In Memoriam

Sub-Page 4:

[Image: Perhaps the commemorative plaque, or a dignified architectural photo of the school]

Honoring Those Who Shaped Clare House

Every institution is built by people – their vision, dedication, sacrifice, and love. Clare House Preparatory School was no exception. Many who shaped the school, who gave it years or decades of service, who influenced countless boys’ lives, have now passed.

This page honors their memory and ensures their contributions are never forgotten.

Major A. W. E. (John) Hodges

1911-2003

[Photo: Major Hodges, preferably from his later years]

Died: 20 December 2003, age 92
Funeral: 6 January 2004, Mortlake Crematorium

The man who defined Clare House for three decades. His story is told more fully on the Major Hodges page, but he deserves pride of place here as well.

His Service:

His Legacy:

From Richard Grant’s tribute at his funeral:

“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.”

From his daughter Ann:

“He was a lovely man.”

Remembrance:

Major Hodges gave thirty-four years to Clare House. He fought for it during the war and fought again to reopen it afterward. He led it through its most successful period. He couldn’t save it from closure, but he did everything humanly possible.

Every Clare House boy who passed through between 1936 and 1970 was touched by his influence. His standards, his dedication, his unwavering commitment to doing things properly – these shaped not just education but character.

He died peacefully, having lived a long and purposeful life. The boys he taught are now elderly men, but they remember him still.

Robin Gladstone

d. April 1962

[Photo if available]

Role: Owner of both Abbey School and Clare House (1930s-1962)

Robin Gladstone, of the famous political family, rescued Clare House from near-liquidation in the 1930s by purchasing the goodwill of the school. He appointed Cyril Crump as Headmaster and brought John Hodges onto the staff.

His Vision:

Gladstone saw the potential in linking Clare House with his Abbey School. During the war, he chartered a train to evacuate staff and pupils, eventually settling both schools at Ashurst Wood.

Later Years:

By the post-war period, Gladstone was in poor health, spending much time in nursing care. This left Major Hodges to fight the battle for returning the requisitioned Beckenham buildings and reopening Clare House.

Legacy:

Without Gladstone’s intervention in the 1930s, Clare House might have closed decades earlier. He gave the school the leadership and resources it needed to survive difficult times and eventually flourish.

He married Miss Kitty Arbuthnot, who taught at the school.

Cyril Crump

Headmaster 1930s-1940

[Photo if available]

Role: Headmaster appointed by Robin Gladstone to revive Clare House

Character:

An imposing, somewhat intimidating figure and stern disciplinarian. He had the capacity to transform a room into complete silence merely by appearing in the doorway.

Appearance:

Alumni recall he was always very smartly suited, owning three suits of the same style – double-breasted in brown, navy, and grey.

Achievement:

Working with John Hodges, Crump breathed new life into the struggling school. By the late 1930s, Clare House was flourishing – full enrollment, new classrooms built in 1938, new equipment purchased from school income.

Personal Life:

He married Miss Silcox, the school nurse – described by alumni as “a formidable person, particularly when administering one’s daily spoonful of radio malt.”

Legacy:

Crump laid the groundwork for Clare House’s post-war success. He instilled discipline, maintained standards, and rebuilt the school’s reputation during the difficult 1930s.

George Philbrick

Founder, 1896-c.1920s

[Photo if available, though unlikely]

Role: Founder and first Headmaster of Clare House School

Background:

A Cambridge man from Clare College, who gave his college’s name to the school he founded in 1896.

Vision:

Philbrick established Clare House with a clear philosophy, captured in the school motto he chose: “Whatever you do, do it well.”

He built the reputation, attracted naval families, established traditions, and created the foundation upon which all subsequent Clare House success was built.

Personal Life:

Lived with his large family in the Headmaster’s house, eventually adding an extra storey to accommodate them (though the planning left upper rooms with poor water pressure).

Legacy:

Everything that followed – the decades of education, the hundreds of boys taught, the values instilled, the traditions maintained – all began with George Philbrick’s vision in 1896.

The school lasted seventy-four years. That longevity testifies to the strength of his founding.

Teachers & Staff We Remember

Many teachers and staff members gave years of service to Clare House and have since passed. Some we know by name; others remain anonymous in surviving records. All contributed to making Clare House what it was.

Miss White

Form 1 Teacher

Long-serving staff member whose dedication was particularly evident during the difficult post-war restoration period. When school buildings were still occupied by the Ministry of Works, Miss White conducted lessons for a small number of pupils in a private house opposite the school, ensuring Clare House boys continued their education.

George Storrs

Abbey School Deputy Head

Lived in the Lodge with his wife and son during the Ashurst Wood years. Bore much of the administrative burden while teaching Latin and Maths and organizing Sports Day. A cheerful, kindly man with dry humor – universally popular. A keen philatelist who encouraged this hobby among boys.

His wife managed pocket money accounts and ran the Tuck Shop.

Clayton Palmer

Abbey School Master

Former Cambridge Blue and Middlesex cricketer who joined early 1944. Taught geography and current affairs, coached cricket and rugby teams. A big, bluff, larger-than-life character who was great fun – his bark worse than his bite. Known for occasionally treating cricket teams to lemonade at convenient hostelries on return journeys.

Rev. Edward Wallace Green

Abbey School Chaplain

Very tall, pipe-smoking clergyman in charge of spiritual affairs. Taught Latin and Divinity. Had a detailed passion for steam engines, particularly Southern Railway. Though he introduced the unpopular practice of learning the weekly Collect by heart on Sunday afternoons (quickly dropped), he served the spiritual needs of the community during wartime.

Robert Thompson

Abbey School Music Master

Chapel organist and occasional maths teacher. A quiet, amiable man whose Friday evening singing classes were immensely popular. Taught everything from Pomp and Circumstance to Gilbert and Sullivan with great enthusiasm. Organized trips to East Grinstead Operatic Society performances. Did his best to instill an appreciation of music and introduced boys to the delights of opera.

Miss Kitty Arbuthnot (later Mrs. Gladstone)

Abbey School Teacher

Charming, elegant lady who taught English and history. Particularly remembered for reading Swallows and Amazons to young boys huddled around a gas fire. Later married Robin Gladstone but continued teaching regularly – testament to her dedication.

Others Known by Name:

Each name represents a life dedicated to educating boys. Each influenced pupils in ways both remembered and forgotten. Each deserves to be honored.

Alumni We’ve Lost

Many former Clare House pupils have passed away since the school closed in 1970. Some we know about; many we don’t.

Michael P. Miller (1943-1949) provided the most detailed memoir of wartime Clare House life. His contribution to preserving the school’s history is immeasurable. (If his dates are known, they should be added here)

Simon Bowen (1943-1949) supplemented Miller’s account with his own vivid memories of the same period. (If his dates are known, they should be added here)

Many other alumni from all eras have passed without their stories being recorded. This is one reason the Clare House Association and this website exist – to preserve memories before they’re lost entirely.

Those Who Served in War

The First World War Memorial

At the Abbey School (Clare House’s sister institution), a memorial honored Old Abbeians who gave their lives in the First World War. Some Clare House boys likely also served and died in that conflict, though records are incomplete.

The Second World War Memorial

Toward the end of Michael Miller’s time at the Abbey School, a service was held in the Chapel to mark the unveiling of a commemorative tablet dedicated to Old Abbeians who had given their lives in the Second World War.

One name inscribed: Linton V.C.

Records show a Victoria Cross was posthumously awarded in 1943 to Commander John “Tubby” Linton of HMS Turbulent, who was lost with all his crew in the Mediterranean in March 1943. Efforts to verify his status as an “Old Abbeian” have been made but remain unconfirmed.

Whether Clare House had its own war memorial, and how many Clare House boys died in military service, remains unclear from surviving records.

If you have information about Clare House boys who served and died in either World War, please contact the Association. They deserve to be remembered.

Staff Beyond the Classroom

Kitchen Staff:

The two sisters from Newcastle who cooked for the full school in the late 1930s.

Wartime kitchen staff who performed wonders with rationing, supplemented by produce from Ashurst Wood’s extensive kitchen gardens.

Post-war cooks who provided three good meals daily to growing boys.

Groundskeepers:

Those who maintained the cricket field, tennis lawns, gardens, and facilities throughout the decades.

The twenty-five Polish workers who cleared the Beckenham playing field of Nissen huts, concrete, and rubble after the war.

Matrons and Nurses:

Who dealt with outbreaks of mumps, German measles, chickenpox – sometimes with twenty or thirty boys sick simultaneously. Competent, caring, with no recorded fatalities despite challenging conditions.

Administrative Staff:

Who handled accounts, correspondence, admissions, and countless details that kept the school running.

Estate Workers:

At Ashurst Wood during wartime, those who maintained the forty-acre estate, the swimming pool, the extensive gardens and glasshouses.

Many of these people remain unnamed in surviving records, but their work was essential. Without them, there would have been no school.

A Wider Community

Clare House existed within a broader community:

Parents who chose the school, paid fees, trusted their sons’ education and character formation to Clare House staff

Families in Beckenham and beyond whose lives intersected with the school

Neighbors who saw red-blazered boys walking to and from school, playing on the fields, representing Clare House in the community

Local businesses that served the school – suppliers, tradesmen, coaches that transported boys to matches

Other schools that competed against Clare House in sport and occasionally shared staff or resources

All were part of the Clare House story. Many have passed. Their contributions, large or small, are remembered.

How We Remember

The commemorative plaque in Clare House Primary School’s foyer ensures that visitors – pupils, parents, staff – see daily that a preparatory school once stood here, that it mattered, that it’s remembered.

This website preserves stories, photographs, and documents that might otherwise be lost.

Reunions allow former pupils to honor teachers and fellow alumni who have passed, sharing memories and ensuring they’re not forgotten.

Individual acts of remembrance: Former pupils visiting Beckenham, showing their children or grandchildren where the school stood, telling stories of teachers and friends long gone.

An Invitation

If you have information about any person connected with Clare House who has passed – staff, pupils, parents, anyone whose life touched the school – please share it with the Association.

Even basic information helps:

Every person who contributed to Clare House deserves to be remembered. This page can grow to honor them all.

In Conclusion

Death is inevitable, but being forgotten is not.

These people – leaders, teachers, pupils, staff, community members – shaped Clare House Preparatory School. They gave it seventy-four years of life. They educated hundreds of boys. They maintained standards even through war and hardship. They created something that mattered.

Their mortal lives have ended, but their influence continues in every former pupil who still lives by the motto: “Whatever you do, do it well.”

That is their monument. That is how they’re remembered.

May their memory be a blessing.