In the first of this year’s Quadrivium Lectures, Professor Ritchie Robertson of Queen’s College, Oxford came to Oundle to talk about Kafka.

Faced with a largely Sixth Form audience of linguists, classicists, many from the English and Philosophy departments and even some budding lawyers, his brief was to interpret W H Auden’s quotation ‘Kafka is important to us because his predicament is the predicament of modern man’, and sell Kafka to both experienced readers and those yet to come across him.

This he did in a fascinating lecture entitled ‘Ambivalence and Ambiguity’, in which he explained the rather disconcerting reality and lack of certainty that characterise the daily lives of Kafka’s protagonists. Commencing with Nietzsche’s infamous proclamation that ‘God is dead, and we have killed him!’, Professor Robertson went on to analyse the near impossibility of filling the resulting void and the way in which Kafka’s stories typically end in abject and humiliating failure.

Drawing comparisons with the likes of Dickens along the way, the lecture culminated in Professor Robertson advising young readers to be patient with Kafka and to enjoy the texts for what they are, rather than seeking to decode and arrive at a definitive allegorical interpretation where none exists.

S Jessop

Over the summer, a group of seven pupils in the Lower Sixth Form travelled to Dublin for the International Society of Animal Genetics (ISAG) conference at the University College of Dublin.

The conference provided an invaluable opportunity for pupils to get a feel of how molecular biology can be applied in the real world in various practical areas such as agriculture and medicine. 

Oundle pupils were joined by two pupils from The Peterborough School who had already participated in a collaborative Sixth Form project on molecular biology.

Over the course of the four-day trip, the pupil delegates had the chance to attend a variety of lectures ranging from the application of molecular biology in equine parentage testing to various reports on microbiomes. Talks and workshops on different topics happened simultaneously, and there was therefore an element of choice which varied from bovine genetics to learning about the genomics of aquaculture species.

The lectures were given by researchers currently working in the field from various consortiums around the globe.

After two days of lectures, the group took a break from the university and visited the Kilmainham Gaol, where they had the opportunity to learn about the Irish War of Independence, and see where various political figures had been held. There were organised trips to the library at Trinity College, Dublin, where they saw the Book of Kells, and a tour of the Weatherby’s Irish Equine Centre (IEC). As a fully equipped laboratory aiming to protect the wellbeing of Ireland’s horse population, the IEC houses the complex equipment used in genetics research that the pupils had previously heard about in the lectures. The visit provided them with the chance to see the wide range of analytical equipment involved in molecular biology and insight into how this is used in a real setting.

During the summer holiday no less than four Oundle pupils who had just finished their GCSE exams took part in the highly selective 2017 Yale Young Global Scholars Program at the Yale campus in New Haven, Connecticut. The program is an academic enrichment and leadership program that brings together outstanding high school students from around the world for intensive two-week sessions

Living in Yale’s historic residential colleges, they joined a community of talented students from over 100 different nations. The program offers six intensive, interdisciplinary pre-collegiate courses from Politics, Law, and Economics to Applied Science and Engineering. Pupils found themselves engaging with world-renowned professors, and interacting with extraordinary visiting practitioners.

Alex Horwich (W) wrote about her experiences and impressions below:

So why did I go on a summer programme?  What made the trip so worthwhile? Because I love learning and I love reading about global affairs. I went to get a sense of what life would be like across the pond; to see whether I want to go to university in the United States, and whether the study of international affairs and security was for me.

When we arrived we were given the option to choose the topics we wanted to focus on and would like to learn more about for our Capstone project, which lasted the entire time we were there. I chose modern religious conflicts, and joined a small group that discussed extremism around the world. It was sort of like the Extended Projects option we have at Oundle; a fantastic opportunity to explore a particular subject.

Lectures were (early!) in the morning. When you first walked in, it felt a little overwhelming, but in no time at all everyone there felt like family. After a quick much-needed coffee break, we were split into discussion groups to talk about the lectures. We were very fortunate with the guest speakers, with people who lecture at Yale speaking to us. The lectures varied enormously from Russia in the Cold War to cybersecurity and climate change.

Seminars were the most personalised activity. They were led by Yale students who talked to us about the subjects that they specialised in for their undergraduate or graduate studies. We met different people who were all interested in the same subjects, and we saw what it was like to be a student at Yale. What struck us was how passionate they were about their studies.

This summer programme sounds like a lot of work – and it was – but it was so much more than that. I will forever cherish so many memories that are impossible to all list here: running to grab coffee just before a lecture; seeing the beautiful Yale campus in the summer; buying as much Yale merchandise and American candy that could possibly be fit into a suitcase. But, most importantly, I will remember the people. We all came from different parts of the world, never having met each other before. Yet saying goodbye at the end of the two weeks was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

In 2016, Oundle School undertook its largest ever trip, taking all 200 Fourth Form pupils and the CCF Marching Band to the Somme battlefields for Field Weekend as part of the 100th Anniversary of World War One. It was decided to repeat the trip until the end of the centenary commemorations, and so on Saturday 23 September a fleet of minibuses with 240 pupils left Oundle for Dover. 

The Battle of the Somme was fought from 1 July to 19 November 1916 at an almost unimaginable cost in human lives. Five Old Oundelians lost their lives on 1 July and a further 27 made the ultimate sacrifice during the battle. Many are buried in cemeteries on the Somme and 17 are remembered on the Thiepval Memorial. Overall, more than 420,000 British soldiers died on the Somme.  

After a smooth crossing the convoy headed northeast to Ypres, Belgium, where the CCF Band played in the daily Last Post ceremony. As the sun set, the Band formed up and marched under the arch of the Menin Gate, halting at the western entrance in front of a crowd of more than 3,000 people. After the Last Post was sounded and as the wreath laying started, the Band played ‘Nimrod’, ‘Abide with Me’, and ‘The Day thou Gavest’, transforming a sombre ceremony into a moving and memorable occasion. 

The next day, the group set off in different directions, visiting battlefield sites, memorials and cemeteries across the Somme battlefields. Two ceremonies marked the most sombre and moving moments of the trip. The first occurred in seventeen different cemeteries between Serre and Mametz, where each group laid a wreath on the grave of an Old Oundelian. Their citation was read and during the silence many pondered the similarities between their time at Oundle and that of the OOs: games of rugby for the 1st XV, plays, choirs and a place at a good university.

At the end of the day the group gathered again at the Thiepval Memorial, the largest British war memorial anywhere in the world, with 72,000 names upon it. With the cadets and the band forming a hollow square between the memorial and the cemetery, and a Drumhead altar built by the Corps of Drums at the centre, cadets gathered to remember all 256 OOs killed in WWI.  

Once again it was the presence of the CCF Marching Band that transformed the experience for all. ‘Scipio’, ‘I vow to thee my country’, ‘Nimrod’ and ‘Last Post’ all echoed beneath the memorial's mighty arches. Under a clear evening sky the sun sank in the west over the fields of the Ancre Valley, where 101 years earlier so many had laid down their lives for others. It was a moving ceremony and a scene of tranquil beauty which none who were there will forget. 

The group returned to Calais via Vimy Ridge, the site of a successful Canadian attack in 1917, during which many of the lessons of the Somme were employed. It was a positive, but sombre end to an emotional and memorable weekend.

On Sunday 8 October, senior rowers competed at the Bedford Autumn Fours and Small Boats Head, racing over a 2000m course in a time trial format. The event attracted crews from as far as Putney, London and Shrewsbury School, all seeking to test the effectiveness of their winter training.

The Double Scull J18 class was won by Ollie Chapman (Sc) and Cosmo Davis Gimeno (F), who beat six other crews from Kings Ely, Norwich, Ascot and Emanuel Schools.

The girls’ quad of Alanna Gilmartin (L), Alice Gadsby (Sn), Holly Kunzer (N) and Lily Wolfson (D) raced in the WJ18 Quad Scull event, finishing in a credible third place sandwiched between two Shrewsbury School crews. The event was won by an impressive Bedford Modern School crew. 

Alanna and Lily also raced in the singles event. Alanna finished third in WJ18 and Lily 13th in WJ17, in what was a very tough event with eighteen competitors, three of whom were faster than the winning WJ18 time. 

On Thursday 12th October, five Third Form geographers took part in the local round of the Geographical Association’s Worldwise Quiz, which tests their knowledge of both human and physical geography as well as the general ‘place’ knowledge. Oundle entered two teams and were competing against four other schools in the South Lincolnshire round of the quiz.

The team comprised of Robert Brettle (B), Marcus McDevitt (L) and Alexander Jones (Ldr) were delighted to finish first on an impressive score of 110, 20 points ahead of the team in second place, having led the competition from the start. Our smaller team comprised of Charlie Martin (C) and Will Robertson (Ldr) finished a respectable sixth out of ten teams. 

There were eight rounds in the competition, our most successful being the Alphabet round, where pupils were asked 26 questions with each answer beginning with one letter of the alphabet, such as ‘What H is an English town and the capital of Nova Scotia in Canada’. 

The most challenging round of the evening was titled My Escape, where pupils were given ten statements describing a migrant’s journey, e.g. ‘As I cross the River Plate which is flowing South East towards the Atlantic Ocean, I have to paddle hard to the North East to reach my destination’, and they gained two points for stating the source and destination country of each migrant.

Our pupils competed enthusiastically and were pleased to receive their prizes of a large Collins Atlas at the end of the evening. We left on tenterhooks, not knowing whether our place in the regional round was confirmed due to the North Lincolnshire round of the competition happening simultaneously and their result not coming through. Unfortunately, morning broke and news came in that the Priory Academy had just pipped us by four points. 

We look forward to entering our team again next year to what is a worthwhile and very enjoyable event, which was this year hosted in fantastic fashion by Mr Morris at Stamford School.

M Chapman

The annual German declamation competition took place on October 10th in the Adamson Centre, and as usual many talented Germanists and presenters gathered, all competing for various prizes, ranging from the very substantial German Hammer Grammar book to copies of some of the most notorious German films. The evening started with Herr Roehrborn introducing everyone to the competition and to the adjudicator – a native speaker of German who had travelled all the way from Norwich to hear and judge our performances. 

The Sixth Form opened the competition with four different presentations of Dann gibt es nur eins – an emotional wartime poem by Wolfgang Borchert that involved the speaker addressing and encouraging different people in Germany to say no to the war effort. 

The Fifth Form, on the other hand, recited a more pastoral poem by Rainer Maria Rilke – Das Karussell – describing a kaleidoscope of images that can be observed on a carousel. 

Lastly, the floor was handed over to an enthusiastic bunch of relative novices – the Third and Fourth Form – who were certainly exciting to listen to, and who performed to an incredibly high standard. 

As the winner of the Sixth Form contest and a jubilant owner of the aforementioned German Hammer Grammar book, I would like to sincerely thank all the German department staff for organizing such a wonderful event which allowed us all to teleport somewhere to Germany on an English evening in order to think and present in the same manner as native speakers.

Danila Mikhaylov (C)

Close to 200 children from prep and primary schools assembled at Oundle to enjoy a day of musical experiences and specialist teaching.

Workshop leaders included David Milsted (Head of Woodwind and Percussion), Adele Hudson (Head of Brass and Guitar) and Angus Gibbon (Head of Strings and Alexander Technique) along with supporting music teachers from the Music department.

With large numbers of musicians comes greater opportunity; the young musicians had the opportunity to tackle larger ensemble playing, develop their sight-reading, learn new approaches and ways of thinking about technique, as well as enjoy the camaraderie of making new friends.

This year the department included a session on Alexander Technique for some of the participants and their accompanying teachers, a useful practice for maintaining good posture and developing excellence in practical technique.

While the brass group worked in the Great Hall, the strings filled the Chapel and the woodwind group rehearsed in the recently refurbished Gascoigne recital room. Four concerts held during the day encompassed great diversity, with every visiting pupil able to perform something that had been prepared during the course of the day.

Highlights included renditions from massed strings, with seventy of Oundle’s pupils supporting visiting string players, demonstrations on woodwind instruments (including the popular bagpipes), performances from staff, Oundle School smaller ensembles, and a play-through of much-loved numbers (such as Jurassic Park) with strings and woodwind combined. 

Pupils came from the following schools: Beachborough, Beeston Hall, Bilton Grange, Copthill, Kettering School, Kingscliffe Primary, Laxton Junior School, Monks Risborough, Oundle Primary School, St Faiths, St Hilda’s, Spratton Hall, Stoneygate, Warmington Primary and York House.

Over the October half term, a group of fifteen Fifth Formers travelled to Nice for an IGCSE study trip. Their programme included half-days spent in lessons delivered by local French teachers, and afternoon and evening activities based in and around Nice. Pupils stayed with host families and were immersed in the language and culture in unusually balmy and sunny weather.

The week started with a trip to the cinema on the Sunday, followed by a guided tour of the Old Town and a traditional sweet factory on Tuesday. Outings included a day trip to Eze where pupils created their own cologne in the Parfumerie Gallimard, followed by an afternoon spent in Monaco and its Oceanographic museum on Friday. They then travelled by train to nearby Antibes to see dolphins and orcas performing at the Marineland.

The group took a boat trip along the coast to Villefranche-sur-Mer, rode Segways on the Promenade des Anglais and went bowling. The highlight of the week was undoubtedly travelling to the new Allianz Stadium on Thursday to see the local football team play Lazio, with two goals scored within the first five minutes of the game and great seats to soak in the atmosphere.

After a last lunch in a local crêperie in the market place, the week came to an end with pupils having gained confidence in their speaking skills and having enjoyed exploring the beautiful town of Nice and its region.

The Modern Languages department hosted two big events in the few weeks before the October Half Term.

The annual Oktoberfest was held in the Two Acre Club decked out with Bavarian-themed props, and with pupils dressed in dirndls and lederhosen.

After a brief introduction and explanation of the history and culture of the Oktoberfest, the diners were entertained by Mr Milsted, Mr Pettitt and their Bavarian oompah-style band. Throughout the course of the evening, pupils sampled four different authentic German beers and were served a full three course Bavarian meal.

During the evening, an Oktoberfest-themed quiz was won by George Elborne (S). The evening was completed by a wonderful rendition of the popular German drinking song “Bier her, Bier her, oder ich fall um”, which translates as “Beer here Beer here or I will fall over”.

The annual European Day of Languages saw the Adamson Centre buzzing all morning with the sound of a wide array of languages, including Maori, Turkish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Russian, Bulgarian and Arabic. There were many surprises for pupils when they turned up for their usual language lesson to find that they were being taught a very different one. Sometimes lessons were taught by the modern languages team, and sometimes by pupils who wanted to share their native tongue with their classmates.

Two Germanists even performed a roleplay to demonstrate the Italian they had learnt in their first few weeks of the IGCSE course, and got others in the class to memorise some Italian phrases. The morning rounded off with superb international cuisine served up in the Houses. The menus included dishes from China, Spain, Mexico, Thailand, India, Italy and the Carribean – all chosen by the pupils themselves.

Over Half Term, the Classics department took 26 Fourth to Upper Sixth Form pupils to Sicily.

The visit began with pupils seeing the Riace Bronzes in Reggio di Calabria, two super-human sized warriors rescued from the sea in the 1970s and described by Nigel Spivey as 'the best Greek bronzes in the world'. They went on to the Taormina theatre with its incredible views over a smoking Etna, followed by a day in Syracuse, visiting the Greek theatre and the stone quarries where the Athenian prisoners of war chiselled away at the rock after their defeat in the Great Harbour in 413BC. Having the chance to touch the stones which had been worked by men who the pupils have studied in Thucydides was an extraordinary experience.

After a trip around the Great Harbour in two boats, the group saw the remains of the oldest Greek temple in Sicily, and then visited the oldest cathedral in the world. Cattedrale metropolitana della Natività di Maria Santissima was originally a Greek Doric temple sacred to Athena, and its columns can still be seen incorporated in the walls of the current church.

The group then visited the ancient site of Morgantina where they were treated to an outstanding guided tour by Rosella Nicoletti, an active archaeologist who knows the site inside out, and who was able to give them a vivid and highly stimulating account of its history and archaeological remains. Piazza Armerina and the outstanding mosaics of the Villa del Casale followed, including the massive corridor of the Great Hunt, picturing animals from all over the Roman Empire being captured and brought on ships for the Colosseum in Rome.

Two huge temple complexes delighted the group on the next day, with the towering pride of Agrigento boasting its wealth and success to anyone coming in from the sea. The Temple of Concord is the best preserved Greek temple in the world, and Selinunte gave the group the opportunity actually to stand inside a reconstructed temple.

On their final day, the group visited the unfinished temple of Segesta. Standing alone on a hillside in the middle of nowhere, it has an aura unlike anywhere else.

On the hill above is the equally remote Greek theatre, where George Brettle (B) sang Faure's Libera Me to an enthralled audience, before the whole group was encouraged onto the stage to sing Jerusalem. The final visit was to Monreale Cathedral with its outstanding mosaics of stories from the Bible.

This was a trip which gave pupils a real understanding of the spread of civilisation, with highlights from the Bronze Age, both the Greek and Roman eras and the Norman period, all of exceptional beauty and repair, and on an island of outstanding beauty in its own right. Having been treated to wonderful food, great hospitality and perfect weather, many of the pupils pledged to return to Sicily and explore its culture and history in even greater detail.

M James
 

With a busy programme of school and touring productions, the Stahl Theatre has already seen three productions in the first six weeks.

Kirkeby House girls launched the season with a terrific performance of Second Person Narrative, a new play by Jemma Kennedy. Kennedy was commissioned to write the play by Tonic Theatre Company as a response to the lack of roles for girls in plays for young people, and this made it a perfect script for Millie Tusa (K) and the girls from Kirkeby to work with. The spirited ensemble of performers, ably lead by Mia Derrick (K) as You, took the audience on a funny, challenging emotional journey through the life of one woman, from cradle to grave.

With recognisable episodes, from school photos and childhood dreams to introducing a new boyfriend to the family, the audience were enthralled in the whirlwind narrative. Millie was able to bring together the series of brief, episodic vignettes into one cohesive and memorable whole.

But sometimes one play is just not enough, and after the curtain had fallen on Second Person Narrative, it was time for Homemade Fusion to take to the stage in a double bill. Homemade Fusion is a contemporary song cycle by rising stars of the musical theatre scene Kooman and Dimond. It is a hilarious look at life, love and chocolate bars in New York City and was expertly performed by Sixth Form pupils. 

Will Slinger (B) and Sophie Lee (L) gave wonderfully witty performances in ‘The Temp and the Receptionist’ whilst Charlie Willis (L) and Sophie Honor (W) brought great emotional weight to their passionate ballads, Lost in the Waves and Breathe. With musical direction and direction from the now familiar duo of pupil Alex Hill (C) and Music Fellow, James Thomas (who previously collaborated on The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Les Miserables and The Wind in the Willows), it was an evening of musical precision, reflection and laughter.

Finally, just before the half term break it was the turn of Laundimer House to perform before packed audiences at the Stahl with Wilde’s quintessentially English comedy The Importance of Being Ernest.  Oscar Wilde is famed for his quick quips and verbal jousting - not an easy linguistic style even for the most experienced of actors to get to grips with, however Ed Samuelson (Ldr) and Josh Shepherd-Smith (Ldr) triumphed as Algernon and Ernest respectively, expertly sparring and revealing the ever-increasingly complex plot.  As director, Axi Hobill (Ldr) created moments of superb physical comedy which brilliantly supported Wilde’s genius writing.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of all however, was Lady Bracknell’s first appearance… in a wheelchair. Hugo Meynell (L) gave great dignity and gravitas to this iconic role, perhaps only enhanced by his impressive chariot. With fine female performances by Sophie Lee (L), Phoebe Legard (Sn) and Iris Cecil (W), this really was an evening as delicious and satisfying as a plate of cucumber sandwiches and a cup of tea.

In the first week of the October half term, a group of eleven Sixth Formers studying Spanish set off for Salamanca – a small university town near Madrid – for a week of cultural and linguistic immersion.

The trip was designed for the pupils to boost their language skills in a local context whilst also allowing them to explore the incredible heritage of an historic town.

Each day started with a few hours of Spanish lessons in Salamanca’s language school. Lower Sixth Form pupils were launched head-first into complex grammatical structures that they will not encounter at school for another year, while Upper Sixth Form pupils were given the opportunity to help their classmates and consolidate the basics. Grammar lessons were followed by cultural sessions covering art and literature as well as current events.

In the afternoons, pupils visited some of the many sites of interest in Salamanca, including the Cathedral of Salamanca, the ancient university building, and the stunning Casa Lis, which is now an Art-Deco museum. Significant literary landmarks included the Garden of Calisto and Melibea, which was the inspiration for Fernando de Rojas’ Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea, the statue of Fray Luis de León, and the famous Bull statue that was pivotal to the plot of the famous Lazarillo de Tormes.

Leisure activities offered opportunities to experience Spanish daily life, such as cinema trips, a paella-cooking lesson, and dinners at local restaurants.

As well as intensive language study, the trip provided a golden opportunity to explore inspiring mediaeval architecture, learn about Spanish history from the days of the Spanish Empire to the Civil War, and encounter new literary influences, not to mention all the riches of day-to-day life in Spain, from its cuisine to its well-earned siestas.

In mid-October, the 1st Netball team won the County rounds and are through to the Regionals to take place in Nottingham on Saturday 27 January 2018.

Their first match of the tournament was against a strong Wellingborough side. They controlled the play with an especially strong performance from Cordelia Barlow (Sn) in defence, turning a number of balls over.

At half time it was 12-13, so going into the second half with a few substitutions the Oundle girls knew they needed to hold their own. Their strength in both attack and defence shone through, allowing them to score a number of goals and end the match with a promising 26-18 victory.

The second match was against the local Northampton High School for Girls, and the Oundle side began the game with high energy and tight play. With captain Lily Craven (Sn), Honor Starling (Sn) and England player Sienna Rushton (Sn) all working intensely, the first half of the game saw Oundle dominate the circle, finishing the first half firmly in the lead with Northampton struggling to maintain serious possession.

The second half was a tougher fight with energy levels dropping, but Oundle’s defensive players maintained firm resolve throughout and held the Northampton side back to a 24-5 victory.

Player of the tournament was Sienna Rushton for her solid attack and also for making a number of crucial turn overs. 

The annual Kid Lit Quiz is rightly called ‘The Sport of Reading’, and two teams of keen readers from Oundle had the chance to exercise their knowledge and enthusiasm about books and stories at the Central England heat at Comberton Village College near Cambridge on 15 November.

The competition is structured like a traditional quiz, where pupils work in a team to answer 100 questions in ten categories. The categories reflect all interests, and include picture books, comics, film stories, popular modern authors, myths, fairy tales and the classics.

The two Oundle teams started strongly, and performed very well overall. Facing stiff competition from a total of 28 teams, Oundle’s Second Form overcame a slight slump with a question round that drew upon their knowledge of Shakespeare, and came 2nd with 77 points: Isabella Henderson (L), Noa Anderson (By), Rachel Johnston (By), Sophie Hawkes (By). The 1st place winners from Aylesbury Grammar School achieved an impressive 92 points.

The Kid Lit Quiz is an international competition involving schools across the UK, Canada, Australia, NZ, South Africa, USA, Singapore and Hong Kong. Quiz heats are held in regional locations, followed by a National Final for regional winners. In 2017 the World Final will be held in New Zealand.

Following on from the recent success of Oundle’s 1st Netball team in the County rounds, the U14 team were runners-up in their County rounds on November 6, and will also go through to the Regionals taking place in January.  

Throughout the day the girls played extremely well, losing only one match and winning three. Their first match was against Wellingborough which they won 17-3. The next three matches were played back to back, meaning the team had to be flexible with positions so that everyone had a chance to recover. The girls had comfortable victories against Moulton, winning 15-3 and Sponne, who they beat 22-0. Their toughest match was a close one against Northampton High School (NHS) which they lost 9-15.

Players of the tournament were Izzy Wilson (Sn), Matilda Somerville-Cotton (L) and Lucy Clayden (Sn).

Elsewhere in the tournament, the U16 team were unable to make it a hat-trick. Despite wins against Wellingborough and Bishop Stopford, they lost to a strong Quinton team.  After this defeat, they beat Pitsford, but drew 11-11 with NHS, which meant that NHS and Quinton qualified. 
 

On 16th November the Modern Language department welcomed guests from Nene Park Academy in Peterborough as part of a joint project between the two schools. Six of Nene Park’s top Year 8 linguists joined in with Second Form French, Spanish and German lessons, and were hosted by Second Form ‘partners’ for the morning.

They took part enthusiastically in lessons and were interested in the differences between their school and ours. They asked why Oundelians didn’t have school bags, why German wasn’t offered at their own school, and the girls were envious that our girls didn’t have to tie up their hair. The Oundle pupils were perfect hosts and some friendships that look to last were made by the end of the day.

As well as working together on teacher training projects, the department hopes to reciprocate the visit with Oundle pupils going to their school later this year, and might take advantage of the fact that Portuguese is offered at Nene Park – a language not offered here at Oundle (yet).

S Davidson

In the October Half Term holiday, pupils and staff from Oundle School undertook a tour of Bulgaria with a focus on cultural and physical geography and geology, heading off the beaten track and exploring the local sites.

Places like Iceland and Morocco remain spectacular, but are now well known and trips there have lost that sense of ‘exploration.’ The trip to Bulgaria allowed pupils to direct the itinerary of the trip a little more and provided them with the skills to engage with exploration too.

The trip took in a walk along the Serbian border in the Balkan mountains, visits to local towns, cities and monasteries and a whole host of Karst (limestone) features and geological landforms, which either do not exist in the UK or are not found on any similar spatial scale. The most impressive were the Devetashka Caves, Krushuna Waterfalls and Belogradchik Rocks.

The trip was self-driven rather than tour-operated, meaning the group had the opportunity to stop and explore places along the way, including shopping in local markets and supporting the rural economy. Travelling along rural roads and gaining a sense of place by journeying via mountain hamlets and villages helped build up a background to Bulgaria, and provided the experience and confidence for pupils to plan their own trips off the beaten track in the coming years.
 

On Sunday 5 November, a group of Oundle badminton players were successful in the Northamptonshire U19 County championships, with all of the players managing to win some of their games against existing county players.

The best Oundle performance of the day came from Daphne Ngan (N) who dominated the singles, winning the final 15-5, 15 -4. Daphne was also placed runner-up in the doubles, playing with someone she had never met and in an age group above her own.

TC Cheah (Ldr) and Brian Cheng (C) both made the semi-finals of the boys singles, narrowly losing to their opponents. Brian took his opponent to three games before losing in what was a very tight final game.

This is the first time many of the Oundle players had competed at this level. It was perhaps not too much of a surprise that Daphne did as well as she did; in October she and TC played in the Senior competition where she defeated a County 1st team player in the semis (21-18, 21 -16), before losing to a player who has been ranked as high as 41st in the country.
 

Retired Oundle History teacher, Colin Pendrill, has published a new book entitled And We Were Young – Oundle School and the Great War, a landmark volume charting the impact of the First World War on Oundle School.

The book tells of some 1200 boys from Oundle School and Laxton Grammar School who joined up ‘to do their bit’ for their country. In particular, it focuses on the brief lives and tragic deaths of 263 boys and masters who died in the war, setting the battles in which they fought and died in their historical context.

Using extensive contemporary sources from the archives, the boys themselves tell of their lives at Oundle School and at war, on land, at sea and in the air. The book includes their letters home from School and from the Front, as well as over 300 pictures.

The average age of those killed was 23 years and the youngest was just 17. The death-rate was high with nearly one in four of the boys who joined up losing their lives, during and after the war. One in three of the boys in Dryden House’s OTC Platoon of 1912, pictured on the front cover, perished in the fighting.

The book also looks at the impact of the war on the boys back at Oundle. The Officers’ Training Corps was expanded and an Army Class formed for those in their last year at school. The boys kept pigs and grew crops, and the School grounds were ploughed up to maintain food supplies. Most significantly, boys worked long hours in term time and in the holidays in Oundle’s unique engineering workshops producing materials for the War Office. Presiding over this extraordinary response to the challenges posed by the war was Oundle’s radical and energetic headmaster, Frederick Sanderson, whose educational reforms ensured that Oundle School and Laxton Grammar School played an important and unique role in Britain’s war effort.

As the War’s centenary approached in 2014, the History department discussed ways in which the war might best be commemorated. In 1920, the School had produced a Memorial Book with photos and brief biographies of Oundle’s fallen. As Yarrow Fellow, Mr Pendrill was commissioned to produce an updated and expanded version of that book, adding the stories of the Laxton School boys who went to war and including a commentary on the impact of the war back in Oundle.

With a foreword by Professor Andrew Pettegree (OO) of St Andrews University, this is the first School history to be written by an Oundle schoolmaster since 1956.

All profits from sales will be donated to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which maintains cemeteries and memorials across the globe where so many Oundelians lie buried.

To order a copy:
And We Were Young is published by Helion & Company and is available directly from the author at the discounted price of £25 (a savings of £5). Postage and packing is £3.50 for UK addresses, £8 for Europe and £11 outside Europe.

PayPal: payment, with name and address of recipient, can be made by card via the author’s PayPal account. Email: crp@oundleschool.org.uk.

Cheque: payable to Colin Pendrill, sent with return name and address to 35 St Peters Road, Oundle PE8 4NU.

BACS: C R Pendrill - sort code 20-26-23  - Account Number 50253987
Please use your surname as the reference and email name and address to crp@oundleschool.org.uk.

And We Were Young is also available from Amazon and from the Oundle Bookshop (£30).