It is amazing the number of other Bradfieldians who also went to my prep school; John Myers (E 44-47), Brian Ling (E 45-48), Arthur Chater (E 47-52) and I all attended Holyrood School, originally in Bognor Regis. I did not join until it re-established itself in Mid-Wales, in a small village called Llanilar outside Aberystwyth, as it moved away from the danger presented by the Luftwaffe in World War 2.

It is strange to think that as children we grew up accustomed to the sounds of air-raid sirens, explosions, chaos, and rubble, but Holyrood - being in mid Wales - was of course quite different. Naturally we all missed our parents and as during the blitz and V1 and V2 raids it wasn’t safe for us to return home, the Headmaster instead invited parents to stay at school over the holidays, giving them respite as well. I fondly remember staying with Brian Ling and his brother on one of these breaks. What better way to spend your holidays than with your friends?

Bradfield, like Holyrood, provided a holistic versus purely academic education and the combination meant that as a child who had difficulty reading and writing (later to be diagnosed as dyslexia) I was not discriminated against but catered for. Bradfield had systems in place to manage this apparent lack of academic ability, providing personal support while supplying an endless range of activities beyond the classroom. I really enjoyed cricket, athletics and football, going on to captain athletics and play 1st team football for Bradfield and cricket for my house. I also learnt to play hockey, squash, tennis, golf and fives, which placed me in good stead for the rest of my life (indeed I am still playing golf!).

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