Posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on November 21, 2002 at 18:00:19 from 195.93.33.13 user ACB.
In Reply to: Re: S, A & D's 'class' posted by John Wilson on November 21, 2002 at 10:13:03:
"Lucky it's not the football term", said John. "A month might make all the difference about getting into the Fifteen." (WH)
It is not specified as the First Fifteen, but, if it is, then he is in his last year at prep. school, i.e. say, 13, which makes him 11 in SA, which is possible.
As a (boarding, rugger playing) grammar school boy, this passage used to puzzle me.
I reckon Uncle Jim is, in fact, a journalist, like AR himself. The other possibility is that he is a geologist, like Oscar Gnosspelius. The English middle classes have never seen writing as a grown up sort of job, hence the disparaging references to his gadding off.