The Old Johnian Magazine - 2019 by StJohnsLeatherhead

THE OLD

JOHNIAN

The Johnian 2019

The Old Johnian 2019

100 Years of our Community When we think about our communities, we can all too easily get hung up on those that we have online – our Facebook friends, Instagram and Twitter followers. Even our families are creating WhatsApp groups to keep up to date with our comings and goings in a hectic world. So it was refreshing and humbling to this year celebrate a community that has been around much, much longer than the dawn of social media (for the record, we OJs do have a Facebook page…more of that later!). On Sunday 9 June, we proudly celebrated 100 years of OJ Sunday (the first was celebrated after the Great War on 21 June 1919). Not only was the Chapel service so well attended that we didn’t have enough Orders of Service to go around, but the Yellow Peril bus was on the Quad serving Pimm’s! Many OJs never thought they would set foot in that bus again… but it just goes to show how our amazing community operates. Old Johnian Geoff Hall (N 1981-1984), along with this wife Marsha, run the Tiger Lily Bus Company refurbishing vintage buses from which they serve English wines at events. Geoff was reading last year’s magazine and saw an article about the Yellow Peril bus and realised he owned the very one! He dropped us a line and the rest is history (see page 32 for a full report).

The Old Johnian 2019

CONTENTS From The Head’s Desk....................................................... 4

Theatre Seeds with Chips................................................ 42

School News......................................................................... 6 Valete................................................................................... 44 Chapel.................................................................................. 16 Old Johnian News.............................................................. 50 OJs At School..................................................................... 18

Two other key events were celebrated on OJ Sunday. After 42 years at the School, Adrian Gale - stalwart of the cricket pitch, physics department and housemaster of both South and Monty - retired. It was a delight to be able to present Adrian with Honorary OJ membership in recognition for all he has done to re-invigorate OJ cricket (more of that later in the magazine). And, staying on the sports theme, I’m delighted that Jasper Lloyd has, this year, set up the OJ running club. See page 70 for more info on this (yours truly got roped in after foolishly admitting to participating in the odd ParkRun).

Interview with Leah Chowdhry.............................................. 18 OJs Return for Enrichment Week History Project............ 21 Dominic Sedgwick Masterclass............................................... 21 Cameron Sperrin Talks Marine Conservation..................... 21

Whilst we might not always like to be reminded how long ago we were at St John’s (ahem, Ch ’95), returning to the School always brings nostalgic flashbacks. Visiting my old study, the prefect who showed me around recounted tales of pupils of old who used to climb down the fire escapes (now gone) from the dorms and clamber over the cloister roofs before ascending the Dining Hall and stopping the clock on the top. I smiled to myself as it only feels a few years ago that my year group were doing just that! It is these memories that stay with us forever. Indeed, on OJ Sunday, we asked people to recall their memories (on a Post-it note) of what St John’s meant to them. I’d love it if others could share their memories on our St John’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/stjohnsleatherhead) in this 100th year or join our OJ LinkedIn group (www.linkedin.com/groups/12224804). Whatever our memories, what holds us all together as a community is our time at St John’s. We now have contact with around 6,200 spread far and wide, but we know there are more of us out there. Do you know of an OJ who hasn’t received the OJ Magazine or who has lost contact with the School? How many of us left our parents’ home and didn’t send a new address allowing the annual magazine to lie unread on someone else’s doormat? If you do know of someone like this, then please help the development team to get back in touch. That way we can stay connected and continue to grow this very special community. I hope you enjoy the magazine and I look forward to seeing many of you at the next OJ Dinner.

Mark Cooper, Chair of the OJ Committee

The Johnian 2019

Rosemary Farrant rang in October 2018 to point out that there was an error in the Alex Macqueen interview in The OJ 2018. It was Judy Quick who was Secretary to David Brown. Rosemary Farrant was secretary for Ted Hartwell for a year. Patrick Heigham (Surrey 1956-1960) emailed to thank The OJ for printing his letter and photo: “However, the one seems to have been separated from the other, and the mugshot appears on p35, next to the text from Dr Colin Peace! Also, on p35, I see that Patrick (Tink) Gardner has survived since 1855! Funny – he never seemed that old when he sat behind me in class!” We apologise for any errors that were made in last year’s magazine.

OJ Football Club........................................................................ 68 OJ Cricket Club......................................................................... 68 OJ Rifle Club............................................................................... 69 OJ Running Club........................................................................ 70

From The Archives............................................................ 22

OJ Rugby Club............................................................................ 71

Meet the Artist.......................................................................... 22

OJ Golfing Society..................................................................... 72

D-Day 75..................................................................................... 23 The Fire Revisited...................................................................... 24 100 Years Ago............................................................................ 26

Erratum

Old Johnian Clubs and Societies..................................... 68

St John’s School and the Great War, 1914-1919................ 28 Girls Arrive at St John’s............................................................ 30 Origins of the Term ‘J School’?............................................... 31 Update on the Yellow Peril.............................................. 32

Obituaries............................................................................ 74 OJ Events............................................................................. 82 OJ Dinner.................................................................................... 82 Brooklands.................................................................................. 82 Careers and University Fair..................................................... 82 Battlefields Visit......................................................................... 83 The 1851 Society Lunch........................................................... 84

A Flavour of China............................................................. 34

London Walks............................................................................ 84 OJ Centenary Day..................................................................... 85

Memories of St John’s....................................................... 38 Mike Edward Cowpland Comer............................................. 38

Supporting St John’s.......................................................... 86 OJ Committee 2019.......................................................... 87

John Gordon Clark.................................................................... 40

The Johnian 2019

From The Head’s Desk

The Old Johnian 2019

From The Head’s Desk

year, I am struck by how often I

have found myself grateful for the very special OJ community that is such a

I hope you enjoy reading The Old Johnian 2018-19 and I look forward to seeing many of you at events during 2019-20.

fundamental part of our school.

We were delighted to welcome members of our alumni community to a very special centenary OJ Day in June, as Mark has described in his column on page 2. One hundred years after that first event, it was a privilege to have such a direct sense of connection to our own history. I was touched by the affection and pride that our visiting OJs displayed as they talked about the School and our current pupils loved hearing their memories (although I hope they don’t take inspiration from tales of the apparently regular removal of the main school clock mechanism!). What was particularly noticeable was how many values the OJs

The Johnian 2019

Within this magazine, along with news from fellow OJs, we are sharing just some of the highlights of 2018-2019 at St John’s. If I had to pick out one moment, it would probably have to be Legally Blonde: The Musical (read more page 9), which exemplified everything I have loved about this year. It was a production suffused with joy and fun but it was also outstanding, featuring highly accomplished performances that required hard work and commitment. The sense of teamwork that surrounded this production sums up what we do best here. Of course, we also see that teamwork on the sports field, where it is not only the wins and sporting triumphs that impress, but also the dedication and passion that crosses all ability levels and age groups. We have run 163 sports teams this year, engaging over 85% of our pupil body from the Lower Third to the Upper Sixth across 14 different sports and have played 1,459 fixtures; this breadth of sporting talent and enthusiasm adds so much to school life. Everybody connected with St John’s knows how much our pupils love the sense of belonging that they get from the house system. House competitions – particularly favourites such as the pancake race and house croquet on the Quad – seem to capture the essence of St John’s in the way they combine loyalty, competitive spirit, a sense of fun and pride in tradition. We are delighted to have now opened our tenth house, Hawkins. This new girls’ day house has been created to allow us to accommodate the co-educational balance that now extends across the year groups and we are looking forward to seeing it take shape as the girls settle in. It has also been very exciting to see the new sports centre take shape over the course of the last year. This new development is an exceptional addition to the School’s facilities and our pupils are already making use of it.

s I look back on the last academic

School life is so busy that - in the face of the immediate priorities and excitements of today, tomorrow or next term - it is all too easy for pupils and teachers to lose sight of what we are really doing: equipping young people with the skills, confidence and capability to achieve more than they might have imagined possible. Spending time with OJs, and hearing their stories, gives context to our daily school life and reinforces the lasting impact that a school can have on its pupils.

“What was particularly noticeable was how many values the OJs and current pupils shared. Through all the changes that inevitably take place over decades, there is continuity and a sense of permanence at the heart of our school that is precious.”

Rowena Cole, The Head and current pupils shared. Through all the changes that inevitably take place over decades, there is continuity and a sense of permanence at the heart of our school that is precious. We really appreciate the time taken by all OJs to contribute to this magazine. It is fascinating to read about the variety of paths that former pupils have taken after school and the vivid descriptions of life at St John’s are an interesting and valuable record of our shared history. I would also like to thank all the OJs who have contributed in any way to our OJ community throughout the year. Whether you have played in one of our OJ sports clubs, offered guidance and insight at our Careers Fair, joined us for a social event such as the OJ Dinner or supported the School through donations or legacies, the variety of ways in which alumni stay actively connected to St John’s enriches the entire school.

The Johnian 2019

School News

SCHOOL NEWS INSPIRING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

SPEECH DAY 2019 The academic year at St John’s came to a close with the annual Speech Day on Saturday 29 June. The sun shone on the Quad as pupils, parents, staff and governors joined to celebrate the year, present prizes and bid farewell to this year’s departing Upper Sixth.

Pupils at St John’s are encouraged to develop confidence and flexibility in their approach to learning, and are equipped to adapt to whatever the future may hold for them. Underpinning the strong foundations of academic rigour, the School seeks ways to innovate and a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy was introduced in 2018. This means that every pupil has their own device in school allowing technology to be used creatively to enhance learning. Cloud technologies such as Microsoft Office 365, the School’s virtual learning environment and the flexibility to utilise any type of device has made BYOD accessible for all. Technology, when used effectively, enables greater collaboration and provides a wealth of opportunities. At any given time on a typical school day, there are between 400 and 500 devices in use, highlighting the success of BYOD in its first year. Academic achievements come in many shapes and sizes across the course of the year but the culmination of many hours of hard work from pupils and staff comes in August with the announcement of GCSE and A level results. Summer 2019 saw the first occasion on which all GCSE grades at St John’s have been awarded in the new 9-1 grading system. The numerical grading system has been implemented to allow greater distinction between top performing candidates and St John’s pupils have risen to the challenge with a quarter of grades being at the demanding grade 9 level. Over three quarters of results are grade 7-9 (the equivalent to A grade and above). Within these strong GCSE results, some outstanding departmental performances include nearly 50% of English language grades received being a 9, history receiving nearly three quarters of grades at an 8 or 9 and 80% of GCSE mathematics grades being at 7-9.

John Willis, Chair of Governors, opened the event by reviewing the breadth of what is offered at St John’s, from the range of subjects at A level to the many activities in the co-curricular programme. He talked about the many ways the School is investing in its future, including major projects such as the new sports centre and the creation of Hawkins House (a new girls’ day house). John commented on the sense of enthusiasm and interest surrounding St John’s, from both current and prospective families, and thanked Rowena Cole, The Head, for her vision and leadership. In her annual address, Rowena Cole, remarked that it is easy, on occasions such as Speech Day, to focus on the big events of the year but that it is the smaller interactions along the way that give an academic year its colour and its character. She shared some of her favourite memories of the year and thanked the pupils – the heartbeat of the School – for their contribution to the academic year. We were also delighted to welcome OJ, Leah Chowdhry, as our guest speaker. Leah left St John’s just a decade ago and what she has achieved since is outstanding. Read our full interview with Leah on page 18. Before Speech Day, the Lower School held its own Speech Day on Friday 28 June. Richard Harvey, Head of Lower School, said what a tremendous pride he feels for Lower School and the happy, successful and productive community that it has become. He commented on what excellent role models the Upper Third have been and wished them well as they move up to Fourth Form. Rowena Cole said that the Lower School pupils are rays of sunshine and their zest for life adds immeasurably to the life of St John’s and a number of Lower School pupils then reviewed their highlights of the year. They talked about the friendships they have formed, the laughter, the sense of belonging, the teamwork and collaboration they have enjoyed, and how much they are looking forward to the next stage in their St John’s education.

St John’s departing Upper Sixth were also celebrating when they received their A level results in mid-August. Almost half of grades achieved were A*/A grades, with well over a quarter of pupils receiving straight A*/A grades (an impressive increase from 2018). Four out of five grades were A*-B and the pass rate was 100%. Economics, English, geography, history and psychology remain popular degree courses for our leavers. Pupils are also taking up places on a diverse range of courses including languages, mechanical engineering, criminology, medicine, dentistry and film and television. Furthermore, this cohort achieved the highest number of Oxbridge and Ivy League places in recent years.

The Johnian 2019

School News

PERFORMING ARTS 2018-19 was a busy and rewarding year for performing arts at St John’s with an enormous number of pupils involved in an eclectic mix of events. It has been wonderful to see pupils rehearsing, performing, acting, playing and signing with such passion and a sense of fun. This year, we introduced a Masterclass series, which allowed pupils to work in detail with expert practitioners and then present a recital showcasing what they had learned. It has proved a popular and valuable addition to our musical programme. Competitions included the Concerto Competition, which saw nine our exceptional musicians take to the stage, backed by a professional orchestra, and the Forbes Music Competition, in which 120 of our pupils from across all year groups performing an eclectic mix of repertoire with commitment, energy and passion. The impressive concert programme has demonstrated the breadth of musical talent from the Saint Nicolas cantata by Benjamin Britten sung and accompanied entirely by the pupils, to a fantastic showcase of our growing number of rock bands. Polished ensembles and outstanding solo performances were on show at a memorable evening of music from the James Bond films.

The packed Old Chapel was an atmospheric setting, the catering department produced class ‘mocktails’, performers wore black tie and ball-gowns, and a vintage Aston Martin parked on the drive set the tone as the audience arrived. The first drama production of the year - There Is A War by BAFTA nominated writer Tom Basden (contributing writer on Peep Show and creator of Plebs) - saw pupils from Lower Fifth to Upper Sixth lead the cast in a dark comedy about the absurdity and savagery of war. Impactful set design, recreating the blasted landscape of war juxtaposed effectively with a pre-show comic routine, devised by the cast, which served to introduce the world of the play. The production provided great comedic value with excellent performances provided by the stellar cast. Not to be outdone, it was the turn of the Lower School pupils to take to the stage for the final project of the year. Our youngest pupils shone as they brought the inspirational imagination of Roald Dahl to the Performing Arts Centre Auditorium with his children’s classic Revolting Rhymes. It was a triumph and a fantastic showcase of the Lower School pupils’ many talents.

Many of our events, including the series of lunchtime recitals we run throughout the year, welcome guests. Visit: www.stjohnsleatherhead.co.uk/events for details of forthcoming performances.

Undoubtedly, the highlight of the year was St John’s return to the world of musical theatre with an amazing production of Legally Blonde: The Musical at Leatherhead Theatre. As the dates of the performances drew closer, the commitment energy and enthusiasm of our talented cast never waned. On two sell-out evenings, the standing ovations and rapturous applause said it all: the sophisticated, intelligent and polished performances combined with fantastic music, choreography and dancing to deliver a truly exceptional show. The choice for the 2021 Musical is already whittled down to three…! Many of our events, including the series of lunchtime recitals we run throughout the year, welcome guests. Visit www.stjohnsleatherhead.co.uk/events for details of forthcoming performances.

The Johnian 2019

School News

SPORT AT ST JOHN’S

n 2018, the School was delighted to welcome a new Director of Sport, Gareth James. Here he reflects on his first year at St John’s.

The 2018-19 St John’s sporting season can be summarised by some key statistics: Pupils have represented a St John’s sporting team in five countries. 1st XI Cricket – Sri Lanka

It has been nothing short of a privilege and honour to lead this very talented group of pupils and staff in my first year at St John’s. It was the San Francisco 49s coach, Bill Walsh, who said: “The culture precedes positive results. It doesn’t get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand. Champions behave like champions before they’re champions: they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners.” I feel that we can all take something from that. It is not just within our sport that we set out our own building blocks to achieve. Greatness is a lot of small things done well, day after day, practice after practice, week after week. Being a champion is not about the size of the trophy cabinet or how many national titles we have. Our greatness is about a culture that we are creating: a culture where we enjoy our success but also reflect, where we learn from our mistakes but do not dwell. Our sporting ethos is about creating an environment where we give every pupil the foundation, confidence and opportunity to achieve beyond his or her potential. I have been blown away by the passion, drive and the level of pride that our pupils have shown in representing our school at all levels. Come rain, shine, hail or snow, in a national cup or an E-team friendly, our pupils, staff and parents have shown a resilience and sense of pride for our school of which we can all be immensely proud. With the development of our programme, investment in facilities, staffing and structure, I have no doubt that we will achieve well beyond our potential across the coming years. I hope that you enjoy reading the reports from our major sports and look forward to our future successes together.

The Johnian 2019

1st XV Rugby – Ireland U14 Hockey – Holland Senior Hockey and Netball – South Africa Senior Football – Gothia Cup, Sweden Across five sports, we have reached the latter stages of both county and national tournaments. U19 Netball – National Plate Semi Finalists 1st XI Cricket – HMC National T20 Regional Finalists and Festival Winners 1st XV Rugby – England Schools Rugby, Champions Trophy National Quarter Finalists U14 Girls Hockey – Surrey County Champions and Regional Finalists 163 teams engaging over 85% of our pupil body from Lower Third to Upper Sixth have competed across 14 different sports. As a school, we played 1,459 fixtures this year. Senior Girls Swimming - Bath and Otter National Cup (small schools) freestyle and individual medley relay winners. This team were also crowned County Champions. On the following occasions, current pupils have gone on to senior further representation, some at the highest level currently possible for their sport. Molly Saunders: England Women’s Rugby U18s and GB Beach Volleyball Ben Geddes: Surrey County Cricket Club 2nd XI Ryan Trevitt: England U19 Futsall Josh Clarke and Filip Lissah: Chelsea FC U15s Henry Jeffcott: Arsenal FC U18s

EXCEPTIONAL NEW SPORTS CENTRE OPENS

hroughout the last academic year, excitement was mounting as we saw the new sports centre begin to take shape. Summer 2019 saw the culmination of the building phase of this project, which has created a state-of-the-art sports complex including a new pool, dance studio and impressive gym. As well as providing modern facilities designed to inspire the talents of our pupils, St John’s is committed to sharing the facilities with the wider community. There is a need for greater access to swimming pool facilities for primary schools in the Leatherhead area and, with better facilities, we will be able to expand our outreach programme. The new facilities also include better disabled provision, which will be of particular benefit to those children with special needs who attend the annual Community Holiday. The official opening of the sports centre will take place in early 2020 but pupils are using the facilities from Autumn Term 2019. The Johnian 2019

School News

Left: Receiving an award Right: At the orphanage in India

COMMUNITY AND SERVICE

eveloping an awareness of the world around us, and thinking about how we can contribute to society by taking an active role in our community, is central to the ethos of St John’s. In 2018-19, the Community Service Unit (CSU) facilitated 40 Sixth Form pupils volunteering in the local community. Two annual events – Community Lunches at Christmas and in the summer – welcomed over 60 local residents for delicious meals, entertainment and the chance to chat with each other and our pupil hosts. These annual events bring together a number of local associations, including The Fairfield Centre, The Royal British Legion and The Beeches Care Home in Leatherhead, Ashtead Good Neighbours, local residents and the Queen Elizabeth Foundation. St John’s has continued to forge strong links with local schools. Children from Leatherhead Trinity and St Peter’s have enjoyed science sessions throughout the year, and our Head of Classics has also taught an after school Latin class to some Year 5 children at Leatherhead Trinity. Secondary school pupils from St Andrew’s participated in mock Oxbridge interviews in November and staff from the two schools have met to share ideas and practice, notably with regard to provision for gifted and talented pupils. Connections with the local community are developing, in particular with the Leatherhead Youth Project. We were able to

provide catering and facilities for the project to host a fundraising dinner and members of staff assisted local pupils in after school sessions at the project’s centre. The annual Community Holiday for children with special needs is a major focus for the year and fundraising was very successful thanks to the energy and generosity of many members of the School community. Churchill and Gloucester chose the holiday as their charity of the year, and a Sleep Out on the Quad event saw 35 pupils and three staff members brave freezing temperatures in early April. The fundraising dinner welcomed parents of children on the holiday, parents of past and present pupils, pupils and ex-pupils, plus various friends and family members for a curry and quiz night, with live music and entertainment. Other parents and friends of the School have also contributed through external events and the Development Office helped raise a generous donation from the Tim Henman Foundation.

The Community Holiday took place in August and welcomed 24 children for a week of enjoyable activities. The holiday is a rewarding and valuable experience for the 39 current and former St John’s pupils who assisted and cared for the visiting children throughout the week. Most of the helpers worked one-toone with the children, assisting them throughout the day and caring for them overnight. Six of the former pupils managed groups of helpers, gaining leadership experience, whilst a further two were part of the senior team that organised activities and helped out as required. The children enjoyed a packed week of varied activities including dancing, cooking, arts and crafts, a fashion show, den-building, sports and games on site. There was the opportunity to participate in a circus skills workshop and to touch rare animals and they also enjoyed a magic show. Trips included swimming at Downsend School, companion cycling in Bushy Park, gymnastics at Leatherhead Gymnastics Club, horse-riding, plus Hobbledown Farm in Epsom and Chessington World of Adventures. One of the best days out was to the seaside at Littlehampton, where everyone enjoyed the sandy beach, beach-combing, playing in the sea, circus games and going on funfair rides. Once again the holiday proved a great experience for all involved. The children had an enjoyable week, caught up with old friends and made new ones. The children’s parents enjoyed a week of respite and the volunteer helpers gained from the responsibility of looking after a child. We thank everyone involved in making this annual event such a success and look forward to 2020.

Below: Community Holiday Sleep Out on The Quad

The Johnian 2019

OUTDOOR PURSUITS AND CCF

his year has seen the uptake of DofE at both Silver and Gold level remain buoyant at St John’s. With 130 Upper Fifth pupils working towards their Silver Award and approximately 50 pupils working towards their Gold Awards across the Sixth Form, DofE is a popular and valued aspect of the co-curricular programme. Expeditions to the New Forest, the Peak District and the Lake District have provided both valuable outdoor instruction and character building challenges and have been very well received by all those who have attended – despite the weather being less than ideal on some of the expeditions! Some even did their expedition while sailing, showing a truly adventurous spirit. The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) continues to be an important part of school life and 4 October 2018 saw the cadets stand to attention for their annual inspection. We were delighted to welcome Wing Commander Helene Gould to the School as the Inspecting Officer. The day began with the inspection of the Guard of Honour,

made up of current Lower and Upper Sixth NCOs from each of the three sections. During the inspection, Helene spoke to each pupil about their time in the CCF and the value it brings to their lives and education. In the afternoon, the Lower Fifth cadets started a round robin of activities, preparing them for their impending field day. Activities for the Army cadets included learning basic skills for living in the field, such as cooking rations, building shelters, packing kit and an introduction to the SA80A2 rifle. The RAF cadets were introduced to the history of flight and the basics of drill. Royal Navy cadets learnt about the rank structure, knot tying and enjoyed an introductory session in the rifle range. Throughout the inspection, house teams completed for the House Drill trophy, with North House taking first place, East second and South third. The day ended with the inter-section gun run competition, with all cadets coming together to support their respective teams. The RAF section won in fine style, ending a 12-year drought. Army finished second and the Royal Navy section finished well, in third place.

HOUSE LIFE

he St John’s house system remains at the heart of school life. Our houses not only provide a welcoming, homefrom-home space for day and boarding pupils, they add an extra dimension of fun and friendship. Opportunities to lead, represent and support their house gives each pupil the chance to shine and to discover their own talents, whilst contributing to their community. Inter-house competitions provoke friendly rivalry, a deep sense of loyalty and team spirit. The variety of competitions every year test our pupils’ creativity, their intellectual debating ability and their sporting talent and this year was no exception, with houses competing in rugby, hockey, football and netball, cross country, singing, croquet, debating, and – perhaps most importantly of all - the pancake race! In 2018-19, North won the House Shield. There are three areas of competition which feed into the House Shield Cultural, Academic and Sport - and the winners can be proud to know they have demonstrated skill and consistency across all areas of school life to take the Shield. The other major change to house life at the end of this academic year was the announcement of the opening of St John’s tenth house, Hawkins. Hawkins is a new girls’ day house, which has been created to meet the needs of the co-educational split across all year groups. The first members of the new Hawkins family entered its doors in September 2019 and we look forward to this newest St John’s house establishing its place within the wider school community.

The Johnian 2019

School News

EXPLORING THE WORLD

iving St John’s pupils a global and local perspective is an important element of creating well-rounded, open minded and curious young adults. High-quality trips and expeditions are designed to add value to the education St John’s provides, whilst cultivating a spirit of adventure. In 2018-19, pupils have enjoyed a fascinating variety of experiences that have taught them lifelong social skills, teamwork, time management and a real chance for personal challenge.

Closer to home, trips included taking part in the ‘Great British Beach Clean Up’ on West Wittering beach, and visiting Nettlecombe Field Studies trip in Devon to complete fieldwork. To enhance the curriculum being studied in class, a group of Sixth Formers went to CERN to discover how CERN is helping to answer some of the most fundamental questions such as ‘how did the universe begin?’ and ‘what are the basic building blocks of matter?’. A fascinating combined politics and history trip saw pupils deepen their understanding of American politics and the economic and social changes that took place in the USA during the 20th century when they visited New York and Washington DC. Towards the end of Summer Term, Enrichment Week saw Lower School pupils immersed in the French language and culture when they visited Loire-Atlantique and spent time in a local school. The week also saw Fourth Form and Lower Fifth pupils visit Valencia in Spain. Over the summer holidays, Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants spent a fantastic week learning navigation and camp-craft in the Lake District, and Fourth Form and Lower Fifth pupils flew north to Inverness for an adventure week of rock-climbing and sea kayaking at the Ridgway Centre. A talented bunch of performers – Johnians XIV – took their original play to the Edinburgh Fringe and performed to very receptive and appreciative audiences. Nine pupils took responsibility for planning a life-changing three-week expedition to Cambodia, during which they watched the sunrise at Angkor Wat, worked with local people in the rural community of Peaksneng and trekked through rainforest in the Cardamom Mountains.

A major expedition in the calendar is the annual Shamwari trip. This amazing experience gives a group of Lower Sixth pupils chance to learn about challenging conservation issues and the tasks faced at Shamwari Conservation Experience game reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Shamwari is one of the largest conservation initiatives in South Africa, with over 25,000 hectares of landscape in which wildlife, including the coveted Big 5, roams freely under the African sun. Pupils involved themselves in activities designed to make a sustainable difference for generations to come. Going behind the scenes with conservation experts they worked on projects such as monitoring predators, clearing invasive vegetation and planting areas within the new wildlife rehabilitation centre. There were many highlights and memorable experiences including the discovery of a baby elephant, Mango, which the pupils helped to name and taking part in a night patrol to help reduce the chances of poaching. As well as valuable learning opportunities, strenuous work aiding the conservation effort and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, there was also downtime in the evenings to relax under the South African sunset, celebrate birthdays and enjoy the swimming pool!

The Johnian 2019

Chapel

his year, our House Chapel services have been moulded on the ancient prayer routine that places a focus on the breath. The modern phenomenon of mindfulness finds its own roots in this ancient practice, which causes the individual (and in this case the house) to focus firstly inward, then outward and finally around oneself. During the first term, there was a focus in Chapel on awareness of our own mental health, which I addressed along with the Deputy Head, Mr Pepper and in House Chapel. As our understanding of this area of our own health increases, Chapel is certainly a place where this can be considered with the gravity the issue is due. Alongside this, we also considered coping with failure and the imperative to address the burgeoning climate crisis. As ever the Carol Services and Remembrance Sunday were extremely well supported and pupil contribution to Sunday services continues to be nurtured. Our service of Remembrance, as with recent years, focused on the impact the Great War had on our own school community. This was also reflected in the Old Johnian Day service, as this year was the centenary of OJ Day, the first being held after the end of the war in 1919. The Autumn Term concluded with the popular rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas, during which I attempted to explain the spiritual significance of each of the gifts mentioned, whilst each house took a line of the song, creating an upbeat finish to the year! In Wednesday morning Chapel there was, as usual, a vast array of topics covered through a number of themes which ran throughout the year and provided a focus over a half term. In our first half term the nature of belief provided the focus. The writer Andrew Brown, in describing Britain, wrote: Christianity, in this sense, is not a label. It is not even a set of beliefs to which people may assent or not. It is much more like a very long marriage – 2,000 years of braided arguments: a shared world to disagree about together.

CHAPEL Chapel continues to provide the moment of stillness to life at St John’s. As the School changes, Chapel is one of the constants in a pupil’s life alongside house, sport and lessons.

As Chaplain this definition of religion is close to my own and the idea of reflecting, questioning and growing our own beliefs is central to all that we do in Chapel. The aim of coming together in Chapel is to help build our own narrative of faith and belief that is more grounded than when we joined our community at St John’s, whether as a pupil, parent or member of staff. It was this same focus on belief that provided a thread to lead through the focus on stories after Christmas, both as we reflected on novels and, in the final term, on the four stories at the start of the book of Genesis. Telling stories is a fundamental human function. It is something we have done for as long as we have existed. Stories bring us together, they create bonds, whether fictional or based in reality, sharing stories is something every era and age of humanity does. Stories: teach us something about ourselves they teach us something about the world we live in stories teach us something about the human condition they change the way we see the world and on occasion they can even change the world As we left Chapel on Speech Day, some were leaving the daily tie they have to the School community but they do so as part of an ongoing narrative. We are all inextricably linked to the community at St John’s and, whilst our individual stories will take us to a vast array of places, we go out into the world as part of a community that is founded on the of love and acceptance of all displayed by Christ to the end of his life. Reverend Charlie Moloney, School Chaplain

The Johnian 2019

OJs At School

OJS AT SCHOOL

ot only the first British Asian woman to swim the English Channel - 24 miles in numbing cold waters, a feat of endurance that raised over £150,000 for charity - but she has also been named Woman of the Year 2018 at the Asian Business Awards and Most Inspirational Young Person 2019 at the Asian Voice Charity Awards.

St John’s were proud to invite Leah to be the Speaker at Speech Day at the end of June. Earlier in the year, she came in to talk to us about her achievements and we were fascinated to hear about everything she had done in the last ten years.

Swimming the Channel is an amazing achievement. What inspired you to take on the challenge?

Interview with...

LEAH CHOWDHRY SOUTH 2008-2010

LEAH CHOWDHRY LEFT ST JOHN’S JUST A DECADE AGO IN 2010. YET WHAT SHE HAS ACHIEVED SINCE IS NOTHING SHORT OF

Main photo: At Speech Day 2018 Above: Training for swimming

The Johnian 2019

There were several things. In Asian society there are not many swimmers and women are not very sporty. I felt I wanted to promote this to women as there are so many physical and mental benefits. I started swimming at age two and competed nationally at the age of six or seven, so it has always been easy for me. Also, I wanted to raise money for charity. My dad was diagnosed with leukaemia a few years ago - 85% of cases are in children. From the money raised, I donated £105,000 to Cancer Research UK and £51,000 to projects in India supported by the British Asian Trust, funded by Prince Charles, that are designed to educate young girls and end child sex trafficking.

How did you prepare for the challenge? Telling my parents was the first thing I had to do and the hardest! The first question they asked was “Is it safe?”. I reassured them and told them to look at the Channel Association’s website. The Channel Association sets the rules for swimming the Channel and oversees the swims. It was all going great until they found the part of the website that was offering condolences to the family of a swimmer who had just died attempting the crossing. But my parents know me very well. They know that when I get an idea in my head and something is set then nothing will stop me! My parents have never said I can’t do anything but they did say I must find

the best people to help me do it. I knew that preparation was key to being successful. I had an amazing team: a great coach, nutritionist and physiotherapist and the training took 18 months. Training started with swimming about 12 hours a week in a pool before going to Croatia to swim for a week in the open water. Open swimming is very different from swimming in a pool. My first open water swim was a year before swimming the Channel! The nutritionist helped me to put on weight. The biggest risk of dying doing the challenge is hypothermia because, to comply with the Channel Association rules, you have to swim in a swimming costume rather than a wetsuit. I had to step back from my business for a while and I gave up alcohol and meat. It is as much a psychological challenge as a physical one and you learn a lot about yourself doing this. In the prequalifying stages, you have to do a three-hour swim followed by a sixhour swim the next day. If you don’t complete the six-hour swim, then you are not allowed to swim the Channel. When I attempted the three-hour swim, I just couldn’t carry on and had to stop. I was really shaken but I knew the problem was psychological and that there was nothing wrong with me physically. That night, I did as much reading as I could to understand why I had reacted like that and to learn what to do to make the six-hour swim successful. I had already raised £100,000 and couldn’t give up. The next day I completed the six-hour swim and then I stopped doubting myself: I knew I would do the Channel.

Leah finishing her Channel swim

What was it like swimming the Channel? You are given a 14-day window when your swim might happen but you are dependent on the weather and so you only find out the night before that the swim is actually going to take place. I am so close to my parents that I thought it was best if they didn’t come on the boat with me. My brother and sister-in-law were in the boat, alongside my coach, and their support was really important. It was pretty gruelling. The waves were strong and, much of the time, you can’t see very far ahead. Then the jellyfish were horrendous. I got stung on my face, my arms and my chest. It was really bad. But you can’t stop. If you stop, the tide will take you 800 metres in the wrong direction and the rules state that you can’t stop at any time so, no matter how tired I was, I had to keep going. Food was passed to me by a long pole from the boat because you are not allowed any physical contact. It was definitely a challenge!

The Johnian 2019

OJs At School

Left: Receiving an award Right: At the orphanage in India

“I have a choice but these children had their choice taken away. I wanted to give them their choice and rights back.” I completed it in 14 hours and 44 minutes which is what I was aiming for so I was pleased. Only about 1,800 people have ever swum the Channel and to be one of them is an achievement of which I’m very proud. I was so hungry when I finished the swim that I stuffed my face with prawn cocktail crisps! Then I had to do a drugs test because I was so full of energy they thought I must have taken something and then I fell asleep for the four-hour return boat trip. I have had health issues since doing the swim but I am recovering now. You have to do down-training for three months to aid your recovery. I would never regret doing it but I wouldn’t ever recommend it.

You’ve been fundraising from an early age. What motivated you to do this? A lot of people ask me that question! Well, it didn’t happen overnight. It really started when I went with my parents to Mumbai in India at the age of seven or eight and saw how different things were for people there; the class separation and the conditions some of the people lived in was eye-opening. I saw a girl who must have been about the same age as me and I just thought how different our lives were and knew I had to do something. So I gave up fizzy drinks and sweets for a whole year and

The Johnian 2019

raised £500. Then I went back and was able to give the money to the children at the Institute for the Blind. In 2010, when I had just finished my A levels at St John’s, I read about the conditions of the orphaned children who had survived the tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2004 and I was really shocked. I went out there and lived with a local family for three weeks in the summer to work in an orphanage. The orphanage was four miles away and I walked there and back twice a day. Going to Sri Lanka was the first time I had travelled alone and it taught me how resilient I was. I have a choice but these children had their choice taken away. I wanted to give them their choice and rights back. I had a place at Bristol to read Childhood Studies and Psychology. That was great and I was able to do some volunteering work while I was there. I worked with the UNCRC (The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) and learned about the legislation behind what I was doing. I graduated in 2013 and went to work for EY (Ernst and Young, one of the ‘Big Four’ accounting firms) to understand the business world, get tax qualifications and to experience the corporate world. But I have always thought you should do more than one thing at any

time and I didn’t want my life to be just about business, so I decided to run the London Marathon in 2015 for Unicef and raised £11,000. I studied Unicef at university and was really drawn to them. I knew the charity really well and understand what they do, so I was able to talk about the charity very easily. I just talked to people. My voice is my biggest asset and how I fundraise. I don’t do baking cakes or fundraising events like that – I’m not good enough!

You came to St John’s for the Sixth Form. How was your time here? I loved St John’s. I came from Epsom College because I wanted to study Psychology and I couldn’t do that at Epsom. I developed some very close friends at St John’s and absolutely loved my time here. In fact, I’m having supper tonight with one of my OJ girlfriends. All the girls in my year have gone on to do really well. St John’s also supported my love for charity work and I was able to do some volunteering work.

You’ve set up your own business. Can you tell me about this? What does the future hold for you? After training for and running the marathon, I was exhausted and took time to reflect about what I wanted to achieve. I set up my party business - Pop Up Party and Play - because I wanted to make childcare more accessible. The slogan is ‘Discovering a brighter future for every child’ and that is really important to me. But I really took the time to reflect. I raised a lot of funds doing the marathon but what did I do to challenge stereotypes, raise awareness of issues? I believe the next generation are our future leaders. I want to inspire children. I speak at schools and do workshops and talk about my four principles that I have developed as a model for leading a successful life. I truly believe that you can do anything you want to do if you want it enough.

OJS RETURN FOR ENRICHMENT WEEK HISTORY PROJECT

Top left: Bill Chubb with Fourth Form pupils and economics teacher, Luisa Pedret; Middle: Richard Woodman-Bailey and Bill Chubb; Right: Andrew Peake with Fourth Form

In the last week of the Summer Term 2019, pupils took part in Enrichment Week activities. As part of this, we were delighted to welcome back former pupils Andrew Peake (W ’61), Peter Thorne (S ’62), Richard Woodman-Bailey (E ’69) and Alice Evans (née Littlejohns, H ‘00) and staff (Bill Chubb) to talk to the

Fourth Form pupils about what it was like being at St John’s in the 1960s and 1990s. Bill Chubb, whose teaching at St John’s spanned both the 1960s and the 1990s, braved the classroom again to be interviewed by pupils who learned what it was like to be at St

Dominic Sedgwick (Churchill 2003-2008) Masterclass We were thrilled to welcome back OJ and one of the Royal Opera House’s Jette Parker Young Artists, Dominic Sedgwick, to work with a group of our talented singers on Thursday 7 February. Dominic left St John’s in 2008 and went on to study at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, following his time reading Theology at Clare College, Cambridge. Dominic has won many prestigious awards and is currently one of only ten chosen to be a member of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House. He visited St John’s to provide a masterclass for vocal performance pupils from Fifth Form and Sixth Form. With his astounding career as a baritone, the knowledge he provided within the masterclass was undoubtedly helpful.

John’s when there was no internet, no mobile phones and no girls! Richard Woodman-Bailey was taught economics by Bill Chubb in the 1960s and enjoyed meeting up with his former teacher for the first time in nearly 50 years!

CAMERON SPERRIN (SURREY 2010-2014) TALKS MARINE CONSERVATION Cameron came back to school in November 2018 to talk to current pupils about his experience of working at a marine biology research institute in Florida, USA to help explore behavioural ecology in juvenile nurse sharks in an effort to reduce shark bycatch in the fishing industry. Pupils were fascinated to see how school-level biology can be applied in the real world of research and learn about marine conservation. We are very grateful to Cameron for finding the time to visit the School before he joined the army in the New Year.

Dominic said of his return: “It is great to be back, and so much has changed – I am blown away by the talent of the pupils, some as young as fourteen!”. We are pleased to hear the fond memories he has of his time at the School and the strong friendship group of OJs with whom he is still in touch. Dominic’s upcoming engagements include a return to the Royal Opera as the English Clerk / baritone in a new production of Death in Venice by David McVicar and his debut with the Grange Festival. To find out more about Dominic, visit his website www.dominicsedgwick.com. The Johnian 2019

From The Archives

FROM THE ARCHIVES

D-DAY 75 On the 75th anniversary of D-Day, 6 June 1944, we remembered two OJs who took part in the Normandy landings.

TAKE A WALK BACK THROUGH TIME

Captain Peter Woodhouse Smith On reading the article about Brenda Johnston and her paintings of the School in last year’s magazine (Mystery Artist Revealed), Geoff Rumble (Surrey 1949-52) got in touch to tell us her identity was no mystery and that Brenda is his sister! Brenda still lives in the local area and, thanks to Geoff, we were able contact her and invite her back to St John’s to see the paintings she created over 45 years ago. Just a few weeks later, in November 2018, we had the privilege of meeting Brenda and hearing more about her career as an artist and why she chose St John’s as a subject to paint. Andrew Clegg, a local resident who owns two of her pictures (a view of the School from Linden Pit Path and a painting of Leatherhead Parish Church), joined us and brought these with him so she could see all three of her works together.

Meet the Artist!

Brenda told us that she studied at Epsom Art School between 1948-49 and 1955-60 where her teachers included the watercolourist Leslie Worth and landscape artist Michael Lawrence Cadman, who also had a special interest in architecture. Then, at Reigate School of Art from 1961-65, Brenda was taught by Eric Waugh, head of the painting and composition department.

Brenda enjoyed drawing and painting buildings (she remembers drawing houses as a child) and her distinctive style evolved, taking inspiration from old maps. Another influence was the work of David Hockney which she particularly admired. Her paintings of Hampton Court and Polesden Lacey were exhibited at the Royal Academy and her painting of Clandon Park is now held by The National Trust at Polesden Lacey. Brenda had an agent in Cobham and was successful in making a living out of selling her paintings, some of which went to America. Describing how she came to paint the School, Brenda recalled that she had no particular connection with the School at the time (her brother Geoff had left St John’s nearly 20 years before she painted the view of the main entrance in 1971) but just liked the buildings and architecture. She made sketches with charcoal on paper, took photographs for reference and made notes on the colours she saw. Hours of work followed before the work was finally completed. Brenda said that she rarely finds out what happens to her paintings after they are sold, so we were delighted to be able to reunite her with these pictures once more.

Obstacle Clearing Unit, Royal Engineers Killed in action on 6 June 1944 aged 28 Peter Woodhouse Smith (East House 1928 – 1935), a School Prefect and a Corporal in the Officer Training Corps, was a member of the School’s Radio Society, Debating Society and the Scientific Society. He also joined the Shakespeare Society and the Literary Society. In 1935 he went on to St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he won Honours in Classical Moderations and achieved a second-class degree in English Literature. He rowed for his College and was awarded Leander Colours.

In a letter to his father, his Colonel wrote:

‘they were all proud of him and that in the landing he was carrying out his duties unflinchingly under very trying conditions.’

Captain Peter Woodhouse Smith

Peter Woodhouse Smith was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 11 May 1940 and was posted to the 11th Chemical Warfare Training Battalion. Peter was killed during the landing on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944 and is buried at Bayeux War Cemetery near Arromanches. He was posthumously mentioned in despatches, announced in the London Gazette of the 22nd of March 1945.

Captain John Vaughan Royal Army Medical Corps Charles John Rosser Vaughan (North House 1928- 32), was the Medical Officer during the operation to take Pegasus Bridge on 6 June 1944. At the last minute, Dr John Vaughan replaced an injured man in one of the platoons. He was one of the first 180 to land in France on D-Day. His story is told in the book Pegasus Bridge by Stephen E Ambrose, who describes how, after his glider crash landed, Vaughan was thrown straight through the cockpit and was knocked out. After 15 minutes he regained consciousness and walked back to the glider, where he heard one of the pilots moaning and gave him a shot of morphine. He made his way to the Command Post where he found Major John Howard issuing orders. Howard instructed him to look after Lieutenant Herbert Denham Brotheridge, who had been taken by stretcher to a first aid post in a lane about 150 yards east of Pegasus Bridge. Vaughan gave Brotheridge a shot of morphine and dressed his wound. Soon after that Den Brotheridge died, the first Allied soldier to be killed in action on D-Day.

C J R Vaughan, 1929

After the war John Vaughan retired into general medical practice in a quiet country area in North Devon. In 1988 he published his autobiography, All Spirits.

The Johnian 2019

From The Archives

THE FIRE REVISITED We heard that Arthur was known as the ‘black sheep’ of a very respectable family. Arthur’s grandfather, father and uncle were all ordained ministers of the church who ministered at various parishes throughout Wales. The Reverend John Owen (Arthur’s grandfather) became a minister at a later stage of his life, after making a very good fortune as a wool merchant, ship owner and finally a farmer. Accordingly, the family was very well off financially, which was unusual for ministers of the church.

On 31 July 1913, at the age of 14 and alone, Arthur was placed aboard the New Zealand Shipping Company RMS Ruapehu. The ship sailed from London and arrived in Auckland New Zealand eight weeks later, on 28 September 1913. While on board ship Arthur sent a postcard to his brother William and wrote: “Dear Will, I am enjoying myself on board although there are no amusements except concerts at night and I am in a four-berth cabin - there are some nice chaps on board. The scenery is beautiful, nothing but sea which is absolutely blue. Love to all, Arthur”

Gary said that as far as his family knew:

uch has been written about the fire which caused serious damage to the main school building on 9 June 1913, but

until recently little has been known about those most closely

The Fire, 9 June 1913

involved – the boys who entered a master’s sitting room during the night and accidentally started the fire. One of the culprits, Arthur James Balfour Owen, was briefly the hero of the day as he is reported to have raised the alarm and his photograph appeared in national and local newspapers. The headmaster soon discovered that Owen was one of the guilty parties and a pencilled note in the School register shows that he was expelled just a few weeks later.

“a group of boys entered a master’s room, apparently the master had become indisposed and had been admitted to the School’s infirmary, to smoke illicitly obtained cigarettes. It was not long before the boys heard someone approaching and, in their haste to retreat to their dorms, one threw a lit cigarette under the curtains on a windowsill.”

Surrey Advertiser 11 June 1913

Sometime later the smouldering cigarette caught the curtains and the fire spread rapidly. In disgrace, Arthur was sent home to his very unimpressed parents, the Reverend John Caleb Owen and Mrs Mary Owen, and was soon sent to New Zealand. In July 1913 he was seen leaving the vicarage Persant attached to the church of St Afan at Llanafan Fawr, Brecknockshire, Wales, accompanied only by his mother and carrying a small suitcase.

There, as far as we were concerned, the story ended. Arthur had been at St John’s for just over a year and, in April 1913, had performed well in the U14 category of the annual athletics competition, winning trophies for coming first in the cross country and the high jump. No further reference to Arthur appears in The Johnian although his younger brother, William Calder Owen, who joined the School with Arthur in 1912, remained at St John’s until 1916. Then, in July 2018, Gary Owen wrote from New Zealand to ask if I could confirm that his grandfather, Arthur James Balfour Owen, was directly involved in the devastating fire which broke out at the School, as the family had long believed that that was the reason Arthur was sent to New Zealand.

In Auckland, Arthur was met by a missionary friend of his father and was sent to work as a Farm Cadet shepherd at the vast and remote Annadale Sheep Station in the Wairarapa, a district in the lower North Island. Too young to serve in the armed forces when war broke out in 1914, Arthur remained at the sheep station until January 1917 when he travelled to Sydney and joined the Australian Imperial Expeditionary Force (AIEF), initially as a trooper and then as a private in the Imperial Camel Corps. The following month he embarked on the RMS Karmala. Arthur later transferred to the Australian Light Horse Regiment and served in Lebanon. At the end of the war he was formally discharged from the AIEF and returned to New Zealand where, in 1921, he married Edith Annie Schofield, with whom he had five children. For many years Arthur was the manager of Triangle Farm (owned by his mother-in-law Laura Eliza Schofield) and then in 1938 he purchased the 435 acre Thorpland Farm, just outside Tinui village in Wairarapa, in partnership with Laura Schofield. After her death in 1946, Arthur was able to buy out her half of Thorpland Farm. Arthur Owen died on 6 November 1971 at Masterton Hospital, Wairarapa, New Zealand and is buried there in the Masterton Lawn Cemetery.

Gary and his wife Liz were about to embark on trip to Europe and the UK, so we were delighted that they were able to visit St John’s at the end of August to see the rebuilt school and to tell us more about what happened to Arthur following his expulsion after the fire.

Left: AJB Owen outside the Chapel, June 1913 Right: Cross Country Cup, 1913

The Johnian 2019

Private A J B Owen, 9th Australian Light Horse Infantry

The Johnian 2019

From The Archives

100 YEARS AGO...

Peace Celebrations 1919

RUGBY RE-INTRODUCED AT ST JOHN’S In 1919 the School reverted to rugby football as the main winter sport. Rugby had been played prior to 1885 when the headmaster, the Reverend Arthur Rutty, decided that St John’s should switch from rugby to football. One of his boys was seriously injured in an accident on the rugby field the previous year, which may account for his decision. Initially the change to football was not popular, but the School developed some excellent players who went on to achieve international or university recognition. So, between 1885 and the end of the First World War, only association football (soccer) was played. Despite this, a number of OJs from the pre-war period played rugby for their country or won ‘blues’ at Oxford and Cambridge. These included English Internationals W A D Evanson and A M Evanson (who also won an Oxford Blue); Welsh Internationals W E O Williams and J Alban Davies and Irish Internationals L C Nash and J H Burges. At Cambridge, G L Colbourne gained his blue in 1883. The Reverend Jenkin Alban Davies (St John’s School 1896-1902) played as a forward on seven occasions for Wales in 1913 and 1914 and scored two tries. He went on to captain Wales in 1914, the only Old Johnian to captain his country at rugby. He captained the ‘Terrible Eight’ against Ireland in 1914 while playing Above: 1st XV 1919-20 for Llanelli RFC. Davies served Left: The Reverend Jenkin Alban Davies as a chaplain with the Royal Field outside the Episcopal Home in Alhambra, Artillery in the First World War. California After the war, he spent some years as a schoolmaster in Canada and then at Wellington College and Epsom College, before being appointed Vicar of Hook in 1924. He subsequently served at Pevensey and Bromley before ill health compelled him to move to South Africa and later to California, where he died in 1976. By the end of the war, a number of schools (many of them St John’s competitors) were also switching to rugby and that certainly influenced the School’s decision. As in 1885 when soccer was introduced, the change to rugby was not greeted with enthusiasm, but the performance of 1st XV, who won their first fixture against Christ’s Hospital, helped to quell the criticism.

On 28 June 1919 the Treaty of Versailles, which brought the war between Germany and the Allied Powers to an end, was signed. Saturday 19 July 1919 was declared a public holiday and celebrations and victory parades took place in towns and villages across the country. In Leatherhead, St John’s hosted a lunch for 350 returning servicemen in the Dining Hall, as part of the town’s celebrations.

Above: Peace procession outside St John’s School, Epsom Road, Leatherhead, 19 July 1919. By kind permission of the Leatherhead and District Local History Society.

Following the lunch, a procession, which included the Leatherhead Silver Band, demobilised soldiers and sailors, St John’s School Cadet Corps and Band, the Red Cross Society, the Church Lads’ Brigade, Scouts and children from local schools, formed outside the School. Over 2,000 people made their way down Epsom Road on their way to Randall’s Park.

FESTIVAL WEEKEND FOR OLD JOHNIANS, 22 JUNE 1919

A month before the national Peace Day celebrations, the School extended a warm welcome home to OJs who had been on active service during the war.

Around 120 old boys accepted the headmaster’s invitation to spend the weekend of Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June 1919, at their old school. The proceedings started with a short memorial and thanksgiving service in the School Chapel, followed by a cricket match between the School and the Old Boys. About eighty OJs attended a dinner in the Dining Hall in the evening and toasts were raised to ‘The King’ and ‘The Fallen’. After dinner, a concert was held in front of the pavilion, which was illuminated by fairy lights. The festival weekend at the School was a great success. It was the first time that all OJs had been invited back to their old school. Plans were soon being made for another OJ Festival Day in 1920, with a chapel service, cricket match, garden party and OJ dinner in the evening. The Committee of Governors wrote in their report for 1920: ‘The institution of ‘Old Johnians’ Day’ as the annual School Festival at Leatherhead has contributed greatly towards fostering the continuing interest of old boys in the School, and the Committee propose to make it a permanent fixture.’ On 9 June 2019 over 200 OJs and their families returned to St John’s to celebrate the 100th anniversary of OJ Day. St John’s invitation for 21 June 1919

The Johnian 2019

OJs At School Interview with Leah Chowdhry

From The Archives

ST JOHN’S SCHOOL, LEATHERHEAD AND THE GREAT WAR, 1914-1919 We have made very good progress on our book about the School and the Great War and it is now at the design stage where we are working hard on the layout, making sure that the text and numerous photographs flow seamlessly throughout. The front cover, based on a detail from the stained glass memorial window in the Chapel, has been beautifully designed by Alison Wren from a photograph by Rob Ambrose and we are now expecting the book to be available in the Autumn of this year.

ABOUT THE BOOK… The story told in this book is one of bravery and service, of tragedy and loss. To set the scene, the text begins with a brief history of the School up to 1914, the formation of the Officer Training Corps in 1912, the devastating fire of 1913 and the re-opening of the buildings by the Duchess of Albany on Speech Day, 1 July 1914, just a few weeks before the start of the Great War. First-hand accounts from OJs who were at school during the war provide a vivid insight into the challenges of daily life of a school in wartime. Food and the lack of it was uppermost in their minds. They describe lessons and learning and the excitement of taking part in or watching the various sports and team games. In addition to their accounts, we relate tales of wartime heroes, including the two OJs who won the Victoria Cross, families who lost loved ones, and the young men who gave up the prospect of a university education to serve their country, only to be killed in action just a few months or years later. Many of the stories told here are enhanced by brief biographies giving further background information and celebrating the wide range of accomplishments and achievements of these Old Johnians.

HOW TO PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY Purchase your copy now and we will send you your book as soon as it is published. Alternatively, you may collect your book free of charge from the School. For further details contact: development@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk BOOK DETAILS Format: Hardback Full colour and fully illustrated Publisher: St John’s School Leatherhead Publication date: 2019 Dimensions: 280 x 220mm Pages: 152 pages approx Price: £25 P&P (UK only): £4.95 per copy

Above: Sample pages

The Johnian 2019

From The Archives

30 YEARS AGO... GIRLS ARRIVE AT ST JOHN’S In September 1989 girls were admitted into the Lower Sixth. Twenty-one girls (11 boarders and 10 day girls) were based in Hallaton House in Garlands Road. Hallaton was the former home of Colonel Gillett, whose son, J C Gillett, was in West House from 1939-1943. It was subsequently left to the School and converted into flats for masters and then adapted to accommodate the first cohort of girls in 1989. Although the girls were based in Hallaton, they were initially attached to boys’ houses.

ORIGINS OF THE TERM ‘J SCHOOL’? We have been searching the archives in an attempt to establish when the term J-School or J School, (used by many OJs from the 1940s to the 1970s when referring to St John’s), first came into use and at what point it died out. The earliest example we have found in print appears in the editorial for The Johnian, October 1938. Commenting on the recent Munich agreement, and describing the preparations which had been made at the School in the event of a future emergency (basements rendered gas-proof, windows covered with cellophane paper or wire netting, vulnerable windows protected by ramparts of earth or sand-bags, gas masks fitted and issued to the pupils and staff), the article also mentions ‘the formation of a J-school squadron in the Royal Air Force.’ Could that be how the term originated? J-School is also mentioned in a poem published in The Johnian for July 1944. Entitled The Doodle Bug by J P Coles (North 1938-44) and dedicated to the St John’s School Fire Brigade, the last line but one refers to ‘the J-School hose’. Reflecting on her first year at St John’s, Sian Leary wrote: ‘It is an awe-inspiring thought, a year ago I would not have even contemplated going to a different school, let alone one for the boys. But here I am at St John’s, one of the last bastions of the independent schools to be invaded by girls. We may only be a small minority, but it appears that we have brought about some drastic changes in the infrastructure of the School.’ ‘In many ways we are quite privileged. Our home, Hallaton, is luxurious and comfortable and we also manage to retain some privacy. After a hard day at school, it is always a relief to go back to Hallaton and escape from the boys for a while.’

We find J-School used regularly in The Johnian throughout the 1950s 60s and early 70s, then sporadically between 1974 and 1978. In the Old Johnian the term is still used, mainly by OJs from that era writing to the editor with news and reminiscences. The name J-School seems to have died out in common parlance by the 1980s. We’d love to know why it fell out of favour after 40 years of use. If any OJs reading this can shed further light on the matter, we’d be very pleased to hear from you!

‘In all, we have settled down well and are firmly implanted at St John’s. Girls are definitely here to stay. A year ago I would never have dreamed of being at St John’s, but now I could never imagine anything else.’

Sally Todd, School Archivist, 3 July 2019 The girls played a variety of sports and formed teams for lacrosse, netball and swimming and hockey as well as playing squash and tennis. They also joined a number of clubs including horse riding, photography, shooting and sailing. 30

The Johnian 2019

Update on the Yellow Peril

UPDATE ON THE YELLOW PERIL

“Despite his assurances we could drive it the 200 miles back home, we opted to have it recovered as it had not run properly for years. And so began two years of planning, saving, re-designing and the reality and cost of a full restoration started.” We drove down to Winkleigh the next week, with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Would it really start? Would it run? Was it really solid or was it rotten? As we drove into the yard, we saw the bus in all its glory: peeling paintwork, filthy dirty and perished tyres. We started to think we had made a big mistake. However, on closer inspection she did not look so bad, so we jumped on board and, whilst it looked old and smelt old, it was indeed basically sound. A few minutes later Dan strolled up and explained it had not been started in a few months and had lived outside for a few years but he was 100% confident it would start straight up. Would we like to go for a quick test drive? At which point we were as doubtful as he was confident. However, he switched on the ignition, pushed the start button and the bus started straight up so he took us for a spin around the local roads. Amazingly, everything seemed to work fine!

Tiger Lily at OJ Day 2019

I read with particular interest in last year’s OJ magazine one article referring to an ex Bournemouth bus once used by the School, nicknamed ‘The Yellow Peril’, and was amazed to find myself looking at an old image of the very same bus, registration NLJ 272, that my wife and I purchased for restoration in 2012!

As far as we know, our bus is one of only two of a fleet of six Leyland Royal Tiger PSUs originally supplied to Bournemouth city in 1954, that still survive. The other surviving bus is not on the road.

Despite his assurances we could drive it the 200 miles back home, we opted to have it recovered as it had not run properly for years. And so began two years of planning, saving, redesigning and the reality and cost of a full restoration started. We wanted to make sure that, despite being converted for a different use, the bus would remain as original and authentic as possible. After two years and an empty bank account, an extensive restoration was finished. We operate the bus as a vintage events and bar bus. She is now in a more subtle livery, still very ’50s but no longer the mustard yellow and red livery she had originally. The interior colours were however retained, along with a number of original seats. The layout has been adapted to form seating for sixteen people around four tables that are printed with the original destinations the bus served. She has a fully fitted

bar/serving area with wine chillers for up to 200 bottles of wine with hot water and cold water facilities. We operate the bus mainly at weddings and high-end events and “Tiger Lily”, as she is now known, can also be a vintage tearoom, as well as a cocktail bar or wine bar, and has served everything from cream teas to handmade artisan pies and pints of real ale and ciders. We think some form of reunion with the School is needed! The bus now lives between Ockley and Horsham on the A29. Geoff Hall (North 1981-1984) At St John’s we were thrilled that Geoff Hall was able to bring Tiger Lily to OJ Centenary Day. See page 85 for more about that event.

Please check out our website, www.tigerlilybuscompany.co.uk We run the bus alongside several vintage electric milk floats, www.electricmilkfloats.co.uk

After serving Bournemouth for many years, the bus went up North, including a stint in Stoke on Trent, and we also know that she eventually ended up back in Bournemouth’s heritage collection, prior to the re-development of the bus garage. Purchased by the Shears family, some 20+ buses were saved from being scrapped. The Shears family transported the buses back to their premises and, for a number of years, they sat outside the ex RAF hangar at Winkleigh, on the Devon/Cornwall borders, gradually deteriorating. Following the death of their father, the family decided to thin out the collection and we purchased NLJ 272 from his son, Dan Shears. The decision to buy the bus followed a rare day off as my wife and I were both self-employed and, having our own businesses, were nearly always working seven days a week. We were out in London where, over a good lunch, we had discussed the idea of buying a vintage vehicle to convert to a unique catering platform. Little did we realise quite how that conversation would end up! Later that evening (and after a particularly good bottle of ‘Margeaux’), by pure chance we found NLJ 272 advertised online. As soon as we saw the bus, with its unique roof-light windows, we knew that this was the bus we wanted. Despite its peeling paint, it looked to be solid enough. Further brief discussions followed, the remainder of the bottle was emptied and, before we knew it, we had bought a vintage bus.

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“We had discussed the idea of buying a vintage vehicle to convert to a unique catering platform. Little did we realise quite how that conversation would end up!”

Pimm’s at OJ Day

Geoff and Marsha Hall with Tiger Lily

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A Flavour of China

or three classroom assistants who would keep them disciplined and act as translators for me. Lessons ranged from 10 – 25 minutes, depending on age. Basic English words and phrases were taught by the Chinese teachers and my role would be to reiterate what had already been learned through oral English. Hearing the pronunciation of a native English speaker was what it was all about. Because they were so young, teaching through games was the best way to hold their attention. I might select four or five students and ask “Where is red?!” and they would have to run and touch something red. I might simply point to something and ask “Is this a chair?”. “Noooo!” they would reply in unison. “Am I Jasper?”…“YEEEEES!” they would shout, laughing away. Nursery rhymes were great fun and choreographing a group of pint-sized Chinese children to perform the hokey cokey was incredible. All the classrooms were fitted with CCTV cameras, which meant parents could go online and watch their children live. A disgruntled parent might complain I didn’t show their child enough attention, so the next day I would hold up that child to the lens with a thumbs up and a broad grin.

“A fun way to pick up the simple vocabulary was by learning songs, which my Chinese teacher Frank loved to share.”

A FLAVOUR OF CHINA JASPER LOXTON RECALLS LIVING IN CHINA I was lying in a hotel bed in a region known as the ‘furnace of China’, heart pounding and damp with a cold sweat. Questions were racing like “How did I manage to blag a teaching job?”, “Will I actually get some sort of training?”, “How can I survive when I don’t speak Chinese?”. I came over by myself and was taking a teaching position with absolutely no teaching experience. I couldn’t cook, I had never lived alone, and I was in a city where no one spoke English. My mantra had always been to ‘fake it till you make it’, but this was a tall order. After getting in touch with the OJ development office recently, I was asked if I would like to share my experiences from when I lived in China, September 2009 to July 2014. It is hard to summarise half a decade of my life, but like the cumin on the barbecued lamb skewers I’d ravage after a night out - I hope to provide a distinctive flavour. A reason for going to China was to gain some independence; having boarded at St John’s in Churchill House for five years and then living at home during my time at university, I felt this would help me mature. After convincing my father I was actually going to be working as a foreign English teacher and it really wasn’t ‘an extended gap year’, the endeavour was family approved. It was only for a year anyway! I accepted a job offer in Wuhan, the largest city in central China, located in Hubei province. I liked the fact it wasn’t an expat favourite

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During my first year of China, I also taught at university in the afternoons. However cute the kindergarten children were, it was refreshing to be able to really converse with the older students. The university was male dominated, but many of my students were girls. Out of a class of fifty, maybe only five were males. Lessons would last an hour and didn’t actually count towards an official grade but were part of their general English course. I basically had free reign to devise my own lesson plans. I tried to have lessons surrounding interesting

topics and I would hold group discussions and debates. Most of the students were very attentive, amiable and easy to make laugh; many displayed an innocence that was very endearing. After more students arrived at the kindergarten, I went full time for my second year. The biggest handicap for me, especially in the early years, was the language barrier. I tried to learn a few words of Mandarin before I left the UK, but I ended up literally throwing my book at the wall in frustration! I thought I should first learn the ‘survival Chinese’ and my main focus was on oral Mandarin. The education consultancy that hired me provided free language classes, so this got me started. A fun way to pick up the simple vocabulary was by learning songs, which my Chinese teacher Frank loved to share. I learned the best way to entertain a Chinese audience was to belt out some Chinese classic - the crowd really would go wild! Over the years, Frank helped me with countless tasks such as buying travel tickets, booking hotel rooms or translating text messages from love interests. He remains a close friend of mine today and I call him ‘Chinese Dad’. As well as Frank, I also had a private tutor who would visit me at home once a week to provide intensive mandarin classes. This really made a difference in improving my language ability.

like Beijing, Hong Kong or Shanghai and offered a less western experience. The job was at a kindergarten which took students aged two to six. When I started, the school had just opened and only had a handful of students. In the beginning, much of the class time centred on building trust between them and me. Some were very shy, or so terrified they would burst into tears when they saw me. In an effort to build rapport, the teaching assistants would try to coax them to shake my hand. Over time, as the students adapted to my strange foreign presence, it was incredible to see the changes. It was heart-warming to have children running up to me for attention – all smiles and laughter. They often wanted to be picked up and hugged. During class, the students would sit on tiny yellow chairs arranged in a giant semi-circle. They would be flanked by two

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A Flavour of China

In my third and fourth years in China, I worked at a private language school that taught students of all ages. I taught small groups and private one to one classes. A class known as ‘English Bar’ was perhaps the most fun and relaxed as I could chat very informally with the students. I would love sharing entertaining anecdotes from my time at St John’s or trying to explain topics like the ‘British sense of humour’. My girlfriend at the time exclaimed, “You just talk rubbish, but they still want to listen to your rubbish!”. Well, no one else complained! Because of China’s notorious ‘one child policy’, most students did not have any siblings and would refer to their cousins as their brother or sister. Some would comment on the loneliness they felt being an only child. The average student seemed to have an incredibly packed schedule of late-night study and extra-curricular activities, leaving little to no time for relaxing. I was amazed that they never really complained about having to endure such a demanding workload or the intense pressure they felt from their parents to succeed.

Perhaps the most surreal job was my fabled ‘fake businessman’ gig, which I did on several occasions. It was essentially acting, but most people didn’t know it was a show. My role was to interview candidates applying for blue-collar jobs around the world. They were told I represented a foreign branch, and once my ‘credentials’ were shown to all, they were told I was the one they had to impress. I would ‘interview’ candidates all day for a few minutes each. They were told I couldn’t speak any Chinese which helped me avoid any awkward questions. VIP treatment. Smiles. Applause. Attractive translator - then cash in hand for a job well done. I’m pleased to say everyone appeared to get the job they were after and the business seemed otherwise legit! I also enjoyed doing some modelling, being an extra on TV shows and appearing in advertisements or business promotional videos. One of my favourite jobs was for a hot spring advertisement, where days on shoot were spent swanning about in a suit, going down waterslides and relaxing in a dressing gown drinking green tea.

Private tuition was a great way to earn some extra money, but I enjoyed undertaking a whole range of unusual jobs. There was some work I still struggle to articulate confidently at job interviews today or explain on my CV. I usually say I undertook ‘promotional and modelling’ activities, which sounds the least ridiculous. Some Chinese organisations believe that having a ‘foreign face’ lends a certain prestige to their business. It is seen as adding a sense of legitimacy and projecting an image of global success and foreign investment. I was one of these faces.

For leisure time, one of my favourite pastimes was to enjoy a massage or visit a spa. A little victory I remember was being able to decipher a sign in Chinese characters that read, ‘massage third floor’. I had unknowingly been living next to a great massage place for months! For the first couple of years, my friends and l loved the thrill of a night out and we indulged in the revelry of Wuhan’s nightlife. Interestingly, the word for cheers doesn’t really exist in Mandarin and the closest word would be ganbei - literally ‘dry glass’, or as we would say

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‘bottoms up’. The reception we received from Chinese patrons could be embarrassingly welcoming and we spent many nights ‘ganbeiing’ with them, enjoying a drink of whiskey mixed with iced tea – a Chinese favourite. Some bars attracted foreign customers by supplying free drinks, which was something my friends and I embraced wholeheartedly. Daily life was always a mixture of shock and awe. Having grown up in London, I am used to crowds, but the relentless throngs of people was mentally draining at times. Often just getting a bus felt like a desperate struggle for a lifeboat on the Titanic. When out and about in Wuhan, being an ‘outsider’ was always something of a novelty for the local Chinese. It was very common to be stared at or very unsubtly photographed. The looks just came from a genuine curiosity, however, and it never felt threatening. I might overhear a group of girls excitingly whisper to one another when they noticed me, and I would sometimes thank them for their kind remarks. I enjoyed the mortified look on their faces when they realised I understood exactly what was said! Day to day life was punctuated by constant double takes or moments of disbelief, which could be hard to shrug off.

Much like my time at St John’s, my experiences in China have had a tremendous impact. I’ve taken away some truly unforgettable memories and it’s provided me with an endless supply of conversational fodder. What was supposed to be one year turned out to be five! Over the years, I embraced the lifestyle, which was bolstered by strong friendships and job security. I returned for family, health and career but I realised the world I had left continued without me - as celebrations passed, friends settled down and careers took off. The price you pay is missing all those events unfold. The hardest adjustment was actually the coming back and beginning a new chapter, almost from where I left off. Despite the current British political turmoil, I remind myself how grateful I am for the freedoms afforded to me on native soil, the freedoms that many Chinese citizens hunger for. On another level, I am also thankful to have my family close by and to never feel lost in translation. That ‘businessman’ gig though... Jasper Loxton (Churchill 2000-2005)

In my final year of China, I worked part-time and, in order to hone my Mandarin, I studied a course at my local university. I also continued to see my tutor who had now been with me for years. I managed to leave university with good grades and I also gained an international qualification in Mandarin.

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Memories of St John’s

How did your parents hear about St John’s and why did they choose to send you and your brother?

MEMORIES OF ST JOHN’S Memories of the Second World War Over the years many OJs have written about their memories of being a pupil at St John’s during the Second World War and others have contributed stories and reminiscences of serving in the armed forces during this time. As we pause to remember the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of war on 1 September 1939, we feel that this is an appropriate time to ask all our OJs and their families to send us stories and photographs relating to life at St John’s in wartime and information about those who served. We also extend this request to current Johnians and their families, who may have had relatives at St John’s during the war or who left prior to WW2 and served in any capacity in wartime. The Roll of Honour for the Second World War, originally published in 1945, was updated in 2015 with the addition of the names of six OJs who were subsequently discovered to have died in the war. Short biographies have been compiled for all 96 OJs known to have died, but for many we have no photographs. If you can help with supplying photographs or further personal information or reminiscences, we would be most grateful. If you have a story to tell, please get in touch with the School Archivist, Sally Todd stodd@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk or the Development Office development@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk 38

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MIKE EDWARD COWPLAND COMER (SOUTH 1943-1947)

It was a great pleasure to visit Mike and Pat Comer at their home with Sally Todd, School Archivist, in November 2018. This was part of a project to discover more about life at the School during the Second World War. Mike and Pat Comer

Mike was a pupil at St John’s from 1941-1947 and then returned to the School in 1964, first as an assistant master, then as Housemaster of Monty and in many other roles until his retirement in 1990.

Albany Scholar; Captain of the School 1947; 1st XI colours 1947; Athletics Colours 1946-47; Higher Certificate 1946-47; Lindsey County Major Scholarship 1946; Balliol Oxford 1947 – 50; 2nd Class Science Mods 1948; 2nd Class Engineering Science 1950; BA, MA 1954 1941 – 1947 1947 – 1950 1951 – 1964 1955 1964 – 1990 1974 1975 1984 1985

Pupil in South House Balliol, Oxford Assistant Master at Blundell’s School Tiverton Played cricket for Devon Assistant Master at St John’s School Leatherhead and Secretary of the OJ Club Secretary Board of Directors, OJ Charity Ltd Housemaster, Montgomery House Appointed Recorder of St John’s President of OJ Society

My father was a vicar in Halifax and he heard about St John’s through the diocese (Wakefield). My brother, John, came to the School in 1930 as a Foundationer and I was offered an Albany Scholarship by Jack Carter when I was seven. Jack Carter gave my father a list of prep schools which would take boys destined for St John’s at a reduced fee (under the Preparatory School Scheme instigated by EA Downes). I went to Bilton Grange School Prep School in Warwickshire. What are your earliest memories of St John’s? How did you feel on your first day at the School? My earliest memory of St John’s is coming to Leatherhead when John was confirmed (Friday 1 December 1933) so I was about five. I wasn’t allowed to attend the confirmation service, but went to Chessington Zoo instead. I had a jolly good time, I remember. John started at St John’s in 1930 so I’ve been coming to St John’s since the age of three - most of my life - so I didn’t feel homesick on my first day. John had left by the time I started but my older brother, Stephen, was at St John’s. Can you tell us about a typical day at school in wartime? Breakfast was at 8.00am - we had thick bread and lots of butter and jam. A fag wheeled a trolley round with cereal (trolley fagging - one per house). Chapel was at 9.00am in the Old Chapel, followed by lessons. There were three lessons, then a break in the day and another two lessons At lunch, a master served the boys at table and prefects sat on the top table with the headmaster and bursar. Grace was said before and after lunch. After lunch, boys could get a chit from their Housemaster to go downtown. Then we changed for games from 2.30–3.30pm. Thursday was Corps day (compulsory) and boys wore puttees and army

uniform. On Sunday, communion was voluntary (8.00am and pm) but masters were expected to be there. Supper (high tea) was at 6.00pm. What happened when there was an air raid warning? Do you remember being scared? No, I don’t remember being scared. I was in South House and we slept downstairs in the gym or on the stage because of air raids. Rooms were moved around: the assembly hall moved up and dorms down and the Library was moved to West House. There was always a boy on air raid duty. When there was an air raid, we went to the basement carrying a blanket. I think there were one or two air raid warnings a month at night. If the warning lasted all night and all clear given before 4.00am, we were excused the first lesson the next day. What was the food like during the war? I remember the food during the war was very good. In 1941, masters were still carving a joint of meat such as a whole leg of lamb! Then, when rationing came in the housekeeper, Miss Shirras (1936-1947) amalgamated the ration books to help feed the School, so we never went without. Each house had a gas ring and prefects could heat up a tin of baked beans or make toast during their free time between 4.30 and 6.00pm. Of course, those who were busy with activities did not have time to do this. If you did something wrong, what did you do and what punishment did you receive? We were given lines to write in Latin. These had to be written on blue paper, which you had to buy and cost one penny (1d) for eight sheets. If your work was bad or you were caught smoking you might get beaten by your Housemaster. Prefects had canes too and could administer corporal punishment with the permission of the Housemaster. It was the normal thing back then.

What was Jack Carter, the headmaster, like? Without doubt, he was the best headmaster I was ever lucky enough to serve under. Quite simply the best. You see, the only thing that mattered to him was St John’s and he was very modest. He was a brilliant teacher too - could teach anything.

“There was always a boy on air raid duty. When there was an air raid, we went to the basement carrying a blanket.”

What societies and clubs were available for you to join and what else did you do you in your spare time? Well, there were lots of activities available, run by the boys with a master in charge. Masters were expected to play a full part in and out of school activities. There was a literary society, I remember, and we read a play on Sunday evenings. There was a debating society of course. And we played a lot of sport – cricket, rugger, fives – it was compulsory to watch 1st XV matches. If there was any spare time, we played ping-pong. We were allowed downtown to buy fruit and sweets with our pocket money – about five shillings per term. I used to buy a loaf of bread! How often did you go home? How did you travel? There were no half terms; you just went home for the holidays. My parents only visited me at school twice over six years. Once for my confirmation and then when I was hit on the head by the flagpole on VE Day. My mother also came for my last Speech Day.

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Memories of St John’s

JOHN GORDON CLARK (CHURCHILL 1943-1947)

a generation later, were influential in my school life. The first was Michael Shaw who shared with me his love of crosswords. The second was Derek Pitt who, knowing I was interested in music, invited me to his study to listen to various works, a kindness that I will always remember.

We are always pleased to see OJs back at the School and it was a particular pleasure to welcome John Gordon Clark (Churchill 1943-1947) and his son Robert Gordon Clark (Churchill 1974-1979) pictured here with The Head. The Gordon Clark family have a long association with the School, with five generations of the family sitting on the Governing Council from 1852 until 2011. We were delighted to give them a tour of the School and to show them how the new sports facilities were progressing.

THE WAR AND ITS EFFECT ON US John Gordon Clark visiting the School with son, Robert

DAILY LIFE I entered Churchill House at St John’s for the summer term of 1943. I was nearly 14, and thus slightly older than most of my contemporaries, and I recall suffering the inevitable trepidation on arriving at a new school. However, I was fortunate, not only knowing something about its history through my family’s connections, but also, since my home was within a short bus ride from Leatherhead, I knew the area well. Life at school was strictly regulated, in part I imagine because of the war. Although by that date the country no longer feared invasion, leaving the premises was restricted to brief visits into the town, though only with permission for specific reasons. Daily call overs were in force to ensure everyone was within bounds by a certain time. The timetable ruled our day, with relatively short periods of spare time. Sunday afternoons, after the compulsory and strictly monitored walk, was free and normally occupied for us juniors by board games in the winter months and informal outdoor games in the summer ones. Our meals, within the constraints of rationing, were always adequate, though inevitably somewhat repetitive, and one should pay tribute to the School authorities, and especially Miss Shirras, the caterer, for our wellbeing. We supplemented our meals by bringing to school enough jars of jam to last us through the term, and by buying loaves of bread from Leatherhead shops when exceptionally hungry.

JACK CARTER I was fortunate that my time at St John’s was under the headship of Jack Carter. My main memory of him in my early days was that he was ever-present, and 40

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appeared to move about the School at a brisk trot. He knew us all by name from the first day, and got to know us as individuals very soon after our arrival. To help him achieve this feat he served us in the tuck shop after lunch at least one day a week. I was privileged to get to know him better when I became house captain, and in my first year sixth when he taught me in a divinity class. One personal encounter occurred just before my sister’s wedding in late 1946. My role was to play the Mendelssohn Wedding March, which I had practised assiduously in the Chapel. For my final play through, a few evenings before the wedding, I decided to let rip with all the stops out, only to find Jack Carter at my elbow to discover the delinquent who was disturbing the peace.

THE CHURCHILL HOUSEMASTERS AND THE STAFF WHO TAUGHT ME The Churchill Housemaster, just for my first term, was Mr Gettins. He was a very keen Scouter, and immediately enrolled me in the School Scout troop. My one memory of that term was camping in a wood and getting stung by nettles as we gathered wood for our camp fire. Housemaster from the following term until I left was Mr Crozier who taught French. He was fair, though he could be disconcerting since it was difficult to judge where or when he might suddenly appear, or what he might say or do when he did. As a prefect, I learned a great deal from him about his tasks and feel very grateful for his example. In my final year, I asked him if I could have leave – which was given - to go to the Derby, held at that time on a Wednesday. It was just as well I had asked permission for I met him, after only five minutes, among the teeming thousands on Epsom Downs.

For my first term, I was in Joey Chappell’s form. He was one of several memorable teachers. The following term I moved up to the top grade of the Fourth Form under Fred Murray, a mesmeric teacher, who used a variety of methods to instil facts into our heads, as well as to develop our thoughts and opinions. He had the very disconcerting habit of springing surprise tests on his pupils. The only sign that one of those fateful days was upon us was when he entered morning Chapel wearing a white tie. Inevitably, these were known as ‘white tie days.’ All those whom he taught would spend the fifteen minutes that Chapel lasted in a dread fear of being totally unprepared for what was to follow. Another skilled teacher I recall with gratitude was JC Hammond, whose subject was history. During my early days, many of the other teachers were elderly since the younger ones were serving in the Forces; those I remember were Mr Bonacina, whose subject I can’t recall, and Mr Ingmire, who taught English at School Certificate level. We gained from their experience and were very thankful they had come out of retirement to help us in our education. The end of the war brought to the School several much younger teachers, including Tom Peacocke who taught chemistry, which he did for my Higher Certificate. For that exam I also took physics under WO Clarke (my favourite teacher) and Advanced Maths under DR Grigg, as well as divinity under chaplain Kenneth Meiklejohn’s guidance. He prepared me for confirmation and became a good friend during my latter days at school and after I left. Two members of staff who never taught me, but taught my son Robert

The war was a reality to us, and its events as they affected us remain deep in my memory. By late 1943 into 1944, the blitz had been over for quite a while. However, the Luftwaffe still sent lone bombers across at night to see if they could damage our industry, though most of their raids became known as ‘hit and run’ attacks on any target that presented itself – or indeed no target at all. One such occurred one winter night when we were asleep. I was awakened by a crash that shook the building. My instinct was to roll out of bed, during which action a second bomb exploded close by. As I hit the floor, a third one went off, to be followed by a fourth as I put myself under the protection of the bed. Then, silence. It turned out that the first of this stick of bombs landed about 200 yards from us, the remainder moving further away towards Ashtead – which was just as well for the health of the house and its contents. Because of the lone nature of these attacks, the siren had not sounded. Whenever it did, we had to descend to the basement, with rugs to keep ourselves warm, until the all clear sounded. I recall during one interminable raid I found an ancient copy of Oliver Twist in the basement and started reading it. Thus good things can come out of the unexpected and unpleasant. Several events of the 1944 Summer Term stand out. The first was D Day. The news of this long awaited happening was greeted with enormous excitement throughout the School. We juniors reached for our atlases to see exactly where the Normandy beaches were. We then traced that part of France onto sheets of paper, and followed each day’s advance with coloured pencils. The second event happened during one of Mr Crozier’s French lessons. It was a blissful summer morning about two to three weeks after D Day, and the classroom windows were wide open. Suddenly there

Other Memories Discipline: Beating was still the main punishment for serious breaches of the School rules; minor infringements were punished by writing lines, generally copied from Latin, on ruled blue paper. Outings: There were few, if any, school outings during my stay, even after the war ended. The only one I recall was a visit to London to the theatre to see a Shakespeare play we were studying. Clubs and school activities: I belonged to a club that organised concerts of recorded music at Dr Grigg’s home. During my final year, the School staged a play at which another pianist and I played a duet between acts. was an almighty explosion. The windows shook, and we all looked at each other in surprise, since there had been no air raid warning. Within a few days we were told that what we had heard was one of the very first flying bombs, which had landed about a quarter of a mile from the School. Once we got used to these machines, we knew that if we heard their unmistakable buzzing sound overhead we were safe. If the noise stopped overhead, again we were probably safe, for the arc of descent was a couple of miles. The trouble was when the sound stopped several miles away and one was in the weapon’s direct line of descent. The intensity of the attacks in our area was considerable, and it soon became clear that Leatherhead was directly in line with one of the launch pads. Since the time fuses varied, the bombs tended to explode anywhere between the South Downs and London. Needless to say, the School took the whole matter of our safety very seriously. Those of us in the upper floor dormitories (the juniors) were told that we were to sleep in the basement until further notice. Since there was no room for beds, mattresses were spread on the floors and we slept three to two mattresses. (I slept in a room that was a generation later to become my son Robert’s study.) This was pretty uncomfortable, and we lost a lot of sleep due to the hardness of the floor and the general overcrowding, stuffiness and restlessness. Although the air defences

The Weather: The winter of 1946/47 was incredibly cold. The snow started as we returned to school after Christmas, and lasted nearly the whole of the Easter term. Owing to the conditions, we were unable to train for the Cherkeley, and we hoped that we would be spared the run that year. However, the thaw suddenly set in, and Jack Carter announced we should run it without practice the following day. As the Mole had flooded, we had to run the first mile or so along the main road to Mickleham (and, incidentally, past the front door of my parents’ house). I still recall that run, possibly the most physically exhausting hour or so of my life.

managed to combat these weapons by various means, the attacks continued unabated. As a result, the decision was taken to send home all those not taking exams. It was a relief to know that that we would be out of danger, added to which was the excitement of an extra three weeks holiday for us juniors. It was just as well we did go home when we did, for their intensity increased during the exam period. During one two-hour French exam, 24 V1s went over. Joey Chappell, the invigilator, ordered everyone to get under their desks. Apparently, not one person even looked up from their writing. Joey’s report on the conditions under which the exam was taken must have resulted in very high marks for all concerned.

CHAPEL AND MUSIC I sang in the choir throughout my time at St John’s, moving down gradually from treble to bass, via a term or two as alto. I found the daily service and the two Sunday ones very helpful to me as I grew up, and especially Mr Meiklejohn’s preparing me for Confirmation. Doc Reed was an inspiring choral trainer who instilled in me the love of singing in choirs. He also taught me piano and organ. He was perhaps the most eccentric member of staff, his offbeat behaviour even being displayed during Chapel services. After the opening hymn, he would close the curtains round the organ with a clatter, and then be heard ripping open his morning post.

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Theatre Seeds with Chips

THEATRE SEEDS WITH CHIPS

call-boy, that was the thing. It was rumoured amongst junior boys in my time (’59-’65) that if you could get this backstage job for the School play

– there’d be two of you – you’d be able to sneak out under cover of dark and get chips while your partner did any calling. Calling was largely unnecessary as most actors were in such a high state of nerves they arrived from the dressing room – Churchill House changing rooms – well before their cue. There was the added bonus that you wouldn’t have to watch the thing…

magazine’s obituary section. I didn’t remember his name, but his face was very memorable as the face of Richard II. I’d never seen Shakespeare before and his performance made a strong impression. How could a school boy do that, be that?

In my first year, I did have to watch the whole of Richard II. I remember two things about it: 1) it seemed interminable, but 2) it was amazing what senior boys could do. Indeed, I’m prompted to write this piece by the photo of James Morwood in last year’s

My school world, like that of many others, was sport obsessed. There was music, art, drama but if you were in the sporting culture, you were ignorant and suspicious of the creatives. I remember a group of boys a little bit senior to me (we were

very seniority conscious) starting up a drama group. We regarded them as highly suspect, a bunch of arty-farties. Aesthetes, for goodness sake, at “J school”! And yet…I got the call-boy role in my second year but the chip thing proved a small boy illusion, to wit a small share of one small bag on one night. So much for drama and me. But Richard II wouldn’t go away. It was my set text for O level, taught by Derek Pitt who had directed the School production. I remember many lines from that play to this day thanks, of course, to Shakespeare’s way with words, but to a great extent because of DWP’s relishing of the language. Every summer holiday he would take two or three boys, at his own expense, to Stratford to see three or four of the plays in repertoire. I was lucky enough to go twice. The first year we saw four of Peter Hall’s histories cycle – guess what, Richard II, along with the Henry IV plays and Henry V. The following year we saw David Warner’s landmark Hamlet and two of the comedies. These experiences were revelations and I was hooked on theatre outside school, but not on performing myself.

Staff photos of Shaw (left) and Pitt (right)

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I was a cricketer and rugby player and to go on stage would compromise my identity – but, if I’m honest, it was more a case of funk. You need courage to go on stage and I didn’t have it. The sporting culture provided me with a cover-up. I probably exaggerate the cultural distinctions. I remember seeing a 1st XV prop and a second row on stage, I think in St Joan. I even remember their names – Peter Parkes and Martin ‘Rock’ Radford, - both fine players in both activities. It was not only a culture shock but a kind of revelation. And how blind was I? Derek Pitt was a cricket fanatic, a devoted Hampshire supporter who would talk (and coach and play) cricket every bit as much as he would teach, talk and direct Shakespeare. He also took some of

us to watch cricket at Southampton where his idols, Roy Marshall and Derek Shackleton, played. I became a theatre-goer, and, when I became a teacher of English, an active participant, directing many plays in schools and for local amateurs, and acting in a few. And I coached cricket and rugby. A former headmaster of Eton once wrote that ‘Drama is the best team game’. Every word of this is written with that wonderful clarity that hindsight gives. I have no diaries, no photos or any other primary sources to clutter my memories. Others of that time will tell a different story. And I have said nothing of the other teacher who was a pillar of drama production, Michael (Arty) Shaw.

A final thought: no girls. Only those boys whose desire to act overcame their desire not to be seen as girls were prepared to do it and were exceptionally brave. Shakespeare was spot-on with his character Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream who doesn’t want to play Thisbe “for I have a beard coming”. Thank goodness for co-education. Perhaps my richest experiences as a teacher came when I worked with 17 year old groups on productions of King Lear and Hamlet – both plays they were studying for A level, both impossible in the form they took without co-education. I remember post-production celebrations involving a massive collective sense of achievement and a good deal more than a few chips. Colin Gray (North 1959-1965)

Photos from Richard II (1959)

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Valete

VA L E T E Claudia Densham

Andrew King

Claudia came to St John’s as a fresh faced teacher obviously destined for big things. Starting her career as a tutor in North House and a Religious Studies teacher, Claudia threw herself into school life. It was no surprise that Claudia’s potential was quickly recognised and she was asked to become one of the Assistant Housemistresses in the newly formed girls’ house, Gloucester. Indeed, her time at Gloucester holds many fond memories personally for Claudia, as it was during this period that she married Charlie and had their two gorgeous children, Monty and Clemmie. It was not long before Claudia’s talents were fully recognised and, after three great years in Gloucester, she left to join arch rivals South as Housemistress. She took on this role only five months after the birth of her daughter, yet you would not have known. Distinguished, organised, empowering and proactive are words we can use to describe Claudia’s reign as she took to the job with ease. Balancing parenthood and the responsibility of being housemistress was made to look easy and she set a very high standard for anyone to follow.

Andrew King, an avid Norwich city supporter and all-round Norfolk aficionado, joined St John’s School in 1985 after three and a half years at King William’s College on the Isle of Man. He was appointed by Ted Hartwell but has now worked under Chris Tongue, Nick Haddock, Martin Collier and Rowena Cole in his 34 years of service to the School. He has contributed, and enthusiastically so, to three main areas of school life: to sport, to the English Department and, of course, to Churchill House.

Housemistress of South and Head of Wellbeing

Will Turner

Deputy Head Academic Will Turner has achieved a significant amount in his relatively short time at St John’s. In his three years as Deputy Head Academic, his professional ability and clear-sighted approach has raised the academic profile of the School. Will gives generously of his time to mentor pupils and enable them to achieve everything they have aimed for; I know that they will miss both his challenge and his kindness. His talent as a cricketer and coach also led to him coaching the 1st XI cricket team and they greatly valued his knowledge and passion for the sport. Displaying the full breadth of his talents, Will also took to the stage in the inaugural performance by the St John’s Staff Band. It goes without saying that Will is also renowned around St John’s for his sartorial elegance and has single-handedly brought about a resurgence of interest in the three-piece suit. Behind his serious and professional outward appearance lies a brilliant sense of humour that is appreciated by all who know and work with him. As popular as he has always been at St John’s, he could be forgiven for feeling slightly affronted that his popularity the arrival of his gorgeous black Labrador puppy! Will leaves St John’s to take up the headship at UWC Adriatic. As beautiful as our site is here at St John’s, an Italian castle overlooking the sea obviously does hold its own appeal. We will miss Will’s insightful, thoughtful approach and wish him every success for the exciting move.

Huw Jones

Housemaster of West & Head of Boarding Huw was a member of staff who genuinely made an all-round contribution to the many facets of school life at St John’s. As the Housemaster of West, he built a strong community that creates opportunities for all the boys to thrive during their five years at St John’s. His success with the House led to West winning the House Shield last year. The boys in West will particularly remember Huw for the way in which he took an interest in each of them as an individual. He helped them through any bumps in the road with a sense of compassion and helped them to learn from their experiences. As a former international player, Huw also made a big impact on the hockey pitch at St John’s. He coached the 1st XI girls and the junior boys and, under his coaching, the 1st XI girls won the U18 Surrey County title. Huw leaves St John’s for a well-deserved promotion to become Deputy Headmaster at Warminster School. We wish him every success for the future. Laurence Bruggemann

But it isn’t just as a pastoral lead that Claudia will be missed. She was dedicated on the sports field, whether coaching boys’ rugby or girls’ hockey. Having never played netball, she also decided to help out by taking a team and demonstrated that her blood was always running green. Claudia could be found at every event supporting her South girls in everything they wanted to do. A sociable member of the common room, she would often be the first in (and last to leave) after match refreshments. One thing is for certain, her absence in the common room will mean a lot less gossip but her presence is sure to be truly missed. Claudia has headed off to Haileybury and we have no doubt that she will continue to be a forward-thinking housemistress, just as she was at St John’s. I only hope their gin cupboard is as well-stocked as ours!

Teacher of English

Andrew has coached a plethora of sports teams at St John’s. From rugby, where he ably coached a number of teams including the U15A team, to cricket, where he attended two tours to Barbados, and to football where he led the 4th XI for ten amazing years. Andrew’s dedication to sport is admirable and something for which many of the boys were, and indeed are, extremely grateful. Secondly, Andrew is a constant in the English Department where Heads of Department and teachers have come and gone over the years. Andrew’s subject knowledge is truly epic and his love of literature saturates his classroom. He helped on a number of trips to the battlefields, to Ypres and the Somme, which he thoroughly enjoyed and still talks about with enthusiasm. He also ran The Johnian magazine for over ten years, changing its format in 1986 to the one that we still see today. In the pastoral sphere, Andrew also left his mark. Andrew became Housemaster of Churchill in 1992 in the days when it was a boarding house, where Gloucester now stands. He led the House with such patience, poise, respect and kindness that it is repaid in buckets by OJs who always ask how ‘the King’ is. Andrew will be sorely missed at St John’s School; he is looking forward to a relaxing retirement, spending time with his family and some good books.

Lauren Moors Rowena Cole

The Johnian 2019

Kate Symes-Thompson

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Valete

Two long-standing members of staff retired from teaching at St John’s at the end of the 2018-19 academic year: Andrew King after 34 years and Adrian Gale after 41 years. A special retirement dinner was held in their honour, speeches given and tributes were made. Here is a flavour of some of them: Notes from the speech given by former headmaster of St John’s, Nick Haddock, for Andrew King:

Adrian Gale Teacher of Physics

Adrian Gale is the epitome of the utterly dedicated and committed all-round schoolmaster. He is a man of complete integrity and personal honesty, qualities that have informed his long and distinguished career at St John’s. His commitment has encompassed the pastoral, the co-curricular and the academic. In 1980, he was the resident assistant in East House, then became Housemaster of South, before, when South was closed, taking on Monty. His support for members of his house was unswerving. The list of co-curricular involvements is extensive. In the 1980s, 2nd Lt Gale was fully involved with the CCF and, for a while, ran the DofE scheme. Later on, quizmaster Gale ran events for the Parents’ Association before taking on the Inter-House Quiz competition. He also showed himself to be no mean actor in the days when the Common Room put on Christmas entertainment for the boys, most notably as Jack in The Importance of Being Ernest. The major part of his co-curricular commitment has been on the games field – notably cricket, which he ran for 30 years. At the start, he ran the firsts and then it was junior sides, but there was no difference in approach. He offered the same encouragement, the same inimical communication of a passion for the game and the concomitant demand that it be played properly. For 40 years Adrian has been a very successful physics teacher; even in the laboratory cricket featured through display articles on the physics and maths of swing bowling. He now retires and goes with the thanks of St John’s for a lifetime of dedicated service. Andrew Phillips

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Peter Thorne

The great Bard tells us: “And one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages” and in Andrew’s case nearly seven Heads...

School Governor 1994 – 2019 After 25 years, Peter Thorne (South 1957-1962) has retired from the Governing Council and latterly as Vice-Chair. A farewell drinks was held at the end of Summer Term at which John Willis, Chairman of Governors, thanked Peter for his considerable contribution to the School. St John’s is very fortunate to have such committed supporters who give up so much of their time to support the School and St John’s is indebted to Peter. As well as being a governor, Peter was Chairman of the OJRFC for seven years, President of the Old Johnian Society from 1980-1982, and a great supporter of the OJCC. Peter regularly played cricket for the Old Johnians during OJ Cricket Week and in numerous OJ matches versus the School. We are delighted that he remains on the OJ Society Committee. Thank you Peter. Naia Edwards

In the beginning, the English teacher - April 1985 and they were heady days for Stevens, Wells-Cole, Phillips, Noble, Gale and Hughes - the wild bunch. This was the same year that Andrew’s beloved Norwich City won the League Cup and Andrew, book in hand, immersed in literature, was teaching English and giving chapel talks through which we glimpsed his love of the written and spoken word. The Careers Master – so many Johnians passed through Andrew’s door, so many lives fulfilled, I now rather regret not having 30 minutes myself on the King couch. The CCF Officer – “Our finest hour” said Churchill but perhaps not Andrew’s. “But I have a plan, Sir”. “Really King, a cunning and subtle one?”. “Yes Sir”. “As cunning as a fox who has just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?”. “Yes Sir”. “Well, whatever it is King, it will have to wait.” And so it did, but such is Andrew’s compassion and understanding of human nature, I reflected for a moment, he would have done rather well in Iraq or Afghanistan. Andrew, the storyteller, the people and especially the young people would have loved him, I think even the Taliban might have listened. The Sports Coach – James Lockwood recalled a moment of St John’s folklore when Andrew was referee to a Junior Colts rugby match v Epsom College and it was a close affair. St John’s scored a try to draw level in the final seconds of the game, a conversion needed for victory. Legend has it that Andrew’s arm went up long before the ball had even reached the posts and, furthermore, it is doubtful whether the ball actually went through the posts. In a moment of honesty, the St John’s kicker turned to Andrew and asked “Are you sure that went over, Sir?”. A 17-5 victory to St John’s and a rather messy inquest in the bar afterwards... but his cherished U15A XV of 14 years had three unbeaten seasons. In the 1990s, with U14s cricket, he took two tours to Barbados and, as one former player recalled, was always good for an lbw shout, but always marginally on the side of fair. He also coached 4th XI football for

ten years but James says, “Kingy, don’t ever attempt the Norwich offside trap again, it was a disaster”. The writer and director – Andrew is St John’s answer to Cameron Mackintosh. Flamboyance? Maybe not. But for creativity, depth, irreverence, a new-look Johnian, many productions, the Broadway hit ‘Adventures on Church Hill’, look no further. The Housemaster – for 15 years the very heartbeat of the schoolmaster, Churchill House became home in 1992 when Andrew became its Housemaster with his beautiful new wife, Gill. Andrew’s team was loyal and devoted, none more so than the redoubtable Hazel, Mrs P. Fond recollections are numerous - “like a father”, “always supported us” and “a great housemaster, very fair and we could never wind him up” (praise indeed from an England rugby international and a British Lion). Andrew was a voice of common sense at Senior House Staff meetings and could always be seen listening intently to the rules of any forthcoming house competition. Churchill were nine timers winners of the rugby housematch final under his leadership - the Blue and White army – and, strangely, were rather good at music too. Andrew was a constant through triumph and disaster, never flinching, and a formative influence on so many young lives. And the final age, the father and husband – Gill, Angus and Imogen are an enduring testament to Andrew’s values, his love of his family and the happy pilgrimage from the Churchill garret, seeking those things above, to Linden Pit Path and then a migration to Surrey downland. Such are the seven ages of Andrew that I am left searching for words that adequately do justice to his contribution, but perhaps I find them in the words used to describe my own Housemaster: “Strong in strange silence, all his life he stood: his strength was such that no one overheard. Too late the blundering critics understood that silence stronger than a spoken word. He, so grateful to those he loved, who have shown him as no one else could prove that the joy of being able to give and giving, however small, is the very joy of living”.

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Valete

Notes from the speech given by Mark Rogers for Adrian Gale: Adrian’s nickname amongst pupils has, for many years, been Windy, and this has often been a better discriminator than any common entrance examination or pupil interview. For one group of pupils who say “Huh, I don’t get it” – bottom set. Another group of pupils, with their rather puerile sense of humour, think it’s a reference to excessive baked bean intake – middle sets. And the select handful of pupils that see the link to weather and his surname – top set – they are heading for great things! Adrian was born, and remains, a Lincolnshire boy. Just a turnip’s throw from Sir Isaac Newton’s birthplace, there was a certain inevitability that Adrian would, to some extent, follow in the footsteps of that great man whom I know Adrian admires. Not the alchemy, almost poking his own eye out, staying indoors for the best part of 12 years and wearing wigs etc., I obviously mean the physics. St John’s has been Adrian’s one and only school, and it is not a lack of ambition or ability that has kept him here for so long. Indeed, it is because of his ambition that he has stayed here so long. Adrian’s ambition has not been a self-centred or self-promoting ambition, it’s been a selfless one for both the School and the pupils under his care that have passed through his lab and his houses. I say houses (plural) as Adrian was, for many years, the only member of Common Room to have been housemaster of two houses. He led the first iteration of South, a boys’ boarding house tucked away near West and, when boarding numbers fell, he moved to Montgomery where he served his full 15 year tenure before handing over to me. When I joined Monty as assistant, it was the norm to have drinks and food in house before parents’ evening; the idea was to get them drunk before hitting them with the bad news that little Johnny wasn’t going to make the cut as a brain surgeon! Adrian, being Adrian, took this one step further and invited parents to his home where, along with Marion, they would play the perfect hosts. Indeed, it is important that we acknowledge Marion’s huge contributions to the School over the years. Adrian is what one would call a traditional schoolmaster. He’s impeccably polite and courteous, never (intentionally) causes offence and his generosity with his time, no matter what the occasion, is a lesson to us all. Adrian’s approach is “tell me what you want me to do” - he would rather be teaching over timetable than not. He was, as most were back in the day, a three-term sportsmaster and I’m sure that if there were four terms, he’d be the first in the queue. Adrian’s sports have been predominantly the traditional team games of rugby and

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cricket and, once the School had gone soft, football. Adrian also helped with other sports even crosscountry… and I have here the ‘Bruinvels Trophy’ results book. This contains results going back to 1979 but they stop suddenly at 1996 with a note: “Runners went the wrong way. Race declared null and void.” Adrian, do you know anything about this…? Now some say that Adrian directed runners the wrong way. Adrian’s version is that the lead runner was insistent that he went against Adrian’s marshalling and took the wrong way by his own volition. And, for the record, I would like to defend Adrian. This seems to me an excellent example of how Adrian empowered pupils to believe in themselves, no matter how misguided (and, in this case, quite literally misguided) they may have been! It is in the physics department I have got to know Adrian. A modest, understated man of few words, he speaks when he needs to and not for the sake of it. Always professional, Adrian has shared a wealth of physics knowledge, even if most of his posters were based on the physics of cricket! Adrian has seen many changes in the physics department, not least, in his lab. A fact not known to many is that Adrian’s lab is also called the Gedge Laboratory after Staff Paymaster Joseph Gedge, an OJ killed just two days after the official start of the First World War and the first officer to be killed in the war. During one refurbishment of his lab I came across a book, The Doctrine of Triangles, by John Newton, dated MDCLVIII (1658). Now Adrian, I know you like to hold on to things, but come on mate, that’s too much. This book is now with Sally Todd in the School Archives, along with your lesson plans. In addition to his excellence in the classroom and sports field, Adrian had a brief stint in the CCF - rumour has it that this came to an abrupt end when he gave a visiting officer a left-handed salute. He has thoroughly enjoyed running the inter house quiz for many years. The quiz apparatus made a brief reappearance during the science quiz last term and I do hope that this will make its way back onto the School calendar again at some stage.

Siobhan Alderson Head of Psychology

James Bannister Graduate Assistant

Tanya Bateman Head of German

Graham Beauchamp

Aaron Blumfield Teacher of D&E

Head Chef

Laurence Bruggemann

Jonathan Davies

Teacher of Chemistry

Eleanor Ferguson Teaching Fellow

Tom Gardner

Graduate Assistant

Teacher of Mathematics

Andrew Hoyland Teacher of Physics and Chemistry

Lyn Kirton Vaughan Laundry Supervisor

Grace Lawes

Teacher of History

Sue Medland Matron - West

Jean-Pierre Sutcliffe

Teacher of Music Technology

And finally, a message from Mr Patrick Noble: “to some you may be considered to be a dinosaur, but such people need to remember that dinosaurs leave very large footprints” and this, I believe, you have done on the School and the pupils. Adrian, thank you.

Beth Tiller

Teacher of English

Kerry Walsh-Jones Director of Netball

Jason Ward Head of D&E

Nathalie Webb Matron - North

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Old Johnian News

P J CASHMORE (NORTH 1935-1942)

OLD JOHNIAN NE WS 1930s MICHAEL COOK (SOUTH 1938-1943) I am fortunate to be still enjoying a fairly active life at age 94, and have three children and three grandchildren with whom I keep good contact. I am still driving a car (a Wiltshire Colt) locally and frequently, and maintain a regular and close contact with my local church in Plymouth. I am treasurer of the parish ‘Missions Committee’ and we have monthly coffee mornings in aid of a variety of (mainly Christian) charities. In August we raised £262 in aid of ‘Home for Good’. Our recent Harvest Lunch raised £272 cash, plus a number of cheque donations for the ‘Plymouth Food Bank’ which gives good help to some of the many

The last recipient of the John Cashmore Cup

new citizens now living in this city. I am fortunate that I live in a Church of England parish with a church that is well supported with large congregations and quite a busy programme of services and activities. I continue to play croquet with a lively club, but no longer go on walks on Dartmoor of along the coast with ‘The Marauders’ club that I used to take turns to lead between 1983 and 2016 (my total 502 miles). I am grateful for continuing contact with St John’s and am so glad the School continues to do well and give benefits to boys, and now also girls, such as I was fortunate to benefit from. (Please excuse the final preposition.)

DAVID GODFREY-EVANS (EAST 1939-1944) Hockey has played an important part in my life. I am a Vice President of St Alban’s Hockey Club and played regularly for the club from the late 1940s and into the 1960s, also playing 66 games for Herts County and representing the Eastern Counties, always in defensive positions. I was St Alban’s HC 1st XI captain in 1952/3 and captained Herts for three years. I was first introduced to hockey at age eight as a chorister at New College School, Oxford. At St John’s, which was then a non-hockey playing school, I played rugby for the 1st XV with an unbeaten record for the year. After St John ’s I joined, the Navy in 1943 with a shortened course at Edinburgh University where I played centre half and was awarded colours for the season. I was drafted to the Far East, where one game in Indonesia concluded my naval hockey career. I taught at a boys’ prep school for a year, where the headmaster’s daughter became my future wife, before a five-term history degree at New College, Oxford. I played for Oxford University Blues team at left back but latterly gave way to Dennis Carnill, the future England Captain! After Oxford, my career was as a shipbroker. Other interests included tennis throughout the year: I was three times winner of the Herts Veteran Doubles Tournament. I have lived in my present house in Wheathampstead for 61 years, having bought it in a dilapidated state, unaware of its past as a medieval building belonging to Westminster Abbey. This has provided many enjoyable years of research and restoration. Gardening, in early retirement worked half an acre of grass, growing salad crops. Good fun though not very profitable! We kept chickens, starting with hundred day olds and now reduced to six very old hens several generations on. I have maintained a life-long interest in classical music dating back to my early days a chorister.

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As reported in last year’s magazine, after St John’s I followed my brother John Cashmore, into the same regiment of the Indian army known as The Royal Garhwal Rifles. John won two Victor Ludorums when he was at St John’s. He was killed aged 19½ fighting the Japanese in 1942.

The Centre of The Garhwal Rifles is 6,000 feet in the Himalayas at a hill station named Lansdowne. I gave one of John’s Victor Ludorums as a prize to be awarded to the best boy in the Regimental centre at the house for boys whose fathers had been killed in action.

1940s COLIN CLAY (SURREY 1945-1950) It has been a while since I have written to you and the past few months have led to many changes in my life. At the beginning of June I was feeling pretty good for an 86 year old and, along with my Roman Catholic friend, Fr Bernard DeMargerie, we both celebrated the 60th anniversary of our ordination to the priesthood on 1 June 1958. Bernard was ordained for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon in the little town of Vonda, Saskatchewan and I was ordained for the Anglican Diocese of Southwark in Southwark Cathedral on 1 June 1958. It was years later that we became close friends (“twins” we call ourselves) and we have both worked in ecumenical and multi-faith areas for many years. We celebrated with Solemn Evensong on Sunday 3 June 2018 in St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Saskatoon, with the Roman Catholic bishop, two Anglican bishops, joint choirs and 300 in the congregation. Two weeks later, I wasn’t feeling very well and very suddenly I was rushed to St Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon where they literally saved my life. I was told that they would not let me out of the hospital until I had somewhere to live – I was not going back to the home where I lived by myself (my dear wife, Pat, died 11 years ago). My family and friends rallied around - from Regina, Ontario and Sweden - and they were fortunate to find a very nice retirement home where I have a nice bed-sitting room, three meals a day and full nursing care. I have recovered well and while I have had to reduce much of what I had been doing in the church, veterans, multi-faith and the community, I am able to continue a number of these things on a reduced scale. I now do what I feel is within my capability and if I wish to do it. My house is empty and for sale (and in this country if you accept an offer, that’s it! No delay - it’s a done deal. Quite different from the way it happens in England I gather). We hope it sells before Thanksgiving (8 October) because it’s hard to sell property in the winter months. These changes also affect any future travel. While there is still some question regarding air travel to Ontario (just three and a half hours) it is certain that any trans-Atlantic visits to the UK or Sweden (with a further six or seven hours) is now out of the question. This means, sad to say, that I will not be able to visit family and friends in Europe and I shall not be able to visit St John’s again. So that is where I am right now. But, as you have no doubt gathered, I do not wish to lose touch with you or the good folk at St John’s. I am thankful to be recovering well from my illness in June and I am able to enjoy my family, my friends, a new home and the opportunities life still gives to me.

Colts XV with David Godfrey-Evans (front row left) and PJ Cashmore (front row right).

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Old Johnian News

1950s CHRISTOPHER WATTS (WEST 1956-1961) BOB KIMBERLEY (EAST 1945-1950) I was born at 74 Copthorne Road in 1932, about 100 yards from the Senior Field. In the spring of 1940, British fighter planes chased a German bomber pilot overhead. Trying to escape, the pilot dropped his load of five bombs, each being 500 pounds; the third one landed in our back garden and exploded under the house. My sister, my mother and I were in the underground shelter which my father had built. It was about 50 feet from the house. The explosion shook the shelter violently. My father had gone into the house to listen to the nine o’clock news on the BBC Home Service, so we knew that the bomb hit us at that time. My father survived but was probably in shock. When we saw the damage in daylight we knew it was too dangerous to try to go in. We were invited by a couple to have breakfast with them at 9.00am. It was the first time that we had bacon served from a silver platter (bear in mind food was rationed). Having finished our meal, my sister went to her school, St Andrews Convent, and I went to Downsend. Of course, we arrived late. Our teachers asked us why were late and we said that we had been bombed out. They did not believe us and mother was in shock so she had not written notes for us. Friends offered us their house to live in, so we moved straight across

the road to their house. After a few months in a country house, they came back to Leatherhead for some action - the country was too quiet. So we moved again. We had five different addresses then until we had a new house built in 1947. When I was 13, I went to St John’s. During my last year at Downsend I was playing rugby football, because the school knew that I was going to St John’s. In my first year at J School I was in the under 14 team and we won every match we played. In later years, I was not so successful and ended in the 3rd XV. In my first summer, I started to shoot at targets with 0.303 army rifles. I was in the second eight. I left school with eight School Cert subjects and three Higher School subjects. Then I went to start an Apprenticeship at Napiers’ Aero Engineers, in Acton, West London. The firm sent me to Northampton Poly (now City University). The idea was to attend college two days each week and work at Napiers’ the other three days. So I went to the company training school for six months to learn the basic methods of using hand tools and machine tools. For the next three years and six months, I worked in different parts of the company until I finished my course. My time at the poly was not entirely wasted but I failed to finish their degree course. When I started, it should have taken six years to get a degree. When I left

the course after two years, it was lengthened to eight years. I then attended Acton Technical College and succeeded in getting a Higher National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering. This was enough to qualify me to teach the Ordinary Certificate, which I did later. I spent a few years getting experience in different production methods. Napiers’ were used to precision work, another firm I worked for used processes designed for speed of production instead. Having been made redundant from my last factory job, I went to Wolverhampton Technical Teachers’ College for a year to get a Teachers’ Certificate and I got a teaching job in Stafford College. My students ranged from 16 years old to more than 50. The latter was a Lab Technician at a high school, hoping to get a certificate and a better rate of pay. After 29 years, I was made redundant so I went to Vienna Christian School for a year, teaching maths and physics. I joined Hampton Rifle Club, near Twickenham. They use 0.22 rifles and pistols. I reached an average of 99 out of 100 with my rifle and, in 1959, I won the Surrey County Pistol Championship with an average of 90.5. I have written all this to show that there are alternatives to degrees. You can still have a good career!

Life as a Swiss citizen is very rewarding, particularly in terms of comparison with the UK and its traditions and assumptions. When Ann and I took on our Helvetian nationality, the demands were made through our local Commune d’Ormont-Dessous, and when successfully sworn in at the Canton Vaud we each became ‘bourgeois’ (and ‘bourgeoise’ for Ann?) of our commune. Interesting if only because, when Ann and I got married in 1964, my best man was D M Steele (known as ‘Tony’ in those days). Tony was one day older than me and we’d shared a lot of interests at J-School. The year after our marriage Tony also took the plunge, and invited us to his wedding, but on arriving at a huge old Victorian squat in Hammersmith at the appointed time, he and his new wife came in with the news that they had married the day before at the local registry office. We wore our ‘going away’ clothes, three-piece suit and OJ tie, little Dior number, etc., and the happy couple and all the other guests (lounging on rolled up carpets) wore jeans and T-shirts. The last thing that Tony said to me as we left not long afterwards was a deprecating ‘you’re so bourgeois’. Gosh, well I am now, eh? Anyway, here’s a photo of my best man and me a few moments before my father (Rev B P K Watts - North House) joined us in Holy Matrimony…

CHRISTOPHER WATTS (WEST 1956-1961) ON CLIVE WILSON (EAST 1956-1961) I received a copy of an autobiography a couple of days ago, a rare occurrence giving insight into the life of a fellow OJ from the ‘50s. Clive Wilson was touched by the sounds of traditional jazz almost immediately on arriving at J-School but, unlike most of us, he turned that revelation into a lifetime commitment to the rhythm of New Orleans and the development of his extraordinary jazz trumpet world. He was in East House and I was in West. After we left to take our separate ways we next met in Ascona on the edge of Lago Maggiore in the early 2000s where I recognised the trumpeter playing ‘à la Louis Armstrong’ in the gardens of an historic hotel. New Orleans had come to our adopted country of Switzerland, and we met at the Ascona Jazz Festival every year for a while until the festival management changed their programming – for the worse. He still lives in and for New Orleans. Clive’s book covers the years from his childhood to the end of the ‘70s, at which time he created the Original Camellia Jazz Band, with the accent upon ‘original’. He’s never looked back, until now. A good read for lovers of jazz and for those who gained independence courtesy of a ‘quaint’ Surrey public school.

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PROFESSOR JOHN WELLS (WEST 1951-1957)

MAJOR WILLIAM KING (CHURCHILL 1951-1954)

John Wells is Emeritus Professor of Phonetics in the University of London and former Head of the Department of Phonetics and Linguistics at UCL. He is a Fellow of the British Academy. His interests centre on the phonetic and phonological description of languages but also extend to lexicography and language teaching. Until retirement, he was the director of UCL’s annual Summer Course in English Phonetics. He is a frequent contributor to BBC radio (R2, R4, R5, BBC English), and writes a daily phonetic blog (http:// phonetic-blog.blogspot.com). He has also published in and on Welsh and Esperanto (he is a former President of the World Esperanto Association and current President of the Esperanto Association of GB). Formerly Secretary of the International Phonetic Association and Editor of its Journal, in 2003 he was elected as its President. He is also the current president of the Simplified Spelling Society. Based in Britain at UCL throughout his career, he has over the years given invited lectures in many countries around the world.

I went to St John’s in 1949 and left in 1953. I was at first in an external house under Mr Tate and later became a full-time boarder in Churchill House. I really enjoyed the wide variety of school outdoor activities such as sailing on the Norfolk Boards, rock climbing and participation in the Combined Cadet Force. I was in the School’s swimming team and was honoured to receive the School prize for Natural History.

In his recent book, Sounds Fascinating (Cambridge University Press, 2016), John included a letter to his 16 year old self. At that age, he was a pupil “at J School in the Classical Sixth under the care of Mr Turner, having resisted the attempt of Tom Peacocke to persuade me to do chemistry rather than Greek.” He has given us permission to publish a selected part of the letter: “Don’t worry about being no good at sports. Years from now,… you will discover an ability to do distance running. The first time you cross the finishing line of the London Marathon you will feel a surge of pride even greater than you did on getting your PhD. As you know, it’s yourself you have to beat, not other people. Don’t worry about sex. Most of the other boys at school are interested in girls, but you know you aren’t…When you are twenty-nine you will meet a man whom you will love and who will love you, and the two of you will spend the rest of your lives together… Lucky you!” John and his civil partner have just celebrated their fiftieth anniversary together.

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In 1955 I was commissioned in the South Lancashire Regiment and was posted to Berlin. During my military service I remained an Infantry Officer in Lancashire Regiments and saw active service overseas in a number of countries. I was the first British Officer to be the Honour Graduate on the American Ranger Course. I also served with the Parachute Regiment and United States Special Forces. I retired from the Regular Army in 1978. Having left the Army, I moved to Haslemere in Surrey and commuted to London every day to work in the commodities sector in the City of London. I worked for International Contract Issuing and Arbitral Trade Associations, firstly as Assistant Secretary of the Sugar Association of London (SAOL) and Secretary of the British and European Federation of Commodity Associations. I later became the Development Secretary for the Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Associations (FOSFA) and Course Director of International Commodity Trade Association Courses and, at the same time, was Secretary of a Technical Committee of the International Standards Organisation on Oils and Fats (ISO/TC34 SC11), and a Commodity Consultant to the Federation of Cocoa Commerce Ltd (FCC). In 1998 I became a Freeman of the City of London. Whist at FOSFA I became Module Leader and External Lecturer and Examiner on the MSc in International Trade and Transport at London Guildhall University and London Metropolitan University, who generously awarded me an MSc (Honoris Causa) at London Guildhall University before the Universities amalgamated. I joined the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers as a Liveryman and was elected to the Court. I also joined the Company of World Traders, which received its Charter as the first Full Livery Company of the new millennium and, in 2005, I was elected Master of the Worshipful Company of World Traders, a wonderful year and a great experience. I was Vice President of the UK Institute of Export and sat on their Academic Board for seven years. In May 2007 I was elected a Conservative Councillor for Haslemere, I was elected Haslemere Town Mayor in 2008, and remained an active ward member for 12 years. At the age of 82, I think that I may have finally retired!

1960s TONY HAYWARD (NORTH 1968-1973) 5 November 2018: St John’s – 50 Years Later Fifty years ago today, my father had the unenviable task of driving his snivelling son the 100 or so miles from Somerset back to Leatherhead for the second half of his first term. No motorways then, just the A303, turning off through Odiham and Fareham. And on bonfire night, when everyone else was out having fun, stuck in the car with a woefully homesick boy and a mounting feeling of guilt… I survived, and I hope that my father wasn’t too scarred by the experience. I ended up spending five years at “J School” before going on to read history at Cardiff, followed by a PGCE (teaching certificate). I taught for five years in comprehensives in Bromley and Bath, before joining the Ministry of Defence in 1983 (submarine contracts - don’t know if we still have them) for a further five years. Then a timely switch of department (Mr Gorbachev was as bad for the defence industry as Mrs Thatcher had been for education) to the Inland Revenue, on the basis that taxes are one of the two things about which we can be certain. And so it has proved, as I have clocked up over 30 years in the Revenue (latterly HMRC) in Birmingham, primarily working on the tax affairs of large groups of companies. It’s been enjoyable and has felt worthwhile – especially when translating the extra tax brought in over the course of the year into the number of hospitals that it would pay for. I am pleased to report that, while the public sector has not been exactly fashionable in certain quarters for 39 of the 40 years in which I have worked in it, it survives, and the public service ethos, and the public sector, still serves the country well. I’ve not been a “good” Old Johnian, in that I don’t attend functions, I don’t send in my details and I don’t keep in touch with more than a couple of old comrades. But I do read the magazine, most specifically to see if there is any news from anyone I knew. I was much saddened to read of the deaths of two very good friends from Leatherhead days, Ian Donald and Ken Durham, last year. The most recent Old Johnian had a very interesting piece by another old friend Jonathan Allcock – who I’d last seen at Weston Super Mare Winter Gardens in 1973. That got me thinking about the School and what it might have done, or not done, for me. What follows is my personal recollection; I am sure that other people remember things totally differently. St John’s in 1968 was not an easy place to be. It was spartan, to say the least; it was cold and the facilities were rudimentary. Much of the ethos of the School was resolutely set in the 1950s. The teaching staff (“Masters”) were rather remote, and discipline was largely in the hands of the prefects. I was in

North House (“N341” since you ask) and I suspect that each house had its own particularities. In North, “fagging” was widespread. In my first term, we had four 1st XV players, so Friday nights were spent cleaning boots (laces washed and dried around heating pipes) and washing shorts. More rewarding was the role of study fag, where prefects paid you to wash up their mugs and tidy their study. But, for anything else, a head would appear around the junior dayroom door and bellow “fag” and the most junior was despatched to do the needful. Seniority in year was based on the alphabet, so bad luck Simon Wells, happy Keith Bull. Bullying was pretty regular: generally of the name calling, repetitive, casual drip drip drip demoralising sort. “Banter” Philip Green might call it. But profoundly miserable for those on the receiving end. I was a rather lost, homesick boy, but being also cowardly and quick-witted, was not bullied, at the price of joining in the taunts and jokes. We read ‘Lord Of The Flies’ and recognised it in ourselves. I found some solace in the Library, which had been the Old Chapel. Not only was this warmer than the day rooms, but there was a complete set of Wisden’s, and the opportunity to read widely and peacefully. There was also the Roll of Honour, which included the name of my great uncle; this provided a link with home as my grandmother talked of her brother often, and offered some comfort when I felt most alone.

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Discipline rested with the prefects, who had the power to beat. Some used this with more enthusiasm than others, but I remember the enthusiast. Sport was king, of course. Lots of rugby and cricket. Also fives and squash for those who preferred that, and shooting for the less traditionally sporty and future MPs. I hated cross-country running, but enjoyed (in moderation) rugby and cricket. The non-sporty had a dismal time of it.

THE REVEREND CHRISTOPHER WRAY (CHURCHILL 1959-1963)

This background of strict rules, petty requirements and antiquated practices had one great benefit – it was so easy to rebel! In 1968 rebellion was fashionable – students in Paris, Mick Jagger in Grosvenor Square, the Czechs seeking freedom in Prague. This permeated popular culture and, for many of us, became the fashion. At J School rebellion was so easy – no need to prise up paving stones, or face down tanks – we could just walk when we should run, run when we should walk, grow hair half an inch over the collar, wear boots rather than shoes. Truly, the revolution was started by having one’s hands in pockets in the Dining Hall! When the former head EJ Hartwell retired, he spoke of how St John’s had been a happy school under his reign apart from “the difficult years” – 1968-73. Oh, I recognised those dates!

My ambition was to join the Fleet Air Arm. I failed to get in and so joined the Merchant Navy as Deck Apprentice in the British India Steam Navigation Co or B-I as it was known. I had three voyages: two to India and one to East Africa on the MS Chantala with 50 other cadets. I have never worked so hard in my life and soon realised that the sea was not for me. Looking back on the year I think now it was my ‘gap year’.

While I was at St John’s it was rumoured that Lindsay Anderson had wanted to make his film “If…” at St John’s. He didn’t, but in terms of both location and culture it would have been perfect. Having said all that, I overcame my home sickness quickly, and probably enjoyed myself at St John’s more than I might have done. I have no idea about the quality of education, but I ended up with A levels adequate for Cardiff. I did a third year sixth, ostensibly to try for Cambridge (doomed), but also to get better A level grades in two subjects. This left me with a lot of free time, which I enjoyed: by now a bigger fish in a smaller pond. The most inspirational teacher, for me, was Jim Ramage, who taught me English for two years. Although I didn’t study English later, he lit a flame that has lasted all this time and for which I will always be grateful. By the time I left St John’s, things had changed. A little. Certainly as a prefect, I didn’t fag, nor did I beat. But I did have a certain authority, simply through my position. I remember wandering through the classroom block and coming across a real din from one classroom. I walked in and the class quietened immediately. It was only then that I noticed that their master was besieged in

I regret to say that I did not flourish at St John’s. In those days of the early 60s, if you were not either an academic or sporting star you were very much an also ran! I did take part in shooting at Bisley, was in the Naval section of CCF, looked after some pigs in the Young Farmers Club (being a country boy), sang in the choir, enjoyed playing fives, and was an altar server but probably spent far too much time making and flying model aircraft.

one corner of the room. I have no idea what was going on but, when my time came to teach, I always wished I’d retained that level of that authority when the classes were my own. So, what did I get out of St John’s? I don’t remember many sermons, but I do remember Bishop Wilson of Birmingham preaching. He had suffered terribly as a prisoner of war of the Japanese and he said something to the effect that his experience as a POW would have seemed a lot worse had it not been for his experience at St John’s before the war. And I did not interpret this as a compliment to the School. His point was, I think, that if we work through an unhappy experience, we can learn lessons useful for later life. I think that I learnt how to get on with people, as a practical necessity in that junior day room, and that has stood me well. Going to boarding school certainly teaches an ability to stand on one’s own two feet. I learnt a lot about authority from my time at school – and to recognise authority that deserves to be acknowledged and respected, and that which does not. School life was not all brutish (it never seemed short!) – there were always enjoyable activities – the house debating competitions were fun and instructive, philosophy with Mr SW Chubb – learning to think – was mind opening. And, of course, the friends. I may not have kept in touch with many of them, but at the time, the friendships were strong and empowering, and I remain grateful to my old friends for times spent and companionship. So, yes, J School in the late 1960s – a little “Lord Of The Flies”, add some “If…” and a top note of Alec Waugh’s “The Loom Of Youth”, and there you have it. A different world but, then, 50 years on, what else could it be? And I’m still seeking those things which are above!

Next I joined the Army as a private solider and, after six months in the ranks, I was selected for officer training and spent two enjoyable years at Sandhurst before being commissioned into the Royal Artillery, my father’s old regiment. After some more training, I was posted to Dortmund in what was West Germany. I much enjoyed being abroad and able to travel over Europe. Towards the end of this three-year posting, I applied for flying training and was selected. Before I left the regiment, the unit moved back to England and we had a period performing Public Duties in London. I commanded the Tower of London Guard on a number of occasions, taking part in the Ceremony of The Keys. We then had a tour of duty in Northern Ireland, patrolling the streets of Belfast, which was pretty

hairy in the early 70s. I left half way through to go to Middle Wallop to learn to fly a helicopter. This was a good year and, on becoming qualified, I was posted back to Germany to a delightful market town called Detmold. I much enjoyed my flying tour and went back to Ireland twice. We were the second squadron to be re-equipped with the then new Gazelle helicopter and I had the privilege of the being the Flight Commander. In Detmold, of far greater significance, was that I met my wife to be Liz who was teaching in an army school. On being posted to Salisbury Plain, we got married in 1976. My new posting was an interesting one as I went to North Norway every winter, where we learnt winter warfare on skis and living in snow holes. We then had two further postings in Germany and, during the second one, when I commanded 93 Le Cateau Field Battery Royal Artillery, we went as a unit to exercise our right as Freemen of Le Cateau to march through the town. In 1914, in the retreat from Mons, three soldiers had been awarded VCs for rescuing the guns and preventing their capture by the advancing Germans. The last survivor, Mr Fred Luke aged 86, joined us and gave us all a graphic account of what it had been like.

We were then posted back to England to the Territorial Army in Newcastle on Tyne. During this time, God spoke clearly to me that now was the time for full time ministry. I had come to a living faith many years before when in Dortmund. Now followed two years at Oakhill Theological College in North London. Here, to my surprise, I achieved the academic results that had eluded me at St John’s and eventually received a degree. During these two years I also ran the London Marathon, whose seeds may have been sown at school running the Codder and Roman Road! I was ordained in Norwich Cathedral and served a rural curacy in a team of villages. I then was a vicar in Chippenham, Wiltshire before finally spending 11 years as Vicar of Chipping Sodbury, Old Sodbury and Little Sodbury in South Gloucestershire. A full and varied life where, looking back, I can see God’s hand and he certainly saved my life on at least three occasions in my army career. I may not have gained academically from St John’s but I think I gained resilience and independence.

TIM HILL (EAST 1962-1967) Tim has developed an educational financial literacy app called The Financial Game. He celebrated his 70th birthday on the slopes at Les Gets and was then whisked away for a secret celebration with all his family in Paris. Left: Fred and the Mayor of Le Cateau; Right: Liz and I in typical pose helping out at a village Fete

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NICK FOX (CHURCHILL 1963-1968) It’s over half a century since I left J-School. Whoops! Another lifetime gone! Blink and you miss it… When you’re young, life seems to stretch endlessly before you, but when you get nearer to the grave than to the cradle you almost resent how quickly a lifetime has flashed by. I feel I’ve hardly got started and yet already things are beginning to sag or fall out. Old friends are dying like flies in the first frost. I don’t remember much about my time at St John’s. I can remember Atlee coming for Speech Day, and I remember singing on Songs of Praise in the choir next to Monty. I can remember Monty presenting his books on the North Africa Campaign to the School Library and pronouncing with characteristic candour: “These books are good books! I know. I wrote them!” Things were very different then. No girls of course (still mythical creatures). Fred Jode was RSM of the CCF and we went to Malta in 1967 with the 1st Anglian Regiment, my first trip abroad. As Captain of Shooting I held the key to the armoury with 300 No 4 Lee-Enfield .303 rifles and a couple of Bren guns, but we weren’t allowed to go down town without our caps on and jackets done up. Can you imagine that nowadays? No real teaching aids either; WAM Clark used to dictate our biology lessons to us. I remember him coming in for the first lesson of the Spring Term, looking slowly around the class and saying: “Now then, where were we? Oh yes, full stop, new line…” and off we went again! We used to dissect dogfish and rats. One day we dried out a couple of rat’s testicles on the pipes in the changing room. We had a prefect who was quite obnoxious (fagging was still in full swing). I slipped them into his baked beans and we all watched fascinated while he took the fateful mouthful. I scraped into St Andrews to study zoology and, having kept my hawks at school, continued to do so at university. From there I did a PhD on New Zealand 58

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Falcons, living four years in the Southern Alps and farming with my first wife. We split up a few years later and I taught wildlife illustration and farmed in Wales with current wife of 37 years. It was the time of pesticides and Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’. We pioneered the captive breeding of falcons and started to breed falcons for the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi on our farm in Wales. We still breed for all the Gulf Royal families and for many years, I directed research and conservation work on falcons, from arctic Siberia, through Mongolia, Kazakhstan, China, Pakistan down to New Zealand. In 2003, UNESCO created a new Convention for Intangible Cultural Heritage and I wrote the submission for Falconry on behalf of the UAE. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 2010 in Nairobi on behalf of 11 countries, since joined by seven more. I believe it is still UNESCO’s biggest inscription. Funnily enough, UK has yet to sign this Convention. It seems we are reluctant to protect our own ICH in favour of multiculturalism. The main thing I learned from this was that, while history is about the past, heritage is about the future. It is the baton of living culture that we pass on to the next generation. I organised four International Festivals of Falconry, two at Richard Benyon’s Englefield Estate near Reading and two in Abu Dhabi. Eighty nations attended, in national dress, with yurts, tepees, dancing and local cuisine. My shopping list included two doz Golden Eagles, one doz horses, and 80 camels. Afterwards our staff held a ritual burning of Gantt charts. I enjoy designing buildings and houses, especially stone ones. We’ve built probably the only turf-roofed factory in Wales, where we make robotic birds that can be caught by falcons. We teach the naïve young falcons how to fly and hunt this way and they chase the ro-

prey out of sight into the sky. We still hawk crows in Northumberland, using horses in the traditional manner used in the area for 13 centuries, meeting twice a week on farms across the county. I wrote some books and made some films. I’m just completing another book at the moment called ‘Morality: A Personal Journey’, but I’m beginning to conclude that it is almost impossible to write much about morality without making whole groups of people apoplectic with indignation. Modern society has become so intolerant of perceived injustices. Everyone wants to be a Me-Too in some shape or form, to re-write and post-date moral values. Having been a conservationist all my life, I love buying up farms if I can scratch the money together, and then restoring many of the wildlife habitats. I try to plant on average about two trees every day and take about 30% of the landscape out of agriculture into wildlife areas. We have three families of beavers here on the farm in Wales and now have 30 or more lakes and ponds. We formed the Bevis Trust so that eventually we can leave everything to charity. We also work on animal welfare and ecological restoration. Sometimes I return from Asia full of despair at the wreckage our species is doing to the planet. Population growth, climate change, carbon, plastics – what can one person do? But as a late summer evening settles itself comfortably into a stillness, I can sit in a hide watching a family of beavers ferrying willow branches for their winter store. They live on a lake which we’ve dug out of an old field. And we milled the planks for the hide out of trees that I planted years ago. I remember each year of the growth rings, a record of a lifetime spent. Sorry, I’ve got to go now. A kingfisher has just arrived.

1970s GERALD COMATI (EAST 1974-1976) Gerald lives in Santa Barbara, California where he is President of COM3 Consulting Inc, the project management consulting company he founded over 20 years ago. On a recent visit to England, we were delighted to give him and his family a tour of the School, which brought back happy memories. He was particularly pleased to meet Mike Comer, who had taught him maths, at the OJ Cricket match.

MARK A WARE (EAST 1977-1982) This is a 2019 New Year’s resolution: update my status in old school yearbooks! So here goes… After undergraduate studies in Biochemistry and Philosophy at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, I moved back to Jamaica and completed my medical training (MBBS UWI 1992), dodging hurricanes and dengue along the way. I picked up the research bug while working at the sickle cell disease unit in Kingston, Jamaica. This rapidly became a dual affliction for studying pain management and the medical potential of cannabis. I completed a Master’s degree in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1999 and then moved with my young family to Montreal, Quebec, taking up a position at McGill University. I remained there for 19 years, practicing pain medicine and directing the clinical pain research program at the Montreal General Hospital, and attained tenure in 2017. My last year in academia was highlighted by serving as the vice chair of the federal task force on the legalization and regulation of cannabis in Canada. Our report was implemented as the Cannabis Act on October 17, 2018 when Canada legalized cannabis for non-medical purposes. In July 2018, I joined Canopy Growth Corporation, the largest legal cannabis in the company in the world, as a Chief Medical Officer. A long way from a rather straggly and illicit weed in my East House study window…! My guitar has been a loyal companion throughout and, with my life partner Sue, I have been blessed with three children (now 22, 18 and 17), two dogs, a cat and two horses. Montreal is a cosmopolitan home, with ridiculously cold winters and glorious summers. I even play ice hockey now, but just as badly as I ever played rugby. I have mixed memories of my five years at St John’s, but I doubt I would be where I am without the lessons I learned in and out of the classroom. So for all that St John’s meant, I give thanks; and to any and all old friends from all those years ago, I send greetings and hopes that life after St John’s has been an interesting, challenging and rewarding journey.

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RICHARD DENNY (CHURCHILL 1974-1979) September 1974 and we were three naïve, youthful and innocent boarders sitting on our trunks, alone and with no friends, in the dayroom of Churchill House, in those long ago days when there were no girls! A sex that might as well not have existed. That is now 40 years ago, and so this is now “forty years on” in the immortal words of the Old Harrovian song, now the school song of so many famous schools across the world. I thought that I really should write to The OJ now, or I simply never will; not having written even one update in 40 years, it seems an appropriate moment for a first missive. I will also attempt to get my two study mates to write…it may be their first too. In the end, we became firm friends, not without fights and not without upsets, but the fact that we are still in touch 40 years later, and meet for drinks, surely speaks for itself! John advised me on my wedding ring and Robert lent his country dwelling for my bride and me. Now, I live on the other side of the world, with a farm and a lifestyle that is incomprehensible to a Home Counties inhabitant. Sadly, we never had children, but we live in hope. If He can create the Universe at the Big Bang, then God can do anything, and so we trust Him. How did my life pan out? Not as I expected, but it could have been worse. Every day when I get up now, I praise God for the sunshine and the beauty of His creation. My trees and my forest sanctuary grow continuously and my rice and my bananas sustain me. For those who don’t know, I live overseas in

Churchill House, 1978. Robert Gordon Clark and Richard Denny, first row, left and third from left.

Mindoro and am a farmer, once a teacher. I married only once: as a sacrament from God, and England is long ago and far away. So what of our time at school? I have fond remembrances. Of changing the Big Clock late at night in my first year. Titanic struggles on the house rugby pitch. Explosives (and milk bottles) dropped from study windows. Employing our dutiful fag (£5 for the term); do you still have those? Milk and biscuits and toast! I remember touching the roof of the dormitory in the top of Churchill as I was tossed up in a blanket on my birthday (they banned it shortly after as the next guy hit the floor and broke his arm). I remember being tied to the radiator in the dayroom and left to burn (I did). I remember snow (only once) on my pillow in the dorm as I slept under the fire escape that had to be open to negate the awful smells. No carpets or central heating in those days! And we had to cross the courtyard into the changing room to get our day clothes back (snow or not). I remember pillow fights and dorm raids, and a House Captain pilloried for sunbathing naked on the cloisters roof. In the end, the three of us shared a study, down in the Churchill basement. It’s a girls changing room now. Oh, if only we had known (with an “en suite” shower, I can’t believe it!). Oh my heart…by the way, it was a very fine school and I think we all benefitted enormously from the education there. When I went to university (Manchester) I found I was so far ahead of my contemporaries that I did not have to do very much.

Forty Years On (Lyrics) By Bowen and Farmer (1872) Forty years on, when afar and asunder Parted are those who are singing today, When you look back, and forgetfully wonder What you were like in your work and your play, Then, it may be, there will often come o’er you, Glimpses of notes like the catch of a song – Visions of boyhood shall float them before you, Echoes of dreamland shall bear them along,

Forty years on, growing older and older, Shorter in wind, as in memory long, Feeble of foot, and rheumatic of shoulder, What will it help you that once you were strong? God give us bases to guard or beleaguer, Games to play out, whether earnest or fun; Fights for the fearless, and goals for the eager, Twenty, and thirty, and forty years on!

Follow up! Follow up! Follow up Follow up! Follow up Till the field ring again and again, With the tramp of the twenty-two men. Follow up! Follow up!

Follow up! etc...

Routs and discomfitures, rushes and rallies, Bases attempted, and rescued, and won, Strife without anger and art without malice, – How will it seem to you, forty years on? Then, you will say, not a feverish minute Strained the weak heart and the wavering knee, Never the battle raged hottest, but in it. Neither the last nor the faintest, were we!

Churchill Verse Blazoned in honour! For each generation You kindled courage to stand and to stay; You led our fathers to fight for the nation, Called “Follow up” and yourself showed the way. We who were born in the calm after thunder Cherish our freedom to think and to do; If in our turn we forgetfully wonder, Yet we’ll remember we owe it to you. Follow up! etc...

Follow up! etc...

The original Churchill verse, sung to him on 12 November 1954, was as follows:

Oh the great days. In the distance enchanted, Days of fresh air, in the rain and the sun, How we rejoiced as we struggled and panted – Hardly believable, forty years on! How we discoursed of them, one with another, Auguring triumph, or balancing fate, Loved the ally with the heart of a brother, Hated the foe with a playing at hate!

Sixty years on-though in time growing older, Younger at heart you return to the Hill: You, who in days of defeat ever bolder, Led us to Victory, serve Britain still. Still there are bases to guard or beleaguer, Still must the battle for Freedom be won: Long may you fight, Sir, who fearless and eager Look back to-day more than sixty years on.

Follow up! etc...

Richard Denny, John Wenham and Robert Gordon Clark

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Old Johnian News

1980s JEREMY SHARPE (SURREY 1986-1991) AND CHRIS SHARPE (SURREY 1987-1992)

MARATHON DES SABLES 2018 In June 2017, during a moment of temporary insanity, my brother Chris and I encouraged each other to enter the Marathon Des Sables in 2018. For those not familiar with this particular form of torture, it involves running 250km across the Sahara over six days, while carrying all the food and survival equipment you will need for the duration of the race.

Our aim, other than the thrill of taking part in one of the most demanding competitions on the planet, was to raise money for three charities. As an Army Officer, mine were the Royal Artillery Charitable Fund and Combat Stress. Both have provided support to me and to those I have had the honour to serve with and lead over the last 20 years. Chris was raising money for DKMS and Evie, a little girl with blood cancer. Preparing for a race in the desert in the UK, during the worst winter for years, was an entertainment in itself! We both definitely managed to do a lot more running in the snow and sub-zero temperatures than were expecting to. However, the long miles in the dark paid off and we both managed to arrive in Morocco injury free and ready to race.

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The race itself was a fantastic experience; daytime temperatures were in the mid to high 30s and it dropped to single figures at night. This was compounded by several days of high winds and dust/sand storms that made running and basic survival a challenge. Racers carry all their food and equipment for the race and keeping weight down is critical, the race provides only water and an eightman bivi to sleep under. Lightweight kit and dried food meant that nights were cold and most of us were hungry most of the time. The 1,000 other runners, from across the world, enhanced the whole experience. They ranged from 50 or so professional athletes, through club runners, to simply incredible individuals completing the race to prove something to themselves, including a blind runner and a US

veteran with an artificial leg. The camaraderie in the camp every evening was a critical factor in making participation in the race a joy. On the advice of more experienced runners, we both took the first day steadily to get the measure of the weather and the course. Day 2 was a much more challenging and longer course that finished with a 200m climb up a Jebel - the views from the top of which I was utterly unable to appreciate at the time! We both had a great race on a hilly 20-mile course on Day 3 and that put us in an excellent place to tackle the long day on Day 4.

unbelievable nine hours, but a long way ahead of the back of the pack who would be on their feet for up to 30 hours completing the course.

babies - saw us both complete the race and receive the traditional hug from Patrick, the eccentric French race organiser.

The race completed with a marathon to the finish. Aside from Day 4 this was, by some measure, the hardest stage. The race started into the teeth of a sand storm and 20mph winds that did not abate for the whole day. Adrenaline - and our final few jelly

Our final times were Jez 90th overall in a total time of 30hrs and 40 minutes and Chris 236th in a time of 36hrs. We were both delighted with finishing so high in the 1000 strong field, but were humbled and overwhelmed when we made it back

“Day 2 was a much more challenging and longer course that finished with a 200m climb up a Jebel - the views from the top of which I was utterly unable to appreciate at the time!”

to civilisation and saw the volume of online support that had been attracted by the live streaming of the race. The generosity of family, friends and colleagues had smashed our targets and we raised close to £10,000 for our combined charities. MDS 33 was a phenomenal experience. The distance, weather and terrain combine to make a singular challenge of both mental and physical strength that I am not sure is found elsewhere; but it is the chance to meet a range of fascinating and inspiring people that sets the race apart and makes Marathon Des Sables a worthy entry in anyone’s bucket list.

The long stage comprised 53 miles of sand and hills that was a true test of endurance and pacing. We finished in a little over 13 and 16 hours respectively, significantly behind the professionals who came in in an

The Johnian 2019

Old Johnian News

1990s

2010s

JAMIE CALDER (NORTH 1991-1996)

SARAH SPENCE (SOUTH 2009-2011)

It is a strange and wonderful feeling making new school friends and happy school memories in your 30s and 40s. Much to the initial amusement, disbelief and eventual concern (when they realised I was serious) of my nearest and dearest, I decided to dust off my rugby boots aged 28. I have been extremely proud to feature in the reincarnation of OJRFC, on the pitch for seven years and then as loyal fanboy and club chairman for the last three. It has been wonderful to catch up with old friends and make plenty of new ones. A ‘career’ highlight was playing back at the school on the 1st XV pitch for the first time ever aged 36! In other news, I proposed to my wife Suzi on the same day that OJRFC first fielded a 2nd XV side since the club’s resurrection. We were married last year in City Hall San Francisco, joined by immediate family, including my little sister OJ Jennie Calder Brown (H’97). We stayed out in the States for our honeymoon, driving as far south as San Diego before heading across the desert to Sin City. Away from the rugby club, my 17 years and counting career in financial services has culminated in me running an Associate Partner Practice of St James’s Place Wealth Management in Reigate, whereby I look after good people who do well, including quite a few Old Johnian’s and their families. Life is good and I’m fortunate to still regularly meet up with many OJs.

2000s ANDREW HALLIDAY (EAST 2003-2008)

I climbed Mount Kenya in February 2019 in aid of Team Kenya charity. This is the second highest mountain in Africa - the next hardest - having already climbed Mount Kilimanjaro back in 2013 for COCO charity. Through my company, I also took part in some charity work in Costa Rica in March 2017, where I helped build a school at a girls’ orphanage in the mountains surrounding San Jose.

MIKE ALLEN (WEST 2007-2009)

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I’ve just finished playing Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray at The Gaiety Theatre, Portsmouth - a role I was so proud to get so early on in my career. Later this year, I’ll be part of Singin’ in the Rain at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End for their 48 hour musical marathon - we rehearse for only 48 hours and then put the show on for one night to raise money for charity. The very first full musical I did was Guys and Dolls (St John’s very first musical), directed by Mr Probert in 2010 at Leatherhead Theatre. I played Adelaide, and it was the reason I decided to go to drama school and pursue an acting career - so it is lovely to look back and know that’s where it all started!

I am currently working at Garner as a Client Partner supporting Finance Leaders to achieve their critical priorities. In March 2018, I climbed Mount Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains, the highest mountain in North Africa, in aid of COCO charity raising £1,065. Coco provides sustainable sources of quality education to children living in poor and marginalised communities.

I am currently a primary school teacher and science coordinator in Richmond. I am also still active in the music scene. Over the last year, I performed my single on Sky TV channel ‘The Chrissy B Show’. I have also written music for other artists in Italy. I am still actively playing rugby in London and I am the 1XV rugby captain. I also boxed at an amateur event in Clapham, where I successfully extended my fighting record to 3-0.

It has been a whirlwind year after graduating from drama school in Guildford just a year ago with a distinction in Musical Theatre. I signed with an agent and secured my first acting job - joining the cast of Seussical The Musical at the Southwark Playhouse last Christmas.

JACK (NORTH 2010-2015) AND JADE (SOUTH 2017) SIMPKIN, ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU The Development Office contacted Jack and Jade having heard that they both starred in Channel 4’s popular TV series Escape to the Chauteau DIY, and asked them to write about their experience. Here is what they said: Our parents bought this house, Chateau de la Vigne, in the Loire Valley, north west France 17 years ago. Channel 4 approached mum, having found the chateau online, around Easter time last year. Mum and I did Skype interviews with the producers and we were accepted onto the show. Filming took place at the chateau on four separate two-day stints from June to September last summer.

It was odd being filmed at first, especially when you’re just going about every day chores. But we got used to it and then it was really fun! Some of the interview bits were intense. All three of us stood in front of the camera for a good two hours for our master interviews, and then they only used the odd sentences in the actual edit! We’ve always loved cooking, and growing up at home we’ve learnt a lot from our mum obviously! Jade’s creative side is brilliant, and that’s definitely something she’s picked up from mum - just being able to look at a random group of ingredients and come up with a dish. I’m just the sensible voice sometimes to help organise her! We’ve had a great response to being on the show. Friends and family have loved seeing us on there and we’ve had lots of lovely comments! Of course, the publicity has been great, and spaces filled up quickly for our next two yoga retreats. I’m just graduating in French and Spanish from the University of Birmingham, looking to go into the media and sports journalism. Jade is in her second year at Durham studying Psychology. We both still have great friends that we are always still in touch with from our St John’s days!

Mike Allen with the guitar he built and hand-painted.

Chateau de la Vigne sleeps 12-14 and is available to rent. It’s ideal for large groups of friends or families. You can find out more on their website: www.chateaudlv.com

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Old Johnian News

CAMERON SPERRIN (SURREY 2009-2014)

CAMERON MCKENZIE (WEST 2013-2018)

Last year I worked in the Florida Keys at the Mote Marine Laboratory, which is a private American marine biology research institute. During this time, I worked with scientists to help research behavioural ecology in juvenile nurse sharks, in an effort to reduce shark bycatch in the fishing industry.

Cameron McKenzie, who received the OJ Charity Award at the School’s Speech Day in June 2018, has chosen to donate the funds to the GASP Motor Project, an Albury-based charity supporting often at risk or vulnerable students.

This involved doing hundreds of experiments with lobster and sharks in order to gather data on how and why nurse sharks are getting into lobster traps, and whether we can modify commercial traps to help reduce bycatch, and prove modification effectiveness scientifically. The study is ongoing, but what we have found so far is that determined sharks are difficult to prevent from going into traps (to investigate the lobsters inside). However, what we were able to do was to modify the traps themselves, with a one-way door to help sharks escape if they do get caught (a door that is too heavy for lobsters to open and escape from). This modification proved very effective, with 70-80% of sharks able to escape traps within 90 minutes of capture. We are looking to publish our research findings in a manuscript in the near future and this finding/ design modification will hopefully be implemented by fishermen in the Caribbean in the coming years. I was pleased to come back to St John’s to speak to the pupils about the importance of marine conservation as well as how school-level biology can be, and is, used in real-world research.

JOE JELLINEK (WEST 2012-2017) Joe held a mini-Olympics fundraising event on the astro pitches at St John’s to raise money for the National Autistic Society and the Daryl Jellinek sporting scholarship, to fund a masters student with a potential career in professional rugby at Loughborough University in memory of his father. The event was a great success and was supported by many of his OJ contemporaries. If you are interested in hiring any of the facilities at St John’s, please get in touch with our Lettings Co-ordinator, Jen Baguley, at jbaguley@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk

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GASP Motor Project delivers daytime and evening sessions in basic motor mechanics and engineering to schools and other institutions, either by inviting them to the charity’s purpose-built workshop or by bringing the workshop to them with a mobile unit. The charity provides a safe and supervised professional environment, with sessions run by qualified engineers providing programmes tailored to the needs of each group of young people (14-19 years) with a focus on the disadvantaged or under-achieving. They work in small groups and experience the benefits of teamwork, improved skill sets and confidence building, which helps in tackling anti-social behaviour, as well as supporting those involved to gain accreditations.

Celebrating OJ Success We are very proud of the achievements of our OJs and delighted to celebrate these successes that we have recently heard about. Our congratulations to: Claudia MacDonald (South 2014) for being included in the England Ladies Senior Rugby squad, the Red Roses. Claudia scored a try in England’s opening super series fixture against the USA and has been awarded a full-time England contract for the 2019-2020 season.

In the 2017-2018 academic year, GASP worked with 249 young people, of whom 244 embarked on accredited courses and 204 achieved an AQA Unit Award. The group was 22% female (up from 12%) and 78% male. In all, 4270 learning hours were delivered over 454 sessions. The GASP programmes are also structured to develop interpersonal skills and and students’ improvements are measured and recorded.

George Kruis (Churchill 2008) for being selected to play for England in the Rugby World Cup in Japan. George earned his first senior England cap in the 2014 Autumn Internationals, was part of the Elite Players Squad side that won back-to-back Six Nations titles in 2016 and 2017 and went on to represent the Lions in New Zealand.

Evening sessions are also hosted at the charity’s custom-built workshop and are open to all, including those in mainstream education. These sessions have the same professional supervision (all volunteers) with the same focus on teamwork and skill sets. The projects undertaken by the evening crew are more competition focused, such as building and improving two electric karts (both of which have since won trophies) or creating a soapbox for races around the county and beyond, while also leaving room for mechanical teaching using the complete rebuild of quad bikes and car engines as a practical learning point.

Molly Saunders (Haslewood 2019) for making her debut for the England U18 Women’s Rugby team, playing against Wales at the Principality Stadium and contributing to an England try. Molly was selected to play with the Harlequin’s Development Ladies team after joining Sutton and Epsom Rugby Club.

The charity is supported and sponsored by the likes of McLaren and has made a difference to many young people’s futures. Receiving the donation, GASP CEO, Henry Curwen commented, “We are immensely grateful to Cameron for donating his OJ Charity Award to support our work. Over the last three years, he has been a stalwart member of the Monday evening group and the leader of the ‘Bright Spark’ electric car-racing team. He also became a peer mentor, sharing the knowledge he learnt at GASP with others and proving himself a really positive role model”. Cameron is himself an enthusiastic and budding engineer, and benefited from time spent at the project over a number of years. He has now moved on to Warwick University to study Mechanical Engineering.

Jack Musk (West 2018) for being selected to play for the Harlequin’s Senior Rugby squad. Jack has been a vital member of the A league squad this season, playing in five matches. And, outside sport, our congratulations to Dr Mohamed El-Erian (West 1973-1976) on his election as the 42nd president of Queen’s College, Cambridge. He will take up office from October 2020. Mr El-Erian won a scholarship from St John’s to read economics at Queen’s College. Dr El-Erian is presently Chief Economic Adviser at Allianz and was Co-Chief Investment Officer of PIMCO. We are sure there are many more OJs achieving great things in a wide variety of fields so, if you know of a success of a former school friend or you have you own achievement you would like to share, please get in touch with us at development@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk so that we can celebrate your success in a future issue. The Johnian 2019

Old Johnian Clubs and Societies

OLD JOHNIAN CLUBS AND SOCIETIES OJ FOOTBALL CLUB

STATS:

The Old Johnian Football Club started their third season after successive promotions and a cup win in the first two seasons. Expectations were high, but so was the confidence we could take from our fantastic start as a club. A third promotion was the main goal for the season, and any cup run along the way would have been a welcome break from the high stakes of Arthurian Division 3. Div 3 set up some tasty fixtures against Epsom, Charterhouse, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks as well as the continuing rivalry with Rugby. Unfortunately, despite sitting in pole position for 90% of the season and needing two points from our final three games, it was not to be. Turn your minds to Kevin Keegan’s rant, or Gerrard’s infamous slip, it was one of those things that seemed to repeat on the squad over the final three games. Overall, it has been another fantastic season for the club. We go again next season (starting September 2019) with aspirations to win the league and the JLC (junior league cup). Not before the Old Johnian 5-a-side tournament at St John’s School on 3 August 2019 (keep an eye on our Facebook page OJFC, Instagram OldJohniansFC and Twitter @OldJohniansFC), as well as plenty of goals, 5-a-side sessions, pre-season training and friendlies.

Over 40 Old Johnians represented the team this year with 20 games played (including Cups), which shows the strength in depth we have. That is not to say we aren’t on a heavy recruitment drive this summer, for younger (fitter?!) OJs who want to get stuck into a great club, with a great culture, a decent standard of football and a fantastic social scene thanks to our newly appointed social secretary Oliver Glanville. Over 15 different goalscorers in a season where we have scored over 50 goals.

Finally, a big thank you to Sam Thorowgood and the rest of the Board for their hard work in making this club a success.

Conceding an average of 1.1 goals a game, the best in the league by 5 goals.

Matt Ellams

OJ CRICKET CLUB It has been some years since there has been an OJ cricket team but, thanks to Honorary OJ Adrian Gale, a new team has been established captained by Oliver Hunt (North 2012-2017). The 40 overs a side game on 25 June, followed by a barbecue and drinks, was much enjoyed by friends, family and supporters. Mike Comer presented The Mike Comer Award to the winning team – the 1st X1 by 14 runs! OJCC v 1st XI

Adrian Gale said “I thought the game against the School and the afternoon and evening were just about everything we dared to hope they would be, save for the result of course! I’m determined we will have our day though! I’m hoping/anticipating everybody would like to repeat the fixture against the School next year and enthusiasm for perhaps at least one other fixture next year, perhaps against Old Epsomians. All these ideas are for discussion though. I will only look to take forward what OJ cricketers think feasible. To this end, please email me your thoughts about OJ cricket as and when on my school email address: agale@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk.”

OJ RIFLE CLUB The Old Johnian Rifle Club has had another fantastic year, with some tremendous results on a team and individual basis. Whilst our spiritual home is Bisley shooting full-bore, we are more involved in small-bore than ever and are to be found most Monday evenings at the School using the indoor range. The .22 team won the Pirie Cup in the winter, winning the 1st Division. We took part in the BSSRA Fletcher Cup and came 3rd. In May, we accepted the challenge from St John’s CCF for a Country Life match, which is a Group, Rapid and Snap course of fire. We fielded two teams of eight against the School. It took five hours to get through the closely contested Top: OJRC veterans match match. In spite of some of our Bottom: OJRC v St John’s School - Country Life match shooters not having shot this course for over 20 years, the OJs greater experience clinched the event. It was great fun and the OJs were pleased to present two trophies to the School for the highest cadet score in the match and the highest .22 average over the season. Our first team comprised primarily the most recent leavers, including Alex Shepherd, Cameron McKenzie and Ben Somnor-Bogard, with more to follow in due course. In full bore, the boys have done well with increased participation in the Surrey clubs matches. Adam Fowler travelled to Blair Atholl in Scotland in June for the Scottish Open and was instrumental in England winning the Lawrence Trophy. The club entered two teams this year into The Veterans’ Match at Bisley, which we shoot concurrently with our own club championship, The Col. Watts Bowl. This year, Jon Loveday won it with a very convincing 50.7 at 500 yards. Given the challenging time Jon has had recently and his remarkable recovery and return to health, we were all absolutely delighted to see him take the title! At the time of writing, the Imperial Meeting is in full swing with some decent successes. Adam Fowler has just received his first England cap in the National match and shot very creditably, assisting in England’s strong win in that event. Jon Tapster has finished 41st in the Grand Aggregate and is through to the St George’s Final. He has also been selected for the England McKinnon squad, his first appearance in that event. Philip Hakim came 2nd after a tie shoot for the Conan Doyle 900-yard competition. He had scored a perfect 50.10, tying with Parag Patel of Old Epsomians and Oliver Russell from Old Guildfordians. Parag just edged Philip into 2nd place during the five shot tie shoot. As I write this, we still have a couple of competitions to shoot at Bisley, namely the Surrey Open and The Westcott Cup in September, and then we will find ourselves yet again involved in the SSRA Winter Leagues. Indeed, we are the club that never sleeps!

NRA TOUR OF THE CHANNEL ISLANDS

Each year the NRA (National Rifle Association) assembles a team with a mixture of experienced and developing shooters of all ages and nationalities for a tour to the Channel Islands. Adam Fowler (Monty 1989-1994) was chosen as part of the team this year and St John’s were delighted to sponsor the programme. Here is his report: The aim of the tour is to improve individual and team shooting skills, and to make a step closer to international standards. Usually those selected show enough promise to be at Great Britain team standard within the next few years. Of course, the main objective of the tour is to have a lot of fun and to make friends along the way. From a shooting perspective, the purpose of the tour is to compete and to win. Two of the main matches in the calendar are against Jersey, a formidable international team, and Guernsey, also a very strong team never to be underestimated. Conditions throughout the tour were excellent, and the ranges are some of the most beautiful you could hope for. Whilst the matches were fiercely contested, the NRA team were not able to pull off wins against Jersey or Guernsey, being a mere one point behind Jersey mid-competition, but were successful in defeating all other teams present. A force to be reckoned with, with some incredibly strong performances from all involved. With the tour now behind us, many of us are seeking selection for next year’s touring opportunities and the promise of what may be ahead!

Our congratulations go to Philip Hakim who came 2nd in The Queens at Bisley on Saturday 27 July. The Queens Final is the last of three stages of the most fiercely contested, and frankly the most coveted, prize in the Target Rifle world. It is the final match of the Imperial Meeting, which was first contested on Wimbledon Common back in 1860 when Queen Victoria fired the first shot! To rank this high amongst the world’s best in the sport is a tremendous achievement - very well done to Phil!

Andy Farrant

The Johnian 2019

Old Johnian Clubs and Societies

OJ RUNNING CLUB

OJ RUGBY CLUB The 2018/19 season promised much for the OJs - an influx of new players and the return of a couple of old stagers, coupled with the introduction of Seth Stoltenberg as coach, meant we were primed for a successful season in Surrey 3.

With 2018 seeing the official formation of OJ Runners, there was a huge increase in numbers for the annual Alumni Race on Wimbledon Common. Despite losing a veteran from our over 60s squad, we were joined by numerous new, younger OJs who put in a fantastic performance in some brutal weather. It also saw our first female OJ runners, who were a point away from winning the Women’s Cup. The run is five miles of cross-country against the alumni of numerous schools from around the country. Whilst winning the main event will always be a struggle, there are numerous other cups for different age groups. This means we are looking for OJs of all ages and abilities for this year’s event on 14 December 2019. If nothing else, we want to be able to produce the largest squad by some margin! February saw a smaller, but no less dedicated bunch of OJs take on the Dash for the Splash. Based on a similar course to the Alumni, this race covers 10K cross-country and has the added bonus of a river crossing at the end. It sounds a lot worse than it is and, by the time you hit the river, it’s a welcome cool down before the homeward straight. Ed Ventham and James McCarthy were our top two finishers, with new recruit Tara representing the OJ women. We entered both a men’s and women’s team into the very pleasant Parkland Relays around a beautiful, and relatively flat, part of Richmond Park. Each team

And what a season it was! We were in the top three from the start: showcasing customary flair, speed and skill in attack and resolute hard-hitting defence in every game. A notable dismantling of Worth Old Boys and hard-fought wins on cold wintery days at Old Glynonians, Guildfordians and Merton were just a few of the highlights. This was, however, dampened by a couple of unexpected losses to lesser opposition, which ultimately cost us a chance of securing an early promotion. With one game to go, the OJs were top of a very tight table and promotion was in our grasp. Whoever won between us and Old Caterhamians would be celebrating along with WOBs. Sadly it wasn’t meant to be. With the OJs in the ascendancy, a serious injury to a key player meant all momentum was lost as we succumbed to a 25-10 defeat in front of a crowd of 200. Devastating, but to finish 3rd in what’s becoming an increasingly tough league shows how far we’ve come. Promotion is very much the aim next season and the OJ factory is continuing to churn out young talent, meaning the club is well set to achieve this goal. member runs a lap of around three miles and we put in a strong showing against local clubs and a few teams from Wellington and Eton. This is great social event on a mid-summer evening, so if you think you can form a team of either four men or three women, please get in touch for details as numbers are limited. ojrunners@ outlook.com OJ Chairman, Mark Cooper, and OJ Runners Chairman, Jasper Lloyd, flew the OJR flag by returning to school for a 9K jog on the current cross-country route, guided by current pupils and staff. Whilst the Ashtead, Codder and Norbury seem to have long since disappeared, this new route is just as interesting. We were able to recruit a few Upper Sixth runners to join our ranks and indoctrinate a few of the lower years. We also found a new recruit in The Head, who now wears an OJ Runners shirt with pride! In an effort to create regular fixtures against other school alumni squads, the Winchester College Invitational got the ball rolling with an invitational event on their senior cross-country course. Andrew Lenon put in a strong performance on a fairly hard senior cross-country course, whilst Jasper Lloyd did his best to keep up! It was a

The Johnian 2019

very pleasant away fixture, with both Eton and Wellington also invited. We are now in regular contact with these schools and hope to develop multiple fixtures over the next year. Jasper Lloyd

In only our first full year of existence, OJ Runners is continuing to adapt, finding new fixtures and opponents. However, the underlying ethos remains the same as that of ParkRun. We welcome all abilities and all ages, particularly for the Alumni Race. It is a casual way of catching up with mates from school days or meeting new OJs from different vintages. We are well on our way to making it a 50/50 male female split but are always looking to increase our numbers. If you are even slightly interested, please do get in touch. You can find all the relevant information on www.ojrunners.com. Or you can view our Facebook page (Facebook.com/ojrunners), follow us on Twitter or Instagram (@ojrunners) or email us at ojrunners@outlook.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Away from the 1st XV, the OJ U21s competed in the Surrey Shield and got to the final where we played Chobham, one of the most established clubs in Surrey, who had brought a full contingent of 28 players. The OJs, by comparison, had 15 and ended with 12 in sub-Saharan conditions. Captained by Henry Stevens, the lads did unbelievably well and kept fighting to the final whistle, scoring several well-crafted tries in the process, but Chobham simply had too many resources at their disposal and won 34-22. With games scheduled around the university holidays, a lot of the team will be eligible to play again and we look forward to going one better next season. Off the field there has been lots going on behind the scenes. The OJRFC Charity Touch Tournament is in its third year, with several OJ teams competing against one other for the ultimate prize. It’s always a great day out and a good chance to catch up with OJs old and new. We have also just returned from our tour to Alicante - a very pleasant experience - following in the footsteps of previously successful tours to the likes of Narbonne and Madrid. I’m not sure what constitutes successful but they’ve all been a lot of fun. We’re looking forward to where next year takes us. The 2019-2020 season is an important one for OJRFC. Not only have we set ambitious targets for the season, but we are also celebrating 10 years since our reincarnation. A commemorative kit is being designed and a celebratory dinner will be held at some point in the season. More to follow on this, but we hope it’ll be our best season yet, both on and off the field.

Photos by Ollie Hilliard

OJRFC is a fantastic and inclusive club, with St John’s and its OJs being at the very essence of what makes it so great. So if you’re interested in playing for, supporting or even sponsoring OJRFC, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with James Duncan, Director of Rugby, on 07905 527309 or find us on Facebook. We’d love to hear from you.

The Johnian 2019

Old Johnian Clubs and Societies

OJ GOLFING SOCIETY

GRAFTON MORRISH 2019

There has been reason to be pleased about much of the 2019 season. Firstly, at the time of writing, the Society is unbeaten in matches with only the game against the Old Alleynians still to be played; and, second, our first Society Day at Tyrrells Wood, which had to be postponed last year due to a clash with the final day of the Ryder Cup, was a success. The only major disappointment was the failure to be able to raise our best low single figure handicap team to represent us in the Grafton Morrish Qualifier at Royal Wimbledon.

One of the Society’s main objectives each year is to put up a strong performance in the Grafton Morrish Qualifier at Royal Wimbledon. As this is a scratch competition, it means that we must get out our best low handicap golfers to give ourselves any realistic chance of making the grade. In our relatively short time as members of the Grafton Morrish Association, we have qualified twice for the finals, narrowly missed more than once, and generally acquitted ourselves well when competing against so many strong golfing schools.

MEMBERSHIP

Team availability this year was a nightmare for Stuart Hibbert our captain. The team of six is usually selected from a pool of about 12 players with handicaps of around six or less. It is hoped they all keep the date free in their diaries. This year though, only three of that number were available, the remainder were either on holiday, had other golfing commitments and in one case had an understandable health issue. The problem then of finding suitable replacements becomes difficult. We are very grateful to those who stepped in, which meant we actually managed to field the necessary six players. Those regulars who played were Stuart Hibbert, Andrew Wildey and Peter Richardson and those who kindly stepped in were Gignesh Patel, Pascal Sedgwick and Charlie Bradwell.

It is encouraging that we currently have 91 contacts recorded on the membership database. Some amongst this number cannot be regarded as fully active or even, in the case of more recent joiners, as fully confirmed members, but nevertheless it is good to be attracting such interest. The following school leaving decades give some rough indication of the age profile of those making up this number: 15 left St John’s during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s; 26 in the 1980s; 29 in the 1990s; and 21 in the 2000s. In spite of this number of contacts, match managers still encounter some difficulty in raising sides. It continues to be a problem getting members to apply to play in matches, in spite of frequent encouragement to do so, rather than waiting to be asked. However, I don’t think this is necessarily a problem peculiar to the OJGS but is not uncommon across the spectrum of old boys society golf. Top: OJ Golfing Society Day at Tyrrells Wood

MATCHES 2019

Bottom: L-R, Buster O’Callaghan, Andrew Wildey, Richard Vickery, Will Marshall OJGS v St John’s School at Effingham Golf Club

As usual, the first match of the season was against the School at Effingham GC and was managed for the first time this year by Andrew Wildey who took over from Humfrey Malins. After an exciting win for the School last year, this year’s match was equally exciting, with the last OJ pair narrowly winning on the 18th green to make the overall result a halved match. The game against the Bar GS at New Zealand GC was next, with the Bar side being managed for the last time by our own Paul Norris. Paul had managed the opposition since the OJGS was first established and we are very grateful for all his help and support over that time. However, the OJ side, managed by Richard Vosser, was in no mood for fond farewells and the OJs won the match in good style. Paul has found a worthy successor to take over from him who has been a regular opponent in the match for a number of years. In view of the uncertainty over the fixture against Old Epsomians, it was good to know their Society would be disappointed if the match were not to continue. A new match manager was keen to take it on and his good friend, Andrew Wildey, who had acted as a sort of go between in restoring the fixture, agreed to take on managing the OJ side. An enjoyable match was held at Effingham GC in early July, ending in a slightly flattering win for the OJs. We hope this will now re-establish the fixture. We are well aware, of course, that the Old Epsomians are a powerful school in the world of old boys golf, having been recent winners of both the Halford Hewitt and the Grafton Morrish, so we do need to be careful about the level at which we take them on!

SOCIETY DAY AT TYRRELLS WOOD GC After last year’s postponement, Tyrrells Wood found us a suitable Sunday in June and, fortunately, the weather was good. The format for the day was lunch followed by fourballs playing in pairs, with the better ball stableford score of each pair to count. Sixteen players participated. Amongst those playing, we were very pleased to welcome Alex Kearney, who joined St John’s as Director of External Relations in August 2018, as a guest player. After an excellent lunch, there was some impressive golf played and some good scoring. The eventual winners, Andrew Wildey and Simon Pettman, came up with an excellent 48 points, and Pascal Sedgwick and Dom Higgitt, two fairly recent members, came in as runners up with 47 points. There were also prizes awarded at several nominated holes to those whose shots finished nearest the pin. It was a successful day and thanks are due to Andrew Worboys, our Tyrrells Wood member, for helping make arrangements with the Club, and to Andrew Wildey for his efforts in chasing and encouraging members to participate. Finally, our thanks also go to the Club for enabling us to play on a Sunday in June: it worked well.

They gave it their all as a team but playing stableford foursomes off scratch was a mountain to climb. Interestingly, the scoring at Royal Wimbledon this year was better than I can remember. Even if we had had our strongest team available it was quite likely we would not have scored well enough to qualify - some big schools (e.g. Eton, Westminster, Dulwich, St Pauls and K.C.S. Wimbledon) all failed to make the cut!

IN CONCLUSION My thanks go as usual to all those who have had a hand in helping manage the Society not forgetting, of course, Naia Edwards in the Development Office. We continue also to be grateful to the School for its continued financial support, which so helps subsidise some of the heavy costs of golf at weekends at the courses we play. If there are any OJ golfers out there who would be interested in joining the Society please contact the Development Office who will help you get in touch. We are keen to hear from you. David Scrivens, Chairman OJGS

We are still looking to replace the loss of the Old Cranleighan fixture. Short reports giving more information about the Society’s activities are available in the OJGS section of the School’s website, www.stjohnsleatherhead.co.uk/ojgolf

The Johnian 2019

Obituaries

OBITUARIES

QUAE SURSUM SUNT QUAERITE

Gordon Fraser Lilly

Henry Gerald Stern

David Ezekiel

East 1941-1946

South 1942-1945

South 1944-1947

Gordon Lilly enrolled as a choral scholar in 1941. He came to St John’s from Christ Church Cathedral School where he had been a chorister in Oxford Cathedral rising to be head chorister. He played rugby for the 2nd XV in 1943 and, the following year, he won his 1st XV colours in the unbeaten 1944 season. He became a prefect in East House. In spite of the headmaster’s dire predictions of academic failure, he managed to win three scholarship awards: a choral scholar exhibition to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge; a Surrey major Scholarship; and a State Bursary. For financial reasons he chose to use the State Bursary to go to Manchester University where he won an honours degree in Metallurgical Engineering.

Henry Stern died on 22 March 2019 at the age of 90, shortly after the death of his wife, Pamela.

In 1939, David Ezekiel’s brave and loving parents sent him out of Hitler’s reach across the Atlantic. There he was fostered by a wonderful Jewish couple who welcomed him, a complete stranger, into their family. He attended Synagogue, joined the American Boy Scouts and remained close to the family for the rest of his life.

While at school, Henry had plenty of time to busy himself with making model aeroplanes, at which he was an expert, and was a member of the school club. Of course, being wartime, there were plenty of real ones about to fuel the young Henry’s vivid imagination.

When David started at St John’s in 1943, he was thought of as “a yank”. He had an American accent, played American football and basketball and had even blown an instrument called a melophone in his junior high school band. Latin and French meant nothing to him and he even managed to fail English language when he later came to School Certificate. Luckily, his prowess at tennis and swimming stood him in good stead and, once at St John’s, he quickly gained his colours for cricket and rugby.

He worked for three years in the Research Department of Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd. and then emigrated to Canada. From there he moved to the USA where he continued to do research in the steel industry. He there graduated with two master’s degrees, one in engineering and the other in mathematics, and in 1963 he changed his career from metallurgy to computing, developing successful software and managing computer installations. He became a lifelong outdoorsman, in hiking, rock climbing, skiing, sailing and SCUBA diving. In the 1950s in UK, he made several first ascents on the Cornish sea cliffs with his partner Martin Ridges. He served the National Ski Patrol in USA as a volunteer for 25 years. In his retirement he completed a 300 mile trek in Nepal, acted as a ski guide for many years and was a full time ski instructor for two seasons at the Copper Mountain Resort, Colorado. He was certified as a Master Diver at the age of 76. Also in his retirement he graduated with an Associate of Arts Degree majoring in Spanish. He died on 1 April 2019 at the age of 92 and is survived by his wife, Jean Ruffin, and his daughter, Elizabeth.

Upon leaving school, Henry enrolled in Kingston Polytechnic, studying for a degree in Electrical Engineering before joining his father in the family business. Henry needed transport for work and acquired a motorbike. As I already had one, Henry came up with the idea of paying our old school an impromptu visit and invited me to join him. This ended up with us charging around the school field at full throttle and much noise. Having completed the deed to our mutual satisfaction, we made our hasty exit. I don’t remember anyone complaining and we laughed about it for ages. Of course, I have many fond memories and tales to tell. I was fortunate enough to be asked to be Best Man at Henry’s wedding to Pamela in 1949, a great honour. He was, after all, my best friend. I was bestowed the honour of becoming Godfather to Henry’s daughter, Gillian, the eldest of his three children. Our friendship continued after both our marriages, with my wife Peggy and Pamela also becoming firm friends. Henry’s children and my son and daughter were also involved at our family get-togethers. Pamela was a first class cook and always spoilt us with her delicious cuisine. Henry was an accomplished wood turner and gained much pleasure in producing high quality pieces. He was well-known locally for this. He was a member of the local coin collectors club and became an expert in this field. Henry leaves behind three daughters and grandchildren. He will be greatly missed

He was also chosen to study music under Doc Read but there was a bit of a clash between piano practice and games practice. Many years later, choral singing came to be important to him and he was a member of Oxshott Choral Society for 43 years. He enjoyed participating in the Leith Hill Festival where he bumped into Donald Grigg, his esteemed South Housemaster. Sport was always an important part of David’s life. After leaving St John’s, he played rugby for Esher 1st XV and for several years captained the Cardinals, their 2nd XV. Later, with his family, he took up sailing and, later still, after retirement, played tennis well into his eighties. In spite of his failure at English language, and because of his outstanding maths results, David was awarded his School Certificate and left school at the age of 17. He became articled to Moore, Stephens and qualified as a chartered accountant. During his National Service, and after qualifying, David joined the RAF and fulfilled his ambition to become a pilot. His other ambition – to serve overseas – was fulfilled when, for his station, he played rugby in the Channel Islands! David maintained his association with Moore, Stephens when he joined one of their clients as Financial Director. In 1960, he married Carolyn and they had two sons, Marcus and Bill, who both went to St John’s. The family lived in Cobham for over 50 years and David commuted to London. His ties with the City were reinforced when he became a Freeman and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Needlemakers in 1966. When he became its Master in 1998, he had perhaps the year of his life. Amongst many other memorable exploits that year was a trip he arranged to Prague for 60 people (without using a travel agent!). The Livery Company was perfect for David. With charity at its heart, but with social dining and travel as its tools, it made him feel part of the structure of the City of London which was always something he wanted. His whole life long, David remained passionately devoted to St John’s and enjoyed the friendship of many Old Johnians. One of his last social engagements was lunch with two of his dearest friends – Mike Caporn (South 1943-1947) and Ian Hutcheson (South 1943-1948). Mike writes: “David was a proud man and very proud of his name. Living in the 30s and 40s was not easy. St John’s was not immune to what was going on in Europe. Antisemitism raised its ugly head in South House day room and, by carving on his locker door and underhand jibes, one boy sought to make life unpleasant for David. But David was strong - he ignored them. At the end of term, this boy came up, put out his hand and said “bygones be bygones”. David knocked his hand away and punched him on the nose. The only retaliation in three years of taunting.”

David Cole (South 1942-1945), lifelong friend. Carolyn Ezekiel

Drafted by Gordon Lilly and sent by his sister, Anne Fleeman.

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Obituaries

The Reverend Canon Ian Bennett

John Frederick Fishley

South 1943-1949

West 1957

Born in 1930, Ian Frederick Bennett was brought up in South India, where his father was a missionary. The family returned to England just before the war and Ian attended St John’s. In 1951, after National Service, Ian went up to Christ’s to read Classics, and subsequently gained a teaching qualification at Hughes Hall. In 1955, Ian took on a teaching position in Peshawar, Pakistan. While there, he encountered Rachel Appleton, whom he had first met in Cambridge when she was studying English at Girton. She was teaching in Lahore, which is where they both worked after they married in 1958. In 1960 their first set of twins was born. They returned to England in 1961, and Ian attended theological college at Westcott House. Their second set of twins was born in 1963, shortly before Ian was ordained. Ian was a curate in Hemel Hempstead before becoming a university chaplain, first at UMIST, then at Manchester University. Ian and Rachel put their large vicarage to good use, hosting weekly student evenings. They also had many visitors, old acquaintances from their times in India and Pakistan, but also strangers whose relatives were being treated for cancer at the nearby Christie Hospital. In 1979 the family moved to Birmingham and then to Newcastle in 1989, where Ian eventually retired. He and Rachel then spent a lot of time tending their allotment, which they maintained for 27 years. Ian also indulged his life-long love of art – even at Cambridge he had helped make scenery for student productions. In 1991, he took up art classes and spent more and more time painting in oil. His work sold widely, having been exhibited in a number of galleries and other venues, including Newcastle Cathedral. Rachel died in August 2017 and Ian died soon after, on 29 December 2017. They are survived by their four children and four grandchildren.

John and I shared a love of mountains and hill walking which extended nearly 60 years. In our prime in 1968, John and I climbed the Matterhorn and various Zermatt peaks, but two years later our luck changed on Mont Blanc when we, and half the climbing population of Chamonix, were stranded in the Gouter Hut in awful weather. Around this time, John achieved a notable success in climbing Mount Cook during his travels in Australia and New Zealand. In later years, our walking activities moderated somewhat but I am sure that our country strolls helped him through difficult days. John was, without fail, a wise and cheerful companion and his many friends will miss him greatly.

Margaret Bennett, daughter

A painting by Ian Bennett

Adrian Maddin

James Barber

West 1948-1952

North 1971-1974

It is with sadness that we let you know that Adrian Maddin died on 9 July 2019. He attended St John’s from 1948 to 1952 and, according to his daughter, recalled many a happy memory from his time there. After school life, he trained in agriculture at Cirencester College, from where he went into the farming industry. He later set up his own property management company, which he ran until just earlier this year. He spent many happy years living in Shere and was an active member of the village. Many villagers will remember him riding on his horse through the village and stopping outside the local pub, aptly named The White Horse, for a swift half.

Justin Barber notified us of the death of his brother, James Barber. “Although a keen sailor and swimmer, his greatest pleasure in his schooldays was taking part in music and drama. On graduating from the London Academy of Music and Drama he worked at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, gaining promotion to director and Chief Executive at the age of 34. Highly thought of, the hundreds who attended his Memorial Service at Guildford Cathedral included local dignitaries and distinguished members of the theatrical world.”

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John Dangerfield (West 1956)

Tribute - a member of the family writes: John Fishley, who died on 17 May, was born at Winwick near Warrington, where his father was Hospital Chaplain. Childhood holidays spent with his mother’s family in Wales inspired both a love of that beautiful country and mixed loyalties with Six Nations Rugby! At St John’s, he had a strong academic record, excelled at Fives, became a School Prefect and made several good and lifelong friends. Gaining a Navy scholarship, he spent time at Dartmouth and six months at sea on a frigate but, realising a career in the Navy was not for him, was freed to go up to Christ College, Cambridge to read Mechanical Sciences and achieve a First Class degree. He surprised his tutors by deciding to be a teacher. He taught at five schools in the course of his career (including time at Sydney Grammar School on his travels as a young bachelor) and, after being on the staff at Repton for several years, in 1975 married Jo and they had five children. He loved mountains and lofty places and enjoyed inspiring his students and members of the CCF about them, including abseiling and ‘arduous training activities’. The words and phrases – kind, wise, thoughtful, man of principle and integrity, the best interests of students – are oft repeated in the emails which his children have now received. As Head of Physics at Repton, he left to become Head of Sciences at Oundle and after five years, returned to Repton as Second Master, a role in which he saw the first women join Repton teaching staff in 1981. He is remembered by them as someone who supported them in what seemed a daunting undertaking. He subsequently became Headmaster of Churcher’s College, Petersfield but stepped down due to ill health in 1988. On moving to Yorkshire, he became a physics teacher at The Read School, Drax, and once more involved with a CCF. In retirement, John took up a volunteer role with GAP International (now Latitude) – a charity that placed young people, in their gap years, in schools as volunteers. He is remembered by colleagues there as one who would go to any lengths to help a volunteer far from home and facing personal difficulties, setting a standard for those who worked with him; he is remembered, too, for his company and humour at the pub after meetings! A school governor for the local primary school, John made good friends in his village but involvement in a serious road accident in 2012 greatly impaired his ability to live his accustomed life; he had to give up his role at GAP and curb his travel aspirations. He fought hard to enjoy his life through less ambitious means and delight in visits to his children and growing numbers of grandchildren. He will be much missed both by them and the many friends he made throughout his life and by whom he was cherished and greatly valued.

The Reverend John Jefferies Stratton South 1940-1942 The Reverend John Jefferies Stratton (known as Jeff) was born on 23 April 1927. He arrived, from St Michael’s School Otford, at St John’s School Leatherhead in 1941. At the end of WWII he served in the Royal Signals, mainly in Greece, and then studied at Durham University, London and Exeter. Jeff trained for the priesthood at Bishops College, Cheshunt and was ordained priest in St Alban’s Cathedral in 1956. He served his title in St Michael’s, Watford, before moving to St Peter’s Broadwater, Stevenage in 1960. In 1965 he became Rector of Cottered with Broadfield and Throcking, during which time he served as Audio-Visual Aids Officer for the Diocesan Home and Overseas Committee (later the Board of Mission and Unity) and served as Rural Dean of Buntingford from 1974-1982. He then became the Vicar of St Mary the Virgin and All Saints, Potters Bar in 1982. ‘Retiring’ in 1994, he had a part-time post as Priest in Charge of St Leonard’s, Flamstead, before eventually moving to Taunton in 1997. In retirement, he ministered to a variety of congregations in the Taunton area and was Chaplain to the Taunton Branch of the Royal British Legion for twenty years. Jeff died, aged 90, on 27 September 2017. He leaves his wife Barbara (married for 62 years), two daughters and a grandson. Apart from family, Jeff’s loves in life were cricket (he played until he was aged 70) and music. Having a good sense of humour, he was also a good raconteur. But, primarily, he was a hard working priest who was devoted to his people. Jane Laurence, daughter

The Johnian 2019

Obituaries

Michael Wilks

Peter Woodcock

South 1962-1966

Churchill 1940-1946

Michael Wilks was a widely admired BMA campaigner who overcame his own struggles to help fellow doctors in difficulties, advance professional ethics, and promote human rights. Wilks fought alcoholism while working as a GP in London in the 1980s and finally gained sobriety in 1991. He felt there were many like him who were not being adequately supported. In 1996, he helped found the Sick Doctors Trust, which runs a 24-hour helpline, and in his role as a police surgeon, also worked to support addicts facing neglect within the criminal justice system.

factors – in his case the suicides of his father and a brother, and professional pressures.

He joined the BMA’s Medical Ethics Committee in 1993, chaired it for nine years from 1997 to 2006, and chaired the association’s representative body from 2004 until 2007. In 2010, he was elected honorary BMA vice president and he represented the association in Europe, winning acclaim for his humility, insight and wit.

Wilks was a founder and trustee of the Sick Doctors a Trust and its chairman from 2008 to 2013. He was also senior police surgeon with the Metropolitan Police from 1992 to 1997, a principal forensic medical examiner and, from 2011, a forensic physician with Thames Valley Police, providing healthcare and forensic examinations to detainees and to crime victims. He chaired the board of trustees of the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust (now the Forward Trust), a charity that helps people to break cycles of addiction or crime. Wilks served on the BMA’s Forensic Medicine Committee from 2003 to 2014 and chaired it from 2010. He helped to establish the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and was its registrar from 2015 to 2018. He worked to develop appropriate standards of care to ensure that detainees held in custody would receive the same level of treatment they get in other NHS settings. During Wilks’s time as ethics committee chair, the BMA argued for an overhaul of the system governing

Educated at St John’s, Wilks was a medical student at St Mary’s Hospital Medical School (then part of London University) from 1967 to 1972. He undertook a three-month overseas elective in Uganda but became ill, contracting malaria. After house officer posts, he went straight into general practice in London. But he reached the point where his life “collapsed” from alcoholism, and he chose to work alone for many years. He sought help on occasions, mostly from psychiatrists, but he was diagnosed not as an alcoholic but as depressed. Wilks came to speak openly about his problems in order to help others. He believed a genetic predisposition to alcoholism was activated and exacerbated by external

The Johnian 2019

Wilks regained sobriety with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous. “His experiences of addiction, the lack of help available to sick doctors, and his first-hand knowledge of unwell people in custody informed his career from then on,” says Andrew Finlay, a dermatology professor and a close friend since medical school. “He chose to confront and seek solutions to these problems, which were largely ignored by the rest of the profession.”

Peter was born on 12 May 1928 at the Pindar Oakes Nursing Home, Barnsley, South Yorkshire when his father, Harold, was 28 and his mother, Olive, just 27. Peter went to St Hugh’s School, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire as a boarder in 1937 but after D Day in 1940, the school was evacuated to Lancashire and Peter was sent to St John’s in September 1940, aged 12. Peter spoke with fondness of his school time. He was grateful for the efforts of his teachers, being inspired to do a degree in chemistry by the then new science rooms at St John’s. He said the School ethos very much reflected the ideas of the headmaster, Jack Carter. According to Peter, Mr Carter valued a classical education above the sciences or maths so, to keep his scholarly reputation, Peter took maths, chemistry and history in the Sixth Form, recalling lessons on Renaissance France and King Henry IV. Music – singing – was both a joy and a serious interest and Peter sang in the chapel choir throughout his time at St John’s and felt that this musical foundation was one of the best things he got from his six years there. consent for organ donation, to tackle the shortage of donors and save more lives. He also helped to draw up BMA guidelines for doctors authorising withdrawal of food and water by tube for patients with severe stroke and dementia, who can no longer express their wishes. Wilks tried, unsuccessfully, to become an MP three times, twice for the Social Democratic Party in the 1983 and 1987 general elections, and he stood for the Green Party, in Winchester, in 2015. Friends say he “invigorated” the latter, attracting many new members, mostly young people who were getting involved in politics for the first time. He developed prostate cancer, but almost two decades of dealing with the illness didn’t stop his “impish sense of humour,” says Peter Green, a specialist in forensic and legal medicine who knew Wilks for 30 years. Wilks leaves his second wife, Sandy McLean Wilks; his first wife, Patricia (née Hackworth); two brothers; three children; and four grandchildren.

In 1944, when Peter was 16, he volunteered for the Royal Navy and joined ‘Y scheme’, which was supposed to lead on to a commission in the RNVR. Peter left school at 18 and, because of his involvement in ‘Y scheme’, he was conscripted to the Navy at HMS Raleigh, Torpoint, Cornwall, where he trained as an Ordinary Seaman. He was promoted to Leading Seaman, after which he spent most of his time teaching basic maths at Chatham R N Barracks. Because of this service, he was funded – generously – to go to university. He was accepted at Oxford but there were no places available for 1949 so, instead of waiting until 1950, he decided to go to Bede College at Durham University to read Chemistry. It was here he met his future wife, Mary. After a spell working for the Vacuum Oil Company (part of Mobil) and then F W Berk & Co, a chemical manufacturers, Peter changed career and worked for Middlesex Polytechnic lecturing in Business Studies. Here he established a joint course – a BA European Business Administration with one of the French Grandes Ecoles, in Reims - through which French and British students would spend two years in each country, resulting in qualifications from both countries. Not only that, they were to have an industrial placement in each. He later extended this arrangement to Germany. He was also involved in the development of an MBA at Middlesex. Peter’s was the first in the polytechnic sector and, like the BAEBA course with Reims, broke new ground. Peter retired from the poly in 1990, having spent 20 years there, but continued to be involved in various marketing initiatives including being invited to co-author a book, “Effective Entrepreneurship”, which was published in 1995. By nature, Peter could be quite introverted but he made some good friends at St John’s and even had fellow OJs attend his 90th birthday in May 2018. Peter had an insatiable love for learning even into his final year and this, he told me, was the greatest legacy that St John’s had given him. In his notes for his 90th party, he quoted a Scottish friend who wrote: “It’s not what you gather but what you scatter that counts”. His dying wish was to leave something behind – a legacy. This he achieved through his children and grandchildren, all of whom have been privileged to have known him.

Peter Woodcock with his sister, Dinah

Peter with his grandmother and siblings, Dinah and Christopher

Matt Limb, Croydon Reproduced by courtesy of the BMJ 2019;364:11329

The Johnian 2019

Obituaries

David Godwin

Lindsay Trim

Teacher of Mathematics at St John’s 1980-1989

Matron of West and Surrey from the late 1980s to the early 2000s

David Godwin, who has died at his home in Eastbourne at the age of 76, was a schoolmaster whose quiet, unobtrusive manner belied a determination to serve his pupils well both within and outside the classroom. I use the term ‘schoolmaster’ deliberately for, while being a disciplined and extremely well-organised teacher of mathematics, he always believed his brief extended beyond the classroom. He was at St John’s throughout the 1980s, having previously taught at Glyn. Prior to that he had had an interesting career as a meteorologist – if fate had taken a different course he might have become a familiar figure on the television screen providing weather forecasts. He was a Londoner by birth and was educated at Battersea Grammar School and London University. Later David settled in Eastbourne and continued to live there for the rest of his life. While teaching at Glyn, he commuted each day from Eastbourne to Ewell; the provision of accommodation was a major attraction when he moved to St John’s.

It is sad to report the death of Lindsay Trim at the age of 84. She is a figure who will remain large in the minds of members of both West and Surrey houses during her near 20-year involvement with these communities. To describe her as a ‘matron’ would not do justice to her enormous involvement in the lives of the boys in her charge. A generation ago, a system was introduced whereby a matron was appointed to look after one boarding house and one day house each. Lindsay took charge of West and Surrey - to the good fortune of the boys in both houses and their housemasters. The matrons worked well beyond the call of duty and pay, and Lindsay exemplified this approach. Her hours and her commitment were endless. It was particularly rewarding for me having Lindsay alongside in West House during the late 1980s and 1990s. There was the basic matronly duty to be performed but this was a fraction of her workload. She was a constant supporter of the boys in every aspect of their lives, whether it be as a supporter on the touchline and boundary or appreciative member of the audience in plays and concerts; she also supported chapel life. I know that every member of West knew they could count on the encouragement and presence of Mrs Trim in all their endeavours.

David was a conscientious member of the mathematics department but was also heavily involved in sport. His particular love was cricket and many a distinguished schoolboy cricketer appreciated the benign but firm tutelage they received from him in the U15s. The coaching and umpiring of cricket requires long hours and David’s presence on a Saturday evening, still overseeing a game at square leg, was a familiar sight. There came a time when a new generation of staff made the very reasonable suggestion that, as some of their number worked considerably longer hours than others, this should be reflected in their remuneration. David would have had little sympathy and indeed would find it strange that there were those who would rather spend their Saturday afternoons in Waitrose when they could have been watching the final overs of an exciting cricket match on the playing fields of St John’s. It was a privilege not a penalty to be so involved on a Saturday afternoon. Happy though he was, there did come a time when he felt he should move on. In 1989 he left St John’s to become the head of mathematics at St Aubyn’s Preparatory School in Rottingdean. This was not a particularly happy experience and he soon left to take up an appointment at Eastbourne College. He was very happy there for it was a school he knew well and respected, and which was close to his home. But in 1993 he took early retirement and settled down to a quiet life in Eastbourne. He undertook some Open University tutoring but vowed never again to enter a classroom. In fact, he did return to the classroom, briefly, when he came back to St John’s to cover some maternity leave. Then he truly retired. He frequently appeared on the touchline at Eastbourne College, supporting the school when its rivals were anyone other than St John’s. I continued to keep in touch and had many an enjoyable lunch with him at his favourite restaurant, La Locanda del Duca, where he was a regular customer. He was a quiet, modest friend who enjoyed the company of others and will be remembered by pupils and colleagues with affection as a committed and conscientious schoolmaster. Richard Hughes

Mr David Braine North 1953-1958

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I have reason, too, to be grateful to Lindsay for solving a difficult disciplinary issue. A recalcitrant member of the House was suspended for a series of misdemeanours but announced that, as his parents lived overseas, the suspension could not be enacted. The guardian could not be expected to take on the necessary responsibility. Lindsay had a solution; the offender would be locked away in her house in Fetcham. This duly happened and was no soft option. A hard curfew was imposed. There were few disciplinary issues with the young man after this experience. Lindsay’s later years were blighted by poor health but she had enormous support from her husband, Richard, and all the members of her loving family. To be closer to them, she moved to Wiltshire and then further north to the borders and then to her beloved Scotland. But we know that St John’s always remained close to her heart. I have one pertinent memory of her. On my final day as housemaster of West in 1996 I went into the basement area where the matrons had their headquarters. Lindsay was sitting on a chair holding a farewell gift from a departing boy who had written an accompanying note that had particularly moved her. It read: ‘For Mrs Trim, for whom nothing was ever too much trouble.’ There can be no more accurate a comment than that on the legendary Lindsay Trim.

NOTIFICATIONS Hugh Brady Churchill 1943-1948 John Gordon Clark notified us that Hugh Brady died on 27 July 2019. “He was one of my closest friends at school and remained so throughout his long life. He practised as an architect and designed my parents’ house in Mickleham in the 1960s.”

Particular highlights of the Trim regime were the pancake baking sessions in the pantry and, above all, the legendary Scottish country dancing lessons in the Assembly Hall (now the Staff Common Room). It has to be said that there was a slight element of chaos to these occasions but this only added to the fun. The sight of large numbers of boys crashing around the Assembly Hall bellowing instructions in exaggerated Scottish accents against the background of barely audible bagpipe music from a rather dated record-player was something to behold.

Janette Fawkes Sanatorium Sister at St John’s 1985-1994 Mark Cooper was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Janette Fawkes on 8 July 2019. “Janette was the sanatorium sister at St John’s through all my time at the School. She handed over to Sister Julie Peace. She was such a lovely lady and a good friend.”

Richard Hughes Tony Fooks East 1958-1962 Glyn Harris South 1967-1970 “I am very sad to have to let you know that OJ Glyn Harris has died. He had been suffering from cancer for some time.” Elizabeth Harris

Robert Hathaway Churchill 1964-1969 We were sad to learn of the death of Robert Hathaway who had lived on St Lucia since 2002. He died in January 2019.

David Lewis Surrey 1955-1960 Ann Law (née Lewis) notified us that her brother, David Richard Lewis, died at the beginning of July 2019 after seven years of coping with Alzheimer’s.

Christopher Meyrick West 1941-1945 Juliet Corfield notified us that her father died in September 2016 and that her mother is now in a nursing home.

Lindsay Trim Matron of West and Surrey (see obituary above) It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that Lindsay Trim died on Monday 15 July, aged 84. There was a memorial service at the Aboyne-Dinnet Parish Church, Aboyne on Tuesday 6 August. If any of her boys get in touch, I am happy for them to contact me via email – we love hearing her stories and we are sure that we only heard a fraction of them all! (If you wish to get in touch, please email nedwards@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk and we will forward your message). Rachel Philp, daughter

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OJ EVENTS OJ DINNER The 2018 OJ Dinner took place on Friday 12 October and was a wonderful evening of celebration. Spanning the generations from the 1940s onwards, 115 OJs from eight decades were in attendance. The evening began with welcome drinks in Montgomery (Monty) House to celebrate the 45th anniversary of its foundation in 1973. Many of the former housemasters of Monty were able to be there, so OJs enjoyed catching up with them and reminiscing about their time at the School. Guests were then welcomed to the Dining Hall for a delicious three course meal, after which

toasts were made to The Queen, the Duchess of Gloucester as patron of the Governing Council, and to St John’s. Following a welcome from Chairman of the OJ Committee, Mark Cooper, guests enjoyed a speech by the first housemaster of Monty, Richard Rhodes. During his speech, Richard reflected on his time at St John’s and commented on his pleasure at seeing again so many of the original ‘pioneer’ Monty OJs. Alex Macqueen (Monty 1990-1992) then took to the stage as guest speaker. Best known for his character as ‘Neil’s Dad’ in The Inbetweeners, Alex Macqueen has appeared on stage, film and TV, including Holby City, Peep Show and The Thick of It, to name a few. His entertaining stories were met with rapturous laughter and applause, whilst his warm enthusiasm for St John’s was greatly appreciated by all the guests.

BROOKLANDS

CAREERS AND UNIVERSITY FAIR

A memorable day was enjoyed at Brooklands Museum, birthplace of British motorsport and aviation, and we were delighted that 60 OJs were able to attend. The demonstration ride of the Napier Railton – the ultimate Brooklands racing car which holds the all-time track record of 143 mph - by former CEO of Brooklands, Allan Winn, was particularly thrilling!

The St John’s Careers Fair returned for its third year in November 2018. Over 30 representatives, from such varied areas as architecture, retail and television, came to speak to pupils about their chosen career and to answer any questions. We are very grateful to all the OJs who came to talk to our current pupils about their jobs. The event gave our pupils an invaluable chance to discover more about the pathways and opportunities available to them in the future and to find out what it is really like to work in a fascinating range of roles.

OJ Jack Summers (West 2002-2007) was also thrilled to discover a locker dedicated to his pilot great grandfather. “I have visited [Brooklands] before, however it was particularly special to see in the new flight shed the dedicated test pilot locker to my great grandfather, Joseph “Mutt” Summers. He was the chief test pilot for Vickers Supermarine, based at Brooklands, and still holds the world record for most prototypes flown - 54 - and the number of flying hours spent in aircraft test flights - 5,400. Not bad bearing in mind it takes six hours to fly to New York and these were aircraft never flown before! He will be better known for being the first to fly R J Mitchell’s Spitfire in March 1936, as well as all the test flights for the famous Barnes Wallace bouncing bomb.” Many thanks to OJ Robert Gardner (Churchill 1953-1956) who made this special day possible.

The next Apprenticeships, Careers and Universities Fair is on Wednesday 20 November 2019 at 7.00pm at the School. OJs are very welcome to attend or if you are working in the creative area, or have an unusual career/job, and would be happy to speak about your experiences, we would be very pleased to hear from you. Please contact Naia Edwards at nedwards@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk.

BATTLEFIELDS The October 2018 visit to the battlefields of the First World War centred on two key locations, the Somme and Ypres. The base for the Somme locations was Arras and it was here on the first evening that the main group, which had travelled from Leatherhead, met up with Neil Smallman and his family, who had travelled down from their home in Amsterdam. The first stop on the Somme tour was the small but poignant Devonshire’s cemetery outside Albert. This was sited on the exact location of the front-line trenches, from where the doomed attack on 1 July 1916 was launched. Buried amongst the 161 bodies of the 9th and 10th Devonshire Regiment was that of Captain David Martin, the commanding officer, whose insightful warnings of the massacre had been overlooked. The party moved on to the Lochnagar crater at La Boisselle, having taken a detour to pay respects at the memorial to the Welsh Division at Mametz. The crater was caused by a massive detonation of 60,000 tons of explosives and is the largest on the Western Front. The party paused for lunch at the Tea Rooms at Auchonvillers, nattily rechristened ‘Ocean Villas’ by the Tommies. An added attraction at the café was the neatly preserved supply trench at the rear of the property. Close to Auchonvillers is Newfoundland Park at Beaumont-Hamel. Here is an almost entire, if now somewhat manicured, trench system and open ‘No Man’s Land’ giving a very good impression of the battlefield where 684 out of 780 Newfoundland soldiers became casualties, one third of them fatalities, on the first day of the Somme. Smaller cemeteries and memorials surround the central area. We were fortunate to be walking past the memorial to the 51st Highland Division with a group of Edinburgh schoolchildren. The 13 year old bagpipers in the group gave an enthusiastic rather than tuneful, but still most moving, rendition of a Scottish lament which could be heard eerily across the battlefield. The final Somme location was the Memorial to the Missing at Thiepval, famously designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and opened in 1932. On the memorial are the names of over 73,000 soldiers who perished on the Somme but have no known grave; behind the memorial is a cemetery where rest equal numbers of unknown French and British soldiers killed on the Somme. After spending time at Thiepval we drove north to the Belgian city of Ypres. This once thriving city was completely levelled during the course of the war because it remained in the hands of the British, French and Belgians whilst the surrounding terrain was occupied by the Germans. We were fortunate to be staying at the Ariane Hotel with its beautifully displayed uniforms, wartime pictures, and other items recalling wartime Ypres. The hotel, with its fine selection of Belgian beers, was a wonderful respite from the horrors of war! On our first evening we attended the moving and unmissable, if rather over-crowded, Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate.

The next morning we visited the Flanders Field Museum and then walked to the Menin Gate, where are listed over 54,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in and around Ypres but have no known grave. From here, we strolled around the ramparts before visiting St George’s church, where there are plaques remembering former pupils of many British schools who fell in the war. Particular attention was obviously paid to the plaque commemorating 154 Old Johnians. Peter Lutton found the organ and, with the help of nine year old Sam Smallman, played a few appropriate hymns which added greatly to the atmosphere. In the afternoon we drove out to the Salient and stopped at the hauntingly dark German cemetery at Langemarck. This small space, where 44,000 German soldiers lie, compared starkly with our next location, Tyne Cot, the largest British and Commonwealth cemetery on the Western Front, where just under 12,000 soldiers lie buried in spacious and beautifully manicured acreage. Finally, we visited Sanctuary Wood, once a rendezvous for troops who had become detached from their units, but now a rather quirky but popular museum with an extensive trench system at the rear that can be explored at your own risk. In the evening we were fortunate to obtain tickets for the opening night of a wonderfully powerful production of R.C Sherriff’s Journey’s End staged in the atmospheric location of the Old Gunpowder Store. The Daily Telegraph claimed ‘this production is worth a trip to Belgium’ and our group agreed. Our final day was spent in the relative peace and tranquillity of Poperingue, which remained largely in Belgian and British hands throughout the war. A favourite place to relax and recuperate was Talbot House (designated TOC H by the signallers) which was a base for all ranks run by the charismatic chaplain, Philip ‘Tubby’ Clayton. The House has wonderful gardens, an attic chapel and several rooms where men could read and relax. Tea was served and consumed, while Peter Lutton played to us on the piano. From Talbot House we walked through the town to the ‘deserters’ yard where deserters were shot at dawn. Between 1915 and 1917, 306 soldiers were shot for cowardice/ desertion – there being little recognition then of the notions of shell-shock or stress. In 2006 all those shot were posthumously pardoned by the British government. After taking lunch in the town, the party set off home and returned whence they had come enlightened, educated and thoughtful. Lest we forget. Neil Smallman

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OJ Events

THE 1851 SOCIETY LUNCH

OJ CENTENARY DAY

Rowena Cole, The Head, was delighted to host a lunch in September 2018 for members of the 1851 Society who have pledged to leave a legacy to the School. A presentation by School Archivist, Sally Todd, on OJs in the First World War was much enjoyed. This was followed by a delicious three-course lunch, after which Rowena addressed the members and gave them an update on the School. She mentioned how much she had enjoyed her first year leading St John’s and how she now had a clearer idea of the funding priorities going forward. Over the years, legacies have helped fund numerous Foundationer and bursary places, giving the sons, and now daughters, of the poor clergy the life-changing chance of an excellent education. Additionally, many key developments at the School have been funded through legacy bequests. Rowena thanked all the members of the 1851 Society for pledging to help ensure that St John’s can continue to provide the best all round education for future generations of children. Members were then taken on a tour of the School and shown the new developments, including the refurbishment of Monty and North.

LONDON WALKS The ever-popular private guided walks of London have continued this year with award-winning blue badge guide, Viv Haxby, taking Friends of St John’s on a number of fascinating trips around the city. In September, as we approached the centenary of the end of the First World War, we walked from Trafalgar Square through Whitehall and Westminster on the theme of the Great War. A guided tour of Tate Britain was the expedition in March. Tate Britain covers a period of 500 years of British painting and sculpture and Viv regaled us with fascinating stories about the paintings, the artists and their history - from Holbein, Constable and Gainsborough to Holman Hunt and Millais. The two hours of the tour went by in a flash and we all came away determined to revisit the gallery and to discover more of London’s premier galleries. After the tour, the group enjoyed well-deserved tea and cake in the Gallery café and took the opportunity to catch up and relax before departing for home. Painters, Princes, Punks and Pensioners was the theme of the walk around Chelsea on a hot day at the end of May. Originally isolated and home to a community of artists that include Whistler and John Singer Sargent, Chelsea became the home of the swinging ‘60s and then the punk movement. Today it is one of the capital’s most exclusive residential areas and much of it is owned by one of our aristocratic families and it was fascinating to discover the history of this exclusive part of London. The London walks are a very enjoyable way to learn about different areas of London, whilst also providing a relaxed and informal way to meet up with other OJs and friends of St John’s.

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The sun shone, the bunting billowed and the balloons bobbed as the School welcomed more than 200 OJs and their families for a very special OJ reunion day on Sunday 9 June to celebrate the centenary anniversary of OJs returning to the School. After a service in the Chapel, Pimm’s was served on the Quad from the Tiger Lily 1960s bus, thanks to OJ Geoff Hall (North 1981-1984). Many of the OJs remembered the bus, formerly known as the Yellow Peril, as their transport to school matches! With a fanfare of trumpets played by current pupils Will and Henry, the Chair of the OJ Society, Mark Cooper, declared OJ Day officially open and invited OJs to enjoy the entertainment provided. Longstanding physics teacher, Adrian Gale, who has been at the School since 1978 and has taught many an OJ, as well as being very involved with OJ cricket, was then presented with an OJ tie and tie-pin and invited to become an Honorary OJ. A delicious barbecue was served, and while guests sat at tables laid out in street party style reminiscent of 100 years ago, they were treated to songs sung beautifully by current pupils. This was followed by the ceremonial cutting of the Centenary OJ cake by the most senior OJ present on the day, Mike Comer, together with Rowena Cole, The Head. Tours of the School were provided by Prefects, which included a visit to

the Dining Hall to take in the fascinating archive displays showing the School over the last 100 years. The very first OJ Day was held to celebrate the end of the First World War and to welcome back the OJs who had served in the war, so it was particularly poignant to see the photographs and read about the School at that time. Guests could also pre-order the book about St John’s and the Great War, written by our archivist Sally Todd and Neil Pudney, which will be published later in the year. The 75th anniversary of D Day was also remembered with a display. As the afternoon went on, a croquet match was played between the pupils and the OJs with much enthusiasm and enjoyment; who won the match is a mystery but it didn’t seem to matter! We hope this will lead to more croquet fixtures in the future. It was lovely to see so many families and young children who enjoyed bouncing on the bouncy castle, playing badminton, having their faces painted, colouring on the activity table or shooting the laser guns. We hope they may join the School too one day! OJs were invited to write down their memories and thoughts of what St John’s meant to them and to pin them on the memory board - 100 years of OJ Days and 100 years of memories! We hope that this OJ Centenary Day will have created some very happy memories too.

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Supporting St John’s

SUPPORTING ST JOHN’S During August 2018, you may have received a phone call from one of our calling team – a 13-strong group of our Sixth Form and recent leavers – as part of the biennial telephone campaign. They enjoyed many memorable conversations with the 474 alumni and parents with whom they spoke during the campaign and, at the end of the two weeks, we were thrilled that £115,786 had been pledged. The telethon has emphasised the remarkable goodwill and generosity in our school community and we are hugely grateful to all our donors – thank you for all your support.

Support comes in many ways to St John’s and it was a huge pleasure to welcome some of our benefactors to school for a Benefactors’ Dinner during this academic year. Amongst the guests were OJs, current and former parents, governors, members of staff past and present, the Old Johnian Charity and the SJPA. We held the event in the Dining Hall so that guests could appreciate the new projector, screen and sound system, which had recently installed thanks to funding from the SJPA - a perfect example of how your donations benefit the School. St John’s is enormously lucky to have such a loyal and close community of people. In the last year, the School has received donations from nearly 200 people and, in the last three years, donations have raised more than £400,000. Donations like these can make a huge impact on the School. St John’s only exists here today thanks to the generosity of its benefactors. Many of you will know that the School was originally founded, in 1851, by the Reverend Ashby Haslewood to

provide a free education for the children of poor clergy. St John’s began with eight pupils, selected by a committee that raised the funds to pay for them. When the success of the School meant it outgrew its London premises, the move to Leatherhead in 1872 was made possible only thanks to an anonymous donor who agreed to make a gift of the land of 12 acres to the School and handed over a cheque for the full £2,250 to complete the purchase. Many years later the anonymous donor was revealed to be Henry Dawes of 6 Hyde Park Gardens and, in 2010, a new teaching block was named the ‘Henry Dawes Centre’ in recognition of his generous donation. From that point onwards, the success and the development of the School has continued to owe a huge amount to benefactors. Most of the School buildings have been built with support from benefactors: the old Chapel in 1877; the war memorial in the Quad after the First World War in 1920; the swimming pool funded by a legacy gift; the original classroom block (now the Hamilton building); the new Chapel in 1962 funded by an anonymous donor found by Viscount Montgomery (Garfield Weston). In more recent years, of course, the restoration of the Old Chapel, the renovation of the war memorial, the beautiful East and West windows in the new Chapel, and the equipment of the Science Centre, have all been gifts made to the School. Just as important to the School as these tangible buildings, has been the gift of money to support bursaries that provide education to children who would not otherwise be able to afford it. Many of our benefactors have helped support our Foundationers and other bursary awards. A recent letter from a benefactor expressed her delight at being able to watch the effect that a St John’s education was having on the development and maturity of the child she was supporting. We are immensely proud of what St John’s represents and the transformational impact that an education here can have on children. Being able to support more pupils who would not otherwise be able to come here – whether from clergy or non-clergy families – is our ambition, and in the coming months and years we will be focusing on doing what we can to fund more places and further widen access.

OJ COMMITTEE 2019 The OJ Committee represents the interests of OJs within the School, providing advice on events and feedback to help St John’s improve links with the OJ community. The committee meets twice a year, usually in October and March.

Anthony Airey Surrey 1972

David Birchmore East 2000

Mark Cooper Chairman Churchill 1995

Patrick Gardner Surrey 1959

Jamie Calder North 1996

Andy Farrant North 1982

Viv Jemmett

Phoebe Fielding Haslewood 2012

Jasper Lloyd

West 2005

Ted Caplan

Churchill 2011

Churchill 1988

Emma Charles South 2009

Richard Francis Churchill 1957

Olly Metcalfe Churchill 2012

Patrick Noble Staff 1975-2016

Find Out More If you would like more information about the ways you can support St John’s, from leaving a legacy to the School to joining an OJ club or becoming an OJ Committee member, please contact the Development Office on 01372 385 450 or email development@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk

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Andy Peake West 1961

Ed Sanderson East 1999

Peter Thorne Surrey 1962

Bryony Williams South 2005

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St Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School T +44 (0)1372 373000 school@stjohns.surrey.sch.uk stjohnsleatherhead.co.uk Registered Charity No: 312064

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