Poetry Review - John Betjeman – The Wykehamist

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This poem from 1932 carries a rather odd dedication to Randolph Churchill, the son of Winston Churchill, to which Betjeman takes the trouble to explain that the poem should not be assumed to be about Randolph Churchill, who was his flat mate for some time. A Wykehamist is a name given to students of Winchester College, a British public school comparable to Eton, Harrow and Rugby. The poem is probably about someone both Churchill and Betjeman met and knew. The Wykehamist described is seen as an eccentric scruffy individual with a big broad backside, and a knitted tie. He is studying ecclesiastical subjects and has an obsession with Norman church baptismal fonts. He stays at home studying rather than going out socializing, preferring to read about the fonts and drink Oveltine. Betjeman was not a Wykehamist, so the character is someone he probably knew from his years at Oxford University. This is not a great poem, but it does spark curiosity for those wondering just who Betjeman was writing about, a question only he and Randolph Churchill probably knew the answer to. Arthur Chappell