Radley Newsletter_No.2 AW.indd - Radley College

Radley
THE
N E W S L E T T E R
Reflections on the 2006 Boat Race | The View From The New Pavilion
The Shell Normandy Trip | Radley Achievements and Activities in 2005/6
The Sixth Form Lecture Programme

By Tom Parker OR (Pilgrims’ and H Social)
Tom Parker rowed in an exceptional
Radley 1st VIII in 2001, when the
crew reached the final of the Princess
Elizabeth Cup for School VIIIs at Henley.
He went on to row for Oxford Brookes and
for Great Britain, winning a bronze medal
at the World Championships in the VIII.
The Boat Race in 2006 which he describes
here was a titanic struggle in rough
conditions; the strength and will-power
of the Oxford crew in the end broke the
resistance of the favoured Cambridge crew.
The only glamour or delight that is
derived from the Boat Race experience is
in abundance for those few hours between
winning and waking up the following
morning with a sore head; the rest of it is
relentless training around the ruthless
demands for essays from tutors. We
trained very hard and there were times
when I went through days driven only by
the desire to win when the body and mind
was under stress the like of which I had
never experienced. The work is a constant
niggle for the Boat Race athlete, it is everpresent
and, more often than not, one is
invariably behind! In previous years I have
always taken this with a pinch of salt.
Knowing how hard the Blues train I had
presumed that the work must be kept on
the back burner. I had images of the odd
sympathetic nod from an interested tutor if
you were to wearily shake your head amid
murmurings of unhelpful tide tables or
long morning ergo sessions. This, however,
is far from the case. You will be met with
little sympathy if you come up with
excuses for the tardy essay.
April the 2nd this year made it clear
why we had trained so hard; the unique
feeling of the last couple of hundred
metres in very heavy conditions and with
Cambridge 6 lengths adrift, knowing that
you are about to be victorious, makes it all
worth while over and over again. So what
are the emotions that pulsate through your
body when you cross the line victorious in
the Boat Race? The answers I have given
have echoed the stereotype that is
associated with this fairly unique position.
I usually utter phrases such as ‘amazing’,
‘incredible’, ‘something I will never forget’,
which are of course true, but what about
the initial emotion, the very first thing I
thought about. Now that I sit and write
about it for the first time it is clear what I
was thinking; it was disbelief, that we had
actually done what I had been dreaming
about for the last six months. I suppose
the feeling of disbelief came from how
comprehensively we had beaten
Cambridge; how an elite crew had fallen
so hard due to the pressure we put on
them right from the start. As a Blue Boat
athlete you cannot spend any time on
what it is you should feel or do if you
cross the line first; all focus is put into
what you have to do before that time to
give yourself the best possible chance of
2 THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER

eing in that position. But having won so
emphatically against the favourites in one
of the most recognised sporting events in
the British calendar might permit one a
small trace of disbelief.
From a personal point of view I can
base this feeling on the fact that despite
rowing for Britain in the World
Championships, this race was the first
event I have won which contains athletes
of a world class standard. My confidence
in my abilities was by no means backed
up with the plethora of victories that has
dominated the big names in rowing
throughout the Pinsent-Redgrave era.
That night at the Boat Race Ball feelings
of disbelief started to sift away, numerous
congratulations coupled with riotous
celebrations clarified what it was that
the nine of us had achieved that day
and from then on it has been ‘amazing,
incredible and something I will never
forget’.
Front Cover: Tom Parker celebrates Oxford’s victory in the 2006 Boat Race (Getty Images)
Insert: The 2001 1st VIII with Tom rowing at number 5
THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER 3

It is rather extraordinary that for a
school which takes its sport so seriously
there had never been proper changing
facilities for our opposition teams –
until last year, that is. And in responding to a
pressing need the architects managed to create
a spectacular bonus, a low, round building by
the Silk Hall with a circular viewing gallery,
on top of the 8 changing rooms, where tea
is served to parents and visitors on match
days. The view is panoramic, and the focus
shifts with the seasons. So bitter and wet was
it for the last few rugby Bigside matches of
the 2005 season that the less hardy watched
the 1st XV defeat Marlborough and Bedford
from comfortable warmth above the deadthe
view from
New Pav
ball line, cup of tea in hand. Long suffering
Hockey supporters were sometimes driven
indoors whilst the 1st and 2nd XIs compiled
impressive seasons on the new Astroturf.
But the facility’s real versatility is seen in
the summer term: cricketing visitors can
escape chill May winds and watch the 1st XI
on Bigside and the 2nd XI on Secondside
while tennis supporters on the other side
of the gallery watch the school tennis VIs
attempt to match the recent feats of Alex
Hackett (Downsend, H Social) and Tom
Dance (Dragon, H Social), last summer’s
unbeaten 1st pair. Through the trees beyond
the tennis courts is the Radford track;
the start of the 100 metres is crystal clear
below the spectators but a line of plane trees
inconveniently obscures the finish line. No
doubt there will be a long debate between
conservationists and Athletics enthusiasts
about their future….
Not every year does Radley produce an
Andrew Strauss OR (Caldicott, B Social),
Jamie Dalrymple OR (Ashfold, H Social), Ben
Hutton OR (Holmewood House, B Social)
or Robin Martin-Jenkins OR (Cranleigh
Prep, B Social) on the cricket field, a Richard
MacDowel (Bilton Grange, G Social) at Hockey
or Chris Sheasby (Caldicott, F Social) at Rugby
– but the hope is to provide future spectators
with an agreeable environment the better to
enjoy competitive games the year round.
4 THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER

the
ilion
THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER 5

the shell
Normandy
trip
by
Dr Jim Summerly, History Don
6 THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER

The bus travelled slower and slower.
We were now at walking pace on the
Cherbourg ring road. The hydraulic fluid
was leaking out of the gear box and the driver
found the range of gears he could engage was
disappearing. The video played on. Finally the
driver turned to me and said, ‘that’s it.’ I got out
of the bus and flagged down the first car I saw
with a British number plate. They took me down
to the ferry terminal where the other bus was
waiting, oblivious to our problem (those long
gone days before mobile phones.). The coach
at the terminal put its boys aboard the ship as
foot passengers and went back for my coach’s
passengers who had unloaded and were waiting
by the side of the road. Thirty minutes later we
were all aboard the ship. That was Normandy III
– quite a long time ago and probably the largest
single problem we have ever had. This year was
Normandy XV – one of the quiet ones.
The Normandy trip was conceived back in
1988 as a means of showing Shell boys something
of the realities of warfare during World War
II. It would give a focus to the departmental
teaching on World War II and it would give the
boys the experience of travelling in France. The
idea was that evocative sites such as the Pointe
du Hoc, where the Texas Rangers scaled a cliff
to secure the sites of naval guns that overlooked
Utah and Omaha beaches, would be interspersed
with cemeteries, museums and the beaches
themselves. The reconnaissance trips were done
in 1989 and looking back at the photographs it
is clear the whole area has been transformed for
tourism during the last eighteen years. Videos
on the coaches would provide the images of
1944 and impose them on the imaginations of
the Shells and the whole trip would be given a
commentary and a context by the teaching dons.
Apart from two years when we visited the
World War I battlefields, there has been a
Shell trip to Normandy every year since 1990.
If there is a lull in cocoa back in the Socials any
History don knows the space can be filled with
a Normandy anecdote. If the boys’ memory
of Shell History becomes indistinct in time
they almost always recall quite a lot about the
Normandy landings and some have revisited
the sites with their parents. The Bayeux tapestry
has always been visited and though some of the
early trips probably established record times for
viewing the embroidery I learned to put myself
at the front and defy any boy to go around more
quickly than me.
We must have taken about 1800 Radleians to
Normandy over the years. And we have brought
almost all of them back – though in 1997 one boy
had his appendix removed.
What can you do with 125 Shells in Caen
on a Saturday night? About 60% of Normandys
have included a trip to the Fair where dodgem
cars, go karts and endless varieties of spinning
rides combined with burgers and candy floss
have produced a fair amount of vomit over
the years, and revealed quite surprising skills
amongst my colleagues.
Inevitably, perhaps, it is the stories of
problems and semi-disasters that come to mind
when recalling the Normandy Trip. The boys
probably tell rather different stories but what
they do not usually talk about is the feeling
they get from their presence on the coast of
memories. I can remember minutes of silence
at the Hermanville Cemetery or at Omaha but
the boys will have their own minutes of peace
contemplating war. Omaha and Utah beaches
were often for us the scenes of huge football
matches but just as often boys would turn
their eyes to the sea and wonder. Perhaps they
wondered later when they saw the extraordinary
first twenty minutes of ‘Saving Private Ryan’.
They must have wondered when they saw the
gravestones with the Kipling epitaph, “A Soldier,
Known unto God.”
THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 7

Radley Achievemen
ACADEMIC
4The summer 2006 A level results were
good; 84% of grades were at either A or B,
slightly down on the previous year’s 87%
record but very satisfactory nonetheless.
In Latin, Greek, German, Spanish, Music,
Design Technology and Theatre Studies
all candidates achieved either an A or a B.
Hamish Anderson (Cothill, B) and Matt
Atkins (Rokeby School, F) were placed in
Edexcel Product Design’s top 10 (out of
3024) candidates.
4The GCSE results were by some margin
the best ever with an extraordinary 88% of
grades achieved being at either A* or A. All
1224 papers were passed; indeed only 26
papers were C grade. In a host of impressive
performances perhaps English Language
with 115 out of 125 candidates achieving A* or
A deserves special mention. Alexander Rose
(Thomas’s, C) and Theodore Withworth
(Aldro, C) were placed in AQA Spanish’s top
5 candidates (out of 35112 candidates) and
Rory Stallibrass (Milbourne Lodge, C) was in
the top 10 (out of 23164) for Edexcel English.
4Perhaps Radley’s proudest academic
performance of the summer was from an
old boy, David Lloyd (Bramcote, A), who
gained the top First in Natural Sciences
at Cambridge, in itself the top and most
competitive Science course in British
universities.
4Radley’s Geography Department ran the
web-based Metlink International Weather
project for over 400 schools world wide to
exchange weather data. We also helped to
host the U.K. Raincatch 2005 project.
4The Economics Department entered a
team for the National Interest Rate Challenge
and came 2nd in the southern area.
4Asa Bennett (Dragon, C) was placed 3rd
in the Oxford Area Classical Association
Reading Competition.
4Ed Martineau (Dragon, H) and Tom
McPhail (Dragon, H) won through to the
finals of the National Debating Competition.
4Matt Atkins (Rokeby, F) and Tobin Chew
(Moulsford, D) are both Arkwright
Scholars in Design Technology.
4The Radley College Chronicle, the new
school newspaper, is written and edited
largely by the boys and has continued to
flourish in its second year with a mix of
reviews, opinion pieces and gentle satire.
14 issues have been published thus far.
4Declamations – judged by Andrew
Trotman, former Radley don, now Warden
of St Edward’s Oxford – was of a very high
standard. The competition winners were:
Frederick Moynan (6.2, Belhaven Hill, B);
Jake Cheetham (6.1, Summer Fields, A);
George Leeming (5, Summer Fields, A);
Freddie Tapner (R, Ludgrove, F);
Benjamin Hatt (S, Lockers Park, H).
4Many visiting speakers have come to Radley
this year, for example: David Cameron
(Leader of the Opposition); Evan Harris
MP; Peter Riddell; Andrew Gordon;
Professor Jim Norton; Tom Shakespeare OR;
Professor Gary Sheffield; Professor Jeremy
Black; Anthony Worrall-Thompson; Clive
Stafford-Smith OR. The biologists welcomed
Professor Nick Rawlins, Dr Martin Speight
and Professor Sir Richard Gardner.
4Rob King, Head of Chemistry, has
written the Chemistry sections of
the AQA and Edexcel new GCSE
Science courses for Harper
Collins. Nick Weaver, Head
of Physics, was runner-up in
the Salters Horner A level
Physics Teacher of the Year.
Iain Campbell has been
commissioned to write
on ‘The Classical World
and Heavy Metal’ in a
German Study of British
Heavy Metal.
4Alex Chadwick
(Cothill, H), Seb Lomas
(Crosfields, H), Jamie
Bromfield (Cothill, A) and
Tobin Chew (Moulsford,
D) have worked with the
RAF to design a system to
test the laden flying capacity
of the Puma helicopter.
4The 6.2 Conference with St
Helen’s in November was one of
the best: controversial, engaging
and with a high standard of debate,
‘Changing the World, Making a
Difference’ had two outstanding talks,
Julian Filochowski on Third World Poverty
and James Mawdesley on North Korea.
4Adrian Pascu (Wirral Grammar, B) was highly
commended in both The Times Stephen Spender
prize for poetry and translation, and Foyle’s Young
Poet of the Year.
200
8 THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER

ts and Activities in
5/6
ACTIVITIES
4Radley’s revamped Wednesday Afternoon
Activity Programme continues to broaden
boys’ horizons, be it to introduce new skills,
awaken new enthusiasms, or cultivate an
awareness of the importance of helping others.
The 5th Form has been helping patients at the
Nuffield Hospital, organising weekly concert
parties for the elderly and infirm, and teaching
and helping in primary schools.
4Boys have also run, climbed, cycled, swum for
Charities. A total of over £60,000 has been
raised. Patrick Chambers (Cothill, B) raised
over £2500 for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
4229 Blood donations were given by boys
and Radley adults this year.
4There has been a wide range of
expeditions and visits: Art Historians
went to China, 6.1 boys to Romania
to run an orphanage holiday
club, Hispanists to Cuba, Paris
exchange with Lycée St.
Geneviève, 40 musicians
performed in Venice in
February, the Bigside
squad worked hard
near Verona, the Shells
invaded Normandy. Most
satisfying have been
frequent favourable
comments from total
strangers on the manners
and behaviour of the
boys.
4A number of boys
achieved Gold Duke of
Edinburgh Awards in
2005/6: Michael Richards
(St. Ronan’s, H), Hugo
Codrington (Elstree, E),
Henry Thompson-Ashby
(Twyford, A), James Brown
(Elstree, A), Charles Twallin
(Cheam, A), Charles Quigley
(Elstree, A), Fred Macnamara
(Summer Fields, E), Tom Cabot
(Sunningdale, E), Ali Holmes
(Caldicott, G), Harry Nicholls (Cothill,
A) and Oliver Hunter (Farleigh, C). Freddie
Bolton (Summer Fields, G) and George Pitcher
(Cothill, B) won the Young Citizen’s Award,
and Hugh Taylor (Cothill, H), Freddie Ackrill
(Bilton Grange, B) and Toby Burgess (Elstree,
D) were awarded the ‘Millennium Volunteer
Award’ for service to the Community.
4David Pumphrey (Northcote Lodge, B)
and Jamie Bromfield (Cothill, A) won
Army Scholarships.
ARTS
4This year has seen the inauguration of the New
Theatre. The Haddon Cup was held in the Old
Gym in October. Late November saw a fitting
opening of the New Theatre with ‘School for
Scandal’, a tour de force, directed by David
Edwards. The theatre has subsequently been well
used for Social plays and culture evenings; last
term Ed. Chalk (Cothill, C) wrote and directed
‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, a colourful
and professional production. Rupert Lazarus
(Moulsford, B) and Rory Stallibrass (Milbourne
Lodge, C) have won places with the National
Youth Theatre.
4It has been a busy year for Music. Trafalgar’s
200th Anniversary was marked by a spectacular
performance of the Choral Society’s Nelson
Mass in Chapel; the Gloria was sung by the
whole school, which lifted the roof. Senior boys
celebrated later with a Nelsonic feast of heroic
proportions. The Scholars’ Concert, Wharton
Piano Prize, Ferguson Singing Prize and Hudson
String Prize were all of a high standard, and
this term’s Warden’s Music in the Theatre was
a great success. So too was the Venice trip
with 40 musicians, performing in – amongst
other venues – St Mark’s. We have a rich vein
of pianists at present: at the Oxford Music
Festival Jonny Williams (Westbourne House, H),
Jamie Brown (Caldicott, D) and Greg Williams
(Norman Court, C) took 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the
U18 Piano Recital class, and Jonny and Greg also
won the Abingdon Concerto Competition. The
Chapel Choir has had a good year; the 16 or so
choristers from local primary schools are a real
addition to its sound. Many of them sang the
May Morning Madrigals from Mansion Roof,
directed by Luke Bartlett. In the Associated
Board exams, George Nye (Dragon, E) achieved
a Grade 8 Distinction in Singing, Jonny Williams
(Westbourne House, H) Grade 8 Distinction
on Piano, Greg Williams (Norman Court, C)
and Arthur Sawbridge (Hall Grove, E) Grade
8 Distinction for Violin. The Ferguson Singing
Competition was won by Robert Crabtree
(Christ Church Cathedral School, E); the Hudson
String Prize by Arthur Sawbridge (Hall Grove,
E) and Myles Watkiss (KCS Wimbledon, H);
the Gunn Cup (Woodwind) by Francis Forbes-
Edwards (St. Piran’s, C); the Gunn Cup (Brass)
by Jamie Hepburn (Sandroyd, D); the Wharton
Piano by Greg Williams (Norman Court, C); the
Guitar Prizes went to Michael Little (Dragon, A)
(Acoustic/Classical); Pelham Groom (Summer
Fields, E) (Electric) and Tom Dance (Dragon,
H) and Nick Holland (Moulsford, B) (Original
Composition). Jonny Williams (Westbourne
House, H) won the Organ Prize.
THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 9

Radley Achievements and Activities in 2005/6
SPORT
4The most impressive fact about Radley
sport is its depth: 21 XVs regularly play
rugby matches in the Michaelmas term,
24 XIs of Hockey and Soccer on a Lent
Term Saturday, whilst at the same time
rowing VIIIs prepare for Spring Heads
of the River and Rackets, Cross Country,
Squash and Golf teams perform on minor
games days. With a roll of 630 boys the
majority represent the school; and unlike a
number of other larger schools, all fixtures
were fulfilled during the World Cup....
4The 1st XV had a good season, and the 42-15
victory over Marlborough, and the 20-12
win at Wellington were highlights. The
Captain, Charlie Oakes (Brambletye, G),
played for the Southern Schools XV. All the
senior XVs were strong (4th XV notably
so) and the Colts 1st XV developed into an
excellent unit. Once again Hockey at Radley
had a really good year; the 1st XI won or
drew all but 2 games, the 2nd XI lost just
once, other senior sides were strong, and
Midgets 1st and 5th XI, Colts 2nd and 3rd
XIs were unbeaten.
4Whilst Andrew Strauss OR (Caldicott, B)
captained England and Jamie Dalrymple
OR (Ashfold, H) joined him in the one day
squad (a rare moment indeed for 2 players
from the same school to be in the same
England team), a young 1st XI cricket had its
moments this summer with good wins over
Winchester and St Edward’s. Two Radleians,
Thaddeus Cooper (Summer Fields, D) and
Jack Tyrwhitt-Drake (Highfield, E), scored
100’s for the 2nd XI. The Colts XI under The
tutelage of Simon Dalrymple OR (Ashfold,
H) has been successful, and the Midgets year
group as a whole has been strong, Midgets
1st XI beating both Eton and Harrow. It is not
often that a Midget cricketer scores back to
back centuries, as Henry Verrill (Moulsford,
G) did.
4It was not a notably strong 1st VIII this year,
but J16 VIII won the Reading and Wycliffe
Heads and the Reading Amateur title, and
J15.1 VIII gained silver and J15.2 VIII gold
at the National Schools regatta. J15.1 won
at Reading Town Regatta. Tom Parker OR
(Pilgrims’ and H Social) won bronze with
the G.B. heavyweight VIII at the World
Championships and was part of the Oxford
VIII which won the Boat Race in March.
4The Steeplechase winners were Jamie
Bromfield (Cothill, A) (Senior); Archie Vey
(Farleigh, B) (Inter); Xan Wood (Dragon,
E) (Junior), with A Social winning the
overall title.
4In Sailing Sam Petty (Dragon, D) won the
Laser fleet race in the National Schools
Sailing Association Championship at
Farmoor, and the Prism Trophy in the
BSDRA Midlands Fleet Championship.
4The Golf team had a good year with the
side winning 8, losing 4 and drawing 2
school matches. In the West Sussex Trophy
the team (Callum MacQueen (Westbourne
House, A), Tom McPhail (Dragon, H), Tom
Atkinson (Elstree, G) and Harry Nicholls
(Cothill, A)) played very well to come 2nd
out of 22 schools. Tom McPhail retained the
Torrance Trophy at Royal St George’s this
summer.
4The Fencing team, Duncan Browne
(Sussex House, F), Philip Råge (Sussex
House, C) and Fred Ahern (Sussex House,
F) won the Southern Region under 18 Team
Foil Championship.
4In Athletics William Stinton (Sandroyd,
B) (U17 Javelin and Shot), Ollie Hunter
(Farleigh, C) (U20 Hurdles) and Ed Barton-
White (Oratory Prep, D) (U20 Triple Jump)
were County Champions.
4Henry Arundel (Ludgrove, F) has raced
for the Fortec Racing Team in the British
Formula BMW Championship.
10 THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER

the
Sixth Form
Lecture Programme
For the past dozen years Radley’s 6.2 has attended successive
series of weekly lectures in the Michaelmas and Lent Terms given
by distinguished visiting speakers. They have been an important
element in Radleians’ education, designed to inform, stimulate and
provoke. Across the years it seems that they have succeeded in their
aim; many speakers have commented on the quality, directness and
perception of the questions, and many Radleians have, in their
turn, affirmed that the lectures have left a real mark on
them. For example, Gena Turgel came ten years ago,
a concentration camp survivor from Auschwitz and
Belsen, and her testimony had a profound effect on all
who heard her; Clive Stafford-Smith OR, death-row
lawyer, only this year overturned many comfortable
assumptions when he challenged boys to engage with
the treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, in
an impassioned lecture; and Colonel Mark Cook so
moved his audience about the conditions in post-war
Bosnia that it raised £38,000 for his charity Hope and
Homes for Children.
We have entertained enough front-line politicians
to people a whole government: a Prime Minister,
John Major, who was as engaging and enthusiastic
on cricket as he was on the condition of politics post-
1997; two foreign secretaries, Lords Howe and Hurd, a
Lord Chancellor (Lord Falconer), two Tory leaders in
the Lords (Viscount Cranborne and Lord Strathclyde)
and a Labour leader (Lord Richard); a Speaker of
the House of Commons, Lord Weatherill (a truly
delightful, witty raconteur, and a real favourite with
his audience); a Conservative Party Leader, rehearsing
for us six days before he launched his now famous
Party Conference bid for the top – David Cameron;
a Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt. Hon. Andrew
Smith MP; and a maverick entertainer with a razorsharp
mind, Boris Johnson MP. Alternative political
messages were articulated particularly brilliantly
by Jonathan Porritt (Friends of the Earth) and Sir
Crispin Tickell, again on the importance of the
environment.
Quite as informative, often quite as articulate
as the statesmen have been the political journalists
we’ve hosted: Melanie Phillips was impassioned in her
attack on ‘All Must Have Prizes’, a prevailing ethic of
rewarding mediocrity; Peter Hitchens was terrifying
in his vision of creeping statism; Yasmin Alibhai-
Brown icily angry over Iraq; Andrew Marr, David
Aaronovitch and Fergal Keane all cerebral and witty on aspects
of Britishness and Identity; and Libby Purves and Peter Riddell
(a regular) have brought us the incisiveness of their Times columns.
For an overview which seeks to make sense for the boys of what
has happened in the past we’ve had some notable historians: Viscount
Norwich on the importance of saving Venice, Andrew Roberts on
counter-factual history, Niall Ferguson whose ‘Pity of War’ revised
some common misconceptions of World War One, Field Marshal Lord
Bramall on being a young officer in Normandy, June 6th 1944, and
General Sir Mike Jackson on a more recent war in Kosovo. And to make
boys think about morality and ethics we have had Peter Garratt from
LIFE on abortion, Tom Shakespeare OR on genetic manipulation and
selection, and Marianne Talbot on moral relativism.
Equally important has been the aim to give boys an
understanding of business and the economy. Since 1994
they have heard from Mervyn King, Governor of
the Bank of England; Professor John Quelch of the
Harvard Business School; Bridget Rosewall (one of
the government’s economic advisers); Professor Jim
Norton on technological advancement; Johnnie
Boden on founding a mail-order business; Eric Nicoli
on adapting EMI to radical shifts in music technology;
Rupert Lowe OR on running a football club
(Southampton); and Peter Bazalgette on reality TV.
The Lecture cycle has also been a means to
broadening cultural horizons. Sessions on music
have ranged from popular musicals (Sir Tim Rice
on his career), to biographical (Hilary du Pré talking
on her sister Jacqueline) and to lecture recitals (sung
by Ann Murray, parent and opera diva and Andrew
Kennedy, former Radley don and recently winner
of the Leider prize at the Cardiff singer of the year
competition). There have been equally memorable
lectures on art and design, from talks by Gavin Stamp,
Sandy Nairne OR and Richard Cork, to more practical
demonstrations of a designer’s oeuvre from Dick
Powell of Seymour Powell. We’ve had writers
(a poetry reading by Old Radleian Poet Laureate
Andrew Motion, and readings from the Amber
Spyglass by Philip Pullman), wine critics (most
notably, Jancis Robinson, conducting a communal
wine taste for 120 boys) and a celebrity cook,
Anthony Worrall-Thompson.
Finally, we recognize how much the boys are
inspired by listening to tales of human endeavour.
We’ve heard from three successful conquerors of
Everest (including the youngest, Bear Grylls, and
the first British woman, Rebecca Stephens); from
successful Olympians, for example Matthew Pinsent;
from sports journalists like Clare Balding and Simon
Hughes, and sports lawyers, the doyen of whom
is Michael Beloff QC, recently retired President of
Trinity, Oxford, who has spoken twice at Radley.
We are hugely grateful to all the speakers who sacrifice their time to
come to Radley; their efforts have been, and will continue to be, greatly
appreciated, not least because their stories, their message, are not
incorporated in A level syllabuses. And we hope that only a very few
will emulate the nameless politician who rang when barely three miles
from the school to ask ‘what exactly am I speaking on today?’ In the
end the MP for Henley improvised very well in the time available….
Getty Images
THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 11

adleians
Hector Bevan (Shell)
LUDGROVE AND G SOCIAL
After leaving Ludgrove I had huge
expectations for Radley and it has lived
up to them. I really enjoy my sport but
I knew that my work would have to come first
and I knew that Radley would help me to find
the right balance between the classroom and the
sports field.
The rugby term was great fun despite my
team’s lack of wins (Midgets 2). This did not
stop the team enjoying themselves. We all have
to play rugby, which for me was great. I really
enjoyed it and also having this compulsory
sport means that you have one less decision to
make in your very hectic first couple of weeks
at Radley. The Lent term brought on the new
challenge of sculling which I was keen to try, as
hockey and cricket had never been my strong
points. Having sculled as a Wednesday option
in the Michalmas term I saw that it could be
great fun particularly as I have not capsized so
far! The rowing in the Lent term was cold and
I prefered the warm weather and regattas in
the summer.
Having taken a scholarship in March 2005
(JP Couzens Scholar) I did feel a little academic
pressure and after five months without huge
volumes of work I felt ready to go. I was very
happy to find the first couple of weeks a gentle
build-up to what I would find to be a challenging
load but I soon got used to it. The workload at
my prep school was certainly much lower than
what I now know to be the Radley norm.
Being a Shell boy at Radley is great, and I
think it will get even better in years to come.
There is so much to get used to in your first term
and in the first few weeks you are given a taster
of all the activities in a round robin. This gave a
little taster to a huge array of sports and activities
for people to get involved in. Music lessons are
also fun and I have been very fortunate to have
the same teacher from my prep school teaching
me here. There are a huge variety of instruments
to be played and you will come across people
who play several instruments.
One of the highlights in the first term in
the Shell is the Haddon Cup. Unfortunately the
new Theatre was not open but then we had the
honour of being the last performers in the Old
Gym. It was great fun and although every year
in G had won it in the Shells D Social narrowly
beat us.
Overall life at Radley has treated me well
and I am looking forward to my Remove year.
Edward Martineau (Senior Prefect)
DRAGON AND H SOCIAL
Whenever the name Radley comes
up in conversation with an adult
I’m meeting for the first time the
question invariably seems to be either ‘do you
row?’ or ‘are you a rugby player?’ Humbly, I am
forced to concede that I have never indulged
in the former, and that my abilities in the latter
would perhaps have been better left untried; a
recent venture onto the pitch for a tame contest
of inter-social rugby resulted in a knee injury
that kept me out for the rest of the season.
Thankfully, however, I have found other
means to occupy my time. Since arriving at
Radley acting has been a huge passion of mine,
and I’ve been fortunate enough to have the
opportunity to get involved in three school
productions that I will never forget. The sheer
variety made each special in different ways,
starting with the musical Cabaret in the fifth
form, then moving on to Shakespeare’s A
Midsummer Night’s Dream in the 6.1, and
ending with Sheridan’s Restoration comedy,
School For Scandal.
Cabaret was great fun, incorporating a
group of Downe House students as the Kit
Kat Klub girls which obviously added to the
glamour, as well as having an orchestra onstage
- a sensational feeling as you sung the numbers,
albeit in lycra and fishnets at certain points
(I regret to say that my mother still has photo
evidence). In fact, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
forced me into equally unfortunate attire, being
set in modern day costume; some are made to
be tattooed and topless - not me.
In both Cabaret and A Midsummer Night’s
Dream I was double cast with another boy,
named Lawrence Grant, in the year above.
This was an inevitably double-edged sword.
On the one hand I was glad to have the company,
since both Emcee and Oberon were fairly solitary
roles. On the other hand it was agony having
to watch the other actor playing the role on his
nights. It was made easier, though, by the fact
that we were so dissimilar; he was a thin, blond
would-be rock star; I was a brown haired student
with an affinity for Latin. Despite the underlying
hope that the other would develop a sudden
bout of flu in the final week leading up to the
performance, it was a largely positive, and mainly
productive, experience working together.
I was delighted nevertheless to be single
cast in the final production of School For
Scandal. Indeed, the whole play was particularly
significant to me for a number of reasons; it
was the opening of the new theatre; it was my
final school play; I was getting to act alongside a
number of 6.2 actors who I’d never been in scenes
with before; it was an all boys production rather
than being done with Downe House girls as the
previous two; my character, Sir Joseph Surface,
was a devious, two-faced scoundrel – huge fun to
play; and the director, due to the current head of
drama being on maternity leave, was my housemaster
– a man with a voice so booming that it
would rival Brian Blessed’s. Furthermore, the
new theatre was a fantastic place to act, making
the show feel so much more professional for the
sheer ambience.
I would have to admit that almost all of
my hobbies have really revolved around public
speaking. Debating has also been a source of
pleasure over the past few years, and perhaps the
greatest source of annoyance as well. I don’t feel
that I’m a particularly bad loser in most arenas
but if I lose in a debate a subsequent sulk emerges
that would rival Eeyore at his birthday party.
In the 6.2 I was lucky enough to become
Senior Prefect, a role that, I have to confess,
I very much enjoyed. I no doubt over-indulged
my argumentative side as well as the attempted
gravitas of the chapel readings, but it has been
really interesting trying to mediate between the
boys and dons, which I would see as the main
importance of the job.
When you come close to leaving Radley
the things you will and won’t miss become
unmistakeably apparent. For the most part I feel
ready to move on to university. However, seeing
the audition sheet go up for next year’s production
of A few good men did spark a tinge of envy. The
new theatre really has opened up the possibilities
for the school drama, and not being a part of that
is perhaps one small source of regret.
I would hate for this article to sound like
some false sycophantic rant about how wonderful
Radley is. It’s obviously entirely dependent on each
person. The one common feature I imagine all
of us would identify as having acquired after five
years, however, is the ability not to take ourselves
too seriously. The all boys’ boarding school
experience seems to have been all about realising
the archaisms and eccentricities of the system, and
appreciating them. I would hope that I don’t take
myself too seriously. After the ridiculous costumes
and hairstyles (which I’m frequently reminded of)
it would certainly be hard to.
12 THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER Website: www.radley.org.uk . Admissions enquiries: 01235 543174 . admissions@radley.org.uk