The Orchard

30th August 1944 – 9th January 2022

John died peacefully on 9th January at home, from cancer, aged 77. Dearly loved and loving husband of Ann, much loved father of Diane, Anthony and James and a devoted grandfather to his seven grandchildren. Very dear brother of Bill, Richard and Philip (all ORs) and Liz. He will be greatly missed by everyone.

Ann Foster (Wife)

2nd November 1952 – 4th February 2022

Richard was born on 2nd November 1952 in Surbiton. Richard enjoyed all sports and would often play golf with his grandfather, who lived close by. His other favourite pursuit was fishing. At Repton Richard was really into hockey and was in the county hockey team in Nottingham. The family moved to Nottingham when Richard was around 14 years old.

He also really loved his languages - he did Classics and Modern Languages, which led to his love of France and many family holidays there. He even spent a year camping in a tent while working in Dijon in a pharmaceutical factory. He made friends with a local family and virtually became an adopted son. Richard also became a fan of fine food through this time spent in Dijon, particularly loving desserts, and sweet treats.

He trained as an accountant and worked his way up to being a finance director. Richard was blessed with entrepreneurial flair. He bought a franchise called Snap on Tools. This stood him in good stead, and he was able to blend his financial expertise with his business skills to great effect.

Richard then went to London and got a job in the city, which is where he met Heidi in the office where they both worked. They married on 17th May 1986. The couple first lived in Blackheath, then they moved to Southampton where their children, Ben and Elizabeth were born. The family enjoyed lots of lovely holidays to France and Spain camping, as well as further afield to Thailand, Australia and Florida.

In 1999 Richard was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. He was only 47, which thankfully meant that his symptoms were very mild at first. He retired in 2007 due to his health gradually declining. This gave him the time to return to the golf course, which he loved. He was a good player and was on the course as often as he could be and achieved a good handicap.

The last 10 years have been more challenging, but Richard wanted to do everything he could to help others who were suffering with this debilitating disease and so a large part of his life was spent raising money and awareness in whichever way he could.

Richard enjoyed his life, and he lived it to the full. He was kind, warm and humorous and the master of terrible jokes! He was very easy to talk to, good fun, and he loved a party, always the first to arrive and the last to leave.

It was with great sadness that I learnt of Nick’s death whilst the choral music of the last night of the 2022 Oberammergau Passion Play was still freshly ringing in my ears. During our time together at Repton (1959-1964), he was surely one of the best senior singers, if not the best: to quote one of our classmates, in recalling Nick: “I only have a fond memory of Nick very beautifully singing Schubert lieder in front of an audience at Pears School”. That too is one of my lasting memories of Nick, having come second to him in singing competitions on various occasions. In his last year, he was deservedly appointed as Mervyn Williams’ last Head Chorister; and as such was, I like to think, instrumental in ensuring that Bill Agnew (N’45) - then Deputy Director of Music - succeeded Mervyn as Director of Music by nonverbally encouraging the Chapel Choir to perform best for Bill’s audition.

We first met in the summer of 1959, when sitting the gruelling scholarship entrance examination, the only time that I ever outperformed Nick. (For example: shortly after entering the School as a Classics Exhibitioner, he successfully gained a Foundation Scholarship the following year, which some of us did not). After O Levels, we parted company academically, Nick studying Classics, and I Modern Languages.

Our paths continued to cross, however, both chorally and across the chess board, with Nick eventually pipping me to Captain of Chess in our final year, when the School Team comprised Boards 1 (him), 3 and 5 from The Priory, and Boards 2 (me), 4 and 6 from New House. Unsurprisingly, to ensure that The Priory would win the House Matches that season, Nick only ever needed to play just the once when both our Houses met in the very last round!

Despite our seeming rivalry as singers and chess players, and belonging to different Houses, we were good friends, renewing our friendship after retirement when we both found ourselves living only a few miles apart in Maidstone in the mid-2010s. Indeed, shortly after we moved to Maidstone, Nick emailed to apologise for not welcoming us immediately on arrival! Sadly, however hard I tried, I could never persuade Nick to sing in the Parish Church Choir of the county town of Kent, where I was choirmaster. He did, however, join my sporadic coffee morning gathering of tenors, who not surprisingly welcomed him with open arms: indeed, one of them turned out to be his insurance broker!

In 2011, Nick attended a reunion of Mike Charlesworth’s 1959 Remove B, ahead of which he wrote the following resumé of his life after Repton, starting with the premise that his main trait was “curiosity – a mixed blessing”. Out of respect, I have not altered the original:

Professional Life

“If I’d heard of Social Anthropology, I’d probably have taken my first degree in it. In the event, thanks mainly to John Thorn [Headmaster], ‘Sworth (Charlesworth, Form Master Remove B) and Percy (Proctor, Form Master V2A), I glimpsed the riches of English Literature and opted for that – ditching Theology, as Church people seemed so implausibly smug. Then: 5 years with Unilever (in my second year as Domestos brand manager - it was Lever Brothers’ biggest profit-earner); Masters at London Business School, followed by apprenticeship as management researcher, teacher, consultant; Lectureship in Management at a nameless university, where a psychopathic professor cured me –and others – of further academic aspiration.

Subsequently: 28 years of divers interesting activities, with mixed success, e.g.: running management courses with, and for, some special people; serving as Trustee for two small national charities, including 3 years as Chair of the National Association for Premenstrual Syndrome (yes, I told them they should have a clinician, but with good access to world-class clinicians they said they liked how I helped them work together); and serving as Churchwarden, then Treasurer of a liberal C of E Parish until the hosts of Barchester prevailed, and I left”.

“I have come to appreciate Jung’s dictum that life gets easier as one surrenders one’s illusions about other people (and, perhaps, about oneself).

Now, and for the past 18 years, I live with the gifted and burdened Lynette” to whom I observed him to be a devoted husband, in later years gifting her a magnificent Welsh harp.

Out of respect for Nick who, like many scholars, did not appreciate the supremacy of sporting prowess over academic success under John Thorn’s predecessor, and in the spirit of “warts and all”, I quote his unexpurgated comments:

“I took Lynette to visit Repton a decade ago, ahead of her teaching practice at Tonbridge School as a mature PGCE student. It was half-term, deserted, but a most hospitable groundsman showed us round – a real credit to the School. At the New Parade Ground sports centre we met a football coach apparently seconded from Derby County, who reminded me of all I had disliked most about the bullying presumption of some (not all) of my games-heroic peers. After enjoying the ethos of The Priory about as much as John Thorn seemed to enjoy Repton itself, I haven’t maintained contact. This is a shame – staff offered many expressive opportunities, away from the House, that I remain grateful for and that have shaped me”.

Happily, however, Nick and Lynette did eventually accompany Eileen and me to, and enjoy, a Gaudy in the late 2010s. Coincidentally, I think that Nick and I were the first Old Reptonians that our respective wives met: in Eileen’s case, bumping into him on an Ostend-Dover overnight ferry in 1970.

I am sure that the heavenly choir will benefit from Nick joining it; and that he will continue to enjoy listening to Lynette playing the harp, perhaps even singing along with her, albeit from afar.

Andrew Williamson (N’59)

Jill Winifred Pellow

18th December 1934 – 9th December 2021

Former Staff – 1978 to 1995

In 1979, at a cost of £350,000, The Abbey opened as a purpose-built permanent home for Repton’s girls, with Jill and Gerry Pellow as its joint Houseparents. The House, which the Daily Mail described on its opening as a “modern luxury block”, was built to accommodate sixty sixth-form girls and was full by its second year.

Not only were Jill and Gerry caring Houseparents, they were also both great and extraordinarily well-travelled assets to the Geography department. Indeed, their partnership dated from their time together as Cambridge geographers, who were united not only by their academic interests but also by their passion for and prowess at sport, with Jill a netball blue and Gerry a football one. Both entered the teaching profession after university although Gerry became a member of the Repton Common Room some years before being joined by Jill, in 1978, the intervening years for her involving teaching at St Wystan’s and elsewhere as well as bringing up their three daughters, Sara (A 1977), Tessa (A 1979) and Susie (A 1982).

Jill firmly believed that girls had as much right as boys to be present at Repton and had the potential to be even greater contributors to School life: an article of faith which she was never shy about preaching not only to the boys themselves but also, on occasion, to their Housemasters. Competition for Abbey places was indeed so great that Jill could justifiably echo Miss Jean Brodie in describing its members as the crème de la crème and under her and Gerry’s able stewardship the Abbey rapidly became a centre of academic, sporting, dramatic, artistic and musical excellence, with its post-music competitions concert in particular setting the standard for all other Houses. The much-appreciated annual House trips to a West End Show also blazed a path in terms of extracurricular cultural enrichment.

Jill also strongly believed that the Abbey should be a half-way house between School and university. Some girls may have resented Shape-Up, the compulsory aerobics session, and others doubtless felt that Jill cramped their style - literally when she checked a soaring hemline or plunging neckline - but these things were imposed, as they would eventually come to realise, with their best interests at heart and she was always careful to treat her charges as adults, which encouraged a mutual respect and ultimately resulted in a higher standard of behaviour. Jill was always firm but scrupulously fair in implementing any punishment of misdemeanours, being ready to discipline when the circumstances demanded it but also very quick to forgive the wayward.

Her determination to stick up for her girls and House was exceptionally valuable at a time when the School was still an overwhelmingly and sometimes intimidatingly male environment. For example, it was not until 1994 that the School had a Senior Mistress and not until 2002 that the practice of appointing a Head Boy and a Head Girl became the norm. Thus, it is a tribute not only to the exceptional qualities of Carol Miles but also to Jill and Gerry’s work in raising the profile of girls in the School that Carol became the first female Head Prefect in 1984. Jill certainly knew all the strengths –and foibles – of her girls to an astonishing degree: her House Supper poems detailing both for each girl in rhyme were a tribute both to her wit and omniscience.

In seemingly small as well as large matters, Jill was keenly aware of the need for Abbey girls to present themselves in the best possible light as when, after notices one day, she reminded the House that hanging their swimming costumes and towels from their windows risked making it look like a downmarket Spanish hotel. Her concern for her girls’ well-being sometimes even allegedly extended to her listing those boys best avoided and those of whom she and Gerry approved. However, human nature being what it is, that probably meant the kiss of death for the latter and kisses of a very different kind for the former.

The story that the succession of Abbey dogs - Wilbur, George and Hobson - were specifically trained by Jill to respond aggressively to the mere sight of a trousered leg, when such was the exclusive prerogative of the male, may well be as apocryphal as the claim that Abbey dishes were heavily laced with garlic prior to any Social. It is, however, almost certainly true that Jill was the member of staff who notched up most entries in the School magazine as she worked tirelessly backstage in the wardrobe department over many years for all staff, house and School plays at a time when drama was regarded as a team-building exercise almost on a par with sport, and productions were legion. Not only was her knowledge of the costume store legendary but her dedication was such that she even added to its stock by knitting facsimile of chain mail armour!

In Goodbye Mr Chips, towards the end of his life, Mr Chipping fondly reminisces about all the children he’d encountered in his career, “And all boys.”

The Repton students who benefited from Jill’s ethic of service were not all girls but it is as Abbey Housemistress, 1979-1993 that ‘Ma’ Pellow, ably supported by Gerry and Matron/Housekeeper Jude, will be best and most fondly remembered, with a twinkle in her eye calmly, confidently and capably overseeing the advent of the Abbey as a physical House, lovingly tending to its growth, providing a strong role model for and fostering the individual talents of its members, and ultimately playing a key role in the School successfully becoming fully coeducational.

John Plowright Former Staff (1987 to 2016)

Standing:

Patricia Wilmot

David Wilkinson

Peter Bradburn

Russell Muir

John Billington

William Bryant

Alan Watkinson

Christopher Richmond

John Green

Mike Charlesworth

John Fleming

Colin Carrington

Jill Pellow

Edward Fairbairn

Tim Scott

Seated:

Anne Green

Fiona Scott

Bernice McLaren

Peggy Price

Fiona Fairbairn

Dorothy Gladwin

June Ratcliffe

January 1940 – 19th October 2021, (non-academic)

June Greenfield was born in Burton-onTrent and her family, like many in that area, worked, directly or indirectly, for the brewing industry. After secretarial college, she too would go on to work in the accounts department of one of the major breweries, learning to use one of the early electro-mechanical calculating machines.

June’s connection to Repton School goes back to when she met her husband to be, Pete Ratcliffe. They met at a village dance and became engaged during a family holiday to Sunderland, marrying in 1962, and living for most of their married life on Tanners Lane. A few years after the birth of their son she started working at the School Shop, then situated in what is now the gallery and business centre by the Cross. In those days, as well as providing all the uniforms, books, and sporting goods for the School, it was also very much a shop for the whole village. She continued to work there, eventually becoming manager, until retirement.

During this time there were many changes, including the shop moving to within the School grounds to become part of the grubber. But there were also opportunities, such as the racket re-stringing business, when she was, technically at least, Pete’s boss.

For several years June and Pete also ran the Junior Common Room bar, something they both enjoyed greatly, and this really emphasised that to them Repton School was more than just a job but a major part of their lives, providing many lasting friendships.

Outside of the School, June loved musical theatre and attended many productions both locally and further afield. She was also an avid reader, with an interest in history, particularly fascinated the Viking excavations that took place around Repton.

Following retirement close contact was maintained with the School which continued after Pete passed away. It is difficult, at times, to separate the lives of June and Pete from each other. Their involvement with the School was both work and social and something they were proud of and passionate about and as such will be remembered by many generations of students and staff.

Despite attending a local grammar School with a good reputation, Battersea Grammar School, Peter was not a strong academic in his teenage years. Instead, he began to show an aptitude for playing the piano and eventually an interest in the organ. His parents arranged for him to have organ lessons with a local teacher of distinction, Dr Arthur Stacey, who himself had been a chorister of the Temple Church under Walford Davies and knew the great George Thalben-Ball. Indeed, Dr Stacey once took his young organ pupil to a service at the Temple, where Peter was allowed up into the organ loft to observe GT-B accompanying a Handel anthem from a full orchestral score, whilst turning round to hold a conversation with his new young acquaintance!

June was cremated at Bretby Crematorium in November 2021 the service was conducted by Bob Short, former School Chaplain and for some years June and Pete’s neighbour on Tanners Lane.

Personal note: Writing this about my mother brings to the end three generations of my family’s association with Repton School: great-grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, father, and mother all lived and worked there. I was brought up within this environment and have many happy memories as a youngster, ranging from watching sporting events, to summer days spent at the old outdoor swimming pool and various theatre productions. I will never forget the kindness shown by so many current and former students and staff over the years.

Gary Ratcliffe (Son)

Peter John Williams

25th February 1943 – 13th January 2022

Former Staff – 1992 to 2003

Born in wartime Kings Lynn, Norfolk, Peter was brought up for the first three years of his life by a doting group of familial women – his mother, her twin sister and his maternal grandmother. Like many of his generation he didn’t set eyes on his father until he was three, which perhaps explained their slightly uneasy relationship until later life. Peter was to be joined seven years later by younger brother Robert and the family moved to Streatham in London only a few years after that.

In his late teens Peter won a place to study music with the organ as his specialism at the Royal College of Music in London, where he was given over as a student to Dr Sidney Campbell, then Director of Music at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. The ‘Old Man’ took a shine to his young protégé and quickly had him living within the castle, first working as his P.A. and then upon graduation from college as the first ever organ scholar at St George’s. Since then the scheme has seen well over a hundred young organists follow in Peter’s footsteps and use it as a stepping stone to becoming a professional organist.

In 1966 he took up a position as SubOrganist at York Minster to Dr Francis Jackson, who himself has died very recently at the distinguished age of 104. There he met Margaret, later to become his wife of fifty-three years, who herself was well-known in York musical circles as accompanist of the York Musical Society and a founder member of the Chapter House Choir. Their liaison caused a change of direction for them both and the following year saw Peter embark upon a teaching course at the Institute for Education in London.

After a few years of rebuilding, Peter and Margaret moved to Manchester where they would take jobs teaching music at Birley High School and Chetham’s Hospital School (very shortly then to become Chetham’s School of Music). They lived in a large flat above two opera singers, Caroline Crawshaw and Patrick McGuigan (who sadly died in 2019) and enjoyed a rich and varied musical life centred around Chet’s, Manchester Cathedral and Holy Trinity Salford, where Peter practised the organ in preparation for his FRCO exam in which he was awarded the Lympus Prize. There were a number of very talented musical students of the time with whom they were lucky to work, including Peter Donahoe, Catherine Edwards and David Hill. They were married in the area in 1969.

The early 1970s saw a move to Halifax in West Yorkshire, where Peter became Head of Music at Crossley and Porter School (later Crossley Heath) and consequently Director of Music at St Jude’s Parish Church. He and Margaret also founded the Taverner Choir of Halifax, a chamber choir for talented amateur singers from the area. Professionally Peter flourished, studying for a MA at Leeds University and building a fine reputation as a music educator, organist and choral conductor. Personal happiness evolved further too, as in 1977 Thomas was born after much hope and prayer.

Some years later, after it became clear he shared his parents’ aptitude for music and became a chorister of Ripon Cathedral, Peter was prompted to give up his church job at St Jude’s and become a weekend Layclerk in the Cathedral Choir. Five more years of happy music-making followed, Peter enjoying being a cog within a successful machine, rather than having the responsibility to run it. Many friends were made with much humour ensuing in a happy period of his life.

At the age of forty-nine he made the sideways professional step from working as a teacher in the State Sector to becoming Chapel Organist of Repton School, where he also headed up the academic music teaching. Whilst at Repton, he became involved with another adult chamber choir, The Sitwell Singers and eventually became their conductor. As with Taverner in Halifax, many exciting and successful projects blossomed from their partnership and both choirs vastly enriched his musical working life. He also highly valued his friendship and working relationship with the singers of St Wystan’s Church in Repton, their organist Terry Bennett and his colleagues and friends in the Derby Organists Association, of which he was the President for a time.

He retired in 2003 at the age of Sixty and enjoyed a good decade plus of freelance organ playing, piano accompanying, choral conducting and choral singing, much of which gravitated towards Leicester. He had a positive association with Leicestershire Chorale and WQE

Sixth Form College. He played regularly for Anglo-Catholic Mass at St Aidan’s Church in New Parks, for Neil Page at St Barnabas Cathedral in Nottingham and twice for the Bardi Symphony Orchestra in De Montfort Hall.

His happiest association in retirement however was with his grandson George, with whom he had a strong and supportive relationship. In 2018 Peter was diagnosed with MDA, a rare form of blood cancer, but through the support and amazing care of the Haematology Team at Queen’s Hospital in Burton and his Consultant Dr Humayun Ahmad, he enjoyed four further years of quality life. His ending was calm, peaceful and pain-free, with Margaret and Tom at his bedside listening to all his favourite choral and organ music from a life well-lived and well-loved. We are very grateful for the expert care given to him by both the Palliative Care Team at Queen’s Burton and the amazing nurses and carers of Barton Cottage Hospital Wing.

Thomas Williams (Son)