mill hill times- winter edition

The Gate ofHonour

*TorontoDinner

*U.S. Dinner

*The Editor’s

Letter*

MayflowerMoments

*A Trip to theold country

*From NW7

*Call theArchivist

*In Flanders

Fields*

Saracens’Rugby Club

*Henley’sCorner

Winter 2015

An e-newsletter produced exclusively for OBs & OMs living in the U.S.A. and Canada by OMs living in the U.S.A. and Canada.

By the time our “subscribers” receive this copy ofthe Mill Hill Times, Remembrance Day for 2015will have passed.

Once again the students of Mill Hill School willhave trooped through the open gate onRemembrance Day to honour those from theschool who sacrificed their lives for their country.

There is no doubt that the Gate of Honour is aprominent and symbolic piece of the school’sarchitecture, very visible from the Ridgeway towhoever passes by.

For most it is merely a War Memorial on whichattention is focused just one day of the year. Forstudents at the school, there is more than apersonal attachment as the names engraved onthe walls within the Gate are those of fellowstudents of yesteryear who gave their lives forthe freedoms that we enjoy today.

These same students attended similar classes,played cricket and rugby, occupied studies and

The Gate of Honour

11th.

The gate was created at the instigation of OldMillhillians and it was officially opened by LordHenry Horne in 1920. The Gate is dedicated to the193 Old Boys who fell during the Great War.

A brief Pathe News film clip of the openingceremony can be viewed at this link.

http://www.atwar.millhill.org.uk/gateofhonour.html

The gate was designed by Mr. Stanley Hamp, ofMessrs. Collcutt & Hamp, architects.This photoshows the view of the gate from the school. Thesketch, on which the final gate was based showsthe proposed gate frontage from the road.

In later pages of this issue of Mill Hill Times, you will find an article relating to a visit by FrederickHiggs and other Old Millhillians, who accompanied Peter McDonough (a former MHS master) tosome European fields of battle, including Ypres. Close to Ypres is the Essex Farm cemetery whereLieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, born in Guelph, Ontario wrote his now famous poem “In FlandersFields” which is recited often on November 11th, particularly in Canadian schools. He is beinghonoured this year with his likeness on a new $2 Canadian coin. (Continued on page 2)

filled their time in much the same way as the students who walked through the Memorial this November

THANKYOU

The editorswould like to

thank all thosewho have

contributed tothe Mill HillTimes. Your

comments andarticles are

muchappreciated.

The Gate is also dedicated to Old Boys who fell inWW2 and subsequent conflicts.

We Will Remember Them …. Today’s students at the school, for the most part,have not experienced the ravages of war, and the effecton one’s daily life. Those of an older vintage - if theyhadn’t been shipped to the countryside (like St Bees inCumberland - now known as Cumbria) - will recall thesounds of the ground shaking Ack-Ack guns and thewailing of the sirens denoting an incoming attack or the“All Clear” during WW II.

On the arrival of the buzz (flying) bombs, whichsounded like vacuum cleaners in the sky, people wouldrace for the Anderson shelter - usually buried below arockery in the back garden. They could never sustain adirect hit, but offered some protection even if only in themind. The Gate of Honour viewed from The Ridgeway

No such protection, though, for the valiant OMs who wallowed in the mud of European battlefields in The Great War.Their names are carved into the walls within the Gate of Honour, never to be forgotten. But one should always rememberthese are not just cold carvings in marble walls. Once they were young students who laughed and played at the same schoolas we did. This article attempts to add a little more humanity to what, for most people, are just two names carved in stone.

On the right is an extract from the GravesRegistration Report Form which shows thatFrederick Pusch was a member of the IrishGuards when he died June 27th 1916.

Noel Frederick Bishop was another OM in theGreat War - a pilot who died at the tender ageof 18, barely old enough to take his ‘A’ Levels.

Noel died on September 16th 1918 and hisname is memorialized on the Arras FlyingServices Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Hewas a second Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force56th Squadron.

In the picture to the left you will see the name of “Frederick LeopoldPusch” as his name appears within the Gate of Honour. His was oneof the graves visited by Peter McDonough and his party this summer.A picture of the headstone for Lieutenant Pusch D.S.O. appears inthe accompanying article.

These are just 2 of the 193 from the school who gave their lives in theGreat War. With the addition of photos, extracts from GraveRegistration Reports and seeing Frederick and Noel’s namesmentioned, we hope to show everyone that they are more than justnames engraved in stone. They contributed to the freedom we enjoytoday and, like all others who gave their lives, should be rememberedfor their sacrifice every day,and not just on November 11th.

Arras Flying Services Memorial

(The Editors)

2015 TorontoOM Dinner

Reflections of the OM President, Dr Russell Cowan in North America,

24th September to 2nd October It was always my intention to visit Toronto during my presidential year to spend time with John andEstelle Oldroyd and attend the well established OMs Dinner. John, an exact contemporary of mine at MillHill and also in School House, has arranged the Old Millhillian get-together in Toronto for many yearsfollowing a formula that works well. Indeed, if the events in Toronto could be bottled and re-used in othervenues, it would relieve the anxieties of organisers across the UK and overseas and, incidentally, thePresident.

A meander through downtown Toronto, including a short-cut through an underground shopping mall, sparkling with high-end,elegant shops, brought us to the Jersey Giant pub, the traditional venue for the Friday evening warm-up before the dinner thefollowing day. The first to arrive were Randal and Lee Charlton, first-timers at this reunion from Gross Pointe, Michigan. Theywere soon joined by Roger Holliday and his wife, Claudia, ‘regulars’ at this event, and in moments Roger and Randal werelocked in reminiscent conversation as contemporaries at MHS. Our numbers grew to about twelve and the noise level reflectedthis. It was kind of Rafeen Seraj and his wife, Nicole Mendes to join us while regretfully they were unable to attend the dinnerdue to a family event.

Fourteen gathered at the Adega restaurant on 26th September, the night of the fateful loss by England toWales in the Rugby World Cup. This result was soon eclipsed, however, by the buzz of enthusiastic conversations, washed downwith a little “grape juice”. Dinner was preceded by the now expected, witty and well-informed reflection on the School, thePresident and education by John Vincett, followed by the list of apologies for absence, disappointingly long, relayed by JohnOldroyd and eventually by an ill-rehearsed grace from the President, following which the meal was eagerly consumed.

I had the unenviable task after dinner of speaking on behalf of Nick Priestnall who had been obliged tocancel his trip at short notice and was much missed. There was much to report, therefore, on the Club, the School and the“Support our Schools” but judging by the number of subsequent questions it would appear that what I reported might have beenof interest and relatively intelligible. John Henley was in good voice both before and after dinner with news of the Mill Hill Times,the newsletter born out of last year’s Toronto Dinner. Thanks are due to both John and Roger Holliday for making this idea areality. The next edition is due before the end of the year and will contain some if not all of this report. The Foundation and theClub were toasted and a very enjoyable evening drew slowly to a close, such was the desire for interchange. Many thanks weredue to John and Estelle Oldroyd, supported by John Vincett, for their organisation of the two evenings that are the essence ofthe excellent Toronto OMs formula. With no prior experience to refer to I suggest, nonetheless, this was another good example

of the genre.

2015 New YorkOM Dinner

By late afternoon of Monday, 28th September, Gill and I were in New York. The Old Millhillians’ New Yorkgathering was difficult to set up but, thanks to Nick Priestnall’s contact list and persuasive powers as well as SebastianLighvani’s generosity, a successful and well attended evening was ensured. Sixteen gathered at Sebastian’s elegant andspacious apartment for pre-dinner drinks and nibbles, laid on lavishly by Sebastian and his partner, before fourteen of us madeour way to the La Turka restaurant. This was not before I had the opportunity to do my review of all things relating to the OldMillhillians Club and, in Nick’s absence, the Foundation, followed by David Brown’s impassioned encouragement for NorthAmerican OMs to contribute to the ABC Bursary that he has pioneered.

It was particularly pleasing to welcomefour young OMs to the gathering. PamelaPenawou, Andreas Hadijpateras, RyanYasin and George Sheppard are allstudying in New York State, the first threein New York itself. It was generous ofGeorge to make the trip from up-state NewYork. We wish them great success in theirstudies and look forward to welcomingthem to future New York OM events. It wasalso a pleasure to welcome Marc andCaroline Dweck, especially as Carolinewas overdue in the delivery of her thirdchild. By now the Dweck family will haveincreased by one and I hope Caroline andbaby are well.

Marc is one of the Club’s and the UK’smost talented young cardiologists who isdoing a fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospitalwhich is a feather in his cap.

It was a pity that both Edward Newmark and Christopher Phillips were unable to continue on to therestaurant with us but it was kind of them to make it to Sebastian’s apartment. Christopher and I found that we shared memoriesover our musical activities at school and, in particular, Sidney Barlow, the iconic Director of Music at that time.

Russ and Gillian Cowan

Report on the OM New York Dinner - Tuesday September 29th 2015

All who attended this most enjoyable evening can be grateful to David Brown for his generosity at therestaurant. Gillian and I were very soon back in the Lotos Club to prepare ourselves for a long butinvigorating day at The Museum of Modern Art, including a fascinating visit back stage to the museum’sConservation Department. Following a blustery stroll along the Highline Walk, a previous rail track well worththe visit, the North American leg of my trans-globe presidential journey drew to a close with just the AnnualDinner, one week later, to occupy me. Gillian and I thank all those we met for their generosity of welcomeand enthusiasm in North America. Dr Russell Cowan

President OMC 2014-15

Back Row: Alan Bain, David Brown, Ariel Grunberg, Sebastian Lighvani, Ryan Yasin,Pamela Penawou, Andreas Hadjipateras, George Sheppard, Edward Newmark,Russ Cowan

Front: Mark Dweck, Caroline Dweck, Aleta Grunberg, Edward Newmark,Gillian CowanFront: Marc Dweck, Caroline Dweck, Aleta Grunberg, Christopher Phillips, Gill Cowan

The Editor’s LetterAs Britain remembers the centenary of some of the majorbattles of WW1 and all the brave young men who fought inthem, we'd like to pay our own tribute to the 193 Mill Hillboys who made the ultimate sacrifice. So in this issue, weare taking a closer look at the School's Gate of Honour...and

“He who opens a school door, closes a prison.” Victor Hugo

The last few months have been busy ones at the MHT.

Well, relatively speaking. It started back in August with a visitby co-editor John Henley to our Northern Michigan log cabin.He drove the six hours from his house near Toronto for an“editorial planning session”—corporate speak for a couple ofdays of light sightseeing, some scrumptious Michigan-sourcedfood, including Lake Huron whitefish grilled on cedar planks(we have plenty of both in Northern Michigan), and a few toomany adult beverages. Newsletter planning is thirsty work,after all.

As John and I go back over 65 years to Belmont days,there’s always much to talk about and many old stories toretell—much to my wife Claudia’s despair as she’s heardthem all before!

Fast forward a couple of months and Claudia and I were in Toronto for the annual OMs Dinner organized onceagain by Area Rep John Oldroyd.

We arrived just in time to join an informal Friday night gathering at a local watering hole, The Jersey Giant,where we found Oldroyd with his house guests Russell and Gill Cowan as well as John Henley, John Vincett,and Rafaan Seraj and his wife Nicole. Russ, a Collinson contemporary of Oldroyd, was the OM Club Presidentand had flown over to attend the Toronto and New York dinners - on which he reports elsewhere in the newsletter.

Also on hand were Randal Charlton and his wife Lee. Randal was at Mill Hill with John and me. We hadn’tseen him since our school days some 60 plus years ago. Randal and Lee now live in a Detroit suburb, less than anhour’s drive from our Ohio home. As this was Randal’s first OM event ever, the Friday reunion was rather a lateaffair ending with a curry dinner and an agreement that Randal would write his own “Mayflower Moment”!

At the following night’s formal dinner at the Adega Restaurant, attended by a group of fourteen OMs and wives,Russ gave us a comprehensive status report on the important changes at the Club and the school—including thequite heartening news that enrollment at both Belmont and Mill Hill are now at record levels. (A full report of Russ’strip…and photos.. are covered in this newsletter).

Suffice to say it was great fun both getting together with Mill Hill friends—old and new – and finding Toronto insuch fine fettle with the thousands of Blue Jay fans in full regalia…and in celebratory mood. Our only regret is thatwe do this only once a year!

One week later, we were in the UK, staying with Keith Fletcher and his wife Marina in their Much Hadham,Herts home. For decades, Keith was my only Mill Hill contact. He and his father owned an antiquarian bookshop inCecil Court off Charing Cross Road and any time I was in London on business or pleasure, we’d go round to hislocal for a pint and a gossip…and Mill Hill school news. (Continued )

Roger HollidayWinterstoke 1953-58

recounting a visit to Flanders Field made by a group of OMs that included ourcontributor, Frederick Higgs (Ridgeway 1952-57)

Our“Mayflower”

MomentsRandal Charlton: House Prefect

Collinson (1953-58)

My Mayflower moment actually occurred when I was still atMill Hill. Like many Millhillians of my age, I was invited on multiple occasions tomend my errant ways with a punishment that consisted of writing lines such as“What makes life dreary is the want of occupation.” Depending on the severity of the infraction, the task would be, as you mayrecall, to write the same sentence 20, 40 or more often 60 times. As a consequence of this enforced labour I became rathergood at handwriting which is the only reason I can give for receiving the school Art prize in the summer of 1958.

For my prize I chose a book about the voyage of the first English settlers in North America. It began myfascination with North America. It would be ten years before I visited the United States for the first of several short trips and itwas 1984 before I moved to the States permanently, attracted as I was by the apparent opportunities to make my fortune inshort order.

Thirty years later, I am still working on the task and it is now clear to me that F Scott Fitzgerald was notexactly correct when he warned darkly that “There are no second acts in American Life”.On the contrary this country seems tobe one of the most forgiving of failure in the world.

I have had the good fortune to run a couple of public companies but sandwiched between those rewardingexperiences I have set up and run a blues club, managed a cattle ranch, established a public relations company, an Internetcompany, worked for a university and written a book on women’s soccer. Although each venture has been mostly great fun,these diverse endeavors were not always financially successful which explains why, at one point I drove a van deliveringflowers to decorate church alters and the caskets of funeral homes.

I had the pleasure of meeting some of mycontemporaries recently at the Old Millhillians North Americanreunion in Toronto and learning of their various Americanadventures. It was an extraordinarily rewarding experience to pickup friendships that had been dormant for almost half a century. Italso stirred memories, long buried, of school life.

On reflection, the highly structured rules androutines that were in place at Mill Hill in the 1950s were a goodpreparation for a career that at times has required rather more self-discipline than I would have wished. Why did I pick a book aboutAmerica for a prize all those years ago? If the editors of thisjournal choose to give me the space I will tell you in the nextedition. As a clue you may want to solve this puzzle- how can it bethat I am the only living person that can claim that their father cameover on the Mayflower?

Editor’s page (continued) Keith also organizes fairly regular gastronomicgatherings for a group of OM friends and contemporaries to which

we’re invited when in town. On this occasion the luncheon was at a classic country pub in Hunsdon with a distinguishedcompany of OMs and their wives, which included Fred Higgs, David Short, Alan Figgis, Peter Christie, Mike Clarke,Roger Rose and Chris Howden

After a few days down in Cornwall and Devon, navigating narrow lanes, breathing in good sea air and sampling mouthwatering pasties and cream teas, it was time for a London fix which included a school tour with Development Director, NickPriestnall and taking photos for this newsletter. Finally, the night before our return to the US, we met up again with Nick for anip, a natter and some splendid Italian fare in La Gaffe, a High Street Hampstead hotel/restaurant. Magnifico!!

“As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person”.Paul Shane Spear

A Trip to the “OldCountry”

John ParrottScrutton 1950-55

(John Parrott, an Old Millhillian living in South Africa, is a contemporary of Roger Holliday andJohn Henley. On one of John Henley’s visits to Roger’s cabin in North Michigan, we decided,out of the blue, to get in touch with an OM with whom we had had absolutely no contact sinceleaving the school. At the time we were not aware that John Parrott lived in South Africa, but,even though he does not come under the umbrella of North America or Canada, he is still amember of the OM International community, so we welcome his comments on his trip to the UK inthe Summer of 2015.)

It has taken a bit of time to sort out this article, but, apart from recovering from a fairly frantictrip to the UK, seeing family & friends during the 6 weeks I was in London – I guess when youhave reached the age of 78 and have lived in a quiet little dorp in the Cape for most of thelast 18 years, frantic is how I best describe the pace in London. I had lunch in early June withthe Oakers at their monthly lunchtime gathering, kindly taken there by Andy Mortimer,where I also met Cliff Rose, Robert Hudgell, Tom Hignett, Gerry Westoby, StuartWernham, Jimmy Kent, Tim Corbett, Peter Wakeham, and Ronnie Cohn amongst others– a very pleasant interlude.

After staying with very old friends in Bushey (no OM connection), I went to the GC , meeting Shalaka Karlekar and AnnBunyard for the first time and then was taken around the school and afterwards to lunch by Stewart Wernham at the 3Hammers – another pleasant experience. Apart from staying with Stuart and Christine Hibberdine for a few days (Stuart wasbest man at our wedding in 1964 and is godfather to my daughter), I attended the OM’s AGM and cocktail party, meetingamongst others, Ray Hubbard, Keith Armistead, Adrian Williams - all of whom were contemporaries or near contemporaries atschool, together with Russell Cowan and Nick Priestnall .

During my trip I met with a group of OMs, some of whom I had not seen for 60 years since leaving the GC in 1955. I enjoyed alunchtime get together with particular friends and their wives. (See pictures below)

All I can say is that reviving experiences of one’s life at Mill Hill and thereafter being involved with OMs rugby has been worth thetime and effort and will be remembered fondly along with all those other experiences of one’s life. Our school was a fantasticplace at which to be educated in one’s teen years and the participation of those that have made it their business to keep thename of Mill Hill in the minds of us OMs and the public at large is to be admired.

From NW7From NW7N.P.

Thank you to John and Roger for all their hard work putting another great newsletter together for the Mill Hill Communityin the US and Canada. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We are gearing up for the festive season here in NW7, and looking forward to the first Christmas event taking place, theService of Nine Lessons and Carols in the School Chapel. This will also be the last full day at the School for Headmaster DrDominic Luckett. We wish him well at his new school and look forward to the arrival of Mill Hill’s first ‘first lady’, Mrs FrancesKing in January 2016.

As it is the season of giving we would like to remind you of the A Better Chance Campaign, the project set up to providefull bursary places to gifted yet underprivileged children, giving them the opportunity of a Mill Hill and Belmont education. Forus to continue this great cause we rely on donations from generous Old Millhillians.

With special thanks to David A.B. Brown (Burton Bank 1956-61) and Robin Mills (Ridgeway 1957-62) for theirleadership of the North American group which now part-funds a pupil at Mill Hill. We thought you would like to see how he isdoing.

“The boy the NA group is supporting has just started in the 5th Form and is gearing up for GCSE in Summer 2016. Hisprogress is great. He is quick to grasp biological concepts and has performed well in the end of year examination achieving anA grade; he is an enthusiastic, determined and organised individual. Not just Sciences: in Latin, although quiet in class, whichmay suggest uncertainty, he has produced written work and an exam result of high calibre. In Geography he produced anexcellent examination script - this level of response will garner an A* grade this time next year.”

Housemaster: “I was delighted to see that he achieved some very pleasing results in his Remove exams. He must see theseas a great positive, although I am sure he has his sights set on even better next year. With his continued commitment toexcellence he could achieve some fantastic results next year. I wish him every success in the future.”

Thank you to all those who have already given generously to this campaign; you are making a difference to pupils’ livesevery day as they thrive in their studies. As the tax year approaches its end many in North America make their charitablecommitments. It would be great if you can include the A Better Chance Bursaries in this. If you would like to join this groupplease make a donation through BSUF: http://www.bsuf.org/ Thank you for your support.

We look forward to sharing with and hearing more stories from you in2016.Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from NW7, The Development Office.

Meet the New Old Millhillians Club President - Tim Corbett

Our new President, Tim Corbett, will be the second member of the teaching staff at Mill Hill School toserve as President of the Old Milhillians Club, the precedent being set by David Franklin in 1993 - 94.Tim arrived at Mill Hill in January 1970 and taught there for over 40 years, although he had a year'sexchange to a school in Sydney in 1990. His academic subject was English but his wider involvement atMill Hill included sport, the Art Society, drama and the CCF - and he was housemaster of WinterstokeHouse for twelve years.

Tim has also been very involved with the Old Millhillians Club; he was the OM School liaison officer for anumber of years and Honorary Secretary of the Club for nearly ten. He played rugby and cricket for theClub in the early 70's (in every position, apart from second row for the Ist XV) and he is a member of thegolf society. He also produced several plays for the Old Millhillian Amateur Dramatic society.Consequently he is well known to a large number of former pupils.

Tim was born and brought up in Kenya before moving to this country at the age of 14. He was educated at Brighton College before going upto Nottingham University to read English. He taught briefly in south London before being appointed temporarily for two terms by Michael Hartin 1970....43 years later he taught his last lesson at the School! In 1975 he married Robin, who for 13 years was the nursing sister ('matron')at Belmont, and much involved in looking after the boys in Winterstoke. Their two sons, Richard and William, were educated at Belmont andMill Hill and were members of McClure and Priestley Houses respectively.

Tim considers it an enormous honour to serve as the Old Millhillians Club President and greatly looks forward to catching up with as manyformer pupils of the School as possible during his year and his travels. He hopes to continue forging the strong links between Club andSchool and hopes that with the advent of inclusive membership many more former pupils, whatever their age or gender, will be encouraged tobecome involved with the Club.

Call TheArchivist

few phrases from Caesar’s Gallic Wars Part One, how toaddress a table… and the Latin name for a tree!

That tree, in case you wanted to know, was a tulip tree known inItaly as Liriodendron Tulipifera.

Now I also have to admit that for the better part of six decadesI’ve also been dining out on this particular tree and its Latinequivalent and making it one of the highlights of my dramatictale of Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Mill Hill in 1957.

I tell first of how a very nervous spit-and-polished RAF Corpscadet on parade is reviewed, up close and personal, by HerMajesty.

A few steps Down Memory LaneRoger Holliday

How he then makes a Superman-style change into athletic togsand rushes down to Fishing Net so that the young Queen canwatch his astonishing leap into the long jump pit . The rest of theschool, meantime, are making similar rapid changes…fromscout to swimmer to singer to scientist and so on.

A final switch into blue blazers and grey bags and we’re allready to join the rest of the school and watch the Queen plant atulip tree on a narrow strip of grass above Top Field.

That’s the way I told it anyway… for more than 60 years…until,one day, I happened to meet up with the school’s Developmentchief, Nick Priestnall who advised me that was all wrong andthe Queen had not actually planted a tulip tree at all…but aCedar (Cedrus).

RogerHolliday

I told him that was patently impossible because how wouldI ever have remembered the Latin name for a tulip tree … ifit hadn’t been the famous one planted by my monarch?

So he took me out andshowed me the originalcedar tree, in all its 60year old splendour, andthe plaque thatdescribed theauspicious occasion.

A few months later thelong time discrepancywas finallyexplained…when myfriend John Henleyproduced a 1953 copyof the Mill Hill SchoolMagazine. In it a“Belmont Letter” clearlystated that “the VIth form had planted a tulip tree” in theRose Garden to celebrate the Queen’s accession to thethrone.”

Obviously, our Belmont Latin class taught by a Tweedie ora Taverne must have been endlessly drilled in the tuliptree’s Latin name-- just in case we were ever asked.

It was clearly more important than knowing how to talk to atable! O Me Miserum!

R.E.R.H.

After some six years of Latin instruction first at Belmont and then Mill Hill, it’s almostembarrassing to have to admit that all that remains of those many years of instruction are a

In Flanders’ Fields ...On July 10th 2015 five OMs plus three wives met in Flanders for the weekend.This trip, to look at some of the First World War sites, was organized and led byPeter Mcdonough, retired MHS master, who has led forty or more tours to thebattlefields. Whilst there we had very much in mind the 193 Old Millhillians whodied in the Great War.

Before we went we left a wreathin memory of OM CaptainCharles Town MC, a Leeds Palwho had survived the first day ofthe Somme and subsequentbattle only to die in the equallyawful 3rd Battle of Ypres. Aswe walked in the sunshineamongst all these graves we felt

We managed to squeeze intotwo cars to get to our first visiton Saturday morning whichwas the Bayernwald Trenchesat Kemmel. This is acarefully restored section of anoriginal German trench systemdating from 1916. From herethere was a commanding viewright across to Ypres.

Thence to the Passchendaele1917 Memorial Museum atZonnebeke Chateau whichproved to be a remarkableplace - probably the biggestpublic collection of the FirstWorld War in West Flanders.The Museum keeps thememory alive of the Battle ofPasschendaele where in 1917, in one hundred days, half a millioncasualties fell for the gain of only 8 km of ground.

There were uniforms, battlefield archaeology and artillery. On the first floor one got a comprehensive overview of the FirstWorld War in the region by means of historic objects, lifelike dioramas, and photo and film footage.

Realistically reconstructed dugouts showed how the British in 1917 went to live underground because there was nothing leftabove. One saw communication and dressing posts, headquarters and sleeping-accommodation. The dugouts led on to anetwork of German and British trenches also convincingly recreated. Also original shelters have been rebuilt here. It was aspecial experience of how life in the trenches evolved throughout the war years. Finally one was brought to an area ofcommemoration and reflection including a famous work of art by the New Zealand artist Helen Pollock, ‘Falls the Shadow’.We all felt that this museum was of the highest quality, full of interest and very moving.

A short drive awaywas the massiveTyne CotCemetery andMemorial. Thecemetery, basedaround old Germanpill-boxes, is thebiggest of all theCommonwealth cemeteries in the world having11,956 graves the majority of which areunidentified. In addition the memorialcommemorates nearly 35,000 servicemen fromthe United Kingdom and New Zealand who diedin the Ypres salient after August 1917 and whosegraves are not known.

that this was a splendid and dignified place, beautifully kept – butimmensely sad.

In the evening we gathered withhundreds of others at the MeninGate for the sounding of the LastPost by members of the YpresFire Brigade. Only two dayspreviously this ceremony hadbeen performed for the 30,000th

time since it began in 1928. Thecrowds were such that we had tostand at the back unable to see what was going on but we couldeasily hear the moving strains of the bugles, bagpipes and aviolin. It was only afterwards that we were able to lay our wreathin memory of another OM, 18 year old pilot, Lt Noel Bishop.

Please continue to thenext page to read the

conclusion of this article.

Frederick HiggsRidgeway: 1952-57

We gathered at a pleasant hotel in Diksmuide, a Flemish town which had been completelyrebuilt in the 1920’s after being reduced to rubble in World War 1. The hotel had served asa mess for German Officers in the Second World War and still had a bunker in the garden.

Finally we walked alongthe ramparts close to theMenin Gate where anexhibition called “MakingPeace” opened in April. Alarge number ofphotographic posters paytribute to people who – allover the planet – devotetheir time, energy andresources to the cause ofpeace. It gave plenty offood for thought. Wecertainly hoped that thegrim history of this placewould never be repeated.Here we said ourgoodbyes before settingoff for home.

In flanders’ fields (Conclusion)

On the Sunday morning we visited aGerman cemetery for a change. Hereat Vladslo the remains of 25,644soldiers are interred, twenty bodiesunder each flat stone. Rather darkand surrounded by woods it at firstpresented a sombre appearance butone of the group commented that thetrees and the birdsong made it areally beautiful spot.

The cemetery also contains apair of statues – The GrievingParents– by Kathe Kollwitz, anoted German sculptress. Shemade the statues in the 1930sas a tribute to her youngestson, Peter, who was killed inOctober 1914 and is buriednearby.

Quite close to Ypres is the EssexFarm Cemetery. It was here thatLieutenant-Colonel John McCraeof the Canadian Army MedicalCorps wrote the poem “In FlandersFields” in May 1915. We read thepoem out loud as we stood by thedressing station where he hadworked. This cemetery is muchvisited and is close to the mainroad but an adjacent field full ofpoppies provided an appropriateand memorable setting. We foundthe graves of two Old Millhillianshere, Lt Frederick Pusch and 2ndLt Charles Batty

The party consisted of Peter Mcdonough, Richard Harris, Edward Colquoun,Stewart and Gina Wernham, Nigel and Lynn Baker, Frederick and Lorraine Higgs.

Saracens Rugby Club, the reigning UK Champion team, has very closelinks with Mill Hill School. (http://www.saracens.com ) Its new stadium,Allianz Park, is at Copthall, our 1st XV players have the thrill andprivilege of playing there once or twice a season and there arenumerous other links through coaching and fitness training. Twomembers of the current School 1st XV are members of the SaracensAcademy. The visionary investors who purchased Saracens and haveled it to the top in the professional era are Old Millhillians Nigel Wray(Ridgeway 1966) and Nick Leslau (School House 1977).

Many OMs are regular supporters home and away. The Club will break new ground in 2016 when they play LondonIrish RFC in NEW YORK. The NFL has been playing regular season games in London for years and now for the firsttime the Aviva Premiership Rugby Union will stage an official league match overseas. This will be on Saturday 12th

March 2016 at 3pm at the 25,000 capacity, Red Bull Arena, the home of Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls.Nick Priestnall and the Old Millhillians Club President, Tim Corbett, are exploring the idea of staging the 2016 NewYork get together for the Mill Hill Community over this weekend. Hopefully if they do, then a whole group with Mill Hillconnections can go to the game AND some of the Saracens party can join our event(s). Please put theweekend in your diary. Details to follow. Any ideas or thoughts welcome ([email protected])

Saracens Rugby Club

1958

Ever aware that this newsletter is also meant to reach outto Old Belmontians, I decided to delve into the archives and find remindersof my days at Belmont (1949-53) which, at that time, was under theauspices of Mr. Arthur Rooker Roberts (headmaster). Mr Harold Alstonwas the second master at the time.

I have little doubt that my contemporaries will recallMessrs Tweedie, Gee, Bromhead, Spooner, Gilpin, Sinclair, Morris,Goldsmith, Lanyon, Taverne, Robbins and Maxwell, all of whom weremasters at Belmont. Undoubtedly there are others but some came andwent. From my perspective there were some who should never have been

Henley’s Corner

With this issue of the Mill Hill Times due to hit the“Newsstands” (a.k.a. your Email In Boxes) late November or earlyDecember, I thought I would step back in time and look at some of thethings that amused us around this time of year.

Being the Autumn term, the main pre-morningassembly activity was playing conkers. One has to wonder whether thiswould even be allowed now for fear that the pieces of a losing conker,which would shatter after being whacked by a superior conker, mightinjure a player or bystander, thus giving rise to a law-suit. No-one even

schoolmasters and who were very Dickensian in their approach to teaching and theirbehaviour towards pupils.

There appeared to be different activities according to the term. We used to play marbles,setting up “shies”. If there were six marbles lined up against the wall leading to the chapel,you took six steps away and then aimed your own marble at the line. If you hit them, thenyou won and scooped up six more marbles for your collection.

If your marble jumped over the line, usually because of either a fault in the playgroundsurface or a strategic placement of the marbles by their owner to make life difficult for the

We also used to play much the same sort of game using cigarette cards.To younger Old Belmontians, cigarette cards might mean nothing as they were phased outover time. Cigarette manufacturers liked to include cards depicting sports, nature, trains,ships, flowers etc. in their cigarette packets, probably to encourage children to persuadetheir smoker parents to buy certain types of cigarettes so that the child could completehis/her collection. Over here in Canada and North America collectible cards, usually relatedto sports, are still produced by a company called Topps, but cigarette cards as we knewthem are non existent. Quite often, one could write to the cigarette companies and buy, or

obtain free, an album in which the cards could be glued. The picture (left) shows album pages from “Kings and Queensof England” and “Aircraft of the Royal Air Force”. This would encourage continued purchases until the albums were full.Today, kids are more inclined to collect cards for “Pokemon” or “Magic: The Gathering”.

considered action like that in our day. If you fell down and hurt yourself, you didn’t blame the uneven play-ground or the school, you picked yourself up and got on with life, carefully mopping up the blood from yourgrazed knees!

player, then you got another shot. If you missed the line altogether, then the owner of the shy kept your marble. I think Istill have my Belmont marble collection. The picture shows just one box in the collection.

I have little doubt that the pictures of a “Commend” and a “Black Mark” will ring a few bells with someof our readers. Their issue is self evident. If you did well in class or scored well in a test (do you remember we used tohave tests nearly every Saturday morning? How many students go to school on a Saturday nowadays?), then you mightget a “Commend”. Misbehave or, as in my case - so well illustrated in the picture - not do your homework, then a “BlackMark” came your way, and you had to go to the Headmaster for him to initial it and put you through the third degree.

Too many Black Marks qualified you for a tanning. Ifteachers tried that today, your school would be sued forinflicting bodily harm and acting contrary to the Charterof Rights! There was discipline in those days, somethingthat appears to be lacking today.

More from the archives in the next issue of MHT.

mill hill times- winter edition

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