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Obituaries
E. M. King An Appreciation by J. Mackie
It is probably only those who were at Clayesmore during the late twenties and early thirties who can fully appreciate the magnitude of Mr King’s achievements. He rescued the school from certain collapse and, in due course, assured its progress, in nearly all sectors, to heights that hitherto had never been scaled. It was my good fortune to be present at least during the initial stage of that rescue, and hopefully, along with others, to have contributed in some small measure to its eventual success.
I joined Clayesmore in the summer term of 1927 and believe that during the next two years it probably reached a peak it was not to regain for a decade or more due, in part, to the severe financial difficulties created by the 1929 market crash.
The number of pupils had never been greater; somewhere in the region of a hundred and fifty. Academic standards were more than acceptable, if adult comments of that time are to be trusted. Lex was in very good health and monarch of all he surveyed. The staff was efficient and imbued with what were then considered to be progressive views on education and culture.
Scholarships and exhibitions to universities were won and considerable time was devoted to the arts. Music, painting and woodwork were actively encouraged while various clubs and societies flourished out of school hours; foremost among them the Three Arts Society whose drama productions under the expert guidance and enthusiasm of George Devine achieved national notoriety.
Sporting activities were of a standard above that of schools at least twice the size in
numbers. The 1st XI Cricket team achieved some remarkable victories; non more so than the
ever-memorable encounter with the Deanery C. C., one of Hampshire’s senior and most
respectable clubs. For that match the club fielded what was probably as strong a side as
it could muster. It included two Hampshire professionals: Pothecary, a batsman and Nash, a
bowler. Deanery batted first and scored some 250 runs all out; a score that was overtaken
by Clayesmore’s opening pair G. N. Daily and J. F. Keith, who both scored undefeated
centuries. The ten wicket margin of victory was astonishing, and did not pass unnoticed by
the national press. Later that year the 1st XV Rugby team was undefeated in a fixture list
that included teams of the calibre of Cranleigh and Canford and the formidable
“A” teams of St. Mary’s and Guys hospitals.
From such heights, standards, performance, and numbers began to decline as did the health
of the Headmaster. Many successes, both academic and sporting, were still to be recorded
but there could be no doubt that a negative trend had set in that a supreme effort was
needed to reverse it. This did not come about due, in no small measure, to the rapidly
deteriorating health of Lex himself.
During the summer term of 1930 not much was seen of him. He did, on occasions, come to watch the 1st XI matches for an hour or two, sitting on a large wicker chair, his legs covered with a rug, his dog at his feet.
It was towards the end of that term, for reasons I cannot recall, I was alone and changing my shoes in the area which served as the boot room for the Junior House when Lex appeared at the end of the corridor leading from the Senior House and made for the short but wide flight of steps which led to the dining hall and main school entrance hall. To my surprise he uttered not a word until, with considerable difficulty, he reached the foot of the stairs. He hesitated there for a moment before beckoning me to come to assistance. His face was ashen and I could feel his hand trembling as he laid it upon my right shoulder for support. We climbed the short flight of steps together and on reaching the top, voices and footsteps could be heard approaching. Lex immediately released his grip on my shoulder, admonishing me at the same time on no account was I ever to mention to anyone that he had needed my assistance to climb the stairs. Bracing himself, he thanked me, and with a determined effort shuffled unsteadily into the main hall and disappeared from view.
At the end of that term four stalwart masters left. We never saw Lex again and in September, amongst others, a Mr Mackenzie and a Mr King took up their respective appointments to face the vicissitudes and altercations of what must surely have been the most catastrophic term Clayesmore ever experienced.
Early on during that winter term it became evident that quite the strongest personality in the entire establishment was Mr King; he was also the most abrasive and within a very short time the most unpopular.
I was in the Junior House during this period and therefore could only watch what was happening from the touch lines. Much has been spoken but very little written about the causes and eruption of the infamous “revolution”. Many complex and interesting theories have been advanced concerning it but from what I was able to observe and also gather from members of the Middle and Senior houses subsequently, there were really but three factors that caused the fracas: the general malaise and discontent which Clayesmore had drifted into, the activities of a handful of undesirable characters who held sway in the upper school and the vigorous action to reverse the situation by Mr King.
It was a dreadful term. Nothing went right and morale touched rock bottom. As has already been stated, the Junior House was not directly involved but to sit down to lunch on that first day of commotion in a hall deserted by the members of the Senior and Middle houses was a chilling experience compounded, as it was later, by the refusal of those members to join in the responses and singing of hymns in Chapel.
A lasting memory of those days is of an afternoon of heavy snowfall when all routine outdoor activities were cancelled and a large number of members of the Senior and Middle houses were engaged in a furious snowballing fight which raged from one end of the Senior field to the other. A few of us juniors were watching the fun which was developing with quite astonishing vigour when Mr King, dressed for the fray in plus fours and a heavy white sweater, ran down the drive and on to the field to join in the fun. It was not long before we saw him returning with a deep gash over his left eyebrow which was bleeding profusely into the eye socket and spilling down his cheek on to his sweater. Clearly someone had collected flint stones from the edge of the drive and had scored a direct hit.
During the Christmas holidays Lex died. None of us had seen him since the last day of the preceding term. His death probably helped to ease the obvious problems with the general administration of the school. Morale was gradually restored - up to a point - but Clayesmore did not prosper. Numbers continued to decrease, academic standards suffered, defeat in almost every sporting activity became a foregone conclusion and the nadir was reached when the 2nd XV was defeated by a margin of over one hundred points in an away match against Leighton Park school.
This depressing trend continued uninterrupted. Masters and pupils came and went. Fortunately some of the very best remained. Mr King was gradually tolerated, became increasingly popular and in the fullness of time virtually took over control. He was firmly and ably supported by Mr Mackenzie, Mr Rayner, and a very young newcomer: one C. H. P. Verrinder who quickly settled in and rapidly gained the confidence of everyone.
Meanwhile Mr de Selincourt hovered in the background having seemingly delegated some of the main duties of a headmaster to he who most obviously showed the greater aptitude for such a position. Having done so, he devoted his time to the teaching and appreciation of the classics and - all to infrequently - demonstrating his outstanding talent at cricket, tennis, and athletics in general.
English periods taken by him were an education in themselves and when devoted to Shakespeare could, if he took the reading of certain parts himself, be as impressive or entertaining as a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company. On the playing fields he would participate or coach with impeccable style and the poise and grace which distinguishes the true amateur as opposed to the more mechanical professional. His fielding was matchless, his speed over the ground and the accuracy of his throwing from all parts of the field I have rarely seen surpassed; even in test cricket. One had only to watch him glide, effortlessly and with remarkable speed, up the main staircases at Northwood and Iwerne, three or four steps at a time, his feet seemingly never coming into contact with them, to recognise that here, indeed, was a supreme athlete.
I know that many Clayesmorians secretly looked forward to the day he would take over as headmaster, for he was friendly, warm-hearted, and seemingly extremely able. He liked nothing better than to be able to praise worthy performances in whatever activity. Sadly, the cares and problems on becoming headmaster seemed beyond him but I have yet to meet the person who bore him any ill will, and chance encounters and conversations with him out of school were moments to be for ever cherished.
A new start seemed to beckon with the move from Northwood to Iwerne but the continuing decrease in numbers and what might be termed a lack of managerial grasp by those who were in a position to take the necessary steps was, eventually, to militate against any such revival being achieved. Nevertheless, a small but solid core of masters and boys never contemplated ultimate defeat and some worthy successes did follow but then a nigh mortal blow fell upon the school. Mr King was appointed headmaster of Craigend Park School in Edinburgh.
If my memory does not fail me he left at the end of the summer term 1933 by which time he had gained the respect and trust, not to mention the popularity, of all with whom he had come into contact.
Numbers continued to decrease and further blows followed. The ever popular and much respected Mr Mackenzie followed Mr King to Craigend as did matron Miss Carver. However, a young Mr Whitbourne who had been with the school since the Northwood days gradually took over, with increasing authority, the many tasks and duties that Mr King and Mr Mackenzie had made their own; while Mr Verrinder continued ploughing his individual furrow with tact, good humour, and amusing touches of near eccentricity from the confines of the stable yard block of buildings.
And still the number of boys decreased. Matches were lost and won but heads were never bowed and some remarkable results were achieved. From the first match of the 1932 cricket season which was drawn, the Colts team remained undefeated - and largely unchanged - until the conclusion of that of 1934. In that year, also, Mr Verrinder kindled a hitherto latent interest in athletics which prospered quite magnificently and led to some very good results and records against the likes of Bryanston and Canford.
Matches were also arranged against clubs and in these Clayesmore masters were allowed to compete. After prep, during the long summer evenings, it was quite a spectacle to watch Mr Daniels and Mr Verrinder hurtling down the lanes of the 100 yards track, followed by Tristram and Wetherall desperately trying to keep up with them. Mr Morrish could also be seen carefully marking his run-up for throwing the javelins at which event I can’t remember him ever being defeated, while Messrs. Whitbourne and Lefroy pounded round the quarter mile track accompanied by the long distance enthusiasts amongst whom Holloway, Balfour, and Bluett were always to the fore.
Numbers may have been depressingly small but let no one believe that anything less than excellence was ever striven for and a remarkable spirit and loyalty prevailed throughout the School. The percentage of passes in the Oxford & Cambridge Joint Board School Certificate exams was the equal of many of the larger and more widely known schools. Art flourished under the sure guidance of Mr Daniels as did music under Mr Sterling while Mr Whitbourne succeeded quite brilliantly with the masterly productions of “Tobias and the Angel” and “Twelfth Night” staged in the Shaftesbury Guildhall.
But with something less than sixty pupils at the beginning of the summer term of 1935 everyone became aware that life for the school could not continue as it had done and rumours began to circulate that Mr King would be taking over in due course and would bring along a number of Craigenders with him. Shortly before the end of term we all gathered in what today is the library and were told by Mr de Selincourt what was to happen. It was a momentous day and excitement ran high. Those of us who had glimpsed former glories thrilled at the prospect of what might be in the not too distant future. In this we were not disappointed.
Purposely I arrived back early in the afternoon of the first day of the winter term of 1935. Outwardly very little seemed to have changed but on entering the main building I found that this was far from being the case. Halls, class rooms and dormitories had all been rearranged and reallocated. Personally, I was impressed and highly pleased with what I had seen, all the more so when I discovered I was to share what had previously been Matron’s bedroom with one, I. D. Mair, and that the said accommodation was also to serve as our private study.
From the notice boards in the main corridor of the ground floor I discovered that Mair and myself were to be the prefects of `Appleby House and that the new master of that name was to be our housemaster. Without too much difficulty I located his study and introduced myself. It did not take long for me to come to the conclusion that there was a master with whom I could get on with very well, and so I did for nigh on sixty years.
The Headmaster’s study remained where it always had been and there I reported to Mr King who, of course, I knew very well; more so for having spent an Easter holiday some years previously at his family home in Cheltenham. Before taking my leave he told me what he expected of me as the oldest Clayesmorian, not in age, but in the number of years I had been at the school, and stressed the paramount necessity of avoiding any form of confrontation between Clayesmore and Craigend; concluding that I would find Mair an able and easy person to get on with.
Some time later those who had travelled down by the London train arrived and not long after, I was to find Mair getting himself organised in the room we were to share. To the great relief of us both we discovered there would be little chance of discord between us and so, happily, it proved to be. It was not long before our friends located our whereabouts. Introductions were made and the first vital hurdle was cleared, even if , seemingly, Clayesmorians spoke a foreign tongue while those from Craigend deviated somewhat from the pronunciation so fervently advocated by Professor Higgins!
I have often wondered what might have happened had Mr King not been able to persuade the parents of the thirty odd boys that it would be in their interest that their sons should accompany him down to Dorset. It is undeniable that they contributed greatly to the success of that first term and for several more that were to follow as they were mostly still relatively young. Be that as it may, the return of Mr King with his followers plus a score or more of new boys who had been recruited by him, not to mention the fifty odd Clayesmorians, provided a firm foundation of varying talents from which an optimistic future could be launched. And launched indeed it was.
The effect was dramatic, particularly for the Clayesmorians who had returned. The pace of life quickened perceptibly. With so many newcomers there was competition where little had existed for a period of years. A new found confidence began to spread and it was felt that before long Clayesmore would be able to take its rightful place once more and become a force to be reckoned with. Enthusiasm prevailed and everyone felt that there was something special to be worked for, and standards to be achieved. Contributions in academic studies and sporting activities were there to be made. A certain urgency spread throughout the School and with it a general ambience of activity and well-being prevailed, presided over and directed by its newly appointed headmaster.
He was indefatigable and his day was one of unrelenting activity. He continued to teach while accumulating the multitudinous duties of headmaster and to a considerable extent those of bursar. He never tired and was at the centre of all activity directing, supporting, suggesting, organising and encouraging until such time as he felt he could safely delegate to someone who could live up to his own exacting standards. How and where he found the time, energy and stamina to discharge the work load which he took upon himself remains something to marvel at. Yet he never refused a request or challenge - and there were many - to a game of squash and as if this was not enough, most weekends were spent visiting other schools which were in difficulties and perhaps faced closure, in order to recruit suitable candidates for his own.
During those halcyon and unforgettable days I was privileged to sit at the head table next to him and I believe his attendance at meals epitomised the way he organised his working day. Breakfast would be about half over before he strode briskly in - having already dealt with a number of matters in his study - and would quickly eat whatever he fancied, make an observation or two about the day’s activities and then depart with the same haste he had shown on entering, leaving the rest of us to finish at our leisure. Lunch followed the same pattern in that he would return to his study immediately he had finished the main course and return just before the sweet was removed, to make any announcements concerning what had either pleased or displeased him. He seldom, if ever, sat through a whole meal.
However, once he tarried sufficiently to seek information on the attendance of OCs at annual functions. What he learned was not at all to his satisfaction and he intimated that something would have to be done and that he, personally, would take up the matter to ensure that it was. Not content just to organise a rugby match he wrote, again personally, to OCs he had known during earlier days, that a dinner would be held following the match to which all visitors would be invited. The response was immediate and enthusiastic. It signalled the rebirth of a moribund society.
On the morning of the match I was standing in the main corridor looking at the photographs of earlier rugby teams which adorned the walls - as they still do - recalling some of the efforts of those I would be playing against that afternoon, when I heard the brisk and purposeful steps of Mr King approaching.
“Ah, Mackie, just the person I wanted to see,” he said and asked: “have you ever made an after dinner speech?” I quickly and firmly replied in the negative but received the immediate rejoiner: “well you had better learn pretty quickly because you will be proposing the toast ‘Our Guests’ at tonight’s dinner,” as he promptly turned and made for his study. I knew it would be useless to protest and so retreated to the library to gather my thoughts and jot down a few notes about what I should say. Many years later, in a letter, he mentioned that at it was as good a speech as he had heard and how much he had enjoyed my effort!
The match was closely contested and greatly enjoyed. The School winning by the
narrowest of margins. That the dinner was such a success was due in no small measure to
the personal interest taken by Mrs King who immediately endeared herself to all the OCs
present as she had done at the outset of term with school staff and pupils alike. Her
interest and participation in all aspects of school life was exemplary, being neither too
intrusive nor dismissive. One can only surmise as to the help and support she must have
contributed to the ceaseless activity of her husband. That it was formidable there can be
no doubt whatsoever.
It was not long before the extraordinary resurgence which had taken place became manifest
to all who had contact with the School. It became known, through various channels, that
everything was being dealt with in a prompt and business-like manner. Correspondence was
now immediately attended to, bills were met by due date and suppliers in the area knew
exactly where they stood.
Not least, many opponents in sporting activities were to suffer a rude awakening. A
Bournemouth Sports Club “B” team for example nearly always provided the
opposition for the first match of the season and had become accustomed to a gentle workout
against a Clayesmore team strengthened by the inclusion of up to four masters. That year
their players suddenly awoke to the fact that they were some twenty five points down
against a youthful side of eager boys before half time. After the interval they fully
exerted themselves in a desperate effort to avoid the fifty odd points defeat to which
they eventually succumbed.
In the light of this evidence I, as secretary of the games Committee, had to write a
number of letters to clubs to provide sterner opposition and to the bigger schools
requesting, if possible, to play their first or “A” teams rather than the
seconds as had previously been arranged. Unless my memory fails me, victories outnumbered
defeats and when we were beaten the points margin was usually small.
Life, indeed, had taken on an unbelievably rosier complexion and as the term drew inexorably to its close, there could have been few who could not look back upon a period of almost unbroken success and achievement backed by greatly enhanced ambitions for future terms. For my part, I could count on three more terms and was firmly convinced that by the time I would leave at the end of the winter term of 1936 Clayesmore would have surpassed the heights it had attained during my first two terms in 1927.
On the night of the 30th of November 1935 just before lights out Mair entered our by now comfortably equipped retreat, saying Mr King wished to see me in his study. On entering I was asked to sit down and in the kindliest terms possible he told me that he had just received a cable from Brazil informing him that my father had died. Having given time for the shattering news to sink in he got up from behind his desk and went to a small cupboard and invited me to join him in a sherry, which I gratefully accepted. I think he was only slightly less shocked by the news he had just received than I was . We talked for well over half an hour by which time I had come to the firm conclusion that it was my duty to return to Brazil as soon as possible after the end of term
My hopes, plans and probably illusions of grandeur, were felled at a stroke. Nevertheless, on hindsight, I comforted myself with the thought that I had played a part, however small, in the incredible renaissance of Clayesmore. It had been my home for almost ten tumultuous years of varied fortune, hope and despair during which I had met and lived in close contact with some sterling and outstanding characters of widely varying ages and ambitions but surely none as determined and forceful as Evelyn Mansfield King.