Obituaries

Malcolm Charles Harper CMG (B2 1953-57), died suddenly on 9th May 2013. Beloved husband of Ann, devoted father of Clare, Kate and Charles, adoring grandfather of Samson, and a much loved brother of Michael, Ewan and Diana.

Malcolm was a renowned Director of Oxfam before moving on to be Director of the United Nations Association of Great Britain…more.

John Greig, who died in January 2013, joined the family firm of WT Greig Ltd in 1950. A visionary, he worked his way up the company, becoming Chairman in 1973. A year later he led the merger with Fester, Fothergill & Hartung that created Greig Fester. Its Chairman for over twenty years, Greig presided over a rapidly expanding global business that became one of the leading independent international reinsurance broking houses. Joining the Council of Lloyd’s in 1986, in 1991 he became one of its two Deputy Chairmen. A fraught period in Lloyd’s history, Greig was deeply affected by the misery suffered by many Names. A founder member of the Worshipful Company of Insurers, Greig was its Master in 1992 and Chairman of the City of London Club 1988 to 1991.

On retirement in 1995 he became Greig Feister’s first President and, following its merger with the Benfield Group, Benfield Greig’s first Honorary President. Greig was a pioneer promoter of modern management practices, recognising the increasing need for corporate governance and the benefit of encouraging wider ownership of a company’s equity amongst its staff.

Full obituary

Mark Tancock (C2 1950-54) will best be remembered by contemporaries for his proficiency in the square ring and as an opponent to be avoided in the annual inter-house boxing competition. Conscription was with the Royal Navy, where he was posted to the public school slot of captain of the heads. This, if nothing else, substantiated the claim that nepotism was non-existent in the Senior Service, as his father was at that time Commandant RN section of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force.

Read the full obituary from Jeremy McCay (B2 1952-56)

Ernle Money (B2 1942-49), barrister and MP, with a lifelong passion for fine art died aged 82 on …/ He was a key figure in the campaign to save Titian’s Death of Actaeon for the nation. The painting now hangs in the National Gallery.

Obituaries appear in The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times.

John Lloyd (C3 1937-42) died on 28th February 2013 aged 89. Having served as a Captain during World War II, during which time he was awarded the Military Cross. Lloyd read History at Trinity College, Cambridge and went on to have a successful career in business.

See his obituary in The Telegraph.

Martin Hartley Guy Rogers (B1 1939-43) died on 28 December 2012, aged 87.

Martin Rogers was born on 11 June 1925 in Birmingham. Son of the Rector of Birmingham, educated at The Downs School and Marlborough College, he served in the Lincolnshire Regiment and was Education Officer in Palestine before going up to Jesus College, Cambridge in 1947. He read Law, graduating BA 1949. On leaving university he joined the Commonwealth Relations Office (later to become the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ) and served in Karachi, Lagos, Ottawa, Jamaica and Bombay (now Mumbai). He then returned to Nigeria, this time as Deputy High Commissioner in Kaduna. His last overseas posting was to The Gambia as High Commissioner. On his return to the UK he joined the Civil Service Selection Board based in London. In retirement he enjoyed golf, cricket, bridge, crosswords, sport and current affairs. But in his last years he derived his greatest pleasure from seeing his beloved family, listening to music and living by the sea in the Channel Isles.

He married Jean Beresford Chinn in 1959 and they had one son and three daughters.

The Marlburian Club staff were particularly saddened to hear of Martin's death as he regularly sent in an entry for the Club Magazine crossword competition and 2012 was no exception.

Henry Ferrar (formerly Ferraboschi) (PR 1929-34) died on 19th February 2013, aged 97. He graduated in Modern Languages from Cambridge, served in Burma during World War II, was Second Master at King's School, Worcester and Head of Modern Languages at Radley College. He was the author of A French Reference Grammar (which is still in print) and a revised editon of the Concise Oxford French-English Dictionary.

Robert Stinson (B3 1944-49) died in early April 2013. Not only an accomplished athlete in his own right, Robert spent 50 years in various roles supporting athletics, most notably the British Amateur Athletic Board (BAAB) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). He was a recipient of the prestigious Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the UK, the IAAF awarded him with the Veteran Pin in 1989, with the IAAF Silver Order of Merit in 2001, and he was appointed as an IAAF Honorary Life Vice President in 2003.

Tributes to Robert can be found on the British Athletics and European Athletics websites.

Douglas Neil Cross (LI 1945-49) died on the 18^th September 2012. Neil attended Marlborough College where he developed his interest in railways from an early age. While the other boys played sport on the rugby field, Neil would escape to his own world and visit the local signal box. The signalman kindly showed him around, with Neil showing a great interest and taking it all in. Neil was an electrical engineer working for at Alstom previously B.T.H, AEI and G.E.C. Neil loved history and liked politics, geography, maps, reading, music and travel. Neil personified the Marlburian spirit with his simple charm of manner, fair-minded, intelligence and sense of humour. He is greatly missed by all who knew him ...more

Denys Hodson (B2 1941-46) CBE died on 13 January. He was a leading arts and leisure administrator who was head of arts and recreation for Swindon (later Thamesdown) Borough Council for 22 years. During that time, Denys was also chairman of Southern Arts and governor and deputy chairman of the British Film Institute, as well as vice-chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain. In 1948, Hodson went to Trinity College, Oxford, to read history. Having had a successful career in advertising, he moved in to the public sector as the first controller of arts in 1970, becoming director in 1974. He was appointed CBE in 1981 for services to the arts. His wife, Julie Goodwin, whom he married in 1954, died in 2009, and he is survived by a daughter and a son.

Old school friend, Richard Russell (B1 1941-48) recalled Denys Hodson, as a pupil, taking part in the mock election of 1945 as the Labour Party Candidate. Richard explains, “The Chairman of the local constituency party, appropriately, was Lionel 'Whiggy' Gough, the splendid, eccentric and leftish Head of English [at Marlborough College]. He wrote to Clement Attlee before the election to say the Marlborough College Labour Party would be fighting his cause. Attlee sent a card, in his own hand, wishing the Labour candidate well 'in an obvious Conservative stronghold.' I wonder whether later potential Prime Ministers would have taken the time and trouble  to write personally to schoolboys.”

Richard was involved in the College Press (the printing press they used is situated in the new Art Deparement building and still used for art prints). The boys who worked in the College Press provided the election publicity. He added that "While the Conservative candidate won, Labour's Denys Hodson did do much better than expected in that 'Conservative stronghold'; and while the nation returned a Labour government.”

Alegría Gunner, wife of Laurence Gunner, Chaplain at Marlborough College (CR 1986-96),   passed away on 21st December.  She is survived by Laurence; Rafaela, Marisa and Xavier, her children; and Sebastian, Francesca, Marcos and Emilia, her grandchildren...more

A Requiem will be offered for Alegría in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle at 8.00 am on Thursday 24th January and a Memorial Evensong in thanksgiving for her life will be sung at  5.15 pm that same day. Click on Memorial Services.

Donald Jackson died peacefully on January 2nd 2013. Born in May 1918, Donald would have been 95 next birthday and he was in good health until his sudden death. He was part of a Marlburian Family. His brother, Guy (PR 1934-1939), nephew Peter (C3 1969-73), niece Alexandra (CO 1974-76) and nephew Patrick (C3 1980-85) attended Marlborough, as did his great nephews and nieces: Matilda Kay (EL 2002-07), Arthur Kay (PR 2004-09), Benedict Kay, (PR 2006-11), Daisy Kay (EL 2009-) and Ami Jackson (MM 2012-).  He was Captain of Tennis whilst at Marlborough and gained a Cambridge Hockey Blue in 1939, scoring the winning goal against Oxford in the Varsity Match. He travelled widely during his career in the Foreign Office with postings in Brazil, Lebanon and Bulgaria, amongst others, but transferred back to the Home Civil Service where he worked during the 1960s and 70s. He is survived by his wife Rosemary, his daughter, Carolyn, and granddaughters Emily and Florence MacKenzie.

The Rev John Burdett (C2 1938-43) died on Monday 10 December aged 86. His friend Christopher Hall (C3 1954-59) described John as a ‘much liked, wise and kindly man’. Towards the end of a Civil Engineering career John trained for the Non Stipendiary Ministry, and became a priest in 1980. He served at St John’s Episcopal Church, Edinburgh from 1979-87 and again from 1990-95. Between 1987 and 1990 he served as Assistant Chaplain at St Paul’s Nicosia and as Diocesan Secretary of the Middle East Anglican Diocese. After ‘retiring’ he continued to assist at St John’s until quite recently, and he also found time to write a very thoughtful book called ‘A Full Life’ in which he explored various aspects of Faith for believers and non believers. He also assisted in fund-raising for the 1999-2000 Restoration Appeal for the Cathedral of The Isles at Millport, Isle of Cumbrae (the smallest cathedral in the British Isles). John’s wife Margaret died in 2010 and he is survived by their son and daughter.

Justin de Blank (PR 1940-44) restaurateur and food merchant whose commitment to quality helped to launch a gastronomic revolution, died on 17th December 2012. For a generation of Londoners the name of Justin de Blank was synonymous with fine food. De Blank was a pioneer on a par with Elizabeth David, Jane Grigson and Terence Conran; one of the people who revived British taste buds after their long postwar hibernation. See also The Times and The Telegraph.

Christopher Martin-Jenkins (B3 1958-63), broadcaster and former cricket correspondent of The Times and Daily Telegraph, died on 1^st January 2013 of cancer at the age of 67. He was well known as a member of The Test Match Special team on Radio 4 and would have been current President of The Marlburian Club had it not been for his serious illness.

There were fitting tributes paid to CMJ, as he was affectionately known, on Radio 4 and in The Times on 2^nd January, and The Daily Telegraph. He was a fine man in every way and, in the words of the Leading Article in The TIMES was" THE VOICE OF SUMMER ".See also The Independent and The Guardian

Alec Bond (B3 1954-57), died on 18th November 2012, aged 72. Brother of Robin Wise and Colin, husband of the late Emmy, father of the late Will and grandfather to Jemima and Bertie. A Memorial Service is to be held at 12.00 on 9th January at St Lawrence Church, Marston St Lawrence. No flowers please. Donations , if desired to Injured Jockeys Fund and Thenford Church to J & M Humphris, 32 Albert Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX16 5DG.

Sophie Hamilton (PR 1971-72) aged 57, died on Friday 19th October 2012, peacefully at home in London, after a short and dreadful illness borne with her customary patience and fortitude. Beloved daughter of Geraldine, sister of Kate McFarlan and Lucy Webster, widow of the late Peter Goldie, step-mother to Alexander and William Goldie, and loving aunt to Charlotte, Donald, Alice and Emily. Her funeral took place on Tuesday 30th October at St John's Church, Lansdowne Crescent, Notting Hill. The President, Steven Bishop, represented The Marlburian Club. More..

Richard Stuart Insall (C3 1943-46) died peacefully at his home on 19th May 2012. Richard completed his National Service in Malaya with the Intelligence Corps at a time when the Emergency was beginning. On demobilisation he joined Gray’s Inn and was called to the Bar in 1952. After several years in the Temple he moved to join Chambers in Leicester, and spent the remainder of his life serving the profession he graced in that City …more

P W B (Peter) Barrows (C3 1945-49) died on 26th October 2012. He attended Club Day 6th October, where he met up with old friends from his house and years including Tim Halton and Gale Coles and was also able to see his grandchildren, Catherine (NC) and James (B1) Barrows, who are attending Marlborough.

Michael Barnes-Gorell (LI 1939-43) died on 22^nd August. He is missed by family and friends. He left Littlefield early to joined the Army, where he excelled himself.  His final school report was very similar in content to his Army report and his ability to organise and his interpersonal skills were noted in both. He farmed for about 10 years near Marlborough, and then near Andover. In his retirement, he volunteered at the local hospice, among other things.

Dr JWB Forshaw (LI 1936-40) died on 20 April 2011 at the age of 88. He retired as a consultant physician from the Royal Liverpool Hospital in 1988 and enjoyed an active retirement fell walking in the Lake District well into his eighties and was still playing squash until a year before he died. Dr Forshaw is survived by his wife, Muriel, who is now in a nursing home in Norwich and by his two sons, Paul and David.

Michael Birley, Mike, MPB, was for most of his long life the right man in the right place. Born into a century of change he was the ideal man - as a young teacher, headmaster and housemaster - to embrace the demands of new generations on old institutions with alacrity and glee. Full Obituary

Joe Bain, who taught at English and Drama at Stowe from 1954 to 1973 and Winchester from 1974 to 1988, died in 2011.  A sculptor, painter, drama-director, musician, linguist and writer of verses, he is the subject of both a website and book, The Book of Bain: Verses, Orations and Essays, edited by Justin Wintle and published by Plumbago Books and Arts, London.  For further information please visit www.joebain.org.uk

Bill Freeman died in June 2012 after a short illness. A loyal OM and regular attendee at Club events, he was for several years the senior OM at the Annual Dinner. After Marlborough, Freeman went up to Oriel, Oxford to read law, though his degree was interrupted by war service as an anti-aircraft gunner. After graduating he became a solicitor in Winchester, working his way up to the position of District Judge in Shrewsbury, prior to his retirement back to Marlborough.

Professor Fritz Ursell FRS, who died in May 2012 aged 89, came to England as a refugee from Nazi Germany and was educated at Clifton and, when war required him to be moved at least 50 miles from the coast, Marlborough for two terms. At Cambridge he became an expert on fluid mechanics and, in particular, the behaviour of waves. Assigned to the group of scientists given the task of forecasting waves for the landings in Japan during the Second World War, Ursell’s understanding of the complex mathematics involved in the ‘Cauchy-Poisson problem’ subsequently become the basis of modern wave-forecasting, and shaped his subsequent career as a mathematical researcher in the linear theory of water waves. In fluid dynamics, he also gave his name to the Ursell number, and made major contributions in the field of asymptotic theory…For full obituary please visit The Telegraph obituary pages ... more

Lord Maples, who died in June 2012, was Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 1990 to 1992, and later joint deputy chairman of the Conservative Party under John Major and deputy chairman under David Cameron. Serving as MP for the south London seat of Lewisham West from 1983 to 1992, and then for Stratford-upon-Avon from 1997 to 2010, Maples was a mainstream “One Nation” Tory, a party loyalist and a well-respected and popular figure in the House. He made himself rather less popular among constituency associations, however, in his role as right-hand man to David Cameron during his drive to “modernise” the party and rid it of its public-school-educated middle-aged white male image. Read full Telegraph obituary

Bill Spray died on 24th July 2012. Bill was a Member of Common Room from 1946 to 1970 and House Master of C1 (1959-63) and Littlefield (1963-70) and was also a former Principal of The Methodist College, Uzuakoli, East Nigeria from 1954 to 58. He was later appointed Head Master of Leighton Park School, Reading (1971-81). His three children Paul, Christopher and Rachel all attended the College. Bill was a Founder Member of the Marlborough Brandt Group and later became its Chairman.

The funeral service will be on Thursday 9th August at 11.00 am in the Wesley Memorial Church, New Hall Street, Oxford. Those attending are recommended to use the Park & Ride service if coming by car. It is likely that there will be a Memorial Service at Leighton Park School, where Bill went on to be Headmaster until 1981. This would be at a considerably later date but if you are interested in attending please contact the Club Office marlburianclub@marlboroughcollege.org

John Tyzack (LI 1945-49) died aged 80 on 24 April 2012. He was an excellent sportsman and while at Marlborough played for the Rugby XV, the Hockey XI and the Cricket XI. Later he fought in Malaya and was mentioned in despatches. His father, W A Tyzak (PR 1908-11) and his son  A J Tyzak (LI 1973-78) also attended Marlborough. He is survived by his wife Jacqueline and son James.

Peter Naylor (C2 1948-53) died peacefully in his sleep on 1 May 2012 after a long battle with cancer. A fine cricketer, hockey player and golfer, Peter played for the XI in 1952-53, subsequently playing Minor County cricket for Wiltshire and Surrey 2nd XI. He was an active member of the Blues, playing in the Cricketer Cup until 1978, the Halford Hewitt in 1970 and the Bernard Darwins from 1991 to 2009. He will be sadly missed.

30 Dec 1930 - 13 Dec 2011. John died at home in Victoria, BC after a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Sue, of 54 years, daughters Penny (Ian), Kit (Jeremy) and Merion (David), and grandchildren Eric and Julia.  Born in England and educated at Marlborough College, he served with Royal Signals in Germany, Korea, Hong Kong, Borneo, and Britain ...more

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Robert Avery on Tuesday 17th April after a long illness which he bore with great fortitude. Educated at Magdalen College School, Oxford, Trinity College, Dublin and Oriel College, Oxford. Robert taught first at Magdalen College School from 1958-65 where he was Senior English Master. Between 1965-68 he was a Lecturer at Westminster College, Oxford after which he joined Marlborough. Robert was amost talented Director of Drama from 1970 to 1990, having acted as Head of English from 1968-1969. He was also House Master of Elmhurst (then a Junior House) from 1981-88. Read John Byrom's Tribute and Andrew Reid's Tribute. Full Obituary

Diana Cook, wife of Raymond Cook (CR 1935-67) died in March 2012. For those OMs who knew her, Robert Smith has added the brief address which he gave at her funeral...more

After Marlborough and National Service, William Le Blanc-Smith (SU 1952-55), MBE, CBE joined the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards in 1959. As a young Major, he designed and supervised advanced armoured training in Alberta, Canada. Returning to the post of Brigade Major of 7th Armoured Brigade, he went on to command the 4th/7th RDG. William caught the eye of Field Marshall Nigel Bagnall, one of the greatest military thinkers of his generation. William became part of his doctrinal team that developed the NATO cold war strategy and battlefield tactics and was at the heart of planning and execution of Army operations in the first Gulf War. As Brigadier, he commanded a TA Brigade in Wales. Lastly, he was appointed to run, design and implement the examination of candidates for the Army Staff College under the Chief of General Staff. Click on obituary of William Le Blanc-Smith.

Born on 3 March 1916, Sir David Bate (PR 1929-34), CBE, KBE, Chief Judge, Benue and Plateau States, Nigeria, 1975-77, died on June 4, 2011, aged 95. After MC and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a scholar, Sir David was called to the Bar before the  war. He was commissioned in the Royal Horse Artillery, and left the Army in 1946 with the rank of battery commander. He then joined the Colonial Legal Service and was posted to Lagos, Nigeria where he became a Crown Counsel, rising to Senior Crown Counsel, Solicitor General, High Court Judge and, finally, senior Puisne Judge of Northern Nigerla and Chief Justice of Benue-Plateau State. After he retired in 1977, 17 years after independence, Sir David settled in Vancouver Island for over twenty years and then moved to Kwa Zulua Natal where he continued to ride, shoot and fish until he was well past 90. He was made a CBE in 1968 and KVE in 1978.

(James) Michael Pocock (C1 1942-46), younger brother of the late Anthony Pocock OBE (C1 1936-41), died in hospital on September 16 2010. Full obituary

“A teacher of outstanding ability, with all the gifts of intellect, personality and character” John Dancy (Master 1961-72)

Head of House and Secretary of Rugger at King’s School, Wimbledon, an Open Exhibitioner at Magdalen, Oxford and with a DPhil arising from research into Paramagnetism, Frank came to Marlborough in 1957 to continue his research and - almost immediately - head the Physics Department. He married Helen a year later and was soon an innovative Head of Science, overseeing a flourishing and talented department. Full Obituary

John Chesshire (C1 1928-33) former captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), who served as Medical Officer to 1st Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment (1 SSR), died on 27 November 20122. The citation for his MC estimated that 500 men had passed through his hands during the campaign. He married Marion Walker in 1949. She predeceased him and he is survived by their three sons and a daughter. Telegraph Obituary

Following Marlborough College, John Oliver Bowman Grace read law at Southampton University, graduating in 1970. For the first two years after leaving university, he went into industry as a management trainee. In 1973, John transferred to the bar. In 1974, he began a pupillage in Carpmael Building under the mentorship of Neil Butter. At the time, this was a fledgling common law set under the headship of John Rankin QC. It meant that the type of work undertaken in chambers was extremely varied... More

William Sommerville sadly died suddenly last Boxing Day 2010. He had a distinguised career as a Consultng Engineer, and in later years, he and his wife Mary had run a Retreat House together and he was a lay reader. He had helped to build the bridge near the water meadows. A retired clergyman in his village wrote these words, "His life was gentle; and the elemetns so mixed in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, 'This was a Man!'

David Clemmow (B3 1934-39) died on 17th November 2011, just two days before his 90th birthday. An obituary will be posted shortly. Read the full obituary of David Clemmow.

31 October 2010
Derek Huffam (SU 1935-39) passed away on 31 October 2010, aged 89. He left Marlborough as the 2nd World War started. He joined 1st Kings Dragoon Guards seeing action in the Western Desert, Italy, Greece and Syria and left the forces as a Major. Later, he joined Metal Box as a trainee and worked his way up to Vice-Chairman, retiring in 1979. Once retired he was delighted to be made Honorary Secretary of The Yarmouth, Isle of Wight RNLI  lifeboat which was another of his passions as a keen Sailor. He was also a Member of the Royal Yacht Squadron. Derek’s wife, Sheila, died two weeks later after 63 years of marriage.

19 September 2010
Richard Buchanan-Dunlop (C3 1932-38)) died peacefully in his sleep at his villa in Skiathos on 19 September 2010. He leaves three daughters and 11 grandchildren, three of whom also attended Marlborough College. 

For anyone who may be interested, there will be an exhibition of his oil paintings and poetry at 3 Bedfordbury, London WC2N from 19 October 2011 until 22 October 2011.

13 March 2011
Ian Barton (C1 1939-44) was born in 1926 and died on 13 March 2011.  Full Obituary