Education

Sir Brian, welcome to Berkeley.

Great pleasure to be here.

Sir Brian with his mother and brother. In reading your biography, A Life in Peace and War, I was struck by what seemed to be a remarkably civilized education you had in Britain. How did that education prepare you for your career in world affairs?

My education took two parts, one at home with my mother who was a school teacher and felt very strongly about international affairs, and the other was at Westminster School in London and then at Christ Church, Oxford, just before World War II. Westminster was a very old, extremely eccentric school where there were one or two wonderful teachers. The rest weren't so good. You were given a considerable intellectual stimulus but you also were given a great deal of independence to follow up what you were interested in. It really was a wonderful place, I think accidentally, but nonetheless, it was a great place to be.

And from there you went on to Oxford.

I went on to Oxford for two years and then the war started so I joined the army and left.

So the biggest part of your education, it seems, was actually as a soldier in World War II.

I think if you survived World War II, it was the best extended education you could possibly have because you learned how to deal with people and you learned how to deal with your own emotions and you learned a great deal about the way people behave -- badly, for the most part, but sometimes well. So it was a wonderful education, if you were lucky enough to survive.

Next page: The Battle of Arnhem