Month: July 2022

July 22nd 1922

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Prizegiving marks the end of another school year, the fourth since the end of the war. It was evidently much enjoyed by parents too, one of whom commented, “The prizes seemed as numerous and satisfying as ever. The constant applause indicated that they had reached the right persons. I am always impressed by the Draconian joy in the success of others, and by the vicarious delight of those who have won no prizes.”

One cup that is very special and prized above all others is the Officers’ Cup, presented in 1917 by a group of officers recovering from their wounds in Somerville College. They stipulated that it should be awarded, by the vote of the whole school, to the boy who had “the most gentlemanly bearing and best influence on other boys.” This year’s winner is Percival Mallalieu:

Along with two other young Dragons (John Anderson and Gabriel Carritt) Per received a mention in Hum’s speech to the parents:

“We have had fine fellows, fine scholars and fine athletes before: but never have we had, at the same time in the School, three boys who each combined in himself the fine fellow, fine scholar and athlete as they are combined in these three. It has been a wonderful privilege to masters and boys to have these three to lead the School.”

Three of Per’s cousins were casualties in the War: David Brown, Percy Campbell and Wallace Hardman. They would have been proud of his success.

Per leaves us this term – with a scholarship – for Cheltenham College. We will watch his future progress with much interest!

July 16th 1922

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Leslie de Selincourt

News has reached us of Leslie’s death in Switzerland, aged 30, on July 14th.

During the war he served with the Hampshire Regiment, but in 1916 was attached to the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. He was part of the army sent to relieve Kut which ended in failure. Leslie was wounded and was taken to recover in India, where he recovered but also caught malaria.

He stayed in the army through to October 1920, at which point he transferred as a Captain to the Territorial Reserves. Thereafter we rather lost touch with him. Given he died at Hotel Les Chamois in Leysin, a sanatorium, it seems likely he died of tuberculosis.

Leslie did not marry, but leaves a considerable family behind including his brother, Aubrey de Selincourt, who was shot down, we now know by German ace Werner Voss (his 31st victory), and spent the final year of the war in captivity. He is now teaching at Bembridge School on the Isle of Wight.

Before the war, their sister Dorothy married Mr A.A. Milne, an assistant editor of the ‘Punch’ magazine who had a novel (‘The Red House Mystery’) published earlier this year. They have a two-year old son, Christopher Robin Milne.