Vol. CXXVII No. 9 ad XIII kal. dec. MMXIII FASTORUM ENUMERATIO

RES HERGENSIS
Vol. CXXVII No. 9
FASTORUM ENUMERATIO (A)
NOVEMBER
S 17 The Second Sunday before Advent
Exeat ends 9.00pm
M 18 Speech Room (with Churchill Songs rehearsal) 8.30am
Period 2a begins at 9.05am
Lower Sixth Parents Reception, 6.30pm
Way of Life Small Groups
Junior Inter-House Debating Competition Round 2, OH Room 9.10pm
T 19 Lunchtime Music: Sham, Chopin Twelve Etudes, St Mary's 1.30pm
Rugby v St Benedict's
Alexander Society: Northern Ireland, Mr Poole, OSRG 5.30pm
Biology Society: Prof. Nick Davies FRS, Cuckoos, OH Room 5.30pm
Nehru Society, OMS 9.10pm
Verney Prize for Argument Final, OSRG 9.10pm
W 20 Advent Penitential Service for Roman Catholic boys, 8.30pm
Cross-Curricular: Ms Hills, Morality and Happiness, OSRG 9.10pm
T 21 Songs rehearsal 8.30am
Period 2a begins at 9.05am
Cross Country, Schools' competition
Eton Fives: London Schools' U15 Festival (home)
Eton Fives v Summer Fields (away)
Fencing v Bradfield (away)
Rackets v Charterhouse (home)
Squash v Marlborough (home)
Churchill Songs, 5.15pm
F 22 Sixth Form Entry Assessment Day
Science Society: Chemistry Schools 2, 2.30pm
St Cecilia's Day, Purcell Ode on St Cecilia's Day, Chapel 8.00pm
Flambards: Iwerne Holidays Presentation, Hill Café 9.10pm
S 23 Sixth Form Entry Assessment Day
Fencing v Worth (home)
Rugby v Churcher's College
Swimming: ESSA National Relays Final
Soccer: Internal Tournament
Byron Consort: Church of St Anselm & St Cecilia, Kingsway
Dr Who Society: Fifty Years of Dr Who, OH Room 6.00pm
Chamber Music Concert, Music Schools 7.30pm
School Film Society, Speech Room 8.00pm
Contio Latina
a.d.V Id. Novembres
ecce mos augustissimus et antiquissimus Hergae, quo aniversario
claritudo scholae nostrae geniusque loci singularissimus
celebrantur, magna cum gravitate interum contionatore confectus
est amplo. quamquam lingua Latina parumper pigra et aliquantum
aliena erat, contionator qui est gravi oratione minime solitus
tamen ut vir doctissimus peritissimusque orator re incepta
peragenda valide sistit vestimentis solemnibus indutis. praesides
ineunt, libelli dividuntur, ille incipit. hoc anno contio a Thoma
Ward apud gubernatores habita est qui modestia vestitus, sive
ex animo sive simulate, dixit pro se eloquentiae ἀπολογίαν ut
clementiam audientium sibi oraret. munere officioque oratoris
recte perfunctus est agendo gratias gubernatoribus praesentibus
et memerando maiores ex nostris ordinibus qui cesserunt. hoc
est difficile opus non solum dicere sed etiam scribere contionem
quae dum omnia duodecim menibus acta referat placeat. sed
haec contio ore Thomae bene dicta, manu Ioannis callide scripta
valde praestat sententia Latina et animo.
Tom Ward, Newlands and Head of School delivered the contio
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this year. He spoke, according to the School's most ancient
and hallowed custom, about the events of the past year, both
within the School and in the wider world, going through each
month taking for his model Ovid’s Fasti. This year's contionator
skilfully mixed of the gravity of event with the levity his speech,
which the govenors, Masters, and boys enjoyed. The contio
covered matters closer to home, the changes that have taken
place in our School, our traditions old and new, and our hopes
and plans for the future. Throughout his speech Ward spoke
with great experience and calm, handling even the occasional
verba Graeca with proficiency. At last, contione confecto, the
contionator uttered the dixi and was given the applause he had
well earned. The praefectus praesidium, Richard Compton, West
Acre, 19703 gave a brief speech of his own in Latin in which
he articulated the common admiration for the speaker’s deed
and thanked him on our behalf.
Contio Digital Archives
Harrow Association Contio Archive for 2014
The Contio Latina provides a unique insight into Harrow’s past.
Delivered in Latin every year by the Head of School to the
Governors, it provides a record of events of the year at Harrow
and in the wider world. The contio was first delivered in 1674.
The School Archive holds copies dating back to 1770 which are
now, due to the generous support from the Harrow Association
in conjunction with the Harrow School Archive, available as a
digital resource. The Classics department are currently working
with boys in Classics to translate the contiones for the years
where no translations exist and enter these into the archive as
they are completed. Every contio has been digitally scanned
and stored, and the text has been put into a searchable database.
Using the search facility we can search by year, contionator or
keyword. If you could like more information about the Contio
Latina, its website, or about the School’s Archive please contact
Angharad Meredith.
MORETONS’ HOUSE PLAY
The Silver Box by John Galsworthy, OH
Last week Moretons continued a strong term of drama with an
energetic production of The Silver Box by old Moretonian and
Noble laureate John Galsworthy. The play centres around the
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class divide in Edwardian England by focusing on two families
on opposite ends of the spectrum, which are brought together
under the justice system by a case of a theft. On the one hand
we have the upper class John Barthwick MP (William Toogood),
his wife Mrs Barthwick (Harry Dovey), whose name is never
disclosed, and their son Jack (Freddy Tyson). On the other
we have Mr Jones (George Friend) and Mrs Jones (Thomas
Auger) who represent the antithesis of the Barthwicks in their
working class poverty. The plot hinges on two thefts, Jack’s
theft of a purse from a girl he meets while drunk, and Jones’s
theft of the same purse and a silver cigarette box after he helps
Jack home. As the story develops, these two occurrences are
dealt with very differently by the courts, despite the crimes
being of similar magnitude. Mr Jones receives three months
hard labour for his pilfering, while the wealthy Jack gets off
with nothing more than a stern talking to from his father. It
was this inherent unfairness in the system and lack of equal
application of the law which was expertly brought out by Tyson
with his repetitive wail “that’s what you said to me!” during
the judge’s sentencing of Jones who uses words eerily similar
to his father’s words.
The second night was a great improvement on the first. The
nerves and slight lack of confidence the cast had on the first
night had resolved themselves by the second and recollection
was much better. The cast were therefore able to focus more
on what the lines actually meant, leading to a greater passion in
delivery, and making the play a more convincing performance
as a whole. Scene changes were also much quicker. All in all,
you could see that the cast were really getting to grips with
the play. Throughout the play, much true acting talent shone
through. Harry Dovey, aided and abetted by a spectacular
Thatcher-esque hairdo, gave a highly comedic performance
as Mrs Barthwick. He captured well the lack of understanding
Galsworthy believed the upper classes had for the common
people, and his expression of shock at the idea of a child being
born out of wedlock was very amusing to the entire audience,
as was his portrayal of her explanation to the Lawyer (Mark
Keffer), that the prosecution ought to pay more attention to the
“moral deficiencies” of the Jones family. Thomas Auger, who
played Mrs Jones, the Charwoman, was justifiably nervous
on this his Ryan Theatre debut, but recovered from a shaky
start to give a sound performance on both nights, and his quiet
demeanour acted as an excellent foil to Dovey’s clear, cutting
delivery. George Friend is also worthy of mention in his role
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as Jones himself, delivering his lines with panache and in an
accent befitting his character.
Acting drunk on stage is one of the hardest things to do in
theatre, but Tyson rose to the challenge with great success.
He slurred his words magnificently, and his bizarre opening
speech, hinging around the refrain “I’m a liberal” was well
rehearsed, well learnt and well delivered. Toogood also
recovered from some line difficulties on the first night to give
a solid performance on the second, and we could see that there
was real assuredness in his delivery and stage presence. Other
smaller roles showed considerable promise also. Fred Adler
gave an impassioned performance as the Magistrate’s Clerk
(perhaps pointing to a future career?) while Dickon Fleming
was calm and collected in his Jeeves-type role as Marlow the
valet, and George Lundy put in a solid performance as Snow,
the stereotypical plodding policeman. Alex Advocaat is also
to be congratulated for his brusque delivery as the Usher.
Other aspects of the play were completed with efficiency and
collectedness. Moretons demonstrated its singing ability with
some entertaining songs when required, all superbly accompanied
by Aristo Sham. Furthermore, the set managed to get from
the Barthwicks’ dining room, to a pauper’s house, back again
and to a court room in three acts by use of an inventive “set
within a set”, which was rolled in and out with the minimum
of fuss. Curt Peirson and newcomer to the theatre team, Claire
Winfield, are to be congratulated for this achievement, along with
stage manager Henry Goodfellow. The cast were also helped
by a brilliant set of early Edwardian costumes, for which the
Moretons matron Patricia Colloby must be thanked. It would
also be folly not to give a great deal of thanks to the two beaks
who directed the play, MGT for whom the Moretons House play
was his first play in his return to directing, and additionally
to LJD who co-directed; the hard work of both of these beaks
brought about the success of the play. Overall, this was an
entertaining performance, especially on the second night, which
battled through to set the stage nicely for the Rattigan society
performances next quarter.
The retiring collection at the end the performances on November
7 and 8 raised an amazing £917.78 in aid of Breast Cancer Care.
This is the charity that Jamie Sparks, Moretons, 20053, is raising
money for with an attempt to break a world record by rowing
across the Atlantic in December. Mr Sparks came to the Ryan
both nights to describe how he and a friend of his from prep
school are about to undertake an extraordinary challenge in a
few weeks’ time, attempting to become the youngest team ever
to row the Atlantic Ocean. They are aiming to raise £100,000
for Breast Cancer Care through this adventure and have already
raised some £65,000. If you would like to read more about their
plans, you can do so by visiting 2boysinaboat.com.
Michaelmas Concert
9 November, Speech Room
This year’s Michaelmas concert was, so to speak, an interesting
medley, or ‘mince pie’, an eclectic mixture of various styles
and musical tastes. The evening began with the Concert Band
conducted by Neil Palmer. The brass section had a good warm
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up with the performance of a Fanfare for the Common Man
whose famous opening notes are easily recognised. The large
brass section made for a nice resonance, giving the piece an
uplifting tone, but the note changes could have been a bit
crisper and cleaner. The focus then shifted to the woodwinds
in the Prelude from La Traviata where the flutes led the way
for an interesting arrangement of saxophones with some gentle,
almost languid accompaniment by the trombones. The energy
in the room was immediately raised with the jazzy medley from
James Bond which introduced the trumpets again as the main
player. The whole Concert Band really gathered themselves
together and came alive for this piece and obviously enjoyed
playing it. They worked their way through the main theme of
James Bond, and followed it with Live and Let Die, in which
the bass seemed to swallow up the punchier top notes; For
your eyes only was performed admirably and its slow tempo
made for a nice contrast before the band finished with the wellknown Goldfinger theme which ended with some nice flare on
the timpani. The String Orchestra came on stage to perform
Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 3 in G Major. The violinists
stood for their performance which added an excellent sense
of dignity to the whole piece. The Allegro had a fine, crisp
start, and continued in a playful manner as the group brought
out the piece’s complexities with ease and in perfect unison.
Some excellent solo parts were performed by Hayden Kwan,
Bradbys, Ryan Chung, Rendalls, and Francis Chiang, The Grove,
and DNB in subtler parts with some further accompaniment
by Anthony Chater, The Park on the piano. The short Adagio
was ably disposed of before the final Allegro began. The
strings built up the third movement with hurried control and
the audience enjoyed some solid resonance from the cellos. In
all, it was finely performed and earned appreciative applause. The Brass Ensemble next gathered to perform Hazell’s Kraken.
There was some fun roaring of trombones to start the piece
which, slow moving, displayed some excellent tensions between
the trumpets and tubas. The minimalist Kandinsky Ensemble
performed Webern’s Concerto for Nine Instruments, Op. 24. Before their performance, GRML spoke briefly to introduce
the audience to the unusual atonal style of the piece from the
Second Viennese school of serialism which uses a twelve-tone
chromatic scale to form a series which provides a unifying
base for a piece’s melody, harmony, structural progressions,
and variations. Webern’s piece required a great amount of
precision and the group executed it brilliantly. It was complex
and required a great amount of focus from the audience who
listened to the Sehr langsam and the Sehr rasch in perfect
silence. The Big Band, directed by SM changed direction again
with their fun, jazzy, almost cabaret-style piece Movin’ On by
McWilliam which they followed with a more swing or lounge
style Afro Blue by Santamaria. The Byron Consort, directed
by PJE, sang O where shall wisdom be found by Boyce. The
piece was beautifully arranged and sang with the clearest
enunciation as the various solos responded and replied to each
other, but when the whole group came together in unison the
true strength of the choir was known. It was a wonderful piece
and really gave the evening a Christmas feeling. The evening
finished with the large School Orchestra, conducted by DNW,
which performed the grand Prelude und Liebestod, a concert
version of the overture and Isolde's Act 3 aria, Mild und leise
from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. The lead was Jonathan Lee,
Lyon’s, and soloist Mary Nelson. Its opening was distinctly
Wagnerian, and the orchestra played the whole so magnificently
and expansively it could send chills down the spine. It was
a performance which I think really showcased all the boys’
talents in the orchestra. Many thanks to all the musicians and
directors for a wonderful evening of music.
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Remembrance Sunday
10 November
An increasing number of parents and guests joined the School
for the annual Service of Remembrance in Chapel. In recent
years, the ceremony of the occasion has been enhanced by the
presence of the Harrow Rifle Corps Colours which, this year,
were brought into Chapel at the beginning of the Service in the
normal manner, but were then taken over the War Memorial for
the laying of wreaths at the both the First and Second World
War Memorials.
We were honoured to have the Rt Revd Dr Steven Venner
DL, Bishop to HM Forces and the Falkland Islands as our
preacher. Dr Venner spoke of the significance yet challenge of
the two minutes silence. Although a relatively short time, it can
seem an eternity as you stand there looking at others and not
sure what to be thinking about! It can so easily become a time
of “dismembering” rather than “remembering” in the sense it
can leave us disorientated and confused rather than offering a
moment of reflection and focus. In the face of war, that is not
always a negative response, but it could also be an opportunity to
think about the qualities communicated in the Beatitudes which
had been the reading for the morning. Dr Venner spoke of the
“rehabilitation” necessary for those returning from the front
line in Afghanistan and the need to take seriously the changes
for all those involved – both the soldier and their families
back at home. He concluded with words from Blessed Mother
Teresa of Calcutta – “When I am asked what I say to God in
my prayers, I response by explaining I don’t say anything but
I listen; the response is often, ‘So what does God say to you?’
to which I say, ‘Nothing, he is listening to me.’
During the service, led by JEP and SPS, the lesson was
read by Head of Corps, Lorenzo Bergamo Andreis, The Park
and the Act of Remembrance led by the Head of School Tom
Ward, Newlands. The Chapel Choir under the direction of DNW
and the Harmony Choir under the direction of GRML led the
congregation in the Libera me from Fauré’s Requiem, and sang
the Russian Contakion for the dead while the wreath was laid
on the altar. They also sang Greater Love hath no man than
this to a setting by John Ireland as the anthem. Matthew Carter,
The Knoll, was the trumpeter for the Last Post and Reveille.
As Lochy de Klee, The Grove, played the bagpipes following
the Service from the steps, many from the congregation moved
to the War Memorial for the laying of the wreaths during which
the Chapel Choir sang Anthony Chater’s, The Park, setting of
For the Fallen. The Colour Party and others on parade were
drawn from Senior NCO's in the CCF under the direction of
Major Davies and RSM Robson.
In the evening, a very moving set of readings and songs on
the theme of remembrance were performed in the War Memorial
under the direction of Daniel Firoozan, Rendalls, Edward
McGovern, The Knoll, SLM and DNW.
Strangford Geography
Lecture
Nicholas Ridley, When Men and Mountains Meet
5 November
Last Tuesday, Nick Ridley, an avid climber came to Harrow
and gave a very thought-provoking talk to a large group of
similar minded beaks and boys. The address was an excellent
start to the chain of Strangford Geography Lectures this year
with the enthusiastic Mr Ridley, having previously been the
Headmaster at St Edmund’s School (and thus had plenty of
experience in talking to large audiences) giving a well prepared
and informative talk. Mr Ridley knew nearly everything there
was to know about exploring, navigating and climbing from
his own personal experience of the Andes and the Himalayas.
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He started off by discussing the importance of being able to
adapt to the different social norms of countries you visit when
travelling. He stressed the essential need not to bring the Western
views of society to areas you visit and criticise the traditions
which have stood for hundreds of years for which you usually
don’t fully understand or which you are not viewing from their
perspective. He then went on to discuss planning expeditions and
how one would fulfil one’s ambitions at set, realistic aims and
targets. Even though something might seem unachievable, with
skill and practice the climbing of a 10,000 foot peak becomes
less of an imagination and more of a realisation.
In an attempt to try and understand why some people cannot
keep away from such dangerous terrains, Mr Ridley brought
in his own experiences. He argued that, while climbing on a
mountain in freezing temperatures with aching muscles and
little food or water, all you can think of is getting home and
putting your feet up. As soon as you arrive home, however, the
day-to-day lifestyle is not good enough and all you can picture
is planning your next daring expedition.
Mr Ridley made some interesting points whilst elaborating
on the poetry of William Blake. While climbing, you really
come to appreciate the simplistic lifestyle and all the usual
worries of everyday life disappear as you become focused on
completing the task in hand and taking in the stunning scenery
you encounter. Mr Ridley also highlighted the importance of
safety - when climbing you must know when to commit and when
to pull out. We were told about one of his many experiences of
having to abort his climb to the peak of a glacier in Norway a
few hundred metres away due to a high risk of an avalanche.
The vital skill is to not regret the decision you make in the field
as it probably would have saved your life. He accompanied
his talk with many pictures that he had taken from all around
the world, ranging from the 150 Munros he had traversed in
Scotland to the sand dunes in the Namib Desert.
This fascinating talk inspired many questions at the end and
gave an excellent personal insight to what it was like to be a
climber. I’m sure it has inspired many to plan and undertake
their own expeditions in the near future.
Bonfire Night
Remember, remember, the fifth of November
Last Tuesday, the school and many members of our local
community marched down into the cool depths of Ducker 2 to
admire the promised spectacle of a bonfire and fireworks. The
works department made the most of St Jude’s storm’s debris by
dumping it in a heap and burning it to the ground. The boys and
beaks stood shivering in anticipation for the colourful display
that lay waiting. At around 6.44pm, a lone figure was seen
dashing away in the distance before a loud boom followed and
the odd shriek. The explosions had started. Dogs whimpered,
the residents in Northwick Park hospital were rattled awake
in their beds as the glowing rockets illuminated the sky. The
show was terrific featuring Catherine wheels, violets, “whizzers”
and “screamers”. The grand finale was spectacular as ever, as
all the awe-filled faces of the spectators lit up. A thoroughly
enjoyable show!
Sheridan Society
An Intellectual Breeze over Samuel Taylor Coleridge
3 October
A fleshy crowd in the OSRG were delighted to welcome
Matthew Carter as the first speaker of the term on his chosen
subject: the life and works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Carter
delved into a number of aspects of the poet’s life. He started
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by introducing the writer, philosopher, cleric and critic as a
Romantic, transcendentalist who had a strong connection with
both God and opiates. By an early age he had digested a number
of novels and showed a thirst for literature and stories. It was
to be nature, and God’s skill in crafting it, however, which
would inspire much of Coleridge’s work.
Coleridge wrote Biographia Literaria, his autobiography,
which included his own literary history and his various views and
criticisms. Interestingly, this is where the phrase “suspension of
disbelief” was coined, in his views about cognitive estrangement
whereby he argued that “human interest” and “a semblance of
truth” within a tale were enough to allow a reader to ignore
their own judgements about the plausibility of the happenings
within the story.
Romanticism and Transcendentalism were both heavily
influenced by Coleridge and he wrote a number of poems
expressing his views about the power of nature and how he
felt that society had led to the marginalisation of the power
of the individual. Coleridge wanted to make “Nature thought,
and thought Nature” for people and Carter embarked upon on
an “intellectual breeze” over the way in which the writer went
about achieving this, by analysing his nature-focused poems
and their appreciative, reflective styles.
Alongside his hugely influential autobiography and impact
upon literary movements, he is well known for his epic poem,
The Rime of The Ancient Mariner, involving the sailor who
shoots the albatross and is forced to wear it round his neck as
a symbol of his hostility towards nature and one of its more
beautiful species. Matthew gave enthusiastic analyses of this
poem and others in a variety of lights such as religion and the
Gothic genre.
Coleridge’s imagination clearly produced many spectacular
works, however, more hellish and Gothic elements did work
their way into much of his poetry. The idea of fantasy was close
to Coleridge’s heart and he often used this to create effective,
entertaining allegory and symbolism. It was an inspired talk and
Carter clearly relished the opportunity to breeze over his favourite
poet but I am sure the pleasure was all Mr Coleridge’s!
OSRG ARTS SOCIETY
Christie’s Auction House
5 November
On 5 November, fifteen boys went on the OSRG’s greatly
anticipated trip to Christie’s auction, Fine Chinese Ceramics
and Works of Art, at their St. James’s sale room. The trip was
the first under Mrs Walton’s aegis to an auction house. As we
entered we were immediately greeted by three of Christie’s
experts and ushered into a room filled with highlights from
the upcoming Old Masters auction this December. We were
introduced to the history of Christie’s and the auctioning business
in general while we perused the priceless paintings on the
walls. We learned about fascinating changes to the Christie’s
auctioning business, such as its new ‘online only’ auctions and
a new programme that allows bidders outside the UK to join
auctions in real time via webcams.
As part of the behind-the-scenes tour, we were led three floors
below street level to the head researcher’s office where there
was a collection of Harrow-related objects assembled specially
for our viewing, including collectable books on Cecil Beaton,
Bradbys, 19181 and Winston Churchill, The Head Master’s,
1888². This display shed light on the fascinating relationship
between Harrow and Christie’s over the last hundred years. We
were also allowed a glimpse into the vast Christie’s archive;
rows and rows of cabinets that filled up a room, all containing
precious objects hidden away in safety, deep underground.
When we regained ground level we visited the jewellery sale
room, which contained enormous diamond pieces that were
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intricately crafted and “could be purchased on the spot”! After
the tour, the Christie’s team kindly served tea and biscuits to
the group back in the small gallery where we discussed the
pieces in the room. Then, we were off to the sale room to
witness an auction in action. The octagonal room (which was
designed so that the founder, James Christie, could hang more
paintings on the walls) was completely full of bidders eager
to get their hands on the latest priceless Chinese art fresh on
the market. The OSRG group was assigned a section of the
back row where we could stand and watch. The good spirited
auctioneer kept asking the Harrow boys if we would like to
make any bids and luckily, no one accidentally raised their
hand during the auctioning of a gold Buddha from the Ming
Dynasty estimated to fetch between £200,000 and £300,000.
During the sale, an 18th-century pale-celadon jade carving of a
horse and scholar, estimated at £20,000, was sold for just under
£1,315,000. Pedram Rasti, Head of Department at Christie’s
said that “Jades were consistently strong” and there was
“exceptionally strong interest in property with private European
provenance”. As we filed out of the sale room, we were given
replicas of the sale catalogue from the first auction in 1766 to
keep. The OSRG boys and the staff who accompanied them
cannot thank Christie’s enough for their generosity during the
visit. Christie’s staff went to exceptional lengths to welcome the
Arts Society and to give such a special tour of the remarkable
premises. The boys greatly enjoyed witnessing the auction and
now that we know auctions are open to the public, the OSRG
hopes to make more visits in the future.
DOCTOR WHO SOCIETY
50th anniversary of Doctor Who
On 22 November 1963, in one of the most crucial moments in
American history, JFK was shot dead. One day later, at 5.15pm,
one of British TV’s defining moments occurred. The first episode
of Doctor Who was broadcast to a meagre 4.4 million viewers.
(Perhaps the two events are related!) Little did people know
that today it would be one of the most quintessentially British
things around – Doctor Who is up there with tea, bad weather
and the Queen – with tens of millions of viewers worldwide.
This Saturday, Doctor Who turns fifty years old. A TV show
turning fifty is like a person turning 110: it’s extremely rare,
and demands celebration.
It’s easy to look at Doctor Who’s success today and assume
that it has been popular all the time, but this is certainly not
the case. In the 1960s, many watched it merely because it was
the only thing that was on and there were only a few channels
back then. The production values in the 1960s were appalling,
wobbly sets and cringe worthy acting galore (as a fan I still
cannot stop laughing at how completely dreadful some of it is).
Later on, the show became so awful that in 1989 it was taken
off air. Barring a one-off episode in 1996, the show remained
off the airwaves for 16 years (the Wilderness years, as the fans
now call it) – but perhaps that means the show is only 34? Either
way, there is no doubting that the show is in rude health now.
Not only are there always new episodes on the way but there
are also tons of books, audio dramas and magazines released all
the time. The third Doctor Who Prom (of the musical sort, not
the romantic one, though I bet someone has put one together
somewhere) was held this summer. Particularly terrifying is the
following Doctor Who has received across the Atlantic. Such
is the manic enthusiasm from the American fans that there has
been talk of the Doctor being from the States at some point
– what a horrifying thought!
So what is Doctor Who’s great appeal? There are hundreds of
potential reasons. For one thing, one could say it has changed
over the years. Originally it was the perfect Saturday evening
viewing, as families huddled around their new televisions. That
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sentiment still remains, yet the naissance of online viewing and
catch-up services means that the premise of the show itself
is even more significant now than it ever has been: an alien
travelling the cosmos in an old blue box, showing his human
companion the wonders of the universe, and it is this premise
so wonderfully escapist that is hard to resist. Who would not
want to travel the universe? We’ll never be able to do it in our
lifetimes, so why not see what the Earth and the universe can
offer us from the comfort of our sofas? In the latest series, for
example, viewers visited no fewer than six other worlds!
Everything is held together, of course, by the leading man
and lady, The Doctor and his companion. In Who's original run
(1963-1989), the female companion was just spare baggage
to give the male viewers something to look at! Not so much
anymore. The companion is arguably more important than The
Doctor. From a personal point of view, when watching my first
episode in 2005, the two leads played very different roles. The
Doctor made my seven-year-old self feel safe; Billie Piper’s
Rose Tyler took me with her along for the ride. As she explored
the universe, reacting to everything she saw, while teaching
the war-struck Doctor a better way of life, she was doing what
every child, teenager and, perhaps, even adult wanted to do –
she was the one who drew us in to the Doctor’s world. Jenna
Coleman (playing the latest companion Clara) is in my view
the only other modern companion to understand that this is her
contribution to the show, to take us with her as she joins The
Doctor on his travels.
The world’s admiration for Doctor Who can be summed up in
one simple statistic: this Saturday, the 50th anniversary special,
which features the return of Billie Piper and David Tennant
in addition to John Hurt and something called the Time War,
will be broadcast to over 75 countries around the world. Now
that’s quite an achievement for a show that started life as a 13
part series which the BBC bosses thought was doomed to flop.
And with Peter Capaldi (Malcom Tucker in The Thick of It)
set to take over as The Doctor at Christmas, now is the perfect
time to hop on board the TARDIS, and allow yourself to be
transported across time and space for the next fifty years. Day
of The Doctor airs on BBC1 7.50pm, 23 November.
Science Society
8 November
This week saw William Bankes, Newlands, give a talk entitled
“The Atmosphere”. He began with some background theory on
what the definition and properties of a fluid are, and that fluids
can vary hugely – from the air all around us to the viscous
lava that flows from volcanos to the silly putty we play with
as young children. The next part of the talk concerned the
different levels of the atmosphere, starting with the troposphere,
the stratosphere, the mesosphere and finally the ionosphere.
We learned that there is no defined boundary between the
end of the atmosphere and the start of space, but instead the
atmosphere becomes so thin and sparse that we can consider it
as free space. Bankes explained that the different layers of the
atmosphere were defined by clear and significant changes in
temperature caused by many factors but mainly by exothermic
reactions involving the breakdown of ozone. The last part of
the talk was the most technical wherein Bankes explained the
basic principles on which we model the atmosphere. Starting
from first principles in physics, we build up our parameters by
defining equations and add more and more variables at the same
time as we try to keep it as simple as we can and by making as
many reasonable assumptions as you can; an example of such is
that over a short distance the temperature of the atmosphere will
remain constant. This allows us to find equations which describe
the behaviour of the fluid in the atmosphere to a relatively high
degree of accuracy. Unfortunately, the day that Will gave his
talk wasn’t the most ideal for testing his hypotheses – for it is
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a.d. XIII kal. dec. MMXIII
far harder to model the behaviour of stormy weather than still
air; and those who played rugby will no doubt remember that
it wasn’t a still day at all. Overall, the talk provided a insight
into the world of mathematical models for complex systems
in predicting their behaviour, as well as some good general
knowledge on the atmosphere.
The Science Society next meets on 22 November at 2.30
pm in Chemistry Schools 2. Jonathan Lee, Lyons, will be the
speaker. All are welcome to attend.
Medical Society
Medical Lecture Competition, Radley College
7 November
On Thursday a group of VI2 aspiring medics braved the evening
rush hour to participate in the Medical Lecture Competition
at Radley College. Harrow was up against the hosts Radley
as well as the underdogs, Wycombe Abbey. Each school was
allowed to put forward two speakers who each gave a short
talk on a medical topic of their choice. The topics ranged
from “Obamacare” in the USA to the allergy epidemic in
modern society. Harrow was represented by Kushal Mansatta,
Moretons, and Alex Harkness, The Park, who lectured on
“Synathesia” and “The most remarkable surgery in the last
century” respectively. All the talks were of an extremely high
standard and it was clear that a lot of work had been put in.
The eventual winner was Libby Charterson Dickson (Wycombe
Abbey) who compared the NHS with the mainly private US
healthcare system, and evaluated the impact of Obamacare.
The Harrow representatives certainly did the school’s society
proud, and it was a shock that neither Harkness nor Mansatta
brought home the silverware. Despite this, Radley hosted a very
enjoyable evening which was much appreciated by all those
involved. It is now up to the hosts for next year, Harrow, to
bring home this prestigious trophy!
Maths Society
1 November
The Maths Society and Science Society convened on Friday
in Maths Schools 10 for several interesting lectures given by
four boys in VI2. After some deliberation among the presenters,
Jonathan Lee, Lyon’s, made a start with his lecture on “The
Paradox of Voting”. He introduced Kenneth Arrow’s Impossibility
Theorem and explained how the proof shows that no voting
system can generate a general societal preference. Lochy de Klee,
The Grove, who followed, talked about the different structures
of Nanotubes and emphasised the importance of Nanotubes
in future technological developments. Henry Goodfellow,
Moretons, clearly enthusiastic about statistics, began with a
brief summary and explanation of regression. He was able to
effectively highlight the convenience and usefulness of such
operation in the analysis of statistics by transforming a multivariable linear regression equation into matrix form. Finally,
Bryan Yong, The Grove, illustrated the Pigeon Hole Principle
through several examples, stretching from geometry of a square
to modular algebra.
H E R G E N S I S
“For the love of God!” “Boy! Go outside and think about
what you have said.” “But, sir, what did I do?” “You said
the G-word. We don't use that in science.”
“Sir, on what page is the Treaty of Versailles?” “Do you really
think that I spend my time memorising the page numbers of
the text book?” “Sir, it only takes a few minutes."
Correspondence
To the Editors of The Harrovian
Dear Editors,
I would first like to express my appreciation of this year’s
Remembrance Day service which was, in my opinion, an
unqualified success. The atmosphere which permeated the affair
was one of reverence and humility, and the music provided
by the choir during both the service and the laying of the
wreath in the War Memorial further aided the attendees in
their remembrance of those who gave their lives in the Great
War. An event worthy of particular mention was the Armistice
Day readings on Sunday evening, which poignantly concluded
our weekend of solemn reflection. I was, however, a little
bemused at the inaugural flying of the new School flag, which
seems to have succumbed to the rapid corporatisation that has
affected so many other aspects (aesthetic and otherwise) of our
lives here. Harrow School is not a brand. Whilst I can almost
stomach the ‘Beaks’ Chunky Marmalade’, and barely abide the
‘After-eccer jam’, I do object to the outward symbol of our
School, encapsulating almost five-hundred years of heritage
and tradition, being reduced to little more than a logo, albeit
with perfectly-formed ‘r’s’.
Yours faithfully,
George Ellis, Druries
Dear Editors,
Many thanks for last week’s Harrovian and its article on
the Long Ducker. This particularly painted a terrific picture of
the 20 mile run. However, I would like to offer a correction.
As a point of fact, the previous fastest Long Ducker time by a
boy and the record on the Marble Arch route was set in 1991
by Mark Smith, The Knoll, 19873. G. Adda, as printed in the
article, only held the school record in the 10-mile, not the 20.
I would also like to add that, although your article covered a
great deal, I feel you have not recognised all that went on that
day. I would love to see the names of all those boys who gained
their Long Ducker ties listed. This is such a great achievement
that the boys deserve to be recognised for posterity. We need
to remember that The Harrovian is effectively the official
record of achievement by Harrovians. Furthermore, only one
swimmer was mentioned. Will Seex’s remarkable achievement
was rightly highlighted, but what a shame that the Shell and
Fifth Form boys who swam 400 lengths in under 3 hours were
not mentioned for instance. These were certainly among the
outstanding achievements of the day. There were also climbers
who did remarkable things on the end of a rope! I hope that
these oversights can be corrected.
Gaffe and Gown
Yours sincerely,
CJFB
Quips from around the Hill
“Is it Ciley Myrus? Is that a man or a woman?”
“Sir, is this actually on the syllabus?” “What? Boys, I'm not here
for fun. I don't get out of bed if it's not on the syllabus.”
“For Catholics, suicide is a grave sin.” “But sir, what if you
commit suicide by accident?”
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Editors' Reply
Eight boys took part in the Long Ducker by climbing as 4 belay
pairs over a time slot of 2 hours. The climbing included most
of the available routes which were graded and scored according
to technical difficulty. Therefore with 8 ropes and 14 possible
H E R G E N S I S
climbs; some skill and strategic thinking was required, in
addition to mere powers of endurance, so that climbers could
achieve the highest individual score. The winning team was
Phillip Gajland, Druries, and Alex Chamberlain, Moretons,
with 44 climbs each. A fine effort from two of the best climbers
in the school. There were several runners up, Alex Wade,
The Grove, with 8.2; Giles Hart, Elmfield, and Jackie Wang,
The Knoll, 7.9; Henry Adeson, Rendalls, 7.5; Eden Curtis,
Druries, 5.9; and William Lempriere-Johnson, Druries, with
5.9. Congratulations to all for a really impressive demonstration
of skill and determination.
In addition, 18 boys completed 200 lengths and 7 boys
completed 400 lengths in the pool for Long Ducker. Among
those who swam the 400 lengths, Hugo Tse, Lyon’s, had the
quickest time of 02:16.
Matthew Carter, The Knoll, has earned three ties, two for
running the 20-mile Ducker and one for 400 laps in the pool; Nana Antwi, The Knoll, has also earned two ties, from the 20miler and 400 laps. An excellent achievement!
Fencing
The School v St Benedict’s
Led through a set of gaudy golden doors by Nikita Kuznetsov,
Moretons, who had previously gone to St. Benedict’s Ealing,
some of the team was slightly apprehensive at the prospect
of wheelchair fencing for the first time. Finding out that this
wheelchair fencer was none other than the best in Britain did
not allay these nerves, but luckily some of the team got the
chance to get a feel of the novel experience before the start
of the match. All teams except the Foil B were victorious and
some fencers took to wheelchair fencing more than others
but it was a successful afternoon none the less and the school
remains unbeaten so far this season.
Foil A: Won 45-37, William Bankes, Newlands, Alex Lloyd,
Lyon’s, Nikita Kuznetsov, Moretons.
Foil B: Lost 39-45, James Kung, The Grove, Edward Bankes,
Newlands, Seth Liebowitz, Druries.
Epee A: Won 45-15, Alex Curtis, The Grove, Alex Lloyd, Lyon’s, Justin Yu, West Acre.
Epee B: Won 45-19, Arthur Oien, The Park, Patrick Caffrey,
The Head Master’s, William Bankes, Newlands
Sabre: Won 45-36, James Kung, The Grove, Patrick Caffrey,
The Head Master’s, Terence Cheong, Druries.
SOCCER
The School AXI v Charterhouse
5 November
Won 4-2
Scorers: Jason Tse, The Knoll, Bolawa Tejuoso x 2, Bradbys,
Miles Kellock, Rendalls.
The AXI recorded a long overdue win away at Charterhouse.
The team decided to adopt a bold new 3-5-2 formation in an
attempt to create more chances. This did not look at first to be
working too well when Charterhouse went 1-0 up in the first
minute. However, Harrow rallied and soon equalised thanks to
Tse who fired home after a corner. The teams then exchanged
goals (Harrow’s came from a super finish from Tejuoso) to leave
the score 2-2 at half-time. The second half was all Harrow and
they played some lovely football. Tejuoso and Kellock both
got on the score sheet and 4-2 was a fair reflection of a good
performance. This team has the ability to play some cracking
football and it was very pleasing to see it come together in a
match. Next up is the away leg of the Eton double header.
a.d. XIII kal. dec. MMXIII
Fives
The School v Mill Hill (home)
7 November
S.W. Curtis Green & R. Dhaliwal, Elmfield & The Grove
Won 13-11, 12-8, 13-11
E.L.W. Short & H.R. Newall, Rendalls & Druries
Won 14-11, 13-11, 12-11
J. Tippett, K.McCrystal & W. Ogden, The Park & Lyon’s
Won 12-3, 12-6, 12-3
O.J. Denby & R.S. Wijeratne, The Park & The Head Master’s
Won 12-3, 12-1, 12-2
R.A.F. Hembury-Stroud & A.J. Nevile, both Bradbys
Won 12-4, 12-4, 12-6
A.J. Taylor & H.M.C. Collins, Bradbys & Rendalls
Won 12-2, 12-6, 14-12
A.A. Jaja & Q.Q. Gaba, Moretons & Lyon’s
Lost 4-12, 6-12, 6-12
M.A.P. Tonkins & B.J. Menell, Moretons & West Acre
Won 12-5, 12-4, 12-7
A.J. Tremlett & K.A.A. Amaan, The Park & The Grove
Won 12-3, 12-9, 12-4
W.T. Downes & M.W. Ede, both Elmfield
Won 12-5, 11-13, 12-6
A.P. Ferreira & S.W. Flame, both The Grove
Lost 12-9, 3-0, retired due to injury.
SQUASH
The School v Lancing College (away)
7 November
1st V Won 4-1
H.W.F Goodfellow, Moretons, Lost 0-3
D. Bernardi, Newlands, Won 3-2
J.A. Jordache, Moretons, Won 3-1
G.D. Ratnavel, The Knoll, Won 3-2
R.G. White, Moretons, Won 3-0
Juniors Lost 1-4
H.T. Scott Lyon, Newlands, Lost 0-3
A. Huo, The Head Master’s, Lost 0-3
H.H. Buxton, The Head Master’s, Lost 2-3
O.Z. Gairard, Druries, Lost 0-3
S.I. Mahal, The Grove, Won 3-1
The Gothic Fortress was as intimidating as ever. On the climb
to the ocean liner of a school chapel, one half expects arrows
to rain down from the battlements. Last year the feeling of
hostility was reinforced by the old “You are on your own”
ploy. This entailed committing the Lancing Master-in-charge
of Squash to a hospital so that no one knew that Harrow were
expected. We found our own way to lunch, ate lunch on our
own, found the squash courts after a lengthy excursion, and
found nobody at the courts. That was unnerving.
This time they reversed that and used the even older “Make
them feel comfortable” ploy. We were smothered with visitors
at lunch, our every whim attended to, even to the extent of
chocolate brownies with cream. The crowning glory of this ploy
was the deliberate placing of attractive female sixth formers
on adjacent tables and even the provision of a pleasant young
female member of staff to distract the coaches and encourage
everyone to lapse into some kind of glazed comfort zone. The
whole school had clearly been briefed. Females are a no lose
option – they either induce complete immobility and inane grins
or frighten the Youth Policies (and some coaches) half to death.
Either way the opposition is in no fit state to play squash.
Harrow then employed the innovative “Book a Taxi” ploy.
This involves asking the opposing coach to book a taxi for 3pm
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H E R G E N S I S
a.d. XIII kal. dec. MMXIII
so that half of the team can go to Brighton Station so that they
can get back to Harrow to star in a house play. Of course, the
station used will vary according to the venue. A taxi to Brighton
would be a bit silly if you were playing at Eton. It is the kind
of thing Jose Mourinho might consider – take off three of your
best players in the 35th minute and put them in a taxi. This
has a major unsettling effect on the opposition who struggle to
work out what you are trying to do, and take their eye fatally
off the ball. This is why Harrow have two captains – one can
go to Brighton Station in a taxi while the other remains to
marshal the troops. This is cutting-edge thinking.
But Lancing were not finished yet. Confused by the taxi ploy,
they used a strategy that comes naturally to them called the
BKS plan. BKS is short for a word that begins with B and ends
in KS that is routinely screamed after every point. Each player
varies this approach as he sees fit – some hurl their racket at
walls and spectators while screaming BKS. Others direct their
obscenities at the opposing player. Whatever the variant, the
result is a frightening maelstrom of sound and anger, such that
it seems as any minute will bring a physical assault.
Scott Lyon: (looking wide-eyed at coach) I’m frightened,
and I’m only watching!
But the St. Bernard has the ideal temperament to counter the
BKS approach. Calm, avuncular and slightly quizzical, he just
carried on amongst the chaos. It would take a nuclear bomb
to unsettle the St. Bernard. The Rat’s opponent employed an
almost pure BKS; wild, menacing and abusive. While the Youth
Policies debated the exact meaning of the word BKS, he smashed
his racket so hard against the wall that it broke. Momentarily,
The Rat was distracted from his normal mediocrity. When he
managed a fortunate winner off the frame of the racket, this
was a typical result….
BKS: BKS! You lucky BD.
Rat: I’m sorry.
BKS: And so you should be. BKS!
The Lancing coach, cuddly and pleasant, seemed to inhabit
a different world, floating above the mayhem.
Harrow Coach: His behaviour isn’t great.
Lancing Coach: Oh, is he playing up a bit? Generally this
aspect of his play has improved and he has greatly matured
this term.
Scott Lyon: (quietly) What must he have been like before
he matured!
The final Lancing throw of the dice was The Girl, a talented,
self-confident, smug junior champion, smiling up at her fawning
admirers when things were going well but happy to fall back on
the team BKS approach when things threatened to go awry. The
presence of any girl on court, let alone a talented one, would
normally be enough to freeze your average Harrovian to the
spot, or at least bring on a sort of drowsy strut. But Bernardi
is not your average Harrovian. It was the 3rd game before he
noticed that his opponent wore a skirt and a pony tail and by
then he was 2-0 up. The delayed realisation that he was up
against a female of the opposite sex brought on the predicted
paralysis and it was soon 2-2. It took a gigantic effort of will for
Bernardi to refocus, something that would have been impossible
for a pure Glorious Amateur, and he came through 3-2.
With the Pit Bull winning a real dog-fight of a match, Harrow
achieved a famous victory. Sadly, the Youth Policies were so
traumatised by witnessing BKS Theory at first hand that they
stumbled to defeat. Only Mahal managed to win, mainly because
he couldn’t stop giggling about the word BKS. Meanwhile, three
boys relaxed in a high speed train to London and texted the
Rat. Did they ask whether the “Book a Taxi Ploy” had worked?
Sadly, it was just “can you bring my Physics folder – I left it
on the balcony”. Was it all worth it?
Rugby
1st XV v Tonbridge
9 November
Lost 23-8
A tough game for our XV who battled away, but were outplayed
by a strong Tonbridge XV.
2nd XV
3rd XV
4th XV
5th XV Colts A XV
Colts B XV
Colts C XV
Colts D XV
Won 41-5
Lost 0-5
Lost 21-24
Lost 7-24
Junior
Junior
Junior
Junior
Won 26-21
Won 14-10
Lost 5-17
Lost 0-40
Colts A XV
Colts B XV
Colts C XV
Colts D XV
Yearlings A XV
Yearlings B XV
Yearlings C XV
Yearlings D XV
Yearlings E XV Yearlings F XV
aka The Academy
Lost 12-25
Lost 19-23
Lost 27-33
Won 14-21
Won 12-0
Won 17-5
Won 27-5
Won 22-5
Lost 24-27
Lost 0-24
The Harrovian is published weekly during term time by Harrow School as both an organ of record and a forum for comment, debate and the expression of
individual opinion within the School. Articles are submitted anonymously and any views expressed do not necessarily reflect official School policy.
Ways to contact The Harrovian
Articles, opinions and letters are always appreciated.
email the Master in Charge smk@harrowschool.org.uk
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