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David was an islander. The second son of The Rev George and Mrs Mostyn Prichard who was Rector of Whippingham and Chaplain to Osborne House so it was not surprising that HRH The Princess Beatrice agreed to be his Godmother and Lord Penhryn , his mother’s cousin, Godfather.

In 1940 David was sent away with his brother from the Vicarage at Kew aged 5 to board at Swanbourne House in Buckinghamshire.  The form mistress wrote to his parents “Preston is such a nice boy but I think we shall have a lot of trouble with young David“.

David anxious to be involved with Radley’s Centenary celebrations in 1947 claimed to have achieved nothing except his first terms Warden report which read “He may be the youngest in the College, but there is no need to him to be the worst behaved.”  However, he rowed for the 1^st V111 which rowed in the final of the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley.

With parents short of funds, he was withdrawn to take Oxford Responsions in Latin and French. When achieved he started teaching aged 17 at his old Prep School.

At Pembroke Oxford he was 2-3 years younger than most as faulty hearing denied him National Service. He was Captain of College Boats, a member of The Teasel Club and stroke of the university ISIS V111.

He first taught at Monkton Combe being a resident tutor in the holidays at stately homes coaching 13yr old boys to pass Common Entrance.

After eight years he was asked to direct the school 100K appeal. It had raised 70K over seven years and David raised 35K in four months. He became Secretary of the OM Society, Commanded the CCF as a Lt Cdr, initiated the UKs first Volunteer Police Cadets which resulted in much media attention. On leaving his HM wrote “your contribution has been outstanding. Your pastoral care has been an influence for goodness and novelty”.

At 34 he was appointed HM of Port Regis then Bryanston’s Junior School. It budgeted for 124 boarders but had only 90 of whom 30 were due to leave in July. Over 24 years Port Regis was considered one of the top five in the country. In 1972 the school was renting 48 acres and the eighty room mansion but he purchased 150 acres for £50,000 which the Daily Telegraph printed as ‘The Buy of the Century’.

On his retirement there were 320 boys and girls. The Princess Royal educated both her children, other international royals the same, He entertained The Queen and Prince Philip for four hours when she opened The National Centre for Junior Gymnastics.  David was also Chairman of IAPS and received his MBE from the Queen for services to education and charitable services.

At 59 he became Headmaster of Wycliffe College and increased their numbers from 400 -800 in four years. The inspector wrote” Wycliffe has been transformed. The speed of this life saving transformation must be credited to the remarkable inspiration of the Headmaster.”

David took two sabbaticals. His experiences included being shot at in Israel, stabbed in Morocco, Tutoring the son of the British Consul in Paris driving his jaguar with CD plates, worked with a VSO in Laos, thumbed a lift in a US transporter, trekking in Nepal, and represented Bath UK in the ten Baths in USA, rode Embassy stallions in Ethiopia.

He enjoyed dinner and an overnight stay In Holyrood Palace and invited twice to Thatcher’s number 10. He gave the Bicentenary lecture “Creativity in Education” at the opening of Darling Harbour in Australia and another at African HMC conference in Cape Town.

His lifetime achievements included being a Governor of nine Prep Schools, Chairman of the Smallpiece Trust for Industrial Design and a Trustee for 25 yrs leaving with £12 million in the bank.

He became a Freeman of the City of London, a Trustee with John Makepeace at Parnham, a member of the Board of Visitors at Guys Marsh Borstal, A Commissioner for the Inland Revenue, Shaftesbury Rotarian, The Master of Two Masonic Lodges and organised for ten years National Conferences for Governors, Bursars and Heads. He certainly merited his inclusion in “Whos, Who”and Debretts  ‘’Distinguished People of Today”

He was a Churchwarden at Castleton Church, Chairman of Sherborne Prep and Vice Chair of Sherborne CPRE.

He was unskilled in DIY, his interest lay in design and marketing.

David spent half his life knowing Elizabeth whom he first met at a Heads Conference dinner. He proposed at his third Buckingham Palace Garden Party. His life with Elizabeth was blissful for they never argued and laughter was heard daily.

David was devoted to one he described as beautiful in face and character, a talented chef and one dedicated to kindness. It all could have started badly if his African diamonds were lost during a midnight emergency landing at Nairobi.

Paul Voke passed away peacefully at home, aged 89, on 19th February after a long battle with cancer. His wife, Ruth, son Stephen and daughter Liz nursed him and were with him at his death. He will be deeply missed by his family and many friends. He also had 7 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

Paul was born on 14th May, 1935, to Ronald and Georgina Voke in Littlehampton,  West Sussex. He attended Monkton school during the years 1949-1951 with his brother Lesley after which he trained as a farmer at Plumpton Agricultural College.

He worked in the family agricultural merchants/farming business for a year before doing 2 years of National Service in the REME.

Paul and Ruth married in 1958 at Weymouth and then took on the dairy farm at Lyminster, West Sussex for over 40 years. After retiring he became involved in various charities and churches helping in practical ways and leadership.

He was a keen sportsman playing hockey for the school and the REME, and a passionate lifelong supporter of Brighton Football Club.

A Celebration and Thanksgiving Service for Paul's life was held at Upper Beeding Baptist Church on 15th March conducted by his cousin, Dr Christopher Voke.

John joined MCS a term after I did in Lent 1960.  We were together in Hill House for our time at MCS, sharing accommodation and studies throughout our time there, along with Hugh Cartwright.

John was from a farming background, inheriting a large farm from his Grandfather while at school. He loved music (records and radio !) and photography while at MCS.

After leaving school he helped on his parents and his farms in Essex and Norfolk, before going to Writtle Agricultural College. This is where we met again as I was attending Writtle at the same time.

In the early seventies, he and his parents decided that they would  "Check out " Äustralia from a farming perspective. This led to them buying a 4000 acre property near Cowra in Western NSW. 

I moved to Australia in 1973, and caught up with John again, briefly working on his farm while I sorted out what I was going to do.

John became very involved in all the local activities, both farming and also the Local rural fire brigade. However over the years his greatest interest was the Cowra Baptist Church. He became very involved in it , with an annual sermon delivered!  He was also instrumental in turning an industrial shed into a thriving church, when the existing Church proved to be too small.

In his forties he met his wife Janice at a Bible study while she was teaching nearby. They married and had three children. He was a great family man, and the funeral service eulogies emphasised that he valued his family life over everything else.

John retired about 10 years ago, and they moved into a small property just outside Cowra.

Unfortunately he got diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a few years ago. We caught up with him a few days before he died, and while he was his usual cheery self, he was starting to show signs of the illness.

A few days after our visit, his wife called to say he had fallen and hit his head. This caused internal bleeding, from which he never regained consciousness.

He was a good life long friend who will be greatly missed.

Hannah (née Cheater) OM 2008 and Sam Foster welcomed their first baby, a boy - Angus Louis Oliver Foster, at 4.25am on 15th January 2024 at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. All very healthy and well!

We have recently learned that Caroline, a renowned letter carver in both stone and wood, sadly passed away in 2020. Brought up first in St Albans, then in Wiltshire after the family moved in 1969 to Edington.

She attended Monkton for sixth form where she became Captain of the Orchestra and Editor of the Monktonian magazine before studying typography at Reading.  She subsequently concentrated on executing her own work, combining close family life with building up a formidable client list: Chatham House, Gloucester Cathedral, St George’s Brandon Hill, Bristol, St Lawrence Jewry, Christ Church Spitalfields, Faber & Faber, Lincoln College, Oxford, the Royal Mint and, most notably, Westminster Cathedral, where she designed and carved the threshold of the West Door, commemorating the papal visit in 2010. For many years, she also collaborated with the poet Ian Hamilton-Finlay, contributing numerous works to his countless exhibitions and to his world-famous garden, Stonypath, outside Edinburgh.

Caroline joined the Art Workers’ Guild in 1989 where she met a fellow member of the guild Luke Hughes who’s tribute to her follows.

“In June 1989, we waved balloons together. That festive occasion was the unveiling by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands of the Seven Dials Monument in Covent Garden (on the somewhat spurious grounds that it was the tercentenary of the coronation of her predecessors, William and Mary). The six faces of the sundials (the seventh dial is the circus itself, time being indicated by the shadow cast by the monumental pillar on the cobbles) were designed, carved and gilded by Caroline Webb, and the astronomer, Gordon Taylor, verified the maths: each of the faces is accurate to within ten seconds. My workshop was close by on Drury Lane and I’d been involved with the local community association’s fund-raising. We clicked immediately and went on to collaborate on many projects over the next thirty years. It helped that her sister, Alice, was my neighbour in Wiltshire and recently married to a close friend.

Caroline’s family credentials in the world of the Arts and Crafts were impeccable. Her great-great uncle was Sir Aston Webb (1849-1930), president of both the RA and RIBA, the architect of part of Imperial College, Birmingham University, Christ’s Hospital, the Cromwell Road frontage of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the ensemble of the east front of Buckingham Palace, the Queen Victoria Memorial and Admiralty Arch. His nephew (and Caroline’s grandfather), Christopher, was famous for his stained glass; her father, John is a renowned silversmith and her uncle, Martin, and his son, Oliver, have become stonemasons of distinction.

More recently, I secured the commission for her to carve an inscription on a slate panel for the library at Keystone Academy International School in Beijing, which kindled much interest in China. Some brethren indeed may recall the visit of a few of its Chinese students to a lecture at the AWG in 2017. Her chosen inscription, ‘By Leaves We Live’, came from the Scottish philosopher, Patrick Geddes, and is a three-way pun (books, trees, departures), which was translated and matched in Chinese characters. The pair of these beautiful lettered panels now grace each side of the library entrance, much valued by students, parents, teachers and visitors alike.

Her home and studio were in All Cannings, near Devizes - an awkward commute to London - which meant visits to the AWG’s lectures were tricky, especially whilst her daughters were growing up. Nevertheless, Caroline took great pride in her membership of the Guild (as she did of the Letter Exchange), loved receiving the newsletters and in partaking in Lara Platman’s selection of sitters for the AWG portraits assembled for the 125th anniversary publication.

Her husband Martin Humbey (a viola player for Academy of St Martin in the Fields) and daughters, Isobel and Erica survive her.

14^th February 1928 – 19^th September 2022 (aged 94 years). 

Elizabeth attended Clarendon in Malvern for VIth form (Slessor House), from 1944-46.  Miss E.G.R.Swain was Headmistress and Miss Evelyn Pike taught her beloved English where Elizabeth’s love of poetry, acquired at the Girl’s High School in Wolverhampton, continued to flourish.  She remembered cracking the ice in the washrooms on cold wintry mornings! .. Miss Kate Kobrak also taught her and amongst her friends were Aida, Ruth and Siebel Desta, the Ethiopian grand-daughters of Emperor Haile Selassie, with whom she stayed in touch after leaving school.  She was involved in the prayer and campaigning for their release from prison in the 1970-80s, attending many vigils outside the Ethiopian Embassy in London, during the time of their imprisonment.

After secretarial jobs at schools in Birmingham, Eastbourne, and London, Elizabeth trained as a State Registered Nurse at Birmingham General Hospital.  At her home church, St.Jude’s, Wolverhampton she met Richard and they married soon after in 1957.  They had Rachel, Mark, and Sarah; Rachel and Sarah both attended Clarendon during the 70’s and 80s.  Elizabeth cherished her nursing days but in the late 70s she trained as a teacher and taught English, History and Scripture, as well as setting up Christian Union groups, in senior schools in the West Midlands, for over ten years.

Together, Elizabeth and Richard had a heart for evangelism.  They were involved with Public & Preparatory School Camps in Nefyn, North Wales in the 1960’s. Also the Gideons International (now Good News for Everyone) for over 60 years, and Elizabeth would speak and give out New Testaments to the trainee Nurses at Wolverhampton University, and share her Christian faith, into her late 80s. They visited Romania with Spurgeons Children’s Homes and with their ministry of hospitality ran an ‘open home’ for missionaries and others.

Following a fall at home in Telford and hip fracture surgery, Elizabeth moved for a few months in 2022 to a very well-appointed residential home, Burcot Lodge, near Bromsgrove, and close to Mark in South Birmingham.  Her love for Jesus was central to everything;  she longed for others to know how wonderful her God is and to be part of that story.  Proverbs 3:5&6, together with her Clarendon ‘leaving hymn’, sums up her faith and her desire to share it with everyone she met at any given opportunity!  Elizabeth was a beloved wife, dear mother and adored grandmother to Beth, Jonny and Kris-Rajah.  She was a faithful friend to many, and is very greatly missed.

O, walk with Jesus, wouldst thou know

How deep, how wide His love can flow;

They only fail His love to prove

Who in the ways of sinners rove.

Walk thou with Him, that way is light,

All other pathways end in night

Walk thou with Him, that way is rest,

All other pathways are unblest.

Oh walk with Jesus, to thy view

He will make all things sweet and new,

Will bring new fragrance from each flower,

And hallow every passing hour.

Jesus, a great desire have we

To walk life’s troubled path with Thee:

Come to us now, in converse stay:

And, oh, walk with us day by day.

Edwin Paxton Hood, 1820-85.

David started life at Monkton Combe Junior School at the age of 11. He was very happy there and went on to the Senior School after Common Entrance.

His passion was always music, across all genres.  He learned the trumpet and became “Leading Bandsman Morgan” in the school band, later he developed a love of Jazz (Miles Davis in particular).  He was influenced by the encouragement of David Date who told David and his friends “If you want to play this you are going to play it well” while they were attempting “Bad Penny Blues”, if my memory serves me right. His friendship with David Date lasted all their lives. 

David always coveted the handwriting prize but to his chagrin it usually went to Vic McWilliams.  He played Rugby for the school, was Captain of Archery, and I was told many times he was mentioned in Wisden as scoring 98 not out!

Another lasting passion was photography and when technology gave him the necessary tools he sent his early school photos to his ex-Monktonian friends. His interest in music, photography and art lasted throughout his lifetime, but he steered clear of sport as an adult (apart from watching it), although he did enjoy field sports. 

After moving to Cornwall he discovered that his Art master, John Davie, had lived a few miles away but he had sadly died before David knew this. David admired John and his work, and was influenced by his work, he was encouraged by him into all aspects of Art including an illicit visit to a Bath cinema to see “A Bout de Souffle” - New Wave films excited us all in the 60s. 

He left Monkton Combe and went to Bristol College of Commerce, there he recognised Hedley Smith with whom he had many arguments over the years as their opinions differed widely, but they remained great friends and looked out for each other. 

He joined the family firm, Avon Tin Printers, which his father and grandfather had started in the 1930s. He worked his way up in the company finding it hard to be the son of the Managing Director. However, he persevered and became Marketing Manager where he was able to influence the company’s decisions on design.  He won awards while working with Ian Logan and Celia Birtwell as well as the National Trust. He loved the buzz of new ideas and took product shots to advertise Avon Tin Printers.

He enjoyed travelling to Europe and the US, much of his work also involved liaising with the Bristol Chamber of Commerce. One day, whilst visiting Showerings in Shepton Mallet on company business and wearing his old school tie, he was greeted with “And which house were you in?”.  It turned out to be David Carruthers, a few years his senior, and so began another warm and lasting friendship. 

He went on to became Managing Director of the company, but unfortunately the advent of plastics spelt doom for tin printers and Avon Tin Printers was taken over in 1989. After this he worked for the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA), was involved with the Institute of Directors and was even given the Freedom of the City of London through the Metal Worker’s Guild.

Throughout this time he was still involved with Monkton Combe School, as chair of the Old Monktonians he initiated various music events - master classes - one especially with Anna Markland of which he was very proud. He also started “Jazz on a Summer’s Day” where a Jazz band or dance troupe would entertain picnickers on the lawns. These events were well attended and brought finance to the school as well as being huge fun. 

David was involved with village life in Frenchay, Bristol (where we lived until the mid 2000s) and he was chair of the Frenchay Preservation Committee.  He carried on this work in Breage, Cornwall trying to encourage appropriate development in keeping with the surroundings. 

He was diagnosed with Diabetes 2 a few years ago and was encouraged to lose weight which he did, losing several stone. Although he still attended the health checks, he no longer had symptoms. Unfortunately, he continued to lose weight and in May this year, after various scans they discovered he had lung cancer. He was operated on quickly and made an excellent initial recovery. After 6 weeks he was allowed to drive again and he went out and about as usual. Sadly, it seems he caught a lung infection which gradually brought him down. He spent 8 days in hospital but deteriorated very quickly. He didn’t die of cancer.

He was extremely fond of Monkton Combe School and the friends he made there, whilst his energies waned, he continued to chat with those lifelong friends online. Many “inboxes” are now depleted. He is sorely missed. 

He died on the 19th October 2023 and the funeral was held on 21st November.

Peter Bainbridge very sadly died on 15^th October 2023, at the age of 76. He had a bad fall, from which he died suddenly and unexpectedly.

His funeral service was held in Exeter on 10^th November, conducted by his two brothers, David and  Richard, both retired clergy and both OMs

He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 53 years, Katherine, his three sons Sam, Luke and Ben, his nine grandchildren, and his sister Gillian, as well as his two brothers

Peter was born in London, the third of 4 children, when our Father was Vicar of St Matthew’s Church, Bayswater.  The family then moved to Muswell Hill, where our Father was Vicar of St James’s Church.

Peter was a border at Monkton Combe School from 1960-64.  It was in Muswell Hill that he met Katherine, whose family  were members of St James’s Church.  After leaving school he went as a volunteer to Bechuanaland (now Botswana) to help with famine relief, and then found himself at the age of 18 helping to organise their first ever local government elections.

Katherine and Peter both studied at St. John’s College, Durham, then married in 1970.

Peter had various jobs in education – he was Director of Education in Tyne and Wear, and then worked as an Inspector for the Higher Education Funding Council in the South West.

After retirement he and Katherine lived in the small village of Stockleigh Pomeroy, in Devon, where he continued to be active in the local church and in service to the community – in U3A, as a volunteer Coastguard, and with Refugee Support Devon.   He enjoyed sailing, golf and ‘fixing stuff’.  He had a great sense of humour, and was meticulous in his filing.  For example he joked that, knowing John 14:2 says “In my Father’s house are many rooms” he said he would ask when he got there if there was a spare room for him to use as a study!

He will be greatly missed by so many friends, as well as family.

(Written by Gillian, David, and Richard, Peter’s sister and brothers)

Michael and Charlotte married in Paphos, Cyprus, on 10th October 2023. They are pictured with baby Matilda.

Michael's brother Piers (OM 09) was best man.

Brian Crooks 27th October 1948 - 19th June 2023

Having attended the Park School in Bath, Brian moved onto Monkton in the Winter term of 1962. A very keen sportsman he took up rowing and rugger. He was a natural oarsman in both sculls and VIIIs, participating in many regattas in Colts and 2nd VIII crews, being selected for the 1st VIII at the age of 16. He also represented the school in Colts and 2nd XV rugby. Leaving Monkton in 1965 to take A levels at the Bath Technical College he joined Bath Rugby and captained Bath Colts at the age of 17. During this period, he was selected to play for South West Schoolboys as wing forward and went on tour to West Germany. Playing senior rugby for Bath in 1968 he was selected for the 2nd XV on a regular basis and also was picked for Bath 1st XV on a few occasions under the watchful eye of Peter Sibley (Hon OM ).

Brian declined university offers, instead going into industry joining E, S & A Robinson in Bristol embarking on a lifetime in flexible packaging. Having trained in Bristol he moved to Birmingham and within a few years was asked to join a " start up " packaging business in Worcester as a junior director. This company grew quickly, eventually becoming part of British Polythene and Brian, being part of the senior management team, was taken to many countries around the world. He married Patricia Carey in 1972. Brian maintained his interest in many sports throughout his life, and was a keen fisherman for many years. His wife Pat died in 2006. They are survived by their two daughters Nichola and Paula.

Louis Crooks

John was born on St. Patrick’s Day, the 17" March 1935, to Ruth and Robert Hunter, a younger brother to Bob. Shortly after John’s birth the family moved to Marsh Gibbon and in due time he attended Bloxham Primary school. In 1947 the family moved to Watergate Farm and John went on to Monkton Coombe, a boys Public school near Bath.

John was a good scholar and probably could have been an excellent one if he hadn’t been distracted by sport, especially athletics and tennis, which he did excel in. At Monkton John made many good friends, two boys in particular who went on to become lifelong friends, Tony Bull and Andy Wildish, The Three Musketeers although someone in later life dubbed them the Three Stooges!

On leaving Monkton John did his Articles in Chartered Accountancy and joined his Father’s firm, Rawlingson & Hunter. He travelled extensively in the course of his work, especially to Switzerland Where he managed to find time to improve his already impressive skiing prowess. John did love his Sport.

Towards the end of the 50s John accepted an invitation from Her Majesty to join her Armed Forces, In other words...National Service. The Royal Artillery was his choice of Regiment and after basic training they were posted to Germany, to join the British Army on the Rhine. Here John learnt to drive a tank took part in various exercises.

On one such exercise, Lt. Hunter was in charge of a number of tanks which he had to take to a particular map co-ordinate where he was to meet with other detachments of troops his orders being to shell a strategic target thus enabling said troops to take the supposed strategic position. John and his tanks duly arrived at the meeting point and started to calibrate the guns to reach the target. At this point John is slightly puzzled because nobody else has turned up....no soldiers, no observers, nothing. Also the countryside was remarkably unscarred for an area where manoeuvres were regularly carried out. The time for John’s tanks to unleash their live ammunition was fast approaching...What should he do? He then surveyed the Target, a rather charming village...a rather charming populated village! More consulting of maps and hasty calls to base, thus breaking radio silence, it was ascertained that they were nowhere near where they were meant to be... they were NOT to flatten a German village with live tank shells and as the whole exercise had to be called off, would they please return to Headquarters. I don’t think that last request was quite as polite as that. Back at HQ John endured a rather one sided conversation with his Commanding Officer beginning with “ HUNTER, I’m going to shoot you and then I’m going to shoot myself’....luckily neither of these threats were carried out.

In spite of this slight hiccup John, enjoyed himself in the Army and when his term of National Service was up, he signed on for a further year....and the reason for this was...SKIING!! In 1962 there was a hotly contended Inter services Skiing Championships. John the demon downhill racer was instrumental in winning The Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent Cup for his Regiment...so his extra year in the Army was well spent. He made many good friends who he still met up with for yearly reunions. John valued his friends.

After the Army, John joined his Mother’s Family firm of Strand Electric in London. They were a pioneering Stage lighting company and so John’s interest in the theatre was ignited. When the company was taken over by the Rank Organisation in the 70s it gave John the opportunity to pursue his interest in art and he opened a Gallery called The Circle specialising in mainly 20" Century art.

In 1980 John met Pauline through mutual friends who thought they would be a good match and how right they were. They married in 1984, on a beautiful sunny June day and the reception was held at Watergate Farm. The gardens looked wonderful, it was a very joyful occasion.

At this time John’s parents had gone to live in Switzerland so the newly married Hunters split their time between Watergate and London... Pauline was a successful fashion Model and John ran his Gallery. However, the Farm was demanding more and more of his attention so John sold the Gallery and concentrated on Watergate. In 1985 he laid the foundations for Watergate Holsteins, a prize winning Dairy herd, which he and his Dairy Manager continued to improve over the next decade.

But come the mid 90s dairy farming was becoming a financial challenge and so sadly John decided to sell the herd and over the next few years it was dispersed. In 1987 John bought Caversfield House. It made sense for the Dairy Manager to be on site to supervise the the herd so he moved into the farmhouse at Watergate and John and Pauline moved into Caversfield.

The 80s and 90s were a busy time for the Hunters. In 1981, John still a keen athlete, competed in the inaugural London Marathon. He went on to run in 4 more; Athens, New York, Paris and again in London. In 1985 John inherited Ferrycarrig Hotel in Wexford, Ireland. It was in some need of renovation so this took place in 1986. But they soon found out that running an hotel in Ireland from England was akin to herding cats, no sooner had one problem been solved then others appeared in numerous other directions and in spite of fortnightly problem-solving trips to Ferrycarrig it was sold in 1990.

Also in the late 80s John becamea Liberal District Councillor for the Fringford Ward He was a hard working and popular member of the council, being re-elected many times. After 17 years of service he decided to retire, much to the regret of his fellow council members.

In the late 90s John bought a very stylish flat in Butlers Wharf, it had belonged to Terrance Conran of Habitat frame, and from there John and Pauline were able to indulge their love of theatre, ballet and opera with frequent visits to The Globe, the Donmar Warehouse and The Royal Opera House. These visits were often shared with friends, they were kind and generous hosts.

At this time Watergate Farmhouse had been empty for some years and John had to decide whether to sell it and live in Caversfield House, or sell Caversfield and totally remodel Watergate. Watergate won.

With the assistance of some very visionary Architects, the rebirth of Watergate was instigated. One of the barns was converted into a temporary home for John and Pauline and they moved there in 2002. As with most building projects there were many delays due to planning, bats, great Crested Newts, etc. But in 2012 building started in earnest and was completed in 2014... the result was breath taking.

John realised that farmers had a responsibility to look after the countryside and that making room for wildlife alongside crops and livestock could be of great benefit to the health of the land so at Watergate he created a haven for nature with woodlands, hedgerows and stunning wildflower meadows which surround their beautiful home.

John loved to include his many friends in the most important milestones of his life....and we love him for it. To mention 2....in 2007 there was a memorable trip to Venice to celebrate a special birthday for Pauline, the sun shone and we all had a magical time and then in 2012 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee we were treated to a wonderful weekend in London and it was even arranged for the Queen’s Barge to be moored opposite the Butlers Wharf flat!!... so we had a grandstand view of the flotilla!

John was a loyal friend, a kind and gentle man.

John died on the 29^th October 2022

John lived all his life in the Thames Valley in Reading and Pangbourne.  He attended Reading School and then moved to Monkton Combe.  Next he spent two years serving Her Majesty across the sea, as he liked to call it, meaning the Isle of Wight!

After this he joined his family's shoe firm where he contributed years of diligent, meticulous and caring service and finally became its Chairman.  He was involved in many aspects of the retail trade where he was highly respected and this led to him being presented with the Member of the British Empire award. 

He was married to Ruth for thirty nine happy years and they had three children, Jacqui, Jennie and Jo

John spent nearly thirty years as a valued Justice of the Peace, and also gave four years to undertake administration for 'Interserve Great Britain and Ireland', which is concerned with holistic Christian Ministry. 

He married Margie and they had their twentieth wedding anniversary two days before he left for heaven. 

He enjoyed playing golf, watching sport, especially rugby and football, politics, and classical music, particularly by Elgar and Beethoven.

The one thing that shone through all his life was his deep faith and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ

John died on the 2nd March 2022

Oliver Burnham, who died in December, gave so much to the school and embodied Monkton’s unique ethos.

We are sad to announce that Thomas Matovu passed away on the 2nd August 2023.

William (Bill) John Maurice Fitzgerald Collis (OM 1970) sadly passed away aged 70 in July 2023. The son of OM Richard Collis, he attended both Junior and Senior from 1962 to 1970. During his time at Monkton, Bill was part of the first group of students to study computer programming. Their teacher, Julian Bewick, would take the punch cards which they had produced up to the University to run them on their computers (as the School did not have any) and would then return with the result. Bill was in School House and was House Prefect. He was in the 1^st VIII (Cross Country).

On graduation from Balliol College, Oxford where he studied Biochemistry, Bill took a lab job at St Thomas’ Hospital but he was drawn to Europe and soon moved to Italy where he met his future wife, Elsa. They had two sons, Robert and Leonardo. For many years he worked as a computer programmer whilst developing an increasing interest in nuclear physics. This culminated in the foundation of The International Society for Condensed Matter Nuclear Science in 2003.

John Charles Brace,  possibly our oldest surviving alumni, passed away at his home in Brantford, Ontario on Friday 7th July 2023.  

Born 21 September 1919, he entered MCJS in 1932 and joined his older brother William Lloyd Brace at MCS in 1933.  He left in 1938 and had a distinguished medical career, qualifying from St Mary’s Paddington before working as a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecological at the North Middlesex Hospital, London. Upon retirement, John emigrated to Canada; his mainstay - apart from his wife and family - was the strength of his faith. 

Nick Hungerford, entrepreneur and founder of Nutmeg, and more recently founder of charity Elizabeth's Smile, passed away on 6th July 2023. Nick left Monkton in 1998 and remained fond of the School. 

Public obituaries can be found here:

The Guardian

BBC

John was one of the oldest surviving OMs - and probably one of the the last to have been at Monkton pre World War Two - until his death at the age of 101 on 5th July.

After the war, John went to Fitzwilliam, Cambridge where he was President of the CICCIU.  He was priested in 1946 and, among his parishes, he served in London at St Cuthbert's, Chitts Hill and at St George's, Holborn, the latter of which had Great Ormond Street in its parish. 

John had very fond memories of his time at Monkton and loved to revisit, particularly when his nephew, James Sertin, became houseparent of his old house Eddystone over 70 years after he had left.  He is survived by his wife, Ruth, and two children, Sophie and Daniel, and was also a much loved uncle, grandfather and great grandfather.  .

His nephew, James, interviewed him as part of the D Day 75th anniversary celebrations and this conversation can be found in Episode 7 here.

Sheila attended Clarendon in the 1930s when the school was based in Malvern.  Her brother Gordon (Don) Davidson attended Monkton as did her cousins the MacLachlans including the famous fighter pilot James who is memorialised in the Old Hall.  

When asked a few years ago what memory of Clarendon had stuck with her most Sheila replied:

"There are many; maybe climbing the Beacon in Malvern on Easter Day before breakfast. Maybe Scriptures lessons with Miss Swain (I still have her notes). Maybe an Easter visit to Eastnor Castle gardens to pick wild daffodils to be sent to Bethnal Green Mission.  Also a week studying architecture in my last term at school when we visited Malvern Priory, Hereford Cathedral, Warwick Castle etc. Basic lessons learnt that week have been a blessing all through my life".

After being at Clarendon, Shiels studied medicine at Glasgow University and after qualifying and specialising in midwifery and gynaecology she went to East Africa where she served in all three territories, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya for almost 20years. First of all under a government agency then with CMS and latterly with a group of Christian doctors in private practise in Nairobi, Kenya.  She and Arthur married in 1960 having met in Tanzania.  They came home to Reigate in Surrey and later moved to the North Cotswolds in 1987 where they remained. In both places they were actively involved in a Christian Evangelical church. 

Sheila I paid her first visit to Monkton Combe School in 2018 for the reunion for Clarendon’s 125^th anniversay where she had the pleasure of meeting Molly Spear (nee Orr-Ewing) after a great many years. In 2020 Sheila and her husband Author visited Monkton between lock downs. Arthur had celebrated his 90th birthday that year and they had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. 

This photograph was taken on Sheila's 100th birthday just after she had finished reading the lesson in her church. 

Anthony and Lottie married at Boconnoc House, Cornwall in May.  OMs present were:  Alice Cass née Brawn OM ‘02- Maid of Honour, Jonty Brawn OM ‘11 Matthew Paynter OM ‘10 - Master of Ceremonies, Luke Paynter OM ‘12, Jono Paynter OM ‘06, Dan Paynter OM ‘08, Tim Alexander-Dann OM ‘78, Chris Dann OM ‘72, Charlotte Dann OM ‘11, Ed Vickers OM ‘10, Abby Vickers née Wynn OM ‘12, Henry Askew-Page OM ‘10, Alice Askew-Page née Allum OM ‘09, Joshua Green OM ‘10, Charlie Adams OM ‘10, William Thomas OM ‘79 - Usher, Will Graves OM ‘10

Tony began teaching in Keighley, Yorkshire then the next ten years took him to Malawi, Nigeria (where he met his wife Connie) and Uganda.  In 1971 he returned to work at Loughborough Grammar School until his retirement.  He taught Classics and History taking expeditions to WW1 battlefields and 13 visits to Russia.  All but the first included girls from Loughborough High School. Other school activities included the Christian Union and athletics. He was also involved in church work in Loughborough and sang for the Leicester Philharmonic choir.

On retirement he went with Volunteer Services Overseas to Eritrea, but war resumed with Ethiopia so the stay was short.

Returning to Great Britain via Cairo Tony ‘volunteered’ his wife to manage the Episcopal guest house for the Church in Egypt.  Two years spent there where Tony did prison visiting and refugee work.

In 1999 Tony and Connie settled in Tewksbury where prison visiting continued and so did refugee work, along with singing for Tewkesbury Choral Society, working with Churches together, ‘Open the Book’ (acting Bible stories in primary school assemblies), writing poetry, painting and drawing.

Tony had a massive stroke on 26^th March but did not die until 21^st April two days short of his 88^th birthday.

On hearing of his death our Syrian refugee Osama a devout Muslim said “He was a good person.  May he rest in peace, praying for Tony”

Tony was a devoted father and father in law. 

Richard and Hazel Meredith will remember Tony and Connie for  their generous hospitality and Tony - the  'Bard of Tewkesbury'  as he became known to them - for his eagerly awaited poems with their perceptive insights inspired by his Christian faith.

Professor Andrew Sims – Former President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists sadly passed away last year although a memorial service was held more recently.  An obituary was published in the Times and can be read here. 

Below is an article written by Andrew for an OM publication. 

“After leaving Monkton in 1957 I went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge to read medicine and then on to Westminster Hospital for my clinical training. I had been interested in the mind and what makes it tick since reading Carl Jung in the school Library when I should have been working for A levels! After qualifying I worked in internal medicine for a time before joining an excellent training scheme for psychiatry in Manchester. I became interested in clinical research and, after a few years as a consultant psychiatrist in a large mental hospital, I transferred to academic posts, first in Birmingham and then in Leeds where I was professor of psychiatry until 2000.

Throughout my career in psychiatry I have had two over-riding research involvements. Most of my initial research was on the epidemiology, that is the enumeration of a condition in a defined population, of the neurotic disorders, which are the most frequent of psychiatric illnesses. My other long-term interest has been in descriptive psychopathology: that is studying mental illness from the patient’s own subjective description. This is fundamental for teaching psychiatrists how to do their job, and my book, Symptoms in the Mind, remains the standard text in British-influenced countries for post-graduate trainees through its four editions.

I was a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) from its inception in 1971, replacing a previous organisation that had existed since 1841. With others, I believed that without a strong and independent body, the speciality could not develop to its potential. I became Dean of the College in 1987, in this post being responsible for post-graduate training in psychiatry in the United Kingdom and Ireland, management of the examination for membership of the College and conducting inspection of training facilities throughout the country. There was also involvement with training in other countries. It was a time of expansion of training and the Dean’s was a busy but very enjoyable job.

“Religious belief, far from harming patients, results in significant 

short and long-term benefits in mental and physical health”

I was elected President of the RCPsych in 1990 for three years. This was an extremely demanding and varied post. I had to represent psychiatry to the rest of the medical establishment, to the Department of Health and to ministers and government – not easy at a time when the party in power were trying to cut costs drastically! Working with other psychiatrists in Britain, Ireland and throughout the world was enjoyable and rewarding. Some of the activities I undertook then have only born fruit many years later – sometimes one can shift the equilibrium a little, for example with government, in a way that brings benefits in years to come.

I left Monkton Combe at 18 as an avowed atheist – I have always had problems with conforming! By the grace of God and through the prayers of others I became a Christian before going up to Cambridge whilst labouring in a cheese factory, reading GM Trevelyan’s English Social History in my lunch breaks! In the 1960s and 70s the attitude of senior psychiatrists towards religion, and especially Christianity, was often hostile, seeing beliefs of patients as evidence of being guilt-ridden and lacking clear convictions in life, and belief of doctors as being ‘unscientific’. I am glad to say that the climate has changed markedly and now spiritual aspects are increasingly seen as important within the psychiatric establishment.

Last year I had a book published: Is Faith Delusion? (2009: Continuum) drawing together my beliefs as a Christian and my knowledge as a psychiatrist. In this I have written that delusion has become a psychiatric word with a specific meaning and within any precise definition of delusion faith is not and cannot be regarded as delusional. I also draw out some of the massive evidence to show that religious belief, far from harming patients, results in significant short and long-term benefits in mental and physical health. As a psychiatrist, I have learnt from my believing patients and I hope the book will help them with the dual stigma they face: being mentally ill in a world that discriminates against them and being a Christian in a resolutely secular society.

I am grateful for my time at Monkton. I learnt much, mostly outside the classroom, and made some good friends. I am certainly not the same as I was when I left and I know the school has changed too – mostly for the better.”

Michael Du Boulay (2003) and fiancée Charlotte Waite have welcomed Matilda Katherine Houssemayne Du Boulay to the family. Mum and baby are healthy and well - huge congratulations!

Pat who was a science teacher at Clarendon sadly passed away recently

The Rev Anthony Cathcart died on 12th April 2023, aged 96. Much loved father to Charlie, father in law to Kate. Grandpa to Thomas and Isla and dear friend to Susan. Tony’s warmth and kindness will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Funeral service to take place in Southwark Cathedral on Friday 19th May at 1030am. For further details please contact WG Miller Funeral Directors 020 7226 3886.’

After national service Anthony became a chartered accountant before training for the ministry.  He held a number of positions including a curicy at St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe in London, Licence to officiate London Diocese St Bartholemew the Great and Cathedral Chaplain at Southward Cathedral.  He was also Managing Director of the Sunley Trust. 

Bill Persson died peacefully on 2nd April 2023, aged 95. Greatly loved husband of Ann, father of Rachel, Matthew and Adam, grandfather of many. and great-grandfather of many more. 

Bill Persson graduated from Oriel College, Oxford in 1951, trained for the Anglican ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and was ordained in 1953. He served his curacies at at Emmanuel Croydon and St John's Tunbridge Wells and was then Vicar of Christ Church, South Mimms, London, Rector of Bebington, Cheshire,  Vicar of St John's, Knutsford, Cheshire, before becoming Suffragan Bishop of Doncaster from 1982-92, and in retirement an Assistant Bishop in Bath and Wells from 1993. He also served as a member of the General Synod.