News from the Archive

A Year in Archives at St Johns - 2024/25

There have been some interesting additions to the collection this year in the shape of oral history interviews. In November, we welcomed Mark Upton, former Deputy Head and Acting Head, from 1989 to 1993. It was during his tenure that a fire broke out in the early hours in the Singleton Hall causing quite severe damage. Mark had been in the hall looking through the cricket kit in the storeroom that day. The following morning he accompanied the firefighters as they tried to locate where the fire had begun, feeling increasingly uncomfortable as they got closer to the storage cupboard. He was vindicated as it turned out to be an electrical fault which had occurred when he had turned the light on, nobody having been in the cupboard for some time!

The other interview was with Lord Dick Taverne who started his career as a barrister, becoming elected as MP for Lincoln in 1962. He was the first director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and recently retired from the House of Lords.

Lord Taverne arrived as a pupil at St Johns during World War 2, arriving in England two days before the declaration of war. The family left Holland in 1939, his father’s firm having organized the removal of some its employees, pre-empting the Nazi invasion. Initially, the family stayed at Sedbury Park Hotel, close to St Johns where Dick started as a pupil. His first impression was just how friendly the school was as the boys were really welcoming, especially when they found out he was pretty good at cricket. Dick remembered how the boys would save their money ready for each period of sweet rationing when they would be allowed 6 Mars bars, all of which they would eat in one day. Apparently, nobody was sick!

It was the Headmaster, Mr. Meade, that Lord Taverne credits with his following career, as he recognized Dick’s abilities and began to teach him Greek and Latin. This led to him gaining a scholarship to Charterhouse and set him on his subsequent path in life. Indeed, he is still passionate about Greek culture as was very apparent in his retelling of Athens’ naval victory against the Persians at Salamis. Much like Lord Taverne, the Athenians were victorious thanks to clever tactics and a little help from an Oracle who prophesized salvation was in their wooden walls.