The Salopian Winter 24/25

From the Editor

CONTENTS

What are the things that make a community such as

Shrewsbury School so special? Plenty of answers to this

question can be found in the records of recent Salopian

endeavour which form the bulk of this magazine. One

of the answers, however, is to be found in the Obituaries

section at the end of this magazine. This contains tributes

to four former members of staff, Richard Field, James

Lawson, Peter Macdonald and Adrian Struvé. The obituary

list records the very recent death of a fifth, John Balcombe.

Retired maths teacher Mark Twells’ whimsical article on

page 80 recalls the glorious eccentricities of the legendary

Michael ‘Fred’ Hall. A new flagpole at the end of the fives

courts, dedicated on Old Salopian day last September,

celebrates two other extraordinary figures in the Salopian

pantheon, my own Housemaster Robin Moulsdale and

head groundsman Ken Spiby. In a separate ceremony

on that same day, a portrait of a former Ridgemount

Housemaster and naturalist, Peter Gladstone, was unveiled;

and a dinner to be held this coming March will celebrate

the 125th anniversary of ‘Kek’, Frank McEachran, whose

‘spells’ have shaped the poetic souls of generations of

Salopians lucky enough to have been taught by him, the

editor included.

The first 25 years of my working life were spent as a

publisher in the corporate sector. Businesses could not

function, let alone thrive, without the energy, drive and

personalities of particular individuals at every level of the

organisation. Their pictures are to be found in boardrooms,

if they have been grand, or at least mentioned in company

histories, if they have played a significant role. But come the

day of retirement, or a move to a competitor, many, perhaps

most, are quickly forgotten.

There will, however, be very few Salopians living today,

other than those who joined the School in the last decade,

whose lives were not touched in some way by one or more

of the staff mentioned above. Their careers at Shrewsbury

School reach back to the 1930s, and all overlap.

This is the great privilege, the great responsibility, of

the Salopian teacher or sports coach: to leave behind in

the young Salopian leaver, as he or she becomes an Old

Salopian, more than a set of A level grades achieved, a

university place secured, a team or crew played in, run with

or rowed in, trophies won for individual, School or House.

We all know what this gift is, even if we can’t quite pin it

down, even if we haven’t used it: a set of values, a work or

play ethic, an understanding of what it means to serve a

community, a passion. To read about the life and work of

these great teachers is to be reminded of what they gave,

and what their successors continue to give.

Front Cover: House Singing 2024.

Inside Front Cover: Tucks 2024.

From the Editor 3

View from the Pentagon 4

How Learning Happens at Shrewsbury 6

Soul Growth 8

Darwin Summer School 2024 9

AI and the Future of Work 11

Avete 12

Chief Operating Officer 13

Valete 14

The Pfirsich Preis 16

Schützer-Weissmann Letter Prize 2024 17

Field Day Volunteering 18

CCF 20

A Teaching Sabbatical in Zambia 21

Drama 24

Music 28

Art 35

Notes from the Archives and Taylor Library 39

Moser Library 42

Cricket 43

RSSBC 50

Fives 55

Tennis 57

Athletics 58

Royal Shrewsbury School Rifle Club 60

Polo 62

Shrewsbury House 1903-2024 63

From the Director of the Salopian Club 68

Old Salopian Day 2024 69

Salopian Football Legend Robin Trimby 71

Churchill’s Hall WW1 Memorial Unveiling 72

A Grand Day Out Coaching 73

Canada Beckons 73

News of Old Salopians 74

Salopian Drivers’ Club 78

Salopian Arts Club 79

Wolfenden Society 79

Piranhas, Fred Hall, Basic Year, Maths, Mort 80

The Hamburg Exchange 83

Cyril Argentine Alington 84

Saracens 88

Old Salopian Football Club 90

Old Salopian Golfing Society 92

Old Salopian Rugby 96

A Century of Salopian Fives 97

Old Salopian Yacht Club 99

Sabrina 100

Old Salopian Hunt 103

Old Salopian Squash Club 104

Publications 106

Book Review 107

Obituaries 108

Reunion for Shrewsbury School Leavers 1985-90 122

Salopian Club Contacts 123

Salopian Club Forthcoming Events 124

Editor

Richard Hudson

rth@shrewsbury.org.uk

Assistant Editor

Annabel Warburg

Obituaries Editor

Dr David Gee

Salopian Club

Holly Fitzgerald (Director)

Salopian Club, The Schools,

Shrewsbury SY3 7BA

01743 280891 (Director)

01743 280892 (Administrator)

oldsalopian@shrewsbury.org.uk

Design: Tom Sullivan

Print: www.buxtonpress.com