OBITUARIES

DEATHS & OBITUARIES

ROBIN BLIGH 1929-2020 (RGS STAFF 1953-1994)

Robin was born in Teddington in 1929, the second of five children, and the eldest of four boys. With a bossy older sister and boisterous younger brothers, even from an early age, Robin kept himself to himself. He was a man of few words, independently minded with professional discretion, who was trustworthy and governed by personal integrity.

Our parents came together as Christian pacifists in WWI and continued to be conscientious objectors in WWII. Interestingly, before he married, our Father had an interview for the Headship at Reigate Grammar, but when they discovered that he hadn’t fought in the war, they ended the interview!

In the late 1930s, our parents accommodated young German Jewish children fleeing Nazi persecution. It was one of those youngsters who introduced Robin to the Hampton Hills Sea Scouts, which he finally joined in 1942.

Robin’s secondary education was a wartime experience – he was ten at the outbreak of war and 16 when it finished. Heavy air raids were common during his first winter at Hampton Grammar School. Indeed, his two-mile cycle journey in pea-souper fogs on icy roads in the blackout must have been terrifying.

Robin could not join the Sea Scouts until Hitler had invaded the Soviet Union and air raids ceased. Supervision was thin at times, because former Scout Masters were all away fighting, but Robin and his friends learned a lot of skills messing around in boats. Robin perfected his strong breaststroke in the Thames as there was little river traffic during the war. For summer camps they went along the river to Marlow or the River Wey. Food rationing made organising camps particularly difficult. I have no doubt that the skills Robin learnt at this time were passed on to the Reigate troops decades later.

After leaving school, the post-war revelations of the Nazi atrocities meant that Robin could not follow the pacifist route and, in January 1948, he was conscripted into the RAF for 18 months.

At Cambridge he attended a course on leadership for Scouts. He read Mathematics and Geography to strengthen his teaching potential and represented the University in the 200m breaststroke and Clare College in cricket, rugby and water polo. After Cambridge, he took a postgraduate course at London Institute of Education, specialising in the teaching of Geography. From April 1953 he applied to leading grammar schools, including Manchester and Leeds, without success. Quiet and analytical, Robin was a poor interviewee. He applied to Reigate Grammar saying, ‘I don’t mind if I don’t get that one!’. Perhaps because of this he was more relaxed and displayed more of himself. 36 hours later he received a telegram offering him the post. He stayed in Reigate for another 67 years!

He started and ran a successful Scout troop; organised foreign trips with adventures that were exciting and risky; was active in coaching cricket and rugby. All of these outgoing, visible-to-all activities seem at odds with the introvert he was at home. So, I asked him once, what drove this high-level of activity for 40 years? His statement was simple: he was interested in helping boys. This was a significant private declaration; central to who Robin was.

He was a superb teacher, but what made his teaching superb? In helping boys he was not just teaching – he was interested in people at a personal level. Although superficially, the concept of education was about teaching a whole class, his methods were to ask questions of individuals and get them to use logic. This Socratic method suited his personality. He developed students’ thinking skills, not just imparted knowledge.

The same principles applied in the Scouts, where older children were encouraged to mentor younger ones; to take their own decisions and assess their own risks. His skill was to create the conditions in which freedom could be responsibly exercised, where it was less about instruction and more about management of learning.

The reticent, undemonstrative personality developed in childhood was conducive to this style of teaching decades later. Most statues or monuments are erected to great people. Robin was a quiet man and probably wouldn’t be classed as such, therefore I am so pleased that the school has planted a tree in his memory. He was much deserving of such recognition as the floods of personal testimonies Robin received on his 90th birthday bear witness. Robin was truly a model for humanity.

Obituary with thanks to brother, Donald Bligh

A Robin Bligh memorial event is scheduled to take place this Summer (subject to Covid restrictions). To register your interest for this event, please email the Foundation team: foundation@reigategrammar.org.

JOHN O’HARA 1946-2020 (RGS STAFF 1990-2008)

It is with great sadness that we report the death of John O’Hara in April 2020. John taught Maths at Reigate Grammar for 18 years, from 1990 until he retired. He will be best remembered for running the school’s Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, building it to become the popular and successful scheme that remains today.

John was unwavering in his dedication to supporting students in both Maths and DofE. Dai Bader remembers John being accommodating within the Maths department, always saying, “I’ll fit in wherever you need me”. The same can be said with regard to DofE as he continued to come on all the Gold expeditions long after he retired, offering his total support through thick and thin, indeed his last expedition was as recent as 2018.

John was always quiet, fair and kind but students and staff were under no illusion that he expected the very highest standards. John’s method was to impart advice patiently so that students would arrive at sensible decisions and learn how to cope independently and apply their learning in difficult conditions, whether in the exam room or on a remote mountain. In some ways, John never ‘taught’ anyone, we all learned through a kind of absorption of his excellent example.

Although not a typically sporty figure, John was a true man of the mountains. He was a tough, fit character and would frequently surprise younger and more athletic colleagues by walking the legs off them! He led school adventure trips in the UK as well as to Peru. He completed challenges such as the Three Peaks and the Welsh 3000s with students and teachers who were inspired to join him. From these trips John cultivated a tremendously loyal band of RGS students and staff, many of whom went on to become qualified Mountain Leaders themselves. John’s heart was in the mountains, probably somewhere over Plynlimon where he will be remembered by many as the person who cultivated their love of the wild.

John was skilled at getting colleagues to assist with DofE expeditions, often without them realising they had agreed! He made teachers feel appreciated and valued on his trips so they would return year after year. He suffered from increasingly painful arthritis, which he must have found particularly difficult whilst camping, yet always remained positive. He was a solid tower of strength, even in later years, supporting expeditions in ways that will be impossible to replace.

John had an encyclopedic knowledge of plants and wildlife, spotting rare birds and naming obscure mountain grasses as passing points of interest rather than seeking to impress companions. Many will not realise that John’s talents included that of being a croupier before he began his teaching career – probability must have been one of his favourite topics!

John’s modesty and aversion to self-promotion was part of his charm. Accompanying this was his dry wit. His delightful personality made him such splendid company that a day’s walk in the mountains was a pleasure. We mourn the loss of this friend and former colleague, and we extend our deepest sympathy to his partner, Sheila. He will be greatly missed by the RGS community. Obituary with thanks to Simon Collins, Teacher of Geography and Head of Outdoor Training

SHIRLEY MORRIS 1928-2020 (RGS STAFF 1973-88)

When her sons, Peter (RGS 1964-72) and Michael (RGS 1965-1972), were pupils at the school, Shirley Morris played the role of enthusiastic parent par excellence and was frequently to be seen on sports touchlines, in play and concert audiences and at a variety of other school events.

In 1973, Shirley joined the school in her own right as a secretary in the school office. Her cheerfulness and enthusiasm endeared her to staff, pupils and parents alike, until her retirement in 1988.

It was in organising a variety of extracurricular activities that she really shone. Barely a month went by without Shirley pinning notices to boards about outings for staff, parents, Sixth-Formers and Scouts to operas, musicals and plays in London and elsewhere. There was scarcely a school event that did not benefit from her involvement!

Typical of her enthusiasm was a Scout concert that featured a short sketch of The Magic Roundabout. Not only did she write the script (with Scout Leader, Robin Bligh), she also masterminded the costumes (rallying a team of mums to help), devoting an amount of time and effort that were out of all proportion to the duration of the sketch!

Faced with the task of turning a Venture Scout into Dougal, Shirley scoured the county for supplies of plumbers’ hemp and spent hours sewing countless yards of it onto a large body stocking to create the star of the show – a four-foot long Skye terrier that was more realistic than Dougal himself!

In her later years, Shirley succumbed to Alzheimer’s Disease and lived in a care home in Cambridgeshire near her daughter, Anne. In February 2020, she passed away at the age of 91. She will be fondly remembered by staff and pupils from her years with the School, just as they provided many of her own fondest memories. Obituary with thanks to Shirley’s son, Peter Morris

MARTIN ELLIS 1943-2020 (RGS STAFF 1986-2003)

I met Martin Ellis, Director of Music, in 1993. Little did I realise the impact that first meeting would have on me, not just throughout my five years at RGS, but in the two decades which followed.

We all have that teacher who stands out from our school days, and for me it was Mr Ellis.

For anyone with an interest or passion for music, there were always a wealth of opportunities made available at RGS – both within the school, and beyond. Martin arranged performances for the orchestra, band and choir in venues ranging from Dorking Halls to Southwark Cathedral. And on several occasions at St. Martin’s Church in Dorking, where he was also Director of Music and Organist for 28 years until relocating to Ipswich in 2014.

The school carol service was a highlight of the calendar, and there was always a genuine sense of trepidation as the choir waited to see who Martin would pick to sing the opening solo verse to Once in Royal David’s City. Even as a tenor or bass, it was stressful to watch as one of the sopranos waited for that infamous tap on the shoulder, seconds before we walked on.

RGS was blessed to have Martin’s presence at the school for some 17 years, and many pupils went on to enjoy his support long after they left. I’ll never forget the day I received a call, out of the blue, to say he’d heard I was getting married, and could he please play the organ at my wedding. Suffice to say, I don’t think All Saints Church in Banstead has ever witnessed such an amazing recital, and it made one of the most memorable days of my life, all that more special.

Nor could staff or pupils forget the trademark bad jokes he brought to almost every encounter. Being able to gauge when you’d heard the punchline required great skill and was something I was clearly still mastering when we last met for an evening out in 2019.

It therefore seems both fitting, and entirely appropriate, to end with one of Martin’s better jokes, as shared to a packed congregation during the service of thanksgiving to celebrate his life, which was held in February 2020.

Rosemary Few (Hill) (née Bannister) was born in Croydon in 1932. Already learning piano, she took up the clarinet at Croydon High School. At the early age of 17, she left school to attend the Royal College of Music.

What do you get when you drop a piano down a mineshaft? A flat minor. Obituary with thanks to James Keeler (RGS 1993-1998)

ROSEMARY FEW 1932-2020 (RGS STAFF 1979-2004)

On graduating, Rosemary joined the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra, however, within a year, it was under threat of closure and Rosemary, together with horn-playing partner Raymond Few, had to consider other options. By 1955 they were married, enjoying an extended working honeymoon as members of the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra. On returning to the UK, Rosemary freelanced with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra before being offered a position with the Festival Ballet and Ballet Rambert. But within a couple of years the couple were setting sail (with their newborn daughter, Debbie) for Wellington, where Rosemary played with the New Zealand Broadcasting Company Symphony Orchestra.

In 1964, the now growing family returned to the UK. Teaching gradually took the place of performing and in 1979, Rosemary joined the music staff at Reigate Grammar School. As her local influence grew, Rosemary was appointed woodwind secretary for the Reigate and Redhill Music Festival, organising classes, booking adjudicators and choosing the repertoire. Rosemary continued to perform, playing at the annual Holland Park Opera Festival. She joined the Crawley Millennium Concert Band (in 1994) and the Band of the Surrey Yeomanry (in 2000). After Ray’s death, she had a happy second marriage to Robert Hill.

She lived for music and was a talented, all-round musician who could accompany her pupils at the piano in Brahms, then demonstrate the phrasing on the clarinet. She died suddenly and tragically on 25 June 2020 and will be sadly missed by her family, friends and former pupils. Rosemary is survived by her three children, Debbie, Richard and Jonathan. Obituary with thanks to daughter, Debbie Thackeray, née Few (RGS 1976-1978)

When I became Director of Music in 1979, it was clear that, due to rising demand, I would need more teachers. Rosemary was my first appointment.

She was a rock-steady presence at concerts, operas and musicals. Famously, she was a member of the orchestra in the production of Richard Rodney Bennett’s All the King’s Men in 1983 which featured the young David Walliams as Queen Henrietta Maria. When David returned to RGS in 2012 to make a television documentary about this production, Rosemary was there, in company with other students and staff from those days thirty years earlier.

Rosemary had a distinguished career and personally knew many big names, including John Williams, composer of the music for some of the most famous films of our times, including Star Wars, Jaws, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Superman. Yet she remained modest about these connections.

Though saddened to hear of Rosemary’s passing, the news reminded me of happy times at RGS. The school had newlyreverted to independent status, and a large number from that era have gone on to national and international prominence. Rosemary played her part in the story of RGS as the school travelled on that exciting path. Tribute from Professor Robert Marsh, Director of Music (RGS 1979-86)

DEIRDRE HICKS 1934-2020 (RGS STAFF 1978-2000)

Deirdre Davidson Ive was born in London in 1934 and lived with her parents at The Hermitage, an old woodsman’s cottage close to the Dunottar Woods.

Her father, Dr Oliver Ive had been a prisoner of war in Italy for three years, whilst her mother, Isobel, worked as a physiotherapist at Redhill General Hospital helping to rehabilitate soldiers.

Deirdre attended Dunottar School, followed by Cheltenham Ladies College, where she studied music. She went on to study piano and clarinet at the Royal Academy of Music, before starting a long teaching career. She spent two years in Austria and two more in Canada before returning to the UK to marry Jon Rees in 1963. She took up a teaching post at The Hawthorns school, Bletchingley, then taught at Heathersett RNIB school and lobbied passionately for the RNIB to increase the availability of Braille music in the 1970s.

Deirdre joined the RGS music teaching staff in 1978, having remarried to become Hicks. I remember her enthusiasm for her pupils, encouraging their creativity and delighting in their achievements. As a young child I sat in on many of her lessons and rehearsals for musical theatre productions such as Oliver!.

Deirdre was active in wider Surrey musical life having been involved in the Leith Hill Music Festival for many years, starting as the conductor of Buckland Choral Society and later becoming Chairman of the festival. She sang in LHMF performances conducted by Ralph Vaughan Williams, the then Festival Conductor, and appeared in a television documentary about him.

Deirdre sadly passed away in July 2020. Her ability to cope cheerfully with adversity will always be an inspiration to me. She valued determination and courage and taught me to see the best in people. Her positive energy and enthusiasm for life were never dented by the difficulties she endured. Obituary with thanks to daughter, Rebecca Rees (RGS 1982-84)

I first met Deirdre when I joined RGS in 1978. Deirdre was teaching woodwind instruments (except oboe and bassoon). She was also an excellent pianist, accompanying students in graded exams.

One of Deirdre’s flute students was none other than Keir Starmer. Deirdre prepared him for a performance of the Suite No. 2 in B Minor by J.S. Bach, one of whose movements is the famous Badinerie, which Keir performed expertly at a concert in St Martin’s Church, Dorking.

Deirdre and I also worked together at the Leith Hill Music Festival. When I conducted the Dorking Choral Society in Benjamin Britten’s St Nicholas in 1981, Deirdre acted as sub-conductor as her own choral society were part of the semi chorus.

Deirdre may have been slight of stature, but she had a big personality. She had formidable authority as both a musician and a leader, but she also had a great sense of humour. I count it as a real privilege to have known and worked with her. Tribute from Professor Robert Marsh, Director of Music (RGS 1979-86)

PROFESSOR PETER FOOKES 1933-2020 (RGS 1944-1949)

Peter was an internationally renowned geologist who applied his considerable skills to hundreds of civil and military engineering projects. He played a significant role in establishing engineering geology as both an academic subject and a rewarding career path. Throughout his career he mentored many aspiring geoscientists and took pleasure in communicating his love of his subject to the wider community. Peter received numerous awards from organisations ranging from the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Royal Geographical Society (he was an Honorary Fellow) and the Geological Society of London.

His work took him to over 80 countries, from the jungles of Papua New Guinea to the Empty Quarter of Arabia, the high Himalayas and the wind-swept Falkland Islands. He was a world expert on subjects as diverse as salt attack on concrete, railways and pipelines, and the engineering properties of construction materials.

Peter survived several helicopter crashes, overturned dug-out canoes, snake bites, bouts of malaria, amoebic dysentery and being arrested by over-zealous military patrols. He spent his life in the back of a four-wheel drive, travelled on horseback and in camel trains, walked through the Himalayas, scrambled along an experimental permafrost tunnel in Alaska and surveyed pipeline routes across the Great Western Sand Sea from a low-flying light aircraft. His working life was like one long adventure holiday! Peter always said that his work had been his hobby and he never retired, still travelling to far-flung places in his 80s.

After leaving Reigate Grammar School Peter worked as a Technician in a Chemistry laboratory, where an implosion damaged his left hand. He turned to geology and won a scholarship to Queen Mary College, London, where he graduated with Special Honours in Mineralogy and Petrology. His first steps as a field geologist were in Pakistan, working on the Mangla Dam. In 1971 he developed his own consultancy practice, however, he didn’t lose touch with the academic world, and was appointed as Honorary Professor at many universities including Queen Mary College, City University and Newcastle University.

Peter had five children and a soul mate in his wife, Edna. He had a mischievous sense of humour that will be much missed. Obituary with thanks to Dr Mark Lee, one of Peter’s closest colleagues and friends

Barbara Mehmood had three sons at RGS between 1981 and 1995 – Mali, Jamie and Kamal – all of whom attended the school with the help of the Assisted Places Scheme following the death of their father.

Barbara first became involved in school life by running the secondhand clothing sale from the cellar under the Headmaster’s house, where she was able to give back by helping many a parent in need. Having also helped the PFA by serving refreshments at evening events, in the early 1990s Barbara was asked to take up the mantle of serving the staff teas and coffees every break time, which she did for over a decade. She enjoyed the role that she had in the heart of the school, acting as a confidante or providing a comforting word to a teacher in need of a chat and a biscuit.

Barbara was proud of both her involvement in the RGS community and also the role that RGS played in her family’s life. She counted former Headmaster John Hamlin and his wife Marion as good friends and took great joy when they met up at the Hamlin’s house in the Lake District in 2015.

Barbara died in July 2020 at the age of 84 at home with her family by her side. She had nine grandchildren (two at RGS), of whom she was so proud. Mrs. Hamlin wrote, “There goes the passing of a truly remarkable person whom we greatly respected and admired. Barbara was the most down-to-earth and positive person, totally selfless, and overcame huge odds with such cheerfulness.”

The family were grateful for the kind tributes from teaching staff, new and old. Obituary with thanks to son, Jamie Mehmood (RGS 1985-1993)

JOHN ERIC FUNNELL 1925-2020 (RGS 1933-1941)

John was eight years old when he started at RGS and 16 when he left in 1941. At his interview in 1933 the Headmaster asked him how many pence there were in one shilling and sixpence. He said 17 (correct answer 18), but they accepted him anyway and so began eight very happy and successful years!

He enjoyed everything at school, spending happy hours on the cricket field, browsing the shelves in the school library, playing the piano, cello and organ. But, perhaps, more importantly he learned to be considerate, generous, thoughtful and intrinsically honest and it was for these attributes that so many loved him.

A few years ago, when our friends across the road sent two of their children to RGS, he loved to chat with Nick Cain (RGS 2005-2012) about the school and particularly enjoyed returning to RGS to see Nick in the school play, The Wind in the Willows, and re-visiting some of his old classrooms.

John left RGS in 1941 after taking his school certificate and was apprenticed to a firm of local solicitors (the war was at its height but to his regret the Army wouldn’t have him due to his poor eyesight).

From 1947 until retirement in 1997 he remained a solicitor and in 1960 moved to a family firm, Eager & Sons, in Horsham. He had no great ambition, just wanted to do a thoroughly good job and feel satisfied that he’d left no stone unturned. As a result he was much respected by his clients. In December 2019, while out for coffee, someone recognised him even after all that time. Sadly, by then dementia had taken a firm grip and he deteriorated quite rapidly in the final few months. Obituary with thanks to John’s wife, Yvonne Funnell

QUENTIN ENGLISH 1943-2020 (RGS 1955-1961)

It is my sad duty to report that my brother, Quentin died on 23 June 2020 from a rare form of cancer. Although we were only about 18 months apart in age (both wartime babies), we were in different school years and thus our experiences differed. Quentin’s First Form teacher was Mr Burrows, whereas mine was Mr Andrews.

Quentin’s interests always leant more towards the arts, whereas I preferred the sciences and, indeed, once he left RGS Quentin went to Chelsea Art School to pursue his desire for a creative career. It was whilst at Chelsea that he met the lady who was to become his wife, and he and Ann were married for 53 years.

Interestingly, neither Quentin nor I eventually had careers in our respective areas of interest – we both ended up in the travel industry, as did many others in our family and we have received many tributes from those in that sector.

Quentin leaves behind his wife, Ann, a son and daughter, Matthew and Lucy and two grandsons, Noah and Ezra. Obituary with thanks to brother, Richard English (RGS 1953-1958)

VICE ADMIRAL SIR GEOFFREY DALTON KCB 1931-2020 (RGS 1942-1948)

Geoffrey Thomas James Oliver Dalton was the second son of Jack Rowland Thomas Dalton and Margaret Kathleen Oliver. He was born in Kuala Lumpur when Jack was a rubber planter in Malaya. Soon after Geoffrey was born, the family returned to England, settling in Tadworth, Surrey. Geoffrey attended Wick and Parkfield Prep followed by Reigate Grammar School and joined the Royal Navy in 1949 as an engineering cadet. He was the first Admiral to be National President of the Royal British Legion since Lord Jellicoe in the 1920s. In 1957, he married Jane Hamilton Baynes and they have four sons.

Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Dalton, KCB, died on 26 September, 2020, aged 89. I knew him well from our days together at school in the late 1940s. Our backgrounds differed somewhat.

He was always an enthusiastic member of the Army Cadet Force and I recall him entering into the sometimes precarious exploits we enjoyed with blank ammunition and thunderflashes that enlivened our manoeuvres at summer camps on the Isle of Wight. He was, in fact, an excellent marksman and a keen member of the school small-bore rifle team.

We went our separate ways, but unknowingly, were serving a common cause when, as a Naval Officer on the frigate Dido, he was engaged in the irregular war with Indonesia in 1961, whilst I was on the Naval Base support staff in Singapore. He completed the Naval Staff course at Greenwich in 1962, which (unusually as a civilian) I attended in 1966 and subsequently, Geoffrey had three frigate commands, followed by prominent shore appointments.

His seamanship was of the highest order. It was in command of the frigate Jupiter in 1979 that he came to the rescue of a Greek freighter, Iris, which was breaking up in appalling weather off south-west Portugal. Manoeuvring his ship for several hours, and coordinating the efforts of two other ships assisting, all hands were rescued. Several awards to his crew members resulted and Geoffrey received the Commander-in-Chief’s commendation.

Later in his career, as Assistant Director of Naval Plans, he worked on the future size and shape of the fleet, which prepared him for becoming Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy) in 1981. We met on occasion in Bath, where I was serving in a civilian capacity as Director of Supply Management.

His last appointment on promotion to Vice-Admiral, was as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia from 1984-87 and he was knighted KBE in 1986. In his retirement, he became the first Admiral to be President of the Royal British Legion, overseeing the reintroduction of the nationwide two-minute silence.

A good man to have as a school friend and occasional colleague, it is an honour and privilege to have known such a distinguished Reigatian. Obituary with thanks to Peter Elsey (RGS 1941-48)

JAMES NEALE DALTON 1981-2020 (RGS 1993-2000)

We are very sad to report the untimely death of James, the son of Michael and Kate Dalton, on 24 July 2020 at the age of just 38.

James left RGS to read Mathematics at University College, Oxford. His university career also took him to Southampton and to Malardalen University in Sweden on an Erasmus Programme placement. He graduated from the University of Southampton in 2004.

James’ working career started with Shell, where he was highly regarded by colleagues. His last post was as Senior HR Manager for Shell Global Finance, based in The Hague. The tributes from Shell colleagues are testimony to his success. Speaking of James, one commented, “It is rare to meet someone who is witty, sharp, kind, caring and gives you advice which makes you crack up and not ignore”. His last boss talked of him as a sparring partner to many, helping them to think ahead and become better versions of themselves.

Outside work, James was a keen sportsman – he played hockey and cricket; he was a runner and a cyclist. He ran in four marathons, two in London, one in Berlin and another in Hamburg. His other passions in life were travelling, food and cooking. Shell afforded him many opportunities to travel and his friends will forever remember enjoying good food and wine in his company.

In 2007, James met Sandra Jurzok, a Shell colleague from Hamburg who remained his partner until 2019. Their daughter Elena, born in Calgary in 2013, survives him. James was originally diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2009. He had major surgery in 2015 and again in September 2019. Further treatment following this second operation was going well until he was taken ill again in June 2020. His medical team confirmed that there was nothing more they could do. His life was led to the full and his illness was bravely born. He will be much missed by his parents, daughter Elena, sister Julia, and his many friends and colleagues. Obituary with thanks to James’ Father, Michael Dalton

Sir Geoffrey Dalton was James Dalton’s fourth cousin once removed. The two met a few times when James was a boy.

NOTICE OF DEATHS 2020

Donald Rhodes (RGS 1941-1946) died 24 October 2020 – Sarah Corbett (née Belcher) (RGS 1997-2004) died October 2020* – Bryan Seymour (RGS 1941-1948) died 17 October 2020 – Brian Boniface (RGS 1954-1961) died 3 October 2020 – Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Dalton (RGS 1942-1948) died 26 September 2020 – Peter Fookes (RGS 1944-1949) died 8 August 2020 – James Whitter (RGS 1975-1982) died August 2020 – Barbara Mehmood (RGS staff 1980-2007) died 31 July 2020 – James Dalton (RGS 1993-2000) died 24 July 2020 – Deirdre Hicks (RGS staff 1978-2000) died 6 July 2020 – Rosemary Few (Hill) (RGS staff 1979-2004) died 25 June 2020 – Quentin English (RGS 1955-1961) died 23 June 2020 – Robin Bligh (RGS staff 1953-1994) died 17 June 2020 – Andrew Thom (RGS 1958-1963) died June 2020* – John Eric Funnell (RGS 1933-1941) died 26 May 2020 – Stanley Whitmore (RGS 1939-44) died 5 May 2020 – Martin Baker (RGS 1972-1979) died May 2020 – Brian Wickens (RGS 1951-1958) died 20 April 2020 – Simon Kaye (RGS 1972-1975) died 17 April 2020 – Michael Stonard (RGS 1955-1963) died 14 April 2020 – John O’Hara (RGS staff 1990-2008) died April 2020* – John Griffin (RGS 1960-1968) died 7 March 2020 – David Joel (RGS 1993-1998) died 3 March 2020 – Shirley Morris (RGS staff 1965-1983) died 15 February 2020 – Martin Ellis (RGS staff 1986-2003) died January 2020* – John Walder (RGS 1938-1944) died 28 January 2020 – Brian William Gale (RGS parent of alumni) died 18 January 2020 – Keith Sharp (RGS 1944-1952) died 5 January 2020 – Dr Godfrey N Lance (RGS 1940-1946) died 4 January 2020 – Bernard Hester (RGS 1939-1943) died 2020*

NOTICE OF DEATHS SUPPLEMENT

Dennis Coles (RGS 1939-1944) died 27 December 2019 – Malcolm Green (RGS 1958-1964) died 10 December 2019 – Peter Dench (RGS 1945-1950) died November 2019 – Gerald White (RGS 1942-1949) died 21 November 2019 – Martin Wedlock (RGS 1960-1966) died 11 November 2019 – Brian Leonard Francis Clarke (RGS 1937-1942) died 8 October 2019 – David Tremlett (RGS 1932-1942) died 5 October 2019 – Charles Atkinson (RGS 1950-1958) died in September 2019* – Mario Betés (RGS 1971-1978) died 26 April 2019 – David Boyd (RGS 1971-1975) died 31 January 2019