The Old Bordenian Association

While rummaging through the Archives recently, Denis Jarrett came across a letter written by an Old Boy, who was at the School from 1933 to 1939, in which there was a mysterious reference to a School Song.  Among the many innovations introduced by the redoubtable W.A.C. Claydon (‘Wacker’ in initials and ‘Wacker’ by habit!) when he was appointed Headmaster was the adoption of the Harrow School Song, “Forty Years on”.

There are still several Old Bordenians alive today who remember singing this lustily on Speech Day and other special occasions, even if they didn’t fully understand all the words (“Oh, the tramp of the twenty-two men”, for instance, which Graham Barnes says he thought was a reference to one of his classmates who turned up on the cricket field in grey trousers).

What is intriguing, however, is that the Old Boy concerned says it replaced the existing School Song which began with the immortal couplet :

“Borden, you merit all our praise,

Our home through countless happy days”

This is the first any of us have heard of such a song.  It is news even to Denis Jarrett, who was at Borden under the previous Headmaster William Murdoch as well as Claydon.  And we should be very interested to find out more about it.  In particular, we should like to know :-

- Who wrote the Song?  (Probably an ancestor of the chap who writes the verses in several Clinton Greetings Cards, to judge by its literary quality!)

- To what tune was it sung?

- What are the rest of the words?

Is there anyone out there who can throw light on any of these questions?  If so, please add a comment below.