OT Magazine 2021

OT Magazine JULY 2021

VOLUME 03

Celebrating 50 Years

Spotlighting OTs

Jonathan Smith Reflects

Photography tribute to the outstanding career of John Gibbs back to when he joined the school in September 1969

Leadership in military by Pollington and Brown, and influencing with Jeffries

Teaching at a school he never wanted to leave, all the while writing novels, radio plays and best sellers

25 YEARS SINCE THE RE-DEDICATION The Chapel of St Augustine

remains central to life at Tonbridge

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CONTENTS Dedication of the Chapel

03 Editorial

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04 James Priory – the Headmaster’s review of the year

31 The Marcussen, the Heart of the Chapel

08 From The Chalkface: Richard Evans 12

Q&A with OT President, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles

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Peter Ahrens, a post-war German student at Tonbridge School

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Fundraising at Tonbridge

16 Celebrating more than 50 years at Tonbridge, 1969-2021

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By the Fireside: Jonathan Smith Q&A with Hospice Chairman, Simon Lee

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Ice-cream entrepreneurs, the Myatt brothers

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From Tonbridge to Tutor: Setting up a business

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Then & Now – Cartoons from The Tonbridgian

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Anthony Whishaw’s Portraits & Paintings

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Saying farewell to Tonbridge

24 Tonbridge Spotlights on Old Tonbridgians

i. Ben Jeffries

ii. Seb Pollington & Tom Brown

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60 Deaths & Obituaries

EDITORIAL I OT Magazine produced by: Tonbridge Society Tonbridge School Tonbridge School TN9 1JP +44 (0) 1732 304253 e: tonbridgesociety@tonbridge-school.org w: www.tonbridgeconnect.org Director Andy Whittall andrew.whittall@tonbridge-school.org OTS Chairman Richard Hough richardhough547@gmail.com OT Relations Manager Rebecca Watson rebecca.watson@tonbridge-school.org.uk Contributors: Tara Biddle, Katerina Dimnik, Beverley Matthews, Vivienne Teckoe, David Walsh, Rebecca Watson, Yvette Young Students: Patrick Thompson (Sc5)

n a normal year we welcome many OTs from around the globe back to Tonbridge School and to Skinners’ Hall. Due to the pandemic, this past year a digital programme of events and meetings has developed, resulting in some incredibly rich relationships that we may not have otherwise made. We have opened our doors when possible, and opened our laptops when necessary, to the faces of Old Tonbridgians from those learning the ropes of a new career to those about to take retirement.

A sharing of knowledge has been the theme. We’ve heard from impressive experts in their field and from those transitioning careers.

Matt Barry (WW 06-11) moved from civil servant to starting his own tutoring business. You can read how on page 22. Charlie Myatt (FH 81-86) talks about his change of pace from criminal barrister to ice cream businessman, on page 18.

Jonathan Smith’s By the Fireside interview on page 44 highlights his teaching career and what it was like working with Headmaster at the time Michael McCrum. The school said farewell OT Andrew Edwards (Sc 73-78) who taught at Tonbridge from 1985 to 2020, read about his hard work and career on page 56. Peter Carpenter, also known as ‘Pete the Poet’, retired from Tonbridge in July 2021, after a distinguished career as English teacher and many other titles at the school. Read about his passion for the literary arts on page 55.

David Walsh has documented the history of the chapel, the rebuild and dedication service with

help from Martin Hammond who oversaw the chapel restoration back in the 1990s on page 28. Be sure to turn to page 31 for beautiful photographs and a history of the Marcussen Organ written by organist and music teacher, David Williams.

In June 2021 we reappointed Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles (PS 68-73) as our Old Tonbridgian Society President. We hope that he may be able to meet many of you at the upcoming dinner and reunion later in 2021. Hear more about his fascinating career in foreign affairs, in an exclusive interview by current pupil, Patrick Thompson (Sc5), on page 12.

OTS Chairman, Richard Hough (PH 79-84) has been actively involved in promoting our Spotlights Talks and mentoring programme. If there are any areas of our alumni engagement programme that you would like to see developed further, please contact Richard Hough directly.

My colleagues here in the Tonbridge Society team are so proud to work with the Tonbridge community and we are grateful to all those who have reached out to us over the past year sharing your time, experience, memories and stories, as you have helped tremendously in keeping our community of Old Tonbridgians connected. I hope you enjoy reading our annual OT Magazine which captures just a handful of these stories. For more news visit us online at Tonbridge Connect.

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FROM THE HEADMASTER 4

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HEADMASTER JAMES PRIORY SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON SEEING A BUSY CAMPUS ONCE MORE AND REFLECTS ON THE SCHOOL’S ACHIEVEMENTS IN RECENT TIMES

E One of the great strengths of the School is, I believe, the depth of relationships between the boys and the staff.

ver since the return of many of the boys towards the end of the Lent Term, the campus has been coming back to life. A tightly fought T20 match took place on The Head on the very first day of term, and the sense of fun, energy and purpose the boys brought to this match has been evident across our entire site since re-opening. It really does feel now as if the School community is back again.

It has also been exciting to mark a new chapter in Tonbridge’s history when Robert Elliott, the Chairman of Governors, and I announced our merger with The New Beacon Preparatory School, with effect from 31 August this year.

There has always been a strong relationship between our two schools, based on a shared ethos of outstanding teaching and learning, high-quality pastoral care, and a commitment to the development of the whole child. We believe that the merger will bring considerable benefits to Tonbridge and The New Beacon, whilst respecting our separate identities.

As the two governing bodies work together, we expect Tonbridge and The New Beacon to become aligned in terms of overall strategy. Each school, however, will retain its own teaching and support staff, its own leadership and management teams, and its own uniform and site.

As you know, Tonbridge is a determinedly selective school.

We pride ourselves on the number of different schools from which boys join us and value our relationship with a wide range of preparatory and state primary schools.

We see this development as part of a wider strategy of working closely with and supporting all our feeder prep schools to ensure a high level of continuity for those boys and their families joining us, and, importantly, in committing to the positive experience of transition at 13+.

We already welcome some 20 boys from The New Beacon every year and are pleased to secure that relationship for the future, although the merger will not guarantee places. Our rigorous recruitment process will remain the same for applicants from The New Beacon as it does for boys from other schools, all of whom we will continue to welcome and support.

Furthermore, we remain fully committed to widening access and are grateful for the generosity of many Old Tonbridgians in supporting a growing number of Foundation Awards for pupils who would otherwise be unable to attend the School.

As a result of the merger, The New Beacon will become part of the group of schools overseen by the Skinners’ Company, one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London and a major not-for-profit organisation which supports seven other schools, including Tonbridge School.

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We hope that you will welcome this news as a further strengthening of Tonbridge School.

While we have, of course, been through some very unusual circumstances in the last year, there is so much that has made me proud of the School in this time. The boys showed outstanding character and commitment in adapting to periods of online learning, and I was most impressed with the resourcefulness shown by the teaching staff who ensured that our Tonbridge Online programme delivered a high-quality, interactive experience for all.

Teachers and pupils alike have also been navigating the challenges of assessed grades following the cancellation of public examinations for the second year running. Boys studying for A level and GCSE examinations have worked very hard for their assessments this term which will contribute to the evidence on which exam boards award grades in the summer. Thanks to their efforts and the dedication of their teachers, we hope that the boys can look forward with confidence to the next stage of their educational careers.

It was also very pleasing that we managed to run a fun and inspiring programme of co-curricular activities during this time, from cookery to keep fit, and from photographic and DT competitions to virtual concerts and readings for a ‘Fireside Shakespeare in Lockdown’ film compiled by the Drama Department.

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One of the great strengths of the School is, I believe, the depth of relationships between the boys and the staff. This has been evident in the boys’ engagement not only in online lessons but in tutor group discussions, year group Chapel talks and services and House activities and competitions, wherever they were in the world.

A proud moment for me was in witnessing the incredible response to our Laptop Appeal. The entire School community, including OTs, parents and staff, showed great generosity in quickly raising more than £40,000, and we also saw donations of IT equipment, including iPads, smartphones and headphones. We were able to donate more than 130 laptops to young people from the local area who otherwise simply wouldn’t have been able to access online learning at such a crucial time. I am extremely grateful to everyone who lent their support to the appeal.

There have been many successes this year among our OTs. England batting star Zak Crawley (WH 11-16) has recently been named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. We have seen Freddie de Tommaso (WH 06-11) debut at No.1 in the Official Classical Artist Albums Chart with his album Passione.

In December the Sandhurst Sword of Honour was awarded to Old Tonbridgian Tom Brown (PH 09-14). We have been entertained by many of our OTs throughout periods of lockdown, with viral comedy from Will Hislop (WH 06-11) and Tom Chaplin (HS 92-97) who

partnered with TV star Matt Lucas to release a comedy single to raise money for NHS workers.

The Tonbridge Society team have been busy organising a series of talks over the past year to provide the community with opportunities to connect, to learn and be inspired. We heard how the Bank of England is responding to the joint challenges of Brexit and Covid-19 with Simon Hall (WW 84-89). James Riley (Sc 74-78) gave an insight into his busy life as CEO of luxury hotel group, Mandarin Oriental, to name just a few.

Our speakers have been received so positively by the community, I encourage those of you who haven’t yet tuned into a ‘Spotlights’ talk to do so over the coming months, or to visit our Tonbridge Talks page on Tonbridge Connect where you will find recordings to watch at your own leisure. I want to extend my personal thanks to all those OTs who have so generously given their time as speakers and who have helped provide a careers programme which genuinely sparks the imaginations of our current pupils.

As I write, we are looking forward to our inaugural Giving Day and the opportunity this event will provide to support our expanding Foundation Award programme and to celebrate the educational and community partnerships define so much of what we do as a school. It has been encouraging to see the strength of support we are already receiving, and we will be excited to share more news in the weeks and months ahead.

May I end by sending my very best wishes to you and your families, and by thanking the OT community once more for your support and messages of encouragement, which are always appreciated. After a long and challenging national lockdown throughout much of the winter, I hope that we can all truly enjoy a ‘glorious summer’, to borrow a phrase from William Shakespeare.

Please also reach out to us via Tonbridge Connect if we can help you, if you can offer help to others, or if you have a story to share. As always, we look forward to hearing from you ●

James Priory

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FROM THE CHALK FACE 8

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RICHARD EVANS, HOUSEMASTER OF WELLDON HOUSE, AND TEACHER OF ENGLISH, REFLECTS ON THE LAST YEAR OF LESSONS LEARNT AND MOMENTS MISSED WHILE TEACHING THROUGH THE COMPUTER SCREEN.

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he sun is actually shining on the first day of the summer term, and all around are the familiar sights, sounds and smells of Tonbridge: the opening pair look a little wobbly against Halileybury; Jamie Lawson is barking at the sprinters on the Athletics track; housemasters are nagging boys to tuck their shirts in and as if to complete a perfect vignette, there goes Gibbo on his bike, dropping past to chat to the boys on the boundary of the Head, before, I suspect, nipping down to Waitrose who have an especially good offer on sherry this week. In so many ways the extraordinary events of the past year are hard to make out on a day as good as this. But what has lock-down been like from the ‘chalk face’?

Liberating might not be the answer you are expecting, and it was certainly not what was running through my mind as I attempted to teach my Lower Sixth contemporary poetry for the first time ‘remotely’ with horrendous feedback through the speakers, garbled responses, and painful pauses in conversation. A year on, the process has forced even teaching dinosaurs like myself to radically improve my teaching resources, to learn totally new strategies to communicate ideas, to try

out new technology in terms of marking/ collating/collecting written work and in the fresh communication of our enthusiasm as teachers for the material we work with. Did I miss that chat with the novi as they arrived, the cake lessons with the UVIth, the comradery of the mighty 5th XV (surely the strongest team at that level left in the country!), the boys messing around in the Welldon garden? Yes, painfully, but despite the grimness of the situation, the Common Room has been compelled to re-think, to renovate and to shape ourselves into something more closely in tune with what we think Tonbridge, at its best, might be.

Before more thoughts on that, let me take you through a typical day at the school, with some observations (and forgive, boarders, that this comes from perspective of a day boy). Firstly, most boys are allowed a longer lie-in: there is less traffic on the road. Of late, we ensure we have taken our lateral flow test, and entered our results like good boys on the Firefly site provided. We put our masks on before entering the house. Masks are recommended in the Common Room, but not compulsory because we are in a year-group ‘bubble’, though we must still try to retain 2m distance! Windows must be

open: some teachers are more vigorous than others in interpreting this rule, and in the case of extremists (i.e. Biology teachers) we have packed coats/scarfs/ thermal layers in order to survive a double period. Our housemaster takes our temperatures with a gun-shaped thermometer during house registration: we have noticed he aims at our forehead if he is in a good mood, or the temple if we have incurred his wrath.

Serious slackers get the ‘Candy’s dog’ treatment. We only have to attend chapel for one day each week, as this means each year-group can be appropriately spaced. We are not allowed to sing. When we walk around school, we follow the new one-way systems to avoid crowding and congestion – this is especially confusing on the maths corridors, and we suspect that Dr Jackson has done this to test our problem-solving skills.

In lessons, we sit in desks spaced apart by 2m and all facing the same way. We must sit in house groups and always in the same place: if someone tests positive, a ‘radius’ in each classroom isolates rather than an entire class. Our teachers can remove their masks at an appropriate distance, and must not walk amongst us. We submit work digitally on OneNote, not in books

We play internal matches, often as houses: these are often more competitive than against other schools. We get very, very good at touch rugby.

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Richard Evans (CR 1993 - present) outside Weldon House with his pupils, typically masked-up during the Covid pandemic.

or on paper – most of our work is marked electronically and returned to us in this form. We do not dine together as a house, but sit in staggered sittings to maintain distance. In the first phase of our return to school, we sat on one side of the dining table only and ate sandwiches: we were much happier once year-group bubbles arrived.

For games, we cannot play contact.

All fixtures (until summer term 2021) are cancelled, but we play internal matches, often as houses: these are often more competitive than against other schools.

We get very, very good at touch rugby, developed by the RFU into ‘Ready4Rugby’. To our surprise, we enjoy it. No boy at Tonbridge has run a Cras since 2019.

And that is after the physical return to school. During full lock-down lessons we taught boys all lessons, with Saturday school cancelled. Oh my goodness, the joy of a full weekend off – bliss was it in that dawn to be alive! I found myself teaching, via a screen, William Blake to 22 boys in 2P4, Paradise Lost, Edward II, Dracula, A View from the Bridge, Hamlet, The Old Man and the Sea – and to my absolute horror, on one level it actually worked. I

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suspect that, academically, the results from Tonbridge this year will be excellent – and I mean that off a very straight bat.

But the point of Tonbridge, the thing that keeps teachers here for so long, the element I hope boys carry away from the place is not defined by academic results – and that is what, above all, the experience of lock-down has taught us, because sometimes you only realise how important something is when it is taken away from you. Even in my 28th year at the school, I still can’t quite put my finger on it – and I suspect that is the point. It’s definitely about silliness and not taking yourself too seriously: I see Peter Carpenter smiling wryly or David Williams lifting one eyebrow by a millimetre. Then there is the energy: Mr Dobson in full flow on the New Testament; Andrew Edwards, volcanically, on Hamlet; Mark Forkgen drawing the orchestra to a crescendo.

It’s about an attitude. Why do we have so few last places in Athletics races?

Because we battle, even if we are last.

The best of Tonbridge is when the energy and belief of the boys is married with the skill and thoughtfulness of the staff: Chris Henshall guiding 30 novi of

all shapes, sizes and abilities to the top of Scafell Pike every year; Dave Makey getting the best out of the shy novi who is struggling in lessons; Richard Burnett (Director of Admissions and Buddhist priest) sitting quietly teaching Mindfulness in the Cricket Pavilion. That teacher understanding exactly what that boy is battling with.

These are the things I profoundly missed during lock-down.

Yes, I know that I can teach pretty much a year of GCSE or A level English via a computer screen, and do that ‘successfully’. But I want to see my UVIth dancing (badly) at the Leavers’ Ball. I want to watch the two second years walking back from tennis having a natter about nothing in particular. I want to drink coffee with my Sixth Form while reading Shakespeare. I want to sit down in Chapel and feel the whole school around me, with the sunlight breaking through the high windows. As the (rather wonderful) Simon Armitage wrote, I want to feel ‘that sense of something else. That feeling, I mean.’

Richard Evans (CR 1993 - present) ●

WHEEL OF BOOKS

At a visit to the British Museum before lockdown, Will Biddle (PH 76-81 and CR 2004-present) was struck by the ‘Wheel of Books’ installation that sat in the window of the newly refurbished bookshop.

Will's creation stands nearly seven-feet tall, contains 270 real books and looks like a literary version of one of the living, natural sculptures by British artist Andy Goldsworthy, the man who hangs circles of leaves from branches and creates free standing sculptures out of loose stones.

Having consulted with Helen Precious (Head Librarian), Will decided that the Smythe Library vestibule would be the perfect place to install a reimagined version and provide an eye-catching focal point for visitors to the library and Chan Café.

Helen was able to provide outdated and damaged books for Will to use, which fits well with the DT Department’s Upcycling activity.

The boring of the holes in the 200 books that were required took most of the Wednesday afternoons of the Michaelmas Term 2020, using a specially designed tool, and the steel tubing was rolled into a 170cm diameter hoop.

The structure and geometry of the frame was designed by Will using Computer Aided Design, with technician Chris Martin assisting with the fabrication and welding.

Dhani Lynch (FH4) assisted in the final assembly, which had to be completed ‘in situ’ as the finished piece would have been too heavy to transport.

Will Biddle (PH 76-81)

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Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles The OTS President, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles (PS 68-73), with a career of more than 30 years in the British diplomatic service, spoke to current student Patrick Thompson (Sc5), about his views on international politics and advice about entering work in the Foreign Office. Sherard was also Principal Private Secretary to the UK Foreign Secretary and Head of the Foreign Office Hong Kong Department from 1994 until the handover to China in 1997. After leaving the Foreign Office, he worked for BAE Systems as international business development director. He left BAE Systems in 2013 and is now the Group Head of Government Affairs at HSBC Bank.

PATRICK THOMPSON (SC5) Q: What do you do as an international Ambassador?

I was ambassador in three countries: Israel, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

Essentially you do two things; first you represent the interests of your own country, specifically the government, but also the people, the business, and the culture of your country - to the foreign country in which you are operating. Second, in my view almost equally important, is within the British system, you represent the interests of and explain the country to which you are accredited, to British ministers, British officials, British parliamentarians, and British media. In each of the three countries where I was ambassador part of my job was to make sure the country was understood through the British system, and to people who have a high degree of ignorance and prejudice about it. In Afghanistan, my role was slightly different in that we had a rather serious war going on at the time, with tens of thousands of British troops taking part. Part of my job there was to try and encourage ministers (not so much the Foreign Secretary who understood) but other ministers, to see that this wasn’t just a military problem.

The issues were part of a much wider political, economic, and social problem, which couldn’t be solved by pouring in

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more troops. In Israel, the interesting dimension there was dealing with the British Jewish community, making sure they understood that I was in Israel for them, as well as for Britain more generally.

Q: Speaking of the conflict in Afghanistan, why do you think the Western coalition (if I can call it that) failed?

Well, because we took on far too much without any real understanding of what it was, and because the United States is constitutionally ill-equipped to pursue this kind of venture. If you are going to stabilise a country in the state Afghanistan was in when we went in the year 2000, you need something called strategic patience. The American republic has a very short attention span, it’s very dysfunctional, it’s divided against itself, not only between parties, not only between the administration and the Congress, but within the administration. So when I was ambassador there, I saw what I had seen as a much younger diplomat in Washington, different parts of the administration fighting each other. The CIA Chief of Station in Afghanistan would go and see President Karzai without telling the American Ambassador. The American General in command, supposedly of all troops in

Afghanistan, would complain that the U.S. Marines would not take orders from him because they took orders only from the U.S. Navy. The National Security Council was at war with the Pentagon, the Pentagon was at war with the State Department, it was absolute chaos.

America had a lot of money and a lot of troops and a lot of fire power, but no real strategic sense. We went along with it because the British Army wanted to please the Americans, particularly after our performance in Basra, Iraq.

Also because the Army in particular wanted resources to prove itself against future expenditure cuts. I’m afraid it was all rather cynical and short term and not thought through, nothing approaching a comprehensive or realistic strategy.

Q: China runs a relatively authoritarian system of government.

Do you think that this type of system will eventually collapse, as happened with the Soviet Union and plenty of other authoritarian regimes throughout history.

Chinese people have suffered terribly, a century and a half of being humiliated at the hands of the West and Japan. What they fear above all is chaos. They like order, they like discipline, they are very hard-working, and they like control by their elite who have been chosen on merit. When they

look at the state of Western democracy, the mistakes that have been made; for example here over Brexit and in the United States over Trump, they don’t necessarily want a Western model of government, and the Confucian tradition is very different from ours. So I see it as very different from the former Soviet Union.

Q: Would you say that the modern Communist party are running a governmental system with roots in the Confucian System, the imperial style?

Yes, more in common than we might imagine. When some people here attack the Communist party in China, and people in America do, they forget that it is a party of over 90 million members, and is diverse with many differing points of view within it. It is a system for controlling this vast country of 1.4 billion people of imperial proportions. I was talking to a former British ambassador to China the other day and he said that, if the communist party didn’t exist, you would need some sort of organisation like that for holding this country together and running it as efficiently as you can in the interests of the people. If you talk to Chinese people today, in every family just a generation or two earlier, they experienced appalling suffering whether civil war, the cultural revolution, the warlords, the great leap forward, the Japanese, etc. What they have had over the last 20-30 years is prosperity, stability, educational enlightenment all undreamt of in any recent period of Chinese history. They are very grateful for that, and they attribute that to the wise way in which the Communist party has directed the country.

Q: In the past 4 months or so, Middle Eastern states starting with Qatar have started to recognise Israel. Why do you think that there is suddenly this larger shift in Middle East politics?

President Trump played a large part in this. I think the net outcome is that it is a very good thing. It is good for Israel and it is good for the Middle East. One of the sadnesses over the past few decades is that the creation of Israel, and animosity between Israel and its Arab neighbours,

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has meant that the traditional diaspora of Jewish people and other minorities across the Middle East has been driven out. In the 1950’s and earlier much of the cultural and commercial yeast across the Middle East came from the small Christian and Jewish communities, in places like Alexandria, Aleppo, Bagdad, Damascus or Cairo. Anything that starts to restore that can only be considered a good thing. But I am old fashioned enough to hope and wish that this can only be done in a way which gives the Palestinian people some say over ruling the land that they share with the Jewish people.

Q: How do you think that Covid and China’s role with handling it will change their position internationally?

It is a bit early to say. I think it will change their position because it has been used by the Sinophobes to stir up animosity towards China, although I think China’s record with handling the virus stands in comparison with many other countries. I am not in a position to judge the transparency at the beginning, but certainly in terms of handling the virus and the help that they have given people around the world. It has been a humbling year for the world, to see how this virus can bring economic activity to a great juddering halt in so many places, with great suffering for millions of people in many different ways. I hope that the lesson drawn from this, but perhaps won’t necessarily be drawn from it, is that international cooperation in working together to deal with the global threats we face, whether it is from climate change, lack of global governance or public health, these need to be addressed collectively and together, and that decoupling from China is the

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worst thing that could be done.

Q: What do you think the role of private business should be in politics?

Private business needs to feed its views in, politicians need to take account of the views and interests of business, but their job is to balance the interests of a particular business against the wider needs of society and the country. There needs to be a proper dialogue between government and business. It shouldn’t be an exclusive dialogue but part of a wider system of engagement between government and all the constituent parts of any society.

Things can get out of balance when there is no dialogue, as has happened for a while under one of our recent Prime Ministers where there was no engagement with business. Or if you get business being too dominant and abusing its position, particularly if you get private business owners using their money and influence to buy access to secure policies that benefit them or their businesses. As always it is a

question of seeking a balance.

Q: Where do you think the UK stands currently on that?

I think it is now better. The current Prime Minister (Boris Johnson) has opened up to dialogue with business. Once Brexit is finally behind us we will face huge challenges of the recapitalisation of British industry to pay down the debts that have been incurred to find capital for innovation and investment, and the right way to address this must be through a partnership of the kind that the Prime Minister and his ministers are promoting.

Q: What was it that made you want to go into diplomacy in the Foreign Office?

I never thought I would get into the diplomatic service, but I just knew that if I did get in, I would enjoy it. So it proved. Almost from the first day I loved it! There are three institutions in my life that I have really enjoyed working for and with. One was being at Tonbridge School, I was happy from the start here. Second was the diplomatic service, where I had thirty-two very happy years. The third is my present employer, HSBC, where I have been very lucky with the colleagues I have had, and the work I have done which I found very interesting.

Q: How do you think Tonbridge has changed since when you were here as a boy?

It is obviously even better equipped than it was when I was here in terms of facilities. It has doubled in size in the number of boys. But in essence I don’t think it has changed, the commitment to excellent education, the worries about access for people whose parents don’t have the means to send their children here, the issues are the same. Tonbridge

Chinese people have suffered terribly… What they fear above all is chaos. They like order... and they like control by their elite who have been chosen on merit.

to me seems to be making a pretty good success in steering its way through all these different challenges. To survive, a great educational institution like this needs to adapt and change.

Q: How do you think you were as a Tonbridge boy?

I was hopeless at sport. I had a friend who had been a thalidomide baby; he had an artificial leg and he beat me at

fives! My batting average in my last season of cricket was one eighth of a run. I remember running the CRAS, I was running round it and heard a boy from the CCF with a radio, ‘CowperColes has just come past, we can pack up and go home now’. But I went on to be head boy. I had a wonderful housemaster in Bernard Wheeler.

Parkside in those days was a house of

poets and intellectuals. We had to borrow silver cups from Park House for our House photo as we hadn’t won any!

We had a great housemaster who couldn’t care less about sport. Yet I got on very well with masters like Mike Bushby who taught me about China and was master in charge of cricket, and with John Gibbs who was master in charge of rugby ●

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Cricket on the Head with Jono Arscott (PH 83-88) and Richard Arscott (PH 88-93)

Celebrating over 50 years at Tonbridge OT Secretary (2010-2020)

As part of a celebration that John Gibbs so truly deserves, we are collecting stories about him from over the years.

Please send in your photos, memories, quotes, anecdotes to: tonbridgesociety@tonbridge-school.org

1st XV 1960 Captained Rugby

OT Dinner at Skinners Hall

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Ferox Hall Farewell.

As Head of House, at end of Summer 1961

Winner of ‘Most Inspiring Teacher’ at Tatler’s Schools Awards 2004

Named as Master in Charge of Inspiration in the Tonbridgian

OT Reunion 1955-70, November 2019

Rugby with Luke Wallace (MH 04-09)

John Gibbs and Graham Cowdrey (PH 77-82)

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INTERVIEWED BY: KATERINA DIMNIK

FROM COURTROOM TO FARMYARD, THE INSIDE SCOOP ON CHARLIE MYATT Charlie Myatt (FH 81-86) was a criminal barrister for 25 years and spent the last five years of his legal career prosecuting serious child sexual abuse cases. In 2018 Charlie jumped ship to join his older brothers Paul (FH 70-75) and Rod (FH 72-77), in their high-end ice cream business Criterion Ices, in Suffolk. The barrister-turned-luxury food marketeer shares his experiences of the enjoyment he gets from working in a family business, despite this year’s challenges.

What inspired you to become a criminal barrister?

At 16 years old I remember being encouraged to go to a careers talk by a criminal barrister in Old Big School at Tonbridge. I thought it was a career that would suit me as I liked the idea of being self-employed, dealing with interesting cases and thinking on my feet.

How did you come to focus on such a tough aspect of the law – child sexual abuse?

When you start out, you take on whatever’s given to you. It was really by accident rather than design that I became involved in serious child sex abuse cases – mainly prosecuting. For the last five years of my legal career it became about 80 per cent of my workload.

I found it greatly rewarding – particularly when representing people who have been victims for many years.

It takes a huge amount of courage for victims to come forward, sometimes 20-30 years later. I wanted to help ensure their voices were heard and believed.

Were there times you thought a judge or jury got a decision wrong?

Yes, there were certainly times, but

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obviously it’s not down to me, it’s down to a jury of 12. I told victims that if there’s a ‘not guilty’ verdict, that doesn’t mean the jury don’t believe you or think you are a liar. All it means is that there was enough doubt sown by the defence that a jury can’t be sure something happened, so they can’t convict.

So, to be a barrister, you also have to be a social worker, a counsellor and a support network to a victim?

Part of the job is to meet witnesses beforehand and afterwards and I would always do what I could to help them through what was a very traumatic experience of reliving things that happened many years ago. Sometimes I’d be dealing with children and incidents that had happened very recently and I’d have to explain things so that a six or seven year old child could understand. So yes, there were a lot of skills involved aside from standing up and arguing a case in court.

What would you say are the highlights, and frustrations, of being a barrister?

I used to love taking on a case from the start, getting the police involved in investigations and crafting robust arguments that could be easily followed by a jury. I took pride in trying to create

something that was understandable to a jury, especially in a complex case.

After a conviction, I’d get a sense of pride that maybe, because of my actions, the right result had happened.

Sometimes the right result would be an acquittal. It wasn’t about getting a conviction at all costs, but about making sure the evidence was presented fairly.

When trials are delayed through lack of funding, victims and witnesses get deeply frustrated and disillusioned with the process and that puts people off coming forward or speaking to the police. The system lets itself down at times and that is difficult and frustrating to see.

Overall, is it a career you would recommend to current pupils?

Oh absolutely, yes. It’s hard work. You get paid reasonably well - although you’re often paid on legal aid rates which are set by the government - so don’t do it for the money! Being able to make a difference to people in real life situations is unbelievably rewarding.

You can’t beat the feeling of standing up in court to address a jury and when something you say attracts their attention, and you start to see heads nodding. When a jury understands your case, and get the right result at the end, it is an amazing feeling.

What took you from barrister to ice cream maker, and are there any skills you picked up in your career that were transferable?

I loved my job and could have continued doing it for years, but it took a family tragedy to make me stop and change direction. My mother-in-law died suddenly and unexpectedly aged only 67, and it made me realise that life is short and it’s important to spend more time with people you love. My parents were getting older and I was always rushing off to work, rather than spending time with them. Initially, I took a year’s sabbatical to take stock and help my brothers with the business, and it became clear that I could bring some value to it. So here we are three years later, still working together and it’s been great to be able to support each other during the challenges of the pandemic.

In terms of transferable skills, I’m quite good at dealing with people in different - sometimes awkward - situations. My role as Sales and Marketing Director means going out and meeting people, head chefs or owners of small chains of hotels for example. Reading people, understanding people, getting the best out of people and persuading people those are the transferable skills I’ve brought to Criterion Ices.

What’s it like working with your brothers?

My eldest brother Paul, who ran the mixed dairy/arable farm before we diversified into ice cream, is the Managing Director and my middle brother Rod is the Creamery Director – he did a degree in Hotel Management and Catering and worked in the industry in various guises before Criterion Ices. They set up the business about 30 years ago, converting some old farm buildings and using excess milk to make ice cream as a way of making value from what would otherwise be sold for fractions of a pence.

I’ve always been the baby brother there’s never been any rivalry or bullying - we always got on well. They bicker between themselves but they’ve worked together for 30 years and it

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doesn’t bother me because I know how much they get on and value each other.

It’s great working with them, especially during the pandemic, when there were often just the three of us – we’ve been able to support each other tremendously.

How has the pandemic affected business?

It’s been a tough year. Last March everything came to a stop. We were about to deliver to the Theatre Royal in Norwich for their sell-out Les Misérables production, when we got a call saying they were closing and they didn’t need the order. From then on things were tough, and we’ve even had to take stock back from distributors who didn’t have the room for it. We secured a loan, underwritten by Government, to help us with cash flow before the furlough scheme came in. And in August, when it became clear that there would be no panto season at Christmas and that theatres weren’t opening up

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any time soon, we had to take the difficult decision to make twelve redundancies across our creamery in Suffolk and distribution centre in London. That was so hard, as the people were like family to us, but we’ve been relieved to see that they all found new employment.

There was a period last summer where we were just down to the three of us, and we’ve had time to think through the business and decide what to focus on when things opened up again. We decided to concentrate on the niche market for premium ice creams and cultivating our existing client base including theatres nationwide and the National Trust across East Anglia and the South East.

What is it about your ice cream that has so many prestigious establishments lining up to put you on their menus?

It’s the pride in what we do. Rod is continually testing and tweaking and

seeing how flavours can be improved.

He has the knack of knowing instinctively how to fine-tune a recipe to make superlative ice cream. For example, he’s sourced a fiery stem ginger that gives a real kick.

Thinking back to your time at Tonbridge, who or what is most memorable to you now?

When I started, Peter Commings was my Housemaster. He was an admirable figure in my life, and I’m delighted to have been in touch with him again recently. He taught me so much in five years, effectively being my surrogate father. Apart from my parents, I would say he is the most significant adult figure in my life, and I’ve passed things on to my own children that he taught me. Looking back, what Peter taught me, and the lifelong friendships I made at Ferox, are the most significant relationships and memories from my time at Tonbridge ●

COULD YOU BE A CAREER KICKSTARTER? Sign up to our mentoring scheme at: tonbridgeconnect.org/careers

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FOLLOW YOUR PASSION

FROM TONBRIDGE TO TUTOR MATT BARRY (WW 06-11)

“F

ollow your passion” is easy to preach but harder to practice. Like many, I suppose, I left Tonbridge without a clear career objective beyond succeeding at the best University I could get into - Keele in my case. (Yes, I was one of the more rounded 70%…). Time may rewrite every line, but when I look back on my years at Tonbridge, one thing I am confident about is that I knew then that, one day, I wanted to be my own boss. And today I can not only say that I’ve succeeded in this, but also in doing something that is enormously fulfilling. But I haven’t arrived here by any route I could have predicted at my final school speech day.

I was fortunate to go straight from University into the world of executive search, where over four years I worked with the top graduate recruiters including banks, management consultancies, technology companies and the Civil Service.

Thousands of CV’s crossed my desk and I helped dozens of candidates prepare for job interviews. Two things struck me about students and undergraduates: the extent to which they under-estimate what top companies are looking for, and how poorly equipped they are in self-marketing skills. (Believe me, I’ve read more personal statements than you can shake a headmaster’s cane at!)

The first thing I learnt is that technology is changing both who, and how, employers recruit. Top companies receive tens of thousands of applications each year - Google receives over 2 million! To get past the automated filters and stand out amongst the best, you need more than a good degree from a top University. Employers are seeking candidates with the personal qualities they value, and evidence of workplace relevant skills. Writing, numeracy and technical skills are expected, but soft skills are increasingly prized - the ability to communicate, persuade and network.

Even when the job is highly specialised, such as a software engineer or laboratory technician, employers look for management potential and want to hire those who will ‘fit in’ to the organisation.

When career coaching students, my best advice to is to get involved as early as possible in activities that demonstrate You can contact Matt via his website at www.kingsroadtutors.com

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Setting up your own business for most is a leap of faith. We need to have something that will make people beat a path to our door. If we want to succeed, we need to be either better or different from the rest.

your personal qualities and build the right skills. Join the debating, drama or even the drone flying society. Whatever it is, take advantage of the facilities the school provides. Seize every opportunity for work experience. Before I went to university, I spent six months teaching abroad, gave up a summer to work at Ladbrokes HQ, sold tickets at Legoland, and worked till 5am every Sunday morning at a Kingston nightclub, amongst other jobs. Each of those experiences helped to leverage my CV, enabling me to move seamlessly from campus to career coaching.

So how did I come to make the switch from the security of a Civil Service HR department to starting my own tutoring business, and how was that following my passion? Well, first, career coaching and academic tutoring share some common requirements. You need an interest in people and helping them; you need a patient, encouraging and empathetic style; you need to be able to develop rapport with your clients, and you need to have the skills to help them secure their objective, be it passing an exam, gaining entry to a select school, or landing their dream job.

Setting up your own business for most is a leap of faith. We need to have something that will make people beat a path to our door. If we want to succeed, we need to be either better or different from the rest. With Kings Road Tutors® I believe I spotted a gap in the market. Tuition is an unregulated industry where part time pocket-money earners work through revolving door agencies that, in most cases, have never met the tutors they send into your home. We wouldn’t send our kids to a school that didn’t interview their teachers and swapped them out between lessons, so why risk it with tuition?

Parent’s want tutor-child rapport and they want continuity.

Kings Road Tutors is unique in being the only tuition provider where the tutor retains 100% of the tuition fee, which is great for loyalty and retention. And, while most of my students are fortunate enough to attend the elite select schools that feed cathedrals of learning like Tonbridge, I’m proud to say we offer free tuition to disadvantaged children, both at home and in school. Time will tell whether my model is sustainable but, so far, parents seem to like it.

My story is by no means unique. We’ve all heard about

people who abandon a successful career to do something radically different. If you’re ever pondering that, I commend to you the passage I best remember from Steven Covey’s acclaimed book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’. A man arrives at a funeral, only to realise it is his own. He reflects on his life and what it amounts to, thinks about his eulogy and what he’d like to hear said. It focuses his mind on the changes he needs to make in his life in order for that imagined eulogy to become reality. When I’m asked to help with fundamental career choices, whether it be a student or someone in mid-career, I often suggest they take time out to write a “personal mission statement”. This can be a very enlightening exercise that connects us with our core values and purpose, and provides a yardstick against which to measure our career options. And it’s much less expensive than taking the hippie trail or buying a Harley Davison. In my case I made my life and career change aged 27, so still time for the motorbike ●

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FROM MILITARY SERVICEMEN TO MODERN DAY INFLUENCER REBECCA WATSON

TONBRIDGE SPOTLIGHTS ON PASSIONATE AND INSPIRING OLD TONBRIDGIANS

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his year has been one of challenges and change for many of us. With the drought of real events and reunions and with most of our community stuck indoors, the Tonbridge Society embarked on a new venture to help keep you connected to the school and to other Old Tonbridgians. We created a speaker series to ‘spotlight’ as many different careers and members of the Old Tonbridgian Society, to provide our community with insightful and fascinating speakers from around the globe.

We have heard Craig Frederick (PS 72-77) talk about horrors in the depths of the ocean, and Neil Lawson (PH 80-85) on redesigning the way mass-produced vegetables are grown here in the UK. Hamish de Bretton Gordon (MH 77-82) gave riveting accounts of his expertise in locating and preventing Chemical Warfare.

New OTs have offered their advice and recent experiences from a variety of industries to help current pupils with their own career decisions.

Two of our Spotlights speaker sessions are highlighted here, and we hope this encourages you to tune into our series of online talks from Tonbridge.

Please contact us if you have experience that you would like to share with the Tonbridge community.

OT Relations Manager, Rebecca Watson

For all enquiries, including how to become a speaker, contact:  tonbridgesociety@tonbridge-school.org To listen to previous talks: www.tonbridgeconnect.org/pages/ tonbridge-talks

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BUILDING MY BRAND SEEING FAILURES AS STEPPINGSTONES. BUILDING FOLLOWER NUMBERS

BEN JEFFRIES (SH 09-14)

At just 24, Ben Jeffries has won several entrepreneurial accolades, including being named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 listing for 2020. So, when Ben spoke to an online Tonbridge audience in December, it was interesting to hear that his entrepreneurial journey began with a clothing business he started whilst at school, aged 15.

‘Breeze’ was a catch phrase that Ben and his school mates used to throw around. “We joked that we should put it on a t-shirt, which I decided to do,” Ben explained. “I wanted to turn Breeze into the next big clothing brand.”

He didn’t know any celebrities to endorse his products, but being a big Chelsea fan, Ben reached out to Chelsea’s reserve team players with the offer of free clothing in return for tweets showing them wearing it. As he explained: “These footballers were recognisable names to anyone following Chelsea and they had 10,000 – 15,000 social media followers each.

They really helped me build my brand.”

Ben realised that if he could use the success of these relatively small-scale influencers to reach potential customers, then he could help established brands do the same thing.

He developed this idea into Influencer, a business which Ben has built into one of the UK’s largest influencer marketing companies, with 60 employees, working with brands such as Ocado, McDonalds and Uber.

Sporting metaphors were plentiful as Tonbridge Director of Sport, Chris Morgan, posed questions during the talk, about how Ben went about building his business.

Ben spent his gap year selling classified ads which built up his confidence and selling skills. Rather than go travelling afterwards, Ben saved his earnings for start-up capital.

Initially, Ben embarked on a Business Administration degree at Bath University, to learn the tricks of the trade for entrepreneurship. But in his second year, after a short industrial placement at Shell, Ben used his remaining placement time to develop his own business. After three months he had built up momentum and found it impossible to focus on full time studies, so he quit university to continue full-time with Influencer.

“I learnt a lot of lessons from University and it’s the right path for many people,” Ben explained. “But for me, it was a fantastic to just throw myself into my business at that time.”

Ben explained what social media influencers do, how they make money, and how brands use his company to connect with the right influencers to reach their target market. Giving advice to anyone interested in becoming an influencer Ben recommended developing content based on true passions and interests, “because it’s a long, rough journey to build follower numbers”.

Ben also discussed challenges facing the tech industry, in particular mental health and addiction highlighted in the recent Netflix documentary ‘The Social Dilemma’. He pointed to actions tech companies like Facebook are taking, by hiding ‘likes’ and follower numbers, and remains positive they will find ways to self-regulate, to stop users leaving platforms and prevent government regulation.

Describing his proudest moment in business yet, Ben talked about raising £3 million in venture capital investment which felt like “a defining moment” for Influencer after nine months of tough due diligence.

It’s not all been plain sailing, however. “There have been multiple times I have wanted to give up, but I’ve learnt to see failures as steppingstones,” explained Ben. “It’s just about making sure you don’t make the same mistakes twice.”

Ben encouraged Tonbridge alumni to connect on LinkedIn to ask further questions about the industry or to share ideas. As he concluded: “It’s great to be able to give something back to the Tonbridge community which has been so great to me.”

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SEB POLLINGTON (PH 80-85) AND TOM BROWN (PH 09-14)

Two Park House alumni from different generations, Seb Pollington (PH 80-85) and Tom Brown (09-14), shared their insights on leadership and the modern military in December.

Seb joined the event from Naples, where he was working with NATO in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Recently retired as a senior British Army officer, Seb now mentors political leaders in a civil servant role, after 30 years’ experience leading UK operations around the world which started with a heady introduction to conflict when he joined the army as a Tank Commander in the first Gulf War. A five-point guide to the British Army’s thinking on leadership, was Seb’s starting point for the talk: 1. Leaders are made – not born: leadership is an entirely trainable ability 2. Persuasion, conviction and strong communication are highly crucial and also highly trainable: the army uses trained actors to enable officers to speak with authority and conviction 3. ‘Serve to lead’ is central to ethos at Sandhurst – officers are trained to look up to the people they lead 4. Command (legal authority) is different from leadership (vision), which is different again from management (allocating resources to carry out set tasks) 5. Self-awareness is an increasingly important leadership commodity.

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LEADERSHIP IN THE MILITARY Seb touched on the military’s recruitment strategy, which recognises that people are now well-connected global citizens who seek variety in their careers, rather than a single job for life, and look for jobs with genuine value and flexibility.

He described the integrated operating concept as the biggest change in military in several generations, with defence no longer about peace and war but about medicine and intelligence, and threats from resurgent and developing powers that are remarkably difficult to defeat without undermining openness.

Tom joined Seb to give a recent Sandhurst graduate’s perspective on the modern military, after recently receiving the Sword of Honour at his commissioning course at Sandhurst, the first Tonbridgian in decades to win the award.

During the talk, Tom gave advice to current Tonbridge boys, and recent leavers, about their aspirations for joining the military. He described his own experience at Tonbridge and how Major Martin Brennan (CCF 2000-current) and the CCF helped him develop enormously, both as an individual and a leader. After Tonbridge, Tom went on to study a master’s degree in science at the University of Bristol and joined the Reserves, which is very integrated with the Regulars. He talked about the pros and cons of joining the Reserves as an officer or a soldier, encouraging boys to do their own research into the different services in the military. He invited any

would-be recruits to get in touch with him for advice and support.

Since completing his Sandhurst Commissioning Course, Tom has joined the Welsh Guards. He described how he visited lots of regiments during his application process and said “I just got a feeling that was where I belonged” when he walked into the Welsh Guards mess. He talked about the strong bond that is like a ‘brothership’ that develops amongst those he has served with and the strong ethos the army has, and its commitment to putting people first. He also highlighted the unique career options offered by the Welsh Guards, with a two-year rotation of ceremonial and combat roles, which were a strong motivation to him.

The pair answered questions on how ICT has changed the military and the importance of social networking to military leaders. Other questions focussed on the differences between the UK and US military, leadership vs followership and the future for battle tanks.

They concluded with discussion around the challenges that face a modern-day British Army and the huge importance of technology for cyber warfare and artificial intelligence ● Missed these talks? Watch again at www.tonbridgeconnect.org/pages/ tonbridge-talks

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BY DAVID WALSH

DEDICATION OF THE CHAPEL OF ST AUGUSTINE

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hrough the ages, Almighty God has moved his people to build houses of prayer and praise, and to set apart places for the ministry of his holy Word and Sacraments. With gratitude for the rebuilding of the Chapel of St. Augustine, we are now gathered to dedicate it in the name of God’. With these words from the

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Bishop of Newcastle, Alec Graham (OT), on 20 October 1995, a spectacularly joyous and unforgettable service of ‘Dedication of the Restored Chapel of St. Augustine of Canterbury’ began for a congregation of nearly 900 people, including the whole school and its wider community.

Eighteen clergy were present, including seven bishops, and five of these clergy were OTs – Rt. Revd.

Timothy Dudley-Smith, Rt. Revd.

Edward Evans, Rt. Revd. Alex Graham, Revd. Canon John Halliburton and Revd. Norman Evans. The Bishop of Rochester, Rt. Revd. Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali, presided at the service.

Twenty-five years on, a plan to celebrate this anniversary had been made by holding a weekend service in October 2020. That plan, like so much else in these most unusual school years, had to be shelved, but it is fitting that the memories of 20 October 1995 should be shared with all those whose generosity and commitment contributed to that singular act of faith, as the restored chapel has again become the central feature of life at Tonbridge for each successive generation.

Ruth Gledhill, religious

correspondent of The Times, attended the service and explained the context of the 1988 fire and subsequent re-building: ‘Tonbridge School Chapel burnt down before an assembly of appalled and fascinated boys and local people who gathered on the cricket ground to watch. Nothing remained of the stained glass, organ, panelling, pews, high altar and reredos, and the walls and floor were badly damaged.

Under architect Donald Buttress,

surveyor for Westminster Abbey, the once dark and gloomy building emerged from its ordeal transformed into a magnificent arena of music, light and sacramental worship’.

It was a glorious late October day of blue skies and warm sunshine. The planning for the service was meticulous, under the watchful eye of Martin Hammond, who came as headmaster to Tonbridge in September 1990, two years after the fire, and

whose initial years were dominated by the process of restoration. The guest list included every part of the wider school community, along with representatives from the businesses and trades which had built and furnished the Chapel, including the architect, Donald Buttress; the main contractors, James Longley and Co. Ltd; and the builders of the new Marcussen organ.

Martin Hammond paid tribute to

James Bell, Chaplain, and Hilary Davan Wetton, Director of Music, for ‘designing a service of immense richness of both music and liturgy’. The Order of Service, an extended Choral Eucharist, was twenty-three pages long and the service lasted an hour and three-quarters, a testing experience for the assembled school. Martin Hammond recollects that ‘the boys were magnificent, clearly gripped by the splendour and significance of the

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occasion and aware that they were participating in something special. I was very proud of them’. The Head of School was Ross Avery (MH 91-96), now Director of Strategy at John Lewis and Waitrose. He had spent his first four years at Tonbridge worshipping in the Quad Chapel and remembers how special it was to move into the new Chapel: ‘I remember feeling the significance of the event and the weight of history surrounding it. It was the fullest I ever experienced the Chapel and, in reading the first lesson (Genesis 28, vv 10-19), I remember the sense of nervousness of doing justice to the occasion and feeling the atmosphere created by the silence of so many people on a day that mattered so much’.

Before the service James Bell has the poignant memory of assembling with the other officiants, as David Williams played Marcel Dupré’s organ piece Resurrection: ‘A poignant choice as ‘’Resurrection, Resurrection’’ were the last words that the late Charles Searle-Barnes, Vicar of Tonbridge, said to Christopher Everett, David Kemp and

myself as we watched the old Chapel burn itself into extinction. Charles died the following day, unexpectedly, and his words became more than a hope and prayer for us’.

The music was described by Ruth Gledhill as ‘difficult to equal outside a cathedral’ and included five of the best hymns in the hymnal for their fine words and tunes, Charles Stanford’s congregational setting of Psalm 150 and Jonathan Dove’s new setting of the Gloria, with trumpets and timpani in the organ loft. Christopher Everett generously commissioned Dove to write this significant new work which became a focal point of the service.

Hilary Davan Wetton had collaborated with Dove on previous projects and liked the piece as ‘one that gave plenty of opportunity for ebullience’. He conducted several extended congregation practices for the school to learn the piece (do you remember those yah, yeh, yah, yeh warm-ups?) and recalled that it ‘went quite high for the congregation which made me nervous, but in the event the School

rose to it with aplomb’. Leading the singing was the magnificent new 67-stop Marcussen organ about which David Williams has written in a separate piece. Luke Streatfeild (WH 92-97), a chorister writing about the service in The Tonbridgian, described it as ‘one of the most thrilling experiences of my life’. Processing into Chapel with the choir, the whole congregation singing the Old Hundredth hymn at full volume, ‘the effect was simply magical’.

During the Offertory, the architect, Donald Buttress, and representatives of the contractors and the organ builders processed to the altar steps to present symbols of their work respectively to the presiding Bishop, to the Master of the Skinners’ Company, Julian Haviland, and the Headmaster.

The presence of the craftsmen was particularly noted by John Taylor, Head of Classics, who remembered coming to Tonbridge for interview in Michaelmas 1991, ‘when the chapel was a creeper-covered ruin. Four years later I was sharing a pew at the re-dedication service with some of the men who had worked on its restoration and they took an evident and proper pride in what had been achieved’.

It was an occasion, to quote James Bell, ‘filled with celebration, spiritually enthralling, a unique event in the life of a school’. Those of us who were there will remember the power generated by a school and all its constituent parts preparing for a service in which every element came together in total accord, involvement in something larger than any single one of us. It was followed by a series of further services for OTs, the local community, those who built the Chapel and, most importantly, for the three generations of boys who passed through the school between 1988 and 1995 and who only experienced services in the temporary Quad Chapel.

Let us leave the last memory to Ruth Gledhill who wrote of that day ‘unseasonably warm. The chapel had smelt only of new oak and incense, and we had spoken and sung in English and Latin; but, as we left, our hearts were full of thoughts of fire, and of those who enter into that school speaking in tongues of boys and who emerge as men’.

David Walsh (CR 72-09)

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BY DAVID WILLIAMS

THE HEART OF THE CHAPEL – AFTER 25 YEARS THE MARCUSSEN PLAYS ON

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n the day after the fire, Sunday, around 4pm, a fire officer told me that the enormous pile of debris the organ had created was not yet safe, it was still burning. It would have burnt well, all that wood, leather and pipework melting away. The gaping roof and crumbling walls stood silent after the frenzy of the previous day when the whole school had watched from the safe distance of The Head.

A new Chapel needed a new organ and the organ builder would require a ‘brief’ from the committee formed for this task. The primary use of the organ was to accompany School congregational singing in services six times a week, using hymns, liturgy, and settings largely drawn from the Anglican tradition. This tradition at Tonbridge included the playing to the school of voluntaries before and after every service, which meant that many boys listened to as much as eighty minutes of good organ music a week.

In addition, the organ should be a fine teaching instrument, and it would also be used for recitals throughout the year. All the builders considered that the deliberately eclectic stop list, even

when reduced in size – and possibly all the more when reduced – would produce an organ with the weight, clarity, and blend to serve the School’s principle purposes. Among other stops, they noted, the inclusion of two Tuba stops which would contribute to the electrifying effect which a school organ can have when the School are singing at full throttle.

However, in order to give potential builders a good idea of the size and

scale of the future organ a ‘specification’ was necessary. In other words: What pipes? How many? What variety and what combinations are possible within the constraints of space and cost?

This specification is vital. It is like a recipe for the sound. Each ‘stop’ gives the player access to a set of pipes which can be chosen by their pitch and type. For example a Trumpet stop will produce a reedy sound; three of them

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THE MARCUSSEN

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This specification is vital. It is like a recipe for the sound.

Each ‘stop’ gives the player access to a set of pipes which can be chosen by their pitch and type at different pitches will produce three octaves, tripling the pitch range and the volume at the same time. The pitch of pipes can allow the player effectively to play many pipes just by playing one key, such is the magic of organ playing!

An initial specification was put to the organ builders as a basis for consideration, perhaps in the way a client buying a house might establish how many rooms within a certain space might be required, an outline shape, a concept. ‘Stop’ names, as one organ expert pointed out, mean a little rather than a lot. For example, a Principal could be given other more familiar names in this country, and its equivalent would be Diapason. We call ‘reeds’ all sorts of names and the general tone, or builders’ recommendations might change a Trumpet to a Trompette, a Bassoon to a Fagot, or a very deep reedy pedal note anything from a Bombarde or even more spectacularly, an Ophicleide.

John Cullen and the project’s eminent consultant Simon Preston wasted no time in drawing up that specification as a basis for discussion and it was with that document that John and I went first to Germany, to Bonn, to see the distinguished organ builder Klais. This was very soon after the fire and, while no deals were done nor concluded, it was the first rich experience of discovery and research which put Klais at the top of the list for so long.

John Cullen’s notes made on that short trip are revealing. Significantly he points out that at Saulgau we experienced an instrument of ‘… immense clarity. The tone of each stop is very distinctive…total integration of pipes…we felt that whereas on an English Organ we would draw attention to the particularly fine characteristics of a few stops, perhaps, on this organ, practically every stop would fall into this category. What an experience! The ‘buzz’ words of our trip were consistent,

clarity, finesse, clear, exciting, distinctive, beauty and so on. While this early discovery and educational experience was not quite official, it did, nonetheless prove to be a powerful force in Klais’s favour all through the long and short list process.

As time went by the research element became a great joy and certainly an exciting prospect as we neared the next visits. Builders were approached and invited to offer tenders for the project and in August 1991 we saw the ideas from Mander (UK), Walker (UK), Klais (Germany), and Rieger (Austria). It was quite easy to visit the UK builders’ work so the list of church, chapel and cathedrals bulked up – Mander: Winchester College, Chichester Cathedral, St Andrew’s, Holborn; Walker: City of London School; St Martin-in-the-Fields, London; Rieger: St Marylebone Parish Church. John Cullen and I had seen, heard and played four organs on our Germany trip and later at St John’s, Smith Square, London.

In March 1992 the recommendation was for Klais. However, by December of that year the cost of a Klais had risen a great deal so it was agreed that ‘no decision should be taken at that time, but that tenders should be sought from four other organ-builders with a view to a final decision, on a broader base of information’.

We then invited tenders from Fisk (USA), Holtkamp (USA), Kenneth Jones (Ireland) and Marcussen (Denmark) – these were on recommendation from our consultant Simon Preston who was very familiar with the work of these builders. In the Easter holiday 1993, Martin Hammond and I visited Marcussen in Denmark and Holtkamp in the USA. Like all our visits to these impressive instruments, often in spectacular buildings, our times were most enjoyable; while important work was our intent, there was plenty of interesting and agreeable hospitality too!

The three Danish organs were

brilliant and impressive although the player’s console in each case would need rethinking for the necessary familiar layout an English instrument would need. The wonderful trip to the USA began in NYC to see a Holtkamp and the amazing nearly completed Mander; the following day, with three flights, took us to the equally fascinating and ample organ at Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama. That day was all over by about 5pm and we flew to the builder’s base in Cleveland that evening and saw a splendid instrument in the Cleveland Museum of Modern Art the following day.

After various considerations of each builder’s best qualities the final elegant statement was left to Martin Hammond in his final organ committee report: …we are in no doubt that Marcussen are to be preferred as builders of the new Tonbridge organ, despite the greater cost. Marcussen have an outstanding reputation for building organs if consistently superb quality, and they are held in universal esteem.

We felt that our research had been justified and that the personal comparisons of several other builders and their instruments had equipped us with the authority to make such a choice.

Marcussen’s outstanding work at Tonbridge continues to be enjoyed by boys, staff and visitors to Chapel services and recitals. The Marcussen name was also noticed by the organ community, as clubs and societies began requesting viewings and talks. After Simon Preston’s inaugural recitals, there followed many recitals by other well-known organists like Gillian Weir, Wayne Marshall, Thomas Trotter, Peter Hurford and by Tonbridge’s own organists. It was Peter Hurford who declared to Martin Hammond after his preparation for his recital: ‘ I have not played a finer instrument in this country ● David Williams (CR 1982 to Present)

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MY EXPERIENCE AS A POST-WAR GERMAN AT TONBRIDGE SCHOOL

BY PETER AHRENS I was born in the midst of World War Two in Germany’s Soviet Occupation Zone, or East Germany as it would later be known. As Russia’s Stalinist tendencies became clearer in our occupied zone, my family fled as refugees to West Germany in 1949.

The post-war West Germany that we arrived in was also under military occupation and completely destroyed, but it offered us the prospect of relative freedom.

Like the millions of other refugees, my family’s immediate challenge was to find shelter. We ended up in a small university town, Marburg an der Lahn, where my father opened a small textiles shop and began to rebuild our livelihood. Since my family had no money nor a roof over our heads, we lived and slept in the shop for a number of years; our tiny living quarters separated from the shop floor by a wooden wall.

In 1948, the US-led Marshall Plan was enacted, fuelling economic recovery in Germany. Our own financial situation improved markedly and in 1955, my father was able to buy our first home. I was sent to a German boarding school aged 11, which provided both my parents the time and flexibility to relaunch their small retail and, later, department store business.

My boarding school had been modelled largely on an English boarding school and it maintained relationships with a number of public schools in the UK, including Tonbridge.

The US, Britain and France ended their 10-year military occupation of Germany in May 1955. My English teacher at the time, Kenneth Lander – a native Brit – decided to send me to Tonbridge School as an exchange 34

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student. I arrived in the summer of 1958 and was fortunate to spend an entire term at the school, placed in Manor House where Vernon Hedley-Jones was Housemaster. I shared a study with Michael Holman, who later became Professor of Slavic Studies at the University of Leeds. He was a talented linguist and fluent in a number of languages, including German. Michael and I remained friends for many years after we both left Tonbridge, and he even came to stay with us in Germany many years later.

With WW2 hostilities having finished barely a dozen years earlier, I was admittedly a little apprehensive about arriving at Tonbridge. I had no idea how being German might be received by the other boys. Contrary to my worst fears, I could not have been made to feel more welcome by the boys, the masters and in fact everyone that I met during my three months at Tonbridge. I was impressed by the pride felt by everyone about Tonbridge’s centuries-old history and the many traditions that seemed so dear and important to everyone associated with the school, both past and present. Tonbridge also opened my eyes to embracing a much more international world; I remember how struck I was by the not inconsiderable number of boys at Tonbridge from Commonwealth nations.

My life after Tonbridge initially took me back to Germany where I got married to my wife Karin in 1965. I started working in Japan for a German retail conglomerate in 1964 and my twin boys were born there two years later.

We decided to return to Germany the following year where our third son was born in 1968. At the tender age of 29 I

I had no idea how being German might be received by the other boys.

Contrary to my worst fears, I could not have been made to feel more welcome by the boys, the masters and in fact everyone that I met during my three months at Tonbridge.

Some might accuse me of nostalgia at this more advanced stage of my life, but I always felt a deeply held gratitude for my serendipitous encounter with Tonbridge School in the summer of 1958.

took over my parents’ department store business that in the meantime had grown considerably from its humble post-war corner store beginnings.

Notwithstanding the tumultuous times in Britain in the mid-1970s, it was only natural that my wife and I would have wanted our three boys also to attend a British public school. At the time, we decided against Eton and Harrow and in favour of Tonbridge School, expertly advised by my not entirely unbiased former Housemaster, but equally impressed by the then Headmaster, Christopher Everett. We particularly valued his wise counsel and his many insights over the years. While my sons were at Tonbridge, we particularly enjoyed our annual pilgrimage to Skinners Day where we spent many

joyful hours with parents of our sons’ friends, some of whom we have remained in touch with to this very day.

Much to my sons’ embarrassment, I even got an honourable mention one year in Christopher Everett’s Skinners Day speech. In the best German beach-towel tradition, and possibly not entirely sober, I had parked our car in a strategically advantaged position next to the Head the night before Skinners Day. All three boys, Nikolai, Alexei and Sebastian, had a particularly happy time at School House and we never regretted our decision to entrust much of their upbringing to David Robins, their Housemaster, and the many talented teachers at Tonbridge School.

One son went up to Oxford to read Biochemistry, one studied Economics

at Lausanne University in Switzerland and the third read Natural Sciences at Cambridge. The public school ‘tradition’ has now continued into a third generation with my son Nikolai’s children currently at Harrow School, Winchester College and Cheltenham Ladies College.

Tonbridge School has left an indelible mark on my life and subsequently set the course for my entire family, by default. Some might accuse me of nostalgia at this more advanced stage of my life, but I always felt a deeply held gratitude for my serendipitous encounter with Tonbridge School in the summer of 1958 ● Peter Ahrens (MH 58) M AY 2 0 2 1

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FUNDRAISING AT TONBRIDGE Widening opportunities at Tonbridge Our Foundation Award programme is at the heart of the widening opportunity work we do. It is designed to offer the life changing opportunities of a fully or partially funded Tonbridge education, to young boys of talent and ambition who simply cannot afford the fees.

We know from many years of experience, that Tonbridge has inspired and been inspired by having such talented and determined young people. They raise academic standards, enrich the school and contribute to a greater mix of cultures and backgrounds, which is healthy preparation for all Tonbridgians for life beyond school.

2020 has been difficult for everyone and yet the Tonbridge School community has been so generous, reaching out to help those less fortunate.

Through the coming year, we look forward to sharing our Foundation Award activities with Old Tonbridgians and the wider Tonbridge community. We will share with you our campaign and widening access progress, our partnerships and outreach work and the impact of our Foundation Award bursary programme.

355 DONORS In the last 12 months, over 350 households in the Tonbridge School community have supported the Foundation Award programme.

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51 BOYS Together, we are now supporting 51 Foundation Award places across the school, making sure that no boy has had to leave Tonbridge because of the financial fallout from Covid-19.

The impact of the Foundation Awards programme Charles Kingston (OH 2012-17) As Charles explains: “Our Tonbridge teachers encouraged us to explore our interests in more depth than was required for exams, and the support of the careers staff was amazing too. Together, they provided brilliant preparation for university.”

However, it is the co-curricular activities like music, shooting and in particular the CCF, that gave Charles opportunities he would not have had at other schools and which Charles feels made the most difference to him.

“The CCF was a huge part of my life at Tonbridge – I took part in some amazing exercises and there was always a good balance between learning and fun. I was extremely proud to be head of the CCF in my final year and it spurred me on to join the Officer Training Corp at university.”

“Tonbridge has an incredible music department and having the opportunity to sing in the chapel choir, play the organ on one of the best instruments in the country, as well as touring parts of Europe Photographer Ben Wood giving concerts, was unbelievable. The standard of music is so high I www.islandimages.co.uk have struggled to find any sort of replacement at my university.”

“The feeling of history in the chapel, the old sports pitches, the ritual of Skinners day and the day-to-day life is indescribable.

Charles is part-way through his Master’s degree in chemistry at the University of York and looking forward to an industrial placement year with an agrochemical company.

Edward Sanders (OH 2015-20) I was very fortunate to enjoy a world class education at Tonbridge thanks to the generosity of those who donated for the Junior Foundation Award. It meant so much to me and my family to be able to attend such an amazing school, particularly for my mother since she was brought up in poverty in Brazil. As a result of this, we as a family appreciated all that Tonbridge had to offer so much.

The amazing music department was probably the highlight for me thanks to the inspirational teachers such as Mr Forkgen and Mr Williams. I had the opportunity to take part in a huge variety of musical ensembles, from performing The Planets by Gustav Holst with the Symphony Orchestra to the hugely enjoyable House Music events. The maths department was also brilliant, with the likes of Dr Wang, Dr King and many more bringing the subject to life. I am so grateful to Tonbridge for giving me such an amazing platform in life. It has changed my life!

Edward is studying maths at the University of St Andrews.

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Simon Hall (WW 1984-89) “I think the Foundation Award programme should be a priority. This is not just about providing opportunity for children from families that don’t have the financial position; it’s also about enriching the diversity of the school which helps everyone, offering different perspectives and preparing everyone better for the diverse world they will face in life beyond the school.”

Simon came to Tonbridge on a Junior Judd Foundation Award and has been an economist for the Bank of England for over 25 years. He is now Head of Macroprudential Strategy.

Can you help us create more Foundation Awards places?

Our supporters include OTs, parents and staff, past and present. They are at the heart of Tonbridge School, sharing its success and helping to open doors to a new generation of the brightest Tonbridge boys.

Our current priority is the Foundation Award bursary programme and 100% of every donation increases opportunity for talented boys, irrespective of their financial circumstances Help us to transform lives by becoming a member of the 1553 Society with a regular gift; OR by making a one-off gift.

Our Development Manager, Yvette Young, would be delighted to hear from you.  yvette.young@tonbridge-school.org

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WHAT IS THE JUDDE SOCIETY? The Judde Society was formed in 2004 to recognise the generosity of OTs and friends of the school who have included, or intend to include, Tonbridge in their Will. We have welcomed nearly 200 Judde Society members since then and are always pleased to welcome new members. On joining, you will receive a Judde Society tie and pin, and you and your partner will be invited to special school events throughout the year, such as the annual Headmaster’s Summer Drinks and the annual Carol Service and Drinks reception. You will also have the opportunity to lunch in your old school house.

Since its foundation in 1553, legacies have played a pivotal role in securing a future for Tonbridge School. The school’s founder, Sir Andrew Judde is also its first legator. He left property in London as an endowment for the school, helping ensure its financial viability beyond his death in 1558.

Legacies are one of the most effective ways to make an enduring contribution to Tonbridge School and are also a simple and straightforward way of giving, without affecting the immediate financial needs of yourself and your family. All gifts left to charities in a Will are also exempt from tax and could reduce your inheritance tax rate by around 10 per cent.

Legacy gifts have been put to immediate use to support and help shape the future of our great school and the boys therein.

In 2028, Tonbridge School will celebrate its 475 th anniversary.

As we approach this milestone, it is our hope that Old Tonbridgians and friends will consider including the school in their Will and help us realise our aim of 475 legacies by 2028. We hope you will consider becoming part of this wonderful and vital tradition.

Our Judde Society Manager, Tara Biddle, would be delighted to hear from you.  tara.biddle@tonbridge-school.org

Dr David Cave (Sc 42-47) tells us what a Tonbridge education meant to him and why he has chosen to become a member of the Judde Society I came to Tonbridge in September 1942. With my mother driving an ambulance and father on duty with the Royal Observer Corps, I was put on a train and told to get off at Tonbridge and make my way to the school. Coming from a country school of 14 pupils, it was formidable.

On the first Saturday of the term, The Arch (Headmaster Whitworth) borrowed bicycles and took all the School House Novi to Underriver. Here, in the sun on the North Downs, we picked blackberries and as we picked and ate, he came to each boy encouraging us and helping with high fruit. A few days later Mrs Whitworth cooked blackberry and apple pie for the House. I felt pleased for my part in the achievement; I had made a mark. At the time I did not appreciate that The Arch had come to know the pickers better than a Common Entrance paper and a previous headmaster’s report.

I had learnt that at this school the interest of the highest stretches to the lowest.

My legacy pledge to Tonbridge is the result of my gratitude, not just for myself but also for my son, James, who far better than I, has shown the benefit of a Tonbridge education.

David has generously chosen to support Tonbridge with a gift in his Will.

Guidance on leaving a legacy gift to the Tonbridge School Foundation (Registered Charity 1099162) can be found online www.tonbridgesociety.co.uk/support-us/the-judde-society

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let's

STAY CONNECTED Professional networking on Tonbridge Connect tonbridgeconnect.org/clubs

M

ore than 3,300 OTs & Parents have now joined Tonbridge Connect, the private online platform for the Tonbridge community. With new members signing up every day, Tonbridge Connect helps OTs keep up to date with news and networking opportunities and reconnect with old friends online at a time when social distancing has become necessary.

Several industry clubs have been set up on Tonbridge Connect and are a useful resource for OTs, helping them to benefit from the expertise of a global community of professionals, for networking and mentoring.

As OT Relations Manager, Rebecca Watson explained: “We have focused on improving our careers section of the website this year, by providing exclusive talks from experienced OTs from a variety of industries and backgrounds. We are delighted to hear from everyone, whatever sector you represent – from recent graduates to senior leaders. Please get involved.”

For OTs who loved sport at Tonbridge, there are clubs on Tonbridge Connect for cricket, fives, football, golf, hockey, rackets, real tennis, rifle shooting, rugby, sailing and squash. Each OT sports club coordinates a busy schedule of social events and matches throughout the year. OTs can get involved by registering online.

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University networks are another useful feature on Tonbridge Connect, helping OTs reconnect and stay in touch with others that went to the same university. The university network groups also offer support for current Tonbridge pupils thinking of applying or about to start their university studies.

Our International clubs on Tonbridge Connect provide a support network for OTs living and working overseas, particularly in Hong Kong and the United States where there are thriving OT communities. Online clubs currently cover Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Scotland, Singapore, and the USA. We have active communities in more than 80 countries, so members who are moving abroad can easily be put in touch with OTs in their new destination country.

We are always looking for ways to adapt Tonbridge Connect to make it as useful as possible for members, so if there is a club, society or forum you would like to see online, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

For all careers and mentoring enquiries contact:  tonbridgesociety@tonbridge-school.org To find out more, visit: tonbridgeconnect.org/clubs tonbridgeconnect.org/careers

THE OT READING LIST T

his year we have another vast array of books released

by OTs, we hope you find something of interest from this list. From psychology to politics, law to lockdown, fact and fiction – there is broad range of genre and subjects to choose from.

Those who caught Hamish de Bretton Gordon’s spotlights talk this year, might be interested in picking up a copy of Chemical Warrior, an in-depth account from one of only a handful of highly experienced practitioners in this field.

An interesting read for those keen to learn more about the school, Patrick Francis (PH 66-71) highlights a shared

history between Tonbridge School and Sherborne School.

In the only fiction title this year, Jonathan Smith, author of many successful novels, wrote two radio plays dramatising Betjeman’s life which have now been combined into a single narrative, part biography, part fiction but providing an extraordinary – and above all, highly entertaining – journey into the mind and the life of John Betjeman.

Include your book in the next edition:  tonbridgesociety@tonbridge-school.org

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Chemical Warrior Hamish de Bretton-Gordon (MH 77-82)

War Andrew Clapham (MH 76-81)

For thirty years, Hamish has served and volunteered in conflict zones around the world. As the army’s foremost chemical weapons expert, he built a unique firsthand understanding of how to prevent attacks and train doctors on the frontline - saving countless lives in the process.

Despite facing extraordinary personal danger, Hamish has unearthed evidence of multiple chemical attacks in Syria and continues to advise the government at the highest level, including after the 2018 Novichok poisoning in Salisbury.

How relevant is the concept of war today? International human rights lawyer Andrew Clapham’s new book examines how notions about war continue to influence how we conceive legal rights and obligations. It considers situations that recognize the significance of a Declaration of War or a State of War, both domestically and internationally.

Claiming to be in a war or an armed conflict does not grant anyone a licence to kill people, destroy things, and acquire other people’s property or territory.

Commercial Injunctions Steven Gee QC (PH 66-71)

The Thin White Line. The Inside Story of Cricket’s Greatest Scandal Nick Greenslade (WH 88-93)

Now in its 7th edition, Commercial Injunctions is regarded as the essential textbook on injunctions. It is cited in argument and judgments throughout the common law jurisdictions, including at the highest levels. The new edition maintains and extends the quality of previous editions which has given the book its deserved reputation.

It has been updated in the light of extensive new case law and legislative developments, including to the Civil Procedure Rules.

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Nick Greenslade takes you through the twists and turns of Pakistan’s 2010 spotfixing scandal. This gripping and forensic account shines a light on the News of the World team and how they exposed the criminal scheming of the cricketers and their fixer Mazhar Majeed. It reveals how deeply fixing had penetrated the Pakistan dressing room, and lifts the lid on the black arts of investigative reporting which would eventually prove Mahmood’s undoing.

Old Yet Ever Young. A New History of Sherborne School Patrick Francis (PH 66-71) Old Yet Ever Young is an illustrated history of Sherborne School. The work charts Sherborne’s history through good times and bad, with periods of growth, success and development being punctuated by episodes of crisis and institutional malaise. From this careful and thoughtful analysis comes the clear impression of an institution of great strength and resilience and one possessed of a remarkable capacity to recover from periodic setbacks.

Fifty Days Of Lockdown Mark Ind (PS 80-85) Some people say lockdown is to be forgotten but for the Ind family it was a time to savour. After almost losing their son, Alex, in 2019, the Ind’s vowed to have the best possible summer, despite a national lockdown. Based on a daily journal, the book chronicles the historical events of Covid-19 whilst telling Alex’s inspiring story. Facts and fun, public interest and emotion, but above all a symbol of hope to all those who have experienced so much sadness.

THE READING LIST

Between Heaven and Earth Robert Nurden (PH 64-69)

If I Remember Rightly…

Roger Ordish (JH 53-57)

As a young man, Stanley James was a cowboy, navvy, hobo, journalist and actor in Canada, and soldier in the Spanish-American war. Back in England as a preacher, he both charmed and alienated his congregation with socialism and pacifism. He considered Bertrand Russell and G.K. Chesterton among his friends. Yet the chance discovery of hundreds of secret letters, shows he had extra-marital affairs with members of his congregation. Robert Nurden attempts to find out what drove his complex and contradictory grandfather.

Roger Ordish was a producer in what was then called ‘Light Entertainment’ firstly with BBC Radio and then for thirty years with BBC Television. From memories of wartime in Kent, Roger goes on to describe working with such names as Bruce Forsyth, Kenneth Williams, Michael Parkinson, Paul Daniels, Helen Fielding, Terry Wogan, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, with delightful anecdotes about Edith Evans, Sammy Davis Junior, Gina Lollobrigida, John McEnroe and Princess Margaret and others.

The Impossible Office Sir Anthony Seldon (HS 67-72)

Being Betjeman(n) Jonathan Smith (CR 67-02)

Marking the third centenary of the office of Prime Minister, this book tells its extraordinary story, explaining how and why it has endured longer than any other democratic political office in world history. From Robert Walpole and William Pitt the Younger, to Clement Attlee and Margaret Thatcher, Seldon discusses which of our Prime Ministers have been most effective and why.

A highly entertaining foray into the world of one of Britain’s most loved literary figures. Follow the poet from his time at Oxford, where he wandered around clutching a teddy bear, then kicked out, to the well-trodden route of prep school master (he was taken on as a cricket coach, knowing absolutely nothing about the game). The book not only brings to life the enigmatic Betjeman as poet, broadcaster and writer, but also becomes a voyage of self-discovery for the author.

Psychotherapy Meets Emotional Neuroscience. The Two Minds of Cognition and Feeling Gilbert Pugh (JH 52-57) Respectful of Freud, the Neuroscientist and explorer of the mind, this book reveals the remarkable discoveries of neuroscientists, Jaak Panksepp and Mark Solms, showing that our emotions are generated in an entirely different part of the brain from our thoughts.

This offers some scientific justification for the leniency in French law for those committing ‘Crimes passionnels’. For anyone seeking psychotherapy this book also gives advice and a detailed account of what is currently available in the field.

Public Schools and The Second World War David Walsh (CR 72-09) & Sir Anthony Seldon (CR 89-92) Following their ground-breaking book on Public Schools and the Great War, David Walsh and Anthony Seldon now examine how those same schools fared in the Second World War. They use eyewitness testimony to recount stories of resilience and improvisation in 1940 as the likelihood of invasion and the terrors of the Blitz threatened the very survival of public schools, they assess the giant impact that public school alumni contributed to every aspect of the war effort.

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By the

Fireside with

Jonathan Smith

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JONATHAN SMITH INTERVIEWED BY DAVID WALSH

J

onathan Smith spent most of his teaching career at Tonbridge, from his appointment by Michael McCrum in 1967 until his retirement in 2002. He was at different times Head of English, Head of Humanities, master-in-charge of the Junior Head and producer of many memorable school plays. At the same time, mainly in the holidays and then in retirement, he was also writing novels, radio plays and a best seller about teaching called ‘The Learning Game’.

Jonathan’s influence on the academic, cultural and intellectual sides of Tonbridge has been immense and I went in October 2020 to interview him for the school archives. This is an edited version of that interview.

Jonathan, you came from a family of teachers and, after school at Christ College, Brecon and then reading English at St. John’s, Cambridge, you followed the family vocation. The first school at which you taught was Loretto in Scotland and then you came to Tonbridge. Why Tonbridge?

This is a bit of a mystery because Michael McCrum, who appointed me always claimed that I wrote and asked him if he had a job, out of the blue when there wasn’t a job going, that I actually wrote an unsolicited letter to him saying can I come and teach at Tonbridge. He swore this was true.

Doesn’t sound like the sort of thing I would have done. And I don’t know why Tonbridge.

So how would you characterize Tonbridge in the late 60s?

Well of course it was a very interesting and challenging time.

(That’s a cliche for “bloody difficult time”) because there was a lot of

rumbling social discontent, a lot of stroppiness around. In a way I found it all incredibly exciting and when I look back on my years at Tonbridge, the early years, the late 60s and the early 70s, they were packed with interesting people. I remember Chapel was quite a lively affair. People gave some very radical talks. I felt very challenged by it.

Michael McCrum asked me to share the Upper Sixth with him (we had just created a new form called the Upper Sixth) He took one of them, and I took the other, and that was across the curriculum. They were just clever boys.

I had fifteen and he had fifteen. I suppose they were Oxbridge types.

And I said to him, well, I don’t know what to do. I was terrified. And he said, oh I’m doing Milton and Dante. What are you doing? To somebody coming from a small Scottish school, Tonbridge seemed substantial. I loved the balance between academic life and sporting life. I’ve never been one of those people who thought Tonbridge is all about sport, although I’ve enjoyed the cricket, the rugby and everything.

What happened in the classroom mattered to me much more than anything else. And also plays were hugely important. So to be honest, I found a school that I didn’t want to leave.

How do you assess Michael McCrum and his impact on the school?

Well, the first thing to say about all the headmasters I worked with, is that they were very clever men. McCrum, Ogilvie, Everett, Hammond, every one of them. No one in the Common Room could run rings around them, although being very clever is not the only or necessarily the most important thing in a headmaster. It certainly helps,

particularly in a school which is quite critical. Lots of academic schools are pretty sharp and critical. Michael McCrum – well, he stood above the Common Room here. He had such a brilliant career and was going to go on to become Headmaster of Eton and Master of Corpus and Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge. I mean, that’s a pretty distinguished career in any language.

He set the standards very high. He had a great presence around the place. I was quite scared of him to start with no bad thing maybe. After he retired, we got to know each other much better. I became very fond of him.

When he was headmaster, I was slightly in awe of him really. And yet, when it came to his leaving event where we put on a series of sketches for him, a sort of farewell review written

by Barry Orchard and myself, I played him. So I was actually Michael McCrum which some people said was the closest I ever got to being a headmaster. I remember him sitting there in the front row during some pretty lively sketches smiling at me and I thought, well, you know he’s pretty good. He’s taking all this on the chin.

People who know much more about the school’s history than I do reckon that he changed the school radically, making it a better-known school.

Certainly his reputation was one of a very demanding, very clever, very driven man.

These were difficult times in terms of the pupil body, difficult boys, quite a lot of kicking against authority?

Absolutely. I think there is one thing Tonbridge does that I like a great deal.

I think it holds steady. In some ways it’s a very conservative school with a strong core of central people who

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spent their lives there. I’m thinking of all the housemasters when I was at Tonbridge who were so central. And I think that Tonbridge didn’t get blown around as much as some schools did.

At the same time there was a great awareness of individuality and there were teachers on the staff who were very tolerant, very liberal, who got boys through and I suppose that group would have included me. I was very keen to make sure that difficult boys survived. The senior tutor system was a very important part of that area.

Barry Orchard was the number one man on that, and I lived in Knox House (now Whitworth) with him when I arrived, so we became very good friends. We were both very bad sleepers, so sometimes we would talk long into the night. Barry was a massive influence on me and of course he was a very loyal and devoted Old Tonbridgian, but he also knew what difficult boys needed and I think one of our aims was to get them through a rocky time. In later life you come to realize that a lot of the ‘difficult boys’ were the most interesting boys, the ones who went on to do something special with their lives. You don’t want pupils to be easy.

You want them to be alive. You want them to be demanding, you want them to be challenging.

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How did the English Department evolve during your time and how did the teaching of English change?

Well, the Department evolved hugely because when I came in 1967 the English Department didn’t even have a place. There was no such building so you were peripatetic. I had nowhere to leave my stuff. Then eventually in 1968 we got one floor in Dry Hill House. The bottom floor was the sixth form centre. The middle floor became the English department and the top floor was a master’s flat, so the whole department operated first of all from nowhere and secondly from one floor of a small building. English arrived very late in the academic world as a serious subject and the English Department was not traditionally a strong part of any school. Changes were coming all the time and we got bigger and bigger with two floors of Dry Hill House. It sounds rather trivial to mention this, but where you go to work is very important. The atmosphere you create, what your classroom feels like, what your classroom looks like. Eventually we had the whole building and then it became a part of the intellectual world of the school. I had a stream of colleagues who were very clever and when I went into school each day, I always felt that I was going to be

picked up by somebody, so I always felt a kind of energy from my colleagues. There is a special slice of subversive feel to English teachers.

You know they like to be on the inside track. They like to challenge things.

They don’t take things easily, so it’s often quite demanding.

It was not until close to your retirement that the E.M. Forster Theatre was built. What were the difficulties in putting on a play before that?

The plays I put on when I first arrived at Tonbridge were Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and The Royal Hunt of the Sun. The problems were absolutely massive if you were trying to do a serious production. You had nowhere to rehearse. Big School had to be booked because it was used for public exams and assemblies. It was a huge logistical challenge putting on a play.

On the other hand, and I don’t want to argue for not having a theatre, it did make you very adventurous and very innovative because you had to find ways around it. You had no theatre, you had no space. And that made me feel very driven to do something special. And of course there was a huge acting pool of talent.

Tonbridge cricket. Tell me what you remember particularly of working on the Junior Head with Mike Bushby.

Well, I’d run the cricket at Loretto when I was 22 but cricket was less important there. I was actually thrilled when I took over the 3rds because it was just dead right for me. I found the exact level at which I wanted to take cricket. There were some very good players on the 3rd XI. We played to win. Mike had just the right amount of patience. He was very good with taking individual nets, staying on later than other people. It made me feel quite humble actually that he cared so much for the people who try hard but who don’t find it easy. He had a special sympathy for them. However he wasn’t a great selector. When it came to picking the 3rd XI on Saturday, he wanted to get in these people who had been trying very hard in the nets and I was having to be realistic to say ‘yes, that’s all very well

but he isn’t going to get any runs’.

How did you manage to combine teaching and writing?

I never thought I was a writer until housemasters said to me things like ‘I really like your reports as they often seem to me to ring true of the boy’, so I recognised that I could actually create a portrait. And I like writing letters and people often said that they like my letters. When I am irritable or on edge, I write things down that I really feel very powerfully about, which I didn’t want to talk about. I put them on paper and keep them in the bottom drawer and quite a lot of those built up. And then I got into writing in the early 1970s through Anthony Seldon and Wilfred and Eileen, and I’ve been writing ever since. How did I do it? Well, I did it in the holidays. I had a sort of psychological game I played with myself which was in term time I’d say to myself, ‘Oh, just get to the end of term then you have this lovely chance to write when you’ve had enough of teaching’. And in the holidays, when I was finding the writing difficult, I’d say to myself, ‘Oh, don’t worry, keep going because soon you’ll be back teaching’.

So really it was term time I was teaching and nothing else got in my way. And in the holidays, I was writing and obviously I was massively helped

by Gillie, who would take the pressure off me as a father and as a husband and let me go and write.

‘The Learning Game’ is the book that probably had the most impact on your fellow schoolmasters.

The Learning Game came from a conversation with Becky, my daughter.

She once said to me when I came in at night, ‘You come in, you talk about your day and it’s all so interesting’ and obviously I was saying completely uncensored things at home, I was often letting off steam or whatever, the way that you have to do. And she said, ‘Why don’t you just write it down?’ And I started to write and it all came very easily to me because it was a lifetime of going back to where I started in education. And when I went up to see my publisher, I said I’ve got a new book for you that I’ve finished. We were having lunch and she said, ‘Exciting, exciting, exciting! Tell me it’s a novel,

SAVE THE DATE Thursday 23 September

145th Annual OT Dinner Tonbridge School

Saturday 20 November

OT Reunion, Leavers of 1973-1984 Tonbridge School

Sunday 5 December

Carol Services Tonbridge School

Throughout the year

Tonbridge Spotlights Talks Online

While there is uncertainty around mass gatherings taking place, we hope to be able to hold those listed above. Please visit our website to stay up to date with the latest Tonbridge Society events: Please visit our website to stay up to date with the latest Tonbridge Society events: tonbridgeconnect.org/events

it’s a novel. I can feel it’s a novel’. I said it’s a book about teaching and her face absolutely fell. And she said, Jonathan, you do realize it won’t sell, don’t you? It will go straight down the loo. No one will buy it. And a year later she wrote to me and said it was their surprise bestseller of the year.

Finally, what is your memory of Tonbridge over the fifty plus years you have known it?

I would say the thing that interests me most is what has stayed the same

and what has endured. I think a massive amount has endured. I think the school is more open to innovation, but it has held on to some pretty important things very strongly.

Unpretentiousness, a belief in doing things properly and thoroughly. You can only have fun with things if you take them seriously. I think it’s a very special school without being up itself.

Jonathan Smith’s latest book is Being Betjeman(n), published by Galileo ●

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SIMON LEE INTERVIEWED BY REBECCA WATSON

Simon Lee (WH 74-79) talks to OT Magazine about his time at Tonbridge School, his international career and his role as Chair of one the region’s most respected charities. Simon, whose term as Chairman at Hospice in the Weald came to an end in early 2021, also reflects on the mutually beneficial collaboration between the school and the hospice.

Q: When you first arrived at the school, as a young boy, what were your first thoughts and impressions?

A: I knew quite a lot about Tonbridge as a 13-year-old Novi, because I had been at prep school at Hilden Grange where OT Richard Gracey (PS 50-55), was Headmaster, so there was a very close connection between Hilden Grange and Tonbridge and a great many of our activities took place at Tonbridge. The obvious differences were the scale of the school and the houses. I think the house system is one of Tonbridge’s great strengths as it gives everyone a chance to compete in sport at all abilities and levels. I used to go down to the junior rugby fields, as a very average rugby player, and have a wonderful afternoon just taking part.

Q: Who were your favourite teachers when you were a boy here?

A: Mike Bushby was an absolute star and taught me for three or four of the five years I was here. Mike was my form master when I first got here, he was an inspirational teacher of English and History and a great supporter of my cricket. I have a great deal of sympathy for teachers when it comes to report writing, but Mike Bushby wrote in the history section of one of my Novi reports: “In one lesson a week it is difficult to tell whether a pupil has ability or aptitude in a subject – I suspect Lee has neither.”

I used to pull his leg about that – particularly when he was teaching me A Level history, four years’ later!

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with Simon Lee Chair of Hospice in the Weald

It wasn’t just Mike though. The whole ethos of the Common Room and the interest that the teachers had in us, as pupils, was extraordinary.

Q: What sports or other pursuits did you take part in at School?

A: Cricket was my first love and I played in the First XI for three years. I played a little bit of hockey - I was a Second XI hockey player - and I was a mediocre rugby player. This was at a time when the school had those three main sports. There was no opportunity to play football which I probably would have enjoyed. But if I wasn’t in the classroom, I was on the sports field.

Q: What are your favourite memories that stand out to you, from your time at Tonbridge?

A: I enjoyed success on the sports field – that was obviously terrific.

I co-produced Androcles and the Lion, and cast myself - with remarkable hubris - as the ‘handsome captain’! It was all very well until I forgot my lines during one of the performances and realised my mistake of appointing a prompter with a stammer. I never went back on the stage after that! But learning to speak in public was incredibly useful. In effect in business I found myself ‘on stage’ daily giving two or three speeches a day.

Q: Looking back, were your A-level subject choices the best ones for your career in finance?

A: When I chose my A levels I had no

idea what I wanted to do with my career, so I picked A levels that I would enjoy, and the same applied to my choice of university degree. My A levels were in English, French & History and my degree was in English and French. I hardly ever used my French in my business career – I have forgotten most of my French, despite having a degree, although I am reasonably competent in restaurants in France and I enjoyed my year in France. Towards the end of my career with RSA we had a business in Canada, so my French came in useful then, but I have to admit that I tended to open with a pre-written paragraph in French and would quickly transfer into English!

However, I found English was actually very relevant and useful. It has helped me express myself at various levels and make sure presentations hung together and were sound. So the English element was surprisingly valuable.

Q: Looking back at your career, what have been your career highlights?

A: Being asked to run a FTSE 100 financial services company was a tremendous experience. I was fortunate in that people took chances on me when I was young. I moved to America when I was 32 and I was asked to run a US mortgage business with about 500 employees (the previous largest number of people I’d ever led was 4!). It was only the second time I had been to the States so I didn’t know the country well and I was running a mortgage business I

knew little about, so people took a big gamble with me, but it was the best learning experience that I could ever have had because I was thrown in at the deep end in a business that wasn’t performing that well. What I learnt was that it was relatively easy to spot what needed to be done but it was much harder to actually do it, but I had a lot of support from the organisation and I had a great sense of achievement in the progress we made there.

From the age of 32 to 52 I ran all sorts of different businesses of different sizes and I found it all tremendously rewarding.

Being able to lead a team, create alignment and help people develop - I found all that incredibly stimulating.

Q: Of the impact modelling done when Covid was discovered - at least for this country - do you feel the actual economic impact of the pandemic reflects what was predicted at the beginning of the year?

A: It’s difficult to say - and when this is published we will know more of the answers – the question is, how long will the recovery take. The original

economic modelling suggested a V-shaped recovery – recession followed by swift bounce back - but that has been upset by the second wave. The second wave wasn’t properly predicted in the economic modelling and so that will delay recovery.

I don’t feel too squeamish about the level of government borrowing at the moment because interest rates are at historic lows so they can borrow at low rates and therefore once recovery comes, less will have to be spent on interest repayments than debt repayments.

Q: Is there anything in particular you can pinpoint that you gained at Tonbridge that you have taken forward into your career, and your life?

A: The ethos of the school teaches you how to behave in life and in business and instils confidence. It’s amazing when I meet OTs in business and elsewhere. Overwhelmingly their characteristics are thoughtfulness, generosity, kindness, sense of humour. I really believe these are attributes that were instilled in me at school and that have certainly stood me, in good stead.

I’m an even-tempered, calm, relaxed person – I enjoy life and don’t take myself too seriously – I think these were all characteristics that came out of my time at Tonbridge.

Q: What advice would you give current Tonbridge boys looking to pursue a career in finance?

A: I didn’t take a decision to go into finance until my final year at University. I kind of fell into it because I thought I was reasonably numerate and banks looked like interesting places to work. If you have decided on finance as a career at an earlier age than me, I would consider a twin degree, with a non-vocational aspect such as a language or arts subject, combined with a vocational subject like law, business or economics that provides you with some business grounding.

Q: How did you become chair of the Hospice?

A: I had just left RSA Insurance in early 2014 and the Hospice was looking for a new Chair. They’d appointed Headhunters and I was approached, I

I’m still getting used to the fact that the Hospice is an organisation that people only speak highly of, which is an unusual experience for someone who has spent their career in financial services in the UK!

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think because I lived locally. I went to the Hospice and met a number of the Trustees and the Chief Executive and I thought this was an opportunity to give something back to the local community.

Even though I’d lived in the Tonbridge area for 45 of my 59 years, I hadn’t done much locally other than play sport, and this was an opportunity to do something very different. Clearly Hospice in the Weald is the largest and one of the most well-regarded local charities, and I thought this looked really interesting and I could help and bring value.

Q: What does your role as Chair of Hospice in the Weald involve on a day-to-day basis?

A: The thing about any Chairman role is that it’s either easy or difficult depending on how good the Chief Executive is. We are blessed at the Hospice with an outstanding Chief Executive and that has made my life as Chairman a whole lot easier. We have formal meetings and awaydays and I have one-on-ones with the Chief Executive. My role is really coach and counsellor to the Chief Executive, leading the board, agreeing strategy and monitoring implementation.

Informally I also help in the fundraising efforts to contact as many local people that I know whom I think the Hospice could benefit from having as Sponsors, Investors or Patrons.

Q: Adjusting to the current times with social distancing and safety measures must have required huge amount of planning and money. What have the impacts been on the organisation as a whole: the patients, the day-to-day running and on your staff working in this new environment?

A: Like the NHS, the nursing staff and clinical staff at the Hospice have done an absolutely spectacular job during the pandemic. The Hospice itself has proved to be remarkably resilient over the past 12 months. We have had some Covid patients and some staff diagnosed with Covid, but it has been relatively limited and I am very proud of the work that has been done to protect the hospice through what have been unprecedented times. We hope that before long we will be out of the woods and back to normal.

Q: What challenges face the Hospice, and other similar charities, including Covid challenges but also in a future post-covid world.

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A: I look at the Hospice work as a combination of inputs and outputs. The inputs are the fundraising and making sure we are properly financed. Hospice in the Weald has to raise more than 90 per cent of the £8 million it takes to run as an organisation every year, from the local community. We receive less than 10% in a normal year from government so that puts a tremendous onus on us to make sure that, through a combination of activities, we are raising the money we need. We are lucky that we have a great reputation – I joke with people that I’m still getting used to the fact that the Hospice is an organisation that people only speak highly of, which is an unusual experience for someone who has spent their career in financial services in the UK! Making sure that the fundraising is on track and that we are encouraging the support we need is a big part of the challenge at the Hospice.

The output is obviously the care we provide to patients, carers, families and family friends. That is outstanding and it is an absolute privilege to see how it becomes a virtuous circle. We now see 1800 people a year – when I started back in 2014 we were only able to see about 1300 – so that’s a significantly increase in the number of patients. It’s very humbling to see the Hospice’s work with patients and the quality of care – the more people we see and the more outstanding care we can provide - the more people want to give. It really is a virtuous circle.

Q: What fundraising strategies will the Hospice be putting in place, moving forward?

A: Our fundraising comes from a number of different sources. Our charity shops are important to us and we will be expanding the number of shops, particularly furniture shops which are a newer innovation, like the one in Tonbridge High Street, which generate more income and profit than the traditional shops.

We also have a lottery and we will be looking to increase the number and amount given through the lottery. We have In Memoriam gifts from family of people whom we have looked after and who are sadly no longer with us.

We also run very successful events and we are very pleased that we have worked with the school on a number of events in the past and we hope to continue to expand cooperation with the school.

Q: Being an OT and the Chairman of the Hospice has enabled you to build the relationship between both the school and the Hospice. Can you tell me more about the relationship and is the hope that your successor will continue this?

A: I have championed the Hospice getting closer to the school simply because I thought the largest local charity should have strong links with an institution as important as Tonbridge. My successor, Gary Withers, is an OT parent, so I imagine that he and the Chief Executive will remain in close contact with the school. There are mutually beneficial activities for both, in terms of using school facilities or work experience for pupils interested in a career in medicine. It’s eye opening to work at the Hospice. We can give boys the opportunity to see that type of provision of quality care which is incredibly instructive and good for the soul.

Q: Once you’ve handed over the reins from your Chairman role, have you got anything in the pipeline locally in Kent – or nationally - that you can tell us about?

Well, very kindly the Hospice has asked me to be their first President.

From a charitable perspective it will be difficult to find a better charity than the Hospice, locally. I will also continue doing some other work in the charitable sector, but I think I may look nationally, rather than locally. Other than that, I hope to continue my portfolio career for a few years yet ●

The Hospice has continued to deliver outstanding care to local families throughout the pandemic, only made possible by the wonderful Hospice nurses. To donate and help fund a nurse, visit www.hospiceintheweald.org.uk/ fundraise

or contact Lou Wardle, Head of Fundraising on 01892 820533 or

 lou.wardle@hospiceintheweald. org.uk

THEN

NOW TONBRIDGIAN CARTOONS

BY BEV MATTHEWS, ARCHIVIST

A

s Archivist, Beverley Matthews explains: “The archive is still in its infancy but I invite you to go online and see what memories you can evoke from your school days.”

“If you have memorabilia that you are willing to share with me, please get in touch. We would love to receive it so that others can enjoy it too. I am happy to return any items you wish to keep once I have scanned them.”

For all enquiries, contact:  beverley.matthews@tonbridge-school.org Browse our online archives at: www.tonbridgeschoolheritage.co.uk

Barry1930-1992 Orchard

Barry Orchard JH 1944-50

TS Staff 1958-87

JH 1944-50

TS Staff 1958-87

Barry Orchard was a larger than life character in the school for many years. He was well known for his witty additions to the Blue Book, and for his book, “A Look at the Head and the Fifty”. He was involved in many aspects of school life, both academic and sporting.

Barry was Judde House tutor, Housemaster of Knox, and Whitworth Housemaster (1974-79).

Barry Orchard was a larger than life charact years. He was well known for his witty addi for his book, “A Look at the Head and the many aspects of school life, both academic

Peter Hills 1925-2016 Barry was Judde House tutor, Housemaster

JH 1939-44

TS Staff 1960-88

Housemaster (1974-79).

Peter joined the Art Department in 1960, later becoming Head of Art in 1963. He sculpted the Madonna and Child in the Lady Chapel and the statue of St Augustine over the West Door of the restored Chapel.

Peter also produced many cartoons of the Common Room staff that were reproduced in The Tonbridgian. The splendid drawing of Barry Orchard is a good example of his skill.

Peter Hills

1925-2016

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PORTRAITS AND PAINTINGS FROM ANTHONY WISHAW Anthony Whishaw (born 1930) studied at Chelsea School of Art from 1948 to 1952 (awarded NDD) as well as the Royal College of Art, London from 1952 to 1955, when he was awarded the ARCA (first class hons), the RCA Travelling Scholarship, an Abbey Minor Scholarship and a Spanish Government Scholarship.

Headmaster, James Priory, recently visited Anthony at his studio and picked up the beautiful painted self-portrait seen here. This will be displayed at the school for our community to view in the future.

Wishaw’s artwork deals with explorations of memory and experience. On the edge of representation, varying in intent, scale and depiction, it seeks to reconcile illusion and allusion, the abstract and the figurative, past and present pictorial languages to create unforeseen visual experiences.

He has many awards to his name, including the RCA Drawing Prize (1954), Perth International Drawing Biennale Prize (1973), South East Arts Association Painting Prize (1975), Arts Council of Great Britain Award (1978), Greater London Council Painting Prize (1981), Abbey Premier Scholarship (1982), John Moores Minor Painting Prize (1982), Lorne Scholarship (1982-3), joint winner Hunting Group National Art Competition (1986), and Korn Ferry Carre Oban International Picture of the Year in 1996.

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Anthony Popham Law Whishaw R.A. (MH 44-48)

He was elected a Member of The London Group in 1979, an Associate Royal Academician in 1980, a Royal Academician in 1989 and a member of the Royal West of England Academy in 1992. Between 1958 and 1992, he taught on an occasional basis at Chelsea School of Art, and St Martins School of Art.

Old Tonbridgians are invited to visit the school to view this portrait. There will also be an exhibition running in Old Big School with Anthony’s artwork and related artifacts from the school between September 9th – November 1st 2021. Please visit www.oldbigschoolgallery.co.uk/ for further details.

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Peter Carpenter (CR 1992-2021) One year short of three decades service is one helluva shift (long service stints are de rigeur in the English Dept. – witness Edwards, Evans, Smith and Carpenter). But Carps, Carpo, Eagle, Penguin, Pete the Poet or PSDC (Peter Stephen Dedalus Carpenter) and ‘My Old Mucker’/ Best Mate has finally called time. He is without doubt a Giant at the school and is part of its DNA that runs into the brickwork, the stumps, the goalposts, the fields and, of course, Dry Hill House.

Having graduated in English from Pembroke College, Cambridge – securing his 2E offer first – Carps was recruited to work for Her Majesty’s Government (following in the traditions of Blunt, Philby, Burgess and Maclean, perhaps? No). After Cambridge, Carps worked in the Corporals’ Mess of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (aka the NAAFI - Navy, Army Air Force Institute) in Lemgo (Germany). So why am I telling you all this? Because he describes this NAAFI experience of teaching him to have “no fear in schools”. (Which begs the question, so what really did happen in that Welsh Officers Mess in Germany to ensure schools held no fear?). Having done a PGCE at Bristol University in 1979/80, his first teaching job was in the same city, followed by Dr Challoner’s in Amersham (1981-88) and The Leys School, Cambridge (1988 -1992).

September 1992 – when PSDC began his Tonbridge Odyssey - seems a very long time ago – almost ancient history and one for Tony Robinson and ‘Time Team’ – the birth of the Premier League (and Carps’ beloved Crystal Palace were in it), annus horribilis, Black Wednesday and the ERM fiasco.

It was also the year of Jack Wilshire’s birth (unbelievable!). Martin Hammond appointed him as Head of English (looking after the Drama Curriculum too) with a troupe of other ‘big hitters’ in the Class of 92 – Nigel Lashbrook (Head of Science), John Taylor (Doc T – Head of Classics), Paul Parker (ex-captain of Sussex CCC) and George Alexander (Head of Grounds). All with relatively full heads of hair, middle years in front and ‘big plans’. One of

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Carps’ being the co-founding of the football club (for OT’s of that generation remember ‘Smydon’?).

Back in the day the English department was an unusual set-up in a tall redbrick Victorian construction. Lots of height, not much width; a Peter Crouch of a layout. Classrooms only becoming part of the equation on about floor three. There were 3 permanent teaching rooms in Dry Hill House, a video room, the Sixth Form Common Room, Niven Room and 12 teachers of English including David Walsh, Peter Cummings, Jonathan Smith, Andrew Edwards and a certain John Gibbs. With no EM Forster Theatre, the Senior and Junior Plays were performed in Room 23 (a big room in the Classics Dept that was later reclaimed by John Taylor).

Richard Evans (Evs) was his first appointment in 1993.

In his time at the School, Carps has worn several faces: Head of English, Senior Master, Head of Seminar, Director of Arts Week, Director of Teaching and Learning, Head of Creative Writing, teacher of English, Cricket Coach, Football Coach, Rugby Coach (whisper it not but he once coached U16 B Hockey with Mike Bishop in 1993) and tutor in four different houses. The list is long and impressive but doesn’t really capture the true essence of the man. Many of these listings have involved considerable invention and innovation – not ‘old wine in new bottles’ – or the ‘caretaker manager’ role with the ‘safe pair of hands’.

The inaugural Tonbridge School Arts Festival in 2000 (his brainchild)

involved a whole week of the arts with boys being encouraged to participate, perform, attend, look and watch. As Senior Master he introduced Professional Development and a School Counsellor. Staff Appraisal was begun and put on a firmer footing alongside departments ‘pairing’ to observe lessons and share good practice in 2005. As an HMI trained School Inspector he successfully guided the school through two ‘Excellent’ inspections.

In terms of defining personal traits you get; no bluffing or pulling wool over eyes, weighing of words, serious about his work, the department, the school, the poetry, the stuff. The raised eyebrow, the slow knowing nod, and, of course, the ‘Ha’. Always done with a hint of humour and the fun-loving criminal inside. In May 2013, Carps had major open-heart surgery and returned to a full timetable with all the trimmings; cricket, footy and creative writing. Amazing.

With lots of plans to write, publish and embrace an entirely different style of life in Aldeburgh will be just the retirement tonic and we wish you, Amanda, Zoe and Bea all the very best in Suffolk. You will be very, very sorely missed by the whole of the Tonbridge community.

'Doc' Richards (CR 2002-current)

Andrew Edwards (CR 1985-2020) When Steady asked me to say a few brief words on his retirement, it was both a privilege and a daunting task and to be truthful, I did not know how, or where, to begin. It is impossible to try to condense Andrew Edwards’ contribution to Tonbridge in a brief five-minute speech. Thankfully a colleague came to my rescue by answering my plea for help with the following thought:

I know it is not a bereavement, but what Armitage said about losing Heaney – ‘You wake up and somebody has taken one of the mountains away’ – is exactly how I feel about losing Andrew from the English department.

‘You wake up and somebody has taken one of the mountains away’. Andrew is a mountain in the recent history of Tonbridge School and any hope of this brief scattering of words doing him justice is scant when one considers what a role he has played. There can be few, if any, who have experienced Tonbridge from as many angles as Andrew. Consider that he spent five years here as a boy in School House from 1973-78, playing for the First XV under John Gibbs and holding the 80m hurdle record for 23 years, that he then returned as a teacher and tutor in Welldon House in 1985 following his degree in History of Art at Magdelene College, Cambridge and a few years working at Christie’s in London, before becoming Housemaster of School House in 1996 which position he carried out with the utmost care and distinction until 2006. Following a sabbatical, he was appointed Upper Master from 2009- 2015 before stepping down to concentrate on his English teaching.

Four headmasters, five heads of departments and about 37,000 lessons.

Oh yes, he also coached the Under14A XV for years, ran Athletics faithfully, developing a fine working relationship with Graeme Gales and a style of relay exchange that made Tonbridge the envy of other schools, edited The Tonbridgian, coached Fives, was faithful in Conservation each week with Colin

Swainson. Additionally, he has served on the Old Tonbridgian Society committee, seen Tonbridge through the eyes of a parent with his son, William, a boarder at Park House from 2003-2007 and of course through the eyes of the wonderful Phillippa, his wife, working for many years at the school as the German Language assistant and a brilliant partner in the maelstrom of a boarding House. I fear that this list is not exhaustive, and I apologise to Andrew for any omissions in this list. But apart from that what else is there to say?

Essentially listing Andrew’s list of service is redundant; it is not in any sense an understanding of the man beneath. It is mere ‘knowledge’, numbers, not truth. When I first arrived at Tonbridge, Steady was one of the reasons I wanted to come here. Yes, I had read Jonathan Smith’s ‘The Learning Game’ where his love of Tonbridge shone through but my ‘interview’ with Steady and Jonathan was brilliant fun as we covered everything – literature (eventually), white van men, the evangelical nature of skiers, Nissan micras as I sat and loved the levels of laughter and obvious friendship. When I was offered a mentor in the dept by Richard Evans, I chose Steady instinctively – he just had this caring persona who made you feel better about things when you had a duff lesson or were a bit tired. Never judgemental, never offering frivolous advice, just the wisdom and care of an experienced colleague. When I was a housemaster in Oakeshott, if I needed advice, I turned to him. I have never met someone who instinctively knew

what the boys at Tonbridge would welcome, tolerate or reject outright. His feel for what Tonbridge boys would accept and welcome is uncanny; it is as if he has a diviner’s rod to hit the true source of the school and tell you instinctively what is and what is not.

Last night we had a farewell drink as a department for Steady and essentially, we were in a state of shock; none of us can envisage the department without him here. Tears were shed as colleagues opened up about how important a man he is and has been in our department. ‘Quite simply the best teacher of Shakespeare and poetry I have ever come across’ is how a colleague with more teaching experience than Steady described him.

By John Bleakley (CR 2002-current) To finish reading  tonbridgesociety@tonbridge-school. org

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OBITUARIES The following deaths and obituaries section covers notifications that we were made aware of between 1st May 2020 and 30th April 2021. For more recent obituaries and notifications, please see our website at: https://www.tonbridgeconnect.org/news

HADFIELD, Noël (Dr) The following obituary was provided by Noël’s son, Robert Hadfield MBE (MH 67-71) Dr Noël Hadfield, died peacefully at home in his 101st year on 17 February 2021.

Noel was the last of four siblings, born before, during and after World War One, into a musical and artistic household in Lancashire.

His parents had a poor record when it came to choosing schools and as a result his elder brothers experienced some miserable times at Sherbourne and Rossall. It was by dint of good fortune that they sent Noel to Tonbridge, having let their holiday home in the Lake District to an assistant master from the school whom they deemed to be a good chap.

His time in Manor House was happy. He sang in the choir, was a reasonable cross-country runner and even claimed to have enjoyed square-bashing on the Quad in the OTC. After school he went to University College, London to study medicine. World War Two intervened but his time as an officer in the RAMC was a happy one. He never heard a shot fired in anger and learned enough Swahili to be able to converse many years later with the surprisingly large number of Swahili-speaking waiters and baristas that there seem to be in Surrey. He got to see Kenya, Egypt and Palestine (as it then was) although an ambitious plan to meet up in the Belgian Congo with his cousin Albert, by then serving with the Force Publique, there came to naught. On pre-embarkation leave he did however bump into his former Head of House, T P Page, on the shores of Lake Victoria where they exchanged a stiff greeting before going their separate ways. Even in Africa it was not done to fraternise with boys from the years above.

After the war he decided to specialise in anaesthetics. It turned out to be a good career choice and he was a happy anaesthetist for 45 years, mainly in his native Southport. There was a large garden with lawns to mow. There was plenty of entertainment in the town and restaurants where they were assured of a warm welcome. The Scientific Society, the Union Club and the Fine Art Society provided cultural stimulation. He had a well-appointed garage where he spent many hours not only fettling his beloved cars but also repairing and fixing a myriad of other things. Domestic

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appliances were expected to last for decades, and generally did.

His post-medical world was busy and active. Now relocated to Weybridge he spent many happy hours driving grandchildren to school. Whether or not they enjoyed being subjected to Alan Bennet’s monologues, John Betjeman’s poetry or Edith Piaf’s warblings as they travelled the crowded Surrey roads with a nonagenarian at the wheel is something only they know.

At his funeral we played the 1967 BBC recording of the congregation and choir of Tonbridge School singing the hymn ‘The Day Thou Gavest Lord is Ended’ (MH 33-37))

BIRRELL, Norman Alistair (Alistair) Died on 27 February 2020, aged 97. Brother to Donald Arthur Lawrie Birrell (HS 38-41).

(HS 36-39) TUSON, Lawrence Edward (Ted) Died on 11 July 2020, aged 97, at Torbay Hospital. He will be sadly missed by his family and friends.

(PS 37-41) NOTTIDGE, Nicholas Rolfe Died on 5 May 2020, aged 93, having recently contracted pneumonia.

(SH 39-44) TWITCHELL, Harry Gilhespie

Passed away peacefully on 24 April 2021 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, aged 99. Harry is survived by his wife Elizabeth, sons Keith, Colin and Owen and stepdaughters Amy Meyer, Bonny Saulnier, Jenny Hankwitz, Molly Hankwitz, and Lucy Hendricks.

The following obituary was published on the Greenwich Time website.

After a long, interesting and happy life, long time Greenwich resident Harry Gilhespie Twitchell passed away peacefully on April 24, 2021, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Mr. Twitchell was born on September 15, 1921, in Lisbon, Portugal. He resided in Lisbon for the first five years of his life while his father Karl Twitchell, the noted geologist and explorer, oversaw copper mining operations nearby.

With his mother Nora Gilhespie Twitchell, he migrated to Devonshire, England in 1926, and began attending school at Winchester Lodge. He then graduated from Tonbridge School in 1939.

As World War II became imminent, Mr. Twitchell and his mother moved to the United States while his father continued his career in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Twitchell attended the University of Vermont, from which he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science in 1943.

After graduation, Mr. Twitchell enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving at several bases in this country as well as in the Philippines. He was honourably discharged with the rank of Lieutenant.

Upon returning to civilian life, Mr. Twitchell attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, receiving a second B.A. in Architecture and lettering in tennis.

He spent the largest part of his career working in New York City for the national YMCA, where he specialized in designing swimming pool buildings and facilities. Beginning in 1975, he was selfemployed, preparing drawings for a variety of residential and commercial projects.

In 1955, he married the former Elizabeth Jane Cassatt, with whom he had three sons. She predeceased him in 2002.

One of Mr. Twitchell’s proudest achievements was designing and having built the Hillside Roadhouse where he resided for well over fifty years. A classic mid-century modern design, it included a variety of innovative features.

Mr. Twitchell was active in several aspects of Greenwich life. He served on the Representative Town Meeting for many years, as well as with the Greenwich Land Trust, At Home in Greenwich, and the Greenwich YMCA. In later years, he was an active participant in the Retired Men’s Association.

Mr. Twitchell was also very involved with Christ Episcopal Church, where as a Lector his clear English accent made him a popular reader of the gospel for decades. He chaired the church’s Property Commission, lending his architectural talents to several projects; he also served on the History Commission and helped count contributions after services. He was also a graduate of the “Education for Ministry” program.

An avid sailor, Mr. Twitchell spent countless happy hours on Long Island Sound in his small boats and was an officer and instructor with the Greenwich Power Squadron. He was so committed to sailing, rather than pulling out the outboard motor, that on more than one occasion in light airs, he ended up drifting onto the rocks. When not testing those waters, he was also an enthusiastic tennis player.

Mr. Twitchell also enjoyed travel; in addition to

visiting most of the United States, he ventured to such exotic locales as Russia, Tanzania, China, and the Greek Islands. Well into his 80s, he visited old friends in England and did a cruise of the fjords of Norway.

In 2012, Mr. Twitchell married again, to Elizabeth Hankwitz, the widowed former college roommate of his first wife. The companionship they provided for each other in their later years was a blessing for them both.

(PS 35-39)

WARRENER, Michael Reginald Died peacefully on the 6th April 2021, his 97th birthday. He started at Tonbridge just over 83 years ago. A week before he died, he had been talking about his first day, remembering people he saw and the Bumph Test that he had to complete. He leaves a son Andrew (SH 70-75) and a daughter Vala. He also leaves five grandchildren including Thomas (SH 04-09) and Florence.

(SH 38-42) MacNICOL, Harry Malcolm (Malcolm) Died on 31 October 2020, aged 93. He went to hospital in October and sadly, after a couple of operations, he slipped away peacefully early in the morning of Saturday 31st October. 15th December 1926 -31st October 2020 Obituary written by Antony Bowring, Malcolm’s son-in-law Malcolm, as he was known by all, joined Tonbridge School in 1941. He boarded in Parkside House in the care of Reverend Page and started in Form II under the tutelage of Mr Bathurst. Malcolm soon joined the school choir, the Music Society and developed skills learning to play the chapel organ with Head of Music, Dr Alan Bunney. He also enjoyed the Debating Society and the Photographic Club. His prowess on the sport’s field is unclear. In his memoires, which give a fascinating insight into school life during the war years, he doesn’t give any evidence of being an enthusiastic sportsman himself but he was a proud supporter of the school’s rugby and cricket teams. In the early 40’s school life was greatly influenced by the war. Much physical activity was devoted to growing vegetables, helping local farmers and the residents of Tonbridge. Nights were frequently interrupted by air raids and meals were limited due to food rationing. Nevertheless Malcolm enjoyed his time at Tonbridge. His favourite studies were Art under Mr Hervey- Adams, Chemistry and Carpentry with “Boosy” Hawkes.

All boys had to join the OTC and were issued with First World War khaki uniforms, army boots and long puttees. Thursdays were devoted to military drills and parades under physics teacher Major “Bucket” Dixon. Cadets learned rifle and machine gun

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cleaning, stripping and care as well as map reading, compass work, shooting, first aid and elementary tactics – all skills that served Malcolm well when he joined the army having graduated from school with respectable exam results in Maths, Mechanical drawing, English language, English literature, French, Chemistry and Physics.

Following training at Blenheim Camp near Bury St Edmunds, Malcolm spent the last throes of WW2 in Egypt. After the war he enjoyed many years of involvement with the Territorial Army while professionally he trained as a vintner. However, for most of his working life Malcolm enjoyed a life connected to the sea, as a yacht broker, delivery skipper and proprietor of a chandlery.

Malcolm was born in Hampshire and grew up in Kent within a very close and loving family with three siblings. In the late 1980’s Malcolm and his first wife Sheila (known to all as ‘Tommy’) packed up their home of 37 years in Sussex, closed their yacht brokerage and chandlery and moved to Parham in Suffolk to be near their grandchildren.

Malcolm, being an especially gregarious man, was soon making friends around the parish. He started by volunteering to deliver the parish magazine which he did with great panache using the new GPS system (Sat Nav) to locate parishioners’ homes. Much to their surprise and delight he was able to inform them of their precise latitude and longitude.

He also volunteered to play the organ in Parham church, something he would do, he said, for just a couple of years. He finally retired from this 25 years later when he reached 90, but he continued to help out whenever he could.

He loved parties and community gatherings - apart from annual church and village fetes there were parties to honour diverse events from Lord Nelson’s bicentenary to solar eclipses. There were also garden parties, and even parties to celebrate the apple harvest. In his irrepressible way, Malcolm used any reason he could think of to get together with neighbours, friends and family, always playing the jovial host with great bonhomie.

Sadly, Tommy died after only 3 years of living in Suffolk. Sometime later Malcolm met Daphne and they went on to enjoy 25 years together.

They sang in the choir, they sailed, they travelled the world and they gardened. Planting trees was high on his list of priorities. Many of the now quite substantial trees around the village of Parham were planted by Malcolm and Daphne, including a Millennial Oak and accompanying seat on the village green.

Every year, in September, he took part in the Suffolk Historic Churches bike ride. He must have entered this event at least 20 times, most recently when he was nearly 90 and very wobbly. To this day he holds the county record for cycling to the most number of churches in any single year (60 miles-50 churches). It was an expensive business if he persuaded you to sponsor him for each church he visited.

He was a talented carpenter and mechanic; he spent so many hours in his beloved barns that one

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grandchild actually thought he lived in them. One of his long-term projects was finished three years ago - he had built a gypsy caravan to 2/3rd scale. It was the perfect size for Malcolm and Daphne and for anyone with a similar stature especially grandchildren.

He took a keen interest in the history of the region and was once a volunteer guide at nearby Framlingham Castle where he enthralled children with stories of battles and chivalry (most of which he dreamt up to arouse their interest). For the last five years he was a recorder for Suffolk Local History Council.

Over the last few years he suffered increasingly from bad circulation. In October he went to hospital and after a couple of operations sadly he slipped away peacefully early in the morning of Saturday 31st October.

Malcolm made many friends during his time at Tonbridge School with whom he remained in touch throughout his long and active life.

(PS 41-44)

BOLLAM, Robert Calvin (Calvin) Died peacefully at home on 8 September 2020, aged 92.

(WH 42-46) BOUCHER, Rex Roy Comyn Died on 8 August 2020, aged 91. Devoted husband to Marguerite for 66 years and much loved and sorely missed father by his sons Hugh (HS 69-73) and Robert (HS 71-76) and five grandchildren.

(HS 42-46) NOTT-BOWER, Colin Guy Passed away very peacefully at Elmwood, Colyford on 10th March 2021, aged 92 years. Much loved husband of the late Molly. Beloved father, grandfather and great grandfather. He will be much missed by all his family and friends.

(PH 42-46) TAYLOR, John Robson Died on 20 June 2020 in Sydney, Australia, aged 91.

Husband to Brenda, father to Michael, Philippa, Simon and Justin and grandfather of twelve.

The following obituary has been written by his children Justin, Simon, Philippa and Michael.

John was born on the 10th February 1929 in Zomba, the 4th largest city of Nyasaland (now known as Malawi having gained independence from the UK in 1964) and was the only child of Leslie and Nancy.

Shortly after his birth the family left Zomba, travelling up the Zambezi River, for a life back in the UK, which coincided with the start of the Great Depression.

Back in the UK, the family settled in Sevenoaks,

Kent, and John attended Tonbridge School from 1942 to 1947 embracing all that Tonbridge could offer with keen involvement both academically but also in pursuing rugby and his life-long passion of cricket.

Graduating from Tonbridge School at the end of World War 2 and disappointed at having missed the opportunity to serve his country he immediately joined the army where he served for nearly 4 years, until, whilst being driven across the Salisbury Plain to attend to an accident involving a bus, his Land Rover rolled breaking both his legs. John left the army in 1950 and commenced a Civil Engineering degree at Kings College, London graduating in 1953.

These early years of John’s life placed him in environments and gave him experiences which had an undeniable influence on the person we came to love.

John was a man who went forward in life with a fierce sense of purpose, never wanting to waste a day; he possessed an empathy and sense of fairness for others, always seeking out the more interesting; a yearning for adventure, travelling the road less travelled; and always questioning what we could have often taken for granted.

With John now working as a Chartered Civil Engineer he spent his free time developing his love for sailing. Racing Fireflys and OK dinghies and taking weekend trips up and down the French coast.

In 1958 the chance meeting of Brenda Vokins at Chequers Pub in Sevenoaks really paved the way.

In December of 1958 Brenda and John were married and John whisked her off to Nassau in the Bahamas where he’d secured a two-year posting.

Returning from the Bahamas in 1961, John accepted a two-year posting in Sydney, arriving in December of 1962. The two-year posting turned into a rest of life commitment as John and Brenda quickly circled themselves with friends from school, sailing, the golf club, the SCG and work.

Life in Australia was purpose built for John’s adventurous lifestyle. As an engineer in the 60’s and 70’s he travelled across the largely unchartered Pacific, well ahead of the tourist onslaught, and during the 80’s worked on projects extending into the United Arab Emirates managing the design and delivery of a strategically placed harbour at the entrance of the Straits of Hormuz.

In 1986 at the age of 57 John retired from his work as a Civil Engineer and commenced an odyssey of travel, photography, art and gardening which kept him busy for the next 35 years.

John placed great value in tradition and history, he was often mistaken as being conservative, on the contrary he was a progressive thinker, and he often took pleasure in disarming others with his dry wit and forthright views.

Above all John cherished the ever-growing family he had created from his humble beginnings in Nyasaland. John is survived by his wife Brenda, his children Michael, Philippa, Simon and Justin and his 12 grandchildren.

(HS 42-47)

WATTS, David Ewart Died peacefully at home on 12 April 2021, aged 91.

Beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather: Timothy (WH 70-74), Peter (WH 75-80), Tom (WH 05-10), Matt (WH 08-13).

(WH 43-48) GLOVER, Brian Michael Died on 25 July 2020, aged 90.

(PS 43-48) MIDDLETON, Stephen Died peacefully on Thursday 8 April 2021, aged 91 years. A much loved husband to Carol, father to Rosemary, Judith and Timothy, grandfather and great grandfather. He will be sadly missed.

Stephen was educated at Manor House Preparatory School and Tonbridge School and served in the Royal Engineers as a Captain. After leaving the army, he was Company Secretary for BOCM Pauls in Ipswich and was a regular member of the choir at St Michael’s in Framlingham.

(HS 43-47) WALKER, Peter Hugh (Hugh), MBE Died on 15 September 2020, aged 89. Hugh died at his home in Sherborne, leaving behind a wife, the painter Anne Moorse-Walker, and step-children and step-grandchildren.

The following obituary was written by Hugh’s niece, Lesley Curwen and appeared in the Guardian My uncle Hugh Walker, who has died at the age of 89, was a colonial administrator in Britain’s most controversial conflicts, though he became disillusioned with aspects of British rule.

His life began badly. He was an illegitimate baby, one of three unwanted children from a long affair between a nurse and a married man.

A rich elderly spinster found him in a children’s home, adopted him and sent him to Tonbridge public school where he enjoyed being with other children, though he was not academically gifted. National Service was spent in the Somali Scouts regiment where his fluent Somali led him to become an officer in the Colonial Service who was posted to Kenya as a District Commissioner.

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He fell in love with the ancient lifestyle of the Maasai, photographing their rituals. He was tasked to pursue Mau Mau rebels, but never caught them. He adopted a lion cub, got boils from riding camels, and read the Riot Act in Kenya’s wild northern frontier-land.

Hugh liked ‘wild and woolly’ places and was not unhappy to be posted next to the Aden Insurgency.

He supplied favoured Yemeni tribes with guns, ammunition and silver Maria Theresa dollars, surviving assassination threats and escaping Aden just one week before his successor was blown up by a bomb placed in a plane. ‘There but for the grace of God went I’, he once told me; ‘it was shocking’.

He decided to leave the colonial service, which he loved for its open air life in untamed places. He had disagreed with some decisions taken by his superiors, and later in life wrote bitterly about how the British government broke its promises to Kenya’s Somali population that they would be allowed to secede after Kenyan independence.

Talking to me later, he admitted that colonialism could be seen as a ‘huge disaster’, but he still believed British rule gave many countries a structure and stability from which they benefited then, and even today.

In the 1970s, he headed the BBC’s Somali Service and then moved to Hong Kong as a civil administrator.

In 1982, a long letter arrived from a woman called Deirdre, my mother. She told him, gently, she was his sister, and he had another sister, Audrey. Deirdre had tracked down her birth mother who confessed there were three siblings. Hugh flew over from Hong Kong and we were able to meet and offer him the family love he had never known. My mother and aunt were with him at Buckingham Palace when he was awarded the MBE. He eventually retired to Sherborne in Dorset, and married the artist Anne Moorse whom he had first met in Aden, living a happy life with her extended family.

(PH/SH 44-48)

ROSS, Michael Ian (Ian) Died on 18 January 2020, aged 89.

(SH 45-50) GARNETT, Robin Miles Died in Zimbabwe on 16 December 2020, aged 88.

(HS 46-50) NATHAN, Bruce Died on 5 February 2020, aged 88, after a short illness.

(SH 47-50) GARDNER, Christopher Died on 13 June 2019, aged 85.

(PH 47-52)

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KITCHING, John Died after a short illness on 27 December 2020, aged 85. Distinguished Past President of the OTS, he will be greatly missed by his family and many friends.

The following obituary was written by Robert Lisvane (SH 63-68) With the death of John Kitching on 27 December 2020 the School, Trinity Hall and the Skinners’ Company have lost a faithful friend, advocate and supporter; his widow Aline and his children Dodo, Johnny, Nicola and Hélène a kindly, generous and beloved husband and father; and a world-wide circle of friends a delightful companion.

John was born on 10 December 1934 in Colombo, Ceylon (as it then was). He went to a boarding school in Nuwara Eliya and then, aged 10, travelled to England to go to Brunswick School and then to Tonbridge, to Manor House. His sporting and academic career at Tonbridge was stellar: he was in the XI, the XV, the Hockey XI, and also in first teams for athletics and squash. He was successively Head of House and Head of the School; and he won a scholarship to Trinity Hall, Cambridge. No wonder that several of his Tonbridge contemporaries describe him as “an Olympian figure”.

John’s National Service was spent in the Royal Air Force (where he made lifelong friends), first at RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey in Lincolnshire, where he was appointed Senior Cadet and became one of 20 Acting Pilot Officers selected for pilot training in Canada. At RCAF Penhold in Alberta John trained on Harvards (making many friends among the cosmopolitan course) and then graduated to the T33 Silver Star jet aircraft. He was awarded his Wings in February 1955, returned to the UK and trained on Meteor IVs at RAF Driffield, followed by a course at RAF Pembrey battle school flying Vampire Vs. He continued as a Flying Officer in the RAAF until the Auxiliary Squadrons were disbanded in 1957.

At Cambridge, as well as being an all-round sportsman and scholar (he described himself as reading “athletics and history, in roughly that order”) it was in athletics that he excelled, gaining an athletics Blue and coming first in the high jump in the 1957 Varsity Match and second in the javelin (reversing those places in the following year’s Match). He was a member of the combined Oxford and Cambridge athletics team which toured the USA in 1957, and he

won the javelin in matches against Harvard & Yale, and Penn & Cornell. Ranked No 1 in the UK with the javelin, he represented England at the Commonwealth Games in both javelin and high jump.

After Cambridge, he went on a Harkness Scholarship to Stanford Business School. He married Anne Healey and came back to the UK to work for McKinsey and then Standard Telephones, specialising in take-overs. With his young family he went to Harvard Business School, took an MBA and published articles in Harvard Business Review, which he continued to do over succeeding years. He ran the Boston Consulting Group and following his divorce worked in Monaco, turning round failing companies; and then set up as an independent consultant. During a year’s Fellowship at the Wissenschaftzentrum in Berlin he wrote a book describing, as he put it, “why takeovers don’t work”; and he lectured at Davos. He met his future wife Aline (a Professor of Spanish Literature at the Sorbonne) on the Côte d’Azur. As he said: “The romance covered Berlin, Paris and London, and we finally settled down in the 16me arrondissement”.

His consulting career was extensive, including the flotation of Abbey National, biotechnology development for Monsanto, and a number of highly successful venture capital initiatives.

It was typical of John that he should give his loyalty, time and effort to the institutions that had figured in his life. He was a Governor of Tonbridge during the greatest building programme since Victorian times, and as a member of the School’s Foundation Board he injected energy and expertise into fundraising, and later was a great supporter of the move of the Old Tonbridgian Society from its venerable role to a much closer engagement between the OTs and the School. He was an enthusiastic and active President of the OTs, always making time to come over from Paris for School events.

He was an enthusiastic Skinner and frequent attender at Company events. He joined the Livery in 1969 and served as an Extra Member of the Court 1991-94. He was a robust but constructive critic of the Company’s investment policies (and of “year-on-year” as a measure of performance); and when I was Master he asked me to guess the present value of a £1,000 endowment given by my predecessor in 1350 (at 2 ½ % compound interest). I fell well short of the answer: £14.217 billion…

At Trinity Hall he was Chairman of the Development Board, spearheading an immensely successful fund-raising campaign, as well as acting as adviser to successive Masters.

John was the most hospitable of men. He was a staunch member of Brooks’s, and at lunch there the conversation would range far and wide, always with John’s astute observations and insights on an extraordinary range of topics. He had the rare skill of resuming a conversation months or years later with the impression that only a few minutes had passed.

And he maintained his enthusiasms and passions –

one of which was improving the life chances of the young – long after lesser men would have hung up their ambitions.

Those who knew John Kitching will have counted it a privilege. He was a man of generosity, humanity, wisdom, imagination – and humility: his autobiographical note for one grand Cambridge occasion was headed Apologia pro vita sua. We are the richer for having known him, and the poorer for having lost him.

(MH 48-53)

LEWIS, John David (David) Died in February 2021, shortly before his 86th birthday. David had been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease in recent years but passed away from natural causes. A true gentleman who will be sadly missed.

(PS 48-53) FLEETWOOD, Colin Stuart Died peacefully on 30 December 2020, aged 85.

Much loved and sorely missed by all his family and friends: Jonathan (MH 81-86), Andrew (MH 83-88), Tim (MH 86-91) (JH 48-53)

THROWER, Harold Rayner Died peacefully at home on 26 September 2020, aged 84. Adored husband, father and grandpa.

(Sc 49-54) BATEMAN, Christopher Norman Rea, Lt Col OBE (Chris) Died on 18 August 2020, aged 85.

(Sc 49-53) de St CROIX, John, Lt-Cmdr Died on 28 April 2020, aged 83.

(PH 49-52) MOSS, John Newton Died peacefully on 3 January 2020, aged 83, after having pancreatic cancer and dementia.

(JH 49-54)

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BOWEN, Simon Died on 27 July 2019, after he lost his battle with cancer at the age of 83.

(Sc 49-52) MILNER SMITH QC, His Honour Colin Died on 10 July 2020, aged 83, in Teddington, London. Graduate of Brasenose, Oxford and Chicago Law School. Cricketer extraordinaire (Old Tonbridgians, Yellowhammers, Band of Brothers, Limpsfield CC) well into his 70s. His wit, intellect and kindness will be sadly missed by his family and friends. There will be a private funeral.

The following obituary appeared in the Times on Wednesday August 26 2020.

Colin Milner Smith, QC, was born on November 2, 1936. He died of the effects of strokes and dementia on July 10, 2020, aged 83.

Judge and commercial silk who played backgammon with Roger Moore and once outscored Colin Cowdrey at cricket.

Although a high-minded and studious commercial lawyer, Colin Milner Smith, QC, derived his greatest pleasure from his sporting pursuits. While representing the producers of the James Bond films, he was particularly chuffed to play Roger Moore, 007 himself, at backgammon. He obtained even greater satisfaction through outscoring the England batsman Colin Cowdrey in the final of a cricket competition.

The demands of advocacy and, later, of a circuit judge, were not permitted to interfere with his love of games, particularly cricket. Milner Smith had followed Cowdrey to Tonbridge School and to Brasenose College, Oxford, as an exhibitioner, but had been prevented from gaining a Blue by the presence of another England cricketer in the making, Alan Smith.

He was no relation but was a fellow wicketkeeper.

Hence Milner Smith played in just one first-class match, in 1958, while his namesake was taking an exam. Far from being deflated, he continued to keep wicket for a variety of clubs into his seventies.

Weekends were sacrosanct: if he was not behind the stumps he was in the pavilion at Lord’s, where he knew any number of MCC members.

He outscored Cowdrey, one of England’s finest batsmen, for Old Tonbridgians in the final of the Cricketer Cup in 1972. He made 90 and Cowdrey 49 in a victory over Old Malvernians. The reward for the winners was to be flown to Epernay when the sponsors of the competition were Moët & Chandon Milner Smith’s brother, Martin, the more gregarious of the two (obituary, April 29, 2017) drank so much champagne after another victory in 1984 that he was unable to give his speech at the celebratory lunch at Château de Saran, amusing himself by urinating into the hat of the portentous cricket writer EW Swanton, who had left it on a peg outside the dining room.

Fortunately for him, his hosts did not notice as one brother stood in for the other.

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Colin Milner Smith was the son of Alan Milner Smith, a lawyer who became town clerk of Lewisham in south London, and Vera (née Cannon). He grew up in Otford, Kent, and excelled at sport and academia at Tonbridge. In his two subsequent years of National Service a relaxed existence of drinking gin gimlets in Malta was followed by the grim task of being in charge of a marine landing boat during the Suez crisis, picking up injured commandos under fire. “He combined a touch of lunacy with utter charm,” his friend Ted Rose said. “Fancy electing to join the Royal Marines, then later being renowned as the most polite judge on his circuit.”

Alan Smith, who was in the same college at Oxford and who was to become chief executive of the Test and County Cricket Board, recalled Milner Smith as “a very nice chap” but surprisingly they never discussed the art of wicketkeeping. In his one first-class appearance, in the Parks against Sussex, Milner Smith brought off a stumping and was twice dismissed cheaply. Much of the rest of his time was spent reading history and then studying law, in which he got an upper second, and wearing a brown tailcoat in the Phoenix, believed to be the oldest of the Oxford dining clubs.

He then attended University of Chicago Law School. “My father always said it was an exciting time to be in America,” said his son, Alexander. “Kennedy had just been elected and there was a school of thought developing among lawyers which was to influence some of the president’s key advisers. By the time he returned to Britain, the Swinging Sixties had begun and my mother was part of that scene.” He met her through gatecrashing a party in Notting Hill.

Milner Smith became a circuit judge in 1991 A contemporary who became a close friend when he worked in the Middle Temple was Tony Blair’s brother, William, who is Alexander’s godfather. Several decades later, Milner Smith would be invited to Chequers. He would be predominantly a commercial silk — he met Moore through acting for Eon Productions over a dispute when a rival James Bond film, Never Say Never Again, was released in the early 1980s — before becoming a circuit judge in 1991. He wrote books concerned with the laws on gaming and betting.

Milner Smith was sensitive to any criticism in the press for being too lenient in sentencing criminals. “He would make every effort to prevent defendants from having to deal with sneaky questions,” said Alexander.

“And he was prepared to be flown into the Maze in

Northern Ireland to do internment without trial hearings. A lot of people didn’t want to do that.”

He could always escape to a cricket ground or to another favourite venue, Glyndebourne for the opera. As well as attending matches at Lord’s, he was a keen supporter of Kent and would watch them at Canterbury. Among the other clubs he played for was Limpsfield on the border of Kent and Surrey, for which he was to score more than 20,000 runs. He arrived late for one Limpsfield Strollers’ tour of the West Country when he was supposed to be opening the batting and was out first ball but then propped up the bar until closing time.

“Colin played both days every weekend, three if it included a bank holiday, yet still contrived to appear in court on Monday mornings, evidently in complete control of his brief. Extraordinary really,” said Rose.

The only time this seemed a problem was when he was hit on the nose by a ball and was worried about his starring image. In the days before drink-driving restrictions, he would race home in his little white sports car late in the evening. “On one occasion, he took great delight in relating that the police had to admit in court that they had been unable to keep up.”

Milner Smith married, in Gray’s Inn Chapel in 1979, Moira Braybrooke, the daughter of Contessa Teresa Marcello Stopponi, who was the first public relations representative for Laura Ashley, having been taken on initially as a shop manageress. According to Laura Ashley: A Life By Design she had “style, good looks and an exotic family background”. They made their home in Wimbledon and had two children: Alexander, who became a lawyer, and Camilla, a doctor. Moira died last year.

Milner Smith and his brother were nothing if not competitive. “My father was extremely generous with his time but parsimonious by nature,” said Alexander.

“If he could find a suit for £6, he would buy it. When Martin staged a party once, my father told him he had found the “champers deal of the century” and would bring this with him — only what he had in mind was not champagne but “Shampa” (Sovetskoe Shampanskoye, which was cheap sparkling wine from the Soviet Union). Generally they got on well but Martin took this very poorly. There was always a bit of needle about who was the better cricketer.”

(MH 50-55) COTTRALL, Malcolm Frederick, Dr Died on 27 May 2020, aged 84. Beloved husband of Khursheed and father to Simon and Yasmeen.

(HS 50-54)

ELVY, Roger Thomas Died on 10 May 2020, aged 82.

(Sc 50-54) PETTMAN, Marcus Edward Frank Died on 29 December 2020, aged 83, after a long illness with Cancer and Covid-19.

(SH 50-55)

MOORE, Richard Hugh Died peacefully on 24 October 2017, aged 80, after a prolonged illness.

(SH 50-55) COBB, Peter George Died on 6 September 2020, aged 83.

(MH 50-55) UNDERWOOD, Richard Henry Died peacefully in Ipswich Hospital on 27 April 2020, aged 83. Husband of Jane and father of Susan and Joanne.

(JH 51-55) LUCKHURST, Timothy Anderson Died on 28 July 2018, aged 80.

The following obituary was written by his brother, David (SH 48-52) Died on 28 July 2018, aged 80. Brother to David (SH 1948 - 1952). Born in Sevenoaks, he left Tonbridge early when the family moved away, later graduating in Agricultural Science at Reading University. He then taught science at Harlow College and worked as a geneticist in a poultry business. In 1965 with his first wife and three children he emigrated to Australia where he was to spend the rest of his life. Continuing his involvement with poultry, in a number of locations and managerial positions, he finished his career as CEO of the New South Wales Chicken Growers Association. In 1975 he remarried, finally moving to Bowral SW of Sydney, a town closely associated with the famed cricketer Don Bradman. His principal recreations were property renovation (doing much of the work himself) and foreign travel in Asia and Europe, allegedly visiting 26 countries, many more than once. In later life he was plagued with a number of illness involving spells in hospital from a variety of causes, finally dying of smoking related cancer. As well as his wife, three children and three stepchildren, he leaves behind seven grandchildren, one stepgrandchild and four great-grandchildren.

(SH 51-53)

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WINNIFRITH, Tom John Died in November 2020, aged 82.

(SH 51-56) The following obituary was written by Tabitha Gilchrist and appeared in The Guardian Tom Winnifrith was an unorthodox lecturer. On one occasion he took classics students to his allotment, My father, Tom Winnifrith, who has died aged 82, was an academic who was instrumental in founding the department of classics at Warwick University and inspired generations of students in their love of classics and English literature.

Born in London to John Winnifrith, a civil servant at the Ministry of Agriculture who became director general of the National Trust, and his wife, Lesbia (nee Cochrane), he grew up in Edenbridge, Kent, and attended Tonbridge school. He was a classics scholar at Christchurch, Oxford, graduating in 1960.

After teaching at Emanuel School, Wandsworth (1960-1961), and Eton (1961-66), he returned to academic studies at Oxford, undertaking a BPhil in 19th century literature, and Liverpool University, where his doctoral thesis on the Brontës (later published as The Brontës and their Background) made scholars aware that some primary sources were untrustworthy because of careless editing.

thinking, poor grammar and philistinism did not always endear him to colleagues.

Simultaneously, he was bravely facing the challenges of bringing up three young children alone, after Joanna took her own life in 1976. Things at home were far from conventional; order was lacking, but the clues in birthday treasure hunts were written in Latin rhyming couplets, and his contributions to a game of Consequences consisted entirely of quotations from Wuthering Heights.

A reacquaintance with a cousin, Helen Norton, in 1987, resulted in marriage and a move to Shipstonon-Stour, Warwickshire.

He retired in 1998, and with Helen enjoyed travel, opera, church and community life and his grandchildren.

His Christian faith appeared unshaken despite the difficulties of his life, and underpinned his courage, sense of justice and abhorrence of vanity.

Helen died in 2016. He is survived by his children, Tom, Naomi and me, his stepchildren, Tallulah, Tom and Felicity, and by 18 grandchildren.

(SH 51-56)

HALL, Simon Robert Dawson Died on 22 January 2021, aged 82. Beloved husband of Jenny, much loved by his sons Stephen and Andrew, and Grandpa to Alexander, Guy, Stephanie, Taylor and Robin.

(WH 51-56) MONSON, Barry Edward Philip Died on 23 January 2021, aged 84.

(WH 51-56)

In 1967 he married Joanna Booker, and three years later was appointed a lecturer in English and comparative literary studies at Warwick University.

His research interests expanded to include the Vlachs, a nomadic Balkan race who spoke a Latinate language. On trips to remote villages, he befriended them, learned about their history and language and helped give them a national identity.

At Warwick he became the driving force behind the development of a new department of classics which opened in 1976, and which thrives today. He not only felt that studying classics should be possible for those without traditional classical schooling, but was also a strong promoter of the arts and humanities in an increasingly technological world. He continued to teach both classics and English until retirement.

He was popular with students thanks to his amusing lectures and unorthodox approach, exemplified by a visit to his allotment to illustrate Virgil’s Georgics. His outspoken criticism of sloppy

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CARDWELL, Anthony Bruce (Tony) Anthony (Tone the Bone) Cardwell, 1938-2020.

Musician (New Orleans trombone), Teacher (Bethany School), Historian (local archaeology), Author (books: Limen and From Acorn to Oak Tree, history of Bethany School), Thatcher, Philosopher and true gentleman, died peacefully on 26 June 2020. He is survived by wife Maggy, children James and Joanna, grandchildren Felix, Rosie and Bo and will be sadly missed.

(SH 51-57) MACKINTOSH, John Ian Hamilton (Ian) Died on 22 January 2021, aged 80. Head of School, Tennis VI (Capt.), Rugby 1st XV. A dedicated member of the OT Golf Society, Ian was one of the longest serving and most consistent attendees at OTGS events. He was also a keen angler. Husband to Victoria, father to Alex, Juliet, Evelyn and Henry (Sc 96-01) and grandfather. An exceptional man who will be greatly missed by his family and many friends.

Obituary written by Peter Aspbury, David Evans (Sc 53-58), Michael Noël-Clarke (Sc 53-58) and Richard Stocks (Sc 53-58)

John Ian Hamilton Mackintosh, born in Scotland, 3 March 1940, died peacefully at home on January 22 2021. Ian’s father died in 1945 in Istanbul where he was serving as a clandestine British intelligence officer and Ian was raised with his older sister, Sarah after the war by his mother, Betty Goldie, and grandmother: first in Sunningdale, moving later to Tunbridge Wells. It was his mother who introduced him to golf in Scotland, where, under 5, he could hit the ball 50 yards and later, to fishing.

Ian was to become a high flyer known for his wit and intellect and won the top scholarship to Tonbridge, where he flourished, not just in his studies, where he ended top of his class but also in sport, becoming Captain of Tennis and capped for the Rugby XV. He was also musical and totally at home on the piano, which he played effortlessly by ear. He was an accompanist at School House prayers and hymns and with an excellent voice, his command was such that he conducted the “House Shout” with aplomb. But he did have the odd brush with authority; once, when in the Combined Cadet Force, he loosed off a blank round on exercise without orders, terrifying an Officer and was summarily “court-martialled” and dismissed!

However, such was Ian’s calibre as he progressed through Tonbridge, that he received the distinction of appointment to Head of School in his final year.

After a gap year he entered Clare College, his father’s alma mater, as an academic scholar but the lures of golf and angling followed, as did an early demotion from Scholar to Exhibitioner. Nevertheless he graduated in 1961 and seldom, if ever, disabused an interviewer impressed by the dual distinctions of Scholar and Exhibitioner on his CV. After Cambridge Ian embarked on a career in the City with Schroders, as a merchant banker and shared a flat in Manchester Street with fellow OTs. It is reported that many evenings were had, with curries, singsongs, Ian on keyboard and jolly girls from flats above!

On a trip to Verbier in Switzerland, in his late twenties, he fell for a young American lady from New York, Victoria Cobb, “Vicky” to friends and family, proposing in Rome a few months later and marrying in 1970. Initially living in Paris (Ian was a fluent linguist) they moved with his career through London, Beirut

and Athens and back to London, when he acquired a weekend house in Hampshire. Along the way their first three children were born, Alex, Juliet and then Evelyn.

In 1982 Ian landed a dream assignment, a banking job in New York, where the family welcomed the arrival of a son, Henry, in 1983. They loved Manhattan, the sea and availability of the Catskill rivers and he joined the Anglers Club there. Such was his enthusiasm for fishing that Ian and his young son once boarded the ferry in Lower Manhattan and disembarking, with rod and tackle in hand, made their way to the water’s edge where Ian began to cast in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. To Henry’s mortification, the National Park Rangers arrived, were not amused and abruptly terminated this experiment!

Returning eventually to the UK, the family settled in Alresford close to Ian’s beloved chalk streams and its golf club. He joined an angling syndicate on the nearby River Itchen, with its brown trout and grayling.

Caring deeply about the fragility of the chalk stream ecosystem, he fought hard to protect it. He was particularly proud of the advisory work he and a friend contributed to the restoration of habitat on a stretch of the river, rewarded by a growing population of fish and even of salmon redds.

As an accomplished golfer, he renewed playing with the OTGS and was a popular attendee and team member for many years. On one occasion he was summoned, very early from his bed, to stand in for an injured player in the play-off for the Senior Bernard Darwin Trophy. Tonbridge won! In recent years he was a member of no less than 5 golf clubs, including Rye, Porthcawl and Knole Park: Ian did nothing by half!

Despite his losing a leg in 2020, he had hopes of a return, first to fishing and to golf in 2021, such was his determination: indeed, his electric buggy was held ready for action at the end of lockdown. Sadly, golf was not to be but he did catch a last fish, a 5lb grilse in September 2020, his angling finale.

His health problems though in no way deterred him. With everlasting support from his wife and family, his deep Christian faith, his positive attitude, his self-deprecating charm, his sense of humour, his love of family and life in all its forms never dimmed.

He is survived by Victoria, his wife of almost 51 years, their daughters, Alexandra, Juliet, Evelyn, their son, Henry (OT Sc. 96-01) and four granddaughters. He will be much missed by his family and a multitude of friends but never forgotten.

(Sc 53-58)

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SEVERIN, Tim Died on 19th December 2020, aged 80.

Source: The Telegraph Obituaries, posted on 19 December 2020 Tim Severin, explorer who retraced the journeys of Ulysses and Genghis Khan: Obituary In his most famous expedition he crossed the Atlantic in the wake of St Brendan the Navigator in a 36-ft wooden ox-hide covered currach.

Tim Severin, the explorer, who has died aged 80, made his name in a highly specialised niche of travel literature: retracing epic journeys made by historical and mythological figures.

Inspired by the voyages of his hero Thor Heyerdahl, Severin’s “replica journeys” included riding through Europe along the route of the first Crusade; captaining an Arab sailing ship from Muscat to China to investigate the legend of Sinbad the Sailor; steering a replica of a Bronze Age galley to trace the Mediterranean journeys of Jason and Ulysses; galloping across Mongolia on horseback in search of Genghis Khan, and sailing the Pacific on a bamboo raft to test the theory that ancient Chinese mariners could have reached the west coast of America several hundred years before the birth of Christ.

His most famous expedition, and the subject of his bestseller The Brendan Voyage (1979), involved sailing a 36-foot wooden ox-hide covered currach, a traditional Irish boat handcrafted using traditional tools, across the Atlantic in the wake of St Brendan the Navigator, an Irish monk who is believed to have established monasteries across northern Europe during the 6th century and is reputed to have discovered North America.

The voyage, in 1976, took Severin from the Dingle peninsula in Ireland to Newfoundland, via the Hebrides and Iceland, during which the boat dodged circling killer whales (Brendan’s “sea monsters”, Severin surmised) and was punctured by pack ice. As a reviewer observed in National Geographic, “you begin to wonder whether Severin is out of his mind.

Few modern yachts would attempt this route so how on earth would a boat made out of medieval materials and using medieval technology complete the journey?”

Yet, after several false starts, Severin did complete it, and he concluded that the Irish monks of the 6th century had the technology to reach America.

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Moreover many of the natural wonders described by St Brendan (the “Island of Sheep”, the “Paradise of Birds”, “pillars of crystal”, “mountains that hurled rocks” at voyagers) had their counterparts in the real world.

Severin published an impressive collection of books, but his formula varied little. His travelling arrangements replicated historic accounts as closely as possible, and the resulting books were collages of previous writings on the subject and Severin’s own experiences.

Outside the ranks of travel writing connoisseurs, however, Severin was little known because he refused to play up to expectations. Interviewers expecting the explorer’s rugged features and shaggy locks were surprised by his dapper, upper middle-class English grooming, his tweed jackets and cravats – “more captain of the golf club than Sir Ranulph Fiennes” as one observed.

Naturally reticent, in his writing Severin tended to stick to his theme rather than indulge in agonised Ellen MacArthur-style tussles with his own psyche. In the films he made of his journeys he remained steadfastly behind the camera.

This approach may have cost him popular fame, but his well-crafted writing and academic sure-footedness won him a fan club of seriousminded readers- as well as a slew of awards, including both the Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society and the Livingstone Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

Giles Timothy Severin was born on September 25 1940 in Jorhat, Assam, India, where his father was a tea planter. He was the fourth generation of his family to be born in India, and at the age of six, like other “colonial brats” he was sent “home” to boarding school in England. But he never felt that England was home and the romance of travel always held an allure. At Tonbridge School, he devoured adventure stories in the school library and won a scholarship to Keble College, Oxford to read Geography.

His adventures began when he and a couple of student friends (one of them was Stanley Johnson, father of Boris) took off on motor bikes across central Asia, with the aim of retracing Marco Polo’s journey to Cathay. The plan was that one of Severin’s friends would write a book about the journey, but when it was rejected Severin himself was approached by a publisher. His book, Tracking Marco Polo, was published in 1964 to favourable reviews, one critic praising its “entrancing blend of hilarity and high adventure, chaos and revelation”.

He went on to combine graduate work as a Commonwealth fellow in the United States with two further books based on the history of exploration – one on the Mississippi, another on the Caribbean.

In the early 1970s Severin moved to west Cork, Ireland, because “it was the only place I could afford”.

He remained there for the rest of his life, subsidising his adventures by renting out holiday cottages and making television documentaries.

Oddly, perhaps, given the rickety character of the vessels on which he plied the oceans, it was

Severin’s land-based travels that proved the most hazardous. After he mounted the saddle in 1987 to relive the 11th Century Christian crusades that took 100,000 European knights and pilgrims across 16 countries to conquer Jerusalem, he and his horses were hit by an army truck, buzzed by a military helicopter, stoned by children, covered in boils and gashed in accidents.

Moreover as one reviewer pointed out, in emulating the assault of the Infidel on the Holy Places, Severin was blithely risking the wrath of every Islamic militant in the world.

Severin’s earlier voyages captured the imagination, but some felt that his later adventures – such as sailing in the tracks of the Pequod in search of Moby Dick or searching for the “real” Robinson Crusoe (not Alexander Selkirk, Severin claimed, but a ship’s surgeon called Henry Pitman) – were more gimmicky and less scientifically useful.

Eventually Severin decided to turn some of his adventures into fiction and embarked on a new phase of his career as an author of historical novels.

His first fictional efforts, the Viking trilogy, were set in the Norse world of the 11th century, with a hero called Thorgils who travels from Byzantium to the shores of America, surviving the battle of Clontarf and other historical engagements. Another series was set in the 17th century and focused on the exploits of a half-Irish, half-Spanish hero, Hector Lynch.

Tim Severin married, in 1966, Dorothy Sherman, but the marriage was dissolved. He is survived by his second wife Dee and by a daughter from his first marriage.

Tim Severin, born September 25 1940, died December 18 2020 (MH 54-57)

HOGBEN, Michael Anthony Died on 26 July 2020, aged 78. Michael passed away after a short illness.

(Sc 55-60) MACFARLAN, John Donald Cameron Died on 1 March 2020.

(JH 58-62) HANDFORD, Michael Harold Died unexpectedly but peacefully in May 2020.

(SH 58-63) CRAVEN, Timothy John Died on 5 November 2020 aged 74, after a courageous battle with vascular dementia.

(JH 59-63)

HORNSBY, Nicholas John Died peacefully at home in Cape Town on Sunday 6th September 2020, aged 73, after many years of disability cheerfully borne. Dearly loved and missed by his wife Anita, sons Alex, Freddy and Philip, sister Gia Selmon and nephews Thomas and Guy. Nick Hornsby came to Ferox Hall in 1962. He led an active and fully rounded life at Tonbridge, enjoying everything and making his mark in many ways. He was selected for the Ist XV for three years as a prop forward. He was also a member of the Athena Society and enjoyed taking on roles in senior school plays. It was as an oarsman, however, that he was perhaps the most celebrated. Rowing was his main sport. He was Captain of the Tonbridge Boat Club and when he went up to Cambridge his rowing career flourished.

The tribute below was written by Patrick Delafield, who was Nick’s oldest friend Nick came up to Trinity Hall, Cambridge in the Michaelmas Term of 1966 and established himself immediately as one of the most affable and goodhumoured men one could possibly hope to meet.

Built like a buffalo and weighing in at something between 14 and 15 stones he was soon making a name for himself on the river and was promptly selected for the CUBC Trial Vlll’s. Memory fails me as to whether he won the Trial Vlll’s race of 1966, but he was immediately thereafter selected for the CUBC squad for the 1967 Boat Race. We were delighted to have him in the boat.

As (bad) luck would have it we (Cambridge) contrived to come second in the 1967 Boat Race which was, as it happened, the third element of the first Oxford hat-trick since the First World War. The collective vow to remedy this lamentable state of affairs could be heard aloud as we crossed the finish line and, with four of us returning to Cambridge the following year we had the nucleus upon which to build our revenge.

Cambridge won the 1968 Boat Race with a comfortable margin. We won the Isis v. Goldie Race as well. We went on to repeat this feat in each of the next 5 years giving us the memorable “double, double hat-trick” and Nick was a massively important physical and mental contributor to the first two years of those six. His outstandingly good nature, cool temperament, physical power and all-round

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good-oarsmanship were an example to all. He stood for the Presidency of the Cambridge University Boat Club for 1969 but was beaten a short canvas by Bob Winckless under whose driving determination the Cambridge Crew of 1969 went on to win in style, as the film will clearly avouch.

I never knew what Nick actually read at Cambridge - or at least I can’t recall for it’s over half a century ago. I’m sure he got an admirable degree. He certainly got a Triple First on the river.

We went on rowing together after Cambridge. Nick was a member of London Rowing Club, but he moved his attentions to the Tideway Scullers and we had some truly memorable international events in which we both competed. Our exertions in celebration of the completion of these brilliant events around the European Rowing circuit were every bit as admirable as what happened on the water- as many a European brewer would nostalgically confirm.

We rowed in the GB VIII in Copenhagen for the 1971 European Championships where our lack of racing achievement was more than made up for by our enthusiastic embracing of the Copenhagen atmosphere - notably the products of a local brewery company called Carlsberg (after the racing, of course).

The 1972 Munich Olympics were the next major international event, but I don’t think Nick quite made the selection. The selectors decided, in their unquestionable wisdom, not to send an VIII, otherwise he would surely have been in it. He should have been there, but that’s life. In any event one’s rowing career was inevitably foreshortened in those days by the simple, stark reality of having to earn a living. There was no subsidy. We had to cover all our own expenses, except travel to international competitions and, I suppose it’s obvious, employers required their employees to earn their wages.

Nick was elected a member of The Archetypals, a colourful group of Cambridge oarsmen who have demonstrated outstanding rowing ability, brilliant character and geniality and the ability to know, from remarkable experience, that Rowing, universally recognised as by far the most physiologically demanding sport of all is, after all, a physical pastime best enjoyed in the company of good friends on the bank with a glass in one’s hand. Nick was a veritable Champion of the Thames, as any Cambridge King Street Runner would tell you......................................

(FH 60-65)

DENHAM, Tim Maurice Sadly passed away in his 74th year on 8 April 2021.

Tim was a dedicated member of the OT Community, he spent many years as the Secretary of the Old Tonbridgian Society, and was honoured with Vice Presidency for his outstanding commitment. Tim was spoken of with warmth and affection by other OTs and was known for his wit and humour, he will be sadly missed.

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The following obituary was provided by Phillip Roberts (Sc 62-66).

The last time Tim Denham trod the boards was 20 years ago when he joined a dozen equally unlikely chanteurs in a Chelsea Arts Club review – clasping green carnations and singing Coward’s “Mad about the Boy”. In doubtful taste? Perhaps – but Tim was never one to conform despite appearances to the contrary.

Tim Denham who died in April at the age of 74 was in many ways an unlikely – albeit successful – accountant. At Tonbridge – in Park House between 1960 and 1965 – he embraced the theatrical side of life. He was the First Gentleman in King Lear (produced by Jeffrey Summers and Vernon Hedley Jones), Fabian in Twelfth Night, Roderigo in Othello and he produced Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer. He came from an acting family – his father (at Tonbridge in the 1920’s) was Maurice Denham who was a fine character actor and who had made his name in radio comedy appearing in ITMA and Much Binding in the Marsh.

Tim was articled to Smith & Williamson in the City and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in November, 1970. He joined Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners who were consulting civil engineers and then subsequently spent the rest of his working life between Woodsford – a family finance consultancy business – and variously in separate roles as Finance and Managing Director with the British American Drama Academy based in Regent’s Park. This proved an ideal existence; it meant Tim could exercise financial oversight running a busy artistic college within an atmosphere of congenial theatricality. He subsequently became involved with kindred charitable organisations including the Actors’ Charitable Trust and with Denville Hall, the retirement home for those in the acting profession where he was a Trustee.

Tim immersed himself in his work; so it must have taken a huge amount of effort – and juggled responsibilities – when he then also took on the role of OT Secretary – at that time, effectively the Chief Executive of the Society – in 1982 after the death of Colin Schooling. He held this post until November, 2002 when he was succeeded by Peter Morris and then by John Gibbs. There were few weekends when Tim didn’t visit the School – for matches, for concerts and reunions as well as liaison with Headmaster and

staff. As always Tim’s sense of commitment meant that he threw himself wholeheartedly into this role.

When Tim took over the post as Secretary, the Society was more of a record-keeping organisation and hardly proactive as regards the needs of OTs – real or perceived. Tim was instrumental in modernising the organisation while working closely with the Presidents during his tenure – including Colin Cowdrey, David Kemp and Anthony Hudson.

Tim used to take a few weeks off each year to travel – and he fell in love with India. Indeed he was so smitten he decided he would like to spend some months there each year with the possibility of living there full time during his retirement. After much research he found what he believed would be the ideal spot – just outside Delhi. But it was not to be; the challenge of acquiring the property and the huge effort in dealing with improvements and furnishings meant it was never ready for his occupation.

Despite Tim’s gregarious nature and disarmingly warm personality, he proved to be a very private person whose daily existence was compartmentalised to a high degree. Friends and colleagues from one sector of his life were not encouraged to mix with those involved in other areas. He wished his divided life to remain separate in each particular facet of what he did in a very definite way.

Notwithstanding – or perhaps because of – these sometimes keenly defined parts of his routine – he led a fulfilled life. He was always charming company with a ready wit and an arch humour. Sometimes he came across as serious but there was always mischief lurking beneath. Under Prospero there was always Puck. No question, he was sometimes sharp of tongue and did not always suffer fools – but he loved an argument and had the softest of hearts despite the carefully constructed carapace he built for himself. We will miss the gregariousness that shone through and the friendships engendered. The Tonbridge community is the poorer for losing a loyal and dedicated friend, supporter and servant.

(PH 60-65)

KEEVIL, Julian Died suddenly on 18 September 2020, aged 72.

The following obituary was published by City of London College.

Julian Keevil, of Manakin-Sabot, Va., died suddenly on September 18, 2020. Julian was born May 24, 1948, in London, England, to Olwen and Clement Keevil. Julian was a graduate of Tonbridge School and attended City of London College and the University of Dijon.

He was a lieutenant in the Royal Marine Reserve, where he served proudly for four years. In September of 1973, he was married to Mary Tayloe Harrison of Old Brookville N.Y. In 1977, the Keevils settled in Manakin-Sabot, Va. Julian worked for Robertshaw Controls for 12 years and then spent the

balance of his career at Universal Corporation as their International Financial Liaison.

Along with his wife, he is survived by their sons, Harrison and his wife, Jennifer, Alexander; his two granddaughters, Caroline Tayloe and Henrietta Grace. Additionally, he is survived by his brother, Philip and his wife, Daisy; his sister, Harriett; as well as a multitude of nieces and nephews.

He was a man of richly varied interests both in the U.S. and the UK. He was past Master of both the Worshipful Company of Poulters and the Worshipful Company of Pipe Makers and Tobacco Blenders in the City of London. He was also a member of the Naval and Military Club in London, Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley, N.Y., The Gasparilla Inn and Club in Boca Grande, Fla. and The Commonwealth Club, The Country Club of Virginia and the Deep Run Hunt Club, all in Virginia.

Julian was a classic car enthusiast, a keen foxhunter, an avid gardener, and he cherished any time spent with friends and family.

(JH 62-66)

COWDREY, Graham Robert Former Kent batsman died on 11 November 2020, aged 56, following a short illness. Son of former Kent and England captain Colin Cowdrey (FH 4651), Graham’s 450 appearances for Kent saw him score more than 14,000 runs. Brother of Chris (PH 71-75) and Jeremy (PS 73-78) and uncle to Fabian (WH 06-11) and Julius (PH 06-11).

The following obituary was written by Ed Smith (WH 90-95), in The Sunday Times, from Sunday November 15 2020: Graham Cowdrey, who died aged 56 last week, was a one-off. Forget cricket. He was a unique person — unpredictable, brilliantly funny, restless, authentic, often on the road, always searching for something.

Graham was born into cricket — his father, Colin, and brother Chris both captained England — and he was a natural competitor on the field. But in many respects his character was more fundamentally artistic.

I knew him first through his friendship with my father, who had taught him, then as a Kent fan while he was a player, then as a team-mate. We were close friends at one time. Though, as all his friends sensed, there were sides to him that none of us really knew.

At times, when his batting was in sync with his

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restless, creative nature, he could be an inspired match-winner. He could bat with greater destructive freedom than many conventionally superior batsmen ever experience.

But cricket, which he deeply loved and revered, didn’t easily accommodate his full personality.

Endless repetition and discipline, two touchstones of modern sport, weren’t really his style. He wanted to play the game and to engage with contest — but also to keep moving, in every sense.

That’s why he loved gigs. He was always going to concerts, usually Van Morrison, but anything live that wasn’t phoney. Travel, anticipation, the sense of event, a gathering crowd, moving anonymously among strangers with a shared connection, the curtain raised, real life suspended (or transcended) — that sphere was Graham’s sanctuary. Cricket, and the whole theatre of sport, obviously intersects with the world of artistic performance. But the two aren’t quite the same thing. When Graham drove off from the ground to the concert hall, he was entering his natural domain as much as leaving it.

Graham was both highly introspective and also touched by genius in a social setting. He could take over a day or an evening in the life of a team and make it entirely his own. Impressions of team-mates, re-enactments of funny moments from the field, uncanny mimicry — when the force was with him, he was irresistibly funny. And, as is often the case, we all had that hint of gentle anxiety that his brilliant wit may turn in our direction.

His legendary ability to get away with things — missing fitness sessions, practice, meetings, tolerating boring people — owed much to the fact that his captains and coaches, quite sensibly, knew that Graham could make people laugh at will. How can you stay cross with someone who is making you laugh? He disarmed people.

Cowdrey had a match-winning ability to bat with “destructive freedom”.

He had a conspiratorial gift, and we all found ourselves helping his next escape. I passed him on the dressing-room stairs at the St Lawrence ground one day during pre-season. “Could you just pop over to outfield and check the fitness trainers have left? If they’re still here, I’ll be in the loos.”

For all his mischief, he also had a sense of the right way to behave. In one of my first county matches, I was disappointed with my dismissal and dragged myself off the field far too slowly. Graham, next man in, made a point of skipping past me as fast as he could on the way to the middle. “Sorry about that,” I said to him afterwards, “you’d probably taken guard before I got off the outfield.” “Taken guard?” he replied, “I was in double figures.”

Graham poured his creativity into his mischief and sparkle. I think he possessed a kind of social perfectionism. If he couldn’t be funny, surprising or memorable, he disappeared from view. That same gift that made him so easy to love also made him so hard to help. They were two sides of the same coin.

In his twenties, when I was a cricket-loving

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schoolboy, Graham would often pop in at our house on the drive back from county matches. He’d bring a CD or a novel for Dad, something from the Zenith cricket bat factory for me. He always wanted to talk, seriously: was this book any good, how about that album, is this guy a genius? He had a gift for connecting with the young; no wonder his children adored him.

Graham revered - needed - the arts more than anyone I’ve ever known. He had no time for erudition or pretension. He just wanted to be moved, and then to talk with real fans about the things he loved. He was a reader and listener because he had to be, not because he wanted to give the impression of being “cultured”.

His tastes and temperament put him outside class boundaries. He had no interest in genteel polish or social aspiration. He lined up with the man queueing for a ticket to the show, or a punt at the races. He was in step with the wider world.

When I was a kid, before Sunday League games, he’d sometimes get me to bowl at him on the outfield or in the nets before play. Then I’d climb back over the boundary boards and watch the match, so often, it seemed, with Graham at the heart of the contest.

Fading light, a game to be won, fully alive. After it was over we’d all get together in front of the pavilion, chat through the match, with him still in his light blue one-day kit.

His last game for Kent, a few years later, was a tour match against Sri Lanka. In the dressing room, as next man in, he picked up my bat. “I like it. Mind if I use this out there?”

He put it back in my bag after a typically entertaining innings. “Thanks for the bat. That was fun.”

Many cricketers are admired. Graham — brilliant, vulnerable, to some extent unknowable — was loved.

(PH 77-82)

NEATHERCOAT, James Carrington James, beloved husband of Katherine, son of Jackie and Simon and brother of Tim (PS 92-97), died tragically and unexpectedly at his home on 19th February, aged 44.

The following obituary was written by James Stanley (PS 90-95) Affectionately known as Nevs and Nevsie, James arrived at Tonbridge and Parkside from New Beacon.

He was one of those people that you naturally warmed to on first meeting. On arriving at the Novi visit, you could immediately see that here was a chap, an all-rounder, that would always be the centre of any friendship group. True testament to this is the number of OTs that he counted as friends to this very day and whom can tell you many a story of a friend that always brought the best out of any situation, whether it be through work, socially or on the golf course.

so many funny, enjoyable and special times.

A celebration of James’ life is planned for 3pm on 16th October at St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Seal, Kent. Continued fundraising in his memory for The Wooden Spoon Charity can be seen through www. justgiving.com/fundraising/James-Neathercoat.

(PS 90-95)

COMMON ROOM AND FRIENDS Although not an academic over achiever (albeit a member of MENSA), Nevs was an over achiever in life. His ability to light up any encounter and add value was without comparison. Many of those who have commented of his passing, have mentioned him being the truest of gentleman, a kind and generous man. But to those who knew him best, he was the best definition of a friend there can be. Someone who, simply put, was always there for you and cared immensely for your success and betterment. Nevs was always the first man on any ‘team sheet’, be it a dinner invitation, a game of golf or indeed just a chat or catch-up. In a world where there is seemingly so very little time, he would always make time for you.

But more than this he was the best of company; wives and friends have always remarked that they really had lucked out if they were ever sat next to him at a dinner or party. A more genuinely witty and charming man you will not find elsewhere, was a sentiment conveyed by many.

Following on from Tonbridge and Leeds Metropolitan University (where his met his Katherine, wooing her with charm and dodgy Hawaiian shirts), Nevs entered the property world, becoming a chartered surveyor and specialising in commercial retail. His passion, integrity and knowledge were always his focus in delivering success. He was always held in the highest regard and many that knew him professionally have remarked in his passing of a true gentleman and a real loss to the industry.

Outside of work and friendship, Nevs had a massive love of fine wine, soft rock, James Bond, golf and pale chinos. What a mix one might think, but a mix that showed his appreciation for the finest and best things in life and that captures a joie de vivre which typified his positive and fun outlook on the world. His enthusiasm for life rarely faltered, and he would often be the first man at the bar and the last to leave.

There are few words that in summary can really describe Nevs, but he was one of the very best, and he will be missed by all those he came into contact with. He was an outstanding friend and someone who just added value to you. There will be an empty glass at every table that he would have been at, but a toast (of decent claret) will be always raised in memory of all the great times together. He was the most generous and big hearted friend, and someone that will be remembered as brilliant fun who provided

BRUCE-LOCKHART, Logie Died after a short illness on 7 September 2020, aged 98.

(CR 47-55) The following obituary appeared in the Times on Friday 18 September 2020.

Logie Bruce-Lockhart, headmaster and rugby international, was born on October 12, 1921. He died after a short illness on September 7, 2020, aged 98.

Longest-serving headmaster of Gresham’s School and dashing fly half for Scotland, renowned for his speed off the mark.

When a young pupil at Gresham’s School approached Logie Bruce-Lockhart and asked him to sign his absence slip, he found the task a little more difficult than he expected. “He refused to sign my sick note until I spelt ‘diarrhoea’ correctly,” he recalled many years later. The boy would grow up to become Sir James Dyson, the inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner. Just as well he was not one for bearing a grudge. He returned to Gresham’s last year with a cheque for nearly £20 million to endow a new teaching block and research facility at the school.

Dyson had reason to feel indebted to the school and Bruce-Lockhart, its charismatic headmaster. At the age of nine his father, a classics teacher, had died of cancer and his family was unable to continue paying his fees. Bruce-Lockhart pulled strings, came up with a scholarship, and set Dyson on his way.

If Dyson’s inventions displayed his gift for lateral thinking, then perhaps some of that came from Bruce-Lockhart, who was not a man for committees or minute-taking, nor greatly concerned about length of hair or width of trousers. He was headmaster of Gresham’s, in Norfolk, from 1955 to 1982, the longest-serving in the school’s 450-plus history, during which he oversaw its transformation into a coeducational establishment.

Logie Bruce-Lockhart was born in Warwickshire in 1921, the youngest of four sons of JH (Rufus) Bruce-Lockhart, a teacher, and Mona. Rufus was a housemaster at Rugby when Logie was born. The family moved to Edinburgh when he became headmaster of Cargilfield, and then to Cumbria when he took the same position at Sedbergh. It was at Sedbergh that Logie’s sporting talents emerged. He broke the school record for discus and shot and became head of school.

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After the outbreak of war, he began studying languages at St John’s College, Cambridge, before being commissioned into the 9th Sherwood Foresters, an armoured car regiment. When that was disbanded he joined the 2nd Household Cavalry, the reconnaissance unit for the Guards Armoured Division. He took part in the northwest European campaign as a troop commander, where his skills in French and German proved useful.

He was one of the first of the Allied forces to arrive at Belsen concentration camp after its liberation but found many of the inmates “looking like ghosts from Hell, not yet fit for freedom”. Bruce-Lockhart oversaw a refugee camp for 5,000 displaced people, mostly Poles, before returning to Cambridge to resume his studies.

Boarding a crowded train in March 1944, he had struggled to find a seat but eventually settled down in a first-class carriage opposite “an extraordinarily pretty girl in a smart civvy suit”. Her name was Jo Agnew and they bonded over a shared love of Rupert Brooke, whose poetry he was reading on the journey. They were married for 64 years until her death in 2009. He is survived by four of their five children: Jennifer, Rhuraidh, a property developer, Fiona, a retired English teacher, and Duncan, who worked in the City. Kirsty died aged seven when she was run over by a car, an event that affected Bruce-Lockhart deeply.

Returning to Cambridge after the war, he gained honours in French and German, won the Wright prize for languages and was awarded Blues for rugby and squash. On graduation he joined Tonbridge School to teach modern languages and played rugby for London Scottish, eventually captaining the Richmond-based side.

A fly half, renowned for his speed off the mark and a devastating sidestep, Bruce-Lockhart was widely viewed as one of the most skilful players in English rugby. The first of his five caps for Scotland was in the Calcutta Cup win against England at Murrayfield in 1948, but he had to wait two years for his second, against France in 1950. He played once more that year, against Wales, but had to wait another three years before being recalled to face Ireland and England in 1953.

Bruce-Lockhart was just 33 when he assumed the headship at Gresham’s. While his style was enlightened and he was no stern disciplinarian, he had little time for fashionable left-wing educational theories. His school speeches were renowned for

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being funny and down to earth.

Bruce-Lockhart published books on fishing, birdwatching, poetry and conservation. He was a talented musician with a particular love of Schubert.

For a year before his death he held the distinction of being Scotland’s oldest surviving international rugby player.

(CR 47-55)

FRANCIS, Timothy Donald Died on 23 February 2018, aged 81.

The following obituary was written by Jonathan Smith (CR 67-02) In the 1960s Tim Francis was Head of PE at Tonbridge, he ran the 1st XV, and he ran the tennis, but much more than all that, he was a creative, free-spirited, inspiring figure in the school.

The son of an officer in the Indian Army, Tim spent the first ten years of his life in the Kurram valley, very close to the Afghan border in what is now Pakistan, and his teenage years in Ireland, both of which experiences had a shaping influence on him. At St Columba’s College, in the hills overlooking Dublin Bay, he mysteriously acquired and trained a young peregrine falcon.

Later, at Loughborough College, he excelled at rugby and was captain of the rugby team. He also, perhaps more unusually in that world, read extensively, particularly poetry.

From there he joined the staff at Tonbridge, met and fell in love with Sue de Glanville, and so, in 1966, began a wonderful, strong and happy marriage. Tim died just one day short of his 82nd birthday.

Below, slightly edited, are my words at his funeral: The first time I remember seeing Tim Francis was at a party in Ravenswood, this was in 1967, in Geoff Parker’s flat. You were with him, Sue, as you always were and always would be, a glamorous, exciting couple at the very heart of everything that I came to love about Tonbridge.

Tim was a breath of fresh and challenging air. He seemed to embody ‘let’s do things’. He did not seem conservative or easy to pigeon-hole, a sportsman who loved poetry and modern dance, a young man who seemed to have lived more, more adventurously than most school teachers, someone who thought out of the box.

Now, over 50 years later, we are looking back over Tim’s life, at Tonbridge, Dulwich College, Collacott, and Exeter, not to mention in Africa, Cyprus, Egypt and France, and always remembering those great chats over wine, that heady mixture of close friendship and wide conversation.

Tim had a long-lasting influence not only on his friends but on many pupils and many colleagues. He made us less fearful, less hide-bound, less narrow.

He encouraged us to break new ground, as he himself later did in developing the Rhino scrummaging machine or by taking up painting.

He was brave and yet sensitive and kind. He cared deeply but was resilient. He loved horses and he was a natural with people.

Everything Tim did was based on his deep love of Sue, a remarkable team but also remarkable individuals with lives of their own. I can’t think of anyone with a greater and more varied circle of friends.

Every time I think of Tim I see a different picture, I see a different painting of his, a different scene from his life, I hear different music, yet these all come together, they’re all Tim, an original man with the most generous heart: Tim, Tim and Sue, Tim and Sue and family, Tim and Sue with friends, together.

(Director of PE 63-70)

HACKETT, Roger Quentin, Dr Died suddenly thirty hours after emergency surgery on 3 November 2020, aged 76. Much loved husband of Caroline (School Librarian between 1971 and 1974) and father to Elizabeth and Robert. Roger, Caroline and their family remember their time at Tonbridge fondly. Both Elizabeth and Robert were Christened in the old School Chapel by The Reverend Martin Francis.

Alongside teaching Physics, Roger was the author of a number of Physics textbooks, helped with the development of Nuffield Physics and examined and set A-Level Physics papers for the Oxford and Cambridge Board (OCR) over a fifty-year period.

(CR 1968-1974)

HOLCOMBE, Anthony John (Tony) Died in September 2018, aged 83 The following obituary was written by Martin King (CR 75-98)

I knew Tony as a Modern Linguist over many years in Old Judd at Tonbridge. I enjoyed his warm, enthusiastic, and invariably friendly company, but, though I knew of his ornithological expertise, I neither shared it nor expected to have any first-hand knowledge of it. This changed, however, in 1988, when our paths crossed unexpectedly in the small Pyrenean town of Jaca in northern Spain. I was on a recce for a trip I intended to make the following year with Bill Burn and an A level Spanish group to investigate some of the Ebro Valley battle grounds in the Spanish Civil War. One could do that in those days. I discovered Tony was also going to be in Jaca leading a small bird watching party and agreed to meet him one evening when I was passing. He taught French and Russian at Tonbridge but had a working knowledge of several other languages and would have had no problem in ordering the cerveza (or two) and tapas that we enjoyed in his hotel. He generously invited me to join his trip next day. So a group of about half a dozen avidly keen twitchers, binoculars and cameras and maybe a bird book or two at the ready, and me, who could just about tell a robin from a blackbird, set off in a small mini-bus into the mountains. Various birds flew in and out of sight, not raising much interest, but suddenly the mini-bus screeched to a halt and all the twitchers clambered out, pointing skywards at what to me looked like a large grey smudge circling above them. To them, though, it wasn’t a smudge but a rare bird that really shouldn’t have been there and justification of Tony’s inspiring leadership and knowledge in having enabled them to see it. Next day I continued on my way to the Ebro with an enhanced appreciation of the intense exhilaration that bird watching can create.

Tony will have explained to me, though I can’t remember now, what the bird was, but I do know it was neither a robin or a blackbird. Thank you, Tony, for the experience.

Tony joined Tonbridge in 1971, as a teacher of Modern Languages and Master i/c of the Natural History Society. Leaving Tonbridge in 1976 to join St Olave’s Grammar School, Tony returned to the Modern Languages Department in a part time capacity in 1978 until he retired in 1995. All boys who came into contact with him will remember his courtesy, tolerance, modesty and endless patience, and the occasional quietly wicked aside.

Tony led expeditions for ‘birders’ all over the world.

He was a world expert in this area and very highly regarded. It was on one of these trips that he met Brenda, his future wife and they married in later life.

Tony died in September 2018, aged 83.

(CR 71-76 / 78-95)

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NOTICES HILL The engagement is announced between Charlie, son of Mike and Janie Hill of Penshurst, Kent, and Annabelle, daughter of Dr Gary and Dr Judith Painter of Shepperton, Middlesex.

CH 99-04 HILL On 2nd December 2020, to Ed and his wife Lindsay, a daughter, Coco Arabella.

CH 01-06 GILLESPIE The engagement is announced between Clayton, elder son of Gary Gillespie, of Edinburgh, Scotland, and Ingrid Gillespie, of Warlingham, Surrey, and Caroline, younger daughter of Christopher and Alison Heath-Taylor, of Yealmpton, Devon.

WH 08-13 ROGERS The civil partnership is announced between James and his partner Tommy Ross, on Friday 13th September at Wandsworth Town Hall. They celebrated their happiness with friends and family in Hampshire the following day.

PH 95-00 SNAPE The engagement is announced between Hugo, elder son of Mr and Mrs Nigel Snape of Alkham, Kent, and Jessica, daughter of Mr and Mrs Tim Martin, of Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire.

PH 04-09 FLEMINGTON The engagement is announced between James, son of Mark and Min Flemington of Speldhurst, Kent, and Louisa, daughter of Stephen and Jenny Johns, of Ickford, Buckinghamshire.

SH 07-12

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Tonbridge School High Street Tonbridge Kent TN9 1JP +44 (0) 1732 304253 tonbridgesociety@tonbridge-school.org tonbridgesociety.co.uk tonbridgeconnect.org

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