The History Boy
Alan Bennett
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Vol. 26 No. 11 · 3 June 2004 » Alan Bennett » The History Boy (print version)
Pages 20-22 | 5332 words
Letters
Vol. 26 No. 12 · 24 June 2004
From Martin Pierce
Alan Bennett wonders what became of the scholarship examinations for Oxford and Cambridge (LRB, 3 June). I sat the Cambridge examination from a state school in 1982. But the examination whose passing I most regret was at Cambridge itself: General Historical Problems, three hours, answer one question out of 32. Question 32 was the gem: 'Why, in general, have the English not eaten their horses?'
Martin Pierce
London SW14
From Geoffrey Thompson
On arriving at Leeds Modern School in 1966 I was given two pieces of information which impressed me. The first was that the headmaster, 'Cheesy' Holland, had been the first grammar school head to be appointed to the Headmasters' Conference. I was told the second rather grudgingly by the history master: Alan Bennett, recently seen on television, was an old boy. This was meant as an admonishment, and an indication of some drift in or threat to the school's standing.
Geoffrey Thompson
Itteringham, Norfolk
