FAREWELLS

The Abbey

Caroline Mary Smart (A’73) on 22nd October 2020.

Brook House

Nicholas John Dicker (B’56) on 6th March 2021. Anthony Scott Holmes (B’51) on 3rd August 2020. Kenneth Christopher West (B’59) on 8th August 2021.

The Cross

John Jamieson Black (C’76) on 13th August 2021. John Corfield Bottomley (C’53) on 8th February 2021. David Dixon Hewitt (C’45) on 26th March 2021. Tim Jones (C’96) on 22nd April 2021. Ralph Acland Spreckley (C’46) on 16th January 2021. Patrick Hallowes Vaughan (C’57) on 1st April 2021.

The Hall

Robert George Blomfield (H’51) on 14th December 2020. David Lawrence Bumstead (H’55) on 27th December 2018. John Campbell Clothier (H’57) on 16th March 2020. Andrew Philip Corn (H’48) on 31st May 2021. Robert Charles Cotton (H’39) on 8th August 2020. Peter Geoffrey Dawson (H’33) on 20th December 2019. Patrick Michael Franklin-Adams (H’58) on 18th November 2020. Derek Martin Fuller (H’68) in 2021. Thomas Henry Simon Kunzer (H’46) on 7th June 2021. Robert John Leach (H’49) on 20th May 2021. Andrew Ronald Emilius Laurie (H’58) on 3rd September 2021. Christopher John Phillips (H’48) on 14th May 2021. Ben (Humphry Stuart Loftus) Tottenham (H’36) on June 14th 2021.

Latham House

Alan Charles Carruthers (L’49) on 19th November 2020. Philip Anthony Crowe (L’50) on 14th June 2021. Ian George Wilson (L’52) on 20th January 2021.

The Mitre

Robert Hollinshead (M’31) on 1st January 2021. Michael Alfred Johnson (M’60) in 2020. Anthony Hugh Thornton (M’43) on 31st January 2021.

New House

David Hamilton Ball (N’45) on 19th July 2020. Mr Alan G F Frazer (N’92) in 2021 John Frederick Larard (N’52) on 31st January 2021. John Oliver Maxwell Robotham (N’42) and Governor on 29th January 2021.

The Orchard

Peter Henry Gray (O’53) on 24th December 2019. John Anthony (Tony) Ostick (O’47) on 10th June 2021. Richard Geoffrey Wilkes (O’42) on 21st June 2021.

Priory House

Simon Andrew Bullock (P’55) on 19th April 2020. Philip Hextall (P’44) on 5th June 2021. Anthony Charles Hungerford Morgan (P’47) on 25th November 2020.

Former Staff

Heather Hawkins on 31st March 2021. James McLaren on 28th March 2020. Dr George Edward Pearson on 29th August 2020. June Ratcliffe on 19th October 2021, (non-academic). Tim Scott on 3rd December 2020.

Remembering our Loved Ones

The OR office has received many wonderful memories of Old Reptonians, each with their own unique story. To allow our OR community to read this collection of memories, we have created an online Obituary for each submission that will be published in our digital magazine, Repton Life.

There is no word limit for these documents and the OR office can send out a printed copy to family members and close friends upon request. Historical copies of Repton Life can also be viewed on the Repton Life Alumni networking platform. If you would like to make a submission for the annual printed Arch publication, please provide an edited version of no more than 300 words, along with a photograph if available. The deadline for the next edition is 31st August 2022.

If you wish to receive a printed copy of any Obituaries, please contact the OR Office directly and we would be very happy to post these to you – or@repton.org.uk

Caroline Mary Smart (A’73)

16th August 1957 – 22nd October 2020

Caroline was one of the first girls to attend Repton in September 1973.

Nicholas John Dicker (B’56)

17th November 1942 – 6th March 2021

Nicholas died peacefully at home, early in the morning of 6th March 2021. He was fighting cancer (pancreas, liver, stomach wall and bowel). It was hard, draining and painful – but mercifully quick. He died at home with his daughter at his side, holding his hand as he slipped away.

Nigel Dicker (B’54)

Anthony Scott Holmes (B’51)

5th August 1945 – 8th August 2021

Anthony sadly passed away from a stroke on 3rd August 2020. He was a pupil at Repton in the fifties, joining from Foremarke Hall Preparatory School. After Repton, he read law at Caius College Cambridge and went on to have a successful career as a shipping lawyer. He attended a reunion at Foremarke Hall in 2015 and much enjoyed it.

Kenneth Christopher West (B’59) 5th August 1945 – 8th August 2021

Kenneth Christopher died peacefully on 8th August 2021, aged 76, at home, after a short illness, bravely borne, with loving support from sister-in-law Rowan. Much loved husband of the late Josephine, brother to Prue, John and the late David. He will be greatly missed by everyone.

John Jamieson Black (C’76)

9th June 1963 – 13th August 2021

John died suddenly and unexpectedly on 13th August aged 58. Loving son of Jenny and devoted father of Jock, Jamie and Jono. A truly remarkable man known by so many who will be forever missed.

John Corfield Bottomley (C’53)

25th July 1939 – 8th February 2021

I knew JCB, whom to his OR friends we called ‘Botters’, for 70 years from our days at Foremarke. He was 2 or 3 years older than I, and when I arrived in 1951, he had already made his mark and was Head of Stanton House and in the cricket and football 1st XIs.

His fame went before him as he entered Repton, going into the Cross - a suspected bit of collusion between David Carr (C’37), master in charge of football and cricket at Foremarke, and Bill Blaxland, Housemaster of the Cross and known for his effective scouting from prep schools feeding Repton.

In the relatively short time John was at Repton, from May ’53 to December ‘56, The Cross won trophy after trophy on the cricket and football fields.

JCB left school and became an auctioneer, but this didn’t suit him, and he then followed his maternal grandfather and became a farmer after a spell at Cirencester Agricultural College at the same time as Neil Alston (N’56) who, among others, became life-long friends.

I lost touch for twenty years until I returned to the area where I grew up and went to Repton only to find that Botters was farming cattle, sheep, and arable crops up the road at Isley Walton. In 1989 when he and Ann converted their barn into bedrooms, they ran a successful B&B business with Ann taking the reins – a role reversal which took a bit of getting used to for John. But they were a great team, and this was exemplified by John’s support of Ann’s Hospice Hope charity work.

During all this time, indeed for the next 42 years, we enjoyed the company and hospitality of John and Ann and observed the success of his work and pastimes. A constant and devoted Rotarian, he was a founding member of the Castle Donington Branch in 1974 and was its President in 1988/89. A Rotarian friend reflected that John epitomised the Rotary motto of “Service before Self”. He was always at the centre of things, doing good works and going about them in an unassuming modest way, never seeking the limelight nor any glory. His fellow Rotarians regarded him as a true gentleman, and for his many efforts he was awarded one of the highest accolades bestowed in Rotary, that of the Paul Harris Fellowship.

John Bottomley was not a demonstrative man, but he was generous and kind and would do anything and everything for Ann, his children Sarah and Katie and grandson Harry. They were his priority but his hospitality and that of Ann, was enjoyed by the many friends they had. He was a tough old boot whose actions spoke louder than words and was held with great affection by so many. Ann received 250 cards and numerous letters of condolence when John died.

I enjoyed his company immensely and will miss him terribly, especially when putting the world to right over pints of his favourite Pedigree on a Friday evening at the Malt Shovel in Worthington. He did have a bit of a reputation for finding something to grumble about, but this was part of his charm and any criticism he levied was never in malice. He certainly would have no cause to grumble at the love and affection that have been displayed since he died to the great comfort of Ann, the children and Harry.

John Hings (P’55)

Tim Jones (C’96)

22nd May 1983 – 22nd April 2021

Jonah (Tim), the name many of you will remember him by during his time at Repton, sadly passed away due to cancer.

This was unexpected and a huge shock to all close to him. A keen musician, Tim gained a music scholarship to Repton where he played the violin and piano. Tim was an incredibly funny and confident person right from the start at school. He was never fazed, intelligent, musically talented and hugely popular. Tim enjoyed his sports, especially his 4th House football and 3rd XI Cricket. It was during the house unisons where Tim made a name for himself, and he wrote himself into Repton folklore with his escapades.

Tim left Repton and went on to do a degree in Music at Bristol University; during this time he released an album “Gotta Get Thru To You”, which went into the UK charts.

Tim went on to do a masters at Bristol before moving to London to embark on his career in media. Working for a variety of media firms in London from 2005, Tim worked his way from being a media planner to becoming the Managing Director of Red Star for Dentsu. Tim’s greatest success at Dentsu was when he met his wife, Lucy, with whom he shared a very special bond. They married on the 22nd August 2020 in Chelsea, London. Repton created an incredible bond between us and the close group of friends we still have to this day. Throughout his life Tim was very much the life and soul of the party, great fun to be around, great oneliners, great friendship, very loyal, generous and caring. There was never a bad word to say about Jonah.

We all feel so blessed to have grown up with Tim and revelled in his effervescent humour which shone through even in the direst times. Jonah – it’s never goodbye and only ever see you later. Keep the piano warm for us and we will harmonise again.

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/ timothy-jones

Tim Smith (N’96), Matthew Bracegirdle (O’96) and Richard Alsop (L’96)

David Dixon Hewitt (C’45)

30th April 1931 – 26th March 2021

David died peacefully in hospital on 26th March, aged 89 years. Loving husband to Maggie and much-loved uncle to Simon and Sara, David will be greatly missed by family and friends.

Ralph Acland Spreckley (C’46)

26th June 1932 – 16th January 2021

A true gentleman. He was a kind and very well-respected family man, whose advice, amusing anecdotes and love will be remembered by all who knew him. Devoted husband to Jennifer for 57 years and amazing father to William and Joanna. He will also be greatly missed by his 3 grandchildren and 5 greatgrandchildren.

Robert George Blomfield (H’51)

16th March 1938 – 14th December 2020

My brother, who has died aged 82, was a family doctor who practised in Wrexham then Hebden Bridge. The website robertblomfield.co.uk shows that he was also an outstanding photographer.

Around the age of 13, Robert started using his father’s Leica and Contax cameras. He soon mastered them, showing a natural flair They had three sons, William, George and Edward, and married in 1975. Jane inspired and promoted his photography, supporting him in all he did.

After suffering a stroke in 1999, Robert had to use a wheelchair. With Jane’s help, he bore this with great fortitude and good humour, regaling his visitors with an inexhaustible supply of witticisms, such as: “Time flies like an arrow but fruit flies like a banana.”

for photography, spending many hours coaxing prints from special paper immersed in bowls of chemicals under the filtered light of his father’s makeshift darkroom. Later, at Repton (school in Derbyshire), the Headmaster, recognising his talent, gave him free rein; from then on, he was rarely seen without a camera.

He delighted in capturing fleeting moments. His close observations made between 1957 and 1967, while a medical student and junior doctor in Edinburgh and London, areparticularly remarkable. Two years ago, Edinburgh’s City Art Centre hosted a major exhibition of Robert’s work. For four months the gallery was abuzz with enchanted visitors; the images were universally appealing, striking a chord, stirring childhood memories.

In 1965 he met Jane Alexander, an art historian working at the Courtauld Institute. Jane died in 2011, having begun to archive his extensive collection of work for publication. Their sons are continuing her project, preparing more exhibitions and books of his engaging photographs. TThey survive Robert, as do his siblings, Christopher, Stephen, Irene and I, and five grandchildren.

Patrick Hallowes Vaughan (C’57)

16th June 1938 – 1st April 2021

Patrick Hallowes died peacefully at home on 1st April 2021, aged 82. A very special brother to David and Pruey. Very much loved by his wife Ro and his children Will, Johnny and Rachel. Adored by his grandchildren Alexander, Liberty and Phoebe. Loved and respected by his stepson Mark and a wonderful Grandpat to William, Sophie and George Langran.

Pat Vaughan, who died in April aged 82, will be remembered by his contemporaries at Repton not only for his remarkable sporting career but also for his friendliness and modesty. He came to Repton for the Summer Term of 1952 with an Exhibition from Edgeborough Prep School, Surrey.

His father J H Vaughan (H’27) had been in the Football XI for three years and Captain in 1931. His uncle R T Vaughan (H’22) was in the Cricket XI for two years and in the Football XI for three years and Captain in 1926 before going to Clare College Cambridge where he was awarded his Football Blue in 1927 and was University Captain in 1929.

The Vaughan family had established a good sporting record for Pat to follow and during his five years at Repton he succeeded in all sports.

It may be of interest to set out some details. Pat was in the Football XI for four years. In October 1953 he played his first match aged 15 ¼ at outside left against Derby County Colts. Repton 2 – Derby County Colts 9; it must have been an interesting debut ! Moving to inside right in 1954, he was described in 1955 as “a very talented inside who created most of the goals“. He was Captain in 1956 and played in the Public Schools XI.

Pat was also in the Cricket XI for four years. He was awarded his Teamer in 1954 aged 16 and was third in the Batting averages.

1955 was probably his best season in the XI with 110 not out against The Pilgrims and an average of 40.33. He was Captain in 1957 and the XI were unbeaten in school matches. Scotty Cheshire, Master in charge of Cricket, wrote “An outstanding leader of the side. In his 4 years in the XI, his record of 1600 runs at an average of nearly 40 speaks for itself but equally important was his unselfish leadership on and off the field, and Repton Cricket owes him a great debt”.

Pat was in the Hockey XI for three years, captaining the side at the 1957 Oxford Hockey Festival and winning 4 out of the 5 Matches. Pat also played in the first Pair at Fives for 1955, 1956 and was Captain in 1957 (playing with his brother David).

It would be interesting to know whether his four years in both Football and Cricket XIs and his other sporting achievements have ever been bettered. He was also a popular Head of House and was able to obtain a place at Clare College Cambridge.

After leaving Repton Pat did his National Service in the Royal Navy 1957/59 as an Ordinary Seaman, but was promoted to Able Seaman in 1958. Stationed in the Mediterranean, he represented the Mediterranean Fleet at football and was once lifted by helicopter to play at Real Madrid. At Clare College, Cambridge he gained his soccer Blue in December 1961 at Wembley playing at right half in their 2-0 victory in the Varsity Match.

Most of his football was with the Old Reptonians, and he played for them in five Arthur Dunn Cup Finals between 1960 and 1970 being on the winning side on three occasions. He has been described as “one of the best footballers Repton ever produced. Beautifully balanced, and a visionary passer”.

He also played for the Corinthian Casuals 1st XI between 1960 and 1962.

On coming down from Cambridge, he went back to Edgeborough, his old Prep school, to see whether he wished to make teaching his career. Having decided to do so he went to Teacher Training college in Exeter and from there to Millfield School, where he started in 1969 and remained until 1994. He was Housemaster of two Boarding Houses and was Master in charge of football until he became Tutor for Admissions. Unfortunately, he suffered a heart attack in 1994, and was unable to return to Millfield.

During his enforced retirement he continued to live in Somerset. Life was never dull. He set up a very successful Appeal for Edgeborough, was Vice Chairman of the local Parish Council and Chairman of the Village Hall Committee as well as taking up golf and following Bristol City.

He was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2016 and was able to cope well for three years but then suffered from heart failure and died at home. He married, first, in 1963, Jill Sutherland with whom he had two sons and a daughter. The marriage was dissolved and in 1990 he married secondly Rosemary Langran who survives him with his children and stepson. He will be remembered by his contemporaries as a very great sportsman.

Gerald Wyllys (C’52)

Patrick Michael Franklin-Adams (H’58)

27th March 1944 – 18th November 2020

Patrick died on 18th November 2020, aged 76, peacefully at home after many years of living with Alzheimer’s. He was dearly loved by his wife Carol and his children Katherine, James, Nessie and Jonny and his grandchildren, Ella, Max, Jack, Tommy, Sammy, Sophie, Olly, Emily, Charlie, Daisy, Lola and Harry. He will be remembered for his incredible energy and joy of life. He will be much missed by family, friends and all who knew him.

Thomas Henry Simon Kunzer (H’46)

4th May 1933 – 7th June 2021

Simon passed away peacefully on 7th June 2021, aged 88 years. Simon was a loving husband, father and grandfather who will be sadly missed.

Robert John Leach (H’49)

16th May 1935 – 20th May 2021

Robert passed away on the night of 20th May 2021, peacefully at home with his family after a battle with cancer. Dearly loved husband of Lotta, father of Sue, Lawrence, and Jeanie. Proud grandfather of Edward, Hannah, Elizabeth, Archie, Helena, Bobby, Bill and Douglas.

John Campbell Clothier (H’57)

25th February 1944 – 16th March 2020

John Clothier was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich until his retirement.

Andrew Philip Corn (H’48) 28th July 1935 – 31st May 2021

Dad passed away on 31st May 2021. Repton schooldays were some of his fondest memories.

Jonathan Corn (H’79)

Peter Geoffrey Dawson (H’33)

13th May 1919 – 20th December 2019

Peter died on 20th December 2019, aged 100 years. He is survived by my mother Joyce, his widow aged 101.

Andrew Ronald Emilius Laurie (H’58)

20th October 1944 – 3rd September 2021

Andrew died suddenly at home on September 3rd 2021, with many of his family around him. His funeral (and Service) in Hexham Abbey took place on 20th September 2021, with a good attendance, including several Trinity Colleagues: Chris Marsay, Chris Jackson, Ken Merron, Nigel Windridge and myself.

I first noticed him 2 or maybe 3 years later when he was placed in my Study (1st on the right, coming down the stairs from the Housemaster’s study) and not much after that, as our different sporting abilities kept us apart during that time and we each had a set of friends in our separate years.

However, when he appeared at Trinity College, Oxford, probably in 1958, where I had been studying since 1956, his natural inclination was to contact me, and I then introduced him to the group of some 10 people in “my group”. His attitude and

Christopher John Phillips (H’48) 10th September 1935 – 14th May 2021

Christopher Phillips died on 14th May after a short illness. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer 2 years ago, but, apart from taking pills, he had carried on as usual, playing golf two or three times a week until “lockdown” last autumn. Christopher had lived almost all his life within 5 miles of his birthplace in Stafford. As very much a “people person” he knew and was friends with very many people.

Christopher spent 5 happy years at Repton and was an enthusiastic sportsman. On leaving he was commissioned into the North Staffordshire Regiment for his National Service and immediately went out, by sea, to Korea with the regiment to join the United Nations forces in the conflict between the South and North Koreans. Fortunately, the battalion arrived just as peace talks had started, but he spent a year entrenched on one side of a valley with the enemy well dug in just a few hundred yards away.

On returning home he joined the BSA Company (well known then for building motorbikes) as a management trainee. Hethen joined Universal Grinding Wheel Company in Stafford where he stayed for the way he mixed with us soon meant that he was invited to join us. It didn’t harm his chances that he had a very nice room which he allowed us to use and dump our stuff in after meals, as by this time we were all living out of college! Mind you, this continued through our 4th Year as well - we were reading Chemistry, which is a 4-year course.

After we had graduated, we all still kept in touch, with most of us (including Andrew) attending Gaudies etc. and, making it a regular event to attend the annual 50+ lunches - until COVID-19 ruined that as well as a lot of other things. we had a Zoom meeting during the first lockdown, which Andrew recorded and sent to Trinity. It was published!

It was at the last of these events that we all had our last meeting and all of us carry great affection for Andrew.

Peter Rolfe (H’56)

about 20 years. In the latter part of his working life, he was employed by Barclays Bank to sell pensions and investments. His empathy with others at all levels meant it was a successful move.

For many years Christopher played hockey and cricket for local teams. In 1960 he married Patricia Woolf and they had 4 children. Sadly, Patricia died in 1994. He is survived by his children, their spouses, 10 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Christopher joined Brocton Hall Golf Club at the age of 13 and remained a playing member all his life. Golf was his great outletand he played many times for the ORs and 2 or 3 times a week, as well as matches, for the Seniors at his Club. Earlier this year the club made him an honorary life member.

Over the years he made frequent visits to Repton, and this helped him to stay connected with ORs of his generation and with the current affairs of the school, which he valued and greatly enjoyed.

I visited him for the last time just a week before he died. He told me that he had had a good life and a long life. Indeed, he did.

David Lawrence Bumstead (H’55) 4th August 1941 – 27th December 2018

David, 77, of Toronto Ontario, passed away peacefully on Thursday December 27th 2018. David is now free from the Lewy Body Dementia that robbed him of his strength and intellect. David is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years, Janet, and his adored daughters Katie, Amanda, Sarah and his six loving grandchildren Kailas, Darbhi, Miles, Abigail, Erika and Brooklyn. Development and a Director of Noranda Inc. He also found great reward while serving on the boards of several public and privately held companies and industry associations.

Also surviving him are his brother Allan, brother-in-law Peter, and sisters in law Barb and Mary. He was preceded in death by his brother Dennis.

David was born in Shanghai on August 4th 1941. He lived in many countries as a child, was formally educated in England, and graduated from Cambridge University in 1963. He then immigrated to Canada to build a life with Janet.

As a businessman David was incredibly well respected. He began his career with Noranda Sales in 1963 and worked extensively in the mining industry until his retirement in 2001. He finished his career as the Executive Vice President, Corporate David lived every day to its fullest. He travelled the world for work and for pleasure. He shared his passion for travel, culture, and history with Janet and his daughters. Many have referred to David as a true gentleman; they are right. He was a devoted and loving husband and the best Dad anyone could ever ask for. He has left us with so many gifts; honesty, integrity, compassion, confidence and a sense of adventure to name but a few. We will forever miss him, but his spirit will live on in all of us.

colleges recommended its closure. Although the idea was rejected by the General Synod, the bungling of the report did cause the Salisbury and Wells to be shut, and he retired shortly afterwards.

Philip Anthony Crowe (L’50)

16th August 1936 – 14th June 2021

My father, Canon Philip Crowe, has died aged 84. If you recognise his name but are not sure why, you probably heard him on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day during the 1980s. He often took the Friday topical slot; he would occasionally have to rewrite his piece on the way to the studio due to breaking news. He was a left-leaning progressive who was unafraid to say what he believed was right, which occasionally led to controversy. Born in Wrexham, Philip was the third of four children of Frank Crowe. He attended Repton, where he missed his exams through illness. Despite this, after national service he was accepted to study theology by Selwyn College, Cambridge. When he was ordained a minister in 1962, he was already in love with Freda Gill and they married the following year. Philip’s career began at Oak Hill College in London alongside the future archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, who recalls Dad editing the report of the National Evangelical Anglican Congress of 1967, which was highly influential on the Church of England. Freda’s death in 2011 was a terrible blow to Philip. Despite this and ill health he enjoyed life to the fullest. His family and friends will miss his intellect, humour and love.

He is survived by his children, Michael, Robert and me, grandchildren and step grandchildren, and his sisters, Jen and Elaine.

In 1987 he became principal of Salisbury and Wells Theological College, joining General Synod. Colleagues and students remember his inclusive leadership, challenging teaching of ethics and worship, and sense of fun; he was a strong proponent of women’s ordination. He loved college life and was dismayed when the Lincoln report into the viability of theological Elisabeth Crowe

Robert Hollinshead (M’31)

31st January 1918 – 1st January 2021

Robert was born on 31st January 1918 in his family home in Church Lawton, Cheshire, on that winter’s day when he arrived into this world, Britain was still ten months away from the end of the First World War.

The late 1920s saw Dad attend West House School in Birmingham. Repton beckoned in September 1931 and thirteen-year-old Robert took up residence in Mitre House under the pastoral care of Mr Haywood and his wife. Dad excelled playing school hockey, and his love and more importantly his participation in this sport carried on well into his 50s. After leaving school his coaching abilities were of great benefit to North Staffordshire hockey club, an allegiance which he valued for many decades.

During his time at Repton, and when off the hockey pitch, he took part in target shooting, representing the school at Bisley. He was a keen member of the Officer Training Corps, and his last year saw him become a house prefect.

War with Germany began three months after Dad’s graduation from Manchester in 1939, having obtained an LLB in law. Having passed selection for Sandhurst, he entered the military academy shortly after graduation from Manchester. Secondlieutenant Hollinshead passed out of Sandhurst in 1940 and was commissioned into the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards. In his few years in the regiment, he had risen to the rank of Captain and furthermore as an aspiring leader he was appointed Adjutant in early 1944. In 1948 he made the decision to return to civilian life and to make use of his law degree which he had obtained nearly 10 years prior. The family practice during the war had been kept going

Anthony Hugh Thornton (M’43) 4th October 1929 – 31st January 2021

Tony Thornton, who has died at 91, was chairman and managing director of the family’s chocolate firm in Sheffield for many years, and also principal and founder of the city’s Mayfield Valley Arts Trust, in which capacity he was awarded an MBE for services to music in Yorkshire.

He was the eldest son of Norman William Thornton, who had founded Thorntons confectionery in 1911, selling homemade sweets from a shop at 159 Norfolk Street. He became chairman of Thorntons in the 1970s and remained focused upon retail development. By the time he retired from the company in 1984, it had more than 150 shops and 70 franchise outlets.

Following his retirement, he pursued his love of classical music and his lifelong ambition to help develop and nurture the arts in Yorkshire. He became involved with Sheffield Theatres Trust and its musicians, and took on a number of high-profile positions within Sheffield Arts, most notably as chairman of Sheffield Theatres, where he helped transform the fortunes of the Crucible.

In acknowledgement of his support for the arts in the city, he was awarded an honorary master’s degree by Sheffield University in 1986, the same year his three sons also graduated.

In 1987 he set up Mayfield Valley Arts Trust to support talented young musicians and ensembles who might otherwise struggle to get the backing they needed to fulfil their potential. The Trust widened its work into supporting music in educational settings and helped in the expansion of several other charitable bodies, including the National Centre for Early Music, Wigmore Hall and York Early Music Foundation.

by his eldest brother John (also ex Mitre) and so in his beloved office in Tunstall he started what was to become over a 70-years legal career!

Dad’s life of 102 years has seen 20 prime ministers, three kings and one queen, the Soviet Union come and go, a World War, a Cold War and the end of an empire. But there is something that never changed with time and that was his wonderful personality, his always calm demeanour, his love of people regardless of background, beliefs or religion. He believed in and fought for freedom and democracy. It was a life lived out through service, be it to the legal profession, to the Church, to his country, to his friends or to his family. It goes without saying that Mum, Sweta and I, along with all our family and friends, will miss him dearly. For me though he was simply the best Dad any son could ever have wished for.

To quote Winston Churchill “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”. In the case of Robert Hollinshead, his life of 102 years was truly made by what he gave. Until we meet again Dad.

Edward Hollinshead (M’90)

A keen sailor and golfer, he maintained a collection of vivid yellow boats and was a Friend of the Royal Academy, National Gallery and The Tate.

He is survived by his sons, James, Mark, Simon and five grandchildren.

Tony Thornton, businessman and arts patron – The Yorkshire Post

John Frederick Larard (N’52)

3rd February 1939– 31st January 2021

John Frederick Larard, known during his time at Repton as “Fred”, died on 31st January 2021, shortly before his 82nd birthday, after a long on-and-off battle with cancer. He had remained positive and active right up to the end, carrying out a property inspection 3 days before he died.

John was born in Anlaby, now a suburb of Hull in 1939, shortly before the outbreak of World War Two, and his earliest memories were of having to go out to the Anderson Air Raid shelter at the bottom of the garden whilst nearby Hull was being bombed.

In 1947 he got the train out to Woodleigh Prep School, then still evacuated near Malton, and 5 years later went to Repton, to New House where he had had cousins previously.

Our father loved his time at Repton, the friendships he made, and the sport he played, and for him being an Old Reptonian was an important part of his life. He was followed to New House by his brother Tony (N’57), and later Stephen (N’61), and he remained in contact with his contemporaries, and Dr Butchers for the rest of his life.

He left Repton two terms early (and just before the 400th Anniversary of the Foundation of the School) to train and qualify as a Chartered Surveyor, so he could join the family business back in Hull. He did his Articles in Leeds, and returned to Hull in 1961, aged 22 to join his father in business. Later both Tony and Stephen were to join him in the family business which they ran together until Tony’s death in 1997, and he and Stephen retired in 2003.

John married Sue in 1969, a week before her 21st Birthday, “because he could”, and they set up home, first in North Ferriby, then Elloughton, and were joined by three children, Mark, Rebecca and Tom. For many years he played hockey for Welton Hockey Club, and then tennis, and latterly golf, and there was always time for at least one skiing holiday a year!

As my father grew older, holidays and grandchildren became the priority, and he was forever disappearing with Sue for a quick trip somewhere at short notice, as he saw a bargain, or somewhere he particularly fancied seeing.

One of his last trips in 2019 was to travel on a Paddle steamer down the Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans.

Our father had been managing cancer since 2013 but was told at Easter 2020 that it had come back, and there was nothing that could be done.

John’s approach was to plan a series of holidays for as soon as the Lockdown restrictions were released, and over last summer he and Sue had a week with each of the children (and 9 grandchildren), on the Norfolk Broads, in Scotland and in Sardinia, and then went with Sue to a favourite haunt in Cephalonia in September, and were lucky to be allowed back into the country before the second lockdown took hold!

Our father enjoyed nothing better than getting back together with his OR friends and attending a Gaudy.

Mark Larard (N’83), Rebecca Hughes, Tom Larard (N’89)

Ben (Humphry Stuart Loftus) Tottenham (H’36)

24th October 1922 – 14th June 2021

Lieutenant-Colonel Ben (Humphry Stuart Loftus) of Ramsbury, late 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. Peacefully on June 14th aged 98. Much loved husband of the late Sue, adored father of Fanny and Hugh, and proud grandfather of Charlotte, Sam, Sophie, Isabella and Emily. A life well lived.

Alan Charles Carruthers (L’49)

18th February 1936 – 19th November 2020

Alan passed away on November 19th after a short illness. Alan was at Repton in the early 50s and was a vital member of the 1st XI for whom he took a hat trick against Uppingham. He was also in the hockey team and a Pilgrim.

Michael Roff (O’46)

Anthony Charles Hungerford Morgan (P’47)

28th December 1933 – 25th November 2020

Peacefully, at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, on 25th November 2020, aged 86.

John Oliver Maxwell Robotham (N’42) and Governor

14th August 1928 - 29th January 2021

John was born between two world wars at Bower Hill, Repton, the youngest of three boys. He attended St Wystans in Repton and then, at the age of 8, Clifton College in Bristol.

His mother Katharine died when he was 12. When his father re-married John gained a stepmother Ruth, a stepbrother Richard and a stepsister Ann. His late mother’s family, the Thomas’s, continued to feature greatly in John’s life and, with his two brothers, he spent holidays at Bourne, his uncle’s house near Bristol, and at Polzeath in Cornwall.

John was badly affected by his mother’s untimely death, suffering from ill heath himself he completed his school life nearer home as a boarder at Repton Prep School, and then at Repton from 1942 to 1946. His love of music began at an early age when he learnt the piano, but he found greater success playing the violin, and became leader of the school orchestra at Repton. He was also a member of the chapel choir. His singing in later life was always at full volume and once heard would never be forgotten! He became head of New House at Repton and was a great supporter of everything Repton throughout his life. He developed his love of sport there; football, cricket, golf, motor sport, rugger; in fact, sport of any kind. John aged 12 would cycle from Repton to the Baseball Ground to watch Derby County play.

When he left school, he spent his National Service firstly with the Sherwood Foresters and then the Royal Artillery where he was awarded the stick of honour as an officer cadet. He later spent 12 years in the TA with the Derbyshire Yeomanry and received the Territorial Decoration. John went up to Clare College Cambridge in 1948 to read Law and always thought this time was one of the highlights of his life, gaining an MA and his LLB. Such was his affection that he visited Cambridge every year and even proposed to Yvonne on Clare College Bridge. They spent the first night of their honeymoon in Cambridge at the Garden House Hotel apparently. Over the years they often attended evensong at King’s College Chapel, and John was Chairman of the Derbyshire branch of the Cambridge Society for many years.

His elder brothers, Anthony and David, joined the Army and the Navy respectively, and John was therefore expected to join the family law firm. He was articled from 19511955 and was admitted to the Supreme Court of Judicature on 1st October 1955; on the very day that he married Yvonne. He was very proud to be the sixth generation in the family firm and was a partner at Robotham & Co for 41 years until his retirement in 1996. He had a meticulous eye for detail and was an excellent commercial solicitor, but he made no secret of the fact that he carried out his job with no great enjoyment.

John was a Notary Public and a magistrate for 38 years. He was a Governor of Repton, which he enjoyed enormously for 17 years, and the Cases Secretary for the NSPCC, a voluntary post for which he was made a life member.

He met Yvonne at Normanton Barracks at a Scottish Dance in 1954, and so began a love affair that lasted 67 years. Other than Yvonne, perhaps his greatest love was Thurlestone in South Devon. He visited every year for 84 successive years from 1938, they bought a house there, and he was a member of Thurlestone Golf Club for over 40 years.

Golf became more important in later life, John playing off a handicap of 5. He played for the ORs at Repton on many occasions and won club honours at Kedleston where he was a member for 60 years. He was very pleased and proud to be asked to be Captain of Kedleston Park Golf Club in 1984.

In the last 4 years John needed more assistance and care, and accepted this with his usual grace and courtesy. My father-inlaw need not be idealised, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; he should be remembered as a good and decent man, an intelligent man with an encyclopaedic memory who lived a long and happy life. A true gentleman.

His was a life to be celebrated, a life well lived, and a life which will be long remembered with great love and affection.

Ian Neal (Son-in-law)

Peter Henry Gray (O’53)

18th December 1940 – 24th December 2019

Peter Henry, died 24th December 2019, aged 79 years. Much loved father of Charles and brother of Lynne and Jill. Loving husband of Carol (dec’d) and Theresa (dec’d).

John Anthony (Tony) Ostick (O’47)

Simon Andrew Bullock (P’55)

10th February 1942 – 19th April 2020

Simon passed away peacefully on April 19th, after a short illness, aged 78 years. Amazing husband of Betty, devoted father of Matthew and Alison, adored grandpa of George and William.

Philip Hextall (P’44)

30th December 1930 – 5th June 2021

In loving memory, Philip of Mansfield, passed away 5th June 2021, aged 90 years.

Richard Geoffrey Wilkes (O’42)

12th June 1928 – 21st June 2021

Richard Wilkes (O’42) died on 21st June 2021, aged 93. The son of a Leicestershire boot and shoe manufacturer, Richard Wilkes was educated at Nevill Holt and Repton, as were his cousins and younger brother. He did his national service in Germany with the Royal Horse Artillery.

Ian George Wilson (L’52)

23rd April 1939 - 20th January 2021

Ian Wilson was born in Sheffield in 1939. He studied graphic design and photography at the Nottingham School of Art and filmmaking at the London International Film School (now the London Film School).

During the 1960s he worked for the United Nations and shot documentary footage in Greece. He entered the film business in 1966 as the cinematographer on The Private Right, directed by 27 year old Greek Cypriot, Michael Papas. ‘As a first film made by a young director with a student crew (from the London School of Film Technique where Papas also studied), the film has a high professional gloss. Much of this is due to the elegant camera work of Ian Wilson, a faculty member at the School.’

He moved on to shooting short films, commercials and documentaries, including the live performance of the rock album The Butterfly Ball and The Grasshopper’s Feast (1977) based on the work of songwriter Roger Glover and the science-fiction series Quatermass (1979) directed by Piers Haggard for Euston Films.

On his return to Leicester as a chartered accountant, he served in the Territorial Army with the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, which he later commanded, was awarded the OBE and then appointed an ADC to HM The Queen and Deputy Honorary Colonel, The Royal Anglian Regiment (Leicestershire).

All this was carried out alongside his professional career, first as a partner with Bolton Bullivant in Leicester, before he joined Price Waterhouse as a partner in

London in 1969. He served as President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW) in 1980 and in 1987 as President of the International Federation of Accountants, as well as Master of the Chartered Accountants Livery Company in 1991. In 1983 he was appointed an adviser on self-regulation to the Chief Executive of Lloyds Insurance market. In 1990 he was appointed CBE for his services to the accounting profession and given the ICAEW International Award.

In 1982 he received a BAFTA Award nomination for his work on the television series The Flame Trees of Thika, directed by Roy Ward Baker, and in 1986 began a collaboration with director and screenwriter, David Leland, on his films Wish You Were Here (1987), Checking Out (1989) and The Big Man (aka Crossing the Line 1990).

For ten years from 1988 he served as a nonexecutive director and then as chairman of Cassidy Davis Insurance Group.

In addition, he was Commandant, Leicestershire Special Constabulary for six years and treasurer and chairman of SSAFA Leicestershire for over thirty years, as well as a long-standing Trustee of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment Funds, of which he was Chairman for many years, a role his son now fulfils. He was a founder, treasurer and then chairman of national charity CARE for the Mentally Handicapped for over twenty-seven years.

Remarkably, he found time to raise a family, to enjoy playing hockey and cricket, sailing and shooting, also watching Leicester Tigers play rugby. Wendy, his wife of 68 years, predeceased him by ten weeks. He is survived by his son Tim (O’67) and three daughters, six grandchildren and nine great grand-children.

Tim Wilkes (O’67) - Son

Other notable productions include Edward II (1991 d. Derek Jarman), Backbeat (1994 d. Iain Softley), Erik the Viking (1989 d. Terry Jones), Emma(1996 d. Douglas McGrath) and The Crying Game (1992 d. Neil Jordan), which explores themes of race, gender, nationality and sexuality against the backdrop of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Ian received an Emmy Award nomination in 1999 for A Christmas Carol (d. David Jones) with Patrick Stewart.

Wilson, who struggled with Parkinson’s disease, died on 20th January 2021, from COVID-19. He was 81.

Tim Scott ‘Sco’

29th March 1949 – 3rd December 2020 Former Staff – 1974 to 2006

It was with great sadness Repton heard of the sudden death of Tim Scott, one of the most remarkable, highly regarded and memorable masters of an era when being ‘true to thine own self’ was actively encouraged.

Tim, or Sco as he was affectionately known, attended Gresham’s, where he was Head Boy, before going up to Oxford to read English in 1968. He went to Exeter University to take a PGCE, where he met Fiona. They were married in 1975.

He went to Repton in 1974 and was to remain there for the rest of his professional career, teaching English and occasionally French and Latin, serving as House Tutor at the Orchard and then Housemaster of The Hall, running the 2nd XI hockey and the army section of the CCF, and overseeing Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions, the Film Soc. and the Philosophy Society. This gives some indication of what Tim did but fails to do justice to the huge impact he had on colleagues and pupils alike. He was an inspirational teacher, lessons memorable not just because he prepared meticulously and brought great scholarship to bear, but also because he expected his pupils to think hard. His penchant for ‘Sco’s red herrings’ was actually a skilful way of encouraging pupils to make unexpected connections— to think for themselves, ‘to live’, as one OR put it, ‘and not just to pass exams’. He was a stickler for technical accuracy and spent hours correcting work, not because he was a pedant but because he believed passionately that words express thoughts and thus to be incisively conveyed, they must be couched in accurate expression. Tim’s peculiar talents were just as conspicuous in the House. He would spend hours listening to boys who were having a tough time, showing especial affinity for those who might be deemed unconventional — perhaps because he knew to an extent how they felt. Just as he drove himself hard, so he expected the boys in his House to stretch themselves, to learn from experience and discover that failing can be as enlightening as succeeding.

When most of us sighed with relief at the end of term, Tim would don his camouflage kit and set off to supervise CCF and D of E expeditions, setting the pupils characteristically demanding night exercises and proclaiming with wonted relish when their heads popped up over parapets: ‘Boys — you are all dead!’

No wonder that Tim was seen as a legend. The story of his falling down Jacob’s Ladder, the staircase outside his form room, and picking himself up muttering ‘That was an experience!’ was much loved and embellished; but Tim was always utterly genuine, never striving to be anything other than who he was.

Release from Repton gave Tim the freedom to spend more time in his beloved France. He enjoyed socialising but he was also good with his own company, often spending a few days living in monkish asceticism alone. He was equally at home back in England, in Norfolk, playing a full part in the life of the local community, despite having to recover from a stroke in 2009 and prostate cancer.

Tim is survived by his wife Fiona, daughter Matilda, son Freddie (N’94) and granddaughters Maisie and Norah.

Martin Amherst Lock (Former Staff)

In Praise of Sco

I bowed my head and sighed on hearing that Sco had died. And at once was back in that classroom of sheep skulls and shell casings, Michaelmas 1980, with him standing in front of the dusty grate to read Keats’ To Autumn, the pace purposefully slowed, his voice soft as the colours outside.

It wasn’t just English we were studying. No topic seemed off-limits, a welcome surprise since the fret of what to do at university – let alone in life – worsened as other masters advised becoming a captain of industry. Sco’s solution? “If you’re at a drinks party this Christmas,” he pondered, eyebrows raised, “find out what the adults there do for a living – then ask, But does it satisfy you?”

As for taking a year-off: “Don’t bother with some trek across Bolivia paid for by someone else; if you truly want to find yourself, become a tramp, sleeping rough in London – or maybe Hull…”

Nobody could miss the striking figure he cut in gown and green tweed jacket on his ancient bicycle. Nor could anyone not know he called his pipe a “nipple substitute”, or that his nickname was Sco – which boys Forty years on, I can see what he was trying to do. Engage, nurture, steer. Provoke thought, challenge assumptions, keep spirits up. Treat adolescents as adults, provide an alternative, champion the oddballs not cut out for Engineering or Accountancy. And get this one to take that inkling seriously.

would utter with an exaggerated monosyllable and bemused gaze. The inference was clear: Sco was different, ethereal, popular, fun. Or as we say nowadays, cool.

In time, I did Adventurous Training, discovering Sco to be a man of simple pleasures, content to spend an evening with just a book and that nipple substitute, yet also in his element pitted against the elements.

When my turn came to lead a walk, I raced up Scafell Pike then looked back in triumph, the group stretched half a mile behind in mist. There was no rebuke, but after dinner Sco reminded us all that “leadership is about taking a team with you, not shooting off on a solo sortie”. It was 100% Sco: calm; considered; subtle. No harsh singling out, no despotic histrionics.

And then there were the times when it was just him and me. Sunk in an armchair in his study (more skulls, shells), I’d be treated to a one-to-one and selections of books that weren’t exactly on the curriculum.

Quite what Sco got out of those sessions I never knew, but certainly I always came away feeling special and less alone with that inkling of becoming a writer. Above all perhaps, Sco was his own man, so lived life by his own rules and not other people’s. And exuded a unique air of mystery born from the contradictions he pervaded: articulate yet obscure; dynamic but dreamy; noble yet unconventional; wise but mischievous; a team-player yet a loner; hero and anti-hero at the same time; an establishment figure yet a free spirit too.

As Sco once mused about the death of Shelley, “What matters is less our passing away but what we pass on.” In this respect I was fortunate indeed to have known Sco and at least, at last, to have the means to write this, from me to him, wherever he is now.

Will Kemp (P’77)

Will Kemp has won the Keats-Shelley Prize and written several award-winning books; he teaches Creative Writing at the University of York.

Dr George Edward Pearson

5th October 1941 – 29th August 2020 Former Staff

Passed away Saturday 29th August 2020 at the Royal Derby Hospital. Dearly loved husband of Anita and stepfather of Richard and the late Simon. Special grandpa to Cameron and Charlotte.

June Ratcliffe

Passed on 19th October 2021 Former Staff, non-academic

June Ratcliffe of Willington, formerly of Repton, passed away peacefully on 19th October 2021, aged 81 years. Dearly loved wife of the late Peter Ratcliffe, loving mum of Gary, mother-in-law of Lesley and a friend to many.

Heather Hawkins

5th May 1924 – 31st March 2021 Former Staff – 1975 to 1979 Pioneer of Repton’s first Girls’ House

It was under the headship of John Gammell that the first girls were accepted into Repton in 1973, and it was Heather Hawkins who was chosen to ease their way into a rather forbiddingly male environment.

The choice was wise, for as a mother of five boys and girls of similar age to Sixth Form

James McLaren

13th February 1942 – 31st March 2021 Former Staff – 1971 to 2002

James was born the youngest of four children in 1942. Following an education at Bradfield, where he was Captain of Football, and dated the future film star Jacqueline Bisset, he went to Christ’s College, Cambridge to read Modern and Medieval Languages, combining his studies with lots of sport and organizing nightclubs for undergraduates.

After Cambridge James went into marketing, spending a lot of time in Africa, and during which period he married Bernice, in 1971, before they moved northwards to Repton, he to teach Modern On leaving the House in 1993 James became Head of Careers.

girls, she knew better than most how to offer moral guidance and to advise on behaviour, dress, suitable rules, and to educate the Housemasters of the Boys’ Houses on how girls should be treated.

It was a role that required patience and Heather’s unconfrontational, but firm approach was just what was needed: she provided a firm foundation for the new Girls’ House – the Abbey – that came into being in 1979.

Heather Hawkins attended St Hugh’s College, Oxford, during the war (1942- 45) and was lucky to have as one of her tutors Charles Williams, a member of The Inklings - who included C.S.Lewis and J.R.R.Tolkien - and whose religious slant on English Literature especially suited her.

When her husband, Dennis, was appointed Director of Art by Lynam Tim Thomas in 1952, Heather followed. As her family grew up Heather took on a second career as a supplementary teacher of A level English.

Languages and coach football. There he stayed for the next thirty-two years. The couple were blessed with three children Alexander (C’85), Angus (C’88) and Fiona (G’91).

James became Master in charge of Football in 1972. He cared about results but also about the way the team played. He also developed the link between the School and I.S.F.A. (Independent Schools Football Association), serving the latter as a committee member and manager of the combined schools team, and was well respected by his fellow Masters in charge. James was a valued colleague in the Modern Languages department and ran many school trips to Brittany; his red herrings assumed legendary status.

In 1986 James succeeded David Wilkinson as Housemaster of The Orchard, where he started to put into practice his ethos of an individual’s responsibility to the House. It was in James’s tenure in the House that the first, and very successful, Charity Cabaret was masterminded by a handful of Orcadians. James was considered a very decent Housemaster - fairly laid-back and as one who liked to let the House run itself, preferring to keep in the background until, and unless, it was necessary to intervene. Both Heather and Dennis were thinkers – something relatively rare in the Repton of the 1960s – and their home, Askew Cottage, was always a good place to visit if you wanted stimulating conversation.

On the literary texts she taught, her comments were measured and offered valuable and original insights. She treated those she taught as equals. And as a woman she presented salutary reminders of alternative viewpoints to the dominant male view of the time. In retirement she wrote poems for her friends (and occasionally publication) – polished gems of quiet reflection.

Heather had a strong spiritual base. In later life both she and Dennis adhered to the Quaker way, believing, with Socrates, that the unexamined life is not worth living. She exemplified the examined life and died just short of her 97th birthday.

John Billington Former Staff (1965 to 1996)

James took part in seven editions of ‘The Pedants’, the staff revue. However it was in 1990, in a loose adaptation ‘’Allo ’Allo’, that James managed to ride an onion-bedecked bicycle off the front of the stage. Fortunately, he was unhurt as he had had the foresight to visit the staff bar beforehand.

In 1998 he was appointed Director of Admissions, being the School’s link to the junior feeder schools. His genial and affable character went down well with the prep school Headmasters and also with their pupils. He continued in this post until his retirement in summer 2002. He and Bernice remained in Repton, taking an active role in village life. In late 2018 Bernice was diagnosed with cancer and died the following year. Sadly, James too died a year almost to the day after her on the 28th March 2020.

Requiescat in pace, James – a true and loyal friend.

Peter Bradburn (P’67) Former Staff (1977 to 2014)