More sad news for the school when it reassembled: the death of the greatly respected Basil Gregory (Staff since 1949). Tributes ranged from four superb pages in the Blue by Roger Martin (Ba B 47-55, Staff 63-68, 72-96) to a pithy comment by OB Editor Frank Smith: "to meet him was to know him and to know him was a great privilege". John Shippen (Staff 66- ) took charge of Maine A in Greg’s place.

Madeleine Ayres, widow of Eric Ayres (Staff 30-35), arrived as School Secretary.

CH was on the front page of the Sunday People when a building it owned in Soho was found to contain a pornographic cinema.

The school was much disrupted by gastric flu. The Almoners’ Visitation was postponed and the Bishop confirmed two boys in the Infirmary, Simon Horne (LHA/Col A) and the late Graham Simester (LHA/La A).

David Green (Th B 64-71) addressed Senior Chapel. Among other visitors were Nobel Prize winner Anthony Hewish, mountaineer Martin Boysen, Father Michael Hollings and the future Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie.

The Drama Department staged an original musical, CAIN!!!, with book and lyrics by John Mason (Staff 73-77). Ian Cook (PeB) and the late Edgar Newman (La A) shared the title role. The late Stuart Pryle (Col A) starred in his own play, When The Wind Blows, and there were three house plays, The Happiest Days of Your Life (Ba B), Baron Bolligrew (Ma B) and The Real Inspector Hound (Pe A; the future actor-director-producer Guy Masterson (Mastroianni) played the corpse).

Senior Grecian Ray Pratley (Pe B) won the Steeplechase and captained the First XI, which had a rough season despite leading lights Mick Hiard (Col B), John Cullen (Pe A) and goalie Craig Plummer (Col B).

In the Lloyd’s Wooden Spoon public speaking contest Greg MacDonald-Smith (La B) won the School Prize for the second time. Cameron McNeill (Th A) won the regional round of a youth awards scheme run by the Lions Club - the trophy commemorated Ralph George (Ba A 19-25).

Miss Barnett retired after 26 years as housekeeper of the Infirmary.

In the holidays the RAF section went to Germany.

New Year Honours: Brian Tucker (Ma B 32-39, Governor) CB; Canon Sydney Evans (Almoner) CBE.

Appointments: George Du Boulay (Pe B 33-40), Professor of Neuroradiology, University of London; Peter Woon (Col A 42-49), Head of Publicity, BBC; John Elliott (Ba A 48-57), Management Editor, Financial Times.

J E Morpurgo (Col B 29-36, Governor & Almoner) published a history of the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, USA. Charles Gibbins (La A 20-26, Governor) became CH Club President.

R F J Brown (Staff 27-39) died in February.

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