Our posts on the life of Henry Hiley have reached about the year 1930 and will resume shortly, but in the meantime a visit to Oxford recalls Henry's time at University there.
Henry wrote:
I went up to Oxford in 1937, becoming aware that the world was not at peace. Bolivia fought with Paraguay, the Chinese and Japanese were fighting in Manchuria, the Spanish Civil War involved 'volunteers' on both sides from many European countries, Mussolini invaded Abyssinia, Hitler was making outrageous claims in Germany. I slowly became more and more aware that I was unlikely to take my final schools in a world even technically at peace.
Even so, the two years before Hitler's war started were like magic to me. I had rooms in the New Buildings on the top corridor which had been broken through only during the summer vacation of 1937. I had a scout, Francis, to look after me and my rooms, a lady to make my bed, a boy to clean my shoes. I took a hot bath every morning, usually after a training run round Addison's Walk. Dinner was a four course meal, five courses on Sunday, and cost only half a crown.
 |
| New Buildings, Magdalen College |
 |
| Entrance to Staircase no. 4 |
 |
| Top floor of Staircase no. 4 |
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment