Month: November 2023
England lock Abbie Ward helped Bristol Bears to a 48-5 win over Sale Sharks in their opening Premiership Women’s Rugby game; she scored just 13 minutes into the match which was played four months after the birth of her first child.
Read more HERE
It was quite out of the blue that we received a call from Dr Mark Johnson, an eminent physicist and engineer, who had some equipment he thought might be useful for the School.
So, a meeting was duly arranged for him to meet the Head of Physics, Mr Mark Appleton.
Having two physicists in the same room, both called Mark, was confusing. There was an element of Schrodinger’s Cat about the whole thing mixed in with Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. ‘Mark’ could be both a Physicist and a Teacher at the same time and I pondered the quantum state of each while they spoke in binary, and of things that even us ‘Trekkies’ don’t understand.
Now, I say this, but it was in that same room as that we now found ourselves, that I had actually done my electronics ‘O’ level practical in 1980. (Yes, they had electricity then). This was the reason that I went on to become an electronics engineer, for a while at least. So, while Mark showed Mark many wondrous things, I did understand what they were saying, like I hadn’t declared that I spoke Greek in a 1960’s war film, but was listening in.
And indeed, the lenses, prisms, and mirrors that he brought were in their hundreds, if not thousands, and were of such high quality that they could be used in professional high optics. The uses, for making telescopes, for demonstrating the properties of light, for experimenting, for beam splitting when making holograms, for investigating, and for being inspired, are immense. Each piece costing up to £100, and there were trays of them.
Mark had also brought an oscilloscope and has offered a Low Frequency Spectrum Analyser. You don’t get many of these to the pound, and the Spectrum Analyser is a marvellous piece of kit. It costs about the same as a small Tesla and is just as much fun. I might just find myself straying back to the physics lab from time to time.
Mark has much more such equipment and has generously agreed to donate it to the School, in monetary terms equipment well in excess of £100,000. We are all extremely grateful to Mark for his generosity.
We hope to see Mark back soon. Perhaps to show the properties of light and some of the wonders of modern physics. He reminded me of Sir James Dyson, someone with an enquiring mind, and a belief that any problem has a solution. Thank you, Mark, for your time and your inspiring donation.
Jan van der Velde
Director of Alumni Development
Earlier this term Ben Collins and I were invited down to London to interview Lord James Lupton as part of our ‘Careers’ series.
Lord James Lupton is one of Sedbergh’s eminent business leaders. James has had a stellar career in investment banking, having become Deputy Chairman of Baring Brothers by the age of thirty. He then established Greenhill Europe, at first setting up in an office with just a phone and a desk. The company, some years later, was sold on the Stock Exchange.
James was later to become Treasurer of the Conservative Party, as well as holding a number of other high profile positions, including being a member of the Board of the British Museum.
James was most hospitable on our arrival. His views on working life were interesting and refreshing. Work hard, (there is no other way to success), put yourself in the way of luck, find a career that inspires you, and learn from your mistakes, don’t be shackled by them.
You can see the full interview here: HERE.
Thank you, James, for your time, and for your candour, and most of all, for your hospitality. Your words will, I hope, inspire the next generation in their ambitions, such that they adopt an adventurous spirit such as yours, and not be afraid to fail but to be empowered by the same.
Sometimes we at Sedbergh are blessed with visits from those whom we haven’t seen for quite a while. This month we welcomed Nigel Rich (L58-62), and his wife Cynthia.
Nigel has had a stellar business career, being at one point Managing Director of Jardine Matheson Holdings in Hong Kong, amongst many other senior positions throughout his working life. He returned to Sedbergh to spend his first night in the town since 1963.
The visit was not purely social. He had offered to speak to the pupils as part of our drive to inspire the next generation when making their career choice. In this he was brilliant. None of us had met him before, and of course one always assumes that a distinguished person of business would have certain ways. But Nigel was the most charming individual and was able to talk to the panel of pupils at their level, encouraging them to ask questions and studiously talking his time to answer concisely but in full.
Afterwards he was interviewed on camera by the Head of School, Olivia (Livy) R. Here was an interaction of youth talking to experience, of one generation seeking guidance from another, of advice sought, and knowledge given. Both did well, and Livy held her nerve and remained undaunted while Nigel demonstrated his consummate charm which no doubt made him so successful in commercial life.
There were many points to note but one thing that stuck in the mind was that Nigel felt he hadn’t performed well at Sedbergh. He regretted not being on the 1st XV. This feeling of failure had spurred him on. It had made him want to succeed. This was an interesting and honest reflection and in itself quite inspiring, the message being just because you’re not a ‘big shot’ at school, doesn’t mean you can’t aim for the stars – and get there.
Thank you, Nigel, for coming to visit. We hope you will come back soon. There are many more questions that the pupils want to ask.
Jan van der Velde
Director of Alumni Development
Edinburgh is a beautiful city. I can highly recommend it, not least for the trams which run regularly and take the stress out of driving. If you catch the right tram then you can find yourself at the quayside in Leith, which is what a number of us did on 17th November when we stood staring up at the grandeur of The Royal Yacht Britannia.
This was a very grand ‘Black Tie’ event attended by seventy OS and guests. As we walked up the red carpeted gangway, with the piper in all his refinery playing his pipes, we were met by champagne and elegance. This was a night when the ship was ours and we could glimpse a time when the Queen and Prince Philip carried Britain to the World, when Charles and Diana had their honeymoon, when Heads of State discussed matters of great importance while dining in the very same room where we were about to sit.
It is an interesting fact that two OS served on The Royal Yacht Britannia at the same time. There may even have been others but Katy de la Rivière best summed it up in her toast to them:
Tonight, we mark the contribution of two Sedberghian naval officers, Admiral Sir Jock Slater and Captain William Canning. This is particularly fitting this evening as Bill and Jock both served here on the Royal Yacht Britannia in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. At that time they were both young and fairly inexperienced sailors. Bill Canning went on to Captain HMS Broadsword, leading the ship safely through operations in the Falklands war. Sir Jock was the first Commanding Officer of HMS Illustrious, was the Queen’s Equerry for six years and was proud to have been able to serve Her Majesty so closely, and served as the First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy from 1995 to 1998.
Sadly, neither could join us on the evening, but their photos on our display boards were a fitting reminder of our connection with the Yacht’s past.
This aside, we were given an extended tour which set the scene for a most memorable dinner. The food on the Yacht, being a menu of the Chef’s own devising is exquisite. I have eaten in many places (and being a second row forward I do not shrink from such duties) but this was exceptional.
The new Chair of the OS Club, my good friend Duncan Berry, acted as Master of Ceremonies. He brought his own charm and charisma to bear, while operating a gavel, which caused shock waves to go through our wine glasses and indeed our heads. But he is skilled at such things and brought us to order at suitable times.
Once such suitable time was when the Headmaster, Mr Dan Harrison, rose on his hind legs to address us. As at HMS Belfast he gave a robust and inspiring address. Our applause echoed along the quayside.
Now, of all things that impressed me, and indeed most of us, was that the Yacht has 10 bars. Only one was open for us but that stayed so until 1.00am. This was quite refreshing, and we were able to catch up with old friends and new. I was particularly delighted to meet with Major Simon Collins and Dr Nick Spencer, neither of whom have I seen since my Sedbergh days. I much enjoyed catching up after all these years.
Thank you to the staff of The Royal Yacht. You looked after us well. And a particular thank you to OS Bob Peters, Travel Counsellor, for so generously sponsoring the dinner. It was another great evening for the OS Club and thank you to all who attended and supported us. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Jan van der Velde
Director of Alumni Development
As a young man I spent many a lunchtime walking along the Thames past the Town-Class Light Cruiser, HMS Belfast. I have an inquisitive mind and I was therefore delighted, during this period, to be invited to dine with Sir Jock Slater, a distinguished OS and First Sea Lord, aboard the Ship.
Some twenty years has passed since then. Sir Jock is still in good form (I saw him only a few weeks ago) and the ship still lies proudly at its berth. Both have an imperial majesty about them, and in the presence of either, you can sense the history of our great nation. It was with great pleasure therefore that on 9th November the OS Club, itself a venerable institution, hosted a dinner for sixty guests aboard the ship.
HMS Belfast was not built with tall people like me in mind. (I am of Dutch extraction, and for those of you who don’t know the Dutch are the tallest nation on Earth. A necessity so that we can keep our heads above water when our dykes break). This design oversight aside, stepping into the bowels of the ship, brought you at once in contact with its history. The smell, the muscular steelwork, the metallic clangs of doors shutting, and the rugged simplistic design of dials and switches, were all echoes of a time when the ship’s crew fought for our country and our freedom.
This was emphasised by James Edwards (S68-73) who gave a fitting tribute to his father, Dennis Wayman Edwards (S36-40) who fought on the sister ship HMS Sheffield, and later on the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable. This added a sense of poignancy and pathos to the evening, and to the historical context of the ship and Remembrance Week.
The Headmaster, Mr Dan Harrison, spoke well. He was in confident mood and while everyone was wondering if VAT will cause an issue for independent schools, he was most robust in his conclusions about Sedbergh. These being, the School is full, we are strong, and while VAT is a nuisance, it will not define the School’s future. Our focus is on the long term, not the short.
It was an excellent evening. Unfortunately, we had borrowed a wheelchair from the ship at the end of the evening. In my haste to return it I ran across the road. The front wheels hit the kerb and the chair stopped, quite suddenly. I didn’t! The taxi driver who was collecting our guests found this most amusing and I am sure has made great profit by selling his dashcam footage to YouTube.
Thank you to those who attended. It was a most fun evening and I enjoyed talking to all of you.
Jan van der Velde
Director of Alumni Development
We are very excited in the Club to say that we have a plan to put together the first ever official OS band.
We have had several sporting OS teams for many years so now relish the opportunity to spread the concept into music.
In the first instance, we propose to create a lineup of keyboard/piano, guitar, trumpet, sax, bass and drums to play instrumental music and act as a backing band for OS vocalists.
The logistics of playing at a distance and together are obviously not going to be easy but we feel that there are ways of producing something worthwhile and enjoyable out of this if we don’t try to be over-ambitious.
We are fortunate to have OS Ben Crosland (H 64-69) and John Barraclough (P 69-72) to put this together.
Ben is a well-known accomplished jazz musician, composer and arranger. John, who used to be in a band with Ben, lives in Sedbergh and will be co-ordinating all aspects of this project as it moves forward.
2025 is the target for great musical celebration in the School calendar but we would very much like to get things moving as soon as we possibly can and be able to play at events before then.
Accordingly, we shall be very pleased if you can let us know, in principle, if you would be interested in joining the initial line-up to be arranged in the New Year.
Please email njbarraclough@gmail.com if this is of interest to you.
Newcastle Falcons full-back Ben Redshaw (S 16-23) won a Rising Star Award at the recent Sport Newcastle dinner.
The 18-year-old joined the Falcons’ academy at the age of 14, with the Leeds-born back attending Sedbergh School prior to the culmination of his studies in the summer.
Captaining England U18s and representing England U19s a year young, Redshaw was this season named in England U20s’ Elite Player Squad.
The Yorkshireman made his first team debut for the Falcons and has already appeared in Gallagher Premiership action as well as being invited out to train with England’s Rugby World Cup squad during this year’s tournament in France.
Newcastle Falcons’ head of academy James Ponton was on hand at Newcastle Civic Centre for the presentation.
The Royal Yacht Britannia was a particularly special venue on which to host the recent Old Sedberghian Scottish dinner as two Sedberghians launched their careers on the ship.
During the 1950’s and 60’s Admiral Sir Jock Slater GCB LVO SH 51-56 (below) and Captain William Canning MBE DSO S 44-48 (above) both served on The Royal Yacht Britannia. At that time, they were both young and fairly inexperienced ‘yotties’. Bill Canning went on to Captain HMS Broadsword, leading the ship safely through operations in the Falklands war. Sir Jock was the first Commanding Officer of the Aircraft Carrier HMS Illustrious, he was the Queen’s Equerry for six years and was proud to have been able to serve Her Majesty so closely, and he served as the First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy from 1995 to 98. Photographs of both the men as boys at Sedbergh and during their naval careers were on display for guests to view. A toast of dedication was made to Bill and Jock to recognise the contribution they made serving their country during their long and eminent careers.
Sadly, we do not have a photograph of Jock Slater during his time at school. It would be wonderful to compile a full set of school photographs in the archive. If any Sedberghians have House or team photographs that may fill gaps in the collection please get in touch with the Archivist, Katy de la Rivière, who will check whether the archive holds copies. The archivist can scan loaned photographs and return the original to the owner.
Early November is always a poignant time at Sedbergh. Pupils return from their half term holiday and suddenly the weather and the scenery have changed. Instead of vibrant greens on the hills and fells, the landscape is more sombre with browning bracken and amber leaves.
Against this backdrop the School turns its attention en masse to commemorating the nearly 500 men and boys from Sedbergh who lost their lives in the two world wars. Throughout the week running up to Remembrance Sunday a series of commemorative events and informative talks are held, giving both pupils and staff the time and opportunity to consider the sacrifice made by Sedbergh’s fallen.
The Prep School hosts events each day of the week. In Cressbrook House war poems are read each day. This year the programme of readings included The Soldier, by Rupert Brooke, Margaret Postgate Cole’s, The Falling Leaves, Laurence Binyon’s For the Fallen, Isaac Rosenberg’s, Break of Day in the Trenches, and a new poem, Michael written and read by Cressbrook’s Resident Poet, Adam. The full Cressbrook roll of honour was read within the house on the eve of Armistice Day.
Prep School teacher Charles Vereker visited boarders to share his experience as an Officer in the British Army. His personal account of the importance of Armistice Day was most moving. Earlier in the week visiting staff from the Senior School had spoken to the full Prep School. During the mid week assembly, School Archivist Katy de la Rivière discussed the youngest and oldest Sedberghian casualties from the First World War and described the early fundraising work of the Royal British Legion.
The archive is privileged to hold several fundraising lapel pins that that were used prior to the introduction the now ubiquitous poppy. One features an injured soldier with his arm in a sling and a patch over his eye, another takes the shape of a medal and ribbon with the text ‘In honour of our wounded 1915’. These artefacts and others including original propaganda magazines and posters were shared with pupils. Senior school Head of History and former Army Officer Rupert Follett, travelled down to the Prep School to share his personal experience in the field of battle and the importance of remembrance. After the Prep School Armistice Day service pupils placed their poppy in the bark of the tree outside the front door of School. This tradition was begun by the girls of Casterton School and reinstated by Prep School Headmaster, Will Newman.
At the Senior School a week of events culminated in a varied programme of events on Remembrance Sunday. Boarding houses marked the fallen from their houses, displaying biographies and photographs of the fallen, sharing obituaries of the casualties and reading the roll of honour for the house in particularly poignant evening services.
The Brantwood Society, the academic English society, met in the scholars’ room of the school library to share war poetry. This annual event is always moving and includes readings from poems of international renown, as well as Sedbergh’s own war poet, Robert Sterling.
Remembrance Sunday began with Hartonian Alex C. playing the bagpipes at 7.30am to mark the opening of this important day in the Sedbergh calendar. Shortly afterwards, the housemasters, prefects, senior staff and Old Sedberghian guests met at the Boer War memorial below chapel to remember the fallen of the African War in an intimate service. Over 1000 pupils, staff, Old Sedberghians and friends gathered on the Cloisters for the main Remembrance service on Sunday morning. This service led by the Headmaster and School Chaplain included a moving reading from the Head of School. The day of commemoration closed with a performance of Faure’s Requiem in the school chapel. The chapel choir numbers were swelled by invited OS singers who joined the performance.
Remembrance Sunday is a lynch pin of the Sedbergh calendar. The sacrifice made by both the Sedberghian men lost and their families will always be respected and remembered. Sedbergh master Second Lieutenant Frank Cooper of the Royal Fusiliers was killed in the Battle of Arras. He wrote to a friend 24 hours before he died.
‘The scene of devastation around us passes all description. Try to imagine shells being fired at the rate of dozens every minute … Big explosions shake my little hut as I write … About five big guns have gone off close by during the last sentence … One may be dirty but one does see life and death.’
It is difficult to fully comprehend the horrors of war from the safety of the Howgill fells. Many within our community have seen active service in the armed forces. Their role in Armistice Day events is vital to inform our understanding of the act of Remembrance. We are grateful for their contribution and hold them in our thoughts on this poignant day.
As for the 459 Sedberghians who are known to have given their lives in during the First and Second World Wars, we will never forget.