Breaking Out

Posting this in September 2017 - 47 years late

I think this was the one and only overnight school outing (1962-1972) that I ever took part in. In fact I don’t remember there being any others on offer. Possibly if I had been in a music, choir or debating society there may have been opportunities but I wasn't blessed with any talent; none whatsoever in such matters, nor in many more areas.

Downside School, then, a catholic boarding school for boys only from the ages of 13 to 18. Founded and run by the Benedictine monks of Downside Abbey. The 500 odd pupils were split in a Junior house for the first year starters and six houses which were the basis of the daily social organisation. Each of these houses was named after someone connected with the school, two of whom were catholic priests who were connected with the Abbey in the 16/17th century when it had moved to Douai in France to escape the persecution of Catholics by the English monarchy.
 
These two, John Roberts (1577-1610 – hung, drawn and quartered in London) and Ambrose Barlow (1585-1641 –hung, dismembered, quartered and boiled in oil and head exposed on a pike at Lancaster, UK) were both held as Martyrs by the Catholic Church. Now 300 years later, Pope Paul VI was to canonise them along with 38 more at the Vatican.

And thus the school organised a trip for some of the boys from each of these two houses to attend the service known as “The Canonisation of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales”.

Difficult to remember much of the detail and be 100% sure of exactly which days we travelled and what the itinerary was. In fact I don’t even remember where we flew from but I think due to a strike at Rome airport, we had to land at Pisa and then be bused to Rome and to our hotel close to the Vatican.

I thought I had a photo of the leaning tower but can’t find it. For the sake of anything better, a photo of “The Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls”.