The Wheeler Bennett Society is a cross-disciplinary discussion society for the College’s leading academic pupils. It is named after a distinguished historian and Old Malvernian. Sir John Wheeler-Bennett’s remarkable life touched on many of the great issues of the twentieth century and his commitment to scholarship, loyal service to this country and warmth of personality made him one of Malvern’s most distinguished alumni.

“Wheeler-Bennett was an expert on international relations, an adviser and informant to governments, and a pioneer in the art of writing contemporary history. His best works were based on rigorous historical scholarship and top level oral evidence. (He) possessed great personal charm which assisted him to gain access to the mighty but is also illuminated the lives of many others - numerous young scholars in Britain and America. For them he was always accessible and unstintingly generous of his time. He was a great ‘club’ man and universally popular wherever he dined”.

Membership of the Society lasts from the third term of the Lower Sixth until the beginning of their final term. The society meets in the Headmaster’s house about once every three weeks on Sunday evenings, with two or three members of staff and takes the following form:

The minutes of the last meeting are read.

A pupil reads a paper on their chosen subject in a manner which is intended to stimulate discussion.

The topic is then informally debated/discussed by the society.

After about an hour, refreshments are served and discussion is allowed to digress into more light-hearted matters.