It was Sir Hubert Parry … who sent me to the Royal Naval College at Osborne, and thus began nearly thirty years’ work in schools. Their Lordships of the Admiralty had concurred that young naval cadets might well be given a chance to develop any musical leanings they might have, for their lives would be spent under conditions in which they would have to rely largely upon themselves for recreation and entertainment. I was a decided innovation, but the four hundred boys were very bright specimens, with the usual sprinkling of musical talent and scores of good voices. Two young princes, afterwards King Edward VIII and King George VI, were among them. There was a large naval and civilian staff, and we soon had a good choir and some quite accomplished soloists. We sang cantatas and had periodical stage shows, writing our own words and music, with a workshop of naval engineers to design and rig the settings. There were boats and launches on the Solent to play with, and the Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth had the genial habit of occasionally lending us a torpedo boat, complete with crew, food, and astonishing speed, for a day's ‘choir-outing’.