40s and 50s Memories
those staff whom I had recruited in England. I
came home in 1997 after twelve months - and
fell victim to meningitis four days after leaving
Thailand. My wife and I have subsequently
been back to see the school flourishing, albeit
as an independent, profit-making business, on
the foundations that we had laid.
On recovering my health, in 1998 I became
Director of a charity that brought together -
in each other's homes and in each other's
schools - pupils from independent schools
and from inner-city schools. The mutual benefit
was enormous, more than outweighing the
huge mutual apprehension that preceded the
initial meetings. From there I moved on to
run a charity based on the funds banked after
a former Government had told the Church of
England to close many of its teacher-training
establishments because it was feared that
there would be too many teachers. The 'All
Saints Education Trust', chaired by the Bishop
of London, gave grants to would-be teachers
whose opportunities to train were seriously
hindered by financial need. Many of the
applicants came from overseas.
Coincidentally, I was becoming more and
more interested in international education and
especially in an organisation with the strange
name of 'Round Square' which had been
founded by a group of like-minded Heads who
met at Gordonstoun. The 'IDEALS' of Round
Square were Internationalism, Democracy,
Environmental awareness, challenge by
Adventure, Leadership and Service to the
community - and in 2005, with 60 schools
worldwide, the organisation was looking for a
Development Director. I stopped commuting to
London and for three years was able to travel
the world, helping to organise Round Square
conferences and to spread the message.
This was a job where all my past experiences
were obviously very relevant, but in 2008 I
resigned in order to take up the responsibilities
of Master of the Worshipful Company of
Ironmongers. This seeming non-sequitur came
about very indirectly because the Company had
paid for boys (and a few girls) to be educated
at Christ's Hospital since 1570. When I became
Head Master of CH, I was invited to join the
Company - and probably because I was the only schoolmaster in a charitable organisation
which supported education more than any other
single area of need, in due course I was elected
to the Court and eventually to the privilege of
Mastership.
The journey from a Devon country vicarage to
the HM's House at Christ's Hospital and then
to the Hall of one of the City of London's 'Great
Twelve' Livery Companies started at King's. To
those sixteen terms, ten of them in the Sixth
Form, I owe many debts: for the teaching that
got me into Cambridge; for the choir that gave
me a love of all music, especially choral music;
for the Chapel which gave reinforcement to a
faith that is residual but can still waver; for the
pastoral care which emanated from one or two
members of staff in particular - I have to pick out
Julian Pytches again; for the Scout group that
unleashed a sense of curiosity and adventure
which has informed much of my pathway.
I have not been a good OA. My commitments to
school after school always required immediate
attention, and usually at times when King's
was also organising meetings and activities
for former pupils. I regretted not being able
to respond, and then as time went on, the
opportunities to pick up the threads seemed to
diminish. I offer the simplified saga above as
an excuse, but would like to assure old friends
that in all these many past years, I have not lost
my nostalgia nor my deep gratitude.
P. RANDALL
Bishop Fox 1948
Paul Randall left King's as House Captain of
Bishop Fox House in 1948. He was drawn
to Chemistry as many boys had been by the
inspiring teaching of George Morgan.
Of his later life he writes:
I left King's to come up to Queen's College,
Oxford to read Chemistry in Michaelmas,
1948. I was already a keen rugby player and
this became my leading sport at Oxford. I
captained the College side in 1950 and 1951,
and without precedent before or after we
became the Top of Division 1, otherwise known
as League Champions. This led to myself,
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