Obituaries

Thomas John Robert Wilson in July 2018, aged 37

W OQ94 - LQ98

Eldest son of  Jennifer and Andrew Wilson (Brooke Hall 1975-2002, Housemaster of Bodeites 1990-1999). Brother of Hugh (W2002).

Andrew & Jennifer wrote: “We are sorry to report the death of our son Tom from bowel cancer in Wellington, New Zealand. Tom overlapped briefly in Weekites with his younger brother Hugh. After school Tom went to Farnborough College of Technology to take a computer course and worked in a photography shop in Guildford. He went to New Zealand with his parents and Hugh in November 2002 and joined the New Zealand Film School on a year's diploma course.

After this he made a number of documentaries and film commercials as a technician and worked as backstage crew in The Arena, a large theatrical venue in Auckland, supporting touring rock groups. He later worked for motor car dealerships in Auckland and Wellington. He married Shannon Grant-Mackie whom he met at Film School and they have a son Arthur, born in December 2016.

Tom's cancer was diagnosed in mid-December 2017 and he died only eight months later.”

Michael Stephen Sommer in July 2018, aged 76

S OQ55 - OQ59

2nd XI Member - Cricket, Two Havelock Prizewinners (Composition and German Literature), Member - First Orchestra

Brother of Robert (S61), father of Michael (S01).

He went up to Christ Church, Oxford, with a Holford Exhibition to read Modern Languages.

He returned to academia in retirement and in 2010 presented his dissertation for an MLitt at Christ Church, “Battles between Windmills: Heresy and Orthodoxy”  a study of relationship between the Gospel and the First Epistle of John.

He remarried after the death of his first wife Ann, to Susanne who survives him.

Further details pending

Michael Charles hughesdon on 29 June 2018, aged 78

R CQ53 - OQ56

2nd XI Member - Football, Maniacs Captain

He went to Grenoble University.  After qualifying as an insurance broker he worked for various Lloyd’s firms; in 1978 he joined the main board of AON plc, retiring in 1998.  He became involved with golf course design and club management and was latterly a member of the BBC Golf commentary team.

John Pearmund, Hon Secretary of OC Golfing Society wrote: "Mike was a very distinguished Amateur Golfer; a member of the R&A; a Past Captain of Sunningdale Golf Club; and for many years one of the BBC"s golf commentary team, working alongside people like Peter Alliss to bring to viewers his on-course commentary and observations."

He was a great supporter of OCGS and a member of five successful Halford Hewitt sides. With Peter Benka (R2007, deceased 2007) he held the equal best partnership record in the competition with 21 wins from 23 matches. He was also a talented footballer playing in the Arthur Dunn Cup. 

Dr Alan David Rowan Macauslan on 25 May 2018, aged 96

g CQ35 - LQ39

1st XI Member - Hockey, Member - Cross Country Team, Poole Prizewinner

Family members include brother John (g34), nephews Alan (P70) and Harry (P74), and great nephews Ian (R00) and Sam (R05).

Full obituary pending. 

William Herbert Masefield MBE on 1 May 2018, aged 92

G CQ39 - OQ43

House Monitor,4th XI Captain - Football, Member - Cross Country Team

Brother of Charles Masefield (G42, deceased 1989). Survived by children Charles and Amanda, grandfather of four, great grandfather of one. A retired solicitor.

Full obituary pending. 

Tobias William Hammersley Eckersley MBE on 28 April 2018, aged 76

D OQ55 - LQ60

Foundation Scholarship, Senior Scholarship, House Monitor

His grandfather was in Daviesites, his father in Bodeites and his brother Timothy in Gownboys (G70).

He read PPE at St John’s College, Oxford, and in 1963 was elected President of the OU Conservative Association. After a short period working in HM Foreign Service he followed a career in finance before taking early retirement to concentrate on local politics and was appointed MBE 1989 for political and public service. 

Beloved brother, uncle, great uncle, friend and borough councillor, “He was as stubborn as he was principled”.

When Toby Eckersley, Conservative candidate for London Bridge and West Bermondsey ward, and long-standing former Southwark Councillor and Alderman of the Borough, died unexpectedly, tributes came from across the political spectrum from colleagues and friends who admired his commitment to public service, and forensic knowledge of Southwark Council and its planning and regeneration projects.

Michael Mitchell, Conservative Group Leader and friend of Mr Eckersley’s for 35 years, said: “Toby’s political career took him from being a young firebrand who gave no quarter during the heady days of the mid-1980s, to be the revered elder statesmen to whom councillors from all political parties, and officers from many parts of the council, would turn to for advice. He was always happy to draw on his experience and point people in the right direction. For someone who was part of a group which never exceeded eight of Southwark’s 63 Councillors, his influence on the making of modern Southwark should never be underestimated. He was truly a politician who punched above his weight and will be sadly missed by all who knew him.”

Former Bermondsey and Old Southwark Liberal Democrat MP, Simon Hughes, said: “Real sadness and shock today after announcement of sudden weekend death of Alderman Toby Eckersley MBE, for decades the most doughty and effective Tory Southwark campaigner, but always a kind-hearted and charming gentleman. I disagreed with him often, but like many others, I always respected him.”

Cllr Peter John, Leader of Southwark Council, gave this statement: “Toby served his community and the council tirelessly for many years. He stood up for what he thought was right and was relentless in the causes he championed. He was a true Thatcherite and argued for Thatcherite policies across the council, but his devotion to the people of the borough – and the causes that were close to his heart in the borough – were utterly genuine. And while we disagreed about many things politically, he was someone who would always argue his case fairly, with eloquence and with total conviction. Southwark is the poorer for his passing and I personally will miss him.”

Eleanor Kelly, Chief Executive of Southwark Council said: “We will all remember Toby as a kind and charming man – the quintessential Englishman who served his local constituents with commitment and drive. In his three decades as a local councillor, Toby served the council in various roles including Executive Member for Finance, and Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee, and even after standing down as a councillor in 2014 he continued to get involved in local politics and support local people.”

Link to national press obituary: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/18/toby-eckersley-obituary

Richard Measham Duffield on 2 April 2018, aged 81

H CQ50 - LQ54

School Monitor

His wife Rose-Marie wrote: "Richard had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001 and for some years managed to battle against it. 

He left Charterhouse aged 17 and went to Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. He was an officer for the next 37 years and retired from the RN in 1991. He had a varied career, serving with the 8th Destroyer Squadron in the Far East in the early 60s. He had several sea-going jobs after that and in 1978 was appointed to the Staff of the UK Military Representative at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. He served in HMS Hermes during the Falklands conflict. In 1985 Richard was sent on a course at the NATO Defence College in Rome, where he enjoyed six months of Italian life among fellow members of the NATO family. 1986 saw him appointed Naval Attache at the British Embassy in Brasilia. His last Naval appointment was at the Minstry of Defence, as Captain of Naval Technical Intelligence.

Upon leaving the Royal Navy, Richard became the Secretary of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, with offices based in Clerkenwell for five years until 1997 and we retired to Devon in the spring of 1998.

Richard always enjoyed returning to Charterhouse for OC reunions and rather regretted not making the most of the opportunities offered, even in those far gone days."

Robert Woollard Holder on 31 March 2018, aged 93

g OQ38 - OQ42

Foundation Scholarship, 1st XI Member - Football

Two of his sons and grandsons followed him to Duckites: Simon (g70), James (g71), Oliver (g01) and William (g06). They survive him with wife Margaret, other sons Robert and Benjamin, daughter Charlotte, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery, Royal Devon Yeomanry in which he served 1943-46.

Robert went up to Peterhouse College, Cambridge, with an Exhibition to read Law and was there for two terms before being called up. He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery, Royal Devon Yeomanry in which he served until 1946. He returned to Cambridge for three more terms, qualified as a Solicitor and went into practice in Taunton, Somerset.

Full obituary pending. 

John Anthony "Tony" Bagnall Smith on 28 March 2018, aged 92

B CQ38 - LQ43

House Monitor

After serving with the RNVR in WWII he worked briefly for Rootes Motors, a diamong trading firm and a Board of Trade Mission to Canada. Thereafter his business career developed with Dorland Advertising, joining the company in 1952 and eventually becoming Chairman and Chief Executive; he retired in 1985. 

In 1997 he published a collection of his father"s letters from Africa - Vet in Africa - Life on the Zambezi 1913-16.

He is survived by his wife Jean and their children Sarah and Richard. His daughter Sarah wrote: "My father enjoyed a wonderful life for almost all of his nearly 93 years and many happy and interesting ones at Charterhouse." 

Dr Michael Hugh Dickson on 28 March 2018, aged 85

H OQ45 - CQ49

House Monitor, Member - Athletics Team 

He passed away after a lengthy illness and is survived by his wife Jean, three daughters Nancy, Jane and Roslyn and four grandchildren. A son, David, died in infancy.

His family sent tributes from The Cornell Chronicle and Finger Lakes Times:

“Mike was born in London, son of Dr Hugh and Eranee Dickson. He spent the first three years of his life in Egypt where his father was a botanist working on King Tutunkahmun's tomb. He grew up in turbulent times in England during World War 2. He graduated from Charterhouse and left England in 1950 to attend college. He graduated from McGill University (Macdonald College) in 1955 with a BS degree and continued his education at Michigan State University where he earned MS and PhD degrees in Plant Breeding. He was a professor at Ontario Agricultural University in Guelph, Ontario for six years before coming to the New York Experiment Station in Geneva, NY,Cornell University, as a research professor in 1964. He established a world class breeding program in crucifer crops and snap beans. His work resulted in many scientific papers and awards and mentoring of graduate students. He was a long time chair of the International Bean Improvement Cooperative. 

He is perhaps best known as the breeder of Orange Cauliflower, beginning work on this in 1981 when fellow researchers forwarded him a cauliflower mutant that was smaller and less tasty than the white variety, yet was packed with beta carotene that provided its orange hue. Over the next eight years he crossbred the orange mutant with white until he found the right combination of size, taste and colour in 1989 which he released to seed companies, and the orange clone was made public in 2004.

The development of these crops is important because vitamin A deficiency is common in developing countries and can lead to compromised immune systems and blindness in children. His research led to a great deal of useful germplasm (genetic resources such as seeds or tissues) that has been widely used by vegetable seed companies.

He became a Fellow of the American Horticultural Society and retired in 1995 as a full Professor Emeritus.

Mike married Jean Hamilton, his college sweetheart, in 1958, and they would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in August 2018. Over the years they entertained many guests from around the world. In retirement, he and Jean enjoyed travelling the world, spending fifteen winters in their Tucson, Arizona home and visiting their children and families.

A man of many hobbies, these included gardening, sailing, skiing, reading and painting in oil and watercolours. He was a long -time member of the Presbyterian Church in Geneva, a former board member of the Geneva Public Library, Commodore of the Seneca Yacht club, and member of several organisations."

Antony Andrew Boord on 22 March 2018, aged 79

B LQ52 - CQ55

Member - Fives Team

Father of Andrew (B80). 

He is survived by his wife Anna Christina, their two children and three grandchildren.

Full obituary pending. 

Timothy Henry Reed on 22 March 2018, aged 77

H LQ54 - CQ58

Head of House, 1st XI Member - Football and Cricket

His father Henry was in Hodgsonites (H27).

His sister, Elisabeth Watson, wrote:

“On leaving school Tim became an Articled Clerk in his father's Solicitor's firm Broomhead, Wightman and Reed in Sheffield and also Peacock and Goddard in London; he qualified as a solicitor in 1963.

The following year he became a partner in Broomhead Wightman and Reed and remained with the firm through its transition to Dibb Lupton Broomhead until 1996. During this time Tim was a partner in the Company and Commercial Department, acting for a large number of public and private companies both in the Sheffield area and nationally. From 1996 he ran his own business comprising directorships and consultancies, until he retired.

In 1973 he was appointed a non-executive Director of W.Tyzack Sons & Turner Ltd, he later became deputy Chairman and then Chairman. In 1995 he stood down as Chairman but remained as a non-executive Director under the name of TT Electronics plc until 2008.

Tim had always been a keen cricketer, going to cricket matches with his father from a young age, playing on the lawn at home or on the beach on holiday, when the opportunity arose. He played for the 1st X1 Cricket team at his prep school Stancliffe Hall.  

In Sheffield he joined Abbeydale Sports Club and played cricket for Sheffield Collegiate for many years. He later became a Vice President of the club. Between 1980 and 1987 he represented the Sheffield District on the Yorkshire County Cricket Club Committee, serving on the Finance Committee. He also played in the Yorkshire League and for many of the leading wandering clubs including the Butterflies, Leicester Gentlemen and I Zingari.

Although cricket was his main sport he also played hockey and squash. He was an intrepid skier and enjoyed frequent visits with his wife Pam to their chalet in France.

Tim was a Trustee and Chairman of the J G Graves Charitable Trust, which distributed around £150,000 a year in the Sheffield area. He also acted as Law Clerk to the Sheffield Grammar School Trust for 20 years.

In 2005/2006 Tim and Pam became Master and Mistress Cutler in Sheffield, (representing the Worshipful Company of Cutlers) promoting the local business community. During their year of office they travelled widely attending other Worshipful Company functions. Tim became Chairman of the Cutlers Company Charity Trust. In 1885 his great grandfather Charles Belk also was Master Cutler.

Tim also enjoyed game shooting and belonged to a number of shoots all over the country. In fact he and Pam bred golden retrievers to act as gun dogs for when he went shooting. He enjoyed occasional fishing as well.

Tim led life to the full, with his many business commitments and sporting interests, both he and Pam enjoyed foreign holidays. Following the sad loss of Pam in a tragic accident in 2009 he never really recovered and a couple of years later, his general health started to deteriorate, leading to a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's.”

At the Charterhouse Friars CC Dinner held in April 2018, Tim was remembered, alongside other departed members:

“Tim, better known to all Friars as “The Cutler”, died after a long illness. As the opening bowler, he bowled the first ball for the Friars in the Cricketer Cup and Colin Cowdrey said that he was the best bowler he had faced in the Cup. Some accolade for another terrific Friar who used to make the long journey from Sheffield for every round in those early years!”

Arthur Vivian Sutton on 15 March 2018, aged 80

B OQ50 - OQ55

Head of House, 1st XI Member - Cricket, Captain of Fives Team

He is survived by three daughters, a grandson and a greyhound. His joie de vivre and dry wit will be sorely missed. 

Full obituary pending.

Colin Langton Greig on 11 March 2018, aged 88

V OQ42 - CQ47

Founding Member of The Thomas Sutton Society, Member - Athletics Team

He served with the Royal Engineers from 1949-1955 before spending three years in Canada working on a cattle ranch and for the Forestry Service in British Columbia.  He then returned to UK and taught in preparatory schools for a while before joining the Strand Hotel Group which was later taken over by Forte. He remained on their administrative staff for twenty years until retirement.

A loyal Old Gownboy, in 1996 Colin presented to Brooke Hall the gold candelabra which had belonged to his grandfather (Stephan Langton BH 1900-1929).  In 2010 he planted an oak tree at Charterhouse between Chapel and the Peter May Pavilion. The tree is in honour and remembrance of Mr Greig's great-grandfather, the Revd Henry J Evans (1866-1900) who came down from the old Charterhouse with Haig Brown in 1872 to be the first Housemaster of Gownboys at the new location in Godalming. Mr Evans's daughter, Violet, was married in 1903 in Founder's Chapel to Stephan H Langton (BH 1900-29) who eventually became another Housemaster of Gownboys (1915-29); their daughter Esme and Colin Greig's father, Geoffrey, were the first couple to be married in the Memorial Chapel in July 1928.  

The Hon Sir William Hepburn McAlpine Bt, 6th Baronet, on 4 March 2018, aged 82

H OQ49 - CQ52

He joined the family construction company straight from School and spent much of his career managing the firm’s interests in Scotland..

As a passionate railway enthusiast, he created a railway line and museum on his private estate at Fawley Hill, which also contains a collection of memorabilia and prominent architectural features including the Twin Towers from Wembley Stadium.  He became involved with a number of railway preservation and restoration endeavours, establishing the Railway Heritage Trust in 1985. He also became President of the Transport Trust, a charity dedicated to the preservation of all modes of transport and its infrastructure.

In 1973 he attracted publicity when he rescued the famous steam locomotive Flying Scotsman from USA; he restored it twice before selling it 23 years later.  Sir William’s life and work was commemorated in January 2019 at a re-naming ceremony at the National Railway Museum in York.

Sir William died after a three month battle with sepsis. He is survived by his second wife, Judith, and two children, Andrew and Lucinda, from his first marriage.

Amongst tributes to Sir William in the national press: https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-sir-william-mcalpine-businessman-and-rail-enthusiast-who-saved-the-flying-scotsman-for-the-nation-1-471348

Dr Bruce David Rowan Osborne on 1 March 2018, aged 90

g OQ40 - CQ45

House Monitor

He is survived by his wife, Heather, and their four children.

Full obituary pending. 

Rae Hungerford Fulton Wills on 24 February 2018, aged 79

S OQ52 - OQ57

2nd VIII Shooting

Full obituary pending.

Frank Harry Parsons on 13 February 2018, aged 92

G CQ39 - OQ43

Frank served with the Royal Artillery in WWII. A marine and agricultural engineer, he later farmed in Shackleford, near Godalming.

He died at home and leaves a widow Mary, two daughters Jane and Carol, and grandchildren Katie and Sam.

Mark Stuart Arthur Heaton on 12 February 2018, aged 69

g OQ61 - CQ64

His grandfather was in Pageites and his father in Duckites (g37).

Mark died in Launceston Hospital, Cornwall. Beloved husband of Joan, loving father and grandfather. 

Michael Henry Thomas Janes on 5 February 2018, aged 88

D OQ43 - CQ48

Foundation Scholarship, Sutton Prizewinner, Member - Fencing Team

Full obituary pending.

Stephen John Ironside Shipp on 3 February 2018, aged 77

G OQ54 - CQ59

School Monitor, House Monitor, Band Sergeant CCF

Charterhouse family include father Guy (G25), brother Christopher (G60), and nephew Lawrence Jackson (G86).

He went to Peterhouse, Cambridge, and embarked on a career in construction engineering. In Australia he worked on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme in New South Wales, before joining the planning team of Thai-Australian Roadbuilding in Colombo and a 60 km mountain road link near the Burma border. In London he worked on the construction of the 600ft Natwest Tower, for which he won the Construction News Man-of-the-Year Award in 1979.

Stephen’s daughter Amanda wrote:

“My father passed away after suffering many years of dementia. He had been an influential Engineer and Director in the construction company John Mowlem & Co. Friends and family will all remember him with great affection for his musical talent at the piano or on the accordion. He was such fun to be with. Much loved by his devoted children Alastair and Amanda, who cared loyally for him.”

Gavin Devonald Roynon on 2 March 2018, aged 81

R LQ50 - CQ54

School Monitor, 1st XI Captain - Cricket, 1st XI Member - Hockey, Member - Fives Team

Father of Alison (V84, Mrs Pennant), father-in-law of Donald Pennant (V84), grandfather of Jemima (V14) and Maisie Pennant (V19). 

His wife wrote:

“Following National Service with the 13^th/18^th Royal Hussars, Gavin read Modern Languages at Worcester College, Oxford (1956-59).  He frequently represented the University at Cricket, though he did not get a blue.  Whereas for Squash, a game virtually unknown at Charterhouse in the 1950s, he was a triple blue, and captain in 1958-59.

Joining the teaching staff at Eton in 1960, he taught French, German and latterly History there until his retirement in 1999.  He was Housemaster of Angelo’s 1974-1989, Careers Master through the 60s and 70s, and master-in-charge of Squash during the 80s and 90s.  He remained unbeaten by any boy!

In retirement, his new-found passion for history led to the publication of three sets of WW1 diaries: The Massacre of the Innocents: the 1914-15 Ypres diaries of Sir Morgan Crofton; Home Fires Burning: the Great War Diaries of Georgina Lee and A Chaplain at Gallipoli; The Great War Diary of the Revd Kenneth Best.

 Gavin’s final gesture to Robinites was to endow a bat for a few years to be awarded to the most promising cricketer in the House.  He himself had been the recipient of a similarly endowed Lovett bat during his time in the School.

He is survived by his wife, Patsy, five children and 15 grandchildren.”

David Maurice Stern on 7 February 2018, aged 85

V OQ45 - CQ50

House Monitor, Maniacs Cricket

He went to the Sorbonne and afterwards qualified as a Chartered Accountant. 

The International Cotton Association announced:

“David Stern joined the business of M & B Stern as a young man. The company, a family cotton business, was founded by his great-grandfather in the middle of the 19th century. In 1963, M & B Stern amalgamated with Alexander Eccles & Co, another well-established Liverpool company, to form Alexander Eccles & Stern. In 1991, David became Managing Director of Weil Brothers and Stern Ltd, a company formed in partnership with Weil Brothers Cotton Inc. of Montgomery. 

David was President of the Liverpool Cotton Association between 1967-68 and 1981-82. He was a regular figure at international cotton gatherings and during the course of his life and career in cotton, he made many friends around the world."

He died peacefully at home. 

Michael Joseph Hobbs on 1 February 2018, aged 83

g OQ47 - CQ52

Foundation Scholarship, House Monitor

Awarded a Kitchener Scholarship to Pembroke College, Cambridge.

His business career was in the financial sector with Lodge Partners Pty Ltd in Sydney.

He was an actor and producer in films and Executive member of the Contemporary Art Society in Sydney and was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2017 for his service to the visual arts as a supporter and benefactor.

Much loved father of Katharine, Christopher, Neil and Andrew; grandfather of Lorren, Stephanie, Ben, Harry, Georgia, Donald, Matthew, Philip, Joshua and Phoebe; great grandfather of Michael, David, Zoe, Alexander, Tobias and Lincoln. Stepfather of Julia, Pickens and Elise; step grandfather of Ravi and Zachary.

His family’s  announcement in Sydney Morning Herald said: 

"Michael died suddenly while preparing oysters for friends on the early evening of February 1 at home in Woolloomooloo. A great loss to the Sydney Art scene and people everywhere. An even greater loss to his family and friends. Deo Dante Dedi. With God giving, I gave."

The National Art School of Australia said:

“An inveterate collector and traveller with a particular interest in sculpture and contemporary works, Michael was a highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic supporter of the arts. He has been a huge supporter of NAS, in the 1960s he gave students funds to put on displays and most recently was sponsor of the Michael Hobbs Sculpture Award, for which he was much appreciated."

Nicholas Fitzherbert on 28 January 2018, aged 60

R LQ71 - CQ75

House Monitor

Brother of Ivan (R76) and the late Mark (R79, deceased 2016).  Uncle of Frederic (R2010) and Archie (R2012).

Hugh Gammell, BH 1978-2016, Housemaster of Robinites 1991-2004 wrote:

“It is a sad fact that we often learn most about someone we have known at his funeral. This was very much the case for me when I, along with a great many others, attended Nick Fitzherbert’s funeral at the beautiful Church of St John the Baptist in Okewood. The service was a solemn but joyful one, infused with Nick’s energy and spirit, his passion for music and the love he inspired in his family and friends. The addresses by John Chesterman, who also read out tributes from Nick’s wife, Paula and his children, Louis and Eliza, and by his brother, Ivan, and his great Robinite friend, Nigel Legge, gave a vivid and affectionate picture of a rich and adventurous life.

Nick was clearly not the most successful of Carthusians in his school days, except in that most important art of acquiring life-long friends. Tales of him pinning up his long locks to conform with the school rule about hair being ‘above the collar’ and of him spending years of Monday afternoons helping to install a telephone line between the Houses which never worked were told with wry affection. Much more important was the encyclopaedic knowledge Nick acquired of the music of the time which encouraged him to establish a successful mobile discotheque during the years after he left school. Music continued to be a central pillar of Nick’s life, and there were many from the music industry in the Church, including Kenney Jones, drummer in The Small Faces and The Who, and owner of the polo club cum outdoor music venue at Hurtwood Park where the reception was held after the funeral. We were all presented with a CD of Nick’s favourite music, featuring a photograph of Nick with Keith Richards on the cover.

Having concluded that the disco was not to be his lifetime career, Nick moved into the PR industry. He had a highly individual approach to this, as all things, and came to specialise in the art of successful business presentation and creative thinking, working as a coach, lecturer and media commentator. He also developed a deep interest in magic, becoming a skilled magician himself and using the rules of magic as an inspiration for his PR work. His book ‘Presentation Magic!’ encapsulates this approach.

I came to know Nick when he took over as Secretary of the Old Robinite Association in September 2005. The Association had always been healthy, with the annual dinner attracting good numbers and members taking a lively interest in what was going on in the House. Nick, however, was not satisfied with this, and his flair and energy soon transformed the Association and the dinner. A web-site was established, with members encouraged to report their present activities, and the date of the dinner was moved from May to September to encourage younger members to attend before the start of the university term. One free dinner and reduced prices for the under-30s have meant that recent dinners have attracted over 100 attendees, up to half of whom are recent leavers. Nick himself worked tirelessly to ensure a good attendance, and to make the evening as entertaining as possible. He created presentations and persuaded interesting people to speak. At one dinner, he performed magic tricks at each of the tables. He always spoke before the dinner, giving a typically up-beat start to the proceedings. On the 50^th anniversary of the Association’s foundation, he presented an illustrated history of the House with great panache. More recently, he made a short film with Malcolm Bailey at the Old Charterhouse to explain the way in which football had been played in the covered passage there. Last September, evidently very ill, Nick insisted on coming to the dinner and gave his introductory address as if nothing was wrong. That was typical of his courage and style.

Nick will be very fondly remembered by a host of people, as he touched many lives. His charm, infectious enthusiasm and flair for presentation made him a pleasure to know. His early death is, most of all, a tragic loss for his family, but I hope they will take some comfort from the fact that, in his life, Nick brought so much joy to so many people.”

Mark Adrian George Weeks on 26 January 2018, aged 67

g CQ64 - OQ68

House Monitor, Member - 1st VIII Shooting, First Orchestra, Small Choir, and Chamber Music Choir, Band Seargant, Cyril Maude Prizewinner

His Weeks family predecessors, grandfather, father and two uncles were all in Verites.

The announcement of his death in Sydney Morning Herald said:

“Mark Weeks, late of Elizabeth Bay, died tragically. Precious husband of Wendy. Beloved brother and brother in law of Jeremy, Ben and Francoise, Tim and Sherry. Mark will be sadly missed by his many family and friends.”

His Linked-In page summarised:

“An accomplished musician, songwriter, performer and broadcaster, Mark has been entertaining audiences for twenty years with his personalised satirical cabarets. Weekly commitments to his popular appearances on television and radio have amassed a repertoire of over one thousand songs on a broad spectrum of subjects ranging from politics to supermarket trolleys, corporate takeovers to cockroach conservation campaigns. Anyone who has been entertained by the whimsical humour of Noel Coward, the lyrical observations of Flanders and Swann,or the incisive wit of Tom Lehrer, will be delighted with the satire of  Mark Weeks.

Born in England, Mark was educated at Charterhouse, where he honed his musical skills with fellow students Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and the other founder members of the progressive rock group "Genesis". However, when the others moved on to eventual fame and fortune, Mark was long gone, having moved to Australia for a career in mining!

The Kalgoorlie outback soon lost its appeal, and Mark was contracted to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Perth as Musical Director for children's programmes. Before long he was writing and broadcasting satirical songs nationwide. Public performances followed, including appearances at the Perth Concert Hall with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and several shows at the Sydney Opera House.

Mark's musical and comedy skills in the broadcasting field have been recognised internationally, in the form of an unprecedented seventeen awards, including four gold medals, at the New York Festivals. His creative prose and poetry has been frequently published in the Australian press, where his incisive letters to the various Editors appear with monotonous regularity.

The success of his performances to corporate and professional audiences is evidenced in the glowing reviews he has received from many of Australia's leading corporations and associations.”

Major Reginald Allan Chenevix Trench on 25 January 2018, aged 97

D OQ34 - CQ39

House Monitor, 2nd XI Member - Cricket, 3rd XI Member - Football

His father was in Robinites, an uncle in Bodeites, brother-in-law Alan Donger (R37) and his niece Gillian Evill also Bodeites (B78). 

He went up to Christ's College, Cambridge, to study Engineering and whilst there joined the Royal Engineers; he served for the duration of WWII and continued afterwards as an Instructor with the School of Military Engineering in UK and Far East until 1965. After a short time with Tube Investments he was appointed as Works Bursar at Wellington College where he remained until retirement in 1980.

He and his wife Sophie celebrated their Diamond Wedding at The Charterhouse in November 2017. She survives him with their children Ivo, Angus, Kate and Jessica, plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

John Pearce Thackray OBE on 25 January 2018, aged 80

W OQ51 - CQ56

House Monitor

Family announcement in The Yorkshire Post: 

"It is with great sadness that we would like to inform you that John passed away peacefully with his family by his side. John will be remembered as a true gentleman both in private and in business, with the highest integrity. He will leave a void behind and his wonderful personality, great humour and knowledge will be dearly missed by Christin, John-Kristian and Charles and family."

Full obituary pending. 

Dennis Anthony Jenks on 19 January 2018, aged 89

H CQ42 - CQ46

House Monitor, Captain of Boxing Team

The eldest of three brothers all in Bodeites, David (B50) and Richard (B56, deceased 2007); brother-in-law of Colin Edwards (D49), and grandfather of Max Fox-Andrews (R2005).

Dennis became Chairman of Paterson Jenks, the largest manufacturer and distributor of spices, herbs and seasonings in the UK. Chairman and co-owner of The History Factory. Liveryman of Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers.

He died at home in Alresford and is survived by his wife Judy, daughter Rosy, sons Anthony, Philip and Sam, and seven grandchildren.

Richard Anthony Mallinson on 15 January 2018, aged 79

D OQ52 - OQ56

Head of House, 1st XI Member - Hockey

His older brother JH (Jack) was also in the Daviesites (D53).

He read Natural Science at Caius College, Cambridge.

Richard was Sales Director with the Whitbread Group for twenty years before establishing his own Wine Merchant business in Overton, Hampshire.

He died peacefully at home. Beloved husband of Anna, proud father of Patrick and Tom and devoted grandfather of Toby, Max, Sophie and Polly.

Christopher John Bower Hatton on 7 January 2018, aged 84

V OQ46 - CQ50

House Monitor

His father Alan (V12) and uncle George (V25) were in Verites; his brother-in-law Gerald Liversidge (W28) also attended the School.

His son William told the Warrington Guardian:

“My father Christopher was very senior in business and had many different directorships, primarily in Warrington. He was a man that many people were greatly fond of but was also greatly respected.

He held a number of roles but his career highlights include working at Robert Davies and Co in the 1960s before becoming a senior partner in 1965. He was the third generation of Hattons to take on the role following in the footsteps of his dad, granddad Herbert and uncle George.

In 1963, Christopher, who voluntarily worked as chairman of Warrington Festival Trust, was appointed as non-executive director of Greenall Whitley following the death of his father Alan. During this time, the company achieved a number of major milestones including the acquisition of De Vere Hotels as well as taking the company into the FTSE 100. He received a personal letter of thanks from former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher following the reopening of The Grand Hotel in Brighton after it was bombed by the IRA during the Conservative Party conference in 1984. In 1971 he was appointed chairman at the age of 38 and subsequently became joint managing director.”

Survived by children William, Sarah, John and Liberty, stepdaughter Faye, grandchildren Jonathan, Bertie, Thomas, Casper and Artemis. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Douglas Brand Miller on 1 January 2018, aged 93

B CQ38 - OQ42

Maniacs Cricket, Life Member of OC Golfing Society, Captain 1984-88, and contributor to the Halford Hewitt Golf Course

Full obituary pending. 

Alexander Guy Lind Smith in January 2018, aged 30

L OQ00 - CQ05

1st XI Member - Hockey, Captain of Tennis and Rackets, Deputy Head of House

Alex’s biography as told at the service in his memory in Southwark Cathedral:

“Alex was born in West London, the eldest of three boys – a role he relished – and when he was three and with Digby just a baby, the family moved to South Africa where they spent the next eight years.

Alex embraced all things African. He excelled at school in Johannesburg. With Digby, he had an amazing childhood, running barefoot, revelling in the wild animals, the space and the amazing landscape that South Africa had to offer and, by 1997, Maxim was born. Armed with a pretty impressive South African accent, the family returned to England when Alex was 11 so that the boys could be educated here.

Alex adapted quickly to life in the UK and thrived on the sports field, talented in tennis, rackets and hockey. When he was 13 he taught himself the guitar and formed a band called Sound Avenue with three close school friends, Elliot, Alex and Josh. They played together for three years and were offered a record contract by Warner Records. However, they turned their backs on possible fame and took the more conventional route of university instead.  Alex went to Bristol and gained his degree – ostensibly a place of learning, but for Alex the music scene was where his heart lay and it dominated his waking hours.

On Digby’s 18^th birthday, Alex, in that wonderful brotherly way, made sure that Digby was given a set of turntables … which was exactly what he wanted! The duo set up as freelance recording engineers and DJs as well as establishing their own Flash as a Rat record label. This was the start of an extraordinary musical journey based on a powerful sibling bond – one that was so tragically interrupted by Alex’s illness.

In Ibiza in 2010, Alex met Tatiana. Their relationship was to last the rest of his life. They were one of the few couples who managed a long-distance relationship successfully and they were engaged in April 2016.

Alex and Digby moved to Berlin in February 2015 and by the end of that year they were starting to make their mark on the dance music scene.

On 28^th December 2015 Alex collapsed in Berlin. He was put into an induced coma for two weeks and diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Multiforme Grade 4, the most aggressive type of brain tumour. After two major operations, and despite his illness, Alex took control of his treatment, endlessly researching every possible therapy known to science and a few more! His research led him to find immunotherapy treatment in Germany, which was so generously supported by so many of you here, as the most likely way to extend his life. He suffered very few side effects and was able to continue to develop his music with Digby, writing and playing at clubs around the world.

However on 11^th December 2017 we were told no more treatment was available. Alex died at home four weeks later.

He never lost his positivity, charisma and humour.”

Sayer Eliot Crutchfield on 30 January 2018, aged 47

B OQ84 - CQ89

House Monitor, 2nd XI Member - Hockey and Football, Swimming Team

Brother of Aaron (B91).

Full obituary pending. 

India Elizabeth Victoria Radford in 2017, aged 23

W OQ11 - CQ13

Art Scholar, Member - Squash, Netball and Lawn Tennis Teams

Peter Tyndall Walwyn MBE on 7 December 2017, aged 84

P CQ47 - CQ51

School Monitor

Through his late wife , Virginia, his Gaselee father-in-law and brother-in-law were both in Bodeites, Auriol (B26) and Nicholas (B56).

Peter had been President of the OC Racing Society since its inception.

Chairman of the Society, Peter Nathan (H47), wrote:

“Peter Walwyn MBE, Champion Racehorse Trainer in 1974 and 1975 (a cousin of  renowned  racehorse trainer Fulke Walwyn)  was at his death a keen President of the Old Carthusian Racing Society. The first horse Peter trained was provided as a yearling by Percival Williams, grandfather of Venetia Williams, and became famously successful as Be Hopeful, winner of 27 races. As many members are aware, Venetia trained Nice One Frankie very successfully and is now training Shivermetimbers for the Society. It was in 1974 that Peter won the Epsom Oaks with Polygamy and in 1975 the Epsom Derby and King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes with Grundy.  He had already won the 1,000 Guineas in 1971 with Humble Duty. He was a very modest man and much beloved character, who became a legend in Lambourn, where he was a popular Chairman of the Lambourn Trainers Association.”

Venetia Williams, Trainer for OC Racing Society Syndicate wrote: 

“After Be Hopeful Peter also trained many good other winners for my grandfather including Mable, 2nd in the Oaks and winner of the Park Hill, as was her daughter May Hill who also won the Park Hill Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks, and Pasty, unbeaten as a 2year old including the Lowther at York and the Chievely Park.”

Secretary Roger France-Hayhurst (H70) said:

“We all send heartfelt sympathies and condolences to his family and thank him for his great presence and support for our Society.  As it happens, the news came through as we were preparing for Shivermetimbers to race at Exeter on Friday 8 December and both Peter and Venetia were there with me, so that it was in one sense at least fitting that the Society was there and represented together with our racehorse on hearing of that sad news.”

Peter was made an MBE in 2014 for services to horseracing. His wife Virginia (known as “Bonk”) pre-deceased him in 2014. They are survived by two children, Edward and Kate, and two grandchildren.

Dr Richard Bertram Godwin-Austen on 3 December 2017, aged 82

L CQ49 - CQ53

Member - Swimming Team

Son Jonathan (W80), father-in-law of Richard Cunningham (L78).

He featured in “Reflections” in The OC magazine 2009:

“After a lifetime of public service, distinguished physician Richard Godwin-Austen (L53) shares some formative moments. 

He writes: "My father, like many of his generation, had learnt the importance of gentlemanly behaviour and the value of integrity Always be 'straight'- meaning honest and considerate and adopt the leadership role whenever called upon to do so. These were the lessons instilled into me and they stuck. When 1 was just thirteen I moved to Charterhouse. My transferral to public school was almost as stressful as starting prep school. But I had learnt how to make friends and I enjoyed the increased sense of freedom that my new school provided. Looking back, the magic of walking round Green on a summer Sunday evening before chapel is a treasured memory. The setting sun turns the original Hardwick Buildings and the Gilbert Scott Memorial Chapel a golden orange standing on the plateau of green playing fields.

For me the achievement of the school was to give every boy the opportunity to develop talents and interests. When I was about 16 a friend and I hit on the idea of starting a new club devoted to the appreciation of the visual arts - The Beerbohm Society' - named after the eminent Old Carthusian artist and writer.  It sparked in many of us a lifelong enthusiasm for opera, art galleries and country houses. It was a wonderful education which encouraged original thought, clear expression and reasoned argument. These were all talents that fitted us for the professions most of us were later to take up in the law, medicine and business and in the Civil and Foreign Services. In my own case I had decided to take up medicine. This can be inspirational as few other jobs can be, but for success, the commitment must be strong, because the long hours, patient priority and not least, the learning of a huge mass of information needs perseverance and determination.

A doctor should always accept the priority of the patient so that in urgent or stressful situations he must be seen as soon as possible. There is no escape from having command of the information and knowledge on which crucial decisions can be based: to be trusted demands professionalism. But it is, I believe, the most rewarding life that you can choose. Medical practice is simply applied scientific knowledge, with the added dimension of humanity and care. What a privilege to meet, each day, new strangers who trust your judgement and whose outlook you can improve.

Most people that I have met in quite a long life have been kind, generous and trustworthy. Of course I am lucky, but I believe that the enemies are mistrust, cynicism and 'cool'. And happiness is seizing opportunities, commitment, gratitude and trust."

As well as working as consultant neurologist to the Nottingham, Derby and South Lincolnshire Hospitals until his retirement in 1997,Richard held numerous senior positions on related clinical committees, associations, societies, federations and boards both here and abroad.

Married with two children, he was appointed High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1994. He was also a church warden of St James's Church Papplewick.

His book Seizing Opportunities was published by the Memoir Club.

George Forbes Abercrombie FRCS on 27 December 2017, aged 82

P OQ48 - CQ53

Head of House, Member - Shooting VIII

His father was in Pageites, as was his eldest son John (P79), younger son Colin (D81)

He went up to Caius, Cambridge, and held a Tancred Scholarship in Physic.

Past long-serving Hon Secretary of the OC Medical Society

A fellow Consultant Urological Surgeon, Byron Walmsley wrote:

“Forbes was the son of George and Maria Abercrombie. His father was a general practitioner who became the first president of the Section of General Practice at the Royal Society of Medicine in and also founder of the Royal College of General Practitioners and its president from 1969 to 1972.

Forbes completed his undergraduate medical training at the Medical College of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. In 1958, he became house surgeon at Bart’s to Alec Badenoch, who had a major influence on his subsequent career by stimulating his interest in urology.

He was the first solely urological consultant appointment at St Mary’s Hospital in Portsmouth and, with his colleague John Vinnicombe, formed a urology department that quickly became recognised for the value of its teaching by the Specialist Advisory Committe in Urology. For many years, Portsmouth had the only department in the Wessex region that was recognised for senior registrar training.

Forbes had a major interest in reconstructive urology, particularly hypospadias repair, and in 1967 took his family to Philadelphia to work with John Duckett and learn about the new techniques that Duckett had developed in this field. His other contributions to urological practice included the development of the so called ‘rip and pluck’ method for nephroureterectomy, which is still practised today, albeit laparoscopically.

He was a keen and enthusiastic teacher who encouraged all his trainees to do clinical research and present their results at the Section of Urology of the RSM, of which he was a strong supporter. He became its honorary secretary and ultimately president in 1993, when he ran a memorable overseas meeting in Breckenridge, Colorado. He was a member of the Council of the British Association of Urological Surgeons and a liveryman of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries.

Outside urology his interests were mainly golf, chess and fishing. He was captain of Hayling Island golf club and used to boast that he was ‘the best golfer in the chess club and the best chess player in the golf club’. Unfortunately, his fishing exploits on the River Brora in Scotland produced more stories than salmon!

After retiring from Portsmouth,Forbes took up a urological post in Tasmania, where he greatly enjoyed the climate, the people and the lack of bureaucracy. Sadly, his later years were coloured by his Parkinson’s disease, which he bore with fortitude but inevitable frustration.

Cyril Arthur Geoffrey Golding in 2017, aged 94

L LQ37 - CQ39

Member - Lawn Tennis Team

After serving in the RAF during WWII, he went first to London University to read History and English and then to Keble College, Oxford to read PPE. There he captained the College tennis and squash teams and was a member of the OU second tennis team, the 'Penguins'. It was at Oxford that he met his future wife, Christine. They married in 1949 and had three sons.

After a career in retail management, he became Principal Lecturer in Management Studies at the College for Distributive Trades, London.

His son Anthony said: "My father very much enjoyed his two years at Charterhouse, especially the sporting activities."

Bruce Gilbert Murray on 29 November 2017, aged 86

V CQ45 - CQ49

House Monitor

Two younger brothers were in the House - Christopher (V51) and John (V57). 

He qualified as a Chartered Accountant and lived in Canada.

His widow Mary wrote:

"My husband Bruce passed away after being in long term care for a year and a half. Thank you for keeping him informed all these years of the goings on at the School. Thank you for giving him such a good education.  It was his faith and trust in God that made him the fine man he was."

He is survived also by daughter Elizabeth, sons Arthur and William with grandchildren Maricela, Luke, Pierre Richard and Richenard.

Iain Vittorio Robinson Harrison CBE on 25 November 2017, aged 88

V CQ43 - CQ47

House Monitor 

He followed his father and uncle to Verites, as did his younger brother Ronald (V51) who died in September 2017.

Shipowner, founder and Chairman of Harrisons (Clyde) Ltd 1956 - 2001, and Chairman of Stirling Shipping Co. 1975 - 2001 and other directorships.

He is survived by his wife Fabienne, their five children, and grandchildren.

Grahame Stewart Mills on 12 November 2017, aged 87

R OQ44 - CQ47

Younger brother of Arthur (R47). 

Full obituary pending. 

Arthur Frank Mainwaring Morris on 8 November 2017, aged 94

W OQ36 - LQ41

Uncle of John Pritchard (H87).

During WWII Arthur served with the Madras Sappers and Miners, Indian Army. After demobilisation he read for the Mechanical Science Tripos at Jesus College, Cambridge, and was awarded a Half-Blue for Athletics.

During his career he worked for several firms of consulting engineers in the UK and abroad, and in retirement he ran a furniture restoration business. 

In 1952 he had married Elizabeth Howitt but she died in 1997. He is survived by their four children Denise, Richard, Nicola and Peter, and an ample number of grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

John Mollo on 25 October 2017, aged 86

R OQ44 - CQ48

Also in Robinites were his younger brother Boris (R53) who died in 2015 and son Thomas (R90).

John was born in London, the eldest child of Eugene Mollo, who had escaped from Russia in the 1920s, and his English artist wife Ella (nee Cockell).  His father, also a gifted artist,  was a keen collector of tin soldiers and military badges, sharing his love of military history with him and younger siblings Boris and Andrew, which influenced the careers of all three.

Leaving School from the History VIth form, he went to Farnham College of Art. Than after two years of National Service with the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in Hong Kong, which ended shortly before the start of the Korean War, he returned home and helped to run his father’s engineering company while studying military history.

Through his life he wrote for historical publications and researched, wrote or illustrated more than a dozen volumes on military costume and history, which include Uniforms of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars; Military Fashion: A Comparative History of the Uniforms of the Great Armies from the 17th Century to the First World War; co-authored with his brother Boris Into the Valley of Death: The British Cavalry Division at Balaclava, 1854  and lastly in 2013 From Corunna to Waterloo with the Hussars, 1808 to 1815.

An introduction in 1968 by his brother Andrew, also a military historian and film consultant, led to John being involved with a remake of The Charge of the Light Brigade where he supervised the creation of about three thousand military uniforms. 

His first film appointment as a costume designer - and apparently his first encounter with science fiction - was when American filmmaker George Lucas recruited him for his 1997 production Star Wars. The brief was to design costumes that made a fantasy universe feel authentic but not to outshine the actors, based upon original paintings previously done by an American illustrator and on a very tight budget.  John delivered the director’s vision - Darth Vader’s menacing black costume with helmet said to be inspired by Nazi soldiers in WWII, outfits for Princess Leia Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the white uniforms of the Stormtroopers, which design for their white suit has been used in every Star Wars film.

Star Wars became the highest-grossing film of 1977 receiving 10 Oscar nominations and a Special Achievement award.  John Mollo won for Best Costume Design. -In his acceptance speech at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1978 he described his work as “really not so much costumes as a bit of plumbing and general automobile engineering”.  When attending Star Wars events in later life he reportedly expressed surprise at the interest shown by fans of all ages in his designs.

His was retained for the 1980 Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back , and between the two, he designed for another sci-fi film Alien.  He did not work on Return of the Jedi, the third Star Wars film but returned to historical dramas in films including Gandhi, Revolution and The Three Musketeers. His last work as a costume designer was on a series of television films adapted from C. S. Forester’s novels about Napoleonic War officer Horatio Hornblower, the last of which was shown in 2003.

Over the rest of his career he won a second Oscar in 1983 for Ghandi (jointly), and was nominated for five BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards and also three Saturn Awards, winning one.

John died from vascular dementia and is survived by his second wife, Louise (nee Pongracz) their son, Tom, and youngest brother Andrew.

See also other published obituaries:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/01/john-mollo-obituary

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0597087/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-mollo-costume-designer-who-brought-star-wars-to-life-a8039921.html

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/john-mollo-star-wars-costume-designer-dies-at-86-1052713

Dr Michael Ashley Miller CBE on 14 October 2017, aged 86

P OQ44 - OQ48

House Monitor

Father of Mark (P80).

Full obituary pending. 

David Clarke Brooke Winch on 10 October 2017, aged 94

H CQ37 - CQ41

David was the eighteenth member of the Winch family to join Hodgsonites, which included his father Stanley (H1901) and elder brother Richard (H40, deceased 2010).

Full obituary pending. 

(George) David Row Cockram on 8 October 2017, aged 76

G OQ54 - CQ59

School Monitor, Athletics Committee

Born in Oxford, David moved to West Byfleet, Surrey in 1945 and was a pupil at Parkfield Preparatory School before entering Charterhouse.

Initially articled to Chartered Accountants, he then joined Lloyds Bank, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, before finding his vocation in stockbroking.

He married Susan in 1972 and their son James was born the following year.  The family moved to Bury St Edmunds in 1980 and after seven years of daily commuting, David was offered the opportunity of opening a regional office for a leading London stockbroker, a first for the town.

His voluntary involvement with St Edmundsbury Cathedral was immense and he gave a great deal of time to further the work there; he watched in grow and change, serving under two Provosts and two Deans and as Director of The Friends of the Cathedral. In 2008 he was awarded the Order of St Edmund, with the citation “for his unfailing loyalty and commitment to the Cathedral and Diocese”.

David was also involved in the life of the town in other ways, serving on various charities, notably the Guildhall Feoffment, serving two terms as Chairman, and the Hospice. 

Survived by his wife and son.

John Loftus Henry Arkwright on 1 October 2017, aged 86

R OQ44 - OQ48

His eldest son, Loftus, followed him to Robinites (R90); his grandfather and uncle, also both Loftus, were in Weekites and his father-in-law, Cyril Johnstone, was in Duckites.

Full obituary pending.

Simon Ward Roberts on 30 September 2017, aged 58

R LQ72 - CQ76

Captain - Shooting Team

His wife, Jacqueline, said "Simon died after battling with cancer for just over a year".

Full obituary pending

Benjamin Edward Arnold on 30 September 2017, aged 46

L OQ84 - CQ87

Clarinet Wind Prize 1986

Ben left after the Fifth form to study for A-levels at Godalming College. He leaves a widow, Emma, and two teenage children.

Bertram "Kerry" Kerrich Spencer Byng Hartshorne on 28 September 2017, aged 93

G OQ37 - LQ42

School Monitor, Cadet Corps Under Officer

Kerry died peacefully at home. He had married Jean Bell in 1952 and she survives him, as do his four children David (G72); Christopher (G71), Pamela and James (G84).  Two of his grandchildren Holly (P00) and Thomas (G02) were also at the School.

His son David wrote:

 “Our father died peacefully at home. He had recorded his life in meticulous detail in diaries he had kept since the age of 12: one of the first entries describes the funeral of George V.  These diaries were transcribed into his memoirs when he retired to Scotland.

The memoirs record highlights of a long and remarkable life that saw huge social and technological change and took him from Zagazig, the Egyptian town where he was born to Kippford where he died peacefully on 28 September.  He wrote about his childhood in Egypt , with five older sisters, and summers in Cyprus, swimming in the harbour at Kyrenia.  About his schooldays in Gownboys, and a tense journey back from Egypt by flying boat as war broke out.  About taking the train to Oxenholme and then cycling all the way to the Highlands to join his godfather for a holiday.  How he joined up on his 18th birthday and became a Royal Engineer with the Indian Army, spending much of the next three years in Burma speaking only Urdu. 

He wrote about returning to Cambridge to study engineering and embarking on what was to be a long and successful career as a Consulting Civil Engineer with Sir William Halcrow & Partners. His career took him around the world.  He paddled up rivers in Ghana to view dam sites,  flew out to remote villages in Papua New Guinea for a traffic survey, sweated in the Amazon rainforest. He  oversaw the building of a runway in the Omani desert and was stuck in Dacca when war between India and Bangladesh broke out.  He retired from the business as a Partner in 1984.

He moved to Scotland where he used his energy and contacts to support projects for the local community. He oversaw the development of a new jetty for the yacht club and a new village hall. He spent time planning holidays to countries he hadn’t seen before so that he could add them to his list, which eventually totalled an incredible 127, each one carefully recorded, even if he was only there for the briefest of visits. He was in his 80s when he headed off to Peru to see Machu Picchu; 90 when he thought he’d like to go to Southern Africa and go white-water rafting down the Zambezi.

He was always up for trying something new, whether that be installing solar panels in Kippford back in the 70s, booking himself onto Concorde’s second flight or learning how to email in his 80s so that he could keep in touch with family around the world.”

Denys John Harman Ryder on 28 September 2017, aged 85

D OQ45 - CQ49

His father Charles and uncle George were in Duckites in the 1890s. As were late brothers Anthony (G45) and Christopher (D49). His two sons were in Daviesites: Simon (D80) and Oliver (D86).

Full obituary pending.

Richard Michael Turner Jones on 27 September 2017, aged 86

P CQ45 - LQ50

Foundation Scholarship

The eldest of three brothers in Pageites: Christopher (P50), and John (P53, deceased 1980). Their father was in Lockites.

Full obituary pending. 

Anthony Thomas Carrick Allom on 26 September 2017, aged 78

W CQ52 - CQ57

1st XI Member - Cricket and Football, 3rd XI Member - Hockey, Member - Rackets Team

Grandfather Oswald Thomas Norris (W1902), brother Thomas (W54) and nephew Henry (W93).

His friend Joe Ullman (W59) wrote:

"Ants" as he was fondly known had as a father Maurice a Wellingtonian who had played cricket for Surrey and England in 1930 and as a Grandfather O.T.Norris one of the best known OC sportsmen who played in the first Arthur Dunn Cup Final in 1902. So it is hardly surprising that Ants had a successful sporting career.

He was in the cricket XI for 4 years as an all-rounder and at just under 7 feet tall he became a more than competent goalkeeper in the football XI. He also played in the Rackets team. After leaving school he kept goal for the OC Football Club and was part of the winning Dunn side of 1962 against the Malvernians. He played for Charterhouse Friars for many years and captained them in the 1971 Cricketer Cup final against the Tonbridgians which was lost in a rain affected match. He represented the Southern Schools at Lords in 1957 and played for Surrey in 1960. As captain of the Friars he had a 71 per cent win rate and became the second most economic Carthusian bowler in the history of the Cricketer Cup.

Much more importantly than the number of games he played for the Friars was the number of school-leavers he infected with the love of the game of cricket and the sportsmanship that goes with it. As such he became both a friend and an inspiration to many Carthusians.

After leaving Charterhouse he joined the family firm of Allom Lighting in Southampton. After a spell there in 1966 he joined Honeywell in Brentford, West London, an established American engineering conglomerate that entered the computer market to compete with IBM. Before retiring Ants acted freelance for Hansa Financials, working with many of his old customers who both liked and respected him.

As one would expect, he fought cancer with humour and fortitude before losing the battle after two years. He leaves behind his wife Hillary, and sons Dominic and Matthew.”

Ronald Charles Gully Harrison on 25 September 2017, aged 84

V LQ47 - LQ51

Family in Verites: father Ion (V1907), uncle Gerald (V1914), brother Iain (V1947), also cousin Gerald (S41) and two grandsons in Weekites: William (W10) and Oliver (W13).

Full obituary pending. 

Lt Cdr Stephen James Barney RNR, RD, Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur on 23 September 2017, aged 94

R OQ36 - CQ39

House Monitor, 2nd XI Member - Cricket

Brother of William (R38, deceased 2005), father of Tim (R71), uncle of William (R72). 

Full obituary pending

Robin Thomas Bishop on 22 September 2017, aged 85

G OQ45 - CQ49

Brother-in-law of The Revd Philip Seal (G50)

Full obituary pending.

Brian Frederick George Stapley on 21 September 2017, aged 80

S OQ50 - CQ55

Captain Under Green, Maniacs Cricket

He read Modern Languages at University College, Oxford and represented the College in Hockey, Rugby and Football.

Brian qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1962 and set up his own practices in Woking and Birmingham. For a time he was Honorary Auditor for Surrey County Scout Council and Treasurer for the Esher District.

Notice of his death said:

David Gordon Willsher Davis on 20 September 2017, aged 88

g OQ42 - OQ46

1st XI Member - Football, Athletics Team

Stepfather to Durrell Barnes (g78), Godfather to Charles Comninos (g74).

Full obituary pending.

John Paul Victor on 30 August 2017, aged 61

W OQ69 - CQ73

Benn Scholarship, House Monitor, 1st XI Member - Cricket and Football

Brother of Richard (W77), who wrote:

John was born to Elizabeth and Philippe Victor in February 1956; Betty of Yorkshire stock from Pickering and Phil’s family originally Huguenots from Lyon, France who moved to the UK in the 1930’s. Philippe’s father had fought for the French in WW1, invalided out after a gas attack.

John attended Downside Preparatory School, privately run by the Dodd family for generations on the Webb Estate in Purley, Surrey, where the family also lived at ‘Cherry Hinton’. This was a home that would become known for it’s entertaining to many visiting Carthusians and friends.

John was already showing his character at Downside with good academic progress, 1^st eleven sports and the occasional brush with school authority. John’s early eye for the ball was enhanced by his attending Old Whitgiftian Raman Subba Row’s cricket classes. Fellow Downside pupils included Peter Oundjian (later of Saunderites ) and Graeme McWhirter, cousin of Ross and Norris whom he met on several occasions.

Passing common entrance without too much effort John was considered a bright new hop on his arrival at Weekites in OQ 1969. Two vertically aligned crosses set against his name in the school’s White List, testified to his Benn Scholarship, awarded for distinction in Classics in the Foundation Examination.

Along with the year’s other scholars, he went straight into Remove (a), led by one of the great beaks of the age, who later became Housemaster of Duckites, Philip Balkwill (g58, Brooke Hall 1966-1990).

For companionship in that form year, he had four other Weekites, including one other Scholar-Philip Stanbury (V73), and also his very close childhood and lifelong friend, Peter Oundjian (Music Scholar, S73), from Downside, and who has movingly written of John: “It"s one of those extraordinary aspects of life that makes a friendship eternal. He was always my cool, bold friend who seemed to fear nothing... he was inspiringly noble and brave in his suffering".

If John had become mildly frustrated at finding himself under some immediate classroom pressure, he soon found a way to vent some steam on the football pitch, both for House and the School 14 side, where he played with great vigour and determination. But, in the last house match of the 1969 season, as was his wont, he went in for another crunching tackle and broke his leg quite badly. Mike Doggart (S73) remembers: “I was watching on the sidelines when John broke his leg. It was in a house match against Duckites and he went for a through ball and collided with the immovable object that was Chris Titman (g72), the Duckites goalie. We knew it was a bad break as soon as it happened. John was pretty nippy up until then - I always remember him as a winger not a midfielder - and it definitely affected his future football career; otherwise he would have been a first XI regular.”

Being side-lined from games in a plaster cast for a full term was not to John’s liking and it caused understandable irritation for this talented sportsman. However, with what was fast becoming his trademark no-nonsense determination, John somehow ascended and descended (no doubt in some pain and with occasional help from housemates) the famous 114 ‘Weekite steps’ to and from Chapel and hashes.

The daily physical struggle of getting around school seemed to give John some added determination in the classroom. He certainly excelled at French, perhaps not altogether surprisingly, given that he was half French.

But it was on the cricket fields of Charterhouse in CQ 1970, leg happily mended, that John started to find some real momentum. His love for and skill at the game was quite apparent early on and it was to be his calling card for many a year to come.

He was also made head of the Weekites’ lower dormitory (under cubes) and later of Long Room in apparent recognition of an emerging maturity- one, it has to be said, not readily recognised by those over whom he was given a degree of control. John’s dormitory governance amounted to nothing less than a mild form of anarchy, expertly orchestrated under the benign gaze of a newish and somewhat forbearing housemaster, Tony Day (Brooke Hall 1954-1990).

John’s roguish charm and readiness to test most of the prescribed limits, meant that he quickly acquired friends keen to emulate his more, shall we say, relaxed attitude to schooling.

Meanwhile at home, John cycled his bike down a steep hill, fortunately near Redhill General Hospital, hitting a lorry and breaking his arm, and defending a ladies honour at a party had his nose broken, it was never straight again.

No sooner had John forsaken the sanctuary of a dormitory for the freedom of his first study, than his home-grown engineering skills were put to use. Those of a certain vintage will recall that studies in the old Houses had very high ceilings, with equally large sash windows.  Ideal dimensions, in fact, for building a cunningly disguised second floor. Wooden uprights and boarding were duly smuggled in and assembled into a load bearing platform, then adorned with old carpet and cushions, it was essential for any self-respecting Classics scholar to be able to fully relax while studying for A levels.

The structure was hidden from view by way of a false ceiling made of motley rugs and sheets, hung loosely to just above head level to avoid attracting the suspicions of any prowling beak, Matron or Housemaster. A state-of-the-art stereo system completed John’s multi-purpose pad. Smoking at school, while obviously highly illegal, both then and now, could be indulged in out of sight and in some comfort, with the top part of the sash wide open to ensure that smoke exited, and with a powerful joss stick burning below to disguise any faint whiff of illicit activity. He was never caught.

While John assiduously cultivated a “too cool for school” persona during his O level and specialist years, his beaks, according to his school reports to which the writer has had access, were certainly onto him.

A selection of their remarks in various school reports that must have given his wonderful parents at least some pause for thought about what their dear son was getting up to (reproduced here by kind permission of his OC brother Richard (W77), demonstrate John’s quicksilver nature:

“He seems to have cast himself in the role of village idiot as far as Latin is concerned.” A little harsh perhaps, but even John may have agreed there was a touch of truth to that one.

Balanced by: “He has all the making of a first-class linguist:” (just obviously not Latin!), from his specialist French Beak.

“A cheerful amiable rogue, who seems to enjoy his work and does very well.” Additional Maths.

“He really does promise much more than he ever actually achieves on paper.” English.

“He would, I think, be reluctant to admit that he has done any work or learnt anything worthwhile this year;” Latin, again.

Balanced, in the very same Latin report, by: “He sometimes appeared to be asleep, but seldom was, and usually had an intelligent grasp of the Latin we were reading.” This was a John speciality- seemingly nonchalant on the surface, but very much on the ball.

“His approach to French this Quarter has been reminiscent of the way he wears his cricket cap: jaunty and cavalier...But the light-hearted zest goes with a determination to do well.”

So the academic plaudits and brickbats continued throughout John’s lower and upper sixth form journey.

While he certainly tested (some severely) his various beaks along the way, his Housemaster, Tony Day, always had a soft spot for John. While recognising that his charge could at times be impetuous, even a touch over-confident, he invariably preferred to focus on John’s many fine qualities (writing at the end of LQ 1973 “I always feel he will do the right thing in a crisis”), and duly made him a senior monitor for his final two terms: “He has been a great success here and has contributed much to House and School both as a distinguished games player and a cheerful, forceful personality. He is one of the most likeable boys I have had in the House.”

The last words must go to the late, great Oliver Van Oss (Brooke Hall 1965-73), who John (and others of the era) had the great good fortune to have as Headmaster: “An old friend, who has had a notable career here. Everybody likes him, there is nothing mean about him.”

John’s sporting achievements were mainly on the cricket field for House and School. He was also a more than useful footballer, playing as a robust, very reliable midfielder. He represented the school at U14, U16, 2^nd and 1^st XI levels, including a 1st XI tour to Luxembourg in November 1972.

Cricket was John’s sporting forte. He played for School at all levels, successfully captaining the 1971 U16 side, being elevated to the 1^st XI in 1972 for two seasons and was Vice-Captain in his last year, 1973. He quickly caught the eye as a wicket-keeper/batsman, having earlier shown his assured glove work in the junior ranks.

John’s great strength, aside from keeping and batting, was his infectious, cheeky enthusiasm in the field. As with all fine wicket-keepers, he became the heartbeat of the slip cordon and galvanised the out fielders. Always flattering inaccurate throwing by gathering cleanly, he was prone to offer some choice bon mots to any hapless transgressor (usually a fast bowler).

John’s reliability and skill behind the stumps saw him take a total 29 catches, including 6 stumpings in his second season. It was stats like these that drew Tony Day’s comment: “He is the best wicket-keeper the School has had for many years.”

John was also an effective middle order batsman, gaining justified elevation from his initial number 11 slot. In his prime, he despatched bowlers with ease and considerable power. And he had the happy knack of propping up the tail of an innings, managing no less than 15 not outs in his 32 innings for the XI. He topped the batting averages in both 1972 (23.89) and 1973 (40.25), finishing with a respectable career average of 31.59, and a highest score of 68. He was awarded colours at end of his first year in the XI.

One Sunday in 1974 John’s Ford Capri was innocently caught up in an accident. In front of John was a car which suffered the full impact of a collision. This was driven by a friend Aiden Threlfall (Stowe) who sadly died in the accident. John suffered serious injuries including a smashed hip and spent a few days in intensive care. This was not to stop his cricket, but he did suffer pain over the years and had a replacement hip early in life.

John continued his playing with the Charterhouse Friars and the Cricketer Cup side after leaving School in 1973. He was named Z after Z-Victor 1, the call sign in TV program Z Cars by Anthony Allom (W57).

Peter Bristowe (W80) remembers: “ I met John (although I really only knew him as "Z") on my first Friars" tour having just left Charterhouse. We spent a night or two in Brighton and it was really an eye opener for me. Z must have been at least five years older than me and I remember him vividly. He was dashing, fun, talented and friendly. All those qualities combined to make an impression on me. As I mentioned at the Friars dinner, I particularly remember him shaving off half his beard in Brighton. It still makes me laugh”.

As part of the Friars Andrew Barker (S63) remembers: it was in 1981, when having won the Cup for the second time, about 20 of us met at Gatwick at 8.00am to be flown on the Moet & Chandon chartered plane to Epernay. One person was however missing -Z. We knew he had been to a party in London the night before, but these were the days before mobile phones and after a short delay, the pilot said we had to go. On reaching the Moet chateau, profuse apologies were offered on behalf of the delinquent Z. We had a splendid tour of the cellars followed by a great drinks party. Just as we were going through to lunch, there was a screech of tyres and brakes on the gravel outside and in ran Z. His alarm hadn’t gone off, and he had driven like the clappers to Gatwick where he privately chartered a small plane, flown to Epernay hired a car and here he was. Our host, the Baron, was immediately charmed, and when later in the afternoon the rest of us got in the bus back to the airport, there was Z, grinning from ear to ear, waving us good bye. He had been invited by his new best friend, the Baron, to stay for dinner and the night.

After Charterhouse, John attended the Polytechnic of the South Bank to undertake business studies. However, he soon found further study not to his taste and left to join the family business, working out of Old Street, London N1 and across Europe installing engineering equipment. Finding the UK market in gentle decline he switched to the exhibition business. His great grandfather had managed the ‘Foire de Lyon’ so it runs perhaps in the blood. John joined Montgomery’s of Manchester Sq. W1 and so began his career in the exhibition world.

John’s next position was Jakarta where he ran the region for many years and that allowed him to spend time in Bali, Singapore and Australia. He also visited the grave of his soldier great uncle, George Hesp (44RM Commando) who died on the infamous Burma Railway.

John then moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, living in Sandton. He joined the Inanda Club where he could continue his passion for mixing work, sport and a strong social side, putting it mildly.

John left his employers and started on his own, running many successful shows in SA, building them up and sometimes selling them on to the big players. During this period through his work he met and married his life partner Bette McNaughton. They lived a gregarious and lively lifestyle in Sandton and had their son James, who took the new family name McNaughton-Victor.

Many cricket matches and sports tours were organised and run in South Africa through Charterhouse connections and other old friends. Again, thanks to Andrew Barker, John played for and helped greatly in the organisation of two cricket tours to SA of the Greenheads [a joint Friars and Old Tonbridgean team] in 1980 and 1983 and also the Friars tour to Cape Town in 2002. Whenever he was in the UK, he was also a regular attendee at OC Football and Friars fixtures.

Despite running many successful exhibitions, working and living together took its toll. John and Bette divorced but continued to run their separate businesses. John moved to live and work in Cape Town and they occasionally teamed up when circumstances required to jointly run a show. John sold his flat in London to re-invest in new projects and continued with mixed success in the post-apartheid years.

John continued with sporting interests although slowed down by his damaged hip. He was a member of various clubs and societies, which included fishing and sailing but his first love was supporting England especially at the Western Province CC.  John would be easily found entertaining and holding court at the Long Bar, Newlands. He also attended various England cricket tours around the world including to the West Indies –particularly on Barbados where he enjoyed time with his many friends.

Without a major backer, exhibition and promotion opportunities in South Africa became fewer and harder to come by in the later years. In John’s final years he alternated between living in the UK and South Africa having interests in both countries. During this period John was diagnosed with diabetes and six months later with pancreatic cancer. He took the news stoically, much as his mother had done who passed from cancer some seven years earlier. Despite his illness John was still to be found at Lords (he was a life member of the MCC) in his final months.

I know from the messages of condolence that John, or Z, is remembered very fondly by those that worked, partied and played sport alongside him.

Sadly, John’s father Philippe survived John by only a few months passing aged 93 in November 2017.

Thanks from Richard  to all contributors and Jeremy Cama (W74) for his assistance.

Alan Richard Morris on 25 August 2017, aged 85

L LQ46 - CQ50

Alan died peacefully at home. Beloved husband of Mary, father to Garwin, Kate, Julia and Abigail, and grandfather to six grandchildren.

Charles Alleyne Reynolds on 14 August 2017, aged 66

D  OQ64 - OQ68

Full obituary pending.

Christopher Godfrey Reader Buxton OBE on 12 August 2017, aged 88

g OQ42 - CQ47

Head of House, 1st XI Captain - Hockey, 2nd XI Member - Football and Cricket

His National Service was in the Royal Artillery and he then read history at Trinity College, Cambridge where he captained the University hockey team.  He later graduated with an MBS from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire.

In 1959 he became involved with the Abbeyfield Society, which provides sheltered housing and care for the elderly.  He was appointed National Chairman from 1964-77 while the organisation expanded in the UK, and he later co-founded Abbeyfield International, being made OBE in 1982 in recognition of his services.

Although not a trained architect, he developed a flair for restoration with Period & Country Houses Ltd which focused on creating independent residential units within stately homes and estate buildings for sale or rent, so preserving the properties from decay or destruction. Despite initial criticism, his innovative methods were copied by others.

Amongst several successes were the restoration of Kirtlington Park in Oxfordshire, a Grade 1 listed 18^th century Palladian country house with parkland by “Capability” Brown  (where the central portion became his own home) and Charlton Park in Wiltshire.  A venture to develop Compton Verney, an 18^th century house near Stratford-upon-Avon, as an opera venue was unsuccessful but he was later instrumental in saving The Grange in Hampshire, which subsequently became the seat of Grange Opera.

Christopher enjoyed a reputation as a renowned host and tireless raconteur.

A full obituary was published in the Times, November 3 2017 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/christopher-buxton-r7w059px8

Michael John de Clare Studdert on 9 August 2017, aged 78

H OQ52 - CQ57

House Monitor

Died at Lister Hospital, Stevenage.

Dr Walter John Warrell Bowring on 5 August 2017, aged 97

D OQ33 - CQ38

School Monitor, Head of House, Member - Fives Team

Brother of Robert (D42, deceased 2007), Uncle of Anthony (D67), Great Uncle of Christopher (D97).

His son Tim shared a resume of the funeral address:

Walter went to Lincoln College, Oxford, initially to study Classics, then switched to Geography as World War II approached.  He joined the Royal Artillery in July 1940 based initially near Dover. From 1942 he served with the 8th Army, firstly in North Africa and then in the invasion of Italy with the 7th Mountain Artillery Regiment. He was awarded an immediate Military Cross in 1944 for gallantry in action at Monte della Modina.

In 1945 he deferred his demobilisation to serve in the Indian Army on the Frontier, witnessing the build up to Partition and getting him started on what became central to his later career - issues around the end of empire, new state formation and redrawing of borders.

Walter's subsequent career in the Colonial Office included work in Somaliland, Cyrenaica and from 1954 in Tanganyika. Here he served successively as District Officer and District Commissioner in numerous locations. Following independence, he taught in the Institute of Public Administration at the University of Dar-es-Salaam until 1968.

After leaving Tanzania, Walter taught in the USA before returning home to teach Political Science at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

On returning to the UK Walter settled his family in the village of Puttenham near Godalming in 1973. He fondly remembered his time at Charterhouse and it was no coincidence that he chose a village near the school as his home for the next 44 years.

Walter married Mary Frost in Iringa, Tanganyika in 1955; she died in 2016 after 60 years of marriage. Walter died peacefully and is greatly missed by his four children and nine grandchildren.

Zimo (James) Yang in summer 2017, aged 21

H OQ12 - CQ14

House Monitor, Birley Scholarship, Beeton Prizewinner

His friends Benji Woolf and Artyom Barinov (both H14) wrote this tribute which was read at the Old Hodgsonite Dinner at Old Charterhouse on 2 November 2017:

“James grew up in the city of Chengdu in Sichuan, China and joined as a First Year Specialist.  His time at Charterhouse was transformative. When he arrived, he was not fully fluent in English and was very shy. Neither of these were the case when he left, he had started creating his own puns! James had wide intellectual interests, spanning all three natural sciences, maths, philosophy, and literature. During his time at School he made full use of the facilities available; he was a regular attendee of numerous societies, like the Feynman Society, a keen golfer, and taught himself a fifth A-level (on top of the four Pre-U’s he was already taking). James loved the setting of the School and was a keen observer of the local wildlife (in his first year he even raised a hedgehog in Hodgsonites' garden).

After achieving top exam grades in summer 2014, James went up to Trinity College, Oxford, where he studied Physics and Philosophy. Sadly, James never finished his first year, and, after two years of illness, died in the summer of 2017, at his home in China.

It was an honour to know James throughout his time at Charterhouse and Oxford, and a great shame that an OC with such great potential was unable to fulfil it.”

Brian Wilfred Goodliffe on 20 July 2017, aged 83

V CQ47 - CQ51

House Monitor, 2nd XI Member - Hockey, Member - Athletics Team

Brother of Derek (R49, deceased 1998), father of Nicholas (R82) and Robert (D87), uncle of Peter (R76), Richard Curry (R80) and Nigel Curry (R80).

He was a director and Chairman of his family firm OCS Group Ltd. Master of the Worshipful Company of Launderers 1978, Past President of the Textile Services Association, Past President Old Robinites Association.

In 2009 he published Recollections of Gunner Goodliffe – life of a National Serviceman 1952-53, which was based on his own diaries. 

A book review in Carthusian magazine said:

“For fifteen years after the end of WWII, National Service was the lot of virtually every reasonably fit young man. Unusually Brian decided to keep a diary during his time in the army. It is these comments, made day by day, which form the core of his fascinating memoir - originally written entirely for the sake of the family. However, it became clear that such a valuable source of social history deserved wider circulation. The book is dedicated to a 20-year-old fellow Robinite David Nicoll (R50) The Black Watch, killed-in-action in Korea about the time Brian was taking up his own first posting.

He opens a tiny window on a forgotten era; glimpses of a way of life when there was still rationing, including sweets, and very few TV sets. National Service wrenched young men away from their families - plonking them down in strange, Spartan, environments supervised by NCOs whose sensitivity matched only the imaginative foulness of their language. Hundreds of thousands who had never travelled more than fifty miles from home were posted, with scant ceremony, to distant corners of the world

Barely a year after leaving Charterhouse, 2nd Lt Goodliffe found himself posted to 29 Field Regiment Royal Artillery, Middle East Land Forces. On reaching the Suez Canal Zone, he was seconded to Cyprus as temporary ADC to the Governor — a post of enormous responsibility. Thereafter we glimpse service in the years preceding the Suez crisis, duties sometimes interesting and exciting, often almost boring.”

Full obituary pending.

Sir John Christopher Donne on 19 July 2017, aged 95

W OQ35 - CQ40

Junior Foundation Scholarship, School Monitor, Head of House, 1st XI Member - Cricket

His eldest daughter Jenny Chesshire wrote: 

“My father was born in Brighton, where his father was senior partner in the family law firm Nye and Donne. He won a scholarship to Charterhouse where he particularly enjoyed both classics and chemistry and played cricket in the 1^st Eleven. On leaving school in 1940 he volunteered to join the Army, enlisting in the Royal Artillery and eventually fighting in the hotly contested advance through the Low Countries into Germany in early 1945. It was during the War that John met and married Mary Seaton. There began a strong relationship cemented by family life and their common interests of reading, poetry, music and gardening.

On being discharged from the Army John declined to take up his place at Cambridge and instead qualified as a solicitor and joining the family firm which later amalgamated to become Donne Mileham and Haddock. He later became a senior partner in the firm, where he earned a reputation as a wise and knowledgeable lawyer.

At the same time as his demanding legal career John became involved in the National Health Service on a voluntary basis becoming Chair of the Management Committee of St Francis Hospital where he was committed to improving the conditions for mental health patients and staff alike. Friendly, impartial, and quietly formidable, his wisdom and fairness made him a natural chairman. He was successively Chairman of the Mid-Sussex Hospital Management Committee in the sixties, the South East Metropolitan Regional Board 1971-74 and its successor the South East Thames Regional Health Authority 1975-85 which was responsible for running all the hospitals in South London (excluding the teaching hospitals) and the South East of England.

He was passionate about the NHS. His approach was non-partisan. No-one ever knew what his politics were, and he always strove to prevent the politicisation of the organisations which he led. When knighted for services to the NHS in 1976 he was Chair of all the Regional Chairpersons.

Donne became a member of the International Hospital Federation in 1969 later becoming the UK’s representative. Other health-related roles held during the 1970s - 1980s included being a trustee of the health think-tanks the Kings Fund and the Nuffield Trust for Research and Policy Studies in Health Services,  a governor of Guy’s Hospital  and a member of the General Council of King Edward's Hospital Fund for London 1972-91. He was a Council Member of the Institute for Medical Ethics 1980-86, having already been on the Editorial Board of its Journal. He also participated in, and chaired, conferences on Social and Ethical Issues run by St. George’s House, at Windsor Castle and was a member of the Court of Sussex University.

Somehow in that busy life he managed to pursue his other interests. Cricket was his passion and he was a playing member of the MCC and in the early days of family life he regularly played for the Sussex Martlets. He was fascinated by the history and traditions of the City of London and enjoyed being a freeman of the City. He was introduced to the Broderers by his cousin Bill Button, a Past Master, and in 1969 became a Liveryman. He was Master in 1983-4 and remained on the Court until his death. He was delighted when his eldest daughter was one of the first women to be admitted to the Livery in 2012.

John and Mary moved from Sussex to Shropshire in 1985, John retiring a year later. He had a happy retirement having more time to pursue his various interests including gardening and genealogy. Ever keen to stretch his brain, John even took up evening classes to brush up on his Greek and, as an avid reader keen to learn and to explore new concepts and ideas, he had more time to read an always eclectic range of books. He continued in his quiet unassuming way to help people sort out their problems and to provide wise counsel and unofficial legal advice to family and friends.

Mary died in 2009 having been so compassionately cared for in her last years of illness by John. John embraced new technology and his computer became a lifeline when he was necessarily confined to the house during this time.

Unfailingly cheerful and philosophical, John was always good company, both interested and interesting, and with a sharp wit and good sense of humour. He was unfailingly kind, but despite his gentle unassuming manner he always exerted a strong core presence in any gathering. He retained his quest for knowledge, humanity and fairness right until the end. He died in Shrewsbury Hospital after a short illness. A devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.”

The Revd George Ramsay Biggs on 15 July 2017, aged 72

W OQ58 - CQ63

Head of House, 1st XI Member - Football, Editor of The Carthusian magazine

George studied Egyptology at Liverpool University, four years on the most demanding of all English Egyptology courses. He was one of four students to be awarded a studentship by the Egyptian Exploration Society to excavate at Sakkara in 1964/65, the first permitted after the Suez crisis and led by Professor Walter Emery who was highly regarded by the Egyptian government. It was a significant dig which made some important discoveries. George then moved to University College London to work towards a PhD in the same field.
While in London, he met his wife Joanna and they married in 1970.  After deciding to train for the priesthood, they moved to Cambridge where he studied at Queen’s College and Westcott House Theological College.

His first job in the ministry was between 1974 and 1978 at Grove Park, London, before moving to St Matthew’s Church, Netley Marsh near Totton in Hampshire.  In 1993, he moved across the county to St Margaret’s Church, West Wellow.  Some years later a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy eventually led to his retirement in 2009.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters, a son and four grandchildren.

Antony Francis Sabin on 14 July 2017, aged 93

R CQ37 - CQ41

Member - Fencing Team

Shortly before his 86^th birthday Antony, who is deaf, completed a 146-mile Shakespeare’s Way Walk from Stratford-upon-Avon to London’s Globe Theatre in honour of his retired hearing dog. The walk took three weeks, averaging seven miles per day, with Branson – who suffers from bad arthritis – making occasional guest appearances. At the end Antony arrived to a fantastic reception on stage at the Globe Theatre.  That was the culmination of his fourth sponsored walk in seven years, from Warwickshire to Devon, around the county boundary of Oxfordshire and through the Yorkshire Dales, which raised in excess of £35,000 for Hearing Dogs for Deaf people, thus enabling sponsorship of seven dogs for other people.

Antony is survived by his wife Anne and their family

Ian Dayrell Craddock on 10 July 2017, aged 85

V OQ45 - LQ50

School Monitor

Pre-deceased by his wife Alison who died in 2015, he is survived by two daughters and a son, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Full obituary pending. 

Gerard Francis Lies in 2017, aged 91
P OQ39 - OQ43

Full obituary pending

Ulf Carol Gustaf Bjurman on 9 July 2017, aged 78

V LQ52 - CQ54

Ulf read law at Lund University and Total Defence Studies at the Swedish Supremem Defence College. He was an expert on risk management and worked for the Swedish Rescue Services Agency.

He lived near Stockholm and is survived by his wife Dr Monica Bjurman. 

(Charles) Simon Carlisle Ladenburg on 3 July 2017, aged 68

L LQ62 - CQ66

House Monitor, Captain of Rackets, Member - Tennis Team

He qualified as an Accountant, spent many years in the wine trade, and became CEO of The Wine & Spirit Trade Association.

His grandfather started a long connection with Lockites in 1895, followed by his father John (Jack) (L29), two brothers Michael (L62) and (L70) and latterly by his three sons Oliver (L92, deceased 2016), Guy (L94) and Jack (L98). His father-in-law Hugh Merriman was in Bodeites (B27). 

Full obituary pending. 

Richard Sebastian Gilbert (Dickie) Scott on 1 July 2017, aged 93

G   OQ40 – CQ41

Father of Nicholas (G66), Uncle of Robert (G72), David (G75) and Richard (G77)

After the outbreak of WW2, he moved from Harrow to Charterhouse, where his famous architect father, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, had designed the War Memorial Chapel, completed in 1927. 

Richard enrolled at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London, but his studies were interrupted by war service with the 1^st Airborne Squadron, Royal Engineers.  While in Norway clearing minefields after the end of hostilities in 1945, he met and married his wife Eline.

After completing his training at Regent Street Polytechnic, he joined his father’s architectural practice, in due course becoming a partner and led the work to complete Liverpool Cathedral after the death of his father in 1960. He resigned when the decision was taken to radically change the original plans.

Following the faithful completion of his father's last church, Christ the King in Plymouth, his own modern style emerged in two churches he designed for the Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham - Our Lady Help of Christians at Tile Cross (1967) and St Thomas More, Sheldon (1969), both of which are now listed.

He worked on commissions for the City of London Corporation for more than three decades, including the Guildhall Yard and Art Gallery.

At Charterhouse he was responsible for the design of the New Houses, Daviesites, Robinites, Pageites, Bodeites, Hodgsonites, Weekites & Lockites, which opened in 1974, along with Heywood Court and the Central Dining Rooms. A few years later he designed the Ralph Vaughan Williams Music Centre and the John Derry Technology Centre, both opened in 1980.  In that same year the foundation stone of his final design, the Ben Travers Theatre, was laid on OC Day.

In retirement he moved from Sussex to Burnham Norton in Norfolk, to a family property which he restored and enlarged; standing close by is one of his father’s iconic red telephone boxes.

He enjoyed playing on the nearby course at The Royal West Norfolk Golf Club at Brancaster.  He was a lifetime member of Old Carthusian Golfing Society and a donor to the Halford  Hewitt Course, gifted to the School in 1988.                                                                                                                            

OCGS Hon Sec John Pearmund (B71) wrote:                                                                         

“Dickie can only be described as one of the greats of OC golf playing in over 100 Halford Hewitt matches and a strong supporter of all OCGS events, winning numerous prizes at Spring and Autumn meetings. He was also Captain and President of the Society as well as enjoying an illustrious amateur golf career.”

He is survived by his wife Eline, three daughters and a son.

See also published obituaries:  

Richard Gilbert Scott, architect – obituary (The Telegraph)

Richard Gilbert Scott obituary

Obituary: Richard Gilbert Scott (1923-2017)

Christopher Helme Gregory on 25 June 2017, aged 93

G OQ37 - OQ42

Head of House

Half-brother of Norval Crossley (G37), uncle to Crossley brothers David (G66), John (G67) and Robert (G76).

In WWII he served with the Royal Engineers. He read Geography at Clare College, Cambridge, and in 1967 was appointed Headmaster of Dartmouth Academy in Nova Scotia, later becoming a Consultant with the Independent Schools Career Organisation.

Nicholas John Eeley on 13 June 2017, aged 81

G LQ50 - CQ53

Brother of Philip (G51, deceased 2012) and Mark (G65) who lives in Australia.

Geoffrey Adams (G53) wrote: "A  keen sportsman in his teens, he and his family always took winter skiing holidays and for a short time, he did ski racing training in Murren for the GB Olympic Team.

An enthusiastic member of the RAF Section at school, he joined the Royal Air Force for his National Service.  In a fortunate window of opportunity, less than ten years after the end of WW2, he had the opportunity to train as a pilot.  Completing the course with success, he stayed on for an additional six months of squadron service, flying Vampire jet fighters.

He then joined NM Rothschild & Sons, merchant bankers, and later went with Jacob Rothschild, becoming a Director of Global Asset Management.  Always courteous and highly discreet, he handled the private funds of many distinguished clients.

Nicholas and his wife Gillian were adventurous travellers and enthusiastic concert-goers and he enjoyed his role as registrar for weddings at his local church.  He was a great supporter of the annual Old Gownboy re-union dinner and attended almost every year.

A funeral Mass at The Church of St. Mary, Hampstead on 4^th July 2017 was well attended by family and friends, including several OC Gownboys.

He is survived by his wife Gillian, daughter Harriet and two grandsons, Oliver and Benjamin."   

Clive Antony Kemp Fenn-Smith on 31 May 2017, aged 84

S CQ45 - CQ51

Head of House, School Monitor, Captain of Shooting Team

Also in Saunderites, his brother Gaynor (S46), son Oliver (S82) and nephew Charles (S75).

Clive qualified as a solicitor in 1961 and initially practised in Hampshire before being appointed as Assistant Secretary at the Law Society.  He held senior appointments in the financial services sector, as Managing Director of the M&G Group Ltd, then of Barclays Unicorn. He was appointed Chairman of the Unit Trust Association.

He served as a Governor of Sutton's Hospital from 1989-1997 and as a member of the School Governing Body for nineteen years until retirement in 2002.

Pyers Pennant on 8 May 2017, aged 77

V OQ52 - OQ57

House Monitor, First Orchestra

A member of one of the oldest OC families, with seven consecutive generations of Pennant and Pearsons educated at Charterhouse, starting in 1880 in Verites. His grandfather, father, an uncle, two brothers – Christopher (V62) and David (V69) -  two sons Jeremy (V83) and Donald (V84), daughter-in-law Allie (V84, nee Roynon), niece Alison (V96), and granddaughters Jemima (V2014) and Maisie (currently in V). 

Pyers read Natural Science at Trinity College, Cambridge where he was a State Scholar and Exhibitioner. He qualified as a Chartered Patent Agent in 1964 and joined the London practice Stevens, Hewlett & Perkins, becoming Senior Partner of the firm until his retirement in 2000. He was also a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry.

For many years he was Hon Secretary of the Old Verites Association.

Much-loved husband of Camilla, loving father of Jeremy, Donald and Jessica. Adored grandfather of Jemima, Jack, Serena, Maisie, Noah, Ned (deceased), Hugo, Leo, Yarin, Honor, Sam and Poppy.

John Robert Beaumont on 7 June 2017, aged 88

g CQ42 - OQ47

School Monitor, Head of Naval Section CCF

John studied Agriculture at St John’s College, Cambridge but his career was mainly in sales and marketing for various companies including Distillers, Dow Chemical, Chloride Shires and Dansk Pressalit bathroom equipment and he held several agencies and consultancies.  He was an avid collector, most notably of vintage cars, but he was not selective in his collecting – and was especially pleased to have taken possession of a grand piano a few days before he died.

He was a loyal Old Carthusian who was never shy of voicing his opinion. A colourful founding member of the Old Duckites Association, his appearances at dinners and apparently impromptu speeches were always memorable.

Charles Blampied (g67) wrote: “John was in Duckites with my father Peter (g43) and would phone me from time to time. He always spoke of his time in Duckites and of my father. I will miss his calls. He was a keen supporter of the OC Yacht Club over many years, twice being Hon Secretary in the 1960s and 70s, and also a fierce guardian of the Club’s mooring on the river Beaulieu where he lived. His major contribution was to collate 70 years of history to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the club which was founded in November 1935; he produced a very comprehensive illustrated history for all members which he printed entirely at his own cost and proudly donated a copy to the School Archives.”

Durell Barnes (g47) wrote: “John was a contemporary of both my father Ted (g37) and my stepfather David Davis (g42) and a lifelong friend of both.  Famously colourful and sociable, he was also notoriously quick to fly off the handle, occasionally obsessive and always opinionated.  Less well known was his extraordinary patience and devotion for the people he loved.  He cared for his wife Gloria tenaciously and uncomplaining for many years and in recent years wrote hilarious heart-warming letters several times a week to my stepfather, which brought a smile to his face in the sad context of his nursing home.  John would probably be surprised to know that people would say he will be sadly missed.”

His wife Gloria died in 2012 and he is survived by twin daughters.

David Frederick Sadler on 2 May 2017, aged 88

G OQ42 - LQ45

David died peacefully at home with his family. Dearest husband of Jeanne and father to Elizabeth and Jonathan, and grandfather of David, Freddie and Dolly. 

Captain Patrick "Paddy" Terence Earp on 23 April 2017, aged 74

H CQ57 - LQ61

2nd VIII Shooting Team

From Sandhurst he joined the Royal Scots Greys (later R Scots Dragoon Guards), retiring from the Army in 1979. In civilian life he worked in the specialist recruitment sector as well as being a tour manager for many battlefield tours.

At Kent radio station Academy FM Thanet where he worked latterly, colleagues and listeners paid tribute to their local news reader, who died after a stroke.  The Station manager said: “Paddy was a tremendous asset – he brought wisdom and humour to our news service and he was popular with all of us, because he was such a friendly and likeable guy. We’re really going to miss him, and our sympathies go to his family for their loss.”

Another presenter and trustee added: “Paddy was a big supporter of Academy FM and all the team. As one of my colleagues put it, he was like a mixture of a cuddly teddy bear and a favourite uncle.

He was a true gent who will be sorely missed by anyone who had their life enhanced by meeting him.”

Harrie Llyn Evans on 23 April 2017, aged 95

g OQ35 - CQ40

1st XI Captain - Hockey

Brother of Roy (g42, deceased 2006), uncle of Toby (V86).

Full obituary pending.

Mark Chetwynd Godson on 20 April 2017, aged 74

V LQ57 - CQ61

1st XI Captain - Cricket, 1st XI Member - Hockey

OC relatives were his father Clement and uncle Michael, both Weekites, cousins Jeremy Gordon (V60) and Hooper brothers, Jonathan (G71) and Michael (G65, deceased 2010).

His friend Joe Ullman (W59) wrote:

“Mark's early childhood was spent at the family home in Milford, Surrey. After a successful school career during which he became Captain of Cricket in 1961 and made many lifelong friends.  He became a Stockjobber in his father’s firm of Wedd Durlacher, one of the leading firms on the London Stock Exchange. After over 20 years in the City he decided to live a life in the country at his home near Winchester and for several years he ran a successful Trout Farm in the area.

He met his wife Caroline at a friend's engagement party and they married in 1970 at Kenmore Kirk on the banks of Loch Tay. After two years living in London they moved to Martyr Worthy, where in 2000 sadly Caroline died after a long fight against cancer. It was following this sad loss that Mark threw himself into family and local life.

He became very involved in the community of Winchester – as a volunteer on the support line of Alcoholics Anonymous, as a member of the Witness Service Team at Winchester Crown Court, as a volunteer at Winchester Cathedral helping in the kitchen serving lunches, and provided a listening ear at Godolphin, the local girls’ school. Later he also became a volunteer driver for Alresford Surgery.

His love of sport followed him all his life with cricket being his absolute passion. He had been a playing member of the MCC representing Surrey while being one of their Young Amateurs as an opening batsman. During the time living in London he represented Old Carthusians at Football, Cricket and Eton Fives.

Mark died peacefully at home after losing his own long fight against cancer. At his Thanksgiving Service, his daughters Jane, Sarah, Emma and Tessa described him as “an amazing father and an inspiring example to all.”

Julian Philip Lyon Taylor on 6 April 2017, aged 80

L OQ50 - OQ54

3rd XI Member - Cricket

Father of Rupert (W95) and Justin (W01).

Full obituary pending.

Myles Grosvenor Varcoe on 6 April 2017, aged 84

g OQ46 - LQ51

School Monitor, 1st XI Member - Football, Cricket and Hockey

His father and uncle were Duckites in the 1920s, also son Charles (g76). Myles was the cousin of Jeremy Varcoe (g56) and Robert Coombes (W54).

Full obituary pending.

Christopher Donald Turner Jones on 7 March 2017, aged 83

P OQ46 - CQ50

He was the second son of Cyril Jones (L1911) and outlived his younger brother John (P53, deceased 1980). His elder brother Richard (P50) died in December 2017.

From School he went to Cumbria College of Agriculture and Forestry and then Newton Rigg Farm Institute before farming in north Yorkshire at Kirby Hall, Ouseburn.

He is survived by his wife Eileen, daughter Margaret, son Michael, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

John Alun Emlyn-Jones OBE on 7 March 2017, aged 94

R  OQ36 - OQ39

By permission of his son-in-law Mark Farrall (first published in The Guardian 10/5/2017)

"My father-in-law, Alun, was born into a family with a rags-to-riches story.  His grandfather, Evan Jones, had arrived in Cardiff a farmhand and a monoglot Welsh speaker.  By the time of Alun's birth, his father Emlyn was a Liberal MP and owner of a Cardiff shipping line, but half the company's assets were seized b Franco after the family backed the republicans in the Spanish civil war.  His father's response to that loss- "That, my boy, is the price of principle" - influenced Alun's work through the rest of his life, as a Liberal candidate, chair of Cardiff Magistrates Association, NSPCC president and chair of many other voluntary committees.  Well into his 80s he was sleeping on the streets to raise funds for homeless people.  Alun was born in Cardiff, son of Emlyn and his wife Rhoda.  As a wartime bomb-aimer (nicknamed "Gremlin") he beat not only the high casualty rate, but missed a training flight on which the rest of crew were killed at Garrowby Hill in Yorkshire.  In 1998 he established a memorial where the crew are honoured every Remembrance Sunday.  In 1949 Alun saw Prue James dance in Babes in the Wood at Cardiff New Theatre.  They were married months later.  Alun exhibited his father's charm but none of his business acumen.  In his jobs as a sales rep he would buy his own carbon paper or hundreds-and-thousands to boost his figures, but his 1950s idea for Ready-Kleen vegetables, sold peeled and prepped, was ahead of its time.

Alun became involved in alcohol services after the death of his sister Inez to drink, and established the South Wales Council on Alcohol in 1965.  In 1967 Prue died of a brain haemorrhage when their youngest daughter, Lucy (my wife) was four. Alun experienced severe alcohol problems himself but went on to found several rehabilitation units in south Wales and was appointed OBE in 1976.  His idea for a unit on the Bristol Channel island of Flat Holm generated local headlines referring to Alco-traz.  Throughout his life, Alun remained very much at the centre of an extended family network.

He is survived by his second wife Julie, whom he married in 1983, four daughters, Judy, Rhoda, Mandy and Lucy, from his first marriage, and three grandsons."

See also: Alun Emlyn-Jones, a great Liberal voice and a great Welshman - Baroness Randerson

Geoffrey William Rowlands on 6 March 2017, aged 89

R OQ40 - CQ46

Head of House, Sutton Prizewinner

Brother of John (R43, deceased 2004).

He read History at Hertford College, Oxford, and qualified as a solicitor. 

Beloved husband of Gill and much loved father of Nick and Jamie. Gradnfather of Poppy, Benji and Tom. 

Giles Leslie Powell on 6 March 2017, aged 67

R CQ63 - CQ67

His grandfather and an uncle were both in Weekites.

His career was in insurance broking.

His widow Harriet wrote: "Giles developed many complications after a fall and sadly never recovered." He leaves sons Edward and Oliver, and sister Gabi. 

David Henry Arthur Hall on 26 February 2017, aged 66

V LQ64 - CQ68

Monitor, Member - Sailing Club and Beerbohm Society, Distinction prizes - Classics and Mathematics

His father was in Hodgsonites, his elder brother and a nephew were in Verites – Christopher (V60) and Peter (V99).

David died at home surrounded by his family and beloved dogs; husband of Louise, father to Anna and Melissa, a loved grandfather.

Friend and former neighbour John Squire (G72) wrote:

 “David had been unwell for some time but had borne his illness with great dignity and courage. He was a real character, and will be much missed by his family and many friends.” 

Michael George Temple Willis on 15 February 2017, aged 83

S OQ47 - LQ50

House Monitor, House Hockey, Football and Fives, Member - Sailing Team

Father of Rebecca (S79), Simon (S80), Fenella (S83), Michela (S87).

His daughter Rebecca wrote:

"Michael joined the army immediately after he left Charterhouse and became a Royal Engineer. He spent 18 months at Sandhurst, passing out second in his cohort, and just managed to complete an engineering degree at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, in two years instead of the usual three. He resigned his commission in 1957 and joined Dexion (then Bovis) where he remained for a decade before co-founding Planned Warehousing, an industrial management and building construction firm. He ran PW, which was eventually sold to Deloitte, until he retired.

In 1960 he married Claire (nee Salisbury), and they had four children, all of whom followed him into Saunderites. Under “interests” on his CV, the first thing he listed was “family” and he was a devoted husband and father. He lived at Seale, near Farnham, and was a mainstay of his community and a true practical Christian - a kind, altruistic and generous man. He died from Alzheimer’s disease and is greatly missed."

David Archibald Evelyn Lyle on 8 February 2017, aged 86

D CQ44 - CQ48

House Monitor, 3rd XI Member - Football

The youngest of 3 Daviesites brothers Robert (D40, deceased 2008) and Guy (D43, deceased 2008)), two sons also followed into the House, James (D79) and  Robert (D80). 

Survived by his wife Tania, sons James, Robert and Edward and stepfather to Richard, Charles, Arabella and the late Jonno.

Full obituary pending.

Clifden Robert Crockett on 5 February 2017, aged 94

H  OQ35 - CQ40

Foundation Scholarship, Senior Scholarship, Head of House

His younger brother David (H41) died in 2009.

He is survived by two sons, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

The Right Reverend Michael Humphrey Dickens Whinney on 3 February 2017, aged 86

G CQ44 - OQ48

1st XI Captain - Football, Head of House

His grandfather was in Hodgsonites, then his father Humphrey went to Gownboys (G17), as did brother Christopher (G52), sons Timothy (G77) and David (G84), and also nephews Charles (G87) and Henry (G89).

His family wrote:

The Right Reverend Michael Whinney became Bishop of Southwell in 1985 having previously been suffragan Bishop of Aston in Birmingham diocese.

After three years in the Nottinghamshire diocese, the effects of past injuries returned and lead to his early retirement.

A 12-month sabbatical enabled him to resume his episcopal ministry in Birmingham, where he became a full-time assistant bishop until 1996.

This suited his gifts well. A great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, Whinney inherited something of his ancestor's social concern for the inner-city and two decades of immersion in Bermondsey and Southwark had provided him with a deep knowledge of South London's inherited problems and their continuing challenge to the church.

Michael was born in Chelsea on July 8 1930. He left Charterhouse in 1948 to take a National Service commission in the Royal Horse Artillery and the Surrey Regiment. This completed, he joined as a trainee, a family firm of accountants founded in the mid-Victorian era.

Evangelical influence intervened, however, and he left in 1952 to prepare for Holy Orders. At Pembroke College, Cambridge, he read History and Theology, before completing his training at Ridley Hall. He played football at Pembroke and captained the college side.

From 1957 to 1960 Whinney was a curate at Rainham in Essex during which time he met and, in 1958, married Veronica Webster, with whom he shared his life for the next 58 years.

He then became head of the Cambridge University Mission Settlement in Bermondsey. This had been founded in 1907 as a medical centre and also to minister to deprived young people living in the slums.

By the time Whinney arrived, the traditional terraced housing had been largely replaced by high-rise flats which presented different social problems, but Whinney continued the tradition of working especially among young people – for which he had considerable flair. 

On completion of a seven-year stint at the Settlement, he became Vicar of the neighbouring parishes of St James with Christchurch, thus widening his responsibilities and influence. This was one of the happiest and most fulfilling periods of his whole ministry. His heart was in the inner city with both young and old, but, above all, with the young people in his youth clubs. He established a football team, and used to take them on walking holidays in North Wales. He remained in touch with some of them for the rest of his life.

In 1973, Bishop Mervyn Stockwood, who had a gift for assembling a team of colleagues of varied gifts and backgrounds, appointed Michael as Borough Dean and Archdeacon of Southwark. In this post, he revealed not only his administrative competence, but also an exemplary gift for the care of clergy and their families, as well as a capacity for making contacts with civic authorities and other agencies.

Nine years later, his experience and expertise in urban ministry led to his appointment as Bishop of Aston with a remit to tackle the problems for the Church created by Birmingham's fast-changing social and racial make-up. The deployment of clergy in teams and the integration of mission and social work was seen as the appropriate response. Yet hardly had this got under way when in 1985 he was asked to move to the leadership of Southwell. The problems of Nottingham were similar to those of Birmingham, albeit on a smaller scale, but the coalfield area, enjoying what turned out to be only a brief period of prosperity, offered different challenges. Whinney had time only to initiate new approaches to these and other issues before health problems ended his enterprise. A sabbatical year followed, spent mainly at the General Theological Seminary in New York, where he took a Master in Theology degree.

On his return to Britain at the end of 1988, Whinney accepted the invitation of the Bishop of Birmingham, Mark Santer, to join him as a full-time stipendiary assistant bishop. He was thus able to resume his urban ministry, and with great success support the parish and specialist clergy, as well as contribute to diocesan policy. He was a Canon Residentiary of the cathedral from 1992 to 1996.

Whinney remained in Birmingham after his retirement and continued to give valued assistance in the diocese. He also continued and developed his work as a Myers-Briggs practitioner. His expertise in this approach to human personality, and inter-personal relationships, enabled clergy and others to gain greater self-understanding and insight, and so to enrich their work. A high point for Michael's ministry in retirement was his year (2005-06) as Archbishop's Commissary for the diocese of Birmingham, between the departure of Bishop Sentamu for York, and the arrival of Bishop David Urquhart.

He treasured his ancestry as a great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, and as such was a stalwart participant in Dickens family gatherings. He became vice-president of the Dickens Fellowship in 1986.

He is survived by his wife, Veronica, and by two sons and a daughter (Tim, Kathryn and David).

Richard Ross Forbes Cassidy on 2 January 2017, aged 97

S OQ33 - CQ38

House Monitor, Captain of Boxing, Leech Prizewinner, Swallows Cricket

Full obituary pending. 

Nigel Justin Kempner on 31 January 2017, aged 60

G LQ70 - CQ74

Captain of Fives, 2nd XI Member - Hockey and Football, Member - Squash Team

Member of the Governing Body and Chairman

Father of Natasha (G 2012), uncle to Patrick Alexander (V2007), Jamie (V2009) and Emily (G18).

Nigel served on the School’s Governing Body from 2007 and spearheaded the 21^st Century Development Programme. Shortly after taking up his appointment as Chairman in January 2017, shocking news arrived of his sudden death whilst on holiday in South Africa. Andrew Turner, the Acting Headmaster, announced with great sadness: “Nigel was a proud and loyal Old Carthusian who gave an enormous amount of time to the School and for which we owe a huge debt of gratitude. He will be greatly missed by his many friends among the OC and wider School community.”

His funeral took place on 9 March 2017 at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Henley-on-Thames, near to where Nigel had grown up and later lived with his wife Rosalind and their daughter Natasha. The Charterhouse Chaplain, Revd Clive Case, and members of the School choir participated in the service In the Eulogy delivered to a packed congregation, friend Roger Smee MBE said:  “Nigel was a charming, intelligent, warm and loyal friend. There are so many here today who understand what I mean. In whatever he did, Nigel always set himself the highest personal standards.  He was the perfect gentleman in everything he did.  Not surprisingly, he retained a huge sense of responsibility towards any organisation he supported. If Nigel was on board, things were done properly. He always demonstrated the highest standards of business and life ethic, such standards were the basis for anything he involved himself with.”

Nigel’s flourishing business life included several takeovers as he repeatedly and accurately called the top of the market. His first success was selling Randsworth Trust to JMB Realty. He soon started again with Benchmark plc which he sold to GE Real Estate and having done so, he formed Grafton Estates which provided asset management services to Benchmark and Welput (part of Welcome Trust plc). When Grafton was, in turn, sold to Quintain plc in 2011, Nigel joined the board of Quintain and was, once more, involved in its sale to Lonestar in 2016.

Among other organisations with which he had a close involvement were Westminster Property Owners Association, firstly as a member and later as Chairman of the Board. He was also a founding member and first Chairman of the Reading Real Estate Foundation, a registered charity which enables alumni to assist and mentor youngsters into the profession. Nigel’s commitment and enthusiasm over many years is acknowledged as pivotal to RREF becoming the recognised industry force it is today.

A great supporter of City history and traditions, Nigel became a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Paviors, rising through the ranks to be, in his own words, “honoured and privileged” to serve as Master in 2015, presiding over a highly successful fundraising year. Through his involvement, the Company came to rent office space in Old Charterhouse and hold functions in the Great Hall, so contributing additional income to Sutton’s Hospital. 

Competitive sport and its camaraderie was another of Nigel’s great enthusiasms. He was a member of the MCC and Queen’s Club and for a decade was a Senior Vice President at Chelsea Football Club. He played squash vigorously and golf regularly at a number of prestigious clubs and as a member of  OC Golfing Society and President of the Estates Golf Society. 

Favourite cultural pursuits were opera and ballet - Nigel’s interest originally inspired by his aunt, Dame Alicia Markova, the English prima ballerina.  The Kempners thoroughly enjoyed international travel and relished gourmet cuisines worldwide. At home too, they were excellent and popular hosts, enhanced by Nigel’s reputation as a brilliant raconteur.

Nigel and Rosalind shared 25 steadfast years of marriage. He was particularly delighted that Natasha was able to follow him to Gownboys. Devoted to them both, he took great pleasure and pride in their accomplishments and achievements. His passing is an inestimable loss for them and extended family.

Simon Kitching (D80), a Governor of Sutton’s Hospital, added: “Nigel was a very generous man, always thinking about others - and  never more so than if they were Old Carthusians. I met him through OC football when I was 18 and Nigel at 25 was already established in his career. He generously invited me to his office to share his views on the market and very kindly helped me with some early deal introductions.  

In 2001 we set up the OC Property Club, with Nigel using his influence to persuade prominent OC property figures to attend an inaugural lunch. Club numbers quickly grew and continue to thrive today. He was always happy to give a light-hearted overview of the market and, in later years, would link his speech to his role as a member of the Governing Body to keep us informed of what was happening at our alma mater, keen to assist in whatever way possible to further the Charterhouse cause.

My lasting memory of Nigel is his beaming smile and the fact that he never spoke ill of anyone. He will be missed by many, but never forgotten.”

Richard James Lea Watson on 26 January 2017, aged 88

D OQ42 - LQ47

Foundation Scholarship, House Monitor

He went up to Clare College, Cambridge, with a scholarship to read Modern Languages. His career was spent in the construction sector where he held senior appointments in a number of large buildingn supply companies.

Richard had been resident in a care home for some time and is survived by his wife Daphne and their family. 

David Henry Ashwin on 24 January 2017, aged 81

S  OQ49 - CQ51

Thomas Marshall Alven Upfill-Brown on 24 January 2017, aged 86

L OQ43 - OQ47

House Monitor, Member - Boxing Team

Tom went to Witwatersrand University to study History and then joined Africa Union Corporation, a South African gold mining house, where he worked for two years.  Following National Service, he then gained a DipEd from Durham University and afterwards taught at Cottesmore Preparatory School in West Sussex for a decade.  He decided on a change of career and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 1971, proceeding to work for estate agents Jarvis & Co in Sussex for twenty-five years and thereafter as an independent practitioner.  He served as Master of the Cordwainers Livery Company 1993-94.

Michael John Rimell on 20 January 2017, aged 90

W OQ40 - LQ45

Foundation Scholarship, Senior Scholarship, Head of House, Captain of Football, Captain of Fives, 1st XI Member - Cricket

His father had been in Verites and his younger brother Anthony followed Michael into Weekites (W46, deceased 2007).

Michael went to Trinity College, Oxford.

Full obituary pending. 

Roger Noel Price Griffiths on 17 January 2017, aged 85

Brooke Hall OQ56 – CQ64

Roger Griffiths went to school at Lancing College; after gaining a degree in modern languages at King’s College Cambridge he studied at New College Oxford – where, after some confusion, he passed his Diploma in Education with honours. While he was in Paris studying for a PhD, Brian Young [qv] approached him to ask if he would consider teaching Vth-form French at Charterhouse for the year beginning OQ 56. Roger returned to England for an interview, finding that he and Young had many friends in common from their time at King’s. Once he had received a letter confirming his appointment, Roger dropped the PhD so that the remainder of his time in Paris could be enjoyed most fully: theatre, concerts and fine dining!

Housekeeper Peg Horsfall looked after him and six others in the bachelor pad that was Bernina; they were known affectionately by the boys as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Lifelong friends were made here: Leonard Halcrow, Peter Gardiner, Tony Day and Dick Crawford amongst many others.

Within six weeks Roger was co-producing the School play, running the Modern Language Society and helping with the careers advice programme as well as teaching VIth-form French and some basic German for the beginners.

At the start of LQ 57 he was asked to be House Tutor of Saunderites with the remarkable Eric Harrison as Housemaster. Roger loved Brooke Hall, recalling recently (with his memory as sharp as ever) that three-course dinners with unlimited wine cost only 5 shillings, with port at 2 shillings a glass.

In October 1958, with the help of Leonard Halcrow, Roger went to a specialist dealer in South Kensington to buy his first car: a 1933 Park Ward 20/25 saloon in black, complete with bulb horn – a car he had been dreaming about since he was a boy at Lancing. With the help of Tony Day he learned to drive. This was a source of much amusement to the boys, who spotted a note in the gossip column of The Daily Express: ‘Seen on a quiet Surrey by-road – an otherwise distinguished Rolls Royce bearing L-plates. Is this a record?’

In 1958 Roger suffered from Bell’s Palsy as a result of an over-loaded work schedule – though his bachelor colleagues decided unanimously that he had lockjaw because he talked so much! He took up residence in Great Comp for the whole of CQ, where he continued to teach the VIth-formers – becoming something of a legend as a stream of trainee nurses from St Thomas’s Hospital came to visit in order to study The Case with Bell’s Palsy. 

His hashroom adjoined that of ARB Fuller – affectionately known as Fats Fuller. They became close friends – Roger often covering for Fats when he had to leave for London to look after his elderly mother. It was Fats who encouraged him to have ‘a serious outside interest’ and so introduced him to The Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers: he was admitted as a Freeman some years later, and became Master in 1990. This gave him many years of great pleasure, meeting people and enjoying many fabulous dinner parties.

Roger put his spare enthusiasm and energies into producing and acting in many plays, including The Importance of Being Earnest (as Algernon), Blithe Spirit (as Charles), 1066 and All That (written by WC Sellar – BH 1932-51, Housemaster of Daviesites 1939-51), Dick Whittington Comes to Charterhouse (written by Peter Gardiner) and Henry IV a rehearsal of which the Duke of Edinburgh watched during a visit to the School; he also translated a couple of French plays, in one of which Alastair Sawday (V 63) featured.

In 1958 he was elected Secretary of Brooke Hall, a position which he enjoyed immensely – planning dinners, stocking the wine cellar and in so doing discovering a stash of pre-war vintage port which had been purchased as an investment for the School. When Roger was not entertaining at School, he played bowls for Wales at Llandrindod Wells where he won his first tournament. He also played for Surrey.

Later in the same year he was asked to apply for a Fulbright Exchange Scholarship, to teach for a year in America. He crossed on the Queen Mary, along with 107 other exchange teachers, and taught at Pomfret, an independent school in Connecticut: another adventure and a catalogue of parties, friends, plays, concerts and extensive travel. Roger’s magnetic personality meant that he made lifelong friends wherever he went.

In 1963 it was suggested that he should put in for the headmastership of Hurstpierpoint College – so, with the approval of Brian Young and two others, he applied. In the meantime, Brian had encouraged Roger to sit in on his O-level Italian classes so that he could take them over in the following year. He had also put him in for the exam – something he only found out when a pupil told him that he was first on the list for the oral: “I thought it would be good for you, Roger – and, when you pass, you will almost certainly be the only member of HMC with an O-level.  You will be the youngest member, and they will all be School Certificate men.”

Roger’s last few days at Charterhouse were full of farewell parties, culminating in a splendid dinner in Brooke Hall. He had loved seven wonderful years in this great School – made friends for life, taught delightful pupils and learnt a great deal about schoolmastering.

In 1964 Roger began his 22½ years as Headmaster of Hurstpierpoint College. Here he met and married his adored wife Diana, with whom he had three daughters: Elizabeth, Helen and Caroline. Here too his tireless energy to bring the School forward and with a secured future was endless.  He loved the job passionately each and every day. He became governor of many schools – a job he took very seriously. 

In 1985 he retired as Headmaster and became Secretary of HMC – helping it to develop into the modern, accessible, approachable organisation that it is today: a powerful voice in the world of education. In 11 years he visited 209 out of its 240 schools. 

Roger retired in 1997. He continued to be a governor of the Prebendal School and Worth Abbey; he became a guide and a steward in Chichester Cathedral, a guide in Petworth House and Pallant House. He enjoyed the culture that the Chichester Festival Theatre provided on a regular basis, and he was treasurer to Cocking Parish Council for over 10 years. 

Roger passed peacefully away. He was much loved by all who knew him, especially his family – and will be missed daily.

See also: Obituary for former Headmaster (Hurstpierpoint College)

John Leitch Colmere Pearce MBE on 12 January 2017, aged 98

H OQ32 - CQ36

1st XI Member - Cricket 

He was born in Hong Kong and lived there most of his life. He joined the board of trading company Hutchison International in which his father had acquired a controlling interest in 1917.

In WWII he served as Major in the Royal Artillery manning anti-aircraft guns, but was captured when Hong Kong surrendered to the Japanese in 1941. His father was killed in the fighting. In 1942 he managed to escaped from Sham Shi Po camp, with three others through a sewage tunnel; he later returned as an Intelligence Officer with the British Army Aid Group, behind Japanese lines helping prisoners of war to escape from Japanese camps,  for which he was appointed MBE (Military). 

Horse racing was a lifelong passion and he owned and bred a string of successful horses, although never achieving his ultimate ambition to have a Derby winner.

He died at home in Newmarket; he was unmarried and is survived by his niece Daphne, and three great-nephews.

A copy of the full obituary from Daily Telegraph is available

Dr Archibald Percy Norman MBE on 20 December 2016, aged 104

B   OQ26 - CQ31

Member - Boxing and Cross Country Teams

Four of his five sons are OCs Duncan (B70), Archie (B71), George (B74) and Donald (R78) also a grand-daughter Francesca (B09)

His wife Betty died in April 2017 and he is survived by their sons and seven grandchildren.

Click Here for Dr Norman's Obituary in the Guardian

Dr Norman’s Reflections were published in The OC issue 2014 (page 77):

First published in The OC May 2016

Randle Philip Ralph Darwall-Smith on 16 December 2016, aged 64

G  CQ65 - CQ69

House Monitor, 1^st Orchestra, Corporal CCF

His brother Robin wrote:

“Philip worked variously as a preparatory schoolmaster at The Wick and Parkfield, Haywards Heath, St Wilfrid's, Seaford and King's House, Richmond and thereafter as a merchant banker. He was elected Chairman of the Carthusian Trust in May 2000 and served in that capacity until his resignation in June 2004, continuing as a Trustee until 2008.

He was diagnosed with cancer in March 2016, and faced his illness with great courage. His father Randle was at Charterhouse (V32), as were his four brothers Antony (G60), Simon (G 64), Jonathan (G67) and Robin (G81). Philip was married twice and leaves a daughter, Daisy, by his first marriage and a son, William, and a daughter, Prudence, by his second.”

Caroline Sarah Tason (nee Dobson) on 31 December 2016, aged 51

S OQ82 - CQ84

House Monitor, Member - Lawn Tennis Team and Girls' Cricket Team, Ivor Gibson Prizewinner

Brother Simon (S81) was also a Saunderite.

Beloved wife of John and loving mother to Indra. Much loved daughter of the late Dr John Dobson (Godalming GP) and Sheila Dobson. Sister, niece, sister-in-law and friend to many.

George (Ted) Edward Alexander Barker on 9 December 2016, aged 81

V OQ48 - CQ53

House Monitor

Three of his family followed him to Verites - James (V76), David (V83) and Annie-Lou (Mrs Oulton) (V77);  father-in-law of the late Christopher Oulton (W77) and grandfather of Oulton children Harry (W05), Rosanna (W06) and Charles (W09) .

He also leaves his wife Ruth, to whom he was married for 59 years, and another daughter Sarah.

Peter Waldegrave Stokes in 2016, aged 91

W OQ38 - CQ42

Member - Shooting Team

Other Stokes family members in Weekites include Peter"s father, four uncles and cousins David (W45) and Tom Walker (W49).

Full obituary pending. 

Ian Mascall Grimsdale in 2016, aged 92

W OQ37 - LQ42

David Noad Cray on 22 November 2016, aged 79

S   LQ51 - CQ56

School Monitor, Captain of Athletics 

Younger brother of John (S52) and uncle of Jonathan (S82)

His brother wrote:

“From a farming family, he studied at Reading and Leeds Universities and then went to North Cornwall where he farmed cattle and sheep for the rest of his life. He won a Nuffield Scholarship in 1974, travelling to study the wintering of beef cattle and sheep in high rainfall areas.  He was appointed to the Governing Body of the Ministry of Agriculture Experimental Farm at Liscombe on Exmoor which concerned itself with the farming of livestock in the more challenging areas of the country.  In 1988 he became President of the British Grassland Society. In 1991 he was made an Associate and subsequently was granted the Fellowship of the Royal Agricultural Societies in 1995, in recognition of outstanding service to, and achievements within, the agricultural industry.  Also in 1995 the British Grassland Society gave him their award for his outstanding contribution to grassland farming.

He is survived by his wife Diana, a daughter, a son and a grand-daughter.”

Mark Fitzherbert on 21 November 2016, aged 53

R CQ76 - CQ79

Younger brother of Nicholas (R75, deceased 2018) and Ivan (R76), uncle to Frederic (R10) and Archie (R12).

David Elphinstone Stone on 12 November 2016, aged 94

Brooke Hall LQ47 – LQ56

First printed in The Carthusian 2017:

The first orchestral piece the red-haired 11-year-old me ever played was Swan Lake, arranged by David Stone; the first orchestral piece my daughter ever played was a Stone arrangement; I bet David’s arrangements will appear again when my hoped-for grandchildren…well, you get the idea! When David was Head of Strings at Charterhouse he noticed the dearth of suitable repertoire for school orchestras, and started making simplified arrangements of the classics, producing in due course over one-hundred. These famous arrangements are ‘meat and drink’ in schools the world over – and, to the untutored ear, they sound virtually identical to the originals.

I became reacquainted with David’s compositions when I started teaching in the 1980s and used them frequently in my teaching. You can imagine my delight when I found on coming to Charterhouse that not only was he a predecessor of mine, but that David was living in Godalming and attending concerts here regularly. I still treasure the encouraging letters (in his typically spidery hand) he would sometimes send after these performances.

David studied at the Royal Academy of Music, serving as an ARP warden during the blitz. His studies were interrupted by a commission into the Royal Corps of Signals with which he took part in the D-Day landings. After the war he continued at the RAM with a composition scholarship, and won many prizes. In 1947 he married Margaret and started work at Charterhouse after a tip-off about the job from Reginald Thatcher (Warden, then Vice-Principal, then Principal of the RAM 1944-55), who had been Director of Music here (1919-27).

David’s timetable at Charterhouse allowed him to play frequently in the London orchestras and to study part time at the University of London, gaining his BMus in 1949. The 1954 report by HM Inspectors noted, ‘the violin teacher is thrice gifted, as a performer, composer, and teacher... the second orchestra and string ensemble classes show fine evidence of his work.’ David began with fifteen pupils, but augmented this by offering lessons for groups of beginners on Sunday mornings. One of these boys ended up by playing in a performance of Dvorák’s Piano Quintet in his last year – an extraordinary achievement. One of David’s most amusing memories of his time here was when, at his first orchestra rehearsal, he asked the orchestra to tune up, but found that instead of an oboe A, he was greeted by a strange whining sound in front of him. He looked up to find a member of Brooke Hall (Jack Wright) who, having had to give up the oboe due to a throat condition, was brandishing an accordion instead!

In 1956 David left Charterhouse and started at the BBC – beginning with the Home Service and then moving to the Third Programme, becoming senior producer of chamber music and recitals. He continued to live in Godalming, working on his arrangements on the train-commute, and conducting the Godalming Operatic Society from 1958 to 1962. However, David became frustrated by the the pre-eminent position in the BBC of avant-garde music, and the one-sided stance of influential people in the corporation such as the notorious Hans Keller. Eventually, in 1969, David returned to music education and took up the post of Director of Music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. It was described as a ‘happy place’ under his leadership, and he was in his element, planning, teaching, coaching and directing many notable performances. David was instrumental in planning the new building, which opened after his retirement in the 1980s.

After his retirement, David conducted, coached and adjudicated all over the world, became an Associated Board examiner and continued to receive major commissions for compositions. A notable premiere in recent years was The Dragon (for brass band and narrator) which was conducted by DGW and performed by Godalming Band and Penelope Keith; another was of his Nocturne for two pianos and eight hands, which was premiered on the South Bank in 2014.

In 2007 – to commemorate the 60th anniversary of David’s joining Brooke Hall – the School, with funding from the Carthusian Society, commissioned him to write a string quartet. The 4th Quartet was the result, and it immediately attracted international attention. The piece is perfect for the needs of young players, and we look forward resurrecting it later in 2017.

David was passionate about music education and continued writing compositions for young people – for which he was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary – right to the end of his life. He was a man of integrity and wisdom, and was a great encourager. Like many notable musicians, he was disarmingly modest and unassuming; in short, he was a true gentleman. The ripples from his generous and productive life will continue to be felt for a great many years to come – probably in perpetuity. He is survived by his wife Margaret, his daughter Lucy, and three grandchildren.

John Parsons (BH 1992 - 2018)

Professor Stroud Francis Charles (Toby) Milsom MA, Hon LLD, QC, FBA on 24 February 2016, aged 92

W OQ1936 - CQ1941

School Monitor

His older brother Darrell (W37) was killed in a collision in 1940 shortly after being commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the RAF.

After an absence of almost a year in order to recuperate from a serious head injury while on holiday in 1938, Toby returned to finish his education, going up to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1941 to study law. He was elected to a senior scholarship at the end of his first year followed by First Class in Parts I & II with prizes for Roman Law & Jurisprudence. In 1944-45 he worked in research unit with Naval Intelligence.  In 1947 he was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn and in the same year was awarded a Commonwealth Fund Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.

During his career he held many prestigious appointments and was awarded several prizes at American and British Universities.

In 1976 he returned to Cambridge where he was elected a Fellow of St John’s College and Professor of Law at University of Cambridge and later Emeritus Professor on his retirement in 1990. He was made Honorary LLD at Glasgow in 1981, Chicago in 1985 and Cambridge in 2003. 

His notable publications include Studies in the History of Common Law (collected papers) in 1985, Sources of English Legal History, which he co-authored, and A Natural History of the Common Law in 2003, his final publication.

Further details at  https://www.squire.law.cam.ac.uk/eminent-scholars-archive/professor-stroud-francis-charles-toby-milsom

Barry James Gayford Manning on 22 November 2016, aged 82

D OQ1947 - LQ1951

His wife wrote:

“My husband’s National Service was spent in the Intelligence Corps and he was employed as a Translator for a short time, followed by a spell with P & O Shipping Co.  He then joined Inchcape Group and worked for them in Southern India for many years, later returning to UK where he managed a textile company in Bristol.  After ten years as a Secretary of Long Ashton Golf Club in Bristol in 1999 he retired to Spain with his wife Jean, enjoying fourteen happy years there until declining health necessitated a move back to Somerset.”

(Piers) John Clifton on 4 November 2016, aged 86

G   OQ44 - CQ48

Foundation Scholarship, ,Foundation Scholarship, House Monitor, Member - Swimming Team (Colours)

His daughter Belinda Sartori wrote:

“My father did National Service in the Royal Signals and afterwards joined the Territorial Army. A keen birdwatcher since schooldays, he worked for a time for Sir Peter Scott at Severn Wildfowl Trust. He went to Mons as an Officer Cadet and was commissioned into the Signals - which is strange for someone who could never master computers or mobile phones - but enjoyed his time there continuing as a TA officer for many years.

In 1953 aged 23 he joined the British Schools Exploring Society expedition to British Columbia where he was the natural history team leader and received a glowing confidential report from the Expedition Leader.  This was sent to the senior partner at Godwins solicitors in Winchester (later named Godwin, Bremridge and Clifton) who took him on as a junior lawyer. He qualified in 1955, eventually becoming Senior Partner of the very successful practice. He was President of the Hampshire Law Society in 1987 and continued working well past his 50 years of Law Society Membership.  He and his beloved dogs went to the office every day until he finally retired aged 80 in 2010.  He spent his years dispensing honest, trustworthy, discreet advice to all those he met, the values by which he led his life, along with never saying a bad word about anyone.

Lifelong interests included sailing and skiing, and he was invited to be a technical judge for the Ski club of Great Britain. He married Elizabeth (“Buffy”) in 1964. Tragically she lost her life in an avalanche whilst skiing in Canada in 1991.

He last returned to Charterhouse for a Gaudy reunion in 2014 and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent reminiscing with his contemporaries. For the last seven years of his life he lived with his daughter in Compton and enjoyed being so close to the school and remembering things such as ice skating on the river each year.  

He is survived by his son, two daughters and eight grandchildren “

Sir Oliver Christopher Anderson Scott on 4 November 2016, aged 93

G  OQ36 – CQ40

House Monitor

He read Natural Sciences at King’s College Cambridge, qualifying in 1946 after clinical training at St Thomas’s Hospital, London. National Service was in the RNVR as a Surgeon Lieutenant. 

He developed a distinguished research career, making many contributions to the understanding of cancer tumours and their treatment. When important work was threatened, he rescued it through negotiations which established the British Empire Cancer Campaign Research Unit at Mount Vernon, Northwood; he became Director there in 1966 and under his leadership the unit gained international recognition.

After retirement in 1969 due to ill-health, his involvement in research continued and he was awarded a doctorate by Cambridge in 1976. He was President of the Oncology section of the Royal Society of Medicine (1987-88) and elected an Honorary Fellow of the British Institute of Radiology in 1999. He was a generous benefactor, an active member of the Council of the Cancer Research Campaign, and expanded a trust his father had established to support medical research.

In 1960 he succeeded as 3rd  Baronet of Yews (the family home Windermere) and was later appointed High Sheriff of Westmorland. His family gave the site of Wordsworth’s Daffodils at Glencoyne to the National Trust.  He and his wife, Phoebe, also supported many cultural and music activities in the Cumbria region.

Phoebe pre-deceased him in 2016 and he is survived by a son and two daughters.

See also obituary in The Guardian 29 Dec 2016:  Sir Oliver Scott obituary

Nicholas Ashley Hart Tindall on 2 November 2016, aged 69

B OQ60 - OQ64

Member - Railway Society Committee, Member - Choir

His grandfather was in Lockites and his father in Bodeites. 

His wife Susan shared the funeral tribute:

“On leaving school Nick turned down a career working with his father as a medical publisher and joined the railways. He saw this as a profession where he could combine his love of trains with service to the community.

His career with the railways lasted from 1966 to 2013. It moved from the happy enthusiasm of a young man via long period of frustration with Government policies that favoured road over rail. His expertise majored on railfreight and there were years of curtailed or abandoned projects as that industry diminished. However, after privatisation his experience was increasingly valued and his steadfast dedication rewarded. Throughout, Nick never lost his zest for humorous and ridiculous incidents.

Based in Scotland for a number of years, he undertook a two-year Management Trainee course. He was given experience in every aspect of the railway industry and gained a particular respect for signalmen. The image of the lone signal-box, impeccably maintained by a single operator, resonated with him - as a boy, the first object he had made for his model railway was a signal box. During these years in Scotland he spent his spare time travelling around, photographing the railway infrastructure. These pictures became a valuable archive that he subsequently donated to The Caledonian Railway Association.

His early career included an enjoyable two years implementing the computerised railway control system ‘Total Operations Processing System’. He and others travelled the country, staying a few weeks in each location to train the operatives. Nick then relocated to London and spent a number of years employed at the British Railways Board in Marylebone. During the Falklands War Nick became a ‘Mr Fixit’ for the military where he managed the railway stock and its transport of goods to Portsmouth and Southampton, thence to the SW Atlantic. Ironically Argentina subsequently became a favourite location for his holidays.

Privatisation of the railways and the break-up of a coherent system of interactions between departments upset him deeply – and a practical consequence of the privatisation was his redundancy at the age of 51.

He found short term, low-paid but enjoyable, employment with Allied Continental Internodal, whose business was selling space on freight trains. Then a valued former colleague invited him to join Railtrack, but disillusionment with practices within the organisation led him to apply to join the Office of the Rail Regulator and Nick loved the air of quiet efficiency where measure, discipline and principle reigned.

The last years of his career were spent as a consultant, with intermittent but satisfying employment. A highlight was an interlude where he assisted in the Eurostar transfer from Waterloo to King’s Cross. His wife was told: “We wanted someone who understood railways and was a safe pair of hands who could just be left to get on with it.” The occasional periods of consultancy ended with a project that both satisfied him and earned an accolade: “This is the best piece of work you have ever done”.

Apart from his job with railways, for many years Nick devoted most of his leisure time to the pursuit and photography of steam trains. He travelled to many distant parts of the world including Kenya, South Africa, the Philippines and Cuba. His favourite destination was South America and he went there twenty or more times. From his first visit he felt completely at home there, the Esquel Branch in Argentina being his favourite with its small trains toiling through huge landscapes at inconvenient times. The wooden coaches had wood-burning stoves at the centre of their carriages. They usually had a restaurant where the cook would dismount at one of the rare village stops to buy a chicken to cook for passengers. Nick’s collection of South American railway slides is probably the most comprehensive in the country and his talks and pictures were always well received.

He also had a great love, and comprehensive knowledge, of pop music particularly that produced in the 1960s. He played the piano by ear and, for a number of years, played it in his head until he bought his own property and could acquire an instrument.

Walking became increasingly important over the years and during his retirement he walked most days, often for several hours. He took many solo walking holidays, generally based in South West Scotland; his favourite spot of all was the tiny community on the Isle of Whithorn.

Nick worked on a model railway for many years, with a purpose build shed in his garden constructed to high standards with double-glazing, central hearing and a de-humidifier. The layout, though incomplete, represents a fictional, perfectly realised branch line in Dumfries and Galloway. All the buildings were painstakingly constructed, taken from actual buildings in the area carefully measured and photographed. 

For the last twenty years Nick scrupulously meditated for an hour daily. He worked with several groups and studied a variety of teachings that lead to inward contemplation. Many of the studies were based on Buddhist beliefs though he also learned Sanskrit as his understanding evolved. Over time he learned to control his emotions rather than being taken over by them. He moved far from the “because I’m worth it” lifestyle, becoming ever more mindful of the life he led.

If this sounds austere, he also loved shepherd’s pie, smoked salmon pate, fruit crumbles, gigs given by ageing pop stars, housework, earth colours of ochre and russet, Hook Norton Ales, cats and Formula 1 racing!”

Dr (George) Stuart Ingram FRCA on 19 May 2016, aged 72

D CQ57 - CQ62

Head of House, Head of Greenroom, Chapel Committee, Corporal CCF, Vice-Commodore Sailing Club, Sailing Team, School Plays. Member of the OCYC.

He qualified in medicine at St Thomas’ Hospital in 1967, training in anaesthesia there and at The Westminster Hospital.

His brother Martin (g62) said:

 “Stuart was always grateful to Charterhouse for the grounding and enthusiasm it gave him to achieve at the highest level in medicine and ocean sailing.  He spoke fondly of Mr Percy Chapman (BH1931-69) for the former and Mr Geoffrey Hadden (BH1950-71) for the latter.”

Extracted from tributes in British Medical Journal & The Royal College of Anaesthetists:

“Stuart was appointed consultant anaesthetist at University College Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in 1976.  He was a member of the organisation National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), President of the Neuroanaesthesia Society and Vice-President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, publishing extensively on related topics. His honours included the Dudley-Buxton prize of the Royal College and Honorary Membership of the Association of Anaesthetists.

He was appointed Rear Commodore of the Royal Cruising Club in 1999. He acquired an international reputation in both medical and sailing circles. With a deep love of music and literature, he loved company and verbal contest; his ready wit made him a marvellous raconteur.  He also excelled at practical tasks, executed carefully and skilfully.

After treatment for carcinoma of the thyroid, he decided to take early retirement, commissioned a bespoke yacht, Troubadour, in which he sailed around the world with his wife and co-skipper, Annabelle.   Tragically he sustained fatal head injuries from a fall whilst climbing aboard the yacht in darkness and bad weather when she was out of the water in Turkey; he was airlifted to The National Hospital in London where he died.”

He leaves Annabelle, sons Peter and Alistair and four grandchildren.

Nigel Francis Courtenay Walker in 2016, aged 66

R LQ65 - LQ70

Head of House, School Monitor, Captain of Fencing

Father of Joe (L09).

Full obituary pending.

Christopher Laurence Laskaris in November 2016,  aged 24

R  OQ05 – CQ06

Moved to a Day School after one year at Charterhouse. Tragically killed by a burglar in his home.

Eric Christiansen on 31 October 2016, aged 79

g  CQ51 - OQ55

Senior Scholarship, Member - Fencing Team, Sutton prizewinner, Member - Beerbohm Society

By kind permission of Stephen Bates, a former pupil of his at Oxford, who contributed this obituary first published in The Guardian:

“Eric Christiansen was an original, if daunting and eccentric, history Fellow at New College, Oxford for nearly 40 years and an urbane and occasionally sardonic reviewer for academic journals and for magazines such as the Spectator and the New York Review of Books.

Generations of students will recall not only his unruly shock of dark hair, his round-rimmed spectacles and the old-fashioned bicycle he rode round the city, but also the courtly notes, penned with a flourish in sepia copperplate as if direct from the 18th century, written with a quill in ink that he mixed himself from powder.

But they will also remember inspirational tutorials spontaneously illustrated by artefacts plucked from his chaotic desk in his cluttered study: “French Second Empire, thousands of small workshops, producing things … like this!” or even, as the college’s current warden Miles Young, an undergraduate in the 1970s, recollects, a cassoulet of baked beans and chipolatas cooked up during the lesson, on what appeared to be a Bunsen burner, to stave off peckishness. At my college interview for a place to read history I was not aware he was even in the room until he suddenly loomed from behind a curtain where he had apparently been taking a nap in a window seat.

Christiansen’s historical range was prodigious and eclectic, from the Spanish army in the early 19th century to the little-known medieval military campaigns by the Teutonic knights forcibly to convert the pagan tribes of Prussia and the Baltic region to Christianity, which formed the subject of his major book, The Northern Crusades (1980). The college records show that his tutors considered him daunting and formidable even as an undergraduate.

He was born in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, the son of Danish parents: Christian Christiansen, a farmer, and his wife, Greta (nee Neilson).

At Charterhouse, Eric edited the school magazine and won an open scholarship to New College, where he would spend his entire academic career following national service in the ranks with the Northamptonshire Regiment.

After obtaining first class honours in 1961, he embarked on a doctoral thesis on the place of the army in Spanish politics between 1830 and 1854, which was abandoned after the university modern history board initially declined to examine his thesis but he did ultimately take a doctorate (though never used the title). He was appointed to a Lecturership and College Fellowship in 1965, renewed every seven years until his retirement in 2002. He subsequently became an Emeritus Fellow.

Christiansen is survived by his wife Sukey Hardie, nee Chamberlain - they had met as students and married in 1981 - and also by four stepchildren.”

James Campbell Steven Mackie on 1 November 2016, aged 90

R OQ40 - LQ44

His elder brother Alastair (H37) died in 1983. Two sons were in Saunderites (Hugh S73) and Toby (S83).

James joined the Royal Marines directly after leaving School and was commissioned in 1946; he took part in landings at Anzio and was mentioned in despatches for rescuing survivors from the sea under fire. He later served in the Burma campaign.

Tragically, he died from serious head injuries sustained after being hit by a car close to his home; he was taken to St George’s Hospital, Tooting, where he later passed away. A statement from Haslemere Town Council said: “James Mackie served our town with great commitment and pride, he was a pillar of our community and wonderful supporter of Haslemere.  The town flag will fly at half-mast for a week in memory of this much-loved resident.”

Haslemere Herald reported an interview with his son Simon:
“At heart my father was a true Scot. People might find him a bit formal, but he had a heart of gold. He was always very correct but was a genuinely loveable guy. Right up to the end he had the most incredible mind and wisdom. He was always there to give advice and he was the person you always went to for advice. He was hyperactive and had a huge amount of energy. He made himself so busy in retirement, he filled it up completely.

Born in St Andrew’s in Fife, the son of distinguished historian Professor John Duncan Mackie, he was brought up in Glasgow. After War Service, he worked as a high-ranking civil servant in Malaya from 1951-59 during the communist uprising and also as a sub-lieutenant in the Malayan Royal Navy Reserve.  Afterwards he became a commodities broker at the Grain & Feed Trade Association in the City of London, rising to become Director-General in 1971. A member of the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators, he was their Master in 2000.

James was resident in Surrey at Lynchmere and Grayswood before settling in Haslemere in 1974. He joined the local Conservatives in 1965 and was made chairman in 1968; he became chairman of the Farnham Conservative & Unionist Association in 1973.  When he retired in 1991 he joined Haslemere Town Council and served until 2011, including a term as Town Mayor 1993-94. In 1995 he was elected a Waverley Borough Councillor and continued until stepping down in 2007.

Having studied Modern History at New College, Oxford, he found time to pursue his fascination with the Crimean War as a keen member of the research society and was a great traveller, with a lifelong passion for Robert Burns.”

His wife Daphne, whom he married in 1951, pre-deceased him in 2004.  A much loved father of four sons and a daughter, grandfather of fifteen and great-grandfather of four. He had celebrated his 90th birthday  with a gathering of family and friends exactly one month prior to his fatal accident.

Gillon Reid Aitken on 28 October 2016, aged 78

S     OQ51 – OQ53

He taught for a year before doing National Service, initially in the Somerset Light Infantry then with the Intelligence Corps, and after a Russian training course he translated Russian intercepts while attached to Royal Signals Corps in Berlin.

Those language skills led to his own translations of Pushkin's Complete Prose Tales (1966) and Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (1970).

After a brief period in advertising, he joined publishers Chapman & Hall, then Hodder & Stoughton before becoming a literary agent with Anthony Sheil Associates.  In 1971 he was persuaded to join the publishing firm of Hamish Hamilton as its managing director, but resumed life as an agent three years’ later when he and Anthony Sheil bought the firm of Christie & Moore and Aitken moved to New York to run the firm of Wallace, Aitken & Sheil.

Returning to London in 1977 he set up on his own as Gillon Aitken and in due course was joined by OC friend and contemporary Brian Stone (S55). In 1984 they bought Hughes Massie, whose clients included Agatha Christie, Aitken & Stone retained royalties in The Mousetrap when the rest of the Agatha Christie estate was sold.

Aitken's agency went through several changes of name, becoming Aitken, Stone & Wylie when they were joined in 1986 by the American agent Andrew Wylie; after his departure in 1996 Aitken was joined by Clare Alexander in 1998 to form Aitken Alexander Associates, which continues.

He gained a reputation as a formidable negotiator and among authors he represented over the years were Pat Barker, Sebastian Faulks, David Gilmour, Tim Jeal, VS Naipul, Jonathan Raban, Salman Rushdie , Edward St Aubyn,  Paul Theroux, Hugo Vickers,  AN Wilson, Gavin Young,  Jung Chang Helen Fielding and Germaine Greer.

He separated from his Swedish wife, Cari Bengtsson, in 2000; she predeceased him, as did their 27 year old daughter Charlotte.

See also: Gillon Aitken obituary (The Guardian)

                Gillon Aitken dies (The Book Seller)

Norman Arthus Lazarus on 13 October 2016, aged 78
R CQ42 - CQ46

 

He trained as a Chartered Accountant.

His wife Rosemary pre-deceased; he is survived by their two sons, two daughters and seven grandchildren.

Anthony Gerald Vincent on 11 October 2016, aged 88

B CQ42 - CQ46

His son was a fellow Bodeite: Alexander (B86).

His family shared this funeral tribute:

"When Tony entered Charterhouse there was a shortage of school uniforms so pupils attended in their home clothes.  Petrol was rationed, so he would set off at the beginning of each term from his home in Guildford, on his bicycle with a suitcase tied to the handlebars, only returning home at the end of term in the same way. Many things were very different then and he often talked fondly of these times. He grew up in a day and a world where nothing was taken for granted and he lived his life throughout embracing these values which became so deeply embedded within him.  

During his period at Charterhouse he was recognized as an accomplished tennis player often competing in local tournaments.  He enjoyed playing golf, squash, hockey and cricket, all to a reasonably good standard, occasionally playing alongside Peter May who went on later to captain the England test cricket side.

He did National Service in the Royal Navy, serving on HMS Sirius and HMS Nelson, which included a tour of the Caribbean, of which he often spoke of and had greatly enjoyed. On leaving the Navy he set his heart on becoming a solicitor and took Articles at a firm in London before finally accepting a position at Giffin Randall & Co. in St. Albans.  It was here that he was to spend his entire working life.  His choice, unsurprisingly, was not to join a busy London city law firm but to join a provincial practice in St Albans, which allowed him to be home early enough to enjoy family life with his children.

He met Sally at a cocktail party in Surrey; they met just six times before he asked her to marry him, he 30 and she  just 22 years of age. They first rented a small house in Radlett but, eager to find a home in which they could start their family, they settled upon Ragged Hall, which they bought in 1959.  The house then was much smaller than it is today, and in need of much improvement. Over the years extensions were built, tennis court and croquet lawns laid, stables added, but the central part of the house which has stood now for over 400 years, has never really changed.  It has been his home for 57 ½ years.  When Sally died in March 2009, he made it very clear to us all that it was his strong wish to stay at Ragged Hall, always.

His career as a solicitor at Giffin Randall & Co extended over many years as he saw the firm grow, and he eventually became the senior partner in what one would describe as a thriving provincial solicitors practice, which enjoyed the loyalty of many clients.  Professionally, he was happy dealing with all things great or small, people from all walks of life, regardless of their background or the nature of the business or advice they required.  He would treat all of his clients with the same level of professional courtesy and service.

He became closely connected within the local business community in St Albans and indeed at one time became involved in politics, standing for election as a Conservative County Councillor on three occasions. However he found local politics somewhat tiresome and went on to focus his attention outside his working life, on other causes, both as a Governor of St Alban’s School, as well as doing much work for The Royal British Legion - for which he received a long service medal - and jointly with Sally fundraising for Save the Children. 

He served on the Finance and General Services Committee at St Albans School for over 25 years and chaired the Scholarship and Bursary Trust and the John Clough Music Bursary Trust. He was valued for his integrity, his wisdom and knowledge as a lawyer; as indeed were his quiet and modest contributions at meetings , where his few well-chosen words, delivered clearly in measured tones, were often accompanied with a smile. His considered way was so much more effective than a rambling rant. The St Albans School motto is Non Nobis Nati, which means ‘Born not for ourselves’ - how very fitting it is , that this is how so many people seem to remember him.

He was a man of strong Christian faith and loved his Church which provided Sally and himself with a great deal of comfort and purpose over the years. He was a practical man, supporting Sally without question or reservation at home, in the garden or performing some task for one of his children. He enjoyed keeping himself busy with all these things. Even in the most trying of circumstances he always had a screwdriver or torch to hand. He was always well prepared. He was always willing to put himself out for others, quietly, and without fuss.

He was not a man who needed material possessions; in fact his philosophy was “if it works it’s good enough”. He never needed the smartest car, the newest tennis racket or a set of flashy golf clubs. In fact he had an uncanny knack of being very effective with sometimes quite average tools or equipment.

On the surface he appeared to many of us who knew him to be just a very kind, gentle and humble man. But to those of us who know him well, we realise that underneath that kindness and polite manner, there was a quality that reaches to the very core of him and it is these qualities that he brought into his family life. Accompanying this kindness and gentleness was a truly unconditional devoted love for his wife Sally, spanning 49 years, mutually supportive and unquestioning. 

His attention to detail was legendary - as was his filing system. As an only child to older parents, he had learned to thrive in his own company. He has kept every single daily diary that he has ever owned, all neatly stowed away in his desk. They record just about everything in his life. (We think it reflects how important he felt it was to leave a legacy behind him, and in some way to have made a difference.)

We must be grateful for having had this man as our father, grandfather, friend, colleague or neighbour. This is the place where he wanted to be, and this is the place where he wanted to rest, and join his beloved wife Sally.    

He loved his garden. It was something that he and Sally loved doing together so much, a perfect partnership – Sally the designer and director and Tony the labourer. He got great comfort in his garden and he was very proud of his vegetable production (self-sufficient from May to November); over these recent years it has been a place where he has felt closest to Sally.

He had a great sense of humour. In later years he struggled greatly with loss of hearing and found this hard at times, but it gave him an excuse for some fun where he might play a little game and make the most of his deafness- often to make a comment or contribution to a conversation that would cause a laugh, sometimes purposefully being a topic or two behind in the conversation.  

He was a devoted family man and his message to us as children was to “do the best you can.”  He worked tirelessly to provide for his family, retiring in February 1996. He was a man that you could always count on, totally reliable, never unpredictable, and always without hesitation he tried to do the right thing. A commitment made by him, was a commitment, and was never broken. He was truly dependable.

So today to celebrate his life.  A life that has been rich with happy memories and healthy to the end. He often said when it was his turn that he wanted to go quietly and without a fuss. Unassuming, loyal, and selfless, with a huge sense of duty.  He will be greatly missed by us all."

Dr Robert Samuel Boulderson Rogers on 8 October 2016, aged 87

H OQ42 - CQ47

Foundation Scholarship, Benn Scholarship, School Monitor, Maniacs Cricket

He qualified as a doctor and was in General Practice in Gloucestershire for many years. 

Ian Morgan Paton on 26 September 2016, aged 84

W  CQ45 - OQ49

Captain of Athletics, 1st XI Member - Football

He read Engineering at Peterhouse, Cambridge.

Ian completed National Service in the Royal Engineers and later served in the Emergency Reserve. His business career over 33 years was spent with multi-national engineering company British Timken Co; there he worked on the installation of a valve mainframe computer and in 1958 he began designing mainframe computer-based systems for an IBM machine. He was elected a Fellow of the British Computer Society.

Following the death of his only child, David (W79) in car accident whilst on holiday in Spain in 1985, Ian established the David Paton Travel Award at Charterhouse in his memory, to encourage interest and appreciation of the arts, which is still awarded today.

As a keen philatelist from his schooldays, and combining this with his interest in American history, he exhibited his collection widely with considerable success. He was awarded several prestigious medals in international competitions, contributed articles to various stamp journals and was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Philatelic Society London in 1994.  In retirement he was appointed Assistant & Membership Secretary of the British Thematic Society, meticulously filling that role for thirteen years and was elected to Life Membership in recognition.

His wife Helen pre-deceased him.

See also: page 140 in The British Thematic Association Themescene Vol. 33 No. 4 December 2016 which has been reproduced below: 

Sir George Lawrence Jose Engle KCB QC on 15 September 2016, aged 90

H   OQ40 – LQ45

Head of School, Head of House, Foundation Scholarship, Senior Scholarship, Monahan Prize, Talbot Prize, Editor of The Carthusian

Sir George composed his own obituary in 2002, with a covering note which said: “At the risk of seeming immodest, I enclose a purely factual account of myself which - when the time comes (I am now aged 76) – may be of assistance!:

After six months’ Army Short Course at Oxford I served from 1945 to 1948 in the Royal Artillery, for the final year as a 2nd Lieutenant in Tripolitania. At Christ Church, to which I had gained a scholarship, I obtained Firsts in Classical Mods and Greats, after which I studied Law and was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn, practising as a barrister until 1957 when I entered the Parliamentary Counsel Office (the government department that drafts Government Bills).

I was seconded from Whitehall to the Federal Government of Nigeria from 1965 to 1967 as First Parliamentary Counsel there, in which capacity it fell to me to amend the Nigerian constitution following a military coup at the end of 1965. I was the senior draftsman at the Law Commission from 1971 to 1973, where I worked on an abortive attempt to codify the law of contract, was President of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel from 1983 to 1986, and First Parliamentary Counsel from 1981 until retirement from the Civil Service in 1986.  I later became President of the Kipling Society, was made a CB in 1976 and a KCB and QC in 1983.

I was co-editor to the 1985 edition of the Oxford Companion to English Literature.

In 2000 I translated ‘Carmen Becceriense’ written in Latin by Max Beerbohm in July 1890 shortly before leaving the School. The poem was prompted by a recital given by one of the music masters, A.G. Becker.  The original and my translation were published in the Classical Association News." (See below.)

He is survived by his wife Irene, whom he married in 1956, their three daughters Eleanor, Vanessa, and Cecily (who is married to Jeremy Sandelson D74) and four grandchildren.

Peter Nathan (H47) added:  “I had been his study fag, and afterwards George presented me with a two–volume translation of The Iliad with a typically thoughtful note saying “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”. I still treasure these books, each inscribed in George’s immaculate handwriting.”

Obituary link: Sir George Engle (The Times, 24 September 2016)

CARMEN BECCERIENSE
by Max Beerbohm (g 1890)

Beccerius (dictum miserum) mortalibus aegris
Concertum quondam Becceriense dabat.
Ecce, salutatus nimio plausu puerorum
Blande subridensque editiora petit.
Incipiens, animi notos bene temperat ignes;
Mox tamen innumeras jactat ubique manus.
Usque graves gravibus superinjicit ictibus ictus,
Mixtaque cum mixtis sunt nota mixta notis.
Nos aures premimus dextris, ridetque Robinso,
Musicus instructor nam fuit alter. Hibus
Contremefacta sonis lacrimas. Concordia fundit
Et fugit ex Aula, diva repulse. Nova.
Sic fugat impietate deam, fugat ipse sacerdos,
Sic caret Harmonia Carthusiana domus.

A SONG OF BECKER
translation by Sir George Engle (H 1945)

Becker, alas, to troubled mortal ears
One of his Beckeresque recitals gave.
Lo, greeted with excess of boys’ applause
Smiling he mildly mounts the podium.
At first he curbs his temper’s well-known fires,
But soon flings countless hands left, right and centre,
On hefty blows piling on hefty blows
As mixed notes with mixed notes are mixed.
We stop our ears, but Robinson just laughs –
The other music master of the school.
Shaken by these dire sounds, sweet Harmony
Sheds tears and from the New Hall runs away.
A goddess spurned. Thus Harmony’s own pries
Puts her to flight with his impiety,

Anthony Beckles Willson on 10 September 2016, aged 88

H  OQ42 - CQ46

Monitor, Struan Robertson Art Prizewinner

Brother-in-law of Sir John Alliott (W49).

His son Mark wrote: 

“Anthony studied Architecture and Civic Design at Liverpool University and pursued a successful career as an architect in private practice, from 1954 to1984. For much of this time he was a partner at George Trew Dunn where he was responsible for the design on major public sector and commercial projects across the UK and in the Middle East.  In 1979 he embarked on a second career as a sculptor, combining the two disciplines for several years.  After many years coping with the complex technical and managerial demands of designing buildings, sculpture offered a simpler and more rewarding way of creating pure three dimensional form. Architecture and sculpture are closely linked by their three dimensional nature, enjoying a close historical relationship via concept and adornment. In 1987 he shared the prize with his design for a sculptural fountain in Parliament Square, Westminster and from 1989 he exhibited regularly at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in London.  His entry for the BP Oil sculpture competition in 1990 was highly commended and selected for exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall.

In recent years local affairs and the foundation of The Twickenham Museum claimed much of his time. The establishment of the Museum in 2001 followed an eight-year legal battle over a contested will.  That the Museum won the case and is independent of local authority funding is largely to his credit.  Always open to technological change and embracing computer graphics, he created for the Museum a much-commended website to which he made major contributions of text and illustration. His research included the records of the parish church of St Mary the Virgin where he was archivist for 15 years. As well as organising the parish records, he published a history of the church and a number of other books on the history of the area.  His historical curiosity was particularly focused on one distinguished local resident, Alexander Pope. His series of monographs on Twickenham and its development in the 18th century were built on meticulous research into local families and the town’s streets and river frontage. He established himself as an authority on Pope, understanding the importance of the creation of Pope's villa on the Thames in Twickenham for the history of English gardening and the poet's influence on landscape design. In 2005 he established a charitable trust to preserve Pope's Grotto, the only surviving element of the poet's villa and garden and a monument of national significance in the history of English landscape gardens. Having overcome the funding challenges to do with the grotto being owned by a local school the first stages of the conservation work began early in 2016, and Tony, despite ill health, followed developments with characteristic insight.

He is survived by his wife Robina, son Mark, daughter Rachel and grandson Robert.”

Neville Herbert Benke on 6 September 2016, aged 92

B  OQ37 - CQ41

House Monitor, Captain of Fives, 1st XI Member - Football, Captain of Athletics, Under Officer CCF

Brother of Denys (B37) who died in 2011.

His son Robert wrote:

“On leaving Charterhouse in 1941 Neville volunteered for wartime service in the Army, eventually arriving in India and being commissioned into the 1^st Punjab Regiment of the Indian Army.  Following a Signals course he was moved to Burma.  Just days after arrival at his new unit he was seriously wounded in a mortar attack which killed the other two members of his reconnaissance party.  He was fortunate to be evacuated many hours later with both his life and two legs, and spent the following months in a succession of military hospitals before being returned to the United Kingdom. As he picked up the threads of civilian life he qualified as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor, spending his whole career with the same company, EC Harris, mainly based in London.  He was involved in many large infrastructure projects, from the construction of the M4 motorway to the Royal Mint at Llantrisant, with occasional work overseas.

He started playing tennis as a form of rehabilitation and through this met Mary Fenton, known all her life as ‘Dink’, whom he married in 1950.  They had a son and a daughter, Robin and Jill, and two grandsons.  They moved to Thames Ditton in 1956 and lived in the same house for the remainder of their lives.  Both were keen members of the Thames Ditton Lawn Tennis Club for many years: when tennis became too much they joined the local bowling club.  Neville served on the committees of both and 40 years ago offered his professional services with the construction of a new tennis clubhouse, which stands to this day.   Dink died in 2010 with Neville looking after her at home until the end; he continued to live in the house by himself until a few months before his own death, when failing health forced a move.

Neville was immensely proud of being an Old Carthusian and wore the tie often.   He spoke little about his wartime experience and few acquaintances outside his immediate family were aware of his injuries, although he regularly suffered discomfort for the rest of his life, without complaint.  He was a modest man with immaculate manners but would never force his principles on to others, and he was unfailingly generous and thoughtful.  Many messages of condolence were received after his death:  all of them commented that he was, above all else, a gentleman.”

Lt Cdr RN Adrian Seymour Tuck on 4 September 2016, aged 79

D LQ51 - CQ53

Brother of Roderick (D52, deceased 2006).

Full obituary pending. 

The Revd James Alexander Gilchrist Scott on 1 September 2016, aged 83

g OQ46 - CQ51

Foundation Scholarship, Head Monitor

OC family: Brother Douglas (g53), nephews Alexander (B76), Robert (B79), Barnaby (B81)

Douglas wrote:

“James won an exhibition to Lincoln College, Oxford, to read jurisprudence. Before going up to Oxford, he served as a National Serviceman in the RAF, where he became a pilot in Transport Command. After graduating from Lincoln he transferred directly to Wycliffe Theological College, Oxford.

Following his ordination in 1958, he served mostly in parish ministry in the North of England - although he was for a time Chaplain to Dr Donald Coggan, the Archbishop of York; from there he went for three years to be a Chaplain in Missions to Seamen in Brazil.

He married Mary-June (nee Sewry) in 1964; she pre-deceased him and he is survived by their two daughters."

'Carl' Geoffrey Charles Ewer-Smith on 30 August 2016, aged 86

B  OQ43 - CQ48

Head of House, Under Officer CCF

He did National Service in the Royal Artillery and afterwards attended the Royal Academy of Music, training as an Opera singer. Many years followed with an extensive musical career in West End theatres, television and productions in Holland and Germany.  Taking his stage name, he was now known as Carl Ewer-Smith.

Carl’s career in later life was that of a Chartered Accountant.  However, his love of singing remained and he appeared in high level amateur opera and musicals. He is survived by Rosemary, to whom he was married for 53 years, and their two daughters Sara and Emma.

Professor Palmer John Newbould OBE on 29 August 2016, aged 87

S & L  OQ42 -  CQ47

Foundation Scholarship, Senior Scholarship, Head of House, Member - Cross Country 

He originally joined Saunderites, later transferring to Lockites when that House reopened after the War, but was nevertheless eligible for membership of the “21st Century Club " (a group of Saunderites set up in 1946 with the raison d’etre to meet periodically and to see who might live until the millennium and then to enjoy a special celebration.)

Having been taught by Oleg Polunin, he first read Botany at Balliol College, Oxford followed by a PhD in Plant Ecology at University College, London where he became a Lecturer in 1955. Appointed as Professor of Biology and Environmental Science at the new University of Ulster in Coleraine, he became Vice-Chancellor when this merged with Ulster Polytechnic.  He retired from academic life in the mid-1980s and spent those early years in Northern Ireland active in a variety of ecological fields, as Chairman of the Ulster Wildlife Trust.  He also served on the Nature Reserves Committee and Ulster Countryside Committee, becoming chairman of the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside, which led to his appointment as OBE in 1993.

For some years he worked with his botanist wife, Jo, on a project in Mallorca to monitor biodiversity and environmental change in the Albufera wetland.

He spent the last fifteen years of his life in Gloucestershire and served as a Trustee of the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

He is survived by his wife and their children Elizabeth, Andrew and Susan.

Gay Fenn-Smith (S46) attended the funeral and added:  “Palmer’s Humanist service was remote and joyous in a Rothschild meadow with music, poetry and evocative words.”

See more:

Commodore Robert Boyd Mortlock RN on 21 August 2016, aged 79

V CQ51 - OQ53

Eustace Dallin Wade Prizewinner (Chemistry)

Robert was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1954 and held many appointments up to  his retirement in 1990, including: 1965-66  Air Gunnery Officer on HMS Eagle; 1966-68 at Britannia Royal Naval College training cadets; 1968-70 Gunnery Officer HMS Euryalus; 1970-1972 Training Principal Warfare Officer HMS Excellent; 1972-74 Executive Officer, second in command HMS Diomede; 1974 -76 Commander, Naval Warfare, Ministry of Defence; 1983-1985 Assistant Director for Policy, Clifton; 1985 Commodore, Deputy Chief of Staff to Commander-in-Chief Iberian Atlantic Area; Chief of Staff to Flag Officer, Plymouth.

Much loved and always remembered by his wife Mo, son Tim, daughter Alison and grandchildren, Joseph, Rebecca, Daniel, Alex and Jax.

Julian Laurence (Larry) Edmonds on 19 August 2016, aged 66

L  OQ63 – CQ66

Geoffrey Thomas Ford on 10 August 2016, aged 84

Brooke Hall LQ56 – CQ92

First published in The Carthusian 2017:

"Like many creative or artistic temperaments Geoffrey Ford’s character presented a series of contradictory images. The passion he invested in his teaching, his music and his drama could also manifest itself in unreasonable fits of irritation and outbursts of temper. His petulance however was nearly always motivated by his desire to get things right, or as right as possible. He demanded high standards, but professionally set them for himself.

The other side to his often fiery temper was the equally passionate generosity which coloured his legendary hospitality. Geoffrey loved people, especially those who brought other areas of expertise to his experience. He admired skills foreign to his own and delighted in bringing people blessed with them around his table. His interest in food and wine was a catalyst for getting diverse interesting people together to complement or challenge each other’s views.

He especially loved travel, showing a childlike wonderment in discovering new places and using his many trips abroad to keep up with old friends.

Much has been said about the revolutionary effect Geoffrey’s colourful personality must have had on the staid institution of the English boarding-school of the 1950s. This ignores the fact that Geoffrey was no iconoclast; indeed in many ways particularly in his values he was traditional if not downright old-fashioned. This was reflected in the painstaking attention he paid to detail and the expectation that his pupils or actors would always give of their best. The other often overlooked aspect of the flamboyant is that it often masks an uncertainty, shyness and a deep rooted self-doubt. These qualities which militate against complacency are the stigmata of the artistic temperament striving for perfection.

Geoffrey’s death, sad but marked by quiet dignity, reflects in many ways the door which in the world of education has slammed firmly shut. Geoffrey’s approach to teaching – the total investing of his personality warts and all into whatever person or project came into his orbit – has alas been replaced by a more clinical, more controlled, more bureaucratic tick-box approach to the educational process. There were once times when the great public schools flouted the intrusion of  imposed national norms in the pursuit of excellence – leaving its teaching staff, a body of whacky but intelligent amateurs, to impart their knowledge and influence lives for the better in entirely their own individual way. I suspect many a pupil’s life was improved more by one of GTF’s acerbic reproaches for shoddy work, unpunctuality or failure to send a thank-you note for lunch at his house than by the whole content of many a modern GCSE specification. Geoffrey’s methods were of a different bygone era: the values he strove to impart are not.  

Many tributes at his funeral and memorial concert and the fulsome obituary carried in Daily Telegraph reflect the fact that his generosity, his demands and his impossible unpredictability touched the lives of so many people – pupils, colleagues, shopkeepers, musicians, architects, doctors. All bore witness to the fact that Geoffrey impacted in some way, great or small, on the whole fabric of their lives. No other memorial could speak so eloquently."

Frank Wiseman (BH 1983 - 2012)

At the memorial celebration for Geoffrey Ford, Peter Oundjian (S 73) said:

"It is a privilege to be asked to say a few words. Let’s start with the contradiction – the dichotomy. On one side was the most gentle person, sometimes gushing with admiration for those he considered worthy of it, or for anything that fascinated him. On the other, the petrifying sergeant major who commanded the utmost respect and could, with just a few well chosen and perfectly intoned words, put the fear of god into any of us. 

I have often wondered what it was about Geoffrey that constituted his natural charisma. There was a magnetism about him that was palpable. He had incredible concentration. His fascination with aesthetics, beauty, expression, humour and with other people became the stimulus for his entire life’s work. That need to explore, to challenge himself and all those around him, propelled him forward constantly. That insistence on the highest standards, that intolerance of anything sloppy or mediocre. He invoked in us all an expectation of excellence, a longing for discovery. 

At the same time he was often very practical and modest. I always considered him a talented chef. He completely dismissed that notion saying, “if you can read, you can cook”. Despite his insistence on adhering to exceptional standards, he understood when to stop pushing. His ability to encourage was never overshadowed or obscured by his demanding nature. 

It is rare to find an educator of such sophistication who is also capable of teaching very young children. That is a very special talent. Geoffrey’s abilities in this area revealed to me another aspect of his exceptional human spirit. As we all know, children are remarkably instinctive when it comes to trust, and they tend to be far more disciplined when they feel a longing to please their teacher for all the right reasons. Geoffrey possessed this talent in spades. Again it seems to me that he struck a perfect balance between invoking respect and even a little fear, while fostering an atmosphere of genuine warmth and healthy expectation.  

My earliest memory of Geoffrey is from early 1969 just before I arrived at School and his insistence that he not be my violin teacher; that job should be delegated to an outsider – a London teacher. Geoffrey agreed that he would essentially be a mentor, seeing me for my two lessons a week but only to support my London teacher's expectations. This act of extreme modesty struck me powerfully as a 13-year-old but I wondered how I would deal with what had the potential of being an extremely awkward situation. 

Over a period of four-and-a-half years I had over 300 lessons with Geoffrey. I think I played the violin in about ten of them. The rest of the time was spent talking about life, art, theatre, literature, design, the Young Vic, Joyce Conwy Evans and above all, the more personal aspects of life – for my part how to deal with the challenges and hurdles of School years, and for his part, a steady dialogue of stories revealing who he was, how he perceived the world, how he evaluated circumstances, his concepts for reaching reasonable conclusions and what it was like to have been placed in post-war England as a gay man: Geoffrey never shied away from that subject. 

He was proud to discuss with absolute sincerity what was a simple fact and he expressed himself in a manner that never made me even the slightest bit uncomfortable. In fact my deep respect for him and his personal conviction was enhanced by his demonstration of complete sincerity and openness. 

Geoffrey was an adventurer and wanted us all to experience his sources of inspiration. We were reminded of this constantly. Trips to the Young Vic to see memorable performances of L’Histoire du Soldat, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, Waiting for Godot, featuring an unforgettable Pozzo by Nicky Henson (H 61). 

Then one day in 1971, Geoffrey called a meeting of the usual suspects here at School who loved and lived theatre and music, with the prospect of presenting Jesus Christ Superstar. Even I at that moment thought he’d finally lost it. But we knew him to be fearless. How many plays did he direct? How many of them in French? Would the Ben Travers Theatre have been built without his energy and force?

Geoffrey was an exemplary audience member and Sergeant Geoffrey often had it in his heart to ensure that everyone seated in a theatre should meet his high standards of listening and attention.... and he was not embarrassed to speak his mind. After one of my concerts years ago, he proudly told me that he had at the beginning of the interval, addressed a coughing audience member within his proximity with the following line: “I've been coming to concerts for more than 50 years and have never so much as uttered a whisper. May I suggest you make that your life’s goal from now on?”

Always the teacher, there was never any hesitation to stand up for what he believed to be important, polite, reasonable human behaviour. But then came the next refrain. The one that was less entertaining: “You’d better come and visit. I’ll be dead soon.” I suspect that none of us really believed it. Or at least we didn’t want to. Geoffrey seemed to possess some form of immortality. One couldn’t imagine that Stable without its occupant.

 I never spoke to him about the afterlife. He didn’t seem terribly preoccupied by the idea. It seemed likely he was utterly sceptical. Perhaps some of you know better. But Geoffrey, in case you are listening, I have something simple to say: you are an inspiration, you have made the world a better place, and we all love you and thank you." 

See also: Geoffrey Ford, inspirational music teacher – obituary

Jack George Stanley Sears on 7 August 2016, aged 86

g LQ44 - CQ48

Vice Captain - Shooting Team

Jack shared his father’s passion for cars from an early age and an article in Carthusian of 1947 reports that Mr Stanley Sears, President of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain, brought a contingent of vintage vehicles to Charterhouse for a challenge climb up ‘our strenuously steep Rackets Courts Hill."  

He went to the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, aiming to pursue a career as a farmer but motor sport intervened.  His first race was in 1950 with an MG TC at Goodwood followed by various competitions in his father’s 1914 TT Sunbeam, progressing with 1950s sports cars. Then began an association with the British Motor Corporation in the 1956 Monte Carlo Rally followed by a win at the first British Saloon Car Championship in 1958 in an Austin A105 Westminster;  he won again in 1963 in a Ford Galaxie 500 and became one of the outstanding drivers of saloon and GT cars in British racing. He progressed to international motoring with drives at Le Mans 24 Hours,  at La Sarthe in a Ferrarri, and was also contracted as a Shelby American team driver.

Popularly known as “Gentleman Jack”, his career ended at Silverstone in late 1965 while tyre testing in a Lotus Ford 40; the car went out of control and he sustained serious injury to his left arm, which was saved by skilful surgery. After a long recovery he became one of the principal organisers of the 1968 London to Sydney Marathon and became a director of British Racing Drivers’ Club. He served as a Steward of the RAC Club, Chairman of the race committee and of the Ferrari Owners’ Club.  He was honoured in 2013 when the British Touring Car Championship instigated an annual trophy in his name which is awarded to the best new driver at the end of each season.

Jack is survived by his wife Diana, two daughters, and son David (g72) who is also involved in motor racing.

Robert Ferguson Forrester on 12 July 2016, aged 52

g LQ78 - CQ82

House Monitor, Member - Rugby and Athletics Teams

Robert was the eldest of three Duckites brothers: Angus (g84) and Jamie (g83).

James Barrington Monilaws on 11 July 2016, aged 58

V LQ71 - CQ75

His father and uncle were also in Verites, Richard (V46) and George (V40, killed in WW2).

Friends Michael Hartz (B76), David Holmes (D75), Alastair Thompson (D74), Hugo Anderson (V74) and Nick Macartney (B76) collaborated on this tribute:

“James joined Verites in 1971 from Brambletye Prep School and was soon involved in school plays; he focussed on the sound and lighting, working in the green room. To carry out this work he acquired “special privileges”, gaining keys to give him access to parts of the school late in the evenings.  This made the periodic trips to the pub with his “Father”, Hugo Anderson, all the easier. Hugo remembers that “On my last day at Charterhouse James was my co-conspirator, helping me gain access to the bottle of hydrogen we used to fill chapel with long balloons just in time for the morning service”.

After Charterhouse, he took up a scholarship at Shrivenham Military College to study Electrical Engineering.  He enjoyed engineering, but soon found that the Army life was not for him. In fact, James was never comfortable being bossed around!

He loved to travel and decided to move to the United States. He lived in New Jersey, worked in Connecticut as a sales rep, and enjoyed travelling all over America, often in a twin-engined plane at night with only local radio stations for company.  He was extremely proud of his private pilot’s licence, and used to delight in flying friends all over Manhattan in it.  Michael Hartz (B76) recalls being flown very near to the World Trade Centre twin towers.

In 1998, James decided to return to England, having met Sara.  He embraced family life with her and her 18-month-old twins Laila and Yasemin in Olney. When the twins were 8 years old, Sara gave birth to their daughter Emily.  Having seen Hallowe’en done the American way, when Emily was older, he would dress up to take her Trick or Treating. 

James was a man of strong opinions – on being told that Emily had decided to become a vegetarian, he told her that he considered it a mental illness…

He was also very practical and perhaps happiest when engrossed in fixing things - motorbikes, lawnmowers, a neighbour’s mobility scooter, a rusty van that had not moved for a decade -  in fact anything that he felt needed his skills."

David Holmes (D75) comments: “James was an enigma to the very end.  Remarkable intellect, great sense of humour, highly professional - most of the time – and the ability to be amazingly frustrating!  As those who know him well will understand, one of his many attributes though was not time keeping. A fine example was the day of my wedding.  The first surprise was that he turned up at all and was not late! During the afternoon, he mentioned that he needed to pick someone up from Heathrow and would be back in an hour.  I next saw him 5 years later!  Another of his qualities was his remarkable, and very rich, use of the English language although so many of his most memorable comments and quips are completely unrepeatable!”

James is survived by his mother Barbara, sister Catherine, daughter Emily, her mother Sara and twins Laila and Yasemin, and partner Jan, with whom he spent the last nine years of his life.  

Major Charles Albert Vanbergen on 8 July 2016, aged 98

P OQ31 - CQ36

School Monitor, 1st XI Member - Football, Boxing Colours, Swallows Cricket

His younger brother and a nephew were also in Pageites, Walter (P41, deceased 1995) and Jon (P72).

His granddaughter Antonia Vanbergen wrote:

“My grandfather was a remarkable and much admired man.

He told us it was difficult for the first term or two at Charterhouse, because he was away from home, unused to boarding schools and comfortable being the eldest child of five. However in the second term, when an older boy picked a fight with Charles (and lost), he was immediately recruited into the boxing club where his legendary boxing career for Charterhouse began.  He told us that he had 45 fights for the School and won every single one against opponents from other schools such as Beaumont, Harrow and Eton to name some. Apparently one Etonian assured everyone that he was "going to kill" Charles; but when it actually came to it, Charles knocked him clean out in the second round.

He went on to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Christ Church College, Oxford where he was captain of the college cricket club, awarded his full blue for football and also played for Arsenal Reserves. In 1939, his final year at Oxford University he was called up to the army. He joined the Royal Sussex Regiment in 1940 and then the Royal Artillery Regiment before training to be an infantry officer at Sandhurst.

His further training was at the Household Cavalry Regiment in Knightsbridge and he fought his war in the First Household Cavalry in the Royal Horse Guards Regiment, volunteering to go to the Middle East, after being stationed in Cyprus. Then, in 1942 with the Eighth Army in the Western Desert for the Battle of El Alamein with General Montgomery, where as a young Major, Charles reported information directly to Sir Winston Churchill who was visiting the troops there. Later, he was stationed in Northern Syria, Palestine and Italy where he worked in deception.

After the war ended, Charles bought a company in Cheapside, London importing fruits from Italy and Spain in the austere years following the war. He worked as Managing Director in

A.E.Bennett well into his seventies, and was still working as a consultant in his eighties, adapting always to modern life and gadgets with intelligent ease.

In March 1954 he married Beatrice Lane in Dedham Essex, when he was 36, and went on to have three daughters, and five grandchildren. Charles enjoyed a lifetime of cricket; he was Skipper of Ightham Cricket Club during the 1970"s, and very famously made 100 not out whilst batting for Ightham in his younger days. He played well into his seventies and even eighties, and he was the life President of the Ightham Cricket Club for decades. He was an exceptional man, and will be universally missed.”

William Dudley Aukland on 5 July 2016, aged 81

P  OQ48 - CQ53

House Monitor

After qualifying as a Solicitor, he worked in private practice in Widnes, Cheshire.  He was a Member of the Deo Dante Dedi Lodge. 

He is survived by his wife Sheila and sons James and Duncan, who wrote: “My father used to say that Charterhouse provided him with the foundations on which to build his life.”

His younger brother David (P54), died in 2012.

David James Chaloner Weston MC on 26 June 2016, aged 93

G OQ36 - CQ41

House Monitor

David was the youngest of four Gownboy brothers, John (G28), Frederick (G31), Richard (G34) and uncle to Timothy (G58).

He went up to Christ’s College, Cambridge, but left to join the Army and in 1943 was commissioned into the King’s Royal Rifle Corps attached to the 9th Battalion Royal Fusiliers. He was wounded twice. At the Battle of Anzio he was awarded an immediate MC for his leadership under heavy fire, despite having been seriously wounded in the arm. After recovering, he returned to action, joining the 4th Independent Armoured Brigade and took part in the battle of the Rhine crossing where he sustained injury in the leg. He served in security duties in North Africa and Palestine before being released In 1947. He then farmed with one of his brothers for three years before being recalled as a reservist in 1950 to train reservists and National Servicemen for service in Korea.

Afterwards he had a successful career in the management of large agricultural and woodland estates, starting in 1954 at Duncombe Park, and then as Land Agent to the Earl of Bradford’s estates in Shropshire, Devon, Cornwall and Scotland for almost thirty years.

In retirement he lived in Shropshire; pre-deceased by his wife Joan, whom he married in 1959 he is survived by their daughter and two sons.

Ian Bligh Urquhart on 22 June 2016, aged 91

R OQ38 - CQ40

Ian spent two years at Charterhouse and when war broke out, he left to continue his education in Australia, at Geelong Grammar School.  He joined the Royal Australian Navy from school and served with distinction against the Japanese.

He read Economics at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, then worked in the tea and rubber business in Ceylon until the early 1960s when he moved into the financial sector.

He is survived by his wife Sheila, a son and two daughters and four grandchildren.”

His family shared this account of a war experience of Lieutenant Urquhart RAN:

“He was serving on board a Fairmile patrol boat which, during operations of New Guinea, was engaged by US forces in error and apparently an American patrol boat torpedoed his boat which resulted in its sinking.  It is difficult to imagine the terror involved in this incident for the ship"s crew.
Off the west coast of Australia, in the middle of the night, a new Officer of the Watch took the helm of Nizam and executed a course so dramatically that he turned the ship too hard resulting in a tilting 90°.  Men were lost overboard and never found despite attempts to rescue them due to the state of the Seas and the accident happening at night.  Ian remembers the funnels of Nizam hitting the ocean and filling with water.  Fortunately, a wave righted the ship otherwise she would have been sunk.  Ian was fortunately below deck and despite being thrown from his bunk survived the ordeal and terror.  It is unknown what happened to this Officer of the Watch who executed this terrible mistake resulting in the loss of life.
Nizam went ahead of the fleet for the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay as she was a mine sweeper.  Ian recalls been very close to the USS Missouri on board where the surrender was signed.  (We have a photo of the signing which was raffled off and Ian won it)  Ian recalls the terrible noise of an American fighter firing on a Japanese plane that was descending upon the fleet.  It was not a kamikaze attack as the Japanese pilot parachuted out.  He descended into the water directly ahead of the British battleship - King George V, which obviously couldn"t stop in time and ran him over.  There was supposed to be a ceasefire in place so it was very poorly thought of that this Japanese suicide attack took place at all.  Ian always said the American pilot deserved a medal as he probably saved the sinking of the ship to do his initiative.
After the war had finished Ian was posted back to Port Arthur and on-board Fairmiles again.  He used to go out into Bass Strait every day to sweep the mines. He mentioned this was the most terrible job he had in the war. Often the sea was so rough they could not turn around.
Overall, Ian felt he had a good and lucky war.”
 

Oliver Hugh Ladenburg on 2 June 2016, aged 42

L OQ87 - CQ92

House Monitor, Member - Fives (Colours)

Full obituary pending. 

Peter Henry Edward Roberts Dunn JP on 19 June 2016, aged 95

g  OQ34 – LQ39

House Monitor, Founder Member of the RAF CCF

Two OC sons: John (g86) and James (H91).

Peter went up to Queens’ College, Cambridge to study Engineering but WWII intervened and he volunteered. In 1941-46 he served as Flight Lieutenant in the RAF, mainly in Burma and Java. Upon demobilization he joined Babcock & Wilcox as a graduate trainee, rising to the company’s main board as Managing Director of the International Division until 1973, when he left to become a farmer and an hotelier. Whilst he gave up the former in the mid-1980s, he was still entertaining guests in his Country House Hotel in the weeks before he passed away. He always loved Charterhouse, returning for the last time with his two sons and grandchildren for OC Day in 2015. He was appointed JP in 1974, High Sheriff of East Sussex in 1989 and Deputy Lieutenant of East Sussex in 1991.

He is survived by his sons and daughters, Julia and Joanna.

Christopher Claud Pontifex on 18 June 2016, aged 73

P OQ56 - CQ59

He went to the City of London Polytechnic to study Timber Technology and gained the Timber Trade Practice Certificate. He became Managing Director of World of Wood Pty Ltd in Sydney. 

Christopher died at home in Yamba, New South Wales, and is survived by his wife Beverley. 

Michael Philip Ramsbotham on 13 July 2016, aged 96

D  OQ33 – OQ36

He read History at King’s College, Cambridge

In WWII he joined the RNVR, initially serving in anti-submarine section, before transferring to Naval Intelligence at Bletchley Park (Hut 4) in 1941 to work on Italian signals. 

Apparently he did not know why he was chosen to work at Bletchley, possibly the influence of his Tutor Cambridge, JH Plumb, also at Bletchley or of his cousin, Hugh Trevor-Roper (D32, later Lord Dacre) who also worked in Intelligence.  The work was stressful and caused him to suffer a nervous breakdown and leave Bletchley suddenly, although he was not court-martialled. 

After demobilisation he became Secretary to architect Lord Mottistone involved in rebuilding work in London. Later he became a Probation Officer until that work caused another breakdown.  He reviewed books for The Listener and The New Statesman and himself published two novels The Parish of Long Trister and The Remains of a Father.

In 1960 he moved to a 17^th century cottage in Sussex with his partner Barry Gray, and there they a created a magnificent garden and planted a wood, where he is now buried.

A full obituary appeared in The Times on September 14 2016.

John (Jack) Winfield Lawton Goering on 6 June 2016, aged 91 

B OQ38 - CQ40

Member - Athletics Team

Jack graduated as a Mechanical Engineer from Trinity College, University of Toronto in 1948, he chose teaching as his profession. Leading by example in his own life, he inspired a generation of students about the importance of environmental conservation and ecology.  A lifelong lover of the Canadian north, he paddled many fur trader and early explorer's routes in the 1960s and 70s.

Married to Sheila since 1952, he is survived by their two sons, a daughter and five grandchildren.

Sir John Adam Robson KCMG on 6 June 2016, aged 86

H OQ43 - LQ48

Foundation Scholarship, Senior Scholarship, School Monitor, Elwyn History Prize

Extracts from the Eulogy given by his son-in-law, John Spencer-Silver (husband of daughter Annabel):

“John went up to Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge with a major Award to read History.  In his first year he ‘discovered’ medieval history and went on to complete a PhD in 1961.  As a Fellow of Caius, he delighted in the company of the most brilliant minds of the time. His academic career included a year at Merton College, Oxford and in 1954 he won a Prize Fellowship at Caius.  He was then appointed to University College, London and in 1959 received a grant from the Astor Foundation to visit Central America and give a short course of lectures at the University of St Carlos de Guatemala.  Influenced by the Charge d’affaires at the British Embassy there, John decided to take the competitive exam for Foreign Office late entry, and so began a new chapter for him and his wife Maureen.

They were posted to Bonn, followed by Peru, India and Zambia, before returning to London to spend a year at the Royal College of Defence Studies. In 1976 he went to Norway for three years, and then became head of the East Africa department before his appointment as Ambassador to Colombia in 1982. The next five years were spent in that beautiful but troubled country where travel was mainly in a heavily armoured Range Rover and never without an armed guard.

Returning to Norway in 1987 for his final post as Ambassador, the relaxed informality of the royal court and close ties to the British monarchy distinguished the posting.  When accompanying King Olaf on a State visit to Windsor Castle in 1988, he was presented with the Norwegian Royal Order of Merit.  Two years later he was appointed KCMG.

 In retirement, he continued working for the Foreign Office as Leader to a series of conferences on human rights and as a member of the panel of the Home Office Assessment Consultancy Unit.  He also greatly enjoyed his time as Chairman of the Anglo-Norse Society.Locally he was a member of the Court of the University of Kent, Canterbury and Chairman of the Management of the Seven Springs Cheshire Home.

He was deeply modest about his achievements.  A scholar by nature, he never ceased being a historian and treasured his academic friends, many of whom became most distinguished with the passing of the years.

A very important part of John was his Faith, privately but deeply held. He was a great supporter of his parish and prepared to speak his mind, if he felt it right to do so, but always with a generosity of spirit.

He loved his home and his beloved family. Maureen and he were married for 57 years and he took enormous pride in all her talents and her absolute support in his professional work.  She survives him, with their three daughters Annabel, Alexandra and Charlotte, and four granddaughters.

Lifelong friend Peter Nathan (H47) added:

“I first met John when we were two of six new boys joining Hodgsonites in OQ1943 and we immediately became friends, frequently cycling to and from school to my home in Chiddingfold. Despite his great success in public life, he was the most gentle and self-effacing person.”

Dr Guy Thornton Whitaker CBE on 3 May 2016, aged 88

R OQ41 - CQ45

House Monitor, 3rd XI Member - Cricket

His daughter Sarah Seghal wrote:

“Guy was born in Beckenham, Kent. His childhood and school years were ones of comfort and privilege. He was a day boy at a local prep school and then went on to Charterhouse. During those war years he played cricket for the school, and encouraged by his musical parents, Guy learned the French horn, beginning his own lifelong love of music.  

In 1945 Guy went up to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, to read Natural Sciences and then went on to study medicine. He had just completed his training when he met his wife Trich, on a skiing holiday in Austria. Guy and Trich married in 1954 in Hong Kong, where Guy was doing his National Service with the Royal Army Medical Corps. On returning home they settled in Folkestone, Kent, where Guy lived out his career as a family GP. Guy was well respected in his work; important as a colleague, friend and mentor to many. As the eventual head of practice, his legacy survives in the principles he established of care and efficiency.  

His dedication and selflessness extended well beyond his GP"s surgery. He was active in St George"s Church, Folkestone, and volunteered for causes such as FoodStop, Operation Sunshine and Rotary. Guy was a lifelong supporter of Charterhouse-in-Southwark and was also heavily involved with St John Ambulance, becoming Commissioner for Kent.

Guy had tremendous energy and enthusiasm for everything he did. He needed to be busy and was not very good at doing nothing.  Letters arriving in the post were almost always dealt with immediately. Walks with him, whatever the weather, were purposeful and vigorous. Good food and drink - especially cheese and wine were enjoyed with lip-smacking relish. Opera was appreciated with detailed attention to the libretto. His thirst for knowledge also extended to a keen interest in art and maritime history. In addition to this, soon after he retired, Guy began a part-time degree in English and Drama at the University of Kent. 

He was generous and thoughtful, forward thinking, with a wry sense of humour, always happy to share his interests. However, keeping up with his boundless energy - both mentally and physically - was sometimes quite hard!

Leaving Folkestone in 2009 to be nearer his family in Hertfordshire, was a wrench for Guy. However, over time, he managed to adapt, making new acquaintances and finding new interests with customary vigour. Always a great walker, Guy was also cycling the Hertfordshire Greenways in his early 80s. 

His wife"s death in March 2015 ended a loving partnership of more than 60 years. Following this, Guy found his growing physical frailty increasingly hard to bear.  With perseverance, he managed to maintain a keen interest in life and in the people around him. 

Guy was dedicated and hardworking in all endeavours to the end. He passed away peacefully with his daughter Sarah by his side. He is also survived by Oscar and Olive, his 2 grandchildren. He is greatly missed by family and friends.”

Patrick Paul Blake Halpin in May 2016, aged 77

H LQ53 - CQ57

Head of House, School Monitor, Member - cross Country Team, CCF - Seargent

Patrick was in the last National Service intake and served with the 13th / 18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) in Malaya, based mainly at Ipoh, at the tail end of the Malayan Emergency. After National Services he initially worked in the pharmaceutical industry for Miles Labaratories and subsequently for Colgate Palmolive. He then moved to the South Coast and worked for Shippams before joining Colmans of Norwich.

Subsequently he was involved in a number of private business ventures and prior to retirement was a director of First Impressions, a personal image consultancy. 

He leaves a widow, Elizabeth, three daughters and six grandchildren. 

His younger brother Robert was also a fellow Hodgsonite (H61). 

David Lionel Rodd on 11 April 2016, aged 93

W OQ36 - OQ39

His younger brother Peter was also in Weekites (W45, deceased 2010).

David Maurice Walter Gilliat on 5 April 2016, aged 82
G LQ48 - OQ51
4th XI Football - Member

His father, two uncles and several Gilliat and Patterson cousins were all in Gownboys.

David did National Service in the Royal Signals and afterwards was Signals Officer in the TA Royal Sussex Regiment.  He qualified as a Chartered Surveyor and worked as a Land Agent, becoming Senior Partner of David Gilliat Associates in Stockton-on-Tees; he retired in 1999.

His wife Pamela survived him.

(David) Michael Renton Riddell in April 2016, aged 83

L  OQ46 - LQ49

His daughters wrote: “Michael enjoyed his time at Charterhouse and relished pushing the boundaries of authority, regularly taking off alone on his bicycle to Godalming to visit W O Bentley's house to admire his car collection. He was also very proud that he held the record for throwing the tennis ball over the chapel whilst a student! 

His National Service was spent in Cyprus with 188 Independent Radar & Searchlight Battery, Royal Artillery. He was an expert glider pilot and competed in national championships for several years.  His greatest achievement was winning the Firth-Vichers team trophy in league Two at Aston Down with his great friend Mike Bird in 1962. 

Michael qualified as a Solicitor in 1955, and went into private practice in Surrey, retiring in 1998.

He married Gillian in 1963 and they had two daughters who were a source of pleasure to him throughout his life. Along with his family, his loyal gliding pals provided constant friendship and entertainment for over 60 years, with regular poker evenings resulting only in a 'loan between friends'.  

He also enjoyed foreign travel, particularly as an escape from the dark winter days, with trips to Northern African on many occasions and to visit Vanessa who lived in the USA. 

He is survived by widow Gillian, daughters Vanessa and Angela, and his two grandchildren Sophie & James."

He was the cousin of S. J. Shuttleworth, Brooke Hall 1980 - 2011

Anthony Graham Williams on 24 March 2016, aged 87

W OQ41 - CQ46

His son Philip wrote:

“Tony Williams was a sportsman, a businessman and a philanthropist who took the family business to great heights, endowed a substantial charitable trust, served as Master of the Leathersellers Company and was head of a large family.

In his youth his passion was sport. He grew up in St George"s Hill, Weybridge, close to the local tennis club where he won many competitions at both tennis and squash. At Charterhouse he excelled at football and hockey and also made the first eleven cricket.

He was at Charterhouse in the war years and then, after National Service in Northern Ireland, he went to the London School of Printing to prepare himself for a career in the family printing company. When he joined the company, Williams Lea, in 1950 it operated from one substantial Victorian factory built by his grandfather less than a mile from the Bank of England. The company then employed around 400 people and badly needed modernising.

In 1961 his father died and he became joint Managing Director with his brother Frank. In 1964 the company made the first of a series of acquisitions and by the mid 1970s it had become a group of specialist printing companies employing around 800 people. By this time Tony had become sole managing Director, his brother having left the business.

In the late 1980s the company began running in-house printing, design and mailroom facilities for its City clients, and over the next ten years the traditional printing businesses were sold so that the company could concentrate on this new activity. The company grew and grew, making further acquisitions in the UK, US and far east, and by 2006 it was employing almost 10,000 people. By that time Tony was non-executive Chairman, there were no longer any family members in executive positions and a decision was made to sell the company to Deutsche Post.

In the last ten years of his life Tony turned to philanthropy, setting up the Tony and Sheelagh Williams Charitable Foundation, which has been able to give away substantial sums to good causes.

Throughout his busy working life Tony found time for charitable endeavours through the Leathersellers Company, becoming Master in 1984.

He was married to Sheelagh for 58 years and they produced four children, Philip (W76), Nick (W78), Sean (W81) and Madeleine (G83, Mrs Harding). They in turn have produced 12 grandchildren, but to Tony"s regret there are no Carthusians among them. He was a great family man who loved to spend time with his children and grandchildren and regularly convened the wider family for very convivial parties. He had a wide circle of friends, many of long standing.

He didn"t have much time for hobbies but he was a member of St George"s Hill Golf Club for 73 years and of The All England Lawn Tennis Club. He was a great reader of biographies and an occasional bridge player.

He died peacefully at home surrounded by his family.”

Sir John Downes Alliott on 19 March 2016, aged 84 

W  OQ45 - CQ49

Monitor, Cross Country Running Colours, Thackeray Prize for English, History Scholar of Peterhouse College, Cambridge.

His son George (W76) wrote: John Alliott was born in Folkestone, Kent. As a teenager he smashed his leg skiing and again playing football and so had to give up contact sports, hence the cross country running. His 1949 diary reveals that he came 5th in the Pontifex that year, down from 3rd the year before. He also recorded Corps Field days against Eton and Winchester, both ‘won’. Against Eton he wrote “fought a ridiculous Etonian attack, they would have been mowed down”. His great friend Timothy Frankland (S 49) captured their Battalion Headquarters.

He won a scholarship to Peterhouse Cambridge. Before going up to read law, he did his National Service commissioned into the Coldstream Guards, serving in London District and Tripoli, North Africa.

At Cambridge he was Master of Trinity Foot Beagles, hunting the hounds 51 days in his final year.

He was called to the Bar in 1955, joining the Inner Temple and the South Eastern Circuit. He became a tenant at 1 Crown Office Row from where he practised for his whole career at the Bar. He became a Recorder in 1970, took silk in 1973 and was Head of Chambers from 1981 – 1986. In 1986 he was appointed to the High Court Bench, Queen’s Bench Division and was duly knighted. He was Presiding Judge of the South Eastern Circuit 1989 – 1992 and was on the Parole Board 1994 – 1989 (Vice Chairman 1996 – 1998). He retired from the Bench in 2001 but sat in the Court of Appeal part time thereafter.

He married Patsy Beckles-Willson in 1957, sister of Tony Beckles-Willson (H46). They had three children, George (W76), Kate and Julian (W86) His younger brother Peter Alliott (W 52) died in 2002, father of Louise (G 82) and Charles (W86).

Robin Julian Darwen on 16 March 2016, aged 92

G OQ36 – LQ41

House Monitor

He served with the Queens & Border Regiment in WWII, retiring in the rank of Major.

Francis Nigel Dodd on 8 March 2016, aged 85 

V OQ44 - CQ48

House Monitor, Maniacs Cricket, Individual Prizewinner of House Instrumental Competition 1944-1948

His wife Alison wrote: “Nigel won the school music prize four years running; he also won the conducting prize.  He went up to Balliol College as Nettleship Music Scholar, gaining degrees in both music and English, passions which were to run through the rest of his life.  His National Service was with the Band of the Royal Corps of Signals, where he played viola in the light orchestra and also taught music, before beginning his professional career as a schoolmaster at Maidstone Grammar School.

From 1960 to 1970 he was first joint, then sole, Head of English at Clifton College, Bristol, ensuring that the department emerged transformed and widely respected, English at last being taught only by committed, enthusiastic specialists.  He was closely involved with the development of the school’s new purpose-built theatre, directing, occasionally acting, and organising (jointly with the city and Bristol Old Vic Theatre) a national conference on the place of drama in education; it resulted in an influential collection of essays published by Heinemann in 1971.

After Clifton, Nigel went on to the College of St Matthias as Head of English and eventually Chairman of the BA in Humanities.  He continued to act and direct, and was for several years Director of Drama at Bristol Arts Centre, and external examiner in English, Drama & Linguistics for Sheffield Polytechnic. He ran a particularly happy department, and also found time to acquire an MEd (his thesis being on aspects of the social thought of T S Eliot and Emile Durkheim) from Bristol University.

However, in 1983 the restructuring of Higher Education under the Thatcher government brought the opportunity for early retirement on favourable terms, and the chance to focus fully on music: music journalism and teaching, solo and orchestral playing, and composition.  Many of the works he wrote resulted from commissions.  They ranged from a full-scale oratorio using soloists, full orchestra, children’s and adult choirs and the Sun Life Brass Band, to the delicately restrained setting of a group of Wordsworth’s Lucy poems for solo voice with accompanying piano, satisfyingly bringing together two of his most powerful interests.

Nigel was an inspirational educator, greatly respected for his knowledge and original ideas.  Physical frailty caused by Parkinson's Disease did not impair either his teaching or his playing until his last three weeks; he never fully lost his engaging vitality or his ability to charm.  

In 1964 he had met and married his wife Alison (herself Head of English at a girls’ school, and a pianist).  They soon had two sons and a daughter, and later six grandchildren – the literary/musical tradition carries on amongst them in various ways: he was delighted by his family, who all survive him, and his influence on them continues to be powerful.”

Michael Neill Cox in March 2016, aged 64

R OQ64 - OQ67

Cricket Club Colours, Member - Rackets and Tennis

His grandfather was in Bodeites, his father Neill and son Ben in Robinites (R41 and R95 respectively) and father-in-law in Saunderites, Hedley Le Bas (S45).

He qualified as a Chartered Accountant and retired in 2016.

Full obituary pending. 

(John) Peter Maxwell Drummond on 27 February 2016, aged 80

P CQ49 - CQ53

Natural Sciences at Corpus Christi, Cambridge

Peter is survived by his wife Angela, three sons and a grandson.

Christopher George Nicholas Ryder OBE on 25 February 2016, aged 85

D OQ44 – CQ49

Head of House, School Monitor, 2nd XI Member - Football,  Struan Robertson prize

His father and an uncle were both Carthusians, and he was the middle of three brothers, Anthony (G45, deceased 2013) and Denys (D49) who wrote:

“When Christopher joined Daviesites it was under the Housemastership of Walter Carruthers Sellar (BH1932-51), the co-author of ‘1066 and All That’. He reached the Upper Sixth form before going onto Worcester College, Oxford, to read History.  He spent some of his time as a National Serviceman in Korea, and took part, in 1951, as a gunnery officer in the notorious Battle of the Imjin River. 

In 1957 he joined the Swire Group trading firm with interests in the Far East and was detailed to go to Hong Kong where he took up a series of shipping appointments during his 15 years there.  He also spent some 2 years as Manager of Cathay Pacific’s interests (part of the Swire Group operations) in Bangkok. In 1972 Christopher returned to London to represent the China Navigation Company’s interest at the Swire’s Head Office, having finished the first phase of his Asian career as General Manager of the CNCo in Hong Kong.  In 1978 he became Deputy Chairman of the CNCo. 

Whilst living in London, he met Gabriel, a lady with a family of 3 young children, and was married to her in that year.  His stepson, Paul, wrote of him “Having led a bachelor life in the Far East, it must have been quite a change to settle down with an instant family.  But at the age of 45 he embraced the challenges of family life”.

In 1982 he was appointed to the role of President of Swire’s in Japan.  Sir Adrian Swire, his ultimate boss said, “Within Swire, Christopher will be primary remembered for his outstanding performance as President of Swire’s in Japan.  There has seldom been a rounder peg in a rounder hole.”

A colleague commented about Christopher “His earlier four postings in Swire had given him an enviable understanding of Japanese custom and behaviour, but I think that even without this past experience, his natural courtesy, modesty patience and wit would have made him a rapid success in this most idiosyncratic of developed societies”.

In 1986 Chris was awarded an OBE for services to British Commercial Interest in Japan, and as Adrian Swire said, “He was supported in his Japan ‘Taipan’ role strongly and enthusiastically by his wife, Gabriel.”  In the same year Chris returned to London and became the Chairman of the China Navigation Company until his retirement in 1993.

During his time in the UK he lived on Highgate West Hill with his family, where he took part enthusiastically in Highgate society, and where his love of art and an eye for painting was something which he carried with him from his days at Charterhouse.  This included taking up painting watercolours with the Highgate Watercolour Group.  A friend of that era wrote, “He developed a lovely technique of large flat washes, which gave an oriental flavour to his work, with images that seemed to encourage meditation inspired by the Zen gardens in Japan.”  In 1978 he became Chairman of the Highgate Society, using his diplomatic skills to secure a satisfactory outcome over the lease of the Society’s premises.

Over the last 28 years he and Gabriel and the extended family enjoyed peace and quiet in the countryside.  Having returned to the UK, he once told me that the one thing he had always wanted, was a house in the country so as to get away from the hurly burly of London and business life. This he achieved by buying a remote farmhouse in east Devon, that he turned it into a beautiful second home with extensive gardens for himself and his family. 

I will leave the final word to Christopher’s eldest stepson, Paul Schlesinger, who knew him far better than I did in his later years, who said at the memorial service:-

“Finally he was courteous - sometimes to a fault – putting others first.  Like most of us he was a joyful mix of things.  Although Chris was in some ways a self-deprecating, private person, what people will remember most about him I think is how gregarious and outgoing he was.  Someone, whom friends were always happy to bump into.  He was the essence of very good company.  He was a gentleman and a gentle man and all of us, whether we were a work colleague, a friend or member of his family, were lucky to have shared so much with him.”

Brian Rees on 16 February 2016, aged 86
Headmaster OQ73 - CQ81

Brian Rees was a very talented man both academically and musically. From Bede Grammar School in Sunderland he gained a scholarship to Trinity College Cambridge to read history. In choosing a university he had followed the advice of a young classics master at his school, who dissuaded him from going to the Royal College of Music, another viable option for a pianist who had been playing Chopin preludes at morale-boosting concerts in the Second World War and who had regularly served as accompanist to the Sunderland Operatic Society.

These talents continued to flourish when he embarked on a career as a schoolmaster at Eton, where he had been put forward by his college following a request from Robert Birley (Headmaster of Charterhouse 1935-47, Headmaster of Eton 1949-64), who in turn was to play quite an important role in his life subsequently. In the classroom he was an engaging teacher of history whose scholarship and inspiration was greatly valued by his pupils. He played the piano in the company of England cricketers like Len Hutton, and many an impromptu duet. Whilst at Eton he collaborated with the future Private Eye satirist John Wells on a musical adaptation of Aristophanes’s The Birds. He counted this memorable production as one of his greatest achievements at the school. There he also met his wife, Robert Birley’s daughter Julia, with whom he had five children. Two years after they were married he became a housemaster where having to enforce rules after a period of indiscipline provided limited pleasure.

On the advice of Robert Birley – who had by then retired as Headmaster of Eton – he successfully applied to become Headmaster of Merchant Taylors’ School at Moor Park in North London, thus bringing to a close fifteen joyful years at Eton.

At Merchant Taylors’ he had a happy and successful time raising funds for a number of development projects. He found the school rather traditional and the proximity of the parents to the school occasionally oppressive.

He left in 1973 to become Headmaster of Charterhouse. The return to a full boarding environment was a big change; in Rees’s first year the move to the New Houses was completed making Charterhouse well ahead of its time in the quality of its boarding accommodation. He had been told by the Governing Body that discipline needed to be tightened up, but found, in practice, that discipline was in pretty good order and it was mainly a question of enforcing existing rules. He had to replace one housemaster who had lost control and chastise one or two others, which he found distressing. He could take pride in his achievements at Charterhouse as he fulfilled his ambitions in fostering important new projects: John Derry Technical Centre, a new music school (RVW – a national memorial to Vaughan Williams, R 1890) and Ben Travers Theatre, which was built after he left. There were also major academic, cultural and sporting achievements: in his last year a remarkable twenty-one awards were won at Oxford and Cambridge and a further twenty places were obtained. He regarded the quality of the teaching staff in Brooke Hall as exceptional and found the beaks very supportive when his wife, who had been a great support to him, died after a long illness in 1978. In spite of this tragic loss, Brian looked back on his time at Charterhouse with great affection. In his interview last year for The Carthusian with Mark Everett (B 77, GB 2008- ) he recalled the celebrations in 1977 to mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of Memorial Chapel, when the former and current Archbishops of Canterbury (Ramsay and Coggan) came to preach, as did all the extant former Headmasters of the School (Birley, Young and Van Oss). A remarkable and unique achievement in 1979 was the successful staging of an opera written by Charterhouse’s first Composer-in-Residence, Roger Steptoe – King of Macedon – for which Ursula Vaughan Williams wrote the libretto. Young professional singers took the leading roles and pupils and members of Brooke Hall formed the chorus. Geoffrey Ford directed and Bill Llewellyn conducted creating memorable performances.

The prospect of becoming headmaster of a third Clarendon school tempted Brian Rees in 1981 to accept the offer of the headship of Rugby School. A misleading brief from a governing body that was rather distant from the reality of the school and a misguided choice of confidants combined to make this a rather less successful period, which was cut short by personal problems.

Here began a difficult phase in his life, in which Brian Rees showed great resilience and fortitude in the way he grappled with manifold problems. The support of his children and friends and the marriage to his second wife Juliet gradually led to a new stability; he entered a phase of new creativity, writing on musical subjects close to his heart – producing a history of Stowe, very well received biographies of Sir Edward German, Camille Saint-Saëns and, very recently, a book about Reynaldo Hahn. He was already in failing health when he completed this project.

My final personal memory of Brian is a lunch party at the house of an OC. He and Juliet had been driven over by his daughter Jessica (S82). I had not seen Brian for nearly two years and the way in which physical disability had taken its toll in the meantime was noticeable. But his eyes sparkled and his intellectual powers were undiminished. Having caught up quite quickly on what had happened in both our lives during that period we were soon discussing Reynaldo Hahn. He broadened my musical understanding of the composer through the illuminating way in which he explained the influences of Massenet and Offenbach on him. I was also fascinated to learn how poems by Marcel Proust had inspired his piano suite Portraits de Peintres. During lunch Brian entertained us with a number of witty and humorous anecdotes.  My first memory is of my interview, when he came across as rather diffident in personal contact, but very cultured and bright.

He was a remarkable man. 

Ernst Ziillekens (BH 1979-2017)

Geoffrey John Raspin on 13 February 2016, aged 72

g LQ57 - OQ61

House Monitor, Member - Sailing Team

His father Peter and son John were both in Duckites (g32) and (g90).

He went up to Magdalene College, Cambridge and gained a PGCE at Leeds University. He established Grosvenor House School, Birstwith, North Yorkshire, in 1974  and was Headmaster until 2001 when it merged with Belmont Birklands; he continued as a Governor until 2005.

Among tributes published on the School’s website, a former colleague said: “Geoffrey created a happy and caring environment where children could develop into confident young people. He had a great sense of humour and was kind and generous and the pupils had utmost respect for him. He also looked after all of his staff very well. He was a fair, quiet man, who was known by the boys affectionately as "Bumble". Geoffrey took advantage of all situations. He was forward thinking and took an interest in computers from their early stage. He was adaptable and school lessons were notoriously cancelled in bad weather so all the children could go sledging down the field in front of school!” 

A former pupil added:  “As a boy growing up at Grosvenor House School, one always knew the Headmaster was nearby, before you could actually see him, by the aroma of pipe smoke in the corridor. The presence of the Headmaster did not instil any sense of fear, as it may have done in many a Prep School of that era, but instead it instilled a sense of reassurance. Mr Raspin had mastered the skill of commanding respect from his pupils, without being the strict disciplinarian. He was approachable, consistent and fair, which always got the best out of people - both pupils, and (I imagine) staff alike. Praise was given more frequently than it was deserved, to help his pupils gain confidence; and reproaches were rarely more than a meeting of your gaze whilst drawing on his pipe, and you knew at once you had to amend your ways. His sense of fair play and gentlemanly conduct permeated into a School ethos, both in the classroom and on the sports fields. The leadership and selfless commitment he showed to the School served as an example to all, and fostered a sense of loyalty and courage both physical and moral. The foundations he laid in the lives of his pupils can never be underestimated.”

He is survived by his wife Ruth, son John, a daughter and four grandchildren.

John Gilchrist Buchan Ford on 12 February 2016, aged 84

g  OQ45 – CQ49

House Monitor

His wife wrote:  “Following school, John had compulsory National Service as part of the post war effort and was sent to Germany with the Veterinary Corps.  He often said that the precision in which everything was carried out within this corps, set him up for life. 

He began working as a stockbroker.  Whilst successful, John had wanderlust for a better life and moved to Rhodesia where he joined a Finance Company.

At the age of 33 he led an organisation which became the largest finance company in central and southern Africa.  With his gentle style and tough determination his company became the best performing finance company for many years – introducing the concept of hire purchase/leasing and many other finance packages into central and southern Africa.

John left Rhodesia due to the turmoil of independence in 1965 and ended up in Australia where he re-established himself in the finance world and created a new life in Sydney.”

He leaves Christine, his wife of 34 years, children; Jane, Stuart & Martin, along with 2 grandchildren.  Another son, Duncan, pre-deceased him in 2006.

Peter John Carey on 6 February 2016, aged 69

P   LQ60 - CQ65

Head of House, Cross Country Colours, CSM Army Section, Life & Literature Prize

His father Peter was in Lockites (L35) and two younger brothers were in Pageites, Jeremy (P69) and Tim (P76).

Oliver 'Otto' Fisher (was 'Fischer') on 2 February 2016, aged 93

S  LQ38 – CQ41

Extracts from some tributes at his funeral:

By his friend, Father Anthony Grant CR

“By 1937 Otto’s father Robert Fischer saw how things were going in Austria. He wanted the best education for his son, so sent the 15 year old with his charming non-English speaking Viennese stepmother Dina and the English tutor who’d been giving Otto lessons, to get a place at an English school. Otto thought his father was trying to get rid of him and did not want to go.

They met Headmaster Robert Birley and Otto was taken into Saunderites, the Headmaster’s own boarding House, and also into his family with his wife Elinor and their three daughters on the private side of the House.  Otto absolutely loved it there and gradually became a committed anglophile.

Less than 2 months later German Nazi forces marched into Vienna, Otto’s father & stepmother were imprisoned. Otto was in despair, but the headmaster got straight on to the Old Carthusian Consul-General, “You cannot let the parents of a Carthusian smart in Hitler’s prison,” and visas for the United Kingdom were issued.

In 1940 after Dunkirk Robert Fischer took the family to the United States, but Otto was committed to his English education, and refused to go.  Elinor Birley’s uncle General Sir John Davidson 60th Rifles came to stay and heard how he wanted to join the British army, but for an “enemy alien,” it was more than difficult. General Davidson fixed it up, and after a couple of years reading Law at Balliol, in 1943 Otto joined 60th Rifles, subsequently posted to GHQ 21st Army Group, and then to Counter-Intelligence, serving in Belgium, Germany, Holland and Austria, entering Vienna with the Allies.

After the war Otto returned to Balliol, graduating in Jurisprudence in 1948. Elinor Birley’s brother, Philip Frere was a highly successful solicitor. Another boy at Saunderites was Conrad Dehn (S45). Otto became articled to Dehn and Lauderdale, admitted to the roll of solicitors in 1953 as Mr Oliver Otto Fisher. In 1959 he founded his own firm Oliver Fisher Solicitors in London which continues today under his name.

His former partner Russell Conway writes:

“Otto was a passionate lawyer when most other lawyers were dry and interested only in fees. He cared very much for his clients and had a reputation for going the extra mile - sometimes the extra 10 miles!”

Otto was a founding shareholder of Notting Hill Housing Trust in 1965 and remained active and involved.  He retired officially from his law firm in 1993 but continued as a consultant until the age of 80 and afterwards volunteered as a generalist adviser at Richmond Citizens Advice Bureau, only leaving aged 91 when they introduced a new computer system.

Otto married his secretary, Julia, in May 1963 and they had two children, Jessica and Andrew.  The family remained close after the marriage ended and later when Otto bought his country cottage it was near to Julia and her second husband, and also to the Birley family home in Somerset.

A tribute by son, Andrew:

“My father was passionate, full of life, right up to the last. Despite his advanced years, his departure was so sudden that it has been a shock to us all. His wonderful eccentricities - when I was a child sometimes the source of acute embarrassment - became something I later learned to cherish.

He saw himself as the picture of British conventionality. Thankfully, that determined and warm-hearted spirit of his made him anything but. Our last ski trip together was in 2008 in Austria, when he was 85 years old. Despite his years, he remained determined to head up the mountain. Giving in to age would be admitting defeat and Dad didn’t do defeat. He applied that to everything. I admire that spirit, his determination, so often against the odds. He saw achievable possibilities when others gave up and so often he did so on behalf of others. That made my father who he was. What an extraordinary man and what an example to try and follow. Thank you, Dad, you are sorely missed.”

Extracts in honour of Robert Birley later written by Otto:

Thank you for the happy days in the Nursery with your two children full of life, for the carefree happiness and fun and influence this has had ever since, as to the precious pearl of family life, of delight in simple things.

Thank you for being a tower of strength in the years of the war. For being there when Hitler's bombs fell some yards away from the House over which you presided, when you ducked to share with the boys you loved the dangers of those days.

Thank you for being a tower of strength when one felt that, because of you, all would be well, all manner of things would be well; that defeat even in the darkest days of 1940 was unthinkable; that respect for freedom and the dignity of man would triumph, notwithstanding the skies towards London being lit up with an ominous red glow, and later the drones of the doodle-bugs and flying bombs—and even though the railway line below Charterhouse Hill bore the coaches filled with exhausted men rescued from Dunkirk, being brought back to their island fortress home, and when there was nothing there, other than You and Faith.

Thank you, Robert, for being there in the old chapel of the school when I was baptized as a Christian and you acted as my godfather, gave me the Bible inscribed with that beautiful copperplate handwriting of yours, for teaching me as you were reading out aloud in the larger chapel of the school the Scriptures which you loved and could expound in such a resonant, penetrating, yet warm voice that there was nothing that could separate us from the love of God.

Thank you, Robert, for the love you taught me of music, for the excitement of appreciating paintng, sending me off to look and stare at art galleries everywhere.

Thank you, Robert, for teaching me to withstand the Tyrant and for having instilled in me single-mindedness and a sense of what really matters. You lived and acted as you preached, as much later you lit so bright a candle in the new Germany, which still shines today, a resurrected renaissance Germany where your work has become history.

Thank you, Robert, for giving me the love for all that is best in England.   Yes, thank you for allowing me to be touched by those values you communicated with that lively sparkle that lifted one out of introspection into an exciting living world, thrilled to listen, to learn—to forget oneself and try to serve.

Ron Wolsey on 31 January 2016, aged 89

Brooke Hall OQ56 - CQ64

The son of a South Yorkshire coal miner, Wolsey failed the Eleven-plus but was accepted by Wath Grammar School on the recommendation of a teacher. In 1942 he left school at 16 to work in a factory as a junior aircraft inspector, but found this boring so returned to school. In 1947 he gained a first in physics from Birmingham University and then, instead of staying on to do a further degree and research, he trained to teach physics at secondary school level because he wanted to give others the chances he had had through education. His teaching career began in Yorkshire, where one of his pupils was Arthur Scargill. He moved to a teaching job in Chelsea, where one of his responsibilities was ensuring that teachers wore their hats to school. Here he witnessed corporal punishment and vowed never to use it. 

Whilst teaching at the Methodist boarding-school Culford in Suffolk, RW trained to become a local preacher. 

In OQ 1956 Ron Wolsey joined BH; he taught physics and threw himself into School life, running Radio Society and helping with Science Society outings, cross-country and scouts.

He and his first wife performed in the 1958 Brooke Hall play – 1066 And All That, based on the book by WC Sellar (BH 1932-51, Housemaster of Daviesites 1939-51) & RJ Yeatman: Mrs Wolsey was Anne Boleyn, while Ron played a barber and King George I. Three Wolsey children were born during Ron’s time at Charterhouse, and the family lived at 137 Peperharow Road.

In 1964 Wolsey decided that he must return to the state sector: why shouldn’t all pupils have similar opportunities as the privileged youngsters at private schools? He and his young family moved to Callington in Cornwall, where he became Head of the Grammar School. He made important and controversial changes, preparing the school to become comprehensive in an amalgamation of several schools; though he was invited to lead this new school (now a community college), he responded to a call to Norfolk in 1971, where he was appointed Principal at Wymondham College – the largest state-run boarding-school in Europe.

Ron Wolsey stayed for 21 years, during which time he modified life at the College whilst achieving a fine balance between tradition and the progress which should grow out of it. He amalgamated the two schools on the site – boarding and county grammar – into one College of 1,400 pupils, made all boarding houses fully co-educational, drove a major new rebuilding programme, and supervised the change to a non-selective intake. By 1984 the College offered 125 extra-curricular activities and 25 sports.

His greatest challenge came in 1984 when the College was faced with closure; his survival plan – including heavy fund-raising – saw Wymondham College achieving Grant Maintained Status in 1991, which allowed it the autonomy vital to its continuing success.

Jonathan Taylor, current Principal, has said: ‘I have been humbled by his achievements. The College was under threat of closure and Ron Wolsey managed to rally the support of not only the parents but staff and local businesses. He could have had a successful career in any walk of life but Ron chose a teaching career, because he wanted to give back to others.  He will be sadly missed.’

Ron and his second wife Stephanie enjoyed 23 years of retirement in Sheringham.

Christopher James Peattie on 25 January 2016, aged 19

G OQ09 - CQ14

House Monitor, Member - Law Tennis Team

Christopher was an undergraduate studying engineering at Edinburgh University. 

His relations in Gownboys include: his uncle Charles (G75), aunt Emily (G78), father James (G80), brothers Alexander (G12) and George (G16).

Owen John Tressider Rowe on 25 January 2016, aged 93

Brooke Hall CQ50 - OQ60

Head of Classics

Owen Rowe was born in 1922 in South Africa, the eldest of three brothers. His father was a dental surgeon who returned to practise in Lymington in 1925 with his family. Owen went to King Edward VI School in Southampton (now King Edward’s) in 1933 and was appointed Head of School in 1940; he was also Captain of Football and a member of the cricket X1. He won a state scholarship and an open scholarship to Exeter College in Oxford where he was awarded a First in classics in 1942.

In 1942, he was commissioned into the Hampshire Regiment and joined the 7th Battalion as a platoon commander in A-company, taking part in the Normandy Landings. He was wounded – and, on recovery, rejoined his regiment as a pioneer officer in 1944. He saw further action in the Netherlands and Germany before resuming his studies in Oxford, where he was awarded a First in Literae Humaniores (Greats) in 1946.

His teaching career started in 1948 when he became a classics master at Lancaster Royal Grammar School. He moved there with his new wife, Marcelle; their first child, Elizabeth, was born in Lancaster.

In 1950 he was appointed Head of Classics at Charterhouse and remained there until 1960. During his time at Charterhouse his second child, Anthony (H 68), was born. Owen was Commander of the CCF for six years, took an active role in coaching hockey, cricket and football and he enjoyed playing fives. He was also House Tutor of Lockites. He took an active role in the visit of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to the School in 1957.

In 1960 he was appointed Headmaster of Giggleswick School in the Yorkshire Dales.  Giggleswick was facing many difficulties, and in a short time Owen Rowe restored the school’s reputation with an increase in the size of the sixth-form, a marked improvement in academic results and a rise in the number of boys who proceeded to university and other places of higher education. During his time at Giggleswick he fostered many outdoor activities such as caving, and developed the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award; also new squash courts were built.

Owen instigated two major appeals at Giggleswick resulting in major building works including the building of Morrison House, opened by the Duke of Devonshire, improvements to Giggleswick’s prep school (Catteral Hall) and the construction of new kitchens. Owen Rowe was appointed Secretary of the NE division of HMC. He was very supportive of all the boys at Giggleswick, and Richard Whiteley (of Countdown fame) credited his headmaster with being responsible for obtaining a place for him at Cambridge.

In 1972 Owen Rowe was appointed Headmaster of Epsom College at a time of major change in the academic and material life of the College. He worked tirelessly at Epsom to improve facilities – including the building of a new house, science block, the music school, swimming-pool, an all-weather hockey pitch and a new mathematics, geography and computer complex. He was instrumental in the admission of girls in 1976 to Epsom College.

He retired in 1982 from Epsom but continued to teach classics at St John’s Leatherhead until 1987. He was governor of a number of local schools, including Rosebery, St John’s, and Downside as well as Welbeck College in Worksop.

After the death of his wife, Marcelle, in 1986, Owen continued to be involved in a variety of educational roles, including teaching English in a local prison, and assisting with reading in local primary schools. He was a member of the Rotary Club for over 50 years, serving in both Settle and Epsom and he was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship. In the last ten years of his life he worked at the Queen Elizabeth Foundation Charity, retiring from this only two years before his death.

He was awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur by the French Government for his involvement in the liberation of France in the Second World War. Unfortunately the award arrived two weeks after his death, but his family was very proud to receive it on his behalf.

He died after a short illness in January 2016. He is survived by his son and daughter, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Owen Rowe was a kind, hard-working and generous man who will be sadly missed by all those who came into contact with him.

David Frank Gibbs on 20 January 2016, aged 68

Brooke Hall OQ83 - CQ89

Head of Economics and Politics

David’s premature death, when he was only 68, is particularly sad as he and Philippa had only in the last few years moved to Wolvercote just outside Oxford where they were due to embark on a new phase of their lives together in a home that had belonged to Philippa’s late mother, but which was being substantially altered. He never lived to enjoy it.

When I wrote DFG’s valete on leaving Charterhouse in 1989, I suggested that a word that summed up his approach to schoolmastering was ‘energy’, and this was certainly the case in his subsequent career, initially as a housemaster at Haileybury and then as a very successful Headmaster of Chigwell School (1996-2007). In 2007, rather than simply gliding into retirement, David typically took up another post, this time as the Education Officer of the Skinners’ Company, a position in which he made a major contribution to the establishment of new Academies. He was latterly involved in the scheme to enable promising young people from Eastern Europe to come and benefit from a sixth-form education.

Besides his lifelong passion for sport, particularly cricket, he was an inveterate reader. He was the only person I knew who made notes on every book that he read. He wrote an excellent account of the involvement of the Skinners’ Company in education and also a history of the Woodard Corporation. In the last few years, he was writing a biography of Martin Aliker, a Ugandan statesman who might well have become President of his country.

David had that rare quality of being (genuinely) more interested in enquiring about the person to whom he was speaking than talking about himself. He achieved an enormous amount in his life. The sadness caused by the passing of their daughter Mary after a tragically short life was counterbalanced by the joy of having subsequently adopted two delightful sons, Tom and Matthew. His brief battle with cancer was particularly grim, but he was cheerful to the end, sustained as he was by a strong faith. When Rosie and I saw him a week before he died, he was typically positive in telling us how fortunate he’d been during his life and career. Everything he tackled he did with passion and enthusiasm. He was inordinately proud of his two sons, but grateful above all for the love and support of Philippa.                                                                                

RAI

John Robey Cobbett on 19 January 2016, aged 85

D OQ43 - CQ48

School Monitor

His eldest son, Peter (D71), was in Daviesites, as were three Carthusian brothers, George (V40), Claude (D42) and James (D65) and nephews Patrick (D96), James (D96) and Andrew (D99).

His son Peter wrote: 

“My father read medicine Corpus Christi College, Cambridge; his original intention was to become a general practitioner.  However, during a short appointment as house surgeon at the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, his career was "hijacked" as he was exposed to the speciality of plastic and reconstructive surgery.  Subsequently, John became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and was appointed senior registrar and then Consultant in plastic surgery at Queen Victoria Hospital.

During his time as a senior registrar in the mid 1960’s, John started research into microvascular surgical techniques.  Prior to the clinical application of his research, he was awarded the Moynihan Travelling Scholarship for travel to Japan, USA, and Canada to confer with colleagues also researching the possibilities of applying microvascular surgical techniques particularly to repair of traumatic injuries.  Together John and those international colleagues developed techniques for surgeries which now appear almost commonplace including re-attachment of severed fingers and thumbs, toe-thumb transplants, and whole hand transplants. He retired in 1995. In recognition of his contributions, the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand elected John a "Pioneer of Hand Surgery" in 2010.  His wife, Pamela (daughter of Alfred Bower (R13, the distinguished English International and Arthur Dunn footballer) predeceased him and he is survived by their three children Peter (D 71), Susan, and David and their families.”

Euan Alexander Aiken Watson on 18 January 2016, aged 83

H OQ45 - OQ49

House Monitor, 3rd XI Member - Football, Athletics Colours

His daughter Susan Denning wrote:

“Euan was born on 5 February 1932 to Aiken and Greta, expat Scots who had settled in Barnes. Greta had travelled up to her old family home in Grantown on Spey in the Highlands for the birth and, despite only living in Scotland for a short time on the outbreak of war, Euan remained a patriotic Scot all his life.

As with so many of his generation, the war affected Euan"s early education but by the time he was 13 it was over and he entered Charterhouse.  He had already developed a lifelong passion for Shakespeare and undoubtedly further study at Charterhouse contributed to the many fond memories he had of the school.  He used his height to great advantage as a promising hurdler and returned to the school many times in later years for old boys" days. He was proud of his school and would often mention that such and such a public figure had been a contemporary of his.

On leaving Charterhouse Euan did his compulsory two years national service in the Royal Artillery, mostly in Northern Ireland and thankfully not in Korea. Then, instead of attending university, Euan joined the Amalgamated Dental Company on a three year management training programme. At the same time he joined Roehampton Club and there met Margaret Hall whom he married in 1956.  The final part of the training programme involved a six month spell in the US and, a year after their marriage, Euan and Margaret sailed for New York.  This was a happy time for both on them and reminiscences were frequent. Returning to England Euan"s two daughters, Susan and Jennifer, were born.

Euan remained with the same company throughout his career, often travelling extensively, until at the age of 60 he decided to retire.  This left him time to pursue his many hobbies including tennis, Shakespeare, theatre and opera and voluntary work at the National Archives, and to indulge his two grandchildren to whom he was a defining figure.

Euan certainly lived life with great gusto and when he died friends variously described him as exuberant, vibrant, and full of life and energy. He was meticulous about everything he did and, while infinitely tolerant of the faults of those around him, prone to scathing utterances about others, particularly other drivers.  His words about lane discipline still ring in his daughters" ears!

Euan"s decision to retire early was undoubtedly influenced by a diagnosis of lung cancer in 1988.  Despite never having smoked, Euan lost half a lung and was told that statistically he should have died.  He would have hated a long final illness and, although his death from a cerebral haemorrhage was unexpected and a huge shock to his family, they remain grateful that he lived the life he wanted right up to the end.

Sadly, Euan died just weeks before his 60 wedding anniversary and a few months before his granddaughter was married wearing a dress refashioned from Margaret"s.”

Brian George Stanley Harper on 16 January 2016, aged 85

D OQ43 - CQ47

Two sons followed him into Daviesites: Anthony (D75) and Jo (D78, deceased 2003).

He became an Insurance Broker and Loss Adjustor. 

Dr Philip Andrew Distin on 12 January 2016, aged 74

R OQ55 – CQ60

House Monitor, L/Cpl, CCF, 1^st Orchestra, twice winner of Ehrman Prize

His lifetime friend for 68 years and former colleague Bill Vorley (R61) wrote:

“Phil was an excellent musician playing both the piano and organ, regularly playing in concerts and at services in Chapel.  After Charterhouse he went to Imperial College, London where he studied Metallurgy gaining his BSc in 1963 and his PhD in 1967. Whilst studying Metallurgy in London, he also studied music, receiving an ARCM in 1965 from the Royal College of Music. In 1967 he moved to Canada to take a Post-Doctoral Fellow position at the Atlantic Regional Laboratory of the National Research Council of Canada in Halifax where he continued his steelmaking research.  In 1969 he joined INCO in Mississauga, Ontario; this was a turning point in his research career as he turned his interest from steelmaking to the hydrometallurgy of non-ferrous metals.  In 1972, Phil accepted an offer from McGill University to join the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering as an Assistant Professor.  Eventually he became an Associate Professor in the same department (now the Department of Mining and Materials Engineering) until 2002. At a McGill Faculty Council Meeting, a tribute was given by one of his former students Professor George Demopoulos: "Professor Distin served our department for 30 years by offering courses and conducting research in the area of hydrometallurgy and corrosion of metals. First and foremost, he was a teacher, committed to his students' learning through class room and laboratory instruction or one-to-one research supervision. I was one of those who personally benefited having him as my Master's and PhD thesis supervisor. As confirmation of his model commitment to teaching, he received the Faculty of Engineering Outstanding Teaching Award in 1991. He authored & co-authored some 70 journal and conference publications. In addition and to his credit, he had several patents and technical reports prepared for industrial sponsors. His significant contributions to Metallurgical Engineering research included a wide variety of technical subjects but, of particular note, is his development of patented technology for recovery of platinum and palladium metals from spent converter catalysts that led to industrial application.

He really enjoyed his relationships with students and colleagues, always being available to answer their queries and share in his own unselfish manner his deep technical knowledge. He will be always fondly remembered for his gentle character, quiet dignity, quick wit, and sincere generosity by which he conducted himself as teacher, researcher, and colleague. He will be greatly missed.

Apart from his work and his interest in music, Phil remained fascinated by the history of British steam trains throughout his life. He enjoyed travelling near and far and when younger, was an enthusiastic skier, cyclist and hiker.  Keeping in touch with friends in Britain remained important to him. Gentle and modest, he enjoyed life's humorous moments in his own quiet way. e is survived by his beloved spouse, Susanna.”

Brian Paul Arthur Graves on 8 January 2016, aged 93

V  CQ36 -  CQ41

School Monitor, 1st XI Hockey, 3rd XI Cricket and Football

His daughter, Sue Sharman, shared the summary of his life that Brian himself prepared:

“Upon leaving School, I was immediately called up and posted to the Royal Artillery, being commissioned into the Regiment a year later. I took part in the D-Day landings in France in 1944 and was involved in that campaign until VE Day, positioned close to the Baltic Sea near Lubeck. A posting to the Far East followed, to spend a year serving in the Indian Army. 

After demobilisation in 1946 I joined my father’s firm, Graves Son & Pilcher, and studied for the professional examinations of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors , passing the final exam in 1947. I became a partner of the firm in 1951 and senior partner in 1972, retiring in 1991 although remaining as a consultant to the firm until death.

In 1979 I was appointed a director of the Alliance Building Society and continued until 1992, by which time it had merged to become Alliance & Leicester.

In 1968 I became Chairman of the Sussex Branch of the RICS in its centenary year, and for a number of years served as representative of the county on the Council of that body. In spare time I was a member of Brighton Round Table no 10 and its Chairman in 1960.  For over 30 years I belonged to the Rotary Club of Brighton and was a longstanding committee member of the Society for Housing the Elderly of Brighton and Hove & also Brighton Boys' Club.

At certain periods during my life I played hockey for Brighton & Hove Hockey Club and was a member of East Brighton Golf Club and the Grasshoppers' Lawn Tennis Club”.

Christopher Michael Botting on 2 January 2016, aged 63

G OQ66 - OQ70

Foundation Scholar, House Monitor, Captain of Golf, 3^rd XI Football, Athletics Team

During the 1970s and 80s he was an active member of the OC Golfing Society.

His daughter Charlotte Scroggie wrote:

“Dad read Mathematics at Sussex University and then qualified as a Solicitor.  He worked in UK, Australia and Jakarta where he and was living at the time of his fatal heart attack.   He frequently returned to UK and Australia to visit family and friends, many of whom were from his Charterhouse days.  He continued to play and love golf throughout his life.”

A friend said at his funeral:

“Chris was a man with a unique spirit who brightened the lives of all that knew him. He loved Indonesia and most aspects of this world in which we live. He was a pillar of our golfing societies for over 30 years with his infectious enthusiasm and love of life.  His incredibly sharp legal mind, when combined with his natural wit, helped to keep life in perspective and people in their place.  He helped to establish the ideals of the ‘Jagorawi Jesters’ and fully embraced those ideals. He knew the rules of golf and life and lived by them, not a perfect man, but the heart and soul of the Jesters group.  Chris will be remembered in many different ways by each individual.” 

He leaves behind his wife Lanny in Jakarta and his three children and two grandchildren in Australia.

Norman Albert   Bonham-Carter   on  7 December 2015, aged 87

G OQ43 - CQ46

Monitor, Athletics Colours (holder of School high jump record for over 20 years)

Two brothers Gerard (G48, deceased 2015) and Maurice (G65) were also in Gownboys, also a son David (G81), who wrote:

“Norman started a career in banking, before becoming articled to solicitors Thorold Brodie Bonham-Carter & Mason in 1950 and a Partner in 1959. They merged with Radcliffes & Co in 1973 and he retired from the firm in 1990, acting as consultant for a further three years.  He was an Associate of the  Institute of Bankers, a Council Member of the Law Society 1981-90 and President of  Westminster Law Society.  Owner of a vigneron near Bordeaux. Founder and President of the Solicitors' Wine Society, Officer of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne and Commander Conference des Chevaliers, 2001.  Chairman & Vice President of the Anglo-Belgian Society and past Chairman, Old Gownboy Association.

He is survived by sons David and Henry, daughter Miranda, sister Jill and brother Maurice.”