34 minute read
Briefings
David Herman (1973-75) remembers Peter Thomson (History Department 1961-84, Surmaster 1976-84)
I first met Peter Thomson in 1973. I had just arrived at St Paul’s. I knew no one and found sanctuary in the History Library. There were three things he found ridiculous about me: 1) I was not a Medievalist. 2) I had never played rugby. 3) I knew no Latin. After he discovered that, every time he passed me in the corridor, Peter would come out with some Latin tag about health and fitness. I would smile inanely but typically I missed the joke. What I realised, years later, was that he knew why I was spending so much time in the History Library and made time to come and chat regularly.
These conversations were fascinating. Peter talked to me of the great historians. He described a Miltonic world of hierarchies and angels, archangels and sub-angels. Near the top were the great medieval historians of his day, each name accompanied by much rubbing of hands and intakes of breath with an increase of volume when he got to the name denoting tremendous approval: ‘the great [Walter] Ullmann’, ‘the eminent [Karl] Leyser’, ‘R [pause] W [great emphasis on the W] Southern.’
Then there were the curators from the great museums, either Old Paulines or fathers of brilliant sons at the school: JB Trapp at the Warburg, Ayers and Kaufmann at the V&A. Then, only a little below the great historians and curators, came Old Paulines who now taught history at Oxbridge (with great emphasis on the title): Dr [now Professor] Abulafia, Dr Patrick Zutshi, and so on...
Finally, there were the great High Masters, especially TEB Howarth. Howarth had not only written books on 19th century French history, but he had made history, working at Monty’s side during the war, but – ultimate accolade – he could walk into any classroom in the school and teach the class: ‘Latin, Greek, History, of course, English Literature and French.’
But besides this Miltonic world was a more Dickensian world – equally cherished – of great characters. Peter always had time for larger-thanlife pupils. He once observed Lloyd Dorfman writing his Latin translation paper for Oxbridge entrance. ‘How did it go, Lloyd?’ he asked. ‘Well, Mr Thomson,’ Dorfman replied, ‘Unless Father buys me a college, I don’t think it’s going to happen.’ Gales of laughter. No one was more delighted than PFT by Sir Lloyd Dorfman’s success in later years.
Or Lord Alexander Rufus-Isaacs who applied to study History at Oriel. His mother, the Marchioness of Reading, was concerned he might not get in. Perhaps if there was a problem, she should go to see the Admissions Tutor at the college? ‘Madam,’ Peter said, ‘the gates of Oriel will be closed for Christmas.’ ‘Mr. Thomson,’ the redoubtable Marchioness told him, ‘The gates of Oriel will open for me.’
The greatest character of all was still to come. In later years, at the Harrodian, Peter had dealings with a parent (and grandparent), ‘Sir [pause] (voice assumes very reverential tones) Mick’. Over numerous lunches he never said Mick Jagger. Always ‘Sir Mick’.
Peter was passionate about art, from Byzantium and medieval architecture to Van Gogh. In later years, we would regularly go to exhibitions at The Royal Academy together. He also read deeply and widely. On his sickbed he read Michael Frayn and Simon Raven (‘clever but nasty’). Apparently, Hemingway got him reading at 14 (‘very much an active man for active boys’) but it was English writers who mattered most.
Pauline Vodka
I knew he was a great teacher even though he never taught me. I knew because of his values: his passion for scholarship, his decency, generosity, loyalty. The night before my Cambridge Entrance exams, Peter phoned. There was the familiar voice. ‘Fizz not Biz,’ he boomed. That was all.
A good teacher transmits skills and knowledge. A great teacher like Peter does two more things. First, he or she embodies a world of learning. They bring to life a sense that there are these great figures out there, a canon stretching back years, which boys can aspire to be part of, can contribute to. Great books, great scholarship, a tremendous world of learning.
Second, great teachers understand that a teacher, a department, a History Library, can offer a home for boys in need of one, a safe place from which to explore history, literature, culture. There was tremendous solidity about Peter, something grand that I sensed when I first met him almost fifty years ago. But there was also a sense that he knew something of damage and could speak to that with great generosity and compassion.
Two final images. Over the last months we started to exchange books. I sent him Tony Judt’s book of essays about history. He sent me Michael Frayn’s memoir of his father. Only after Peter died, did I realise something about this exchange. Both books include wonderful chapters about great teachers from their schooldays but Frayn’s book is also about what makes a good man.
On a trip to the RA, Peter told me how he had been to Merton to see one of his best former students, who was now writing about Merton Chapel’s stained glass. Peter told me how brilliantly this student had spoken and he described this with such pride, with such great happiness, hands still, voice measured. His eyes shone. He and I both knew that the road to this learning had not always been easy for this pupil, now an outstanding scholar, and that Peter’s pride was not just about respect for this former pupil’s learning but for how he had overcome those problems and achieved so much. This humanity is what made Peter such a great teacher.
If there is one thing I could tell a group of Paulines now, it would be this: If you are lucky enough to meet such a teacher, don’t be stupid enough to lose touch. After the last school exam is over, the real learning begins, hopefully, for many years. That is the most important history lesson Peter taught me. David Herman spoke at Peter Thomson’s memorial service on 11 June 2011
Dima Deinega (2002-07) has launched a Ukrainian vodka brand, Dima’s with the hope of showcasing Ukraine and its vibrant culture as well as shining a spotlight on Ukrainian vodka production.
There is also some history to his interest in the Ukrainian spirit: his father owns the oldest pub in Ukraine – O’Briens, an Irish pub in Kyiv – and so, he says, vodka was never far away at home. Since the war in Ukraine began, the company has driven a concerted effort into fundraising as much as possible for Ukraine. This has been made possible through the sales of a range of bottled cocktails, £5 from every vodka bottle sale going to Ukraine, and fundraising events and auctions. The charities which Dima’s has supported include: First Aid Kits for Ukraine and Donate to support Ukraine as well as the #CookforUkraine initiative.
Dima hopes to demonstrate to consumers the idea that vodka can be sippable, flavourful and incredibly smooth, as well as adding a flavour profile to cocktails. He wants to distance good quality vodka from the preconception of a bland, neutral white spirit. He suggests serving Dima’s vodka alongside pickles when drinking the spirit straight. Not only, he says, is this how vodka is always served in Ukraine, but it also provides a delicious acidic taste and texture.
Dima’s has gained international recognition, having won a gold award in the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), as well as Gold in the World Vodka Awards. Those attending the 150th Anniversary Dinner at The Tabernacle in June were able to sample the award-winning flavour of Dima’s.
Pauline Philanthropy
Thomas Gresham, the Pauline and Mercer who keeps on giving
Founded in 2017 by four of our Upper Eighth pupils, the Thomas Gresham Award is a wholly pupil-led appeal, fundraising to provide a 100% bursary for the highest performing boy at 11+ who needs financial support.
Thomas Gresham
The award is named after Sir Thomas Gresham (1531-37) who funded and founded the London Royal Exchange and was a financier to King Edward VI, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I. His father and uncle, both also Mercers were Lord Mayors of London. Thomas endowed Gresham College at which he stipulated that seven professors should read lectures, one each day of the week, in astronomy, geometry, physic, law, divinity, rhetoric and music. It was London’s first institution of higher learning opening in 1597. The College remained in Gresham's mansion on Bishopsgate until 1768. Since 1991, the College has operated at Barnard’s Inn Hall in Holborn. The College regularly welcomes visiting speakers who deliver lectures on topics outside its usual range, and it also hosts seminars and conferences. There are over 140 lectures a year, all of which are free and open to the public.
In 2017/2018 the founding committee of Upper Eighth Paulines exceeded all expectations by raising enough funds to cover almost two years’ education for an incoming St Paul’s Juniors pupil and subsequent teams have continued their legacy. Last year’s 2020-21 committee faced the challenges of fundraising in a virtual world. Still their sense of adventure and creativity led to a successful virtual quiz night, a readathon in the Junior School and running the on-site activities for Giving Day, finishing the year in style with the first Thomas Gresham Appeal Mufti Day. The committee raised approaching £38,000 which brings the donations to the Thomas Gresham Bursary Award to nearly £150,000. Two Bursary Award recipients are now attending School.
Gresham College, 1740
Pauline Politics
From Steerpike in The Spectator on 21 July and republished with permission
The One Nation brigade were out in force last night and Tom Tugendhat (1986-91) was the talk of the town…. It was another Tory politician who stole the show at Tugendhat's event, delivering a witty, self-deprecating speech that made some (well-received) barbs at the Tonbridge MP's expense.
Lord Vaizey (1981-85), the former culture minister and diehard Cameroon, enjoyed ribbing his fellow Old Pauline at the Tories in Comms event, telling the assembled crowd:
“What Tom didn’t say is we went to the same school. We went to a school called St Paul’s and I’m now actually head of the St Paul’s alumni association and I’m on the governing body of the school. The great thing about Tom is that every time I ask Tom to come back to the school and do something for us, help us raise money for bursaries, Tom always says no. That’s really how our relationship works, and I was obviously amazed that Tom made it onto the ballot to be the leader of the Conservative party and Prime Minister but obviously, since we have this school connection, I immediately endorsed Rishi Sunak”.
Cue laughter all around. Still, Vaizey did have the good grace to poke fun at himself at the event, regaling the audience with the tale of his dismissal in 2016. As a loyal ally of David Cameron and signed-up member of the Notting Hill set, the Old Pauline was one of the first to be dismissed after Theresa May moved into No. 10:
“I was actually the longest serving minister in the Cameron government because Theresa May, for some reason, decided to fire George Osborne (1984-89) and others before she got round to firing me. And I was responsible for culture, I was responsible for film, video games, television and creative industries. I was also responsible for broadband rollout, mobile phone coverage, the rollout of 4G. And I don’t know if you have ever been fired by a Prime Minister – looking around the room, probably quite a few of you have. Tom is yet to be fired by a Prime Minister because he’s never had a government job. I remember it vividly because I was in my constituency, and I got a call on my mobile phone. I was driving at the time and in between stroking the dog, steering with my knees, holding the phone to my ear, they said this is 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister is going to call you in 15 minutes. And I knew what was coming – although the world of hope does triumph over experience and I thought “Maybe she’s going to make me Chancellor of the Exchequer”. As I drove off, I realised that I had lost my mobile phone signal, so it took the Prime Minister an additional 15 minutes to get through to me to eventually fire me and I reflected that thanks to me doing my job so badly in terms of rural mobile broadband coverage, I served an extra 15 minutes as the longest serving telecoms minister”.
More Pauline Politics
The news that Geoffrey Samuel (1944-49) is now the only Conservative Councillor on Richmond upon Thames Council has prompted Serge Lourie (1959-64) to contact Atrium about three OPs who were part of the Liberal Democrat administration on the Council between 1983 and 2010.
David Cornwell (1954-58) was a councillor for Barnes and East Twickenham for all but two years between 1976 and 2002. He was the Mayor in 1986/87 and then chaired major committees: Social Services from 1987 to 1994; Education from 1994 to 1999; and then Scrutiny from 1999 to 2002. He also held a number of important external positions most notably chairing the board of Richmond Theatre.
Tim Razzall (1957-62), who was Captain of cricket and Captain of School, was a Mortlake Councillor from 1974 to 1998, Deputy Leader of Council and Chair of Policy and resources from 1983 until succeeded by Serge Lourie in 1997/8. He became a peer in 1997 and was very involved in national politics as the Treasurer of the Liberal Democrats.
Serge Lourie (1959-64) served as a councillor for Kew from 1982 to 2010 initially as a Social Democrat. From 1983 to 1986, he was Deputy Chair to Tim on the Policy and Resources Committee, and the Chair of Scrutiny. He then had a variety of roles before succeeding Tim in 1997/8 as Deputy Leader and becoming Leader of the Council (2001-02); Leader of the Opposition (2002-06); and then Council Leader again (2006-10). Before this he was a Labour member of Westminster City Council (1971-74) and the Greater London Council (1973-77), where he was Vice Chair of Finance. In that capacity, he signed off the purchase of the old school site in West Kensington when it was acquired by the GLC and Inner London Education Authority. Serge has now retired but fills his time by organising walks for older people and running three or four times a week including a marathon every decade.
Serge Lourie
Pauline Angels
Tom Adeyoola (1990-95) has set up Capital Angel Network. CAN is an angel investor network made-up of alumni from St Paul’s Girls’ School, St Paul’s School, Hammersmith Academy and other local state schools.
CAN will offer founders, alumni or not, access to a network of engaged investors, who are open to providing seed, early-stage or growth capital. These angels will in turn, pledge to donate up to 20% of related proceeds to support the founding mission of the schools that educated them creating bursaries and opportunities for children no matter their background.
The overriding goal of CAN is to build a virtuous flow of new capital between alumni, businesses and schools to fuel growth and expand access.
Any business, new or existing, will be welcome to pitch CAN members, so long as they can commit to clear diversity, ethics, inclusion, and sustainability criteria.
If you would like to contact Tom regarding the CAN, please email him via AdeyoolaT@stpaulsschool.org.uk
Tom Adeyoola
Pauline Books
Julian Manyon (1964-67) Kidnapped by the Junta
TV journalist Julian Manyon digs down into Argentina's 'Dirty War' and its effect on the Falklands conflict.
On May 12th, 1982, after the first bloody exchanges of the Falklands War, journalist Julian Manyon and his TV crew were kidnapped on the streets of Buenos Aires and put through a traumatic mock execution by the secret police. Less than eight hours later they were invited to the Presidential Palace to film a worldexclusive interview with an apologetic President Galtieri, the dictator and head of the Argentine Junta.
Spurred on by the recent release of declassified CIA documents about Argentina's 'Dirty War', Manyon discovered that his kidnapper was a key figure in the Junta's bloody struggle against left-wing opposition, with a terrifying record of torture and murder. Also in the secret documents were details of the wider picture – the turmoil inside the Junta as the war with Britain got under way, and how Argentina succeeded in acquiring vital US military equipment which made its war effort possible.
Published on the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict, this book is an extraordinary insight into the war behind the war. Manyon provides a harrowing depiction of the campaign of terror that the Junta waged on its own population, and a new perspective on an episode of history more often centred on Mrs Thatcher, the Belgrano and the battle of Goose Green.
Gideon Rachman (1976-80) The Age of The Strongman: How the Cult of the Leader Threatens Democracy around the World
Gideon Rachman is the Chief Foreign Affairs columnist for the Financial Times.
Since the beginning of the millennium, when Vladimir Putin took power in Russia, authoritarian leaders have come to dominate global politics. Self-styled strongmen have risen to power in Moscow, Beijing, Delhi, Brasilia, Budapest, Ankara, Riyadh and Washington. Everywhere they go, from Putin, Trump and Bolsonaro to Erdogan, Xi and Modi, these leaders encourage a cult of personality. They are nationalists and social conservatives, with little tolerance for minorities, dissent or the interests of foreigners. At home, they claim to stand up for ordinary people against globalist elites; abroad, they posture as the embodiments of their nations. And they are not just operating in authoritarian political systems but have begun to emerge in the heartlands of liberal democracy.
The Age of The Strongmen has been critically acclaimed.
“Timely, laser-sharp and unsettling. In telling us about strongmen who dominate politics around the world, Gideon Rachman paints a picture that is at turns illuminating and terrifying. A must read”. Peter Frankopan, author of The New Silk Roads. “Solidly constructed, engaging and factually sound. The Age of The Strongman is a penetrating distillation of the essential ingredients of the strongman that effectively demonstrates a worrying commonality between wildly different personalities and circumstances” Alex Younger in the Financial Times.
Pauline Books
Alex Frith (1991-96) Two Heads
This graphic novel is about how the brain works. Most of the science in the book is based on decades of research by Alex’s parents, professors Uta and Chris Frith. Alex wrote the book based on various lectures and conversations with them. In Two Heads, their distinguished careers serve as a prism through which they share the compelling story of the birth of neuroscience and their paradigm-shifting discoveries across areas as wide-ranging as autism and schizophrenia research, and new frontiers of social cognition including diversity, prejudice, confidence, collaboration and empathy.
Neuroscientific research is now focused on the fact we are a social species, whose brains have evolved to work cooperatively. What happens when people gather in groups? How do people behave when they are in pairs – either pitted against each other or working together? Is it better to surround yourself with people who are similar to yourself, or different? And are two heads really better than one?
It was illustrated by Daniel Locke, an artist based in Brighton.
Two Heads was selected by the Guardian as April 2022’s Graphic Novel of the Month.
It is described as: “Charming and addictively accessible” by Steven Pinker and “Original, authoritative and beautiful” by Brian Cox.
Jonathan Sandler (1992-97) The English GI
Jonathan Sandler has produced a graphic novel of his grandfather’s WWII adventure.
In September 1939, Britain declares war on Germany. Bernard Sandler, a 17-year-old schoolboy from Yorkshire, is on a school trip to the United States and consequently finds himself unable to return home, separated from his close-knit Jewish family in Britain.
Stranded in cosmopolitan New York for an unknown duration, he must grow up quickly. He discovers the pleasures and excitement of Broadway theatre and jazz while developing his own social circle at New York University. But just as he finds his independence, the United States declares war in December 1941, which changes his life once again. Bernard is drafted into the United States Army, joining the 26th Infantry “Yankee” Division. Eventually, he returns to Europe, serving on the front lines alongside General Patton’s Third Army during the brutal Lorraine Campaign in Northern France in the fall of 1944.
The English GI also follows the remarkable story of Bernard's family in England, and the fate of his wider family in Latvia.
Matthew Stadlen (1993-98) How to See Birds: An Enthusiast's Guide
Matthew is a journalist, author, presenter and photographer.
When we see a bird, do we actually notice it? Many of us don't. But in Britain, there are more than a million members of the RSPB and, thanks to social media, there is also a growing number of bird photographers. From the giant raptors of our skies to the sweetest singing garden robin, from the streets of London to the Masai Mara, How to See Birds offers us the key to a thrilling world. Using his photographs as a guide, Matthew takes us on a very personal birdwatching journey and in the process, helps us to see birds – to really see birds. The book also includes a foreword by Martin Harper who is Global Conservation Director of the RSPB.
K R Redford and W M Adams (1968-72) Strange Natures: Conservation in the Era of Synthetic Biology
Bill Adams is Emeritus Moran Chair of Conservation and Development at the University of Cambridge.
Conservation scientist Kent Redford and geographer Bill Adams turn to synthetic biology, ecological restoration, political ecology, and de-extinction studies and propose a thoroughly innovative vision for protecting nature.
Nature almost everywhere survives on human terms. The distinction between what is natural and what is human-made, which has informed conservation for centuries, has become blurred. When scientists can reshape genes more or less at will, what does it mean to conserve nature?
The tools of synthetic biology are changing the way we answer that question. Gene editing technology is already transforming the agriculture and biotechnology industries. What happens if synthetic biology is also used in conservation to control invasive species, fight wildlife disease, or even bring extinct species back from the dead?
“What is natural and what is artificial in the era of the Anthropocene? This is the core question addressed by Kent Redford and Bill Adams’ book. It is impressive how the book manages to be so rich in perspectives on such a complex and controversial phenomenon, yet so cautiously and open-mindedly written that it invites contemplation and reflection rather than hasty conclusions.” Adam Wickberg, Global Environmental Politics.
Toby Green (1987-92) The Covid Consensus: The New Politics of Global Inequality
Why does Western pandemic policy have support across the political spectrum, when its social impacts conflict with ideology on both right and left?
During the pandemic, the Left has agreed that 'following the science' with hard lockdowns is the best way to preserve life; only irresponsible right-wing populists oppose them. But social science shows that while the rich have got richer, those suffering most under lockdown are the already disadvantaged: the poor, the young, and – most overlooked of all – the Global South. The UN is predicting tens of millions of deaths from hunger and warning that decades of development are being reversed. Equally, why have conservatives backed lockdowns and other major interventions, creating the big state that they usually abhor?
These contradictions within the great consensus of Western pandemic response are part of a broader crisis in Western thought. Toby Green peels back the policy paradoxes to reveal irreconcilable beliefs in our societies. These deep divisions are now bursting into the open, with devastating consequences for the global poor.
The Covid Consensus has received excellent reviews and follows on from the success of A Fistful of Shells, winner of the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding 2019 and shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize and the Pius Adesanmi Memorial Award. Simon Jenkins commented, “an excellent book at a critical time” and the London Review of Books wrote “a bracing polemic”.
Pauline Books
Alex Paseau (1988-93) One True Logic
Alex Paseau is the Stuart Hampshire Fellow at Wadham College and Professor of Mathematical Philosophy at the University of Oxford. Author of more than 50 research articles and reviews, he has also edited the 5-volume anthology Philosophy of Mathematics and co-edited the collection Mathematical Knowledge. The co-author is Owen Griffiths, Lecturer in Philosophy, UCL and University of Cambridge.
Logical monism is the claim that there is a single correct logic, the 'one true logic' of the title. The view has evident appeal, as it reflects assumptions made in ordinary reasoning as well as in mathematics, the sciences, and the law. In all these spheres, we tend to believe that there are determinate facts about the validity of arguments. Despite its evident appeal, however, logical monism must meet two challenges. The first is the challenge from logical pluralism, according to which there is more than one correct logic. The second challenge is to determine which form of logical monism is the correct one.
One True Logic is the first monograph to articulate explicitly a version of logical monism and defend it against the first challenge. It provides a critical overview of the monism vs pluralism debate and argues for the former. It also responds to the second challenge by defending a particular monism, based on a highly infinitary logic. It breaks new ground on a number of fronts and unifies disparate discussions in the philosophical and logical literature. In particular, it generalises the TarskiSher criterion of logicality, provides a novel defence of this generalisation, offers a clear new argument for the logicality of infinitary logic and replies to recent pluralist arguments.
Sir Nigel Thompson (1952-55) The Architect's Engineer:
Memoir of a Life in Building Engineering and Restorative Development
Nigel Thompson walked to school around the bomb craters of the London Blitz – it made him want to build things, rather than knock them down. After studying structural engineering in Africa, he worked on hospitals and theatres in London, and later headed the team that designed the University of Qatar. He went on to design Embankment Place, a massive office complex built over London's Charing Cross railway station. Turning from building to rebuilding, he explored construction opportunities for British firms during the Gulf War, in Kuwait's still-burning oil fields. Following the 1999 bombing of Serbia and Kosovo, he led a reconstruction task force in Kosovo at the request of Tony Blair, for which he was knighted. Thompson's memoir details his long career in architectural design and construction, and in restorative development.
Nigel has been a governor at St Paul’s, is a past President of the Old Pauline Club and is a member of the Advisory Council.
The past two decades have witnessed sluggish economic growth, mounting inequality, dysfunctional competition, and a host of other ills that have left people wondering what has happened to the future they were promised. Restarting the Future reveals how these problems arise from a failure to develop the institutions demanded by an economy now reliant on intangible capital such as ideas, relationships, brands, and knowledge.
Jonathan Haskel and Stian Westlake argue that the great economic disappointment of the century is the result of an incomplete transition from an economy based on physical capital, and show how the vital institutions that underpin our economy remain geared to an outmoded way of doing business. The growth of intangible investment has slowed significantly in recent years, making the world poorer, less fair, and more vulnerable to existential threats. Haskel and Westlake present exciting new ideas to help us catch up with the intangible revolution, offering a road map for how to finance businesses, improve our cities, fund more science and research, reform monetary policy, and reshape intellectual property rules for the better.
Drawing on Haskel and Westlake’s experience at the forefront of finance and economic policy-making, Restarting the Future sets out a host of radical but practical solutions that can lead us into the future.
Graham Seel (History Department 2012-21) Scholars and Soldiers
In the Summer Term of 2020 Graham Seel was the recipient of a sabbatical. This was granted to him by the Governors and High Master to provide opportunity for research into the 490 – actually, 511 – OPs who fell in the First World War. Following his retirement, Graham has reached a point where his research has progressed sufficiently for it to be shared. The material amounts to two volumes, each of which carries the main title ‘Scholars and Soldiers’. It is Graham’s intention to add in due course a third volume composed entirely of maps and present-day photographs of relevant parts of the Western Front.
The purpose of Volume 1 (‘Scholars and Soldiers Service and Commemoration’) is threefold: 1) to recognise the number of OPs who fought in the 1st World War and to comprehend their reasons for so doing; 2) to identify, quantify and reveal the stories of OPs who served in the war, 511 of whom fell; and 3) to provide a record of the activities and enterprises undertaken by the School to ensure that these OPs are not forgotten. Volume 2 (‘Scholars and Soldiers the Ypres Salient and the 93’) identifies OPs who fell in the Ypres Salient and uncovers their stories. This volume thus provides a detailed case study of the 1st World War in the Ypres Sector 1914-1918, described through the experiences of OPs.
Graham has not yet decided how best to make available this material. His ambition is to make known its existence, to ensure it is freely accessible and in due course that it assumes an electronic presence of some sort. The Alumni Newsletter will keep readers in touch on how this will be done in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday.
Pauline Appointments
Sir Mene Pangalos (1980-85) has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Mene has made outstanding contributions to drug discovery and life science across multiple pharmaceutical companies; leading scientific and cultural R&D transformation, pioneering privatepublic partnerships, developing new scientific talent and guiding UK life science strategy. He led the partnership with Oxford University in developing the COVID-19 vaccine.
Sir Lloyd Dorfman (1965-70) has been appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) for services to the Prince's Trust.
Sir Lloyd has also been appointed Chair of the Royal Opera House Board of Trustees. He has been Chairman of Doddle since 2014, and in addition is Chairman of Dorfman Media Holdings, Trustee of BAFTA and Trustee of the Royal Academy Trust, Deputy Chairman of the Community Security Trust, and Trustee of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation. He founded the Travelex Group, the world’s largest retailer of foreign exchange, in 1976 and sold the company in 2015. He was Chair of Prince’s Trust International from 2015 to 2021, and of the Prince’s Trust from 2015 to 2018.
Dr Shamil Chandaria (1979-83) has been awarded an OBE for services to Science and Technology, to Finance and to Philanthropy.
Orlando Fraser (1980-84) has been appointed chairman of the Charity Commission despite the House of Commons Culture Select Committee not endorsing his appointment. The text of Question 79 of his pre-appointment Select Committee hearing suggests why:
Dr Huq (Lab, Ealing Cen and Acton): Final quickie from me: the version of the CV that we were supplied with did not say anything about whether you had been to school or university. We are all employers here – we look for that kind of thing. Just out of interest, and for the record, can you tell us where you went to school and university? It may be interesting, on the question of same old, same old.
Orlando Fraser: I do not know whether it will be interesting for the committee and I do not know whether it is a matter of private life. Chair, would you like that information?
Chair, Julian Knight (C, Solihull): I think it is probably on Wikipedia.
Dr Huq: I have been looking; it is not on Wikipedia. Tell us! It is not a state secret.
Chair: If you wish to name your school and university, that is fine. If you don't want to, that is not a problem either. Orlando Fraser: No, I am very happy to say. I went to St Paul's School, which is an independent day school in west London, and I went on to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.
Quentin Letts in The Times on April 1st, 2022 captures the hearing elegantly. “For a body entrusted with defending free speech, the Culture Committee is not wildly tolerant. Its MPs (and, from the look of his nodding yesterday, its clerk) obsess about identity politics and diversity targets. Candidates for quango seats must be woke. If you fail to be from some minority, the committee is displeased. This happened recently to Orlando Fraser QC, proposed new chairman of the Charity Commission. He performed superbly at a hearing, but the committee refused to endorse him because he was the wrong colour and background. Fraser was probably a victim of a petty spat between the committee’s publicity-prone chairman, Julian Knight (C, Solihull), and the culture secretary. John Nicolson (SNP, Ochil & South Perthshire), who seldom extracts his head from the sphincter of Twitter, by the way, is a white Ivy-Leaguer. Giles Watling (C, Clacton), who banged on about diversity, was wearing a Garrick tie. Kevin Brennan (Lab, Cardiff West), another grievance-jockey, is a former Oxford Union president.”
Pauline Remembered
Nicholas Parsons CBE (1937-39), Memorial Service
Pauline Gallantry
Paul Ganjou (1960-65) attended a Memorial Service held on 7th April at St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden (The Actors’ Church) to honour Nicholas Parsons, who was one of the country’s most successful and best-loved entertainers in a unique career spanning seven decades. He shares some highlights of the service, the after party and his memories of Nicholas.
Fascinating eulogies and tributes were given by Giles Brandreth, Esther Rantzen, Sheila Hancock, Angela Rippon, Paul Merton, the Rev Roger Royle and Nicholas’ son, Justin – and St Paul’s and Colet Court were mentioned several times.
Many anecdotes were told about his 75-year career, including hosting two of the most successful and best loved shows of any era – Sale of The Century and more recently, Just a Minute. Paul Merton said that Parsons was known everywhere because of it – everywhere, that is, apart from Broadcasting House. Near the end of his life, he was stopped in the foyer by a BBC security guard. “Are you here for Just a Minute?” he asked. Parsons nodded. “Well, the queue starts outside round the corner, mate” the guard told him. Merton said that his longevity was a marvel – “he was the only star still working who was mentioned in the Bible”, he said. “He did the cabaret at the Last Supper. It was a tough crowd.”
It was an extremely moving and uplifting service and at the end, there was a Just a Minute standing ovation in heartfelt recognition of the wonderful life of this remarkable man, who had helped so many people in the multitude of charities he supported, as well as in show business.
There was a party in the church gardens’ marquee afterwards with a ‘Celebratory’ dress code. I knew Nicholas quite well, not only as an OP, but also as a Companion Water Rat (the show-business charity and Nicholas was a Past King Rat). I therefore wore an OP blazer, knowing that Nicholas was particularly fond of blazers and very proud of his long association with the School.
I interviewed Nicholas for an article for Atrium in 2019 and discovered that, although I was at St Paul’s 21 years after him, we shared memories of at least three masters – Bo Langham and boxing’s Bill Williams and Buster Reed. There was much mingling and reminiscing amongst the 200 odd guests which included many wellknown faces including Lee Mack, Stephen Fry, Tim Rice, Jess Conrad, and Martyn Lewis. To my surprise, there was also another guest wearing an OP blazer: Richard J Muir (1966-72) and we duly swapped notes. Richard had got to know Nicholas and his family quite well through the SPS Benefactors scheme – and although photography was not encouraged, we managed to sneak a surreptitious OPC snap.
A memorial plaque to Nicholas now graces the wall of the Actors’ Church, alongside many of other greats and national treasures, including Sir Noël Coward, Sir Charlie Chaplin, Dame Diana Rigg, Vivien Leigh, Sir Terence Rattigan, Boris Karloff, Ivor Novello, Stanley Holloway, Laurence Harvey and Thomas Arne (Rule Britannia).
Brigadier the Rev Charles “John” Harris (1910-13) is among the Paulines who fought through both world wars. He took part in one of the last cavalry charges on horses at the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917. Cambrai is one of the few battles where both tanks and horses were seen in action on the same day.
Harris left School in 1913 joining the Anglo-Mexican oil company, Tampico. On the outbreak of war, he returned to England and enlisted in the Artists Rifles. After being commissioned, he joined the 2nd Lancers, seeing action in France and Palestine. In peace time he remained in the army serving in Poona where he excelled at polo and pig-sticking and where he shot a bear and a tiger. Further Indian postings between the wars were in Simla, Delhi and Quetta where he served under Montgomery (1902-06).
On the outbreak of the Second World War, he was on leave in Devon but immediately returned to India. In June 1941 he took command of the 2nd Lancers with orders to take the regiment to Egypt where he was appointed commander of the Desert Brigade. He was mentioned in despatches in defeat at Bir Hacheim, later in the war he joined General Slim’s 14th Army HQ in West Bengal but after contracting pneumonia and malaria he was evacuated to England on a cargo ship carrying onions.
He left the Army in 1946 and after studying at Ridley Hall was ordained, becoming a curate and a prison chaplain in Dorchester. In 1950 he took up the living of Burbage in Wiltshire. In the mid 1960s, he retired to Kent and despite having both hips replaced, Harris continued to take services and to ride. His final ambition was to be photographed on a horse in uniform on his 100th birthday. A horse had been acquired but he died six days short of the great day.
