We can now concentrate on Aldenham School in 1939. I entered Aldenham in the Fourth Form in 1939. The reader must accept that as I start to dictate this tale we are trying to gather facts and impressions that started to happen 64 years ago. So let us commence.
There were one or two reasons why term did not, as far as I recollect, commence punctually. I believe war was declared against Germany on the 3rd September and the Headmaster and Governors had to decide whether the School had to be evacuated because of its proximity to London. Secondly, if the School were to stay, parents had to be considered and thirdly, the air-raid shelters which had been hurriedly constructed, I believe, at the time of Munich the previous year to see whether they were suitable for what perhaps I might describe as a long-term threat of continuous air-raids. In the event, my recollection is that, possibly against the weight of general opinion the Headmaster, George A Riding MA came to the conclusion that the school should stay put for the time being but that the air raid shelter should be checked and made safer and more commodious. The school did eventually return just before the end of September.
There were in fact, according to the register I have, 45 new pupils in the school in the Christmas term 1939, including three day boys from Radlett and another one more locally. There was another pupil from Mill Hill because that school was to be evacuated to St B's. Also two in School House who had similarly come from other schools on account of the war and they were given the privileges of the Sixth Form Room as they had been in the Sixth Form in their previous schools. Subsequently the Captain of the House agreed that, as a Fourth Former who had been previously at a West Country school, I should have the privilege of the Fourth Form room known as the Day Room at that time.
Having been confined to bed for the best part of a year and because of the history of breathing problems my first two terms my exercise was confined to walking and I certainly did particularly on half holidays, manage to walk to some very interesting places.
A game that I was allowed to play was golf and it being known that in the past the Evens House Tutor, Bill Kennedy, had taken pupils to Porters Park Golf Club, I asked the Headmaster if I might go on a regular basis. This was most unfortunate because the Headmaster ruled that I could not go there on any basis and that golf was not to be encouraged at Aldenham School. In spite of this the O A Golfing Society competes regularly in the Halford Hewitt Tournament, then played at Royal Cinque Ports Deal and now at St Georges' Sandwich as well as Deal.
In the competitions arranged by the public schools golfing society one wonders if perhaps golf had not been banned in our time whether the golfing society would have produced better results.
Much is often said concerning the appalling food served to schoolboys and public schools during the war and in the period preceding the war. I can only say that as far as I was concerned School House food was excellent. Porridge was served every morning for breakfast and although I do not recollect receiving large amounts of fresh eggs, we had the scrambled eggs and omelettes made from egg powder, sausages and occasionally bacon. Very good fare served and supervised by the School House Matron. Lunch was always up to scratch and, in fact, the Headmaster his wife and any guests that he wished to entertain were served exactly the same lunches as the schoolboys in the House.
At the beginning of the winter or Christmas term there was still sufficient daylight to play games after afternoon school. Lemonade and a sticky bun were served at 4.00 pm every afternoon and at 6.45 a cooked meal was served with tea, bread and butter and sometimes fish paste, or jam, which I believe the matron made from the produce of the Headmaster's garden.
During this term in 1939 the Country operated on a daylight-saving scheme, so that during the summer months there was Double British Summertime, which meant that in September there were two extra hours of daylight. So, the Summer timetable was not changed until it began to get dark prior to 6.00 pm.
When this happened, afternoon school started later - I believe 4.15 or 4.30 and the early part of the afternoon was spent playing games, as half holidays. The tea-time break was abandoned, our meal was changed to 6.00 pm and cocoa was served after our evening preparation finished. Otherwise, life at the school was comparatively uneventful, until the fall of France in 1940.
The fall of France in May 1940 and the subsequent evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force in the following months caused one or two differences in school:-
1) from June 1940 there was an extra Corps day on Monday or Tuesday as well as our Thursday when those in the Corps wore uniform all day at school.
2) the school was, of course, put on general alert and a number of senior boys, particularly those holding ranks in the OTC were drafted into the Local Defence Volunteers (LDV). This subsequently became the Home Guard (Dad's Army!).
Nearing the end of my convalescence and under the supervision of the school doctor, I joined the School OTC in 1940. Early in 1941 I was awarded Certificate A. Certificate B was, I believe, the prerogative of the University Corps as I never heard of any of my contemporaries obtaining that advancement in the School Corps.
Later I was assigned as the cadet responsible for the Armoury, which was situated to the right of the entrance to the open-air swimming baths but which has long since been demolished. The swimming baths were, to the best of my knowledge, in full use during the War: the larger of the two baths being reserved for the exclusive use of boys who had been tested and swum two lengths of the smaller baths.
With that responsibility, I was given the rank of Lance Corporal, probably the highest military rank held by me, although later, flying from an operational training unit in the north of England, my position was that of an Officer Cadet Aircrew.
When the Home Guard was formed, all those in the LDV became automatic members of the local Home Guard and were issued with battledress. I believe my position was that I was considered an honorary member but was not officially drafted from the school as I was responsible for regular duties in connection with the fire-watching scheme, relating to the nightly survey of the school buildings and was also appointed to look after the evacuation of one of the smaller dormitories in School House in the event of an evacuation being necessary.
Life continued at Aldenham with only occasional evacuations to the air-raid shelters, which at times were not used because of flooding. In such cases, we assembled in the School Room at School House. Although it has to be said that the air-raid shelters were overhauled in September 1940 and, probably because of the flooding, again sometime in 1941.
My story really ends here, as far as Aldenham School is concerned, that is December 1941 when I joined the OA Society, attending the AGM in June 1941 and subsequently, most AGMs from 1946 to date.