As the “old boys” of the Rashtriya Indian Military College return from their alma mater after the founder’s day celebrations, among the memories that will always remain in their hearts is the memory of the teacher who spent twenty five years of his life at this prestigious institution in the Doon valley. He spent almost seven decades of his life outside his country, teaching young men in India and Pakistan to become men of courage and character.
He loved his Indian students as much as he loved the Pakistani ones and despite the fact that his ex-students had to fight wars against each other, they all remained his beloved boys. Catchpole had acquired the status of a living legend while he taught first at the RIMC, Dehradun or later at the Punjab Cadet College (Hasan Abdal Cadet College), Pakistan Air Force School in Sargodha and finally at Abbotabad Public School. He was the principal at all the four institutions. He died in Islamabad on February 1, 1997 at the age of 90.
Catchpole joined the RIMC (then known as the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College ) in 1928, six years after the college was inaugurated in the Doon valley by the Duke of Windsor, then Prince of Wales. He joined as an assistant master and went on to become the principal of the college in 1947 and remained the principal till 1953 when an order of the Indian government restricted the contract periods of foreign nationals to one year.
It was then that he left for Pakistan where two Rimcollians, Habib Akbar and Abdul Qayyum, assisted him in setting up the Punjab Cadet College at Hasan Abdal. During the partition, this sensitive teacher was the principal of the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College and was a close witness to the emotions that were experienced by the boys and teachers when the Muslim cadets of the college were asked to leave suddenly.
In his article, “Reminiscences 1928-53” in the college magazine, Catchpole wrote, “The saddest occasion during my 25 years at the RIMC was the night of 24th October 1947. At 10 pm that night, I received an urgent message that the Muslim cadets were to be evacuated at 4 am in trucks sent from the IMA. Although I was in charge at the time, the movement was so hush hush that even I was kept in the dark until the message arrived. The cadets of course were all in bed and it was some time before the Muslim cadets could be made to understand that they had to leave within a few hours and many were reluctant to go. What a commotion there was! Boxes had to be got from the store and their belongings packed.Helped by their Hindu and Sikh friends with whom many parting gifts were exchanged, the Muslim cadets were at last ready to leave. At 3 am an early breakfast was served and at 4 am, the trucks arrived and the Muslim cadets piled into them. The cadet captain called for three cheers for the Muslim cadets who returned the cheers for the friends they were leaving behind. What a heart rending moment it was !”
At RIMC, Catchpole taught English and History. He was a bachelor. Wedded to one cause-education, he was among the last of the English school masters who had devoted their lives to the cause of education in the subcontinent.