The Old Pocklingtonian Old Pocklingtonian 2017-18 | Page 28

DEATHS AND OBITUARIES
the harvest prevented him from going on the annual
tour to Kent and Sussex.
Graham also played rugby at Clifton Park for
one season and then did not play for three years.
However, that changed when he came to my 21st at
Malton & Norton rugby club in 1972 and I persuaded
him to come and play rugby there with me, which he
did at the start of the 1973/74 season. This marked
the beginning of a long and fulfilling connection with
the club both as a player and socially.
Graham captained the club for the 1975/76 season
and only six games were won. Writing a piece for
Jos Sturdy’s history of the club, the first 50 years,
Graham gives a good insight as to the enjoyment
and good friends he made whilst playing for Malton.
In 1978, we both got married. Barbara and I in
September, and Graham and Anne in December.
Graham was my best man and I was his. Their first
daughter (my goddaughter), Elizabeth, was born in
1981 and my son (Graham’s godson), James, was
born the following year.
Graham and Anne went on to have seven children
and with such a large family we did not see as much
of them as we would have liked. We usually saw
Graham about twice a year and invariably at the St
George’s Night dinner at the rugby club. I was so
pleased that I saw Graham on the Tuesday before he
died. As I was about to leave we shook hands and
he thanked me for visiting and for the good wishes
from everyone at the club. It never crossed my mind
that this would be the last time we spoke to each
other.
and 1st X1 cricketer. His schooldays at Pocklington
were the start of a long association with the school,
which saw him as pupil, parent and, later, as School
Governor (1980 to 2002) and Life Patron. This was
a role he was particularly committed to and he was
very proud of the way the school has developed
and thrived.
After the war, David moved to Burton Fleming to
take on the running of his own farm. His experiences
on the farm saw massive changes and he would
often talk about working with horses in his younger
days. He was married to Doris in 1951 and has two
sons and two grandchildren.
He continued to play local cricket and was a good
all-rounder, very capable with both bat and ball.
He was a great supporter of village life in general
and, among other things, was an enthusiastic church
warden and member of the Deanery Synod. He
served on the Parish Council as Chairman for many
years. Soon after moving to Burton Fleming, he was
elected to the Bridlington Rural District Council and
remained on the Council after it became first North
Wolds in 1974 and then East Yorkshire in 1981. He
served as Mayor of East Yorkshire in 1987/8.
David died peacefully on 18 July 2018.
(Chris Southwell, 61-71)
(John Machin, 60-69)
Justin Edward John Twelftree (78-83), a Senior
Research Assistant for Oliver Wyman, died in March
2018 aged 52 of a traumatic brain injury. He was
well considered by all those he worked with for his
professionalism and determination to complete all
his duties to the best of his ability.
Justin was born in Crick, Northamptonshire. His
father John was involved in retail food management.
His mother Bee was a mid-wife – they moved
around quite a lot with John’s job but settled in
Nottinghamshire where they still live today.
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After sixth form, he attended Newark Technical
College to improve his grades so that he could go
to Polytechnic. He also took time to travel to France
and Spain, which broadened his outlook on life.
Justin attended PNL (Polytechnic of North London)
studying French and Philosophy between 1986 and
1990. He loved the French language and loved visiting
the country. He took part in grape harvesting and
was also a goat herd on a farm in the South of France.
It was at PNL that he met is wife, Cathy, in 1988.
Cathy was also studying French and they decided
to live together in Bethune, Northern France
during their year abroad as English Assistants. After
graduating in 1990, they moved into their first house
in London and married a year later. Their son Oliver
was born in 1994.
Justin’s first ‘proper’ job after graduating was working
for Pims keeping the European media directories up
to date. Then he worked for EMAP for several years
on a publication called: ‘Containerisation International’
– updating container and shipping information.
Wherever he worked, he was known for his sense of
humour and the strong friendships he forged.
He stayed in research when he landed a job at
Oliver Wyman (Mercer Management Consultancy).
This was his last job and he worked in the
company for 21 years. He became an expert that
consultants relied on to provide them with the
necessary information to resolve many company’s
performance issues – initially in transportation but
later on in the retail sector as well. He was held
in high esteem throughout Oliver Wyman not just
in the London Office but also in their research
departments throughout the world.
Graham lived life to the full. He worked hard and
played hard. He has been a great friend to me and
many others. However, above all he was a family
man. He loved Anne, the children and grandchildren
with a passion and he will be sadly missed by them
and all that knew him.
David Vickerman Southwell (39-44) was born in
1928 and brought up on his father’s farm in Thorpe
Bassett with elder sister Elisabeth and younger
brother Tim. He spent the war years at Pocklington
School, boarding at the Lodge, which he often spoke
of fondly. It was very close to the airfield and the
Halifax bombers taking off each night made a great
impression on him. He was a keen rugby player
He became quite a talented Hockey player. He
just wanted to excel at whatever he did. Apart
from playing at school, he played in goal for South
Nottingham Hockey club, Bethune Hockey club in
France and Southgate Adelaide.
The seeds of Justin’s hard-working attitude were
planted during his time at Pocklington School,
which he attended between 1978 and 1983 His
housemaster was Chris Solomon and he really
enjoyed the company of the other boys in his house;
they were like extended family. He forged friendships
that remained with him all his adult life.
Pocklington also nurtured his sporting prowess.
A keen cycling enthusiast, Justin insisted on travelling
into work on his bike every day partly to keep fit,
partly as he disliked relying on public transport.
Cycling was a hobby as well; he travelled all over
Chile and France on his bike. More often than not,
his travels were with a close friend, Andy, whom he
had known since he was 8 years old.
Justin was never still. When he was not working,
he was going somewhere, helping someone – bored
was a word that did not exist in his dictionary.
Over the years, he had many interests: growing his
own vegetables, cycling, playing hockey, taking part in
triathlons, hiking and carpentry. It was whilst hiking
with a group of friends in Scotland that he incurred
his fatal brain injury after a bad fall. He died two
weeks later in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on 15
March 2018.
He is survived by his wife Cathy and son Oliver, his
parents Bee and John and his brother Dominic.
(Cathy Twelftree)