Budge Rogers (49-57) experienced a chance encounter at a dinner party, where he found himself seated next to Sally Alden, the daughter of Colonel Stanley Wakefield Harris (1906–10), a legendary figure at Bedford School. During their conversation, Budge shared his admiration for the stories about Colonel Harris. Recognising the power of their Bedford connection, he invited Sally to visit the school, where she could tour the place that held memories of her father’s extraordinary life. Budge reached out to the Director of the Old Bedfordians Club, Hugh Maltby (73-83), who agreed to lead a guided tour. On the day, Budge and Sally joined Hugh and Broné, where Hugh shared publications and documents detailing Harris’s achievements. Sally, in turn, brought her father’s legacy to life with personal anecdotes and recollections; despite sharing he was a private man, she was able to weave in memories that spanned the golden era of British sports.
“Stan” Harris was more than just an athlete; he is regarded by many as Bedford School’s greatest ever sportsman. Born in South Africa in 1894, Stan attended Bedford School from 1906 to 1910. Despite never playing for the school’s 1st XV, he would go on to become a legend in no fewer than five sports – rugby, boxing, tennis, polo, and ballroom dancing.
After serving with the Imperial Light Horse during World War I, Stan returned to England and joined the English National Rugby team in 1920. He later turned down a place in Great Britain’s Olympic Modern Pentathlon squad to remain committed to rugby. The following year, he won the 440-yard hurdles championship in Transvaal and became the South African Light Heavyweight boxing champion. These achievements, impressive on their own, were just the beginning. Stan’s story took a remarkable turn in 1922, when, after returning to England and joining the Blackheath rugby club, he broke his leg during a match—a seemingly career-ending injury. Ever resilient, he took up ballroom dancing to rehabilitate his leg, an unlikely twist that led him to victory in the waltz section of the World Amateur Championships in London. In 1924, he was invited to box for South Africa in the Paris Olympics but declined in favour of touring South Africa with the British Lions rugby team, where he played seventeen out of twenty-one matches and became a standout player.
By 1929, Stan had set his sights on tennis. Not only did he play in trials for the British Davis Cup team, but he also competed in the Wimbledon Finals for five years. On one occasion, he even defeated the legendary Fred Perry and claimed a mixed doubles title. But his remarkable journey didn’t end with sport. When World War II began Stan commanded the Bedfordshire Yeomanry and after Dunkirk he was captured in the fall of Singapore and worked as a POW on the infamous Japanese railway in Siam. On release, he returned home with his spirit intact, resuming his athletic pursuits and excelling at polo. Once again, he represented Great Britain, this time in an international polo tournament in Deauville, France. In 1946, Stan was awarded the CBE in recognition of his services.
Stan passed away in 1973 in Cape Town, but the legend he left behind at Bedford School continues to inspire generations, a testament to a life lived with courage, skill, and an unyielding spirit.
A serendipitous meeting gave Sally the opportunity to walk in her beloved father’s footsteps, bringing his memories to life once again.
