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Versa: Issue Thirteen

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VERSA<br />

OA NEWS<br />

WWII PILOT’S LOST DIARY<br />

MILESTONE REUNIONS<br />

THE MOTTY YEARS<br />

OA FOOTBALL PROMOTION<br />

A GREAT<br />

SPORTING<br />

SEASON<br />

OA success across sports<br />

AUTUMN 2023<br />

Cover image courtesy of Ray Lawrence Photography


Inside<br />

this issue<br />

Upcoming Events 2<br />

Editorial Team<br />

Louise Barnes<br />

Alumni Relations & Development Manager<br />

Sarah Gray<br />

Alumni Relations & Development Officer<br />

OA President’s Notes 3<br />

OA News 4<br />

OA Focus 8<br />

OA Events 9<br />

The Motty Years 10<br />

Announcements11<br />

OA Sports 17<br />

OA Lodge 21<br />

The 948 Sports Foundation 21<br />

@oldalbanianassociation<br />

@oaassociation<br />

oaconnect.co.uk<br />

@oaassociation<br />

Old Albanian Networking:<br />

St Albans School<br />

St Albans School Foundation | CHARITY NO. 1092932


4 Contacts & Dates<br />

5<br />

UPCOMING EVENTS<br />

OA PRESIDENT’S NOTES<br />

Paul Richardson (OA 1979), OA President<br />

OAA AGM<br />

Wednesday 10 January, 7.30pm<br />

OA Pavilion, Woollam Playing Fields.<br />

The Secretary announces the 131st Annual General<br />

Meeting of the Old Albanian Association will be held<br />

on the 10 January, reviewing 2023. Members are<br />

welcome to attend the meeting which will be held<br />

at 7.30pm in the ‘948’ room at the OA Pavilion at the<br />

Woollams sports ground.<br />

MILITARY OA DRINKS<br />

Thursday 1 February, 6.30pm<br />

The In & Out Club, London<br />

St Albans School has a long and proud tradition of<br />

alumni who join the Military. To recognise this, we will<br />

be hosting a drinks reception to bring together OAs<br />

who have links to the Armed Forces – whether they<br />

are currently serving, have served or are part of the<br />

UOTC or similar.<br />

ST ALBANS SCHOOL GALA DINNER<br />

Friday 22 March, 7pm<br />

The Woollam Playing Fields<br />

A formal dinner in aid of the School’s Bursary Fund<br />

with the chance to hear from an amazing speaker.<br />

IF YOU WISH TO CONTACT THE SCHOOL’S DEVELOPMENT OFFICE ABOUT<br />

ANYTHING IN VERSA, PLEASE USE THE BELOW CONTACT DETAILS.<br />

SCHOOL<br />

development@st-albans.herts.sch.uk<br />

Development Director<br />

Rebecca van der Westhuizen<br />

01727 515177<br />

rdvanderwesthuizen@st-albans.herts.sch.uk<br />

Alumni Relations & Development<br />

Manager<br />

Louise Barnes<br />

01727 224540<br />

lcbarnes@st-albans.herts.sch.uk<br />

Alumni Relations & Development Officer<br />

Sarah Gray<br />

01727 224540<br />

slgray@st-albans.herts.sch.uk<br />

Archivist<br />

Sue Gregory<br />

01727 515178<br />

sgregory@st-albans.herts.sch.uk<br />

OA ASSOCIATION<br />

President<br />

Paul Richardson<br />

Secretary<br />

Mike Hodge<br />

Treasurer<br />

David Hughes<br />

Membership Secretary<br />

Roger Cook<br />

Hon. Auditor<br />

Peter Dew<br />

OA RUGBY<br />

oarugby.com<br />

President<br />

Richard Milnes<br />

Chairman<br />

Scott Bachmann<br />

Vice Chairman<br />

Peter Blake-Turner<br />

Hon. Treasurer<br />

Rick Powdrell<br />

MILESTONE REUNIONS<br />

Saturday 18 May, from 11.30am<br />

St Albans School<br />

We are delighted to invite everyone celebrating a<br />

decade reunion in 2024 back to St Albans School for<br />

a celebratory event with their classmates. Details will<br />

follow on OA Connect, but please save the date if you<br />

are from the Class of 2014, 2004, 1994, 1984, 1974,<br />

1964 or 1954. We will also be inviting back the Class<br />

of 2019 as they celebrate their five-year reunion after<br />

leaving St Albans School.<br />

FOUNDERS’ DAY – SUMMER SOCIAL<br />

Saturday 29 June, from 12.30pm<br />

The Woollam Playing Fields<br />

OAs and their families are warmly invited to the<br />

St Albans School Summer Social. As part of our<br />

Founders’ Day celebrations, OAs will be able to enjoy<br />

a BBQ lunch whilst watching a variety of sports.<br />

Hon. Secretary<br />

Peter Lipscomb<br />

Club Captain<br />

Kim Watson<br />

Director of Rugby<br />

James Osborn<br />

Junior Chair<br />

James Hathaway<br />

Mini Chair<br />

Tom Oliver<br />

Please note that dates and venues are<br />

subject to change. For more details about<br />

all upcoming events and to book your place,<br />

please visit oaconnect.co.uk/events.<br />

Saints Chair<br />

Wellie Clark<br />

Junior Saints Chair<br />

Craig Ihlenfeldt<br />

OA FOOTBALL<br />

President<br />

Nick Jackson<br />

OA CRICKET<br />

oacricket.co.uk<br />

Chairman<br />

David Goodier<br />

President<br />

Richard Morgan<br />

Director of Cricket<br />

Simon Bates<br />

Treasurer<br />

Richard Ransley<br />

Secretary<br />

Alison Finley<br />

OA TENNIS<br />

oatennis.com<br />

Chairman<br />

Geoff Lamb<br />

Head Coach<br />

Margie Edge<br />

Hon. Secretary<br />

Justin Azzopardo<br />

OA RIFLE<br />

oashooting.com<br />

President<br />

Owen Simmons<br />

Captain<br />

Andrew Wilkie<br />

Treasurer<br />

Andrew Moore<br />

OA GOLF<br />

Captain<br />

Peter Dredge<br />

Hon. Secretary<br />

Mike Crowston<br />

OA LODGE<br />

oldalbanianlodge.org.uk<br />

Treasurer &<br />

Membership Officer<br />

Jonathan Giffen<br />

Secretary<br />

Alex Bain-Stewart<br />

Assistant Secretary<br />

John Williams<br />

After a busy and enjoyable<br />

summer in my role as OA<br />

Association President, I<br />

feel increasingly positive about<br />

the School, our alumni network<br />

and the opportunities that exist<br />

to build and strengthen bonds<br />

and relationships. I would also<br />

like to add my congratulations to<br />

all the pupils and staff who have<br />

achieved another set of excellent<br />

academic results.<br />

What has also struck me, since<br />

officially starting in January 2023,<br />

is the enormous potential we<br />

have! It’s a fair learning curve, as<br />

you might expect from a school<br />

as established as St Albans, with<br />

the OA Clubs’ history dating back<br />

to 1892.<br />

Whilst most readers will be<br />

familiar with our long and<br />

PAUL RICHARDSON<br />

fascinating history, it never<br />

fails to cause me pause for<br />

thought as I visit the School’s<br />

facilities, old and new, and think about the generations<br />

that preceded us. As I mentioned in my last letter, the very<br />

comprehensive volume Born Not For Ourselves, the history<br />

of St Albans School by Nigel Watson, is well worth a read to<br />

give a sense of the unique place St Albans School has in our<br />

shared history, over many centuries.<br />

The relationship between the OA Sports Clubs and the<br />

School is also important to me and I’ve enjoyed seeing the<br />

School team play football against the OAs, a 1st team rugby<br />

match, and cricket at Woollams, on what is growing into<br />

one of the best settings and pitches in the land.<br />

Standards in sport seem to me to continually be on the<br />

rise: I am sure through the fantastic coaching, facilities,<br />

and options now available. From an OAA perspective we<br />

were delighted to see that our recent grant recipients, Max<br />

(powerlifting) and Dylan (swimming), have progressed so<br />

well in their respective disciplines, with Max coming sixth in<br />

his group in the World Championships. The OAA committee<br />

looks forward to continuing to support the ongoing<br />

development and progress of both individuals and teams.<br />

Whilst it is terrific to see these elite achievements in<br />

sport alongside strong academic results, I am particularly<br />

impressed with wider participation across the School in a<br />

range of areas, including Music, Drama, and community<br />

service. As someone who possibly focussed a little too<br />

much on the ‘Games’ side of<br />

things, there is clearly great<br />

balance across the multiple<br />

aspects of school life, and<br />

I’ve been fortunate to see<br />

this in action in the annual<br />

Remembrance, Carol and<br />

Founders’ Day services, plus<br />

a range of excellent musical<br />

recitals.<br />

Another ‘shout out’ is the<br />

friendly, relaxed conversation<br />

with pupils at events. For<br />

me, it has always been an<br />

important life skill to be able<br />

to engage naturally with<br />

people of all ages, and not just<br />

one’s contemporaries. The<br />

value, and ability, to talk really<br />

became apparent since COVID,<br />

when schools and businesses<br />

were shut. In the office, I’ve<br />

frequently seen the importance<br />

of individuals being able to speak with more senior<br />

colleagues about problems and opportunities, and so I was<br />

particularly pleased to see the launch of OA Mentor, the<br />

new OA mentoring scheme. In time, I am sure the ability<br />

to connect directly with fellow OAs who may be able to<br />

offer advice or guidance on professions or careers will be<br />

extremely helpful and drive closer collaboration across<br />

generations. It is great that the art of conversation is very<br />

much alive and being fostered!<br />

At the time of writing, the most recent event I attended<br />

was the naming of the Hawking Building, followed by<br />

Prizegiving. The stories of Stephen Hawking on the day<br />

prompted me to look up quotes by Einstein and it turns<br />

out he had much to say on education. My favourite plays<br />

to the overall value of what is available from the School,<br />

in addition to achieving great exam results: ‘The wit was<br />

not wrong who defined education in this way: “Education<br />

is that which remains, if one has forgotten everything he<br />

learned in school”.’<br />

Finally, with any association such as ours, we always<br />

welcome volunteers and help. Any OAs (recent or mature!)<br />

who would like to get involved, please don’t hesitate to get<br />

in touch with me on OAAPresident@st-albans.herts.sch.uk.<br />

Wishing everyone a great Autumn and Christmas!


6<br />

OA News<br />

7<br />

WWII PILOT’S LOST DIARY<br />

THE UNEXPLORED OCEANS<br />

The diary of an OA who was an RAF<br />

pilot in the Second World War has<br />

been found 30 years after his death<br />

and turned into a 12-part independent<br />

podcast.<br />

Flight Sergeant Ron Chapman (OA 1937)<br />

joined the RAF after leaving St Albans School,<br />

and kept a detailed diary for 1943, when<br />

he was just 22 years old. It contains stories<br />

of gold smuggling, the sudden deaths of<br />

colleagues and secret supply missions.<br />

The podcast, called ʼBlighty Thank Godʼ,<br />

was produced and hosted by his son, Neil<br />

Chapman (OA 1972) and accompanies a<br />

website, which is the result of a six-year<br />

research journey, taking in the National<br />

Archives and other historical sources<br />

worldwide.<br />

Neil said: “My father was like so many young<br />

men in the RAF, reluctantly forced to be<br />

thousands of miles away from home and<br />

in many ways the podcast is a tribute to all<br />

those reluctant warriors who served. Even<br />

though my father wasn’t on the front line, to<br />

my surprise I discovered he was always in<br />

danger. Death – from accidents and horrible<br />

diseases – lurked like a ghost throughout the<br />

diary. Many he knew or worked alongside<br />

were killed in horrible circumstances.<br />

“My father thought he’d never survive the<br />

War, hence the podcast title – words of relief<br />

he wrote in his pilot’s log book on making it<br />

back to the UK, having been posted overseas<br />

very early in the war.” After the start of the<br />

Second World War, Ron was posted to West<br />

Africa, the Middle East and Europe. He never<br />

told his sons about his diary, and passed<br />

away in 1980, aged 60. The diary was only<br />

discovered after their mother died.<br />

The website gives access to the fully<br />

transcribed diary and Neil’s research<br />

notes and images, which provide historical<br />

background to the entries. It also has<br />

additional material associated with each<br />

podcast episode including maps and<br />

photographs.<br />

The podcast is available on a range of<br />

podcast platforms, including Apple and<br />

Spotify. Find out more at<br />

blightythankgod.co.uk.<br />

EXPLORING THE<br />

HISTORY OF ST ALBAN<br />

Whilst many of us spent the lockdown months watching endless TV and<br />

attempting to work out if we could have another hour walking outside,<br />

Laurence Attewill (OA 1964) was much more gainfully employed in<br />

researching and writing a book about the life of St Alban.<br />

The finalised publication, titled I am called Alban: The story of St Alban and his<br />

legacy, was launched amongst friends and family in the School library on Tuesday<br />

27 June. Written in a readable style, Laurence’s book takes a fresh look at the<br />

story of Alban and tackles some big questions, including whether Alban was<br />

actually martyred and who founded the original Saxon monastery. At the launch,<br />

Laurence talked about his research process and what he uncovered, before<br />

elaborating further in a Q&A session led by Rose Hardy, his niece, and former St<br />

Albans School staff member. Copies of the book can be purchased on Amazon.<br />

There has been a huge amount in the news this year<br />

about climate change and extreme weather patterns.<br />

But what is the effect of this upon the world’s<br />

oceans? This topic is one that is very close to the heart of<br />

Aryan Shah (OA 2021), who used it as the focus of his talk<br />

for the recent Imperial College TEDx conference.<br />

Titled Exploration for the generations, Aryan’s talk<br />

highlighted our lack of knowledge about the oceans and<br />

how unexplored they are, and the role that everyone<br />

must play in protecting them. It stressed that the lack<br />

of data we have on the oceans affects hundreds of<br />

industries around the world and the millions of people<br />

who rely on them for their livelihoods.<br />

OA MENTOR LAUNCHES<br />

In September, we were delighted to launch OA Mentor,<br />

the new OA-to-OA mentoring service which runs through<br />

OA Connect. It is designed to help OAs benefit from the<br />

wealth of careers advice and support available within the<br />

alumni community, as well as allowing those who choose to<br />

mentor to inspire others and develop their own skills.<br />

Best practice guidelines and details about being a<br />

mentor and mentee are available on OA Connect, and we<br />

encourage anyone interested in supporting other OAs to<br />

Aryan said: “Exploring and preserving the oceans is<br />

something so very close to my heart and it’s been my<br />

dream to bring this undiscovered frontier to a platform<br />

like this, that inspires so many people to think differently.”<br />

Currently studying Earth and Planetary Sciences at<br />

Imperial College London, geophysicist Aryan is passionate<br />

about the natural world and has a particular interest in<br />

ocean exploration and marine geophysics, and the role<br />

that technology can play in protecting them.<br />

Aryan’s talk can be viewed on YouTube at<br />

youtube.com/watch?v=oBmYlqiqsq8.<br />

sign up. As a mentor, you can specify what you can help<br />

with – with areas including industry or sector advice, work<br />

experience, CV review and PhD advice – and also how many<br />

individuals you can help.<br />

We hope to grow this and create a helpful tool for anyone<br />

who has recently graduated, and those seeking to progress<br />

in their industry or change career. Find out more at<br />

oaconnect.co.uk/careers.


8 OA News<br />

9<br />

DIAMOND CELEBRATION FOR<br />

The Zombies<br />

THE FIRES BURN BRIGHT<br />

in St Albans<br />

Chris Tillin (OA 1986)<br />

The Friendly Fires returned ʼhomeʼ on Thursday 24<br />

August, delivering an incredible performance at<br />

the Alban Arena, a venue they last played at over<br />

10 years ago.<br />

The band have played at some iconic venues over the<br />

years, from Glastonbury to Coachella, but St Albans is<br />

their hometown – and the local pub where the trio wrote<br />

ʼPhotoboothʼ was even given a mention.<br />

To celebrate 60 years of The Zombies, the documentary<br />

ʼHung Up On A Dreamʼ was released in late 2023, detailing<br />

the band’s journey from teenage friends through to Rock<br />

and Roll Hall of Fame legends.<br />

These early teenage years feature founding members<br />

Rod Argent (OA 1963), Hugh Grundy (OA 1963) and Paul<br />

Atkinson (OA 1964) who met whilst at St Albans School,<br />

and were joined by Colin Blunstone and Paul Arnold,<br />

who both attended St Albans Boys’ Grammar School<br />

(now Verulam School). The band formed in 1961 and<br />

met in the Blacksmiths Arms pub, where there is now a<br />

commemorative plaque outside celebrating the group.<br />

It was in 1964 that the band found fame, after signing a<br />

record contract with Decca and releasing ʼSheʼs Not Thereʼ,<br />

which reached number 12 in the UK charts and sold over<br />

one million copies worldwide.<br />

Rod said: “One of my most magical discoveries in the 1990s<br />

was finding out that not only had The Zombies achieved<br />

the very first self-written English number one record in the<br />

U.S. after The Beatles, in 1964, with ʼSheʼs Not Thereʼ (as<br />

announced at the time by the BBC news) but that Elvis, the<br />

iconic figure from my youth, that same year actually had<br />

that, and two more of my songs, on his juke box!<br />

“The Zombies, of course, in that first incarnation, went on<br />

to shortly have two more huge U.S. records: ʼTell Her Noʼ,<br />

in 1965 and in 1969, by far their biggest selling number one<br />

in America and around the world, ʼTime Of The Seasonʼ.<br />

The current lineup of the band, as shown in the photo, has,<br />

in many ways, had even more satisfying success, and the<br />

last 10 years, in particular, have shown constantly growing<br />

and wonderful audiences, and terrific reviews. The group<br />

has been, since 2019, members of The Rock And Roll Hall<br />

Of Fame.”<br />

Directed by Robert Schwartzman, the feature-length film<br />

details how the group navigated the music industry over the<br />

decades, with a mixture of interviews and archival footage,<br />

as well as some of their key hits and albums, including ʼTime<br />

of the Seasonʼ, and influential album ʼOdessey and Oracleʼ.<br />

From left to right: Tom Toomey, Søren Koch, Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Steve Rodford.<br />

The St Albans School ‘Old Boys’ – who met at school<br />

aged 13 – smashed out a performance worthy of all<br />

the accolades they have earned to date. To a crowd of<br />

fans who have followed the band from their early days<br />

playing the local clubs and pubs, this show celebrated<br />

the 15th anniversary of their self-titled debut album.<br />

From the first moment Ed Macfarlane (OA 2002), Jack<br />

Savidge (OA 2002) and Edd Gibson (OA 2002) took to<br />

the stage, the energy levels went through the roof, with<br />

lead singer Ed’s charismatic presence captivating the<br />

crowd. For the fans, some of whom had travelled from<br />

as far afield as Bristol and Newcastle, the band did not<br />

disappoint. Their debut 2009 album, written by the band<br />

with influences from their years growing up locally, was<br />

played in its entirety.<br />

Ed excels in audience engagement, delivering genuine<br />

appreciation of the relationship the band has with<br />

everyone who buys into their style. He makes the<br />

crowd part of the show, and as the band launched into<br />

quite possibly the best encore I have ever seen, every<br />

member of the arena joined into some of their greatest<br />

hits including ʼLove Like Wavesʼ, ʼHurtingʼ, ʼHeaven Let Me<br />

Inʼ, ʼSilhouettesʼ and the song that really blew the roof off<br />

the arena, ʼKiss of Lifeʼ.<br />

What Friendly Fires delivered was something unique, a<br />

performance filled with infectious energy, and a mix of<br />

tunes that just donʼt age.<br />

And with that the evening ended, the lights came up,<br />

and the 500+ audience who crammed into the arena<br />

headed out with a memory that will last forever.<br />

EX-PRESIDENT<br />

receives President’s Award<br />

GEORGE HARRISON<br />

MEMORIAL<br />

Over the summer, the pavilion at the Woollam Playing<br />

Fields hosted a memorial to the inspirational and<br />

well-loved cross-country and athletics coach George<br />

Harrison MBE. Organised by Roy Head (OA 1983), several<br />

OAs spoke movingly about their memories of George and<br />

the impact he had upon their lives. A recording of the<br />

memorial can be viewed on OA Connect in the news section.<br />

OA HOCKEY<br />

Former OAA President, Mike Hodge<br />

(OA 1964), was awarded the St Albans<br />

District Chamber of Commerce<br />

President’s Award in November for his<br />

charitable work.<br />

As a result of Mike’s work, over £250,000<br />

has been donated to a range of charities,<br />

including Rennie Grove Peace, the Hospice<br />

of St Francis, Keech Hospice Care, Bedford<br />

MS Therapy Centre, The AT Society and<br />

SABA (St Albans Band Aid).<br />

Harpenden Busker’. Whilst at St Albans<br />

School, Mike taught himself to play the<br />

guitar and has used this skill to raise money<br />

around the country for his chosen charities.<br />

He also visits St Matthews Care Home in<br />

Redbourn fortnightly, to play and sing to<br />

residents, many of whom have dementia.<br />

After leaving St Albans School, Mike worked<br />

for HMRC and EY, before setting up his own<br />

business. He has lived in Harpenden for<br />

over 50 years.<br />

On Sunday 17 September, the OA hockey team took part in the<br />

annual Sixes tournament at Haileybury School. It was their 10th<br />

appearance in the tournament, and despite missing some key<br />

players it was a great event and allowed a merging of the “old guard”<br />

with some new fresh, recent leavers.<br />

We hope to continue to grow the OA hockey team – their next match will<br />

be against the School 1st XI on Saturday 6 January 2024. If you would like<br />

to be involved, please email development@st-albans.herts.sch.uk.<br />

MIKE BUSKING AND SARAH COLLECTING<br />

FOR THE RNLI ALONGSIDE TWO SALCOMBE<br />

LIFEBOAT FUNDRAISERS<br />

Mike said: “It meant a huge amount to be<br />

given this award. Many of the charities are<br />

very close to my heart and they do amazing<br />

work, and it’s been a privilege supporting<br />

them over the decades.”<br />

As well as raising money through an<br />

annual Golf Day, Mike has also developed<br />

his repertoire and is known locally as ‘The<br />

The St Albans District Chamber of<br />

Commerce President’s Award is given out<br />

annually to an individual or team within the<br />

district who has demonstrated exceptional<br />

commitment and outstanding contribution<br />

to the community, demonstrating<br />

character, volunteerism, leadership or a<br />

sense of caring, support and responsibility<br />

for others.


10 OA Focus<br />

OA Events 11<br />

RISING STARS<br />

MILESTONE REUNIONS<br />

HITTING THE BIG TIME<br />

After graduating from university in 2020, professional tennis<br />

player Charles Broom (OA 2016) has earned a career-high ranking<br />

of 343 in singles and 205 in doubles. This summer he took part in<br />

the Wimbledon Qualifiers, for the first time in his career, where he<br />

won a round, beating his opponent ranked inside the world’s top<br />

250 players.<br />

Charles said: “I was extremely grateful to have the opportunity<br />

to play Wimbledon Qualifying this year. I had played well leading<br />

up to Wimbledon, so I knew I had the level in me to beat a highly<br />

ranked opponent. But to be able to do it in front of a large British<br />

crowd, by winning the last 12 points of the match, was a bit of a<br />

fairy-tale. I want to use this experience and continue to progress in<br />

my career, so I can play in the main draw of Wimbledon in singles<br />

and doubles.”<br />

In December 2022, Charles also represented Great Britain in the<br />

MasterʼU BNP Paribas, where he earned a silver medal.<br />

Our inaugural Milestone Reunion event was held<br />

on Saturday 20 May 2023, and it was incredible to<br />

welcome back so many OAs to reunite with friends<br />

and peers from their year-groups.<br />

The first half of the day was dedicated to OAs from the<br />

Class of 1953, 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993 and 2003, beginning<br />

with tours of the site and the chance to speak to current<br />

Sixth Formers about their studies. There was then a<br />

sparkling reception followed by a delicious lunch in the<br />

refectory, finishing off with the obligatory year group<br />

photos. In the evening, we welcomed back the Class of<br />

2013 and 2018, who were celebrating 10- and five-year<br />

reunions respectively, with drinks and a BBQ.<br />

The full photo album from the day can be viewed on<br />

OA Connect on our ‘photos’ page. We look forward to<br />

welcoming back OAs from the Class of 1954, 1964, 1974,<br />

1984, 1994, 2004, 2014 and 2019 on Saturday 18 May 2024<br />

– please keep an eye on OA Connect for details!<br />

OA DINNER<br />

A GOOD INNINGS<br />

Cricket has always been a<br />

popular sport at St Albans<br />

School and there can be few<br />

who don’t have memories of either<br />

the Woollam Playing Fields or King<br />

Harry, bathed in summer sunshine<br />

and accompanied by the familiar<br />

thwack of ball on wood. One OA<br />

has taken that a step further and<br />

been called up to the England Lions<br />

training camp.<br />

Josh De Caires (OA 2020), a batter<br />

for Middlesex County Cricket Club,<br />

recently took part in a three-week<br />

training camp in the UAE, along<br />

with 20 other players.<br />

Josh recently signed a threeyear<br />

professional contract with<br />

Middlesex and has had a fantastic<br />

breakthrough season. He took<br />

27 wickets in his eight County<br />

Championship appearances,<br />

including a seven and an eightwicket<br />

haul.<br />

Josh said: “It’s such an honour to<br />

have been selected for the England<br />

Lions, and I’m really grateful to be<br />

given the opportunity to continue<br />

to play for Middlesex for the next<br />

couple of years, and hopefully<br />

contribute towards some success<br />

for the club.”<br />

Out of the 21 players at the camp,<br />

which focused on the development<br />

of red ball skills, Josh was one<br />

of ten players who were newly<br />

selected for the Lions.<br />

The England Lions, who used to<br />

be known as England A, act as a<br />

way for promising young cricketers<br />

to gain experience of playing<br />

international cricket to help pave<br />

the way for future England success<br />

on the cricket pitch.<br />

RAY LAWRENCE PHOTOGRAPHY<br />

OA NETBALL<br />

On a surprisingly hot afternoon on Saturday 16<br />

September, the OAs faced the new 1st VII netball team<br />

in a fast-paced match. Several school netballers were<br />

unable to attend, and despite the pupils giving it their<br />

all, the OAs had a comfortable 34-10 win.<br />

The annual OA dinner had an Italian-themed meal this year and it was<br />

fantastic to see OAs from 1952 through to 2021 returning to the School.<br />

Held on Friday 6 October 2023, the evening began with tours starting<br />

from the School’s museum, followed by a drinks reception in the library.<br />

The dinner in the refectory was a delicious lamb-topped risotto, and<br />

followed a welcome from new OA President, Paul Richardson, when he<br />

paid the Headmaster the annual ceremonial peppercorn payment.<br />

BOTTOMLESS<br />

BRUNCH<br />

A bottomless brunch was held on Saturday 10 June to<br />

mark 30 years since the first cohort of female pupils<br />

left St Albans School – and the sun shone, and the<br />

prosecco flowed! It was fantastic to see OAs returning,<br />

sometimes for the first time since studying here, and<br />

catching up with old friends and former teachers.


12<br />

INTO THE ARCHIVES<br />

EARLY SCHOOL SPORT<br />

If you’ve read ‘The Motty Years’ on the opposite page, you’ll have a taste of the<br />

role of football at St Albans School from the late 1970s. However, from the early<br />

days of the School’s inception, sport was a key part of daily life.<br />

When the School was connected to the monastery,<br />

we know that medieval Benedictine monks would<br />

kick and handle a weighted leather ball around<br />

the grounds. One could argue that this was an early form<br />

of football, although we do not know the exact game and<br />

rules that they would have played by.<br />

During this time, there was no differentiation between<br />

mental and physical education. Alongside learning Latin,<br />

writing and mathematics, boys were taught the physical<br />

activities of bérhourd (sword fighting), archery, hand<br />

combat, sword-smithing and the craft of bowyering and<br />

fletchering (the making of arrows).<br />

Records around physical education are sketchy during the<br />

1700s, but in the 1800s there is a clear change – potentially<br />

linked to the wider interest in fitness in the Victorian era.<br />

During this time, and into Edwardian England, drill was<br />

a key school activity alongside the ‘three Rs’ and life at<br />

St Albans School was no different. Drill often involved<br />

exercises such as marching on the spot and skipping<br />

and was thought to help children follow instructions and<br />

improve health, whilst also preparing them for work and<br />

military service.<br />

It is also during this time that the more recognisable sports<br />

began to be played including cricket and hockey, with<br />

football being a key school sport in the late 19th century.<br />

The editorial in the October 1892 edition of The Albanian<br />

said: “It is no good either for a boy’s brain or for himself to<br />

lounge about the streets in a state of idleness, but a game<br />

The open-air swimming bath<br />

of football for one hour a day is of the greatest possible<br />

good to him; it not only refreshes the mind, but it also<br />

strengthens the body.”<br />

In the December 1892 edition of The Albanian, it was<br />

reported that an ‘organised gymnasium’ had opened,<br />

with the editor writing: “Formerly very few boys took any<br />

interest in gymnastic exercises, but now I am glad to say<br />

that the new drilling sergeant has started some evening<br />

classes, which are fairly well attended […]. There is nothing<br />

a school boy ought to like better than to spend an hour or<br />

two on the parallel bars or horizontal bar.”<br />

Swimming really became a part of the School in 1933.<br />

The open-air swimming bath was officially opened on 17<br />

June 1933; designed by architect Percival Blow (OA 1888),<br />

it was constructed at a cost of £1,700 and featured five<br />

racing lanes, a spring board and three-stage diving board.<br />

Available for both pupils and OAs to use, it led to a large<br />

increase in the number of boys who learned to swim. The<br />

Albanian reported: “It must always be remembered by boys<br />

of the School that the Bath has not been provided merely<br />

to afford a means of cooling delight and amusement in hot<br />

weather. The first duty is to learn to swim, the next to pass<br />

the [two lengths] test, and the third to learn to swim well<br />

and dive well.”<br />

Today a huge range of sports is played at the School, but it<br />

is fascinating to investigate the roots and the development<br />

of physical education.<br />

THE ‘MOTTY’ YEARS<br />

When John Motson, the BBC’s ‘Voice of Football’,<br />

died in February 2023 his many obituaries<br />

listed his achievements: commentating on 10<br />

World Cups, 10 UEFA Championships, 29 Cup Finals<br />

and more than 200 Internationals. He was clearly on<br />

top of his game and loved football. But what didn’t get<br />

a mention was the willing contribution he made to the<br />

development of ‘soccer’ at St Albans School.<br />

Association Football had been a major sport at SAS in<br />

the early years of the 20th century with an OA team<br />

appearing, but not making much of an impression,<br />

in the Arthur Dunn Cup until 1927. Just 50 years later<br />

I managed to get a competitive side together at the<br />

School and, three years on, a pre-season match against<br />

a John Motson XI gave the game the impetus it needed<br />

and the limelight it deserved. The fixture remained on<br />

the School’s sports calendar until 2000.<br />

An aerial view of the King Harry Lane playing fields<br />

John lived only a misplaced goal kick away from King<br />

Harry in the early years, so the idea of a pre-season<br />

‘home’ fixture appealed to him. The short distance to<br />

watering holes at The Six Bells and The Three Hammers<br />

for post-match refreshment certainly appealed to his<br />

fellow journalists and footballing friends.<br />

And so it was that the likes of Alan Parry, Jim Rosenthal<br />

and Martin Tyler were ever present in his team line-up.<br />

They knew how to play the game, certainly how to talk<br />

the game, and how not to lose. A search of past copies<br />

of The Albanian reveals that the School had to wait eight<br />

years before they tasted victory. Not all the results are<br />

recorded but this dominance wasn’t surprising. John’s<br />

team of commentators was regularly augmented and<br />

strengthened by ‘ringers’ and once the team included<br />

Neil Smillie (ex-Watford and an FA Cup finalist with<br />

Brighton and Hove Albion in 1983). Given that regular<br />

David Willacy<br />

Former staff member 1973 – 2000<br />

defenders included Steve Walford (115 Football League<br />

appearances with Spurs, Arsenal and West Ham<br />

United) and Gordon Riddick (over 400 Football League<br />

appearances), it is a credit to the School that they only<br />

once failed to score in reply. And that is before we think<br />

about Peter Kitchen and former Newcastle manager Joe<br />

Kinnear… There were surprises, too. I refereed the 1984<br />

fixture and was surprised to see then-current World<br />

1500m Champion and World Record holder Steve Cram<br />

on the pitch.<br />

However good, all things come an end, and the 21st<br />

and last game was played in September 2000. I took<br />

the opportunity to invite past players to represent the<br />

School. The response was heartening and there was<br />

no mistaking the sense of opportunity to take some<br />

revenge.<br />

Motty’s team had renamed themselves as the<br />

Commentators X1 and had a familiar look on paper<br />

but, as seven of the line-up had played in the first<br />

fixture, on the field they were ageing. Peter Kitchen<br />

had flown in from Japan in anticipation of adding to<br />

his goal tally, and our Jeremy Simpson changed his<br />

flight schedule from Hong Kong to be part of the<br />

action. In my retirement year I prepared to make my<br />

debut as an 80th-minute substitute. I hope that Messrs<br />

Simpson, Pepper, Grubb, Walker, Sellar, Kinnear, Mote,<br />

Freedman, White, Pickering, Thornton, Woods, O’Reilly,<br />

Stylianou and referee McCree remember the day, too.<br />

They won handsomely.<br />

I was privileged to represent the School at his funeral<br />

where Bill Hamilton, his BBC colleague and a referee<br />

at one of our matches, gave a fulsome eulogy, and<br />

the great and the good packed the Milton Keynes<br />

Crematorium to pay tribute.<br />

The photograph on the cover of the Order of Service<br />

showed John in his trademark sheepskin coat. He had<br />

no need for that on late summer evenings on King<br />

Harry. But we can remember him, as an enthusiastic<br />

midfield captain urging his team to win and reliving his<br />

days as a rookie journalist and amateur footballer in<br />

the Barnet Sunday League, where he scored 19 times in<br />

165 appearances.<br />

Winning or losing we all shared a passion and have<br />

been enriched by the experience.<br />

John Walker Motson OBE, 1945 – 2003, RIP<br />

13


14 Announcements<br />

15<br />

JOHN STANLEY HIGGS (OA 1940)<br />

1923 – 2022<br />

Edited from the commemoration address delivered<br />

on behalf of the family<br />

Born in Nottinghamshire in 1923, John’s idyllic early<br />

childhood was tragically interrupted by the death of his<br />

mother just before his fifth birthday. Term time for John<br />

meant boarding school and he joined St Albans School in<br />

1933; school holidays were spent with his father visiting<br />

interesting engineering projects, or with his aunt who<br />

ran the sweet shop opposite the cinema in Newark.<br />

John excelled at sport: he played rugby for the School<br />

and was an exceptional swimmer and diver, regularly<br />

winning competitions at school and later the Army. He<br />

was also a very keen member of the Officer Training<br />

Corps, rising to the highest rank for a cadet and gaining<br />

his Certificate A.<br />

Upon leaving school he was keen to go straight into the<br />

Army, but his father wanted him to get a trade before<br />

he was called up. He arranged for John to take an<br />

apprenticeship with The General Post Office Telephones,<br />

qualifying as an engineer in 1942.<br />

While working for the Post Office John joined the Home<br />

Guard, before joining the regular Army. After a brief spell<br />

in the Royal Signals, John moved to his County Regiment<br />

– the Sherwood Foresters – before the honour of being<br />

commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps with<br />

the acting rank of Lieutenant.<br />

OBITUARIES<br />

After progressing to Captain, he was given command of<br />

the Air Transport Training Wing MELF (Middle Eastern<br />

Land Forces) in Egypt; this entailed training Royal<br />

Marines, Danish Army, Egyptian Army and others in Air<br />

Transportation.<br />

Whilst in Egypt, John met Elizabeth Cooke, and after a<br />

fun-filled few months of courtship, they were married<br />

in November 1947 at the evocatively named Church of<br />

St Martin in the Sands. John was demobbed in 1949;<br />

he contemplated staying in the Army but being newly<br />

married decided to try his luck in civvy street, welcoming<br />

his daughter, Anne, a few years later.<br />

After working for several building companies, in 1970<br />

John decided to work as an independent Manufacturers<br />

Agent, eventually relocating to where business was best,<br />

Crediton, where he worked until retirement, at the age of<br />

83. At this point, John concentrated on campaigning and<br />

entertaining in equal measure and he was very honoured<br />

to receive the Crediton Town Plate in 2014, and to be<br />

named the Rotarian’s Citizen of the Year in 2019.<br />

Forever loyal to a succession of Ford Capris, and zealous<br />

of his unblemished record, John eventually surrendered<br />

his driving licence after eighty accident-free years. He<br />

wasn’t quite done with the road just yet and in his 98th<br />

year, John purchased an electric mobility buggy, in a<br />

striking cherry red, and delighted in traversing the hills<br />

of Crediton!<br />

After ninety-nine years and seven months, if we also<br />

include nine months in gestation – as John himself<br />

would cheerily have endorsed – we may celebrate his<br />

centenary.<br />

CYRIL ERNEST MOBBS (OA 1942)<br />

1926 – 2023<br />

Written by his son, Kerrin Mobbs<br />

Cyril passed away on<br />

21 February 2023, at<br />

the age of 96, after<br />

a good full life. He is<br />

survived by his wife<br />

of 73 years, Pamela<br />

Audrey Mobbs<br />

(née Thrussell). He<br />

had four children:<br />

Martin, Andrew,<br />

Kerrin, and Janice;<br />

four grandchildren:<br />

Trevor, Sean, Chris<br />

and Ashley, and five<br />

great-grandchildren:<br />

Harrison, Jeremy,<br />

Grayson, Darius and<br />

London.<br />

The only child of Sydney and Elsie Mobbs, Cyril was<br />

born in London, England on 29 March 1926. The small<br />

family soon moved to St Albans, Hertfordshire, where he<br />

attended Fleetville Junior School as a young boy. Passing<br />

the Scholarship Entrance Exam, he attended St Albans<br />

School from 1937 to 1942. Shortly after joining St Albans<br />

School, he was encouraged to be part of the Servers<br />

Guild at St Albans Cathedral.<br />

Due to this association, in the winter of 1940/41 he<br />

became part of the Fire Watch brigade looking after the<br />

cathedral during the night, keeping an eye out for enemy<br />

planes, once or twice a month. He also volunteered in<br />

the spring of 1942 and was taught to drive a tractor and<br />

to help in the fields around the county getting crops<br />

harvested, working 10-12 hour days.<br />

He met Pamela Thrussell at St Albans Cathedral, and<br />

they were married there on 24 September 1949. In 1966,<br />

Cyril, along with Kerrin and Janice, left England by ʼplane<br />

for Canada, landing in Toronto, initially staying in Acton,<br />

Ontario with friends who had immigrated 10 years earlier.<br />

A short time later, Pam brought Martin and Andrew with<br />

her after clearing the house in England, and ensuring all<br />

belongings were packed ready to be shipped to Canada.<br />

Working in Property Management was a challenging<br />

and demanding career which led to the family moving a<br />

few times to follow his work. First renting an apartment<br />

briefly in Toronto, then a move to Brantford, Ontario, for<br />

one year, and then back to the Toronto area, to a house<br />

in Willowdale for a few years before moving to Thornhill,<br />

a new area just north of Toronto.<br />

Cyril had two passions during his life. One as a member<br />

of the St Albans Lodge in England and he continued being<br />

an active member when he moved to Toronto with the<br />

Canadian Masonic Lodge. His other passion was aviation.<br />

He obtained his private pilot licence and built his own<br />

plane in his garage in Thornhill. He was a member of<br />

flying clubs in Toronto and in Winnipeg. After struggling to<br />

find work he decided to head west again and moved with<br />

Pam, to Winnipeg, Manitoba. There he invested in three<br />

small rental buildings, and had a business, managing<br />

these properties, until he officially retired at 65.<br />

Finding the weather too cold in Winnipeg, the buildings<br />

were sold and they moved back to Ontario, this time<br />

settling in Ajax in a house one block from the lakeshore,<br />

and the home they lived in the longest. Both loved to<br />

walk down to the front and stroll along the lakeshore<br />

park walkways beside the edge of Lake Ontario, just<br />

a short walk from the hustle and bustle of Toronto,<br />

where they were able to find peace and quiet. Today<br />

this area has become popular as a lot of people have<br />

found the same peace that Cyril and Pam had found<br />

here years ago.<br />

When he gave up his driver’s licence, it became clear<br />

that they could no longer stay in Ajax, so the decision<br />

was made to move to Ottawa. Through a few moves and<br />

struggles they ended up at the Revera, Prince of Wales<br />

Manor where his life’s journey ended.<br />

GENERAL SIR RICHARD LAWSON<br />

(OA 1944)<br />

1927 – 2023<br />

The following is an extract from the obituary<br />

published in The Daily Telegraph on<br />

Wednesday 12 July 2023<br />

General Sir Richard Lawson KCB DSO OBE KCSS, who<br />

died aged 95, was an outstanding and unorthodox<br />

leader whose adventurous career culminated in his<br />

appointment as Nato Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces<br />

Northern Europe.<br />

Richard George Lawson was born at Hatfield,<br />

Hertfordshire, on 24 November 1927 and educated at St<br />

Albans School, where he was Regimental Sergeant Major<br />

of the cadets. He volunteered for the Royal Armoured<br />

Corps and was sent to Birmingham University where he<br />

read civil and mechanical engineering. Having completed<br />

six months’ field engineering, he went on to Sandhurst.<br />

He contracted polio but graduated with his<br />

contemporaries and was commissioned into the Royal<br />

Tank Regiment (RTR) in July 1948. He joined 4th RTR in<br />

the Suez Canal Zone and commanded a troop of three<br />

Comet tanks.<br />

His distinguished military career led Lawson around the<br />

world, with postings including Lagos, Virginia, Northern<br />

Ireland, Germany, Baghdad and Jordan and secondments<br />

to the Royal Nigerian Army and the locally recruited<br />

Federal Regular Army in Aden, southern Arabia. After<br />

his two-year tour of command of 5th RTR in Germany,<br />

he served in the procurement department of the MoD<br />

before returning to Germany as commander of 20th<br />

Armoured Brigade. In 1977, he commanded the 1st<br />

Armoured Division, and in 1980 he became General<br />

Officer Commanding Northern Ireland.


16 Announcements<br />

17<br />

Lawson’s final military appointment was that of<br />

Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe and,<br />

in 1986, he retired from the Army. He was awarded an<br />

OBE in 1968 and knighted in 1980.<br />

On retirement he continued to lead a private life, often<br />

in the company of his parrot and a dog, but always<br />

devoted to his beloved wife and their son. He published<br />

Strange Soldiering (1963), All The Queen’s Men (1967) and<br />

A Soldier’s Story (1972).<br />

Lawson was softly spoken but tough, with natural<br />

authority, charm and canny intuition. He commanded<br />

general respect and, from those close to him,<br />

immense loyalty. His wit and wicked sense of fun and<br />

irreverence was ever-present, in even the most serious<br />

circumstances, often testing the flexibility of his staff<br />

and teasing (deliberately it seemed) the tolerance of<br />

senior generals and ministers. He was human, often<br />

forgiving of the unforgivable and popular without<br />

courting popularity, but he could certainly give short<br />

shrift to the incompetent.<br />

A combination of his individualistic style, quirky<br />

character and avoidance of publicity in the latter<br />

part of his career, meant that he never became, and<br />

certainly would not have wanted to be described as,<br />

a member of the Establishment. © Telegraph Media<br />

Group Limited 2023<br />

BRIAN HALSEY (OA 1947)<br />

1930 – 2023<br />

Written by Joseph Cannon<br />

Brian Halsey was born<br />

and raised in St Albans<br />

and was proud to be<br />

an Old Albanian with<br />

happy memories of his<br />

time at the School. He<br />

was also a Friend of St<br />

Albans Cathedral.<br />

Brian undertook<br />

National Service<br />

in Libya, following<br />

which he trained as a<br />

quantity surveyor once<br />

back in England.<br />

He moved with his wife<br />

Dorothy to Burgess<br />

Hill in Mid-Sussex in<br />

the early 1960s, and<br />

it was there that he<br />

lived a long and fruitful<br />

life. Brian had a large<br />

garden to tend, which<br />

he enjoyed as a very<br />

experienced gardener,<br />

and was a faithful,<br />

committed and active<br />

member of St John’s<br />

Church.<br />

In addition to the study of family history he was a very<br />

competent artist, painting mainly in acrylics with a<br />

fondness for geometric patterns in light colours.<br />

Brian was a quiet and contemplative person who was<br />

a member of the Friends of Julian of Norwich, and he<br />

supported the work of the Friends (Quakers) in London.<br />

ROBERT BALLARD SHARPE (OA 1952,<br />

FORMER CHAIR OF GOVERNORS)<br />

1934 – 2023<br />

Written by Andrew Grant ( former Headmaster,<br />

1993 – 2014)<br />

It came as a bit of a shock to realise that it’s over 30<br />

years since I first met Robert. It was in late 1992; he was<br />

sitting behind a long table in St Albans School library,<br />

and he was chairing the selection panel to recruit the<br />

next Headmaster.<br />

That was also where I first met Robert’s infectious grin.<br />

It was a notable thing, full of fun, benevolence and a sort<br />

of conspiratorial mischief, and it engaged his whole face.<br />

I took it as a good omen, which it was, because Robert<br />

was my friend for the next 30 years, my boss for the first<br />

eight of them, and that infectious grin is still part of my<br />

abiding image of Robert.<br />

Like others who worked with and for Robert, I found a<br />

leader of great integrity, a hugely supportive colleague,<br />

generous with his time and hospitality, great fun to work<br />

with and someone in whom the qualities of the boss<br />

were indivisible from those of the friend.<br />

Robert was St Albans born and bred. His time at Garden<br />

Fields primary school coincided exactly with the war<br />

years, at the close of which he won a full County<br />

Scholarship to St Albans School – no mean achievement<br />

– where he was a bright A-stream lad and developed an<br />

abiding commitment to his alma mater. There he made<br />

some lifelong friendships, learned piano to a respectable<br />

level, reached the rank of staff sergeant in the CCF, and<br />

won his school colours for rugby.<br />

After A levels, rather than university, he took what was<br />

then a much more common route of direct entry to<br />

the professions, in his case, accountancy with Whinney<br />

Murray, a forerunner of Ernst and Young. It was<br />

through a client that he met Marie, whom he married<br />

in 1962. Jane and Sarah arrived in 1964 and 1966 and<br />

the family lived very happily in the beautiful house in<br />

Marshals Drive.<br />

For some of this time, Robert’s rugby playing continued<br />

with the OAs in what, with typical self-deprecation, he<br />

described as mediocre teams, until it was pointed out to<br />

him that turning up to work on a Monday morning with a<br />

black eye and bent nose was perhaps not the best way to<br />

advance his career.<br />

In 1983, sadly, Marie was taken seriously ill and the next<br />

eight years of her life and the family’s were dominated<br />

by the progress of her illness until, in 1991, her long<br />

period of suffering came to an end.<br />

Ever magnanimous, rather than displace colleagues who<br />

had been covering his responsibilities during Marie’s<br />

illness, Robert took the decision to retire at this time,<br />

but he was hardly less busy, with a portfolio of trustee,<br />

adviser, accountant and expert witness roles. He was<br />

also getting drawn into the life of the Old Albanian Club<br />

initially as Treasurer, then President and was invited to<br />

join the Governing Board of St Albans School, eventually<br />

rising to the Chairmanship. During this period, he met<br />

Gill, whom he married in 1994 and who, with her own<br />

experience of independent schools, was to be a great<br />

source of strength and support not only in that role, but<br />

for the rest of his life.<br />

Robert was a meticulous and methodical chairman<br />

running disciplined meetings with his watch set on<br />

the table before him. Mind you, I firmly believe he<br />

could derive as much enjoyment from reading a set of<br />

accounts as I could from a Jane Austen novel.<br />

In truth, Robert was a visionary leader of the Governing<br />

Body, decisive and willing to make big and brave<br />

decisions. When I came on the scene, Cheapside Farm<br />

had already been purchased and plans were well<br />

advanced to create new playing fields for the School and<br />

for the Old Albanians. Eight years of tenacious advocacy<br />

by Robert eventually saw planning go through for what<br />

was then the largest private playing field development<br />

in Europe, allowing him to step down as Chairman at<br />

his moment of greatest triumph in 2001 just before the<br />

fields were opened by the Duke of Gloucester.<br />

Sadly, in 2021, Robert was diagnosed with prostate<br />

cancer. He faced this with typically laconic stoicism and<br />

spoke warmly of the care of the NHS and of the Weldmar<br />

Hospice.<br />

St Albans School owes Robert Sharpe a great deal – as<br />

much as it owes many of its historic benefactors and –<br />

though Robert probably wouldn’t have seen it this way,<br />

because he was in many ways a self-effacing man – he<br />

touched more lives than he could possibly know. That’s<br />

the thing about schools. Many, many young people have<br />

benefited and will benefit from his work, and some are<br />

yet ungotten and unborn who will have cause to thank<br />

him without knowing it. Rest in Peace Robert.<br />

The full eulogy can be read on OA Connect.<br />

PETER HILL (OA 1955)<br />

1936 – 2023<br />

Written by his daughter, Katherine Hucklesby<br />

Peter was born in Watford in 1936 and lived the first<br />

couple of years of his life with his father Fred before<br />

being fostered by Rose and John Ayres in Seymour<br />

Road, St Albans. Peter gained a scholarship to study<br />

at St Albans School and went on to become Head Boy.<br />

Two years of national service as a submariner followed<br />

before Peter went onto study at Kings College London,<br />

graduating in 1960.<br />

Peter’s Christian faith sustained him in all that he<br />

did and having met her at St Saviour’s youth club, he<br />

married Yvonne Hardy there in 1960; they enjoyed 62<br />

years of married life and had four daughters together.<br />

Following a conversation at boys’ brigade camp, Peter felt<br />

called to ministry in the Church of England. He devoted<br />

his life to being a parish priest serving for over 40 years<br />

in two dioceses: St Albans and Lincoln. He was installed a<br />

Canon of St Albans Cathedral.<br />

Peter and Yvonne retired to Norfolk and, with their<br />

family now extending to include 12 grandchildren,<br />

they enjoyed many happy holidays and family parties<br />

in the beautiful countryside before moving back to<br />

Cambridgeshire to be nearer their daughters.<br />

Peter loved playing rugby in his younger days but was<br />

active throughout his life exploring the countryside with<br />

walking holidays, riding a tandem, gardening, and when<br />

retired spent many happy hours restoring cane chairs<br />

and seagrass stools.<br />

Peter spoke fondly of times at St Albans School,<br />

especially on the rugby field, as well as his time as a<br />

submariner. He died surrounded by his family who<br />

respected and loved him dearly after a life that was truly<br />

blessed, well lived, well-loved and well led.<br />

GEORGE LEIGH (OA 2018)<br />

2000 – 2023<br />

Written by David Forbes-Whitehead (current staff )<br />

and Kenny Everitt (current staff )<br />

What a privilege to be asked to say a few words about<br />

the life of George Leigh. George was a sportsman who<br />

who played for the XV and member of the Corps who<br />

epitomised many of the military values and standards<br />

promoted within the CCF: integrity, selfless commitment


18<br />

Announcements<br />

OA Sports<br />

19<br />

and courage. He had them in spades and with his friend<br />

Jack Bevan formed a dynamic duo of Cadet Under Officer<br />

and Cadet RSM. Camps, exercises and adventure training<br />

formed a large part of George’s time at the School and<br />

he took every opportunity to get involved, whether that<br />

was organising and delivering a set of orders for a night<br />

ambush on Winter Camp or managing his peers for<br />

the delivery of Friday night training. He led by example<br />

in everything he did, producing a memorable battle<br />

picture briefing for junior cadets embarking on camp, to<br />

displaying the moral courage to approach staff to discuss<br />

issues he felt were not quite right.<br />

During his time with us, he scaled Kilimanjaro and was<br />

part of the infamous DofE group who were “not lost”<br />

below Fan Hir in the Brecon Beacons. Undeterred, he<br />

would go on to become a qualified Mountain Leader<br />

and tackle peaks around the globe. George packed more<br />

into his short life than many of us will do in our own<br />

lifetimes; he will be missed hugely by all who knew him,<br />

and I am reminded of him each school day by the young<br />

men who have followed in his footsteps.<br />

HOWARD JONES (FORMER STAFF)<br />

1948 – 2023<br />

Written by Pat Taylor ( former staff, 1985 – 2022)<br />

It is probable that I first met Howard on my first day<br />

at St Albans School, on or around 1 September 1985,<br />

and equally likely that we were in the Farrier’s Arms,<br />

just round the corner from school. Oh, and it was at<br />

lunchtime, before the full staff meeting that officially<br />

started the year. That was what we did back then. Or<br />

some of us did, at any rate.<br />

Howard would have been in his element, sparring<br />

with Ken Durham (who was Head of Economics, the<br />

department Howard worked in, and a quite brilliant<br />

man) and Mike Hudis (specialist subjects: film, boxing,<br />

Americana, and History, which he taught); there would<br />

of course have been laughter, and a flight-of-fancy<br />

discussion that stumbled between profundity and<br />

the absurd. Howard was a delight: an interesting and<br />

interested man, who took time to talk to this callow<br />

twenty-something who had been foisted upon them<br />

by another of the Staff Common Room’s young blades,<br />

Steve Titlow. Armed with the readiest of wits, Howard<br />

was always happy to crack a pun, and took delight in the<br />

knockabout humour – often laced with intellect – that<br />

modern life has dulled into the dull inanity of ‘banter’.<br />

I already knew of Howard from friends who had been<br />

taught by him when they attended the School: they loved<br />

him for his blunt, no-nonsense approach to teaching<br />

and learning, and the fabled notes, asides, and examtechnique<br />

advice he gave his A Level students. And don’t<br />

believe everything you hear, for even in the dark days<br />

of the late ‘80s, his classes were very well taught. But<br />

the thing I remember was his sense of fun, the twinkling<br />

eyes and the bellow of laughter which endeared him<br />

to all who met him. He had a knack for gossip, too: the<br />

juiciest and most trustworthy of which was referred to<br />

as being from ‘Source Merlin’.<br />

Later, he took on the running of the Economics<br />

Department, and did so with energy and success:<br />

his force of personality carried everyone – staff and<br />

pupils – along with him. And then there were the side<br />

hustles – the Driving School (Howard having trained<br />

as an instructor) plus the business he shared with his<br />

wife Annie. It seemed appropriate that an economist<br />

should have a feel for business, and the subsequent<br />

purchase of a speedboat (still at that time the top prize<br />

on Saturday night TV quiz shows, remember) only<br />

confirmed his commercial acumen. But, as with so many<br />

brilliant teachers whose star burns brightly, he was soon<br />

off, never to be seen again, even if we got reports of<br />

occasional sightings: promotion, a move to Wales, and<br />

latterly poetry and painting.<br />

Howard was a lovely man and a brilliant teacher, who<br />

influenced and inspired so many young people. If you<br />

knew him, you’ll know what I mean, and if you didn’t,<br />

well, you’ll just never know quite what you missed.<br />

A celebration of Howard’s life took place on 14 October in<br />

Wales. No funeral was held as Howard was a Humanist and<br />

donated his body to medical science. A collection was made<br />

for Blind Veterans in memory of his father.<br />

OAFC CONTINUE THEIR<br />

ARTHURIAN LEAGUE CLIMB<br />

with third consecutive promotion<br />

Old Albanians Football Club’s ‘golden generation’<br />

continued its emphatic rise up the Arthurian<br />

League with a third promotion in a row in April.<br />

The season started well with back-to-back 4-2 wins against<br />

Old Carthusians IIs and Old Brentwoods IIs. A spell of<br />

three winless games was then followed by three highscoring<br />

victories, including an incredible 8-4 win against old<br />

foes Merchant Taylor’s on their home ground. The team<br />

continued their strong form at the end of 2022 and start<br />

of 2023, winning five of their next seven to put them as<br />

strong contenders for promotion in second place.<br />

The OAs then won three games leading up to their final<br />

match, putting them in the driving seat to clinch the<br />

promotion despite teams below having games in hand. A<br />

draw against Old Ardinians would see us promoted and<br />

them finish their season unbeaten as champions. The<br />

teams played out a high quality, competitive 3-3 draw, with<br />

OAFC stalwarts Chris Schon (OA 2012), Richard D’Rosario<br />

(OA 2012) and Alex Addison (OA 2005) getting on the<br />

scoresheet. Both teams were more than happy to see out<br />

the last few minutes to get their remarkable seasons over<br />

the line! The team finished in second place with 11 wins,<br />

two draws and five losses.<br />

A special mention goes to Alex Addison (OA 2005), who<br />

ended the season with a remarkable 20 goals in 12<br />

appearances, finishing the season with the Arthurian<br />

Chris Schon (OA 2012), OAFC Treasurer<br />

League golden boot, which was awarded to him at the<br />

annual Arthurian League dinner, with special guest Garry<br />

Richardson of BBC Radio 5 Live. He also earned himself the<br />

prestigious title of top fantasy points scorer of OAFC for<br />

2022/23.<br />

The new season has started, and we are competing against<br />

old boys from Eton, Berkhamsted, Dulwich, and local rivals<br />

Aldenham. The start of the season has been mixed, with a<br />

record of one win, one draw and two losses. The quality of<br />

football has had a noticeable jump, and we’ve lost a couple<br />

of narrow contests. We are still optimistic of another<br />

promotion, however, as the team often gets stronger as<br />

the season goes on, the leagues are very open, and a run<br />

of results can see a quick change in the table position.<br />

We are proud to have also received a generous<br />

sponsorship this season from Saul Katz’s (OA 2008)<br />

personal training company The 1 Percent Club (@<br />

saul_1percentclub). Saul is an ex-player and DW Trophy<br />

winner of OAFC who truly loves the club and everything<br />

football. Now he works on running his personal training<br />

and body transformation business, helping people become<br />

the best version of themselves. Come on you As!<br />

Want to play 11-a-side football in a historic, competitive<br />

league, in a fun atmosphere and with a winning team? Get<br />

in touch via our facebook group, Instagram (@oa_football)<br />

or email at oldalbaniansfc@gmail.com.


20<br />

OA Sports<br />

21<br />

TROPHIES, GOBLETS AND CUPS<br />

Jon Cox being presented with the OA Cup<br />

by Society Captain Brian Hayden-Smith<br />

OA Tennis kicked off the summer season with a<br />

well-attended Open Day in June which saw many<br />

new and familiar faces of all ages hit the courts.<br />

The day was a huge success resulting in several new<br />

members and contributing towards a busy summer for<br />

Margie Edge (Head Coach) and James Eggleton, the driving<br />

forces behind the Junior Tennis Camps. It was their most<br />

successful summer season to date with up to 20 children<br />

each day.<br />

Late April saw 16 intrepid spirits meeting at Harpenden Common for a<br />

four-man team competition. A successful day was enjoyed by all, with<br />

the winning team being composed of new member Bryn Edwards (OA<br />

2012), David Hughes (OA 1994), the Secretary, and Senior Pro Tony Clarke<br />

(OA 1961). Our next fixture was the annual match with Mid Herts Golf Club.<br />

We were not quite ‘whitewashed’ by a strong club side, but it was a near<br />

thing (serious practice needed before next year’s fixture!).<br />

D-Day saw us meeting once more at Welwyn Garden City for the annual<br />

competition for the OA Cup. A strong field saw ten-times champion John Cox<br />

(OA 1974) again winning the trophy with a score of 35 points. The winner of<br />

the ‘Antelope’ competition was Tony Walters.<br />

Gluttons for punishment, we willingly returned to Mid Herts for the Briggs<br />

Goblets pairs competition. Stars of the day were the Society’s Captain Brian<br />

Hayden-Smith (OA 1970) and David Hughes who swept all before them,<br />

Brian having one of his best rounds of the year with his partner stating he<br />

had just been along for the ride.<br />

In late August we returned to Dunstable Downs after a gap of five years<br />

for an enjoyable Captain’s Day. An individual and pairs competition was<br />

thoroughly enjoyed by all those taking part with David Hughes proving his<br />

‘ride’ at Mid Herts was a passing aberration, winning both the individual<br />

competition and the team competition with his partner Simon Cooper.<br />

Now all that remains is the annual three-day trip to Lakeside Lodge where<br />

the competition will be fierce for Pop Rush Trophy and the coveted Graham<br />

Tate Cup. Finally, membership of the Society is open to OA golfers of all<br />

abilities and new members are always welcome<br />

Justin Azzopardi, OA Tennis Honorary Secretary<br />

On the competitive front, OAs entered three teams in the<br />

Watford District Summer Leagues. The Menʼs team finished<br />

3rd in Division 2, narrowly missing promotion.<br />

The Ladies’ team, captained by Margie, did brilliantly<br />

to finish equal 2nd in Division 4, only missing out on<br />

Mike Crowston (OA 1966), OA Golf Club Secretary<br />

TENNIS CAMPS AND<br />

COMPETITIVE LEAGUES<br />

promotion with a lower set percentage. The Mixed Team,<br />

also led by Margie, competed in the very strong 2nd<br />

Division and finished a very creditable 4th. As we move into<br />

Autumn, OAs have two teams in the Autumn Datchworth<br />

Competition which runs from September to November.<br />

Some individual achievements worthy of mention:<br />

congratulations to Head Coach Margie Edge for winning<br />

an ITF Seniors 50-60 Doubles final, to Margie and Menʼs<br />

A-team player Matt Hume for winning their group at<br />

the Hoddesdon Mixed Open, and finally to coach James<br />

Eggleton for winning an ITF Seniors Doubles title at the<br />

Harpenden Tennis Club.<br />

Players of all ages and abilities are welcome to join OA<br />

Tennis. Please visit the website oatennis.org.<br />

A GAME OF CHANCE!<br />

Andrew Wilkie (OA 1965), OA Rifle & Pistol Club Captain<br />

Part of the attraction of sport in general is the element<br />

of chance, it adds that extra dimension and that extra<br />

frizzante. And so it is with shooting and <strong>Versa</strong>.<br />

Each year there comes a certain date around the start<br />

of October when copy is requested by the editorial team<br />

and the rifle club shoots its final Bisley match of the<br />

year against the Old Alleynians. This year, our match<br />

was scheduled to be shot on 30 September and true to<br />

form the request came in for copy to be submitted on 29<br />

September. I pleaded on bended email for an extension to<br />

Monday 2 October, which was duly granted. Phew, now I<br />

can report the closing match in timely fashion.<br />

Then chance really upped the stakes! Let me explain…<br />

The match against the Old Alleynians for the Arnold Cup<br />

has been held continually since 1936 with a few gaps<br />

around circumstances and worldwide preoccupations, and<br />

we like to keep up the tradition. In recent times we have<br />

celebrated with a dinner or, more lately, afternoon tea<br />

following the match, and this has been booked alternately<br />

year-on-year by both captains. Our turn this year and I had<br />

booked the tea in good time and was checking numbers<br />

and food allergies.<br />

In my time as Old Albanian rifle club captain the Old<br />

Alleynians have always booked the targets with the<br />

National Rifle Association (NRA) and we then pay our<br />

SEASON’S END<br />

David Goodier, OA Cricket Chairman<br />

The Old Albanian 1st XI finished a<br />

respectable fifth in their league<br />

this year with captain James<br />

Barwick (OA 2021) leading the way<br />

with bat and ball. The other league<br />

teams all enjoyed differing levels of<br />

success during the season, but the<br />

club continues to go from strength<br />

to strength. For the first time in the<br />

club’s history, we were able to field<br />

six teams on a Saturday and regularly<br />

provided five teams across the season,<br />

allowing even more of our juniors to<br />

experience the longer format of the<br />

game. Around 25 juniors made their<br />

debuts at different levels across the<br />

teams.<br />

Old Albanian Cricket club closed off<br />

their season in early September with<br />

a fundraising match in support of<br />

the Anthony Nolan Trust. The day<br />

included an inter-club girls match,<br />

a raffle and a match between our<br />

senior team and a friendly midweek<br />

team. A fun day was had by all and<br />

will be repeated next year.<br />

The club are excited to be hosting the<br />

world-famous Lashings team on Friday<br />

28 June 2024. The Lashing team will<br />

be made up of former international<br />

and county players and will take on<br />

an Old Albanians select XI in a 20:20<br />

game. The game will be preceded by<br />

a fundraising lunch and the Lashings<br />

team will provide free coaching<br />

sessions to pupils from some of our<br />

local schools. Please keep an eye out<br />

for more details on tickets in a future<br />

edition of <strong>Versa</strong>.<br />

share. Shock set in when the Old Alleynian’s captain asked<br />

at the end of an email exchange what their contribution to<br />

target costs would be this year!<br />

Realising we were adrift two targets both captains<br />

immediately set about making a booking with the NRA in<br />

double quick time. With nobody answering the range office<br />

phone we resorted to 21st century technology and hours<br />

later received a response from the NRA that with three<br />

major competitions on the range we stood no chance of<br />

two targets.<br />

So, I can confidently report that the match has been<br />

postponed until spring 2024. And the cherry on the top –<br />

we came 4th in Division 1 of the Herts 25-yard Rifle League<br />

– Summer 2023. Good shooting in 2024.


22<br />

OA Sports<br />

23<br />

ALL CHANGE AT THE TOP<br />

After a quarter of a century holding various posts<br />

within our Rugby Club, Rory Davis retired from his<br />

role as Club Chairman at this year’s AGM. We thank<br />

him for his tireless work in directing our Club over many<br />

years and wish him every happiness in his well-earned<br />

retirement.<br />

We are delighted to advise that Scott Bachmann, former<br />

player, coach and Junior and Mini Chairman, has agreed to<br />

step into the huge shoes left by Rory and was unanimously<br />

voted in to this role at our AGM. In addition to Scott<br />

taking on the Chairmanship of the Club, I am delighted to<br />

advise that James Hathaway has taken over as Chairman<br />

of our Junior Section with Tom Oliver moving into the<br />

Chairmanship of our Mini Section. Phil Brunt takes on<br />

looking after our COLTS and is being ably assisted by our<br />

Club Captain, Kim Watson. Methinks our Club is in good<br />

hands to tackle the tasks that lie ahead and to prepare for<br />

the 100th anniversary of the formation of our Club on 10<br />

April 2024, followed by our 2024-2025 Centenary Season.<br />

As we enter the second month of this season, I am happy<br />

to report that all sections of the Club are in rude health<br />

with over 2,000 members.<br />

So far this season we have put out three to four senior<br />

Men’s Teams, our 1sts, who have played five National 2<br />

East League games so far this term winning two losing<br />

three, along with our Romans (2nd XV), Grizzlies (4th XV)<br />

and our Occasional (a mix of our Gladiators – 3rd XV – and<br />

our Grizzlies) all enjoying varying degrees of success.<br />

Our Colts’ 2023/24 season is a long anticipated one<br />

following the successes of last year where ten Colts played<br />

up for the Seniors including one U17 making his first team<br />

Richard Milnes, OA Rugby President<br />

debut in the final league game vs Guernsey as a substitute.<br />

This year we are looking to surpass that number and look<br />

for some Colts to make senior rugby their choice for the<br />

weekend. Supported by Youth Development Officer, Eddie<br />

Panting, integration with the senior squads, particularly<br />

the 2nd XV, has been a key goal in retaining players from<br />

Juniors into Seniors and making Old Albanians a lifelong<br />

institution for our young players.<br />

Our Saints 1st XV, who secured the runners-up spot in last<br />

season’s RFU’s Women’s Championship South 1 League –<br />

the second tier of English Women’s Rugby – have begun<br />

their new campaign in this same League with one win, one<br />

loss and currently sit 5th in the league. Our Saints 2nd XV,<br />

who remained undefeated yet again last season, winning<br />

the RFU’s Women’s National Conference 1 League by a<br />

“country mile”, have kicked-off their new season in the<br />

third tier of English Women’s rugby, the RFU’s Women’s<br />

Championship Midlands 2 League, with a win and currently<br />

sit 4th in their league. Our Junior Saints, with well-over 100<br />

players across the age-groups, U12s, U14s, U16s and U18s,<br />

have started their season in grand style by winning most of<br />

their opening fixtures. They grow in strength from year to<br />

year under the guidance of Craig Ihlenfeldt and his hardworking<br />

team of coaches and helpers.<br />

For our Minis and Juniors, the rugby season has started<br />

in earnest with over 200 happy Minis aged from 4-12<br />

attending the first few weeks of training on Sunday<br />

mornings at Woollams. Our Juniors numbers are healthy<br />

across the board with at least two full teams at all junior<br />

age groups. As the season began, we welcomed another<br />

22 Rugby Rats (U5s) starting out on their rugby life on a<br />

Sunday here at Woollams, the home of Old Albanian Rugby.<br />

At an informal meeting in March between members<br />

of the Old Albanian and Old Verulamians Lodges, it<br />

was unanimously agreed that they should ‘twin’ to<br />

offer each other mutual support and increase attendance.<br />

In consequence, the OA Lodge revised its by-laws, enabling<br />

Lodge meetings to coincide with the OVs, and allowing<br />

for evening meetings instead of unpopular meridian<br />

(lunchtime) meetings.<br />

The first of such twinned meetings took place on Saturday<br />

7 October and was a great success. The OA Lodge started<br />

proceedings with a ‘business’ meeting attended by both OAs<br />

and OVs. The Lodge paid rapt attention to a report from our<br />

Membership Officer, Jo Giffen, on the five-year membership<br />

plan which was adopted by the Lodge committee in<br />

September. Also, details were given of the new Lodge<br />

website: oldalbanianlodge.org.uk. The meeting also received<br />

reports from the Lodge Almoner and Charity Steward.<br />

THE 948 SPORTS FOUNDATION<br />

Like many OAs, sport is something<br />

I’m incredibly passionate about. I<br />

have seen first-hand the positive<br />

effect sport can have, even at the very<br />

basic level, on participants’ mental<br />

and physical wellbeing, and their<br />

development – both as individuals<br />

and part of a team.<br />

As part of this, I’m very proud to be a The new sensory room<br />

trustee of the 948 Sports Foundation,<br />

which was set up in 2001 by forward-thinking members<br />

of the OA Sports Association, who wanted to promote<br />

participation in sport by young people in the City and<br />

District of St Albans.<br />

Since it was founded, the Foundation has made more<br />

than 500 awards to coaches, individuals, schools, sports<br />

clubs, and community groups. We are extremely proud<br />

of this. Our awards have allowed for the purchase of<br />

training and sports equipment, for kit, for coaching and<br />

specialist support. We have helped to broaden access and<br />

participation in a range of sports including, but far from<br />

exclusively, football, rugby, cricket, and basketball.<br />

OA LODGE<br />

John Williams (OA 1964), Assistant Secretary<br />

Peter Brown (OA 1973), Trustee<br />

The OA Lodge closed and was promptly followed by the<br />

opening of the OV Lodge, with a candidate passed to the<br />

Second Degree in an excellent ceremony. Afterwards, both<br />

Lodges dined together at the Festive Board attended by<br />

nearly fifty members and guests.<br />

A splendid pair of meetings and a fantastic Festive Board<br />

that was enjoyed by everyone, with the camaraderie and<br />

traditional rivalry between our Lodges working so well to<br />

provide entertainment and bonhomie to all. This is but the<br />

first of many such meetings and bodes well for the future<br />

of both Lodges.<br />

2024 Lodge Meeting Dates:<br />

Saturday 3 February<br />

Saturday 4 April<br />

Saturday 3 June<br />

Wheatfields Infants’ and Nursery<br />

School in St Albans was one grant<br />

recipient, they asked us to fund the<br />

equipment for their new Sensory Room<br />

to help children with physical, sensory<br />

and learning needs to participate in<br />

and enjoy physical activity. The room<br />

provides a safe, designated space for<br />

children with special needs to take part<br />

in physical activity.<br />

For the trustees, this project met many of the<br />

requirements we look for. The equipment is not only used<br />

by Wheatfields’ pupils but is also available to children from<br />

the adjacent junior school and to the wider community<br />

outside school hours.<br />

Although founded initially as an OA charity, now two out<br />

of the eight trustees are OAs, with the governing group<br />

bringing a wealth of experience across different sports<br />

whilst all being local to St Albans.<br />

To find out more about the Foundation and the work that<br />

we do, please look at our website:<br />

www.the948sportsfoundation.com.<br />

Some members of the OA and OV Lodges and guests after the<br />

first twinned meetings on 7 October 2023 in Ashwell House.

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