stripes painted on the underside of their wings . Many of them were towing large gliders , which had never been seen before . We realised that the invasion of Europe had begun . The many American servicemen that had been such a feature of Winchester , suddenly became very few .
Early in 1945 , Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery (‘ Monty ’) came to the College . ( His son was a Commoner at the time ). The entire school and staff assembled in School to hear him give a talk on ‘ How we ’ re defeating Jerry ’. He began to talk , but after a few minutes he stopped and said , in his distinctive rather nasal tones ‘ Now I ’ m absolutely fed up with all this coughing and sneezing that ’ s going on . I ’ m going to give you three minutes to blow your noses and clear your throats , and then I don ’ t want to hear another sound ’.
We all did as instructed and sat for the rest of the talk convinced that if we so much as hiccupped one of his Military Police red cap escorts would take us out and we would be shot at dawn !
The next lesson for us that morning was due to be the Headmaster , Rev ’ d . Canon Dr Spencer Leeson DD , taking us for our weekly Divinity lesson . We sat in the classroom at Kingsgate Street waiting for him , assuming he would have been held up a little by looking after Monty . Then the door opened and in he walked – with Monty !
I do not recall what Monty said but he shook hands with each one of us , before he left . One Quirister had the temerity to ask for his autograph but the Head quickly stepped in to say that there would not be time for that . My friends back home scarcely believed this story , as he was a national hero .
Kenneth Hershaw Ingram
In 1949 , 4 years after leaving the Quiristers , I attended a service at Westminster Central Methodist Hall for a service for school leavers . I was pleased and surprised to find that the preacher was Dr Leeson , then Bishop-designate to Peterborough diocese . He had spent some years shortly after I left the Quiristers serving as the incumbent of a working class parish in Portsmouth . After the service I went backstage and found him , and introduced myself . After talking for a few minutes he suddenly said ‘ Yes , I remember you !’ which amazed me , but thinking about it later , I realised that I was by the time I left the Quiristers , very tall , and also a ‘ Corner boy ’ in Chapel on decani side nearest to the congregation , so facing his stall .
As an incumbent in Sheffield I took a party from our parish to Peterborough Cathedral in the 1990s . I met the bishop of the time who said that Dr Leeson was still spoken of with some awe and affection , but had sadly died of overwork after only 5 years . There is a very good portrait of him in the Cathedral , that reminded me of his very prominent nose .
In 2015 , on Remembrance Sunday . I got talking to an old gentleman who I had not seen at our church previously . He was wearing a veteran ’ s badge and I asked him about his Forces Service . He said he was 95 now , and had been a glider pilot . I asked him if he had flown a glider over Winchester on 6 June 1944 and he said he had . I told him at last I had found someone to complain to about waking me up !
Earlier this year , this veteran , Jim , received a Croix de Guerre from the French Ambassador , in recognition of his part in the D Day landings .
Brian Cranwell , ( Q , 1943-45 )
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