I was born in January 1918, almost exactly 10 months before the end of World War 1.
In September 1931 at the age of 13+ I entered Mead’s House at Aldenham. Never having been away from home before. I was of course home sick but not desperately so, and my recollection is of a regime that was fairly hierarchical but also benevolent. There were some intimidating things like ‘new boys singing’, when each new boy had to sing a song in front of the whole House; some odd rules – all 3 jacket buttons fastened for new boys with progressive easing of restrictions until Prefects (I think) wore their jackets unbuttoned; uncomfortable requirements like cold baths every morning even in winter and moderate, but no individual, ‘fagging’. The way fagging worked was that junior boys (I cannot remember exactly for how many terms fagging lasted) were always on call for Prefects, who would shout ‘boy’, and the last boy to reach the Prefect’s study had to carry out the required chore. I don’t think we were required to do personal chores like cleaning shoes.
As far as social life in the House was concerned, there was one study occupied by 4 Prefects, the Upper Common Room and the Lower Common, through which one progressed roughly according to the form you were in. You met boys from other Houses in your classes, at Chapel and if you were in School Teams, but otherwise there was very little social mixing between Houses. The Tuck Shop consisted of a shed, which opened during the morning break and sold chocolate bars, buns etc, and a School Shop which sold things like sports goods, stationery and toilet rolls which boys had to supply individually!
At Mead’s House we used to play yard football. The ‘yard’ was a smallish concrete area enclosed by the Lower Common Room and various outbuildings, and from it led ‘Faulders Hole’, which was a basement housing the boiler, coke fired, which was tended by Mr Faulder, the general Handyman/Caretaker, who was a great character and very much part of the establishment.
Another part of the School’s social life was the OTC, which was voluntary, but almost everyone joined. We paraded once a week in uniform and the highlight of the year was Remembrance Day when we marched behind the band, about 2 miles, to Aldenham Church for the annual service.
Another notable annual event was the football match v Westminster School, played alternatively at home and away at Vincent Square in Westminster. The whole school was bussed to Vincent Square to watch and support. One year a cartoon appeared in the London Times of the School’s traditional response to an Aldenham goal of throwing our straw boaters (our official headwear) high in the air.
In the thirties the School was almost entirely boarding. There were no more than 3 or 4 day boys who lived locally, and who, I fear, were inevitably but unjustifiably somewhat looked down upon.
During my time at school, Cook’s fields were constructed under the eagle eye of Fred English. I cannot remember on what basis the work force was recruited, I think possibly as an alternative to football, but most boys from time to time did their stint at navying.
A rather more exciting event for the Prefects at Mead’s House was when ‘Tibi’ Mead took them to London during the Christmas Term to dinner and the theatre! When it was my turn we saw “Anything Goes” and dined at the Criterion Restaurant. It was a generous gesture which we much enjoyed and which added to happy memories of my time at Aldenham.
To extend my memories to World War II. I joined the TA in 1939 and in 1941 I was sitting in the Western Desert with the 7th Armoured Division. I remember well sitting by my tank in a sandstorm, when some mail arrived, including a very kind letter from ‘Tibi’ Mead. My mind immediately went back to revising for my Higher Certificate exams in the cool of early summer mornings on the cricket field – nostalgia indeed!