Sub-Page 1: Major Hodges
[Photo: Major Hodges – preferably a good portrait from the 1950s-60s]
Major A. W. E. (John) Hodges (1936-1970)
The Man Who WAS Clare House
For most alumni, Clare House Preparatory School meant one person above all: Major John Hodges. His influence shaped the school for over three decades – longer than any other figure in its history.
Early Years at Clare House
John Hodges was appointed Assistant Master in 1936, when Clare House was beginning its revival under Cyril Crump’s headmastership. In practice, Hodges was effectively running the school from early on.
He arrived at a promising time. The school was growing, facilities were improving, and in 1938 a block of seven new classrooms was built. Clare House was full, successful, and looking toward a bright future.
Then the war came.
Military Service
When war was declared, Hodges did not evacuate with the school to Devon and then Sussex. Instead, he joined the Army as an Adjutant in the Churchill IXth Heavy Tank Battalion.
The Churchill tanks, manufactured by Vauxhall, were notoriously unreliable in their early iterations. The Battalion managed to get only about six of the first hundred tanks into working order – a testament to the challenges faced by those tasked with making them operational.
Despite the mechanical difficulties, Hodges served with distinction as part of a fighting tank unit. He was among the first “A” Squadron troops to enter Germany – a significant military achievement.
The Fight to Reclaim Clare House
When Hodges returned from military service after the war, he found Clare House in Beckenham occupied by over two hundred Irish workmen, billeted there by the Ministry of Works while rebuilding bomb-damaged Beckenham.
Robin Gladstone was by now in poor health, spending much time in nursing care, unable to offer practical assistance. So Hodges took charge.
He engaged Martin and Carnaby, Estate Agents of Dulwich, to negotiate with the Ministry of Works for the return and restoration of the buildings. The negotiations dragged on, becoming more forced bargaining than true negotiation.
The senior partner at Martin and Carnaby died before full compensation terms were agreed, though the Ministry had at least agreed to vacate. Then one day in 1946, the postwoman brought news: the Ministry was moving out.
Rebuilding From Ruins
[Photo: The playing field needing restoration, if available]
What the Ministry left behind was chaos. The playing field was covered with Nissen huts, concrete, and builders’ rubble. From their home in the Clare House Annexe on Perth Road, Major Hodges and his wife Margaret could see the devastation.
Hodges hired twenty-five itinerant Polish workers to clear the field. He obtained a horse and reaping machine from a farm near Sevenoaks to cut the football pitches.
In 1947, he reopened Clare House School with just two classes. Times were hard – rationing continued, building materials were scarce, compensation from the Ministry went to the Company rather than directly to the school.
But Hodges persevered.
The Golden Years
[Photo: School at capacity, 1950s-60s classroom or group photo]
Throughout the 1950s, Clare House rebuilt itself under Hodges’ leadership. Gradual improvements transformed the premises. Enrollment grew. By the late 1950s, the school had reached its capacity of 140 pupils.
This was Clare House at its peak:
- Modern classrooms and excellent facilities
- Strong academic results and Common Entrance success
- Active sporting calendar against neighboring schools
- The House system fostering healthy competition
- Dedicated staff and well-maintained grounds
Hodges maintained high standards in everything – academics, behavior, sport, appearance. He was firm but fair, intimidating at times but genuinely caring. Boys respected him, sometimes feared him a little, but recognized his dedication to their education and character development.
He taught regularly, handled discipline, oversaw daily operations, and set the tone for the entire school. His presence was felt in every corridor, every classroom, every assembly.
The Man Himself
Those who knew Major Hodges describe him as:
Disciplined but fair – Rules were clear, consequences consistent, but there was always justice in his decisions
High standards – He expected boys to do their best and wouldn’t accept less
Dedicated – Clare House wasn’t just his job; it was his life’s work
Traditional – He maintained preparatory school traditions and values in changing times
Caring – Beneath the firm exterior was genuine concern for his pupils’ welfare and future
He wasn’t warm in the modern, effusive sense. He didn’t seek to be friends with boys. But he was constant, reliable, and utterly committed to doing right by every pupil in his care.
The Impossible Position
[Photo: Final Sports Day 1970, if appropriate image available]
In 1969, despite Clare House’s success in Beckenham, the Abbey and Clare House Company faced financial crisis. The Abbey School closed. There was brief hope that Clare House might survive independently, but the Company was already in receivership.
In January 1970, Hodges had to send the letter no headmaster ever wants to write: parents were informed that Clare House would close in July.
For a man who had fought to reopen the school after the war, who had spent twenty-three years rebuilding and leading it to excellence, who had given so much of his life to Clare House – this must have been devastating.
It wasn’t his failure. The school was full, successful, well-run. But the Company’s mismanagement elsewhere sealed its fate. No amount of dedication or excellence at the local level could save it.
On 23 July 1970, Clare House held its final Sports Day. Major Hodges presided over the end of an era.
Later Years
After closure, Hodges remained connected to former pupils through the network of memories and occasional contacts. When Peter Barclay-Jones began researching Clare House history in 2000-2001, Hodges kindly agreed to be interviewed in June 2001, providing invaluable historical information.
The Clare House Association formed in 2002 honored his contribution to the school and to their lives.
Funeral: 6th January 2004
[Photo: Major Hodges in later years, if available]
Major A. W. E. (John) Hodges died on 20 December 2003 at age 92. His funeral was held at Mortlake Crematorium on 6th January 2004.
Peter Barclay-Jones and Nick Frank of the Clare House Association attended on behalf of the Association, joining Hodges’ family, friends, and other former pupils.
Richard Grant (Clare House 1962-68) spoke movingly:
“Clare House gave us stability, fairness, and security. Those values, instilled by Major Hodges, stayed with us all our lives. We were indeed privileged to have such wisdom and guidance in those early years.”
His daughter Ann concluded simply and perfectly:
“He was a lovely man.”
Legacy
Major Hodges’ legacy lives in every former pupil who remembers him:
- In the standards they maintain in their own lives
- In the fairness they show to others
- In the belief that whatever you do, you should do it well
- In the understanding that leadership means service and dedication
He couldn’t save Clare House from closure. But he gave it thirty-four years of his life – from 1936 when he arrived as a young teacher, through war service, through the enormous effort of reopening after 1946, through the golden years of the 1950s-60s, to the bitter end in 1970.
For most Clare House boys, he WAS the school. His influence shaped not just their education but their character. Decades after leaving, alumni still measured themselves against the standards he set.
That is the measure of the man.