Michael Oakley was a student at Belmont during WW2. He was a fine actor, with a wonderful voice. He joined the Belmont Community as Bro. James, a Choir Oblate. I have happy memories of him taking us new boys on  walks to various sites of interest near the school. He ran an Art Club, and the Junior Library which was in the Old Gym. A kind and gentle soul,  he was every inch a monk, even with a tonsure type hair cut!  He put together the wonderful illustrated map of the area which you will all remember, it had names of all the boys in the school around the edge. Haunted Ground is the book of poems he produced single handed in the Belmont Press in 1955. He illustrated it, cut the blocks and even bound it himself. He died in 2002.  Thanks to Geoff Garvey for lending this rare copy. There are about twenty pages of jpegs to load so please be patient. Please spool down this page.

 

Bro. James in the Kemble Press printing a page from Haunted Ground.

 

  Bro James dedicated this copy in his stylish handwriting.