CHARNEY HALL Lennox Aitchison abt.1957

Updated Sept 2021

Master Lennox Aitchison shows us how to hit the ball!


Lennox Gordon Fraser Aitchison 1925-1966

Lennox Aitchison was a master at Charney in the mid 1950s. He majored in Latin and Cricket! With a nonchalent air and an Oxbridge arrogance (his home was Coupland Castle, Wooler in Northumberland), ‘yes’ and ‘no’ became ‘yop’ and ‘nope’. It was rumoured that he dined and shot with the Cavendishes of Holker Hall at the weekends. We sensed a certain tension between him and Maxwell Duncan. 

Needless to say he didn’t stay long! 


He was one of the younger masters at Charney being in his late twenties before he deserted us. Whilst the noble language of Latin only inspired the top few scholars - we couldn’t quite understand how an unspoken tongue could be of the slightest use in later life - however ‘Archie’s’ enthusiasm for Life and for Cricket inspired us all.

However he didn’t think much of my attempts at the noble art of cricket…


He was of course absolutely correct!


Holker Hall, the family home of the Cavendishes

One day in 1958 rumours spread around the school that ‘Archie’s’ elder brother Sir Stephen Aitchison of Wooler Castle had died in a shooting accident. The circumstances were not disclosed by Maxwell Duncan. All that we knew was that Archie had to take immediate leave to return to Wooler to support his family. 


His unfortunate death in a light aircraft on 17th September 1966 at Esk Hause, Scafell was a sad moment for those pupils who were privileged to have known him. 

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=173166
https://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/crash_sites/lake-district/piper-cherokee-g-asek-esk-hause/


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