OBITUARIES ISSUE SEVEN J A N U A RY 2 0 1 6
Swahili and in 1956 he enlisted as a Territorial Officer in the Kenya Regiment and received a Mention in Despatches the following year. What he did is not recorded, but he was known never to carry a gun. John also took great interest in developing the sporting interests of the Kikuyu people, particularly in competitive running, at which their Olympic athletes now excel.
hospital took over the site in the mid 1970s), to its present position in Thirlestaine House. It was during the holidays, there was no heating on and the rooms were without the necessary shelves, cupboards, and probably pianos too, but she took on her new role with the cheerfulness and calm which was always so characteristic.
John was awarded a MBE in 1957 for his work as a District Officer in Kenya. In 1959, he married Shirley Bouch in Nairobi Cathedral. Joining the Diplomatic Service in 1961, John was sent to the British delegation at the U.N. in New York. After two years, he was posted to the British Embassy in Belgrade and later to the Embassy in Bonn. In 1972, he was attached as the Diplomatic Adviser to the British Olympic team in the eventful Munich Games.
She is survived by two daughters, a son and five grandchildren.
Following promotion, John was posted to the British High Commission, Ottawa, before his final appointment as British Consul-General, Naples and Sicily. Being bilingual in Italian, John was in his element. A royal visit by HM the Queen, who appointed him C.V.O., was followed by a severe earthquake in Southern Italy. With his usual enthusiasm, he threw himself into the organisation of the British Government’s earthquake relief operation and was subsequently made a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. On retirement, John was appointed a CBE and the family set up home in Herefordshire. He built up a business treating potentially dangerous surfaces on roads, airfields and the hard-standings in farmyards to prevent skidding, using a machine of his own design. Settled in Leominster, he enjoyed travel, listening to music and going to the theatre. He also became involved in the formation of the Association of Friends of Popski’s Private Army, serving as their President up to the time of his death. He wrote an appreciation for the 2002 edition of Peniakoff’s book, Popski’s Private Army, first published in 1950. He also was instrumental in raising funds for a national memorial to those who had lost their lives serving with the PPA - including Italian partisans - which is to be erected in the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove in the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. His death leaves only two known survivors of PPA. Among his comrades, he was always known as the “most daring of us all”. He is survived by his wife Shirley, son Piers (H, 1978), daughters Tara Catriona, Eugenie Louise and his grandchildren. Mary Clifford (Former Staff, 1973 - 2008) Many OCs will have fond memories of their piano lessons with Mary who was a visiting music teacher at College for thirty-five years. She died after a short illness on the 28th June 2015. She was a firm supporter of the music department and attended concerts regularly even after she had left College. She combined a genuine interest in people with a lifelong passion to share her love of music with others, be it with adults, College teenagers, or her own grandchildren. Mary spent her early life in Bedfordshire and she went to the Dame Alice Harpur School in Bedford and then on to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Teaching posts followed in Windermere, Chingford and Croydon, and she moved to Gloucestershire when her husband was sent to work for the government in Cheltenham in the 1960s. In Cheltenham, the Cliffords became firm members of Highbury Church and Mary’s expertise as a choir trainer and accompanist were keenly valued. She enjoyed the musical opportunities in Cheltenham and joined the Bach Choir and regularly sent pupils in for the Festival of Performing Arts. Her first acquaintance with the College Music Department was in the transition from the old building in College Road, Linton House (only the gate posts of that building remain since the
Guy Lincoln Cragoe (OJ & W, 1977) Guy Cragoe died on the 10th April 2015, aged 55, after suffering a massive brain haemorrhage. He led a tirelessly full existence and had only recently started a new chapter in his life with a move to France. He tried his hand at many things with enormous enthusiasm, including stints in the Blues and Royals, Estate Agency and more recently commercial photography. However, his greatest achievement came with the birth of his two children, Hugo and Poppy, who live with their mother in Hampshire. Hugh Roland Crooke B.A. O.B.E. (NH, 1942) Hugh Crooke, son of Roland Crooke (BH, 1907) died on the 22nd November 2015, aged 91. Christopher John Daintree (H, 1945) Christopher Daintree died on the 10th February 2015 in Paris, aged 87. Philip Harris (Ch, 1945) has written to say: “Christopher and I started in Form 4a in 1941 at the return from the evacuation to Shrewsbury, just as the big game trophies were being removed from Big Classical to transform it into, of all things, a library. Elliot-Smith, the newly arrived Headmaster, brought about many fundamental and necessary changes into teaching and other areas, much to the horror of the remaining staff, most of the younger members having joined up. Even though Cheltenham was hardly affected by air raids, the war overwhelmed our lives. Christopher and I joined the Army on VJ Day. He served with the Intelligence Corps until 1948 when he entered Trinity College, Cambridge, to read History. We were able to meet again and later when training as a Chartered Accountant. When qualified, he moved to Scandinavia with Price Waterhouse (PW) and soon fell in love with a beautiful Swedish girl, Agneta, who sadly predeceased him. I was his best man; the service was stiff and very formal. Following a spell in Germany, he moved to Paris as a PW Partner for 20 years. They retired to Burgundy, close to Gevrey Chambertin, a good address, and enjoyed a happy retirement there, with forays to Paris for theatre and opera and to his beloved Glyndebourne, his favourite. He was a quiet, contented person, well suited to the intricate accounting of large companies, yet allowing time for his own enthusiasms. He asked little, but gave much.” Andrew De Abreu (H, 1982) Andrew De Abreu died on the 10th December 2015, aged 52, in Melbourne. He was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, but his parents emigrated to South Africa when he was very young. Upon returning to the UK in 1972, he went to Oakley Hall Prep School prior to joining College and Hazelwell in 1977. Trevor Davies (his Housemaster) has written 4.