The Radleian LT17

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Reading Matters | Head of the Charles | Titanic the Musical | Radley Vision Haddon Cup | Hockey Tour | US Politics Trip | 12 Labours of Radley | News Round Up Russia | Societies Fair | Capability Brown | Kilimanjaro | Kent School Connecticut THE RADLEIAN

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READING At Radley, and particularly in the Library, reading as widely as possible is very close to our hearts, and it is a delight to watch the boys’ natural sense of enquiry grow into a genuine enthusiasm for literature and for learning. To support this development, the Library offers various reading and study related activities both in the Library and across College, from humble Reading Cocoas to inspirational author events. Over the last year, for example, Radleians were treated to our ‘In New Authors We Trust’ afternoon, a miniature literary festival featuring talks by Leo Hunt, Carla Spradbery and Richard Beard (OR),

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who spoke about their writing careers and introduced boys to their excellent books. March brought the display of a first and second edition respectively of Hobbes’s Leviathan and Boyle’s Three Tracts On Some Hidden Properties of Air, brilliantly brought to life with a talk by William Poole (New College, Oxford). Most recently, to mark the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death this year, we were hugely lucky to have both David Crystal and his son Ben give lectures at Radley. The former to the Sixth Form and the latter to Removes and Fifth, both on Shakespearean language and original pronunciation,

in each case fascinating and hugely entertaining.

For World Book Day in March, Radley staff had a very special present for the boys, in the form of a large display, disclosing not only the books they enjoyed as teenagers, but also (in many reckless cases) accompanying snapshots taken at the time. Thus a number of questionable formative fashion and hairstyle choices were revealed, raising the spirits and several eyebrows. Fortunately they were rather well-balanced by some great literary choices, inspiring the boys to try a new book or two. If you missed the occasion,

M AT T E R S the display is still available in album form at the Library.

Of course, no Library would be complete without a regular book club, and no teenage boy without a snack in his hand: two facts which resulted in the creation of the wildly popular ‘Books & Biscuits’ on Thursday evenings. A great opportunity to browse new books, discover old classics and share great reading experiences (and baked goodies) with fellow Radleians.

So far, regulars have yet to determine whether Batman, Superman or Spiderman are the ultimate super hero, but we’re glad to report that work on this vital question continues apace.

Excitingly, several 6.1s have recently taken this concept to new heights with a charity ‘Readathon’ over the last weekend of the summer term. The event saw boys challenge themselves to reading as many books as possible in 24 hours without falling asleep or dropping crumbs on the carpet. On Sunday, they emerged from the Library bleary-eyed but much more well-read than when they had entered it on Saturday. Well done to Max Rumsey (f) for organising the event, which raised a peculiar £128.60 and one European cent.

The latest things to be offered in the library are ‘Snakes Mark the Spot’, the treasure hunt with a hiss and a slither, daily fiendish quizzes and, best of all, Reading Cocoas, which allow boys to wind down with a good book after prep while enjoying a nice hot chocolate with marshmallows. This seems to be particularly popular with Shells and Librarians, who will therefore happily run many more in the future.

Finally, and predictably, we simply must share some of our most favourite latest discoveries, all of which are, of course, available in the Library.

Evolution: the Whole Story is one in a series of new Thames & Hudson titles exploring the history of important subject areas from their beginnings to the present day. Evolution covers everything you might wish to know about the development and survival of life on Earth, including comparative anatomy, evolutionary legacies and

theories of important players in the field. The text is helpfully arranged alongside timelines and stunning photographs, which allows the reader to follow the various events and discoveries easily. On a more visceral note: this book truly feels and smells fantastic, so definitely worth some direct handling! Other subjects covered in the same series are Art, Architecture, Fashion, Design, Photography and Cinema.

Next some fiction with Noggin by John Corey Whaley. Bear with us on this one… A 16-year-old (previously terminally ill) boy awakes with a whole new (freakishly healthy and buff) body. So far, so good. However, having expected to be waking up to budget space travel, servile robots and peace on Earth (as you would, too, if you’d had your head cryogenically frozen), he finds himself just five years on. Science moves faster than you think these days, and thus, he has no choice but to board the emotional rollercoaster that is discovering, bit by painful bit, what his friends and family (and, worse, his girlfriend!) have been up to these past five years. Seriously, folks, what with the

first actual head transplant scheduled for next year, you simply cannot afford to miss this one!

Finally, a recent discovery by Mrs Becket, who has been hugely impressed with John Higgs’s Stranger Than We Can Imagine: Making Sense of the Twentieth Century. She highly recommends this to anyone who is trying to make sense of our recent history and how it has affected the world we live in today. It is a fascinating read, surprisingly easy to follow and absolutely guaranteed to improve your knowledge and conversation, both of which should be a fabulous plus at the next joint Sixth Form Conference!

For more book suggestions, please follow our Library Blog: https:// librarynewstuff.wordpress.com Anne Mühlberg Librarian

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‘Decline and Fall’ my, e German ar expert in th en the attack io d ra a r, e wh Wern in the city time, ho is stuck p back and forth in ecCannot See’ w e w t h ig L p m rs ju e p e ’ W ‘All the rs s. te begin two charac eople were e th n ee p betw both young g Mum. and to see how ce. It is a truly horrifyin me via my s to ve ti e m as ca e k ve la o p th si o n is g b e h in th is b re h p T t to scri n’t brough ughout, de riting and as a little ap At first I w um’s reading list has r, and sad book thro w e . Th M e orld War ll amazin the past my cup of tea. Howev aumas of W book is particularly tr in n te ee la b s is readts th d ar n st in e alway It m ry . e m n exceptio ell- imag ighly reco h an sh ld as in u w o eg w b is I s th ie to ing, and ook.

II, as the All World War ch city of Saint-Malo ing this b n s. p ver ing the Fre remaining Nazi troo Harvey Glo ie e ar th M ell t h u e S o drive ters ar D Social, ain charac ed Our two m d French girl who fl d lin Laure, a b r uncle from Paris, an he here with

‘Touching the Void’ There can be few ‘Adventure’ stories as thrilling as this one. Joe Simpson and Simon Yates set out to climb the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. They reached the summit at 21,000 feet, but during their descent of the mountain Simpson fell and shattered his right knee. Simon managed to lower himself down the nearvertical slope for many hundreds of feet, but eventually Joe fell over a cliff and it was quite impossible for Simon to haul him up. He therefore cut the rope. Simon knew that he had no choice and would certainly have died if he had not done this and Joe later fully endorsed the difficult decision.

When the rope was cut Joe fell into a crevasse. He managed to crawl out and over the following days, he made his way down the mountain to their camp, dragging his broken leg and

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suffering agonies of hunger and thirst.

He describes this horrific journey in prose of extraordinary vividness. Although we know, of course, that he survived, he creates a feeling of suspense which never lets up as we read his narrative. It seems almost impossible that anyone could survive such an experience.

I enjoyed this book because of its descriptive sections and also because of its very different type of story, as I’ve never read a book about mountaineering. Finally, I enjoyed this book because of its intriguing storyline.

However, I felt that some of the book was filled with unnecessary content: for example there was a story about one of his previous climbs which I felt was unnecessary because it gave no insight to the main story.

Thomas Wilson G Social, Shell

‘Decline and Fall’ is a novel written

by Evelyn Waugh firs t pu 1928. It is a social sat blished in ire about elitism and also society in the 1920s as a whole. The book is a tale of things going from ba d to worse and mainly focuses on the life of Paul Pennyfeather, as he goes from Oxford student to teacher in a distant private school in Wales.

The story begins with Pe having an unfortunate nnyfeather issue with the Bollinger Club where he is expelled for poor behaviour. Ab andoned by his guardian, Paul is forced to find work and becomes an underqualified school-master in a very classic all-boys boarding sch ool in Wales.

Run by a crazy head master and his rowdy daughters, life is unusual for Pennyfeather. The bo ys aren’t kept under control by the questionable staff so, on an eventfu l sports day, Paul meets a boy’s pa rent, with whom he becomes very go od friends and even tutors her son.

Their relationship continues to un ravel; however as the plot thickens, we sta if Mrs Beste-Chetwyn rt to wonder de is really the great woman that sh e appears to be.

Paul is a very unfortun ate man and life always seems to be going to the next worse situation; he can never seem to make the rig ht decision as he is often very naïve and flies into situations. This is als o conveyed through Waugh’s da rk hu which he ridicules tho mour in se who are struggling.

To conclude, ‘Decline and Fall’ is a very funny and enga ging read which strikes the reader’s en joy others’ misfortune, all ment of in all a book for anyone.

Max McGee S Social, Shell

THE HEAD OF THE CHARLES On Thursday 20th October the Boat Club sent nine rowers to Boston, Massachusetts for the annual USA tour.

Our first race was the Head of The Charles Regatta. The course is a 4.8 km (3 miles) time trial, with the fastest time winning each category.

The Regatta attracts approximately 200,000 visitors, and each year has approximately 11,000 athletes, competing in 61 different events. We submitted two fours with coxswains to the event, against 85 other crews in our category. The first four came in a very impressive 1st place, the first time Radley has ever won the event, and the 2nd four finished 22nd. A special congratulations goes to coxswains Ted Williams and Matt Dawson for battling against a very tough headwind and a tough course to steer.

Whilst in Boston we toured Harvard University Boat Club and met coach Pat Lapage who showed us around

the Boat Club. We also took a brief tour around the campus seeing some of the libraries and departments. The following Tuesday we drove to Kent School, Connecticut; at this point we lost two very valuable members of our team, Mr. Townsend and Josh Bowesman-Jones.

We spent the next three days training in an eight or two fours, including one side-by-side session against Kent on the Wednesday, preparing for our next race, the Head of the Schuylkill. Thursday also included a visit to Yale University, where there are currently five ORs rowing as lightweights or heavyweights. We visited one of the residential Colleges, also having lunch there; we took a tour around the gym and had a brief look at the boathouse.

We arrived in Philadelphia on Friday night for the Head of the Schuylkill, a 4 km (2.5 mile) time trial, similar to The Charles. The two fours raced on Sunday at the Head of the Schuylkill.

The 1st four had a new member of the four, as Josh had left, having never trained together until the race; on top of this the 2nd four also had very little training together. Needless to say the odds were against both crews. However, the 1st four finished in 3rd place, beating all other crews from the Charles and the 2nd four finished in 21st place. Later that day we raced an eight, joining the two fours together and finished in 15th place.

Finally we drove to New York two days later and went sightseeing around Manhattan, leaving the US on the 31st. A special thanks goes to JEG, Mr Ingham Clark, Mr Townsend, Mr McChesney and the Mariners for making the trip possible. Let’s hope that we can continue this success for the rest of the season.

William Ă Brassard J Social, 6.1

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TITANIC TH After nearly an entire year spent busily rehearsing, it was exciting to reach the point of making final preparations for ‘Titanic, The Musical’.

After hundreds of rehearsals, the final stretch of ‘Titanic’ saw the pressure begin to rise, as the “opening night” loomed ever closer, like some sinister ice-berg.

The set for this major production was simply fantastic, doing full justice to its powerful story. I think for me the most special thing about this Show is that it is a group effort: there are so many great parts, yet almost everyone has some important lines.

The beaming sound of everyone singing the big emotional numbers was seriously overwhelming; this was even before we introduced the orchestra and microphones.

From the first rehearsal, way back in the Lent Term, we have all come a long way. Our journey has had its ups and downs, but it didn’t take long before the Show began to take shape.

When we first ran through the entire Show it was great to have a real picture of what the final production would look like: giving the Cast a

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sense that what we were doing was going to be something truly special.

Running the entire Show for the first time with professional costumes, lights and microphones, immediately lifted our rehearsals to another level.

Singing with the orchestra for the first time too was truly memorable; I think I can safely say that the sound and the immense power of the almost fully-professional orchestra was epic.

Through the rehearsal period, there were some absolutely unforgettable moments. For example, when the boys and the girls first met their respective couples there was certainly a feeling of awkwardness, leading the Director, RML, to say to one of the boys, “You know, you could ask permission to put your arm round her: I’m sure she won’t bite”.

There have been so many complicated factors associated with this Show: one of them being the fact that with 40 microphones, almost everyone on stage is amplified, which means that when

they walk off into the wings, their microphones must be turned off, otherwise the entire audience hears the fascinating conversations backstage. We have had a few such awkward moments.

Once again, Lianne Oakley-Rowland and her Wardrobes team designed the most stunning costumes for everyone. There was incredible attention to detail in every single costume and each one was fitted perfectly to each actor. The vibrant colours were enhanced by the incredible array of lights, which again added to the atmosphere.

The Show moved incredibly quickly at times and a number of sections needed specific lighting (for example, spotlights). This meant that it was complicated to choreograph and crucial for the Cast to learn correct stage positions, and to be in the right place at the right time.

When everything came together for the first time during rehearsals the pressure lifted significantly. I think I can safely say on behalf of the Cast that we were all buzzing with

HE M U S I C A L excitement finally to be able to show what we had been working on for so long to a large audience.

As I played the Captain of the Ship, there was a heavy responsibility to be carried forward. After every rehearsal I felt my character developed vastly and that I was able to do the character, E J Smith, some justice. We never forgot that we were playing real people and not just characters.

It’s always fascinating to see the words on a script finally come to life on stage and there were some ‘spine-tingling’ moments crafted. For example, at the end of Act 1 when the Ship was heading for the iceberg, the choral sound and positioning of everyone made for some astonishing theatre.

Titanic has now set sail for the final time. What a spectacular trip it was too, with a few moments of rough seas, we managed to conjure up a very special show. The excitement in the air of the opening night was incredible: every single boy and girl was on a massive high, even before

setting foot on stage. In general, the opening night went very smoothly, with a tiny little hiccup with the opening curtain; but the Cast dealt with this well and most of the audience didn’t think anything of it.

Unbelievably, the next evening, a bulb broke in one of the stage lights, which really did make a mighty bang.

However, the Show went on and we had a great reaction from the audience.

Thursday night was filming night and it could seemingly hardly have gone better: everyone’s performances were at a new level. This is always helped by a responsive audience. It was great finally to see the Show run smoothly throughout without any problems.

The final two nights were (in my opinion) the best-acted. We received a full standing ovation on both of them. However we did have a slight scare when a cast member with a prominent role was deemed un-fit to go on stage about two hours before the final Show. However, luckily he got better and was able to go on for

our last performance. This proved a perfect note for Mr Lowe and Mr Clarke to finish their final show at Radley. On this subject, I want to say a personal thank you to both of them. The way they conducted (pardon the pun) the rehearsals and the performances was very special to witness and be part of. So on behalf of the Cast, an enormous “Thank you” to both RML and SDJC. You have made such an impact on music and drama and will remain legends of Radley College.

Finally, I want to say thank you to the Cast because every single person involved was so lovely. So to everyone involved in any way with the production of ‘Titanic, The Musical’, THANK YOU!

Arthur Tapner F Social, 6.1

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O U R V I S I ON On the evening of Monday 17th October, Radley College proposed its Vision for the Future development of Radley College at an event in London’s Connaught Rooms. All in all, around 600 ORs and parents came to hear about the future of Radley. The event aimed to communicate the core values of Radley’s education, whilst also placing an emphasis on the need for Radley to adapt to the changing global environment the school is preparing its boys for.

The event began with two impeccably performed pieces by the Radley Clerkes, before the Warden, in good humour, briefly quashed any radical fears of Radley becoming co-educational or a day school.

The evening was set out very

logically with Sir Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, outlining the need for businesses and similar organisations to pre-empt the need for change before it’s too late. It was made very clear to the large audience that change doesn’t need to be sudden, but can be progressive, if the need for change is seen well in advance. Indeed, this theme of adaptive, gradual change formed the crux of the evening, with it made clear to those present that change need not be binary in nature, but reviewed and lateral.

Sir Charlie Mayfield gave a wholly convincing argument and the scene was set as to why Radley should develop its Vision for the Future.

The Warden then went on to speak of Radley’s aim to seek boys of talent

in all areas: boys who will make a difference to those around them.

As Sir Charlie said, boys will find themselves surrounded by people from all walks of life and with talent in so many forms in the business world.

The Warden then introduced two short films, with ‘Thank You Radley’ showing the effect Radley has had on ORs. Listening to both recent and accomplished Radleians, as well as the widow of an OR, Sally Thorneloe, was particularly inspiring and they all highlighted the importance Radley has had in their lives, whether it be in academia, drama, art, sport or indeed within their own personal lives. Each person mentioned how Radley had allowed them to mould themselves into who they are today and had aided them in whatever

Radley’s core values should never change – they are timeless Christian qualities of humanity, compassion and understanding for others and should guide our future path, as they have always done in the past. In fact the world needs these qualities now more than ever. In that sense Radley does not need to change. But as we teach those values, we need to look at things afresh, in order to make them relevant in a shrinking world of burgeoning technology and expanding diversity, cultures and attitudes.

We must seek more boys from different backgrounds: boys with different outlooks and experiences, from different social, cultural and economic circumstances. We must become more international in outlook. We must ensure that a Radley education remains possible for families who might now find an education here out of their reach. We must seek boys of talent in all areas: boys who will make a difference to those around them. And we should prepare all our boys to be global citizens.

To meet these challenges, the College’s efforts – and our fundraising focus too, through the Radley Foundation – will revolve around three strategic pillars:

People

Place

Purpose

We want the College to be a place of diversity; we aim to seek out and attract boys from all backgrounds who possess the qualities to make the most of themselves, who will contribute fully to the life of the College, and who will have a positive impact on all those around them.

We want to increase significantly the scale of educational opportunity we are able to provide: investing in exceptional teaching and facilities that meet the needs of the modern world and creating an environment where boys can thrive, both intellectually and personally.

We want to instil in Radleians an understanding of themselves, an awareness and perspective of the world around them, and the moral courage to connect effectively and contribute to that modern world: not merely to succeed, but to make things better for those around them.

John Moule, Warden

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F OR R A D L E Y challenge or aspiration they had set themselves. The second video was entitled ‘What Radley has to offer’ and was produced by the Radley Video team. It portrayed the core values which each boy is expected to uphold and linked coherently with the first video, beautifully displaying the broad-faceted attributes many boys possess.

Following this, the Warden outlined how changes at Radley should reflect the changes in the modern world. The crux of the Warden’s speech was separated into three concepts: people, place and purpose.

The first was the affirmation that Radley should be a place of diversity, seeking out and attracting boys who will benefit from a Radley education.

The Warden stated that ‘our core values should never change’;

however, he also highlighted the need to adapt to the changing world by admitting more boys of farreaching talent, with an enlarged Bursary fund, supporting Sewell’s founding vision that ‘every tenth boy should receive his education free.’ By place, the Warden talked about the further development of world-class facilities at the school.

The creation of a new Social and an extension of Chapel were mentioned, amongst other ideas; however, it was made clear that nothing was set in stone. Lastly, the Warden talked of continuing to develop the key values of moral courage and excellence in Radleians, in order to allow them to communicate effectively with the world outside ‘the bubble.’

James Maidment followed Colin Dudgeon’s brief speech on the

intricacies of how the fund aimed to develop itself and James finished the evening with a humorous and detailed example of what Radley has given him. He spoke passionately, reiterating the need for boys to support Radley’s development, and rounded off a very insightful evening, with a personal account of his time here.

The evening was very well attended and discussion carried on into the night amongst members of the audience over drinks.

James Maitland Second Prefect and Johnny Dewhurst Head of Academic Prefects

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O U R V I S I ON F OR RADLEY It seemed that I had the rather difficult task of following three amazing speeches given by The Warden, Sir Charlie Mayfield and Colin Dudgeon. My aim was to summarise what had already been said and capture the spirit of the evening.

The importance of community has become more evident during my time at the College, as has the need to be open to new ideas, experiences and situations. The world around us is changing; therefore there is a need to adapt to these changes to safeguard our ethos. The ability to think critically and to engage

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with new cultures are two things which will enable us to be truly global citizens, with the knowledge and skills to thrive in the world of work or at university. This development of Radley is but adding to the experience of the Radleian and ensuring that the sense of community we all know and love will remain central to all we do at Radley.

I feel that the boys are ready to engage with this exciting prospect, which will no doubt be beneficial in numerous ways to all involved.

A prime example of this already occurring can be found in the reason for the recent success of

our hockey club. Boys learn to react to disadvantages and adapt their situation to be successful. This skill was put to great use during the season and ultimately led to the team winning the regional league.

It is easy to see how perhaps if this were introduced across the College, successes in and out of the classroom could increase.

If you would like to know more,+ I would strongly recommend watching the videos from the Vision event, which can be found on the Radley website.

James Maidment Senior Prefect

THE HADDON CUP Each October, every single one of the new Shells takes part in the Haddon Cup, acting on stage in front of a large audience. This is a drama competition between the Socials, entirely directed and produced by the boys themselves – with 6.1s in each Social directing the ten-minute plays and often writing them. From start to finish, those involved have only four weeks to perfect their performances.

adjudicator and the audience. If there was a fourth wall, it barely survived the performance. Directed by Benedict Yorston, Johnny Evans and Murdo Blythe - who also wrote much of the script - this was a comedy of manners, errors and observation featuring fourteen actors but only four parts - a numerical challenge that was largely addressed by the inspired use of coloured socks.

This year’s Haddon Cup was held on Sunday October 9th in front of a packed house of dons, parents and Radleians. Neil Henry - an award winning magician and illusionist had kindly come along to adjudicate, bringing with him the challenge to each Social to include at least one magic trick in their performance.

But, victors or no, the standard was extraordinarily high. Everywhere one looked there were credible, mature and inspiring examples of acting from boys who have only been at Radley for a few weeks. The performances coaxed out of them by the 6.1 directors were genuinely impressive.

The deserving victors were B Social, performing The Greatish Escape - a play that was by turn witty, challenging and gloriously “meta” with embedded references to the play, the actors, the other actors, the directors, the producers, the

E Social delivered one of the most challenging and thought provoking performances of the evening; “Alone with Thought” was a psychological confusion that explored schizophrenia and was marked by a particularly impressive performance

by Hugo Carr. The writer, Rory Betley, was specifically complimented by the adjudicator who wondered whether a writing career might yet beckon.

A Social were commended for the best magical trick of the evening.

H Social deserved their praise for a particularly witty interpretation of school life entitled The Shawshank Detention. J Social resurrected the Dead Poets Society with considerable panache. G Social delivered a hugely engaging extract from Lord of the Flies. Nithin Simanand of F Social was commended for his cameo as the Kolokolo Bird in The Elephant’s Child.

And D Social impressed everyone, not least the Modern Languages Department, with their extract from The History Boys delivered almost entirely in French.

Based on these performances by boys in only their first term at Radley, we have much to look forward to over the coming five years.

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HOCKE Y TO UR Once again, we decided to take two teams to Barcelona after the tour proved vital in the performances of the corresponding teams last year, who won their respective leagues. 34 boys and dons, D Cresswell, E Pearson and M Hills, were joined by Hockey Professional, P Bennett, and Sports Science Assistant, W Beattie. The Hotel Don Candido proved an excellent base and three matches and three training sessions were scheduled.

The boys trained superbly and we are all extremely hopeful about how the season will go.

Mike Hills Our match on 2nd January was against an academy side, Terrassa, made up of U18s. They were very skilful and did not miss a ball. For the first ten minutes, the team seemed to be in control of the game; but after fifteen minutes, Terrassa punished us with a goal. Radley did well to keep up with the high intensity of the match and it remained a competitive match. A goal from Fergus, which he looped over the goalie and another two from Terrassa made the final score 3-1. Feeling amongst the squad was good: the team had made a great effort.

The Colts had an equally tough game against Terrassa U16s. Despite a very good opening quarter, which included an early goal from the energetic Henry Chapman, the team found it tough to live with their skilful opponents.

However, the team produced a

disciplined defensive effort in the last quarter to keep the score to a respectable 5-1 defeat.

The next day was something a little different. When we turned up at the pitch, it soon became clear that they had fielded two girls’ sides. It was decided by the coaches that this would not be beneficial. Instead, we trained in the morning at Illuro. We were then bussed to CD Terrassa for afternoon training, involving small-sided matches with mixed teams of Colts and Seniors.

The next morning we returned to CD Terrassa to prepare for our second game at Egara, a prestigious Spanish Hockey club with several Spanish Internationals. Before our game we were lucky enough to see the Colts dismantle Egara’s junior side.

A fantastic reverse stick finish from G Marshall set the tone and this was swiftly followed by a hat-trick of predatory goals from frontman, H Chapman. Clearly already playing with more composure and assurance, the Colts eventually ran out 5-0 winners. It was particularly pleasing to see them keep a clean sheet; Brolly and Horler looking commanding at the back.

Then came the 1st XI game. A rock solid defence in the opening minutes gave the team a platform they could build on: the pressure leading to a well-executed first goal from James Cunningham. But a concerted effort from Egara led to a short corner and

a goal that put them level. Excellent play from JC and Hamish Wishart at screen helped to keep the side together, as well as incessant running from Jamie Farr to create chances and defend. We entered the second half with confidence and had goals from Fergus Clark, Nick Mahon, Ned Gorden and Jamie Farr. Egara were hampered having no subs, but kept attacking until the final whistle. The match ended 6-3. It had truly been a team effort with Jamie Farr as the stand-out player, deservedly receiving “Man of the Match” award. Everyone left the pitch feeling as though they had done everything for the team and it was great to celebrate the win with what has become a tradition on tour, Tapas.

We woke up the next day to the good news we would be playing Illuro. The match was hard-fought. Goals from Charlie Pritchard-Gordon and Will Todd helped to secure a 2-2 draw, as did spirited defensive work by Alex Rayne, Freddie Marshall, Caspar Hart and Val Brooke. After this, a mixed match was played against the same team with the Colts, which ended in a loss but saw some impressive goals and play from the younger players. Before driving to the hotel, we were treated to a tour of the Camp Nou, a welcome addition to the tour schedule. The squad certainly feels now like a team and the atmosphere is extremely positive for the season to come. The aim has to be firstly to beat Wellington, but then also to retain the ISHL title.

James Maidment Senior Prefect

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U S P OL I T I C S T R I P We have always known that Radleians make excellent tourists and the recent trip to the US, organised by the Politics Department, was no exception. This excursion has now been running for several years and the balance between work and play, between the academic and the cultural, has been expertly crafted during this time. The boys were quick to recognise the fact that Mr Lawson’s and Dr McMahon’s detailed planning over a number of months prior to our departure meant that this would be a slick operation from start to finish.

Upon arrival in Washington, we headed into the city to take in a political revue known as the ‘Capitol Steps’.

Any fears of impending jet-lag were quickly assuaged owing to a hilarious selection of topical sketches and songs at the Ronald Reagan building.

The following morning, we started to reconcile ourselves to the various and sometimes subtle, cultural and linguistic differences between these two nations. For example, in the USA at the breakfast table, there is no difference between jam and marmalade. They just use jelly apparently. But once we had overcome these small trifles, we began the serious business of the trip. In fact, I only realised how much ground that we covered once my pedometer began to overheat!

We visited the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the Washington Monument, the Washington Memorial, we strolled through the Franklin D. Roosevelt gardens and then, later that afternoon, we faced-up to the tough choice between the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum or the National Gallery. As a non-specialist, it was a pleasure to hear the boys’ views on US political history but also to hear them debate a whole host of ethical issues during our time in the nation’s capital. We were received by Professor Jeffrey Herbst, CEO at ‘Newseum’, who spoke to us about the editorial and distributive dilemmas that one faces in modern day journalism. We saw an incredible exhibition of Pulitzer Prize winning photographs, before meeting a group of senior civilian staff from the Ministry of Defence at the British Embassy, who spoke to us in great detail about cyber-security. We then spent a highly stimulating evening with Dr Adam Sheingate, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins university. We attended a short lecture at the US Supreme Court and spent a morning viewing the American Constitution in its original form at the National Archives, where we also saw exhibits on the key legal disputes that have faced the nation down the years, such as Roe v Wade (1973) and Brown vs Board of Education (1954). But we waited until

we had sight of the Watergate hotel before we discussed United States v Nixon (1974).

Our visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (completed before the potential goldplating of its Doric pillars) and the home of the current incumbent at the White House, Barack Obama, will live long in the memory. The opportunity to visit the White House is afforded to few visitors – and is a particularly rarity for non-US citizens, but this rare chance was not wasted – both boys and dons knew we were undertaking something very special. There were also several incredibly moving aspects of this trip, including our visit to Arlington National Cemetery – which allowed us to visit the beautiful and moving spectacle of the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Of course, while in New York we spent a morning at the beautifully constructed memorial to 9/11: there are few museums crafted so elegantly and which are so powerful in their impact.

And yet there was still time to take in a show on Broadway, an ice-hockey game, the Metropolitan Art Museum and the vertigo inducing view from the top of the Empire State Building. Quite simply, a trip that will live long in the memory.

Chris Lee

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THE LAB OF RA Hill Climb: 18,647 laps, 55,941m climbed, 42 ascents of Ben Nevis Water Chain: 3,104 litres moved 20m, the average consumption in the ‘Developing World’ for 155 days Stair Climb: 13,346 loops of K Social, 56,053m ascended, Everest Base Camp to Peak and back 16 times Squat thrusts: 50,205, enough to wear out the soles of at least one pair of shoes Press Ups: 46,620, massive pectorals

Sunday 18th September marked the day of Herculean efforts as the Radley boys and staff completed the 12 Labours of Radley in great spirit.

The weeks prior to that were spent fundraising and organising the charitable endeavour. Boys were keen to raise as much as they could, parents and relatives were hugely kind, and together Radley amassed more than £80,000 in sponsorship. Members of the Charity Committee gave talks in Social Prayers and sent emails to prepare the boys for the event.

Then came the highly anticipated day. Each Social started the day with a different event and proceeded to complete the Labours that had been organised by Mr Fernandez. For instance, ‘A’ Socials’ order of the day was as follows: track run, hill climb, water-carry, staircase climb, lunch, press ups and sit ups

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BOURS ADLEY Sit ups: 84,620, enough for a few 6-packs Marathon: 8,029 laps, 3212km, 76 ‘normal’ marathons, or Radley to Athens Inflatable & wade/swim: 1,925 laps, 48km, Dover to Calais, and half-way back again Ergo: 1952km, Portsmouth to Tangiers Piggy backs: 3,494 loops, 349km, Radley to Durham Mountain biking: 2,468 laps, 1,974km, Radley to Naples

in the gym, inflatable assault course in the pool, ergo sprint, break, carrying people and finally mountain biking course. Each event was modelled on a Labour of Hercules and lasted from fifteen to thirty minutes. Throughout the day, the boys were fuelled with energy drinks and high-energy bars. As a school Radley accumulated impressive statistics shown above.

The boys all felt pleased to have accomplished the tasks and still felt the exertion of the labours for many days after.

Mentions of thanks must go to the teachers who organised such a smooth running event and the kind parents and relatives who kindly donated to such a worthy cause.

James Gosling and Tom Whitbread A Social, 6.2

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NEWS ROUND UP K Social Awarded Smale Casket,September 12th

David Crystal Lecture, September 14th David Crystal is far from your everyday academic, writer, editor, lecturer and broadcaster. He is an accomplished Shakespeare enthusiast, shown by his far from modest achievements, including his OBE, FBA and FLSW to name a few.

The Smale Casket is an award for outstanding academic achievement, taking into account the public exam results of last year’s Fifth Form and 6.2 year groups, academic prizes awarded, Distinctions and Copies earned in the year by all boys.

Commenting on receiving the award on behalf of K Social, Hamish Wishart, Head of K Social, said: “Collecting the award was one of the best events in my time at Radley. We must give our credit to the Fifth Form and 6.2s for their incredible results in the summer. Their hard-work, along with the other years, was defined by the Distinctions, Prizes and Copies we earned throughout the year. This has now set the benchmark for all of us and I know K Social can achieve as much and more in the future.”

Tom Whitbread, A Social 6.1

My aim is to lift competitive swimming at Radley and with the support of the College I have joined a professionally run swimming club from Abingdon which trains at the Radley pool 4-5 times per week, sometimes at 6.00am.

I have been swimming competitively since the age of six and my long term ambition is to qualify for, and swim at, the 2024 Olympics, either for Kenya or Team GB. Before then there will be many years of training and working my way up through County championships, South East Regionals and the UK Nationals in Sheffield every summer.

Ed Roest, E Social Remove

Crystal shared his knowledge with us through his humorous dissection of the language of one of the greatest writers ever to live. His delivery was nothing short of enthralling, as passion seeped from every word spoken. His broad, perhaps unmatched, knowledge of the subject shared with us, cemented this man’s reputation as a veteran of Shakespearian study. He dusted off the mundane technique of iambic pentameter to explain it in a new light. David Crystal breathed life into a tired, age-old study with showmanship and unmatched charisma, with a central message throughout: ‘The plays are for the stage, not for the page’.

Rory Marsh and Robert Crawfurd, J Social 6.1s

Swimming Success: 5 Gold Medal, September 15th

Walking Tour of Graffitti Art, September 23rd

On Wednesday 21st September, the Art department visited London for a walking tour of Graffiti Art around Shoreditch. This was followed by a visit to Damien Hirst’s private gallery in Vauxhall to see Damien’s collection of work by Jeff Koons. The boys had a great time and were even invited into Hirst’s cafe, the Pharmacy, for photographs with Hirst’s work.

Golf Success, September 23rd

Inter Social Geography Quiz, September 14th On Wednesday 14th September a crowd gathered in the Silk Hall for the annual Inter Social Geography Quiz. It was a hotly contested competition with teams of three boys from each Social battling to get the most points. Rounds included ‘Spot the city,’ ‘Identify the country’ and ‘Label the flag.’

E Social were victorious, claiming 44 out of a possible 50 points. Congratulations to Charles Henry, Henry Williams and Finn McCarthy.

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I was lucky enough to win five gold medals at the Abingdon Vale Swimming Club 50m sprints club championships, one of them in the 100m individual medley by just 0.02 seconds! I also managed to swim two PBs (“Personal Bests”) in the 50m breast stroke and 50m back stroke.

Captain of Golf Sanjay Anand (6.2) and James Duffy (Fifth) won the best pair score in the South East District Schools’ Championship at West Sussex G.C. They played some fantastic strokeplay foursomes golf to take home the top prize.

Radley Union Debate, September 27th

Chapel Choir Trip, September 29th On Wednesday 28th September, the Chapel Choir sang evensong at Salisbury Cathedral.

The day started with a tour of the Cathedral, which involved climbing many steps to get to the tower’s balcony, the reward being some stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Other boys were taken to see the Magna Carta.

beach - it was rocky with crashing waves.

The final time was 13 hours and 6 minutes; we were thrilled with this time considering the conditions. I swam for a total of seven hours and my Dad swam for just over six hours.

In total we raised £11,000 for the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust which helps teenagers with metal health issues such as depression.

Harry Salter, D Social Fifth

The opening Radley Union Debate of this Academic Year took place after Chapel on Tuesday 27th September in the Blue Room in Mansion. The event was organised and chaired by Will Shott of D Social and there was a large audience of boys and dons present.

The Motion was ‘This House Would Use More Force Against Terrorism.’ Proposing the Motion were Oliver Skelley, George Dillon-Robinson and AC; Opposing the Motion were Gus Cayzer, Patrick Hayes and ISY. The Motion was carried and indeed the Proposition won the day on a “swing” vote.

Best Speaker overall was adjudged to be Patrick Hayes.

GB Gold Medallists Coach Removes, October 5th

After a fascinating tour we then went straight into a rehearsal for the evensong.

The Choir sang Haydn’s “Insanae et vanae curae”, as well as the Stanford Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. All in all, it was a successful and very enjoyable day out.

Joshua Bowesman-Jones, J Social 6.2

Will Shott, D Social Fifth Channel Swimmer, October 4th I decided to swim the Channel a year ago and in May I started doing open water training. My father drove me to Dover where a wonderful community of swimmers meet up every Saturday and Sunday to train either for solos or relays. The training slowly built up until, at the climax, we were doing a back-to-back seven-hour swim.

Cambridge Chemistry Challenge Winner, September 28th As a result of winning a Roentgenium Award in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge 2016 a written examination comprising some tough and challenging chemistry related questions - I was invited to attend the University of Cambridge for a residential chemistry course on the 2nd to 5th September. Four days of chemical fun were in the offing!

As a matter of interest, Roentgenium (the metal from which my medal is made) is a chemical element that has an atomic number of 111 and is located in group 11 - the ‘precious metal’ group - other members of this group being the better-known copper, silver and gold.

Attending this course was a stimulating and highly interesting experience for me. It also provided a brief impression of what Chemistry at university level is like (tough!), and scientific research taking place. I found the Chemistry I did highly challenging, but this is what attracts me to such a wonderful subject.

Jiwang Chen, E Social 6.2

Our swim window was the week of the 23rd September. Poor weather postponed the swim until the 3rd October. We set off at 12:40am, the water temperature was 17 degrees but outside it was only 9 degrees.

My father took the first swim, only to lose his safety lights immediately. My first swim was better than I imagined on the whole but I found swimming in the dark unnerving. My middle two-hour swim was better, as I was swimming in the light, and my last swim was really tough because by that time I had not been able to rest overnight.

As we approached France we missed the Cap Gris Nez which meant we had another two hours of swimming to do. When we finally arrived we both swam in and landed on what was an extremely unpleasant

Only four weeks into term, and the hockey set off to an incredible start at Radley College. Following a sensational season last year, six of our reigning champions from the U15 1st hockey team were privileged enough to attend a wonderful hockey course at Repton School. As we were greeted by the televised faces of victorious Gold medallists Alex Danson and Holly Webb, the overwhelming feeling among us all was how it was truly an honour to be standing within such a short distance of so much inspirational and unbelievable talent.

The unique opportunity to be coached by players performing professionally at an international level is one which I certainly shall never forget, and having eagerly absorbed all the top tips thrown at us, I have my fingers crossed that this will be reflected in our hockey battles later in the year!

The intensive programme introduced us to indoor hockey, and this new experience was coupled with instructions for up-todate ‘drag flick’ skills and strategies, with extensive focus on gameplay, to enable us young and enthusiastic players to develop and apply new techniques.

Coaching from a GB defender, Holly Webb herself, left us determined not to concede a goal in future games, whilst goal-scoring practice gave us hope for many more convincing Radley victories to come. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly, for me, the chance to take a glimpse at the gold medals themselves – brought all the way back from Rio! Conversations with the GB squad and other European professionals were an unforgettable experience, and fired my ambition to play hockey professionally in the future. All in all, a tremendous success!

William Way, B Social Remove

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Exploring Africa, October 6th

contemporaries. Sunday night was spent in shelters the cadets had built themselves.

The Meaning of Courage, October 19th

On Monday the cadets carried out a number of tasks, including paintballing and team-based infantry tactics, a stalk, command tasks and an introduction to the cadet weapon system. It was an excellent weekend of training for all, particularly those who found they enjoyed the experience more than they thought they would.

Every year Radley and Downe House take it in turn to host a Fifth Form Conference.

With Radley hosting the 2016 edition it was felt that the time was right to explore Africa further.

Year 11 students from both schools joined together in the New Theatre. Here they were treated to talks by ISY and Matt Clarke OR, a photographer and musician. The students then split into groups and completed two workshops either side of an African-themed lunch. These workshops ranged from African Dance, Drumming, Image Making and Body Art, to African Culture, Female Empowerment and the Wealth Gap. The day finished on a real high with keynote speaker Greg Dorey. He was the British Ambassador to Ethiopia from 2011 to 2015 and has just retired from the Foreign Office. His wealth of knowledge as well as his fascinating story -telling meant that the audience were well entertained, as well as far more informed with the way in which African countries operate.

England Show Jumping U15 Success, October 13th

Congratulations are due to Tom Beattie, C Social, Shell, who has been selected to ride for the England Show Jumping Team for the under 15 team against Scotland and Wales in the Nations Cup. Tom is also representing Radley in the National Schools Championships, where he will be defending his title from last year.

‘The Meaning of Courage’ talk, organised

by J Social’s Tom Fenwick, was a very inspiring talk that was much enjoyed by all who went. The talk was started by the CEO of the ‘Walking with the Wounded’ Foundation, Ed Parker, who introduced the four speakers: Rowley Gregg (OR) who has a Military Cross, Rob Gallimore who completed four tours of Afghanistan, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton and Harry Parker who was in D Social and is a published author and a double amputee.

The first speaker, Jamie, talked about how people who “have the fear chip missing” he doesn’t think are brave: it’s the people who have fear, but put it aside in times of courage. Rowley then talked about his tours in the Army and how courage was linked with all occasions of fear and bravery. I found this talk very inspiring and courageous.

Harry Young, K Social Remove

Remove Cadets Training Camp, October 11th

Classics Department Visit, October 18th The first field weekend of the year was held at Bramley camp and 85 cadets attended.

The Remove cadets were focused and enthusiastic about their various training packages, which included: camouflage and concealment, movement in the field, feeding and rations, shelter building and navigation.

Each of these ‘stands’ was run by groups of Sixth Form and Fifth Form NCOs who had taken time to prepare well in advance, set aside appropriate equipment and practice their delivery.

On Sunday evening the Remove year were treated to an ambush demonstration. The ambush was completed in a professional manner and hugely enjoyed. A night navigation course followed. Radley boys did themselves proud and were polite and sensible in their interactions with their

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Members of the Shell year went to Avebury and Aquae Sulis (Bath). It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip where we learnt about ancient shrines, and also had the opportunity to handle some old pieces found in the original buildings in which the famous baths were situated.

The day started by seeing a long barrow thought to be built at around 3000BC. It was opposite the chalk, man-made Silbury Hill, thought to represent a breast of the Earth goddess.

Archaeologists and historians believe this was in order to help the growing of crops, as it symbolises fertility.

Next we visited Avebury, which houses a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles.We finished in Aquae Sulis, an old Roman town that is now known as Bath.

Max McGee, F Social Shell

Inter-Social Partsong, October 20th The Inter-Social Partsong Competition has always been a staple of the Michaelmas Term, and a must-see event for everyone in the College. As usual, it was a full house on the evening of Thursday October 20th, and the Silk Hall was brimming with anticipation. The adjudicator this year was Mr Alexander L’Estrange, an accomplished and charismatic composer of acapella, so a very fitting judge for the occasion.

The winner was A Social with ‘Dear Prudence’ by The Beatles. Their use of percussion complemented an excellent solo by Paddy Langdale, as well as stellar syncopation throughout. A well-deserved win, completing another great year for this excellent Partsong Competition.

Robert Crawfurd and Rory Marsh ,J Social 6.1s

Latin in the Community, October 31st

Memories of the Great Escape, November 16th

Our community activity involves eight Fifth Formers travelling to Fitzharry’s secondary school in Abingdon on Monday afternoons to teach forty minutes of beginners’ Latin to Year 7 and 8 students. Using the Cambridge Latin Course, online and via textbooks, we explain how the language works, as well as aspects of Pompeiian culture.

I was initially surprised at how difficult the teaching really was. I had expected just to be looking at nouns and some basic endings with the students, but in just our fifth session, we have already completed three different tenses, three declensions of nouns, alongside a healthy amount of vocab.

The assignment has even taught me things I did not know before. The pupils have been keen and eager to learn, and it has also consolidated my understanding of the language.

Xavier Coughlan, K Social Fifth

Inter-Social Steeplechase, December 12th

One of the largest audiences ever gathered in the Coffee Shop came to hear Jack Lyon’s gripping account of his involvement in the legendary ‘Great Escape’. Jack, now 98, was an RAF Officer in Stalag Luft III, in South-east Germany – where, on the night of 24/25th March 1944, a total of 76 Allied airmen escaped from the Camp through a tunnel. This was the largest breakout of its kind (and was later immortalised in the 1963 film ‘The Great Escape’). Only three of them evaded recapture and made the “home run” back to England. The other 73 were recaptured by the Germans and, of these, 50 were executed by the Gestapo.

This was an amazing opportunity for Radleians (and dons and PHMs) to question and talk with Jack about his unique place in history.

Spens Trophy, November 17th

In the Final of the annual Spens Trophy, Radley’s very own ‘University Challenge’style Inter-Social Quiz, J Social beat A Social by 250 points to 210. The Final was held in the Silk Hall on the evening of Thursday, November 17th. The J Social Team consisted of Josh Bowesman-Jones, Ben Broughton, Dan Bishop and Thomas Isaacs.

Four of the days in Japan were spent in school, where the boys most often found themselves helping out in English lessons.

We were also lucky to be able to sample a number of after school clubs, including Kendo, Japanese Archery and the tea ceremony club, which gave us a wonderful insight into Japanese culture.

What made the real difference when it came to understanding more about Japan, however, was the fact that we were all staying with the families of students from the school and it was this as much as anything which made the trip so memorable.

The annual Inter-Social Steeplechase was held on the morning of Monday December 12th, just before the College Christmas Lunch.

Individual Results were as follows: Shells: 1st Jago Gourlay (d); 2nd Harvey Glover (d); 3rd Raph Koudounaris (d).

Intermediates: 1st Alex Senior (e); 2nd Ben Hoddinott (b); 3rd Felix Rawlinson (f).

Seniors: 1st Tom Jewell - amazingly, winner of his event for the fifth year running - (b); 2nd Jamie Farr (h); 3rd Max Senior (e).

Winners’ Medals were presented by the Warden and the event was organised by AJAW, with PMF kindly acting as “hare” for the course.

Congratulations to D Social who were the overall winners of the event, for the second year in a row.

Japanese Exchange Trip, November 1st

The first week of Leave Away was spent in Japan for six 6.1 boys. This was the third visit of Radleians to Ichinomiya High school about 260 km west of Tokyo and it is part of an exchange programme that sees Ichinomiya students returning to Radley for the fourth time in March 2017.

Choir rehearsed with the current Chapel Choir and Choristers. The reunion, which involved dinner in Hall, offered a wonderful opportunity for current boys to chat to ORs and exchange news and views.

Christmas Jumper Day, December 12th On the final full day of school, Monday December 12th, Radley entered into the festive spirit with its second ‘Radley Christmas Jumper Day’ which was held to raise funds for ‘Shelter’, a charity which helps those who are homeless, or in housing that is insufficient for their needs.

Chapel Choir Reunion, November 19th On Saturday the 19th November, a group of ORs and former members of the Chapel

The whole College took part in this event, boys and staff alike, with those who didn’t have jumpers jazzing up an old one with baubles, tinsel and snowflakes.

We are delighted to have raised more than £745 for Shelter with our festive jumper frolics.

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RUSSIA St Petersburg After an early start and a threehour plane journey, we arrived at St Petersburg, where the weather was surprisingly clement. We had a packed schedule, and over three days we visited all of the key sights in the city. We started by seeing the cruiser Aurora, the battleship that started the October Revolution, before visiting the Peter and Paul fortress, a notorious political prison, and home to the Cathedral of the same name, where the Russian Emperors are buried.

We then visited the Smolny Institute, a former school for girls used by the Bolsheviks as their headquarters during the October Revolution, now the city hall. Then we visited the Yusupov place, one of the Yusupov family’s many palaces, who were thought to be richer than the Tsar. It was there that Felix Yusupov murdered Rasputin, a womanising “holy man” whose close relationship with the royal family was destroying their credibility.

In the evening, we were privileged to visit the St Petersburg State Circus, which was very good, with splendid acrobatic displays and some amusing sea lions.

On our final day we started by visiting the Memorial to the Siege of Leningrad (St Petersburg), a brutal siege which lasted almost 900 days and claimed the lives of 650,000 civilians. We saw the daily ration, 150 grams of bread, of which about 40% was sawdust.

We then drove out to the village of Pushkin, where we saw the Catherine Palace, rebuilt by Catherine I seven times, because she disliked the design.

Inside we saw the famous amber room,

a room panelled with amber which, after it was destroyed by the Germans during the Second World War, took nearly 25 years to be reconstructed.

We then visited the Hermitage, one of the world’s largest museums, with over three million items of fine art in its collections. We were astounded by the quality and quantity of the fine art there including a large room specifically for Van Dycks.

Finally, we attended a show of traditional Russian dances, which was very enjoyable, before boarding a sleeper train to Moscow.

Overall, our stay in St Petersburg was extremely informative and memorable, enriching our understanding of Russia and its culture, very important for the Russia-based section of our GCSEs. Moscow We arrived in Moscow after a comfortable journey by sleeper from St Petersburg, and immediately embarked on a quick tour of Moscow, briefly being introduced to the sites that we would soon see in more detail, before

we stopped on Sparrow Hill, a large hill with a wonderful view of Moscow much loved by the poet Pushkin. Here, there is also the main building of Moscow State University, an enormous Stalinist skyscraper that was at one time the tallest building in Europe.

Next we visited the Kremlin, where we saw the wonderful treasures of the armoury (e.g. Faberge eggs and very rare 17th century English silver), as well as seeing the Senate building, where Mr Putin has his office, and the remarkable Assumption Cathedral, with walls covered in icons, which was where the Tsars were crowned.

We then proceeded to visit the Novodevichy Cemetery, a huge cemetery for the distinguished, such as Yeltsin, Khrushchev and Shostakovich and admired the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, before a tour of the Arbat, a major pedestrian route, where many of us chose to buy souvenirs.

The next day we visited Red Square, seeing Lenin’s Mausoleum, a strange and gloomy place, and the bizarre and iconic St Basil’s Cathedral. We visited Bunker 42, a Cold War bunker built to allow the government to survive in the event of a nuclear war. That evening we went bowling, where we watched SDJC and BJH get some incredible scores.

Finally, on our last day, we visited Lenin’s estate at Gorky, a quiet place, where his office from the Kremlin is now located, as well as a unique Rolls Royce that he had converted into a snowmobile so that he might get to and from Moscow.

Overall, it was a very informative and unique stay, and we are very grateful to the History Department for arranging such a wonderful trip, and to all the dons who gave up their time to make it possible.

Christoph Wallendahl F Social, Fifth

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SOCIETIES FAIR Radley has a large number of active Societies, with a wide range of interests catered for, as can be seen from the list opposite.

Some inevitably meet more regularly than others; but many, often initiated and run by boys themselves, have been hugely successful in recent terms. Take, for example the Adam Smith and Corinthian Societies, the initiative of Fifth and Sixth-formers.

Several well-known outside speakers, experts in their fields, have given excellent talks to large audiences after being invited to Radley by these two Societies (recent examples being Tim Henman OBE, Sir Christopher Gent, Giles Clarke CBE and Pat Nevin).

CURRENT RADLEY SOCIETIES Adam Smith

German

Animals

Grapevine

Archaeology

Harris

Another striking example of a particularly popular Society is the well-established Animals Society, which meets regularly in the Biology Department and even has its own College tie.

Architecture

History

Astronomy

Hudson

But perhaps the key point is that, whatever their interests, Radleians are free to run and set up Societies, with full support and encouragement, when and if needed. A recent example of a Society being established in 2016 is the Orwell Society, whose motto is ‘Free Thinking’.

Beagles

Infusion

Big Band

International Relations

Biology

Journalism

Business Games

Junior Debating

Caledonian

Literary

CathSoc

Mathematics

Clay Pigeon

Medics & Vets

Clean Energy Society

Model Flying

Chapel Choir

Orchestra

Chess

Orwell

Christian Forum

Perplexed

Chronicle

Philosophy

Classical

Photographic

Clerkes

Politics

Computer Science

Programming

Corinthians

Psychology

Creative Writing

The Radleian

Crowson

Rock Soc

Cryptography

Shakespeare

Debating

Shell

Dissection

Spanish

Economics

Student Investor

Engineering

Sub-Aqua

Fifth Form

Symposium

French

Tattersalls

General Knowledge

Ultimate Frisbee

Geographical

Upper Sixth

Early in the Michaelmas Term, there is the annual Societies Fair, which introduces new pupils, Shells and Sixth-formers alike, to what’s on offer at Radley. The 2016 Societies Fair was held in Covered Passage during Central Hour on Wednesday September 14th and was, as usual, a busy and well-attended event. Again, a wide range of possible activities and clubs were in evidence: many set up and organised by boys themselves, with more than twenty Radley Societies represented with stalls.

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CAPABILITY BROWN 2016 is the Tercentenary of the birth of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. There have been exhibitions and celebrations of his work countrywide. Brown’s connection with the landscape at Radley Hall was first rediscovered by Dorothy Stroud in her ground-breaking work Capability Brown, published in 1950. Her work was based on his only surviving account book, now in the collection of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley Library.

Brown’s account records that he was paid £672 over four years by Sir William Stonhouse at Radley Hall between 1770

and 1773. In the intervening 180 years all information about Brown’s work at Radley was lost. His connection with the site was completely unknown to Sewell and Singleton when they founded the College in 1847, and missed entirely by the two histories of the school published in 1897 and 1947. After the connection was made there were suggestions that such a small amount paid for the work must imply either that it was not completed or was so minor that it has all since been swept away and nothing can now be traced on the ground.

In 1968, AK Boyd, OR, Don and Radley’s historian visited the Lindley Library to confirm the entry in the account book. He raised a challenge: what did Capability Brown do at Radley? His challenge was first attempted by Hugh Cardwell in the 1980s in two articles for The Radleian. Cardwell tried to work out changes to the landscape based on field acreages by comparing two land terriers of 1633 and 1768.

He then tried to trace the line of Sir George Bowyer’s disastrous canal project (which resulted in financial ruin

In 1789, 14-year old William Turner was studying architectural drawing with his uncle, who lived in Kennington. William was set an exercise in accurate perspective drawing. His sketches and watercolours of Radley Hall and its lodges are the earliest record of the house and grounds after Capability Brown worked on the landscape.

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and is ultimately the reason why the College is at Radley) by following a boundary ditch which he suggested as a possible outer ha-ha around the deer park constructed by Capability Brown. And there it all stopped. The golf course was built in the 1980s and it was assumed that any survivals were lost beyond recall.

The 2016 Tercentenary has given the impetus to revisit this problem.

Nationally, much more information about Brown’s work is known, including many lost landscapes.

Much of this work is based on his bank accounts records released by the Archives at Drummond’s Bank in the 1980s. The Lindley Library made his account book available digitally in 2015. This has allowed a comparison of prices paid for similar estates to Radley Hall. This has shown at least fifteen commissions in the same price range. So Radley wasn’t necessarily a small commission, just a modest one, within the budget of a middle-rank family of moderate wealth.

One of the most significant things to come out of the research on Radley is the establishment of a client network based around members of the Stonhouse family, particularly the female line. This, too, is a change in approach from the 1960s and 1980s, when all studies of the family concentrated solely on the male lines of succession. Radley Hall’s landscape now takes its place alongside equivalent work at Kirtlington, Denham and Ditchley, with links to some of Brown’s grander schemes at Stratfield Saye (completely unknown until the 1980s) and Trentham. It is also possible to put it into context with Blenheim Palace and, most significantly, as pre-dating Brown’s work at Nuneham Courtenay - possibly even being incorporated into that work by Brown as part of the wider vistas of Nuneham.

Research has further revealed the pre-Brownian landscape at Radley Hall as an incomplete attempt at a garden of grand avenues, some features of which survive today in the line of Cheesers and its oldest sweet chestnuts at the Lodge Hill end nearest the Oxford turnpike road, and in the siting of Jackdaw Clump on the pitches. Close analysis of Rocque’s Map of Berkshire, surveyed in the 1750s and first published in 1761, the 1st edn Ordnance Survey map of Oxfordshire & Berkshire, published in 1830, with the 1st revision in 1914, and the 1842 Tithe map of the estate, have shown the changing approaches

and use of the Park as it was adapted

by Brown from an earlier design, and the subsequent changes when Park and House were separated by tenancies after 1815.

Alongside the maps, a major research tool has been the set of watercolours and sketches draw by JMW Turner whilst still a schoolboy in 1789.

Turner’s drawings are the earliest visual record of the landscape after Brown worked on it. They show a ha-ha to the south of the house and changes to the avenue from the north front. But the most significant discovery based on Turner’s drawings is the very faint sketch of the two west lodges, long since lost at Radley.

Turner’s drawing of the lodges reveals a pair of buildings very close in design to the Boycott Pavilions built

by Capability Brown at Stowe.

Other accounts than Brown’s also played their part: Berkshire Record Office hold the account books of three Stonhouse brothers who owned the estate in turn from 1733 until 1792.

These records show the deliberate enclosure of farm land, purchase of breeding stock (both sheep and cattle), enlargement and improvement of the estate before Brown was hired, and then the preparation of the estate for his work. In 1768, Sir William Stonhouse recorded the sale of large quantities of timber, raising sufficient money to cover the costs of Brown’s work and probably showing the felling of the avenues. A single line, easily overlooked, confirms Brown’s accounts: ‘April 1770 paid Mr Brown £200.’

Another recent discovery in the Bodleian Library, is the day book of the Oxford builder and architect, William Townesend. Townesend’s papers were given to the Bodleian in 2014, and this is the first opportunity to study them for Radley. Townesend was the builder/architect who was employed by Sir John Stonhouse in 1721/2 to build his new house at Radley Hall - now the Mansion.

Townesend’s pocket book reveal that he was working simultaneously on Radley Hall as builder/architect, on Blenheim Palace as builder for Vanbrugh and at All Souls’ College, Oxford, in partnership with Hawksmoor. Towards the end of the build at Radley he was also working on the house and grounds at Shotover House. So here is another network, of the leading builders and garden designers of the 1720s, which may give some clues to the ideas behind the pre-Brownian landscape.

And finally, contemporary field survey. What remains on the ground?

Walking the bounds with the maps and drawings, studying some of the earliest photographs of the 1850s, and the aerial photos taken in 2015, reveals quite a lot is still there.

The exhibition will be on display in the Coffee Shop throughout Lent Term 2017. The full story can be read at https://100radleyobjects.wordpress. com/2016/11/29/no-16-receiptfor-672-1770/ Meanwhile, to answer Boyd’s challenge, what did Capability Brown do at Radley? Probably ....

• Ha-ha surrounding Mansion to south. In the area of G Social Patch, but lost irretrievably when the area was excavated for the new chapel in 1895 • Shelter planting to east (including White’s Plantation) • Old main avenue from north rooted up, clumps left, only Jackdaw Clump now survives and probably replanted • West lodges built. Finally lost in the 1920s • Pond reshaped; presume a (wooden?) bridge • The Park boundary changes from a rectangle to a more curvy shape, though the south-west preserves straight lines and a right-angle corner • Park boundary more clearly defined.

Probably no bigger than an ordinary field ditch.

• Shelter belt on Oxford Road • Possibly new serpentine walk through a shrubbery to the village church • Shelter belt to south-west – why?

• Little Wood reshaped – why?

• A few trees and clumps in the Park – but main outlook is to the south towards the Berkshire Downs • Possibly replaced the lost formal gardens to the south of the House by walled gardens on the Kennington Road approach.

Clare Sargent Head of Archives

THE RADLEIAN

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KILIMANJARO During the Warden’s Assembly in September 2012, Radleians listened to the account of our first attempt on the world’s largest free-standing mountain, as part of Radley’s inaugural 6.1 Tanzania trip. Eleven boys and one don reached the summit that summer (had any one of that dozen wavered, the entire party would have had to

descend). Among those listening, 64 Radleians (from Shells to 6.2) and ten dons would have attempted that climb

by July 2016, roughly ten per cent of the entire College. Not all would succeed in reaching the 5,895m summit. But nearly all would have pushed themselves to their limits, physically and mentally, therefore scaling a personal summit.

This year (2017) we bid farewell to Mount Kilimanjaro and will tackle Mount Meru (4562m) instead, before doing our safari and teaching at Gehandu Secondary School.

Time to take stock.

The bare stats on Kilimanjaro: Altitude:

5,895m above sea level (highest mountain in Africa)

Location:

Equator, Tanzania

Ascent from start to Base Camp:

3,000m in 5 days

Summit Climb:

1,100m in 7 hours (midnight to dawn)

Boys making it to Base camp (4800m):

63 (or 98.4% of those trying)

Boys making it to the Crater rim (5700m):

44 (68.8%)

Boys making it to Summit:

27 (42.2%; by Social: E: 7, F: 6, H: 4)

Dons making it to Summit:

MRJ (twice), SLN

Boys & dons making it home safely:

79 (100%)

The allure of scaling one of the world’s highest and most iconic mountains has helped made the 6.1 Tanzania Trip very popular for the past five years. But the crude statistics over the five years make it look like more Radleians have ‘failed’ – only 42% have made it to the summit. This is not the reason why we are replacing Kili with a smaller mountain. It is true, Meru is a shorter (and cheaper) trekking climb, with less risk of altitude sickness, but it is arguably more picturesque, less crowded and more technical. I am

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sure the class of 2017 will have an amazing experience.

altitude problems, we will not rush them to the summit.

The answer to the question, ‘Have too many boys failed on Kilimanjaro?’ is no.

Those who have made it to the summit know how tough it is. Josh BowesmanJones (2016) rated it the ‘hardest physical challenge’ of his life, harder than any international rowing he’d yet done. James Pascall, Toby KingThompson and Alex Manville-Hales (2013) were very wobbly on the final hour, as was Ollie Martyn-Hemphill (2016). Adam Hargreaves (2015) fought daily migraines on the five-day ascent and reached the summit with a parasol

While climbers die on Kilimanjaro, regularly, the most important statistic is the 100% safety record we have.

That’s why we travel with experienced UK guides, alongside the local guides and porters. And that’s why our ‘summit rate’ is not higher – if anyone is demonstrably struggling with

O, FAREWELL to keep sunlight at bay on his descent, although learning his lines for ‘Richard II’ probably helped him keep sane.

Surprisingly, smaller Radleians often find it less traumatic: Jamie Robinson (2012), Hector Neill-Edwards (2013), Tom Heptinstall (2015) and Seb Berger (2016) simply breezed up.

But those who turned back when they realised they were at or close to their limit also deserve praise. This covers almost all Radleians who didn’t summit.

Sven Winkler (2016) could have battled on with about an hour left to climb, but his group contained some who were showing signs of altitude problems.

He chose to support that party on its descent, rather than become a burden to the stronger group, who had to strike out with only one UK adult leader

left. The same praise goes to all those who made it to the crater rim (1-2 hours short of the actual summit): for example Richie Horton (2014) who, like Sven, would have continued if he had a personal guide; or those like Jack Elvin, Alec Garrett-Cox (both 2016) and Jack Hobhouse (2013), who had hit their altitude ceiling and produced the vomit to prove it. Others found their breaking point on the seven-hour night slog up the sheer volcano wall, like Ollie Moffat (2015), who had been deprived of sleep for the previous four nights, or Cameron Makin (2016), who had battled diarrhoea for 48 hours and was drained of the energy required. Even poor Jack Carter (2012), who got a tummy bug on day one, stuck at it until the medical assessment insisted he return early.

Climbing Kilimanjaro requires physical fitness, luck (that your body does not develop altitude sickness) and mental fortitude to press on when your body screams at you to stop. It demands a positive attitude to this extreme challenge and requires being a team player. I am proud to say that all 64 of these Radleians gave it their all. On this criteria, we have had a remarkably high success rate on Kilimanjaro between 2012 and 2016.

One day, it may draw us back….

Mark Jewell

THE RADLEIAN

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KENT SCHOOL CONNECTICUT Kent School, Connecticut is a busy coeducational boarding school, set in stunning surroundings, with 550 pupils and a strong international presence.

During the second week of Michaelmas Leave Away, a party of eight 6.1s and 6.2s spent six days at Kent – maintaining an Exchange Link that goes all the way back to 1927, when the Kent Rowing Crew visited Radley to practise, prior to becoming the first US school to compete at Henley Royal Regatta.

Each of the Radley boys had a Kent “mentor” who helped them settle in and acclimatise quickly to the Kent routines.

During their time there, the Radleians pursued a wide range of cultural and other activities. As “Team

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Radley”, they honed their American Football skills, under the strict eye of the Kent First Team Football Coach.

They visited the inspiring setting of Columbia University, in Manhattan and had a tour of this most impressive campus. They also went to Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York: inevitably a humbling and moving experience.

The party also visited Mark Twain’s House and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Centre (writer of ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’), both based in Hartford, Connecticut.

Here, they participated in some thought-provoking discussion on Beecher Stowe’s Legacy, when it comes to the crucial issue of race relations in the USA. They found time to attend some

classes and spent time in the Kent “dorms” (Socials), integrating with their counterparts from Kent - and represented Radley with enthusiasm and good humour at all times.

This was of course a particularly interesting time to visit the USA – with the Presidential Election happening shortly after their visit.

Again, the Radley party took a keen and lively interest in the Campaign and its very visible profile and presence during their time here.

(Indeed various Election-related souvenirs were purchased during the day spent in New York.)

Andrew Cunningham