Harder than it seemed!

Gp Capt Peter Townsend (L 1928) knew there were lots!

Well, I thought it would be easy and it has not been. I thought I could do better and I have not. My plan, during the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, was to put the published list of the "Few" against the Haileybury Register and come up with a definitive list of the "Few OHs". I thought I could beat RL Ashcroft who, being a Housemaster of Lawrence published the list of those from that House. I thought I could do better than Andrew Hambling who, in his Haileybury in Two World Wars simply repeats RLA's list and adds in a few anecdotes. But it has turned out to be a harder task than it seems. There are just so many - even the few were actually quite a lot and there are masses of OHs. I have got to "D" and found five or six to add to the list. I still hope to get finished, but not even I can claim it is still summer, and reluctantly I have turned on the heating in church and admit I have not got the task done.

VJ Day

Menu Card for the 1945 OH Dinner at Changi

The sixty fifth anniversary of the end of the war in the Far East us being marked today with what may be the last formal reunions of the so - called "Forgotten Army." Andrew Hambing in his Haileybury in Two World Wars records that William Marley (LeBas 1924) was a liaison officer with General McArthur and was present on the USS Missouri when the surrender was signed. As the POWs began to be able to send news and to return home harrowing stories came to light. There were also some lighter memories. In the midst of the suffering in the notorious Changi Goal Haileyburians from Hertfordshire and from Australia has saved and scraped together rations to hold dinners of the Haileybury Society. Imogen Thomas gives the details in her Haileybury 1806 - 1987. On 21st March 1943 Privates RWL McCall (M 1928), ADA Mosley (he seems not to be in the Haileybury Register) and AS Cassells (Ha 1929), Sgt RH Wade (Ha 1918) had dined on salt fish, rice, bananas and tea. On 18th August 1945 Maj FAH Magee (L 1917) , Capt JC De La Mare (M 1921), Maj J Radford (Tr 1921) and LT Cdr VCF Clark (M 1922) of England, dined with Lt JW Huddlestone and LT WE Smith of Haileybury Australia. Hambling tells us they dined on native beans and dripping. Of these McCall, Wade, Magee, De La Mare, Radford and Clark survived the war. Cassels died at Kuching PoW camp Borneo in July 1945.

Changi by Ronald Searle who was a prisoner there