Obituaries Brian Boobbyer (WD 40), who died in January 2011 aged 82, was one of the finest all-round sportsman of his era. Born in 1928, sport was his passion and cricket in particular. Indeed in 1939, as an 11 year old, he opened the batting for Durston House prep school in Ealing and went the whole season without getting out. That year he went on to Ripley Court for two years before coming to Uppingham School in 1940. Here he excelled at cricket, spending four years in the team and representing England Schoolboys. He was also Head Boy. However the most significant moment occurred aged fifteen when, playing rugby, a game he had previously disliked because he hated tackling, he found himself unable to get out of the way of a large opponent rushing at him and had no option but to tackle him hard. ‘Overnight, ‘he used to say, ‘a game I hated became a game I loved.’ In fact he showed such flair for it that within three years he was again playing for England Schoolboys. After school, while doing his National Service, he played rugby for Rosslyn Park and he went up to Oxford in 1948 to read history at Brasenose with a reputation as a cricketer and a rugby player. He broke into the Oxford rugby side in his second year and played three varsity matches, all on the winning side. By Christmas 1949 he was catching the eyes of the England selectors and he made his debut against Wales the term after. He went on to win 9 caps in the next three seasons, scoring against France and against Ireland in 1952 when England won 3-0. Brian had always taken his Christian faith seriously and while at Oxford had discovered the work of Frank Buchman and, accepted the challenge to take faith seriously and make his Christian commitment relevant to national life. Following his last term at Oxford he again went on a rugby tour, this time to Japan, but when it was over, and the others were heading home, he stayed out there to work with an international group, the first overseas delegation invited to come to Japan since the war. That decision was not popular with everyone back home and even his family were split, but the result was that he never played rugby or cricket ever again at a serious level. The 26
next few years took him to all parts of the world. He found that he had a gift as a public speaker and a way of presenting spiritual truths in ways that everyone could understand and appreciate. He devoted the rest of his life to that work and there are people on every continent who are grateful for what he gave them. His wife, Juliet survives him along with their two sons, Philip and Mark, and five grandchildren.
Bobby Boobbyer (WD 40)
compete all around Europe and the world, retuning to New Zealand to compete in April 2002. He retired from diving due to ill health in November 2005, aged 75. Brian is survived by his wife Jacqui, children Helen & Bill and four grandchildren. Among their memories of their Grandad are those of him hanging by his toes from the garden trapeze, and jumping on a pogo stick at the young age of seventy. During recent years Brian put up a brave fight against his increasing disability but sadly died in August 2010.
Brian Pope (Fgh 25)
, who was England’s oldest living rugby union player, passed away peacefully in August was born 2011 having just celebrated his 100th at Oak Lawn, in Buckden. He attended birthday. Brian attended Uppingham in Uppingham, and then joined the RAF the 1920s and showed all the signs of where he trained as a mechanical engineer. his future prowess on the rugby fields After leaving the RAF he worked for De during his time here. He achieved the Havillands. distinction - almost certainly unique and unlikely ever to be repeated - of being He loved motorbikes and rode them Captain of all three major school sports for many years, even after breaking his (rugby, hockey and cricket). He was, cheekbone and losing his front teeth in a however, modest enough to point out fight with a manhole cover in Mill Hill. that he only became Captain of cricket by default: the School’s original choice of After emigrating to Montreal for two years, cricket Captain in his final year was sent Brian and his wife, Jacqui returned to live home before the start of the summer in Eaton Socon where Brian worked at term due to some sort of undisclosed Robertson’s engineers in Bedford, then ‘misdemeanour’. Cincinnati Milacron in Biggleswade and finally spent some happy years working for After Uppingham Brian went up to Cleghorn Waring in Baldock. Cambridge (Clare College) where he won his rugby Blue in 1932. His From his childhood, Brian always enjoyed England debut against Wales, however, swimming and diving and from the 1980s had come in the previous year when he enjoyed social diving at Robinson’s Pool the Cambridge scrum half berth was in Bedford. Having been talent spotted occupied by a Scottish international. after joining the North Bedford Diving Club, he was given coaching and his first Brian was also a formidable golfer, diving competition was in 1992 at Sheffield, representing the School several times where he came second on the platform. In in the Halford Hewitt and serving as 1996 he won a gold medal at the World Captain of the OUGS in 1966, Society Master’s diving competition in Sheffield, Treasurer in the 1960s and early 1970s, with a world record score. He went on to and President from 1973 to 1976. He
Brian Jolly (B 42)
The Magazine for the Old Boys & Girls of Uppingham School
