Rediscovery of a Clare blazer

It’s not often you get a call from an alumnus with a story that spans over 100 years.

Brian Yates (1962) was the owner of a Clare College Rugby Club blazer that once belonged to his great-uncle. After years of storing the blazer at the back of a wardrobe, Brian got in touch with a current Clare student to see if he would like it.

Brian came into College at the beginning of the summer; this is his story.

It begins with Leslie Brooks, Brian’s great-uncle, who was born in 1892, the youngest son of Mr John Boultbee Brooks and Mrs Brooks – founders of the original Brooks leather sprung bicycle saddle. The youngest of seven children, Leslie broke the mould and chose to study at Clare, matriculating in 1911.

Having searched the archives, we found little information about his time at Clare, other than his matriculation date. We know he came up to Clare from Uppingham School but records show that he was only here for 3 terms – Michaelmas 1911 to Easter 1912. We don’t know what subject he studied and he does not appear to have been awarded a degree. We do know that we was a keen rugby player and it was during his time in College that he acquired a Clare rugby blazer, made by local tailors Bodger’s of Sidney Street.

Upon leaving Clare, Leslie joined the family business in Birmingham, but when war broke out in 1914, he decided to join the army and was granted a commission in the 4th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment. He married Blanche Ann Birley later that year. In May 1915 he was promoted to Lieutenant and went to France. On 25 September 1915, aged just 23, he was killed while gallantly leading his men at the Battle of Loos. His name is recorded in Memorial Court, at Ploegsteert Ypres, and on several other war memorials in England.

Fast forward 50-plus years and Leslie’s great-nephew, Brian Yates, arrived at Clare to read Natural Sciences. Brian enjoyed his time at Clare: ‘It was a formative period. I found one learned by determined enquiry as well as from faculty teaching. It was the best of university experiences joining Clare’s lifelong, inclusive community.’ Brian went on to a successful career in engineering as well as several decades of championing consumer rights.

It wasn’t until 1985 that Brian came into possession of his great-uncle's blazer. Brian had always been in close contact with the Brooks family as they all grew up in the same area of Worcestershire.  He had been close to Leslie’s widow, ‘Aunty Blanche’, until her death in 1979, and it was when clearing the ancestral home that he found the blazer as well as an officer’s sword, both of which belonged to Leslie.

Brian decided he wanted to donate the blazer to Clare, so he contacted the current rugby captain, Joseph Feest. The two arranged to meet at the Clare boathouse where the blazer changed hands.

Joseph recalled, ‘I was extremely grateful to Brian that he had gifted the blazer to the club, and I originally planned to hand the blazer down to future captains of Clare’s rugby team to look after. The blazer is 112 years old and has been kept in a far better condition than any blazer I have owned for more than 6 months! The artistry employed in hand-crafting the emblem on the front pocket is simply beautiful and the craftmanship on the blazer itself is of very high quality.’

Realising how precious the blazer is, and what a significant piece of Clare history, Joseph contacted the Master to discuss the best way forward to honour the blazer and share the story of its original owner, Lieutenant Leslie Brooks. It was agreed that the blazer would be looked after in the College Archives, and will be brought out at a future Remembrance Sunday service as a tangible link to the generation of Clare alumni who gave their lives in the First World War.