H G Reading Mead’s/ Paull’s 1937 – 1942
I was at Aldenham from 1937 – 1942, at Paull’s, took my School certificate in 1939 in Modern Studies and Higher Certificate in 1941 in French and History. I therefore was taught by Jock Evans in a class of two (Alan Tuckey who was killed in the war being my companion) for Higher Certificate. I then had 2 terms when I was given freedom to read in the Library, History and Geography (my other great interest but only available to C forms) writing weekly essays for Jock Evans. Meanwhile, with a number of others, I had volunteered for the Indian Army. I went overseas in 1942 returning in 1947, eventually becoming a Geologist and Lecturer at Oxford. Jock Evans and I kept in touch until his death. He was the greatest influence on me at Aldenham. Incidentally he had also taught my Uncle Harold, after whom I am named, he was killed at the age of 19 in the 1st World War.
I have to admit that, as a 13 – 15 year old, up to 1939, my principle interests in the world were sport, football and cricket. The outside world of politics did not have too great an impact on me until the war began.
This having been said, there were issues :-
1) Communism versus Fascism and especially the Spanish Civil War. I remember in our snowball fights (winter of 1938/9) we would divide into Communists v Fascists, without understanding the issues. Also I remember an OA (Cochet?) returning from the war and showing off his back, peppered with shrapnel scars! I have no idea on which side he fought.
2) Social affairs and social divides. I remember the Headmaster, George Riding, from the pulpit, thundering about the iniquities in society; especially the way the Government was spending large sums of money on rearmament when this should have gone to help the poor and unemployed. With hindsight it is easy to see that we should have rearmed, but with the great social problems of the 1930’s, it was not clear at the time.
This takes me on to another feature of Aldenham at that time. That was the association of the School with its club in Kentish Town. It was a common feature of many Public Schools (and Oxbridge Colleges e.g. Balliol Boys Club in Oxford) to promote Boys Clubs in deprived areas of inner cities. The purpose of such clubs was not only to provide money for the facilities for sport and recreation in such areas, but to bring together, on a personal basis, boys from opposite ends of the social spectrum by opening the sports facilities of the public school during the summer holidays for boys from the inner city and for visits by public school boys to the inner city clubs. I got involved in such a venture in the summer of 1939 when I stayed at Aldenham to host a group of Kentish Town boys. I remember little of what we did except to sail in the reservoir. I made friends with a boy called Alec, with whom I corresponded for a year or two afterwards but then, with the war, lost touch. I rather think the war put paid to the Kentish Town venture, but I may be wrong. If you have some more information on it it would clearly be a good subject for a project with all its implications for society at that time. Clement Atlee, for example, organised and ran a boys’ club in London in the early 1920’s.
3) Pacifism was another issue that we debated amongst ourselves, especially, in my case, after the war started. However, for most people this was a 1930’s problem as the literature appeared showing the horrors and futility of the 1st World War. An influence on me was R A Sprent (Captain of House and Captain of Football in my first year at Aldenham) who went up to Cambridge, became a Conscientious Objector, and returned to Aldenham as a member of staff. I emphasise that at no time did he ever promote pacifism amongst the boys, but this did not stop us discussing it amongst ourselves. In the event nobody of my generation did become, as far as I know, a Conscientious Objector.
4) Imperialism and Colonialism was an issue that I have left to the last, but was, by no means, the least important. For me, at least, it was the one that we discussed most heatedly. Speaking for myself, I was brought up in a strong belief in the British Empire. My love of history was kindled when my father put me onto his collection of G A Henry books. I read every one thus acquiring my knowledge of history outside Western Europe. It was inevitable, therefore, as a teenage rebel, to become strongly anti-imperialist in the 1930’s with people such as Churchill, our bête noire, fiercely condemned for their reluctance to grant greater autonomy to India. Unfortunately I can find nothing that relates to the School itself.
It may seem strange that I subsequently volunteered for the Indian Army in 1942, but in 1941/42 for a 17/18 year old it was a wonderful opportunity to travel abroad directly, to see the most fascinating country in the world and mix and work with Indians. I never regretted my 4 years in the old Indian Army with a mixture of Hindus, Sikhs and Pathans (Pushtoons) all working together in the same regiment.
However, all that is another story. I have written enough.