Randall Williams had taken over a young but already distinguished School in 1919. He was a different character to Ernest Young, but one well suited to the task, and as it turned out, the longest serving head Harrow County School was to have.
Coming
after the seemingly golden years of Young, and the dark days of the First World
War, the School faced a demanding period.
School uniform had only recently been restored, while other problems over
staff and premises remained.
He carried on many of the activities begun by Young, but had a more
sympathetic air to him, embracing the under achievers as much as those who
excelled. He tried, with the aid of George Thorn, the Music Master, to raise the
musical output of the School, and for a time, the local population benefited from
concerts and dances held at the School.
However they were short lived, possibly with the appearance of the local
cinema.
Instead,
a School Orchestra was formed, a 'School Hymnal' appeared, and probably most
well known of all, a new School
Song, 'Worth not Birth' written by the two masters made its mark.
With
the loss of Gaytonians during the war, the task of a School War Memorial fell to
Randall. In
1923 he instituted 'Founders Day', originally held in October, but later changed
to January, becoming more a celebration of the Schools birthday.
Randall
Williams early years at the School were not however without controversy.
Six Houses had been created by 1912, but within a month of his arrival he
proposed to cut the number by two.
It was not a case of last in first out, but more because of their
position in the House standings, constantly 5th and 6th.
This met with bitter opposition but did go through.
Another item was the introduction of Rugby into what had been a soccer
School. With
the reputation HCS (and the Old Gaytonians) later gained at this sport it seems
odd now, but this too met with opposition.
For five years the two sports existed side by side, but in 1926 Soccer
was abolished altogether.
Many accused Randall of snobbery, claiming he was trying to have HCS
looked upon as a Public School!
One
notable item that appeared at the School at this time was the cricket pavilion.
Long needed, Randall threw himself into the task of raising the money
needed for it, and leapt to its defence when after completion, complaints poured
in from local residents.
With
the growth of the surrounding area, expansion of the existing School was looked
at. In
1921 a £2,500 scheme proposing alterations to the buildings and the inclusion
of a new dining room was put forward, but not accepted.
Four years later
a revised plan, costing some £10,000, and allowing for two new
laboratories, six classrooms, a dining hall and common room was proposed and
this time accepted.
The new wing of the School, along Sheepcote Road was completed in
November 1927
The
headmaster had many crosses to bear in the post war years.
Inspections of 1920 and 1922 commented on the lack of clerical support he
had, a fact only rectified in 1925.
A more bizarre episode happened in 1928 when Randall made a request for a
telephone. So
outlandish was the request viewed, that the 'Harrow Observer' commented:
"
we fail entirely to understand why the headmaster wishes to introduce
such nuisances into his School
"
After much discussion, a telephone arrived.