THE Old Redingensian Autumn 2010 Contents of The Old Redingensian Autumn 2010 Page Front Cover 1 Contents 2 The President’s Letter 3 Notes and News 4 - 5 Enterprise Awards 6 - 7 The 2010 General Election 8 Tea Trays Old and New 9 Events 10 - 11 Forthcoming Events 12 RAF on the School Field 13 Sodalitas Convivium 14 Book Review – Kitchener’s Lost Boys 15 The Headmaster’s Lodge Part 2! 16 - 17 The School Campaign for the 1125 fund 18 The Principal’s Letter / Blagrave’s Armillary Sphere 19 School News 20 - 23 The Royal Berkshire Regiment 24 - 25 Skywards 26 - 27 F J De Gex – A Forgotten Hero 28 - 31 Where Are They Now? 32 Sport 33 - 36 Class of 52 Golf Day / Reunion 37 Into Africa 38 - 39 Commentary 40 The Archive 41 Overseas Branches 42 - 44 Obituaries 45 - 53 In Memoriam 54 From the Editors 55 Officers 2010 / Rear Cover 56 Feature Writers in this Issue Rev D J (David) Weekes (1947-53) former Captain of School, pictured right, provides the main article on pp 28-31. Past President J W M (Mike) Smith (1937-47), pictured left, reviews J V (John) Oakes (Master at School 1971-97) latest book on page 15. R M (Richard) Syms (1959-66) writes about modern day Zululand and the Fund set up in memory of his son. He is pictured in Into Africa on pp 38-39. 2 The President’s Lettere has a new altar cloth and we are hoping to provide new hymn books next year. The 1125 Fund and the woork of the Development Board are uppermost in many minds and continue to draw the various stakeholders togetther in a common purpose. The School is still a long way from its target to ensure the provision of a Refectory and I would urge all ORs to dig deep to support this undoubtedly most significant improvement to the School. At least £400,000 is still required to begin this phase of the development project. It will certainly require more than your loose change or what is down the back of your sofa! I hope that we can make 2011 a bumper year ffor donations to the Fund. On the sporting side there has been the usual crop of events both active and passsive. Representatives of the ORA Council attended the School Athletics meeting at Palmer Park on 7 May to witness our successors perform and to present the OR Prizes. The new format of the Cricket Weekend on 26-27 June was a great success. The School Boatt Club challenged the ORs to a rowing race on 3 July and this was followed by a most enjoyable gathering and BBQ at the Boat House, organised by Ant Butler. The Boat House is in need of some urgent maintenance to ensure security and the ORA has agreed to pay towards this. We hope that this Ass I write this letter for the Autumn Old Red I realisse that will encourage more boys to take up the sport. The OR I am three quarters of my way through my Presidential Rugby Festival took place at School on 11 September, year and by the time you read it my time will be almost organised by Alistair Wrenn, and the Autumn Golf complete and I will be handing over to Francis Pocock. Meeting, organised by Will Lunn, on 21 October at So this is more than a review of OR activity over the past Badgemore Golf Club. 10 months and a look forward to the next year, buut also a farewell. It has been an honour to have been your On Sunday, 14 November we will be holding our President in 2010 and my overall impression is thaat the Remembrance Service in the Chapel and we hope for a OR Association is in good form, is active in a wide range very good turn out from ORs, the School CCF and of pursuits and is vigorously supportive of the School. others. (The School will hold its Act of Remembrance This has been achieved by the generosity of many ORs, for years 7 to 10, in the Quad, on 11 November and ORs but more particularly the hard work of dedicated are also welcome to attend this service.) The AGM and Asssociation Executive Committee members responnsible Annual Dinner will be at School on Saturday, 20 for social, sporting and administrative affairs, annd the November with the AGM sttarting at 5 pm. The bar will active support of members. open at 6 pm and dinner wwill be at 7 pm. As we are back in Big School for the dinner I hope that many ORs Turning first to direct support for the School, over £5000 will take the opportunity to come and catch up with old was allocated to applicants for Enterprise Awards under friends in familiiar surroundings. Next Year we hope to the guidance of Michael Maule and Neil Thomason. We add a London drinks party and a talk on the Victoria are supporting a wide range of activities, from overseas Cross, by Michael Naxton, to our social events. Details expeditions to building weather rockets! Reports on of both of these will be publiished later. some of them will appear in future editions of the Old Red. On 15 May there was a musical evening in Big I would like to take this opportunity to thank the School with a programme arranged by pupils to maark the Executive Committee and the Council of the ORA for formal handing over of the new grand piano bought by their hard work in the management of the Association the ORs. This was a splendid occasion and the talent of which has made my tenure as President so much easier the boys contributing was a delight. I have no doubt that and enjoyable. Finally, thank you, the ORs, for your the new piano will bring an added dimension to music at continued support of the Scchool and the ORA and I hope School. The refurbishment of Big School continues, to see many of you at one or more of our social and through the good offices of Ken Brown and Chris sporting events in the future. Widdows, including repairs to the stained glass windows and the blinds, lighting of the portraits and additional ‘tea With very best wishes trays’. Much of this will be evident at the Annual Dinner Floreat Redingensis! which this year will be held in Big School. The Chapel Murray Wildman 3 Notes and News E (Edward) Young (1978-85), Deputy Private Secretary to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was conferred a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June this year. J A H May (1997-03) has been commissioned into the Royal Logistics Corps from RMA Sandhurst (Sovereign’s Parade 16 April 2010). M A (Mike) Black (1955-62) has recently been elected President of the Rotary Club of Woodstock and would welcome visits to his club by ORs who are Rotarians. P (Peter) McDonagh (1960-66) is now living in Caithness but continues as Chairman of British Wireless for the Blind Fund which provides free radio sets on permanent loan to registered blind and visually impaired people. The Fund has recently launched the Sonata which is a radio ‘hub’ set providing broadband (non computer) connections to radio talking books and newspapers, store catalogues, podcasts, and other spoken information. Navigation is via speech. (The ‘Voice of Sonata’ is one of the patrons of the Fund – Cheryl Baker, once of the pop group Bucks Fizz). News has been received from Mrs Anne Penny – whom West Wingers of a certain vintage will remember as the daughter of their housemaster R L Lindsay (OR 1927-29) Master at School (1950-65) – of the death of her mother Mrs Catherine Lindsay. Anne’s brother R K (Richard) Lindsay, who now lives in America, is of course himself an OR (East House 1957-64). After years of campaigning, by amongst others Lord Ashcroft, the British Territory of St Helena is at last to commence work on the construction of an airport. This is excellent news for J L (Joe) Terry (1958-65) who has long lived on the island as the local representative of Shelco (St Helena Leisure Corporation). The US organiser for the Old Redingensians Association, R F (Roy) Seymour (1952-57) was able to join the Class of 1952 event mentioned below, as he was on these shores to attend his father’s 101st birthday. Sadly, Les Seymour has since died and we condole with Roy who, none the less, must be very proud of his father’s longevity. The Class of 1952 event took place at Caversham Heath Golf Club and a report appears on page 37 with photograph. It sprang from the ’52 intake project initiated by J L (John) Cummings (1952-57), who now lives in Australia. He has gathered, so far, contact details of 30 of those who joined the School in 1952. E S (Ned) Holt (1966-72) and a current master at School (indeed, Senior Master, Head of Sixth Form, Director of Admissions and an assistant principal) previously a co-opted member of the OR Association Council, has been elected a full member of Council (three year term expiring 2012). The Reading Chronicle on its Retro page of 17 June, referred to a 1932 pen and ink sketch of The Bull at Sonning by R W (Reginald) Ford (1918-26), which was concealing another of Ford’s works below. Ford had a slightly mystical approach to life, as those who have read his autobiographical volume, Record of a Pilgrimage (Williams & Norgate 1936) will know.