ISSUE 34 | SPRING 2022
From the Head I am writing this introduction to The Edwardian magazine during the Easter break from my office at KES, a few days before the start of the Summer Term. The sun is shining, but my office – windows facing to the south across the cricket pitch – is not quite as stifling as it so often has been in the past. The reason, I am delighted to say, is that a gentle, dappled shade is being cast from the newly unfurling spring leaves of the wonderful mature trees which now line the field, providing a beautiful border to the grass, and bringing a little bit of nature to the iconic, but perhaps somewhat austere, KES main building. The avenue of trees was planted in late autumn of last year, but this week has been our first ever opportunity to see them in leaf. They are still just beginning to become established and settled, and will spread and grow further in the coming years, but they already bring so much to our school. I hope that generations of KES pupils still to come, will sit under their branches to learn, to make friends and to enjoy some peace in the heart of our city site.
Last term felt much like the unfurling of a fresh spring day. After almost precisely two years under the shadow of the pandemic, we have all felt more ‘normal’ in recent weeks. In co-curricular life, we saw a return of trips and visits, as well as audience attended concerts and theatrical productions. Restrictions more generally began to ease, and routines and school traditions re-established themselves. I like to think that if you were to visit your old school now, you would recognise it once again as the happy, buzzing place that I hope, and imagine you once enjoyed. Similar – but perhaps also a little bit different. Despite the pandemic, KES has not stood still these past few years. A couple of years ago, we pondered afresh our core purpose, and
decided to rearticulate our values. We settled as a central theme upon the word ‘flourish’. At KES, we want our pupils, our staff and our alumni to flourish in their personal and professional lives. We want them to embrace and enjoy the highest of academic and career aspirations, but to do so whilst also appreciating and valuing their wider responsibilities: to their community, to one another, to the planet, to themselves. We believe that in order to flourish, we must engage with our learning and intellectual development, of course, but that we must also be humble, responsible and open-minded. We must have meaning in our life, as well as accolades. To this end, we have aimed to be more sustainable in our buildings and operations at KES, better to role model these important values. We have also sought with the creation of a new Wellbeing Centre and a new post of ‘Head of Wellbeing’ to create a long-term focus on the mental health of everyone in our community, and we have been thinking too about how we can make a KES education more widely available to deserving young people, regardless of their background or parental wealth.
I was delighted that the enduring quality, as well as the current provision, of our school was recognised and celebrated by the ISI Inspection which took place in January. It was a fantastic report, and the inspectors were full of praise for the character as well as the achievements of the pupils. It reaffirmed in spectacular fashion that we are doing the right things at KES, but we want to do so much more. We are in exciting times, and I would love for our alumni to be a part of that journey. If you would be interested in contributing to KES, either through our bursary campaign, or through speaking to our pupils about your professional experience, then we would love to hear from you, and I would love to have the opportunity to welcome you back to King Edward’s.
Neal Parker Head
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Issue 34 | Spring 2022 | www.kes.hants.sch.uk
News from the S chool
KES receives ‘excellent’ ISI inspection report We were delighted with the results of our recent ISI inspection. In the educational quality inspection, KES achieved the highest possible ‘excellent’ rating for both pupil achievement and personal development. Indeed, the inspectors further rated every single element of provision within these two broad categories as excellent. In the focused compliance inspection, KES met every legal and statutory standard, and no recommendations were made. This part of the inspection is simply deemed to be ‘met’ or ‘not met’, and no judgements on quality are made.
Mr Herklots wins national award
We’re delighted to announce that Mr Herklots has been awarded the Teacher of Physics Award from the Institute of Physics (IOP) for his inspirational teaching! The Institute of Physics celebrates outstanding classroom practice in the teaching of physics and the individual contribution to raising the profile of physics and science. Winners are selected based on their contribution to teaching excellence, staff development, their work beyond the
classroom, dedication to inclusion and their work with the wider community. One of the many contributing factors to Mr Herklots’s recognition has been his innovative way of imparting complex physics principles through drama and music. His latest, and final, physics musical ‘No Time like the Present’ was performed to a packed Dobson Theatre in March and was the usual mix of fun, farce, physics and music.
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Mr Singleton celebrates 40 years In the Spring Term, Mr Singleton, who joined King Edward’s in September 1982, celebrated 40 years of teaching at King Edward’s. Spring 2022 also marks Mr Singleton being a First Year tutor for a monumental 100 terms! He will be remembered by many OEs for his gifted mathematics teaching and for his care and kindness as a tutor of new pupils. OEs will be pleased to know that the legendary ‘Hall of Fame’ still exists in M4!
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Issue 34 | Spring 2022 | www.kes.hants.sch.uk
New Wellbeing Centre opens This term has seen the opening of our new Wellbeing Centre. Based at the very heart of the school, the Centre offers a place for refuge and calm for all pupils where they can access help, support or when they just need a listening ear. It complements the already wide range of student support services – nursing team, chaplaincy and school counsellor – already available at KES. Along with a Wellbeing Room, the Centre encompasses a suite of brand new Curriculum Support rooms. Mr Jackson, Head of Wellbeing, will implement a programme of proactive wellbeing education so that every pupil at KES can learn how to improve and maintain their resilience, self-confidence and good mental health.
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Reunions
Class of 1996 & 1997 – 25 year reunion We had a great turn out for the 25 year reunion for the classes of 1996 and 1997 in January. Around 70 OEs turned up to enjoy an evening of catch-up with former classmates and the habitual tour of the school, to marvel at the changes that have taken place in the interim period.
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Issue 34 | Spring 2022 | www.kes.hants.sch.uk
Forthcoming reunions 2022 Capon Club Dinner
Belated 40 Year Reunion
10 Year Reunion
(for benefactors and donors)
(Class of 1980)
(Class of 2012)
20th May 7 pm at KES
24th June 2 pm at KES
18th Nov 7.30 pm at KES
Poole Veterans’ Luncheon 8th June 12 pm at KES
Rugby Pilgrims Lunch 10th Sept 12 pm Wellington Sports Ground
Making KES sustainable for future generations Making our school buildings and practices as sustainable as possible, and inspiring our students to consider the importance of global sustainability and develop a culture of care for the environment, is an important aspect of our school ethos. King Edward’s boasts an extremely active student Sustainability Action Group (led by Teacher of Geography and OE 94-01, Alice Penfold née Payne), the members of whom organise regular awareness campaigns and fundraising initiatives, as well as making suggestions on how we can make improvements and become more sustainable, both as individuals and as an organisation. In 2021, the school took steps to ensure that food wastage from the kitchens was reduced by introducing food waste recycling processes and we have also re-evaluated and introduced new waste management systems to ensure that we recycle everything possible avoiding contributing to landfill. We are in the middle of replacing all our internal lighting with energy efficient LED lights (currently 60% complete) and we are also in the early stages of investigating whether it is viable for the school to harvest rainwater for its own use. Last year 300 saplings were planted at our preparatory school, Stroud, and a further 20 mature trees along the perimeter of the school site at Hill Lane. This is just a snapshot of steps that the school have taken over the last 12 months and we continue to strive to make improvements where we can. Many amongst our OE community are also working hard within each of their individual spheres to raise awareness, tackle global inequality and offer sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. Here we look at just three of our community and how they are helping.
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Luke McMillan (KES 94-01)
Since completing his Master’s degree in Biodiversity Conservation, Luke has pursued a career in marine biology and conservation. He has witnessed first-hand the damage that is being done to the world’s oceans through the use and improper disposal of plastics and he has been actively campaigning against plastic pollution and ocean protection for most of his career. His work has taken him around the world, working on numerous marine protection projects across 4 continents, focussing on whales, sharks and coral reefs. In 2012, he even rowed 27 miles between two Atlantic Islands in a boat made from plastic bottles found on beaches, to raise awareness of plastic pollution – over 22 million kgs of plastic enters the ocean every day. So how did Sea Sense come about?
“Wherever I have worked in the world I have seen plastic flip flops, out at sea, in mangroves and washed up on beaches, in fact 3 billion pairs of plastic flip flops are sold every year throughout the world. So, I thought why not use the world’s most popular shoe, to solve one of the world’s biggest problems and that’s when I set up Sea Sense in my garden shed – the rest is history! The team started to grow, and it was important to me to bring in more conservationists as we looked to make the biggest possible impact with the funds we had at our disposal. The great thing about the team is that we have all personally seen the dangers of plastic and, with that knowledge, we are wellequipped to make the most impact possible.”
most polluted rivers, waterways and coastlines, as well as providing plastic collectors with a vital wage and a chance to lift themselves out of poverty. The company is actively working with grassroots organisations around the world and in 2021 used funds to collect more than the equivalent of 600,000 ocean-bound plastic bottles. Their annual target is to collect the equivalent of 1 million ocean-bound plastic bottles – 20,000kg of plastic. The profits from each pair of flip flops sold ensures there are 5.7kgs less plastic in the world’s oceans – the equivalent of 500 plastic bottles for each pair sold. Luke’s hard work and dedication has recently been recognised more widely with a finalist place for the 2022 Green Product Award – an award that showcases an international collection of the current best sustainable products and concepts. Sea Sense has also been listed in the top 100 Green Products. You can read more about Luke and his team at www.seasenseflipflops.com.
By producing an eco-friendly version of the world’s most popular shoe, Luke aims to contribute to solving one of the world’s biggest environmental problems. Since its inception, 18 months ago, Sea Sense has used profits from the sales of their biodegradable natural rubber flip flops to collect over 1 million ocean-bound plastic bottles from some of the world’s
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Issue 34 | Spring 2022 | www.kes.hants.sch.uk
Jess Dugdale (KES 06-09)
Jess Dugdale was raised with a love for the environment that has stayed with her throughout her life to date. Whilst in the Fourth Year at KES, Jess’s family moved to Uganda where she sat her IGCSEs and the International Baccalaureate, returning to the UK to read for a degree in Business Management with Marketing and an MSc in International Management at the University of Exeter. For a short while she returned to Uganda to work for Rhino Fund Uganda but, in 2019, she relocated back to England and set up her own business, Lemon & Jinja. The business combines Jess’s love of conservation and the environment with her business acumen, and allows her to make an impact in her home town of Romsey.
“When I moved back to England I was saddened by the waste that seemed to be constantly created by something that could be easily solved – so I aimed to fix that gap. To change consumer habits,
you need to put yourself out there – it was very much on a whim and it could have gone either way, but it is has been successful and I aim to keep going!” Lemon & Jinja is a plastic free and refill shop based in Romsey that sells food, household products and other environmentally-friendly products; all without plastic packaging. The business focuses on products that have a lower impact on the individual and the environment and, running alongside, is their plant-based and zero waste café which also runs workshops and provides a meeting space. Jess started off in a small industrial unit and within 6 months the business had doubled in size and introduced the café provision. Despite the challenges that lockdown brought, they stayed open throughout and have steadily grown; so much so that they have outgrown their space and now need to double their floorspace.
Jess is a firm believer that ‘every little helps’ and her message is very much one that everyone can make a difference by making small changes.
“I get a lot of customers telling me they don’t think they can make a difference, but you can! Changing one habit will impact not just yourself but others. Take a disposable water bottle, for example. If you were to use a new plastic water bottle once daily, that’s 365 bottles of water a year. If you have a reusable water bottle then there’s no wastage at all. That one change makes a huge impact on the environment (more than you know) and you may also influence others to do the same”.
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Hanna Hayward (KES 05-07) Throughout the course of her career to date, Hanna has worked on different project lifecycle stages, including design, preconstruction and construction stages based in London, Somerset and Devon. Each time her role has been based around embedding sustainability into the projects and liaising with designers and specialist subcontractors to ensure they are working to the latest environmental standards. Her work is always very operationally focused and she is constantly involved in helping to change behaviours around environmental compliance.
Hanna Hayward joined King Edward’s in the Sixth Form. After leaving KES in 2007, she completed an environmental geoscience degree at Cardiff University and, for the last 11 years, has worked for various tier one contractors (BAM, Skanska, VINCI) within the building and highways sector.
Projects Hanna has worked on include the £3 billion redevelopment of King’s Cross, luxury apartments (near Buckingham Palace), sustainable office and retail space in the West End, right through to road surfacing and improving drainage systems on the Devon back lanes! Within her current role as Senior Environmental Advisor for
Taylor Woodrow Civil Engineering, she is currently working on a circa £350 million road widening scheme between Taunton and Ilminster which is at the preliminary design stage.
“With the climate agenda now a key priority, I’ve seen how things have grown in importance over the years and I am fortunate to be in a job where I am able to challenge how things are being done to reduce the impacts. More recently I’m involved in the social aspect of sustainability and I organise STEM and careers events with local schools and universities and support local charities through community improvement projects.”
Merchandise The School has a range of Edwardian merchandise for sale. This includes bespoke gold or silver plated cufflinks, (which come in individual presentation boxes and make ideal gifts), school scarves, ties and a number of books on the history of the School. To purchase any of these items please visit the KES PAY section of the main school website. payments.kes.hants.sch.uk/shop
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Issue 34 | Spring 2022 | www.kes.hants.sch.uk
Snippets Ben Dobson (KES 79-85) has
Jonathan Simpson (KES 07-09) & Tom Simpson (KES 09-14) Rory Penrose (KES 16-21) & Harry Croft Baker (KES 14-19)
faced each other in the recent hockey final of the British Universities & Colleges Sport competition. Harry represented Nottingham University whilst Rory played for the Loughborough University side. It was a close result but Loughborough clinched a 3-2 victory.
Eleanor Dunlop (KES 13-20) is
currently studying at Oxford University where she is playing rugby for the Ladies 1st team. In April she was selected to play in the Varsity Match at Twickenham Stadium against Cambridge but unfortunately was unable to play due to injury.
have founded their own craft gin company. EIGHT TWO O Spirits uses locally sourced botanicals to create the best flavours possible. Post University, Tom began a tour of over 45 distilleries across the country and in 2019 he began working for Union Distillers, where he developed his skills as a professional distiller. Jonny works as Strategy Director, overseeing business development. You can read more about their journey on the website at www.820spirits.com.
Darren Cooper (KES 92-94)
Joe Weatherley (KES 08-15) is
currently a Hampshire county cricketer and has been back at KES recently coaching the younger pupils. Joe will be joining the cricket coaching team for this forthcoming season.
Paul Downing (KES 10-17) is trying to trace Martin Pickard (KES 61-69). If there are any OEs who know of Martin’s whereabouts, please get in touch with the Development Office on edwardians@kes.hant.sch.uk.
Managing Director of Peter Cooper cars, launched a competition for pupils to design a sustainable ‘car of the future’, earlier in the year. In line with Peter Cooper Group celebrating its 40th birthday, the design had to reflect a futuristic car 40 years from now and pupils from five local schools, including Stroud and King Edward’s, took part in the competition. There were some fantastic entries and Darren visited the school last term to plant a commemorative tree, along with the Head and competition winners, on the School Field. Our thanks to Darren for his continued support of the school.
spent 32 years in the business of sport interacting with sports federations and individual athletes and being personally involved in some iconic sporting moments. After working for 25 years with the sports company, adidas, he has now left to pursue more personal ambitions, one of which is to write a book. ‘Chasing Rainbows’ was published by Troubador on 28th April and is a humorous take on a life dominated by sport and in particular the pain and, only occasional, ecstasy of being a fan.
General Sir Gordon Messenger (KES 74-80) has been appointed Rear
Admiral of the United Kingdom – the first time a Royal Marine has ever held the post. Rear Admiral of the United Kingdom is an honorary office and the holder is appointed by the Sovereign on the nomination of the First Sea Lord, and the name is published in the London Gazette by the Home Office.
Dr Kit Chapman (KES 96-01)
has a new book out this month. Entitled ‘Racing Green’, and published by Bloomsbury, the book is the first popular science look at green technology in Formula One. This is Kit’s second book, following ‘Superheavy’, which was a finalist for the American Academy for the Advancement of Science’s SB&F prize. He is currently a science journalist and has written for New Scientist, Nature, the Daily Telegraph, to name but a few popular publications. He has also lectured at universities in six different countries. www.kitchapman.co.uk
Rod Rumble (KES 51-59) recently
delivered a talk to (FOSMAG), Friends of Southampton Museums and Galleries, about the early work on former Head of Art at KES Peter Folkes. Rod’s talk compared Folkes’s early work with present experiences of the city and also referred, more briefly, to his subsequent six decades of work, teaching and painting.
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The King Edward VI Foundation
King Edward’s very existence is based on an act of philanthropy and the desire to enable access to education to gifted children from less fortunate backgrounds. In 1553, the school was founded by letters patent from King Edward VI, following a bequest from William Capon (1480-1550) who was the Rector of St Mary’s Church. Today, inspired by Capon’s vision, the school is committed to its bursary fundraising programme, raising money
solely for the provision of bursaries and fee assistance for gifted children who would otherwise be unable to benefit from all that the school offers. Our hope is to continue the philosophy of giving upon which our school has been built. Please consider joining with others in supporting the Foundation. Whether it’s a small monthly donation, a one-off sum or a bequest – it all makes a difference. Thank you!
The William Capon Club By leaving a gift to the school in your Will you will be invited to join our exclusive William Capon Club along with other like-minded individuals who are supporting the school in this way. You will have the chance to attend school events and our annual celebratory thank you dinner; this year being held on May 20th.
Why I have chosen to support the King Edward VI Foundation “In 1956, I’m not sure I understood the enormity of the opportunity that passing the 11+, and being awarded a scholarship to King Edward’s, presented to me. Clearly my parents were delighted but, as an 11-year-old boy, I was just aware that it signalled I had shown more academic ability than most of my age, and was being bought a new bicycle and a very smart uniform. Fast forward to 2005 and a year group reunion organised by a contemporary, Brian Saunders, and a subsequent “official” reunion at the school and that is when I had the profound realisation of what an enormous privilege it had been to have been a pupil at the school. My ‘free’ KES Grammar School education had allowed me to enjoy a successful career in Sales and Marketing and taught me so much more besides; respect for others, straight forwardness, self-discipline, ambition, and a good work ethic. But the route that had once been open to me was
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no longer available to gifted children who did not have access to resources to pay for the equivalent experience. I resolved then to support the King Edward VI Foundation and to try and encourage those within my original cohort to do the same, each giving as they were able so that, cumulatively, the class of ‘56 would be able to fund at least one able and deserving pupil through the system. Together we, as a year group, pledged over £450,000 for this very worthwhile cause. There can be fewer better ways of using your assets than by charitable giving and no better cause than helping provide a deserving child with a better education than they would otherwise have. I would fully encourage others to support this very worthwhile endeavour”.
Peter Feltham (KES 1956-1963)
Issue 34 | Spring 2022 | www.kes.hants.sch.uk
Ways of Giving
Instruction to your bank or building society to pay by Direct Debit
Founded 1553
By direct debit Regular donations allow us to plan for the future with confidence. A modest monthly gift can make a big difference. If you would like to help support a child in this way then please complete the direct debit details on this form and return to the Development Office.
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please detach and return
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By cheque If you would like to make a one-off donation by cheque, please make it payable to King Edward VI School and send it to: King Edward VI School, Wilton Road, Southampton, SO15 5UQ. Please mark it for the attention of the Development Office.
Please fill in the whole form including official use box using a ball point pen and send it to: DEVELOPMENT OFFICE KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL WILTON ROAD SOUTHAMPTON HANTS SO15 5UQ
By bank transfer You can make a one-off donation to the Foundation via electronic bank transfer. Please make payments to the following account using your name and ‘foundation’ as a reference.
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Account name: King Edward VI School Account number: 13339044 Sort Code: 56-00-68 Bank Name: Natwest FOR KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL USE ONLY This is not part of the instruction to your bank or building society. PAYMENT DETAILS (Please complete)
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Gift Aid Declaration (tax efficient giving) I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6th April - 5th April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I have given. I would like to Gift Aid all donations I have made to the King Edward VI Foundation including future donations until I notify you otherwise. Signature: Date:
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Obituaries
Alastair McKay (KES 36-39) passed away in October 2021 aged 97. An only child, Alastair grew up in Southampton and attended KES at the end of the 1930s, moving to Winchester to avoid WW2 bombing. Always keen on mechanics – his Meccano is still in the family – he read Engineering at Christ’s College, Cambridge, on an accelerated two-year degree course during the war. On graduation in 1944, he was recruited straight into the design team at Supermarine, helping to keep the Spitfire competitive in the last year of the war. He met and married Betty and they bought a plot of land in the village of Axford, near Marlborough where they built their dream home. Sadly after a few years, work forced them to move back to Southampton, when Alastair was drafted into the Hovercraft design team at Supermarine. When hovercraft sales didn’t materialise, he joined British Aerospace at Hurn Airport, where he tackled many and varied stress engineering projects ranging from the tipping nosecone of Concorde to portable bridges for the army. His long retirement was spent at their home for 55 years in Chilworth until May last year when he and Betty joined their son Malcolm (OE) and his family in Somerset. He leaves his wife, two children and four grandchildren.
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Daniel Oliver Arnold (KES 85-92) was born in Southampton to Derek and Monica Arnold, the youngest of three brothers after Nick and Tim. He started at King Edward’s at 11 years old and remained there for the duration of his education until he was 18. Dan’s time at the school is probably best defined by the number of hours he spent on the sports field. He was a very keen sportsman, captaining the 1st XI cricket team and winning the Victor Ludorum Award in his final year, against some seriously stiff competition. Sport continued to play a massive part in Dan’s life after leaving school and he proceeded to Trinity & All Saints College in Leeds to study Sports Sciences. On completion of his degree he went to work for the RFU at Twickenham and is probably best remembered as the chap who ran on with the Lucozade, back in the days when the team stayed on the pitch at half time. In reality, he was the logistics organiser in charge of booking hotels, training grounds, travel and kit for the team both at Pennyhill Park and all over the world, working under both Jack Rowell and Clive Woodward. After his stint at the RFU, Dan moved into teaching and eventually became the Deputy Head of Redcourt St Anselms School in Cheshire. He leaves behind his wife, Claire, daughter, Eloise, and son, Oliver.
Robert Henry ‘Bill’ Eastman (KES 35-42) died in January this year aged 98. Born Robert Henry Eastman, he was nicknamed Billy Blue Eyes as a child and was henceforth known as Bill. He was the only son of a French mother and English father and brother to Jenny and Laurette. Bill was born in Southampton but spent much of his childhood in France with his French grandparents, developing a life-long love of Avignon. He attended Western District School in Shirley before gaining a place at KES in 1935. However, the school was evacuated at the outbreak of war and Bill was billeted with a family in Poole. Later on, he was instrumental in organising the Poole Veterans’ annual luncheon – a reunion for all those boys who had been evacuated during their time at school. After KES, Bill spent a year at Edinburgh University before gaining a commission into the army as an artillery officer. After completing his training, he was sent to France on active service just after D Day. Towards the end of the war he learnt how to fly and spent time in the Far East as Captain of the 656 Air Observation Squadron where he spent many missions flying a spotter plane over the jungle. After leaving the army, he took a degree in Modern Languages and Economics at Southampton University. He then moved into teaching, his first post being at Shirley Warren Boys’ School. After several other teaching posts, he became a Modern Languages Advisor and Education Officer until his retirement. Bill was a passionate musician who played the piano and loved to sing. He was a member of several choirs including that of St Joseph’s Catholic Church in
Issue 34 | Spring 2022 | www.kes.hants.sch.uk
Bugle Street where his funeral service was held. A kind, gentle and positive man with a wicked sense of humour, Bill leaves his wife Anne, daughters Natalie and Sophie and grandchildren and many friends who will all miss him dearly.
Derek Geoffrey Farrow (KES 56-63) passed away in September 2021.
Christopher George Cox (KES 39-40) passed away peacefully, looking out over his garden at his home of 63 years, a few months short of his 92nd birthday. Although only at KES for a short period (resulting from a difficult time whilst evacuated to Poole) he had a passionate loyalty to the School throughout his life. He met his future wife, Ruth, on a walking holiday in 1955 and they were married in 1957. They were both keen walkers, campers and later sailors – passions passed on down the family. Their three sons (Richard, David and Michael) and then three of their four grandchildren (Christoph, Nicole and Selena) all went on to attend King Edward’s. Christopher was an active member of the Old Edwardians’ Association, serving a term as President, and also of the Old Edwardians’ Lodge of which he served as both Master and Secretary. He was a true Sotonian, living his entire life in the City and with the family sports
business dating back to at least 1840. Over his life he was active with many local organisations, including the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society, the Southampton Music Festival, Solent Breezes Sailing Club and the Southampton Small Bore Rifle Club. But in their later years both he and Ruth were stalwarts of the RNLI, helping to raise many hundreds if not thousands of pounds. Ruth passed away in 2011 since when Christopher’s health slowly deteriorated but he remained a regular participant at OE functions until almost the end. He leaves, and will be greatly missed by, his three sons, two daughtersin-law, four grandchildren and one grandson-in-law.
David Glyn Withers Thomas (KES 50-58) died in September 2021. He attended King Edward’s on a scholarship and proceeded to Cambridge where he gained his Masters in Physics at Gonville and Caius College. British Electric paid a portion of his fees in exchange for his reading Boolean algebra, a then obscure field of mathematical logic. Subsequently he was by them to help build one of the first working industrial computers in the UK. He soon joined Rio Tinto where he used the still new techniques of programming computers in binary, what computer scientists now call machine code, on engineering teams in South Africa and Canada. Seeing promise in the field, he sailed to the United States to attend Harvard Business School, where he was a 1967 Baker Scholar, before moving to California. In Los Angeles in 1969 he met Margaret, whom he married. They moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where they lived for several decades and raised three children. In the 1970s Glyn founded a small computer consulting company which developed software for large firms. Glyn retired to a ranch north of Reno, Nevada where he lived out the last decades of his life quietly, enjoying books, scenic mountains and wide, open space. He is survived, and missed, by his three children and two young grandchildren.
Terry Keith Moston (KES 57-64) died in July 2021. Based in Germany, Terry was a British modern languages teacher of French and German turned EFL author and advisor. He was involved in helping to reform the direction of English language teaching in German schools, spearheading communicationbased teaching materials. He produced more than 100 ISBNs in Germany as a professional author and also helped to develop modern teaching materials in Poland. He leaves his wife of 45 years, Carmen.
Bryan Douglas Thresher (KES 52-60) passed away on February 5th 2022. Whilst at school Bryan had an excellent academic record and proceeded to Cambridge to study modern and medieval languages before a successful career as a Marketing and Sales Director.
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King Edward VI School Wilton Road Southampton SO15 5UQ Tel 023 8070 4561 Fax 023 8070 5937 Email enquiries@kes.hants.sch.uk www.kes.hants.sch.uk