Obituaries
advancement. He did things for the good of College. I suppose we knew the writing was on the wall when the Inspection report came out saying that Socials should be more the same. James could never be the same as anybody. Indeed, not every side of Housemastering was to his taste: filling in forms for the Bursary or getting reports in on time, for example (but these reports were always handwritten, perceptive and meticulous, as was his extensive, punctilious correspondence on paper, not by email - with parents). He had an aversion to Tutors’ meetings, ‘we never talk about the boys,’ he used to say. And that is the truest summing-up of all: James cared about the boys. From The Eastbourne Independent 26 March 2016 Tributes paid to Sussex vicar found dead at home aged 55 Tributes have been paid to a ‘loveable’ priest who was found dead at home. The Church of England in Sussex has been rocked by the death of ‘cricketloving’ Reverend James Wesson who was found dead at home in Camber at the age of just 55. Archdeacon of Chichester, the Venerable Douglas McKittrick, said Sussex had lost one of its ‘best young priests’. Ceremonies are being held in the coming weeks in churches in Brighton and Winchelsea which he served, to mark his passing. It is understood Mr Wesson was due to take a service last Sunday and Mr McKittrick said Fr Wesson’s death the day before had come as a great shock to all that knew him. He said: ‘He had not been ill, it was a complete shock, it was very sudden. ‘He didn’t turn up for church on Sunday morning which set alarm bells ringing. ‘He was just one of those loveable people, he was just loved by people. ‘He loved life, he was a fantastic cricketer and had a fantastic knowledge of cricket. ‘He was just a model person and that’s what you really need for an exceptional parish priest.’ Before entering the church, Fr Wesson had been a teacher at leading boarding school Radley College in Oxfordshire but as a committed Christian he had always felt drawn to be ordained as a priest. 120
the old radleian 2016
He was first ordained in the Moulsecoomb Parish in Brighton in 2007 and served in the city for five years before moving to Selsey. Mr McKittrick said that becoming rector in Selsey proved challenging in the isolated parish with its great demand for weddings, baptism and funerals and he stepped down briefly to spend time with his parents in East Sussex. He returned to the Parish of Winchelsea and was being prepared for a new parish in East Sussex before his untimely death. Mr McKittrick said: ‘He was so much looking forward to his new role. ‘James Wesson was one of our best young priests. ‘He will be greatly missed not just by people connected to the Church but people in the community and people in Sussex who knew him.’ A service of Thanksgiving for the life of Revd James Wesson was held in St Thomas church in Winchelsea while a Requiem in his memory was held at Holy Nativity Church in Norwich Drive, Bevendean, Brighton. The address by Richard Morgan at the Thanksgiving Service for James at Radley in May: I see James now standing on the steps of the 1st XI pavilion, immaculately dressed in his whites. It is the first day of the summer term and his first day as master i/c of cricket. Radleians in their delightful, talkative, casual way begin wandering towards distant pitches by walking across Bigside. They are transformed into scuttling rabbits, as James, in stentorian voice and much arm waving, orders them to walk behind the pavilion. This is not just Bigside, this is hallowed turf where, within living memory, Ted Dexter, Christopher Walton and Clive Carr played in the best side that Radley has ever produced; this is where Andrew Strauss, Jamie Dalrymple, Ben Hutton, Robin Martin Jenkins, Charlie Van der Gucht and many other outstanding schoolboy cricketers, are going to create a golden era in Radley’s cricket history with 7 successive unbeaten sides. This is the game of cricket but to James it is much more than just cricket: it is about good manners; it is about
dress – for the sartorial competition must always be won before the match begins; it is about remaining calm under pressure; it is above all about character, enjoyment and playing as an unbeatable team. Belonging is the foundation of happiness and fulfilment for most human beings. Why we know where we feel comfortable, where we feel at home, may be difficult to analyse but we recognise it instantly. James belonged at Repton where he was Senior Prefect and Captain of cricket, he belonged at the first school he taught at, Claremont, he belonged at Cheltenham and Radley, at Mirfield, where he trained for his ordination and in the parish at Brighton. This belonging had little to do with the places and the contrast between his schools and his Brighton parish could not have been greater. But it had everything to do with the people in these institutions, for he loved playing in a team. James had a sort of genius for friendship that knew no boundaries. He was the friend of everyone he met, whether they came from a world he knew or were complete strangers. He had that gift of the best of welcomes, that smile, the rocking back on his heels, the quizzical eye, the making of everyone feel at ease, the stories that improved with every telling. Yet he had another side, for as his brother, Edward, said at James’ funeral, James was a complex man. When he did not feel he belonged, whether in school or in the parish, often when too much time was given to administration or discipline or systems and processes, that feeling of boredom, even disdain, came over him. And he was no respecter of rank. Adults had to earn his respect and once won, as by Martin Stovold at Cheltenham or Bert Robinson and Andy Wagner at Radley, his loyalty was absolute. The fact has to be acknowledged that when he was not surrounded by friends, where he did not feel part of the team, he became lonely, melancholy was not far away, he worked too hard and life became difficult. It is one of the ironies of his life that he was a great schoolmaster, an outstanding Social Tutor and pastor but he never felt he belonged in the classroom. Why this was so is, I think, because he did not see it as a priority and yet he had an able and curious mind, he was interested in ideas, wrote the best of letters with his favourite fountain pen