Obituaries
We record with regret the deaths of the following Old Sinjuns, and extend our sincerest sympathy to their relatives.
Please send any postings to Obituaries@sinjuns.com.
Hector M. Gould, BSc (Ecom) (Lond)
Born: Unknown ~ Died: June 1983
Robert Taylor informed us that Mr Gould, who taught Mathematics, Commerce, and Religious Education, died on the last day of Summer term 1983.
Submitted by: Robert Taylor
Alan Short
Born: Unknown ~ Died: 10th September 2000
Colin Pinnell has received a letter from Mrs Gibson (aka Connie), a Mistress at the school from 1945 until the mid 60s. It sadly gives news that Alan Short the Pt Master (late 50's early 60's) who succeeded Sammie Broadbent was killed in a car crash on 10 September 2000.
Submitted by: Colin Pinnell
Wolf Lanch
Born: 1910 ~ Died: 29th
April 2001
Colin Pinnell has received a call from Cyril Lanch - son of Wolf Lanch - one time German Master and Deputy Head - Informing him that Wolf died on 29 April 2001 having nearly reached his 92nd Birthday. He joined the staff on the same day as Colin started as a pupil in September 1955 and was his first Form Master.
Submitted by: Colin Pinnell
Michael Heath
Born: 1957 ~ Died: 22nd July 2003
I regret to inform the school of the passing of an 'Old Boy' Michael Heath, formerly of Elsley Rd., Battersea, who passed away on Tues. 22nd July 2003. As I understand it he suffered a stroke but had been unwell for sometime and was in a hospital in Putney.
Michael attended the school between 1969 and 1976 and was a neighbour of mine as well as a friend ( he was in the year above me ). Although I have not seen him for quite some time it was a shock to hear of his death. I shall always remember his cheeky smile and pleasant and friendly manner.
Submitted by: Sean Sewell
Meredith Wayland Brown
Born: 12th June 1905 ~ Died: 12th February 2004
I write to advise you that my father, Meredith Wayland Brown, who was at your school from 1915 to 1924, died recently aged 98. He especially asked me to advise you of his demise and I have compiled a note (attached) about his life.
Yours sincerely,
John W Brown
Attended Sir Walter St John's Grammar School, Battersea from 1915 to 1924. School Captain, 1924. Won scholarship in mathematics to Queens' College, Cambridge.
Studied maths at Cambridge from 1924 to 1927; 1st class honours degree. Admitted as Bachelor of Arts on 21 June 1927; Master of Arts on 20 June 1931.
Became a school master, teaching maths first a Sutton Grammar School and then at the Bec School, Tooting.
Married Helen Joyce Brown (sister of a colleague at Bec School) in 1933. One son, John, born in 1935.
1939 to 1945 served in the RAF, being commissioned as a meteorological officer in 1939 and served in France in 1940, being very fortunate to be evacuated from St Nazaire after the fall of Dunkirk.
1945 returned to teaching and later became the first headmaster as a comprehensive of Holloway School, North London when it was expanded into a comprehensive, having previously been Camden Grammar school. In the1960s became an Inspector of Schools for the Inner London Education authority, with special responsibility for mathematics teaching. Also became a governor of the then South Bank Polytechnic (now the University of the South Bank) and was Treasurer of the Mathematical Association.
Retired from full time work in 1970 but continued to work part time for some years until his wife suffered a stroke. He then devoted himself to looking after her until her death in 1995. Thereafter he continued to live in the bungalow he had purchased in 1933, looking after himself and delighting in the garden he had made which was always his pride and joy. He retained his faculties to the very end, dying in St Helier Hospital, Carshalton of pneumonia following a short illness.
He is survived by his son, John, and also by two grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He was delighted that his grandson, Robin, followed in his footsteps to Queens College, Cambridge to read mathematics in 1981.
Submitted by: John Brown
Alan Thurgood
Born: 1942 ~ Died: August 2005
Alan Thurgood attended Sinjuns from 1952 - 1957. His funeral service will took place at 4pm on Friday 2nd September 2005 at North East Surrey Crematorium.
Submitted by: Alan Towers
Tony "Chippy"
Smith
Born: Unknown ~ Died: 10th
June 2006
From Steve Brown, a neighbour and friend of Jean and Tony Smith in Addlestone; Jean has asked him to pass on this message.
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Tony Smith who was Head of Department for Technical Studies during the 1970s at the school. He died peacefully following a stroke on 10th June 2006.
He will also be remembered at school for taking the boys on ski trips which included, at later stages, Jean and his children Ian and Helen. These were happy days!
Much of his time in the subsequent years has been in playing and coaching cricket. Only the previous Saturday he was captain of the Horsley and Send team and scored 66 runs. He had been to cricket nets on the 9th June prior to the stroke.
From G.R. JACKSON (1963 -70):
I attended the funeral of Tony Smith on Friday who died on 10 June 2006. Tony taught woodwork at Sinjuns during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Apart from his many considerable talents,Tony was a considerable influence in local sport both as a hockey and cricket coach. It is the latter that most Sinjuns will identify with him, as he was always a keen participator in the School v Staff cricket matches and was indeed a member of the Staff side that famously defeated the School in 1969 after the absence of around fifty years!
Tony took early retirement at fifty to concentrate on his other interests including sports.He played club cricket at the highest level for Weybridge and later at Guildford where he was, in part, responsible for the setting up of the cricket colts at that club and was instrumental in coaching and developing the talents of the England spinner Ashley Giles. He was still playing cricket at the start of this season and ,although no longer wicketkeeping which was his speciality, he still found the energy to score 66 opening for Horsley & Send's 4thXI , almost as many runs as his age! At the time of his death he was still involved with cricket and hockey coaching at St. Georges College Weybridge and the school was well represented at the funeral.
As a hockey player and later coach Tony was well respected both locally and nationally. He was a member at Teddington hockey club at a time when the club was one of the strongest sides in the country and indeed travelled with the club to participate in international competitions. The address at the funeral was given by Tony Haycraft the Chairman of Surbiton Hockey Club Colts.
Submitted by: Steve Brown
Please send any postings to Obituaries@sinjuns.com.