David Miller’s (La B 1948–55) most recent book, “The Duchess of Richmond’s Ball,” is about the famous event which took place in Brussels on 15th June 1815, the day before the Battle of Quatre Bras and three days before the Battle of Waterloo. On 31st October 2005 he gave a lecture on the subject at Goodwood House, near Chichester, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Richmond, in which he was supported by a twelve-strong orchestra from Christ’s Hospital, conducted by Head of Strings, Tim Callaghan, and led by Frances Innes-Hopkins. He was also given moral support by a number of Old Blues in the audience, including Diana Gould, Kerren Simmonds and John West.

The audience of 180 (there were no spare seats) included the current Duke and Duchess of Richmond, and David described the build-up to the Ball, identified those invited and outlined what happened there. His talk was closely coordinated with the Housie orchestra playing music from the year 1815, including an overture, a selection of English country dances, a selection of waltzes, “See the Conquering Hero Comes” (a tribute to the Duke of Wellington) and a closing selection. They also played an orchestral version of “Sussex By The Sea,” a march so well-known to many generations of Horsham Old Blues, its relevance being that it was the regimental march-past of the Royal Sussex Regiment, which the third Duke of Richmond commanded from 1789 to 1803. The orchestra was a major hit, playing to the highest standards, enhancing the school’s reputation among a very discerning audience and making the evening one to remember.

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