Reminiscences provided by David Odell of his father, Henry Llewellyn Odell (II) and of his Uncle, William Rodney (aka Paddy) O’Dell (I) who were Dayboys at the College in the 1920s-1930s
My uncle, William Rodney Odell (or O’Dell) was born on 25th November 1910, in Llanstadwell, Pembrokeshire.
My father, Henry Llewellyn Odell (or O’Dell and L Odell in the Sport’s Day programme) was born on 9th August 1913, in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.
As far as I know, there is no history of Catholicism in the family. I can trace the family back through the male line to Richard Odell who married Mary Wheeler in 1744. The family, who were blacksmiths, lived in Pirton until the end of the 18th century when my 4x great grandfather, Thomas, moved to Hitchin, working as a blacksmith, almost certainly in Bridge Street. Until the 20th century, all the family were baptised, married or were buried either in St Mary’s, Pirton, or, later, in St Mary’s, Hitchin. The Welsh side of my family were also CofE with a Methodist streak. My grandfather, who was born in Tilehouse Street, Hitchin for reasons no one now knows, ended up in Milford Haven at the beginning of the 20th century where he married my Welsh grandmother in the local CofE church. Both my father and his brother were also baptised there and my father was Confirmed in Hitchin in 1928.
That said, my father was a soprano and tenor soloist at the relatively High-Church of St Saviour’s, Hitchin (and were members of the Church Lads’ Brigade) in Hitchin and my parents were married there. And on 1st January 1936, my father, who was serving with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps at the time, became organist at the Roman Catholic Church in Mingaladon, Burma.
Despite this mixed background, I have always assumed that the boys were sent to St Michael’s when the family returned to Hitchin in 1924 (or earlier), because they lived in Grove Road.
As for the sporting mentions, both my father and his brother were keen sportsmen and Rodney (Paddy) certainly won races later in life.
Only two stories that I know of have been handed down from their time at St Michael’s:
- When I spent a morning with Paddy’s (Rodney) widow two years ago, she told me that at one point, Paddy decided that he would rather like to be a farmer, so he bought a copy of Farmer’s Weekly, borrowed his father’s breeches and spent a couple of Mondays at the cattle market in Hitchin talking to the people there. Inevitably he was found out and the Headmaster contacted his father to say that in his view, Paddy should be given a public flogging in front of the whole school. His father agreed, and he was!
- According to my father, he and Paddy (but I suspect Paddy was the instigator) decided to hide some cats under where the College choir was rehearsing in the hope that the singing would provoke a wild meowing. However, they were caught on their way out and only escaped when Paddy punched the priest in the stomach. I have no evidence that this is true, and if it was I can only imagine what their punishment would have been!
My father in what I assume was his school cap with his father in May 1929
14th August 2012
St Michael's College, Hitchin 