Rhubarb Issue 12: November 2023

1952 THE READING OFTHE PROCLAMATION OFHMQUEEN ELIZABETH II David Vaudrey (Tilly's, 1949-53)

1954 WHOLE SCHOOL

CINEMA TRIP Diccon Masterman (Cowell’s, 1954-1959) I went to Cowell’s House in 1954

Wing Commander Guy Gibson

where one of my contemporaries was Michael Gibson, the nephew of Wing Commander Guy Gibson OSE of Dambusters fame. The following year the film of the famous raid on the Ruhr Valley dams by 617 Squadron was released and

T he SES Corps turned out in uniform to line the street in St Giles’ to hear the reading of the Proclamation of HM Queen Elizabeth II as Queen on 9th February, three days after her accession on 6th February, 1952. I was in the RAF Section at the time and Flt Lt P R Church, my Physics master, who was the officer commanding the section offered us gaiters, which we had not worn up till then, and asked us if we would like to wear them for the occasion. We wore white webbing belts and the new khaki webbing gaiters would require several coats of white Blanco to bring them up to standard. With one accord we enthusiastically agreed and set to work and we wore them proudly on the day and were pleased with our appearance. Later, Warden Kendall congratulated us on our 'smart white spats'. I do not remember, or more probably, never knew, who read the Proclamation or what office he held. It is amusing to note that the words, '…...and other Principal Gentlemen of Quality …....' that appear in all previous proclamations going back to that of Queen Anne in 1702, were substituted by '… and others...' in the Proclamation of King Charles III.

FEATURE

Group Captain Douglas Bader OSE offered to pay for the entire School to attend the film in a cinema in Oxford. This was an exciting change to the normal routine of school life which never normally

included trips to Oxford, let alone to the cinema.

The following year Reach for the Sky , the film of Bader’s own wartime experiences was released and the School felt obliged to finance another whole-school trip to the cinema. I always suspected that this was a cunning scheme by Bader to put moral pressure on the School to ensure that the film about him would also be seen

1963 THEDUKEOF EDINBURGH’S VISITTOST EDWARD’S Peter Bond (Mac’s, (1960–1964) M y diary entry says this: ‘VISIT OF DUKE OF EDINBURGH. 3.05 we paraded in Quad in an intermittent downpour. The Duke arrived 3.30. We saw him walk down the

without the appearance of blowing his own trumpet.

I subsequently joined the RAF and in 1971 was appointed ADC to Air Marshal Sir Harold (“Mick”) Martin who was one of the Dambuster pilots. His Personal Staff Officer who was my immediate boss became the CO of No 617 Squadron on his next tour of duty. 1952 HMQUEEN ELIZABETH II’S CORONATION John Wood (Tilly’s, 1953-1958) T he two significant dates which spring to mind when I think back to my time at Teddies are 6th February 1952, the accession of HM Queen Elizabeth II, and June 2nd 1953, the date of her Coronation. While the first was "just something which happened" as it were, in the life of Teddies, the second was a holiday. I remember seeing my mother's irises in bloom, an unusual event as they blossomed during term time under normal circumstances.

Quad and, later, lay the Foundation Stone and ask for two days' holiday. Then off in his helicopter.’

Most of us were kept at a safe distance and hardly saw him, as I recall. The visit was particularly remembered for the immortal quote with an accompanying cartoon, addressed to Mr Gale,“So you’re the poor bugger who runs my Award Scheme.”

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