Ceremonies

There were several formal ceremonies providing structure and discipline to the school.
A former pupil (1947-1953) wrote: “One of the features of Huyton Hill that has made a deep and lasting impression on me has been the ceremonial that was built into the daily life of the boys. There were two features to this: the daily raising and lowering of the flag and the weekly ceremony of Changing Houses. These were supported by a group of buglers.”

Flag Ceremony (1930-1969)

Huyton Hill flew the flag of St George every day. The tradition was, I believe, linked with the war (World War II) when the flag was flown every day “until the dragon is slain” and continued thereafter. The flagpole area was specially adapted to suit it to the ceremony of raising and lowering the flag. Two buglers were used and the Captain and Vice Captain of the duty house. The flag party paraded up to the flag staff and a bugler took position on each of the two highest plinths (they were allowed to stand on the ground only in very bad weather!). The school bugle call was sounded and the flag was raised. The duty Captain called out “I will with a good will” as the flag was raised, whereupon a second bugle call was sounded. These bugle calls could be clearly heard from Waterhead on the other side of Windermere, from where the school and the flagpole could be seen. During the ceremony every boy in the school was obliged to stand to attention facing the lake. Buglers were tested for their ability to march up onto the slate plinths, as well as their bugling ability.

In Hubert Butler’s own words: “Every morning at 9.0 a.m. all boys stand facing the Lake, while the Head boys of the House on duty hoist the flag and call out the school motto “I will with a good will”. The buglers sound the School Call, the pattern of which is Morse Code for H. H. S. At 6.00 p.m. the flag is lowered with similar ceremony. The school motto occurs in Sir Thomas Malory’s book about King Arthur, first printed by William Caxton at Westminster in 1484.”

Trooping the Colour and Changing Houses (1954-1969)
Music:
Figaro, Mozart
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, Elgar
On the Quarter Deck, Alford

Each week one of the two houses, Alfred or Arthur, was on duty providing prefects and performing duties.
Changing Houses was a military style parade with all boys in the school on the terrace, in fair weather or foul, to hand over the staff of office from one house to the other. It was performed every week during every term of the school’s existence and also performed as the highlight of the Summer Review. The parade was performed to Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” and is, I suspect, deeply embedded in the memory of most of the boys who performed it. “I, for one, always know in my mind’s eye where I am on that terrace at every bar of that music, especially during the slow march when the two Captains and Vice Captains handed over the staff.”
Much has already been done to record for posterity this unique weekly ceremony at Huyton Hill. It was recorded on film by Gratton Derbyshire, released in 1970, and there is a reference to it here: http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/433815.

Trumpeters & Buglars
The ceremonial trumpets were reserved for special occasions like the summer review and changing houses, bugles were used for the daily flag ceremony.
“Being a trumpeter or bugler was a position of some status for seniors and most of them were able to perform the role. I can remember spending happy hours cleaning the bugles and the array of cavalry trumpets that the school used for its various ceremonies. John Thornborough taught us to play the bugle and he also taught us to use the two drums correctly. I can still play the drum tune he taught us today and I went on to learn to play the trumpet. I always aspired to being able to play “Trumpet Voluntary” like John Thornborough. He had been an army bugler and was a gardener at Lady Chance’s house in Grasmere while I was at the school. I even went and helped him with his gardening while staying with my Great Aunt at Easdale Cottage.” (Former pupil 1947-1953).