Obituaries
Harrogate, nursed so diligently to the end. He leaves a wife, Prue, three sons, Charles, James and Andrew [who were all at Radley] and five grandchildren, Victoria, Charlotte, Edward, William and Kitty. Vernon JJ (a, 1946-1950) On 20.12.2015 James John Vernon died peacefully at home aged 83 after a long illness. John loved Radley and his time at the College coincided with the centenary celebrations in 1947 and the visit of Princess Elizabeth. John played for the 1st XV in the 1949 and 1950 seasons and rowed in the 1st VIII. He was appointed Head of Social (Paton’s) and elected Hon. Sec. of the Dramatic Society. He studied English, History and Russian for Higher Certificate. He undertook National Service with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment before going up to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, to read English in 1952, where he developed a specialist interest in Thomas Hardy. In 1955 he made the Blue Boat and they beat Oxford by an impressive 16 lengths. He also won the Visitor’s Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 1955 with the Trinity Hall Coxless Four. On leaving Cambridge, he was appointed to the English Department at St Edward’s Oxford. He was soon given responsibility for the 1st VIII, coaching them to victory in the Princess Elizabeth Cup in 1958, and then managing to successfully retain the crown the following year. His success as a School coach, as
much as his accomplishments as an oarsman, meant he was asked to coach the England Youth VIII. It also led CUBC to invite him back to the Cam to help to coach the Blue Boat which he continued to do throughout much of the 1960s. He was a committee member of Leander and a life member of Thames Rowing Club. In 1972 he was appointed Headmaster of Hordle House in Hampshire which he was to lead for the next 22 years. Hordle became an all-consuming family venture and it was a wrench for him to call time in 1994. He retired locally. Throughout his life John was a regular church goer and, at one point, considered taking up the cloth but opted to serve his church, St Mary’s South Baddesley, as a warden and lay reader. In 1959, he married Elizabeth Ryder, who survives him. They had four children and eleven grandchildren. Their youngest son William has followed in his father’s footsteps to become a headmaster and their eldest, Michael, is an extra equerry to HM the Queen. Coburn RJM (e, 1947-1951) On 19.4.2015 Ronayn John Michael Coburn. He rowed in the 1951 1st VIII which reached the final of the Princess Elizabeth at Henley and he played in the 1st XV of 1950. He was in the Shooting team from 1949 to 1951. He was Hon. Secretary of the Mountaineering Club. After two years National Service he worked for British American Tobacco from 1954 to 1988 and serving all over the world including the Far East and Sierra Leone. His son, Thomas, was at Radley.
On completion of his service in 1955 he joined Bowater-Scott as a management trainee, and was appointed Mill Manager of a large paper mill in Walthamstow shortly after completing his training. He was married to Christine Ingles in 1963. They had three children and lived in Gerrards Cross for the rest of his life. In the mid 1970s he left Bowater Scott and joined Richard Graefe as MD based in High Wycombe, before moving again to Lebus. Finally he became a recruitment consultant for the paper industry before retiring in 2003. Sport continued to occupy much of his leisure time throughout his life until ill health restricted his ability to continue. He played good club cricket for Gerrards Cross CC and the Incogniti CC, and was a much respected member of Denham Golf Club for over 50 years. He was also Secretary of the local Tennis Club for a number of years. Laing HDW (a, 1949-1953) In March 2016 Henry David Warrington Laing. After Radley, where he was a member of the Philatelic and Gramophone Societies, he went to the University of Western Ontario. From the Royal Gazette, Bermuda Henry David Warrington Laing: kind and witty Friends and family are celebrating the life of a kind and witty lover of the arts and history.
Davies RR (f, 1948-1953) On 14.8.2016 Robin Rhys Davies. Tom Morkill writes:
John Vernon in the 1955 Cambridge crew
Robin Rhys Davies was a House Prefect and was wicketkeeper for the 1st XI in 1951, 1952 and 1953. [The Radleian reported: An excellent wicketkeeper who was most consistent and often brilliant.] He played in the 1st XI for Hockey and led a successful Radley shooting team in the prestigious Country Life Schools rifle shooting competition at Bisley. On leaving Radley he did his National Service and was commissioned into the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry, spending most of his active service in Kenya where he was mentioned in despatches for his contribution in overcoming the Mau Mau terrorists.
Henry Laing the old radleian 2016
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