FOUR-LEGGED CAREER Ed de Giles talks early mornings and happy horses
The glamour of filmmaking? Tom Edmunds (LN 1992-97) on the longest four years of his life
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OKS MAGAZINE • № 3 • Spring 2019
From the Editor
“
World is crazier and more of it than we think/Incorrigibly plural” wrote the poet Louis MacNeice.
OKS will each have their own versions of craziness, and the plurality of their lives is demonstrated in our four feature articles. This is not unlike school life these days, where the multitudinousness of matches, events, clubs and activities listed in the School Calendar could leave a casual reader breathless. By contrast, the School’s World Heritage setting continues, and there is continuity in the recorded lives of some who have given memorable service, like Peter Allen and Duncan Craik. “Service” was an ideal that public schools sought to inculcate. In a global world, it is exemplified in this issue by the life James Belgrave describes.
Modern independent schools have their critics: they have enemies too. James is a powerful if unintentional advocate for the best of their culture. A very professional office and strong communication skills are prerequisites for a successful alumni association, and this is reflected in the naming of Elaine Lynch as Executive Editor. She and graphic designer Nick Ebdon have reshaped this publication for the better, following discussion and advice from the OKS office and editorial team.
Stephen Woodley
From the OKS President
I Cover: Tom Edmunds (centre) with Tom Wilkinson (left) and Christopher Ecclestone Photo: Marc Brenner
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am delighted to contribute to this spring issue of the OKS Magazine, my first as your new President. As well as a most convivial and fully attended Christmas drinks gathering at The Vintry in the City of London, and the London reunion for 1980-99 OKS, we also had a sell-out OKS AGM and dinner at the House of Commons at the end of March. We are now embarked on our series of OKS networking events, a recent example of which, focusing on Tech start-ups and hosted by Millie Jessel, was a great success. In May we will have our next Legacy Club lunch to be held at the stunning new Malthouse site, and of course the annual OKS King’s Week Lunch on the Green Court. We also look forward to the OKS reunion in London for 2000-19 leavers. Our OKS Association: its range of events and activities continues to evolve. We warmly welcome your ideas and involvement to help
us further enhance our offering. Our increasing exchanges with OKS through social media: LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram in particular, is strengthening our networking efforts and the sharing of School news and memories. And finally, just to say how much I am looking forward to working with and assisting the OKS Association and its members in every way that I can. I have already seen how much King’s prizes engagement with its alumni and am privileged to be part of that effort.
David Peters OKS
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In this issue From the Headmaster
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he Lent Term at King’s has been a very dynamic and stimulating one. Musical life continues to flourish with a Chamber Music Concert under Andy Pollock, a Big Band Spectacular directed by Nick Todd, anthems in the Cathedral and weekly recitals, culminating in Brahms’ German Requiem on the eve of St Patrick’s Day. Rebekah Beattie’s young actors and Victoria Outram’s dancers pulled off a hugely enjoyable Drama Showcase, the last big show in St Mary’s Hall before they move to the Malthouse theatre. The first major production there will be A Midsummer Night’s Dream in King’s Week. Sport has been thriving despite some difficult weather: the Boat Club had early successes in Bruges and the girls reached the semi-final stage of the Lacrosse nationals. Debating (led by OKS Mike Cox) is particularly strong and links us with our East Kent Schools Together cluster. House concerts have been hugely enjoyable, with Martin Miles’ deservedly famous ‘Festal Flourish’ in March! Junior King’s is in great form: Mrs Karolyi has introduced a very successful Grandparents’ day, and is getting ready for the 90th Anniversary celebrations in the summer. It is such a pleasure leading King’s as our ‘masterplan’ projects open – the Malthouse, new Chemistry labs, Chums under the Shirley Hall and the new Health Centre (run by OKS Kate Abbott). We have just engaged with contractors to knock down old Mitchinson’s and build the new Science hub for Physics, whilst the International College moves next to the theatre. Other schools might do the odd project, but we – alongside the Cathedral – are transforming our sites in time for the Lambeth Conference in summer 2020.
Peter Roberts OKS
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4 News from King’s: WW1 Remembrance, CoEducation and a Fair. 6, 12, 16 & 19 Features: Food Aid, filmmaking, racehorses and a girl at King’s. 10, 20 Events: Reunion drinks and AGM. 14 Development News: The impact of bursaries. 15 Networking: Breakfast at Simmons & Simmons. 22 OKS Update: News of OKS from around the world. 28 Unknown OKS: The Man with the Laughing Legs. 30 Lives Remembered: Obituaries. 38 Sport: Haymakers, Sailing and Masters.
We want to hear your news and so do your fellow OKS. Fill in the form on the address sheet or contact Elaine Lynch. telephone 01227 595672 email etl@kings-school.co.uk website www.oks.org.uk facebook.com/groups/oksassociation twitter.com/OKSAssociation linkedin.com/groups/35681 instagram.com/oksassociation The OKS Magazine is produced by an editorial committee chaired by Felicity Lyons (SH 1975-77). The Senior Editor is Stephen Woodley (Common Room 1969-98) and the Executive Editor is Elaine Lynch. They are assisted by Peter Henderson (School Archivist, Common Room 1969- ), Kate Chernyshov (SH 1984-86), Susan Tingle and Hannah Pinney. Unless otherwise credited, photographs are by Matt McArdle or from school archives.
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News from King’s FROM THE COMMON ROOM Geoff Cocksworth has been appointed the Founding Executive Principal of The King’s School, Canterbury, Shenzhen International. He will take up this post in September. Thomas Gooderham joined the Geography Department in January. Tom is the son of Charles Gooderham (MR 1983-88) and Lucy, née Dyer (MT 1986-88), and grandson of Alan Dyer (Common Room 19692002). In November Julie Evans was appointed to the new post of Head of Music Partnerships. This represents a further expansion of the School’s Partnership programme. Alongside other initiatives, it is hoped to launch music lessons for primary school children next September.
REMEMBRANCE 1918-2018 The Remembrance Sunday service in the Memorial Court was expressly designed to mark the centenary of the ending of the Great War. A drumhead altar used the grave marker of OKS Vernon Austin and two CCF cadets were dressed in First World War uniform. Four Shells read out the names of the 163 OKS in the roll of honour. 4
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Other readings included extracts from a letter written at the Front in September 1914 by Lt Charles Fremoult Battersby OKS a few weeks before he was killed at Ypres and an epitaph by John Maxwell Edmonds (Common Room 18991903). Bill Prior, joint head of the International College, played ‘Flowers of the Forest’ on the bagpipes and Charles Welton played the Last Post and Reveille on the trumpet. At the CCF lunch in St Augustine’s refectory there was a display relating to some of those killed, and the Headmaster and the Archivist both spoke. David Perkins, Head of History, was successful in the ballot for the ‘Nation’s Thank You public procession’ to the Cenotaph in Whitehall on Remembrance Sunday. He laid a wreath on behalf of the School. Sarah Wearne’s book To Our Brothers: Memorials to a Lost Generation in British Schools, illustrated with photographs by James Kerr, is a fascinating account of war memorials. Forty-eight schools, including King’s, are featured. Among other OKS
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centenary publications, James Holder’s The Great War’s Sporting Casualties mentions OKS rugby internationals Digby Watson and Roland Gordon. The researches of John Hamblin and Peter Henderson on the School and the War can be accessed via the King’s School Archives website.
FAIR ON LADY WOOTTON’S GREEN Thanks to the generosity of Barry Lock (GR 1948-53), the School has been able to acquire this superb picture (above), which now hangs in the Gateway Chamber.
CO-EDUCATION
William Findlater’s Fair on Lady Wootton’s Green, before the Gate of St Augustine’s Abbey was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1812. It probably shows the Michaelmas Fair. In 1810, this was partially held at Lady Wootton’s Green, as the Dean and Chapter no longer wanted it in the Cathedral Yard. The Old Palace, as St Augustine’s was generally known at this time, was already a place of entertainment. Daniel Gyngell, whose booth can be seen on the right, was a noted conjuror, singer and performer on musical glasses.
For the first time, girls at King’s outnumber boys – just. This year’s rotulus records 431 girls and 421 boys. There are more boys than girls in 6a, 5th and Removes; vice versa in 6b and Shells. With the opening of Kingsdown House in 2015 there are now six girls’ houses (plus Bailey as a Sixth Form house) and six boys’ houses, as well as the three co-educational day houses. The accompanying diagram shows the growth of the School over the last 100 years. The peak in boys’ numbers came in 1972 – boys 692; girls 4 – the year after the arrival of the first Sixth Form girl.
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Photos, left to right: Tom Gooderham conquers Mt Kilimanjaro in December 2018; Remembrance Service 2018; Fair on Lady Wootton’s Green
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OKS FEATURE
Main image: hand harvest. Boatmen transport WFP food to newly arrived refugees stuck at the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh Photo: ŠWFP/ Saikat Mojumder
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Going where others won’t James Belgrave (MO 2000-05) talks about his work with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which feeds more than 90 million people caught in conflict and disasters in 80 countries around the world each year
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ne imagines a humanitarian as a poorly paid white male sitting in a dusty camp in Africa, with his young local sidekick named Apu in tow, waiting for out-ofdate medicines to arrive. The reality is far from that. Firstly, the bulk of our work is done by amazing national staff working under really tough conditions; they are the backbone of our organization, and make up the majority of our 15,000 staff. Secondly, we have more planes in the sky on any given day than Alitalia, and run the UN Humanitarian Air Service which goes where no commercial airlines dare to fly, like remote areas of Somalia, Mali, and South Sudan. Thirdly, the salary is pretty good, but I’m sure many OKS might challenge that, seeing where many of our alumni end up. If I had to sum it up I’d say exhilarating, heart-breaking, rewarding, and exhausting. The excitement of flying over vast OKS
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We work where no one else will
swathes of pristine African bush in a rusty old Russian UN helicopter. The heart-wrenching scene of a young mother bringing her severely malnourished child into a treatment centre having walked for two days without food. The joy of meeting one of the millions of people we serve every day and realising we’re all pretty similar in the end. The physical toll of working 15-hour days for weeks at a time. We work where no one else will, and have to negotiate with some of the most terrifying people out there to carry out our life-saving mandate. Boko Haram, Al Shabab, ISIS, the Taliban, even the North Koreans – you name it. This exposes us to immense risks. But we do whatever it takes, going where others won’t to reach those who most need our help. My role as Communications Officer is to raise awareness of the plight of the people in some of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, be an advocate for funding and political action, and sound the alarm bell to a very distracted public. I do this by travelling to areas where we work, speaking to those we assist, telling their stories, 7
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line of work. Being sent to dangerous and far-flung places at a moment’s notice, long missions in locations without your family or friends, living in extremely challenging conditions, and a career of relocations every 2-4 years puts immense pressure on relationships and families.
and thinking strategically about how best to engage people and get them to act. In the last eight years with the UN I’ve worked on refugee resettlement programmes in Burundi, in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, on typhoon response operations in the Philippines, helping rebuild livelihoods torn apart by conflict in South Sudan, and helping to fight chronic malnutrition in North Korea. It’s been amazing but there is no doubt that this line of work comes with more than its fair share of challenges. It sounds glamorous, and part of it is, but a lot of time is spent behind a computer screen between missions doing the back-end work that enables us to respond to emergencies when they do happen. The work can be exhausting. It ages you. Your health suffers. You see your family once a year. In some cases, satellite phone becomes your only means of communication with your friends and family. It’s both awe-inspiring and heartbreaking to see the sacrifices people are willing to make in this 8
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Top: A refugee who has crossed into Bangladesh Below: James in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh Right: Mohammad Hasim feeding his niece Showkot with WFP food All photos: ©WFP/ Saikat Mojumder
But I cannot really describe the deep sense of fulfilment and satisfaction when you meet one of the millions of people we support every day and speak to them, listen to their story, see first-hand the impact of the work we do. It puts everything into perspective and kind of resets your energy levels despite all the challenges. I’m also immensely lucky to have found someone who understands and supports the work I do; my wife! She should do – we’ve worked together since we met as colleagues during the typhoon emergency in the Philippines in 2013. She’s been to more tough places than I have. Between the two of us we’ve visited more than 90 countries! I’m in awe of her. At no time since the Second World War has the OKS
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OKS FEATURE
sacks before running into the forest and across the border. It was moving speaking with these people, realising that we were the only ones helping them before they fled for their lives, and we were there when they crossed the border. It makes me immensely proud of the work we do every day.
world faced such a massive level of humanitarian need. Between 2005 and 2017 the number of humanitarian crises has doubled, and in 2017 alone 44,000 people fled their homes every single day. Tens of millions around the world face the threat of famine. Being in humanitarian need means you can’t feed yourself or your family, you suffer from preventable disease, don’t have adequate shelter or sanitation, and cannot live with the most basic human dignity. Humanitarians stand as the last line of defence against this immense wave of suffering. Without the work of the aid agencies, people would die. There is simply no one else there to carry out that life-saving work at scale. This was driven home earlier this year when I was in Bangladesh working in the refugee camps where every day we fed almost a million Rohingya refugees who fled across the border from Myanmar. People were fleeing unimaginable terrors at the hands of the Burmese military, who were carrying out a brutal campaign against the Rohingya ethnic minority – a campaign later called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” by the UN. The majority were women and children. They were terrified, exhausted, starving, and traumatised. Many women had been brutalised, and many were badly injured. But many I met were also immensely relieved, and somehow optimistic, in spite of it all. They had reached relative safety, and speaking to them as they sat and ate their first proper meal in days, many told me that they recognised our logo and came because they knew there would be food and a safe space just to exist. Back in their villages in Myanmar, we were one of the few organizations allowed to provide them with assistance, so they knew who we were and what we did. Many had fled their villages when the killing started, and ran with what little they had, which they bundled into empty WFP food OKS
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I often think if my time at King’s prepared me for the work I do now. I must say the ease with which I’ve settled into a container office in a UN peacekeeping base while gunfire raged outside did strike me as somehow linked to my time at King’s. It’s no huge surprise that it would, I mean in many ways the British Public School system was at one stage suited to preparing generation after generation of future colonial officers, and in many ways it does prepare you for long isolated periods in foreign countries facing pretty unique challenges. Having to forge partnerships, pool your limited resources with key allies, negotiate with your enemies, and work across tribal groups? Check! Having to operate under the ever-watchful eye of hawkish and authoritarian rulers (sorry Beadle)? Check! Being stuck with the same people in a tight-knit community in a claustrophobic environment? Check! If I had any advice for someone wanting to work in the industry it would be – learn a second language. Then try to learn a third. Get a Masters, ideally in something useful and relevant – think logistics, nutrition, climate change, geographical information systems. Travel often and travel widely. Say yes to wherever they propose to send you for the first few years. It’ll pay off in the long run. And realise that behind the glamour and the excitement, there are long periods of sitting behind a desk doing office work, like everybody else. Faced with the overload of arresting images of human suffering, be it the child dying of famine in Yemen or the drowned boy on a beach in Greece, a lot of people turn away, and instinctively switch off to the suffering. I find this desperately sad, but it’s an understandable way to cope. I would urge people to have faith that they can have an impact, especially for voluntary funded organizations like WFP. We can only save lives every day if people enable us to do so.
821 million
people – more than 1 in 9 of the world population – are undernourished
150 million
children under 5 are too small for their age due to poor diet
1 in 3 of women of child-bearing age suffer from anaemia
On any given day WFP has 5,000 trucks, 20 ships and 92 planes on the move. WFP distributes more than 15 billion rations per year
You can donate via WFP’s Share the Meal app: sharethemeal.org
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Events
Christmas in the City
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KS are gathering in ever-increasing numbers for Christmas Drinks, an event that is fast becoming the most popular one on the OKS calendar. The event on 29 November took place in the cosy cellar bar at The Vintry in the City of London and guests commented on the quality of the nibbles and the company! It was a merry evening and we look forward to welcoming you all again (even those OKS who wandered in from the upstairs bar looking for the toilets and stayed!). See you on Thursday 28 November 2019.
The Bungalow Bash
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ustralian based OKS met in Sydney for drinks at Darling Harbour’s tropical themed bar, Bungalow 8 in February. The age range of those attending spanned from 21 to 87 years old. The event coincided with Dr Patrick Murray’s (GR 1945-51) 87th birthday and was organised by our new OKS reps in Sydney, Will (MT 2000-05) and Pamela Bruce (née Gent LX 2001-06). King’s Society Manager Ali Huntrods and her husband Guy together with King’s Society Treasurer Andrew Bruce and his wife Mary were also present whilst visiting Ali’s sister, Will, and Pamela respectively. On an unseasonably wet Sydney evening, wine, laughter and conversation meant the rain was hardly noticed. Good future connections were forged and happy memories of King’s were shared, even discovering Guy (Old Tonbridgian) played against Mark Pretty (LN 1971-75) in a King’s v Tonbridge 1st XV Rugby match back in 1974!
OKS REUNION 2000-2019 Thursday 10 October 2019 7.00pm 61-65 Great Queen Street, WC2B 5BZ Join us at Sway Bar for drinks and canapés. Find us in our own private bar ‘The Hide’ where you can rekindle friendships and catch up on news since you left King’s. Centrally located just a short walk from Covent Garden Tube. Tickets to this FREE event are available from the The King’s School Box Office kings-school.co.uk or call 01227 595778
• If you would like to organise an overseas OKS get together then the OKS Association office are happy to help: oks@kings-school.co.uk 10
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he Clubhouse at 1 Angel Court in the City was the stylish venue on 11 October 2018 for the gathering of OKS from 1980-99. The bubbly flowed as easily as the conversation at this free event for OKS and many old friendships were renewed. Andrew Dobbin and Anthony Philips were particularly pleased to catch up with former pupils. Albums of photos from the era, put together by Archivist Peter Henderson, were well thumbed through and images on the big screen encouraged exclamations of ‘Oh yes I remember him/her/that hair!’
Clockwise from top left: A preChristmas drink, October Reunion (yes that is Andrew Dobbin), OKS at Bungalow 8
THE LEGACY CLUB 12 May 2019, 11.30am The Malthouse, Canterbury
OKS COMMITTEE MEETING 14 May 2019, 6.30pm Cavalry & Guards Club, London
June
OKS October Reunion
May
Events
MARC & PAM DATH LEAVING PARTY 22 June 2019, 12.30pm Green Court, Canterbury
KAREN PEARS LEAVING PARTY 29 June 2019, 3.00pm Luxmoore House, Canterbury
OKS KING’S WEEK LUNCH
October
30 June 2019, 12.00pm Canterbury
CANTUARIAN LODGE MEETING 3 October 2019, 5.00pm London
OKS REUNION 2000-19 10 October 2019, 7.00pm Sway Bar, London
You can pay with Visa or Mastercard through the online box office. To pay by cheque please make the cheque payable to the OKS Association and post to: The Development Office, The King’s School, 1 Mint Yard, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2ES
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November
How to book OKS CHRISTMAS DRINKS 28 November 2019, 6.30pm The Vintry, London
Tickets will be available from The King’s School Box Office kings-school.co.uk or call 01227 595778
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OKS FEATURE
Four years of nothing to “dead in a week” Tom Edmunds (LN 1992-97) read Classics at Oxford before moving on to filmmaking. His first film was released exclusively in Odeon cinemas in November 2018
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spent four years NOT making a film. In that time, I wrote the script, raised the finance, re-wrote the script, assembled the crew, re-wrote the script again, cast the actors, re-wrote the script AGAIN, but none of that is actually making a film and all that time there loomed the very real prospect that it just… wouldn’t happen. Not because of it, not because of me, but just because. And then I would have spent four years with nothing to show for it. Those four years were the longest of my life. However, I was just bloody-minded and egotistical enough to persevere. The reward was to spend five of the most intense, stressful, exhilarating, weeks doing the job I’d dreamt of: directing a bona fide feature film. With bona fide actors. Ones you might even have heard of. And it was glorious. Then I was four years and five weeks into the project and perception shifted 180° from “four years?? Oh my God, how can you bear it?” to “four years? Oh, so pretty quick for a movie…” Time is relative indeed. 12
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Who said filmmaking is glamorous?
Dead in a Week (or your money back) is my first feature film. It started with a conversation with my producer where I described an assassin who lives a happy suburban life and only kills people who want to die – a kind of one-man euthanasia clinic. My producer replied that he had an idea about a young man who was suicidal but wasn’t brave enough to do it himself and kept getting it wrong. We could see that these two characters would – and maybe “happily” is the wrong word – co-exist in the same story, so I started writing a script about a young man who “outsources” his suicide to an assassin. With comedic results. Very dark, blackly comedic results. Once the script was written, the real work began. That can only be described as a Sisyphean task. I was lucky to have two energetic producers, but it’s impossible to shift a boulder of that size without some greater assistance. I would guess that there can’t be many more collaborative endeavours than filmmaking. It truly does take a village. All those names that scroll up as you dust rogue popcorn off your jumper and salvage your OKS
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coat from the sticky floor, they have all played a vital role in bringing that film to the big screen. But, even with a crew to help with the pushing, what you need is for the boulder to reach critical mass. For us, that critical mass came when the fabulous Tom Wilkinson (of Full Monty, Michael Clayton, Batman Begins fame) agreed to take the role of the assassin. I remember that phone call with crystal clarity. I actually let out a yelp and punched the air. I was in Tesco. With Wilkinson on board, the film suddenly appeared much more of a sure thing. It had taken three and a half years to get to that point but the next six months passed in a flash. We added up-and-coming star Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk, War & Peace) and the irresistible Christopher Eccleston (Dr Who, Shallow Grave) to the cast and started filming. It was a dream come true. Except in the dream, it’s not a freezing cold February. And I’m not in Balham. Who said filmmaking is glamorous? Now the boulder is rolling down the other side of the hill, and you’re just desperately trying to keep up. OKS
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Tom on the set of Dead in a Week Photo: Marc Brenner
Dead in a Week (or your money back) is available for digital download (via iTunes, Google Play, Amazon)
There have been several ‘pinch yourself’ moments on this journey. It started with a very solitary act of sitting at my computer, tapping words onto a blank page that I hoped at some point might make someone else laugh, or at least think. The moment when I sat at the back of a cinema and witnessed an audience laugh at a joke that was conceived four years before is a thrill that is hard to describe. I made Dead in a Week because I thought people would enjoy it. It is an extremely tough market for independent films, especially in the UK, but those that have seen the film do seem to have enjoyed it (the film has been weirdly successful in Italy… go figure…) and that is hugely satisfying. I have recently found out that I am treading in some illustrious OKS footsteps. Sir Carol Reed (Oliver!, The Third Man) and Michael Powell (The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death); that is some serious British filmmaking heritage and is enormously inspiring. So, with Dead in a Week done and out in the World, I am hoping to spend much less time NOT making the next one. 13
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Development News
The next generation Over the generations there have been many families at King’s who have been very grateful for the generosity of grandparents, Endowed Trusts, charitable foundations and sometimes bursaries from the School to be able to manage the full school fees. Director of Development, Kate Chernyshov (née Kelly, SH 1984-86) looks at the impact bursaries can have on the lives of King’s pupils. “Working with OKS, parents and staff, I am very aware of how many people in the King’s family have had a helping hand at some point in their lives, and the value of showing gratitude to those who gave that help.” Kate met up with OKS Mat Lister (MR 1997-99) now Housemaster of Linacre to talk about the impact of a bursary on his life.
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at joined King’s Sixth Form in 1997, with the support of a bursary. “My parents had worked overseas while I was growing up, but we moved back to the UK when I was ten and I found it hard to settle in my new school. At 14, I was lucky to discover I had a talent for playing rugby and within two years I was playing for England Under 16s. However, school was difficult for me – I struggled with dyslexia and didn’t feel I had an identity or purpose, besides my rugby. I couldn’t imagine what the future held for me. “It was Wyn Watson (Common Room 1998-2015) and Roy White (Common Room 1984-2010) who realised that I could have a future at King’s and they encouraged my parents to apply for a bursary for me. King’s is such an extraordinary institution, but I admit I felt like an impostor to If your fees were partly funded by a bursary or scholarship at King’s, and you would like to thank your benefactors, we would love to hear from you, please get in touch with the Development Office: foundation@kings-school.co.uk
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begin with. Roy was brilliant – calm, disciplined and a real moral compass for me. I won a place on the King’s Parramatta Exchange and spent the summer holiday playing rugby in Sydney, Australia. On my return to school I was made Captain of the 1st XV, and then knuckled down to my A Levels with the help of staff who really pushed me to succeed. I joke that Martin Franks (Common Room 1990- ) is still my tutor! “After King’s, I chose to read Geography and Sports Science at Loughborough, and followed a career in teaching. I returned to King’s in 2015, taking up the role of Head of Rugby and became Housemaster of Linacre in 2017. I love the job, working with the boys, and I genuinely care about them. I am proud of what I have achieved, and I have always been incredibly grateful to King’s for supporting me at such a crucial time, nurturing my ambitions and pushing me to fulfil them. I hope I can do the same for the next generation of King’s pupils.”
Kent Awards at King’s
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n 2018, King’s launched a new programme of bursaries for Day Pupils, called Kent Awards at King’s. Aimed at local pupils with exceptional talent who hope to join King’s at 11 or 16 years, the bursaries will support them throughout their time at the School. Funded initially by a very generous gift from an OKS Benefactor, King’s hopes to extend this programme to support 40 pupils over ten years. • If you would like to support the next generation of bursaries for Day Pupils by making a gift to Kent Awards at King’s, please contact the Development Director on 01227 595760 or email foundation@kings-school.co.uk
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e want professional development to be at the heart of the OKS Association, with opportunities for OKS to learn, share and disseminate knowledge relating to their prospective industries. Last Autumn, we successfully launched our series of OKS Breakfast Networking Events. Spearheaded by OKS Millie Jessel (HH 2005-10) & Oli Lyons (LN 2001-06), these sessions will take the format of keynote speakers or panel discussions, and will target specific sectors and industries which the OKS community feel are most relevant to them. The aim of this series of events is firstly to promote peer to peer networking across the generations, and thus allow OKS to build up and maintain a network of professionals relevant to their career. In tandem with this, the sessions also provide an opportunity for OKS to learn, share and disseminate knowledge relating to their respective industries in a professional setting.
Our first event in November delved into the world of Tech Start Ups, and saw a panel featuring three OKS: Ed Newton-Rex (GL 2001-06) CEO and Founder of Jukedeck, Leo MacLehose (LN 2002-07) CEO and Founder of MatchPint Ltd, and Alex Gilmore (GR 200308) an investor at Active Partners. Questions ranged from ‘At what point did you know this was an idea worth pursuing’ to those with a more historical context ‘What lessons from the collapse of the “Dot Com” bubble in 2001 are still relevant for Tech start-ups today?’.
OKS Network
OKS Breakfast Networking
Above, left to right: Alex Gilmore, Oli Lyons, Millie Jessel, Ed Newton-Rex, Leo MacLehose Below: Henry Lo (second from right) with pupils and Head of ICT Al Holland
Henry Lo Careers Talk
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e were delighted to welcome OKS Henry Lo (SH 1999-2004) back to King’s on 13 March, to give a talk to current sixth form pupils about Engineering. Pupils quizzed Henry about autonomous vehicles and learnt that you can spray paint an Aston with moon rock! Henry works as Project Manager for the Electrical Department at Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. • If you would be interested in giving a Careers Talk, please get in touch with us at the OKS office: oks@kings-school.co.uk
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OKS FEATURE
Making a career out of four legs Ed de Giles (GR 1982-87) describes the transition from working in the City to training racehorses
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hose first few days as a Shell pupil starting out at The Grange seem a lifetime ago and I suppose they were. I clearly remember my fascination with the horse, following the Blean Beagles and the East Kent Hunt, as well as an awful lot of time spent on the river and gravel pits relentlessly rowing up and down. However, judging by my O and A level results I don’t think an awful lot of attention was paid in the classroom. I hope I’ve persuaded my three children to adopt a slightly different approach to their school days. One thing is for sure, King’s certainly made me believe I could do anything I wanted, regardless of what some may have told me. So, on leaving with a moderate set of exam results, I headed to Agricultural College, which gave me three more years to work out how I was going to fulfil my ambition of making a career out of our four-legged friends. On graduating I moved to Lambourn and for two years worked as an assistant trainer to Nick Gaselee during which 16
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time we won the Grand National with Party Politics. Now there was the small issue of money, so I headed to the City in a bid to make my fortune. It’s amazing to think I was employed by a global investment bank purely because the traders thought they would get some good racing tips from me. I am not sure that would work these days. I spent 12 thoroughly enjoyable years with Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein before moving to Kaupthing (it went bust; not my fault!), and eventually finishing at the small but highly successful firm Cenkos, where funnily enough I sat alongside a fellow Grange pupil.
happy healthy horses win races
By 2010 the time had finally come to head to Ledbury, Herefordshire with my family where we had bought a fantastic property, Lilly Hall Farm, from which to train. We have now been here for eight years and have not looked back. With the support of friends from the City we started with a dozen horses and now have 35 in training. Everything I earned in finance has been fully invested into a state-of-the-art operation, which includes multiple gallops, an equine swimming OKS
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pool and high-speed treadmill that can allow our stable to reach its potential. We are about to enter another phase of major investment in the yard. We have managed to secure a grant from Europe (now clearly closed!) to fund a complete overhaul of the gallops and put in another 14 stables for expansion of the business. We are changing our main gallop by widening it along with some levelling out. The surface is going to be an Eco Track from the top supplier Martin Collins. This is not a decision that has been taken lightly, not least because of the cost, but it is imperative to have the best surface available to help keep the horses sound during their training. The energy return is excellent which is crucial as the horses travel at such speed and they need the best cushion in order to avoid too much repetitive strain, particularly to their joints. This is a very common issue with flat horses and so this new gallop, coupled with the pool, allows us to exercise horses with minimal stress. OKS
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Above: Ed at Lilly Hall Farm Photo: Lucy Richards Below: Sexy Beast Photo: John Grossick/Grossick Racing Photography
We have a circular gallop used daily for warm up and easy days and this will have the Martin Collins Activ-Track. These surfaces can be harrowed as deep or shallow as required, depending on the work we wish to do. The best way to keep a horse sound is to avoid stressing it in the same way every day. Having all these different facilities allows us to vary the training, thus letting the horse condition itself whilst avoiding injury. A typical day (if there is such a thing with horses): I am up at 5.15 to feed the horses. I particularly like this time as it gives me a chance to see each horse during a quiet period. I feel their legs for any issues and can monitor if they are off their feed which will help me decide what level of work they will be doing that day. This is done by 6.30 when all the staff arrive and start mucking out the stables, whilst I go to the office and run through the work list for the day including entries and declarations for any upcoming races. First lot will pull out at 7.30 so I return to the yard (which is only 100m from the house), leg the 17
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riders up onto their allocated horses and head out to the gallops to watch the horses warm up. This is a very important time as I can see how they are moving before they go onto faster work on the main gallop. Obviously it depends greatly where they are in their fitness levels as to how much work they do. Each horse is at a different stage so they may only be 50% fit and do more work or 100% fit and require less work. Generally a lot will take 35-40 minutes before they return to the yard to be washed down and turned out for an hour or two to relax and get a pick of grass. This is so important to me as I think it puts the horse mentally in a great space and happy healthy horses win races. We tend to have three to four lots in the morning on the gallops after which we swim those horses that are having a break from the gallops. Morning stables finish at 1pm when most horses come back into their stables for lunch. Some will stay out all day if I feel they need to. Evening stables are at 4.30 until 6.30 during which time all horses will either go on the horse walker to 18
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stretch their legs or have another hour in the paddocks with some sun on their backs while they are mucked out and given new bedding. I will check in around 6.30 to make sure they are all happy and relaxed and eating their final feed of the day, then it’s a few hours in the office where I can race plan. This entails looking at the race programme to work out where I want to target each horse. There is so much to take into account: grade of race, ground, track, distance and time between each race so you can imagine it is very time-consuming. Once spring arrives and the turf season gets under way we tend to have runners regularly throughout the next 7-8 months, so there is a lot of travelling up and down the motorway to the various racecourses. No day is the same and there is always a problem or puzzle to solve, which might sound stressful but actually it’s what makes the job so great when you get it right. The same can be said for my last career in the City, but I would say this is far tougher but much more rewarding and I wouldn’t swap it for the world!
Above: The equine swimming pool at Lilly Hall Photo: Lucy Richards
It would be great to meet up with some OKS on the racecourse at some point so please do get in touch with me at ed@ eddegilesracing.com or via our website eddegilesracing.com
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OKS FEATURE
From Mint Yard to Burgate Kate Abbott (née Hunter, GR 1982-84) revisits her experience as a one of 79 girls at King’s
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HAVE PROBABLY FORGOTTEN 90% of what I learnt whilst a Sixth Form pupil here at King’s in the early 1980s, but that education has seen me live, travel and work all around the world … only to end back in The Precincts as I currently manage the School’s Health Centre. And my daughter, Natalie Abbott (BR 2016-18), also experienced her own King’s Sixth Form education. What a different experience she has had 35 years after me but I am hoping that, like me, the ethos and attitude which has been instilled in her during this short time will expand her horizons and provide her with an attitude to embrace opportunities and see the world as her oyster. As one of only a handful of girls in The Grange under Mr Woodley, the House rules did not seem to apply to us. Assigned to share a boys’ study, we made our selection based on how impressive their stereo system was and if they had a coffee percolator. Never did it cross our minds that the boys would not want a girl in their study, nor that Mr Woodley would know how to manage us. But he did, and the boys got used to us and we all mucked in together. Turn up for any sport – and you were automatically in the team. I represented King’s, very badly, in squash, hockey, shooting, rowing and netball. Today, the sporting standards and training sessions are in a different league – but the principle of giving everyone a chance to try new sports out continues and my daughter, having never rowed before, has now competed at Henley, and in Scotland, Belgium and France! Rowing has become her passion and passport to university and exciting new opportunities and friendships.
either the school pinstripe trousers or skirt. Imagine the chaos in the 1980s when the dress code was ‘Wear anything black, white or grey’. Mornings in Bailey were like a jumble sale with everyone trying to borrow someone else’s clothes and a giant clothes swap would occur – every day! I never went to ‘The San’ as a pupil, but now I am so proud to see that the Health Centre plays a far more prominent role within the School and provides a holistic approach to promoting and supporting pupils’ physical and mental wellbeing. With the support of the Senior Management Team, this Department is going to be relocating this year to Almonry House in Lady Wootton’s Green and this move will further embed us into the everyday fabric of the School rather than our being an isolated outpost in Burgate. As Commemoration Day 2018 rapidly approached, I had a mixture of emotions. I still remember my Leavers’ Day on the Green Court as if it was only yesterday. I cannot comprehend how 35 years have elapsed and yet, as I watched my daughter prepare to conclude her King’s School career, I could see how much the School had evolved and grown during this period of massive change. However, the role of the Cathedral and the education which she will take on for life has changed very little from my personal experience. • In her first year at Durham University, Natalie is studying Business and Management and is an active member of the Durham University Boat Club.
The King’s girls now have the option to wear OKS
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AGM
OKS AGM & Dinner 2019 OKS soak up the atmosphere at the 84th AGM held at the House of Commons on 28 March
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TWICE BEFORE IN this century the OKS Association AGM & Dinner had been held at the House of Commons, courtesy of Hugh Robertson MP (BR 1976-81), but neither occasion was marked by such extraordinary national drama as the week in which Brexit was due to occur. This year’s event, kindly hosted by Baroness Fall (WL 1985-87), was being given a sensational context. Had ever such a Cloud of Unknowing surrounded Parliament as OKS headed towards the Strangers’ Dining Room? It could be said that this year’s Dinner was a belated 90th birthday party for the Association, which was founded in 1928. But it was also a 138th birthday, since OKS Dinners began in 1881, at St James’s Hall, London, tickets 10s 6d, exclusive of wine! At the 84th AGM, run by Hon. Secretary Chris Jackson (Common Room 1969-2006), officers were elected and outgoing President Charlotte Pragnell (MT 1988-90) gave the Annual Report in which she commented on the vibrancy of the Association and publicly thanked those who had contributed to its work and were now standing down. These included Tony Amlot, the long-serving auditor of the OKS, sports reps Tracy Bryant and Patrick Mitchell and music rep Julia Maynard. Charlotte noted that the Association was now stepping up its career development offered to OKS, through profession-based breakfast networking. On the social front, the Association organised a variety of reunions – the most memorable for the President being the one held at the Carlyon Bay Hotel in 2015 to commemorate 70 years since the School returned home from its wartime evacuation. She commented that it was fascinating to hear the colourful memories of the senior OKS present. She closed by saying how strong the bonds between the Association and the School were,
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and thanked the Headmaster and Bursar for their support. She wished the incoming President, the Committee and every member of the OKS Association all the best for the future. The audited accounts were presented by Hon. Treasurer Tim Adams (TR 1994-99), and then Charlotte was warmly thanked by Vice-President Ben Reid (MR 1994-99) for her proactive presidency, having attended 10 OKS reunions, 6 Careers Days and 6 King’s Week Lunches – in total over 40 OKS occasions. Charlotte handed on an Association that had increased its interaction with its 10,000 members in many different ways and especially through the use of social media. New President David Peters (SH 1965-69) introduced our host Kate Fall and welcomed the 170 guests, describing the years spent at King’s as for many people the most formative of their lives. He added that the Association is far more than a forum for networking or nostalgic indulgence. It fosters enduring friendship, both amongst its members and with the School. Through the OKS, deep-rooted common interests were shared; besides which the Association brought together School and OKS for mutual benefit and OKS were enabled to share advice and experience with current pupils. David continued: “I was honoured to be asked to succeed Charlotte as your President and will do everything I can to support the OKS in its mission and its activities.” In her speech, Kate Fall reflected on the ways in which a King’s education set her up for life at Westminster, a life in the present steeped in the past and survival in a man’s world. “Ours was a King’s of 60 girls and 600 boys, dealing with anachronistic rules. We are all here today because King’s meant something special to us. Why? Because King’s is a place which encourages OKS
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people to be themselves, not to judge but to celebrate achievements of all kinds, and with it, teaches us values of respect and tolerance. But the greatest gift of King’s is the gift of friendship.” Before and during dinner friendships were indeed renewed, and over coffee the President thanked everyone who had worked immensely hard to make the evening such a success, and then introduced Headmaster Peter Roberts, who spoke of the importance of OKS to the School through volunteering, careers advice and the generosity of OKS in providing bursaries. He thanked the OKS sincerely and warmly encouraged all OKS to return to the School. After that, it was back into the potential maelstrom of people outside Parliament, and home, looking forward, like Wordsworth on Westminster Bridge, to “the beauty of the morning”. OKS
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Photos, clockwise from top left: OKS President David Peters and wife Tessa; Headmaster Peter Roberts, Kate Fall, Charlotte Pragnell and David Peters; OKS including Stephen Woodley and Kate Chernyshov; the Heyland Brothers; Kate Fall
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OKS Update
1930s
of friendship, academics and sport. So thank you (and particularly thanks to Canon ‘Fred’ Shirley) for getting myself and so many others started on a great academic pathway.” Bruce Hyatt (GR 1947-53) went on to teach English in Toulouse and then Cambridge in the 1980s. Bruce illustrated Mansoul: Based on John Bunyan’s Holy War, published in 2013. He goes on to tell us that although he missed Janet Barlow (née Shirley) by a year at King’s he was, “intrigued she enjoyed climbing Bell Harry and, presumably, rushing about in that huge dusty ancient space between the rafters and vaulting. I and my chums from Grange had no idea that Fred’s daughter had gone ahead of us.”
1950s We are most grateful to Mrs Webb-Wilson for sending the Archives an album of photographs that belonged to her father Sir Donald Murray (GR 1938-42). It includes some fascinating images of the early days at Carlyon Bay.
1940s Robert Howie (LX 1945-49) retold a memory of an English lesson where ‘we were asked to put Shakespeare into modern English. The phrase was “O pardon me thou bleeding piece of earth”. This became “Excuse me you bloody sod” for which the author (I believe it may have been Edward Lucie-Smith, but I could be wrong) was punished.’ Rob does not expand on the identity of the tutor. Dr David Elliott OBE (GR 1945-51) recalls the exceptionally large KSC intake post-war for that very first term when he returned to the Canterbury precincts after the lengthy wartime evacuation to the West Country. “That re-opening was a memorable occasion and our subsequent education (both academic and sporting) was top-notch and broad in scope. Rather late now for me to say ‘thank you’ but, as I’m sure that others at that KSC reopening would endorse, it proved a perfect beginning for a life 22
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Lt Col Colin Watkins (LX 1950-55) at 81 is still helping Tanzania compile bird and wildlife field guides for the Eastern Arc Mountains. Anthony Pitch’s (GR 1952-56) book The Last Lynching: How a Gruesome Mass Murder Rocked a Small Georgia Town recounts the murders of two African-American couples in 1946 and the extensive FBI investigation that followed without result. Anthony’s legal quest to reveal secret grand jury testimony from 1946 (which he uncovered after the publication of his book) took a positive turn recently when an Appellate Court ruled in his favour – receiving national media coverage. Robert Hammersley (WL 1957-62) was surprised to find himself next to Graham Garbis and Mallory’s ice axe (see issue No.2). “I was next to him with my photo of Great Aunt Gertrude and Great Uncle Percy giving a lift to King George V and Queen Mary with accompanying letters from Buckingham Palace. We didn’t know we were both OKS!” Since retiring as Director of Music at Ardingly College, Robert continues to conduct Ardingly Choral Society and teach singing at Handcross Park Prep School. Robert is still in touch with Philippe Green (MR 1953-57) and David Mortimer (LN 1952-57). OKS
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OKS UPDATE
1960s
Stephen Darlington (Common Room 1976-78) was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List ‘for services to Music’. He was Organist and Tutor in Music at Christ Church, Oxford from 1985 to 2018.
Alun Davies DL (MO 1961-65) was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit. Alun has been Honorary Consul for Hungary in Wales for seven years.
Dr Roger Mallion (Common Room 1976-2005) paid a visit to Menorca recently and his first-ever Shell tutee, Jonathan Evans (BR 1976-81), 42 years after they both joined King’s. As he waited at the gates at Southend Airport he was approached by another traveller who recognised him. Roger goes on: “They were OKS cricketers (The Haymakers) going off to play matches against the ‘MCC’ (Menorca Cricket Club). Amongst the group was another of my tutees, Jody Mycroft (LN 1983-88), and Angus Scott (MT 1982-87) as well as about five young men (the older ones referred to them as ‘the Millennials’) who had joined King’s in 2005 (the year I left). An unexpected OKS reunion!” • The full cricket report can be read on page 38.
Oz Clarke (MO 1962-67) has written Red & White: An unquenchable thirst for wine, published by Little Brown. His one part witty memoir and one part opinionated guide has been received with rave reviews. It combines an autobiography ranging from his Kentish childhood to a decade acting with the RSC before embarking on his high-profile wine career with a guide to the world of wine. We have organised a special offer with Little Brown for OKS to buy the book at a discount (£15 including free delivery). Just call the distributor Orion on 0123 575 9555 and quote the number 9952200001 and name of the book.
The legacy of David Miller (GL 1979-84) as literary agent lives on. The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es was the 2018 Costa Book of the Year and the author paid tribute to David in his acknowledgements. “More than anyone else it was David who reshaped what I had done… Over a series of late-night phone calls and conversations in pubs and restaurants he challenged me to be more innovative in the structure and contents of this book. Shockingly, David died (aged just fifty) a little more than a year after I met him, but his ambition and passion, his erudite reading suggestions, his probing questions and his sheer joy in literary writing will stay with me for life.”
Sir Charles Haddon-Cave (GR 1969-73) has been sworn in as HM Privy Councillor.
1970s
Opposite page: Digging the trenches at Carlyon Bay 1940
George Griffiths (SH 1971-74) was recently appointed senior production manager for the Sky Sports cricket channel. He has travelled to Sri Lanka and the West Indies with the England tour and is now immersed in the 2019 domestic season. OKS
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This page, top: Oz Clarke’s book, Red & White: An unquenchable thirst for wine Left: George Griffiths on tour in Sri Lanka 2018
1980s Ben Mowll (GL 1980-85) reports on his Wedding Blessing, which took place in July 2018, at St George’s Anglican Church, Venice, after the civil wedding to his wife Jane in Canterbury in May. “Three generations of the family – all OKS – attended. My father, the Revd William Mowll (GL 1956-60), now retired as a Chaplain to Her Majesty, was the 13th Mowll at King’s. The first 23
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was William Rutley Mowll (KSC 1889-92).) I was the 14th, my brother Josh (GL 1983-88) was 15th, my elder daughter Sophie (MT 2012-14) 16th and my younger daughter Alice (CY 2015-17) 17th. Also present were Richard Beaugié (GL 1956-59) – my Dad’s old study mate, Richard Collyer (MR 1980-85), my Best Man, Christopher (‘Olly’) Ochs (GL 1981-85) – my old study mate who gave an excellent reading, Emma Walker (née Bensted, MT 1983-85) and George Edwards (TR 2009-14).” He adds: “I have retired from practice as a solicitor and partner in Furley Page, Canterbury, and am now concentrating full time on my painting career. I was recently elected President of the Royal Society of Marine Artists.” Natascha Engel (MT 1983-85), who was MP for North East Derbyshire for 2005-17 and during 2015-17 Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means, was last October appointed by Energy Minister Clare Perry to be the first UK Commissioner for Shale Gas. Ron Pickering (Common Room 1985-98) has published The Art of Railway Photography.
1990s Elanor Dymott (BY 1990-92) has published her third novel Slack-Tide. She has been a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the London School of Economics and teaches writing at Warwick University. Frances Houghton (WL 1993-98) was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List ‘for services to British Rowing’. Antony Lewis (MO 1996-2001) has published The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains: An Introduction to Cryptocurrencies and the Technology that Powers Them. He is the founding president of the Association of Crypto Currency Enterprises and Startups, Singapore. https://bitsonblocks.net/ antony-lewis-my-story 24
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Right: Zhihao and Edward Below: Frances Houghton Opposite page, clockwise from top-left: James and Sasha; Toby and Emma; Howard Ionascu; Janessa and George
Dr Zhihao Oon (GR 1997-99) is in Syria with Médecins Sans Frontières as an anaesthetist and bumped into Dr Edward Sixsmith (MO 1994-99) who is also there with MSF as the ER doctor! Zhi sends us a picture of this unusual reunion which he says “might amuse our old housemasters!”
2000s James Belgrave (MO 2000-05) was married to American-Ukrainian Sasha Guyetsky in October 2018 in Castello di Petroia in Umbria, Italy. “We met working together in the Philippines Typhoon Haiyan emergency response in 2013. Now living in Bangkok working for the UN World Food Programme’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.” (Read more about James’ work in this edition.) Janessa Bobby (HH 2001-06) had a busy year, giving birth to Elwyn in May 2018 and then married in September to George Rhys Jones in Stutton, Suffolk. “It was idyllic as the church was at the end of George’s parents’ garden so we could walk back for the wedding breakfast and celebrations.” Howard Ionascu (Common Room 200213), after five years as Director of Junior Academy at the Royal Academy of Music, is now in his new post as Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College. “I am responsible for directing the Chapel Choir, which consists of the Quiristers (educated at Pilgrim’s School) and senior boys from the College in the back rows.” OKS
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OKS UPDATE
2010s Emma Findlay (BY 2003-05) married Toby Pentecost (GR 1998-2003) on 9 June 2018 in Sandwich, Kent at St Clement’s Church with a reception at The Salutation. Ashitha Nagesh (MT 2003-08) won Financial Story of the Year at the Foreign Press Awards 2018. You can read her winning story on the BBC website: www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/ How_debt_kills Ilona Bushell (WL 2009-14) has just produced the King’s College Opera’s ‘Barber of Seville’ on 12 April with not one, not two but three OKS in total. In addition to Ilona, her brother Francis (GL 2013-18) played bassoon in the orchestra and Felix Waring (LN 2013-15) was Basilio in this modern take on Rossini’s classic opera which is entirely performed and produced by students. OKS
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Luca Pawson (MT 2011-16) recently worked with the V&A Museum on their ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams’ exhibition. “Central Saint Martins ran a Dior-inspired project that sought to challenge contemporary notions of tailoring. The V&A picked their favourite 20 outfits (including mine) to be part of their annual ‘Fashion in Motion’ catwalk show in February. I used ‘disruption’ as a methodology. Taking a cue from the perfectly tailored New Look silhouettes, I sought to disrupt classic tailoring elements by graphically redefining them. Confining Christian Dior’s iconic full skirts into twodimensions - interrupting the silhouette - against curves that use and flatter the shape of the body. My model was India Roestenburg (LX 2011-16) and the show was attended by members of the public and friends of the V&A, with a catwalk 25
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Photos, clockwise from top-left: India in Luca’s Dior inspired creation (photo: V&A); King’s Gold DofE troop; Alexander James
comprised of a series of grey doors – like those of Dior’s Paris ateliers – which the models snaked in and out of – evoking the traditional Haute Couture Salon presentations of the 1950s.” The King’s Society recently enjoyed a trip to the Dior exhibition. Ten members of the OKS were invited to receive their Gold Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) certificates at St James’s Palace. Once again we were granted the honour of sending a representative from the DofE staff body, Kate Batty. HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, presented the awards. See photo above (left to right): Bede Tyler (LX 2012-17), Annie Briggs (HH 2015-17), Kate Batty (Common Room 2015- ), Elizabeth Friend (LX 2015-17), Clara Taylor (HH 2012-17). Arran and Oliver Hope (SH 2011-16) are now Half Blues at Cambridge University after fencing in the Varsity 1st Team against Oxford University on Saturday 2nd March 2019. Both started their fencing at King’s in 2012, and both have since become international fencers. 26
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Alexander James’ (MR 2011-16) Christmas carol Hodie Christus Natus Est was performed by the School’s Chapel Choir at the Carol Service in December 2018. Written while at university the piece has been published by the Royal School of Church Music as one of their six carols for 2018 and sold out in a few weeks. A number of OKS musicians joined The King’s Chorus & Symphony Orchestra for their performance of Brahms’ Requiem on Saturday 16 March in Canterbury Cathedral. Tristan Hambleton (MO 2002-07) was the Baritone soloist, and the OKS that sung were: Jess Cooling (HH 2014-16), Maxim Del Mar (MO 2009-14), John Gabriel (CY 2009-14), Michaela Higham (BR 2010-15), Roger Kelly (LN 2010-15), Caroline Loane (BY 2016-18), Oscar Saarbach (GR 2016-18), Guy Smith (LN 2013-18), Zac Starr (CY 2015-17) and Jeremy Wan (GR 2013-18).
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OKS KING’S WEEK LUNCH
Sunday 30 June 2019 Deanery Garden and Green Court Marquee Drinks Reception 12.00; Lunch 12.45 Sip sparkling wine among the roses of the Deanery Garden before enjoying a delicious lunch in the Green Court marquee at the heart of King’s. A highlight of the OKS calendar – tickets for this event sell out quickly. Tickets are £35.00 for adults; under 25s are £30 and £17.50 for children. Tickets are available from The King’s School Box Office kings-school.co.uk or call 01227 595778
GET INVOLVED! By the time you will have received this magazine, we will have reached our first 1000 members in our OKS Networking Group on LinkedIn: ‘The King’s School, Canterbury & OKS Association’. We are looking forward to this becoming the hub of OKS Careers – so please join, and utilise this network to advertise opportunities. With other ideas in the pipeline for developing our OKS Careers offering, from networking events, milkrounds and skill specific workshops, we are welcoming more OKS participation, whether that be through offering a venue, suggesting a topic or being a speaker or panelist. So whatever your interest, get in touch with the OKS team at oks@kings-school.co.uk to find out how you could get involved.
OJKS SAVE THE DATE Junior King’s are celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the opening of the school at Milner Court on Kipling Day, Saturday 5 October 2019. It will be a wonderful opportunity to renew friendships, conjure up old memories and tour the school. Please contact head@junior-kings.co.uk for more information about the day.
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UNKNOWN OKS № 22
Arthur Nelstone: The Man with the Laughing Legs
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RTHUR NELSON GIRDLESTONE was born in Sydenham in 1870. His father Maurice Nelson Girdlestone had been Superintendent of Naval Stores and later worked for the Cape Civil Service. Their middle name acknowledged that Maurice’s grandmother was Susannah, a younger sister of Admiral Horatio Nelson. (Richard Nelson Bendyshe, at King’s from 1879-1882, was descended from another sister, Catherine Nelson.) Arthur joined the School in the Michaelmas Term 1880 and left at Easter 1885. His academic career was undistinguished and there is no record of his activities in The Cantuarian. He was soon appearing on the stage under the name Arthur Nelstone. In 1890 he played at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool and was advertising himself as ‘comedian and grotesque dancer … open to offers for Panto or Burlesque’. In 1890-91 he was at Newcastle for ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ as Cow – “most mirth-provoking” – and he returned the following season for ‘Abdallah and the Forty Thieves’. While there he married a fellow artist Minnie Abbey. For much of the 1890s he was a fairly regular performer in music halls and pantomimes, with songs and monologues to supplement his dancing. There was also the occasional venture into more mainstream theatre. The musical play The Belle of Cairo at the Royal Court in 1896 “was saved by the saltatory exertions of Mr Arthur Nelstone”, according to The Era. In 1898 he was at the Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue in a show headlined by Marie Lloyd.
Opposite page: Arthur Nelstone poster © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
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These activities were interspersed with three trips to Southern Africa in 1892-93, 1895, and 1897-98. This last was the most prolonged, with engagements for ‘The Nelstones’ at Johannesburg and Pretoria, Bulawayo, Salisbury and the Umtali Carnival, before they returned
home via the east coast, playing at Madagascar, Zanzibar, Aden, Cairo and Marseilles. He clearly enjoyed travelling and in 1899 left England for what turned out to be an extended journey retrospectively billed as ‘Touring the Universe’. In America, he played in New York (with an appearance on Broadway in My Lady, a burlesque of The Three Musketeers) and San Francisco. He then joined ‘The World’s Entertainers’ who moved on to Australia, via Hawaii, in 1901. “Mr. Arthur Nelstone, whose eccentric dances and marvellous agility have made him a favorite, also invests his ‘turn’ with diverting humor.” (Adelaide Advertiser) He also went to New Zealand, where he was “the brilliant dancing comedian”. By 1903 he was back in South Africa, ending with a ‘Cape-to-Cairo tour’ before finally arriving home in 1905. For the 1905-06 Christmas season he deployed his ‘elastic legs’ as the Sentry in Cinderella at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, with Minnie as Ferdinand. Later in 1906 he was at the Tivoli alongside Harry Lauder and Fred Karno’s Company. He soon moved to Paris and in 1908 was in Nue! Cocotte! at La Cigale as an American admiral, as the umpire in a boxing match, and as a Scotsman in a kilt (was he inspired by Lauder?) dancing with Nita Rolla. Thereafter little is known about his career. By 1918 at least he was back in England, living in Islington, and he died in a London nursing home in 1929. But the novelty dancing tradition lived on. His daughter Marie, born in Paris in 1907, was already appearing at the Vaudeville Theatre in 1924 as Mahala, ‘an eccentric dancer from Paris’. Film footage of Mahala survives in ‘Dance Doings’ of 1931, viewable via the British Pathé Archive: “To really enjoy the dance ‘doings’ in this picture you need youth and pep”. This concoction of ballet and acrobatics probably gives a good impression of her father – and his laughing legs. OKS
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Lives Remembered Geoffrey Willsdon (WL 1935-40)
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eoffrey Willsdon came from Worksop College with John Shirley in 1935. Having been in Shirley House under Ronald Groves, he was a founding member of Walpole House, again under Groves. He played in the 1st XV rugby (“a lovely runner, fast, with a good swerve and side-step”) and 1st XI hockey. He was also Captain of Athletics, holding several school records, and started the athletics standards competition. In his final term, he was one of those who helped pack the School for its removal to Cornwall. His school career thus spanned Worksop, Canterbury and Carlyon Bay. He won a place at Cambridge, but was called up, and after failing his medical for the RAF he joined the Leicestershire Regiment. He was captured at the fall of Singapore in 1942 and
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spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of the Japanese, working on the railways in Thailand. (His younger brother Donald (GR 1937-41) was killed when his aircraft crashed at Tribohm, near Rostock in 1944.) His reminiscences of his schooldays – and of his time as a prisoner of war – are in the School’s video archive. On leaving the Army in 1947 he became Welfare Officer and later Site Labour Manager at the Ministry of Supply Calcium Carbide works at Kenfig Hill, South Wales, later taken over by the Distillers Company. Distillers moved him to the Salt End Works in East Hull (1955-80) where he finished as HR and Site Administration Manager. On retirement, he worked for Marfleet Group Medical Practice (1980-88) as Practice Manager. Geoffrey died on 10 January 2019 aged 98. OKS
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The Revd Canon Peter Allen
he Revd Canon Peter Allen died on Christmas night at the age of 83. He was a universally loved schoolmaster, university tutor, chaplain and rowing coach who inspired generations of pupils and students with whom he retained deep and lasting friendships throughout their lives. He had lost count of the many, many hundreds of marriages, christenings – and burials – he had officiated at, in every conceivable country.
Choir School and from there, in 1949, won a scholarship to King’s, where he flourished. A talented sportsman, he made the rowing VIII, rugby XV, the athletics team and became Captain of Squash. A good all-rounder, he was a fine musician and an able academic. He was also blessed with dashing good looks somewhat in the mould of Paddy Leigh Fermor, who had been at King’s some twenty years before. Having been appointed Captain of School for his final year he was walking in the Yorkshire Dales with the Headmaster, the extraordinary Dr FJ ‘Fred’ Shirley, when he was told of his father’s death in a car accident. ‘Fred’ immediately told him that he would adopt the family and Peter and his younger brother Inniss’s fees were waived. This was a kindness Peter never forgot and he repaid it a thousand times over in his own many acts of kindness throughout his life.
Peter John Douglas Allen was born of Scottish stock in Carlisle on 13 January 1935. Peter’s musical talents were discovered early and in 1946 he was sent to Canterbury Cathedral
With a Major County Scholarship to Jesus College, Cambridge, Peter took a short-service commission in his father’s old regiment, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment), for his
(GR 1949-55 and Common Room 1971-87) We thank Michael Dover (LX 1962-67) for sending us this tribute.
T Opposite page: Geoffrey Willsdon at Carlyon Bay in 1940 This page: Si monumentum requiris… Peter was Captain of School when the foundation stone of the Great Hall was laid in 1955
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National Service. The Regiment was stationed in Berlin as part of the joint British, US, French and Russian military presence in that tense period after the Berlin Airlift but before the building of the wall. He enjoyed army life, and the rich nightlife of Berlin, and retained a lasting affection for his old regiment, pairing Black Watch tartan trews with his black clerical garb for the rest of his life. At Jesus College, Cambridge in the late 1950s Peter sang, read English literature and rowed, becoming Captain of Boats in his last season. Faced with the decision either to return to army life, or to explore further a growing feeling that a life of service as a cleric might be the right choice, he applied to Westcott House, the Anglican Theological College in Cambridge, to ‘get The Church out of his system’, and with the expectation he would be turned down. He wasn’t, and in 1962 was the first deacon to be ordained in the newly consecrated Cathedral at Coventry, serving his title in a tough outer estate parish in Wyken under Simon Burrows, who had been Peter’s Chaplain at Jesus (and later went on to become Bishop of Buckingham). A further year was spent at the Church of the Advent in Boston, where he was also Episcopal chaplain to Northeastern University. In 1966 he returned to Jesus as college chaplain where he also taught English, played the flute and guitar, and was much in demand on the Cam as an effective rowing coach. He obtained his PGCE teacher training certificate whilst teaching at the Leys School, Cambridge, and it was during this period that his unique gift for connecting with all sorts and conditions of men and women and retaining their lasting admiration and friendship became apparent. In 1967 the then Headmaster of King’s, Canon Peter Newell, opened negotiations for Peter’s return as school chaplain (and incidentally, ‘would he take the 1st VIII to Henley as the coach was seriously ill’) and this was accomplished five years later in 1972. He joined the school as chaplain and as a minor canon of the Cathedral. In 1975 Peter Pilkington, later Lord Pilkington of Oxenford, and an old Jesus College rowing cox, became Headmaster and he asked Peter, with three days’ notice, to take over as housemaster 32
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of Linacre. For the next eleven years he was a much loved and respected mentor and friend to generations of boys who remember with fondness his cookery lessons and legendary dinner parties. But he was also still chaplain, taught English, was Master in Charge of the Boat Club for six years, took part in theological discussion groups with the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral and then after nine o’clock at night, when he could hand over his pastoral duties as housemaster to the tutors, made himself available to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital to ferry medical staff and patients’ relatives to and from the hospital. After fifteen years at Canterbury Peter was in 1987 appointed second master and chaplain at Sedbergh, a much heartier school than King’s – its motto is ‘Stern Nurse of Men’. After recovering from a major heart attack in 1991, in 1993 he moved to Edinburgh, to take on the next stage of his ministry, as vicar of St.Ninian’s Episcopal church, Comely Bank, in Edinburgh’s West End where, with his robust energy and passion for music, he installed an organ, developed the choir, increased the membership and wrote a folk mass. Peter was also, alongside his parish duties, appointed canon and precentor of St Mary’s Cathedral and his fine tenor voice can still be heard singing the responses on recordings of its magnificent choir. He became simultaneously Episcopal chaplain to Edinburgh Academy and to Fettes College. Over his years in Edinburgh he established an open house on Saturday mornings at the famous Canny Man’s pub in Morningside. A bon viveur, Peter enjoyed food, drink (especially his beloved malts) and company. In his 80th year he was invited to a string of birthday parties in his honour in different parts of the country where many from the different archaeological layers of his long life gathered to pay tribute to a man who had touched all their lives in some profound and meaningful way. But underneath the beautifully-cut clothes, always appropriate for the occasion, the bone-crushing handshake – or bear hug – and the immaculate manners there was a huge empathy, a sharply developed nose for those in trouble or need. OKS
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And that was his life’s mission: to serve others to the very best of his ability, whether it was his adopted child in Ethiopia, whom he educated and helped to set up in a career in tourism and with whom he remained in close contact, or those who came into his orbit as soldier, schoolmaster, school and college chaplain, parish priest, rowing coach or musician. He was a great energiser of all he met and leaves a large body of men and women whose lives he had touched, or changed, all enriched. He is one of the few of whom it can be said he will be truly missed.
Trinity Church, Sutton Montis, Somerset, where Peter often assisted in the holidays. The service was jointly taken by the parish priest and by Canon Jeremy Dussek (LN 1986-88). Rod Frew (GR 1952-58) gave the Eulogy. Three days later a memorial evensong for him was held at St Mary’s Episcopal Church, Edinburgh. A prayer for Peter was said at Jesus College, Cambridge. A memorial service was held on 22 March in the Crypt of Canterbury Cathedral. • A fuller account of Peter’s Edinburgh years can be found online or please contact Elaine at etl@kings-school.co.uk
After a private cremation on 18 January, Peter’s memorial service was held on 31 January at Holy
Alan Double (LX 1956-59) Alan’s son Paul sent this tribute:
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lan was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When Alan was eight years old he was moved to England from Bolivia and boarded at Kingswood House School in Epsom, and then on to King’s until the age of 17. After meeting at the Young Conservatives Club in Epsom, Alan married his wife Diana in 1969. They went on to live in the Canary Islands where Alan worked for African and Eastern (a subsidiary of Unilever) for 12 years. Alan was a wonderful Dad, and in later years he was delighted and proud to become a Grandpa of seven grandchildren. After being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s some six years ago he went downhill rapidly. He passed away peacefully on 17 January with his loved ones by his side. Alan leaves his wife Diana and three sons David, Julian and Paul.
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Jim McClure (LT/GL 1958-63) Jonathan Cundy (GL 1958-63) sent us this tribute to his lifelong friend.
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im was an outstanding amateur actor at King’s and throughout his life; he had begun acting long before we met as timid, 13-year-old new boys in September 1958. But the performance which stood out was his Falstaff in a production at the end of his school career in 1963. On those summer evenings in the Archdeacon’s garden in the shadow of the Cathedral, he embodied the role as no one else could have done. I was going to say that Jim was born to play Falstaff, but it would be equally true to say that Falstaff was created to be played by Jim. The similarities were plain to see. Let’s pass quickly over Mistress Quickly’s complaint that “He hath eaten me out of house and home” and move on to how Falstaff described himself, which is, I feel, the perfect portrait of Jim: “A goodly portly man, i’faith, and a corpulent; of a cheerful look, a pleasing eye and a most noble carriage.” One man in his time plays many parts, and Jim played more than most, including Mr Sod in “Lucky Sods”, a dim ex-boxer in “The Ladykillers”, a supremely incompetent Superman and an unpleasant police inspector in Joe Orton’s “Loot”, for which he wore the unusual combination of a Hitler moustache and his old school tie. Apart from the acting there was Jim the sports lover. He and I soon found that our shared passion for cricket and football helped us through those early homesick weeks. I remember his delight when I told him that my Exeter City hero, a fast, direct, heavily Brylcreemed right-winger, rejoiced under the name of Nelson Stiffle. He promptly christened me Nelson, a nickname that stuck for years. He told me of his times watching Portsmouth, where week after week the pre-match naval bandleader would be urged by the crowd to throw his baton in the air. “Toss it up, toss it up!” they shouted. Finally, one week he did toss it up and dropped it.
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Our mutual schoolfriend Malcolm Campbell recalls Jim’s time as captain of a school cricket team which lost only one match in three years. He says: “A key factor was Jim’s ability to weld together a fairly disparate bunch into a functioning unit.” That team scored a famous victory at Tonbridge, one of the best cricket schools in the country and alma mater of the Cowdreys. On their return, they were briefly congratulated by the coach, then roundly ticked off for singing rude songs on the bus home. Later in life Jim was a keen table tennis player as well as a wicketkeeper and occasional bowler for the BBC Caversham cricket team, where he was a proud member of their Society of Lower Order Batsmen, otherwise known as SLOBs.
Jim McClure as Falstaff in 1963
As a cricket spectator he loved watching the greats of the game but always had a soft spot for the talented players whose body shape most OKS
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resembled his own. In particular he admired the Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, whose training regime was said to consist of lying back in a deckchair and tossing a ball from one hand to the other. Above all, there was Jim the family man: husband, brother, uncle, father and extremely doting grandfather. Our families had a precious link: I am proud godfather to Alison, and Jim was godfather to my elder son Dan. So, after more than 60 years, it’s time to say goodbye. In my mind’s eye I shall leave Jim sitting on a bench at Lord’s cricket ground where he, Malcolm and I have spent so many happy
summer days. The sun is shining and there is an hour to go before play begins. Jim is tapping his foot to the rhythm of the Outswingers, the elderly trad jazz band who play behind the pavilion. Old Father Time has removed the bails, but my memories of Jim will linger on long after close of play. Farewell, old friend, and thank you for all the good times. Jim died on December 18, 2018 and leaves a wife, Diana, three children, Alison, John and Zoe, and four grandchildren, Riona, Keir, Selma and Areen. His elder brother Ian (GL 1956-61) survives him. • Jonathan’s full eulogy appears on the OKS website or please contact the OKS Office for a copy.
Duncan Craik (Common Room 1965-90) At Duncan’s funeral in the Crypt on 13 November 2018 his son Alastair Craik (MR, MT 1981-86) delivered this Tribute.
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uncan – Daddy – Grandpa – Dunky – or simply Sir. Whichever way you remember my father, he seemed to have an ability to remember everyone that crossed his path. Whether on holiday in France, at Prince’s Golf Club or out and about in Canterbury, he loved to engage with people; he was interested in others.
Duncan Craik Photo: Tim Hands
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From humble beginnings in Rochdale he was immensely proud to have been educated at Hurstpierpoint College, and his sporting career began there too: 1st XV rugby, 1st XI hockey and captaining the 2nd cricket team. His National Service years brought reservist officer training at Eaton Hall in Cheshire and associated courses at Sandhurst Military Academy, and he attained the rank of Lieutenant. Oxford University followed, where he not only attained a degree in Modern Languages but also represented St Edmund Hall for hockey, one year winning, for the first time in the college history, the fiercely contested and coveted Cuppers competition. In later years he would continue to enjoy this win with annual
team reunions. It was at Oxford, too, that he really found his joy for France in the French language. On his career path into teaching he met Alison, my mother, the true love of his life, while at Cranleigh – a classic romance between teacher and matron that would surely to this day get 35
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tongues wagging. They embarked on a journey together that would bring them to their happiest years, at King’s. Appointed in 1965 by Canon Newell, he launched into what would be 25 happy, fulfilling and sometimes challenging years – twelve spent at the helm of Meister Omers as housemaster with Alison by his side as matron. It was perhaps these years at MO that were his time to shine. Under his leadership and dedication MO developed an enviable house spirit – the boys and girls proud to be part of a house that had cohesion and a sense of family values. Known affectionately as ‘Dunky’, which, by the way, he secretly loved, he brought this cohesion by allowing the boys and girls space for them to grow – showing, when required, fairness, kindness, support and loyalty. But of course strength and discipline were needed too sometimes, especially when faced with situations outside of the rule book. I was young at the time but I still remember an occasion when he discovered a home brewing enterprise established by some audacious 6th formers which led to instant confiscation of all beer and associated accoutrements – but then with a nod to their barefaced entrepreneurialism, he served it up at the house Christmas dinner! Duncan was first to instigate these house Christmas dinners which I am pleased to say have become a firm school tradition to this day. Many boys will remember his morning ritual – roaming the dormitories making sure all were up and out of bed, with his familiar mantra of ‘feet on floor’ and ‘let’s see some signs of industry’! Followed by a proper dressing-down if he found any to be without hymn book or clean shoes before leaving the house for morning assembly. He was immensely proud of his House and hugely enjoyed any inter-house competitions – I don’t recall now which years the victories came in the House Song Competition, but it always brought enormous pleasure – and quite wonderful and perhaps apt that only a few weeks ago MO lifted that cup once again. In his memory? I like to think so.
teams – fondly recounting tales of a certain David Gower who was ‘quite useful’. And inevitably he was involved in running the school golf team – with the infamous school minibus pit stops at local fish and chip shops en route home. His early military training now proved invaluable too, helping to run the school CCF over many years and involved in exercises, camps and field days, finally attaining the rank of Honorary Captain. 1990 brought the well-earnt retirement. 28 years of retired bliss – Staple the chosen village outside Canterbury – surely just a coincidence it was so close to Prince’s Golf Club! He was able to devote more time to his passions: family, golf, music, cycling and travel. He took to village life with a stint as Church Warden, raising funds for local charities and always on call for any event that might require an enthusiastic jazz pianist. He packed a lot in over these years – including farflung holidays to the Far East and trips to Europe with Alison Grandchildren appeared and he was always so proud of them: watching Milly (WL 2011-16) and Eloise (WL 2016- ), the daughters of Caroline Brown (GR 1982-84), playing hockey for King’s, and supporting Alastair’s daughters Ella in her concert performances and Claudia playing school lacrosse – he loved to see them all happy and busy. Duncan and Alison’s younger daughter Belinda also attended King’s (MR 1987-89) and has had a very successful career with Vauxhall. My father’s health did suffer but he always remained as upbeat and as positive as he could. So I will end by simply saying that however you remember him, this gentlemen, in the true sense of the word, could well be now looking down on us all, sitting comfortably in heaven’s Club House on the 19th! I imagine if he could send a message today to all who knew him, it might go something like this: “Au revoir ma famille et mes amis. Merci pour les bons moments, les souvenirs et l’amour. Adieu tout le monde.” Duncan died on 15 October 2018.
He took to the sports field – coaching hockey 36
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Hamish Fleming
Christopher Copeman
(GL 1966-70)
(Common Room 1970-74)
From Frazer Hughes, Hon. Secretary of the OKS Golf Society:
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amish was a long-time supporter of the OKS Golf Society. He was a skilled golfer who participated in most of the OKSGS events from the 1970s until recently, including Halford Hewitt, Grafton Morrish and Cyril Gray tournaments. He had considerable success on the golf course, bringing the King’s side much honour and accolade over the years. Hamish had a successful career in marketing and, after selling his business, for a while became a golf club secretary. He was the current captain at Newmarket Links golf club. He was also a serene and delightful friend to all of us who had the pleasure of being in his company. Hamish died on 29 September 2018. He will be dearly missed. Newmarket Golf Club held a celebration of his life in November, which OKSGS representatives attended.
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hristopher died in Norwich on 29 January at the age of 84. He joined the Senior School from JKS, after an earlier career in the Royal Navy, and at both schools exerted an influence beyond his length of stay. At Milner Court, where he was followed by Michael Morpurgo, he drew out of boys superb creative writing; he continued to do this in his four years at King’s and produced a number of excellent major plays. His anthology As Large as Alone was widely used, and with Graham Barrett he produced a 3 volume course book whose title speaks for itself: Feelings into Words. From King’s he moved back into prep school teaching, and spent the rest of his career at The Beacon School, Chesham Bois, where he reluctantly became headmaster. In retirement he became an expert on Greek dancing and spent a lot of time in Greece.
Deaths Robert Agnew (MO/MR 1945-51) 24 January 2019
Robert Palmar (LN 1964-68) 19 December 2018
Ian Bacon (MR 1953-58) 17 April 2018
Charles Ractliff (GL 1953-59) 3 November 2018
Tony Endersby (SH 1944-48) 10 August 2018
Richard Reading (GR 1947-51) 8 August 2018
David Farrar (TR 1995-2000) 23 December 2018
Nigel Scott Brown (WL 1949-54) 5 October 2018
Sidney Minshall (MO 1947-50) 17 June 2018
Martin Thorp (GR 1955-59) 31 October 2018
Peter Nottle (MR 1967-72) 15 November 2018 OKS
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Sport Haymakers Cricket Club on tour Freddy Clode (TR 2006-11) reports on the Haymakers Cricket Tour to Menorca (19-22 October 2018).
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he Haymakers Cricket Club was formed many years ago as a social cricket club composed of both pupils and staff from King’s. We have revived the tradition with two or three non-King’s Haymakers per game. This year we were invited to represent England on an ‘international’ tour of Menorca. Their Biniparrell ground based in Sant Lluis was recently voted one of the most beautiful in Europe, and the team is made up of expats still craving the smell of freshly cut grass and egg mayonnaise sandwiches. Our squad was hit by some last minute fall outs so we had to call in emergency support and convince both James Morpeth (LN 2006-11) and Will Howard-Smith (LN 2006-11) to play with fractured bones in their bodies. On arrival we were greeted by the sunshine
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with a 27°C smile on its face. Off we went to the supermarket to ensure that there were plenty of fluids in the house… It was no surprise when we woke up the next day with heavy heads and realised that we hadn’t had ideal sporting preparations for a cricket match. I went out for the toss with their captain, who assured me that their team was full of village idiots and that we should go easy on them. Twenty minutes later when we were 12 for 6 I was wondering to myself what could our team be full of? I had to dash from umpiring to go in to bat – and it was probably the lack of time to get nervous which did both myself and James Morpeth the world of good, as we managed to put on a 68 run partnership and get us back into a respectable position. Unfortunately drinks were my undoing (as so often) and I got the finest of edges to the keeper and had to go for 29. James decided to counter-attack even more aggressively and was dismissed in the mid 40s. Menorca CC needed 98 to win. After a delicious traditional English match tea we took the field hoping that if we could get some early wickets we would be in the game. Sadly, although Charlie Newman (SH 2006-11), Morpeth and Howard-Smith bowled OKS
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like to get involved please feel free to contact myself or Jody Mycroft via the OKS Office. We play about 12 games in the summer plus a weekend tour. Additionally if you have a team in the home counties and are looking for a game we’re always looking for more fixtures so get in touch!
very well, the wickets didn’t come as we hoped and they chased down the runs for the loss of three wickets. After a night of celebrations (who knows what we were celebrating?), we came back with more intention of putting on a good performance. We fielded first and bowled well. Morpeth, Newman, and HowardSmith led the pace attack and then Angus Scott (MT 1982-87) caused all sorts of problems with his slow swingers. This led me to bring on Gus Clode (TR 2011-16) who was spinning it if anything too far: he got a wicket but had four catches dropped off his bowling. Charlie was frustrating the batsmen with his line and length at one end and Morpeth was blowing them away with pure pace, getting four wickets, one agonisingly short of having his name etched on their pavilion. Menorca were bowled out in their 40th over for 206 and we knew that if we batted well we could win. Suddenly the heavens opened and we had an hour long rain delay, but, like the Caribbean, the sun quickly followed the clouds and our revised target was 120 off 20 overs. Chief Waggoner Jody Mycroft (BR 1984-89) threw his bat at everything and alongside Charlie Martin got us off to a flyer, but both were soon back in the pavilion. Billy Selmon played some magisterial shots and got into the late 20s before being caught. Charlie Newman played with precision, thoughtfulness and the lightest of touches to get us close with 30 odd runs.With 16 needed to win off the last two overs Charlie fell to a wrong’un, and out I went to guide the team home. My first ball I ran out Gurav, and so in came James Morpeth, and thankfully when we touched gloves we weren’t 12 for 6. Morpeth and I smacked a couple to the fence and with five balls to go and with two needed for victory he lent back and cut one over the fielder’s head to take us over the line and secure a drawn series against Menorca CC. It was an absolutely fabulous weekend and we look forward to going back next year to play them again. In addition to those named above, OKS in the team included James Price (MO 1980-85) and Jon Ousey (MR/LX 1984-89). If you would OKS
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OKS Sailing
T Left: Angus Scott (left) receives a gift from the Captain of the MCC Top: The Haymakers team Right: Dominic (SH 1978-83) and Julian Molyneux (LN 197478), Dominic (left) is President of OKS Sailing Photo: Mary Briggs
he OKS boat in the Arrow Trophy 2018 achieved a highly commendable 12th place. Conditions over the October weekend were extremely difficult, with the wind frequently gusting above 35 knots. The race committee did a fantastic job to get five races in over the course of the two day event. Much fun was had by the crew who battled the elements against a strong fleet of 27 Sunsail F40 yachts. Special mention must go to the ever cheerful Quartermaster Claude Fielding (MO 1940-41), who, even whilst being well into his nineties, came out with the crew on the Friday practice day and supplied the excellent breakfasts and lunches to the wind-blown crew. • If you would like to take part in the Arrow Trophy, 12-14 October 2019, contact peter.donald.gray@gmail.com 39
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Take the plunge with the OKS Masters From William Long (MO 1981-85), OKS Swimming Rep:
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wimming has been a feature of sporting life at King’s for many years although, prior to building of the superb indoor pool at the King’s Recreation Centre in the 1990s, swimming in the open air pool on Blore’s required swimmers to have a strong constitution. For the last few years a sporting feature of King’s Week has been the OKS swimming gala when the OKS and staff compete against the School and indeed this year we were very pleased to be joined by the 1966 Captain, Graham Willis, who swam for the OKS Staff team which helped secure an exciting tie with the School. The School would now like to offer all former pupils,
parents of current or former pupils and current and former staff the opportunity to swim under King’s colours with the launch of OKS Masters swimming. Masters swimming is open to any adult aged 18 or over and allows everyone whatever their fitness, ability or experience, to train. For those that want to, there is an opportunity to compete in local, national and even World competitions! Masters swimming can play an important role in maintaining fitness whatever your age and recent studies have reported on the significant fitness and health benefits that can be derived from swimming. Age is no barrier and I was fortunate to interview Jane Asher, who is a well-known Masters swimmer, and who at the age of 86 has over 200 British, European and World records, having not started Masters swimming until in her 50s.
Please contact Miss Yolanda Speare at yjs@kings-school.co.uk for further details about OKS Swimming
CALLING OKS GOLFERS! The Golfing Fixtures 2019 Calendar was released in February, and once again showed the fantastic number of opportunities to get involved with OKS Golf. Membership is open to all members of the OKS Association, and entitles you to play in Society fixtures (although some are limited by number, handicap or access via trials). You can download the application forms from the OKS website. Young members are eligible to claim green fees for any fixtures attended.
OKS Sport Diary OKS GOLF v KSC
OKS FENCING
12 May 2019, 1.30pm, Royal St George’s Club, Sandwich
29 June 2019, 3.00pm, Green Court
OKS TENNIS
KSCBC & PILGRIMS BC HENLEY LUNCH PARTY
29 June 2019, 1.30pm, Birley’s Tennis Courts
6 July 2019, Henley-on-Thames
OKS CRICKET
KSCBC & PILGRIMS BC DINNER
29 June 2019, 12.00pm, Birley’s
21 September 2019, 7.00pm, Birley’s
OKS MAGAZINE • № 3 • Spring 2019 OKS Magazine is published twice a year by The OKS Association, 1 Mint Yard, Canterbury, CT1 2EZ Printed in the UK on recycled paper
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