No. 141 The Trusty Servant
Obituary
We write obituaries for all Old Wykehamists and it would be invaluable to us if OWs were to send us some notes about their life, covering a little bit more than appears in the Winchester College Register. These should be addressed to: The Obituarist, Winchester College Society, 73 Kingsgate Street, Winchester, SO23 9PE, or wincollsoc @ wincoll. ac. uk
David Michael McCallum Steele( CoRo, 57-95); died 23.11.2025. Lymm GS; Imperial College London, 1 Chem 1957, ARCS 1957. University College London, MSc( Hist and Phil Sci) 1972, dissertation on The History of Inflammable Air. Head of Chemistry; Careers Master; Housemaster( E) 1974- 89, where he oversaw a considerable expansion of the building and the number of boys it housed. Established Science School Museum. Author of Chemistry of Metallic Elements 1965, editor and co-author of Teachers’ Guide to History of Science 1970. Royal Society of Chemists lectures.‘ His polished introductions to the demonstrations, and the demonstrations themselves, were pure theatre’. He had a great love of Church music, singing in Chapel Choir for 20 years, as well as long walks through the Hampshire countryside. He retired to Cornwall in 1995. In later life he became organist and church warden at St Keverne Church Cornwall where he indulged his love of bookbinding.
He married Jillian Fairhurst in 1960, who survives him together with their son and daughter. A full appreciation appears above.
Robert( Rob) John Wyke( CoRo, 85-15); died 23.1.2026. Cannock GS 1965-71. St Catherine’ s College, Cambridge 1972-75, Eng Lit BA 1975, MA 1979. PGCE Durham, part- time teaching St Peter’ s York. Campion
School, Athens 1980-85. Head of English 1985-90, Housemaster( I) 1990-2001, 2M 2001-15. He retired to York in 2015. He remained an avid opera-goer, a Japanese-theatre enthusiast and a member of the Garrick Club. He was also for many years chairman of the Laurence Sterne Trust, which cares for Shandy Hall in North Yorkshire. Obituary in Telegraph. A full appreciation will appear in TS142.
Adrian Reginald Longley( C, 39-43); died 16.11.2025. RB 1943-7, 2 Lt 1945, A / Capt 1947, Egypt, Palestine and Cyprus 1946-7. Trinity College Cambridge 1947, 2 Hist 1949, BA 1949, MA. Schoolmaster, Aysgarth and then Copthorne 1949-54. Legal profession 1955; solicitor 1959; Freshfields, London 1959-69; White, Brooks & Gilman, Winchester 1970-72; legal adviser to National Council for Voluntary Organisations, London 1972- 90. Member of Goodman Committee on Charity Law 1974-6; trustee of various charities; OBE 1991. Consultant to Arlingtons Sharmas Solicitors 1992. Contributor to Charities: The Law and Practice( Sweet & Maxwell) from 1994. Solicitor to Trustees of Memorial Gates, Constitution Hill, London and legal advisor for the erection of Gandhi’ s statue in Parliament Square in 2015. He married Sylvia Hayter in 1957, who died in 2011, and is survived by their 3 daughters.
John Henry Thornton( B, 41-45); died 31.10.2025. Brother of GGT. KRRC 1945; 2 Lt R Norfolk Regt 1946. Trinity College Cambridge 1948, 2( ii) Hist, BA 1950. With Barclays Bank. Advanced Managerial Programme at Harvard 1974. Retired 1987. Director, Norwich Diocesan Board of Finance and St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital. Knight of St John; DL, Norfolk. He was a great supporter of the church locally and of the Prayer Book Society. He also enjoyed his sport, attended Friday of Oval test every year for 15 years until he was 92, last rugby international France / England in Paris aged 90. He married Jennifer Stephenson in 1958, who died in 2025, and is survived by their daughter and 2 sons.
Philip George Ashweek Archer( C, 43- 47); died 16.4.2026. Brother of JFAA. Co Prae, Soccer XI. Harper Adams Agricultural College 1948 – 50, National Diploma in Agriculture, Soccer XI, Tennis. He farmed in Herefordshire, retired in 1988. He was involved in local government for 26 years, including being chairman of Herefordshire County Council for 5 years. He married Elizabeth Jackaman in 1983, who survives him together with 2 stepsons and a stepdaughter.
William Michael James Milligan( A, 43-47); died 8.11.2025. Father of WM; Co Prae, VIII 1945-7, Capt of Running 1947 & Boxing 1946-7, quarter mile and long jump, Greenjackets team, Duberly Prize. RA 1947, 2 Lt 1948; Egypt. Trinity College Oxford 1949, 2 Hist, BA 1952, stroked winning trial VIII 1949; Dip Ed 1953. He worked for ICI( printing & chemicals) and then as a management consultant at the Department of Trade and Industry, retiring aged 70. He was elected as a councillor( Independent) on Hambleton District Council( North Yorkshire), serving two four-year terms and was a volunteer at a local stately home, Kiplin Hall. He loved History, English Literature, Architecture and Fishing He married Susan Grint in 1960, who survives him together with their 3 sons.
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