OBITUARIES

from ONA 108 Meet the Medics

by RGS Newcastle

NEWS & CONGRATULATIONS

DEREK LESLIE GRANT (40-49)

BORN 1932, DIED 13 JUNE 2020, AGED 88

GRAHAM BRAGG (86-93)

BORN 1975, DIED 2 MAY, AGED 45

Derek was one of the dwindling

band of RGS evacuees at Penrith during the Second World War.

An accomplished sportsman with success in running, boxing, cricket and rugby, playing in the 1st XV in his final years at school, Derek retained with pride some of the Athletics Certificates presented to him by Headmaster, E R Thomas, one of which records him as Dunford Bowl runner-up. He also played rugby and cricket during his RAF National Service in Egypt. He was also both an enthusiastic spectator and player of golf at Arcot Hall and Bamburgh clubs for many years.

Derek was also a long suffering but loyal fan of Newcastle United and always remembered seeing the FA Cup lifted by the Toon in 1952 at Wembley and was at St James’ Park on a regular basis with his season ticket until ill health intervened. In his later years, he also enjoyed playing crown bowls.

For many years, the MD of a prominent garment manufacturing business in Newcastle, Derek loved life and even when severe illness overtook him, he bravely and without complaint retained his reputation for story-telling and bonhomie. For many years he was a regular attender at the RGS Masonic Lodge, as well as being a member of other lodges and orders. He retained a great love for his school and was hugely proud to see his grandson, David Fagleman (99-06) become Deputy Head Boy and captain of the 1st XV, as well as his granddaughter Kate Fagleman (06-08) enter the RGS Sixth Form in 2006.

By David Goldwater (51-62) with Richard Grant (72-82)

It is with great sadness that I write in

regard to Graham’s passing after a long battle with cancer. Graham won a full scholarship to RGS after attending Windy Nook primary school. He was an irrepressible and enthusiastic member of school, hugely amenable to all who knew him and greatly popular with his Collingwood classmates (J Ponton (8393), F Cook (86-93), T Healer (83-93)).

After graduating from Salford University in 1996 he went on to forge a successful career with Virgin Media, Vodafone and latterly Oracle.

Graham was a lover of all sport, but it was football which held his most fervent passion. He played the game semi-professionally and was an ardent supporter of Newcastle United. Upon falling ill two years ago, Graham typically adopted a positive and stoical approach throughout and displayed huge strength of character in the face of such a grave illness.

Graham is survived by his mother Anne, partner Rowen, and son Jake, 7.

Whilst composing this brief eulogy to Graham I have been continually struck by the tragedy of his passing at such a young age and of the final narrative from the film Stand by Me: ‘I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12…Jesus does anyone..?’

By Tony Healer (83-93)

RICHARD H ROBSON (38-41)

BORN 1929, DIED 27 JUNE 2020, AGED 91

Richard, known to friends as

‘Robbie’ spent his first RAF tour flying Meteors in the day fighter role. He had a narrow escape when a towed glider target lost a wing which hit the nose of his aircraft and smashed the cockpit canopy and Robbie’s goggles. At the end of his tour, he became a flying instructor on Meteors and Vampires before moving to a Canberra squadron.

On leaving the RAF at 38, Robbie studied Geography at Dundee University, becoming a teacher, first at a Scottish comprehensive school, later on in England. Returning to his love of flying, he took up a Retired Officer’s post at HQ Air Cadets, responsible for gliding schools. He retired to Spain, but returned to Houghton-le-Spring with his wife and family. Here, he continued his studies and took a degree in medieval Scottish history. It was appropriate for a man with an impressive memory and an analytical mind. He wrote an autobiography An Airman of the Queen and despite increasing ill health enjoyed his phone chats with friends of over 70 years from RAF Cranwell, which had meant so much to him. Richard passed away with his family around him.

DR RONALD ALBERT PEARSON (54-62)

BORN 11 AUGUST 1943, DIED 29 JUNE 2020, AGED 76

Per Ardua Ad Astra.

Ron ‘slipped the surly bonds

of Earth’ on June 29 2020, accompanied to the gate by his loving wife and children. Initial turbulence but calm conditions for lift off.

He wanted to be a fighter pilot and won a prized scholarship to Cranwell but his flight path was diverted by a lorry in a motorcycle accident at 17. After enduring six months in hospital, he decided to be a doctor instead, graduating from Newcastle University Medical School. If he had gone to Cranwell, he wouldn’t have met his French-Greek wife Helene, leading him to new horizons and other cultures. He still joined the RAF as a medical officer and tested pilots, delivered babies and saved lives in Cyprus and beyond. Leaving the forces opened up the New World of Canada where he and Helene built not just a house but friendships, raced karts and flew planes, always taking their kids along for the ride. Returning to the UK after ten years, they reconnected with childhood friends and extended family, from Solihull, the ‘Heart of England’.

Ron wasn’t an easy man. He was a remarkably determined and knowledgeable one, turning his hand to anything. His professional career spanned general practice, aviation medicine, occupational health; human factors – the understanding of interactions between humans, machines and other systems –was a constant pulse of specialist interest throughout.

In 1985, he joined the Civil Aviation Authority as Senior Medical Officer, then Head of Medical Research and Human Factors, and chaired many of the Joint Aviation Authority committees which set and harmonised aviation standards across Europe. After converting his Canadian private pilot’s licence and instrument rating, he qualified for his UK commercial licence in 1985 on a Jetstream 31 and in 2000 on an Airbus 320. He went on to fly the Bae HS125 as well as his home-built and much-loved Rutan Long-Ez.

Following his time at the CAA, he returned to occupational health with Capita and set up ASM Consulting at Birmingham International, certifying aircrew and pilots. In later years, he celebrated his 70th birthday in his adopted island of Samos and our 50th wedding anniversary in his hometown of Tynemouth. He loved to tinker with his plane and his automobiles, but cared more deeply for fixing people –always making time to talk and guide, then allowing them space to reach their own decisions.

He loved life; he never stopped making plans for the future and he never gave up. We’ll look for him in the skies.

Ron lives on through his wife, Hélène; daughter, Claudine and son, Lindsay; grandchildren, Torin, George, Aimée, Hugo, Edward & Erin.

MICHAEL JOHN STEPHENSON

(53-62)

BORN 8 JULY 1943, DIED 7 JULY 2020, AGED 76

After leaving school, Mike’s first

job was as an actuary, but he moved in the early days into computing, working for IBM in Newcastle, then ICT (later ICL).

He met Jenny in Berkshire at a computer course, he in Systems Analysis and she in Programming and they married in 1967. Mike moved to Honeywell in Leeds in 1968 and they lived locally until 1971, when the company moved him to Brentford. The rest of his career up to retirement in the early 2000s was spent in the computer industry.

A lover of sport, especially Cricket and Tennis, he and Jenny enjoyed Test Matches at Lords and Wimbledon Tennis including Boris Becker winning the 1985 Singles. As an exiled North-Easterner, he continued supporting both Newcastle and Sunderland, despite their traditional rivalry. As for holidays, cruising became a passion and he and Jenny travelled to most parts of the world, by sea and by air including the Galapagos Islands. Other destinations included the battlefields of Gallipoli and annually, the island of Sark.

Mike became ill in 2018 and bravely fought his cancer for the past two years with great fortitude and without complaint. He passed away at home in Stoke Poges on 7 July, one day before his 77th birthday. He leaves Jenny, his wife of 53 years, daughters Joanne and Nina and grandchildren George and Isabel. He was the elder brother of Bryan Peter Stephenson (56-66), who passed away in May 2016.

(A fuller version of this obituary by Jenny Stephenson will appear in the online version of ONA Magazine 108)

JAMIE WANLESS (57-67)

BORN 20 AUGUST 1948, DIED 9 SEPTEMBER 2019, AGED 71

Jamie was one of several pupils who

walked to school every morning, in his case from Woodlands in Gosforth at a time when walking two miles to school was not unusual. He met up on the way with David Morrison (60-67), Roger Smith (57-67), Nicholas Grant (60-67) and David Lauckner (65-67), running the gauntlet in Tankerville Terrace past the Church High School anticipating hopeful, but usually absent interaction.

His father had been a Major in the army during the war and Jamie was a keen member of the CCF, becoming the CSM, Prefect and Collingwood House Captain in his final year at RGS. We can all remember the shrill high noted voiced commands being shouted on parade days outside the school frontage. He was also an enthusiastic rugby player in the John Elders era.

He studied Agriculture at Nottingham University, then Accountancy, achieving the valued ACA qualification, enabling him to work at Arthur Young Accountants (now part of Ernst and Young), for several years, before gaining the post of Finance Director for a commercial company.

Jamie married Susie, who, as an accomplished professional Chef, had worked for celebrities including Michael Caine. During his time before university, Jamie was an active member of the United Nations Organisation and his local church in Gosforth. He continued his activities in Nottingham, where he lived for many years before retiring to his beloved Northumberland coast at Longhoughton. There he resumed activities with the local church and in particular the Alnwick choir, where was Chairperson.

At his funeral he had prearranged for the same 30-strong Bailiffgate Alnwick choir to sing in the moving service in Longhoughton Church.

He leaves Susie (still in Longhoughton), two daughters and three grandchildren.

By Roger Smith (57-67) and Nicholas Grant (60-67)

ALAN DAVID CRUSE (45-53)

BORN 1934, DIED 13 JUNE 2020, AGED 86

Alan grew up in High Heaton,

attending Chillingham Road Primary, entering the RGS through the Direct Grant scheme. There his curiosity for all things intellectual was satisfied. He was gifted at piano and violin and was a member of various school orchestras throughout his time at school.

Offered a place at Cambridge to read Chemistry, he chose instead Imperial College London to study Botany. He taught Biology at Wellington Grammar School, Shropshire, where he met his future wife, Paule, His interest in languages was revived with French as well as Spanish. The following year he applied for a place at The Institute of Education, London to do a Postgraduate Certificate in Education with the aim of teaching English abroad, This led to posts in the Turkish Lycée in Famagusta, Cyprus which was cut short by the troubles between the Greek and Turkish populations. There followed three years teaching at the University of Baghdad, Iraq, also curtailed by the Arab-Israeli war which led to a hurried and dramatic exit of the country.

Alan then took up an offer to do an MA in Linguistics at the University of Manchester where he stayed until his retirement. He became well-known in the field of Lexical Semantics; He also influenced generations of linguistics students through his introductory textbook on semantics Meaning in Language, later co-authoring Cognitive Linguistics, another widely-used textbook with William Croft.

He was a frequent speaker at international conferences which, together with his life in various areas of the world, satisfied his love of travel and his innate curiosity; he took these wanderings as an opportunity to learn languages, becoming proficient in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Greek, Arabic and Welsh.

Alan remained an accomplished musician, adding the guitar to his piano and violin skills.

He was, as all who knew him have said, discreet, thoughtful, witty and kind (he was a well-loved tutor to his students and a wonderful father). He was uninterested in career advancement, but determined to achieve his personal goals. He was a Renaissance Man.

He is survived by his wife Paule, his son Pierre and his daughter Elizabeth (Lisette).

By Paule Cruse

(A fuller version of this tribute will appear online on the RGS Alumni ONA website)

THOMAS HEDLEY NICHOLSON (36-43)

BORN 11 AUGUST 1925, DIED 9 MAY 2020, AGED 94

ERIC BRIAN PHILLIPS (37-47)

BORN 1929, DIED JUNE 2020, AGED 91

Tom died peacefully at home on

Saturday 9 May 2020, with his daughter Beth and son Mark there. He was also Grandfather to Oliver, Ben, Harry, Alex and Daniel, and Great Grandfather to Owen.

Tom was born in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, in 1925 to Blanche and John Hedley Nicholson, as younger brother to Jack. His father, the sixth generation of Nicholson civil engineers, died when Tom was just five years old.

Tom went to RGS and, when war broke out in 1939, the school was evacuated to Penrith, Cumberland. He was an outstanding rugby player at school, playing in the 1st XV for two years, and captained the team. After the war, he played for Old Novocastrians until 1957. There were several trials for Northumberland, but work weakened his chances of 1st team selection.

After school Tom joined the Royal Engineers and was posted to Kenya. After the War, he resumed his studies in civil engineering at Durham University and, after graduation, he worked for consulting engineers Mouchel and Partners and contractors Brims and was admitted to full membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers, later becoming a Fellow.

Tom married Gill in 1956. Mark and Beth were born in Northumberland and the family moved to Alderley Edge in Cheshire in 1961, when Tom won a new job there with ICI Pharmaceuticals (now AstraZeneca). Tom had a long and successful career at ICI, building pharmaceutical laboratories and manufacturing plant in Cheshire, as well as overseas in South Africa, Italy and Pakistan. By the time he retired, he was ICI Pharmaceuticals’ Chief Engineer. After retirement from ICI, Tom was instrumental in developing the ‘New Engineering Contract’, which transformed the delivery of engineering projects, ultimately saving the industry many millions of pounds: the NEC is now the standard form of contract for civil engineering work in the UK and used in many other countries.

In 1964, the family enjoyed their first Devon cottage holiday in West Buckland. This became an annual event until Tom and Gill moved permanently to Thurlestone in 1994. Tom and Gill loved the beaches at Bantham and below the Thurlestone golf course. They sailed and enjoyed the concerts and events at Dartington and made many friendships in the South Hams where they lived happily for 22 years until Gill passed away in 2016. Tom moved one more time, to Beth’s farm at Ugborough in July 2019, spending the last ten months of his life happily surrounded by both family and the warmth of the farm’s community.

By Mark Nicholson and Beth Gompertz

Footnote: Tom was the seventh successive generation of Nicholsons in Civil Engineering and Mark the eighth. I am sad to inform that my eldest

brother Eric Brian Phillips ON passed away in June as a result of a stroke on the Isle of Man, at the age of 91.

Brian was born in 1929 and attended RGS, mainly in Penrith as an evacuee. He excelled in Geography, his tutor being Don Meaken. He left school in 1947 to fulfil his National Service in Intelligence in RAF Habbaniya, Iraq. He then went on to study Economic Geography at St Catherine’s College, Cambridge attaining a MA. Brian then worked for most of his life in the Philippines running the Insurance arm of the trading company Ker. He retired to the Isle of Man at age 65. Along with twenty of his contemporaries, he attended the 75th anniversary Penrith reunion in September 2014. He leaves two sons, ONs, Michael Edward Phillips (4151) and Ernest Keith Phillips (53-62).

P S BENNEWORTH (84-91) BORN 24 FEBRUARY 1974, DIED 13 MAY 2020, AGED 46

D F DARRAH (53-61) BORN 1944, DIED 22 JUNE 2020, AGED 75 I J HALL (47-52) BORN 1936, DIED 20 JUNE 2020, AGED 75

NICHOLAS JOHN ‘NICK’ HARRIS

(54-61) BORN 1947, DIED 16 FEBRUARY 2020, AGED 73

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