Figure 1.--Here is the cover to "The Willoughby Captains" by Talbot Baines Reed. Notice the prominent depiction of the blazers. Click on the image to see an illustration from the book.
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Figure 1.--Here is the cover to "The Willoughby Captains" by Talbot Baines Reed. Notice the prominent depiction of the blazers. Click on the image to see an illustration from the book. |
We note Talbot Baines Reed's The Willoughby Captains. The images sent to us were the Oxford University Press edition of 1935. This appears to be a reprint. I'm not sure when the book was originally printed. There are some attractive illustrations, but I am not sure who did them. The school blazers are prominetly depicted on the cover. The book is a story of an English public school. The captain of the school, Wyndham, has left and a new captain must be appointed. There are two candidates, Riddell and Bloomfield. Riddell is the head classic, and according to tradition, should be the one to be appointed because of his academic standing. However, he is not good at games and reputed to be ‘pi’, i.e. morally upright. Bloomfield is less academic, but a good sportsman and therefore looked up to by the rest of the school. The headmaster appoints Riddell as captain. The rest of the book involves the conflict between the two. Riddell is plagued by self-doubt, despised by his peers and held in contempt by most of the school. Bloomfield is confident, but easily flattered, and he is the one that others turn to in matters of discipline. In public schools of this era, (private schools in U.S) older boys (prefects) were much more in charge of discipline than schoolmasters, and this included corporal punishment. It is only the Head’s constant encouragement that persuades Riddell to soldier on against the odds and the humiliation when his authority is constantly ignored. As in all good stories, there is a central crisis involving the clash between goodness and corruption. This revolves around the annual school boat race between houses. These are the divisions within a school to foster competition, especially in sports. When the favourites lose the race, it is discovered that their steering line has been deliberately cut. Riddell is implicated, but of course is entirely innocent. Eventually the culprits are discovered, Riddell and Bloomfield are reconciled, and Riddell is accepted as being a worthy school captain. It is a fine story, superbly crafted, with humour as well as morality, and a good read from start to finish
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