The Lent Term’s highlight had been the memorial service for Sir Barnes Wallis (Wd 7, Pe A 1900-04, Treasurer 57-70) at St Paul’s Cathedral, attended by all members of the girls’ and boys’ schools.

During the Easter holidays the Council of Almoners took the decision to close Hertford and merge the two schools on the Horsham site.

Summer Term began with Verdi’s Requiem in Big School.

There were facelifts for the Grecians’ Club, the old biology labs and the tennis courts. The Prep Block was being converted into a leisure centre.

The summer was muggy, close and rainy, but the First XI evolved into a happy and capable side under captain Nick Konig (Mid B) who became CH’s leading run-scorer of all time. The First VI were unbeaten and athlete John Nowell (Ma A) ‘won nearly everything possible, except the English Schools title’.

Group Capt R D Bates AFC (Ba B 44-51) inspected the CCF.

The Theatre saw a Staff production of The Wild Duck, Barnes A’s A Penguin for All Seasons and an adventurous Parents’ Day entertainment, Prisoners of Love, in which Miles Nettleship, David London, Mark Bryant and Mark Cunningham particularly excelled.

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The revived Outlook had a first issue scoop: an unpublished short story by Keith Douglas (La A, Mid B 31-38).

Keith Stratton (Staff 67-93) married Infirmary nurse Lynn Hagan.

Two paintings loaned by Southern Arts turned out to have been hanging upside down for two years.

At Hertford’s Speech Day, head girl Deborah Rice said the girls’ only regret was that most of them wouldn’t be around to take advantage of the merger.

Among departing staff were Roger Wilson (after 16 years’ service), Peter Brotherton (17 years), John Robson (18 years) and Alan Wilkinson (23 years). Exam invigilator Dr Gray (alias Doctor Death) retired after 16 years.

Annual report: over ten years the total cost per boy per year had quadrupled.

Birthday Honours: knighthood for Ian Trethowan (Ma A 33-38); CBE for John Stevens (Th B 32-40); MBE for Red Cross official Robert Ashe (Th A 66-70) who was front-page news in June when held for three days by the Vietnamese.

The Rt Rev Ross Hook (Ba B, La B 28-36, Almoner) was appointed Archbishop Runcie’s chief of staff.

Deaths: Lord Brock (Th A 15-20, Almoner), eminent heart surgeon; Group Capt A H Donaldson DSO (Ma A 24-32); and four former members of the Horsham Staff, Rona Hurst (43?-60), Bill Bailey (54-72), Bill Armistead (27-67) and Ronald Crosland (39-71).

In August Graham Simester (LA 74-79) died in a car crash and Patrick George (LA 65-72) in a rail disaster in Eire.

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