Birkenhead School was an academic and sporting institution of excellence. of the 90 boys in my year 32 gained Oxbridge entrance. My rugby team was amongst the best in the country and included no less than 5 students who became University professors. Hugh Dalgleish became Commander of the Royal Yacht Brittannia which was the venue for one of the more remarkable dinners I have enjoyed.
Aside from the Rugby I was the school Athletics Captain and Cross Country Champion. I was i/c the Combined Cadet Force ‘corps of drums’. I played the bugle solo on church parade and became the first drum major to ‘toss the mace’ for many years.
Academically I faltered. Today I suspect my learning processes would have been diagnosed as defficient as my inability to write notes, at the same time as listen, hampered my revision.
My acting career flourished in the early years as I acted professionally on the stage at The Liverpool Playhouse in Summer and Smoke by Tennesse Williams. As the years moved on sport became my first love.
My singing voice allowed me to become the head treble of the school chapel choir. I would rate singing in a first class choir one of life’s great experiences. Candle lit carol services relayed on the local radio in a 45 person ensemble led by a brilliant musicisn teacher was just awe inspiring. The hairs raise on my neck as I think back.
I did not go to university. My Head Master, John Gwilliam, who had Captained The Welsh Rugby team to the triple crown offered me two alternatives. Cambridge via the back door to do a ‘sportsmans degree’-land economy- or a job in the ‘City’. I chose the latter. I owe John Gwilliam a huge amount. He was a tough man but he put me on a pathway to adventure.
Tales of a Life Well Lived 