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OPUS • Issue 8 • Summer 2013
Portsmouth Grammar School • www.pgs.org.uk
In memoriam Donald Louis JONES (12/07/1925 – 31/10/2012)
John Victor ORGAN (27/05/1945 – 16/02/2013)
Donald attended PGS from 1934 – 1941 and was one of three pupils chosen to go to Charterhouse to finish his 6th form education. He had fond memories of his years at PGS and loved his time in the Officer Training Corps. He was at PGS when the school was evacuated to a disused school at Sparsholt at the onset of WW2 and then on to Southbourne in Bournemouth when a further relocation was required due to lack of classroom space. He moved into the Science VIth in 1940, but the lab facilities available at PGS at that time were not adequate and the Headmaster, Mr J W Stork, arranged places to be available at Winchester and Charterhouse for science specialists from PGS doing their 2nd year equivalent of A level. After leaving school he joined the army and was later commissioned into the Royal Engineers, taking early retirement in 1969 and joining the Civil Service until finally retiring in 1985. He died on 31 October 2012 aged 87.
Our thanks to John Organ’s brother, Bill Organ (OP 1951 - 1961), for this appreciation of John’s life.
Stephen MITCHELL (26/12/1920 – 25/09/2012) Stephen was born in Horndean and attended PGS from 1930 - 1939. After leaving school he joined the Commercial Union Insurance Company. During the war he spent six years in the RAF, serving some time in India fitting radios in Mosquito aircraft. On returning to civilian life he rejoined Commercial Union and worked in Portsmouth, Gloucester, Exeter and Southampton. He retired after 42 year’s service and moved to Southsea for fourteen years before returning finally to Horndean. Stephen was very artistic. He wrote prayers, poetry, short stories and he recorded Horndean’s history. He also enjoyed music and theatre. Another of his hobbies was needlepoint which he continued doing until very recently. Stephen contributed to the school history project, Action this Day, and was interviewed by pupils. Afterwards he wrote to the school: “It is a day I have never forgotten; the children were so interested in my recollections and apart from the grim side of the war it was good to relive the times of my early twenties.”
In 1983, the same year that his daughter, Zoë, was born, he left local government to join PWP Architects in Havant as a partner. He remained a director until his retirement in 2009, having established a sound body of work in both the public and private sector and having received seven design awards for different projects. History, music and art were his abiding interests, no doubt nurtured at PGS. He travelled extensively with his family, usually pursuing one or more of these en route. He was a stylish and charismatic man who leaves a widow, Sue, and daughter, Zoë, herself an Old Portmuthian.
John followed his father, uncle and brother into the Portsmouth Grammar School, joining Nicol House in the Lower School in September 1953. There he gained his House Colours for Soccer and, from an early stage, exhibited talent in Art. He moved to Hawkey and, finally, into the Senior School in Smith House, departing in July 1962, having taken A levels in English, History and French, the first two to S Level. John was always proud that he had shot at Bisley. After school he studied architecture at Portsmouth College of Technology and spent his ‘year out’ at the Wessex Regional Hospital Board in Winchester. This inspired him to collaborate with three other students on a dissertation examining architecture for mental health, winning the RIBA dissertation prize in 1968, which was presented to the group at RIBA headquarters in Portland Place, helping to put Portsmouth School of Architecture on the map. He became a member of the RIBA in 1970 and of the Society of Architectural and Industrial Illustrators in 1977. John was employed in Portsmouth at both the City Council and the PSA, before spending three years working for the Government of Zambia, where he designed modular health centres, post offices and other facilities, which could be adapted to serve communities out in the bush. On his return to UK, he joined Havant Borough Council, initially as Assistant Chief Architect and subsequently as Chief Architect, reputedly the youngest in the country at that time.
Dr Brian SHACKEL (10/03/1941 – 18/11/2012)
as Visiting Professor at the School of Civil Engineering, Tokyo University, Japan, Brian joined the National Institute for Transport and Road Research, CSIR, in South Africa, as Senior Chief Research Officer whilst on extended leave from his university post. He also held visiting appointments at the Technical Universities of Delft, Vienna, Copenhagen and Nihon University, Japan. He published more than 100 research papers dealing with geomechanics and pavement engineering, most of which covered concrete block paving. He had been involved with research into concrete block paving since the 1970s, recognised by an award by the Concrete Institute of Australia for “an advancement in concrete.” His seminal book The Design and Construction of Interlocking Concrete Block Pavements was published in 1990. He also pioneered the development of pavement design software for the industry.
Reverend Michael Alan SHEARMAN (1922 – 23/12/2012) We are grateful to Ron Cox (OP 1937 - 1944) for information included in this appreciation of Father Michael’s life.
ordained at St Paul’s Cathedral. He served at St Gabriel’s Church in Bounds Green and eventually, in 1958, he became Vicar of St Luke’s Church, Enfield, where he spent the remainder of his clerical career. He had a lifelong interest in Scouting and was the Group Scout Leader of the 6th Enfield (St Luke’s) Group. He spent his retirement near his family in North Norfolk and will be a greatly missed father, grandfather and friend.
Keith Robert STOBBS (01/11/1926 – 08/02/2013) Keith attended PGS from 1934 to 1943, his senior schooling having largely taken place during evacuation at Southbourne. He played for the first XI Cricket and first XI Football teams and was a School Prefect. On leaving PGS he joined the Royal Naval College as an Executive Cadet and then had a successful career in the Royal Navy. After retiring from the Navy he became an insurance broker and set up his own company. He died peacefully on 8th February aged 86 and leaves his sons, John and Timothy, his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
John Henry ‘Jack’ STRAWSON (1914 – 21/03/2013)
Brian attended PGS from 1952 - 1959 and was promoted to the rank of Corporal in the RAF section of the CCF where he “exercised authority in a quiet but firm manner.” He left PGS to read Civil Engineering at Sheffield University and, after gaining his degree in 1962, emigrated to Australia to take up an appointment as an engineer with the New South Wales Government. He left municipal engineering in 1966 to accept a Teaching Fellowship at the University of New South Wales and took the degrees of M.Eng.Sc. and Ph.D. He was Head of the Department of Geotechnical Engineering in the School of Civil Engineering at that university from 1989 to 1993 and was subsequently Director of the Munro Centre for Civil and Environmental Engineering for several years. Between 1978 and 1981, after a period
Michael gained a scholarship to PGS in 1933. He prospered in the OTC and reached the rank of Company Sergeant Major. He was often one of the principals in school plays and was Chief Editor of the school magazine. In 1939 Michael left PGS when he was awarded an Exhibition to Downing College, Cambridge, to study History before being called up for National Service with the Army. Michael was unable to take up combatant duties because of health concerns and so he became a backroom boy in the Corps of Signals serving in campaigns in both Italy and Greece. At the end of his war service Michael returned to Cambridge and experienced a calling to the priesthood. In 1948 he was
John Strawson (known as ‘Jack’) came to PGS as Chemistry Master in 1938 after taking his degree at Trinity College, Oxford. He took part in the evacuation of the school to Southbourne and taught there until 1940, when he became employed on chemical munitions research work. After the war, he was appointed Senior Science Master at PGS. In 1947, John left PGS to become Head of Chemistry and later Head of Science at St Paul’s School where he stayed until his retirement in 1974. In the 1960s he was Chief Examiner of Chemistry for the London University Examination Board. He spent a year in India under the auspices of UNESCO, advising the government of the time on the development of science teaching and examining. He was also the co-author of a text book entitled ‘Chemistry‘ which was published in 1965. He was a man of principle, a strong Methodist and for many years a local preacher.
Derek Arthur WORRALL (02/01/1921 – 21/02/13)
Derek had fond memories of his years at PGS (1933 – 1939) and especially remembered his time in the scout troop. He had a lifelong interest in Scouting and was still President of his local Scout group in 2009. During the last few months of his time at PGS he lived in a hostel at King Alfred’s Training College and attended Winchester College for lectures every day. On leaving school Derek’s first job was working on a farm for £1 per week. In 1943 he started his own farm and built up a big retail business which he sold in 1957. Then, Derek built up a chain of selfservice grocery stores in the South East and London, which he sold to Lever Bros in 1961. He published his autobiography ‘From Farm Labourer to Gardener in 10 not so easy stages‘ and wrote: ‘I started playing the field construction business in 1947 and made many playing fields in the South East over 40 years and have run garden centres since 1966. I now (in 2009) have four farms.’ Derek was one of the founders of the Garden Centre Association and served as treasurer as well as chairman. He was also a founder member of the London Society of Old Portmuthians (LSOP) and organised LSOP meetings at The Farmers Club. Derek was a great friend to PGS and was a regular attendee at the annual OP Club Dinner. He was President of the OP Club in 1968 and President of the LSOP twice. In 1941 Derek married Rae and they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2011. He and Rae loved gardening and had a magnificent seven acre garden at their home, Birchanger, in West Sussex which they opened to the public annually for over thirty-five years to raise funds for charity. Derek died at aged 91 and leaves his loving wife Rae, sons Roger, Kenneth and Rupert, daughter Jean, seven grandchildren and seven greatgrandchildren.
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