Lusimus THE RADLEY BROADSHEET
www.radley.org.uk
Issue 38, July 2019
Dennis Silk (1931-2019), Warden of Radley
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Dennis Silk, Warden of Radley College between 1968 and 1991. Dennis passed away on Wednesday 19th June 2019, with his family around him. The College flag flew at half-mast and the whole school joined in a moment of silence in Chapel. I know that the entire Radley community, in its very broadest definition, will join me in mourning the loss of a great man. John Moule, Warden
OR Dinner – p5
PD Stuart – p6
Radley For Life – p8
Radley Galleons – p12
10 Year Reunion – p14
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Dennis silk - in pictures Whilst a full obituary will appear in the 2019 issue of the Old Radleian, it felt appropriate to mark Dennis Silk's wardenship with a selection of images that celebrate his 23 years at Radley.
Above left: Putting his cricketing skills to good use at Doulton's Social Fete, Summer 1986. Above right: A poster reproduced in the 1988 Radleian magazine.
Above: The first year -Â the new Warden with his Senior Prefects, Summer 1969. Left: With Diana at the 1973 Gaudy celebrations. Below: The extent of the building work carried out over the course of the Silk Wardenship is a source of humour on the front cover of The Radleian from Autumn 1977. Will Bailey
After his final Warden's Assembly in July 1991, from The Radleian of that year.
A century of Radley Wardens Above: WMM Milligan (1954-68), Rev. JC Vaughan Wilkes (1937-54), Rev. VH Hope, Rev. Canon A Fox (1918-24), DRW Silk (1968-91)
Hamish Aird
Below: DRW Silk (1968-91), RM Morgan (1991-2000), AW McPhail (2000-14), JS Moule (2014-present)
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Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Warden's Notes staff to share that challenge with. Farewells matter; so do welcomes. And in the process, the community renews itself. And the wonderful truth about schools is that each year, while in some senses they are very much the same, is always different. It feels particularly true in 2019. At the end of my fifth year as Warden, there is a sense that this is the end of a particular phase, partly because we are in the process of drawing up our next strategic plan, but equally because the boys leaving are those that arrived with me back in 2014. Inevitably, I remember their first day in some detail. The end of another school year. The familiar rhythms and routines. As we say goodbye to one group of Radleians, another arrives; as the 6.2 depart the scene after their final exams, the pop-up shop appears in Mansion for the new Shells to be sized up for their uniforms. As some dons prepare to retire or to move on to other things, so we complete the appointment process and welcome their successors. We have internal exams week, appoint a new set of Pups, wend our way through various end of year celebrations and events, look forward to Henley and hope the 1st VIII do well, get to Gaudy and enjoy the Summer break. Then it all starts again. It is not as simple as that, however. Whilst there is a reassurance about the passing of the school seasons and a comfort in their predictable patterns, it is never a matter of going through the motions in a mechanistic way. For that 6.2 group that are leaving are young men with whom we have lived for five years; those departing dons have been colleagues and friends; there is an exciting challenge with 150 new faces, and talented new
It is also a time when we say goodbye to some of the real stalwarts of Common Room. We wish all departing dons and staff the very best as they move on and thank them for their dedicated service to the College but I hope that the remainder of them will forgive me if I pick out three to pay particular tribute to. One of the most frequent comments I hear about Radley from visitors is how impressed they are by the art around the campus: the standard but also the way in which it helps dictate the atmosphere and ethos of each building. Ian Ellis, Director of Art here for 29 years, has overseen that and the fact that we can proudly claim to be in tune with Sewell’s vision of aesthetic beauty being at the heart of a Radley education is due in no small way to him. John Beasley has been a hugely popular don in the History department, was Tutor of E and Head of Shells as well as Master i/c Cricket. He is the quintessential schoolmaster, dispersing wisdom to colleagues and boys alike with a wonderful mixture of dry wit and huge pastoral heart.
Leaving Radley As mentioned by the Warden, several long-serving members of Common Room will be leaving Radley at the end of the 2018/19 academic year. Between just five of the leavers, John Beasley, Emilie Danis, Ian Ellis, David Edwards and Keith Halliday, there is 99 years of combined service to Radley! The full list of members of staff who are leaving the College at the end of the summer term are: Margie Asher, G Social PHM John Beasley, History Emilie Danis, Modern Languages Ian Ellis, Director of Art David Edwards, English Keith Halliday, Chemistry Lizzie Lewis, Graduate Musician in Residence Dan Mathieson, Assistant Organist Lucy Nott, Modern Languages Nick Pilborough, Modern Languages Claudia Piller, Modern Languages Dawn Shand, C Social PHM Whether it is retirement, continuing studies or moving on to a new job role, we wish all of the leavers the very best for their future and hope they remain in touch with the College.
Ian Ellis (centre) at the visit to Radley of HM the Queen in 1997.
David Edwards, Tutor of H in his time and Head of Drama, has represented the very best of Radley bonhomie and warmth: a larger than life character impossible to ignore and impossible to dislike. Three outstanding schoolmasters representing the very best of the place. We will miss them, but we will, I trust, not forget the importance of – and not lose the reality of – what they taught us. We also say farewell to Mike Hodgson who steps down after a remarkable 29 years on Council, the last ten of which have been as Chairman. He has always been the last to seek the limelight: not for him the stage of the selfimportant Chair of Governors. As a result, only those who have worked with him will know how much the College owes to him and, more importantly, the humble interest in and passion for Radley which courses through his veins. I speak personally, but also, I know, for many, as I thank him for his service. So the Summer of 2019 is an important moment and one that is tinged with sadness. But it is always good to remind ourselves that our passion for the College stems from the fact that it is much more than the sum of its parts, much more than one set of leavers, much more than one generation. As I look outside my office window and see the diggers at work preparing the ground for the new Social and the Chapel extension, there is also a tinge of sadness . . . my view will not be as pretty for the next eighteen months. But there is much to look forward to as the current and the next generation builds on the achievements of those that came before them. John Moule, Warden, June 2019
L Social breaks ground Here, Ian Ellis reflects on his many years at Radley: I arrived at Radley in 1989 and have had the opportunity to work for Wardens Silk, Morgan, McPhail and, most recently, Warden Moule. Not only have I served under different Wardens, I have also had the privilege to witness how Radley has changed spectacularly since I arrived for the first time in 1984 to be interviewed for the post of artist in residence. I was delighted to be offered the position, but simultaneously I was accepted for three years Post Graduate study at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, and that is where after some deliberation I elected to go. Radley had however made a considerable impact on me, and it was extremely fortuitous therefore that a maternity leave cover was posted 4 years later and I was able to return. Over the years Radley has embraced new technologies that in 1989 one would not have believed possible. The digital world came of age with film, media, 3D printers, laser and plasma cutters to name but a few. Such developments have impacted in a positive way on teaching styles and, in turn, has been expressed in the boys’ creative approach towards their Art and Design portfolios. Buildings including the Sewell Centre Gallery have also been refurbished, with new additions along the way. Having been asked to sum up my most enduring Radley memory, I guess that this would be in 1997, the year my eldest son Scott was born and the year in which HM the Queen visited the Art Department. A Level and GCSE artists had put on an outstanding exhibition of work with Peter Hawkins’ portrait of Her Majesty hanging resplendently on the end wall. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh admired the painting and made comment on our new baby boy. “Good to see a junior member in the department already”, the Duke quipped. All in all it was Radley at its very, very best. Long may the College have many more days like that one. As I write this article I can proudly conclude with witnessing my second son winning Battle of the Bands. Radley has been, and will always remain a very special place for us all. Ian Ellis, Director of Art 3
The foundations for the new L Social are now being put in place, in more ways than one. The physical groundwork for the new accommodation has now started alongside Pups' Field, next to the old Warden's house, with trees being cleared and holes for the piles being drilled. Building work will continue over the course of the next 16 months, with the Social opening in September 2020. But perhaps more importantly, the pastoral groundwork has already begun to take shape, with the appointment of Ali Hakimi, Physics don, to be L Social's first tutor.
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET A new organ for Radley As boys and ORs know, a major part of the Radley experience is Chapel; it is central to the life of the school and, with the numbers due to expand, the College has made the decision that Chapel must grow to match. Singing hymns in Chapel is a large part of this; as, of course, is the music sung by the choir. The organ is crucial to supporting this singing, but for some time now, the organ has been unable to keep up. For the first 91 years of the College, the organ stood in the centre of the west gallery, both in the old Chapel, and from 1895 in the current one. Indeed, buying a decent organ was almost the first thing the founders did: they had placed an order for an organ from Telford of Dublin a week before Radley was formally opened, in June 1847. This organ arrived in 1848 and was installed in the old Chapel. Uniquely, this organ was then shipped back to Dublin for the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1853, then returned to Radley. It is believed to be the only organ to have crossed the Irish sea three times. As the school grew, so did the organ - occupying the entire gallery - but in 1938, pressure on space meant that the decision was taken to move the organ into new chambers built to the sides of Chapel, releasing the space for boys. This organ, built by Rushworth and Dreaper, and including a fair number of stops from the original organ, would have been very loud close up, shouting out of small grilles across the width of Chapel at the boys. But an organ in this position was never going to be able to produce the body of sound required to support the boys’ singing. In 1944 an article in The Organ on this instrument commented: ‘this arrangement is not altogether happy… the pipes have to speak side-ways through a grille which is not so large as it might well have been’
The organ case from 1896-1938, in position in the centre of the west gallery.
By the 1970s, it was fatally unreliable, and plans were made to replace it. By this time, baroque organs with relatively gentle, sparkling tone were all the rage; organs like this had been very successful in Oxford, notably at Queen’s College and New College, and an organ of this type at Oundle was a major landmark and remains the focus of the organ courses run there each year. Those organs, though, all had two things in common: they were placed in the centre of the west gallery of their buildings, so the sound could speak clearly along the length of the building; and they were in a much smaller space than the Chapel at Radley. Moreover, all were built by firms with considerable experience in that type of instrument. From the outset, the Radley organ struggled. At the opening recital in 1980, Simon Preston complained of the heaviness of the action; some modifications were made, but it remains heavy. Boys at the east end of Chapel, having lost the support of the pipes in the east end chamber, couldn’t hear the organ at all, and singing suffered. A hasty add-on was constructed which provided some relief - but not to those boys sitting in front, who complain bitterly of being deafened. The west gallery as it is now, with the current organ chamber to the right. More seriously, though, the gentler voicing of this organ coupled with its position still mostly buried in a chamber closed on five sides - meant that it has never been able to provide the volume of sound needed in the majority of Chapel. Consultants were engaged to propose solutions in 1992, 1994, and 2005, but without a major reorganisation of the seating, there was little that could be done other than to tinker with the details. The current project to expand Chapel provides us with an opportunity to do something impossible until now - to relocate the organ back to the best position, in the centre of the west gallery. This means that the vast majority of the pipes, with the exception of some of the larger pedal pipes, will be where they need to be, in the centre of the chapel, clearly heard by all. It will take some time to come to fruition; a new organ can’t be built while Chapel is subject to the noise and, crucially, dust of the extension work. This means we can’t start until the building work is finished, and the plan is to begin work at the very start of 2021, although the old organ will have gone by then, and there will be an obvious hole where the new one will be in the gallery. In the meanwhile we will have to have a temporary electronic organ. Designing an organ for Radley is a tricky task: it must be capable of a solid body of sound to support the boys’ singing; it must be able to play a wide variety of organ music, as we already have many organ pupils and a new organ should encourage more; and it must be able to accompany the choir. This means it must be able to accompany one solo treble, or eight hundred boys and dons singing ‘Jerusalem’. It will be almost entirely a new instrument, built by Nicholson & Co of Malvern. The current organ’s pipework is mostly too small in scale to work well in the building; they propose to keep one pedal stop which does work well and which, by a happy coincidence, is thought to be one of the original stops, providing a link back to 1848. So, in a way, we are returning to our roots: a west gallery organ, a landmark instrument, one that Radley can be as proud of as Telford, its builder, was of Radley’s first; as quoted in the diary of Robert Singleton, the first Warden: ‘He is utterly amazed at its stupendous power, and says there is nothing like it anywhere that he has been. He has heard several organs lately in England, and they all seem to him to be thin and hungry compared with this. In fact, though ours sounds very glorious.’ TM Morris, Succentor
The Front elevation showing the new organ in context, placed centrally in the west gallery, with boys' seating to either side and in front of it. 4
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Radleian Society News The OR Dinner 2019 – 17th October This year the OR Dinner will be held at the majestic Fishmongers Hall in London, one of the most beautiful Livery Halls in London. We have lined up a fantastic panel to entertain you on the evening who will talk about their experiences of the exciting world of horse racing. Our panel of Old Radleian Horse Trainers will be interviewed by our excellent compère, Martin Pope (1967), world-class Charity Auctioneer, who will take them through their paces with a challenging round of questions about the highs and lows of horse racing. Kim Bailey (1967) Kim has trained over 1,200 winners and has achieved the magical ‘Big Three’, with winners in the Grand National, Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Champion Hurdle.
Booking your place at the OR Dinner 2019 To save paper and postage costs, we have inserted the OR Dinner invitation in with Lusimus this year, please see the invitation for booking details. We do hope you can join us on what promises to be a fantastic evening.
Oliver Sherwood (1969) Oliver was the Champion Amateur Jockey in the 1980 National Hunt season, and as a trainer has had over 1,000 winners, including the Grand National and six Cheltenham festival winners.
Jamie Snowden (1992) In the saddle, Jamie won the Grand Military Gold Cup and the Royal Artillery Gold Cup four times, and as a trainer has already had a Cheltenham Festival winner. Jamie also trains College Oak, our Racing Syndicate horse.
Shutterstock.com
Charlie Fellowes (1999) As one of the youngest racehorse trainers in the country, Charlie had a winner with his first ever runner and has since won the Sandringham Stakes with Thanks Be, ridden by Hayley Turner, who became only the second female jockey to win at Royal Ascot - and the first in 32 years. He now has around 75 horses under his care.
New Honorary Members
Radley Connect – making connections
In recognition of their significant service to the College and to Radleians, we are pleased to make the following past and present members of staff Honorary Members of the Radleian Society.
Launched in December 2018, Radley Connect is our professional networking platform which now has over 1050 members, including ORs, Radley parents and Radley staff. We have already seen successes through the platform, with one OR reporting:
David Borthwick Kylie Briggs Harry Crump Andrew Cunningham Simon Dalrymple Emilie Danis Sally Denyer Mell Devlin John Gearing Stephen Giddens Simon Hall Keith Halliday Amanda Jewell Robin King Graham King
Kate Knox Olly Langton Tim Lawson Chris Lee Kirstie Matthews George May Rob McMahon Kevin Mosedale Gabriela Porter Chris Ronaldson David Roques Terry Scammell Jackson Charlie Scott-Malden Simon Thorn
‘Radley Connect has been an excellent way to connect with key people who can help me establish my new Hedge Fund business in the UK. It is great to be able to see on the platform exactly how people are willing to help before you approach them, so you can pitch yourself appropriately. Every single person I asked for help through the platform has responded so positively and we have received a wealth of invaluable advice from the Community. This is a fantastic resource for Radleians in their early careers, so don’t be afraid to use it!’ Ross Gearing (2008) We encourage ORs and parents to join the platform and actively take advantage of the connections on there to develop your skills and experience, or to volunteer your own expertise. Some of the ways you can use Radley Connect include: • • • • • • •
Our congratulations and thanks go to all of our newest Hon Mems!
Privacy Statement A reminder that we have updated our Privacy Statement in line with the changes to privacy law that came into effect last year, detailing how we collect, use, share and store your personal data. The Privacy Statement also provides you with information on your rights in this regard. You can view our new Privacy Statement here, under the ‘IT and Data’ drop down: www.radley.org.uk/about-radley/policies-inspection-reports
Getting specific career advice. Finding an internship or work shadowing experience. Researching companies and roles, and posting jobs. Finding out about ‘real life’ at Universities. Supporting entrepreneurism through sharing ideas and connections. Professional networking and new business connections. Keeping up with news and events from the Radleian Society and the College. Caroline Monaghan, Radleian Society Manager
A paper copy of the statement is available upon request via radsoc@radley.org.uk 5
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Foundation News Giving in your will For those I have not yet met, I am the new Development Manager for the Foundation. I join having spent the last three years working in development for The Queen's College in Oxford, and I am thrilled to be working with you, the Radley community, to support and expand the great work of the school. One thing I will be taking the lead on is legacy giving - in other words, leaving a gift in your will – and I would like to take a few lines telling about how this can (and does) make a significant impact on Radley life.
proportion of this has been received via legacies. The Foundation receives, on average, just £15,000 each year from legacies. This, of course, is wonderful support that is very gratefully received. However, from my knowledge of similar independent schools, on average £350,000 of a school's total annual income is received through bequests from about seven legacies each year; Radley meanwhile receives only three.
In 2015, Radley welcomed a new boy - let's call him James - as a Bastyan Scholar of music. He was immediately committed to Radley life, being awarded a number of academic distinctions and prizes, as well as enjoying the organ and piano as expected. James is now a 6.1, taking part in badminton, athletics and debating, all the while maintaining his passion for music. He is performing brilliantly academically, hoping to go to Oxford to further his studies. He has also been an excellent mentor to a shell boy - his Tutor described him as an 'inspirational role model to all'.
Having been at Radley only a short time, I have already been struck by the enormous feeling of loyalty and warmth towards the college, and I hope that by spreading the message about legacy giving, there may be an opportunity for more in the Radley community to make an even greater impact through the very simple - but important - act of remembering the Radley Foundation in their wills.
James is the fifth scholar to come up to Radley since the Bastyan scholarship was established in 2011. That is five excellent boys and their families who have been given financial support to make the most of all a Radley education has to offer. And the fund is endowed, meaning more boys will be able to come here as a Bastyan scholar for generations. All of this was made possible by a generous legacy gift, from David Bastyan (1959, D) who, upon his death in 2009, left a portion of his estate to the Radley Foundation to fund a scholarship in music at Radley. Mr Bastyan's obituary records that his greatest joy came from music, it being a central part of his life for 40 years before losing his hearing. He had no immediate heirs, so this was a wonderful way for his name to be remembered for generations. It is through Mr Bastyan's generosity that James and others are able to thrive at Radley for years to come.
We thank and recognise those who have left a bequest to us by inviting them to join the Vyvyan Hope Society, which holds a bi-annual lunch at Radley. We have 83 members, plus 20 legators who have chosen not to join. We understand that one does not always want to share information of their legacy with us, and we entirely understand and respect this decision. However, I encourage you to consider letting us know that you have done so, simply so that we might fully extend our gratitude. Wills are usually simple to create or amend, and can significantly reduce your inheritance tax, so I do hope that you might be interested in leaving to Radley to help future Radleians such as James. If you are willing to take this step, or indeed have already done so and not yet let us know, then please do be in touch, I'd be delighted to hear from you.
Stories like this show how legacy gifts really do make a lasting impact on Radley. They become a part of our history, and our archivist Clare Sargent tells us more of historical legacies in the article opposite. Gifts of this kind represent a lifelong affinity to the college, and we are always truly honoured to receive them.
There will be more Foundation news in the future, and I look forward to updating you further over the coming months. Until then, may I take this opportunity to thank everyone in the Radley community, both on campus and in the wider world, who has already made me feel so welcome. It is a joy to work with you all.
The Foundation has had such a wonderful amount of support from the Radley community over the years in its fundraising endeavours, with over £20 million having been raised in donations. However, I was surprised to see that such a small
Henry Cosh, Development Manager
Peter and Kewpie Stuart Fund Thank you to everyone who has so far contributed to the Peter and Kewpie Stuart Fund, which will be used to support music at Radley. We are delighted to report that we have raised a fantastic £10,800, with donations still coming in. Funds will be used most immediately to support the production of a Choir CD.
We have also received a number of anecdotes and memories of Peter and Kewpie, which will be bound into a book and presented to Kewpie. Thank you for sharing such delightful stories – clearly Peter was well respected by generations of Radleians. If you have not yet shared your memories of Peter and would still like to, please contact the Foundation Office by Monday 12th August at the latest.
Precentor Sam Gladstone reports: ‘The Chapel Choir, Choristers and Chamber Choir spent four days in Keble College Oxford with Convivium Records and producer Andrew King. The recording, featuring music for Christmas, is now in production and is now available to purchase via the Radleian Society Shop': www.radleiansocietyshop.org.uk
We will also be holding a memorial lunch for Peter on Monday 21st October at Radley. Formal invitations will be sent separately. If you do not receive an invitation and would like to attend, please email the Foundation Office via: foundation@radley.org.uk
The recording includes music arranged for the whole school to sing by former Precentor Robert Gower, and a carol by OR James Burton, as well as a mixture of traditional carols and more recent compositions that have been performed in Chapel Carol Services during the last two years. Thank you to everyone who has donated to the fund so generously’.
Peter (middle row, far left) and Kewpie (front row, second left) pictured in 1955 with the Orchestra, for whom they played for many years.
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Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Legacies across time Legacies of apparently small amounts are still remembered. In 1952, Selwyn Oxley (1904), after a distinguished career which took him as far afield as Washington, DC and saw him awarded for his services for the deaf, left £50 for the Endowment Fund, and the College decided to name the Geography Prize after him. The Oxley Prize is still awarded annually to the best Geographer in the school. Selwyn Oxley’s splendid collection of topographical books also came to the Wilson Library, as did the bequest of £50 from 2nd Lt John Firth (1944), the only OR to be killed in the Korean War. The experience of war, and memorials for it, has prompted many legacies. In 1970, the Mariners received £1000 from the will of Monty Spencer Ell (1906), in which he also set up a scholarships trust. Monty Ell was a keen rower, who rowed for Radley 1st VIII in 1909 and won the Wyfold Cup at Henley with London Rowing Club in 1914. He was severely wounded in WW1, but, despite being unable to row, maintained a keen interest in the sport. As Radley College’s external accountant he fully understood the needs of the school and the importance of legacies. The College is still awarding bursaries from the Monty Ell funds.
Leaving a legacy to the College is a long-standing and vital practice. Many of them have come unexpectedly, welcome windfalls of maybe a few pounds; others have long been planned and discussed, the purpose to which they will be put carefully thought through, the subject of detailed discussion and close connection with the College over many years. All of them still resonate and have had a long-term impact on what we do. Way back in 1914, Edward Gordon Selwyn’s first speech at an OR dinner as Warden looked even further back to the founders of the school for inspiration. Selwyn noted that the work of Robert Singleton, first Warden, to collect legacies was absolutely crucial to its existence. Singleton’s and Sewell’s papers in the Archives are full of letters to potential donors – each of them asked to trust them and to put faith in a completely untried experiment in schooling. Gifts and legacies flooded in, and the school itself exists only because of those earliest donors in the 1840s and 1850s. All of those earliest donors were parents or philanthropists who had no direct experience of being educated at Radley. But almost immediately those who had been boys at the school started to give donations, some from their jam accounts whilst they were still boys, others in their wills as legacies. One of the earliest of those was George Fenwick (1859), cox of the VIII in 1864. After a lifetime working in New Zealand, he died in 1928 at the age of 80 and left a legacy of £100 in his will for RCBC. This was used to build 32 Fennies – the unique wooden training sculls named after him, the last survivor of which hangs in the library – and other boats. It was a vital step forward in the Boat Club’s finances and equipment.
Above-left: A bookplate from one of the books given by Selwyn Oxley, now in the Library. Above-right: Walter Radford (centre)in the 1920 photo of the whole school. Left: The last surviving Fenny in the Morgan Library, and inset, the boy whose legacy paid for their construction, George Fenwick. In the 1960s, Radley possessed one of the earliest cinder, metric athletics tracks in the country. It was, apart from Memorial Arch, the visible war memorial to those who fell in WW2. By the mid-1980s the artificial track had reached the end of its useful life. At which point the College was thrilled to receive the news of a planned bequest from Brigadier Walter Radford MBE MC (1917). He was a considerable athlete who won the United Services Steeplechase in 1930 and 1931. Walter Radford was a Prisoner of War in Germany from 1940 until 1945. Throughout that time the Radleian Society sent letters, books, cigarettes and other gifts, and kept in touch with his family. He never forgot how important that constant contact was to help him get through five years of inactivity and imprisonment. His gratitude took the form of a bequest of £250,000 in 1987, which resulted in the opening of the Radford Athletics track in 1995. Since then Radleians have excelled at athletics on the national and international stage. Just some examples of the different legacies across the years that still help the College to this day.
In 1949, two legacies show the diversity of their donors’ wishes. The first of these was from Owen Wightman (1883) - later knighted for his services to brewing beer (good man!) - who showered Radley with anonymous gifts throughout his life. He hosted the VIII at Henley, most notably the crew that won the Princess Elizabeth Cup for the first time in 1938, contributed to the tiling of the Markets and Upper Dormitory, and even paid for the dredging and re-stocking of College Pond. The full extent of his generosity was only revealed on the publication of his will in 1949 by which Radley received ¼ of the residue of his estate – on the condition that it was not used for scholarships. But scholarship did not lose out that year. Edward Whitby (1898) was another lifelong philanthropist. In his lifetime he had paid for the complete education of many of the poorer children in his London parish. In his will, probated in 1949, he left £5000 for Radley College to found two equal scholarships: one as an entrance scholarship, preferably for music, the other a leaving exhibition awarded to a boy at university.
Clare Sargent, College Archivist
Leaving Parents' Gift The Leavers’ Legacy - rather than a bequest - is an annual year group contribution, bringing together the families of 6.2 boys to support future generations of Radleians. Several essential aspects of Radley life are only made possible thanks to the generosity of donors to the Foundation, and we hope leaving families will consider supporting others in the same way. The focus of the Leavers’ Legacy is Funded Places, enabling Radley to increase its offering of partial and full bursaries to deserving boys. Thanks to this support, Radley will be able to achieve its goal to offer financial support to 20% of its total intake. Donors also have the option to make a gift to other areas of Radley life that are close to their hearts, such as sports or music. We have been immensely grateful for the generous support of previous leaving parents, raising almost £650,000 in the two years since the launch of the initiative. We are thrilled that many parents this year have already indicated their wish to support. We hope leaving families will consider making a gift of any size, which totals to make a significant impact on the school. More information about this will be shared with 6.2 parents in the summer, but please do be in touch with the Foundation Office if you would like to know more prior to then. Thank you to all who have already expressed their interest in supporting Radley in this important way. And from all of us in the Foundation, we hope 6.2s have a wonderful summer following their exams!
Edward Whitby (front row, far left) in the Prefects photo from 1902. 7
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Radley for Life Business Network The impact of AI on the Workplace: Networking Event Over 80 ORs, Radley parents and guests attended the latest Radley for Life Networking Event, on Wednesday 8th May, to discuss the current hot topic of the impact of Artificical Intelligence on the workplace. Kindly hosted at FTI Consulting by Head of Technology, Media and Telecoms Charles Palmer (1985), the panel, chaired by Chris Tufnell (1982), included a wide range of expertise from across industries: Mike Dobby (Radley Parent) - Vice Chairman and McLaren|Deloitte Lead Charles Towers-Clark (1983) - CEO of Pod Group and author of The WEIRD CEO Dr Camille Koppen (PhD, Oxon) - Co-Founder of Brightwings Education Stephen Rathbone (Hon Member) - Academic Director, Radley College The lively discussion on the impact of AI on both the workplace and in education included thoughtful and interesting contributions from the floor that were fielded by the panel. There was a widespread awareness of the challenges that AI brings to these areas, but also a recognition of the changes that need to be made and the opportunities that AI might present. One of the key take-home messages in the face of the impact of AI was the need for a flexible and intelligent workforce. With the World Economic Forum reporting that AI will lead to the loss of 75 million jobs, but the creation of 133 million more, the panel discussed how these roles will no longer be about process, but will instead be almost exclusively about thought. The discussion covered the need for the workforce to have not just the correct human skills and credentials, but also a 'start up' mindset to allow success in a radically altered workplace. The panel highlighted the need for three 'A's - Attitude, Adaptability and Ability - as key for future employment. The attitude to be willing to be trained in new skills that might be needed to fill gaps in your own personal brand; the adaptability to change and flex through life as the pace of change in the workplace continues to increase; and the ability to use personal contacts and networks to help people achieve their own goals. After the panel discussion, the networking session began as the attendees made the most of the possible business connections in the room. We would like to thank all those who attended and in particular our panellists for their time and contributions. A full recording of the panel discussion is available on the Radley website, and we are also grateful to Max Horsey and the Radley Video Unit for filming the event.
RFL: Breakfast Networking NEXT RFL EVENT Business Networking Event
A new initiative for 2019, our Radley for Life Breakfast Networking Events are designed to bring Old Radleians and Radley parents together to network around a specific industry area.
Tuesday 12th November 2019, 6pm Venue: Savills, London
Our first sessions, focussing on Law and Tech, were kindly hosted by Jo Rooth at Withers Worldwide, and were very well attended.
We are always looking for ideas on themes for our RFL Networking Events. Please contact us if you would like to contribute at: radsoc@radley.org.uk
Feedback was that these events were a really relaxed, informal way of broadening connections within an industry, and over a lovely breakfast too! Please send in any suggestions for industries you would like us to focus future RFL Breakfast Networking sessions on. 8
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Radley Business Gazette Engineering
Product Design
Current Parent, Guy Snell's company, Fourway Communication, which specialises in consultancy and construction in the UK transportation sector, is organising an Engineering Taster Day for A-level students considering an Engineering degree.
Fred Scheckter (2007) has, for the last two years, been working on building a company that designs things better, and, after over 30 prototypes and a lot of long hours, has launched his first product – “the world’s best flip flop”.
They plan to run this Londonbased event on Wednesday 24th July 2019. It will involve a range of interactive sessions on mechanical, electrical and telecomms, digital design environments and engineering leadership.
Property As a thank you, he normally plants a tree to offset the carbon produced in making/shipping each pair, but until the end of July, Fred will plant 50 trees for each pair bought by any OR or parent – just let him know in the order note, or via a separate email.
For more details, please check out his website, www.mon-fred.com, and he is now looking for any help from the Radleian community in getting his brand, Mon Fred, out there.
With these types of things, it is the early support that can really make the difference. So, if you know anyone in need of a new pair, or need a new pair yourself, you know where to find them!
James Pritchett (2001) is currently involved with the development of a 25 eco-house site in Southmoor, Oxfordshire. This unique development will be carbon neutral and Ssassy Property, the company he is an Associate of, are hoping to get Global Leadership Status as part of the One Planet Living scheme run by Bioregional.
The interactive sessions will be followed by a visit to a large tube station construction project, including a site visit. If you are, or know of, a suitable candidate please contact Guy via email at: guy.snell@fourway.co.uk
More details about the development: https://ssassyproperty.com/portfolioitems/springfield-meadows/
Radley cufflinks
College Oak saplings Benedict Pollard (1986) is the narrator of The Mythakulon (literally ‘acorn tales’). It reminds us of the wondrous magic of old stories, old trees and the fun and deep connection we make with nature and the wild, especially when we’re young, but actually at any stage of our lives. It asks us not to forget our important connection to the wild, within and without. This story is gradually evolving and emerging, as a way of bringing people together through our shared love and respect for ancient trees. In practical terms, each autumn a peregrination is made to visit some of the loveliest, most impressive ancient oaks in England, from which a harvest of acorns is made. For the last four years, these have been carefully nurtured and grown on as sturdy little oaklings, some of which now approach two metres in height and are ready for sale. The first tree to be visited was the famous Radley Oak, or College Oak, which is one of the hundred largest oaks in England, in terms of trunk circumference. The Mythakulon invites readers to join the cadre of like-hearted souls who care for our countryside and our natural wonders, by investing in an oakling or two. Radley Oaklings are offered with a Certificate of Origin, guaranteeing their matrilineal provenance (we don’t know who the father is!) So if you fancy an investment in oak, please email Benedict Pollard: benedict@ floraearth.co.uk – the website will officially launch in September, with an initial version here: www.mythakulon.org
What began life as a project for his school-led mini-MBA has become a great success for one of our newest ORs, Harry Gent (2014). He is now expanding his range beyond just Radley to provide high-quality cufflinks for his old prep school, Ludgrove (with further enquiries from other schools and even businesses keen to have their own bespoke cufflinks). As you may have read in our previous publications, Harry's Radley cufflinks come in two designs and are a top-end complement to those already available in the Radleian Society Shop. He is donating over £50 of the sale from each pair to Foundation fundraising. As a result of his generosity and the popularity of these cufflinks with Radleians and ORs, Harry has donated over £5,000 since launching in December 2018! Our thanks go to Harry for his hard work and generosity. For more details and information on ordering please contact him directly at: hglinks26@gmail.com
Benedict pictured with a selection of the saplings back in early February 2019. 9
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET School report Inter-school Collaboration on AI
Radley Choir
We are very excited to announce that Radley College and Sevilla International College San Francisco de Paula are launching a cooperative project focussed on the educational impact of The Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is the firm belief of both schools that spectacular advances in ‘the Internet of Things (IoT)’, the ‘datafication’ of society and the use of AI in even, for example, journalism, painting and musical composition are forcing a radical rethink in how young people are taught in school and prepared for life outside it. Sevilla International College has strong links with the University of Seville and the Joint Research Council of the EU, based in Seville. Radley is developing links with technology companies and university departments at Oxford, Buckingham and in the USA. We feel we are in an excellent position to share best practice and debate with one another.
The Lent Term started with four days of professional recording for the Chamber Choir, Chapel Choir and Choristers in Keble College, to be released later this year. The focus and aspiration of the boys was outstanding, resulting in a really exciting recording.
The primary focus will be, day to day, on learning and teaching with AI. To this end, both schools will be sampling and testing intelligent tutoring systems and other convergent technologies deploying AI and data analytics. These will be trialled with groups of 13 year old students (Year 8 in Spain, Year 9 in the UK) allowing us to better adapt the content of our courses to the different capabilities and work rhythms of each individual. These tools will allow for continuous and diagnostic assessment, providing a much more personalised approach than is possible even with conventionally small teaching groups. These trials will start in Science and Mathematics, since, at the moment, it is easier to deploy AI in these subject areas.
However, the undoubted highlight of the singing year was a phenomenal pair of concerts at the end of March. The stunning Sheldonian Theatre was packed to the rafters twice with audience and performers for a celebration of choral singing, which brought together Radley’s choirs with the world-renowned ensemble the King’s Singers, the Radley Choral Society, and children from eight local primary and secondary schools. These concerts raised £4,000 for Kamran’s Ward (Children’s Oncology and Haematology) at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
Some strategic partnerships have already been started involving Century and Inkpath with Radley College, and Aonia Nueva Educación with Sevilla International College. These companies are all leaders in educational innovation, harnessing new technologies for learning and teaching. The times ahead will test us, but, if planned for properly, will make us even stronger. Stephen Rathbone Academic Director
Rogationtide
Shell Play
This year, the Shell Play was the fantastical Grimm Tales. The production was staged throughout Mansion in a promenade style.
On Sunday 19th May Radley celebrated Rogationtide, an ancient service dedicated to agriculture and the harvest. The school prayed for British farmers and their communities, particularly the Radley agricultural community.
The first tale, Little Red Riding Hood, was performed in Blue Room. The staging was very smart, as it appeared as if Little Red Riding Hood and Grandmother climbed out of the Wolf ’s belly! The second story was The Three Little Men in the Woods set in Stone Hall, after which, the audience travelled downstairs to the JCR for Hansel and Gretel.
The service was held outside on the lawn in front of Mansion where the Chaplain gave an interesting sermon. The service, which celebrated nature, the environment, crops and fields, is an ancient tradition and was enjoyed by the many who attended.
The final tale was Rapunzel, set once again in Blue Room with the audience watching from two sides. Like the previous tales, this had excellent costume designs using sound effects to keep the audience immersed and engaged, rather than an over-reliance on props.
RCBC at the NSR & Henley Radley College Boat Club enjoyed one of their most successful National Schools’ Regattas for a number of years, that saw them finish the weekend in third place overall on the medal table, the highest-ranking school, with four gold and four bronze medals.
Environmental Society
Having organised the ‘Climate Change Lecture Series’ the scientific breadth of environmental issues became apparent to current 6.2 and Co-curricular Prefect, Jamie Walker. But the scope of climate change stretches even wider: including politics, economics, philosophy and ethics, sociology, history, art, literature and media and more, and to reflect this the Radley Environmental Society has been founded.
Stand out performances came first from the Shells, where all four octuples made it into the top 12, with the J14.1 and J14.2 crew winning excellent gold medals in their categories. The J15 1st VIII (pictured below) and 2nd VIII won four further medals on Saturday (three bronze and one gold), the 2nd VIII breaking the event record with a time of six minutes flat.
The aim of the group will be to develop understanding of environmental topics across a wide range of issues. It will act as a springboard to think more closely about how we at Radley do things, what we do in our own individual lives, and in our lives when we leave Radley and go into the wider world. There is something for everyone and this group will endeavour to cater for this breadth through discussions, talks, debates and trips. 10
Felix Rawlinson and Ned Rae-Smith added the final gold on Sunday in the Championship pair in another record-breaking performance, lowering the Championship time to six minutes and 50 seconds. The senior coxless and coxed four also raced brilliantly in achieving bronze and fourth respectively. A very memorable weekend for the Club, with huge thanks going to the boys, parents and staff. At Henley, the 1st VIII got through their first heats, beating Abingdon and Lawrenceville School, USA, before losing by 3/4 length to overall winners, Eton.
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Magic for Smiles
Radley Council
In May, C Social were privileged to welcome back to Social Prayers Jamie Balfour Paul (1974), who spoke to the boys of his work with Magic for Smiles, a charity which he founded.
Council members were at the College for their termly meeting, but, as the Warden mentioned in his notes, this was a notable meeting as it saw the retirement of Mike Hodgson (1965) from Council.
Following a 30 year career with international aid organisations, Jamie set up an initiative performing magic with refugee and other vulnerable children in Lebanon (where he is normally based) and neighbouring refugee-hosting countries like Jordan and Turkey. Primarily it is about spreading smiles, happiness and wellbeing and making a short or longer-term impact on the lives of vulnerable and traumatised children. The project as a whole promotes the use of magic for psychosocial support as well as entertainment.
A drinks reception for Council was held in Clock Tower Court, attended by current and former SMT & Council Members, at which the Warden took the opportunity, on behalf of the College, to thank Mike for his 29 years’ service on Council, holding the post of Chair for the last nine.
The C Social boys watched clips of Jamie's work with the refugee children and discussed the amazing impact of his work on the emotional wellbeing, cognitive skills, concentration levels and even self-confidence of the children. They also enjoyed watching Jamie demonstrate some of the more popular magic tricks with help from the boys.
To recognise Mike’s contribution, and that of Simon Whitworth (1965), Vice-Chair of Council 2010-15, an oak tree is to be planted in the College grounds. A pew will also be named for Mike in the newly refurbished Chapel. And finally, he was presented with C Social strings and sports & academic colours by the Warden. Past parent, David Smellie, will be taking on the position of Chair of Council from Mike.
If you would like to learn more about 'Magic for Smiles' or donate to the charity which relies largely on donations, you can do so at: https://magicforsmiles.com
Top: Council members, ORs and esteemed current and former SMT at the drinks reception in Clock Tower Court. Jamie performing magic for a group of eager and interested Lebanese children in Sidon.
Above: The Warden presents the outgoing Chair of Council, Mike Hodgson, with C Social strings and sports & academic colours.
Physicists' prayers In May, there was standing room only at J Social Prayers as Henry Rees (2011) returned to speak to the current boys about studying physics at Oxford University. And Henry was not the only Radleian physicist to return to the College. Cezar Prodan (2012), now studying Mathematical Physics at Edinburgh University, spent three days with the Physics department. He offered drop-in sessions, talked to the Junior Science Society and gave a hilarious Social Prayers on how to be a good flight passenger.
Henry (above) and Cezar (right) speaking to current boys at Social Prayers. 11
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET OR Clubs Radley Galleons - past & present
Hockey at College A letter to the March 1879 Radleian notes that ‘the introduction anew of foils and “gloves" during this slack term is a wise one on the whole. But why should not Radley have hockey this term as well as other schools?’. This initial plea seemingly fell on deaf ears, but a further call for hockey to be introduced made in 1883 was more successful as recorded in the Radleian of the following year: ‘This term a novelty has been introduced in the shape of games of hockey, which were got up after the close of football, and great praise is due to its promoters.’
The launch of the Galleon(s) One of the stellar lights of the College at that time was Michael Wigley (1953, F). Senior Prefect and member of the Hockey XI and Cricket XI, it was for his exploits in a match for the latter that he earned his nickname, one that would go on to be lent to the OR Hockey Club. The Cricket 1st XI were battling hard to save the match on the second day of a two-day match against Bradfield, with Wigley in as one of the final pair. In the final few overs it appeared that Radley might take the spoils, until disaster fell when the final wicket did. During this time, Radley matches were often covered by roving correspondents and written up for The Times, and the crestfallen return of Wigley from the square back to the pavilion was reported as ‘looking like a Spanish galleon returning to dry dock’. On reading this there was no way that Radley boys were going to let a comment like that pass without making full use of it, and thus, Michael Wigley became known as the ‘Galleon’.
It was seemingly a hit and it was not long before there were attempts by Old Radleians to return and take on the boys, as just three years later the editor of the Radleian was given to ‘understand that there is a good prospect of a Hockey match in contemplation this term, as an energetic OR has undertaken to do his best to bring a team against us.’
So it was that during the high spirits of the Folkestone Hockey Festival that the name passed on from one of the latest members of the Old Radleian Hockey Club, Michael having left College in December 1957, to the club itself. The Radley Galleons, named by ORs by way of Bigside, The Times and the Armada.
What’s in a name? – Old Radleian Hockey Ever since beginning in this role and finding out about the OR clubs and societies, their various names seemed to be fairly clear. The current rugby team takes the name Serpents from the College crest; the Rangers cricket team is a well-known sporting team name; the Mariners is an obvious link to even the driest of dry-bobs; even the Wildebloods, the new LGBTQ+ society, has a clear link to a prominent gay OR. But then we come to Old Radleian Hockey. Known as…. the Galleons. The link between large, multi-decked sailing ships of yesteryear and the sport of field hockey just isn’t one that seems obvious and some digging around in the records had yielded no further clarity in this matter. Then in early 2019, current MiC of hockey, Mike Hills, and hockey pro, Peter Bennett, were in the process of reviving the Radley Galleons day, where the ORs would return and take on both the boys and the dons in a celebration of all things Radley hockey. In the build up to this very successful day, they were contacted by OR and Radleian Society VP, Tom Morkill (1952), and he was able to finally solve the mystery of this unusual name.
The result of this match, if indeed it even went ahead, is unknown, but Old Radleians continued to put together teams to play the Radley 1st XI in occasional matches throughout the following years. However it was not until the Old Radleian Hockey Club, as it was then known, attended the 1958 Folkestone Hockey Festival, that the name the Radley Galleons was born. For the previous several years, the OR team had been organised by Peter Jackson, an International hockey umpire himself, but this 1958 team was almost entirely made up of the College 1st XI from the previous year. Above Right: The Galleon, Michael Wigley, in 1959. Right: The second OR team to take The Galleons name to Folkestone, pictured here at the 1959 Hockey Festival. Back row: Fisher, Thomas, Sessions, Wigley, McGarrigle, Morland, Dumas. Front row: Morkill, Fuller-Sessions, Butters, Jenkins, Hoddell.
Galleons Day - 24th March 2019 For the first time in many years, the Galleons headed back to Radley for Galleons’ Day with two teams to take on the 1st XI and 2nd XI, before coming together to take on the dons. Twenty six ORs, spanning the generations and some travelling from the farthest reaches of the land, turned out for the Galleons and played some thrilling hockey which ended in two victories and a draw for the old boys. In the game against the 1st XI, the Galleons got off to a fast start and took a twogoal lead into half-time. The 1st XI got on the scoreboard in the second half but the Galleons replied straight away and seemingly were well set for victory. However, some grit and determination from the 1st XI, something that has defined their season, along with their superior fitness levels, meant the 1st XI snuck in two goals in the final five minutes and the game ended 3-3.
The Galleons (in white) defend against an attack from the Radley 1st XI at this year's Galleons Day. With so many ORs returning, the Galleons were able to put a team out to take on the 2nd XI. Here age and experience outfoxed youth and enthusiasm, with the ORs taking the victory 6-1. Post lunch, and a couple of glasses of wine, the ORs took on the dons and were very slow out of the blocks, conceding two early goals. Fearing the worst, the Galleons rallied and put in four unanswered goals to seal the victory (and save the blushes), 4-2 to the Galleons. A great day for Radley Hockey – special thanks to Pete Bennet for organising and the Radleian Society for their support on the day, and throughout the Galleons’ season.
The Radley (white) and Galleons (red & black) Second XIs together after their match. 12
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Radley Remembered Radley village and College: A 1000-year story As the College starts to plan for its 175th anniversary in 2022, it is good to reflect on the longer history of its home. The College and the Radley Village History Club are collaborating to produce a book that tells that 1000-year story. Over the course of that millennium the land on which the College stands has been owned by just three organisations or families (apart from a brief interlude of c.20 years in the 16th century!). It was a part of the manor of Barton, owned by Abingdon Abbey, from before the Norman Conquest until the dissolution of the monastery in 1538. The Abbey farmed the land which is now the school campus but one of its most valuable assets was a deer park in what is now called Radley Large Wood. After a brief interlude in which the newly separate manor of Radley was owned by Sir Thomas Seymour and then by Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I), the manor and all that went with it, including complex rights and powers, were bought by George Stonhouse in 1560. He was a courtier of Queen Elizabeth and one of the newly emergent gentry class. George’s family, the Stonhouses, and their descendants, the Bowyers, were here to stay. And stay they did for nearly 300 years until Sir George Bowyer had an unfortunate time prospecting for ‘coal’ and brought the family to financial ruin. At which point a third potential long-term tenant and owner appeared on the scene – and Radley College sprang into existence.
A caricature of the last family owner of Radley Hall, Sir George Bowyer, from Vanity Fair.
A photograph taken by the British Museum of a painting showing Radley Hall from the north-west by JMW Turner in 1789. So much for the bald facts of landownership. But this is the story of a relationship – the relationship between the lords of the manor and the village. And many of the families in the village have a connection with the place at least as old as the Stonhouses and Bowyers, a connection which continued when the College became the major local employer. In the course of writing this book we have used the latest LIDAR technology to look at changes in land use; discovered hitherto unknown maps and drawings in the Berkshire Record Office, including the earliest map of Radley College and a plan which would have totally changed the Mansion if it had been carried out; and found out how many fish Sir John Stonhouse caught in College Pond one Autumn day in 1758. Along the way we have argued over exactly what Capability Brown did for £672 between 1770 and 1772 and tracked down lost family portraits in Saskatchewan in 2019. All of which combined to give us the landscape and buildings which are so familiar to all of us today. This is a story of fashions in architecture, a cellar full of wine, disinherited elder sons and poachers. Not to mention cheating on the taxes. Manor and village: a 1000-year story will be published on 20th November this year, with a launch party in the Mansion. Copies will be available for sale from the College or the village shop. Clare Sargent, College Archivist
13
Above: Rocques' map of Berkshire (1761) with Radley Hall and village. Below: A (somewhat artistic) panoramic view of Abingdon from 1795 by John Stone, with Radley Hall just visible on the extreme upper right.
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Social diary Radley Reunion - 10 Years since leaving As shown on the front cover of this issue, on the evening of Wednesday 12th June, Old Radleians who finished their time at the College in 2009 were invited to the Oriental Club in London, W1, to celebrate their 10 Year Reunion. They were joined by past and current staff, including Angus McPhail, Warden during their time at Radley, for a highly enjoyable evening. The 80+ attendees were able to catch up and reconnect with old friends and schoolmates, as well as demonstrate they hadn't lost some of the skills they'd learnt at Radley (there were numerous incidents of 'peanuting' ties...) The atmosphere was excellent throughout the whole night and the revelry was still going strong late into the evening! Many more photos are up on Radley Connect: www.radleyconnect.org.uk
ORs caught up with each other along with past & present members of Common Room and were even successfully corralled into redoing a full year photo!
Radley Reunion - 50 Years since leaving On Saturday 18th May, over 30 Old Radleians and their guests returned to the College for their 50 Year Reunion and had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. A reception in Blue Room allowed ORs to catch up with old friends and renew acquaintances from many years past. This was followed by one of the highlights of the day, tours of the College and of Socials. Then after more refreshments, there was a most convivial 3-course lunch in Hall and an intimate service in Chapel rounded out the excellent day.
Above: The returning Old Radleians gather on Mansion steps. Above-right: Catching up with old school friends and their partners in Blue Room. Right: The highlight for many ORs, an evensong service in Chapel. 14
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Radleian Society Dinner & AGM
Radley Wildebloods events
For the first time, the Radleian Society Committee was joined by the Radley for Life Committee at the Annual General Meeting, held at the Army & Navy Club on Wednesday 1st May. Alongside the usual business, the committees discussed the strategic approach to using the Radley network to better support the early careers of boys.
Wildebloods 1st Anniversary - Thursday 11th April 2019 On April 11th the Wildebloods met at the Phene pub in London to celebrate the one year anniversary of the founding of the LGBTQ+ Society for ORs. It was great to have a range of ORs from different age groups get together for some drinks to mark the occasion. During the drinks a new committee was elected to help organise future events, as well as plans for a society tie being announced.
At the close of the successful AGM, the committees were joined by guests for dinner, including the Warden and Vice-Presidents of the Radleian Society. On this occasion, in attendance were VPs, Hamish Aird, Charlie Barker, Lord Craig of Radley, Angus McPhail, Liz McPhail, Anna Melluish, Tom Morkill, Andrew Reekes, Anthony Robinson and Michael Van der Gucht. The guests heard from Chairman of the Radleian Society Committee, Rupert Henson, and from the Warden, who talked of the challenges facing the Radleians of the future and how the College and the wider Radleian network can support currenty boys. Enjoyable conversation flowed throughout the evening, and the fondness and esteem for Radley College was evident across the room.
Wildebloods, Dragonflies, Byronics & Cornflowers represent the LGBTQ+ alumni of Radley, Eton, Harrow & Winchester at the 2019 Joint Summer Drinks in Covent Garden. Joint Summer Drinks - Thursday 6th June 2019 The canapĂŠs and bubbles were flowing at the Radley Wildebloods (Radley's association for LGBTQ+ alumni) joint drinks on 6 June with their sister societies; the Eton Dragonflies, Harrow Byronics, and Winchester Cornflowers. Wildeblood numbers have increased annually to around 100 this year, and with a variety of ages and backgrounds present, there was a real sense of community as stories of school days were shared. After the drinks in the garden of St Paul's Church in Covent Garden, the party continued at The Court private members club in Soho, courtesy of one of the Harrow members, and apparently those who did certainly didn't regret the decision at work the following morning....
Parents' Summer Drinks Parties It was also a chance to socialise with other Radley Parents from across their boy's year group, not just those from their Social. The evenings were a great success and the warmth and friendliness of all those there was evident to see. More photos from each of the events can be found on Radley Connect: www.radleyconnect.org.uk
The Radleian Society have now hosted parents from all five year groups at the Oriental Club in London. Over the course of the five evenings, over 500 parents met up to find out more about the Radleian Society; our online community network, Radley Connect; and our business network, Radley for Life.
Clockwise from top-left: Shell, Remove, Fifth, 6.1 and 6.2 Parents' Drinks at the Oriental Club. 15
Lusimus . THE RADLEY BROADSHEET Sports
Rangers - Wesson Cup
Radley Mariners Ollie Wynne-Griffith (2007) and Tom George (2008) represented Great Britain at the European Rowing Championships at Lucerne on 2nd June, where they came in silver medal place. On the very same day, Charlie Elwes (2010) was in the Yale crew that won the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships at Sacramento. He completed an outstanding week with victory in the Harvard Yale Boat Race the following Saturday, taking his US Varsity record to 3 wins and 0 losses in four years! Earlier in the season, Yale had won the Eastern Sprints, with their third, fourth, fifth & sixth Heavyweight Eights also winning. Louis à Brassard (2010), Freddie Elwes (2012) and Archie McChesney (2013) also competed for Yale crews. Ollie and Tom were also part of Oxford Brookes University and Leander Club VIII that lost in The Grand Challenge Cup at Henley, whilst Charlie competed in an under 23 composite crew.
Also at Henley, Oscar Richards (2006) captained the Armed Forces boat in the Kings Cup, and Jules Beck (1979) announced that, after three years, he is standing down as Chairman of the Mariners, to be replaced by Ben Dreyer (1981). The Oxford Summer Eights saw Josh BowesmanJones (2012) and Isaac Turner (2013) row for Keble, and James Tufnell (2007) for Christ Church. A further OR link was that the Oriel Head of the River boat was named Jonathan Close-Brooks, after the great Oriel oarsman and OR (1957), who died in 2000. Elsewhere, Adrian Theed (1983) won the San Diego Classic as part of the London Rowing Club VIII. Finally, the Mariners took on the Radley crew in an exciting Mariners’ Challenge at the Radley Boathouse on Saturday 8th June. Despite the OR boat containing representatives of GB, Leander and Cambridge, it was a very close race, but the Mariners just held on to win!
The 3rd annual Wesson Trophy took place on 19th May at Radley. Teams from I Zingari, the Rangers and the 1st XI competed against each other and the elements. I Zingari opened with a convincing win against a slightly depleted boys side. They then felt the fury of Jamie Dalrymple's (1994) bat as the Rangers won, having amassed 215 in their twenty overs. Unfortunately the rain prevented the competition reaching a conclusion as Fred Horler's (B Social) incredible 54* from just 20 balls for the Radley XI looked likely to propel the boys to a win.
ORSA - Belvidere Cup
At the Mariners' Challenge: Will à Brassard (2013), Ed Bosson (2006), Rufus Eadie (2007), Ollie Wynne-Griffith (2007), Louis à Brassard (2010), Charlie Shaw (2007), Tom George (2008), Josh Bowesman-Jones (2012), Will Heagerty (2012).
ORGS - Halford Hewitt The ORGS went into this year's Halford Hewitt with a team containing seven players under 25 years of age. Thanks must go to Kevin Reid, master i/c golf at Radley during their time at the College. Getting off to a fine start, Radley beat Glenalmond in the first round to be drawn against Whitgift in the second, their handicaps added up to a total of just 5! A very exciting match followed with Radley claiming the win and they were into round three.
The third round was to match them against the might of Charterhouse, easily the most successful side in the Hewitt with an astonishing 17 wins and a further 8 losing finals. Radley produced some excellent golf throughout and it took Charterhouse amazing recovery shots at 18th and 20th, including a 220 yard eagle from the semi-rough, to beat the ORs! A cruel way to go out, but the performance by such a young team shows there is a lot of hope for the future.
This year, the Belvidere Cup took place on Saturday 6th April. On a cold sunless day with a Northeast breeze, which fluctuated between 8 and 14 knots with some gusts up to 20 knots, six teams took part in the regatta. The Race Committee ran 2 round robins which meant every team had 10 races. George Chilvers (2011) helmed the ORSA boat, having done well in prestarts but struggled to produce boat speed, and finished 5th with two wins. Alexis Dogilewski (1958) was Race Officer for the regatta.
Contact us
Radleian Society, Radley College Abingdon, OX14 2HR www.radley.org.uk Simon Brand Publications & Social Media Editor Tel: 01235 543103 Email: simon.brand@radley.org.uk Caroline Monaghan Radleian Society Manager Tel: 01235 543171 Email: caroline.monaghan@radley.org.uk Cassandra Russell Events Co-ordinator Tel: 01235 548574 Email: cassandra.russell@radley.org.uk Selina Woodcock Database & Donations Manager Tel: 01235 543172 Email: SKW.Woodcock@radley.org.uk Henry Cosh Development Manager Tel: 01235 543151 Email: HRC.Cosh@radley.org.uk Lucy Johnsson Foundation Executive Tel: 01235 548543 Email: lucy.johnsson@radley.org.uk
Simon Peck (1985), Tom Etridge (1985), Simon Stalder (2009), Arthur Tapner (2013), Tom Wright (2011), Tom Beasley (2007) & Hugo Melvin (2009). 16
The Radley Foundation – Registered Charity No. 272671 The Radleian Society – Registered Charity No. 309243