The Old Radleian 2021 by Radley College

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Old Radleian 2021

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Cover image: Moses Baker (E Social) playing the trumpet fanfare in Chapel at Richard Morgan’s Memorial Service, 10th November 2021.

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Old Radleian 2021 18

Contents

3 Letter from the Warden

4 Radleian Society Gazette

18 College Update

27 Richard Morgan Memorial

31 Putting on a Show Freddie Tapner (2004)

36 Music for Life John Lubbock (1959)

39 Bringing the Noise Henry McPherson (2008)

42 Going for a Song Jim Eliot (1989) 45 Oberon - 50 years on Hugh Lupton (1966) 50 The Grown-ups in the Room Andrew Gummer (1975) & Will Gresford (1993) 54 Earth Music John Warner (2007)

57 News & Notes

73 New Releases

78 Untold Stories

82 Sports & Societies Wildebloods, Racing Syndicate, Golf, Football,

Real Tennis, Rowing, Cricket

90 Ted's Ties: The Dexter Quilt

92 Obituaries RM Morgan, JM Jenkins, RA Stidolph, JM Batten, EMS Lewis, GR Savory, WOC Matthews, SM Van Oss Old Radleians

Gazette

Letter from John Moule, the Warden

B Social celebrating their victory in the Inter Social Part-Song competition, October 2021. 2

the old radleian 2021

Gazette

Dear ORs,

I am writing this on a special day for the College. This evening, the new Chapel organ will receive its first formal ‘outing’ and it will also be the first occasion on which the whole school has been able to be in the building together since July 2019. Unlike most restrictions of late, this has not been entirely due to Covid; while the pandemic has delayed the project a little, we always knew that the Chapel extension build would mean a temporary hiatus in the great tradition of College evensong for all. As that comes to an end, it will be a joy to have the community together again and, of course, the most obvious manifestation of that will be in voice. Jerusalem and Non Nobis will, I am sure, be tremendous. It is an appropriate moment to be writing an introduction to this particular OR magazine, which celebrates the impact of Music on Radleians both at the College and beyond it. As I do so, I reflect on the power and importance of music at Radley. When I interview prospective music scholars, I always ask them the question as to why music matters in a school: after all, I point out, it does not come cheap, a particular point of relevance as we begin to draw up plans to extend the Music School over the coming years. The obvious answers come back about opportunities for those that are musical, about career paths for the particularly gifted and enthusiastic; themes that return time and again in the pages that follow. They then might draw out some thoughts about enjoyment of music and exposure to different styles and genres music. Gradually, we work together towards a more subtle response that talks about the collective rather than the individual and the symbolic, spiritual and social impact rather than the functional. For me, if music is not the only measure of the soul of the place, it is as good as any and better than most. The annual Inter Social Part-Song takes place on the final Wednesday before the October Leave Away. It says something about the College that it is almost certainly the trophy most coveted amongst the boys. Preparation for the event is intense and driven entirely by them. The standard is remarkable, when one considers the complexity of the musical arrangements and the challenge

of singing ‘a capella’ in front. But it is the sheer joy of the evening that is its shining light. The Silk Hall is packed; each Social performs in turn, respected and supported by all. Shells new to the school will be on stage naturally interacting with the 6.2s desperate to win it in their final year. My wife, Diana, said to me walking back after this year’s event, ‘It is a happy school’. That is what the evening demonstrates. Earlier in term, as part of our Music Partnership programme, a centre piece of our strategy in broadening horizons of current Radleians through engagement with organisations beyond the College, we ran a week of events called Music Flood. Over 2000 primary school children were involved in the week, exposed to music in assemblies, concerts, busking and other events, often for the first time in over two years. It was a triumph. I went with five boys to a local primary school and watched them take an assembly. One was a natural and had them in the palm of his hand after simply blowing a raspberry with his trombone mouthpiece. Another, much shyer, boy evidently found it more difficult as he introduced the clarinet, but he did it very well and gained a huge amount from doing it. What struck me most, though, was the rapt attention of the pupils. They loved it. Music, simply, for half an hour or so, brought them all together. It is a great thing to watch a talented sportsman show his skill: that great shot, fine goal or stunning try. It is wonderful to watch the talented actor play that role on stage, to see the talented academic dominate a Spens trophy quiz round or to view the latest installation or painting by the leading art scholar. But I think the inspirational musician trumps it all; you are there with them in the moment of performance in a special way. I am lucky enough to have so many occasions in which my breath is taken away by the quality of individual performances; I mention one. An orchestral concert back in June, we were treated to two boys each playing a movement of a piano concerto (Rachmaninov 2 and Shostakovich 2) accompanied by the College orchestra. The virtuoso performance, the wonderful synergy with the conductor (the Precentor) and the orchestra, the

tangible amazement of the audience: a privilege to be there. Inspirational. Back to Chapel. As the final week of the summer term of 2021 approached, we were faced with the same dilemma as many schools: in a Covid context, what could we legitimately do to celebrate the end of the year. One thing was nonnegotiable; the leaving 6.2 had to be able to sing in Chapel. We separated them from their parents – boys one end and parents the other – and we allowed the boys to sing. I was among them and will never forget it. As a demonstration of the strength of a community and the symbolism of an important occasion, it was magnificent. Music, again, bringing us together. I am delighted that so many have gone on to interesting and varied professional success in Music on the back of a Radley education. It is a tribute to those who taught and inspired them and to an environment that allowed that to flourish. Enjoy their stories in this magazine, as I hope you will enjoy every other aspect of it. But as you read, remember the real reason we promote music at the College. It teaches us teamwork, unites us together, creates lasting memories and speaks to the heart. And as it does so, it reveals our soul. A soul, dare I say it, that is in a healthy state.

John Moule Warden of Radley College the old radleian 2021

Oberon - 50 years on

Gazette

Radleian Society Welcome

The Radleian Society office has had a very busy Michaelmas term as we bring our events and communication programme back up to full speed and we have had the honour of delivering two of the most significant events for the College this year. The first, a celebration of the life of Dennis Silk (in support of the Silk Fund), and the second, a College Memorial to pay tribute to Richard Morgan in the newly extended Radley Chapel. These occasions were attended by many hundreds of people and were filled with warmth and love, reminding us how special it is to be able to come back together at Radley again!

The Radleian Society will host a number of events and activities over the coming year for this community, including a special celebration of Radley music at Cadogan Hall in London, a series of talks on Zoom called the Big Thinking Talks (featuring different perspectives on our future world), and in September, we will also be launching a brand new format for our reunions where we will be inviting different decades back to Radley for an ‘Old Radleian’ day. Finally, we will continue to grow our resources to support Radleians in their early careers, drawing on the wealth of expertise and willingness to help that sits within the Radley Community.

With Radley turning 175 in June 2022, we have now entered a year of celebrations to mark this special birthday at the College, when we will commemorate the past, celebrate the present and look forward to the next 175 years. This is also a fantastic opportunity to bring together the broader community that is the beating heart of the College, Old Radleians, Radley parents, Radley staff, and Radley partnerships, the people who enrich everything the College does on a daily basis.

I’m very excited about the coming year for Radley and delighted that the Radleian Society is at the centre of many of the 175th anniversary celebrations reaffirming our purpose ‘as the means by which all Radleians, Radley parents and friends of Radley can maintain their link with the school and with each other around the world.’ Sam Melluish (1976) Radleian Society President

With this year’s attendance at the Old Radleian Dinner (over 200) being the highest in many years, it is clear the desire to reconnect is strong within the Radley Community. After a year of hosting our events on Zoom it is such a pleasure for the Radleian Society to bring people together in person again and the dinner was a wonderful evening which reunited past and present Radley in style!

Editor’s Note This year saw the celebration of my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary and amongst the tales and stories told of their years together was one from the evening before the ceremony. As tradition dictates, they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other all day and so when the phone rang, my father answered. On the other end was my mother, who didn’t say a word but instead put the needle on the record she had ready and Never My Love by The Association played down the line. When my brother then played this song at the party, there weren’t many dry eyes in the house!

Mansion or even the songs sung by the raucous support on Bigside, music of all sorts permeates Radley. In this edition of The Old Radleian, we hear from ORs who have gone on to become producers and songwriters, conductors, impresarios and performers in myriad genres. Most impressively, this list only just scratches the surface of the many ways that ORs have (and still are) involved in music. And we also remember the special part music played in the memorial to pastWarden Richard Morgan and that gives us our front cover image – the trumpet fanfare composed for his installation as Warden in 1991.

I give this personal example of the powerful impact music can have on us as an introduction to this year’s theme for The Old Radleian: Music. Whether it be the ‘15 @ 1:15’ performances in Coffee Shop, the hymns sung in Chapel, the sound of the Clerkes drifting through

If nothing else, however, I hope as you read through this year’s issue, it reminds you of a special piece of music, perhaps even one you first heard or sang during your time at the College. Simon Brand Editor

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Gazette

the radley network - get involved! The pandemic triggered a longterm shift in the way that people work and interact, it also had a huge impact on the availability of graduate jobs as well as job application processes. Now, more than ever, as Radleians move into their early careers, they need to ensure they are tapped into these changes and the Radley network is a key resource in providing boys with a 'live insight' into the world of work.

Radley For Life – supporting those in their early careers In 2022 we plan to focus our RFL event programme on helping Radleians in their early careers. The first event will be on 18th January 2022 and focus on entrepreneurism.

One of the best ways to offer or get help is to join Radley Connect, our online platform, which now has over 1500 members. Over the last year we have seen Radley boys, Old Radleians, Radley parents and staff using it in a variety of ways including: • • • • • • •

We will have a panel of business founders who will share their experience, followed by a networking session which will be for anyone with an interest in entrepreneurism. All welcome.

Finding work experience abroad Promoting new businesses Industry research Researching universities or courses Looking for company or project investment Recruitment Promoting charity fundraising efforts

We urge you to get involved, join our platforms or attend our events - a word of advice at a pivotal point can make a huge difference to a Radleian. Caroline Monaghan Radleian Society Manager

6th form now on Radley Connect Our current 6th form boys are now able to join Radley Connect to start to understand how to network. They may approach you for help and advice in exploring their early career paths. Please do help if you can.

Gazette

Development Director’s Introduction During an evening in early November, the Chapel was once again filled with the entire school. After a planned absence of two years, 761 boys and dons packed into Evensong, as one community, to worship in the recently extended Chapel and to sing with the newly installed organ. Several days later, the Chapel was filled with Old Radleians, there to remember our former Warden, Richard Morgan. The procession of a full choir entering Chapel, the stirring music of the organ and the majesty of the trumpets brought life back into the heart of Radley. Not many schools in the UK – or, indeed, in the world – would have the boldness to invest significantly in the expansion of Chapel. At Radley, it seemed an obvious thing to do. The reason for the increased seating capacity was to create space for our larger school, so all Radleians can enjoy Chapel together. Amongst the bigger cohort, there are more recipients of life-changing bursaries through the Funded Places Programme and Silk Fund: talented boys from families who, without financial support, would otherwise be unable to afford our school fees. In 1942 at the age of 11 years old, Dennis Silk, the son of a medical missionary, was awarded a full scholarship to attend Christ’s Hospital. As Warden at Radley from 1968 to 1991, he never forgot the free education he received and upon his retirement, he asked that instead of receiving a leaving gift, that a fund be set up in his name to provide financial support for deserving boys who would otherwise be unable to come here. The impact of the unseen generosity of benefactors at Christ’s Hospital in 1942 inspired Dennis to dedicate his life to educate tens of thousands of children throughout his entire career and establish the Silk Fund at Radley. For 18 months between February 2020 and late summer 2021, the Radleian Society was unable to host in-person events, but undeterred by the limiting regulations, moved many of these events online. However, nothing replaces the wonderful buzz of a crowd of Old Radleians, and our first live event was to welcome our 2020 Leavers back in August as their Radley career had been abruptly cut short the previous summer. A testament

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to the vibrancy of the Radley community has been visible by the whirlwind of amazing reunions, drinks receptions, coffee mornings, events for two former Wardens and a ‘sold-out’ Old Radleian dinner in the last three months! It has been quite extraordinary to experience the overwhelming desire to reconnect, and I must acknowledge the hard work of Cassandra Russell, Events Coordinator, who has worked tirelessly to make each one of our guests feel welcomed. As Radley looks to the future, we know that we must look at things afresh and that we must make our values and the educational opportunity we provide genuinely relevant. The Radley community is a vital part of connecting Radleians to the world beyond Radley and the careers talks, advice and mentoring is becoming an increasingly valuable resource that more boys and recent leavers are accessing. We are most grateful to all Old Radleians and parents who share their expertise and experience which is not only invaluable to help secure places at top universities but important to ensure access into an increasingly competitive workplace. There has been nothing ‘normal’ about 2021 in the Development Office. We started the year in lockdown and have ended the year busier than ever before with greater aspirations. I would like to thank the Radleian Society members, the Radley Foundation Trustees, the Radleian Society (Hong Kong) for their tremendous support for all of our endeavours. Finally a massive thank you to the Development Office, who have worked harder, been more innovative and responsive, and been a joy to work with over the last year. We all look forward to welcoming you to one of the 175 events in 2022. Elisabeth Anderson Development Director

Gazette

The Radley Foundation - 2021 update Throughout the calendar year 2021, we are delighted to report that we have received support from some 525 donors to the Radley Foundation. Our sincere thanks go to each and every supporter of Radley, both now and in previous years.

Spending on 100% Funded Places £1,200,000

The Funded Places programme remains at the heart of the Foundation’s work, and we are delighted that the growing figures year on year reflect the immense generosity shown by the Radley community. This year, Radley has been able to offer a record £2.63 million in means-tested funded places. 12% of all current Radleians receive some form of means-tested fee support, 32% of this receiving a fully funded place and an additional 20% receiving support covering at least three-quarters of fee costs.

£1,084,200

£1,000,000

£882,750

£800,000

£642,000

£600,000 £400,000

£459,900 £354,900

£332,100

2017

2018

£200,000

While numbers are useful, they do not show the boys behind them – the individual lives that have been changed thanks to a funded place which has enabled them to thrive. And this has only been possible thanks to the support of members of the community. Thank you.

£0

2019

2020

2021

2022

Spending on fully funded places is greater than ever before, increasing by some 205% since 2017.

To hear stories and reflections from funded place recipients and donors, please visit: www.bit.ly/FoundationConversations.

All means-tested bursaries, 2017-2022 £3,000,000 £2,500,000 £2,000,000 £1,500,000 £1,000,000 £500,000 £0 0-24% support

2017

2018

25-49% support

2019

2020

50-74% support

2021 75-99% support

2022 100% support

the old radleian 2021

Gazette

CHAPEL After months of slow and steady progress (not to mention the odd lockdown or two), we are thrilled that the Chapel extension and refurbishment project is complete. The whole school is once again able to come together to worship, reflect and sing. To watch a tour of the completed Chapel, please visit: www.bit.ly/RadleyChapelFund Our thanks go to all who have supported the Chapel extension so far. There is still the chance to make a donation and be recognised on the permanent donor board by the Chapel entrance. Please donate any amount before 31st December 2021 to be included or be in touch with us at foundation@radley.org.uk to find out more.

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Gazette

the old radleian 2021

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“Working on Radley Chapel has been an immensely rewarding experience. I am so looking forward to members of the wider community seeing the finished space for the first time. It is truly stunning.” Rebecca Kitchin, Estates Surveyor

the old radleian 2021

Gazette

a celebration of dennis silk When Dennis Silk sadly died in 2019, who could have known how long it would be before the community could come together again to celebrate his life and impact. Finally then, on Saturday 9th October 2021 - the day after what would have been Dennis’ 90th birthday - over 300 ORs and members of the community joined the Silk family to celebrate the life of one of Radley’s most important Wardens and the legacy he left. The sun shone and the air was warm for tours of the College, which were shortly followed by a celebratory service in Radley’s newly extended Chapel. After this, the guests gathered in the Silk Hall and Theatre Foyer for champagne and jazz music performed by talented Radley musicians. It was then time for speeches in the Theatre, firstly from the Warden, followed by reflections from Diana Silk who received a roaring standing ovation. The guests then saw a short film showing a variety of ORs remembering and reflecting on Dennis and how he had impacted their lives. Smiles, chuckles and the odd tear were shared by many watching. After a delicious buffet lunch, the guests were lucky to hear equally delicious anecdotes from Hamish Aird. Following this, a panel of ORs who had received a funded place were interviewed by Development Director Elisabeth Anderson – demonstrating the real impact the Silk Fund has had since its inception in 1991. A warm day in every sense. As ever, sincere thanks goes to Development, Catering, IT, Housekeeping and all other teams who helped make the day a success, as well as to the Radleians who offered their time to assist. Photos and a video of the day can be found on the Radley website.

“Dennis learnt the names of all the boys. He used to say, if you knew a boy's name he'd wonder what else you knew about him...” Diana Silk

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Gazette

“Radley allowed me to be someone I otherwise couldn't have been. It was where I wanted to be, it was who I wanted to be and it was the Silk Fund that made that possible...” Adam Hargreaves (2011)

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Gazette

“We wanted to celebrate and enjoy Dennis' memory and the impact that he has had on us all...” John Moule, Warden

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Gazette

OR Dinner 2021 On the evening of Wednesday 17th November, over 180 Old Radleians, current and former staff, and honoured guests came to the RAC Pall Mall clubhouse in London for the biennial Old Radleian Dinner. The anticipation for the evening’s festivities was high as people once again looked forward to being able to get together in person with old friends. The evening began with a champagne reception in the Committee Room, before the guests moved through to the Mountbatten Room for a sumptuous threecourse meal. A welcome address was given by Radleian Society Chairman, Sam Melluish (1976), before speeches from the Warden and the Senior Prefect gave an update on the College. With conversation and merriment continuing long into the evening, the warmth and conviviality was felt by all in what was a very special evening.

the old radleian 2021

Gazette

the old radleian 2021

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2021 Reunions After a year of disruption and hiatus, the Radleian Society was thrilled to be able to once again invite Old Radleians to their reunions. The invitations to the 50, 25 and 10 year reunions were extended to those who had missed their anniversary years due to the lockdown. More than 50 ORs returned to the College, for the 50 and 25 year reunions, and a further 100 joined us at the majestic Royal Horseguards Hotel in London for the 10 year. Highlights from the Radley-based reunions include: • The 50 year returners being joined on Mansion lawn during their drinks reception by the Radley Beagles and Beaglers. • Tours of their past digs, led by current Radley boys, for both the 50 year and 25 year attendees. • A visit to the JCR for the 25 year ORs where the party went on into the night. • Opportunities to get a first look at the new Chapel extension and once again sing Jerusalem. • And most importantly, it was a chance for all of our ORs to meet up with old friends, whether classroom and Social colleagues or former members of Common Room. Each of the events were enjoyed by all, and for us in the Radleian Society team, it was so heart-warming to finally be able to bring people together again in person.

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Gazette

2020 Leavers’ Event For the boys whose time at Radley ended during the lockdown of summer 2020, the College was pleased to be able to welcome them and their parents back for a special Leaver's Event on Tuesday 31st August. There was an excellent turnout of 90 boys and over 200 parents, plus a large cohort from the Radley community, who braved the finest August drizzle to attend. The Leavers' Chapel service, the first to be held in the newly extended Chapel, saw boys and parents all in good voice, and the Radley champagne and excellent BBQ that followed were well earned! Short speeches from Fred Dreyer, Senior Prefect in 2020, and the Warden, reflected on their time at Radley and the bonds of friendship that have been forged here that the (now) ORs will take out into the wider world. The whole event was one of great warmth, and all present were very appreciative of this opportunity to meet up once again, and for the boys (and parents) to get the Radley send off they deserved.

Old Radleians of all ages, from 20 to 60, were once again able to reconnect at our programme of reunions. the old radleian 2021

College Update

COLLEGE UPDATE

Bursar, Andrew Ashton, and Academic Director, Stephen Rathbone, look back at the latest developments that have taken place at Radley across 2021.

bursar’s report 2020-21 At the time of writing it is remarkable to reflect on the events of the past eighteen months and how the College has progressed against its strategic aims while, at the same time, managing against the headwinds created by Covid. In the short term we can be pleased we have responded well to Covid. All have done their utmost to minimise its negative impact on the continuity and quality of education. Indeed, through innovation, we have found new ways of doing things to ensure the best possible experience for Radley boys. The 2020 Leavers’ reunion held in August was an important moment given the scant notice, being just prior to the first lockdown, that our 6.2 boys had received that their last days on campus as Radleians would be in March 2020 and not the summer. That we had such a warm reunion, as we welcomed this cohort back

on to campus as Old Radleians, suggests that the challenges we faced did no harm to, indeed possibly strengthened, that sense of community and of belonging that all who engage with Radley feel. As heartening to me has been that Covid has not got in the way of our strategic priorities. It may even have further strengthened our resolve to deliver change well and to deliver it swiftly where at all possible. In terms of the tangible, we have now reached our target school size – we have eleven Socials, and, with September’s intake, L Social is now full. Furthermore, we have a marvellously extended Chapel and a new organ that future generations of Radleians will take pride in. My thanks and congratulations go to all involved in the delivery of the Chapel project – from the members of the initial Chapel working party (which included both boys and a Bishop), to the architect (Purcell) and contractors (Beard) and to all who have given to, or in other ways supported, this remarkable project.

Partnerships There are other less visible changes taking place which have the ability to be truly profound in the years to come. I shall consider three examples. First, the College’s Partnerships strategy, the fourth P in our strategic “pillars”. This is going from strength to strength and bringing many people together, inspiring boys and staff, and showing we have as much to learn from others as to offer in return. This is delivering immediate benefits for those who engage with it now and has the capacity to offer lasting benefits as our partnerships mature with age. I am getting a real sense of the importance of engaging strongly with our local community while technology has also shown us the way in being more efficient in how we interact with communities further afield.

Pupils from The Oxford Academy school taking part in the Radley BC Rowing Academy. 18

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Of course, partnerships are nothing new, but there is a real vibrancy and relevance to our current activities and Covid has reminded us of the importance of community, and this includes not just our own College community, but the communities within which we live.

College Update

Pye Homes MD Graham Flint and Radley College Estates Bursar David Anderson break ground at the new Church Farm development.

Land Second, a review of our land holdings brings to mind also that we have been here before. Buying and selling land is surely characteristic of organisations that have such a long history, and yet wise and considered judgement in each transaction against a clear purpose is important, as well as occasional good luck with market conditions! The College has sold one parcel of land, now being developed by Pye Homes, which has another partnership benefit as we have formed strong links also with their parent company Blenheim Estates. We have another sale in the pipeline, and we have been pleased to see the market remaining strong for now. The funds raised from land sales are being reinvested into long term endowment funding to strengthen our financial resilience - Covid reminds us of the importance of this - and specifically to support the growth of our bursaries programme. However, as we sell land (just as the College has done before) we remain mindful that land acquisition remains an option to provide our successors with long term assets that may have as yet unforeseen benefits.

Sustainability Third, sustainability. In the year the UK is hosting the COP26 summit, everybody is rightly talking about sustainability. Some have published bold targets. It seems carbon neutral is no longer the thing to aim for, but carbon negative for those who can do it. We all, of course, have responsibility here as individuals and as a College. We have established a Sustainability Working Party, chaired by David Anderson and with representatives from the boys as well as from staff and Council. The College too will develop a strategy and publish targets once we have quantified our baseline and agreed on what is important. There are so many dimensions to this – energy efficiency, food waste, travel, biodiversity and land management are just a few examples. At the same time, not much is new – a cursory glance at minutes of meetings of yesteryear shows how much we worried about coal usage, or oil, or spend per boy on utilities. Of course, as the impact of a carbon footprint is better understood, this is no longer about saving money, but about saving something far more valuable. Land, both on campus and in our wider landholdings, plays a part here. If we look at the built form, new projects offer great opportunities to deliver more sustainable buildings. Clock Tower Court is a great example of this, with its efficient

ventilation system and ground source heat pump, with run-off water also irrigating our pitches. But, to look at our extended Chapel and our refurbished and extended Science Department, we can also take pride at making the best of what we have – buildings that were built to last and that have then been improved for decades to come. Off campus, we are starting to look at the opportunities we may have, for example in planting strategy, wildlife corridors and in energy generation. The point is, land ownership provides us with choice – not just in our campus setting which remains something extremely important to us, but also in our approach to sustainability. That of course is why present and recent land sales should be seen in the context of our land as an asset within a portfolio and, while we have taken opportunities to sell relatively small parcels, we value that which remains, and are open to future opportunities to widen our ownership, where it makes sense. Thus, Covid has presented considerable challenges to all of us, but we have not lost our sense of the importance of a Radley education in the here and now nor of the imperative to deliver against our strategic objectives to safeguard a Radley education long into the future. Andrew Ashton Bursar the old radleian 2021

College Update

Academic report 2020-21

Examinations - back to normal?

I thought I would focus on some key themes of the past year which give you a flavour of the vibrant academic life enjoyed at Radley. This report is not exhaustive, but I hope it reveals our forward-looking mentality and high ambition.

As we prepare for examinations at GCSE and A-level, we know, hopefully, that conventional timed papers will be sat in 2022. The last two exam seasons have seen teachers placed in an invidious position. In 2020, they had to put students in strict rank order for every subject and then award grades - subject to external adjustment. This ‘Centre Awarded Grades’ process was not handled well by central government. Improvements were then made for the ‘Teacher Assessed Grades’ in 2021, leading to arguably fairer outcomes.

Necessity - the mother of invention It goes without saying that, as in every other sphere of life, the last year and a half has been a testing time in education. Yet Radley was able not only to provide a first-rate education for all year groups, but also obliged through necessity to innovate at a pace which surprised everyone. The challenge, since lockdown ended, has been to consolidate and expand skills gained during that time - particularly with regard to use of technology - while trying to return to conventional classroom teaching and the corporate Radley life which we all missed. Online learning - as all regular users of Zoom and Teams will understand - is useful but can be far more tiring than face-to-face engagement. There is no doubt that boys and dons found the experience of a full day’s online teaching and learning to be very draining. Yet the technical proficiency developed in that period has opened minds to the possibilities which an ever-growing number of apps and imaginative software packages provides. There is therefore little doubt that Radley is a far more innovative school now than in March 2020. This is exemplified by the slew of digital opportunities now available to boys, beyond conventional IT and Computer Science classes. These include Coding Society, Competitive Robotics and Radley participation in the Bebras UK National Computational Thinking Challenge (run by Oxford University and the Raspberry Pi Foundation) along with an intention to compete in the British Informatics Olympiad. With an eye on making a contribution to national security, boys are encouraged to join the Code Breaking Society (pictured right) and participate in the Cyberdiscovery program(me), run by GCHQ. 20

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Our results were simply the best in the history of the school. Yet the attendant grade inflation has, naturally enough, caused widespread scepticism among employers regarding the validity of this year’s qualifications.

Academic Stretch It is important to stress that Radleians aimed high and were prepared very well for the internal assessments which took the place of external examinations in 2021. Yet inevitably, all boys still in school would be wise to augment their academic profile with activities of note beyond the classroom. Readers will be interested to know that a growing number of Radleians enter essay competitions held by Oxford and Cambridge Universities, as well as the prestigious John Locke Institute. All recent entrants have either been shortlisted for, or won prizes in, these competitions. Additionally, four boys won Gold and five won Silver in the (Lower Sixth) Cambridge Chemistry Challenge, while three boys won Gold, five gained Silver and three took Bronze in the Royal Biology Society Olympiad. One senior boy achieved a Distinction in the ABRSM Grade 7 Theory Examination, while two senior boys gained a Merit in the ABRSM Grade 8 Theory Examination. For the uninitiated, all these academic competitions and qualifications are extremely rigorous and we congratulate these boys on their achievements. Within Radley, the quality of academic writing has grown apace in recent years. Central to this has been the entirely boy-run Serpentes magazine. The editors accept and publish articles from all year groups, on any subject, so long as the essays are extended and the style of writing academic. Common Room continues to be impressed by the range of interests demonstrated and the quality of work produced.

College Update

Looking beyond Radley Lockdown encouraged a generous sense of volunteerism among Radleians. Many wanted to share the benefits of their own relatively uninterrupted education (during both iterations of Virtual Radley) with those in other schools who had received far less online instruction. Consequently, catch-up programmes in Mathematics and English organised in Oxfordshire became a vehicle for boys to develop their online presentation and communication skills - as well as derive satisfaction from helping others. A number of boys - across all year groups - have recently become Reading Ambassadors for the Mostly Reading outreach organisation, which, as one might imagine, seeks to embed enthusiastic reading among the wider school population. Other boys have become Reading Mentors in a new partnership with Broadway Academy in Birmingham. It is important that Radley connects with as many sectors of the outside community as time permits. It was good to see that 140 sculptures of their own feet by Shell boys went on display in the Turrill Sculpture Garden, Oxford (pictured below), while other boys in the same year are involved in a vibrant Global Issues programme partnership with Downe House (pictured right).

Free speech and open minds The school continues to attract a range of stimulating speakers. We have watched with grave concern as many prestigious universities have been buffeted by the culture wars in a way which seems to challenge the core principles of a liberal education. In our speaker programme, we do not flinch from inviting those whose views might be controversial (subject, of course, to some common-sense limits) as we want Radleians to realise that the contemporary ‘echo chambers’ fostered by social media are ultimately sterile places. Moreover, the intemperate and censorious behaviour demonstrated by a number of university students risks gravely endangering the reputation of tertiary institutions as places of free enquiry and iterative thinking. The author worries about this issue a great deal and is determined that Radley, at least, be a place where rationality, balance and empiricism should always triumph over emotionalism, ‘cancel culture’ and temptations toward compelled speech. In the past year – whether via Zoom during lockdown or live at Radley – we have enjoyed talks by, among others:

Professor Christopher Coker of the LSE on ‘The Looming Conflict between China and the West’; Dr Wanjiru Njoya of Exeter University Law School, on ‘Economic Inequality and Social Justice’; Dr Ziya Meral of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), on ‘Contemporary Trends in International Affairs’; writer and fashion stylist Ayishat Akanbi, on the dangers of identity politics; and broadcaster and writer Chloe Combi, on the particular issues affecting Generations Z and Alpha (which encompass current Radleians and those arriving here across the next decade). Boys appreciate the opportunity for civil disagreement with guests. Hopefully, they are taught to understand the dangers of intellectual tribalism at a moment in history where debate and constructive disagreement will be needed, more than ever, in the search for solutions to complex and interlocking problems. On that latter theme, there have been superb talks on science and technology - including innovation in treatments for cancer and cognitive degenerative disease and the global response to Covid-19 - by Oxford scientists and a senior WHO executive. the old radleian 2021

College Update

Entrepreneurship and Life Skills The emphasis on entrepreneurship remains strong. A particular favourite in this regard is an annual talk given to the new 6.1 by (World Economic Forum Young Global Leader) Kresse Wesling (pictured right) CBE, co-founder of the Elvis & Kresse brand, which recycles waste products into luxury items. Boys continue to be inspired by Kresse’s compelling mixture of business savviness with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) awareness. About a third of the 6.1 opt for the mini-MBA, run in association with Ashridge Business School, and we are preparing to launch a major new initiative with regard to fostering ‘start-up’ and ‘side-hustle’ culture. Students and graduates need to earn more (and earlier) than ever before, if they are to be able to afford property and pensions. We all know this. And some Radleians may, quite reasonably, not even consider the need to be students (at least not immediately) if they have already launched a successful enterprise… So, watch this space! Stephen Rathbone Academic Director

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College Update

Vales Harry & Vanessa Hammond Harry Hammond arrived at Radley in 1994 from Bedford School and immediately fitted into all aspects of life at Radley. After four years as Head of Chemistry, his abilities as an all-round schoolmaster were recognised and he moved into the Tutor’s house at G Social with Vanessa and their two daughters. Twelve very successful and happy years followed as the many boys who were under his care will testify. A sabbatical term when he left social saw Harry teaching English in Madagascar to both adults and children before he took on the role of Head of Co-curricular in 2012. In that job, he played a key role in reshaping two important aspects of Radley; shop and sport. Shop plays an important part in the daily life of boys and the refurbishment made it a lot more convivial and efficient. The coffee shop was a new venture that required plenty of thought and consultation, but it quickly became the social and cultural hub of college life. Never has this been more apparent than during the last term when it has not been able to host concerts or act as a gathering place for boys and staff. The foundations of the current Sports Department were also laid on his watch, with the appointment of the first Head of Fitness and strength and conditioning assistants. After four years, another role beckoned under the new Warden, and in 2015 Harry became the Head of External Affairs. With Vanessa as Registrar, he oversaw

the transformation of the admissions process that resulted in an open entry system to replace the Warden’s list, the expansion of the funded places scheme and a more international outlook, especially for boys joining in the sixth form. Few people have played such an important role in equipping Radley for the future. No account of Harry’s time at Radley would be complete with mentioning his contribution to sport. As a rugby referee, hockey coach and golfer, he has overseen countless training sessions and matches but it is on the cricket pitch where some of his happiest times have been spent. Legions of 3rd XI cricketers have learnt the importance of batting first if you get the choice (we won’t mention the match against Tonbridge a few years ago when the captain ignored this advice on a fine sunny day) and gained a deeper appreciation of the game under his watchful eye. A chance encounter with Harry the day before the end of the Michaelmas term brings us back to Chemistry. The chat revolved around how much he had enjoyed the last three lessons with his 6.1 set as he encouraged and cajoled them into becoming better practical chemists. In amongst all his other achievements, it seems right to finish by remembering that he was also a great teacher who always saw the best in the boys, whatever their aptitude for the subject. We wish Harry and Vanessa all the very best as they head off to new challenges. Kevin Mosedale

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College Update

Christian San Jose Chris arrived at Radley College in September 2010 after a career in the army (he won the Sword of Honour at Sandhurst, completed tours in Iraq and Kosovo before finishing at the rank of Captain in the Rifles regiment). He quickly became a key asset in the Geography department (arriving as an Oxford graduate – Hertford College 1998 - 2001), where HoD, Lydia Gregory, describes his ‘meticulous approach to everything’. He was a hugely popular member of the department – able to stretch and support students at all levels. He also made an invaluable contribution to the extra-curricular life of the school, whether it be CCF or coaching sport – with his great love being his football coaching. In his years of coaching Bigside football he formed a dynamic partnership with his close friend Dr Hakimi, ensuring the boys played attractive football and gaining notable success in the LB Cup. In 2011 he, and his wife Rosie, moved into the E Social Sub-Tutor's flat, where they were fantastic servants under Rob King and myself from 2011-2014. Their time in E Social also saw the birth of their first child – daughter Ana. It was clear very early on that Chris was a natural in the pastoral side of the school, and everyone felt certain he was destined to be a Tutor very soon. In 2016 the call came, and 24

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he took charge of F Social – helping to mould and guide numerous boys over his 5 years in the house. That time also saw the birth of their other two children, Nico and Esther. Current Head of F Social (Harry Pitt) writes on CASJ – ‘his level of drive and commitment in all aspects of school life has never failed to impress me. Regardless of the situation, whether it be in Cocoa or delivering Social Prayers, we all appreciate the effort that he took to make the social into such a homely and welcoming environment. Along with this, he always strived to get the most out of us and has really helped us develop into who we are today. On behalf of all the boys in F Social, we would like to thank him for his unwavering kindness and support no matter how big or small the problem may be’. His 11 years here have left an indelible mark on the college, and hundreds of Radleians will count themselves lucky to have been taught, coached or been under his pastoral care. It came as no surprise to see him gain promotion elsewhere, and we wish him the best of luck as Deputy Head of Giggleswick School. He and Rosie have been close friends to so many in the college, and I know they will take that kind and friendly spirit with them to their next assignment. Tim Lawson

College Update

Patrick Ford

Christelle Munro

Patrick Ford leaves us after four years in which he has made a huge contribution to the College. As a History don, B Social Resident Sub-Tutor, a Cricket, Football and Rugby coach, a representative on both the Don’s Remuneration Committee and the Common Room Consultative Committee, the leader of Dons’ cricket and football, and head of external debating, he improved the experiences of so many on campus. He also gained QTS, completed an NQT year and qualified through the BSA courses too. He was not one for idling. Paddy was a driving force in the History department, the instigator of many engaging extra-curricular offerings. We now hold twice-termly book-groups for up to 45 keen students, we attend the Chalke Valley History festival, hold a 6.2 pub quiz, and host speakers in private houses to allow boys to meet with them over dinner; all these happened due to Paddy’s initiative and drive. On the curriculum, he became the specialist on the Stuart era and could hold boys rapt for full lesson revision lectures. He was exacting on his pupils, holding them to deadlines and expecting high standards in all they did; thus, he synthesised conservative and reformist tendencies in an all-enveloping zeal.

Christelle joined the French department in September 2015, and she has brought colour, clarity and confidence into the lives of hundreds of Radleians. She came highly recommended as a friend of Géraldine Delbury Seabrook. A personal endorsement always brings extra hope and promise to an interview and we were not disappointed when Christelle joined the team. Already an accomplished professional in other areas, she has embraced teaching with gusto and has always been willing to learn and improve, seeking advice and acting on it. Kind and caring, rigorous and adaptable, effortlessly stylish, she has amplified the boys’ appreciation of French culture with her “coin lecture” basket of bandes dessinées, her valuable insights into topical debates in the French media and her generosity with Carambars, fraises Tagada, oursons en chocolat and galettes des rois.

He was more of a modernist on the sport pitches – his energy in his first year saw him cautioned for his touch-line presence but the boys enjoyed his commitment and the match-day programmes he made for his football teams. In leading on two of the key dons’ sporting traditions, he took opportunities to make more of them, using Common Room cricket to raise funds for the Ruth Strauss Foundation. He himself bowled a surprisingly effective medium pace ball and enjoyed nurdling the ball around with his bat. A son to teachers at Marlborough, Paddy was deeply sensitive to the demands placed on boarding school staff. In an era of fresh challenges to the sector, which he fully recognised, he strived in committees to represent the interests of colleagues and offer healthy challenge to ideas. He himself did not stint from committing himself fully – volunteering for short-notice duties, offering to aid others with marking, or stepping up to offer taught cover periods. He cared deeply for the welfare of those around him, both boys in B Social (where he gave 4 years of loyal service) and other dons, sending cards or gifts of handmade sourdough loaves. We will not forget him hobbling about in one flip-flop after scalding his feet on his hot water bottle, or his insistence on a good night’s sleep - an older man hiding in his young man’s body. Utterly dependable and great company, he will be missed across the College as he embarks on a career change to gain management experience at Aldi. Tom Norton

Her understanding of the motivational powers of sugar and pastry, in the teenage psyche, is profound. In her six years in the department, she has taught Shells, Removes, Vths and 6.1 and her impact in the classroom has been considerable. She delivered multiple French Society talks, usually accompanied by her charming daughters Gaëlle and Elenor and transported, in style, in her husband Derek’s vintage Maserati. With her impeccable toilette and perfectly coordinated couture, she brought Rive Gauche chic to the first floor of the David Rae Smith building and her French has always been as elegant as her appearance. Toujours le bon accord au bon moment, des tournures de phrase séduisantes, des allusions piquantes, rien de rudimentaire. « Sa voix me fait un effet de feu de cheminée, rassurante, maternelle, berceuse » explique un collègue, « c’est une femme d’exception, dans tous les égards, qui a laissé une trace inspirante et durable » dit une autre. Une fille de la Charente, née dans la gastronomie, baignée dans le style et séchée sous le soleil méridional qui lui a aiguisé l’esprit et façonné le sourire. Elle nous a apporté son authenticité française, son professionnalisme sans faille et sa rigueur dans l’enseignement de la langue de Molière. Malheureusement, on est obligé de déchirer une des plus belles pages du livre départemental et Christelle va nous quitter pour s’engager vers de nouveaux projets et poursuivre sa carrière professionnelle sous d’autres cieux. De la part de chacune et chacun d’entre nous, je voulais vous remercier pour tous ces beaux moments partagés. Merci de nous avoir pimenté la vie quotidienne avec ton énergie et ta tendresse humaine. Que l’avenir soit doux et riche, parsemé de belles choses et de surprises agréables. Au revoir Madame. Simon Barlass the old radleian 2021

College Update

Clare Lloyd

Laney Parker

By pure chance, I was actually living in the E Social PHM flat in the summer of 2010 (while H Social was being renovated) and as I moved out at the end of the summer, in swept the bundle of enthusiasm that was Clare Lloyd – the new E Social PHM.

The acronym PHM can be remodelled to MPH: Laney’s Miles Per Hour count has always been high; whatever she was tasked with she went at with all guns blazing. Her impact at Radley, for the boys in D Social and well beyond, was enormous: legendary PHM, cake-baker extraordinaire, marathon dog-walker, Choir member, concert supporter, Tanzania trip supervisor, Dublin tourist, minibus driver, mountain rescue support team, Radley SERV helper, Lockdown Lodge porter, scrubs seamstress; of course it is cliched to write that the list is endless, but with Laney there is a truth in this.

Clare worked for two years with Rob King as Tutor – establishing herself as a PHM who worked as hard as anyone, and someone who was determined to get the social into the best shape possible. When I took over the Tutorship in 2012 I entered a well-oiled machine, and this made my transition into a new job incredibly easy (certainly from a logistical perspective). Clare has shown herself over the past 11 years to be adept in every facet of the job – she can have the tough conversations with those who need it, care for the homesick boys and (most importantly) go above and beyond for boys in real distress. Her baking is quite simply legendary, and the thousands of cakes that have appeared from her flat over the past decade have never dropped below a Paul Hollywood esque standard. The last 11 years have been a period of real service – total dedication to the boys and the social as a whole. There has never been any task that was too much for Clare, and the military precision with which it was carried out has always been a pleasure to observe. It goes without saying that large parts of the job are not glamourous, but the pride she has taken in every element of the role has really set her aside. She has of course had her loyal companion Floozie by her side throughout, and the social will feel very strange next year without the two of them. One of the departing 6.2s this year – in the social 18th birthday book – saved his final comment for Clare and wrote about how in his toughest times over the last few years she had ‘always been there for him’, and how her support had always given him strength. This comment speaks volumes about the person she is and the job she has done over the past decade plus. Clare departs with the best wishes of all the staff, boys and parents of E Social – we wish her an enjoyable and relaxing retirement (she has certainly earned it) – she will be missed, but always welcome back to the winding halls of E Social. Tim Lawson

Laney was – and still is – hugely proud of the boys in her social, and at her school. She knew and supported boys whatever the colours of their tie: in the Silk Hall, in the Theatre, on the pitches. Even when suffering from a bad back in her last term here, she made special arrangements with the precentor to secure a seat where she could hop up and down to stretch, determined not to miss the chance to applaud. Laney arrived to D Social having worked in the army; her colleagues delighted in the standards that she brought to Cocoa set-up and clean-up. Boys knew where they stood, and respected her all the more once they had witnessed her militant spotchecking of milkshake-cup washing-up. She was not to be taken for a ride, and nor would she give up in the face of even the most stubborn resistance. Laney’s cake-baking was known across campus: cake for Cocoa, cake for birthdays, cake for Macmillan Coffee Mornings, cake for Medical Centre, cake for Maintenance, cake for the Grounds Department… She certainly knew how to get her way! But this was not the only way of being heard: she had a voice that pervaded the very furthest reaches of the Social; the resident Sub-Tutor is well known for shrinking into the shadows when a rowdy game of touch rugby is interrupted by her hollered instruction to ‘Keep the noise down!’. That parents valued Laney’s presence in their sons’ lives was so evident that it hardly needs to be stated: she was held in the highest of regard, and this despite the fact that she once stood before a packed concert hall of D Social parents and sang with full gusto: ‘I dreamed a dream that life would be / So different from this hell I’m living…’. Nothing if not honest, Laney endeared herself to all in the Radley College Community. We wish her well as she moves home, to Suffolk. Harry Crump

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Richard Morgan Memorial

Richard Morgan Memorial Richard Morgan's life was remembered at Radley by family, friends, ORs and colleagues on what was a special day at the College. Opening with the fanfare commissioned from Franics Jackson for the installation of Richard Morgan as Warden of Radley in 1991, the Memorial service held at the College on 10th November was a deeply personal affair. From the choice of music and hymns, to the readings by Thomas Seymour, Mike Hodgson, Martin Stanley, the tribute by Alexander Boswell and the prayers led by Katie Jones with Richard's daughters, Pippa and Tooey, the packed Chapel remembered a husband, father, schoolmaster, Warden and friend whose influence touched so many lives. Our own tribute to Warden Morgan begins with a look back at the vales written for him from his two stints at Radley as don and then as Warden.

We shall remember him for many things: for the true schoolmaster's genius of making a boy he had once taught feel that Richard still knew him and that he remained interested in his life; for attacking vigorously his part in a Dons' Play ('Bottomley' or 'Player'); for his enthusiasm; for the warmth of his friendship but, above all, for his love of all that is best at Radley. From SJB Langdale's valete for RMM, 1978

Following Dennis Silk as Warden of Radley in 1991 was one of the hardest acts in education. That he succeeded brilliantly is testimony to Richard Morgan’s skill, energy and, above all, love for a school with which he has been closely connected for 38 years. Having “hit the ground running” in 1991, Richard Morgan took off in 2000 having hardly paused for breath in the interim. There was no time for complacency. Every aspect of life at Radley was under constant scrutiny. Not change for the sake of change but for the purpose of improving the boys, of giving them every opportunity of developing their skills in preparation for their future. In Council, the Warden’s reports never failed to stimulate, his proposals seldom failed to persuade. They reflected a man who respected the institution of Radley, and had the confidence and experience to help it on in its journey and leave it far stronger for his visionary leadership. From Mike Hodgson's valete for RMM, 2000

Left: Richard in the Royal Glimpses video, filmed on the occasion of the Queen's visit in 1997.

A photomontage from The Radleian 1995, featuring RMM with a larger-than-life Bumpus, the Morgan family dog. the old radleian 2021

Richard Morgan Memorial

Richard Morgan Thanksgiving Service A packed Chapel congregation gave thanks and remembered the life of Richard Morgan. After the service a collection was made for two charities that Richard had supported wholeheartedly – Alabare, a charity for the homeless in Salisbury, and S.W. Mencap, who support people with learning difficulties, and their families, to lead fuller lives. A video of the Service is available: www.vimeo.com/radleyvideo

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“Grieve not that they have died, But rejoice that they have lived”

Richard Morgan Memorial

After the Service in Chapel, guests made their way to Clocktower Court Coffee Shop for refreshments – a chance to catch up with each other and reminisce.

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Richard Morgan Memorial

Richard Morgan Trophy To finish off the day, the Junior Colts took to Bigside to compete against their Cheltenham College counterparts, for the inaugural Richard Morgan Trophy. Boys, ORs, guests, current Head of Cheltenham College, Nicola Huggett, as well as Richard's family, watched a spirited match played with enthusiasm and pride. Radley's organisation up front and pace in the backs proved to be too strong for the visitors, and the home side walked away with this year's honours. At full-time, both teams gathered under the posts to hear from the Warden, before Margaret Morgan awarded the trophy to the Junior Colts. A fitting end to a day in honour of RMM.

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Putting on a Show

PUTTING ON A SHOW

As a producer of West End shows, Freddie Tapner (2004), CEO and Artistic Director of the London Musical Theatre Orchestra, saw the impact the Covid pandemic had on the industry, but it also provided the opportunity for him to put on a once-in-a-lifetime version of ‘A Christmas Carol’. This is a story. A tale, not of two cities, but of timing, coincidence and hard graft in the face of Covid uncertainty to pull together a once in a lifetime production in London’s West End. For the last two years, the musical theatre industry has found itself in its most challenging time since the Second World War. Theatres, much like the rest of the country, had been shut down in the first lockdown of 2020, but when producer and CEO & Artistic Director of the London Musical Theatre Orchestra, Freddie Tapner (2004), realised that lockdown may be eased in December that year, he sensed there was an opportunity to do something special. Stage a version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol like no other. In the autumn of 2020, he had none of the three things needed for a West End musical – title rights, a venue and a star. With the clock ticking, he now had just 11 weeks to get a show up and running in time for opening night, a process that would normally take 18 months to achieve…

Chapter 1 – The rights Getting title rights from a rights holder is not simply a transactional arrangement, where you pay the money and in return get the rights to the show you want. Very often a producer can be in competition with others who also want those rights and so Freddie needed to be able to persuade the holders that he was the right person to trust to put on the show. Sometimes this can involve lengthy negotiations with rights holders over numerous face-to-face meetings in the USA. Other times it can be resolved in just one phone call. With time pressing, having no idea how long this part of the process could take might have scuppered their plans from the off. However, when it came to A Christmas Carol, he had an ace up his sleeve. The London Musical Theatre Orchestra (LMTO), under Freddie’s direction, had already been performing the music for this production in concert before the pandemic brought things to a standstill. Having such a good existing relationship with the rights holders meant that he was able to assuage their nervousness that the need for performers to be socially distanced on stage would negatively impact the production and could demonstrate how they had plans already in place to ensure the quality of the show remained high. The rights holders knew they could trust him to deliver and he soon had the agreement in the bag. One challenge down. The speed with which he was able to negotiate this deal, also helped solve one of the other challenges – the venue. In a feat of circular organisation reminiscent of the Circumlocution Office of Little Dorrit, to secure title rights producers need to go to holders with the exact plan of the production, including the venue and the star. But in order to get the plan agreed, the star lined up and the venue booked, you need the rights… With the rights successfully secured however, Freddie could move on to sorting these.

Alpha Club

Chapter 2 – The Venue

Freddie conducting the LMTO.

West End venues are highly sought after and getting your show in the right venue can make or break it. In recent years there has been too much product vying for too few venues and producers had been scrambling to get their show taken on. From the theatres’ perspective, they want the best-selling ticket in town – the bigger the audience, the more revenue through food & beverage sales and merchandising they can make. When the rental fee paid by producers only really covers the ground rent and staff costs, the venue makes the majority of their profit from these additional the old radleian 2021

Nick Rutter

Putting on a Show

The existing set at the Dominion Theatre was perfect to reuse - here a Victorian London skyline is projected on to the sky piece. on-site sales. Where footfall is king, venues will therefore likely choose a banker show, for example going for Les Misérables over an unknown or untested new musical. Finding the right venue and negotiating a contract would usually take between 3 and 4 months. But in the autumn of 2020, the unthinkable was happening. On the day that the Department of Culture, Media and Sport announced that theatres could open over Christmas and that they would not be closed by a lockdown, three different theatres contacted him asking if they wanted to use their theatre for his run of A Christmas Carol. Each of these theatres, like so many, all had big shows in and set up already, but they had been mothballed for over 6 months. The cost of getting a big show back up and running is eye-wateringly expensive, and with the ever-present risk of lockdown kicking in again, the large shows simply did not need to risk a short, four-week run over Christmas. For LMTO however, the timing worked and the show they had was perfect and the venues needed audience revenue. The opportunity was there, they just needed to get the right venue for their production. Freddie and his co-producer, Gary England, knew exactly what they were looking for to run A Christmas Carol and, after looking at various venues, they decided on the Dominion Theatre. The show that was already in place there was Prince of Egypt, and the existing set was near perfect to repurpose and reuse for his own production. In Prince of Egypt the stage is a map on the ground surrounded by a dark blue ‘sea’ and above this hangs a reflection of the map – the sky piece. Both the map and the sky are designed to have images projected on them and the ground could become 32

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Victorian-style parchment, the dark blue the night sky and the sky piece allowed them to project whatever the scene called for on to it, be that a Victorian rooftop scene or a star-filled night. In an industry where new shows have set budgets of £1-5 million, this was obviously well out of budget for such a short run so having a set that could be repurposed and no need for new costumes reduced this budget to almost zero. It still took Gary two weeks of in-depth negotiations, incentivisation and derisking for both parties to reach an agreement, but eventually they had their venue.

Chapter 3 - The star Shows in London for a non-tourist, domestic audience simply HAVE to have a star in the lead role. Without a star, people won’t buy tickets. Without a star, the show won’t get featured on television programmes such as This Morning or The One Show and so miss out on vital promotion. Without a star, getting the rights to a show or booking a venue is that much more challenging. Freddie needed a Scrooge. Unfortunately, it so happens that Scrooge is one of the hardest roles to cast, due to the age profile of the character. Finding an older, male star who isn’t already so big that they’re doing films and TV or are optioned for other shows three years in advance is incredibly difficult. Add to that the short nature of the run and the relatively modest size of the show and he knew he wouldn’t be able to match the financial offer that most stars would expect. Each Christmas there are around half a dozen productions of A Christmas Carol and each of those productions is only as good as

Putting on a Show

the star that plays Scrooge and how well-matched they are to the style of the production. This was a very upbeat, Broadway-style, family friendly version and to complement this he knew exactly who he wanted to play the part. Brian Conley. Already a superstar name in the world of musical theatre and pantomime for over 45 years, getting his name on the bill of your show can effectively make it a success before it has even opened. Audiences will come to see him in their thousands. Freddie had always wanted Brian to play Scrooge in his productions but knew that in normal times he could never compete with the money pantomime offered. But the Covid disruption in the industry meant that here was a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure him. He made contact and even after being up front about the level of budget they were working within, Brian was still interested. He’d been without an audience for six months and was desperate to get back on stage. So, Freddie found himself on a video call to one of his all-time heroes, to pitch the role of Scrooge that makes or breaks the show, possibly rendering all the hard work of getting the rights and the venue sorted for naught… Brian’s initial reaction was positive, a great start. It was a role he’d always wanted to perform one day, but he would base his final decision on the music and the script. The call ended with Brian saying he would listen to the first 10 minutes and that should give him enough to decide upon. Exactly 105 minutes later – the exact running time of the music for the show – Brian called back. He was in tears, saying it was the most beautiful show he’d ever heard and he knew that this was the Scrooge he always wanted to play. Having intended to listen to just the first 10 minutes, he had instead sat through the whole thing, unable to stop until the very end. Brian was on board and they had their star.

Within the space of just 10 days they had secured all three key elements they needed and it was full-steam ahead. It was now just a problem-solving exercise, but the first of these problems to be solved was the small matter of raising the funding to pay for it all. For a producer to get a West End show off the ground typically needs to see them raise between £3 million and £12 million. Freddie knew raising this amount was simply not going to happen in the two weeks he had available. Even raising the £1 million needed for all the upfront costs and the first two weeks of the run, as is standard practice in the industry, was not going to be achievable. The wider circumstances of the pandemic meant that the return on a £1 million commercial raise just wasn’t going to be enough for the risk the investors would have to take. To get his show up and running, he had to find a way to reduce the amount needed from £1m to £250,000. Freddie came up with two innovative ways to achieve this. In theatre it is standard practice for venues to only release the money from ticket sales two weeks after they have matured, and so he needed a way to cover this gap in cashflow. His solution was to take out a loan secured against the ticket sales for the first week, timed to kick in only when they were sure the show would go ahead. By this time they would already know how much ticket money was due and therefore how much they needed to borrow to bridge the gap. The other way to solve the cashflow issue was to bring down the costs of the first two weeks, but his solution was one everyone told him couldn’t be done.

Nick Rutter

His idea was to change how everyone involved in the show would be paid, and he was convinced it could work. Instead of the industry standard of paying salaries in the middle of the week of

Nick Rutter

The show was on!

Chapter 4 – The money

Brian Conley as Scrooge (left) led a cast packed with top talent, including Sandra Marvin as Mrs FezziWig (right). the old radleian 2021

Nick Rutter

Putting on a Show

To comply with Covid safety protocols, the cast had to perform socially-distanced from each other. performance, he asked all members of the company to agree to being paid one week in arrears once the show had opened. All rehearsal costs would be paid on time and all rates were to be the standard West End ones, the only difference being one week’s delay to the first week of payment. Normally agents wouldn’t countenance this, but the unusual situation caused by the pressures of lockdown meant that agents and performers were willing to agree to this to make sure the show could be staged. Freddie had challenged how things could be done and in doing so had solved the cashflow issue. Doing this meant that they could afford to take the risk for those four weeks, entertain tens of thousands of people, give much needed work to fellow creatives and also still make money. This was a real win and one that he is rightly very proud of.

Chapter 5 – The Show To put the production on, all departments had to adapt the way they worked due to Covid, whether that was sanitising all the props, musicians playing behind Perspex screens or the cast staying two metres apart on stage, except for carefully choreographed fleeting moments. The Test & Trace regime that was in place at the time had the potential to be a huge issue, with one ‘ping’ being enough to shut down the show if social distancing was not managed properly. To counter this issue, all 24 musicians and 28 on-stage cast were each in their own individual bubble of one, so that should anyone require to isolate it did not lead to a whole swathe of the other performers having to follow suit, derailing the show entirely. Such was the success of their planning and protocols that throughout the run there were no positive cases amongst the cast and staff and not even any reported cases from the audiences. Freddie and his team had proved that theatre could 34

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be run safely, but he still recalls the daily, even hourly, fear that the show would be shut down. The performances themselves ran seamlessly. Audiences couldn’t believe how lucky they were to see such a spectacular show after a terrible year of lockdown, and some shows received three standing ovations. The critics were also full of praise, with numerous four-star and five-star reviews and great notices. As the Artistic Director of LMTO, he would usually be up on stage every night, conducting the musicians, but as the co-producer he took the opportunity to watch the spectacle as part of the audience. Standing right at the back of the upper circle looking down on something that you have created, something that wouldn’t have existed without your hard work, is the most exciting place to be for a producer. Whilst stood there, midway through the performance and for the first time at one of his shows, he opened the door into the foyer and left the auditorium. He wanted to test whether the show could continue without him being there to drive the show on. As the production continued on behind the theatre door, he realised that he had indeed created something that was bigger than himself. It was a fantastic feeling. Then, on the ninth day of their planned 41-night run, with Press Night ahead of them that evening, the announcement Freddie had been dreading came through. London was moving into Tier 3 Covid lockdown and, despite previous assurances that theatre would be able to continue, the show was going to be forced to close just 24 hours later. After such monumental efforts to create this production, this was a body blow. He stood in front of the assembled company and gave an emotional speech, but his message was that it was not a sad day but was in fact a happy day. Covid had indeed brought the show to an end, but it was the

Putting on a Show

Working with this wealth of experience was also an invaluable experience to the 19 musicians who were given their West End debuts as part of the LMTO’s commitment to developing young musicians at the start of their careers. The most talented recent graduates always fill 15% of LMTO and to allow this approach to continue over the short run of the show, they swapped several musicians each night. Being able to support that many people in their early careers is incredibly powerful and it created such a warm atmosphere amongst the company, with seasoned actors and musicians giving encouragement to each new face. To Freddie, a beautiful work of art is transient – one that lives on in the memory and a theatre is a special space of transient beauty. Creating these moments is one of the main reasons he works in musical theatre. The narrative symmetry to the show, with Covid being the reason for its creation and its demise just added to this sense of transient beauty. His production of A Christmas Carol was one of those extraordinary moments where everything just slotted into place. He looks back on it as the best three weeks of his life and to him the story has a happy ending because they were able to put the show on at all.

Despite its curtailed run, the show was a hit with audiences and critics alike.

Chapter 6 – The Wrap Up Despite the devastation of having to close down in the prime of its run, he is hugely proud that the show achieved (nearly) all that he had wanted it to. Before Covid hit, he had been arranging for the show to run for just 10 nights at the Coliseum. The run at the Dominion was finally brought to an end after 11 nights, one more than his original plan. Across the 41-night run they were on course to average 93% capacity, a truly astonishing figure in a market where anything over 85% capacity is considered outstanding. Even ending the run early, they still performed for over 10,000 people and employed over 150 people who had been prevented from working for 9 months. Having to return £1 million of ticket sales was a painful pill to swallow, but the financial management had been so good that his investors still got a decent proportion of their money back. They were so grateful that they said they would invest again even knowing they wouldn’t get that money back. Feeling they were part of something meaningful and impactful and seeing the joy on the faces of the audiences was worth every penny. Bringing this production to the stage has been life-changing for Freddie, who learned a huge amount about what he was capable of doing over a very short space of time. Having shown this production can work even in the most challenging of circumstances, he’s now having to learn patience – which is hard for a musical theatre entrepreneur and producer. Although they are now perfectly set up to sell this show in the future, the number of other productions vying for attention again as theatre doors open up once more means there just isn’t the space available this year. He knows that this show has the potential to make LMTO, but having taken a huge risk with the initial production now is the time to wait and plan and be ready for the next opportunity. These are exciting times, these are daunting times, but Freddie now has plenty of experience in how to bring stories to life.

Nick Rutter

circumstances of Covid that had allowed them to come together in the first place for an amazing three weeks. The cast they had assembled was a once in a lifetime ensemble packed with talent, with all ten principals West End leads in their own right – a normal show would have one or two. Everyone involved realised that such a collection of talent would rarely come together again.

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Music for Life

MUSIC FOR LIFE After more than 50 years as a conductor, John Lubbock (1959) knows the impact music can have, on his own life as much as on that of others. “All concerts are failures”. These are not the words that you would expect to hear come from a man whose musical career has spanned over 50 years, who has conducted the biggest names in classical music across the world and who is most likely the longest-serving Director of music with a single orchestra, the organisation he founded – the Orchestra of St John’s (OSJ). But to John Lubbock (1959), never producing a perfect performance of a piece of music is part of the joy he finds in his work. For him and his musicians, the next performance is, in his words, simply an opportunity to “fail better to master a Mozart”. Music is clearly not, however, just about the musicians and the enjoyment from his long and illustrious career derives not only from the performances, but also from the use of music as an immensely powerful tool to help and to heal everyone who hears it. John’s journey to master a Mozart began at Windsor, where as a chorister for over seven years the four hours of specialist music tuition and performance a day gave him a solid grounding in his field. His time at Windsor also introduced John to a new aspect of performance – performing for the music’s sake, devoid of ego. That notion of the joining together of a group of individual voices, be they human or instrumental, to create a sound that can physically and emotionally feed you has been one of the key elements in all his work since.

John Lubbock (second left) in the photo of the Athletics Team, c.1960. 36

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Such a talented musician was going to find much to be involved in during his time at Radley, and whilst here in the early 1960s he performed in the choir and the orchestra. Keen to further his musical education he managed to arrange to go up to the Royal College of Music (RCM) in Kensington every Saturday, furthering the breadth of his knowledge. After a stint in Peru with the VSO, he then switched over to the Royal Academy of Music to continue his musical studies full time. And it was whilst a student there that he inadvertently discovered his calling. As part of a performance piece, John commissioned a new work for tenor & 13 instruments, but unfortunately something was missing before it could be performed. It needed a conductor. With no one else putting up their hand to take the baton, John stepped forward. It was not something he’d planned and whilst the performance of the new commission was seemingly more of a ‘world derriere than world premiere’, it put him in the role that he would perform for the next 54 years (and counting). It was from this first, not entirely deliberate, step that the Orchestra of St John’s was founded whilst John was still a student at the RAM in 1967. Initially founding a choir, it was not long before musicians were added to the group and their musical repertoire and reputation grew. A stroke of good fortune then came their way when John was approached by someone that was just starting a music agency. He offered to run the OSJ’s concerts for nothing as a way to build up experience and exposure for both parties, and the success of this arrangement can be easily measured by the fact that the OSJ were soon well established and were invited to perform their first prom just nine years later, in 1976. Over the next 15 years, John went from strength-to-strength, conducting at the Proms another five times, touring the world and playing with the world’s great soloists, including Yehudi Menuhin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gidon Kremer, Lucia Popp, Sir James Galway and Yo-Yo Ma. However, despite the esteem in which OSJ and John himself were held, the level of wider recognition for the OSJ never fully materialised and that was down to two decisions John made, both of which sum up the ethos at the heart of his work. The first decision was taken in the late 1970s and that was to simply stop studio recording. Increasingly it became clear that the recording process was ruining what the OSJ were trying to achieve when performing music - creating something new and individual with each playing of a piece as the interplay between musicians and composer varies every time. To John the essence of what it means to perform and the requirements of studio were increasingly at loggerheads, with the music stifled by the constraints and repetition of recording.

Music for Life

John Lubbock and the Orchestra of St John’s at a performance in Dorchester Abbey. But it is this approach of the OSJ which makes each performance unique – the orchestra reacting to each other, to their surroundings and to the mood of the audience. To do this he needs musicians rehearsed and skilful enough to cope with this approach and yet John has only ever run one day of auditions in his whole career. To get the performances – to try and master Mozart – needs people who can play music, not simply musicians. According to John, it takes a willingness to put one’s self wholly into the music and to work as one combined unit rather than a collection of individual musicians, with the conductor an equal part of it, not sitting above it. In his view this is not necessarily the norm in the orchestral world, as players and conductors had often been (and still can be) antagonists, each part striving individually. And whilst not a ‘safe’ way to perform, John’s own approach has engendered such trust, friendship and camaraderie in the OSJ that it has a number of musicians who have been with John for 45 years and more. It’s therefore no wonder that he says “making music with people you love is unspeakably wonderful. I consider myself to be the luckiest man alive” – a sentiment many of his orchestra would not doubt agree with. The second big decision that has had a huge impact on John’s career, and an even more profound one on his life came in the early 1990s. In 1993 his fourth son was diagnosed with severe autism. The diagnosis called for the family to bring over a therapist from the USA to undergo a treatment and learning programme, which would go on to be featured in a Channel 4 documentary, and on their return to the UK it was clear that a totally new existence needed to be built for John and his family. Both John and his wife Christine, a professional musician in her own right, made the decision to downsize their careers. This meant no more tours and no more international travel, in fact they moved the base of

operations for the OSJ to Oxfordshire as he needed to be no more than 10 minutes from home. From this point on all of their live concerts would be performed in Dorchester Abbey. But rather than the move out of London being a problem, John saw it as an opportunity. The whole of the OSJ – orchestra, management and board embedded themselves in the local community and looked to use the music as a wonderful medium for good. Over the years the charitable and outreach work they engage in has grown organically. Examples include the OSJ performing pieces for patients with dementia across Oxfordshire and also working with refugees in Oxford who had written poems about their lives. The musicians then helped them to write music

‘Becoming the conductor’ - introducing local school children to live classical music through practical workshops. the old radleian 2021

Music for Life

In 2002 Christine, with John’s assistance, founded the charity Music for Autism with the aim to design interactive concerts specifically for individuals with autism and their families. The concerts take place in halls that appeal to people with autism, with open space for the audience to react to the music through spontaneous dance and movement. Being able to call on members of the OSJ, these concerts allow individuals with autism to experience high quality classical music in an environment designed to make them feel comfortable. In addition to funding these concerts, Music for Autism has supported special units and schools for children with autism, performing around 70 days a year in these schools, including a return to Radley where local adults with autism were entertained in Silk Hall. The charity’s music education and equipment grants have also furnished sensory rooms and provided school transportation and school supplies for children. Such was the impact that this has had on individuals with autism that in 2015, John was awarded an OBE, in part for services to people with autism and learning difficulties in the UK – an award that he never mentions throughout our conversation. Rather, giving access to music that will bring joy to all those who play and hear it is clearly the biggest reward for John.

Conducting with Minhaj Sadik, 14, at a Music for Autism event. their audience and just as importantly the audience needed to know the orchestra. Thanks to that move out of London, John and the OSJ were already there – in the community and part of the community – and so they were able to weather the storm of the pandemic. Lockdown also gave John the opportunity, other than doing a lot of gardening, to get heavily involved in more musical research where he uncovered composers that even he had never heard of! Names such as Karlowicz, Moskowski and Bacewicz came to light, all of whom had written some wonderful pieces. With this new tranche of music ready to try and fail better to master, he has brought these back to the OSJ and they are now performing these little-played pieces. And with no plans to retire (it’s too expensive!), John will continue on his journey to bring musical gems, both hidden and well-known, out into the open for the enjoyment of the whole community.

Laura Pannack

The last two years have been exceptionally tough for all involved in music, with the Covid pandemic and ensuing lockdowns bringing the industry to an almost complete standstill. As many orchestras struggled, unable to reach out to their wider, national audience it reinforced to John just how essential it was for the OSJ to be embedded entirely within the local community. For them to be able to continue to perform impactful work, whether that be online or in a socially-distanced manner, they needed to know

Laura Pannack

to perform alongside the poetry, allowing a full expression of their experiences. In 2018 John was instrumental in bringing across an orchestra of Afghan girls to Britain, where they joined with the OSJ to perform at the British Museum and the Foreign Office. As a demonstration of the passion John has for taking classical music out into the community and allowing everyone to engage with this music, these examples speak volumes.

John leads a group session at a Music for Autism event in South London in 2013. 38

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Bringing the Noise

BRINGING THE NOISE Working at the cutting edge of improvisation, Henry McPherson (2008) has learned to meld together music and other media to create art that both challenges and engages.

Brought up in a household where his mother was a musician and music teacher, Henry was surrounded by music, playing and performing from an early age. Coming to Radley on a dual Music and Drama scholarship supported by the Foundation, he split much of his time between the Theatre and Music departments throughout his time here – and this combination is one that he has circled back to with the focus of his current PhD studies in Improvisation and Music & Dance. In his time at the college Henry was, unsurprisingly, very involved in many of the performances, singing in the choir, the chamber choir, Radley Clerkes, as well as doing lots of work for the Inter-Social Partsong competitions. As a pianist, he played in the orchestra, for theatre productions and also took part in the piano extravaganzas, and even in all his work in the experimental music community he has still not played in anything since that had quite so many pianos! From early in his time at Radley he would head across to use the music departments by himself in his spare time on Sundays to use the facilities there to compose his own original pieces. His interest in music and in particular composition only grew under the tutelage and guidance of the academic staff and visiting music teachers. Even now, over a dozen years later, he cannot stress enough how vital the VMTs are for musicians at Radley. Anne Martin-Davis for piano, Emma Taylor for singing and John Rockcliffe for Percussion were particularly key to Henry’s development. Together with the academic staff they helped him prepare for his application to study composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, arranging a mock-interview for him with an established composer in London. Needless to say despite composition being a rather niche pathway and not a common route out of school, the preparation and interview were a success and he was accepted to study there. Whilst studying composition at Glasgow, he found that he wanted to continue to perform and to get back on stage himself and it was the courses run by a visiting group of improvisors from Estonia, led by Anto Pett and Anne-Liis Poll, that introduced Henry to the opportunities available through this approach. Improvisation by its very nature is a practice of live composition and performance, in

Henry McPherson

Riding the knife edge of creativity in the middle of an improvisation session, Henry McPherson (2008), has to be open to opportunity – available to the possibilities as he finds himself right there in the midst of performance. But during his musical and creative journey to date, this willingness to grasp the opportunities presented has proven to be invaluable, helping him move into the world of experimental and improvisational music, harnessing the creative power of new media and navigating the pitfalls faced by creatives during the pandemic lockdowns.

Henry McPherson (right) and Sky Su: More Than One Thing research session, University of Huddersfield, 2020. fact it is also known as ‘instant composition’, and he was taken by this freer way of working as an alternative approach to traditional notated composition. Composition is still traditionally done in isolation – writing a score over months that is then passed on to an ensemble, who rehearse it and then perform it. It can be quite a lonely business but presented with the opportunity to collaborate more immediately in performance, rather than handing his work over to musicians at a distance, Henry dived in. Having done a small amount of collaborative work with creators from other disciplines such as film makers during his studies, he realised that combining improvisation with collaboration could be an important and productive approach for him. Starting to work with other groups and performers interested in spontaneous working in and around the Glasgow area, he realised he had found his community and immersed himself in it. Initially performing at an improvisation conference, and as part of an interdisciplinary improvising ensemble at the Conservatoire, it was there he met two other performers, Adam Hall and Inkeri Kallio. With a shared interested in working collaboratively to explore LGBTQ issues in a concert hall setting, they founded the performance group, Savage Parade. Their aim was to engage in socially engaged practice in a politicised sphere, examining issues that were relevant to their own LGBTQ community and the old radleian 2021

Bringing the Noise

to put them into a setting in which they felt there hadn’t been a lot of scope for previously. Putting together an ensemble, they began to workshop with each other, and the creative output that followed were pieces that used a wide-range of media – music, text generation, theatrics, costume, lighting and video. This proved to be a successful method of working for Savage Parade and they were soon commissioned to work at an innovative LGBTQ+ music festival in Birmingham called FLUID, conceived and curated by Trevor Pitt. He had brought together contributors from right across the musical spectrum, including classical, R&B, electronic, visual based arts for two and a half days of performances that centred on queer voices in music. Examining the political and lived experience of the performers in this way did lead to some institutional resistance, and Henry and his collaborators did face questions about the relevance and validity of their performances. But they used this resistance to continue to fuel their work as they felt it was important to engage with and challenge audiences.

But how does an exclusively collaborative group create work in the midst of a pandemic?

Ming DeNasty

The Savage Parade collaboration continued to perform their work, only coming to an end due to simple geography, as all three of them were living in different countries, but the work Henry had embarked on with them and at the conservatoire gave him the confidence to grasp the next opportunity that came his way. He therefore applied for (and was appointed to) an Artists-inresidency programe at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada in 2018. The two weeks of focussed work with a group of amazing dancers and improvisers that followed really cemented the idea of following an improvisation-only pathway that in turn, lead to his PhD placement at the University of Huddersfield.

Whilst at Huddersfield, he met up with a friend from Glasgow, Maria Sappho, who in turn introduced him to another performer, Brice Catherin. They recognised a shared interest and approach to creating work and thus the Noisebringers were born. Coming together as an improvising trio, they sidestep genre and media, are prepared to throw themselves at anything and follow the freeform and anarchic opportunities that arise. They work across music, film, radio broadcast, and even collective novel-writing, the desired outcome of the piece informing the medium used, and their work is fully collaborative – everything they release is done so under the Noisebringer banner. Henry cites their exhibition, ‘IS THE NEW PUNK…’, at Barbara Polla’s Galérie Analix Forever in Geneva in May 2021 as a collection that encapsulates the spirit of their work. Featuring pieces of their own work that included film, audio, live performance, sculpture and objects, they also collected work from over 15 other artists from around the world who sent both physical and digital pieces in to be displayed in addition to a live group improvisation broadcast featuring the Glasgow Improvisers orchestra with guests from North and South America, Europe, and Japan. Given their media-agnostic approach they are very open to whomever they work with and pieces are created often with very little prior discussion. They just play and see what emerges from that. In his experience, playing with other improvisers can create unique collaborative relationships – as you perform with other people you get a sense of both how they work and for the piece that’s being made in real-time.

Henry (right) as one of Savage Parade, with Adam Hall and Inkeri Kallio, at the FLUID Festival, Minerva Works, Birmingham, 2017 40

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Bringing the Noise

At work during an Artist-in-Residency place in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Thus, Henry found a way to keep performing through the pandemic, a time of challenges but also of opportunities. These included working with visual artists in the UK via Royal Mail, media artists in Germany and now working alongside the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, a 25-year established group who usually play in person, but who have been meeting online every week since the pandemic began. Henry and the Noisebringers have been invited to perform as guests at the first post-pandemic GIOFest, an improvised festival run by the orchestra in Glasgow in November each year. The lockdown-enforced use of the screen meant that Henry has needed to quickly get very comfortable working with video and editing and these new skills mean that he is now even more open to using whatever the best or required media for the work is. Always open to the opportunity, he has incorporated this into his PhD work and is much more comfortable submitting digital work to festivals and galleries that he would not have done before the pandemic. This screen-based performance and creation has also raised a lot of questions for Henry about what ‘liveness’ is

Henry McPherson: Open Out, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, 2019. and what it means to perform for people in front of an audience – over the last two years he has been performing without ever seeing the people on the other side of it. And whilst he’s much happier with the idea of working with someone digitally rather than in person, collaboration is still at the heart of what he does. The experimental music community has always been a hugely international one and without the stepping stones of previous opportunities to work across the globe, Henry knows he wouldn’t be where he is now. However, one thing has struck him and that is how the community rallied around each other to promote work and provide opportunities. As the pandemic lockdown continues to slowly recede (hopefully!), Henry will be looking to finish his PhD and follow an academic pathway. Using a practice-led approach will allow him to continue to create and perform, whether that be more work with the Noisebringers, working on improvisation for musicians and dancers in a nursery setting, composing music for others or curating the MASS – a monthly online publication of discursive art, articles, and opinion pieces addressing global issues that has already shared work by over 300 artists. But if there has been one thing that Henry’s work in the experimental music scene has shown it’s that you have to make things happen for yourself. The more you reach out, the more opportunities arise. You just need to make yourself available to take them when they do.

Ronan Whittern

Frederico Pellachin

So, the Noisebringers turned to creating hybrid content, mediated by Zoom as demonstrated by their work during a virtual residency with Ngallery in Athens. Working with artist Tim Tsang in Los Angeles, they set up a 5-hour open stream recording session, each of them in their own house. Over the course of the session, they recorded conversations, made music, and improvised, including Henry eating his lunch halfway through! They each then took the material recorded and produced their own films, thus ending up with four different pieces all derived from the same original recording. The films were then exhibited in Greece on four screens in the gallery and are soon to be re-exhibited in the online context.

Chris Scott, courtesy of Fruitmarket Gallery

With venues and travel shut down, Henry and his collaborators quickly realised that they couldn’t just replicate what they do normally in the online environment. Pre-lockdown their work was created with what was right there in the room with them – riding that creative knife edge. But with no possibility of being in the same room as others combined with audio delay plus all the other issues in-built with online video conferencing that so many of us have experienced in the last 18 months, they decided to embrace the absurd environment they found themselves in. Playing with other people now had an additional performer – Zoom. As a piece of software, it takes active decisions on things such as volume, controlling feedback, and what background noise to filter out. All great for running a meeting, but when used to create pieces of experimental collaborative art it changes the creative process.

Maria Sappho & Henry McPherson: GEMSFest, The Pipe Factory, Glasgow, 2019. the old radleian 2021

Going for a Song

GOING FOR A SONG

Kylie Minogue, Olly Murs and Ellie Goulding are just three of the high-profile artists that Jim has written songs for. As far back as he can remember, Jim Eliot (1989) always wanted to be a musician. He was obsessed with it – from the piano to the drums, he would try and play any instrument he could get his hands on, even going as far as to pull apart an old Speak & Spell machine when he found out you could modify it to create different sounds using the vowel keys. This kind of technical ingenuity was a necessity though because in the late 1980s there wasn’t a great deal of everyday access to music technology and schools of the time didn’t really understand or focus on the electronic music that so interested him. At prep school, he played percussion in the orchestra and on coming to Radley it was more of the same, with the choir and recitals taking centre stage. Having finally bought his own a synthesiser, around about the time of his first year at Radley, he had to make do with occasional access to a small room, hidden away in the music department where he could play drums and generally make noise. It took the rather radical intervention of a great music teacher, Mr Gunningham, to truly introduce music technology to Radley, as he brought keyboards, synthesisers and drum machines into the music school. It proved to be perfectly timed for Jim who, through 42

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his own work, was already well-versed in how to set up these systems. Working together they took this new technology and transformed the small room into a music technology suite for the boys to use, although he frequently kept hold of the keys for the room and tried to keep everyone else away! It was a start, but this was still the early stages of Radley working with music technology and at this point it was still just a side hobby for him. It was not until he bumped into a friend who had already left school and who was working for an advertising agency that Jim got his first glimpse into music as an industry, rather than a hobby. Knowing of his interest in music, his friend asked if he wanted to visit a recording studio, something he’d never been to before. He jumped at the chance. The studio in question was a sound dubbing studio, used for taking sound effects and placing them over pictures to be used in adverts, and whilst it wasn’t a music recording studio, it had all the same equipment in it. He had no idea that there were studios like this and he was completely blown away by it – the sound quality he heard was just incredible. Up until this point, all he’d been exposed to had been through pop bands and what he’d read in the NME, but this studio visit opened his eyes to how much work was done behind the scenes.

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Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

As part of the Radleian Society’s careers programme, Beyond Radley, Jim Eliot (1989) spoke to us about his early pathway into music, what it’s like working in the industry today and why he thinks music is one of the most exciting places to be.

Going for a Song

It got him thinking that there were jobs, and maybe even a career, to be had here. With his interest well and truly piqued, he set about trying to find out more about the industry. In those preinternet days, he turned to a classifieds newspaper called Loot and started to apply for studio work in his holidays. This was how, at aged 17 and part-way through his A-levels, he found himself working part-time in a rather seedy recording studio in Brixton. Recording terrible versions of current pop hits to be used for karaoke backing tracks, it was hardly high quality work, but it was here that he learned how to record all manner of different types of instruments and the experience only fed his fascination with the industry further. After Radley, Jim was faced with a choice between the sensible option of going to university or diving headlong into a risky music production career. Persuaded that getting a degree first and only then investigating the music business afterwards was the safer option, he looked to get himself a university place. Music Production courses at this time were academic rather than practical, and were also few and far between. So with no clear plan or particular interest beyond music, he took any course that would have him, ending up studying at Oxford Brookes. A year into his studies, and he was spending his time writing his own music and wishing he was in a recording studio rather than engaging with his course or the delights of Fresher’s life. So when a German music entrepreneur named Olaf contacted him about releasing some of his music on 12” vinyl, Jim jumped at the chance to meet. He describes Olaf as a ‘brilliant character’ who ran a company in Wallingford that distributed records from all sorts of sub-genres, from heavy metal to electronic dance. It was the sort of place where all the waifs and strays of the music industry had their music released and so he headed over to the company premises to discuss the idea further. His expectations of a run-down operation based out of a shed could not have been more wrong as he found himself at a state-of-the-art facility with Porsches parked outside! With an agreement reached to record and release his record, Jim thought he’d made it, and phoned his parents to tell them he had a record deal and that he was leaving university. It didn’t take long for him to realised he was only actually going to earn about £300 from the deal with Olaf, but it was the push he needed. It was likely to be something of a baptism of fire, but he realised it was time to take the risk and jump into the music industry wholeheartedly. He realised he’d very likely be poor and penniless for a while, but everyone he’d met so far in the industry had taken a similar path to allow them to follow their passion. Now it was his turn. Leaving university, he found work in London at a number of small recording studios, each specialising in different types of music such as film scores or pop music. Over the following months and years he would hop between each of them, building up his experience and his connections amongst the vibrant community of creative entrepreneurs that he had immersed himself in. Despite feeling incredibly lucky that he’d found his people in an industry that he loved, it also became clear that he was not alone in looking to find ways to get paid. It was a competitive market and as good as working the studios had been for his technical and networking skills, it simply was not financially rewarding enough. He needed to find a niche that would pay the bills and the solution he found was a rather unusual one – jingles. Alongside the studio work,

The Platinum disc awarded to Jim for Tom Walker's record 'What A Time To Be Alive' for which Jim co-wrote the opening track. he had continued to write music and had found out that he was actually quite good at writing jingles for adverts. In the late 1990s, companies were setting aside large budgets for advertising and their campaigns on television would often rely on music to be a success. A successful jingle, once written, could make money year after year as it had become synonymous with the brand it was advertising. Setting up a jingle-writing business with a friend, they quickly hit success, and within 5 years they had their own studio in Soho with fancy offices employing a couple of staff. He was finally getting the ‘business’ side of the ‘music business’ to work. But as lucrative as jingle writing was, Jim needed to push his creative boundaries and for him that meant trying to break into the songwriting/music industry proper. He was an experienced practitioner in the studio and had started a band with his partner, writing their own songs and planned to get signed to their own record deal. They worked hard, writing music and playing gigs throughout London with some success, when one day someone came up to him and said, “Jim, your songs are really good, and though the band is good, it’s not enough”. Obviously, this wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but the follow up suggestion intrigued him – send his songs off to people for others to perform. His focus up until then had been so much on writing AND performing his own material that he hadn’t realised how much professional songwriters were used in the industry. Then in 2007, the old radleian 2021

Going for a Song

one of his songs, Two Hearts, found its way to a record company and they contacted him wanting to use it. However, they did not want his band, Kish Mauve, to perform it but instead wanted it for Kylie Minogue. Not only that, but they wanted her to record it for her return album after two years spent recovering from cancer treatment. This was what he’d been waiting for all his career – a break into the music industry proper. Even though the song only went on to be a minor hit and the doors he hoped would instantly open for him didn’t, it made him realise that this was the path he needed to take. Selling off the music advertising business, he’d truly taken the plunge. Over the next two years, Jim threw himself into writing, penning over 400 songs. By his own admission not all of them were great, but he was determined to make a success of his songwriting. Then in 2010, he wrote a song called All the Lovers. In his mind this was ‘the one’ and it would provide his next big breakthrough. Sending it on to Kylie Minogue’s record label, he waited to hear what they thought. Their first response was not, however, the news that he was hoping for – they said they hated it. But over the coming weeks, the label were unable to find an alternative song that they liked, and revisiting Jim’s song, it grew on them. In the end, not only did Kylie record the song for her eleventh studio album, but it was released as the lead single. He had been right about this track as it proved to the big hit that he had hoped for, reaching the Top Ten across Europe and in the US. The doors that had stayed closed after the release of Two Hearts finally started opening up.

Jim in the studio during his Beyond Radley career lecture. 44

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With huge opportunities now before him, he needed to write the next hit, then the next, then the next and what followed was exactly that. A run of top ten hits came, that included a couple of number ones such as Heart Skips a Beat with Olly Murs, and his success snowballed from there. He started working closely on entire albums with artists such as Ellie Goulding and Will Young as a songwriter/producer. His work now sees him creating original songs, taking songs from rough ideas and turning them into a finished product and producing songs written by others. Now a self-styled ‘old hand', his talent for songwriting and the production skills he has honed over many years puts him in a place where he works with some of the biggest artists in the industry. And despite what he calls his own ‘haphazard’ entry into the music business, he wouldn’t have changed the path he took. The lessons he learned during those early steps taught him that in order to thrive in the music industry you need to be adaptable and look for every opportunity that comes your way, whether that be recording karaoke tracks, writing jingles or handing your songs on to others to perform. And whilst it can be tricky for musicians to balance their artistic integrity with the more prosaic needs, Jim’s experiences in the industry show that you can never tell where saying ‘yes’ to something might lead. The video of Jim's Beyond Radley career lecture is available here: www.vimeo.com/radleyvideo

Oberon - 50 years on

OBERON 50 YEARS ON

Hugh Lupton (1966) explains how fifty years on from recording an album in a Radley classroom, he and his fellow Radleians landed a record deal for it. Here’s a window into another world. It’s Spring term, late February 1968. After a motorcycle accident and a long silence, Bob Dylan’s new LP has just been released in the UK. It’s called ‘John Wesley Harding’. Someone (I can’t remember who) has got hold of a copy, hot off the press. The word goes out to everyone ‘in the know’, it’s going to be played in N4 (one of the pre-fabricated classrooms by the music school) at such and such a time (maybe it was a Sunday morning). The time arrives and the classroom is packed, there are people outside the door in the entranceway. The record is played right through, first one side and then the other. From the first crackle as the needle touches the vinyl and the title song begins, to the final click as ‘I’ll be your baby tonight’ fades and the arm lifts from the record there is absolute silence, a thrall of attention, as though it’s not just the songs that are being listened to, but a missive, a long awaited testament from the voice of the moment. I’m remembering this episode because it’s emblematic of the curious double life some of us lived at Radley during the late 1960s. We were inhabiting a world that, in many ways, was little changed since the Edwardian era. There was still fagging, school discipline still allowed college prefects to cane younger boys, everybody was known by his surname, there were elaborate systems of privilege, but at the same time the world outside was in a state of cultural flux. And it was a flux - a restless dissatisfaction and striving for new ways forward - that was being led by young people. It was ‘adolescent’, it was chaotic, ecstatic, troubled and subversive, but out of it came many things that we now take for granted – the Women’s Movement, the Green Movement, Black rights, Gay rights, an engagement with world religions, wholefoods, a particular kind of community activism, and (if we listen to Bill Gates) the original egalitarian impulse of the internet - ‘the Creative Commons’ - which he traces back to the ‘Whole Earth Catalogues’ of the late sixties. So there we were, 16, 17, 18 year olds, at an English Public School, but aware that (to quote an earlier Dylan song) ‘Something is happening and you don’t know what it is…’ Well, we had an inkling of what it was and we wanted to know more. Most of that ‘more’ came to us through music. Go into a typical study in 1969 and look at the LPs stacked up on the desk. What do you see? Here’s a guess. Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix, Book Ends by Simon and Garfunkel, Beggar’s Banquet by the Rolling Stones, Blonde on Blonde by Bob Dylan… maybe something by King Crimson, Pentangle, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Country Joe and the Fish, Leonard Cohen, Cream, Traffic, the Doors… then perhaps some flamenco from Manitas de Plata, ragas from Ravi Shankar, an African mass from Missa

Oberon’s first, and only, album - A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Luba, Fairport Convention’s reworkings of British ballads, some soul from Aretha Franklin or Otis Reddding… maybe some jazz from Miles Davies, or blues from Robert Johnson. If you were to listen to these records and examine their sleeves (as we all did religiously) you’d get a pretty clear impression of the spirit of the times. Alongside this, of course, the school was giving us ‘the canon’, the established repertoire, both musically and (in my case) through Peter Way’s wonderful English teaching. These things all combined to make the ‘crucible’ that we grew up in, and I, for one, still feel it working on me sometimes. Inevitably we didn’t only listen. We picked up instruments and had a go ourselves. I was in D Social, Peter Stuart’s house. I played a pretty fumbling guitar. Sometimes I’d jam with my friend Robin Clutterbuck (he was a much better player than me). Later he formed a duet with Jeremy North (they even looked like Simon and Garfunkel). Also in that house I remember James Gardiner singing the Cyril Tawney song ‘Sally Free and Easy’. Various members of the house were in a rhythm and blues band called ‘The Seven Pillars of Wisdom’. And then there was Henry Gunn. Henry had the best record collection I’d ever come across. He was also a very good guitarist. He had various bands that drew on talent from across the school. I think it was through Henry that I first met Chris Smith and Nick Powell. Anyway, to cut a long and tangled story short, by the time we were 16 or 17, Robin and the old radleian 2021

Oberon - 50 years on

Oberon in the studio, 1971 I were regularly playing together (again) along with Chris and his great friend Charlie Seaward. Robin and Chris both played guitar, Charlie played flute and I pounded the bongos and improvised lyrics. We’d play everywhere and anywhere, I remember the fives courts (with their echo) being a favourite place. Most of all we were friends having fun. Here’s another window into the time. Just before we sat our O-levels we went for a last tutorial with our history master, Mr (David) Shipton. He’d invited us to his rooms in the mansion. He did his best to make us relax. He made coffee. We sat rather stiffly on every chair, stool and bench he could muster. When the teaching was over he produced an LP. On its cover two windswept figures were leaning against a snow-covered dry stone wall, woollen trousered, cloaked, one of them was bearded with a broad brimmed hat. Behind them was a clear blue winter sky. They looked like Coleridge and Wordsworth, re-incarnated as hippies, photographed on a fell somewhere high above Grasmere. When he played the record it was like nothing I’d heard before: strange exotic instruments – bowed gimbris, flute-organs, sitars, jews harps – wove around the more familiar guitars. The songs were half sung, half intoned. The lyrics drew from myth and nursery rhyme. They were called ‘The Incredible String Band’. I was an instant devotee. My improvised lyrics in the fives courts would have been a school-boy attempt to emulate that record – part poetry, part incantation, part song. At the same time I was imbibing Dylan Thomas, Ted Hughes, E E Cummings, John Clare alongside Chaucer, Shakespeare et al. Everything was percolating, composting, nourishing, everything was part of my education. 46

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I left Radley in 1970. At the end of the summer term we organized an outdoor ‘Poetry and Folk’ concert by the college pond. By now our little band was called ‘Oberon’. I remember Andrew Motion reading at that event. I don’t remember what we played, I think there was a (long lost) song called ‘The Ballad of the Search for Self ’ and we certainly would have sung ‘Epitaph’, a song written in memory of James Gardiner, who had died earlier that summer in North Africa. Over the next year I followed the evolution of Oberon through phone conversations with Charlie and Chris, and through Robin’s wonderful letters (each one a work of art, full of his brilliant madcap drawings). I heard that the band had expanded, now including Nick Powell on drums and Julian Smedley on violin (Nick, Julian and I had once played together in a very short-lived school band called ‘The Purple Greenhouse’). And then Jeremy Birchall was added on bass (a bit of a coup, Jeremy was a skilled keyboard player and singer, he taught himself bass to join the band). Later I heard that Julian’s girlfriend Jan Scrimgeour had been invited to add her voice to the mix. From time to time I’d send lyrics to Charlie – not knowing what became of them. And then I got wind that there were plans for Oberon to make a record. By now I was a year out of school and doing my own thing (to use the parlance of the time). At the end of the summer term in 1971 all the members of Oberon stayed on at school for a few days. They now had a manager, school friend Roly Errington, who pulled all the strands together. He’d invited Colin Sanders – who ran an independent record label

Oberon - 50 years on

called Acorn – to record the album. The band rehearsed in N2 while Colin (who would later become a seminal figure in digital recording technology) set up his equipment in N1 (the same block of classrooms where we’d listened to Dylan three years before). The arrangements were worked out in rehearsal, so that when recording began the songs were mostly recorded in one take. By all accounts the weather was perfect, there was swimming in the school pool, there were photo-shoots on the cricket pitches and (all but Nick having now left school) visits to the local pubs. Robin designed and illustrated the distinctive album sleeve, he cites Aubrey Beardsley, Richard Dadd and Alan Aldridge as influences. I knew nothing of all this, and it wasn’t until autumn 1971 when 99 copies of the album had been pressed (100 would have attracted ‘Purchase Tax’) that I saw and heard it for the first time. I remember being hugely impressed by the artwork and the sound. There were traces of the music we’d been making a year earlier, but the arrangements were fuller and much more sophisticated. And it was thrilling to hear my lyrics embedded in the songs. What was on it? Here’s a brief account of each track. Nottamun Town a traditional song, first heard on a Fairport Convention album, given an echoey haunting quality in this arrangement, which chimes with its strange contradictory lyric. Peggy played on solo guitar by Chris Smith. Chris was a huge fan of Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, you can hear their influence here. The tune was written about his dog. The Hunt is the most ambitious song on the record, full of time shifts and unexpected harmonies. You get a sense of the breadth of the sound palette the band was drawing from: jazz, modern classical, as well as the progressive end of rock. Jeremy, Charlie and Julian’s classical training is in evidence here. Syrinx by Debussy played by Charlie Seaward. Charlie is a brilliant flautist and here he was able to show his skill to great effect. Summertime by Gershwin. This is a standard that had recently been revived by Janis Joplin. It leads into an improvisation with Charlie’s flute and Julian’s violin weaving around each other, part ‘Jethro Tull’, part ‘It’s a Beautiful Day’. Time Past, Time Come is an instrumental written by Chris,

Chris Smith inspired by the Four Quartets. I think we all agree this is the most fully realised track, a beautiful, yearning, atmospheric piece with a curious time structure. Whenever I listen to it I’m thrown back to a time when we were young and everything seemed possible. And it’s tinged with melancholy because of Chris’ early death. Minas Tirith was originally conceived as a setting of words by Tolkien. Copyright issues resulted in me writing new lyrics. It’s the magnum opus of the record. Julian described it as ‘a patchwork quilt of pieces with an improvised connective tissue’. Nick Powell gives it its obligatory drum solo with youthful gusto. Epitaph is Charlie’s setting of my poem for James Gardiner (mentioned above), sung and played by Robin.

Julian, Jan & Charlie the old radleian 2021

Oberon - 50 years on

Listening to the record now, I hear a very ‘early seventies’ take on English Pastoral. It’s of its time - a group of talented kids in their late teens carried along by the zeitgeist of their moment. Its mood is, I suppose, similar to what we find more fully realised in the music of Nick Drake (another English public-school boy of roughly the same age). It’s enigmatic and not quite grounded. I find myself wincing at my lyrics, but then I take a step back and just feel a tenderness for who I was – who we all were – then, more than fifty years ago. After the record came out there was some brief talk of record deals and tours, but it all quickly came to naught. The records were sold or given away and we set off on the trajectories of our lives. From time to time I’d pull out a dusty copy of the LP and play it, to the amusement of my friends and the ridicule of my children - a period piece. Then, sometime in the 1990s, I had a friend who was interested in collecting old vinyl. He had a catalogue. Out of curiosity I asked him whether there was any mention of a band called Oberon. He flicked through the pages. Yes there was. He looked up at me: ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream?’ I nodded. He said: ‘Guess what it’s worth?’ I hazarded a guess: ‘Ten quid maybe?’ I was wrong. It was listed as an extremely rare minor classic of psychedelic folk. Copies were exchanging hands for more than a thousand pounds. Not long afterwards I was contacted by someone from Japan, he was wondering whether I had any to sell. I had three copies - I sold him two and kept one. So began the first unexpected afterlife of the record.

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In 2011 some of us met up for a fortieth anniversary celebration. By this time several bootlegs had appeared. Then, a few years later, Jeremy Birchall was contacted by a major label ‘Cherry Red Records’. They were putting together an anthology of obscure folk releases from the late sixties and early seventies called ‘Dust on the Nettles’. They wanted to include ‘Minas Tirith’. This was followed in 2020 by ‘Sumer is Icumen in, the pagan sound of British and Irish folk 1966 -75’. This time they wanted to include ‘Nottamun Town’. Suddenly we found ourselves rubbing shoulders on the credits with some of our old heroes – Pentangle, Traffic, Fairport Convention and the Incredible String Band. The second afterlife had begun. This year (2021) Cherry Red Records have brought out ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’ in its entirety. After a wait of fifty years Oberon finally have a record deal! And not only that, they’ve made it a double album. Jeremy found a recording of a concert that Oberon gave in School in March 1971, so there’s a live CD alongside the official studio album (if you can call a classroom a studio). For myself, the central pleasures of the afterlives of the Oberon LP have been the periodic flurries of e-mails between old friends and a re-invigorated memory of a time when we were young, porous, curious, open to experiment and drawing influence from everything that touched us. Hugh Lupton

Oberon - 50 years on

Oberon – A Midsummer’s Night Dream is available from Cherry Red Records: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/artist/oberon/ An interview with the band can be found on: www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2013/03/oberon-interview.html Hugh Lupton became a storyteller and writer. He still writes song lyrics and occasionally strums a guitar. www.hughlupton.co.uk Charlie Seaward continued to play flute and keyboards, writing material for and playing with two bands - ‘Lost Jockey’ and ‘Man Jumping’. His son Joe (also an Old Radleian) plays drums with ‘Glass Animals’. Chris Smith continued to write music until his death in the 1980s. Julian Smedley: The Summer of Oberon set him on a 50-year exploration of musical improvisation. Although officially retired now, he continues to record, produce and perform with groups on the West Coast of the U.S. as a jazz-influenced guitarist, singer and swing violinist.

Oberon 1971, (l-r) Nick, Jeremy, Charlie, Julian, Jan, Chris, Robin

Jeremy Birchall worked for BBC Radio as a sound engineer and producer, then was a session/group/opera singer and CD producer. www.yantramusic.net www.sounds-special.co.uk

Nick Powell is working for Highgate Cemetery and an unplugged version of his Americana/Blues band ‘Howling Owl’ (two albums on Spotify etc) is still playing hallowed North London venues like the Hope & Anchor.

Robin Clutterbuck has continued with music, especially enjoying singing in an eight part a cappella group called ‘Parting Gesture’. He works as a museum consultant www.facebook.com/PartingGesture www.whiterook.co.uk

Jan Scrimgeour: Charlie inspired her next band in London – ‘Barquentine’. They played in pubs for fun. After travelling and living in faraway places like New Zealand and Spain, learning to play the flute (inspired by Charlie of course) she acted, danced and sang her way back to old Blighty where she remains.

Opposite left: Robin’s drawing of the studio set-up, with doodles. E = engineer M = Manager (Roly Errington) D = Drums (Nick, in the storecupboard) B = Bass (Jeremy) G = Guitar (Chris) S&G = Singing and Guitar (Robin at left, Jan right) V = Violin (Julian) F = Flute (Charlie). Right: Oberon reunion 2011, left to right Nick, Robin, Hugh, Julian, Charlie the old radleian 2021

The Grown-ups in the Room

THE GROWN-UPS IN THE ROOM

Andrew Gummer (1975) and Will Gresford (1993) share their experiences of working ‘behind the scenes’ in the corporate and managerial world of a hugely-changed music industry. In 1987, Andrew started work at EMI Music Publishing in the Charing Cross Road having qualified as a barrister. "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley was the best-selling single of the year and the music business was in the heyday of vinyl and cassette sales. The popularity of CDs was on the rise, and radio and MTV ruled the roost. Record companies could simply decide to make a hit by spending a lot of money and saturating the airwaves. Cut to 2020, and Will is managing a new artist, Matt Maltese. A good artist, but one not well known outside the confines of the indie scene. Then out of nowhere, a song he had recorded five years prior, ‘As the World Caves In’, became a huge viral hit on TikTok and from doing about 500 streams a day, it was doing 1 million streams a day by its peak in May 2021. A song that had been expected to top out at about 1 million streams in total has to date had over 150 million streams. Andrew and Will got together to chat about what has changed over those thirty years, in the industry and for the role of the music manager, and how, in this world of infinite white noise where there is so much material out there, artists get heard.

From CDs to Streaming

Andrew – The biggest change I’ve seen without a doubt was when the internet came along. When it did the music industry, which is notoriously conservative, hated it as it hugely disrupted their business model. It felt uncontrollable for them. However, I remember thinking at the beginning that this was actually a fantastic opportunity, having been at Mushroom Records when we simply couldn’t afford to produce enough physical copies to get them into stores to get a record to number one in the charts. We weren’t the only ones, and a lot of small labels, who had similar issues with the high cost of manufacturing, liked the look of the growth of streaming platforms as it gave them seemingly equal access to the market. Spotify then came along and broke the mould. When they pushed a subscription model it showed that, despite conventional wisdom in the industry saying it couldn’t work, people would actually pay for music online. Interestingly this approach only came about because in a negotiation with Universal Records they couldn’t agree on minimum amounts payable per track downloaded. Universal insisted that they use subscriptions instead, and to get the licence to the music, Spotify agreed and this opened up the music industry to this unexpectedly successful model.

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Andrew At Radley Andrew did sing in the choir but claims this was a sympathy vote as, despite his love of music, he was pretty terrible at singing. His saving grace was the Marionette theatre, where he recalls painting the backdrops and hiding from having to play rugby. Radley was a place with music everywhere, from the singing in Chapel to being back in his study listening to King Crimson and Pink Floyd. After qualifying as a barrister, he decided it was a bit too straight down the line and music seemed like a much better idea. He worked on the corporate side at Virgin Records, Warner/Chappell, Mushroom Records, and Boosey & Hawkes. He is currently one of the managers representing part of the Pink Floyd business, teaches a negotiation course and chairs the 16's record label, Coro. ‘Master of nothing in particular but I have been around a bit.’

Will It was because of music that Will ended up at Radley. As a music scholar and chorister, music was a huge part of his life at the College where he was in the Clerkes and Chapel choir. He remembers singing ‘Pie Jesu’ in his first term and his proudest moment was winning Partsong twice under his direction. He has now been managing for the last 12 years, mostly focused on the pop writing space and has also represented a number of successful artists such as Nick Mulvey, Matt Maltese and Jasmine Thompson.

The Grown-ups in the Room

Right: Andrew (left) with Hugh Masakela, who he remembers as 'amongst many interesting artists and composers, Hugh was unquestionably the most fun.'

Will – It’s an interesting situation, because putting a record out in 2006 is totally different to putting out a record now. Back then there was no streaming, so it was all about a physical release and it relied on a proper ‘old school’, hard-graft PR campaign to succeed. Blogs still only had very little impact, and print was the main media focus so, along with everyone else, we were trying to get a mention in one of the three or four ‘new music’ features in places like The Guardian Guide. We were doing the rounds of in-store shows and little independent record stores, basically doing whatever it took to sell the CDs. I still remember the thrill of going back to my parents at Christmas and going into HMV in Oxford and finding three copies of the CD we had produced in there. I thought I was David Geffen! But with streaming and the internet, it is a completely changed business these days. Anyone can now get online, set up as a label and put music out and as a result vast numbers of records get released. 60,000 songs are uploaded onto Spotify every day, so it’s a huge problem getting things heard. Also, the scale of sales needed to make streaming is really high. With each stream earning around 0.05p you need to get hundreds of millions of streams to get meaningful revenue, and with the platform, record label and everyone taking their share of this, only a tiny fraction will go to the artist. Andrew – There are some artists who have found a way to succeed by still selling physical records. Amongst other things, I am chairman of the 16 choral group and their record sales make a modest amount but which is a meaningful sum in classical terms and which helps offset the choir’s activities. Another example is New Model Army who (admittedly some time ago) came to an agreement with their German distributors after their traditional record deal came to an end. If they could make the record much more cheaply than their old label and sell over 20,000 records with an annual release, taking £4 per CD, they made much more money out of much lower record sales. It is true that these are the exceptions rather than the rule but there are still many different models of how to survive and make a bit of money as well.

For a lot of heritage acts, the change to streaming has benefitted them hugely though. My children know all about the same music that I have loved, but they’ve found out about it from social media platforms, not from me. The current younger generation no longer avoid listening to music simply because older people listen to it and that’s a huge change in the market. No one was forgetting the big acts, but now they are getting billions of streams and the associated revenue from a completely new audience that they wouldn’t have previously had access to. Will – The rise of TikTok has been the most recent transformative step in this regard as it has massively boosted back catalogues. Old songs are used on the videos and get discovered by a new younger audience. For example, Fleetwood Mac had a Number One hit recently off the back of a viral TikTok video, and that was driven by 15-year-olds. Getting a record, either old or new, to take off in this way is a bit of a lottery. As a manager, you can fan the flames, like we did with the Matt Maltese track, but you can’t manufacture that initial spark. Younger users know when something is being pushed on them and so, as an industry, it’s very hard to game the system. But it is a fantastic platform for uncovering new music, which is great for the idea of bottom-up growth. And so, I’m actually a bit of an optimist when it comes to the future. I believe that really great music by an ambitious artist, and backed up by a shrewd team, will rise to the top.

Managing artists, careers and parents

Andrew – The change the internet has brought is a good news/ bad news situation. The good news is now anyone can do it, but the bad news is now anyone can do it… and for artists this means getting that shrewd team behind you is a big, yet crucial task. I tried my hand at management and can honestly say it is one of the most entrepreneurial jobs you can do (and I wasn’t very good at it). Some artists come to you fully formed (but I’ve never met one yet!) and others need much more work, but they all need guidance to some degree or another. As a manager you have a whole suite of different options to try – there will be times where the old radleian 2021

The Grown-ups in the Room

you need to persuade an artist not to do something, and you have to learn to trust your judgement. You might get offered a great song for them to record but it just might not be the right one for your artist, and you need to persuade them of this and go out and find a song that suits them better. You’ve got to think your way out of the box every time. Will – One thing you need to be aware of as a manager, especially of new talent, is that the development of an artist can take many, many years. One of the artists I manage has just signed a new deal with a major label and it has taken us 6 years of development work to get there. I have to just not think about that and focus on what needs to be done in the here and now, because if you knew it was going to take that long, you probably wouldn’t take the job on in the first place. During the pandemic with live music shut down, people turned to social media and soon record labels were scrabbling around trying to sign the new biggest star from Tiktok. From a management perspective this means you can end up managing quite young artists, which involves much more hand-holding and even ‘parenting’. For example, we took on a YouTube artist who came through about nine years ago when they were just 13-years-old. This meant we weren’t only managing the artist but also the parents, but we were able to form a close working relationship with the artist’s mother and successfully brought them through to mainstream success. This isn’t a role I’d have normally expected to have to take on when I first started as a manager though! Working with an artist from the start of their career often involves a lot of ‘in the trenches’ hard development to get them established. As a manager will need to work with the artist to decide what’s their look, what’s their sound and what the ‘feel’ is. They will also need to consider what the fanbase is and even how do you get a fan. Trying to build that first 1,000-10,000 fans is incredibly time-

consuming and hard work but that’s where talented managers really make a difference. From 10-20,000 onwards a record company can come in and spend the money to take the artist the next step. Having the right song is vital though and increasingly artists want to be involved in their own song writing process, from a credibility view as much as anything. There seems to be a stigma around just taking someone else’s song and singing it these days, which is potentially a bit of a mistake. Artists who win realise it’s part of a much bigger picture and you just need to look at one of the breakthrough artists of recent times, Dua Lipa. Both her first and second big hits, Be the One and New Rules were both outside songs written by others, which her team did a great job of marketing through an impeccable campaign. She’s now one of the biggest stars on the planet. It’s been a big change for song writers, as streaming is all about the individual songs with no call for good solid album tracks. Nowadays artists often put their names on songs that they may have had minimal involvement in writing. Andrew – That’s been going on forever, so perhaps nothing really changes! But many artists, especially those that have already made it, will universally say, I’m prouder of being a songwriter than a performer. One of the things I am most envious of is someone who has written a song that people really take to their hearts… From a management perspective, what is the right song for an artist changes over time. There is a difficult dynamic in music about trying to guide artists through their career as they (and their core audience) get older. A great example of an artist doing this successfully is Tina Turner. She had a hugely successful late career as both she and her manager were so good at getting the right songs, recording them

Will (right) signing his first ever band, Portico Quartet, c.2006. Nick Mulvey (second right) was a founding member who he went on to manage. 52

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The Grown-ups in the Room

in such a dynamic and engaging way and pitching them into the right market. It’s a fascinating change but very difficult to get right, not many do. Will – Managing an established heritage artist is a totally different scenario to bringing a new artist on. You don’t need to do any of that early development work and in a lot of respects you act as a tour manager and overseeing a label campaign. Ed Sheeran’s manager is a great example of the way a manager’s career can change over time. From having Ed sleeping on his sofa as a young folk artist trying to get him picked up by record labels, he now manages an absolute musical juggernaut. He effectively has to run a vast multinational corporation – in 2019 Ed Sheeran’s Divide tour was the highest grossing tour of all time. It took them many years to get to this stage, but he’s now doing a completely different job to when he first started out. Andrew – At the top end, touring can be enormously profitable, but only if well managed. The music industry looks with huge jealousy at stand-up comics, because they can book out the O2 and perform for three nights and all they need is a microphone. But a band like Genesis will need several articulated lorries full of kit and dozens of people to make it all happen, which is a huge financial risk. So you can make a lot of money, but you don’t have to go too far down the scale for it to become unprofitable.

Career route in and through

Will – One thing to realise is that the music business is a relatively small industry that punches well above its weight. It’s experiencing a bit of a gold rush at the moment, with back catalogues selling for $200m, and the industry is in extremely rude health, but a lot of it comes from a very small network, where everyone is one person removed from everyone else. People often ask me about the route I took into managing, especially those I’m mentoring as part of an Oxford University internship scheme, and it’s my belief that not many people start out trying to be a manager. In fact, I started out as a songwriter as my entry into the business, and after messing around in bands and running live nights and shows for a few years I ended up running The Vortex jazz club in Dalston, London <Andrew’s favourite jazz club of all time!>. One of bands that performed there was Portico Quartet and after getting to know them, we ended up putting out one of their records, which received a Mercury Music nomination in 2008. As a follow up to that release, I transitioned to become their manager and signed them to Real World, Peter Gabriel’s record label. It was a role I found myself falling into, rather than a planned career path. I found that through my various other work in the music business, I’d built up the large suite of specific skills that a manager needs. And whilst there are plenty of good courses that will teach you how to be a manager, for every course out there, there is also a guy who hustles and helps out his friend who happens to be a talented musician. The reality of it is, you have to go out there, put the work in and love what you’re doing. Whilst I’m primarily focused on pop now, I’ve worked in jazz and classical too and the same skills apply whatever the genre. But it fundamentally boils down to a focus on excellence in the music, a belief in the artist and trust between the manager and the artist.

Will doing a classic manager job for his old client Jasmine Thompson – trying to work out how to turn something on! Andrew – Absolutely. For all the changes that have happened across thirty years, it’s still a ‘love’ industry and the people who do best are the ones who love the music. If you’re too cynical it doesn’t work in the long run, although following your gut feeling sometimes means you miss out. When I was at Mushroom Records we passed up the chance to sign Coldplay because they just didn’t resonate with us, although there is obviously some slight regret about that now! Big companies are much more professional now than in the past and managers now no longer need to have the reputation of punching record execs to get what they want. There used to be lots of men who felt they had to live up to that role and it attracted some pretty monstrous characters. Thankfully that’s changed (and is still changing now) and it has been hugely, hugely beneficial that there are now more women in the industry. There are still too few at the top, but there are a lot of fantastic up-and-coming young female managers who are continuing to bring welcome change. I would say my role has been that of a business engineer, and for all the differences in the industry now, it is one that hasn’t changed a great deal. Whatever I’ve had my hands on it’s about taking what’s there, making sense of it and taking out the problems. Not being a musician, I suffer no jealousy when it comes to the creative side of the conversation, but by staying calm and acting as a facilitator, we can make things work. In this sort of role, you’ve got to allow the creativity to work but it has to have some common sense applied to it and sometimes you’re the one who has to be ‘the grown-up in the room’. the old radleian 2021

Earth Music

EARTH MUSIC

Conductor, John Warner (2007) explains how his founding of the Orchestra for the Earth provides an important emotional link between classical music and the pressing issue of climate change. The road to becoming a conductor is a long and winding one. Unlike most instruments, practising at home doesn’t get you very far, and orchestras are expensive. In the early stages I was lucky: I had some inspiring and supportive teachers at Radley and was even given the rare chance to have a go in front of an orchestra. I then went on to set up my own at university, trying my hand at a wide range of music from Handel to Wagner, most of it wildly beyond my skills or knowledge but nonetheless making for terrific learning experiences. That orchestra, then just a group of students making music for fun, became Orchestra for the Earth. Like many of my contemporaries, I left university struggling to reconcile my chosen vocation with a deep concern for the state of the planet. The world I see around me is already less beautiful, less biodiverse, and even less safe than that which my parents knew at my age, thanks to humankind’s obsession with extraction and exploitation for monetary gain. The very ecosystems that support life on Earth—us included—are being pushed to dangerous tipping points. It was (and still is) a heart-stopping realisation, one that makes me either want to grab a plane ticket and see the world before it’s too late, or never take a flight ever again because of the planet-wrecking consequences. Either way, I wanted to do something to help. Armed with a baton and a pile of scores, not many options immediately presented themselves. It’s hard to convince an orchestra to hire you before they’ve seen you conduct another orchestra—understandably, and so I realised that the orchestra I had set up at university, to which I expected to wave goodbye as I graduated, was the solution to all my problems.

Before we set off, I knew that the beauty of nature was important to composers and musicians, but it wasn’t until we were out there, playing concerts and stomping the hiking trails, that it became real. Without these places, most of the music we know and love simply would not exist. In an increasingly fast-paced and divided world, we need the arts more than ever to help us make sense of it, to decompress, to bring us together; nature performs much the same function. A world with neither nature nor culture would be a bleak one. So, the concept of Orchestra for the Earth (OFE) formed in my mind: we could use our vocation as musicians to share our love of the natural world and inspire others to protect it. Music has a long and successful history as a catalyst for social change. Live Aid is one of the most famous examples among many, but in 2018, when I founded OFE, there was little focussing on the climate crisis. This seemed to me a huge missed opportunity. Music inspires and unleashes the most extraordinary emotions in us, making us cry, laugh, and dance—even against our will. Few things in society wield that power and it is no wonder that at points in history it has been treated with suspicion and even fear. The toolbox of the climate movement is well-stocked with powerful facts, images, and reasoning: why not add music to that, the one tool we possess with the ability to access the deepest recesses of the human heart and mind? The communal aspect of music is also vital to what I have tried to achieve with the orchestra. The usual channels through which we learn about climate issues—documentaries, newspaper articles, podcasts—we experience alone. The result is that it can feel utterly

Max Verdoes

Ellie Winter

It could give me the chance to keep conducting, while also becoming a way to make a positive change for the planet. As a kind of last hurrah, I’d organised a concert tour of the Alps after our final exams, following in the footsteps of one of my favourite composers, Mahler, who spent every summer up in the mountains

soaking up inspiration for his music. The little huts where he shut himself away to put pen to paper still stand, surrounded by the same stunning mountains, lakes, and valleys he loved. On tour it became clear that this was the start of an orchestra, not the end.

OFE performing at the Gustav Mahler Concert Hall in Toblach, Italy, July 2019. 54

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One of the Orchestra for the Earth musicians playing next to the Großglockner Glacier, Austria.

Earth Music

Taken at Keele Chapel, Staffordshire, the OFE playing underneath Luke Jerram’s GAIA artwork, November 2021. overwhelming, isolating, and paralysing: “how could I ever do anything to avert such a massive problem?” A year of lockdowns only compounded this effect. Concerts, on the other hand, are the opposite. They are shared spaces, opportunities to connect with other people, to socialise, to share ideas, to feel that you are part of a community. We need such occasions now more than ever, not just for our own happiness but to allow us to see that we are not alone in worrying about the planet, or in our efforts to protect it. Concerts are also memorable occasions, likely to leave a strong impression on our hearts and minds, rather than a momentary headline on the screen of a smartphone, forgotten as soon as it scrolls out of sight. And, as I have said, they connect with our emotions, collectively and individually. We use music to help process everything from grief to joy. Getting our heads around how we feel when we see the Amazon cut down, unique species driven to extinction, and even whole nations dragged into famine by climate-change-induced drought (as is happening in Madagascar) is a crucial step on the journey to knowing what to do about it. If we are not in touch with how nature makes us feel, we will never want to save it. The cool rationalism of climate science is utterly essential, but we need to think emotionally as well, and that is what culture is for. For the past few years I have tried to put this theory into practice. We have returned to the Alps every summer and built close relationships with communities in Austria, Germany and Italy based on music. Our concerts have proved important stimuli for building cross-community support for conservation projects: on the shores of a lake just outside of Salzburg we have worked with

local landowners to establish a new nature reserve. We also run an annual children’s event in northern Italy, bringing together outdoor activities and music, inspiring the generation below us to be custodians of these two critical aspects of their heritage. The tour has also been a great chance to carve out a vision of how orchestras can tour sustainably. Music is a very international profession, and the air miles quickly reach alarming levels. We travel entirely by land, something we believe improves what we do as well as reducing the carbon footprint substantially. It’s far less tiring than flying and allows us to reach venues away from the 'airport circuit’ of major cities, most of which already have perfectly good orchestras of their own. Instead, we visit smaller towns and villages where international musicians rarely pass through, and this gives us more opportunity to get much closer to nature. In the UK, we’ve experimented with a number of new concert formats, integrating our environmental message with the music we have to offer. To start with, there is a tremendous list of gorgeous repertoire to choose from, from Debussy’s lush evocation of the sea, La Mer, to Beethoven’s much loved Pastoral symphony. We often collaborate with scientists, charities, and other artists to create integrated events that bring these things together in what I hope is a meaningful way. One of the most striking is our annual Earth Hour concert, which we perform entirely by candlelight, creating an almost vigil-like occasion. This has proved a very effective fundraiser for WWF, but more important than that is the impression left on the audience: one of shared responsibility and the need for action. the old radleian 2021

Good Energy

Earth Music

John conducts the OFE at Delabole Wind Farm in Cornwall, September 2020. Reaching young audiences has been especially important. We are all musicians in our mid-twenties and connecting with audiences in our own age-bracket and below is key. It’s these younger generations that often need the most convincing that classical music is interesting or relevant to them, so putting it in the context of the issue they care about more than anything else—climate change—is an effective way of shifting opinions. One of my favourite children’s events was a residency at the Eden Project in Cornwall, during which we created a special interactive performance for orchestra and narrator, with a DIY percussion instrument-making workshop for young families alongside. The performances were in the middle of the Mediterranean Biome, surrounded by a dizzying array of plants and with birds singing overhead. The pandemic dealt a brutal blow to the whole arts sector, and it was not easy finding our feet again. We created a number of performances completely remotely, each musician recording themselves to a mastertrack from their own home, painstakingly mixed together. Many of these performances were with the SelfIsolation Choir, involving literally thousands of musicians from all around the world, raising money and awareness for charities like BirdLife and Rewilding Europe. It proved an unexpected and extremely powerful way of getting our message across and allowed us to connect with other people at a time when everything sought to keep us apart. Our online presence was given a huge boost as a result, and we’ve gone on to create studio recordings and films, such as one in support of a campaign by the World Land Trust, which has raised over £1m. Our first concert postlockdown was in the middle of a wind farm in Cornwall—fresh air and ventilation wasn’t a problem for that one. Since then, we’ve 56

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been busy again, heading out to Austria in July 2021, playing at St Pancras Station to greet delegates arriving for the COP 26 summit in Glasgow, and performing under Luke Jerram’s astounding GAIA artwork (a scale model of the Earth). We are still in our early days, and I am excited for the projects to come. In the grand scheme of things we are a small organisation fighting a big problem, but I believe our contribution is both effective and vital. Climate change, and our maltreatment of the natural world more broadly, is a particularly divisive issue. The solutions involve changes to the way we all live our lives, in particular the rich and powerful. The richest 1% of the global population (those earning over $172,000 a year) are responsible for 15% of carbon emissions. In contrast, the poorest 50% produce less than half of that. Many of this top 1% are patrons of the arts: generous, thoughtful, cultured people without whom the creative sector would collapse. The chance to communicate and engage about climate change with this highest echelon of society in a neutral forum like a concert, bonding over a shared love of music rather than fighting over politics, is a valuable one—a route to consensus. It has been said that politics is downstream of culture, and I firmly believe that it is in the cultural sphere, not the political, that the battle for a habitable planet will be won or lost. www.orchestrafortheearth.co.uk

News & Notes

1940s

Bob Ely (1944) I suppose the main thing happened on the 26 October 2020 when I reached the age of 90! Because of Covid I had to celebrate, like Caesar in All Gaul, in three parts! We were at home, in restaurants and elsewhere to see friends and family in small, lockdown permitted groups. One highlight was all the Residents of Penstones Court where I live, singing Happy Birthday while cake arrived for the party. It was iced like a cricket field, with the scoreboard showing 90 Not Out and had been ordered by my carer, June. Covid has dealt kindly, so far, with me and my family having all escaped infection, but we have been very cautious. Also my youngest daughter, who was planning to come over with her husband for the summer, is still stuck in Australia. However the ever changing regulations have begun to irritate. I’ve written some doggerel to cover this, to the tune of John Brown’s Body. Glory, glory Hallelujah. Glory how they try to fool yer. Everyday they change the rule, yeah? But lockdown marches on!

I’ve continued with the third volume of my autobiography entitled Dignity and Impudence Revisited OR Did I tell you the one About ……..? as I’m infamous for my anecdotes! For the last year I’ve been dealing with my editor on weekly phone calls but at last we have had a daylong meeting in person. It is so much simpler and more effective! Dmitri Kasterine (1945) Have moved to Fenimore Cooper country (described by him as picturesque and romantic) in Central New York, where we plan a Photography Gallery which will be open at regular times throughout the year. I am giving talks at libraries and clubs around the state about my sixty years as a photographer, and my plans for another book about the residents of Central New York State. Tennis back after a rest of 18 months because of Covid. Have published a book of my photographs with extended captions of information and chat about the pictures (examples pictured below). You can see it on my website: www.kasterine.com

There is, however, a serious omission in the book, that of the influence of my friend Jeffrey (Jake) Sharpe (1945), also of Cocks’ Social. His father gave him a Rolleicord camera for his fifteen or sixteenth birthday. It was the year that General Lattre de Tasigny inspected the Corp and Jake, as soon as we were dismissed by the General, ran to the door in Covered Passage that leads to the library and retrieved his Rolliecord that he had hidden there. With the camera securely round his neck he marched up to the General, saluted him, and, in French, asked if he could photograph him. The general, returned his salute and replied that he would be delighted to have his picture taken. You don’t learn that kind of courage and enterprise at photography school, and not many people actually see an example of it given by somebody so young as Jake. I shall never forget it, and I tell the story whenever somebody asks who my influences were.

Examples of Dmitri Kasterine’s work. Left: Samuel Beckett, 1965 Right: Young woman wearing a Playboy belt in Newburgh, NY, 2004 the old radleian 2021

News & Notes

1950s Peter Tracey (1950) At age 84 and after much reading and study, I have rejected the teachings of the bible which were drummed into me at Radley. It is a great story with some good teaching. However the bible is full of historical error and inaccuracy. It bears no relation to the problems of today such as climate change and modern liberal thinking on subjects such as LGBT. I have become a Humanist which accords entirely with my views. My life’s voyage of discovery continues. John Hammersley (1952) We are still running our B&B and selfcatering studio in central France, very conveniently situated in the centre of the Loire Valley chateaux, just 5 km from Chenonceau, to which all Radleians, old and new are most welcome. My wife’s new and extensive biography of her great-grandfather Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, a co-founder of the National Trust, should be published, after lengthy delays caused by the Covid pandemic, in time for Christmas.

believe he was instrumental in finding a VSO placement for my late brother, Giles (1962), in South Africa, as a result of which Southern Africa became home to Giles until his sadly premature death in 1993 from melanoma.

Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley 18511920 An Extraordinary Life by Michael Allen and Rosalind Rawnsley (Lethuen, £30)

Richard Exham (1956) We are very lucky to be living in Perth, Western Australia. Very few cases of Covid and nearly all restrictions have now been lifted. I am continuing to paint Australian landscapes and am planning another exhibition early next year.

Tony Roques (1953) I was most intrigued by hearing the excerpt from the BBC broadcast service from Whitsunday 1956 in the Radley Archives. I remember the occasion well (though I couldn’t have told you where the plainsong excerpt came from had you not said!). The preacher at that Whitsunday Evensong was the Rt Rev Launcelot Fleming, Bishop of Portsmouth. Launcelot was a personal friend of my mother’s family. He was a most distinguished, almost charismatic, cleric. He was Chaplain of Trinity Hall, Cambridge in the 1940s, where the redoubtable Owen Chadwick was Dean. Launcelot was known in Cambridge for his outstanding pastoral gifts amongst the undergraduate population. After Portsmouth, he became Bishop of Norwich, and finally Dean of Windsor. He was involved throughout his life with initiatives to assist young people, and I 58

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The painting of Berkeley River (pictured above) was done in my studio this year, from photos taken during an earlier trip to Berkeley River in the Kimberley region of north eastern Western Australia, an area that is only accessible by boat or light aircraft. William Theed (1956) Promoting Exmoor Stone and growing commercial timber, as well as taking the flash out of flooding. Planning more village bypasses, to keep things local. Learning about Hydrogen production. Andrew Neate (1957) As a result of a recent downsizing, we were happy to donate to the College a tapestry of the Radley crest that had been worked by my mother in 1959/60. It now hangs on the wall in one of the rooms in Mansion (pictured right).

Michael Osborne (1958) I was intrigued to read that Radley’s Chairman of Governors was educated at Glenalmond, up the road from a cottage in Perthshire where I spend my time when I am not in Edinburgh. With pleasant nearsymmetry I can tell you that the Chairman of the Fettes board is an Old Radleian, myself. The last year has been extremely hard on teachers and young people and it has not been particularly easy for Chairmen. I stand down in July and shall do so with mixed feelings! Stephen Saker (1959) I completed an eBook recounting my solo motorcycle trip around Latin America in 1974. I’d be glad to share this book with any Radley friends.

News & Notes

1960s Paul Isolani-Smyth (1960) A message from Heather, the sister of Jeremy Holden Brown (1968) came into the Radleian Society with the information that amongst her brother’s possessions she had found the old Tuck Box of someone who she presumed was with him in D Social. The name on the box was P T Isolani and so through the RadSoc office, we arranged to meet up. I am grateful to Heather Holden Brown for tracking me down and returning the Tuck Box over convivial drinks with Teresa and me at her house, where we chatted about all sorts of things including of course, Radley and we picked up the Tuck Box which is now here at home. I never thought I would see my old tuck box again! I now keep old photos and some old Radley memorabilia in it. David Pountney (1961) As we emerge from the near blanket suppression of artistic activity, I count myself lucky to have directed Ivan the Terrible at Grange Park Opera, Die Meistersinger in Leipzig and coming shortly an opera commissioned by the Dubai Expo 2020. In lockdown I also created a contemporary Masque out of 49 different Purcell tracks – sublime music cunningly re-purposed.

Christopher Forrest (1961) In July, I played a golf foursome at The Royal West Norfolk Golf Club, Brancaster with three of the four being ORs. They were Brigadier Richard Heywood OBE DL, His Honour Judge Philip Curl and myself (pictured above). This was the first time that we had met since leaving Radley, over 55 years ago!

Peter Troughton (1961) I was awarded the CVO in the New Year’s Honour List. The citation was Chairman of the Future Programme Board and Trustee of the Royal Collection Trust. John Gammage (1962) I recently came across my mortarboard again and dug out this old photo of the Upper Sixth (pictured left). I believe that the Upper Sixth referred to those who had already received their A-level results and stayed on into the Autumn term, as it did at least for myself, to take Oxbridge entry exams. For me, by the time those exams came round, my heart wasn’t in it anymore as I had already received two university acceptances and Bristol’s in particular could not be rejected. Whether such a picture would be approved of today is another question, but it happened then so it is a part of our history. I cannot remember many of the names of those in the picture but I am the second from the top on the fire escape. I can’t find much use for the mortarboard anymore here in Texas! Roderick Archer (1963) Some years ago you may recall that a large memorial was unveiled to Bomber Command. It is situated in the west end of Piccadilly, almost opposite the RAF club in London. The Queen unveiled it, after a long campaign to have such a memorial the old radleian 2021

News & Notes commissioned. It was felt that Bomber Harris’s men of the RAF had never been properly recognised for their sacrifice in the war. I visited this memorial a couple of years after it had been unveiled. I walked round it very carefully, reading and noting carefully. When I came to the west wall, overlooking the grass, I read the inscriptions from top to bottom. I was horrified to see that some of the French grammar was incorrect! Horrors, I thought.

David Sellar (1967) My grandfather worked for Sime Darby in Malaysia (1900-1916) and when my father AHR Sellar (1925) was born in 1911, he asked his fellow Director, John Mustard, to recommend a good school. He recommended Radley College, where his son was to go. It then evolved that in and around 1925 the sons of Sellar, Pepper and Mustard were all at Radley. This resulted in the nicknames Salt, Pepper and Mustard!

I wrote it all down, took it home and corrected it all. I then set about trying to find someone to verify my work. Eventually I located an ally and kindred spirit in the Department of French, Birkbeck College, University of London. A lecturer read my corrections and pretty well agreed with me, but said one of the French sentences could go either way. (We did not know what was in the mind of the originator). In the end we adopted one. I sent the corrections to the RAF Benevolent Fund in NW London and politely pointed out their errors -- on a public monument that the Queen had unveiled, containing errors! Why had not staff from Buckingham Palace visited the memorial first of all? They should have done so and they should have delayed the unveiling.

I am delighted to report that four of the Sellar family had the privilege to attend Radley and two very close relatives are currently there.

At the end of that year I visited the memorial and I could see that stonework had been removed and replaced. The errors in the French text had been corrected. So I expressed my thanks to my ally at the university. He too was so very surprised, and probably shocked, to think that the RAF could have made such a silly mistake. London is full of scholars whom they should have consulted. The other person who supported me was the equerry to HRH the Prince of Wales. Time well spent. Mike Houghton (1966) Having seen few ORs for years I find myself living near Bishop Julian Henderson and, until recently Fr Timothy Lipscombe. Hopefully my chances of going to heaven are, at least, slightly enhanced as a result. For the benefit of anybody who may be interested (perhaps I flatter myself...) I am a retired GP who spent a career in medical education and latterly worked in Acute Medicine at the University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire. I had finished by the time BBC2 produced their recent documentary series there. 60

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William Woodward-Fisher (1969) I am enjoying campaigning my Sparkman and Stephen’s yawl Comet and this year won the inaugural Mediterranean Cup coming first in class at Cannes Royale Regatta. Nicholas Haddon (1969) I am now retired from practising Architecture, which was never that fun when it went computerised. There is nothing like sketching out a scheme with a pencil. So I am enjoying taking up my brushes and palette knives again to try my hand at oil painting, which after a period of some 45 years, has been a challenge! Charlie Mussett might approve! I am also learning Bridge again, trying to hone my mental arithmetic skills, as Goldsmith tried to instill in us. Ironically sitting in front of a screen – It’s just not as fun as sitting across a table, but ‘Zoom’ has helped with the added banter! At other times I am enjoying creating a garden.

1970s Christopher Sandford (1970) My book The Final Innings was somehow joint winner of the annual Cricket Society/ MCC literary prize. I have a small dual biography of the late Surrey and England players Jim Laker and Tony Lock being published in 2022. Meanwhile, they tell me that my account of the strange relationship between Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, Masters of Mystery, is to be made into a film of some sort, although I’ve learned not to hold my breath on these occasions. I mostly live in Seattle. Philip Portal (1970) I remain lead shareholder and MD of ISGAM AG, an independent wealth management company and multifamily office based in Zurich, with a global clientele. I am also Master of the Clothworkers’ Livery Company this year, in the City, July to July! Robin Morris (1971) I am happily semi-retired now after a career as a neuropsychologist in the NHS and in universities, mainly at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, in London. I was recently awarded the International Neuropsychological Society 2021 Mentoring Award for my PhD and clinical training supervision (pictured below). I reflect on learning many mentoring skills from the support and encouragement I received at Radley College. As well as doting on grandchildren, I now do sea rowing for recreation in my adapted Laser Pico, with accounts of voyages on: www.picomicroyacht.blogspot.com

News & Notes Jeremy Atkins (1972) I self-published my first book in 1984, with two more coming 25 years later. One of these was the history of two sailing clubs: the Oxford & Cambridge Sailing Society and the Imperial Poona Yacht Club – in a double fronted book called 75 Years of Port & Balls. The former for the Society’s penchant of investing in vintage port; the latter because the Club was described to Prince Philip as ‘a load of balls’ – immediately after which he joined. This gained quite a bit of publicity recently when the father of the house, Peter Bottomley, quoted Prince Philip’s foreword in his tribute to him in the House of Commons: “If you can bring yourself to read this book from cover to cover, you will be in a position to judge for yourself whether, or not, life can be significantly improved by not taking it too seriously all the time.” I am not sure where my love of books came from, but I’m sure that Radley played a part, even though Dennis Silk described me in one report as ‘illiterate’! When I began to lose interest in market research after a lifetime in it and over 15 years running my own agency, the opportunity came up to acquire the nautical list of publisher John Wiley. This had started off as Fernhurst Books before Wiley bought it, and so I revived the Fernhurst Books’ name and became a publisher with a list of about 150 titles overnight. This has been a bit more strenuous than the retirement project it was supposed to be but, after eight years at it, I know a bit more about publishing than I did! One of the things we quickly learnt was that lots of people want to write/publish books which aren’t going to be viable for a publisher to take on. But knowing the joy of having a book published, we launched Self Publishing House, a consultancy offering publishing services, advice and support for self-publishers, enabling authors to craft, create and self-publish high-quality, bookshelf-worthy books. We are currently working on our third book by Radley alumni and would be delighted if any others wanted to consider this option. To find out more visit: www.bit.ly/SelfPublishingHouseFB or email: selfpublishinghouse@fernhurstbooks.com

Nick Holland (1973) After 20 years working in the USA, family needs meant I took early retirement at the beginning of August and returned to the family home in Bridgnorth. I am now enjoying a more relaxed lifestyle but have had a brand new sculling boat delivered (pictured above) and continue to row for multiple clubs! I’m also looking forward to being able to attend more OR events. Charles Chadwick (1973) I was made an Honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, on 22nd June by the Right Reverend Steven Croft, Lord Bishop of Oxford, in recognition of my service to the rural church in the diocese.

Simon Frater (1975) Thanks to the craftsmanship and generosity of Simon, the new Chapel now has a beautiful silver paten (pictured below). Simon created a modern and elegant design, consisting of three hand forged nails, a stylised spear and the crown of thorns at the base. Other examples of Simon’s silversmithing work were featured in the Old Radleian 2018 article, ‘All That Glitters’.

Aidan Lisser (1973) In 2021, retired from Investec plc after 10 years and now focussing on nonexecutive roles. Also enjoying being part of the ORGS, after meeting Will Bailey by chance, in the car park of The Berkshire Golf Club! Tom Stuart-Smith (1973) Every year the Royal Horticultural Society nominates an Iconic Horticultural Hero and in 2021 this honour has fallen on consummate landscape designer, Tom Stuart-Smith. At the RHS Hampton Court show, Tom designed a showpiece perennial meadow garden that showcased plants that suit hot, dry conditions.

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News & Notes Marcus Scriven (1975) For the last six years I have been working on the cinema documentary Born of War, narrated by Edward Fox, and profoundly hope to complete and release it before the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of the Falklands War. In October 2021, I hosted a fundraising event for the documentary which encompasses the death in action of Rupert Thorneloe (1983). Nearly four years ago, Jock Mullard kindly sanctioned filming of the memorial tablet to Rupert and we also filmed the Radley Beagles for a WW1 section of the film that chronicles successive generations of Welsh Guardsmen in war and operations. Gbadebo Ogunlami (1977) Dr Ogunlami became Anglia Ruskin University London’s Deputy head of School for Accounting, Hospitality, Law, Events management and Tourism (ALHET) in January 2021. On the 16th October 2021 he became Chief (Dr) Gbadebo Ogunlami with the conferment on him of the Yoruba chieftaincy title of Olugbon of Imagbon land. Ceri Fielding (1977) I am delighted to report that 37 years after leaving Radley, I have completed an MSc in Sustainability and Adaptation Planning at the Centre for Alternative Technology, with a Distinction for my dissertation in the now hot topic of how to sustainably insulate UK housing. I’m looking to bring my research findings to a wider audience and form a strategic retrofit policy group to inform decision makers. I invite any ORs in the retrofit/construction/ decarbonisation/sustainability & climate adaptation or green finance fields to contact me at: ceri.m.fielding@gmail.com William Lane (1977) On 27th September 2020 I was admitted as a Companion of The Society of St Francis (c/SSF). Robert Lagden (1978) Family all well, including Charlie (25), who is training to be a Luthier and twins Georgie and Sophie (19) who are both at University. Just completed 25 years at Summer Fields in Oxford, where several ORs’ sons have come through. The school is in rude health and we send a decent flow of boys to Radley every year, but there could always be more! Let me know if you’d like a tour, some help or even a chat about SF: rbl@summerfields.com 62

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Angus Chilvers (1979) It is always fun bumping into ORs. They appear in the unlikeliest of places. The unofficial OR society chaired by Andrew Marshall features an eclectic group. New recruit James Nash no sooner joined than he had departed back to Tokyo to found the Asian wing of this esteemed gathering. Earlier this year there was a virtual reunion of the gold medal winning Achilles Relay team of 1984, together with coach MJC who had an uncanny recollection of the day, with the unlikely quartet of Chilvers, Groome (unavailable), Chick and Empson (in running order). Impressively, Empson wore his medal for the Zoom call. Cuthy recalled his surprise and delight at the feat with typical raised eyebrow, smile and a lick of the lips. Happy days. Richard Amphlett (1979) I was honoured to assume the role of High Sheriff for the County of Worcestershire and the County of the City of Worcester in the presence of the Honourable Mr. Justice Pepperall in the Shirehall, Worcester, on 8th April 2021 (pictured below). As we all emerge from the Covid-19 Pandemic restrictions, I have been aiming to shine a positive light in supporting mental health charities, organisations, and initiatives assisting all age groups and communities across Worcestershire.

1970s Tim Came (1980) Tim continues to work as a freelance food industry consultant at the same time as pursuing his passion for all things related to wildlife, conservation as well as helping to educate the young conservationists of the future. With this in mind, he is part of the team of Trustees of Daws Hall Nature Reserve in North Essex planning to fundraise to build an environmental education centre on the banks of the River Stour. He is also retraining as a Garden and Landscape designer and maintains his links to African conservation and tourism. Richard Beard (1980) Richard Beard’s new book, Sad Little Men: Private Schools and the Ruin of England, was published in August 2021. ‘Passionate, well-argued ... one of the finest polemics I have ever come across.’ The Spectator. George Freeman (1980) Another quiet year in frontline politics. Fired as Minister of State for Transport in Feb 20 for having said No Deal would be seriously damaging to the economy. Kept busy in the pandemic starting a patient-owned blood cancer research mutual and founding the global Health Resilience Commission: www.R4RX.org.uk

News & Notes Fiona (Laird) and I tied the knot in a wartime-style Covid service in Highgate with 29 close friends. Invited back to the front bench by the PM as Minister for Science Technology & Innovation in September. Sculled a Victorian skiff from Oxford to Henley with my 16yr old son last year. Happy memories of RCBC with Jock and Malcolm. KBO. Andrew Smith (1982) Andrew Smith and family (pictured below right) appeared on Grand Designs in February, telling the story of pioneering the UK’s first self-heating home (pictured above right). It is designed to be a selfheating home, working as a giant storage heater to store the warmth of the summer in the earth surrounding it. So far it all seems to be working very well. Being nestled into the ground it is designed to merge with nature. We sometimes have deer on the roof... www.ohomes.co.uk Dominic Wodehouse (1982) PhD completed 2020, delighted to have joined NGO Mangrove Action Project full-time as Exec Director in Baguio, Philippines. Peter Sweatman (1982) I launched a guide to establishing ambitious climate action plans at a COP26 event in Glasgow with the chief executive of Scottish Power, representing the collective commitment to climate action of Spain’s Green Growth Group of companies (most of the large Spanish listed firms). W. Adrian Theed (1983) Living the Exmoor life. River/coastal rowing & sculling in prep for the 2022 US events. Supporting the health sector, providing back-log planning direction for elective ops with Lightfoot Solutions Ltd. Taking on maths graduates to become analysts. Growing commercial timber for many good reasons. Rebuilding a period property and wearing many hats! James Castle (1984) To mark the centenary, members, staff and volunteers were nominated for outstanding service to the Royal British Legion. I was presented with the Centenary Award for ‘Passion’ in Kent County. The presentation (pictured left) was made by the President of the Cowden, Hartfield and District Branch, Ann Cleeve MBE.

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News & Notes Richard Claxton (1984) In addition to my work as a GP I’m now working in Garden Design - using the crossover of both these worlds to create Therapeutic Gardens, as well as private ones (pictured right). Follow me on Instagram: @richardclaxtongardens I’ve also launched a web-based directory of Therapeutic Horticultural Organisations around the UK. www.gardening4health.co.uk Mark Milling (1984) I have been Bursar at Lancing College in West Sussex for the last 8 years. It has been challenging but also amazing and rewarding. I live here at the College with my beautiful wife, Francesca, who is now Deputy Head at Lancing College Prep at Worthing, my gorgeous daughter, Purdey, who is in Year 7, and our 3 small and annoying dogs. Given Radley has just extended its chapel, I thought you may like to see “mine” - the largest school chapel in the world (pictured below), which we have just completed after 153 years. I do realise that size isn’t everything but....

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Richard Wates (1984) Richard received an OBE for charitable services to Children and Young People with Disabilities (West Marden, West Sussex).

Charles Crofton-Atkins (1985) We had a highly successful 30th year (Covid delayed) reunion in October at Quo Vadis in Soho (pictured opposite).

News & Notes

Guy Stone (1985) Lieutenant-Colonel Guy Stone presented the Colours to the Queen at the Trooping the Colour 2021 and was made an LVO in the special Queen’s Honours for those closely involved with the Duke of Edinburgh, whose funeral he had an important role in plannning. James Burton (1988) James Burton (B Social) conducted his first public concert as the Director of Orchestral Activities at Boston University on 1st October 2021 (pictured right). After a year of working behind closed doors with small chamber orchestras of BU students, James conducted a full orchestral programme of Brahms, Shostakovich and Sibelius 2nd Symphony to a sold-out house. Henry Hereford (1989) Katerina and I welcomed daughter Mia Judith Hereford on 2.6.21. Co-produced feature film To Leslie starring Alison Janney and Andrea Riseborough and as an actor I won Best Actor at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival for my role in the multi-award winning short Half Chance of Evil. Very excited to continue to work with the drama department at Radley on various workshops. the old radleian 2021

News & Notes Philip Turner (1989) After 25 years in London, we have moved to leafy West Berkshire and welcomed little Freddie Turner to the world. His big brother Jasper is now 6 with Milo 4 years old. All three boys are down for Radley (of course) with the two oldest starting Elstree school this year. I am still working as an Equity Trader for a US Fund Manager based in Belgravia. I still meet up with a few ORs and look forward to going to Radley-related events in the coming years. James Radcliffe (1989) I started as the School Chaplain at King Edward’s School, Witley near Godalming in September 2021. David Corran is also on the staff. Roger Vacher (1989) Our numbers for the LinkedIn OR Switzerland group (15+) continues to grow. Many a “pandemic cautious” meeting, from hiking, to lunches, dinners and drinks between various individuals amongst us has occurred, and we will eventually aim for a more substantial meet up as/when the pandemic situation improves. Please feel free to reach out if you are living in Switzerland, have strong links to the country, are regularly in the country for whatever reason or are trying/want to move here.

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1990s

Giles Bancroft (1990) Earlier in 2021 I became Chair of Global Acts of Unity (GAU), the campaign set up by Mike Haines in response to his brother’s murder in Syria by Daesh in 2014. We are busily working to reach as many young people as possible with Mike’s message of Understanding, Tolerance and Unity. If you would like Mike to address your child’s school please get in touch. Hoping to achieve charity status by end of 2021. Find out more at: https://mikehaines.globalactsofunity.com Meanwhile continue to keep bread on the family table by running the interesting line between government, politics and business offering strategic communications support to organisations and companies through my company Godolphin Communications. Rod Gilmour (1990) Freelance journalism has paved the way to founding and editing The Hockey Paper (pictured below) after reporting on the GB women’s success at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Any hockey-related stories you have, do get in touch! David Marsham (1990) At the Trooping the Colour 2021, Lieutenant-Colonel Viscount Marsham, was in Command of the Parade.

William Wates (1990) The William Wates Memorial Trust offers amateur cyclists the opportunity to ride stages of the Tour de France every year. This event has raised over £4m for disadvantaged young people across the UK. Old Radleains are always very welcome to join us. There is something for everybody. To find out more go to: www.rideleloop.org Alex Goldstein (1994) We now have little Sophia, joining William and Edward. My property consultancy business in Yorkshire and London continues to thrive with various appearances on the BBC, ITV and radio. Very happy to meet with any ORs who are in the area to catch up! Edward Towers (1995) I am Director of one of London’s finest boutique property search companies, Aykroyd & Co, helping clients find the best property both on and off market and then negotiating the lowest price for it through our contacts. We are very proud to have been written about by Conde Nast in various recent GQ, Tatler, House & Garden and Vogue magazines (pictured below).

News & Notes

2000s

Should any Radleians be interested in finding out more please do drop me a line at: et@aykroydco.com

James Pritchett (2001) Greencore Construction and Springfield Meadows were named Oxfordshire’s most impactful green energy pioneer, as part of the Energy Pathfinders (EP:50) competition run by OxLEP & Oxfordshire Greentech.

Out of work I am a keen equestrian and enjoy shooting, visiting home (God’s Own County - NY) and racing old 911’s when time allows. Dave Wilson (1996) I’ve had an eventful year; new daughter, new house and working at AstraZeneca managing the financial aspects of the Oxford-AZ vaccine. Luke Balleny (1996) In April of this year, I moved back to Providence in the US (where I had previously been at university), following my wife who had accepted a job in nearby Boston. Making the move meant giving up my London-based job in sustainability in the mining industry but I’ve recently started taking on consultancy work in the same field. In addition to the move and job change, we are expecting our first child in February 2022, so lots of change in the space of a year! If anyone finds themselves in southern New England, do get in touch. Oliver Tatlow (1996) Happy and living in Elizabeth Bay in Sydney with my partner Sarah, 9-year-old daughter Tilly and 2-year-old dog Billie (black cocker spaniel) who is main star of the show! Still working for Reckitt as Managing Director of ANZ region and very excited to have Louis Eggar (1996) moving to Sydney in December who will be General Manager at Woolworths so that will be terrific. If any other ORs in Australia please feel free to get in contact.

Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (1997) Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi announced (pictured above) the birth of their first child on 18th September. The Queen’s 12th great-grandchild, they have named their daughter Sienna Elizabeth. David Lloyd (1998) Recently celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary. Now a Managing Director in the UK investment banking team at Bank of America (with other ORs) - looking forward to a twice Covid-delayed 10-year sabbatical travelling around Canada with our three children.

Arthur Laidlaw (2003) In November, I was delighted to exhibit a selection of new paintings at June, alongside sculptural punctuations by Fernando Marques Penteado. ‘Doubles’ is the realisation of a group of images produced during – and greatly influenced by – the last eighteen months. The works continue a project begun earlier this year, providing brief moments of escape through painting. It remains a luxury to exhibit artworks physically, and was a great privilege to be able to do so. Rupert Baynham (2005) Over the last three years I’ve been working as a writer/producer on my debut feature film, A Brixton Tale, which completed its theatrical release in the UK this year following premieres at the Slamdance Film Festival and Glasgow Film Festival.

Henry Reily-Collins (1997) Realised a dream this year... I have been working on this invention in the background for many years and in October this year we tested it for the first time with great results (pictured right). The Pico-Stream: a Fish-Friendly, Lightweight & Portable Pico-Hydropower Generator is set to revolutionise energy generation in developing nations. Mill owners, farmers, charitable organisations, military and more can harvest 24hr renewable electricity from rivers and streams without the need for costly construction works. We’re hoping to attract the right investor now to help us launch this amazing product to the world where it is greatly needed. the old radleian 2021

News & Notes In 2019 I commissioned into the Irish Guards. I am currently deployed in Africa on an anti-poaching Operation based in Kafue National Park, Zambia. By pure happenstance, I am here with two other Officers from the Micks, both of whom happen to be ORs, Dave Pumphrey (2002) and my brother Hugo (2009)! Dave is our Commanding Officer out here. Nick Gubbins (2007) Nick Gubbins who has played cricket for Middlesex for eight seasons, signed for Hampshire, initially on a loan deal before making a permanent move there. In one of his first matches for Hampshire against Sussex, he scored a magnificent 131 from 119 deliveries, including 6 fours and 5 sixes, and then went on to take 4-38 (pictured below).

For more details see our website: www.abrixtontale.com Jonathan Quicke (2005) I still remain in the Army as Adjutant of the Light Dragoons and have just returned from 6 months on Operation Newcombe, the first deployment of British troops to Mali.

Tobin has joined Trilo as our CTO, he is also an OR. In our investment team we have four investors who are ORs, and on our advisory board we have 2 advisors who are ORs. Somehow we’ve ended up consolidating Radley into one business, with lots of support when and where we need. Maximilian Brewer (2007) Since leaving Edinburgh University, and having suffered a brief stint thinking I should become an accountant with Deloitte, I managed to join the Army. 68

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This 12-hour, overnight obstacle race takes place on a 5-mile course and features some of Tough Mudder’s most challenging obstacles. Their efforts raised money for the Carlie Tufnell Charitable Trust. Bertie Beor-Roberts (2009) I have begun pupillage with a set of commercial chancery barristers, which I’m greatly enjoying. Being (finally) in full time employment has sadly meant fewer wedding photography engagements, and consequently fewer chance meetings with OR grooms and ushers. Geordie Wainwright (2009) In September, myself, Jamie Prowse (2009) and two other friends ran the entire 184 mile length of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, aiming to raise awareness and money for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) which provides a helpline and support workers for people who are struggling with life. In the first 2 months of Lockdown in 2020, CALM answered nearly 23,500 calls and prevented over 100 suicides. We wanted to do something to raise money to ensure that these vital lines stay open so that everyone feels they have someone to talk to when the pressures of life become too high.

We were delighted with the response we’ve had from around the country and from the press. We’ve received pleasing reviews in The Guardian, Sight and Sound, The Evening Standard, Little White Lies, BBC and many more, and are currently scoring an 89% approval rating on the critic site Rotten Tomatoes.

Hamish Blythe (2007) It’s been a while since my last update and a lot has changed at Trilo – securing our funding, growing the team, and ramping up to launch & gaining FCA authorisation.

Will Tufnell (2009) In August this year, Will and Charlie Codrington (2009) completed Europe’s Toughest Mudder race.

In total we have raised over £80,000 for CALM, and have been blown away by the incredible support received (link still open to donate if you would like to!). Hugh Melhuish (2007) This year I completed my medical foundation training in the peninsula deanery. I started the British Army commissioning short course in September this year and will hopefully be commissioning into the RAMC in November this year. Jon Tarcy (2007) Introducing In Memoriam Dr H.G.K. and Inquiry Into The State of My Health, two films I’ve produced in partnership with Hungarian Cultural Centre London and with the help of so many brilliant & talented people. Both films were selected to play off-competition at Raindance and Curzon Cinemas Online this autumn.

News & Notes The coastal path covers 186 miles from Amroth in the south, to St Dogmaels in the north, and it is VERY hilly. The total combined elevation change is the equivalent of the height of Mount Everest, and the path can be very rocky at times, so we had to watch our footing! We had a lot of laughs along the way, and a great playlist - all songs suggested by our friends and sponsors when they donated via our JustGiving page. A truly memorable week, but we are all relieved we can say goodbye to early morning training runs before work, regular ice baths, and eating silly amounts of pasta! The support we received during the week was utterly overwhelming. It was incredible to see how many people got behind us and the cause; not only those heroes who came down to cheer us over the line but everyone who messaged throughout the week or donated to our page. Your support drove us forward throughout and got us through the hardest parts. We would like to say a massive Thank You to all our sponsors and those who supported; the challenge would have been nothing without all of you. It’s thanks to all of you that CALM will be able to make a massive contribution to people’s lives. www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ conquerthecoast Josh Bowesman-Jones (2012) Josh rowed at 7 for the Oxford crew in the Boat Race on Sunday 4 April at Ely and was selected for the victorious British Eight competing in the Under 23 World Rowing Championships that took place in the Czech Republic from 7 to 11 July.

2010s

Benedict Yorston (2013) Represented the successful Oxford team in the 150th Real Tennis Varsity in July 2021. Harry Gent (2014) Anyone looking for the perfect present for an OR (or for themselves!), then bespoke British crafted, Radley cufflinks would make a great choice. Available in two designs, Serpent & Dove or Crossed Keys, these high-quality cufflinks are made of Hallmarked 925 sterling silver and enamel and come in a smart presentation box (pictured below). At a cost of £150 per pair (with P&P at £10), £52.50 from each pair sold will go directly to the Radley Foundation, with £8000 having been donated to date! To place your order, please contact hglinks26@gmail.com

Zac Nearchou (2014) Zac made his Premiership Rugby debut for Wasps Rugby on Saturday 30th October in their 27-17 away victory against Bath Rugby. Alexander Bhandarkar (2016) Helping out at a restoration project for a 17th century Grade I listed country house in Somerset called Halswell House.

Hon Members David Fielding (Hon Member) For David’s 85th birthday, his daughter Sally (1979) contacted the many ORs who had been taught by ‘Geo Dave’ over his many years at Radley and collected their recollections into a surprise compilation book. For those interested, here is a link to the book: https://bit.ly/3EcfyYW She would like to thank all those ORs that sent in entries. She couldn’t have done this without all of their input, amazing memories and photos. David was quite overwhelmed and Sally says he took several weeks to go through everyone’s entries! If anyone would like to drop him a line directly then please feel free, as he loves hearing from ORs: Geodave52@gmail.com

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News & Notes

Marathon des Sables Jack Folkestone (2012) In October, Jack completed the Marathon des Sables 2021, regarded worldwide as ‘the toughest footrace on earth’. The Marathon des Sables is an epic ultramarathon which involves running six marathons in five days and all in the blistering heat of the Sahara Desert. Two of the marathons are run in one day, meaning Jack traversed over 82 kilometres of impossible terrain in the space of 24 hours. In fact, he took just 15 hours to make it over the finish line.

Despite having never run a marathon before and all the adversity Jack’s faced, he was totally set on completing the challenge to raise vital funds for Horatio’s Garden, a national charity that creates and preserves beautiful gardens in NHS spinal injury centres. Throughout, his thoughts were with patients and their loved ones facing extraordinarily difficult times adjusting to spinal cord injuries, something which motivated him to continue with his training and in the race’s toughest moments. The generous donations and countless supportive messages he received on his JustGiving page also helped drive him to complete the challenge.

Jon Bromley

Thanks to the overwhelming kindness of everyone who donated, Jack has raised over £49,000 (so far)!

Jon Bromley

Jack was due to take on this incredible challenge back in April 2020, however due to Coronavirus the 35th edition of the event was postponed to April 2021. It was then postponed again, meaning 22-year-old Jack had been training for over two and a half years; constantly prepared, before being understandably let down at the last minute. With the run put back to October, temperatures were consistently higher than usual, with every day of Jack’s extraordinary feat being completed in temperatures of over 50 degrees.

Jack’s 6ft 5” makes him easy to spot amongst the other runners, as they battle the heat of the desert. 70

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News & Notes

Day 1 Standing at 6ft 5” and emblazoned with his running number, 543, Jack was easy to spot amongst the pro runners throughout this year’s Marathon des Sables! He crossed the finish line on day one in 52nd place, 1st in his age group, starting the week by conserving his energy as much as possible for the mammoth task still ahead of him. Having completed his first marathon, he was in good spirits and was pleased with his result. His shoelaces also snapped during this first leg, meaning he continued on with shoes full of sand. As he put it in one of his emails to home, “nowhere to buy spare laces in the desert, Mum!” Day 2 Having finished in 52nd place the day before, Jack was going into his second marathon in a strong position. However, his family and all of us at home couldn’t quite believe it when he managed to claw his way up to coming 23rd on the second day of the race! This put Jack into 26th overall, leaving everyone feeling enormously proud of his efforts. In terms of fundraising, his total had also increased by £1,000 at this point, putting the grand amount raised at over £35,500! Nevertheless, there was still a little way to go until he reached his ambitious £40,000 target, something which spurred him on into day three… Day 3 Jack continued to sit comfortably in the top 50, up there with the 150 pro runners taking part and maintaining his position despite there being over 700 athletes involved. After finishing so high in the rankings, he was going into stage four starting with the professionals; a major deal as day four is the most demanding, with competitors running two marathons in one day, equivalent to 82.5 kilometers. Day three was also a really difficult one, but thanks to everyone’s enormously kind messages and thoughtful donations, Jack remained positive, sending the following email to those closest to him: ‘Thank you so much for the email updates. They help me so much, you would not believe. It is my only contact with the outside world! With it normally meant to be

in April, no one expected it to be this hot! Every day has been over 50 degrees! It is sweltering but I am feeling good. Not quite sure where I am coming but I am keeping up with some of the pros! Think I might even be in the top 50, how cool is that, seeing as there are like 150 pro runners! Love the fundraising updates, they are keeping me motivated and push me every day! Sending my love to you and everyone at home. I am safe and not ill at all by the way, so no need to panic! I will make it back in one piece. 82.5km tomorrow! Gonna be a big one and I am going to smash it! Keep the fundraising people updated as I am sure you will and let them know I am going to smash this race! Top 50 here we come!’ Day 4 Double marathon day... With three marathons already under his belt, Jack was ready to face his biggest challenge yet. Setting off at 11am BST in scorching temperatures of over 50 degrees, Jack was remarkably still running at 21:45pm BST. Nearly 11 hours into the 82.5km journey, he continued to make good ground and was keeping pace with the pro leaders of the stage. He ran through the night, crossing the finish line of his second marathon of the day in just over 15 hours. Phenomenally, he was still holding onto his top 50 place, one that was most certainly more than deserved. In recognition of his astounding achievement, the donations continued to flood in, with the hope being that Jack would successfully reach his £40,000 fundraising target either before or after the final stage of the race.

throughout the week. By the end of the day, Jack was within touching distance of his target, with his JustGiving total rapidly rising to £39,545. Day 6 The runner’s sixth and final marathon commenced at 9:30am BST and it was an incredible spectacle to see everyone making their way over the start line. Just a few hours later, Jack was crossing the Marathon des Sables 2021 finish line, placing 32nd overall, which was the unexpected icing on the cake and a testament to all his training and hard work over the past two and a half years! Amazingly, by the time he accomplished his inconceivable adventure, Jack not only looked totally fine, but he had also successfully reached and far surpassed his £40,000 fundraising target! By this point he’d raised over £43,600 and it continued to climb all over the weekend. Day 7 Whilst the race was officially over, it’s Marathon des Sables tradition to get involved in an extra ‘fun’ charity race the day after completion, which is roughly 7 kilometres; just enough to finish off everyone’s legs! Jack naturally took part and as he was busy making his final meander through the dunes, countless others were busy leaving comments and donations as a show of support for his awe-inspiring performance. www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jackfolkestone1

Day 5 After running through the night, day five is designated as a rest day, with all the runners taking time to recover ahead of the final marathon on day six. It was confirmed that Jack was coming 36th in the race after his staggering performance in stage 4, meaning he was once again starting with the pros going into the final phase of the event. He sent a funny email home telling everyone that the pro runners looked very bemused every time Jack asked them what charity they were representing! It seems no one was expecting a fundraising newcomer to be on the professional start line, but they were most certainly pleased to have him there and Jack made many new friends from across the globe

Jon Bromley

And for those of you wondering how his week went, his team provided a little chronicle of what he got up to in the desert:

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News & Notes

Atlantic Challenge Team Peninsula, made up of Toby Kendall (1997), Will Drew (Rugby School) and Sam Morris (Charterhouse School) are rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge (TWAC) in December 2021, from La Gomera to Antigua, to raise funds for and awareness about the ever-increasing volume of plastics that are finding their way into the world’s oceans each day, month and year. Having spent 7 years in the British army (The Rifles regiment) and then 6 years with De La Rue, living in Kenya, Toby will be spending around 40 days at sea with the team on a purpose-built ocean rowing boat, a Rannoch R45 elite (pictured right). With two small cabins and an en-suite bucket they will be rowing in shifts of two hours on the oars and two hours rest throughout the race. They have been training throughout the lockdowns and beyond and have had as many days as possible on the boat itself in the North Sea. As good as an erg and gym can be nothing can quite prepare for the challenges they could face mid Atlantic. With waves up to 50ft, storms and marine life, it is truly going to be a challenge of physical and mental resilience. Early sea trials (on rather calmer water than they expect to encounter). They will have pre-packed all their food, requiring over 5000 calories a day, and have a solar powered water desalinator to provide them with daily drinking water. On top of the rowing training, they have all attended the mandatory courses including sea survival, navigation, as well as technical training on the communications equipment and water makers. Toby was always a dry bob at Radley and university so this is certainly beyond his comfort zone on all levels and he was inspired to challenge himself and join the team to support the cause having seen the devastation that plastic pollution can and has done here at home, but is ever more visible in the developing world. The team are raising funds for two charities/non profits that carry out critical work in education, cleanups and policy on responsible use of plastic. Azraq, based in Dubai, are on the front line of action (https://azraqme.org) and Ocean Generation, formerly Plastic Oceans UK, who have a strong history of science, education and influencing policy to create behavioural and political change to protect our oceans from human plastic waste (www.oceangeneration.org). You will be able to find out more from their website and can follow their progress through their social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin. They will have access to a limited data platform so will be able to receive and send updates as they row across. They have partnered with several corporates as well as received some generous personal donations. If you would like to support please see the website to find out how. They will need plenty of morale as they row through Christmas and New Year’s Day with nothing but ocean and each other to raise a rum to, so please do engage to boost their spirits. Will Drew, Toby Kendall and Sam Morris aboard their boat during a training run. 72

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www.teampeninsula.com

New Releases from ORs

Victor Lustig: The Man Who Conned the World

Fightback

A Psalm a Day

All In

Christopher Sandford (1970) The History Press

Orlando Kimber (1971) Arthur & Moose Publishing

John Nugée (1969) Laburnam Publishing

Rod Gilmour (1990) Marylebone Publishing

The period after the First World War was a golden age for the confidence man. ‘A new kind of entrepreneur is stirring amongst us,’ The Times wrote in 1919. ‘He is prone to the most detestable tactics, and is a stranger to charity and public spirit. One may nonetheless note his acuity in separating others from their money.’ Enter Victor Lustig (not his real name). An Austro-Hungarian with a dark streak, by the age of sixteen he had learned how to hustle at billiards and lay odds at the local racecourse. By nineteen he had acquired a livid facial scar in an altercation with a jealous husband.

A pulsating novel set in modernday Cornwall, where a desire to protect a cherished surf spot becomes a struggle between an individual and huge commercial interests.

A Psalm a Day is a reflective study of the Book of Psalms, interspersed with a daily journal through the spring and summer of 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic took hold of the UK. The book combines a study of the 150 psalms, guiding the reader through each with a daily meditation, with commentary on daily life as the pandemic came to dominate us all.

All In is Laura Massaro’s, honest, raw and personal story of how she became one of the greatest female squash players the UK has ever produced. From a shy, young athlete sometimes crippled by nerves and self-doubt, to a World No.1 and World Champion in an intense, gruelling sport, All In takes you on a deeply personal and inspiring journey.

While the psalms have inspired and comforted the faithful for over 2,000 years, revisiting them during the first UK lockdown provided much hope and focus for the author and fellow members of his bible study group. Alongside the analyses of the psalms, each day has a diary entry taking the reader through the first five months of change as COVID-19 struck. Featuring both his personal life and that of the country as a whole, the journal entries provide a fascinating snapshot of this historic time.

Laura is candid about the struggles of balancing relationships off the court with success on it, not least with her coach and husband Danny, and she takes you behind the scenes on the darkly competitive world of the professional squash circuit. From her battles on court to her fight behind the scenes to establish equal prizemoney at squash’s biggest tournament, this is a rollercoaster ride of emotions that takes the reader into the head and heart of one of the world’s most accomplished sportswomen.

The book is written in a straightforward style, and can be read in sequence or used as a book of reference for the Book of Psalms—one of the best-loved books of the Bible, as fresh and fitting today as the day the psalms in it were first written, searching for solace in a time of uncertainty and upheaval.

All In is a story of tears, turmoil and, ultimately, triumph.

That blemish aside, he was a man of athletic good looks, with a taste for larceny and foreign intrigue. He spoke six languages and went under nearly as many aliases in the course of a continent-hopping life that also saw him act as a double (or possibly triple) agent. Along the way, he found time to dupe an impressive variety of banks and hotels on both sides of the Atlantic; to escape from no fewer than three supposedly impregnable prisons; and to swindle Al Capone out of thousands of dollars, while living to tell the tale. Undoubtedly the greatest of his hoaxes was the sale, to a wealthy but gullible Parisian scrap-metal dealer, of the Eiffel Tower in 1925.

Twenty-eight-year-old Sam Alder is a carpenter, living in a small, close-knit seaside town. Both home and work begin to fall apart, when he objects to a major building project that threatens a beautiful landscape. As he tries to restore the life he loves, he discovers a hidden world of powerful forces that want to exploit everything he holds precious … and he is in their way.

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New Releases from ORs

Puddings, Bullies and Squashes: Early Public School Football Codes

Who How When Where

Oedipus: The Branching Road

A Strong Woman in Belgravia

Malcolm Tozer (ed.) Independent Publishing Network

Dmitri Kasterine (1945) Independently published

Neville Spencer Lewis (1959) Neville Spencer Lewis Publishing

Roderick Archer (1963) Vanguard Press

Pudding, bullies and squashes were terms used at Radley, Uppingham and Charterhouse to describe the melee, a feature of every early public school football game: half the school in one team attempting to drive the ball through the goal of the other half of the school in defence. The scrum of modern rugby is a pale imitation and soccer’s defensive wall just a flimsy substitute by comparison. This is the story of those early public school codes before the nationalisation of football by the FA from 1863 and the RFU from 1871.

A book of Dmitri Kasterine’s photographs taken between 1956 and 2020, with extended anecdotal captions by the photographer.

Greek myth has Oedipus killing a stranger at the Branching Road. Oedipus does not know it is Laius, his father, whom he has murdered, just as he is later ignorant that he is entering into matrimony with his mother.

Sable Fairfax is beautiful, smart and a fighter.

The 20 schools are Bradfield College, Charterhouse, Christ’s Hospital, Clongowes Wood College, Durham School, Edinburgh Academy, Eton College, Forest School, Harrow School, King’s School Canterbury, Marlborough College, Radley College, Repton School, Rugby School, Sherborne School, Shrewsbury School, Tonbridge School, Uppingham School, Westminster School and Winchester College. With a preface by sports historian Tony Collins tracing the sweep of these remarkable innovative versions of football.

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This novel dares to tell the story differently. When Oedipus encounters a man at the crossroads, he knows it is his father, and after his father attacks him, hot-tempered Oedipus kills him in a fit of rage. Succeeding Laius as king of Thebes and marrying Epicaste, his beautiful cousin from Erythrae, Oedipus gains the life he has always dreamed of, graced by the respect of the city’s nobles and the love of a loyal queen. Yet this blessed existence depends on the dark secret of his patricide staying hidden... Nemesis comes in the form of Oedipus’ own son, Eteocles. If Eteocles is able to prove his father’s guilt he can seize the crown – and all that Oedipus has fought for will be lost. The Branching Road is set in its historical context in the beautiful landscape of central Greece, vividly brought to life by the author. It is an intelligent retelling that touches on themes of family rivalry and redemption, which has in Oedipus a character whose enigmatic nature makes him a source of fascination, even today.

After reading modern languages, she begins a promising career in the Foreign Office and trains as a diplomat. Her love life is not quite so straightforward, but she remains sharp, poised and ready to take advantage of any opportunities that come her way, especially as she starts to move in higher political circles.

New Releases from ORs

The Devil’s Atlas: An Explorer’s Guide to Heavens, Hells and Afterworlds

Waypoints: A Journey on Foot

Selling St Christopher

Sad Little Men: Private Schools and the Ruin of England

Edward Brooke-Hitching (1996) Simon & Schuster UK

Robert Martineau (1999) Jonathan Cape

Sven Hughes (1987) Independently published

Richard Beard (1980) Mereo Books

Edward Brooke-Hitching delivers an atlas unlike any other. The Devil’s Atlas is an illustrated guide to the heavens, hells and lands of the dead as imagined throughout history by cultures and religions around the world. Packed with colourful maps, paintings and captivating stories, the reader is taken on a compelling tour of the geography, history and supernatural populations of the afterworlds of cultures around the globe.

A spellbinding travel book, exploring the psychology of walking, pilgrimage, solitude and escape.

A British MP is assassinated outside Westminster Palace, London. The Chief of the Security Services tasks a disgraced spy and her team of young agents to conduct a discreet investigation.

In 1975, as a child, Richard Beard was sent away from his home to sleep in a dormitory. So were David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

Whether it’s the thirteen heavens of the Aztecs, the Chinese Taoist netherworld of ‘hungry ghosts’, or the ‘Hell of the Flaming Rooster’ of Japanese Buddhist mythology (in which sinners are tormented by an enormous fire-breathing cockerel), The Devil’s Atlas gathers together a wonderful variety of beliefs and representations of life after death. These afterworlds are illustrated with an unprecedented collection of images, ranging from the marvellous ‘infernal cartography’ of the European Renaissance artists attempting to map the structured Hell described by Dante and the decorative Islamic depictions of Paradise to the various efforts to map the Garden of Eden and the spiritual vision paintings of nineteenth-century mediums.

At the age of twenty-seven, and afraid of falling into a life he doesn’t want, Robert Martineau quits his office job, buys a flight to Accra and begins to walk. He walks 1,000 miles through Ghana, Togo and Benin, to Ouidah, an ancient spiritual centre on the West African coast. Martineau walks alone across desert, through rainforests, over mountains, carrying everything he needs on his back, sleeping in villages or on the side of paths. Along the way he meets shamans, priests, historians, archaeologists and kings. He begins to confront the lines of slavery and exploitation that binds his home to theirs. Through the process of walking each day, and the lessons of those he walks among, Martineau starts to find the freedom he craves, and to build connections with the natural world and the past. In an extraordinary account of an adventure, and the inner journey that accompanies it, Martineau discovers how a walking pilgrimage can change a person.

They are quickly drawn into an international web of conspiracy involving election fraud on an industrial scale. As they begin to unmask the real power behind power, they must learn to play the modern influence industry at its own game. To defend democracy. To stay alive.

In those days a private boys’ boarding school education was largely the same experience as it had been for generations: a training for the challenges of Empire. He didn’t enjoy it. But the first and most important lesson was to not let that show. Being separated from the people who love you is traumatic. How did that feel at the time, and what sort of adult does it mould? This is a story about England, and a portrait of a type of boy, trained to lead, who becomes a certain type of man. As clearly as an X-ray, it reveals the make-up of those who seek power - what makes them tick, and why. Sad Little Men addresses debates about privilege head-on; clearly and unforgettably, it shows the problem with putting a succession of men from boarding schools into positions of influence, including 10 Downing Street. Is this who we want in charge, especially at a time of crisis? It is a passionate, tender reckoning - with one individual’s past, but also with a national bad habit.

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New Releases from ORs

Decarbonomics: & the post-pandemic world

Randomly Moving Particles

Earth Detox: How and Why we Must Clean Up Our Planet

Sherlock Holmes and the Beast of the Stapletons

Charles Dumas (1960) Profile Editions

Andrew Motion (1966) University of Pittsburgh Press

Julian Cribb (1964) Cambridge University Press

James Lovegrove (1979) Titan Books

A book of two halves, Decarbonomics first sets the scene of current global economics, outlining the effect of the pandemic, the trade war between the US and China and the resulting fragmentation of globalisation. In the second half of the book, leading financial analyst Charles Dumas examines the economic reasons for action on climate change, and what form that might take.

Randomly Moving Particles is built from two long poems that form its opening and close, connected by three shorter pieces. The title poem, in a kaleidoscope of compelling scenes, engages with subjects that include migration, placement, loss, space exploration, and current British and American politics.

Every person on our home planet is affected by a worldwide deluge of man-made chemicals and pollutants - most of which have never been tested for safety. Our chemical emissions are six times larger than our total greenhouse gas emissions. They are in our food, our water, the air we breathe, our homes and workplaces, the things we use each day. This universal poisoning affects our minds, our bodies, our genes, our grandkids, and all life on Earth.

1894. The monstrous Hound of the Baskervilles has been dead for five years, along with its no less monstrous owner, the naturalist Jack Stapleton. Sir Henry Baskerville is living contentedly at Baskerville Hall with his new wife Audrey and their three-year-old son Harry.

Dumas argues that investment to combat the changing climate will provide not only a boost to growth but also a rebalancing of geopolitics, benefiting those economies best placed to exploit the new technologies - possibly away from the oil-rich Middle East and towards the sun-rich Southern Hemisphere. He also examines the implications of a carbon tax, shifting economics to forge a financial solution to climate change. Drawing on original analysis by one of the world’s leading macroeconomic forecasters, Decarbonomics shows how climatechange economics has shifted from a story of necessary sacrifice to one of opportunity.

It is a clarifying action and reaction between terra and solar system, mundanity and possibility, taking us from the grit of road surfaces to the distant glimpses of satellites. The final poem, “How Do the Dead Walk,” combines mythic reach with acute observation of the familiar, in order to address issues of contemporary violence. It is altogether more dreamlike, even in its tangibly military moments, grasping as it does at phantoms and intermediate plains. Andrew Motion’s expansive new poetry collection is direct in its emotional appeal and ambitious in its scope, all while retaining the cinematic vision and startling expression that so freshly lit the lines of his last, Essex Clay.

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Julian Cribb describes the full scale of the chemical catastrophe we have unleashed. He proposes a new Human Right - not to be poisoned. He maps an empowering and hopeful way forward: to rid our planet of these toxins and return Earth to the clean, healthy condition which our forebears enjoyed, and our grandchildren should too.

Until, that is, Audrey’s lifeless body is found on the moors, drained of blood. It would appear some fiendish creature is once more at large on Dartmoor and has, like its predecessor, targeted the unfortunate Baskerville family. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are summoned to Sir Henry’s aid, and our heroes must face a marauding beast that is the very stuff of nightmares. It seems that Stapleton may not have perished in the Great Grimpen Mire after all, as Holmes believed, and is hell-bent on revenge...

New Releases from ORs

Sherlock Holmes & the Three Winter Terrors

Nile Sleeper

Stasiland

The Pegasus Bridge Show

James Lovegrove (1979) Titan Books

Rolf Richardson (1947) Independently published

Michael Bawtree (1951) Mereo Books

1889. The First Terror. At a boys' prep school in the Kent marshes, a pupil is found drowned in a pond. Could this be the fulfilment of a witch’s curse from two hundred years earlier?

The Cairo-Aswan flight is full, so Ben and Sophie have to take the overnight train south, the Nile Sleeper. Where they find themselves plunged into the terrifying world of Middle East terrorism.

This dramatic story by famous actor and producer Michael Bawtree is told in ‘free-cantering’ verse, and tells of the capture of Pegasus and Horsa Bridges during the opening minutes of D-Day, 1944.

1890. The Second Terror. A wealthy man dies of a heart attack at his London townhouse. Was he really frightened to death by ghosts?

After Egypt the focus moves first to Israel, then Lebanon and the interminable problem of Palestine. We are in the turbulent 1980s, a fictional story set within the framework of real events. On every side passions run high, so readers of a sensitive disposition should steer clear.

After a messy divorce, Ed Blake is trying to forget the past by spending the summer driving around Europe in his silver Porsche. He gets no further than a small town on the river Elbe when he is arrested for a crime he did not commit. Although in what is now a united Germany, this is the former Communist East, once ruled by the feared secret police, the Stasi. This is STASILAND.

1894. The Third Terror. A body is discovered at a Surrey country manor, hideously ravaged. Is the culprit a cannibal, as the evidence suggests? These three linked crimes test Sherlock Holmes’s deductive powers, and his scepticism about the supernatural, to the limit.

Having said that, this aims to be an entertainment, the complex history and mayhem being spiced with humour and romance.

The past has not gone away. Germany’s tectonic plates are shifting, maybe heading for the sort of chaos last seen in the 1930s. Ed finds himself pulled into a whirlpool of violence as right-wing extremism starts to shake the foundations of Europe. This novel is about the here and now. What happened to Ed Blake could happen to you.

This book is a dramatised account of the critical operation to capture Pegasus Bridge by Allied forces in 1944, in the opening stages of D-Day. It is based on an earlier show and DVD presentation by the same author, with original words and music that set the event within the history of previous crossChannel campaigns. This account draws on the memories of some of those involved and the author’s own experience of serving in the same regiment. As with the show, all profits from sales of the book will be donated to The Veterans’ Charity, set up to provide assistance to ex-servicemen and women in time of need.

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Untold Stories

UNTOLD STORIES

175 years is a lot of history to look back on in our upcoming anniversary book, Untold Stories, and when some didn't quite make the cut, we thought we would share them here! From Telford of Dublin to Nicholson of Malvern: the story of the organ ‘Telford is utterly amazed at its stupendous power and says there is nothing like it anywhere that he has been. He has heard several organs lately in England, and they all seem to him to be thin and hungry compared with this. In fact ours sounds very glorious.’ Singleton An essential adjunct for sacred music was a pipe organ. In 1847, there was a growing demand by churches for new or re-furbished organs. Sewell and Singleton were absolutely determined that Radley should not only have an organ but that it should be one of the finest that could be constructed. Singleton commissioned Telford’s of Dublin to build an organ at a cost of £2000, considerably more than the original estimate for the chapel itself. It was installed in 1848 after it had been demonstrated to large crowds in Dublin. Telford regarded it as his best work to date, and he arranged for it to be shipped back to Dublin for the 1853 Exhibition at his own expense. In essence, this instrument survived until 1938, but it grew and grew, aided and abetted by George Wharton, who began to expand the organ almost by stealth, encouraging donations of individual stops. It quickly expanded to four manuals and sixty

stops – a staggering number for the size of the building – and even to five manuals by 1883, making it significantly bigger than most cathedral organs of the time. In 1889, it was converted to run powered by a Crossley gas engine - having previously been operated by a chapel servitor pumping the bellows. When the new Chapel was built in 1895, the organ was transferred largely unaltered. Sir Thomas Jackson designed a new case, occupying much of the west gallery, but the opportunity was not taken to carry out a full overhaul and the reliability of the organ gave concern almost immediately. In 1939, Rushworth & Dreaper were engaged to build a new instrument. Some of the old stops were retained, including the pedal 32’, although the latter was hugely disadvantaged by being placed underneath the new gallery seating, where the longest pipes had to be reduced in length by a process known as Haskelling. The remainder was placed in two chambers, one cutting into the southwest corner of Chapel Quad, and the other facing towards G Social. Radley has been graced by many fine musicians over the years, but the appearance behind this organ of Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1953 was one of the highlights. The enormous frame of the 80-year-old composer perched awkwardly on the organ bench and, to the delight of the choir crowding round, tootled at the console. But then, in his earlier days, he had been a church organist.

Left: Telford’s organ in Radley’s original Chapel, 1860s. Right: Nicholson’s organ newly installed in Chapel, 2021.

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Untold Stories The Rushworth & Dreaper organ was smaller than its predecessor. It was in two places - neither of which was ideal for playing it – and the console was separate from the organ, with electric action. By the 1970s this organ had, in its turn, become unreliable. A plan was therefore made to build a new organ, which was to be voiced in a completely different style, essentially that of the 18th century, with mechanical action. It was completed by Hill, Norman & Beard in 1980. It must have been a revelation after the sound of the 1938 instrument – fresh, clean and sparkling – but it immediately became clear it was too quiet: too quiet even if it had been placed back in the centre of the west gallery, able to speak clearly down the length of the chapel; but far too quiet positioned to one side, a fatal compromise between the desire to allow the organ to speak freely in the Chapel and the constant need for space for boys. The decision to extend the Chapel in 2020-21 allowed a completely fresh approach. Nicholson’s of Malvern were commissioned to build a new organ. At last, there was room again in the west gallery, where it can speak freely down the length of the building; and a wholly new instrument allows for more robust voicing – new, apart from one rank of pedal pipes surviving, incredibly, from the 1848 Telford organ.

Singing, writing, recording The primacy of sacred music was there right at the beginning of the school: Edwin Monk, who became the first Precentor, was one of the four men who met in Turl Street in March 1847. Monk became the highest paid teacher at the school in his time, achieving his Bachelor of Music degree at Oxford in the process. He was given charge of the servitors, a group of boys who worked as servants around the school and sang the daily services in chapel in exchange for board and lodging, a basic education and musical training. The first boy to arrive at Radley College, Henry Searle, was one of the servitors. This early training was designed to equip them for employment in the choirs being re-established by cathedrals, colleges and large parish churches as the High Church Movement gained momentum.  Localised training for choristers was overtaken by the founding of St Michael’s College, Tenbury by Sir Frederick Ouseley in 1856 specifically to educate church musicians. Ouseley visited Radley to see the choir training and the newly installed organ in 1849 and had invited one of the Fellows to become the first principal of St Michael’s. In recognition of these links, Radley’s earliest music prize was the Ouseley Prize instituted in the 1850s. In 1859, Monk became organist at York Minster. There, he collaborated with Robert Singleton on The Anglican Hymn Book, published in 1868, which contains several hymns and melodies by both men. Monk’s own best-known tune, ‘Angel voices ever singing’, is still sung at the school.     The Public Schools Hymnbook, edited by Athelstan Riley and Harold Ferguson, published in 1919, was the most influential of the collections of hymns chosen by schools up and down the country. It focussed on vigorous, ‘manly’ tunes and words for hymns as sung in the boys’ public schools.  These were introduced nationally into school assemblies of the twentieth century. Much of the Radley hymn repertoire derives from that original compilation. Harold Ferguson was Head of Music at

Edwin Monk, first Precentor of Radley. Lancing College when the Public Schools Hymnbook was first published. Although Radley had attempted to recruit him as Precentor earlier in his career, he actually became Warden in 1925. Ferguson’s hymns such as ‘O Jesus I have promised’ or ‘All hail the power of Jesu’s name’ have found their way into the repertoire of contemporary church music. He returned to music after he resigned as Warden of Radley, becoming Canon and Precentor of Salisbury Cathedral in 1937. Most of Monk’s successors as Precentors, and later Succentors, at Radley have followed in his footsteps, contributing original organ settings to the general repertoire, particularly Donald Paine, Robert Gower and Timothy Morris, as have don Luke Bartlett and chaplain Anthony Stiddolph.  By the 1860s the role of the servitors in choral services had decreased and the schoolboys were formed into a large choir under the direction of Monk’s successor, George Wharton. Wharton was appointed Precentor in 1862 at the age of 24. He remained in post for 52 years, serving under seven Wardens, doubling up as

Harold Ferguson (right) at the BBC in the early 1940s.

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Untold Stories the first tutor of A Social for 35 years. After retirement in 1914 he remained living in his flat in the Mansion until his death at the age of 87 in 1925.  The piano prize is named in his memory. His meticulously kept day books record the music he played.   The chapel choir continued relatively unchanged under Wharton’s successors, adapting to the fashions for sacred music as recordings by famous choirs became available in the twentieth century. The earliest recording of the choir was made by phonograph in 1896, but sadly, this has not survived. The Centenary service for the visit of HRH Princess Elizabeth in 1947 was recorded and gives a flavour of the sound of the chapel under Precentor Ronald Dussek. In 1956, Anthony Caesar’s choir and the school can be heard in the evensong service for Whitsunday which was broadcast on BBC radio, featuring responsive plainsong.  Donald Paine and a small group also contributed to films made by the Film Society in the 1960s, most notably The 139th Psalm which won international acclaim, followed by a setting of The Lord’s Prayer. Recordings by the choir and anthologies of hymns sung by the whole school along with music performances to accompany films made by the Video Unit have become regular events from the 1990s onwards. During the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 and 2021, the choir recorded anthems and parts of the liturgy in Chapel before lockdown was imposed, enabling Chapel services to continue whilst the school was scattered around the globe. These were also then able to help local primary schools provide music for assemblies.

Below: The earliest surviving photo of the choir, taken by William Wood in 1863.

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Violet Blofeld, music teacher Violet Blofeld is remembered here by Anthony Robinson (1962): ‘Music was an integral part of my schooldays at Radley in the 1960s - violin and guitar - alongside rowing, rugby, shooting and being involved in as much as possible. I was blessed with a gifted and patient violin teacher, Mrs Blofeld (EVB) who, realising I rarely had the motivation or time to practice much, abandoned grades after Grade V and concentrated on making sure I knew how to play the orchestra pieces. She was a kindly, softly-spoken, self-effacing lady but I must have been a considerable frustration to her. To say she was long-suffering in my case is an understatement. I started writing songs with my guitar at the age of fifteen and, by the time I had reached the Sixth Form, it was an important hobby. During my weekly lesson with Mrs Blofeld, she would often ask: ‘Have you written any new songs lately?’ Whenever I said ‘Yes’, she would ask me to bring my guitar to the next lesson and play her my composition; she would then show me on the piano how I might vary the chords or modify the arrangement, thus expanding my options, before asking me to write out the melody line on manuscript paper. I would then play my tune on the violin to her piano accompaniment and listen intently as she stretched the harmonies in all sorts of delicious directions. I would leave each lesson with fresh enthusiasm for both violin and guitar. She was well ahead of her time and the broad musical education she gave me was invaluable. When, a few years later, I was a volunteer on VSO in the Pacific Islands, I used to mail her my manuscripts for checking and correction and she always returned them with helpful suggestions. Truly extraordinary. I just wish, with hindsight, I had told her more often how much I appreciated the way she went ‘off-piste’ for my benefit. It certainly wasn’t in the teaching manual.’

Untold Stories Untold Stories - A Look Inside ‘ It became commonplace to meet a boy in Covered Passage festooned in a live boa constrictor or to walk into a Biology class of Shells each with his live snake, lizard or skink.’

Due to be published in Spring 2022, Untold Stories is packed with more stories from Radley College's 175 years so far. The sample proof pages shown here give a flavour of the book and its features. For more details and to preorder your copy with a £10 discount, visit: www.profileeditions.com/radley-college-hb Untold Story

Animals – both local and exotic Left Trout Fishing Society records The for arrival Michael stockingof College Pond. Noone as Head of Biology in 2011Centre heralded a new era for the animals of Radley. In 1968, College Pond The once Biology Department again had to be drained had had aquaria for many was silting up. yearsbecause with ittropical fish, small turtles, and a case of giant African land snails donated in the 2000s. The hatching of chicks and tadpoles was among the first events to be live-streamed across the computer network in 2010. But with Noone’s arrival, it became commonplace to meet a boy in Covered Passage festooned in a live boa constrictor during the Societies Fair or to walk into a Biology class full of Shells each with his live snake, lizard or skink. Boys in the Animals Society were taught how to care for these creatures but their purpose was more serious in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1949, Naturalpets. History than to the be exotic Through them, boys learned Society reported devastation – the lake had of been the complexities evolution and the delicate drained and the mud bulldozed deepen it. The around the world. Examples balancetoof ecosystems bodies of carp and pike were left on Pups’ Field, and a from the menagerie attended talks in Social Prayers, family of swans with their cygnets were attempting to while many children from local schools were invited cross the mud from the island, heading for a new to learn about them. This outreach element became home. College Pond was being prepared for a new a key of the Programme in 2021. society – Trout Fishing. Like thepart beagles, thisPartnerships was a most recent addition project promoted by the The bursar, Charles Jenner, and was Titus the turtle, living happily in his own large tank – after the floor was from this time the lake was kept stocked with fishing strengthened to take it. strictly controlled. The Trout Fishing Society limited

Social, and by consensus of the Natural History Society was named Sir Galahad. There was no falconry school in Britain in the 1930s so Robinson sought out falconers to train himself and his hawks. Thus began a lifetime of falconry which culminated in a history of the subject published in 2003. And don’t forget Charlie Mackesy’s ferrets in E Social: ‘He used to keep them for catching rabbits, whose skins he dried out on the study radiators until the smell got so bad I had to tell him to stop,’ as recalled by Hamish Aird. Or the story of the boy who strode into the library, broken shotgun on his arm to ask, ‘Ma’am, would you like a brace of mallard?’ The visiting book rep turned a worrying shade of pale.

On College Pond

Top right Charles Henderson with one of the hawks he trained at Radley in the 1900s. Right New Shells meet the

snakes, 2019. In the margin of anCollege estate accounts book of Sir John Stonhouse in 1750, there is a list of carp caught in the lake at Radley Hall. Sir John kept careful account of Privacy 84 the fish by weight and clearly had the lake stocked for fishing. In 2021, prefect Will Stubbs sent an email to the school inviting membership of the revived Fishing Club: College Pond had been restocked with trout for the first time in 25 years.

Members of the school community had probably always quietly fished College Pond. There was certainly some poaching, recorded both by the Bowyers’ gamekeepers who had charge of the lake until the school bought it in the 1890s, and by the school’s groundsman

membership to 20, which included the Secretary of the Natural History Society ex officio to ensure the future care of the wildlife. Members had to prove their interest and commitment, maintained meticulous records of fish caught and released, wrote reports about the state of College Pond, and kept the lake stocked first with rainbow then with brown trout. They flourished until the 1990s.

In 1986 one member hoped that an amicable agreement could be achieved with the Golf Club, as society members were assailed by attempted water shots – ‘after all, the main point about being at College Pond is the quiet’. Quiet was to be celebrated and jealously guarded in boarding school life, a point repeated in 2021 by a member of the new Fishing Club: ‘I was there fishing at 6am. A mist was rising from the water. Two deer wandered out of the woodland. I looked around and thought – I can’t believe I live here.’

Above: The engaging and informative text on the impact of the College's founding principles is further enlivened with images from Radley's archive. Left: Recently uncovered stories from Radley's history punctuate the narrative and highlight unusual tales and unheard voices. From Brock the dog to Titus the turtle

Sport at Radley 1847 Radley Hall meets the requirements to be ‘close to the river for aquatic excursions and with a level sward of grass in front of the house for cricket’. 1855

1848 Junior boys club together to buy a football. 1851 Walter Woodgate comes to Radley. A celebrated oarsman and later founder of Vincent’s Club at Oxford, the club for all Oxford blues.

‘ The beauty to be found in sport was central to the founders’ vision for the school.’ 1858 The first Radley crew to challenge Eton over the Henley course and the first crew to wear the Maltese Cross.

1858 William Collins, the first international Radleian cricketer, comes to Radley.

William Collins is still the only man to take three wickets with one ball – the original delivery cut the batsman’s hand, the non-striker fainted at the sight of blood, and the next man refused to come in.

1860s The school adopts the terms ‘Wet Bobs’ and ‘Dry Bobs’ from Eton. Interior of the Old Gym, 1860.

1867 Radley football is played to its own rules with teams of 12. 1876 An indoor Winchester Fives court is built by subscription from current and past Radleians.

1885 Rackets court built, paid for by subscription from current and Old Radleians. 1900 Century Clump inaugurated – an oak tree to be planted for every boy who scored a century for the First XI. The last tree was planted in 1948. 1908 London Olympics. John Robinson (1899) wins Gold with the England hockey team.

Social Fours bumps races showing the crews’ progress via their colours, 1880.

1887 Hockey introduced at Radley, but there is no record of fixtures. 1906 Theo Cook (1881) captains the England fencing team at the Athens Olympics, alongside Cosmo Duff-Gordon (1877).

1911 The Evans Memorial Boathouse opened in memory of ‘Buffy’ Evans, who had been coach to the eight since the 1880s.

1860–62 The Old Gym is built. Archibald McLaren, the gym and fencing instructor, became the first professional sports coach at Radley.

Beauty

1882 Radley joins the Football Association and soccer becomes the school’s official winter sport.

1857 Buttresses built around Clock Tower become fives courts.

The earliest photo of games at Radley: fives players in 1855.

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1879–80 Social Colours introduced to identify crews in Social Fours Bumps.

1914 ‘Rugby will be played.’ The warden announces that rugby union would replace soccer as the school’s main winter sport. The change was not well received by all. 1928 Percy Mills, formerly of Gloucestershire CCC, appointed as the professional cricket coach.

1863 The earliest recorded cricket match against another school – Radley vs Bradfield. 1875 Golf course opened – later used for agriculture in the First World War. Cricket XI with Percy Mills, 1946.

Left: Large timeline features give an overview of specific parts of Radley's history, including Sport, Dining, and Drama.

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Sport Sports & Societies

Radley Wildebloods As the world starts opening up the Wildebloods are coming out once again. We started with an amazing garden drinks with our sister societies from Eton, Harrow, Sherbourne and Bedales. The evening began in the gardens of the St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden where the prosecco and wine were flowing freely before finally stumbling over to an underground bar in Soho to finish the night. Following on from these very successful drinks we organised a small table for the OR Dinner in November as well as a Christmas drinks at the start of December. Adam Lambert (2007)

Members of the Radley Wildebloods join forces with four other schools’ societies for a Drinks party in September.

Radleian Society Racing Syndicate We’ve been lucky enough to train College Oak for three seasons now, and he has turned out to be a cracking racehorse. Having won a bumper the previous season, College Oak took well to hurdling last season and won on his seasonal debut at Uttoxeter. He followed up in a competitive handicap hurdle at Ascot on the first big jumps Saturday of the season. It was a wonderful day in the pouring rain, which was only dampened by the fact that only six people could attend owing to the Covid protocols. However, those that were lucky enough to go celebrated in the Royal Box. He was placed on another two occasions last season, and we looked forward to this coming season when we planned to send him novice chasing. Being out of a winning sister to the threetime Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Best Mate, and the Grade 1 winner Cornish Rebel, as well as the multiple winner Inca Trail, we thought he’d improve further for a fence. He was 3rd on his chasing debut this season, and he will improve on that as the season progresses, but it was on pretty soft ground and we think he’ll prefer some genuine good to soft ground. So, we’ll take our time and find the right opening for him once again. I am sure we’ll go up in trip with him and he will develop into a staying handicap chaser, and we might look to qualify him for the £50,000 Challenger Series Final at Haydock in April. After the success of College Oak, we will endeavour to set up another RadSoc Racing Syndicate in the coming years, and would hope to attract a few more Old Radleians and their families to join. Jamie Snowden (1992) 82

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College Oak wins a novice hurdle at Uttoxeter

Sport

OR Golf Society Despite all that has been thrown at us over the last 18 months the Old Radleian Golfing Society is in very good heart. The addition of our website www.orgs.org.uk has been a big step forward in the organisation of the society. We have 269 members registered and welcome any ORs who want to play OR golf or follow the society. It was a year of ‘firsts’. Following the cancellation of the Halford Hewitt in 2020 the committee were determined to host a competition in 2021. Halford Hewitt 2021 was postponed and played in September. We played our first round at Princes Golf Club for the first time. The team stayed in Sandwich Bay and swam in the sea – also definitely a first. We were dealt the toughest of draws and we had the talent to win, but lost in the first round – not a first. The rough was fearsome, where accuracy was more important than length – try telling that to the youngsters! The team combined handicaps added up to one, but from deep rough handicaps are irrelevant. Our next campaign is in April 2022 and we have a trial at Royal St George’s at the end of February 2022. If you are a low single figure handicap golfer, please email the secretary.

The Society’s main meetings, The Spring (The Berkshire) and Autumn (Royal St George’s) were very well supported with all ages represented and everyone was so relieved to be back together. Onwards and upwards for the ORGS. William Bailey (1968) honsecorgs@gmail.com Spring Meeting David Turner Scratch Cup 1st Tom Wright 68 2nd Freddie Horler 71 Charles Jeffreys Silver Bowl (Stableford) 1st Tom Wright 43 2nd Anthony Maxwell-Jones 40 points J H Mobbs Salver (Veterans) Duncan Ritchie 36 points The Bruce Cup (Under 35) Tom Wright 43 points Paul Cooper Cup (Past Captains) Christopher Clarke 35 points

In the Senior Darwin (over 65) we won one round, and in the Darwin (over 55) we lost in the first round in extra holes. Having qualified at the top of our region for The Grafton Morrish finals at Royal West Norfolk, we again had the toughest of draws and lost in the first round to Malvern. Who beat Malvern in the Halford Hewitt final in 1996?

Autumn Meeting Scratch Simon Curtis 77 shots Stableford 1st Jo Oram 36 2nd Robert Shotton 36 points Ken Bristow Memorial Trophy (Veterans) 1st Jo Oram 36 2nd Robert Shotton 36 points James Rogers Memorial Trophy Andrew Laing & George Foxall 35 points

The golfing gods gave us a hard time in 2021 so we can look forward to 2022 with great relish.

Birkmyre Salver Adam Leetham 155 shots (Spring and Autumn)

Above: Fred Campion, Adam Leetham, Tom Beasley, Arthur Tapner, Tom Wright and Harry Douglass (captain). Above right: Dr Jo Oram (left) and Tim Rowntree (vice captain). Right: Hardy souls braving the water of the English Channel at Sandwich Bay! the old radleian 2021

Sport

ORFC Football The Old Radleian Football Club had a rather tumultuous season which was made all the more difficult by the pandemic. Some football was played throughout last season but it was difficult to maintain any continuity due to the nationwide lockdowns in November and again for the first 4 months of 2021. A difficult 2019-20 season was cut short and this saw the OR’s be re-allocated from Division One to Division Two in the Arthurian League despite the season not officially ending. Having spent the majority of 2020 indoors it was great that the government allowed the restarting of grass roots football in August. Which in turn led to the restarting of the Arthurian League for the 2020-21 season and everyone was excited to be back playing again. We started the season brightly with

an away 1-1 draw to Old Columbans in St Albans, a team that was recently promoted to Division Two. Despite the game being played in the shadows of St Albans Cathedral, the godly presence was not enough to claim a victory. One would assume that the groundsman was still on furlough or a re-wilding project had been established due to the length of the grass. The Keys then proceeded to go on a cracking run of form starting with away wins against Chigwell, winning 3-1, and a 3-2 win over Aldenham in midSeptember. Having taken seven points from a possible nine, the Keys were dreaming of promotion and a future life in Division One as we topped the league table going into October. The Keys imitated Doves in flight as they took another scalp in the shape of Old Merchant Taylors with a 3-0 win away from home and another week at the top of the table. Our unbeaten run was ended

however in a turgid yet feisty affair against Old Cholmeleians in the Arthur Dunn Cup losing two goals to one. However, our sole focus was now placed on the league as we still remained unbeaten. The final game before the November Lockdown saw the Keys draw 2-2 against Charterhouse in our first home game of the season, this did force us to slip off the top of the table but spirits were still very high. The November lockdown was an unwelcome break as we were all sadly ordered back into our homes and all grass roots football was halted across the country. In the small window at the start of December and before London was catapulted into tier 4, the Keys played against our old foe, Old Etonians. However, with many of the team members nestled into the country establishments of their parents, a makeshift 11 was put together and the OR’s were dealt a crushing 5-2 defeat. We were then plunged once again back into a dark and dingy lockdown over the winter and early spring, and the Keys were not seen again for five months. The disruption caused by the lockdowns forced the Arthurian League into cancelling the league competition for the 2020-2021 season, which was a great shame given the strong position we were in in the league table. However, as the world began to open back up the Arthurian League organised for a knockout cup to be played by teams from Division Two and Three. The Keys were back and raring to go after a rather bleak four months of lockdown. We were drawn against Old Merchant Taylors and delivered a fine performance of which St Peter himself would have been proud. The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors were trounced 5-1 and the Keys looked like they were picking up from where they left off at the end of October.

ORFC - 'The Keys'. 84

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In the ‘Last 16’ we were drawn again against Lord Kinnaird’s Old Etonians of Windsor. In an enthralling encounter at Fortress Whitton the Keys were able to pull off an incredible 4-3 victory which saw us leap into the quarter finals and dreams of silverware were very much in the minds of the locksmiths.

Sport

We were drawn against Old Kimboltians, a team from the league below and a massive opportunity was there for the taking to proceed to the semi-finals. Sadly it was not to be as were unfairly beaten 2-1 with a rather soft penalty being awarded to Kimbolton in the final 10 minutes. One would have assumed a sniper had caught the Kimbolton player as they fell to the floor in a manner more commonly seen at the Grand Palladium. Our season ended rather sourly as the world began to open back up, we were drawn against Old Berkhamstedians in the semi-finals of the plate competition losing the game two goals to nil. Some great performances and notable mentions throughout the season go to Archie Hewlett who was the Captain’s Player of the Year. There were some great performances from Danny Brownlee and Wilf Marriott over the course of the season. Young Player of the Year went to Thor Winkler and it is great to see a younger OR getting involved with the club. Based on results alone you could argue that this was a great season for the ORs, playing 11 games, winning 5, drawing 2 and losing 4. Had the pandemic not struck again in November who knows of the success that could have been achieved? I would undoubtedly be executed if I failed to mention that a very impressive milestone was achieved throughout this season. Henry Taylour, formerly of E and

K Social was the first and only player to reach 100 caps for the Old Radleian Football Club. A fantastic achievement by him and we thank him for the service he has given to the Club. Lastly, we must also give thanks to Andrew Barrie who

has served as Club Treasurer and Club Secretary for 5 years and has decided to step down from his role. There is no doubt that the club would have folded long ago had it not been for your work going on behind the scenes, so from all of us at the Club: We thank you for your service. Alex Kelly, an Old Radleian stalwart, has very kindly agreed to take on his role. We are now a few games into the 2021-22 season and things have not gone as well as we would have hoped. The combination of weddings, holidays and the birds now being in flight has resulted in it being a struggle to field a consistent squad so far this season. However, there is still plenty of football left to be played this season. We are always looking for new players to add to the squad and particularly we are looking for that injection of youth into the team. So if you are interested in representing the College against some of our old foes then please do not hesitate to get in touch with me at the email address below. Cameron Barrie (2008) oldradleainsfc@outlook.com the old radleian 2021

Sport

Real Tennis - CJR: Marking 50 years The title of this piece is also the title of Chris Ronaldson’s latest book concerning the game to which he has dedicated fifty years of his career (with no thought of retirement). He has written about many aspects of the game (equipment, rules, tournaments and governing associations), about some of the people who have played it during his lengthy careers and about some of the changes in society and culture that have had a direct and indirect impact upon tennis. However, there is extraordinarily little in those pages directly about Chris (known throughout the game as ‘CJR’). He is famously selfeffacing, but this absence is a considerable oversight, as there is no one who has made a more profound contribution to the game in the past fifty years. It certainly was in a sorry state in 1971, when he stumbled into it.

Len Trievnor/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The fact that the game has survived and is in good heart wherever it is played, is in large part due to Chris’s outstanding work and extraordinary dedication. His determination to do everything possible to ensure the continuation and good health of real tennis has been unwavering and continues undimmed. Chris’s continuous efforts to expand the player-profile beyond its traditional boundaries, by encouraging anyone interested in learning the game, including women and juniors. Schools are the right places to build courts, he believes, and the success of the court, club and boys who have learnt to play at Radley underlines this view. CJR is the world’s longest-serving professional currently plying the trade. But that, though impressive, is simply a quantitative measure, like the 70,000 balls he estimates that he has sewn, the close to a quarter of a million of hours that I calculate that he has worked or the more than 20,000 lessons he has delivered. As most people work about 80,000 hours in a career of 44 years, he has worked the equivalent of at least two normal people already which, looked at another way, means he has been working for more like one hundred years than fifty.

But leaving numbers aside, the more remarkable measure is that of the quality of CJR’s contributions. He is a man who has excelled in every facet of the game. He was World Champion for six years, during which period he dominated the game and built a fearsome reputation for his training regimen off court, his steely temperament on it and his deep thinking about tactics and technique. He was the first man to hold the Grand Slam of titles, winning the Australian, British, French and US Opens in the same year. In all, he won fifty-one level singles tournaments, retiring from competitive play in 1993. As a professional, Chris broke the mould, being much taller (as well as much smarter) than the norm. He improved the status of UK pros in many ways and has been responsible for developing the role from one of being the servant at a club to being its manager. Chris has built a reputation as a player, coach, and club professional, for being the best. It has been achieved through considerable self-sacrifice, the application of an intense and relentless work ethic and a refusal to accept anything less than full commitment from himself. His record as a club pro is extraordinary. Apart from his first two years in tennis, spent at the Oxford University club, CJR has either started clubs from scratch or breathed life back into moribund ones. With Radley College’s generous backing, he has in the past two years rejuvenated the court at The Oratory School in early 2020, opened the new Bordeaux court in the summer of 2020 and is now on secondment to the Bristol Real Tennis Club, in addition to running the Radley court and club. He has never failed - and who of us can say that? Each of the clubs where he has been Head Professional has, in the shortest possible time, had a fully utilised court, a happy and expanding membership, buoyant finances, and the hum of purposeful and positive activity.

Chris on the stands of an indoor tennis court, 9th July 1984. 86

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Sport

Notwithstanding the hours required to achieve success of this nature (typically a working day that starts before 8am and ends after 10pm and often seven days a week), Chris has managed to cram in impressive additional achievements. Amongst the other things he has done are: inventing the handicapping system, which is still in use worldwide; devising the player-ranking system, also in use today; changing the format and management of the World Championship Challenge into that which now prevails; writing the first comprehensive coaching manual for a century, ‘A Cut Above the Rest’, that became the best-selling book on the subject of tennis; setting up, with his father, Ronaldson Publications, which became the most prolific publishing house on the subject of tennis; putting together a small consortium of which he was the largest shareholder that bought a court (Holyport, in 1985) when it looked as if it would be lost to the game; rescuing the bankrupt Bordeaux club in 1982, for no financial reward; working for a year, on top of his job in tennis, as a City trader, in an office environment he loathed and with people whose ethics he generally despised, to enable him to pay for the education of his sons; taking part-time degrees in his beloved subject of history, achieving a First followed by a Master’s degree, and then teaching twentieth century history to adults in evening classes; and serving on countless tennis-related committees.

These are some of Chris’s direct contributions to the game, but it is through the indirect ones that his tremendous influence has spread throughout the tennis world and through generations of players. He has trained many assistants, some of whom have gone on to be great players. Through his own example and, indirectly, through those he has trained or worked with, CJR has instilled a deep love of the game in hundreds and hundreds of people, be they professionals or amateurs, club members or new arrivals, elite players or those who just dream of being able to play a decent game. His instruction, demonstrations, suggestions, hints and comments have helped countless players of all standards to develop their skills. He has tirelessly given of his time, energy and intelligence to the various representative bodies that make up the game and has done so for neither financial gain nor glory. He still manages, on top of everything else, to dispense help, guidance, advice and support to anyone who approaches him from anywhere in the tennis world. CJR is a legend in the world of Real Tennis. Maggie Henderson-Tew Real Tennis Club Captain

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Sport

Radley Mariners TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES Tom George, Charlie Elwes and Ollie Wynne-Griffith all featured in the GB Men’s VIII that won a Bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020+1 Olympics. They were the first Radleians to be selected for Team GB and to win medals since Richard Budgett won gold in the Coxed Four at the LA Olympics in 1984. In the run up to the rescheduled games, the GB men’s eight had twice won bronze medals at the World Championships and so were setting their sights higher at Tokyo. The crew made its way into the final through the repechage after weather conditions disrupted the schedule. Keeping pace with reigning world champions Germany, the Team GB boat was in a good second spot at the 1,000m halfway mark. At this point, New Zealand kicked in with a powerful push that saw them take the lead, one they would hold for the rest of the race. A three-boat sprint to the line tried to haul the Kiwis in, with the German crew finishing strongly and pipping Team GB to silver by one-tenth of a second, earning Tom, Charlie and Ollie their bronze Olympic medals.

The GB VIII on the water in Tokyo. Ollie: “It was a huge honour to represent Team GB at the Olympics this summer and to come away with a medal makes it even more special. It has been a long road to Tokyo with countless twists and turns so to finally realise my dream of competing at the pinnacle of sport gave me enormous satisfaction.” Tom: “It was a hell of a week of racing. We didn’t start how we would have wanted in the heat but built well through the regatta. These were the moments that we had trained for and we left it all out there on the day.” Charlie: “Winning an Olympic medal of any colour is a special achievement. We are conscious that we fell short of our goal of winning but nonetheless very proud of how we raced and worked together as a unit.”

The three ORs receive their Olympic medals with the rest of the VIII. JOSH BOWESMAN-JONES Josh has had a great 2021 - he raced in the 7 seat of the Oxford Blue boat that narrowly fell to Cambridge in a unique boatrace, raced in Ely, Cambridgeshire, instead of on the Tideway as is traditional. Having already won the u23 European title, he went on to win the u23 World Rowing Championships in the Mens 8+

All three are now currently preparing to race in the 2022 Boat Race in April next year – Tom and Ollie are at Cambridge studying for an MPhil in Real Estate finance and for an MBA respectively. Charlie is doing a masters research at Oxford in the Women & Gender Studies department. Radley will be well represented on both sides of the dark blue/light blue divide. Charlie joins fellow ORs, Josh Bowesman-Jones and James Innes Kerr at Oxford.

category in one of the tightest races in recent memory. The final margin was 0.11 seconds between Great Britain and the USA. The Americans led for almost the entirety of the race before the Brits chased them down in the dying strokes to clinch the title. Josh follows in the footsteps of Charlie Elwes to become the second OR in the modern era to win an under 23 World title.

JOHN GEARING A final word must be said about John Gearing. John joined up with the GB Olympic senior team this year to coach the men’s pair in their bid to qualify for the Olympics at the final Olympic qualification regatta in Lucerne. Unfortunately, they narrowly missed out on qualification in a packed field that included the eventual Bronze medallists in Denmark. Nonetheless John’s coaching experience was a great addition to have in the programme in such a turbulent and crucial year. Tom, Charlie and Ollie certainly enjoyed rolling back the years by having John’s presence around the national training centre at Caversham.

Josh (third from right) celebreates with the victorious u23s Mens VIII. 88

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Sport

Radley Rangers Won 5, Lost 4, Drew 1, Rain 5 The rain was the main winner in this, one of the wettest summers that I, personally, can remember. Five matches were called off without a ball being bowled, causing serious frustration for all who had put so much time and effort into organising teams, scorers, umpires and caterers. On behalf of the club, thank you for all your efforts throughout the season. A highlight of the year was a very strong victory in the first round of the Cricketer Cup as we travelled to Rugby. On a tricky deck we did well to restrict the hosts to 190-9 from their 50 overs and were then treated to an exhibition put on by Nick Gubbins and Wilf Marriot who cantered to the total with a minimum of fuss. Sadly, we were undone by a very strong opening partnership against Tonbridge in the next round, but there is plenty to look forward to for the Rangers in the cup over the next few years. Watch this space. There were also good wins against Eton, The Gauchoes and the Hampshire Hogs, while another victory at Escrick against the Yorkshire Gents on the annual tour was enjoyed by all who attended. Certainly, a weekend to do if one has never been before. A tight match against the Guards went down to the final ball with fielders crowded round the bat as we searched for the final wicket, but in the end a draw was shared.

Rangers vs. Rugby (Cricketer Cup) The Rangers emerged victorious at Rugby with a big 8 wicket win. Having lost the toss and sent out to field first, the lack of movement for the seamers resulted in an early switch to the spin of Christian Hollingsworth. When a ball early on in his spell did not get above ankle height from back of a length the idea of batting second felt ominous. However, the leg spin of Nick Gubbins and Mungo Fawcett caused havoc, with the two of them sharing 8 of the 9 wickets to fall, Gubbs picking up 5-32 off ten and Mungo 3-45. Having restricted Rugby to 190-9 off their 50 (their opener scored 105 of them) it was over to the batsmen. Wilf Marriot once again looked a class above the opposition, anchoring the innings brilliantly, especially after the loss of Jamie. Wilf and Gubbs combined as they have done so many times in the past to put on 132 in no time to break the back of the chase. Nick fell with 20 required with a magnificent 81, but victory came in just the 28th over with Wilf 64 not out and Alex Hearne 4* at the end. A comprehensive victory. Rangers vs. Eton Whilst the weather appeared a little gloomy before the start of play, Jack Folkestone was keen to stress that he had organised a burger van for lunch and we would have to play irrespective of what the clouds had install for us. Whilst there were some short spells of rain, it was never too heavy and fortunately it rained mostly on the Etonians.

In the field the bandits from Slough took a wicket with the second ball of the game, George Greville Williams bowled (a jaffer!), 0-1. Whilst panic filled the Radleian’s on the boundary the two on the field were up to the task. Sam Hoddinott slowly and carefully saw off the openers and then the first change bowlers with Rupert Grace. This was before Rupert took a leaf out of God’s book and started with some rain of his own. It rained sixes for hours in his brutal assault where he scored a magnificent 100. Partnered by Charlie Williams, Kit Moreland, and Jack Folkestone who all made stylish 20s, we declared on 197. Time for that burger van... With Eton walking out to bat, we were keen to attack. At 0-1 after 8 balls with a ripper from Ned Greville Williams, Radley were right on top. Ned bowled aggressively and accurately picking up 3 important wickets. Jack Folkestone was also deadly taking 3 wickets at crucial times. Kit Morland took 2 and Dom Anwyl-Jones took 1. This was all supported by Theo Spreckley who kept extremely well. The Rangers were too good for the Ramblers. In the end, with every Ranger swarming around the batsman Eton managed to block out the final ball at 145-9 and we didn’t get the win. Cricket was the winner I suppose. A brilliant day. A huge thank you must go to Jack and his wonderful family who hosted us.

Finally, another thank you, to all who have put themselves forward to play, manage, umpire and score this season – the club quite literally would not work without you. Hopefully the weather plays ball with us better next year and the uncertainty of Covid will no longer hang over us, making the organising of and playing Rangers fixtures that much easier. Winter well and I very much look forward to next season. Johnny Wright, Hon Sec. Radley Rangers Rangers vs. Ampleforth Great game at Radley on Secondside we were narrowly beaten in 30 overs by Ampleforth. We kept them to around par 214 bowling first. Os Miller, Freddie Horler and especially Rupert Grace took us very close but when Grace was caught on the boundary edge in the penultimate over it was all but done. We”ll have them next year. Lose by 9 (this time).

Kit Morland caught by Bevan Fawcett. the old radleian 2021

Ted's Ties

TED’S TIES: THE DEXTER QUILT

Linda Seward, wife of Robert (1959), recounts how a surprise phone call and box of ties led to the creation of the Dexter Cricket Quilt. In 1999 I was in charge of publicity for a quilt exhibition that was being held at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The celebrity that I had asked to “cut the ribbon” let me down three days before the opening and I had no idea how to find someone else at such short notice. My husband Robert, who knew Ted Dexter from Radley and who regularly played golf with him, suggested I ask him to open the show since the exhibition was at Lords. To my surprise and utter relief, he accepted with alacrity and he and his wife Susan turned up at the appropriate hour, full of enthusiasm, to view the quilts and shake the hands of the astonished guests who never expected to meet the great man at a quilt show! Below: Ted and Linda in front of the Dexter Cricket Quilt.

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This must have given him an idea because in 2004 I got an unexpected call. “Hi, Linda, Ted Dexter here.” Ted is a man who doesn’t waste words, so even though we hadn’t spoken for a few years, he came straight to the point. “I have a box of old cricket ties—think you could do something with them?” Surprised by the phone call and his direct request, I couldn’t say anything but “Sure!” A few weeks later my husband came home from his golf club (Ted was also a member there) with a big cardboard box with my name on it. “Do you have any idea what these are for?” he asked. One look inside the box revealed a huge number of ties in a riot of colours and confirmed that my job had now begun.

Ted's Ties My daughters and I unpacked the box and immediately began sorting the ties into piles by colour. It soon became apparent that the ties fell into five colour groups: red, green, grey, yellow and navy blue. There were also about a dozen others in wild colours that didn’t fit the general pattern. As we studied the ties, we noticed the most marvellous motifs: a pelican holding a cricket bat, kangaroos, snakes, kiwi birds, trees, Big Ben, geese, lions, shields of all kinds, wickets, cricket balls—each tie was unique and utterly fascinating, and I had no doubt that each image had a hidden meaning. We then discovered words and phrases woven all over the ties: England v Australia Edgbaston 1989, Lords & Commons v Barbados Parliamentarians & Celebrities UK 1990, England v New Zealand 1990, National Cup Winners at Lords 1984, Calcutta Cricket Club, The Grand Prix Drivers Celebrity Golf Tournament, 100 Years of Cricket at Queens Park, npower Test Series 2002, National Cup Winners at Lords 1984, MRF World Series—I could continue this list for a long time. Not being a follower of cricket, these words didn’t hold much meaning for me, but I was certain that they would have great significance for anyone who followed Ted Dexter’s career. I spent a few weeks just looking at the ties, thinking about cricket and how I could relate that sport to a patchwork quilt. I also realised that all the ties would have to be unpicked and pressed. I engaged the services of my 13-year-old daughter Emily and paid her 10p per tie. Although my friends believe that I was flouting the child labour laws, Emily was perfectly happy with her £20! So I now had 200 ties in every shape, colour and pattern and I had to make them into a quilt. The Log Cabin design immediately came to mind. I remembered seeing a log cabin arrangement that gave the impression of curves—it is called Off-Centre Log Cabin. I made some sketches on graph paper and was happy to discover that if I made four offcentre log cabin blocks and sewed them together I could create the impression of a circle: a cricket ball! I was elated to have found this

design. I decided to make the background navy and feature four “cricket balls” in the main colours of red, grey, green and yellow. When it was finished, I telephoned Ted. We arranged to meet at my house for lunch one Saturday for the unveiling. I don’t think he had any idea of what to expect and he seemed genuinely delighted with the quilt. He told me that he planned to auction it to raise money for one of his favourite charities, The Lord’s Taverners, which is cricket's official charity. Since 1950, The Lord’s Taverners have been raising money to give young people, particularly those with special needs, a ‘sporting chance’. Ted contacted the Chief Executive of The Lord's Taverners who came over to view the quilt. He decided it would be a perfect auction prize for their Christmas lunch. He contacted the curator of the Cricket Museum at Lord’s and arranged for the quilt to be hung there for the summer and autumn. I delivered the quilt to the museum and it was auctioned at the Taverner’s boozy Christmas lunch on 6 December, 2004, where it raised £7500. A very pleasing result. In January 2015, I received the following email from Ted: Dear Quilter Supreme!! The DEXTER quilt is surplus to requirements as my pal (the buyer) John Livock is moving house. My idea is to offer it back to the Lord’s Taverners to auction again (though without any very optimistic thoughts on a price). I may also simply have John offer it to the MCC Museum - but they may or may not want it. Have you any thoughts on the subject. I suppose I could have it home and put it on my bed!! Love to all the family. Ted (DEXTER) At Ted’s behest, John Livock decided to donate it to the MCC Museum. We presented the quilt to the museum that summer, where it can be viewed today. And being the true gentleman that he was, Ted treated me, John and Susan to a cracking lunch after the presentation ceremony.

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Obituaries

Obituaries Morgan, RMM (Common Room 1964–78, C Social Tutor 1969– 1978 and Warden of Radley 1991–2000) Richard Morgan was a consummate allround schoolmaster who developed into a visionary headmaster. He had the ability to devise strategies for and the drive to see through the delivery of that vision. His impact on Cheltenham College in the 1980s and Radley College in the 1990s was transformative. Later, his experience and communication skills, in the role of school governor was invaluable to the Head of Sherborne School, Simon Eliot (one of his pupils at Radley in the 1960’s) and crucial for Clifton College where, appointed Chairman of Council in 2013, aged 73, he navigated the college through a safeguarding and leadership crisis. Richard Morgan was born in June 1940 in Weston-super-Mare to Welsh parents Trevor, a circuit judge and Leslie. Though the family returned to Wales, he was sent to boarding school in England – Hillstone in Malvern and then Sherborne School where he excelled in sport and won a place at Caius College, Cambridge. His prowess in rugby fives put him in contact with Jock Burnet, Bursar of Magdalene College who was President of Cambridge Fives. Jock, who became an early mentor, was a Member of Council, (Radley College’s governing body) and he recommended Richard to the Warden. He also introduced him to Bishop Launcelot, Fleming who became another mentor to Richard and to his stepdaughter Margaret Agutter who became Margaret Morgan in 1968. Margaret was the perfect foil for Richard and a great partnership, which lasted more than 50 years, was formed. “I was only ever appointed to any position because of Margaret” Richard was to say later. The context of Richard Morgan’s career in English Independent school education from the 1960’s through to the 21st century was the sector’s transformation from part good/part adequate into an international brand with demand from and outlets all over the world. In the 1960’s, with Grammar Schools and Direct Grant schools, State education provided good, free, academic schooling for aspirational parents and pupils. Most Independent schools struggled financially, and in the 1970s faced the threat of 92

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abolition from the Labour Government. The closing of Grammar Schools and their replacement by comprehensives, begun in the 1970’s and not reversed by the Conservative Government of the 1980s, pushed more middle-class parents to consider private education. The Thatcher Government brought more favourable taxes and a growing economy which drove demand for better education and an environment in which Independent schools could thrive. Richard Morgan arrived at Radley in 1963 with a Blue in Rugby Fives (he captained the Cambridge team) and a reputation as an excellent all-round sportsman. It was clear from the outset that he had leadership potential. He had exceptional communication skills – both

on a one-to-one basis and for groups. “He was the finest addressor of boys I ever heard” according to a contemporary. His great skill was to make others talk about themselves. Any personal questions to him were skilfully sidestepped. To this he added energy, determination and drive. The newly arrived Warden, Dennis Silk, made him a Social Tutor at 29, the youngest appointee in the school’s history. 10 years under a man who would become ‘the Headmasters’ Headmaster’ was the perfect apprenticeship for his future roles. Richard Morgan was appointed Headmaster of Cheltenham College in 1978. Over his 12-year term, the market for private education would improve significantly but at the outset pupil numbers were down and there were

Obituaries

financial challenges. Though influenced by William Sewell, one of Radley’s founders’, and his belief in education of the “whole” person, he was intensely practical and acknowledged that “good exam results fill schools”. He believed that every pupil had talent and it was the school’s job to ensure motivation. Common Room – the teaching staff, was key to achieving this objective and Richard Morgan was single minded in appointing and supporting inspirational teachers. The appointment of Andrew Reekes (later to follow him to Radley) in 1985 as Director of Studies, sealed the direction of travel. In 1978, 11% of pupils got A grades, 23% A+B grades. In his last year, 1990, these numbers had more than doubled to 25% and 56%. Around the core ingredient of improved academic results, Richard Morgan lifted Cheltenham’s reputation and with it demand for places. He was an impressive salesman and Prep school heads and parents bought into his enthusiasm and ambition for the school and its pupils. Good teaching was the foundation but the right environment, physical and cultural, contributed. Money was found to improve buildings and for new facilities, co-curricular opportunities for pupils were expanded to produce a school where all pupils had the chance to excel in one area or another and gain confidence. Though forward-looking and innovative, Richard Morgan insisted on adherence to the ethos and traditions of the College, preserving compulsory chapel and insisting on high standards of personal conduct – tidy hair, shirts tucked in, no littering! This was a cocktail which many parents found irresistible. When he left in 1990, Cheltenham was in an immeasurably stronger position to ride out the unfolding economic crisis. The problem facing the Radley Council in 1990 was how to replace Dennis Silk who had, in the words of Eric Anderson, “lifted Radley from the 2nd division to the top of the Premier League”. Richard Morgan entered the recruitment process late but with his knowledge of (and deep affection for) Radley, his understanding of what his great friend and mentor Dennis Silk had achieved and his own credentials as a successful headmaster, his appointment was assured. The issues facing him were very different to those at Cheltenham in 1978. The school was brim-full with a burgeoning

waiting list. But the schools’ market was changing. The introduction of ‘A’ and GCSE level League tables in 1992, though much derided in private by schools, were a very public exposure of comparative academic performance. ISI inspections from 1996 put a spotlight on every aspect of a boarding school’s performance, looking beyond academic performance to co-curricular and welfare provision. Appointed for a 9-year term (to take him to retirement at 60), Richard Morgan set off at pace. “It was breathless” a senior member of Common Room remarked later. The approach was the same as brought success at Cheltenham. An insistence that academic performance must improve – a target of 80% A and B grades at A level set and achieved thanks to a strengthened Common Room and an excellent team of Heads of Department, marshalled by a newly formed Senior Management team including Sub-Warden, Bursar and Director of Studies. The facilities, many of which were not fit for purpose, upgraded, notably the conversion of a disused dining hall into a first-class library (fittingly named “the Richard Morgan Library”) and the building of a magnificent block of new classrooms, Queen’s Court. Following a fire in the Mansion, the Common Room area was restored and remodelled to provide the teaching staff with enviable facilities. High demands were made of teachers but with the vast majority housed on the school site, they were provided with all possible assistance to enable them to deliver a top-class education. Radley’s campus was transformed by extensive planting and by being turned into a giant art gallery with boys’ creations on display in the most unlikely locations. As his time as Warden of Radley came to a close, Richard Morgan could reflect on considerable success. As one of only four all-boy, all-boarding schools, demand for places, reflected in waiting lists and reserve waiting lists, was even higher than at the commencement of his Wardenship. A very strong and united Common Room was delivering exceptional academic results (given Radley’s relatively non-selective entrance policy) and Radley’s sport was very successful, not just at the top level where the 1st XI was unbeaten for six seasons and the 1st VIII won the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley in 1998, but also right through the lower teams and ages.

A lesser man might have rested on his laurels but not Richard Morgan. The level of school fees had raced ahead of inflation in the 1990s, partly due to rising staff salaries. Concerned that Radley would price out many families who had supported the school for generations and sensitive to the founder, William Sewell’s aspiration that 10% of pupils should be educated free, in 1999 his penultimate year, he set up the Radley Foundation to give a major boost to the school’s bursary provision. A pronounced target of £200 million was met with raised eyebrows and shaking heads, yet this was the kind of endowment required to generate sufficient income. That year bursaries covered just 1% of school fees. This year, 2021, that figure has grown to 8% and almost four times the number of boys receive a form of bursary. Sewell’s aspiration in reach. ‘Retirement’ in 2000 at the age of 60 was rather a misnomer. Richard remained Chairman of the Radley Foundation until 2010, he was an active governor of Sherborne School and Clifton College, where he became Chairman in 2013 inheriting a difficult problem not finally resolved until 2016. His lifelong competitive instinct found its outlet in golf and his extraordinary energies were directed to charity work. He was President of the South Wilts Mencap for several years, a Trustee of the Salisbury Museum where he was closely involved in major exhibitions of Constable and Turner paintings and later helped at Alabare, a Christian charity providing care and homes for the homeless. Careful with his finances, buying pictures by contemporary artists was his indulgence. Richard was father to three adored and adoring daughters – Pippa, Victoria (“Tooey”) and Rachel – and the arrival of grandchildren Luke, Tess and Libby brought the family man Richard much happiness in his later years. A great letter writer to the end, his missives were always upbeat. Tributes to his widow, Margaret, from ex pupils and fellow teachers alike, marked him out as the “great encourager”, the key to the loyalty and buy in that ensured his successes. Richard Martin Morgan died on 26th May 2021.

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Obituaries

Jenkins, JM (Chaplain 1965–1983) Reverend Michael Jenkins, as remembered in his 1983 vale: “If you want to start the machine, press the button marked START” ... Michael’s announcements and instructions, whether to his colleagues in Common Room or to the assembled community in Chapel (what a feeling of relief was perceptible when we heard that the services on Sunday would be “as usual”) reflected his love of clarity and precision, one of the many endearing qualities which enabled him to fulfil his role as chaplain at Radley with such success for so long. The choice of Michael to succeed Godfrey Marshall as chaplain in 1965 was one of Warden Milligan’s most perceptive and farsighted decisions. Two men could hardly be more dissimilar superficially, but in essentials they had everything in common, and in particular their personal attitude to the priesthood, their love of Radley, and their single-minded determination to ensure that the worship in Chapel should be the best that could be offered. Michael came to Radley at a time when the task of the chaplain was unusually difficult (it can never at the best of times be easy); religious belief and traditional chapel practices were under attack from inside and outside the college and it was one of Michael’s great achievements that he steered Radley through a very difficult period with a clear vision of what was right (based on secure belief and thorough intellectual understanding) and exemplary commitment to the highest possible standards. He felt it was his duty to keep Radley abreast with changes in the Church outside and to defend those changes, even though they were on occasion contrary to his own predilections. The most significant alteration in our pattern of worship (and one about which he had no reservations) was the introduction of Family Communion every Sunday in place of the previous Mattins or Family Eucharist for the whole school, and for this alone we owe him an enormous debt. But Michael’s enthusiasm and commitment extended far outside his central role, and few boys and colleagues can fail to have fond and vivid memories of him wearing one of his ‘other hats’ (crash-helmets?). He was an effective and popular rowing coach (not only 94

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of school crews, but for several years of the highly successful 1st VIII of his old college, Oriel), a skilled maker-up for college drama, an expert skier who took great trouble to arrange coaching and practice for interested Radleians, a keen and efficient organiser of the crosscountry running and the Film Society, and of course made a particular impression latterly as Pooh-Bah of the Scottish Dancing - organiser, chauffeur, chaperone, host, dancer, and vocalist. Michael’s defences were up all too often at Radley for him ever to relax completely and his apparent equanimity was sustained with more of an effort than many of us realised. His frequent resort to somewhat arid intellectualism and analytical argument hid an emotional vulnerability and a sensitivity to beauty that perhaps we were allowed to see all too seldom. On holiday he was a stimulating, considerate, and amusing companion, by no means averse to good living, and I for one was privileged on many occasions to experience his real warmth and great generosity. DWMP After leaving Radley, he maintained his links with the College as a great supporter of Past & Present and as a member of the Vyvyan Hope Society. Reverend Michael Jenkins died on 8 January 2021.

Stidolph, RA (Chaplain 2001–2005) Anthony Stidolph came to Radley in September 2001 to succeed David Coulton as Chaplain. He had previously been Chaplain at Wellington and before that, more happily, at Cheltenham, to which post Richard Morgan had appointed him from a Sussex parish. Radley’s tradition of a strong High Anglican Chapel, strongly supported by Warden and Housemasters, was the right tradition for Anthony and he was the right man for the job. Some changes were necessary, including an updating of the form of worship on Sunday (“Do you know, I think some of the things we had been doing were almost illegal”), but for the most part he knew that a school congregation valued stability. Ritual he enjoys, and it is to him we owe the tradition of a Michaelmas Term Requiem, smells, bells and all, based on a great Choral work. But more than just “ritual”, what mattered to him was that a formal service should be taken formally and that proper attention should be paid to all the adjuncts - from the service sheet to the flowers. He valued stillness and he did not intrude his own personality between the worshipper and the Liturgy. He valued the fabric of Chapel and he gathered around him a devoted, loyal and hardworking group of Sacristans. To them, as to all Radleians, his Mansion rooms were

Reverand Michael Jenkins, Chaplain of Radley, 1965-83.

Obituaries

any the worse off for that? They certainly presented themselves for Confirmation in record numbers. Anthony returned to Parish work taking the post of Rector of Worth, where he had a magnificent Norman Church, a large congregation and a strong musical tradition. Both College and Common Room were represented at his Induction in January. His Bishop gave a 32-minute homily whose gist appeared to be, “It’s a very difficult job you are coming to and you’re going to get very depressed”. Fortunately, Anthony remained undaunted. He knows he is supported by the love and the prayers of so many in the Radley community. Canon Anthony Stidolph. always open. Laughter flowed, but if there should come a boy in distress the mood would change and Anthony would don the metaphorical stole of the confessional. Sympathy was abundant, confidences were respected. Anthony was a private person. With him there was an initial reserve - not the sort of priest who could be called “all things to all men”. His life was governed by a strong spirituality. But once the reserve was dispelled, boys seeking advice discovered they had made a friend. Colleagues, recognising a friend, realised they had found an advisor. Warmth and generosity are the key. Music has already been mentioned and there is no doubt that this (in which subject he spent his early years of study) was a mainspring of his life. His Congregational Practices will never be forgotten. Few “professionals” would get a wan and weary College, on a dark, dank, dreary day in November, to do voice warming exercises with enthusiasm, or to sing a hymn tune to “la”. Characteristically, when it was his turn to host a dining group of colleagues, he chose to give not a learned paper but an organ recital. And he never failed to answer a call to accompany a boy in an instrumental duo or to be rehearsal pianist for a College musical. He was always a strong supporter of College events and in particular one thinks of his presence, with floor-eating dog, Morley, on the pitches. And if his mentor in the teaching of Religious Studies was James Wesson rather than Peter Boyden, were the boys

From the 2005 vale by Charles Hastings Five years later, he moved to be Chaplain of Peterhouse, in Zimbabwe. This proved to be a challenge for someone who hoped to influence future leaders of that country while President Mugabe was still in control. His contract was not renewed, and Anthony returned to spend a short time as Chaplain at Llandovey College in Wales. Anthony then moved to Cyprus, where, as an associate priest in Paphos, he looked after those coming to the island for their weddings. He finally retired in February 2020, and, a year later, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The Anglican pastoral team in Paphos provided care and support so that he could die in his own home, and he described his final weeks as happy and peaceful. He leaves behind many friends and grateful parishioners and former pupils — and lots of music that he composed. Robert Anthony Stidolph died on 24th May 2021. Batten, JM (Common Room 19541969, C Social Tutor 1964-1969) James Macdonald Batten was born in January 1929 in Peterborough. Educated at Lockers Park and Rugby School he experienced a peripatetic childhood, some of it latterly in wartime London where his father had joined an ill-fated Solicitors’ Partnership after selling the family Peterborough practice. Thrust out on his own by his parents Dad talked his way into National Service with

the Grenadier Guards (he was technically medically ineligible due to deafness in one ear following a school time misdiagnosis) and made lifelong friends, including a future brother-in-law, in two years of wild adventure in Germany. Four years at Trinity Hall, Cambridge followed – three years acquiring a 9 (three successive thirds) in Law; an Athletics Blue (running the mile and three miles with Brasher against Oxford’s Chataway) and a fiancée (Dad proposed to a young Susan Portal, the niece of the then Chancellor of the Exchequer Rab Butler, at his last May ball). His fourth year Cert Ed started in October after an unloved three-month stint as an Oil Company graduate. Teaching jobs were in short supply for young married men with poor Law degrees but, with the great Jock Burnet’s guidance, Dad was offered a job by Wyndham Milligan to teach Latin and French (he spoke not a word) in 1954. Dad taught 8 subjects in his long career but French shouldn’t have been one of them! However, Mum wrote and marked the materials while Dad avoided any spoken French and two scholars at the back nodded or shook their heads depending on Dad’s answers to any questions in class. Soon Dad was back with his beloved V2 concentrating on Latin and English. He directed a series of school plays including a memorable Pygmalion with Peter Cook starring; he ran the Athletics and many sports teams, helped run the Corps and much else. The Common Room in the fifties was a lively place and, along with David Goldsmith and Simon Langdale, Dad relished both trying to outwit the local bookies and land the perfect practical joke. Two of our new carpets at The Lodge were named Psidium and Gladness after substantial ante post betting coups. Law remained a lifelong passion and Dad became the first person to pass ones Bar Exams by correspondence course, even achieving a first in his Equities paper on this occasion. Ultimately his teaching career won out and instead Dad set up at Radley the very first of his many nonexamined A Level courses in Law. In 1963 Dad took over Bigside (he insisted the old radleian 2021

Obituaries

to us that no one else had any appropriate qualifications) and coached the side until 1968. Innovative tactics and famous victories followed, many won 3-0 by a single goal or try. Although a flying winger himself his speciality was the rolling maul – crashing over the try line driven by both the backs and forwards together. His position was right behind the goalposts, a favourite cry, as another forward charge fell just short... “put it on the plate!’ Particular memories were narrow victories at Downside and Sherborne - after the former, Dad delivered on his rash promise to climb to the very top of the Bigside posts. And after the latter, the legendary Richard Sharp, recently appointed at Sherborne and scorer of ‘that try’ for England, could barely bring himself to talk to the former Rugby School 2nd XV man. Mum and Dad came into their own when Dad became C Social tutor in 1964 - it was very much a family enterprise. Dad’s first year was spent living in his predecessor, James ‘Tonk’ Thompson’s smokey bachelor rooms at the end of a single ice-cold dormitory in School. By great good fortune C Social and the Batten family then moved to the current site along with its modernist (then!) new Tutor’s house and extensive gardens. This was perfect for Mum and Dad’s 24/7 approach and quickly the lawns were full of croquet hoops and putting holes. Dad lead, drove, challenged, inspired and the Social rapidly won most of the Cups and prizes. They were happy years with a plethora of talented boys achieving great things both then and over the ensuing generations. In Autumn 1969 Dad was appointed Head at Kings College, Taunton. The school was a 330 pupil struggling enterprise and Dad tackled the challenge as a businessman Head. He promoted and recruited talented colleagues, 'fixed’ the School Council with his ex-Radley Chaplain and mentor, Charles Neate becoming Custos. A new Bursar and second master were other crucial influences. Run by Mum, girls became a permanent feature of the sixth form; academic standards were raised; professional sports coaches appointed and pupil numbers grew steadily. In his first year Dad even applied his Rugby coaching alchemy to the 1st XV and an unbeaten season saw Kings Taunton immediately promoted to the Premier West Country schools circuit.

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James Batten at the top of the Bigside posts (left), celebrating a victory over Downside; with his family in C Social garden (right); fishing in retirement (opposite). Critically Dad needed the school to scale, needed greater pupil numbers to afford new buildings, new facilities, new staff. Progress was steady but the chance to buy the neighbouring Convent at the end of the 70s was an unmissable opportunity. Supported by his colleagues and the equally dynamic Headmaster of Pyrland Hall (now Kings Hall), Roger Trafford, he persuaded the School Council, much against their initial judgement, to take the plunge. The early 80s saw the school thriving with numbers over 500 and a full Prep and new pre-prep. Sports and Oxbridge results were at their height. Mum and Dad’s last few years at Kings were somewhat overshadowed by successive management changes at Pyrland Hall after Roger’s departure for Clifton Prep and a lack of ‘chemistry’ with the then Custos. Dad still relished the company of his talented colleagues in the Common Room and above all striding around the grounds meeting boys and girls. To his final day at Kings he knew or tried to know all their names. Retirement in 1988 was too early in hindsight and, after time back in Mum’s beloved Norfolk, Dad then spent three years with Mum as a ‘company doctor’ at St Michael’s Tawstock prep school in Devon. Kennedy’s primer back in hand, he loved the opportunity to engage again with the school community and turn another school around.

By 1994 Dad was genuinely able to enjoy retired life in the Norfolk community where Mum and all the family had so many friends. Shooting (badly) and fishing were life-long passions; sailing with friends; and always travelling – Europe, Africa, Mum’s childhood India, America and many more. Dad always looking into strange kitchens, buying the locals drinks, hailing the proprietor of Gigios in Venice as a long lost friend. Mum continued her 30 year stint as a JP in Taunton and Norwich and they both took pride in their four grandsons, Nat, Lawrie, Jamie and Chris. Beautiful gardens built by the two of them matured and prospered before a return to Blakeney and Morston where Mum had grown up. Mum’s death in 2019 after 65 years of marriage was a terrible blow but Dad rallied and applied his charm with the phenomenal nurses at the Old Rectory in Surrey. Dad remained ever happy through COVID as long as there were TWO glasses of wine for lunch AND dinner. However, a bad fall and two hip operations slowed the great athlete down. Dad passed away peacefully aged 92 and returned to Morston Churchyard to join Mum, committed, as Mum before, by his nephew Justin Welby. He is survived by Amanda, born in 1956, and Charlie, born in 1958, and by his four grandsons. James Macdonald Batten died on 18th March 2021.

Obituaries

exploded and brought down the whole building". Explosions there were, but of mirth and merriment as foul smells and smoke billowed happily from the labs, long before the strictures of fume cupboards, goggles and regulations took away the joy of experiencing chemistry “on the edge” with skipper EMSL cutting a perilous course through the hazardous ocean of chemicals. Countless Radleians thrived under Michael’s skilful and ever-patient teaching. He was of the old school with not only a complete grounding across the sciences but with the magical gift of communicating the most complex ideas in a way that left the recipient with a feeling of temporary mastery.

Lewis, EMS (1954, C & Common Room 1971-1997) Michael’s time at Radley started earlier in life than most dons: he was a student in C Social from 1954 and Head of Social in 1959. He went on to read Natural Sciences at Cambridge where he met Marion, a fellow undergraduate. It was not long before the special alchemy forged a marriage of pure gold – Michael and Marion – ‘M squared’, the partnership being so much greater than the sum of its parts. Michael and Marion’s joint scientific and teaching careers took them to St Edwards (1964-69), Melbourne Grammar (196970) and thence to Radley in 1971, an inspired appointment by Warden Dennis Silk. Michael had the unique distinction of being the first Radley don to teach his own, younger, brother. Both Michael and brother David survived the experience. Michael (EMSL) engaged in a wide range of college life – academic, sporting, social and cultural. Dons and boys were swept along by his boundless enthusiasm underpinned by meticulous planning, knowledge and attention to detail. Behind the light touch lay a formidable intellect and boundless, ‘Tigger-like’, energy. No scientific experiment would dare to fizzle out in the Lewis scheme of things. Generations of Radleians marvelled and learnt as Michael, apparently effortlessly, pulled off yet another spectacular chemical reaction, with the words “Totally illegal now of course. It could have

Michael wrote a number of definitive O level (later GCSE) and A level Chemistry texts including ‘Thinking Chemistry’ and ‘Advancing Chemistry’, some in partnership with fellow Chemistry don, Guy Waller. The “chemistry” of this fertile relationship was itself a source of wonder, given the dogged strength of character and intellect on both sides of this particular equation. Midnight oil was burnt both physically and metaphorically and frank exchanges made of the non-ionic variety. The books were immediate best-sellers, not only as definitive texts used in Radley Chemistry lessons but worldwide with translations into many languages. The restless creative urge continued as Michael wrote yet more books for the OUP.

There followed a veritable tidal wave of new Radley developments and responsibilities: Head of Chemistry, Head of Science, rowing coach, Radley golf team guru, Head of IT, Director of Studies, Apple Macintosh computer fanatic and expert Yachtmaster. Michael was Head of Chemistry from 1974-83 and pioneered the highly successful “team teaching” scheme, along with Dick Usherwood and Geoff Treglown. During his tenure as Head of Science from 1983-9 he coordinated the extension and refurbishment of the Science Labs. Nothing was overlooked. The building was officially opened by another notable scientist – Margaret Thatcher PM. The cleverly designed dual purpose laboratory-lecture rooms and the main lecture theatre stood the test of time and became flagships for other schools to visit, admire and copy. Scientists trod a regular path from EMSL’s lab into higher education, research and beyond. Their eagerness to maintain ties with Michael over the years was a tribute not only to his teaching but to the warmth, generosity and humanity which he extended to all. Michael’s attention to detail and superb communicational skills meant that he was the ideal choice to oversee the design and building of Queen’s Court which stands proudly on the main drive linking the Sciences, Biology, Earth Sciences, Maths, Economics and ICT. The Queen approved!

Michael Lewis (rear row, first left) in the 1959 Prefects photo. the old radleian 2021

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He was always fascinated by the latest technology, which in 1970’s parlance was the dreaded Banda duplicating machine. Colleagues of more experienced years will vividly remember him launching this curious reprographic beast onto an unsuspecting Common Room. It proved a great success and was kept running, thanks to Michael’s practical skills in unblocking rubber tubes and performing emergency surgery. The next reprographic leap forward in Common Room was a big shiny photocopier. It fell upon Michael to gently explain to a certain less technological colleague that adding toner did not require the black powder to be shaken liberally, chip-shop style, over the entire internal workings of the beast. The first Reprographic Centre in the old Slum classrooms was another of his innovations, as was the smartly revamped Radley Calendar, though he himself always preferred to produce a customised Filofax version to be appended in that distinctive left-handed, copper-plate handwriting: a wonderful blend of ancient and modern. As Head of IT (yet another Headship!) Michael took the visionary step of introducing Apple Macintosh computers into Common Room and to the teaching departments. The wisdom of this decision became ever more apparent as the computer network spread within Radley and to the wider world. Michael was Director of Studies from 1989-93 at a crucial transition stage when a steady hand was needed at the tiller. His experience and total integrity meant that Radley was passed on “shipshape and Bristol fashion” for its voyage towards the millennium. The same transformation took place in EMSL’s crews and teams. Michael coached the J15, J16, 3rd VIII and 2nd VIII crews over a prodigiously successful 21 years on the river. He succeeded Mike Spens as Master in Charge of Golf and took the team on to great distinction winning the West of England Championship two years running, along with a string of successful school matches, Prep School tournaments and competitions. In consultation with Peter King, he added many elegant touches to fine-tune the Radley Golf Course into its present superb state. Boundless hospitality was provided at No 4 the Walled Gardens. Michael and Marion made a wonderful team: 98

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a marriage of like minds and generous spirits. Form visits and extra tuition sessions were eagerly awaited both for Michael’s enthusiasm about the latest scientific developments and to sample Marion’s legendary cooking. Marion, meanwhile, was busy helping Hamish Aird in the newly established College Bookshop. She undertook PGCE teacher training at Westminster College in 1973 while the Lewis girls, Catherine and Amanda, attended the Manor Preparatory School in Abingdon. It was ‘to the Manor’ that she was then appointed, serving as Head of Maths, Head of Upper School, Deputy Head and then Governor. She was always a wonderful supporter of events both within the College and in the wider Radley community, Radley Church, and serving for many years as Governor of the Radley Village Primary School. Michael always had a passion for adventure. This had clearly been evident from an early age. He was born in 1940 in Digboi, Assam where his father held a senior position in the Burmah Oil Co. Oil was a vital war commodity, especially for the American air force. The invading Japanese forces eventually got to within 50 miles. Since there was no schooling in Digboi the decision was made to send Michael, aged 7, into the care of his grandmother in Adelaide, Australia. He was sent to board at prep school in Australia and thence to England for his secondary education at Radley. No wonder he was such a resilient and free spirit. A strong sense of adventure and independence served him well for another lifelong passion – sailing! There was a steady transition from the early days sailing a Mirror dinghy to ocean going yachts and an equally impressive portfolio of sailing qualiﬁcations. Michael took Radley boys and dons (Dave Fielding, David Flint, Jean le Manac’h et al) on sailing trips along the Dorset coast, to Holland, France and the Channel Islands. Stories abounded and grew better by the year. Many trips involved “relief ” Ocean Youth Club skippers whose perversity tested even EMSL's patience to the limits. Tales abounded of hours spent stranded on the sandbanks of the Hook of Holland or water tanks inadvertently pumped full of diesel oil. A few dons even returned for a second trip! Family trips and expeditions took Michael and Marion to

Michael Lewis increasingly exotic locations: Brittany, the Mediterranean, the Aegean, the South China Sea, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada and Alaska. ‘M-squared’ retired to Lymington where they led a very busy life with happy hours on the golf course, sailing, overseas trips, grandparenting and many new activities including a shared passion for walking and ornithology. Michael and Marion were loyal and wholehearted members of the Lymington community and local church and these in due course provided much comfort and support to Marion and the family through the difficult last few months as Michael’s health declined and his memory faded. Those fortunate enough to have attended Michael’s Zoom Memorial service learnt more of Michael’s amazing life and achievements. He would have approved of the seamless streaming technology, the warm-hearted family contributions across the generations and the wonderful live music and singing which accompanied the service. Above all Michael will be remembered for his unfailing wit, warmth and generosity: a truly gentle, wise and lovely man. Written by John Harris Edward Michael Sunderland Lewis died on 27th April 2021.

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Savory, GR (Common Room 19591981) Geoff Savory’s passions were his wife and family, and his strong Christian faith. His many interests included music, birdwatching, walking and the Royal Navy, and of course his teaching career. He died in Witney on 5th October 2021, aged 100. Geoff was born on 2nd September 1921 in the village of Abbots Leigh, just the other side of the Clifton Suspension Bridge from Bristol, where his father Harry worked in his own father’s printing and publishing business. He was sent away to prep school at the age of seven, for him a distressing experience which he still talked about in old age. His teachers at Heddon Court School in East Barnet included for a year the young John Betjeman. After that he was educated at Marlborough College, which was a much more positive experience. He had already begun playing the piano, and at Marlborough took up the organ, eventually winning an organ scholarship to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, in 1940. By then of course the country was again at war; Geoff turned 18 the day before war was declared, and little over a month later his adored mother Doris died after a long illness. The following year he deferred his place at Cambridge to read Modern Languages – as it turned out, for six years – in order to join the Royal Navy.

Starting as a young rating, he became an officer a couple of years later and eventually a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve after the war – he stayed in the RNVR until the late 1960s and ran the RN Section at Radley. At first he served in Hunt-class destroyers, which apparently rolled alarmingly in rough seas – in Geoff ’s words he was “as sick as a dog” on a number of occasions, whereas in later years the roughest of ferry crossings to the continent or to Scandinavia never bothered him. In 1943 he transferred to the Submarine Service and served in HMS Rorqual, a Grampus class mine-laying submarine. Rorqual’s last operation of the war saw the crew sail all the way to Fremantle in Australia, taking in Malta, the Suez Canal and Ceylon along the way. Rorqual surfaced a number of times to sink defenceless Japanese sailing vessels and coasters with gunfire, and it’s a measure of Geoff ’s humanity that this stayed on his conscience for the rest of his life. On 8th May 1945 Rorqual received the order to ‘splice the mainbrace’ to celebrate the end of the war in Europe. In Geoff ’s words “we didn’t splice anything: we had to be as quiet as mice as we were in Japanese waters”. Safely back in Portsmouth in the late summer of 1945, Geoff almost

immediately met a young WRNS officer and Plymouth girl called Elizabeth Marsh. The romance proceeded apace; Geoff proposed to Elizabeth on top of Sheepstor on Dartmoor, and in September 1946 they married in Plymouth. They were soon in Cambridge, where Geoff completed his degree in French and German in the space of eight terms – no confidence-building year abroad for him. During his time at Trinity Hall he became devoted to the Chaplain Launcelot Fleming, later Bishop of Portsmouth and then of Norwich. Such was Geoff ’s Christian faith and interest in the church that Elizabeth was convinced for a while that he would take holy orders. Instead, he decided on teaching and in 1948 took a position at Bristol Grammar School, where he remained for five years before moving to Kingswood School in Bath. Geoff and Elizabeth were keen to start a family, but this proved elusive. In 1952 Elizabeth decided to rejoin the WRNS; no sooner had she done so than the inevitable happened, and in June 1953 their elder son Richard was born, followed two years later by Tim. In 1959 Geoff took up what turned out to be his final teaching job as Head of Modern Languages at Radley College. He found Radley to be a ‘sporty’ school, although Geoff ’s participation more or less began and ended with coaching lower-school hockey. Warden Milligan

Geoff Savory (second left) performing in the 1962 Dons’ Play, ‘Not Cricket’. the old radleian 2021

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charged him with driving forward what, when he joined, was Radley’s slightly oldfashioned approach to languages; perhaps inevitably so as some of his colleagues were rather older than him and had had less opportunity to immerse themselves in the languages they were teaching. Geoff was an enthusiastic proponent of the innovative language lab, and among other initiatives fostered a close relationship and exchange programme with Schondorf, a school in Bavaria (two Schondorf pupils, Ingo von Berchem and Hannes Linn, were mentored by the Savory family during their year at Radley, and Geoff remained a close friend of Ingo and his family for the rest of his life). Geoff was more interested in long rambles than team sports, and he took on the Ridgeway and the Pennine Way among other lengthy walks. Holidays were spent at bird reserves or walking in the Brecon Beacons or on Dartmoor. In 1966 he took his excited family for their first foreign holiday, driving all over the Netherlands. Typically, being a proper linguist, he took the trouble to learn Dutch for several months before they set off. He got lost one day in Rotterdam and stopped the car to ask a policeman for directions. Running out of Dutch steam, he asked the policeman whether he spoke English. “Why should I”, replied the policeman, “when you speak such good Dutch?” Teaching apart, Geoff was a stalwart of the Dons’ Plays, and gave performances – the Medicine Man, Miss Scissors the matron and Professor Moriarty among them – which have lived on in the memories of those present. He also directed a number of more serious plays performed by the school’s Amateur Dramatic Society, including A Man For All Seasons and Othello. In 1981 Geoff and Elizabeth ‘retired’ to Plymstock and shortly afterwards to Brixton, a village in the South Hams where Geoff served as Chairman of Governors at the local primary school and on the parish council. His interest in languages was very much maintained – for ten years or more he examined French at GCSE and A Level for the Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, which provides educational assessments for over eight million learners in over 170 countries. This took him all over the UK, several times to the Channel Islands and, memorably, twice 100

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to Mauritius. In retirement, Geoff and Elizabeth acquired six grandchildren, and made regular visits to Leeds, Witney, Geneva and Avignon to visit them. By the evening of his life he was delighted by the addition of four great-grandchildren. During his teaching career Geoff had always continued to play the organ wherever and whenever he could, and retirement gave him the opportunity to do so on a regular basis. For the better part of thirty years he was the church organist, firstly at the Church of the Good Shepherd at the Royal Naval Hospital, and when that was closed in the 1990s at St Nicholas Church at HMS Drake, the Devonport naval base. He played at numerous weddings and funerals, including his son Richard’s wedding at Radley Parish Church in 1980. Ultimately, though, he gave up playing seven or eight years ago when, in his words, “I realised that I’d started to make mistakes”. A year or two later, aged 94 in 2016, he gave up his car and driving licence for the same reason... His final, and to him his most important, job started after Elizabeth developed vascular dementia around 2010. He became as devoted a carer as one could wish for, and in the last year or two of her life could usually be found on his knees beside her, holding her hand, and answering with infinite patience the same question that she would ask thirty or forty times every day. Elizabeth died aged 96 in April 2016, just short of 70 years into their marriage. Geoff had already agreed that it would be a good idea for them to move to Witney to be close to Linda and Richard, and after her death decided to go ahead with the move to a flat that had already been found for them. He moved into an ‘assisted living’ retirement complex that June, and was able to live independently with initially minimal but later much increased care by the excellent on-site Orders of St John Care Team. Signs of his own dementia – Alzheimer’s – were already clear by 2019, and progression was such that he had an official diagnosis in January of this year. Thankfully he developed few of the more distressing symptoms commonly associated with Alzheimer’s, and to the end of his long life continued to charm his family, friends and carers with his winning smile. Geoff was a person who was very rarely heard to complain about

anything; he always looked for the best in people. He had strong views about what he saw as being wrong with society – back in the 1960s this often related to longhaired men, mini-skirts and pop groups – but as is sometimes the case his views mellowed as the years rolled by. In some ways he was ahead of his time; his son Richard (as a child) has a very clear and formative memory of him having a heated disagreement with a visitor who said he would not want to sit next to what he termed a coloured man on the bus. Geoff was a great supporter of a dozen or more charities and has left a third of his estate to be divided between five of them. One of the downsides of a very long life is that there are very few contemporaries to step forward with reminiscences and tributes. Contemporaries at Radley that he counted among his closest friends and colleagues – Peter Way, Duggie Birks, Tony Money, Jim Rickards, Peter Stuart, Dick Usherwood, Nick Eyres and Bob Stoughton-Harris among others – have all gone. Nevertheless, the family was showered with warm words from the schools at which he taught (with heartfelt condolences from Hugo Langrish, Hamish Aird and John Perfect), parishioners and neighbours in Brixton and Witney and of course the many members of his and Elizabeth’s families. A long life, well-lived. Geoffrey Richard Savory died on 5th October 2021. Matthews, WOCM (Common Room 1995-2021) It is hard to find any corner of the Design Engineering department that does not bear the mark of Will Matthews (WOCM). WOCM joined the Design Department in September 1995 and quickly established himself as a capable and dynamic teacher. From the outset, he demonstrated boundless ambition for every student lucky enough to find themself in his company. The scale of projects produced by boys in his classes has long been a source of amusement, and sometimes despair! Ideas, often conceived at a modest scale, would invariably get the WOCM treatment, seeing them rapidly expand as if on steroids. His motto in life seemed to be, ‘never knowingly under-engineered.’ He could not resist supersizing even the most modest of Shell projects, and nothing illustrates this more perfectly than the Trebuchet he built to demonstrate a

Obituaries

design principle to our Shell designers. It was always his hope that one November 5th, he might be allowed to light the College bonfire with a fireball hurled from this magnificent machine. The Design department boasts some of the most impressive equipment to be found in any school, anywhere in the country and the development of our facilities has, often, been driven by WOCM’s relentless ambition for Radley to have the biggest and the best. Perhaps, his most memorable invention will always be the life size ‘Flying Gumby’ – reference Monty Python. For many, the construction alone would be sufficiently impressive; not for WOCM – oh no, he needed it to be kicked into life by non-other than her majesty, The Queen. Still not enough for WOCM! He needed it to be a life-sized flying Gumby, kicked into life by The Queen pressing down on a TNT style plunger! It was probably only WOCMs charm that got this past the Queen's close protection team! WOCMs limitless energy reached far beyond the realms of the Design Department. Memories of WOCM will be associated with many areas of College life; be that on the games field, with the CCF, in the Music school or on College expeditions. As a well-respected rugby coach, he enjoyed many successful seasons coaching the 4th XV. WOCM loved to win, and he was hugely strategic in his approach to any competition, be that a rugby match or a game of three-coin spoof. Few schools enjoyed the depth of talent from which WOCM was able to select his XV, and this gave him the competitive edge he always sought. However, tight games against the likes of Harrow and Tonbridge needed a little something extra, and this is where WOCM’s ‘loopy-juice’ came into play. He told his players that the Isotonic Hydration Formula, which he had them drink at half time, was the closely guarded secret of Olympic cyclists. Coming from a don of such sporting prowess – a world championship triathlete and channel swimmer to name but two, this was taken as gospel. His players would gulp down this magical elixir and return to the field convinced that they possessed superpowers. Like all great coaches, he made his team believe they were invincible and the results speak for themselves. Other Radleians will remember his enormous rucksack and gigantic stride

Will Matthews that ate up the miles on CCF Field Camps in the UK or school expeditions in the jungles of Borneo. WOCM loved the outdoors and the more demanding the conditions, the more he seemed to enjoy himself. CCF Field Weekends in the Brecon Beacons would always see him suspended in his hammock, alongside the stream, at the Crickhowell campsite. A weekend in the hills was something that many Radleians faced with real trepidation, but walking with WOCM rewarded even the most reluctant weekend warrior with a good tale to tell on his return to College. I remember one particularly unpleasant afternoon, descending from Pen-y-Fan to the goat track, finding WOCM and his group of six cadets happily eating their lunch inside his bright orange, 8-man survival bag. As my group struggled to find a spot out of the wind, I could see accusing looks cast my way as my cadets wondered, ‘Why don’t we have one of those?’ He was equally at home in the Music department as he was in Design Engineering. Growing up in a household of talented musicians, his musical career started as a small boy singing in the bathtub. He spent many years playing in the acclaimed family band and later, his own band - both of which played gigs in the JCR, entertaining staff and boys alike. WOCM taught generations of budding bass guitarists and gained enormous enjoyment from seeing the performance and successes of his pupils. Music was not only one of his innumerable gifts, but his passion, his joy and during his illness and time in hospital a source

of strength and solace. When offered the use of a bass guitar by an amazingly kind occupational therapist, his zest for life and incredible strength in the face of adversity found him playing and singing – performing from his bedside and in his element. Indeed, WOCMs uncompromising determination and positivity during such a difficult period was inspirational and at times beyond comprehension – the mark of the man. He really was “strong like bull”. To those who knew WOCM only through Radley, it is worthy of note, that he was exactly the same on the ‘other side’ of the school gates. Larger than life, multitalented, kind, ultra-competitive, always over-prepared, always positive, always late, always smiling and often in fancy dress! He made every moment of life count. Lastly, and perhaps his greatest legacy is that he was a friend to so many. He collected people, without angle or agenda, simply for the joy of friendship. Each of us is the sum of our histories – everything we experience makes us who we are and through friendship we make our way into other people’s histories; so, WOCM is out there in thousands of lucky people who had the opportunity to know him. He will be sadly missed by so many far and wide. For his family and friends, he leaves a hole in their lives that will never be filled and a warmth in their hearts that will never be surpassed. William Owen Corbett Matthews died on 12th March 2021.

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Van Oss, SM (Hon Member)

Bull, CC (1936, C)

Sue, as she was fondly known to all, died on 12th February 2021 after a long illness.

Twin brother of SC Bull, Christopher Bull’s time at Radley was, in his own words, “quite undistinguished, but not unenjoyable”. On leaving the College he went to Guy’s Hospital to study dentistry.

Born on 29th October 1936, Sue was the daughter of Tony and Peggy Gardiner and sister of Old Radleians David, Tim and James. Tony was a master at Radley for over 40 years and Tutor of D Social from 1945 to 1960. Sue was married to an Old Radleian, Collin Brown in 1963 until his death in 1998 and they had two children, Sarah and Jeremy. She married another OR, Peter Van Oss in 2001 and they moved to Somerset, where they continually welcomed and entertained a host of ORs and former colleagues and their families. Peter died in 2020 and his obituary was included in the last Old Radleian. With such a personal association with Radley, she was devoted to working with the Old Radleian Society from 1976 to 2001. She was appointed Acting Secretary in 1989 after the death of Peter Jackson but then returned to her normal duties when Alan Dowding was appointed Hon. Sec and with Jock Mullard when he took over in 1984. She was highly respected and admired by all her colleagues. Apart from organising OR events, she worked on administrative matters including the very tedious but necessary task of transferring the names and addresses of ORs to a database. She retained an incredible knowledge of ORs and their families.

Joining the RNVR in 1946, he served as a Surgeon-Lieutenant (D) for three years, whereafter leaving the service he continued to work as a Dental Surgeon and was a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers. In 1954 he married Elizabeth Shires with whom he had three sons and a daughter. Christopher Coulson Bull died on 16th May 2021. Wood, AM (1937, E) Antony Wood lived a truly international life. Having been born in Vladivostock, Russia in 1923, he came to Radley for three years before leaving the UK for Canada in 1940. Here he studied at Shawnigan Lake School, Vancouver Island and went on to Trinity College, Toronto in 1941. Serving as a Lieutenant with the Green Howards from 1943-46, he was wounded in action. Upon the end of the war, Antony joined first the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and then BP in 1946. His work over 30 years with them took him to Belgium, back to Canada, Switzerland, Germany and

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He married Adrienne Schuybrock in 1947 and together they had a son and a daughter. Antony Montague Wood died on 25th December 2020. Day, MG (1939, A)

He recalled his time at the College fondly, saying it “did a super job for me” and his two grandsons, Thomas (2002) and Nico (2004) followed him to Radley.

Over time Sue helped to raise over £3 million towards the Radley appeals. Such was her contribution to Radley that the Warden, John Moule, has said that Radley is proud to call her an Honorary Member of College.

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Belgium before retiring first to Ireland, then finally to Switzerland.

Michael Day left Radley in 1943 to go up to Worcester College, Oxford on a Military Course, joining the Scots Guards with a Regular Commission the following year. Rising to the rank of Captain he left the service in 1950, and joined Lloyds as an insurance broker and underwriter. He would work there for the next 34 years, finally retiring in 1985.

Sue worked with Dennis and Diana Silk alongside Tony Money (The Silk Roadshow) touring the country in the 1980s raising money for the Appeal which provided funds initially for the opening of the Sewell Centre and subsequently the Sports Hall and Concert Hall. She also worked with Jock Mullard and Richard Morgan for further appeals in the 1990s.

Mrs Susan M Van Oss died on 12th February 2021.

Antony Wood (front centre) in the E Social Platoon photo, 1939.

Michael George Day died on 17th February 2020. Briscoe, OV (1939, D)

Sue Van Oss (née Gardiner)

Dr Oliver Villiers Briscoe FRCP, FRCPsych, 95, of Woldingham, Surrey passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by members of his family and other animals. Oliver was the only child

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of Hugh Villiers Briscoe and Doreen Sybil Grant Briscoe (née Dallas), and had been married to Rita for 58 years. Oliver was educated at Radley College and Christ Church, Oxford. He then studied Medicine at The London Hospital whilst completing a law degree in his spare time. Oliver led a distinguished career as a psychiatrist in the NHS, he held senior positions at the Maudsley and Bethlem Royal Hospital, teaching at the Institute of Psychiatry, where he went on to become Vice-Dean, and was a member of both the Home Office panel of Independent Psychiatrists and the Parole Board of England. On retirement, he continued in private practice until the age of 86. Oliver was also a highly reputed physician internationally, he taught and practised psychiatry in Australia, Canada, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Oliver’s academic interests and knowledge spanned the natural sciences, the Law, Politics, History, and Classical Literature. He could locate any book from his extensive library, on any subject, and recall its contents in more detail than most of his children felt was necessary. But Oliver was by nature an engineer, he was fascinated by machines and as a younger man enjoyed motor cars. He owned a war surplus Willys Jeep as a medical student in London, and claimed to have imported the first Mini Cooper to Australia in the 1960s.

Oliver was also an animal lover; over the years he and Rita rescued a menagerie to become family pets, and conscientiously fed local fauna. Animals, particularly dogs, were a great source of companionship throughout his life, a bond he shared with the whole family. A brilliant, complex, introverted, patient and kind man, Oliver was painfully modest and thoroughly selfless. He was a stickler for good manners and purposeful in everything he did; he never failed to complete a Sunday Times crossword. Oliver had an incurable sweet tooth, perhaps the other consequence of his experience of rationing as a child. He had a sharp, dry, and quiet wit that only those closest to him might appreciate. Oliver is survived by Rita and his seven children; Richard, Liz, Hugh, Gabby, Patrick, Sarah and Charlotte. He also leaves behind six grandchildren; Oliver, Lucie, Ruby, Louis, Freddie and Frankie, and the family cat Mabel, who during his final chapter, barely left his bedside. Oliver Villiers Briscoe died on 6th March 2021. Earle, NL (1939, F) Leaving Radley in 1944, Nigel Earle went up to Hertford College, Oxford before serving with the RAC. Invalided out in 1945, he turned his hand to farming, which he would do for the next 40 years. His two sons, Brian (1967) and Patrick (1972), also attended Radley. Nigel Lawrence Earle died on 10th May 2021. Shillito, WT (1941, B) A prefect at Radley, William Shillito served as a Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards and South Wales Borderers during the Second World War. He left the service to work as a Provision Importer in 1950.

Dr Oliver Briscoe

Joining Ranks Hovis McDougall plc in 1961, he would stay with them until his retirement in 1981, when he was Chairman of a subsidiary company, Dairy Produce Packers Ltd. He maintained his links to this industry after retiring through his work with the Provision Trade Benevolent Institution. Marrying Jane Wroth in 1951, they had three children, sending both their sons, David (1970) and Bob (1972) to Radley.

William Shillito by Clocktower during his 2018 visit to Radley. His most recent visit to the College was as guest of honour to open the new kennels for the Radley beagles in September 2018. He had a great fondness for Radley and always enjoyed his copy of the Old Radleian. William Trueman Shillito died on 18th February 2020. Blencowe, RJ (1941, C) During his time at Radley, Richard Blencowe was a Prefect as well as captain of the Shooting VIII in 1944-46. His working life saw him spend over 40 years working in legal publishing and printing. He married Pamela Joan Squires in 1951, with whom he had a son and a daughter. He wrote to the Radleian Society in 2019 saying “I have had 91 years of a happy but uneventful life, thanks to being set on the right path by my wonderful years at Radley.”

Richard Blencowe in the 1946 Prefects photo. the old radleian 2021

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Robinson, MC (1941, D) Michael Robinson was born on 7th May 1927 and was educated at Radley College from 1940-44 where he played in the 1st Cricket XI and was awarded the batting cup. He was in the school Shooting VIII and Squash pair. He kept a tawny owl named Archimedes, which on occasion rode on the handlebars of his bicycle. On leaving school he joined the army and was commissioned into the Irish Guards in 1945, serving with them on internal security operations in Palestine in 1947. After leaving the army he spent three years working on the West Coast of the USA before joining the Plessey Company for whom he worked from 1954-56 when he left to join Eggar Forrester. Michael remained with Eggar Forrester from 1956 until 1980, rising to become Managing Director. He has been described as a ‘giant of the ship Sale & Purchase industry whose broking skills, especially in the context of generating new orders for Harland & Wolff, Austin & Pickersgill and other shipyards during the 1970s, were a cornerstone of Eggar Forrester’s success’. Michael Robinson held a vast array of directorships including with British Shipbuilders 1980-83; Hill Samuel Shipping Holdings 1983-86; Lloyds Register of Shipping 1986-90 and he was a member of the General Committee of Lloyds Register from 1986-94. He was also a director with James Fisher & Sons, Belfast Freight Ferries and Wilks Shipping Company Ltd. A keen cricketer and skier, Michael was a countryman at heart and a keen ornithologist, shot, gardener and naturalist. He was a Director and Trustee of Sevenoaks Wildfowl Reserve, a Trustee of Kent Wildlife Trust and a Director and Trustee of Chatham Historic Dockyard. He also served as Chairman of his local Branch of the Royal British Legion. Michael Robinson was a very proud member of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights. He was granted the Freedom of the Company on 16th October 1969, the Freedom of the City on 30th January 1970 and was clothed in the Livery on 16th July 1970. He became an Assistant to the Court in 1980 and Fifth Warden in 1989, progressing through the ranks of the Wardens until he was installed as Prime Warden on 21st April 1994. He retired from the Court in 2007 but retained a very keen interest in the Company and provided invaluable assistance to 104

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the Ark Appeal and the Shipwrights’ Apprenticeship Scheme. Michael was married to Elisabeth who was also held in the highest regard by the Shipwrights and was made a Freeman honoris causa in 1995 but sadly died in 2017. Their sons Simon (1969) and Gavin (1971) also came to Radley, and Simon followed his father into the Company of Shipwrights and onto the Court, serving as Prime Warden from 2013-14. Michael Cradock Robinson died on 23rd November 2020. Portal, SGM (1941, E) Simon Portal went from Radley into the army in 1945, joining the 17/21 Lancers in 1947 after completing his training. He served in Palestine in 1948, was attached to the 8 Hussars in Korea in 1950-51 and the Trucial Oman Scouts in 1955-56. His final posting was as an ADC to the Commander in Chief of Far Eastern Land Forces (FARELF) from 1958-59. After leaving the army he worked as a Member of the London Stock Exchange. Simon George Melville Portal died on 10th March 2021. FitzGerald, JDA (1942, C) The son of a Lieutenant-Colonel, it was perhaps no surprise when John FitzGerald, followed his time at Radley by entering

Michael Robinson

the RMA Sandhurst. He served with the Royal Norfolk Regiment in the Korean War in 1951, before transferring to 1/6 Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles as a Captain in 1955. Seconded from the East Anglian Regiment for service with the Government of Mauritius from 1960-62, he raised and commanded the Mauritius Special Mobile Force. Holding several further regimental postings, including three years in Bahrain as Public Relations Officer, he retired from the Army with the rank of Major in 1979. His post-service career saw him take on the role of Northeast Regional Director for the Sutton Housing Trust, a post he would hold until 1991, when he became, with his wife Anne, Joint Hon County Director for Research into Ageing. In retirement, he was a Steward and Guide in York Minster and embarked on a potted history of the FitzGeralds from the Conquest of Ireland to the present day (for family consumption only!). John Desmond Alexander FitzGerald died on 13th February 2021. Payne, GD (1942, C) David Payne was born in 1929, the middle child in a family of three children. His elder brother, Peter (1940), farmed in Yorkshire and his sister, Sally, was based near Sevenoaks. David went up to Radley in 1942. Sadly, he lost his father at the age of 17 in his last year at Radley, not returning for what should have been the Lent and Summer terms of his final year. This resulted in him going straight to work in the family firm – George Payne & Co - and foregoing his place at Clare College, Cambridge to read maths. Although George Payne & Co was better known for its chocolates (famously their Just Brazils and Poppets), its success was built on their tea and coffee trade. In 1910, it was recorded as the largest tea merchant business in the world. For many years, it supplied all the ‘own label’ tea and coffee for Sainsbury’s (amongst others). David’s time was spent largely in the beverages division, acting for many years as director of the division. He served twice as President of the Tea Buyers’ Association, and once as President of the Tea Trade Benevolent Society, serving on the Board for longer than he could remember. As a child, David suffered from serious asthma, thus failing his National Service

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medical. However, by avoiding disclosure of the reasons for indefinite deferment of his National Service, he was able to join the Honourable Artillery Company (“HAC”), in which his father and two uncles had also served. He played an active role in the HAC from 1947 until 1962 when, having reached the rank of Battery Sergeant Major, poor health caused him to transition to the veteran arm of the HAC: the Company of Pikemen and Musketeers, who provide a ceremonial guard for the Lord Mayor of London, and from whose ranks he eventually retired in 2000. During his time with the HAC, he was a frequent volunteer for its detachment to the Special Constabulary for the City of London Police. David married Hilary King in 1960; Mark (1974, C) was born in 1961, Phillip (1976, C) in 1963, Gilly in 1965 and Jenny in 1969. David enjoyed his horse-riding, skiing, shooting, and golfing. He was also a keen fly fisherman, as well as being (according to him) a bad gardener. A man of strong Christian faith, David supported the local parish, volunteering to fill the role of Church Warden, Treasurer and/or Sidesman whenever needed. David played an active role in the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers - where he was Master in 2002. He was a significant supporter of their charitable causes, including funding a Bursary at the South Bank University, and made regular donations to numerous other charities. David attended the OR Livery Dinners whenever he could, and he was a lifelong supporter of the College Beagles until his death. On his retirement, David found time to serve as a governor of Sunnydown School (a local special needs school) and a trustee of The Reedham Children’s Trust (providing support for vulnerable and disadvantaged children), and he was one of the original volunteers for the local branch of the Woodland Trust, joining their regular working parties. He leaves four children and eight grandchildren. He also had eight godchildren, who all seem to have been very fond of him and to have remained in contact with him by post, telephone and email. ‘A true gentleman’ is the most frequently used phrase in the considerable tributes which the family have received. George David Payne died on 24th March 2021.

Sterwin, PPJ (1943, A) As a scholar Peter studied classics and won a number of prizes. He went up to Trinity College Oxford, also as a scholar, taking a degree in “Greats”, before serving with the Royal Artillery in Hong Kong. He then joined Shell International, working first in Ceylon (as it then was) and then in Central and South America. Subsequently he found his metier in recruitment, which he pursued with Shell as a consultant. He was secretary of the Shell Pensioners Association and subsequently a Trustee Director of the Shell Pensioners Benevolent Association, together with other voluntary work. His interests included culture and the arts, modern history, the turf and travel. He is survived by his beloved wife, to whom he was happily married for 56 years. Peter Philip Jarrett Sterwin died on 29th November 2020. Lawe, JE (1943, D) John Lawe was born in London England on August 26th, 1929, was educated at Radley College, and received his medical training at the Middlesex Hospital, University of London. He served in the British Army Royal Corps of Signals. He and Jean were married in 1959 and they immediately came to the US for John to work at the Cancer Research Institute in Boston. He later accepted a staff position in pathology at the Hitchcock Medical Center in 1963. That year the couple moved to the Goodrich Four Corners area in Norwich, Vermont, where they have lived ever since. John loved Norwich and was active in the local organizations and government. Since 1965 he has been a member of the Norwich Lions Club, the Norwich Health Officer since 1978, and was a member and clerk of the Norwich Selectboard between 1982 and 2000. His passion for the environment and interest in local planning led him to represent Norwich on the Regional Planning Council and the Connecticut River Joint Commission, and served on the Norwich Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Development Review Board, and for 30 years on the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. He was a founding member of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

John Lawe A member of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church since the family settled in Norwich, he was its treasurer for 15 years. He also was a reader at the annual Norwich Christmas Pageant (chiefly the manger scene) for many years. In 2003 he joined the Norwich Fast Squad, serving for 10 years and arranging educational sessions for its members. John was an accomplished carpenter, electrician and plumber. He and the family designed and built a large barn for their horses and equipment. He also helped renovate the old Root Schoolhouse, now a community center. He was a jogger, cyclist, canoer, and skier. Latterly he loved gardening and breadmaking. John was devoted to his family - Jean, his wife of 62 years and his son Stephen, his daughter-in-law Kathryn, and his two grandchildren, Spencer and Julia. He took great pride in their accomplishments. His geographically scattered family live abroad which led him and Jean to make many trips to “visit the relatives.” John Edwards Lawe died on 14th October 2021. John Carlisle McBride (1943, E) A courageous hooker for the 1st XV in both 1946 and 1947, John McBride was the son of Vice-Admiral Sir W. McBride. On leaving Radley, he too initially went into the Royal Navy, serving from 1948-55. Upon leaving the service he moved into advertising, working for S.H.Benson Ltd, before becoming the Marketing Director at the Sunday Times from 1962-66.

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Moving into printing, he held a number of Directorships and was Chairman of the Secretan Names Association at Lloyds. John Carlisle McBride died in December 2019. Yates, MJ (1944, A) Michael Yates was born in Singapore in 1929 to a mother from Cape Town, South Africa and a father from Louth in Lincolnshire. He returned briefly to England to a prep school in Leeds run by his Uncle Jack. Then just as World War 2 began he and his mother flew out to India to join his father who was in business in Calcutta. He then continued his schooling in Darjeeling at ‘The New School’ which was run by expats specifically for their offspring. It was here he met his future wife Juliet but always known as Jill. As the war drew to a close and following the defeat of the Japanese, Michael was sent back to England on a troop ship to go to Radley. Michael loved his time at Radley and excelled academically and at sports, and played in the 1st XV. His love of squash, tennis, golf and hockey continued out of

school for the rest of his life. He became Second Prefect to the Prefect who was a year above him. After Radley, Michael won a place at Oxford University to study medicine. His love of drama nearly took over when he almost gave up his medical career to “tread the boards”! However his uncle Jack, a seasoned actor, came down to Merton College Oxford to dissuade him from this “crazy” decision and he then continued on his medical path to finish his training at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. He then focussed on Obstetrics and Gynaecology, becoming a lecturer in these subjects at the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. In 1967 he became a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon, and in 1977 he qualified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians. He went on to publish innumerable articles in renowned journals, including the Lancet and the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He delivered many babies over the years and when asked by one of his three children the gender of the odd famous or celebrity baby, he would reply

“I don’t remember but it was a very interesting delivery”! He married Jill Gladstone in 1952 and they went onto have 3 daughters, Cary, Clare and Candida and a son, Christopher who also attended Radley in 1969. He then went on to have 9 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. They were all very important in his life and he supported them in everything that interested them whether in sport, music, academia or theatre. Michael continued to play golf into his latter years, along with his love of the arts, theatre and music; especially Jazz. Soon after becoming a widower in 2007, he moved to the Wiltshire town of Marlborough and rediscovered his schoolboy love of history - becoming a Guide at the Merchants House which is a local historical museum and shop which is popular with tourists, academics and locals. In the last few years of his life he retained his love of life and was extremely sociable and would be seen on his mobility scooter, popping into pubs and restaurants with various local friends and family. He died after a short illness, surrounded by his loving family. Michael John Yates died on 23rd May 2021. Tristram, DR (1944, C) After going up to study Chemistry at Merton College, Oxford, David Tristram put what he had learnt on the river to good use, as part of the Oxford University Trial VIII and the Head of River VIII in 1951. Upon leaving university in 1952, he moved to Dublin to a role as a brewer for A. Guinness & Company, where he would work for the next 20 years. He then changed tack, becoming a plant breeder and proprietor of a wholesale nursery from 1973 until his retirement. He married Rosemary Roberts in 1953 and together they had three children and six grandchildren. David Ralph Tristram died on 22nd February 2020. Wigg, JEM (1944, E)

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John (‘JEMW’) Wigg was born on 27th May 1929 in Blackheath, Kent. He spent his early childhood living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his father ran a stockbroking firm.

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survived by his three children and four grandchildren. John Eric Mackenzie Wigg died on 6th January 2021. Buchanan, MFB (1945, A) Michael Buchanan was a supporter of Radley long after leaving the College in 1950. Serving on the Radleian Society Committee from 1962 to 1967, he also organised the North West OR Dinner that took place in 2000. His working life saw him hold various senior managerial positions within Allied Breweries Ltd over nearly 40 years, having joined as a brewer in 1953. Michael Frederick Beaver Buchanan died on 25th November 2020. Vidal, ARG (1945, B) John Wigg (back row, right) and Andrew Vidal (front) in the 1947 1st VIII. JEMW attended Radley College from 1944-47 and was in ‘E’ Social. Radley left an indelible impression on John, beginning with his initial journey to school from Buenos Aires involving several weeks aboard a merchant ship in a transatlantic convoy ‘stretching as far as the eye could see’. A highlight of his time at Radley was rowing with the 1st VIII team. Another was escorting Field Marshal Montgomery on a school visit. JEMW was a strong advocate of the school and its values and was immensely pleased that his grandson Sebastian attended Radley. JEMW completed his military service as a Lieutenant in The King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, with which he served in the Malayan Emergency from 1948-49. He then returned to Argentina and in April 1953 was married to Joyce Penelope Hall. The newly-weds immediately embarked for London, where John began a long career in insurance and reinsurance, working initially for Friends Provident. Drawn by the opportunities back in the Americas, the young couple emigrated to Canada. There they settled initially in Vancouver, after driving across the continent in a Hillman Estate car. They subsequently transferred to Toronto before accepting a posting to Mexico in 1960. JEMW was so captivated by the country that he remained in Mexico for the remainder of his life.

In 1967 JEMW formed the joint venture Willis Faber, Dumas & Wigg and later established his own company, Mexbrit. Over the next three decades this firm became a leading private Latin American reinsurance brokerage group with strong links to the London reinsurance market. Keen to promote British commercial interests in Mexico, JEMW also worked as the Mexico representative of the UK merchant bank Baring Brothers and of BP for many years. JEMW enjoyed playing tennis and golf with his family and riding his mare Ninotschka through the Mexican pinewoods near his weekend home, as well as in show jumping contests. John thrived organising events, both on foot and horseback, such as expeditions to remote mountain hibernation sites of the monarch butterfly in the 1970s. A passionate sailor since his days racing Lymington Scows in the Solent just after WWII, he realised his ocean sailing dream when he and Joyce bought the 44’ sloop Quetzal in 1987. He competed in the Antigua Race Week on four occasions, winning the best-in-class trophy in his debut regatta in 1990. John lived his final days in his home in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. He was active in business well into his 80s, retaining a visionary optimism and zest for life in spite of the onset of dementia. He passed away peacefully aged 91. John is

Following his father Montague (1904) to Radley, Andrew Vidal was the cox for the 1st VIII in 1947. On leaving the College he attended Seale Hayne Agricultural College and would go on to be a farmer all his adult life after. He ran a family mixed agriculture farm in Ticehurst East Sussex. He leaves his wife, Inger, after 61 years of marriage and his daughter Suzanne, and two sons Richard and Mark and seven grandchildren. Andrew Richard Gaisford Vidal died on 9th September 2020. Bradbrooke, DH (1946, B) David Bradbrooke was the first of two brothers to attend Radley, Jeremy (1949) following him to the College. Articled to Simmons & Sons, Land Agents and Surveyors in Henley-on-Thames after leaving Radley, he continued his work in Land Management, joining the Agricultural Land Service at Chelmsford in 1958. Over thirty years, he rose to the post of Principal Land Management Adviser for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, before closing out his career as a Land Agent for Northumbria County Council. Marrying Wilhelmina Olive Hayhoe in 1958, they went on to have two daughters and a son. David Hugh Bradbrooke died on 23rd January 2021.

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Hague, DWT (1945, F) David Hague’s first stop after leaving Radley in 1949 was at Tabor Academy, Massachusetts as an American Exchange Scholar. Upon returning to the UK he went up to St. John’s College, Cambridge where he read Moral Sciences. His working life saw him as a Company Director. He leaves a son and two daughters. David William Taylor Hague died on 6th December 2020. Rogers-Coltman, WJ (1946, D) Wyndham Rogers-Coltman was born on a small 27 acre farm in Shropshire in 1932. One of four children he was brought up almost entirely by his mother after his father, who was serving at Dover Castle under Admiral Bertram Ramsay, died of peritonitis in 1944. Wyndham went to D Social in 1944. He was the younger brother of Charles (1943, D). He was also father of two Radleians Julian (1975, D) and Simon (1981, D) and grandfather of five. Charlie (2008), Hughie (2010), Tom (2012) and Will

(2014). Edward Parish is currently at Radley. His academic and sporting career at Radley were not outstanding, however his overriding passion while at Radley was the recently founded beagle pack. He whipped in for two seasons and took some hounds home to Shropshire by train which involved crossing London between stations in taxis no doubt to the astonishment of the drivers. He was disappointed not to be made Master in 1949, the honour going to Anthony Hart. He passed into the Royal Navy in 1951. He took voluntary retirement in 1964 as Lieutenant Commander as an AntiSubmarine Specialist following service in the Home Fleet, South Africa, Hong Kong commanding a patrol boat and lastly in an Anti Submarine Frigate on detached duty in the Far East, Indian Ocean and Atlantic. He, his wife Oriel and son Julian moved to Northumberland in 1964. He became a partner in a farming partnership BJC Smalley & Co., farming 1750 acres mixed arable and stock which was dissolved voluntarily in 1980. He was a Founder and Managing Director of Lowick Farmers

Wyndham Rogers-Coltman (centre, in breeches) with the Beagles in 1949. 108

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Silos Ltd a grain drying, storage and merchanting business 1969-90 which was sold to Associated British Foods in 1990. Throughout this time he was involved with several other organisations – Northumberland County Councillor 1985 – 93, Governor and Chairman of Governors of Berwick High School for 20 years retiring in 2013. Member of Northumberland and Durham CLA committee 1982-1993 and latterly Chairman. He served as a Main Board Director of the National Rivers Authority responsible for Northumbria/Yorkshire region for 7 years and for 3 years as a Countryside Commissioner. He was involved in the start up of six separate businesses on the fringes of agriculture. He was High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1986 and was awarded the OBE in 1989 for public service. After the farming partnership was dissolved, Wyndham farmed one of the four farms, Berryburn near Berwick upon Tweed. He and Oriel built a lovely house and made a garden out of a wilderness. Wyndham planted a mini arboretum

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which he maintained single handed. He was a great countryman, an expert on wildife and enjoyed shooting. In 2014, he and Oriel moved back to his home county of Shropshire where all their children and 11 grandchildren live. He was much loved by them all not just for his sense of fun but also for his wisdom and kindness. Wyndham Julian Rogers-Coltman died on 8th September 2020. Gray, IR (1947, B) In his letters to Radley, Ian Gray recalls many happy memories, in spite of the somewhat severe regime of Warden Wilkes and the rationing still in effect. His initial career took him to Belfast, where he worked as a Marine Engineer with Harland & Wolf from 1950 to 1962. He then returned to education, studying for a Theology Diploma at London University and attending the European Bible Institute in France. All this study was to allow him to work with Wycliffe Bible Translators as a Bible translation consultant in Ghana. From 1965, he helped nationals to produce the Old Testament in their own languages (of which there are 63 in Ghana). Along with his wife, Claire whom he married in 1962, they continued their missionary work for over 40 years. They had three children, two sons and an adopted daughter. Ian Richardson Gray died 4th July 2020. Payne, JC (1947, C) After a Radley education that imparted a lifetime of happy memories rowing, cycling, rugby, chapel and the Gramophone Society not least amongst them, John joined the family firm, George Payne & Co., tea, coffee and chocolate merchants. After a year in Colombo learning the tea business from plantation to blending, John spent six months in Hamburg getting to know the coffee side, “A ticklish one”, as he put it, “because of the impression the RAF had made a decade earlier.” John worked in this line throughout his career, becoming the marketing co-ordinator of Kenco Coffee and later a freelance consultant. Politics and local government were lifelong passions, and he represented several wards on Elmbridge Borough Council, becoming mayor in 1983-4. He was a school governor and chair of

David Horner (rear row, second left) and Ted Dexter (rear row, third left) in the 1952 Prefects photograph. numerous charities and organisations in the borough, as well as Master of the OR Lodge. Books, beer and bicycles pedalled happily along throughout his life.

to become a Chartered Accountant and worked in the Haulage industry as Finance Director of the Transport Development Group plc.

John sadly became a widower in 2014, yet this fellow, hitherto untrammelled with the travails of domesticity, unveiled a flair for cooking with a wine assist, becoming the food critic of the local paper – “a legend in his own lunchtime.” He was an enthusiastic advocate of Radley, a great friend of the Cobham community and a much-loved local character. John passed away on New Year’s Day in 2021, after six months of ill-health, borne with fortitude.

He also served as a member of Radley College Council from 1985-90 and was joint founder of the Dan & Morfa Pope Memorial Fund, a charity for young people in Shipley. Proud of his long family association with Radley, he remained in touch with the College throughout his life.

Written by his son, Simon Payne (1974, G)

The headline of The Times sporting news from Wednesday 14th June 1961 reads “Australia thwarted by Dexter’s aggression and authority”. This was in reference to the 180 runs he had made to help save the Test, but it also gives an impression of the man himself - swashbuckling panache mixed with an air of self-confidence.

John Christopher Payne died on 1st January 2021. Horner, DS (1947, F) David Horner had links to Radley, through his marriage to Susan Hickman, that went back to the 1870s, with his brothers John (1934) and Stephen (1958), his son Richard (1974) and his grandsons James Mahon (2009) and Nick Mahon (2012) all attending the College. Whilst at Radley, he was a member of the 1951 1st XV and a school Prefect the following year. Upon leaving he studied

David Spencer Horner died on 6th April 2021. Dexter, ER (1948, F)

A consummate sportsman he played golf, rugby, hockey and fives all to a high standard, but it was as a cricketer that he truly excelled and he went on to captain Sussex and England, for whom he played in 62 Tests. His forceful middle-order batting saw him score nine Test centuries (with five of them over 150) and his the old radleian 2021

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useful right-arm medium bowling took 66 Test Wickets. After retiring from playing in 1968, he returned to cricket as an administrator, taking the role of Chairman of Selectors from 1989-93. He was also appointed as President of the MCC. Born in Italy, he came to Radley following his brother, John (1946) where his sporting prowess was quickly noticed. As well as playing for the 1st XV and Rackets it was as a key member of the cricket 1st XI from 1950-53 that he made his mark. His self-confident and aloof manner were already evident at this age and earned him the nickname ‘Lord Ted’ from cricket coach, Ivor Gilliat, a nickname that was to stick with him throughout his life. Radley also had ample demonstration of his bighitting batting style, and when asked about the the truth behind the Radley story that when batting on Bigside, he had once hit the ball over Shop, he answered that he reckoned it “cleared Shop by about 30 yards”. Away from the sports pitches, he won the Storrs Oral French Prize and he recalled the time when he was appointed Senior Prefect in 1953: “Senior Prefect appointees had to go and see the Warden the day before term started, so I had go and see the Reverend Vaughn Wilkes. I went down to the Warden’s Lodge and he was waiting for me in his study. I walked in and, without looking at me, he said

‘Ah, Baxter… oh, I mean, Dexter’ and there was a long silence as I waited for some words of wisdom. Then he said ‘Baxter, I mean Dexter, tell me… what is the state of your relationship with the Almighty?’ Now I’m not often lost for words, but on this occasion I was utterly dumbstruck!” After his National Service, spent as a Second Lieutenant with the 11th Hussars during the Malayan Emergency, he went up to Jesus College, Cambridge, where as well as earning his cricket blue, he also captained the University Golf Club. But again, it was to be the cricket field where he was to come to national prominence. Playing for Sussex, he made his Test debut in 1958 against New Zealand and such was the impact he had, that he was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1961 and was named captain of England the same year. His swashbuckling batting style transferred to his captaincy, where he was constantly tinkering with field placings and trying new theories to the extent that it has been said that he was “the man who shaped modern cricket’. However, this style had its downsides as he lost interest in games that had become dull and it led to mistakes as he looked to liven the game up. Despite, or perhaps because of his reputation, when asked about his favourite cricketing moment he recalled the 1963 Melbourne Test against Australia. Having lost the first innings the England tourists

were underdogs and found themselves needing 240 runs to save the test: “I walked out with David Sheppard, the Reverend, who gave me a few words of advice “It’s a fifth day pitch, it’s not a day for big shots. Let’s just take a few singles.’ I knew he was trying to calm me down a bit. Well, within 40 minutes we had the captain swearing at the fielders, the fielders swearing at the bowlers and Australia were reeling. We just kept pinching singles until they brought the field in and then we’d punch it through for four. We really stuck it to them and won the game quite easily.” Retiring from Test cricket in 1968, he would return to the game as Chairman of Selectors in 1989. It was not a happy time in English cricket and whilst the reforms he implemented, such as the change from three-day to four-day county cricket, would benefit England in the long run, poor results and unpopular selection decisions saw him quit the post in 1993. His life away from the field was equally action-packed: working as a commentator, setting up his own sports promotion business, writing a crime novel (Testkill), winning numerous golf tournaments, standing as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Cardiff in 1965. A lover of the high life, he owned sports cars, motorbikes, airplanes, greyhounds and racehorses, but cricket was always his great love. In a statement following his death, the MCC described him as “one of England’s greatest ever cricketers”. He was a representation of the best of the old game of cricket, having captained the last ever ‘Gentleman vs Players’ match, his approach to the game was so modern it would not be out of place in today’s world of Twenty20. As guest of honour at the 2017 Old Radleian dinner at Lord's, he looked back on his time at the College with great fondness, saying: “Radley was wonderful to me. It gave me a chance to play ball games which I just turned out to be pretty good at. I love Radley dearly for that.”

Ted Dexter captaining the 1953 Cricket 1st XI. 110

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Edward Ralph Dexter died on 25th August 2021.

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Haye, P (1948, G) Paul Haye and his brother Stephen (1948) followed their father, Lt-Col Ronald Haye (1919) to Radley. He was a Junior Scholar and won both the Latin Prose Prize and the Diving Cup, as well as being a House Prefect and editor of The Radleian. He left Radley to go on exchange to Kent School, USA for one year, before returning for his National Service. Upon completing this, he went up to Oriel College, Oxford to study jurisprudence and worked as a Solicitor for thirty years. Richards, PC (1949, B) Upon leaving Radley, Peter Richards studied Surveying and became a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in 1960. He worked for the Abbey National as a Chartered Surveyor until his retirement in 1992. He married Jennifer in 1972 and they had one son together. Peter Campbell Richards died on 2nd April 2021.

Timothy Bather (centre) in the 1954 Prefects photo.

Briant Holland in 1953.

Bather, TS (1949, D)

for the 1957 Mays. He retained a deep passion for rowing throughout his life.

Diana and four children. He trained to become a civil pilot, but the UK recession meant jobs in civil aviation were scarce. He drove a double decker London bus for two years, before being invited by Cabair International (the company at which he had done his civil aviation training) to use his decades of experience to become a flight instructor for them, an invitation he gladly accepted. He worked there until his retirement.

During his time at the College, Timothy Bather represented the 1st XV in 1953 and went on to be a School Prefect the following year. After National Service in Germany, he returned to work for ICI in their Paints Division in 1958. Moving to work in the insurance industry he worked for Castle Sundborn Ltd, an Independent Financial Advisors and Insurance Intermediary, where he would go on to be, first, Managing Director and then Chairman. He continued his youthful interest in rugby as a patron of Bath Rugby club. He married Madeline Dowsing in 1960 with whom he had two daughters and a son. Timothy Sven Bather died on 1st November 2020. Holland, BC (1949, D) Briant Holland sadly passed while on holiday with one of his four sons in Tenerife in January 2021. Thankfully not COVID-related, Briant was in good health until the day his heart gave up. Briant was at Radley from 1949, where he discovered his love for rowing; he went up to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he was a successful Captain of Boats

He met Diana, his lifelong love and partner, while at Radley and went on to marry her while at Sidney Sussex. Upon leaving College he joined the Royal Air Force and trained as a pilot in Canada. He flew Javelin fighter aircraft on operations in Malaysia and Borneo before becoming a Test Pilot in 1967, becoming part of the development of aircraft and systems before they entered active service. After a tour in the USA at the United States Naval Test Pilot School, where he trained with Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, he returned to the UK to be a test pilot on the P1127, subsequently known as the Harrier Jump Jet, once in service with the RAF. He was also a part of the team that developed head-up displays for aircraft, a technology now commonplace in cars. As his career in the RAF progressed, he went from fixed wing to rotary wing (aircraft to helicopters in normal speak), flying Wessex helicopters and completing tours including Northern Ireland (19811983) and Hong Kong (1983-1985). Throughout his military career, he earned himself three campaign medals. After a long and prosperous career of 34 years in the RAF, Briant left in 1991 to settle in London near Kings Cross with his wife

Upon retirement, life changed again as Diana developed Alzheimer’s and he became her carer at the family home in Russell Square for nearly a decade, before she sadly passed in December 2015. He moved to Henley-on-Thames, in part to be close to the annual Regatta, an event he had attended without fail for most years since Sidney Sussex. Briant leaves behind four sons: Nicholas (1973), Toby (1975), Quentin (1976) and Ben (1988), all Radleians too. He was always a happy, calm, loving Dad and will be very greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. He was the kindest, most gentle man any of us have ever known. Briant Cuyler Holland died on 20th January 2021. the old radleian 2021

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Gale, RG (1949, H) After his (self-described) “undistinguished” four years at Radley, Richard Gale qualified as a Chartered Surveyor (Estate Management) before joining the RAF in 1958 and flying in a low level nuclear strike squadron in Germany. Civil Aviation followed in 1963, flying longhaul first with British Airways and then Virgin Atlantic as a pilot and captain until his retirement in 2001. Looking back, he said he had a “great life of travel and conviviality round the world". His nephew writes: “I know that my uncle thoroughly enjoyed his time at Radley which he regarded as preparing him very well for life.” Richard Grover Gale died on 4th April 2021. Mitchell, CB (1950, D) An Hon Exhibitioner at Radley, Christopher Mitchell went on to Queens’ College, Cambridge to study Law. He went on to work as a Solicitor in London.

Before starting his French and Physics degree course at Exeter College, Oxford, Jasper was sent to Colchester Barracks to embark on his national service. This was an experience to which Jasper was not particularly suited. He was part of an artillery team with no weapons; all their guns had been sent to the Suez crisis. Jasper later claimed that all he learnt from national service was how to avoid doing any work. It also left him with a lifelong dislike of itchy woollen shirts. While posted at the barracks, he helped many of the other young men by reading their letters to them, and he taught some of them to read and write. Jasper finally started his degree course but he did not complete it. He instead took a job selling hotdogs and burgers on Old Kent Road. Jasper Senior would sometimes be on the train, hearing other commuters discuss their sons’ achievements. Little did he know the wonderful business successes and life adventures that Jasper Junior would soon come to enjoy. Moving on from selling hot dogs and burgers, Jasper spent his summers working on yachts around the Mediterranean, and his winters in the UK, improving properties. With his bold, intelligent, maverick outlook, Jasper was always what you might call a larger than life character, ever willing to take chances. Throughout the sixties, Jasper’s business flourished and grew. He had a knack of always being one step ahead in his property development and interior design work, and he and Mo moved around London, transforming various buildings in Islington and Hackney, and on Ledbury Road in Notting Hill Gate, whilst also managing the decorating and interior design shop on Danbury Street near the Angel, Islington.

Christopher Mitchell (front row, centre). Knight, JJ (1950, G) Jasper James Knight was born in London on 5th May 1937 to parents Betty and Jasper Frederick Knight. Jasper moved up to Radley where both he and Rob, his younger brother boarded. Jasper was a keen rower during his time at Radley. The school also kept its own pack of beagle hounds and he became fully immersed in the beagling activities there. 112

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Jasper was a renowned interior designer, and his circle of friends and clients (and clients who became friends) grew to include many famous characters, including George Melly, Peter Cook, Bill Oddie, and Annabel Jones (Viscountess Astor), co-founder and CEO of home furnishings retailer OKA. It was during their London property days, that Mo and Jasper met Keith Harrison, also known as Boots, and his wife Thora; Boots and Thora became very close friends of the Knights. At the age of 45, Jasper took up skiing, and

true to his eccentric nature, he could be seen skiing in the French Alps, dressed in Barbour jacket and tweed cap. Before long, he would find himself drawn back there, and skiing in France would soon become central to the Knight family’s world. Around the turn of the millennium, Jasper and Mo were blessed with four grandchildren; two grandsons and two granddaughters. Grandson Jasper has penned this poem: My Grandad - Jasper James Knight My grandad was a man of men, a grafter through and through, But he planted seeds and tended them, with care until they grew His intellect spanned the far reaches of space, but I’m sure his voice went further He always said things with his chest. I never heard him murmur. Strong and smart, loud but loving. A true man of might. This is always how I will remember my grandad Jasper James Knight In 2018 Jasper moved into Littlebourne House, a care home in the East Kent village of Littlebourne, where he was exceptionally well cared for, and enjoyed regular family visits. Jasper James Knight died on 26th December 2020. Winterton, HC (1950, D) Upon leaving Radley, Humphrey Winterton studied law and went on to work in Washington DC, USA, where he married Vittoria Viola in 1966. In the late 1970s he and his family moved to Nairobi to work as a solicitor. He was followed to Radley by his son, Andrew (1986). Humphrey Charles Winterton died on 25th May 2020.

Humphrey Winterton (centre).

Obituaries

Wilson, JJS (1951, D) Jeremy died peacefully but unexpectedly at home in Portugal on 5th August 2021 after a short illness. The funeral was held on 7th August 2021 in Portugal. Jeremy was a Prefect at Radley and played for the college at Cricket 1st XI 1954-1956, Rugby 1st XV 1954-1955, Hockey 1st XI 1954-1955 and Fives 1955-1956. On leaving Radley, he was invited to join both the Harlequins and MCC. He was commissioned into the 43rd and 52nd (Oxs & Bucks) and served in Cyprus for the duration of his national service. He spent the majority of his working life in the Far East with Alfred Dunhill before retiring to Portugal. Jeremy James Studholme Wilson died on 5th August 2021.

George Clare (rear row, right) with the 1956 Prefects. Ceilers (London) and was appointed Master in 1987. A Lieutenant in the London Irish Rifles (TA), he continued his links with this regiment through their Association. On retirement he kept himself busy with choral singing at the Leatherhead Choral Society, studied history under the sponsorship of the University of Surrey and local and City affairs. In 1963, he married Helen Shannon, sister of C.E. Shannon (1954) and together they had three daughters. Jeremy Wilson Clare, AGH (1951, E) A Prefect, Junior Scholar and winner of the Gunn Cup during his time Radley at Radley, George Clare went on to have a career in international state and private pensions - working mainly with actuaries – and became a Fellow of the Pension Management Institute in 1973. He would go on to be the Director/Principal with a number of insurance and actuary companies and was Secretary-General of EURACS from 1985. He was a long time member of the Worshipful Company of Joiners and

Adrian George Howe Clare died on 9th December 2020. Neal, MJA (1951, E) Malcolm Neal’s period of National Service after Radley led him to gaining a commission in the Army where he was posted to Germany and Holland before seeing active service in Cyprus and Libya. This last posting gave rise to the following story that he shared with the Radleian Society: On arrival in Libya with six weeks remaining before return to civilian life I was put in charge of a ‘Map Reading Cadre’ for NCOs. At the end of the course my

company Commander, ex SAS and who was based in the Sahara during the war, set a course way into the Sahara. We split into three groups ‘1; walking from position ‘A’ to ‘B’ and then to ‘C’ groups ‘2’ and ‘3’ followed after an interval. I was a bit rusty on how to use your watch to set a compass. There were no bushy topped trees or church spires and no road signs just miles and miles of sand dunes. I followed group 3, after about an hour the Group ‘3’ leader turned round to me and said, “Sorry sir, I don’t know where we are”. I was having difficulty in determining where we were myself. I decided that the only thing to do would be to keep walking south until we reached the Trans Sahara Railway. It was starting to get dark and cold when one of the N.C.O.s shouted out “I can see lights”, I probably told him to keep quiet and keep walking. But then sure enough, we were all able to see the lights and we turned to walk towards them. It turned out that my Company Commander realising something was wrong had faced the vehicles in a circle facing outwards with their lights on. What relief. the old radleian 2021

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On leaving the army, he joined Sedgwicks Insurance Brokers. Having married Myra Walker in 1963, they bought a farm together before their eventual retirement.

of Canterbury Christ Church University and also High Sheriff of Kent in 2000. He married Caroline Beebee in 1967 with whom he had a daughter and two sons.

He liked music, singing and travelling.

Roderick Francis Loder-Symonds died on 25th August 2021.

Malcolm John Andrew Neal died in February 2021. Lowry, AT (1951, F) Arthur Thomas Lowry died on 25 March 2021 at the age of 82. His time at Radley was followed by National Service in Cyprus then Trinity College, Oxford where he read Politics, Philosophy and Economics. After university he worked briefly in advertising, and then switched to finance. He worked for stockbroker Vickers da Costa and established their office in Japan, one of the first foreign stockbroking offices in Tokyo. When he returned to the UK, he set up his own company and ran it until his retirement, providing financial analysis services. He was a generous host and a devoted family man with a sound set of values. He was known for his wit, humour and for being great company. He loved to entertain with stories that found the fun in his life experiences, some of which came from his time at Radley. He had strong morals and was a father who strived to set a good example to his children. He is survived by his wife Judith, to whom he was married for 57 years, his two children and five grandchildren. Arthur Thomas Lowry died on 25th March 2021. Loder-Symonds, RF (1952, C) Roddy Loder-Symonds spent his first two years after leaving Radley travelling in Australia and New Zealand, before returning to attend the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Gaining his Diploma there in 1960, he began his career in farming in Somerset, where he also began to work as an Assistant Surveyor, Knight Frank & Rutley. Moving to Kent, he became a FRICS and a partner at Strutt & Parker in 1976. He became involved in numerous enterprise and farming associations in the Kent area and was made an Honorary Fellow 114

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Martin, JG (1952, F) John Martin was the youngest of three brothers to attend Radley – Michael (1946) and Rodney (1949). A farmer throughout his working life, he eventually settled in Devon with his wife Christine, whom he had married in 1961. Their three sons, Edward (1977), William (1980) and Robert (1981) all followed John to Radley, and in turn two of his grandsons are currently at the College, Dominic (2017) and Nico (2020). John Graham Martin died on 29th April 2020. Skilbeck, EM (1952, G) A winner of the Birt Speech Prize in 1956, Mark Skilbeck went on from Radley to Lincoln College, Oxford to study Jurisprudence. Moving into Hallett & Co. Solicitors in 1964 he was a practising solicitor in Ashford, Kent for over 40 years, rising to become Senior Partner in 1992. He also received an Honorary Fellowship at the Law Faculty at University of Kent, Canterbury. An active member of his Church and local community, he was chairman of numerous charities and businesses including Homeless Offenders Projects and Enterprises, Telspec plc (2004-2006), Friends of St Nicholas Church New Romney and was a trustee of the Historic Churches Trust. As Master of Beagles at Radley in 1956, he continued this interest throughout his life, and on retirement he went out regularly with the Wye College Beagles and then when they folded with the East Kent. Married to Elizabeth Cripps in 1969, they had two daughters and a son together.

and French), Maurice Friggens chose to eventually study Biblical History and Literature at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 1965. He went on to Westcott House, Cambridge for his General Ordination Exams and was ordained in 1967. There followed positions from curate, to rector, to vicar starting in Sheffield but primarily in Cornwall in the diocese of Truro for over 30 years. Working as the Diocesan Director of Ordinands and Secretary to the Diocesan Board of Ministry, he was appointed Canon Emeritus of Truro Cathedral on his eventual retirement from full time parish ministry. Despite his retirement he continued to officiate in the diocese of Bangor after a move to North Wales, before 2002 revealed some unexpected benefits of being an active clergyman: two locum chaplaincies in Europe. “One was for two scorching weeks at Balestrand on the West Coast of Norway tourist route, a tiny English church visited by perhaps 2000 people a week from all over the world, a fascinating cross section of migratory humanity. The second a longer stint of four and a half winter months at Mojacar, Spain, looking after a wonderful ex-pat British community and their church. It only rained on six days and the people were as warm hearted as the weather. Carol and I had a wonderful time.” Married to Carol Griffiths in 1967, they had two daughters together. Maurice Anthony Friggens died on 31st August 2021. Kempton, NR (1953, G) Joining his brother, Russell (1950), at Radley, Neville was the small-bore rifle team captain in 1956. After leaving the College, he trained to work in the textile trade and worked for the family firm, TW Kempton Ltd, makers of knitwear.

Edward Mark Skilbeck died on 9th February 2021.

Married to Vivien Kinsey in 1975 they had a daughter and a son, Miles (1994) who followed his father to Radley.

Friggens, MA (1953, F) Despite having lived much of his early life in Scandinavia and being adept in many languages (Swedish, Norwegian

Neville Robert Kempton died on 27th September 2020.

Obituaries

Hervey, PV (1954, H)

Fraser, JW (1955, F)

Peter Hervey was an accomplished sportsman in his time at Radley, playing for the 1st XI in both Cricket and Hockey as well as the 1st XV from 1956-58. He was also a Prefect in his final year, before leaving to go to RMA Sandhurst. He was awarded the Sword of Honour at the 1960 Passing-Out and went on to join the 15th/19th King’s Royal Hussars. Rising right through the ranks over the following 30+ years, he was promoted to Colonel in 1988 before retiring to take up farming in 1990.

Joe Fraser came from a family steeped in the tradition of Jesus and London Rowing Club. His elder brother, Robert (1953), rowed in the Radley 1st VIII in 1958 and then went up to Jesus after National Service in the Navy. Robert rowed in the 1961 Cambridge crew which destroyed Oxford along Chiswick Eyot. His father, Jimmy, and uncle, Arthur, were both at Harrow but both rowed at Jesus before going on to row successfully at LRC. Joe was also related to Derek Mays-Smith, the famous Jesus and CUBC coach, because his father’s sister, Anne, married Derek.

A keen horseman and eventer throughout his life, Peter undertook many voluntary roles on behalf of British Eventing, including acting as a Steward and Selector for many years. He was also a dedicated horse owner along with his wife, Barbara, whom he had married in 1965. Their three sons, Jeremy (1980), Christopher (1982) and Fred (1987), all attended Radley, as have his grandsons George (2011), Felix (2015) and Oliver (2019). Peter Vernon Hervey died on 30th April 2021.

I rowed at Radley with Joe in possibly one of their most unsuccessful 1st 8s in 1960 to the despair of 3 notable Cambridge oarsmen fathers. After getting the necessary A-levels at a crammer Joe went up to Jesus in 1962. He decided to row at Jesus his first year, the year of the big freeze-up, which made the Cam and the Ouse at Ely ice up for weeks. College 1st Lent boats rowed at St Neots and CUBC rowed at Earith and then Peterborough. In a Colleges’ Regatta which replaced the Lents, Jesus won this. Jesus went on to lose to Sandhurst, the Winners, at Henley by 3 feet in the Ladies

Plate. Joe then trialled for the CUBC and in a tight selection won his place at 4 in the Cambridge 1964 crew which won by 6 1/2L. He was subsequently elected President of the CUBC for 1965 by 1 vote. In October 1964 Joe lost his father, mother and brother in a tragic yacht accident when a hurricane blew up on their passage back from St. Malo to their home in Jersey. I had to break this ghastly news to Joe after dining with him in Cambridge before we motored down to his uncle’s house near Stansted for further news. Sadly MV Bevan and MJ Muir-Smith, 2 and 3 in the ’64 crew, were not allowed to row in 1965, so Joe was the only Blue in his 1965 crew. They came up against an Oxford crew with 4 US Ivy League oarsmen on board plus other useful oarsmen, including President Miles Morland (1957). Even so and despite a fin bent during the race Joe’s crew only lost by 4L. Joe went on to win the Lowe Double-Sculls and Magdalene Pair Oars. He attended every Henley with his many relations and friends in ROW C and enjoyed supporting Radley, LRC, Jesus and CUBC, watching from the Members’ Stand with his wife, Clare. Joe was a Life Member of Leander.

Peter Hervey (rear row, fourth right) as a member of the 1957 Athletics team. the old radleian 2021

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Joe was one of the many Frasers to get a 3rd in Estate Management and he and David Bell, Caius, were the last two to complete this course for an Ordinary Degree which is now Land Economy. Initially he went to join Savills, the Property Agents, but then joined Langtons in Lloyds. Both of these firms had very strong Radley/Jesus/CUBC connections but Joe eventually left Langtons because he disagreed with the firm’s policy. He did return to another firm in Lloyds but retired early to enjoy his life with his family in their houses in Farley Hill and Seaview, where his love of sailing took over. Incidentally his dinghy’s oars were painted in Jesus colours and his own white spinnaker was adorned with a Radley Maltese Cross. Joe was keener on cruising than racing. He became The Steward of the Royal Cruising Club and was responsible for organising their Dinners and Speakers at the Royal Thames YC. Joe was coerced into the Archetypals and attended every party they had. Bobby Lawes (B67) cruised with him and then hosted Joe and his wife Clare on several cruises. Bobby told me that Joe had raced in the annual Transatlantic Race with Paddy Broughton (B85, 86, 87) on Grandee. Joe leaves his wife Clare (sister of my roommate at Trinity Hall, Martin Jensen, Trial Cap 1963) and daughters Annabelle and Kate and 4 grandchildren. Eulogy by Donald Legget Jeremy (Joe) William Fraser died on 23rd December 2020. Holderness-Roddam, TD (1956, B) Tim was educated at Radley College, followed by military service in the King’s Royal Hussars. His successful 30-year career at Tate & Lyle plc (UM Group) culminated in the role of MD of the United Molasses Group, where he was responsible for the worldwide trading, storage and distribution business. Since retiring from the City in 2000, Tim held a number of consultancy and non-executive roles, including senior consultant to Bristol Port Company, which handles much of the import/export trade for the west of England; and a consultant to and former director of Abercrombie & Kent, the luxury and tailor-made travel business. 116

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Tim was formerly a trustee of the pension fund of Countrywide Farmers plc and deputy Chair; Chair of the British Equestrian Federation Fund; Chair of Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials; Chair of The Horse Trials Support Group (HTSG); Director and Chair of the Finance Committee of British Eventing; and Deputy Chair of Friends of Conservation, an international charity operating mainly in Africa and the Indian sub-continent. More recently he has been involved as a Director of British Equestrian; a member of the British Eventing Finance and Commercial Committee; and a member of the Burghley Horse Trials Committee. Tim was a passionate and knowledgeable advocate of eventing for many years. He gave his time freely to support, advise and promote the sport, including roles with British Eventing, British Equestrian, The Horse Trials Support Group and both Blenheim and Burghley Horse Trials. In 2010 Tim was presented with the British Equestrian Federation Medal of Honour in recognition of his outstanding achievement and contribution to the international equestrian world. Tim was married to Equestrian Olympic Gold Medallist and current British Eventing President, Jane HoldernessRoddam. Together they owned West Kington Farms and Stud in Wiltshire, specialising in breeding top competition horses. Timothy David Holderness-Roddam died on 15th April 2021. Gray, MJN (1956, G) Michael passed peacefully in his home in late February, attended by and survived by his wife Sharron. They were married over 20 years. Michael suffered a long battle with post-polio and spent the last five years propelled by wheelchair. He was born outside London to Admiral Lord John and Lady Peggy Gray, both deceased. Lord Gray was knighted in 1967 after long service in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy. Michael is also survived by a sister Caroline (London), a daughter Emma (Los Angeles) and two sons James and Will (Toronto). Michael graduated from Radley

College; he was very proud that his grandnephew, Archie Hoctor-Duncan (2017) attends Radley now. Michael was very successful in commercial real estate during his career, first as a Chartered Surveyor in London, and then in various executive real estate capacities in America. Michael was an avid oil painter, a chess enthusiast and loved enjoying the view of the Sound from the deck, attended by his two beloved cats. Michael John Nicholas Gray died 26th February 2021. Kinloch, CW (1956, H) The son of Commander DC Kinloch DSO OBE RN, Colin Kinloch went on to work as a Chartered Accountant on leaving Radley, becoming Director of Rathbone Brothers Plc (Comprehensive Financial Services Plc) in 1973 and then Managing Director in 1980. He finally served as a Non-Executive Director from 1989 until his retirement. Colin William Kinloch died on 4th January 2020. Hammond, DB (1958, B) Born in South Wales, David Hammond left Radley and embarked on a hugely successful business career. He qualified as an accountant, becoming a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Fellow of the Institute of Taxation over the course of his career. Holding a number of chairmanships over many years, it was as Chairman of British Car Auctions that his financial expertise proved invaluable as they expanded to become a dominant force in that sector. Outside of work, was a great love of rugby and for London Welsh in particular, where he worked tirelessly as Chairman from 1998 to 2006. As well as financing the creation of the Exiles Academy at London Welsh, he was a trustee for the Wooden Spoon Charity from 1994 to 2011. His friends and colleagues at London Welsh described him as a “great administrator, great visionary, a great benefactor and supporter in many ways – very much a ‘glass half full’ man… David was a ‘doer’ – a hard negotiator and always aware of the bottom line but once

Obituaries

something was agreed he would ensure it happened. He was always somebody who could see the big picture but also knew the importance of detail.” Marrying Jacqueline Davies in 1969, they had two daughters and a son, Edward (1986) who followed his father to Radley. David Bruce Hammond died on 17th June 2020. Hunter, MSW (1960) Michael was the son of Patrick Sinclair Hunter (1929) and at Radley enjoyed rugby, rowed in the 3rd VIII and was Head of A Social. After leaving Radley he took a cargo boat to New Zealand and travelled the world joined by Tim Marshall (1960) with whom he had shared a study at Radley. On his return to England, he qualified as a Solicitor and joined his father in the Surrey legal practice, Stevens and Bolton, in turn becoming the Senior Partner. He retired in 2015 to Chichester in West Sussex where he was a volunteer at Chichester Cathedral. Michael was a very keen golfer, a member of Hankley Common Golf Club where he held office as Chairman, Centenary Captain and President, and many Radley Golf days were held at Hankley. He was also a member of the Radleian Masonic Lodge. He was passionate about opera and a member of Glyndebourne Opera for 55 years, attending the festival every year.

He married Carol Shorter in 1970 and they have a daughter, two sons and eight grandchildren. Michael Sinclair Ward Hunter died on 1st July 2021. Hayter, JMI (1960, E) Following his father, Michael (1932), to Radley, James Hayter, would be later joined at the College by his brother, Mark (1963). Whilst there he was a school prefect in 1965, represented the 1st XV in 1963-64 and rowed for the 1st VIII in 1964-65, when he was also Captain of Boats. Upon leaving the College he went to St. Thomas’s Hospital, London, gaining his MBBS in 1969. He then moved in to general practice as a family doctor in Marlow, Bucks, becoming a Senior Partner. In 1972 he married Jacqueline Figgis, with whom he had three daughters. James Meynell Ingram Hayter died on 8th May 2021. Seacome, QA (1961, H) Following his brother, Diggory (1959) to Radley, Quentin Seacome represented the 1st XV in 1965. Quentin Arthur Seacome died on 14th December 2020. Dawnay, MW (1963, B) As a well-known angler Michael was a keen supporter of salmon conversation but was perhaps best known for his commercial Woodcock shooting. His life, work, and approach to both is summed up in the following obituary written by his great friend and shooting companion John Batley. Michael Dawnay, who has died of COVID-19, is a name synonymous with that splendid bird, the woodcock. Mike knew and loved his quarry as only the true hunter does.

Michael Hunter

Mike grew up in Suffolk and later lived in both Perthshire and Pembrokeshire where he both fished and shot. I knew him for more than 30 years, caught my first salmon with him and chased the woodcock with him over the fields and valleys of Pembrokeshire, from Castle Benton to Stackpole.

Over the years Mike ran a very successful business taking enthusiastic shooting people through the hedges and the ditches of that beautiful and remote part of Wales. He had an understanding of his quarry that was only matched by his absolute love of nature and wildlife. He was knowledgeable and professional; he studied the woodcock and its extraordinary lifestyle and knew where to find them. A true ‘sporting gentleman’ Mike was happiest when he was immersed in field sports with like-minded people. He taught the young; my very small son caught his first trout with Mike on the lake at Tal-y-llyn. One of the greatest moments in all of his shooting career was ‘seeing the sheer joy’ of a teenage girl as she shot, and picked, her first ever woodcock. To watch Michael shoot his little, tightly choked, 28-bore was a sight for sore eyes. He rarely missed and would smile contentedly as yet another bird would be brought to hand by one of his ever faithful, and home trained, black Labradors. Above all Mike was a lover of nature and all its wild creatures, he never overshot his ground and would always remind us that size of the bag was not important. His view was that ‘wild sport should be sipped and not gulped’. We shall miss him. Written by his great friend and shooting companion, John Batley Michael William Dawnay died on 3rd February 2021. Blest PM (1963, G) After leaving Radley, Peter read History at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Although he began his working life as an articled clerk with Lawrence Graham, Lincoln’s Inn, he very soon found his future career lay not as a solicitor but as a self employed antiquarian bookseller. For more than 45 years, he dealt in books mainly in subjects closely allied to his personal interests, namely natural history, field sports and gardening. He was at heart a countryman and especially enjoyed fly fishing on rivers and lakes in England, Scotland and Ireland. He was a knowledgeable ornithologist, an enthusiastic vegetable grower, an avid poultry keeper, and a devoted dog lover. At school he had been a keen supporter of the old radleian 2021

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the beagles. He grew up in Wateringbury, Kent on his parents’ hop and fruit farm and when his father, also an Old Radleian, retired he replanted the land with cobnuts, plums and damsons which he managed in parallel with bookselling. He always remained in the same village where he enjoyed married life with Jan. They had two children, Lucy and Thomas. Thomas followed in the family tradition in attending Radley (G, 2002). Peter Melville Blest died on 18th February 2021. Crosbie Dawson, T (1970, G) Thomas Crosbie Dawson was the youngest of four brothers all to attend Radley - James (1961), William (1963) and Richard (1965). Leaving to study at Oxford Polytechnic, by his own admission he ‘fell at the last fence’ of his degree and so moved into farming in North Northumberland, just two miles from the border. He was Chairman of The College Valley Hounds, where his wife Katie was a Joint Master. They had two daughters, Lucy and Helen, and a son Robert (2005) who followed in the family tradition of attending Radley. Thomas recorded his interests as the Countryside, field sports, wine, restaurants and avoiding London at all costs!

The long cycle rides were also a hallmark. I persevere, exhausted and resourceless, against biting winds, I keep going, but it is nice to have company sometimes. This is why I have kept going against all the odds for 35 years with Plum Trees. There is always this conflict between being alone and having a partner. I produce all the effort, but I benefit from support, and I am happier. The Cyclo-Cross was also characteristic. I had already won two of them, I ride hard against 60 people, over many obstacles and ploughed fields, and surprise people by winning. Organising the 3rd wasn’t my idea, but I was the natural choice. A date was set by others, I merely did what was necessary setting up a whole system of communications, judges, progress points, and competitors, it was my friends who helped, and it was a very popular event, with no teacher involvement at all. Again, this is characteristic. If you set a date, I will deliver something well organised, a system, but I won’t set the date myself, and there is no real persuasive skill here at all, just delegating to willing friends, and I don’t even think of relating to authority. Perhaps that is one reason why I don’t bother with trying to persuade governments now of the value of my work.

After Radley, Peter travelled all over Canada and USA for a year and on his return to the UK, he studied Economics at Trinity College, Cambridge University. During this time, he ran a successful discotheque “Lady Jane’s Gramophone” which included some May Balls at Cambridge and also several major parties in the UK and also around Europe. After graduating from Cambridge, he travelled around in South America for a year, then worked at SG Warburg and Co, Merchant Bank. In 1976, He started to study at the London Business School, and the following year he studied at Business Schools in France and the USA. He then got involved in the area of HR industries and this lead him to develop his own assessment system of each individual finding their unique talents and interests. In 1983 he started his own business, “Plum Trees Consulting” to which he devoted the rest of his life. He was a loving husband and father, a dear friend to many, and a man of prayer. In 1992, he married Naoko Nishide. Peter Richard Daws died on 2nd January 2021.

Thomas Crosbie Dawson died on 8th October 2021. Daws, PR (1963, G) About 10 years ago, Peter Daws wrote his life history from which the following recollection of his time at Radley comes: Organising and winning the CycloCross, organ playing, carpentry, maths, nearly made the rowing VIII, captain of bellringing, singing competition, choir, piano competition, Greek play chorus. Happiest times were playing the organ in chapel on my own on Saturday nights. I liked sight-reading, the complexity of the 3-manual organ with many stops, the pedal board, the aloneness, the big sound coming from one person. It links with my lone work as an adult, looking at an enormous range of data, working to produce the greatest effect. I liked training people in how to ring bells or going on long cycle rides with a friend. This one-to-one training is again a hallmark of Plum Trees, that I like not just to assess people, but teach them as well. 118

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Peter Daws returning to England from studying in France, 1977.

Obituaries

Hooper, ECD (1973, F) Brother of Bruce (1975), Edward Hooper distinguished himself at Rackets, Squash and Cricket, playing for the 1st XI in both 1976 and 1977. No slouch in the classroom, he was awarded the Chemistry Prize and developed a lifelong interest in Geology. He studied this subject, first at the University of Texas in 1979, and having moved to Australia to work as a Geologist for Apachecorp, would later gain his Masters from the University of Queensland in 1990. In 1993 he married Liz Ban with whom he had a daughter and a son. Edward Christopher Douglas Hooper died on 7th August 2019. Ulmann, WG (1975, F) Born into an Anglo-Swiss family, William Ulmann represented Radley in the Shooting 1st VIII and the Lawn tennis 2nd IV. A great supporter of Radley throughout his life, he was a regular at reunions and the OR Dinner. He was followed to Radley by his sons George (2003) and Henry (2005). William George Ulmann died on 9th May 2021. Parker, NJD (1978, D) Nick Parker passed away on 31st January 2021. He had lived with advanced prostate cancer for five years. The following tribute was read by his great friend Joe Steel (1979, E), one of many. By necessity of the pandemic, the funeral was a small gathering of family and friends but the service was watched by hundreds online. “It feels as though hundreds of people are standing right here to pay tribute to Nick as he is laid to rest. He is loved by so many. He inspired so many. We are connected by the magic of the lens for now, and there will be time to share memories, and talk in a fuller way at his memorial. A time to celebrate Nick’s life … for Nick really did celebrate life every day. He was wired that way. His trademarks: cackling laughter, crying with glee, whizzing around skipping if he felt it was especially funny. His pranks.

Nick Parker Cat food canapés. Angel fish fritters. The outfits. Freddie Mercury. The Gorilla. The Red Indian. And of course, that Yellow Divers Suit. His fun never grew up. 40 years ago, it was the same at Radley (at the back of Physics with Mr Butterworth), at Imperial College (as the coolest set of Chemical Engineers you could imagine - if that’s even possible), through our galivanting twenties, as a husband to darling Sus (“Cherry” to each other), and as a father to Harry, Johnnie, and Archie… the twinkle in Nick’s eye burned strongly. Always, and to his very last days. Nick strove for better. To be better. To do better. To create things better. Outdoor play centres, Ball washing (better known as a great big washing machine and tumbler dryer on the back of 7.5 ton truck), Bighams, Bite, a no-nonsense consultant to the leaders of companies in the Oxfordshire area, his latest being Aegg Packaging. A really inquisitive mind that did not rest, constantly exploring. And all of this built on mental rigour and hard work, and a clear compass about what is right. Learned as a boy, and refined at Imperial, at Arthur D. Little, and at Mars. I feel that when this horrible disease struck five years ago, all the best of Nick came together. Celebration of life never waning, striving for better, mental rigour, clear compass. To face down incurable, advanced, stage 4 cancer hitting totally out the blue. To challenge, enquire, and explore to beat the

beast. Nutrition, natural chemotherapies, mental wellbeing, meditation, the philosophies of Buddhism. He peeled living back to its basics and rebuilt it for survival. And then, not content with just living, he reached out to inspire thousands in their hour of illness or despair or worry. www.thecancerjourneyman.co.uk set out to show how people can “change your attitude, beliefs, and actions and live the best years of your life”. ChippyWellFest gathered the best brains to inspire on health and wellbeing. And he joined forces with Bill Turnbull in his Channel Four Staying Alive documentary. And all the way, Sus, you have been a true angel and inspiration. A most amazing wife and mother throughout. You have been so brave in supporting him to be free in his quest to overcome this horrid disease - to follow the ways he knew were best over the years. Nick regarded his illness as one of his finest hours. And it was. He inspired us all and taught us all so much during 5 years of illness. He leaves us with this as a Gift. And the 5 years were a special Gift to Archie, Johnnie, and Harry. It has meant that you know your remarkable Dad as young adults, not only as children. Nick, we shall all miss you greatly, and you will be forever in our thoughts.” Nicholas John Docwra Parker died on 31st January 2021.

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Obituaries

Fairbairn, JA (1981, E) A grandson of Sir William Albert Fairbairn, 5th Baronet, James Fairbairn was a Prefect at Radley as well as Captain of golf and a member of the Hockey 1st XI in 1985 and 1986. Attending Bristol Business School after leaving the College, he gained an HND in Business Studies and Finance in 1990. His career saw him work as an Investment and Wealth Manager, first at Flemings (1991 to 1999), then GAM (1999 to 2008) and finally at Rothschild Wealth Management where he became Managing Director. He married Samantha Hardwicke in 1994 and together they had three daughters. He spent his free time either fishing or on the golf course, but noted that “my handicap isn’t improving with age!” James Andrew Fairbairn died on 26th June 2020. Weldon, JJC (1982, B) Jasper James Cradock Weldon was a man who professed to be a humble carpenter whilst also adopting as his mantra Oscar Wilde’s “I have the simplest tastes, I am always satisfied with the best”. Born on 8th September 1968 to Bryan and Annabel Weldon, very proud of his heritage and community, Jasper served in the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry and spent many hours with his family exploring their ancestry. Somewhat of a traditionalist, Jasper applied what he had learnt in the Territorial Army to business life and set about building a career in wood. It was a logical step, having grown up in the ‘Pine Capital of Europe’ and thoroughly enjoying life in the workshop. His extraordinary eye for detail and perfect proportions was a gift nurtured in Radley’s design centre. Always up with the lark no matter the amount of sleep, he was one of life’s grafters, endlessly optimistic and determined to make his mark. Exquisite hardwood flooring made from excellent and well-selected timber, prepared entirely correctly and laid and finished with supreme craftsmanship earned him Royal Warrants and acclaim in the world of luxury interiors. Jasper was a kind and generous man. He championed talent and encouraged confidence in others. Valued and wellloved by his many friends, Jasper had a 120

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phenomenal memory for connections. His charisma and infectious enthusiasm for everything he did meant he relished networking and was a natural salesman. His great ambition was to be successful enough to afford a motor yacht and, in the meantime, he satisfied this desire by meandering around boat shows and harbours whenever he got the opportunity. Jasper declared he had no interest in halfmeasures and dedicated himself fully to a few other distinct aspects of life. Shooting was his luxury and he was admired for his marksmanship as much as his bonhomie. Photography became his meditation. Not satisfied with the snap of his iPhone, he invested in heavy-duty kit and oldfashioned lenses and brought delight to friends and family with his beautifully presented image collections. However, Jasper’s biggest love was his wife of 26 years Jules and their children Amelia (now 23 years) and Patrick (now 22 years) of whom he was immensely proud. He leaves a big hole in all their lives and will be remembered with deep love and affection. Jasper James Cradock Weldon died on 28th June 2021. Wilson, NRG (1987, B) Nicko tragically died on 24th May 2021. He leaves a deep void in the lives of his family, and those of his many friends and colleagues. Nicko was born on 21st March 1974 to Richard and Didi Wilson of Cliffe Hall, Co Durham. He attended Aysgarth School before joining B Social at Radley in 1987. He developed into a talented chorister and musician, and competed in

Nicko Wilson

the National Chamber Music final. He was also a keen sportsman. In his final year he was Head of B Social, a School prefect, Head of the JCR and was awarded the Edward Barker Memorial Prize for his outstanding contribution to the life of the school. Many ORs will remember a funny, kind and generous young man who made friends easily, and nurtured those friendships with loyalty and care. After gaining his degree at Newcastle University, Nicko began his investment management career with Wise Speke, where he remained for 25 years. He navigated the acquisition and rebranding by Brewin Dolphin to manage a team of wealth managers and become a member of the Newcastle Executive Committee and Leadership Team. He was well known and loved by people across the company, acting as a mentor and coach to younger staff, and more recently, praised for his honesty and candour about issues of mental health. Outside of his career, he was generous in his contribution to his community, particularly in Yorkshire and the North East as Trustee of the Asygarth School Foundation and former Chairman of the Old Aysgarthian Association, trustee of Cystic Fibrosis Care, and as a member of Northern Counties Club and the dining club Recorders. Where Nicko flourished most of all was as a devoted husband and father. He married Susie in 2004 and they had two daughters, Daisy in 2005 and Minnie in 2007. Their loss is incalculable. Nicholas Rupert Gerald Wilson died on 24th May 2021.

OLD RADLEIAN EVENTS OVERVIEW As part of our 175th Anniversary Celebration year the Radleian Society is delighted to be hosting celebratory events for the whole Radley Community alongside our usual event programme for Old Radleians.

Big Thinking Talks 27th January 2022

175 Celebration Concert 8th May 2022

Old Radleian Day 17th September 2022

The Big Thinking Talks are a set of TED style talks on Zoom delivered by members of the Radley Community. These talks are designed to inspire, and challenge and encourage us to reflect on the future of our world.

The joy of music has always been at the heart of Radley, and we plan to celebrate this in style in our 175th year with a Celebration Concert at Cadogan Hall, in London, on 8th May 2022.

Old Radleians will now be invited back to Radley every ten years after they have left as part of our new reunion format.

Next up to our virtual podium will be Radley parent, Katherine Garrett-Cox, CEO, GIB Asset Management.

We invite the entire Radley community to join us on this special occasion.

There will be tours of the College, lunch or dinner, and a chance to see friends and dons again.

Book on to any of these events at www.radley.org.uk/radleian-society/events or send in event ideas to radsoc@radley.org.uk All event dates are subject to change. We will keep you up to date via email.

OTHER EVENTS Radley For Life event: Entrepreneurism in your early career 18th January 2022 Our 2022 RFL event programme will focus on Radleians in their early careers and our first event will look at entrepreneurism. It will feature a panel discussion with several recent business founders, followed by a networking session.

Property Dinner 10th February, London Radleian Society AGM 23rd April, Radley College Radley College 175th Birthday 9th June, Radley College

RADLEIAN SOCIETY Radley College, Abingdon, OX14 2HR

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Articles inside

Ted's Ties: The Dexter Quilt

Sports & Societies

New Releases

Untold Stories

Earth Music

News & Notes

The Grown-ups in the Room

Going for a Song

Oberon - 50 years on

Music for Life

Putting on a Show

Radleian Society Gazette

Bringing the Noise

Richard Morgan Memorial

Letter from the Warden