back to home page
OBITUARIES
PETER JOHN MARTIN 1962-1999
Peter Martin died in Dublin in 1999 at the age of 37, but we only learned of his death this year. Peter joined the Junior School in September 1971, the middle of three foundationer brothers. He moved into Warneford in 1976 and was one of the founder members of Grant House when it was formed in 1978. He became an Under-Monitor and left from the Upper Sixth in July 1981. He went to Plymouth Polytechnic and obtained a BA(Hons) degree in Business Studies. He worked for electrical distributors Newey & Eyre Ltd, first as a graduate management trainee, then from 1987 as office manager of their Telford branch. He left them to work for Cables & Flexibles in the Midlands and in August 1994 he married Adrienne in New Ross, Eire. They were both working for KD Thermoplastics Ltd in Birmingham, specialising in UPVC windows and then in 1996 they moved to Ireland. Peter was Operations Manager for ServiceMaster before joining Carphone Warehouse in September 1997, opening and running their most successful branch in Ireland. Daughter Hannah was born in February 1997 and in 1999 Peter became Sales Manager for FoneRange Ltd, dealing in accessories for mobile phones.
ERIC FORBES MERVYN-SMITH 1914-2009
Eric Mervyn-Smith died in hospital on 17th November 2009 at the age of 95. He was born in South Africa and came to St Edmund`s in January 1929 from Bishop Henry Cotton`s School in Bangalore, where he was sent when his parents died. Known as E.M. Smith at school, he was in Baker House. He was a House Monitor and shone particularly in Maths and Science, winning form prizes in every year. He gained 1st XI Football colours in 1930 and 1931 and also School colours for Sports, where he was particularly successful in the 100 yards, Hurdles and Long Jump. He left from Form VI in July 1932 to go to R.M.A. Woolwich, was commissioned into the Royal Signals and went back to India in 1935. He spent 20 years in the Army, mostly in India and the Middle East, including an assignment as Inspector of Signals to the Iraqi Army during the war.
In the 1950s family life became a priority. He met his wife, Eve, in Cairo in 1946 and took up farming in Surrey, where his three daughters grew up. He later worked as a company secretary to a firm manufacturing walking sticks. He had a long, active retirement and kept his brain active with sudoku, crosswords and bridge. Throughout his life he rose early, remembering his school days which had always started with a swim even if you had to break the ice!
MARK LEONARD SHORT 1946-2010
Mark short died of cancer on 23 January 2010, aged 63, following a short illness. He was the middle of three foundationer brothers to attend St Edmund`s and he entered the Junior School in September 1957 before moving into Warneford in 1959. He became a School Monitor and was House Captain in his last year, was in the 1st XI for Football and Cricket and was captain of 2nd XI Hockey. He also represented the school in Shooting and Athletics (Triple Jump), was Secretary of the Choir, a member of the Dramatic and Debating Societies, and became a Corporal in the CCF.
He left St Edmund`s in July 1964 and attended technical college for about two years in Cumberland (his spiritual home) until he was tempted by the bright lights of the south which he followed without too much persuading. In 1967 he joined Faupel Brothers Ltd, a firm of Import/Export merchants in the city and then joined GKN in 1974 and shortly afterwards was posted to Madrid where he spent several years. Whilst there he met and married Gloria (later to be divorced) and they had two children, Javier, born in 1977, and Alexandra, born in 1981.
When he returned to the UK Mark spent many years in the computer industry, mostly involved in the designing and selling of export software.
For the last 15 years of his life Mark lived in Molesey in Surrey where he pursued his great interest in reading voraciously (and discussing the content) and following sport with a great passion. He regularly attended Old Boys` functions and much enjoyed reminiscing with his old friends. He will be remembered fondly for his dry laconic wit, his enthusiasm for his old school and his mates. His independent spirit coupled with his intelligence made him a feisty presence in the company of his friends and business associates! - all carried out in a good spirit and accompanied by a good old pint. Above all, Mark will be remembered for his great devotion to his children.
Mark`s service at Kingston was well attended and there was a good representation from ex St Edmund`s boys in the shape of Mike Green, Peter Atkins, Chris Burton, Chris Agg, John Foster, Tony Holdsworth and Mark`s elder brother Tim (younger brother Michael died in 2008). Tony Zinopoulos also attended and delivered the Eulogy. A.Z
DEREK MONTAGUE TROTTER 1932-2010
Derek Trotter died on 7 February 2010 at the age of 77. He entered the Junior School in October 1945, the start of the term having been delayed because of all the work that had to be done following the return from wartime evacuation to Carlyon Bay, Cornwall. He moved into Watson House in 1946 and left from Form Upper V in December 1950. He was a House Monitor in his final term and gained 1st XI football colours 1948-50, being vice-captain in his last year, and 1st XI cricket colours 1949-50. In the school sports he won the under 16 440 yards and 880 yards in 1948 and was a Corporal in the J.T.C. and a First Class Shot.
After National Service in the Lincolnshire Regiment, serving in Scotland, Egypt and Germany, he joined the Prison Service in 1953. He did his training in Canterbury and then served at Feltham, Gaynes Hall, Eastwood Park and Huntercombe, where he lived for nearly 40 years, and he was awarded the Imperial Service Medal in recognition of his 36 years` service. In retirement he kept busy doing gardening and other jobs for friends and he was a member of the British Legion and supported a number of charities. In his earlier days he enjoyed playing cricket and hockey.
Derek was the youngest of four children and his father was Nathaniel Bertram Trotter, whose name will live on in the annals of St Edmund`s, having been groundsman there from 1921-64 (and in the Junior School until 1965). He married Pauline Anne Clark (Sally) in 1957, but sadly the marriage ended in divorce in 1981. He had two sons, Gary and Grant, and four grandchildren. He suffered from diabetes for a number of years and died after a short illness in Huntercombe Hall Nursing Home.
GUY THOMAS WILLEY 1934-2009
Guy Willey died on 24 September 2009 at the age of 75. He had joined the Junior School for their last term in Carlyon Bay in May 1945 and moved into Baker House in 1947. He gained 1st XI cricket colours for three years and 2nd XI colours in football and hockey before leaving from the Upper Fifth Form in the summer of 1952. After National Service in the Army he joined Guest Keen & Nettlefold and then later started his own firm in vending machines - Sankey Vending Machines. He married Anna in 1965 and they had three daughters, Joanna, Elizabeth and Kathleen and five grandchildren.
Guy was much involved in corporate golf networking. Indeed golf was one of the loves of his life and he was a member of Chestfield Golf Club for 27 years. He was actually on the golf course when he collapsed in September and he died in hospital three days later. His elder brother John, who died in 2004, was also at the school, as was younger brother, Charles (known as Nicholas at school), who has been overseas for many years. Guy was on the committee of the St Edmund`s Society from 1991-96.
CHARLES FREDERICK PETER WRIGHT 1916-2009
Peter Wright died on 27 August 2009 at the age of 93. He entered St Edmund`s, in Warneford House, in September 1929. He passed his School Certificate in 1931 and Higher Certificate in each of his last three years. He was a School Monitor for his last two years and School and House Captain in his final year. He gained 1st XI hockey colours, 2nd XI football colours and Sports half-colours, was a Sergeant in the OTC and 1st Class Shot, member of the Choir and Dramatic Society, Editor of the Magazine and a Warneford Scholar and Exhibitioner, and when he left in July 1935 he proceeded to Queen`s College, Oxford with a Bible Clerkship in Classics. At Oxford he gained 2nd class Honours in Mods, Lit. Hum. and Final School Theology. He then went to Westcott House, Cambridge and was ordained deacon in 1941 and priest in 1942.
Peter met his wife, Aurea (Ray) Goldie a professional violinist, when he was a curate in Stocksbridge, Sheffield and they were married in 1942 and subsequently had three children, two boys and a girl. After 9 years in the Sheffield Diocese he moved to Hampshire from 1950-61 and then to Welton, near Lincoln until 1969. After this he retired and described himself as a Hermit in the Lincoln Diocese. From 1955-94 he was an Examiner, latterly Senior Examiner, in O level Religious Studies for the Cambridge University Local Examinations Syndicate. He had retired early in order to study and write, although his work was never published. In 1999 he and his wife moved to Bromley College retirement home for C of E clergy and he died shortly after moving to a nursing home in Ashford in July.
He always got on well with his parishioners and was well regarded - a quiet and gentle person with very strong faith and integrity. One of his sons teaches guitar at the Menuhin School and the other recently retired from running a business in Australia. His daughter, Elizabeth, who informed us of her father`s (and uncle`s) death, lives in Ashford, and Peter, who is survived by his wife, also leaves seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren in Australia.
HILARY JOHN ANTHONY WRIGHT 1922-2007
Hilary Wright died in Canada in July 2007 at the age of 87, although we have only recently learned of his death. He joined Warneford House as a Foundationer in April 1935 - in his elder brother`s last term there. He left from the Upper Fifth in July 1938, having taken and passed his School Certificate and gained his House Colours in all sports.
On leaving school he obtained a clerkship in the accountants office with the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board in Liverpool before deciding to do engineering at Liverpool University from 1940-43. He then joined the Navy as an engineer before going into industry in Manchester with Metropolitan Vickers. He married Iris Weighell and later took up nuclear engineering and went to Canada in 1963, where he was to spend the rest of his life, initially in Ontario before moving to Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
He had five children and a wide range of interests in literature, music and sports. His wife died from cancer in the 1970s. He visited the school briefly in 1998 on the way to see his brother in Lincolnshire and we have only recently learned of his death, three years ago, from his niece.
Deaths of former members of Staff
A.J.ASHDOWN
I first met Gus in September 1978. He was in conversation with Robin Hawkins, probably about CCF matters, as Gus had been appointed as a lieutenant (or `Junior Rupert` as Robin called him) as well as a teacher of Geography with some Economics. Gus had been educated at Lancing College and the University of Birmingham, where he gained a BSc(Hons) in Geography.
Gus was a talented teacher and joined St Edmund`s directly after completing a PGCE at St Mary`s College, Twickenham, where he had been awarded a distinction for his teaching practice. He got on well with head of department, Geoffrey Pass, and LGP appreciated Gus`s input and support. I remember his masterful worksheets and maps, detailed and artistically constructed in colour for reproduction on the spirit duplicator for his `O` level geography classes. Gus had an impressive general knowledge and a mature grasp of economics and world affairs. Despite his skills in the classroom, he decided that a career in teaching wasn`t his vocation and he left after three terms.
After St Edmund`s Gus spent some time travelling in India and then returned to university in Manchester to study Town Planning. Following his graduation he worked in the Caribbean for several years before returning to the UK with ill health. He struggled with depression for many years before tragically taking his own life on 31st October 2008. He was 53.
[Contributed by Martin Milward, a contemporary on the staff at the time.]
PETER AYLMER SOMERVILLE CAMERON
Peter Cameron, who was Director of Music at St Edmund`s from September 1975 to August 1984 (he had leave of absence from the school during his final term) died on November 26th after an unsuccessful battle with cancer at the age of 66. He succeeded Victor Standing and was succeeded by Denis Kiddy and during his nine years at the school worked in harness with Martin Hall. He did particularly good work with the Choir.
Peter was educated at Dean Close and after leaving school went to the Royal College of Music where he became FRCO, LRAM and ARCM. He then went up to Keble College, Oxford from 1964-67 as an organ scholar and there he gained his BA in Music. In 1967 he was appointed to the music staff at Harrow School, where Michael Hoban, former Headmaster of St Edmund`s. became Head Master in 1971, and stayed there until his appointment to St Edmund`s. After leaving St Edmund`s, Peter continued to do quite a lot of private teaching and also to play the organ in a number of churches.
A number of staff, past and present, attended the services at Barham and Herne Bay, as well as some Old Boys, and D`Arcy Trinkwon played the organ at the Thanksgiving Service at St Bartholomew`s. Both services were conducted by former St Edmund`s chaplain Ronald Hawkes.
ALLAN WICKS, CBE 1923-2010
Edward Allan Wicks was born near Skipton in Yorkshire on June 6th 1923 and died on February 4th 2010 after a lengthy illness. His obituary in The Times on February 11th, which readers can find online on www.timesonline , starts by saying:
"Allan Wicks was widely regarded as the greatest cathedral organist of his generation, a consummate technician who was never known to have played a wrong note and a vivid communicator as committed to the modern as the ancient."
After leaving school Allan won an Organ Scholarship to Christ Church, Oxford. Wartime service interrupted his time there and he went to India as a captain in The 14th Punjab Regiment. After the was he returned to Oxford where he gained his MA and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and in 1947 he became Sub-Organist at York Minster, where he remained until 1954 when he became Organist of Manchester Cathedral. In 1961 he was appointed Organist and Choirmaster of Canterbury Cathedral, where he served under three archbishops. He obtained his Lambeth MusDoc in 1974 and became an Honorary DMus of the University of Kent in 1985. When he retired after the Lambeth Conference in 1988, he was awarded the CBE.
The Times obituary does not mention Allan`s involvement with the takeover of the Choir School by St Edmund`s, probably rightly as the event aroused a good deal of controversy at the time, but Allan strongly supported this move and with headmaster Francis Rawes and Dean Ian White-Thomson was largely responsible for persuading the Dean and Chapter to agree to it.
Allan is survived by his wife Elizabeth, who he married in 1955, and their two daughters. Elizabeth herself has also been a very good friend to St Edmund`s where she was a Governor for some ten years, after which both she and Allan were elected honorary members of the St Edmund`s Society. Allan will be remembered with great affection by generations of choristers.
