I remember having seen a photograph taken in about 1915 of JMB, GBS, G. du Maurier and many other actors and literary people assembled on the roof of a theatre, perhaps the London Coliseum. It was possible a war charity event. Can anyone help me relocate it? I've tried the database on this website but with no success, probably because I was putting in the wrong information.

I found it on page 34 of the Database.

The New Yorker magazine of 2 July 2007 prints an interesting review of Alexander Waugh's "Fathers and Sons" by Joan Acocella. The book is about father-son relationships in five generations of the Waugh family. The Brute begat Arthur who begat both Evelyn and his older, but now less well known brother Alec. Evelyn begat Auberon who begat Alexander. I hope all is clear. Here is a quotation:

"No man ever loved a child more than Arthur loved Alec - 'son of my soul,' as  he called him. He seems to have spent almost every hour of his non-work time talking to the boy, reading to him, taking walks with him. When Alec went away to his father's alma mater, Sherborne, the child and the school fused, in Arthur's mind, into one refulgent idol. He spent every weekend at Sherborne, visiting Alec and his friends, whom he wooed to become his friends. He said that he dreamed every night of being a new boy at the school. He and Alec wrote to each other daily, and Arthur awaited Alec's letters, Alexander says, like a teen-ager in love".

Now, this is far from exactly the same as the relationship between JMB and Michael, but it is striking to think that at more or less the same time as daily letters were going back and forth between Eton and the Adelphi, the same was happening between Sherborne and Golders Green, and I wonder how common this kind of obsessive communication was. We only know about these two cases because of the celebrity of some of the people involved, and because they committed their thoughts to paper. Now of course we have emails, text messages, whatsapp and so on, which leave little trace - except in that big computer in the desert. So here's a plea for more understanding of Barry's loneliness and emptiness: he wasn't/isn't/never will be the only one. As the review continues:

"Alexander thinks that Arthur, because of his tortured relations with the Brute, never had a proper childhood. Now he had one: Alec's".

I have been saying that inquest records would be available from the Oxford County Coroner's office, but rereading the contemporary notices of the inquest I realise that it was conducted by one of the University coroners, a Mr F.E. Marshall and the chairman of the jury was the Dean of Christchurch and so was an internal University affair. So inquiries will have to be made to Oxford University.

I found this in the London Evening Standard for 22 January 2015, by Charles Saatchi.

Two thirds of victims of death by drowning are decent swimmers.  And the majority of fatalities occur less than five metres from safety.
Apparently, panic is the primary reason, as even proficient swimmers experience "instinctive drowning response"; this follows an anxious moment, with the classic surface struggle leaving them floundering, thrashing in an upright position, with an involuntary loss of control.
Swimmers in trouble have little chance to shout for help as they gasp for breath, though they are often near others who have no idea that they are watching someone drown.  Often, they will appear to be simply treading water, presenting just a blank stare.  There is usually little to be seen of fevered splashing, waving or yelling after the first moments, just as the involuntary loss of control leaves you unable to keep your head above water.
It takes less than a minute for someone drowning to disappear below the surface, and then usually another minute before they are forced to inhale water, blocking the lungs and creating spasms in the larynx before they swiftly die.  Strong, fit swimmers often underestimate the difference between swimming in a pool and in the sea or a river or lake... A lifeguard explains: "When people hit cold water, their muscles react like stepping into an icy shower.  And having a buddy gives a false sense of security because a rescue in open water is problematic, and your companion may have his hands full keeping himself afloat."


Charles Saatchi, the infamous wife-strangler, knows a lot about people gasping for breath, but does not give a source for this information about accidental death; however it sounds true to me.  Just to recapitulate the theories about what happened at Sandford Pool:  Michael and Rupert drowned because (1): they planned to commit suicide together, (2): they decided to die together on the spur of the moment, (3) Michael dragged Rupert down, (4): Rupert dragged Michael down.  We can now consider number five: that both boys panicked and effectively dragged each other down - which I find compelling.  Still, in the wise words of the Eton Chronicle "We will never know what happened that day."

According to the published official sources*, Michael left £5083 2s 3d to John Ll. Davies, and Rupert left £21,696 12s 2d to his elder brother Sir Thomas F Buxton. 

*Principle Probate Registry
Calendar of grants of probate and letters of administation

I thought before that Michael was dependent on JMB for money, but as £5000 in 1921 would be  worth about £250,000 now he had enough money to support himself, at least for a while.

I left some information from the letters out of Rupert's biography as what they said did not seem very important at the time. 

There were several mentions of his car - a Belgian Minerva which was a powerful tourer equivalent to a Bentley or Mercedes-Benz. Rupert used to park it wherever he felt like (which was not allowed even in 1921) and one day left it in a space reserved for academic staff. For this he was hauled up in front of some disciplinary committee and given a reprimand.  He despised the college authorities for their pettiness.

Also, the police stopped him one night as he was driving with one of the headlamps broken and gave Rupert a warning, which he ignored.  A little later he was stopped again and this time the police prosecuted him.  The case was pending when Rupert died.
We may take the above as examples of Rupert's reported arrogance and carelessness.

Amongst the collection of correspondence were letters of gratitude from needy people who had received cheques from Rupert.  These were usually for £5 - £10, laughable now but about a week's wages at the time.  If Rupert read in a newspaper that someone was experiencing hardship he found out their address and wrote to them sending the money.
There was also a letter from Rupert's  servant who wrote that every Thursday afternoon (that is: the time of the fatal accident) he paused for a few minutes to pray for "Mr Rupert".

Now to fuel the suicide speculation!
I received information from  an (anonymous) friend of Roger Senhouse who claimed that he had in his possession Senhouse's diary in which he made clear that he thought JMB was an unimportant figure very much at the edge of Michael's life by 1921.  He also claimed that Rupert and Michael were having an affair and that they definitely committed suicide.  Senhouse's source for this claim was one Lionel Gomm  who worked on the Garsington estate which is just east of Sandford Pool.  Lionel G. said he was working by the pool and saw what happened in detail and was convinced the boys killed themselves intentionally.
It must be said that this man's testimony  is not recorded in any of the public statements about the drowning.  Also he was more than just an estate worker: he was also Ottoline Morrell's gigolo (she called him "Tiger") and according to Senhouse he worked as a rent boy servicing the needs of the (male) Oxford students.  He died (in Ottilline's arms) about a year after the drowning from what sounds like a drug overdose.  The NPG has several photos of Gomm and in one he appears to be wearing make up and a lady's frilly top. 
Unfortunately my source claimed to have destroyed the Senhouse diary to avoid "salacious speculation" (but at the same time adding to it)  and  anyway there seems to be at least one other Senhouse diary in existence.  I think the whole business should be treated with great suspicion!

The interest in Rupert's Thala has made me think again about the relationship between the two boys.  Without getting too involved, water is usually a metaphor for the unconscious, the creative process or perhaps  the spiritual journey from darkness to light, and so Rupert uses it.  But judging from his sonnet, in Michael's mind the imagination is a place of ghosts and terror.  We may represent  the relationship quite simply as Michael saying to Rupert: "I am frightened", and Rupert replying: "There is nothing to be frightened of," which worked very well for both of them as Michael grew out of his fear and Rupert found a use for his own experiences.  Unfortunately they both underestimated how powerfully destructive the disturbed mind can be.

Some new material mainly from the shool magazine has arrived from Summer Fields School, Rupert's prep school.

 Of particular interest is Rupert's part in the school play of winter 1913 Alexander the Great written by a member of staff.  Rupert  played Roxanne, the court architect's daughter, and had to sing the following song:
Roxana's song: Act 1. 'Wendy'

Where forests leafy clothe the mountains base,
Where floating ivory clouds veil the starry space,
Where the mighty river at its banks doth strain,
There is the realm, where Vila Quen doth reign.

Peaks own her sway, as on her chariot-cloud
On sweepeth mighty Vila: mid the pine woolds proud
Trees bend before her on her dappled fawn,
Queen of the Fairies, Queen of Glade and Lawn.

I don't know why Wendy gets a mention, but it adds a Barriesque  presence to the drama.  Rupert was probably chosen to play Roxana due to his musical ability.



The December 1918 number of the school magazine includes the following news from Harrow:

The only O.S.S. here who is worthy of mention is R.E.V. Buxton, and, as no doubt you know, he is in a very sad way.
On the evening of Sunday, December 1, Buxton disappeared and, after careful investigations had been made by detectives to no purpose, he returned home on Tuesday evening.  It appears that he had been working very hard for tha Brackenbury History Scholarship at Baliol.  His brain was not equal to the strain, owing to a cycling accident in 1912, and he is now in a critical condition.  It is feared that his brain will not recover.
He was Head of School and good at games, and was tremendously popular.

The blunt language suggests this was written by a young hand, and indicates that Rupert's problems were well known amongst his fellows.  There is also the following brief obituary in July 1921:

To our universal sorrow Rupert Erroll Victor Buxton (Harrow and Christ Church) was drowned at Sandford Lock on May 19.  He was a fine swimmer and is supposed to have lost his own life in trying to save that of his friend who was in difficulties.

Many thanks to Summer Fields for providing this,


Sir Jocelyn Buxton has informed me that that Rupert's correspondence, inclulding the important letter from Barrie to Lady Ann Buxton, is now held at Christ Church, Oxford.  He offered me Barrie's letter, and I was tempted to have it, but mindful of the curse, I thought it better that everything be held together in a safe place, open to future researchers.