Floreat 2019 Obituary Supplement

FLOREAT 19 O B I T U A RY S U P P L E M E N T

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Gavin Johnston Allardyce (H, 1974) Gavin Allardyce, son of the late Lt Col John Allardyce (DB, 1935), died in Jan 2018, aged 62.

Christopher Mark Allen (Xt, 1949) Mark Allen died on the 12th April 2018, aged 85.

Gilbert Ian Stuart Burnett (Ch, 1942) Ian Burnett, died on the 23rd June 2018, aged 94.

Dr Roger St. John Buxton (H, 1942) Roger Buxton died on the 28th January 2018, aged 93.

Roger Guy Swayne Champness (DB, 1958) Roger Champness, brother of Ian Champness (Th, 1963) died on the 5th August 2018, aged 77.

Roger enjoyed his school days at the Junior and at College, especially the games, in particular rugby and athletics. On leaving College, he served in the army and worked as a teacher for the famous Gonzalez sherry family in Spain. On his return from Spain, he had a brief spell in London, before coming back to his home town, Cheltenham, where he joined his father’s broking business.

He met his future wife Josette in the Black Tulip coffee bar, of which he was a frequent visitor, in Cheltenham. He obviously succeeded with the right chat-up line as this chance meeting with Josette changed Roger’s and the Champness family’s life forever, and led to a wedding in Paris attended by many friends from Cheltenham.

The insurance world wasn’t for Roger and pursuing his love of old things, and his ability to sell, he and Josette started Cheltenham’s first antiques market in Suffolk Road. Their success with the antiques market led to expansion and the opening of Acanthus in Montpellier with more modern things to sell, often sourced from trips to Asia where Roger’s keen eye for finding all things decorative was exploited to the full.

Roger’s creative flair and pursuit of perfection and excellence helped initiate the idea for their next venture, RoChamp, importing beautiful lamps and shades from the Far East and especially Japan. Their factory at The Runnings in Cheltenham turned items such as Japanese vases into lamps, and their products, which also included lamp-shades, were sold to retailers such as John Lewis.

Parallel to their commercial ventures, he and Josette turned their creative flair to transforming old properties. They re-developed some farm buildings in Prestbury into a number of beautiful holiday lets and a master house, which became Church Court. They did a similarly wonderful transformation on a dilapidated cottage in a tiny village near Josette’s father’s home town of Brive and had many happy times there.

After Church Court, they moved to Southam and then to Woodmancote.

After retiring, he joined the Rotary movement and eventually received its highest accolade, a Paul Harris Fellowship. He was active in the Cheltenham North Club, running a Christmas fair and creating a mile of coins in Montpellier Gardens which raised £13,000 for the movement’s anti-polio campaign. Roger also took up petanque and painting in his retirement and was a regular letter writer to the Gloucestershire Echo.

Roger was diagnosed with Oesophageal cancer in 2013. His brother Ian said: “Throughout his life, he had always dealt with adversity stoically and with equanimity, and he did so with this devastating illness and rarely complained. The tributes that have flowed in all mention similar words, like gentle, caring and considerate. He cherished his friendships and loved his family. We shall all miss him dreadfully.”

Roger is survived by his wife Josette, brother Ian and sister Julie.

Henry Salusbury Legh Dalzell Payne (H, 1947) Henry (Harry) Dalzell Payne, brother of the late Geoffrey Nowell Legh Dalzell Payne (H, 1945) and uncle of Philip Dalzell Payne (BH, 1991) died on the 23rd January 2018, aged 88.

Harry was educated at College and RMA Sandhurst, where he passed out first and was awarded the King’s Medal, establishing an assertive reputation in both institutions. He had a distinguished academic record at College after arriving on an Exhibition. He was a very reliable Head of House and was Senior College Prefect in his final term.

Friendly, quick-witted and possessing seemingly inexhaustible vitality, he was nicknamed “Dazzle” Payne. A keen horseman, he rode point-to-point, with three winners in 1952. Later he had a share in three horses with his friend Toby Balding. However, he was dedicated to his profession as an armoured corps officer having been commissioned into the 7th Hussars in 1949, quickly grasping the tactical and technical advantages of the forces of the Soviet Union and being generous in his advice on how best they might be countered.

Often mistakenly thought of as a British Army of the Rhine soldier, he had served as a youthful Adjutant of his regiment in Hong Kong in 1954 and was later on the staff of the Sultan of Oman’s armed forces, for which he was appointed MBE. When his regiment was amalgamated with the 3rd Hussars, a story went about that John Guise (later Sir John) of that regiment had resigned, reportedly as “he could not serve with that shit Dalzell Payne.” The two had known each other at Sandhurst and were later close friends, Harry living in a flat on the Guise estate for many years.

His Army career continued to flourish with attendance as a student at the Staff College in Camberley, Brigade Major of 20th Armoured Brigade in Detmold, Squadron Command in Berlin and then a return to Camberley as an Instructor. In June 1967, he was

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appointed to command the 3rd Carabiniers in Detmold, Germany, at the tender age of 37. Command of the 3rd Carabiniers was a bitter sweet time for him. The regiment roamed the North German plain on exercise in Centurion tanks; they won the Inter- regimental polo, Captains’ and Subalterns’ polo and the Cavalry Football Cup. He moved the regiment back to the UK to re-role in Armoured Cars, with Regional Headquarters and B Squadron in Chester, A Squadron in Cyprus and C Squadron in El Adem, Libya. What a great time it was but it was a severe blow when he was told, in the early days of his command, that the regiment was to amalgamate with the Royal Scots Greys. Harry wrote at the time; “This is the second time I have been orphaned regimentally and I naturally don’t enjoy it. When I was appointed to command the regiment, I never expected to preside over preparations for its dissolution.

It is a cruel personal blow to me.” As the fine soldier that he was, he got cracking on ensuring that it would work successfully. He never really accepted the amalgamation in 1971 and maintained a discreet distance from the new regiment (The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards) for several years.

Harry was appointed OBE after this command and moved on rapid promotion to the MoD department responsible for Northern Ireland during a very busy time with the likes of Bloody Sunday to handle.

He was reputedly the youngest full Colonel in the army at the time. After his time in the MoD, he was appointed CBE. It is a rare achievement to be awarded an MBE, then to be upgraded to an OBE, and later to a CBE in 1973.

In 1973, on promotion from Colonel to Brigadier, he was appointed to command the 6th Armoured Brigade in Germany. From there he went to Bielefeld as Chief of Staff of 1st (British) Corps. New organisation and tactics were being planned for the Army of the Rhine, partly to reflect a need for economies in Headquarters and Signals Units, but also to breathe fresh life into an institution grown stale under a repetitive exercise regime. Characteristically brimming with ideas and energy to implement them, Harry excelled in this heady atmosphere and, despite his racy lifestyle that was an open secret, it came as no surprise when he was promoted to Major-General to command the 3rd Armoured Division.

Harry was known throughout the British Army for his outspokenness, his knowledge of defence matters and his reputation for living life on the edge. Seemingly tireless, he could be playing the roulette tables at Baden-Baden in the evening and be back at his desk next morning, ready to brief a parliamentary delegation on the problems facing the 1st (British) Corps in confronting the forces of the Soviet Union on the North German Plain.

If he had a weakness, it was his zealous conviviality. In 1972, when heading the staff dealing with the Troubles in Northern Ireland, a mid-afternoon visitor opened his office door to see the Director of Military Operations, a Major-General, at the desk.

Greeting the visitor, the General explained: “I am manning the telephone while Colonel Dalzell Payne concludes his lunch at the Cavalry Club.” His squadron Sergeant-Major in the 7th Hussars prophesied that he would either end up as a Field-Marshal or with a court martial, and this was almost right on both counts.

Although news of his promotion in the autumn of 1979 to Lieutenant-General and to receive a Knighthood, might not have come as a surprise to Harry, it had been met with astonishment by those who knew him well, especially as it was also announced that

he was to be appointed Assistant-Chief of the General Staff, an immensely influential post and the right-hand man to the Head of the Army. No one doubted his ability to handle this job, no matter how intense the pressure might become, it was the attraction of London club life, and he belonged to three, that might be his undoing.

As it happened, he was never put to the test of becoming Assistant-Chief. While packing up his house in Soest, Germany, he sent ahead to England his private car, towing a horse box, driven by his house sergeant, containing a sizeable consignment of port destined for the Cavalry Club. On discovering the port, on which tax would be due, customs officers at Dover were not satisfied by the signed blank cheque carried by his house sergeant and put the matter in the hands of the Military Police. The media were on to the incident within hours and rumour was soon circulating London of “a general smuggling port on his way home to a high-profile appointment.” Wisely, Harry remained silent on the matter, other than to draw attention to the signed blank cheque.

After an exhaustive investigation, no charges were raised, but on discovery of the extent of his debts the Army Board considered that it would not be proper for him to remain as a very senior officer and asked him to resign his commission. This he did with good grace and without any publicly expressed rancour, ending a meteoric military career with the loss to the army of a sharpbrained and dedicated soldier.

The premature end to his military career led to no loss of his friends and not one of his London clubs asked him to resign his membership. Allowing the dust to settle at home, he went to the US and spent ten years working in New York and five in Boston. In 1984, he was appointed to a directorship in the American mutual fund National Securities and Research Corporation and when the company was taken over by Phoenix Home Life Insurance in 1993, he accepted an invitation to stay as a board member. His social life in the US remained as vigorous as it had always been, and he frequently visited Maryland, where he had friends ready to indulge his love of horses and racing.

He returned to England in the mid-1990s, took up residence in a flat in the Gloucestershire home of Sir John Guise, and would be seen regularly in his London clubs and at gatherings such as Ascot, still ebullient and as good company as he had ever been.

Harry is survived by his daughters Alicia and Flavia.

William Philip Cathcart Davies (Headmaster CCJS, 1964-86) Phil Davies, father of Simon (JS & Th,1974) and Judy, died on the 29th January 2018, aged 89.

Phil was predeceased by his wife Nancy, and is survived by his son Simon, daughter Judy and his grandchildren.

(The following is the address given

by Richard Morgan (HM, 1978-90) at Phil’s Memorial Service, held in Chapel on the 21st September 2018.)

I see Phil now, on a hot summer evening, shepherding a crocodile of small boys down Thirlestaine Road towards the old swimming 2.

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baths. He is dressed in shorts and wears his faded Harlequin shirt of many colours. He was far too modest ever to wear an England shirt. This is a duty in most schools that would be undertaken by some junior member of the Common Room but for Phil this is no duty, this is the Headmaster leading his flock, knowing his boys.

One boy walks alongside him on the pavement, no adult could do that because Phil’s shoulders were too wide. He is smiling, he is listening. This is why he became a schoolmaster.

There is so much to say about this wonderful man and this afternoon I must limit myself to asking certain questions.

First. Where did he come from? How did he form his mind?

Phil was born in rural Worcestershire where his father was a country clergyman from whom he inherited his athletic talents as well as his Faith, while his mother bestowed on him all her pastoral talents. He never lost his childhood love of the countryside and, as he said to his daughter, Judy, he always felt more at home in the hedgerows than in the boardroom.

He was at school at Denstone, a tough, hearty school, and bitterly cold in winter, where he was a star on the games fields. He was no slouch in the classroom and won an Exhibition to St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, to read Natural Sciences. National Service followed in the RAF which provided some dramas. Early on in his RAF hut, some unwise smart alec pulled a knife on him. Maybe Phil was considered a posh public school boy, maybe he was seen as a physical threat. The next day, the recruits had orders to play rugger. The weather was appalling and the intended ground was flooded making any game impossible. The Flight Sergeant decided to play the game indoors in the hangar. Phil checked with the Sergeant that full scale tackling was allowed. He was told that it was and he waited until the knife puller received the ball. As he did so, he also received Phil. The wretched man was lifted many feet in the air and came down with Phil on top of him, onto the concrete. As Phil told me this quietly, but with a gleam in his eye, “Nobody ever pulled a knife on me again.”

Cambridge was remarkable in that although he played rugger for the University, he never played or ran against Oxford and thus did not win a Blue. However, it says a great deal for him that the Athletics team decided he should run in the Varsity Match by arranging that a first string would be temporarily hurt and Phil would be called on to run as a replacement. What a tribute. Thus he was told to be at the White City and duly set off on his motor cycle. Almost inevitably, the motor cycle broke down and that was that.

However, far greater glories lay ahead than university for whilst his day job was teaching at Christ’s Hospital, the Harlequins, England and the Lions made him a national and international sporting hero, his initials known across the rugby world, as part of one the greatest partnerships in the centre to represent England, alongside Jeff Butterfield. And he reached rugby Valhalla by playing a central role in the victorious 1955 Lions tour of South Africa alongside Cliff Morgan and Dickie Jeeps, and it was Phil’s picture that featured on the cover of JBG Thomas’ book of the tour, with those shoulders going in one direction and his blonde hair flowing in the other.

He had had to ask for permission from the Headmaster at Christ’s Hospital to miss part of the school term to go on the tour and when he returned triumphant, the world lay at his feet. Today he would have been showered with financial opportunities and lucrative contracts. As it was, he embarked on a great school mastering

career with his newly married wife, Nancy, at his side. His mind was formed; his purpose set.

Secondly. What made him a great schoolmaster and a great Headmaster?

A year or so after his return from South Africa, Phil made a decision that was to have enormous consequences. He decided that he would prefer to teach the younger age group than teenagers. Good schoolmasters make an impact: great schoolmasters have an influence that lasts a lifetime. Phil felt that his vocation, and his skills, were best fulfilled nurturing the young, where he could make them believe in themselves and grow in a lasting confidence and thus he had a lasting influence on them.

Smallwood Manor, the prep school for Denstone enticed him back as a very young Headmaster where he had five very happy years learning the trade of what a Headmaster can and cannot do. Then came the vacancy at the Junior, when Hugh Clutton-Brock, a most distinguished Headmaster, retired. Aged a mere 36, Phil applied for his second Headmastership. Still very much in his prime with a huge physical presence, he must have been somewhat surprised to be asked at interview by a member of Council, “Tell me, Mr Davies, do you yourself play any games.” I can imagine Phil replying, “I play a bit of rugger.” So began the 22-year reign of the Junior leading to his year as Chairman of all the Prep Schools.

He had an excellent inheritance and he built on it rapidly. He attracted first class staff and cherished them, new classrooms were built, parents were made to feel more than welcome and every boy was made to feel special as he sought to provide the widest possible education and care, not least in Art, Music, Drama and Jewellery. Those who expected a huge concentration on competitive games and macho activity were to be confounded by the Headmaster who coached only the most junior teams. How he loved to go back to his own roots by comparing the school to a garden, the pupils to the plants and the Common Room to fertilizer, though he used a more agricultural word to describe the latter.

But, of course, there was much more to him than that. He was a wise man who thought independently and had insights into how people lived and worked. When he spoke, at School Assembly for instance, he spoke with simplicity and depth that rang the bell of truth. One favourite question was to ask whether someone was a giver or a taker, another that when anyone was confronted with a difficult decision, the more difficult option was almost always the best decision. He spoke with that quiet authority that made you listen. Thus he was a great schoolmaster and a great headmaster for he was a moral force for good.

Finally, to that key question that must be asked of any man or woman. What was the essence of the man? What was the basis of his humanity?

For most of you in this Chapel, Phil was the Headmaster of the Junior. To others, he will be remembered as the epitome of the amateur rugby international, playing with speed and power, with a sense of fair play and great fun.

What was it that made him so special? I believe it was his humility.

The fact that he had been a super star was never part of his outward life. I am sure that it gave him an inner confidence but there was never anything flash or extravagant about him, apart from once buying a 3 litre Reliant Scimitar car as a result of a fortunate investment. That car was followed by three wheeler

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specials and many motor bikes that made him look a cross between Steve McQueen and Roger Federer. He always bought his clothes from the lower end of the High Street and money never interested him. A packet of those horrible, horrible Fisherman friends in his pocket, which he believed could cure pupils of nearly any ill, and he was a happy man.

As Hilaire Belloc wrote: From quiet homes and first beginning, Out to the undiscovered ends, There’s nothing worth the wear of winning But laughter and the love of friends.

From the quiet home of Abberley in Worcestershire and the Faith of the Church of England as exemplified by the Book of Common Prayer and the King James Bible, out to the ends of roaring crowds at Twickenham and Johannesburg, to the Junior where he had such an influence on you all, he became that friend full of laughter and warmth. And at the end of the day, he returned to his beloved wife, Nan, and children Simon and Judy and his adored grandchildren of whom he felt so proud. Nan was an essential part of his life, content to play second fiddle, at home with those who did not fit into the mainstream, nursing her husband and others through difficult times which always occur in schools, the keeper of those wonderful little dogs, she provided a love and care that was central to his life. And in the last years, after Nan’s death, how fortunate he was to have Simon and Judy who cared for him magnificently back here in Cheltenham.

Phil loved this Chapel and the splendid music that the Junior created in it. He had a balance in his life that was grounded by his Faith and that was rooted in the belief that everyone he met, everyone in his charge, was deeply important to him. Nothing about any boy was too trivial for his attention. He cared and he comforted and, in return, he was respected and held in the greatest affection. Such was the humanity of the man. In the words of the prayer “Go forth into the world in peace”, he was of good courage, he held fast to that which is good, he rendered to no one evil for evil, he strengthened the fainthearted, supported the weak, helped the afflicted and honoured all men and women.

William Philip Cathcart Davies, in the words of Thomas Hardy, “You were a good man and you did good things.”

John Scott Dickins (Former JS Staff, 1993-2006) John Scott Dickins, father of Edward (JS, 2006) and Toby (JS, 2006), died on the 30th April 2018 after a short illness, aged 67.

He is survived by his wife Frances and his sons.

Jemima Dixon (Cha, 1989) Jemima Dixon, sister of Annabel Dixon (Cha, 1991), died on 5th July 2017, aged 46, at Dignitas in Switzerland, where she had the assisted death that she had chosen and meticulously planned. Jemima had been ill for over seventeen years with life-limiting degenerative illnesses which included ME, MS, Fibromyalgia and Osteoporosis amongst many other things. It was a difficult time for Jemima dealing with constant pain, full-time carers and being mostly bedbound but she handled it all with grace

and dignity. Jemima had been an advocate for assisted dying and had discussed Dignitas for over a decade before she made her decision. It was not something Jemima took lightly, but she was absolutely certain it was what she wanted. She was unwavering in her decision.

Jemima’s only final regret was that the UK laws dictated that she wasn’t able to have an assisted death at home in the UK. The laws prescribed that when Jemima travelled to Switzerland it needed to be completely without the assistance of friends and family. As Jemima was concerned about her declining health and didn’t want to implicate the family in assisting with her death, she took the decision to have an assisted death substantially earlier than she needed. The unmistakable truth is that if the UK laws were different, Jemima would still be with her family now.

She was born on 15th November 1970 and is remembered to be a wriggly, hyperactive and inquisitive little person. The family moved homes frequently when she was young, but Jemima was undeterred by changing schools every few years. She always swanned through her academic life with flying colours. She had a real thirst for knowledge and at an early age she became an avid reader, so was often found tucked away with a pile of books. That certainly didn’t make Jemima a wall-flower, she was competitive, enjoyed sports and took to the stage as an actress before she was 10.

For those of you that were at Cheltenham in the same years as her, you will know that she was highly intelligent, determined and brave, mixed with a healthy touch of rebelliousness. Jemima’s A-Level years at College were taken up with her passion for acting, so she performed in as many of the plays as she could. One particularly memorable performance was as Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. Jemima may also have been known for playing some sport but finding fun and trouble was also always close at hand. In spite of that, Jemima left Cheltenham with 3 decent grades and went to Reading University for a term before deciding that the world of work was where she wanted to be.

Jemima worked in the UK for a few years in sales and advertising before she left to work in the Caribbean where she thrived in her job as a pirate’s wench, hosting tourists on the Jolly Roger sunset cruises. After several water-bound years gadding about in the Cayman Islands, swimming, snorkeling and diving, she became a dive master which she absolutely adored.

On returning home, Jemima embarked on a career in London and progressed to being a business analyst at Nomura where she worked until she was about 30. She absolutely loved it and was distraught when ME reared its ugly head and her illnesses became too difficult for her to ignore – so she moved home to Cheshire to convalesce. And the rest they say is history.

Jemima was beautiful, bright, loyal and loving - she leaves a big J-shaped hole behind her. She is survived by her mother and her sister.

Annabel Dixon To understand more about Jemima’s journey to Dignitas read Annabel’s blog: https://20past12.wordpress.com/ To understand more about the campaign to change the assisted dying laws in the UK, visit: https://www.dignityindying.org.uk 4.

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FLOREAT Dr Simon William Duke (OJ & Th/S, 1977) Simon Duke died very suddenly on the 5th September 2018, aged 59. He is remembered at College as a very mature and sensible member of his year group.

On leaving College, he went to Aberystwyth University and on graduating he went on to Oxford where he was awarded a Master of Philosophy, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy, in International Relations. Oxford was followed by post-doctoral study in Sweden and the United States and then a position as an assistant Professor at The Pennsylvania State University.

While at Penn State, Simon met Roberta Haar from Wagner, South Dakota. They married in Wagner in July 1996 and lived in the Czech Republic and Hungry before settling in The Netherlands in 1998 where Simon worked as a Professor at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) in Maastricht.

Simon was one of the leading scholars in the field of European security and defence policy. He was the author of eleven monographs and over a hundred other publications on European and transatlantic foreign and security issues. He taught regularly on European Public Affairs, contributed frequently to the activities of the Centre for European Research in Maastricht and, since 2007, he was the co-Executive Editor of The Journal of European Integration.

Simon also published on related topics in many international journals and contributed to numerous academic workshops and conferences. He managed this successful academic career in the context of a demanding role training large numbers of officials and diplomats from the European institutions, the EU member states and third countries. In the past years, he has been very much involved in the training of staff of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the newly established EU diplomatic service.

His Colleagues at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Maastricht University said: “With the departure of Simon, we have not only lost a highly valued scholar and admired teacher, but also a wonderful colleague who inspired all those that he worked with - students, young academics and peers alike. He was always generous with his time and available for thoughtful advice.

Through his wit and humour, he touched many hearts and it was always a pleasure to work with him. Our thoughts are with his wife Roberta and his two sons, William and Sidney. We wish them a lot of courage in dealing with this immense loss.”

Simon is survived by his wife, sons, mother and the family circle.

Francis Dunbar-Lidderdale (JS & DB, 1946) John Dunbar-Lidderdale, brother of the late David DunbarLidderdale (JS & DB, 1950), died on the 17th September 2018, shortly after his 90th birthday.

Robert James Epton MBE DL (NH, 1952) James Epton, brother of Richard Epton, (NH,1954), died on the 2nd February 2018, aged 83.

Frederick James Hiles Evans (NH, 1961) Frederick Evans died on the 23rd January 2018, aged 75.

Christopher Peter Maynard Gomm (NH, 1958) Christopher (Chris) Gomm died on the 27th January 2018, aged 77. He came to College on an Exhibition and on leaving he was awarded a place at Balliol College, Oxford, where he read Law. Jeremy Taylor (Xt, 1958) has written in to say: “He was a key member of the unbeaten 1957 XV where his height and determination won much good ball at number 5. He never missed one of the team’s reunion dinners and attended the 60th anniversary dinner at College in September 2017. He was awarded his Fencing Colours and was a prominent member of the Chess Club. Chis was a quiet and modest man despite accomplishments across a wide spectrum of College life.”

The 1958 Cheltonian Chess report said: “Dr Muller played simultaneously 15 boards composing of masters and boys; the result was 11-4 in his favour. Only Messrs Calvert, Browne, Dennison and Gomm won their games.”

On leaving University, he joined Price Waterhouse to undertake accountancy articles. On qualifying, he was posted to Kuala Lumpur for six months. On returning to London he left Price Waterhouse and joined Crompton Parkinson, a part of Hawker Siddeley, in Yorkshire as a management trainee and later became Financial Director. He was then posted to Australia to sort out some problems with a subsidiary based there and became their Financial Director. On returning from Australia, he left HawkerSiddeley and joined Fison’s, a multinational pharmaceutical, scientific instruments and horticultural chemicals company as Financial Director. When Fison’s were taken over, he became Financial Director of Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, a post he held until he retired in 2000.

He was survived by his wife Shelia, who sadly passed away in October 2018, their daughter Sophie, son Nicholas and his four grandchildren.

Group Captain (Retd) Caryl Ramsay Gordon LVO (Xt, 1941) Caryl Gordon died on the 27th March 2018, aged 94. He was born in Cheltenham, the son of a former Indian Army cavalry officer, Ramsay Gordon, with the family summers regularly spent in Dinard, on the Emerald coast of Brittany. He came to College from Beaudesert Prep School in 1936.

Caryl played in the Cricket XI in 1941 and the 1941 Cheltonian reported: “A steady player, with a straight bat and the right temperament. He watches the ball well and does not mind the spectators. He can field well, and with one or two lapses, he has done so.” He played in the 3rd XV. The 1940 Cheltonian reported that: “In the match against Cheltenham Grammar School, if it had not been for the stout work by Liddington at full-back and Gordon in the centre, the game would not have been won. Against Felsted, Gordon kicked a neat dropped goal and did useful work with Fish in the centre.”

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On leaving College he joined the RAF. Caryl’s timing in life was as usual spot on, and he spent a significant part of the war undergoing flying training in Canada, where he received his ‘wings’ in the post! He returned to England in time to complete training on glider towing, only to find that the previous course to his carried out the airborne landings on the Rhine in 1945, with no further requirements for gliders in the war thereafter. So it was onto 51 Squadron at Driffield as a co-pilot on Sterling and Halifax bombers, involved in many long distance flights to the Middle East and further. While talking to the station commander he mentioned that his brother John in the Army in India was ill with polio and was about to be sent back to England by ship, but there appeared to be no plan for the repatriation of all his belongings. An immediate long distance navigation exercise to India, commanded by Pilot Officer Gordon, was authorised to put this right!

Plainly Caryl was already attracting the attention of his superiors in the RAF, as shown by his very early selection for a one year flying instructor’s course at the Central Flying School at Little Rissington. Once having become an instructor, he was also appointed the leader of the Meteorites, the RAF aerobatic team of four Meteor jets which was the predecessor of the current Red Arrows. It was during this time that Caryl, literally, hit the headlines with the following piece in the Evening News of the 2nd January 1953: “29 year old flying instructor, Flt Lt Caryl Gordon, has astounded fellow pilots and aviation medical experts by performing a remarkable aerobatic manoeuvre without showing the slightest ill-effects. According to the generally accepted view he should have experienced a “red-out” and been blind for several days. This, he was told, could be expected for certain if he flew his plane above a certain speed at the critical moment of the manoeuvre. But there were no such effects and Flt Lt Gordon has set pilots talking in RAF messes about his remarkable flying skill and judgement, and medical officers thinking of his high physical qualities.” In short, this manoeuvre involved the aerobatic team doing a loop but with Caryl upside down, after which his team pilots all complained that it was difficult to keep their position because he looked so different upside down.

So here was Caryl showing very publicly some of his great qualities – top grade flying skills, great confidence and leadership to inspire the team, and a willingness to take risks. It is not surprising therefore that in 1952 he was selected to teach Prince Philip to fly, a role that would require all these skills, together with a real sense of humour, firmness and the ability to handle a considerable character with consummate ease. There can be no doubt that this was a highly successful appointment which was very much appreciated by Prince Philip who was reported in the press to have become a cracking stick and rudder man! In addition to the flying there were numerous parties at Sandringham, dancing with Princess Margaret and regular opportunities to get behind the wheel of Prince Philip’s Aston Martin. Instruction continued until 1955 and resulted in the award that year of the MVO (Member of the Royal Victorian Order), which in 1984 was upgraded to LVO (Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order).

Upon leaving his royal duties, Caryl returned to operational flying as a night fighter pilot and flight commander on No 33 Squadron, equipped with the Venom. After a period at the RAF Staff College and then in Germany, he converted to the delta-wing Javelin and returned to command No 33 Squadron. A few months later he moved to RAF Geilenkirchen in Germany in command of another Javelin squadron, No 5 Squadron.

As a Group Captain he served at HQ Strike Command before

being appointed in 1971 as the Air Attaché in Argentina, with additional responsibility for Uruguay and Paraguay, carrying out his duties in fluent Spanish. He returned to Britain in December 1973 and his last appointment before retiring was at the RAF College, Cranwell.

Then, for two years he worked for the security services and lived in Balcombe Street, Marylebone. On the 6th December 6, members of the IRA took over the flat next door with hostages before a sixday stand off with the Metropolitan Police using his flat.

He was a member of Foston Fishing Club from 1964 and rode with the Holderness Hunt, where he was secretary from 1983 to 1991.

Caryl is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Gill, and their son Andrew, daughter Henrietta and his three granddaughters.

Peter Colyer Jackson (NH, 1951) Peter Jackson, father of Andrew Jackson (JS & NH, 1985) and brother of the late Brigadier Graeme Jackson OBE (EDB, 1940), died on the 7th May 2018, aged 85.

Peter was born in Cheltenham, the son of a Scot who was a qualified dentist and doctor and one of the pioneers of modern facial plastic surgery, working with those horrifically injured in the First and Second World Wars. During his happy and formative years at College, Peter developed his passion for art (he was Secretary of the Art Society in 1950), architecture and sport. Peter played at centre in the 1950 XV and took the kicks. The 1951 Cheltonian Society rugby reported: “Then a running drop goal by Jackson put us ahead against Trinity College, Oxford.” He played in the XXII for two years, captaining the side in his final year. He played in the 2ndXI hockey for two years and captained the 1951 House XI in Pots, where they lost 1-0 to Hazelwell.

After leaving College, he served his National Service and then he joined J & P Coats Ltd in Glasgow on their management trainee programme. It was with them that he learned of his trade as a salesman which stood him in good stead for the rest of his life.

Whilst with the firm, he took a two year posting to Manly, Australia.

Peter was always very loyal to the companies for whom he worked. Integrity, honesty and hard work were the drivers of a very successful career. The peak of his career was no doubt the building of Sandretto(UK) Ltd, an Italian engineering company, as Managing Director. The company produced injection moulding machines for the plastics industry. Sandretto was very successful and whilst Peter shared in the success, he got the most joy of seeing the people it produced and seeing them succeed. When he retired it was the people he missed.

Peter was an unsung hero as a sportsman. It cannot have been easy having his brother Graeme (he played rugby for the Barbarians, London and Scotland (1946-49)), regularly in the headlines. But, like everything in Peter’s life he remained loyal to his teams and his teammates. Harlequins, for whom he played whilst in London was his rugby team, and to say he was biased in their favour would have been an enormous understatement. Peter played rugby for many other clubs as he moved around during his career - Manchester, Worthing, Public School Wanderers, Manly 6.

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in Australia, and of course finally and probably with the most dedication, Leighton Buzzard. Peter was President at Leighton Buzzard for many years, and they achieved a lot – which he always put down to the strength of the people around him and not himself.

Peter was actively involved in the Cheltonian Society, serving on the Executive Committee for many years and was President from 2001-4 and was a valued member of the College Council during this period.

Peter was the dedicated husband of Sally for 49 years and they created a loving environment for Andrew and Clare to grow up in.

Family was everything to him.

Peter was predeceased by Sally and is survived by his son Andrew, daughter Clare and his beloved grandchildren.

John Edward Francis Kirwan (Ch, 1961) John Kirwan, son of the late Ralph Bertram Kirwan (Ch, 1927) and brother of Michael Ralph Kirwan (Ch, 1958), died on the 14th of April 2017, aged 74.

The 1956 Cheltonian report on the Art Exhibition said: “One of the smallest pictures – a design in fragments of torn newspapers based on pots and kettles – was made by Kirwan. This was extremely subtle, spoiled only by being too literal. On the other hand, Kirwan’s large purple-reddish landscape, a later work was extremely successful – simple in planning, unusual in colour, this was one of the most mature works we have had for a long time.”

He was awarded the Lady Lee of Fareham Art Prize.

On leaving College, he was awarded a place at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, to read architecture. Alongside the discipline of architectural design theory as taught in 1962, the course offered opportunities for practical creativity in drawing. Not only did John enjoy the craft of making architectural drawings, he also encouraged other students to try out life drawing and he engaged live models for them to draw. His life at Emmanuel was centred on the Christian Union, where he joined with enthusiasm in College prayer meetings.

John’s career as an architect began with a memorable visit to America in 1969, where he fell in love with the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Back in the UK he worked for two county councils, Essex and Worcestershire, after which his career took a few turns of interest and further qualifications, teaching at the University of Central England School of Architecture being the longest and most demanding. He taught, he examined and ran courses for the whole of the building trade. Having been head hunted to start up the Midland Study Centre, he was on advisory committees, he got school children thinking, and he patiently saw students through family crises, grant crises and visa crises, as they handed in work late. His interest in conservation grew, and his final post was as Conservation Officer for Worcester City Council, where the planning officer benefited from his ability to smooth troubled waters of developers and builders alike.

His Christian life was committed and prayerful, widened and deepened by contact with different churches in America. He was at heart a New Testament disciple, seeing the church first and foremost as the gathered body of believers. He, and his wife Ruth, practised this belief for four years in a House Church, until the members felt called to disband and seek to join local churches. Though John and Ruth never felt entirely comfortable

in the established Church of England, they joined the parish of St Martin’s, Worcester, a traditional, slightly high, Anglican parish, where John made a huge contribution. In later life he trained as a counsellor and joined with Ruth in The Bridge, a Christian counselling organisation in Worcester. His service of thanksgiving took place at St Martin’s in a packed church, such was his standing in the community.

John is survived by his wife Ruth, daughter Amber, sons Patrick and Thomas and his seven grandchildren.

Paul Crosby Lamplugh OBE (OJ & NH, 1949) Paul Lamplugh, son of Eric Crosby Lamplugh, former Head of Physics, Leconfield Housemaster and Second Master (1931-67) and father of Lizzie Bingham (Cha, 1988), died on the 12th June 2018, aged 87.

In the early years at College, Paul wasn’t considered very bright and when he was in the 4th Form, he found himself in his father’s Physics class. At the end of term, his father said he understood what other teachers said about him and it was decided that he needed stretching. The next term he was transferred to the Upper Fifth and the following year to the Upper Sixth, where he was with boys apparently brighter than him. He had to struggle to keep up, but he always thought it did him the world of good and in due course enabled him to pass the then very stiff solicitors’ exams at first sitting. In those days you had to have School Certificate Latin in order to be a solicitor. For some reason he found Latin difficult and had to take it six times before he passed. He said: “Each time I got better marks and when I entered the exam room for the sixth time, all the other boys clapped me!”

Paul played for the 2nd XV in his final year, rowed and came second in the South West Schools’ cross country race.

On leaving School he became an articled clerk with Beaumont & Son in the City and worked in conveyancing until joining the Law Society, dealing with professional conduct.

Paul was catapulted to fame in the worst of circumstances. His daughter Suzy, a young estate agent, went missing in 1986 and was never found. That no one else would have to suffer the same plight, Paul and his wife, Diana, dedicated the rest of their lives to improving personal safety, especially for women in the workplace. They founded the Suzy Lamplugh Trust a few months after their daughter’s disappearance and channelled their grief and formidable energy into campaigning for the licensing of minicabs, safer car parks and stations and for stalking to be recognised as a crime. The trust started the National Stalking Helpline and Paul and Diana were awarded OBEs in recognition of their charitable work.

While Diana was the charismatic frontwoman, Paul was its engine, running the office full-time from their home in Sheen, organising his wife’s speaking engagements as well as the publication of her books and leaflets on self-protection and looking after the family. After many years, Diana and he decided that they and everyone had done enough and that it was time to bring an end to the situation and spend more of their time on their other children.

They believed that Suzy herself would have said, “Come on Mum

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and Dad, you’ve done enough!” They discussed this with the police and arranged a news conference at Scotland Yard, to announce their decision. Their other three children attended the meeting, in a room packed with journalists. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Commissioner who confirmed the police’s decision, and at Diana’s insistence he actually named the suspect.

While Diana was speaking at a charities meeting in 2003 she had a stroke which ended her working life. Sadly, she passed away on the 18th April, 2011. Paul had already appointed a team to take over the trust and remained closely involved with its work until his death.

Paul, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, celebrated his 87th birthday on May 31st 2018 with a garden party at his nursing home with 40 friends and family members. The nurses had never seen a party like it and, as always, he delivered a speech.

Paul is survived by his son Richard, daughters Tasmin and Lizzie and his grandchildren.

Michael John Larkam (Ch, 1952) Michael Larkham, father of David Larkam (Ch, 1983), died on the 9th July 2028, aged 83.

Gordon Hugh Kerr Lawson (JS & BH, 1949) Hugh Lawson died on the 10th January, aged 87.

Brigadier James Richard St. Duthus Mackaness MBE (H, 1975) James (Jamie) Mackaness, son of the late Lt. Col. Richard John Mackaness (H, 1946), nephew of the late Barry Samuel Mackaness (H, 1946) great- nephew of Frederick St. Duthus Skinner (H, 1911) and grandson of Scott St. Duthus Skinner (H, 1918), died suddenly on the 16th November 2018, aged 61.

James enjoyed a successful time at College and in his final year he was a very respected Head of House and College Prefect. He rowed in the 1st VIII for two years, captaining the rowing club in his final year. He also played in the 1973 and 1974 XVs. The 1973 Cheltonian reported that: “Caldicott and Mackaness were sound in defence in the centre and thrusting in attack.”

On leaving College he joined the 9th/12th Lancers and hit the ground running. He never seemed to put a foot wrong – always turning up in the right kit in the right place at the right time. James was a quick learner. His first Troop Sergeant, Sgt McNeill, had by coincidence also been Jamie’s father’s driver. Deciding it was time to lay down the law, Jamie strode into the ops room in Northern Ireland to set forth his views. Sgt McNeil held up his hand. “Steady oan Laddie”, he said. “Afair ye say anything, jist min Ah used tae boonce ye up an doon oan mah knee when ye waur a too year auld.” From that point on, Jamie knew how to lose gracefully and win with humility.

Jamie never failed to make an impression on those he met. And if you were lucky enough to fall within his orbit, you’d be warmed by

the rays of his easy charm and loyal friendship. You might then go on to discover three more things about him: He instinctively saw both sides of any argument, he possessed a profound understanding of his fellow man, and he could charm the birds out of the trees.

This trio of talents was put to good use when he found himself in Africa with a problem. In 1980, Rhodesia became Zimbabwe. A British Army monitoring force was sent out to disarm the guerrillas who’d fought their War of Independence. It was intended that a small training team would turn the guerrillas into a National Army. That was the theory. Then a 24-year-old Major, Jamie was allotted over a thousand guerrillas and a patch of land in the bush for their camp.

His training team consisted of him, and one British Sergeant.

His 1200 Africans came from two different factions and there was no love lost between them as they were locked in a power struggle. Secondly, they’d only handed in half their weapons.

The other half were hidden in dumps in the surrounding bush.

The battalion’s Moscow trained commander asked him: “How are you going to help us?” Jamie smiled his most charming smile and said: “I’m going to teach you all drill and turn you into proper Infantry Battalion.” He then set to work, promptly establishing a drill competition. It was a shrewd move, pitting platoon against platoon rather than tribe against tribe. The power struggle that could have ended in a bloodbath was averted, and within six months he’d turned his band of guerrillas into a fully functioning and immaculately turned out infantry battalion.

There were two sides to Jamie. Out of work, he was the life and soul of the party, full of fun and adventure, but as soon as he changed into uniform, he was a soldier’s soldier and utterly professional. He really knew how to lead soldiers in a very professional way, to understand their requirements, act with compassion but firm in the maintenance of the highest standards. Being made an MBE following a tough tour of Belfast in the 1990s is ample evidence he was an exceptional officer, and he was the right choice to become Commanding Officer of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers in 1998. He made the right choices even when they were unpopular, and was generous with praise and shy of reward. He was destined to become Colonel of the Royal Lancers later this year.

What was also so impressive about Jamie, is that he could relate to people from all walks of life regardless of background and geography. In Ramallah, on the central West Bank his work was described in the words of a very senior US VIP “as having made a real difference” and on the civilian side as Chairman of the Governors of the English School in Kuwait his legacy still holds firm today, some 10 years on.

Jamie was a family man threefold – the family he was brought up in, his Regiment, and the family he created with his wife Mary Anne.

He is survived by his wife, son Charlie, daughters Anastasia and Katerina, sister Alexandra, and mother Heather.

Peter Treharne Marshall (OJ & W, 1951) Peter Marshall, son of H.E. Marshall MC (Past staff, 1945-53), died on the 29th December 2017, aged 86.

Peter excelled at College and whilst there he first discovered the importance of a good education and how important good teachers were.

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He was awarded the Tanner Prize for Natural History in his final year. He took part in many extra activities, he became a member of the Combined Cadet Force and that is where he discovered that he was an exceptional shot and quickly qualified as a marksman.

Bisley Competition shooting would stay with him through his life, including winning cups and medals at Bisley in his later years.

Peter was offered a place at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, to read Zoology. But before he could go, he had to do National Service in the Army. He joined the 7th Regiment, Royal Signals, and after basic training he got the opportunity to go to officer training. He enjoyed being a soldier and did well at it, in fact so well that he was awarded the Sword of Honour. He eventually ended up doing service in Egypt.

After National Service, Peter went up to Cambridge to study Zoology. Biology became another one of his passions and he graduated with a 1st class Honours Degree. This love of the subjects would stay with him for all his life.

After leaving University, Peter got a research job at the Department of Fisheries. This involved spending months on end in the Arctic Circle on fishing trawlers carrying out fish surveys. The conditions must have been incredibly challenging, but he seemed to thrive in the job and never lost his love of the sea.

The ability to influence and change people’s lives for the better always stayed with him and drove him to take up a career in teaching that would last over fifty years Peter had always wanted to teach and he was appointed to Bryanston (1955-60) to teach Biology. He then moved on to The Leys, Cambridge (1960-88), where he was also involved in running the Rifle Club and in later years he taught Religious Education.

One of the students he taught qualified as a doctor and eventually became his doctor! During his time at The Leys, Peter wrote many text books on Biology that formed part of the national curriculum both nationally and internationally.

Peter enjoyed family life and over time acquired more and more pets, reaching its peak with seven dogs and two cats. Sadly, his first wife Jenny died in the mid 80s. After a number of years he met his second wife Selina and started a new chapter in his life which lasted 30 years.

Peter was a deeply religious man and attended many churches in Cambridge. He wanted to do more than just attend Church so in 1993 he became a Reader and Lay Preacher in the Diocese of Ely. He regularly preached and helped with the services at church.

He also volunteered as part of the Chaplaincy at Addenbrookes and would visit patients and provide prayers and comfort to them.

He went on pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Galilee and also led them. As part of this he got heavily involved in the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem which would operate on men and women, but especially children, to save them from blindness. He raised a lot of awareness and funds for the hospital and was awarded the Order of St John for the work he had done. He also liked to paint and painted many pictures of his time in the Middle East.

Peter is survived by his wife Selina, his son Simon, daughters Wendy and Margaret, step-sons Graham and Simon, stepdaughters Sue, Sally, Anne and his grandchildren.

Luke William Daniel Piercy (L, 1996) Luke Piercy died suddenly on the 1st June 2018, aged 40. He is survived by his wife Nic Nac, sister Beth, brother Giles and his mother Adrienne.

(The following is the eulogy given at Luke’s service, by his brother Giles.)

What comes to mind when I think of Luke is how much I loved to spend time in his company. He had over the years many reasons, whether through health or difficulty in finding work, to be less than a brilliant companion - but he was not one to burden anyone with his troubles, and the fact that he was always such outrageously good company, is a testament to what an amazing man he was.

The coroner has been unable to give a definitive cause of his death, other than to say it was almost certainly related to his complicated health issues, but actually, at the time of his death, he was in good health and had just enjoyed a lemon and ginger tea so mysterious to the last.

Nic Nac was the best thing that happened to Luke, and his life was transformed almost from the day he met her. Within weeks of their first meeting, Luke said that he had met his future wife - incredible to have that certainty after such a short time. Shortly after he died, our mother, Adrienne, sitting on the terrace of her house in Simorre, in South West France – a terrace where Luke had idled away many an hour, turned to Nic Nac and said: “you know you rescued Luke.” Without missing a beat, Nic Nac replied: “well, you know he rescued me right back!” And I think that was right at the heart of their love affair.

They had a ball together. Recently, Nic Nac was reminding me of the places they’d been to since they met, and it is a spectacular list spanning almost 20 countries around the world. They absolutely adored each other, and were great for one and other, and squeezed more into the few years they had together than others do in a lifetime. It is a cruel irony that Luke had just found a job that he was going to truly excel in, and I suspect a large part of that success, was down to the love and stability that they provided for each other.

Talking of Luke’s work, a friend, Mark Meredith, recently shared an entry from Hunter Lodge’s website, Hunter Lodge being an advertising agency, where Luke worked and famously looked after the Cat Protection charity account. On their Website there is a page entitled “Meet Luke Piercy” where Luke responds to various questions.

Favourite Project?: “It has to be the long running rehoming campaign for Cats Protection.”

Favourite thing to do with spare time? “I love to travel, I really enjoy sport, and I’m a big fan of eating, drinking and sleeping.”

As Mark said: “The final hilarity is that they fired him - what on earth did they expect!”

There is no one that has been more protective of Luke than his sister, Beth. She has been an amazing sister. Anyone who spent

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much time with Luke has probably had to deal with the dreaded hypo. Fairly regularly, Luke would overdo it, have a hypo and we’d call the ambulance and end up down at Charing Cross A&E. His ability to bounce back from the hypos was Lazarus like. It has been Beth, more than anyone else, over the years who has always been there for Luke and got him out of many a scrape.

I can’t really remember talking to Luke much, if at all, about the future, and other than endlessly re-telling each other stories from the past, he wasn’t really that interested in what had gone before.

He lived for the moment, and the things that he was interested in, and passionate about. It was about making the most of now, spending time with those he loved, watching rugby with mates, cooking and eating together, appreciating and being unbelievably knowledgeable about the world around him, drinking too much, burning the candle at both ends, and laughing. He was always, always laughing – that glorious, contagious, eyes scrunched up, helpless laugh. And, as I know we all did, I loved to laugh with him, and tell stories that had been told a hundred times, only because I knew he’d laugh and that laugh warmed your soul.

He could be rude though, spectacularly rude and spectacularly inappropriate. He certainly was not politically correct, and any thought of observing such sensibilities would be abandoned if there was a laugh to be had.

We have had so many letters and love from everyone and I thought this, written by one of Luke’s friends, just says it all: “It dawned on me this afternoon, in total honesty, that every single memory I have of him and every image in my mind, he is either laughing or making someone else laugh. That’s the honest truth and it’s actually really rather an amazing thing. Long after we remember all the things we’ve done or said with someone we remember how they made us feel. Of anyone I’ve met, Luke made people feel the most happy.”

Simon David John Pilkington (BH, 1976) Simon Pilkington, son of the late John Leonard Leslie Pilkington (BH, 1936) died on the10th November 1976, aged 59.

Guy Lyon Playfair (Ch,1952) Guy Playfair, brother of Professor G.L. Playfair (Ch, 1949) died on the 8th April 2018, aged 83. He was born in Quetta, India, the son of Major General Ian Playfair and novelist Jocelyn Playfair. On leaving College, he read Modern Languages at Cambridge.

After National Service as a translator with the RAF in Iraq, he pursued a career in journalism and working for Life magazine. In the early 1960s, he moved to Rio de Janeiro where he worked for the next 10 years as a freelance journalist for a number of international business magazines, The Economist, Time, The Guardian and Associated Press. He also served for four years with the press corps of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

It was during his time in Brazil, in the late 1960s, that he became interested in paranormal, following direct experience with a psychic healer. Initially, sceptical he was satisfied from first-hand observations that psi (study of psychic phenomena) existed in

the country and began studying the subject in depth. In 1973, he investigated a poltergeist outbreak in a private apartment in Sao Paolo where he succeeded in capturing unexplained rapping sounds on tape. He joined the British Society for Psychical Research the same year and also became a member of the Ghost Club. On his return to Britain in 1974, he wrote the first of a series of best-selling books on psychic topics. He also translated into English a large number of original texts on psychic experiences from Latin America previously available only in Spanish and Portuguese.

In 1977, together with Maurice Grosse, he investigated the famous Enfield poltergeist outbreak in North London. He spent 180 days and nights with the troubled family over a two-year period between September 5th 1977 and June 1978, including 25 all-night vigils.

Over 140 hours of tape recordings were obtained, resulting in transcripts running to over 500 pages (a substantial number of recordings have still to be transcribed). Additionally, there were at least 30 other witnesses to strange incidents. Re-investigated in 1981-82 by a special committee assembled by the Society for Psychical Research, the Enfield Poltergeist Investigation Committee (EPIC) re-examined the witnesses and collected evidence, later issuing 194-page report reaching the conclusion that paranormal incidents had indeed occurred in the house.

Many details of the case were included in his best-selling book This House is Haunted (1980) which sold 98,000 copies and was reprinted in 2012. Asked if sceptics who criticised the case at a distance had ever attempted to examine the material upon which it was based, Guy Playfair confirmed that in more 35 years none ever had taken the opportunity to do so. He also drew attention to much positive evidence from the case which still has yet to be published.

The Enfield case remains the best documented poltergeist disturbance on record.

As well as investigating other cases of poltergeists and hauntings, he also conducted experiments with mediums and investigated claims of psychokinesis and metal-bending. He was happy to work with experienced conjurors and members of the Magic Circle to try and explain effects in normal ways but found many could not be replicated, leaving them open to a psychic explanation. He was also particularly interested in cases of telepathy between identical twins, publishing the book Telepathy: Twin Connection in 1999 and in cases of meaningful coincidences. Continuing to be active in psychical research until a few weeks before his final illness he would have appreciated the coincidence that he died the same morning as the BBC broadcast an edition of the Radio 4 programme, The Re-Union, dedicated to the Enfield case.

David Minton Rees (Xt, 1952) David Rees, father of David John Minton Rees (Xt, 1984), brother of Dan Minton Rees (Xt, 1955), Henry Minton Rees (Xt, 1959), John Minton Rees (Xt, 1962) and uncle of Aled Tudur Minton Rees (Xt, 1982), Morgan Huw Minton Rees (OJ, Xt & Ch, 1988), and cousin of Michael Sharrem Rees (Xt, 1953), Martin Sharrem Rees (Xt, 1958), died on the 19th April 2018, aged 83. He was the first of nine Rees to attend Cheltenham College.

After leaving College, David qualified as a Chartered Accountant before being called up for National Service in 1957. After basic 10.

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training at Oswestry, he was commissioned from Mons and posted to 6th Field Regiment RA at Dennis Barracks, Munsterlager, Germany.

In 1959, he joined Spillers as Sales Manager of their Cardiff Bakery Division, and in 1963 he was appointed Sales Director for the North of England. David left Spillers and bought a bakery business, Streets of Clevelys, in Clevelys. This business comprised a bakery and a shop. Over the next 20 years Streets became David Rees Foods’ Limited, opening 26 shops, and a new bakery plant with 200 employees.

David was an avid collector of classic motorcycles, being particularly fond of his Vincent Black Shadow. Amongst his many interests were breeding and racing thoroughbred racehorses.

He had great success with two of his horses, Reeman and Gordon’s Lad. Gordon’s Lad was due to be ridden by his sisterin-law, Geraldine Rees, in a Grand National but unfortunately the horse had to be withdrawn through injury. However, Geraldine was offered another ride and became the first female jockey to complete the Grand National course.

In retirement, Dan set up Malborough Horseboxes, specialising in boxes for two horses. The company has been very successful with over 900 Malborough Horseboxes on the roads of Britain, and have been exported to South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland, and Jersey.

David had a wonderful sense of humour, and was admired and much loved by his staff, his family and many friends. He is survived by his wife Cynthia, son David, daughter Emma, and his four grandchildren.

Charles Barton Sanders (H, 1957) Charles Sanders died on the 13th March 2018, aged 78.

William Oliphant Simpson (Past Staff Member 1965-99) Bill was educated at Bryanston where he enjoyed much success, which culminated in his appointment as Head Boy. With characteristic modesty, he always claimed that the reason for his elevation to such high office was the fact that he was not involved in an incident with an illicit still, the discovery of which eliminated some of the more obvious frontrunners! It was at Bryanston where he gained two passions, which would stay with him for the rest of his life: his love of History and, perhaps above all, his love of Music.

He read History at Lincoln College, Oxford, then was awarded a post-graduate year at Cornell University in the USA, an experience he greatly enjoyed. During his time in America he researched the background for his first ever book, ‘Vision and Reality’, a history of the evolution of American government, published in 1978. He went on to write seven more history books.

Bill started his teaching career at Leeds Grammar School, then moved to Glenalmond before coming to College in 1965 as Head of History, a post he held with great distinction from 1965-85 before taking over as Head of Politics until he retired in 1992. He

was an awarder in A-level History for the Oxford & Cambridge Schools’ Examination Board from 1990-95. He was a tutor in Boyne House, played the flute in the College orchestra and in the Cheltenham Philharmonic, and took a part in many climbing and hill-walking expeditions.

As a teacher, his greatest satisfaction probably came from his A-level and Oxbridge History teaching, and he prepared a long line of successful Oxbridge candidates, including Rageh Omaar (BH, 1985). However, he was always very happy to work with less gifted classes and to try to instill in them his own enthusiasm for the subject. Nor did he ever fail to respond to the innumerable other demands made on a schoolteacher’s time and energy.

Younger colleagues, and middle-aged ones who had hung up their boots some time ago, would be put to shame by seeing Bill, in kit and with whistle, off to Reeves to referee some very lowly rugby confrontation.

Bill’s historical scholarship was immense and wide ranging, and informed his grasp of Economics and Politics, as was shown in Vision and Reality, the Evolution of American Government.

This book was followed in 1986 by a significant work, Changing Horizons, Britain 1914-80, and erudite A-level texts: Working with Sources, Case Studies in Twentieth Century History (1988); Hitler and Germany (1991 and 2010); The Second Reich (1995 and 2010); The Reign of Elizabeth I (2001); Twentieth Century British History, a Teaching Resource Book (2005); and co-authored with Dr Martin Jones (Former Staff, 1982-2017) Europe 1783-1914 (2000, 2009, third edition 2015).

Until the general election of 1992, which was held in the school holidays, Bill had masterminded the mock elections at College.

These were lively affairs, and although it must have depressed him to know the unthinking predilections of the public school young would precondition the result, there were always a few brave spirits who were prepared to stand up for the other parties and indeed in the eighties when Cheltenham itself was tilting towards the Alliance, the College Alliance candidate made a very good showing. Bill also shouldered the unenviable task of producing a speaker, week after week, for the Current Affairs lectures.

Bill will probably be remembered by his pupils as an unassuming scholar whose wisdom and understanding they came increasingly to appreciate as they themselves matured, and whose interest in their work and punctilious attention to detail never failed them.

By his colleagues he is remembered as a most unassuming gentleman, who set them the highest standards, and who always had the ability to cut through the cobwebs of pedagoguery and get to what really matters. If History is the pursuit of truth, Bill upheld that standard magnificently.

He was President of the Common Room from 1989-92, having previously chaired the Common Room Finance Committee. His generous and knowledgeable valedictory comments on leaving colleagues themselves revealed much of his own philosophy of school-mastering, and his devotion to the proper processes and forms of democracy enlivened many a Common Room meeting.

On retirement he took up the post of Secretary and Archivist of the Cheltonian Society (1992-99) and continued with some part-time teaching.

Bill was predeceased by his first wife Margaret, second wife Sheila, son Christopher (W, 1981) and is survived by his daughters Bridget and Gillian.

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Richard Martin Stowers (Xt, 1952) Martin Stowers, brother of Peter Stowers (Xt, 1950), died on the 1st February 2018, aged 81.

John Grigor Taylor (Xt, 1940) John Taylor, son of Lt Col JMG Taylor (NH, 1898), died on the 20th December 2017, aged 96.

Charles John Du Bouchey Tinson (JS & Xt, 1941) Charles Tinson died on the 25th January 2018, aged 94.

Adam Turner (S &Xt, 1987) Adam Turner died very suddenly on 20th January 2018 aged 49.

He was born on 30th November 1968 in Zambia, the third son of Brian and Enid Turner. His father was posted to Kitwe in the northern copper-belt of Zambia, where he worked as a mining engineer with RTZ. Adam’s brothers Mark and Lloyd attended Stowe School, but after Beachborough Prep in Northamptonshire he joined Cheltenham College as a dayboy in Southwood in 1982. Adam’s cheerful nature was evident from an early stage and Charlie Auger was an ideal housemaster.

In the sixth form, Adam transferred from Southwood to become a full-time boarder in Malcolm Sloan’s Christowe, despite his parents living less than 500 yards away on Thirlestaine Road.

Adam’s principal interests outside the classroom were on the sports field where in the Autumn he excelled, initially as a full-back for Marshall Donaghey’s Yearlings B and latterly as a scrum-half in the 1986 XV. In the Summer Term he developed his skills as a wicket-keeper and batsman, representing the 2nd XI in 1986 and Simon Large’s XI in 1987.

Promotions within Morgan Howard quickly followed, as well as opportunities to work across the globe; Adam spent time opening and growing offices in Amsterdam, Singapore and New York between 1998 and 2002, embracing all the opportunities which the expatriate life offered. He played a leading role in growing Morgan Howard from one office in Hammersmith to sixteen locations worldwide with 200 plus employees globally.

Following the downturn in the technology market in 2001/2, Adam returned to London and soon took on the challenging task of restructuring the business, ultimately being appointed Chief Executive. During this period he was fortunate to work alongside his brother Lloyd who came in as Chief Operating Officer, and his father Brian who took on the role of Chairman.

In 2004, Adam decided the time was right for a new challenge and joined the established search firm of Odgers Ray & Berndtson in Hanover Square as a Partner specialising in Telecoms, Media and Technology. After seven successful years with Odgers, he joined Norman Broadbent PLC as a Managing Director and latterly Managing Partner. A wish to join a more entrepreneurial firm led to Adam’s move to Ridgeway Partners in 2016.

Adam’s greatest passion was his family, primarily Vicki and their four daughters Jemima, Amity, Polly and Eliza; but also his brothers, nephews and nieces, parents and in-laws. Numerous godchildren were always welcomed with a bear hug and a big smile. The Turner homes in Paxton Road, Chiswick, and latterly Toddington, Gloucestershire, hummed with chatter and activity; Adam was in his element supporting his daughters’ equestrian exploits, mounted games being Team Turner’s speciality, and no-one could doubt his commitment and his pride at his girls’ achievements.

Epic Sunday lunches were a rare moment of calm in Adam’s otherwise hectic schedule, sandwiched between working weeks in London and Saturdays spent at Pony Club competitions. In the small amount of spare time available, Adam also enjoyed country sports, in particular shooting and National Hunt racing, with a wide circle of like-minded friends.

After a gap year, in which he visited Dominic Hampshire (Xt, 1987) in Cameroon, Adam read History and Politics at Oxford Polytechnic (the forerunner of Oxford Brookes University) between 1988 and 1992, as well as pursuing his passion for rugby. On graduation, Adam took a business sales position with Bell Canada in London.

In 2010, Adam had to deal with a serious health scare, when the sudden onset of a psoas abscess resulted in his admission to Cheltenham General Hospital in a life-threatening condition.

Having made a full recovery, he took stock and embarked on an amazing remodelling of his “mid-40’s businessman” physique through running and cycling. His competitive instincts soon took over and before long he was entering regular half marathon and triathlon events, regaining in the process his athletic form of earlier years. By April 2012 he had entered the London Marathon and remarkably completed it in four hours and 12 minutes.

In 2013, Adam’s long-standing friend Mike Richards invited him to attempt the “Raid Pyrenees” cycling challenge; Adam was always a power cyclist rather than a skinny mountain goat, but he completed 440 miles and 18 mountain climbs in four days and four hours to achieve his goal, with grit, determination and a huge smile throughout. Fellow team member Ben Thomas (H,1987) reports Adam as the lionheart of the event.

In 1994, Adam’s long career in Executive Search began with Morgan Howard, a recently established firm specialising in the IT sector. He threw himself with vigour into the fast-moving world of technology search to which his gregarious nature and innate curiosity were ideally suited. His career in Search was destined for success.

In Vicki, Adam met his soulmate and partner for life, their marriage in 2006 merely formalising a union which had begun in the sixth form of College and Cheltenham Ladies College, respectively, in the late 1980s. Vicki’s career took her to the First Gulf War in 1990-91 where she served as an Army nurse, before organising Adam in three continents in the noughties and finally settling down

Through these teams and the long bus journeys to away matches, Adam formed life-long friendships throughout College which endured many years after his school days. He had natural talent in abundance but Adam’s innate competitiveness, enthusiasm and love of sport for its own sake, in particular rugby and cricket, enabled him to represent the XV and the XI when his earlier career had often been in B teams.

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near Winchcombe with their quartet of beautiful daughters and an array of ponies, labradors and cats.

Adam’s sudden passing has left his family, friends and colleagues devastated. His memorial service on 4th May 2018 took place in a packed-out College Chapel and was a fitting celebration of his vibrant, fearless, joyful life.

Daniel Bingham (L, 1987)

He then went to Oriel College, Oxford, to read History and on graduating he went on to Westcott College, Cambridge, from where he was ordained as an Anglican Priest. His first post was in a Parish in Hackney but he was drawn to travel so he took a role as a missionary and teacher in India where he stayed for many years.

Peter John Turner (L, 1956)

When he converted to Roman Catholicism, Michael had to leave his position in India with haste and he briefly returned to England before continuing his work as a teacher in Pakistan. He came back to England, in his forties, for good to live with his parents in Godalming. He took a post as a History teacher at Whispers School, Haslemere, where he stayed until his retirement.

Peter Turner, father of Charles Turner (L, 1989), Edward Turner (L, 1991) and grandfather of Isobel Turner (Ashmead, 2018) and India Turner (L6th, Westal), died on the 27th December 2017, aged 80.

Michael remained a devout Christian to his final day. He was a marvelous story teller with a keen mind and an academic perspective. His love of History never left him and he always had a History or Theology book close at hand. He recalled his days at College in great detail and with joy!

He became a member of the 1st VIII at sixteen, rowed at Henley and the crew came a creditable 8th at the National Head of the River in his final year. He was awarded his College and House rowing colours. His final report said: “A robust and cheerful character, who will I am sure be a dependable help wherever he works and lives.”

On leaving College, he headed north to Catterick to serve his National Service and in 1958 he joined the Royal Dragoon Guards who were stationed at Paderborn in Germany and spent time in Berlin. He was a ferret scout car driver. There were some lighter moments. On exercise, Private Turner and his radio man were known to take the ferret to a quiet nearby bar and using their radio transmitter pretend to their commanding officer that they were indeed moving around and on patrol as they enjoyed a beer.

On leaving the army, he returned to help run the family farm in Herefordshire, eventually taking it over when his father passed away. He enjoyed company and friendships and he got this in abundance through his passion for farming and in particular through Hops. There was one person in particular who changed his life after a chance meeting. He had been driving his combine harvester along a road when he ended up in a ditch. A young man came round the corner and stopped and asked if he needed any help. His friendship with Thomas Hawkins was born and never wavered. Peter and Thomas went on to buy a farm together in Kent and set up Hawkbrand Hops.

Peter lived life to the full, was an accomplished skier and travelled widely on holidays. He was involved with the Luctonian RFC, where his sons played, and served a tenure as President.

Rupert David Webb (OJ & L, 1946) Rupert Webb, father of Rupert Webb (OJ & L, 1975) and Miles Webb (OJ, 1977), died on the 16th July 2018, aged 90. He was scrum-half in the 1945 XV. The Cheltonian report on the Felsted match reported: “Webb at scrum half was prominent in several breakaways and once only a knock-on saved the Felsted line.” On leaving College, he was commissioned into the 1st Battalion Gloucester Regiment in 1947 and was posted to Bermuda where he became Aide de Camp to the Brigadier. He was posted next to Jamaica and in 1951 he left the army as a Lieutenant.

Rupert then studied Management, Accountancy, Production Methods and Design at Merchant Ventures College in Bristol, following which he joined the family business, Webb Bros Ltd, in Cheltenham, a brick and coal works and trained in wood production and furniture design. He then joined James Galt and Company in 1953 and started a woodwork shop specialising in design and manufacture of wooden educational equipment, teaching aids and toys with a learning value.

He attained the Award of the Royal Society of Arts for Excellence in Design and was visited by HRH the Duke of Kent in 1976. Later, Galt Toys was awarded Best British Toy Company by The Toy Retailers in 1990.

In 1970, James Galt bought Lighthouse Toys in Malta (with just 4 employees at the time) producing wooden toys. In 1984 Rupert became Chairman of Lighthouse Toys with over 80 employees and producing over 1 million jigsaws a year.

Peter is survived by his wife Hilly, sons Charles, Ed, daughter Harry and his grandchildren.

Rupert helped to design and was responsible for building 10 Galt Toy Shops. He helped to build woodwork factories and designed internal machine layouts in Ghana, UK, Malta and Palestine.

Rev. Hereward Michael Wilfred Wake (OJ & Xt, 1945)

He was a member of BESO (British Executive Service Overseas) from 1985-2000, a development agency offering professional expertise to organisations in less developed communities worldwide. He was asked by BESO to assist the Manging Director of Akuaba Ltd in Ghana to open a new factory making toys. He advised and sourced machinery and timber and he gave technical advice to the Government Minister in charge of Forestry.

Michael Wake, son of Hereward Baldwin Lawrence Wake (Past staff, Hsm NH, 1934-39), died in July 2018, aged 90.

On leaving College, he completed his national service spending two enjoyable years in London, teaching service men to read.

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He had a picture in his office of a rundown village from one of his visits to Ghana. Under the picture he had printed the following words: “If ever you are down, miserable, ill, depressed, or any other feeling that you have been hard done by, remember in 1983 when you walked through this village in Northern Ghana and found the bodies of old people who had lain down to die from starvation, and say to yourself “I am a very lucky man.”

Goldstone Junior School, Hove. He was also the founder and a Past President of Hove Rugby Football Club.

John is survived by his wife Esme and his sons Christopher and Anthony.

In 1993, he retired from James Galt and Company and became Captain of Wilmslow Golf Club. In 2003 he was President and in 2004 became an Honorary Member. In 2002, he was also made an Honorary Member of Cotswolds Hill Golf Club, which his grandfather had founded.

In retirement, he was the Honorary Resident Representative of BESO giving lectures and speeches to Rotary International and he met HRH the Princess Royal, Patron to BESO. He visited Donesk Toy Factory in the Ukraine, (formerly the largest toy factory in the world) employing 4500 people and he advised them on machinery, printing and production methods. He gave technical and design advice on the manufacture and production of furniture and educational toys on a visit to the Al-Nahda Rehabilitation Centre in Palestine. His final visit in 2002 was to the Uva-Drev Wood Factory in Russia, where he advised them on log-cutting and gave lecturers on adding value to manufacture of logging factories and wood used in furniture and house building. He was officially recognised by General Mikhail Kalashnikov for work in the community.

Rupert is survived by his wife Elizabeth, sons Rupert and Miles, daughters Tessa and Camilla.

John Maxwell Woolley MBE (Ch, 1935) John Woolley, father of Christopher Maxwell Woolley (Ch, 1971) and Anthony John Woolley (Ch, 1973), died on the 4th October 2017, aged 100.

He came to College on a scholarship, from Prestonville Prep School, Brighton, in 1930. His report on his first term reads: “This is a very satisfactory fulfilment of hopes based on his scholarship. He seems to mean business.” He was also awarded the Form Prize and Homer Prize.

On leaving College in 1935, he was awarded a scholarship to Trinity College, Oxford, to read Classics and on graduating in 1938 he was commissioned into the Territorial Army and served in the Royal Artillery from 1939-46. He was awarded an MBE(Military) in 1947. He was secretary to the Manpower and Development department of the National Coal Board from 1947-48, then became a partner in a solicitor’s firm before becoming Assistant Clerk of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors in 1950, and became Clerk in 1962, a post he held until 1980. He was also Clerk to the Governors of Merchant Taylors’ School during that period.

He was a Life Member of the City and Guilds London Institute and was a Freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of the Merchant Taylors’ Company. He served as a Governor of College from 1973-74 and was a Governor of the Merchant Taylors’ Schools, Crosby, Wolverhampton Grammar School and

O B I T UA R I E S All these obituaries have been compiled from ones published in national and local papers, addresses and tributes given at funerals, and in some cases by family members, or those who knew the deceased very well.

I am extremely grateful to Rachael Merrison and Katie Barrett (Archives) for the research they have carried out and for providing some of the photographs.

For those I have missed, if you would like an obituary for them published in Floreat 20, please get in touch.

Malcolm Sloan OC Administrator

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Roger Champness

Harry Dalzell Payne

Phil Davies

Jemima Dixon

Dr Simon Duke

Paul Lamplugh

Brigadier James Mackaness

Peter Marshall

Luke Piercy

Guy Playfair

David Rees

William Simpson

Adam Turner

Peter Turner

Rupert Webb

John Woolley

Cheltonian Society Cheltenham College Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7LD

Contact Details: Tel: 01242 265694 www.cheltenhamcollege.org

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