Archive
Excerpts from the Brockhurst 'Scrapbook'

Brockhurst and the two World Wars

According to the Brockhurst Chronicle of 1919, one hundred and eighty old Brocks and eleven masters served in the 1914-18 War. Of these eighteen old Brocks were killed or died of wounds and three masters were also killed in action. The record of awards is impressive and pride of place must go to Lt. Commander Leyland-Harrison who won a V.C. at Zeebrugge on the night of April 22-23 1918. He died in an attempt to silence the guns on the mole in order to safeguard the main British attack, and "The Times" described him in so doing as displaying "redoubtable resolution and courage of the highest order in pressing his attacks". Harrison was a noted rugby football player having played for England against Ireland and France in 1914 and for the Royal Navy. In addition to the V.C. old Brocks won 7 D.S.O.'s, 14 M.C.'s, 1 O.B.E., 1 D.F.C., and 1 Cross of Legion of Honour. The masters were awarded 1 D.S.O., 1 M.C. and two mentions in despatches, another received a mention also and yet another the Croix de Guerre. The D.S.O. awarded to 2nd Lt. R. W. Bowell of the Leicestershire Regt. is worthy of particular mention since an award of the D. S. 0. to an Officer of less than field rank is often reckoned to be a near miss for the V.C. Bowell with a Sgt. and twenty men held an advanced trench for two days and three nights without rations and managed on the third night to withdraw without casualties. Bowell had only been in France for a month and this was his first time in the front line. He was a former master at Brockhurst and apparently survived the war.

Apart from the fading recollections of their immediate families it is a sad fact that their names do not "live for evermore" except in so far as they are enshrined in parish churches throughout the land or come to light when ancient school records or magazines are examined. Yet these laconic entries make wistful reading and endless platitudes spring to mind which are best left unwritten. For example, "B. C. Gibbons, Midshipman R.N. drowned on the torpedoing of H.M.S. Otranto, Oct. 6th 1918 aged 16", Captain G. Orly Sloper M.C. who died at Murmansk the only son of Mr & Mrs G. D. Sloper of West Woodhay House, Berkshire, Captain B. H. Hanbury Sparrow M.C. brother of Lt. Col. A. Hanbury Sparrow D.S.O., M.C. of the Royal Berkshire Regt. who died in Mesopotania and whose three uncles also fell in the war.

Among the more poignant entries are those of D. C. Mackenzie and Capt. The Rev. B. J. Gedge. Mackenzie appeared in the school magazine of 1905 when he took seven wickets for seven runs against the Mill Mead 2nd XI. In the Fathers Match "Mr Mackenzie was careful to explain to his son the exact kind of balls he wanted to have, but we are afraid filial obedience is not to be found on the cricket field". In the Chronicle for 1907 we read how at Charterhouse "he won promotion and a prize at Christmas" and in 1908 he wrote that he "raised another promotion and is no longer a fag, thank goodness". In 1911 we read that "D. C. Mackenzie has received his commission in the Seaforth Highlanders and is posted to the India Battalion next trooping season. At present he is with the 2nd Bn. at Fort George". In 1915 Atkinson received a letter from another Old Brock serving on H.M.S. Fox which read "I suppose you will have heard that D. C. Mackenzie has been killed in France. He was a white man through and through and I'm afraid it will be a terrible blow to his people. He was shot in the head while moving along a shallow trench and who should pick him up but Donald (Capt. D. C. Mackenzie, D.S.O.) his cousin — and also an Old Brock. From the cricket square at Brockhurst to Flanders spanned ten years only.

On the 11th July 1916 Capt. The Rev. B. J. Gedge C.F. married A. H. Atkinson's daughter, Miss M. Kathleen Atkinson at Church Stretton. Like his brother Peter, Basil Gedge had been a master at Brockhurst but Peter and a third brother had already been killed in the war. Basil was posted to Salonica almost immediately after his wedding and died of wounds on the 24th April 1917. It was, perhaps, characteristic of the stoicism of Atkinson that he made no mention of his loss other than to produce two or three letters from his son-in-laws' fellow Officers offering their condolences. One in particular tends to summarise the ethos which successive headmasters have sought to teach throughout Brockhursts' history, namely "that character - that manly Christian character - is the true aim of education, and that devotion to duty and self sacrifice are infinitely greater qualities than mere intellectual efficiency".

Unfortunately we have no adequate record of the war service of Old Brocks in the 1939-45 war. The reason for this is that the school was going through considerable upheaval. John Park had taken over from R. P. Marshall in 1942 and between that date and the end of 1945 the school had three moves — Broughton Hall, Maer Hall and finally Marlston House, and with the disappearance of the School from Church Stretton many Old Brocks who would otherwise have kept in touch with the School lost contact with it.

Among the more spectacular dinners was one given by John Park on 16.7.68 for W. R. M. Milligan the retiring Warden of Radley College. Nearly one hundred guests dined in the Great Hall that evening including the ex Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, four Wardens of Radley, Sub Wardens and Radley Masters, Headmasters of Public and Preparatory Schools, Old Radleians and local notables. The photograph shows past Wardens and the present Warden D. R. W. Silk who took over the Wardenship from Wyndham Milligan. It gave Park great pleasure to have the Rev. Canon Adam Fox at the dinner since he was Warden at Radley when Park was there.

The Garth and South Berkshire Hunt Ball in June 1963 was described by the Newbury Weekly News as being "full of music and colour combined with dignity and charm, gaiety with gracious living". The Newbury News after giving details of the supper described how the "Mansion was floodlit, the gardens and lawns illuminated by fairy lights. Floodlit also in what was once a sunken rose garden was the swimming pool with its cascading waterfall at one end". Into the pool voluntarily after midnight went the M. F. H. accompanied by his wife and numerous guests.

It has, on occasions, been supposed that the school motto has some connections with the Palmer family suggesting that it must have come into school usage on arrival at Marlston. This is not the case because the Brock for Easter 1921 makes a clear reference to the motto but is quite unclear as to how it originated. The School Notes read "Our new school motto, "Palma non sine pulvere" has, we trust, set the tone for the term. The choice of the school motto has been no easy task. The Headmaster's family garter bears a hint of pride in the past". Thereafter nothing further is said - did Marshall adopt his own family motto for Brockhurst? Certainly it has nothing to do with the Palmer family and one suspects the College of Heralds would have no difficulty in challenging its authenticity.

In addition to the adoption of a motto the school flag made its first appearance in 1921 in "Brockhurst red". Mrs Marshall and Mile Junod (who taught French at Brockhurst) designed and stitched the flag and a Commander Tippet R. N. was also thanked for "suggestions as to the means of attachment of the whole to the halliards". The flag, a much treasured possession, became increasingly tattered and torn and could no longer be displayed. This was pointed out recently in the magazine and hints were dropped that its restoration would be greatly appreciated. The late Mrs Doyne-Ditmas the mother of two Old Brocks gallantly undertook this task. Using the existing badger and lettering she re-stitched both on to fresh bunting and the new flag was hoisted on Sports Day 1980.

Before scouting was initiated at Brockhurst some form of military training, largely drill one supposes, took place in the 1900s under a colourful personality in the form of Captain Meyer-Griffith who was a master at Brockhurst for some years. In 1906 Captain Meyer Griffith was said to have received a Government appointment in Western Nigeria and the "mysteries of military drill" which he sought to teach the boys was taken over by Colour Sergeant Jones of the 1st Shropshires. In 1912 Captain Meyer Griffith reappears in charge of the 0. T. C. at Glenalmond as a Major in the Territorials and very proud of himself in grey doublet, kilt of Athol tartan, plaid, dirk, claymore, skene dhu, sporran, spats and all the rest of the Highland paraphenalia which accords strangely with his name. Just prior to this transformation he had been elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. The last we hear of him is in 1915 as a Major in the 3rd Royal North Lancashire Regiment serving as Chief Ordnance Officer to the Anglo-French Force in the Cameroons. He was killed in action near Mbila, Cameroon, having been awarded the Croix de Guerre posthumously. The incipient Cadet Corps was replaced by the Scout Troop.

Brockhurst joined the Preparatary Schools Rifle Association in November 1905 and recorded with some pride the content of Lord Robert's letter read out at an early meeting of the Association in London. Lord Roberts, who accepted the Presidency of the Association advocated instruction in rifle shooting from the age of ten. Brockhurst's first two matches in 1906 were against Durlston Court and Llanyre Hall, Llandrindod. Brockhurst won both matches comfortably and in the inter schools competition was placed 52nd out of 83 competitors which, as the Chronicle said, was not a bad effort considering the numbers of the school. One of our oldest and most treasured trophies is a Senior Shooting Cup presented in 1907.

(From 1984) Shooting has always been a popular extra and we still compete in the St. David's Shield and in matches with neighbouring preparatory schools. We usually come about midway or slightly above in these competitions and generally win our matches against local schools. We can no longer compete for the Lord Robert's Bowl which is limited to schools under a hundred in numbers. We have won this competition in the past but in 1964 when we should have won it a second time we were penalised by fifteen points for using aperture sights in error and were placed second.

In the summer of 1921 it was noted that "the pool in the Carding Mill Valley has been very low and its surroundings are most unattractive in many ways. It is quite clear, therefore, that we must have our own swimming bath". This project was raised at the Parents Day in 1923 with an appeal to Parents to "do what they can to help us build the bath". In 1926 work began with the inevitable note that "the estimate is much higher than the figure originally suggested by our engineers" but the bath was open in the summer of 1924. needless to say frequent and vigorous immersions in cold water were considered "a good thing" and character building. In fact R. P. M. equated the natural fear of drowning with the hesitancy of facing a fast bowler - something which must be overcome. As he said "is it not so in life?"

When Brockhurst moved to Marlston, work on digging a swimming pool began in 1954 under the guidance of our then handyman Mr Hoppenbrauer who actually built the pool. The boys worked manfully and the pool was opened by Julian Critchley M. P. an Old Brock on 21.7.62. Critchley no doubt reflected on the horrors Marshall's pool had for him as a small boy. The pool is 60 ft. long and 30 ft. wide with a depth of 8 ft. under the two and three metre boards (now disused because of the safety regulations). The programme of events on the opening day included races between numerous swimming clubs who also gave diving exhibitions, a water polo match and fencing and riding displays. Radley College gymnastic team gave a display which was curtailed by rain.

In 1983 the swimming pool changing rooms were rebuilt and made much more attractive than hitherto and a solar heating mat was laid down which made the water so warm that even the most decrepit were persuaded to swim. Filtration plants have been installed for some three or four years now and swimming is an important feature of life at Brockhurst. We have various matches with neighbouring Preparatory schools and the pool is much in use from May onwards now that it is heated. An unexpected bonus has been the willingness of mothers as well as fathers to compete at the annual Swimming Sports.

RIDING

Riding at Brockhurst first became a feature when John Park's three daughers brought their ponies into the School. Marlston House is blessed with magnificent stables and ample grazing. The result has been that riding like Topsy "just growed". Although most of the ponies belong to the School some belong to the boys on condition that they are suitable for all to ride. A qualified Riding Mistress gives instruction and the boys learn stable management.

Riding is a popular extra and not one which is generally available elsewhere. A great deal has been done recently to renovate the fields, the riding school and the cross country jumps. Each year we hold a gymkhana and demonstrations of various equestrian skills can be seen including a musical ride.

The school also accommodates the Riding for the Disabled Group and disabled children use our ponies and facilities, under the care of visiting ladies who give up their time for this purpose.