A M D G
BEAUMONT UNION REVIEW
SPRING 2026.
Just
over sixty years ago with the closure of Beaumont announced, many questioned
where did the B U go from here. It had been founded to firstly foster a close
relationship between the school and Old Boys. Secondly to help the studies of
pupils with scholarships and prizes and finely to play games and sports
against the college. Suddenly the raison d etre for the Union seemed in
jeopardy. To add to the finality Hal Dickens Life Vice President died and
understandably there was a feeling that the BU had been a good thing while it
lasted: time to move on.
As we know there were a few who were determined to keep the show on the road. We might have withdrawn from the Halford Hewitt and The Pilgrims played out their last few matches but we could still gather together for dinners, lunches and Remembrance. Was there room for optimism before the inevitable no one left to remember ? Difficult when in the last 60 years we seem to have lived through gloomy times. Cruelty and chaos and conflict have reigned supreme and every day the news is bad, then worse and worse. Pessimists find their worldview rewarded.
BUT although we approach our last major Hurrah we can look back with a sense of achievement in keeping the Spirit going. Evident in the resurrected Golf Society, the battlefield tours , the C D we produced but personally I believe it was in the BU s service to the less fortunate. Over a hundred OBs have been to Lourdes helping in one form or another with HCPT and most of you have helped financially. We have seen the Charity grow from 3 children back in 1956 to the thousands from round the world that are now part of a huge family. It has given the Union a sense of purpose, ( even a wife or two). We were taught that pride is serious sin, well, I think we have much to be proud about but as is our tradition we just keep quiet about it.
So, let us not be downhearted but celebrate on the 22nd May and if you cannot be with us, we will be thinking of you and I hope in return you will raise a glass or say a prayer for what Fr Alastair Russell called a good thing: and good things leave a mark. 120 are coming to the Party, 70 of whom are OBs; nostalgia will probably be on display.
NEWS.
AWARDS
Congratulations to Marcus Wigan (57) in Australia on the award of the A M ( Order of Australia) for outstanding Service ( Between an OBE and a CBE).
Gloria Hooper ( Baroness Hooper CMG, DSG, FRSA, FRSG) sister of the Late Tegla (59), Created Grand Cross of the Order of The Sun of Peru. The Country s highest honour for her exceptional service in fostering diplomatic, educational, and cultural ties between Peru and the United Kingdom.
OBITUARIES
Fr Brian Wall (54). Died on 16th February at Oulton Abbey. He was the former Parish Priest of St Maria Goretti Church in Bentilee, Stoke-on-Trent and RC Chaplain of HMP Werrington. Following ordination as a Jesuit, Fr Wall served Parishes overseas in Chile for 20 years prior to returning to the UK in the 1980s, when he became Chaplain at the University of Wales, Cardiff before moving to Staffordshire where he continued his ministry as university Chaplain, first at Keele and then Staffordshire, before becoming a priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham as part of his vocation.
Roger L Herminier (54)
Miles Hoghton (54)
George Miles Hoghton, after Beaumont and National Service (2nd Lieutenant, Royal Artillery, BAOR & UK), he joined one of the leading coffee and cocoa firms and worked in London, Ghana and New York in managerial posts ( 1957/70) . He was then one of the four Founding Directors of A.C. Israel Woodhouse Ltd/General Cocoa Company London Ltd and was Managing Director of Central Commodity Trading Co Ltd, having been from 1983/85. Managing Director of Genco Commodities London Ltd/General Cocoa Company London Ltd. In addition, he was a member or chairman of numerous trade associations, governmental advisory bodies and committees such as UK Cocoa Trade Committee, European Community Cocoa Trade Organization, International Cocoa Trades Assocn., director of the London Commodity Exchange, to name only a few. Before he became such a busy man he played rugby twice for Norfolk - no doubt taking after his father who won his Trial cap for England and was a prominent Club player - and was in the Kent Youth Amateurs cricket team (1953) and was selected to play cricket for Merionethshire - but, he says, the match was rained off !
Sir Anthony Leggett (55)
Illinois News Bureau
Nobel laureate Sir Anthony James Leggett, widely recognized as a world leader in condensed matter physics and for his pioneering work on superfluidity and the quantum mechanics of macroscopic systems, died March 8.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor was 87 years old.Leggett had been the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 1983. His research in theoretical condensed matter physics and the foundations of quantum mechanics won the 2003 Nobel prize for Physics or his contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids.
Professor Leggett was a brilliant mind, always working on ground breaking ideas and had such a down-to-earth, humble personality, said Rashid Bashir, dean of The Grainger College of Engineering and professor of bioengineering at the U. of I. The world has lost a legend and a wonderful person. He will be dearly missed.
Leggett was a master of explaining superfluidity, the property of some fluids to flow freely without viscosity. His research extended the legacy of U. of I. s contribution to the theory of superconductivity ― that some materials lose all electrical resistance when cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero ― developed by researchers John Bardeen, Leon Cooper and J. Robert Schrieffer, for which they received the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics.
His research was expansive and included considerable theoretical work on the applications of quantum mechanics to collective variables, and on ways to incorporate quantum dissipation, tunnelling and coherence into the behaviour of macroscopic quantum systems. Leggett s theories directly led to experiments on macroscopic quantum tunnelling and coherence by John Clarke, John Martinis and Michel Devoret, who shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for this work.
Since the early 1960s, Leggett was interested in the problem of the superfluid liquid helium-3 a rare isotope of helium that liquefies just above absolute zero. It could not be explained by the then-existing theory, which accounted for the superfluidity of helium-4. Leggett s theory, developed between 1972 and 1975, provided the explanation for the phenomenon in terms of a new physical mechanism, a novel form of symmetry breaking that he introduced. This was the basis for understanding the superfluid phases of helium-3 as anisotropic pairing of helium-3 atoms.
In 1986, when high-temperature superconductors were discovered, Leggett proposed a test of the symmetry of the new superconductors, leading to an experiment performed at the U. of I. by Dale Van Harlingen, Donald Ginsberg and David Wollman. The 1993 experiment established that new superconductors had d-wave symmetry, unlike conventional low-temperature superconductors, which are isotropic.
Leggett was born in Camberwell, South London, in 1938. His mother and father were the first in their families to attend university, where they met and became engaged while students at the University of London.He began his college education as a classics major, graduating from Oxford University with a B.A. in 1959. After completing his first degree, he began a second undergraduate degree at Oxford, this time in physics. In 1964, after completing his doctorate at Oxford, he joined the U. of I. physics department as a postdoctoral researcher with David Pines and John Bardeen.
Having Tony as a warm and generous colleague over the years made being in Urbana truly worthwhile, said Illinois physics professor Gordon Baym, who worked closely with Leggett during his time as a postdoctoral researcher. He was always way ahead of the rest of us, owing not simply to his being smarter, but also to his boundless energy and working harder. Tony s enthusiasm for physics and people continued to the end. From 1967 until 1983, Leggett was a lecturer at the University of Sussex, England. During that period, he visited Japanese universities on several occasions, as well as the University of Ghana, and then returned to the U. of I. to join the physics faculty until his retirement in 2018
During his time at the U. of I., he also held a position at the Institute for Quantum Computing in Waterloo, Canada. In 2013, he became the founding director of the Shanghai Centre for Complex Physics and in 2023, he became the chief scientist at the Institute for Condensed Matter Theory, a research institute at the U. of I., which in 2023 was renamed the Anthony J. Leggett Institute for Condensed Matter Theory.
Leggett is survived by his wife, Haruko Kinase-Leggett, married in 1973; his daughter, Elizabeth Asako Kinase-Leggett; and his sisters, Judith Leggett and Clare Prangley.
Among his other numerous awards are the Wolf Prize in Physics (2022-23), the Eugene Feenberg Memorial Medal (1999), the Paul Dirac Medal and Prize (1991), the Simon Memorial Prize (1981), the Fritz London Memorial Award (1981), and the James Clerk Maxwell Medal and Prize (1975).
Leggett was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and the Irish Literary and Historical Society. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, the American Physical Society and the American Institute of Physics. He was an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Physics and a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004 for services to physics.
Tony was a much-beloved colleague. He was so soft-spoken that it was easy to overlook the remarkable extent of his accomplishments, said Illinois physics department head Vidya Madhavan. He felt a profound allegiance to both the department and the university. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for colleagues and students, and, despite his many travels, he remained a constant presence in the physics department. Together, he and Haruko opened their home to generations of colleagues, students and postdocs for which we are all very grateful.
Peter Moss (51). Cox of the VIII, Service in the RAF. A regular supporter of the BU. Died 18th April.
See also OBITUARIES.
LOURDES at EASTER
HCPT and the BOFS were in Lourdes for the annual Pilgrimage. A special year celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the Trust and in which Beaumont gave a helping hand .
BOFS of 2026
OBs with the BOFS, apart from myself, were Tony Outred, Richard Sheehan, Chris Tailby, Mandy Bedford (Hon. Sec), Bishop Jim Curry ( Hon. Chaplain). We followed the well- tried itinerary staying at the Moderne starting with the Trust Mass celebrating 70 years since the foundation of HCPT, the Stations of The Cross, visits to the Ukrainian Church, The Poor Clares, the Grotto and the International Mass in the underground Basilica for the Pilgrimage. There was a drinks party and briefing on the progress of the Cause for Canonisation for Bro. Michael Strode ( founder of HCPT), Caf Lunches, the Irish Bar for quarter finals of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the Picnic at Gavarnie and the Grande Bouffe at Bartres and most importantly Beaumont Night when we were joined by the Group Helpers (Group 24) Patrick Burgess, John Flood, Robert Bruce and Michael Wortley. John Wolff was also in town with a family entourage and made it in time for the gathering.
So, in Racing terms, nine of us came under starter s orders along the bar for the Carmen and the Pater Noster.
We are extremely grateful to Bishop Jim for leading/ guiding us on this spiritual journey. Apparently, according to Peterborough in the Daily Telegraph, Bishop Jim was preaching in one of the Westminster parishes a few weeks ago. He asked the congregation whether they could all hear him.
One man put his hand up and replied that he could hear perfectly but was more than happy to change places with someone who couldn t !
BOOK LAUNCH
At the Garden Party 22nd May I will be launching my latest Book:-
Stories of the Turf - the small world of racing but with the BEAUMONT connection. OBs and their close relatives have won all the Classics and the Grand National. They form the Spool for the Threads of Racing Silk .
Synopsis
Over decades there have been many connections between those involved in racing. To a certain extent we would expect such a word to spring to mind in the sport with the blood lines of horses, but also in the lives of those associated with them, whether they be the breeders, owners, trainers or jockeys. Indeed, it was often said that everybody in racing knows everyone . It is fascinating to see the relationship between people and horses, indeed to find threads that link them. Such is the case with these stories and for those that enjoy racing, extraordinary characters, heartbreak, coups and outrageous scandals there is no shortage in these pages.
Sold in aid of The Injured Jockeys Fund: 20 ( in Hardback).
I very much hope you will support me whether you are interested in racing, Beaumont or looking for a good door stop!
2nd Edition
Also, on sale will be John Wolff s excellent biography of Bro. Michael Strode ( now in its 2nd edition). Help support the cause for this saintly man s canonisation and who had such an impact on the lives of so many OBs.
ARTICLES
MARQUIS DE MORES ( A biography)
Beaumont was a school where they didn t ask too many questions as to the parents, their providence of money or their political convictions. One such was the Marquis de Mores who sent his younger son Paul ( 06) to the College . A new biography of this extraordinary man has recently been published.
The Synopsis:
In
nineteenth-century France, the first fascist was born. Decades before
Mussolini, the Marquis de Mor s became the first populist and openly
antisemitic leader in the Western world. A key figure behind the Dreyfus
affair, he tore France apart with his inflammatory media rhetoric and violent
stunts. Who was this man, who both anticipated and propelled the fascist
politics that erupted in the twentieth century?
Drawing on a wealth of original sources, award-winning historian Sergio
Luzzatto explores the forgotten story of a father of fascism. He shows how,
after losing aristocratic status in modern, democratic France, Mor s led an
adventurous life cattle ranching on the American frontier and building a
railway in the jungles of Indochina yet found all his schemes dogged by
failure. He follows in Mor s s footsteps, as, blaming supposed Jewish
machinations for his defeats, he returned to France and soon controlled a
large, violent militia of disgruntled workers. Even when his rapid political
rise was torpedoed by a highly publicized financial scandal, his shadow
continued to loom. In Vichy France, as Jewish people were being deported to
Auschwitz, officials would gather to celebrate Mor s s memory. Vivid and
unsettling, The First Fascist is an engrossing exploration of the
roots of our present discontent.
The Man:
De Mores was the son of the Duc de Vollombrosa, a Spanish title but the family had lived in France for many years and Antoine was brought up at the family chateau outside Cannes. He went into the Army and graduated from St Cyr together with the future Mar chal Petain in 1874 and joined the Spahis in Algeria. Here he threw down the gauntlet for the first time and started his career as the most celebrated duellist of his day. This may be why he eventually left the army and went to the United States. Here he fell in love with Medora Marie von Hoffman. She was the daughter of Baron Athenais, a New York Banker and founder of the Knickerbocker Club. Medora came from Louisiana aristocracy with governors and Julia Ward Howe the composer of The Battle Hymn of The Republic among her antecedents; she was another related to the Astors. An accomplished pianist, artist, linguist and one of the best shots in the country, the Prince of Wales attended her wedding to Antoine at Cannes in 1882.
The couple decided to go West and make their fortune cattle ranching and Antoine with his father in law s backing purchased some 9,000 acres in the Black Hills of Dakota. He named the settlement Medora for his wife, built a hunting lodge known as the Chateau de Mores, opened an abattoir and shipped the meat to Chicago. He prospered and increased his land holding to 26,000 acres and looked after the people that stared to arrive at the new township. He built a hotel, saloon, stores and the Catholic Church. Not long after the de Mores arrived, Antoine was accosted by three cowboys who threatened his life during a raid on the house. In a shoot out, he killed one of them and wounded the other two. The survivors told a tale that they had innocently visited the ranch only to be set upon; Antoine was tried three times for murder and each time acquitted. Medora even moved into his jail cell to be with him on each occasion. At his third trial he was to say I have plenty of money for my defence but not a dollar for blackmail . These were the days when the region was known as the bad lands and attracted leeches that would try and live off the hard work of others. Outlaws were numerous and rustling was common. De Mores backed a vigilante group that considerably weakened their hold over the territory. You could draw similarities between Antoine and the Hon William Cap French OB in New Mexico.
I would not place future President Theodore Roosevelt in that Bad company but he did arrive shortly afterwards, and impressed by what de Mores had achieved, set up his own business to rival and undercut his prices. Antoine wrote to him about his underhand practice which Roosevelt took as a challenge to a duel. The matter was eventually settled amicably and Roosevelt returned to New York having lost most of his investment.
De Mores was to follow him, as his venture finally failed and he was forced to sell his lands and he decided to go tiger hunting in India. The American press reported that Medora, his handsome and courageous wife would accompany him. She is his equal in shooting achievements and has ridden through the most savage parts of our Western country galloping into dangers galore. A rifle is a toy in her hands, buffalo, grizzles and deer have gone down to her bullet .
After their time in India, the family moved back to his roots in France where he became involved in politics that led to various fights at dawn. The Count became vehemently anti-Semite and blamed the Jews for most of his business losses on both sides of the Atlantic. He was an associate of Albert de Dion in the Dreyfus affair and was a backer when Albert set up L Auto .
In 1896, this colourful character, always remembered as The Emperor of The Bad Lands was murdered in North Africa by his escort of Tuareg tribesmen as he crossed the Sahara to join the Arabs in the Khalifa s holy war against the British and their Jewish supporters. The investigation that followed revealed that his enemies in the Government were implicated in his death.
The Son:
In view of Antoine s stance over the British, it was surprising that Paul his younger son came to Beaumont while the elder boy was educated in America and went to Yale, but it was probably Medora s decision. On leaving school in 1911, Paul went back out to Dakota and was to visit the family home on several occasions when he went to live and work in Canada.
Count Paul Manca de Mores de Vallombrosa
During the Great War, Medora turned their Paris home into a hospital for the wounded and Paul was commissioned in the 22nd Cuirassiers, but like most cavalrymen he had to fight in the trenches. He was decorated for bravery when during one incident he killed several Germans with the bayonet in close quarter fighting; his father would have approved. Paul s portrait by John Singer Sargent now hangs in the Smithsonian Institute where it rests with other OB memorabilia - including Clarence MacKay s Cartier emerald necklace given to his wife Anna on the wedding day.
Paul died in 1950.
From the NEW YORK TIMES Jan 28 1928
Count Paul Manca de Mores de Vallombrosa, second son of the late Marquis de Mores de Vallombrosa, and Mrs. Ruth Obre Goldbeck, widow of Walter Dean Goldbeck, an American portrait painter, were married in the rectory of St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday morning by Mgr. Michael J. Lavelle. Besides Thierry Mallet, who was best man, and Julian Allen, who was a witness, the only persons present at the ceremony were Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Obre, brother and sister-in-law of the bride.
After the marriage the Count and Countess entertained a few friends of the Count at a luncheon in the Ritz-Carlton, and still later in the afternoon were guests at a tea given by Townsend Martin. They departed last night for Palm Beach, where they will be the guests of Mr. and Mrs. John Emerson. Mrs. Emerson, better known as Anita Loos, is a close friend of the bride.
Although the couple were said to have been engaged for nearly six months, the wedding was a surprise to most of their friends. They first met in Paris two years ago, when the Count was with the Paris branch of the Bankers Trust Company and the former Mrs. Goldbeck was a partner in the dressmaking establishment of Yvonne Davidson. Count de Vallombrosa arrived here early this month to become a partner in the Paris brokerage house of de Saint Phalle & Co. The bride, who has lived in Europe for the last eight years, returned here in December, and has since been living at the Hotel Elysee.
The Count was brought up in this country and graduated from Harvard University. He received the Croix de Guerre while fighting with the French forces during the war. His mother, the former Medora Hoffman, was born on Staten Island, the daughter of Louis Hoffman. a banker. The Dukedom of Vallombrosa is of Sardinian origin and was created in 1720 by the Duke of Savoy. who became King of Sardinia. The Count's father, the Marquis de Mores, was a noted sportsman, and for a time was engaged in ranching in North Dakota. He was killed by natives in an expedition he was heading in the Sahara Desert.
Mr. Obre said yesterday that his father, William T. Obre of Rhinebeck-on-the-Hudson, although he did not attend his daughter's wedding, approved of it and had hoped it would be performed at his home. The bride is a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, he said.
Eugene Kelly: A Lifetime of Benevolence to the Archdiocese of New York
By Mrs. Kate Feighery
Eugene Sr was the father of Eugene Jr (79) and a Life Member of the B U. The Antithesis of the Marquis de Mores.
The typical image of nineteenth-century Irish immigrants is of the many starving and destitute who arrived in the mid- 1800s fleeing the famine. It is these immigrants, Catholic history tells us, on whose nickels and dimes the Catholic church in New York City was built. However, this narrative leaves out an important piece of the story of Irish Catholic New York: the wealthy. The generosity and dedication of an, admittedly smaller, group of wealthy Irish Catholics provided the foundation for a network of institutions to assist their fellow countrymen in a time of widespread anti-Irish, anti- Catholic feeling. The benevolence of these men (and a few women) led to the establishment of churches and charitable institutions throughout the city. One of these men was Eugene Kelly. Although the family has long since died off, for almost a century Eugene Kelly, his wife, and his sons, all committed themselves to bettering the lives of Catholic New Yorkers.
Eugene and Margaret Hughes Kelly
Eugene Kelly, emigrated from Trillick, County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1830, when he was twenty-four years old. He found work as a clerk at the Donnelly Brothers dry-goods firm in New York, before moving first to Maysville, Kentucky, and then to St. Louis, Missouri, both times to establish new branches of the store. In 1842, he met Anna Teresa Donnelly, daughter of the late Charles Donnelly of the Donnelly Brothers firm. The couple was married in St. Louis by then-Bishop John Hughes of New York and in 1844 had a daughter, Eugenia. Anna died in 1848, and in 1850, Eugene followed the gold rush to California with a business partner, Joseph A. Donohoe. Once in San Francisco, Kelly and Donohoe opened a dry-goods store, leaving that business in 1861 to establish a banking firm, Donohoe, Kelly, & Co. Soon after, the partners felt the business would benefit from a branch on the East Coast, so Kelly returned to New York, where he opened the Eugene Kelly & Co. bank.
In 1857, Kelly married Margaret Hughes, niece of New York s Archbishop John Hughes. Margaret, the daughter of Hughes brother Michael, was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Le Fargeville, New York. Kelly s connection to Archbishop Hughes goes back to at least the early 1840s, and it is presumed that they first came into contact through Kelly s brother, the Reverend John Kelly. Fr. Kelly was born in Ireland in 1802, and emigrated in 1825 to enter Mount St. Mary s Seminary at Emitsburg, Maryland. He was ordained a priest for the diocese of New York by Bishop John DuBois on September 14, 1833, and his first assignment was as an assistant at St. Patrick s Cathedral on Mott Street. He then served mainly in upstate New York, but spent the last twenty years of his life at St. Peter s Church in Jersey City (at the time, the church was still a part of the Diocese of New York). Eugene Kelly donated a large chime to St. Peter s in honor of his brother, and later donated a stained glass window of St. Paul to the new St. Patrick s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, also in honour of his late brother, who had died on April 28, 1866.
Eugene
Kelly maintained a strong connection to Ireland throughout his life, and shared
with his wife a deep devotion to the Catholic church. The personal and
professional relationship he had with Archbishop Hughes cemented his connection
to the Catholic New York, and Kelly was known as one of Hughes closest
advisors, offering him investment and legal recommendations, and dedicating
much time to causes important to Hughes. He assisted the Archbishop with the
fiscal difficulties facing many of his parishes, at one point even arranging
for a parish to avoid taking out a mortgage on their debts, and instead
stepping in with the banks to arrange
a promissory note. Hughes strongly believed in the power of a few wealthy
donors, and knew how vital the wealthy were if his projects were to succeed.
Kelly was part of a group of wealthy Irish Catholics that Hughes cultivated
during his years in New York, on whom he depended for both time and funds for
many of the charitable initiatives the Archbishop started. Although the diocese
had a number of established groups of laymen to whom Hughes could have reached
out upon his arrival in New York, including the already-existing Board of
Trustees of St. Patrick s Cathedral on Mott Street, Hughes, long suspicious of
the power of trustees in the church, instead created his own network of
advisors. In addition to Kelly, this group also included prominent New Yorkers
Andrew Carrigan, Daniel Devlin, Terence Donnelly, T. James Glover, Henry
Hoguet, and Felix Ingoldsby. Particularly when it came to finding the money
for his new Cathedral project, he flatly stated, I do not wish the Board of
the Cathedral to be party to any of the contracts for the erection of the New
St. Patrick s except perhaps as individuals, but not as a Board. He instead
reached out to 150 of the most pious, zealous, and (what is essential) wealthy
Catholics in the city and diocese of New York, the majority personally known
to him, soliciting individual donations of $1,000 toward the first stage of
construction of the new Cathedral on 5th Avenue. Not only was Kelly one of
these men to receive a letter, he was the 5th pledge to the new Cathedral,
paying his $1,000 donation in full over a month before the cornerstone was even
laid.
In addition to this initial financial support of the Cathedral, Kelly continued to offer donations for the construction through the years, and served for many years on the Cathedral s Board of Trustees. He was also one of the founding members of the Committee of New York Catholic Protectory, a child-care institution set up by Hughes in 1863. He also continued to offer both monetary and time support to Hughes successors. In1892,when Archbishop Michael Corrigan was fund raising for the new diocesan seminary in Yonkers, Kelly was one of the first subscribers, with a pledge of $10,000. He was a trustee of Seton Hall University, and one of the early donors to the Catholic University of America, where he served on the board of directors. After his death, his wife endowed two chairs at the university: the Eugene Kelly Chair of Ecclesiastical History and the Margaret Hughes Kelly Chair of Holy Scripture. Kelly ensured his commitment to New York Catholics even after his death in 1894: his will left $110,000 to Catholic causes in New York, the sum to be set in a trust overseen and divided as necessary by Archbishop Corrigan. The money was ultimately distributed to over thirty- five institutions, including: St. Elizabeth s Indian School; the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum; St. Vincent s Hospital; St. Benedict s Home for Coloured Orphans; St. Joseph s Home for the Aged; and the Foundling Asylum. As Margaret Kelly told Archbishop Corrigan in an 1896 letter, none of our institutions were overlooked and some seem to be very much surprised at this unexpected gift.
As
well as overseeing Eugene s wishes, his wife, Margaret, had her own deep
commitment to Catholic causes in New York City. Through her aunt, Mother Angela
Hughes, a Sister of Charity and one of the founders of St. Vincent s Hospital,
Margaret was a consistent source of support for the hospital. She donated
$60,000 to the initial building fund, was an annual donor throughout her life,
and left an additional $10,000 to the hospital in her will. She was an annual
subscriber to the New York Foundling Hospital, also run by the Sisters of
Charity, and worked to bring the religious orders of the Sisters of the
Assumption and the Sisters of Bon Secours to New York. Margaret continued her
husband s contributions to the St. Joseph s Seminary fund, and left the
Seminary $10,000 after her death. In her will,
she directed that some of her jewelry collection (valued at $20,000) be given
to Archbishop Corrigan to be fashioned into a pectoral cross. The cross was
five inches long, made of gold and diamonds. Margaret was also a strong
supporter of the new St. Patrick s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. She contributed
the funds for the baptistery doors, and arranged for their design by John
LaFarge, the renowned stained glass designer. She bequeathed $200,000 to
Archbishop Corrigan for the St. Patrick s Cathedral Lady Chapel, in the hopes
that she,her husband, and some of her sons could be buried in the crypt.
Originally Archbishop Corrigan had expected that the funds for the Lady Chapel
would come directly from Eugene Kelly, Sr., but he died before the arrangements
could be finalized. Kelly s son, Thomas, promised Monsignor Lavelle, rector of
the Cathedral that should his father die before the arrangements were finished,
the remaining members of the Kelly family would erect the chapel as a joint
memorial to Archbishop Hughes and their own illustrious husband and father,
and Margaret saw this obligation through.
In addition to the support of Catholics, Eugene Kelly was also fiercely committed to the well-being of his countrymen in New York. He was a member of the Irish Emigrant Society, and served for thirty-five years on the board of trustees of the Emigrant Savings Bank, seventeen of those as vice-president. At his death, the Emigrant Savings Bank proclaimed him as loyal to his adopted country as he was to that native land which he loved so well, and was ever ready to contribute princely of his large means to ameliorate the privations of her suffering children. Kelly was a member and treasurer of the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, and the Society noted after his death that he regarded his wealth as a fund which he held in trust for the benefit of humanity.
Kelly also donated liberally to relief causes in Ireland, at one point sending money directly to the Archbishop of Tuam for the Irish Relief Committee of the city, Col Ter. In the 1870s, he served on the Irish Relief Committee for the United States, along with Thomas Addis Emmet and William Grace. During the famine of 1880, Eugene Kelly & Co. served as a repository for American donations for Irish relief, sending over $12,000 in less than a month. Eugene Kelly died on December 19, 1894, and at his funeral, the Reverend Dr. Brann summed up his life work: Eugene Kelly never forgot the land of his nativity during his prosperity in the land of his adoption. His name is inscribed on every hearthstone in Ireland, and there are tears and wailings there for his death. His purse was always open to the needs of his country, and he gave almost as much to Ireland as he gave to his beloved church.
THE SECOND GENERATION
Margaret and Eugene had six sons: John (1858 1885), Eugene (1859 1912), Edward (1863 1901), Thomas (1866 1933), Joseph (1867 1889), and Robert (1869 1919). Eugene, Jr. and Edward shared their parents commitment to New York s Catholics. Both continued their mother s dedication to St. Vincent s Hospital: Edward served as a director at the hospital and, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of dollars donated throughout his lifetime, he also donated the fist first automobile ambulance to the hospital. Eugene was president of the board of the hospital and donated money for its chapel. In his will, Eugene also endowed three beds in memory of his brother Edward, who predeceased him. Eugene served on the board of directors for the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum and as treasurer of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He was given the title Camierier de Cape et d Eppe, which made him an honorary attaché of the pope s household. He was a Papal Knight, served on the board of trustees of St. Patrick s Cathedral, and was one of its largest donors, leaving the Cathedral $83,000 in his will. He followed his father by serving on the boards of both the Irish Emigrant Society and the Emigrant Savings Bank. Edward was an active member of St. Agnes s Church, and donated the stained glass windows there in honour of his mother and father.
Less is known about the other two children of Eugene Kelly: Eugenia (with his first wife, Anna) and Robert. Eugenia married James A. G. Beales, and had eight children. While Eugenia and her daughters were supports of the Foundling Asylum, her husband, James, supported many of the causes favoured by his father-in-law: he was a director of the Catholic Protectory, was a member of the executive committees of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Irish Emigrant Society, and was on the board of trustees of the Emigrant Savings Bank. Robert lived in Huntington, Long Island, married Dorothy Van Schaick, and had two sons. It was in his son, Thomas, where Eugene Kelly, Sr. s combined devotion to both Catholic and Irish causes flourished. Thomas continued many of Eugene and Margaret s charitable commitments, as a member of the boards of trustees of St. Patrick s Cathedral (for forty years), <remove comma> for and of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, and also serving on the board of managers of the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum. He also served on boards of the Catholic Historical Society, the New York Foundling Hospital, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the American-Irish Historical Society, and as president of the board of St. Vincent s Hospital. As mentioned above, Thomas, along with his mother and his brother Eugene, donated the money for the St. Patrick s Cathedral Lady Chapel. Among Kelly s four longer living sons, Thomas was the most personally involved, often corresponding with Archbishop Corrigan about architects, plans, and general construction issues. In 1889, he made a contribution toward the Cathedral chimes, and to acknowledge his work Archbishop Corrigan attributed the donation toward the bell in honour of St. Thomas. In 1900, Thomas and Eugene purchased the land directly across the street from the Lady Chapel at Madison Avenue and Fifty-First Street, the future home of the Chancery offices for the Archdiocese of New York. Like his brother Eugene, Thomas was a Papal Knight, and when he married Emerance de Sallier in 1904, her engagement ring was made with a ruby given to Thomas by Pope Leo XIII. In 1920, Thomas and his wife moved to Rome, where they continued their close relationship with the church. In 1932, he was asked to become Ireland s first official representative to the Vatican, but declined. It was his commitment to Ireland and her causes that drew the most passion from Thomas.
After the Titanic disaster in 1912, Kelly served as treasurer of a special fund to establish a memorial to Dr. William O Loughlin, the ship s surgeon and a native of County Kerry, who was killed when the ship sank. Like the Kelly family, the doctor had a close relationship with St. Vincent s Hospital, and the fund was used for a pathology laboratory at the hospital. After the 1916 Rising, he served as treasurer of the New York-based Irish Relief Fund, donating $100,000 of his own money to the cause. He personally attempted to bring the funds to Ireland in July, 1916. However, he and his associate Joseph Smith were forbidden to disembark from their ship by British authorities. This situation caused an uproar in both America and in Ireland, and eventually the United States State Department was involved. Although acknowledging that many members of the Irish Relief Fund openly avowed the cause of Irish independence, the organization was strictly non-political, and Kelly and Smith s mission was described as one of charity and mercy. As part of this work, he served as treasurer of the Irish Relief Fund Bazaar held in Madison Square Garden in October, 1916. His wife served as chairwoman of the Bazaar s women s committee. Through the early 1920s, Thomas served as the honorary secretary of the World Congress of the Irish Race, held in Paris in January, 1922. It discussed the future interests of the Irish Race at home and throughout the World, as well as offering an exhibition of Irish art, ancient and modern, concerts of Irish music, and an artistic interpretation of Irish plays both modern and Gaelic. Kelly was, in particular, involved in the exhibit of ancient and modern Irish art. At Kelly s death, Irish President Eamon de Valera sent Michael MacWhite, Minister to Washington of the Irish Free State, as his representative to the funeral. Kelly was eulogized as always a true friend of Ireland and his purse was always open to her needs.
Thomas Kelly died in 1933, outliving all of his brothers, and leaving no heirs. With his death, the dedication of the Kelly family to Ireland, her people, and New York s Catholics came to an end. Without the generosity of the Kelly family, many of New York s leading Catholic institutions would not have developed to serve the less fortunate members of Irish- America. The existence of these organizations allowed other immigrants to find their way in American society and establish a meaningful life for themselves. The family s legacy lives on in the institutions in both New York and Ireland that would not have existed without the time and money committed by members of the Kelly family for almost a century.
GISS - GOSS
GISS GOSS is THE REVIEW gossip column with tittle-tattle gleaned from various sources.
MORE LEGGETT
In an Interview
He was asked about the Nobel Prize.
For some people it makes them shy and afraid to go out into new fields or take risks. You can't be seen doing something "crazy." What about your reputation??? Oh no.
But not Sir Tony.
He used the Nobel prize almost the opposite way, as a reason to not care and just work on whatever he wanted. After all, he had already won the Nobel prize, so why couldn t he work on whatever he wanted? By the way, you don't need a Nobel prize to decide one day to work on the things you want to work on.
This man was in his late 80s and was still working on campus, going to his office at the university, getting coffee at the union, and taking the MTD 2 Red back to his house. Whenever i saw him, I always stopped him. There are not that many places in the world where you can stop a Nobel laureate and ask him physics questions. Whenever I did, he was always happy to talk. Great guy.
The other thing that was an important lesson is that he didn t study physics as an undergraduate, he studied classics. One thing we asked him in the interview was this: if you went back in time and you were an undergrad right now at this university, what would you study and what problems would you work on?
He still said he probably wouldn t choose physics. He said he might choose experimental neuroscience or neuropsychology instead, because understanding how the brain works is "the most sophisticated kind of object which Nature has developed." He even said it s not clear that the physics and chemistry we know today are enough to fully explain the brain, and that it might require developing new approaches in physics or chemistry. If you're looking for inspiration, this is your sign.
He said that if he had gone straight into physics he might have been four years further ahead in his career, maybe published more papers and gotten more citations, but that really wasn t something he cared about.
Lastly, we had to ask him what it was that kept him going, and his answer was very simple: curiosity. He gave this advice: don t worry too much about the literature at first, don t be afraid to ask stupid questions, and don t panic if you spend months on something that goes nowhere. Sometimes the ideas you think were a waste of time come back years later and turn out to be useful.
And he gave an example from his career.
At one point when he was working in Japan he spent time developing a theory about something called two-band superconductors. It was based on an experiment people thought they were seeing. So he worked out the theory, wrote some notes, even drafted a couple of small papers.
Then later it turned out the experiment was wrong. The material wasn t actually a two-band superconductor after all.
So for a while it looked like all that work had basically been pointless.
But he wrote everything up anyway and put it away in a drawer.
Years later, when he was working on helium-3, those ideas turned out to be exactly what he needed to understand the problem he was working on. Something that had looked like wasted effort ended up becoming the key piece of a much more important result.
So don t worry too much about wasting time. In research and in your life, the things that seem useless today sometimes become the things that save you ten years later.
Even in his late 80s he was still going to his office, still thinking about new problems, still trying to understand experiments that didn t quite make sense. That s how he said he chose problems in the first place: find experiments that don t fit the current theory and try to understand them.
And if that means asking questions other people think are stupid, or working on something that might not go anywhere, so be it.
That was Sir Tony.
Fr Brian Wall.
Sir Tony was not the only one to receive a tribute on his death:-
A past student wrote:
Dear Father Brian,
When I was a student at Cardiff University from
1989 to 1993, you were our Catholic Chaplain and you were so good to us. You
weren t just the priest who said Mass; you were a steady, fatherly presence who
kept us company, looked after us, and made university feel less lonely and far
more like home.
I ll always remember the simple kindnesses: soup
and toast after Mass, the trips you took us on up to the Brecon Beacons and
over to Scotland and the way you somehow made sure we were properly equipped
and cared for (even down to waterproofs when we needed them). You brought
people together, arranged parties and gatherings, and created a real sense of
community. Cardiff University simply would not have been the same without you.
When I was going through a hard time and nearly
dropped out, you were there for me. You helped me to keep going, and I will
always be grateful for your support, your time, and the genuine care you
showed.
You had a big, booming personality the kind
that filled a room. Some people felt a bit steamrollered by you at times, but
it always came from a good place. You meant well, and your heart was in the
right place: to help, to guide, and to make sure no one was left out.
Thank you, Father Brian, for everything you did
for us and for the difference you made in my life.
THE GATTIS
I noticed that an apartment was for sale at Gatti House in the Strand for over 2.6 million.
The History Of Gatti House.
Built in 1886 by architect Spencer Chadwick, Gatti House first served not as a home but as a restaurant more specifically The Adelphi Theatre Restaurant at the heart of the West End. The creation of two Italian-Swiss brothers Agostino and Stefano Gatti, the flamboyant family also owned the accompanying Adelphi Theatre as well as the Vaudeville. Opening the Adelphi restaurant in 1887, it quickly became one of the West End s most fashionable haunts, its private dining rooms even drawing in figures such as Oscar Wilde and No l Coward. Continuing their family s gastronomic and cultural legacy, Agostino s eldest son, John Gatti, oversaw the main dining room while his cousin Gaspare Luigi Gatti acted as manager and head chef of the private dining suite.
Among the regular patrons of the restaurant was J Bruce Ismay, the Chairman of the White Star Line. Taken by the restaurant and its chef, he awarded the Gattis a role operating the la carte restaurants aboard his new ocean liners, the RMS Olympic and the RMS Titanic. On 10 April 1912, Gaspare Gatti and 35 of his staff, many of them former employees of the Adelphi Theatre Restaurant, boarded Titanic s maiden voyage to oversee the new restaurant. When the ship sank five days later, all of the staff were taken by the sea.
Inside Gatti House Today
With the surviving Gatti family selling the restaurant in 1955, it was eventually transformed into a residential building in 2010. Facing significant restoration, the works returned the property to its former grandeur, preserving ornate plasterwork, decorative joinery and its elegant proportions. Now the site of four private homes, the split-level penthouse resides on the lower level with two bedroom suites, a private balcony, and an open-plan living space. Beyond its tragic links to the Titanic, the property s second claim to fame lies in its former owner, the Take That star Jason Orange. Believed to have bought the apartment when the building was first converted in 2015, he lived in the property for three years.
The Gatti Family is remembered by the City of Westminster with a plaque on the building that bears its name.
Joseph Rocco Gatti (91) was part of a famous theatre family. Originally the Gattis were from Switzerland, when an Agostino Gatti came to London as an entrepreneur, and built up a large business as diverse as electrical power supply to the West End, and the ownership of theatres and a string of caf -restaurants. The family also founded the oldest Swiss club in England Unione Ticinese with the charitable purpose of providing care for the sick and poor among the immigrants; those that did not survive could be buried in a special plot reserved for them in the East Finchley cemetery. When Agostino died, he was succeeded by Joseph and his brother John who had been at Stonyhurst. John was also interested in local government and was elected to Westminster city council and eventually became chairman of the London County Council in 1927 and knighted for his contribution. His three sons would come to Old Windsor with Jack awarded an MC in the Great War with the Irish Guards for gallantry under heavy fire; his citation read as if he had the leading role in Henry V.
1897 was a memorable year for the Gattis as they now owned both the Adelphi, the Vaudeville famed for their musicals and they also leased the Strand. Sir Seymour Hicks, the elder brother of Stanley OB was managing the Adelphi for them. Seymour was married to the actress singer Ellaline Terriss the daughter of swashbuckling actor William Terriss. It was in December of that year, William Terriss was about to enter the stage door of the Adelphi for the evening performance of the play in which he had the leading role, when he was stabbed to death by a mentally insane fellow thespian. If the play was not a sensation, the murder certainly was and the killer played to the gallery before being sent by the Judge to the Broadmoor mental institution. Legend has it that Terriss s ghost haunts the theatre and the Covent Garden tube station where it has apparently been witnessed on many occasions. Since station modernisation.
The last of the Gattis at Beaumont were Simon ( 60) and Nicholas (64).
COUNTRY LIFE
I don t know whether there is a strong Catholic influence in this weekly (though Editor Mark Hedges was at Radley). But there is often a relevant article.
As usual produced various pieces on Sir Giles Gilbert Scott including:
THROCKMORTONS
Nothing to do with Scott but there was a piece concerning the old recusant family of Throckmorton. An Interview with Marcus Birch-Throckmorton at the family home and an heirloom in their possession.
The last to hold the Baronetcy was Fr Sir Anthony (33) who succeeded his elder brother Nicholas (31) who died childless. The youngest brother Robert (37) was killed at Dunkirk and the title became extinct.
Marcus B-T mother was a sister and married a Birch hence the new family name.
JEREZ
Together with my wife Annie I was in Jerez in March (to see horses and drink sherry) an Andalusian City stepped in Beaumont history.
Firstly, one of its most famous sons was the Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca was born in Jerez de la Frontera into a family that took the title Cabeza de Vaca, "head of a cow," from his mother's side of the family. In 1212, one of her ancestors, a shepherd named Mart n Alhaja, had helped the Spanish Christians win an important battle against the Moors by marking an unguarded mountain pass with a cow skull. The Christians attacked, scoring a major victory, and Alhaja and his descendants were honoured with the title Cabeza de Vaca.
In 1527, Cabeza de Vaca was appointed the treasurer of a 300-man royal expedition to Florida led by P nfilo de Narv ez. In April of 1528, the expedition sailed into Tampa Bay, began an overland march to Apalachee Bay, and then attempted to reach Mexico in makeshift boats. Separated from Narv ez, Cabeza de Vaca led a small band of survivors to an island, probably Galveston, where the band was captured by native people. Early in 1535, Cabeza de Vaca and the three other survivors of the expedition, Dorantes, Castillo, and Esteban (the escaped Moor), began a journey across what are now the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. In 1536, they reached a Spanish settlement on the Sinalo River in Mexico. In 1537, Cabeza de Vaca returned to Spain and was rewarded with an appointment as governor of R o de la Plata (now largely Paraguay).
De Vaca s descendant was Antonio Cabeza de Vaca Marquis de Portago (12), Grandee, all round sportsman ( boxer, golf, amateur jockey, polo player) actor, soldier and special envoy for the Nationalists to Berlin and Rome during the Civil War. The father of two remarkable sporting offspring. Alfonso, Champion Amateur Jockey, boxer and fencer, Olympic Bob sleigher with his cousin Vicente Sartorious (45). Formula 1 driver. Killed on the Mille Miglia. His Sister Sol, Tennis and Pelote player, Downhill skier, Leading Racehorse owner and Breeder in France.
Hotel
We stayed at the Hotel Bodega Tio Pepe part of the Gonzales Sherry Group and converted from the 19th century wine workers cottages by Carlos Maria Gordon Gonzales (38) when President of the Company.
Carlos and with his parents
Carlos was married to Marisol Bol n, his second wife, after the death of his first wife in a car accident in 1972, and had no children. An only child, he belonged to the fourth generation of the Gonz lez family and, along with his first cousin Mauricio Gonz lez-Gordon, marked one of the most glorious periods in the company's history.
At the express wish of his parents, Carlos Gonz lez-Gordon and Emilia Rivero D vila, Carlos was born in Jerez on May 20, 1921, although he returned to the United Kingdom at three months old, where he grew up until his return to the city at the age of twenty. "From my childhood and early youth," he always said, "I remember my longing for Andalusia and how I wished for the holidays to return so I could go back." After Beaumont, he belonged to the group known as the Luises and was a member of the Brotherhood of Love and Sacrifice. From the age of twenty he said that his family and friends laughed at him for the strong English accent he had upon returning to his hometown, which he soon replaced with a pronounced Andalusian accent Jerez became the centre of his activities, which he periodically combined with Seville and, of course, Great Britain, the main destination for Gonz lez Byass wines.
From then on, Carlos worked in the family business, where he became chairman of the board in 1980 for a period of twelve years. During his 62 years at the winery, he was CEO from 1955. He was also a board member of Banco de Bilbao, and founder and owner of the real estate development company Ceret, with which he boasted of having built the El Bosque residential development without touching a single tree in the area.
Gonz lez Rivero entered the real estate business in 1961, driven by his unfulfilled desire to be an architect. Ceret was born with the hallmark of the winery's quality, from which the developer also inherited its distinctly Jerez-style family business model, and whose business soon expanded to neighbouring towns such as Sanl car, Algeciras, San Fernando, El Puerto, and Ubrique, as well as to Seville and C rdoba.
Regarding his winemaking work, Carlos is considered the architect, along with his cousin Mauricio Gonz lez, of a second 'glorious era' for the company, thanks to the expansion of brandy and its wines, together with the construction of the 'Las Copas' complex and the 'Gran Bodega', which almost did not get built because of his refusal to cut down a palm tree, which he eventually transplanted.
About ten years ago, the former president of Gonz lez Byass sold his shares to the Gonz lez-Gordon and Revuelta families, severing his ties with the winery, where he had primarily worked behind the scenes, dedicating himself entirely to internal matters. Previously, in 1988, while serving as chairman of the board, he oversaw the Gonz lez family's purchase of the 40% stake held by the Byass family. Subsequently, Benetton and the multinational IDV (International Distillers and Vintners) acquired shares, with IDV purchasing the Italian company's stake. As a result, the Gonz lez family had to wait until 1997 to regain full ownership and make the winery the exclusive property of the Jerez-based family.
Carlos Gonz lez's friends describe him as "a wonderful person, with exquisite taste, great manners, sensitive, very 'English' and, like all Gonz lezes, a great lover of nature."
A man of deep religious faith, his collaboration with the Church earned him a pontifical distinction in 2009 with the title of Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. The biographical sketch for the occasion highlights the Gonz lez couple's "exemplary generosity" and "their selflessness, as splendid as their absolute and desirable discretion."
Carlos was related to General Joseph Maria Gordon (73) and to Mons. Alfred Gilbey (19) both with Gonzales blood in their veins.
SHERRY TASTING
For tasting we didn t go to the Gonzales Byass Bodega but to Jaime Gonzales of the Faustino Bodega: the smallest in the city but with some of the best wines housed in the old Gordon family Stables. As can be seen with our host we tasted from the Driest Fino to the sweetest Ximenez.
Food: Jerez is holding the title of Spanish capital of Gastronomy for 2026. We ate at various Taberna but the best was to be had either at the Pedro Nolasco attached to the Hotel or at its main rival the Palacio Maria Luisa - not Michelin Star but getting close. Ham and chacuterie play a large part in the diet of the region and it was interesting that Osborne, one of the largest of the sherry producers has now expanded into that market.
There was the story of the Englishman who would regularly visit this part of Spain and was particularly fond of the Meat Balls in a certain restaurant. One evening he commented that the balls were much smaller than usual and asked for an explanation
Senor, the Bulls sometimes win
If Jerez is considered to be the home of Gonzales, El Puerto to the south will ever be associated with Osborne. It was this family that built the bullring in the town and it is ranked third in Spain after Madrid and Valencia; a favourite with both the aficionados and the matadors as well. The famous Joselito the youngest star ever of the arena was to say He who has not seen a bullfight at El Puerto does not know what bullfighting is .
Osbornes was founded by Thomas Mann from Exeter in 1772 and apart from being one of the oldest wine and spirit producers in the country, their reputation extends from sherry, brandy and liqueurs through to port and the Rioja wine of Montecello. The father of a younger Thomas, the first of six Osbornes at Beaumont, produced favoured wines for the royal table and was rewarded with a title in return, the first in the trade to receive such a recognition.
The firm makes one sherry that is different to all others 10-RF falls between the olorosos and the creams not too sweet, not too bitter, flavours of caramel, coffee, baked apple and orange peel; peppery to finish, it is both racy and fresh For those whose memories of sherry are forever the half empty decanter, that has stood for months on the sideboard of some spinster aunt, Osborne should be remembered for The Black Bull . It is not just the insignia of the company that appears on its bottle labels, anyone that visits Spain cannot help but notice the large images that stand out against the skyline on the countryside highways. In the mid 1950s, the company erected these Bulls to advertise their brandy complete with the Osborne name. In 1994, legislation was passed prohibiting all roadside publicity and the company was ordered to remove them. There was a public outcry; the signs were nationally renowned and had become emblematic of Spain, and considered of aesthetic and cultural significance. The public campaign to save the Bulls won the day and the government relented provided that the name Osborne was removed, with the exception of those at Jerez and El Puerto. Their Black Bull has now been adopted on the national flag for whenever a Spanish team or individual competes for the country.
It was good marketing to move into cured meat and they are to be savoured.
Another OB who made his name in El Puerto but born in Jerez was Alphons Mateos. He was to say that El Puerto de Santa Maria was the loveliest and most charming town in all Spain. It stands on the north east corner of Cadiz Province on the outlet of the Guadalete River. It was from here that Columbus set sail in the Santa Maria for the New World; it was also the stepping off point for the sherry exporters. Leaving the school in 1874, Alphons went to Paris to study commerce before becoming the agent in London of his family company of Sancho Bros. He would become the managing Director at the turn of the century.
Alphons was concerned that the brand of sherry should not be just associated with Jerez and that outlying areas such as El Puerto should also be included. Sancho Sherry was exported all around the world and the amontillados and finos were particularly appreciated. His main market was the United States and rather like Heidsieck Champagne in the Civil War, Sancho ran into difficulties during the years of prohibition and Alphons was forced to sell to Domecq in 1925.
There were a few people that said that Alphons had paid too much time to civil matters rather than concentrating on the business. He was Mayor of El Puerto for many years and only resigned when Primo de Rivera fell from power in 1930. Regardless of this criticism, he is remembered as a man of integrity and self- sacrifice and like many that passed through Old Windsor, a lover of literature with over four thousand volumes in his library.
Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art
The School is situated in the grounds of the old home of the Pemartin Family.The firm of Pemartin was started shortly after that of Osborne but their fortunes were to take a different turn. In 1853, Julian the father of two boys at Beaumont in the late 70s took over the running of the company. He was extremely extravagant, and ten years later he was drawing large unauthorised credit from Sandemans, at the same time the quality of the wine was deteriorating. Julian s expenditure culminated in his Garnier designed mansion in Jerez based on the Paris Opera House. (Photo) The building was completed in 1870 some five years before its twin in the French capital and it led to Julian s ruination.
While the good days lasted, he lived for the moment on a lavish scale. There was no end to his generous hospitality and the excellence of his board. On one occasion he had a young English lady staying who wished to learn the language. The task was entrusted to the butler, a roguish man with a perverse sense of humour. He taught her the vocabulary of the bordellos, corresponding the words to the most innocent and eloquent of English expressions. After some weeks, the lady tried out her newly acquired skills at a society dinner party. The company were aghast and her polite inquires made things infinitely worse. The Pemartin butler was summoned and confessed, but being a much loved retainer, he was forgiven provided he undid all that he had previously taught her.
After such high living, the crash had to come and when it did, it was dramatic. Pemartin entertained the King and court to a magnificent ball at his home, in the course of which he asked His Majesty whether there was anything wanting. The King replied that he had everything a man could desire. Julian replied; Your Majesty is mistaken, one thing is missing a rope to hang myself for I am a ruined man .
In 1879, and while his younger son was still at the school, Julian went bankrupt. There had also been considerable unrest in Spain at the time and a disgruntled mob assembled at his vineyard with the intent of attacking the town. While waiting for others to join them, they broke into the bodegas and helped themselves to the wine. Still waiting for their reinforcements, they took on further draughts followed by others till eventually they forgot their felonious intentions. They then set fire to the bodegas as a gesture of their frustration and dispersed. It was said that Jerez was saved at Pemartin s expense. Two years on, and Sandemans took over the business and Julian s mansion was sold to a duke. The family name continues as the new owners use it for instance on Royal Pemartin a rich oloroso of considerable age. The reputation is high indeed, and so it should be, Its soleras of old oloroso are second to none .
Eventually the site was acquired by Domecq, another of the great Sherry families and it was Dom Alvaro who set up the School in 1973. It is one of the big four Equestrian Academies in the World with the Spanish in Vienna, Cadre Noir in France, and the Escola Portuguesa near Lisbon. The Andalusian style differs from the others as it has its origins in the cowboys (Doma Vaquera) and the Picadors that fight the bulls from horseback in the ring.
Schooling before the Show.
We were fortunate to be special guests and were invited to take the Salutation from The Royal Box at the start and end of the performance.
Final Word on Jerez.
We were there during the preparations for Holy Week with stands being erected along the Streets. We visited many of the churches where the statues depicting the Passion of Christ and the Virgin Mary were also being got ready together with the large, ornate wooden and guilded Pasos . These heavy platforms, sometimes weighing over a ton, are carried on the shoulders of the Costaleros in the procession. A mixture of tradition, community, and penance; a display of Catholic faith.
THE HOGHTONS
I had an Email at the start of the year from an Australian asking about photographs of two OBs members of the Hoghton Family at Beaumont in the 1920s which led me on to delve a little deeper with the help of John Hoghton (67) the last of the Beaumont line.
The Family holds the distinction of having had four generations at the School the only family to do so. They are part of the de Hoghton family .
The H(o)ughton surname has been found throughout Lancashire for centuries and is said to be one of the most ancient in England. Hoghton Tower, the ancestral home is a fortified manor house situated between Preston and Blackburn in Lancashire.
The famous knighting of a loin of beef (sirloin) by King James I is said to have taken place at Hoghton Tower and some scholars believe that William Shakespeare was employed there as a teacher during his lost years . St Edmund Campion stayed there during his mission to England. Sir Anthony de Hoghton 13th Bt was at Beaumont 1932-35 but died unmarried.
This branch begins with:-
George William was also at Beaumont 63-64 and a life member of the B U. His brother Charles spent a year at Beaumont (1864) playing in the Cricket XI before moving to The Oratory, then Kings College London. Qualified engineer but worked as a stockbroker. During WW1 he designed and made artificial limbs for the wounded.
GEORGE S LINE (2nd Generation)
HOGHTON GEORGE ALEXANDER (93) Son of George William .
George was born in Kensington 1876 . At school was a keen games player and excelled at Golf, Tennis, and, apparently, was even an amateur Jockey! As a young man he not only enjoyed sport but the gaming tables in both London and and the south of France.
In April 1906, George Alexander Hoghton, then aged thirty, married Effie Jane Eleanor Stephenson (1877-1909) of the Rocket fame family, daughter of the late Robert Stephenson of Newcastle-on-Tyne. Apparently Roman Catholics, the wedding celebrations, witnessed by a large gathering, took place at the Brompton Oratory in Kensington, London.
On 28 September 1907, a son for George and Effie was born. The happy and very recently-married couple named him George Stephenson Hoghton (1907-1984).
However, the young family was soon to be cruelly bereaved when the Wife and Mother, Effie Hoghton, nee Stephenson, unexpectedly died on the Isle of Wight (at The Cottage , Sandown), on 12 June 1909. This occurred about two months after Effie had given birth to Richard Devaux Hoghton. The dates have not been ascertained.
Effie was only thirty-two, and because the short-lived marriage of only three years but it undoubtedly left a deep scar on George Hoghton s soul. It also deprived the extremely young George (known as Steve) and baby Richard ( Dick ) of a Mother.
Prior to the advent of the Great War, George Hoghton was a celebrated competitive Golfer representing the Sandown Golf Club, on the Isle of Wight. This was probably in close proximity to the Hoghton family s home. The cruelly tragic family bereavements notwithstanding, these were undoubtedly some of the happiest years of his Life: enjoying his Golfing success within an enviably comfortable environment. He was also a Member of The Sports Club at St. James, London. It is known in the family that George married, secondly, Audrey. She had been the Boys (Steve and Dick) governess in Sandown, which was no doubt convenient for all concerned. The date of marriage is not known.
Although rather old for military service , he volunteered and gained a commission in the RNVR and was initially with the Naval armoured car squadron in France before transferring to the Machine Gun Corps and finely a Kite Balloon Officer in the Royal Flying Corps ( Ed: exceptional to have served in all three services). On 7 November 1917 with Capt A. Applin on board, their Balloon crashed, Houghton being injured (fractured elbow). A lengthy recovery followed, ending with Hoghton given a Ground Officer appointment with the Balloons. His wartime medals include a Croix de Guerre. With the coming of peace it is not clear what profession he followed but both his sons completed their education at Beaumont. At some stage ,George was back on the social scene in both London and the Riviera and it was having lost what money he had left in the casino at Monte Carlo, he shot himself in December 1931.
HOGHTON HUBERT (02) nothing more known. Except that he was a bit of a lad, another man about town and a gambler in the same mould as George.
GEORGE ALEXANDER S line (3rd Generation)
GEORGE STEPHEN
Beaumont 1921 1925. Both Cricket X1 and Rugby XV . WW2 Captain Royal Norfolks. POW in France 1940 . He was fortunate not to have been with the company massacred by the SS at Le Paradis when they had to surrender for lack of ammunition. Member of B U.
His full name was George Stephenson Hoghton named after his mother Effie who was the grand-daughter of Robert, the brother of George Stephenson (of Rocket fame).
RICHARD DEVAUX
Beaumont 1921-27 In Cricket X1 and Boxing team . Military service below
|
Hoghton, |
05.04.1909 |
|
|
He was decorated by King George V1 at Buckingham Palace on 11th May 1943 with
the DSC. Married Mary Lesley Hazlitt Gilmour at the Brompton Oratory on 1 Aug 1936. They had 4 children, two of whom died. He was a paper Merchant in civilian life.
GEORGE STEPHEN HOGHTON S LINE (4th Generation)
GEORGE MILES
son of George Stephen above.
George Miles Hoghton, after Beaumont and National Service (2nd Lieutenant, Royal Artillery, BAOR & UK), he joined one of the leading coffee and cocoa firms and worked in London, Ghana and New York in managerial posts ( 1957/70) . He was then one of the four Founding Directors of A.C. Israel Woodhouse Ltd/General Cocoa Company London Ltd and was Managing Director of Central Commodity Trading Co Ltd, having been from 1983/85. Managing Director of Genco Commodities London Ltd/General Cocoa Company London Ltd. In addition, he was a member or chairman of numerous trade associations, governmental advisory bodies and committees such as UK Cocoa Trade Committee, European Community Cocoa Trade Organization, International Cocoa Trades Assocn., director of the London Commodity Exchange, to name only a few. Before he became such a busy man he played rugby twice for Norfolk - no doubt taking after his father who won his Trial cap for England and was a prominent Club player - and was in the Kent Youth Amateurs cricket team (1953) and was selected to play cricket for Merionethshire - but, he says, the match was rained off !
JOHN
brother of above and son of George Stephen
Beaumont 1962 1967.
RICHARD DEVAUX HOGHTON S Line (4th Generation)
HOGHTON RICHARD ANTHONY
Beaumont 1951 -1955 in Boxing Team. National Service with the Royal Signals. Captained their team that won the inter- Regimental/Corps Relay Swimming Championship in 1958 swimming the fastest lap. Also Boxing Light Heavyweight Champion. Nothing further known after these sporting triumphs.
HOGHTON ALAN PETER FRANKLYN
Beaumont 1957 -1961. At St John s only. Thought to have run away on a couple of occasions. Nothing further known
CHARLES HOGHTON S Line
( younger brother of George William 1864)
( 2nd Generation)
HOGHTON GERALD EDMUND
Beaumont 1893 1900 Lived at Outlands Park, Surrey. Nothing further known.
HOGHTON CHARLES KENNEDY
Beaumont 1894 -1899. Captain Football X1, BNC Oxford , Stockbroker with his father Charles.
HOGHTON ERIC
Beaumont 1906 -07. Nothing further known
CHARLES KENNEDY HOGHTON Line
( 3rd Generation)
HOGHTON ARNOLD JULIAN
Beaumont 1928 32 In Cricket XI and Rugby XV. Joined Father and Grandfather as Stockbroker. WW2 Captain Queen s Regt.
--------------
Mathew Guinness (58) & Sir Alec.
John Marshall picked up that there is a new play about Alec Guinness which is on tour in this country February to the end of April:-
In a new production of the one-man play Two Halves of Guinness, Zeb Soanes plays 34 characters, including figures in Guinness s films, such as Professor Marcus in The Ladykillers, Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai, and Fagin in Oliver Twist. Sir John Gielgud, Sir David Lean, and Dame Edith Evans are among the real-life characters he brings to the stage: all of the other characters in his life, to help tell his life story .
Zeb Soanes sought out the advice of Alec s son Mathew on the characterisation which led me to a piece written some years ago but of interest.
A Glorious Bastard: The Witness of Alec Guinness
By Dwight Longennecker January 24th, 2015
While many other bastards brooded over their less than illustrious beginnings, Alec Guinness, by some wondrous mixture of talent and grace, turned that same open wound into the unique sign of his genius, thus becoming a glorious bastard.
Much Ado About Nothing the illegitimate Don John plots to spoil the happiness and prosperity of all. His skullduggery springs from the brooding dark moods, resentment, and bitterness at his bastard status. From time immemorial illegitimacy was understood as a dark stain, breeding a bitter character and a doomed fate as if the character carries a curse.
There is no need to propose a supernatural aspect to such a curse. Too often the struggles that accompany illegitimacy of poverty, a broken home, an absent father, and an insecure childhood result in the very bitterness, resentment, and inability to succeed that perpetuate the idea of a bastard being cursed. All the more encouraging then, when a boy from a broken and dysfunctional home rises above it and goes on to succeed. When he not only achieves fame and fortune, but also becomes a truly gentle and wise person the victory over fate is complete.
A perfect example of such triumph over an inglorious beginning is the story of English actor Alec Guinness. Famous for his role as the monastic mentor Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, Guinness was first known for his work as a Shakespearean actor on stage. After gaining prominence working with Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, he moved successfully to cinema. After gaining wide acceptance in British comedies The Man in the White Suit, The Lavender Hill Mob, Ladykillers, and Kind Hearts and Coronets, Guinness took roles in notable literary based films just after the second world war. He starred in Carol Reed s version of Graham Greene s Our Man in Havana, and The Fall of the Roman Empire, before teaming with legendary director David Lean. He won an Academy award for his portrayal of resolute British officer Colonel Nicholson in Lean s The Bridge Over the River Kwai and took parts in Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and A Passage to India.
In each of his parts there was a vulnerability and uncertainty that made Guinness a great star. No matter how confident, insouciant, hilarious, or insane the character, there seemed to be a sad, little emptiness deep within. He never spoke about this quality explicitly, but it echoes in the title of his autobiography My Name Escapes Me. Guinness name did escape him and with his name his own identity.
He did not mind telling people that he was illegitimate. His mother was a flighty and insecure young woman named Agnes Cuff. His birth certificate does not carry a last name. Instead Alec Guinness is listed as his two forenames. His mother later married a violent, shell-shocked veteran who would terrify the sensitive child. Guinness was sent to boarding school in Bexhill on Sea and then Eastbourne, and he once met an uncle a banker named Andrew Geddes who he guessed paid his school tuition and who Guinness assumed was his father.
Searching for the Father is doubtless one of the things that brought Alec Guinness through the doors of the Catholic Church. He recounts his conversion story in his usual modest and understated way in the first volume of his life story Blessings in Disguise. He explains how, while playing Chesterton s Father Brown, he was walking back from a day s filming through a French village still in costume. A small boy ran up and took his hand, walking along, and chatting happily in French. Finely, he scampered off waving a cheerful, Au revoir, mon pere! Guinness was smitten with the experience, wondering that the mere costume of a priest could inspire such childlike trust and joy.
Beneath the innocent story one can see Guinness the fatherless child finding a father in God, and the connection cannot be missed that before too long Guinness himself would take the Father s hand in the form of a heartfelt Christian conversion.
When his son Matthew was stricken with a serious illness Guinness tells how he found himself in a Catholic Church doing a deal with God. He promised the Almighty that if his son was healed he would allow the boy to become a Catholic. The boy recovered and some years later, asked his father if he might become a Catholic. Soon after Guinness and his wife Merula entered the church and were faithful to the end. I have visited the church in Petersfield where they attended Mass each week, and the great man used to make retreat at Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight where I once spotted him minding his own business in the guest house.
While Don John and many other bastards brooded over their less than illustrious beginnings, allowing the vacancy in their heart, their lost love, and absent father to be the seed of depression, despondency, dependency, and evil, Alec Guinness, by some wondrous mixture of talent and grace turned that same open wound into the unique sign of his genius, thus becoming a glorious bastard, and ultimately the adopted son of the Lord on high.
In doing so he communicated to the world a truth that was never made explicit, but which was incarnated in his art. His life was founded on a blessing in disguise his illegitimacy and so he revealed the hidden gift, teaching us that the very wound we carry can become our red badge of courage, and that the worst beginnings can have the best endings if only we gather the courage to wrestle with the dark side and demand a blessing.
For the RECORD
(Gleaned mainly from Grokipedia)
Matthew Guinness was born on 6 June 1940 in London as the only child of the acclaimed actor Alec and the artist and actress Merula Salaman. Merula, who studied at the Slade and pursued a career as a painter and playwright before and after her marriage to Alec in 1938, brought a creative influence to the household.
At the age of 11 in 1951,Mathew contracted polio. which temporarily paralyzed him from the waist down and required intensive medical treatment. He made a full recovery over time. Following his recovery, Guinness and his parents enrolled him at Beaumont where he received a structured education in a Catholic environment that aligned with the family's evolving faith.
Growing up in a household centred around the theatre, Guinness developed an early interest in drama, influenced by his parents' professional lives in the performing arts. At age 12, he made his first on-screen appearance in the 1952 film The Card, directed by Ronald Neame, where he played the young version of the protagonist Denry Machin a role his father, portrayed as an adult. This minor, uncredited part marked his initial foray into acting, blending family ties with the industry his father had established through notable films like Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949).
Mathew came to Beaumont in 1954 and in no way did his previous illness hold him back ending in Rhetoric, Captain of Boats and Vice-Captain of Boxing and CSM in the Corps. Apart from that he appeared in all the plays, the Panto as well as a regular speaker in the Debating Society. He left in 1958 together with another future actor of note Ralph Bates.
Matthew began his professional stage career in the early 1970s with the English Stage Company at the Royal Court, where he took on ensemble roles that showcased his ability to contribute to ensemble-driven narratives. In Lear (1971), he portrayed the First Workman, supporting Harry Andrews in the title role during the production's premiere run. This debut marked his entry into the avant- garde theatre scene at one of Britain's leading venues for contemporary drama. Later that same year, Guinness appeared in the world premiere of David Storey's The Changing Room again at the Royal Court Theatre, directed playing the role of John Clegg, a rugby club hooker. The play, which explored the camaraderie and tensions within a Northern English rugby team, transferred to the Globe and earned critical acclaim for its realistic portrayal of working-class life, with Guinness's performance highlighting the ensemble's collective dynamics. n 1978, Guinness joined the Prospect Theatre Company for their production of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's at The Old Vic. taking on the supporting role of Bob Acres, a comic country squire whose malapropisms added levity to the comedy of manners. This appearance underscored his versatility in classical comedy, blending physical humour with character-driven support amid a tour that brought the 18th-century satire to modern audiences. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Guinness built a reputation for reliable supporting work in both classic adaptations and contemporary pieces, often with prestigious ensembles like the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Notable credits included Ross in Macbeth (1974 1975, RSC), the Sixth Roman Citizen in Coriolanus 1977, RSC), Bonaventura in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1977 1978, RSC), and Friar Peter/Elbow in Measure for Measure ( 1979, Riverside Studios), roles that emphasized his skill in period drama and modern interpretations without seeking leads. His contributions reflected a subtle influence from his father Alec Guinness's storied theatre legacy, focusing on character depth in repertory settings.
Matthew s first substantial screen role came in the 1970 adaptation of Aleksandra Solzhenitsyn's novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, directed by Caspar Wrede, where he portrayed Kilgas, a supporting prisoner enduring the harsh conditions of a Soviet labour Camp . This early performance highlighted Guinness's ability to convey quiet resilience in ensemble historical dramas. Guinness gained further notice for his supporting role as the Farmer in the 1976 BBC production Nuts in May, directed and written by Mike Leigh as part of the Play for Today anthology series, which later aired as a film. In this work, his character interacts with the central family's chaotic camping holiday, adding rustic authenticity to the satirical exploration of middle-class tensions. The following year, he appeared as the Mayor's Son in Ridley Scott's directorial debut The Duellists (1977), a Napoleonic-era drama based on Joseph Conrad's story. Guinness's minor but pivotal role in the film's intricate web of duels and vendettas underscored the period's rigid social codes, contributing to the ensemble's depiction of military obsession. In 1979, Guinness played Father Byles, the Catholic priest who remained aboard the sinking ship in the TV movie S O S Titanic, directed by William A. Graham. His portrayal of the historical figure's calm heroism during the disaster provided a poignant counterpoint to the ensemble cast's panic and survival struggles.T he mid-1980s saw a cluster of supporting roles in period pieces. In The Bride (1985), Guinness appeared as the Patron in a tavern scene, enhancing the film's gothic atmosphere amid Victor Frankenstein's experiments. That same year, he portrayed an SOE Man in Fred Schepisi's Plenty, a post-World War II drama starring Meryl Streep, where his brief appearance evoked the shadowy world of British Inteligence operations. Also in 1985, in David Hare's Weatherby, Guinness played Randall, the police doctor investigating a mysterious death, adding procedural depth to the film's examination of suburban isolation.]Guinness's final listed film role in this period was as Dr. Owen in the 1986 historical drama Lady Jane, directed by Trevor Nunn , where he supported Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal of Lady jane Grey, contributing to the ensemble's recreation of Tudor court intrigue.T hroughout his film work, Guinness frequently took on character roles in period settings and ensemble casts, often embodying authoritative or peripheral figures that grounded larger narratives in historical specificity, from Soviet gulags to Edwardian England.
Guinness began his television career in the early 1970s with minor roles in British anthology and drama series. In the BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Wessex Tales (1973), he appeared as a tramp in the episode "Barbara of the House of Grebe," contributing to the series' portrayal of rural Victorian life. That same year, he played Pete Colwyn in the BBC Play for Today Achilles Heel, a drama exploring the pressures on a professional footballer facing career-ending injury. He also featured in the ITV series Three Comedies of Marriage (1975), taking on a supporting role in the episode "One of the Family," which examined domestic dynamics through comedic lenses.I n 1974, Guinness portrayed Mr. Johnny Gotobed in the BBC miniseries Carrie's War, an adaptation of Nina Bawden's novel set during World War II evacuation, where his character added depth to the quirky household dynamics in a Welsh village. This role highlighted his ability to embody everyday figures in period pieces, a theme that echoed some of his historical drama work on film. Later that year, though primarily known for cinema, his television presence continued to build through such ensemble casts. A notable highlight came in the BBC miniseries Oppenheimer (1980), where Guinness played the physicist Hans Bethe, depicting a key colleague in the Manhattan Project's scientific and ethical dilemmas during the atomic bomb's development. The seven-part production, praised for its historical accuracy, showcased his skill in understated ensemble performances amid high-stakes narratives. Guinness's later television work included the role of Wilmot in the ITV anthology horror series Chillers (1990), specifically in the episode "The Stuff of Madness," which delved into psychological terror. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he made various guest appearances in BBC and ITV anthology series, such as BBC2 Playhouse and Play for Today, often in supporting capacities that underscored his versatility in British broadcast drama.
Personal Life
Matthew s first marriage was to Andr e Lefevre in May 1967, which lasted until their divorce in December 1985. The couple had two children during this period: a son named Samuel, born in 1968, and a daughter named Sally, born in 1971. Following his divorce, Guinness married Helen M. D. Lynch in July 1989, a union that ended in divorce in 1993. No children were born from this marriage. Guinness's third marriage, to Joanne Bristow in August 1996, remains ongoing as of 2025. The couple has one daughter, Bethany born in 1996.
Matthew Guinness has three children from his marriages. His first marriage produced two children, including a son and daughter Sally Guinness. Sally Guinness appeared in a cameo role as a First Order officer in the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. His third marriage to Joanne Bristow resulted in one daughter. Guinness's family carries forward an artistic legacy intertwined with acting and sports. His daughter Sally has pursued a career in acting and production, contributing to television series such as Marcella and Black Mirror. Guinness's grandson, Nesta Guinness-Walker, son of Sally, is a professional footballer who, as of 2025, plays as a left back for EFL League One club Northampton Town, having previously played youth football at Chelsea and Tottenham. Sally s daughter Otis is also involved in the theatre world.
This blend of creative and athletic pursuits echoes the influence of Guinness's father, Alec Guinness, whose own career in theatre and film inspired family-wide engagement in the arts.
SNIPPETS
The Baron
John Flood called in to see a The Baron ( Mike de Wolff) in Cambridge a couple of months ago. Mike has not enjoyed the best of health in recent years but remains in good heart . The BU sent its very best wishes to one our most loyal supporters.
Homes
I notice that two much loved homes of OBs have recently sold in what Estate Agents describe as one of the most desirable parts of the country (East Sussex). The families said a sad goodbye to happy memories.
David Flood (51)
Bill Gammell (60)
Man of Action.
There is a good deal of information about Alex Muirhead (38) SAS, and his war service much of which I have written about before. However, his personality was very different from the others in 1 SAS under the command of the redoubtable Paddy Mayne. Others in the Regiment were a pretty rough crew and from a very different background. Alex was immediately nicknamed Bertie Wooster - he was not the obvious action man as his comrades are so often portrayed on the screen. A medical student and talented artist with several exhibitions to his name, he was not what you expected. As such he was the obvious man to command the mortar section as with his quick mind he could work out trajectories and distances with accuracy; this made him an indispensable part of the team. Apparently although ruthless if necessary, he retained his humanity. On a mission in occupied France they took a position to discover that he was held by SS teenagers all badly wounded. Alex ordered that they gave them all morphine before they withdrew. Post War, unlike many of his comrades, he put that traumatic life behind him and was medical officer to the BBC.
J of Note
I was kindly invited to the St Patrick s Day Lunch at Boodles ( together with Richard Sheehan) as the guest / behest of one-time Chairman Patrick Burgess. I was seated next to a James Brooke from the staunch Ulster family and we discussed many matters including the fact that while at Eton he was taught Religious Doctrine by Fr Peter Knott SJ the Jesuit sent there after the closure of Beaumont supposedly to look after the spiritual needs of the expected growth in Catholics at the school. It seems that the Headmaster was so impressed that he asked him to take on the spiritual needs of the Protestants as well!
For those Unaware of Fr Peter famed for his Knotograms:-
Peter Henry Joseph Knott was born on 16 March
1926 in Seven Kings, Essex. He was educated at a local grammar school and
joined the army as a seventeen year old in December 1943. Knott was
commissioned into the Royal Artillery and saw active service in Germany, India,
Pakistan, Malaya and Palestine. In the army, Knott served as a parachutist,
pilot and, towards the end of his career, as a planner for airborne operations.
At the age of 34 he was received into the Church
of England and was confirmed in Hereford Cathedral. After receiving instruction
from an American Jesuit, Knott converted to Catholicism and was baptised while
on an appointment in Norway in 1962. After twenty years in the army, the then
Major Knott took early retirement in 1963.
Prior to joining the Society of Jesus he spent a
year at Campion House, Osterley, the house for late vocations. At the age of 38
he joined the Society on 26 September 1964 entering the novitiate at Woodhall
House in Edinburgh. Knott went on to study at Heythrop College in Oxfordshire
and also undertook several courses run by a London business school. He was
ordained as a Roman Catholic priest on 4 July 1970.
His first appointment was as chaplain at
Heathrow Airport. Knott was one of the first on the scene at the 1972 Staines
Air Disaster when a flight crashed soon after take-off. Between 1974 and 1977,
he was Superior and Parish Priest at Corpus Christi, Boscombe. In 1977 he was
appointed Parish Priest at Farm Street in London. After 8 years in this
position, Knott moved on to become chaplain at Eton College. After 10 years at
Eton, Knott moved on to the chaplaincy at St Antony's School in Leweston in
Dorset. During this time, he was also chaplain at HMS Heron, a shore-based
Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton.
His last major appointment was in 2001 as
chaplain at Barlborough Hall School, the preparatory school to Mount St Mary's
College. He remained in this post for 15 years until forced to give up active
ministry on the grounds of ill-health. In the 1980s and 1990s, Knott wrote a
number of books on spirituality, which were published by the Catholic Truth
Society. In later years he contributed articles to 'Thinking Faith', the online
journal of the Jesuits in Britain, and his weekly column of short reflections,
entitled 'God Talk', was published on the website of the Jesuits in Britain.
Knott was an accomplished pianist and painter - many of his watercolours were
exhibited and auctioned to raise money to support various Jesuit ministries.
Peter Knott died on 18 January 2017 at the
Jesuit nursing home in Boscombe.
MENTIONING PRIESTS.
A Book came out last year on Monsignor Alfred Gilbey.
The Absolute Uniqueness of Monsignor Alfred Gilbey
By Alexander Haydon (Arouca Press, 2025)
Review by Melanie MacDonagh: Catholic Herald Sept 24 2025.
The title of this book tells us that this is the work of a devotee. And so it is.
The subtitle suggests why Alexander Haydon s book is so interesting, for it is based on interviews conducted with Mgr Alfred Gilbey, the legendary Cambridge chaplain, towards the end of his life he died in 1998 at the ripe age of 97. The author tells us he thought there would be just one interview, but Mgr Gilbey summoned him back at least ten times to carry the conversation further.
Haydon explains why it seemed like a good idea: When I first requested an interview with Alfred, this superannuated cleric (then 94) struck me as a wonderful subject for interrogation. As the highest of high Tory criticism of liberal humanist democracy, a keen follower of beagles, a stubborn upholder of all-male traditions, who... had been known to remark that the Spanish seemed very happy under Franco, as a Christian priest living in a socially exclusive club and as one enjoying the privilege of continuing to say the old Latin rite of Mass, he seemed... a fascinating monster of political incorrectness and therefore very good copy.
Gilbey remained an object of fascination to his admirers to the end, even after he was obliged to leave the Travellers Club on Pall Mall, where he had been a long-term resident, for Nazareth House in Hammersmith.
I had the pleasure of meeting Alfred Gilbey a few times. Once, encountering this dapper figure in St James s Street, I said admiringly that he had the reputation of being the best-dressed cleric in England, to which his disarming response was: My dear, I wish that were higher praise. He invited me to dine at the Travellers, and we went up to the little chapel he had created off the back stairs to say the rosary. Rarely was I so grateful that I could recall the Sorrowful Mysteries when my turn came to call them out.
He was completely, unabashedly himself: uncompromising in his way of life as much as his views. And it was that stubborn integrity, as well as the sheer reactionary fun of his opinions and demeanour, that made so many young men gravitate to him.
The number of conversions attributed to Alfred Gilbey was extraordinary Christopher Monckton, in his introduction, puts the figure at 800 and many of them would not only have been instructed by him but would have been attracted to the faith on account of him. You can still obtain the published version of his course of instruction: We Believe, first published anonymously in 1983.
It remains very useful for anyone thinking of joining the Church. I remember only a little now, but that little has been valuable: the reflection that there are only two times in our life that really matter, when time touches on eternity, and they are both mentioned in the Hail Mary: now, and at the hour of our death .
The interviews are touching in that they capture Alfred Gilbey s voice: his emphases, quirks, repetitions. But the author admits that: It was sometimes difficult to understand what Alfred said, not from any lack of clarity in his answers, but partly because he spoke in the rapid near-mumble of the Edwardian upper class... I abandoned him as a confessor simply because I could not always make out his advice in the box.
Gilbey was born in 1901 and there is a picture here of his parents his mother a female Alfred in Edwardian dress. Many of his attitudes, formed at that time, remained with him in a very different era; as the author admiringly notes, he was a fossil.
Sometimes he would reflect, amused, on contemporary manners: when invited by a shop assistant to have a nice day , he would respond that he had other plans . He became impatient when his interviewer asked him when he had been happiest; for him the question of happiness was redundant, but he conceded that the most significant moment of his life was his ordination.
As for the notion that instructing a child in religion is indoctrination, he would cheerfully agree: That s exactly what I am doing. I am trying to indoctrinate the child... so he has something to think about for the rest of his natural life. To the objection that this sounded like Communists or Nazis, he chortled: Catholicism is very like that!
His awareness of human propensity to sin was acute: You know if you look into your own heart, you can know that there is no crime to which you would not sink, he observed. No. None... We re all horrible creatures, really. It is all, he said, a consequence of the Fall of Man, and he was sorry that the dogma had few takers in a secular age.
He returns repeatedly to his conviction that equality has no basis in Christianity, which, in an obvious respect, is true, given that we are all different. On that basis he denounced socialism and the attempt to redistribute income by the state. He placed a good deal of store by the difference between Christ s counsels of perfection and the general call to sanctity, as in the case of the young man whom Christ invited to give away his possessions.
At one point, Gilbey s interviewer asks him to consider an article in Herbert McCabe s catechism, in which the Dominican asked: How can we fail in the exercise of justice? and answers: By tax evasion and inequitable forms of tax avoidance. Gilbey declared: That s a very, very loaded passage... if what you re doing is legal, you are doing [in a high-pitched voice of gentle exasperation]: nothing wrong!
Except, of course, you may be, because laws can be bad, or badly framed. This equation of lawfulness with morality is odd, though it is less unexpected to find him saying: I think Fr McCabe very much an enfant terrible. McCabe was, of course, a Marxist who couldn t care less about how he looked; he was also an arresting theologian and something of a saint. A scrap between him and Gilbey would have been quite the spectacle.
Where Gilbey may lose contemporary readers is in his defence of the principle of the segregation of the sexes at university. He insisted his job as the Catholic chaplain at Cambridge, where he served for 33 years, was to minister to the male undergraduates. When he was overridden by the chaplaincy committee in 1965, he resigned.
He accepted that later chaplains could not have taken his line, but stoutly maintained that: Men and women are not equal. Women are designed by Almighty God to be complementary to men... As soon as you say membership [of the chaplaincy] is open to women, you change the whole character of the thing. Men have a natural tendency to congregate and like each other s company, and women do not!
What women really want is a husband, he insisted. It s as simple as that. I wonder whether he said as much to Elizabeth Anscombe, that formidable Cambridge philosopher. But that was Alfred Gilbey: anachronistic, disarming, charming and unabashed. He would get short shrift in the contemporary Church. Our loss, indeed.
Further Review by:
Dr Joseph Shaw has a Doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford University, where he also gained a first degree in Politics and Philosophy and a graduate Diploma in Theology. He is the Chairman of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales and President of Una Voce International. He was a member of the Philosophy Faculty in Oxford University for 18 years and is now an independent scholar and freelance writer.
To say Monsignor Alfrey Gilbey (1901-1998), a priest with English and Spanish heritage, was an eccentric, would be misleading. If he appeared in a novel or on the screen, as a figure of the 1980s or 1990s, the average audience s suspension of disbelief would be wholly inadequate to the task. He was regarded as impossibly old-fashioned when he resigned as Catholic Chaplain to Cambridge University in 1965, having held the position since 1932, because of his opposition to the merging of the pastoral care for male and female students. He appeared in later decades like a time-traveller from another age. He got permission to continue to celebrate the Traditional Mass after 1971: it is impossible to imagine anything else. He said it daily, behind a thick curtain in a side chapel of the London Oratory, at a rather fast pace, at 7 o clock in the morning, like a fossil retaining its shape from a bygone era.
He was not a mere freak, however. He remained until very late in his extraordinarily long life full of vigour, witty, erudite, and, above all, kind. The kindness extended to taxi-drivers and to people he met in the train; it lit upon the spiritual above all, and could take a brusque form. So, what do you think is going to happen when you die? He was the instrument, under providence, of a staggering number of converts, and the dispenser of advice, always sensible, sometimes life-changing, to a large network of devoted friends. These friends were, it must be said, overwhelmingly male, and his apostolate was directed chiefly, if certainly not solely, to the budding elite of Cambridge students, and to the established elite of English society.
No priest and no human being can reach everyone, even everyone in a medium-sized town, and there is no shame in having skills particularly suited to this or that sub-group. His appreciation of the fact that men and women are not interchangeable social units put him, in fact, ahead of his time. Speaking of the Cambridge Chaplaincy, he explained that the problem had been in part the small number of female students at the time.
There s no earthly way of making a whole of 25 women and 200 men. You kill the nature of the place as it is. Men s society with men is a quite different thing to mixed society. You kill it at one fell blow without having a balanced complement.
He brought to his elite followers something they perhaps needed more than most: a child-like spiritual simplicity; an iron confidence in the truths of the Faith; and a unwavering adherence to the Faith s practical implications.
The Mass is a wonderful wonderful thing! I set it out years ago in my speech on my fiftieth anniversary of ordination, how most things in life lose their awe and majesty and wonder by constant repetition. Not so the priesthood [long pause]. Never, never can one celebrate Mass without awe and wonder!
Gilbey was a man of particularism: an appreciator of God s artistry in creating something unrepeatable in each and every thing that He made.
Egalitarianism is that philosophy which believes that all men are born equal. Well, that, of course, is balderdash. They re not! It s all part of the entirely erroneous theory that presumes that we come out on a belt, from a sort of producer! Everything in creation, right down to you and me sitting here now, is unique, and not equal a cruel word, has no meaning. There s no way in which you and I are equal to one another.
Again: Egalitarianism goes round with this mad idea that we re all square pegs or round, as the case may be and that we can be put from one hole into another.
This made him sensitive to the needs of different kinds of people such as young men and women and the differing conditions of different times. Talking about the social sanctions which once applied to the divorced and remarried, with them not being received in society, in his own lifetime, he went on:
Once society ceases to support Christian morality, the individual cannot, and should not, apply a social sanction. It s wholly ineffective. It isn t morality that s changed. But so long as society supported, by and large, Christian morality, people really had a duty to support that society and coincide with it.
Living through both World Wars, and then the sexual revolution, forced Gilbey to be clear about what could change, and what could not: what was a necessary adaptation to social and economic circumstances, and what was a harmful amnesia about vital spiritual truths.
The approach nowadays is: Now, here is a very complicated problem. How can we solve it? Can we solve it with the least infliction of human suffering? The answer to that is: we don t start at that end. We start at the end of there being a moral order, stemming immediately from Him Who has brought us into being.
Religion, he reminds us, is not about feelings, not least because one cannot control one s feelings, including what we enjoy or don t enjoy.
People think [about sin]: I ve got to wish I hadn t. Yes, in one sense, because if you persist in that course you go to Hell. But to say: I didn t enjoy it is nonsense. I did! And I look back, saying: I did, and were it not for Hell, I would very likely return to the practices which I ve now abandoned because I know they re wrong, and they re going to destroy me utterly in this world and the next.
Asked about his happiest moment, Gilbey responded by rejecting a conception of happiness based on feelings.
Feelings only help me towards happiness. You have to make happiness! But, looking back over my 94 years, what is the most important thing, from the point of view of what it gave me? Ordination to the priesthood yes! That s will, not feeling! Happiness isn t anything to do with your feelings. Having peace of mind.
Alexander Haydon conducted this multi-session, wide-ranging interview with Gilbey in his extreme old age, but this age was also in a curious way his prime, the height of his popularity and influence, and the apogee of his historical perspective. He had seen society travel the downward slope into modernity, towards standardisation and mass production, and his eccentricity was a trumpet-blast of defiance to this process. He has also seen many phases of reaction against it, and many attempts to renegotiate modernity, community, and equality, from Francoism in the 1930s to Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. Through it all he retained his love of the Mass, of the Faith, of God, and of his fellow men, a love that was not sentimental but as he would be the first insist an act of will. He was a witness to the Faith that endures, and the Grace that can overcome all obstacles.
Change and decay all around I see.
O Thou, who changest not, abide with me.
Catholics will be grateful for this reminder of the astounding figure of Mgr Alfred Gilbey, who is in danger of being forgotten, which brings out so vividly, in his own words, his wit, his steadfastness, and his kindness to others. Alexander Haydon has done us a great service in drawing out this fascinating figure, a powerful active ingredient in English Catholic life from the age of Ronnie Knox to the time of Tony Blair.
Photo by Tim Alex on Unsplash.
A Disparaged QC
You will not be surprised that one of my favourite authors is Dick Francis / Felix Francis with their novels around racing. Revisiting their novel Silks 2008 I came across the following piece of narrative :
Everyone knows it was George Carmen QC, who in the face of overwhelming evidence, secured an acquittal for Ken Dodd for tax evasion, but no one remembers the counsel who failed to keep Lester Piggott out of jail on the same charge.
The forgotten counsel was John Mathew QC (44) and of such repute that he was voted to be a member of the Barrister s Dream Team. John will certainly be remembered for prompting Mandy Rice-Davies in the Profumo Affair trial to quip Well he would, Wouldn t he.
As a plug , I cover the Piggott case in my new book Threads of racing silk.
John was held in the highest esteem within the legal profession and it must be said that Carmen, although born and raised Catholic was an abusive bi-sexual binge-drinker: an obnoxious persona. Perhaps that is why he is remembered and has a Wikipedia entry while John has none.
60 Years ago from The REVIEW.
Ex Cathedra
The school escaped the February Flu epidemic that hit many others.
Congratulations to Michael Hoare who has appeared in most BU plays from 1916 to 1966 just a break for WW2 .
( Ed Michael lived at Bradbourne Hall in Derbyshire a 17th century manor house within the grounds of the old priory that dated back to the Doomsday Book he was an insurance broker).
Group 11 French welcomed M Andre Leguet from UCL to give a lecture on the Deuxieme Republique. The Spanish Group went to Queen Mary College to see a performance of La Dama Boba ( Lope de Vega).
Prof. and Mrs Wimsatt gave a substantial donation for a Memorial to their son Alex for a new Altar in the Chapel to allow Mass to be said facing the congregation.
Ed. The Js obviously forgot to tell them that the school was closing.
Professor Wimsatt was a member of the Yale faculty for 35 years, a graduate of Georgetown and, Yale Univer ities. Before joining Yale in 1939 as an English instructor, he was head of the English department of the. Portsmouth (R. I.) Priory School from 1930 to 1935.
At Yale he was promoted to assistant professor in 1943, to associate professor six years later and to full professor in 1955. He was named Frederick Clifford Ford Professor of English in 1965 and last year Sterling Professor of English.
Professor Wimsatt was the author of a number of books on 18th‐century English literature. These included, The Prose Style of Samuel Johnson (1954); Philosophic Words (1948); The Verbal Icon (1954); Literary Criticism, A Short History, with Cleanth Brooks (1957); and Hateful Contraries and The Portraits of Alexander Pope (1965), Ho was also co‐editor with Frederick A. Pottle of Boswell for the Defence 1769-1774.
Achievements
William
Kurtz Wimsatt Jr. was a specialist on 18th‐century
English literature. He was considered crucial to New Criticism, a formalist
movement in literary theory, that dominated American literary criticism in the
middle decades of the 20th century. The theories, concepts and terms, developed
by him, include Intentional Fallacy theory, Affective Fallacy concept, Concrete
Universal theory and The Domain of Criticism theory.
William attained several awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship, Ford
Foundation's Fund for the Advancement of Education Fellowship and Yale
University Senior Faculty Fellowship
It must say something about Beaumont that a man of such academic standing sent his two sons across the Atlantic to be educated at the school.
Oratorio
The Passion of Christ ( Handel).
The combined Choirs of Beaumont and St Johns together with the BBC Concert Orchestra under Arthur Price with Wendy Blamire ( soprano) . This followed on the successful Bach St John s Passion sung 1965.
Lourdes 1966.
The Beaumont contingent flew out from Gatwick April 13th .
Those OBs taking part in the HCPT Pilgrimage included
Freddie and John Wolff, Patrick Burgess, Stephen and Kenelm Hall-Patch, Gerry Green, John Bedford, Ian Bangham, Jeremy Hawthorne, Christopher and Anthony Newling Ward, Philip Ortoli, John Mitchiner and Desmond Keane.
There was an Appreciation of Peter Keevney the one time almoner at Chailey School who helped found HCPT with Michel Strode and three children. He died at the young age of 48 following a car accident . He was a man of more than ordinary faith and the Trust remains a memorial to him.
The Jesuits
There were a couple of articles on The Society of Jesus Two Aspects .
Ed; I can only add that there was no mention of the closure of Beaumont. Indeed, in the REVIEWS published since the announcement not one word has been written on the school s demise. QUITE EXTRAORDINARY.
Scouts.
The Group had the honour to receive a visit from the Chief Scout of ther Commonwealth- Sir Charles McLean to mark if nothing else its imminent disbandment. He was also able to present Fr sass with The Medal of Merit.
The Troop is going to Heythrop for its Summer camp while the seniors are heading to Co. Cork.
H L Debating.
The Highlights included a debate against the Convent at Farnborough Hill and the Inter- School s Competition. We were drawn against Eton, Bradfield and Winchester and our two speakers Flanagan and Shand took first place. Sadly, they were defeated in the semi-final against City of Bath.
Quodlibetarians
There were three talks/discussions during the term. Mr William Lanouette of Fordham Univ. USA on the American Electoral system. N Cawthorne on Atomic Energy and finely Mr Dougal Campbell-Kerr on English China.
Bernard Leach.
There was an Appreciation of Bernard Leach England leading potter. His Exhibitions have been held all around the world and his work is on permanent display in the V & A Museum.
Birds of the Beaumont Area.
P A Ormerod Lists over 100 species that he has observed during his three years at Beaumont.
B U PLAY
The Admirable Crichton ( J M Barrie)
Another Quentin de la Bedoyere production in what was the last ever B U Play. As one would expect another greatly enjoyable evening with all the usuals in the cast supported by wives/daughters.
Lower Line Play
Was actually two plays the Bet ( Miles Malleson) and The two gentlemen of Soho ( A.P. Herbert). The first a thriller with Michael Hetreed and John Bentley in the leading roles that built up the tension to fever pitch . The second play was a take off of Shakespeare - a parody and caricature with John Ryan, Kevin Scanlon and Hugh Wooldridge in the main parts.
GAMES
Boxing.
The last season and it was a pity that considering our considerable success in the sport over the decades we didn t go out with flags flying; . We lost to Epsom and Haileybury ( the team didn t travel well away from home) . Victory at Dulwich at least meant we had one win in the season .
It was sad; we were all most anxious to end on a good note. At the finnish there was a feeling of something dead within us. It was the bitter experience to participate in the death agony of what had been an essential; part of Beaumont life now only left with memories, and maybe the odd scar.
Rugby.
Satisfactory with three wins by the First XV in the Easter term against Worth, Lord Wandsworth and the BU. We also won the inter school tournament that was played between ourselves, Merchant Taylors, St George s Weybridge, St John s Leatherhead and Wellington: not bad for the smallest school. The Sevens were a different story being beaten early in both the Surrey and Rosslyn Park competitions.
Hockey,
A happy and encouraging season though it started badly with the first three ganes lost but victories over Worth and Epsom raised the spirits. In the end we played 7, won 3 and lost 4 but ended with more goals for than against.
Squash
Lost 5 , won 2 sounds disappointing but we came up against some older and experienced clubs .
Rowing
The two eights that took to the water corresponded closely to the two Colts VIIIs of last year and both went to the Reading Head as the only competition and trial of the term. Compared to the other schools are times were moderate. It was therefore decided that our standard would fall short of what we expect for Henley: Beaumont had appeared at the Royal Regatta for the last time.
B U
Halford Hewitt 1966
With the closure of the school Beaumont fell on its sword and announced its resignation from the Halford Hewitt the only honourable action with so many other schools vying for a place.
The team that gathered for our final competition consisted of Lionel Gracey, Jim Pound, Pat Taylor,, Peter Bird, Jack Wolff, John Mathew, Peter Flaherty, Tony Thompson, John Ambrose and Roger Johansen. Tony Thompson flew back from Kuwait just to take part in probably the worst conditions encountered with Snow driving from the east it could have been the Arctic..
We were drawn against Ampleforth and it gave extreme satisfaction that despite the weather only one pair lost and we came out comfortable winners. The next round was against the competitive Merchant Taylors - a young side but among the favourites. At one stage it looked as if we would carry the day but despite our guile we could not hold them but a bunker did for us on the final hole: so close.
CORRESPONDENCE
From Marcus Wigan
I m sorry but I ll be in central China on a rare overseas trip from my home in Australia then IF things work out. A couple of updates that might have some mild interest to others in their mid 80s I can add although a physical attendance is not possible
1. Mid last year I was appointed for three years as a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London in Civil Engineering (no I have NOT stopped!)
2. On Australia Day I was awarded an AM( member of the Order of Australia- roughly a bit above an OBE they told me in the precedence lists)
3. I ve been part of the leadership group for the global IEEE AgeTech Future Durections initiative for a year or two- we got consolidated into the IEEE funded program on 1-1-26 and I e been looking after Robotics in Care and contributing to the wearables group (focussed on exoskeletons etc) as well as overall direction team. Things are mo ing well and many IEEE specialist societies are coming in, Microwave the latest, and the falls group has already got wide support for a Standard development. I m pushing the information resource part of the education group as the links to groups like AURP AgeTech in US and AgeWell in Canada and the Iranian based leader of smart homes has of course lost contact in the last few days.
I expect to keep going for a few years yet and am being interviewed for a PhD place on Wednesday (I m keenest on nonlinear life writing and biography with links to reminiscence therapy in a computing department)
I m going to keep on learning, supervising, contributing and going until I drop and can t think or help any more!
The health and age system here has been revised downwards and I m right in there trying to get a few essential changes . Our last book on public service failures and needs for reform was published a year ago and is horribly relevant https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393104526_The_Expertise_Deficit_-_A_hopeful_ambitious_attempt_to_understand_and_bridge_the_gap_that_emerged_between_public_sector_decision_making_and_the_expertise_needed_to_inform_it
In the unlikely event that Anyone who has any interest in the activities of this Australian Registered Antique is welcome to link to me on LinkedIn! https://au.linkedin.com/in/marcus-wigan
I hope the May 22 event goes well and my AM investiture is on 7may just before out trip to central China: almost certainly our last long overseas trip.
Our most important family event is due to be our first (and almost certainly last) grandchild in early June!
Yes we are VERY slow at so many things!
From Tim Barry
Perhaps he has missed the boat in that your wonderful missives are now a thing of the past but I see in today s Times the obituary of Sir Anthony Leggett - perhaps the greatest academic that Beaumont ever educated
I do to know whether his father was still teaching at the college when you were there - an earnest little man always in a hurry and Anthony was very like him. Sadly, so clever that he was always in classes with boys at least two years older than him as you will see he won a scholarship to Oxford aged 16 so was a tragic misfit in that he did not mix with boys of his own age.
I see that he spent time at Sussex Uni where Ian Sinclair was a top educator - also a child genius and son of my brilliant maths teacher at Beaumont. His sister Jean has recently retired to nun's retirement home in Harrogate having been headmistress at the Holy Child Convent Mayfield for many years.
Hope all well in Dunsfold and wishing you a fine day for the grand farewell party - sadly unable to attend.
L. D. S.
