In response to the request for alumni to share their memories for the 175th anniversary Daniel Gallimore (A 79-84), who has been Professor of the Department of English, School of Humanities, Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan since 2011, shared the following…
‘I have very fond memories of Bradfield, starting with its beautiful setting and environment, which has led me to want to live and work in beautiful places, including in Japan, where I have been based for the last almost twenty-two years.
I remember the people and places of Bradfield with surprising clarity, which must make me sound older than I am, although it is now almost forty-one years since I left. I have kept up with a number of friends over the years, two of whom through regular Zoom chats during Covid and since, which certainly motivated me to write the book on Japanese Shakespeare translation I had published last year.
Choir Tour to Northern France, the very first one organized by Malcolm Harding and Colin Burgess, in April 1983. Daniel is on the very far left and his brother, Matthew (A 81-86) on the very far right, just to the right of Malcolm Harding.
As for Shakespeare, I was fortunate to study A Midsummer Night’s Dream under Andrew Whiffin (SCR 75-87) for O Level and to read a host more of the plays with him and Crispin Read Wilson (SCR 75-91) in the Sixthform. My doctoral thesis at Oxford was on Japanese translations of the Dream.
Schools thrive first and foremost on the knowledge and enthusiasm of their teachers and as such I remember with gratitude the periodic table with Michael Goode (SCR 59-98), the American/Russian/Chinese revolutions with Michael Parkinson (H 47-52) (SCR 63-97), French and German with David Barnes (SCR 67-92) et al. which put me in good stead for my later learning of the Japanese language.
If I had to highlight particularly memorable experiences from each of the five years, they would probably be as follows:
1979-80
Setting mole traps with Charlie Peebles (A 79-84) one bright spring morning for Malcolm Thompson (SCR 63-97)’s biology class
1980-81
Being taught by Eve Stace how to walk on heels like a woman for my role as Nerissa in AGW’s production of The Merchant of Venice
1981-82
Being in the Greek Play – Persae – of course (Daniel is second from the right in the photo below), but also having my very mediocre composition performed at a farewell concert for Christopher Steel (SCR 66-81) and the amazing tea Anthea Steel provided at their house afterwards.
1982-83
Doing the Brecon Beacons with the Corps, since I was a complete nonce at sports, and the 40-mile trek with a heavy backpack proved to me I could ‘do it’.
1983-84
My last year was a good year for me. I was accepted into Oxford on the old 4th term entry, did things like editing a satirical magazine called ‘Trog’, the nickname of my housemaster Paul Murtagh (SCR 66-92)’s, and going on the Choir tour to the Netherlands, even if the success did make me insufferable for a time!
Bradfield was a good school then, and I am sure an even better one now.
One sadness was the premature death of Robert Hicks ( C 78-82) in 1988, since we were at the same Oxford college together (Christ Church, both reading English) as well as at Bradfield, both played the clarinet etc.
I hope I will still be around to celebrate the 200th anniversary in 2050.’
