For Pupils and Former Pupils of Clifton College INCORPORATING THE ANNUAL REPORT 2008 We owe something to this place. We are obscure people, you and I, but this place is not obscure, and our connection with it is what lifts us, in our common life at least, out of our obscurity. The least return we can make is to avoid injuring it by ungraceful self-assertion or licence of manner. So long as the standard of manners in places like this is kept up, there is no danger from without. Such places are not brought down except by themselves. From an address given in Big School on 13th October 1895 by S.T. Irwin, assistant master 1876 - 1911 For Pupils and Former Pupils of Clifton College Contents 21 Clifton Past Thoby Stephen and the Bloomsbury Group Cliftonians at War 2 Clifton Past 19 Clifton Present (The Cliftonian) 25 25 Clifton Present “The Cliftonian” Great Games & Sporting Heroes 58 OC Sport 68 OC Chronicle 73 67 Great Games & Sporting Heroes Clifton v Marlborough 1991 The Illustrated Clifton News 80 Letters to the Editor 93 Obituaries 95 73 Old Cliftonian Chronicle BearKnuckles in Africa Branches and Reunions 110 Minutes of the AGM 113 Work of the Society 114 100 Obituaries Major General Derek Horsford CBE, DSO & Bar The Honorary Treasurer’s Report 114 OC Society Information 116 Dear Reader Firstly, may I publicly thank all those benefactors and subscribers who have so generously contributed to our funds this year. Your support is very much appreciated. May I also thank all those Old Cliftonians who have sent in their memories concerning their National Service or their school days. These are currently being reviewed for use in either the Clifton Magazine or our new book about Clifton, entitled The Best School of All. You may also wish to know that Derek Winterbottom has just completed a book about the Polack dynasty at Clifton which will be launched on the same day as the London dinner, on Thursday 27th November 2008. The School continues to flourish, despite an uncertain economic environment, and the Music School and the Science School are currently being refurbished. The School, in conjunction with the Old Cliftonian Society, is pleased to announce the launch of the Shenstone Scholarships and details can be found in the magazine, as to how you may contribute to this worthy cause. I thought you might all be interested to read the following extract from the letter-testament of Oscar Thompson, written to a family friend in 1927, in which he expressed his ideas in regard to the education of his children. It was read over the radio in July 1945, after his death. I leave you to draw your own conclusions and to debate its relevance to the world today. ‘I care less for material welfare than for the building of ideals, the fostering of a love of beauty, the development of manly and womanly characters... I cling to certain old-fashioned concepts, and would rather see my children dead than have them carried along on certain currents of what I may term society life; I would rather my boys were deckhands on a tramp steamship than humdrum business men; I would rather my girls were seamstresses than playthings and idlers... I would have them sensitive, yet in a sense stoical; obedient and truthful and fearless, placing courage as the highest of virtues; I would foster the spirit of adventure and romance, and disparage the love of money; and I would place interest before prosperity in choosing a vocation... I measure success not by what has been acquired, but by richness and beauty of experience; I cling to the eternal things as against fads and fashions of the hour; I would rather my children would have hardship and live deeply, than an easy road and live superficially’. Forthcoming Events 2008 Saturday September 20th Devon and Cornwall Branch Lunch with Tom Gover at Trebetherick Friday October 17th Old Cliftonian Society AGM at 4.30pm Old Cliftonian Executive Committee meeting at 5.30pm Bristol Dinner at the Clifton Club, The Mall, Clifton at 7.30pm Friday October 31st Cardiff O.C. Dinner Saturday November 8th O.C. Lodge meeting (tea in the Newbolt Room at 3.30pm) Thursday November 27th Polack’s Book launch at the Westminster Synagogue London OC dinner at Brooks’s Club, St. James Saturday December 13th Sports Reunion at Clifton 2009 Saturday February 14th OC Lodge centenary celebrations at Clifton Thursday February 19th Oxford Dinner Saturday May 2nd John Bretten Trust Hockey Match (Contact [email protected] or [email protected]) Saturday May 9th Reunion for all those born between 1961 and 1966, and in school between 1974 and 1984 July 60th Anniversary of winning cadet trophy at Bisley (Date/venue to be confirmed) Cliftonians at War 2 LIEUT. A. N. H. CHURCHILL’S (North Town 1905-1908) DEATH IN FRANCE It is with sincere regret that commission, and went to the Cadet School at we announce the death, from headquarters in France for a month’s special wounds received in action, of training. He was then transferred to the 1st Canadian Battalion and was subsequently Lieut. Arthur N. H. Churchill, selected to command the Machine Gun second son of Mr and Mrs E. Section. In a letter home he wrote: “Lieut. H. Churchill, ‘The Lindens’, Campbell, V.C., was my predecessor. I have the same guns and what is left of the crews. Wembdon Road, Bridgwater. I have the lumberman whose back was used: Lieut. Churchill, who was twenty- H. Vincent is his name. He got the D.C.M., four years of age, was educated and is a very fine fellow.” This refers to the incident during the German attack when the at Clifton College, and went to tripod of a machine gun was shot away and British Columbia in 1913. Lieut. Campbell, supporting it on Vincent’s back, continued firing. Lieut. Campbell A PROMINENT LOCAL FOOTBALLER received the V.C. and died of wounds shortly e enlisted in Victoria, B.C., on the after. The perilous nature of this work may be same day that war was declared, and judged from the fact that every officer who Hcame over to England with the 1st has commanded the Machine Gun Section of Canadian Contingent as a private in the Royal the 1st Canadian Battalion has been killed. He Canadian Dragoons. On the 4th May he went was a promising officer, and was much liked to France with the Canadian Cavalry Brigade, by his men, with whom he had gone through who were hastily turned into an infantry for “The Times”, said: “...I know you had a much hard fighting. A pathetic feature of the purpose of reinforcing the Canadian line. very trying time. The trenches were not very the sad event is that in the same week his They were sent straight into the first line of good trenches – they were mixed up and parents received a letter from him stating that trenches, where they lost heavily. On being very confused – and you had to undergo he was returning home on the Wednesday relieved they were complimented by General a great deal of very heavy shelling. In spite for a few days leave. At the moment when Alderson, commanding the 1st Canadian of all that, you carried out your allotted he was expected back, a letter was received Division, who, in the course of an address task uncommonly well.” Lieut. Churchill from the Chaplain of the battalion dated to the Brigade subsequently published in was recommended from the trenches for a September 6th intimating that the young Cliftonians at War 3 officer was suffering from a bullet wound in the head, but that hope was entertained of his recovery. This expectation, unhappily, was not fulfilled, as on the following day a wire from the War Office announced that Lieut. Churchill had died of his wound. From subsequent letters it appears that he was wounded by machine gun fire from the German trenches while he was engaged in placing a machine gun on top of the parapet. Two other men of the Machine Gun Section were wounded at the same time. The intelligence of the gallant young officer’s death has evoked widespread regret in the town, as he was very popular and much esteemed by all who knew him, and the greatest sympathy has been extended to Mr and Mrs Churchill in their sad loss. Two other brothers are also serving in his Majesty’s 1909 forces – Lieut. E. A. H. Churchill with the 5th Somerset Territorials in India and Private H. A. H. Churchill in the 2nd Canadian Contingent. The three brothers, who were educated at Clifton College, were very capable Rugby players and for a number of seasons had assisted the Bridgwater Albion Club, and Lieut. E. A. H. and Private H. A. H. had filled the position of captain of the team. The late Lieutenant Arthur Churchill, who also played for the Clifton Club during the years 1910-12, was a forward of great value and the news of his death, heroic and noble though it was, has been received with much grief by sportsmen generally. A year or so ago the deceased young officer and his brother, Private H. A. H. Churchill, went to Canada, where they had been engaged in farming pursuits. When the war broke out they heard the call of the Empire, and sacrificing all their immediate ambitions hastened to the aid of the Motherland. Two months ago the two brothers were home on leave together in Bridgwater and were very warmly welcomed by a large number of friends.