While I was stationed at Kennington I decided that I needed some form of transport and purchased the cheapest form available – an NSU scooter. It set me free from public transport and I was able to trundle back to Sittingbourne  along the A2 when I had a weekend leave. The M2 had not been constructed then and so it was a long slog through the Medway Towns. In the summer I was playing cricket for Murston and in the winter continued to play hockey for the Old Boys.

I progressed from a scooter to a more powerful machine, a Matchless 600 and I was hooked on motorcycling and tinkering with engines.

This was my Matchless at Burrator in Devon 1960. Anne and I married in 1964.

In 1963 the Met were expanding the traffic section of the force and I decided to apply for a transfer to the Central Traffic Squad which was formed to police the Central London area. The area covered was from the Thames northwards to Hampstead and from The City boundary in the east to Hammersmith in the west. The Squad was based at the rear of Southwark Police Station.

I had an interview and was accepted and in May was off to the Motor  Driving  School at Hendon for my first motorcycle course. Like most pupils on the course I thought I could handle a motor cycle but soon discovered that we had a great deal to learn. The first week was spent mainly in the classroom where we were taught basic mechanics, roadcraft and road traffic law.

The school was built on land that was part of Hendon Aerodrome and which now houses the RAF Museum. Our first outing with the bikes was a ride around one of the runways, that was still in place, to assess whether we were safe to be let loose on the roads. There was also an obstacle course to test your handling skills. The motorcycles were 650cc Triumph Thunderbirds.

We had all been issued with our motorcycle kit which comprised of a Corker helmet, gauntlets with white leather cuffs (hand signals were essential), jodhpurs, gaiters (farmer Giles type) and topped off by a rubberised gaberdine raincoat very much like the one I am wearing in the photograph.  We thought we were the ‘bees knees’ but by today’s standards they were rather cumbersome.

We were six in number on the course and were split into two groups of three with two instructors. For the next two weeks we toured the Home Counties and the instructors passed on their expertise and taught us how to ride safely in all conditions. There were some hairy moments but it was enjoyable and not a bit like work and a great camaraderie was established which lasted throughout my service.

I returned to the Driving School many times for courses, which became progressively more advanced and we were taught to drive fast but safely under all conditions. Incorporated in the car courses there were always sessions on the skid pan where we learnt a great deal about car control under trying conditions. The mechanical theory courses also became more advanced in examining vehicles for defects and when we were fully trained we were classified as Vehicle Examiners. This enabled us to carry out checks on vehicles involved in fatal accidents and to present our findings at any resulting court proceedings.

I was based at Southwark for 2 years and in that time gained an intimate knowledge of the centre of London and the workings of the Magistrates Courts, which were presided over by Stipendiary Magistrates sitting alone. I suppose one court that most people will be familiar with is Bow Street where the presiding Magistrate in those days was Mr Robey. He was the son of the music hall artist Sir George Robey and a great character.

One date that I remember from that time is November 22 1963. I was sitting on my police solo, with a colleague, at Marble Arch when a call came over the radio that ‘police required assistance’ in Chelsea. This was usually a call that required immediate response and as we were quite close to the location we set off through Hyde Park and then in to Exhibition Road.  I was in the lead and as I was passing the Natural History Museum a motorist pulled away from the nearside kerb and turned right across my path. I was confronted by a Ford 100E with nowhere to go. I torpedoed his rear door and did a ‘three and a half with pike’ over the car and landed in a heap in the road. An ambulance was called and I was taken to Mary Abbots Hospital in Kensington. I suffered a few horrendous bruises but luckily no broken bones.  Being a goalkeeper I probably had learnt how to fall.

The reason why the date is recalled so easily is that while I was being treated in casualty a sister came into the cubicle and said that she had just heard a news flash that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas!!  Our stars had converged but I had been lucky – it was one of lives coincidences.

In 1965 the administration in London changed with the demise of the London County Council and the formation of the Greater London Council. At the same time the Metropolitan Police area was reorganised and with it a new Traffic Division was formed and I was transferred to a police garage at Bromley – by – Bow. Another chapter in my service had started.

Barry Gilbert (BGS 1949-1956)

 As Old Bordenian Denis Jarrett MBE puts it: “These are not just names and numbers. These were individuals, each with a promising life cut short in the cause of securing our freedom. We must never forget them.”

Records in the Remembrance section (use the link at the top of this page or http://www.oldbordenians.co.uk/remembrance/) have been compiled separately by Marc Stewart, an Old Bordenian, and Keith Lainton and John Masters of the Borden Heritage Group (from the village of Borden) to whom we are indebted.

Marc Stewart (BGS, 1997- 2004) is researching the lives of those men commemorated on the school memorial boards and has already uncovered details of an additional seven Old Bordenians who were killed during the First World War and whose names were previously unrecorded by the school. Marc’s eventual aim is to produce a short booklet that provides biographical details of those Old Boys who lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars, and a copy of this work will be placed in the school library as a further memorial to these gallant men.

If you have any information relating to the men commemorated on the school memorial boards, please contact Marc Stewart via admin@oldbordenians.co.uk.

Dennis became manager of the Gillingham office at 21 and when he was 26 was appointed news editor of the county-wide Kent Messenger, based at Maidstone. He was there for about 10 years before he left and started a publishing company in London with two journalist friends, producing books, magazines, posters and specialist newsletters.

When he retired from London in his early 60s he started, in 1997, the Downs Mail local newspaper in Maidstone. It began as an eight-pager reaching 12,000 houses around Bearsted. Now it has grown to cover more than 88,000 houses in and around the County Town in four geographical editions and most issues have 56 or more pages. Dennis retired as Editor in Chief at Christmas and there is now a team of 15 working on the newspaper with his daughter Claire in the chair.

His 132-page A4-size book is titled ‘So I Started a Newspaper’ and tells the story of how he developed a unique newspaper which has successfully run major campaigns – including preservation of core services in Maidstone Hospital and the pedestrian bridge over the A249 at Detling (Jade’s Crossing) after an eight-year-old girl and her gran were killed crossing this busy road.

The book includes 24 pages of colour photos showing how the Downs Mail reflects the news and beauty of Maidstone. It is on sale in Maidstone area and available from Dennis at Dalbury, Lower Road, East Farleigh, Maidstone, ME15 OEX at £15 (p/p £2 extra), or email him at dfowle2011@aol.com.

In January 1957 I journeyed to London and enrolled at the age of 18 on a Senior Cadet course at the Metropolitan Police Training Centre at Hendon.

The 13 week course was the same as that taken by police constable entries but on passing out we were transferred as trainees until our 19^th birthday. My first posting was to Notting Hill – a bit of a culture shock for a lad from Kent. Two months later the Met had an accommodation crisis and our cadet section at Ravenscourt Section House was dispersed to various parts of the MPD. I was transferred to Eltham but at least it was on the Kent side of the Metropolis and closer to home. My billet was above the police station at Woolwich a bit noisy at nights and weekends when the locals had had a few drinks.

Cadets were called ‘inky boys’ because we were mainly employed as clerks to the Station Officer. However we did patrol with the beat PC’s and with the Area car. In those days there were two per division covering about four or five station areas. We also spent a week on the Traffic Patrol cars – all exciting stuff. We were also gaining experience of all types of street duty which stood us in good stead when we were eventually let loose on our own.

 During my stay at Eltham, Princess Margaret performed the opening ceremony of The Cutty Sark which was restored and displayed at Greenwich. I was one of the cadets in the Guard of Honour on that day and I was reminded of that when the fire gutted the ship recently.

 One of the Inspectors at the station discovered that I played tennis and cricket and asked (ordered) me to make up a four at the sports club at Hayes once a week, I was very happy to oblige.

This began my association with sport in the Met and especially at the sports club at Hayes. It is situated to the south of Bromley on the edge of Hayes Common not far from Biggin Hill. The clubhouse is a beautiful country house which was owned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and donated to the Met. It has changed somewhat, having been extended over the years but in those days it seemed idyllic. The cricket pitches were bordered on three sides by rhododendrons – a rare sight in early summer.

My nineteenth birthday arrived in August of that year and I was whisked off to Scotland Yard to be sworn in as a Constable.

My first posting as a PC was to Kennington Road Police Station, a sub-division of M Division.  The station area stretched along the Thames between Vauxhall Bridge and Waterloo Bridge and extended southwards to The Elephant and Castle.  The west of the area took in The Oval Cricket Ground and the eastern boundary was Waterloo Station. In between were the South Bank site of the Festival of Britain, The Festival Hall, County Hall, St.Thomas’s Hospital and Lambeth Palace. I always enjoyed being posted to 7 Beat because it took in the riverside walk fronted by St. Thomas’s and the view across the river to the Houses of Parliament takes a lot of beating.

Police colleagues, John and Barry, on duty at Westminster Bridge in 1959.   The picture was taken by an itinerant street photographer.

John was a colleague of mine working on the same relief.  We were posted to Kennington at the same time, both living at Gilmour House and have remained friends. He retired to a 15C farmhouse in Devon and raises Ruby Red Devon cattle and Devon Horned sheep, two rare breeds. We keep in touch and meet regularly.

Take note of the uniform.  We were sent out to patrol our beat armed with a whistle, a truncheon (wooden) and a pocket book and pencil. A far cry from today with their body armour, metal retractable truncheon, radio, mace gas, handcuffs and some firearms. Our firearms were locked in the Station Officer’s safe and could only be issued to authorised officers on a directive from above. As a foot duty PC I never saw them leave the safe other than to be checked periodically.

There was a tale that came from Cannon Row Police Station on the other side of Westminster Bridge, where they had armed protection posts, Downing Street etc.  On this occasion the firearm was being issued or handed over to the relieving PC when it was discharged resulting in a hole in the charge room ceiling and a lot of paper work.

The Elephant and Castle area was home to a few choice villains but any violence was usually fisticuffs and drunken brawls. The first few hours on night duty were spent clearing the streets after the pubs turned out and arrests were made and the cells filled. The early hours of the morning were quiet and walking round your beat the big city has a certain charm when all the hustle and bustle has died down.

Our duties times consisted of six weeks of alternate shifts 6am-2pm and 2pm-10pm and then three weeks continuous night duty.  There was certain logic to the long night duty stint, allowing you to accustom yourself to sleeping during the day. The downside was the fact that the courts sat at 10am which meant coming off duty at 6am and then being woken up to attend court.

Single officers lived in a Section House. Gilmour House was situated in Renfrew Road and Lambeth Court was on the opposite side of the road. We became very adept at timing it to the last minute from when we had a wake call to reporting to the Court Inspector. Magistrates were very quick in dispensing  justice at the time and if you were lucky, when your prisoner’s name was called and he was a ‘drunk and incapable’, there was no time to get into the witness box before the Magistrate said, “Any trouble officer?”  and the reply was – “No trouble Your Worship!” from the well of the court. He or she was fined 5 shillings and released. The court card was signed by the Inspector and you were across the road and back in bed before 10-30. We were credited with four hours overtime which could be used to take a day off when required. I was able to play many games of hockey for The Old Boys under that system!!

Sport at station level was encouraged and Kennington was no exception. I played in goal for the station and M division. Both were good sides and we won a few of the trophies on offer. In the summer I played cricket for station and division and again we performed well in all the competitions. Playing two or sometimes three games a week as well as walking the beat kept us very fit and so the Met gained as well.

I was stationed at Kennington for six years and enjoyed the comradeship of the work as part of team on the relief. However it was time to move on and I decided to apply for duty on the Central Traffic Squad, which begins another chapter in The Odyssey to be continued later.

Barry Gilbert

If you have information, please leave a comment in the Reply box below.

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To get the ball rolling Mike Pack and Peter Lusted have put together a brief summary of most of their colleagues obtained following two reunions since leaving Borden – one at 25 years and the other at 40 years.  Some details are more current than others.  A picture of the 25 year reunion is just above the details of the 1 East boys, with two pictures of the 40 year reunion at the end of the article.

Why not take a few minutes to send your news or indeed updates of Old Boy colleagues.

1962 to 1969 – this is where it all started.  If anyone mentioned below would like to expand their details we look forward to hearing from you.

1 East

Chris Barr – no news

John Brunsden – no news

Bob Chapman – after obtaining his engineering degree, he became Mill manager with Kimberley Clark in Maidstone and is now retired living near Maidstone. Has attended some recent Dinners.

Les Glass – got a BSc in Applied Biology and last contact saw him living in Hampshire and working as an Environmental Health Officer in that area.

Steve Goodhew – living in Leicestershire.  After his degree has spent his life in IT and still a very keen fisherman and a regular at the Old Boys Dinner.

Chris Hibben – after a BA Hons History moved into the world of Public Accountancy, Audit and Regulation and now lives in Surrey.

Geoff Hobson – after a BSc Hons Computer Science & Mathematics became a lecturer in Computer Science and Software Engineering. Made one of the reunions and a recent Dinner and now living in Scotland.

Graham Lampkin – made the 25 year reunion when he was running his own Civil Engineering/Building company.

Mick Lehane – after his BSc in Zoology, five years research at the `London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine he became a  Senior Lecturer at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales, and is now based at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine as the Professor of Molecular Entomology and Parasitology.

Ken Love – no news.

Bob Mason – went to the Royal College of Art before starting a freelance illustrating career.  He taught part time in many art schools before running art at East Anglia University.

Pete Morley – no news

Mike Pack – spent his career in banking. Having retired has now taken up the mantle of the local postie. One of the founders of the Old Boys Sunday Football Club and a player for numerous years. Old Boys Committee member and a regular at the Dinner.

Greg Pope – having spent many years in Sitttingbourne in his own solicitor’s practice, following his Law degree, has now moved to Cromer where he now lives and continues to practice.  One of the founders of the Old Boys Sunday Football Club and a player for many years. A regular at the Dinner.

Barry Roberts – taught at Kings School Rochester until his recent retirement. Thoroughly enjoyed his first Old Boys Dinner in 2009.

Mike Robson – last contact 15 years ago when after farming in Sheppey and Kemsley he had moved to his own farm in Gloucestershire.

Sean Roche – has spent his life in the Insurance Broking world.  Living in the Sittingbourne area is often at the Dinner.

Brian Scharneck – last contact 15 years ago when he had moved from a life in Building Societies to the IT world and was living near Swindon.

Mick South – no news

Roger Stedman – last news was 15 years ago when after working at Bowaters and other Paper Merchants he had moved to a paper group in Plymouth.

Mike Symons – having retired from his role with ICI with whom he spent some time in the USA, now runs his own Sign franchise in Yorkshire.

Chris Thomas -  retired from teaching languages in Hampshire but still does some translation work.

Chris Waring – started life in insurance in London before moving into teaching where he is currently a Deputy Headmaster in SE London.

Bob Willis – sadly no longer with us

Tony Young – started as  a Mathematician at Shell Research, before leaving the UK for  Germany, Holland and  New Guinea in IT.  Finally settled in Cairns, Australia, where he has been for many years and came across to the 2009 40 year Reunion Dinner.  Now retired and building his own house.

1 West

Roger Barber – tried banking, engineering and sang with the d’Oyly Carte Opera Company.  Currently runs an engineering magazine with his sons and lives in South London.  Still a freelance opera singer and attended the 25 and 40 year Reunions.

Ian Baron – gained a HND in Mechanical Engineering and worked locally in engineering. Still lives in the Sittingbourne area.  Retired but spends many hours teaching sailing.

Bill Bishop – at the 25 year Reunion but sadly no longer with us.

Martyn Calder – got a BSc in Cybernetics and Psychology before turning to the world of property where he became a Fellow of RICS. Has been a freelance property consultant for  many years.  Living in Surrey he is a regular at the Dinner.

Michael Carpenter – last heard to be in Cornwall.

Keith Champ – took an Electrical Engineering degree but when last contacted was the Group Accountant for the Borough of Hounslow and living in Middlesex.

John Chipperton – no recent contact but appeared in the East Kent Gazette’s “The way we were” column in January 2009 in a photo taken in 1983 as the Personnel Manager at Bowaters.

John Clements – got a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and is now living near Maidstone and running his own Heating company.

John Cooke – sadly no longer with us

Nigel Dalby – last seen at the 25 year reunion, he had worked everywhere and lived everywhere, being at that time a GB and European coach driver.

Paul Dobson – lecturing at a London Business school.

Dave Feaver – after military service, has just retired from a life of traveling the world as a haulage driver. Still lives in Sittingbourne.

John Ford – qualified as a teacher, became an educational consultant, a Retreat Leader and a Spiritual Director. A Dinner regular.

Keith Glass – last contacted at the 25 year reunion. Started in the Merchant Navy, followed by a variety of jobs which at that time saw him working in London as a Bureau Manager.

Ian Goddard – joined the Navy from school and has just retired as a Captain. Spends many a happy hour on his boat in the Portsmouth area where he lives.  A regular at the Dinner.

Roger Goodger – moved to the Midlands where he has been involved in the Logistics industry. A stalwart of the Old Boys Sunday Football Club and often at the Dinner.

Brian Hemsley Flint – after university joined Yorkshire Water Authority as a biologist and was last known to be the Senior Ecologist for South Yorkshire.

Brian Hope – after a mechanical engineering apprenticeship, set up a motor repair business with his brother but is now very serious about flying his own light aircraft.  Still on the Isle of Sheppey.

Chris Jenner – sadly no longer with us

Dave Jordan – no news

Peter Lusted – spent 30 years in underwriting management in the insurance world before setting up his own underwriting agency.  Now retired and living in Chilham.  One of the founders of the Old Boys Sunday Football Club and a player for many years. An Old Boys committee member and regular at the Dinner.

John Miles – after his Geography degree travelled to Australia on a motorbike, married an Australian, lived for spells in the UK and Australia and is now settled with his own Hardware business not far from Adelaide.  Will be at the 2010 Dinner.

Keith Tuohy – no contact but believed to be in the Sittingbourne area.

Barry Whiting – no real contact but last known to be in the Sittingbourne area.

Chris Willis – after his Electrical Engineering degree, found subsequent employment uninteresting, travelled India and Asia before moving to IT and Germany.  At the 25 year Reunion and believed to still be in Germany.

Dave Wraight – after college in Greenock and cadetship worked for BP Tanker Company. Then moved into Retail management and finally IT on the Isle of Sheppey where he still lives.  Was also a retained Firefighter in the Kent Fire Brigade.

Joining us in later years:-

Roger Abrahams – after many years in insurance, owns and runs his own brewery in Norfolk.

Rod Ballard – went into banking in Hong Kong, The Middle East and Central America. Finally back in the UK and working in developing Islamic financing in Europe.  See his more detailed summary on the website (http://www.oldbordenians.co.uk/guest-posts/forty-years-since-leaving-borden/).

Dave Barney – sadly no longer with us.

Martin Chamberlain – at the 25 year Reunion and when last seen was still teaching at a local secondary school.

Roger Godden – at the 25 year reunion he had tried a range of careers ending with  a partnership in a publishing firm.

Gwilym Griffiths – became a Head of Economics and Business Studies in a sixth form college, but was last heard as being in retirement en route back to Wales.

Dave Holmes – although now retired from his management job in the food industry he still works as a part time consultant for his former employer from his home in France. Came to the 2009 Reunion Dinner.

Gary King – joined the school when his father became manager of Sittingbourne Football Club.  No news since they moved on.

Tony Llewellyn – after a degree in Engineering and Economics, working in Germany and India, he moved to Glasgow where he became a director/shareholder in an electronic engineering company.  Now retired.

Andy Passey – after his BSc in Botany/Zoology and a few temporary jobs settled in Horticultural Research.  Last known to still be in Sittingbourne.

Roger Parfitt – no details

Ian Pierson – made the 25 year reunion. Established, and still believed to be running a very successful Heating company based in Sittingbourne.

Bob Radford – no details

Brian Thomsett – went into town and country planning and became Principal Planning Officer with East Hertfordshire.  Made the 25 year reunion and a dinner a few years ago.

Les Wilding – Living in Berkshire and working in banking. He came to last year’s Dinner and so made the 40 year reunion.

Peter Wood – was at the 25 year reunion but no incriminating details were revealed!

Part I : Founding a School in the 1870s

The founding of Barrow’s Boys School (as it was first called) began, continued and ended in controversy, culminating in the resignation of the entire Governing Body in 1880.

An Endowed Schools Act of 1869 permitted a charity to devote its accumulated funds to the foundation of a secondary school. There were numerous charitable foundations which had money to spare, and the Barrow Charity in Borden was one of them. William Barrow, a Borden farmer, had left money and property in his will of 1707, out of which financial help was given each year to the poor of the Parish. Income tended to exceed expenditure, but in the 1860s the Court of Chancery took an in interest in the Trust’s affairs and reduced the number of beneficiaries – the fear was that money was being given to those not strictly in need. The Charity was instructed to accumulate income in order to promote education. The Barrow Trust suggested hospital provision as a more fitting use of accumulated income, but the Court insisted upon education.

The Trust obeyed, and in 1874 the story broke that the Barrow Trust was arranging a Scheme with the Endowed Schools Commissioners for the establishment of a school (with boarders) for boys out of funds of the Charity. There followed a sustained campaign, at public meetings and in the East Kent Gazette, against what seemed to be the diversion of funds, intended for the poor, to the education of of the better-off – and of boys not from the Parish. Letters to the press, public meetings in the Parish and petitions to the Barrow Trustees, the Charity Commissioners and the Endowed Schools Commissioners failed to stop the Scheme, or even to amend it significantly. The Parish of Borden was pretty well united in opposition, but the Scheme went ahead. The Vicar of Borden the Revd. F.E. Tuke, one of the Trustees, must have been very uncomfortable. The Governors went on their way, serenely launching the School ; there is no reference in their papers to the public controversy which raged.

In August 1875 the Privy Council issued a Scheme for the management and regulation of the Borden School Trust established out of the endowment of the Charity of William Barrow at Borden in the County of Kent, approved by Her Majesty in Council on the 5th day of August 1875”. On 23rd August the Governors held their first meeting.

The Scheme goes into great detail, setting out how the School is to be set up and administered : 69 clauses, and Schedules A and B. It is to be printed, a copy to be given to every Governor and every member of staff, and sold “at a reasonable price to all persons who may wish to buy.” But if fails to specify the name of the School. The title, ‘Borden School Trust’, suggests that ‘Borden School’ is the name. However, on his admission to office the Head Master is required to sign a declaration confirming that he will “discharge the duties of Head Master of Barrow’s Boys’ School at Borden, ” So two names were possible, and for some years both were used.

The undertaking was ambitious. The buildings were to accommodate 130 boys (including 50 boarders), and were to be capable of convenient extension. Many 19th century schools, subsequently famous, were no bigger. The post of Head Master was attractive. His basic salary of £200, to which was added “head money” in respect of boarders and day boys, could exceed £900 a year – few in the neighbourhood could approach this. He determined the organisation of the School, and both appointed and dismissed teaching staff.

In some respects, the detailed scheme was carelessly drafted. The financial clauses were liable to misinterpretation. Schedule 23 mentions ‘Trust’ 5 times, but there were two Trusts : the 18th century Barrow Trust, and the new Borden School Trust. The latter drew its income from the surplus of the former. Schedule 23 does not specify which Trust is meant each time the term is used.

In the event of disagreement the last word rested with the Charity Commissioners. Lurking towards the end of the Schedule was Clause 66 : “If any doubt or question arises among the Governors as to the proper construction or application of any of the provisions of this Scheme, the Governors shall apply to the Charity Commissioners for their opinion and advice thereon, which opinion and advice when given shall be binding on the Governors.”

The first Governors were drawn from the Barrow Trust itself (6) together with the Chairman of the Milton Board of Guardians for the Poor Law, the Vice-Chairman and 1 additional Guardian. They got down to business immediately. Mr Edward Leigh Pemberton, M.P., was elected Chairman. Mr. Henry Bathurst, a Faversham Solicitor, was appointed Clerk at £30 a year (he was already Clerk to the Barrow Trust itself). Messrs Vallance, a local bank in Sittingbourne, were appointed bankers. A site for the School was agreed – 7 acres in Riddles Road, owned by the Barrow Trust and part of the farm occupied by Edward Homewood. And advertisements were agreed to seek an architect.

Hay and Oliver, a London firm, were chosen as architects. They in turn advertised for builders and Richard Avard of Maidstone was the lowest bidder at £7,365. Immediately a snag arose. The Scheme stipulated £6,600. The Commissioners agreed to an additional sum of £800 being made available from the Barrow Trust’s funds, so that the contract could be signed and the construction begun. This left £35 available for other purposes. The Charity Commissioners themselves pointed out that the Architect’s fee had to be met, a clerk of works taken on to keep an eye on the building (£3 a week), and an access to be formed. The Governors had to lay on water and gas, to fence and lay out the grounds, and to furnish and equip the School. At this stage no one asked how £35 was to cover these unavoidable expenses!

There was brick earth on the School site, and early in the 1876 the Governors discussed making bricks on the spot as an economy measure. Mr Kemsley, a brickmaker of Key Street, was drawn into the discussions. He declared that “first-class bricks” could be made. The Commissioners agreed to the project. The contract was awarded to Mr Kemsley who went ahead promptly with the brick-making operation in March 1876. Mr Hay visited the site to check on progress. There followed a flurry of activity. He condemned the bricks as “a complete failure, in fact not so good a brick as the common stocks”. There was a rush to buy in local bricks so as not to impede the building work, and to sell off the inferior stocks. There was a loss of £145 on the operation.

The construction of the School building was sufficiently advanced by February 1878 for the Governors to set about appointing a headmaster. Applications were invited for a day and boarding school – boarders were considered important as adding tone to a school. The buildings were intended for 130 scholars “or thereabouts”, including at least 50 boarders. The curriculum, including Maths, Latin and at least one modern foreign language, was to included “Natural Sciences with special reference to Agriculture, Mensuration” (the art of finding by measurement and calculation the length, area, volume, etc, of bodies) “and Land Surveying”. The salary was to be £200 with capitation payments in respect of the number of boys on roll with, in addition, payment for each boarder. The house provided was to be free of rates and rent. Altogether an attractive package.

There were two interesting conditions. Applicants were expressly warned not to approach any of the Governors individually. Very early on, soon after the Governing Body was constituted, the Revd. Henry Hilton of Milstead had produced a letter from the Headmaster of Clifton College, Bristol, urging the Governors to appoint a headmaster at the outset, who would tell them how to plan the School. He went on to explain that he had just the man and would make him available immediately, but rather spoilt the effect by mentioning naively that the man was in any case having to give up his post at Clifton and had nowhere to go. Mr Leigh Pemberton resisted the suggestion, and nothing more was said, but it may have given rise to this condition.

The second condition applied to ordained applicants. At that time, schoolmasters were often Church of England clergymen, and the Governors recognised that they might well appoint one. They feared that an ordained headmaster might combine the headship with a post as vicar or curate of a nearby parish. They therefore forbade the headmaster from accepting a care of souls while still headmaster. (When I came to Borden, this condition still featured in the copy of the School’s Articles of Government which my predecessor presented to me)

There were 66 applicants for the headship. Along with their applications, they sent in testimonials, open statements supplied by those who knew them in which their qualities were set out. (Oddly enough to us today, confidential references were not used). Printing must have been cheap : an applicant from Hereford sent a printed book of testimonials supplied by everyone of note in the City, including the Governor of Hereford Gaol.

A Committee of Governors reduced the 66 to 6, and the whole Governing Body selected the final 3. These were called for interview, and the Revd. William Henry Bond, a Cambridge graduate in his twenties, was successful. It was not a unanimous decision, and one of the other two was from Clifton College. Bond had taught for only a few years at St. Bees School, near Carnforth. The Governors’ Minutes record only the decision, and give no clue as to the reason for his success.

Two of the original Governors stand out. Pre-eminent was Mr. Edward Leigh Pemberton of Torry Hill, landowner, barrister and Member of Parliament. He was invariably elected Chairman. Even when he left the Board and missed several meetings, he was immediately elected Chairman when he resumed attendance and all continued as though nothing had happened. The Revd. Henry Hilton, Vicar of Milstead, had educational connections and sometimes dared to oppose Mr. Leigh Pemberton . When the Clerk provided a statement of accounts in November 1879 for submission to the Charity Commissioners, Hilton opposed them, and confessed that he had sent his own version which differed from that of the Clerk. Since the other Governors accepted the figures compiled by the Clerk, Hilton resigned and could not be persuaded to return. He did not, therefore, take part in the final showdown with the Charity Commissioners.

The unsung hero of the founding of the School was Henry Bathurst, the Faversham Solicitor who served as Clerk. He operated at the centre of all the activity involved in setting up the School. He wrote hundreds of letters – to the Charity Commissioners, to Governors, to Architects and Builders. When the Commissioners were slow to reply, he wrote reminders and even travelled to London, alone or with one or two Governors, to gain answers in person. He had other work to do – he was also Clerk to the Barrow Trust, he helped to re-establish Faversham Grammar School, and he had private clients. He was well into his seventies and sometimes too ill to attend his office.

In the very early stages, he was punctilious in obtaining written consent from the Commissioners for all the Governors did. Later on, especially when staff from the Charity Commissioners suggested work, he relied on oral approval. A second fault was not to keep detailed accounts of expenditure as the work progressed. Month after month, he paid the bills, especially when the Builder produced an Architects’ Certificate for a stage payment. At regular intervals the Commissioners were asked to release money to the School account, and they did.

The School opened in October 1878 with 23 pupils of whom 9 were from Borden. But the buildings were not complete, and the Governors envisaged more – a cottage and stable. Nor were the bills all paid. Early in 1879 the Governors applied for more money to be released, and received a refusal together with a charge they were guilty of “grave irregularities”. Their efforts thus far were as nothing compared with their struggle against the Charity Commissioners.

Bryan Short

The Bordenian – Issue 74 1964-65

Notes and News

AUTUMN TERM, 1964

At the opening of the year we welcomed five new members of the staff : Mr J T Macrae, an Old Bordenian, who returned to teach Physics; Mr T J Cross – Geography; Mr D L Davies – Spanish; Mr C A Mills – Latin; Mr A W Clayton – Physical Education.  M Akhurst was appointed School Captain, with Ansell, Blackmore, Fowle, Jordan, Oates, Priston, Smart, Stanley, G. Taylor and Walker as Prefects.

Soon after the term opened we joined with the Girls’ school in a performance of “Patience”.

The Sixth Form Science Conference was again held.

During this term the “Sunny Smiles” collection for the Dr Barnado’s Homes passed the £100 mark.

Mr Bates produced this year’s school play: “One Way Pendulum” by N F Simpson.  This recently written play was a box office success, and was judged to fulfil its description as “a farce in a new dimension” although many were left pleasantly puzzled.

Akhurst, who captained the 1st XI Football team, was picked with M Wilson to represent Kent Grammar Schools.  We offer our congratulations.  P Taylor captained the 2nd XI.

SPRING TERM 1965

Akhurst captained the 1st XI Hockey.  The 2nd XI was again without a definite captain.

This term – for the first time – a House Weight-Lifting Competition was introduced.  We hope to see the new enthusiasm continued next year.

Mr Lancaster organised the Arts Festival.  Poetry reading was introduced as a new event.

In the Hockey Festival the school celebrated as the School XI beat Chatham House and went on to win the tournament for the first time in some years.

The Prefects played the Girls’ School at hockey – a memorable if not too serious match.

The two school journeys at Easter were to Czechoslovakia with Messrs. Davies, Howard and Sowden, and to Devon with Mr Veal and Mr Cross.

SUMMER TERM, 1965

Akhurst captained the 1st XI Cricket, whilst D Wood was captain of the 2nd XI.

Parents day enjoyed better weather than last year.  The Junior Play was, for the first time, acted entirely by the 1st form and was universally enjoyed.

The Sports this year were won by Barrow in a very close finish.  Fewer records fell.

Mr Lancaster and Mr Mills are leaving us.  Mr Lancaster will be remembered for his organisation of the Arts’ Festival and his fine innings against the Prefects’ XI, quite apart from the enthusiasm he brought to teaching History.  He is to take up a post in Madeley College of Education, Staffs.

Mr Mills successfully introduced R.I. as a GCE subject in the school.  He contributed to Junior Sport – the Masters will lose another of their outstanding cricketers.  With his B.D. degree he is leaving to take up a post in Redland College of Education, Bristol.

We shall be sorry to lose both Masters and we wish them good fortune in the future.

This year’s Bordenian was prepared and edited by D.Carey, U.6A, and A. Friday, L.6Sc.

A Latin ‘O’ level paper for your enjoyment!!  Watch this space – I’ll be posting an ‘A’ level Latin paper in the coming weeks!!