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Two recent letters to the Headmaster from researchers in London and Australia have led to QE unearthing fresh information about Franz Stampfl – one of the 20th century’s leading athletics coaches, who taught at the School in the darkest days of World War II.

The Vienna-born son of an Austrian general and a Russian princess, Mr Stampfl studied writing and painting but also had early success as a skier and javelin thrower. He attended the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a trainer and was dismayed at the evidence of Hitler’s rise. Having refused to obey instructions from Austrian Olympic officials, he left Austria the following year.

Arriving initially to study art in London, he evaded a British threat to deport him by offering to coach athletes, securing a job in Northern Ireland with support from Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams (of Chariots of Fire film fame).

After the outbreak of war, he came to QE to teach physical education. The job lasted only from February to June 1940, when his tenure abruptly came to an end as he was interned as an enemy alien. Within days, he was on his way to Canada with other prisoners of war when their ship, SS Arandora Star, was torpedoed by a German U-boat. He was in the water for eight hours before being rescued.

After the war, he went on to coach Sir Roger Bannister, who to huge acclaim ran the world’s first sub four-minute mile at Oxford in 1954. He also trained the Australian squad for the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 and many other Australian athletics.

In 1980, he was left a quadriplegic in a car accident. He was awarded an MBE for services to athletics the following year and he continued to coach, dying in Melbourne in 1995 at the age of 81.

The School first received an indication of the renewed interest in his career in a recent request for information from Old Elizabethan Benjamin Sawtell, a 1999 leaver. Currently working as a public relations manager for City University London, he is also a freelance journalist working on a feature highlighting the contribution that Mr Stampfl made to world sport.

The Headmaster then received a similar request for information from Marg Woodlock McLean, who was one of the 1956 Olympians and was coached by Mr Stampfl when she was a Year 12 pupil at school in her home city of Melbourne.

She is the co-producer of A Life Unexpected: The Man Behind The Miracle Mile – a film that is currently being made about Mr Stampfl by her daughter, Sally McLean, an actor and director.

In her letter to Mr Enright, Mrs Woodcock McLean appeals for information from the School and for any OEs with personal photos or film footage of Mr Stampfl to get in touch.

The School duly checked the archives, which revealed mentions of his brief sojourn at QE in consecutive issues of the Elizabethan magazine, firstly in March 1940 and then in August of that year.

The first was published in the final weeks of the ‘phony war’ – the period between the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 and the invasions of Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France in April-May 1940. In an introductory editorial replete with staff comings and goings connected to the war, the Elizabethan states: “Mr F F L Stampfl has taken Mr Snashall’s place in the gym. We are very fortunate in possessing so prodigious an athlete. He has already shown what hard work can be in the gym and on Stapylton, and we hope to record material proof of his coaching powers in the athletics results in our next edition.”

However, the next issue brought the startling news that Mr Stampfl had already departed: “The war treats individuals still more harshly than institutions. Three masters have been forced to leave the school for a while: Mr Buttery to study the secrets of army signals, Mr Wall to serve the RAF with his science, and Mr Stampfl to suffer the tragic inertia of internment.”

A recent Guardian feature claimed that Mr Stampfl said he was suspected of being a spy and was arrested by MI5. Whatever the truth of this, the uncredited editorial in the Elizabethan suggests that the School supported him, clearly reflecting the views of the Headmaster, E H Jenkins, who was to comment in his 1972 memoir, Elizabethan Headmaster 1930–1961, that under the wartime order, even Austrians and Germans friendly to the Allied cause were arrested.

As to his record as a coach at QE, the Elizabethan is complimentary: “Those who have presented themselves for athletics training have had until recently the continued benefit of Mr Stampfl’s coaching, and have accomplished much good work.”

Like so much else in that tumultuous year – when even the School’s summer holidays were cancelled – QE’s athletics in 1940 was in fact badly disrupted. A combination of the war, severe weather early in the season and an outbreak of illnesses including German measles (rubella) led to various curtailments and cancellations, making it hard to draw any firm conclusions about the impact he was able to make during his short stay in Barnet.

Hundreds died in the sinking of the Arandora Star, but the survivors, including Mr Stampfl, were nonetheless brought back to Britain and shipped on to Australia on board HMT Dunera. The Dunera was grossly overloaded and had Nazis and Italian fascists locked up alongside mostly Jewish refugees. During the voyage it was hit by a torpedo but did not sink. Conditions on board were so bad that several of the British guards were later court-martialled.

When the war ended, Mr Stampfl married an Australian, Pat, whom he had met in Melbourne, and moved back to London. They had a son, Anton, who is a physicist based in Sydney.

Mr Stampfl took up a number of athletics coaching posts, including jobs at Oxford and Cambridge universities. He achieved notable success at the John Fisher School in Purley, which won the Public Schools Challenge Cup in 1952 and 1953 against competition from larger schools.

After coaching Sir Roger Bannister and his pace-makers Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher for the successful four-minute mile attempt, he emigrated to Australia in 1955, ahead of the Olympics the following year. A humble man, he stood aside from the huge publicity surrounding Bannister’s feat.

Eventually he became an Australian citizen. The many successful Australian athletes he trained during his 50-year career included Ralph Doubell, who won Olympic gold at 800 metres in 1968, and Gael Martin, who took bronze in the shot put in 1984.

His book, Franz Stampfl on Running, was influential and he was a leading proponent of the interval style of training, in which athletes run high-intensity distance trials followed by short recovery periods.

Paediatric doctor Daniel Langer worked unpaid for six months in Rwanda to help improve the survival of new-born babies.

Daniel (OE 1991–1998), who has been practicing for ten years and is now at senior registrar level, visited the central-east African nation as part of a year he took out of the NHS to pursue his interest in global child health, infectious diseases and medical education.

“Neonatal mortality is the biggest cause of death worldwide in the under-fives and in Rwanda it is very high, partly because it is still a developing country with limited access to resources, but also because of a lack of medical professionals in the country since the genocide in 1994,” he writes.

“Much of the mortality and morbidity is preventable; simple bottom-up programmes, such as providing basic access to care and basic training can make a huge difference.

“We have trained doctors and worked on the neonatal units, introducing care packages and simple equipment including CPAP (‘continuous positive airway pressure’), which helps support breathing in low birth-weight and premature babies. We have also been involved in teaching paediatrics to doctors and in leading resuscitation courses.”

Daniel has previously worked in The Gambia and Malawi, and he is soon to set up programmes in DR Congo.

He is in the process of creating an e-learning website to be used in these settings. It will give medical students, junior doctors, nurses and midwives the opportunity to complete basic interactive training in new-born care.

Daniel, who is a paediatrician at St Mary’s Hospital, London, went straight to Leeds University Medical School on leaving QE. He qualified as a doctor in 2004. He worked in York for a year, before taking up a post in paediatric emergency care in Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney, Australia, in 2005-2006.

He then moved back to London to undertake his eight-year paediatric training, working in the following hospitals: Barnet; Chase Farm, University College London, Great Ormond Street and his current workplace of St Mary’s, London.

In 2010, he completed a post-graduate diploma in paediatric infectious diseases at Oxford University.

His particular specialisms encompass children with serious and complex infections that are difficult to diagnose and treat, such as tuberculosis. He is also interested in paediatric HIV, congenital infections, imported infections and Kawasaki disease, as well as vaccinology, immune-compromised patients (such as cancer patients, transplant patients, or those with very rare immunodeficiency syndromes), bone marrow transplants and the proper use of antibiotics.

He dates his interest in global health to an elective placement he undertook in 2003 as part of his medical training.  This was a small project on SARS awareness in Borneo at the time of an outbreak of the respiratory disease there.

In The Gambia, he worked in hospitals and created a three-day education course for health care workers in the recognition of childhood tuberculosis – a major problem in that region, even though many do not recognise it as important. This has now been successfully run five times for approximately 150 trainees. He also played a small part in a research trial involving a new meningitis A vaccine for Africa.

Alongside his work, Daniel likes photography and travel; he has visited more than 60 countries, while his entry in this year’s well known Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition reached the final round of judging. He enjoys sports including skiing, diving, surfing and football.

• Daniel is seeking funding for the e-learner website, as neonatal mortality in resource-poor countries is the largest cause of under-five mortality. He hopes that by providing simple basic training online, this problem can be significantly reduced.  Any Old Elizabethans who can help are invited to contact the alumni office on alumni@qebarnet.co.uk; they will then be put in touch with him.

The award of an MBE for our Head of Mathematics, Fauziah Scarisbrick (known as Gee), in the Queen’s Birthday Honours helped make this an especially happy term at Queen Elizabeth’s School.

Everybody here is so pleased and it has been particularly delightful to receive messages of congratulation from her former pupils. It is, of course, the second such award for our School community within six months, following the MBE bestowed in the New Year’s Honours upon our Chairman of Governors, Barrie Martin, father to Piers (OE 1987-1994) and Giles (1992-1999).

The MBE sets the seal on a distinguished career as Gee retires from her position as Head of Mathematics this summer. She has spent her entire teaching career of almost 31 years at QE. As the longest-serving teacher, Mrs Scarisbrick is currently Mother of the Common Room and is the only member of staff who has worked with four Headmasters. She was appointed by Timothy Edwards in January 1983, promoted to Assistant Head of Mathematics by Eamonn Harris in 1994 and appointed Head of Mathematics when John Marincowitz became Headmaster in 1999.

Throughout the transition of the school from an under-subscribed comprehensive at the time of her appointment to the leading boys’ grammar in the country today, she has exemplified the aim of the 1573 charter – educating boys in manners as well as learning. Literally thousands of boys and alumni have cause to be grateful for the positive influence which she has had, directly or indirectly, upon their progress, development and future.

The first cohorts following her appointment as head of department sat their examinations in summer 2001. Two-thirds of that year group achieved grade A* or A at GCSE, while 73% of the A-Level Mathematics candidates gained a B grade or higher. Most recently in the 2013 public examinations she taught the weakest sets at both GCSE and A level maths. Her pupils were awarded 6 A* grades and 4 A at GCSE, and 6 A*grades, 17 A and 5 B at A level.

Her leadership has inspired a similarly impressive performance from her entire department. Typically, more than 80% of our Sixth-Formers take A-Level Mathematics, a remarkable figure in itself. Moreover, in 2013, 94% of those A-Level entrants achieved grades A*-A, while at GCSE, every boy in Year 11 gained A* or A. Many go on to read Mathematics, or courses underpinned by Mathematics, at university. All of this is due in no small part to Gee’s contribution.

And there is more to her success than diligence and professional firmness of purpose. Teachers never truly succeed unless they genuinely care for the children in their charge. As a personal mentor, Gee has guided many pupils through periods of difficulty, showing great warmth and sensitivity. She would say that she has simply been doing her job, but the boys, parents and her colleagues know that it runs much deeper.

I am happy that she is remaining as a teacher within the department and we will thus continue to benefit from her huge experience and talents, particularly as a Sixth Form teacher. She will be presented with her award in an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, when she will be accompanied by her husband and two sons.

It was also good to see our German exchange visitors at Founder’s Day and I was pleased to welcome Herr Lümkemann, Head of the school in Bielefeld, and his wife. Language learning is increasingly important in the life of the School: in September, German is being introduced to Year 7, while Latin, already introduced to Years 7 and 8, will be taught to Year 9 for the first time in QE’s modern history.

It was also very pleasant to welcome back our former School Captain, Matteo Yoon (OE 2003-10) as our Guest of Honour at our Junior Awards Ceremony this term. Matteo is currently at the BPP Law School taking the Accelerated Legal Practice Course, following his graduation from Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he read Law. In his address, he recalled attending Junior Awards as a Year 7 student, almost 10 years ago to the day, and his pride at winning a prize. He urged the boys to trust in their teachers, believe in themselves and to try to be the best they could.

A great deal of work is currently taking place to prepare the Queen’s Library for its opening for younger boys next term. The Library, which is named after our founder, Elizabeth I, is already in use by older pupils. At a time when many libraries, including those in schools, are being forced to make cuts because of public spending constraints, I am especially proud that we have been able to invest so significantly in this facility.  We have equipped the Library with excellent computer-based study and research facilities. However, books also remain central; the process of extending our collections and filling the spaces for 13,000 books on our new shelves is an important one.

Around 90 Year 11 boys have signed up for The Challenge, a national, registered charity dedicated to community engagement, which runs a programme over three weeks in the summer and weekends in the autumn. It corresponds well to our ethos of boys participating in worthwhile activities beyond the classroom, serving causes greater than themselves.

That ethos has particular resonance this year as the country marks the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. The memorial tablet in our main entrance area bears poignant daily witness to the ultimate sacrifice made by 48 Elizabethans in that conflict.

On a lighter note, we are celebrating our own centenary specific to QE: it is 100 years since the introduction of rugby at the School. As our tourists prepared to leave to play cricket and rugby in Sri Lanka this summer, I enjoined them to remember that they carry with them a long and proud tradition of sporting endeavour associated with this School.

May I wish all Old Elizabethans an enjoyable summer.

Neil Enright

Founder’s Day 2014 was a fitting climax to the School year, with Old Elizabethans playing a key part in making it a success.

After the downpours of 2013, this year’s Founder’s Day was bathed in glorious sunshine throughout, ensuring a festive atmosphere among the many hundreds of visitors.

Old Elizabethan Kiran Patel (OE 2000-2007) was Guest of Honour at the morning Thanksgiving Service, while in the afternoon, as the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s Fête took place on Stapylton Field, an OE team took on the School XI in the Stanley Busby Memorial Match on the Third Field.

The cricket match was played regularly in the early 20th century but the fixture had fallen into desuetude. It was revived in 1984 for one year only as a retirement ‘gift’ to Eric Shearly (1920-2005), a former pupil and master. In 2012, it was permanently re-instated by the Headmaster and named in honour of Mr Busby, who was a QE parent and also a Governor from 1989-2011.

2012 saw a narrow victory by the School. Last year’s match was called off because of the rain, but this year the game passed off without a hitch, as PE teacher Richard Scally reports.

“Batting first the Old Elizabethans started very positively and, with some big hitting from Viyaasan Umachandra (38), it looked as if QE first XI could be set a very large target. However, tight bowling from both Kushal Patel (2-13) and Jaimin Patel (3-22) restricted the OEs’ initial run rate. Wickets then fell regularly and by the 24th over, the OEs were all out for 120.

“After starring with the ball, both Kushal (51) and Jaimin (41 not out) opened the batting and soon chased down the runs required, with the loss of only 2 wickets.”

Mr Scally concluded: “In what was a glorious afternoon, it was wonderful to watch an enjoyable and friendly yet competitive afternoon of cricket, with the School retaining the Stanley Busby cup.”

Visiting OEs were well catered for on the Third Field, where there there was a beer tent and Indian food was served.

In his address at the service in St John the Baptist Church, Kiran drew parallels between his current life as a junior doctor at Barnet Hospital and memories of his School days. Even in the Lower School he had held the ambition of attending medical school. He spoke of the importance of the rapport he developed with his teachers and of how, as a young boy, “casual conservations with prefects…offered me a unique and unrivalled insight to the groundwork and preparation needed prior to reaching these important milestones”.

Our School is blessed to have teachers who deliver a bespoke education tailored to each individual’s needs, and who are passionate, caring, and wholeheartedly dedicated to their pupils’ success. I would encourage every pupil to use this resource to its fullest potential,” he told the congregation in the parish church.

The VIP party included: QE Chairman of Governors, Barrie Martin, and his wife, Perin; Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Hugh Rayner, and his wife, the Mayoress Susan Rayner; Martin Russell, Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London and Representative Deputy Lieutenant for Barnet; and Hans-Wilhelm Lümkemann, Headmaster of Friedrich-von-Bodelschwingh-Gymnasium (a German grammar school with which QE undertakes language exchanges) and his wife, Gabriele.

After the service, guests repaired to the area around the steps of the QE Main Building for the Roll Call and Reading of the Chronicle. This tradition, established by Headmaster Ernest Jenkins in 1930, involves the Headmaster reading aloud a formal history of the School, which is updated annually. This year’s Chronicle recorded the awards of MBEs to Mr Martin, the Chairman of Governors, and to the Head of Mathematics, Fauziah (Gee) Scarisbrick.

With the formal proceedings concluded, guests enjoyed a relaxing afternoon. Visitors strolled happily in the sunshine among more than 60 stalls at the fête, enjoying refreshments ranging from jugs of Pimms to a vegetarian barbecue and the delicious and varied delights of the ever-popular international food area.

Many of the attractions were those of a traditional summer fête, such as hoopla, a plant stall and a coconut shy, but there were also faster-paced activities, including ‘laser mayhem’, a bungee run and Scalextric in the Main Building. The hot weather emboldened a number of male teachers to take their turn in the stocks and suffer a soaking.

The fête programme included two new entertainments this year, namely an excerpt from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed by teachers, Irish dancing in the Performance Arena and the first performance at the fête by the QE Barbershop Quartet. “The Shakespeare actors brought great amusement to the proceedings, helped by some rather extravagant costumes,” said Mr Enright. The Irish dancing was organised by the Murchu Duiginn School of Irish Dancing, owned and run by a QE family. The School Concert Band also performed during the afternoon.

After enjoying work as a London lawyer, Murtaza Jivanjee (OE 1997 – 2004) has made a dramatic career switch – and now trades wallpaper and paints in the Gulf, India and Africa!

Murtaza, who is currently based in Dubai, decided to seize an international business opportunity. He has no regrets: “The world of business keeps you absolutely on your toes and gives you a wonderful insight into cultural differences all over the globe.”

After leaving QE, Murtaza took a Foundation in Natural Sciences at Kings College London, followed by a degree in Law (LLB) from City University London. He then qualified as a lawyer, taking his Legal Practice Course through Gray’s Inn.

He worked in the City for Hughes Fowler Carruthers in ancillary relief in divorce proceedings – “a great experience” – and for Harrow-based Walter Wilson Richmond Solicitors.

“I then found an opportunity to do business in the Middle East, Africa and India, so I thought ‘what the heck…’” he says. “I now trade wallpaper manufactured in Europe and America as well as decorative paints from Italy. I distribute throughout the Gulf and India, and am now in the process of growing in Africa. Thus far we trade in Nigeria, Chad, Somalia and Ethiopia, with a view to increasing our ties throughout. In due course, we also hope to set up a base in Kampala, Uganda.

“It’s a very different environment from where I grew up in north London, but I’m thoroughly enjoying life, especially with my eight-month-old old son, Saif,” adds Murtaza, who is married to Fatema.

“In recent months I have been busy on projects in Africa, Canada and India, seldom with regular internet connection and with very limited opportunity to sit at my desk. But it has all been an amazing eye-opener to explore opportunities the world over.

“I will be launching contract fabric-backed wall-coverings for the commercial and hospitality market. We are also in the process of establishing a farm in a rural part of Gujarat, India, where 30 per cent of all produce will be given to the local towns to help provide at least one meal a day at no cost. The remainder will hopefully be used in a commercial way – I have a sweet tooth, and so maybe a small ice cream plant in the area to make use of the exotic fruits we’ll grow.

“It is all a world away from Law, but a tremendous experience.”

Prasana Uthayakumar (OE 2003-10) is taking the journey of a lifetime this summer – a road rally from London to Ulaanbaatar.

He is one of a team of four students at Southampton University participating in the Mongol Rally, which involves a 10,000-12,000 mile journey to the Mongolian capital (also known as Ulan Bator).

Prasana says: “We’re hoping to spend our summer travelling through 24 countries from as far south as Iran to as far north as Russia. This task will be no mean feat and we will push not only our physical endurance but also our mental strength.

“Our aim is to promote awareness for WaterAid and Cool Earth – two charities we all feel extremely passionate about and trust will make a difference to the world.” He is appealing for donations and sponsorship.

Prasana, who is studying Mechanical Engineering, is currently in his fourth year. He is due to gain his MEng integrated Master’s degree in July. “The personal skills I gained from QE have honestly been invaluable to me, and I think they have helped me throughout university.”

The team were leaving from Battersea Park in their old Skoda Fabia estate on 20th July. “The other three all study Physics, so I’m apparently the one who’s meant to know all about cars when, or if, we break down!” says Prasana.

About 200 other teams are taking part. The rally is organised by The Adventurists, a group organising various arduous challenges around the world. “They only help with the organisation up to the start date: there will be no back-up cars, no set route, and no assistance from anyone once we depart,” explains Prasana. “The hardest part about this rally is that once we leave, we’re completely independent, and we choose our own route to make it to Ulaanbataar, befriending as many people as we can on the way, and using maps only to get there.

“Our current route is as follows: Leave London, and drive straight to Prague, and then go back down through Munich, into Austria, Switzerland, through the Swiss Alps, into northern Italy. Then travel across northern Italy from Milan to Venice, through Slovenia, pop to the beautiful sandy beaches of Croatia, then back up into Budapest, Hungary. From here, our plan is to go to Romania and do the Transfagarasan Highway (voted the best road in the world on the BBC’s Top Gear programme), and then drive through Bulgaria into Turkey. We’re hoping to reach Istanbul within two weeks of departure.

“From Istanbul, our plan is to go across Turkey, through Georgia, over the Caspian Sea into Russia. From here it’s all dirt tracks and sandy highways as we enter Kazakhstan – Uzbekistan – Tajikistan – Kyrgyzstan, along the infamous Pamir Highway lying on the Silk Road bordering Afghanistan and the beautiful Pamir mountains. We then enter Kazakhstan again, and make it to the Mongolian border. Upon entering Mongolia, our plan is to work our way through complete off-road terrain to finally make it to Ulaanbaatar, where the finish line is.

“Throughout the rally, we may stay in a few hostels where we can, but to save money, and for convenience, we are going to camp or sleep in the car for the majority of the time. The total journey is about 12,000 miles, and should take up until the start of September to complete.

“We’re taking professional cameras and GoPro video cameras with us to capture the whole journey, with the aim of making a professional documentary of the whole trip.”

Immediately upon his return to the UK, Prasana plans to take up a job offer at Jaguar Land Rover as a manufacturing engineer on the company’s graduate scheme. “My plan is to achieve Engineering Chartership (CEng) in the next four years through the company.”