Adrian won a direct grant scholarship to Emanuel School. He also won a scholarship to Dulwich College but chose instead to go to Emanuel.
His great loves were English, History and the Classics. Whilst at school, he was a keen member of the RAF cadets. In fact, all pupils at the time had to belong either to the army, navy or air force cadets. He used to tell the story of the school glider which was propelled by an elastic band and which used to fly over Clapham Junction station. Adrian even remembered travelling to school on the train from his home in Streatham with his rifle tucked under his arm ready for shooting practice at Bisley. Rowing practice was on a Saturday and once with some others he took a boat down the river to Henley in preparation for the Royal Regatta whilst negotiating the locks.
Adrian is in the back row, second from the left.
Several of the masters had a military background such as Colonel Charles Hill and were keen that their pupils should benefit from a similar training. Adrian mentioned time spent with the army cadet corps in the school holidays on the Isle of Barra in Scotland.
He also took part in a train trip to Athens where an outstanding memory he recalled was of Delphi; he said he was blown away by the beauty of the place.
Adrian decided to try for an English scholarship to Cambridge but as the time approached for his interview, he became less enthusiastic and decided to opt for economics at the LSE instead.
He recalls taking tea on the lawn at the house which the headmaster shared with his sister just before he left. Adrian also organised a 6th form dance to which girls from the Bluecoats School were invited and he also wrote a school play which was entitled The Other Building.
He then found himself a few years later at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) preparing a report on the results of a survey by its members which received headlines in the Press: “Britain booms”.
Subsequent years were spent in the investment departments of life assurance companies in the City of London until at the time of “Big Bang” he found himself a Director of Hill Samuel Wood Mackenzie Sterling Debt Limited.
Adrian later retired to Norfolk with his family and took a keen interest in researching history, art and the classics.
He never forgot his time at Emanuel and felt that he had been extremely fortunate to be able to attend such a good school.
Elizabeth Hinton, wife