PAGE INDEX
A. IN MEMORIAM: DECEASED
O.C.s (27 names)
B. LIST
OF LIVING O.C.s
(Please
remember, you don't stop being an O.C. just because you die ! ;-)
A. IN MEMORIAM: DECEASED
O.C.s
"Their name liveth
for ever more"
ANDERSON, Lindsay - film
director The seminal 1967 film 'If'
directed by Anderson was filmed ("shot" may be a more appropriate
word for this film ;-) mainly at Cheltenham College, with boys as extras.
ATTWOOD, Richard - died
in a car accident on 28 July 1996, aged 21.
"He was extremely
good-natured, never ruffled, never apparently unhappy, never ill-tempered,
always smiling that infectious smile, never bothered about image. He treated
everyone, peers, juniors, adults alike with the same friendly, open and
good-humoured manner which endeared him to all."
BOGLE, Andrew
Cathcart won the Victoria Cross during the Indian Mutiny.
On 29 July
1857 in the attack on Oonao, India Lieutenant Bogle led
the way into a loopholed house which was occupied by the enemy and from which a
heavy fire harassed the advance of his regiment. The lieutenant was severely
wounded in this action. He later achieved the rank of Major in the 18th
regiment (later The Seaforth Highlanders - Ross-shire Buffs, Duke of Albany's).
BOOTH, Frederick Charles
won the Victoria Cross at the age of 27. Sergeant, British South
African Police, South African Forces, attached to Rhodesia Native Infantry.
|
On
12 February 1917 at Johannesbruck, near Songea, East Africa,
during an attack in thick bush on the enemy position and under very heavy
rifle fire, Sergeant Booth went forward alone and brought in a man who was
dangerously wounded. Later he rallied native troops who were badly
disorganised and brought them to the firing line. On many previous occasions
this NCO had set a splendid example of pluck, and endurance. Later promoted
to Captain. Other decorations: DCM |
BOWRA,
Cecil Maurice - Oxford
University professor and classical scholar
BOYES, Duncan
Gordon - midshipman who won the Victoria Cross
at Shimonoseki,
Japan for bravery under fire at age 17. Later dismissed (unfairly and
wrongfully IMHO. Ed.) from the Royal Navy for a 'boyish prank' in Bermuda,
it is said that he tragically drank himself to death in New Zealand at age 22 -
presumably because he couldn't stand the shame of being court-martialled.
On 21 July 1998
Cheltenham College sold
his medal (which it had bought in 1978 because of its
historical links with the school) for a substantial sum through a London
auction, apparently to set up a scholarship in his name. The medal, which was
the only V.C. owned by the College, is now in the hands of a private
collector, who apparently has said he will not let it leave Britain (even
though AFAIK most of the 1,354 VCs awarded are in Britain !).
I believe the Boyes V.C.
could - and should - be exhibited (at least temporarily, if not
permanently) in the former British Consulate
in Shimonoseki,
less than a mile from where it was first earned.
The building, itself a
precious relic of the Meiji era (1868-1912), is owned by the City and pictured
below. It is rather bare and empty at present, except for a few sticks of
furniture (mostly not the original items, though in the right period or high
quality reproductions) and a TV and video with "videos for tourist
use" (whatever that means). One of the ground floor rooms is sometimes
used for lectures.
Why not make it into
something special, a museum for
Anglo-Japanese relations ?
:
The citation for Boyes reads:
"On 6
September 1864 at Shimonoseki, Japan, Midshipman Boyes of HMS Euryalus
displayed great gallantry in the capture of the enemy's stockade. He carried
the Queen's Colour into action with the leading company and kept the flag
flying in spite of direct fire which killed one of his colour sergeants. Mr.
Boyes and the other colour sergeant (PRIDE, T.) who was badly wounded, were
only prevented from going further forward by direct orders from their superior
officer."
See also A
Diplomat in Japan by Sir Ernest Satow, who was present at Shimonoseki that day. He wrote:
"Lieutenant
Edwards and Crowdy of the Engineers were ahead with a middy named D. G. Boyes,
who carried the colours most gallantly; he afterwards received the V.C. for
conduct very plucky in one so young." (p.112, first edition, 1921)
For more in detail about
Duncan Boyes see my O.C.
list of Victoria Cross winners, of which there are
fourteen in all.
BOYLE, Edward
Courtney, Royal Navy won the Victoria Cross.
On 27 April
1915 in the Sea of Marmara, Dardenelles, Lieutenant-Commander Boyle,
in command of Submarine E.14, dived his vessel under the enemy minefields and
in spite of great navigational difficulties from strong currents and the
presence of hostile patrols waiting to attack, he continued, during the next
two weeks, to operate in the narrow waters of the straits and succeeded in sinking
two Turkish gunboats and one military transport.
BRADLEY,
A.C. (1851-1935) - Shakespearean critic, author of Shakespearean
Tragedy (1904)
CHANNER, George
Nicholas won the Victoria Cross
On 20
December 1875 in Perak, Malaya, Captain Channer was the first to
jump into the enemy's stockade to which he had been despatched with a small
party to obtain intelligence of its strength and position. The stockade was
formidable and it would have been impossible to bring guns to bear on it
because of the steepness of the hill and the density of the jungle. If Captain
Channer and his party had not been able to take the stockade in this manner it
would have been necessary to resort to the bayonet, with consequent great loss
of life.
DILL, Field Marshal Sir
John Greer (1881-1944) - chief British military representative to Washington
D.C. (1941-44) where he helped coordinate the military policies of the two
western allies.
ELIOT, Sir Charles
Scholar-diplomat and British ambassador in Japan 1920-1926, in the tradition of
Sir
Ernest Satow, whose
life I am currently researching.
"At school, and then
at Oxford, Eliot displayed striking linguistic aptitude."
FORBES-ROBERTSON,
James D.S.O., M.C., won the Victoria Cross.
On 11/12
April 1918 near Vieux Berquin, France, four times Lieutenant Colonel
Forbes-Robertson saved the line from breaking and averted a most serious
situation. On one occasion, having made a reconnaissance on horseback in full
view of the enemy under heavy fire, he led a counter-attack which was
completely successful in establishing our line. When his horse was shot under
him he continued on foot, steadying the men and inspiring confidence by his
disregard for personal danger. On the second day he lost another horse and
again continued on foot until he had established a line to which his own troops
could withdraw.
GRANT, John
Duncan won the Victoria Cross.
8th Gurkha Rifles, Indian
Army; Gyantse Jong, Tibet Expedition, 6 July 1904.
On 6 July
1904 at the storming of the Gyantse Jong, Tibet, the storming
company, led by Lieutenant Grant, had to advance up a bare, almost precipitous
rock-face with little cover and under heavy fire. Showers of rock and stones
were being hurled down the hillside by the enemy and only one man could go up
at a time, crawling on hands and knees. Lieutenant Grant and a havildar
attempted to scale the final defensive curtain, but on reaching the top they
were both wounded and hurled back. Regardless of their injuries, they made
another attempt and, covered by the fire of men below, were at last successful.
HART, Reginald
Clare won the Victoria Cross.
Royal Engineers. Afghan
War, 31 January 1879
On 31 January
1879 in the Bazar Valley, Afghanistan, Lieutenant Hart, while on
convoy duty, ran some 1,200 yards to the rescue of a wounded sowar of the 13th
Bengal Lancers, lying in a river bed exposed to the fire of the enemy on all
sides. He reached the wounded man, drove off the enemy and with the help of
some soldiers who had accompanied him, carried the casualty to safety.
KEMPSTER, Major André
George (né Cocciolette) won the George
Cross.
Royal Armoured Corps;
Tunisia, 21 August 1943
LECKY, William Edward
Hartpole (1838-1903)
Irish historian of
rationalism and European morals whose study of Georgian England became a
classic.
LIPSCOMBE, Daniel -
Zoologist. He died in Botswana while protecting an endangered species in 1996.
He was fatally injured while supervising the transfer of a large, and wild,
bull rhinoceros. One of his African colleagues said of him:
'Danny was our child and
a gentle man. He worked with us, he liked us and we liked him. He was a man who
loved the work he was doing.' In a short time he had gained a reputation as
'the most knowledgeable person on the rhino in Botswana'.
McDONELL,
William Fraser won the Victoria Cross. He was one of only
five civilians to be awarded it.
Bengal Civil Service;
Arrah, 30 July 1857
|
On
30 July 1857 during the retreat from Arrah, India, Mr. McDonell
and 35 soldiers were in a boat hoping to escape, but the oars had been taken
away by the rebels and the rudder tied to the side of the boat. Mr. McDonell
climbed out of the boat under incessant fire from the enemy and with
considerable difficulty cut through the lashing which secured the rudder. He
then guided the boat himself, and helped by a breeze, crossed the river to
safety. |
MELVILL, Teignmouth
was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
24th Regiment,
Isandhlwana, Zululand, 22 January 1879
On 22 January
1879 after the disaster of the Battle of Isandhlwana, South Africa,
Lieutenant Melvill made gallant efforts to save the Queen's Colour of his
Regiment. He and another officer (COGHILL, N.) were pursued by Zulu warriors
and after experiencing great difficulty in crossing the swollen River Buffalo
(during which time the Colour was unfortunately carried downstream) the two men
were overtaken by the enemy and following a short but gallant struggle both
were killed. The Colour was retrieved from the river 10 days later.
MENZIES-KITCHIN, James -
Theatrical director, died of a brain
haemmorhage in June 1996. In his twenties on death.
MOOR, George
Raymond Dallas won the Victoria Cross.
Hampshire Regiment;
Krithia, Dardanelles, 5 June 1915
On 5 June
1915 south of Krithia, Gallipoli, when a detachment of the battalion
which had lost all its officers was rapidly retiring before a heavy Turkish
attack, Second Lieutenant Moor, realising the danger to the rest of the line,
dashed back some 200 yards, stemmed the retirement, led back the men and
recaptured the lost trench. This brave act saved a dangerous situation.
NEAME, Philip
won the Victoria Cross.
Royal Engineers ; Neuve
Chapelle, France, 19 December 1914
On 19 June
1914 at Neuve Chapelle, France, Lieutenant Neame, in the face of
very heavy fire, engaged the Germans in a single-handed bombing attack, killing
and wounding a number of them. He was able to check the enemy advance for
three-quarters of an hour and to rescue all the wounded whom it was possible to
move.
PIGGOTT, Major-General
Francis S. G., CB, DSO
Colonel Commandant, Royal
Engineers
Sometime His Majesty's
Military Attaché at Tokyo
One of the most
distinguished soldiers of his generation, with Field Marshall Dill (see above)
who was a personal friend. In 1933 Piggott was given the opportunity to learn
Japanese at the army's expense.
"He studied first at
the School of Oriental Languages in London, and then from 1935 to 1937 in Japan,
where he was able to observe Japanese military and political life at first
hand, making many Japanese friends in the process...." (Cheltonian
Society News 1996-7, No, 17, pp.94-5)
When Japan surrendered in
1945 Piggott was attached to the Commonwealth Occupation Force, where he played
his part in the rehabilitation of the Japanese imperial family, some of whose
members he had come to know in the 1930s.
His autobiography Broken
Thread is mainly about his experiences in Japan, where he grew up. (The thread
in the title is Anglo-Japanese relations, broken by the Second World War.)
Piggott was the second
President of the Cheltonian Society (1944-47), and a photograph of College is
in the book, published by Gale & Polden Ltd, Aldershot, 1950.
REYNOLDS,
Douglas won the Victoria Cross.
Royal Field Artillery ;
Le Cateau, France, 26 August 1914
On 26 August
1914 at Le Cateau, France, Captain Reynolds took up two teams with
volunteer drivers, to recapture two British guns and limbered up two guns under
heavy artillery and infantry fire. Although the enemy was within 100 yards he
managed, with the help of two drivers (DRAIN, J.H.C. and LUKE, F.), to get one
gun away safely. On 9 September at Pysloup, he reconnoitred at
close range, discovered a battery which was holding up the advance and silenced
it.
RYDER, Robert
Edward Dudley, Royal Navy, won the Victoria Cross.
St.Nazaire, 27 March 1942
On 28 March
1942 in the attack on St. Nazaire, France, Commander Ryder,
commanding the Naval force, led HMS Campbeltown in under intense fire.
When the main objective of the expedition had been accomplished and Campbeltown
had been beached, Commander Ryder remained on the spot evacuating men from Campbeltown
and conducting operations while exposed to heavy fire, and did not withdraw
until it was certain that his ship could be of no more use. His motor gun boat
(MGB. 314), full of dead and wounded, survived by a miracle and managed to
withdraw through an intense barrage of fire.
STIDDARD, Tim - Solicitor
at Weston-Super-Mare, aged 39. He is in the rugby team photo shown below
(middle row, third from right).
WILSON, Edward Adrian - Antarctic
explorer and graduate of Gonville and Caius
College, Cambridge University
who died with Robert Falcon Scott near the South Pole in 1912.
I am delighted to note
that his medicine bottles etc. will probably soon be returned (along with other
priceless Antarctic artefacts) to the hut in Antarctica from which they were
taken in the 1950s. See this
article from the Times of 15 September 1998.
The Gate of Honour, Caius
College, Cambridge (Click on the gate to enter the College website ! )
(Note: Caius is also
the alma
mater of at least two former Cheltenham College headmasters - David Ashcroft
(retd.) and Richard Morgan, now the Warden of Radley College,
Oxfordshire - as well as yours truly. Ed. )
(Note: The above list
is very incomplete. It includes the famous and less well-known of the two
centuries of College's history. Some lives have been tragically cut short, both
in peace and in war. But these are "lives that speak, and deeds that
beckon", and it is right and proper that we should give thanks for them.
More than 600 Old Cheltonians gave their lives in the First World War,
1914-1918. This is the largest number from any one school in that war. More
than 400 laid down their lives for their country in the Second World War,
1939-45. The monument in the Chapel cloisters invites the visitor to "Pass
[through to the Chapel], and Pray [for the fallen]". The school boasts 14 Victoria Crosses
(listed separately here)
earned in battles from the Indian Mutiny (1857) to the Second World War, a
record which AFAIK has been surpassed only by Eton College (22) and Harrow
School (15). The Victoria
Cross is the highest decoration for bravery awarded
to British and Commonwealth servicemen. It is awarded regardless of the rank of
the recipient. Ed.)
The Imperial War Museum, London
The Scottish
Military Historical Society
B. LIST OF LIVING O.C.s
(great and small ;-)
Name, house, years at
College, phone number, e-mail address and work (if known)
(listed alphabetically
by family name)
ADLER, Peter
Leconfield
ANTHONY, Jonathan D.E.
Thirlestaine
APRAHAMIAN, J.F. (Hank)
Newick
AUGER, Roger C.
Thirlestaine '70-74
Now a housemaster at
Wellington College. Married with four young children.
BADHAM-THORNHILL Robin
Hazelwell
Now running a school in
the West Country
BALMER, John
Christowe 78
Hants& Berks County Rep.
Director, Edifis Ltd
BARBER, Neville
(Thirlestaine)
BARNES, Donald W.
Former Head of Modern
Languages Dept. at College 1970-84.
Publications: Introduction
a la Litterature Francaise (1979); En Avant Les Jeunes (Et Alia)
(1979); Actuellement (1989).
Interests: Free Foresters
Cricket Club; Lilley Brook Golf Club etc.
Resides at Bishops
Cleeve, Cheltenham.
BAROUNOS Mark
Hazelwell
18821 Blythswood Drive
Monte Sereno California 95030
Tel: 408-867-0590
Married with two children. CEO of a Global Event Management company.
BARRINGTON, Jonah
Former world
squash champion
BEIM, Tom
Rugby player, Sale FC and
England
BENNETT, Julian
(Cheltondale 1975-80)
Works for Quest Software selling
Oracle database performance and productivity tools. Married with two sons,
lives in Oxfordshire.
home e-mail:
101353.103@compuserve.com
BIRD, Michael
Reading Berks
BRETTELL, Peter
Former President of
Cheltonian Society
Boyne, left 1971
BRISTOL, John A.S.
Former French master at
College. OC College CCF, 1968-75. Later Head of Modern Languages (and
Headmaster ?) at Waltham Toll Bar School in Grimsby, and now retired in
Cheltenham.
CAIRNS, P.D. (Paddy)
Hazelwell
CARNEGIE BROWN, Bruce N
President of Cheltonian
Society
Hazelwell, left 1977
CLEAVER, George, Lt.
(Newick, 1969-74)
Royal Navy, 1979-87
Now with Friends
Provident (1995- )
CUTTS, Dr. Tim (Boyne
1984-9)
Formerly at Dept. of
Biochemistry, Tennis Court Road,Cambridge University.
Now a Bioinformatics
Scientist at Hexagen Technology Ltd.
http://www.bio.cam.ac.uk/~tjrc1/
home e-mail: tim@cyclin.demon.co.uk
work: tim.cutts@incyte.com
DODD, Guy A. G.
Former College master and
housemaster
DORAISAMY, Edward (Newick
'69-'73)
doraisamy@bigpond.com
DRAPER, Andrew J.
(Thirlestaine '70-'74)
FIDLER, Rob
Gloucester RFC and
England
FISCHER, Gert (Hazelwell
'72-'73)
Cultural activities &
museum director, Siegburg, Germany
FITCHEW, Ian K.
FREDJOHN, Robin
Thirlestaine
GREENHALGH, Michael
(Mike)
Medical doctor and rugby player
(ex-Rosslyn Park and Northampton)
GRIFFIN, Peter
Christowe
GUBBINS,
Richard (Newick,
'71-'75 ?)
Managing Partner of
Singapore office, Ashurst Morris Crisp
& Co.
HARDY,
Dan (Leconfield
'78-'83)
e-mail: Danhardy@west.net
Executive Director of a
non-profit housing organization called Many
Mansions in Thousand Oaks,
California
HARGREAVES, Colin R.
Thirlestaine
HEARN,
Dan played rugby for Oxford and England
Master at Haileybury
HITCHMAN, C.W. (Bill)
(Thirlestaine)
HOOLE, Norman Peter G.
played in College XV, 1932-4. Major, Hong Kong Police (retd.) He worked for
many years with my father in Cheltenham at Spirax
Sarco from which he has also retired.
HOPE, Michael (Leconfield
66-71) Big Brother of Richard (see next item)! Lives in Bath. Runs his own
company Michael Hope Sports which supplies school uniform and sports gear to
schools and clubs.
Richard_Hope@compuserve.com
Police Officer, Greater
Manchester Police, and Under 15 rugby coach at Stockport RUFC
This was one of many very
successful teams coached by late College master M. F. "Mugs" Miller.
Richard has put the photo on the web and listed the team members on