National Memorial Arboretum

Just a brief post after a happy but quite long day at the National Memorial Arboretum. Thanks to Charles Bagott-Jewitt, (Tr 1979), Cheif Executive Officer of the Arboretum for his welcome and for the work he and his staff put into the event. Also to Robin Bishop and Roger Woodburn for their work. The school Chaplain, Rev Chris Briggs put together a splendid memorial service which was held in the chapel at the Arboretum before we made our way to the memorials. First to the Basra Wall where John Palmer (E 1962) laid a wreath in memory of his son Richard (E 1992) who is commemorated there, and then on to the Armed Forces Memorial for an act of remembrance, the last post, and reveille. I was privileged to lay a wreath on behalf of the Society. There was a chance to gather together over a glass of wine, and some then stayed to explore the Arboretum further while others made their way home.

Running Late

Arriving late for Chapel was, in the early days of the school, the subject of a number of rules now defunct. One was not late provided one could get through the doors before they were shut, and this led to what LS Milford describes as a deliberate 'scrummmage' at the door as the press of those arriving sought to hold the door open against the prefects inside.

No cloisters yet in this view

Then once the cloisters were built a boy was held to be in time if the clock had not yet struck by the time he reached their sanctuary. In order to make sure that everyone heard the clock a hand bell was rung in the cloisters to mark the time.

Milford goes on: 'For a long while after the bell was abolished the habitual sluggards, or those who are professionally nearly as late as they can be for all their engagements, or those who enjoyed a sprint, expected some earlier arrival in the Quadrangle to shout "running," and then they ran. This dangerous practice has been stopped. It is natural perhaps, to like the run, but after all it is hardly a good preparation for public worship.'


He does not make it clear whether those "running' were allowed to run over the grass.

Tartan

The girls' uniform comprises (for girls below the VIth) a tartan kilt. It is worn in both England and Kazakhstan. But there is also a Haileybury Tartan in Altera Terra. The Scottish Register of Tartans website explains:

The Haileybury tartan was designed to recognise the existence of Haileybury Pipes and Drums within Haileybury College, Melbourne, Australia, for some 53 years. It also acknowledges Haileybury Pipes and Drums as Victorian Champions for 25 consecutive years in 2008. It marks the unification of Haileybury College and Haileybury Girls College bands, which warranted a new, unique design that reflected the school colours.

Tartan in Altera Terra

There is a picture of a piper in Haileybury tartan here.

Haileybury tartan UK style

Holiday?

Not at Haileybury; at least not today. No holiday for the Royal Wedding either. To this day I am not up to speed with Bank Holidays as we did not have them at school nor at university unless they fell into the vacation anyway. In the church one manages one's own time pretty much (at least I did as a Vicar; now things are a bit different), so I never really took much notice of Bank Holidays until I had children at Primary School and they had the day off. Haileybury even made the parents work on Friday as, hot foot from the Mall, I went up to school with my wife for the Lower School II Parents' Evening.

As I said to the grumbling young on the way back to the beginning of term, they do get much longer school holidays. Of course they were swift to point out that they have to work on Saturday mornings. We did some rough sums and it all seems to add up to much the same teaching time in the end.

While I was at school we had a half holiday for the birth of the Master's daughter. There is of course also the famous Haileybury story of the 'rebellion' when the end of the Boer War was not marked by a holiday. No rebellion for the lack of Royal Wedding holiday. Are we less patriotic, or more obedient?

Haileyburia

These scans are from the Centenary Number of the Haileyburian, a copy of which was given to me by Humphrey Nye (Staff 61 - 94) when I visited him recently.

1962

Nowadays Haileybury is coeducational and among the teachers (as they are now known) there are as many Mistresses and Masters, and among the families there are as many husbands as wives, if you see what I mean.

1899