IN 1921, THE YOUNG DADIE RYLANDS ARRIved in Cambridge to begin life as an undergraduate scholar at King’s College. His arrival had been eagerly anticipated, certainly by at least one of the fellows. For when Rylands had gone to Cambridge from Eton to sit the scholarship examination, his good looks and boyish charm were spotted by the distinguished Classics don John (“Jack”) Tressider Sheppard, who immediately determined to offer him a place, based almost entirely on looks.
Rylands, it transpired, did not need Sheppard’s assistance, and secured a scholarship through academic talent alone (he would go on to be a formative influence on British theatre), but the episode was telling. Still more extraordinarily, Sheppard and Rylands had entered into personal correspondence, while the latter was still at school. The letters…
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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2025