John Redmayne was a year in front of me at Norwich Grammar School. His father was deputy headmaster and in charge of sports and the sea scouts. Our fathers became great friends and played cricket together. When fielding they adapted to age by one collecting the ball from the outfield and throwing it to the other situated halfway from the boundary. Our loud mirth was not appreciated by our mothers. John excelled as a sea scout and his sleeves were full of badges. We both were sent on a hike for an adventures badge when camping in Dorset. Our route was planned from a 1935 map. John and I, with our back packs laden with tents and billy cans, walked along the beautiful Dorset cliffs. We came across a shell and passed it to one another like a rugby ball as we walked along. Eventually we came to a tall fence. Outside was a notice “Danger live ammunition”. Dropping the shell we made a quick exit. We also made another hike from a camp in Jersey. Caught in a storm we asked a farmer if we could camp on his land. He recommended we set up tent in an empty glass house. We enjoyed a dry night‘s sleep. How we braved the storm remained a secret but we received grudging admiration.
John was a school champion and record holder for the quarter mile. His long smooth stride on the back straight took him easily away from his opponents. He had devastating speed on the rugby field and was my flyhalf in the first team. We were fascinated by a halfback pairing at Oxford University. Brace the scrum half would pick the ball up from a scrum and run across the field drawing the defence and give his flyhalf a reverse pass. We perfected this manoeuver and the first time we tried it during a match it was successful. Our rugby coach stamped up and down the touchline complaining in a loud voice that he did not like it. My mother tried to hit him with her umbrella.
John was one of the last age groups to do National Service and was promoted to the rank of Captain.
Jim McLauchlan
Jim McLauchlan
28/07/2026
