I had an email this morning inviting me to a concert at my old school, in honour of one its most famous Old Boys, Ivor Novello. Naturally it doesn't mention the fact that he was expelled in 1906, aged 15, for committing unspeakable acts on half the First XV. There's no evidence that any of them were expelled with him, despite their being older, probably bigger, and therefore presumably consenting. It seems that hypocrisy around gay sex is nothing new.
Robert I never thought you went to a public school. Just goes to show!
ReplyDeleteIt was Direct Grant in my day, and all sorts went there. Very strange place; it had been a traditional public school until not long before, and in that system it didn't matter what you knew, just who you knew. So there was no tadition of teaching, and most of the older masters (no mistresses) should never have been allowed within a mile of a classroom. A couple of them hardly turned up for lessons. The younger ones were mostly all right.
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