Bedford was an odd choice of school, Haileybury or St Peter’s York having stronger family claims. However, an uncle, Peter Bourne, was teaching there and it was considered better for me to have him and his family nearby whilst my parents were abroad.
Peter Bourne, or PKB as he was commonly known, was a large, balding, rather shambling but gentle man who ran 6th form French and was housemaster of Talbots. He had a repetitive clearing of his throat, which led to his nickname of Bupa, well before the health organisation of that name came into being. He was a brilliant teacher achieving consistently good Oxbridge results for his pupils, amongst whom I never aspired to number. He also had a love of Gilbert and Sullivan opera, which he would sing and dance to at the drop of a hat. Each year his house put on a production of The Mikado or Pinafore, adapted with his words. He loved it but I am not so sure that everyone else shared his enthusiasm.
Although he seemed to be the dominant force in his family and in the boarding house the real power lay with Marianne, his wife, an incredibly vibrant woman with strong views on everything and a wicked sense of humour. She it was who controlled the domestic staff, who taught the boys table manners and who organised the parties. Representing the County at squash she regularly beat me until I was in my late teens and playing junior county.