A Eulogy for My Old Latin Teacher, Roger Terence Davies

RTD, in his later years

The great Mark O'Gorman, aka the One and Only Markoi, has asked me to say a few words about Roger Davies and so, of course, I must obey.

For duty, duty must be done

The rule applies to everyone

Though painful though that duty be

To shirk the task, oh fiddledee!

A much younger RTD

Roger Terence Davies, RTD, the Rather Tubby Dinosaur or dinosaurus pinguior, was my favourite teacher at Lord Wandsworth College, otherwise known as LWC, or the London Water Closet, as I usually called it when I was a student here. RTD taught Latin and double Latin with him on a Friday was the highlight of my week. Not surprisingly, I went on from GCSE O Level Latin to do Latin A level and then Classics at Oxford. Since graduating, I have been a primary teacher in one or two places around the world. I think that it is no exaggeration for me to say that Roger had more influence upon the course of my life any other person.

Caecilius is very much alive!

What do I remember most about Roger’s teaching? Of course, dull and stupid people often say that Latin is a dead language. In reply to this poisonous platitude, Roger would snap back straight away and he would say that you might as well say that Beethoven is dead music, or that Michelangelo is dead art or that Shakespeare is dead literature.

Now you might perhaps ask, “Why bother to learn anything about the past?” Well, this is a eulogy, not a philosophy lecture, but Roger had the great teacher’s ability to make the past come alive, to make it understandable and above all to make it interesting, to make it fun. I remember, as a teenager, how disappointed I was to learn that they no longer speak Latin in Latin America.

But whether he was discussing Pliny’s account of the eruption of Vesuvius or Sallust’s pen portrait of that naughty lady Sempronia, Roger breathed into Latin his inimitable enthusiasm and his lively sense of fun. Even old exam papers were good for a laugh because they produced some memorable mistranslations. For example, Pliny’s letter about the suicide of the lady Arria had pugionem sumpsit wrongly rendered as “she drank the dagger” and navem piscatorem conduxit was mistranslated “she hired a drunken sailor”.

RTD was particularly good at silly jokes and ridiculous rhymes that made things stick in your memory. The principal parts of the verb fero, feri, tuli, latum – to lift, to remove or destroy – will always remain in my mind as “the dustbin verb”. Intermingled with Latin grammar would be RTD’s comments about bottom pinchers in Rome (ladies should avoid the bus-stop outside the Coliseum). When describing his trip to Pompeii, Roger told how he climbed to the top of Mount Vesuvius, where there was an Italian ice-cream seller loudly shouting, “Gelati! Gelati!”     

Roger loved poetry and I am sure that his spirit was glad to hear some verses in Latin today, at his memorial service. Roger was very good at explaining the different metres used by the Roman poets. Who could ever forget what a hexameter sounds like, with RTD’s memorable example?

Down in a deep dark cave sat an old cow chewing a fruit gum?

Humour was an essential part of Roger’s teaching. I was not at all surprised when he invited me to see a production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum because funny things were always happening in our Latin lessons.

RTD, in thespian mode

Which brings me to another of Roger’s passions - or should I say obsessions? RTD was an ardent thespian and his love of the theatre often rubbed off onto his students. As a stalwart member of the Fleet Players and a devotee of Gilbert and Sullivan, the dinosaurus pinguior gave us a role model, an example to follow. Like all true professionals, he made it look easy. I must mention the names of two old Sternians whose acting talents RTD encouraged, namely Mark Whittow and Malcolm Reynes. Sadly, neither Mark nor Malcolm are with us anymore, but I am sure that their spirits would acknowledge RTD’s positive influence.

Roger’s generosity often took the form of taking his students to the theatre. RTD, Markoi and I were in the audience for a memorable performance of Move Over, Mrs Markham. In the interval, we met one of the actors in the bar and he said, “It’s you, isn’t it? I told the rest of the cast, there are some chaps in the front row who laugh at every single dirty joke.” Oh, the benefits of a public school education!

The jacket he wore in "The Ghost Train"?

Whether as the alcoholic Dr. Einstein in Arsenic and Old Lace, or the Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe, or that upper class twit Teddy Deakin in The Ghost Train, the theatre was a splendid vehicle for RTD’s comic talents.

Something appealing,

Something appalling,

Something for everyone,

A comedy tonight!

Another great love of Roger’s life was, of course, wine. As a lifelong member of The Sunday Times Wine Club, matters oenological and viticultural were dear to his heart. Roger did not just drink wine. He learned about it, he researched it, he studied it, discussed it and joked about it.

If bar drinks go metric, then I hope it will be schooner rather than litre.

Grumio, sworn enemy of Cerberus.

Food was another hobby of this bon vivant, this arbiter elegantiae. Roger loved good food because it was an occasion for good company and humour. There used to be an Italian restaurant in Hartley Wintney, Tullio’s, and maybe it is still there. Of course, Roger went there often and the lady who owned the restaurant told me that her customers would ask her, “Is Roger coming in tonight? Is Roger going to be there?” I think that says a lot about RTD’s character, about his friendly and chatty nature.

Last year I was teaching in southern China and I had to do an extra-curricular activity for my Chinese students. I could not be bothered to do a Chess Club again (sorry, James Pratt). I certainly did not want to do anything vaguely sporting, so instead I offered Latin. Yes, once more I found that in the Cambridge Latin Course, Caecilius is still in horto. By the way, Grumio is still doing the cooking and that naughty dog Cerberus continues to enjoy barking and jumping onto tables. Metella, of course, is still a matrona Romana and a grumpy old hag.

Metella, Caecilius's dear wife

For me, this was a rather strange experience, doing something I had not for more than forty years, like switching on a time machine. It was almost like listening to Roger’s voice once more and I even found myself leaning my head over to one side and putting two fingers on my neck. How strange that I was teaching things that RTD had taught me, forty years later and on the other side of the world!

Roger with his hands full

Catullus’s poem about Sirmio ends with the verse ridete quidquid est domi cachinnorum. Roughly translated means, “Laugh with whatever laughter you have in your home”. Therefore I would like to end this eulogy with one of Roger’s jokes, a joke RTD told me more than forty years ago and a joke which I told my students when I was teaching in China.

There were two mice and they were in the kitchen, about to eat some cheese. Suddenly the cat appears and so the mice have to run for their hole. The mice just get to their hole in time and one mouse turn to the other one and says, “Wow! That was close. The cat nearly caught us.” Then they hear woof! Woof! Meow! Meow! Woof! Woof! Then silence. So the first mouse turn to the second mouse and says, “I know what happened. The dog has come along and chased the cat away. Now we can go out and eat the cheese.” So the two mice go out and they are just about to start eating the cheese when the cat jumps out and kills them both. And just as the cat is eating the last piece of mouse, the cat smiles and says, “You know, it’s a wonderful thing to be able to speak a foreign language.”

RTD's Memorial Service in the Gavin Hall at Lord Wandsworth College

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to propose a toast, to Roger Terence Davies, RTD, the Rather Tubby Dinosaur. God bless him!

I would like to pay tribute to the Rev. Robin Craig's excellent and very moving eulogy for RTD that he gave at Roger's memorial service.

This eulogy for R.T.D. comes from the Association for Latin Teaching.

Roger Davies, who died on the 20th of December 2017 at the age of 74, was for many years

one of the ARLT's most colourful, enthusiastic and inspiring members.

   He first attended a summer school in1968 and quickly made his mark, being elected to the committee and taking a leading role in the entertainments, where his great talents as an actor were immediately manifest. Members who attended summer schools in those days will remember many a part he played, and putting on a home made tunic or a chiton seemed second nature to him.

    Nor is this surprising, as he was a born actor. He was born in Anfield Liverpool in 1943 and was a lifelong enthusiast for the Liverpool football team. However, the "camp" side of him appeared early. He knew himself, and fell easily into the role of performer. He attended Alsop High School, Walton, where his histrionic and musical talents developed, and when he left school he had the offer of a place at RADA which was very much in line with his ambitions. Sadly, however, opposition from his father forced him to abandon the offer, to the benefit of the smaller stage of the classroom. He graduated in Classics in Liverpool and after taking a PGCE at Cambridge where he was attached to Fitzwilliam College, in 1967 he was appointed to teach Classics at Lord Wandsworth's School, a boys' boarding school in Hampshire, where he was at his happiest and made many lifelong friends, besides teaching some outstanding people such as Julian Sands, Sir Peter Coulson and the late Mark Whittow. It was here that he met his partner, John O'Gorman. In 1993 he moved to St Swithun's School at Winchester where he stayed until he retired in 2003. Though the school is a prestigious girls' independent school, it turned out to be unfortunate move which he somewhat regretted.

     He had been part owner of a country house at Eymet in the Dordogne area of France where many of his friends enjoyed idyllic summer holidays but he sold his share to buy a house in Winchester. He retired in 2003 after which he travelled a great deal, especially to California, and was in South West France in July 2008 when he suffered a life-threatening stroke from which he was only saved by the excellence of the treatment he received at a hospital in Cahors. Though the prognostic was that he would not walk again, he recovered sufficiently, thanks to enormous determination on his part, to be able to walk with the assistance of a frame, and he taught himself to write with his left hand. He was able to attend summer schools until 2015, after which the venues proved unsuitable for one with his disability. He was much missed.

     He was first elected to the committee in1978, and was reelected in 1984. He directed two summer schools for the ARLT, in 1982 at Canterbury (he was Nero in the entertainment) and in1996 at his former school, Lord Wandsworth's. He was elected president for 1988 to 1991. He was the life and soul of the entertainments at the many summer schools he attended, displaying his theatrical talents and using his knowledge of Aristophanes to great effect.  

      His contribution to the Guildford Branch of the Classical Association was outstanding. He was a founder member in 1975 and in 1985 at the tenth anniversary dinner played the part of Hephaestus in a pantomime. He regularly presented pupils in the reading competitions with much success. He also acted in a presentation of Scenes from Plautus and Terence. He also frequently acted in amateur performances of Gilbert and Sullivan operas playing principal roles.

   He was also a talented gourmet cook and entertained many of his ARLT and other friends to dinner over the years. He was a wine enthusiast and was for many years a member of the Sunday Times Wine Club. He took part in many competitions of all sorts and won many prizes.

     His voice can be heard on tape recordings made for the Cambridge Latin Course. Many members of the teaching profession, especially classicists, are indebted to his work and example. Indeed, in the words of Linda Soames, he will be remembered for 'his wit, warmth, anecdotes, friendship, and always, always, laughter'.

John Hazel

And here is yet another eulogy for RTD. This was written at the time of his retirement.

The last day of the 2003 summer term can be marked down as a sad one it was the day that Roger Davies decided to hang up whatever it is that schoolmasters hang up when they retire. No more will those famous initials, RTD (Rather Tubby Dinosaur), adorn some wittily constructive remark on a school report. 

However, it is a time for cheer, too - Roger has earned a long and happy retirement to enjoy all the good things in life. After all, it was not only the Classics for which Roger (who does not look his 60 years) managed to generate great enthusiasm, an enthusiasm which rubbed off on all those lucky enough to be taught by him. Roger encouraged people to look at the wider picture - singing, music, theatre, food and wine, football (even if it was in support of his home-town club Liverpool), limericks and puns aplenty. RTD was a fixture (latterly as Head of Classics) at LWC from 1967 to 1994 during which time the department expanded from a 'one man band1 to two full-time and one part-time classicists. His Latin bent was cultivated in his years as a pupil at Alsop High School for Boys in Liverpool, London University, Cambridge College of Arts and Technology and then the University of Cambridge. Your correspondent's earliest memories of RTD were from Junior House in the early 1970s - a kindly man in a red corduroy jacket; a man who nearly always had a smile or a joke to share. Our encounters continued, as fate decreed that Roger became a Summerfield master at the same time as I made the move there from Junior House. He was very approachable and remained most tolerant, considering his bachelor pad was in the midst of the sixth form corridors - poor man. It was during that time that RTD was responsible for introducing this particular pupil to the delights of Rollmops - a fillet of raw herring rolled up, usually around sliced onion, and pickled in spiced vinegar. 

But soon the school extricated Roger from the nightmare of Summerfield sixth form company and provided him with the idyllic Eggars Cottage in the heart of Long Sutton. "That made a huge difference to my life," recalls Roger. "I was able to entertain people, learn to cook, have people to stay - it was a whole new world altogether. I moved there in 1980 and then I moved back up to the school in about 1993 when they sold the cottage. The accommodation in Summerfield was very difficult, living among the sixth form - the boys could not let off steam, and nor could I." 

So what other changes did Roger witness during his LWC tenure? "The biggest change was the introduction if girls in the sixth form. They made a big difference and were a very civilizing influence and nearly all of them were extremely pleasant. The character of the school had changed. When I first started there in 1967 the numbers were very small, there were only about 280 and many of the boys came from long distances and were full-time boarders. But that changed during Neil Henderson's time as headmaster when more boys were local and there were a lot more day boys and weekly boarders. Neil Henderson raised the academic standard at the school. He did a fantastic job and it is due to him that the school is as successful as it is today. He took it to the next level - it nearly killed him but he did a marvellous job in raising the academic standard and the calibre of boys we had and the reason I stayed so long was because I really liked the place." 

But what about the activities you were involved with away from the academic side of things? "I have many happy memories from the shows I produced, especially My Fair Lady in 1978 and Salad Days in 1981.1 had done three Gilbert & Sullivans before that - The Mikado, lolanthe and Ruddigore - as well as our most ambitious project, Offenbach's La Belle Helene. 

My first production was Oliver, which was the first time the school had put on a musical. That was in 1969 and it really took off and was very well received. It was a milestone as the n a 37 Roger Davies > .a very well received. It was a milestone as the English teacher, Jimmy James, had mainly put on Shakespeare. Masters, such as Bill Fryer and John Merriman were effusive in their praise of the production. The O'Gorman brothers, John and Mark, were among the good performers I worked with at the school, while Malcolm Reynes as Higgins in My Fair Lady was excellent, as was Stephen Yolland as a sailor in Ruddigore and the Saltmarsh twins in Salad Days were outstanding." It was not just in-house drama in which Roger was involved, and many boys who were at the College during the 1970s will remember the trips to watch Roger in action for the Fleet Players - Move Over Mrs Markham and The Ghost Train being notable productions. Roger also recalls the LWC choir with much fondness. "We did three Cathedral evensongs every year in Salisbury, Winchester and Chichester and they were lovely occasions, while I was also part of Schola Cantorum Wandsworthiensis. We performed light-hearted numbers as a barber shop group."

There were also plenty of light-hearted moments, as Roger recounts. "Peter Seelig (who was then Head of the Science department) was a great friend of mine. He hated poetry - apart from limericks - so we were all surprised when he announced he was going to see Murder In The Cathedral, which is by TS Eliot. When he got back I asked how he had enjoyed it and he said it was terrible, all they did was spout poetry. He thought he was going to see an Agatha Christie. After leaving LWC, RTD spent nine years as head honcho in the Classics department at St Swithun's School in Winchester, during which time he spent a year on a teacher exchange in New Orleans. Roger and friend at Le Touquet, France Roger is a highly respected man in the world of the Classics: he was President of the ARLT (one of the national associations of Classics teachers); revised parts of the course work for the Cambridge Latin Course; is one of the voices behind the Minimus tapes which are used in 1,200 primary schools; has been an examiner and was recently invited to become a member of the SEAC Scrutiny Panel for examinations on Classics. 

Retirement for Roger has meant taking up a night school course learning to speak Italian, which he hopes to practice in Florence on a regular basis. There are also myriad foreign trips and dinner parties in the pipeline, as well as plans to up his reading and enter a few more competitions. Have a really good retirement Roger and I am sure you will have plenty of visitors from former pupils and colleagues alike - and there's no better testament than that.

Roger Davis is on rtd@canutell.freeserve.co.uk
Guy Butchers B138