LINCOLN EASTER TERM 1941

Mr. Core, the ancient Gym Master we had all grown to love at Bablake did not join the group of masters who threw in their lot with the couple of hundred boys who set out for Lincoln on the slowest train ever to be run by the London Midland and Scottish Railway. Not only were we without a gym master but our hutted school had no facilities to satisfy the demands of the "hearties" amongst us. I think it vas "Bud" Bandy who solved the problem. He announced to those athletes, gymnasts and rugger players who had been bemoaning the lack of a gym that we could have the use of a local Grammar School gymnasium on one night a week. However, we could not use it if a qualified instructor was not in charge. An approach to the local Commanding Officer at Lincoln Barracks was to provide Bablake with an historic appointment of its gym master.
A Sergeant PTI would gladly take over our enthusiastic squad and so we all turned up to meet him on the first night on which we had the use of the gym. He introduced himself as Len Hutton. -. LEN HUTTON, a legend in cricketing history. Two seasons before he had broken the record for the highest number of runs scored in a Test innings and this was against one of the mightiest Australian teams ever to be sent to our shores.
Every Tuesday night for the Easter Term Len took us in hand. He was quiet, patient but full of fun. One night he produced a crate of boxing gloves and told us he vas to give us boxing lessons. This was akin to Frank Bruno taking us for a session in the cricket nets. However he took us through all the steps, arm positions and attack and defence ploys. I realised, when Igot hold of a PTI manual later in my service career that he was religiously passing on what he had read before his next session with us.
Later in the war when I was serving in the Royal Marines a boxing match was arranged between our Mess and that of a Gunner Regiment. "Anybody box?" asked my CO. Oh dear; you know what's coming. I volunteered with all the confidence I had been given by Len Hutton's six lessons. Officer's boxing was usually dreadful so I thought I could easily manage three rounds with an out of condition Artillery subaltern. I had not bargained for be put in the ring against an ex public schoolboy champion and I never saw the second round let alone the third. My footwork was faultless, my ploys correct but Ihad no talent for the manly art whatsoever. I boxed a lot after that but never won a single fight. Thank you Len.
Years later I attended a function at which Sir Leonard, as he had become, was speaking. When questions were called for I was able to ask him what happened to his boxing career. The audience was baffled but Len vas magnificent and remembered his days as Bablake's gym master vividly. He did admit however that had he known into what a disastrous boxing career he had led me he would have torn out the boxing pages in his manual and stuck to wall bars and ropes.

Bernard Raftery Bablake 1936-41