This exclusive photograph from 1984 is the first to show Prime Minister David Cameron in his Eton schooldays
The Mail has tracked down the 45 housemates pictured to reveal the very different fates of Cameron’s ‘House of 84’
From a juice bar millionaire to a special-effects whizz, they are often far from the conventional image of Old Etonians
Beneath the unruly Eighties quiff, the features are unmistakeable. Sitting in the centre of this school photograph, with a wing collar and bow-tie signifying his authority as a house captain, is none other than a 17-year-old David Cameron.
This exclusive picture — the first to show the future Prime Minister in his Eton schooldays — has come to light after the photographer chanced upon it in his archives and decided to make it public.
It shows Cameron and 45 housemates at the prime of a very gilded youth.
Housemates: Pictured, 1: Campbell Clarke, 2: Tom Goff, 3: Simon Andreae, 4: James Learmond, 5: David Cameron, 6: John Faulkner, 7: Roland Watson, 8: Ed Clarke, 9: Charles ‘Toppo’ Todhunter, 10: Crispin Gibbs, 11: Peter Davis, 12: George Devas, 13: Dominic Bunford, 14: Tim Ellis, 15: Andy Greenacre, 16: Harry Shepherd-Cross, 17: Anthony Headlam, 18: Alex Hope, 19: Richard Halstead,
20: Luke Fletcher, 21: Rupert Morrell, 22: Charles Tremlett, 23: Hon William Montgomerie, 24: Matthew Oakley, 25: James De Salis, 26: Charlie Millard, 27: Fred Collin, 28: James Holland-Hibbert, 29: Frank Althaus, 30: David Chancellor, 31: Henry Pettifer, 32: Hon Adrian Pery Second,
33: Anthony Walkinshaw, 34: Benjamin Bellak, 35: Hon Richard Lytton Cobbold, 36: Hugh Powell, 37: Hugo Andreae, 38: Tim Hayes, 39: Henry Savile, 40: Jason Harris, 41: W W Saunders, 42: Henry Donne, 43: Brough Ransom, 44: Thomas Fielden, 45: Tom Rodwell, 46: Jamie Forbes, 47: Rodolph de Salis
When the picture was taken in the summer of 1984, the miners’ strike was at its height and unemployment stood at more than 3.25 million.
But for the future PM, life was looking good. He was coming to the end of five years at Eton, where he was flourishing both socially and academically. As the accompanying picture from his first year at the school shows, his looks had changed considerably, too.
By many accounts, Cameron flowered late at Eton. Neither a brilliant sportsman nor an academic whizz when he arrived, he has never challenged reports first aired in a highly regarded biography of the Tory leader — and widely reported at the time of its publication — that he narrowly avoided expulsion for smoking cannabis midway through his time there.
His potential only emerged in the sixth form. Shortly after this picture was taken, he achieved three A grades at A-level, and then read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University.
‘There’s a sense in which he has always wanted to push himself and test himself more, not waste his time,’ recalls one teacher.
Among fellow Etonians, Cameron divided opinion as much as he does among the electorate. While some thought him ‘friendly and fair’ and ‘unusually approachable and affable’, others considered him ‘a bit of a greaser’ and ‘hugely arrogant’.
Boys at Eton in his time were divided into 25 houses of around 50 pupils, each having their own bedroom to sleep and study in. Cameron’s was Warre House, overseen by housemaster John Faulkner.
But what happened to his former housemates? The Mail has tracked them down to reveal the very different fates of Cameron’s ‘House of 84’ — starting with the nine who were in his own year group and were thus his most direct contemporaries.
From a juice bar millionaire to a special-effects whizz (with an inevitable smattering of bankers), they are often far from the conventional image of Old Etonians...
First year at school: David Cameron, aged 13, in a 1980 house photograph
CAMERON’S YEAR
1 Campbell Clarke A hugely successful financier, he’s founder and managing director of Astir Capital, a company that’s raised $1 billion of capital for hedge funds and business development projects. After University of Westminster, he became a foreign exchange manager in the City before joining investment firm Weston Capital, where he marketed a variety of specialist funds.
2 Tom Goff Bloodstock agent who’s a leading figure in British horse racing. Chairman of Blandford Bloodstock in Newmarket, which he co-founded, he is acclaimed for his sharp eye for spotting future winners, having also worked as the Racing Post’s Newmarket correspondent. With housemate Charles ‘Toppo’
Todhunter (see No 9), he was joint best man at Cameron’s wedding in June 1996.
Earlier this year, the PM stayed with Goff in Newmarket, then spoke about the ‘massive success story’ of the £3 billion British racing industry, declaring it ‘now the second most popular sport after football in our country’.
3 Simon Andreae Attended Heatherdown prep school with the future PM, where Prince Edward was a contemporary. Once recalled how he and great friend Cameron would climb out of dormitory windows to enjoy trysts with local schoolgirls.
Now a leading international TV producer, he was most recently executive vice president at Fox TV in America, in charge of its reality show division. As Channel 4’s former head of science, he was responsible for a number of controversial shows including The Autopsy — a live broadcast of Professor Gunther Von Hagens dissecting a human corpse.
Andreae posed naked with 160 strangers on the steps of London’s County Hall for American artist/photographer, Spencer Tunick. He also authored a book on human sexuality, The Anatomy Of Desire.
His twin brother, children’s author Giles Andreae, shared a house with Cameron at Oxford and was made godfather to one of the PM’s children.
4 James Learmond Cameron dubbed him ‘the businessman’ at school because he carried his homework in a City-style briefcase. Now a millionaire, he founded the health food and juice bar chain Crussh. He remembers fondly how the future PM honed his ‘flesh-pressing’ people-skills when, aged 16, the two boys made weekly social-services-style visits to an elderly lady who lived near the school.
Learmond, who admits he once voted for Tony Blair, set up Crussh after being advised by nutritionists to start eating more fruit and veg to clear up some facial eczema, and the chain now has 25 stores. He then helped launch Roosterbank, an online ledger that helps parents and children keep track of their outgoings and savings.
5 David Cameron Prime Minister since 2010 and MP for Witney in Oxfordshire.
6 John Faulkner House master, now 77 and retired to East Sussex.
7 Roland Watson has also forged a career in politics — but in a very different way. A journalist, he joined The Times in 1998 as a political correspondent and in 2010 became its political editor. He has also served as the newspaper’s head of news and its Washington bureau chief. Now the paper’s foreign editor.
8 Ed Clarke After graduating from Edinburgh University, he built a highly lucrative career in banking. In South Africa, he set up Hambros Bank’s infrastructure advisory business, and after a spell at French bank Societe Generale, became founder/director of Infracapital, a Project & Infrastructure Finance business that’s part of the global finance giant M&G. He is twin brother of Campbell Clarke (No 1).
9 Charles ‘Toppo’ Todhunter Another of the PM’s closest school chums, and his joint best man. His corporate social networking profile says he is involved in ‘Venture Capital & Private Equity’.
Has dabbled in a wide variety of businesses — most recently, a firm providing online travel guides for cities called e-street (now dissolved). That’s not his only venture that seems to have struggled — others include a restaurant company (dissolved), a marketing firm (voluntary liquidation), a property co
mpany (dissolved) and an investment firm (struck off this year).
Lives near Hungerford, Berkshire, while his parents reside in a nearby old rectory, which was previously owned by the poet Sir John Betjeman and was once described as the ‘finest parsonage in England’.
10 Crispin Gibbs Scuba-diving instructor who might be considered the Eton equivalent of a drop-out. After studying history of art at the University of East Anglia, he set up home in the remote Togean Islands off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, with his wife, Lala, who’s from the area, and their children. Had previously visited the region and was determined to open it up to eco-friendly tourism.
Now the owner of the luxury Black Marlin scuba dive centre and holiday resort on Kadidiri island, offering visits to ‘crystal clear tropical water and breathtakingly beautiful, untouched desert islands, with palm fringed white sandy beaches’.
11 Peter Davis Musical scholar at Eton, he’s now the conductor and director of the Westminster Chamber Orchestra and the National Preparatory School Orchestra, a charity which provides opportunities for young musicians to have access to educational group music.
12 George Devas Now calling himself Jordi Devas, lives in Bangkok and makes videos for alternative rock groups — among them Coil, whose output includes the revoltingly titled song The Anal Staircase. Is also a production manager for fashion-shoots.
13 Dominic Bunford Lives in Monte Carlo, works in corporate finance and is deputy permanent delegate of San Marino to Unesco, the United Nations’ cultural and educational organisation.
14 Tim Ellis Career not known.
15 Andy Greenacre Picture Editor, Saturday Telegraph Magazine.
16 Harry Shepherd-Cross Director of solar farm developers Haymaker Energy.
17 Anthony Headlam Chief technology officer, Jaguar Land Rover.
18 Alex Hope Managing Director and co-founder of one Britain’s largest special-effects companies (Double Negative). In 2010, members of the firm’s team were Oscar-nominated for two films — Inception and Iron Man II, with Inception scooping the gong. Has an OBE for services to the visual-effects industry, and also holds an inherited baronetcy, making his correct name Sir Alexander Archibald Douglas Hope, OBE.
19 Richard Halstead Co-founder and chief operating officer of a wine industry consultancy firm (Wine Intelligence).
20 Luke Fletcher Career not known.
21 Rupert Morrell Former investment banker, now international director of Pussy Drinks, an energy drink brand that uses only natural ingredients. Lives in Madrid.
22 Charles Tremlett Lives in Melbourne. Managing director of firm that produces mobile billboards.
23 Hon William Montgomerie Second son of 18th Earl of Eglinton. His family have been educated at Eton for nearly three centuries.
24 Matthew Oakley Now the head of economic analysis at consumer group Which?. Previously head of economics at Right-wing think tank Policy Exchange and a former economic adviser at the Treasury.
25 James De Salis Head of funds for Barclays Wealth, division of the bank that provides investment management services to private clients and financial organisations all over the world.
26 Charlie Millard Head of London office of workplace designers M Moser Associates.
27 Fred Collin Architect in North Yorkshire.
28 James Holland-Hibbert International fine art dealer, sought after in London and New York for his expertise. Dashing and well-connected enough to have earned a place on elite Tatler magazine’s ‘List of the people who really matter’ — although he ranked at number 227, well below his old housemate Cameron, who charted at a surprisingly lowly 64.
29 Frank Althaus Publisher; founding director of Russian Language Centre in London.
30 David Chancellor Senior partner for the international head-hunting firm Tyzack.
31 Henry Pettifer Head of Old Master & Early British Paintings, Christie’s, London.
32 Hon Adrian Pery Second son of 6th Earl of Limerick. Former major in the Army, now commandant of the Kiel Training Centre in Germany, responsible for running Army and Joint Service Adventurous Sail training in Western Baltic.
33 Anthony Walkinshaw Works for the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket.
34 Benjamin Bellak English teacher at a comprehensive in Wandsworth, South London.
35 Hon Richard Lytton Cobbold Co-founder of a firm that makes electronic advertising displays. His family seat is the stately home at Knebworth, venue for rock concerts by stars such as Robbie Williams.
36 Hugh Powell Residential and commercial mortgage broker for John Charcol.
37 Hugo Andreae Editor Motor Boat & Yachting magazine. Brother of Simon (No 3).
38 Tim Hayes Career not known — though a Tim Hayes is director of Temple Interactive Media, which provides automated telephone credit card processing.
39 Henry Savile Director of The Map House, an antiquarian map dealer in Beauchamp Place, London.
40 Jason Harris Director T-Space Architects, London.
41 W W Saunders Career not known.
42 Henry Donne Director, Discretionary Wealth Management at HSBC Global Asset Management.
43 Brough Ransom Senior Sales Executive and Healthcare Specialist at N+1 Singer Capital Markets Ltd.
44 Thomas Fielden Chartered Accountant, director of numerous energy companies.
45 Tom Rodwell Stabilisation & Conflict adviser at UK Government’s Stabilisation Unit, an operational agency supporting government efforts to tackle instability overseas.
46 Jamie Forbes Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, currently working in UK Operations Contingency Planning and Implementation at the MoD.
47 Rodolph de Salis Younger brother of James (No 25), describes himself variously as an archaeologist, a ‘meta-commentator’, a ‘storage & stock-pile artist’, a curator, a genealogist, and a ‘countryside historian’.
From the Mail
