For Cliftonians, Past and Present 2013 Old Cliftonian Tour of WWI Battlefields August 29Th - September 1St, 2014
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Cliftonthe magazine For Cliftonians, past and present 2013 Old Cliftonian Tour of WWI Battlefields August 29th - September 1st, 2014 ABOUT THE TOUR To markmark the 100th100th anniversaryanniversary of the GreatGreat War,War, the Old CliftonianCliftonian Society,Society, inin partnershippartnership withwith HistoricalHistorical Trips,Trips, areis t atakingking a a grogroupup onon aa totourur of the Western FrontFront,, wwithith a specialspecial emphasisemphasis on the role playedplayed byby Old Cliftonians.Cliftonians. The threethree-night-night totourur wwillill cocoverver the majormajor battlefieldsbattlefi elds of the FirstFirst World War,War, stayingstaying inin comfortablecomfortable hotels inin the famousfamous towns of YpresYpres andand AArras,rras, aandnd trtravellingavelling bbyy lluxuryuxury cocoach.ach. We wwillill bebe visitingvisiting museums,museums, preservedpreserved trench systems,systems, memorialsmemorials andand cemeteries,cemeteries, aass well asas the sitessites wherewhere OldOld CliftoniansCliftonians carriedcarried outout individualindividual actsacts of courage,courage, whichwhich inin some casescases lost them theirtheir lives.lives. OurOur itineraryitinerary wwillill covercover the battlefieldsbattlefi elds of the YpresYpres Salient,Salient, the Somme andand the tanktank battlebattle of Cambrai,Cambrai, butbut ourour itineraryitinerary isis flexiblefl exible andand we willwill accommodateaccommodate those withwith specialspecial requestsrequests to visitvisit sitessites thatthat havehave personalpersonal significance.signifi cance. AtAt the end of eacheach dayday there willwill bebe plentyplenty of timetime to socialisesocialise withwith fellow Old CliftoniansCliftonians ooverver ddinnerinner aandnd aa glglassass ofof wwine.ine. KEY FACTS Price per person (based on a couple sharing a room) - £675 Single person supplement - £100 The tour price includes: • Coach from and back to the UK • All museum entrance fees • 3 nights hotel accommodation in 3 star hotels • Breakfast and dinner ABOUT HISTORICAL TRIPS HistoricalHistorical TrTripsips waswas foundedfounded byby MichaelMichael IveyIvey (OC)(OC) andand historians,historians NigelNigel Jones andand Roger Moorhouse.Moorhouse. They specialisespecialise inin organisingorganising WWI andand WWII battlefieldbattlefi eld totours.urs. NNigeligel JonesJones,, whose ffatherather serservedved wwithith EEarlarl HHaig,aig, iiss a recognisedrecognised auauthoritythority on the FirstFirst World WarWar andand hashas guidedguided manymany tourstours to the WWI babattlefields.ttlefi elds. FINANCIAL PROTECTION Historical Trips is a member of the Travel Trust Association (number U8438) and has an ATOL Licence (T7382). All bookings are financially protected. ForFor more more informat informationion and and a detaa detailediled it iitinerary,nerary, call Simoncall Reece Simon or Reece Lucy onNash 0117 at 3157the OC 155 offi ce. HISTORICAL TRIPS Old Cliftonian Society Historical Trips Ltd Old Cliftonian Society www.oc-online.co.uk www.historicaltrips.com www.oc-online.co.uk [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 0117 3157 155 03 EDITORIAL EDITORIAL Contents n his Commem address in June 1913, Clifton enjoys today. However, I suspect that Editorial 1 the Head Master, Dr King, opened by his happiest memories of Clifton go back Francis Younghusband 2 stating the fairly obvious, welcoming to the years 1956 and 1957 and centre I T E Brown 9 around the two cricket matches at Lord’s the company this year to a rather quieter against Tonbridge. In 1956, whilst Jim Laker Tim Mackintosh-Smith 11 year than the last; we can hardly expect was writing himself into the history books That Poem . 17 the level of summer gatherings to be up at Old Trafford, John was the centre of a . and that Hymn 21 to that of the year of the Jubilee. “breathless hush” moment at the home of 150th Anniversary 24 The Editors of The Cliftonian were not English cricket. Clifton was facing defeat; far behind as far as this sentiment was The Cliftonian takes up the story: Clifton’s Olympians Part 2 33 concerned, reflecting on the previous Jubilee Cottrell, who had taken Mills’ place, The Cliftonian 37 year with the words tempora mutantur. apart from one or two strange passes, Governor’s Day Cup 38 showed an impeccable forward Indeed they do, and we move with them. Valete 39 defensive stroke and some telling blows After the excitements of 2012, it has been to the leg side. Time was drawing on and Commem 44 “business as usual” this year, as this edition the atmosphere becoming more tense... Art 46 of The Clifton Magazine attempts to show. at 6.25 Whitty was out...and Cottrell Chapel/Charities 50 There has been one change, however, that faced the last over. The whole of the Music 52 demands recording. Andrew Thornhill has Tonbridge side clustered round him, stepped down as President of the College but were sent scattering like the Lord’s Literary & Library 55 having, literally, presided over the 150th pigeons themselves as he struck the Expeditions & Activities 58 Anniversary Year. This was a fitting finale fourth ball to the boundary. CCF 64 for a man whose association with Clifton His trademark forward defensive to the Drama 66 stretches back over fifty years. His love last ball saved the day. The following Sport 72 of the school and generous support for it year he was back, taking 4-28 and 3-41 both in terms of donations and in terms of in an unlikely Clifton victory, dismissing The Old Cliftonian 93 the sheer amount of time he has given to RM Prideaux (caught behind) twice in the OC Secretary 94 the place, not least as a Council Member match for 0 and 89, and taking a wicket Shenstone Appeal 96 and as Chairman of Council, have been with his very first ball. Prideaux went on to Charles Colquhoun Award 97 exemplary. He joins the distinguished play for Kent, Northamptonshire and, of ranks of Old Cliftonians to whom the course, England, and ended his career with Notes & News 97 College owes much and it is right that his a batting average of 58.66; not a bad scalp, Development Trust 100 contribution to Clifton over a lifetime is therefore, for the future College President! OC Business 101 both recognised and appreciated. We congratulate him on his appointment OC Sport 102 and wish him well; if my memory of some In his place, Dr John Cottrell steps up to Moscow Visit 107 the wicket or, probably more accurately, Council Meetings is accurate, his “impeccable Branches and Reunions 108 approaches the popping-crease. Clifton forward defensive” will come in very handy. is fortunate to find such an experienced It merely remains to thank all those who OC Lodge 115 successor with an equal fondness for his have helped to produce this year’s magazine Book Reviews 116 old school. Dr Cottrell was an invaluable – Adam Sibley, Simon Reece, Lucy Obituaries 117 Nash, Geoffrey Hardyman, Peter Smith Member of Council who, along with the Letters 129 late and much missed Louis Sherwood, did for his photographs, and Andy Moon of so much to steer Clifton out of the choppy BurleighPortishead – and to hope that you Clifton Past 132 financial waters of the mid 1990s; along enjoy the edition. All errors and omissions AGM 141 with the Executive of the time, he helped are, of course, the fault of the Editor. Accounts 142 to lay the foundations of the prosperity that Bob Acheson OC Clubs 144 Francis Younghusband ‘AN UNCONFINED SPIRIT’ One hundred and fi fty years ago this year saw the birth of one of Clifton’s more extraordinary sons – Francis Younghusband. The Younghusbands were a real Clifton family and the various School Registers for the late 19th and early 20th centuries record at least fourteen as having attended the school. If Clifton was thus deeply embedded in his genes, then so too was the military life along with a deep yearning for exploration and discovery both physical and spiritual. he family name – “damn’d rum” according to one of his T contemporaries – was an old one, traceable back to pre-Norman times (Young Osban, son of Osban), but the fi rst of the family to enter into the armed forces was Commander George Younghusband (1748-1816). He had two sons, George and Charles. The latter became a Major-General in The Younghusband wedding Robert Shaw in Freshford village. the Royal Artillery whilst the former 1856. Yarkand costume. performed with some distinction at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. Charles had four sons, all of whom served in the Indian Army. John William was prominent in the Sind campaign of 1843 and thereafter on the infamous North West frontier between India and Afghanistan. In 1856 he was invalided home and married Clara Shaw, the sister of Robert Shaw who was a tea-planter and noted explorer. Francis was one of fi ve children born to the couple, arriving in this world on 31 May 1863 in Murree, a hill-station on the North West frontier. Such an idyllic setting barely registered. The hill-station at Murree. Within two years, Francis was entrusted to the care of two extremely strict aunts, who lived in Freshford just outside Bath Francis Younghusband as a where, interestingly, today the local small child. surgery operates out of Younghusband House. This period remained with him for the rest of his life Now it must be fi fty years ago and one or two more since I looked for the white The religion I was brought up in never violets in the woods of Freshford, but made me happy I remember to this day the joy I felt. and the solace he found in going off into And the sight and smell of those white the countryside on his own resulted in violets are impressions that will remain his spiritual life taking off in a direction with those children all their days. It is somewhat unorthodox for the times. As one of those clear healthy impressions Battle of the Nile. an old man he recalled which teach them God. 2 the CLIFTON MAGAZINE 2013 In 1876 he followed his brother George life This plaintive cry received short to Clifton.