The school occupied Durnford House, in the High Street of the village of Langton Matravers near Swanage, and was notoriously spartan and uncomfortable.[2] "Strip and swim" was the morning ritual for the boys – watched by headmaster Thomas Pellatt – into the sea from Dancing Ledge on the coast in 1898. Later, Pellatt had quarrymen blast out a pool in the rocks of Dancing Ledge, for his pupils to swim in.[3][4] Pellatt wrote his reminiscences in a book: Boys in the making 1936.[5] In 1939, during the Second World War, Durnford House was occupied by radar scientists; a map showing the location of the school is shown on a map of radar sites scattered throughout Dorset.[6] The Durnford boys were transferred to another prep school in the village, the Old Malthouse. In 1948, when the British army gave it up, Durnford House was acquired by the owners of the Old Malthouse. The main buildings were variously pulled down or sold, leaving the Old Malthouse with the grounds, which were levelled for playing fields.
War memorial
St George's Parish Church, Langton Matravers, has a war memorial containing 53 names of old boys of the school who died in the First World War. There is a further memorial to those killed in the Second World War, but without the names.[7]
Ian Fleming author of the James Bond novels, who attended Durnford before Eton together with his brother Peter.[9] The school was next to the estate of the Bond family whose motto is 'Non sufficit orbis' ('The World Is Not Enough').[10] The book For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond by Ben Macintyre describes Durnford as a "traditionally brutal prep school". He claims it "epitomised the strange British faith in bad food, plenty of Latin and beatings from an early age". Macintyre quotes from a letter Fleming sent to his mother at the age of seven, saying: "My coff (sic) has grown to a whoping (sic) coff now. Don't tell Mr Pellatt (the headmaster) cause just this morning he said that nun (sic) of us had coffs. I am afraid that I do not like school very much." Macintyre adds that the school, which closed in the Second World War made Ian no more ill nor miserable than anyone else. The head's wife read to the pupils from popular fiction including John Buchan adventures, The Prisoner of Zenda and Bulldog Drummond yarns. Durnford School's buildings became a ramshackle out-station of the Air Research Establishment's Telecommunications Research Establishment, devising Britain's radar systems from 1940-42. Some were demolished soon afterwards although Durnford House still stands.[11]
durnford, school, english, preparatory, school, boys, which, opened, 1894, isle, purbeck, dorset, school, occupied, durnford, house, high, street, village, langton, matravers, near, swanage, notoriously, spartan, uncomfortable, strip, swim, morning, ritual, bo. Durnford School was an English preparatory school for boys which opened in 1894 1 on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset The school occupied Durnford House in the High Street of the village of Langton Matravers near Swanage and was notoriously spartan and uncomfortable 2 Strip and swim was the morning ritual for the boys watched by headmaster Thomas Pellatt into the sea from Dancing Ledge on the coast in 1898 Later Pellatt had quarrymen blast out a pool in the rocks of Dancing Ledge for his pupils to swim in 3 4 Pellatt wrote his reminiscences in a book Boys in the making 1936 5 In 1939 during the Second World War Durnford House was occupied by radar scientists a map showing the location of the school is shown on a map of radar sites scattered throughout Dorset 6 The Durnford boys were transferred to another prep school in the village the Old Malthouse In 1948 when the British army gave it up Durnford House was acquired by the owners of the Old Malthouse The main buildings were variously pulled down or sold leaving the Old Malthouse with the grounds which were levelled for playing fields War memorial EditSt George s Parish Church Langton Matravers has a war memorial containing 53 names of old boys of the school who died in the First World War There is a further memorial to those killed in the Second World War but without the names 7 Notable former pupils EditSee also Category People educated at Durnford School Henry Egerton Cotton CBE First Chancellor 1992 93 John Moores University Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside 1989 92 8 Admiral Sir Geoffrey Oliver Sir Stephen Hastings MC SAS SOE MP Nicholas Elliott MI6 Intelligence Officer notable for his involvement with the Commander Lionel Crabb affair in the 1950s and the flight of traitor Kim Philby to Moscow in 1963 Ian Fleming author of the James Bond novels who attended Durnford before Eton together with his brother Peter 9 The school was next to the estate of the Bond family whose motto is Non sufficit orbis The World Is Not Enough 10 The book For Your Eyes Only Ian Fleming and James Bond by Ben Macintyre describes Durnford as a traditionally brutal prep school He claims it epitomised the strange British faith in bad food plenty of Latin and beatings from an early age Macintyre quotes from a letter Fleming sent to his mother at the age of seven saying My coff sic has grown to a whoping sic coff now Don t tell Mr Pellatt the headmaster cause just this morning he said that nun sic of us had coffs I am afraid that I do not like school very much Macintyre adds that the school which closed in the Second World War made Ian no more ill nor miserable than anyone else The head s wife read to the pupils from popular fiction including John Buchan adventures The Prisoner of Zenda and Bulldog Drummond yarns Durnford School s buildings became a ramshackle out station of the Air Research Establishment s Telecommunications Research Establishment devising Britain s radar systems from 1940 42 Some were demolished soon afterwards although Durnford House still stands 11 Vice Admiral Sir Gerard Ged Mansfield RN Edward Gerard Napier Mansfield was Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic based at Norfolk Virginia from 1973 to 1974 12 13 He was a descendant of Admiral Sir Charles John Napier Admiral of the Fleet John Tovey 1st Baron Tovey 1885 1971 References Edit Dora Cockle a maidservant at the school when it opened Archived from the original on 27 September 2011 Retrieved 11 May 2009 See entry for old boy J N R Elliot Dancing Ledge quarry on the Jurassic Coastline permanent dead link Dorset Life Magazine Archived from the original on 24 February 2009 Retrieved 11 May 2009 Boys in the making Thomas Pellatt 1936 Royal Historical Society Database Archived from the original on 21 March 2007 Retrieved 11 May 2009 Radar sites in Purbeck Roll of Honour Langton Matravers Image of Cotton as Chancellor Life Magazine Alias James Bond The Real Story of Ian Fleming by John Pearson 25 April 2006 Bond based on Elizabethan spy BBC 31 October 2008 Retrieved 2 September 2009 Bournemouth Echo 9 September 2008 Dorset days of the spymaster Accessed 19 May 2009 Obituary Daily Telegraph 18 July 2006 accessed 11 May 2009 Obituary in The Guardian 28 September 2006 Coordinates 50 36 35 N 2 00 12 W 50 60972 N 2 00333 W 50 60972 2 00333 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Durnford School amp oldid 1131617329, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
