_DAN (Duncan Alfred Nightingale) ASTERLEY (1909 - 1994)

Dan was not a man to compromise.  In every area he maintained and insisted on the highest standards.  While Headmaster he seems to have done everything himself, he taught much of the top work, ran the games at top level, was the scout-master, directed the orchestra and trained the choir.  Not much was delegated.  Only his own best, it seemed, was good enough for Aymestrey.  Indeed Dan was Aymestrey.
(All quotes on this page are from the 1995 Magazine, unless otherwise identified)

Dan Asterley

_Dan was born just before the move to Malvern, so was part of Aymestrey from the very beginning, first in the Nursery and then as part of the school.  He went on to Bromsgrove with a scholarship, then to Hertford College, Oxford, where he obtained a First in Greats.  He then went to West Downs School to learn teaching, being called back as Junior Partner to Mr Mildmay on his father's death in 1935.

Like his father, a gifted teacher, Dan was a man of many parts: - a musician, writer, landscape painter in oils, a remarkable fly fisherman and a naturalist, particularly ornithology.  In 1942 he married Jean Bates, whose father Tom had a ward in the Worcester Royal Infirmary named after him, and whose brother Michael was an Old Boy of the school.   Dan was a local Home Guard commander during the war, and the bride and groom left the Cathedral under an arch of Home Guard bayonets.

_ When the Mildmays left in 1948 Dan and Jean ran the school together until the end of 1965.

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In 1953 the Inspectors from the Ministry of Education noted that the Headmaster:

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(teaches) Scripture, English, Mathematics, Geography and Latin with skill.  (This versatility) leads him to take a vital part also in the Music and Art, the gymnastics and the games.  In addition, he has a profound insight into the individual personalities of the boys in his care.

He was a musician and choirmaster and would lead us in singing whether hymns, folk songs or extracts from Gilbert and Sullivan. He was an ornithologist with a great love of the outdoors and could also identify every tree and bush, and an expert in teaching field craft and camouflage.  He was an expert fly fisherman and caught many a fine trout in the Ithon which were smoked and eaten for breakfast. He was an accomplished artist, and was a master story teller _
John Chandler (1956-61; Staff 1971-72)

_ The extraordinary qualities that Dan possessed have only become clearer as time has passed, and my admiration for him and my gratitude that I knew him go very deep.
Charles Leakey (1960-1965)

(Memories) ... of his Sunday evening readings from Classical fiction – Buchan, Rider Haggard, Conan Doyle – Dan almost acting each part and person as he held us all enthralled.

_ As with many strong personalities opinions are divided. A considerable number of Old Boys remember Dan with respect, and even affection, but this was not everyone’s experience; some boys do not have such positive memories as they found his mood swings and outburst of temper unpredictable and terrifying.  His use of criticism of individuals in front of others, and of punishments such as ‘exile’ (see explanation below) and beatings were intimidating and greatly feared, and some consider damaging.

_Exile was exactly that - a punishment that isolated you from the rest of the school.
You were not allowed to speak to anyone, not even staff unless they asked a question. You walked up and down the drive alone during games and free time. You ate on your own at the ‘pig’ table. You were sent to bed early on Sunday and missed the reading by Dan. You were not allowed cakes, jam or sweets. You wore games kit all the time to let everyone else know that you were on exile. It was a pretty miserable existence!

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Dan’s insistence on high standards meant that lack of effort in the classroom or on the sport’s field, bad manners and rudeness, and wild, uncontrolled behaviour were sure to earn his wrath. He hated sloppiness and it was not beyond him to cancel scouting activities on a Sunday afternoon and have the entire school parading and drilling up and down the drive following a poor performance when marching to Church in the morning!

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On the other hand Dan in a good mood would readily join in a pillow fight or pretend not to notice a slipper balanced over the dormitory door ready to drop onto him when he was putting the lights out.  And there is no doubt he could be an inspirational teacher.

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A great believer in the individual, Dan was immensely considerate for, interested in, every one of us – I suspect right up to his dying day.  I treasure letters from him written with the effortless ease of the educated classic.

_A brilliant teacher – stern but with a sense of fun underlying it

I admired and revered him – with a healthy element of fear which turned to warm affection as the years passed.

1967 (John Richards)

_ I was terrified of Dan but I respected his authority. … How else would I have learnt before the age of thirteen such a wide range of music – from Purcell to Sibelius, Monteverdi to Elgar – other than from Dan during his Saturday morning music appreciation classes. … those wonderful evenings when we were allowed to come downstairs to listen to broadcasts of concerts.

_Extremely fierce when roused to anger

The magic moments of the camps he managed so brilliantly – with porridge cooked in a haybox, dishes washed in the river, cocoa and songs round the camp fire.  It was at one of these camps, when after a rainy night, Dan reported that his tent hadn’t leaked.  A small voice was heard to mutter, ‘It didn’t dare!

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By 1965 Jean’s health, which had been of concern for some time, was failing to the point where she had medical advice that she needed to stop work as soon as possible.  Dan’s own health was also starting to give him problems around this time, and at the beginning of 1966 he sold the school to Hugh and Gill Griffith. He and Jean moved into the cottage, and he continued to teach at the school until 1977.

Dan and Jean remained at Crown East Cottage, for the rest of their lives, accompanied by various Jack Russell terriers.  Dan could often be seen around the grounds, with a dog at his heels, and he continued painting and fishing and remained very active until about two weeks’ before his death on 23 July 1994. 

Dan’s ashes were scattered on the field opposite Crown East Cottage.

A Thanksgiving Service, held at the school on 3 September 1994, was conducted and attended by many Old Boys.

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(Dan’s memorial) was very well attended and the hall was full.  The singing of hymns at such occasions is usually pretty muted and routine, but I will never forget my amazement and joy at the powerful, accurate, massed male singing of the two hymns – clearly an expression of the regard felt for Dan by all those present
Charles Leakey 1960-1965

_ Many remember Dan first and foremost as a naturalist.  My earliest recollection of him is at Malvern where we were at school together.  We went for a picnic at the British Camp and I remember watching Dan, aged ten or eleven, crawling ‘ventre a terre’ through the bracken, totally absorbed as he stalked some creature.  This was a skill he was later to pass to others.  He was a naturalist, gifted artist and musician, as violinist and singer, and an expert fisherman.  Dan had a profound love of the countryside – of trees, birds, of wildlife.  He loved the beauty of God’s creation.  He lived near to God and all His works.
Note: I have been advised that Dan actually played the viola