Obituaries

When he first came to Guernsey in May 1960, 15 years after the German Occupation ended, there were only five surgeons and five small general practices in the islands – there are many more doctors now.

Brian was born in Croydon and grew up in Caterham, attending Caterham School as a boarder, where he remembers having extremely happy school times – in particular watching German planes flying overhead during the nights in the Second World War. He had two elder brothers, Ken and Jack, and a sister Margaret. Brian was deeply hurt by the loss of his beloved older brother Ken who was a test pilot, early in the Second World War. He qualified as a doctor in the London Hospital in Whitechapel. In the 1950s, as a surgeon serving in the RAF, he was stationed at RAF Hospital Ely in Cambridgeshire, where he cared for and accompanied polio victims in iron lungs from Europe and the Middle East. He went next to Iraq where there was a large British airfield serving the Middle and Far East and staffed with RAF officers and their families. He then travelled to Sri Lanka where again there was a large RAF station. His skills were much needed, caring for Sri Lankans, RAF staff and their families. Indeed, as the plane touched down on the airfield, he was told he had to perform a caesarean section on the local Commander’s wife. On returning recently to Sri Lanka he was pleased to see that the huts of his old station were standing next to Colombo airfield. He returned from Sri Lanka to work as a surgeon at the London Hospital carrying out chest and heart surgery.

From his time in the RAF he developed a variety of surgical skills that equipped him well for his work in Guernsey. Brian came to the island soon after his marriage to Jennifer O’Neill whom he met at the Royal London Hospital where she was working as a theatre nurse. He came to Guernsey because he had met a friend of his family at the Royal College of Surgeons in London who told him that Guernsey needed a surgeon. He and Jennifer intended to stay for two years – he stayed for 60.

Brian joined a GP practice headed by Dr Sidney Heard and for some years he worked as a busy GP and as a surgeon. Being a GP meant that he quickly got to know his way around the island’s many unnamed winding country lanes, and met many of its people. He soon found that being a surgeon was not compatible with also being a GP, and he subsequently qualified to undertake both orthopaedic and urology surgery. Over the years the doctors on the island became specialised into separate specialties of gynaecology, obstetrics and anaesthetics, physicians and different branches of surgery. This led in 1992, to the creation of The Medical Specialist Group which separated specialist’s work from general practices at around the time Brian retired, thus he was not a part of the new system. Brian served on many of the island’s hospital committees, redesigning the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, planning for the future of the Guernsey Health Service and for the care of an evolving population. He was a chair of the British Medical Association group and later in his career he led the local branch of the British Heart Foundation creating a fundraising team of outstanding success. He also helped contribute to the high quality postoperative cardiac care that is still available in Guernsey. Brian was very much loved and highly respected by the local community. He was a very approachable and warm person who was always interested in others and in trying to better the lives of others through his work.

In 1984 Brian and Jennifer spent some months in Kenya where they worked in a rural area and in Mombasa on a doctors’ exchange which they much enjoyed. After retirement, Brian enjoyed a time working for the Guernsey Health Service as a medical assessor for those who applied for States support and continued his contributions to various charities on the island.

Brian had a long and happy retirement made enjoyable by the company of very many close friends and his family. He met up with the retired doctors once a week for lunch and medical talk, which he helped to organise. He was active in his local community and had a great love of music, sailing, DIY, gardening, politics, speaking and learning French and a wide reading interest. He had a lifelong love of flying which was engendered by his brother Ken. He was proud to have contributed so much to Guernsey’s Health Service and loved the island. He was also proud to be a Caterham old boy and enjoyed attending school reunions meeting up with his old friends into his very late years.

Those who met Brian found him an intensely thoughtful, interested, sensitive, intelligent, gentle and warm person. He is deeply missed by those who knew and loved him.

Brian is survived by Jennifer and his two daughters Fiona and Elaine and his son James and six granddaughters. ■ Written by his wife Jennifer

Born 8 May 1931, died 27 November 2019. Donald was very proud of his school and the excellent education he received which led him to The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, along with his great friend from Caterham, John Wildgoose. He loved talking of the weekends at school when he would set up camp in the nearby woods and tame squirrels and jackdaws. This picture is with his favourite squirrel, Josephine! He also would talk of his excitement at school of VE Day, 8 May 1945 – his 14th birthday. Following an illness (possibly too much partying), he didn’t complete his studies at Veterinary College but he remained in touch with John Wildgoose and it was at a party at the College that he met Bunty, to whom he was married for

John Barrons (OC 1945 – 1950) Paul Charters (OC 1984 – 1994) Charles Patrick (OC 1998 – 2006) Marc Walters (OC 1962 – 1967)

61 years. He recently saw in Omnia a photo of Wildgoose, who sadly passed away in the 1970s and was composing a piece for Omnia about their time together at Caterham when he was taken ill. More recently, he was delighted to have re-established contact with another Old Caterhamian, Godfrey Crowe.

Don went on to have a long and successful career in insurance, retiring in 1993 to Suffolk by the River Deben. His hobby was sailing and he enjoyed nothing more than being on the water well into his 80s with family and friends. He is sadly missed by his wife, four children and six grandchildren. ■ Written by his son Alastair