The Cross

My husband Frank always used to tell me that his school days in Cross House in Repton really were the happiest days of his life.

Not really a highflyer or good at sports, he fitted in well with academic life. At the age of 13, he made three good friends who remained in touch for the rest of their lives. Edward Wilkinson (C’46) is the last of the group.

Always fascinated by radios, he built a radio set through which he communicated with other schools. Free of the modern constraints of Health & Safety, the cadets were released overnight in a remote location, with no map or compass, and told to find their way back to school, which was a huge adventure. After taking A Levels he filled the remaining weeks with many visits, including going down coal mines.

the local branch of the Royal British Legion. He was in demand in the run-up to and during the 2012 Olympics. He was a torch bearer in Peterborough and invited to be part of the Opening Ceremony together with other former medal winners.

While John was at Clare, he met Elizabeth Rought, who was at Newnham and also played hockey, squash and tennis for the university. They married in 1953 and had a daughter Catharine in 1954 and a son Christopher in 1956. John and Elizabeth celebrated 65 years of happy marriage just a few weeks before she died in 2018.

John returned to Repton for reunions over the years and was delighted to be invited to open a new hockey pitch. He particularly enjoyed reading about the achievements of younger Repton hockey players.

John and Elizabeth lived in a village outside Peterborough for over 40 years until their final move to a flat next door to a care home in South West London. He died in March 2022 after a short illness.

Catharine Madgin (Daughter)

He studied Engineering at Cambridge University and thoroughly enjoyed his time there. His subsequent career always had an engineering connection. On his retirement, he added to his already considerable workshop a wood lathe, on which he made many beautiful objects, as well as furnishings and bookcases. He was generous with his time helping friends and was known locally as Mr Fix-It.

Always keen on motoring, he owned a TR4 in his bachelor days and toured the continent many times with a pneumatic tent. Latterly he drove a red Mazda MX5 and put many thousands of miles on the clock.

He died peacefully after a long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Jenny Harper-Jones (Wife)

Frank was born in Shrewsbury but being brought up in Wrexham and having many Welsh speaking relations on his father’s side, he was very proud to be considered half Welsh.

His School days at Repton in Derbyshire were very happy. He was not a highflyer, preferring to build radios to communicate with other Schools. Four new boys met at tea with their parents when they were all 13, and they remained firm friends for the rest of their lives. There is just one of them left, Edward Wilkinson who lives in Derbyshire.

Frank loved climbing in Snowdonia and was really at home in the cold and icy conditions skiing in the Swiss mountains.

So, it was ironic that, when he was called up to do National Service, like all young men at the time, he was promptly sent out to Jamaica in the broiling sunshine. He was there at the time of the Coronation in 1953 and, as a 19-year-old lieutenant with a passion for motorbikes, he formed a display team to take part in the celebrations. He was never happier than when telling friends how he had inveigled local garages to donate eight bikes and borrowed others. After two crashed in rehearsals, he formed one new bike out of the bits. They spent many hours roaring round the island, running in these bikes, and the resulting display was memorable.

He went on to read Engineering at Caius College, Cambridge, where he was equally happy. Again, there were four undergraduates on the same landing, Frank and three lawyers, Barry, Brian, and Guy, and they formed a lifelong friendship. They and their wives and families have spent many very happy times together, despite living long distances away from each other.

Frank always had an affinity with the Army, being in the TA for many years, and being Standard Bearer for the local branch of the Royal British Legion until recently. This qualified him to live in the Royal Star & Garter home in High Wycombe, where he would have been very happy. Sadly, he was only a resident for nine days, but he died there very peacefully surrounded by a lot of love and care.

Frank was often known as Mr Fix-it. When he was only 8, his mother’s sewing machine broke down and he asked if he could mend it. She finally agreed, and he fixed the sewing machine – no problem! His workshop was amazing, like an Aladdin’s cave, with everything meticulously boxed and labelled. If needed, he could produce any tool, any size of screw or screwdriver, both metric and imperial, ladders, and towers – and he had a wood lathe and a metal lathe, all in immaculate condition. He had a reputation for helping everyone.

When (Robin) had trouble with a part on his vintage car, Frank proceeded to make a completely new part, and we were able to join the rally and have a wonderful trip round Windsor Great Park in this 100-year-old Cadillac.

His great friend Ron was a cellist and when his bow broke, he was told it couldn’t be mended, and a new bow would cost many thousands of pounds. Frank quietly selected one of his glues and, with the aid of a couple of clamps, mended it perfectly.

As friends reached memorable birthdays, and Ruby, Golden and even Diamond anniversaries, he enjoyed making small dishes in appropriately coloured wood, and adding a silver disc in the middle, with names and dates to commemorate the occasion.

He loved classical music and Beethoven was his idol. In fact, he met Jenny outside the Royal Albert Hall after a concert when he sat in the posh seats and Jenny stood promming. For him it was love at first sight, but Jenny took rather a long time to make up her mind, despite his frequent proposals. For many years they gathered friends to go to Prom concerts, having a picnic and a bottle of wine beside the Serpentine, then walking across to the Albert Hall.

Jenny recounts that Frank always liked to be well dressed and formal, and one warm summer concert she looked around and noted that Frank was the only person among about 5,000 who was wearing a tie!

Frank was very involved with the Royal Institution and really enjoyed going to lectures there – not so long ago these were a black-tie event. He would persuade his friends, Rob, in particular, to go with him and for many years he drove up to London for a wide variety of lectures. He hardly ever missed an exhibition at the Royal Society and went every year with his pals to the Model Engineering Exhibition – like small boys!

It was Frank who introduced Rob to Remap – a group of retired engineers who help elderly and disabled people in their homes by adjusting and adapting their aids and equipment to their own needs. A worthwhile enterprise.

The St George’s Day parties organised by the Lunns were memorable. The entertainments were men only – they dressed as policemen, ladies in crinolines, nymphs, and shepherds, played the toy symphony, but the highlight had to be the Morris Dancing, where eight arthritic chaps danced and leaped about waving hankies and clashing sticks.

Christmas parties at the Larches were held for about 40 years and were a wonderful start to Christmas. There was always a lot of music, with friends providing a quartet, and even the most reluctant were persuaded to do readings in a variety of accents. Frank would get the Baby Burco out of the loft and brew up a highly spiced mulled wine to go with Jenny’s homemade mince pies.

Frank loved his children David and Miranda and had a great interest in his grandchildren – Matthew, Alex, Amélie and Oliver. Although distance separated them, he very much enjoyed taking part in their lives.

Since his father lived till the age of 103, we all expected Frank to do the same. Happily, he reached his 90th birthday – just – and today we will celebrate this, but a few weeks late.

Frank did quite a few jobs around the church, and it is largely due to him climbing up into the belfry that we have a working bell again. May all the bells ring for him – we shall miss him very much. A true gentle gentleman.

It was after one of these Christmas events that they formed a group of technical friends. There was a big scientific discussion going on late into the evening, and the wives were desperate to go home. Jenny suggested giving a dinner just for the chaps, so they could talk science to their hearts’ content. About every two months they went to each other’s houses and willing wives concocted a fabulous dinner, then left them to it. The first dinner was about 27 years ago!

Out of this came the technical holidays, which did include the wives. They began with a visit to CERN in Geneva, where they descended to the depths of the earth to see the Hadron collider, just before it was closed up. Frank organised a cable car trip at Les Aiguilles du Midi, where there is a mile-long stretch of cable between two pylons.

There followed a holiday in Montpelier where they saw the amazingly beautiful Millau Bridge, and Frank and Rob drove to see a solar installation powered by a thousand mirrors.

Since then, they have taken a house each year in UK and first visited the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland, then the pump storage scheme in Dinorwig, the Sizewell B power station in Sussex, as well as the burial mound of Sutton Hoo. The North East proved a great hunting ground for technical innovation, as well as Craster Kippers! A stay in Rye allowed them to visit the underground war rooms near Dover Castle. But it was not all serious stuff, judging by the large number of empty wine bottles they sheepishly dispose of at the end of their week’s stay.

Driving was a great passion of Frank’s and in his youth, he drove all over the continent, camping out in his inflatable tent. He found a way of overinflating the spare tyre on the back of his sports car, then connecting it to the tent. In the pouring rain, his tent would take 30 seconds to inflate, while everyone else was struggling with tent poles and canvas. The only time he complained latterly was when he was barred from driving his nippy little red Mazda sports car, due to being affected by the growing impact of Parkinson’s Disease.

Frank loved his children David and Miranda and had a great interest in his grandchildren – Matthew, Alex, Amélie and Oliver. Although distance separated them, he very much enjoyed taking part in their lives.

Since his father lived till the age of 103, we all expected Frank to do the same. Happily, he reached his 90th birthday – just – and today we will celebrate this, but a few weeks late.

Frank did quite a few jobs around the church, and it is largely due to him climbing up into the belfry that we have a working bell again. May all the bells ring for him – we shall miss him very much. A true gentle gentleman.

15th September 2022

John was born on 13th August 1931 in Nottingham, 3rd child (Michael and Ruth) of Tom and Con Wheatley Price, loving, committed Christians and the founder-leaders of Nottingham boys and girls Crusaders. John was converted aged 12, at a schoolboys’ Christian camp in Herefordshire. The verse that brought him to Christ was Galatians ch.2 v.20.

He went to Repton School, Derbyshire. Head of House (The Cross), 1st XI Hockey, founder of Christian group. He already had a place to read Medicine at Christ’s College, Cambridge, then a clear personal call to the Ministry, at the age of 17. He was accepted by ACCM aged 18 as a National Serviceman. No one today recognizes an early call to the Ministry. Christ’s college withdrew their place, but Emmanuel College [his father’s old college] offered him one for Natural Science.

National Service in the Sherwood Foresters, trained initially by the Warwickshire Regiment at Budbrooke Barracks near Warwick, then came officer training at Eaton Hall near Chester and to the Regiment [1st Battalion] as subaltern in Goslar, Germany 1950-51.

At Emmanuel College, Cambridge 1951-54 he read Natural Science Part 1 and Theology Part 2. He played a bit of hockey and was active in the Christian Union AND had a clear call to missionary service. He was on the Mission Committee for John Stott’s first university mission in 1952, and for Billy Graham in 1955. He was Missionary Secretary for CICCU for a year and Missionary Secretary for then IVF [now UCCF] for a year. While he was CICCU missionary secretary, the Lord spoke to him. that the Christian Union would commit itself to pray that 70 members of the C.U. [numbering 400 plus] would serve God overseas. God honoured this prayer for a Cambridge Seventy, at least 87 actually went and after 30 years, with some still overseas, the average length of service was more than 12 years. In 2016 the Cambridge Centre for Christianity published an 80 Page booklet “The Cambridge Seventy”.

John went to Ridley Hall, Cambridge 1954-56, then ordination in York Minster by Archbishop Michael Ramsey (M’18) to serve as curate in the 40,000-population parish of Drypool, with Dick Willams, behind the East Docks in Hull, under Jim Roxburgh, later the Bishop of Barking. John was there for 3 ¼ years.

A year’s training at the CMS college, Liskeard Lodge was mostly memorable for meeting and getting engaged to Jean, nee Ogilvie (at Foxbury the ladies’ college). He proposed and was accepted just 8 weeks after taking her to see film ‘The Nun’s Story’!

They sailed in September 1960 with 20 or so other missionaries via Suez to Mombasa, by rail across Kenya (on the ’iron snake’) to Tororo, and then by car to Ngora and Kumi respectively, in Teso District of Northeast Uganda. We had to pass a language exam before CMS would let us choose a wedding day and passed the exam in record time. Jean was delivering babies in mud huts. We were married in Ngora pro-cathedral on 26th August 1961. Bishop Stephen Tomusange took the service in English and Ateso. In those days it was not practical for any family to join us. We honeymooned in the highlands of Kenya.

John’s first task was Chaplain to Bishop Stephen, himself a missionary from the south, helping to establish the new Diocese of Soroti, travelling Teso and Karamoja Districts and learning the Ateso language. In due course, he was Vicar of Soroti Cathedral, setting up a multi-racial, multi-lingual parish; Diocesan Secretary and Registrar; first Warden of St. Peter’s Community Centre near the Cathedral, usually having 2 jobs at once and finally was the first Archdeacon of Soroti, having pastoral care under the Bishop for the 5 counties of the North of the Diocese. In each responsibility, the aim was not to set up the job but to Africanise it having helped to train the next man.

All our children were born in Uganda, but our eldest son lived only a matter of hours. While Jean was still in hospital, John took the funeral service for little Andrew whose grave is near our old house.

In 1974 because of Idi Amin, we moved to Kenya for John to be missioner to the Iteso people in Western Kenya, but within days he was asked to be Archdeacon of Maseno North Diocese. We lived in Maseno, on the Equator, for 2 years. The children went to the excellent St.Andrew’s School, Turi (at age of seven or less) and for the final year Jean was Matron to the senior girls. John returning ahead of the family, had 6 months final deputation/ resettling in UK in 1976.

It amused John to be interviewed in 10 Downing Street, and was offered the “run down, but with potential” parish, [11 years decline] of Clevedon St Andrew with St Peter. Then followed 11 years of hard, but rewarding work, building with a small group of loyal, brave and praying people into what the Archdeacon described at the end as one of the major parishes in the Diocese. Highlights included an evangelistic mission led by a team from Ridley Hall, the growth from none to more than 20 Bible Study Groups, a further evangelistic time with the Church Army, the unanimous and bold decision of the PCC to tithe all gifts, which on their initiative was raised by 5% each year for three years, a decision to build a Church Centre with an initial Gift Day for this which raised £38,500 [they had never previously given even a 4 figure sum in 1 day], becoming a training parish, with one excellent curate followed by another and forming a United Parish with Christ Church, Clevedon, so that the Electoral Roll was nearly 600 active people, worshipping in 3 centres. After 11 years, and nearing 56 years of age, it seemed right to move on.

Surprisingly, but excitingly we went to Christ Church, Amsterdam with the Inter-Continental Church Society. By this time Anne had a degree in music, was a trained teacher, Deborah had a math’s degree and held a Short Service Commission in the Royal Signals, Peter was training to be a nurse at the Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, and Stephen had just completed “A” levels. He came with us to Amsterdam for a year before going to Leicester University to read Maths and Economics, getting a PhD in Economics & University lectureship. Peter, after nursing, took a good Honours degree in International Business Studies and has since worked in Pharmaceuticals. The 5 years in Amsterdam were very special, with at least 25 nationalities in Church every Sunday, a congregation losing 33% a year, a demanding range of pastoral work, a church plant and a chaplaincy which became completely self-sufficient financially.

The last but one surprise was a unanimous invitation to be priest in charge of two parishes just outside John’s beloved Peak District of Derbyshire, bringing Matlock Bath & Cromford together in one parish. One highlight was the recruiting and financing of a full-time youth worker of real ability, now ordained has just completed 15 years, in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait, and received an MBE for his work in Kuwait. Another was to lead a party to the Holy Land for 12 days. The final surprise was to receive a letter from The Times to say John was one of the 30 “Preachers of the Year” competition, because, quite deliberately, John had not entered! He did not preach to compete, but to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ. Two short sermons were published, one preached at his mother’s funeral, and the other the still birth of a niece’s baby.

We retired to Melksham, to be near our siblings and John’s father. We were amazed that we could afford a house to retire to, God’s mathematics are a mystery. John’s father, who lived to be 98, had 3 children, 10 grandchildren, and 18 greatgrandchildren. We were reasonably accessible to our scattered children and had a house large enough to welcome at least one family at a time. We were made very welcome there, in the church and town.

Each year for seven winters we went out together under I.C.S as Chaplains to the Thomson Holiday ‘Young at HearT’ programme, going to Paphos in Cyprus, Benalmadena in Spain, Palma Nova in Tenerife, Sousse, and Tunisia twice. Majorca, Alvor in the Algarve, Portugal, and Puerto de la Cruz.

We ‘retired’ again to Knowle and were welcomed by people at Knowle Parish Church and our neighbours, and were close to our family, some to have settled happily in the area. Stephen and his family have since emigrated to Australia. Blessed by our 4 children, 12 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter aged 1.

John is a Canon Emeritus of Soroti Diocese, Church of Uganda. In 1996, John was given a “Certificate of Recognition of Service” by C.M.S. Jean and John were made Life Members of ICS in 2004. John helped in the nearby parish of Barston and two inner City parishes and a little in Knowle.

Sadly, he developed AMD, wet Macular degeneration in 2003, but continued in Ministry coping with sermon notes in Type 72! Then in 2016 Parkinsons was diagnosed and active ministry up front came to an end. He celebrated 60 years as a Priest in ministry on Trinity Sunday 2017 in York Minster with Dick and Su Williams. We celebrated 61 years together and thank the Lord for them.

It is abundantly clear that from all the tributes following his death at 91 that John had an enormous influence on the lives of many people over the years in the many places and countries in which he and Jean ministered. He enabled people to come to a living faith in Jesus Christ and he encouraged them in their Christian discipleship. John was caring pastor, a committed missionary, a faithful biblical preacher, and teacher, an encourager of others and a loving family man.

Jean Wheateley Price (Wife)

Rarely perhaps has Repton produced such an eccentric ‘character’ as Jumbo, someone who was a living legend in his own time, even while still a pupil.

Alastair Morris Barnett, “Jumbo” to all who knew him, was the only child of Doctor Lady Isobel Barnett, a well-known household name in the 1950s and 1960s as a regular BBC broadcaster, “regarded by audiences as elegant and witty, the epitome of the British aristocracy” [ ] (although in fact she owed her title to her husband, Sir Geoffrey, a former Lord Mayor of Leicester). Thankfully for his friends, whilst not the brightest pupil at Repton, he had inherited from his Grande Dame mother the social graces and impeccable manners of a true gentleman, talking softly and politely in beautifully correct English, with a genuine respect for and interest in everyone, irrespective of their status at School or station in life. Indeed, it is probably no exaggeration to say that Jumbo was one of the most popular pupils and ORs of his generation, loved by all, and having neither malice nor enemies, which is why I am surprised that, nearly three years after his death, no-one who knew him better than I did has written a tribute in The Arch

Our friendship at School was short-lived and unusual, with a two-year age gap, as I was a newly-arrived New House scholar in Remove B, and Jumbo a Hall Bim Second (in his third year) who had started in the Third Form. Having both opted to learn German from scratch (with JFMW), we also coincided in the same Chemistry class where I found myself voluntarily sharing a bench, Bunsen burner and similar dangerous equipment with him, when neither of us was particularly scientific nor practical. I have often wondered since, in half-jest, whether I was the only person foolish or brave enough to partner with Jumbo; but I am glad that I did, for he proved to be the antithesis of the typical haughty newly promoted Bim Second when confronted by a bumptious New Youth, even expressing gratitude for my assistance, thereby contributing to assuaging my initial apprehension as a first-time boarder. Thereafter, outside the classroom we often met on the playing fields in our respective Fourth House teams comprising the least sporty boys, until Jumbo left Repton early for an agricultural college. Occasionally I would espy his mother’s Rolls Royce parked outside the Arch, ready to take him out after Sunday morning Mattins. I never met her; but he did meet my mother several times, on whom he left such a lasting impression that for many years thereafter she would often fondly reminisce about her Speech Day encounters with Jumbo in the 400 Hall, especially when she wrote to me (when I was living abroad) to say that Lady Barnett had sadly died. His warmth of character left a similar impression years later on my wife, who always looked forward to and enjoyed meeting him.

Twelve months after I left Repton and so several years since Jumbo had, whilst wandering through Paris one Sunday afternoon in the Spring of 1965 I was unexpectedly confronted by the sight of him walking towards me. “Hello, Andrew”, he said unhesitatingly, “how nice to see you. How are you?” – or words to that effect. Typical Jumbo: the instant recall of my name followed by various facts about me; whereas I, to my shame, in order to introduce him to my companion, had to ask him for his real Christian name! It may possibly have been that unfaltering memory that had contributed to him earning his eponymous nickname, with no need for a surname. Many years later, at one of the last OR Dinners in the 2010s when we often sat together, he gave an extraordinary display of that memory when the then President challenged us with an impromptu quiz about Repton life and slang in the 1950s.

It was impossible not to recognise Jumbo at those OR Dinners, Days and Gaudies, since (after leisurely driving to School over several days and staying in the same Bed and Breakfast establishment down Boot Hill) he inevitably appeared in full Highland Regalia - a nod to his Scottish ancestry on his mother’s side - albeit slightly dishevelled which only added to his charm.

Despite his lack of academic prowess, Jumbo persevered with his German, writing in that language to JFMW each birthday and/or Christmas, and receiving back the corrections!

In later years, Alastair - as I preferred to call him – loved to travel, sometimes taking cruises back-to-back. Let us hope that he has at last found a safe resting place. As he might have tried to say: “Ruhe in Frieden, mein Freund”.

Andrew Williamson (N’59) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isobel_Barnett [Accessed: July 2022]

Dr Edward Beesley (H’83)

21st February 1970 – 12th December 2022

‘I was fortunate to work with Ed Beesley at Rugby School for seven years at the start of my teaching career. Ed was hugely charismatic, had boundless energy and enthusiasm, and was an outstanding Head of History and House Master. The boys in School Field worshipped him, and he was great supporter of each and every boy in his care. He was kind, patient, humorous, as well as challenging in the right waythe teaching profession has lost an extraordinary ‘School Master’. My thoughts are with Lizzie, Augusta and Theo.’

Mark Semmence (Headmaster)

21st February 1970 – 12th December 2022

Edward Beesley joined The Hall in Mike Charlesworth’s last year as Housemaster in Michaelmas 1983. He had been recruited into the school by the Head of Tennis, Roger Thompson, as one of the country’s most talented tennis players at U14 level.

He preferred to spend his days at Repton broadening his horizons beyond tennis, but he had an abiding love for the game, particularly for the creative artistry of John McEnroe and later of Roger Federer. After A Levels we went to watch the 1988 Wimbledon final together, played over three days due to rain delays, an experience made possible by Andreas Graham (M’83) allowing us to stay at his Fulham home on consecutive evenings. During one rain delay Ed and I talked our way into the apartment where Stefan Edberg’s coach Tony Pickard was shielding his protégé, enabling us to spend time in the company of that year’s Wimbledon champion.

As a schoolboy, Ted (as he was then known) was the teacher’s nightmare: unkempt, often late for lessons, frequently with the wrong books, often reeking of nicotine, always looking for the weakness to exploit or the argument to provoke. His subversiveness, indolence and bravado were overlaid with a good deal of charm and charisma, which kept him out of serious trouble. Among his peers, Ted was funny, fearless and empathetic – qualities which served him well in his later career as a schoolmaster.

Like many of us at Repton at the time, he was an extra in the 1984 television series Goodbye Mr Chips. In the Hall, we regarded Housemaster Mike Charlesworth as our very own Mr Chips. Ed was heavily influenced by his charismatic, fair and kind approach to school mastering.

After the family moved from Oxfordshire to the Welsh border village of Bettws-y-Crwyn, Ed studied history (a love of which he shared with his father Jock) at Lampeter, University of Wales, before gaining a PhD at the University of Bristol. He spent many years teaching at Rugby School, including a spell running a day pupils’ House.

As a leading expert on Cromwell and the English Civil War, he would dedicate school holidays to historical research in the British Library, and he occasionally caught up with Marcus Barnett (H’83) and me over a pint at the Betjeman Arms at St Pancras Station. At the time of his death, he was Head of History at St Paul’s School for Boys, Hammersmith. He entered Repton in form 3E.

Edward Beesley died in December 2022 of a heart attack. He leaves a wife Lizzie, two stepchildren Augusta and Theo, and possibly one of the country’s largest David Bowie collections of vinyl. An online book of condolence has been opened on the St Paul’s School website. His 2022 lecture on the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II can be found here.

Jim left School at 16 and joined the family firm. When the firm was sold to Jewsons, Jim set up on his own. He branched out into timber-frame housing, building a number of bungalows on the grounds of the family home and across Powys and Shropshire, including his own. A fire dealt a catastrophic blow to the business in the early 1970s, and from then on his focus turned to letting commercial property.

Other than cars, Jim had a deep interest in trees, from both commercial and academic perspectives. He planted a number of redwoods at Lletyderw, which are now in excess of 100ft in height. He was a long-term member of the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales and was the local branch chair for a time in the 1970s.

Jim died peacefully at home in Wales at the age of 91. The son of a successful timber merchant and the youngest of four children, he was brought up on the Welsh borders. Jim was educated first at Oswestry School and then later he boarded at Repton. His favourite story recounted the time the boys made an ice slide across the playground during a particularly cold spell, onto which the Headmaster then unwittingly drove inhis new Morris 8, resulting in a collision with the wall at the bottom of the hill - a fitting end to a Morris 8.

Jim grew up with pre-war cars. His first car was a Riley 9 Biarritz handme-down from his sister. He recognised Riley quality and such was his enthusiasm for the marque that he and a band of fellow enthusiasts founded the Riley Register in 1954 - a club that still provides a focus, wealth of information and spare parts for Riley owners all over the world. He joined the Vintage Sports-Car Club in 1952, taking part in driving tests, rallies and trials.

After retirement he was able to branch out into pre first-world-war cars, which included the friction-drive Metz, a Hudson Super Six and the 12/16 Sunbeam Sports. He was very generous in lending his cars to his children to use for fun, holidays and competition. Although not particularly competitive, he delighted in their successes and commiserated in the inevitable failures and breakdowns - neveronce a cross word for a seized engine, broken crankshaft or lost wheel.

Jim was quite shy by nature, although that did not stop him sharing his views robustly on occasion. He mellowed greatly, however, and thoroughly enjoyed being a grandfather. He had a great sense of humour and enjoyed a sense of the ridiculous. Jim leaves his wife Liz, his children Matthew, Duncan and Jenny, and eight grandchildren.

Duncan Cartwright

© Spring Bulletin of the Vintage Sports-Car Club – www.vssc.co-uk

1st February 1943 – 18th May 2021

Died peacefully at home at Dinton Croft on 18th May 2021 aged 78.

He was much loved by his wife Sarah, his children Katie and Harry and grand-children Molly, Lara, Hugo, Holly and Flora.

10th September 1932 – 25th April 2022

Dearly loved father, father-in-law, grandfather, and friend who is now at peace. Stewart always spoke fondly of his time at Repton.

3rd April 1931 – 23rd July 2022

Since his death in July 2022, many official obituaries of Martin have appeared in sundry publications and on the internet, such was his wide-spread impact on the world of church music, especially as the founder (in 1965) of the Royal School Church of Music’s successive Chorister Training Schemes.

Personally, I owe him a great debt of gratitude ever since, in the mid-1980s, he unexpectedly joined the congregation of Emmanuel Church, South Croydon, where I was Director of Music. Although I knew who he was – a Commissioner of the RSCM at nearby Addington Palace – it was not until he invited me home to dinner and casually remarked that I conducted like Mervyn Williams that I realised he was an OR.

That evening was a major turning point in my life as an amateur church musician, since he was able to advise, and subsequently mentor, me in formally training and qualifying as a non-keyboard playing church choirmaster (achieving a Diploma in Church Music) in the days when most organists also fulfilled that role.

Later on, after moving away from Croydon, I was able to apply with confidence and success for music posts at other churches which would otherwise have been beyond my capabilities - most recently the prestigious Maidstone Parish Church, from which ill health forced me to retire only a few days before he died: a coincidence or divine intervention?

4th August 1955 – 3rd February 2022