Obituaries

From left to right: Mike Hargreaves, Martin Bell, Ed Spark, Bill Young, Eric Beston, Ron Pearson, John Hargreaves, Barry Matthews and Dave Guy.

Michael John Hargreaves (54-61) Born 1943, died April 2011, aged 67.

Michael died in St Albans after a long and courageous fight against cancer. He leaves his wife Mary, daughter Sarah and son John.

Mike – also known in his younger days as ‘Haggis’ – followed his elder brother David (53-59) into school and soon made his mark as a mean rugby player. He became a regular 1st XV wing forward in a formidable team being coached in the modern game by the then recently appointed John Elders. Mike’s particular felled the opposition around the scrum and was rarely spotted by the ref.

Mike moved on to King’s College Newcastle to acquire his degree in Civil Engineering. He first joined Balfour Beatty where he found himself acquiring particular skills in tunnel work; principally major drainage, sewerage and culvert projects. He managed many sites in various locations around the country and only space prevents the re-telling of his amazing and funny stories about working with the mainly Irish labourers. Although Mike would often say, with typical selfdeprecating humour, that his sewers rarely met in the middle, he was, in fact,

forte was the trailing foot that mysteriously very good at his job. Indeed he made a great success of his career because he had that rare ability to communicate easily with labourers, senior management and large corporate clients. He retired in 2009 as a senior consultant with Murphy Civil Engineering Group working on major projects for Thames Water.

Whilst at school, Mike was one of many who sailed on the Norfolk Broads with Green Wyvern Yacht Club. He continued to sail the Broads after school, introducing his wife Mary and later his family to the experience. At a reunion of old school friends, the idea was raised of resuming Broads cruising together. Mike organised the first cruise in June 1994 and he, his son John, Barry Matthews (52-62), Martin Bell (50-61), Dave Guy (58-62), Ed Spark (54-62), Ron Pearson (54-62), Eric Beston (54-62), Bill Young (54-62) and assorted brothers and sons of the same have sailed every year since then.

The Broads crew will miss Mike’s cavalier style of sailing (occasionally losing bowsprits) but, with others, will really miss his dry wit and the sure knowledge that he was a true and reliable friend. His family will miss a loving and caring husband and father.

Bill Young (54-62)

Jeff Dodds (69-79) Born 1960, died 5 July 2011, aged 50.

Born into a Gateshead family of workaholics, Jeff was a mercurial and enquiring spirit, forever developing as a person and surprising his friends. At the RGS, it is fair to say, he was more interested in Bowie, booze and girls than schoolwork; handsome and charismatic, he defined an effortless kind of late seventies cool, but was popular with pupils and teachers alike and only narrowly escaped the ignominy of becoming a prefect. To his surprise, he was cast as the lead in a LSDG production of Ubu Roi where his success saw him picked up by Newcastle University Players and taken to Edinburgh. This led to a lifelong interest in drama, on stage and off.

In the meantime, he surprised some of his teachers with three As at A level and trying for Oxford. This time he surprised himself by getting into New College to read Modern Languages. At Oxford what might be termed “having a good time” was crammed in between stage plays with other Old Novos. But then, in a volte-face which was to become a familiar pattern, he suddenly gave up drinking for a year and took up running, a sport at which his father had excelled. He was soon completing marathons and left Oxford with a good 2.1. He then surprised his friends by not becoming an actor and instead embracing a succession of strange jobs for bizarre publications such as International Metal Bulletin and Fishing News Weekly. It couldn’t last and it didn’t, and he soon moved into mainstream advertising in London.

In the summer of 1982, he met Lottie McMullen at a party thrown by Simon Waters (77-79). She was a beautiful trainee nurse and the attraction was mutual and intense. But he was about to spend a year in Germany and life, as it does, took them in different directions. Ten years later, however, his friend Simon Burke (72-79) was walking down Clapham High Street when he was struck on the head by a chair leg falling from a window above. Rushed to A&E at St Thomas’ Hospital, he awoke to find that the senior nurse in charge was Lottie McMullen. He arranged that he, she and Jeff should all go for a drink for old times’ sake and diplomatically failed to turn up himself. A year later Jeff and Lottie were married.

By now advertising had begun to bore him and in his thirties he returned to drama by deciding to become a tv script writer; a difficult thing to attempt at his age but he sold himself and his scripts with the same dedication he had brought to selling ads in his previous career. Against the odds he succeeded brilliantly and went on to write for Peak Practice, The Bill, London’s Burning, Casualty, Holby City, Midsomer Murders, Crossroads and Heartbeat, among others. The death toll for writers on these shows is higher than the Somme, but a work ethic rarely glimpsed at school and a great sense of humour allowed him to survive and prosper.

Jeff suddenly decided to move to Norwich, a town chosen at random after he broke down in it on the way to somewhere else, and settled down happily to indulge new passions for fatherhood, gardening and choral singing. And then, just over a year ago, a headache was diagnosed as a highly aggressive brain tumour. He went through an operation and chemotherapy with typical courage and bone-dry humour, but it became clear nothing could be done. Lottie nursed him to the end and he died peacefully at home.

He leaves his wife with two teenage girls, Lucy and Zoe, of whom he was extremely and justifiably proud.

Simon Burke (72-79) John Robinson Scott (32-39) born 1922, died 25 May 2008, aged 85.

Alan Jackson (39-44) born 1928, died 27 October 2010, aged 82.

Kenneth W Doncaster (45-51) born 1934, died 21 February 2011, aged 77.

David R Powell (59-64) born 1946, died 28 March 2011, aged 65.

Peter Marfitt-Smith (54-61) born 1946, died 1 April 2011 aged 64.

Peter Rooney (61-71) born 1952 died 12 April 2011, aged 58.

Harold B Hare (37-43) born 1929, died 18 April 2011, aged 82.

Stuart N Wilson (50-55), born 1939, died 2 May 2011, aged 72.

Philip A Barrs (39-46) born 1921, died 11 May 2011, aged 82.

W A Horsley (33-43) born 1925, died 6 June 2011, aged 85.

David Julian Hayton (84-94) born 1976, died 7 July 2011, aged 35.

David W Sweet (49-57) Born 1938, died January 2011, aged 72.

After a National Service Commission in the Royal Signals, David, brother of Bill (46-53) and father of Toby (83-89), went up to Peterhouse, Cambridge to read History, did research there and then for many years taught History at Durham University. Latterly he remarried and moved to Canada to live in Montreal. Outside of work his interests were walking (in England and Greece) and a passion for music – classical, jazz, country, folk.

He leaves a widow Dorothy in Canada, and two children (Toby and Martha) and three grandchildren from his first marriage to Carole Millington.

Kenneth Michael Allott (89-64) Born 1946, died 13 May 2011, aged 65.

Ken was a pupil at the RGS from 1959 (when the family moved to Newcastle) until 1964 when he went to read geography at the University of Liverpool. He spent most of his career as a teacher at King Edward VI School Morpeth where he was Head of Geology until he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease some nine years ago. This disabling illness he faced with characteristic courage and a determination to enjoy life to the full and to enjoy the countryside – his chin driven wheelchair was often found in very unlikely places in the hills of Northumberland, he lectured on the changing Northumbrian landscape, and until last year he sang with Voicemale. He was tireless in campaigning for improved accessibility and with South East Northumberland Rail User Group campaigned for better disabled rail access. Latterly he worked with NICE on non invasive breathing machines.

He died at home, surrounded by his family including his beloved wife of 43 plus years and his adult children.

Elizabeth Thomas

James F Bestow (34-39) Born 1921, died 22 June 2011, aged 89.

Although James went straight from school into the army for five years and then into Lloyds Bank for 42 years, he always retained his regard for the school, where he swam for the team. He was awarded the woodwork prize by Mr Theakston.

Edward W Bestow Anthony (Tony) W Griffiths (33-39) Born 1923, died November 2010, aged 86.

Tony Griffiths attended RGS, where he was a member of the Officers Training Corps. He went to Durham University to study architecture. He was also involved in the Senior Officers Training Corps, and also coxed for the university, earning himself a Blue.

In 1941 Tony was called up to serve in the infantry as a private solider in the Border Regiment, then moved to Sandhurst for six months before being commissioned to the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. He was later posted to 18th battalion of the DWR at Withernsea, a holding battalion for overseas postings. Soon he was shipped out to El Alamein, with Tony subsequently joining combined operations, fighting at Salerno. Here he developed jaundice, and was hospitalised for two months, before returning to his unit.

After the war Tony was Staff Captain in Calais, organising shipping schedules for those demobbed, so he himself was not demobbed until 1947. Returning to Newcastle, Tony married Trixie Marin and got a job at Thomas Hedley (now Procter & Gamble). He dropped his plans to become an architect, and took evening courses at Durham University, obtaining a BSc in Economics. In 1954 Tony and his family moved to Manchester to take up a job with Nestlé. Several promotions followed, and in 1965 Tony became Regional Manager of London and the Home Counties, working in Hayes and living in Datchet. He became involved in local community life, joining amongst others, the Conservative Association, and the Datchet Royal British Legion. He served as Governor of Churchmead School, and on Datchet Parish Council. He was a District Councillor of Windsor and Maidenhead, and was appointed Mayor for the year 1989/1990.

He gave his time and service to many more local organisations and charitable causes, but still made time to play golf and host many happy parties in his home.

Dennis was always great fun and had a fine sense of mischief. He was an able clarinetist most of his life, starting with the school orchestra. He entered the school music competition in 1950-51, playing part of Concerto for Clarinet composed by A Shaw before the audience realised the classical sounding piece was progressing happily into a swinging jazz number (by Artie), a noisy, rhythmic stomping sounded out from the school theatre… and Dennis was disqualified. He was punished further by being de-gowned as a prefect for the rest of term. Not that that kept him out of the prefects’ room.

Dennis was accepted for Cambridge (he could have read languages, badminton or clarinet) but for family reasons left school for employment. After National Service in the Education Corps he joined the executive side of the civil service via Customs and Excise, having come top in the officer entrance exam. Posted to Dover, he rode a motorbike, won badminton championships and met his wife Sylvia (they celebrated their Golden Wedding in 2010). Robin Jackson (52-63) Born 1944, died 16 May 2011, aged 66. Robin was born in Wallsend where he was brought up under the shadows of the hulls and cranes of Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson, where his father worked in the Draughtsman’s office. It was during his time at the RGS that he was introduced to sailing on the Norfolk Broads with the Green Wyvern Yachting Club by his English Master, Tony Tomkins, and PE Master, John Elders. With his Norfolk connections and his interest in sailing, it was logical that on leaving school he went to Keswick Teacher Training College, Norwich (now part of UEA). He subsequently became Headmaster of Old Catton Middle School in Norwich. Over the years Robin had an enthusiastic interest in Norfolk schools music and, His career progressed in leaps and bounds as he learned all about the devious sides of tobacco, distilleries and docks. He helped devise the controls for the new tax and VAT (copied by many other countries). Put forward for accelerated promotion, he was so successful in passing Civil Service Board Assessment that he was asked to help run the scheme! He became Head of Training and Staff Development for 28,000 customs staff and finished as Assistant Secretary (one policy division he covered was that of prohibitions and restrictions – otherwise: drugs, endangered species and porn).

Throughout, he sported an extraordinary, surrealistic waxed moustache, and often used his clarinet to entertain colleagues at pub sing-a-longs. He also became a well-respected and popular chairman of the Customs and Excise Sports Club.

In retirement in Southend Dennis was an enthusiastic Rotarian. He increasingly suffered from emphysema but died of a heart attack. He is survived by Sylvia and their children Clare and Marcus.

Nothing to declare but a gifted life of great generosity and humour – and a clarinet.

JH Smith (44-52) together with three of his colleagues from Keswick College formed a group playing covers of 60s and 70s music. The name of the group naturally was the 4Heads.

On retirement Robin began exploring Europe and over the past few summers he travelled to Venice, Istanbul, Sicily, Alicante, Madrid and many other destinations. Venice became his favourite and it was about Venice he wrote for the Guardian travel guide. He was always accompanied by his camera and he produced a compilation of his photographs on his website www.robjacksonfotos.co.uk.

Cameron R D Campbell (50-60)

ONA Merchandise

Cufflinks £10 Enamelled cufflinks (presentation box included) Tie £10 Polyester tie, striped with crest. Polo Shirt £18 Canterbury polo shirt with embroidered crest. 100% cotton. Available in black or

Wall Plaque £25

royal blue, in sizes M and XL. Hooded Sweatshirt £35 Canterbury hooded sweatshirt with embroidered crest. 60% cotton 40% polyester. Available in grey only, in sizes M and XL.

ONA merchandise is now for sale

To order any of the items, please send a cheque (payable to ONA) to:

ONA Office Royal Grammar School Eskdale Terrace Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4DX

Remember to include your name, address, phone number and/or email, and to indicate which item you are ordering.

Please include phone number and/or likely to be delayed. The ONA accepts no responsibility for non-delivery via standard post. If you would like your order to be sent by special delivery, please contact the ONA office for

email so we can contact you if delivery is a price list.