Michael McCrum

Michael William McCrum CBE (23 May 1924 – 16 February 2005) was an English academic and ancient historian who served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and Head Master of Tonbridge School and Eton College.

McCrum was born at Alverstoke in Hampshire. The son of a naval Captain, he grew up at naval bases where his father was stationed. He was educated at Horris Hill School, Newbury and Sherborne School before Second World War service as an able seaman and then sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy. He then won a scholarship to read classics at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He graduated in 1948 with a Double First.

After graduation, McCrum became a master at Rugby School. He married the daughter of the headmaster, Sir Arthur fforde, in 1952. He was appointed Fellow of Corpus Christi in 1950 and was an (innovative) Tutor there under the Master, Sir George Thomson, and was also Director of Classical Studies.

McCrum left Cambridge in 1962 to become headmaster of Tonbridge School, where he earned a good reputation and transformed the school, emphasising academic standards and implementing sweeping reforms, including the abolition of the old traditions of fagging and caning of junior boys by "praepostors" (senior boys). However, he did not abolish caning by masters, and made considerable use of it himself. He made the Cadet Corps voluntary instead of compulsory. The Tonbridgian (the school magazine) wrote in 1967 that "Never have there been so many changes in so short a time". By a stratagem, he contrived that straw boater hats ("barges") be retained, although there was a clear majority for their outright abolition in the poll of the boys which he arranged. His impressive stature and his ability to memorize the name and face of every boy (and teacher) in the school during the first week of the autumn term helped him to command respect. He later described part of his task at Tonbridge as having been "the reduction of stupid anachronisms" and "giving boys more liberties, provided they do not take them"; corporal punishment, he said, was "often the lesser of two evils".

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